Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 62
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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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62. Godmon Ruins (3)
A low hum resonated through the air.
A Subspace materialized above the sand, which had begun to take shape and rise gradually from the ground.
My companions seemed to sense my intention, their eyes widening as they watched the phenomenon unfold.
“Huh?”
“Oh?”
“Oh!”
And just as I’d anticipated, it happened.
A soft cascading sound.
The surging sand collided with the physics-immune Subspace and began to pour downward.
Since the monster was still in the process of being ‘created,’ the sand was being treated as part of the monster itself, preventing it from entering the Subspace.
“Wow.”
“It actually works like this?”
The Guild members’ jaws dropped.
It was as if a glitch had occurred in a game—the sand surged upward, collapsed, surged upward again, collapsed again… a repeating cycle.
“Hey. Isn’t the rule supposed to be that you don’t interfere while it’s transforming?”
Mister let out a dry laugh as he watched the sand rise and fall, rise and fall.
“We’re not villains, so it should be fine, right?”
“Hmm.”
Mister contemplated the glitched sand formation.
“This does seem a bit villainous.”
“Should I release it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Mister chuckled and turned his gaze toward the back.
“But the door still won’t open?”
“It seems the processing hasn’t been completed since we haven’t defeated it yet.”
I observed the sand for a moment. The real problem was that the sand flowing downward was being regenerated.
An infinite loop, essentially.
With the previous sand soldiers, the falling sand was immediately sent into the Subspace and didn’t regenerate.
“If we absorb what flows into the Subspace, it should work, I think?”
Just as I was about to open the Subspace again.
“Wait.”
Mister raised one hand and paused to think.
“Why?”
“I was thinking we could fight it. What do you say?”
In a way, this could be considered the main boss of this Gate.
Of course, using the Subspace to breeze through it was also an option. It was fast and convenient for growing stronger.
But ultimately, developing our own abilities was important too. I suspected that’s what Mister was getting at.
We were training diligently, but real combat and training were fundamentally different.
“That’s not a bad idea either.”
A colossal sand formation. I couldn’t tell what would take shape. The atmosphere felt similar to when that Flame Sentinel appeared last time.
We’d trained extensively to handle such creatures on a party level. Gaining real combat experience wasn’t a bad thing either.
“Isn’t this the perfect training opponent?”
Mister continued. He was right. I could think of it as a large monster that regenerated like sand soldiers.
In a way, this Gate was about applying what we’d trained for into actual combat.
My swordsmanship and Mister’s spear technique had both grown sharper.
After repeating individual combat scenarios, we were now in a position to engage in team-based real combat.
“What should we do?”
Still, I asked for my companions’ opinions.
Since we already knew the strategy and were letting the enemy appear anyway, they could have objected, but they didn’t.
“I think it’s not a bad idea.”
I added my own thoughts.
We’d trained against large monsters many times, but we’d never actually fought one.
The Apostle wasn’t large-scale, the Ogre we caught in a Subspace, and Grendel simply fled.
Lee Shin-hee and Min-jae pondered briefly before speaking.
“Either way works for me.”
“Let’s give it a try!”
Lee Shin-hee remained neutral while Min-jae spoke with enthusiasm.
“Then let’s do it.”
“How should we approach this?”
Against large monsters, there were two strategies. Since both Mister and I could serve as the vanguard.
I shook my head.
“I’m not well-suited for this. I think Mister should take the vanguard position.”
Against creatures like Ogres, Grendel, or Trolls, I could stand in the vanguard. I could use my leap to target their vital points.
But against Flame Sentinels or sand monsters like this, I couldn’t exert much power.
‘My attacks don’t penetrate deeply enough.’
I could deflect their heavy strikes with Subspace, but no matter how much mana I channeled into my blade, the impact area was limited.
It was difficult to completely cut through sand or lava.
“Alright then, let’s form our formation.”
* * *
After the Guild members prepared for battle, I closed the Subspace we’d left open.
Whoooosh—
Whoosh whoosh—! Simultaneously, sand began surging upward at incredible speed.
The speed differed from the first time, and being blocked until now seemed to make it form even faster.
“That’s incredible.”
A larger cavity than before, and the sand completed into a form similar to the Flame Sentinel we’d seen last time.
Its lower half remained buried in sand, with only a massive upper body rising up.
But it differed slightly from the Sentinel. While the face and arms had the same shape, there were approximately four sand whip-like appendages protruding from its sides.
Those must be for restraining us. I focused on those whips.
—Screeeech!
With Yong-yong’s small cry, Mister immediately unleashed Flying Dragon Strike. It was a swift charge, accelerated by Yong-yong’s growth and increased speed.
The heavy sand burst open as if a hole had been torn through it.
‘Did Mister think of the Flame Sentinel too?’
At that moment, he pierced through a location similar to where the core had been, but I felt no core inside.
Mister shouted.
“Min-jae, water!”
“Yes!”
Min-jae chanted a spell, and water fell onto the sand, slowing its regeneration speed.
Mister followed up with consecutive Flying Dragon Strikes against the creature.
“It’s incredibly fast, isn’t it?”
However, even as Min-jae sprayed water on the creature’s body, it was difficult to keep pace with its regeneration speed.
Part of it was because Min-jae’s water magic wasn’t particularly exceptional, but in the Desert Zone, the heat caused the water to evaporate quickly.
Whoosh—
—Crash!
Moreover, the creature wasn’t focusing solely on Mister. Even with a hole torn through its chest, its arms and whips continued to move.
It attacked Mister with both arms while using four whips to assault our position.
Whoosh—
This was quite troublesome.
I could only open two Subspaces at a time. While it didn’t attack simultaneously, I had to open and close them rapidly.
However, even fighting this way, the sand creature never became a genuine threat to us.
I was somewhat tense because it was a Ruins Gate, but our Guild’s abilities were simply too exceptional. As the battle progressed, it gradually became easier.
‘Their stats are impressive, and everyone here is truly skilled.’
The whips I missed were either blocked by Lee Shin-hee’s barriers or intercepted by Min-jae’s magic.
Mister led from the front, using Flying Dragon Strike to bore holes through the sand creature’s body.
The creature’s massive arms lunged at Mister, but they seemed unable to keep pace with the Red Dragon’s speed.
The creature’s sand began to be chipped away bit by bit.
As Mister consecutively used Flying Dragon Strike to destroy the whips, Min-jae, finding an opening, continuously bombarded the creature’s torso with fireballs.
The rate of damage had surpassed the rate of regeneration.
“But how much longer do we have to beat this thing?”
While it would be difficult to find a better opponent for practical training than this creature, ultimately Mister and Min-jae were the first to tire.
Their mana had been depleted from repeated use of Flying Dragon Strike and magic.
“I’ll start collecting the sand now!”
Each time Mister burst apart a portion of the creature with Flying Dragon Strike, I opened a Subspace beneath it.
Once I started, the creature’s collapse accelerated beyond control.
The creature, whose strength lay in regeneration, had lost the power to regenerate.
It didn’t take long to finish it off, and Mister approached me, breathing heavily. Despite only riding Yong-yong, he appeared exhausted.
“Phew, that was truly a trial of stamina.”
We were indeed exceptional, but even the sand soldiers weren’t particularly strong for the Gate’s level.
This creature was no different. I began to suspect that the true nature of this Gate was ‘prolonged combat.’
“Yes. It doesn’t seem to be a simple test of raw power.”
Lee Shin-hee nodded in agreement.
“It seems designed to emphasize stamina distribution during prolonged combat—essentially, endurance management for extended battles.”
Just as I’d felt when facing the sand soldiers, the real problems here were the oppressive heat and the constantly regenerating enemies.
Mister and I had fire resistance and elemental adaptation, so we were fine…. But Lee Shin-hee and Min-jae weren’t.
Even wearing Arachne’s thermal undergarments to help maintain body heat, they were still drenched in sweat.
And this was despite my having given them the ice stone I’d obtained when my Subspace reached level 2.
“I thought about what it would’ve been like coming here without you, and honestly, it sounds absolutely miserable.”
Min-jae shook his head vigorously.
“Not knowing when it would end would’ve made resting impossible… I think we would’ve been exhausted both mentally and physically.”
Lee Shin-hee nodded while fidgeting with the ice stone.
“We probably would’ve run out of drinking water too. Without this, I think we’d have suffered heat exhaustion.”
That’s right. We’d entered the Godmon Ruins without knowing it was a Desert Region.
Since I carry everything in my Subspace, I just overlooked it….
Other hunters would’ve had limited drinking water, so they would’ve struggled far more.
“I’m glad it helped. That’s what the skill is for, after all.”
I answered with a slight smile.
Well, I’d overcome an opponent meant to be defeated through a battle of endurance using my Subspace, but there was no problem with that.
What mattered was that I’d gained practical experience with swordsmanship and spear techniques against sand soldiers, and real combat against a large monster.
Rapid growth can mean lacking experience compared to others, and I’d just trained to compensate for that.
Thud.
I pointed toward the open passage behind me after dispatching the large monster.
“Should we rest a bit before heading in?”
“This will be the last one, right?”
Min-jae, who’d expended considerable mana, asked while wiping sweat from his brow.
“Probably?”
“Then let’s go!”
At my words, his expression brightened and he stood up.
Gates of the “Trial of Strength” variety like this one have simple structures, so there typically aren’t hidden elements.
‘The structure rewards you once you overcome the trial.’
Since nothing is hidden, the more difficult the trial, the better the rewards.
And it went exactly as expected.
“Oh!”
Behind us was a small chamber with five pedestals, and something was placed atop each one.
The disappointing part was that only four had items.
“There are five pedestals, so why only four items?”
“I think it’s because there are four of us instead of five.”
We’d entered a Gate with a five-person limit with only four people.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Let’s check them out!”
Min-jae rushed forward with an excited expression and let out a gasp of admiration the moment he saw the first item.
“Wow! Insane!”
“What? What is it?”
I hurried over to see what had made Min-jae cry out, and I understood immediately.
[Desert Inscription (C-rank)]
-A grimoire containing the sand magic used by the Desert Empire’s Godmon.
For a mage like Min-jae, a grimoire held more value than almost anything else.
“Congratulations.”
After confirming that, I shifted my gaze to the side.
[Sand Soldier’s Armor (C-rank)]
-When imbued with mana, allows temporary ‘Sandification’ of the physical body.
-Skill Sandification (D-rank) acquired.
[Sand Wind Turban (D-rank)]
-For a set duration, summons an overwhelming sandstorm in a designated area, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
[Godmon’s Compass (B-rank)]
-Normally dormant, but possesses a mysterious power that activates and glows under specific conditions.
-Destroyed after 3 activations. (0/3)
“These rewards are absolutely insane, aren’t they?”
“One B-rank, two C-rank, one D-rank?”
Compared to Arachne’s Labyrinth, it might seem weak, but that was because we’d discovered an almost impossible hidden objective back then.
For a Ruins Gate of this level, this was an extraordinarily successful haul.
“But what exactly is Godmon’s Compass?”
“It seems unusual, but I’m not entirely sure what it does.”
A compass that glows and activates under specific conditions? What could those specific conditions be?
I’d never heard of anything similar, so I had no idea.
-Congratulations.
That was when Chun-bae spoke up.
-You’ve obtained something quite rare. This is the finest item among all the rewards from this Gate.
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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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