Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 35

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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 (35)

The Arrangements of the Predecessors

There is a powerful mental interference artifact in the Obsidian Mining Site.

There was no way Lee Si-hyeok didn’t know this fact. Yet the reason he persuaded Isaac and forced their way in was because of the 《Clear Mirror Still Water》 he had coincidentally acquired at dawn today.

The description said he could maintain his mental state under any circumstances.

Then wouldn’t he be able to resist brainwashing as well?

At first he was uncertain, but after recalling that this was a ‘passive skill’, he became confident.

‘It’s a passive attached to an EX-rank skill no less. Even if the skill description looks simple, its effects won’t be simple too.’

The activation conditions for the 『Mimicry』 skill aren’t difficult. You just need to visualize the original artifact you want to create in your mind and begin crafting it.

Swoosh.

And now Lee Si-hyeok held a magic stone in his hand.

A cheap magic stone. Only C-rank at that.

But it was more than sufficient to serve as crafting material for the mimicry skill.

Lee Si-hyeok had stopped by the company warehouse before departing for this place to grab a few magic stones, and from the moment he entered the mansion, he had been continuously rolling a magic stone in his pocket to maintain 《Clear Mirror Still Water》.

‘To think I’d utilize this ability in such a way.’

When he first obtained the skill, he had simply been happy that he could pull all-nighters.

Lee Si-hyeok calmed his mind and approached Isaac.

Clang! Clang!

“….”

Isaac was swinging his pickaxe in a dazed state.

Even if he put Lee Gang-mok as a lower priority for now, he had to free Isaac from the brainwashing at least. There seemed to be no monsters around here, but he didn’t know what would happen if they went deeper.

‘First I need to find the artifact that’s the source of the brainwashing.’

In the dim cave, under the flickering lantern light, Lee Si-hyeok sat on the ground and closed his eyes.

Then he slowly began to take deep breaths.

Whooooo….

The lantern’s light seeped through his eyelids.

All he could see was flickering crimson light.

Instead, Lee Si-hyeok focused more on his inner self.

To be precise, on the ‘flow of mana’ that comprised his entire body.

Mana basically flows through an Awakener’s body. That flow is closely connected to senses, emotions, and thoughts like a nervous system.

And when external stimuli, especially emotional stimuli like fear and confusion, are applied, the mana flow fluctuates accordingly and the mind becomes shaken.

‘But right now….’

The nature of the flow had changed.

The mana circuits that used to react to emotions were temporarily separated so they couldn’t influence him.

Something had blocked the pathway through which emotions flowed.

Clear Mirror Still Water .

Just like the description that said the mind was like still water, Lee Si-hyeok’s inner self was simply peaceful like a lake.

Only one thing – a faint sense of elation at having gained new enlightenment could be dimly felt.

Ding!

 

[You have partially grasped the essence of mana.]

[「Mana Control」 grows! D-rank → C-rank]

 

A satisfied smile formed on Lee Si-hyeok’s lips.

After realizing he could mimic Legacy Artifacts, this was the first time in a really long while that a general skill had ranked up.

The enlightenment he gained this time was about ‘how skills operate within the human body’. It was just a step he was passing through to solve Isaac’s brainwashing, yet he gained such a harvest.

‘Looking at it this way, humans aren’t much different from artifacts. In the end, they’re just collections of countless circuits….’

It was a thought that sparked curiosity while somehow making him feel distant.

However, since he had something to do right now, Lee Si-hyeok quietly opened his eyes.

Whooom.

‘I can see them.’

In the air, mana streams that he couldn’t see before were extending in two branches.

They were connected to Isaac and Lee Gang-mok respectively, and those must be the source of the brainwashing.

The reason he could see them now was probably because he succeeded in understanding the principle of Clear Mirror Still Water. Since he became able to read the quiet internal circuits, he could also see those mana streams which had the opposite nature.

“Kehehehe!”

“….”

Lee Si-hyeok glanced at Lee Gang-mok and Isaac, then moved along the mana streams.

The streams were connected downward to the mining site, and Lee Si-hyeok went down the stairs while staying alert, but fortunately no monsters were visible at all.

His guess was that this Gate had been cleared once before. Seeing the monster corpses scattered here and there made that speculation more certain.

But who on earth?

He had definitely heard that the previous raid team was collectively brainwashed the moment they entered the Gate. It was supposed to be an impossible situation to clear.

Then there was a high probability that another person had intervened, but he couldn’t figure out who that was.

His guard was down but his suspicion deepened.

Lee Si-hyeok continued down the stairs when he suddenly felt something strange.

‘…This seems to be repeating continuously.’

A monster corpse he had seen once appeared again. Not only that, but the chipped marks on the stairs and even the number of lanterns. He felt like he was continuously circling the same space.

Thud.

Lee Si-hyeok stopped walking and tilted his head.

Since he had Clear Mirror Still Water, he shouldn’t be seeing hallucinations.

Then it would be right to assume that this space itself was somehow twisted.

 

[You have uncovered the truth of the Distorted Zone.]

[The hidden space, ‘Mining Site Deep Layer’ is revealed.]

[Warning! Prepare for a fall.]

 

‘As expected.’

Lee Si-hyeok felt amazement.

There were a few papers in circulation about circuit design methods that bizarrely twisted spatial structures, but they were all just plausible stories with nothing properly done.

But this ‘Distorted Zone’ had a design that was shockingly clean and natural even from Lee Si-hyeok’s perspective….

‘…Wait. What did it say at the end?’

Crumble.

The stairs collapsed and Lee Si-hyeok’s body began to fall.

“…!”

He widened his eyes and looked around frantically, but there was nothing he could grab onto to hold on.

The entire space was collapsing.

The bottom was pitch black.

If he fell like this, he really wouldn’t even leave bones behind. Lee Si-hyeok clicked his tongue and reached toward his shoes.

Since he was falling at tremendous speed, he had to use both hands to maintain balance.

Because of that, he momentarily lost grip of the magic stone and his mind became hazy, but he endured by gritting his teeth until they bled.

The moment he tapped the sole of his shoe twice like that.

Whooooosh!

Wind burst out from under his shoes, and Lee Si-hyeok’s body, which had been falling at insane speed, gradually slowed down.

“Phew….”

That was really close to death.

It was a shoe artifact he wore around in preparation for emergencies.

Nothing spectacular, just a simple modification of a combat-type artifact so that crafting-type Awakeners could also use it in case of unforeseen situations. Besides this, Lee Si-hyeok always carried various artifacts with him.

A moment later, Lee Si-hyeok slowly descended to the ground.

And as he looked around, his mouth fell open and he moved his steps.

‘Snow Flame Empress?’

He had discovered Snow Flame Empress Cha Yu-rim.

She was sprawled powerlessly on the floor, repeatedly muttering something in a very small voice.

What is she saying?

Lee Si-hyeok tensely brought his ear closer.

“Work… I must do work…”

“…”

Lee Si-hyeok’s expression turned cold.

It seemed the Snow Flame Empress had also fallen victim to brainwashing.

Had she been wandering the stairs just like him?

She must have fallen here without any preparation, but seeing her unharmed made him think she truly was an A-rank Hunter.

“Work, work, I must do work.”

‘Is she really unharmed?’

Seeing her out of her mind and spouting nonsense made him think she wasn’t exactly fine, but when he recalled the Snow Flame Empress’s previous behavior, there didn’t seem to be much difference between then and now.

“Please wait a moment.”

In any case, he couldn’t leave her like this.

Even though she had fallen this far, Lee Si-hyeok could still see streams of mana with his eyes.

Lee Si-hyeok followed those thin, long lines and soon discovered the artifact that was the source of the mental interference.

He concentrated and analyzed the artifact.

Activating ‘Eyes that Pierce the Essence,’ he established various logical designs in his mind while simultaneously proceeding with the dismantling process step by step.

‘Got it…!’

Just as sweat dripping down his jawline fell with a drop.

With a tick sound, all the visible mana streams disappeared.

The brainwashing had been lifted.

“Hi, hiiek!”

The Snow Flame Empress bolted upright, letting out an uncharacteristic scream.

Lee Si-hyeok smiled bitterly and approached her.

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm?”

The Snow Flame Empress’s eyes widened as she spotted Lee Si-hyeok.

“Wh-why are you here?”

“Ah, well…”

Lee Si-hyeok scratched his head and began explaining.

From the Snow Flame Empress’s perspective, Lee Si-hyeok’s appearance must have been utterly bewildering, yet she listened intently, making sounds like ‘hmm’ and ‘oho.’

“So, when the Corridor of Selection collapsed, a message appeared saying a Gate had reappeared in my mansion?”

“That’s right.”

“And you came rushing over out of curiosity?”

“Exactly.”

He didn’t explain everything. He left out important details like the ‘qualifications’ for selection.

So there were definitely awkward points here and there, yet the Snow Flame Empress seemed convinced for some reason.

“I understand. With that curiosity sparkling in your eyes, it’s certainly plausible. Truly beautiful passion.”

“Yes…”

He had his own questions too. Lee Si-hyeok pondered for a moment before asking.

“Snow Flame Empress, you entered this place two days ago, correct?”

“…How did you know that?”

“I’ll tell you later. So you’ve been wandering this Gate aimlessly for two whole days under brainwashing?”

“Ai-aimlessly wandering, you say. How impudent. You seem to be treating me like some idle person!”

Her hands gripping her skirt trembled. Regardless, Lee Si-hyeok stared at her intently. The Snow Flame Empress then subtly averted her eyes and said.

“Ahem, I was merely enjoying a stroll…”

Lee Si-hyeok asked several more questions after that, about how much she knew regarding this Gate.

As a result, he could tell that while she knew something, she had no intention of easily revealing it.

And one more thing.

‘The Snow Flame Empress wasn’t the one who cleared this Gate before.’

Initially, he thought the Snow Flame Empress had cleared the Gate instead of Lee Gang-mok’s raid team. However, she too had fallen helplessly to the brainwashing, hadn’t she?

That meant there was a third person.

“I understand for now.”

Lee Si-hyeok shook his head and stood up.

There were still many questions, but he could learn more details by opening that door ahead and going inside.

As Lee Si-hyeok walked ahead, the Snow Flame Empress stared at his back before hurrying to follow with quick steps.

Their current location was a massive cavity. The overall atmosphere felt similar to the Upper Mining Site, but this place was much brighter, which was a major difference.

Moreover, there was an enormous door attached to one wall.

Three statues standing around that door exuded an imposing presence.

“Do you have a plan?”

Lee Si-hyeok looked up at the door with a stern expression, then walked toward the statues, leaving the Snow Flame Empress behind.

Just as the distance closed enough that only the feet of the statues were visible.

 

[The statue of the “Defector” confirms your qualifications.]

[The statue of the “Usurper” confirms your qualifications.]

[The statue of the “Legitimate” confirms your qualifications.]

[Confirmation complete. All three qualifications have been verified.]

 

Soon, the key in his pocket began vibrating with a hum.

 

[‘Deep Zone Access Key’ discovered.]

[This is an evolved reward from the previous 〈Corridor of Selection〉 reward ‘Fragment of Seal’.]

[Accordingly, exclusive benefits will be added upon entry.]

 

“…?”

Entry? Benefits? What was this about?

Lee Si-hyeok tilted his head in confusion. He had certainly thought the door would open like this, but suddenly what did it mean about entering somewhere?

That question was soon resolved.

 

[Moving to the forgotten magical kingdom, 〈Orbes〉.]

[This place, Orbes, was once a brilliant kingdom at the forefront of Magical Engineering, but now it has vanished from everyone’s memory.]

[However, thanks to the arrangements of the predecessors, you who have passed the selection can glimpse that glory, if only briefly.]

[Good luck.]

 

The first thing that caught his eye were the four characters ‘Magical Engineering.’

The moment he read through the remaining text.

—Flick.

Lee Si-hyeok’s consciousness flickered.

 

·

·

·

·

·

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[Exception target discovered. Snow Flame Empress ‘Cha Yu-rim’.]

[Not a person from 〈Earth〉!]

[Error occurred! Undefinable person…!]

[….]

[….]

[….]

[will be incorporated together into the original world, 〈Orbes〉.]

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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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