Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 204

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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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204. Trial of Flames (5)
I’d regained consciousness, though to be honest, it wasn’t a full recovery. My heart still raced violently, and my hands and feet trembled slightly.
Recognizing that fact was what mattered. I stared directly at the reality of it and tightened my grip.
“Mister! Focus on piercing attacks! We can’t penetrate that shell with regular spears!”
“Understood!”
Smaller in size and different in attribute, but the creature bore an uncanny resemblance to the Jaratans from the Han River. My PTSD wasn’t unfounded.
Four thick legs anchored it to the ground, while an incredibly hardened carapace protected its body.
The carapace was riddled with dozens of holes like barnacles, from which small red worms writhed alongside molten lava.
They were closer to small worms than earthworms, but regardless—thrusting a spear into those openings was far from ideal.
“Magic! Use something with high destructive power!”
I faced the same dilemma. At this stage, I had no reliable way to land a solid blow on this creature.
If I struck the carapace with my sword, the Pungryuk Blade would likely shatter before the carapace did.
“Cover me!”
The Jaratans that appeared in the Han River possessed extraordinary durability not just in their carapaces, but in their legs as well.
When I’d asked Chun-bae about it before, he said the only strategy was to brute-force destroy the carapace.
The head was a weak point too, but it kept its head tucked inside the carapace. It shared vision through the worms instead.
Two spells soon struck the creature.
-Boom!
Min-jae’s magic, being a mage, carried particularly devastating force. The sound was tremendous, yet the carapace remained intact.
I felt no disappointment. I’d never expected the carapace to shatter from a single spell anyway.
From the struck carapace, worm-like creatures revealed themselves.
“Block it!”
The original Jaratans worked by extending long worms to swallow people whole, but this one operated differently.
The worms sprayed flames in all directions.
Protective barriers unfurled above the party, and the vanguard raised their shields to deflect the inferno.
Mister prepared a Dragon-Scale Piercing Spear from the left while I attempted to draw its attention from the right with Wind Slash, but…
-Thud! Thud!
The creature suddenly kicked off the ground with its massive legs and charged directly toward where the party stood.
“Scatter!”
It resembled the Jaratans, certainly, but it wasn’t the same creature. Perhaps the difference in weight—the Jaratans never charged like this.
Its speed was considerable too. At someone’s shout, the party members tried to scatter left and right, but there was no need.
-Whoosh!
-Crash!
All I had to do was unfold my Subspace.
“Insane!”
“Han Hye, you’re the best!”
The Chulbyeok Guild members who’d been scrambling to evade gave me a thumbs up. It was a technique I’d relied on many times before, though it didn’t seem to deal significant damage.
The creature kept its head nearly tucked inside the carapace. It only hesitated for a second or two.
“Watch the ground! Be careful!”
When the creature charged, lava had spilled from its carapace, coating the floor in molten rock and flames.
The flame monster, now conscious, didn’t stop there.
Suddenly, a tail burst forth from its rear—or rather, it was a small face.
From a face resembling a turtle, a linear stream of flame poured out. It was almost what one could call a breath attack.
“This insane….”
I hastily used Leap, positioning myself near the tail. I deployed Subspace to block the breath while simultaneously swinging the Wind-Flow Sword.
Clang-!
So it really was a hidden boss. The same dull sensation transmitted through my fingertips as when I’d sliced the earth dragon’s scales before.
-Screech!
However, my experience allowed for better countermeasures. Though hard, it wasn’t impervious to damage.
I applied Segmentation, now at level 3, to the finely opened wound. Blood sprayed in all directions as I retreated.
The earthworms had been targeting me. Had I been even slightly slower, I’d have been caught. The effect was undeniable.
I hadn’t severed the tail completely, but Segmentation had carved away roughly a quarter of it. The tail became ragged and torn.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes! I’ll handle the tail! For now, I’ll evade and strike at the carapace!”
The problem was that this creature’s vitality was remarkably tenacious. Its regeneration seemed quite potent—the ragged tail was already beginning to reattach.
I attempted to use Leap again to target the tail, but failed. The creature had retracted it.
‘Damn. So it could pull the tail in like that.’
That was when it happened.
Mister, having finished charging the Dragon Scale Piercing Spear, thrust it forward.
-Boom!
The moment the creature’s carapace cracked slightly. I hadn’t expected to utilize this recently acquired skill so immediately.
Still, a solution seemed to be emerging.
“Mister! Can you keep targeting that same spot?”
“The same place? Let me try!”
“Aim for the moment it pauses after charging!”
“Understood!”
“Min-jae! Can you target that location?”
* * *
“Damn…!”
The battle continued with considerable difficulty. The Korean hunters’ objective was to shatter the flame monster’s carapace.
The Dragon Scale Piercing Spear and Min-jae’s magic poured down relentlessly, yet it refused to break easily.
The flame monster, meanwhile, didn’t remain idle. After being blocked by Subspace several times, it ceased its charging.
Instead, it simply sprayed lava in all directions.
The spray was potent enough to pierce through protective barriers, forcing our group to scatter.
The spilled lava soon became a floor pattern similar to the charging attack, restricting free movement.
As time passed, the lava with rising flames was absorbed into the ground, but…if unlucky, one could become trapped.
“Just jump over it!”
“Someone’s down here!”
“Shin-hee!”
Moreover, the heat bearing down in this place was incomparable to the level above.
Only Han Hye and Choi Chul-gi, blessed with flame resistance, moved freely—the rest hemorrhaged stamina at an alarming rate.
Some hunters had collapsed into near-unconsciousness, forcing Kim Han-chul to carry them as we advanced.
Taunts proved useless against this creature, making it considerably troublesome.
-Boom!
Han Hye didn’t remain idle. She withdrew a C-rank massive hammer from the Subspace and brought it crashing down, applying incineration to the monster’s carapace.
Though the incineration burned through magical power itself, the creature’s inherent flame nature made immediate combustion difficult.
‘This damned bastard…’
Yet the act of attacking held profound significance for me. Initially, there was nothing I could meaningfully do.
Whenever I attempted to sever its tail, it regenerated before I could land the blow. So I took up the hammer instead.
-Crash!
With each thunderous strike of the colossal hammer against the carapace, I felt the trembling in my limbs and the frantic pounding of my heart gradually subside.
The mere fact of dealing damage to the object of my deepest terror provided an anchor of stability.
‘Cursed wretched thing…’
With each curse I spat inwardly and each swing of the hammer, the knot of anguish lodged deep within my chest fractured bit by bit.
Though I couldn’t erase every emotion, I felt the fear gradually peeling away.
“Han Hye! Are you alright?”
Though I’d bound the flame creature with the Subspace, the others struggled even to approach. The monster’s flames and heat were simply too intense.
Attempts were made, but they failed—ultimately, only I with flame resistance could close the distance.
Even with A-rank flame resistance at level 7, I felt the scorching heat acutely, so there was no need for further explanation.
Still, the struggle bore fruit. Through sustained assault, one section of the upper carapace visibly thinned compared to the rest—gradually worn away.
“Push harder! I think we’re close to the end!”
Trusting my briefing from the front lines, Seo Min-jae and the mage unleashed their spells again, while Choi Chul-gi deployed his Dragon Scale Piercing Spear.
Even that drained their reserves nearly dry, forcing them to consume mana potions mid-combat.
Both guilds’ healers concentrated their efforts on me. I sustained wounds from the explosive flames and the worms’ relentless assault.
The Chulbyeok Guild healer let out a hollow laugh.
“What kind of monster did they design this to be…?”
“Isn’t Han Hye the real lunatic for beating it with a hammer?”
Then came the moment I leaped and brought the hammer down.
-Crack!
A sound like shattering stone reverberated through the cavern. Everyone, including me, understood immediately.
“It broke!”
I released the hammer from my grip. Simultaneously, I opened the Subspace and drew the Wind-Flow Blade.
Flames and worms erupted from the barnacle-like opening in the intact carapace, but it mattered not. This was the moment.
As I moved to strike with incineration-infused blade, I could see deep into the exposed carapace from up close.
Dozens—no, hundreds of worms writhed together like a brain.
‘I wonder if Zaratan looked like this too.’
And there, nestled within the carapace, I could see the monster’s head. Our eyes met.
Dozens of pairs of eyes—the creature’s and the worms’—fixed upon me.
It didn’t matter. Unlike the formidable exterior, the interior was soft flesh. I smiled wickedly.
‘Rot.’
Han Hye thrust her sword wreathed in scorching flames forward while activating Swift Motion.
The world slowed, just slightly.
Han Hye concentrated to her absolute limit, investing most of her remaining magical power into Severance.
-Shhwaaaack!
Five lines of force radiated outward from the tip of the Flowing Style Blade. Reacting with the scorching flames, space itself tore open as if detonating.
-Kieeeeeek!
Dozens, hundreds of shrieks erupted simultaneously. From the shattered carapace, severed worm segments shot upward in all directions.
[You have gained experience points.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Skill Severance (S-rank) level has increased.]
[Skill Flame Resistance (A-rank) level has increased.]
[Skill Swift Motion (C-rank) level has increased.]
Multiple messages flooded her vision alongside a surge of elation, but none of that mattered to Han Hye.
The battle had just ended, and though I’d expended most of my magical power, I felt no exhaustion whatsoever.
“Phew.”
What truly mattered was the sensation that the knot of resentment and self-disappointment within me had begun to dissolve.
A peculiar sense of accomplishment.
This moment felt more valuable than every instant I’d spent as a Hunter until now. I had overcome the fear within myself.
“Hye, are you alright?”
Choi Chul-gi, who had flown over riding Yong-yong, examined Han Hye with careful concern. He was genuinely worried.
When she’d first seen the flame monster, her eyes had gone wide as if panic had seized her.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Not anymore. Seeing the young man he regarded as a son take another step forward, Choi Chul-gi quietly patted her shoulder.
Han Hye surveyed her surroundings. Beyond the fallen flame monster, most of the Hunters lay sprawled across the ground.
All of them were drenched in sweat. Given that some had actually lost consciousness, it had been an exhausting battle with severe stamina drain.
The mages had drawn upon their magical reserves to the limit, and the healers had done the same.
“You’ve done well. If it weren’t for you, Han Hye… whew.”
Lee Hong-ju, dragging his exhausted body forward, offered Han Hye words of gratitude.
“No. I couldn’t have done it without all of you.”
I meant every word. Without Seo Min-jae, the Chulbyeok mages, and Choi Chul-gi, I never would have defeated the monster.
I could have retreated to the Subspace to recover, but it was entirely thanks to Choi Chul-gi that I’d been able to regain my senses.
“Anyway, is this thing finally done?”
Choi Chul-gi asked, looking down at the fallen monster.
Not only had he been flying around on Yong-yong, but with his flame resistance, he was in the best condition of the ten of them.
“Does it drop anything?”
“We could harvest materials with a short blade. It seems decent enough to deal with Jaratans…”
It was at that very moment Han Hye spoke.
The fallen monster’s body began to glow with a crimson light. As if it were burning away in flames…
“Why is it doing that? It’s not going to explode, is it?”
“That doesn’t seem to be it.”
And soon it transformed into a fist-sized mass of flame. Then, slowly, as if devoid of any malice, it began advancing toward Han Hye.
“What is this?”
Han Hye, who had flinched back from the unfamiliar flames, suddenly recalled the inscription she’d seen before entering.
-A gift awaits you.
Could this possibly be the gift that damned god was talking about?

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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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