I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 226

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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 226
Jung Han-sung continued forward with those thoughts, and when he arrived at the Transit Station.
‘Is that an Elf?’
He spotted a sharp-featured Elf glancing around nervously.
The Elf was tall and lean.
Eyes as keen as a blade’s edge, with shadows cast by cheekbones carved like scars.
Instead of a quiver at her waist, a long rolled scroll case hung suspended.
Her overall impression was intensely irritable.
Jung Han-sung approached her and spoke.
“The Earthland.”
“The Heavens.”
At that, Jung Han-sung nodded. The cryptic words were the recognition code they’d established before meeting.
The moment the Elf confirmed the code, she spoke to Jung Han-sung.
“Is there anywhere quiet around here?”
“Let’s talk over there.”
Jung Han-sung pointed to one side.
One section of the Transit Station had a simple space where one could sit and converse.
It was a sort of Cafe, and like the Transit Station itself, those without proper qualifications couldn’t perceive it.
The Elf nodded, and Jung Han-sung led her in that direction.
After ordering something to drink, he opened the conversation.
“What exactly are you looking for information about?”
“As I wrote, any information about Balturan will do. I’ll provide appropriate compensation based on the information’s importance.”
“And who decides what ‘appropriate’ means?”
The Elf answered without hesitation to Jung Han-sung’s question.
“You won’t feel it’s insufficient. I have no intention of being stingy with money.”
With that, she reached into empty air and produced a large gold ingot, setting it down.
“This should be sufficient compensation for most information. Of course, if the information proves worthless, I can’t give you all of this.”
Gold holds the same value across any dimension. Its rarity and importance remain consistent.
Jung Han-sung nodded and spoke.
“First, I entered the Hidden Floor to a location related to the Land of Balturan.”
“The Hidden Floor… what kind of place was it?”
“Before that, I’d like to ask one thing.”
Jung Han-sung asked the Elf.
“Why are you searching for information about the Land of Balturan?”
“Do I have to tell you that?”
“You don’t have to. But then you might not hear everything I know.”
“I said I’d provide proper compensation.”
“I’m not particularly desperate either.”
In the first place, Jung Han-sung had agreed to sell information out of curiosity rather than need for payment.
Perhaps the other party sensed that from his attitude.
I furrowed my brow before exhaling deeply and speaking.
“There’s a place managed by the Land of Balturan that I’m searching for. I’m looking for clues about it. I need them for the floor I’m currently trying to conquer.”
“I see.”
It wasn’t an exhaustively detailed explanation, but it was enough to satisfy my curiosity.
Jung Han-sung nodded and opened his mouth.
“Then let me share what I know.”
Since he had already cleared it anyway and the information held no particular significance for him, he laid out everything he knew.
The Elf listened intently. As he spoke, his expression shifted moment by moment, and by the end, his mouth fell open in astonishment.
“You cleared the Sanctuary of Earth?”
“Yes.”
“The Sanctuary of Earth?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Suddenly, the Elf stretched out his arm, attempting to grab Jung Han-sung’s arm.
Jung Han-sung reflexively pulled away. But the Elf paid no mind, his eyes gleaming as he looked at him.
“Would you consider helping me conquer The Tower?”
“Huh?”
It was a natural question, but Jung Han-sung possessed his share of intuition and soon grasped what this situation entailed.
“Is the place you were searching for perhaps the Sanctuary of Earth?”
“Exactly! To be precise, I needed the ability obtainable by clearing the trial there.”
“You don’t necessarily need to be the one who possesses it, right?”
“I don’t! The ability itself is what matters. If you help me and assist in clearing the blocked floor, I’ll provide generous compensation!”
“Wait, wait. I don’t even know which floor that is. And if it’s already past, I can’t enter it anyway.”
The Elf seemed to regain his composure at Jung Han-sung’s words, withdrawing his outstretched arm as he spoke.
“Right. That floor is the 115th Floor. I’ve been stuck there for nearly half a year because I couldn’t get past it.”
“That long? Is it impossible to pass without that ability?”
“Yes. This is also a Hidden Floor, you see.”
The Elf exhaled deeply as he spoke.
“Originally, I obtained it when I was with a different companion. It turns out that companion had previously cleared a Hidden Floor related to the Land of Balturan.”
“Ah. So you arrived there without obtaining the ability you were supposed to get in the first place?”
“That’s right.”
“But if it’s a Hidden Floor, can’t you just skip it?”
“The rewards are too valuable to pass up. If it’s a Hidden Floor on the 115th Floor, the rewards would be enormous.”
That was true enough.
Hidden Floors inherently offer substantial rewards. And if there’s a connected Hidden Floor, the probability of even better rewards increases significantly.
‘Especially since climbing higher floors one by one is grueling in general.’
But what if you obtained a good item from a Hidden Floor?
You could potentially ascend several floors with ease. It would naturally be difficult to abandon such an opportunity.
“Wait. But originally, what were you planning to do with the information once you obtained it? You can’t enter a floor you’ve already passed anyway.”
“That’s what I was planning to use this for.”
The Elf produced something. It resembled an empty glass bottle.
“It’s an artifact capable of holding any form of power. You can either take someone who’s already passed through it and challenge the floor together, or ask them to infuse their power into it.”
“I see.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
Well, at least when she spoke, there was no hint of deception in her words.
But I was also a veteran who’d climbed all the way to the 100th Floor, and I wasn’t foolish enough to rely solely on intuition.
“Then let’s draw up a contract.”
I retrieved a contract from my inventory—one of the highest-grade contracts classified within The Tower.
The Elf’s eyes sparkled once more at the sight of it.
Suggesting a contract meant I was accepting her proposal.
“First, I’ll write that everything you mentioned earlier is the absolute truth, and then specify exactly how we’ll proceed with the conquest….”
I carefully inscribed various safeguards into the document.
The Elf nodded without any apparent objection to these terms.
Of course, we thoroughly negotiated the matter of rewards after clearing that floor.
It was typically the point where disputes arose most easily.
Still, after discussing it at length, we arrived at terms that satisfied both parties reasonably well.
“Good. This should suffice. Are you certain ten days is enough?”
“Yes. It’s enough.”
I nodded.
Currently, I’d only just cleared the 100th Floor, but originally I could conquer three or four floors a day if I set my mind to it.
So fifteen floors in ten days was actually quite generous by my standards.
“Understood.”
She nodded, accepting it at face value since she didn’t know which floor I’d actually reached.
With that, we each took a copy of the contract and parted ways immediately.
―Hmm. Could there be some other hidden agenda?
The moment the Elf vanished from sight, Onyx poked his head out with a question.
I answered him simply.
“Then she’d die.”
―That’s harsh. You mean you’d kill her?
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you see me write the contract just now?”
I waved the contract I was about to place in my inventory.
Onyx usually informed me about various matters concerning The Tower, but he seemed unfamiliar with contracts, so this time I explained it in detail.
“With a highest-grade contract, it’s difficult not only to break the terms but even to circumvent them. Determining exactly what constitutes a breach becomes incredibly taxing.”
―So even if she had ulterior motives, it would be difficult to act on them.
“Exactly. Breaking it results in soul annihilation.”
Incidentally, deliberately inducing a breach also counts as a breach itself.
Ordinary contracts crafted by mages don’t reach that level, but this one was made directly by a god.
When punishment is administered, the corresponding god personally examines the contract and circumstances before delivering judgment.
“That’s why it’s absurdly expensive.”
Considering its effectiveness, it’s worth the cost. We agreed to split the contract’s price evenly anyway.
―So where are we heading now, Master?
“Ah. I need to head to the Territory. I have some business there.”
Jung Han-sung tapped his communicator as he spoke.
“I received a message.”
―A message?
“Yes. We’ve recruited someone new.”
After saying that much, Jung Han-sung moved directly to the Territory.
A shimmer of light rippled through the air.
Moments later, Jung Han-sung arrived at the center of the Territory. The instant he did, Baek-seol came rushing toward him.
“Welcome!”
“Yeah. Where’s the new recruit?”
“They’re in that building over there with the others!”
“Thanks.”
The building Baek-seol pointed to was a multipurpose structure used for various purposes.
Jung Han-sung walked straight toward it. As he opened the door and stepped inside, those within immediately rose to their feet.
“Boss!”
“Welcome.”
“Ah, hello.”
Jung Han-sung nodded to Maria and Cho Cheon-woong, who had greeted him first, then noticed the one who had offered an awkward greeting last.
Crimson hair. Sharp features.
It was the woman I’d seen in the neutral zone before.
“I’m Jung Han-sung.”
Jung Han-sung introduced himself calmly, and his counterpart responded immediately.
“I’m Yoo Seo-ryeong.”
Yoo Seo-ryeong.
She had recently joined Jung Han-sung’s organization. The circumstances of accepting her were straightforward.
‘Former number one.’
This woman had belonged to First, the previous top-ranked Tower-clearing team in Korea.
‘I saw her in front of that tavern last time.’
Though she didn’t seem to remember, Jung Han-sung had already seen Yoo Seo-ryeong once before.
It was when she was having a heated argument with a teammate in front of a tavern.
From that conversation, he’d learned that First was essentially in a state of dissolution.
“I understand you’ve already signed a contract.”
“Yes. I discussed it with Hunter Cho Cheon-woong, came here, received an explanation from Baek-seol, and signed the agreement.”
Jung Han-sung nodded.
He had left the matter of her recruitment entirely to Baek-seol, Cho Cheon-woong, and Maria.
He believed the three of them would make sound judgments. It seemed the negotiations had gone well.
“I’ve currently cleared up to the 100th Floor.”
At those words, Yoo Seo-ryeong’s eyes widened slightly. It seemed the timing had prevented her from checking on Jung Han-sung’s recent clearing progress.
Jung Han-sung spoke to her in a measured tone.
“For now, I have no intention of forming a team to clear the Tower immediately. However, Cho Cheon-woong and Maria here are top-tier talents. I believe they’ll soon surpass your previous records.”
Yoo Seo-ryeong nodded in agreement with that assessment.
“Then, should I wait until then and move together with these two?”
“Yes. And if possible, it would be even better if you could teach them as well.”
After all, I couldn’t constantly stay with them to provide instruction.
Of course, I had plenty to offer Yoo Seo-ryeong in return.
“In exchange, I’ll also make time to spar with you and share anything useful I discover.”
“Thank you.”
Yoo Seo-ryeong offered her gratitude with understated grace.
After all, it was she who had expressed her desire to work under me in the first place. Though the Association certainly had some influence in the matter.
Based on the conversation I’d had with my team before, it seemed she would be satisfied with anything as long as she could continue conquering The Tower.
‘And she’s probably already assessed Cho Cheon-woong and Maria’s levels beforehand.’
Cho Cheon-woong and Maria were among the most promising talents in the United States and China, respectively.
Considering that both nations were counted among the world’s foremost Awakener powers, they could be considered among the top five prospects globally.
Moreover, since receiving my instruction, their pace of conquest had accelerated noticeably.
Then, Yoo Seo-ryeong posed a question.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you perhaps give me some basic instruction right now?”
In Yoo Seo-ryeong’s eyes burned an unmistakable competitive fire that could not be concealed.

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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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