Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 74
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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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74. Sand Storm (2)
I had come to a definite realization.
The Heavenly Sword was a blade whose physical abilities enhanced the farther my body moved away from the ground.
When I descended from a high place to a lower one, those enhanced physical abilities reverted to normal.
However, this transition didn’t happen instantaneously.
‘There’s a lag. Just under one second….’
Since the Plummeting Warning Gate, I had never wielded the Heavenly Sword while changing altitudes, so I hadn’t noticed this before.
When I saved that person earlier, I was focused on the situations above and below.
The method I conceived was singular.
I would swing the sword from a high place and use Leap to sever the Ogre.
-Boom!
Enraged that the thrown utility pole was blocked, the Ogre yanked out another one.
Electricity crackled in all directions, sparks erupting everywhere.
The surrounding streetlights were already mostly extinguished from the pole it had pulled earlier, and the remaining ones flickered out completely.
At least the moonlight was bright enough—a small mercy.
‘Well, let’s try it anyway.’
With the Amulet of Protection, I could cover for one mistake if things went wrong.
The Hunters behind me didn’t seem particularly useful against the Ogre, so I dismissed them from my calculations.
Pop!
I immediately used Leap to jump onto the rooftop of a nearby building. The Ogre’s gaze followed me half a beat too late.
‘Sharp instincts.’
Even though I disappeared from sight using Leap, it pursued me with incredible speed. Was that because it was high-grade?
For an Ogre, its agility rivaled Grendel, whom I’d faced before.
I concentrated carefully on spatial distance. I needed to be 30 meters above the Ogre from the air.
Once I had the position, I Leaped again.
The ground came into view.
Collapsed buildings, flames roaring fiercely, Hunters clashing with the Ogre. A Harpy falling, bleeding.
But now, spatial awareness was what mattered.
‘….’
I closed my eyes.
Focusing solely on spatial sense. The Ogre and me. As altitude increased, I felt strength flooding into my body.
A brief moment of free fall.
A high-grade Ogre. It would be far harder than I imagined.
-Grraaaagh!
I had to harness not just my full power but also the force of gravity pulling me downward. From the sky above, I twisted my waist, legs, and upper body.
Then I swung the sword.
Gravity and bodily elasticity. When I had traced a quarter of my intended blade path, I Leaped behind the Ogre’s nape.
And I activated Swiftness.
The world slowed microscopically. The Ogre’s nape became crystal clear before my eyes. It reacted. But the Heavenly Sword flashed faster.
Shwick!
“Crunch!”
A heavy sensation shot through my fingertips—no, beyond numbness into a sharp, piercing pain.
It was far harder than when I’d cut through the Harpy.
No wonder it was a high-grade Ogre. Still, I managed to sever it cleanly, if only barely.
‘If I didn’t have the Heavenly Blade, I couldn’t have cut through that.’
Setting aside the quality of the weapon, even with my recently enhanced strength, I’d barely managed the cut. My fingertips and wrist throbbed with that sharp sting.
Moreover, the creature reacted instantly to my leap. Without my enhanced agility, I wouldn’t have reached it.
If I’d chosen the Flowing Blade instead, I would’ve failed the attack and had to retreat with a leap.
Well, thanks to training with Shin Chang, I’d been able to gauge the exact distance and aim for the Ogre’s neck.
Boom!
The Ogre, its neck severed, crashed to the ground. The road was shattered in countless places, so dust erupted violently upward.
Just as they’d said it was strong, a message appeared immediately.
[Your level has increased.]
Since I’d leaped behind the Ogre, the Hunters in front wore expressions of shock.
“An Ogre in a single slash?”
“Insane….”
But I couldn’t afford to show off.
The medium-grade Gate hadn’t only spawned an Ogre. Without turning around, I swung my blade.
“Kyaaah!”
An Orc’s head flew skyward from behind. Several other monsters were charging at me as well.
My wrist throbbed, so I used a leap to retreat in front of the Hunters.
At that moment, a massive fireball streaked past from behind the Hunters. I didn’t need to look to know it was Min-jae.
Boom! The monsters were swept away in a torrent of flame.
And healing light descended upon my wrist. Lee Shin-hee had come as well.
“Brother! We’re here!”
Lee Shin-hee and Min-jae are both sharp. I’d only told them to stay in the rear, but watching from the helicopter, they must have seen the situation and decided to help us instead of the Berta Guild.
At that moment, something fell from above my spatial awareness. I turned my head in surprise to see Mister riding Yong-yong.
“The upper area is clear.”
“The lower area too. How did you manage it?”
“Harpies? They’re annoying because they fly around. But with Yong-yong, it was easy.”
Is that so? I tilted my head, and Mister grinned widely.
“The armor helped too. Just like we trained—transforming into sand to dodge attacks and countering—they couldn’t move an inch.”
Then he looked at the fallen Ogre and made an incredulous expression.
“I don’t understand how you caught an Ogre more than the Harpy I caught. How exactly did you do it? I didn’t see it.”
“With a leap….”
“You caught that with a leap? A high-grade specimen? You’re a crazy monster.”
“Huh?”
Knowing it was a compliment, I smiled back at him.
“The Berta Guild side caught an Ogre too. It’ll probably take a bit longer, but once we restore the defensive line here and deal with the ones that escaped elsewhere, we should be good.”
“Right.”
“If the Daeup Guild had shown up, we could’ve blocked them more easily.”
That was when it happened.
Whoosh—!
A surge of mana rippled from behind. Not from the currently open Gate, but from somewhere else.
Mister, Min-jae, and the other Hunters behind them all turned around with hardened expressions.
[Small to medium-sized Gate outbreak near Gunpo Gate! Rear of the defensive line, near the evacuation shelter!]
But that wasn’t where the problem ended.
Whoosh—!
Another surge of mana rippled outward, and the small to medium-sized Gate began opening immediately.
[Anomaly detected! Small to medium-sized Gate activated without time delay! Support required!]
Radio chatter erupted immediately. A medium-sized Gate and now a small to medium-sized one—it was like misfortune piling on top of misfortune.
“Give me a moment.”
I opened a Subspace right away.
* * *
Han Hye immediately entered the Subspace to gather her thoughts.
‘Does this even make sense?’
An outbreak-type Gate activating immediately had never happened before, except for the first Gate catastrophe ten years ago.
Han Hye shook her head.
‘No. Focus on the present. The situation is unfolding now.’
Getting reinforcements immediately would be difficult.
That meant she had to hold back the small to medium-sized Gate as well, but the circumstances weren’t favorable.
The Berta Guild was handling one Ogre. Of course, it would take some time to finish it completely.
Unlike Han Hye, who could exploit her leap to strike vital points directly, they had to whittle down the Ogre gradually.
‘Even if we take down the Ogre… the other monsters are still a problem.’
The number of monsters pouring out from the medium-sized Gate was substantial. The Hunters present would have to give their all.
And now a small to medium-sized Gate had opened. Right behind them.
Ogre-class monsters wouldn’t appear. It was a Gate that spawned many powerful Awakened beings.
Even so, she couldn’t spare many personnel.
The medium-sized Gate currently open was already flooding the area with monsters.
A small Gate might be manageable, but anything small to medium-sized and larger couldn’t be sealed with a Subspace.
‘Wait.’
Something caught Han Hye’s eye. It was an item she’d obtained from the Desert Gate last time and stored in her Subspace.
[Godmon’s Compass (Grade B)]
-Normally dormant, but emits light and activates when specified. A compass imbued with mysterious power.
-Destroyed after 3 activations. (0/3)
Chun-bae had said that this item would show her the way to overcome a desperate situation.
This was exactly such a situation. The moment Han Hye grasped the compass—
“Huh?”
-Whirrrr!
The compass needle spun and then pointed in one direction. It was spinning inside the Subspace itself?
Han Hye’s eyes widened in alarm as she followed the arrow’s direction, and there she spotted a familiar item.
[Sandstorm Scroll (D-rank)]
-Summons an overwhelming sandstorm in a designated area for a set duration, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
Han Hye, who could maintain her spatial awareness even within a sandstorm, had thought this scroll was perfectly suited for her.
However, there had been no real use for it while traveling with guild members, so she’d simply stored it away.
‘If I have that, I think I can hold them off alone?’
Only one Ogre remained.
If the Berta Guild handled it and the Dragon Guild provided support, they could hold out until additional reinforcements arrived.
‘Chun-bae wasn’t just saying it was a good item for nothing.’
To think he’d immediately shown her a way to turn the situation around.
“If I go block that, can you all hold out here?”
Choi Chul-gi tilted his head in confusion as Han Hye spoke, having just emerged from opening a Subspace.
“Just us?”
“Yes. Without me.”
“We’ve already taken down both Ogres and all three Harpies that broke through, so we can hold on, right? Min-jae’s firepower is solid, and we have Yong-yong too.”
“Then I’ll block that.”
“Block that? Alone?”
Choi Chul-gi was actually worried about Han Hye. It was a reasonable concern. No matter how high her stats were relative to her level, no matter how promising she was, she was still alone.
Gates spewed forth considerable numbers of monsters.
While it was unbelievable that she’d defeated an Ogre, her only area-of-effect skill was Wind Slash, which seemed insufficient for blocking them.
“Don’t worry about that. I have a plan.”
Choi Chul-gi nodded as he looked into Han Hye’s eyes. She wasn’t the type to speak nonsense.
There wasn’t much time for debate anyway. Since she’d come out of the Subspace, he figured she must have a strategy.
“Alright. Do as you think best.”
“Yes.”
“Come back alive.”
Still, the fact remained that he was worried since he didn’t know her method.
Han Hye nodded at Choi Chul-gi’s serious gaze and began running backward, gripping the Sandstorm Scroll.
* * *
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
Kim Jung-do, a national broadcast hunter specialist correspondent, headed toward the location of the Dragon Guild once again.
In fact, he arrived before the Dragon Guild did.
He had been waiting at the company, so he’d flown in via the news helicopter, which was why he could arrive before the Dragon Guild.
The moment the Hunter Association announced hunter deployments, he’d headed to Gunpo, allowing him to arrive before the Dragon Guild.
“The Gate has opened! Two Ogres…! This is dangerous! High-rank! Neither of them look like ordinary Ogres!”
As a hunter specialist correspondent, Kim Jung-do possessed extensive knowledge of the hunter industry.
To his eyes, these Ogres appeared to be among the stronger specimens—requiring at least a 40-level hunter team.
“Currently, only the Berta Guild and local hunters are defending the Gunpo Gate. The situation looks extremely dire. We need reinforcements to arrive quickly.”
The two Ogres that emerged from the Gate, which had formed in the center of a wide plaza, each advanced in different directions.
All while hurling the hastily arranged vehicles as projectiles.
“The Dragon Guild and Daeup Team 4 have also been assigned to the Gate defense operation. Time is running out!”
Originally, they should have erected barricades designed for Gate defense, but due to time constraints, they couldn’t block everything.
The Berta Guild was positioned at the front where they had a clear view, but they failed to stop the Ogre that slipped around the side.
“Harpies! Harpies have appeared too! They’re estimated to be high-tier among mid-sized Gates. The situation is becoming even more dire!”
Moreover, harpies—weaker than Ogres but notoriously troublesome—burst through the Gate and took flight.
With the appearance of flying monsters, the broadcast helicopter naturally increased its distance in that instant.
“Reinforcements! Reinforcements are arriving! Who could it be?”
And two figures leaped from the helicopter.
“What in the…!”
Kim Jung-do gasped at the sight that defied belief.
A dragon burst from the sky. The world’s only Red Dragon—the one that had become a global sensation.
“It’s the Dragon Guild! The Dragon Knight and Space Mage have arrived! The dragon carrying both of them is heading toward the harpy!”
As a fierce charge ensued, the Space Mage vanished before his eyes. Kim Jung-do’s eyes gleamed.
He recognized it as a spatial leap from having seen it before.
“Behind the harpy! Space Mage Han Hye teleports behind the harpy. A blade flashes! The harpy falls! Another spatial shift!”
As Han Hye rescued the person clinging to the harpy’s feet, Kim Jung-do couldn’t help but cry out in admiration.
“Saving another hunter! The Dragon Knight blocks the harpy’s attacks! The Dragon Guild has arrived! The Dragon Knight charges the harpy! The Space Mage descends below…!”
The helicopter quickly pursued Han Hye. And it managed to capture the moment she blocked the utility pole.
“Preventing the defensive line from collapsing! A subspace with physical immunity! Remarkable! It neutralizes the Ogre’s attacks without a single scratch! Wha—!”
All of this unfolded in an extraordinarily brief moment.
And a scene that defied belief even with his own eyes occurred.
“…In mid-air? No, in the sky?”
Han Hye suddenly performed consecutive spatial leaps and rose into the sky. Then she fell, swung her blade, and vanished.
Appearing behind the Ogre and striking with her sword took less than a second.
Even Kim Jung-do couldn’t find words as he watched. He was too busy trying to follow the speed of the leaps.
And the blood gushing from the back of the Ogre’s neck was equally shocking.
“T-the Space Mage has slashed the Ogre!”
Only after the Ogre collapsed to the ground could Kim Jung-do open his mouth.
“With a single leap! The Space Mage defeats the Ogre in one strike. Is this even possible? Unbelievable! A C-rank hunter accomplishes what an A-rank hunter should do!”
During the last dispersal-type Gate, she had demonstrated remarkable skill by buying nearly an hour against four Grendels.
But this was even more impressive than that.
Late level 20s, C-rank hunter.
Who could believe such a person severed a high-tier Ogre in a single strike? Yet it was captured on screen for all to see.
“A beautiful display of skill! This proves that what was said about Liu Zhen of China, who possesses an S-rank sword technique, was no exaggeration! We are proud!”
The Gate situation broadcast was about to shift into nationalist fervor.
“While the Space Mage handles the Ogre, the Dragon Knight finishes the harpy… Huh?”
A mid-sized Gate opened behind the defensive line. And not with a time delay—immediately.
“I-impossible… A mid-sized Gate has activated instantly. This is unprecedented!”
“T-ten years ago, during the Gate Catastrophe… This is happening again. The Daeup Guild hasn’t arrived yet—they need to get here quickly.”
It was an extraordinary occurrence that had never happened before. As Kim Jung-do panicked, Han Hye moved.
“Wait, Hunter Han Hye is heading toward a mid-sized Gate! What on earth is she trying to do alone….”
The answer became clear moments later—the instant Han Hye leaped from the rooftop toward the open mid-sized Gate.
“A sandstorm? A sandstorm is beginning to rage in front of the mid-sized Gate. Visibility is zero….”
A colossal sandstorm engulfed the area surrounding the mid-sized 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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