Even if I Make It Roughly, Ex-rank Items Continue to Accumulate - Chapter 96

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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 (96)

Troublesome thing

‘Ah, yes.’

The moment she heard Lee Si-hyeok’s firm refusal, that response lingered at her lips.

Of course, she was the one who contacted him first. She was the one who offered to provide information, and she was also the one who didn’t expect a huge reward in return.

She still had no regrets about that.

However, couldn’t he at least consider it a little?

‘Asking to go together isn’t such a difficult request either…’

Feeling somewhat disappointed inside, Song Chae-ah pouted her lips and raised her head.

Straight ahead.

A man with a familiar face was staring intently at her. Rather than being familiar from seeing him in person, it was more like he was familiar because she had seen him so much on the internet.

Still, she believed that familiarity wasn’t just one-sided intimacy.

The other person must have come to this place because he didn’t take their friendship lightly either. Thinking about that seemed to lift her mood a little.

However, she didn’t soften her expression.

She continued to pout her lips while meeting the man’s gaze.

It was different from earlier when she couldn’t even make proper eye contact and kept avoiding it. Even if her pupils wavered, her resolve stood firm. Was it perhaps the resolve that man had instilled in her at some point?

It shone brightly in this unexpected situation.

“…”

Suddenly the man gave a bitter smile.

It was a smile that appropriately mixed awkwardness and apologetic feelings.

Right, even he must feel sorry about what just happened. She thought that, but couldn’t say it out loud. Instead, she conveyed it through her eyes.

The man spoke in a somewhat embarrassed voice.

“I’m sorry, Chae-ah. I’m grateful for your help, but I have my own circumstances. I hope you can understand.”

Actually, he had nothing to be sorry about.

This current situation was simply Song Chae-ah being upset… no, sulking.

Both that man and Song Chae-ah herself would know that.

Even so, he offered an apology first. An apology he didn’t need to make.

Even that behavior was so like the man she admired that a smile naturally leaked out. As expected, that’s just like Si-hyeok.

“It’s fine. I was the one making an unreasonable request.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Grateful…

Could there be a time when she felt as good as when hearing such words from the person she looked up to? Her mood was almost completely lifted by now, and her rough sulking had become soft satisfaction.

After that, she somehow felt playful.

‘While I’m at it.’

Should she try taking one more step forward?

She asked carefully. She tried to ask casually, but her tone trembled.

“But… why don’t you speak informally to me, Si-hyeok?”

“Huh?”

“I heard from my brother. That you call my brother ‘Hyeon-gyu, Hyeon-gyu.’ But what about me?”

“…”

“You always call me Chae-ah-ssi, Chae-ah-ssi. Just now it was ‘thank you,’ ‘I hope you can understand,’ tsk. What’s this about? Si-hyeok, you’re even older than me.”

“Are you suddenly dissing my age?”

“Yes, I’m dissing it.”

“Huh.”

Song Chae-ah answered boldly and grinned widely. Though she didn’t intend it, the corners of her eyes curved charmingly. It was a naturally flowing smile.

“Hey, we’re not that many years apart, are we? You and I?”

“Exactly. So I’m saying you could speak more casually to me. When it’s only a few years difference.”

“…”

For a moment, Lee Si-hyeok was at a loss for words.

Because when he listened, it was completely reasonable.

It had been quite a long time since he started speaking casually with Song Hyeon-gyu, her brother. But with Song Chae-ah, there was still this stiff and awkward feeling.

It was probably because of where they first met.

Awakener Association Headquarters. The Awakening Grade Assessment Hall.

Because they met there as equals, some inexplicable social distance had formed.

Hyeon-gyu had approached him calling him ‘hyung, hyung’ from the beginning, so there was none of that.

“Uh, um. Then what should I call you?”

“Just call me by my name. However you’re comfortable.”

“I’m not really comfortable… anyway. Chae-ah? Chae-ah-ya? Is this how I should do it?”

“Hehe, yes.”

A pleasant sense of fulfillment swirled in one corner of Song Chae-ah’s heart.

Normally she could never have said such words, but somehow she found the courage to speak up. Was even this thanks to the courage that man had instilled in her?

While she was giggling and enjoying the air conditioning breeze for a moment, Lee Si-hyeok suddenly rummaged around in his research coat pocket and pulled something out.

“That is…?”

What the man handed her was someone’s business card.

Professor Hong Yong-jin. With that name written on it…

“…Pr-Professor Hong Yong-jin?!”

“You know who he is. Then this will be faster. I have one proposal for you before I leave.”

“Proposal, a proposal?”

Lee Si-hyeok’s explanation was as follows.

Due to the recent Eterion Magical Engineering Institute incident, a large number of existing faculty members had left.

Some cases were voluntary resignations due to anxiety about the terrorist incident, and some cases were dismissals due to connections with the dean.

Anyway, so the sponsoring company Termion Corporation was desperate for personnel, and Professor Hong Yong-jin, one of the people in charge, was returning to his professorship and recruiting teaching assistants.

She understood that much.

“So Chae-ah, I wanted to ask you about it too.”

Song Chae-ah blinked her eyes. Me? Why suddenly?

As if reading such questions, Lee Si-hyeok shrugged his shoulders.

“The professor keeps nagging me to recruit people, but I need to know people first. And I can’t bring people I can’t trust, right?”

“So that means…”

“You’re trustworthy. Well, even though I haven’t seen you properly, you helped briefly at the expo too. You seemed to do well then?”

It’s just a teaching assistant position.

Lee Si-hyeok added that, but nothing reached Song Chae-ah’s ears. Trustworthy, did he really mean that?

Her mouth fell open without realizing it.

While she just stayed like that, not even noticing saliva gradually pooling inside, Lee Si-hyeok chuckled and stood up.

“Anyway, if you’re interested, contact that number. Professor Hong Yong-jin would like you. Though it would be tough, of course.”

“Oh, uh… yes, yes…”

“Well, I should get going too. Thanks again for today. I’ll go first.”

Right after saying those words, Lee Si-hyeok left the cafe.

The cafe where she was left alone.

Whirrrr… In the peaceful afternoon with only the sound of air conditioning, Song Chae-ah stared blankly out the window where raindrops were dripping.

In the distance, Lee Si-hyeok was crossing the crosswalk while avoiding the rain.

He was probably going to get in his truck that would be in the parking lot.

For a long time.

For a really long time, she just quietly watched his retreating figure.

‘What is this about.’

Her frozen gaze turned toward the business card he had given her.

Eterion Magical Engineering Institute, Professor Hong Yong-jin.

It was truly an unimaginable opportunity.

The kind of opportunity that might come only once in a lifetime, if at all.

While making such an tremendous proposal might be easy for Lee Si-hyeok, for an ambiguous awakener like Song Chae-ah, it was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Even though its reputation had fallen somewhat recently, at the great Eterion?

His jaw still ached from hanging open in bewilderment.

And more than anything.

‘He definitely said he was someone I could trust…’

As soon as he thought of him, he pulled out his smartphone.

Instead of the ArtiNet app he usually opened, he launched the calling app.

After entering the number written on the business card, he soon heard the sharp and irritable voice of an elderly man.

Without being intimidated, he spoke up.

“Hello, this is Song Chae-ah! I’d like to have an interview!”

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Inside the massive data lab building, ‘Infomatrix’.

A Coordinator who had been waiting near the main gate for a guest who would soon arrive secretly answered a phone call.

After briefly exchanging words in a low voice.

“…What?”

Soon his expression twisted viciously.

It was an expression reminiscent of a demon – one that the original body could never make, only possible when something else had possessed that body.

“You’re saying that bastard’s destination wasn’t here?”

Damn it. Swallowing his curses internally, he moved away from the main gate.

He had confirmed that his target ‘guest’s’ destination wasn’t this data lab. Then there was no need to wait here any longer.

He crossed the massive first floor lobby and entered the staff room in the corner.

Then he opened the locker.

Thud!

A man who had been unconscious inside fell straight to the floor.

However, the man showed no reaction whatsoever, as if he had no sensation at all.

“Things have gotten seriously tangled up, damn brat.”

The Coordinator bent down and placed his hand on the fallen man’s body. More precisely, on his head. The part where the brain containing a person’s mind resided.

Then, with a resonant hum, something began to emerge from the Coordinator’s body.

Something like dark blue threads stretched out long, then was eventually sucked into the fallen man’s head.

Swoooosh!

Soon the Coordinator, from whom all the threads had emerged, lost consciousness and collapsed.

And a moment later.

“Phew…”

This time, instead of the Coordinator, the man who had been unconscious suddenly sat up.

His true identity was Lian Xiaojin.

A Hunter belonging to the Chinese guild ‘Absolute Dream Society’ and Guild Leader Lin Qingwu’s honest and trustworthy loyal retainer.

He had secretly entered Korea just this morning to target the EX-rank Awakened Lee Si-hyeok on Lin Qingwu’s orders.

As soon as he entered Korea, he began investigating the movements of this guy called Lee Si-hyeok.

It wasn’t difficult work.

Fortunately, several spies from the Absolute Dream Society were hidden even in this small country.

As a result, he learned about the bizarre behavior Lee Si-hyeok was currently engaged in and that his next destination was this data lab called Infomatrix.

‘That’s definitely what it was…’

According to the contact he received a moment ago, he wasn’t even approaching the neighborhood, let alone coming near this building.

Lian Xiaojin’s molars ground together.

Absolute Dream Society .

Cut, dream, gather.

In short, ‘a gathering of those who cut dreams’.

That was the identity and essence of the guild called Absolute Dream Society.

And befitting that name, most of the affiliated Hunters were composed of ‘Mental Type Hunters’.

Mental Type Hunters were those who possessed very special abilities despite being combat-type Awakened.

Rather than physically attacking and destroying opponents, they literally possessed the ability to interfere with others’ minds and manipulate cognition to launch mental attacks.

Just moments ago.

Lian Xiaojin had used a special skill to briefly possess the mind of this data lab’s Coordinator.

He had planned to approach Lee Si-hyeok while pretending to be an innocent Coordinator, then gradually gnaw away at his mind.

“Everything’s gone to hell.”

Lian Xiaojin, having finished preparing to leave, spat.

Phlegm fell onto the unconscious Coordinator’s face.

He would probably wake up soon.

But even when he discovered his own state, he wouldn’t be able to recall what had been done to him.

The fact that no memory remained no matter what happened to someone was one of the terrifying aspects of Lian Xiaojin’s skill.

Lian Xiaojin, who had left the building, hid himself in the back alleys.

After waiting briefly in the dim shadows, another contact soon arrived.

He received a report about Lee Si-hyeok from the spy.

“…Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province, a small workshop below there?”

But he could hardly believe it.

“Are you certain? If you’re wrong this time too, you’ll die before that brat does.”

A pleading voice came from the other end of the phone.

“Understood. I’ll trust you one more time. Then, as the Society Leader wills.”

After hanging up with the Absolute Dream Society’s characteristic greeting, he quickly moved.

A small mountain village below Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province.

He couldn’t understand why someone who was EX-rank would want to go to such a backwater place, but this time he would never let him slip away.

He was determined to definitely brainwash him and offer him to the Society Leader.

Then reduce him to a toy for making Ray Wen’s replacement and further prospering the guild.

Lian Xiaojin’s silhouette raced through the darkness at tremendous speed.

 

* * *

 

“Is this the place?”

Lee Si-hyeok parked the truck by the roadside.

As he got out while stretching, he could see green grassland spreading out widely.

A breeze suddenly swept by, making the grass sway.

Soon came the scent of grass and the long ridgeline, along with wind turbines that were relics of the old era. Added to that, the rain had just stopped, making it even more refreshing.

It was truly a tranquil and peaceful scene.

And right in the middle of it all stood the workshop building he had seen in the photo.

Lee Si-hyeok took in that sight for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and glanced back.

A place shadowed by thick trees.

“…”

He couldn’t see anything in particular, but something had been constantly caught by his Ki Sense since earlier.

Exactly 27 meters from the truck.

Lee Si-hyeok, who had been staring intently at that spot, clicked his tongue softly and turned his head.

‘Something annoying has attached itself to me.’

He began moving toward the workshop for now.

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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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