Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 225
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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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225. Übermenschen (1)
“Phew. So it’s today.”
“Mister, are you feeling alright?”
“Of course. Even if I’m not, I have to be.”
My head snapped around at Mister’s words.
“The real problem is….”
“Don’t worry. I’m in peak condition.”
On the day of the Gold Ticket Event Venue, Mister smiled broadly. He rolled his shoulders lightly, loosening up his body. Since I’d rested properly, there were no issues.
A slight tension remained. After all, we weren’t entering a Gate—the Übermenschen were coming to us.
As I rode in the car, I organized my thoughts again. After hearing the intelligence Liu Zhen had passed along, I’d investigated the Chinese winners once more.
It was necessary. Yet I’d found no anomalies.
‘Even when I observed from a distance yesterday, they were all non-awakened.’
During their entry the day before the event and their day of rest, I’d conducted thorough baggage inspections, but nothing seemed amiss.
The same applied to winners from other nations. Because of this, I’d decided to ease my concerns about that front.
Though who knew what else might emerge, there was no need to worry excessively.
Unless ordinary non-awakened individuals possessed special items, the likelihood of them posing direct harm to us was low.
‘There are only two possibilities.’
The winners were either completely unrelated or served solely to gather information on our internal situation.
After all, hadn’t there been someone beside the Witch who hadn’t attacked me but was losing consciousness?
I suspected they might be preparing for variables—like the Gold Ticket Event Venue’s location suddenly changing.
If such a situation arose, that person would immediately contact someone.
-At least it wasn’t from the sky.
We suspected the enemies’ entry route was by sea. Coming from the sky carried too much risk. Especially in a place like Korea, it was nearly impossible.
Unless there was internal assistance. Even with China’s assassins and Übermenschen members, breaching Korean airspace was difficult.
-They’ll probably fly to China first, then take a boat down from there.
One reason they’d allied with China involved the movement route. Taking a boat from their operational base to Korea was too far.
Though I’d anticipated this, I hadn’t locked down the West Sea like catching a mouse. I couldn’t monitor the entire sea, and there were various complications.
If ordinary people discovered them, they’d become casualties. Moreover, hadn’t I already set traps for them?
Deliberately creating problems that made them withdraw would be worse.
-We detected suspicious movements, but lost them once they entered the inland.
In any case, during the intelligence-gathering process, I’d observed individuals presumed to be them. Since they were skilled, I couldn’t maintain pursuit.
Unless someone of Seo Seung-yeon’s caliber went after them, losing them was inevitable.
Therefore, our information remained limited—only the Chinese assassins and Wang Tao.
But the Übermenschen faced the same limitation.
‘They’ll think it’s just me, Mister, and our Guild.’
If the situation didn’t resolve quickly after the assault, they’d expect reinforcements to arrive….
But they’d never dream that those reinforcements already knew the situation, nor that the Fist King was included in our party.
In other words, both they and we occupied similar positions.
The car was pulling into the Gold Ticket Event Venue.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Then.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“Understood.”
I surveyed the faces of my guild members and rose from my seat.
“Let’s go.”
Thus, the second Gold Ticket Event Venue began.
* * *
“Is he moving?”
“He’s said to be on his way. The location remains unchanged.”
“He wouldn’t be lying, would he?”
At the Übermenschen’s question, Wang Tao’s brow furrowed.
Contemptible creatures. Though they shared a common purpose and worked together, these were not people he wished to associate with.
From Han Hye’s perspective, the Übermenschen and Shin Chang were one and the same, but Wang Tao perceived them differently.
Noticing that expression, the Übermenschen’s lips curled upward.
“What? You want to be certain, right?”
“With family held hostage in the homeland, would he lie?”
“I’ve seen plenty of people who’d sell their own parents and children.”
“….”
“Even those ordered to die will spill everything if you lay a hand on them.”
A figure called Mak-ju, the leader of the Chinese assassins standing beside Wang Tao, spoke in his stead.
“He has no reason to deceive us about the location. You understand that, don’t you?”
“I do. I’m not an idiot. I just want to be thorough. Couldn’t information have leaked from your side?”
Wang Tao bristled.
“Our side? Not yours?”
“You’re closer to Korea than we are. You have connections with Shin Chang and the Space Mage, don’t you?”
The connections with Shin Chang and the Space Mage.
A matter that had dealt a severe blow to China’s prestige—the faces of the Chinese awakeners twisted.
The atmosphere turned murderous.
Five months of cooperation. It was natural for a gathering of those with the same objective but poor relations.
“Enough. This conversation is pointless.”
Mak-ju cut off the exchange.
“There has been no indication whatsoever that Korea knows of our attack. It couldn’t be.”
The Übermenschen and China had only recently joined hands. It was inconceivable that Korea would know of this.
The possibility of information leaking from the Chinese side was also extremely low.
This operation was known only by a select few among the Chinese Government’s awakeners, and both Wang Tao and the assassins had come risking their lives.
Especially this matter—if revealed, the damage would extend far beyond mere reputation. They had come with certainty it would not be revealed, but the risk was enormous.
“Well, that’s true.”
The Übermenschen side acknowledged this. Since joining hands, they had been carefully monitoring the situation.
The Chinese side was also keeping a keen eye on Korea.
“The location is the same. Your phone has location tracking enabled, so don’t worry. We’re moving to a place we already knew about beforehand.”
The Übermenschen member nodded.
“We’ll kill them all without exception. It won’t change anything even if one of the participants is from your country.”
“Of course it won’t….”
“Right. If any of you survive, it’ll be a problem. You’re well-known figures, after all. I didn’t even realize you were working as assassins.”
The Übermenschen member grinned widely, and the expressions of the Chinese hunters stiffened slightly.
“Provoking us like that won’t benefit either side.”
“I’m just bored. Bored out of my mind. My apologies.”
His face showed no remorse whatsoever, but Mak-ju sighed and nodded at the nominal apology.
In truth, they couldn’t escalate the situation. This operation came from orders higher up.
Although Wang Tao was the number one awakener in China and held real power in the government, the ones pulling the strings were elsewhere.
He was in his fifties, lagging behind the Advance Team in level, but he was a brilliant strategist. The fact that he orchestrated the coup d’état alone was sufficient proof of his capabilities.
-Just cooperate for now. We can handle any problems that arise later. If we play this right, we can exert significant influence over Korea and Japan.
The cooperation between the Übermenschen and China was mutually beneficial from the start. This operation wasn’t simply about killing Han Hye.
The Übermenschen needed a foothold for expansion and operations in East Asia.
They had planted agents in China and joined hands with Daeup for that very reason. But problems arose with Liu Zhen, and when attention turned to Korea, the Space Mage complicated matters.
Beyond revenge, they needed to set everything right.
Meanwhile, China too harbored grand ambitions for expansion.
China had always considered itself the center of the world, even before the Gate crisis.
-Internal stability has been achieved since the coup. We can increase our influence now. Internal conflicts will naturally subside.
The duel with Shin Chang a few years ago was largely for this reason. A rising talent had emerged from what they considered a minor nation.
Though internal chaos still lingered, they sought to eliminate this threat preemptively under the guise of a duel, reducing Korea’s awakener strength.
That way, when they offered assistance, they could extract what they wanted and naturally gain a foothold in Korea’s Gates.
In reality, hunter superpowers frequently employed such tactics against weaker hunter nations.
-The rise of a new Gate imperialism
-Gate-style colonization? Is this acceptable?
Gates were hazards, but they were also national assets. Through them, hunters could grow, items could be obtained, and technological development was possible.
However, for weaker hunter nations, Gates became assets they couldn’t manage. If they couldn’t subjugate them, a Gate Break would occur.
Naturally, they had no choice but to request cooperation from other nations, and often unreasonable conditions were demanded in return.
Even with many hunter superpowers, it was difficult to keep asking for help repeatedly.
-China and Nepal sign hunter cooperation agreement!
Thus, nations signed hunter cooperation agreements, transferring their Gates—national assets—to other powers.
They had to entrust security to handle release-type incidents and the like, and in the process, national information leaked out.
Or, even when self-subjugation was possible, national power disparities were exploited to forcibly conclude agreements.
A vicious cycle. Without hunters to subjugate Gates, they couldn’t develop new hunters.
-The Space Mage is unpredictable.
In such circumstances, Shin Chang was growing within normal parameters, and his future was also within predictable ranges, but….
Han Hye was not. Level 57 in a single year. A monster among monsters who had risen to the Advance Team.
-If another year passes at this rate? She might reach levels 80 or 90 alone.
Even accounting for the increased experience requirements at higher levels, the numbers made no sense.
If Han Hye reached that level of power on her own, even China would find no way to handle her.
In other words, for them, this opportunity was the last chance for China’s future.
Dealing with Han Hye took priority over the stronger Shin Chang.
“It’s time to move. Let’s go.”
The Übermenschen, Wang Tao, and China’s assassins rose from their seats.
* * *
The second Gold Ticket Event Venue was no different from the first. Since the order was divided simply for merchandise sales, it was perfectly identical.
We handed out physical gold tickets and that was all—petting Yong-yong, feeding him, and riding him.
Yet the event proceeded under a veil of tension. Of course, I made an effort not to let the winners sense it.
After the petting and feeding turns, now came the time for riders to mount Yong-yong.
‘How will they come?’
I tensed my muscles as I watched Yong-yong descend after his flight. The event was nearly at its end.
Now it was the Chinese participant’s turn to ride Yong-yong. For us, this was the moment we had to be most vigilant.
‘I figured if the enemy launched a surprise attack, it would come when mounting Yong-yong.’
This moment, when the Dragon Knight and Red Dragon couldn’t fight properly because of the contestant, would be the perfect opportunity for them.
Then, a voice crackled through the small radio receiver I’d placed in my ear.
-Multiple unidentified individuals approaching the venue!
-They’re fast!
It was Seo Seung-yeon’s voice. As a sniper, she had to be positioned nearby.
‘They’re coming.’
I saw Yong-yong descending vertically from the sky. The old man who heard the message was coming down.
They might become cautious, thinking we’d noticed them…
But at this point, it didn’t matter.
Having come this far, turning back was impossible.
-Whoosh!
That’s when I felt the surge of magical power.
[Dark Night Barrier (S-rank) Scroll has been used.]
The moment the message appeared, the surrounding area darkened dramatically. A black rectangular barrier descended over this wide empty lot used for Yong-yong’s flight event.
[Those inside the Dark Night Barrier cannot exit to the outside.]
Was this it?
I couldn’t predict what they were carrying, seeing that even Wang Tao and the assassins from China had come…
But if it was an S-rank scroll, I supposed it was possible. S-rank items alone are eye-watering, and if a single-use scroll is S-rank, its effects would be absurd.
Surely there were other effects besides preventing escape to the outside.
[Dark Night Barrier target designated.]
[One skill of the Princess of Space, Han Hye, is sealed.]
[Skill ‘Subspace (S-rank)’ has been sealed.]
Damn.
I swallowed a bitter laugh at the following message.
This was completely unexpected?
“They’re here!”
And within the darkened space, enemies began pouring in at a terrifying speed.
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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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