Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 282

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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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282. Choin (5)
“A Skill Grade Advancement Token and an A-rank Grimoire.”
As I spoke with a slight grin, the guild members’ eyes widened.
“Wait. I didn’t mishear that, did I?”
“Guild Master, the Skill Grade Advancement Token is separate from what we’re receiving from the United States, right?”
“A, an A-rank Grimoire?”
Each member reacted differently.
“Yes. Two Skill Grade Advancement Tokens.”
Min-jae and Han Chul were visibly shocked, and even Lee Shin-hee, who rarely showed emotional changes, dropped her jaw.
The value of a Skill Grade Advancement Token was beyond measure. Though the mechanism was simple—raising a skill’s grade—it meant that those holding A-rank skills would gain S-rank skills instead.
For our guild especially, this was a windfall that warranted such astonishment. We had received two Skill Grade Advancement Tokens once before.
The Hall of Winners.
It was the Gate where the Previous-Previous Princess’s team had remained, making it extraordinarily treacherous. Had I not learned the information through Chun-bae, we would never have conquered it.
Because Choin, who had maintained the world’s number one ranking, had fallen into a trap in this highest-level Gate, we could obtain rewards of this caliber.
Of course, one of the tokens came from the United States, but even that alone more than compensated for the journey across the ocean.
“I’ve given some thought to the distribution.”
This had been largely settled through discussions with the United States.
“I think it would be best if Min-jae received the A-rank Grimoire, and Han Chul and Shin-hee received the Skill Grade Advancement Tokens. What do you all think?”
“I received one last time, so I’m fine.”
Mister stepped back first. Han Chul raised his hand next.
“Wouldn’t it be better if you used one, Guild Master?”
In truth, I had considered using one myself. I was the one who saved Choin and entered the Gate.
Moreover, since my Domain Manifestation skill was also A-rank, I could create another S-rank skill.
However, I had to consider the team’s balance. While it was good for me to grow stronger alone, what truly mattered was growing stronger ‘together’.
Even now, the gap between me and my team members was considerable.
-You cannot overcome everything alone. Investing in strengthening the team’s overall power is also a wise choice.
Chun-bae’s advice aligned with my own thoughts.
It wasn’t merely about reaching mana erosion. There was still quite a path ahead before reaching that stage.
I was only at the early stages of level 70. To progress further, I needed my team members’ support. This was a long-term decision.
And this wouldn’t be the last opportunity to obtain Skill Grade Advancement Tokens.
-The Skill Grade Advancement Token is something Han Hye can potentially acquire additionally through her abilities. You can invest in Domain Manifestation later.
That was the conclusion I reached after consulting with Chun-bae.
Rather than stating it directly, I explained it indirectly—that I had obtained one before and was currently adapting to a new skill.
“If you put it that way….”
Still, my meaning seemed to come across clearly. Han Chul and Lee Shin-hee probably understood my true intentions.
“I’m grateful, but honestly, the Skill Grade Advancement Token seems more valuable. I’ll defer to Min-jae’s opinion.”
That was Lee Shin-hee’s response. Min-jae nodded coolly.
“Of course, the Grimoire for me!”
“Really?”
Mister was the one taken aback instead.
“Will you be alright?”
“Of course. Four out of five members of our guild obtained skill rank-up certificates. You don’t think any more will come out?”
Min-jae chuckled.
“Our firepower is sufficient as is. I can learn skills from A-rank grimoires, and I can always use mine later!”
Min-jae, who had always loved hidden treasures as much as the old man, showed an unexpectedly different side.
“And Han Chul and Shin-hee….”
“Shin-hee?”
Lee Shin-hee cut him off. Her eyebrows raised in an uncharacteristic manner.
“You should say ‘older sister’, not ‘miss’. We’re the same age—Han Hye is your older brother, so why am I a ‘miss’?”
Since I had always called the old man and Han Chul “older brother,” I understood Lee Shin-hee’s feelings.
Min-jae flinched and corrected himself.
“I think Han Chul and Shin-hee should receive the rank-up certificates first. They protect us and heal us, after all.”
He was right. Even without the grimoires, I would have suggested this distribution.
Han Chul’s First Guard had benefited us all. Without it, we would have suffered serious injuries several times over.
Lee Shin-hee’s healing was beyond question. Even if our guild rarely took damage, this was an insurance we couldn’t compromise on.
I had the recovery facilities of the Subspace, but….
If Han Chul or the old man ended up with their bellies pierced like I had been by the Butcher, I could only rely on Lee Shin-hee.
Min-jae said those words, but if he felt no regret, it would be a lie. If he became a mage with an S-rank skill, he would wield destructive power exceeding A-rank grimoires.
When we first met, he had a somewhat childish side, but Min-jae seemed to have grown considerably in the meantime.
“The next skill rank-up certificate is definitely yours, Min-jae.”
I hadn’t expected to say it with a smile like this when Min-jae showed slight regret.
“Right?”
Min-jae accepted the grimoire with a grin.
“Now our guild has four S-rank skill holders.”
“Is that so?”
It was a conversation between Min-jae and the old man, but I corrected an error.
“Aren’t there more if you count Team 2?”
Though the team hadn’t been formally organized yet, agreements with foreign hunters had all been finalized.
Once their families finished moving, they would soon arrive in Korea.
“Oops.”
Min-jae laughed playfully.
“You’ll get me skill rank-up certificates quickly, right? If I fall behind Team 2, it’ll be a bit awkward.”
I laughed because I knew he was joking. Still, it was something to keep in mind.
As Team 1 in name, we couldn’t fall behind Team 2’s S-rank skill holders.
Now that Han Chul and Lee Shin-hee had joined the list of S-rank skill holders, I needed to take care of Min-jae too.
“I’ll do my best.”
* * *
“Hello!”
Before boarding the flight to Korea, we met the shield warrior who had decided to join Dragon 2nd Team.
Aiden. He possessed the S-rank skill, Aegis Shield.
Aiden was a professional in the United States, the land of American football, and seeing him in person, he appeared even larger than in photographs.
Standing nearly two meters tall with broad, squared shoulders, his entire frame seemed to be composed entirely of muscle.
“Wow, what a physique….”
Min-jae’s jaw dropped, and I completely understood his sentiment. Strange as it was to say, it felt like a bear was standing before us rather than a man.
He was even larger than Han Chul or the Fist King.
I’d heard he played the position of blocking opposing players’ charges in American football, and his physique certainly justified his professional status.
According to what the American side told us, he’d come to greet us before our departure.
“The moving preparations are nearly complete, and we’re planning to head to Korea next week. Thank you for everything!”
For a family relocation, this pace was remarkably swift. There would be so much to settle—a house, assets, and more.
The American side must have provided considerable assistance.
“Thank you as well.”
As we exchanged greetings, Aiden’s gaze was fixed intently on Han Chul. This was something unusual.
When meeting ordinary people, his attention typically centered on me, not on displays of self-importance.
“I’m, I’m a fan.”
As expected, Aiden stammered, his eyes shining with admiration toward Han Chul.
Ah, now that I thought about it, Han Chul had been the vanguard of the US Advance Team just a few years ago.
In America, Hunters were treated as heroes, so his popularity was considerable.
Though Aiden was a promising prospect himself, such a reaction wasn’t strange.
“I’ve always supported you, even when you were bedridden!”
“Thank you. I hear you’re quite the capable vanguard yourself.”
“Not nearly as much as the Guardian!”
His hand trembled as they shook, and Han Chul smiled warmly as he grasped it.
“We’ll be working together going forward, so I look forward to it.”
“I, I look forward to it as well!”
Well, since it was merely a courtesy visit, the time we spent together wasn’t particularly long. Still, the impression was quite favorable.
“Seems like a good choice?”
“Yes. I’ve heard some athletes of poor character can be troublesome, but there’s none of that here.”
“And then there are those who become strange in personality after becoming Hunters.”
“Ah, that’s true. Even though he’s my fan, I try to observe objectively, and he doesn’t seem to be that type.”
Just from watching the Mister and Han Chul’s conversation, you could tell. There was no sense of him holding back in the presence of someone he admired.
How should I put it? He had a gentle, youthful demeanor, and he retained that refreshing straightforwardness characteristic of athletes in a positive way.
I considered it a positive development. I hoped that a Hunter possessing a skill like growth acceleration wouldn’t develop a difficult personality.
In truth, while Aiden as a Hunter was fine, what made me take greater interest in Dragon 2nd Team was because of that skill.
.
.
.
“The Übermenschen Leader was really there?”
I couldn’t speak of it while in the United States, but now that I was in Korea, I could relay to the Guild members what I’d heard from Choin.
Everyone wore expressions of shock. Lee Shin-hee’s mouth hung open as well.
This was the second time today after the skill rank-up voucher earlier, and it was shocking news of that magnitude.
“So Choin has been protecting us all along?”
Min-jae, who had actively supported the theory that Choin was a coward like the Fist King, wore a rather complicated expression.
Perhaps he was experiencing a similar emotion to what I had felt when conversing with Choin—a heaviness of heart.
“Min-jae, why do you look like that?”
The Mister seemed to have caught that as well.
“Ah, it’s just shocking.”
“That doesn’t seem to be the whole reason. Did you perhaps go around cursing Choin on the internet?”
“What!? No. That couldn’t be.”
The Mister let out a snort of laughter.
“Cut back on the internet, will you.”
It was advice directed at Min-jae, who frequently spent time online with Seo Seung-yeon. Min-jae bristled.
“But you also said Choin was a coward, didn’t you…”
“Did I? Really?”
Unlike Chul-gi, who responded with shameless nonchalance, I couldn’t muster the confidence to deny it outright.
After all, I had harbored similar thoughts upon hearing the Fist King’s assessment—a man whose eye for people was notoriously poor.
Of course, I, blessed with a keen judge of character, had come to recognize Choin’s true worth through our conversation. Truly.
Han Chul let out a hearty laugh.
-Choin? He’s not a bad person at all.
He had been the only one who hadn’t agreed when Min-jae was disparaging Choin. At the time, I’d assumed it was because they were former colleagues.
Now I found myself thinking I should learn something of Han Chul’s quiet composure.
“But it’s truly frightening. The fact that neither Choin nor you are the strongest in the world—it’s the Übermenschen Leader who holds that position.”
“But we can’t be certain of that.”
The Mister shrugged his shoulders.
“That may be true, but… Choin wouldn’t have said something like that without reason.”
If the Attunement skill truly allowed one to transfer awakening to another person…
It would be an even more broken ability than mine. Especially considering he hadn’t left behind the cream of early America’s awakened.
While operating in the Third World, he must have stripped that region of its awakened as well. I believe he could easily possess power equal to or exceeding both myself and Choin.
He might be a formidable opponent beyond imagination.
“Han Hye will win.”
It was Lee Shin-hee who spoke so suddenly. I raised an eyebrow in question, and she let out a soft laugh.
“Having many skills doesn’t mean everything, does it? Even with ten S-rank skills at level 1, wouldn’t they lose to a single S-rank skill at level 10?”
Clever Lee Shin-hee surely didn’t truly believe all of his skills were at level 1.
In the end, what mattered was skill application and combat ability—there was no need to be unnecessarily fearful.
“Exactly. Besides, it’s not just him and me.”
On our side, there were Shin Chang, the Fist King, Choin, and several other hunters. The Übermenschen surely had strong members as well, but…
Honestly, even if a criminal organization had all its best people, they couldn’t stand against elite members from Earth’s nations.
We had our own plans. In fact, the Fist King still had a coordinate-designating Secretary with access to Korea.
‘Choin is the same.’
Before coming here, Choin and I had exchanged coordinate-designating Secretaries. We’d swapped ours for the American coordinate Secretary so we could provide mutual support.
America’s land was vast, but it would be better than flying from Korea.
“Ah, the Gate roster has arrived.”
Our conversation ended there. The timing was fortuitous, I thought. The guild members’ eyes gleamed with anticipation.
As a condition for participating in this hunter cooperation, we’d secured advance access to the Gate publication roster.
One might say we were exercising priority without officially possessing it. I was reviewing the list with that understanding.
Chun-bae spoke up.
-Han Hye.
‘What is it? Do you know something?’
-It seems the time has come to use the Flaming Wings.
‘Could it be…?’
It appeared the moment Chun-bae had mentioned back at the American Auction House had finally arrived—our encounter with the ancient fire dragon.

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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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