Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 41

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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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41. Emission-Type Gate (4)
Grendels are classified on par with Ogres, but depending on perspective, they’re far more troublesome monsters.
While their strength and physical durability fall short of Ogres, they compensate with proportionally greater speed.
‘Unlike Ogres that simply charge forward, these creatures hunt with cunning, targeting the rear ranks first.’
Even if each Guild takes on one, there’s still one left over. That single remaining Grendel has a high probability of toppling them one by one.
Beyond Emergency, neither Recovery nor our team can confidently claim we’ll properly contain even one Grendel.
‘I need to think this through carefully.’
Being able to think calmly even in such urgent circumstances is an advantage of my abilities. There’s no reason not to use it.
First, I have to accept that orthodox combat tactics are impossible. I need to counter with unconventional methods.
‘Chun-bae, do you have a way?’
-Negative. With the forces I’ve assessed, defeating four Grendels is impossible. Retreat is the best option.
I sought advice from Chun-bae, but the answer I wanted didn’t come. The situation was that dire.
‘The problem is we can’t retreat.’
Since Hunters from other Guilds wouldn’t understand, ultimately all I could rely on was our team’s thinking.
The first thing that came to mind was Yong-yong.
‘Would Yong-yong’s cry be effective?’
Last time, the Ghouls heard Yong-yong’s cry and fled in panic. There’s a possibility.
But I couldn’t rely on that alone.
Until now, Yong-yong’s cry had only worked that one time. During the Night of Despair, it growled, but it wasn’t like a Dragon’s Fear.
Perhaps Yong-yong’s cry only manifests when experiencing serious displeasure, similar to how the Ghoul’s stench works.
‘And there’s no guarantee it would work on Ogre-class monsters anyway.’
The current problem wasn’t the lesser monsters—it was the Grendels. I dismissed Yong-yong from my thoughts.
Min-jae’s magic crossed my mind briefly, but I shook my head. Despite its destructive power, it took considerable effort against an Ogre.
Grendels probably don’t have the same magic resistance as Ogres, but I couldn’t handle all four at once with magic.
And unlike Ogres, they’re fast.
‘Is there any way to use the Subspace to handle this?’
The first method that came to mind was elixirs. When I’m in the Subspace, time flows within it, but not outside.
If I consumed all the elixirs here before leaving, I would definitely gain a significant power boost.
However, the problem was that the number of verified elixirs wasn’t that many. And it would take an enormous amount of time.
That’s when it hit me.
‘Wait.’
Suddenly, clarity struck my mind.
Defeating the Grendels right now is impossible anyway. But I can endure in the Subspace even if they focus their attention on me.
So if I take on their aggression, that’s all I need to do. I just need to make sure they can’t escape from there.
There were two problems created by the Grendels.
‘Threat to our lives and failure to defend the Gate.’
First, the Hunters, including our team, are in immediate danger. Second is the safety of civilians.
If all the Hunters fall, the monsters will go searching for civilians.
Even with shelters, they’re only temporary refuges. If monsters breach them, collapse would be instantaneous.
This method would allow me to protect both the Hunters’ safety and the civilians if I simply accepted a little risk myself.
‘The real problem is how to draw their aggression.’
I knew information about Grendel, but I couldn’t recall the details with perfect clarity.
Of course, the solution wasn’t particularly difficult.
[Monster Compendium (Volume 4)]
I hadn’t left only supplies in the Subspace. I’d prepared for various situations that might arise inside the Gate.
Things like survival methods in harsh environments or tactics for dealing with monsters, for instance.
[Grendel]
-A monster in the form of a werewolf. Approximately 2 meters 50 centimeters in height….
-Treated as equivalent in rank to an Ogre and possesses tremendous agility. Weaker than an Ogre but possesses sufficiently powerful physical strength….
-Possesses the intelligence to target the rear guard and weaker members of a team. The rear guard must always exercise caution when encountering Grendel….
-Prioritizes targeting humans stained with its own blood or that of its kin. Therefore, during combat, the team’s front guard must obtain Grendel’s blood in some manner….
I found the information I needed in the Monster Compendium. The crucial point was that I had to get its blood on my body. If I could manage that, I’d be able to lure them in whatever direction I wanted.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
I’d avoided approaching Ogres because even a glancing blow could be fatal.
But this creature was faster than an Ogre.
‘I think I can manage it somehow. I have the Amulet of Protection as insurance too.’
-It’s dangerous, but if you can’t retreat, it’s the best method.
-Of course, I’d recommend withdrawing. You have to survive to have a future….
He talked a lot, but Chun-bae agreed with my plan. Besides, hadn’t I skipped training today?
I immediately opened the Subspace door and stepped out. The Mister who saw me raised his eyebrows.
“Did you come up with a plan?”
“Yes.”
I spoke calmly.
“I’ll lure them out. In the meantime, you defend the Gate.”
Monsters other than Grendel are still emerging. Luring them is something I can handle alone anyway.
“You’ll lure those things? You think you can manage it?”
“I checked the compendium. I just need to get their blood on me.”
“How are you going to do that? It’s too dangerous.”
The Mister tried to dissuade me with a serious expression. I shrugged.
“There’s no other way. I have Leap and the Subspace, so.”
To be honest, my teammates being in danger is one thing, but fighting like this puts me in danger too.
I can’t just hide in the Subspace alone while leaving my teammates, especially Chul-gi, behind.
“Actually, me keeping my distance is safer for everyone.”
“….”
The Mister didn’t say anything else, but he looked at me with worried eyes. I smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry too much. Lee Shin-hee?”
Lee Shin-hee stared at me intently.
“Let’s try what we practiced earlier. Barrier and Leap.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Lee Shin-hee nodded, understanding.
-Emergency, buy as much time as possible! Dragon Guild, Recovery, fall back! Retreat and prepare support magic!
A rough radio transmission crackled from the Emergency Guild side. The two vanguard members advanced forward, buffed and ready. Their expressions were dark.
It was the look of resolve. The resolve to accept sacrifice, perhaps. I was grateful for that determination. I grabbed the radio as well.
“This is Dragon Guild. We request you maintain the front line. You don’t need to retreat.”
-Damn it, what the hell are you saying? Do you all want to die? Fall back if I tell you to fall back!
Curses erupted from the other side. I understood. They knew nothing about my abilities.
And from their position of accepting sacrifice, their anger was justified.
-Just because the media hypes you up, you think you’re something? Retreat!
Recovery Guild was already pulling back. Well, there was no need for lengthy explanations.
Grendel was rushing toward me as well.
“I plan to lure Grendel away and escape. Please maintain the front line and cover my retreat.”
I turned around and locked eyes with Lee Shin-hee. She nodded, signaling she was ready.
As I nodded back, she immediately chanted a spell. A protective barrier materialized over my body.
“Huh.”
I took a short, sharp breath and kicked off the ground. I felt the Emergency Guild Master’s gaze. It was the look of someone watching a madman.
It didn’t matter.
Within the wavering spatial distortion, I swung my blade. I concentrated all my focus. To strike the moment I teleported.
Whoosh!
And the instant the teleport succeeded, Grendel was ten centimeters in front of my blade. I had aimed for its torso.
I could have severed its neck, arms, or legs to incapacitate it.
But since it was moving, I held back.
Either I could fail to control the teleport distance, or the nimble Grendel could dodge.
“Krrr?”
“Huh?”
Grendel flinched, sensing something amiss. I also saw the shocked faces of the two vanguard members waiting for Grendel at the front.
Even with the teleport, the rotational force of my arm remained intact. My wind-flowing blade carved into Grendel’s flank. However, its thick muscles and skin prevented me from cutting it cleanly in two.
Scritch.
Still, I managed to half-sever its flank. Grendel’s blood sprayed everywhere.
‘Now to teleport again.’
But Grendel was faster than I imagined. Its arm was already closing in on my torso.
Crack. The moment its claws touched the barrier.
Whoosh!
If I hadn’t been thinking of consecutive teleports, it would have been quite dangerous. The protective barrier shattered in an instant.
My blood ran cold.
-Auuuuu!
Regardless, the operation was successful. As the barrier broke, its blood splattered all over my body.
The four Grendels that had been charging toward the Hunters cried out upon seeing me.
I had properly drawn their aggro.
“Come on, you mangy beasts. Try to follow me.”
Now I just had to run.
* * *
“Phew.”
Kim Jung-do, a Hunter specialist reporter for the national broadcasting network, drew a deep breath. He was aboard a news helicopter en route to where a mid-sized Gate had ruptured.
A mid-sized Gate where Ogre-class monsters emerged posed considerable danger even to helicopters.
There was the risk of being struck by hurled boulders, or if flying-type monsters appeared, crashing outright.
Yet Kim Jung-do had volunteered to cover the incident himself.
-I really want to go!
There was only one reason he had undertaken this risk.
‘The Dragon Guild.’
The guild that possessed an S+-rank Awakened and a Dragon Knight with a Red Dragon.
Despite the enormous public interest, they had minimal media exposure aside from the interview with the Hunter Association at the time of their contract.
It was to capture their first external combat footage, having recently achieved victory against an Ogre.
Then the helicopter arrived at Seoul National University Station.
“Do you see it? A mid-sized Gate has opened at Seoul National University Station! Monsters are pouring out!”
Initially, there were no major issues. Monsters poured forth, bombs detonated, and flames surged skyward.
The non-Awakened monsters that emerged early were completely annihilated.
The Awakened monsters that advanced afterward were met with a barrage of Hunter magic. Of course, there were notable moments.
Seo Min-jae’s magic was one such moment.
“Tremendous explosions! The Dragon Guild! The mage of the Dragon Guild! Destructive power rivaling that of the Emergency Guild’s mage, who is approaching B-rank….”
But I couldn’t finish speaking because Grendels burst forth from the Gate.
Not just one—four of them.
“G-Grendels have appeared. Four of them! The situation is dire. Hunters are preparing to retreat. Recovery Guild and the Dragon… huh?”
At that moment, Kim Jung-do, who had been watching the Dragon Guild, was startled. A Subspace had formed, and someone had entered it.
And the moment the Subspace closed, they burst back out. It was an eerie sight, since time doesn’t flow outside.
“The Grendels are coming!”
However, I couldn’t focus more on Han Hye because the four Grendels immediately began charging.
Kim Jung-do, turning his gaze to the Grendels, opened his mouth once more in shock.
“What in the…?”
Despite the live broadcast, I couldn’t hide my astonishment. The Space Mage had appeared behind the charging Grendels.
And he had slashed deeply into the flank of one Grendel.
It happened in an instant. Dark crimson blood sprayed profusely, and the Grendel thrashed its arm.
“Danger…!”
And the Space Mage vanished before my eyes. Only then could Kim Jung-do comprehend the situation.
“Spatial displacement!”
The S+-rank Awakened about whom rumors had swirled.
This was the moment the public first learned that the Space Mage Han Hye could perform spatial displacement.
“Uh, where are they going?”
The Grendel’s cry echoed, and Han Hye began running backward. It was opposite to where the Hunters were positioned.
Kim Jung-do immediately deduced the intention.
“The Space Mage! The Space Mage is luring the Grendels away! Having determined that defense is impossible with the Hunters currently in position, they are drawing the Grendels away!”
As a Hunter-specialized investigative journalist, he possessed considerable knowledge of the industry. That was precisely why he immediately grasped what Han Hye had done.
“Grendel pursues those stained with the blood of their own kind—that’s an exceptionally wise move! However…”
The problem was that four Grendels posed an extraordinarily grave threat to Space Mage, a D-rank Hunter.
“It’s incredibly dangerous! Space Mage Han Hye is now risking her own life to stand forth for the Hunters and citizens!”
Kim Jung-do gestured urgently to the helicopter pilot—a silent command to follow Han Hye.
The urban pursuit was beginning.

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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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