Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 87

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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 (87)

Can’t Help But Know

Coastal waters near Danyang County, Chungcheongbuk-do.

Lee Si-hyeok descended into the sea while equipped with a diving artifact.

He slowly steadied his breathing.

[Breathing is stabilized.]

[You can safely dive up to 1km depth.]

‘The feeling is a bit…’

Regardless of performance, he hadn’t adapted well to it.

The slight pressure felt from the diving helmet on his head. While it performed various roles like water pressure regulation, the foreign air entering his airways felt a bit awkward. It was like repeatedly squeezing and releasing his lungs.

‘Still, it’s better than having nothing.’

He thought it was good that he had stored it in his 『Subspace』 just in case.

His current position was at 10 meters depth.

Lee Si-hyeok steadied his breathing while looking around.

The light hadn’t completely disappeared yet.

Sunlight reflecting from the surface pierced through the waves and gently rippled around him.

Perhaps because of this, the underwater was still closer to turquoise than blue. The visibility was quite clear, extending fairly far.

After briefly observing a school of fish approaching from the distance, Lee Si-hyeok tensed his body.

[Descending to deeper depths.]

[Beware of sudden temperature changes!]

With a whoosh sound, he cut through the water.

The sunlight gradually dimmed and colors faded, with deep navy blue beginning to fill the surroundings instead of turquoise.

Lee Si-hyeok suddenly felt a creeping sense of fear. It was an instinctive reaction.

‘Visibility is… almost nonexistent.’

Visibility was about 5 meters at most.

Of course, wearing the diving helmet meant all dangers beyond that were detected. However, it was more like instinctive fear from the blurred vision before his eyes.

Moreover, except for the occasional sound of bubbles bursting, it was literally a space of silence.

[Entering 40m depth! Maintain your breathing…]

[Entering 50m depth…]

[60m depth…]

…

…

Ding!

[You have reached 100m depth. Target point reached.]

[You can enter the hidden 28th Cave.]

Lee Si-hyeok’s body, which had been descending without hesitation, stopped.

He narrowed his eyes and stared into the pitch-black view.

Now nothing could be seen properly as if fog had settled, but Lee Si-hyeok could perceive the underwater cave that would exist beyond.

Blurry bottom terrain.

Dirt particles floating around.

Strangely rounded entrance formations with artificially-looking structures hanging from them.

‘Is that the place?’

It was thanks to his enhanced 『Eyes that Pierce the Essence』. Until this morning, such precise discernment would have been impossible. Feeling that profound change, Lee Si-hyeok carefully swam toward the underwater cave.

Soon he quickly passed through the long cave.

The diving helmet’s lantern illuminated a door made of special alloy in the darkness.

Whirr, whirr…

He immediately manipulated the door’s panels to attempt hacking.

Bypassing the designed code and twisting the existing circuits.

After continuing this series of processes for a while.

—Click. Clank.

The entrance opened with rough metallic sounds.

He entered while raising his guard.

Then a vast space was revealed.

“Wow, this is insane.”

“…I agree, Boss.”

When viewed from the entrance, the bunker consisted of a total of 3 floors.

A structure you’d only see in science fiction movies. From the 3rd Floor entrance, the lower floors designed in a cylindrical structure could be seen at a glance.

Even Isaac was impressed enough to admire it…

“This isn’t the time to be doing this.”

Lee Si-hyeok immediately began searching.

What he was looking for were the massive assets that Chronos Industry had hidden. Since it was much more extensive than expected, he thought there must be something even more impressive.

* * *

From the 3rd Floor to the 1st Floor.

After thoroughly searching for about three hours, Lee Si-hyeok came down to the center of the 1st Floor.

This was a cylindrical space where all floors were connected and could be clearly seen from the 3rd Floor, and a small garden had been created, perhaps for a change of atmosphere.

“It really seems like they prepared for some kind of apocalyptic situation.”

It felt like the perfect place to hide if the end times came.

…Anyway.

It was time to organize the gains from three hours of work.

Lee Si-hyeok sat on a bench and continued his thoughts.

‘First, there was something different from the information Ryu Se-eun left behind. In a good way.’

Her information only listed 31 types of assets.

However, as a result of the search, precious items exceeding that were discovered.

Legacy artifacts like 〈Lumen Capsule〉 and 〈Deep Core〉.

Among magical engineering materials, those treated as top-grade: ‘Aqualoid’, ‘Nemesium Alloy’, ‘Ecoflask’.

Reports of projects that Chronos had been secretly conducting, etc.

Truly, things that couldn’t be obtained even for billions were discovered in enormous quantities.

“Really, at this level, it’s almost close to 100 items.”

It was a fact that even Ryu Se-eun, who had received ether, couldn’t grasp.

How should he utilize these treasures? Since Chronos had collapsed, he would be the only one who could access this bunker.

Such excitement tickled one side of his chest.

He wanted to jump up from his seat and proceed with research right away, but…

Swoosh.

Lee Si-hyeok shook his head and stood up from the bench.

Actually, there was one thing he had newly discovered while searching the bunker earlier.

‘First floor, second floor, third floor. These 3 floors aren’t everything.’

There was a separate hidden underground space.

And there must be reasons for hiding it so thoroughly.

Most likely, something even more impressive was sleeping underground. Something that would make even the precious items discovered so far seem ordinary.

“Boss. Are you going right away?”

“We have to check it out. I’m curious.”

“That’s true, but….”

As they moved toward the underground stairs they had discovered, Isaac suddenly voiced his concern.

When he thought about it, it was only natural.

After all, the reason Lee Si-hyeok had discovered this hidden space in the first place was thanks to the ‘powerful mana’ he had felt from underground.

That was closer to a living creature rather than a simple artifact. In other words, there was a possibility they could be attacked by that creature if they weren’t careful.

Well, normally Isaac would handle it well on his own, but now things were a bit different.

“Even I can feel it’s too powerful an aura. At least A-rank. No, it might even exceed that.”

“So?”

“…It’s dangerous. If it reaches S-rank level, even I would have trouble handling it alone. I can’t guarantee our lives.”

Lee Si-hyeok let out a chuckle at the worried tone.

Why was he so full of worries?

‘Well, I guess it can’t be helped.’

There were clear limits to the way Isaac sensed mana.

The peak itself was too different from Lee Si-hyeok, who possessed the ridiculous skill called ‘Eyes that Pierce the Essence.’

It seemed questionable whether it was right to evaluate an S-rank Hunter like that, but what could he do about reality? Lee Si-hyeok had even grown that skill further.

“It’s fine. We won’t be attacked anyway.”

“…What?”

“It’s trapped.”

Isaac’s eyes blinked.

Trapped? How did he know that?

He was about to ask something immediately, but there was no time for that.

Because Lee Si-hyeok’s hand moved first. Reaching the large metal door, he operated the panel. Then came the sound of air escaping as the door opened.

But Lee Si-hyeok’s steps, which had been about to enter immediately, came to an abrupt halt.

“…?”

A space like a massive laboratory.

The sight of an enormously large creature trapped inside a test tube filled with water.

It seemed familiar somehow.

Isaac, who had been entering while tilting his head in puzzlement, also seemed to feel the same impression and stopped abruptly.

…Where have I seen that thing before?

That’s when it happened.

The same message appeared simultaneously in both their fields of vision.

―Flash.

[S-rank Boss Monster, 〔Necrosis〕 reveals itself.]

[〔Necrosis〕 – S-rank Boss Monster

A humanoid-type monster. However, it has a bizarre appearance that seems to mimic humans overall.

Its elongated and abnormally thin body evokes the pain of being left with only bones after torture, and its asymmetrical limbs maximize psychological alienation.

A monster that uses the unique property ‘Necrosis.’ Be thoroughly cautious of all infections.]

“…!”

Necrosis.

There was no way they could not know it.

It was the boss monster of the first S-rank Gate that had appeared in Korea almost over 10 years ago.

Where exactly was it? He definitely remembered….

“…Westernmost Chungcheongnam-do.”

Right, it was an archipelago called ‘Gyeokryeolbiyeoldo’ located in the westernmost part of Chungcheongnam-do.

He remembered it had suddenly appeared in the center of the three islands that made up the archipelago at that time, causing tremendous ripples throughout the world.

Lee Si-hyeok had been young then, but he had definitely seen it on the news.

But….

Why on earth was the boss monster from that Gate here?

Grooooooo…!

A low growling sound came from inside the test tube.

Lee Si-hyeok, his eyes darkening, slowly approached the test tube. Isaac seemed to hesitate, then followed behind while drawing Hollow Trace.

Soon, other messages appeared.

[Currently, 〔Necrosis〕 is in an extremely starved state.]

[Its rage has reached its peak! It will indiscriminately attack any visible target!]

At that moment, the creature frantically pounded the test tube glass with tentacles sprouting from its back.

Thud! Thud! Thud! The entire space vibrated. The impact was so tremendous that the legs standing on the floor shook. However, fortunately, the test tube was still intact.

It was probably because it was in a starved state, as the message had said.

‘Its strength must be drained. In its current state, it would barely manage A-rank level.’

As expected, there wouldn’t be any danger.

Lee Si-hyeok widened his eyes and observed Necrosis.

A jaw stretched long as if about to fall off. Above it, sunken eyes glared at Lee Si-hyeok as if to kill him.

After staring like that for a while, Lee Si-hyeok came to one conclusion.

“It looks like they were trying to conduct experiments.”

“…Experiments?”

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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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