Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 8

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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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8. Workshop (3)
“First place, Han Hye, 15 monsters.”
It was only natural.
Goblin hunting had always been this way for me.
Whoosh—
Tap-tap-tap— slice.
Whoosh—
Tap-tap-tap— slice.
Rest, cut, rest, cut.
Whenever I felt tired, I’d slip into the Subspace to sleep, and when I emerged, I was refreshed. Thanks to that, I could hunt goblins in perfect condition.
…To be honest, by the midway point, finding goblins was more tedious than the actual combat. The number of goblins dwindled as time went on.
“15 monsters?”
“?”
“Really? How is that even possible?”
Before the Supervisor could finish speaking, gasps of astonishment erupted from all around.
“Han Hye, you’re a Spatial Mage? If you’re this good, what are we supposed to do?”
“Wow, I always knew you were different, but 15 monsters? That’s absolutely insane, isn’t it?”
The trainees, who had become familiar with me over the three days, were approaching me to speak. The Instructor continued.
“The average is 4 monsters, but Han Hye, you’ve demonstrated overwhelming skill. Even accounting for your higher level, this is truly remarkable.”
Everyone nodded at the Instructor’s words. While there was a level difference, Warriors and Rogues had combat skills too.
Unlike Spatial Mages, they had an inherent advantage in combat itself.
Yet even so… wasn’t the gap overwhelmingly vast?
“What’s even more surprising is that Han Hye’s record is the highest in the history of this workshop.”
“The highest record ever?”
“Yes. You all know ‘Knight’ Lee Hong-ju, right? He’s an A-rank Hunter. He held first place with 11 monsters until now.”
Wow.
I was surprised too.
I had no idea it would be a record-breaking performance. My stats and abilities were definitely broken.
“Ahem.”
Since everyone was staring at me, managing my expression was essential. I cleared my throat unnecessarily.
As we were wrapping up and heading out, the swordmaster Instructor who had been serving as Supervisor approached me.
“I’m Instructor Lee Sang-yeop. You worked hard out there.”
“Thank you, Instructor. You worked hard as well.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Pardon?”
“Entering a Gate together sometime. I’m not just saying this—you’re the most outstanding trainee I’ve ever seen.”
The swordmaster smiled. Come to think of it, he had been favorable toward me since the first swordsmanship class.
“Ah, thank you.”
I answered that way, but it felt insufficient. Perhaps showing a bit of humility would be the proper thing to do.
“It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Instructor.”
“Me? You mean me?”
The Instructor stared at me with a bewildered expression.
“I never taught you anything separately during the lectures….”
“Ah….”
Ah, is this some kind of trick question?
.
.
.
“The week-long workshop concludes today. While there were some injuries, fortunately there were no major accidents.”
The workshop had ended. The second Gate practical training had also taken place, but nothing particularly noteworthy occurred.
We entered a Gate with a recommended level of 1~5 and a maximum of 5 people—without a Supervisor, only the trainees among ourselves.
-Han Hye, what about your team? Would you like to team up with me?
-I’m a D-rank healer!
Since all the trainees wanted to form a team with me, I assembled a suitable group and entered the Gate.
There were no problems, and we even set a record for the fastest Gate clear time.
“Next, we will present an elixir award to Han Hye, the most outstanding trainee of this workshop.”
Just before the closing ceremony ended, I ascended the podium and received a small wooden box.
[Flame Herb (C-rank)]
-A plant infused with the power of flames. Consuming it should greatly enhance heat resistance.
-If you possess a flame-related skill, there is a high probability the skill level will increase.
Insane—C-rank?
I couldn’t hide my shock. The elixirs provided at the workshop were typically E-rank at best.
I had hoped that setting the highest record in the Gate practical training might earn me a D-rank elixir.
But they gave me something even better than that.
“Control your expression, please control your expression.”
At the whispered words beside me, I hastily closed my gaping mouth.
“We prepared a C-rank elixir for you, Han Hye, but we would appreciate it if you would tell others you received a D-rank one.”
It seemed the Hunter Association had stretched their resources for this.
Since they were asking for my understanding, I quickly nodded in agreement.
“Of course. Thank you.”
I placed the wooden box into my Subspace.
“Would it be possible to speak briefly after the closing ceremony?”
“Ah, yes.”
With that conversation concluded, the closing ceremony finished as I received my Hunter license.
* * *
“What? You received a C-rank elixir?”
Uncle Chul-ki was equally shocked when he heard what happened at the workshop.
“I’ve never seen anyone so lucky. They gave you C-rank? Wow, that’s insane.”
“I was surprised too.”
“The Hunter Association must be trying to earn some points with you.”
“Is that so?”
“Even the ‘Knight’ received a D-rank elixir during the workshop. Since the Spacer performs better than the Knight, he’s just trying to make a good impression early on.”
I agree. I was shocked when I saw the C-rank elixir too. No matter how outstanding my performance was….
Without the value of the Subspace skill, C-rank would have been difficult. I really squeezed every benefit from the workshop.
“Did the Hunter Association say anything?”
“They did.”
“What did they say?”
“They asked if I had any thoughts about going abroad, so I said not yet. They said they’d do well on their end and asked me to count on them going forward.”
Korea was a hunter superpower relative to its land size. When the Gate crisis occurred, it was one of the few nations where a colossal Gate had opened.
Countless casualties resulted, but just as many awakened individuals were born from it.
And the treatment of awakened individuals was quite excellent. Foreign scouts frequently came calling, but few actually left. Generally speaking, the conditions in Korea were superior.
‘If you go abroad, you might have to enter dangerous Gates first.’
Since typical hunter contracts were conducted on an annual basis, foreign hunters who left after their contracts ended bore the risk.
Moreover, many suffered from language and cultural differences.
“Our country is better. Look at China. They treated awakened individuals like garbage, and then a coup happened and the whole country flipped upside down.”
“You don’t seem to dislike our country much, sir?”
“I have no major complaints about the state. They treated me fairly well. They helped me use my skills to the fullest. It was ordinary people who made life difficult for me.”
The old man downed another shot of soju. Judging by his expression, the memory still left a bitter taste.
Broadcasts, newspapers, online communities—they tore into him from all sides.
I pulled out a card I’d prepared and handed it to him.
“What’s this?”
“A registration card for the nearby Hunter-exclusive Training Facility.”
On my way back after completing it, I paid for both mine and his.
I’d already settled all the magic stones I obtained from the Gate practical training.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Build up your body, sir. Let’s hatch that dragon quickly and teach it a lesson, yeah?”
“You brat, I told you to hatch it first before talking.”
The old man let out a hollow laugh. But he took the card anyway.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Without you, sir, I might have died on the streets.”
“That’s an exaggeration….”
The old man waved his hand dismissively, but it was the truth. After the Gate crisis, getting support from the orphanage became impossible, so I’d been wandering the streets.
Separately, I hadn’t attempted to hatch the dragon yet. The hatchling could be hostile. I didn’t even know how strong it would be.
“And you should raise your level. You’re still not at my level.”
“Come on, have you had too much to drink? You’re level 14, sir. Sure, reaching level 14 without a skill is impressive, but…. My stat-based level is 18.”
“Huh, the porter from last week has grown quite a bit?”
“I’ve been big for a while now. Want to arm wrestle?”
What was the old man’s Strength stat again?
As I was thinking, he silently raised his middle finger. A man in his late thirties making such a childish gesture….
“Anyway, what are you going to do now?”
“I need to clear a Gate.”
“Alone?”
“Of course.”
My stats are already around level 20. That’s more than enough to clear Gates in the 6-10 level range.
There’s no reason to drag along another Awakened and suffer experience loss.
‘Unless they were an Awakened with decent abilities worth growing alongside.’
Besides, forming a team would prevent me from demonstrating my true capabilities. I’d already held back at the workshop.
If I went all out, other Awakened would definitely sense something was off.
“Your current abilities should be sufficient, but wouldn’t it be better to bring a healer? Small injuries can become serious dangers.”
“I received potions and antidotes from the Hunter Association, so I’m fine.”
“They gave you those expensive items?”
Some of the supplies placed in the Subspace during the Gate training had simply fallen into my hands.
-Take these, Han Hye. You’ll need them when you clear Gates after graduation. Buying them separately is a hassle and costs money anyway.
I naturally didn’t refuse. The old man had looked bewildered.
“You kids need to be treated fairly, at least to some degree.”
“Wait, you’re on my side, sir?”
“I’m just envious, you brat.”
Despite his words, there was a congratulatory tone to them.
“Have you chosen your next Gate?”
“Not yet. I’m probably going to go with a survival-type Gate. By stats alone, I’m a D-rank hunter.”
Hunter level and rank don’t correlate directly. A hunter’s rank can be raised through Gate achievements.
But you can generally estimate it.
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F-rank: 1-7
E-rank: 7-15
D-rank: 16-25
C-rank: 26-35
B-rank: 36-45
A-rank: 45-55
S-rank: 55 and above
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That’s roughly the standard. As the vanguard’s level increases, these rank criteria shift.
Currently, I was at the level of a D-rank hunter.
“A survival-type Gate? It’s not bad, but… wouldn’t it be grueling even with high stats?”
He wasn’t wrong. Most ‘survival-type’ Gates had difficulty levels higher than their recommended level.
You can clear them simply by surviving the given time without defeating monsters.
Just as I survived the Red Dragon.
“Even if the difficulty is high, survival-type Gates would be easiest for me.”
With the Red Dragon, I’d panicked and hastily opened a Subspace entrance in an open area, but…
Now it’s different. I’ve experimented with the Subspace alongside the old man. I just need to open it with a wall at my back.
No matter how powerful an enemy appears, they won’t be able to land an attack on me while I’m in the space between the wall and the Subspace.
Moreover, survival-type Gates have high difficulty, so the rewards are quite decent depending on performance.
‘But they’re not popular.’
Even though confirmed survival-type Gates offer good rewards, they’re significantly harder than the recommended level, so hunters tend to avoid them.
The Hunter Association also doesn’t recommend them.
Usually, high-level hunters clear them above the recommended level to prevent Gate breaks.
Even while sacrificing experience and rewards.
‘Not me.’
I plan to enter and see what happens. My stats are absurdly broken compared to my level.
If things go south, I can just escape to the Subspace. I’m going in with insurance.
.
.
.
As the drinking session was winding down, the old man suddenly brought something up.
“By the way, you caused quite a stir on Hunter Net.”
“Really?”
Hunter Net.
A community exclusively for awakened hunters. Credential verification was absolutely required, so there were no exceptions.
Of course, I’ve used it before. Just not like other hunters do.
There’s a separate section for non-awakened hunter resumes. Hunters contact me after seeing it.
“Now that the workshop is over, your information should be released. Check it out if you’re curious.”
“Yes.”
My story was being talked about. Anyone would be curious. I stood up and spoke.
“Want to work out together tomorrow morning? You don’t run lunch service anyway.”
The old man thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Sure.”
“Then let’s meet here at 9 and go together.”
“Han Hye.”
“Yes?”
“The egg… I’m counting on you.”
As I turned to leave, the old man spoke to the back of my head.
“I’ll do my best.”
I mean it sincerely. I’ll definitely hatch it. I didn’t light a fire in a retired man’s heart for nothing.
I wanted to repay my benefactor in my own way.
I had several methods in mind. Some things I’d ordered before the workshop.
I wasn’t sure if they’d work, but I planned to try various things.
‘There’s potential.’
Even if I have to hold the egg in fire, it’s fine.
I have an A-rank flame resistance skill.

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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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