Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 163

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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 (163)

 

Stop Thief

 

“Wow.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok, who got off the airplane, was amazed as he looked at the airport.

 

It’s a desert.

 

And it’s a typical desert where sand forms mountains.

 

‘I guess airports can be in places like this too.’

 

But aren’t they usually located close to cities?

 

I can see several high-rise buildings in the distance, but they’re very far away.

 

Even when I activate my skill to look, they feel distant.

 

I already knew it was a military airport, but seeing it in person was fascinating.

 

“Did you have any discomfort during the flight?”

 

“No. I came here comfortably.”

 

I’m wide awake from looking around outside.

 

“Are we going straight to the Apocalypse Order headquarters now?”

 

“No. We still have some time left.”

 

“Time?”

 

“Time until we organize our headquarters. When I told him you were coming, Father said he needed to clean up urgently.”

 

“No, there’s no need to go that far…”

 

The Snow Flame Empress chuckled.

 

“Isn’t it all because he wants to make a good impression on you? Please show some mercy.”

 

“I understand. Anyway, what do we do now?”

 

“Let’s do some sightseeing here. I heard this is your first overseas trip.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok didn’t need to move urgently either. For some reason, his heart felt excited.

 

“Are we going to that place with the high-rise buildings?”

 

“Where we’re going is closer. That place is too far, and it would be better for you not to go there.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“That’s where the Absolute Dream Guild’s headquarters is located.”

 

“…!”

 

The Absolute Dream Guild’s headquarters!

 

That means it’s where the base of those who have been tormenting Lee Si-hyeok is located.

 

‘I’d like to summon Lumibra right now and turn it into a wasteland, but…’

 

I shouldn’t act rashly.

 

I know it’s an organization of mental-type Hunters, but I still lack information.

 

Above all, fighting at the enemy’s base would be a foolish thing to do.

 

“Get in. There’s a lot I want to show you.”

 

“Yes.”

 

We got in the waiting car and moved.

 

* * *

 

The place we arrived at after a while was some market district.

 

As soon as we entered the entrance, I could feel the bustling atmosphere.

 

It had the feeling of a typical local market.

 

“Why did we come here?”

 

There’s something she wants to show me in a place like this?

 

“Isn’t true travel about going to places where locals go, not tourist spots? This place can truly be called a genuine local travel destination.”

 

“…”

 

“I’m joking.”

 

When Lee Si-hyeok stared at her, the Snow Flame Empress, who had been standing triumphantly with her hand on her hip, avoided his gaze.

 

“As I said earlier, it’s better not to go to major cities. That’s because the Absolute Dream Guild is there.”

 

“Then what about here?”

 

“This is a place where the Absolute Dream Guild’s reach doesn’t extend. And most importantly…!”

 

Her dejected tone became higher.

 

“Artifacts are being traded secretly in this market!”

 

“Artifacts?”

 

“Yes. You could call it a black market.”

 

“A black market!”

 

Lee Si-hyeok clapped his hands as if he finally understood the meaning.

 

So even though it looks ordinary on the outside, there’s a black market somewhere here where artifacts are traded?

 

The Snow Flame Empress, wearing a satisfied expression, began walking ahead.

 

We cut through the crowded market district in single file. Bae Jun-wan was quietly following behind.

 

“This is just the entrance of the market. Naturally, there are bound to be many ordinary people. Clothing stores, general goods shops, street vendors… Ah. Would you like to eat some lamb skewers? This place is particularly popular.”

 

She stopped in front of a street stall.

 

It had an atmosphere similar to a food cart, but when she walked out emitting mana, the people standing in line parted like the Red Sea.

 

“…Is it okay to do this?”

 

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve invested a lot of money in this shop for several years.”

 

“Doesn’t that just mean you ate here a lot?”

 

“Ahem. Stop talking nonsense and take this.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress lightly ignored him, quickly bought lamb skewers, and handed them over.

 

When I tried a piece of meat, it was quite delicious.

 

There was no distinctive gamey smell that you usually get from lamb.

 

‘It’s definitely a good restaurant.’

 

“Now let’s go further inside. It seems like we’ve finished sightseeing.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress walked through the complex market streets without any hindrance.

 

Left, right, left, left and then right again…

 

While navigating through difficult paths that would be hard even if you concentrated, as if she was familiar with them, we reached an alley blocked by a wall.

 

“It’s a dead end.”

 

“Wait and see.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress approached the wall and pressed the bricks in a certain order. Lee Si-hyeok didn’t miss the opportunity and memorized the entire sequence.

 

Then, the moment she pressed the last brick.

 

Rumble.

 

The wall split in half, and beyond it, the view of a dark market completely opposite to the market we had been walking through unfolded.

 

‘This is the black market…’

 

Lee Si-hyeok had been gradually noticing it too.

 

That a hidden space existed somewhere here.

 

It was thanks to having activated ‘Eyes that Pierce the Essence’ the entire way here.

 

Did they use a concealment barrier-type artifact?

 

For some reason, it reminded me of a scene from a famous movie featuring wizards.

 

“…”

 

Lee Si-hyeok stepped into the black market as if enchanted.

 

The atmosphere isn’t gloomy.

 

It’s dark, but not stuffy.

 

It’s like what you’d imagine a market in the near future would look like, where everything has been replaced by magical engineering.

 

“Hey mister, are you interested in goods?”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah, you keep staring.”

 

When I kept looking at a shop with blue lighting, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the shopkeeper gestured to me.

 

“This is an artifact that came over from Vietnam this time. It’s a sword-type weapon, and when I had it appraised, they said it was a Legacy Artifact.”

 

That’s a lie.

 

After instantly activating his skill to examine it, it turned out to be a general artifact.

 

However, it was at least A-grade or higher, close to S-grade, so it definitely wasn’t something that could be easily obtained.

 

Of course, if Lee Si-hyeok made it himself, it wouldn’t even take a minute.

 

“You must not trust others’ words in this place.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress approached and whispered.

 

“This place is crawling with those who would backstab innocent people like that shopkeeper. Even so, there are precious items like pearls in mud, but start with suspicion first.”

 

“….”

 

“Well, it seems you’re already doing well at that even without me saying so.”

 

Lee Si-hyeok nodded and moved away from the shop.

 

Then the shopkeeper muttered curses to himself about why people would bother him if they weren’t going to buy anything.

 

He ignored it.

 

“Then if there’s anything you want to look at, feel free to browse around. You can go anywhere.”

 

“What about you, Snow Flame Empress?”

 

“I’ll move separately for a while. Wouldn’t that be better for you too?”

 

“That’s true.”

 

Ever since entering the black market, his heart had been pounding with excitement.

 

There might be many scammers, but this was thrilling in itself.

 

Looking at various artifacts was enjoyable in its own right.

 

“I’ll contact you when it’s time to return to headquarters.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The Snow Flame Empress said this and coolly stepped aside.

 

Lee Si-hyeok also began browsing.

 

* * *

 

‘There’s definitely a lot to see. Were this many artifacts being secretly traded?’

 

After about an hour, he was able to roughly look around the entire black market.

 

However, it wasn’t as satisfying as he’d expected, because there were too many items that fell short of Lee Si-hyeok’s current level.

 

He clicked his tongue in disappointment, but it couldn’t be helped.

 

‘My level has risen too much compared to before.’

 

Even if it felt embarrassing like self-praise, that was the truth.

 

Now he was at the point where everything he made turned out to be Legacy Artifacts, and he was even touching Origin Artifacts.

 

Naturally, the items here couldn’t help but fall far short.

 

“Oh, you came back again?”

 

Fortunately though, it wasn’t like there were no items that caught his interest at all.

 

After making a round of the black market, Lee Si-hyeok stopped in front of a shop he had seen earlier.

 

“Is that doll I saw earlier still available?”

 

“Oh yes. Of course it is. Shall I show it to you?”

 

“Let me take a look.”

 

“Let me see… here, here it is.”

 

What Lee Si-hyeok received was a small doll that fit perfectly in his hand.

 

To compare, it was about the size of a teddy bear that children would carry around.

 

The difference was that this doll had no design whatsoever.

 

There wasn’t even a face drawn to imitate a person, and it didn’t even have the common buttons for eyes.

 

The appearance with arms, legs, and a head attached only made one guess that it was modeled after a human form.

 

‘The color is completely achromatic too. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this.’

 

Usually dolls are made to comfort the heart.

 

As such, making them resemble people is the standard design approach.

 

Or they have basic elements attached so you can dress them up and play.

 

But this doll had nothing.

 

That’s why it was quite ambiguous to assume it was a cursed doll.

 

“Isn’t it quite fascinating that such a thing is also an artifact, sir?”

 

“….”

 

That was the reason Lee Si-hyeok had stopped.

 

Among all the artifacts he’d seen in the black market, there wasn’t a single artifact with such a unique appearance.

 

A doll.

 

What on earth was this made to be used for?

 

Moreover….

 

[『Eyes that Pierce the Essence』 attempts to identify the artifact’s true nature.]

 

[Failed.]

 

[Attempting again.]

 

[….]

 

[Failed. Attempting again….]

 

…Even his skill couldn’t identify this doll’s true nature.

 

There were usually two cases for this.

 

Either it was an artifact of such high level that even 『Eyes that Pierce the Essence』 couldn’t see through it.

 

Or, special circuits were operating to block detection.

 

‘Either way, it’s worth trying to figure out.’

 

His curiosity was piqued.

 

“How much is it?”

 

“I’ll give it to you cheap. No one buys it anyway, so I’ve had it for several years.”

 

The moment Lee Si-hyeok heard the price from the store clerk and took out his smartphone to pay.

 

Tap tap tap tap.

 

Swoosh!

 

“…?!”

 

Someone came running and snatched Lee Si-hyeok’s phone right away before running off.

 

A pickpocket!

 

“Hey! There’s a thief here! Thief! Catch the thief!”

 

The store clerk’s eyes widened as he shouted.

 

But the pickpocket was already running far away.

 

‘Damn it.’

 

He had forgotten that this place was overseas.

 

And that this wasn’t just any other country, but China!

 

He had missed it because his eyes were caught by the numerous artifacts.

 

…What should he do? With his phone stolen, he couldn’t even contact the Snow Flame Empress. And he had no idea where she went since he hadn’t run into her even once while touring the black market!

 

“You have to run, what else can you do!”

 

Lee Si-hyeok kicked off the ground and ran.

 

Judging by the pickpocket’s speed, he wasn’t an awakened person.

 

Then Lee Si-hyeok’s running should be enough to catch up.

 

“Catch the pickpocket!”

 

He ran while shouting at the top of his lungs.

 

He even activated the emergency artifact attached to his shoes to gain propulsion and quickly closed the distance.

 

But… strangely, the pickpocket’s speed also began to increase.

 

‘Why is he so fast…’

 

A single button glowing on the guy’s foot.

 

‘Damn it. Was he wearing an artifact!’

 

The guy was also using an artifact that boosted speed.

 

Lee Si-hyeok’s teeth ground together with a grinding sound.

 

This wasn’t an ordinary pickpocket. Someone who did this professionally. He must have been watching Lee Si-hyeok in his suit from the beginning. Should he have bothered dressing up!

 

Tap tap tap tap!

 

Still, Lee Si-hyeok’s artifact was superior.

 

Naturally, the more they ran, the more the distance kept closing, and just when he was considering summoning Lumibra when only a few steps remained to reach him.

 

Thud.

 

The pickpocket who had been running away like crazy while looking back.

 

Crashed into something with a dull sound.

 

“What the…?”

 

As the guy blinked and looked ahead.

 

In front of him stood a giant man who seemed twice his height, blocking the path.

 

“Huh, huff?”

 

The giant man tilted his head with a creak.

 

And then…

 

Grab!

 

“Grrruuugh?!”

 

He reached out and roughly grabbed the pickpocket by the throat.

 

Soon he lifted his arm, and the pickpocket’s body struggled as it was lifted up.

 

‘What? Who is that?’

 

Lee Si-hyeok, who had stopped at a short distance away, stepped back with a start and watched the scene.

 

After closing the subspace he had slightly opened, he watched the pickpocket writhing and struggling in mid-air.

 

“Grrk, gulp! L-let go of this…!”

 

Just when it seemed like he might really be strangled to death at this rate.

 

“Take it.”

 

“…?!”

 

The man pulled the smartphone from the pickpocket’s pouch and promptly threw it to Lee Si-hyeok.

 

Lee Si-hyeok caught it reflexively and looked on with a bewildered expression, but the man paid no attention.

 

Thump!

 

He threw the pickpocket, whose face had turned deathly pale, onto the floor and left without looking back. Giant men who appeared to be his companions quietly followed behind him.

 

“Grrruuugh…”

 

Amid the silence that fell over the entire black market, only the pickpocket was letting out pained groans.

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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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