Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 149

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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 (149)

 

Out of Gratitude

 

Early morning.

 

The central plaza of Eterion Magical Engineering Academy.

 

“Hey. Where did they say it was?”

 

“I think it’s to the left from here…”

 

In the peaceful scenery where beautiful plants harmoniously blended together and convenience stores and food trucks were set up here and there, there was one place that was particularly crowded with people.

 

Literally a sea of people.

 

The central fountain was so packed with people that you could see the crowd gathered there even from quite a distance.

 

“Oh, that must be it!”

 

Perhaps thanks to that.

 

The two freshmen who had been lost were able to quickly find their destination. They crossed the path paved with luxurious stone materials and headed toward where people had gathered.

 

“Excuse me. Let me pass through.”

 

“Pardon me.”

 

Tap, tap tap. As they pushed through the crowd, people’s gazes poured down on them. Receiving those sharp stares, they whispered quietly.

 

“…They all seem to be freshmen like us. Don’t you think?”

 

“No. Look over there. There are professors and hunters too.”

 

“Whoa. It really is just like the rumors.”

 

The two who had been pushing forward soon reached the end of the crowd and stopped.

 

Their backs were soaked with sweat from all the bumping and pushing, but they had no time to care about such things.

 

The scene unfolding before their eyes completely captured their attention.

 

“Wow.”

 

“Crazy.”

 

In the place where Eterion’s symbolic splendid fountain should have been located, there existed a massive rift emitting strange magical power.

 

A size far larger than ordinary mana fractures, that is, gates.

 

Just looking at it made their skin crawl. The hair all over their bodies stood on end and chills ran down their sweaty backs.

 

“…Hey.”

 

One of the freshmen had been frozen for a long time before finally parting his lips. For a moment, he felt as if he had been bewitched by something.

 

Only then did the other freshman seem to come to his senses, opening his eyes wide and looking around.

 

But it wasn’t just them – other freshmen, and even professors and hunters seemed to be feeling similar impressions.

 

He asked in bewilderment.

 

“Th-that’s it, right? The gate that Lee Si-hyeok made.”

 

“Uh, yeah. Looking at the atmosphere, it seems like it. Now that I see it directly, I think I understand why there’s been such a fuss lately.”

 

“Right…”

 

Only a brief moment had passed, yet the excited atmosphere from before had completely disappeared.

 

Tension rose and an inexplicable anxiety emerged.

 

Suddenly, this worry occurred to them.

 

What people had been chattering about before coming up to the Magical Engineering Academy might not just be rumors.

 

Perhaps it might actually be true.

 

[Humanity’s First EX-Rank Awakener Lee Si-hyeok, Betraying Humanity?!]

 

For a moment, the headline of a news article flashed through their minds.

 

* * *

 

It was still a month before the new semester would begin.

 

Considering that dormitory move-ins usually start from 2 weeks early at the earliest to 1 week early at the latest, the current case was quite exceptional.

 

Of course, there were a few special cases like scholarship recipients who moved in earlier, but such cases were almost nonexistent.

 

‘If I had awakened earlier, could I have received a scholarship? No, more than that. Could I have even been admitted to Eterion?’

 

Lee Si-hyeok entered the central plaza while having such various fantasies. When he passed through the lamp-lit garden, he stopped his accumulating thoughts.

 

Useless thinking.

 

It was because such times existed that the current Lee Si-hyeok existed. Even if he had been lucky enough to awaken earlier, he wouldn’t have possessed his current skills then.

 

‘Because I wouldn’t have known the importance of mimicry then.’

 

Lee Si-hyeok chuckled and stopped walking to look straight ahead. Under the streetlight where bright light descended. In the center of the central plaza, the dimensional gate he had created was positioned instead of the fountain.

 

Still, there were far fewer people than before.

 

A few hours ago, there really wasn’t even room to step.

 

If he hadn’t prepared a concealment device in advance, his identity would have been exposed in less than a second.

 

“Whew.”

 

He sat on a nearby bench with his hat pulled down low.

 

People’s gazes turned toward him for a moment, but that was all.

 

The hunters guarding in front of the dimensional gate also didn’t seem to feel much interest and soon began conversing among themselves again.

 

It was while he was enjoying such scenery for a moment. When the night air felt particularly cold due to having climbed above the clouds.

 

“Si-hyeok!”

 

Someone cheerfully called out and sat beside him.

 

The moment a loud sound came out, people’s gazes focused on them. When Lee Si-hyeok widened his eyes, Department Manager Yoon Seo-jin opened her rabbit eyes and shrank her shoulders.

 

“Eek.”

 

Only then did Lee Si-hyeok also relax his expression and welcome her.

 

“It’s been a while, Department Manager.”

 

“It’s been a while, Si-hyeok. Th-that just now was because I was so happy to see you that I unconsciously…”

 

“It’s fine. That can happen.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok smiled bitterly and added.

 

“Still, please be careful from now on. I’m being treated like a traitor these days.”

 

“Ah…”

 

At those words, Yoon Seo-jin’s face instantly darkened. Instead of joy, shadows fell over it. She seemed to feel sorry about something, and on the other hand, also appeared to be angry.

 

“…You saw it too, Si-hyeok. That news article.”

 

“It would be strange not to know about it at this level.”

 

Although he had arranged to meet Yoon Seo-jin now, Lee Si-hyeok had actually been inside Eterion since dawn today.

 

His original purpose was to examine the dimensional gate.

 

He could have looked at it after meeting with Yoon Seo-jin, but it would still be good to come early and fix anything that needed fixing.

 

But…

 

‘Why were hunters controlling the dimensional gate.’

 

He had heard through Yoon Seo-jin’s text that the situation was quite serious. However, he hadn’t expected that hunters would step forward to prevent access.

 

Of course, he could bypass it if he wanted to, but he chose to observe more for now. Lee Si-hyeok felt that there was still some time left before the dimensional gate’s connection.

 

So when he heard she was preparing for the new semester, he quietly went to find Song Chae-ah, who was said to be working as a teaching assistant, to see what the campus atmosphere was like.

 

“…”

 

He had seen a report on her laptop.

 

After that, just in case, he searched the internet.

 

The news articles and community posts he saw that way numbered in the hundreds, no, thousands.

 

[EX-Rank Lee Si-hyeok, the fact that he is plotting new terrorism has been revealed…]

 

[Device installation comparable to S-Rank Gate, is this provocation or confidence.]

 

[Best) Reasonable reasons why the gate Lee Si-hyeok installed is not for research purposes.eu]

 

When he first saw it, it was just ridiculous.

 

What kind of nonsensical conspiracy theory was this?

 

Are there people who believe this?

 

He thought so, but what was shocking was that surprisingly many people agreed with it.

 

The public likes stimulating stories.

 

And just as there’s a saying that people feel tremendous pleasure when someone in a high position is brought down, people gradually gave strength to that hypothesis.

 

‘…Come to think of it, it’s not completely unreasonable either.’

 

What was the material for the dimensional gate that Lee Si-hyeok created back then?

 

It was none other than ‘Ether’. It definitely contained the nature of destruction, and it was true that dangerous mana was continuously being emitted from it.

 

It’s just that Lee Si-hyeok knows what result will come at the end, but others don’t know that.

 

With a bit of truth added, it became a perfect lie.

 

“Hah, this is really something.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok let out a hollow chuckle. Manager Yoon Seo-jin, who had been quietly watching him, spoke in a sympathetic tone.

 

“I… believe in you, Si-hyeok. The way you saved Se-eun back then, and I know too well that you would never do such a thing.”

 

“Are you comforting me?”

 

“Yes. Of course, I also know that you wouldn’t be troubled by such groundless rumors.”

 

“What if it’s not a rumor but real?”

 

“What?”

 

Lee Si-hyeok erased all expression from his face and looked at her.

 

“What if I’m really planning terrorism?”

 

Yoon Seo-jin flinched in surprise.

 

“What if, like people say, I’m trying to forcibly create humanity’s first S-rank Gate and devour Korea through a Gate Break? What would you do then?”

 

“…”

 

She seemed to lose her words for a moment. She forced strength into her trembling pupils and then averted her gaze. Then she looked at the dimensional gate rippling beyond the Hunters.

 

“…That’s too ridiculous.”

 

After a moment of silence, she answered quietly.

 

“That’s too ridiculous, Si-hyeok.”

 

“Why? Because you trust me?”

 

“That’s part of it. I know what kind of person Si-hyeok is. But even setting that aside, that’s just too ridiculous to believe.”

 

Her voice gained strength.

 

“I don’t know what that rift device is. It could be a Gate like people say, or it could be something I have no idea about. But no matter how much I try to believe what people are saying is true, there’s nothing for Si-hyeok to gain from it.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes. Cause a Gate Break to devour Korea? That’s bullshit, what is that even? If monsters come out, how would you control them? Through Isaac Reynolds? Then what, other S-rank Hunters would just sit there doing nothing?”

 

“They wouldn’t.”

 

Now Lee Si-hyeok also has Lumibra and golems.

 

Well, that’s probably not what she meant by that.

 

“That’s why it’s bullshit. And the Si-hyeok I know is someone who can’t live without Magical Engineering, so why would he do such meaningless nonsense?”

 

“So that’s what you think.”

 

“I don’t just think that, this is the truth.”

 

Words spat out with conviction.

 

Lee Si-hyeok burst into laughter at those eyes filled with tremendous trust. A giggle escaped without him realizing it.

 

“Pfft.”

 

As he covered his mouth and chuckled, Yoon Seo-jin narrowed her eyes and asked.

 

“…Why are you suddenly laughing?”

 

“Because I’m grateful.”

 

“What, in an annoying way?”

 

But even Yoon Seo-jin who said that was wearing a faint smile. Though they could feel glances from people wondering why a man and woman were giggling together in the middle of the night, they didn’t care.

 

They chuckled like that for a while, and only after a few minutes did they finally stop laughing.

 

“Haha. Why am I laughing at something like this…”

 

Yoon Seo-jin wiped away the tears that had slightly formed and asked.

 

“Anyway. So have you thought about what I mentioned before?”

 

“That thing?”

 

“Yes. I texted you afterward asking for a lecture. A special lecture for the new semester.”

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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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