Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 331
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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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331. Übermenschen (1)
“Uncle, watch your back!”
Right after we emerged from the Subspace, I handed Yong-yong back to Uncle. It was a trade-off with its own advantages.
Without Yong-yong, if I were to face that creature alone, I’d have to keep using Leap and fight from the air continuously.
Yet there were two good reasons for this choice.
First, when Uncle rides Yong-yong, he can harass with the Piercing Spear. It lets him participate in combat more aggressively.
‘The Bone Dragon’s mobility is a bit lacking, after all.’
Second, there’s that Black Heavenly Horse’s steed—the Black Pegasus caught my eye. It was no ordinary pegasus. It was the kind that wouldn’t hesitate to charge even against a dragon.
Yong-yong unleashed breath attacks, but couldn’t gain the upper hand in close combat.
I’m not underestimating Yong-yong. If it were just a one-on-one between that horse and Yong-yong, I’d bet on Yong-yong.
But this wasn’t just a two-way fight.
‘It’s me and the one riding on top of it.’
A two-versus-two battle. From our last clash, their coordination was far superior. They moved like a single organism.
Meanwhile, Yong-yong and I had no experience fighting together in the air. It was clear we’d be outmatched.
That’s why I was fighting in the air using Leap.
Additionally, if the Übermenschen launched an attack with devastating destructive power aimed at killing me in one blow, Yong-yong could take collateral damage.
Clang!
Still, my side had to bear the brunt of the difficulty—there was no way around it.
The name ‘Black Heavenly Horse’ was attached to the creature riding that steed, but… from what I could see, the Black Pegasus itself was far from an ordinary monster.
Neigh!
The moment I blocked its blade, the pegasus opened its enormous maw wide. Its teeth weren’t particularly sharp, but they looked devastatingly hard.
Crunch!
Just from the sound of it biting through empty air, you could tell. Well, the solution is simple. If I take care of the pegasus, everything else becomes manageable.
The troublesome thing about this creature was that it operated in the sky.
Endlessly reviving monsters in the air, firing dark magic, launching blade waves—
I’d managed to block the monster revival with Burning, but if I could just eliminate the pegasus, the rest would become far easier.
‘Once it lands on the ground, it loses its mobility.’
If I press the advantage, it won’t have a chance to do anything else. And even if I slip up for a moment, the hunters will keep up their concentrated barrage.
Getting this close was specifically to deal with the Black Pegasus.
Right in front of the Black Heavenly Horse, I drew the Severance I’d prepared—targeting the pegasus, not the rider.
The target was precise: one specific point. The neck. Six lines overlaid themselves across the creature’s throat.
Neigh!
Sensing something amiss, the creature suddenly twisted its body. But it was already too late.
I hadn’t focused on just one area for nothing. No matter which way it tried to escape, the lines were already drawn.
Shred!
Shred!
The Black Pegasus’s neck severed. Jet-black blood sprayed in all directions. In that same instant, the Black Heavenly Horse lost its aerial advantage.
But the rider wasn’t stupid either.
“——!”
He was chanting something, trying to resurrect the Black Pegasus. Black mana clung to the severed neck of the pegasus.
This was expected too. I’d seen the precedent before—there was no way I’d stand idle.
Whoosh!
Right after using Severance, I prepared Burning. The severed neck was already engulfed in flames, and fire spread to the falling horse’s body as well.
Before the Burning could transfer to his own body, the rider hastily leaped from the pegasus.
‘The Übermenschen……’
I didn’t immediately rush at the falling Black Heavenly Horse. This was a dangerous moment. From the Übermenschen’s perspective, this creature was an ally.
This moment when I eagerly charged forward could become an opportunity for them.
But when I stopped and surveyed my surroundings, there was no particular movement. Instead, the hunters moved.
It seemed Mana Depletion hadn’t set in yet.
“Hunter Han Hye brought down the Black Heavenly Horse!”
“All units, concentrate fire!”
A barrage of magic, arrows, and other ranged attacks flew at the falling Black Heavenly Horse.
While unintended, it wasn’t a bad outcome. Using too much power against this creature seemed pointless anyway.
‘Hmm.’
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
What if the Übermenschen weren’t coming during the battle itself, but rather afterward?
It was natural that they’d assume we didn’t know about their ambush. The moment we exhausted ourselves in combat and returned home, feeling safe, would be when we were most vulnerable.
Of course, if we showed weakness during the fight, they’d attack then.
‘That gaze from before… did they see my emergence from the Subspace as an opportunity?’
I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t feel that presence now. It might not have been an intentional stare at all.
Was it a mistake to try and peer into the Subspace? There’s no way to know. In any case, I’d best dispose of this creature first.
* * *
To be honest, the Black Heavenly Horse was an exceptionally troublesome monster. For one thing, it poured out an enormous quantity of monsters immediately after the Discharge-type Gate opened.
Normally, the moment the main monster appears, powerful hunters are deployed to relieve the burden on those holding the defense line.
But even in this case, wasn’t the sheer volume of monsters so overwhelming that hunters were worried about Mana Depletion?
Under ordinary circumstances, the defense line would’ve collapsed from the resurrected Undead alone.
‘With not just the Undead, but the main monster itself—the Black Heavenly Horse—appearing as well.’
Even a seasoned Advance Team hunter would have a difficult time managing that volume of enemies while simultaneously engaging the main monster.
But things are different now that I’m here. This isn’t overconfidence.
I truly did eliminate the Undead—the Black Heavenly Horse’s most troublesome aspect—in a single stroke.
And I even disposed of the Black Pegasus, which granted it the ability to soar through the sky.
“……!!”
For all my lengthy explanation, the simple fact was that I’d captured the Black Heavenly Horse alone with ease.
“Got it!”
[Your Level has increased.]
During that time, there was no attack from the Übermenschen. We weren’t being overly paranoid.
I definitely felt their gaze during the battle.
But perhaps they simply never found an opening to strike.
If I’d been trading blows back and forth, burning through stamina and mana, that would’ve been their moment—but…….
‘I cleared it without much difficulty.’
With so many hunters gathered here, they’d find it hard to launch a direct frontal assault.
When I came, I was worried about bomb attacks on the defense line, but when I checked with Spatial Sense, there was nothing.
“Wow, Han Hye.”
“That was truly remarkable. Those flames earlier—they just went whoosh…….”
“Thank you so much for your hard work.”
Everyone was offering praise with delighted faces, but I couldn’t simply smile along.
I maintained constant vigilance. The Uncle seemed slightly puzzled by it.
“Could it be that the Discharge-type Gate really did just open randomly?”
“Unlikely.”
“It opened in the United States, Russia, and China too.”
“Even if we overlook China, the fact that it opened in both the United States and Russia is telling.”
How is it that it only opens in the lands of Choin and the Fist King?
“I suspect they’ll come when we’re leaving.”
“When we’re leaving?”
“They probably didn’t anticipate this outcome, so the opportune moment would be when we’re fatigued and our guard is down.”
“So we should be careful on the way back?”
“Yes. Unless you want to end up fighting all these hunters simultaneously.”
A Mega Gate. Even the hunters in support roles would have a decent level.
Of course, the Übermenschen Leader, who might have surpassed level 90 or even reached level 100, might find them laughable…….
Without instantly eliminating this entire force, things would become extremely tedious.
It was then that Lee Shin-hee brought something up.
“Perhaps it’s because we didn’t give them an opening.”
“An opening?”
“The moment it appeared and resurrected the Undead, Han Hye immediately neutralized the threat. The same happened right after.”
Lee Shin-hee shrugged her shoulders.
“From what I observed, there wasn’t a single opportunity in between for them to attack you.”
Perhaps she was right.
“Let’s head out for now. Everyone, prepare yourselves thoroughly.”
“Are we going home?”
“No. To the Guild House.”
With the possibility of them coming, I couldn’t escort everyone to their homes separately. They’d pick us off individually.
“We’ll use a celebration as a pretext to draw them to the Guild House.”
I intended to disrupt their plans however slightly I could.
But…….
“Why aren’t they coming?”
“Is it really just coincidence?”
They never appeared. The strange gaze I’d felt during the battle vanished entirely.
Even as I waited anxiously and then entered my home separately, still fully alert, there was nothing.
Just to be safe, I reset a spare Coordinate Secretary in front of each guild member’s residence and left while on a call, but even that turned up nothing.
-Did anything happen?
—Is it a coincidence?
—Something feels off.
Shin Chang, Fist King, and Choin had all received separate contact. At this point, I was as uncertain as they were.
The Ring of Conspiracy was definitely jet black, so why hadn’t they shown up?
* * *
“Why haven’t the attack orders come down?”
“I don’t know. The plan is scrapped.”
“You don’t think they got wind of it somehow?”
“I don’t know either. His mind is beyond me. All I have is the order to withdraw.”
“But the Lord….”
“He left first.”
“What is this—even for him—”
“Don’t complain. Not unless you want to become a sacrifice again.”
“My apologies.”
At the executives’ exchange, Temur pushed himself up from his seat.
“Damn it all.”
“Temur, where are you going?”
“Russia.”
“Russia?”
“To take down Fist King, if nothing else.”
“You think you can?”
“Better than wasting time here, that’s for sure.”
“What are you saying right now?”
“Am I wrong? It was fun before. But now? We had one setback and we’re creeping around like mice. What? Plan scrapped?”
Temur let out a bitter laugh.
“We bring all these people, descend directly on Korea, and what—the plan is scrapped? It’s disgusting. I’m leaving.”
“Are you serious?”
“Look me in the eyes. Want to fight?”
When Temur grabbed his axe, the man stepped back.
“He will come for you.”
“Let him come. Better to have a real match and die than sit here bored.”
.
.
.
The next day, the Ring of Conspiracy had returned to its original color. Calling a Guild meeting was only natural.
“What? The Ring of Conspiracy turned back to normal?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe they were really going for it but didn’t see an opening, so they gave up?”
“I’m not sure.”
There were too many things that didn’t add up. The Übermenschen aren’t the type to move so carelessly.
Thinking back to their last assault, they’d come with a meticulous plan against someone weaker than themselves.
Skill sealing, enhanced sealing—everything.
By that measure, it wouldn’t have been strange if I’d died. Yet they set all this in motion and give up because they can’t see an angle?
“It doesn’t make sense.”
The fact that the color returned meant this discharge-type gate incident was definitely their doing.
But to make such a big move and then do nothing at all—
“Unless Choin’s reasoning was wrong. For instance, that the Übermenschen Leader isn’t stronger than you, Guild Master.”
It was Han Chul’s hypothesis.
He’d extracted various skills over time, but he’d once ruled the Third World as its sovereign. The odds that he’d put in extra effort were slim.
“Perhaps he matched himself evenly with Choin as the benchmark. He’d likely have more skills, though.”
“Weaker in level than Han Hye, who surpasses Choin?”
“Yes. When he saw you fight, he realized he wasn’t enough and retreated.”
It wasn’t impossible, but I didn’t put much stock in it. Someone at our level wouldn’t have come in the first place without better judgment than that.
“Perhaps…”
It was then that Lee Shin-hee spoke.
“What if they realized we knew about the assault?”
“Pardon?”
“We tried to keep it as quiet as possible, but from their side, they might have detected that we were on our guard.”
Which meant they could have inferred it from the Hunter Association’s movements or from how we carried ourselves.
As Lee Shin-hee was speaking, something seemed to dawn on her, and her eyes widened.
“And what if they’d noticed it all along?”
“All along?”
“After the last attack, it’s possible their relationship with China fell apart. But if that wasn’t the case—if we ran an internal purge and found nothing—then I thought they might possess an item like the Ring of Conspiracy.”
“So this operation was a show to confirm it?”
“That could be it. Though I’m not sure what they planned to do afterward.”
Hmm. It was a reasonable point. A thought flashed across my mind.
I quickly raised my hand and stared at the ring.
[Ring of Conspiracy (A-rank)]
A chill ran through me.
‘Chun-bae.’
-Yes.
‘Can an A-rank item’s detection ability be countered with an S-rank item or skill?’
-It depends on the situation, but yes, it’s possible.
Goosebumps erupted across my neck. If Lee Shin-hee was right—if they knew about the Ring of Conspiracy—
Then this whole spectacle made sense. They must have an item that could neutralize it.
“Insane.”
“That’s actually possible?”
The guild members looked just as shocked at my suspicion.
“Everyone, stay alert for now. We don’t know when they’ll come.”
The ring not working—I never realized how terrifying that could be. Now I understood the fear of the unknown.
-Whirrr!
First, I opened the Subspace.
After the Ring of Conspiracy’s color faded, I immediately sent my Paper Doppelganger into the Subspace and returned to my true body.
‘That was close.’
I’d thought the danger was gone, but I was wrong. I didn’t know when they’d come.
This was just a confirmation attempt on their part. They might come after the doppelganger’s duration expired.
But I couldn’t walk around in my true body knowing they could arrive any moment.
‘No, actually I hope they come soon.’
So I can use the Paper Doppelganger. I couldn’t just waste an S-rank item.
It was as I was parting ways with the guild members, heading home.
‘…!’
A strange gaze fell upon me. Luck was on my side, it seemed. Now I could use the Paper Doppelganger.
And in that instant—
Something shot toward me at tremendous speed. It had to be the Übermenschen Leader.
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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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