Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 154

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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 (154)

 

You Got Too Excited

 

He immediately crossed the plaza and headed toward the Special Research Building.

 

After arriving at the first floor lobby shortly after, he caught his breath for a moment.

 

“Huff, huff…”

 

Song Chae-ah followed him in a step behind.

 

Seeming to have poor stamina, she asked while breathing heavily.

 

“S-Senior. Huff… Why did we suddenly come here, huff… ?”

 

“Where are the stairs leading to the 3rd floor?”

 

“Huff. Huh? The 3rd floor… You go left, but why the 3rd floor…”

 

“Follow me.”

 

There was no time to explain.

 

Lee Si-hyeok put his phone back in his pouch and immediately started walking. His clenched fist was filled with strength.

 

Two floors up from the lobby.

 

Intense mana could be felt coming from exactly the 3rd floor.

 

Even though he hadn’t climbed the stairs yet, his skin felt heated as if burned by fire. At the same time, a cool chill swept down his spine, and those two conflicting mana forces were causing tremendous collision.

 

“S-Senior! Let’s go together!”

 

Song Chae-ah didn’t seem to notice it, but Lee Si-hyeok could feel it all too vividly.

 

He climbed the stairs with tension.

 

One step, two steps.

 

The more he climbed, the more Song Chae-ah’s expression gradually changed.

 

It was when they reached the 2nd floor.

 

“Oh.”

 

“…”

 

“What’s this suddenly. It feels like it got cold somehow, but also like it got hot…”

 

However, her muttering soon came to an abrupt stop.

 

The moment they left the 2nd floor, passed the stairwell landing, and got close to the 3rd floor.

 

“…Why are there so many people?”

 

She had spotted the crowd filling the entrance to the emergency stairs.

 

Lee Si-hyeok’s eyes narrowed.

 

‘They’re professors and teaching assistants. They seem like people who originally worked in this building.’

 

The fact that all such people were outside could be interpreted in two ways.

 

Either an emergency situation had occurred and they evacuated hastily.

 

Or, a rare spectacle that no one could take their eyes off had been born.

 

‘Maybe it’s both.’

 

Lee Si-hyeok swallowed his ominous feelings and moved forward.

 

He wasn’t disguising his face. When he walked through the people without hesitation, they seemed to recognize Lee Si-hyeok and widened their eyes while making way for him.

 

“Huh? That person.”

 

“Isn’t that Lee Si-hyeok?”

 

“What, why is he here…”

 

“E-Excuse me, let me pass through.”

 

Soon Song Chae-ah, who had been hurriedly chasing after him, also stuck close behind Lee Si-hyeok following the opened path.

 

And the moment they passed through them, advanced to the end of the crowd, and witnessed the explosive situation occurring in the corridor.

 

“…As expected.”

 

A bewildered mutter flowed from Lee Si-hyeok’s mouth.

 

The situation he didn’t want to imagine was unfolding before his eyes.

 

“Sigh.”

 

Professor Bae Young-min sprawled miserably on one side of the corridor, trembling in fear.

 

And on the opposite side, the Snow Flame Empress standing upright while emitting overwhelming mana.

 

The direction of that mana was reaching Professor Bae Young-min, who was hesitantly backing away.

 

“Wh-Why are you suddenly doing this to me…!”

 

Professor Bae Young-min waved his arms frantically with a terrified face.

 

It was a movement trying to resist somehow, but it was merely pathetic struggling.

 

The flame mana that the Snow Flame Empress had sent soon touched his body.

 

Whoosh!

 

“Ugh, uaaaah!”

 

It melted away the shirt he was wearing.

 

In just a few seconds, his unsightly upper body was exposed to everyone.

 

“How barbaric.”

 

When the Snow Flame Empress clicked her tongue as if disgusted, Professor Bae Young-min hurriedly covered his exposed upper body and shouted in a very aggrieved voice.

 

“Wh-What! Why are you suddenly coming here and doing this!”

 

“You should know that better than anyone else.”

 

“Wh-What are you talking about…”

 

“Barbarian.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress smiled coldly and gathered mana once again.

 

“Hiiiik!”

 

Seeing that, Professor Bae Young-min began backing away awkwardly.

 

During this time, increasingly powerful energy gathered in the Snow Flame Empress’s hands, and the people watching were trying somehow to wake up the hunters who had already fallen victim to the Snow Flame Empress.

 

Of course, they remained unconscious and unresponsive.

 

And it was then that Professor Hong Yong-jin, who had been silently watching, stepped between the two.

 

He spread both arms wide to block the Snow Flame Empress, then gritted his teeth and shouted.

 

“Stop! Stop it already!”

 

“…?”

 

Startled.

 

Was she momentarily flustered?

 

The bitter cold mana that had been gathering in the Snow Flame Empress’s hands scattered away. The mana that had lost its way midcourse circled in the air.

 

“You are…”

 

“R-Right, you remember me, don’t you? Emberice. Ah, why, I made that weapon for you back then! We met directly and worked out various compromises, didn’t we!”

 

“…”

 

The Snow Flame Empress narrowed her eyes.

 

Of course she remembered.

 

Emberice.

 

The magic staff that was crafted several years ago and she still uses to this day.

 

It was the first artifact that the Snow Flame Empress had custom-made after coming from Orbes to Earth.

 

At that time, Hong Yong-jin was working as a professor at Eterion, and the Snow Flame Empress had heard of such reputation and directly commissioned him.

 

And to coordinate her unique, conflicting dual-nature mana, she had supervised the work for quite a long period.

 

So how could she not remember.

 

“So please calm down. Hmm? For the sake of my face…”

 

However, the reason the Snow Flame Empress paused momentarily wasn’t because of such memories.

 

‘Isn’t that person… an acquaintance of my benefactor.’

 

The scene of him staying close to Lee Si-hyeok during the live broadcast of the recent Eterion terrorist incident came vividly to mind.

 

If so, he was someone who shouldn’t be harmed.

 

Her benefactor’s acquaintance was also her own acquaintance.

 

She had even seen Lee Si-hyeok treating him with courtesy and respect.

 

“…”

 

Hissss…

 

The cold air disappeared from the Snow Flame Empress’s hands.

 

“G-Good thinking. It’s better to resolve things nicely with words rather than causing unnecessary trouble.”

 

“Step aside.”

 

“I’ll handle this well, so hurry back and… Wh-What?”

 

“You might get swept up in this. Please step back.”

 

“Ah, no.”

 

Professor Hong Yong-jin’s eyes widened.

 

‘She wasn’t planning to stop here?’

 

It was a misjudgment. The moment he hesitantly stepped back, flames bloomed again in the Snow Flame Empress’s hand, and bone-chilling cold gathered in her other hand.

 

“Argh. This is really driving me crazy…!”

 

Director Yoon Seo-jin, who had tried to join in stopping her, also retreated far back again.

 

And during all this.

 

“…”

 

A few steps away, Lee Si-hyeok was watching them with darkened eyes.

 

It seemed they hadn’t noticed that he had arrived yet.

 

Probably because their vision had narrowed due to the urgent situation.

 

His eyes turned toward a corner of the corridor.

 

‘…Have all the Hunters already collapsed?’

 

There, several professors and teaching assistants were struggling to wake up the unconscious Hunters.

 

Whether she had controlled her strength, there were no serious injuries, but they still hadn’t regained consciousness.

 

That was understandable since the Snow Flame Empress was a top-tier Hunter even among A-ranks.

 

Given that most of the core personnel were stationed outside the Engineering Academy, it was natural that the small number of personnel inside couldn’t stop her.

 

Normally, she would have been blocked from the entrance, but because she came as Lee Si-hyeok’s guest, the incident occurred inside where security was relatively lighter.

 

‘Why didn’t I think of the Snow Flame Empress?’

 

Conspiracy theories.

 

Given that such an absurd situation had occurred, he should have considered that the Snow Flame Empress might make a move.

 

From his experience living with her at the mansion, she was surprisingly someone who took great interest in how the world worked.

 

Perhaps it was because of her obsession with her homeland.

 

To get news about Orbes, she would search through news all day long, dig through communities. Each piece of information would have been precious to her.

 

But he had forgotten about that.

 

If she knew about all the slander being poured on Lee Si-hyeok right now, she definitely wouldn’t have stayed still.

 

She would have tried to find and crush whoever was behind it.

 

A memory from the past Expo flashed by.

 

When a wrecker YouTuber came to defame Lee Si-hyeok’s booth. Chronos was behind it, and Lee Si-hyeok had guided the Snow Flame Empress to cleanly resolve that situation.

 

Of course, back then they had no friendship, and it was closer to Lee Si-hyeok unilaterally using her.

 

But still, he had learned from that time that she couldn’t stand by in such situations, so there was no excuse.

 

‘Ha.’

 

Had he forgotten because his own situation was urgent?

 

Lee Si-hyeok mocked himself inwardly.

 

Missing the forest for the trees.

 

“Oh. S-senior?”

 

As he began walking out calmly, Song Chae-ah looked at him with wide eyes.

 

Gazes poured in from all directions.

 

Lee Si-hyeok continued walking toward the middle of the corridor, leaving that burden behind.

 

“…?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Oh, Si-hyeok.”

 

Finally reaching where the Snow Flame Empress was, Professor Hong Yong-jin and Director Yoon Seo-jin’s gazes also turned to Lee Si-hyeok.

 

Though he was inwardly glad to see Professor Hong Yong-jin after a long time, he first hid his emotions and walked to where he was standing.

 

Then Professor Hong Yong-jin seemed flustered but naturally stepped aside.

 

“…You.”

 

Between Bae Young-min and the Snow Flame Empress.

 

Standing to block their line of sight, he looked straight at the Snow Flame Empress. He could feel Professor Bae Young-min’s shocked gaze from behind.

 

“Snow Flame Empress.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok said quietly.

 

Though it was certainly a small voice, it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

“Please stop here.”

 

“…”

 

“You’re too excited.”

 

That was the moment.

 

Whoooosh…

 

Suddenly, the mana that had been pressing down on the surroundings began to lift.

 

Both the heat that had filled the corridor and the cold that had frozen the ceiling.

 

Gradually subsiding, returning to the Snow Flame Empress’s body.

 

Just two sentences.

 

With those few seconds of words, he had made her withdraw all her mana in an instant.

 

The confusion disappeared and silence settled.

 

After a moment, the Snow Flame Empress answered.

 

“Must it be so?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That bastard has damaged your reputation. And yet you say I should just watch?”

 

“For now, that would be best.”

 

“For now, you say.”

 

In the quieted corridor, the sound of someone swallowing could be heard.

 

A faint smile appeared on the Snow Flame Empress’s lips.

 

“Then you’re saying I don’t have to hold back later.”

 

“I’ll tell you about that when the time comes.”

 

“Can you make me a promise?”

 

“A promise?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress’s gaze turned toward behind Lee Si-hyeok.

 

After glancing once at Professor Bae Young-min, who was still trembling in fear, she whispered softly.

 

Just barely audible to Lee Si-hyeok’s ears.

 

“Later. Give me the right to punish that barbarian.”

 

“The right to punish, you mean?”

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

…So that’s what she meant.

 

“Of course. I’ll give it to you.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok continued with a slight smile.

 

“And there’s something you need to do, isn’t there?”

 

“…Something I need to do?”

 

“Yes.”

 

This time, instead of making a sound, he just moved his lips to pronounce one word.

 

The event that would happen after the special lecture.

 

‘O.r.b.e.s.’

 

The Snow Flame Empress’s eyes widened as she focused on confirming the shape of his lips.

 

“Had you forgotten?”

 

“…That’s right.”

 

Had she been too excited?

 

That was quite touching too. Getting this angry over something that wasn’t even her own business.

 

As Lee Si-hyeok smiled faintly, a smile also appeared on the Snow Flame Empress’s lips.

 

“So you’ll stop now?”

 

“I’ll do that. I was getting tired of this anyway.”

 

“Good.”

 

That was the end.

 

Just a few words of conversation.

 

It was a miraculous moment when the entire situation was resolved with just that.

 

The Snow Flame Empress gathered her mana and took the first step.

 

Then, without even glancing at the crowd that had gathered, she crossed through the people and went down the stairs, completely disappearing from sight.

 

The people who had been watching began murmuring in confusion, and Professor Hong Yong-jin and Director Yoon Seo-jin also looked at each other as if they couldn’t believe it.

 

“No, wait. How could something like this be resolved with just a few words…”

 

“…Good grief. You, what exactly is your relationship with her?”

 

However, instead of answering, Lee Si-hyeok just smiled.

 

Seeing that, the two let out hollow laughs as if they were even more dumbfounded.

 

“Well then, shall we get going too? We met after such a long time, so we can’t have a conversation in a place like this.”

 

“R-right.”

 

“Yes, Si-hyeok…”

 

Then as they started walking, Song Chae-ah shouted “Let’s go together!” and followed along cheerfully.

 

Just before passing through the people and leaving the corridor.

 

“…”

 

Lee Si-hyeok paused and turned his head to look at Professor Bae Young-min.

 

He was still sprawled on the floor, holding his completely burned shirt and staring up at the ceiling with a hollow expression.

 

His eyes rolled toward Lee Si-hyeok.

 

“Let’s meet again next time.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok smiled.

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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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