Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 152

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

152. Stamina Trial (4)
“Mister, I’ll go ahead and be right back!”
I had no intention of towing the boat with Yong-yong in this situation. If an attack was already underway, every second counted.
Riding Yong-yong would be several times faster than dragging a boat.
Since I had no plans to leave Mister behind, I climbed directly onto Yong-yong’s back. Of course, the Dragon Knight could go as well.
But in this chaos, I calculated that teleportation and Subspace would be far more efficient than flying. I could reach them quickly and hold the line.
“Right! I’ll catch up soon!”
Since the blackout had occurred five minutes ago, there was little risk of losing our way in that brief window. Not when I could faintly hear the sound of magic crackling.
Even if something went wrong, at this distance I could follow Min-jae’s magical signature and find them myself.
“Yong-yong, let’s go!”
As Han Chul and Mister frantically rowed, I stroked Yong-yong’s neck.
Yong-yong nodded once and let out a sharp cry, flapping his wings.
The speed was incomparable to traveling by boat. Even if not yet fully grown, he was still a dragon.
The distance closed in an instant. The sound had been faint, so it couldn’t be far.
“There!”
Two boats came into view. The one on the right was unleashing a relentless barrage of magic at the one on the left.
Both boats were moving in real time—a naval battle of sorts.
What troubled me was that the boat on the left showed no response whatsoever.
A guild of this caliber should be capable of counterattacking with magic. Perhaps their mages had been taken out in the initial strike.
“Faster!”
Fortunately, the attackers were so focused on combat that they didn’t notice me.
This allowed me to close to within 100 meters from above.
I could make out faces now. The attackers were a mix of Middle Eastern, Western, and Southeast Asian individuals.
With such international diversity, the Übermenschen were almost certainly responsible.
‘Multinational hunter guilds do exist, but these ones… they have the stench of criminals about them.’
Judging by the two rowers and three mages casting spells, my assessment seemed accurate.
The ones under attack, meanwhile, were East Asian.
‘So that’s why they couldn’t respond.’
I could identify their affiliation immediately. They were Japanese. Four vanguards and a single healer, if I recalled correctly.
Against three mages, they had no means of defense. I understood the predicament.
They probably thought they were clever entering the gate with that composition…
But other nations weren’t fools. No one knows what happens inside a gate.
‘Hmm.’
I felt a flare of anger—at the Übermenschen. I’d never liked them, even before this. They’re nothing but criminals masquerading as hunter supremacists.
Because of them, Min-seok and I had suffered under information control, and there was the Liu Zhen incident too.
“A dragon!”
Then I was spotted—but not by the enemy. The Japanese side had seen me and cried out.
I felt a twinge of frustration. If they’d kept quiet, I could have attacked from behind without warning.
I understood their sentiment, though. In a hopeless situation, they’d just glimpsed their savior.
“Well, we’re past hiding now.”
There was no helping it.
I leaped from atop Yong-yong’s back.
* * *
Matsuda, a B-rank hunter from Japan, had been confident when he first entered the Gate.
The Hunter Association had even deployed a precious escape Secretary to scout the Gate’s interior conditions beforehand.
-The Gate is simple. Row across the sea and reach the center.
-Darkness descends every thirty minutes, and your direction randomizes each time.
-In other words, luck plays a significant role. I believe hunters with superior stamina like yourselves can manage it.
So they assembled four vanguards in the mid-40s level bracket with the highest stamina stats, plus one healer with exceptional stamina.
Though luck was a factor, he had been confident.
Hunters who had entered before Japan had been organized into single teams.
Based on five-person teams, vanguards numbered at most two. This meant his team had twice as many high-stamina vanguards as others.
-Even with luck, effort will see us through!
-Accounting for the rest periods others need, we can achieve not twice but four times the efficiency!
-Row with all your heart and soul!
Hearing the Association President’s words, they entered the Gate and rowed with determination. Despair certainly existed.
But if they pressed forward with sincerity, surely the heavens would answer their call.
-A ship is approaching over there?
The problem arose about two days in. While resting from exhaustion, a ship drew near.
It wasn’t their first encounter. Food and fresh water were scarce here.
Of course, since everything was scarce, they never shared or received supplies. If they recognized a hunter, they’d exchange greetings at most.
Otherwise, they’d ask how long the other had been searching and exchange information.
-When did you enter?
This time too, he was asking as he had before.
-Huh?
Suddenly, magic erupted toward them. The approaching team had three mages. Moreover, it was a multinational squad.
-They’re Übermenschen! International fugitives!
A team of only four vanguards couldn’t possibly respond. They rowed frantically, but they’d been caught off-guard and were already somewhat fatigued.
Their pursuers seemed well-rested, closing the distance rapidly.
-Boom!
The vanguards shielded themselves with their bodies to block the magic, but one healer couldn’t heal everyone’s wounds.
-Damn it!
When hope seemed lost, a faint speck appeared behind the enemies. What was that? As it drew closer, it was a Red Dragon.
The meaning was unmistakable. The Dragon Guild had come to aid them.
Korea’s rising superstar, the vanguard of what was to come.
The hunter breaking all existing records, growing faster than anyone on Earth—wasn’t that who this was?
‘What an extraordinary person….’
For Matsuda, this hunter inspired no jealousy. Operating on a different level entirely, they were an object of respect and admiration.
Hadn’t their sacrifice to save teammates during the Emission-type Gate become a topic of discussion?
Matsuda had been moved by it too—wondering if even he, a vanguard, could undertake such a desperate chase for his teammates’ sake.
Han Hye didn’t know it, but rumors about the Dragon Guild had already begun spreading quietly within the Gate.
-When you meet the Dragon Guild, they share food and water with you.
-I hope you get to meet them too.
She’d heard such things from Hunters she’d encountered while sailing. That’s why she was so relieved.
Standing at death’s door, she’d found her savior.
“The Dragon Guild!”
That’s why, even under attack, she cried out without thinking. The Red Dragon would have the Dragon Knight aboard, but…
This meant the Space Mage was coming soon too.
‘Oh. How foolish of me…’
She regretted it immediately, but it was too late. The Übermenschen now knew of the Space Mage’s existence.
“Damn! The Red Dragon!”
“Is it the Dragon Knight?”
“If the Space Mage hasn’t arrived yet, we might have a chance!”
“What nonsense? You want to take a Dragon Breath blast on this boat?”
Even the Übermenschen casting magic from a distance fell into confusion.
“Tear up the Secretary! What we’ve gathered so far is pretty decent!”
“Better than dying.”
The Übermenschen, who had entered the Gate with two frontline fighters and three mages, made a quick decision.
Their composition was designed to attack unilaterally from the boat. They’d thought the healer could just handle the others and defend.
But their opponent was a Dragon Knight riding the Red Dragon. They held the superior position. Of course, there was a gap in power.
From the start, they’d planned to escape immediately if problems arose with the Dragon Guild.
“Tear it up quickly!”
Just as they were about to use the Secretary to escape, the moment one of them pulled it from their pocket, the person on the Red Dragon vanished before their eyes.
“What?”
The Übermenschen couldn’t help but be flustered.
‘…It’s not the Dragon Knight?’
The instant Han Hye appeared in midair, the two who’d grabbed the Secretary first couldn’t muster any strength in their hands.
-Crunch!
Their wrists had been severed.
Han Hye, who had brought the Übermenschen within her spatial awareness range with her first leap, had used Severance.
“Huh?”
By the time he tilted his head in confusion, the Space Mage was already above him. Whoosh—a sound of something cutting through the air.
An eerie whistling wind.
And lines appeared across the bodies of the three whose hands were still intact.
Blood sprayed in all directions. Han Hye didn’t stop and immediately drove her blade forward. In less than three seconds, everything was resolved.
Matsuda’s jaw dropped as he watched.
“A goblin?”
He’d spoken without thinking. He couldn’t help it. He’d only blinked twice.
The first blink—the person on the Red Dragon vanished before his eyes. Only then did he realize it wasn’t the Dragon Knight but the Space Mage.
And the enemies’ wrists fell away.
In the blink of an eye, the Space Mage appeared among the demons tormenting them, and the enemies collapsed like dominoes.
‘That’s the Space Mage who defeated the Sword Master….’
Matsuda had also seen the sparring footage. The Space Mage had defeated an opponent with S-rank swordsmanship without using teleportation or Subspace.
Watching that, he’d wondered how long he could hold out as a vanguard against such an opponent.
But when the Space Mage used teleportation, he felt utterly outmatched—beyond any hope of resistance.
‘If he became an enemy, could I even stop him?’
His head shook involuntarily. While the Japanese hunters stood gaping, Han Hye had already finished delivering the final blow.
“Well. Is everyone alright? Any serious injuries?”
* * *
The fight itself wasn’t particularly difficult. The moment they gave me the distance of two jumps, the outcome was essentially decided.
Even if they knew about me, there was no way they’d trained to counter spatial movement like Shin Chang had.
Moreover, it was a team with only two vanguards and three mages. Once I severed both of the first two’s wrists at the start, they fell into panic.
After that, it was swift and decisive.
I felt no great emotional turmoil about killing people. It was my first time, but….
I’d already hunted monsters and humans inside Gates before, so I didn’t think this would be much different.
Besides, wasn’t I a Gate orphan? Not just me—after the Gate Catastrophe, psychological resistance to such matters had weakened considerably for everyone.
Ten years ago on that day, corpses filled every corner of the nation, and people fought each other, not just monsters.
“You’ve worked hard.”
The Japanese healer was already in a state of mana depletion—the four vanguards had blocked magic with their bodies, and she’d exhausted herself continuously healing them.
That’s why Lee Shin-hee had healed the Japanese hunters. They looked at her as if she were an angel.
“Eat this and rest for a bit.”
“Thank you so much! Really!”
After finishing the healing and distributing food, they bowed so deeply—exaggerating just a touch—that their heads nearly touched their bellies in gratitude.
It was different from the hunters we’d met before.
Back then, it was hard to call it saving them, but now it was truly saving their lives.
“We will never forget this kindness!”
Being Japanese, they expressed it quite passionately, saying something like “Thank you so much, Han Hye!”
Thanks to that, we were able to make a request without hesitation.
“Then hold onto this one for us.”
We’d dealt with four of the five Übermenschen, but left one alive. There was only one reason.
If all of them died, the Übermenschen’s Gate would open again.
If they came in thinking they’d just had bad luck, and then started plundering again, it would be an international disaster.
And it’s not like I could track them down.
“This one?”
“I’ve already severed his arms, but it’s a hassle for us to keep him with us.”
The Japanese side would be benched for a while anyway. Lee Shin-hee had cast healing spells for them, but it wasn’t complete recovery. Cumulative damage always remained.
When I explained the reason, the Japanese hunters nodded in understanding.
“We’ll take care of it.”
“Handle it when the Gate ends. You can do that, right?”
Gates like this gave time before expulsion, so there would be time to deal with him.
“Of course.”
Matsuda, the Japanese hunter, nodded in agreement.
About four hours after parting ways with the Japanese hunters, fortune seemed to smile upon us. Perhaps it was the reward for doing the right thing?
“Wait! Over there…!”
“There’s an island?”
“It’s different from any island we’ve seen so far!”
At last, we had reached the Center of the Sea.

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