Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 167

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

167. Temple of Slaughter (2)
“Let’s go.”
The Slaughter Festival.
They say killing the lunatics here grants hints to descend further, but I had no intention of provoking them unnecessarily.
There were several reasons for this.
First, our Guild was by far the largest force here. Everyone else operated in groups of two or three at most.
“Right. No point drawing unnecessary attention.”
If they decided we were a threat, the criminals could band together against us.
If I assumed The Butcher would handle everything, it wouldn’t be a major problem, but….
The prospect of a coalition of madmen pursuing us was obviously going to be a headache.
Moreover, if we killed people, there would be others chasing us just like before.
“We also need pawns to scatter The Butcher’s attention in a worst-case scenario.”
“Exactly.”
I didn’t know The Butcher’s exact power level. We had the option of clearing Gates, but this enemy could be genuinely formidable.
According to Chun-bae, The Butcher was a single entity.
The more people The Butcher had to chase, the more time we’d gain to respond in a crisis.
If we killed everyone immediately and were left alone, we’d face The Butcher one-on-one. In that sense, these people were bait.
“If trouble erupts, we won’t hold back. Everyone, stay combat-ready at all times.”
“Understood.”
Han Chul nodded with a resolute expression, while Mister, who’d been surveying the surroundings, frowned slightly.
“I can’t use Yong-yong in a space like this.”
“A place like this?”
“Yeah. It’s too cramped.”
It was the Dragon Knight’s one genuine weakness.
Being able to ride Red Dragon and soar through the air made the Dragon Knight practically overpowered on wide-open battlefields.
But in confined spaces like inside buildings, that power was severely restricted.
This place was spacious enough to use Yong-yong, but certain passages were narrow and awkward.
“Can’t be helped, hyung. Just trust me!”
At Min-jae’s spirited declaration, Mister let out a hollow laugh.
“I trust you, but I’d feel better trusting Han Chul more.”
“Attacking with facts like that is so cowardly….”
During their brief banter, I finished my deliberation.
“For narrow passages, we can just block enemies with Subspace and lure them to wider areas to fight.”
Mister’s power would be limited, but our Guild’s strength wouldn’t diminish in tight spaces.
Because I was here to use Subspace.
“So what now?”
“First, we find the way down and descend immediately. This place is bigger than I expected.”
We hadn’t explored much yet, but the interior seemed larger than most buildings on Earth.
No, it was incomparable to any building. From what I’d seen so far, the area felt like several athletic fields combined.
The height between floor and ceiling was considerable, and the distance between levels seemed to be at least ten meters.
Even from the highest floor, I could only sense down to about the 3rd Floor.
“The space between floors is so vast that I suspect the passage down might be a hidden ladder or staircase rather than something obvious.”
“So you’re saying it’s just a wall about 10 meters thick?”
“Yes. I think it would be best to descend quickly to around the 3rd Floor first.”
If I reached the 3rd Floor, my spatial awareness would extend across the entire range from the 1st to 5th Floor.
That meant searching for hidden treasures in this vast space would become far easier.
“Once I sense something, I can just leap down and grab it.”
“Right. If the structure is like that, there should be more valuable things on the lower floors than the upper ones.”
Lee Shin-hee nodded at my assessment. That was exactly my intention—gather what’s worth taking and maximize our gains.
If those who went down first from the upper floors grabbed everything, we wouldn’t be able to search through every room afterward.
* * *
“This is a Dead End.”
“It’s quite complicated. It’s like a maze.”
The Temple of Slaughter was far more expansive and intricate than I’d anticipated. While there were spaces as vast as where we first appeared, the overall structure resembled a labyrinth.
As we followed the corridors, passages blocked by walls kept appearing.
“This seems like a space designed for The Butcher.”
“Yes. It feels like the kind of place where if you get cornered during a chase, you’re guaranteed to die.”
A survival-type dungeon with a maze layout—it made sense why a Gate Break had occurred.
“You’re not sensing anything valuable yet?”
“No. The things in the rooms are mostly junk.”
True to its name, the Temple of Slaughter contained only grotesque and eerie items throughout its chambers.
Blood dripped steadily beside Altar-like structures, and books written in incomprehensible languages lay scattered about.
Unidentifiable chunks of meat, rotting food, rusted or broken weapons—all of it was strewn across the floors.
It was a space where even the most thick-skinned person wouldn’t want to linger.
“I’ll disarm the trap ahead and we’ll move on.”
Traps were positioned at every turn—ceiling panels studded with blades that could collapse, blades jutting from walls.
Of course, with my spatial awareness, they were merely obstacles to identify and bypass.
Though not on this floor, I could sense people hiding in the alleys of the lower levels.
Judging by the weapons they held at the ready, they were definitely enemies.
“There are people down there?”
“I’ve spotted three so far, and from the robes they’re wearing while hiding, they don’t seem to be the people who descended earlier—they appear to be fanatics who were already here.”
Chun-bae had mentioned I’d need to survive not just The Butcher but also the fanatics. These were likely devotees of the God of Slaughter who opened this Slaughter Festival, lying in wait.
Since I couldn’t sense anyone on this current floor, it seemed the difficulty increased with each descending level.
“….”
We occasionally encountered people—the lunatics from the initial space we’d shared.
For now, we passed by without acknowledging them. Everyone carried weapons, and many had blood staining their gear and clothing.
“It’s unsettling.”
With lunatics gathered in one place, their eyes gleamed with malice—enough to make Min-jae shudder slightly.
From the blood coating most of those we’d encountered…
I suspected those who’d seemed weak or panicked at first had likely been killed long ago.
“Still, they’re not touching us?”
“Because we have the most people.”
In a space where hunters typically roamed alone or in groups of two or three at most, we were the only party exceeding five members.
From their perspective, engaging us wouldn’t have been an easy decision.
“And Han Chul is with us.”
Moreover, Han Chul, having fully recovered his physical abilities, was frankly intimidating just to look at.
At 195 centimeters with a physique packed with muscle, his mere presence commanded respect.
“Ah, it’s not because of me. They’re keeping their distance because of the Guild Master’s aura.”
“It really does seem like it’s because of Han Chul, though.”
Modesty aside, that was the truth. Everyone visibly flinched upon seeing him and instinctively widened the gap.
“Yeah. They were totally intimidated by Han Chul hyung.”
When Min-jae spoke and even Lee Shin-hee quietly nodded in agreement, Han Chul couldn’t really argue back.
“Ha, that can’t be right…”
“It absolutely is. Han Chul hyung, you tend to underestimate yourself quite a bit.”
“You’re certainly not the Han Chul who was bedridden anymore.”
At my words, Han Chul looked down at himself with an embarrassed expression.
“I’m still far from where I need to be.”
“You’re planning to get even bigger?”
“Pardon? I haven’t reached my target weight and body fat percentage yet.”
“…What?”
A question escaped me at his words. He’s already massive as it is?
“Before the curse, I was carrying at least 15 kilograms more than this. My body fat percentage was lower too.”
“Oh, you look similar to your old photos.”
“Slightly different. I need to build more muscle and burn more fat. Honestly, since I’m still in rehabilitation, I’ve been training rather roughly.”
He trained diligently and spent time at the gym regularly, yet he called that rough training…?
As I watched, Chul-gi nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. I’ve seen Han Chul shirtless before—he was a monster.”
“Oh, you know about that?”
“Of course. You did a photo shoot for a United States hunter magazine back then.”
He was bringing up something from quite long ago, but for me and the others, it was completely new information.
Han Chul had barely received any attention for years due to the curse.
“I had lingering regrets about my hunter career back then, so I researched various information.”
“Still, you’ve seen the light again.”
“That’s thanks to Han Hye.”
“Exactly. I was able to make my comeback thanks to the Guild Master.”
“Me too.”
When Min-jae joined in, suddenly all three of them were praising me.
“Why are you all suddenly doing this? Weren’t we talking about Han Chul’s size?”
“It’s the truth.”
“It is the truth.”
I cast a pleading look toward Lee Shin-hee. As an A-Rank Healer from the start, she shouldn’t have been caught up in this atmosphere.
But…
“Well, you’re not saying anything wrong, are you?”
“Even you, Lee Shin-hee…”
“I’m benefiting from it too, after all.”
Lee Shin-hee said this while pointing to the ring and sword. Even if I’d pulled the secret-grade items from the Subspace, that ring was supposed to follow the Guild’s distribution policy, wasn’t it?
Still, the atmosphere wasn’t going to change no matter what I said, so I just kept my mouth shut.
“The more you react like that, Han Hye, the more we want to tease you.”
“Pardon?”
“If you confidently claimed credit, wouldn’t we do the same?”
Lee Shin-hee’s words sparked a memory.
Mister sometimes spoke to me earnestly about his gratitude, and whenever I brazenly owned it, he’d let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re right. It’s all thanks to me. You should be grateful.”
So I said it shamelessly, but the response was unexpected again.
“Finally you’re admitting it. Guild Master, we’re always grateful.”
“That’s right, boss.”
“Thanks, Hye.”
“Ugh…”
A sigh escaped me unbidden. This wasn’t what I’d intended.
The Guild members found my teasing amusing and laughed among themselves.
Well, this too was a quality of a Guild Master, if you could call it that. I decided to coolly accept the self-satisfaction.
“Huh?”
And what saved me from that atmosphere was my spatial awareness.
“Found it. The way down.”
“Oh?”
“You’re not just changing the subject, are you?”
* * *
The hidden space was a straight corridor leading downward. There was a ladder attached to the passage that stretched nearly ten meters.
To be precise, it was inside a chamber ahead of where we were heading.
There was an altar with a circle drawn in dried blood, and when we pushed it aside, the space revealed itself.
“Even if they were going to hide it, why in such a place…”
The dried blood surrounding the hidden passage bore strange occult markings, making it deeply unpleasant to enter.
Of course, that didn’t mean we wouldn’t go in.
“Let’s go. There’s nothing down there.”
Still, just in case, I took the lead and descended, with Han Chul coming down last.
“I’ll close it again just to be safe.”
“Yes. No need to do favors for others.”
Han Chul, meticulous in all things, restored the altar to its original state just before descending.
If you looked closely, you’d notice the drag marks, but it was better than leaving it open.
“Should we search again?”
It was then, having descended to the 4th Floor and searching for barely five minutes, that something caught my spatial awareness.
“Hold on.”
“What is it?”
“I’m sensing an item on the floor below us.”
It was a chamber resembling an Altar, and upon it lay a single short sword.
Whether it was junk or not remained to be seen, but I’d never sensed a weapon in such pristine condition before.
“The descent path isn’t ready yet anyway. Should I just leap down and grab it quickly?”
“Go on, hurry back.”
Mister chuckled. There were no enemies nearby, and using a leap would be swift regardless.
The moment I used the leap to descend to the 3rd Floor.
Whoosh—!
A crimson form suddenly materialized around me. Sensing the guild members’ alarm through my spatial awareness, it seemed the same phenomenon had appeared above as well.
-The 3rd Floor has opened. The Butcher will appear on the 5th Floor. The true Slaughter Festival shall commence.
Oh no.
It appeared that protection only extended to the floor of whoever was furthest ahead.

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