Chapter 45
Chapter 45
45.Shin Chang (2)
[Lv23 Space Master, Han Hye]
Strength: 31(+1)
Agility: 33(+3)
Stamina: 35
Spirit: 30
Mana: 40
Remaining Points: 6
Skills: Subspace (S-Rank) lv3, Leap (A-Rank) lv3, Fire Resistance (A-Rank) lv2, Fighting Cock (C-Rank) lv3, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-Rank) lv4, Cold Resistance (E-Rank) lv1, *Wind Split (lv1)
I ate a Crimson Vine before sparring with Shin Chang. Agility increased by 3, Strength by 1, and like the Tortoise Shell Herb, all four Stats increased.
I didn't bother allocating the remaining points from leveling up.
Against a Hunter like Shin Chang, adding three more Stats wouldn't make a difference.
I also realized something while being chased by Grendel, who had undergone his Second Awakening.
Before receiving Seo Seung-yeon's support, I had planned to enter Subspace, eat a Crimson Vine, and allocate points to Agility. But even then, I would have been slower than Grendel.
He had even undergone his Second Awakening. In other words, I felt the need to have a few more remaining Stats.
-Affirmative. Considering you are Han Hye, who is far from ordinary, it would be best to keep some remaining Stats on hand, as long as you can afford it.
Chunbae gave me the same advice. After all, my Stats are already decent enough to be incomparable to Hunters of the same level.
Moreover, the Gates I enter are difficult.
Even if it's not a Discharge-type Gate, didn't I encounter Ogres during the Night of Despair?
A situation requiring specific Stats might arise, so it's like having insurance. I don't have a Stat Reset Voucher.
"Can I get an autograph...?"
"Just one photo, please!"
Citizens approached me on my way to the training center. After this incident, a lot more people recognized me.
I used to be just Person 1 passing by. It was a moment when I truly felt how famous I had become.
Thanks to that, I even created a new autograph. I didn't have one before, but so many people asked for it.
In the process, the autograph became slightly different from the one I gave to the first person...
'Hmm. I hope they don't get called out for having a fake?'
I worry that they might get criticized because of me.
Well, I took a photo with them back then, so if they say it's from before the autograph changed, wouldn't people around them believe it?
.
.
.
After that, I arrived at the training center and sparred with Shin Chang, and something very surprising happened.
"...Spatial Sense is a tremendous advantage."
Shin Chang's battle maniac meme wasn't just a meme, it seemed. Shin Chang opened his heavy mouth when the sparring began.
"That's right. You can feel the reach of the opponent's weapon and body accurately, not just by intuition."
Of course, Seo Seung-yeon provided the additional explanation.
This was only the second time I'd seen her, but I was starting to think Seo Seung-yeon was Shin Chang's interpreter, not a sniper.
Perhaps Shin Chang had communication problems when he was alone, so he called Seo Seung-yeon.
In any case, it was a more valuable moment than I had expected.
"I will attack so that it either touches or doesn't touch Han Hye-ssi. Use your Spatial Sense to check the trajectory and either dodge or stay still."
Training to sense the trajectory of attacks with Spatial Sense.
This was quite good. I learned the method itself, so I could use it even without Shin Chang.
"But... you must be careful."
"That's right. You mustn't blindly trust it. The opponent might intentionally hide their reach or twist their body to attack more deeply."
"You mean I shouldn't dodge too closely?"
"Yes. You can use it to the extreme against the attacks of Monsters you've analyzed to some extent, though!"
After that, I helped Shin Chang with attacks using Leap, which was also training for me.
Attacking a moving target using Leap also required skill.
"...Does moving require prediction?"
Still, unlike the previous conversation, Shin Chang directly opened his mouth during the sparring.
I answered diligently each time. I hoped he would become a little more comfortable.
"Yes. If the target is moving quickly, there will be a slight discrepancy between when I think and when I use Leap."
0.n seconds. It's a decimal unit, but my attack might not reach a target that's too fast.
Shin Chang narrowed his eyebrows with a serious expression and nodded.
"Improving."
"I'm getting the hang of it."
Still, as I continued with Shin Chang, I became accustomed to leaping and attacking moving targets.
[The level of the Skill 'Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-Rank)' has increased.]
There was also an unexpected gain.
"Twist your wrist a little more. The shift in the center of power starts from the lower body..."
Shin Chang gave me advice little by little on my attacks, and as I adapted to it, my Swordsmanship level increased.
"That's right. Like that. Good."
Shin Chang seemed to be in a good mood as my attacks became sharper. His lips turned up slightly?
Though it was to such a small degree that you wouldn't notice unless you were paying close attention.
There was other advice as well.
"Forward Leap... might be good too."
"Forward?"
"Ah, I understand. You're using psychological warfare against an opponent who knows Leap."
Shin Chang nodded at Seo Seung-yeon's explanation.
In other words, it was about using psychological warfare to reverse the expectation that I would attack from behind.
"Saving it is also a method."
"Because the opponent's attention is focused on being aware of Leap?"
Shin Chang widened his eyes slightly when I answered immediately and nodded. He must have thought I wouldn't understand right away.
He continued speaking with a satisfied look.
"Correct. Distraction of concentration slows reaction."
What I realized while sparring was that Shin Chang didn't earn the Shin Chang title for nothing.
You could say he had exceptional combat sense? It was another moment where I learned something new.
"Wow."
Seo Seung-yeon's exclamation was heard while we were having that conversation.
"Oppa is really talkative today."
"..."
Shin Chang closed his mouth again, perhaps because of Seo Seung-yeon.
"Han Hye-ssi must really be to his liking. He usually doesn't say more than a few words a day even to Guild members."
"Isn't it because we're sparring?"
"No. Even when sparring, he just nods or shakes his head?"
He's like that even with his own Guild members?
It wasn't just that he was shy. In any case, it seemed like I was receiving quite a bit of favor from Shin Chang.
During breaks between training, we also had conversations about my Skills.
Actually, Seo Seung-yeon was the one thinking about various ways to utilize them more than Shin Chang.
"To be precise, you said that bodies can't enter, right?"
"Yes. Weapons, arrows, and Magic that I'm holding can enter."
"Unless they're hiding inside..."
"Yes. I can also block Magic with Subspace. I've created a space for that as well."
"Ah. You've already thought of that. Hmm, are there any other ways to utilize Subspace?"
Seo Seung-yeon's eyes sparkled as she racked her brain, quite interested.
"Can't you swing Subspace around?"
"It doesn't work."
"What about creating it between people's bodies?"
"That doesn't work either."
If it did, I would have moved the physically immune Subspace around and beaten everyone up. If I pressed down from above like a compression press, even Ogres would be crushed to a pulp.
Well, in the first place, I would have created it between their bodies and split them in half.
"How about installing a very sturdy sliding door like an iron plate with Magic protection at the entrance? Then it would be okay to hide inside."
"That's a good idea."
I can avoid most things by dodging to the side, but wide-area Magic might damage the inside of Subspace.
I should ask the Association if they can manufacture this.
"That's my limit."
"No. You gave me an idea. Thank you."
I didn't come here to get advice on utilizing Subspace in the first place. I already received too much help with Spatial Sense, Leap, and Swordsmanship.
"...Can we meet again?"
When it was time to part ways, Shin Chang opened his heavy mouth and asked me. He had a peaceful expression, as if he was satisfied with today.
I answered immediately without hesitation.
"Of course."
It was a welcome thing for me. Being tutored by the number one Hunter in Korea wasn't an ordinary experience.
"Association President. We received a message from an informant in Ubermensh. Korea was mentioned."
"What?"
The Association President frowned at the report.
"Did those guys come to Korea?"
"The informant isn't high-ranking, so they don't know that far. However, Korea was mentioned in a high-level meeting."
"It would have been mentioned in the meeting."
A Spatialist and a Dragon Knight.
They were already figures that had become a hot topic overseas, and their abilities were proven when their combat videos were released, weren't they? It was 100% certain that Ubermensh would have talked about them.
"Yes. We don't know if it was just mentioned in the meeting, or if they're directly targeting them."
"They must be busy trying to enter illegal Gates here and there... but you never know."
"Yes. Even if they fail to persuade the two of them after kidnapping them, they might just take the Dragon."
That's right. So, although they didn't know it, the Korea Hunter Association was quite focused on protecting the Spatialist and the Dragon Knight.
The Association President made a decision.
"Seung-yeon is with them, but... she's not the type who can block them on the front lines. I'll have to assign one more person. China is also a problem these days."
After the Awakened coup that overthrew the government, China's public order was deteriorating. The same went for its national power.
The Awakened regime, which possessed power, was running the country according to its own interests.
Due to the power struggles of the Awakened who succeeded in the coup, even though it looked fine on the surface, there was internal division.
Regions operated in a state-like format, like in the United States. Ubermensh was exploiting that gap.
"How should we proceed when Dawn Light enters a Gate?"
"Until now, was it Iron Wall's archer who did it?"
"Yes."
"We'll have to assign a Knight as well."* * *
[3rd Gate Incident Alert lifted."]
The alert was lifted as the irregular Mana concentration in the atmosphere stabilized to some extent.
The Mana concentration had risen even higher than before... but it meant that Gate entry, which had been prohibited during the alert period, was now allowed.
That's why I called the Guild members together. Besides entering a new Gate, there was something else I needed to talk about.
I didn't just train during the alert period.
"First of all, we need to talk about the Guild House."
It's a bittersweet situation, but one of the Guilds that suffered near-total destruction during this Discharge-type incident was disbanded and put up their place.
It wasn't a big place, but we're still a small Guild and don't plan to increase our size, so it was perfect.
"We've managed to secure one near the Association. I'll buy it for now..."
At that moment, Lee Shin-hee urgently raised her hand.
"Wait a minute. You haven't signed the contract yet, have you?"
"Ah, no. I was planning to have a meeting today and then do it."
"That's a relief."
Lee Shin-hee let out a sigh of relief. What's going on?
"When I brought it up, my grandfather said that he had bought one in case I Awakened. He said that after seeing Han Hye-ssi's performance this time, he told me to just use it since we're in the same Guild."
"Huh?"
"It's quite big. It's so spacious that there's no downside. This time, after seeing Han Hye-ssi's performance, he told me to just use it since we're in the same Guild?"
"Oh."
"Ooh!"
Seo Min-jae and Uncle Cheolgi opened their mouths and stood up. I was just as surprised.
"For free?"
"Yes. He told me to just use it."
Is this why they call them chaebols, chaebols?
I can't do this. The next Quasi-elixir from Subspace will definitely go to Lee Shin-hee.
"As for Guild staff, there are a lot of people who were laid off due to this incident. He said he'd look into that and hire them too."
"Uh, I don't know if we should accept this much help..."
"It's what my grandfather is giving, so what's the big deal? Instead, he asked if he could meet the Dinosaur Guild members sometime..."
Lee Shin-hee trailed off, looking a little hesitant.
"That's easy enough. In a way, isn't he our benefactor... no, our sponsor?"
Uncle Cheolgi nodded. I agreed as well.
"That's right."
A Guild House isn't cheap. I was wondering if I would have to use all the money I had saved up. But he's just supporting us with that. Moreover, he's hiring staff too.
Well, there's no need to refuse the Guild House or the staff. As long as they're good and do their job well.
'If there's ever a problem with Lee Shin-hee, it won't be a problem to find a new one then.'
I don't think that will happen. Just the fact that she ignored her grandfather's call and joined us last time says a lot.
She's also the only A-Rank Healer in our level range.
Moreover, there were some losses among the C-Rank and below Hunters due to this Gate incident. We were already a dream team of latecomers, but now we're even more of a dream team.
Lee Shin-hee and we are necessary to each other.
"Anyway, the Guild House issue is resolved."
"Now, let's check the public announcements."
I don't know if it's good news or bad news, but... there were so many new Gates that had appeared.
The main reason we met today was to choose which Gate to enter next.
"Wow, there are really a lot of them?"
"It was like this five years ago too."
The Association said that the average difficulty of the newly created Gates would be higher.
Just like the Second Gate Incident, if the Mana concentration rises, even Gates with the same level and personnel restrictions become more difficult.
It's impossible to enter a newly created Gate until it's publicly announced.
Well, Hunter criminal groups like Ubermensh take advantage of this time to secretly enter the Gates.
That doesn't happen very often in our country. If that happens, they immediately surround the Gates around that area.
It means that it's not easy to do such things in our country, which is one of the Hunter powerhouses.
"Let's all look for one."
Now that the Gates have been publicly announced, there's only one thing we need to do. Find a decent Gate in our level range.
Well, I'm not really worried. There are no Hunters in the same level range who can keep up with us.
'We're a Guild with four Gate priority passes, after all.'
The fact that there are many new Gates is a boon for people like us.
It means that Gates with hidden features that had been mostly taken over and disappeared have reappeared.
In other words, Gate shopping is about to begin.