Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 65

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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 (65)

This is interesting.

Go ahead and choose.

After hearing Professor Hong Yong-jin’s words, Lee Si-hyeok quietly looked straight ahead.

“These damn kangaroo bastards!”

“Don’t make me laugh, you piece of shit who drinks Ganges River water!”

Hiss, hiss… The fight was still heated. However, thanks to the employees who had rushed out to stop them, things had temporarily calmed down.

India’s Sandip Malhotra and Australia’s Liam Brooks.

Sandip had previously published a research paper on ‘Deployable Barrier Algorithm’, and Liam Brooks had created the Kinetic Rebound Gauntlet… that is, a gauntlet-type artifact.

Both were individuals who had achieved near-revolutionary results in the academic world.

‘I’ve analyzed them over and over again.’

Because of that, Lee Si-hyeok knew more about these two people than anyone else in this place.

Outstanding, great, and excellent.

However, Lee Si-hyeok soon resolutely turned his eyes away from them.

“…Hm?”

“Huh?”

Sandip and Liam, who had been glancing at Lee Si-hyeok even during the lull. The two old men unconsciously showed their bewilderment.

And, as if planned, they simultaneously had the same thought.

‘He’s rejecting us?’

For the two of them, this was unbelievable.

Yes, they weren’t the only participants of their caliber in this place. There were certainly those who surpassed their reputation, and several others existed at similar levels.

But even so, wasn’t there no one who had appealed as much as they had?

The fistfight from earlier was close to a kind of ‘staged performance’ to begin with.

Of course, the fight did start spontaneously. However, gradually becoming consumed by madness and exchanging heated words was definitely calculated.

Why?

Because this way they could draw attention more surely!

So they had exchanged glances intermittently and threw punches at each other even more fiercely.

They didn’t know who would be chosen, but either way, they thought one of the two would end up working with that young man.

However…

“…”

Lee Si-hyeok’s gaze was cold. He was still looking away, slowly scanning other parts of the grand auditorium.

‘No way…’

Even if he was a high-ranking researcher, wouldn’t he at least consider it when two old men were bickering in front of him?

But he was too cold.

Of course, the selection wasn’t over yet, but the two old men who had been through all kinds of hardships had already reached a conclusion. We’re finished.

The fact that they couldn’t say a word about it only made it feel more bitter.

Because of a glimmer of hope. In case he might change his mind and choose them…

‘Ugh!’

The performance that young man had shown was that groundbreaking.

Analysis ability, detailed precision, and even the amazing presentation style he used to introduce it – none of which they had ever seen anywhere else.

The young man seemed unaware, but until last night, the exhibition hall had been bustling with participants. To see the young man’s artifact displayed in the exhibition hall.

Even in such a crowded place, no one even went near Ray Wen’s display case with the original, which was the perfect situation to explain his exceptional nature.

‘Then who the hell is he planning to choose!’

Time slowly passed by.

No, perhaps it was flowing quickly but they couldn’t perceive it. Every minute and second felt like a year.

In the slowly moving world, everyone was holding their breath and following only the young man’s gaze.

‘The Americans? No, that’s not it. He’s looking toward Japan, could it be… No, not this time either. Sweden? They’re certainly strong candidates… Damn, not again.’

Sweden’s Luleå Engine System Research Institute.

Japan’s Nagoya Magical Physics Department.

America’s San Francisco Arcane Research Center.

Britain’s Reynolds Family Manufacturing Team.

Even in this place, these teams were famous for their high reputation, so the probability of the young man choosing them was high.

Especially the ‘British Reynolds Manufacturing Team’ was backed by a Hunter family, so their research speed was ridiculously fast.

‘I think he’ll probably choose the Reynolds team.’

Then would the opportunity never come back to them? Sandip and Liam unconsciously gripped their clasped hands tightly.

“Huh?”

“Hand?”

Only then did the two realize they were naturally holding hands. They had been so desperate that they had roughly grabbed whatever was next to them…

“L-let go of this!”

“That’s what I should be saying…!”

That’s when it happened.

The moment they let go of hands and moved apart, murmuring began to be heard from around them. Had they missed it! The two old men quickly turned their heads and followed people’s gazes.

The place they reached had the British team standing there, as expected.

“…Huh?”

However, it was a slightly different British team than they had thought.

The young man looked at them and said.

“Canterbury Phenomenon Research Unit. Is that correct?”

“Uh… that’s right, but?”

The head of the research unit who received the question looked quite flustered.

“May I ask you one question?”

“G-go ahead?”

“What do you think about the theme of this second session?”

“Um, that, the theme of ‘fusion’? You mean? I think it’s fine?”

“What do you mean by fine?”

“Giving completely different types of artifacts and completing them as one artifact? This seems like it would be interesting?”

A speech pattern that was cut off in question form.

At that peculiar way of speaking, laughter flowed out from among the participants.

Pfft, pfft… The spreading laughter soon infected others. It was a sound close to ridicule.

Canterbury Phenomenon Research Unit.

Sandip and Liam also already knew about that team.

Because they were quite famous. In a bad way.

Well, since they were invited to the seminar, their skills would be sufficient, but most of the reason for that disregard was about their ‘research topics’.

“Didn’t they present a research paper on methods to win at rock-paper-scissors against yourself in a mirror last time?”

“They did. Before that, it was about methods to move your hair with mana while sleeping.”

Like this, the Canterbury research unit was an organization that made research topics completely unrelated to magical engineering their main focus.

To make an analogy, it would be similar to the Ig Nobel Prize that existed before the Gate era.

“Uh, um? Huh?”

Added to that, the research director’s strange way of speaking made them frequently ignored by the academic world.

The young man asked the research director another question.

“Then how are you planning to approach the theme of fusion?”

“Do I have to answer? We’re not even on the same team?”

“I’m just asking. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, really? Well, I can answer that much? I think I’ll approach it simply? By mixing the artifacts half and half?”

“You mean you’ll maintain all the properties of both artifacts, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right? There’s no need to kill them?”

The young man’s lips slightly curved upward.

Seeing that expression, Sandip and Liam felt a strange sense of relief.

‘How foolish.’

The young man had given them a chance, but they had given the worst possible answer. Maintain the properties of the artifacts as they are? Even when fusing two artifacts into one?

A stupid approach.

Even though fusion is the goal, it’s ultimately a process of ‘newly’ creating a single artifact. In that case, it would be a hundred times better to carefully adjust and modify the existing properties.

How could he give such a foolish answer to something that all the participants here would know?

Fortunately, it seemed the young man hadn’t asked the question with any serious intent. Just looking at the smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he was surely trying to hide his mockery.

‘He was probably curious about that research group from the start. He must have thrown out a random question just to see for himself how stupid they were.’

Realizing this, time began to flow slowly again. The tension rising once more.

It was when the participants were trying to concentrate to follow the young man’s gaze that would soon move.

“…?”

Before long, everyone was puzzled.

Why wasn’t he moving?

The young man’s gaze remained the same throughout. It was still fixed on the Canterbury Research Group, with a faint smile lingering on his lips.

—And then, tick-tock!

For some reason, time began to feel like it was passing quickly.

…Why? There’s no reason to pick those guys?

‘No way.’

His heart pounded with anxiety. His pupils shook violently, and his trembling eyes conveyed the urgency of time.

In the midst of this, the young man’s lips parted.

“If you’re the Canterbury Research Group leader… is your name Aila?”

“Aila Fairchild? That’s right?”

“Good. Let’s go together, with me.”

“Huh? What? Yes?”

Aila’s light green eyes blinked. The others’ eyes were filled with shock.

“Do you not want to?”

“Ah? No? That sounds good?”

“Follow me, then.”

“Sh-shall I go?”

And so the Canterbury Research Group hurriedly followed Lee Si-hyeok out of the Grand Auditorium.

It happened in an instant, without anyone being able to stop them.

“….”

For a while, the Grand Auditorium was enveloped in silence.

No one could understand this situation.

* * *

Canterbury Phenomenon Research Unit.

Lee Si-hyeok’s reasons for choosing this team were quite complex.

‘First, because it was a research group I liked from the beginning.’

Embarrassingly, the first reason was personal.

The Canterbury Research Group literally studies paranormal phenomena. Supernatural phenomena that cannot be explained through everyday experience or logic.

And because it’s a team with such a purpose, they conduct strange research that others can’t understand. Like playing rock-paper-scissors with a mirror and winning… things like that.

Honestly, it’s far from Magical Engineering, but what’s the problem with that?

‘It’s interesting.’

It satisfies humanity’s primal desires.

Although Lee Si-hyeok had been constantly reading research papers even before awakening, fatigue would inevitably visit him at times.

When his brain was tired, or when it refused to accept information.

“At times like that, reading Aila’s experiment records is perfect. It’s good for cooling my head, and the experimental methods are refreshing too.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Yes. Especially the tug-of-war with giant monsters using a super-large mana device was the most impressive.”

“Oh? You know about that too?”

Because I read everything without exception.

Anyway, if the first reason was personal, the second was an extremely calculated reason.

‘I need someone who can take over the session if I’m not available.’

In the first session, Lee Si-hyeok had to be away for two days. Without any contact. Because of that, didn’t Song Hyeon-gyu experience tremendous anxiety?

‘There’s no guarantee that won’t happen in the second session.’

Lee Si-hyeok is currently delving deeper into Eterion’s past incidents.

If he had to be away, the person who would replace Lee Si-hyeok would be Aila.

“But? Choi Hyeok? Mr. Choi Hyeok?”

“Please call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Anyway? Why did you ask earlier? About how we would approach it?”

“I asked to confirm if our thoughts aligned.”

“The result?”

“They aligned.”

“Ooh?”

Indeed, Lee Si-hyeok and Aila’s approaches were remarkably similar.

The theme of ‘fusion.’

Others would choose methods that kill or modify one artifact’s individuality, but Lee Si-hyeok judged that shouldn’t be done.

‘Fusion is about mixing two things well in one place, not about giving up one of them.’

While looking around the Grand Auditorium with such conditions, the Canterbury Research Group caught his eye.

If it were those who possessed uniqueness rather than excellence.

If it were the methods of those who conducted strange research, wouldn’t they have different thoughts from others?

That’s how he ended up joining hands with the Canterbury Research Group.

“Tsk tsk, what an eye for people. It seems you don’t have much of an eye for judging people.”

However, Professor Hong Yong-jin seemed dissatisfied with that choice. Even though he had given him the right to choose, who would have thought he’d pick Canterbury….

“Well, I really don’t have much of an eye for people.”

Lee Si-hyeok, walking alongside him, chuckled and answered. In the alley leading to the Research Lab, rays of light were abundantly taking root between the Green Grass Path.

“Right. Look at those guys’ behavior. Ugh, tsk….”

Behind them, two research group members led by Aila were following along. Their appearance, clutching luggage in both arms, seemed quite adorable.

“Why? Aren’t they cute?”

“Cute my foot! They’re just full of enthusiasm!”

“Hmm. As expected, I have no eye for people.”

“That’s what I’m saying. But why are you saying the same thing twice….”

Only then did Professor Hong Yong-jin seem to realize something. His eyes glared.

No eye for people?

“Don’t tell me you’re talking about me?”

“Who knows.”

“You, you damn bastard…!”

“Oh my. I’ll go ahead and prepare!”

Since the building entrance was now visible, he quickly ran inside.

Professor Hong Yong-jin’s short legs were too short to catch up with Lee Si-hyeok’s long strides.

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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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