Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 320

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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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320. Charity Quest (4)
“Want to double down?”
“Double down?”
Truth be told, I couldn’t know if this would actually double the reward. It might just mean vomiting back what the Gate had given us. But I had a hunch.
The situation suggested it too. Hadn’t the priestess offered to share right after Shin-hee found the spirit essence?
“What do we have to lose?”
I wasn’t usually one for gambling, but this felt worth the wager.
“We’ve been camping here trying to push for higher-rank rewards anyway. Why not put this down and take a shot at the final tier?”
I thought we’d recover at least some of it. An A-rank spirit essence had already appeared at the mid-stage.
It stood to reason that the end of a Charity Quest would yield an S-rank item.
“All right. Let’s give it a try.”
“I’m in favor of it too.”
The Guild members agreed. What Shin-hee said had been persuasive.
“That’s good to hear. To be honest, I was worried even about taking the spirit essence.”
“Worried about what?”
“If an A-rank spirit essence makes your body younger, couldn’t we end up reverting to our teens? Or even younger?”
That was a concern I’d had myself, however briefly.
“A few years younger, sure—but if we suddenly became twelve or fifteen, running Gates would get pretty difficult.”
I had to agree. Growing younger was fine in moderation. Too much and we’d only make life harder for ourselves.
After the Guild reached consensus, I spoke to the priestess.
“We’d like to share it with the villagers.”
“Just as I expected from those who truly practice charity and benevolence. The elders will be absolutely delighted.”
It was time to leave this village now. Once the Charity Quest ended, the priestess would speak and time would accelerate.
But this time, something was decidedly different. The priestess was heading toward the village.
“Aren’t you going somewhere else?”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve always gone somewhere else until now.”
“I’m going to brew the Karmen Spirit Essence. You all need to drink it as well.”
“Hm?”
“You’re the ones who found it, after all. Even if I brew it down, the yield should be more than enough for all of you to partake.”
Ah, so that was it.
Despite my deliberate choice of “Double Down” from the Beast’s Heart, it seemed the reward wouldn’t materialize after all.
‘Or would it?’
Regardless, since we’d shown charity and shared with others, perhaps something would be credited later? There’s an old saying that good deeds bring good fortune, after all.
In any case, the villagers were thrilled at the mention of the spirit essence.
“You’re truly going to share something this precious with us?”
“We found it in front of the village, so I thought it only right that the village claim its share.”
Years of hunting had apparently honed my tongue as well. The way such words flowed naturally, without much thought, showed how far I’d come.
“We’re truly grateful.”
“Thank you.”
After receiving the elders’ gratitude, the decoction began brewing right before our eyes.
The practiced motions suggested the priestess had done this many times before.
“The Karmen Spirit Essence takes about twenty-four hours to brew, so you can consider this your free time.”
* * *
“What do we do now?”
“Flower viewing, perhaps?”
“Who knew you could appreciate flowers inside a Gate?”
“Not unfamiliar to you? We’ve even laid down mattresses and slept in Gates before.”
There wasn’t much else to do. Picnicking while gazing at the flower field? My Subspace held all manner of provisions, so that posed no problem.
I enjoyed sandwiches and cookie-like desserts along with black tea—all courtesy of the Guild House Chef.
The scenery had awed me from the first sight, and it remained no less captivating even after hours of viewing.
Of course, we couldn’t spend the entire time just admiring the landscape. Plenty of chatter filled the hours among the Guild members.
“Have you heard the recent talk about Liu Zhen? Word is he’s been rising terrifyingly fast.”
“China’s backing him openly.”
The conversation included gossip about foreign hunters. I’d heard things myself, but there was no way I could speak to it.
“Min-jae, how much longer are you going to keep meeting with this person and that person?”
“No, hyung. That’s not fair. I’m sincere, but the other person isn’t, that’s what I’m saying.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s awkward to say this myself, but we’re famous, aren’t we? That’s what they call the burdens of celebrity. I don’t think people are meeting me for who I really am. That’s what I mean.”
“Hmm. Still, though…….”
Min-jae’s love advice…. Actually, it included the old man’s unsolicited dating counsel too.
Han Chul was on Min-jae’s side.
“You’re still young. One day you’ll meet someone meant for you.”
“Right. But wait—you don’t have anyone either, so why are you only saying this to me…?”
“Who says I don’t?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m seeing someone with the intention of marriage.”
“??”
It was news to everyone, and the Guild members fell into brief shock.
“Where is she? I’ve never seen you going anywhere.”
“United States.”
“Ah.”
She must be a Hunter with the Advance Team in the States. That made sense. The times he never seemed to go anywhere—he’d been taking leave to visit the United States.
I felt a pang of guilt as Guild Master for not having been more considerate.
“I’ll arrange time for you to visit the United States at least once a month.”
“Please, you don’t need to do that. The Guild’s work comes first. I’m already grateful that you’re thinking of me.”
“No, I can’t let that slide. At minimum, I’ll make sure you get a few days off each quarter.”
“Thank you.”
A few days off each quarter wouldn’t change much in the long run, but for talent like Han Chul, it was more than adequate.
The conversation shifted to the subject of rewards.
“What do you think will come out?”
“For this much effort, we’re guaranteed at least an S-rank Item.”
“If it’s from the God of Charity and Benevolence, would it be something Lee Shin-hee could use?”
“There’s a decent chance, don’t you think?”
I nodded at the old man’s words. The God of Charity and Benevolence. Still, there might be a connection to the Healer’s path.
Lee Shin-hee shrugged.
“I’m not so sure. To be honest, it doesn’t feel like a perfect fit for me.”
“True. It might just as easily be a weapon.”
“A weapon?”
“Well, during Charity Quests there are battles too. Maybe it means ‘with this blade, strike down the wicked.'”
“If you’re going that route, isn’t your shield the same? ‘Protect the weak’?”
“Huh. That’s pretty sound actually.”
Whatever came out, I just hoped it wouldn’t be a duplicate. An S-rank spear, say, or an S-rank armor suit that happened to fit me.
Anything else could be distributed one way or another.
I’d decided to skip this distribution if possible. I’d received an S-rank armor suit last time.
There wasn’t much I was missing. I’d have liked an S-rank sword, but the odds looked low for this Gate.
“It could give to everyone.”
That was when Min-jae offered a different perspective.
“Everyone?”
“Charity and Benevolence, right? All five of us worked hard, so maybe it’s like ‘I will bestow my blessings upon you all.'”
“Come on. As if that would happen.”
Though of course, once the old man teased him, the idea quickly faded.
And so, the next day.
“Oh!”
“Ooh!”
We were able to share the refined Karmen Spirit Essence with the villagers.
The effect was remarkable. Perhaps because the original was an A-rank Spirit Elixir, even after refining, the changes were visible.
“Looks like we’ve each gotten about a year younger?”
“Really, have we?”
Glancing around at the Guild members, I could feel it distinctly.
“Look at Min-jae. He looks exactly like he did a year ago when we first met.”
“You look younger too, sir.”
We were all high-level Hunters, so our skin and physique had always been good, but the improvement was plainly visible. A bit more youthful, you might say.
The stat increase from the refined A-rank Spirit Elixir was only one point of Mana, but it was more than satisfying.
“You’ve bought yourself more time, haven’t you?”
“Thank goodness. Honestly, it felt like we spent a year inside the Subspace.”
Maybe more than that. Early on, I’d spent long stretches preparing for the Workshop, and I’d frequently ducked in and out during battles in the Gate.
When I was mulling over combat with the Iron-Winged Fighting Rooster Blade and the Fighting Rooster Sword techniques, I’d often done that thinking inside the Subspace.
A timeless realm of stillness was the perfect place to sink into contemplation.
“Let’s go back.”
And so I set out on the next Charity Quest following Elena. The problem, however, revealed itself before long.
“The merchant caravan didn’t show up?”
“That’s right.”
“Why not?”
The merchant caravan had vanished.
“I’m afraid I don’t know much about it. It wasn’t a caravan that came through here regularly—perhaps they made enough profit and went to restock elsewhere?”
The caravan hadn’t disappeared because of the Karmen Spirit Essence we’d earned as an intermediate reward. It had shown up twice after that, after all.
Most likely, there was a usage limit attached to the caravan itself.
Honestly, it felt a little unfair.
I still had plenty of gold coins! I could’ve spent more!
“What do we do about this?”
“Want to do some grinding? Or should we bail while we can?”
Hmm. I’d been caught hook and line. If I’d just taken the Karmen Spirit Essence and left, that would’ve been fine—but I’d come this far already.
Now it was hard for me to decide on my own.
“How about we settle this by secret ballot?”
I didn’t love the idea of grinding, but we’d come this far.
“Two abstentions. Three in favor.”
And it seemed the Guild members thought the same way I did. I’d abstained—didn’t matter to me either way—but the fact that three voted yes said a lot.
“Do some grinding, get ourselves an S-rank item. Sounds good.”
“Absolutely.”
And so the grinding began in earnest.
“Found one!”
Searching for medicinal herbs on a mountain.
“Here! It’s hidden over here!”
Tracking down and killing the grotesque mole mutations tearing up all the crops in the Urban City.
Even with my Space Sense, this wasn’t easy. They’d burrowed into the vast plain and hidden themselves sixty meters underground.
“Damn these bastards. Such a pain in the ass.”
Eliminating a massive mercenary company that was extorting villages around the area with protection fees no different from banditry.
This one was tricky too. They were strong, numerous, and the whole area was riddled with traps.
“At least combat’s better.”
“Right? Searching for stuff like this makes you want to tear your hair out.”
What was actually manageable was providing charity to vagrants who had the will to rebuild their lives. They’d said they needed money directly.
Normally they’d need to do mercenary work to earn it, but with Gate coins, we solved it all in one go.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
That’s how we completed the thirtieth Charity Quest. We’d spent a lot of time inside the Gate—my beard grew so thick I had to keep shaving it.
The last one wasn’t actually that difficult. Crossing a Snow Field with thirty people while keeping them all alive.
‘Other Hunters would’ve had a hell of a time with this.’
The monsters in the Snow Field alone weren’t the only problem.
We had to manage protection against the cold, gather enough food to feed thirty people, watch out for crevasses—all of it.
Whoosh!
But none of it posed any real difficulty for me.
The Snow Field’s cold was solved by the upgraded Flame Talisman’s twenty-four-hour scorching heat.
Rumble!
Enough provisions to feed thirty people were stored in my Subspace, and I had plenty of cold-weather gear to spare.
When we came across a massive crevasse, I simply formed a bridge from my Subspace and crossed it—no problem at all.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work. The Charity Quest has come to an end.”
When Elena said that, my emotions welled up a bit—maybe because we’d actually gone out and done the work with our own two feet.
Of course, I was also looking forward to what came next: the reward.
[Gate ‘Charity Quest’ cleared.]
[Experience being calculated.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
In an instant, the Gate-clear message appeared.
“Huh?”
Don’t tell me that’s it. No more rewards? Are you serious?
Indignation surged through me in a wave.
[The God of Charity and Benevolence marvels at all of you who have completed the Charity Quest to the very end.]
[The God leaves behind a gift—something you need, or something that will be of use to you.]
That’s when Min-jae jumped up.
“What did I tell you! There’s more coming!”
And then boxes began falling before our eyes, one after another. Each was a different size.
Han Chul’s was as large as a delivery box that might contain a chair.
“S-rank! It’s S-rank!”
“Mine too! Mine’s S-rank as well!”
The Mister and Min-jae spoke the moment they opened their boxes, their voices trembling with shock.
“Wait. Both of you got S-rank items?”
Was it possible everyone received S-rank gifts? I couldn’t believe it.
I hurriedly opened my own box. What S-rank gift could I possibly need?

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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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