Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 28
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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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28. Seo Min-jae the Mage (1)
I had hesitated for a moment at Seo Seung-yeon’s words because I intended to give the grimoire to a future team member.
However, selling an E-rank grimoire wasn’t a bad idea. According to Chun-bae, I could get better ones later.
“What will you use it for?”
“My cousin is a Mage.”
“Ah…”
A rare class: Mage.
Similar to Wizard but different. Think of it like the difference between a Wizard and Sorcerer in some games.
A Mage’s innate skill is “Magic Enhancement.” But there’s a fatal drawback—they cannot learn magic naturally.
They can only acquire magic through secret techniques. Then they amplify that magic with their own skill.
‘That’s why they’re less popular than expected.’
It wasn’t for nothing that I said I hit the jackpot finding secret techniques in the Subspace. Secret techniques are precious regardless of rank.
The drop rate is low, and there’s fierce competition among those who want them.
A Mage is a class that constantly needs secret techniques to grow.
When using the same magic, they deal more damage than Wizards, but that strength comes with limitations on growth.
“He has A-rank Magic Enhancement, so his potential is excellent, but obtaining magic secret techniques is incredibly difficult.”
Seo Seung-yeon let out a shallow sigh.
“Wouldn’t the vanguard party obtain some secret techniques?”
“The distribution is predetermined. Even if magic secret techniques drop, they’re invested in the team’s Wizard. That’s why I can only obtain them this way.”
Well, the vanguard parties face constant challenges, so they’d immediately reinvest secret techniques from high-level Gates.
A sudden thought flashed through my mind.
‘Wait, a Mage with A-rank skill?’
If secret technique distribution was guaranteed, they could use magic far stronger than any Wizard.
But…
‘That’s something I can provide.’
Through Chun-bae, my suspicion had been confirmed. As my Subspace level increases, I can obtain higher-rank secret techniques.
And conveniently, I needed to gather team members anyway.
-Han Hye, a Mage is the perfect class to recruit. If A-rank Magic Enhancement is real, they’re an exceptional talent.
Chun-bae shared my thoughts.
-The Previous-Previous Princess was a Mage before she was a princess. She left behind many grimoires, so I can even guide their growth path.
Right. The world where the Previous-Previous Princess lived was a fantasy world with gods and magic. Before her awakening, she was an exceptional Mage.
And Chun-bae, who had been with her, could provide assistance.
In other words, Seo Seung-yeon’s cousin would become the top candidate for team recruitment if they were decent.
“There is one possibility.”
“Really?”
Seo Seung-yeon’s eyes brightened.
“But what’s your cousin’s current level?”
“They’re level 16 right now.”
Level 16? Perfect timing.
They’re at a level where we can enter the same Gates. With a two-level difference, a few runs should equalize us.
“Setting aside the matter of selling magical tomes, we’re currently recruiting guild members. Does your cousin happen to have a team?”
“Pardon?”
Seo Seung-yeon was startled by the implication that they wanted to recruit her as a team member.
“Oh, did you perhaps mishear? I’m a Mage.”
“No, I heard correctly.”
Mages were indeed an unpopular class. You could climb to level 20 with just a single E or F-rank spell, but anything beyond that was far too grueling.
“But why….”
“As you mentioned earlier, our guild is rather unconventional, isn’t it?”
A Space Mage and a Dragon Knight.
Just two of us, but a guild composed entirely of ultra-rare, top-tier classes.
“We focus on difficult Gates, so the odds of obtaining magical tomes are higher. And in terms of pure power, a Mage can be stronger than a Wizard—which suits our needs perfectly.”
“Well, even so… magical tomes don’t come around easily, do they?”
Seo Seung-yeon was taken aback by how bold my proposal was, unable to simply nod in agreement as she normally would.
“Well, we can think about that when the time comes, can’t we?”
I answered casually, since such a situation would likely never arise.
“Wow.”
But Seo Seung-yeon’s eyes widened, and she seemed genuinely moved.
“That certainly explains why you’ve grown so quickly.”
“Hmm?”
“Right. You don’t have to lock in a team permanently, and you can figure out what doesn’t work later.”
“I, I suppose so?”
“Aiming for the best, moving toward the highest potential—I learned something from you today.”
Wait, that’s not what I meant at all.
“Anyway, back to the main point—my cousin doesn’t have a team yet.”
“That’s fortunate. Well… of course, we’d need to meet first to see if it works out, but I was thinking, if you’re both comfortable with it, why not form a team?”
“We’d be grateful!”
* * *
-A Mage? Excellent. You said magical tomes keep dropping there? And if Chun-bae’s cousin is on the team, that’s the cherry on top!
After arranging the meeting, I told Chul-gi and Chun-bae about the Mage, and they were delighted.
Of course, recruitment wasn’t confirmed yet.
Regardless of whether we’d recruit them, we’d decided to sell the magical tome anyway, but we needed to assess what kind of person they were first.
After that, it was time to continue the conversation I’d left unfinished with Chun-bae.
Though the Mage recruitment meeting had come up suddenly, my original purpose was to get combat advice through sparring.
“So, what do you think? Any advice?”
-First, you have excellent combat instincts. I was particularly impressed by your timing in using the Subspace for defense and how you utilized your leap.
“Really?”
-Yes. Only the Previous Princess has learned Leap, but she never used it that way. The fact that you discovered such applications on your own….
As I listened to the praise, I tilted my head slightly. Was he just trying to boost my confidence with flattery?
“You didn’t praise the Previous Princess like this, did you?”
-To be frank, the Previous Princess lacked significant talent.
“No, not that kind of thing. I mean something that sounds nice.”
-Are you referring to flattery, sir? I was not designed that way. True growth comes from objective assessment. The Previous-Previous Princess would instill false hope in her successors….
“Chun-bae.”
-My apologies.
At least he catches his mistake the moment I speak.
Well, the Previous-Previous Princess and Previous Princess—after spending so much time together, Chun-bae must have picked up some habits from them.
“Anyway, is there anything else you can tell me about Subspace utilization?”
-There is also a method of launching one-sided attacks from within the Subspace.
“Ah, I already know about that.”
-…You do?
That was something I’d learned back when Red Dragon first awakened the Subspace.
-There is also a method of passing through terrain and obstacles by using the entrances and exits of the Subspace.
“I know that too.”
-…I, I see.
Perhaps everyone’s thoughts converge at the same point? There was nothing particularly different from what I’d already discovered.
Well, there are limits to how much you can exploit a Subspace that grants physical immunity.
-…Seeing that you’ve grasped most of this, I believe your exceptional growth is well-deserved. At level 18, you’re already utilizing the Subspace in such sophisticated ways.
“You’re not just complimenting me because you have nothing else to say, right?”
-No, sir. The Previous Princess and Previous-Previous Princess did not demonstrate this level of utilization ability at Han Hye’s current level.
Hmm.
Though I didn’t gain any new applications I hadn’t already discovered, hearing praise from someone who’d spent time with two princesses naturally lifted my spirits.
-Given your exceptional combat sense, I can already see which secret techniques you’ll need to learn from the next chamber.
“Really?”
-Yes. If your current combat ability combines with the secret techniques in the next space, the synergy will be remarkable.
* * *
The next day.
We encountered Seo Seung-yeon and the Mage at a café inside the Association Training Center. The man with Seo Seung-yeon looked quite young on the surface.
‘Around twenty years old, perhaps?’
As we approached, Seo Seung-yeon and the man stood up. His expression looked quite serious.
“Seniors! It’s great to meet you! I’m Seo Min-jae. Please, accept my bow first!”
“Huh?”
No, scratch that about looking serious. Looking again, he didn’t seem serious at all.
Seo Min-jae then proceeded to drop to his knees and bow—and he wasn’t joking.
“Uh, no….”
It was only natural that Mister and I were flustered.
“Hey. Get up. Quickly.”
Seo Seung-yeon was so embarrassed that she kicked Seo Min-jae in the ribs.
“I’m sorry. The kid lacks maturity.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Seo Min-jae, having risen from his seat, lowered his head once more.
“I have no shame in bowing. Not only are you selling magical secrets harder to obtain than plucking stars from the sky, but you’re even conducting a recruitment interview for me.”
Seo Min-jae’s face as he spoke seemed utterly sincere. Combined with that serious expression, his words carried considerable persuasive power.
“Ah, an interview? I’d say we’re just getting to know each other.”
“Getting to know each other? I’m ready anytime!”
Seo Min-jae spoke with unwavering conviction. At his spirited demeanor, Mister let out a hollow laugh and asked.
“How old are you, by the way?”
“I’m 21, hyung.”
“I’m not comfortable being called hyung. Just call me Mister. Han Hye is 24, so you can call her hyung if you’d like.”
Seo Min-jae quickly shook his head.
“Mister? You’re definitely hyung. It doesn’t seem like there’s much of an age gap between us.”
“Heh, you’ve got quite the silver tongue.”
“It’s already polished!”
Flattery can often sound unpleasant, but Seo Min-jae’s flattery didn’t feel that way at all.
Perhaps it was the earnest expression that made it amusing? Honestly, I found myself laughing too.
“Sigh…”
Seo Seung-yeon grabbed her forehead as if it ached. She sighed and glared at her cousin, looking like someone watching a friend who wouldn’t listen to reason.
Well, she’d probably given him strict warnings before this meeting, but seeing him act like this suggested Seo Min-jae was naturally the cheerful type.
Mister looked at me and scratched the back of his head. It was the signal we’d agreed on if he was satisfied.
I wasn’t sure if it was because of the compliment about looking young, but I wasn’t opposed either. He was an actively positive person in a good way.
“You’re fine with joining our team, Min-jae?”
“More than fine! I’m just grateful, hyung!”
Well, honestly, how could he not be?
For a mage, a team with a chance of obtaining secret techniques is the best, and our team is the best in the current level bracket.
“How about we first assess your abilities, then enter a Gate together to build some team synergy?”
“Yes! I’ll do that!”
“Shall we check your skills first?”
“I’m confident!”
In fact, that’s why we’d scheduled the meeting at the café inside the Training Facility. We all headed to the Combat Arena together.
It was to witness firsthand the power of the A-rank enhancement skill the mage possessed.
Using the Combat Arena’s equipment, we constructed a two-story building.
“What I’m about to demonstrate is an E-rank Fireball!”
E-rank Fireball.
A common skill. I’d seen it many times before. E-rank could safely be considered unremarkable.
It varies by skill level, but at level 1, it’s enough to properly take down one orc?
The explosion’s effective range is only about 70 centimeters.
Seo Min-jae extended his hand forward. The surrounding mana surged violently. The very act of casting the spell was extraordinary.
“Huh?”
And a fireball four times larger than I’d anticipated materialized in the air.
Is this the power of A-rank magic enhancement?
The way it blazed was far from ordinary. I found myself doubting whether this was really an E-rank Fireball and not an A-rank instead.
And then….
The fireball hurtled toward the building at tremendous speed.
BOOM—!
“….”
“….”
The building shattered into pieces.
Wait, did I pass?
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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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