I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 20
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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 20.
The internet also contained stories about the Pantheon.
It seemed to have left quite an impression, with a considerable number of posts uploaded, and there was a common description that appeared across them all.
Encounters with those called gods or transcendents were described as extraordinarily surreal and astonishing experiences.
People spoke of feeling that these were beings of an entirely different caliber.
Because of this, Han-sung had arrived with considerable anticipation.
However, that anticipation was thoroughly shattered less than five minutes after setting foot in this place.
[What? Why have so many of them gathered here when they don’t even show up normally?]
[And you—when was the last time you descended to the Pantheon? Decades ago?]
[How noisy.]
Was this… how gods conversed?
Each time they spoke, an inexplicable pressure radiated outward, but the actual content of their conversation was just…
‘Far too childish.’
After bickering back and forth for some time, they suddenly fell silent when someone said something.
[The permitted time grows short. If you all intend to continue prattling, I shall make the first proposal myself.]
The moment those words were spoken, a message materialized before Han-sung’s eyes.
[The Master of All Thunder proposes the ‘Thunder Pearl’ as compensation for the karma you have accumulated and the faith you shall provide henceforth.]
‘Indra?’
Upon seeing the message, Han-sung reflexively thought of Indra. Now that he considered it, the voice did sound similar to what he’d heard back then.
But he had no time to dwell on that thought.
[How underhanded—cutting in line like that!]
Immediately after, the voice of the woman who had greeted him from the beginning rang out, and a new message appeared.
[The Primordial Witch proposes ‘Breath of Mana’ as compensation for the karma you have accumulated and the faith you shall provide henceforth.]
But this was far from the end.
[Unyielding History proposes ‘Body of Steel’ as compensation for the karma you have accumulated and the faith you shall provide henceforth.]
Even a transcendent whose ability he had once subscribed to sent a proposal.
[The Archer Who Pierces the Sun proposes that you have accumulated…]
After that, messages continued to appear without pause, their number far exceeding thirty.
Naturally, Han-sung could only be bewildered. He had never expected so many transcendents to express interest.
Yet amid all this, two messages in particular caught his attention.
[The Master of Ten Thousand Demons proposes the ‘Orb of Ten Thousand Demons’ as compensation for the karma you have accumulated and the faith you shall provide henceforth.]
[The Master of the Divine Sword proposes the ‘Rights of the Divine Sword Rodos’ as compensation for the karma you have accumulated.]
These were the last two messages to arrive.
It wasn’t simply because of their content—rather, these two messages radiated an exceptionally intense presence.
The former stirred an inexplicable sense of rejection and unease, while the latter evoked a strange familiarity and comfort.
As Han-sung pondered this, he soon sensed the identities behind those two names.
‘The latter seems to be Arthur, and the Master of Ten Thousand Demons… could it be Evil God Sargon?’
Evil God Sargon. At first, it was merely a tentative thought, but the more he considered it, the more it seemed to fit.
‘…Does he not know what happened to his own apostle?’
Han-sung recalled the apostle Kaltis whom he had faced on Floor 12, and the words that had been spoken then.
I couldn’t believe they would make such a proposal again, even after I’d made myself so clear.
‘I’m definitely not choosing that one.’
Han-sung summarily crossed Evil God Sargon’s offer off his list of options.
Beyond the distaste of pledging faith to an Evil God, he simply had no desire to become entangled with that entity.
That left him free to choose from the remaining options.
Fortunately, the abilities he could obtain in exchange for karma were clear enough from the messages alone to understand their general effects.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
“This is ambiguous…”
Now that I’d confirmed the effects, selecting just one felt impossibly difficult.
Logically, I should choose something related to physical enhancement given my original purpose, but every other option looked equally appealing.
‘The problem is I can only choose one.’
Han-sung deliberated endlessly, then muttered while testing the waters cautiously.
“I wish I could choose about three of these if I offered slightly less karma.”
It was an obvious statement, but one he’d made deliberately for their ears.
They seemed intensely competitive and on poor terms with each other—probing them lightly would surely provoke a reaction.
And Han-sung’s instinct proved precisely correct.
The Transcendents immediately began flooding him with messages again.
[The Master of the Divine Sword offers you ‘limited rights to the Divine Sword Rhodoss’ in exchange for a portion of your accumulated karma.]
[The First Witch offers you in exchange for a portion of your accumulated karma…]
The content written in the messages appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
As if they were checking each other’s terms in real time and rewriting their own.
In that process, some seemed to abandon the competition entirely, their messages ceasing as they vanished.
When the dust settled, five remained.
‘The Master of the Divine Sword. The First Witch. The Master of All Lightning. The Master of Ten Thousand Demons. The Unbreakable History.’
Han-sung’s best guess was that the first four were, in order: Arthur, Lilith, Indra, and Evil God Sargon.
The Unbreakable History’s true identity remained unclear, but all of them had already formed some connection with him.
Han-sung stroked his chin as he reviewed their proposals.
‘So I can choose three?’
Thanks to them all drastically reducing their karma requirements, I could now select three abilities total.
The abilities offered were weakened versions compared to the initial proposals, but that didn’t bother me.
Once I received an ability, as long as the Transcendent didn’t reject me, I could continuously spend karma to strengthen it going forward.
After prolonged deliberation, Han-sung made his decision.
“I’ll choose these three.”
Reactions came immediately in response to his choice.
[The Master of the Divine Sword smiles and nods.]
[The Unbreakable History laughs heartily.]
[The Master of All Lightning seems satisfied.]
Reactions of pure delight, and yet—
[The First Witch says this is absurd!]
[The First Witch says you’ll come to regret this!]
[The First Witch states that her words were never a threat. She urges you to reconsider once more.]
A barrage of messages pouring forth—her desperate attempt to sway me through any means possible.
[The Master of Ten Thousand Demons observes you.]
And an ominous response at that.
Of course, Han-sung would not reverse his decision.
The moment the choice was made, the points of light surrounding him began to vanish one by one.
[The First Witch urges you to reconsider once more.]
“Well…”
Han-sung was about to simply refuse, but he reconsidered.
“I apologize. Right now, due to the abilities I’ve already cultivated, these particular powers are essential to me. Next time, I will absolutely choose your abilities, Transcendent One.”
No matter how one looked at it, the other party was a Transcendent being with divinity.
There was no need to deliberately make an enemy of her. Sargon had already fumbled from the very start, so that was unavoidable. And besides, lip service cost nothing, did it?
Flattery was free, after all.
At Han-sung’s response, the First Witch lingered a moment longer before fading away.
[Karma has been consumed.]
After the witch withdrew, the remaining gods began to bestow their power upon him.
Whoosh!
The first to grant power was the History of Indomitability.
Crimson light descended from above and pierced directly into Han-sung’s body.
[You have acquired the trait ‘Robust Physique’. Your body will be strengthened over three days.]
The first change I felt was a surge of power welling up from deep within my body.
Robust Physique was not merely an increase in stamina or enhanced strength—it was a trait that transformed the body itself into something unyielding and resilient.
With this alone, my objective in the Neutral Zone had been achieved.
After the History of Indomitability withdrew.
Crack!
Thunder descended from above, piercing through his body.
There was no pain whatsoever.
Instead, only a peculiar flutter of sensation.
[You have acquired the trait ‘Seed of Lightning’. A faint seed of lightning now dwells within your body.]
It felt as though something had been planted within my chest.
Han-sung reviewed the description once more.
—Your body will harbor lightning. It grows alongside its master.
The description was vague, but the mere fact that it was a growth-type trait was enough to inspire hope.
Han-sung lifted his head again.
Now only one remained.
It was Arthur’s turn. Soon a luminous orb descended from above and came to rest before him.
As I gazed upon it with anticipation.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a violet light flashed before my eyes, and a message appeared.
[You have acquired the trait ‘Blessing of the First Witch’. Your affinity with mana has increased.]
This new trait….
“No, wait.”
Why did the First Witch suddenly appear here?
Han-sung stared ahead with bewildered eyes and discovered the orb was still in its original position.
“Ah.”
He belatedly understood what had transpired.
Lilith, whom I thought had vanished, suddenly burst forth and cut in line.
Whoosh!
Before I could even react, the violet light transformed into a hexagram pattern and settled directly upon my chest.
[The First Witch says to keep your promise.]
Han-sung felt exasperation at the message that followed.
‘This isn’t some sleight of hand.’
Just like last time when she suddenly displayed a message about a special subscription chance, it felt like she was continuously trying to hand me something.
While I accepted it for now, I was thinking that I’d need to remain cautious of Lilith going forward.
Hummmm!
The orb that had been suspended ahead vibrated finely before burrowing into Han-sung’s right hand.
[You have acquired the skill ‘Divine Sword Rhodoss Summon’.]
Yes. That was the end of it.
Unlike before, there was no vivid sensation, no flashy effects—it simply concluded.
[All accumulated karma has been consumed.]
The subsequent message proved it.
Creak—.
Before I could verify anything else, the sound of a door opening echoed from behind.
The timing was absolutely precise.
Turning around, I saw the Priest gazing in my direction.
‘…I’ll need to check the divine sword once I return.’
Han-sung stepped outside, savoring the lingering sensation he had just experienced.
* * *
After concluding my outing in the Neutral Zone, evening had already fallen.
Normally, it would be time to return home and have dinner.
But instead, I headed directly into The Tower.
―You have entered Floor 15 of Tower 7.
―In 10 minutes, you will advance to Floor 16 of The Tower.
―Prepare yourself.
The familiar voice echoed the moment I arrived in the dimly lit space.
‘So I was moved to a regular Floor 15, not the Hidden Floor.’
Han-sung glanced around and drew a sword from his inventory.
The reason I came here instead of resting was simple: to verify the new power I had acquired.
More precisely, I intended to check the divine sword, as the remaining enhancements weren’t the type I could immediately sense.
‘I could verify it in my Unique Space if I just wanted a simple check….’
No matter what, there’s nothing quite as certain as confirming it directly through actual combat.
Though truthfully, it was less about that and more about the unbearable restlessness coursing through my body.
“Come to think of it, my Tower ascent has been rather slow lately.”
I muttered this to myself while slowly warming up my body.
It was the sort of remark that would leave others speechless—my pace through The Tower was overwhelmingly faster than even standard-class hunters.
The only reason it seemed slow was because my point of comparison was my own self from Floor 1 to Floor 10.
In any case, with no one here to object, it hardly mattered.
After finishing my warm-up, I waited for the transition to the next floor while contemplating.
‘I hope the mission is the kind where I can just fight without thinking too much.’
And then, moments later.
―Standby time has ended.
―Moving to Floor 16 of The Tower.
The scenery around me transformed entirely.
I arrived at a sprawling plain, and before me stood a village surrounded by towering palisades.
That’s when the message appeared.
[Objective: Eliminate the Iron Hammer Orc Tribe]
[Time Limit: Two Hours]
“Oh.”
Upon reading the message, I felt my lips curl upward.
“Finally, I encounter orcs.”
Orcs were the most common monsters below Floor 20, much like goblins in the lower sections below Floor 10.
Yet somehow, I’d reached Floor 16 before encountering them for the first time.
I gazed into empty space and mentally recited the name of the sword—more precisely, the name of the new skill that represented it.
‘Rhodhos.’
Immediately after,
Whoooosh!
Brilliant light began radiating outward from my right hand.
Unlike the traits I’d received from other gods, Rhodhos came with no detailed explanation.
But the moment the light converged and took the form of a blade,
I instinctively understood how to wield this sword. This was no ordinary weapon.
Following an inexplicable pull, I grasped the blade in my hand and spoke softly.
“Rhodhos Deployment.”
And then.
─────!
A colossal pillar of light erupted.
[The Orc Tribe has been eliminated!]
[Record updated!]
The time from start to completion: merely 9 seconds.
Once again, it was a moment that would astonish the world.
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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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