Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 314
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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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314. The Sealed Goblin
The workshop’s format mirrored our previous experience: a week-long program with three days of lectures at the start, followed by four days of Gate practice on two different dungeons.
Though I was technically in standby status, I’d decided to enter the Gate anyway.
After all, the workshop practice Gates could be cleared and exited within one or two hours.
Problems could arise, certainly, but skipping the practical altogether felt like excessive caution.
“Instructor, I’ll try to break your record!”
The record I’d set as a hunter—Lee Hong-ju’s mark—remained unbroken. As it should be.
I’d arrived at that workshop as a level-five hunter, and my stat increases from dragon’s blood and elixirs were absolutely absurd.
It was like a high schooler showing up to an elementary school playground. Still, the students who attended my lectures spoke with genuine enthusiasm.
Of course, I didn’t dampen their spirits. I’m not without social grace.
“I’ll be cheering you on. Just don’t overexert yourselves. These aren’t easy monsters.”
“Understood. One hit could kill us if we get careless. I’ll keep that in mind!”
What I’d emphasized to all the students was safety, safety, and more safety. You have to survive if you want to accomplish anything else.
I take calculated risks myself, but I always think things through. I rarely bet my life on something without weighing it carefully.
This is something the students need to absorb down to their bones. If someone with an escape Secretary and Subspace—a cheat skill—still prioritizes safety, they should take note.
Besides, since these students were connected to me by circumstance, hearing that one had died would sit poorly with me.
“Let’s head in.”
The place we entered was similar to the one I’d experienced during my own workshop practice.
[Lactz Goblin Village]
-Recommended Level: 1–10
-Participant Limit: 25
The roster included sixteen students in the front group plus nine instructors and bodyguard hunters. I’d heard there were disappointed complaints from the back group when I joined the front, but it couldn’t be helped.
Group assignments had been done purely by random selection.
Of course, just because I’d entered didn’t mean I’d immediately start clearing monsters.
The instructors and bodyguard hunters would handle removing threats, and the other instructors said they’d handle the Awakened Goblin themselves since the gap between my level and theirs was too vast.
I did follow along, though. I hadn’t detected any Hidden Areas during my first workshop visit, but you never know, so I came anyway.
If a Hidden Area existed here, it would make for good teaching material for both the instructors and the students.
‘Everyone’s working hard.’
The other hunters finished clearing the Awakened Goblin. Now that I saw it, this was tedious work.
Regular goblins were attacking too, so they had to single out and catch only the Awakened one.
I could handle it easily with Leap, but these people had to push and dodge and catch them one by one.
‘So those goblins that seemed a bit weaker back then—the instructors must have hit them hard with their shields?’
Watching the work brought back old memories. Back then, there had been individual goblins noticeably weaker than the others. Some limped, or swung their weapons slowly.
As a clueless beginner, I’d never caught on, but now it occurred to me—hadn’t they been struck by the shields during the push?
That’s when I felt it. After taking just one more step forward, something snagged on my Spatial Awareness.
Below the center of the village. There was a distinct space there.
“Let’s move! Before they chase us!”
The hunters finished with all the Awakened Goblins and came sprinting back. They were still coming for us now, but soon they’d lose their focal point and scatter.
It was the moment to disperse aggro and hand things over to the students. But I couldn’t.
“Wait—aren’t those the instructors?”
“Yes, Hunter Han Hye.”
Even though we shared the same title, these instructors always spoke to me in formal language and called me “Hunter.” I had no choice but to share what I’d sensed.
“Um, there seems to be a Hidden Area here?”
“Pardon?”
* * *
There was a brief discussion. Should we investigate the Hidden Area first, or complete the practical and come back?
We decided to finish the practical first. A Hidden Area beneath the village didn’t seem like it was going anywhere.
Instead, I volunteered to stay back and keep watch. Unlike last time, the students were allowed to enter the village itself, so I wanted to be nearby in case anything went wrong.
The practical proceeded smoothly. It didn’t take very long.
“Huff… huff…”
Level-one hunters have stamina only slightly better than ordinary people. Those with separate training, plus-grade stats, or body-enhancement skills would be at an athlete’s level.
Still, running through the village and surrounding forest while fighting consumed far more stamina than one might expect.
“Th-thank you. Without you, Han Hye, I would have…”
Apart from saving a student who’d gotten surrounded by three goblins after getting a bit too reckless, nothing particularly noteworthy happened.
Meanwhile, I surveyed the area around where I’d sensed the Hidden Area.
I’d found it through Spatial Awareness with a subtle click, of course, but if I was going to explain it to the students, I’d need some justification.
If this were a Hidden Area meant to stay hidden, that would be one thing—but fortunately, there were traces of it visible within the village itself.
“Now, do you all see this?”
I brought the instructors and students to the location and showed them the traces I’d discovered. It wasn’t difficult.
“If you look carefully at the leather mat, you’ll notice a part where the step height doesn’t match.”
The Hidden Area connected to the Lactz Goblin Village had a passage beneath the central house, hidden under a mat made of animal skin.
However, the goblins’ construction was crude in places, so the underground corridor looked shabby enough that the secret door was visible if you looked closely.
“Oh, really!”
“As expected…….”
Not just the Instructors but the trainees as well couldn’t hide their admiration, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
“Big Han Hye.”
“Big—Han—Hye.”
At the playful words of one trainee, “Big Han Hye” spilled out into reality. It was quite startling.
Since showing off like this felt awkward anyway, I smiled and continued.
“Of course, I found it using Spatial Awareness.”
“Come on!”
“I’m jealous!”
Well, even telling the truth didn’t change their eager expressions. Everyone looked excited.
These trainees were probably on their first Gate exploration. It was natural for them to react this way.
‘Finding a Hidden Area on your first Gate? Of course it’d be fun.’
But these younger hunters seemed even more thrilled than I’d been at their age.
“If we post this on the Hunter Net, it’ll definitely go viral. You agree?”
“Totally.”
Viral. Internet attention seemed quite important to them too. Either way, the situation remained fortunate.
“But discovering a Hidden Area means you need to be prepared.”
The lecture continued even here.
“A Hidden Area typically contains difficulty equal to or higher than the recommended level or level cap specified for that Gate.”
While hunters who’d encountered Hidden Areas before nodded in agreement, the trainees’ eyes gleamed with interest.
“It could be the same, but usually you should expect the difficulty to jump by about five levels at minimum. In unlucky cases, it can become ten levels harder or more.”
“But what if we still want to open it?”
“Then you take the risk.”
In truth, even with warnings like these, most hunters can’t resist a Hidden Area. It’s practically an occupational hazard.
Since I’m no different, this much advice should be enough.
“Shall we go down?”
“Yes!”
Without much hesitation, we headed down. A 1-to-10-level Gate. Even if it got ten levels harder, the Instructors here could handle it.
A Hidden Area like this surely wouldn’t summon the Red Dragon.
The Instructors and trainees alike followed behind me with curious expressions. The stairs down were narrow enough for only two to pass, so it wasn’t overly difficult.
At the bottom was an underground Altar. I felt something unusual about this place.
-Han Hye.
‘Wait… the amount of sanctity I’m sensing here isn’t normal.’
Chun-bae picked up on it immediately too.
“So this is the Hidden Area.”
“It feels eerie.”
“Wow, this is my first time in a place like this.”
While the trainees and even the veteran hunters reacted with surprise to the Altar Hidden Area, I quickly moved to block their path forward.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“The atmosphere here feels off.”
Everyone’s expressions hardened at my words.
“Han Hye, surely you’re not trying to claim the Hidden Area for yourself?”
Of all people, the one spouting nonsense was an A-rank trainee. I’d suspected something was off with him ever since the whole “Dinosaur Team 3” business.
Someone else put him in his place—another Instructor.
“You’re the one who discovered it, Hunter Han Hye. What gives you the right to interfere? Did you think the Hidden Area would go to your trainees?”
“I… I thought we’d share it…….”
“In large-scale Gate subjugations, Ownership Rights go to the discoverer. Hunter Han Hye is being gracious enough to show it to you in this lesson. Show some gratitude.”
At the Instructor’s sharp rebuke, the A-rank trainee fell silent, his mouth hanging open in embarrassment.
“And Hunter Han Hye is ranked number one in the world—what nerve to speak to her that way about this Hidden Area…….”
“It’s fine.”
I cut in to stop him there. A sharp remark was enough. Instead, I sent a nod of thanks to the Instructor who’d stood up for me.
“Everyone else, head back outside. Instructors, please guard the entrance.”
“Yes.”
While the Instructors and trainees quickly ascended, I surveyed the interior.
Between four circular columns sat a rectangular Altar. On top of it rested something that looked like a talisman.
[Golden Wheel Seal (S-rank)]
—A seal created by the goblin god to imprison his traitorous son.
—When the seal is released, it becomes materialized, but the altar’s seal breaks in the process.
—If released and materialized, it can seal one of the opponent’s skills for an hour.
* * *
“What in the world is this…….”
I couldn’t hide my shock. Even if this gate could accommodate twenty-five people, it was still a 1–10 level gate.
Yet an S-rank item had just materialized.
It seemed that other instructor’s comment about “what kind of hidden area this is” had been slightly off the mark.
S-rank? Even I’d lose my composure. And that wasn’t all.
‘A goblin god? His son?’
I’d wondered why I sensed divinity, but it turned out something far more sinister was lurking here than I’d anticipated.
Chun-bae was quite startled as well.
—A hidden area of this caliber in such a low-level gate is virtually unheard of, but…….
“It’s not impossible.”
—Correct. In essence, it functions similarly to a Deformed Gate.
Just as I once encountered Red Dragon in a low-level gate, the moment I remove this seal, the gate itself transforms.
“If it’s the god’s son…… is it a god?”
—It appears to be a demigod. If it were a true god, we’d sense considerably more divinity.
“Can we handle it?”
My concern stems from having experienced a Deformed Gate that escalated beyond level 90. Fortunately, Chun-bae spoke with confidence.
—A goblin demigod should be manageable.
That changes things.
“It feels like a lesser version of the Dark Night Barrier, but at this level, it’s definitely worth acquiring.”
Sealing an opponent’s skill for an hour is no ordinary ability. Chun-bae corrected my assessment.
—It’s not a lesser version.
“It’s not?”
—Because this isn’t a barrier, it can’t be dispelled by leaving the area.
“So something like a Coordinate-Designated Secretary couldn’t easily break through it either.”
Unless one fled far enough away, it was a different class of seal entirely—not one that could be undone by distance.
Before it sealed the demigod, this seal must have been worth around SS-rank.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Thinking of the Übermenschen Leader, this was something I absolutely needed to acquire. There was also the possibility that the Dark Night Barrier remained on their side.
If they seal me, I’ll return the favor.
‘I never expected this to happen.’
Who would have thought that taking on the workshop instructor role would net me an S-rank item? Seo-ung’s suggestion had proven invaluable.
In any case, it was time to face an unexpected demigod.
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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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