Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 148

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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148. Trial Gate
I couldn’t help but be flustered by what Seo-ung said. A Trial Gate wouldn’t announce itself before appearing, but… weren’t we currently in the United States?
From what I heard, it appeared when I started wielding Blaze, and the news was only just beginning to spread.
[Trial of Stamina]
-Level Restriction: 30~45
-Participant Limit: 5 people
The Trial Gate that Seo-ung explained was as follows. The name itself was similar to the previous ‘Trial of Mana’.
The difference was that the number of participants had decreased, and we were at the upper end of the level restriction.
‘During the Trial of Mana, our guild had the lowest level.’
It meant our growth was faster than the Trial Gate’s level progression. Or perhaps that nameless god was playing tricks.
I asked, but Chun-bae said he couldn’t determine it immediately either.
“Just confirmed—fortunately, a Trial Gate has also appeared in Korea.”
It hadn’t appeared in every country last time either. In a way, we were fortunate.
Still, I couldn’t help but think of that god. But why did the gate have to appear when I wasn’t around?
“As you can see, since this gate has a five-person limit, we’re planning to request cooperation from the Dragon Guild.”
“Of course we should. The rewards were excellent last time too.”
Objectively speaking, we were the world’s number one guild at our current level range.
It was natural for the Hunter Association to ask for our opinion. We had no reason to refuse either.
The problem was that the Trial Gate appeared while we were in the United States. We couldn’t enter a gate that was in the United States.
Even if we went to the airport right now, it would take over 15 hours just to get to Korea.
“But won’t that take quite a while? Is that acceptable?”
Seo-ung nodded.
“It’s a decision made by the Hunter Association. We considered preparing a backup plan due to the time required, but ultimately concluded that the Dragon Guild would be better regardless.”
Trial Gates aren’t easy. During the Trial of Mana, if it weren’t for me and Mister, a catastrophe would have nearly occurred.
Unlike other countries who only heard our reports, Korea possessed all the detailed information.
“We decided to eliminate the possibility of unnecessary casualties. Based on the precedent from last time, there’s no guarantee that another country will successfully clear it just because they enter first.”
The Hunter Association’s choice was entirely understandable. Even Liu Zhen had failed at the previous Trial of Mana Gate.
It seemed they judged it better to send us, even if it took longer, rather than risk needless deaths. In reality, there was no guarantee another country would succeed in clearing it either.
“We’ll prepare as quickly as possible.”
“Yes. We’ll pack our things too.”
I quickly contacted the guild members. Since it was our last day, I told them to rest if they wanted to.
“Huh? I was resting.”
“Me too.”
“What’s going on?”
Fortunately, no one had gone out. Only Han Chul was talking with a Liberty Knights guild member in the hotel lounge.
“Ugh, this is a big deal.”
“Isn’t it 15 hours just to get there?”
“It’ll take even longer when you factor in travel time to the airport.”
While packing quickly, I could hear updates about other countries through the Hunter Association.
“China’s already finished preparing. Liu Zhen’s team is on the move.”
“The United States is the same. The assembled Hunters have boarded their planes.”
Perhaps because we’d seen what happened last time.
All the nations called Hunter superpowers were busily preparing for the Trial Gate.
“Russia is falling behind, but it seems they’re considering a backup plan since the Hunters capable of entering have already gone through the Gate.”
“Tch. Should we have skipped the auction?”
Mister scratched his head as we moved, but I shook mine.
“No. We got Flaming Wings. It’ll take time, but the Red Dragon Heart is better than Trial rewards anyway.”
If I had to choose one by rewinding time, I would’ve participated in the auction even if we couldn’t enter the Trial Gate.
“True.”
“The best outcome would be if other nations fail their subjugation attempts and we secure both.”
With that, we quickly headed to the Airport and boarded a flight to Korea.
“Stay calm. There’s nothing we can change anyway.”
For now, all I could do was hope other nations would subjugate it slower than us.
If they were even slightly delayed, they’d either be bounced out like what happened in China last time, or couldn’t enter at all.
The Trial Gate was now beyond our control.
Or so I thought.
Until I heard the new information on the plane.
* * *
[Trial of Mana Gate requires a minimum of five teams to subjugate?]
New information arrived during our journey. China moved first.
Liu Zhen’s team happened to be preparing to enter the Gate, so they could move immediately.
However, they couldn’t enter the Gate. They attempted entry with five people to match the personnel limit, but were blocked.
There was one reason.
[To enter, a minimum of five ‘Trial of Mana’ Gates must be activated.]
The moment they tried to enter, the Gate shone with blue light and a message appeared.
The restriction of five Gate activations was a condition never seen before, so all sorts of speculation ran rampant.
[What’s this Gate activation thing?]
-Isn’t it just that only the first 5 teams can enter the Gate?
-Or maybe 5 different teams are paired with each Gate and operate separately
-Then it’d be better to go with allied nations?
-I don’t know. Then there’d be no reason for the five-person limit. Isn’t it competition?
-Are Hunters killing each other inside the Gate?
-Who knows? Maybe they fight over a single reward or something.
While speculation ran rampant both online and within the Hunter Association, I didn’t need to worry about this.
Chun-bae, who was essentially a magical AI, was right beside me.
‘What’s going on? Do Hunters actually fight each other inside?’
-Awakened individuals can engage in combat within, but the Gate’s purpose isn’t slaughter. Gates fundamentally don’t direct attacks between Awakened individuals.
‘Then are they competing over rewards?’
-It’s not 100% certain. They could cooperate or it could be something entirely different. But most likely, they’ll compete over rewards.
In other words, this Gate wasn’t designed to make Awakened individuals fight each other.
Of course, the ability to fight inside meant….
It wasn’t the Gate’s primary objective, but it suggested that bloodshed could occur during the competition.
‘The previous iterations must have had quite a few problems, then?’
-Affirmative. The atmosphere was not as peaceful as it is now. Nations that had conflicts before the Gate incident engaged in combat inside.
Medieval fantasy era. The animosity must have been tremendous. Thinking about it that way, Earth is relatively peaceful by comparison.
Of course, even on Earth, I can’t predict what might happen inside the Gate.
‘So, five of those bundle together to open the Gate?’
-Negative. Because competitive elements are involved, five separate Gates are necessary.
‘What if we enter late?’
-You would enter slightly later than others within the same Gate.
Well, that wasn’t bad at all. I could consider it sufficient time gained. There wouldn’t be much point in rushing in immediately.
There was speculation that Hunters might have to fight each other inside the Gate, so entering hastily would be difficult.
In fact, China had shown a cautious stance since the incident.
However, it didn’t take as long as expected.
[China: ‘We will enter the Trial Gate. We hope five nations gather quickly.’]
[Russia: ‘We are prepared.’]
[United States on hold. Saudi Arabia, France, India participating?]
A movement to enter the Trial Gate immediately, centered around China and Russia, was detected.
“What, why are those people doing that?”
“Nothing’s even been confirmed yet, is it?”
My guild members who knew about the Trial Gate from me were quite bewildered as well.
Not knowing what the interior was like and simply rushing in made no sense whatsoever.
For instance, if the speculation was correct and Hunters had to fight each other inside, couldn’t they lose their nation’s best Hunters?
However, Seo-ung offered several theories about the reason.
“Probably because they don’t want to compete against the Dragon Guild members.”
“Us?”
“Currently, no matter what anyone says, the Dragon Guild is the strongest. Unfortunately, we’re bound to the sky right now.”
I was puzzled at first, but soon understood the reasoning.
“After all, that Gate will eventually need to be cleared. Even if we draw swords against each other.”
In other words, they intended to preempt the Gate’s conquest by seizing the opportunity while we were absent, whether it was a competition or not.
Even in a competition, it would be difficult to defeat us, and if it wasn’t a competition, entering first would be advantageous.
“Now that I think about it, that makes sense.”
“Yes. After all, those entering will be provided with an escape Secretary, so if things get truly urgent, they can just leave. If it seems manageable, they can clear the Gate right away.”
“In other words, they’re going to run wild while the tiger is away.”
What the Mister said accurately summarized the current situation.
[China in contact with Russia, France, and others]
Perhaps because China had suffered humiliation twice in a row recently, they were the most aggressive.
Despite nations that normally didn’t get along, some kind of agreement seemed to have been reached.
Not long after, China, Russia, France, India, and Saudi Arabia entered the Gate.
“I suspect they don’t plan to cooperate with each other inside the Gate anyway.”
As long as we enter, that’s all that matters. That’s what we were trying to achieve with our Dragon Guild hovering in the sky.
[Trial of Stamina Gate – Five Nations Enter!]
And it unfolded exactly as Chun-bae had predicted.
[United States Follows – Gate Entry]
[After the First 5 Gates Activate – Free Entry Permitted!]
Led by the United States, several other nations entered the Gate as well.
All of this happened about six hours after we took flight.
“We still have about ten hours before we can enter the Gate.”
“Right. We need to account for the airport arrival and travel time.”
“Still, we’ve gained about six hours since it’s a new Gate.”
A slight anxiety was only natural. Since the Gate offered substantial rewards, if someone claimed them first, it would be a loss for us.
“Trial of Stamina. I really hope this one takes a while.”
One thing that gave me hope was the Gate’s name itself—Trial of Stamina. Well, it was just wishful thinking, but still.
In the Trial of Mana, the enemy wielded infinite mana.
By the same logic, if the enemies here possessed infinite stamina, wouldn’t the conquest take considerable time?
Even if it were testing the Hunters’ stamina instead, it wouldn’t end quickly.
[What’s happening with the Trial of Stamina Gate? Any news?]
No news at all.
-Only people going in, nobody coming out
-They’re not all dead, right?
All the gates are closed.
-There’s an Escape Secretary, so at least one person should’ve come out? Doesn’t seem like there’s immediate danger though
-What kind of Gate is this anyway? Like ‘run for a month straight’ or something?
-No way
Since I planned to enter the Gate immediately upon arrival, I slept soundly on the plane.
But so far, I’d heard neither news of the Gate’s conquest nor of any failure.
“It seems like things are going our way, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to be ending easily.”
After the long flight, we arrived in Korea. We immediately boarded a helicopter from the airport and headed toward Gwanggyo.
[Dragon Guild Arrives in Korea! Challenging the Trial of Stamina Gate!]
As the most anticipated guild entered last, foreign journalists had gathered at the Gate alongside Korean media.
There was no time for the usual fan service.
The Hunter Association and our Guild had prepared all necessary equipment during our flight, so preparation didn’t take long.
We quickly organized our Subspace and stood before the Gate.
“Let’s go.”
Though we were starting considerably later than other Hunters, it was our turn to enter the Trial of Stamina Gate.

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