Past Life Returner

However, Seon-Hu suddenly disappeared from the monitor again, and Jonathan immediately decided to use a helicopter to go south, where the Cat Food Warehouse was located. While waiting for the helicopter on the rooftop, the hot summer night wind kept hitting him. It was unbearably humid and uncomfortable.

Even on such a hot night, people were still protesting on Wall Street, but their numbers had noticeably decreased. Despite the positive messages being consistently conveyed in major media and the situation in the hearing, many still needed to be convinced. The alien invasion on Jonathan’s mansion the other day seemed to have played a significant role.

<Brian Kim: Did you receive it?>

Jonathan had asked Kim Cheong-Soo to send him the recorded video as there were parts that he couldn’t capture even with his challenger section’s enhanced Sense.

Jonathan watched the video of the moment Seon-Hu disappeared several times. There was no need to play the video slowly as he was maximizing his Sense. He had once tried learning Korean, Seon-Hu’s native language, but he ended up giving up as he was too busy to find time for it. He was frustrated with so many unfamiliar pronunciations and the fast speech of Koreans.

He felt the same now. Catching up to the traces of Seon-Hu was daunting. He disappeared too quickly, making it impossible to even guess how and where he vanished as if part of the video was cropped. His disappearance surpassed the realm of perception.

By the time the helicopter arrived, Jonathan’s eyes were bloodshot. Even after boarding the helicopter, he remained immersed in the same task. Fatigue accumulated in his eyes, and the blood vessels seemed ready to burst.

However, his effort was not in vain as he managed to capture something. Seon-Hu’s waist bent backward in his last moment as if he was being sucked in or forcibly pulled by some powerful force.

Jonathan had a hunch.

Did Doom Kaos summon the Demon Kings for a meeting again? Why?

After arriving, Jonathan found out that all the items in the Cat Food Warehouse had become useless. None of them increased his defense even when he activated his Sixth Sense.

Jonathan discovered a similar phenomenon in the warehouse where mana stones were stored. A majority of them had lost their unique black color.

He searched the warehouse thoroughly, but found no trace of blood or any signs of battle. However, he couldn’t be reassured by that. If his assumption was correct, then Seon-Hu might have found a way to absorb the energy in the items and mana stones.

However, the expression on Seon-Hu’s face when he suddenly broke into the warehouse and his last appearance looked truly urgent. Jonathan’s face became even more serious and wrinkles formed on his forehead.

They had divided up their responsibilities as Seon-Hu was in charge of outer space while Jonathan governed the mainland. However, before that, Seon-Hu’s fight had always been lonely. Jonathan wanted to help Seon-Hu in addition to maintaining order on the mainland.

He stared at the scattered mana stones for a long time before moving on. Mick was waiting outside the warehouse. That was when Jonathan shifted his gaze to Mick’s chest pocket. Something he had missed when he first arrived at the warehouse was there.

There was a container filled with a few red pills inside the pocket, and Jonathan was aware of the drug. Spider Web. It was a stimulant that was circulating in the black market. Some used it to maximize sexual arousal, but civilians used it to turn themselves into superhumans. Its effectiveness had been proven, and it was just waiting to be officially released in the market.

Jonathan realized that Mick felt uncomfortable with his glance, so he looked away. He then ordered the disposal of the items and mana stones that had lost their unique colors through either incineration or dumping into a landfill.

“Have you been bored lately, with less work to do?” Jonathan asked.

“Do you have anything that you want me to do?” asked Mick.

The original purpose of the Cat Food Warehouse was already gone. However, the information system that was in place to track and monitor the pre-Awakened was arguably more advanced than that of the World Awakened Association. This was because numerous communication company lines were connected to this organization, which was a scaled-down version of Big Brother that the public found so terrifying.

“There are people who need to be removed and people who need to be constantly monitored. It had always been like that. Now, I would like you to take on those responsibilities.”

The names of politicians, social activists, and investigative journalists crossed Jonathan’s mind. There were persistent individuals who chased after the club’s shadows, orchestrated protests behind the scenes, and tried to approach the Destiny Group. Due to these individuals being deemed in need of cleaning, the club had to increase the number of cleaners.

Anyway, Jonathan wondered what he could do to support Seon-Hu on the mainland. It was a method he already realized when looking at the colorless mana stones.

If Seon-Hu learned how to extract energy from items and mana stones, then I should focus on securing them.

Although he wanted to forcibly collect the other’s items, he couldn’t provoke them any further. Their dissatisfaction was being resolved as the occupied territories in outer space increased, but the Awakened who hadn’t entered there were still harboring a fire similar to the protestors. They couldn’t openly express their discontent due to the fear they had for Seon-Hu.

Therefore, Jonathan decided that now was the right time to authorize the release of the awakening agent Spider Web and announce the results of the mana stone research to the world.

On his way back to his temporary residence, he called Lee Tae-Han.

<Jonathan: Is it true that the Greenwood species are collecting mana stones as spoils?>

<Lee Tae-Han: Yes, they collect them as spoils and materials for magic towers.>

This meant a large quantity of mana stones was already being circulated in outer space without necessarily causing conflict with the Seven Demon Kings Corps.

<Jonathan: They have also succeeded in converting mana stones into energy. Do you know about the Destiny Group?>

<Lee Tae-Han: I don’t know much about it.>

<Jonathan: But you must know what they are researching, right?>

<Lee Tae-Han: Yes.>

<Jonathan: The research is complete. Let me change the subject for a bit. What is the short-term goal of the association?>

<Lee Tae-Han: To occupy the central part of the Greenwood Continent. If we completely control that area, then we can proceed with aggressive expansion of our territory.>

<Jonathan: In that case, the Awakened would need a stronger motivation than just the item market, like mana stones.>

<Lee Tae-Han: …>

<Jonathan: Strengthen the mercenaries to speed up the process.>

Lee Tae-Han rebutted cautiously. Spider Web wouldn’t be a big problem as it could be strictly implemented only for trained mercenaries.

Therefore, the issue lay in the world that would change with the concentrated energy stored in mana stones. If it were revealed that the research institute that had been studying mana stones was closely linked to Jonathan Group in a situation where the public was already protesting against their wealth monopoly…

<Lee Tae-Han: …Would that be okay?>

<Jonathan: That is why we will announce the research results in a scaled-down manner. I would like the association to handle the mana stone retrieval. The group will send you Benjamin.>

<Lee Tae-Han: Who is Benjamin?>

<Jonathan: Benjamin Franklin.>

Jonathan was talking about the man on the one hundred-dollar bill.

***

“The Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States, has announced a plan to raise its standard rate. As the U.S. takes steps to raise interest rates, attention is once again focused on the impact this will have on the domestic economy. The KOSPI started with a 0.52 percent decline as investor sentiment was dampened by the news of the U.S. increasing interest rates. Today’s net sell-off amount is 144 billion won, and foreign investors who had net bought 114 billion won since the beginning of the month have turned to net selling in just one day. Let’s connect to the correspondent reporter.”

“Yes, the FED has hinted that they will increase the rate five times next year, starting with the next quarter. They also announced that they will increase the speed of the hikes. They believe that a gradual increase in interest rates is desirable for maximizing employment and stabilizing prices, as the shock from the Day of Advent has subsided. It is also expected that if the European Central Bank joins in raising interest rates, the impact on the Korean stock market will expand…”

“Wait a sec… Breaking news. The leader of the World Awakened Association, Lee Tae-Han, and the CFO of Jonathan Investment Finance Group, Kim Cheong-Soo, are preparing for a surprise joint announcement at their headquarters.”

The newsreader swallowed his saliva and then continued.

“According to the information we just received, there are two issues to be addressed. One is about the Destiny Research Institution that has been studying the Black Stone, an organ of an extraterrestrial creature, and the other is about Spider Web that has been secretly circulating in the North American continent.”

「Breaking News: World Awakened Association and Jonathan Investment Finance Group’s Joint Announcement」

「Breaking News: Likely to Discuss Black Stone and Spider Web」

***

An ordinary job seeker, Kim Min-Jae, stopped his morning routine. He had never watched the news before the Day of Advent. To be precise, he had watched the news during the impeachment crisis, but after that event ended, he had lost interest in politics until just before the Day of Advent.

However, he had always left the television on since the Day of Advent and his release from martial law. The channel was set to a news-only channel.

The newsreader was busy talking about China, which he hated as their fine dust kept blowing into Korea. It was also talking about entering the IMF system and a transcendent being from outer space. Listening to the news about items that only Awakened could use, which were traded daily, reminded him of a game he was once addicted to.

Moreover, the wealth of the world had been concentrated in a few large corporations since the Day of Advent, which ended up being focused on the Jonathan Investment Finance Group.

Jonathan Hunter of Jonathan Group had long concealed his wealth through anonymous transactions. That case was also discussed daily on the news. On top of that, an alien civilization attacked his mansion, and the news kept reporting the incidents involving unregistered Awakened evading the security forces. They were more interesting than any other entertainment program.

This time, it was about the Black Stone and Spider Web!

This is why I can’t stop watching television. I should find a part-time job at least… Ugh. I should have awakened.

Kim Min-Jae even murmured as he turned up the television volume instead of just thinking inwardly. If only he had awakened…

“My life would have been much better.”

An hour later, the joint announcement of the association and the Jonathan Group began. The wait was not boring. Lee Tae-Han was the president of Ilsung, but had returned as an Awakened, and Kim Cheong-Soo was considered a top executive in a super-giant group.

As stories and related materials involving the two continued, Kim Min-Jae felt a thrilling sensation as if he was contributing to national prestige. He was proud of his nation all of a sudden.

He could forget about his anxiety regarding job hunting and the future for a moment and started enjoying the moment.

“President Lee Tae-Han of the World Awakened Association and CFO Kim Cheong-Soo are now entering together.”