Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 128
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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 (128)
Long Time No See
A moment later.
“….”
The people who had been waiting outside the Gate quietly fell silent as they watched the rift in the air begin spitting out Hunters.
Each and every one of them was radiating an aura so intense that it was difficult to even make eye contact. For those who lacked the skill to join the rescue team, they couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
And then….
“…!”
“H-He’s coming out!”
Upon seeing Lee Si-hyeok emerge mixed in around the middle of the formation, a reflexive shout burst out. The B-rank Hunter who had blurted that out immediately covered his mouth, but the reactions of the others were similar.
However, Lee Si-hyeok only glanced at them briefly with sunken eyes before passing by indifferently and entering the heavily guarded outpost.
Only then did the breath they had been holding finally release as they whispered among themselves.
“…Is it really true? That Lee Si-hyeok cleared the Gate by himself.”
“That’s what they’re…saying. I heard the Guild Leader talking on the phone with the Association earlier.”
“Crazy.”
“Does that even make sense….”
Everyone’s tone suggested they couldn’t believe it.
Just as their voices were getting louder while discussing Lee Si-hyeok, a small sound came from the direction of the security outpost.
―Clatter, thud!
Their heads whipped around simultaneously, and when they confirmed that the sound was a window closing, they were horrified.
“S-Surely he didn’t hear everything, right?”
“…!”
“Huff….”
* * *
“Please continue.”
Lee Si-hyeok, who had reached out to close the window, straightened his posture again and stared at the suited man across from him.
As the noisy commotion was settled all at once, Team Leader Choi In-hwan inwardly admired this and continued speaking.
“…Yes, first I’d like to offer our apologies. We never anticipated that such a situation would occur, and we ended up putting Lee Si-hyeok in danger….”
“You’ve already said that several times. Not that.”
“Th-Then?”
“I’m asking what I should do right now.”
Lee Si-hyeok spoke calmly as he picked up the tea cup from the table and quickly scanned the room. The warm green tea went down as he confirmed the faces of the Hunters in the outpost.
‘Green Night Beast, Ashen Garden… and even the Snow Flame Empress came.’
He hadn’t been able to properly confirm this earlier inside the Gate.
It was because too many people had rushed in all at once, and urgently at that.
Right after that, the Gate began to disappear and Lee Si-hyeok and the Hunters immediately came outside. So he was only now taking a proper look, and he never imagined the Snow Flame Empress would have come.
“First, our Association will respect Lee Si-hyeok’s opinion.”
Team Leader Choi In-hwan said. Lee Si-hyeok gave a slight nod to the Snow Flame Empress whom he briefly made eye contact with, then turned his gaze back.
“This incident clearly occurred due to the Association’s insufficient preliminary investigation. Therefore, if there’s anything Lee Si-hyeok would like to request from the Association, we’ll accommodate anything. Just say the word….”
“There isn’t any.”
“Yes, yes?”
“I said there’s nothing I particularly need.”
Team Leader Choi In-hwan blinked his eyes as if asking what he was talking about.
Meanwhile, Lee Si-hyeok just shrugged his shoulders.
“By the way, you’re not asking how this incident unfolded? Aren’t you curious?”
“Of course I’d like to ask, but…”
He must be holding back while reading the situation.
“I’ll tell you. What I encountered in that Hidden Stage.”
“…!”
“However, next time.”
Lee Si-hyeok put down his tea cup and continued speaking.
“I’m a bit tired right now, so I think I need to rest. I’ll visit the Association directly in a few days. Let’s meet together with Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon then.”
“Are you serious?”
“Why would I lie about something like this?”
Of course, he had no intention of telling them everything.
Just the general flow of events.
To simply brush off this incident, things had gotten too big. Even if Lee Si-hyeok didn’t need to explain, with such forces deployed, he was bound to feel conscious about it.
While he was at it, there was also something he wanted to ask.
Lee Si-hyeok stood up, leaving Team Leader Choi In-hwan stunned.
The other Hunters flinched, thinking he was leaving, but Lee Si-hyeok simply waved his hand once in the air.
Whooom.
Then a suddenly appearing rift spat out an unconscious man.
“That person is…”
“Guardian of Light?!”
Green Night Beast and Team Leader Choi In-hwan exclaimed in shock simultaneously.
His entire body was pierced, broken, and covered with torn wounds. Though it looked like someone had given him emergency treatment, the situation appeared serious at first glance.
“I happened to find him collapsed. When I found him, he had already lost consciousness.”
He mixed in a slight lie.
“I’d appreciate it if the Association could treat him. He probably won’t be able to recover his sanity… but still, there might be a possibility.”
“Yes, yes. Please leave him to us.”
Just as he was about to leave the outpost, leaving behind Team Leader Choi In-hwan who was examining the Guardian with a deliberately serious expression.
“Oh, and.”
As if remembering something, Lee Si-hyeok turned around with an “ah.”
“You’d better take a close look at Guardian of Light Hunter.”
It was a meaningful statement.
Green Night Beast, who had been silently watching, read a sharp emotion in Lee Si-hyeok’s eyes, and Team Leader Choi In-hwan, who had been kneeling, hurriedly followed Lee Si-hyeok who had left the outpost.
“What do you mean by that…”
However, Lee Si-hyeok’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Team Leader Choi In-hwan looked around the area for quite a while before finally returning to the outpost, just blinking his eyes.
Thinking that it was too hasty to send him off like this, he quietly looked around the indoor space filled with tranquil silence.
Then suddenly, a small vibration sound rang out.
Team Leader Choi In-hwan didn’t notice it, but only the Snow Flame Empress in the corner holding that smartphone quietly checked the notification.
‘Who sent it. Is it Bae Jun-wan.’
Her heart, which had been filled only with worry about Lee Si-hyeok, paused for a moment.
“Ah.”
Soon, even that emotion melted away like snow upon checking the text message.
[I’ll come visit you soon with Blackie. Thank you for today.]
A message with only two sentences.
It could have felt short, such a phrase that might seem insincere…
But instead, a faint smile appeared on the Snow Flame Empress’s face that had been stained with worry.
* * *
[Entering 『Subspace』.]
[This news will be delivered to the Sub-administrator.]
“Whew…”
Lee Si-hyeok, who entered 『Subspace』 as soon as he left the outpost, let out a sigh as if collapsing.
No, he actually did collapse.
As soon as he saw the azure sky that had been created following the ‘Cheongyeon Workshop’ not long ago, he lay down on the floor.
“This is nice…”
A cool breeze blew from far away. It pleasantly touched his skin and tickled the grass spread on the floor.
Even though it was an artificially created environment, the feeling wasn’t bad at all.
A feeling of fatigue completely melting away.
From the moment he entered the Nari Basin Gate, there hadn’t been a single moment to rest. He had to keep his guard up because Pasuin was somehow unsettling, and there was the first-time stage and even 〔Lumibra〕.
Still, he hadn’t had time to feel tired so there wasn’t any particular hardship, but finally arriving in a comfortable space made his strength completely drain away.
《Clear Mirror Still Water》 wasn’t activated now either.
He just wanted to maintain his natural mental state.
“Really now.”
As he lay sprawled out with his eyes gently closed, he felt the presence of someone approaching from far away.
Lee Si-hyeok spoke quietly with his eyes still closed.
“It’s been a while, Eul-cheong.”
“…Indeed it has.”
The returning voice pleasantly seeped into his eardrums.
The low tone formed from not speaking much was heard once again.
“But it seems the way you address me has changed a bit. You always used to call me Hyeon Eul-cheong.”
“We’re going to keep seeing each other from now on, so we should go with comfortable, comfortable.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, well. That’s how it is.”
Lee Si-hyeok chuckled softly as he got up.
Having been lying down for a while, his hair was comically disheveled. He roughly brushed it down and looked at Hyeon Eul-cheong.
“Let’s go, then.”
“…?”
“Gyeongdogak. It’s been a while, so I want to see it soon.”
“Ah.”
He approached and stood behind her as she nodded.
“May I push your wheelchair?”
“Why bother?”
“We need to match our pace. Wouldn’t that be most comfortable? We did it that way last time too.”
“Hmm….”
Hyeon Eul-cheong looked down as if pondering. When Lee Si-hyeok deliberately tried to match her gaze, she quickly turned her head away, avoiding him.
“Let’s go.”
So he just started off.
“Ah!”
Hyeon Eul-cheong was startled, but he pushed forward steadily.
As he’d said, it had been a while since coming to the subspace, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. He was also curious whether the research institute was being well maintained.
Anyway, to organize the results of this recent work, he would have needed to visit Gyeongdogak.
“Sl-slow down a little…!”
“Hold on tight!”
Hyeon Eul-cheong’s eyes spun dizzily, and Lee Si-hyeok increased his speed even more as he ran forward.
Soon long wheel tracks were drawn across the grass field, and the appearance of a tranquil building came into view.
And in front of it.
Thump, thump!
“Master!”
The golem was stomping its feet as if it had been waiting.
“You rascal.”
Soon the wheelchair stopped in front of it, and Lee Si-hyeok grinned as he patted the golem’s leg. Since it was so tall, even stretching his arm to the maximum only reached its knee area.
“I’ve been waiting, Master. I was wondering when you’d come. Honestly, I thought you were dead.”
“What are you saying. How long has it been since we parted?”
‘Hmm.’
He had spoken carelessly, but suddenly felt regretful.
Time flows differently in the subspace compared to the outside.
As he clicked his tongue, the golem pointed at Hyeon Eul-cheong who was slumped over in the wheelchair.
“That woman took good care of me. She even had me clean thoroughly.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. She’s a good woman. Is she Master’s fiancée?”
“No? What are you suddenly….”
“Never mind then. She worked hard at cleaning and tending the garden, so I thought that might be the case. And I also saw her making artifacts by herself to show Master.”
“…Wh-when did I ever?”
Suddenly, Hyeon Eul-cheong let out a small cry.
When Lee Si-hyeok whipped his head around to look, she who had been slouching just moments before was now glaring at the golem with trembling pupils.
“Isn’t that right? I saw you making one this morning too.”
“That was just… a personal research project. I had no intention of showing it to you.”
“If that’s not it either, then fine. It was my mistake.”
“Good grief. What is it?”
“So you won’t show me?”
“…Huh, what?”
When Lee Si-hyeok, who had been listening silently, crossed his arms and asked, Hyeon Eul-cheong’s gaze shot toward him. Her head turned as their trembling eyes met.
“I’m curious. About the artifacts you’ve made, Eul-cheong.”
“Uh…”
“Well, show me when you get the chance. I have a lot to do too.”
“…Yes! Yes, haha. Right, that’s…!”
Lee Si-hyeok shrugged as he let go of the wheelchair handle.
Then he moved his steps to gaze at Gyeongdo-gak and the tranquil scenery surrounding it.
As he had mentioned earlier, there was something he needed to do while he was in the subspace.
Not just the results of this incident.
Not just organizing the Dragon Heart, the golem, or the newly obtained information.
But something else entirely.
—Flash.
Lee Si-hyeok brought up a system window before his eyes.
Then he entered the skills section to confirm the goal he had in mind.
[Special Skill
『Mimicry』 – EX Rank (Current Lv.1 / Limit Lv. 3)
You have currently grasped the foundation of ‘Origin Artifacts’.
Upon successfully crafting an Origin Artifact once, the level of 『Mimicry』 will increase by one stage!]
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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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