Chapter 2 - If I Awaken Subspace
If I Awaken Subspace
"Hoo."
I lived, for now.
Closing the door stopped the noise. It seemed 'Subspace' was a space separated from reality.
Fortunately, being in Subspace didn't seem to consume any Mana.
Opening the door did, but once inside, it didn't seem to require any further Mana consumption. That was a relief.
'It's too dark.'
I wasn't in a position to complain, but the space I'd entered was dark. Now that I'd caught my breath, it felt even more so.
I couldn't feel even a hint of light, and I couldn't tell which way was up or down.
I took out the portable flashlight I had tied to my waist.
"Ugh!"
The sudden brightness was a bit blinding. Still, it allowed me to see the structure of the space.
Subspace was a perfectly square room.
About 6 or 7 meters wide, long, and tall. The ceiling was incredibly high.
"Huh? What's this?"
There were other objects inside the space. Beyond the Dragon Egg I'd brought.
I saw a desk and two books, and a sword and staff were placed next to the desk.
'Looks like someone used to use this place?'
For a moment, I wondered if there was another Awakened besides me, but I quickly shook my head.
The objects here looked nothing like modern items.
"What language is this?"
Even the languages written on the book covers were things I'd never seen before. It looked like something from the Middle Ages.
The paper's texture was different from anything I knew.
"What's this? A lantern?"
There was something like a lantern on the desk. It was unique in that it had a Magic stone embedded instead of a candle.
When I touched it, Mana suddenly drained from me, and the lantern lit up.
"Mana Lamp?"
I knew there were flashlights that only worked with Mana for Awakened.
However, this was different from modern ones. I turned my gaze to the sword and staff next to it.
[Elegant Sword (D-Grade)]
-The sword used by Bogtan's Swordmaster 'Poongshin', Curio when he was very young.
-The power of wind resides in the sword.
-If Strength and Agility are 15 or higher, Wind Slash (lv1) can be used.
[Red Magic Tower High-Grade Staff (D-Grade)]
-A staff manufactured by the Red Magic Tower.
-Increases Mana efficiency when using magic.
-If Mana stat is 15 or higher, Mana stat increases by 3.
"……?"
I immediately recognized that these sword and staff were extraordinary. Basically, D-Grade Weaponry cost at least thousands to hundreds of millions of won.
Moreover, a sword that could use skills and a staff that increased stats? That meant the value increased even more.
Such items were in my Subspace. I don't know why they were here. But I knew one thing.
'I don't know who left them here, but…….'
These were mine now.
'Jackpot!'
Even if the ability was just this space itself, it was fine. As someone in the Hunter industry, I knew the potential of this space.
But even Weaponry like this?
I didn't know the reason, but this wasn't just a simple inventory. Was it because it was an S-Grade ability?
I wondered what else there might be.
I turned my gaze to the bookshelf.
It was only natural to be curious about the books placed there. There were only two, but the Weaponry was D-Grade, wasn't it?
[Swinhood Empire Basic Swordsmanship (E-Grade)]
[Red Magic Tower Basic Magic Book (E-Grade)]
"Hmm."
Was it because I'd seen D-Grade Weaponry earlier? I felt a little disappointed with the books marked as E-Grade.
But in reality, these were quite valuable.
The books that Awakened called 'Secret Arts' were very rarely found in entry-type Gates.
They weren't usually high-Grade, but they were precious even if they were low.
It had been 10 years since the Gates opened. How much could Earth's swordsmanship and magic have developed?
If you learned swordsmanship at a dojo, it was usually F-Grade swordsmanship. And there was nowhere to properly learn magic.
Moreover, these Secret Arts were desirable because you could immediately acquire the information of martial arts or magic just by reading them.
After looking at the objects for a while, I could tell for sure.
I didn't know where these objects came from, but they weren't from Earth.
The books written in unknown languages, the desk, and the Mana Lamp all suggested that.
'What the hell is this?'
Sword and magic. It was as if I was given two choices, with two books and two pieces of equipment.
I didn't know where they came from or what the intention of the person who left them was.
But one thing was certain…….
I'd hit the jackpot. Just selling that magic book and sword would be worth at least 2 billion won.
'……The problem is surviving, though.'
I was briefly excited to have discovered treasures, but my mood quickly dropped.
What jackpot? It was time to return to reality.
What good was it to get a sword and staff that could earn me a lot of money just by selling them?
Outside was not a goblin, orc, or troll, but a Dragon.
Learning an E-Grade Secret Arts wouldn't change the situation. It would be the same even if I had an S-Grade Secret Arts.
I felt the blood in my head cooling down.
'This is not the time.'
Subspace was a special ability. It not only gave me extra space, but it seemed to have secrets I didn't know about.
However, all of that was only valuable if I survived.
First, I decided to properly assess the current situation.
All I had was a water bottle tied to my waist and a lump of jerky I'd left in my pocket as emergency rations.
'Time…….'
I checked my wristwatch. The time remaining until the Gate closed was about 6 hours.
If I just stayed here, I could survive. But there was one problem left.
'It's important to know if the time inside Subspace applies outside as well.'
Judging by the movement of the second hand on my wristwatch, time seemed to be flowing here as well…….
But I didn't know if the outside shared the same flow of time as here.
The reason I suddenly thought this was because the objects inside Subspace were too intact. There wasn't even any dust on them.
Just the fact that I couldn't hear the Dragon's sound confirmed that this was a space separated from reality.
There was only one way to check.
Opening the door like before.
If time wasn't flowing, the Dragon would still be in the same position as when it was entering the lair.
I very carefully prepared to open the door to Subspace.
'Just a little, just a little bit.'
The door reacted to my thoughts.
I'd opened the door wide enough for one person to pass through earlier, but it was also possible to open it smaller than that.
Whoong-
I concentrated as much as possible and opened the door. Light appeared in the black space. As I intended, a door slightly larger than my fist appeared.
And I saw the Dragon in the brightened area. It was in the same form as I'd last seen it.
Thump- Thump- Thump-.
At the same time, the Dragon began to approach. It glared at me with an angry face and ran towards me.
It was close.
"Shit."
I was briefly frozen with tension, then quickly closed Subspace. Cold sweat streamed down my face.
I took a deep breath and leaned my head back.
"I'm screwed."
* * *
The flow of time inside and outside Subspace was different. In other words, no matter how much I endured here, it was meaningless.
I'd gotten good Weaponry and Secret Arts, and even acquired a Subspace with secrets, but I was going to die like this.
'That can't happen…!'
I'd lived so tenaciously until now. I wasn't just an ordinary orphan, but a Gate orphan. Surviving was terribly awful.
I'd been treated like trash and begged, and I'd also developed a fierce spirit and received rare kindness from good people.
It was only natural that I'd made every effort to Awaken.
I'd learned kendo even though I was poor, and I'd even fainted after doing a 5-hour sauna challenge, not to mention taking ice-water baths in the middle of winter.
'It didn't work, though.'
Still, I didn't give up and lived as a porter. Hoping to Awaken someday.
And then, I'd achieved the Awakening I'd dreamed of.
Give up because there's a slightly strong reptile?
That was out of the question.
Dying like this was something I couldn't do, even if it meant dying of resentment.
'I'll do what I have to do and die.'
Shouldn't I at least stab that monster that killed my parents once before I die so I don't have any regrets?
However, unlike my determination, the answer didn't come easily.
I'd been thinking about it for a long time, but I couldn't see a way to survive. Open it for only 1 second so the Dragon can't react?
How many seconds are there in 6 hours?
I calculated for a moment and shook my head.
It didn't make sense. There was too much time left. The Dragon would be much stronger and more agile than me.
'Even if I open it just a little, I'll die if it shoots Breath.'
I was worried for a long time, and I flopped down on the floor of Subspace out of frustration. My head was hot.
"Damn it."
Was it because I was thinking too much? My head was stiff and wouldn't turn well.
I sighed again and turned my head slightly, and then I saw the Dragon Egg. At that moment, lightning struck my brain.
Wait a minute.
Could I survive with that?
.
.
.
I thought about the idea that came to my mind. Of course, it wasn't anything grand.
The plan was simple.
First, open Subspace as small as a fist like before.
Second, place the Dragon Egg in front of the opened Subspace.
The Dragon Egg was large, so it couldn't go outside Subspace. Unless the Dragon was going to break the Egg.
What kind of crazy person would kill their child to catch a child kidnapper?
It wouldn't be able to do that and would have to confront the blackmailer.
'Mana doesn't matter either.'
Mana was consumed when Subspace was open, but it was okay. I could close the door and recover Mana inside Subspace.
That meant I had enough time to rest.
I also had a bottle of water and jerky. It would take longer than 6 hours because I had to rest, but it was enough to last.
'Am I a genius?'
I was a Gate orphan and couldn't learn, but I seemed to have a good head since a long time ago.
However, there was a flaw in this plan. What if that Dragon Egg could withstand the Dragon's Breath?
[Red Dragon Egg]
-A Dragon Egg that is not far from hatching.
-Heat is required for hatching.
If an Egg that needed heat could withstand the Dragon's Breath, I would burn to death from the flames coming through the tiny gap.
As far as I knew, burning to death was the most painful thing……. That was my only concern.
But there were no other options left.
If I stayed inside, I would starve to death.
'It's better to try than to die anyway.'
It might be an excessive worry. If heat was needed for hatching, the Dragon would have shot Breath instead of holding the Egg.
I remembered the Breath that melted the forest. There was a high probability that the Egg would melt as well.
I steeled my heart and prepared to grab the Dragon Egg and open the door to Subspace.
I held the Egg in my left hand and the Elegant Sword in my right hand.
'I don't know if I'll ever use it, but…….'
It felt mentally comfortable to hold it. Hoo, I took a deep breath.
And I opened the door to Subspace.
Like before, I concentrated.
The door slowly began to open at the bottom of the space. Cold sweat flowed, and I swallowed hard.
-Krrr!
A low roar echoed. The Dragon was visible right in front of the opened door. The terrifying reptile's eyes glared at me.
I hurriedly brought the Dragon Egg to the entrance of Subspace and pressed down hard with my left hand.
Thump-! Thump-!
Since the Egg was oval, it didn't completely block the entrance. There was a gap of about 1cm.
I could feel a loud noise and some vibration through the gap. However, it wasn't an impact on the Egg.
I found a way.
I gritted my teeth and shouted.
"I have your child! Huh? Try attacking me!"
It was a line like a third-rate villain doing a hostage situation.