Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 4

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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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4. Will It Hatch If I Leave It Like This?
Uncle genuinely celebrated my awakening. Having suffered through his own long struggles, he was all the more delighted by the fortune that had finally found me.
…As expected, Uncle is a good man.
“By the way, what’s your class name?”
“…Spatial Mover.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say “Princess.” I could already predict exactly how he’d mock me for it.
“That’s a ridiculous ability.”
“Ridiculous? I’m an S-rank porter, sir.”
“Why? You planning to haul beef into the Gate?”
“If I did, wouldn’t that be great? Fresh beef to eat inside the Gate. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm. You’ve got a point there.”
We exchanged silly jokes and laughed together.
But beneath the banter, we both understood just how invaluable this ability truly was.
On the surface, it might seem useless in combat—like a Druid or Bard class.
If this were the logistics industry or smuggling, that assessment would hold. But we weren’t in those fields.
We knew better.
Just look at the headlines dominating the news lately.
【The United States has decided to invest 300 trillion won in equipment development for awakened hunters. The primary focus is on lightweight, compact gear…】
【As high-level Gates increasingly limit the number of personnel allowed, nations worldwide are investing in lightening the supply loads for awakened hunters…】
Anyone working in the Hunter Association would recognize the true value of this ability.
The world had become like a game, but there was no inventory system.
An ability to carry supplies for others. Simple, perhaps, but unexpectedly essential.
Especially for the vanguard teams of high-level awakened hunters. They couldn’t know what awaited inside until they entered the Gate.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
I grilled the beef I’d brought on the hot plate. Uncle handed me a piece and asked.
“So how much can you fit in that subspace?”
“About one shipping container?”
“Insane. Does the space expand as your skill level increases? You really are an S-rank porter.”
Uncle’s jaw dropped.
I grinned wickedly. How much more shocked would he be when I told him what was actually inside?
“It’s going to cause quite a stir.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Hunter Association. Other countries too.”
“Should we keep it just between us, sir?”
At my words, Uncle smiled bitterly.
“It might be even bigger than that. The United States is investing 300 trillion won, after all.”
“That investment might end up being unnecessary.”
“Unnecessary? Your ability is exactly what the vanguard teams need most.”
With those words, Uncle looked directly at me.
“Of course, the most important thing is you.”
He was right. Even with a good job and good abilities, what mattered was whether I could fight well as a hunter.
There were plenty of people who awakened with enviable abilities yet died in Gates or abandoned the hunter profession altogether.
“I know.”
“Still, unlike me, you could make a living without being a hunter, right?”
“Should I take up smuggling instead?”
“You crazy bastard.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his words.
“Anyway, I nearly died awakening. I encountered a Red Dragon.”
“What nonsense is this? Are you messing with me about there being no Red Dragon?”
“No, that’s not it.”
I told him the truth, unlike what I’d reported to the Hunter Association. Fortunately, he believed me without question.
“…If you awakened in such a dangerous situation, it makes sense that your ability is S-rank. They say the environment is important during awakening.”
“That’s why I’m asking—could you help me verify this ability?”
“Right now?”
I opened the subspace. As the entrance became the size of the front door, the old man jumped back in surprise.
“I can enter it, but I was curious if you could too.”
“Enter? Here?”
“Yes.”
The old man stood and reached his hand toward the subspace. But he couldn’t move forward, trapped by a transparent barrier.
Even when I mentally granted him permission, nothing changed.
“It won’t work?”
I’d planned to surprise him, but it seemed that wouldn’t happen. There was no helping it.
“Just a moment.”
I stepped into the subspace.
“You really did go in?”
I returned quickly, cradling something against my chest with both hands.
That’s right—a Red Dragon’s egg.
“W-what is that?”
“I told you I met a Red Dragon. I also stole one of the lizard’s eggs.”
The old man stared at the egg. His eyes had grown as wide as lanterns. Cheol-gi was an awakened hunter too.
Which meant he could see the egg’s information.
“A Red Dragon’s egg…?”
“What do you think? Isn’t it worth coming back for?”
The old man said nothing. But I saw something glistening in his eyes—a strange light.
If I had to guess, it was a passion he’d forgotten long ago.
I placed the Red Dragon’s egg gently on the hot plate.
“Will it hatch if I leave it like this?”
“Y-you crazy bastard!”
* * *
—Let’s talk about it again if it actually hatches later.
Though his eyes flickered with intrigue, he was an adult. He was right. I had no way of knowing whether this egg would hatch or not.
For one thing, the Red Dragon had been incubating it. As a human, I might not be able to make it hatch at all.
And the dragon born from the egg might attack me instead of following me. I needed to reflect on this a bit.
I’d shown him the egg with a joyful heart, but.
‘That was naive thinking.’
I hadn’t considered the emotional wound he might suffer if this didn’t work out.
For his silence on the matter, I felt only gratitude toward him.
I’d placed the egg in my subspace for now. Time doesn’t flow inside it.
Once my level rose a bit more, I could try to incubate it then.
“Hmm.”
It was late at night, but sleep wouldn’t come. I’d slept plenty while resting and replenishing my mana at Dragon’s Lair.
I wasn’t tired at all, and my mind was buzzing with the realization that I’d awakened an S-rank skill.
[Lv6 空主, Han Hye]
Strength: 4
Agility: 3
Stamina: 15(+10)
Spirit: 3
Mana: 15(+10)
Bonus Points: 18
Skills: Subspace(S-rank) Lv1, Swordsmanship(F-rank) Lv1
I’d known my stamina and mana had increased after being bathed in the Red Dragon’s blood, but seeing it in my status window filled me with deep satisfaction.
When I first awakened, I’d been given 3 points, and I received 3 points each time I leveled up.
On top of that, I’d gained 20 stat points just from piercing the dragon’s eye once. It was as if I’d skipped seven levels entirely.
No wonder I couldn’t sleep—it seemed my increased stamina was the culprit.
Feeling satisfied, I headed into my subspace.
It was time to check the ‘Sunflower’ I’d received as a reward. The moment I opened the wooden box, I felt its heat.
[Sunflower(A-rank)]
—A flower imbued with the power of the sun. Consuming it should grant extraordinary resistance to flames and heat.
—If you possess flame-related skills or acquire them later, those skills will be enhanced.
It was definitely a fine elixir. As far as I knew, fewer than ten A-rank elixirs had ever been discovered.
Moreover, the phrase “imbued with the sun’s power” and “extraordinary resistance to flames and heat” was crucial.
If an item’s description contained language like that, it truly meant significant enhancement. I put it straight in my mouth.
‘There’s no reason to sell something this good.’
My ultimate goal was to beat to death the monster that killed my parents. To do that, I needed to grow stronger.
Selling it might net me hundreds of billions or even trillions, but that was only a secondary objective.
“Hmm.”
I’d worried it might be scorching, but it wasn’t. I’d call it a warm heat, a gentle warmth that traveled down my throat.
Then, gradually, that warmth began spreading through my body. It burned pleasantly, but it wasn’t painful.
“Ahh.”
When that energy spread throughout my entire body, I instinctively exhaled a deep breath. I could feel heat emanating from it.
Click—. The Red Dragon egg shifted slightly at that moment. Was it because of the heat?
I was startled, wondering if it was hatching. But no further movement followed.
I checked my status window again.
[Lv6 Void Master, Han Hye]
Strength: 7 (+3)
Agility: 6 (+3)
Stamina: 18 (+3)
Spirit: 6 (+3)
Mana: 18 (+3)
Bonus Points: 18
Skills: Spatial Pocket (S-rank) Lv1, Flame Resistance (A-rank) Lv1, Swordsmanship (F-rank) Lv1
“Wow, insane.”
All my stats had increased by 3. Fifteen points total. This was essentially equivalent to gaining five levels for free.
So it really was an A-rank elixir?
Moreover, I’d acquired a Flame Resistance skill—and it was A-rank at that. The same skill’s effectiveness varies dramatically depending on its grade.
A C-rank Flame Resistance Lv1 would be stronger than an F-rank Flame Resistance Lv3. In other words, the efficiency was absolutely insane.
‘I think I heard that with A-rank Flame Resistance, even lava fields would be manageable.’
And that wasn’t even the end of it. Later, if I acquired abilities similar to flame, the skill itself would be enhanced.
This explained why an awakened hunter who consumed the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng became an S-rank hunter.
I turned my gaze with satisfaction.
The books I’d seen earlier were still there.
[Svinfood Empire Basic Swordsmanship (E-rank)]
[Red Magic Tower Basic Grimoire (E-rank)]
Even as a pack mule, I understood well that the direction of growth mattered. It was crucial to acquire skills suited to my talents and allocate stats accordingly.
The Gate had opened and reality became like a game, but there were no stat reset cash items.
Mages barely invest in Strength. Warriors and Rogues do invest some Mana, but not heavily.
Especially with what lay before me now—swordsmanship and a grimoire. Given the vast gap between them, I needed to choose carefully.
‘I’ll decide tomorrow.’
Among rare professions, there exists something called a ‘Talent Appraiser’—an ability to identify awakened hunters’ talents.
When registering as an awakened hunter with the Hunter Association, they conduct a talent assessment, so there was no need to rush.
* * *
“You heard about that?”
“About what?”
“The United States investing 300 trillion in hunter equipment development this time.”
“Ah. Equipment miniaturization and weight reduction, right? I know. They’re treating high-grade mana stones as strategic materials and buying unlimited quantities.”
Kim, a department head handling awakened hunter certification at the Hunter Association, nodded.
“The vanguard teams don’t even bring pack mules anymore, so they have to invest.”
The vanguard teams entering high-level Gates are limited in personnel, making each member invaluable.
A single person’s insufficient strength could mean the entire team’s annihilation.
“That’s true. The advance party has so much luggage to carry.”
The environment inside a Gate remains unknowable until you enter it. Some locations can be inferred, but many cannot.
Snow-capped mountains, lava fields, deserts, oceans, underground cities, swamps choked with poison gas—there’s no way to predict which will appear.
Even if the probability is low, you cannot stake your life on those odds.
Cold-weather gear, heat-resistant equipment, gas masks, sleeping bags, tents, rubber boats, provisions—even explosives and plant seeds are brought in for every contingency.
Much of it gets discarded immediately upon entry, but heavy luggage inevitably weakens combat effectiveness.
When attacked inside a Gate, that burden slows your response time by crucial seconds.
The death of an awakened hunter is catastrophic.
Unlike guns, bombs, or fighter jets, awakened hunters cannot be mass-produced.
—Since the Gate Crisis, awakened hunters have become more valuable than nuclear weapons.
You can see it in the columns that became worldwide headlines. Against awakened monsters with mana barriers, bullets and artillery shells are largely meaningless.
Not entirely ineffective, mind you.
A single bullet can shatter a barrier. But sometimes hundreds of shells fail to penetrate. Gates can erase nations from the map. The Catoblepas that appeared in Australia survived eleven tactical and strategic nuclear strikes without a scratch.
And Australia became the domain of monsters.
Only awakened hunters wielding mana-infused weapons can easily cut through an awakened monster’s mana barrier.
In this age, awakened hunters are national power itself.
High-level hunters became a nation’s top strategic asset—unless you wanted to carpet-bomb your own territory.
It was no accident that powerful nations recruited foreign awakened hunters at enormous cost.
The lightweighting and miniaturization of hunter equipment existed solely to improve the survival rate of these strategic assets.
“And it’s not just the United States doing this, right?”
“That’s certainly true.”
Other nations pursued the same path, just on a smaller scale. The entire world was pouring resources into equipment miniaturization for hunters.
Vast sums were being spent on using mana stones and magic to temporarily reduce size and weight.
This investment was partly driven by shrinking personnel limits for high-level Gates.
Thirty people down to twenty. Twenty down to ten. Ten down to five.
The uncertainty inside a Gate remained unchanged, so the necessary luggage didn’t decrease proportionally.
Research became the only path forward.
“You know what’s funny when you think about it?”
“What?”
“The world’s turned into a game and we can see status windows, but why is there no inventory?”
Kim nodded at his superior’s words.
“Right? And no one’s ever awakened as a porter either.”
“What do you mean, awakened as a porter?”
“Well, non-awakened hunters go in as porters, so why couldn’t an awakened hunter have ‘porter’ as their class? They’d just whoosh items into their inventory.”
“If that existed, it’d be incredible. We’d find one, level them up, allocate their stats, and raise them.”
Just then, the door opened and a man in his early twenties entered. He looked quite exhausted—it was Han Hye.
At that moment, the door opened and a man in his early twenties came in. It was Han Hye, looking quite tired.

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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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