Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 240
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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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240. Ja-tan (1)
[Breaking News: Discharge-type Gate Detected in Middle East]
[Breaking News: Discharge-type Gates Detected in United States and Southeast Asia]
The discharge-type Gates that had begun appearing in Europe spread across the globe as if the phenomenon itself were contagious, traveling through the earth itself.
It started from regions closest to Europe. After sweeping through the Middle East and Africa, it crossed the seas to the United States. On this side, it affected Southeast Asia, Russia, and western China.
“You’ve arrived.”
The Korean Hunter Association had issued the summons when discharge-type Gates began appearing in the Middle East and Africa.
It wasn’t simply occurring in Europe alone—similar phenomena were happening simultaneously across the entire world.
“I suppose we should be grateful for the time lag, at least….”
During the first and second incidents, Gates had erupted simultaneously across the globe without any such progression.
But this time was different. The Gates were spreading outward, traveling through the earth as if propagating.
“Though it’s unfortunate that colossal-tier Gates have appeared.”
“Still, we should count our blessings. It’s better than having them open in unprepared states like Europe.”
Seven Guilds had gathered here in total—the top six Guilds along with the Dragon Guild. In our case, Seo-ung had specifically called us.
In truth, strictly speaking, our Guild’s ranking wasn’t high enough to warrant a seat at this table.
Guild rankings didn’t correlate directly with level and strength anyway. We had to build our standing through subjugation achievements.
Through various accomplishments, we’d climbed to the upper echelon of Guilds, but we hadn’t quite reached the absolute top tier.
‘You might call it a special selection process?’
Yet no one found it strange that our Guild had earned a place here.
During the last discharge-type Gate incident, our level hadn’t been this high, but our capabilities had been thoroughly verified through the recent Übermenschen crisis.
Besides, with the first and second-ranked Guilds—Dawn Light and Iron Wall—welcoming us, there was little room for objection.
And the newly ranked third through sixth Guilds, which had filled the void left by Daeup’s disappearance, approached us with genuine warmth.
-We’re fans. Truly.
They came forward with friendly intentions and exchanged names. Of course, given the gravity of the situation, we couldn’t engage in lengthy conversation.
That’s when Seo-ung entered.
“My apologies for the delay. There were many discussions regarding deployment.”
As if to underscore the severity of the crisis, Seo-ung immediately pulled up the presentation screen upon arrival.
A map of South Korea unfolded, with the names of each Guild marked at designated locations.
“I’ve given this considerable thought. Discharge-type Gates tend to occur primarily in densely populated areas, but that’s not always the case.”
True. This had always been a contentious issue since the Gate crisis began. Should we prioritize densely populated areas, or defend everywhere?
As urbanization intensified following the Gate crisis, the problem had become compounded by practical difficulties.
“Dawn Light will be organized as a mobile unit and head toward the central region of the nation.”
At Seo-ung’s words, the members of Dawn Light nodded in acknowledgment.
Though the second-ranked Guild, they were first-tier in terms of individual strength—an elite, specialized force. Organizing them this way was better than assigning them to defend a single region.
“Given that colossal-tier Gates have been confirmed in Europe, we will immediately deploy to any region where a colossal-tier Gate emerges.”
“And if no colossal-tier Gate appears?”
“At this point, I cannot provide a definitive answer. You will be prioritized for deployment to large-tier Gates in regions requiring immediate intervention.”
The third through sixth-ranked Guilds were assigned to Gyeongsang Province, Gangwon Province, Jeolla Province, and Chungcheong Province respectively. Of course, they wouldn’t be alone.
Other top-tier and upper-tier Guilds that hadn’t entered Gates also received deployment assignments.
With the Gate response protocol activated, all roads and airspace were under complete control, so movement itself wouldn’t take long.
Fortunately, Korea’s land area isn’t particularly vast.
‘Timewise, we should be able to finish deployment before the Discharge-type Gate opens.’
And what remained was us and Iron Wall. We already knew their positions. They were marked.
“Iron Wall Guild and Dragon Guild will stand by in Seoul.”
Iron Wall, a major guild holding the top position, would combine forces with other guilds to defend Seoul and Gyeonggi regions.
Given the large civilian population, many guilds would be assigned to those areas.
“Dragon Guild will have a similar role to Dawn Light. They’re scheduled to be deployed first to dangerous locations within Seoul and Gyeonggi regions.”
In our country’s terms, Dawn Light would be the rapid response unit, and we’d serve as the rapid response unit for the Seoul area.
I didn’t think it was bad. I was certain that Ja-tan would emerge from this Discharge-type Gate.
“It’s a blessing in disguise. This happened while the top-tier guild leaders weren’t inside the Gate.”
It was what Seo-ung added at the end, and I genuinely agreed with him.
* * *
Was I mentally prepared to face Ja-tan?
It was a question I posed to myself once the situation erupted. Even if not with complete confidence, I could nod affirmatively.
Since encountering the flame creature, I’d been receiving consistent psychological therapy. The hand tremors and tension I’d imagined were nearly gone.
Of course, I couldn’t know how it would be when I actually faced him…
‘At least it’ll be better than when I first met the flame creature.’
During therapy, I’d simulated every scenario. When meeting Ja-tan, there were times my body froze and I couldn’t move.
Therefore, I believed that wouldn’t happen again. I might become tense and rigid depending on the situation. But I absolutely wouldn’t freeze like I did back then.
In any case, Seo-ung’s reason for gathering us separately was to explain additional precautions to the selected guilds.
The Fourth Gate Crisis. Unlike the Third, its scale was considerable. Europe was currently in chaos.
-We might lose control of the situation.
Gates appearing in too many places, or enemies appearing in overwhelming numbers…
There was no guarantee the Hunter Association would function properly amid such chaos.
It would take time to issue orders through the waves of information and confusion.
In such cases, we were summoned to grant the guilds responsible for each district the authority and precautions to make independent judgments and act accordingly.
-Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound of helicopters flying through Seoul never ceased. There were many aircraft in the distance as well.
It was the sound of hunters and soldiers being deployed.
All civilians had moved to evacuation zones. Looking out the window at the roads, it was hard to find ordinary moving vehicles.
There were almost only military trucks and hunter vehicles.
“Wow, insane…”
We were watching the European crisis unfold from the space the Hunter Association had prepared for us. Some time had passed since the initial incident.
Most of the Gates that appeared in Europe had been cleared. But there was one problem.
‘A colossal Gate.’
The colossal Gate had appeared in France. And the monster that emerged from it was something I’d never seen before.
A winged lion, you could say. It stood about six meters tall from paw to head.
-Roooaarrr!
It unleashed a tremendous roar and breathed fire. You could call it a dragon’s breath. But that wasn’t the only problem.
The lion’s tail also had a serpent—no, a reptilian head attached to it. It resembled the earth dragon’s head I’d seen before.
A head that intercepted enemies from behind the lion’s rear. Its wings also looked remarkably sturdy.
France was nearly devastated by the powerful monster that first appeared.
“The Grand Mage has arrived!”
Fortunately, Genibeir Rosebel, the Grand Mage who had just cleared the Gate in Britain, had arrived.
“At least the Sword King will get some breathing room.”
France’s top-ranked hunter, the Sword King, was holding his ground, but it was difficult to do anything against a flying creature.
If he were to fall, there would be no hope at all, so he had been fighting defensively to hold out as long as possible.
“European hunters should be arriving for support soon. Will that put us in a safe position?”
The reason this international hunter cooperation was happening was because of what occurred in Australia. If you ignored another country’s crisis?
It meant you could end up with a constantly active emission-type Gate right next to your own borders.
“Yes. France will suffer irreparable damage, but it seems we’ll be able to contain it.”
“The Sword King has already wounded the monster through his own strength.”
“The problem is that it flies away to recover.”
Since this was the only super-massive Gate that had appeared on Earth, we were watching it quite intently.
I was certain that Ja-tan would emerge, but there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t, was there?
“We should be doing somewhat better since we have Yong-yong?”
“Right. And since Han Hye has her leap ability, she should be fine too…”
That’s when the Gate alarm sounded.
Eeeeng—!
A low, prolonged alarm that naturally made people tense rang out. We all stood up from our seats.
Where was the first one?
[Gangseo, a massive Gate has been created…]
[Gwangju, a massive Gate created!]
[Goesan, a medium-sized Gate created!]
It wasn’t just one place. Gates were occurring simultaneously in multiple locations. So the first count was three?
In the moment I was thinking this, the alarm continued to wail as the broadcast resumed.
[Incheon, a massive Gate created!]
[Wonju, a medium-sized Gate created!]
But what came next was quite shocking.
[Busan! A super-massive Gate has been created!]
Super-massive.
Even the announcer, speaking in their usual clipped tone, was stammering. Our atmosphere turned cold.
Medium and massive Gates were one thing, but a super-massive Gate was a serious problem. Wasn’t this the first one to appear in Korea since the First Gate Incident?
Probably, Dawn Light would depart immediately.
“We’ll continue standing by.”
I picked up my sword and stood, but it wasn’t time to move yet. The Gates that had appeared in Seoul could still be contained by the deployed personnel.
Unless more Gates appeared after a while.
* * *
[Wow, what’s with this crazy Gate alarm?]
-Is this the day Earth ends?
┗I confessed to my crush today
┗Why the sudden confession attack…
┗What are you planning to do after this emission-type Gate crisis ends?
-Almighty Akarat, protect me with your eternal light, guide me with your holy wisdom…
-Gates are breaking out everywhere across the entire region
-I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to die
┗Calm down, it’ll be fine
┗How can anyone stay calm?
┗Think about the First Gate Crisis. Back then, there weren’t even shelters like this, and there were no Hunters
┗True. Back then, most were colossal-sized, but now there aren’t any colossal-sized ones
Korea descended into chaos as an emission-type Gate erupted. The internet was pure pandemonium.
Still, it hadn’t reached complete chaos yet. After all, France was the only place on Earth where a colossal-sized Gate had broken through so far.
-Damn, a colossal-sized Gate broke out in Busan
┗Oh no…
┗This is insane
┗Is this really okay?
-Still, I think we can defend against one colossal-sized Gate? We have Dawn Light, Dragon Guild, and Iron Wall
┗You’re not in Busan, right?
┗Yeah, I’m in Seoul
┗That’s why you can say such things. I’m freaking out right now
┗Don’t worry, France is holding back their colossal-sized Gate too
┗Did you see Paris completely devastated?
┗What am I supposed to do, pray for death?
-Everyone, don’t worry. The shelters were built with utmost care. Even if buildings above collapse, the Hunters will take care of everything soon
And when the colossal-sized Gate erupted in Busan, the atmosphere wasn’t at its worst. An article came out saying Dawn Light was heading straight to Busan.
But forty minutes later, that changed.
[Seoul Han River, Colossal-sized Gate Emergence!]
-?
-?
-???
-Why are two colossal-sized Gates breaking out only in our city?
-Is this real?
The moment the second colossal-sized Gate erupted, people felt the terror from the First Gate Crisis all over again.
They said the shelters were safe, but honestly, everyone knew just how dangerous the monsters emerging from colossal-sized Gates truly were.
“Let’s go.”
And at that moment, Han Hye gripped Esirel firmly and rose from her seat. It was something I had anticipated. I had prepared for it.
Now it was time to fulfill an eleven-year-long cherished wish.
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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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