Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 20
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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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20. Desolate Ruins (1)
-We’ll arrange for you to move to the most premium residence near the Association. We happen to have something available on our end.
Not long after I submitted my residence transfer request, I received a call from Park Seo-ung.
The residence transfer was naturally approved, and the Association would connect me with a luxury apartment near the Association.
“Really? You’re connecting me with that place?”
Even the man listening to the conversation was startled. A smile soon bloomed across his face.
That was the apartment most Koreans currently dreamed of living in.
-Hunter-exclusive loans provided by the Association are also available, so you don’t need to worry too much.
I was carrying close to 10 billion won, but that apartment’s price exceeded even that. However, Park Seo-ung said he’d support that as well.
I couldn’t spend all the money I had.
-Separately, there’s a favor I’d like to ask. Would you be willing to participate in clearing level-restricted survival-type Gates in the 16-20 range in the future?
But the immediate phone call seemed to be for more than just that reason.
-This request is separate from your residence transfer application. Of course, we’ll provide appropriate compensation matching the Association’s cooperation request.
He called it separate, but it wasn’t really. Having received such benefits, it would be awkward to refuse.
But actually, this was exactly what I wanted.
I was already planning to go, and I’d been waiting for a cooperation request for a level-restricted survival-type Gate.
In other words, it was an ideal situation. The residence transfer had been resolved beyond my expectations.
“Of course.”
-Thank you sincerely for your cooperation.
“So I just need to go in and come back out on my own, right?”
-Ah, there’s something additional I need to tell you about that.
Was he asking me to go in with the man? Give me an extra escape Secretary? That might be it, I thought.
At this point, the man and I were the most promising prospects being watched. Giving us experience wasn’t a bad idea.
-We’re thinking of having Han Hye, Choi Chul-gi, and two others the Association requested form a team of four to enter together. Would that be acceptable?
Four people instead of just the two of us?
It wasn’t uncommon. The Association frequently paired promising prospects with appropriate-level Hunters as teams.
“Hmm, but wouldn’t that be more dangerous? The safest option would be for me to go in alone.”
-We plan to provide an escape Secretary. It’s usually reserved for advance party Hunters, but… we’re considering all of you as potential advance party Hunters.
In other words, they were saying they’d invest boldly to build up experience.
-Both people we’re introducing are support-class, so the job balance should work well with Han Hye and Choi Chul-gi. They were already on standby for this.
From what I heard, they’d been requested in advance to clear this Gate before it broke.
That meant discussions had been finalized before I awakened, and they’d kept their level at 20 without raising it further.
The shortage of talent for the vanguard position had prolonged the wait, and then the man and I conveniently appeared.
Otherwise, they would have requested Hunters from abroad.
‘International cooperation happens often, but the losses are significant.’
When requesting cooperation from Hunters, compensation is provided, but foreign cases require larger rewards.
If problems arise, foreign nations also lose talented personnel.
-An A-Rank Healer with A-Rank healing and B-Rank buff skills, and a B-Rank Spirit Mage are on standby.
Oh, that’s genuinely not bad. An A-Rank Healer was nobility among nobility—practically royalty.
A B-Rank Spirit Mage was also at the level of a count.
-If you’re comfortable with it, I think it would be good to work together as a team. They’ve also been struggling to find a suitable vanguard.
Right. Being called a rising star who’s recently made a name for ourselves—it’s not entirely a good thing.
It meant we were having difficulty finding decent party members at our level.
Honestly, I’m the abnormal one here.
Level 6 and Level 20. For a normal hunter, closing that gap in a short time would be nearly impossible.
‘Even if we form a team and carefully select Gates to apply for with safety in mind, there’s no guarantee the application will be approved.’
It meant that under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have had the chance to meet talent of their caliber.
Of course, just because we meet doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily get along, but isn’t this an opportunity?
-We are registered with a guild, but since we haven’t received anything from them yet, you can withdraw whenever you’d like. Please feel free to meet with them.
Oh, that’s unexpected.
Just because you’re registered with a guild doesn’t mean you have to form a team through them. It’s just awkward to refuse if they ask.
The more benefits you receive from a guild, the more complicated it becomes.
The Iron Wall Guild provided incredible benefits to me and the old man, but once you accept them, you’re bound to them.
It means you have to do work proportional to the investment you’ve received.
“We’d be delighted. Thank you for the introduction. We’ll contact you once our levels match. It should be soon.”
After a brief consultation with the old man, I nodded in agreement.
It was good that I’d awakened excellent abilities and the dragon egg had hatched, but it was also good that the Hunter Association was taking care of us.
If someone like the Daeup Guild Master had been on their side, it would have turned into orders instead, and I would have been displeased.
Things that were going well were going even better, it seemed.
“The next Gate operation is already planned.”
After clearing the Desolate Ruins Gate, a level-restricted survival-type Gate. Consecutive Gates with excellent rewards.
The old man and I exchanged knowing smiles.
* * *
In the meantime, as the Subspace reached Level 2, I’d been researching the newly acquired items in my spare time.
The first thing I checked was the food.
Given how exceptional the weapons and secret techniques were, I wondered if the food might also have some remarkable effect.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t discovered any significant benefits yet.
‘At least it’s edible.’
After examining it with various testing equipment, I confirmed there were no toxins in the food. However, there were no special effects like stat increases from consuming it.
It had an exotic flavor, and it provided a slightly greater sense of fullness—that was about it.
It’s possible that eating only a minuscule amount was the reason.
For now, I hadn’t been able to determine its exact effects.
‘But what really intrigues me is this seed.’
Regardless of the food, what I was focusing on was the seed.
My gaze naturally shifted toward the seeds divided into small pouches.
[Unidentified Seed]
– An unidentified seed that has not yet germinated.
No matter how much I examined these seeds, this was all the description provided.
Was it because they hadn’t germinated yet?
It was frustrating that the system kept spouting information I already knew without saying anything new.
—Currently, analysis is impossible for this plant….
I’d searched the internet thoroughly and even commissioned analysis from private institutions, but no answers came back.
Well, considering the items that had emerged so far, these seeds were undoubtedly from another world.
Moreover, the fact that item descriptions appeared made it certain these weren’t ordinary crop seeds.
The problem was whether I could cultivate them as-is.
‘I shouldn’t grow them in ordinary soil.’
Since they were seeds from another world, there was no guarantee they’d be compatible with this soil.
I didn’t even know what would bloom yet.
Above all, the items in my Subspace were left behind by the previous master.
Considering what he’d left me before, I couldn’t treat these seeds lightly either.
‘Perhaps when my Subspace levels up next time, farmland for cultivation might appear.’
While it seemed to give items indiscriminately, my Subspace had consistently provided items perfectly suited to my growth.
Thinking that way, I could afford to have expectations for these seeds too.
I carefully returned the seeds to their place so they wouldn’t spoil. Fortunately, whether preservation magic was cast on them or not, the seeds remained in their original condition.
Just in case, I’d prepared plant lighting and several pots, so I could try growing one or two if needed.
‘Well, let’s just wait and see until the next Subspace level up.’
Now it was time to enjoy something certain.
‘Spirit Elixir time!’
All three spirit elixirs I’d received had been invested because of Yong-yong, but the old man had returned one B-Rank elixir.
Now I was entering the Desolate Ruins and a level-restricted survival-type Gate.
The ruins were one thing, but the latter demanded full power.
It was time to invest the spirit elixirs and stat points I’d been saving.
[Moonlight Herb (B-Rank)]
—A flower infused with the power of deep moonlight, found in regions rich with magical energy.
—Upon consumption, beneficial energy should envelop the body.
It was a spirit elixir with a slight chill. I hoped it would grant cold resistance or something similar.
I consumed the elixir with anticipation. Chill flowed down my throat as magical energy spread throughout my body.
[Lv16 Sovereign(空主), Han Hye]
Strength: 18
Agility: 20
Stamina: 23(+2)
Spirit: 11(+2)
Mana: 23(+2)
Bonus Points: 29
Skills: Subspace(S-Rank) lv2, Flame Resistance(A-Rank) lv2, Combat Sense(C-Rank) lv2, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship(E-Rank) lv4, Cold Resistance(E-Rank) lv1, *Wind Slash(lv1)
“Oh.”
Even if it was E-Rank, cold resistance had appeared. Skills aren’t there for nothing. Having a low-rank skill is better than having none.
A-Rank elixirs were better than I’d imagined. The situation was quite favorable.
‘My stamina, spirit, and mana stats all increased too.’
In any case, this was my current status window after clearing Flame Valley. I still had considerable bonus points remaining.
I wanted to make it look neat if I could.
Clean, round numbers looked better than scattered stats.
[Lv16 Void Master, Han Hye]
Strength: 25 (+7)
Agility: 25 (+5)
Endurance: 25 (+2)
Spirit: 20 (+9)
Mana: 25 (+2)
Bonus Points: 4
I distributed the stats cleanly, leaving 4 bonus points untouched. I would’ve preferred Spirit at 25 as well, but this was already a beautiful distribution.
I needed to invest in Spirit gradually. The higher your level climbed, the more people spoke of it as a stat you felt bone-deep.
It was initially overlooked, but became precious after experiencing how a monster’s shriek could paralyze your body. That’s why it became so valued.
When I encountered the Red Dragon, my body froze for that same reason.
Most Awakened, unlike me, tended to dump all their stats into their class specialization.
But balanced distribution was the best way to reach peak performance.
Frontline fighters needed mana, and backline fighters needed physical stats to handle emergencies.
I didn’t need to specialize. I had so many enhanced abilities from multiple sources.
‘I’ll go for versatility.’
.
.
.
The next few days were hectic. I toured the apartment the Hunter Association recommended and set a moving date.
It was a 1,600-square-foot place, and I gasped in wonder at the luxury I’d never seen before.
‘The entire city visible through floor-to-ceiling windows…’
It felt like stepping into one of those dramas or movies I’d watched in the Subspace. Seo-ung was surprised, but I was even more so.
Going from a one-room apartment to such a luxury place.
I needed to buy appliances and furniture, and since I didn’t know much about it, my sister-in-law helped. Of course, with plenty of money, I bought everything in the latest models.
During that process, I gave Min-seok the Flame Jade I’d obtained from Flame Valley, and he loved it beyond my expectations.
-Hyung! I love you!
He’d been grateful when I gave him mana stones, but his joy this time was ten times greater. His attitude toward me had become more respectful somehow.
There was something odd about it, though.
-But something feels strange about it.
-It’s probably the mana.
-It’s different! Mana stones have mana in them too!
-Isn’t it the heat? It was a gem inside lava, after all.
-It’s not like that! There’s just… something inside it!
I honestly had no idea what Min-seok meant by that oddness. Well, children find everything fascinating anyway.
I was satisfied just seeing him happy.
I felt an urge to give him everything like this whenever I found something.
“How do you like the car?”
“It’s nice, but an SUV….”
Of course I picked out a car too—one I wouldn’t have to wait for. The old man chose a luxury foreign sedan, while I bought a high-end SUV.
Back when I was an unawakened hunter, I’d driven an old SUV from the start because I was constantly hauling gear around….
Maybe because of that, even now when I didn’t really need space to store luggage, the SUV felt more comfortable.
Even during the test drive, I was more drawn to the SUV.
“What’s wrong with an SUV?”
“That comfort a sedan gives you, you know?”
“From up high like this, it just feels good.”
After handling all those miscellaneous tasks, the old man and I arrived at the Desolate Ruins Gate.
“You didn’t forget anything, right?”
“We already checked everything together.”
I’d already stowed everything we needed in the Subspace.
“Let’s head in right away.”
“Yeah. Heh heh.”
The old man grinned widely.
A Ruins Gate. Isn’t that what every hunter dreams of? I felt the same anticipation.
‘Some hunters do come out empty-handed….’
But we wouldn’t be among them.
My spatial awareness could sense everything within a 20-meter radius. If something was hidden, there was no way I’d miss it.
“We need to find whatever’s here.”
I intended to comb through this Ruins Gate thoroughly, leaving nothing to chance.
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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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