Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 151

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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 (151)

 

Belief

 

What if.

 

If there’s something that people firmly believe in, what would it take to shatter that belief?

 

Moreover, what if it’s a belief so solidly hardened that it’s difficult to break?

 

Step forward directly and loudly claim that it’s not the truth?

 

Most people would probably choose this approach.

 

Because it’s frustrating.

 

Clearly what people believe isn’t the truth, and if you just dig a little deeper, you can obviously tell it’s false.

 

Yet seeing them act all high and mighty while blindly believing – who wouldn’t get angry at such a sight?

 

It would be suffocating. Like eating a hundred sweet potatoes at once.

 

That’s why the need for relief becomes urgent, forcing you to step forward immediately.

 

But unfortunately, that approach is the wrong answer.

 

‘No matter how clear evidence you present, it’s hard to change people’s minds once they’re set.’

 

The more interesting the subject matter.

 

The more it’s a fact they fervently supported, the more true this becomes.

 

In this case, Lee Si-hyeok’s ‘terrorist conspiracy theory’ could be seen as such.

 

Humans naturally feel tremendous resistance when the facts they believe in are denied.

 

Then is there really no way?

 

Is waiting for the dimensional gate to connect and for the Orbes people to emerge from within really the only answer?

 

‘No, that’s not right either.’

 

Lee Si-hyeok shook his head.

 

Cool night air. In a secluded corner of the plaza not illuminated by the daylight street lamps, he was hiding his body.

 

Eyes glowing in the darkness precisely gazed at the dimensional gate guarded by the hunters.

 

You must never try to shatter people’s beliefs all at once.

 

That’s too hasty a judgment, a method only novices who don’t yet understand how the world works would choose.

 

So little by little from below.

 

You had to slowly dig in and crumble that solid tower.

 

Like when demolishing a tall building, instead of attacking from the top, if you detonate the foundational base that serves as the cornerstone first, at some point the entire building will collapse all at once with a rumble.

 

Even now, choosing such a strategy would be the wisest.

 

“Shall I go.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok, who had been hiding, muttered quietly.

 

It had been 30 minutes since he parted with Yoon Seo-jin. For some reason, she had sat blankly on the bench for quite a while, staring at the spot where Lee Si-hyeok had left, but eventually came to her senses and hurriedly left the plaza.

 

And Lee Si-hyeok, who had been waiting for her to leave.

 

After exhaling cold breath, activated his skill.

 

[『Subspace』 is being connected.]

 

[Artifact 【Phagethesis】 is operating according to your will.]

 

A transparent tentacle emerged from a crack that appeared faintly in the air.

 

Lee Si-hyeok stopped the tentacle beside his head and glared at the hunters guarding the dimensional gate.

 

His plan was this.

 

‘First, I’ll control the hunters with 【Phagethesis】 to put them to sleep. Then I can stabilize the dimensional gate in that gap.’

 

One of the biggest reasons the public believes and spreads such ridiculous conspiracy theories is precisely the instability of that dimensional gate.

 

Lee Si-hyeok knew there was nothing wrong with that state, but for people, it would be nothing but anxiety-inducing.

 

So he planned to solve that problem first.

 

Rustle…

 

The tentacle floating beside him tickled Lee Si-hyeok’s cheek.

 

At the gesture that seemed to ask for orders quickly, he gently closed his eyes and concentrated his mind.

 

There were a total of 7 hunters in front of the dimensional gate.

 

One in the center, with three each standing on the left and right.

 

He briefly regulated his breathing. Emptied his mind and composed his spirit.

 

‘Now!’

 

Whoosh!

 

As he snapped his fingers, Phagethesis flew at tremendous speed.

 

It was the moment the hunters turned their heads in surprise at the sudden sound of cutting through air.

 

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

 

The tentacle that pierced through the three hunters on the right quickly passed through the center and reached the left side. As their heads were pierced by the transparent tentacle, they soon lost consciousness and collapsed.

 

‘…Success?’

 

Lee Si-hyeok narrowed his eyes while hiding in the bushes.

 

Seven hunters lying limp.

 

There were no visible wounds to the eye. 【Phagethesis】 was an artifact that targeted mental aspects rather than physical attacks.

 

However, it was clearly confirmed that the mana controlling their brains was temporarily disrupted.

 

This should buy at least 4 hours.

 

Since it was just past midnight now, it seemed he could finish before dawn came.

 

He had stopped at exactly this level because going further could cause major damage to their mental state.

 

Step, step.

 

A night with the moon hanging high.

 

Lee Si-hyeok crossed the quiet plaza.

 

Soon he crossed the police line, moved the hunters aside, and carefully observed the dimensional gate.

 

‘It’s definitely reached the critical point.’

 

In terms of water, it was exactly around 96 degrees.

 

It would start boiling at 100 degrees, meaning it was right around the corner.

 

Probably because the coordinates with Orbes were almost connected, the mana frequencies of each dimension were slightly mismatched, and as a result, a mana vortex phenomenon occurred in the central area of the dimensional gate…

 

This was an unexpected problem even for Lee Si-hyeok.

 

It wouldn’t be seriously dangerous, but it would still be better to improve it.

 

Even without being conscious of people, it seemed he could gain new knowledge.

 

Lee Si-hyeok, hiding a faint smile, opened subspace and whispered quietly.

 

“Eul-cheong, please help with what you mentioned earlier.”

 

Then.

 

[Activating 『Anytime, Anywhere』.]

 

[Sub-administrator ‘Hyeon Eul-cheong’ of 【Transcendent Artifice Subspace】 accepts your request! Transmitting necessary items.]

 

[Estimated time required ▶ 3 seconds]

 

[3…2…1]

 

[Prepare for sudden impact.]

 

The size of the crack widened and various materials came pouring out.

 

Lee Si-hyeok, who had slightly moved aside, carefully caught those items.

 

Tap, tap, tap.

 

[★Success! 1 Mana Absorption Stone, 4kg Alchemical Engineering Alloy, 2 Mana Insulation Ceramics, and 7 other types of items have been delivered!]

 

[『Subspace』 automatically terminates.]

 

There were three core materials.

 

The ‘Mana Absorption Stone’, a magic stone that absorbs mana to continuously absorb unstable mana.

 

The ‘Alchemical Engineering Alloy’, created directly by Lee Si-hyeok by alchemizing various metals to serve as the framework for the dimensional gate stabilization device.

 

Finally, the ‘Mana Insulation Ceramic’ to neatly finish them off.

 

Before starting work, Lee Si-hyeok checked once more if there were any passersby, then activated a concealment barrier before putting on his work gloves.

 

His eyes instantly settled into a calm focus.

 

‘First, let’s select the location to install the mana sink.’

 

This is the stage of installing a sink, essentially a drain, that will absorb the ether continuously leaking due to the tangled mana frequencies.

 

In this process, finding the most stable position is crucial to prevent future misalignments.

 

He narrowed his eyes and examined the dimensional gate that rippled threateningly.

 

The bottom, edges, top…

 

Which part was most misaligned.

 

And from there, he searched for the most stable location.

 

Soon, Lee Si-hyeok realized his thinking was wrong.

 

This couldn’t be installed all in one place.

 

Currently, the dimensional gate was in a state where mana was fluctuating throughout.

 

Finding a stable part within that was nearly impossible. Of course, there was the concept of the eye of the storm being safe even in the midst of a tempest, but that didn’t apply here.

 

It was more appropriate to compare this to the sea.

 

Not a sea close to land, but the middle of an ocean where storms raged and tremendous waves surged.

 

So how would one build the most stable lighthouse there?

 

‘I need to distribute them as much as possible. Then use those as pillars to connect them into one.’

 

If you tried to build a sturdy lighthouse by driving all the pillars into one location, it would collapse in an instant when waves concentrated on that single point.

 

Therefore, the correct answer was to create multiple pillars so they could withstand even if one collapsed.

 

He immediately revised the design and quickly moved his eyes.

 

He scanned every part of the dimensional gate to find candidate locations for the sinks.

 

Afterward, he hammered the alchemical alloy with a specialized hammer to bend it, then carefully embedded absorption stones within those circularly rolled frames. The exterior was safely shielded using insulating ceramics.

 

Now that the positioning and basic frames were complete, it was time to work on the detailed parts.

 

He merged the discharge pipes of the various sinks he had just made into one.

 

Like building a structure based on pillars spread across the middle of the sea, he connected each sink with a single pipe.

 

‘What structure would be best.’

 

His rapidly working mind found the answer.

 

Rather than straight lines, gentle curves with structures incorporating two or more bends seemed optimal.

 

And the direction of mana discharge should be back inside the dimensional gate, not outside it.

 

People were already afraid because threatening ether was spewing from the dimensional gate, so spitting it back out would render everything meaningless.

 

Since it wasn’t connected to Orbes yet anyway, there shouldn’t be any particular problem with redirecting it back inside the gate, so he chose that method.

 

He also completed the installation of stabilization valves with a double-valve structure in between.

 

If mana exceeding the discharge pipe’s capacity flowed out, one valve would automatically open the sink, and the other was an emergency manual release valve.

 

‘Normal discharge volume… around 60-70% should be fine.’

 

At this level, people wouldn’t notice.

 

No matter how much of a Hunter they were, unless they were right up close, they would only feel the air was slightly stuffy.

 

Whew!

 

Lee Si-hyeok removed his work gloves and surveyed the completed result.

 

Taking a step back, the massive dimensional gate came into full view.

 

The ominous black rift remained the same.

 

However, the mana that had been visible until now had completely disappeared without leaving a trace.

 

“This should be sufficient.”

 

He smiled faintly.

 

Quite some time had passed, so the Hunters would probably wake up soon.

 

Then they would be the first to discover the change, followed by the new students and professors, and the news spreading that way would reach the ground level below. From then on, seeds of doubt would begin to grow in people’s minds.

 

That conspiracy theory, wasn’t it actually a lie?

 

…That kind of suspicion.

 

After that, Lee Si-hyeok could personally step up to give a lecture and reveal the entire truth.

 

Since waves of doubt would already be spreading among the people, convincing them wouldn’t be too difficult.

 

“Let’s go, Blackie.”

 

He affectionately patted Blackie, who had continuously replenished his mana during the work, and quietly left the scene.

 

Before he knew it, darkness had lifted and the sun was rising.

 

* * *

 

At that moment.

 

Professor Bae Young-min of Eterion, who had been keeping watch at his research building until this late dawn, widened his eyes at the unexpected visitor.

 

“…Hunter Lim Jae-hwi?”

 

Though he spoke in slight surprise, the corners of his mouth curved up as if pleased.

 

“The plan is proceeding smoothly, Professor Bae Young-min.”

 

At the words spoken by the person called Hunter Lim Jae-hwi, Professor Bae Young-min’s eyes rolled around before he answered.

 

“Lee Si-hyeok, you mean.”

 

“Yes. Is it possible?”

 

“Hehe.”

 

“Can you kill Lee Si-hyeok, is what I’m asking.”

 

Professor Bae Young-min laughed once more.

 

He answered without a moment’s hesitation.

 

“Of course.”

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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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