The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 50

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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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The Strongest in Our Neighborhood (50)
When Aleingde Mir, who had captured all the Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures including the Sandworm, pulled a box of Gold Coins from his Robe’s Sub-space to calculate the price, Jang Gain’s eyes widened.
“Wait—where did you just pull that box from? I didn’t think there was space inside the Robe large enough to hold it?”
“Eh? What are you saying? You don’t know about Sub-space?”
“Sub-space?”
As both Jang Gain and his master tilted their heads in confusion almost simultaneously, Laila smiled and spoke up.
“Ah! Master, Cain comes from Zhongyuan, which is very far away, so he doesn’t know much about magic.”
“Is that so? I’ve never even heard of a place called Zhongyuan… Well, if it’s a remote region, there might not be any mages there. Since you don’t know magic well, I suppose I should explain. A Sub-space is a personal dimension that high-level mages who have attained understanding of space create by warping a portion of the Spirit Realm.”
“You warp a portion of the Spirit Realm? What is the Spirit Realm?”
“Eh? You’re truly ignorant of magic. Let me think… do you at least know of Spirits or Fairies?”
“Ah! I’ve been studying Spirit Magic from the Druid Tribe for some time now. Though I haven’t contracted with a Spirit yet.”
“Then it will be easier to explain. There exists a world where Spirits and Fairies dwell, and because that world is so closely adjacent to this one that it could be called another face of it, we call it the Spirit Realm.”
“Ah! So the Water Spirit doesn’t live in water, but in the Spirit Realm?”
Jang Gain asked, sounding somewhat surprised, and Aleingde Mir chuckled softly.
“Exactly. All Spirits exist in the Spirit Realm, so they can only manifest in this world through a contract.”
“I see. Until now, I thought Water Spirits lived in water, Wind Spirits in wind, and Fire Spirits in fire. Hearing your explanation, I understand why I could never find a Spirit no matter how carefully I searched with Energy Detection. But what about Fairies?”
“Fairies are mutant Spirits that consume Spiritual Essence and can freely move between this world and the Spirit Realm. Due to the influence of Spiritual Essence, they have a fondness for mischievous pranks.”
“Spirits eating Spiritual Essence to become Fairies—the more I learn of this world, the more mysteries it holds.”
“This world? You speak as though you’ve come from somewhere else. Is Zhongyuan perhaps a different world?”
“Well, I originally believed it was a world below this one, but lately that doesn’t seem to be the case. I’m still uncertain, to be honest. But regardless, it’s remarkable that something as simple as thick cloth could harbor space large enough to hold a box this size.”
“Do you think I’ve only stored a box this size? The bodies of the two high-level Demons that you captured are also inside this Robe’s Sub-space.”
Jang Gain’s expression turned bewildered as he pressed further.
“The bodies of those enormous Demons fit inside this thin Robe? That’s impossible.”
“Haha, impossible, you say? Though it’s a bit troublesome, I wouldn’t mind taking them out to show you.”
Aleingde Mir shrugged, placed his hand on the Robe, channeled his magical power, and extracted Zakpri’s massive form.
Thud.
Moments later, a gigantic body exceeding four meters in length—defying all sense of spatial logic—tumbled out and crashed to the ground, leaving Jang Gain speechless and frozen.
“How about that? That’s Sub-space for you.”
“Truly… remarkable. Sub-space! So magic is far more extraordinary than I imagined. Summoning fire in mid-air is something anyone can manage once they reach the level of Samadhi True Fire, but to conceal a space large enough for such a massive creature within a robe’s folds is astonishing!”
“Hehehe, magic is something that even demands entry-level aptitude, and a Sub-space is something that even high-level mages cannot create if their understanding and command of space is insufficient.”
“Then perhaps Laila also possesses a Sub-space like yours?”
Jang Gain asked curiously, and Laila replied.
“My understanding of space is still insufficient to create a Sub-space of my own. Therefore, my master inscribed a Sub-space Magic Circle upon my Robe.”
She unfolded the Robe and activated the Magic Circle, causing geometric patterns to briefly shimmer with light.
“Ah! So your Robe can also store such large items?”
“No. My Sub-space is modest—it can only hold about ten boxes of this size.”
Laila gestured toward the Gold Coin box, and Jang Gain gazed at it with obvious envy.
“Compared to my master’s, it’s quite small, but still magnificent.”
“Why don’t you consider purchasing a Robe or bag inscribed with a Sub-space Magic Circle from my master while you’re at it? You’ve earned considerable wealth, so you should have the means.”
“Ah! Can Sub-space be purchased for Gold? What would the price be?”
As Jang Gain looked toward him, Aleingde Mir paused thoughtfully before answering.
“I do have an Ogre leather Sub-space bag on hand, but… the price is quite steep.”
“So what’s the amount?”
“Fifteen hundred Gold.”
Both Jang Gain and Laila looked startled at this figure.
“What?! Fifteen hundred Gold? That’s more expensive than the corpse of a Baron-rank Demon?”
“It’s made from the hide of an exceedingly rare Ogre, and the capacity is roughly three times larger than Laila’s Robe, so the price is unavoidable.”
“Three times? So it could hold thirty boxes of this size?”
“That’s right.”
Laila asked with a slightly surprised expression.
“Master, how were you able to create a Sub-space larger than mine… Ah! You mentioned recently that you’ve attained a deeper understanding of space. So that’s why you expanded your Sub-space.”
“You catch on quickly. I’ll inscribe a new Sub-space Magic Circle on your Robe soon enough.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Jang Gain watched Laila nod with an envious look, then spoke.
“I’ll purchase the Sub-space bag. Please deduct fifteen hundred Gold from the payment you’re giving me.”
“Very well.”
Aleingde Mir withdrew the bag from his Robe and handed it over. Jang Gain accepted it and examined it thoroughly.
“I open it here and place items inside?”
“That opens it normally to store things as you would in an ordinary bag. But if you infuse a small amount of Aura or Mana into this handle, the Sub-space Magic Circle will activate.”
Aleingde Mir demonstrated, and Jang Gain followed suit.
After learning how to store and retrieve objects, I repeated the process several times with money, spears, swords, and blades until I grew comfortable with it.
“Wow! I still can’t believe it. A spear nearly two meters long, and it vanishes without a trace!”
“What about the weight? I’ve cast weight reduction magic on it, so it should feel only a tenth of its actual mass.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, it’s barely heavy at all! To be honest, I thought it was expensive earlier, but to carry so many items and have it feel this light—I don’t regret the purchase at all.”
“When the customer is satisfied, I’m satisfied too.”
* * *
‘This uncomfortable feeling… how long has it been?’
Jang Gain sat beside Sabel Tiger, performing Qi Circulation Cultivation with a wry smile on his face.
Since yesterday and continuing through today, he had been blending the Demonic Qi absorbed into his body through Qi Circulation Cultivation with the internal power of the Poongun Divine Art, and the volume was so great that he feared he might have to stay awake for days.
‘I thought that after intensively training the Wind Character Technique to contract with the wind spirit, I wouldn’t feel discomfort from any ordinary amount of Demonic Qi.’
Suddenly, memories surfaced of the time before he had learned the Poongun Divine Art, when he had been intoxicated by Demonic Qi.
As his mastery of Demonic Cultivation grew, fear fell away and his temperament turned violent—a period when picking fights, brawling, and receiving treatment at the Healing Hall had been his daily routine.
Thanks to the abundant real combat experience from those days, his martial skill had advanced quickly, but in hindsight, he had been half-mad.
‘If I hadn’t learned the Poongun Divine Art on Cheonsuma’s advice after getting beaten nearly to death by the elder Janheul Ma-geom, I would probably have died at the hands of some other elder. Still, it’s strange. I’ve absorbed this much Demonic Qi, yet there’s no sign of Qi Intoxication Madness whatsoever.’
Had there been even the slightest sign of madness, he would have forcibly expelled the accumulated Demonic Qi from his body rather than absorbing it.
The Qi Circulation Cultivation that had begun in the early evening continued through dawn and ended just as daylight was breaking.
Once all the Demonic Qi had been harmoniously blended with the internal power of the Poongun Divine Art, he could feel the internal energy gathered at his Dantian and meridian points growing significantly stronger.
‘With this much internal power, I should be ready to attempt Force Projection soon!’
Even in the Demonic Cult, only the Cult Master, the elders, and the leaders had reached the realm of manifesting Force Projection.
In the Demonic Cult, which possessed military strength that would not yield even in war against Zhongyuan, there were only sixteen such individuals.
After gathering all his energy into his Dantian and opening his eyes, he saw the darkness in the distance splitting open as the sun rose between black clouds.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve watched the sunrise.’
As the sun, glowing crimson, was veiled by black clouds, casting everything in ruddy light, a single ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and illuminated Jang Gain.
‘Ah!’
In that instant, a fierce awakening descended upon him.
Just as the light of the blazing red sun penetrated the black clouds, he yearned to shoot forth the energy surging from his Dantian—blazing like the sun itself—to pierce through the clouds.
Without thinking, Jang Gain extended his hand toward the sun. The moment he became conscious of this gesture, his Dantian, which had swollen as though it might burst, convulsed and expelled a massive torrent of energy.
The energy flowed through his meridians and gathered at the tip of his index finger, becoming a luminous star that shot forth toward the sun.
“T-Strong Thread!”
Jang Gain’s eyes went wide.
Strong Thread was the fine, thread-like force that could be manifested in the early stages of Force Projection.
He had stepped across the threshold into the Absolute Realm, which he had yearned for so long.
Jang Gain stared at the finger he had just fired the Strong Thread from in disbelief. Then he pointed toward a rock lying some thirty meters away.
Thump.
His Dantian convulsed again, and a massive surge of energy rushed to his fingertip. A star bloomed from his index finger, and the starlight flew straight in the direction his hand had pointed, piercing through the rock and the tree behind it, disappearing into the twilight beyond.
“Strong Thread coming forth so easily! Or… perhaps it’s not that easy.”
* * *
“Father, was it truly necessary to send Yure’a to assist Lord Gain with the tedious task of disposing of the Demonic Beasts and Magical Creatures?”
When his eldest son Jasllan tilted his head in confusion, Count Johansen clicked his tongue softly.
“Have you forgotten the debt you owe Lord Gain, who lifted the curse binding you to a Demonic Being, slew that creature, and sealed the gate connected to the Demon Gate?”
“Of course, I recognize that he has rendered a great service that would be difficult to repay. However, I think it was unnecessary to send even Yure’a on such trivial errands—it diminishes his standing. Surely a task of that magnitude would have been sufficient for one of your many stewards?”
“Tsk tsk, now I see you’re looking down on Lord Gain.”
“Looking down? What do you mean by that, Father?”
“You regard Lord Gain as nothing more than one exceptionally skilled knight, like Lord Leodosn Terra.”
“How could I look down on someone who has proven himself so remarkably?”
“No. Right now, you see him as a Master-level knight—a very strong one. And that’s the only way you see him.”
His father’s words had struck true, for Jasllan’s head dipped slightly in acknowledgment.
“Hmm. To be honest, I can’t say I haven’t thought that way.”
“Then why do you think that?”
“Because, strong though he is, he has no retainers under his command and has established no particular power base.”
“If he were to unite the various tribes dwelling in the Crerarion Mountain Range, his power could grow considerably.”
“What would uniting mountain tribes amount to? Combining a few villages of slash-and-burn farmers—can that truly be called building a power base?”
“Tsk tsk, now I see you know nothing of the Crerarion Mountain Range either.”
When his father clicked his tongue again, Jasllan felt a spark of defiance kindle within him.

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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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