Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 28

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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 (28)

Qualifications

That wasn’t the only disgusting thing.

Graduation.

How dare you speak that word? Of all people, you?

Both from ‘Eterion Magic Engineering Academy’ and both from the Student Council.

It was no short relationship. Rather, precisely because it wasn’t short, Yoon Seo-jin couldn’t accept Pyo Jae-hwan even more.

‘If you at least thought about the classmates who disappeared back then…’

You shouldn’t be spouting such words. Yoon Seo-jin gritted her teeth as she recalled the tragic week that had occurred at the Magic Engineering Academy in the past.

“Ha, haha. Sorry, sorry. I guess I got carried away seeing you after so long…”

There was much she wanted to say. But Yoon Seo-jin knew that trying to speak to that thick-skinned face would be no different from swinging her fists at empty air.

So she glared at him with disgust, clicked her tongue, and looked forward again.

‘My mood is completely ruined. And Si-hyeok hasn’t even replied.’

Still, it was fortunate that the next turn began shortly after.

This participating team was one that Yoon Seo-jin had been quite looking forward to, so life returned to her eyes once more.

‘Pale Artist.’

Above all, she liked that their artifact choice completely overlapped with Chronos.

The Pyo Jae-hwan that Yoon Seo-jin knew had a personality that found such ‘presumptuous acts’ very unpleasant.

However, Pale Artist’s presumptuous act didn’t stop there.

“They’re doing something really stupid. There are reasons why people pave roads, you know.”

Usually when one’s turn begins, the standard procedure is to conduct the presentation and introduce the tester first. Then enter the Corridor of Selection afterward.

But Pale Artist declared they would conduct the first two procedures only after completely finishing the corridor conquest.

This was essentially starting with a penalty.

If the artifact explanation comes first, followed by showing its usage, it would be much easier to understand and leave a stronger impression.

‘Why?’

Yoon Seo-jin didn’t understand either. As Pyo Jae-hwan said, there were reasons why everyone else chose the same method. Considering what they showed on the first day, they didn’t seem to be bad at strategizing…

“…”

Yoon Seo-jin, who had been secretly rooting for Pale Artist, felt worried.

At this point, this would be the only booth that could stand against Chronos, and she didn’t want to see it crumble in such a manner.

‘But…’

Expectations and reality are different.

Pale Artist’s tester, who entered the corridor ‘anonymously’ without revealing their identity, began doing strange things from the very first checkpoint, the First Plaza.

Originally, the Corridor of Selection has established conquest methods.

Since it’s a special Gate that resets to its initial state upon clearing, it maintains the same structure every time.

That’s why researchers found optimal routes. Routes that could draw out an artifact’s performance to the maximum, to the highest level. Even the proud Chronos followed them, showing how standardized they were.

‘Especially the First Plaza has no reason not to follow the conquest method…’

The stage where you test an artifact’s responsiveness by passing through randomly collapsing platforms, and confirm combat power by destroying continuously erupting geysers.

But instead of stepping onto the platforms, Pale Artist’s tester threw a dagger straight at them.

Whoosh!

The dagger flew in a stable trajectory and stuck firmly into one of the many platforms.

‘What are they trying to do?’

That was it. One second, two seconds, three seconds. Though a considerable amount of time had passed, nothing unusual happened.

Watching Pyo Jae-hwan sneer once again about presumptuous acts, Yoon Seo-jin felt disappointed.

She hoped they would accomplish something, anything…

But contrary to her thoughts, no unusual event occurred.

Mana did flow out through the embedded dagger.

But it only went that far. The tester remained standing still, only letting mana flow through the dagger.

They showed no intention of following the existing route, and at this point, she worried whether their opinions had clashed.

“I wonder if they’re stupid or brave.”

Just as Pyo Jae-hwan seemed to sense this and was displaying his superiority.

Crackle!

The mana flowing from the dagger suddenly exploded in size.

Simultaneously, a force field was generated around the platform, and the shaking platform was firmly fixed in mid-air.

As if the collapse had stopped.

And a message appeared on the large screen.

[Abnormal Structure Stabilization Successful!]

[The collapse protocol of the designated platform has been stopped.]

[This is the first case!]

[Due to an unexpected conquest method, double points will be awarded.]

“…!”

An unusual event had occurred.

* * *

Lee Si-hyeok swallowed as he looked at the message blocking his view.

‘Double points?’

He was currently in the observation room.

From here, he shared Isaac’s vision and, through a communication device, instructed Isaac to stick a dagger into the platform instead of following the conventional conquest method.

He told him to use the embedded dagger as a medium to channel mana and oversaturate the ‘magnetic disassembly circuit’ located beneath the platform to stop its operation.

Isaac seemed uncertain, but it was ultimately proven that Lee Si-hyeok’s instructions were correct.

This wasn’t an improvised plan. It was a plan that originated from questions Lee Si-hyeok had harbored ever since he first watched Stage Zero in the past.

The Corridor of Selection.

Despite being a Gate first discovered over a decade ago, no one yet knows exactly what it is.

Its nature of resetting even after clearing. The scores granted by the Gate itself. Its internal structure deeply connected to ‘artifacts.’

Only this much had been discovered; no one could figure out more details.

Nor could they connect it to magical engineering.

The Corridor of Selection was closer to a mythical ruin than engineering, and unlike engineering which fundamentally assumes imperfection, it had too perfect a design.

So it was right to view it as an untouchable realm like Legacy Artifacts. Engineers and researchers alike had given up.

That’s why it became the venue for Stage Zero. It was too wasteful to leave such a Gate with various functions unused. Since there was no more information to extract anyway, the engineering community didn’t object.

‘Not magical engineering?’

But Lee Si-hyeok couldn’t agree.

When he first watched the Corridor of Selection broadcast, he was 15. While others his age would be experiencing puberty and starting to wander, Lee Si-hyeok was, as always, deeply absorbed in magical engineering.

After school, he would dig through papers, skim through books, and imitate artifacts with wooden chopsticks from convenience stores.

Being young, everything must have been crude, but looking back now, there was one thing that wasn’t crude among all that.

‘Eyes.’

The innate talent Lee Si-hyeok was said to have possessed since birth, and above all, his reliable observational skills.

‘I definitely felt it.’

Crude or not, knowledge is knowledge. It meant he basically knew what magical engineering was and how it worked.

Back then, Lee Si-hyeok, who was watching testers conquer the Corridor of Selection on TV with a goofy expression, definitely felt it.

That wasn’t magic or ruins, but magical engineering.

Even knowing this fact, he couldn’t really tell anyone. Lee Si-hyeok was unawakened and wasn’t a student who received professional education at places like the Magic Engineering Academy.

‘But…’

After awakening. After confirming his abilities through the status window, he could be certain.

From then on, Lee Si-hyeok repeatedly watched past Stage Zero videos.

From the First Plaza to the Twelfth Plaza.

One by one.

It was a marvelous design. Honestly, he couldn’t believe it even while watching. Though Lee Si-hyeok had gained some confidence from understanding Legacy Artifacts, it was technology so advanced that even he would find it hard to imitate.

Anyway, that’s how Lee Si-hyeok’s conquest method was born.

‘It’s not just about clearing it, but digging into the design itself.’

Foundation, origin, basis.

To achieve more overwhelming results, he would have to walk a different path from others.

[First Plaza. You have neutralized 1 out of 45 platforms.]

[Accordingly, double points will be awarded.]

[Initiative Category x2: 1,920 points]

[Adaptability Category x2: 1,760 points]

[Total Points Earned: 3,680 points]

However, he hadn’t expected this much.

Double points? The fact that they were giving this many points meant his method satisfied the corridor’s design intent?

‘What kind of Gate is this anyway.’

For now, the Initiative category was awarded based on how ‘diversely’ an artifact was applied. Since Isaac had neutralized the platform in a new way using the dagger’s unique circuit, that must be why it was awarded.

The Adaptability category was calculated based on how one dealt with various variables, and it was awarded because the dagger responded to the continuously changing shielding circuits.

Honestly, wouldn’t it have been impossible without Hollow Trace?

‘The Combat Power category is disappointing… but that’s because there was no combat.’

Still, according to the plan, there would come a time to receive Combat Power points later.

“Moving on, Boss.”

Isaac admired the platform standing tall in mid-air, then neutralized all the remaining 44 platforms as well.

After clearing the First Plaza like that, he quickly moved on to the next stage.

Next, next, and next again.

By the time he broke through the Ninth Plaza, another message appeared before Lee Si-hyeok.

[Atypical Strategy Route: 500 cumulative breakthroughs achieved.]

[One who has deviated from the predetermined path.]

[You have fulfilled the qualifications of 「Deviant」!]

[From now on, you will earn 4x points in all categories.]

‘This is…’

But that wasn’t the end of it.

[Hidden Condition Fulfilled!]

[A reaction has occurred within the Corridor of Selection.]

[The dormant ‘True Selection’ begins.]

[Acquire a total of 3 ‘qualifications.’]

[1. 「Deviant」

2. ???

3. ???]

[Clear Reward: Fragment of Seal]

Lee Si-hyeok opened his mouth in bewilderment. After staring at the text for a moment, he moved his steps toward the window.

‘This seems to be visible only to me.’

Since the observation room was positioned to overlook the entire Grand Stadium, the spectator seats came into view at a glance.

However, the audience was only squealing at the unheard-of strategy method, showing no signs of reacting to the message.

‘What is True Selection?’

And what was Fragment of Seal? Everything was full of questions.

Anyway, since the special benefit of earning 4x points had been added, good things were good, right?

Deciding to look into the details later, Lee Si-hyeok focused on the briefing again.

* * *

The mystery was solved before long.

It was when Lee Si-hyeok was setting an incredible record by earning a total of 8x points—the existing 2x plus the additional 4x.

[RANKING: Corridor of Selection]

[0th Place. ■■■ – ■■■,■■■ points]

[1st Place. Anonymous – 999,980 points]

[2nd Place. Black Vein – 54,210 points]

[3rd Place. Green Night Beast – 48,950 points]

The moment Anonymous—that is, Isaac’s—score broke through one million points, a message appeared with flashy sound effects.

This time it appeared simultaneously before everyone’s eyes.

[‘Anonymous’ has approached the record of a Higher Being.]

[Accordingly, the existing 0th place will be replaced!]

[The existing 0th place’s score will be revealed to everyone.]

…

[0th Place. Anonymous – 1,000,320 points]

[1st Place. ■■■ – 999,999 points]

[You have acquired the appropriate qualification. ‘Anonymous’ will be replaced with 「Usurper」.]

—Tick.

[0th Place. 「Usurper」 – 1,000,320 points]

Usurper . This was the second qualification.

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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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