Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 82

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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 (82)

Soaring Elevator

At the same time.

The place where Eterion Magical Engineering Academy was originally located.

“Huff, huff.”

Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon came running breathlessly to where about a dozen Association staff members had gathered. He was a bit late because he had received the contact late while handling other work.

“I’m sorry. I was in a meeting…”

Even though he was a team leader, most of the staff here were of similar rank.

So he started with an apology, but he sensed something strange in the atmosphere.

“…?”

Normally, he would have started getting scolded by now.

For example, the Registration Management Team Leader usually nitpicked everything Kim Seung-hyeon did. The reason was probably to keep the Grade Assessment Team in check.

But for some reason, even that Registration Management Team Leader didn’t even glance at Kim Seung-hyeon.

They were gathered in one place, discussing something among themselves.

As Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon approached with a puzzled tilt of his head, he finally heard voices.

“No, does this even make sense? How can you lift an entire site into the air?”

“This is driving me crazy. How on earth am I supposed to report this to the higher-ups…”

“…At least there are no casualties… Ah, this is really maddening.”

Voices mixed with complaints.

Reading the mood, it seemed less like complaints about the current situation itself, and more like they were worried about how to handle this matter.

‘Ah, come to think of it…’

Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon belatedly realized the reason.

The urgent contact from the Association earlier.

He was in such a hurry that he didn’t hear it properly, but something about Eterion Magical Engineering Academy flying up into the sky?

Swallowing hard, he turned his gaze away from the staff.

The place he looked toward was where Eterion Magical Engineering Academy ‘should have been’ originally.

“…!?”

A moment later, Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

Taking one more step through the staff members, an enormous underground space spread out right below.

It was so massive it could rival an entire city. And the fact that this underground area was exposed like this meant…

‘…The land that should have been covering it has disappeared.’

All of it, completely.

Immediately, Kim Seung-hyeon raised his head to look up at the sky.

Then he saw something like a small dot high up in the sky.

When he immediately expanded his enhanced vision to examine it, he confirmed the familiar appearance of the Magical Engineering Academy.

A magnificent sight, like a giant island floating quietly in the sky.

“What in the, the world.”

It was an absurd scene.

It wasn’t a matter of possible or impossible.

The scenery unfolding before his eyes was so unrealistic that it was impossible to make any judgment. It was difficult to define the current situation. What, what on earth was happening?

He had heard the story.

From the past incident at Eterion to Chronos’s terrorist operations.

But even so, in what context was that sky island created…

“Ah, Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon. When did you arrive?”

While he was continuously shocked and staring blankly at the vast underground space, a voice flowed from beside him as if they had just noticed his presence.

When Kim Seung-hyeon briefly acknowledged the greeting, the Management Team Leader continued speaking.

“We finished searching the underground completely before you arrived. We did find several dead bodies… but they seem to be Chronos hunters. We’re planning to discuss this with the higher-ups and cover it up quietly.”

“Then I’ll write the report. Ah, were there any injured people by chance?”

The Management Team Leader hesitated for a moment.

“There was one. A security guard who was overseeing the underground at the time of the incident.”

“What do you mean ‘there was one’?”

“But… most of his injuries had been treated. There were definitely quite a few serious wounds, but it looked like someone had treated them. And to an almost perfect level at that.”

“Don’t tell me.”

“Yes. We think Lee Si-hyeok probably took care of it.”

Kim Seung-hyeon’s mouth fell open.

He had heard that only one hour was given, right?

So he accomplished all this while even caring for the injured in that short time?

“…That’s amazing.”

“I agree. Who would think to save others in such a pressing moment? He’s more hunter-like than most hunters.”

“That’s right. I would have pretended not to see and passed by.”

“Same here. Well, anyway, the underground search seems to be finished, and now we need to figure out how to handle that… Magical Engineering Academy.”

Both their heads lifted simultaneously.

In the high sky, they could see the chunk of land that had been uprooted entirely.

And at the same moment, both of them, including all the staff present, thought the same thing.

“How on earth are we supposed to get up there…?”

* * *

The Association staff came up to the Magical Engineering Academy about a week later.

It might seem like it took too long, but it couldn’t be helped.

‘It’s because of the mana density.’

At this altitude, the mana flow in the atmosphere tends to be very complex.

For that reason, most gliding artifacts aren’t made with this height in mind. Not only is the production itself impossible, but there’s no reason to fly up this high.

The only demand would be from high-grade hunters, but those hunters are beings who can freely fly through the sky without artifacts.

Nevertheless, there were those who conducted research on the ‘sky.’

‘Canterbury Anomalous Phenomena Research Group.’

It was the Canterbury research group led by Aila Fairchild.

Rather than focusing on gliding through the sky itself, they researched how to reach the highest possible places.

The reason is unknown. Thinking about it, it was probably just curiosity. Canterbury is a group that chooses to research only subjects that others would never touch.

Anyway, what was born from that was precisely…

[You have successfully ‘Mimicked’ the 〈Soaring Elevator〉!]

[Perfect creation! An unparalleled success.]

[There are 3 more participants. (Affiliation: Canterbury Anomalous Phenomena Research Group)]

The 〈Soaring Elevator〉 that could directly carry people up to high places in the sky.

That ridiculous name was directly coined by Aila. Of course, it was probably replaced with the expression “soaring” during the translation process, but it would have been a strange name from the beginning.

The story was long, but.

A week ago, immediately after completing the dimensional gate, Lee Si-hyeok devoted himself to creating the elevator.

In Isaac’s case, being an S-rank hunter, he could travel between ground and sky on his own, but it was absolutely impossible for non-combat awakeners.

Therefore, creating a means of round-trip transportation was the best option.

However, there was one limitation: since it had to connect the vast distance from ground to sky, it was difficult with his power alone.

‘So I asked Isaac to contact Aila.’

Along with the blueprint of the Soaring Elevator that he had directly modified.

The elevator that Canterbury researched was merely theoretical. They had only reached the point of thinking “maybe this would work,” but had never actually tried to build it.

However, Lee Si-hyeok expanded that theory into reality.

After a week passed like that.

Through cooperation with the research group, an elevator that could travel between ground and sky was finally completed.

“Huuugh…”

The outskirts of the Magical Engineering Academy, which had now become a sky island.

Watching the elevator open with mechanical sounds, Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon comes out gasping as if terrified. The other employees who arrived together were the same.

Only Aila, who got off last, was filled with curiosity as she looked around here and there.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Team Leader.”

“Yes, yes… Why is it so high… I really thought I was going to die.”

“Haven’t you been on an airplane?”

“I have… But it feels different from that…”

“That’s true.”

Well, airplanes do fly at somewhat lower altitudes than this. Plus, compared to airplanes, this would feel quite unfamiliar.

But still, why did they build it with all glass windows… Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon muttered while trembling.

After a while, he took deep breaths and soon regained his composure.

“Phew. Still, you’ve worked hard. Thanks to Mr. Lee Si-hyeok, we were able to respond much faster.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“What you had to do… You’re still humble as always.”

Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon smiled pleasantly.

“That aside, I’d like to hear the detailed story from Mr. Lee Si-hyeok. We’ve also figured out that terrorism occurred by Pyo Jae-hwan and the Dean, but we still have questions about how Eterion ended up like this. Please cooperate with us.”

“I’ll handle that for you.”

Then, Professor Hong Yong-jin, who had been quietly listening from behind, interjected.

“Professor Hong Yong-jin?”

“It’s been a while, Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon. Isn’t this the first time since you tried to push this guy into my team recently?”

“That’s… right.”

Kim Seung-hyeon scratched his head awkwardly. He was probably referring to when he tried to get Lee Si-hyeok into Professor Hong Yong-jin’s seminar team.

The conversation between the two continued after that.

The gist was that Hong Yong-jin would explain everything that had happened so far to Kim Seung-hyeon on his behalf.

The stated reason was ‘a third party’s explanation would be more objective,’ but Lee Si-hyeok felt it was a kind of consideration.

‘Is he telling me to rest for a bit since I’ve been working hard?’

Looking back, he really had been running non-stop.

From when he returned from the Snow Flame Empress’s Grand Mansion until now.

Had there been even a single time when he could rest comfortably?

Hong Yong-jin had been watching Lee Si-hyeok like this since before the seminar started, so he was probably showing his own kind of consideration.

Telling him to put down his burden and rest, even if just for a moment.

It was the maximum consideration that someone who always grumbled could show.

‘Thank you.’

Watching the backs of the two people heading toward the nearby park, Lee Si-hyeok smiled slightly.

Then shall I relax comfortably for a while?

Of course, after their conversation ended, things would get busy again.

Leaving behind the other Association staff who were quickly moving around the entire Engineering Academy to investigate the incident, Lee Si-hyeok headed to a nearby cafe.

Naturally, there were no employees. Lee Si-hyeok was the only customer too.

—Click.

He turned on the lights and entered the kitchen.

Although the mana supply was cut off when the Engineering Academy separated from the existing core as it lifted off from the ground, there was one reason why the lights came on like this.

During the process of floating it into the sky, they created a new core by reverse-utilizing the increasing mana density.

Since things were so busy, he had passed by quickly, but currently that core was embedded in the underground of the Engineering Academy, or simply put, in the chunk of earth that had separated below the Sky Island.

“What kind of coffee would be good?”

Humming a tune, he examined the stored coffee beans.

Actually, he didn’t know much about coffee. Usually he just drank instant coffee or vending machine coffee.

Still, he wanted to set the mood a bit.

After thinking for a moment, Lee Si-hyeok picked up coffee beans labeled ‘Ethiopia Yirgacheffe’. How to grind the beans, how to use the machine, and so on.

There were many things he didn’t know, but looking at them, he got a rough idea.

‘It’s similar to artifacts, I guess.’

Soon he moved skillfully and brewed two cups of coffee.

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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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