Chapter 8 - Workshop (3)
Workshop (3)
"First place, Han Hye, with 15 kills."
It was only natural.
Goblin hunting was like this for me.
Whoosh-.
Tap-tap- slice.
Whoosh-.
Tap-tap- slice.
Rest, slice, rest, slice.
When I felt tired, I could just go into my Subspace to sleep and come out. Thanks to that, I was able to cut down goblins in top condition.
… Honestly, around the middle, finding goblins became more annoying than fighting them. The number of goblins decreased as time went on.
"15 kills?"
"?"
"Really? How is that even possible?"
As soon as the supervisor finished speaking, exclamations of astonishment erupted from all around.
"Han Hye is a Spatialist, right? How can you be this good?"
"Wow, I thought you were special, but 15 kills is insane, man."
The trainees I had gotten to know over the three days even came up to talk to me. The instructor continued.
"The average is 4 kills, but Han Hye has shown overwhelming skill. Even considering the level difference, this is amazing."
Everyone nodded at the instructor's words. Even with the level difference, Warriors and Rogues also have combat skills.
Unlike Spatialists, they have an advantage in combat itself.
But even so… wasn't the gap too overwhelming?
"What's even more amazing is that Han Hye's record is the highest in workshop history."
"The highest record ever?"
"Yes. You all know 'Knight' Lee Hong-ju, right? The A-grade Hunter. He was in first place with 11 kills until now."
Wow.
I was surprised as well.
I didn't know it was the highest record ever. My stats and abilities were definitely overpowered.
"Ahem."
Everyone was looking at me, so managing my expression was essential. Ahem, I cleared my throat for no reason.
As I was finishing up and leaving, the swordsmanship instructor who had been acting as a supervisor approached me.
"Instructor Lee Sang-yeop. You've worked hard."
"Yes, you too, Instructor."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"Pardon?"
"To going into a Gate together sometime. I'm not just saying it, you're the most outstanding trainee I've seen."
The swordsmanship instructor smiled. Come to think of it, he had been friendly to me since the first swordsmanship class.
"Ah, thank you."
I replied, but it felt like something was missing. It would be virtuous to show some humility.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Instructor."
"Huh? Me?"
The instructor looked at me with an incredulous expression.
"I didn't teach you anything special during the lectures…"
"Ah…"
Ah, was this showing off?
.
.
.
"The week-long workshop will conclude today. There were injuries, but thankfully no major accidents."
The workshop ended. The second Gate practice also took place, but nothing particularly special happened.
Trainees entered Gates with a recommended level of 1-5 and a limit of 5 people, without supervisors.
-Han Hye, what's your team going to do? Want to team up with me?
-I'm a D-grade Healer!
Since all the trainees wanted to team up with me, I formed a team appropriately and entered the Gate.
There were no problems, and we even set a record for the fastest Gate clear time.
"Next, there will be an Elixir presentation ceremony for Han Hye, the top trainee of this workshop."
Right before the graduation ceremony ended, I went up onto the stage and received a small wooden box.
[Flamegrass (C-grade)]
-Grass containing the power of flames. Eating it seems to strengthen resistance to heat.
-If you have flame-related skills, there is a high probability that their level will increase.
Crazy, C-grade?
I couldn't hide my shock. The Elixirs provided at the workshop were usually E-grade.
I had expected to receive a D-grade Elixir because I broke the record in the Gate practice.
But to give me something even better than that.
"Manage your expression, manage your expression."
I quickly closed my gaping mouth at the words I heard from the side.
"We prepared a C-grade Elixir for Han Hye, but we would appreciate it if you could say that you received a D-grade to the public."
It seemed that the Association had also gone to some lengths.
They asked for my understanding, so I quickly nodded.
"Of course. Thank you."
I put the wooden box into my Subspace.
"Would you be available to talk for a moment after the graduation ceremony?"
"Ah, yes."
With that conversation, the graduation ceremony concluded as I received my Hunter license.
* * *
"What? You received a C-grade Elixir?"
Uncle Cheolgi, who had heard about the workshop, was also surprised.
"I've never seen such an enviable bastard. They gave you a C-grade? Wow, crazy."
"I was surprised too."
"It seems like the Association is trying to score some points with you."
"Really?"
"The 'Knight' also received a D-grade Elixir during his workshop. Since a Spatialist is doing better than the Knight, they want to be on your good side in advance."
I agreed. I was also shocked when I saw the C-grade Elixir. No matter how outstanding my performance was…
If it weren't for the value of my Subspace skill, a C-grade would have been difficult. I really milked the workshop for all it was worth.
"Didn't the Association say anything else?"
"They did."
"What did they say?"
"They asked if I was thinking of going abroad, and I said not yet. They said they would do their best and asked me to take care of them in the future."
Korea was a Hunter powerhouse compared to its land size. When the Gate incident occurred, it was one of the few countries where a super-large Gate had opened.
Numerous casualties occurred, but just as many Awakened were born.
And the treatment of Awakened was quite excellent. Foreign scouts often came, but few left. In most cases, the conditions in Korea were better.
'Going abroad means having to enter dangerous Gates first.'
Hunter contracts usually last for a year, so foreign Hunters who are about to leave after their contracts expire take on the risks.
Also, many suffer due to differences in language and culture.
"Our country is better. Look at China. They treated the Awakened like garbage, and a coup d'état broke out, turning the country upside down."
"Don't you dislike our country, Uncle?"
"I don't have any major complaints about the country. They've been pretty good to me. They helped me as much as possible to use my skills. It's the ordinary people who made things difficult for me."
Uncle took a few consecutive shots of soju. It seemed he still didn't feel good when he thought about it.
The media, newspapers, communities… everyone was tearing Uncle apart.
I handed Uncle the card I had prepared.
"What's this?"
"A registration card for a Hunter-only training center nearby."
I had paid for mine and Uncle's on the way back from the graduation ceremony.
I had also settled all the Magic stones I had obtained from the Gate practice.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"To get you in shape, Uncle. Let's quickly hatch the dragon and give them a taste of their own medicine, shall we?"
"You brat, tell me after you hatch it."
Uncle let out a hollow laugh. Even so, he took the card.
"Thanks."
"For what? I might have died on the streets if it weren't for you, Uncle."
"That's an exaggeration…"
Uncle waved his hand, but it was true. After the Gate incident, it was impossible to receive support from the orphanage, so I was wandering the streets.
Separately, the dragon hatching attempt was still on hold. The baby dragon could be hostile. I also didn't know how strong it would be.
"And you should level up. You're still not as good as me."
"Come on, have you had too much to drink? You're level 14, Uncle. Well, it's amazing that you reached 14 without skills… I'm level 18 in terms of stats."
"Ha, the porter from last week has grown a lot?"
"I've been big for a while now. Want to arm wrestle?"
What was Uncle's Strength stat again?
As I was pondering, Uncle silently raised his middle finger. A man in his late 30s using such childish insults…
"Anyway, what are you going to do now?"
"Go into Gates."
"Alone?"
"Of course."
My stats were already around level 20. That meant it was more than enough to go into level 6-10 Gates.
There was no need to take other Awakened with me and lose experience points.
'Unless they're Awakened with good enough abilities to grow together.'
Moreover, if I formed a team, I wouldn't be able to properly show off my skills. I had been restraining myself at the workshop.
If I went all out, the other Awakened would definitely feel something was off.
"You may be good enough with your current abilities, but wouldn't it be better to take a Healer with you? Small injuries can become big risks."
"The Association gave me potions and antidotes, so I'm fine."
"They gave you those expensive things?"
Some of the supplies I had put into my Subspace during the Gate practice had simply fallen into my hands.
-Take these, Han Hye. You'll need them when you go into Gates after graduating. It's a hassle and costs money to buy them separately.
Of course, I didn't refuse. Uncle was dumbfounded.
"These bastards need to stop with the preferential treatment."
"Hey, are you on my side, Uncle?"
"I'm just jealous, you brat."
He said that, but he seemed to be congratulating me.
"Have you chosen the next Gate?"
"Not yet. I'll probably go to a survival-type Gate. Stat-wise, I'm a D-grade Hunter."
Level and Hunter rank are not proportional. A Hunter's rank can be raised with Gate achievements.
However, it can usually be estimated.
-----------------------
F-grade: 1~7
E-grade: 7~15
D-grade: 16~25
C-grade: 26~35
B-grade: 36~45
A-grade: 45~55
S-grade: 55 or higher
-----------------------
Roughly this much. This grade standard changes as the level of the vanguard increases.
I was currently at the level of a D-grade Hunter.
"A survival-type Gate? It's not bad, but… wouldn't it be tough even with high stats?"
He wasn't wrong. Most 'survival-type' Gates were more difficult than their recommended level.
It was possible to clear them just by surviving within the given time without catching monsters.
Just like how I survived against the dragon.
"Even if the difficulty is high, survival-type Gates will be the easiest for me."
I had opened the Subspace entrance in an open space when I was flustered and panicked during the dragon incident…
It was different now. I had experimented with the Subspace with Uncle. All I had to do was put a wall behind me and open the Subspace.
No matter how strong the enemy was, they wouldn't be able to harm me through the space between the wall and the Subspace.
Moreover, survival-type Gates were difficult, so the rewards were decent depending on the performance.
'But they're not popular.'
Even if the rewards were good, confirmed survival-type Gates were much more difficult than their recommended level, so Hunters avoided them.
The Association also didn't recommend them.
Usually, high-level Hunters higher than the recommended level cleared them to prevent Gate breaks.
While giving up experience and rewards.
'Not me.'
I was thinking of going in and trying it out first. My stats were so overpowered compared to my level.
If it didn't seem right, I could just run into my Subspace. It was like going in with insurance.
.
.
.
As the drinking session was coming to an end, Uncle suddenly brought something up.
"By the way, Hunter Net is in an uproar because of you."
"Really?"
Hunter Net.
It was a community that only Awakened Hunters could use. License authentication was essential, so there were no exceptions.
Of course, I had used it before. Not like the Hunters, though.
There was a separate section for uploading non-Awakened Hunter resumes. Hunters would see them and contact me.
"Now that the workshop is over, it's time for your information to be released. Go take a look if you're curious."
"Yes."
Since there was talk about me, I was curious as a person. I got up from my seat and said.
"Shall we go exercise together tomorrow morning? You don't do lunch business anyway."
Uncle pondered for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
"Then let's meet here at 9 and go together."
"Hye-ya."
"Yes?"
"Hatching… I'm counting on you."
As I was talking and turning around, Uncle said to the back of my head.
"I'll try my best."
I sincerely intended to do so. I would definitely hatch it. I didn't light a fire in the heart of a retired person for no reason.
I wanted to repay Uncle, who was my benefactor, in my own way.
I had a few methods in mind. I had also ordered something before going to the workshop.
I didn't know if they would work, but I was planning to try various things.
'There's a possibility.'
Even if I had to hold the egg in the fire, it would be fine.
I had an A-grade Flame Resistance skill.