Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 84

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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 (84)

Pretending to Be Relaxed

The next day, morning.

“You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Lee Si-hyeok headed straight to the Awakener Association Headquarters immediately after descending from Sky Eterion.

Pyo Jae-hwan.

He was here to meet the man who stood at the center of all these incidents in person.

“He’s currently imprisoned in the underground of the building. I’ll guide you there.”

Upon arrival, an association staff member was already waiting. It was an employee that Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon had assigned in advance.

Following him quietly, they were able to descend to the hidden underground.

Instead of an elevator, endless stairs stretched out before them.

The employee walking ahead explained.

“Underground 9th floor. It’s where criminals who caused great harm to the entire nation are imprisoned. Currently, only Pyo Jae-hwan is there.”

“What happened to the people who were originally there?”

“…They were disposed of. Cleanly.”

Lee Si-hyeok grimaced inwardly.

Criminals who had committed crimes capable of shaking the nation.

When he had encountered them through the news, he thought they had simply been sentenced to life imprisonment and incarcerated, but it turned out the Association Headquarters had such an underground prison where they were secretly dealt with.

The already dark stairs felt even gloomier. Damp humidity seeped into his lungs.

“Then what will happen to Pyo Jae-hwan? What about the dean who conspired with Pyo Jae-hwan?”

“As Team Leader Kim Seung-hyeon told you yesterday. The choice is yours, Mr. Lee Si-hyeok. If you want him disposed of, we’ll proceed with disposal. If you want to follow the existing judicial system, we’ll proceed that way.”

“What’s the reason for going this far?”

“It’s a show of gratitude. After all, you were the one who provided the greatest help in this incident, Mr. Lee Si-hyeok.”

The employee answered quite honestly.

So they’re offering me the power of life and death over Pyo Jae-hwan like presenting spoils of war.

This must be the dark side of the Association I never knew about.

“And the dean… we’ve imprisoned him in Cheongju Prison along with the other arrested Chronos hunters. If you wish, we can bring him here.”

“…I’ll think about it more.”

“Yes. As you wish.”

—Clank.

The employee who nodded opened the lock.

An iron door rusted in places.

The underground 9th floor had more old-fashioned facilities than expected. He activated his skill to read mana, but couldn’t sense any artifacts at all.

Even the lighting consisted only of candles with wax dripping down, reminding him of pre-Gate era movies he had seen before.

“This was designed intentionally. Since we never know what kind of unpredictable people get brought here, artifacts carry too much uncertainty.”

“You mean things like hacking?”

“That’s one of the uncertainties. The fewer variables, the better. Instead, dozens of A-rank hunters are on standby on the floor directly above at all times, so it could actually be considered safer.”

Of course, Lee Si-hyeok didn’t agree.

If it were him, he could easily create artifacts with absolutely no uncertainty.

However, he had no intention of mentioning it.

Because this damp, humid prison itself disgusted him. A fishy metallic smell seeped into his nostrils.

They passed several cells and reached the most secluded room.

—Bang, bang!

When the employee standing in front roughly knocked on the iron bars, the person sprawled inside slowly raised his body.

“Hey, Pyo Jae-hwan. Mr. Lee Si-hyeok has come to see you.”

“…”

Pyo Jae-hwan looked toward them from the darkness.

For a moment, there was an illusion of eyes glinting.

“Then please have a comfortable conversation. I’ll be waiting outside.”

“…Yes.”

The employee who said this glanced behind Lee Si-hyeok before leaving, probably conscious of Isaac who would be there.

They wouldn’t leave Lee Si-hyeok here alone in the first place, and knowing Isaac was there, they must be trusting in that.

“…”

Only the sound of dripping candle wax echoed in the quiet prison.

Lee Si-hyeok looked at Pyo Jae-hwan with sunken eyes for a moment, then slowly approached him. There was no danger since he was bound in restraints.

“Hello, EX-rank.”

It was Pyo Jae-hwan who spoke first.

He was still grinning with his eyes barely open.

“…Yeah, we meet again.”

“I didn’t expect you to come visit me like this. Did you miss me?”

“I did miss you. I was curious about what you’d look like with all your plans gone awry.”

“So, was your curiosity satisfied?”

Satisfied, I’m not sure.

Why isn’t he despairing?

Of course, it wasn’t that he wanted the guy to suffer, to be dyed in frustration and struggle. He was certainly someone who deserved to suffer, but he didn’t want that blindly.

After all, he had gained various things through this incident.

He was satisfied with that. Pyo Jae-hwan just needed to pay for his crimes as determined, and there was no longer any part for Lee Si-hyeok to be involved in.

Still, there was a reason he came here.

‘Come to think of it, it’s strange.’

Was Chronos and the dean really the end of those involved in this matter?

Was only Eterion Magical Engineering Academy behind Pyo Jae-hwan?

To assume that, there were some slightly suspicious parts.

What Pyo Jae-hwan had planned at the end was truly a plan close to self-destruction. Making the core itself in the academy underground go berserk, causing it to devour everything including himself.

Then ultimately, Pyo Jae-hwan would also be unable to escape from there, trapped in a mana rift to suffer for life.

‘Did he really want that?’

Though the guy was fanatically obsessed with ether, was it really to the point of throwing away his own life?

While that possibility existed, at least Lee Si-hyeok didn’t think so.

There was something.

Even if Pyo Jae-hwan got sucked into the mana rift, something that would eventually pull him out again.

“The Reynolds family.”

After a brief silence, Lee Si-hyeok murmured quietly.

And at that moment, he saw Pyo Jae-hwan’s lips tremble slightly.

“…Why bring up the Reynolds family suddenly?”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“What’s strange?”

“During the expo a few months ago. You definitely recruited Herbert Reynolds as a tester for Stage Zero. His alias is Black Vein. A hunter from the Reynolds family.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“How did you recruit him?”

The doubt he had briefly felt and set aside back then.

Lee Si-hyeok brought it back to the surface.

In fact, not just him, but anyone who had watched the expo would have felt the same curiosity. How on earth did he bring Black Vein?

But Pyo Jae-hwan tilted his head as if he didn’t know what the problem was.

“Is that some kind of problem? If you put it that way, you also brought Isaac Reynolds. That guy who’s probably behind you right now.”

“I didn’t particularly say it was a problem.”

“…”

Immediately, Pyo Jae-hwan’s mouth snapped shut. A movement as if he had discovered his own mistake. Lee Si-hyeok became even more certain.

“…It’s just that our company and the Reynolds family had a connection. You should know since you’re close with Termion. Large corporations sometimes cooperate with hunter families.”

“Is that so? Then it would be good to ask that family directly. Isaac, come out.”

With a snap of his fingers, Isaac revealed himself.

Pyo Jae-hwan’s eyes gradually became serious.

“In what cases does your family cooperate with others?”

“When there’s definite profit. Other than that, never.”

“Then what kind of definite profit are we talking about?”

“Things that can fundamentally strengthen the family’s power. After all, our family wants to devour the world.”

“As expected.”

It matches perfectly.

Ether that possesses only the nature of destruction.

If Pyo Jae-hwan delivers that to the Reynolds Family, and they eventually learn how to use it, Reynolds will create ridiculous artifacts backed by ether.

Pyo Jae-hwan seemed to feel the same thing Lee Si-hyeok had deduced.

He asked back as if making excuses.

“That seems like too much of a leap. If that’s the case, we could just ask him directly. Whether Black Vein really joined hands with me for that reason.”

“…”

But Isaac probably wouldn’t know that much either.

After all, it’s been quite some time since he left the family.

“See, he doesn’t know. I don’t understand why you’re suddenly bringing up Reynolds? Out of nowhere.”

“You know what?”

“What?”

“You’ve looked really desperate since earlier.”

“…”

“You’ve become talkative. You were always a bit sarcastic, but this feels different. If I had to compare it, it’s similar to being terrified.”

Lee Si-hyeok’s lips curled up. Between Pyo Jae-hwan’s narrowed eyes, trembling pupils were visible.

“How long are you going to pretend to be relaxed?”

“Wh-what?”

What happens next is simple.

Even if Lee Si-hyeok asks the Association to dispose of Pyo Jae-hwan, there would be a few days’ gap until then.

Then during that time, wouldn’t Reynolds Family personnel infiltrate and secretly take Pyo Jae-hwan to their family?

With their power as the world’s strongest, they could easily outmaneuver the Awakener Association.

‘And probably Black Vein will step in directly.’

After that, Pyo Jae-hwan would start researching ether once again.

Given enough time, he’d accomplish something, so the Reynolds Family would never abandon him.

“If I had to guess, they’ll probably come around tomorrow afternoon.”

“…?!”

“What’s there to be surprised about? It’s obvious.”

In contrast to the carefree Lee Si-hyeok, Pyo Jae-hwan was beyond shocked—he was horrified.

How, how did he know?

Just from that one fact about being recruited for the Expo, he deduced all this?

It was completely incomprehensible.

‘Could there have been an inside informant…’

…No way.

This plan was something only Pyo Jae-hwan knew, not even the Dean knew about it.

That said, it’s not like he had no desire to live.

It was true that he was fanatically obsessed with ether, and it was also true that he was prepared to be sucked into a mana fracture, but that didn’t mean he was ready to die easily.

He wanted to satisfy his research desires by thoroughly sacrificing only others while staying alive.

But if things continue this way.

‘I’ll die.’

He would definitely die.

It was at that moment he thought this.

“Well, I’ve asked everything I wanted to ask.”

The guy in front of him, Lee Si-hyeok, was stretching and preparing to leave.

“Shall I head back now?”

He’s really leaving like this? After uncovering all the truth?

“What are you staring at? Do you have something to say?”

“N-no…”

The mask of composure he’d been wearing had long since shattered.

Bewilderment spread across his previously smirking face.

Meanwhile, Lee Si-hyeok shrugged his shoulders and walked toward the outer iron door.

“I’m leaving. Reflect on yourself while you’re locked up. You won’t have another chance if not today.”

Then he swiftly left the detention block.

‘What is this…?’

What did he mean by not having a chance to reflect if not today?

The sudden change in situation left him feeling more bewildered than relieved. Is this really the end?

But even after waiting for a long time, Lee Si-hyeok never returned.

Only silence lingered until an Association staff member came in later to lock the iron bars.

“Geez, Mr. Lee Si-hyeok is so kind. Just letting trash like this go.”

“…”

“If it were me, I would have killed him right away. I don’t know how he can be so righteous.”

So he wasn’t even considering that ‘disposal’?

At those words about him being kind, Pyo Jae-hwan found himself unconsciously agreeing.

 

* * *

 

And so a day passed.

Dawn, closer to when the moon sets than when the sun rises.

“Finally time to get off work.”

The Association staff member who had been guarding the underground 9th floor detention block since Lee Si-hyeok left muttered.

The long day’s work was finally over.

Now he just needed to hand over duties to another employee who would arrive shortly.

Of course, there were many other hunters on the underground 8th floor, but since he was the only one guarding the underground 9th floor, it was quite a lonely job.

“By the way, is Mr. Lee Si-hyeok really planning to proceed according to the law?”

Everyone expected he would want immediate disposal.

He had gone against everyone’s expectations.

Feeling puzzled, the employee changed into civilian clothes.

He was curious about why such a choice was made, but it was unknowable.

In the end, Pyo Jae-hwan would be transferred to a general prison like this.

—Clank.

Finally, as the last procedure, he entered the detention block to check on Pyo Jae-hwan’s condition.

“Hm?”

But suddenly he felt something was off.

He was also an A-rank hunter. Since he was a hunter who had reached tremendous heights, reading someone’s mana was literally a piece of cake.

But for some reason, he couldn’t sense Pyo Jae-hwan’s presence from the last room in the detention block. Rather than disappeared, it was faint.

“Wha-what the…!”

The moment he realized it, he ran out in shock.

He crossed the corridor at tremendous speed and reached the end.

Then the scene that appeared.

“Kuk, kkeop. Keuup…”

In the dark cell, Pyo Jae-hwan was sprawled out weakly, convulsing.

“Damn it, hey! What’s wrong with you, suddenly!”

“Kkeok! Kup.”

“Snap out of it!”

He frantically slapped his cheeks, but there was no response.

He had even wet himself, the acrid smell of urine rising up, and even his slitted eyes were now wide open as if rolled back.

Through the long torn eyelids, only the whites of his eyes were visible.

“What the hell is happening….”

That’s when it happened.

Before the Hunter’s eyes, a message window appeared.

―Flash.

 

[Target ‘Pyo Jae-hwan’ is in a state of being eroded by 〈Ether〉.]

[Cannot maintain sanity! Movement is restricted! Proper breathing is impossi….]

[496 other status abnormalities currently manifesting.]

[Determined unrecoverable. Pain ten thousand times worse than death will continue eternally.]

 

“Kugh….”

Underground 9th Floor.

Only Pyo Jae-hwan’s agonized groans echoed for a long while.

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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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