Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 313
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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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313. Instructor
“Would you be interested in taking on the role of instructor for this cohort’s workshop?”
The words came from Seo-ung.
“Of course, there’s no coercion or desperate plea behind this request.”
The story began like this: recently, Sang-yeop had started the process of retirement and stepped down from his workshop instructor duties.
There were plenty of replacement instructors available. Taking on a workshop instructor role meant earning bonus Guild Points.
But since we were currently resting in Korea while covering vacation schedules for other guilds, they were asking whether I might try taking on the instructor role once.
Though they called it a request, it was closer to an offer.
You could think of it as more or less, “Would you like to give workshop instruction a try if you’re bored?”
I thought it wasn’t a bad idea. After all, wasn’t my life just a cycle of training and waiting?
‘The training volume will be the same as always, and I’ll have extra time since I’m not entering Gates.’
Besides, the workshop only ran for a week, so it didn’t matter much. I couldn’t enter a Gate during vacation anyway.
Ascending from a workshop student to world-class instructor level in the span of a year seemed rather entertaining.
“I’ll give it a try.”
What I took on was the Sword Arts section that Sang-yeop had taught. Other classes apparently covered practical Gate strategy and tactics.
They said I just needed to explain what to be mindful of and what mindset to maintain.
“Workshop instructor? Wow.”
Among the guild members who heard the news, only Min-jae and Mister showed envy.
“I wanted to try that too.”
“Why can’t I do it?”
Their envy wasn’t mere flattery. In fact, high-level hunters almost never participated as workshop instructors.
Not only did high-levels rarely take on such roles, but the Hunter Association discouraged it.
The perspective changes depending on the level of expertise. The advice of high-level hunters didn’t seem to help beginner hunters much, I suppose.
Unless someone possessed exceptional teaching ability, C to D-rank hunters were frequently selected for the same reason.
‘Because they can offer realistic advice from the same eye level.’
Min-jae and Mister naturally liked this sort of thing, which is why they felt envious of me.
The announcement of my temporary workshop instructor role caused an uproar.
[????? Han Hye is participating as a workshop instructor?]
-From now on continuously?
┗No, just this cohort
┗Insanely jealous
┗Getting taught by Han Hye? Isn’t this cohort specially chosen?
[Legend lol just awakened a week ago and the instructor is Han Hye]
-Does that even make sense;;>
-Wish I’d awakened a month later
┗Should’ve awakened five years later lol
To put it in perspective, it was like Messi showing up as a youth soccer instructor.
Not all responses were positive. Of course, the negativity wasn’t directed at me, but at the Hunter Association.
[Doesn’t Han Hye need to level up? Is this right?]
[What vacation? They approve vacation for Dinosaur Guild, so why should Dinosaur be on standby?]
The gist of those with negative opinions was this: I had surpassed the level of the superhuman who maintained world rank through constant effort.
Moreover, the gap wasn’t that large. So they were saying we needed to be sent to Gates quickly to defend our ranking.
-What kind of insane talk is this?
-Don’t you remember how Saebyeokbit and Chulbyeok struggled until Dinosaur caught up?
-This guy thinks our safety just comes out of nowhere?
My thoughts aligned with the commenters. Honestly, I didn’t place much weight on being world rank number one.
I would’ve said it’d be different if they’d told us not to take vacation either, but then I’d think they were just people obsessed with Korea having the world’s number one hunter…
It was rather ridiculous that we got to take vacation while Saebyeokbit and Chulbyeok were told to rest not at all and just level us up.
Personally, I don’t think such people are fans. It wasn’t that they were rooting for us, but rather that they wanted something for their own satisfaction.
‘Overzealous supporters create zealous detractors, and vice versa.’
In any case, I took the stage as a workshop instructor amid fervent attention.
* * *
-Click.
The moment I opened the door, a silence so thick you could hear a pin drop greeted me. Yet in stark contrast to that silence, every pair of eyes gleamed brightly.
Right. I’d come to the workshop’s first lesson. I’d seen eyes like these many times before, but being in a classroom setting sparked unexpected enthusiasm within me.
“Pleased to meet you all. I’m Space Mage Han Hye.”
“Waah!”
Only after I greeted them did applause and cheers erupt. Since it was a workshop, the cheering didn’t last as long as when I met fans outside.
Still, I was somewhat taken aback.
“Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a Sword Arts class?”
“That’s right!”
I was teaching two subjects at this workshop: Sword Arts and practical theory on Gate Subjugation.
The latter was attended by all the students, but the Sword Arts class typically drew only those who wielded blades.
“So you’re telling me that Mages and Healers came too?”
“We want to learn swordplay!”
Mages and Healers did participate in the Sword Arts class. Even those in support roles didn’t neglect secondary armament.
When mana ran dry or enemies broke through the back line, you needed the means to protect yourself with your own strength.
Lee Shin-hee carrying a blade fell into the same category. Still, having most of the students show up for Sword Arts was somewhat surprising.
Looking at the roster, it seemed like everyone had gathered except those Warriors and Rogues whose Aptitude Tests hadn’t revealed blade affinity. Support classes especially.
“Hmm.”
I hadn’t wanted to be harsh right from the start, but this situation left me no choice.
“For those of you whose Aptitude Tests didn’t show blade affinity after registering as Awakened Ones, I’d recommend reconsidering and sitting in on a different class instead.”
A blade might look simple, but it’s absolutely not an easy weapon. Support classes are actually better suited to Maces.
When you’re holding a Shield in one hand and a Mace in the other, you can always buy time—no question.
In fact, even when support classes get blades or spears from their Aptitude Tests, Maces and Shields are almost always fixed in practice.
It might be fine for now, but later when you’re applying to join a Guild or team, it becomes a major factor.
—Both C-rank Healers, but one uses a blade and one uses a Mace and Shield?
—Then the Mace and Shield wins.
Once I’d explained with such practical examples, several students nodded and promptly moved to other classrooms.
Even so, some remained. It was their choice. I decided not to interfere beyond that.
“Then let’s begin. When we speak of the fundamentals of the blade…”
I’d gotten help from Sang-yeop with the Sword Arts curriculum. It was the very class I’d attended a year ago, and having learned he’d be giving the lecture, he’d passed along his syllabus.
There were no students who stood out dramatically. I simply lectured in a straightforward way and answered questions.
“Ah, so that’s how it’s done. Thank you!”
Though I’d been stern at first, the classroom atmosphere was excellent.
Not to boast, but it was incomparable to Sang-yeop’s class that I’d attended back then.
Many students had been focused then too, but wasn’t the situation different now? I’m the world’s number one Hunter.
The students’ level of concentration couldn’t help but be different.
“Um, Hunter Han Hye.”
“During the workshop, you can call me Instructor.”
There were some awkward people as well—those who’d gone beyond simply showing interest in me.
“Instructor. Do you have any plans to form a Dinosaur Guild team three?”
“I’m sorry?”
“I think it would be great to assemble a team of really promising prospects!”
I couldn’t tell if this person was being sincere or arrogant. They did have an A-rank Skill, but it wasn’t particularly practical.
I was slightly taken aback but chose my words carefully.
“Ha, I don’t have any plans like that at the moment.”
“Just think about it. I have an A-rank Skill!”
It seemed their confidence had surged along with gaining an A-rank Skill upon Awakening.
Most of our Guild members had A-rank Skills early on, and this person seemed to mistake themselves for being of similar value… but that was nowhere near accurate.
An A-rank Skill? You’d need to be at the level of Dong-hyuk with his S-rank Sword Skill to even think about team building.
Besides the overconfident ones, there were other peculiar students.
“Instructor~.”
A student approached wearing clothes that exposed half her body.
“How about grabbing a beer after the workshop?”
She seemed to think she possessed tremendous charm.
“No thank you.”
In truth, I’d built up immunity to these kinds of advances—I encountered them wherever I went. This was actually on the gentler side.
When I’d gone abroad, there were people who simply threw themselves at me. There were even ridiculous incidents.
Thud!
Someone had tried to stumble and fall into my arms, but with my spatial awareness and excellent reflexes, I’d dodged smoothly, and they’d landed flat on the ground instead.
“…….”
That person’s eyes staring at me afterward are still vivid in my memory. It was quite funny, actually.
Sang-yeop, who was the Sword Arts instructor, had once advised: “There are a lot of strange people out there. You’d know this well, but don’t let it bother you.”
I only understood what he meant now.
Being Awakened and a Hunter had become a marker of success, so there were naturally many odd people around, but I hadn’t expected them to pursue me like this.
‘But then again, there are more decent people than anything else.’
Most of the students were genuinely earnest about learning Hunter work. In fact, Hunters’ personalities usually don’t deteriorate until they’ve grown to a certain level.
Particularly those with a drive like mine—’revenge’—didn’t let themselves get distracted and threw themselves into the lessons.
“Try loosening your wrist a bit more.”
Of course my attention was drawn to such people as well.
* * *
The most challenging course turned out to be the practical theory lecture on Gate subjugation—more difficult even than Sword Arts.
The idea was that I’d offer guidance to newly Awakened Hunters based on my own Gate experience, but……
“When you encounter an Orc, well, you must proceed with caution. Let’s look at page thirteen of the textbook.”
It was difficult to explain simply because my approach differed so sharply from the standard teaching. I would’ve needed to study separately just to match the curriculum.
But it couldn’t be helped. Even at low levels, my stats had always been exceptional.
Orcs were the kind of monster I could simply go after alone and pummel. Still, I couldn’t advise Level 1 Awakened Ones to fight that way.
That’s when I understood why the Hunter Association purposely recruited C- and D-rank Hunters as instructors.
“Instructor! Is there any secret tip for finding Hidden dungeons?”
Yet there remained aspects where I could genuinely help these students. Finding Hidden dungeons, for instance.
Though I wielded the absurdly powerful Space Mage skill, only those who’d actually searched understood certain truths about Hidden dungeons.
“The Hidden dungeons designed to remain undiscovered—there’s no point straining to find those. They won’t open without specific Skills or items, so you’d just waste your energy.”
“What about the ones we can find?”
“The moment you enter a Gate, you must begin assessing the surrounding terrain.”
I’d found even the Hidden dungeons meant to stay hidden, and many others besides. I didn’t start with environmental reconnaissance for no reason.
“Once you grow accustomed to the Gate’s layout, concentrate on spotting what doesn’t belong—what feels slightly out of place.”
“That sounds really difficult!”
But that’s the answer. You have to find the anomaly within the ordinary. If everyone could find it, it wouldn’t be hidden anymore.
“In Gates where intelligent beings capable of communication appear, you’re welcome to attempt dialogue through various methods, naturally.”
As I explained examples from my own experience, the trainees nodded earnestly and took notes.
‘Workshop instructor. Once in a while, it’s not a bad experience.’
It wasn’t unpleasant—a nice mental break, and a chance to review standard Gate theory while relearning what I already knew.
.
.
.
I never anticipated that this teaching position, which I’d deemed unremarkable, would return as an unexpected benefit.
What I mean is: it happened during the trainees’ practical Gate exercise.
“Um, those instructors over there?”
“Yes, Hunter Han Hye.”
These colleagues, who referred to me as a Hunter in formal speech despite teaching alongside me, received my observations.
“I think there might be a Hidden dungeon here?”
“Excuse me??”
Yet I couldn’t have foreseen, not until we opened it, that this Hidden dungeon would be one unlikely to appear at such a low level.
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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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