Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 289

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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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289. Dragon 2nd Team
Aiden, the shield warrior handling the vanguard.
Dong-hyuk, the warrior responsible for offense.
Samuel, providing healing and growth support.
The Dragon 2nd Team currently had three confirmed members.
Despite two positions remaining open, the Korean Hunter Association had sent quite an extensive roster—roughly forty candidates.
“This is what they filtered down to?”
I reviewed the list together with my guild members, and everyone was astonished.
“I thought we’d get around ten names, but if they hadn’t filtered it, we’d have had a real headache.”
“Right. We would’ve had to verify everyone ourselves.”
Unlike foreign associations that only examined S-rank skills, Korea had a broader scope and more applicants, which created this situation.
Still, it didn’t take long.
The Hunter Association had organized things quite well. Since they’d grouped candidates by job class and included ability descriptions, verification became much easier.
The agenda for this guild meeting was which job classes to select.
“Let’s pick one from the mages or spiritists. The rest is what we need to figure out.”
“Rogues and archers are the standard picks, but with growth acceleration available, reinforcing the vanguard for stability isn’t a bad option either.”
I wanted the Dragon 2nd Team to clear Gates with safety as the priority. With talented individuals assembled, time would ultimately be the answer.
Of course, it’s true that one grows stronger by taking risks, but we already have S-rank skill holders, don’t we?
‘The S-rank skill holders who joined after the Advance Team all grew up under proper care.’
Growing that way doesn’t mean their abilities lag behind. They can’t compare to the Advance Team, but even with their respective strengths and weaknesses, I believed this approach was superior.
Growth acceleration makes leveling faster. Our guild knows well the difficulty of advancing to higher-tier Gates.
Of course, since I and my guild members are exceptional, we’ve cleared them without issue, but I couldn’t guarantee the same for others.
Since leveling creates risks anyway, the strategy was to prioritize safety.
“Still, three warriors feels a bit much, doesn’t it? Even if Dong-hyuk is the dealer.”
However, Mister’s opinion had merit too.
“But wouldn’t it be wasteful to push Dong-hyuk to the back? I heard the phantom blade can become like a magic sword depending on how you use it?”
“Is that so?”
But as I examined the roster more carefully, such concerns became moot. There was a gem in the rare job class list.
“There’s a scout here?”
A scout—also called a ranger—was a rare job class. It felt like a blend of rogue and warrior in equal measure.
Right now, while considering what to fill the remaining slot with, this was the perfect candidate. So the remaining dilemma became mage versus spiritist.
“Spiritists have more raw firepower, but….”
“Mages are more versatile, right?”
The spiritist’s advantage was firepower. They consumed less mana than mages and had greater sustained destructive power. It was almost as if there was no casting time at all.
However, they fell short in versatility. Spirits’ applications were mostly specialized for combat.
For instance, when light was needed or for detecting magical traps, mages had the advantage. Which would be better for the Dragon 2nd Team?
After brief deliberation, I leaned toward the spiritist.
“Since we have the ranger for versatility, we can cover that aspect elsewhere, and this spiritist can use water and light spirits too.”
The spiritist who wielded A-rank lightning spirits could also use water and light spirits, albeit at lower tiers.
This provided some compensation in versatility. The destructive power of the lightning spirit was also worth anticipating.
-A-Rank Spirit Master, Park Se-jun
-A-Rank Scout, Lee Han-bi
The decision didn’t take long. The Hunter Association had curated the roster well, and our consensus made the selection smooth.
Regarding character assessment, they’d conducted thorough background checks including reputation surveys among nearby hunters and criminal history investigations, so I had no concerns.
-What? Me, me? Really? You mean Han Hye?
-Huh, me? Seriously!?
When I contacted them, both hunters had nearly identical reactions. Disbelief.
Despite both being A-Rank hunters, they apparently thought their competition was quite formidable.
‘There were actually better candidates too.’
While their skill grades were similar, there were more renowned hunters at comparable levels. The Rogue faction even had S-Rank hunters.
However, those individuals had failed the reputation screening. No matter how much a second team was needed, I couldn’t accept those with poor character.
-Tomorrow right away? Of course that’s possible!
With news that foreign S-Rank hunters had all arrived in Korea, the Dragon 2nd Team finally held its inaugural gathering.
* * *
Today wasn’t a grand assembly. It was more of a preliminary meeting. The selected hunters for the 2nd Team had varying levels.
Since I’d deliberately cast a wide net to recruit quality hunters, level synchronization was necessary.
I could have announced the 2nd Team’s establishment beforehand, but I followed the guild staff’s advice and postponed it.
Achievement evaluations would commence from the founding date, and any delays during the leveling period would be detrimental.
‘It doesn’t matter much for us.’
For the 2nd Team’s sake, it was better to demonstrate results immediately after official establishment, so this was consideration for the members.
That’s why today’s first meeting was held as a preliminary gathering.
“Hello?”
“Nice to meet you.”
Aiden and Samuel, who’d come from abroad, greeted us in Korean, albeit clumsily. Learning Korean was a condition of our guild.
They’d started preparing immediately upon hearing they’d passed. While they were only at basic conversational level, I believed they’d progress quickly.
Besides, we had time during this leveling period. As awkward greetings were exchanged, Aiden drew the most attention.
The next-generation vanguard from the United States with an S-Rank skill was already quite famous.
As for Samuel, the hunters seemed unfamiliar with him, but that was inevitable since he’d been concealing his skill.
Still, their eyes held the sense that he possessed something.
“Oh, aren’t you the one who was with the Sannaru Guild?”
A minor issue arose when Korean hunters recognized Dong-hyuk and tilted their heads in confusion.
They didn’t say it directly, but their eyes were suspicious. It was that feeling of ‘Is that really him?’
It was a situation that could easily develop into a problem.
Dong-hyuk’s skill hadn’t been publicly revealed yet. Only the Association knew about this matter. It seemed better for me to step in here.
“He’s an S-Rank Swordsmanship skill holder.”
-What?”
“Really? Back then it was said to be C-Rank….”
Dong-hyuk laughed awkwardly, so I provided additional explanation. Everyone looked astonished.
If you knew Dong-hyuk from before, it made sense. His previous team had been safety-oriented, after all.
‘No need to worry about their opinions.’
While we were busy, Dong-hyuk finally crossed the threshold. He’d become capable of properly wielding the Phantom Blade.
“Growth acceleration?”
When Samuel revealed his ability, everyone except him was astonished. Even Aiden from the United States was.
“I have great expectations for all of you. That’s why I assembled the team with a bit more caution.”
“We’ll climb as quickly as possible!”
Since it was a preliminary meeting, we kept the schedule brief. The team’s strategy and tactics were something they understood better than we did, so we didn’t meddle.
We decided to conduct coordination training until the official team composition was finalized.
For leveling up, we arranged to receive help from the Hunter Association. Members of our Dragon 2nd Team would temporarily join several top-ranked teams to raise their levels.
Thanks to that, we could avoid unnecessary hassle.
“We appreciate your support.”
I hoped they’d do well. The more people to fight against the erosion of magical power, the better.
Especially since our 2nd Team, unlike hunters from other nations, wouldn’t have to endure any reluctance in cooperation.
* * *
I reached level 75 at the Rest of the Dead Gate. The Kerimantal Crater Gate we were targeting required level 76.
Since I was one level short, I visited an ordinary gate remaining on the public listings.
It was a Forest Gate. I didn’t find any hidden dungeons, but through adequate hunting and experience gained from clearing the gate, I managed to reach level 76.
Before entering the Kerimantal Crater Gate where an ancient fire dragon supposedly appeared, I checked my status window.
[Lv76 Sky Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 99
Agility: 101(+2)(+5, +1)
Stamina: 103(+1)
Spirit: 90
Mana: 114(+1)(+1)
Bonus Points: 21
This was my status window at level 76. I consumed one of the elixirs I’d been saving, which increased my agility and mana.
I’d been accumulating the bonus points I’d earned without spending them.
-It seems good to keep about 10 bonus points remaining.
Following Chun-bae’s advice, I distributed the remaining points.
[Lv76 Sky Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 102(+3)
Agility: 102(+1)(+5, +1)
Stamina: 103(+1)
Spirit: 96(+6)
Mana: 115(+1)(+1)
Bonus Points: 10
After distributing evenly, I learned that the roar of the ancient fire dragon had psychological effects, so I invested 6 points into spirit as well.
I could always invest the remaining points when needed.
Based on Chun-bae’s guidance, I’d finished studying information about the Kerimantal Crater Gate and completed simulations to a reasonable degree.
The situation was better than I’d thought before. I now had Yong-yong, and even Bone Dragon on top of that.
“The question is whether I can actually catch it. Should I go at full level 80?”
To be honest, when I first began serious preparations, I had some worries. There were ambiguous aspects that made it hard to be certain. It was because of what Chun-bae said.
-I encountered the ancient flame dragon when I was with the Previous-Previous Princess. We happened to meet it while it was flapping its wings of flame, but we couldn’t capture it.
“That’s all?”
-Affirmative. We succeeded in cornering it, but ultimately failed and had no choice but to use the escape Secretary.
After that, retrying was meaningless. While we could attempt a second subjugation using the escape Secretary, the flapping flames had disappeared. It meant we couldn’t see the flame dragon again.
-The Gate’s rewards weren’t particularly bad, but the Previous-Previous Princess kept lamenting over losing the flame dragon that possessed a Dragon Heart.
“Can we do it?”
The question reflexively escaped when I heard that even the Previous-Previous Princess had failed.
-Affirmative. To be honest, you’ve already surpassed the Previous-Previous Princess.
After saying it, I realized my mistake—but that was right. I was no longer who I used to be.
The Hall of Winners had been incredibly difficult, but we’d become far stronger since then.
“There’s also a difference in team composition.”
-Correct. The Previous-Previous Princess’s team wasn’t in a state to properly handle a flame dragon flying through the sky.
But we’re different. We have Yong-yong and Bone Dragon. Not only does Mister have flight capability, but our guild members can fly too.
And in critical situations, just like the Previous-Previous Princess would have, we can use Subspace footholds and Subspace defense.
“If we didn’t have Bone Dragon, things would’ve gotten really bad.”
Assuming the other guild members besides Mister couldn’t fly, this dragon subjugation might have been postponed until level 80.
Of course, it wasn’t confirmed that all guild members would ride on Bone Dragon.
We could wrap protective barriers with Subspace, and Bone Dragon could engage in close combat with the ancient flame dragon. We’d need to assess the situation once inside the Gate.
We’d find out once we entered. And so we headed toward the Gate.
“Wow!”
“Please look over here!”
“Dragon! Dragon!”
I’ve definitely learned through my hunter life that people’s interest doesn’t last long.
Since the Australia incident, quite a bit of time had passed, and the number of people coming to see us had decreased slightly.
I wasn’t complaining about it. Wasn’t it just a natural principle? Still, there were many who came to support us.
Some fans had become familiar faces from seeing us often.
‘These people have no idea we’re going to catch a flame dragon.’
After receiving the fans’ cheers and offering my thanks, I entered the Gate.
[Kerimantal Crater]
-Hunt the flame spirits occupying the crater. Remaining time: 47 hours 59 minutes.
And intense heat enveloped us. Since everyone had acquired flame resistance skills beforehand, the damage wasn’t severe.
As for me, there was nothing to say.
“Wow, it’s pretty hot, but not a drop of sweat on you, Han Hye. Your skin looks so smooth.”
It truly felt like spring weather, nothing more.
“Let’s go. We need to handle this quickly.”
I dismissed the chatter and moved forward. We had two days. But our plan wasn’t just to catch the flame dragon.
The Previous-Previous Princess, who failed the flame dragon attempt, thoroughly searched this place the second time with a faint hope.
‘There’s a hidden dungeon.’
Our goal was to subjugate the main Gate, secure the hidden dungeon, and then hunt the flame dragon.
To succeed with my three-pronged plan, I needed to act with urgency.

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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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