Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 168

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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 (168)

Small Universe

A group formed by gathering mental-type Hunters.

The worst and most vicious criminal guild that lives by severing and devouring others’ dreams.

Jeolmong Society .

An important operation was underway at their headquarters.

“I’ll go in first. No problems, right?”

“Demon spirit detected on the left. Be careful.”

“Entering!”

Loud voices echoed within the thoroughly sealed operations room.

However, the strange thing was that all those shouting were sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed.

Just listening to the conversation, it sounded like they were engaged in fierce battle with monsters, yet there was no actual movement.

“181! Be careful. A demon spirit is heading your way!”

“Damn it!”

“Wait. I’ll provide support…”

“Ugh. I’m dead!”

The man called 181 opened his eyes with a disappointed expression.

Despite saying he was ‘dead,’ he looked perfectly fine on the outside.

Instead, the scene being projected on the giant screen mounted on the wall was extremely intense.

Thirteen Hunters fought fiercely against spirits wrapped in demonic energy within a complex maze. Despite being outnumbered, the battle seemed manageable at first, but they gradually began to be pushed back as wounds accumulated on the Hunters’ bodies.

“Shit. 175 is done!”

“I’m retiring too!”

“Already? This makes it difficult…!”

The Hunters’ bodies were crushed and torn.

As their numbers dwindled, finally all the Hunters collapsed to the floor. They had all lost their lives to the demon spirits that dominated the demon lair.

“Tch. Is Team C completely wiped out like this?”

“What a shame.”

They were in the process of conquering a demon lair where powerful artifact reactions had been detected. This was an operation that had begun a month ago, and despite repeated failures, there had been gradual progress.

A few weeks ago, they had struggled even against a single demon spirit.

“How is Team A doing? They should have been selected from the elite.”

“All members are still alive. They’re said to be the furthest ahead.”

“Let’s go check that room.”

“Yes.”

Heading to the adjacent room, five guild members were sitting with their eyes closed. Once again, the movements of Hunters were being played on the screen.

“You’ve selected decent ones. What routes were used to acquire each of them?”

“Hunter 37 was kidnapped while on an operation in Vietnam. 42 was brought in by taking his family hostage…”

In fact, the Hunters shown on the screen were not participating in the conquest of their own free will.

They had all been forced to participate through kidnapping, threats, brainwashing, and other coercive means.

When Hunters were inevitably gathered at the Jeolmong Society headquarters, the guild members would interfere with their minds and manipulate them like puppets.

The Hunters’ bodies moved according to the control of the guild members sitting on the floor with their eyes closed. To use an analogy, it was like playing a VR game or virtual reality game.

“If this fails too, we’ll have to deploy that woman next time.”

“You mean the woman we brought in recently?”

“That’s right. We got a good toy after a long time. I wonder what expression she’ll make when she stops being troublesome and ends up cooperating with us.”

“I’m already looking forward to it.”

Those who appeared to be the guild members’ superiors laughed sinisterly.

“Still, it doesn’t seem like we’ll fail. I have a good feeling about this. We’ve already penetrated deep into the demon lair.”

“I think so too. If things continue like this, it will end successfully.”

The Hunters moved swiftly according to the guild members’ control.

Whoosh! Thud!

Thwack! Thwack!

Thanks to assembling good toys into one team, victory was finally in sight.

After completing the difficult conquest, they would finally get their hands on the unknown artifact.

That’s when it happened.

“Huh?”

One guild member who had been controlling a Hunter made that sound.

One of the superiors approached him.

“What’s wrong?”

Originally, you shouldn’t talk to someone when they’re concentrating on brainwashing.

But now it was a movement situation, not a combat situation.

The guild member also had a moment of leisure, so there was no reason for a questioning sound like ‘huh?’ to slip out.

“Something’s strange. I feel like there’s a powerful monster nearby…”

“Didn’t we already take care of the demon spirits?”

“That’s right, but I’m getting goosebumps all over my body, something’s, ugh.”

The guild member trembled particularly hard.

That wasn’t all.

“I, I’m also feeling something strange. It seems like someone is approaching!”

“There’s an abnormal reaction here too…!”

“Same here!”

‘Damn it. What is it?’

The superior was flustered. The maze was connected by a single path. They hadn’t discovered any other side paths or passages yet. Yet someone approaching meant something new had appeared from behind.

“Advance for now! It’s too late to retreat.”

After all, only the toys would die.

Though it was regrettable, as long as the guild members were safe, they could resume the conquest at any time.

So the Hunters advanced and encountered a group of demon spirits.

“…What? Why are they acting like this?”

But the demon spirits’ reaction was strange.

Originally, these creatures were very hostile to intruders entering the demon lair, and the moment they encountered them, they would emit tremendous magical power and try to eliminate the intruders.

But…

‘Why are they trembling in fear?’

Instead, upon seeing the Hunters, they seemed frightened and hesitantly backed away.

“Th-this doesn’t seem like they’re reacting to us.”

“Something from behind…”

When one Hunter turned his head, the view of the passage they had come from was displayed.

At that moment.

Even though it was just beyond the screen.

The superior instantly felt goosebumps spread all over his body.

“…?!”

Someone was walking steadily from that place.

A presence that sent shivers just by looking at it.

Overwhelming magical power flowing from their entire body.

As the Hunters and demon spirits’ bodies stiffened, the monster in a purple dress who had walked over spoke.

“What cute children.”

That single sentence was the end.

Thud.

With the sound of kicking off the ground, his shadow rushed forward at a terrifying speed.

Whoosh!

Thwack! Thwack-thwack!

Even A-rank and above Hunters couldn’t track it with their eyes. Each time the massive shadow brushed past, the scenes on the screen went out one by one.

“37 retired!”

“42 too!”

In that dim field of vision, the sight of magic spirits being massacred was reflected.

Soon, all scenes on the screen went dark. Only black noise was crackling on the display.

“….”

“….”

10 seconds.

That was the time it took from the monster’s appearance until everything was finished.

“What the hell is this….”

The superior’s expression became dazed.

* * *

“Is it all finished?”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

“What hard work, you’re the one who did it.”

Lee Si-hyeok nodded toward Lumibra, who was covered in the sticky magic energy of the magic spirits.

It wasn’t from being attacked, but simply splattered during the process of tearing the spirits apart completely.

‘The Hunters. Were they brainwashed?’

He examined the five Hunters sprawled on the floor.

He hadn’t killed them. Even before making contact with them, 〈Phagethesis〉 had warned that mental interference was in effect, and upon confirming this, Lee Si-hyeok had instructed Lumibra to show mercy.

So they were simply unconscious.

Kim Jin-seok approached while watching Lumibra’s mood.

“They were probably forced into this. As far as I know, the only organization that would do something like this is….”

“The Absolute Dream Guild.”

“Yes. Those bastards were also attacking the demon lair.”

Lee Si-hyeok clicked his tongue.

‘What a disgustingly persistent connection.’

Starting from Cheongyeon Workshop where he met Hyeon Eul-cheong, through the Radiant Guardians, up until now.

They don’t reveal themselves openly, but it’s quite annoying.

He gathered the Hunters in one place and stood up.

“Let’s take them with us when we return. We can’t just leave them like this.”

“Leave it to me. I feel like I’ve been freeloading too much until now.”

“We were able to get here quickly because you guided us.”

“Haha. Is that so?”

Lee Si-hyeok nodded and started walking.

According to the mana he could sense, there was an artifact not far away.

Lumibra took the lead, grinding up any magic spirits they encountered, and soon they arrived at what appeared to be the end of the demon lair.

But from the entrance, he felt a strange sensation.

‘It’s not a monster. What is it?’

Lee Si-hyeok gestured to his companions.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go in alone.”

“You alone? Won’t that be dangerous?”

“Yes. I’ll be fine.”

Leaving behind Lumibra’s worried gaze, he bent down and passed through the small entrance. It didn’t seem dangerous. Rather than aggressive, he sensed familiar mana.

‘Origin Artifact. It feels like that.’

As he entered the interior, a mystical scene unfolded.

He was sure he had stepped on solid ground, but when he looked down, the floor had disappeared.

“What?”

Startled, he pulled his body back.

But instead of taking a step back, his body floated up gently.

As if swimming through space.

“…!”

A strange scene unfolded in that sight.

The surroundings were no longer the appearance of a demon lair.

As if he had truly come to a small universe, he was floating through dark space as if drifting through a small universe.

In the midst of that vastness, he could see twinkling stars, and those stars endlessly repeated collapse and regeneration.

Brilliant light scattered into blackness, then gathered brilliantly again.

As this scene repeated at tremendous speed, dizziness set in.

“Ugh.”

Even as a nosebleed flowed, Lee Si-hyeok didn’t lose his focus.

With his eyes wide open, he tried to capture everything in his vision.

Collapse and regeneration.

‘This is supposed to be an artifact?’

The more he concentrated his enhanced vision, the more his mind felt distant. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to understand the current situation.

Why would this be an artifact?

What function could it possibly be serving?

Collapse means to crumble and be destroyed. Then the reason this phenomenon is repeatedly occurring now is….

“Ah.”

Could it be because of a Gate Break?

Is this demon lair a space formed by a Gate Break that occurred long ago?

Lee Si-hyeok’s thoughts continued their reasoning.

‘Then the collapse isn’t the artifact. This small universe isn’t the artifact either. It’s just a simple phenomenon. The mana that burst out when the Break occurred is endlessly destroying this space itself.’

But it hasn’t completely collapsed.

The demon lair exists as a demon lair.

If the concept of space had collapsed, Lee Si-hyeok wouldn’t have been able to enter like this. If only collapse had continued after the Break occurred, the demon lair shouldn’t exist in this world.

Because the concept itself would have disappeared.

‘Then something is maintaining this space. While preventing the mana of collapse from escaping within this universe-like space, it’s also holding it together so it doesn’t completely crumble.’

Lee Si-hyeok’s gaze turned toward the regenerating nebula.

Regeneration.

That power was single-handedly blocking the endless collapse.

“That must be the artifact.”

The source of regeneration must be the artifact sleeping in this place.

The moment he thought this, a star sparkled particularly brightly.

[A new artifact has been discovered!]

[Checking the artifact’s information.]

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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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