Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 106

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

106. Wolves’ Gorge (2)
“You’re going after that one from earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
He was referring to the werewolf that had howled upon seeing the full moon the moment we entered the Gate.
That creature was likely the strongest monster on this mountain. My plan was to pursue it first.
“And I have a feeling there might be something on that cliff where the moon is visible.”
It was a location you were forced to look at initially. If something was hidden, wouldn’t it be on that cliff?
Min-jae nodded as if he understood something.
“Oh, I see. You’re amazing as always.”
“…What do you mean?”
“You’ve found so many hidden dungeons that you can sense them just by looking now. A hidden dungeon specialist?”
“It’s just intuition.”
“Your intuition is usually right, though.”
I’d never seen such a fanatic before. Ever since I mentioned the secret magic technique, he’d been treating me like some sort of deity…
And it had gotten even worse since I’d given him the secret technique recently.
“Min-jae. Even I can’t find hidden dungeons in every single Gate.”
In reality, there were many Gates where I hadn’t discovered hidden dungeons. Despite having spatial awareness, no less. I’d simply found them in more places than most.
The claim that every Gate contains a hidden dungeon was just that—a claim. I believed some Gates simply didn’t have them.
“Still, I think you’ll find it.”
But Min-jae continued speaking with blind faith.
“…”
I looked around for someone who could help, but the old man seemed focused on adjusting his spear.
My eyes met with Lee Shin-hee, the only sane one here, and she smiled faintly.
“This is ‘hidden dungeon addiction’ severe enough to require treatment.”
“Right? You think so too, don’t you, Shin-hee?”
“Hmph. That’s ridiculous. You’re the one who made me addicted to hidden dungeons.”
Min-jae protested, but I simply ignored him. Still, I was grateful there was at least one sane person on the team.
The old man and Min-jae treated me as one of them, but that wasn’t going to happen. Things might improve once Kim Han-chul arrives…
-Ahhhhhhh!
The moment I thought that, I pictured Kim Han-chul screaming.
Well, whatever.
Things would work out somehow.
In any case, as we climbed the mountain, I didn’t spray any deodorant or masking agents. The situation was different from the old days.
We weren’t avoiding monsters—we needed to encounter them.
-Awoooo!
It didn’t take long before we came face to face with a monster. I heard wolf howls nearby.
But it was slightly different from the howl from before.
“They’re coming.”
Then, in the distance, I heard the rustling of undergrowth.
“Eleven o’clock direction!”
Mister turned his spear to the eleven o’clock direction following my instruction. Yong-yong remained unsaddled.
The purpose was to train his spear techniques.
Mister’s spear arts included techniques performed on horseback, but there were also those wielded directly on the ground. It seemed he wanted to try those techniques this time.
After all, he typically only used Flying Dragon Thrust, his primary combat skill.
“Hm?”
At forty meters, the moment enemies registered in my spatial awareness, I couldn’t help but hesitate slightly.
“What is it?”
“They’re wolves, not werewolves?”
“Wolves?”
“They don’t seem to be ordinary wolves. Isn’t that a bit disappointing?”
I still didn’t know how many monsters inhabited this hunting-type Gate.
We had entered this Gate to conduct real combat training.
Naturally, fighting werewolves was preferable to facing merely stronger wolves.
If there were only exactly fifty, we’d have no choice, but if there were more, it was better to be selective about which battles we engaged.
“True enough. What should we do?”
“They’re coming!”
While I knew through my spatial awareness, Min-jae, who had confirmed them visually, raised his staff and shouted.
Eleven o’clock direction. Four massive wolves were charging toward us.
“Yong-yong!”
At that moment, Mister placed his hand on Yong-yong’s body.
“Drive them away!”
And Yong-yong let out a cry.
-KRAAAAWWW!
The instant Yong-yong’s roar echoed, the charging wolves startled violently, their bodies twisting left and right.
With their fur standing on end, they increased their distance, appearing somewhat frightened.
“Oh?”
Mister himself seemed surprised, as if he hadn’t truly expected it to work.
“Once more! Drive them away!”
-KRAAAAWWW!
As Yong-yong cried out again, the wolves yelped and began fleeing backward.
It reminded me of when the Nol had fled long ago.
Well, it wasn’t particularly strange. While this was a level 31-35 Gate, the core threats here were the werewolves.
Those wolves felt more like common mobs.
“Wow, this actually works?”
“The Nol drove them away before too, remember?”
“It’s been a while since then. Han Hye, give me some meat. For Yong-yong.”
Mister, successful in repelling the wolves, grinned and stroked Yong-yong’s head.
Yong-yong, munching on the meat I provided, snorted contentedly.
-Krr!
“What a precious thing.”
Lee Shin-hee, who stood behind me, tilted her head in confusion.
“But if there are only fifty monsters in this place… wouldn’t we have to search the mountain for those wolves?”
“…Huh? Does it work that way?”
At her words, Mister’s expression stiffened slightly. Hunting wolves fleeing across the mountain would be nothing short of tedious.
“Well, you’ll handle it, won’t you?”
“Y-yes! I’ll ride Yong-yong and catch them.”
“I’m joking. We can take our time. We’ll search leisurely while looking for hidden dungeons.”
“True, there’s no time pressure.”
It was the moment Lee Shin-hee nodded at my words.
-Awooooo!
A different wolf’s howl echoed through the air.
“That sounds like… a werewolf, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. It seems to have been drawn by Yong-yong’s cry.”
Hearing a howl that drove wolves away, I suspected a nearby werewolf had arrived.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves. If they’re awakened ones, Mister and I will handle them. For the unawakened ones, we’ll leave one for Lee Shin-hee to face.”
Of course, I had no concerns whatsoever. Gates with werewolves were notoriously difficult and avoided by ordinary hunters…
But considering our guild’s level, they were roughly equivalent to a casual stroll.
* * *
“Phew, that’s enough for me!”
And indeed it was.
All the werewolves that appeared were unawakened, and there were seven of them. They charged forward immediately, and two fell quickly after being hit by Min-jae’s magic.
Mister and I split the remaining five between us—two for him and three for me. Since I surpassed him in both stats and swordsmanship, it wasn’t particularly difficult.
I’d recently fought the Flame Knight, so unawakened werewolves were nothing.
“Kgaack!”
First, I dispatched two of them in a single strike by combining Footwork Mastery with Crescia Swordsmanship.
Then I simply defended and bought time. To give Mister a chance to use his spear techniques.
After quickly finishing one with Bi-ryong Slash, Mister handled the rest using only spear techniques.
Now it was Lee Shin-hee’s turn. I looked toward the back and asked.
“Are you ready, Lee Shin-hee?”
“Yes.”
“Mister and Min-jae, please handle any additional forces that arrive.”
“Got it.”
“Yes!”
It was too dangerous to leave Lee Shin-hee alone, so I decided to watch and fight simultaneously.
I naturally handed the werewolf over to Lee Shin-hee, who held her sword and shield.
-Awoooo!
The werewolf that had been facing me let out a short cry upon encountering Lee Shin-hee. Had it become angry?
I paid even closer attention, ready to help at any moment. This was practical combat training for Lee Shin-hee, but an A-Rank Healer getting injured was absolutely unacceptable.
“Kugh!”
Lee Shin-hee was pushed back by the werewolf’s fierce assault. Well, in a sense, it was only natural.
Even though Lee Shin-hee was a level 35 A-Rank Healer, she wasn’t a combat specialist.
Until now, even with auxiliary means, she’d only managed to block with a shield and counterattack with a mace.
She’d trained through sparring, but it was difficult to gain an advantage against a werewolf in a Gate at her appropriate level range.
“Would you like me to help?”
“Just a bit longer…!”
Lee Shin-hee clenched her teeth and shouted. The attacks were too fierce for her to finish speaking, but her meaning was clear—she wanted to try.
So I left her to it. There was a way to handle it anyway.
Unlike others, I could defend immediately through Leap, so I had options.
And it wasn’t long before the moment came when I needed to move.
“Ugh!”
Lee Shin-hee barely held the shield firm, but she staggered backward and lost her footing.
The werewolf’s sharp claws aimed straight for Lee Shin-hee.
Thwack.
I immediately used Leap and deflected the creature’s claws away.
“Can you keep going? Should I finish it?”
“Just one more time.”
“Then just some light wounds?”
“That would be appreciated.”
I attacked the werewolf’s thigh and forearm using the swift Crescent Sword Technique. Deliberately holding back.
Since I was wielding a silver blade, it would interfere with the creature’s regeneration—this should balance things out nicely.
Lee Shin-hee, having regained her stance, faced the werewolf again. The wounds seemed to help; she handled it better than before.
Unlike earlier when she’d focused purely on defense, she could now swing her blade bit by bit and employ sword techniques.
“I’m at my limit!”
But ultimately, she couldn’t overcome it. At her words, I rushed in and finished the werewolf.
“Phew.”
“How was that?”
“Real combat is definitely tough. Even sparring with Han Hye felt intense, but…”
“Well, they have killing intent. Werewolves are naturally fierce anyway. Still, you did well.”
“No, I didn’t do it properly.”
Lee Shin-hee shook her head, but Chul-gi interjected.
“Come on, that was plenty good.”
“Right. You held your own against a werewolf with Sword Techniques at level 1. Besides, your goal isn’t to defeat them anyway, is it?”
“Oh, that’s true.”
Lee Shin-hee nodded in agreement. After all, her learning sword techniques as a healer was for self-defense.
Enduring in crisis situations. By that measure, the recent battle was certainly excellent.
“If you can hold your own against a werewolf, you’re probably fine against most things.”
“Thank you. I was able to try because of you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I retrieved water and simple provisions from the Subspace and distributed them to the group.
“Shin-hee, you’re exhausted. Let’s rest a bit before we continue.”
* * *
After that, we climbed the Mountain as Yong-yong chased down the approaching werewolves and subdued them.
As time passed, Awakened werewolves began to emerge. Mister and I handled them. It wasn’t difficult.
As Lee Shin-hee’s stamina recovered, we engaged in one more battle against an Unawakened werewolf.
Of course, we had already wounded it beforehand.
“I leveled up!”
“Oh, already?”
During the process, Lee Shin-hee’s Sword Technique level increased by one. For a healer, it was quite an impressive achievement.
Even Lee Shin-hee, who rarely expressed her emotions, was visibly delighted.
Just as we finished combat and were about to move again, Mister furrowed his brow and checked the count.
-Hunt 29 more
monsters.
Please do.
“Twenty-nine left. I’ll need to keep track of this.”
“We need to remember carefully.”
Right. This Gate ends once we defeat fifty monsters. We had to calculate the count precisely.
Finding the hidden content was one thing, but we also needed to locate the boss monster inside the Gate.
In hunting-type Gates, if we weren’t careful, we could miss monsters that offered better rewards.
Finding the large werewolf we’d seen at first was crucial.
“There were definitely more than fifty in total.”
Chun-bae in particular was even counting the wolves that Yong-yong had chased away.
Considering the werewolves and the boss monster, that number would be substantial.
“So wolves count as monsters too… This is a Gate where you can selectively adjust the difficulty?”
“Exactly.”
If we hunted the wolves, we could leave quickly, but if we didn’t, the difficulty would increase.
That’s why Gates of this type are evaluated as having selectively adjustable difficulty.
“Then there’s probably something hidden here.”
“We should search for it. We have plenty of time.”
“Right. We can just hunt the Awakened ones. Using my spear against them feels good.”
That’s when the message appeared.
[A crimson moon will rise in thirty minutes.]
[When the crimson moon rises, all wolves in Wolves’ Gorge will become ferocious.]

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————