Chapter 6 - Workshop (1)
Workshop (1)
Checking my Status Window, Strength was 7 and Agility was 6. Giving them 8 and 9 points respectively would make them 15.
The points consumed were 17, leaving 1 spare point. After a moment of contemplation, I allocated the stats.
Even though my ability was Subspace, I had no intention of remaining buried. There were Secret Arts within the Subspace.
In a situation where new items might appear at any time, I decided to use a sword.
‘I need to become stronger for revenge as well.’
There was nothing to lose. These were stats I had to raise anyway.
High Strength and Agility would also have a good effect in the workshop.
[Lv6 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 15 (+8)
Agility: 15 (+9)
Stamina: 18
Spirit: 6
Mana: 18
Spare Points: 1
Skills: Subspace (S-Rank) lv1, Fire Resistance (A-Rank) lv1, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-Rank) lv1, Wind Split (lv1)
‘It’s amazing when I see it like this.’
Thanks to the Elixir and Dragon Blood, my stat-based level was higher than I imagined.
The displayed level was Lv6, but in terms of stats alone, it was equivalent to Lv18.
After allocating the stats and grabbing a sword, ‘Wind Split’ was added.
Since it was a skill obtained from Weaponry, it didn’t have a specific rank. I knew that its power varied depending on the user.
I wondered how strong it would be.
Without much thought, I swung the Elegant Sword towards the training scarecrow. A bit of Mana drained away, and wind stirred around the sword.
Whoosh-.
A sharp wind sound followed as I swung the sword. I could feel an intangible wind extending outwards. It looked sharp even to the eye.
The wind, cutting across the front, made contact with the scarecrow.
Scratch-. And it pierced through the scarecrow’s Magical Field. The field split, and the scarecrow crumbled.
Then, the sharp wind touched the Subspace wall and vanished.
“Wow……”
An exclamation naturally escaped my lips.
So moved, I covered my mouth with my left hand.
I knew that even the lowest-grade Magic stone scarecrow was structured to withstand several bullets.
I had just charged it, and it had pierced through it in one go. Of course, it wasn’t just because of its destructive power.
“Crazy, so cool.”
A blade of wind.
This was something I only saw in manga!
And time passed……
The workshop date approached.
“Hoo.”
I exited the Subspace, exhaling deeply. Three days had passed outside, but the time I spent wasn’t just three days.
Time didn’t flow outside while I was in the Subspace.
‘If I had to guess, I was there for about three weeks.’
I didn’t measure the time exactly, so I didn’t know how long it was. When I wasn’t swinging the sword, I studied for a while.
Studying was boring, but the sword wasn’t.
‘I think I’m crazy, even by my own standards……’
Was it because I had longed for Awakening for so long?
Swinging the sword was really fun. Every time I became a little more familiar with swordsmanship, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
[Imperial Basic Swordsmanship lv1 has increased to lv2.]
[Imperial Basic Swordsmanship lv2 has increased to lv3.]
The rising level of swordsmanship made me even more immersed.
Since it was initially entered as information, my movements were awkward at first, but after dozens of hours, I became proficient.
Studying was annoying. There was a lot to memorize.
But I had plenty of time. By using the spare time to look at the textbook, I was able to memorize almost everything.
‘The preparation is perfect.’
The reason I swung the sword for dozens of hours and even studied, which wasn’t my thing, was all because of the workshop.
To live as an Awakened Hunter in Korea, the workshop was a mandatory step.
At this time, it was important to receive good scores in the workshop.
It wasn’t for nothing that I spent so much time in the Subspace.
All actions within the workshop were evaluated.
Class concentration, quiz scores, and the performance shown in the Gate practice, in addition to even minor actions.
These evaluations would affect future contracts. It meant that I could receive a slightly higher contract fee.
‘I can also get an E-Rank Elixir.’
In addition, if the evaluation in all areas exceeded a certain level, the Association would provide an Elixir as a reward.
It wasn’t a simple relative evaluation. There were cases where no one received it. But if someone did receive it, only one person would.
Regardless of the rank, Elixirs were basically worth hundreds of millions of won.
Elixirs that could raise stats without leveling up were one of the most desired items for high-level Hunters.
‘I have to get both.’
I was confident.
It wasn’t for nothing that I spent dozens of hours in the Subspace. I also had a lot of experience as a non-Awakened Hunter.
And……
My stat-based level could be considered 18. It would be strange if I wasn’t confident.
.
.
.
The Awakened workshop, organized by the Association, lasted for 7 days. After taking classes for 3 days, we would subjugate 2 Gates for 4 days.
The workshop participants numbered 32, and everyone had a serious expression.
“Everyone should have turned in their electronic devices. We’ll be together for a week, so let’s introduce ourselves.”
At the instructor’s words, the students looked at each other. Some seemed reluctant, while others seemed confident.
The latter were likely those who had Awakened to good jobs or abilities. Anyway, it was my turn.
“Hello. I’m Spatialist Han Hye.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say Void Lord here either.
“Spatialist?”
“What’s that? A rare job?”
At the murmuring, I gave a demonstration. I put my smartphone in and out, as I always did.
“I can use space like an inventory.”
“An inventory? Crazy.”
“Huh?”
Some recognized the value with shining eyes, while others didn’t. In my opinion, there were more of the latter.
It seemed to be because they hadn’t been in the Hunter industry for very long.
That was understandable.
I knew my value accurately. They would know soon enough.
“Some argue that the dark matter scattered throughout the universe is Mana. The Earth, our galaxy, is included in that flow……”
After the introductions, the lecture began.
The first lecture was theoretical, covering the history and hypotheses of Gates, the monsters that beginners encounter, and the internal rules of Gates.
“The absolute prohibition inside the Gate is impulsive behavior. Impulsive behavior leads to the annihilation of the team……”
“There are several types of entry-type Gates: hunting type, moving type, discovery type, survival type, and story type, etc……”
The atmosphere of the class was quite good. Being an Awakened Hunter was a matter of life and death. Everyone had no choice but to concentrate hard.
“Now, we will have a quiz based on today’s lesson.”
I received the test paper with a comfortable feeling. I had perfectly memorized the textbook. However, I was slightly taken aback after reading the questions.
‘It’s harder than I thought?’
It was no joke. Even for me, who had almost memorized the textbook in the Subspace, the answers didn’t come out immediately.
It was the kind of question that required multiple considerations to answer.
-Ugh.
-Too difficult?
-What’s the difference between male and female orcs? Is there such a thing?
I could hear groans from around me due to the difficulty.
Of course.
That didn’t apply to me.
‘It would have been really tough if I hadn’t studied in the Subspace.’
Being difficult and being unable to solve it were different things. I could solve everything by thinking one or two more times.
I quickly solved the problems.
‘Done.’
And, I was able to find all the answers.
“The average score is… 73 points. It seems it was very difficult. I made it difficult, but I’m disappointed. I clearly told you to do your homework.”
The instructor frowned, holding the test papers. It seemed he wasn’t satisfied.
“Except for about three people, I know that everyone else had at least a week. I understand those people… but I can’t say the same for the others. Are you planning to go into Gates where your lives are at stake so carelessly?”
It suddenly occurred to me that the test seemed to have been deliberately made difficult. It was difficult even for me, who had memorized the textbook.
It would have been impossible with just a little studying.
The difficulty was intentionally increased.
It was a kind of shock therapy to give beginner Hunters a sense of urgency.
“I hope everyone will try harder. I’ll give you the answer key, so look at the wrong questions again.”
The instructor looked around the students and fixed his gaze on me. His sharp expression changed to a gentle smile.
“Han Hye. You’re the only one with a perfect score. You Awakened just a few days ago, so you must have been short on time, but you’re amazing.”
“A perfect score?”
“Is that even possible?”
The surprised students turned to look at me. The difficulty was that high.
“I didn’t expect there to be a perfect score because of the difficult level. There will be additional points.”
Additional points? Sweet.
I laughed inwardly. It was worth enduring what I didn’t want to do.
‘Honestly, I studied comfortably in the Subspace……’
Anyway, isn’t it my ability?
I didn’t feel bad about getting attention from others while taking the lead in the Elixir competition.
The results of my hard work in the Subspace also appeared in the following lecture. It was a Weaponry class.
I chose swordsmanship, but it felt like they were only teaching the basics because it was a 3-day intensive class.
However, even when simply doing thrusts and cuts, the instructor’s gaze lingered on me.
It wasn’t a misunderstanding. The instructor soon approached me.
“Here, you shouldn’t let the tip of the sword shake like Han Hye. You might drop the sword while attacking the enemy.”
And suddenly, I became a living teaching material for the students.
Similarly, when everyone was training to hit the scarecrow hard so they wouldn’t drop their swords.
“Look at Han Hye. You have to attack with such an accurate posture, using the strength of your legs and the rotation of your waist to put your weight on the attack.”
Did he like me that much?
The instructor hadn’t said a word to me, but he was very friendly.
At the end of the class, he even spoke to me separately.
“Han Hye? Have you learned swordsmanship somewhere else?”
“I used to go to a neighborhood swordsmanship dojo……”
“A neighborhood swordsmanship dojo? Not a place run by an Awakened with E-Rank or D-Rank swordsmanship?”
“It was just a place run by the Korea Kumdo Association?”
The instructor scratched the back of his head.
“……Are you a genius? You’re better than the students who learned from an E-Rank dojo?”
“Haha……”
I also had E-Rank swordsmanship, but I couldn’t reveal it, so I just laughed awkwardly.
And……
I didn’t miss first place even once during the first 3 days of the workshop.