Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 6
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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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6. Workshop (1)
I checked my status window. Strength was 7, Agility was 6. If I allocated 8 and 9 points respectively, they’d each reach 15.
The total cost was 17 points, leaving me with 1 spare point. After a moment’s deliberation, I distributed my stats.
My ability was the Subspace, but I had no intention of remaining passive. Within the Subspace lay secret treasures.
Who knew when new items might appear? I decided to wield a sword.
‘I need to grow stronger for my revenge too.’
There was nothing to lose. These were stats I’d have to invest in eventually anyway.
Higher Strength and Agility would serve me well at the Workshop too.
[Lv6 Void Master, Han Hye]
Strength: 15 (+8)
Agility: 15 (+9)
Vitality: 18
Spirit: 6
Mana: 18
Spare Points: 1
Skills: Subspace (S-rank) Lv1, Flame Resistance (A-rank) Lv1, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-rank) Lv1, *Wind Slash (Lv1)
‘Looking at it this way, it’s remarkable.’
Thanks to the elixir and Red Dragon blood, my stats had climbed far beyond imagination.
My displayed level was Lv6, but in terms of raw stats alone, I was equivalent to Lv18.
Once I distributed the stats and grasped the sword, Wind Slash was added to my arsenal.
Since it was a skill obtained from a weapon, it had no particular rank. I understood that its power varied depending on the user.
How potent would this one be?
Without much thought, I swung the wind blade toward a training dummy. Mana drained slightly as wind surged through the blade.
Shiiik—
The moment the sword cut through the air, a sharp whistling sound followed. I felt the formless wind extending outward. Even to the eye, it looked deadly.
The wind swept forward and struck the dummy.
Crackle—. It pierced through the dummy’s mana barrier. The barrier fractured, and the dummy crumbled.
Then the sharp wind dissipated as it touched the Subspace wall.
“Wow….”
An exclamation escaped me.
Overwhelmed with emotion, I covered my mouth with my left hand.
Even a lowest-grade mana stone dummy was designed to withstand several bullets.
I’d just recharged it, and I’d destroyed it in a single strike. Of course, it wasn’t just the destructive power.
“Insane. So damn cool.”
A wind blade, no less.
This was something I’d only seen in manga!
* * *
And as time passed….
The Workshop date drew near.
“Phew.”
I exhaled deeply as I stepped out of the Subspace. Three days had passed in the outside world, but the time I spent there was not three days.
Time doesn’t flow in the Subspace from the outside perspective.
‘Roughly calculating, it felt like about three weeks.’
Since I hadn’t kept precise track of time, I couldn’t say exactly how long. Between sword practice sessions, I managed to study a bit during breaks.
Studying was tedious, but the sword was not.
‘Even I think I’m crazy for this…’
Perhaps it was because I’d yearned for awakening for so long?
Wielding the sword was genuinely exhilarating. Each time I grew more accustomed to swordsmanship, a sense of accomplishment bloomed within me.
[Imperial Basic Swordsmanship Lv1 has risen to Lv2.]
[Imperial Basic Swordsmanship Lv2 has risen to Lv3.]
The rising skill levels deepened my immersion even further.
Since the knowledge had been implanted as pure information, my movements were clumsy at first, but after dozens of hours of practice, I became proficient.
Studying was tedious. There was so much to memorize.
Still, time was abundant. By utilizing every spare moment to review the textbooks, I managed to commit nearly everything to memory.
‘My preparation is flawless.’
All those dozens of hours wielding the sword and the studying I’d never done before—it was all for the workshop.
The workshop is a mandatory requirement for anyone pursuing a career as an awakened hunter domestically.
At the workshop, earning a high score is crucial.
I didn’t spend all that time in the Subspace for nothing.
Everything you do during the workshop is evaluated.
Class participation, quiz scores, performance during Gate training—and even minor actions are factored in.
These evaluations affect future contracts. It means securing a higher signing bonus.
‘I could even receive an E-rank elixir.’
Beyond that, if evaluations across all categories exceed a certain threshold, the Hunter Association awards an elixir as compensation.
It’s not a simple comparative ranking. Sometimes no one receives it. But when someone does, only one person gets it.
Regardless of grade, elixirs are fundamentally worth hundreds of millions.
Elixirs that raise stats without leveling up were among the most coveted items for high-level hunters.
‘I need to secure both.’
I was confident.
I didn’t spend dozens of hours in the Subspace for nothing. I had extensive experience as an unawakened hunter too.
And…
My stat-based level could be considered 18. It would be strange not to be confident.
.
.
.
The Hunter Association’s awakened hunter workshop runs for seven days. After three days of classes, participants clear two Gates over four days.
Thirty-two trainees participated in the workshop, all wearing serious expressions.
“I trust everyone has returned their electronic devices. We’ll be together for a week, so why don’t we each introduce ourselves?”
At the instructor’s words, the trainees exchanged glances. Some looked reluctant, while others seemed confident.
The latter group likely consisted of those with desirable occupations or powerful awakened abilities. In any case, it was my turn.
“Hello. I’m Han Hye, a Spacer.”
Even here, I couldn’t bring myself to say “princess.”
“A Spacer?”
“What’s that? Some rare job class?”
To the murmuring crowd, I offered a demonstration—pulling my wallet in and out of thin air, as casually as I’d done a thousand times before.
“I can use space like an inventory system.”
“An inventory? That’s insane.”
“Huh?”
Some eyes gleamed with recognition of my value; others remained blank. From what I could tell, the latter outnumbered the former.
Most of them were newcomers to the Hunter industry, it seemed.
That was understandable.
I knew my own worth precisely. They would come to understand it soon enough.
“Some theorize that the dark matter scattered throughout the universe is actually mana itself. Earth, our galaxy—they’ve been drawn into that current, they say.”
After the introduction, the lecture began.
The first session covered theory: the history and hypotheses of Gates, the monsters beginners encounter, and the rules governing Gate interiors.
“The absolute prohibition inside a Gate is reckless action. Reckless action means the annihilation of your entire team.”
“There are several types of entry-based Gates: hunting-type, transit-type, discovery-type, survival-type, and narrative-type, among others.”
The classroom atmosphere was remarkably focused. Being an Awakened Hunter meant risking your life. Everyone had no choice but to concentrate.
“Now, based on today’s lecture, we’ll have a pop quiz.”
I accepted the test paper with ease. I’d memorized the textbook perfectly. But as I read the questions, I felt a slight jolt of surprise.
‘This is harder than I expected.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration. Even I, who had nearly memorized the textbook while in the Subspace, couldn’t immediately produce answers.
These were questions that required multiple rounds of deliberation.
-Ugh.
-This is way too hard.
-How do you even distinguish male and female orcs? Is that even a thing?
The difficulty level drew groans from those around me.
Of course.
None of that applied to me.
‘If I hadn’t studied in the Subspace, this would’ve been brutal.’
There’s a difference between something being difficult and being impossible. With a thought or two more, I could solve them all.
I worked through the problems quickly.
‘Done.’
And I found every answer.
* * *
“The average score is… 73 points. It seems the difficulty was quite challenging. I did make it hard intentionally, but I’m disappointed. I specifically told you all to prepare beforehand.”
The instructor frowned, holding the test papers. He clearly wasn’t satisfied.
“Except for about three people, you all had at least a week to prepare. I understand their situation, but… the rest of you are hopeless. Are you really planning to enter Gates where your lives are on the line with such carelessness?”
It suddenly occurred to me that the instructor had deliberately made the test difficult. Even I, having memorized the entire textbook, found it challenging.
For anyone who’d only studied a little, it would have been impossible.
They had deliberately increased the difficulty level.
Perhaps it was a form of shock therapy meant to instill caution in novice Hunters.
“I hope you will all strive harder going forward. I’ll provide answer keys as well, so please review the questions you got wrong.”
The instructor surveyed the students before fixing their gaze on me. Their sharp expression softened into a warm smile.
“Han Hye. You’re the only one with a perfect score. Considering you only awakened a few days ago and had such a tight schedule, that’s impressive.”
“A perfect score?”
“Is that even possible?”
The astonished students turned to look at me. The difficulty had indeed been that challenging.
“Given how difficult the exam was, I didn’t expect there would be a perfect score. There will likely be bonus points awarded as well.”
Bonus points too? How sweet.
I laughed inwardly. All that effort to endure something I didn’t want to do had paid off.
‘Honestly, I did study quite leisurely in the Subspace….’
Either way, wasn’t this my own ability?
As I pulled ahead in the competition and drew attention from others, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.
The results of my hardship in the Subspace showed in the subsequent lecture as well. It was a martial arts class.
I had chosen swordsmanship, but since it was only a three-day intensive course, it felt like they were only teaching the basics.
Yet even while simply performing thrusts and slashes, the instructor’s gaze remained fixed on me.
It wasn’t my imagination. Soon enough, the instructor approached me.
“See here, like Han Hye does—the tip of the sword must not waver. Otherwise, you might drop your blade while attacking an enemy.”
And suddenly I had become a living teaching aid for the students.
Later, when everyone trained hitting the dummy without dropping their swords, it was the same.
“Look at Han Hye. With such precise form, utilizing leg strength and waist rotation to put your body weight into the attack—that’s how it should be done.”
Did I impress them that much?
The instructor hadn’t exchanged many words with me, yet they seemed quite favorable toward me.
By the end of the class, they even approached me to speak privately.
“Han Hye? Did you study swordsmanship elsewhere before this?”
“I did attend a local kendo dojo for a while….”
“A local kendo dojo? Not one run by an Awakened with E-rank or D-rank swordsmanship?”
“It was just a place run by the Korean Kendo Association.”
The instructor scratched the back of their head.
“…Are you a genius? You’re better than students who trained at E-rank dojos.”
“Ha ha….”
I did possess E-rank swordsmanship, but I couldn’t reveal that, so I could only laugh awkwardly.
And….
Throughout the first three days of the workshop, I never once lost first place.
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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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