Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 136

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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 (136)

 

Failed Creation

 

Today, too, Necrosis was suffering from terrible agony.

 

It was hunger.

 

An endless pain that could also be called starvation or famine.

 

―Grooooo… I’m hungry…

 

Inside the test tube filled with sticky liquid, Necrosis moaned lowly and twisted its body. Even so, it couldn’t move much due to the cramped space, but it did relieve some of the stuffiness.

 

That was all it could do.

 

―I feel like I’m dying…

 

Necrosis’s empty pupils turned toward the outside of the test tube.

 

It looked at the wide hose connected to the Interior Space.

 

Just a few days ago, that hose had been filled with artifacts that Lee Si-hyeok had prepared for it right before leaving.

 

However, in just a few days, all those artifacts had ended up in Necrosis’s stomach.

 

―The human told me to eat sparingly, but…

 

How could I endure when I was so hungry!

 

It had endured for quite a long time, constantly reminding itself of the human’s words, but ultimately couldn’t overcome its instincts. The artifacts it had been eating one per day were all devoured in just a single day.

 

In fact, this was also the result of the mental domination from Phagethesis connected to Lee Si-hyeok growing weaker, but Necrosis, unaware of this fact, only felt hellish starvation.

 

―Grooooooo!

 

Necrosis howled.

 

That cry echoed miserably through the bunker where it was all alone.

 

In the past, a single roar from it would make humans collapse and fall in droves, so how had it come to this state?

 

As the mental domination weakened, its resentment also deepened.

 

At the same time, its longing for its ‘main body’ was gradually intensifying.

 

―My main body! If only I had that, I would be freed from this hunger!

 

“…”

 

However, no matter how much it yearned and craved, the bunker remained silent.

 

Then came a certain day.

 

―Groo?

 

For some reason, a faint presence could be felt from above.

 

Necrosis, which had been curled up weakly trying to sleep, slowly raised its head. Beyond the blocked test tube lid, it was the upper floor of the bunker.

 

―Someone came…?

 

No matter how much power it had lost, it could still sense that much of a human presence. It was familiar and recognizable. It was definitely human mana, which meant…

 

―That human has come! He’s come to give me food!

 

Grooooo!

 

Necrosis’s tentacles flailed excitedly.

 

However, that was only for a moment, as another presence was felt.

 

Some powerful mana was descending toward this place from the bunker entrance.

 

―This is…

 

Necrosis shuddered for a moment.

 

It couldn’t not know. There was no way it could mistake this.

 

A presence that felt clearer than anything else, even in this current situation on the verge of starvation.

 

―The main body! The main body has come!

 

It was certain. As the presence drew closer, Necrosis’s expression brightened. Though it was a face rotted with necrosis, the happiness was still clearly evident.

 

That human has come to gift me the main body.

 

Moved by the tentacle Necrosis had given back then, they’ve come to repay that favor!

 

―Gohohohoh! Gohohoh!

 

Laughing instead of crying, Necrosis indulged in happy fantasies. Finally, the time had come to absorb the main body the human brought, recover its strength, and escape from all these chains of hunger.

 

Then from that moment on, it would be its world.

 

Though it felt sorry for that human, it would start by massacring the other humans who had made it into this state. And it would place everyone under its feet and make them prey.

 

Awakeners filled with mana were nothing short of nutritious snacks.

 

Finally, the approaching presence became even more certain.

 

It was the moment when a small beep sound of the door opening could be heard from beyond the laboratory’s security door.

 

―Welcome! I’ve been waiting…

 

Necrosis’s muttering as it licked its lips stopped.

 

Necrosis froze in place and detected the presence once more.

 

At that moment.

 

Shiver!

 

Goosebumps ran through its entire body. Despite being trapped in ice-cold water, its spine went cold. Its empty pupils vibrated wildly.

 

―What, what is this?

 

It’s not that human’s presence.

 

Though he had certainly become stronger than before, it wasn’t to this shocking degree.

 

But…

 

The mana it had assumed to be the main body was far more overwhelming than expected.

 

―Wasn’t the main body supposed to have lost its power?

 

As things unfolded differently than expected, Necrosis panicked.

 

But without time for that, crash! The door opened.

 

Through the hazily rising smoke, one familiar human and.

 

―…?!

 

One eerie man wearing a purple skirt entered.

 

At that moment, Necrosis felt the terror of death.

 

* * *

 

Until arriving at the bunker, Lee Si-hyeok heard various stories from Lumibra. It started with Lee Si-hyeok’s questions, but once the floodgates opened, quite a lot of stories poured out.

 

“Necrosis. Yes, there was such a creature too. It’s really been a long time since I heard that name.”

 

Lumibra, sitting in the truck’s passenger seat, said while opening its second bag of snacks.

 

“No matter how excellent the Great Creator was, even he wasn’t perfect from the beginning. He too had a long period of practice.”

 

“That’s necessary for everyone.”

 

“That’s right. It’s just surprising that even the Great Creator had such a period. And what’s even more surprising is the fact that most of his practice works were failures.”

 

Lumibra continued speaking while looking at the coastline stretching out through the window. The wind seeping through the window gap felt refreshingly cool.

 

“Little one, do you remember seeing countless monsters while passing through the 〈Arena of Blood Combat〉? Those disgusting and grotesquely shaped creatures.”

 

“Of course I remember. They were the same ones that appeared on Earth once.”

 

“Yes, that’s what you said. Those very monsters are the Great Creator’s ‘failures.'”

 

“…What?”

 

Lee Si-hyeok, gripping the steering wheel, unconsciously asked back. When he quickly turned his head, Lumibra had her eyes closed as if recalling memories.

 

“I don’t know the detailed circumstances either. I only know that after creating so many failures over and over again, he finally reached the end and brought me into existence. That’s all I know.”

 

“Then… that person called the Creator kept making only the same artifacts continuously?”

 

Certainly, those thousands of monsters all had appearances that looked exactly like Necrosis.

 

“It seems so. Though I don’t know the reason.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“And that friend you mentioned called 〔Necrosis〕. That friend was the most outstanding failure among them.”

 

“Outstanding failure?”

 

“That creature seems to think of me as its ‘main body,’ but that’s just a delusion. It’s simply that among the failures, it was closest to me, so it instinctively regards me as its main body. In truth, it’s a child with no relation to me whatsoever.”

 

Seeing the destination gradually approaching, Lee Si-hyeok let out a contemplative sound. This was a story he had never expected. From what he had heard from Necrosis back then, Lumibra had to be the main body.

 

To think that was that creature’s delusion.

 

“From the beginning, don’t we have different mana properties?”

 

“Oh, now that you mention it…”

 

Necrosis’s mana had the property of ‘necrosis’ that stole away life force. In fact, what he had created inspired by those tentacles was 〈Phagethesis〉.

 

But Lumibra possessed gentle mana that gave birth to life instead.

 

That mana which he had felt was similar to his own.

 

“…They’re completely opposite properties. Now that I think about it.”

 

Focusing only on the concepts of main body and separated entity, he hadn’t noticed.

 

Lumibra nodded her head.

 

“The reason that creature says it must absorb me is also because it thinks so simply due to the powerful mana I possess. It believes that if it devours this abundant mana, its hunger will be satisfied.”

 

“So in the end, it had nothing to do with being a main body.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

A brief silence fell.

 

Lee Si-hyeok organized the newly acquired knowledge in his mind, while Lumibra calmly traced through memories of the past.

 

Then she was the first to ask.

 

“So, what do you plan to do with that child?”

 

* * *

 

“…”

 

Standing in front of the experiment chamber, Lee Si-hyeok quietly observed Necrosis trembling in terror. The creature was desperately trying to avoid Lee Si-hyeok’s gaze while attempting to stay as far away from Lumibra as possible.

 

Still, it ultimately couldn’t escape from the experiment chamber.

 

‘The mental domination must have been released.’

 

If the connection with 〈Phagethesis〉 had been maintained, there would have been no reason to tremble in such fear. Even if it felt instinctive terror, Lee Si-hyeok could have immediately suppressed it.

 

However, it seemed the connection had naturally severed due to the distance in time and space.

 

‘She asked what I planned to do.’

 

He recalled the question Lumibra had thrown at him before arriving.

 

In fact, Lee Si-hyeok had a plan even before that.

 

‘I was originally planning to decide after seeing how the situation unfolded.’

 

Since he didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship Lumibra and Necrosis had, he judged that understanding the situation first was necessary.

 

However, now that he had heard her explanation, his thoughts had changed a little.

 

Was there really a need to waste time?

 

Lee Si-hyeok narrowed his eyes and stared at the terrified Necrosis.

 

―Go, gooooo…

 

To be honest, he had no particular feelings toward the creature.

 

He felt no affection, no sympathy, and no compassion.

 

The reason was simple.

 

Necrosis was once an S-rank boss that had massacred humans. Of course, they were people unrelated to Lee Si-hyeok, but even so, as a human himself, he couldn’t view it favorably.

 

Moreover, the creature harbored hostility toward humans.

 

The cause was hunger.

 

So originally, he thought that if he could just satisfy that hunger, the hostility would also disappear, but after hearing Lumibra’s explanation, he realized that hunger would never disappear forever.

 

It wasn’t hunger caused by lacking a main body, but simply a deficiency it possessed for being a failed creation.

 

‘Then… there’s no particular reason to keep it alive.’

 

However, he had no intention of killing it meaninglessly.

 

As Lee Si-hyeok nodded while organizing his plan, Lumibra, who had been staring intently at the failed creation, cautiously approached.

 

“Are you really thinking of trying it?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Lumibra had a worried expression.

 

It was because she had heard Lee Si-hyeok’s plan in the truck earlier.

 

Though it wasn’t detailed since it was a plan modified on the spot, even that alone was a story more shocking than she could have imagined.

 

However, Lee Si-hyeok didn’t hesitate.

 

Whooom.

 

He immediately took out the 〈Soul-Pursuing Harpoon〉 from 『Subspace』 and gripped it in his hand.

 

The opponent’s soul.

 

In other words, a mystical harpoon that pursues mana and completely absorbs the opponent’s abilities.

 

Currently, this Soul-Pursuing Harpoon contained the special skill 『Bright Light』 that had been absorbed from the Guardian of Light.

 

“Aren’t you curious?”

 

Lee Si-hyeok, who had been looking down at the harpoon for a moment, raised the corner of his mouth in a grin.

 

“If the 『Bright Light』 dwelling in this place and the ‘Necrosis’ that creature possesses. If both of those were absorbed and mixed together.”

 

Then he raised his head again to look straight ahead.

 

“Just how would the skill that meets in such a way change. And if that happens, wouldn’t that be a realm beyond artifacts, even ‘creating’ new skills.”

 

His gaze was fixed precisely on the tentacles sprouting from Necrosis’s back.

 

He was staring at those horrible tails that possessed the properties of ‘Necrosis.’

 

“I intend to confirm it directly.”

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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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