I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 200
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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 200.
Maria’s eyes widened slightly at his words.
“You mean a Spirit?”
Jung Han-sung nodded.
“Yes. A Spirit.”
Seeing Maria’s bewildered expression—clearly she hadn’t anticipated this topic—Jung Han-sung continued.
“Your current ability does pair well with archery, certainly. But it’s not perfectly tailored for archery, is it?”
“That’s true.”
Maria’s ability was somewhat complex, unlike Cho Cheon-woong’s straightforward power.
For one, it enhanced her physical capabilities, particularly her vision.
While the boost wasn’t as dramatic as Cho Cheon-woong’s, Maria possessed an additional ability beyond that.
It was called “Bestowal.”
“You can imbue weapons with power using mana stones or attribute-infused objects. If you applied it to arrows, it would certainly be effective.”
That was probably why Maria had first mentioned archery.
“But as it stands, you’re too dependent on items. Your output varies significantly depending on what you use.”
“Yes.”
Maria nodded in agreement.
While other Awakeners relied on items too, Maria’s ability’s output and effects fluctuated dramatically based on which items she used.
That’s why Jung Han-sung had thought of Spirits.
“But if you contract with a Spirit and use Bestowal, you could eliminate those weaknesses entirely and even open up completely new applications.”
“You mean imbuing the Spirit’s power itself into arrows?”
“Exactly.”
Maria, being sharp-minded, quickly grasped his meaning.
“You could imbue the Spirit’s power into arrows, or alternatively, use your Bestowal ability to embed the Spirit itself into the arrows.”
Normally, those who contract with Spirits draw upon their power, but using Maria’s ability would dramatically increase that efficiency.
When a contractor normally uses a Spirit’s power, some loss is inevitable during the transfer process.
But Maria’s ability could reduce that loss to nearly zero.
And since it would eliminate her dependence on specific items, there was no downside to attempting a Spirit contract.
Of course, one condition had to be met first.
“But would it even be possible for me to contract with a Spirit?”
The question was whether Maria could contract with a Spirit at all.
Spirits weren’t beings anyone could contract with simply by wanting to.
If contracting were that easy, everyone climbing The Tower would have a Spirit companion.
After all, there was nothing to lose from contracting with one.
Yet contracting with a Spirit came with numerous obstacles.
First, finding a Spirit in the first place was the initial hurdle.
But that was already satisfied.
A Spirit had caused quite a commotion not long ago.
The second hurdle was whether the Spirit would favor you, and affinity played a major role in that.
Those with high affinity toward Spirits could form contracts relatively easily.
In the opposite case, no matter how much effort one invested in currying favor with a Spirit, the results would be negligible.
“It’s possible.”
But Jung Han-sung already knew this.
That Maria possessed a high affinity for Spirits. And how did he know this?
Naturally, he’d seen it beforehand when subscribing to the Channel that categorized abilities.
Based on what he’d confirmed at the time, Maria’s second greatest aptitude after archery was that of a Spirit Summoner.
“She has considerable talent in that regard too. If we just prepare an appropriate gift, I’d wager the Spirit wouldn’t hesitate to form a contract.”
“R-really?”
Maria’s expression grew flustered once more.
It was amusing to see Maria—someone who rarely showed surprise—display bewilderment twice in succession.
In any case, Jung Han-sung continued in a measured tone.
“First, separate from attempting a contract with a Spirit, I’ll teach you archery beforehand. As for the contract, it would be best to attempt it once the wind Spirits return.”
There were several Spirits whose affinities aligned with archery, but a wind Spirit would rank among the very finest.
Fundamentally, there were many applications that could be woven into archery.
Should the contract succeed, Maria would likely become far more formidable than most archers.
Maria spoke with resolute determination in response to Jung Han-sung’s words.
“I will do my utmost to learn.”
“Good.”
Jung Han-sung nodded and rose from his seat.
“Then let’s begin at once.”
He then retrieved two bows he’d prepared beforehand from his inventory.
“I’ll start by teaching you the fundamentals. Since you mentioned you’ve done archery before, simply watch and follow along.”
Jung Han-sung immediately began demonstrating on the spot.
Unlike with Cho Cheon-woong, she’d already grasped the basics to some degree, so he proceeded at a brisk pace.
“Is this correct?”
“Good. Turn your shoulders a bit more there.”
As expected, Maria picked up the pace remarkably quickly.
Most of the corrections he offered were merely adjustments to habits carried over from conventional archery.
There were no significant obstacles or points where she faltered.
As a result, unlike with Cho Cheon-woong, by early evening Maria had nearly completed the fundamentals.
“From what I’ve taught you, simply practice consistently. Beyond this point, you’ll fill in the nuances through actual combat experience.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Of course, the reason he could teach so rapidly was entirely because he subscribed to the Channel.
The archery knowledge contained in his subscribed Channel was fundamentally at a master level.
Had a mediocre archer taught her, it would have required months of painstaking effort rather than a single day.
‘Once Cho Cheon-woong and Maria both improve their abilities considerably, I can teach them again.’
Once they both perfectly mastered the fundamentals, engaging in actual combat shouldn’t pose a problem.
In fact, I believe it will suit them far better than the weapons they’d been using until now.
Jung Han-sung organized his thoughts to that point, had Maria continue practicing, and then summoned several Undead.
“From now on, you’ll be using bows.”
And then I handed bows to those undead.
Without hesitation, the undead accepted the bows.
The undead don’t question or panic. They simply obey their master’s commands.
“All of you, show me your heads.”
I grasped the undead’s heads and immediately began forcibly injecting knowledge into them.
Of course, it was impossible to inject all the knowledge I’d acquired through my Channel subscription.
If I attempted such a thing, the undead would collapse and simply vanish.
I only injected the absolute fundamentals.
But that was enough.
They’d be far superior to ordinary skeleton archers.
“Grrgh.”
After injecting knowledge up to the undead’s limits, I immediately ordered them to fire their bows.
Twang!
The undead began shooting with remarkably proper form.
Not quite at the level of Maria, who’d received one-on-one instruction for hours, but their archery was certainly practical enough for real combat.
“Not bad. From now on, all of you are archers.”
Snap!
The undead immediately saluted. I then summoned several more undead and taught them archery as well.
After repeating this process several times, the number of bow-wielding undead had grown to twenty.
I would have liked to increase it further, but I decided to be satisfied with this for now.
This knowledge transfer was quite taxing, and not everyone could absorb it equally well.
The undead I’d converted to archers originally possessed some aptitude for bows.
‘I never expected I could even assess the talents of undead.’
My previous Channel subscription could only be used on the living, but this one allowed me to confirm the talents of any being.
Based on that, I’d already planned to reorganize my undead forces to some degree.
Yesterday, I’d already had about twenty undead exchange their swords for shields and blunt weapons. Of course, I’d transferred knowledge to them as well.
I’d need to verify it in actual combat later, but I was confident my undead army’s combat power had increased significantly.
After all, I’d divided their roles according to their talents.
Whoooosh―.
Just as I reached that point in my thoughts.
A sudden gust of wind swept through my hair.
I lifted my head and spotted a whirlwind raging in the distance.
“They’ve arrived.”
The Spirits who said they’d return had kept their word.
“Master!”
Baek-seol must have noticed it too, as she rushed toward me.
I calmed Baek-seol and spoke.
“I’ll go talk with them. Maria, come with me.”
“Yes.”
“Please be careful!”
I had already discussed with the Spirits what I intended to do, so I’d informed Baek-seol of it beforehand. Though she worried, she didn’t try to stop me.
Thus, I came outside the Fence with only Maria.
Whiiiiiii―.
The whirlwind was far gentler than before, spinning in place at regular intervals.
As I approached, a voice soon reached my ears.
―Human! I have given thought to your proposal!
“I see. So what conclusion did you reach?”
The Spirits answered my question.
―We will accept your proposal!
At that, the corners of my mouth lifted.
As expected, the Spirits had not rejected my proposal.
From the start, it was an offer tailored to their interests—I’d been fairly confident they would accept.
“Excellent. Then let’s start by having you find a location that suits you. It’s better to establish the environment in the place you like most, wouldn’t you say?”
―A fine idea! When shall we begin?
“Hmm. Well, we need to prepare a bit on our end too.”
I deliberately feigned contemplation before speaking.
“But how many of you are there in total?”
The Spirits didn’t answer immediately to that question. They seemed to wonder if there was some hidden intent behind it.
After some time passed, the Spirit spoke again.
―Five of us!
Five.
Exactly as I had anticipated.
Had their numbers been greater, they likely wouldn’t have merely conjured a whirlwind like last time.
I spoke to the Spirits.
“Wouldn’t it be tedious for all five to constantly roam together, scouting locations and observing the process?”
―Why do you ask that?
The Spirits questioned me with a guarded tone.
I answered simply.
“Since things have come to this, why not form a contract with one of us? That way, you could maintain your manifestation more comfortably.”
It was obvious enough, but maintaining constant manifestation drained the Spirits’ power.
Conversely, through a contract, they could manifest effortlessly using the contractor’s mana.
That was the point I was making.
“The contract need only last until we fulfill the promise we discussed. And you may choose whoever you wish as the contractor.”
When I laid out those conditions, the Spirits showed hesitation. Then an answer came back.
―Very well! Then we shall choose two!
“Two? Very well.”
There was nothing disadvantageous about it for us, so I nodded.
The Spirit then spoke to me.
―You and the woman beside you! We shall have it be the two of you.
“Huh?”
Jung Han-sung hadn’t expected to be chosen, and his expression betrayed his bewilderment.
The Spirit spoke in a booming voice.
―The scent emanating from you two is the most exquisite!
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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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