abcnovels
Chapter 247
Chapter 247
Chapter 247
‘Could he be a returnee? Or a reincarnator?’
Yu-hyun scrutinized the young man who smiled pleasantly. The first impression of the youth, who was working in a greasy work uniform, was that he was simple and likable.
‘It’s surprising that he’s doing odd jobs with such potential. It’s suspicious that he has two books, unless he doesn’t know his own potential.’
He also sneaked glances at this side with a strange look. But he seemed unaware of it, so he was either a novice or naive in this regard.
One of the books had a brown cover and no light at all, a plain book.
The other one had a brown cover too, but it was bigger and shone brightly.
The young man had these two books.
‘I need to check them out.’
Yu-hyun raised his head and stared at the youth blatantly. Their eyes met in the air.
“Huh?”
He looked flustered, as if he didn’t expect to make eye contact.
‘An easy reaction to read.’
Compared to the normal people, his reaction was different and unnatural.
He quickly looked away and pretended to be absorbed in his work, but Yu-hyun knew he was still conscious of him.
‘You’re going to act like nothing happened? I have ways to find out, even if you hide it.’
Yu-hyun pulled the books that the young man had to his side. But something strange happened.
‘The books, they don’t move?’
He could only take one of the two books, and the other one didn’t budge.
What was more surprising was that the book that didn’t move was an old and shabby brown book that didn’t even emit silver light.
Rather, the book that had a brown cover but a rainbow-colored gold light came to Yu-hyun’s hand.
Yu-hyun immediately opened the book and checked the contents.
Name: Yoo Young-min
Estimated Level: Impossible
Traits: Extra Novelist, Delusional Protagonist
Titles: None
Stories: None
Main Skills: Artisan’s Craftsmanship, Skill Creation
‘What?’
He didn’t have the abilities of an odd-jobber at all. No, rather, looking at what was written in the book, the young man was clearly an awakened collector.
But he was doing odd jobs…
‘Is he hiding his power?’
His attitude of noticing this side and his unique abilities.
Above all, what caught Yu-hyun’s eye was the trait called [Extra].
All traits were divided into four grades as he had classified before: protagonist, main character, supporting character, and extra.
Just by the name, the young man’s traits were the lowest of the four grades.
‘But the trait name is Extra, but the grade is Protagonist.’
Yu-hyun could think of who this kind of person was.
‘Possessor.’
A possessor was someone who possessed a novel or game world.
He had heard of it in his previous life.
They came from another world and perceived this world as another medium.
There was no clear name for them, but Yu-hyun arbitrarily called them possessors.
[What? Possessor? What the hell is that?]
‘They’re people who came from another world.’
[Another world? Where? Martial arts? Or fantasy?]
‘No. It’s a very different place.’
To be exact, it was another Earth, a parallel world’s Earth.
[What? Is that possible?]
‘I only heard rumors, I’ve never seen it before. I don’t even know if it’s true. But according to what I heard, those possessors act like they came from another world and see the world we live in as a novel or a game.’
The one who gave him that information was Seong Yu-chan from his previous life, the man who kept the title of Black Mamba even in the apocalypse.
Yu-hyun recalled the information he had heard from Seong Yu-chan.
‘The truth about whether the possessors really came from another dimension was not known well. Well, their bodies were from this world, but their souls changed. So some people even said that they might have gone through some process of [Memory Alteration] and deluded themselves into thinking that they were from another dimension.’
[What? So they’re like mentally ill?]
‘If you only look at the situation they’re in, maybe.’
The important thing was the trait that the possessor had.
Just like Yoo Young-min over there, the possessors all had unique powers.
‘Because they see this world as a game or a novel, the possessor’s power is a kind of metafiction, a peculiar thing. The possessor I knew in my previous life also used weird abilities as if he was playing a game.’
Just Yoo Young-min alone, his trait name was Extra, which couldn’t even be a supporting character.
And the trait that was attached as a sub was Delusional Protagonist, a strange thing that even Yu-hyun, who knew a lot, had never heard of.
The thing he had as a main skill was Skill Creation, an EX-grade skill that was rare even in the genesis system.
There would be various restrictions, but at the point where he had such a thing, it was clear how unusual the possessor was.
‘But then again, there were only three examples.’
And Yoo Young-min was the third one. The first and second ones didn’t survive the apocalypse and died. Only after they died did the information about them come out through Seong Yu-chan, so it was a part that showed how little the possessors were known.
‘But, I didn’t expect to see a possessor here.’
The person in question didn’t think that the individual before them could be the possessor person who had been mentioned in their past life.
First of all, the name was different.
In their previous life, they had never properly heard the name Yoo Young-min.
‘Whatever the case may be…’
To encounter someone with such remarkable potential was either a stroke of good luck or a similar misfortune.
Yu-hyun stood up from the bench and approached Yoo Young-min.
“Hello.”
“Uh, who are you?”
The middle-aged man repairing the streetlamp looked puzzled as Yu-hyun suddenly approached.
He seemed experienced, likely the team leader, and saw no reason for Yu-hyun to strike up a conversation.
His gaze swept from Yu-hyun’s polished shoes to the top of his head.
Smiling, Yu-hyun introduced himself.
“I’m Kang Yu-hyun, affiliated with White Flower Management.”
“White Flower Management? Where is that?”
The middle-aged man glanced at his colleagues, seeking an answer.
An older man who had been resting chimed in.
“Oh, come on. Isn’t it right there? They have an impressive collector. What was it? Geomu?”
“Huh? What’s Geomu?”
Yoo Young-min corrected the coworker who stumbled over the name.
“Not Geomu, it’s Sword Empress.”
“Oh, right! Sword Empress! So that Sword Empress is from the same company as this young man.”
“Ah, you’ve come from an impressive place. So, what business brings you here?”
“Well, I’m interested in the young man over there.”
“Who? Young-min?”
When Yu-hyun pointed at him, Yoo Young-min’s expression stiffened.
Having been identified by Yu-hyun, who came from Collector Management, the two older men patted Yoo Young-min’s back in congratulations.
“Hey! Young-min! This person wants to meet you!”
“Brat. Always causing trouble, and now you’ve made it in life. Well, are you also becoming a collector or something?”
“Hahaha. It’s not like that, gentlemen. I’m a collector.”
Yoo Young-min awkwardly smiled and stood before Yu-hyun.
“Shall we find a quieter place to talk?”
“Sure.”
After Yoo Young-min sought permission, they moved to a more secluded spot. Yu-hyun got straight to the point.
“Why did I call you? You’ve probably already guessed.”
“Well…”
“No need to hide. You’ve been watching me since earlier. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You’re a reincarnator, aren’t you?”
“…?”
At Yu-hyun’s direct words, Yoo Young-min sighed and hesitated before nodding.
Yoo Young-min excelled at reading situations like this.
The man before him had already seen through all the characteristics he possessed.
The more he concealed, the more he stood to lose.
“Fine, you can see that ability. And your gaze was more obvious than you thought.”
“Yeah.”
“Yoo Young-min, I have one question. How do you perceive this world?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it like a novel, a game, or a comic? That’s what I’m asking.”
“…”
Yoo Young-min’s face was filled with bewilderment.
“Did I ask too difficult a question?”
“…No, it’s not that. I already know, so why hide it?”
Young-min sighed, shoulders slumping.
He briefly explained the situation to Yu-hyun.
“So, Mr. Yoo Young-min, you’re saying you’ve been possessor as an extra character in your own novel?”
“Yes. However, I don’t think of this world as a novel or anything like that. I’ve learned that from the talkative, meddlesome old men here. This place is clearly its own world.”
“And even the strange looks you gave me…”
“There are characters I don’t recognize… Oh, I’m sorry. Not characters, but… people.”
“I understand. Anyway, your novel is set in an academy, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“What motivated you to write it?”
“Well, I wanted to write about characters growing in an academy setting.”
Young-min’s previous life was that of a web novel author. Until recently, he hadn’t written any major hits. But one day, an idea flooded his mind.
The novel he wrote was set in the academy where Seo Sumin currently attends.
“But right after I arrived, things felt odd. Characters who shouldn’t exist in my original work, like A-rank students, started appearing. People I didn’t know.”
Young-min felt a dissonance as his novel became reality. After all, not every character from his novel should exist in this world.
But as he worked and interacted with others in his new body, Young-min realized that this world was vastly different from what he had imagined.
“Watching those middle-aged men work hard to support their families made me realize, ‘Ah, the place I’m in is truly a different world.’ Not the world of my novel, but the real world.”
“I see. Considering your exceptional abilities, why do you still do this kind of work?”
Young-min scratched his head.
“Well, it’s just… I find it interesting to be around these men. Plus, I’m still inexperienced, suddenly becoming a collector and all. And…”
“And?”
“Seeing the characters from my novel actually come to life intrigues me. So, I stayed here to observe and enjoy the spectacle.”
Despite his intentions to eventually become a collector, Young-min added, “It’s like being a stalker, you know?”
“Not in that sense!”
Young-min exclaimed, taken aback.
“Initially, it was just to adapt to this changed world and find out what’s different. But now, I’m genuinely curious.”
“Isn’t that the case for me too?”
Young-min nodded hesitantly.
His reincarnation had happened recently, during what people called the “Second Fantasy Shock.”
To understand this world, information was crucial.
Young-min had learned various facts through the internet, but Yu-hyun’s existence intrigued him the most.
“Of course, I wasn’t stalking or anything. What I saw today was purely coincidental. Really.”
“Your reaction gave it away.”
“You believe me?”
“There’s no reason not to.”
Yu-hyun’s matter-of-fact response touched Young-min in an unexpected way.
He had feared being treated like a lunatic, but Yu-hyun believed and understood him.
“But considering how openly you’ve spoken to me, are you trying to recruit me or something?”
“Then?”
“…Really?”
Yoo Young-min was taken aback by this unexpected proposal. In the novels he used to write, if the protagonist encountered such a situation, they would confidently retort, “How much is the advance payment? I won’t work for cheap.” But now, faced with this reality, he found himself speechless.
The dissonance between virtual and real was indeed immense.
“More than that, it’s hard to believe this person is a genuine ‘teller.’ I only casually included such a concept in the academy setting.”
Young-min had blended a touch of the supernatural into his novel, but he hadn’t meticulously crafted detailed settings for a “teller.”
However, Kang Yu-hyun was an otherworldly “teller” who stood out remarkably.
An existence transcending his own creation.
As a creator, Young-min felt a mix of wariness and disappointment when confronted with someone like Yu-hyun.
“…I’ll do it. As a collector.”
After all, someday he would need to establish his own position. Young-min believed that now was the right time.
He had suddenly become a wanderer in a different world.
Although he had kept this fact hidden, Yu-hyun’s blatant revelation left him initially flustered. Yet, the knowledge that someone understood his situation brought a sense of relief and a touch of gratitude.
Was it akin to meeting someone who knew your hometown, even though they weren’t from there?
Yu-hyun wasn’t a native, but the mere acknowledgment of his difference provided solace to Young-min.
Since he didn’t yet know how to return, he had no choice but to live diligently here. In this context, Yu-hyun’s recruitment offer was almost welcome.
“Yes. Going to a well-known place makes sense.”
White Flower Management aimed for a select elite.
Young-min found it appealing. The term “select elite” carried a certain grandeur.
“But street casting? It’s a bit crude, but it should be fine, right?”
Apart from his web novel contracts, Young-min hadn’t tried anything else.
Having been confined to writing in his room, he didn’t realize how peculiar his situation was.
“But besides me, there are three more people. Who are they?”
Young-min asked out of curiosity. Although he felt a touch of arrogance—thinking that only remarkable individuals would be part of this select elite—it was a genuine question.
Yu-hyun read Young-min’s candid thoughts and chuckled.
“They’re people who won’t be easily swayed by you, Mr. Young-min.”
“Oh, come on. Seriously?”
Still, I’m the one who’s been the possessor, right?
Young-min thought Yu-hyun was exaggerating a bit.
Without directly addressing that, Yu-hyun simply smiled.