I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 189

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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 189.
When I first heard Cho Cheon-woong speak of the Green Forest Bandits, I’d felt a quiet satisfaction.
Not merely because they seemed the type to choose combat over conversation.
But because even from the stories alone, they struck me as remarkably loose-tongued.
“Since arriving here, we’ve spotted the Aegis members from a distance, but we haven’t clashed directly! Both sides preferred to conserve our strength, so we withdrew!”
And my prediction proved precisely accurate.
They answered with exemplary diligence—ask one question, receive two answers.
Thanks to their candor, I learned not only what I’d sought, but far more besides.
“You’ve been here for over a week?”
“Yes! That’s right! So everyone was quite on edge!”
Hearing that response, I furrowed my brow.
‘A week?’
They didn’t seem to be lying. They’d volunteered the information without my even asking how long they’d been here.
Yet if that were true, something didn’t align.
‘They didn’t enter this place a week early, did they?’
No. According to the intelligence Maria had gathered, the Green Forest Bandits entered these Ruins four days ago.
Yet they claimed to have been on this Grassland for over a week already.
A discrepancy of nearly four days.
If it were merely a few hours, I could attribute it to poor timekeeping on their part. But four days was different.
There was no reasonable way such a gap could occur naturally.
‘Perhaps…’
Time might flow differently here than in the outside world.
It wasn’t particularly surprising. I’d experienced something similar before.
What intrigued me was that the Ruins seemed to operate at a higher level than expected.
‘Time and space. Either way, mastering such magic is notoriously difficult.’
There was a real possibility that both schools of magic were woven into this place.
The Ruins’ creator likely hadn’t built it alone, but even accounting for that, it was remarkable—evidence of someone with the power to command such individuals in constructing this monument.
I set aside those musings and continued my questioning.
No need to dwell on such thoughts while they remained before me.
“Th-that’s everything we know!”
They’d truly laid bare every detail, and only then did I nod.
I then turned my attention to the Male Ranker who’d remained quietly in the corner throughout the interrogation.
“You have nothing else to add?”
“Nothing.”
The Male Ranker turned to face me as he spoke.
“I was hired solely for combat. I took no particular interest in the Ruins themselves.”
I studied him for a moment, then nodded.
He’d traveled with the other Green Forest Bandits the entire time anyway. There was unlikely to be any significant difference in what he knew.
“I see.”
I’d extracted all the useful information available, so I turned without hesitation.
As Jung Han-sung turned to leave, the Green Forest Bandits exchanged bewildered glances with one another. There was a hint of relief in their expressions.
They’d braced themselves to forfeit their lives, yet it had ended with merely surrendering information.
“Well then, we’ll be collecting our payment.”
Just as I was thinking that, Cho Cheon-woong stepped forward and began extracting the ransom.
They had no choice but to bow their heads and hand over whatever was demanded. After all, nothing was more precious than their lives.
So they were forced to surrender a substantial amount of their possessions to Cho Cheon-woong, retaining only the bare minimum equipment necessary to escape this place.
“Should we hand it over to you right now, hyung?”
“No. We’ll settle accounts later.”
Jung Han-sung shook his head and moved forward.
First, I needed to finish what I’d come here to do in the Ancient Ruins.
It was then that Maria posed a question to me.
“Should we not eliminate them?”
At that question, I nodded.
“I can’t speak for the others, but the one who fought us to the end seemed to have a hidden trump card.”
“A hidden trump card?”
“Yeah. If I’d truly intended to take his life, he wouldn’t have surrendered so easily.”
Though he hadn’t made it overtly obvious, I’d instinctively sensed it.
Of course, had I truly wanted to finish him, I could have done so by any means necessary.
The opponent seemed more formidable than appearances suggested, but I never doubted my own victory.
“But that would have dragged things out longer. We might have sustained injuries. And the rest of them would have fought with their lives on the line.”
“That’s true enough.”
Cho Cheon-woong nodded in agreement.
Even a cornered rat will bite. How much more so for guild members of the Green Forest, who wielded considerable power in China? They would never willingly hand over their heads.
Of course, Maria hadn’t spoken without understanding this either. She’d likely considered that accepting some damage in exchange for completely eliminating future threats was the wiser choice.
So I spoke to Maria.
“Don’t worry. We’ll ascend at a pace that won’t even give them the courage to pursue us.”
Maria nodded at my words.
After concluding the matter regarding the Green Forest Bandits, I discussed the information we’d obtained from them.
“They said monsters appear when night falls.”
“Yes. They mentioned shadow-like creatures attack them.”
“And they said those creatures drop black fragments.”
“We have them right here.”
Cho Cheon-woong spoke up and retrieved something from his inventory.
It was an item extorted from the Green Forest Bandits—a fragment of deep black coloration.
“Hmm.”
I accepted it and examined it carefully before speaking.
“If we gather enough of these, I think we can identify their source.”
“Their source?”
“Yeah. These are summoned creatures or something similar.”
“Oh, so the monsters themselves are a kind of clue!”
“That’s what it looks like. But according to them, we’re stuck here and have to wait until nightfall.”
Jung Han-sung gazed up at the sky.
When I’d first entered the Grassland, the sun had been near its zenith, but now it had descended considerably.
The sun was setting.
“At this pace, the sun should set within two hours.”
“Hmm.”
At Maria’s words, Jung Han-sung pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Then let’s take a rest here. Everyone’s accumulated some fatigue by now.”
“Sounds good!”
“Understood.”
Originally, I’d planned to search for clues and explore diligently, but seeing the black fragment I’d seized from those Green Forest Bandits changed my mind.
I had a strong intuition that this fragment was a crucial clue needed to reach the end of these Ancient Ruins.
If that were the case, wandering around before sunset would be pointless. It was far more efficient to rest and recover my strength, building up reserves for what lay ahead.
“We’ll rest here.”
Fortunately, the spot we’d just passed had relatively elevated terrain, so Jung Han-sung settled there immediately.
I sat down on the ground and then began eating the provisions I’d brought along.
The rations were designed purely for long-term storage, so their taste left much to be desired.
Still, after chewing it adequately and washing it down with water, it wasn’t completely inedible, though I certainly felt the lack of quality.
‘When I get back, I should hire a chef no matter what.’
Eating these hard, flavorless preserved rations naturally led to such thoughts.
Wouldn’t even preserved food taste much better if a chef prepared it?
Jung Han-sung continued chewing the jerky while entertaining such musings.
After that, everyone rested without much conversation.
Just as I’d thought, everyone seemed to have accumulated considerable fatigue.
Cho Cheon-woong spoke up once the surroundings began growing noticeably darker.
“But looking at the state of these Ancient Ruins, it seems like there’s definitely something here.”
Jung Han-sung turned his head sideways in response.
“Why?”
“Well, setting aside the caliber of people who’ve flocked here, the monsters, traps, and even the environment itself aren’t exactly trivial, are they?”
“That’s true.”
His words rang true.
Unlike dungeons, Ancient Ruins don’t necessarily yield better rewards simply because they’re more difficult, but places sealed this thoroughly do tend to have a higher probability of hiding something special.
‘Otherwise, there’d be no reason to twist both space and time like this.’
It didn’t seem likely they’d go to such lengths merely for personal rest.
If they truly wanted rest, it would have been far simpler to bury their corpse somewhere unknown rather than construct such a grand and elaborate ruin.
“Hmm.”
Jung Han-sung pondered what might actually be here.
The first thing that came to mind was a sword. Considering whose Ancient Ruins these were.
While there was no guarantee it would be a sword, it wouldn’t hurt to acquire a decent blade or two.
―Are you already thinking of replacing me?
Barely had the thought crossed my mind when Arzka spoke up, as if he’d seen right through me.
I smiled at Arzka and replied.
“Don’t worry. I have no such intention.”
―Really?
“Of course. I need to work you until the day you die—I can’t let you go so easily.”
Arzka seemed moved by my words and fell silent again.
When he didn’t respond even after I tried speaking to him a few more times, it seemed he’d decided to ignore me altogether.
I let out a quiet laugh and looked up at the sky once more.
In that brief moment, the sun had sunk even lower. Now it was far too dark to call it daytime anymore.
‘Without city lights like streetlamps, darkness falls this quickly.’
I quietly placed Arzka, whom I’d been holding, onto my lap. A feeling came over me.
The moment that sun was swallowed by the horizon, they would all attack at once—that’s what my instincts told me.
Whoooooosh―!
And once again, my instincts proved correct.
The instant the crimson sun was completely consumed beyond the horizon, deep shadows began spreading across the Grassland from all directions.
Those shadows soon writhed and began taking on grotesque forms.
Some had one arm three times larger than the other, while others possessed legs that looked unmistakably solid and hardened.
And there were plenty of creatures that had abandoned any semblance of human shape altogether.
“How should we handle this?”
“Should I take the front?”
But neither Maria nor Cho Cheon-woong showed any sign of fear, just as I didn’t.
The path we’d walked thus far had been far too treacherous to be frightened by something like this.
I spoke to the two of them.
“Don’t scatter. Take them on slowly. By the look of it, there are several hundred of them.”
Actually, several hundred would be a blessing. As time passed, their numbers were growing at an alarming rate.
“Let’s go now.”
I didn’t wait long and moved forward to meet the shadow creatures head-on.
―Kyaaaah!
As I approached at high speed, they raised both arms and let out a horrific shriek.
It seemed like a threatening display.
But instead of responding in kind, I swung the sword I held in my hand.
Crackle!
The sword, infused with divine lightning, tore through the bodies of the nearby shadows.
Normally, shadows were creatures against which physical attacks barely worked.
But for me, there was no problem.
The sacred lightning I possessed within proved invaluable in moments like these.
Boom!
Spewing lightning in all directions, I destroyed the shadows.
To obtain a clue.

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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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