Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 71
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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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71. Yagor’s Harsh Snowfield (5)
The dense concentration of mana I felt from outside was also emanating from the black skull, so I remained cautious.
A black skull? Wasn’t that strange? Well, in other worlds, skulls could certainly be black, I suppose.
-It’s not a demon. You can relax.
At that moment, Chun-bae spoke up.
‘Really? But the bones are so black?’
-Demonic energy seeped into the bones from the wound sites. After death, it was completely consumed by it.
According to Chun-bae’s explanation, when wounded by demons or demonic beings, their malevolent energy penetrates the body and torments it.
In simple terms, it was like being cut by a poisoned blade.
While the body was alive, it could resist the demonic energy, but after death, the malevolence would seep throughout the entire form.
He mentioned that such skulls were useful for dark magic, but said there was no need to worry about it for now.
‘That’s somewhat reassuring. So it’s not a demon. But why is the mana concentration so dense?’
-The demonic energy and remaining mana in the body have adhered to the skull. Demonic energy rarely dissipates, after all.
‘I see.’
I felt a sense of ease when accompanying Chun-bae, whose experience was exceptional, and it was precisely for this reason.
Human fear stems from the unknown. Chun-bae dispelled that for me, allowing me to observe situations with composure.
-Demons take different forms depending on the world, but since these are human bones, they resemble Yagor’s remains. You should be able to examine them comfortably.
The black skull was somewhat peculiar. It was positioned leaning against the wall, and the bones of the right arm were nowhere to be seen.
One of the leg bones was broken.
‘The color is different?’
-It’s a matter of how deeply the demonic energy has seeped in.
After hearing Chun-bae’s words, I noticed the bones weren’t uniformly black. The wound areas were darker in hue.
Perhaps after an intense battle and victory, Yagor had sought shelter in the snowfield and found this cave.
It differed slightly from the legend I had heard.
The tale said he had succumbed to the harsh cold of the snowfield, but these wounds would have been difficult to survive even without it.
‘Is this the hidden reward?’
What caught my eye next was a silver ring fitted onto the finger bones of the remaining left arm.
Well, aside from that, the cave contained only the skeleton. There were some indecipherable characters inscribed faintly on the wall.
Despite the considerable passage of time, there were no traces of animals. Perhaps the demonic energy made it difficult to approach.
I immediately examined the ring. It appeared to be no ordinary object.
[Ring of the Snowfield’s Twilight (Grade B)]
-A ring once used by Yagor, who vanquished demons in ancient times.
-Through the ring’s healing power, Yagor endured and could stand against demons.
-Magic Power stat increases by 3, healing skill efficiency increases by 20%.
-A portion of the magic power consumed by healing skills is returned.
As Chun-bae had predicted, these were indeed Yagor’s remains, but I was more impressed by the ring’s performance.
“Wow… insane.”
-A precious item.
This was an item good enough for even Chun-bae to acknowledge. I suspected it might be among the upper tier of Grade B equipment.
The Magic Power stat of 3 could certainly be provided by other Grade B gear, but the other aspect was far more important.
A 20% increase in healing skill efficiency means the higher the level, the better the outcome.
Moreover, recovering a portion of the mana spent on healing skills works the same way.
‘It’s no wonder healers prioritize investing in mental strength and mana.’
Healing skills consume far more mana than most magic spells. After all, we’re recovering a person’s wounds in real time.
That’s why Hunters with insufficient mana tend to conserve their healing skills even when injured.
Even top-tier Hunters focus intently on mana management for their healers during intense Gate battles.
I’m not sure how much “a bit” amounts to, but combined with healing skill efficiency, it shouldn’t be insignificant.
-I apologize again. If you had listened to me, you wouldn’t have missed this.
‘It’s fine. You recommended this Gate anyway. I’ll just think more carefully about the direction next time.’
Truth be told, if it weren’t for Chun-bae, I wouldn’t have even considered entering this Gate.
Other Hunters would never have found a place like this. This was an achievement Chun-bae and I accomplished together.
There was no need to deliberate over distribution—the owner was already determined. It belonged to Lee Shin-hee, our healer.
For Lee Shin-hee, who possessed an A-rank healing skill, this item was perfectly suited.
‘Let’s take it and go.’
As I removed the ring, I felt a peculiar sensation.
It felt like I was entering the desolate tomb of a hero who had fought a demon and taking away its relics.
Of course, I had no intention of leaving it behind.
Yet there was a twinge of conscience about leaving this black skull here.
‘Returning it to the village might be meaningful too.’
After all, the villagers owe their survival to this man called Yagor—wouldn’t that give it deeper significance?
* * *
“There wasn’t much—just Yagor’s remains and a single ring.”
I explained as we emerged, and while my companions nodded in understanding, Todd showed genuine astonishment.
“Y-Yagor’s, I mean, Lord Yagor’s remains?”
His eyes widened in shock, his reaction one of disbelief.
“That legend was actually real?”
“Go take a look inside. It seems to be Yagor.”
I couldn’t mention the item description, so I brought Todd back inside.
The moment Todd saw the skull and the wall inscription, he covered his mouth with both hands.
“…Yagor sleeps here! It was real. The legend was actually true!”
The words carved into the wall appeared to be his final testament. Todd paid his respects to the black skull in what seemed to be a local custom.
It was likely the way people in this region showed reverence.
“So I was thinking of bringing the remains to the village. What do you think?”
“I’d be grateful! Those are the remains of the hero who saved the Northern Region!”
With Todd’s approval, I carefully placed the remains in my Subspace. After all, they belonged to a hero.
Afterward, I showed the party the items I had obtained.
“There was just this one ring. I’m mentioning it just in case, but I didn’t take anything else separately.”
Beyond safety concerns, this was another reason I had asked the party if I could enter alone.
Distribution disputes among Hunters often erupt in situations like this.
Accusations like someone sneaking off with something and returning with it hidden.
That’s why most guilds conduct thorough searches and body checks before and after entering a Gate.
‘It seems a bit excessive, but I understand the reasoning.’
During my days as a porter, I’d actually experienced being searched while undressed, and there were precedents for everything.
Thieves with concealment skills would often smuggle items out, which was also why they earned the derogatory label of “grave robbers.”
Now that I think about it, our team doesn’t have a thief.
It absolutely wasn’t because we avoided recruiting thieves due to such concerns. I’m serious. We simply haven’t found suitable talent.
“We trust you.”
“Of course. If you were that kind of person, you wouldn’t have shared with us in the first place.”
Chul-gi and Min-jae waved their hands dismissively, while Lee Shin-hee looked at me with slightly pouting eyes.
It was as if she were saying, ‘Did you think I would suspect you?’
Well, perhaps this mutual trust is one of the reasons our guild stands apart from others.
In any case, I pulled out the ring I’d obtained and offered it to Lee Shin-hee.
“This one is yours.”
“Mine?”
“Yes. It’s your turn to receive something.”
“If it’s because of the order, that’s fine. It should go to whoever is most suited….”
She seemed to think I was giving it to her because Chul-gi and Min-jae had recently obtained items while she hadn’t.
I immediately shook my head and cut her off.
“No. This one is definitely yours.”
“What?”
“Check the specs.”
The moment Lee Shin-hee took the ring and opened her mouth, her eyes widened. At her reaction, Chul-gi and Min-jae leaned in as well.
“Wow, this is….”
“Looking at these specs, I’d believe it even if you said it was A-rank.”
They all had the same reaction as me. Lee Shin-hee carefully gripped the ring tightly.
“It will become A-rank. The stronger I become, the stronger this ring becomes.”
As expected, she’d immediately grasped the ring’s ability. It was a ring whose efficiency improved the stronger its user was.
I nodded back at her.
“It could even become S-rank.”
I’m being completely serious. If we put this up for international auction, wouldn’t it fetch hundreds of billions, if not trillions?
Every nation’s elite healers would want it.
Perhaps because it was such a precious item, Lee Shin-hee gave me a slight bow.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. We agreed to distribute things this way.”
“We only obtained it because of Han Hye.”
Well, that wasn’t wrong, so I just smiled in response.
“The rest was the elixir, right?”
The elixir we’d obtained earlier came up as a topic again in the distribution discussion. Min-jae immediately looked at me.
“That’s yours. We’ve already received plenty.”
“That’s right.”
Chul-gi also nodded in agreement.
Well, I think the same way. It was just awkward to say it myself when I’m the one receiving it.
‘I can eat this later.’
Since I’d consumed a semi-elixir related to cold resistance before entering the Subspace, eating it right away felt premature.
Being a B-rank elixir, I wanted to properly experience its effects.
“Then let’s all head back.”
.
.
.
“Yagor’s remains, you say?”
“Todd confirmed it!”
“Our benefactors even found the remains of the Northern Region’s hero….”
Since the location of Yagor’s remains was quite a distance away, it was nearly evening by the time we returned to the village.
The villagers were startled by the black skull, yet they didn’t seriously doubt our words.
Todd had confirmed it, and we were their benefactors who had provided vast provisions and even slain the White Tiger.
Well, a festival was held after that. A massive bonfire was lit in the center of the Snowfield Village, and we roasted and ate meat.
‘Well, the meat was something I brought, though.’
Meat eaten in a cold region had its own charm. The happy faces of these simple-hearted people were pleasant too.
At the end of the festival, we even built a tomb for Yagor in one corner of the village.
[Gate ‘Yagor’s Harsh Snowfield’ subjugation complete.]
[You have acquired experience points.]
[You have leveled up.]
A narrative-type Gate.
Though about two days of time remained, the message appeared in the evening, perhaps because I’d handled everything.
[You found Yagor’s remains and built a tomb for him. Yagor’s wishes are imbued within.]
However, the message didn’t end there.
It seemed there was an additional reward, likely because I’d found a hidden objective that was nearly impossible to discover.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have acquired Cold Resistance (D-rank).]
[This is a skill you already possess. The skill’s rank has increased.]
“Oh?”
I wasn’t the only one who exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, D-rank Cold Resistance!”
“The cold is completely gone, isn’t it?”
The importance of such auxiliary skills cannot be overstated. While unnecessary under normal circumstances, in situations like this, they’re invaluable.
Because I possessed the Cold Resistance skill, I was able to operate with less impact than my teammates.
‘And a level up on top of that.’
I found myself thinking this Gate was one of the most rewarding I’d experienced so far.
A B-rank elixir, a B-rank ring, and a skill upgrade.
The Arachne Gate had been quite satisfying too, but I’d managed to gain nearly equivalent rewards from this one.
Chun-bae was equally generous with his praise.
-Congratulations. I learned a great deal from you, Han Hye. I promise you this—next time, I’ll think more creatively as well.
* * *
[The UN Gate Countermeasure Committee states that the frequency of Uncontrolled Gate generation has increased since the Third Gate Incident….]
Following the last incident, reports emerged worldwide that the number of Uncontrolled Gates being generated had risen significantly.
They weren’t particularly common to begin with, but they did appear occasionally—the difference was quite noticeable.
The cause, unsurprisingly, was mana concentration. Each Gate incident had made the mana density thicker.
Because of this, Hunter Net was in an uproar as well.
[(Information) Hunter Association Gate Subjugation Schedule Adjustment Announcement]
-All Hunters planning to enter Gates after next Wednesday must undergo re-verification. Make sure to check.
-Damn it, I already made vacation plans. Is this really happening?
┗Can’t be helped;; Uncontrolled Gates are increasing, so the entire standby team is being reorganized
┗Ugh, but right next week is overkill
┗They were going to start tomorrow but pushed it to next week
-It’s annoying, but there’s no way around it
┗Yeah, it’s something we have to understand
The Hunter Association rotates standby teams composed of Hunters below a certain rank.
They would wait at the Hunter Association on designated dates and be the first to deploy when incidents like Uncontrolled Gates occurred.
“It doesn’t really affect us.”
“That’s right.”
Since we had already subjugated all the Gates we had planned for, we weren’t in a particularly difficult situation.
We could simply adjust our schedule and prepare for the next Gate subjugation.
‘I suppose you could call it good luck.’
I had entered the ranks of C-Rank Hunters, and with our abilities being different from others, I was about to join the standby team soon.
We had even planned our Gate subjugation schedule with that in mind.
“It won’t happen while we’re on standby, right?”
“Even if it does, we can handle it well enough.”
The standby team wasn’t just us. High-level Hunters would be there too, so it shouldn’t be a major problem.
Unless a large-scale Gate erupted like last time.
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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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