I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 148

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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 148.
Jung Han-sung’s expression grew puzzled.
“Divine essence?”
If Onyx was this excited, it couldn’t be referring to mere scraps of divinity.
Yet Jung Han-sung couldn’t sense even a fragment of divine essence from it.
That’s why his expression had turned quizzical.
―Exactly!
Onyx, sensing Jung Han-sung’s confusion, spoke rapidly.
―The divine essence is sealed tightly within, which is why you can’t perceive it. Direct contact will make it unmistakable, Master.
“Hmm.”
At those words, Jung Han-sung stepped closer and picked up the sphere.
The initial sensation wasn’t drastically different from what he’d felt from the hunting ghost. The only difference was concentration.
If anything, it felt like hundreds of crystals harvested from a hunting ghost had been compressed together.
Yet believing Onyx wouldn’t speak without reason, Jung Han-sung gripped the sphere and focused his mind.
At first, he felt nothing.
But as more time passed.
“Ah.”
Something suddenly clicked into place.
It was as though something hidden in darkness had suddenly reached out toward me.
Jung Han-sung felt his body tense instinctively, his eyes narrowing.
Crack―!
Immediately after, the darkness enveloping the sphere peeled away in layers, revealing a faint golden radiance concealed within.
―The divine essence resonated and revealed itself first!
Onyx gazed upon it, his voice still trembling with excitement as he marveled.
Jung Han-sung observed it with fascination and spoke.
“Now I feel it clearly. I’m amazed I didn’t notice it before.”
Once revealed, the divine essence radiated an unmistakably powerful presence.
It was scarcely inferior to the divine essence I’d obtained through Arzka before.
Yet one question lingered.
“Then was that creature earlier also a being that had obtained divine essence? Its intelligence didn’t seem particularly high.”
Divine beings don’t necessarily possess high intelligence.
But typically, those lacking intelligence compensate with extraordinary physical prowess or special abilities.
What’s commonly called ‘bloodline superiority’—yet no matter how I examined it, that creature from before didn’t measure up to such standards.
Onyx seemed to share the sentiment, licking his lips as he spoke.
―From what I observed, it was certainly not a being that reached divinity through its own strength. It couldn’t even properly wield the power of divine essence itself.
“Is that so?”
―Indeed. Consider its power—had it properly commanded divine essence, it could have unleashed nine, perhaps ten times its current strength.
“Hmm. True enough. If anything, Arzka was more troublesome to deal with.”
Even though Arzka’s power tier was lower.
―It appears someone from outside injected divine essence into it.
“Divinity, that is.”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
I’d found the difficulty of this floor unusually high.
Though I’d conquered it without much trouble, I now had a clear sense of where Awakeners at similar levels stood.
In that context, the information I’d just obtained suggested something significant.
‘Someone deliberately targeted me and intervened.’
Coincidentally, that was one of the possibilities I’d considered while pondering the reason for the elevated difficulty.
What made it even more meaningful was that the means used was divinity itself.
I mentioned this point to Onyx.
―Hmm. Well, that’s certainly possible.
“You seem to have a different thought on it, though?”
―Something feels off about it. To be honest, it wasn’t at a level that would’ve posed a serious problem for you, was it?
“Hmm? Well, that’s true… but it wouldn’t have been easy without your power.”
In fact, my strong resistance to darkness attribute had played a significant role in how easily I’d cleared it.
Even I would’ve struggled more if I’d fought without securing any visibility.
―Hmm, I did contribute quite a bit.
Onyx puffed up at my words, then quickly came to his senses and spoke again.
―But if someone was targeting you, they would’ve accounted for that too. I’ve been bound to you for quite some time now. Perhaps someone was actually trying to help you.
“Help me?”
―Yes. As a result, you received a larger reward and even obtained divinity, didn’t you?
Now that he mentioned it, that was quite a plausible theory.
I pondered for a moment before speaking.
“I should think about this slowly for now.”
There was nothing more to learn here at this moment, so it seemed better to ponder it carefully and at leisure.
Onyx agreed with me.
“Then, shall I absorb this here before we leave?”
I said so while lifting the sphere in my hand. Then I glanced at Onyx.
“You don’t covet it?”
―Of course I do. But I have no intention of making a meaningless request. Instead, could you give me the remaining shell?
“The shell?”
―Yes. The darkness attribute energy contained in that sphere alone would be of great help to me.
“So you want to absorb the residual divinity left over after I absorb it as well?”
―Of course.
Onyx answered confidently.
At that, I chuckled and nodded.
“Fine. I’ll give you what’s left.”
Onyx had contributed considerably to this battle, after all. I could easily spare this much.
Besides, the stronger Onyx became, the stronger my own power grew.
Onyx licked his lips with satisfaction at my response.
With that, I grasped the black sphere in my hand and concentrated my mind.
Whoooosh—!
The golden light dwelling within the sphere rippled violently, then slowly transformed into powder and began to be drawn into his body.
I accepted it without resistance, letting it flow into me.
I waited for a surge of powerful energy to erupt from deep within my body—but nothing happened.
I felt absolutely nothing.
“Did something actually change?”
As I muttered this to myself, Onyx licked his lips and spoke.
―It definitely changed. You should be able to draw out Arzka’s power far more effectively now.
Hearing that, I lifted Arzka to test it. But there was no way to verify it immediately.
So I asked Onyx.
“Didn’t you say you become powerful right away once you obtain divinity?”
―That’s because I’ve already accumulated divinity once and ascended to the seat of a demigod. In other words, divinity has a certain directional quality to it.
“Directional quality?”
―Exactly. Directional quality.
Onyx pointed to Arzka, which I was holding.
―Think of it this way: if you give a small child an exceptionally sharp sword instead of a kitchen knife, does that child suddenly become a born swordmaster who can sweep away enemies?
“Of course not.”
―Right. But if it were a skilled swordmaster? Even though only the sword changed, they’d fight several times better than when wielding a kitchen knife.
“You’re saying divinity works the same way?”
―It’s not a perfect analogy. But that’s the general idea. Right now, since you don’t know how to use divinity, even though it’s increased, you can’t suddenly wield several times more power.
“And that method of using it is what you mean by directional quality?”
―Precisely. However, if divinity exceeds a certain threshold, it naturally gains some directional quality on its own. That’s why it’s always better to accumulate more divinity.
“Can’t I practice that in advance?”
―That’s not something you can obtain through practice. No one can teach you how to become a god. But… there might be hints in your abilities.
“Hmm. I understand for now.”
I nodded.
There were still parts I didn’t fully grasp, but I understood the general gist.
After hearing Onyx’s explanation, I thought I should examine the Channel subscription more carefully.
I’d already adapted to the Shadowless Divine Thief’s abilities to a considerable degree.
More precisely, I’d gone beyond adaptation—I’d already generated skills.
‘I even got two of them.’
Thief’s Sense (B) and Comprehensive Structure Analysis (C) were exactly those.
Naturally, they weren’t as effective as when I subscribed to the Channel, but they still performed exactly as I’d hoped.
After all, I was able to navigate through this Cave without getting lost thanks to these two skills.
In other words, it was about time to choose another Channel subscription.
“Alright. Let’s head back.”
I organized my thoughts and sheathed my sword.
I placed the shell remaining from the divinity acquisition into my inventory for now. I planned to give it to someone once I returned.
Right after I decided to return.
Whoooosh—!
Jung Han-sung’s vision rippled violently before a completely different space unfolded before his eyes.
“Huh?”
He blinked in confusion.
He’d intended to return to the Territory instead of the Unique Space.
Yet once the spatial transition completed, the landscape that greeted him was entirely unexpected.
“Where… is this?”
The entire ground was dyed in a pale violet hue.
The sky undulated in a deep grayish-blue, and between its waves, colossal crystal pillars rose majestically.
Watching those pillars drift lazily through the air, I found myself staring blankly.
“…What kind of place is this?”
I muttered this softly and took a cautious step forward.
Beneath my feet lay soft vegetation like moss, and with each step, I felt it shimmer faintly with light, trembling in the wake of my footprints.
I paused briefly, then bent down to examine the ground more closely.
That’s when I sensed something peculiar flowing through the earth itself.
It wasn’t ordinary mana. Nor was it the darkness-attribute energy that had saturated my surroundings moments before.
Rather… it was an oddly foreign aura—one that carried a strangely alluring scent and pull.
―This doesn’t seem like an ordinary place, Master.
Caution tinged Onyx’s voice.
Even he appeared uncertain about what this place was.
“Hmm.”
I exhaled softly and looked up at the sky.
Some of the massive pillars rotated very slowly, and from their peaks, starlight occasionally scattered like fine cracks.
The sight alone was beautiful enough to make one’s mind reel.
“I don’t think I’ve… advanced to the next floor.”
There was no message announcing a floor transition.
Yet this landscape differed entirely from my Territory and its surroundings—as if I’d stepped into a completely different world.
I pondered for a moment, then opened my status window and similar interfaces.
The windows appeared without issue.
After checking the system in sequence, I tested my own abilities next.
Crackle—!
My power manifested without problem.
“My abilities work fine.”
The Tower’s system and my own powers functioned flawlessly.
Yet I couldn’t shake an underlying unease.
An alien aura permeated this entire space.
‘But I can’t just stand here indefinitely.’
I furrowed my brow and began moving slowly forward.
The spot where I stood offered nothing remarkable beyond the mystical scenery.
―Where are you going?
“I need to explore for now. To understand what kind of space this is.”
―Hmm. Be careful, Master.
“I know.”
Han-sung replied as such and continued forward.
Time passed in this manner. And still, I had discovered nothing.
The pillars visible in the distance were farther than I’d anticipated, and between them stretched only repetitive, monotonous scenery.
In a sense, it felt like a completely empty space.
Eventually, I had no choice but to stop and deliberate.
“At this rate, I’ll just keep wandering aimlessly.”
―I agree, Master. We should grasp something—anything—before proceeding further.
“The problem is there’s nothing to grasp.”
Han-sung exchanged these words with Onyx.
Then, at that moment.
Whoooosh—!
A sudden gust of wind swept from somewhere.
Han-sung reflexively turned his head toward the direction of the wind.
There stood a figure draped in a dazzling white cloak.

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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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