Chapter 142: A Combat-Oriented Subspace Pocket
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: A Combat-Oriented Subspace Pocket
Gon was a difficult opponent to handle.
He was skilled at reading his opponent's psychology, and despite his dull appearance, he was unimaginably cunning, possessing a body that was both agile and fast.
When people faced a man like Gon, they usually only focused on his power. They assumed he would fight like a savage, relying solely on brute strength to crush everything, but the reality was different.
He chuckled inwardly as he watched Sion’s charge. It was an honest, straightforward dash—exactly the way he had taught him, without a single variation.
He could intercept a charge like that all day.
Thump—!
As expected, Gon blocked Sion’s charge without any trouble.
‘Has he gotten stronger?’
Since he had consumed the Giant’s Essence, Sion’s strength had certainly increased, but it was still within a range Gon could easily manage.
‘He’s gotten sharper, but he’s still got a long way to go.’
Gon evaluated Sion internally as they continued their spar. Since he was being paid to teach, he had to do it properly; Gon was judging Sion with extreme strictness, showing no leniency whatsoever.
“Haah... damn it.”
Meanwhile, Sion clicked his tongue as he stared at Gon’s impenetrable defense.
For a Barbarian warrior past his prime, the man was absurdly solid and sturdy.
Had he said he retired from adventuring because a leg injury made it difficult to walk for long periods? Recalling Gon’s past, Sion judged that if the man were still active, he would have easily reached the Platinum Badge rank.
His potential was a waste. Sion wanted to drag him into the Labyrinth and set him up as a front-liner.
‘I’d love to make him an ally, but that’s impossible. It’s a shame, but Gon isn’t someone who will walk the path with me. He’s just one of the walls I have to overcome.’
Sion took off his Dynamic Vision Enhancement Goggles and put them into his inventory.
“Are you finally taking off those ridiculous goggles?”
“Yes. I’ve finally gotten the feel for it.”
“Gotten the feel?”
“Yes. Things might get a little confusing from here on out.”
“Ho. Now that sounds promising. But before you show me something new, just know that everything you’ve done so far has been incredibly boring and predictable.”
Gon smirked, provoking Sion.
Boring and predictable. As he said, the moves Sion had shown during their spar were indeed very easy to read.
Unlike Rika, who was completely outclassed in physical ability, Gon’s physical stats were on par with Sion’s after the latter had swallowed the Giant’s Essence. From a technical standpoint, Sion was still dancing in the palm of Gon’s hand.
After all, the root of the various combat techniques Sion was currently using was Gon himself, his teacher.
However, things would be a little different now.
Because the technique Sion was about to use wasn't something Gon had taught him.
“Here I come.”
Sion dropped the axe he was holding.
Holding only the shield strapped to his left wrist in front of him, Sion began to approach Gon.
‘What? He’s dropping his weapon?’
Gon was bewildered by Sion’s actions. He had clearly discarded his axe. Yet, he hadn't dropped his shield, so it didn't seem like he was switching to unarmed combat either.
‘What is he trying to show me?’
Along with his doubt, Gon felt an intense urge to destroy whatever was coming.
Seeing an opponent approach him without even holding a weapon sparked a surge of anger and a sadistic desire to teach the boy a lesson.
No matter how much he had embraced civilization and become a socialized Barbarian adapted to the Labyrinth City, the wildness always remained in his heart.
“Kuaaa!!!”
Letting out a Warrior’s Roar, Gon began to swing his greatsword.
The blade swung with immense pressure.
Sion forced himself to endure the roar and met Gon’s sword with his shield, attempting to parry it at an angle.
CRACK—!
A splintering sound erupted from the shield as more than half of it shattered. Parrying didn't work. Even though he had deflected the blow, the damage still came through. Feeling a stinging pain in his left arm, Sion widened the gap again.
‘I saw it.’
He had wanted to take one of Gon’s attacks head-on without the Dynamic Vision Enhancement Goggles.
And the result was that he saw it. He saw Gon’s movement.
‘It’s possible.’
Sion realized it.
Arrow Catching training wasn't just a universal shield against ranged weapons.
From now on, he would perform a miracle using the Subspace Pocket—an ability usually relegated to utility-specialized support.
“Hraah!!”
Gon swung his greatsword again, intending to completely take Sion down with this strike.
Tossing aside the shattered remains of his shield, Sion half-closed his eyes and stared at the greatsword coming down to split him in two.
Gon probably wouldn't stop. As long as Sion didn't die, he could just be sent to the relief station to be healed. No, even if he died, he could be resurrected. That was why Gon was swinging with the full intent to kill.
Sion felt the movements around him gradually slowing down.
Even without the Dynamic Vision Enhancement Goggles, his own two eyes made the approaching death move in slow motion.
‘As I thought...’
In the dream, Shaka’s Remnant hadn't activated properly.
But now, it manifested perfectly, pushing Sion’s innate dynamic vision and cognitive abilities to their absolute limit.
Within the accelerated flow of his thoughts, Sion reached out toward the approaching greatsword.
Whether it would work or not—he’d only know by trying.
Before his Arrow Catching training, Sion could only put stationary objects into his Subspace Pocket.
But now, it was different.
He had put arrows, flying axes, javelins, and even cannonballs into his inventory.
In that case, couldn't he also put in a sword being swung?
If he could touch the weapon held by his opponent at the perfect moment and pull it into his inventory without getting hurt...
‘Disarm.’
Sion’s Subspace Pocket activated.
Tang!
“Huh!?”
“What the—!”
Gon’s greatsword vanished in an instant.
The blade that had been flying toward Sion’s skull to split it open disappeared into thin air.
All that remained was Gon, whose body lurched forward as he lost his balance, and Sion, who had stepped back while drawing Gon’s greatsword from his pocket.
Sion even struck the ground once with the greatsword as he pulled it out, neutralizing the remaining kinetic energy. He had perfectly plundered his enemy’s weapon.
“How was that? You didn't expect this, did you?”
“...Impressive. You’ve mastered the ultimate stage of the Subspace Pocket.”
Sion brought the tip of the greatsword to Gon’s throat.
Gon sensed that the match was over. If this had been a real battle, Sion would have thrust the blade straight into his neck to finish it.
“That’s insane! That was actually possible?”
Rika stood with her mouth agape, watching Sion, who had snatched his opponent’s weapon in a flash and immediately turned it into a counter.
The Subspace Pocket was an incredibly useful and excellent ability, but on the other hand, its performance in actual combat was considered ambiguous.
Unless one had the senses to capture a split-second moment, only stationary objects could be stored.
However, Sion was utilizing that simple yet powerful ability to its absolute limit in combat.
Whether it was bringing in heavy waste or construction materials to block paths in the Labyrinth, or snatching an opponent’s weapon like this to make it his own.
“That doesn't look like a technique that’s easy to pull off. How did you do it?”
“You have to use it while watching for that split-second gap. If you just reach out blindly, your hand will be destroyed. If you can't catch the perfect moment, it’s impossible to take a moving weapon.”
“Heh. I never imagined it could be used that way. Then again, almost no one uses a Subspace Pocket for combat.”
Gon seriously saw the potential for a Platinum Badge in Sion.
The man had defeated him once while possessing almost no combat-related abilities.
An adventurer with excellent innate senses and a sharp mind. Such an adventurer was one who possessed the qualities of a Platinum Badge holder.
“To be able to do this much in just a few days... it’s amazing.”
Of course, he called him a man with Platinum Badge potential because he assumed Sion had developed this technique in just a few days.
In reality, it was a technique he had barely learned after being trapped in a dream for three months, unable to rest for even a minute while being trampled by the Villainesses.
Regardless, the important thing was that he succeeded. If he hadn't had talent in the first place, he wouldn't have been able to master Arrow Catching in three months, so it was true that Sion’s talent was exceptional.
Above all, in terms of being able to endure that much pain and roll around like a dog to learn, more than 90 percent of the adventurers in the Labyrinth City could be considered beneath Sion.
“If you use this well, forget just snatching weapons—couldn't you even catch arrows?”
“About that... do you want to try shooting an arrow?”
“Hmm? You can do it?”
“Yes. I think so.”
This technique was originally derived from Arrow Catching.
Therefore, at Sion’s answer that he could also catch arrows, Gon experienced something akin to an orgasm.
The Eastern disciple he had taken in on a whim had gone off and learned some strange technique, and not only was it incredibly broken, but in some aspects, he had even surpassed Gon himself.
Even Gon, who had turned countless adventurers into warriors, had never seen a disciple like this. Not only did he have an absurd rate of learning, but Gon felt the depth of his talent was extraordinary.
“Ho. Rika, bring a bow and some blunt-tipped arrows.”
“I already brought them.”
“Fast as always. Let’s shoot right away.”
Even if it was just a wooden stick with a blunt tip, there was a high chance of serious injury if it hit.
Despite that, Gon didn't hesitate to notch the arrow. His opponent was a genius who had snatched the sword right out of his hand.
‘Since he said it’s possible to catch it...’
It must be possible. Gon felt a strong sense of confidence in Sion’s eyes. That was a look someone who lacked certainty in themselves could never have, so Gon soon released the arrow.
Whish—
The arrow flew.
If Sion failed to catch it...
The arrow would bury itself in his left eye.
“Holy...!!!!”
“He caught it!?”
Of course, Sion caught the arrow in one go without a single mistake.
The arrow vanished in mid-air. It disappeared in an instant, as if being sucked into a rift in space-time.
“Ta-da.”
Sion released the arrow Gon had shot toward a target standing far off.
The arrow, emerging from the tips of his right fingers, flew straight and embedded itself into the chest of the straw dummy.
“...It wasn't just a simple catch.”
“It goes into the Subspace Pocket while retaining the force it was shot with. Crazy. Is that kind of thing even possible? This... it’s invincible.”
Rika couldn't take her eyes off Sion, feeling pure admiration.
At first, she had thought of him as just some guy.
After the Labyrinth Eruption, she had regarded him as the savior who rescued the Young Lady.
And now, she found herself feeling awe at his unbelievable talent and use of his ability.
More than anything, unlike Gon, Rika knew that Sion had mastered this technique by experiencing pain equivalent to death thousands, tens of thousands of times in a dream for three months, which made her feel even greater envy.
It wasn't just the realm of talent. This was the realm of persistence, tenacity... and the obsession that lay beyond.
Knowing that not just anyone could perform such a mad feat, Rika acknowledged Sion.
While Rika was busy praising Sion in her head, Gon, unable to suppress his surging competitive spirit, made a proposal to Sion.
“Wait. Sion. Can I try shooting one more arrow? This time, I’ll shoot with my full power.”
“Yes. As many as you like.”
Having already succeeded in bringing the sensations from the dream into reality, Sion confidently accepted Gon’s challenge.
Soon, Gon brought out the longbow he used to use back when he was actively raiding the Labyrinth.
It was a massive bow with an insane length of nearly two meters.
“You can shoot something like that? With human strength?”
“It’s possible with the help of an ability. Though it’s still difficult even with one.”
“You’re quite the madman yourself.”
“Rika, no one in the Labyrinth City is sane.”
“I’m normal.”
“The fact that you’re still serving a master who hasn't paid you a single cent... makes you abnormal.”
“....”
Rika fell silent, and Gon notched an arrow the size of a person onto the two-meter-plus greatbow.
It was practically a spear. The string of such a monstrous bow couldn't be pulled by a normal person even if they used every ounce of their strength.
Gon could only barely pull it because he had an ability related to bows.
“Well then, here it comes. If you die, I’ll have you resurrected.”
“....”
Looking at the greatbow Gon had brought out, Sion was reminded of the cannons the Villainesses used to fire.
Whether it was this guy or those women, they were all out of their minds.
The moment he showed he could catch an arrow, they immediately pushed him with lethal firepower.
“Yes. Fire away.”
Sion faced the incoming arrow with a sense of desperate resignation.
The destructive power was insane. A shockwave trailed behind the arrow.
It was likely an arrow with destructive power similar to the Villainesses’ cannons.
In short, it was equivalent to a siege weapon. It was essentially a ballista bolt fired by human strength.
“Uwaaaa!!!!”
Letting out a sound that was somewhere between a battle cry and a scream, Sion reached out toward the massive flying arrow.
The result was Sion’s victory.
The massive arrow vanished into thin air.
“.....!”
“He caught... even this?”
“Ugh..”
Sion, whose arm had nearly exploded in that tenth of a second, wiped away the sweat pouring down like rain and spoke to Gon.
“That thing you just shot. I can keep it, right?”
Sion had just acquired a trump card.
A massive arrow fired with the full strength of the Great Warrior Gon.
It was only one shot, but it was as if he had obtained a cannon capable of blowing an enemy’s torso apart.