Return of the Irregular Appraiser Chapter 37

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HEL SCANS

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

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Unknown Facts (1)

Salvation Academy, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do.

It was built on what used to be a large park and amusement park.

The Salvation Korean branch academy, boasting a vast area with a large reservoir at its center, is filled with people from all over the country who aspire to become awakened individuals and disciples.

Places where training or classes are conducted are restricted to outsiders, but other areas are open to outsiders, so many people frequented the place like a tourist attraction.

“It’s still the same.”

I felt a different feeling as I entered the entrance of the academy after a long time.

The reason why so many people visit the academy is because of its otherworldly design.

The mystery of the academy begins outside the entrance. The moment you enter the archway, you feel disconnected from the outside world.

Inside the passage, blue lines resembling mana circuits flowed like a painting, and at the same time, those who entered the passage could only see a single golden path laid out in the darkness without seeing the outside.

Following that path reveals a magical school completely different from the city center outside.

Grass laid around the reservoir, beautifully decorated gardens, and park paths filled with the scent of grass.

Buildings combining the architectural styles of ancient magic civilizations catch the eye.

Buildings filled with a combination of magical engineering and scientific technology were beyond beauty, even mystical.

‘It’s definitely well made.’

Many people were drawn to this place because of its contrast with the monotonous architecture of Seoul.

The design of Salvation Academy received worldwide acclaim to the extent that Korea became famous for it globally.

‘Well, now other places have followed suit, and there are a lot of similar places popping up.’

I took the internal bus and went inside.

Since the grounds were so vast, there was a dedicated bus within the academy. The regularly circulating bus stopped at its final destination.

Chiiik―.

The car door opened and people got off. There was another academy within the academy.

A huge barrier surrounded it, and only those who were identified could enter through a small door below it.

I headed straight for the main gate with a doorman.

“No outsiders allowed.”

“Here you go.”

I showed the electronic pass I had received from Professor Won Chang-yeon. When I scanned it on the internal machine, the authorization was granted and the door opened.

“Come on in.”

“Thank you.”

As I went inside, another world unfolded before me.

Since the internal barrier prevented the outside from seeing the inside, I was amazed.

If the outside was decorated in a flashy, artificial way, then this place felt more like the real deal.

It was monotonous, but it also felt somehow upscale and dignified.

I heard that the designer of the Salvation Korea branch academy had created this place and had become one of the greatest architects in the world.

‘I can see why.’

Walking in and out of a place like this every day, the pride of the academy students must soar.

However, I couldn’t quite get a sense of where to go, so I just kept turning my head around, and in the distance, a bespectacled woman seemed to be looking for someone, wandering around nearby.

“Um…”

The woman looked at me and tilted her head for a moment before approaching me.

“Um… Have you seen anyone else around here?”

“I was the only one here.”

“Then… are you by any chance, Kim Woogil?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh? Professor Won Chang-yeon called you here?”

“Yes.”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I thought you were an older person and made a mistake!”

As the woman bowed at a 90-degree angle and repeatedly apologized, I stopped her.

“I’m sorry-”

“It’s okay. Let’s just go.”

“Yes, oh! My name is Cynthia, and I’m Professor Won Chang-yeon’s assistant.”

“I’m Kim Woogil.”

“You look so young… I heard you’re an expert in the mineral field.”

She adjusted her glasses and her eyes lit up.

If she’s Professor Won Chang-yeon’s assistant, she must be an elite with considerable skills.

Is she also interested in the mineral field? Or is she just curious about the fact that I’m young enough for Professor Won Chang-yeon to call me here?

‘Cynthia… It’s a name I’ve never heard before.’

“You must be a graduate student if you’re an assistant. Why didn’t you join Salvation?”

“I want to study more under Professor Won Chang-yeon.”

“I see. What field are you in?”

“My main research field is ancient language research, but I’m also studying mana circuits and wavelengths.”

The fact that she chose to be an assistant rather than join Salvation must mean that she’s really interested in research in this field.

‘Ancient language… huh…’

As we walked while having a light conversation, we soon arrived at Professor Won Chang-yeon’s office.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Mr. Kim Woogil is here. Professor.”

“Come in.”

I went inside, and Cynthia gave a light bow and went somewhere else.

The interior of the fairly spacious office. The large bookshelves that filled both walls were the most striking feature.

There must have been hundreds of books visible at a glance.

Not only that, but there were already piles of paper on the desk, and Professor Won had just been reading a paper when he took off his glasses and stood up.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Professor Won Chang-yeon, the head professor of the Department of Appraisals at Salvation Academy.”

He approached and extended his hand towards me.

“I’m Kim Woogil.”

He shook my hand and his eyes were full of interest.

Rather than being surprised that the man in front of him was the appraiser who had established the resonance distortion phenomenon, he was filled with a deep curiosity.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes,”

As soon as I sat down on the sofa, I felt a sense of comfort that enveloped me.

‘This sofa… surely it’s not made by Henri Duval?’

Feeling something strange as soon as I sat down on the sofa, I looked at the pattern engraved on the armrest of the sofa and used my Insight.

[Merziene Luminous]

A classic sofa with Henri Duval’s unique touch. Made with durable French oak with rich grain, the frame is designed for lasting comfort. The combination of down feathers sourced from the Provence meadows and a special herb blend creates a flow of mana circuits that mimics the shape of a meadow, providing a harmonious balance of comfort for the mind and body.

|| Solar Calendar May 21, 2034

|| Fatigue Recovery

|| Comfort

“You seem to know what you’re looking at.”

“Yes, Henri Duval is quite famous, isn’t he?”

A pattern of a sparrow perched on a stump and vines surrounding it.

This is a pattern that represents Henri Duval, a furniture maker known worldwide.

“His furniture, which embodies the mana circuits of the B.CD 1000s, is quite highly regarded. The mana circuits were also quite well-refined.”

His eyes lit up at my calm evaluation.

“Quite well-refined… it’s not easy to use the word ‘quite well-refined’ for Henri Duval’s skills.”

“Oh, is that so? But compared to the craftsmen of the B.CD 1000s, he’s still lacking.”

Click.

He silently picked up the tea on the table and poured it slowly.

I took a sip of my tea in sync with him. Even as I swallowed the tea, he was still savoring his own.

I observed him slowly.

An old man with snow-white hair tied back loosely.

I heard he was over sixty. But apart from his snow-white hair, he looked so well-groomed that he could easily pass for someone in his fifties.

If Chae Jungkook was a vigorous man, then Won Chang-yeon was like an ancient tree that had stood for hundreds of years.

He had an aura that could only be possessed by someone who had delved very deeply into a single field.

“I saw the resonance distortion phenomenon you established. I’ve seen it a dozen of times.”

“I wouldn’t call it an establishment. It’s just a simple theory I came up with from looking at the wavelengths of aura stones.”

“It was a short explanation, only about five A4 pages long. But the shorter it was, the more impressive I found it. Wasn’t the essence of the resonance distortion phenomenon all in there?”

I couldn’t hide my surprise for a moment. It was as short as he said.

The resonance distortion phenomenon was a difficult concept to grasp without a proper understanding of the movement and characteristics of mana, the energy source, the ripple effects caused by it, the relationship between wavelengths, and so on.

Moreover, it wasn’t even a detailed explanation of the content, but rather, as he said, it just showed the key points and the possibility of such results.

I had skipped half of the intermediate steps, but he had grasped it.

All I had done with the appraisal in Section 2 was to explain the phenomenon of mana wavelengths one by one and show them that the wavelengths were moving according to the theory.

No one had properly understood the theory, and they hadn’t even thought of grasping it.

‘He’s definitely different.’

If he didn’t have innate insight and intuition, he wouldn’t be able to look at me with such eager eyes right now.

They look like they’re dying to find out the secret. .

I took a sip of my tea, trying not to show my excitement, before replying.

“I was just lucky. I’ve been observing minerals closely for a while now, and that’s how I gained some knowledge about mana wavelengths. I also came up with a hypothesis, and it turned out to be right.”

“Humility is a virtue, but there’s no need to hide everything. I’d like to hear your insights.”

“I’ll speak honestly.”

Me and Chang-yeon spent nearly two hours discussing the mana wavelengths of aura stones.

It was a fascinating and informative time, so much so that we lost track of time.

I didn’t share all the information I had, as there were still many parts that would be difficult to understand.

However, by sharing our thoughts with each other, I also gained a lot of new insights.

It was an experience I wanted to repeat.

“That’s a shame. If it weren’t for my next lecture, we could have at least had dinner together. This went on too long. Did I take up too much of your time?”

“No, not at all. It was a meaningful experience for me just to have a conversation with you about mana wavelengths, esteemed senior.”

“Woogil, would you be free to come tomorrow? I’d like you to sit in on my lecture.”

“Then why don’t you do it now?”

“I have a lecture on mana circuit theory tomorrow.”

“Can I sit in on that?”

“It’s a first-year student’s mana circuit lecture, so it should be fine.”

A first-year student’s mana circuit lecture… wouldn’t my sister be attending that?

“That sounds interesting.”

“I’ll treat you to a delicious dinner after the lecture tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

* * *

Vision Tower, Salvation Academy, South korea.

Vision Tower is the name of the building where first-year students mainly take their classes.

Kim Woo-hee sat down wearily, her face showing the fatigue of having endured lectures and practice sessions from morning to afternoon, ready for her last class.

“Oh, I’m so sleepy. Woo-hee.”

Ha Yeon-soo, sitting next to her, slams her head on the desk and whines with a face like she’s about to die.

“Who has time to sleep when you’re working like crazy?”

As soon as Kim Woo-hee sits down, she turns on her tablet and looks over the lecture materials.

Seeing her, Ha Yeon-soo also sighs and turns on her tablet, sticking her tongue out.

Even though they entered at the same time, the gap in ability among their classmates is considerable. This gap was especially large in their first year.

Most of those who awakened from ordinary families had not even received proper basic education, while those from well-to-do families entered with a basic knowledge base already established.

Kim Woo-hee and Ha Yeon-soo were from ordinary families who had awakened, and they had to work even harder to catch up with the others.

“Ugh, I’m working hard. Really hard.”

“What difference does it make if you look at it for a few more minutes?”

“Oh, come on. There’s an old saying that even a tiny speck of dust can make a mountain.”

A group of classmates sitting behind the two of them snicker at them.

Ha Yeon-soo flinches, ready to snap, but Kim Woo-hee seems oblivious and focuses on her studies.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you asked your parents to help you study in advance?”

Cha Ji-yeon, the leader of the group of female classmates, says, patting Kim Woo-hee’s head.

“So, are you going to make it to sophomore year?”

And then, Cha Ji-yeon, twirling her yellow hair, looks down at Kim Woo-hee with disgust.

Annoyed by the constant nagging, Ha Yeon-soo throws in a remark.

“Your potential grade is lower than Woo-hee’s.”

“What?”

Ji-yeon narrows her eyes and glares at her, but Yeon-soo returns the glare and said.

“Don’t get cocky. Are you guys great? It’s your parents who are great. Oh, you spent so much money on tutoring and you only got a C or B on your potential grade? Your parents must be so disappointed. Kid.”

“Are you done talking?”

“What do you mean you can’t do it? Why? Are you trying to show off to that cool senior? What good is a potential grade of C anyway?”

“You really-”

Just as their voices were getting louder and attracting the attention of the other students…

Click-.

The front door opens and Won Chang-yeon and a young man enter the lecture hall.

Woo-hee, who was having trouble concentrating because of Cha Ji-yeon, thought it was a good thing that the class was about to start, but her eyes widened when she saw the young man who came in with the professor.

“Everyone, be quiet. I’d like to introduce the special guest speaker for this lecture.”

With the sudden appearance of an external lecturer, the students’ attention is focused on him.

The handsome young man, dressed in a neatly pressed shirt and a luxurious tie, introduced himself with a gentle smile.

“Hello. I’m Kim Woogil.”

Despite his relaxed appearance, he was feeling quite flustered.

‘I never thought I’d be coming here as a lecturer, not as a guest student…’

It was all because of Professor Won’s sudden suggestion. And when he asked how he should proceed with a lecture he hadn’t planned for, Professor Won told him that he just needed to pique their curiosity about wavelengths.

‘Curiosity…’

Woogil’s eyes fell on Kim Woo-hee.

‘Why don’t we make them really curious?’

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HEL SCANS

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

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