Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - Chapter 89
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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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89. An Anomaly
[Trial of Mana]
Level Restriction: 26~40
Member Limit: 20 people
-Regarding the Gate above, we plan to request cooperation from Han Hye’s Dragon Guild. Would that be acceptable?
“Of course.”
From the moment I heard about the newly emerged Gate, I had anticipated that a cooperation request would come our way.
Level 26 to 40.
It would have been strange if our Guild wasn’t selected from our level bracket.
There might be exceptional hunters in the mid-to-late 30s, but our Guild was no less formidable.
We had Mister the Dragon Knight, an A-Rank Healer, and Min-jae with destructive power comparable to a B-Rank Mage.
‘Though I benefited from the Heavenly Sword, I’ve also dispatched high-rank Ogres in a single strike.’
Moreover, accepting a cooperation request from the Hunter Association was advantageous. Some Guilds refused due to danger, but we were not among them.
If you had confidence in your abilities, accepting the rewards from a cooperation request was far more beneficial.
It was also the easiest route to obtain elixirs or priority Gate entry passes. Typically, cooperation requests came for difficult Gates.
Furthermore, this particular situation had the peculiarity that Gates with the same name had appeared worldwide.
‘A place with good rewards.’
The reason I knew was simple.
I had asked Chun-bae when I first heard about it.
‘There’s something special about this place, right?’
-Affirmative. This is a Trial Gate that appears as time progresses. It could be called a double-edged sword.
Naturally, Chun-bae, who had been with the previous and previous-previous generations, was aware of the anomalies surrounding the Gate incident.
‘A double-edged sword?’
-The rewards are excellent, but the danger is proportional. A ‘Trial’—in other words, a Gate that devours Hunters.
‘Is it that difficult?’
-Affirmative. It is not easy.
If Chun-bae said it was difficult, there was certainly a problem.
-Additionally, unlike other Gates, if the Gate is not subjugated within two months, a Gate Break will occur.
‘A Gate Break?’
-A maximum-tier, or in Earth’s terminology, a colossal discharge-type Gate will open.
A colossal discharge-type Gate.
This was akin to catastrophe. The chaos during the First Gate Incident was no accident. Australia’s destruction was because of that.
‘During the First Gate Incident, it closed automatically, which is why Earth could survive.’
Zaratan, the turtle bastard that killed my parents, was also a monster that emerged from a colossal Gate.
In other words, the current situation was equally grave.
-Furthermore, the predictions of people in Han Hye’s world are also correct.
‘What are?’
-Only the one who subjugates it first will obtain the reward. Once subjugation is complete, the other Gates will disappear.
‘They all disappear?’
-Affirmative. The moment a Gate in one location is subjugated, the other Gates vanish.
Only one thought came to mind.
‘Is the Gate deliberately inciting our competition?’
-That would be a reasonable assumption.
What surfaced unbidden was the god I had witnessed—the one who survived the Erosion.
-I was growing terribly bored, you see. It’s nearly over, yet so tedious?
Those were his words. He had tried to make a wager with me as well. The current situation brought his words rushing back.
‘Could this be his doing?’
-It cannot be determined. However, Trial Gates are places designed to incite competition among Hunters through exceptional rewards as bait.
‘That’s probably why the rumors about Gates devouring Hunters emerged.’
-Affirmative. Once Hunters confirmed the superior rewards, they entered without hesitation.
Indeed, powerful Hunters seemed almost intoxicated by rewards. It was an opportunity to grow stronger, after all.
-Trial Gates will continue to appear at regular intervals following their initial emergence.
‘This is also because the mana concentration has increased, right?’
-Affirmative. Precisely correct.
As Gates gradually became more challenging, Trial Gates began to manifest.
‘You don’t know what’s inside the Gate?’
-It changes each time, so I cannot know. If there is anything I can discern, I will inform you once we enter.
Well, there’s no helping it. We’ll simply have to confront it head-on.
I asked Seo-ung.
“When is the assembly?”
-You must be fatigued from the Gate expedition, but would tomorrow be possible?
Tomorrow, then….
It was rather tight. It meant entering without properly testing the Blaze skill I had acquired.
-We won’t enter immediately. There’s a subjugation team meeting tomorrow, and Gate entry comes two days later.
“Just a moment.”
Though I was the guild master, I couldn’t make decisions alone. I needed to obtain consent from my guild members.
“I’m fine with it.”
“Me too.”
“You said it could disappear. Shouldn’t we enter as quickly as possible?”
With everyone in agreement, I nodded as well.
“Yes. I will participate tomorrow.”
-Thank you. I’ll push the meeting time to late afternoon if possible.
We were currently in Daegu. Since there was distance to Seoul, it seemed they were being considerate.
But that wasn’t all.
-And given the distance to Seoul, I’ve had a helicopter standing by nearby.
A helicopter.
Well, I was quite pleased with that.
* * *
“Ugh. I’m exhausted.”
Mister emerged from the shower, stretching with a yawn.
“Did you call Sister-in-law?”
“Already did that earlier. While you were sleeping on the plane.”
Normally, after clearing a Gate, everyone would head home separately, but today was different.
Due to the sudden circumstances, we all gathered at the Guild House for a brief meeting.
Since the Harva Ruins had been so scorching, everyone had showered immediately upon arriving at the Guild House.
Not long after we settled in, Lee Shin-hee emerged. Her hair was still slightly damp from not being fully dried.
“You didn’t need to rush.”
“How could I take my time with a Guild meeting? Everyone else is waiting.”
The brief meeting began like that. Nothing grandiose about it.
We had no information about what lay inside the Gate, making predictions difficult. The meeting focused on something else entirely.
“Which other guilds are participating besides us?”
“Iron Wall Guild’s Lee Hong-ju team is in. Apparently he’s exactly level 40?”
Lee Hong-ju, the knight of Iron Wall Guild.
He was the person who broke my record during the workshop, and the one who came to help us during the last outbreak-type Gate.
“So he’s going to be the raid leader?”
“That seems to be the case.”
Knight Lee Hong-ju was the highest-level vanguard in the subjugation team. Naturally, the position of raid leader would fall to him.
“That works out. Lee Hong-ju is someone you can trust.”
In terms of objective skill, he was evaluated as inferior to Liu Zhen, who possessed S-Rank Swordsmanship and was in his late thirties level-wise.
However, he was known for having an exceptional eye for reading situations as a vanguard.
“And then there’s Maze Guild.”
“Maze Guild?”
“Why?”
“Because I know someone there.”
It was the guild that Sang-yeop, the workshop swordsmanship instructor and someone I’d been sparring with recently, belonged to.
He’d mentioned entering a Gate together later, but I never expected it to happen like this.
“Maze Guild is fine too. They have a good reputation.”
Right. Since Sang-yeop was quite skilled among mid-level 30s hunters, Maze Guild was a good choice.
“And the rest aren’t from guilds—they’re individual recruits of decent mages in the level 30s range.”
“Mages?”
“Since it’s the Trial of Mana, they’re probably bringing mages. There are some healers mixed in too.”
That makes sense.
I didn’t know what was inside the Gate, but if it was the “Trial of Mana,” something related to mana would definitely appear.
It was better to bring mages with high mana stats who were most familiar with mana.
“We’re the lowest level then? I hope we can actually participate properly.”
“The Chinese side withdrew, after all.”
Level restriction of 26 to 40. For Gates requiring many personnel, it was typical to bring promising low-level hunters to gain experience.
But Liu Zhen, who possessed S-Rank Swordsmanship, had failed.
Even when only high-level hunters moved for the world’s number one subjugation, it still ended in failure. That was impossible to ignore.
We had to bring only the most reliable personnel to ensure maximum safety.
“That’s why other nations don’t have much will to subjugate it.”
I did a bit of research while moving. Several nations were preparing to subjugate the Gate.
But the atmosphere changed significantly after China’s failure.
Most places weren’t thinking of entering immediately, and even hunter powerhouses like the United States were still in preparation.
Everyone was watching and waiting.
‘Liu Zhen suffered humiliation entangled with me, but objectively speaking, he’s an excellent hunter.’
He lost in debate against super rookies in their mid-40s, but he’s someone evaluated as having no match among hunters in the late 30s.
In other words, since the strongest below level 40 failed, naturally other nations couldn’t help but worry.
Hunters are valuable strategic assets, and the Secretary is also strategic material. Failure means massive losses.
The fact that there’s a reward for whoever clears it first is still just speculation at this point.
‘Of course, I know the truth.’
Thinking about it that way, Korea’s movements were somewhat surprising. They were preparing quickly, second only to China.
Hmm, or maybe not. Come to think of it, it made sense. Isn’t Korea a hunter powerhouse too?
Knight Lee Hong-ju. Not as good as Liu Zhen, but an excellent hunter. The Maze Guild has a decent reputation too.
And the important thing is that we exist.
Probably Korea would have hesitated without us. It’s not self-absorption—we’re objectively overpowered.
“The problem is how we’ll move in the formation.”
“Well, wouldn’t Lee Hong-ju handle the coordination well? I saw you fight him up close last time.”
Mister shrugged and spoke casually.
Right, we had exchanged favorable words back then too.
-Buzz.
The phone rang then. I thought it would be Park Seo-ung calling, but it wasn’t.
It was sharpshooter Seo Seung-yeon.
-What are you doing?
* * *
[Confidence with reason? Chinese hunters returning in disgrace]
[China still silent despite UN requests. Where did international cooperation on the Gate incident go?]
[S-Rank swordsman Liu Zhen. Spotted moving in silence]
[China, entering the Gate again? Hunter mobilization!]
The next day, news from China arrived. Since it was the place that first entered and retreated, all nations were watching closely.
The peculiar point was that they were gathering hunters again.
We already know they went with the best hunters at the same level and failed, yet they’re preparing again.
Did they see some reward inside the Gate? That might be it.
‘Or now that they know the contents, they have confidence to subjugate it again.’
I didn’t pay much attention. We’re entering tomorrow. We’re definitely faster than China.
No matter how quickly they prepare, they’ll be slower than us.
[Lv33 Void Lord, Han Hye]
Strength: 40
Agility: 40(+1)
Stamina: 41(+1)
Spirit: 32
Mana: 46(+1)
Bonus Points: 16
Skills: Subspace (S-Rank) Lv3, Blaze (S-Rank) Lv1, Leap (A-Rank) Lv4, Flame Resistance (A-Rank) Lv7, Cresea Swordsmanship (B-Rank) Lv4, Footwork (C-Rank) Lv4, Swift Step (C-Rank) Lv1, Cold Resistance (C-Rank) Lv3, Imperial Basic Swordsmanship (E-Rank) Lv6 * Wind Slash
I didn’t pay it much mind and prepared for the Gate entry. Since the entry was scheduled for tomorrow anyway, there wasn’t much I could do today.
I decided to leave my bonus points untouched for now.
Given how dangerous the place was according to Chun-bae, I needed to keep a sufficient reserve of points.
Aside from the perilous Gate ahead, looking at my status window filled me with deep satisfaction.
‘This is what a status window should look like.’
When I first awakened, it had been quite sparse. But as time passed, I’d accumulated so many skills that it kept growing longer.
Especially the gains from the Harva Ruins this time were substantial.
I’d obtained one S-Rank skill, and my Flame Resistance had reached level 7. Now most ordinary flames wouldn’t deal damage to me.
Though the Red Dragon’s flames from when I first awakened would still be dangerous…
“You arrived early.”
Just then, Seo Seung-yeon and Shin Chang entered the Training Facility. We’d made plans to meet after she contacted me yesterday.
I’d also arranged to spar with Shin Chang.
-He said he wanted to see you once before you go in.
Shin Chang’s guidance before venturing into such a dangerous place seemed like it would be quite helpful.
I also wanted his assessment of my S-Rank skill, Blaze.
‘Shin Chang had good insight regarding Subspace as well.’
Receiving advice from someone competing for the top position in the industry was always welcome.
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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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