Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 136

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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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136. The Proxy
Yong-yong’s popularity exceeded my wildest expectations. Riding the wave of explosive reactions on the first day, another photo was uploaded….
Within days, the follower count surpassed tens of millions and was racing toward one hundred million.
It had even climbed into the global SNS follower rankings. Naturally, this effect rippled outward in other directions as well.
Since there was still no merchandise news, the Yong-yong Samgyeopsal and Yong-yong Beef Restaurant—which had seen declining interest—suddenly came back to life.
[Yong-yong Samgyeopsal and Yong-yong Beef Restaurant reservation homepage crashed lol]
Reservations were always full, but the server that opened the reservation page once a month had crashed again.
Well, unfortunately, unlike merchandise, we couldn’t expand this side of things.
Yong-yong had to ignite the flames directly. The distance couldn’t be too far for that.
Even making periodic rounds consumed too much time. Mister said he wasn’t planning to expand further on that front either.
‘I heard inquiries even came from famous fine dining establishments.’
They were asking if they could receive Red Dragon’s flames. They said if I just lit it once, they’d maintain it themselves.
I rejected all of them. It would strip away Mister’s restaurant’s identity, and there was no reason to take on that kind of responsibility.
Anyway, since I’d decided to leave all Yong-yong-related matters to Han Bi, there was no need to worry further. As a professional, I trusted she’d handle everything well.
However, this attention didn’t manifest solely in positive ways.
[Foreign celebrity paparazzi spotted in Korea!]
Following the emission-type Gate and Liu Zhen, with Yong-yong’s SNS now open, interest in the Dragon Guild had reached its peak.
Foreign paparazzi were crossing over—not just Korean ones.
[Space Mage drinking coffee, Han Hye.]
[Lee Shin-hee heading to the Training Facility]
[Kim Han-chul shopping]
[Mage eating a meal]
[Dragon Knight flying over Seoul on Red Dragon]
People started following us even during our daily lives. If they were just fans, I’d greet them, but paparazzi….
It was the moment I came to understand the grievances of foreign celebrities.
This was more of a problem for others than our personal privacy. After all, Min-jae, the Artisan, was Mister’s son.
If this attention became a burden, it would inevitably hinder Min-jae’s growth.
-Don’t worry. I’ll resolve it quickly.
Fortunately, I received help from the Hunter Association. It was the day after the paparazzi appeared. The solution was simple.
Among the awakener-related laws enacted after the Gate incident, there was a section on national security, which could be interpreted various ways.
It could be argued that observations and sharing of state-affiliated Hunters’ private lives falling into the hands of hostile nations or criminal organizations like the Übermenschen could cause harm.
These provisions were rarely used, but the Hunter Association moved on a large scale and imposed fines.
-Is everything alright now?
“Yes. It’s decreased significantly.”
-We’ll be more careful to prevent such incidents in the future.
The fines weren’t just tens of thousands of won but hundreds of thousands, and from the second offense onward, they escalated to millions—so the paparazzi vanished within a single day.
There were still those trying to sneak photos, but I could only be grateful for the Korean Hunter Association’s swift action.
Thanks to that, Min-jae, who had paused for a moment, returned to entering Gates. He was steadily growing stronger.
While all this was happening, we did our work. Our primary job as Hunters, that is.
* * *
I didn’t schedule any sparring sessions with Sang-yeop or Shin Chang this time. Instead, I needed to focus on the newly acquired Severance skill.
I’d invested considerable effort into combat recently and had even sparred after seeing results, so that could wait.
Besides, I hadn’t fully analyzed all the martial techniques I’d gained from my confrontation with Liu Zhen. It was a busy period all around.
Given that, my personal training concentrated on Severance and reviewing the duel with Liu Zhen.
‘The skill level isn’t there yet.’
My swordsmanship had reached a certain level of mastery, so I needed deeper contemplation.
Severance was an A-rank skill that consumed considerable mana and had moderate difficulty. Both aspects required time.
[Lv41 Void Master, Han Hye]
Strength : 48
Agility : 48(+1)
Stamina : 49(+1)(+1)
Spirit : 48
Mana : 81(+1)(+1)
Bonus Points : 6
Skills : Subspace(S-rank) lv4, Blaze(S-rank)lv2, Leap (A-rank)lv4, Flame Resistance(A-rank)lv7, Severance(A-rank)lv1, Crescea Swordsmanship (B-rank)lv5, Cockfighting(B-rank)lv5, Swift(C-rank)lv2, Cold Resistance(C-rank)lv4, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-rank)lv7 * Wind Slash
In the meantime, after being promoted to B-rank Hunter, I consumed the B-rank cold elixir the Hunter Association had sent. My stamina and mana each increased by 1, and my Cold Resistance skill level rose.
It was decent progress, but something felt off. It concerned the semi-elixir for cold resistance.
‘Will it still be effective for me now?’
-To be honest, not much. Your growth has been too rapid, Han Hye.
‘Really?’
-Your skill level increases faster than the accumulated power from semi-elixirs can raise your cold resistance.
In other words, my growth was so fast that I wasn’t getting the full benefit of the semi-elixirs.
I’d already stopped consuming fire-related semi-elixirs—wouldn’t the situation be similar?
‘I should give all the semi-elixirs to the guild members.’
There were exactly four of them, so I thought I could alternate giving two each time I harvested.
Besides the semi-elixirs, I’d harvested one D-rank elixir from the farm, which helped with mana, so I gave it to Min-seok.
It was repayment for making the Wind Flow Sword. Thanks to it, I’d gained better understanding of how to use Blaze.
-Wow, you’re the best, hyung!
Even though I wasn’t fighting, entering Gates had taught me the value of elixirs—his reaction was much better than before. I could only hope he’d work harder from this point on.
I’d also resolved another issue: I’d told Han Chul appropriately about the secrets of Subspace and Chun-bae.
-I don’t think there will be any problems.
-Right. Han Chul is one of a kind—hard to find someone like him.
It was the result of consulting with Mister. His character was so excellent that there was no need to look further.
“Oh, so something like that happened…”
After hearing the story, Han Chul was shocked, then nodded with a very serious expression.
“I won’t say a word, even if it costs me my life.”
His face was incredibly resolute.
“No, no, you don’t have to do that. If someone says they’ll kill you if you don’t tell, then you can speak.”
A secret is a secret, but you have to live first, don’t you?
But Han Chul shook his head vigorously and exclaimed.
“No. I will never tell. I would sooner choose death!”
Though persuasion had failed, I could tell enough that this was someone trustworthy.
* * *
Guild members gathered on the designated day, but unfortunately, there were no Gates worth using priority on.
“Tch. What a shame.”
“It can’t be helped. We don’t always get good Gates at our level every time.”
“Let’s pick from what’s left.”
Surprisingly, the choice wasn’t difficult.
“There’s one level-restricted Gate. Should we go there?”
“Sounds fine. Better to have an intense battle anyway.”
“But this Gate swallowed an entire team.”
“Really?”
“A hunter team that entered two weeks ago was completely wiped out.”
“With a level restriction, it wouldn’t have been easy.”
It wasn’t good news. Levels 41-45. B-rank hunters. People at that level could be considered professionals in the hunter industry.
They didn’t let their guard down easily and had sufficient experience with most Gates.
The fact that such a team was annihilated meant the difficulty was quite high. Of course, that didn’t apply to us.
We had applied precisely because the difficulty was high. After applying, a brief meeting followed.
[Roar That Crawls the Earth]
-Level Restriction: 41-45
-Entry Limit: 10 people
“What could appear?”
“With a name like that, it’s usually a large monster. Could it be an incredibly powerful Great Worm?”
“That’s quite likely.”
It was impossible to define what level of monster a Great Worm was. Its strength varied depending on its size and durability.
It could appear in a level 20 Gate or a level 50 Gate.
I heard that in Europe, they’d even discovered Great Worms that used magic.
A level-restricted Gate at the 41-45 level. Since it had already consumed one team and no one else had applied, the meeting ended quickly.
“Oh, by the way, I’m thinking of going to the international auction at year’s end. Would you all like to go?”
“An international auction?”
“Yes. As you all know, I have plenty of money. Now that we’re B-rank hunters, I thought it would be good experience to go once.”
I’d brought it up thinking it would be awkward to go alone, and since all the guild members were experiencing it for the first time—except for Han Chul, of course.
As expected, they all nodded with curious eyes.
“I’m definitely participating.”
“Excellent!”
“I’ve wanted to go once too.”
Han Chul also expressed his willingness to participate with a smile.
“I’ll go as well. I’ve been before, but I’m curious how it’s changed.”
“The Hunter Association is also providing support, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
“When and where is it being held?”
“This auction will be held in the United States. If we clear about two Gates, the schedule should work out perfectly.”
With that, everyone’s participation was decided. I was genuinely curious what would come up.
* * *
“Wow!”
“Han Hye! Look over here!”
“Yong-yong! Yong-yong!”
Two days later, at the Gate entrance.
Even though Gangwon Province was quite far, many fans had come to see me. I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh at the sight.
“They really all brought light sticks….”
I’d expected it, but seeing so many people waving light sticks was still rather overwhelming.
To respond to their enthusiasm, I brought out Yong-yong, and immediately cheers erupted. The sound of light sticks fluttering accompanied them.
“Krr?”
Confused by the sea of light sticks before him, Yong-yong tilted his head in bewilderment, and the crowd erupted in delighted cheers.
“So adorable!”
I wondered if these people knew that when Yong-yong was younger, he used to breathe fire at light sticks.
‘They certainly wouldn’t be waving them if they did.’
Fortunately, he’d broken that habit after growing up.
After a brief greeting, I turned back toward the Gate when someone unusual caught my attention.
“Um, excuse me! Hunter Han Hye…!”
The voice calling out was so hoarse that I turned around, and there stood an elderly woman with a haggard face.
She held a small bag in one hand, and unlike the other fans, she looked anxious rather than cheerful.
“What’s the matter?”
“Pl, please! Clear this Gate!”
The elderly woman stammered slightly, perhaps startled that I’d actually turned to face her.
Her emotions were clearly turbulent—her eyes were quite bloodshot.
“P-please take this. If it could help with the Gate at all…. My youngest….”
Her words were disjointed, but I didn’t need to hear more to understand. She must be family of the team that had failed to clear this Gate two weeks ago.
My heart grew heavy. If my parents were still alive, wouldn’t they be about this woman’s age by now?
I accepted the small bag she offered and gently took her hand.
“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll clear this Gate and come back.”
As I spoke, I met her eyes and nodded firmly. Instead of words, the elderly woman offered me a tearful smile.
Even as she smiled, the sadness in her expression seemed to deepen.
Turning back, I checked what was inside the bag—several potions. Intermediate mana recovery, stamina restoration, antidotes, and the like.
I already had plenty of these in my Subspace, but that hardly mattered. The elderly woman had given me her heart.
Suddenly, I remembered the young man who had given me a low-grade potion before.
I hadn’t yet succeeded in my own revenge, but I was serving as a proxy for it.
And if I continued doing this, perhaps my own revenge would become possible too.
“Let’s go.”
I stood before the Gate with a resolve slightly stronger than usual. The guild members watched from beside me, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
I smiled slightly and shook out my shoulders.
“Let’s destroy it.”

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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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