Chapter 12 - Labyrinth's Dead End (3)
Labyrinth's Dead End (3)
"Hoo."
The Association President tapped his foot nervously.
After the Spatialist entered the solo survival-type Gate, he put aside his work and waited for the report.
"How long has it been?"
"35 minutes have passed."
Only 35 minutes?
It felt like twice that long. It was understandable. Wasn't he an Awakened with Subspace abilities?
Objectively, blocking his entry into the Gate was the right decision. The Association was in charge of approving and assigning Gate applications.
It wasn't a Gate that a Level 6 non-combat Awakened could clear alone.
"Judging by the color of the Gate, he's still alive, but I think you should have stopped him from entering. Instead of providing him with the Secretary and giving permission."
The Association members saw Han Hye's choice as arrogance.
They thought it was a ridiculous decision made out of overconfidence after breaking the record at the workshop.
"Seo Woong, you have to look at the bigger picture."
The Association President disagreed. When others tried to dissuade him, the Association President allowed Han Hye's Gate application for two reasons.
The first reason was that he really thought Han Hye might succeed in clearing the Gate.
'An Awakened with A+ or S+ grade skills, and quite intelligent.'
Even though Han Hye said he was controlling it, the Association had figured out that he had stats that were on a different level from others.
His performance at the workshop proved it.
The theory test wasn't just simple memorization. And the instructors who taught him directly said that he was far from arrogant.
'He's also a former non-Awakened Hunter. He must have seen a lot of monsters and Hunters.'
If he had little experience, he would have stopped him.
But if someone with his long experience in the field made a decision, it meant he had a calculation. He would know better than anyone what the end of recklessness would be.
The second reason was to win Han Hye's favor. He even gave him the expensive insurance of the Gate Escape Secretary.
Even if he failed to clear the Gate, he thought that the intelligent Han Hye would learn something.
Like needing to be more careful in his judgment, or how to distribute his stamina in a battle with monsters.
And he wanted him to think that the Association respected him. He was a Hunter they really wanted to recruit.
"Do you really think he'll clear it?"
"If I had to guess, about 80%."
Of course, possibility and worry were separate matters.
The Secretary scratched the back of his head.
"Then what will happen?"
"We'll see the emergence of a rookie of the century. Even excluding his Subspace ability."
The Association President tapped the desk with his finger.
"If the Spatialist succeeds in clearing it, we'll give up on the Elementalist."
"Excuse me? Someone with A-grade Elementalist Magic?"
An Elementalist with an A-grade skill. Until Han Hye appeared, he was the Awakened the Association was prioritizing.
Now, he was raising the price between offers from the United States and Korea.
"Even if he's just testing the waters, giving up on him is..."
"Seo Woong, do you think that Elementalist with the A-grade skill can clear 'Labyrinth's Dead End' alone at Level 6?"
"That's..."
The Secretary couldn't answer. He judged that even an S-grade Elementalist would have a hard time doing it alone.
"Maybe I feel like this choice was the Spatialist's way of appealing to us. Saying that he's a talent of this caliber."
"..."
"It's better to focus aggressively on one side."
* * *
[Time remaining until Gate collapse: 1 hour 55 minutes.]
First, I collected the Magic stones from the goblin corpses of the first wave that I had killed beyond the transparent wall.
I couldn't just leave the money on the floor.
After that, I went down the stairs where the monsters had come up. There was a passage with a structure similar to the underground passage above.
However, it was different in that there were prison-like spaces on both sides.
'So, this was the metallic sound I heard before the wave?'
There were a total of 10 prisons, and some of the iron bars were still closed. But there were no monsters inside.
I could tell without looking. I could check the 20m around me with my spatial sense.
Instead, only lumps of Magic stones were left on the ground. I understood that the Gate disappeared when the monsters died...
But I was a little embarrassed that only Magic stones were left. Did the Gate kill the monsters on its own? Leaving only Magic stones?
'That's real money lying on the ground.'
I had dismantled the monster corpses earlier, but now there were just Magic stones lying there.
The problem was that the iron bars were not open, so it was blocked.
Should I open a Subspace entrance between the bars like before and go in? I was contemplating.
A brilliant idea popped into my head.
'I can open two Subspace doors, can't I?'
I thought earlier that I only needed one entrance to enter Subspace, didn't I? That wasn't true.
It depended on how I used it.
For example, what if I could use the doors as an entrance and an exit? Like opening a portal in a game.
Originally, if you opened an entrance to Subspace, no matter where you opened the door inside, you would come out to the place you first entered.
'If I can divide it into an entrance and an exit, things will be different.'
First, I created a Subspace entrance right in front of me. Now, all I had to do was create another door inside the iron bars.
Hoo, I took a deep breath and moved my Mana. And...
Wooong-
"Got it!"
A path was created that allowed me to pass through my Subspace between the inside and outside of the iron bars.
I could intuitively tell that the distance I could create the door was 20m, which was the range of my spatial sense.
When I entered Subspace, another door was created a few meters away.
It was in a place where I could see the inside of the iron bars. Even though I had an excellent spatial sense, the scenery I saw was a bit confusing.
'Wait.'
What if I could create the two doors created inside this Subspace close together?
I could instantly teleport within a 20m range.
There were other uses as well.
For example, attacking an enemy far away from behind by stabbing a sword in place, or reflecting the opponent's Magic with Subspace.
'There's a reason why my spatial sense has improved and I can create one more entrance.'
If I could practice at the training center and reflect a baseball flying at a speed of over 250km through Subspace...
That meant that most Magic would be possible.
At that time, the speed of opening the Subspace entrance would be crucial. Well, I thought I could practice those techniques at the training center rather than here.
I took the Magic stones and moved forward again.
"Huh?"
As I walked a little further down the passage, a circular room appeared. There was something like an altar, but there was no other path inside.
Since I hadn't encountered any forks in the road, that meant this was the end.
'It's called Labyrinth's Dead End, but it feels more like a part of a Labyrinth than a Labyrinth itself?'
I had been to other Labyrinth Gates, so I could feel it even more. It was a place where forks in the road should appear, but there weren't any.
Anyway, there was a necklace with a silver circular pendant on the altar.
[Necklace of Protection (C-grade)]
-When the wearer is in a dangerous situation, it automatically creates a Protective Barrier (B-grade) once.
-It takes a day to recharge the Protective Barrier.
"Wow, crazy."
I exclaimed as soon as I saw it. Necklace of Protection, or 'Necklace of Protection' for short. It was such a famous item that no one could not know it.
It was an item that every Hunter, whether front-line or back-line, wanted.
It couldn't be helped. The fact that it defended against dangers I didn't recognize was a cheat in itself.
Even though it was only once a day, it was a B-grade Protective Barrier. Wouldn't it be worth at least billions?
'I've never heard of a Necklace of Protection coming out of a low-level Gate.'
In the first place, it didn't make sense for a C-grade item to come out of a Level 6-10 Gate.
The best item that could come out here was an E-grade item.
It seemed that the reward was excellent because I came to a place that I couldn't go to by ordinary means.
I put it around my neck right away.
Of course, I had no intention of selling it. Even if I was strong for my level, I didn't know when something might happen.
.
.
.
[Gate 'Labyrinth's Dead End' cleared.]
[Acquiring experience.]
[Level up.]
After that, there was nothing more to see, so I came out of the Gate. I was disappointed that I didn't wander around because it was a real Labyrinth.
Since my spatial sense had improved, it would be easy to find hidden spaces.
As a reward, I leveled up again to Level 9.
Three levels in one Gate. I was talking about someone else's story, but my growth was insanely fast.
There were no other additional rewards, but it was already enough to have my Subspace level up and get the Necklace of Protection.
When I came out of the Gate, I felt a little dizzy.
It was because the outside space gave a lot of information, unlike the monotonous Labyrinth.
"Oh! Deputy? The Gate is..."
"Disappearing! Not an escape, but a real clear?"
The Association employees who managed the Gate were startled and approached me.
They had worried faces when they gave me the Gate Escape Secretary, so they probably didn't think I would really clear it.
"A, are you okay?"
The employees moved busily. Among them, there was also someone who quickly stepped back with a phone. Were they reporting to the Association?
"Ah, yes. I'm fine."
"How on earth... No, thank you for your hard work."
"No, it was a comfortable trip."
"Yes?"
"I don't have any injuries and my stamina is fine, so should I write a report and go?"
Originally, you have to write a report after clearing a Gate. Immediately if you're in good condition, or later if you're not. It's for yourself and other Hunters.
Because you can collect and share information about the Gate, and get information about Gates with similar names.
"W, would you?"
I talked about what happened inside the Gate. Monsters came out every hour and I dealt with them.
Of course, I didn't tell the truth. I couldn't tell them about the Elegant Sword.
"I fought while resting in Subspace, so my stamina was fine. I didn't get injured either."
"Yes? You fought while resting in Subspace?"
"I can go into Subspace."
I opened the Subspace entrance and went inside, showing an example by pretending to stab a sword.
"I can't attack from the outside. That means I can only attack by myself."
As a result of experimenting with Uncle Cheolgi, weapons can come in, but bodies can't. It's not completely invincible.
It's similar to the transparent wall of the Labyrinth.
Judging by the fact that the fire emitted by the torch comes in and Mana comes in, Magic will probably come in.
"No, what is this, that it was possible to enter...?"
"That's why I went into the solo survival-type Gate alone. It can be made smaller, so I can clear it unconditionally if I'm alone."
"Yes?"
I made the entrance the size of a fist while inside Subspace. The employee's eyes widened as if they would pop out.
"That... Can it be maintained?"
"Mana is recovered when the Subspace door is closed. If I bring food and water, wouldn't it be possible to survive for several days?"
I showed this on purpose.
I went into Subspace at the workshop, but it seemed like the Association didn't know about it.
I judged that it would be a big help in raising my value. Level-restricted survival-type Gates were a problem all over the world.
Australia was destroyed because of high-level level-restricted survival-type Gates.
"Han Hye-nim. Just a moment."
The employee who had gone to make a phone call earlier came back, asked for my understanding, and disappeared back with the phone.
It seemed like they were going to report this to the Association right away.
"I have a question."
"Ah! Yes. Please feel free to speak."
"Is it possible to apply for an E-grade Hunter with just this?"
Originally, to become an E-grade Hunter, you have to clear three or more Gates with a recommended level of 6-10 and apply to the Association.
"I went in alone, so I'm Level 9 now. I think I'll be Level 10 or higher at the next Gate."
But it seemed like it would be a waste of time and efficiency to go through all the procedures.
You can enter Level 11 or higher Gates from E-grade, so it was better to do it in advance if possible.
"Of course. Even if you brought a Hunter who just became D-grade, they would have refused if you told them to enter 'Labyrinth's Dead End' alone."
The employee was looking at me with admiration.
"Shall I help you apply for E-grade right away?"
I was worried about what to do if they said it wasn't possible in principle, but fortunately, they were flexible. I'll probably get a call in a few days.
You get a contract from E-grade, so your country gets priority in negotiations, and then you can meet other countries.
"I'll pass on the message. Since you'll be resting today, I'll take steps to contact you right away tomorrow."
"Yes? Doesn't it usually take a few days?"
It took a week just for the Hunter I used to work with as a porter to apply for E-grade and receive an offer.
"Haha, you're Han Hye-nim, so we have to process things quickly. If you want, it's possible even today."
It seemed like they were paying a lot of attention to me.
And the next day at lunch.
I was able to meet the Association President's secretary near my house.