Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 30

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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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30. Night of Despair (1)
-We have no way of knowing when the Discharge-type Gate will rupture.
The dangers of mana density imbalance became widely known after the irregular Discharge-type Gate generation incident five years ago.
I could understand why information was being controlled. It was to prevent social chaos.
-Based on Han Hye’s growth rate, I considered waiting until she reaches level 20 soon, but we concluded it’s better to subjugate it as quickly as possible, even by a day. We’re uncertain how Han Hye’s level will progress.
That made sense. If a Discharge-type Gate ruptures, all hunters of E-rank and above are obligated to participate in its defense.
If I reached level 21 by then, I wouldn’t be able to enter the level-restricted Survival-type Gate.
“Then should I go in alone?”
-No. We plan to proceed with the team as scheduled.
“Wouldn’t that be better given the urgent situation?”
If a Discharge-type Gate could rupture at any moment, it seemed better for me to go in quickly and return alone.
There would be no consumption of additional Secretaries, and it would be the safest approach.
-That opinion was considered, but we concluded it’s better to invest with an eye toward the future. We’re viewing the people gathered this time as potential vanguard hunters.
Park Seo-ung added that they had reached this decision after much deliberation.
It was a judgment I could understand.
High-level vanguard hunters are incredibly powerful, but they’re not invincible. High-level Gates are dangerous, after all.
Casualties accumulate gradually, and it’s inevitable that some retire or die.
In contrast, promising talents showing potential to reach higher levels didn’t appear very often.
“What? What are they saying?”
The Mister whispered softly, having caught my serious expression during the conversation.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
When I relayed Park Seo-ung’s words, the Mister nodded lightly. It didn’t concern us.
“It should be fine. I’m level 19 right now.”
-Thank you.
“Oh, but I’m not sure if you’ve been informed—we recruited a guild member today. A level 17 mage. Can they enter with us?”
-A mage? Congratulations.
Park Seo-ung’s reaction was somewhat ambiguous. It was probably because of the mage class. It was an occupation avoided due to supply issues with mana stones.
It was natural since he didn’t know I had plenty of mana stones in my Subspace. In any case, permission was granted.
-We’ll prepare an additional Secretary.
“Then when should we enter?”
-We’d appreciate it if you could prepare as quickly as possible. The healer and the spirit summoner are ready to go at any time.
The call ended quickly, but I had already entered and exited a Gate today.
“I can start from tomorrow.”
-Thank you. We’ll prepare immediately. We’ll contact you again shortly.
* * *
The next morning.
We all headed to the meeting place together.
“The people entering the Gate with us today are potential team member candidates, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope they’re good people.”
At Seo Min-jae’s words, the driver nodded in acknowledgment.
“Still, the Hunter Association will have stationed the best support-class hunter at the same level on standby, so they should be useful. Compatibility is what matters.”
That’s right. The real issue is whether people mesh well together. Even if there’s no problem with skill, some people just don’t work well as a team.
The driver continued.
“I hope the healer is a good fit.”
“Exactly. If we can just get a healer, our composition will be perfect.”
With me and the driver leading as two vanguards, Seo Min-jae as our mage, and a healer joining us, the combination would be ideal.
Honestly, the last member didn’t really matter.
In fact, a solid warrior would be better than a summoner. Someone who could provide stable rear support so that the driver and I could fight freely.
If Seo Min-jae hadn’t been with us, a summoner would have been fine, but now it felt like there would be a position overlap.
Soon we arrived at the meeting place and encountered the others.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Seung-tae.”
“I’m Lee Shin-hee, the healer.”
Kim Seung-tae, the summoner, appeared to be a stocky man in his late thirties, while Lee Shin-hee was a rare beauty.
Kim Seung-tae wore a welcoming smile, though Lee Shin-hee seemed somewhat cold. He greeted us warmly.
“Phew, I’m relieved the Dragon Guild members came. I was wondering how much longer we’d have to wait.”
From what I’d heard, they had each been on standby for five months and three months respectively at level 20, which was understandable enough.
They would have received compensation from the Hunter Association for their waiting time, but falling behind in growth is a significant blow to any hunter.
“Right?”
“Hm?”
Kim Seung-tae looked toward Lee Shin-hee seeking agreement, but her response was rather stiff.
“You’ve been waiting a long time too, haven’t you, Shin-hee?”
“Ah, yes. Well…”
“Haha.”
Kim Seung-tae laughed awkwardly. Well, where there are extroverted people, there are introverted ones too.
“Since the Hunter Association said this is urgent, let’s move straight to discussing the Gate.”
The atmosphere had grown slightly awkward, so we quickly shifted to the Gate briefing. It wasn’t particularly grand, despite being called a meeting.
[Night of Despair]
-Level Restriction: 16-20
-Entry Limit: 5 people
Night of Despair is one of the known survival-type Gates. Of course, it’s not uniform.
The location, circumstances, and difficulty vary, making it difficult to predict exactly what awaits.
The common element is that once you enter the Gate, night begins, and you must survive the approaching enemies.
Of course, it doesn’t end when morning comes. It might not be just one night.
‘There have been cases where it lasted three days.’
During morning and afternoon, monster attacks become sparse, so we endure by regrouping until nightfall.
In any case, it’s definitely a difficult Gate.
Survival-type Gates are like that by nature. You clear the Gate simply by surviving.
Monsters appear that even players at the recommended level cannot possibly defeat.
Moreover, this Gate has a level restriction, and several teams that entered before us never came back out.
Whatever emerged, it wouldn’t be something I could simply evade my way through.
‘The name “Night of Despair” didn’t come from nowhere.’
This time, we had no advance intelligence about the Gate’s interior. Sometimes we obtained information beforehand by sending in an Escape Secretary, but we hadn’t done so this time.
That was because an Escape Secretary had been assigned to our team.
‘Even if one person enters with an Escape Secretary, there’s no guarantee they’ll bring back complete information about what’s inside.’
Without proper intelligence, all we’d managed to prepare was our team formation and responses to specific scenarios.
Nothing particularly unusual about that. Gates often lacked advance information anyway.
About an hour later.
After concluding our briefing, we entered the Gate.
* * *
[Night of Despair]
-Level Restriction: 16~20
-Party Size: 5 members
–
Survive.
Time remaining: 11 hours 59 minutes.
“Huh? This place…”
“What?”
Upon entering the Gate, we couldn’t help but be bewildered. The landscape before us was far too familiar—a modern city.
That alone wouldn’t have been so strange. We’d seen contemporary urban environments inside Gates before.
“This is… our country?”
But seeing Korean signage was unprecedented. Everyone exchanged confused glances as they surveyed their surroundings.
Of course, it wasn’t a pristine cityscape.
No signs of human presence lingered. Instead, ruins stretched before us—a city ravaged by monsters.
“Look, Namsan Tower is over there.”
Lee Shin-hee pointed to one side. Indeed, Namsan Tower came into view. The older man nodded.
“Right. This is near Yaksoo Station.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yeah. I went to university here. Lived in this area for a while—I know it well.”
The man swallowed hard as he surveyed the surroundings.
“More precisely, this is Yaksoo Station from the past. I went near the school recently, and that tonkatsu place over there had turned into a café.”
“The past?”
“Looking at the wrecked cars around here… roughly ten years ago?”
Everyone remained vigilant while struggling to conceal their shock. I felt the same way.
I knew that Gates could contain other worlds.
But I’d never expected a location from Earth itself. It had never happened before.
Yet thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely illogical.
If worlds ravaged by mana erosion appeared in Gates, Earth certainly could as well.
‘Since there’s no special notification, it’s not because of the Princess.’
I drew the Flowing Sword and scanned the area, but my spatial awareness detected no enemies nearby.
I couldn’t sense any people either. It was somewhat strange. I realized something.
“This isn’t actually a timeline brought from the past, is it?”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward me.
“As far as I know, no Gate has opened in this area.”
“Right. That collapsed building was still intact recently.”
Mister nodded in agreement.
“It seems they’ve only brought Earth’s space. There will be monsters here.”
“They should appear soon, time-wise.”
Judging by the color of the sky, it looked like we’d just passed 6 PM. Night would fall soon.
The Night of Despair Gate required enduring through the night.
We had eleven hours. It was a Gate we just needed to survive through for one day.
“Nothing has changed. If anything, consider it fortunate. It’s not an unfamiliar place—it’s somewhere Mister knows the geography of.”
I could see the bewildered party members finding some stability. I turned my gaze toward Mister.
“For now, let’s stick to the plan and hide while we observe the situation.”
The strategy that emerged from our brief meeting was simple.
Reconnaissance, establish a base, decide on combat.
If the enemies that appear seem manageable, we engage. Otherwise, we hide and wait out the time.
“Is there a decent place nearby? Somewhere easy to escape from?”
Choosing the right hiding spot was crucial. There had to be a reason the previous parties didn’t survive.
For instance, the enemies appearing here might possess the ability to locate us even while we’re hidden.
That’s why what I told the team wasn’t mere words. It’s actually a favorable situation.
Exploring a battlefield in an unfamiliar place is far worse than doing it somewhere we know.
“Jangchung Gymnasium would be better.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to head up toward Namsan? There should be the university Chul-gi attended. From higher ground, we can see the enemies coming and escape quickly….”
Kim Seung-tae voiced his opinion, but he was missing the bigger picture. Mister shook his head as well.
“I’ve thought about it too, but the gymnasium seems better for now. Monsters would have more freedom to operate in the mountains.”
Certain monsters and animal-types move more freely in mountains than we do. It could actually become a disadvantage.
Moreover, if we end up in urban combat within the city, even if monsters swarm us, we can fight with our backs to the walls.
“And we don’t know when night will start either. Time is tight.”
“Ah… I see.”
Kim Seung-tae was convinced by Mister’s words.
“Let’s move.”
We advanced in our predetermined formation. I took point, Mister covered the rear, and the rest stayed in the center.
I opened my mouth, just to be sure.
“Everyone, don’t forget to use the escape Secretary if you feel it’s dangerous.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t worry.”
Seo Min-jae answered spiritedly, while Kim Seung-tae responded with composed confidence.
That’s when we were heading toward Jangchung Gymnasium under Mister’s guidance.
A low rumble echoed.
From far behind me, I felt an intense wave of mana pulsing outward in concentric circles. Everyone recognized it immediately.
It was the signal of a Gate opening. Our entire party turned to look back.
And approximately two kilometers away in the distant sky, a Gate of considerable size was opening.
In other words, an exit-type Gate had opened inside the entrance-type Gate.
Based on its size, it appeared to be medium-grade rather than small or large.
“This is insane….”
“A, a crazy medium-grade?”
Mister clicked his tongue, and Kim Seung-tae visibly paled.
For good reason—medium-grade Gates could spawn monsters in the 30 to 40 level range.
There was a reason none of the parties that had entered before us made it out alive.

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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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