I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 16

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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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#Episode 16.
Over the past decade, Arthur had imparted his teachings to countless students.
Yet not a single one had awakened to the first stage in one attempt.
Not even one.
Of course, Arthur was well aware that Han-sung’s talent was extraordinary.
Naturally, subscription—even when one subscribed to the same ability—yielded different results depending on the user.
And this transcendent system called that difference compatibility.
Arthur’s swordsmanship and Han-sung’s compatibility rate was an astounding 99%.
So when Lilith reached out her claws toward Han-sung, Arthur hastily proposed a one-on-one lesson.
Normally, he would have waited much longer before suggesting such a thing, until the student had grown more accustomed to the fundamentals.
“Arthur?”
Arthur snapped back to attention at Han-sung’s voice and opened his mouth.
Then he spoke to Han-sung, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression.
―There’s nothing wrong. It’s not yet perfect, but the first stage should be sufficient at this level.
“Ah! So we’re moving on to the second stage now?”
―That’s… right.
Typically, the first lesson would end after repeatedly practicing only the first stage, but I couldn’t have you repeat something you’ve already mastered.
“The second stage won’t be as easy as the first.”
Arthur spoke while calming his racing heart.
Truly, it was natural talent, but even so, he couldn’t expect Han-sung to grasp the next stage so quickly. The difficulty was several times greater, after all.
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
Arthur spoke calmly to Han-sung, who answered with a serious expression.
―You saw for yourself what it means to move according to the flow.
“You mean what you demonstrated earlier.”
―Correct. To be precise, you’d need to master up to the third stage to replicate it perfectly, but you can accomplish something similar.
Arthur picked up his sword and demonstrated.
―It applies not only when moving, but also when swinging the blade. Do you remember the sensation from when you cut the flow earlier?
“I do.”
―This time, instead of cutting, you move according to it. Give it a try.
“Yes!”
Han-sung answered spiritedly and immediately raised his sword.
Then, staring intently at empty space, he swung his blade with the speed of lightning.
Shwiiing!
A sharp cutting sound echoed through the air.
But Han-sung’s expression was dissatisfied.
“Hmm. This isn’t easy.”
―Right. Bending, twisting, and cutting—those are possible if you read only a momentary flow. But to move according to the flow, you must never stop reading continuously.
Arthur spoke with his arms crossed.
―Don’t be discouraged by one or two failures. Keep trying…
Shwiiing!
Arthur paused mid-sentence as Han-sung swung his sword again. The speed of his progress far exceeded expectations.
Arthur showed no sign of surprise and continued naturally.
―…Give it a try. Ask if you have any questions.
“Understood!”
Han-sung replied and resumed swinging his sword.
“Hmm, that’s not quite it.”
He muttered something about it not feeling right, constantly adjusting the sword’s trajectory.
Arthur watched with his arms crossed.
Nearly six hours passed like this.
―That’s enough.
Arthur, who had been silently observing, stepped forward and stopped Han-sung.
Han-sung, lost in his swordwork, let his blade drop at Arthur’s voice and wore a puzzled expression.
Arthur spoke to him.
―We’ll stop here for today.
“What? Already?”
―Six hours have already passed. Though time isn’t flowing in the outside world.
“Then there’s no problem, is there?”
Han-sung’s words made Arthur shake his head.
―Everything has a price. Look at your body now.
Han-sung glanced down at himself.
His clothes were completely drenched in sweat.
―Here, physical and mental exhaustion are several times more severe. It’s remarkable you haven’t collapsed already.
Normally, Arthur wouldn’t be the one to end a lesson first. Before that could happen, the student would always collapse from exhaustion.
Han-sung scratched his chin at those words.
“Now that you mention it, I suppose I am a bit tired.”
While swinging the sword, he’d been so focused he hadn’t noticed the fatigue.
Since he had important matters to attend to today, Han-sung sheathed his sword and spoke.
And then Arthur opened his mouth.
―Then as a final touch, let me show you one technique.”
“Ah, yes.”
Arthur drew his sword once more.
―This is the path forward after completing all the stages.
The blade rose slowly upward. Then its tip began tracing a gentle semicircle.
To an untrained eye, it might have looked like he was merely swinging his sword in slow motion.
“…!”
But Han-sung saw it.
‘One…. Two? No, that’s not something you can count.’
To Han-sung, who had only just begun learning to draw lines, it delivered an overwhelming shock.
Han-sung’s breath caught in his throat.
Astonishing. And beautiful.
―That should do it.
I stopped only after drawing a perfect black circle.
I tried to steady my ragged breathing as I responded.
“Thank you… truly. It feels like I’ve opened my eyes anew.”
―If you reflect on it carefully, it will aid your current training as well. Then, let us conclude the lecture here.
“Yes!”
Arthur turned his back and walked away slowly.
‘Surely he doesn’t expect me to master all three techniques by the next lecture?’
Even as I thought such things, a subtle anticipation bloomed within me.
And so my very first lecture came to an end.
* * *
After the lecture concluded, I had to return to Han-sung’s Home. My entire body was drenched in sweat.
Incidentally, Baek-seol was startled upon seeing me so thoroughly exhausted and worried for quite some time.
After showering and eating, I collapsed onto my bed and didn’t wake until one o’clock.
“Phew, that’s better now.”
I muttered as I pushed myself upright.
Before sleep, my body had felt like seaweed soaked in water—utterly limp and unresponsive.
It was comparable to how I’d felt after first subscribing to swordsmanship and engaging in combat.
Fortunately, the artifact’s effects and the physical conditioning I’d accumulated in the meantime accelerated my recovery considerably.
After some light stretching and lunch, I finally entered the Unique Space.
―Master! Did you rest well?
“Yes. I got some proper rest.”
As always, I exchanged pleasantries with Baek-seol before gathering my equipment.
“About thirty minutes left now.”
Since I could check the time even within The Tower, I verified the remaining duration, then sat in my chair to review the lecture’s contents.
Time passed swiftly, and when the appointed hour finally arrived.
A soft glow emanated from the ‘invitation’ I’d prepared beforehand.
I rose from my seat upon seeing it and spoke.
“I’m heading out.”
“Yes! Have a safe trip!”
With Baek-seol’s farewell, I activated the invitation.
A rift opened in the air, just as it always did when entering The Tower.
After a final equipment check, I stepped through.
The surrounding landscape transformed in an instant.
I heightened my tension to its peak and swiftly scanned my surroundings. Soon, I spotted Maria standing to one side.
“You’ve arrived!”
Maria greeted me with a radiant smile upon seeing me.
I nodded in response.
“If I’ve received payment, I should do the work.”
“Ah, the deposit went through perfectly! Just as you instructed, I made sure the source would be difficult to trace.”
“Yes. Thank you. So we enter the Hidden Floor right away?”
“That’s right.”
Maria nodded in agreement.
“The entry conditions for the Hidden Floor have already been satisfied on Floor 14. Once the waiting period ends, you’ll naturally be transported to the Hidden Floor on Floor 15.”
“I see.”
I answered simply.
From the moment she caught up to me, I’d recognized she was no ordinary Awakener, but now I found myself thinking it anew.
The fact that she was here meant she’d conquered two more floors since finishing the 12th Floor yesterday.
Considering that most Awakeners rest for at least four days, sometimes a week or two, between clearing one floor and preparing for the next, this was remarkably fast.
Of course, it was only abnormal compared to me, who’d cleared two floors and returned in thirty minutes.
“Do you have any information about the Hidden Floor?”
“Unfortunately not. It’s a one-time floor.”
One-time.
In other words, it was a floor that disappeared once you cleared it.
Hearing that, I finally understood why she’d proposed it so confidently at first.
Typically, such Hidden Floors offered greater rewards.
‘And greater danger as well.’
In other words, it meant this Hidden Floor was even more special among its kind.
“Understood. Then I’ll prepare a bit while we wait for the time to pass.”
“Okay!”
After ending the conversation, I closed my eyes and reviewed what I’d learned from the previous lecture.
Whoosh―.
After the waiting period had fully elapsed, a message appeared.
[Entering Hidden Floor ‘Entrance to the Land of Giants’.]
It was a distinctly different message from when I’d entered a Hidden Floor before.
‘Last time, there wasn’t really any notification like that.’
With that thought, I watched as the surrounding scenery transformed.
As my wavering vision settled, the first thing that caught my eye was an endless expanse of grassland.
“The Land of Giants!”
And immediately after, I heard Maria’s startled voice.
I turned my head toward her and asked.
“Do you know something about it?”
“Yes…! The Land of Giants is originally a field that appears in the upper floors. Ah, you know what a field is, right?”
“Roughly. The 12th Floor was a field too, wasn’t it? And among such fields, the ones that appear repeatedly across multiple floors get their own names.”
“Exactly! The Land of Giants is a place that frequently appears between floors 50 and 65.”
Upper-floor fields typically have environments that are inherently hostile to climbers.
Lands engulfed in flames, cities completely submerged in water, swamps teeming with all manner of venomous insects.
By contrast, this place seemed to have no obvious threats at first glance.
Boom―! Thud―!
But then.
A heavy, resonant boom echoed from far across the plain.
I turned my gaze back in that direction, and soon discovered something at the edge of the grassland.
It was a head.
A colossal head.
As time passed, the massive shoulders gradually came into view, followed by the torso beneath.
Maria, too, stared in the same direction and spoke.
“Giants. The threat here comes from those giants. Usually, we avoid them to retrieve something, or reach a designated location, or something like that….”
But before Maria could finish her sentence, a message appeared revealing the mission objective.
[Objective: Earn recognition as a warrior from the giant race]
[Time Limit: 1 hour]
“What?!”
Maria let out a sharp cry the moment she finished reading the message.
I furrowed my brow and muttered to myself.
“Earn recognition as a warrior? What is this….”
“There’s only one way to earn recognition as a warrior from a giant!”
“What’s that?”
“You have to defeat them decisively and completely in direct combat. It’s absolutely insane difficulty! Even for a Hidden Floor, how could they ask for something like this on Floor 15….”
“It’s a straightforward objective, at least.”
I cut off her panicked rambling with a decisive statement.
“Let’s go. Time to beat down some giants.”
A subtle anticipation gleamed in my eyes as I spoke.
Maria stared up at me in bewilderment.

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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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