I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 19

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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 19.
By the following afternoon, I had finished all my preparations to enter the Neutral Zone.
“Everything’s done. All the items I’m selling are organized in my inventory. Nothing forgotten, right?”
“Yes! You gathered everything earlier!”
“Good. Then all that’s left is to go in.”
The thought of actually entering the Neutral Zone made me somewhat anxious.
‘More nervous than when I climbed The Tower?’
It couldn’t be helped. This time, I wasn’t going to fight.
“Exhale.”
I breathed out sharply, then picked up Mimong’s mask that I’d placed on the desk beforehand.
The moment I set the mask against my face.
Click.
The mask affixed itself to my face. I hadn’t even secured it separately.
Moreover, I felt no discomfort whatsoever wearing it.
I looked at Baek-seol and asked.
“How does it look?”
Since this was my first time wearing the mask, it felt strangely unfamiliar.
Baek-seol stared at me blankly for a moment, then gasped in surprise and answered.
“M-Master, is that really you?”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
“No, I literally watched you put on the mask with my own eyes, but the feeling is so different that it’s confusing!”
“Is it that much?”
I tilted my head in puzzlement.
The one drawback of Mimong’s mask was that I myself found it difficult to perceive the changes.
The mask’s mechanism didn’t actually alter anything—it simply made others perceive it that way.
Baek-seol nodded enthusiastically at my words.
“Yes! Your scent, your voice, your physique—even your aura is completely different! It feels like you’ve become an entirely different being!”
“Hmm, so how does it feel now?”
At my question, Baek-seol hesitated briefly before speaking carefully.
“Your presence feels slightly diminished compared to before!”
“Not bad at all.”
I nodded at Baek-seol’s assessment. After all, Mimong’s mask was designed specifically to evade others’ attention.
With reduced presence, there would be far fewer eyes drawn my way.
I then retrieved a black robe from my inventory and put it on.
“Then I’ll really be going now.”
“Yes! Safe travels!”
With Baek-seol’s farewell, I thought of going to the Neutral Zone.
As a rift appeared before my eyes, I stepped forward.
Whoosh!
After a brief moment of dizziness, an entirely different landscape unfolded before me.
“Did you hear about the middle floors being cleared? Japan apparently broke the existing record by thirty seconds.”
“Sounds like competition is getting fierce over there too.”
“Over here, over here! Come quick!”
“Wait, take a look at this before you go! These are exceptionally high-quality mana stones!”
And simultaneously, a cacophony of noise assaulted my ears.
It felt as though I’d stepped through a doorway only to find a bustling marketplace sprawling directly outside.
People conversing with one another, hawking wares, promoting goods and services.
Drawn from The Tower’s across the globe, they represented every conceivable ethnicity.
‘So this is the Plaza.’
The Plaza was the first location one entered upon stepping into the Neutral Zone.
Though not merely a single Plaza—I’d heard there were at least ten scattered throughout.
‘Best to take my time and absorb the atmosphere first.’
While I had various errands to attend to, arriving at a new location for the first time meant there was no reason to rush.
I proceeded forward at a leisurely pace.
Whoosh—
Though the area teemed with people, none of them paid me particular attention.
This allowed me to observe my surroundings comfortably.
‘There are quite a few non-humans here.’
The Plaza itself seemed populated almost entirely by those arriving from outside The Tower, but venturing slightly beyond revealed an entirely different crowd.
The non-humans who dwelled within The Tower itself.
Non-humans referred to elves, dwarves, beastfolk, and similar intelligent beings who didn’t harbor unconditional hostility toward humans.
Elves were particularly rare to spot in the Neutral Zone, and dwarves weren’t especially abundant either.
The most common were half-breeds and beastfolk.
‘I’d like to converse with them sometime.’
My curiosity was substantial.
As someone who’d once lived an ordinary life, I’d never had the opportunity to encounter non-humans before.
But for now, I held back.
Though I’d resolved to leisurely assess the situation, I hadn’t intended to wander about aimlessly.
As I continued walking, I soon spotted something and came to a halt.
‘A directory of some kind?’
A map depicting a simplified overview of the entire Neutral Zone was displayed there.
My current location was helpfully marked, allowing me to immediately identify where I stood.
‘Near Neutral Zone 6. Ah, the Street Stall District is just a bit further ahead.’
The Street Stall District was one of the locations I’d intended to visit from the start.
There, one could rent a stall for a fixed fee and commission, allowing me to conduct business.
‘I should head there first.’
I committed the other locations to memory before heading directly toward the Street Stall District.
“Durable leather armor! Resistant to blade cuts!”
“Delicious grilled chicken skewers! Soy-based marinade, spicy marinade, salt seasoning, and more!”
“We buy mana stones at market rates!”
It wasn’t long before I arrived at the Street Stall District, and the place was absolutely bustling with activity.
It was incomparable to the Plaza I’d visited initially.
Rather than immediately setting up my stall, I first walked along the street, observing the various vendors and their wares.
I needed to get a sense of what was being sold and the approximate market prices.
After completing a full circuit, I noticed something striking.
‘There really aren’t any particularly exceptional items here.’
The quality of the goods was simply not that high. Most were common materials and everyday items that were easy to procure.
Of course, there were some decent pieces, but they were few and far between.
‘At this level, my inventory should sell quickly.’
Feeling confident, I immediately headed toward the Manager’s office to secure a stall.
The Manager was stationed in a building near the entrance of the Street Stall District.
Upon entering, the middle-aged Manager greeted me without so much as a glance.
“A stall?”
It was a remarkably terse question.
I responded in kind with similar brevity.
“Yeah. A stall.”
“What, who speaks informally to me?”
The Manager frowned and turned to face me directly.
I was prepared to respond appropriately, but in that moment, my tongue moved of its own accord.
“I’ve heard many stories about the Manager here being manly and magnanimous, and seeing you in person, those rumors don’t seem to be exaggerations at all.”
“What, what?”
“Hmm, do you maintain your beard separately? Mine doesn’t grow like that. I’m envious!”
At my rapid-fire compliments, the Manager’s expression turned blank.
“Well, I just… let it grow naturally.”
“You didn’t even maintain it, yet it grew so magnificently! Hearing that makes me even more envious! You must be naturally gifted.”
There is one unchanging truth in this world: no one dislikes being praised.
If someone does dislike it, it’s only because the praise wasn’t delivered properly.
Though he never mentioned it to others, the Manager took secret pride in his full, luxuriant beard, despite his thinning hair.
Yet among all those who had come seeking his favor with flattery, not a single one had ever mentioned his beard.
“Hmm, you’ve got a discerning eye, don’t you?”
“Haha, it just naturally caught my attention, so I mentioned it.”
I let my tongue continue its smooth, unrestricted dance without hesitation.
About five minutes later.
“Hahaha! The stall fee is one small mana stone and a commission of three percent… no, wait! Just the commission!”
“Excellent! Thank you!”
I had completely won over the Manager.
The standard rate for stall rental in this place was three small mana stones plus a commission exceeding ten percent. Yet with just a few words, I’d slashed it dramatically.
“So I just need to sign here?”
“That’s right! Come now, once you’ve signed, I’ll personally guide you to your spot!”
After completing the simple contract, the Manager walked out with a beaming smile and personally led me to an empty stall location.
“Has the Manager lost his mind?”
“Did someone brainwash him?”
“If I ask him to lower the commission fee now, do you think he’d actually do it?”
The people around me reacted with mild surprise at the Manager’s unusual demeanor—a man notorious for being lazy and unfriendly.
In any case, I was able to secure a spot at my stall without any trouble thanks to him.
‘Well then, let me try selling some goods.’
I smirked beneath my mask and began laying out my wares.
Until moments ago, I’d been uncertain, but that brief conversation with the Manager had given me complete confidence.
‘At this rate, I won’t have to worry about not selling anything.’
And my prediction proved perfectly accurate.
“Are you selling these items here?”
“Of course! Customer, I can tell at a glance—you’re looking to acquire new weapons, aren’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“Haha. It’s simply obvious to me.”
Once a customer approached, my tongue demonstrated its prowess without fail.
Even those who came merely to browse would leave with one or two items in hand.
It was nothing short of demonic eloquence and salesmanship.
“Oh, what’s that?”
“That? I bought it from there. You should check it out.”
Moreover, the quality of the goods I sold far surpassed what other Hunters and merchants were peddling.
Word of mouth spread in an instant.
“Come now, everyone form a line! A line, please!”
I called out with a bright voice, watching the crowd that had suddenly filled the space before my stall.
“Take my money!”
“I’ll buy everything!”
Money was literally being duplicated.
* * *
“Phew, I nearly got crushed.”
I muttered as I emerged from an alley.
There were so many customers looking for me that I’d fled into the alley, removed my mask and robe, and came back out.
“Where did he go?”
“He definitely went that way!”
Not long after I’d left the alley, people searching for me passed nearby.
‘It was good that I wore the mask.’
Without it, I’d still be pestered by customers.
To be honest, the customers’ response far exceeded what I’d anticipated.
‘It doesn’t seem like it’s just about being good with words…?’
From the middle onward, whatever I said made them cheer, and they begged me to sell them anything, so I had to pull out even junk and sell it all.
It was nothing short of demonic eloquence itself—an extraordinary ability.
‘From now on, I should frequently examine my non-combat abilities as well.’
Having reached this conclusion, I glanced around the surroundings.
‘It should be somewhere around here.’
I had noted the location on the map, but while fleeing from the crowds, I had wandered quite far.
“Oh, is that it?”
After searching for some time, I finally found the place I was looking for.
It was an impressively grand and ornate building at first glance—the Pantheon.
‘So this is what it felt like.’
I had seen descriptions of it written down, but experiencing it in person felt entirely different.
The building itself emanated an overwhelming presence that somehow made me feel considerably diminished.
I took a short, deep breath and headed inside.
The Pantheon was, true to its name, a temple that enshrined countless deities.
Of course, I hadn’t come here because I suddenly wanted to believe in a new god—I was here to use the karma I had accumulated up until now.
“Welcome, brother.”
As I ventured deeper inside, a man dressed in neat white robes greeted me.
“Is this your first visit?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ve come to offer prayers and dedicate the karma you’ve accumulated thus far.”
“That’s correct.”
At my response, the Priest nodded with a smile and gestured toward the interior.
“Then please follow me. I’ll explain the procedure briefly as we go.”
“Yes.”
With that, I followed the Priest deeper into the temple, listening carefully to his words.
“The method of offering karma is simple. You simply need to enter and vividly recall the deity you originally believe in.”
“What if I don’t have an original deity I believe in?”
“You can recall a deity you’ve been thinking about, or alternatively, you can offer your karma to whichever deity appears to you first.”
I nodded at those words.
It was exactly the same as the explanation I had seen on the internet.
Here at the Pantheon, climbers could expend the karma they had accumulated to gain various effects.
It was possible to strengthen one’s body or abilities, or even receive entirely new abilities—though of course, it required consuming a proportionate amount of karma.
I had come here to expend all the karma I had accumulated thus far to strengthen my body.
I had always felt that my physical form was lacking compared to my abilities.
However, I hadn’t yet decided which deity to choose.
‘I’ve heard the effects vary slightly depending on the deity.’
For now, I decided to first check if there was a deity that appeared to me, and if not, I would offer prayers to one of the deities I had been considering beforehand.
“Now you simply need to open the door yourself and enter.”
Before long, the Priest stopped before a massive door and spoke.
“The interior will likely be quite dark. Please don’t be too startled.”
“Understood.”
I listened to his final instructions, then carefully placed my hand on the door handle and pushed with force.
Creak—.
With that, the ancient hinges creaked, and the massive door slid open with a grinding sound.
Beyond the threshold lay the pitch-black darkness the Priest had spoken of.
Han-sung stepped forward into that abyss.
Thud.
The moment the door sealed shut behind him, absolute darkness consumed everything.
But only for a moment.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, luminous points began to materialize around him—as if the Milky Way itself were unfurling before his eyes.
Yet the marvel did not end there.
[At last, you’ve come!]
[Ah, I cannot express how long we have waited. Welcome!]
[Hmm.]
The star-like points began to speak to him.
Han-sung trembled at the colossal presence emanating from their voices, and a singular truth crystallized in his mind.
Each of those radiant points was a transcendent being imbued with divinity.

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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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