Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 45

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

45. Shin Chang (2)
[Lv23 Space Master, Han Hye]
Strength: 31(+1)
Agility: 33(+3)
Stamina: 35
Spirit: 30
Mana: 40
Bonus Points: 6
Skills: Subspace (S-Rank) lv3, Leap (A-Rank) lv3, Flame Resistance (A-Rank) lv2, Cockfighting (C-Rank) lv3, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-Rank) lv4, Cold Resistance (E-Rank) lv1, *Wind Slash (lv1)
Before my sparring match with Shin Chang, I consumed a Crimson Vine. My agility increased by 3, strength by 1—the same 4-stat boost I’d received with Chul-gi.
I didn’t allocate the bonus points from leveling up.
Against a hunter of Shin Chang’s caliber, a few extra stat points wouldn’t make any meaningful difference.
Being chased by the second-awakened Grendel had taught me something valuable.
Before receiving Seo Seung-yeon’s support, I’d planned to enter the Subspace and consume a Crimson Vine to boost my agility. But even then, I would’ve been slower than the Grendel.
It was a creature that had undergone a second awakening. In other words, I’d realized the necessity of maintaining a reserve of bonus stats.
—Affirmative. For someone like Han Hye, who is far from ordinary, it would be wise to maintain bonus stats as insurance within reasonable limits.
Chun-bae offered the same advice. My stats were already exceptional compared to hunters of my level.
Moreover, the Gates I entered were of considerable difficulty.
Even in non-emission-type Gates, hadn’t I encountered an Ogre during the Night of Despair?
Situations requiring specific stats could arise at any moment, so I was laying down insurance. There’s no stat reset ticket, after all.
“Could you sign something for me…?”
“Just one photo, please!”
Citizens approached me on the way to the Training Facility. Since this incident, far more people recognized me.
I used to be just another face in the crowd. This was the moment I truly felt the weight of newfound fame.
As a result, I’d even created a new autograph. I never had one before, but people kept asking.
In the process, my signature had changed slightly from the very first person I’d signed for….
‘Hmm. I hope they don’t get called out for having a fake somewhere.’
I worried they might face ridicule because of me.
Well, we took a photo together back then, so if I explain that my signature changed after that, people should believe them, right?
.
.
.
After that, I arrived at the Training Facility and began my sparring match with Shin Chang. There was something genuinely surprising.
“…Your spatial awareness is an extraordinary advantage.”
Shin Chang’s reputation as a combat fanatic wasn’t exaggerated. Once the sparring began, he opened his usually taciturn mouth.
“That’s right. I can sense my opponent’s weapon reach and physical range with precision, not just intuition.”
Of course, Seo Seung-yeon provided the supplementary explanation.
Seeing her for the second time, I found myself wondering if she was a sniper or Shin Chang’s interpreter.
Shin Chang probably called her in because he’d have communication difficulties on his own.
In any case, it was a far more valuable moment than I’d anticipated.
“I’ll attack in a way that either reaches you or doesn’t. Use your spatial sense to perceive the trajectory, then either evade or hold your ground.”
Training my spatial sense to feel the trajectory of attacks.
This was quite effective. Since I’d learned the method itself, I could use it even without Shin Chang.
“But… I need to be careful.”
“Exactly. You can’t blindly trust it. Your opponent might intentionally hide their reach or twist their body to strike deeper.”
“So you’re saying I shouldn’t dodge too close to the blade?”
“Right. With a monster’s attack pattern that I’ve already analyzed, I can push it to the limit!”
After that, I assisted Shin Chang with attacks using leap techniques, though this training was equally for my own benefit.
Leap-based attacks against a moving opponent also required proficiency.
“…Does moving require prediction?”
Still, unlike our earlier conversation, Shin Chang spoke directly during our sparring.
I answered eagerly each time. I hoped it might make things slightly easier for him.
“Yes. Against a fast-moving target, there’s a slight gap between when I think and when I use the leap.”
0.n seconds. Fractions of a second, but against an enemy that fast, my attack might not land.
Shin Chang furrowed his brows with a serious expression and nodded.
“You’re improving.”
“I’m getting the hang of it.”
Continuing with Shin Chang, I was becoming more accustomed to leaping and attacking against moving targets.
[The skill ‘Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-Rank)’ has increased in level.]
There was an unexpected gain.
“Twist your wrist a bit more. The shift in power’s center comes from your lower body…”
Shin Chang gave me advice bit by bit on my attacks, and as I adapted to it, my swordsmanship level rose.
“Right. Like that. Good.”
The sharper my attacks became, the more pleased Shin Chang seemed. The corners of his mouth were gradually lifting.
Though it was subtle enough that you’d miss it if you weren’t paying close attention.
There were other pieces of advice as well.
“A frontal leap too… that could work.”
“Frontal?”
“Ah, I understand. You’re using psychological warfare against an opponent who knows about the leap.”
Shin Chang nodded at Seo Seung-yeon’s explanation.
In other words, he was telling me to employ psychological tactics that flip the expectation of attacking from behind.
“Restraint is also a method.”
“Because the opponent’s attention gets focused on being conscious of the leap?”
I answered immediately, and Shin Chang’s eyes widened slightly before he nodded. He must have thought I wouldn’t understand right away.
He continued with a satisfied expression.
“Correct. Divided focus slows reaction time.”
What I realized through sparring was that Shin Chang didn’t earn his title for nothing.
His combat sense was exceptional. I was learning something new in real time.
“Wow.”
As we were having this conversation, I heard Seo Seung-yeon’s exclamation.
“You’re really talkative today, aren’t you?”
“….”
Perhaps because of Seo Seung-yeon, Shin Chang fell silent once more.
“Han Hye must really be to your liking. You barely speak a few words to the other guild members in a day.”
“Isn’t it just because we’re sparring?”
“No. Even during sparring, he just nods or shakes his head occasionally.”
He barely speaks that much even to his own guild members?
So it wasn’t that he was particularly shy. It seemed I was receiving considerable favor from Shin Chang.
During breaks between training sessions, we exchanged conversations about my techniques.
Though truthfully, it was Seo Seung-yeon who was considering various applications rather than Shin Chang.
“To be precise, you said physical bodies can’t enter?”
“Right. Weapons, arrows, magic—those can come through.”
“So if something isn’t hiding inside….”
“Yes. Magic can be blocked by the Subspace too. I’ve already created such a space.”
“Ah. You’ve already thought of that. Hmm, is there any other way to utilize the Subspace?”
Seo Seung-yeon’s eyes gleamed with genuine interest as she racked her brain.
“Can’t you swing the Subspace itself?”
“It doesn’t work.”
“What about creating it between someone’s body?”
“That doesn’t work either.”
If it did, I could move the physically immune Subspace around and crush everything in my path. Pressing down like a compression press from above—even an Ogre would become pulp.
Well, I probably would’ve just split them in half by creating it between their bodies anyway.
“What if you installed something like a sliding door—a super sturdy steel plate with magical protection on the entrance? Then even if something’s hiding inside, it should be fine.”
“That could work.”
Most things could be avoided by moving to the side, but area-effect magic might still cause damage inside the Subspace.
I should ask the Hunter Association if they can manufacture something like that.
“This is about my limit.”
“No. You gave me an idea. Thank you.”
I hadn’t come here seeking advice on Subspace applications anyway. I’d already received far too much help with spatial sense, leaping, and swordsmanship.
“…Can we meet again?”
When it came time to part ways, Shin Chang opened his normally reserved mouth and made a request of me. His face was serene, suggesting today had been satisfying.
I answered without hesitation.
“Of course.”
I was grateful for this. Training under Korea’s number one Hunter wasn’t an ordinary experience.
* * *
“Association President. Our informant within Übermenschen has made contact. Korea was mentioned.”
“What?”
The Association President’s brow furrowed at the report.
“They’ve come to Korea?”
“Our informant isn’t of particularly high rank, so I don’t have those details. However, Korea was apparently mentioned in a high-level meeting.”
“It probably came up in the meeting.”
The Space Mage and Dragon Knight.
They were already hot topics overseas, and once their combat footage was released, their abilities were proven beyond doubt. The fact that Übermenschen would be discussing them was 100% certain.
“Yes. I’m not sure if it was just mentioned during the meeting or if they’re actively targeting them.”
“They’re probably busy trying to enter illegal Gates everywhere… but you never know.”
“Right. Even if they kidnap both of them and fail to turn them, they could still take the Red Dragon.”
That was true. So while they didn’t know it, the Korean Hunter Association was actually focusing quite heavily on protecting the Space Mage and Dragon Knight.
The Association President made his decision.
“Seo Seung-yeon is already with them… but she’s not the type to hold the line in direct combat. I’ll need to assign another person. China’s been problematic lately too.”
After the Awakener coup that overturned the regime, China’s security was deteriorating by the day. Its national power was suffering similarly.
The Awakener regime that seized power through force was running the country for their own benefit.
There was internal division beneath the surface, despite outward stability, due to power struggles among the Awakeners who succeeded in the coup.
Regions operating in state-like formats similar to the United States had emerged. Übermenschen had exploited that gap.
“How will Saebyeokbit proceed when they enter the Gate?”
“Has Chulbyeok’s archer been handling it so far?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll assign a knight to them as well.”
* * *
[3rd Gate Crisis Alert Lifted.]
As the mana concentration in the irregular atmosphere stabilized to some degree, the alert was lifted.
The mana concentration had risen even higher than before… but it meant that Gate access, forbidden during the alert period, was now permitted again.
So I called the guild members together. There were things to discuss beyond entering new Gates.
We hadn’t just trained during the alert period, after all.
“First, we need to discuss the guild house matter.”
In a way it was bittersweet, but a guild that suffered near-annihilation during this emission-type crisis had disbanded and put their property on the market.
It wasn’t a large place, but since we were still a small-scale guild with no plans to expand, it was perfect for us.
“We managed to find one near the Association Vicinity. I was planning to purchase it….”
That’s when Lee Shin-hee urgently raised her hand.
“Wait. You haven’t already signed a contract, have you?”
“Oh, no. I was planning to do it after today’s meeting.”
“Thank goodness.”
Lee Shin-hee let out a sigh of relief. What was this about?
“When I mentioned it to my grandfather, he said he’d prepared something just in case after I awakened, and he had it ready.”
“Huh?”
“It’s quite large actually. Since it’s spacious, there’s no loss for us. After seeing Han Hye’s performance this time, he asked if we weren’t in the same guild and just told me to use it.”
“Oh.”
“Oh wow!”
Seo Min-jae and Chul-gi stood up with their mouths open. I was equally shocked.
“For free?”
“Yes. He just told me to use it.”
So that’s why people talk about chaebol families all the time?
No, this won’t do. The next portion of the semi-eternal elixir from the Subspace has to go to Lee Shin-hee, no matter what.
“As for Guild staff, there were quite a few people freed up from this incident. Apparently your grandfather is looking into them and planning to hire some.”
“Really? I’m not sure if we should accept this much help…”
“Your grandfather is the one offering it, so why worry? He just asked if we could meet the Dragon Guild members sometime later…”
Lee Shin-hee trailed off, gauging my reaction carefully.
“That much is easy enough. In a way, isn’t he our financial backer… or rather, our sponsor?”
Chul-gi nodded in agreement. I found myself nodding too.
“Exactly.”
A Guild house doesn’t come cheap. I’d been wondering if we’d need to spend all our savings on it. Yet he was simply providing it for us. And hiring staff on top of that.
Well, there’s no reason to turn down a Guild house or staff. As long as they’re competent and do their jobs well, that’s all that matters.
‘If something goes wrong with Lee Shin-hee down the line, we can always find replacements. No problem there.’
Though I doubted that would happen. Just the fact that she ignored her grandfather’s call to join us last time said everything.
She’s the only A-Rank Healer at our level.
Moreover, this Gate incident resulted in some losses among C-Rank and lower Hunters. We were already a dream team of late bloomers, but now we’d become even more of one.
Lee Shin-hee and we needed each other.
“Anyway, the Guild house issue is resolved.”
“Now let’s check the public announcements.”
Whether to call it good news or bad news, I wasn’t sure—but there were an enormous number of newly appeared Gates.
The main reason we’d met today was to select which Gates we’d enter next.
“Wow, so many have appeared?”
“It was the same five years ago.”
The Hunter Association said the average difficulty of the newly appeared Gates would likely be higher.
Just as there was a Second Gate Incident, when mana concentration rises, even Gates with the same level and capacity restrictions become more difficult.
Newly appeared Gates cannot be entered until they’re publicly announced.
Well, criminal Hunter organizations like Übermenschen sometimes try to sneak into Gates during this window.
It doesn’t happen often in our country. If it does, the authorities immediately surround the Gate in question.
Being one of the world’s strongest Hunter nations, Korea makes such activities extremely difficult.
“Let’s all search for good ones.”
Now that the Gates were publicly announced, we had one task: finding a suitable Gate for our level.
Well, honestly, I wasn’t worried. Among Hunters at our level, there’s no one who can keep up with us.
‘We’re a Guild with four Gate priority slots.’
The abundance of newly appeared Gates was good news for people like us.
It meant the hidden Gates that had been claimed and disappeared over time were reappearing.
In other words, Gate shopping was about to begin.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————