Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even Hastily Made Ones Keep Stacking Up as EX-Rank (1)

Legendary Mimicry Genius

Seoul, Yeouido.

In front of a B-rank Gate.

The surrounding area sealed off with steel fencing.

Creak.

A large truck stopped in front of the Association employees. The truck’s window rolled down.

“I’m here from Termion Corporation.”

A young man who poked his head out, Lee Si-hyeok, spoke to the employees.

“I’ll need to check your ID.”

“Here you go. You received advance notice, right?”

“Yes, you may enter.”

The employee who returned his ID opened the gate. Si-hyeok gave a light bow and drove the truck inside the fence.

He wouldn’t be entering the Gate itself.

Si-hyeok wasn’t a Hunter, but a transport driver for Termion Corporation, which processed Magic Stones to produce Artifacts.

His job was to transport Gate byproducts like Magic Stones and Gate Cores to the company warehouse.

He just had to wait until the Hunters who entered the Gate first came out with the byproducts.

He parked the car along the chalk-marked parking lines on the asphalt. It was 4 PM. Only his last task of the day remained.

“Perfect time to clock out.”

Taking off his cap and leaning against the steering wheel for a moment, he could see the Gate rippling. Though Si-hyeok couldn’t sense mana, he was familiar with that phenomenon.

Whooom.

The Gate spat out people.

Three Hunters walking out with smiling faces.

These were the ones who had signed a ‘Gate Byproduct Sales Contract’ with Termion Corporation.

Si-hyeok put on his cap and got out of the truck. He had a bundle of documents tucked under his arm.

“Hyung! Stop fooling around in the Gate. It’s dangerous.”

“Kid, quit making a fuss. You’re A-rank now, man. What’s all the commotion about in just a B-rank Gate?”

“Ugh… Stop fighting already.”

Had there been a conflict inside the Gate? They were bickering among themselves while catching up.

‘This doesn’t feel good.’

Si-hyeok frowned. In situations like this, when a ‘mere transport worker’ like himself approached asking for signatures, there was a high probability of getting an unpleasant reaction.

Still, Si-hyeok walked over resolutely. He couldn’t delay any longer. The company had urgently contacted him today saying they needed B-rank Magic Stones.

“How about pork belly for tonight’s dinner?”

“We had that the day before yesterday, hyung. Let’s eat something else.”

“Hey, don’t you see the blood splattered on my face? When there’s blood, it’s pork belly! Don’t you know that?!”

“That’s really forcing it…”

“Hunters, thank you for your hard work.”

Si-hyeok interjected into their conversation.

“I’m from Termion Corporation. I need to transport the Gate byproducts, so please sign…”

Smack!

One of the Hunters hit the extended bundle of documents with his shoulder. Si-hyeok staggered for a moment but managed to regain his balance, though the struck document bundle couldn’t do the same.

Rustle, rustle—the powerlessly scattered papers flew through the air before landing on the ground.

“Can’t you see we’re talking? Come back when we’re done.”

They walked away without even glancing at him. Si-hyeok watched their retreating figures with sunken eyes, then busily gathered up the documents again.

This was familiar.

While Termion Corporation was one of South Korea’s leading conglomerates, that didn’t mean the treatment extended to non-awakened transport workers.

In this world where hundreds of Gates opened daily, non-awakened individuals who couldn’t handle mana were just easily replaceable parts.

Therefore, from the company’s perspective, no matter how many non-awakened got ground up, each awakened individual was far more important. They had to maintain good relationships with them to obtain better quality byproducts and create higher-grade Artifacts.

Grind! Si-hyeok’s teeth ground together. He tried his best to suppress his emotions, but it seemed unavoidable. Since it was a company he’d worked hard to get into, he had no choice but to endure it.

When the Hunters finished their conversation, Si-hyeok went back to them with the documents.

“…Please sign this.”

“Geez. Really annoying.”

The Hunter irritably scribbled his name roughly on the document.

‘Lee Gang-mok. I’ll remember your name.’

Though there wasn’t much he could do about it, Si-hyeok etched that name into his memory. After finishing the signature, Gang-mok threw down the pen and left.

Now it was time to load the Gate byproducts into the truck.

Thud.

Si-hyeok picked up the bundle that had been carelessly scattered and put it in the truck’s cargo area. He checked the documents while counting the Magic Stones one by one to ensure the quantity was correct.

“Seven B-rank Magic Stones, okay.”

What about the Gate Core?

It was properly there. Si-hyeok picked up the pale green orb and examined it from various angles.

His eyes, which had been dead until just moments ago, sparkled and shone. Si-hyeok enjoyed these moments of observing Magic Stones and reading their structure.

He wanted to examine it more closely and analyze the ‘mana circuits,’ but he could feel the Association employee’s gaze. The resentful stare of a civil servant wanting to go home…

“Ahem.”

Si-hyeok hurriedly started the truck.

 

* * *

 

Arriving at Termion Corporation, Si-hyeok loaded the byproducts onto a transport cart and took the elevator.

―Basement Level 3.

The mechanical voice announced his floor.

As the doors were about to open, Si-hyeok gulped. He anticipated what would happen when these doors opened.

“Why are you so late?!”

Sure enough, a researcher was waiting in front of the doors, fuming with irritation.

Yoon Seo-jin.

Research Director of Artifact Research Department 1.

One of the 11 promising researchers selected by the Association.

Termion Corporation’s youngest Artifact creator.

But despite all those intimidating titles, to Si-hyeok she was just a hysterical boss.

“Didn’t you get the message? I sent texts to everyone this morning. Telling the Transport Team to move quickly because we urgently need B-rank Magic Stones, right?”

“The Hunters’ raid was delayed a bit… I’m sorry.”

“Sigh. Look here, Si-hyeok.”

She swept her hair back.

“The other Transport Team members finished ages ago. They already delivered their B-rank Magic Stones and moved on to other tasks. Do you know you’re the only one who’s late?”

“…”

“The Artifact we’re developing is scheduled to be completed next week. Our research team is also working through the night. If the work gets ruined because one measly B-rank Magic Stone transport is delayed, will you take responsibility?”

Wouldn’t it have been better to properly consider the required amount of Magic Stones during the planning stage?

That thought crossed his mind, but Si-hyeok swallowed it. To avoid getting crushed further, he had no choice but to listen silently.

“Sorry for getting irritated, Si-hyeok. But I hope you can understand. See my eyes? I’ve been up for three nights straight, so I’m really sensitive. Please do better from now on.”

Seo-jin opened her eyes wide, then bent down to check the Gate byproducts.

“You brought the right quantity. Good. Pull that along and follow me.”

“Understood.”

She opened the large security door with her employee card. Si-hyeok pulled the cart and followed behind her.

The interior was filled with Gate byproducts. Magic Stones, monster corpses, Gate Cores, Gate specialty items, and so on.

However, as they went deeper inside, the scenery gradually changed. Rather than raw byproducts used as materials, it was densely packed with ‘Artifacts’ processed from them.

Si-hyeok carefully pulled the cart to avoid bumping into anything, while taking in each of those Artifacts with his eyes.

‘Wow.’

The magnificent beauty of magical engineering.

He gasped in admiration inwardly.

Actually, Si-hyeok also wanted to become a researcher or magical engineer like Seo-jin.

Even before the Gate Era began, his dream had been to become an engineer who developed something. Because Lee Si-hyeok was such a person, when the world underwent drastic changes, he couldn’t help but dream of becoming a magical engineer.

The limitation of being a non-awakened.

He ran into that wall. Magic stones are aggregates of mana. So to a non-awakened who cannot sense mana, magic stones are just rocks.

Unable to handle magic stones, he couldn’t craft artifacts, and furthermore, couldn’t even set foot in magical engineering.

Still, Lee Si-hyeok didn’t give up.

He studied alone, examining magical engineering research papers and blueprints of various publicly available artifacts. Even if practical work was impossible, understanding through theory was at least possible. His natural keen eye probably helped too.

‘Well, society won’t accept me though.’

Theory and reality were completely different domains. He sent artifact blueprints he had researched alone to countless companies, but all rejected them. Design documents with the ‘non-awakened’ label weren’t even given a glance.

He compromised with reality.

If he couldn’t handle them directly, he would at least see them often. Where? At a place that directly manufactured artifacts and stored them.

That place was Termion Corporation’s Transport Team.

Lee Si-hyeok couldn’t take his eyes off the artifacts the entire time he pulled the cart. Though he had passed through this place dozens of times, he was always happy whenever he came here.

Rather than feeling pain from an unreachable dream, it was better to vicariously enjoy their achievements.

“…Huh?”

Lee Si-hyeok unconsciously made a sound and stopped walking.

The last section of displayed artifacts. In terms of time, the most recently manufactured product line. Among them, he discovered something that caught his eye.

Lee Si-hyeok put down the cart and approached the display case.

 

[Termion Hex-9 (Prototype)]

[A pistol-type artifact that fires using the user’s mana as ammunition. Improved accuracy and portability from the previous version.]

 

As described, it was a small pistol. Blue mana circuits could be faintly seen through the translucent body.

Lee Si-hyeok couldn’t feel the power of the magic stone pulsating within it. However, there was something that didn’t align with the magical engineering knowledge he had learned through self-study.

“Si-hyeok, what’s wrong?”

When Lee Si-hyeok didn’t follow, Yoon Seo-jin turned around. She narrowed her eyes and walked toward Lee Si-hyeok.

“There’s something I don’t understand.”

“What is it?”

“This. I understand how they improved accuracy by layering mana circuits multiple times at the barrel. The size definitely got smaller too.”

“How do you know that, Si-hyeok? Aren’t you a non-awakened?”

Yoon Seo-jin’s eyes widened.

“It’s translucent so you can see all the circuits. I actually bought the previous version, Hex-8, and examined it thoroughly.”

“…You bought that? Why? You can’t even use it anyway, Si-hyeok. And it must be quite expensive on a Transport Team salary?”

Yoon Seo-jin seemed slightly surprised.

“Ah, you might misunderstand if I say it like this. I’m not trying to insult or belittle you, Si-hyeok. I’m genuinely curious.”

“I’m just very interested in artifacts. I tend to buy and examine all new products when they come out.”

“Hmm, uh. That… could be possible. Anyway, what don’t you understand?”

She didn’t seem completely convinced. It felt like she was thinking, ‘What kind of guy is this?’

“The magazine part in the body there. To reduce the user’s mana consumption, wouldn’t it be better to make the mana circuit branch into three intersecting paths rather than extending in one direction? The efficiency would improve dramatically.”

Yoon Seo-jin looked at the spot Lee Si-hyeok pointed to. She was about to move on, telling him not to talk nonsense, but she couldn’t.

‘What?’

It was exactly as Lee Si-hyeok had said. The circuit in the magazine part extended thickly in one direction.

This was an inefficient structure that would continuously cause mana leakage from the user.

Yoon Seo-jin wasn’t unaware of that ‘theory’ either. The design department had definitely planned it with three branches as Lee Si-hyeok mentioned, and there were no discrepancies in the inspection before the actual prototype release.

This was content that professors emphasized from the very beginning of learning magical engineering – how could she not know this? It was likely a mistake dropped during the production line.

Lee Si-hyeok discovering this was truly an amazing accomplishment.

The Termion Hex was Termion Company’s flagship and popular product. What if this mistake had been discovered not in a prototype, but in an actual retail product?

Total recall.

Just imagining it was horrifying. At minimum, billions in damages, plus stock prices falling to rock bottom, and even if upper management didn’t fire Yoon Seo-jin herself, at least several of her researchers would have been let go.

Gulp, her fingertips trembled. How could a non-awakened who couldn’t even sense mana discover this?

Now was the time to praise him. It was appropriate to thank him and even slip him some money.

“…You’re right? We can fix it. It’s a prototype.”

She couldn’t do it. Her pride as one of the Association’s selected 11 researchers. She was too ashamed to reveal her mistake to a mere non-awakened.

“Hurry up and follow me. I told you we don’t have time.”

“Yes.”

Lee Si-hyeok saw her earlobes flush red beneath her tied hair.

 

* * *

 

After work.

Lee Si-hyeok finished dinner and sat at his desk. He turned on his computer and began examining academic papers.

‘A Materials Engineering Approach to Improving the Durability of Magic Stone-Based Artifacts.’

It was clearly difficult content, but Lee Si-hyeok enjoyed this kind of thing. With knowledge accumulated through self-study, understanding wasn’t too difficult either.

First reading, second reading, third reading.

After completing three full readings of the paper, Lee Si-hyeok took out a square container from his drawer. When he opened it, plastic rods were neatly organized inside.

“What was I going to make today?”

Fortunately, there was a photo file on his desktop. An ultra-compact Mana Communication Artifact released by Termion’s competitor.

Lee Si-hyeok began slowly assembling the plastic rods one by one. Though he didn’t have exact blueprints, he drew the design in his mind by looking at photos of the product.

Where the magic stone should be, he placed a steel ball.

Where the mana circuits should be positioned, he used white thread.

Thus, Lee Si-hyeok, who couldn’t handle mana, created a ‘Fake Artifact’ using substitutes.

Well, except for the fact that mana didn’t flow through it, it would be almost identical to the original. On top of that, he had modified it extensively as he had envisioned.

“Interesting.”

A satisfied smile crossed his lips, though it was mixed with some bitterness. If only he had been an awakened. If he could handle mana, if this were a ‘real artifact.’

It was just imagination.

Lee Si-hyeok took the replica and moved to one corner of his room.

There was a huge display case there, with countless replicas neatly arranged.

Unable to create real artifacts, Lee Si-hyeok was realizing his dream, however modestly, in this way. After work, he made and studied one replica every day.

‘Creating’ new mana circuits was impossible.

But ‘replicating’ already developed ones with non-mana materials was possible.

Here, at least, Lee Si-hyeok was also a magical engineer.

He placed today’s replica on the highest shelf.

―Ding!

As Lee Si-hyeok was organizing his things to prepare for tomorrow’s work, a cheerful notification sound reached him.

And a blue window appeared before his eyes.

 

[You have awakened.]

 

Awakened? Lee Si-hyeok looked at the window and stepped back hesitantly.

However, there was still more to be surprised about.

 

[Examining your information…]

[Hidden condition fulfilled!]

[Replicate other people’s works 5,000 times. 5,000/5,000]

[Achievement 『Legendary Mimicry Genius』

Though you were not born with talent, you have bloomed through unwavering effort. Take a step toward the place you longed for!]

[A hidden skill will be granted. Would you like to confirm?]

 

Thump, thump, thump… Lee Si-hyeok’s heart beat roughly. He steadied his trembling legs and thought ‘I want to confirm.’

 

[You acquire the EX-rank skill, 『Mimicry』!]

[『Mimicry』

You can mimic anything. Depending on your ability, you may even surpass the original. Whatever it may be…?]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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