Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 8

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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 (8)

If Your Skills Are Lacking

Monday evening.

As the sunset was fading.

After finishing work, Lee Si-hyeok headed to the Awakener Association for his ‘Awakener Grade Test’.

A skyscraper so tall its peak couldn’t be seen stood towering. After entering, he went up to the floor he had been contacted about yesterday.

―The door is opening.

“Ah, I was waiting for you.”

Choi Min-seong. Gate Management Team of the South Korea Awakener Association.

He was the employee who had exchanged contact information during the Gate Break incident.

He gestured for Si-hyeok to come in.

“You want to register as an awakener?”

“Yes. Sorry for coming at such a late hour.”

“No! I was the one who asked you to contact me, so don’t worry about it.”

Choi Min-seong showed a good-natured smile. Then he casually showed Si-hyeok his employee ID.

It read [Assistant Manager Choi Min-seong].

Si-hyeok looked at his face with a questioning expression.

“…Weren’t you originally a supervisor?”

“Hahaha. That’s right. I was originally ‘Supervisor Choi Min-seong.’ I got promoted recently. Thanks to you, Si-hyeok.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Yes. It was a Gate Break that happened without any warning, but not a single person was seriously injured. I heard this was the first time something like this happened.”

Choi Min-seong chuckled.

“Thanks to such perfect results, I, who was the field supervisor at the time, got promoted.”

“Oh. Congratulations.”

“Haha. Thank you. It’s all thanks to your early warning, Si-hyeok, but I feel sorry that I ended up taking the credit instead. Oh, and…”

Choi Min-seong looked around briefly, then whispered quietly.

“The higher-ups are currently keeping an eye on you, Si-hyeok. They’re saying it seems like a legendary-level awakener has appeared. I made a thorough report about your performance that day.”

“…That’s a bit burdensome.”

“You don’t need to feel that way! It’s not a bad thing at all. Most people the Association marks as key figures end up with high awakening grades. You can look forward to it.”

He raised his voice again.

“Now, let’s stop the talk here. You remember what I sent you in the message yesterday, right?”

“Yes. You said you contacted the Grade Assessment Team in advance.”

Though he had connections with Assistant Manager Choi Min-seong, he was from the Gate Management Team. The ‘Grade Assessment Team’ that handles grade testing was a different department.

Still, through internal Association channels, he arranged it so Si-hyeok could take the test today without having to make a separate reservation on the website.

“Which floor is it?”

“17th Floor. Once you go there and verify your identity, you should be able to proceed right away.”

“Thank you. Good work.”

“Yes! I wish you the best of luck.”

* * *

Si-hyeok came up to the 17th Floor.

The test room had the atmosphere of a spacious laboratory. Soundproof glass walls. Devices for measuring mana reactions. Basic equipment needed for crafting.

As Si-hyeok was looking around the interior from the entrance, a woman walked over.

“Are you Si-hyeok?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Assistant Manager Han Da-hee, who will be in charge of today’s awakening grade test. Nice to meet you.”

A stiff tone. Si-hyeok presented his ID while observing her.

Her neatly pressed suit showed not a single wrinkle. Sharp features were set above a cold impression.

‘She’s by-the-book.’

He got the feeling immediately. The type who acts according to established manuals. Since Si-hyeok also wanted to finish the test quickly, it didn’t feel bad to him.

“Do you know the test procedures?”

“Yes. I understand it proceeds in a total of 3 stages.”

“Correct.”

Si-hyeok nodded as he received his ID back.

Since he had dreamed of awakening and gone over this process thousands of times, he knew it precisely.

“Follow me.”

She guided him to a room for the 1st stage test.

However, there was one more person waiting in the room besides the two of them.

“This person is…?”

“This is an awakener who originally had a grade test reservation at this time. Normally tests are conducted one person at a time, but today we’ll proceed simultaneously.”

He understood what she meant.

Awakening grade tests were originally one person per time slot.

In the order of reservations made on the official website.

But since Si-hyeok had suddenly squeezed in through Assistant Manager Choi Min-seong, he had to take the test together with the person who had originally made the reservation.

It didn’t particularly matter to him.

“Then we’ll begin the 1st stage, ‘Completed Artifact’ evaluation. Please take out the artifacts you brought.”

Si-hyeok placed the scabbard he had been carrying on his back onto the table.

From the scabbard made of monster hide, he smoothly drew out the 〈Shadow Blade〉.

In this completed artifact test, they evaluate artifacts that crafting-type awakeners have prepared in advance.

Rather than the crafting process, they evaluate the final product itself to confirm how high-quality results this person can produce.

“Song Chae-ah, please take yours out as well.”

While Si-hyeok was preparing the Shadow Blade, the other awakener also took out her artifact.

A hammer-type artifact made of special alloy. With glowing engravings carved into it, its extremely flashy appearance caught the eye.

Song Chae-ah, who took it out, glanced at the table next to her.

‘Pfft. What is that?’

A monotonous artifact with no star patterns or decorative points.

It looked like a longsword at first glance, but it was crude and had not a single refined part. Could that even be called an artifact?

It’s at toy level. Song Chae-ah thought this while suppressing her laughter.

Actually, this wasn’t her first time taking a grade test. It was her fourth time. In her first test, she got ‘C-rank’, and in the second, she was promoted to ‘B-rank’.

Well, in the third test there was no particular progress, so she was still B-rank…

Today was different.

She had spent months preparing for today alone, searching through various communities for the evaluator’s personality, weapons favorable to evaluation criteria, and even clothing to make a good impression.

‘I’m different from a beginner like that.’

A growing monster. That’s how she evaluated herself.

“I’ll check Song Chae-ah’s artifact first.”

Assistant Manager Han Da-hee approached the table.

She took out a mana analyzer and held it against the hammer. Crackle! Some sparks flew and text appeared on the analyzer.

[A-Rank]

‘Yes, I did it!’

Song Chae-ah’s shoulders twitched. However, this wasn’t the end.

Han Da-hee took the artifact and put it into a machine in one corner of the room.

Durability tester. Vroooom! Soon a roaring sound began.

This was the process where the machine applied direct impacts to the artifact multiple times to check how durable it was.

The machine stopped. Han Da-hee took the artifact out again and placed it on the table.

Now the ‘evaluation using measuring devices’ was finished.

She picked up a pen and began writing special notes on the evaluation sheet.

“Um, excuse me…”

“…?”

“This time I changed the handle material! It’s a material designed for easy mana flow, and it’s ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in your hand….”

Song Chae-ah rattled off her prepared speech.

The special notes that the evaluator writes directly are bound to be subjective.

So use your eloquence to charm the evaluator. That was the content posted by a self-proclaimed expert on the community as a tip.

“…And I also paid more attention to the exterior by making it with special alloy!”

“Understood.”

But Han Da-hee remained expressionless. No emotion could be felt from her straight eyebrows that didn’t even twitch.

‘…Good.’

Still, Song Chae-ah steadied her breathing and felt satisfied.

That evaluator is famous for being cold. They say she shows no reaction no matter how amazing an artifact someone brings.

But the fact that she listened to this much of the story must mean she likes it quite a bit, right?

Song Chae-ah couldn’t control the smile that was leaking out.

“I will now examine Mr. Lee Si-hyeok’s artifact.”

Now it was that man’s turn.

Han Da-hee picked up the mana detector and scanned the roughly made longsword once.

What would come out? C-rank? D-rank?

‘No.’

Song Chae-ah shook her head. She had rated it too highly. Even if it came out as E-rank, that would be giving it too much credit.

That’s how strange the structure of that artifact was. And not just the appearance.

It had been four years since Song Chae-ah first awakened. During that time, she had inspected countless mana circuits and gone through various training courses, but she had never seen such a circuit design even once.

She had activated 「Mana Sensitivity」 and checked the design formula several times, but couldn’t get even a sense of it. That meant it was a shoddy design.

Such types could almost always be categorized as one of two things.

Either their skills were so poor they could only make garbage circuits that didn’t even work.

Or they were afflicted with artistic disease, trapped in their own world thinking ‘I must make something unique!’

Tsk tsk. Song Chae-ah clicked her tongue.

He looked several years older than her, but did he still not know reality? If he lacked skill, he should at least make an effort like she did. At least read some tip posts.

―Whirrrr.

The mana detector Han Da-hee was holding showed a reaction.

However, on the display, F, E, D…! The ranks went up one by one, then suddenly the letters started changing frantically fast.

Whirrrr… Whirrrr…!

Hot heat burst out from the mana detector. Finally, sparks grew bigger with crackling sounds, and threatening flames shot out.

Pop! Shutting down….

The detector turned off.

Han Da-hee tapped the broken mana detector, but there was no response.

“Why is this happening…?”

“Excuse me, Deputy Manager.”

Si-hyeok, who had been quietly watching, spoke up.

“How about trying that mana detector over there?”

“…?”

Han Da-hee turned her gaze. On the shelf Si-hyeok pointed to, there was a slightly larger device.

“…That’s a Legacy Artifact Mana Detector. It’s not suitable for general artifacts.”

“I know that, but just in case. The one we were using is broken anyway, isn’t it?”

It felt a bit awkward for Si-hyeok to say with his own mouth that 〈Shadow Blade〉 was a Legacy Artifact. Because no one would believe it.

If someone who had just awakened recently came and said ‘I’ve accomplished it’ about something no one had ever succeeded at, would anyone really believe them?

Si-hyeok didn’t want to be treated like a crazy person, so he made the suggestion indirectly.

“Understood. I’ll give it a try.”

Fortunately, Han Da-hee agreed.

She brought the Legacy Artifact measuring device and scanned the Shadow Blade like before.

‘What is he doing?’

Song Chae-ah frowned with displeasure.

It was already annoying enough that someone who hadn’t even made a reservation had butted in and extended the time. Now he was doing all sorts of nonsense.

How full of pretense must he be to suggest using a Legacy Artifact measuring device? There should be limits.

Whirrrr….

But….

The reaction was a bit strange.

Normally, no values should be output and the device should just turn off with a beep, but characters kept being written and erased repeatedly on the display.

Song Chae-ah looked at Han Da-hee’s face.

Straight eyebrows.

However, a slightly furrowed brow.

―Her expression had changed.

That emotionless evaluator was outwardly showing bewilderment.

‘What, what is it?’

Could it be… No way, that’s impossible. It’s probably just broken again and she’s annoyed.

It was the moment Song Chae-ah let out a hollow laugh and turned her head.

―Measurement complete.

The mechanical voice that rang out from Han Da-hee’s hand spread throughout the entire room.

Soon after, the measuring device projected a hologram in the air.

[〈Shadow Blade〉 – C-rank +1 / Long/Short Sword

Humanity’s first Legacy Artifact created by the human ‘Lee Si-hyeok’. It contains the power to raise the ancient Shadow Soldiers once again. Performance enhanced with Shock Absorption Circuit and Form Transformation function.]

“Le, Legacy?!”

A scream burst out from Song Chae-ah’s mouth!

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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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