Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 99
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
99. Abyss Garden (1)
“Today, we’re meeting with the ‘Dragon Guild,’ which has been making waves globally!”
An in-depth interview with the Dragon Guild.
It was a guild interview hosted by the Hunter Association. While it aired on the National Hunter Channel, it generated more buzz on YouTube.
It wasn’t for any special purpose—more of a feature introducing guilds that had become hot topics.
Naturally, our guild’s track record was introduced first.
“Despite being founded recently, you’ve demonstrated incredible achievements. The first was the Third Outbreak Crisis, where you defeated four Grendels….”
Since this was an in-depth guild interview, the focus wasn’t solely on me.
Of course, since I was the primary contributor, there was plenty about me, but the guild members’ accomplishments were also mentioned.
“During that time, Dragon Knight Choi Chul-gi, Mage Seo Min-jae, and Healer Lee Shin-hee demonstrated performances beyond their levels.”
Since it was an Association-hosted interview, the announcer spoke about us with considerable enthusiasm.
“And that wasn’t the end, was it? Next came high-grade Ogres and Harpies. You became a hot topic again, didn’t you?”
“Ha ha.”
“You even became the first to clear the Trial of Mana Gate, which appeared simultaneously worldwide, garnering tremendous attention.”
After wrapping up the brief introduction, the announcer deliberately caught his breath.
“Explaining a newly established guild founded this year is exhausting. That’s how sensational your guild is.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“It was incredibly difficult to meet with you. Since the Dragon Guild doesn’t engage in external activities, is there a particular reason you avoid them?”
Answering honestly to that question was difficult.
I couldn’t exactly say, ‘Because if we don’t grow quickly, we’ll suffer from mana erosion.’
And saying, ‘I’m a hunter, not a celebrity,’ had its own awkward implications.
It could come across as a jab at hunters who do external activities. Besides, I didn’t know what would happen to me later.
“As a latecomer, we’ve been focusing on growth, so it’s naturally worked out that way.”
So I gave a textbook answer instead. The announcer accepted it with a pleasant expression.
“Wow, that’s an admirable mindset! So you’ve grown by breaking all of Liu Zhen’s records, who possesses S-rank Swordsmanship?”
Watching how the announcer connected Liu Zhen’s story to my textbook response—the one people had been interested in—I realized professionals really were professionals.
As I laughed awkwardly, the announcer, who had been studying my face, continued.
“There’s been a lot of talk that Han Hye has the advantage with this recent performance.”
That had been the consensus since I cleaved a high-grade Ogre in a single stroke. It was gaining more support with this Trial of Mana.
It was inevitable. Liu Zhen, with S-rank Swordsmanship and combat skills nearly ten levels higher than me, had been defeated.
Meanwhile, despite being the lowest level on the Subjugation Team, I had led the Gate’s conquest.
Since I couldn’t say anything about Liu Zhen, I answered seriously.
“You never know until you’ve actually fought. In the case of the Trial of Mana, my abilities have unique characteristics.”
The conquest report for the Trial of Mana Gate, which had appeared simultaneously worldwide, was released first in Korea.
While it was called a disclosure on a grand scale, it was also a form of demonstration.
There was certainly an intention to refute China’s nonsense, but more than that, it was showing how strong we are.
Conquering the Magic Tower, which consumed nearly infinite mana, was nearly impossible for most hunters.
“Is that so?”
The announcer nodded in agreement with my words and continued.
“Indeed, even with SSS-rank Swordsmanship instead of S-rank, it would be difficult to secretly climb to the top of the Magic Tower without a Red Dragon or spatial movement.”
“Still, my thoughts from last time haven’t changed.”
“What thoughts are those?”
I knew perfectly well, but I raised my eyebrows slightly as if I didn’t, thinking to myself that I was pulling off the act quite convincingly.
“If we’re at the same level, I win.”
“Ah! I think so too. Of course, I don’t know much about the hunter world, but still.”
The Announcer said so with a grin. I sensed a subtle signal, perhaps because of what Mister had said earlier.
In any case, the interview continued smoothly. There were no problems since Seo-ung had filtered out the awkward questions.
“So, what’s the Dragon Guild members’ favorite food?”
Since the interview had some entertainment value mixed in, questions about personal preferences were also included.
Min-jae did stumble a bit during the interview.
“Thank you all for your hard work!”
That’s when the interview wrapped up.
“You worked hard too. It was so nice to meet you.”
As I shook hands with the Announcer, I felt something in my palm.
It was a note with contact information written on it.
I’d already sensed something through my spatial awareness, but it still caught me off guard.
The Announcer smiled and walked away.
“Hmm.”
I was grateful, of course, but this wasn’t the time to get distracted.
With training and Gate schedules packed tight, I was resting in the Subspace whenever I had a spare moment.
* * *
The Dragon Guild’s in-depth interview became quite the hot topic.
It was one of our guild’s rare external activities, given how much attention we were drawing worldwide.
Last time during the broadcast, it was more of a brief interview tailored to the situation rather than an in-depth one.
It was translated into dozens of languages and uploaded to YouTube.
This time the Red Dragon doesn’t show up, what a shame.
-He got bigger, so he appears in the post-credits scene
I can’t translate this as it’s not a valid Korean word or phrase – it appears to be just consonants without vowels.
-Han Hye ← I really like her
-Out of nowhere?
-She said her favorite food was eel rice bowl and our restaurant’s sales went up 300%
hahaha
-Even if that weren’t the case, she’s likable. Unlike those kids with celebrity syndrome, the interview was clean. No self-aggrandizing.
Liu Zhen’s confidence rather than showing off felt good too.
-Isn’t it just because he’s handsome? I like him because he’s handsome
-I’m a guy;;>
-I’m a guy too?
-Sir…
Watching people’s reactions, I finally understood why some hunters fell victim to celebrity syndrome.
Still, I decided not to dwell on it. We’re hunters. I focused on the next Gate.
“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything particularly special this time.”
“I know, right.”
On the day the Gates were announced, the guild members expressed mild disappointment. There simply weren’t any Gates that grabbed our attention.
Including the Ancient Ruins Gate, there were about two popular Gates listed, but neither matched our level.
“One is level 20 and the other is level 45.”
“Can’t be helped. Let’s look for the best options among what’s left.”
“Right. We were planning to hit the Mercury War Gate before going to the Ancient Ruins anyway.”
That was true. We’d wanted to choose a Gate where we could engage in plenty of combat to improve everyone’s individual battle capabilities.
It didn’t seem like a bad idea to go now.
“That’s right. Everyone acquired a new skill, after all.”
When we obtained the fourth Subspace, all the guild members received secret techniques.
For me, it was just an upgrade to my Cockfighting rank, but the others were different.
Min-jae acquired a magic secret technique, Mister obtained spear arts, and Lee Shin-hee learned sword defense techniques—entirely new skills.
Thanks to that, during guild training, everyone was putting in tremendous effort during their personal training sessions.
‘Right now, a Gate where everyone can adapt to their new skills might be better than the Ruins.’
Since we’d frequently entered popular Gates lately, I didn’t have much regret about it.
“Who went into that Mercury War Gate we saw back then? Should we search for it in the hunting records?”
“That works too. Let’s each find about three options. We can decide later.”
I was flipping through the announcement list when Chun-bae suddenly spoke up.
-Han Hye.
‘What? Do you know a Gate?’
-Strictly speaking, it’s not a Gate I know. However, the Gate’s name feels familiar.
Given the precedent with the Snow Field Gate, I became curious.
‘What is it?’
-The Abyss Garden. I’m uncertain whether it’s a place I know, but… it was a location that existed in the Previous-Previous Princess’s world.
‘A location that existed?’
-Affirmative. It was the secret hideout of an alchemist.
Hmm. A place Chun-bae knows about.
‘You’re not certain about this, are you?’
-Correct. It could be a different space with the same name. I mention this out of caution.
‘Still, wouldn’t it be better to go if there’s even a possibility?’
Honestly, the probability of a Gate that Chun-bae knew appearing was quite low. However, since we had nowhere else to go anyway, there was no harm in testing it.
The recommended level matched our guild perfectly.
-However, I’ve only heard rumors and the name itself. I haven’t been there directly, so I don’t know the details.
‘Well, let’s go this time. If you know about it, then it must be the secret hideout of a famous alchemist, right?’
-Affirmative. In the Previous-Previous Princess’s world, this was one of the most renowned alchemists. One who researched Elixirs.
‘Elixirs?’
It was a fairly familiar name. Usually, it was introduced as a medicine that could cure any illness.
However, I’d never heard of anyone obtaining an Elixir from inside a Gate.
-Typically, it’s an S-rank item that drops from Gates level 60 and above. While it doesn’t grant immortality, it can cure fatal wounds or curses on the brink of death.
‘Then I absolutely have to go?’
An S-rank item.
I’d encountered them frequently of late, but they remained extraordinarily rare treasures.
Considering that the vanguard was around level 60, one could deduce how many S-rank items would drop—the answer became obvious.
I’d heard that S-rank items obtained in the level 50s surpassed those from the level 30s, but….
‘Elixirs and potions like that don’t have such distinctions.’
Still, Chun-bae had offered a word of caution.
-However, I have not heard that the alchemist actually invented an Elixir.
‘Well, it’s a Gate after all—couldn’t an Elixir appear as a reward?’
In any case, entering a Gate with Chun-bae’s guidance seemed like the better choice.
“Chun-bae recommended a place, though I can’t say for certain.”
I explained it in detail to the guild members, and naturally, their reactions were enthusiastic.
“Chun-bae’s recommendation? Of course we have to go.”
“Right. We should go regardless. We can handle combat in the next Gate.”
“I’m in favor too.”
And so, one of our Gate entry priority passes was consumed. Three remained. Still more than enough.
‘Were there any rumors I missed?’
-I’ve heard the garden is filled with plants strengthened through alchemy… though I cannot verify the truth of it.
‘Hmm. I hope that’s true.’
If so, we could plunder the alchemist’s garden and engage in combat simultaneously, fulfilling our original purpose as well.
[Abyss Garden]
-Recommended Level: 31~35
-Capacity Limit: 10 people
And several days later.
We entered the Abyss Garden Gate.
And what unfolded before us was….
An immense garden where thick mist severely restricted visibility.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————