“Whew.”
The Association President anxiously bounced a leg.
After the Spatialist entered the Survival Gate alone, the Association President had set work aside and was waiting for a report.
“How long has it been since he entered?”
“Thirty-five minutes have passed.”
Only thirty-five minutes had passed?
It felt like twice that long. It was only natural. Wasn't he Awakened with a Subspace ability?
Objectively speaking, preventing him from entering the Gate had been the right decision. Approval and assignment for Gate applications fell under the Association's jurisdiction.
It wasn't a Gate that a Level 6 Awakened in a noncombat class could subjugate alone.
“Judging by the Gate's color, he is still alive, but I think you should have prevented him from entering. Rather than giving him a Gate Escape Scroll and permitting it.”
The Association staff saw Han Hye's choice this time as arrogance.
They thought it was an absurd decision made after he broke the Workshop's top record and became overconfident in himself.
“Seo-ung, you need to look at the bigger picture.”
The Association President did not see it that way. There were two reasons the Association President had approved Han Hye's Gate application while others tried to dissuade them.
The first was that the Association President truly thought Han Hye might succeed in subjugating the Gate.
‘He has an A+- or S+-Grade Skill, and he is a very intelligent Awakened.’
Han Hye said he could regulate them, but the Association had also determined that he possessed stats on a completely different level from everyone else.
His performance at the Workshop had shown the same thing.
The written test was not merely a matter of memorization. And the instructors who taught him directly said that he was far from arrogant.
‘He was also an Unawakened Hunter. He must have seen many monsters and Hunters.’
If Han Hye's experience had been shallow, the Association President would have stopped him.
But if someone with as much field experience as him had made that decision, then he must have accurately assessed the situation. After all, Han Hye would know better than anyone the fate of people who acted with reckless bravado.
The second reason was to win Han Hye over. The Association President had even given him the expensive insurance of a Gate Escape Scroll.
Even if he failed to subjugate the Gate, the Association President thought that an intelligent Han Hye would learn something.
That he needed to make his judgments more carefully, for instance, or how to manage his stamina during combat with monsters.
At the same time, the Association President hoped Han Hye would think that the Association respected him. Han Hye was a Hunter the Association President absolutely wanted to secure.
“Do you truly think he will subjugate it?”
“If I have to put a number on it, about 80 percent.”
Of course, the possibility of success and the worry were separate matters.
The secretary scratched the back of their head.
“Then what happens?”
“We will witness the arrival of a rookie for the ages. Even setting aside his Subspace ability.”
The Association President tapped the desk with a finger.
“If the Spatialist succeeds in subjugating it, we will give up on the Spiritist.”
“What? But they have A-Grade Spirit Magic?”
A Spiritist with an A-Grade Skill. Until Han Hye appeared, that Awakened had been the Association's highest-priority prospect.
They were now increasing their price while weighing offers from the United States and Korea.
“Even if they are still testing the waters, to give up on them.......”
“Seo-ung, do you think that a Spiritist with the A-Grade Skill could subjugate ‘Dead End of the Labyrinth’ alone at Level 6?”
“That is.......”
The secretary could not answer. The secretary judged that even an S-Grade Spiritist would have difficulty doing it alone.
“Perhaps this choice is the Spatialist's way of showing what he is capable of. As though he is saying, ‘I am this capable.’”
“.......”
“It is better to focus boldly on one side.”
[Time remaining until Gate collapse: 1 hour 55 minutes.]
First, I harvested the magic stones from the goblin corpses from the first wave, the ones I had killed beyond the transparent wall.
There was cash lying on the ground. I couldn't just leave it there and walk away.
After that, I went down the stairs the monsters had climbed. Underground was a passage with a structure similar to the one above.
The difference was that there were prison-like spaces on both sides.
‘So that was the metallic sound I heard right before each wave?’
There were ten prison cells in total, and the iron bars were still closed. But there were no monsters inside.
I knew without looking. I could check the area within twenty meters around me with my spatial sense.
Instead, only clumps of magic stones lay isolated on the ground. I could understand the Gate monsters disappearing when they died, but.......
Only the magic stones remained. Had the Gate killed the monsters itself? Leaving only the magic stones behind?
‘That really is cash lying on the ground.’
Earlier, I had dissected the monster corpses myself, but now only the magic stones were lying there.
The problem was that the closed iron bars blocked the way.
Should I open an entrance to Subspace between the bars like before and go in? Just as I was considering it.
An ingenious thought came to mind.
‘I can open two doors to Subspace, can't I?’
Earlier, I had thought, Didn't I need only one entrance to enter Subspace? I had been wrong.
This changed depending on how I used it.
For example, what if I could use the doors as an entrance and an exit? Like opening a portal in a game.
With the original Subspace, if I opened an entrance and went in, then no matter where inside I opened a door, I came out where I had first entered.
‘If I can separate the entrance and exit, that changes everything.’
First, I created an entrance to Subspace directly in front of me. Now I only needed to make another door inside the iron bars.
Whew. I took a deep breath and moved my mana. And.......
HUM—
“It worked!”
A path had been created that allowed me to travel between the inside and outside of the iron bars by way of Subspace.
I could instinctively tell that the distance at which I could create doors was twenty meters, the range of my spatial sense.
When I entered Subspace, another door had formed a few meters away.
It was where I could see the inside of the iron bars. Even though my spatial sense was excellent, the scenery visible to my eyes was a little confusing.
‘Wait.’
What if I could create the two doors within Subspace right next to each other?
I would be able to teleport nearly twenty meters in an instant.
There were other ways to use it, too.
For example, I could thrust my sword from where I stood and attack a distant enemy from behind, or reflect an opponent's magic through Subspace.
‘There was a reason my spatial sense improved and I could make one more entrance.’
If I practiced at the training center and could reflect a baseball flying at over 250 km/h through Subspace.......
That would mean I could do the same with most magic.
At that point, the speed of opening an entrance to Subspace would be vital. Well, it seemed better to practice those techniques at the training center rather than here.
After gathering the magic stones, I moved forward again.
“Huh?”
After walking a little farther down the passage, I found a circular chamber. There was something like an altar, but there was no other path inside.
Since I had not encountered any branches on the way here, it meant this was the end.
‘They call it the Dead End of the Labyrinth, but rather than a labyrinth, doesn't it feel like they took only a section of a labyrinth?’
Having been inside other Labyrinth Gates, I could feel it even more keenly. There had not even been a place where a branch might appear.
In any case, a necklace with a round silver pendant lay on the altar.
[Necklace of Protection(C-Grade)]
If the wearer faces an emergency, a Shield(B-Grade) is automatically generated once.
One day is required to recharge the Shield.
“Wow, this is insane.”
The moment I saw it, an exclamation of admiration escaped me. The Necklace of Protection—‘NoP’ for short—was an item so famous that it was impossible not to know about it.
It was an item every Hunter wanted, whether they were on the front line or in the rear.
It could not be otherwise. The very fact that it defended me against a danger I had not even noticed was absurdly overpowered.
It could be used only once a day, but it was a B-Grade Shield. Its value had to be at least several billion won, didn't it?
‘I have never heard of a Necklace of Protection appearing in a low-level Gate.’
To begin with, it was already absurd for a C-Grade item to appear in a Level 6~10 Gate.
At best, E-Grade items appeared here.
I had likely received such an exceptional reward because I had reached a place that could not be reached by ordinary means.
I immediately put it around my neck.
Of course, I had no plans to sell it. Even if I was strong for my level, I never knew what might happen or when.
.
.
.
[Gate ‘Dead End of the Labyrinth’ subjugation complete.]
[You gain experience.]
[Your level has risen.]
There was nothing else to see, so I left the Gate. I regretted that it was not a real labyrinth; otherwise, I would have wandered around everywhere.
With my spatial sense improved, it would be easier to find hidden spaces as well.
With the reward, I gained one more level and became Level 9.
Three levels from a single Gate. I had spoken of it as though it were someone else's story, but my growth was insanely fast.
There were no other rewards, but having Subspace level up and obtaining the Necklace of Protection were already more than enough.
When I emerged from the Gate, my head felt slightly dizzy.
Unlike the monotonous labyrinth, the space outside gave me too much information.
“Oh! Assistant Manager? The Gate......”
“It's disappearing! You didn't escape. You really subjugated it?”
The Association staff managing the Gate rushed toward me in shock.
Their faces had been filled with worry even when they gave me the Gate Escape Scroll. It seemed they had not expected me to actually clear it.
“A-Are you all right?”
The staff moved about busily. One of them was holding a phone and hurriedly retreating. Were they reporting to the Association?
“Ah, yes. I am fine.”
“How on earth did you...... No, you have worked hard.”
“No, I had an easy time.”
“What?”
“I am not injured, and my stamina is fine. Shall I write the report before I go?”
Normally, after subjugating a Gate, you had to write a report. Immediately if you were all right; later if you were not. It was for yourself and other Hunters.
By collecting and sharing information on Gates, you could obtain information about Gates with similar names.
“W-Would you?”
I told them what had happened inside the Gate. Monsters had appeared at set intervals, and I had dealt with them.
Of course, I did not tell them the truth. I could not tell them about the Windflow Sword.
“I fought while resting in Subspace, so my stamina is fine. I did not get injured, either.”
“What? You fought while resting in Subspace?”
“I can enter my Subspace.”
I opened the entrance to Subspace, went inside, and demonstrated by pretending to thrust a sword.
“They cannot attack it from outside. That means I am the only one who can attack.”
From the experiments with Uncle Choi Cheolgi, I knew that weapons could enter, but bodies could not. It was not completely invincible.
It was similar to the transparent wall of the labyrinth.
The fire emitted by a torch could enter, and so could mana. Judging by that, things like magic could probably enter as well.
“What in the world, you can go inside that thing.......?”
“That is why I entered the Survival Gate alone. I can make it smaller, too, so if I am alone, I can clear it for certain.”
“What?”
I entered Subspace and made the entrance the size of a fist. The staff member's eyes widened as though they would pop out.
“This...... can remain active?”
“When I close the door to Subspace, my mana recovers. If I bring food and water, could I not survive even a Survival Gate that lasts several days?”
I had shown them that on purpose.
I had entered Subspace at the Workshop as well, but it seemed the Association had not known about it.
I judged that this would all greatly increase my value.
Level-Limited Survival Gates were a problem throughout the world.
Australia had been destroyed because of a high-grade Level-Limited Survival Gate.
“Mr. Han Hye. Please wait a moment.”
The staff member who had gone to make a call earlier asked for permission, then took the phone and disappeared to the back again.
It seemed they were going to report to the Association immediately as well.
“There is one thing I am curious about.”
“Ah! Yes. Please go ahead.”
“Could I apply to become an E-Grade Hunter based on this alone?”
Normally, to become an E-Grade Hunter, you had to subjugate at least three Gates with recommended levels of 6~10 and apply to the Association.
“Perhaps because I went in alone, I am already Level 9. I will probably be above Level 10 after the next Gate.”
But following the entire procedure would take time and be inefficient.
Only E-Grade Hunters could enter Gates above Level 11, so it was better to apply in advance if possible.
“Of course. Even if we brought a Hunter who had just become D-Grade, if we told them to enter ‘Dead End of the Labyrinth’ alone, they would have said no.”
The staff member looked at me as though I were incredible.
“Shall I submit an application for E-Grade status right away?”
I had worried that they might say it was not allowed in principle, but fortunately, they were flexible. I would receive a call in a few days.
Starting from E-Grade, contracts could be made, so my home country would receive priority in negotiations before I met with other countries.
“I will pass your request along. You will rest today, so I will arrange for you to be contacted tomorrow.”
“What? Does that not usually take several days?”
Even when the Hunter I had accompanied as a porter applied for E-Grade status, it had taken a week just for offers to come in.
“Haha, we need to handle things quickly since you are Mr. Han Hye. If you want, we can do it today.”
It seemed they were paying a great deal of attention to me.
And at lunchtime the next day.
I met the Association President's secretary near my home.