Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 87

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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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87. Pharva Ancient Ruin (7)
[Essence of Hwarba (S-Rank)]
-The power of Hwarba, the Spirit King of Flames who burned even mana itself.
-Such immense power dwells within that those without qualification risk severe injury merely by touching it.
“Wow, this is insane….”
My jaw dropped at the sight of an S-Rank item.
I had seen branches of the World Tree within the Subspace before, but this was my first time encountering such a thing within a Gate.
The World Tree branch that enabled the Elixir Farm certainly possessed the value of an S-Rank item as well….
But this felt distinctly different.
‘The description isn’t extensive, yet the power I sense is on another level.’
Even if I combined all the lava in this volcano, it seemed it would pale in comparison to that essence.
Even now, the heat rising from the lava below flowed into the essence.
What was peculiar, however, was that the essence simultaneously suppressed the lava beneath it.
As I had anticipated, it seemed a volcanic eruption would occur the moment I extracted that essence.
‘Taking it immediately is impossible.’
What terrified me was that the description contained no warnings whatsoever. Was it telling me to die the moment I took it?
I returned to the group.
“W-what was there?”
The Professor, exhausted from the heat, rushed toward me the moment he saw me and asked. The others wore curious expressions as well.
When I produced nothing, the Mister tilted his head in confusion.
“There were no historical murals or ancient texts as you might have hoped for.”
“Then?”
“Only the Essence of Hwarba was there.”
“It actually existed? What did it look like? Did you bring it?”
The Professor fired off questions in rapid succession, brimming with curiosity.
The Assistant beside him and the Guild members’ eyes gleamed as well. After all, it was the essence of the Spirit King of Flames.
“It was about the size of a fist, burning with flames. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring it back.”
“Why?”
“Extracting it would cause this volcano to erupt.”
“Erupt?”
The Assistant and Proni tilted their heads in confusion.
“How do you know that?”
“I can feel it. It was connected to the volcano’s power. It appeared to be suppressing the volcano’s heat even as it received it.”
“If the Essence of Hwarba is literal truth rather than metaphor, then what you’re saying makes sense.”
The Professor lent weight to my assessment.
“According to ancient texts, though it is legend… the Spirit King of Flames was an entity that expanded the land by creating earth from lava.”
The Professor’s face bore deep regret as he spoke, seemingly disappointed at not witnessing it directly.
In contrast, the Guild members were watching me, and from my expression, they seemed to believe I had a solution.
“Then, regrettably, we’ll have to leave it behind….”
“No. Now that it’s been discovered, there’s no choice. We have to take it.”
“Didn’t you say the volcano would erupt?”
“You received investment from the nobles, didn’t you? Someone will come and search this place.”
There were no nobles in the Exploration Team. Only their lackeys had come to monitor us. That’s why there were those suspicious individuals.
“That’s certainly true….”
“Whether they extract it or die trying, you’ll face considerable trouble as well, Professor.”
“Hmm.”
The Professor pondered briefly, then nodded.
“I can’t deny it. They targeted us first, but my opinion won’t carry any weight anyway.”
“There is one solution.”
“What is it?”
“I will extract the Essence. Before that, everyone should get as far away from Hwarba Mountain as possible.”
The Professor was startled.
“You said the volcano would erupt. Is that even possible?”
“It’s possible. In fact, that’s precisely why I’m doing this.”
“Why, exactly?”
“Abandon your identity and leave. If you frame it as the Exploration Team encountering problems due to the volcanic eruption, wouldn’t that work?”
I could have simply forced the group and the Professor away together and taken the Essence myself.
The reason I’m explaining this is my humanity.
I felt something similar back in the Snow Field.
Though this world is said to be reconstructed by magical erosion, these people before my eyes seemed unmistakably alive.
Leaving them to die made my heart uncomfortable.
“Perhaps that’s the only way. You’ll have to take the Essence. It’s far too dangerous for us.”
A surprisingly intelligent answer came from the Professor. I nodded.
“Yes. You wouldn’t be able to carry it anyway. The criminal would have their body consumed just by touching it.”
The Professor hesitated slightly, then nodded.
“Then, I’m counting on you.”
* * *
“This is….”
When we exited the Ruins, the Professor tried to gather the Exploration Team he had hired, but it was impossible.
Those who had pursued us had wiped out the entire outer team.
“Despicable creatures.”
“How could people be like that?”
Even the Guild members frowned. It wasn’t a sight worth lingering on. I led the group forward.
“Let’s go.”
We walked quite a distance to get as far from Hwarba Mountain as possible. However, we were forced to stop when a transparent barrier appeared.
Unlike us, the Professor’s group could cross it. We had no choice but to part ways here.
“Please go ahead. We’ll remain here.”
“Will you be alright?”
“Of course.”
As the Professor’s group moved away, Mister asked me a question.
“This place should be safe, right?”
“It should be fine. You think I’d let everything burn in a volcanic eruption?”
“You never know.”
“I’ll return as quickly as possible. I’ll just stand above the Subspace. Since I can open two, I’ll use one to block the lava spray.”
Since I couldn’t predict how things would unfold, I distributed gas masks and other equipment to the Guild members.
That’s when Mister suddenly lifted his head as if he’d forgotten something.
“Right. What about Jeong-su’s rank?”
“It was S-rank?”
“What? S-rank?”
Mister cried out in surprise, and Min-jae and Lee Shin-hee both whipped their heads around.
“Really?”
“S-rank?”
“Yes. It’s not like a weapon or anything, and the description was vague as stated, but it was definitely S-rank.”
“Insane….”
“Once I retrieve it, you can all take a look.”
I called out to Yong-yong, who was nearby, watching my amazed companions.
“By the way, I’ll be taking Yong-yong with me.”
“Yong-yong?”
“I’m planning to ride back after I retrieve it. No matter how fast I am, I’ve never experienced a volcanic eruption before.”
“Fine. There won’t be enemies anyway, so it should be okay.”
Min-jae clenched his fists tightly.
“Even if enemies appear, I’ll be there, so it’s fine!”
“Listen here. I’ll be the vanguard even without Yong-yong.”
“Aren’t you unable to use skills?”
At Min-jae’s words, Mister deflated completely.
“Well, that’s true, but… I still have my stats, don’t I?”
“I’ll do my best!”
“Is that okay?”
“No.”
Leaving the foolish banter of my Guild members behind, I mounted Yong-yong’s back when Lee Shin-hee approached.
“Be careful. I haven’t experienced a volcanic eruption either, but it’s probably going to be much worse than one on Earth.”
She was right. This was where the Fire Spirit King had been. It would likely be far more catastrophic.
“I have Leap and the Amulet of Protection, so it should be fine.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Lee Shin-hee said that and cast another buff on me. I felt a surge of vitality flowing through me.
“If it gets dangerous for any reason, everyone use the Secretary to escape.”
“Yes!”
With that, I rode Yong-yong back toward the Ruins. It felt like an instant compared to the time it took to walk here.
I’d ridden before, but this was my first time inside a Gate.
“Hmm.”
So you’ve been having all this fun by yourself, haven’t you?
-Krrr!
When I turned toward the direction with the more intense heat, Yong-yong let out a pleased cry. It seemed to be the happiest I’d ever seen him.
I’d brought a mana heater into the Subspace for Yong-yong, but I wondered if I should get him something even better.
“We’re here. Land over there.”
While thinking such thoughts, the ruins were already upon us. I retraced my path while concentrating on my spatial awareness.
The interior of these ruins was deeper and longer than I’d expected.
It made sense—the essence of Hwarba lay almost entirely within the mountain itself. Even if I burst through and escaped, it would be difficult.
I needed to map out a route that would allow me to move in the shortest distance possible.
“Hmm?”
As I ventured deeper, I spotted a suitable point where I could sense the surface above.
In other words, if I used Leap from this location, I could head straight to the surface thirty meters above.
It wasn’t deep within the ruins, but this would suffice. I immediately left a mark at that spot.
I might miss it if I just ran blindly.
* * *
I stood before the essence of Hwarba once more, surrounded by the intense heat.
“Sigh.”
The earlier explanation had made me somewhat anxious.
-Such overwhelming power is contained within that even the unqualified can suffer grievous injury from merely touching it.
It was that phrase about the unqualified being able to suffer injury that worried me. There was no guarantee I was an exception.
Chun-bae had said he couldn’t be certain either. Well, if it came to it, I could always throw it into the Subspace immediately.
Whoooosh—
Just in case, I opened the Subspace beside me. If I felt pain, I planned to hurl it in right away.
That was the moment my hand touched the essence of Hwarba.
-…Who are you?
There was no pain, but instead a voice reached me. It felt familiar—like when I conversed with the Demon God.
“Are you Hwarba?”
-Yes. And you are?
“Han Hye. I come from a world suffering from the erosion of mana.”
-….
Hwarba fell silent for a moment. I’d brought up this topic first because this being was different from the Demon God.
The records stated that to resist the erosion of mana, they had burned their own mana.
If that was true, there was a possibility they might show a somewhat favorable attitude upon hearing my words.
Either way, it was better than simply introducing myself as “Han Hye.”
-I see. Are you an awakened one from another world?
Fortunately, my intention seemed to have succeeded. Their tone had become slightly more favorable than before.
“An awakened one? If you mean an Awakener, then yes.”
-…Indeed, since I too have fallen, my world must have been consumed as well.
“What exactly is the erosion of mana? Can you explain it?”
I hurried to ask, given this favorable attitude. Perhaps, unlike the Demon God, this being might actually provide answers.
-Well, it’s simply a calamity that devours worlds. Even I don’t know the exact details. Perhaps even my own memories aren’t entirely accurate.
“I see.”
-In any case, my final strength shall become your reward. I’m fortunate you possess at least the minimum qualifications for it.
“Qualifications?”
What was he suddenly talking about?
-I sense heat within your body. You must have consumed something flame-related before. It’s not a tremendous power, but you should be able to accommodate a certain amount.
The Solar Flame suddenly came to mind. Among all the flame-related elixirs I’d consumed, it was the most potent.
-Even if you can’t receive it completely, you should be able to take some of it. What a shame. Had the flame power you possessed been stronger, I could have given you far more.
In that instant, the flames within Hwarba’s essence scattered and touched my right hand. I felt the heat.
It was hot, yet not burning. Perhaps because of Hwarba’s will, it felt docile.
-I hope my strength will help you resist erosion, even if only slightly. Though I cannot say if it will be enough.
“…Is it that difficult?”
-Based on my current memories, yes. However, you must struggle. Struggle is the instinct of life forms like us. Who can say whether light awaits at the end of that struggle?
“That’s what I intend to do.”
I spoke with absolute conviction.
Whether Chun-bae still judged me unqualified or had been programmed to respond that way, I couldn’t say. But I was different.
In fact, I could now somewhat guess why he hadn’t told me everything.
But I was not someone who would collapse so easily. Had I been, I would have starved to death on the streets long ago.
-One piece of advice: you must run the moment you absorb the power. If you wish to live. It’s not merely a volcanic eruption.
With those words, Hwarba’s presence vanished. Instead, the flames I held in my hand began to seep into my body.
A docile yet scorching heat filled me completely.
[Skill Flame Resistance (Grade A) has increased.]
[Skill Flame Resistance (Grade A) has increased.]
[Skill Flame Resistance (Grade A) has increased.]
[Skill Blaze (Grade A) has been acquired.]
Flame Resistance leveled up three times? And an Grade A skill?
My jaw dropped, but it didn’t end there.
[The Solar Essence within your body has settled into Skill Blaze (Grade A).]
[Skill Blaze (Grade A) has been upgraded.]
What?

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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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