I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 21

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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 21.
I gazed upon the place where the village once stood.
Beyond mere destruction, the very existence of the village had been erased from the earth.
Even knowing I had done this myself, the sight remained difficult to comprehend.
‘Rodos.’
It was far more than a simple blade.
The power contained within it exceeded my current understanding—boundless and immeasurable.
Merely grasping it flooded my entire body with overwhelming strength.
Yet that power was not entirely my own.
Whoosh―!
As I steadied my breathing, the sword in my hand vanished in a brilliant flash of light.
Raising my arm, I noticed the marking had reappeared on the back of my hand.
Immediately after, a message materialized before me.
[All power from Rodos has been expended.]
[To summon it again, you must achieve victory in battle and offer that triumph as tribute.]
“I see.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
I was not surprised. From the beginning, I had anticipated that such power could not be wielded infinitely without conditions.
“I’ll investigate what ‘offering this victory’ truly means in due time.”
I shifted my gaze to one side.
There, a staircase had materialized.
I had already achieved my purpose of confirming Rodos, so I could exit now.
‘Should I venture further?’
Yet I chose to continue ascending.
The battle had concluded so swiftly that it hardly felt like a true combat experience.
Rather than setting a specific floor as my goal today, I decided to push forward until exhaustion claimed me.
Thus, I proceeded to the next floor.
Meanwhile.
The outside world was in absolute turmoil.
The reaction could be summarized succinctly as this:
Shock and terror.
“Nine seconds? Not nine minutes, not ninety seconds—nine seconds?”
When Jung Han-sung had previously achieved ‘EX-rank’, people were astounded. Immediately, they scrambled to gather information about him and simultaneously dispatched agents to Korea for recruitment.
But this time, he had recorded nine seconds on the 10th Floor tier.
Such a feat transcended mere descriptions like ‘overwhelming’ or ‘unparalleled’.
It was nothing short of singular.
He had become an existence in an entirely different league from all other prospects.
―Nine seconds? Is he insane?
The internet trolls who had recently mocked Jung Han-sung’s climbing speed for slowing down found themselves utterly speechless this time.
―Simply godly!
―Even nine minutes would make you A-rank by Association standards, but nine seconds? That’s just SSS-rank, or maybe even beyond that? lol
―Wait, but nine seconds on Floor 16? That doesn’t make sense. Is this a hidden camera prank??
―He did something impossible, so of course people are reacting like this lol
They could only gasp in awe and admiration at Jung Han-sung’s overwhelming record.
And the shocking news didn’t end there.
[Records keep getting broken as we speak?]
[Just got a message that someone cleared Floor 18 in the 40-second range.]
―For real?? Is this a lie?
―No lie. I saw it myself and rushed out of the Neutral Zone to write about it lol
The news wasn’t just about Floor 16—he’d consecutively conquered Floors 17 and 18.
[Executives from various national Associations and top-tier Guild leaders entering Korea one after another. What’s the reason?]
―What else could it be?
―The article headline basically answers itself lol
―At last, our homeland has produced a top-tier Hunter. It’s truly a momentous occasion. In fact, in the early days, Korea also had many talented individuals….
Articles flooded in about all sorts of famous and distinguished figures streaming into Korea.
Naturally, the articles pointed to Jung Han-sung as the cause.
They didn’t use his actual name, merely explaining that such an Awakener existed.
Regardless, Jung Han-sung was the center of all attention. While the internet was half-crazed with speculation.
“Hmm. That ended faster than expected.”
Jung Han-sung stood atop a pool of blood.
He turned his head to check the message that had appeared.
[You have completed the objective of Floor 20.]
[You receive seven medium-grade mana stones as a reward.]
That’s right. Jung Han-sung had successfully cleared Floor 20.
His record: 57 seconds. He’d conquered a floor with a Flow Master in under a minute.
Though the nine-second record he’d set earlier was so unrealistic that clearing Floor 20 in under a minute was still an extraordinary feat.
Yet Jung Han-sung’s expression looked dissatisfied.
‘Rhodhos still isn’t fully charged.’
The reason I’d continued climbing The Tower beyond Floor 16 was partly to understand Rhodhos more clearly.
Fortunately, I’d managed to figure out how to charge Rhodhos during my ascent.
Defeat enemies.
That’s all there is to it.
There was a restriction—enemies who show no hostility won’t contribute to charging it no matter how many times you defeat them—but this posed no problem while climbing The Tower.
Each floor had enemies that charged at me of their own accord. Encountering a benevolent being would probably be rarer.
But regrets aside, I’d decided to head back today.
After some time had passed, the aftereffects of using Rhodhos crept up on me. Specifically, my sword arm throbbed with a dull ache. My mana was nearly depleted too.
Still, there was one consolation—the bonus reward from this floor.
Jung Han-sung looked at the message floating in the air again.
[You have completed the objective of Floor 20 in record time!]
[You have achieved a clear rank of ‘SSS’!]
[An additional reward is granted for the outstanding Achievement.]
[Treasure Map (Floor 25) has been granted.]
A Treasure Map.
It was an item that appeared extremely rarely above Floor 50.
True to its name, it typically marked the location of special rewards, but I had never heard of anyone receiving a Treasure Map as compensation from such a low floor.
Perhaps I was the first.
‘How exciting.’
After resolving to reach at least Floor 25 where the treasure lay tomorrow, I exited The Tower.
Upon returning to Han-sung’s Home, I headed straight for the bathroom.
While monster blood that stained my clothes during combat in The Tower would vanish along with the clothes themselves, blood from my own wounds and sweat remained as they were.
So heading to the bathroom immediately upon returning was my standard routine.
I showered while lost in thought.
‘It would be nice if my Unique Space had facilities like a bathroom.’
According to what Seol had said, it wouldn’t be impossible. I decided to ask about that first when I visited tomorrow, then stepped out of the bathroom.
After changing into fresh clothes, I lay on the bed while entertaining various thoughts.
But that lasted only briefly.
Perhaps the accumulated fatigue was considerable. Before long, I succumbed to sleep.
* * *
The next day.
Waking early as usual, I sensed something had changed.
‘Why does my body feel so light?’
It wasn’t simply a matter of sleeping well and waking refreshed—my entire body overflowed with vitality.
I examined myself blankly before belatedly recalling something.
‘Is this the effect of Robust Physique?’
It was the Robust Physique trait I had newly acquired this time.
A trait that strengthened the body over four days total—yesterday I could barely sense its effects, but now it was different.
It felt as though I had been reborn.
‘Not bad.’
I smiled and rose fully from the bed.
‘Should I just eat and head straight to The Tower?’
There were errands to attend to outside, but for now I intended to focus solely on The Tower.
I wanted to verify the Treasure Map I obtained yesterday as soon as possible.
‘And once Robust Physique is completely applied, I’ll need to receive instruction.’
The Robust Physique trait would fully settle in two days from now. Not much time remained.
After organizing my thoughts simply while eating, I entered The Tower immediately.
―You have entered Floor 20 of Tower 7.
―In 10 minutes, you will advance to Floor 21 of The Tower.
―Prepare yourself.
Hearing the familiar voice, I drew my sword and waited to advance to the next floor while checking my status window.
[Jung Han-sung]
[Rank: B-]
[Karma: 560]
[Ability: Subscription]
[Skills: Kaleha Basic Swordsmanship (B), Indra’s Lightning (S, Subscription), Divine Sword Rodos Summoning (S)]
[Traits: Resilient Body (A), Lightning’s Seed (A), Blessing of the First Witch (A)]
My status window had become considerably more impressive in just a few days.
First, my rank had climbed from C+ to B-, a truly extraordinary rate of advancement.
Meanwhile, my accumulated karma, which had been substantial before, had plummeted to 560.
I had exhausted all of it in the Pantheon.
‘Well, I’ll just have to gather it diligently from now on.’
Next, I examined my skills and traits.
There were newly acquired skills and traits from this Pantheon expedition listed there.
‘All A and S ranks.’
The grades were enough to make anyone’s jaw drop.
Typically, hunters in the 20s floors were considered exceptionally promising prospects if they possessed even a single A-rank skill or trait.
Yet I had three A-rank abilities and even an S-rank.
It was utterly overwhelming.
‘I must continue working hard.’
I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I resolved not to grow lazy moving forward.
Whoosh―!
Once the designated waiting period ended, the surrounding landscape shimmered and transformed alongside a transfer message.
I gazed at the scenery unfolding before me and muttered in bewilderment.
“A battlefield?”
Indeed. I now found myself in the middle of some sort of battlefield.
The peculiar thing was that I was surrounded by what appeared to be a green protective barrier.
‘What is this?’
Confused, I surveyed my surroundings and soon discovered a man in a similar situation not far away.
Like me, he was enveloped in a green barrier and wore an expression of bewilderment.
But as I observed him, I witnessed something remarkable.
‘They don’t even notice he’s there.’
It was the reaction of the soldiers on the battlefield.
When they passed near the man surrounded by the green barrier, they paid him no attention whatsoever.
As if they couldn’t see him at all.
As I pondered what this situation could possibly be,
[Objective: Choose one of the two factions, then occupy the designated territory.]
[Time Limit: Two hours]
One of two factions.
The moment I read that phrase, I immediately understood the situation.
‘It’s a faction war.’
A faction war.
This was one of several mission types available throughout The Tower.
The objective was straightforward: choose one faction and lead them to victory, exactly as the mission parameters dictated.
However, there was one peculiar aspect—the mission was not a one-time affair.
‘At least five times or more, if I recall correctly.’
Therefore, in these factional wars, selecting the right side was absolutely crucial.
Choosing the wrong faction could cause the mission’s difficulty to skyrocket dramatically.
Of course, this consideration hardly applied to Jung Han-sung.
He first surveyed the two factions before him.
One was called the Golden Eagle—a mercenary company renowned for its iron discipline and coordinated tactics.
The other faction bore the name “Red Wolf.”
“I’ll go with the Golden Eagle.”
He made his choice without prolonged deliberation, reasoning that it mattered little which side he selected anyway.
Whoosh!
The moment he committed to his faction, the emerald barrier dissolved, and a golden pillar erupted skyward.
Nearly simultaneously, golden and crimson pillars shot upward across the space.
The total count, including Jung Han-sung himself, was ten. Ten participants had entered this mission.
“Ah, there it is.”
Jung Han-sung glanced around before spotting a blue pillar rising in the distance.
Though no explanation was given, he instinctively recognized it as the designated stronghold to capture.
“Good.”
After loosening his body with a few light stretches, he assumed his stance and pushed off the ground with explosive force.
Those who had chosen the opposing faction remained unaware of the grim fate their decision would bring.
They did not know what kind of monster lurked within the Golden Eagle faction.

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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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