I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 133
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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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#Chapter 133.
The Awaker Association in Korea had been grappling with numerous headaches of late.
The cause was none other than First.
First was undoubtedly Korea’s finest team, having maintained an unwavering position at the top among the nation’s various Tower-clearing squads for years.
Though they hadn’t surpassed the 100th Floor like the United States and China, who led the Tower conquest, that was merely because those nations operated at abnormal levels.
When compared to dozens of other countries, Korea was justifiably proud—clearly ranking among the elite.
Moreover, with their rapid clearing pace, there was quiet optimism that breaching the formidable 100th Floor barrier wasn’t impossible.
“Yet they disbanded.”
Baek Jin-woo exhaled a long, weary sigh.
First had disbanded. And it was less than a month ago.
Naturally, the Association had attempted every conceivable means to change their minds, proposing various incentives.
But they had already resolved their decision, rejecting every offer.
“Even the Taewon Group has thrown in the towel. Four of the five members have completely lost interest, I hear.”
The Male Ranker seated across from Jin-woo spoke in a grave tone.
Baek Jin-woo nodded in response.
“There were signs of this from the beginning. The team formation itself wasn’t born from some deep bond or shared purpose, after all.”
“That’s true enough. They assembled the most promising prospects of that era.”
Though not widely known to the public, First was a team created through collaboration between the Association and the Taewon Group.
They had nurtured individuals with no prior connection to one another, providing generous support.
Initially, there were no problems. Everyone desperately desired success.
But as they successfully conquered the Tower and accumulated wealth and fame, they gradually transformed.
Those who had climbed the Tower for success found their drive evaporating once they grasped it in their hands.
“At least Hwa-ryeong remained.”
“What can one person accomplish?”
Baek Jin-woo muttered with a grim expression.
Hwa-ryeong was considered the most formidable Awakener within First.
She had opposed the team’s dissolution until the very end, insisting on continuing the Tower conquest, but she couldn’t resist the tide.
As a result, Hwa-ryeong now lived in seclusion, a duck out of water on the Nakdong River.
It was unavoidable.
For someone dwelling in the late 80s to immediately find a new team and resume Tower conquest was far from simple.
“Heroes remains at Floor 81. The others haven’t even reached Floor 70.”
“Mythology Construction has just reached Floor 70.”
“Well, that’s something, at least.”
Considering that neighboring China was conquering the mid-100s and Japan the late 90s, the disparity was disheartening.
The only consolation was that Korea’s influence in the Unclaimed Territory remained reasonably intact.
Ding—
As they continued their discussion,
Baek Jin-woo heard the bell chime and picked up his phone, his eyes widening.
“A call came through!”
“What? From whom?”
“Who else would it be? It’s Jung Han-sung!”
Baek Jin-woo’s face, which had been clouded with worry just moments before, brightened instantly.
There was no helping it.
Jung Han-sung was Korea’s sole beacon of hope amid such bleak circumstances.
His message had been straightforward.
He needed certain items and was asking if they could be procured.
Baek Jin-woo quickly scanned through the list and immediately sent a reply.
Fortunately, aside from one or two items, everything else was stored in the Association’s warehouse.
“So, he’s already conquered up to Floor 65, hasn’t he?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Baek Jin-woo nodded after sending his reply.
“Floor 65 already, and he doesn’t even have a team. His conquest pace hasn’t slowed down at all. He might even break through Floor 70 before the month ends.”
“Floor 70 solo? He’s truly a monster. I understand there are some difficulty variations based on party size, but isn’t it conventional wisdom that more people make conquests easier?”
“That’s true. The difficulty doesn’t double just because you add more people.”
Jung Han-sung’s conquest pace was astonishing enough to capture the attention not just of Korea, but of the entire world.
Baek Jin-woo smiled contentedly as he thought of Jung Han-sung.
Though he had already held a fairly solid position within the Association, his rise to this unparalleled status began precisely after his contract with Jung Han-sung.
It wasn’t a proper contract by any means—merely a desperate measure to keep him from leaving for another country—yet even that had earned him considerable commendation from the Association.
That was how valuable Jung Han-sung was as a talent.
Then, his subordinate cautiously posed a question from across the desk.
“However, hasn’t the atmosphere been somewhat different lately?”
“Atmosphere?”
“Yes. Haven’t people been dispatched from Japan, China, the United States, and recently even Europe?”
At those words, Baek Jin-woo’s brow furrowed.
“They keep crawling in relentlessly. It’s infuriating.”
Indeed.
Korea was currently swarming with those who had come targeting Jung Han-sung.
The Association had identified over twenty of them, and they estimated there were likely just as many more they hadn’t detected.
As a result, Association personnel were now stationed all around where Jung Han-sung currently resided.
It was fortunate that Jung Han-sung had agreed to relocate to the residence the Association had proposed.
It was an apartment where important figures valued by the Association lived, so a certain number of personnel were already stationed there as standard.
Before that, when Jung Han-sung had stayed elsewhere, they’d had to deploy twice as many agents.
“But honestly, those people are the least of our concerns.”
“The least? Aren’t they the ones trying to break his contract and poach him at any cost?”
“That’s right. They’ll definitely offer enormous sums and conditions to take him to their countries. But those people are just trying to recruit him.”
Baek Jin-woo spoke with a deepening frown.
“But some of them have entirely different intentions.”
“Ah… You’re referring to assassination threats.”
“Yes.”
Why would anyone want to assassinate such a promising Awakener?
The answer to that was surprisingly simple.
“If they can’t have it, it’s easier on the mind to eliminate it entirely.”
Jung Han-sung was a talent worth coveting in any nation. After all, he was currently climbing while shattering every existing record in existence.
“If our country’s Awakeners begin to pull ahead, Japan and China won’t be pleased. But what if he were to go to the United States or China instead?”
The current Awakener forces of the United States and China could be said to be nearly evenly matched.
The United States held the advantage in overall strength, while China had the advantage in numbers.
But if Jung Han-sung were to go to one of them?
“Jung Han-sung is the kind of talent who could tip the scales decisively in one direction by himself. The balance would certainly shatter.”
That was something neither China nor the United States would desire.
That was the reason.
There were those who sought to assassinate Jung Han-sung.
The fact that the Association provided Jung Han-sung with every convenience was also because of this.
After all, if he never left his home, the risk of assassination would be minimal.
“There are almost no Awakeners capable of breaching his home, and such individuals would never be deployed merely for assassination.”
“That’s true enough.”
As they continued their conversation.
Ding!
Baek Jin-woo’s phone rang once more.
Baek Jin-woo immediately checked his phone’s screen and rose from his seat.
“They want to purchase items right away. Let’s gather the goods and head out.”
“Yes, understood!”
The subordinate immediately followed Baek Jin-woo toward the warehouse for the shopping service for the VVIP client, Jung Han-sung.
* * *
Jung Han-sung sat on the living room sofa, watching television.
Usually when I went out, I would either sleep, bathe, eat, and return, so leisurely watching television like this was rare.
In truth, I wanted to return to The Tower immediately, but I had business to attend to first.
‘When will they arrive?’
I was waiting for the items I had purchased through the Association.
Those items were all necessary for modifying the magic circles and strengthening the Bone Dragon.
Some materials weren’t available at the Association, so I was planning to visit the Neutral Zone separately, but it was better to acquire what I could from the Association.
The Association’s prices were overwhelmingly cheaper.
Normally, for the same items, purchasing from the Neutral Zone would be cheaper.
But I was an exception.
I received a complete waiver on fees and discounts on all items. In essence, the Association was essentially giving me things. Of course, I wasn’t the type to refuse such arrangements.
So I wasn’t one to turn down such things.
“Hmm.”
So I buried myself in the sofa, blankly watching television.
The television was broadcasting the news.
―Recently, a trend of venerating The Tower has been spreading in Africa….
Something strange seemed to be happening in Africa, but since it wasn’t immediately important, I let it go in one ear and out the other.
My mind was already burdened with countless concerns demanding my attention.
‘I need to finish modifying the magic circle when I return. I want to climb at least ten more floors of The Tower. But I should prepare more thoroughly for Floor 70.’
The Dungeon, magic circles, Territory, The Tower, Floor Bosses—thoughts cascaded endlessly, each one leading to the next.
It was while I sat in vacant contemplation, staring into empty space.
A subtle rustle.
The shadow cast by the sofa began to writhe.
The shadow expanded, growing larger and larger, moving with deliberate purpose before it began crawling up the leather surface.
It was a profoundly unsettling sight.
A shadow consuming the sofa itself? Wasn’t that physically impossible?
Yet the shadow encountered no resistance as it climbed the sofa, soon reaching its edge.
Then the shadow began to assume a distinct form.
The silhouette of a person wielding a raised blade.
Just as the shadow’s sword descended toward me sitting on the sofa.
Crack!
I suddenly thrust my hand backward, seizing the shadow in my grip.
Then I slowly turned my head, staring intently at the shadow I held.
The shadow remained frozen, one arm extended upward.
“Hmm.”
I tilted my head slowly.
“Is it controlling the shadow, or has it transformed into one?”
Muttering to myself, I suddenly recalled something and my lips curved upward.
“This should work.”
I immediately drew upon my mana.
Crackle-crackle-crack!
Lightning erupted from my hand gripping the shadow.
Its power was incomparably weaker than what I could unleash within The Tower—barely equivalent to an electric shock device.
Had I channeled this much force inside The Tower, my opponent would have been reduced to ash in a single second.
But here, this was more than sufficient.
If a person had transformed, they couldn’t help but react.
If the shadow dispersed entirely, it was the former. If not, the latter.
The answer came swiftly.
“Gah-gah-gah-gah!”
Moments after I injected the lightning, the shadow transformed into human form, releasing anguished cries.
But I didn’t withdraw the electrical current, keeping my gaze fixed upon my attacker.
The person who had attempted to strike me in shadow form was lean and muscular, appearing to be in their early twenties.
And their face was entirely unfamiliar.
‘With this level of ability in the real world, they’re certainly no ordinary Awakener.’
Most powerful Awakeners are widely recognized. Though there are exceptions like me.
It seemed this person before me belonged to that category of exceptions.
“Ugh.”
Before long, the man’s eyes rolled back, and he went limp. It seemed he had lost consciousness, unable to bear the pain any longer.
Yet Jung Han-sung did not release his grip. Instead, he picked up his phone and made a call.
―Yes! Jung Han-sung!
Baek Jin-woo answered the call immediately.
Jung Han-sung spoke to him.
“The reason I’m calling is that there’s an intruder in my home.”
It was only natural that Baek Jin-woo, upon hearing this, was taken aback.
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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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