Chapter 4 - If I Leave It Like This, Will It Hatch?
If I Leave It Like This, Will It Hatch?
Uncle Cheolgi was genuinely happy about my Awakening. Having suffered for so long himself, he celebrated the luck that had come to me even more.
...Yeah, Uncle Cheolgi is a good person.
"By the way, what's your job title?"
"...Spatialist."
I couldn't bring myself to say Void Lord. I could already imagine how he'd tease me.
"Sounds like a useless ability."
"Useless? I'm an S-Class porter, you know?"
"Why? Gonna carry beef into the Gate?"
"That'd be great, wouldn't it? Beef inside a Gate. Sounds delicious."
"Hmm. You got a point there."
We laughed, exchanging silly jokes.
We both knew how useful this ability was, even if we joked about it.
At first glance, it might seem like a useless ability in combat, like a Druid or a Bard.
If you weren't in the Hunter industry, you'd probably tell me to use it for transportation or smuggling.
But we weren't like that.
Even the recent headlines were like this:
<The United States has decided to invest 300 trillion in developing equipment for Awakened Hunters. The main goals are equipment weight reduction and miniaturization...>
<As the personnel limit for recently appearing high-level Gates decreases, countries are investing in lightening the supplies of Awakened...>
Anyone in the Hunter industry would know how valuable this ability was.
The world had changed like a game, but there was no such thing as an inventory.
An ability that could carry your luggage for you. It wasn't much, but it was a surprisingly necessary ability.
Especially for the vanguard, the high-level Awakened. Because you can't know what's inside the Gate until you enter it.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
I grilled the beef I bought on the grill. Uncle Cheolgi handed me a piece of meat and asked.
"So, how much stuff can you fit in that Subspace?"
"About one container?"
"Crazy. Does the space get bigger as your skill level goes up? You really are an S-Class porter."
Uncle Cheolgi's mouth dropped open.
I grinned. How much more surprised would he be if I told him what was inside?
"Things are going to get noisy."
"What will?"
"The Association. Other countries too."
"Will it be as bad as when it was Uncle's turn?"
Uncle Cheolgi gave a bitter smile at my words.
"It might be worse than mine. The US is investing 300 trillion, you know."
"They might invest and not need it."
"Not need it? Your ability is what the vanguard needs most."
Uncle Cheolgi looked at me after saying that.
"Of course, the most important thing is you."
That's right. Even if you get a good job and a good ability, the important thing is whether you can fight well as a Hunter.
There were quite a few people who died in Gates or gave up being Hunters, even though they had good abilities.
"I know."
"Still, it'll be easier for you to make a living without being a Hunter, unlike me, right?"
"Should I go into smuggling?"
"You crazy bastard."
I laughed at Uncle Cheolgi's words.
"That reminds me. I almost died Awakening. I met a dragon."
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you making fun of me for not having a dragon?"
"Ah, it's not that."
I told him the truth, unlike what I told the Association. Fortunately, Uncle Cheolgi believed me.
"...If you Awakened in such a dangerous situation, it makes sense that your ability is S-Class. Awakening depends on the environment, after all."
"That's why I'm asking, can you help me verify my ability?"
"Now?"
I opened the Subspace. Uncle Cheolgi was startled when the entrance became the size of a front door.
"I can go in, but I'm wondering if you can too."
"You can go in? Here?"
"Yes."
Uncle Cheolgi got up and reached out to the Subspace. But he couldn't move forward, trapped by a transparent barrier.
It was the same even when I mentally allowed him to enter.
"It doesn't work?"
I was going to surprise him, but it didn't seem like it would work. Oh well.
"Just a moment."
I went inside the Subspace.
"You really can go in?"
I quickly came back. And I came out with something in my arms.
That's right. The dragon's egg.
"W-What's that?"
"I told you I met a dragon earlier. I also stole a baby lizard's egg."
Uncle Cheolgi stared at the egg. His eyes were as big as saucers. Uncle Cheolgi is also an Awakened.
That meant he could see the information about this egg.
"A dragon egg...?"
"What do you think? Doesn't it make you want to come back?"
Uncle Cheolgi was silent. However, I saw something in the gleam in his eyes.
I guessed it was the passion he had forgotten for so long.
I gently placed the dragon egg on the grill.
"Will it hatch if I leave it like this?"
"Y-You crazy bastard!"
* * *
-Let's talk again later if that thing really hatches.
Although there was a gleam in his eyes, Uncle Cheolgi was an adult. He was right. I don't know if this egg will hatch or not.
First of all, this egg was being incubated by a dragon. I, a human, might not be able to hatch it.
And the dragon that hatches from the egg might attack me instead of following me. I needed some reflection.
I showed Uncle the egg with a happy heart, but.
'That was a childish thought.'
I didn't consider the emotional damage Uncle Cheolgi would suffer if it didn't work.
I was grateful to Uncle Cheolgi for not saying a word about it.
I put the egg in the Subspace for now. Time doesn't flow inside.
Maybe I should try to hatch it after I level up a bit more.
"Hmm."
It was late at night, but I couldn't sleep. I slept a lot when I was resting and replenishing Mana in the dragon's lair.
I wasn't tired, and I felt like my head was spinning from the realization that I had Awakened an S-Class skill.
[Lv6 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 4
Agility: 3
Stamina: 15(+10)
Spirit: 3
Mana: 15(+10)
Remaining Points: 18
Skills: Subspace (S-Class) lv1, Swinhood Empire Basic Swordsmanship (F-Class) lv1
I knew that my Stamina and Mana had increased after being hit by the dragon's blood, but I felt a deep sense of satisfaction when I saw the status window.
You get 3 points when you first Awaken, and 3 points every time you level up.
Plus, I got 20 stat points for stabbing the dragon's eye once. It was like getting 7 levels for free.
No wonder I couldn't sleep, it might be because my Stamina went up.
Feeling satisfied, I headed to the Subspace.
It was time to check the 'Sun Bloom' I received as a reward. I felt the heat as soon as I opened the wooden box.
[Sun Bloom (A-Class)]
-A flower containing the power of the sun. Eating it will make you extremely resistant to flames and heat.
-If you have or acquire fire-related skills in the future, those skills will be enhanced.
It was definitely a good elixir. In the first place, I don't know if even ten A-Class elixirs have been released.
Moreover, the phrase "extremely" resistant to flames and heat, which contains the power of the sun, was important.
If the item description says something like that, it means you'll really get stronger. I put it in my mouth right away.
'There's no reason to sell something this good.'
My ultimate goal is to kill the monster that killed my parents. To do that, I have to get stronger.
I might get tens or hundreds of billions if I sell it, but that's just a secondary goal.
"Hmm."
I was worried, but it wasn't too hot. Should I call it a warm heat? Warmth passed through my throat.
And soon the heat began to spread throughout my body. It was hot, but not painful.
"Hoo."
When all the energy had spread throughout my body, I instinctively exhaled deeply. I could feel the heat in my breath.
Clatter-. At that moment, the dragon egg moved slightly. Was it because of the heat?
I was startled, wondering if it was hatching. But there was no further movement.
I checked the status window again.
[Lv6 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 7(+3)
Agility: 6(+3)
Stamina: 18(+3)
Spirit: 6(+3)
Mana: 18(+3)
Remaining Points: 18
Skills: Subspace (S-Class) lv1, Flame Resistance (A-Class) lv1, Swinhood Empire Basic Swordsmanship (F-Class) lv1
"Wow, crazy."
All stats increased by 3. 15. With this, it was like I got another 5 levels for free.
Is this really an A-Class elixir?
Moreover, I also got a Flame Resistance skill. It's A-Class. Even with the same skill, its ability varies depending on the grade.
C-Class Flame Resistance lv1 will be stronger than F-Class Flame Resistance lv3. In other words, it was crazy efficiency.
'I think I heard that A-Class Flame Resistance means you'll be fine even in a lava zone.'
Moreover, this wasn't the end. If I get a fire-like ability later, the skill will be enhanced.
This was the part that showed why the Awakened who ate the Millennial Snow Ginseng became an S-Class Hunter.
I turned my gaze away with a good feeling.
The books I had seen before were still there.
[Swinhood Empire Basic Swordsmanship (E-Class)]
[Red Magic Tower Basic Magic Book (E-Class)]
I knew that the direction of growth was important, even though I was a porter. It's important to get skills that match your talent, and to allocate stats accordingly.
The reality has changed like a game since the Gates opened, but there are no stat reset cash items.
Mages hardly ever put points into Strength. Warriors or Rogues do put points into Mana, but they don't give it many stats.
Especially since what's in front of me now is Swordsmanship and a Magic Book. Since the gap is so big, I needed to choose carefully.
'I'll do it tomorrow.'
Among the rare jobs, there is something called a 'Judge'. It was an ability to check the talents of the Awakened.
If you register as an Awakened at the Hunter Association, they will give you a talent test, so there was no need to rush.
* * *
"Did you hear about that?"
"About what?"
"That the United States is investing 300 trillion in developing equipment for Hunters this time."
"Ah. Miniaturizing and lightening equipment? I know. They're treating high-grade Magic stones as strategic materials and buying them without limit."
Chief Kim, who is in charge of Awakened certification at the Hunter Association, nodded.
"The vanguard doesn't even bring porters, so they have to invest."
The vanguard, who enter high-level Gates, are precious because of the personnel limit.
The team could be annihilated because of the lack of just one person's strength.
"That's true. The vanguard has a lot of luggage."
The environment inside the Gate cannot be known until you enter it. Some places can be inferred, but many cannot.
Snowy mountains, lava zones, deserts, seas, underground cities, swamps full of poisonous fog. You never know which one will come out.
Even if the probability is low, you can't risk your life on that probability.
In addition to cold and flame resistant equipment, they also carry gas masks, sleeping bags, tents, rubber boats, food, and even bombs and plant seeds.
They throw them away as soon as they enter, but having a lot of luggage leads to a weakening of combat power.
When attacked inside the Gate, heavy luggage delays the response by a beat.
The death of an Awakened is fatal.
Unlike guns, bombs, and fighter planes, Awakened cannot be mass-produced.
-Awakened, more important than nuclear weapons after the Gate incident.
You can see it just by looking at the column that became a hot topic around the world. Bullets and shells are not very meaningful against Awakened monsters with Mana barriers.
It's not completely ineffective.
The barrier can be broken with one bullet. But it can also be intact even after hundreds of shells.
Countries disappear because of the Gates. The Catoblepas that appeared in Australia was intact even after being hit by 11 tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.
And Australia became the land of monsters.
Only weapons containing Mana from Awakened can easily break the Mana barrier of Awakened monsters.
The era where Awakened are national power.
It wasn't for nothing that powerful countries were recruiting overseas Awakened for a lot of money.
The lightening and miniaturization of Hunters' equipment was to increase the survival rate of those strategic assets, even by a little.
"And it's not just the United States that's doing that, right?"
"That's right."
It's the same in other countries, just on a larger scale. The whole world is putting their heart and soul into lightening and miniaturizing equipment for Hunters.
A lot of money was being spent to temporarily reduce the size and weight using Magic stones and Magic.
The fact that the personnel limit for high-level Gates is decreasing also contributed to this investment.
From 30 to 20. From 20 to 10. From 10 to 5.
The uncertainty inside the Gate remained the same, and the amount of luggage that had to be carried did not change significantly.
They have no choice but to put their heart and soul into research.
"Come to think of it, it's funny."
"What is?"
"The world has changed like a game and you can see the status window, but why isn't there an inventory?"
Chief Kim nodded at his superior's words.
"That's right. And there's no one who Awakened as a porter."
"What's with the porter Awakening?"
"Why? Just like non-Awakened Hunters go in as porters, isn't it possible that there are Awakened whose job is 'porter'? They put all kinds of equipment into the inventory."
"If there really is one, it'll be a jackpot. If you level up, you can also allocate stats, so you have to find Secret Arts and raise them."
At that time, a man in his early 20s opened the door and entered. He had a rather tired face, it was Han Hye.