Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 149

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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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149. Stamina Trial Gate (1)
There were countless theories about the Stamina Trial Gate. It couldn’t be helped—the only precedent we had was the Trial of Mana that we’d conquered.
Before entering, many speculated, as I had, that enemies with stamina approaching infinity might appear.
The next theory was that this place tested the limits of human stamina itself.
For instance, running mindlessly for hours, or holding something heavy like Atlas for extended periods.
‘Or perhaps defending against an endless tide of enemies like the Mercury War Gate.’
Even with Chun-bae, who had experienced two invasions already, I couldn’t say for certain.
Chun-bae had said all those theories could potentially be correct.
Still, the current atmosphere suggested one thing was becoming clear: there were no overwhelmingly powerful enemies inside the gate.
Ten hours had already passed since the hunters entered, yet no news had emerged.
[What on earth is happening that we’re hearing nothing?]
No hunter had used an escape skill, and the gate hadn’t reopened anywhere.
-At this rate, doesn’t it mean enemies with infinite stamina are appearing? Just not strong ones.
-Maybe we need something like what the Space Mage did—to eliminate the infinite stamina somehow?
-That makes sense. If it were like the Mercury War Gate, at least one person would’ve come out by now.
-Who knows. The Mercury War Gate has weak intensity too, but enemies could keep rushing in at regular intervals.
-They’re not actually running for ten straight hours, are they?
-But if that’s the case, even non-powerhouse hunter nations could manage it, right? It’s just overcoming stamina with willpower lol
-lol talk sense
It was a joke circulating on Hunter Net, but it actually turned out that way.
Nations that had been cautious at first decided the trial seemed manageable and entered the gate.
‘The strategy changed too.’
With no news forthcoming, nations entering later shifted their focus from team composition to different criteria.
Since it was the Stamina Trial, they deployed only hunters within the gate’s level-restricted zone who had the highest stamina stats.
I heard Japan sent in four vanguards. Though they still added one healer just in case.
Even that healer was chosen to be the one with the highest stamina among healers in that level bracket.
‘In a way, they’re targeting a market gap.’
Even if another team was more skilled overall, Japan would have the advantage in pure stamina stats.
Once Japan made that choice, other nations followed suit.
In that situation, we were clearly latecomers. Honestly, my expectations weren’t high.
We couldn’t enter as quickly as last time, and we were already about ten hours behind.
‘Still, I have to try.’
Hope remained. Whether the enemies had near-infinite stamina or this tested our endurance… the Stamina Trial Gate would never be easy.
Thinking back to the Trial of Mana, other hunters were merely holding on—they could fail at any moment.
But I was different. Regardless of what lay inside, I was virtually invincible when it came to stamina.
If enemies had infinite stamina, I could counter with blazing mana burn.
‘Even if this was testing a hunter’s stamina…’
It didn’t matter to me. With my Subspace, I could rest infinitely.
Unlike other hunters, I could enter in near-perfect condition, and I had no concerns about provisions.
And so, when I entered the gate…
We had no choice but to be bewildered.
“What is this?”
“Huh?”
Completely unexpected sights unfolded before our eyes.
* * *
[Stamina Trial Gate]
-Reach the center of the Sea aboard the provided boat.
Upon entering the Gate, the first things I saw were a brilliant blue sky and an endless expanse of Sea.
We stood on a very small island—barely the size of three tennis courts placed side by side.
“Why is there a Sea here?”
“One thing’s certain—combat doesn’t seem to be the focus. This Gate genuinely appears designed to test a Hunter’s stamina.”
From the instruction to reach the Sea’s center by boat and the current situation, it was clear enough.
“If there were powerful monsters like a Kraken in the Sea, I would’ve used an escape Secretary long ago.”
“True.”
“Though there might be some minor monsters.”
I turned my gaze to the side. In the center of the small island sat a sleek wooden boat. It was sized for exactly five people.
Oars for rowing were prepared as well.
“Han Hye, something’s strange about the Sea.”
Lee Shin-hee, who had been surveying the surroundings, narrowed her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“There are no waves.”
Now that she mentioned it, it was true. Beneath the intense sunlight, the glimmering Sea showed no ripples whatsoever.
The uncanny feeling I’d sensed wasn’t from being inside a Gate—it was from the absence of waves.
“Isn’t that actually good? Fighting against waves would be exhausting.”
Min-jae offered his opinion, but I shook my head.
“We can’t be sure. There must be a reason why there are no waves in this Sea.”
I turned my head and surveyed all 360 degrees around the island.
“The problem is determining where the center of the Sea actually is.”
Regardless, we couldn’t set out without knowing our destination. Yet around the island, there was only the waveless Sea.
It was difficult to pinpoint anything specific.
“Wouldn’t it be where the sun is…?”
Lee Shin-hee trailed off. There was no sun visible in the sky.
Despite feeling intense sunlight and the surroundings being bright, there was nothing to see.
“Is this a trial where we advance endlessly without knowing our destination? And time’s running out too. Once someone reaches the center, we all get out.”
Mister furrowed his brow.
“That might be it. There are no clues to determine direction.”
Compasses are made based on Earth’s magnetic field, so they’re useless inside Gates.
Even if they worked, it would still be difficult to pinpoint where the center is.
“So that’s why Hunters don’t emerge from this one.”
“In a way, it could come down to pure luck.”
“Or perhaps we’ll discover clues while crossing the Sea.”
In such circumstances, even relatively weak Hunters could harbor hope. If they were fortunate enough to reach the center, they could obtain rewards.
Strong Hunters, on the other hand, would likely find it frustrating.
I opened a Subspace. The Sea stretched before my eyes—time to retrieve the motorboat. It was a simple matter of inflating the rubber boat and installing the motor.
Far better than rowing that wooden boat with oars. I wondered if any other Hunters had brought one.
‘Only a few carry motors around.’
It was something only we could do with a Subspace. Other Hunters who brought boats only carried rubber ones, leaving the motors behind.
Moreover, few Hunters would bring rubber boats to the Stamina Trial Gate. I found myself smiling inwardly.
-Han Hye, that won’t work.
Chun-bae advised me.
‘Huh? Surely not….’
-If the trial requires using the provided boat, no other vessel will function.
And indeed, the moment I placed the rubber boat on the Sea, it didn’t float—it sank.
“This won’t work.”
“It really is a Stamina Trial. We have to row.”
“There’s no choice. We’ll have to use that boat.”
While the Guild members conversed, I was racking my brain when Mister Han Chul rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.
“I’ll row.”
“Since there are two oars, Han Chul and I can take turns, and Hye, you can rest in the Subspace.”
Mister nodded in agreement. It was better for us to do it than the rear guard.
“We’re a bit late, but it’s not bad. It means those who entered first might have chosen the wrong direction.”
“Right. Like you said, there’s still hope.”
“It’s unfortunate we can’t use the motorboat—the conditions aren’t equal. Let’s go.”
I was thinking when I had to interject into Mister and Min-jae’s conversation.
“Equal conditions?”
“Huh? Aren’t we all just moving by boat? Is it because we arrived late?”
“No.”
I retrieved a rope from the Subspace.
“We have Yong-yong.”
“What?”
By tying the rope between the bow of the boat and Yong-yong, we could move far faster than everyone else.
As for Yong-yong’s stamina, we could simply have him rest in the Subspace whenever needed.
“The conditions aren’t equal. We can move faster than others.”
What situations might unfold ahead remained unknown. If clues were scattered throughout the Sea….
We might eventually have to race for speed against the Hunters who entered before us.
Whether then or when searching for clues, Yong-yong would be an invaluable asset to us.
“Let’s go for now. We should explore a bit and check if there are any clues first.”
* * *
“Yong-yong, is there any direction you want to go?”
Just in case, I asked Red Dragon Yong-yong, but he only shook his head as if he didn’t know either.
“Then let’s head in the direction the boat’s bow is pointing.”
It was the only clue worth pursuing. I figured there had to be something in the direction the initial boat was facing.
“Oh? That’s fast.”
With Han Chul and me rowing and Yong-yong guiding from above, the boat moved faster than expected.
As we went, I conversed with Chun-bae.
‘So there are other hunters here too?’
-Affirmative. Otherwise, there would be no need for the Gates to activate simultaneously.
‘You mean the Trial Gates. Last time it was Mana, this time it’s Stamina. Is this related to stats?’
It was a curious point. There could be trials related to Strength, Agility, or Spirit as well.
-Not necessarily. Trial Gates exist that are unrelated to stats, such as the Trial of Lightning or the Trial of the Sky.
‘So something like electrical resistance increases? What about the Trial of the Sky?’
-Rewards aren’t limited to stat or skill gains. You can also receive rare items or elixirs.
It was at that moment we were advancing. About five minutes had passed since we set out in the boat. Suddenly, the world darkened.
The scorching sunlight vanished.
“What?”
“It’s not an attack!”
I couldn’t see even an inch ahead. My guild members panicked. And simultaneously, I felt a strange sense of displacement.
As if the world were revolving around us.
And before even three seconds had passed, the world brightened again. And directly ahead, at the edge of my vision, I saw a Small Island.
It was nothing but bewildering.
“What is this?”
“Are we being teleported automatically? Randomly?”
“That didn’t feel like it.”
That’s when Lee Shin-hee spoke up.
“That island looks like where we came from.”
“Pardon?”
“Before the light went out, the island we left behind looked about that size from the back.”
What that meant was singular.
“Every time the light goes out, the direction changes randomly?”
I couldn’t help but be bewildered. We only knew because that island was visible.
“If we were in a place where no island was visible, we would have completely lost our sense of direction.”
If that were the case, it was a serious problem. Even if we tried to maintain our heading, it would be meaningless.
In the silence that followed, we found ourselves grappling with an unexpected predicament.
“The people who entered first probably didn’t gain much either.”
“Right. They might be drifting aimlessly like us, having lost their bearings. They’re just relying on luck and enduring.”
“So that’s why it’s the Stamina Trial.”
Rowing endlessly in a situation where even the destination is unknown.
Han Chul offered a different perspective.
“Perhaps ‘the center of the Sea’ is a metaphorical expression.”
“A metaphorical expression?”
“For instance, it depends on how hard we row. If we take a boat and travel several hundred kilometers, we might reach the center.”
It was certainly a reasonable point. And if that were true, we’d have an advantage with Yong-yong on our side.
“Then should we just try rowing?”
As he spoke, a nagging suspicion crept over me—the feeling that I was missing something crucial.
‘What is it? There was a clue just now, but I didn’t catch it?’
When the darkness fell, my spatial awareness hadn’t been significantly affected.
Perhaps, if I opened a Subspace the moment the darkness fell… I could maintain a consistent direction.
‘Wait. Subspace?’
It was instantaneous.
I realized what I’d been overlooking.
Hum—
The Godmon’s Compass I’d recovered from the Desert Ruins, the one that showed the way, was stored in my Subspace.
‘Seriously, what was I thinking?’
The Gate’s situation had been so unexpected that I’d panicked, and it had been so long that I simply hadn’t remembered it.
[Godmon’s Compass (Grade B)]
-A compass imbued with wondrous power that normally remains dormant but activates with a glow when conditions are met.
-Destroyed after 3 activations. (1/3)
As I pulled out the compass, my guild members’ eyes lit up.
“Oh? We had that?”
It was understandable that they’d forgotten. They’d never seen me use it since we obtained it.
The last time I’d used it, I’d done so alone within my Subspace.
“Oh!”
And then light began emanating from the compass. The Godmon’s Compass I’d forgotten about was activating here.
A laugh escaped me unbidden.
“Found it. The answer to this 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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