‘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 seed 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 t 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 sothing 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 ca to Yu-hyun’s hand.
Yu-hyun imdiately opened the book and checked the contents.
Na: 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 na, the young man’s traits were the lowest of the four grades.
‘But the trait na is Extra, but the grade is Protagonist.’
Yu-hyun could think of who this kind of person was.
‘Possessor.’
A possessor was soone who possessed a novel or ga world.
He had heard of it in his previous life.
They ca from another world and perceived this world as another dium.
There was no clear na for them, but Yu-hyun arbitrarily called them possessors.
[What? Possessor? What the hell is that?]
‘They’re people who ca 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 ca from another world and see the world we live in as a novel or a ga.’
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 ca from another dinsion was not known well. Well, their bodies were from this world, but their souls changed. So so people even said that they might have gone through so process of [mory Alteration] and deluded themselves into thinking that they were from another dinsion.’
[What? So they’re like ntally 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 ga or a novel, the possessor’s power is a kind of tafiction, a peculiar thing. The possessor I knew in my previous life also used weird abilities as if he was playing a ga.’
Just Yoo Young-min alone, his trait na 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 co 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 ntioned in their past life.
First of all, the na was different.
In their previous life, they had never properly heard the na Yoo Young-min.
‘Whatever the case may be…’
To encounter soone 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 seed 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 Managent.”
“White Flower Managent? Where is that?”
The middle-aged man glanced at his colleagues, seeking an answer.
An older man who had been resting chid in.
“Oh, co 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 na.
“Not Geomu, it’s Sword Empress.”
“Oh, right! Sword Empress! So that Sword Empress is from the sa company as this young man.”
“Ah, you’ve co 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 ca from Collector Managent, the two older n patted Yoo Young-min’s back in congratulations.
“Hey! Young-min! This person wants to et you!”
“Brat. Always causing trouble, and now you’ve made it in life. Well, are you also becoming a collector or sothing?”
“Hahaha. It’s not like that, gentlen. 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 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 an?”
“Is it like a novel, a ga, or a comic? That’s what I’m asking.”
“…”
Yoo Young-min’s face was filled with bewildernt.
“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, ddleso old n here. This place is clearly its own world.”
“And even the strange looks you gave …”
“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 beca 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 n work hard to support their families made 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 n. Plus, I’m still inexperienced, suddenly becoming a collector and all. And…”
“And?”
“Seeing the characters from my novel actually co to life intrigues . So, I stayed here to observe and enjoy the spectacle.”
Despite his intentions to eventually beco a collector, Young-min added, “It’s like being a stalker, you know?”
“Not in that sense!”
Young-min exclaid, 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 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 ?”
“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 , are you trying to recruit or sothing?”
“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 paynt? I won’t work for cheap.” But now, faced with this reality, he found himself speechless.
The dissonance between virtual and real was indeed imnse.
“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 ticulously 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 disappointnt when confronted with soone like Yu-hyun.
“…I’ll do it. As a collector.”
After all, soday he would need to establish his own position. Young-min believed that now was the right ti.
He had suddenly beco 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 soone understood his situation brought a sense of relief and a touch of gratitude.
Was it akin to eting soone who knew your hotown, even though they weren’t from there?
Yu-hyun wasn’t a native, but the re acknowledgnt 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 recruitnt offer was almost welco.
“Yes. Going to a well-known place makes sense.”
White Flower Managent aid 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 , 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, co 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.
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