I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 220
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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 220
Erupting earth obscures my vision. And through the gap, a spear blade thrusts toward me.
Screech!
Jung Han-sung ducked low, evading the attack.
Boom!
Seeing this, the golem stomped one foot down. The entire temple pulsed, and earthen pillars erupted from multiple points once more.
‘The very earth itself is a weapon.’
Jung Han-sung spun his blade rapidly.
If I poured power without restraint, I could dismantle earthen pillars without lifting a finger, but I had no intention of squandering strength so carelessly.
I didn’t know the extent of that creature’s reserves.
Whoosh!
From the start, the attacks seemed less about exploiting openings and more about probing and restraint.
Jung Han-sung paused briefly, then borrowed the power of the Wind Spirit.
Whirr!
Wind swept from nowhere, lifting Jung Han-sung’s body slightly into the air.
Whoosh!
Immediately, earthen pillars shot toward him again, but this time Jung Han-sung evaded with ease.
Of course, the pillars didn’t simply vanish after he dodged, but the enemy seemed limited in how many it could control simultaneously.
There was no need to counter each one individually.
Screech!
The true threat was the spear the golem wielded directly.
I could withstand earthen pillars striking my body, but that spear—if I allowed it to connect, it looked genuinely dangerous.
‘The power contained within it is extraordinary.’
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary spear thrust, but Jung Han-sung perceived more.
The immense force compressed within that small spear.
If I took a direct hit, I’d likely feel as though my body were pierced through by a massive pillar.
Clang!
Therefore, instead of blocking attacks head-on, Jung Han-sung deflected them while steadily closing the distance.
No matter what, a sword’s reach was shorter than a spear’s—that was unavoidable.
When facing a spear, aggressive distance closure was the optimal strategy.
Of course, the better option would be wielding a weapon with reach comparable to a spear.
Clang!
Unless the skill levels were vastly different, a sword could certainly contend with a spear.
Clang, clang, clang!
And objectively, the golem’s spearmanship fell far short of Jung Han-sung’s.
It was reasonably efficient, but that was its limit.
Had the opponent possessed ordinary strength, the battle would have ended long ago.
Boom!
But the creature possessed both tremendous brute force and the ability to manipulate the surrounding earth freely.
Jung Han-sung continuously evaded the golem’s attacks while narrowing the distance and swinging his blade.
Crash!
They collided repeatedly.
Jung Han-sung never allowed a single attack to land, yet his blade carved through the opponent’s body again and again.
Though the wounds closed as earth flowed back to restore the form, Jung Han-sung understood this was merely the surface—the true damage ran deeper.
With each slash, the power contained within was chipped away in chunks, even as the body regenerated.
Screeeech!
How much time had passed?
Focusing on eroding the opponent’s strength rather than unleashing grand attacks, Jung Han-sung began to notice the regeneration speed visibly slowing.
Before, even a blade wound would fully heal in less than a minute, but now, more than ten minutes had elapsed since the last cut, and gaps still remained.
‘Now is the moment.’
Jung Han-sung maintained distance while gauging the opponent’s remaining power, his eyes gleaming with resolve.
Boom!
As the Earth Golem struck the ground once more in its assault.
Jung Han-sung drew upon his full power and kicked off the earth.
Crash!
Brilliant azure electricity erupted in all directions as Jung Han-sung’s body pierced through the golem’s guard.
The Earth Golem thrashed its arms to block, but the reaction came far too late.
Crash!
Jung Han-sung’s blade had already pierced straight through the golem’s core.
The power contained within shattered the force animating the Earth Golem completely, and Arzka absorbed that power directly.
Preventing any regeneration whatsoever.
Crumble…
Thus the Earth Golem convulsed several times before losing its form entirely, collapsing into scattered earth.
Yet Jung Han-sung remained vigilant, standing guard for some time until he confirmed the opponent’s presence had completely vanished before exhaling.
“Phew.”
It wasn’t a battle where life hung in the balance, but it had still demanded considerable effort.
Fortunately, the opponent’s technical mastery wasn’t particularly refined.
Had it wielded spear techniques with such power as expertly, I would have truly risked my life.
A single hit would have left me half-dead.
Crumble…
But then, suddenly the earth trembled and began to move.
Jung Han-sung reflexively tried to leap away, then paused as he sensed something and lowered his feet again.
The earth wasn’t attacking him—it was advancing slowly forward.
“Oh…”
Standing upon it felt like riding a moving walkway, carrying him forward effortlessly while he stood still.
―Whoosh, the Earthland guides its master.
“But where is this taking me?”
The earth carried him deep into the Temple’s interior. Yet that wasn’t the end.
Just as I thought we were approaching the terminus, the earth suddenly dropped away, descending toward the Basement.
Fortunately, corridors formed in real time during the descent, preventing me from being buried alive within the soil.
Of course, if I had sensed any sign of danger, I would have escaped immediately.
Whoosh.
After descending into the Basement for quite some time, Jung Han-sung felt solid ground beneath his feet. As the earth surrounding him crumbled away, a new landscape revealed itself.
It was a vast Cavern Chamber.
However, it was not simply empty. At the far end of the chamber stood an enormously massive stone statue, planted firmly in place.
The statue bore a form similar to that of a human, yet where a face should have been, there was only emptiness.
Yet this did not strike me as strange or unsettling in the slightest.
Rather, it felt as though this was exactly how it should be.
While I was contemplating this peculiar sensation.
―At last, we meet.
A voice resonated within my mind.
Jung Han-sung flinched in surprise and looked around. Then the voice came again.
―Do not fear. I stand before you.
At those words, Jung Han-sung turned his gaze forward once more. There was only one thing ahead of him—the mysterious stone statue.
“Could you be… the God of the Earthland?”
The circumstances left no other conclusion.
The entity answered without hesitation to Jung Han-sung’s cautious question.
―You may call me the Earth Mother Goddess.
“Ah, yes. Earth Mother Goddess.”
This was not my first encounter with a divine being.
I had faced Indra before, and in the Pantheon, countless gods had surrounded me.
Yet the presence emanating from the Earth Mother Goddess differed from those I had met previously.
It was not more oppressive or overwhelming. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The more I conversed with her, the more my heart found peace—as though I were cradled in warm, gentle arms.
The entity spoke as though she could see through my very thoughts.
―All humans emerge from the Earthland and return to it. There is nothing strange about your finding comfort in this.
“I see…”
―You must be wondering what this place is. Why I have summoned you here.
“Outside, I was told I had to pass through the trials of the Earthland. Was that Earth Golem I faced…?”
―That was merely one of the conditions to reach this place. Properly speaking, it is now time for the true trial.
The moment the entity spoke those words.
Suddenly, without warning, earth surged up from the ground. It began to take the form of a colossal dragon.
Jung Han-sung gazed upon the massive earth dragon, nearly the height of a building, then shifted his gaze to the empty air and asked.
“When you say ‘properly speaking,’ does that mean something has changed?”
―Yes.
As she answered, the earth collapsed back to the ground as though nothing had happened.
―Such a trial would hold no meaning for you.
“No meaning…?”
―None have proven themselves in so short a time as you have. Already, countless eyes are upon you. And I, too, have been watching.
As she spoke these words.
A pale, ethereal form suddenly materialized atop the stone statue, then slowly bowed toward Jung Han-sung.
Its appearance closely resembled the statue, yet it radiated a far more vibrant and potent life force.
―I offer you a proposition instead of a trial.
The form extended one hand toward Jung Han-sung, palm open.
―Become my apostle, and I shall grant you power worthy of your desire.
Upon that palm hovered a condensed mass of tremendous energy.
The moment Jung Han-sung beheld it, he instinctively understood—accepting this would grant him immense power.
Yet his face betrayed no hint of greed or covetousness.
Observing his composure, the form continued as though it had anticipated precisely this response.
―Or, you might simply maintain a thin thread of connection with me. It is not extraordinary power, but it will allow you to understand the Earthland more deeply.
Upon the opposite palm rested a handful of soil.
Compared to the energy hovering above the other hand, it emanated only a faint, almost meager aura.
Yet Jung Han-sung did not deliberate long before answering.
“I would prefer to maintain a good relationship with the Earth Mother Goddess going forward.”
In other words, he chose the second option.
The form responded with a soft chuckle.
―I suspected as much. Had you chosen the first, I confess I would have been somewhat disappointed.
At those words, Jung Han-sung felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He had worried the deity might take offense at his rejection of the offer.
There was precedent for such things.
‘Though comparing her to that Evil God would be disrespectful.’
Evil God Sargon—that wretched being who had hurled himself at me in desperation, only to be broken, then offered a proposal, and afterward tormented me relentlessly for refusing it—was utterly incomparable in character.
Whether the Earth Mother Goddess had perceived this or not was unclear, but her voice now carried even more warmth and amusement.
―Then I shall bestow upon you the blessing of the Earthland. Through your abilities, you may borrow my power.
Whiiiiish―.
As the Earth Mother Goddess spoke, wind swept from somewhere, and the soil upon her palm flew toward Jung Han-sung.
The moment it touched his body, it melted away like snow.
Jung Han-sung felt an unfamiliar energy seeping into his being.
―It is done.
“That’s… all?”
―Yes. Or would you prefer to undergo a trial instead?
Jung Han-sung immediately shook his head.
“No, thank you.”
―Hehe, very well.
The Earth Mother Goddess, apparently having been joking all along, simply snapped her fingers and continued.
―Now, return to the surface. What those outside seek has already taken root within you. There should be no complications.
And immediately thereafter.
Before Jung Han-sung could respond, his body began ascending rapidly toward the ground above.
The Earth Mother Goddess stood for a moment, watching his receding form, then murmured to herself.
―Soon, quite a stir shall arise even among the gods.
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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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