Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 160

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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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160. Karako Village Defense Battle (3)
[Safety of Karako Village]
-Annihilate the monster horde in the Forest to protect the safety of Karako Village. Time remaining: 7 hours 59 minutes.
The transformed Gate was like this.
Annihilation of the monster horde in the Forest. It matched what the Human Warrior said. The time had increased slightly, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t that significant a difference.
Moreover, for Hunters, the rewards and experience gained inside a Gate were more important than the time spent within it.
After all, we made considerable preparations each time we entered a Gate.
“When we attack the Forest, only we will move.”
However, there was something I needed to clarify first.
“Just the three of you are going?”
“Since this is about protecting Karako Village, we can’t have the villagers getting injured or killed, can we?”
Even though the Gate had transformed, our primary objective remained unchanged. Min-jae using magic and keeping all the villagers alive.
We’d already accomplished one of these when those creatures fled, but naturally, obtaining even slightly better rewards was preferable.
“To think you’d consider us so carefully….”
The Middle-aged Man’s mouth fell open with a moved expression at my words.
Though our intentions differed, I figured there was no harm in keeping my true thoughts to myself—after all, a good outcome was a good outcome.
“Are you really sure about this?”
“Of course. You just saw it, didn’t you? The three of us driving those creatures away.”
The Human Warrior turned his gaze toward the area outside the Village for a moment, his expression contemplative as he imagined our combat from moments before, then nodded.
“You’re right. At first, I thought you three were insane.”
“I suppose we could appear that way.”
“But seeing how it unfolded, I was genuinely shocked.”
“Just tell us where the enemies are located, and we’ll handle them.”
“Location? There’s nothing specific like that. Once you venture deeper into the Forest, you’ll come across their territory.”
The explanation was simpler than expected. This meant we’d recognize it immediately upon entering.
“Is there anything we should be cautious about?”
The Human Warrior scratched his head.
“Well, according to survivors from nearby villages, those creatures apparently understand human speech….”
“Human speech?”
“That survivor’s mind was so scrambled, I can’t tell if it’s the truth or just delirious rambling.”
Still, this was information worth considering. The intelligence we gathered inside Gates might seem trivial, but it can also prove crucial.
Just as the legend of Snowfield Village turned out to be real.
.
.
.
“We really found them right away.”
We hadn’t ventured far into the Forest before we discovered traces of the monster horde.
As we went deeper, the surroundings were filled with nothing but felled tree stumps.
“Wow, isn’t that a Fortress?”
“Right? I had no idea there was an actual Fortress here.”
When the Gate’s objective changed from ‘defense’ to ‘siege’, I’d once thought there wouldn’t be a fortress in the forest.
Yet beyond the felled trees, deep within the forest, a fortress stood.
Well, it wasn’t a true fortress. More like a village, I’d say. A Castle Wall constructed entirely of timber.
The Castle Wall was larger than the village. It looked to be about four meters in height.
“This actually has people in it, doesn’t it?”
“It might. You can see an actual fortress beyond the Castle Wall.”
The fortress was built of stone, and because monsters had constructed it, even from a distance you could tell it was somewhat crude.
Still, its outward appearance seemed reasonably convincing.
“Couldn’t we just burn down that Castle Wall with fire?”
“With Inferno, we could probably destroy it all. If we run low on mana, we can just rest and come back.”
In any case, the enemies seemed unprepared for our arrival. The surroundings were filled with traces of monsters, yet none were visible.
There were no sentries patrolling, no monsters wandering about. Though Orcs and similar creatures were visible atop the Castle Wall.
“Could it be that monsters actually live inside there?”
“Hard to say. They could be scattered throughout the Forest.”
“Or maybe they failed at defending against a siege and are getting torn apart inside? If the commander really is human, that could be possible.”
“Or perhaps they never expected anyone to attack this place.”
I nodded at Han Chul’s words. True enough—we hadn’t anticipated the Gate changing like this either.
“Let me scout from above.”
“Will you be alright?”
“If I get spotted, so be it.”
True. Observing from the sky was better than going in blind. The clouds were conveniently thick enough.
Even if discovered, it didn’t matter. Once the attack began, they’d notice us immediately anyway.
“Looks like about twice the number that came during the last siege. I didn’t get spotted. Kept my distance, so I couldn’t see details, but that’s my estimate.”
This was Mister’s report after scouting from above. It seemed they hadn’t brought their full forces when attacking Karako Village.
In truth, the number of monsters didn’t matter much.
“Hmm. How should we attack?”
Five of us had come with confidence, but with the enemy entrenched in a fortress, it was a problem worth considering.
Originally, the plan was for the rear guard to hang back while Mister and I attacked separately to thin their numbers.
If the rear guard showed themselves in the forest, we’d risk being surrounded.
I had my leap ability, and Mister could attack from the sky, so if either of us took damage, we could fall back, receive healing, and return.
‘Once we’d reduced their numbers sufficiently, Min-jae would appear and use magic as well.’
But with a fortress in the picture, our strategy had to adapt.
“I think we can stick with the original plan? The rear guard stays back, and those monsters are trapped in the fortress, so we can rampage freely.”
“Once we’ve thinned them out, we call Min-jae?”
Mister’s suggestion wasn’t bad at all.
“Or we could just go for it. With five of us, they’ll definitely come out, right? We could protect the rear guard so Min-jae can use magic without restraint.”
“I’m fine either way. Whatever’s most comfortable for you all.”
As we were discussing this, Mister’s words sparked a brilliant idea.
“What if we actually conduct a proper siege?”
“A siege?”
The guild members tilted their heads in confusion. I pointed toward the Fortress.
“Didn’t Mister say those things would come out?”
“And?”
“That Castle Wall. It could actually become an obstacle for the monsters.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll use Blazing Inferno to burn only the Gate. Then there’s only one exit for the monsters to pour through, right?”
“Huh?”
Lee Shin-hee was the first to grasp my meaning.
“You’re saying we should seal off the Gate from our side?”
“Yes. Some might jump down from the four-meter Castle Wall, but Mister and I can handle those.”
“Oh?”
“That could work.”
As I explained further, the other guild members nodded, understanding the strategy.
“Even though the Gate is pretty wide since it’s built for monsters, wouldn’t it be perfect for us to handle the surging enemies with Heart of the Sea and lightning magic?”
“That range is more than enough! The monsters will come pouring out in droves.”
Min-jae gazed toward the Fortress with an expression of anticipation.
If we were facing humans, it might be different, but with monsters, that Castle Wall could actually become a structure that worked in our favor.
Why did the Spartans in the movies hold a narrow passage and face an enemy army with just three hundred men?
We were taking on that same role. It felt like we were both assaulting and defending at once.
“Once we get going like this, whether it’s humans or a monster leader, something will definitely emerge.”
The guild members seemed to think my strategy wasn’t bad, and they all agreed it was fine.
“Then let’s go. I’ll start by burning the Gate.”
* * *
Mister is in the sky. Along with Yong-yong, he’ll jump down from the Castle Wall to block anything that tries to attack us.
I’m positioned at the front of our group.
My role is to defend against anything that slips through and targets our rear.
With my defense, Mister’s defense, and Han Chul as well, there’s almost no chance of the rear being attacked.
As we approached gradually, the Orcs on the wooden Castle Wall spotted us, but it didn’t matter.
-Uuuuung!
The moment they sounded their horn, I unleashed Blazing Inferno and burned the entire Gate to ash.
-Whoooosh!
Flames that even consume mana itself. After investing considerable mana, the Gate erupted in fire unlike ordinary flames.
Now the monsters’ Fortress stood wide open.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Auuuuu!”
As the horn sounded and the Gate opened, monsters began pouring out.
“Min-jae!”
“Yes!”
Min-jae raised the Heart of the Sea and his staff toward the monsters surging through the Gate.
Spheres of water materialized above the monsters’ heads and began to fall.
-Whoooosh!
As water drenched the Gate entrance, blue light erupted from Min-jae’s staff.
“Strike down and pierce through!”
Lightning magic crashed down toward the Gate. Due to its elemental nature, it moved far faster than flame.
And its scale was extraordinary. I’d seen lightning magic from other mages before, but….
It was on a different dimension entirely. Then again, Min-jae was the one who’d transformed an E-Rank Fireball into an A-Rank one.
Azure lightning scattered in all directions through the monsters surging toward the Gate.
-Crackle!
“Kyaa, ah, ahhhhh!”
The lightning chained continuously, so intense that even the monsters’ screams were drowned out.
“Wow.”
“That’s insane.”
Just as Min-jae had said, water and lightning magic combined with virtually no delay between them.
“Strike!”
And once more.
Water and lightning fell almost simultaneously over the electrocuted enemies sprawled below. This time, there was no lag at all.
“Mister!”
As the entrance was sealed for the third time, monsters began scaling the Castle Wall.
However, they didn’t fall as expected, since the Castle Wall stood roughly four meters high.
For ordinary monsters, the fall alone would be devastating. Instead, they drew bows, attempting ranged interception.
Mister handled the retaliation.
-Roaaaar!
Yong-yong flew across the wooden Castle Wall, spewing flames. This too was an devastatingly effective attack.
The space atop the wall was narrow, so breathing fire while airborne swept everything away in one go.
“Auuuugh!”
And after that carnage, several Grendels leaped over the Castle Wall. Now it was my turn.
They couldn’t break through us to target the rear guard.
‘I’ll take the initiative again.’
Waiting would only give them distance, so I used Leap to rush down the charging Grendels.
Mister handled the Castle Wall above, I covered the front of the rear guard, and Min-jae managed the Gate. It was a perfectly flawless combination.
About five minutes passed like that.
We suffered no casualties. The monsters, on the other hand, were devastated. The Gate was blocked by corpses.
“The smell….”
The monsters approaching through the Gate had been charred black by the combination of water and electricity…. The stench was overwhelming.
Moreover, the corpses made it difficult for more monsters to emerge.
The Castle Wall above was set ablaze by Yong-yong’s flames, barely recognizable as a wall anymore.
The Grendels that had charged hesitated to attack after I cut down three of them.
“Stop- right- there!”
That’s when I heard a human voice.
Turning my head, a figure leaped over the burning Castle Wall and landed on the ground.
“There’s actually a real person here?”
The words the middle-aged man from the village had spoken turned out to be true. It was a fact I would never have discovered if the Gate hadn’t transformed.
After all, every Hunter who had previously conquered the Gate must have blocked off the village before leaving through it.
The man appeared to be in his late twenties, carrying a sword and wearing a cloak that resembled Grendel’s hide.
Even as the monsters’ movements froze in place, the man took several steps toward us. His expression was bewildered.
“Who are you?”
“We were asked to protect Karako Village.”
“…I’ve never heard of people like you existing in Karako Village.”
The man who said that looked toward Mister. Or rather, toward Yong-yong.
“Especially the Red Dragon.”
Hmm. This one’s also fixated on the Red Dragon first. He did the same thing earlier—my pride was slightly wounded.
The man glanced around his surroundings and let out a small sigh.
“Let’s establish a peace accord.”
“A peace accord?”
The sudden proposal left me equally bewildered.

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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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