Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 162

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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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162. Karako Village Defense Battle (5)
I had no intention of absorbing the elixir immediately. Unlike martial arts novels that require days of breathing exercises, I still needed to concentrate on mana manipulation in a similar fashion.
In other words, it was better to consume it leisurely outside the Gate.
“Wow, Han Hye’s looking sharp too, huh?”
“Thank you, that’s kind of you to say.”
Of course, I equipped the Howling Wolf Cloak immediately. To be honest, I’d been envious of Mister’s cloak for a while now.
It would be embarrassing to wear in the Urban City, but inside a Gate, equipped gear always looks cooler.
Besides, Mister wore his cloak while riding Yong-yong, didn’t he? That looked impressive.
I smiled sheepishly and gave credit to the guild members.
“Thank you all for being so considerate.”
“Considerate? This is just our guild’s distribution principle. It was rightfully yours as guild master.”
“That’s right.”
It was true that I deserved it, but I felt a bit awkward receiving an A-rank elixir and a B-rank cloak all at once.
Still, when Han Chul and Lee Shin-hee said it was fine, I felt much more at ease.
“Tsk, there’s nothing else here.”
After that, I searched through the Fortress that Silin had built, but nothing else of note turned up.
It seemed the rewards were limited to what we’d already obtained.
“An A-rank elixir and a B-rank cloak is more than enough, though.”
“Absolutely. We found a hidden dungeon within a hidden dungeon, after all.”
With so many monster corpses around, I only bothered collecting mana stones from the stronger monsters like Grendel.
It wasn’t worth the time to extract stones from all the common mobs.
“Should we head back soon?”
The Gate didn’t end immediately. It seemed the people of Karako Village had promised better compensation.
“Since it’s a hidden dungeon within a hidden dungeon, maybe they’ll give us something good too?”
“Who knows? We’ll have to see. The rewards we got already are unreasonable enough as it is.”
We returned to Karako Village, but as expected, we didn’t receive any major additional rewards.
“You made it back alive! You cleared everything? Wait, let me verify this!”
After sending a few village youths to the Forest to confirm that their base had been destroyed, what we received from them was a hefty bundle of gold coins.
“Four times the promised compensation. This should be enough, right?”
I received four bundles of gold coins, but to be honest, I felt a slight pang of disappointment.
“Is there perhaps no equipment or items available?”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have anything worthwhile for you all. How about these?”
What he showed us were D-rank or E-rank items, so there was no reason to ask for them instead.
Selling these gold coins outside would probably fetch more money anyway.
Gate coins were what collectors wanted most, weren’t they? I’d actually sold some before.
But thinking about it, this didn’t seem like a bad outcome. I needed to dispose of the coins anyway.
‘I’ll just say I received a large amount of gold coins as compensation from the village defense battle.’
I was going to write a Gate report anyway. This explanation was more credible than suddenly discovering coins out of nowhere.
If I hand them over to Seo-ung, he’ll handle the disposal properly.
.
.
.
[Gate ‘Karako Village Defense Battle’ subjugation complete.]
[You have gained experience.]
[Your level has increased.]
The Gate was closing as it always did.
“Wow, levels really aren’t going up anymore. Usually they go up one at a time.”
“For a defense battle, we didn’t hunt as many monsters as expected.”
“Ah, that’s true….”
The battle had been fierce, but most of the monsters I’d defeated were minions. Plus a few Grendels at most?
Since all the guild members shared the experience, the gains were naturally reduced.
“Still, I definitely got good use out of Heart of the Sea and Lightning Magic. Now I can gauge the timing based on distance.”
“That’s great. I saw earlier—the effects were incredible.”
“Right?”
While we were having this conversation, another message appeared.
[You have subdued the ‘Tamer’. Spirit increases by 3.]
The sudden notification left all the guild members stunned.
“Huh?”
“So that was a hidden quest too?”
“When you think about it, it makes sense. Defeating the Tamer was a hidden quest, and he proposed a peace agreement, didn’t he?”
Lee Shin-hee’s words made everyone nod. It was a hidden quest within a hidden quest within a hidden quest.
Not only did I receive an elixir and a cloak, but three stat points as well—the endless rewards brought an involuntary smile to my face.
* * *
The first thing I did after subjugating the Gate was, naturally, to consume the A-rank elixir, Crimson Flame Fruit.
After finishing a meal with the guild members, I returned, purified myself, and opened a Subspace.
[Crimson Flame Fruit (A-rank)]
-Fruit flesh containing tremendous flames. Consuming it should make one exceptionally resistant to fire and heat.
-If you possess flame-related skills or obtain them in the future, those skills will be enhanced.
An A-rank elixir.
Just looking at it brought an involuntary smile. It couldn’t be helped. Fewer than ten had appeared on Earth.
Or rather, including this one, would it now be ten?
In any case, I was now someone who had consumed two A-rank elixirs.
‘This is insane.’
The first A-rank elixir I consumed, Solar Flame, had appeared alongside the Red Dragon in a level 90 Gate, so that could be justified.
However, the A-rank elixir I obtained this time had truly impossible odds.
I had to delve into a hidden quest within a hidden quest. Without Chun-bae, I would have had to attack the villagers to obtain it.
Anticipation was only natural.
‘Solar Flame made Blaze become S-rank… could it be?’
Of course, SS-rank had never appeared so far. Just in case, I asked Chun-bae.
-There is nothing beyond S-rank. However, there are differences even within S-rank.
‘That’s a shame.’
I had thought that since S-grade items occasionally appeared even at this stage when the vanguard was in the early 60s, there might be something higher.
-Negative. S-grade items appear from Gates above a certain level depending on the stage of erosion.
The moment I understood what he meant and nodded.
-Even if SS-grade existed, it wouldn’t be easy. It’s an A-grade elixir, not an S-grade one. The reason my grade rose last time was because the Blaze I received was A-grade, bordering on S-grade.
I had already understood, but Chun-bae pointed it out coldly.
‘Are you T?’
-…What do you mean?
‘Never mind. Forget it.’
I probably shouldn’t expect Earth-style humor to work on Chun-bae.
-In any case, there’s no change in Blaze’s grade, but it should help with the purity of the flames and skill level advancement.
‘Ah, right. You said even the same grade can be different.’
Regardless, I could now clearly understand the effects of consuming the Crimson Flame Fruit.
So I didn’t refuse and put it in my mouth.
Just like when I ate the Solar Flame, warmth spread through my mouth. It wasn’t hot though.
After all, didn’t I have A-grade flame resistance?
[The skill ‘Blaze (S-grade)’ has leveled up.]
And just as Chun-bae said.
Rather than checking my status window first, I used Blaze.
-Whoosh!
It wasn’t a dramatic difference, but the flames definitely felt stronger. However, it was hard to discern the exact degree.
This was because Blaze’s level had also increased.
“What is it? I can’t really tell.”
-It’s because your proficiency in mana manipulation is still insufficient. If you look at the purity of the flames that compose Blaze, it’s definitely improved.
If Chun-bae says so, then that’s how it is. It was still a difficult sensation for me to perceive.
I’m continuing to work on mana manipulation, but what Chun-bae taught me last time was close to the ‘basics’.
[Lv46 Void Master, Han Hye]
Strength: 53(+3)
Agility: 53(+3)(+1)
Endurance: 63(+3)(+1)
Spirit: 56(+6)
Mana: 84(+3)(+1)
Bonus Points: 11
Skills: Subspace (S-grade) lv4, Blaze (S-grade) lv3, Leap (A-grade) lv5, Flame Resistance (A-grade) lv7, Severance (A-grade) lv2….
After consuming the Crimson Flame Fruit, my current status window looked like this. Similar to the Solar Flame, all my stats increased by 3.
This alone was equivalent to a 5-level increase. The Spirit stat also had the reward from subduing the tamer.
There were changes in skill levels for Blaze and Leap. Blaze rose from consuming the elixir, but Leap leveled up during combat this time.
It wasn’t a major change. After all, Leap was a complete-form skill unlike other skills.
‘At this rate, I could really hold my own against the vanguard.’
To be honest, even when I first entered the Gate, there weren’t many Gates that were particularly difficult.
However, lately it felt easier than back then.
It meant my growth rate was accelerating, making me stronger at an even faster pace.
Moreover, thanks to Chun-bae, Shin Chang, and the Swordsmanship Meeting, I was growing while taking care of the fundamentals as well.
The advance party consumed plenty of elixirs, but I felt like I could truly rival their position now.
In fact, if this Gate hadn’t been at the advance party’s level, things wouldn’t have unfolded like this.
‘Hmm, no. Still, stay humble.’
Hadn’t I learned that recently at the Swordsmanship Meeting? Be cautious in all things.
I hadn’t encountered it since that day, but the god that survived the erosion would still be near me.
It might suddenly appear and set a trap that could kill me.
Or perhaps, like that discharge-type Gate from before, strange things would happen only around me.
-That is a commendable mindset.
Chun-bae opened his mouth at my thoughts.
-The Previous-Previous Princess was most concerned about the arrogance of hunters who grew through the legacies within the Subspace.
‘Really? I suppose so. It wasn’t strength gained through their own effort.’
-I am satisfied that I have never had occasion to say such things to Han Hye.
From the way he spoke, I could discern something. The Previous Princess apparently lacked talent.
‘So that’s how it was for the Previous Princess?’
-Affirmative. She mistook the legacy for her own talent. Still, she later recognized it and made efforts to pave the way for Han Hye.
That’s right. From my perspective, I was grateful to the Previous Princess too. If she had abandoned everything like a madwoman, I wouldn’t have received those benefits either.
Moreover, wasn’t the Previous Princess the very one who obtained the World Tree’s branch and enabled the creation of the elixir farm?
* * *
Min-seok’s growth was progressing steadily. He had now reached Level 7. His Crafting Skill level hadn’t increased yet.
Still, considerable research was being conducted through the Hunter Association.
Specifically, about how the grade and properties of Gate metals affected weapon crafting.
Even if the grades were identical, the crafting effects weren’t necessarily the same.
‘After all, when I had my weapon crafted, it felt like a critical success.’
Still, they said they had grasped a kind of consistency. Should I call it the maximum margin of error?
Chul-gi also had some of his equipment crafted. He thought he might obtain something better later.
I didn’t think that was a bad idea.
Once I surpassed the Level 50 bracket, the quality of hidden items and equipment I’d acquire would be much better.
‘I’m not there yet.’
Since I was still performing exceptionally compared to my level, I decided not to receive further crafting.
Even if I could obtain equipment that boosted stats, the reason I didn’t equip it was because of that.
-I want to craft yours too…!
Min-seok seemed a bit disappointed, but when I said it was to become stronger, he soon agreed.
Apparently, I had become quite close with the sniper Seo Seung-yeon.
-No seriously, it’s a completely different dimension. Think about going from F-grade weapons right below the advance party to E-grade, D-grade!
As Min-seok’s Crafting Skill level rose, the grade of Seo Seung-yeon’s itemized firearms also increased.
Apparently quite satisfied inside the Gate, she even gifted Min-seok mana-related elixirs despite them being D-grade.
“When Min-seok crafts items for people he likes, critical successes tend to appear.”
“Oh my, I should bring gifts more often then!”
She was already doing well on her own, but I offered her some advice regardless.
Seo Seung-yeon had even joked about whether she needed to visit every single day.
And amid all this, a matter arose that the Guild needed to handle.
It was something the public had considerable expectations for.

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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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