Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 277

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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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277. Applicants (2)
Rising star.
A term meaning an emerging figure or noteworthy newcomer in a particular field, literally “a rising star.”
It’s used across all fields—not just the arts like film and music, but also sports like baseball and soccer, and in companies.
The Hunter industry is no exception.
-Rising star Han Hye!
-Who is the Space Mage?
It hasn’t even been a year, but there’s no denying that I was the rising star of Korea’s Hunter industry.
In fact, there’s no need to limit it to Korea alone. Once I gained momentum, I became the rising star of the global Hunter industry.
I wasn’t trying to boast, but where there’s a rising star, there must be a falling one.
It’s strange to say this about Choin, who remains a top-tier Hunter in the world, but….
It wasn’t unusual for some to compare Choin with me and call him a falling star.
Of course, Choin is absolutely not a falling star.
Sometimes people become falling stars against their will—either through external circumstances or because their abilities gradually decline.
But there are also stars that fade by their own choice.
* * *
Dong-hyuk, who possesses an S-rank environmental detection skill, is currently level 47.
Compared to when we first established the Swordsmanship Meeting, his leveling speed has been incredibly fast.
It was natural that the followers, tracking the Advance Team’s information, would level up faster than before.
Since my emergence, Hunters’ growth speed has increased slightly overall.
‘Of course, Hunter mortality rates have risen a bit too.’
Still, even accounting for that, his growth was rapid. He’d surpassed Sang-yeop, the Swordsmanship Instructor, in level. In the Swordsmanship Meeting, he was now second only to me and Knight Lee Hong-ju in terms of level.
Of course, that was partly because Sang-yeop had semi-retired from his Hunter career.
-I’m, I’m getting married.
That was about four months ago.
Some people with families work harder as Hunters, but the opposite is often true as well.
-I’m thinking of quitting soon. Now that I have a child, I can’t do it like I used to.
Especially Hunters who’ve earned enough tend to feel this way. They’ve fought risking their lives all this time, but now it’s hard to muster that kind of courage.
I understood.
-Well, I’m thinking of opening a swordsmanship academy. I can still enter Gates where safety is guaranteed from time to time.
I didn’t attend the wedding. It might sound like bragging, but if I went, Sang-yeop’s wedding would become quite chaotic.
I met with him separately and gave him a generous gift. Enough to surprise Sang-yeop.
-Th, this much?
Still, he agreed to continue participating in the Swordsmanship Meeting. After all, we conduct sparring matches with stat restrictions in place.
But even if he opens a swordsmanship academy, stepping away from the field meant it probably wouldn’t last long.
Because of that, I felt a bit of regret. I had quite a deep connection with Sang-yeop, whom I’d met at the Workshop after awakening.
Of course, I fully respect Sang-yeop’s choice.
In any case, even with Sang-yeop’s semi-retirement, Dong-hyuk’s growth speed was quite remarkable.
The reason the term “rising star” suddenly came to mind was because of these two.
At first, Dong-hyuk was an ordinary Hunter interested in swordsmanship but shy and introverted, aiming for safe hunting.
Before I brought about change, I came to the Swordsmanship Meeting at Sang-yeop’s suggestion, watching his reaction carefully.
But now the situation had reversed entirely. While it would be a shame to call Sang-yeop a fading star, he had voluntarily withdrawn from the industry.
Dong-hyuk, on the other hand, was now conducting his Hunter duties with an enthusiasm entirely different from before.
-Dragon 2nd Team Recruitment Level Range: 40~55
Since Dong-hyuk had been the primary driving force behind the Dragon 2nd Team’s establishment, it was only natural to adjust the level range to match this rising star.
The range was quite broad. Since we were going to nurture them anyway, I wanted to broaden the level span slightly to gather truly capable Hunters.
The fact that we had eleven applicants with S-rank Skills was partly because we’d recruited candidates from across the entire Earth, but the wider level range likely contributed as well.
Yet even so, I couldn’t view all eleven applicants without bias.
“First, we should eliminate anyone near the Übermenschen’s active zones, right?”
“Yes.”
One could never be too careful. The Übermenschen had surely heard about the Dragon 2nd Team, and if they found capable candidates, they’d try to recruit them.
And so two applicants were eliminated. They were members from European countries near the Middle East and North Africa regions.
“This one has a gap in their history.”
“It’s common abroad, but….”
We had attached quite stringent conditions to the application.
It was to grasp the traces of that person’s life. If there were gaps, we eliminated them immediately.
Unlike Korea, where one’s entire life could be documented almost entirely through records starting with a resident registration number, foreign countries didn’t have such systematic classification.
Moreover, after the Gate incident, even such administrative processing had become sloppy.
There was concern about manipulation. Perhaps contrary to our thinking, someone without gaps might actually be connected to the Übermenschen.
So we examined everything with perfect rigor. Several more applicants were eliminated.
“The one from Taiwan too….”
“We should exclude them.”
We also excluded those with close ties to China. Regardless of personal character, the risk was too high at this point in time.
* * *
“I heard this one has a terrible personality.”
“Really?”
“There should be videos. It became a topic.”
“Tch. Yeah, that’s a bit much. The constant fidgeting.”
As if to prove that it wasn’t without reason that many Hunters had strong elitist attitudes and were prone to mood swings….
Another applicant was rejected. In total, nine applicants were eliminated.
The fact that nine out of eleven were eliminated meant we had been that stringent in our evaluation.
In reality, S-rank Hunters are people that any country would eagerly recruit, even if their personalities were a bit rough.
“This one’s a bit of a waste, though.”
“They’re the type to cause conflict, so it’s right not to include them. Unless we’re planning to build around them.”
And so two applicants remained.
One was the American Warrior. Before and after the Gate incident, he had been a professional American football player until relatively recently.
He’d been a football player since high school and made it to the NFL. He quit his athletic career upon awakening, but fortunately his track record was clean because of it.
His physical specs alone were enough to inspire awe just from looking at his profile.
“Isn’t this bigger than Han Chul?”
“He’s over 2 meters tall.”
I don’t know much about American football, but apparently he played like a goalkeeper blocking the opponent’s charges.
He looked quite reliable. He even served as the team captain, and given the positive reviews, he didn’t seem like the type to cause problems.
Perhaps due to his activities before awakening, his class was “Shield Warrior”—a fairly common rare occupation.
The class harmonized well with his natural physique, but what drew more attention was the skill he possessed.
-Aegis Shield (S-Rank)
It was said to be an ability that neutralized most impacts, but since we hadn’t recruited him yet, it was difficult to know the exact effects.
Still, the fact that he blocked an Ogre’s attack with his shield at level 20 made it clear he possessed tremendous ability.
“I think we can bring this person in.”
“Yes. A reliable tank is essential.”
I mentally stamped my approval. The collaboration with the United States had been quite satisfactory so far. Besides, even if a discharge-type Gate opened, we wouldn’t need to provide separate assistance.
Even though I had defeated Choin, the United States remained a superpower boasting the world’s number one Hunter strength.
“Huh?”
My surprise came when I examined the next applicant.
On paper, it was perfect. Originally from Australia, which had become a land of monsters, they had awakened after immigrating to Norway where their grandparents lived.
And they had contracted with Norway, but that period was nearly expiring.
This meant no additional conventional support was necessary, making them the ideal talent we were looking for. However, what surprised me wasn’t just that.
-Growth Acceleration (S-Rank)
Their class itself was Healer. Their healing skill was B-Rank. But there was a skill written that I’d never seen before.
-I’ve never heard of it either.
Chun-bae had also never encountered this skill. According to the explanation, it increased experience gained inside Gates.
“This hasn’t been revealed until now?”
“Right?”
My and Mister’s question was natural, but Seo-ung’s answer was concise.
-Europe is quite strict about Hunter privacy. Especially with an S-Rank skill like that, they would have managed it even more strictly.
Europe is positioned quite close to the Übermenschen. It’s North Africa and the Middle East, but if one is determined, it doesn’t take much time to enter.
Therefore, information about promising Hunters is treated as state secrets.
-Norway also gave strict instructions about information security. Only I and the Association President have confirmed it.
-We received the application under the condition of the Hunter’s own will and a Hunter agreement with Norwegian authorities.
Norway belongs to the category of Hunter-weak nations. I heard their Advance Team level is below 60.
Unlike what I initially thought, a Hunter agreement was added as a condition, but with this level of ability, it was right to accept.
“This is…”
“Yes. We might be able to dramatically improve the growth speed problem?”
The Norwegian Hunter’s level was 43. According to the documents, quite some time had passed since escaping Australia, so they had awakened around the same time as me.
That meant this person also possessed an absurd growth speed.
They could dramatically accelerate the Dragon 2nd Team’s growth. And if they caught up with us…
It meant they could raise our already absurd growth speed even further.
Of course, simply raising levels alone is meaningless. We need to build a solid foundation. But that’s something we can do anytime.
We could proceed by slowing down Gate subjugation.
‘Though the possibility is low.’
To begin with, the level difference between the Dragon 2nd Team and us is nearly 30 when rounded.
Even if there’s growth acceleration on their end, considering our pace, wouldn’t we need quite a bit of time?
Still, she was talent worth bringing along. The future is unpredictable, after all.
It’s better to have at least one hidden card. B-rank healing isn’t a failing grade.
Rising stars.
The Hunters were already rising stars, but since I’m doing this, I wanted to create them properly. World-class, like me.
* * *
Dong-hyuk, the American Warrior, and the Norwegian Healer. Three were confirmed. We were thinking of five.
Even after rejecting nine S-rank applicants, there was no great regret.
The remaining two would be selected from Korean Hunters. Probably a mage and either a Rogue or rear guard.
Seo-ung said he’d narrow down the candidates.
‘Because the volume of Korean applicants is something we can’t verify.’
So we did our part. Physical recovery had progressed to a certain extent, and we trained while waiting for the Gate announcement.
I deliberately extended the training period.
Mister needed time to adapt to his new spear. I also had to devise how to use the S-rank skill Twilight Respite in accordance with our guild’s strategy.
Once the composition was roughly complete, we waited for the next Gate announcement.
“My hands are itching. I should’ve just done the last announcement right away.”
Mister was really eager. If you’ve obtained an S-rank skill, it’s only natural to want to use it. In actual combat rather than training.
From what I’d seen in training, Twilight Respite was quite a remarkable skill, so I understood his sentiment.
“Hm?”
That’s when Seo-ung received a call. When I answered, I didn’t think much of it. I assumed it was about Dragon 2nd Team.
But listening to it, the content was quite serious.
-Han Hye. The United States has requested support.
“The United States?”
-Choin failed to subjugate a Gate. It’s currently under embargo, but…
In truth, it was hard to understand immediately. That they’d request my help separate from the subjugation failure.
Each nation’s top-tier Advance Teams carry escape Secretaries. But in a situation like this…
“Could Choin be dead?”
-That’s not the case. It’s a chained Gate. Choin is trapped inside.
Choin trapped inside?
After that unsatisfying interview, he apparently entered the Gate immediately, but it was hard to believe.
“What about the escape Secretary?”
-He passed it to a teammate, it seems.
From what I gathered, there was a problem with a team member’s escape Secretary. Not a malfunction, but like when I’d severed Lei Chuang’s escape Secretary.
In any case, Choin, who’d been holding the world’s top position, was now trapped inside a Gate. A chained one.
‘Come to think of it, the last chained Gate was also in the United States.’
It seemed like a coincidence, but it was clear we had to move.
Though Choin had shown a cowardly and unsightly side, he was necessary talent to counter the unknown erosion.
-The Gate announcement? Ah, I’ll set aside a separate list.
Since we’d been waiting for the Gate announcement, I hadn’t forgotten what I wanted either.
And so we suddenly headed for the United States.

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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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