I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 213

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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 213.
Entering The Tower always followed the same pattern. A brilliant flash of light. Darkness. Vertigo. Then the gradual return of vision.
When I opened my eyes.
“Hmm.”
Jung Han-sung stood atop a hill, surveying the landscape around him.
‘At least it’s not that royal castle.’
A small wave of relief washed over me.
Being immediately subjected to countless stares upon entry had always been somewhat burdensome.
And having already defeated two of the Four Heavenly Kings made the prospect even more daunting.
Yet I couldn’t be certain whether this was an entirely different dimension.
Jung Han-sung waited for a message to appear to confirm it.
[Objective: Defeat the Demon King]
[Time Limit: 30 days]
Soon the awaited message materialized.
“…?”
But as I read the message, bewilderment crossed my face.
‘The Demon King instead of the Four Heavenly Kings?’
The mention of the Demon King suggested continuity with previous missions, yet I’d somehow jumped directly from the Four Heavenly Kings to the Demon King.
But what troubled me even more was the time limit itself.
‘Thirty days instead of three?’
Though I’d never fully exhausted a time limit before, this metric served as a crucial indicator.
It roughly indicated how much time would typically be consumed to complete the objective.
For instance, straightforward combat floors against monsters typically had time limits of merely one or two hours.
Both missions to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings had been three-day assignments.
‘But thirty days?’
Put simply, this objective would consume roughly ten times more time than the previous missions.
“Hmm.”
Jung Han-sung lifted his gaze and surveyed the surroundings once more.
Nothing immediately caught my attention. Only rolling hills and a towering mountain visible in the distance.
“Do you recognize anything?”
I asked Onyx as well.
Onyx flicked his tongue and replied.
―Doesn’t seem like a place I’ve seen before.
“Right?”
This mission truly seemed to require starting from absolute zero.
“Well, I suppose we should explore for now.”
Jung Han-sung summoned Thunder Wolf without hesitation.
Though I’d been summoning him fairly frequently lately and traveling together, Thunder Wolf bounded about excitedly upon appearing.
He seemed to simply love running.
Jung Han-sung smiled and stroked Thunder Wolf’s fur before mounting his back.
“Let’s start by taking a light look around the area.”
“Awoo!”
Thunder Wolf acknowledged and bolted forward at full speed.
Jung Han-sung sat comfortably on Thunder Wolf’s back when something suddenly occurred to him.
‘Come to think of it, I think the Wind Spirit mentioned that she’d be helpful for reconnaissance too.’
With that thought in mind, Jung Han-sung decided to summon Sepi as well and immediately drew up his mana.
Whoooosh—
With the wind, Sepi materialized in the empty air.
Despite moving at an incredibly rapid pace, Sepi greeted him without a hint of confusion.
—Hey! Did you call for me?
“Yeah. Can you check if there’s anything noticeable around here? Buildings or people, anything like that?”
—Sure!
Sepi nodded without hesitation and immediately soared into the sky.
Since I wasn’t currently sharing her vision, I couldn’t know exactly what she was doing, but I could feel her presence spreading out in all directions.
‘So she’s not just flying around aimlessly.’
I’d vaguely assumed she’d fly quickly and check the surroundings one by one, but it seemed Spirits had their own methods.
In any case, separate from that, I continued to observe my surroundings while riding on Thunder Wolf.
‘There’s quite a bit of empty land here.’
It wasn’t completely barren plains, but even so, this much land would be suitable for farming—yet such a vast expanse lay vacant, which struck me as odd.
How long had we been running?
—I found something!
Before I could discover anything myself, Sepi returned and spoke.
—There’s a large building up ahead!
“A large building?”
—Yeah! It looks like a Temple!
I looked toward where Sepi was pointing. Since the direction differed slightly from our current path, I gave Thunder Wolf new directions and headed that way.
Given how fast we were moving, I found the building Sepi mentioned in no time.
“It really does look like a Temple.”
The structure resembled a Greek-era temple—tall columns standing in rows with a massive roof rising above them.
But as I drew closer, something strange became apparent.
“Something feels… empty about it?”
The Temple was enormous, yet I saw virtually no one passing through it.
A structure of that scale would typically mean many people visited, yet here it seemed abandoned.
Puzzled, I nonetheless approached the Temple.
As I drew nearer, the desolation of the Temple became even more palpable.
Moreover, it appeared to lack proper maintenance—the air reeked of neglect and decay.
“Hmm.”
Upon reaching the Temple’s entrance, I dismounted and slowly walked inside.
“It seems this place once saw plenty of visitors.”
It hadn’t always been like this; traces of former prosperity lingered throughout the Temple.
The decorations hanging throughout were all valuable pieces, and the overall décor was quite elaborate.
Yet seeing it in this state only deepened my confusion.
‘Why has such a place been left abandoned like this?’
If it had fallen into disrepair over time, valuable items like these shouldn’t exist at all. People would have stripped everything when the place collapsed.
―It feels as though people simply vanished all at once.
“Exactly.”
If people had suddenly disappeared without a trace, wouldn’t it feel exactly like this?
Jung Han-sung proceeded deeper into the temple with that thought in mind.
Before long, I discovered a statue at the innermost sanctum of the temple.
The statue was remarkably massive—nearly touching the considerably high ceiling.
Yet the statue’s appearance was quite unusual.
“Horns?”
The statue depicted a man, but two long horns protruded from his forehead.
Upon closer inspection, that wasn’t all.
Looking at the finely carved mouth, the teeth were clearly depicted as sharp.
Moreover, the coloring applied to the statue, though somewhat faded, was far too crimson to be human flesh when examined carefully.
‘It’s as if….’
I recalled the Demon I had encountered on the previous floor.
Yes. This statue appeared to be depicting a Demon.
Then, at that moment.
I sensed a presence behind the statue.
Jung Han-sung reflexively raised his weapon and turned toward that direction.
Soon, someone emerged from behind the statue.
“A visitor after so long….”
The figure that appeared was an elderly old man. However, he was no ordinary human.
Jung Han-sung confirmed the horns on the man’s skin and head, then spoke.
“Are you a Demon?”
“A Demon, you say. That’s what humans call us these days.”
The old man answered while gazing intently at Jung Han-sung.
“In the past, we were called Demonians. Originally, we call ourselves Kelthuran, but you humans defined us from your own perspective.”
Sensing the complex emotions in his response, Jung Han-sung fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“So, what should I call you?”
“Heh heh, you may simply call me Telianus. That is my name.”
“I am Jung Han-sung.”
Jung Han-sung lowered the sword he had been pointing forward as he spoke.
“I’d like to have a conversation.”
“Yes. Then please come this way.”
The old man named Telianus guided Jung Han-sung deeper inside.
Jung Han-sung followed the old man while maintaining his vigilance. Soon we arrived at a small chamber.
It appeared to have once been a room where clergy resided, with religious symbols hanging throughout.
Telianus opened his mouth as he noticed Jung Han-sung’s gaze lingering on the symbols.
“These are sacred objects symbolizing the god we serve.”
“Is that statue outside a depiction of him?”
“Indeed.”
Telianus nodded and retrieved a kettle from which steam rose in wisps, then spoke.
“Would you care for some tea?”
“No, I’ll pass.”
Though I sensed no immediate hostility from my counterpart, accepting and consuming something in such circumstances felt deeply uncomfortable.
“I understand.”
Telianus, having apparently anticipated this response, did not press further and simply poured tea into his own cup before settling into a chair.
“My knees aren’t what they used to be, so I hope you’ll forgive me for sitting. Please, make yourself comfortable in whichever chair suits you.”
Jung Han-sung accepted this without objection and took a seat in an empty chair nearby.
The two sat facing each other in silence for a moment, studying one another. It was Telianus who spoke first.
“What circumstances brought you to such a place?”
“One thing led to another. But tell me—exactly where is this?”
At Jung Han-sung’s question, Telianus’s expression grew peculiar before he answered.
“This is Aturan. One of the holy grounds sacred to us Kelthuran.”
“I see… but why is it so utterly deserted?”
“Because the Emperor has been persecuting our Kelthuran Religion.”
“The Emperor? Persecution?”
Confused by this unfamiliar account, I pressed for clarification, and Telianus explained simply.
“The Emperor is the one humans call the Demon King. From the moment he ascended the throne, he has regarded our faith with disdain.”
“So Kelthuran doesn’t follow a single faith?”
“Correct. There are quite a few.”
“Then why specifically target this place for persecution?”
“Simple. Because we opposed the war.”
At that answer, Jung Han-sung’s expression grew even more enigmatic.
“Surely all the Demon Race—all Kelthuran—supported the war?”
“How could that be? Of course there were voices of opposition. We are thinking, reasoning beings after all.”
This differed sharply from what I had heard in the royal capital.
The Demon Race they spoke of were portrayed as creatures thirsting solely for blood and warfare, possessed of an extreme martial fervor.
The Demons sought to place all continents beneath the Demon King’s heel, and all human nations were cooperating to oppose them… or so the narrative went.
Jung Han-sung relayed this very account to Telianus, and she responded with a bitter smile.
“It was undoubtedly convenient to portray us as absolute evil to bolster morale. Though the account isn’t entirely false.”
“What do you mean?”
“The current Emperor and those who follow him do indeed desire war. And now, there are precious few who oppose it.”
“Because of the Emperor’s persecution?”
“Yes. Regions where opposition was once strong have suffered greatly. This place is no exception. Once, thousands passed through here daily. Now it stands empty.”
Jung Han-sung stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“With such devastation, there must have been considerable backlash?”
“It was severe. However, the conflict with the humans caused the atmosphere to shift dramatically in the Emperor’s favor. His oppression was packaged as a decisive measure for victory.”
There was something oddly familiar about this story.
Nothing matched precisely enough to pinpoint it, but I felt I’d heard many of these elements before.
As I was contemplating this.
Telianus looked directly at Jung Han-sung and spoke.
“You are the hero of the humans, are you not?”
Even at this abrupt question, Jung Han-sung answered with composure.
“Yes. That’s what they call me.”
“As I thought.”
Telianus smiled as he spoke.
“Would you not slay our Emperor—the Demon King?”

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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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