Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 166

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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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166. Temple of Slaughter (1)
[Temple of Slaughter]
-You are at the top of the Temple. Survive until you descend to the Bottom Floor and escape. Time remaining: 71 hours 59 minutes.
When I opened my eyes, the landscape before me was an expansive space. It didn’t feel like a temple at all, if I’m being honest.
It felt more like being inside a rather large building on Earth.
That made sense—beside the massive atrium where we stood, I could see rooms and alcoves scattered throughout.
I couldn’t visually confirm we were on the Top Floor. There were no windows to see outside.
The interior wasn’t bright. A musty, humid stench permeated the dim atmosphere.
Torches hung on the walls at regular intervals, but there weren’t enough of them—the space remained shrouded in shadow.
“We’re not alone here.”
Mister was right. About thirty people, including us, occupied the vast space. Everyone seemed disoriented.
Now that I looked closer, they were just regaining consciousness. Like us, they were scanning their surroundings and eyeing each other warily.
“What the hell—where are we?”
“What’s going on… We were all eating together just a moment ago, weren’t we?”
Among the panicked voices, someone clutched their head.
“It’s… the Slaughter Festival…!”
His face bore the expression of someone who understood the gravity of the situation. At the mention of the “Slaughter Festival,” the crowd erupted in alarm.
“The Slaughter Festival? You don’t mean this place serves the God of Slaughter?”
“How did those insane heretics drag us here?”
It seemed the God of Slaughter was quite well-known among these people.
“What’s your last memory?”
“I was just drinking at a bar… What about you?”
“I was sleeping at home.”
Some had arrived in groups, others alone. Though “dragged here” would be more accurate.
“We’re all going to die! We’re all going to die…!”
The Human Warrior who had first recognized this place as the Temple of Slaughter now seemed half-delirious.
“Wait, how do you know about the Slaughter Festival or whatever this is?”
Someone asked, but the despairing man, half-collapsed on the ground, didn’t answer.
“The atmosphere is anything but ordinary from the start.”
We were different. We’d heard the difficulty was extreme, and we’d gathered at least some information beforehand.
Of course, there were others standing silently like us.
“There seem to be some people who don’t look ordinary.”
“Yeah. They look like skilled individuals.”
“But why do they all look so sinister?”
The aura they gave off was distinctly different—it was immediately apparent. Our eyes met occasionally, but neither side initiated any unnecessary confrontation.
In any case, most of the people gathered here seemed to be seasoned fighters.
Was it because of the Gate’s high difficulty?
Setting aside minor concerns for now, I focused on surveying my surroundings using spatial awareness.
For the moment, I sensed nothing in particular. No people, no monsters. Upward, I felt nothing; downward, I could make out the building’s structure faintly.
The fact that I couldn’t sense anything above confirmed we were indeed on the Top Floor.
“Hye, if we just go down to the Bottom Floor and escape, why can’t we just teleport out?”
The guild members’ attention focused on the Mister’s question.
In other words, he was asking if the problem could be solved by teleporting outside the building and moving straight down.
“That won’t work. I can’t sense any space outside the building.”
I’d had a similar thought. It was the first thing that came to mind after hearing the Gate’s explanation.
However, just as I couldn’t sense anything above the ceiling, there was nothing beyond the wall at my back either.
In other words, the Gate’s boundary was confined to this building’s interior. I suspected that descending to the Bottom Floor and exiting would be the end of it.
The Mister nodded.
“Right. Otherwise, there’d be people trying to break through the walls and escape.”
Of course, there was still a solution available now.
“But even without that, I think we could finish in under two minutes.”
* * *
“Huh?”
“But I can sense all the lower floors. Even if this building has about thirty floors, couldn’t we descend in under two minutes?”
The structure of this Temple of Slaughter and how to descend through it remained a mystery, but it didn’t matter to me.
With teleportation—teleportation, teleportation—I could reach the Bottom Floor in an instant.
-I should have suggested choosing this from the start.
In the Previous Princess’s world, the Gate had appeared in a distant nation, so Chun-bae didn’t have detailed information about it.
The Princess’s level didn’t match either, and she’d only heard about it through reports later.
It was just about surviving against fanatics and butchers. But with this structure, it was far too easy for me.
The guild members’ eyes widened.
“Right? If we’re just going down to the lower floors anyway, we can just skip over them!”
“We were worried for nothing.”
“We didn’t know there was a Top Floor and Bottom Floor.”
With this settled, the real dilemma became something else.
“Whether to clear it in the shortest time possible, or explore the interior a bit.”
“Hmm.”
I’d experienced the fastest clear reward before, thanks to Arachne’s Labyrinth.
I’d encountered hidden rewards that required reaching the destination within an impossibly tight timeframe.
‘Given the current situation, it might be better to explore a bit, right?’
-Affirmative. I recommend the latter.
The reason was simple. While I’d experienced speed runs, there were more cases without rewards than with them.
On the other hand, this Gate exceeded normal difficulty.
Moreover, it was a temple with a complex interior and many rooms. The probability of hidden rewards was high.
With my spatial sense, I might even be able to find them.
“Shouldn’t we meet a butcher at least once?”
“That’s not a bad idea either. Like you said, the difficulty would be high, and there’s a good chance of hidden items in this large temple.”
After explaining my reasoning to the guild members, they all seemed to agree.
Even if there were speed clear rewards, the probability of gaining more by exploring further here was greater.
“Let’s think of it as getting early experience with a level 60 Gate.”
Moreover, our Guild has consistently cleared Gates with ease. Even a preview-like experience would be valuable training.
Whether positive or negative, it could make us believe we’re capable, or it could drive us all to push ourselves harder.
“If it really doesn’t work out, I can use an escape ticket or clear it myself before that happens.”
It’s always best to enter with reliable insurance. Without excessive worry and tension, I can showcase my true abilities more effectively.
The Guild members agreed with my opinion. Unlike before, their expressions were relaxed, and curiosity gleamed in their eyes.
I wasn’t the only one who thought recent Gates had been too easy.
They must have been curious about what Gates we’d face next.
Whoosh!
It happened in an instant. A crimson light flashed in the center of the space. A blurry human silhouette materialized in that red glow.
I immediately recognized the presence as divine. I’d experienced it through Chun-bae countless times.
—Kneel in reverence, for the God of Slaughter watches over this place….
Just hearing that voice sent chills down my spine.
—The God, having taken notice of you who revel in slaughter, bestows grace upon you. You have reached the Slaughter Festival.
From the moment it appeared, everything it said was abnormal. People had been muttering about heretics earlier.
Well, there’s no way the God of Slaughter could be normal.
“What the hell! Let us out of here now!”
Someone shouted, but the crimson figure didn’t seem to be listening to us.
—The rules of the festival are simple. Find the path downward through slaughter. The five who reach the Bottom Floor and find the exit shall receive even greater grace.
A path downward, it said.
I couldn’t yet sense a downward path in my spatial awareness. This space where everyone had gathered was quite vast.
—If finding the path proves difficult, enjoy slaughter as you have before. Then the path shall reveal itself.
There was something that bothered me from the start. From the beginning, it called us those who enjoy slaughter.
It was the same now. The meaning behind those words was singular.
“The ones here don’t seem normal.”
Since the God of Slaughter brought them, they’re probably not ordinary criminals. They could be a criminal organization.
Though we didn’t enter through a Gate.
Hmm, actually, if we consider monster hunting as slaughter, there’s some logic to it… Anyway, it doesn’t matter.
“Right. I noticed everyone’s faces looked sinister.”
“I think we should move only as a group. When it says slaughter reveals the path, it probably means killing gives hints—they’ll try to stab us in the back.”
“Agreed.”
Han Chul nodded and swept his gaze across the surroundings. His eyes were stern, conveying that he wouldn’t stay idle if anyone approached.
With the large Han Chul stepping forward, the gazes of those watching us grew noticeably less intense.
—Be warned. If you fail to find the path down quickly, the Butcher shall appear….
The crimson figure finished speaking and vanished with a pop.
“….”
A terrifying silence descended upon the space.
* * *
“Hye, do you sense anything?”
“Not yet. Though it feels like it’ll happen soon. I think we need to explore a bit more.”
The path downward is probably hidden. Since it said we only get hints by engaging in slaughter, finding it will be difficult otherwise.
However, it posed no problem for me. Even if hidden, it would register within my spatial awareness.
“For now, regarding the formation… I’ll take the lead, and Mister and Han Chul can guard from behind.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s move with the mindset that everyone here is an enemy.”
It was while we were having this brief discussion that I sensed movement.
Two bald men were approaching the Human Warrior who lay sprawled in despair from the very beginning.
“….”
Their eyes were sharp. Their hands moved cautiously toward the short swords strapped to their thighs.
I wondered if I should warn them. Most of them were likely lunatics, but the despairing Human Warrior seemed somehow different.
‘Is this unnecessary interference?’
I questioned whether I was needlessly creating enemies. There was nothing to gain from standing out.
The two bald men pressed their short swords against the nape of the Human Warrior’s neck.
“Hey, how did you know about this place….”
The bald men never finished their sentence. In an instant, both their heads flew off simultaneously.
“…?”
Everyone watching was shocked. We were no exception. Hadn’t he seemed resigned, as if he’d given up?
The Human Warrior who had been lying down rose to his feet and grinned wickedly. His face was completely different from before.
“How did I know? I heard it from someone who survived here.”
The smiling Human Warrior swept his gaze across the crowd, then narrowed his eyes and looked to the left.
Did the slaughter reveal a hint? The Human Warrior trudged off in the direction he’d been looking.
For a moment, no one moved.
And as the Human Warrior disappeared from sight, several people followed after him. It must have been because of the path downward.
‘I almost interfered for nothing.’
I’d nearly helped a lunatic. It seemed I really did need to regard everyone here as mentally unstable, just as the crimson figure had said.
“What was that just now?”
“I’m not sure. It looked like I was witnessing my own Severance.”
Despite the Human Warrior remaining still, the two bald men’s heads had flown off. If I used Severance, such a thing would be possible.
Chun-bae provided the answer.
-It’s an ability related to wind.
‘Ah, like a blade of wind?’
-Affirmative. You must be careful. Wind energy cannot be easily detected even by spatial awareness.
I nodded unconsciously.
That Human Warrior had known about this place beforehand. Judging by what followed, his despair must have been an act.
He feigned weakness to lure them in, killed the two men first, and likely obtained a clue to descend further from that.
I surveyed the remaining people. Some wore composed expressions, others looked somewhat weary.
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Tell me about it.”
Well, it didn’t matter. I shrugged and turned my body.
“Let’s go. We need to descend as well.”

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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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