The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 188

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 188

Episode 188: Mana Engine (3)

After that, Mincheol returned to the Playground through the Dimensional Gate that Hae-in had opened.
When I’d left, it was around sunrise. Now that I was back, sunset was beginning to paint the sky.
“Master, you’re back! Do you know how shocked I was when you suddenly left the apartment?”
“Kkwak!”
Screech!
As I opened the apartment door, Bokdol-i, Kkwaekkwi, and Whitey welcomed me.
My once-solitary apartment had become bustling with life.
I offered a brief apology and sat down on the bed.
I was exhausted from the intense battle, but rest was the last thing on my mind.
‘I want to obtain the Mana Engine so badly.’
During my fight with the Champion, I’d become completely captivated by the Mana Engine.
It had been a long time since a skill had stirred my heart like this.
But I couldn’t immediately challenge the Memory Stone of Fallen Crescent.
There were people whose permission I needed to seek first.
“Everyone, come out.”
I pulled two Memory Stones from my Inventory as I spoke.
Amid swirling mist, the forms of Cardmos and Sihae Yeomhwa materialized.
-Greetings, my disciple.
-Hmph, what is it.
The two greeted me in their own distinct ways.
“Well, you see, I’ve obtained a new Memory Stone….”
I explained the entire situation to both of them.
Then both of them nodded readily.
-Feel free to learn it whenever you wish.
-Do as you please.
I looked at them in surprise.
I’d expected Sihae Yeomhwa to be fine with it, but Cardmos to throw a fit?
“You’re not objecting?”
-Objecting? What are you talking about.
“Last time you made such a huge fuss. You said I should only serve one Teacher.”
-Of course that’s true! It’s you who’s strange for wanting to serve two Teachers!
“Then why are you allowing it this time?”
-Because it is the Mana Engine.
Huh? What does that mean?
Mincheol tilted his head in confusion.
-It’s a skill that the two of us cannot teach, you see.
Sihae Yeomhwa explained instead.
-The Mana Engine is a skill that develops only in specific dimensions. I first learned of it while climbing the Tower myself.
It was a reason he’d never anticipated.
Among the dimensions that existed within the Tower, the Martial Arts Realm and the Rooftop Continent were particularly vast.
So naturally, I’d assumed the Mana Engine would exist there as well.
-I’ve even attempted to create the Mana Engine separately before. Every attempt failed. It’s an extraordinarily unique and intricate skill, you see. At least, that was my experience.
Cardmos didn’t seem to have anything particular to add.
The fact that this prideful man kept his mouth firmly shut spoke volumes.
-But what in the world is that.
Cardmos pointed at Bokdol-i, who was busy with chores.
“You saw it before, didn’t you? It’s Bokdol-i.”
-No, that was Iron Doll back then! What I’m asking is why Ramakan is here!
“Oh, you knew about Ramakan?”
-Do you see this? Do you know how long I’ve been climbing the Tower? The number of floors I’ve reached alone is ■■■…!
Suddenly, Cardmos’s voice crackled with static.
Cardmos frowned and muttered under his breath.
-Damn censorship… Anyway, tell me how you brought Ramakan to Earth!
“I think it would be easier if you read the memory directly rather than have me explain?”
Saying so, Mincheol leaned his head forward.
Cardmos and Sihae Yeomhwa placed their hands on Mincheol’s head.
Moments later, the two of them could only gasp in astonishment.
-You drained Ramakan’s mana and brought it with Auto Looting?
-Wait, before that. What was that creature that burst out from Ramakan’s power core?
-From its appearance, it looked like ■■■. And you defeated it? Alone?
-Even in a weakened state from being overworked, it was still ■■■….
The two of them stared at Mincheol with expressions of disbelief.
Mincheol shrugged and spoke.
“I was lucky. My trait manifested at just the right moment.”
-What are you talking about, you madman! ■■■ cannot be caught just by being lucky… No, never mind. What’s the point in saying more.
Cardmos grabbed his forehead and shook his head in exasperation.
-Fine then, pull out those Memory Stones.
“Why?”
-Why, you ask! We need to establish the hierarchy! I’m going to make it crystal clear who your true teacher is!
Mincheol gave Cardmos a sidelong glance.
Of course. There was no way this stubborn fool would let it slide so easily.
“Understood.”
Mincheol retrieved the Memory Stone of Fallen Crescent from his Inventory.
Cardmos looked down at the Memory Stone and spoke in a solemn voice.
Come out. I have something to discuss with you.
But the Memory Stone remained silent.
Cardmos’s expression twisted in fury.
You see this? Won’t you come out at once!
Cardmos bellowed. Still, no one emerged.
Neinooom!
Unable to contain his rage any longer, Cardmos struck the Memory Stone.
[Kyaaaaaaack!]
[Kraaaaaaack!]
Then a piercing wail erupted from the Memory Stone.
Both Mincheol and Cardmos were startled by it.
Only Sihae Yeomhwa gazed at the Memory Stone with an intrigued expression.
My, I was wondering why it wouldn’t come out. The soul has collapsed.
“W-what do you mean by that?”
The soul sealed within a Memory Stone gradually deteriorates over time, you see. When it reaches its limit, this is what happens.
“S-so we have to give up on obtaining the Mana Engine?”
Not necessarily. Even in this state, the knowledge remains intact.
Mincheol exhaled a sigh of relief.
But Cardmos shook his head and spoke.
Stop it. Abandon such futile thoughts.
“Pardon?”
A Memory Stone with a collapsed self is as dangerous as they come. There’s no telling what might happen inside.
“But…”
Mincheol found it difficult to let go of his attachment.
His craving for the Mana Engine was that intense.
“The original owner of this Memory Stone knew that a Mana Engine could be obtained here. That means at least someone entered and came out alive. Doesn’t that suggest it’s not as dangerous as we think?”
That may be true, but… I remain skeptical. I’ve never witnessed a single case where someone obtained something from a Memory Stone with a collapsed self.
As Cardmos spoke negatively, Mincheol’s shoulders sagged.
Soon after, Mincheol pulled out his smartphone and began searching for something.
What are you doing now?
“I’m trying to find out what kind of person Fallen Crescent is.”
Ha! Do you think anything will come up? There are so many people bound to the Tower! And I can’t even guarantee that proper records of them have been preserved…
“It’s coming up.”
Mincheol held out a YouTube video. It read:

【Title: The Mysterious Being! Let’s Learn About Fallen Crescent!】
【Uploader: Record Enthusiast】

Cardmos’s expression went blank as he read the title.
-Wait, why does this even exist?
“Now you understand how terrifying people who love history can be?”
Mincheol played the video with a smug grin.

[Hello everyone! The Tower is life. Life is the Tower. I’m the Record Enthusiast!]
[Today, I want to tell you about a figure named ‘Fallen Crescent’ who has been the subject of academic research for a long time.]
[Before we begin, I should explain the dimension that Fallen Crescent belonged to.]
[The dimension Fallen Crescent belonged to is called ‘Theus.’ According to records, Theus was a world where gods and humans maintained close relationships with one another.]
[Every city had at least one god stationed there, and humans paid tribute to the gods in exchange for safety.]
[And today’s protagonist, ‘Fallen Crescent,’ was apparently a demigod born between a god and a human.]

By now, Mincheol, Cardmos, and Sihae Yeomhwa were all absorbed in the video.
-Quite the intelligent youngster.
-I wonder where they found all this material.
As the two marveled, the explanation continued.

[I mentioned earlier that Fallen Crescent was a demigod, right? We still don’t know exactly which god’s blood he inherited.]
[However, there are quite detailed records about Fallen Crescent’s objectives and actions. Apparently, he attempted to usurp a divine throne.]
[You might think, how could a mere demigod ever aspire to a divine throne? Well, it’s because Fallen Crescent was strong enough to rival the gods themselves.]
[Despite being a demigod, Fallen Crescent was so formidable that he could hunt alone any number of monsters so dangerous that even gods wouldn’t dare touch them.]
[However, his plan to usurp the divine throne ultimately failed. While the exact circumstances remain unclear, there are records indicating that after being captured by the gods, he was exiled to the lowest place in the world.]
[That’s when he came to be called ‘Fallen Crescent.’]

Mincheol’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
A demigod so powerful he could attempt to usurp a divine throne.
Just how extraordinary must the mana engine used by such a being be!
-Has this guy lost his mind? Even so, he’s going to enter a collapsed Memory Stone? And it belonged to a madman who tried to usurp a divine throne?
-That’s right. No matter how I look at it, this seems dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to give up?
The two tried once more to dissuade Mincheol.
But Mincheol’s mind had already been made up long ago.

【Will you proceed with the first Quest of ‘Fallen Crescent’s Memory Stone’?】
【Upon acceptance, you will enter the interior of the Memory Stone.】

“Look, there’s no mention of death anywhere in the rules.”
-Hmm….
-Mm…
“I’ll just go in once and come right back out.”
At Mincheol’s stubbornness, Cardmos let out a deep sigh.
He’d been watching Mincheol continuously, and had read his memories several times, so he could tell.
‘This bastard… has gotten hooked on it.’
Once Mincheol entered this state, there was no stopping him no matter what.
Normally he’d be afraid of anything dangerous, but when he got like this, his eagerness was absolutely infuriating.
-Fine, do as you please.
“Really?”
-Now that I think about it, I was worrying for nothing. A lunatic monster like you couldn’t possibly die.

Mincheol’s expression turned awkward. Wait, was that supposed to be a compliment?
“Anyway, I’ll be back soon.”
With those words, Mincheol accepted the message.
【Entering through the Memory Stone of ‘Fallen Crescent’.】
With a flash of light, Mincheol’s figure vanished.

* * *

Somang University Hospital.
A young man lay in the intensive care unit of this facility, established for Awakened individuals.
Kim Yeol-jin.
The heir to Red Bullet, South Korea’s only private military corporation.
A man who, just hours ago, had been the Champion of the Crimson Arena.
But now he lay in bed, having lost one arm.
“….”
Kim Gwang-gyu stared silently at his son.
His expression was as if tears could spill forth at any moment.
“At least there’s no danger to his life.”
Su-ha spoke carefully from behind. In that instant, a murderous glint flashed across Kim Gwang-gyu’s eyes.
Su-ha immediately bowed deeply.
“I-I misspoke! My sincerest apologies!”
“Watch… your words. Before I… kill you….”
Kim Gwang-gyu glared at Su-ha before turning back to his son.
‘The losses are immeasurable.’
An Awakened’s body was far more resilient than an ordinary human’s.
Because of this, even a Middle Layer Awakened required enormous resources to regenerate their body.
Regeneration wasn’t the end of it. To use the arm properly, rehabilitation training was also necessary.
Kim Gwang-gyu had lost something else as well.
‘The Memory Stone of Fallen Crescent.’
If anything, he could count himself fortunate.
Losing it didn’t feel like much of a loss at all.
‘It was nothing but a pipe dream anyway.’
A Legendary-grade Memory Stone.
In terms of value alone, even the world’s largest Guilds would salivate over such an item.
The problem was that the Memory Stone’s consciousness had already collapsed.
‘Decades have passed since that item appeared, yet no one has ever cleared the first Quest.’
Naturally, the Memory Stone’s value had plummeted.
It had circulated so much that it eventually fell into Kim Gwang-gyu’s hands.
‘Nameless Spear. You won’t be any different.’
Certainly, at first you’d be seduced by the Legendary grade and pour all your effort into clearing the Quest.
After wasting away like that, you’d eventually come to realize it.
That you could gain nothing from this Memory Stone.
All previous owners had walked the same path. Kim Gwang-gyu was no exception.
‘This is the best revenge I can manage.’
Kim Gwang-gyu found solace in imagining Nameless Spear’s despair.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a dark chamber.

【You have entered the interior of Fallen Crescent’s Memory Stone!】
【Fallen Crescent’s consciousness is in a collapsed state!】
【If you wish to inherit Fallen Crescent’s knowledge and techniques, gather the fragments scattered throughout this place!】
【Upon acquiring all fragments, you will learn a skill to utilize mana in a special way!】
【Memory Fragments 0/100】
【You may return to reality if you wish to give up.】
【However, any Memory Fragments you have acquired will be reset.】

Mincheol skimmed through the messages and paused at one particular phrase.
‘A skill that utilizes mana in a special way’
I’d learned about this from the Hunter Community. That phrase was a metaphor for the mana engine.
Thanks to this description, it seemed the previous owners had discovered that mana engines could be obtained from Memory Stones.
“Where are the memory fragments?”
I was moving through the darkness when it happened.
Suddenly, the darkness began to tremble. In the next instant, it transformed into blades and flew toward me.
“…!”
I was startled, but my body had already reacted.
I tilted my head back to evade the blades.
But the moment I dodged, arrows rained down from above.
I threw myself backward, evading the arrows.
“What, what is this?”
The darkness transforms into weapons and attacks me?
And I’m supposed to find 100 memory fragments in here?
As frustration welled up, I clicked my tongue.
Then I spotted something glimmering in the distance.
I narrowed my eyes.
Could it be?

【You acquire all ‘Collapsed Memory Fragments’ within a 1.2km radius.】
【You acquire 100 ‘Collapsed Memory Fragments’.】
【You have collected all ‘Collapsed Memory Fragments’!】
【You complete the first Quest of ‘Fallen Crescent’s Memory Stone’!】
【You receive the skills and knowledge of ‘Fallen Crescent’!】

Countless messages greeted me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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