Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 325

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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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325. Pan Crete Ruins (3)
The surroundings shifted. Among the ornate Magic Circles where dust had accumulated, everything returned to pristine condition.
The view beyond the window was no different. The translucent barrier vanished, and sunlight streamed in. Outside, intact buildings and people were visible.
Perhaps in preparation for the coming battle, everyone wore armor and carried weapons, but it was a far different sight from the desolate Ruins of moments before.
Still, the scent of impending conflict hung in the air.
“Alo.”
I couldn’t look away. Time had begun to move again.
Before me stood an elderly mage drawing a Magic Circle and a man who appeared to be a Knight.
“You’re serious about this?”
“Yes. I intend to bind Briken.”
“That’s…….”
“Don’t ask if it’s possible—not unless you want to wound an old man’s pride.”
“…….”
The Knight hesitated, and the old man laughed.
“I’m joking. It’s possible. Yes, absolutely possible. Having studied him during our retreat here, I know it can be done.”
The old man gazed out the window.
“I ask only that you protect Your Majesty.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…….”
“I will remain here. I will seal that creature, offering my life and soul for it.”
“Move together with us. We can find another way. Didn’t you breach the path to La Kenion yourself?”
“That creature is pursuing us. We must stop it here. Even if we reach there, it would be meaningless.”
The Knight spoke, and the old man shook his head.
“Besides, if someone of my standing doesn’t remain, the other soldiers won’t accept it, will they?”
“But if you seal it only temporarily…….”
“Temporarily?”
“Yes?”
“I will pour my life and soul into this—drawing upon the power of every piece of equipment I possess. I can bind it for roughly two hundred years.”
The old man smiled and gestured to the side.
“It’s possible. Not merely possible—shouldn’t that span of time give us the means to deal with that creature?”
“Even if all that comes to pass as you say, this location is dangerously close to where they’re coming from.”
“This place won’t catch their attention. Don’t worry.”
The old man raised his Staff.
“The power contained in this Staff alone will make certain that no one perceives this place for a hundred years after you leave.”
“And after that…….”
“Since no one will find this place where that creature is sealed, won’t the heroes who appear to deal with it eventually discover it?”
The aged mage settled into the center of the Magic Circle.
“Should those heroes arrive sooner than expected and dispose of that creature, I might even have some of my remaining equipment left for them to claim—like treasures.”
“Alo.”
The Knight’s voice trembled slightly.
“How is it? The tale of a distant hero that I’ve crafted?”
“It’s magnificent.”
Now go. I must complete the Magic Circle.”
“……Fare well. Perhaps we’ll meet again.”
“Meeting again means you’d be dead.”
The old man chuckled warmly.
“I’d prefer that to be much later.”
And so it ended. Time had frozen. Then it began to accelerate once more.
Fragments fell past the window, and monsters scattered about. Then even those vanished, dust accumulated…….
As time flowed onward, I sorted through the information I’d just heard. It seemed Chun-bae’s intelligence had been inaccurate.
He said they’d conducted their final defense here, yet they apparently discovered a path to La Kenion.
‘Or perhaps not?’
There was also the possibility they all died on the way. Given that Chun-bae’s world was nearly on the brink of collapse, the information could have been uncertain.
In any case, what mattered was that the old man was a Grand Mage, and he’d bound a creature called Briken.
He’d done so by forming a Magic Circle with his own life, soul, and every piece of equipment he possessed.
Could those things the mummy-like figure had been wearing be items used in magic—Artifacts, perhaps?
‘How much remains?’
He’d said that if we defeated that creature before the Artifact’s power was exhausted, we could claim it as treasure.
That would have to wait until we actually faced it.
And then.
I returned to the present.
‘These are the rewards, then.’
I studied the equipment adorning the mummified Grand Mage.
Since I hadn’t defeated the one called Briken, no item descriptions had surfaced.
In the end, I could only rely on intuition. The Staff radiated no great power. Neither did the Necklace or Ring.
But the Cloak and the Combat Robe he wore—those I could feel strength from.
.
.
.
“So the rewards only unlock once we defeat that bastard, is that it?”
I gave a brief account of what had transpired inside. Perhaps because the space was divided into two—interior and exterior—the Guild members hadn’t even received the message about traveling to the past.
“Should’ve dealt with him beforehand.”
“No, if we had, we’d still be searching this place afterward. It might’ve been harder.”
There was a good chance it would’ve been far more tedious. After catching that massive thing, we’d have torn the place apart demanding to know why nothing appeared.
Now I can sense the flow of Mana… but there’s no guarantee I’d feel it the same way afterward.
Once we defeated him, if the Grand Mage’s magic dispelled, we’d have had to hunt through this place the hard way.
The meeting earlier hadn’t been wasted effort. If anything, we’d saved time.
“The creature’s name is apparently Briken.”
“Briken? It fits, kind of. And kind of doesn’t. Either way, you’re saying a thing like this shows up in higher-tier Gates later?”
“It really is incredible.”
The Guild members stared at Briken, standing motionless outside the Fortress. It certainly cut an impressive figure.
“What equipment does it have?”
“I can’t tell yet—item descriptions haven’t appeared. But that Combat Robe and Cloak looked intact?”
“A Combat Robe?”
Min-jae’s eyes lit up. Come to think of it, he’d acquired a Staff recently, but still lacked a proper garment.
He wore a Robe purchased separately over his Hunter’s uniform, though he knew it was B-rank.
An item that would be at least A or S-rank was worth being tempted by. Han Chul and Mister shared the same look.
The point of contention was the Cloak.
“The Cloak’s decent too, right?”
Min-jae hurried to speak.
“If the Grand Mage wore it, it’s mine.”
There was logic to that.
“Hold on, Min-jae—you won’t know until you examine it.”
“Sigh. Didn’t something similar happen to me last time?”
Was it armor? Min-jae had once suggested it might be designed for mages. Mister laughed.
“Last time it wasn’t, so maybe this time it’ll be the opposite?”
“We’ll find out once we take a look.”
It was casual banter, but I needed to steer us back.
“First, let’s deal with that thing.”
“Right.”
“I heard all their power feeds into that Magic Circle. We’ve got a three-day limit. If the Gate intended this, the item ranks might degrade with each passing day.”
“What?”
It wasn’t impossible that item ranks would decrease over time. Say, an S-rank Cloak becomes A-rank tomorrow, and by the last day even the Robe drops to A-rank.
Min-jae, certain it was his own item, rolled up both sleeves and stepped forward.
“Let’s go! Time to smash that thing!”
* * *
“So we just attack it straight on?”
“That seems likely?”
Their Magic Circle was far too intricate for me to parse. Besides, there’d been no such explanation in the past either.
Chun-bae provided the answer.
-I struggled to fully comprehend the Magic Circle myself, but once we attack from here, the Sealing should break.
‘I see.’
Fair enough. How likely was it that information about the Grand Mage would survive a hundred years, until the next generation of heroes arrived?
They probably wouldn’t have thought to attack that monster first. Of course, I hadn’t planned to charge in recklessly.
“So we hold position before attacking, that’s what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
“Then we go full power, land the first hit hard, and start from there?”
Mister grinned widely. Min-jae confidently raised his Staff.
“Sounds good.”
Truthfully, not having fought the creature meant my damage assessment wasn’t solid. But I’m inclined to think positively.
Given proper time, my Guild members can unleash devastating force.
“How should we do this?”
“I think it’d be best if I went first?”
Briken resembled a quadrupedal monster. A mane crowned its head like a lion’s, but its face was reptilian in shape.
Its torso was thick as an ox’s, its front legs bore the build of a bear, its hind legs resembled a frog’s, and wire-like fur bristled from its tail.
The problem was that even from a distance, its exterior looked extraordinarily thick. Having faced Ja-tan and Catoblepas before, I knew that creatures like this couldn’t be defeated by simply striking the surface.
My strategy was straightforward—much like what I’d always done. First, I’d ride Yong-yong and Bone Dragon up into the sky.
“We’re going to hit it with Sectioning at full force?”
“In terms of destructive power, that’s our best option.”
Then Min-jae and the old man would follow up by striking the wound I’d opened with Sectioning.
Without the Subspace, they couldn’t unleash their full power, but since my Sectioning would tear all the way through, it should work.
“Our target is the head.”
I chose that spot because a direct hit there would have the greatest effect.
“If this goes right, aren’t we looking at a ten-second kill?”
The old man grinned widely.
In truth, the situation seemed almost too favorable. Our opponent was just a stationary target, motionless and waiting.
Moreover, we had the Red Dragon. We wouldn’t have to waste effort climbing up from below to mount it.
We could strike straight at its head from the sky above.
“I wish it were that simple.”
But I wasn’t about to let myself think only positively.
“Stay sharp. There has to be a reason it’s sitting like this.”
Positive signs could just as easily be interpreted as negative. It meant the enemy was that formidable.
What kind of strength must it possess if, in an 81–90 level Gate, it had to accept the first strike while sitting still just for combat to begin?
We wouldn’t know until we actually fought. All we could do was prepare as thoroughly as possible.
I took to the sky, riding both dragons.
“Shin-hee.”
“Yes.”
“Keep a close eye on the Invincibility Timing.”
The thing hunters had to be most careful about was facing a monster for the first time.
Especially one this colossal.
Just as Catoblepas had scattered poison, we had no idea what pattern might emerge. I’d be fine, but the Guild members were a concern.
The old man raised his spear from his position in the sky.
“I’m ready!”
“So am I!”
Min-jae hefted his staff and summoned his mana.
“Then I’ll begin. My Sectioning entering is the signal.”
“Understood!”
I took a steady breath and fixed my gaze on the creature’s head. Its eyes were closed, still showing no movement.
The spot I was aiming for was the upper region between the eyes—beyond the skull, where the brain lay.
‘I don’t need to make this flashy or leave many wounds.’
I planned to draw only four lines, enough to expose its skull.
Using my spatial sense, I traced a diamond shape above its head. This size should suffice.
If I completely severed that section with Sectioning and the old man struck it with the Dragon-piercing Spear, wouldn’t the brain be exposed?
Then Min-jae would cast his magic.
Whoosh—
In the moment I was gathering mana to activate Sectioning, a solid line was being drawn across its skull, and then—
Pop!
Its eyes opened. Not the two that had been shut. From the spot between the eyes where I was about to strike with Sectioning, a third eye burst open, tearing through flesh.
That eye fixed itself upon me. The crushing pressure paralyzed my body for just an instant.
Whoosh!
That’s when I felt it—something wrong. For a split second, the world seemed to slow.
Han Hye!
Chun-bae’s scream reached my ears. And no wonder—the very Sectioning I had unleashed was being traced across my own body.
Even in that moment, one thing alone rose in my mind.
‘Reflection?’
A monster could do that?
Lines carved themselves across my body.

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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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