I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 146
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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 146.
Now that I thought about it, Onyx possessed a power that was nearly immune to dark attributes.
Onyx spoke with great excitement in his voice.
―Perfect. Here, I can amplify my strength several times over.
It seemed this time would be a proper opportunity for Onyx to shine.
Jung Han-sung walked slowly through the Cave.
About five minutes had passed since I began walking, yet nothing remarkable caught my eye.
The entire space was saturated with dark attribute energy.
‘How fascinating.’
I observed my surroundings while contemplating this.
I had received a brief explanation from Onyx about dark attribute energy before.
Just as light and light attribute energy differed, so too did Darkness and dark attribute energy.
With ordinary darkness, one could simply illuminate the surroundings by producing light.
But this place, saturated with dark attribute energy, was different.
Crackle―.
I flicked my hand lightly and released an electrical discharge.
Snap!
The electricity flashed briefly, illuminating the surroundings before vanishing in an instant.
I could see it clearly.
The moment I released the electrical discharge, the dark attribute energy filling the space consumed it entirely.
Even if I lit a torch, something similar would likely occur.
Therefore, this place was an exceptionally challenging arena for ordinary people.
They would have to explore and fight without being able to see even an inch ahead.
But for me, it was the opposite.
‘It’s so clear it feels strange.’
The Cave’s layout was distinctly visible to me.
While not bright as midday, my vision suffered no obstruction whatsoever.
As I entertained these thoughts, I felt Onyx’s smugness. He seemed delighted to be in a place where his abilities thrived.
I chuckled at his demeanor, then suddenly sensed something and lifted my head.
Whoosh―.
Then I saw something clinging to the ceiling ahead.
Its form was so intertwined with the darkness that at first glance it seemed like part of the Cave itself.
‘I barely sensed its presence.’
My ears and senses are quite acute.
If I hadn’t detected it until it came quite close, its movements must be extraordinarily stealthy.
Considering this environment, an ordinary climber wouldn’t even see it properly. A formidable adversary indeed.
Of course, that didn’t apply to me.
I continued walking, deliberately feigning ignorance while observing its reaction.
When the distance had closed to a certain point.
It dropped silently toward me, sharp spines leading the way.
Crack!
Yet Jung Han-sung effortlessly raised his blade and pierced through the creature’s body.
The ambusher, now the one ambushed, writhed in unexpected agony, twisting its form in desperation.
Bzzzzt!
In response, Jung Han-sung released a surge of electricity.
The current traveled along the blade and spread through the monster’s body, causing it to convulse violently before going limp.
Only then did Jung Han-sung drop it to the ground and examine it closely.
I’d never seen a creature like this before.
Its appearance lacked substance, as if born from shadow itself.
Without shell or skin, its entire form seemed composed of dense mist and charred flesh.
The outline traced by black ichor wavered unstably, and its silhouette was a grotesque hybrid between human and beast.
Most striking were its four-pronged arms.
They terminated in needle-sharp points, wickedly keen.
—This is a Shadow Hunting Fiend, Master.
At that moment, Onyx spoke.
—Typically, they inhabit spaces saturated with darkness attribute energy like this one, and they’re adept at manipulating such energy.
“Is that why its presence was barely detectable?”
—Precisely. It instinctively concealed its aura by manipulating the energy around it.
“I see. Are there any other notable characteristics? Its physical abilities seem ordinary.”
—That’s only by your standards, Master. Its physical prowess alone is sufficient to easily handle several ordinary humans.
“Who’s even ordinary on the 70th Floor?”
—Fair point.
In essence, the only real concern was ambush tactics.
And since Jung Han-sung possessed eyes that could pierce through darkness, even that wasn’t much of a threat.
Whoooosh—
But then, the Hunting Fiend’s body dissolved like smoke, leaving behind a single black orb in its place.
[Shadow Crystal]
[Grade: Rare]
[A crystal formed from concentrated darkness attribute mana. Used under specific conditions to enhance darkness attribute techniques, summon darkness attribute lifeforms, or strengthen them.]
“Excellent.”
An unexpected windfall indeed.
Jung Han-sung picked it up.
Onyx offered a brief explanation.
—This one must have been quite old. A freshly spawned one wouldn’t have left anything behind.
“Is that so? Then I’d love to encounter plenty of aged ones.”
This crystal clearly looked useful.
But while Jung Han-sung’s mood brightened, Onyx’s disappointment was unmistakable.
Jung Han-sung didn’t miss it and questioned him.
“What’s wrong?”
—Well, you see. In a space like this, I can exert considerably more power than usual.
“Ah, so you want a chance to show off?”
―Not exactly. I just want to loosen up after so long.
Though it seemed like the same thing to me, Jung Han-sung chuckled and nodded.
“Got it. Well, summoning Thunder Wolf would be awkward on this floor anyway.”
Originally, I had planned to summon Thunder Wolf and properly assess his combat prowess, but he wouldn’t be able to display his full strength in a place like this.
“Go ahead and rampage as much as you want.”
―Krkh, I finally get to show my true power.
Onyx licked his lips with evident delight as he spoke.
And so Jung Han-sung pressed forward once more. The moment Onyx had been waiting for arrived sooner than expected.
‘They’re pouring in relentlessly.’
Before long, I spotted a swarm of hunting fiends descending from the ceiling, their sharp spines leading the way.
‘There have to be over fifty of them?’
If this were truly an ordinary party, I suspected they might perish before even reaching the Floor Master, let alone these hunting fiends.
I thought Onyx might lose his nerve at this, but instead, he was already trembling with excitement, licking his lips.
Moreover, Onyx seemed to overflow with power beyond his usual state.
Witnessing this, Jung Han-sung recalled a particular phrase.
‘Automatically accumulates dark attribute energy. …Was it?’
It was likely the description written in the trait called Breath of Darkness.
Now that I recalled that description, I could distinctly feel the dark attribute energy surrounding Onyx was unusually dense.
Seeing that, I understood why he was so restless.
‘Like a fish that’s found water.’
Jung Han-sung smirked and continued walking forward, feigning ignorance.
Meanwhile, the hunting fiends drew ever closer, finally arriving right before Jung Han-sung’s face.
Just as they were about to plummet down with their pointed spines leading the charge.
Whoooooosh!
Onyx burst from Jung Han-sung’s armor and rocketed toward the ceiling.
The sight was as magnificent as a water serpent ascending to become a dragon.
But what came next was even more astonishing.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
The ascending Onyx expanded his body and clung to the ceiling, sweeping through the hunting fiends.
His display was incomparably more powerful than when he had exerted his full strength before.
Jung Han-sung watched with arms crossed.
‘He’s manipulating the dark attribute energy like it’s an extension of his own body.’
The hunting fiends handled energy quite naturally, but Onyx surpassed them.
Beyond mere manipulation—he had become one with it.
The overwhelming display he was showing now was only possible because of the dark attribute energy saturating this entire space.
Crunch-crunch-crunch!
I could feel the entire space trembling from his ferocious movements.
―Krahahahaha!
The hunting fiends struggled against the calamity that had suddenly appeared, but Onyx roared with laughter as he obliterated them.
No matter how sharp their spines were, they couldn’t pierce through Onyx’s enlarged scales.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
‘At this rate, I won’t even need to step in.’
I kept my sword sheathed and simply collected the crystals that fell to the ground.
Not every hunting spirit dropped a crystal, but since there were so many of them, even a fraction yielded a substantial amount.
Screech!
Onyx glided across the ceiling, continuing the massacre.
In his wake, only charred marks and melted shells remained.
I advanced forward, following his trail.
The hunting spirits appeared without end, but Onyx devoured them just as relentlessly, one after another.
It felt like he was growing stronger as time passed, and upon closer inspection, it wasn’t an illusion.
He was absorbing the surrounding energy and becoming increasingly powerful.
Thanks to this, I reached the end of the cave without needing to swing my sword even once.
“Onyx. There’s something ahead.”
And at the end, something with a completely different nature from the hunting spirits was writhing.
‘The Floor Master.’
Considering this was the 70th Floor, it made sense that a powerful boss would be waiting at the end.
Onyx understood this too, so instead of rushing at the enemy immediately, he approached my side.
Whoooosh—!
Then, from the writhing mass, black thread-like strands shot out and began consuming the remaining hunting spirits.
They then intertwined on the ground, gradually forming a larger shape.
Crash!
With a crushing pressure as if the ceiling and walls were collapsing, it rose to its feet and looked at me.
I stared back at it and muttered.
“Now that it’s come to this, don’t you think the difficulty level is a bit high, even for the 70th Floor?”
―Kh, it does seem that way.
Still riding high from his rampage, Onyx answered in a voice that hadn’t yet cooled down.
While it’s true that clearing becomes harder as you ascend, this floor’s difficulty was certainly quite substantial.
‘Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange if there was no separate boss at all.’
Something didn’t sit right with me.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
My current suspicion narrows down to two possibilities.
Either the difficulty increased because I cleared it too easily, or someone intervened.
Both were possible, but the latter seemed more plausible right now.
Usually, when The Tower itself increased difficulty, a separate message would appear.
I hadn’t seen any such message on the way here.
The latter, on the other hand, typically struck without warning.
And the entity capable of intervening in such a situation was….
‘Sargon.’
The one who had already set traps targeting me multiple times. It had to be Sargon.
Grrrrowwwl!
But there was no time to dwell on it. The enlarged monster was beginning to slowly advance toward Jung Han-sung.
Jung Han-sung was about to rush at the creature when he spoke to Onyx.
“You’re not getting intimidated just because it’s bigger than you, are you?”
―Don’t say such discouraging things. I can handle it just fine.
At Onyx’s confident voice, Jung Han-sung lifted the corners of his mouth and drew his sword.
“Good. Then focus on restraining its movements as much as possible.”
―Understood.
Following Jung Han-sung’s instruction, Onyx expanded his body further and began flying toward the monster.
And Jung Han-sung leaped up and mounted Onyx’s back.
―Krraaaaaaagh!
He hurled himself toward the monster that was unleashing its terrible roar.
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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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