Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 184

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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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184. Second Swordsmanship Meeting
Dae-eop Guild Master Jo Ji-hyuk had no urgent matters to attend to. The scheduled meeting was set for next week.
Seo Seung-yeon continued to monitor him, but my presence wouldn’t be particularly helpful at the moment.
Unlike Seo Seung-yeon, who could monitor from several kilometers away, my spatial awareness was limited to forty meters.
It seemed best to wait until Jo Ji-hyuk made his move, then use Divine Sense to follow him.
-If any problems arise before our appointment, I’ll contact you immediately.
Since Dae-eop also had a branch near the Hunter Association, receiving word and mobilizing wouldn’t take long.
Until then, I simply needed to fulfill my duties as a hunter.
From this Gate, I gave all metals of C-grade and below to Min-seok, intending for him to use them for skill crafting.
From B-grade onward, we decided to save them for when Min-seok’s level increased, as we would need them ourselves.
-Thank you so much, hyung!
Min-seok was absolutely thrilled. Perhaps because he’d been meeting frequently with Association Staff lately, the boy seemed slightly more mature.
In the past, he would have simply said “Thanks!” but this was a subtle change.
-S-grade?
However, the real commotion erupted when I showed him the S-grade Gate metal I’d stored in my Subspace.
Min-seok was so startled he nearly fell backward.
-Whoa! This is insane! I really want to craft this!
I had never seen Min-seok’s eyes sparkle like that except when he awakened.
It was genuinely positive. I’d heard something from Mister about this recently.
-He seemed down because his skill levels were growing slowly.
I suspected it was because raising skill levels was difficult. He’d probably experienced a plateau after significant growth.
Given Min-seok’s young age, he could understandably feel frustrated by the slow progress.
Still, this S-grade Gate metal seemed to have provided proper motivation.
Separately, I also spoke with Saebyeokbit. We’d confirmed in the mining Gate that the short sword of Slaughter I possessed was effective.
Of course, it was only once, but… if that once was a high-level mining Gate, things changed.
-The Gate metal’s grade increases?
-Yes. I’ve confirmed it. If Saebyeokbit ever needs to enter a mining Gate, just let me know. I’ll lend it to you.
Ideally, I wanted to cooperate with the Korean Hunter Association and mandate that the short sword of Slaughter be brought to all high-level mining Gates, but…
I hadn’t yet revealed the secret of the artisan, so that wasn’t possible.
Saebyeokbit, who knew Min-seok, was the extent of cooperation I could manage. Mining Gates weren’t common, but if the occasion arose, I could readily lend it.
What comes around goes around—they’d provide something in return.
-Tae-sung hyung was asking if you could lend it for other Gates too.
-Whenever we don’t have a Gate scheduled.
Though the probability was low, when a high-level Gate dropped, it was a genuine jackpot.
If, for instance, a B-grade or A-grade became A-grade or S-grade, the profit would be enormous.
[Lv49 Empty Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 60
Agility: 59(+1)
Stamina: 63(+1)
Spirit: 56
Mana: 84(+1)
Spare Points: 9
I decided to hold onto the spare points that appeared when I reached level 49. It was because I couldn’t predict how things would unfold with the Daeup Guild Master.
I knew Jo Ji-hyuk was a vanguard in the late 50s level range…. But if he moved, the Übermenschen would likely be involved too.
I couldn’t determine what class of being that Übermenschen was. They could simply be a messenger, or they could be a powerhouse.
Regardless, I needed to prepare by keeping spare points in reserve.
‘There’s nothing else I can do anyway.’
The Spirit Medicine Farm wasn’t ready for harvest yet, and consuming a single spirit medicine wouldn’t produce any meaningful change.
Rather than allocating stats and consuming spirit medicine, it was better to focus on strengthening my skills right now.
I continued channeling Blaze into the worn flame talisman, but so far, there were no signs of growth.
I decided to wait patiently. If such a skill showed changes this quickly… wouldn’t others have noticed it long ago?
-Everyone seems to have availability. Let’s gather this weekend then.
Instead, I decided to participate in the Swordsmanship Meeting. It absolutely wasn’t an attempt to show off Aesirelle.
First, my Crescent Swordsmanship level had increased this time as well….
Since this meeting had been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances, I intended to create an opportunity to grow by exchanging blades with others.
With my stats not changing significantly right now, swordsmanship was the area where I could make effort.
‘Of course, I should show it off while I’m at it.’
* * *
“Everyone’s been well, I hope?”
The Swordsmanship Meeting, reunited. After exchanging customary greetings, a slight awkwardness settled in.
Bong-seok and Dong-hyuk were quite introverted, much like Lee Shin-hee….
It was only the second meeting, so there was that aspect too. Last time, we hadn’t really bonded.
Sometimes the second meeting feels slightly awkward compared to meeting for the very first time.
‘It’s harder to interact when there’s this vague familiarity.’
I knew how to break through this atmosphere.
“Everyone. I have something to show you.”
“Something to show us?”
“What is it?”
As I brought up the topic in the awkward atmosphere, everyone showed interest, secretly pleased.
As long as there was some conversation flowing, things would improve.
-Whoosh.
Instead of mentioning that I’d obtained an A-rank sword, I opened a Subspace. Then I pulled out Aesirelle. People tilted their heads, wondering “What sword is this?”
It was still in the scabbard. I immediately drew the blade. It was the moment Aesirelle’s beautiful form was revealed.
“Huh?”
“Did you really acquire a sword?”
For hunters, weapons were a concept similar to office workers buying cars. The higher the grade of the weapon, the more expensive the car, so to speak?
I smiled and answered.
“Yes. I acquired one in A-rank.”
“Wow.”
“Whoa….”
As expected of swordsmen, they all gasped in admiration upon seeing Aesirelle. Lee Hong-ju’s eyes widened the most.
“Where did you acquire it? When I visited Korea, there was no sword like this….”
He was referring to Korea’s treasure vault, the National Hunter Equipment Management Bureau. It seemed Lee Hong-ju had visited it just as I had.
“I obtained it from the United States through barter.”
“You’ve scored quite the item. Congratulations.”
Sang-yeop offered his sincere congratulations. The others felt the same way. It was congratulation tinged with envy.
Lee Hong-ju suddenly asked with a serious expression.
“Hunter Han Hye.”
Hunter Han Hye? The sudden formal address made me tilt my head in confusion.
“Yes?”
“If I may be so bold, would it be possible for me to humbly request the opportunity to hold the sword you have newly acquired?”
What was this about? I understood he was making a sincere request, but the mixed honorifics felt strange.
In any case, to summarize, he was asking if he could hold Aesirelle for a moment.
“Of course.”
The sword didn’t have a will of its own that would make it dislike being held by someone other than me….
Letting someone swing it around briefly posed no problem whatsoever. I wasn’t the type to be finicky about such things.
“Feel free to swing it around as much as you’d like, Hong-ju and everyone else.”
“Really? Us too?”
“There’s no need to….”
Bong-seok and Dong-hyuk immediately waved their hands in protest, but I couldn’t miss the hope gleaming in their eyes.
“Come on, let me show it off a bit. Everyone should try it.”
And so the Swordsmanship Meeting suddenly transformed into an Aesirelle demonstration. Lee Hong-ju, who had spoken first, went first.
I spoke to Lee Hong-ju first, thinking the others might want a quick turn.
“You can take about ten minutes.”
“No, ten minutes is too long. I have some conscience.”
Lee Hong-ju shook his head firmly.
“It’s Hunter Han Hye’s sword, so I’ll just swing it for exactly five minutes.”
And so the four of them each took five minutes to swing Aesirelle.
During those twenty minutes or so, they uttered nothing but exclamations of wonder.
“Wow….”
“Oh….”
“This is something special, isn’t it? The balance is beautiful.”
“It’s a truly legendary blade.”
Though their ranks and levels differed, they were all people known as veteran hunters. Moreover, they were swordsmen who had gathered because of their love for swordsmanship.
It would have been strange if they couldn’t appreciate Aesirelle’s value.
“You’ve made an excellent choice. I’ve handled other A-rank swords too, but this one is in a completely different league as a sword.”
It was Lee Hong-ju’s understated assessment. Clearly, he was someone who knew how to evaluate swords. Since Chun-bae had said the sword’s essence was close to S-rank.
“There were others that boosted stats or came with additional skills, but I deliberately chose this one.”
“Truly, a swordsman.”
This was something Bong-seok said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“I prefer a sword focused purely on being a sword rather than one loaded with various functions.”
“Exactly. If there’s nothing suitable, we’d go with a multi-function sword, but if one like this exists, I’d pick it immediately.”
Since everyone here was a swordmaster and hunter, they gave me the reaction I wanted. Of course, I could tell it was all genuine.
Showing off Aesirelle once helped ease the awkwardness that had lingered, which wasn’t bad at all.
* * *
At the last meeting, we’d decided to conduct sparring matches one at a time rather than simultaneously. The first to step forward were Sang-yeop and Lee Hong-ju.
Since Sang-yeop had rested last time, I offered him the choice, and he said he wanted to spar with someone he hadn’t faced before.
Since both of them wielded orthodox swordplay, it was enjoyable to watch. The reason orthodox technique is entertaining is simple.
Beyond the fundamental clash of blocking when needed and attacking when needed, you could glimpse sudden unconventional techniques.
“Impressive.”
“That last move was pretty sharp, wasn’t it?”
“I think we could use a technique like that too.”
As we watched the match, we picked up our swords and mimicked the movements that impressed us.
Having sparred with both of them, I found it satisfying to see something fresh from orthodox versus orthodox—something different from what I usually encountered.
“Thank you for the match.”
The sparring ended with Lee Hong-ju’s narrow victory. I could tell Sang-yeop’s swordplay had improved considerably.
It was far sharper than when we’d last sparred.
Next was me and Dong-hyuk.
After Lee Hong-ju and Sang-yeop took a moment to catch their breath, the match began immediately.
‘Was it called Phantom Blade?’
I’d heard it was a swordplay technique that left afterimages to confuse the opponent. I was quite looking forward to it.
I might face him someday. When that time comes, unlike other sword techniques, this one would be incredibly disorienting.
Even though it’s a C-rank technique, there was a reason Sang-yeop recommended Dong-hyuk.
I faced him wearing the restraint bracelet.
“Let’s have a good match.”
We exchanged light greetings and crossed swords. Phantom Blade. Facing it for the first time, I was somewhat startled. The swung sword left afterimages in its wake.
I’d seen it before, but experiencing it directly felt completely different.
‘What is this?’
What surprised me most was that the afterimages didn’t disappear immediately.
It was like traces left by mana. The afterimages following the sword’s trajectory remained intact.
The afterimages persisted for about two seconds, and what shocked me was that these weren’t mere illusions.
When I moved my sword, it actually struck the afterimages and was blocked.
‘Insane.’
So every time Dong-hyuk swung his sword, the afterimages he left behind persisted for about two seconds, allowing him to construct his own space with them.
I couldn’t help but be astonished, when Chun-bae suddenly spoke up.
-Han Hye. That swordplay is S-rank.
‘S-rank?’
-Affirmative. I’ve seen it in the Previous Princess’s world.
Without thinking, I increased the distance between us. My mind was spinning. S-rank? That doesn’t make sense.
However, since it was Chun-bae’s assessment, it was certainly true.
I stepped back slightly and studied Dong-hyuk.
Why would he claim an S-rank swordsmanship skill was C-rank and conceal it? There had to be another reason.

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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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