Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 150

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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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150. Trial of Stamina (2)
Godmon’s Compass.
Thanks to a B-rank compass I’d obtained quite some time ago, we managed to maintain our bearings within this Vast Sea.
It made an enormous difference.
Other hunters were wandering aimlessly without even knowing their destination, but we were different.
‘Isn’t this worth at least B-rank?’
During the last Trial of Mana, my mana had increased by 20. Ten of that came from destroying the mana core, but…
Even if stamina only increased by 10 in this Gate, a B-rank item would demonstrate value comparable to a decent A-rank or higher.
Initially, I’d considered riding Yong-yong directly to our destination. It would certainly be faster than traveling by boat.
However, that suggestion was immediately rejected.
-Since you were instructed to travel by the prepared boat, riding the Red Dragon won’t count as clearing the trial.
It was thanks to Chun-bae’s advice. Given that even a rubber boat wouldn’t inflate, it was a sufficiently reasonable point.
In the end, we had to travel by boat. Well, it wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Ahh, this is comfortable.”
“Indeed it is.”
With our direction set and Yong-yong pulling the boat, our guild advanced swiftly across the identical sea in all directions.
The lack of waves and absence of geographical features actually made it easier. We just had to go straight ahead.
“Still, we won’t reach it quickly, right? Since it’s the Trial of Stamina, it should be quite far, shouldn’t it?”
“We can’t know for sure. The Gate’s area is limited, but they could be wasting time by changing directions.”
It could be surprisingly quick. Even knowing the path, we might still be delayed. We’d only know once we reached the Center of the Sea.
Min-jae, the youngest in the guild, was quite worried.
“Still, other people won’t find it first, will they?”
“Hard to say. It won’t be that easy. This is a Trial of Stamina for the 30-45 level range. It’ll probably take at least a day or two.”
“True. They’ll probably discover it when they’re exhausted to the point of collapse. Most won’t even make it there.”
Even though we’d entered ten hours late, I felt no urgency. Trial Gates weren’t that simple.
Even using the compass and Yong-yong, if someone found it first, there was nothing we could do about it.
“If they find it first, we’ll just have to concede. How lucky would they have to be? They’d have to find it every time the direction changed.”
“That’s true enough.”
Min-jae nodded at my words. During our journey, I was able to confirm several other facts.
Lee Shin-hee kept track of the time for us.
“It seems to darken at roughly 30-minute intervals.”
Every 30 minutes, the world darkened and our direction shifted randomly. The change that occurred after just 5 minutes initially was simply poor timing.
Or was the timing not poor? If I’d made a mistake, I wouldn’t have even noticed the direction had changed.
And there were no monsters. Since hunters weren’t appearing, I assumed there were no strong monsters, but there weren’t even minor ones.
It truly lived up to its name as a Trial of Stamina Gate.
“By the way…”
Mister suddenly expressed a doubt.
“What if this compass isn’t pointing toward the Center of the Sea?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, it could be guiding us to a hidden objective within this Gate.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Now that I thought about it, that was true. I’d assumed the compass simply pointed toward the Center of the Sea, but it could just as easily be directing us to a Hidden dungeon.
Back then, Chun-bae had said it revealed the path when there were no answers, but that didn’t guarantee it would lead to the Gate’s exit.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter much. I’ll guide you to the Hidden dungeon.”
During the Trial of Mana, I suspected the Hidden dungeon involved destroying that mana core. Just from that alone, I’d gained 10 mana—the same reward as clearing the Gate.
That was substantial compensation. And if this was a Trial Gate, the Hidden dungeon would be worth even more.
“The compass has two uses left. Finding one Hidden dungeon and then the Center of the Sea would work perfectly. Though there’s no guarantee we’ll find the Sea.”
“So discovering a Hidden dungeon is always beneficial?”
“Exactly. Going straight to the Center of the Sea is fine too.”
Chun-bae had mentioned that when hunters from different Gates converged in the same space, the reward system differed from last time.
Back then, all participating hunters’ mana had increased by 10. This time, it was different.
Only the team that reached the Center of the Sea first would receive the subjugation reward.
Hidden dungeon or subjugation reward.
Either way, it was a win. Arriving late posed no problem whatsoever.
“With Yong-yong and the compass, you can just follow along comfortably.”
* * *
Perhaps because we’d been flying for so long, Yong-yong looked slightly fatigued, so I had her rest in the Subspace.
We took a brief break ourselves. Even with Yong-yong around, we still had to row.
“Let’s eat something while we rest. Tell me what you’d like.”
“I’ll take a zero cola.”
“Brother, I’ll have aloe juice, please! Thank you!”
“Guild Master, I’d appreciate an iced Americano, if you don’t mind.”
“I’ll take an iced Americano as well, please.”
One of our Guild’s greatest advantages was being able to eat virtually anything inside a Gate.
The fact that each food maintained its optimal temperature was equally important.
“Ahh, so refreshing.”
“Coffee on the sea—that’s pure romance.”
Since I could configure the Subspace’s zones however I wished, freshly made iced Americano would remain exactly as it was once placed inside.
Other things were possible too. Guild members would bring food they wanted, and I’d store it in the Subspace.
“Would you like some snacks as well?”
“Just one cookie for me, brother.”
“Hye, do we still have that fried chicken from last time?”
“We do.”
Since time didn’t pass, there was no flavor degradation whatsoever. Naturally, fried chicken and ice-cold cola were both possible inside a Gate.
Mister took a bite of fried chicken and washed it down with cola.
“Ahh, now that’s the taste.”
Fried chicken, pizza, tteokbokki, tiramisu, croissants—there was an enormous variety of food to choose from.
I was eating a sausage bread when Han Chul pointed to the right.
“Huh? Look there! There’s an Island!”
He was right. An Island the same size as the one where we’d first entered appeared on our right.
“It seems they didn’t all start from the same distance.”
“That appears to be the case. Since the direction keeps changing, it shouldn’t matter much.”
Lee Shin-hee nodded at my observation.
“There’s some luggage visible on the island too.”
“Probably they discarded what they didn’t need. They have to row the boat, so they’d minimize weight as much as possible.”
It was a hardship difficult for us to empathize with. All the equipment the Hunters used was stored in my Subspace.
How much further did we proceed after that?
As the world darkened without hindering us in the slightest, Mister narrowed his eyes.
“Is it just me seeing that? Those aren’t Hunters, are they?”
“They are, though?”
Exactly as stated. Hunters from another nation stood directly ahead, facing our direction.
“Can you tell who they are?”
“No. They look European?”
The other side had noticed us and grew busy. I quickly hid the compass first. They might follow us otherwise.
“They’re French Hunters. The ones who entered first.”
Lee Shin-hee spoke after examining the Hunters. Min-jae let out a hollow laugh.
“They entered first and now they’re going in the opposite direction?”
“We can relax then.”
“Right.”
Had they been here for over twelve hours? The French Hunters’ expressions looked terribly strained.
Two vanguards, a Spirit Summoner, a Mage, and a Healer.
The vanguards couldn’t keep rowing continuously, so they must have rotated, but everyone’s stamina had depleted.
Of course, that exhausted expression likely carried despair as well.
‘A person’s mindset changes entirely depending on whether they have a goal.’
I could see the French Hunters despair upon confirming our faces.
“The Dinosaur Guild?”
“What was all our movement for over ten hours?”
Chun-bae translated for us, and I could somewhat understand their feelings.
They’d entered first and must have worked harder than anyone to reach the Center of the Sea quickly.
When the first five nations entered, they probably felt uncertain but rowed diligently.
There was still hope that things were going well, but meeting us shattered it.
“They don’t have much luggage either?”
Min-jae, observing the French Hunters, narrowed his eyes. Right. Other Hunters besides us carried considerable luggage upon entering the Gate.
Compared to that, the French Hunters looked remarkably light. Han Chul wore a bitter smile.
“Just like we saw on the island, they probably discarded everything except what was necessary.”
“True. They probably even threw overboard what they were carrying on the boat.”
“Yes. Since there are no monsters. What they’re holding now is probably just food and water.”
Just as we observed them, the French Hunters looked at us. Of course, their thoughts were the opposite.
“Wait, what are they eating? Isn’t that chicken?”
“There’s cola too.”
“Insane. A Space Mage can do that too?”
It was natural to be amazed upon witnessing the practical applications of Subspace after only hearing about it secondhand. Imagination and direct observation were fundamentally different experiences.
We exchanged casual nods when the French Hunters approached us.
* * *
“If you don’t mind, could we possibly share some food or drink with you?”
The apparent leader of the French Hunters group made the request despite his obvious reluctance, swallowing hard as he spoke.
His throat bobbed visibly with each gulp.
Behind him, Mister was filming himself eating chicken, and Lee Shin-hee was holding tiramisu.
“Hmm.”
They were competitors, but their pitiful appearance stirred some sympathy. Sharing wouldn’t change much for them anyway.
From my experience, showing goodwill in such moments was worthwhile. There was no reason to make enemies unnecessarily.
“Of course.”
Without much deliberation, I opened a Subspace and distributed food and water.
I was quite generous about it—not just combat rations or convenience food, but bread, milk, pizza, and cola.
“Really, we can take all this?”
“Thank you so much.”
The French Hunters bowed deeply, thanking us profusely as if we were their saviors.
“Stay strong.”
After offering some encouragement, they cautiously opened their mouths again.
“Do you know which direction to go?”
They seemed to think we’d grown closer after sharing food, so they asked an unnecessary question. I had no intention of telling them the truth, of course.
Han Chul, who spoke English, provided the translation instead.
“We’re just going.”
“I see.”
“If you’re lucky, you might arrive. Don’t push yourselves too hard.”
We parted ways and moved forward, but then…
“They’re following us from behind.”
The French Hunters, who had been heading in the opposite direction, had turned their boat around. They were following at the very edge of our vision.
Just far enough that we could barely see them.
“They think something will fall if they follow us?”
Mister let out a dry chuckle. At this distance, even if darkness fell, they could still follow us.
“Word must have spread abroad that we’re good at finding hidden things.”
“After we showed them kindness, they’re trying to freeload off us?”
“I understand their desperation, but it’s still frustrating.”
Would they ask for more food again, or would they pick up speed if something promising appeared?
“Should we row faster?”
I shook my head at Mister’s suggestion.
“No. There’s something they’re overlooking.”
Without hesitation, I opened a Subspace. It was time for Yong-yong, who had rested well, to guide the boat again.
“Let’s see how far they can follow.”
“If even Yong-yong follows me, then I’ll admit it.”
“That’s assuming it can follow at all.”

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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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