Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 271

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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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271. Catoblepas (2)
I had stepped forward boldly enough, but I couldn’t simply charge in headfirst. If I threw my full strength at it, I’d be the one taking the loss.
One might argue that it didn’t matter since I had the Subspace, but that reasoning was only half correct.
My time wasn’t infinite. I’d grown slightly younger after consuming the Elixir of Youth, but each wrong decision cost me hours of aging.
Like getting drenched by drizzle without noticing—if this accumulated, it would become quite terrifying.
‘I used it recklessly in the early stages of my awakening….’
Recently, I’d been careful about how much time I spent inside the Subspace. In a few years, would I become Han Hye at thirty with hair as white as snow?
I was human, after all. Even if I was young now, I might regret it in just over a decade.
-I should have spent less time in the Subspace back then!
There was no guarantee another Elixir of Youth would appear, so I needed to conserve it carefully from now on.
If circumstances demanded it, I’d have no choice, but regardless, my time was an asset and I needed to use it efficiently.
And knowing both yourself and your enemy meant victory in every battle.
First, I needed to understand how strong Catoblepas was to use my strength efficiently.
“So only Choin’s heat ray works, right?”
I was pretending to be ignorant, but the Fist King, who was quite intelligent, was also observing Catoblepas just like me.
“You didn’t hear about it on the way here?”
What puzzled me was that the Fist King hadn’t received the briefing. The Fist King I knew wasn’t that kind of person. He should have already heard everything and analyzed the information.
The Fist King spoke confidently.
“I was sleeping.”
“Pardon?”
Rather, the Fist King looked at me strangely.
“Of course I slept. I fought Trimbo on the front lines and was heading to catch Catoblepas. I needed to recover my stamina, didn’t I?”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, he wasn’t wrong. The Fist King was human just as I was. Hadn’t I told the Guild members to get rest too?
And the Fist King, who would be fighting on the front lines, needed stamina recovery even more. I’d grown too accustomed to the Subspace.
‘I’d also been overestimating the Fist King.’
Because of his roar and the monsters that swarmed in response, the initial landing point was at a distance from Catoblepas, so there was plenty of time to explain as we moved.
“Only Choin’s laser and the Grand Mage’s attacks are effective, they say.”
“So only top-tier hunters can damage it? S-rank skills or higher?”
“It’s not that there’s no damage at all. It means they can deal meaningful damage. They estimate its hide is about as tough as Ja-tan’s shell.”
As I continued explaining the briefing I’d received, the Fist King’s eyes widened.
“That bastard Choin is the problem.”
“Huh?”
“If the laser deals damage, then it’s because of this bastard that they haven’t caught it yet, isn’t it?”
Could it really be like that?
I felt it was a bit unfair, but the Fist King continued.
“If they kept hitting the same spot with the laser, wouldn’t they have caught it long ago? It’s a flying creature, after all.”
“It wouldn’t be that easy.”
Choin and the Grand Mage here were basically attacking Catoblepas from a distance.
No matter how massive the creature was, it was still a moving monster. Hitting the same spot from range wasn’t easy.
“That’s because Choin is a coward.”
“Pardon?”
My eyes widened involuntarily at such blunt words.
“Even if the Grand Mage can’t get close, he can, can’t he?”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”
“Since Choin’s physical durability is similar to ours, he just didn’t go because he’s a coward.”
“Is that so?”
“Exactly! Frankly, why did you and I get called here? We were summoned to charge bare-handed at that insane monster the size of a sports field.”
“That’s a fair point, isn’t it?”
I hadn’t thought that far while capturing the Lion-Human and only receiving a briefing.
“Have you heard anything about what Catoblepas does in close combat?”
“No.”
“Look at this.”
With those words, Fist King glared at Choin floating far in the sky.
“He’s had cowardly tendencies since way back.”
Still, I couldn’t say I completely disagreed.
“The government must have told him to be careful.”
It’s something all hunters have heard.
-Please, come back safely. If it’s dangerous, retreat first.
The Advance Team hunters are treated as strategic national assets. Each country prioritizes the safety of their own hunters above all else.
“What about us? If the situation is like this, shouldn’t orders come down to try something, but this has connections from above.”
“No way.”
This is the Australia subjugation with global implications at stake. Would they really do this over something like that?
“It’s those Americans. They probably threw some money around.”
Fist King’s tone was oddly confident. I watched him silently. He thrust his chest out proudly.
“Of course! We threw some money around too.”
Wait, did something like that actually happen? If Russia did it, I was certain the United States would be 100% involved.
“They told me not to push myself either. But I don’t do that, you see. I’m different from a coward like Choin.”
“But we specialize in close combat, so isn’t it hard to hold back?”
“…It’s just that I’m fundamentally different from a coward from birth.”
As we chatted idly, Catoblepas was drawing closer. Of course, we were having this conversation while running.
“Otherwise, wouldn’t they have told Choin to get closer before calling us?”
“Hmm.”
“If the situation seemed hopeless now, shouldn’t we have tried something new?”
Come to think of it, everything he said made sense. Were we really being used as a last resort? It seemed like it.
Ugh, that irritates me.
Seeing my expression, Fist King chuckled.
“I wonder if that bastard will play the hero after we catch it.”
“That won’t happen.”
If something like that occurs, I’ll make it crystal clear. The United States’ reaction? I don’t care.
As people said, it was only a matter of time before I claimed the position of the world’s number one Choin.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have dared entertain such thoughts, but now I had nothing to lose.
And as a bonus, I could also sever the crazed “Seong” in the United States.
“We’re almost there.”
“Should we go?”
“Let’s scout first.”
When Catoblepas drew near, I had no information on what it could do. Rather, information about Catoblepas itself was scarce.
All the Australia Subjugation Team had done was launch long-range attacks from a distance with fifty percent of our forces, tickling it from afar.
“Be careful.”
“Of course.”
Fist King stomped the ground.
* * *
Though I’d complained freely with Fist King, the truth was that Choin hadn’t done absolutely nothing. There had been three approach attempts.
I’d mentioned this during the briefing with Fist King. He’d reacted that way after hearing it.
From those attempts, I’d gleaned two pieces of information.
One was that the closer you got to Catoblepas, the heavier your body became. There was a sense of oppression even without any roar.
‘I need to raise my mental stat.’
I was glad I’d been diligently raising it. A creature that crushed you with its mere existence, without even roaring.
It had been the same with the Demon Realm Earl last time, so it seemed that as enemies grew stronger, similar phenomena occurred.
The second piece of information was that its long tail whipped down on those approaching it like a lash.
Its speed was tremendous. The fact that the flying Choin had attempted and then hastily retreated proved it.
‘Really seems like a coward too.’
That said, my complaints weren’t unfounded. I found myself agreeing with Fist King on many points.
It would be madness for the vanguard to charge at that mass, so realistically only Choin could do anything here.
If I were Choin, I would have attempted more. Not like this, just maintaining the status quo while draining my stamina.
I already had an idea. I could try to bait Catoblepas into striking itself with its own tail.
‘Though that might not be very effective.’
Still, wasn’t he the number one hunter? It was natural to expect him to try something rather than just stand there.
I’d actually thought this front would finish first.
With Choin, the Grand Mage, and Sword King here, along with half the subjugation team. Even if Sword King had been dispatched from Team 1 as support.
Well, there’s nothing to be done. We could only adapt to circumstances.
“Ha!”
Fist King threw a punch from a distance. With a sharp crack, the air burst as an invisible force shot toward Catoblepas like an arrow.
I watched its trajectory intently. It reached the creature. Its hide remained undamaged.
“Grrrraaah!”
Yet Catoblepas roared as if enraged. Was it an internal strike technique? At any rate, Fist King’s punch seemed to have impact.
Now it was my turn. For now, I was still probing from a distance.
-Whoosh!
The searing heat from the flame talisman clung to its hide. However, it didn’t burn away easily and disappear.
-Crackle!
It felt like burning a non-flammable object. Similar to when I faced Ja-tan. Using Incinerate didn’t seem like the right approach.
I could burn it, but it would take forever. I was beginning to understand why my attacks had barely scratched it.
“It’s not working?”
Fist King shouted.
“If we’re fighting for about a week, that’s fine.”
“That won’t do.”
Ja-tan at least had a shell, but this creature boasted nearly equivalent defensive power with just its hide alone.
Fortunately, it wasn’t as fast as the Lion-Human. Every monster had its strengths and weaknesses, after all.
‘I’ll have to go with Severance in the end.’
That’s what those above wanted from me. To breach Catoblepas meant to pierce through that hide.
Once I broke through, I could attack its interior just as I had with Ja-tan.
In that case, choosing the right location mattered. Somewhere all four of us—me, Fist King, Choin, and the Grand Mage—could target.
There was an obvious spot.
‘That creature’s head…’
Despite its massive body, it kept its head lowered. That’s precisely why it bore the name Catoblepas.
Which meant its crown was clearly visible to us.
Choin and the Grand Mage had apparently targeted that spot too—there were scattered wound marks. But I doubted that was the answer.
There’s no way such an obvious weak point would be exposed. Wouldn’t it be harder there than elsewhere?
‘The flank would be better.’
The part without bones. With no skull to protect it, I just needed to pierce through and create an opening.
If I attacked slightly lower, it would cause continuous bleeding as well.
“I’ll target the flank!”
“Be careful!”
Hearing Fist King’s warning, I activated Leap.
-Whoosh!
I could use Severance anytime within my spatial awareness, but to properly strike something this size, proximity was essential.
Using Swift, the world slowed slightly as I prepared Severance, investing most of my mana into it.
-Whirrr!
Did this creature possess something like killing intent? The moment I approached, its tail whipped forward like a lash at a speed that made even Choin flinch.
But it didn’t matter. I hadn’t approached recklessly.
-Whooom!
My spatial awareness allowed me to predict an opponent’s attack trajectory even without seeing it. But if it wasn’t a seasoned warrior’s sword or spear, but rather a tail with a fixed starting position?
No matter how fast that speed was, I could block it easily.
-Crash!
The moment the tail struck the Subspace with an absurd sound, I activated Severance.
-Shwaaack!
In an instant, a line appeared across the hide. Blood erupted from the wound.
“Huh?”
“?”
I wasn’t the only one shocked. I never expected it would be cut so easily.
“What in the—”
I’d compressed my Segmentation as much as possible, thinking it would be enough for Ja-tan, but it cut through just as cleanly.
Having experienced Ja-tan before, this felt similar yet distinctly different.
So magic resistance held up well enough, but physical attacks like Segmentation seemed to find less resistance—if that’s the right way to put it.
A thought suddenly struck me.
‘This thing would get cut by a sword too, wouldn’t it?’
I could guess why no one had discovered this.
Nobody had been foolish enough to approach this massive monstrosity and attempt a melee strike.
Besides, the Sword King from Team 1 was positioned in the rear guard, and the rest of the vanguard were attacking safely from range.
The pressure this creature exerted, combined with the whip’s speed and destructive power, was something even an elite Advance Team couldn’t handle.
‘Thank goodness for Subspace.’
But regardless, the solution was clear to me now.
At this point, I was committed. The others could target its flanks or whatever they wanted—
-Thud!
I leaped onto its back. My objective was crystal clear. I gripped Esirel tightly with both hands.
Using the strength of my legs and core, I drove the blade downward. Again and again.
-Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
It wasn’t cutting through like soft flesh. This thing came from a colossal specimen, after all. It was tough. Still, the blade was penetrating.
-Thunk! Thunk!
I thrust the sword relentlessly.
“GRRRRAAAAAHHH!”
The creature shrieked. What about the incoming tail? Simple—Subspace.
-Whoosh!
The tail was behind it. So if I positioned Subspace diagonally across my back, it would never connect.
‘Seriously, why am I even getting support against this thing?’
If I were Team 1, I would’ve finished this long ago and been back aboard the carrier sipping coffee by now.
Of course, Catoblepas wasn’t done yet.
“GRRRRAAAAAHHHHH—!”
It unleashed a roar unlike any before. And the head it had been lowering the entire time finally rose. Its long neck stretched toward the sky.
-Splooooosh!
And it spewed something skyward.
“Huh?”
No—it wasn’t blood.
“Everyone, dodge!”
A sickly mixture of deep green and purple—a venom that looked ominous even from a distance.

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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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