Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 31

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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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31. Night of Despair (2)
“Let’s move.”
Time was slipping away. A problem had emerged before I could even locate a base.
I had anticipated the possibility of monsters swarming toward us, but I hadn’t expected a mid-rank Gate to appear.
“Huh?”
More troubling was the Gate behind us. Normally, emission-type Gates take some time after opening before monsters emerge.
But being inside a Gate, it was activating faster than it would from the outside.
Immediate Gate activation.
This was something that hadn’t happened since the first time a Gate opened on Earth ten years ago.
“I’ll increase our pace!”
I switched from cautious walking to running while surveying the surroundings. Kim Seung-tae, Seo Min-jae, and Lee Shin-hee kept up well behind me.
Even for rear-guard hunters, stamina was essential.
“Is it okay to run like this?”
Lee Shin-hee asked from behind, keeping watch of the surroundings. She was mindful of monsters that might be hiding between buildings.
It was a valid concern. That’s why I’d been moving cautiously until now.
But I hadn’t raised our speed without reason. Throughout our movement, my spatial sense hadn’t detected any enemies.
“It seems monsters are only coming from that Gate. I’m still maintaining vigilance.”
Even so, the probability of there being nothing around us was high. The appearance of a mid-rank Gate alone made the difficulty absurd.
If monsters had already been lying in wait, the level restriction wouldn’t have been 26 to 30. There was no time for lengthy explanations.
“Damn.”
That’s when Kim Seung-tae, who had been watching behind us, cursed. Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned backward.
And I understood why he’d cursed.
-GROOAAAAR!
An ogre, appearing to be over three meters tall, emerged from the mid-rank Gate and roared.
-Grrr!
Yong-yong, held in the old man’s hands, let out a small growl in response to that roar. He seemed agitated.
“It’s fine. It’s fine.”
Even as the old man hurriedly soothed Yong-yong, smaller monsters continued pouring out behind the ogre.
Goblins, orcs, and even animal-type creatures like spiders and wolves.
I quickly gestured to the old man.
“Wait here while I scout the situation—you go ahead instead!”
As I spoke, I used consecutive leaps to climb onto a nearby building and surveyed the enemies.
I’d worried for a moment, but fortunately there was only one ogre.
Being inside a Gate, it was the same size, but not quite at the level of the mid-rank Gates I’d experienced on Earth.
The monsters that followed didn’t immediately chase after us. They seemed to scatter around the Gate as their center.
Some Gates have monsters that chase you as if they know your location, so this was a mercy.
‘Do you know anything about this place?’
-I’m experiencing this place for the first time.
I asked Chun-bae, but got the response I’d expected.
The setting was Earth. Future events wouldn’t have appeared in the Gates of the world where Chun-bae once lived.
—However, it’s clear that this is an abnormally difficult Gate. If you’re going in with your team, I’d recommend focusing on survival rather than combat.
‘That’s the right call.’
It was obvious. If I were alone, I might have risked aggressive attacks to gain experience, but combat with a team was absolutely out of the question.
Even in a situation where mere survival was the goal, an Ogre over three meters tall had appeared in a 15-20 level Gate.
Even with my Leap skill, I couldn’t afford to face it head-on. The Ogre wasn’t just strong—it was far more than that.
It was incredibly fast. If I relied on my Leap and engaged it directly, even a glancing blow from its fist would mean instant death.
—Auuugh!
Moreover, the Ogre wasn’t the only threat I needed to be wary of. I had to be careful of the Sniffers scattered throughout the Gate.
Sniffers were wolf-like monsters, creatures roughly the size of something between a dog and a wolf.
—Han Hye, you need to move quickly.
Chun-bae’s separate warning spoke to how troublesome these monsters were. Especially in a survival-type scenario like this.
They possessed a sense of smell that surpassed even a dog’s, making them specialized trackers.
Individually, they weren’t difficult to handle. Any Hunter around level 10 could dispatch them easily.
But in a place like this, they were far more troublesome than the Ogre itself.
‘Now I understand why problems arose before.’
Sniffers were cowardly creatures. When they detected humans nearby, rather than choosing to fight, they’d emit a long, piercing howl.
That cry would draw nearby monsters, and once those monsters killed the humans, the Sniffer would move in to claim its share.
Like hyenas, in a sense. Simply hiding out of sight wouldn’t solve the problem.
The Hunters who’d entered before were probably killed by the Ogre, drawn in by the Sniffer’s call.
“How does it look?”
As we descended further, Chul-gi asked while scanning the surroundings with a grave expression.
“It hasn’t come directly at us yet.”
“So it’s not actively tracking us? That’s something, at least.”
“I’m not sure. There were quite a few Sniffers scattered around.”
“Sniffers?”
Kim Seung-tae was startled. Lee Shin-hee, her expression composed, spoke up.
“Setting up a stronghold seems difficult.”
Her assessment was accurate. These monsters tracked with a sense of smell many times superior to a dog’s.
The logic was sound—any stronghold we built would just be destroyed by the Ogre’s hands.
“Exactly. Shouldn’t we go somewhere other than Jangchung Gymnasium?”
Kim Seung-tae added his thoughts. But I disagreed.
“No. Let’s head to Jangchung Gymnasium for now. Continuous movement will just get us caught by the Sniffers anyway.”
“But going to the gymnasium won’t make a difference either…”
Instead of answering Kim Seung-tae, I opened a Subspace. Without a word, I drew out a scent suppressant.
It was an item made specifically for Hunters, used to evade tracking.
“Won’t a little scent suppressant be insufficient?”
It was a fair question. Sniffers, being specialized trackers, sometimes pursued targets even after scent suppressant was applied.
To truly escape, you’d need to use an enormous amount, but most Hunters didn’t carry that much of the item.
“Don’t worry.”
But I was different.
In particular, upon entering this level-restricted survival-type Gate, I received an enormous supply of provisions.
-Just in case, I brought everything in abundance.
Park Seo-ung, the Association President’s direct secretary, had made extensive preparations to support me.
To that extent, since we didn’t know what environment would unfold, I was even issued a custom-made boat and magical bombs.
The scent suppressant was one of those items. Unlike other Hunters, I didn’t bring just one for emergencies.
They gave me so much for this survival-type Gate that I could’ve started a business with it.
‘Sniffers can pierce through scent suppressants and smell us, they say?’
Could they really do that even against this overwhelming amount of suppressant?
What could you possibly do?
Creak—
“This… this is all of it?”
“Yes, scent suppressant.”
I set down entire boxes in response to Kim Seung-tae’s concern. His worried tone vanished completely before the overwhelming quantity of suppressant.
At this level, even a Sniffer’s grandfather wouldn’t notice us.
“Everyone, take some. Let’s apply it all over our bodies first. Since there’s so much, think of it as taking a shower.”
“Living this long and finally getting to be extravagant with scent suppressant…”
After that, all I heard was a faint hissing sound.
-Auuuu!
Occasionally, the cries of Sniffers echoed from a distance, but we managed to reach Jangchung Gymnasium without pursuit.
* * *
We set up in the office below Jangchung Gymnasium that the staff used to occupy.
Even if problems arose, there were stairs connected vertically on both sides, making it an ideal location for escape.
After coating my entire body with scent suppressant, I sprayed it generously throughout the corridor and on the doors ahead.
I’d sprayed so much that I wondered if the lack of scent might prevent them from finding us at all.
“Should we set up a barricade as well?”
Mister asked with his back to the door. The Night of Despair—a Gate where enemies swarm in. We’d brought materials suitable for barricades in the Subspace.
Lee Shin-hee voiced her opposition.
“We shouldn’t use a barricade. There’s a risk of blocking our escape route.”
“Right. Let’s observe the situation for now.”
I agreed with her assessment. If they were ordinary enemies, I would’ve set it up immediately—we could defend from the corridor using the barricade.
But the monster that appeared now was an Ogre. Even from a distance, it was clearly a formidable one.
“True. Ogres are the type that destroy buildings.”
Literally, a barricade would be meaningless against an Ogre. Though it probably couldn’t even fit into this corridor given its size…
It’s the type that can uproot utility poles or trees and smash through walls.
Just as Lee Shin-hee said, a barricade could become an obstacle blocking our escape route instead.
“If we get trapped here, is there anywhere we can escape to?”
“Escape? If an Ogre appears, shouldn’t we use the Escape Secretary?”
I asked Mister, but Kim Seung-tae raised a question.
“I was thinking we could flee first before the Ogre arrives and then lose it.”
When the Sniffers’ cries erupt, we flee before the Ogre arrives. In a situation where direct confrontation was impossible, this was the only viable option.
The Mister who had been pondering finally spoke.
“There’s a narrow alley in front of the school that might work better, don’t you think? The Ogre won’t be able to chase us easily there either.”
The party nodded in agreement. In a narrow alley, the Ogre’s movement would be restricted, and even if combat erupted, it wouldn’t be able to fight at full strength.
It was a wise judgment. However, something I sensed below through my spatial awareness bothered me.
“What’s underneath here? I feel a passage connecting somewhere.”
“Oh, that? It’s a Subway connection tunnel.”
The Subway? Something clicked in my mind. Against the Ogre, heading toward the narrow alley was indeed the right choice.
But if we did that, there was a high probability we’d be surrounded by Sniffers, Orcs, and Goblins during our escape.
However, if we used the Subway, things would be different. For one, the bulky Ogre couldn’t rampage easily down there.
And the monsters swarming after the Sniffer would definitely pour into this Subway entrance.
“What if we head into the Subway instead?”
“That’s not bad. The other stations should be empty anyway.”
Lee Shin-hee caught on to my meaning and her eyes lit up. Since the other party members looked confused, I continued explaining.
If all the monsters here converged on this location, it meant the other stations would have no monsters.
It meant we could hide again by exiting at a different station. Even if the Ogre followed, I could use Subspace to block the tracks and buy time.
Either way, the situation was better than being surrounded while fleeing on the surface.
“Oh?”
“Not a bad idea?”
The party members nodded at my explanation.
“Then let’s hide here and if something goes wrong, we’ll break through and head down to the Subway.”
Once we’re discovered, the Ogre will show up before long anyway. Then it’ll be difficult to escape downward.
It’s better to break through immediately upon being spotted.
“Since we don’t know what will happen, everyone should rest and recover some stamina. Don’t be too tense.”
An unexpected mid-sized Gate had opened and the Ogre burst out, but it still wasn’t a life-or-death situation.
I had an escape route after all.
The problem was that we might not all clear it together, but as long as we didn’t make mistakes, we wouldn’t die.
If worst came to worst, I could send everyone out and then subjugate the Gate alone using Subspace.
Thirty minutes passed like that.
Apart from occasionally hearing Sniffer cries in the distance, there wasn’t any real danger to speak of.
-Grrr!
Each time Yong-yong whimpered softly in discomfort, I soothed it—this was the moment the “deodorant versus Sniffer” matchup reached its conclusion.
Just as I’d predicted, the Sniffers couldn’t find us in the face of the overwhelmingly powerful deodorant.
“Let’s spray more deodorant.”
I’d brought sixteen boxes of deodorant. Spraying once every thirty minutes would be enough before the Gate ended.
As long as the monsters didn’t find us through direct searching, we’d be fine from the Sniffers.
“Wow, when I first saw that Ogre, I thought we were done for…”
When another hour had passed, Kim Seung-tae laughed sheepishly. The dark, tense expression from before had long since vanished.
“Right? When they said there were Sniffers too, I thought we’d have to use the escape route right after entering.”
Seo Min-jae nodded along as well.
An Ogre, Sniffers, and a considerable number of monsters—it had been the worst possible combination for us.
If there had been only Ogres or regular monsters, I would have established a position and fought defensively, or hidden in the Subspace to attack unilaterally. But…
“Huh?”
It was in the middle of our conversation when something registered in my spatial awareness above.
As I whipped my head around and focused, my companions instantly fell silent. Their faces tensed once more.
“What? What is it?”
The Mister whispered softly. I observed upward and let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s not a major problem, or maybe it is? The situation has gotten a bit strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember those giant spiders that came out of the Gate earlier?”
The kind of massive arachnids you’d see in foreign films—larger than humans. In English, they’re called Giant Spiders.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“They’re up there right now.”
“What?”
“Ugh, spiders?”
Lee Shin-hee’s brow furrowed. Her expression screamed revulsion—the most emotional reaction I’d seen from her since we met.
Considering she’d maintained composure when the Ogre appeared, it seemed she had a particular aversion to spiders.
“They didn’t come to track us. They’ve settled somewhere inside the gymnasium. Right now they’re setting up webs above.”
“…?”
From the situation, they hadn’t been pursuing us. It appeared they’d simply found a nesting spot.
Monsters don’t necessarily avoid fighting each other, but generally they leave one another alone.
That’s why they sometimes divide territories even within Gates.
I figured the Jangchung Gymnasium’s spacious interior was probably why they’d come this way.
“Well, it might not be so bad.”
There’s a saying about darkness under the lamp. The spiders wouldn’t think to look for us beneath their own nest.
The Orcs or Goblins searching, the Sniffers—none of them would venture into the spiders’ territory. The scent would be masked even more.
And then.
Six hours and thirty minutes passed. Contrary to my earlier worries, nothing happened at all.
“Yawn…”
Occasionally I heard scratching sounds from above, but that was it.
The Giant Spiders never came down to the corridor where we were.
About eight hours since entering the Gate.
We simply rested here without doing anything. We chatted occasionally.
“This is the first time I’ve spent time so quietly in a survival-type Gate.”
“Well, normally people don’t carry four boxes of deodorant around.”
Lee Shin-hee responded to Kim Seung-tae’s observation, though she corrected an error.
“Four boxes? Those are just the ones I took out for immediate use. I have twelve more boxes in the Subspace.”
“Twelve boxes?”
“…I think we should just be grateful to Han Hye.”
Since the bathroom was right next door, I could check with my spatial awareness and come back without any issues.
As time dragged on, we even took out sleeping bags to rest.
Since I could rest in the Subspace, I took the night watch myself.
However, Lee Shin-hee was on my mind. Unlike the others who slept in shifts, she remained awake the entire time.
“You should get some rest.”
“It’s fine. I’m not really sleepy anyway.”
Lee Shin-hee shrugged her shoulders. Even in the room, she kept some distance. During our earlier conversation, she hadn’t shared much either.
She wasn’t naturally outgoing by nature, and with her somewhat rigid demeanor, she didn’t seem easy to warm up to.
‘Still, she’s not bad.’
Her personality wasn’t abrasive, and when we discussed strategy earlier, she had a keen eye for assessing situations coldly.
I thought she’d be a good addition to the team. Lee Shin-hee, who had been silent after responding, spoke again.
“Honestly, you’re better than I expected.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Since there’s no luggage to carry, movement is smooth, and resting like this is convenient too. You detect enemies for us, so we don’t need to keep watch separately.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Lee Shin-hee seemed to have a favorable impression of us as well. I was smiling at the favorable situation when—
[No combat has occurred for 8 hours.]
[The remaining time: the starving monsters grow increasingly ferocious.]
“Huh?”
“What?”
“W-what’s happening?”
Kim Seung-tae, Seo Min-jae, and the Mister who had been sleeping jolted awake in surprise at the sudden notification.
And then…
-SHRIEEEEK!
-SHRIEK!
Suddenly, the enraged cries of the giant spiders echoed from above.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
The sound of thick carapaces striking the ground. I didn’t even need to confirm it with spatial awareness.
The giant spiders were coming this way.
“Wake up! Wake up! Move!”

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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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