Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 270

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

270. Catoblepas (1)
“Phew.”
The moment I entered the Subspace and woke after sleeping, my body and mind felt remarkably clear.
[Lv70 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 99(+4)
Agility: 99(+4)(+5, +1)
Stamina: 103(+1)
Spirit: 90
Mana: 113(+1)
Bonus Points: 3
Skills: Subspace(S-rank) lv6, Blaze(S-rank) lv6, Severance(S-rank) lv6, Leap(A-rank) lv7, Flame Resistance(A-rank) lv9, Domain(A-rank) lv3, Iron-Winged Duelist Sword(A-rank) lv5, Universal Translation(B-rank) lv1, Swift(C-rank) lv8, Cold Resistance(C-rank) lv4, Toxin Resistance(D-rank) lv6
I checked my status window first. I’d gained one level from capturing the Lion-Human. The experience was meager for an enemy of that caliber, but that was because so many hunters were involved in the fight.
The eight bonus points I’d had before were distributed evenly—four each to Strength and Agility—during the battle.
The enemy was too fast and powerful; I couldn’t afford not to invest in stats. Only Swift and Domain increased in skill level.
Unfortunately, the situation hadn’t allowed for proper martial arts training exchanges.
‘I’ll need to try this again in the Subspace.’
Shin Chang, Fist King, Liu Zhen, and others—there was no shortage of people eager to use the combat review training facility that appeared in the sixth Subspace.
I wanted to face that bastard properly, but not right now. It was something to consider later.
“You’re back?”
“Yes.”
The landscape outside the Subspace was exactly as it had been before. While everyone else was exhausted and worn out, I felt like I’d had a miraculous morning.
It was routine for me, but the hunters seeing me for the first time looked at me with unmistakable envy.
“How’s your condition?”
“Perfect.”
“Insane. I’m dying of jealousy.”
The hunters spoke with faces that looked genuinely exhausted. They were covered in dust and monster blood alike.
I, on the other hand, had washed up properly and changed clothes inside the Subspace before emerging. It made me stand out.
“Ha ha…”
After laughing awkwardly, I focused on clearing the surrounding area. We needed to drive back the monsters to board the helicopters safely.
They kept coming, but without the Lion-Human, the Advance Team made short work of them.
—Boom!
Military support arrived as well. Fighter jets in the distance were repelling the approaching monsters with bombing runs.
Seeing explosions continue even after the jets passed, it seemed the naval fleet was providing support too.
“How’s your body feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
In that moment, I checked on Shin Chang’s condition. He nodded as if nothing was wrong, but Seo Seung-yeon was in a panic.
“Fine? What do you mean fine!”
“Catoblepas seems to be in rough shape.”
Even I could see he wasn’t doing well. The Lion-Human’s spear had pierced through his abdomen. Healing magic had been applied immediately.
But continuing combat after that? I wasn’t sure. I wouldn’t have recommended it.
“You look good.”
“I’ve had some rest, so I’m fine. Let me rest a bit more.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay!”
This was between Shin Chang and Seo Seung-yeon—I had no place to intervene, nor did I want to. You simply didn’t get involved in disputes between men and women.
Still, watching Shin Chang gauge her reaction at Seo Seung-yeon’s sharp rebuke, it seemed like things would go her way.
“Let’s go.”
And the helicopter departed. Retracing the path we’d come. The ground and monsters receded into the distance.
“I wish I could just lie down and rest like this.”
That was Min-jae speaking. Unlike me, the other Guild members bore unmistakable signs of exhaustion. And for good reason—the battle had been grueling.
Even moving in the Lion-Human team and support team as we’d originally divided, it had been intense enough.
‘Crazy bastard.’
The battlefield had descended into chaos. Everyone must have been drained, both mentally and physically.
First, we had to stay vigilant since the Lion-Human could target us at any moment, and we had to keep moving frantically.
On top of that, there were supposed to be designated people watching the Lion-Human and others covering the monsters approaching from behind.
But with the battlefield in disarray, those distinctions had largely vanished.
‘Overkill must have happened frequently too.’
Sectors got tangled. Especially for mages, where concentrated firepower was crucial—there must have been considerable waste.
As for me, I’d just returned from a thorough rest in the Subspace, so it was hard to offer comfort.
“Get some sleep, even if it’s just a little. During the transit.”
“Here?”
Min-jae shrugged his shoulders.
“It’ll be tough.”
Sleep on a military helicopter roaring with deafening noise? Even Hunters trained to fall asleep almost anywhere found it difficult.
They’d just come from combat and were still in an excited state.
“I’ll try.”
Still, Min-jae closed his eyes. So did Lee Shin-hee and Han Chul. At times like these, I wished I could lend them my Subspace.
This situation had given me some concerns.
‘Is it really okay to proceed like this?’
The battle with Catoblepas hadn’t ended yet, so the Hunters there must be struggling too. But I hadn’t seen it directly.
I wondered if it was right to go provide support with Hunters in this condition.
No. No, it wasn’t.
We didn’t know when another Mega Gate might open. Since we’d come this far, we needed to finish this quickly. We didn’t come all the way to Australia for nothing.
‘So that’s why command is necessary.’
The field has its own circumstances, but grasping the overall context becomes difficult.
I should follow orders from above, where they understand the full situation.
‘They’ll handle it well enough.’
* * *
-Team 3’s injured are returning immediately.
Orders came down as we moved. Looking at this, it seemed those above had their own plans.
Miraculously, there were no fatalities, though injuries were plentiful.
Shin Chang’s severe wounds weren’t the only damage. The Lion-Human had thrashed about so violently.
Many of the vanguard had been hurt. Like Shin Chang, they’d thrown themselves into protecting the rear guard. And in the chaos, some of the rear guard had sustained injuries as well.
“I was going to participate again… Ugh!”
Shin Chang, who was in the same helicopter as me, started speaking but stifled a cry. Seo Seung-yeon had pinched his ribs hard.
“If you go back out there, I’ll shoot you myself.”
“….”
“Try saying you want to participate again if you have a death wish.”
It seemed Shin Chang’s return to the field was effectively decided against.
-Han Hye, please focus on penetrating Catoblepas’s hide as much as possible.
Separate orders came down to me as well. They’d requested our team’s support in the first place because Catoblepas was difficult to breach.
They seemed to want to find answers from the joints where I’d shattered Ja-tan’s carapace.
“What’s the exact situation?”
Since I was the core of the support effort, understanding the battlefield conditions was essential.
-Most hunters are maintaining safe distance and intercepting, but they’re unable to land precise strikes on Catoblepas.
“How severe is it?”
-It’s enduring at a level where we suspect it’s immune to most mages’ spells.
No damage at all? Seriously?
When Choin attacked it initially, it let out a terrible scream.
-Choin’s heat ray is dealing damage, but not enough to bring down that massive frame.
“This is getting dizzying.”
The fact that twice as many personnel were deployed there than we had wasn’t just because the Catoblepas situation was critical—it was also due to that colossal mass.
Unlike Ja-tan, it wasn’t particularly fast; instead, it focused on sheer durability.
It wasn’t called a calamity for nothing. Even if something is strong, you can pierce it if you can inflict wounds, but without any damage getting through, it’s impossible.
That’s the situation even with the Advance Team hunters gathered together—in the past, it must have been truly hopeless.
-Yes. We’re concerned that the hunters’ stamina will deplete first.
I wasn’t wrong to say it was dizzying. The situation seemed somewhat similar to ours.
The hunters would have to keep moving to evade the impenetrable giant Catoblepas.
Which meant they’d face the monsters pouring through the collapsed barrier again, resulting in another loss of firepower.
That’s probably why they called in support from the other members of our three teams.
-After Team 3’s victory was confirmed, they’ve been conserving stamina and holding the line.
“We need to move quickly.”
-Team 2 just finished their battle and is preparing to provide support.
“Oh, is it over now?”
I thought Team 2 would finish before us, but that Trimbo character turned out to be quite formidable as well.
“Heh.”
Shin Chang let out a laugh. There was a subtle confidence in it. Could he actually be thinking he’d won the competition against Fist King?
“As expected, we were faster.”
“That’s because Han Hye consumed the spear.”
That was Seo Seung-yeon’s comment. True, if I hadn’t consumed the spear into the Subspace, the battle would have taken much longer.
For now, he probably threw spears while recovering… and after that, I’d have to face him again in perfect condition.
‘Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.’
I found myself genuinely grateful that I’d awakened Subspace. That’s when Seo Seung-yeon’s eyes widened.
“Wait a second….”
Then she stared intently at Shin Chang. Shin Chang rolled his eyes and looked at me.
‘Why?’
I didn’t know the reason, but the atmosphere felt strange.
“Brother.”
“….”
“Don’t tell me you deliberately took that spear to catch him faster than Fist King?”
“…!?”
Shin Chang’s eyes widened.
“What? That doesn’t make sense. Who would deliberately take a spear?”
I could defend him on this one. Even for Shin Chang, taking a direct hit from that spear wasn’t easy.
“It just occurred to me. He was strong, but I don’t think you should have been hit by his spear at all?”
“That was because I was protecting Seung-yeon….”
“Even if you were protecting me. You could have pushed me away or fallen backward with me… there were other ways, weren’t there?”
“That’s not it. You probably just didn’t think of it in time.”
From what I could see, there was something between Shin Chang and Seo Seung-yeon. If he was in a moment of crisis….
He might not have been able to think that far ahead.
As I played the role of Shin Chang’s free lawyer while observing his expression, his face looked somewhat enigmatic.
Could it actually be true?
“Brother, did you make a bet with Fist King? About who catches him faster?”
“…I never did.”
“Are you asking me?”
“He just notified me on his own.”
Didn’t that statement mean he had made a bet?
“To see who catches him faster? That’s a bet!”
Seo Seung-yeon shouted, apparently thinking the same thing I did. With the situation escalating like this, I began to suspect as well.
“Wait, did you really deliberately take that hit? To counterattack with that skill?”
“…That can’t be.”
Actually, I was also inclined to think it couldn’t be, but now there was no way to know for sure.
“Tell me the truth.”
“I’m telling you it’s not.”
“If you tell me the truth, I’ll forgive you.”
Despite Seo Seung-yeon’s persistent persuasion, Shin Chang held firm. So the answer to this question remained unknown.
Whether it was really because of the bet, or because he was desperate thinking Seo Seung-yeon might get hurt.
“So it really was because of the bet!”
“….”
“It was, wasn’t it? Because of the bet? I’m losing my mind. If you do that again next time, you’re dead!”
Seo Seung-yeon’s threat made Shin Chang chuckle softly.
“You think I’m joking? If you die, I die too!”
The truth remained unclear, but one thing was certain.
Shin Chang gazed at Seo Seung-yeon, who was venting her frustration at him with full force, as if she were adorable.
* * *
—Thump-thump-thump!
While we exchanged banter, the helicopter drew closer to Catoblepas. The massive silhouette began to appear in the distance.
“Oh? That’s Team 2 over there.”
At the same moment, more helicopters appeared in the sky to our left. We’d subjugated our target first, but.
Given the distance, they’d arrived at roughly the same time. Was Fist King unharmed?
I’d heard that Team 2 had succeeded in their subjugation, but I hadn’t received the detailed circumstances.
Looking closely, I caught a glimpse of Fist King observing us.
“Hey!”
Our eyes met, and he flashed a broad grin.
“Tell them we subjugated ours first.”
Shin Chang, usually taciturn, spoke at unusual length. I was startled and looked at him. But Seo Seung-yeon was right beside him.
“Look at you. We made a bet, didn’t we? I knew it. I knew you’d do this.”
Shin Chang flinched. His burning competitive spirit had made him forget that Seo Seung-yeon was standing next to him.
In that moment, the other side shouted first.
“Shin Chang! I heard you were injured!”
Fist King’s opening salvo. Shin Chang tried to rise with an indignant expression, but Seo Seung-yeon held him back.
“Are you serious or not? Trying to win the bet like this…”
“I’m not.”
Shin Chang was in no state to respond to Fist King’s provocation. Would this count as a forfeit? I stayed quiet, unwilling to get involved.
And soon, Catoblepas drew near.
“We’re descending here!”
Because Catoblepas’s roar had nearly caused a helicopter to crash before, we kept our distance and descended from the aircraft.
“Get some proper rest.”
….
“Just get down. Seriously.”
Before descending, Seo Seung-yeon issued a stern warning to Shin Chang. In any case, the moment we landed, Fist King approached.
“Is Shin Chang alright?”
Unlike his earlier teasing, his expression seemed slightly concerned. So they were close after all.
“Yes. It’s not a serious wound…”
—Thud!
Someone landed beside us.
“Of course I’m fine.”
It was Shin Chang. Wait—the man with a hole in his side just jumped out of the helicopter?
As I stood in shock, Seo Seung-yeon spoke.
“You idiot.”
My tone was cold enough to raise goosebumps.
“Are you insane right now?”
“I’ll just watch from a distance.”
“Still!”
“You could be in danger.”
“Huh…?”
At Shin Chang’s words, Seo Seung-yeon fell silent. Shin Chang continued.
“I can’t just watch our Guild members get hurt.”
For someone like Shin Chang, such a lengthy explanation was nothing but an excuse.
Sigh…
“Tsk.”
As I sighed inwardly, Fist King clicked his tongue. I couldn’t agree more.
No, seriously—don’t do romance here.
“Let’s go.”
“Right.”
Fist King and I moved forward with the same resolve. Catoblepas, you bastard. You better remember this.
Take the anger we’re swallowing toward this lovesick couple instead.

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