Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 44

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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 (44)

Mimicry of Mimicry

[A hidden function of 〈Hollow Trace〉 has been unlocked.]

[You can now access more information about 〈Hollow Trace〉.]

[The rank of 〈Hollow Trace〉 is rising!]

Lee Si-hyeok’s eyes widened.

The question about how he opened the dimensional gate connecting to Earth.

That message appearing at that timing meant…

‘…Don’t tell me, 〈Pale Trace〉 had such a function hidden within it.’

Pale Trace was an artifact discovered at the Obsidian Mining Site that Elec had arranged.

If so, then naturally Hollow Trace, which ‘mimicked’ it, would also possess the same function.

He had certainly thought he understood every aspect of its design at the time.

But there was something he hadn’t even grasped dwelling within it. A truly incomprehensible realm. An unknown territory that even surpassed that Legacy Artifact.

Thump, thump…

Curiosity stirred within him. He wanted to analyze Hollow Trace right away and research its new functions.

“Heh, how about it?”

Now wasn’t the time. Lee Si-hyeok glared again at the grinning Elec.

Then he calmed his mind and slowly opened his mouth.

“…You used an artifact to open dimensional gates and placed various arrangements on Earth. To find someone who could save this Imitation World.”

In other words, he hadn’t reached Orbes by chance.

He was inevitably bound to come here according to Elec’s design.

Throughout the distant future, there would be only one person with the skills to pass that ‘selection’ – Lee Si-hyeok alone.

“Is that the core of this world?”

Clicking his tongue, Lee Si-hyeok pointed behind Elec.

There was a glass display case containing an orb that emanated tremendous magical power.

“That’s right. Well, as you know, it’s not in perfect condition. It was a realm too distant even for us, so there are many crude parts.”

“You want me to restore that.”

Lee Si-hyeok could finally sense it now. That Elec harbored no hostility. He showed no intention of harming him, nor any will to try anything.

Only a faint will to fulfill his predetermined role.

However, Elec spoke words different from his expectations.

“That was in the old days.”

“Old days?”

“Yes, the old days. I was young then, you see. I had a strong sense of mission that Orbes had to be restored. But… now I’m not so sure.”

Bitterness lingered around Elec’s lips. The Snow Flame Empress, who had been silently listening to their conversation, trembled slightly.

“I just wish for it all to end somehow.”

“…”

“Whether the world is restored or not, what does that have to do with me anyway? I’m utterly sick of it now. This place flows on regardless of my actions. As scripted, according to the original history. No matter what I do…”

Elec’s tea cup fell weakly. The completely cooled Kyllis Tea covered the pure white floor.

“…”

It was terrible helplessness.

The unreasonableness that no matter what actions one took, the world would flow in its originally predetermined direction.

Actually, it was similar even outside of Imitation Worlds. In the real world – that is, on Earth – it was difficult for individual actions to influence the whole.

But this was a matter of hope.

In reality, there at least existed the hope that one could somehow reach it, but in this fake world, that was impossible.

Because he knew it more certainly than anyone.

That he was eternally trapped here. That the only way to escape was for someone to save him.

“Please. Destroy the core.”

So perhaps it was only natural that Elec, who had spent eons in that state, would say such things.

“You can do it. I’ve already confirmed your skills at the workshop. It’s entirely possible. Please help me completely destroy the core so this terrible tragedy can never repeat again.”

Elec wasn’t looking for a savior.

Rather, he was looking for a destroyer to end it all.

Lee Si-hyeok swallowed and glanced at the Snow Flame Empress.

“Ah…”

She was still sitting collapsed, looking confused.

Originally he had planned to listen to the Snow Flame Empress’s words before deciding what to do, but it seemed there would be no progress this way.

So Lee Si-hyeok let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.

“No.”

“…What?”

“I didn’t come here to help you. Saving the world or destroying it – I never had such grand purposes to begin with.”

Elec looked stunned for a moment. An answer he had never expected. He stared blankly before asking back.

“Then, then why did you come?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I passed some selection thing and arrived at the Gate. Then I was suddenly kidnapped here.”

In fact, Lee Si-hyeok had every right to feel wronged. Orbes? Imitation World? How could he have known such things existed when he came?

“So I’m going to do what I want to do.”

“…?!”

“…!”

He had no intention whatsoever of getting involved without knowing anything.

* * *

What he wanted to do.

Lee Si-hyeok’s plan was this.

‘First, I’ll destroy the current Imitation World.’

This world was in too imperfect a state. The alchemists had lacked time when creating it as an artifact, and there were many points that needed improvement.

However, fixing these one by one would take far too long.

So what he thought of was…

‘Creating an entirely new world.’

Simply put, ‘mimicking’ the current world once more. With Lee Si-hyeok’s special skill.

Elec and the Snow Flame Empress objected as if it were absolutely impossible, but Lee Si-hyeok was confident. After all, he had gone through similar processes when mimicking artifacts until now – why wouldn’t it work this time?

However, the world born that way would have to be different from the current one.

“Huh…”

Elec’s mouth fell open after hearing the explanation.

It was truly an absurd story. Even for Elec, who had entered the Alchemy Society and received teachings from senior alchemists, these were explanations that made him doubt his ears.

Yet those words had a strange persuasiveness and basis to them, making it impossible to definitively say it wouldn’t work.

Moreover, the vision of the world Lee Si-hyeok conceived at the end contained a solution that could alleviate even Elec’s suffering.

‘He’s developed several times more than when I first saw him.’

Not even a few days had passed.

Compared to when he was teaching him various things at the workshop, he had reached an almost unapproachable level. Could all Earthlings be like this?

Even as he had such thoughts, remembering another Earthling who had briefly visited this place in the past, Elec realized again that was absolutely not the case. That guy was just special.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Lee Si-hyeok said, looking at Elec and the Snow Flame Empress.

Actually, he had subtly started speaking formally to Elec again partway through, both because he realized Elec harbored no hostility toward him and because it felt awkward to keep speaking casually to someone who had lived hundreds of years longer.

“…”

The two wore determined expressions. They planned to proceed with the plan right here.

However, there was one problem – the Infected had somehow infiltrated the Royal Palace interior and were coming down to the treasury one by one.

So he asked Elec and the Snow Flame Empress to guard him while he worked.

—Thud! Thud!

Finally, as they frantically pounded on the walls.

Lee Si-hyeok activated his skill and opened the display case door.

[『Eyes that Pierce the Essence』 activates.]

[『Mimicry』 and 《Clear Mirror Still Water》 activate.]

A round orb-shaped core.

Tremendous mana was wildly fluctuating around it.

Normal mana was blue in color. But the core’s mana was an extremely murky color, as if various colors were chaotically mixed together.

‘Looking at it up close, it shows signs of being hastily made.’

It was because the alchemists had been short on time.

Of course, Lee Si-hyeok was in a similar rush, but he didn’t show it. He immediately picked up the materials he had prepared.

‘First, start with making a scaled-down model.’

[『Mimicry』 suggests.]

[Create a small pocket world and inject only part of the constants.]

It was a complex design, but his skills timely supplemented any parts he missed.

Form a fractal lattice with rune alloy and mana-ceramic, then create a honeycomb structure for stress distribution.

Then proceed with the control loops step by step…

—Crash!

“I can’t hold this much longer!”

Elec, who had been maintaining the defensive circuit, shouted.

Before they knew it, the Infected had completely filled the treasury. The Snow Flame Empress was blocking them with a barrage of magic, but at this rate, the door would soon be smashed to pieces.

“There’s enough time.”

“I know that too! But how do you plan to escape? I don’t care about myself, but you and the Princess…!”

“There’s nothing to worry about. Please be quiet so I can concentrate.”

“No way!”

Elec sighed as if dumbfounded. How could he be so relaxed? This was a crisis where their lives could be in danger.

Yet Lee Si-hyeok continued working as if nothing was wrong, completely focused on his task.

“Damn it!”

His heart grew impatient. Elec cursed irritably and looked at the Princess before him.

She had been continuously casting magic with mana wrapped around her entire body, but he could see in real-time that her power was weakening as she gradually grew tired.

Just as she took a step back.

“It’s finished.”

An indifferent declaration was heard.

Lee Si-hyeok slowly walked over and held out his palm.

“…!”

There was a new core placed in it.

It had a similar appearance to the original. But comparing its color or density would be an insult. Above all, it was clearer and denser than anything else.

The two contradictory adjectives somehow suited it perfectly—it was such a beautiful finished product from a magical engineering perspective.

But then Lee Si-hyeok said something unexpected.

“Well then, shall we go in?”

“…Go in?”

“Yes. You heard the explanation earlier.”

Right, he had heard the explanation.

That he would put Elec into the newly created Imitation World again. And that he would ask him to manage that place.

Normally he would have refused, but Lee Si-hyeok’s persuasion had sounded so sweet that he had ended up accepting.

But now that he was actually facing it, he couldn’t help but feel reluctant.

So he hesitated and stepped back, but Lee Si-hyeok suddenly thrust the core forward.

Whooom!

“There’s no time.”

Then his body instantly began to be sucked in.

“Uh, uhhhhh!”

“Well then, I’m counting on you.”

“Wait a minuteee!”

Elec’s figure disappeared in an instant.

“What should we… do now?”

A standoff with hundreds, no, hundreds of Infected.

While Lee Si-hyeok remained relaxed as ever, the Snow Flame Empress dropped her shoulders in despair. Her once-powerful mana had already completely disappeared.

‘I can’t die here!’

The Snow Flame Empress swallowed her resentment inwardly.

More than her desire to live, she was too frustrated at the thought of dying without ever seeing that Orbes that Lee Si-hyeok had newly created.

Just as she bit her lip and tried to summon mana again.

“Huh?”

The entire space rippled for a moment.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble!

Then mana waves began vibrating like crazy.

She looked at Lee Si-hyeok with questioning eyes, but he just shrugged and spoke briefly.

“They’re finally coming, it seems.”

“…Coming? What…?”

“My bodyguard.”

At the same time as those words, the air split open.

[〈Hollow Trace〉 performs a Dimension Jump.]

[‘Isaac Reynolds’ attempts to enter the Imitation 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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