I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 187
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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 187
I and my companions stood frozen, gazing at the landscape visible beyond the doorway.
It was hardly surprising—I had never imagined such a vista would unfold on the other side.
“Space magic?”
Maria spoke a moment later, breaking the silence.
I nodded slightly in response.
“It seems that way. It doesn’t feel like an illusion spell.”
If the grassland had been constructed through illusion magic, its distinctive aura would be unmistakable.
But the mana emanating from the door and beyond clearly bore the signature of space magic instead.
It was likely space magic channeled through the door itself as a conduit.
“Hmph. So that’s why I couldn’t sense anything.”
The Russian Awakener muttered in a hollow voice while observing the grassland.
It appeared he had been continuously scanning the surroundings with his detection ability.
Considering that the entire Ancient Ruins had detection-blocking measures in place, there must be a remarkably powerful detection specialist among them.
Regardless, the door was open, so I addressed the Coltain Guild members.
“From here on, we move separately.”
“Understood.”
They nodded without objection, apparently thinking the same thing.
My group and the Coltain Guild crossed through the door, then increased the distance between us.
Once we had spread out enough to barely see each other, I spoke to Cho Cheon-woong and Maria.
“Do either of you sense anything?”
“No.”
“Nothing, sir.”
Both of them frowned and answered immediately, suggesting they had already scanned their surroundings using their own methods the moment we crossed the threshold.
Since I had done the same, I nodded and spoke.
“It seems incredibly vast. Even with my detection range, I sense nothing.”
“Wouldn’t it be more efficient to spread out and scout the perimeter?”
Maria had a point—in such a vast space, dispersing to search would be more practical.
But I shook my head.
“No need. I can use the undead instead.”
If we were going to search everywhere anyway, deploying the undead across the area was the better approach.
I immediately issued orders to the undead, commanding them to scout the surroundings.
Since they were spiritually linked to me through mana, they would send a signal if they discovered anything.
“We’ll move together for now. The undead can be sacrificed without concern, but if we separate and get ambushed, it would be disastrous.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
We had already been attacked by the Insect Summoner once before, so we couldn’t afford to be careless.
‘If we’ve come this far, there won’t be any ordinary people left.’
Both of them were skilled, but neither was strong enough to handle any opponent without difficulty.
At this stage, most would be formidable fighters.
Those lacking in strength wouldn’t have made it this far, not with the Insect Summoner’s interference blocking the way.
While there was no guarantee that everyone we encountered would be hostile, I couldn’t stake my life on the goodwill of strangers.
That’s why I stuck close to Cho Cheon-woong and Maria as we explored together.
Of course, my undead continued to scatter in all directions, searching for a path forward.
“This place really does stretch on with the same scenery endlessly, doesn’t it?”
Cho Cheon-woong spoke as he walked.
He was right.
At first glance, it seemed almost like a space created by illusion magic.
“The Unclaimed Territory is vast. It’s not strange to find a place like this.”
Besides, the Unclaimed Territory naturally contained all manner of terrain. I’d heard there were even floating islands drifting through the sky.
For now, I had no choice but to accept it and continue our exploration.
We walked silently through the Grassland where identical scenery seemed to stretch on forever.
The grass grew up to our knees, swaying back and forth with the occasional breeze that drifted through.
Though the monotonous landscape might have dulled anyone’s focus, we remained vigilant.
Even with open terrain on all sides, enemies could emerge from anywhere.
About an hour had passed when
“Ah.”
I sensed something and stopped in my tracks. Looking in one direction, I spoke to the other two.
“One of my undead has been destroyed.”
“An undead?”
“Yes.”
I’d commanded my undead to send signals if they discovered anything, but I’d also set up an alternative alert system.
It triggered when an undead was destroyed. Just now, one of them had been eliminated and sent the signal.
“If we run at full speed, we should arrive within five minutes. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
We immediately began moving toward the location where my undead had fallen.
I wasn’t certain what was there, but it didn’t seem to be the Coltain Guild. They’d seen my undead before, after all.
Though the probability wasn’t zero, there was no reason for them to deliberately destroy my undead just to provoke me.
If they’d intended to attack, they would have done so before we separated.
Having reasoned that far, I increased our pace even further.
Either way, I’d know for certain once we got there and saw for ourselves.
Whoosh—!
We moved at a terrifying speed, and it wasn’t long before I reached the vicinity where the signal had originated.
“They’re still here.”
And I spotted a group stationed in that location.
I’d thought they might have moved on by now, but they remained in the same place.
There were seven of them in total, and this time it was Cho Cheon-woong who identified them first.
“They’re from a Chinese Guild.”
“Is it that Nok-rim Guild or whatever?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Cho Cheon-woong furrowed his brow as he spoke.
“They’re one of China’s major guilds, but they’re not exactly quality members.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those bastards don’t discriminate when recruiting guild members.”
Upon hearing that they didn’t discriminate in recruitment, Jung Han-sung immediately understood.
“So they have quite a few criminals.”
“In fact, you could say that’s their main force.”
“But doesn’t the Government crack down on that?”
“Quite the opposite—they encourage it. It’s easier to manage that way. After all, these were criminals who became Awakeners, weren’t they?”
“Ah, I see. Having them all in one organization does make management easier.”
“Exactly.”
It was obvious when you thought about it, but awakened criminals were quite the headache.
Even if their abilities weakened outside The Tower, they could still use them to some degree.
In Korea, there weren’t that many Awakeners to begin with, and the punishment for crimes committed by Awakeners was severe.
‘China probably isn’t lenient either, but simply arresting them outright wouldn’t be practical for management.’
Ordinary criminals were one thing, but awakened criminals were far worse.
“Since they’re bound to the guild, there aren’t many who cause trouble openly, and regardless, they do put effort into clearing The Tower.”
“That sounds good on the surface, but there must be problems too.”
“Yes. Inside The Tower, they behave like complete savages. In Unclaimed Territory, they’re no different from bandits. There are an enormous number who specialize in plunder.”
Crimes committed inside The Tower are difficult to punish.
If you eliminate someone and complete the floor, the body disappears cleanly.
In Unclaimed Territory, bodies do remain, but if you bury them in a truly desolate place, they’re hard to find.
It’s an ideal environment for committing crimes.
Just here in these Ancient Ruins, the Insect Summoner has killed more than a few people.
“Anyway, it looks like they just saw undead lurking around and attacked.”
Jung Han-sung nodded at Cho Cheon-woong’s words.
In truth, I had no intention of protesting the destruction of undead.
Unless they were fellow Necromancers, it would normally be difficult to distinguish whether undead had an owner or not.
Coming this far was purely for information gathering.
“Let’s try talking to them first.”
“Will they even communicate properly?”
“If they won’t, I’ll make them want to answer.”
“Hmm.”
Cho Cheon-woong’s expression grew somewhat worried.
Having been active in China for quite some time, he knew that Nok-rim wasn’t an easy opponent.
“Those guys have large numbers and plenty of mediocre members, but their top tier is strong.”
“That makes sense. It would’ve been difficult to grow to that level with just sheer numbers.”
Besides, this was China—why would only Nok-rim have many members? Even ordinary guilds there had hundreds of members.
But Jung Han-sung didn’t mind.
“Don’t worry. If things go south, we can always retreat.”
“Got it.”
With Jung Han-sung putting it that way, Cho Cheon-woong didn’t press the matter further.
Besides, even if Nok-rim wasn’t an easy opponent, they could certainly manage an escape if needed.
And so our group approached the location where the Greenforest Guild Members had established their camp.
Since our purpose wasn’t to provoke them, we slowed our pace and advanced deliberately.
As we drew near, they noticed us and reacted immediately.
“Who the hell are you?”
The shout came sharp and harsh, the voice gravelly.
Jung Han-sung stopped in his tracks and replied calmly.
“We came to talk.”
“Talk? What kind of frozen hell talk is that?”
The response was as hostile as it could get.
But this was understandable enough.
In these Ancient Ruins, everyone was a competitor.
“How did you find us?”
Then the one who’d spoken first asked again.
Jung Han-sung answered simply.
“You dealt with one of my undead. I followed the signal.”
“Undead? That’s yours?”
As he spoke, he pointed to a corpse with its head and body separated.
Jung Han-sung immediately recognized it as one of the undead he’d subjugated.
“That’s right.”
“Tch. A Necromancer Commander.”
The man’s expression twisted with displeasure.
It seemed he had unpleasant memories involving Necromancer Commanders.
Well, even without such history, Necromancer Commanders generally had a poor reputation.
He made no effort to hide his disgust as he spoke.
“Why would someone dealing with filthy corpses come all the way here?”
“Did you discover something? Or perhaps information worth using?”
“Ha, you call that a question?”
To the man who asked as if wondering why he should answer, Jung Han-sung replied simply.
“I’m not asking you to tell me for free. We can make a deal.”
“A deal.”
The man chuckled at Jung Han-sung’s words, then raised one hand.
In that hand was a large blade.
“Why bother? No one’s watching anyway.”
At those words, the others standing nearby began to snicker and laugh.
Their intentions were painfully obvious.
Honestly, Jung Han-sung had anticipated this to some degree. From what Cho Cheon-woong had said, these didn’t seem like people of quality.
‘They’re all quite skilled, I’ll give them that.’
Which is why Jung Han-sung had been sizing them up from the very beginning.
At first glance, the one leading the conversation seemed strongest, but that wasn’t actually the case.
From Jung Han-sung’s perspective, the one standing quietly in the back was the real leader.
During their exchange, he’d caught that figure glancing at the quiet one multiple times, and the aura emanating from them was far more intense.
They’d made an effort to suppress their presence, but not enough to escape Jung Han-sung’s discerning eye.
Considering everyone else as well, his overall assessment was clear.
‘I can definitely take them down.’
Right after Jung Han-sung reached that conclusion.
“Get them!”
The man who’d been speaking suddenly shouted that command.
Watching those who immediately rushed forward, Jung Han-sung smiled.
“I like the directness.”
This was exactly the situation he’d been hoping for.
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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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