Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 21

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

21. Desolate Ruins (2)
[Desolate Ruins]
-Recommended Level: 16~20
-Entry Limit: 5 people
-Explore
the
ruins. 4 hours 59 minutes remaining.
Ruins Gates were popular for one simple reason: the probability of finding high-grade items was substantially higher.
Some claimed that ‘ruins’ invariably contained excellent items.
Those who hadn’t discovered them simply hadn’t searched thoroughly enough—or so the theory went. I desperately hoped that would be the case.
With my spatial sense intact, the possibility of missing something was essentially nonexistent.
The moment we crossed the Gate’s threshold, we found ourselves standing atop a verdant hill overlooking an expansive blue meadow.
“The view is magnificent.”
“Indeed it is.”
Below, scattered across the plains, lay the faded ochre remnants of ancient structures—larger than a small village, yet not quite a city.
The traces of a once-thriving settlement, I would say. At its center stood what appeared to be an enormous temple.
Whether crafted from clay or stone, the passage of ages had rendered its coloring inconsistent, and moss and vegetation clung to its weathered surfaces.
The landscape itself possessed a certain beauty, yet the crumbling structures scattered throughout justified the name ‘Desolate’—a place of abandonment and decay.
“That is….”
“Ghouls.”
Monsters prowled among the ruins. Ghouls—humanoid creatures that seemed a fusion of hyena and man.
Similar to orcs yet considerably more formidable, they were classified as a distinct threat. Their intelligence, agility, and combat methodology set them apart.
While orcs fought with the raw strength of a powerful human, ghouls fought as both human and beast—cunning and savage.
They wielded weapons while simultaneously raking with claws and tearing with their massive jaws.
‘Faster than orcs, making evasion far more difficult.’
One-on-one against an awakened orc required roughly level fifteen; an awakened ghoul demanded level twenty. The difference stemmed from precisely this.
They hunted in packs besides. The old man narrowed his eyes, surveying the ruins intently.
“Do they inhabit this place? There are more than I expected.”
“I count roughly twenty visible. Including those inside the structures, we’re looking at perhaps thirty to forty total?”
Still, I harbored no concern. Hadn’t I consumed vitality elixirs and invested stat points specifically in preparation for this Gate?
Even at level sixteen, my stat distribution would place me well into the late twenties in effective level.
“Shall we devise a strategy?”
After entering a Gate, formulating a plan before engaging was standard procedure—especially when danger hadn’t yet materialized.
We’d identified our enemies from a safe vantage point. The old man offered his assessment.
“We could lure them out, then dispatch them with Dragon Fang and Wind Slash. That should work adequately.”
Ghouls possessed keen olfactory senses. They would catch our scent from a distance, making luring them feasible.
“Though they’re intelligent enough that we won’t capture them all at once, reducing their numbers would certainly make exploration easier.”
A textbook approach, methodical and sound.
“Alternatively, we could simply charge through directly.”
At my suggestion, the old man’s eyes widened considerably.
“With our stats, I think we can manage it. If it gets too dangerous, we can just use Biyongseom and escape.”
“So you want to charge straight through?”
He saw right through my intentions.
“Honestly, I’ve been wanting to test out Tougye a bit.”
“Well, let’s do it that way. Last time I used Biyongseom quite a lot anyway.”
The old man agreed readily.
“Then let’s go in with a straightforward charge.”
We both smiled and headed toward the Desolate Ruins. It was just as we entered and took a few steps forward.
Before my spatial sense could even register it, I heard Nol’s cry.
I knew the pattern. When one catches a scent, it lets out an ‘alert cry’. Then the nearby Nols begin searching together.
And when prey is found, they release a ‘hunting cry’.
“Get ready.”
Similar cries echoed out a couple more times, spreading the message to those around. Then I heard rustling from somewhere.
And one Nol entered my spatial sense. Front, eleven o’clock. Our eyes met.
-Auuuuu!
Then the ‘hunting cry’ erupted. The clever creature didn’t charge at me immediately. It was waiting for its allies to arrive.
Of course, I didn’t stay idle. I walked forward and swung my Wind-Flow Sword. Nol tilted its head.
“Keng?”
It seemed confused, unable to feel the wind blade, wondering why I’d swung my sword.
The orcs and goblins I’d seen before wouldn’t have even questioned it. Intelligent creatures were definitely different.
“Kek!”
But that didn’t mean it could evade the wind blade.
Shrrk— Nol’s body split in half.
-Auuu!
Two seconds later, another cry burst out. I wasn’t sure what this one meant. Was it reacting to the ally’s blood scent?
I felt the creatures entering my spatial sense multiply—three, four… increasing in an instant.
-Krrr!
Perhaps because they were beasts, a thick stench grew stronger, and Yong-yong let out a small growl of displeasure.
After walking about ten more steps, the Nols had surrounded us.
“Hmm.”
In the standoff, the old man looked around.
“No Awakened ones?”
“Yeah, that’s a bit odd.”
I couldn’t tell if they were hiding or if this Gate simply had no Awakened creatures.
In any case, despite their numbers, considering our stats, this was a fight we could win comfortably.
“If it gets dangerous, break through with Biyongseom and escape. I’ll handle them.”
“Got it.”
My stats were far higher than the old man’s. He was better with area attacks, but I was superior in direct combat.
And in critical situations, I had the Subspace as a refuge.
“Well…”
Strike first, win first.
I was about to swing my sword to unleash Wind Slash when it happened.
“KRAAAAAAAAAAGH!”
Chul-gi suddenly let out a roar. It felt oddly familiar—no, not familiar. I’d experienced it before.
It was identical to the Red Dragon’s roar from the Gate where I’d awakened. Though the shockwave felt slightly different…
Either way, my body had stiffened for a moment, but the Nolls surrounding us were far worse off.
Shhhhh—
A sound like water trickling came from somewhere, and the lower garments of the Nolls encircling us darkened.
The Nolls surrounding us had all urinated themselves simultaneously.
As the stench intensified, Chul-gi and I could only stare at each other, too shocked to fight.
“W-what was that just now?”
“It wasn’t me.”
Chul-gi seemed equally startled. He was looking at Yong-yong.
“Did Yong-yong do it?”
“Yeah.”
Yong-yong had been showing displeasure since the Nolls surrounded us. Suddenly, I understood what was happening.
“Isn’t it because of Dragon-Human Unity? You said Yong-yong leveled up last time.”
“Dragon-Human Unity?”
“It’s when the dragon and you become one, so Yong-yong’s actions become your actions.”
“That makes sense…”
Chul-gi nodded silently for a moment, then suddenly stopped and looked at Yong-yong.
His expression had grown more menacing because of the stench.
“This little…”
And then, Dragon Fear erupted once more.
“KRAAAAAAAAAAGH!”
In an instant, the Nolls surrounding us spun around and fled as if their legs were on fire.
“W-what in the…”
We stared in bewilderment at the Nolls suddenly fleeing. We’d never imagined such a sight.
All that remained where the Nolls had been was an overwhelmingly foul stench.
* * *
“Kyao!”
Once we’d escaped the stinking area, Yong-yong let out a cheerful little cry, clearly pleased.
“You’re quite something, aren’t you?”
I stroked Yong-yong’s head affectionately. I’d originally planned to test out Sword Technique, but I felt even better about this.
Sword Technique could be used anytime, but discovering another application for Yong-yong wasn’t something I could easily come by.
“So this creature is incredible? I did the roaring instead, but my body still stiffened slightly.”
“That’s because Yong-yong is a dragon. Yong-yong’s mother was far worse than that.”
“Worse than this?”
“There’s no comparison.”
“Well, you encountered the Red Dragon in a Gate above level 90, after all…”
I gently stroked Yong-yong’s head.
“Do you remember the sensation?”
“Hard to say. It was the Red Dragon’s roar. Yong-yong’s will.”
“We’ll need to find a way to control it.”
A roar that made even formidable monsters flee in terror—if I could harness it at will, our party’s combat strength would undoubtedly surge several tiers higher.
There was no doubt our party’s overall power would climb significantly.
“If Yong-yong just grows big enough, we’d have nothing to fear, right?”
“Exactly. If we raise him properly, we can just walk in and say ‘handle it,’ and we’re done. As long as we stay alive, a brilliant future is guaranteed.”
“Heh, when will he grow?”
The old man flinched at those words.
“Surely it won’t take decades, will it?”
“…No, surely not.”
“Don’t dragons live for hundreds or thousands of years?”
In that moment, our eyes met.
“…”
“…”
A brief silence stretched between us. If it truly took decades, that would be rather problematic. Of course, things were manageable now, but what good would it be if Yong-yong only matured after we’d all grown old?
There was no guide on the internet for raising dragons, and there was no way to know how long growth would take.
“Since he hatched after consuming a Flame Elixir, maybe feeding him more elixirs could accelerate his growth?”
“I’d certainly prefer that. At least we wouldn’t have to wait decades.”
“Right.”
“If we’re going to test that theory, we’ll need to run more Gates.”
It felt like I’d acquired another child I never gave birth to—one with astronomical education costs.
We set aside the small talk and refocused on the matter at hand.
“Chasing down the ones that fled would be a waste of time. Let’s search the ruins for items first.”
“Right. Besides, if they come back, one roar from Yong-yong and they’ll scatter again.”
I pointed toward the Temple at the center of the ruins.
“Let’s start there.”
Its location was the very heart of the ruins. Moreover, it was a Temple—the probability of finding something valuable was highest there.
Of course, a place like that Temple could also turn out to be a dead end.
Precious items could just as easily be hidden in some shabby building near the ruins’ entrance. It was all a matter of probability.
Still, the standard approach was to examine the most impressive-looking Temple first, then work outward.
“How’s Min-seok doing these days? He must have started a new school after moving.”
“Seems to be adapting well. Word got out that his father is a Dragon Knight, so he’s made quite a few friends.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Indeed. How impressive a Dragon Knight with an actual dragon must seem to children.
As we conversed, we reached the Temple-like structure at the center of the ruins. It certainly looked like a Temple.
A woman’s face was carved in relief on its surface. Perhaps it was a goddess worshipped in this place.
“How does the spatial aura feel?”
“Nothing particularly strong. We’ll need to go inside to know for sure.”
Within the range of my senses, I detected nothing particularly dangerous—no traps, no enemies lurking in wait.
The structure appeared to be a Temple extending deep in both directions, so I would need to venture inside to discern its true layout.
“Let’s prepare for combat before we proceed.”
There was no telling what might emerge. Perhaps several Awakened Ones lurked within. We drew our weapons and opened the door.
Creak—
Yet inside lay nothing. Like the other ruins, it was a Desolate Ruins.
That was when it happened.
A Gate notification materialized.
[The Space Mage summons the past time within this space.]
“Huh?”
“Space Mage?”
In this moment, only the old man and I remained frozen. Which meant the flow of time around us had begun to reverse.
The decrepit, desolate Temple gradually regained its color. As time flowed backward, dust vanished and furnishings restored themselves.
Of course, they hadn’t become brand new.
They appeared as though decades had passed—perhaps ten to thirty years rewound. Yet it was no longer the ruin it had been moments before.
“W-what is happening?”
“It seems to be related to my occupation.”
“You said Space Mage?”
“…Well, Space Mage, right? Master of space, something like that, perhaps?”
Damn this message.
Unable to reveal what Space Mage truly meant in this situation, I made excuses with all my might. Fortunately, the old man seemed too focused on his surroundings to pay attention.
In any case, summoning the past time within a space was rather unsettling.
Perhaps when the previous Space Mage said I was this world’s hope, it was because of something like this?
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve always experienced unusually frequent Gate transformations.’
Back then, such notifications hadn’t appeared.
I wasn’t certain, but the Space Mage occupation seemed to harbor secrets I had yet to discover.
[The Gate has transformed.]
[Decaying Temple]
-Recommended Level: 21~25
-Investigate the Decaying Temple.
Remaining time: 4 hours 59 minutes.
Please do so. Time remaining: 4 hours 59 minutes.
The notification appeared immediately after.
‘Investigate,’ it said.
Beyond merely containing valuable items, something secretive clearly lay hidden here.
Creak—
Then a sound echoed from deeper within the Temple. Turning my gaze, I saw a figure emerging through a doorway.
It was a man in his mid-forties, dressed as a Priest.
“…Ah, brothers have come to visit us.”
The Priest, equally startled upon seeing us, bowed respectfully in greeting.
“May the blessing of light be upon you. Brothers, welcome to the Temple of the Goddess of Light.”
The Priest stood before the massive window behind the goddess statue, bathed in sunlight streaming through the glass—a figure radiating sanctity.
A person had actually appeared.
It seemed the Desolate Ruins-type Gate we’d entered had transformed into a ‘narrative-type Gate’.

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