Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 253

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

253. Abyss Valley (5)
So. What was it? What would he give me?
My heart raced with equal parts anticipation and anxiety. It couldn’t have been otherwise.
An S-rank sword, no less! Originally Nereion’s, but….
I suspected that after what happened to Nereion at the hands of the Grand Duke, Toljet must have received the sword as a gift.
‘Was it called Kresshan? What was the Grand Duke thinking? To give away an S-rank sword like that.’
I’d never possessed an S-rank sword before, so I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed like a display of power—giving the weapon of the enemy commander I’d defeated to his former subordinate.
It didn’t matter. The weapon had already left my hands.
“Here, take it.”
What Nereion handed over was, frankly, ambiguous.
[Skill Level-Up Ticket]
To be honest, it was an incredible reward. I possessed three S-rank skills, after all.
But having just watched an S-rank sword slip through my fingers, I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate wholeheartedly.
-Han Hye, this is an excellent reward. Better than an S-rank sword. Think of the future. There’s no guarantee that sword would have suited you.
That’s when Chun-bae snapped me back to reality. He was right. The S-rank sword slipping away stung, but long-term, this was far superior.
Leveling up an S-rank skill was extraordinarily difficult.
‘In the case of Subspace, I’d leveled it up almost exclusively through tickets.’
After using the wall-breaking exploit at low levels, I’d never gained a level on my own.
By contrast, that S-rank sword was likely optimized for Nereion, so this was the right call in the long run.
“Thank you.”
“Thank me? I’m the one who should thank you.”
As I accepted reality and answered calmly, Nereion suddenly grasped my hand. Every time I saw him, I thought what a gracious person he was.
It was hard to imagine he’d once been a Demon Grand Duke.
He’d shown dignity earlier, but fundamentally he seemed like a good person—or rather, a good demon. Perhaps that’s why he’d suffered his fate.
“You’ve grown considerably stronger.”
Once the enemies retreated, Diluvian, catching his breath, tapped my shoulder. The fearsome giant’s warm smile radiated genuine affection.
“I told you. You didn’t need to worry since I came.”
“Right. Honestly, I was uncertain. That you could defeat Toljet. I’m sorry.”
I’d thrown out my earlier remark as a joke, but Diluvian apologized sincerely. That wasn’t why I’d said it.
“Originally, I wanted to push deeper.”
“Push deeper?”
“Into the depths of the valley. If Nereion received treatment while we advanced, I could have used Heuk-ha more effectively.”
So there was a reason we’d come here after all.
“But you’ve grown even stronger. Unlike last time. I thought it was worth attempting.”
“So that’s what you were deliberating over.”
“Yes. If we could just hold on a little longer until Nereion recovered, we could have swept them all away.”
It seemed the seventy-two hours given for the Gate wasn’t meant for solo conquest like mine.
True enough. Nereion’s condition had been dire. While I dealt with the scouts and fought Toljet, Lee Shin-hee’s healing barely got him back on his feet.
Originally, he wouldn’t have recovered in time. The plan must have been to gradually move deeper into the valley while avoiding the initial scouts we encountered, treating him along the way.
Then Nereion would awaken and use his abilities.
‘Toljet must have been handled by Nereion.’
The former Grand Duke, wronged by a traitor, punishing that very traitor and gaining some revelation—wasn’t that the structure it should have followed?
But because I’d grown stronger, Diluvian’s judgment altered the structure.
‘I can really feel how much stronger I’ve become.’
To think I could solo clear enemies from a level 60 chained Gate—I couldn’t have imagined it before.
I was acutely aware that the Gate’s difficulty had risen as well.
Unlike the days when I cleared Gates with ease, dangerous enemies were now emerging.
Even with Toljet, though I won, the battle left me with numerous wounds.
“Diluvian.”
“Hmm?”
With time to spare, there was one more thing I wanted to ask.
“Spear training—is it possible?”
At my words, the old man’s eyes lit up. He’d been holding back because of the atmosphere.
Diluvian let out a low chuckle.
“Of course.”
.
.
.
[Gate ‘Abyss Valley’ cleared.]
[You have gained experience.]
[Your level has increased.]
There were no additional rewards beyond that. Just a single level up. I asked Chun-bae about it.
‘This seems like a pretty brutal Gate, but that’s all?’
Of course, the value of a Skill Level-Up Voucher was high, but it felt somewhat lacking.
The answer was simple.
-At the intermediate stages of chained Gates, rewards may feel small. This indicates that the final Gate’s reward will be substantially larger.
Like a marshmallow test, then. Since future rewards would be better, I let it go.
Besides, there wasn’t much I could do about it anyway.
“Dinosaur Guild! Dinosaur Guild!”
We emerged from the Gate amid cheers even louder than before.
* * *
[Lv64 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength : 84
Agility : 92(+5, +1)
Stamina : 100(+1)
Spirit : 70
Mana : 110(+1)
Bonus Points : 12
Skills : Subspace(S-Rank) lv5, Incinerate(S-Rank) lv6, Severance(S-Rank) lv6, Leap(A-Rank) lv7, Flame Resistance(A-Rank) lv9, Domain(A-Rank) lv1, Iron Wing Sword Dance(A-Rank) lv4, Universal Translation(B-Rank) lv1, Swiftness(C-Rank) lv7, Cold Resistance(C-Rank) lv4, Toxin Resistance(D-Rank) lv6
This was my status window after clearing the Abyss Valley Gate. Two levels had risen, but that wasn’t what mattered.
My eyes caught on the newly acquired A-rank unique skill, Iron Wing Rotating Sword.
At first, I couldn’t quite grasp it. I could definitely feel myself growing stronger, but the skill was only level 4.
Compared to the levels of my previous combat skills, it was a significant drop.
‘What exactly is a unique skill?’
Even during that moment of enlightenment, I heard the term clearly. It was different from ordinary skills.
-It refers to a skill that no Awakener has ever acquired before.
‘Never acquired?’
-Affirmative. Typically, it’s allocated to combat or magic skills, which means the person who acquired this unique skill created it themselves.
Once I heard the full explanation, it became easier to understand. To use a martial arts novel analogy, it’s like a unique skill that someone newly invented themselves—a martial technique never seen before.
-Of course, it doesn’t just appear anywhere. The combat technique must be recognized as having reached mastery.
‘So Iron Wing Rotating Sword has been recognized?’
-Correct. I myself have not seen many unique skills. That is why I was so surprised.
Chun-bae fell silent for a moment before continuing.
-I have witnessed someone who independently created a sword technique obtain a unique skill. Even those of comparable ability never acquired one.
-It seems your combat talent, Han Hye, is far greater than I initially assessed.
Hmm. Considering that Chun-bae rarely says things he doesn’t mean, I figured I could take this at face value.
Come to think of it, when I met Seung-yeon or Shin Chang before, they’d said similar things.
‘I thought they were just being polite.’
Looking back now, it all seemed to check out.
With the Subspace and all the hidden dungeons I’ve found, reaching this point in such a short time shouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
Even back in my orphan days, I never lost a street fight. Though when there was a significant weight class difference, I’d just run away.
But why was I struggling at the sword dojo back then?
‘Was it because it was just a neighborhood dojo?’
I should have gone to a more expensive one.
No, wait. If I had, I wouldn’t have awakened the Subspace. I’ll just think of this as fate. I returned my attention to the conversation.
‘But if it’s A-rank, that’s not incredibly good, is it? There are S-rank skills too.’
-Negative. Even at the same grade, unique skills are perceived as slightly higher tier.
What? It’s not?
‘Is it something like Essirel?’
-Similar, but different. Based on my hypothesis, unique skills appear to follow their own independent grading system, separate from ordinary skills.
‘Unique skills among themselves?’
-Affirmative. It’s only a hypothesis, but the probability is high.
That meant an A-rank unique skill could be compared to an S-rank skill. I felt that way too.
The moment I gained enlightenment with this A-rank skill, I could tangibly feel my combat power shift.
‘How strong is this really?’
But even that answer didn’t give me a clear sense of it.
‘If it’s an A-rank unique skill, should I think of it as S-rank level?’
-I don’t have enough examples to say with certainty. It seems to be around the lower end of S-rank or the highest tier of A-rank, but the true value of a unique skill doesn’t end there.
‘Then what?’
-When a user acquires another skill, a unique skill can be absorbed into the user’s existing skills depending on their effort and dedication.
What?
After hearing the details, it was similar to the process of creating the Iron Wing Sword Technique.
In other words, combining the Iron Wing Sword Technique with a new skill.
It won’t be easy.
-It will be less difficult than now.
Is that so?
-It’s easier to apply part of another’s technique to a martial art you’ve created yourself than to combine martial arts created by someone else.
Ah, that’s right.
The catalyst for creating the Iron Wing Sword Technique was my battle with Toljet.
I absorbed his movements and techniques into my own. In the process, all the concerns I’d harbored came together and connected in a chain reaction.
Now I’ve completed the combination.
If I extract what I can from Toljet like before and add it, things would definitely be easier.
-Once you raise the level of the newly acquired combat skill and deepen your understanding, it will naturally merge with the Iron Wing Sword Technique, and the unique skill’s level will rise as well.
Oh? The level rises too?
-Affirmative. Such cases do occur. It depends on the compatibility between the newly acquired skill and the Iron Wing Sword Technique.
Then it doesn’t matter if I learn decent secret techniques.
I wondered if I’d become stronger by indiscriminately learning secret techniques and raising my level.
-Negative. Still, I recommend skills that suit Han Hye or high-grade skills. It’s a matter of efficiency.
Chun-bae cautioned me.
Well, he was the one paving the path for my growth, so it seemed right to listen to him. I’d never lost out following his advice.
* * *
[Dinosaur Guild breaks through the newly appeared ‘Designated Gate’!]
This linked-type Gate was being called a ‘Designated Gate.’ It was a Gate designated specifically for our guild members.
Since I’d reported the information to the Hunter Association, I expected it would soon be corrected to ‘Linked-type Gate.’
[Han Hye achieves level 64 by breaking through a Gate of incredible difficulty!]
Regarding this Gate, I’d coordinated with the guild members and unanimously stated that the difficulty was high.
If anyone could choose such a Gate, we’d never know when a real Gate Break might occur.
Without a level restriction, if it’s hunter-designated, no one could enter and clear it.
Of course, right now there was much discussion about our growth.
[World records are boring now—where does the Space Mage’s growth end?]
[The Advance Team shouldn’t be called the Advance Team in countdown, but the confident Advance Team]
[Fist King: ‘Space Mage? Probably stronger than most Advance Teams’]
Before level 60, the focus was still on levels, but now it was whether we should be treated as an Advance Team or not.
Of course, most were already defining us as an Advance Team.
Especially since we stopped a colossal Gate by defeating Ja-tan. The matchup was favorable, but France’s Sword King couldn’t stop a colossal Gate.
All they could do was hold out until Britain’s Grand Mage arrived.
Well, whatever the world thinks.
I just need to move forward as I am. And for that, there’s one more thing I need to do right now.
[Using Skill Level-Up Ticket.]
[The skill ‘Subspace (S-Rank)’ increases in level.]
This is what I call a true heart-pounding Subspace challenge.
Whoosh—.
I opened the door to the Subspace.
What could possibly await me in this sixth Subspace?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————