Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 215
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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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215. Was I Included Too?
“Call Fist King.”
“Pardon?”
Fist King. Even I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the name. In contrast, Seo Seung-yeon clapped as if she understood something.
“Ah, Fist King really hated the Übermenschen too, didn’t he?”
“Did he?”
Well, hardly anyone liked the Übermenschen, but I’d never heard of any particular trouble between Fist King and them.
“There wasn’t a real problem, but Fist King just doesn’t like those types. He thinks hiding in the shadows to commit terrorism and such is unmanly.”
“I see….”
Though I’d never met him, his appearance, build, and the personality he’d displayed in public made it entirely understandable.
“If Fist King helps us, that would really be wonderful….”
Fist King’s assistance against the Übermenschen in a trap we’d laid? Honestly, I couldn’t ask for more.
He was ranked in the TOP 2 of the recent Global Hunter Rankings, the same list where I’d risen to 20th and become a topic of discussion.
‘In terms of pure combat ability, he’s arguably the best.’
There were several concerns, though. First, Fist King would need to come to us discreetly.
I was already worried about information leaking from Korea’s side—who knew what might happen from Russia?
“But would Fist King even come if we called?”
There was one more prerequisite to consider. Fist King was an extremely proud man. You might say his convictions were unshakeable.
Despite Russia’s government being quite powerful, he did whatever he wanted.
There were even rumors that he wouldn’t comply with requests from the president if he didn’t feel like it—a testament to his exceptional abilities.
With someone like that, I wondered if he’d make the long journey, no matter how much he disliked the Übermenschen.
“That’s true. Fist King isn’t the type to be swayed by something like this. Especially not laying traps. He’d probably come if we asked him to charge directly into the Übermenschen’s territory.”
You could tell just from Seo Seung-yeon’s reaction. Shin Chang, who’d been listening, let out a slight laugh. Though his expression remained nearly expressionless.
“…A sparring match would suffice.”
“Just that?”
I knew Fist King enjoyed such things. The last time Shin Chang had done a barter exchange for me, hadn’t he gone to spar with him?
However, this was closer to a one-sided request than an exchange.
“…It would suffice.”
Since I didn’t know Fist King well, Shin Chang would understand better. If he said it would suffice, then it should.
I was genuinely moved. Though catching the Übermenschen was the goal, he was willing to make a sacrifice to help us.
“To go so far for this task… Thank you.”
“…?”
Shin Chang tilted his head at my words. Seo Seung-yeon shrugged.
“What are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
Shin Chang pointed at me.
“…You’re included too.”
Was I included too?
“Me?”
“Fist King was asking about you.”
“Right. If I mention sparring with Han Hye, he’d probably come running.”
Seo Seung-yeon nodded from beside me, having overheard the conversation.
Sparring with Fist King, huh….
To be honest, I felt a bit apprehensive and uneasy about it. Fist King was massive, with intimidating musculature.
Han Chul was genuinely muscular too, but Fist King was a full weight class above him. I’d say he looked like a wild grizzly bear.
Still, if I could call upon Fist King as my Helper against the Übermenschen, then something like this was entirely manageable.
‘Well, entirely might be an overstatement.’
Sure, I felt some hesitation internally, but it wasn’t bad for me at all. No matter how much of a rough character Fist King was, he wasn’t the type to kill a sparring partner.
Sparring with someone of Fist King’s caliber would be tremendously beneficial for me. Especially since I had martial arts and combat techniques to develop. It was worth pursuing growth.
“I’m fine with it.”
“…Then tell me.”
Shin Chang’s lips curled upward, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback. It was the most dramatic shift in his expression I’d ever witnessed.
Moreover, it was an unsettling smile directed at me. A wave of unease washed over me.
‘What kind of sparring with Fist King could warrant that reaction?’
* * *
“…You’ve grown considerably.”
After the sparring match, Shin Chang regarded me with a far more serious gaze than before. It had been a while since we’d sparred.
I’d made substantial progress in the interim.
“Really? The feeling that Mountain was holding back is almost completely gone now?”
Seo Seung-yeon also looked quite taken aback.
“Honestly, I think I’d lose now.”
“In close combat, yes.”
Having grown myself, my match with Seo Seung-yeon was bound to be different from before. But Seo Seung-yeon shook her head.
“No. I mean I’d probably lose even if I had my gun.”
“Didn’t you see it last time?”
“That was fighting a mage, so it was different. Watching you spar with Mountain makes it hit differently.”
Back then, I’d taken out Jo Ji-hyuk with a surprise attack and fought the Witch.
“Wow, you said back then that if a year passed, we’d be entering Gates together. I never thought it’d actually happen.”
“Neither did I.”
Either way, I was satisfied with this sparring session.
I’d landed an effective blow on Shin Chang. Of course, it was only that one hit.
I still fell far short in terms of combat skill ranks, levels, and experience. It couldn’t be helped. Shin Chang had built his strength over ten years, while I’d only been actively operating for roughly one year.
Of course, I hadn’t used Blaze, Swift Step, or Subspace at all.
“…I’d like to spar again soon.”
“Brother.”
At Shin Chang’s words, Seo Seung-yeon chided him. I didn’t mind, but she seemed to think his request was an imposition.
“Couldn’t we do it again when Fist King arrives?”
Shin Chang nodded as if he’d been waiting for that suggestion.
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
With the Hall of Winners Gate approaching, there was still the matter of team sparring to discuss.
“Team versus team sparring? Well, given your limited experience, it would certainly be beneficial. Especially with the Übermenschen situation.”
This was something I hadn’t even considered, but Seo Seung-yeon seemed to have accepted it as a countermeasure against the Übermenschen threat. I seized the opportunity immediately.
“Yes. Since it’s a month and a half away, I thought it would be good to prepare as much as possible. As quickly as we can.”
“Hmm. We have a Gate schedule next week, so….”
I was actually considering postponing the Hall of Winners Gate slightly when Shin Chang spoke up.
“No, let’s do it next week.”
His eyes gleamed with interest. He looked like someone whose attention had been completely captured by the prospect of team sparring with our guild.
“What about the Gate?”
Seo Seung-yeon was taken aback.
“We can postpone it.”
“Well, we could, but….”
Wait? It was actually happening like this? Seo Seung-yeon gave up.
“Fine, whatever. Let’s do it next week. I’ll tell the guild members that my brother postponed it.”
Shin Chang hummed, then nodded a beat later.
“Now that I think about it, I should also tell Han Chul about the spear technique gathering. I haven’t had a chance to mention it with everything that’s been happening.”
I had been planning to ask Chulbyeok if things didn’t work out, but in terms of team composition, Saebyeokbit was far superior.
Thanks to sparking Shin Chang’s interest, we’d ended up in quite a favorable situation.
* * *
Despite having many things ahead of me, I continued my psychological therapy consistently. It was my long-cherished goal, naturally, and The God’s words about it being a gift weighed on my mind.
Ja-tan could appear tomorrow, or after the Hall of Winners—there was no way to know.
Even I could see the therapy was having an effect.
Rather than vague fantasies of me simply overpowering him, I found myself imagining specific combat scenarios—how I’d fight, how I’d cut him down.
It was like gradually suppressing the fear within me. Even my physical rigidity when thinking of him had diminished.
I couldn’t say what would happen when we actually met… but my doctor said it was a positive sign.
“There are cases where people experience fear belatedly and it persists, but Han Hye, you’re doing quite well.”
Sometimes I was suspicious since she praised everything I did, but when she showed me examples of such cases, I understood her point.
Being told I was doing well boosted my confidence. Should I say the worry was fading?
I’d clearly found a good doctor. The Hunter Association had connected me with someone excellent.
I needed to make more effort myself. That warning back then didn’t seem like an empty caution.
[UN Gate Countermeasures Committee ‘Ambient Mana Density Rises Again’]
[Emission-type Gate Alert! Could open anywhere, anytime.]
[Is the Fourth Gate Catastrophe approaching?]
[Unprecedented mana density surge—what’s the cause?]
[UN Gate Countermeasures Committee ‘Suspects Australia, where continuous emission-type Gates have opened, as the source’]
This was because the Gate Countermeasures Committee had issued another warning about mana density recently.
Until now, the first, second, and third catastrophes had been spaced five years apart, so this density surge was unprecedented.
It was natural that the entire world was in an uproar. The Fourth Gate Catastrophe hadn’t occurred yet, but this was happening less than a year after the Third.
This meant the next ones—the Fifth and Sixth Gate Catastrophes—could come even faster.
-Insane;; If the Dinosaur Guild hadn’t shown up this time, we’d have been totally screwed, right?
┗Dinosaur Guild or not, it seems like we’re already screwed anyway?
┗At this rate, even if a fourth Gate opens, a fifth will follow soon
┗This time might be an exception
┗That’s true, but isn’t that too optimistic? The worst case is a continuously-releasing Gate opening?
-Damn, look at the stock prices dropping
┗This is an even bigger disaster for me
┗Who cares about stocks? We might all die
┗I took out a loan to invest
┗Ah…
┗Accept your karma gracefully
Beyond the anxiety, there were also many opinions about resolving the cause.
-Wait, is Australia definitely confirmed?
┗It’s still in the estimation phase, but they say the density is increasing centered around Australia, especially recently
-Honestly, I expected something would go wrong with a continuously-releasing Gate open
┗Internet prophets appearing when disaster strikes
┗There were definitely a lot of such comments back then. People were worried something would happen, but after years of quiet, attention faded
┗Yeah, there was a lot of worry back then
-I work in shipping, and Australia comes up a lot. They say aquatic monsters are gradually increasing in the waters near Australia
┗Damn, so we eventually have to deal with it
-So who’s going to clean up Australia?
┗Australia’s ruined, so there’s no one to clean up the mess…
┗Wait, is that even possible to clean up? Catoblepas was insane?
┗We need to assemble a dream team. Gather the top 50 Hunters from around the world
That was when Earth began to recognize the danger regarding Australia that Chun-bae had warned about.
On the other hand, I felt relieved. If they had continued not knowing, I would have had to reveal it later.
‘It’s fortunate that the full truth about my profession wasn’t revealed.’
In any case, this discussion being held was beneficial for me.
Honestly, if I revealed it and said I needed to clean up Australia, I could predict the world’s reaction.
-What is this madman talking about?
Not only would it be hard to convince them, but most people probably wouldn’t have cooperated.
This situation now is much better. The world has come to recognize Australia as a problem.
[A time when discussions among Hunter superpowers are needed]
[S-Rank Hunter, Choin ‘If Australia is the problem, I’m willing to step forward and help’]
[Fist King ‘If we go and kill them all, is it solved?’]
Just looking at the S-Rank Hunters’ reactions showed it. Fist King seemed sincere, while Choin appeared to be speaking for image.
Objectively, Earth still wasn’t prepared to clean up Australia.
[Experts ‘Reclaiming Australia is premature’]
[Hunters don’t yet have the ability to face Catoblepas]
But once such statements are made, it’s hard to back out later.
Well, a person with the profession of Superman and the pride of being the top Hunter wouldn’t back out anyway.
In any case, with continuously-releasing Gates potentially opening in their own countries at any moment, other nations would definitely take this seriously.
Once the UN Gate Countermeasures Committee brings this to light and discussions commence, an extermination team will likely be assembled in the not-too-distant future.
‘I need to prepare as well.’
For now, the Hall of Winners and the Übermenschen are the pressing concerns. Especially when I consider Australia.
These bastards will launch terrorist attacks the moment the vanguard hunters depart for Australia.
In a sense, this is an opportunity.
I won’t be able to uproot the Übermenschen entirely through this operation, but I needed to strike them hard enough to prevent future complications.
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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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