Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 43
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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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43. Outflow-Type Gate (6)
“….”
Was he saying I’d done well?
Shin Chang helped me to my feet without a word, then gave my shoulder a light pat with one hand.
Hmm.
My goal had been to wait for the high-level Hunters from Daejeon to arrive, but I felt oddly unsettled.
‘I didn’t expect Shin Chang to come.’
He was Korea’s finest Hunter, after all.
Since the Gate incident, there wasn’t a single citizen who hadn’t benefited from Shin Chang’s prowess—he was that exceptional.
“Thank you.”
I lowered my head slightly, and Shin Chang gave a barely perceptible nod.
“….”
Then, with an expressionless face, he regarded me for a moment before launching himself skyward with a single bound.
What was that?
‘He really doesn’t say anything at all.’
Shin Chang’s taciturn nature was legendary, but I hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.
After leaping to an absurd height, Shin Chang caught the ladder dropped from the helicopter. His jumping power was simply impossible.
Looking up at the sky, those aboard the helicopter were watching me. Though distant, their faces were familiar.
The Saebyeok Guild members were famous enough. Their curious gazes lingered on me before departing with the helicopter.
-Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump
A moment later, numerous helicopters appeared in the sky. The high-level Hunters were officially returning.
It wasn’t a massive Gate, just a medium-sized one. With high-level Hunters here, this crisis would be resolved soon.
“Phew.”
I considered sitting and resting, but after a brief respite in the Subspace, I turned my feet back toward the Gate.
The medium-sized Gate we’d been holding might still need assistance.
‘But what was that really about?’
A question nagged at me regarding the help I’d received. A sniper shot had come at the critical moment.
At first, I’d thought sniper Seo Seung-yeon had helped me from an extremely long distance.
There had been a slight gap, but hadn’t the Saebyeok helicopter appeared shortly after I received the sniper’s assistance?
Yet Seo Seung-yeon wasn’t among those on the helicopter just now.
‘Could the bodyguard Lee Shin-hee mentioned be Seo Seung-yeon?’
If so, that would explain the gap between the first sniper shot and the helicopter’s arrival.
Besides, Seo Min-jae was already one of our Guild members, so it was entirely plausible.
What I couldn’t understand was why she hadn’t helped from the beginning.
“Hye! You’re back!”
Lost in such thoughts, I arrived at Seoul National University Station, though it seemed I didn’t need to have returned at all.
Thanks to my leading four Grendels away, the Gate in front of Seoul National University Station remained intact.
High-level Hunters had already descended from the helicopters, and unfamiliar faces were engaged in combat before the Gate.
Those who’d been defending earlier were resting in the rear.
“How…?”
Upon my return, the Emergency Guild and Recovery Guild stared with eyes wide as saucers, as though they’d seen a ghost.
They must have believed I wouldn’t make it back alive. It was only natural—they didn’t know my skills.
“Well, here I am.”
I simply smiled. But the other side wasn’t the same. Unlike the Dragon Guild, which seemed to welcome me, Recovery and Emergency wore solemn expressions.
The Emergency Guild Master, his face rigid, trudged over and gripped my hand firmly.
“Thank you.”
Behind him stood the two vanguard hunters who had gone out earlier to hold back Grendel, their faces etched with emotion.
“We’re grateful. Truly, we survived because of you.”
.
.
.
[All medium-sized Gates in Seoul confirmed eliminated]
[Korea, Third Outflow-Type Gate Crisis Concluded]
All the medium-sized Gates had vanished. The first was ten years ago, the second five years ago, and this became known as the third Gate crisis.
The damage grew worse the further back in time. Preparedness had been lacking, and the first Gate crisis had been overwhelming.
‘Back then, a colossal Gate opened in Seoul. There was no warning time.’
[How long until recovery of Daejeon, where the large Gate appeared?]
[Third Gate Crisis—this level of defense counts as success!]
[UN Gate Countermeasure Committee: ‘Korea handled the third Gate crisis most effectively…’]
With top-tier hunters having relocated en masse to Daejeon, thirteen medium-sized Gates amounted to near-catastrophe, making casualties inevitable.
Yet considering the circumstances and comparing with other nations, we had managed to repel them quite successfully.
[The secret behind Seoul National University Station’s defense line with zero casualties? The Dragon Guild]
Especially on our end.
Only three locations in Seoul maintained defensive lines against medium-sized Gates, including ours.
The other two suffered casualties.
Only we were the exception. The Seoul National University Station defense line had zero casualties.
[Emergency and Recovery Guilds express gratitude to the Dragon Guild]
-Honestly, when I was leading away four Grendels, I thought I’d lost my mind. When you came back alive, I thought I was seeing a ghost.
-I’m just grateful. If we’d fought them head-on, some of us might not be here….
[S+-rank Space Mage proves his 200 billion won value effortlessly! Succeeds in an hour-long impossible pursuit for citizens and comrades!]
[D-rank Dragon Knight and Mage’s defense battle—unbelievable!]
The Emergency Guild, which had expressed gratitude to me, later made contact again and offered an apology.
-Again, I apologize for cursing at you back then.
“It’s fine. It was certainly a situation that warranted it.”
There was no ill will. We’d exchanged apologies and gratitude. If I’d been in their position, I would have been angry too.
-The Dragon Guild members were impressive as well. I was amazed by the firepower of your Dragon Knight and Mage.
I heard Min-jae wasn’t the only one who performed well—Mister also contributed significantly. Magic requires preparation and mana, so there are inevitably gaps in coverage.
Even with Grendel drawn away, it’s still a medium-sized Gate. Plenty of monsters pour out.
When the mages’ mana depleted and lesser monsters flooded in, Mister bought time with Wyvern Descent several times over.
Lee Shin-hee’s protective barrier combined with Wyvern Descent allowed us to hold, then magic was unleashed again.
I checked the footage from this side as well. It looked like they had quite the fierce battle.
In the end, because everyone was there, we were able to minimize the damage.
* * *
-Han Hye is currently in pursuit, leading four Grendels for over 40 minutes now!
-Wait, surely not…. A second awakening! The Grendel is targeting Han Hye at incredible speed! It’s dangerous! We managed to evade, but…!
-Boom!
-The Grendel has fallen! A sniper shot? From where? We can’t locate the position!
-It’s a helicopter! Everyone, Saebyeok Guild has returned! A spear pierces through!
-Shin Chang protects Han Hye! Truly, this is a beautiful sight!
Needless to say, my pursuit footage became an enormous sensation. Not just in Korea, but internationally as well.
A hunter in the early level 20s leading four Grendels in a chase lasting nearly an hour—it was bound to capture attention.
A second-awakened Grendel is equivalent to a hunter of level 40 or higher, so drawing eyes was only natural.
Many people analyzed my pursuit footage professionally.
-Do you see it? He dodged, right? Clearly from a position he shouldn’t be able to see. Yet he evaded as if he had eyes in the back of his head. I suspect the Space Mage might possess an ability to sense spatial awareness itself.
-So far we’ve confirmed physical immunity in Subspace and spatial movement, and now spatial sensing is being added?
-Yes. And considering it’s an S+ rank skill, the stats must be exceptional as well. It’s no coincidence he broke the Knight’s record at the workshop.
Naturally, the internet communities were buzzing about me too.
-Wow, the first of the vanguard protecting the first of the rearguard—that’s beautiful composition.
-Korea’s hunters have a bright future ahead.
From respectable communities to more blunt ones.
-Luring four Grendels? That doesn’t make sense. Fake, right?
-Lol conspiracy theorists are everywhere. How would you fake a large gate, medium gate, and Grendels?
-Present and future, joining hands to lift each other up—the composition is undeniably cool.
-I get why people doubt it lol. A D-rank hunter leading four Grendels in an hour-long chase? Doesn’t add up.
-Overseas is already going crazy about this.
Reviews from people who were in the shelter near Seoul National University Station also appeared online.
-I was in a shelter near Seoul National University back then, and honestly, seeing four Grendels, I thought we were all dead.
-Yeah, honestly it was an uncontainable situation. Some shelters near other defense lines got destroyed too.
-If it wasn’t for Han Hye, we’d all be dead for real.
-Han Hye? Is she your friend? From now on, anyone who slanders the Space Mage is my enemy.
-Han Hye. My light, my salvation…
-It’s not a joke—it’s literally salvation. I am Han Hye and Han Hye is me.
There were some reactions that felt a bit overwhelming. It was my first time experiencing this kind of popularity, so I was quite flustered.
Though I didn’t hate it, of course.
-But where did this “rude” talk come from? Would someone with no manners have that kind of self-sacrifice?
-Looking at his face, he does look kinda rude.
-?
-Means he’s insanely handsome.
-Almost committed friendly fire there;; write better comments.
Every time I cleared a gate, I’d feel satisfied seeing the occasional posts about me on Hunter Net….
Seeing this kind of nationwide buzz was beyond what I’d expected. The dopamine never seemed to stop flowing.
I’d always wondered why Hunters sometimes sacrificed themselves calmly despite knowing they might die, but now I understood a little better.
Well, I’m not sure about myself yet. I’m not quite at that level. For now, I’ve decided to simply enjoy it enough.
It’s unfortunate, but no separate compensation was given for defending against this outflow-type Gate.
After all, we signed Hunter contracts and received substantial money precisely to prevent things like this.
‘It’s naturally something I have to do.’
However, I heard that Hunters who performed significantly in this Gate crisis would receive commendations.
They don’t really have any practical use. It’s more like a “Citizen of Courage” award.
Separately, this third Gate crisis wasn’t something that happened only in our country.
Since it occurred due to rising mana concentration in the atmosphere, outflow-type Gates opened across the entire globe on the same day.
[Third Outflow-Type Gate Crisis: Most Successfully Contained in Korea, United States, and Switzerland]
I heard that in other countries, large Gates opened first, followed by medium-sized Gates opening elsewhere.
As if the Gates were deceiving humanity itself.
Because of that, other nations suffered considerable casualties and property damage.
Our country managed to minimize damage among the best in the world.
‘Half of my becoming a hot topic is thanks to that.’
Korea, which relatively well contained the crisis, received attention, and I, at the center of it, became famous even abroad.
I wasn’t the only one who became famous. My guild members did too.
[The Dragon Guild, Shrouded in Mystery, Finally Reveals Itself!]
In truth, a large Gate is a major incident, but our country is a Hunter powerhouse, so there was confidence that high-level Hunters could stop it.
On the other hand, there were no expectations that a newly launched guild like ours would deliver this level of performance, and our deliberate avoidance of media exposure up until now played into it perfectly.
[Korea’s First S+ Rank Hunter? The Trinity of Spatial Teleportation, Physical Immunity Subspace, and Spatial Awareness!]
[The Dragon Knight’s Charge, Annihilating the Waves of Monsters!]
[Small and Cute Red Dragon, But Tremendous in Power!]
[A Mage Displaying B-Rank Destructive Power! Is She Related to Sniper Seo Seung-yeon?]
[Space Mage Han Hye, World’s Number One Hunter Prospect?]
[Space Mage’s Statement After an Hour-Long Pursuit: ‘I thought I needed to buy time until the higher-level Hunters could arrive.’]
It felt like a delightful rebellion of prospects who’d only been rumored about in a desperate situation.
Since we’d reversed what seemed impossible, that spotlight turned toward us.
‘Korea is also the place that contained it most successfully in the world.’
The funny thing was that even as praise and attention poured down on me like this, I also heard some unfavorable comments.
Surprisingly, the subject of those comments was Park Seo-ung, the Association President’s direct secretary.
‘Well, they’re not really bad comments, though.’
After the crisis, Park Seo-ung called me.
-Han Hye, are you alright? The fact that there was zero damage to the Seoul National University Station defense was thanks to your excellent strategy and response in luring Grendel. I still can’t believe how you managed to lead four Grendels around….
First, Park Seo-ung spent about twenty minutes showering me with praise.
-The Association President also expressed his sincere gratitude.
-However, since you are such a precious asset to us, if something similar happens next time, we would appreciate it if you could take a slightly safer approach….
After that, he carefully expressed his concern that I should pay a bit more attention to my own survival.
Of course, he wasn’t saying to abandon everyone else to save myself. It was more like asking me to take better care of myself while doing well.
It was likely because the moment after Grendel’s second awakening seemed perilous. And rightfully so.
Even with my spatial awareness, I thought I’d barely managed to evade it, but watching the footage told a different story.
‘It really did look dangerous.’
I wondered if anyone cared about my body as much as I did, but I answered that I’d be more careful going forward.
Once that conversation reached its conclusion, Park Seo-ung brought up another matter.
-Shin Chang would like to meet with you. Would you have time?
“Shin Chang?”
-Yes. When you met last time, you agreed to meet again.
“What?”
What was this about?
All he’d done was stare at me in silence, didn’t he?
“He didn’t say anything to me.”
-I suspected as much, haha. He’s the type who speaks through his eyes….
Park Seo-ung let out a hollow laugh, as if accustomed to such situations. I had no idea why that taciturn Shin Chang wanted to see me, but….
In any case, that was how I came to meet with Shin Chang.
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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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