Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 309

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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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309. Restoration Gate (3)
“Sigh…….”
I had to revise my initial plan to dispatch these creatures as quickly as possible and rush to aid Nereion—things weren’t unfolding the way I’d hoped.
The plan wasn’t holding.
‘This is rough.’
Was it the blessing of the demons? These creatures bore no comparison to Toljet from last time. Individual combat prowess was similar enough to his, but the difference lay elsewhere.
The problem was the demonic energy erupting with explosive force. They possessed capability, and so they didn’t engage me in close combat—they kept their distance.
—Boom!
Even though I was stronger than before, the fight wasn’t going smoothly. With seven Marquis-ranked demons here, penetrating even one gap felt impossible.
I could’ve pushed harder, but that would’ve meant taking wounds that could prove fatal.
‘Should I use the Oath of the Open Sky one more time?’
I had three uses remaining.
If I needed to save two for the battle against the Grand Duke, that left me only one chance in this fight.
I could recharge in the Subspace, but the cooldown is quite long. A single day wouldn’t be enough.
Recovery took days between uses, and that made holding out in the Subspace for over two weeks awkward.
‘That’s for a more certain opportunity.’
I could use Ahjussi more aggressively, or send Han Chul down below instead.
But these creatures were strong enough that even with First Guard or shields, injuries seemed inevitable.
The decision weighed on me. What would a good guild master have done? Would they have taken risks and fought aggressively to break through this situation and spur the guild members’ growth?
Or would they maintain the status quo given the danger?
“Han Hye, should I rampage a bit?”
“No! Stay as you are!”
My brief deliberation settled on the latter. The Advance Team’s paramount objective was survival. Staying alive meant gaining opportunities to grow stronger.
Right now, even I couldn’t break through—it was far too dangerous. The psychological pressure combined with overwhelming demonic energy made it worse.
‘If we fought one-on-one, I think we could pick them off one by one.’
But these demons coordinated well in moments like this. Whenever their opponent proved dangerous, they’d rally to each other’s aid immediately. Though that same principle applied to us.
They struggled to land solid blows on us either. I had Leap, and Diluvian could protect with the Subspace.
So a stalemate of sorts had emerged. The problem was that Nereion was losing ground.
Time wasn’t on our side. Eventually, I’d have to make a choice that involved risk.
‘Can’t everything go the way I want.’
Then there was only one option—I had to be the sacrifice.
Weighing considerable inconvenience against my teammates’ safety, it was only natural that I bear the burden.
—Whoosh!
I use Leap, pushing toward where more demons congregate. Simultaneously, I deploy the Oath of the Open Sky to shatter their barriers.
—Crash!
They weren’t prepared. I hadn’t used it even once since those first two times.
They probably thought those two instances were my trump card.
Among the demons knocked back by the shockwave, I discharged the full intensity of the Flame Talisman in all directions.
—Roaaaagh!
My vision fills with flames. With heat pouring in from every side, there was only one creature I was targeting.
The strategy was simple—reduce their numbers one by one. I could recover in the Subspace afterward.
It would just take considerable time, and I’d be inconvenienced. That was all.
I invest half my remaining mana into Domain Formation, sharpening my perception and the power of Severance.
Within my spatial awareness, I dull the movements of my chosen target. I pour every last bit of remaining mana into Severance.
—Slice! Slice! Slice!
Dozens of lines score across the demon’s body. I feel its form splitting apart.
But that’s not the end. I know well what demonic vitality can do.
Nereion last time should have died by human standards, and Diluvian survived even after turning to stone.
With Chun-bae’s warning in mind, I needed to finish this thoroughly.
—Whoosh!
The heat scattered everywhere converges on the severed demon’s remains. I burn them until nothing but ash is left.
—Whoosh!
I dart away with Leap. I’m on the edge of mana exhaustion.
—Hum!
I open the Subspace.
“See you in a bit.”
This was shaping up to be quite a long fight for me.
With my increased mana pool came proportionally longer recovery times, and I’d need to refill the Flame Talisman entirely.
* * *
“Whew.”
I could dispatch another one using the same method. It was actually easier than before.
These creatures didn’t know I could recover each time I returned to the Subspace.
They even attacked back carelessly, revealing their guard was down. But now they’d know better—they’d learned from experience.
Still, it didn’t matter. With a balanced stalemate broken, I’d killed two at full strength. The scales had tipped in our favor.
‘Finish the rest quickly, then rejoin Nereion…’
I didn’t need to catch them all. I was planning to leave some for Diluvian as well. The reason was simple.
First, Nereion’s battle with the Grand Duke wasn’t going well, and once I’d handled most of them, Diluvian would contain the rest.
Diluvian, devoted as he was to Nereion, would surely respect whatever Nereion ultimately wished, regardless of the outcome.
My plan was to capture a reasonable number, leave the rest to Diluvian, and then move to rejoin Nereion.
“Hye!”
But Mister arrived faster than I’d expected. I’d thought we had time since I’d been resting in the Subspace while fighting, but…
That wasn’t the case. During that stalemate, Nereion had been pushed back further.
Snap!
Mister gestured urgently with his fist. The situation with Nereion was very bad indeed.
There was no choice then. The moment of decision had come, and my choice was already made.
‘If Nereion dies, the Gate reward and everything else ends with him.’
I asked Mister directly.
“Can you hold out?”
“We have to!”
I couldn’t take those words at face value. I’d beaten two of them, but without me, we’d definitely lose ground.
But I couldn’t bring everyone with me, nor could I simply not go.
“If you start losing, fall back steadily. Into that direction!”
As the situation spiraled toward disaster, my judgment was that fighting a scattered engagement was our only chance.
Either way, it created a possibility.
“If it gets dangerous, use the Escape Secretary right away!”
“Yes!”
“Acknowledged!”
It was Diluvian who was thrown by our exchange.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m counting on you!”
“Absolutely not!”
Diluvian suddenly stepped in front of me. But the enemies were watching closely too.
There was no time for a long discussion.
“Are you willing to let Nereion die?”
……
“If we survive now, we’ll find a path forward—whether it’s the Grand Duke’s seat or anything else.”
They’d said that if I helped, the Grand Duke’s position couldn’t be maintained. That didn’t matter now. There’s an old saying: even a dung heap is better than the grave. It didn’t come from nowhere.
After a brief silence, Diluvian gritted his teeth and turned his body toward the enemies.
“…You must keep Lord Nereion alive.”
“Understood.”
I kicked off immediately after. Time had been lost while persuading him since Mister had given the signal.
This might be a moment where every second counted.
Whoosh!
I activated Leap and rushed deeper into Demon Authority Valley.
—Lady Han Hye.
Suddenly Chun-bae spoke up.
‘Why?’
I was already answering while running.
—You may not need to go.
‘Why?’
—Might you look at your surroundings?
Though frustration gnawed at me amid the urgency, I’d never lost by heeding Chun-bae’s words.
I glanced quickly around. Nothing particularly caught my eye at first.
‘What am I supposed to be seeing?’
—Look at the stream running beneath the valley.
What about it?
‘Nothing unusual…’
That was when I felt it. A river in the mountains should flow downward by gravity’s pull.
But this water was flowing backward—upward. A single word crystallized in my mind.
‘Heuk-ha.’
It was Nereion’s power. The moment I saw it, I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.
‘Did I judge too hastily?’
Nereion is a former Grand Duke himself. He wouldn’t have started a reckless fight. He came because he had confidence.
He might be enduring even this difficult moment for the sake of that.
Perhaps those who had our roles before didn’t go to help Nereion.
Even if Nereion won as a result, it wouldn’t have been good.
‘Yes. Let me trust him.’
Whatever the outcome, let me trust him. It was a gamble with the risk of the Gate subjugation reward on the line, but…
Watching that torrent of water, the risk I had to take seemed far smaller than I’d thought.
‘It’s all thanks to Chun-bae.’
—It’s not.
Thanks to Chun-bae, I obtained a good opportunity. Of course, that flow of water doesn’t guarantee Nereion’s victory, but…
In any case, now I know Nereion has something up his sleeve. Let me wait and see. I turned my body around.
When I turned back, the Demon Nobility who had been launching a barrage of attacks quickly retreated. It wasn’t so much that they feared me…
Rather, it seemed they suspected I was plotting to strike at them while pretending to help Nereion.
“?”
Diluvian looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“What’s this? You deceive even your own side to fool the enemy?”
“That’s not it. I really was going to help…”
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak honestly. It seemed they’d figure it out anyway.
“I wanted to trust Nereion once.”
“Yes. Trust him. He’s not the sort to be careless.”
Diluvian laughed lightly. His eyes brightened with more goodwill, and a confident trust shone through them.
Hmm, this guy. It seemed he himself hadn’t quite trusted Nereion either.
“Then. Let’s deal with these bastards first.”
“Right.”
Having decided to trust Nereion, I didn’t need to keep moving in and out of the Subspace.
Since we were now down to two, couldn’t we fight properly at last?
* * *
[Skill ‘Domain Formation (A-rank)’ has leveled up.]
[Skill ‘Severance (S-rank)’ has leveled up.]
[Skill ‘Iron Wing Throwing Sword (A-rank)’ has leveled up.]
To summarize the results of our battle with the Demon Counts, the effects were extraordinary.
Was it because I’d committed to trusting Nereion completely?
With my worries gone, I could focus more properly on combat. And more than that, different forms of fighting became possible.
As their numbers dwindled further, there were more things I could attend to.
“Mister! Han Chul!”
I could cover both Mister and Han Chul within my Subspace. And with First Guard and Lee Shin-hee’s protective barriers too.
Mister even had an automatic protective barrier thanks to the Black Necklace of Heuk-ha.
Before, even accounting for that, it was dangerous. But as their numbers fell, it became manageable.
Moreover, as the battle turned against them, they didn’t fight properly either.
“Are you running away!”
Of course. For them, their own lives came first. As the tide turned against them, they began to slip away.
I actually didn’t catch two of them. I only surrounded the remaining ones so they couldn’t escape and fought.
Thanks to them, every illusion I had about the demons shattered. Not that I had many to begin with, but I’d formed some preconceptions.
I’d thought they were decent after seeing Nereion and Diluvian, but starting with Toljet, none of them were worth a damn.
‘Could Nereion and Diluvian really be like this too?’
Well, perhaps after Nereion fell from his Grand Duke position, similar ones banded together.
The decent ones weren’t swayed by Creshan Grand Duke, so they never came here.
The truth is unknowable. I shouldn’t harbor too much prejudice. I haven’t met any other demons yet.
After the battle ended, Diluvian genuinely bowed to me.
“Thank you. For helping us, and for not going to aid Nereion.”
“I had my doubts. But if Nereion loses, there’s no hard feelings if we run, right?”
Diluvian let out a quiet laugh at my joke. A strange thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Could this be about making Diluvian the Demon Grand Duke if Nereion fails?’
No. That’s unlikely. The Gate mission itself was about restoring Nereion’s status.
In any case, the situation was out of our hands now. Since everything had been resolved, we could head to support, but I decided to wait.
“Please, please win.”
After persuading the Guild members, Mister was clasping his hands in prayer. Everyone had confidence that this Gate’s reward would be generous.
The answer seemed it would be revealed soon enough.
The stream flowing backward upstream had already transcended the category of mere river. It was no longer accurate to call it a streambed. It was as though the Han River itself had risen up to climb the Mountain.
Boom-boom-boom!
In the same instant came a tremendous tremor, and the Demon Authority Valley filled with water. But this was not quite a flood in the ordinary sense.
A massive Black Water Sphere began to envelop the Demon Authority Valley.
“It seems the gamble has paid off, sir.”
Though Creshan had never seen such a thing himself, the masterstroke Nereion had prepared was clearly something extraordinary.
“Shall we think about what comes next?”
In this moment, what excited us most was the thought of what the newly-minted Grand Duke Nereion might grant us as the Gate’s reward.

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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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