Chapter 9

I Am Not a Reincarnator Chapter 9

Registration Review (1)

Special Disaster and Security Management Association.

It’s a decent name, but in fact, no one calls it that.

The organization commonly known as the 'Awakened Association'.

Awakeners who have been chosen by the Constellation and granted a Sacred Mark can apply to the Association to receive a registration card.

Of course.

The 'registration card' itself doesn’t have much significance.

Due to the weakening of public authority after the country almost collapsed when the Gate opened, the effectiveness of the registration card is almost non-existent.

“Damn, it’s so crowded.”

Despite this, many Awakeners were waiting in front of the Association’s headquarters in Yeouido to undergo the registration review.

The reason why Awakeners from all over the country gather for a registration card with no real meaning is quite simple.

‘You get better recruitment offers from guilds if you have a registration card.’

To put it simply, it’s like registering a product in an auction.

Awakeners with good 1-2 star ratings after the review are said to receive recruitment offers with generous conditions from large guilds.

Conversely, there’s nothing to say.

‘I don’t really plan to join a guild, though.’

There was a different motive for coming here.

“Since there’s still some time to wait… I should dispose of the Sacred Stones first.”

He headed to the Sacred Stone purchasing office attached to the side of the Association’s main building.

He handed over two bags of Sacred Stones to the employee with a business smile.

One was collected while partying with Lee Shin-hyuk, and the other was gathered yesterday at the Gate.

“Based on the market price of November 8, 2020, it’s 1,440,000 won. Would you like to receive it in cash?”

“Please put it in my account.”

Although receiving cash feels better, there was a risk of losing it.

‘That can’t happen.’

It’s a huge amount, over a million won.

I absolutely can’t lose it.

“1,152,000 won after income tax.”

“Shit.”

“Excuse me?”

“No, nothing.”

What the hell, 20% income tax, you highway robbers.

“Sigh.”

Although deep anger heated his head, he suppressed his anger with superhuman patience.

He wanted to sell them through an illegal route to avoid taxes, but that could really mess things up.

‘The illegal sale of Sacred Stones is managed more strictly than drugs.’

Even if the Association’s authority has plummeted, it’s still the largest national organization.

If caught, it wouldn’t just end with a tax issue.

“Tsk.”

O Jin clicked his tongue and picked up the receipt.

Now, he only had one Sacred Stone left, collected from a mutant.

‘I need to sell this at the right time.’

While regular Sacred Stones have a fixed international price, those from mutants are different.

It would be more profitable to gather some information before selling.

“Let’s see… it’s about time.”

Checking the time, he realized the registration review was approaching.

O Jin headed towards the main building.

“Awakener number 57.”

“Yes.”

Thump, thump.

O Jin, who had been waiting in the waiting room, stood up when his number was called.

“Which constellation do you belong to?”

An employee with a businesslike demeanor asked mechanically while filling out the paperwork.

“Lyra.”

“Lyra…?”

The employee tilted his head and scanned the chart next to him.

“…Huh?”

His eyes widened as he examined the chart.

“Wait a moment. Could you please repeat that? Which constellation did you say?”

Bang!

The employee jumped up from his chair and asked urgently.

As if expecting this reaction, O Jin calmly replied.

“Lyra. L-y-r-a.”

“L-Lyra, then… H-Hercules….”

“Yes.”

He nodded with a smirk.

“Vega’s Apostle.”

“……!!!”

The employee’s mouth dropped open.

“Please wait a moment!!”

He hurriedly turned and dashed off somewhere.

Murmurs.

The attention of those around him was drawn.

“Huh.”

O Jin let out a short, hollow laugh and clicked his tongue.

Although he had anticipated this reaction, it still made him chuckle when he experienced it directly.

‘Is this the value of the North Star’s name?’

He had a lot of hesitation about whether to reveal that he was an Awakener of Lyra.

Even just being an Awakener of a zodiac constellation causes quite a stir, so revealing that he was one of the roughly ten ‘Apostles of the North Star’ in the world would cause unimaginable chaos.

Considering the countless nuisances that would follow, he could live like a protagonist in a mass-produced isekai story, hiding his power.

‘But that would be too stupid.’

A name carries power.

Given the lack of foundation he possessed, it was too much to give up the immense power of being an Apostle of the North Star.

Beyond just money, it included connections, information, and various miscellaneous authorities.

Thinking about the future, he needed more than just a few.

‘And to solve that, I need…’

Power.

The title of Apostle of the North Star, which no one can ignore, was necessary.

“Um, it might take a while. Could you please wait over here?”

The employee, who had run off somewhere, returned and asked politely.

His initial mechanical and businesslike demeanor was gone.

‘Yeah, this is the power of authority.’

Smirking, O Jin nodded.

“Please follow me.”

The employee led the way.

“What’s going on?”

“What’s happening?”

He felt the curious gazes of those around him but ignored them.

*Click.*

“You can wait inside here.”

The employee guided him to a waiting room marked ‘VIP Room’.

“Understood.”

He nodded and entered the waiting room.

“Hm?”

Inside, a young man with short blond hair and a somewhat cocky demeanor was sitting.

“Who are you?”

The blond young man asked the employee as if he were addressing a servant.

“Oh, Awakener Park Jung-woo has arrived. Well… there are some circumstances, so I brought you here.”

“What circumstances?”

“It’s….”

The employee glanced at O Jin.

*Ring!*

At that moment, a bell rang in the room.

“I have an urgent matter, so I’ll be going!”

“Wait, an explanation….”

Bang!

The employee closed the door and fled.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell in the room with just the two of them.

‘Who is this guy?’

O Jin narrowed his eyes as he looked at the blond young man, Park Jung-woo.

He was sitting on the sofa as if it were his own living room, glaring at him.

He considered starting a conversation but decided to ignore him.

‘Probably a rookie from a large guild.’

He had heard that sometimes Awakeners already affiliated with a guild undergo registration reviews to build their reputation.

Given that he was in the VIP room, he was likely one of those types.

‘More importantly.’

O Jin’s eyes were drawn to a table in the corner of the waiting room.

On the table were various snacks, cakes, and simple appetizers, arranged like a dessert buffet.

Not only that, but the mini-fridge next to it was stocked with various drinks and alcohol.

‘Is this all free?’

They probably put it there for him to eat while waiting.

‘Buffet.’

Damn, a buffet.

I’ve only seen pictures; this is my first time seeing one in person.

*Shiver.*

A thrilling sensation ran down his spine.

‘How much is all this?’

The pastries and cakes on the fancy plates looked incredibly expensive at first glance.

‘This…’

I can’t resist.

No, I shouldn’t resist.

I can’t miss the chance to fill my stomach for free.

*Clack, clack.*

He piled cakes and pastries onto a plate.

*Chomp, chomp.*

Not knowing when the employee would return, he hastily gathered the cakes and pastries.

“Haha, this is great.”

He didn’t particularly like sweets, but the fact that it was all free made it irrelevant.

“…Huh.”

Park Jung-woo let out a hollow laugh as he watched O Jin greedily empty the plate.

O Jin ignored him.

‘Is there a bag around here?’

Having emptied three plates in a flash, O Jin looked around for a bag.

‘I need to take the rest with me.’

They put it there for him to eat, so there shouldn’t be any problem taking it.

‘Heehee, Haeun will be so happy.’

She rarely gets to eat such desserts, so she would love it.

While imagining Haeun’s smile, he suddenly heard—

“What the hell are you, you bastard?”

Bang!!

Park Jung-woo, who had been frowning, roughly placed his foot on the table.

“……”

O Jin put down the cake he was eating and looked up.

He smirked as he met Park Jung-woo’s sharp gaze.

“Hmm.”

O Jin leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs.

“Quite a bold kid, aren’t you?”

Changing his tone,

He spoke in a stern voice.

“Young people these days are energetic and look good.”

It wasn’t just his voice.

As if flipping a switch, O Jin’s expression, posture, and aura changed instantly.

The greedy man who had just emptied the plate seemed like a mirage, and a mysterious aura, like that of a hermit master, emanated from him.

“What nonsense…”

“Do you know who I am?”

Park Jung-woo’s shoulders trembled.

“…Who are you?”

“Huh. I haven’t been active lately, so this kind of thing happens.”

He chuckled like an old man and folded his arms.

“Still, you should recognize me if you were brought to the VIP room.”

“……”

Park Jung-woo clenched his fists and looked anxious.

‘Who is he?’

Given his confident demeanor, he seemed to be a well-known figure, but no face came to mind.

‘His tone sounds like an old man…’

He had heard before that when an Awakener surpasses the 9th rank, their physical age can become younger.

‘Shit.’

*Gulp.*

Park Jung-woo sensed something was wrong and clenched his fists in tension.

Thinking about it, the other person was also guided to the ‘VIP room’.

It meant he wasn’t an ordinary Awakener.

“Which guild are you from?”

“I, I….”

“Speak.”

“…What?”

“You’ve been speaking in short sentences.”

*Chuckle.*

He smiled warmly and narrowed his eyes.

*Shiver.*

A chill ran down Park Jung-woo’s spine.

Seeing the eerie gleam in O Jin’s narrowed eyes, he involuntarily stood up.

‘What, what is this?’

It felt like looking at an endless black sky.

How could a person change so drastically with just a look?

He couldn’t even tell if the person who had just greedily eaten the cake was the same person.

“I, I… I’m from the Pandinus Guild.”

“Pandinus, huh.”

A guild formed by Awakeners of the Scorpion constellation.

It was a famous guild, one of the top ten in Korea.

‘The guild leader’s name was Kang Chan-hyuk, right?’

Kang Chan-hyuk of the Thousand Toxins.

One of the representative Awakeners in Korea, though not at the top level, he was still quite famous.

If ranked, he might barely make it into the top 30.

Considering the number of Awakeners in Korea, which reaches the tens of thousands, he was undoubtedly a formidable figure.

“Aah, so you’re from Chan-hyuk’s guild.”

He nodded, looking into the distance with a nostalgic expression.

“…Do, do you know the guild leader?”

No.

I don’t.

“I used to eat and go to the sauna with him!”

“Sauna…?”

*Chuckle.* “That young man has grown into a proper guild leader.”

As he continued, Park Jung-woo’s expression became increasingly pale.

“Soon, we should have a drink. Ah, could you pass on my regards to Chan-hyuk? Tell him it’s from ‘Kwon Jin-oh’.”

“T-That, I, I….”

He turned pale and trembled.

*Bang!!*

He roughly knelt and bowed his head.

“Forgive me for my rudeness to a distinguished person!”

*Chuckle.* “Don’t worry about it. Young people can make mistakes.”

O Jin smiled warmly and lightly patted Park Jung-woo’s shoulder.

“No!!! I, I made a big mistake….”

“Hmm. If that’s the case, could you do me a favor?”

“Anything, just say it!!!”

Park Jung-woo bowed deeply and shouted loudly.

“Then.”

O Jin pointed to the table still filled with cakes and pastries.

“Could you get a bag and pack up the rest for me?”

“……”