Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 144

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

144. Blade of Night (3)
“Screeeech!”
Yong-yong glided above the forest, unleashing breath attacks toward the Dark Elves, so the situation remained manageable.
The Dark Elves fired arrows and threw daggers, but none were sharp enough to pierce a dragon’s scales.
Moreover, Lee Shin-hee and Han Chul, now fully positioned, along with the American healers, deployed protective barriers and first guard spells.
It was, without question, a one-sided assault.
‘A few elves, driven to desperation, did attempt to strike our main force….’
These were hunters who’d made their mark in the United States, after all. They weren’t caught in traps or ambushes—their formation remained intact and disciplined.
With three frontline fighters from our guild standing firm, the Dark Elves had no chance of breaking through.
All of this was thanks to the ‘Yong-yong Strength’ strategy.
Twenty-one Dark Elves in total. I’d eliminated eight, and just sent one more to the afterlife, leaving twelve. And conveniently, we numbered twelve as well.
Excluding myself and the Dark Elf Leader, it was eleven versus eleven.
While Yong-yong unleashed relentless attacks, the battlefield had become entirely our domain.
‘I’m glad we rescued the prisoners first.’
It was a strategy I’d devised, but objectively speaking, it deserved praise. This was what you’d call a crack play.
Thanks to it, I could face the Elf Leader comfortably.
“Mister! Let me try some swordplay against this one!”
“Alright!”
I spoke deliberately loud, ensuring the main force behind us could hear. I didn’t want this situation interrupted.
Lee Shin-hee and Min-jae, who spoke some English, would relay the situation to the American Hunters.
Now, no one could interfere with my duel against my sparring partner.
With the situation cleanly arranged, I focused entirely on my sparring partner—no, the Dark Elf Leader.
“You!”
After witnessing his fallen brethren at the campsite, he charged with eyes blazing with fury, his blade strikes remarkably fierce.
I defended first using the Empire’s foundational swordsmanship, observing his technique.
Whether you’d call it dual-sword technique or two-sword style, it was a type I’d never faced before.
The two blades were distinctly different as well.
‘A single-handed sword in the right hand, a slightly shorter blade in the left.’
Longer than a dagger, but he held the shorter blade forward and the longer sword back.
After exchanging several blows, I began to understand its purpose.
Defend and attack with the left dagger, or attack with the right while the left hand sought openings.
The Dark Elf’s inherent agility, combined with the two-sword style, made his attacks devastatingly swift.
Clang!
Countering wasn’t particularly difficult. I’d trained extensively in the Empire’s foundational swordsmanship, which emphasized defense first, then counterattack.
Moreover, for counterattacks, I’d already mastered the swift Crescea swordsmanship.
Clang! Clang!
Rapid strikes born of fury. The metallic ring never ceased. Since this was my first encounter with this style, I couldn’t afford complete composure.
A level-restricted Gate.
Despite the traps and ambushes, it was a place where three teams from America’s top guild had failed. This one had proven his worth.
‘Damn. I can’t block this one….’
The Dark Elf Leader possessed an agility and fluidity unique to his kind, and there were moments when his blade thrust from angles I hadn’t anticipated.
Even with my spatial awareness, it was a difficult attack to evade when he wielded two weapons.
Whoosh—!
Still, it posed no serious threat.
I had multiple solutions at my disposal. I could use Leap, block with the Subspace, or employ Swiftness.
As I dodged using Swiftness, a realization dawned on me: some attacks shouldn’t be blocked at all—they should be avoided entirely. Or better yet, I should counterattack.
It was a game of chicken. Make him choose based on who would inflict the deeper wound.
‘Though I have the Subspace, giving me a one-sided advantage.’
But circumstances were different now. I didn’t need to rely on that advantage. I wanted to observe his swordplay more carefully while I had the leisure to do so.
Unlike the swordsmanship gatherings I would create in the future, this opponent would be impossible to meet again.
* * *
The surroundings had been cleared by then. Yong-yong had eliminated the Dark Elves with his breath attack.
Thanks to that, the other hunters were watching me and my sparring partner.
“Ooh?”
“That was a bit dangerous just now.”
“Pretty good though?”
It was English, but I could catch the exclamations and the word for danger. They all seemed impressed, watching us with interest.
Among them, only one person was grinding his teeth—naturally, my sparring partner.
“You! Damn—you—!”
He’d been furious from our first meeting, but as the Dark Elves kept falling, his anger became harder to contain.
Then he regained his composure and realized I was using him as a sparring partner, only employing Swiftness when I was in danger.
-End this! Stop toying with me!
When he said such things midway through, I even corrected him.
“I’m not toying with you—I’m learning swordplay.”
“You damn—bastard—!”
He erupted in extreme rage. My correction had clearly struck a nerve.
This mouth of his was truly troublesome.
‘Hmm. I should stay quiet.’
Worried my sparring partner might break, I closed my mouth and continued our exchange. Still, there was clear progress.
After all, enlightenment gained in real combat was paramount.
The more I parried his killing intent-laden strikes, the more familiar I became. With each exchange, my capacity to respond and my tactical awareness expanded.
While defending against a quick thrust, my skill level even increased.
[The skill ‘Imperial Basic Swordplay (Grade E)’ has leveled up.]
How long did we exchange blows like that?
“Uaaaagh!”
He suddenly charged at me with brute force and recklessness. My sparring partner had broken.
His rage threshold had been exceeded beyond a certain level, and he came at me with a mutual annihilation mentality.
Whooom—.
So I simply blocked him with the Subspace and finished it.
“Kugh!”
“Phew.”
I steadied my breathing and glanced around—everyone was watching me.
Some nodded in approval, while others wore peculiar expressions.
“….”
“….”
“…?”
They murmured amongst themselves, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
“What are they saying?”
Chun-bae translated for me.
-Ruthless. Absolutely ruthless.
-Dark Elves rarely lose their composure even when enraged, but this is something else.
-So this is how one breaks world records while growing stronger.
-They’re saying it’s impressive.
After hearing Chun-bae’s translation, Lee Shin-hee smiled and continued.
“They’re calling you impressive.”
The meaning wasn’t entirely different, but it felt like they’d only conveyed the positive parts. It seemed they were being considerate of my feelings.
Regardless, the American Hunters then approached one by one, shaking my hand and embracing me.
Patting my chest enthusiastically while saying “thank you, thank you,” I could tell they were genuinely grateful. They called me their savior.
I humbly downplayed it and smiled. With that, the rescue of everyone was confirmed.
.
.
.
“Wait, there’s really nothing here?”
“Given the difficulty, I expected something….”
“This Gate doesn’t add up economically.”
After searching the area around the Campsite, there was nothing worth taking. Their weapons were only D-rank at best.
Even after thoroughly searching the Campsite vicinity, there were no potions to be found.
Places like this existed occasionally—high difficulty but little worth collecting.
‘In other words, we just had bad luck.’
The only thing we obtained was a pouch full of gold coins from the Dark Elf Leader’s possession.
Naturally, it was ours to keep, but since my Subspace was already overflowing with such things, I felt little excitement about it.
[Gate ‘Blade of Night’ subjugation complete.]
[You have gained experience.]
[You have leveled up.]
Given the Gate’s difficulty and the number of Dark Elves defeated, gaining only one level felt underwhelming.
The reason was likely that since this was a chain Gate with many Hunters inside, the experience was distributed among them all.
“Oh, we leveled up too?”
It seemed everyone shared in the experience, which felt slightly unfair from our perspective since we’d done all the fighting.
A drawback of chain Gates, one might say.
Still, it wasn’t bad.
I’d earned 200 billion won, leveled up a sword skill, and saved talented hunters in the process—a triple victory.
.
.
.
When we emerged from the Gate, the first thing to greet us was a barrage of camera flashes. It reminded me of when we’d gone to China.
Our rescue operation had become the talk of the United States. Live broadcast cameras were everywhere.
“They’re coming out!”
“Everyone’s been rescued!”
As the American Hunters who’d been held captive followed us out of the Gate, cheers erupted from the crowd surrounding it.
“Dinosaur!”
“Dinosaur!”
Chants of our guild’s name echoed from all directions. American officials came forward to express their gratitude and praise for our efforts.
Even the Iron Hawk Guild Master, who had failed in the initial subjugation, came to shake my hand.
“Guild Master, your stock price just hit a new high again.”
Han Chul’s observation was spot on.
* * *
[Dragon Guild Successfully Rescues All American Hunters!]
[Former Liberty Knights Guardian Helps Save Former Comrades!]
[What Was the Space Mage’s Unconventional Choice Inside the Gate?]
[Dragon Descent Like an Airborne Unit! Shocked Both Enemies and Allies]
-The Dragon is insane
-King Dragon
-Isn’t that crazy? How do you even think of landing on the ground from a dragon?
┗ I would’ve thought of it too if I had spatial movement lol
┗ Nonsense
┗ What can’t you do with that mouth?
The rescue operation had become more of a sensation than expected. Our guild, currently riding the highest stock price, had helped America’s top guild—even if it was with three teams.
Since these were considered ultra-promising prospects even within the United States, public opinion was favorable both domestically and internationally.
Moreover, when we first entered the Gate, most people had doubted whether a full rescue would be possible. Dark Elves were known for using any means necessary in combat.
That’s why the Americans had designated priority rescue targets in the first place.
-A dragon roared from the sky and then a person fell down… At first, I thought I was seeing things wrong.
-I thought no one would come to help unless it was the Dragon Guild, but I wondered if they were crazy
The interviews from the rescued American Hunters contributed significantly to this. They described my descent in such an impressive way.
-It was definitely different. Dark Elf warning systems? We didn’t even know those existed.
The internal Gate report was also released, which only amplified things. A full rescue of the prisoners would have been nearly impossible through normal means.
Though it was a solution I’d thought of on the spot, my approach received high praise.
[Space Mage Han Hye—Not Just Powerful in Combat.]
As I’ve said many times before, I’m not unintelligent—I just hadn’t had the chance to learn. But I was naturally sharp.
Being recognized for that this time felt quite satisfying.
In any case, after handling everything, I’d also collected several Dark Elf warning devices from near the campsite.
I gave one to the United States and the rest to Korea.
‘They said they’re conducting research.’
In case similar devices appeared in the future, they were researching a way to detect equipment that humans couldn’t hear.
After that, I was taken directly to a luxury hotel in New York. It was while I was resting there for a moment.
“Han Hye.”
Seo-ung suddenly came to find me.
“The American side says the Gate compensation was too meager, and they want to show some sincerity.”
What he meant was that compared to what I’d done for them, they weren’t getting much in return, so they were offering items.
“It seems they probably prepared it from the beginning. The American side wanted to maintain a good relationship with you, after all.”
Regardless of the reason, I had no intention of refusing an item donation when we’d gained nothing from inside the Gate.
Regardless of their intentions, the American side’s proposal was quite appreciated.
“Oh?”
But the items the American side was providing weren’t just one.
“They’re giving them to all guild members?”

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