Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 29

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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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29. Seo Min-jae the Mage (2)
“Well, you pass.”
The words I’d kept silent in my heart, Mister spoke aloud. Though caught off guard, it meant we shared the same assessment.
It was only natural after witnessing a building reduced to rubble in a single strike.
There was no choice but to view it favorably. The destructive power was simply impossible from an E-rank Fireball by any reasonable standard.
I’d held expectations for a mage, but I never anticipated anything of this caliber.
“This is my magic enhancement.”
“That’s insane.”
Seo Min-jae grinned, clearly aware his skill was impressive.
“How much does an A-rank magic enhancement increase destructive power?”
“Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure… but roughly threefold, I’d estimate?”
Threefold? Judging by the collapsed building, it seemed like more than that. Hard to say. Perhaps the explosion force tripled along with the fireball’s size and intensity, bringing down the structure.
Either way, it meant the better spells he mastered, the stronger he’d become.
“You’ve exceeded my expectations.”
“Thank you so much!”
At my candid praise, Seo Min-jae exclaimed enthusiastically. Based purely on performance, recruiting him immediately seemed risk-free.
Even his spell-casting speed surpassed most mages.
In other words, given proper skills, he was someone capable of delivering truly exceptional performance.
But I didn’t act hastily.
I needed to see how he performed inside a Gate. Unexpectedly, he might freeze up in actual combat.
“Now we just need to enter a Gate together once.”
“I’m ready!”
It was something we’d agreed upon when arranging yesterday’s meeting. We’d already filed the Gate application. We headed straight for the Gate.
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.
.
[Moss Forest Tyrant]
-Recommended Level: 16~20
-Entry Limit: 5 people
Since we’d applied somewhat hastily, this wasn’t a Gate disproportionately difficult for our level like before.
We’d applied here simply to test our coordination. Therefore, I harbored no concerns about clearing it.
Typically, the ‘Forest Tyrant’ Gate spawns trolls or ogres. Of course, considering our current level range, they’d definitely be weaker specimens.
Either immature or undersized.
Ogres and trolls can reach the mid-30s depending on whether they’re awakened and individual variations.
[Moss Forest Tyrant]
-Subjugate the troll
that dominates the forest.
Remaining time: 4 hours 59 minutes.
As expected, my prediction proved accurate. I just needed to proceed as planned. First, I surveyed the surroundings carefully.
Though our target was the troll, it wouldn’t be the only creature present.
Since it was a forest Gate, ogres, trolls, and beast-like monsters emerged. I had to break through them and hunt down the troll.
“Yong-yong.”
I summoned Yong-yong from the Subspace while keeping watch over my surroundings. Familiar with the routine now, Yong-yong fluttered over to Mister without hesitation.
Seo Min-jae’s eyes lit up at the Red Dragon’s appearance.
“Wow, the Red Dragon… It’s even cuter than in pictures.”
“Would you like to touch it?”
Mister, using Dragon Unity, extended Yong-yong toward Seo Min-jae. The moment he naturally reached out his hand—
“Hiss!”
Yong-yong hissed like an angry cat, its tail lashing sharply. Seo Min-jae flinched and stumbled backward in surprise.
“It… doesn’t like me?”
“That’s strange. I was using Dragon Unity…”
Mister seemed equally bewildered.
“It appears the synchronization only works with you, not with others.”
“Is… that so?”
“Let’s start the search first.”
“Right. Don’t worry. You two will warm up to each other eventually.”
At Mister’s lighthearted remark, Seo Min-jae’s eyes sparkled and he nodded eagerly. He clearly wanted to befriend Yong-yong.
“Let’s move.”
As I advanced, we encountered orcs. A few awakened ones were mixed in, but they posed no problem.
Boom—!
Slash—!
Objectively speaking, Mister and I were operating on an entirely different level. It meant we could breeze through an ordinary Gate like this without any difficulty.
Mister would scatter the groups effortlessly with his Flying Dragon technique, and I would finish them off.
‘This works well in actual combat too.’
I wrapped things up using the Leg Sweep and Leap techniques I’d been practicing. I was particularly pleased with the Leg Sweep.
I hadn’t gotten a proper chance to test it against trolls in the last Gate.
It felt more refined after my sparring with Seo Seung-yeon, and I was satisfied with how it performed against the awakened orc.
“Wow…”
When the battle ended, Seo Min-jae clapped his hands in admiration.
“The Space Mage and Dragon Knight… You’re both incredible.”
“Ah, don’t praise us too much.”
Mister laughed and spoke, and Seo Min-jae waved both hands.
“No, you’re on a completely different level from other hunters. There were thirteen orcs including awakened ones, and you cleared them so easily…”
Though there was some flattery in his words, his serious expression made it feel entirely genuine.
Still, everything was going according to plan.
We had indeed fought with some intention to demonstrate our abilities. We needed to show Seo Min-jae something after all.
“Do we pass?”
“Absolutely. I’ve been jumping with excitement ever since I heard about the meeting. From the Dead End to Flame Valley—you two are clearly different.”
I smiled softly. The atmosphere was good. I observed Seo Min-jae during the battle, checking whether he got nervous in actual combat. He handled it quite well.
With sharp eyes scanning the battlefield, he had his magic ready to deploy instantly whenever support was needed.
Thump. Thump.
It was in the middle of our conversation.
A heavy rumbling echoed from deeper within the forest. I recognized it immediately as a troll.
Earlier, Mister had used Flying Dragon Slash to snap trees, and apparently the sound had carried.
Actually, this worked out better. I was getting tired of searching anyway.
“Let’s go capture it right now.”
Since it was approaching from that direction, we encountered the troll in less than a minute.
It was slightly over two meters tall. Definitely not a strong specimen.
Typically they exceed 2.5 meters, so given our level, a weaker individual had appeared.
The moment Seo Min-jae saw the troll, he began preparing magic.
“I’ll land one hit first to start us off!”
Mister and I nodded in agreement.
Trolls are famous for their powerful regeneration and magical resistance. Seo Min-jae’s magic wouldn’t kill it in one shot.
But considering the destructive power that brought down the building earlier, he should still be able to deal damage.
Then Mister and I would rush in and finish it off….
Boom!
I couldn’t continue my thoughts because the troll hit by the fireball collapsed right there on the spot.
It wasn’t dead outright, but it had become incapacitated.
“Huh?”
“What?”
Seo Min-jae was equally flustered.
“What just happened?”
When Mister asked Seo Min-jae what was going on, he scratched the back of his head.
“This is my first time facing a troll, so I didn’t expect to take it down in one hit like this….”
“But still, that destructive power is incredible?”
“Actually, my sister told me not to use magic enhancement potions, so I was holding back somewhat. Since it was a troll, I went all out though.”
Even for a weak specimen, to incapacitate a troll with an E-rank Fireball….
I’d had a good feeling about it since seeing Fireball at the Training Facility, but this was genuinely impressive.
“Well, there’s no need to see more.”
A mage with an A-rank skill. I could continue supplying him with secret potions from now on.
I was curious what kind of performance he’d display once secret potions were added to this level of destructive power.
“Welcome. You’re part of the Dragon Guild now, Min-jae.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Welcome, truly.”
Chul-gi, who had been wearing a shocked expression, readily smiled and extended his hand.
Seo Min-jae, shaking hands with Mister, spoke with a joyful face.
“Please speak comfortably with me, hyungs. I’m the younger one here.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
This was the moment a fourth team member was added to the Dragon Guild.
Somehow I ended up collecting rare jobs like some kind of hipster… but that’s probably just my imagination, right?
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.
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[Gate ‘Moss Forest Tyrant’ subjugation complete.]
[Experience acquired.]
[Level increased.]
It wasn’t a particularly difficult Gate, but I was satisfied since I leveled up and obtained the Mage skill.
* * *
I returned to the Hunter Association to register as a guild member and was able to meet Seo Seung-yeon. She was delighted when she heard the news.
“The price for the secret technique would be 1.5 times the recent auction price…”
“That’s not necessary. I was planning to give the magic secret technique to team members anyway.”
I declined Seo Seung-yeon’s offer. We weren’t short on funds right now, and this was part of my original plan.
This kind of thing strengthens bonds between team members.
If I hand over the secret technique in advance, distribution becomes much cleaner when something we need drops from a Gate.
But Seo Seung-yeon waved both hands firmly and spoke.
“No, I couldn’t possibly. A favor is a favor and payment is payment.”
“You don’t have to do that…”
“I insist. Secret techniques aren’t ordinarily rare—of course I should pay for it.”
Seo Min-jae seconded Seo Seung-yeon’s words. Since they were being so firm, I didn’t push back further.
There was no reason to refuse when they were offering to pay.
“Thank you so much! I’ll work hard to master the new magic before our next Gate subjugation!”
Seo Min-jae grinned widely as he received the secret technique.
The atmosphere was good. I gauged Seo Seung-yeon’s reaction. I was curious about something and it seemed okay to ask.
“Seo Seung-yeon. I heard your Gate entry was cancelled and you had a sparring match instead—do you happen to know why it was cancelled?”
“Hmm. It’s confidential, but…”
Seo Seung-yeon hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“Since it’s you, Han Hye, I’ll tell you.”
“Thank you.”
“Recently, Earth’s mana density has been fluctuating irregularly. We don’t know when the discharge-type Gates might rupture.”
“What? Like five years ago?”
I was certain something was happening, but the idea that discharge-type Gates could rupture at any moment was shocking.
It was quite unsettling.
“High-level hunters are on complete standby for now. Below that tier, they’re still discussing what to do, so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out.”
“I see.”
Mister nodded with a worried expression. It was a natural reaction given that he had family.
“We’re near the Association Vicinity anyway. We should be fine.”
Land prices near the Association Vicinity aren’t expensive for nothing.
While each region has hunters stationed to prepare for discharge-type Gates, the Association Vicinity is especially safe.
“Oh right. Min-jae, when we hit level 20, we need to go to a level-restricted survival-type Gate—is that okay with you?”
“Of course! I’ll do my best!”
I’d worried Seo Min-jae might hesitate, but he nodded readily.
Seo Seung-yeon added her words.
“Min-jae, I’m counting on you. I worry because he’s still so reckless.”
“He’s spirited, which is good. What’s wrong with that?”
Mister chuckled at Seo Seung-yeon’s concern.
After parting ways with the two of them, I shared a brief conversation with Mister as well.
“So? He seemed alright, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. He’s got good manners. Unlike someone else.”
“Unlike someone? You mean me?”
“You had no sense of propriety back then.”
Well, he wasn’t wrong about that time.
Those were the days when I despised everything in this world.
“Sigh. I’m sorry. It’s all because I didn’t receive proper family education.”
Mister looked flustered when I spoke with such a sad expression.
“Hey now, if you say things like that, what does that make me?”
“If I’d had parents, I would have had better manners.”
Mister pondered for a moment before continuing.
“Sigh, you’re right about that.”
I’d made a direct frontal assault on his defenses.
This old man wasn’t usually good at this sort of thing. Where did he learn to do this?
“Wow, garbage.”
“Garbage. That is me.”
“What kind of way is that to talk?”
“Dunno. I saw it in a manga Min-seok watches.”
“But Min-seok is just an elementary school student…”
That’s when it happened.
Wring—
Park Seo-ung called.
—Han Hye. Is it alright if we talk for a moment?
“Yes.”
—I was wondering if you could quickly clear a level-restricted survival Gate for us.
“Huh? Wasn’t the original plan to reach level 20 first?”
Since I wouldn’t be going alone, the goal was to enter in as strong a state as possible.
According to the original schedule, this Gate would have been two Gates away.
Of course, judging from my conversation with Seo Seung-yeon just now, I could roughly guess the reason.
—It’s something that will be announced soon, but recently the mana density has been extremely irregular.
My suspicion was correct after all.
It seemed I’d be entering the level-restricted survival Gate sooner than expected.

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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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