I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 239
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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 239
Arthur materialized from the void, unchanged from the last time I had seen him.
He stood clad in armor that covered his entire body, a sword held in one hand.
―It has been a while.
“Yes, it has been quite some time.”
Arthur gazed intently at me, as though wrestling with whether he should speak his mind.
Then I took the initiative to break the silence.
“I thought it would be better to receive instruction after my skills had improved further, and so my request for guidance has been delayed. I apologize for that.”
―Hmm. There is no need for apologies. It is far better than acting rashly.
Though Arthur spoke those words, his eyes betrayed satisfaction with my response.
He nodded slightly, then raised his sword a fraction and addressed me.
―Then, let us see you wield your blade.
“Understood.”
Rather than foolishly asking how I should do so, I simply drew my own sword and raised it.
I did not concern myself with intricate techniques or elaborate forms. Even a simple downward slash would suffice if I poured everything I possessed into it.
I absorbed the currents flowing around us.
My eyes traced the complex patterns of energy intertwined between Arthur and myself.
When I had first encountered Arthur, he had seemed like an insurmountable mountain.
He remained a towering peak even now.
Yet the ground upon which I stood was no longer what it had been.
Shing―!
My blade moved before conscious thought could guide it.
The sword still fell short of reaching Arthur.
Yet I surged forward, carving through the accumulated currents between us with terrifying speed.
Arthur observed the blade that had swept past him and nodded.
―Your skill has grown considerably.
She, who had taught me swordsmanship directly, could perceive it clearly.
How profound the subtlety woven into that single strike was. How far I had advanced compared to the past.
In those earlier days, my blade would never have come close to Arthur’s vicinity.
But now, it was merely a matter of degrees.
My talent with the sword was indeed extraordinary, just as Arthur had once believed.
―So you have also learned swordsmanship from the Heavenly Demon.
“Ah, yes.”
I answered somewhat sheepishly, and Arthur let out a soft chuckle at my response.
―Do not worry—I harbor no resentment. The path of the sword is not singular. There is no reason to fault one for exploring and walking multiple paths.
Having said this, Arthur raised her sword once more and spoke.
―Perhaps, after this, there may be no further need for instruction.
“What? Why is that?”
―Because there may be nothing left for me to teach. Your growth rate far exceeds what I anticipated when we first met.
Though I had refrained from voicing this before, witnessing your current state, I could not hold back these words.
Jung Han-sung possessed a brilliance that surpassed anyone Arthur had ever encountered.
Arthur spoke again before Jung Han-sung could say anything.
―Then. Let us begin at once.
“Yes.”
―I have no intention of teaching you through mere technique mimicry as before. You have already grasped your own techniques to a considerable degree.
Arthur’s blade pointed toward Jung Han-sung.
―So then. Come at me. And take as much as you can from this exchange.
At those words, Jung Han-sung raised his own blade.
Whoooosh―.
In that instant, the surroundings transformed. It was that pitch-black space he had witnessed once before.
―Come first.
There, Arthur commanded Jung Han-sung to attack.
Jung Han-sung did so.
* * *
Jung Han-sung received instruction from Arthur for a full day straight.
More precisely, he spent the entire day crossing blades with him.
Jung Han-sung attacked Arthur relentlessly, only to be defeated again and again.
Though he advanced through The Tower without equal opposition, Jung Han-sung was acutely aware of his own shortcomings.
Had a single blade been sufficient to overcome everything, there would have been no need to employ other abilities within The Tower.
In most situations, Jung Han-sung utilized multiple abilities, compensating for his deficiencies through their combination.
But in combat with Arthur, he could rely solely upon his blade.
Clang―!
Blade met blade.
The swords separated momentarily before Arthur’s blade came flying toward Jung Han-sung’s throat.
Jung Han-sung twisted his body sharply, attempting to swing his blade upward.
Yet before he could, Arthur’s blade was already positioned precisely at his throat.
It felt as though he had been bewitched by a phantom.
He was certain he had evaded by twisting his body, but when his senses returned, the blade was already at his throat.
―No matter how dire the situation, you must never lose sight of the flow. Not until the very final moment. Especially when blades clash at close range—the flow shifts hundreds of times in mere fractions of a second.
“I shall remember this.”
As Jung Han-sung nodded in acknowledgment, Arthur slowly lowered his blade.
―We shall stop here for today. Use the next day to contemplate what you felt while crossing blades today.
“Yes.”
Jung Han-sung offered no objection to Arthur’s words.
In truth, even a week would have been insufficient to organize everything he had comprehended in a single day.
But since the duration of his visit was limited, Arthur had granted him only the remainder of the day.
With that, Arthur gave a slight nod and vanished as slowly as he had appeared.
“Phew.”
Only then did Jung Han-sung sink onto the bed and exhale deeply.
Having wielded his blade without rest for nearly twenty-four hours, his exhaustion was extraordinary.
However, instead of continuing to rest, Jung Han-sung sat for a moment before rising to his feet.
‘I need to finish this quickly.’
Originally, I had planned to tackle The Tower at a leisurely pace, but my mind had changed.
It would be better to complete the conquest swiftly and return. Since I had been given roughly a day of rest, I could finish everything within that timeframe.
The moment Jung Han-sung made his decision, he immediately entered The Tower.
Whoooosh―!
With the familiar vertigo, my body vanished from the room.
I arrived at Floor 31 shortly after. And then I began ascending The Tower with a ferocious momentum.
Though my pace had been swift before, once I resolved to accelerate, the speed was incomparable to what it had been.
[Floor 31 conquered!]
The conquest message for Floor 31 appeared.
And shortly after, the conquest message for Floor 32 would emerge.
The Awakeners, who had grown complacent after a day without news, were left reeling by the consecutive conquest messages that began appearing once more.
While ordinary Awakeners spent months planning and resting as they ascended, I was bulldozing through the floors like rushing through overdue homework.
[Floor 60 conquered!]
The time it took to conquer from Floor 31 to Floor 60 was two hours.
Even then, several floors had unavoidably consumed more time, and on floors with ordinary missions, I had completed them in less than five minutes.
The moment I fulfilled my set objective, I exited.
Then I called Baek Jin-woo, who had come here with me.
“The conquest. It’s complete.”
Of course, the reaction was explosive.
* * *
The time it took for Jung Han-sung to conquer up to Floor 60 was merely three days.
It was a record that would astound even the high-ranking officials of the Korean Government, who had reluctantly entrusted this mission to Jung Han-sung.
They wanted to throw a grand celebration for him, but Jung Han-sung refused.
Setting aside the thought that a party inside a bunker seemed unnecessary, I simply had no interest in such affairs to begin with.
My only concern now was to return to Korea and continue where Arthur had left off.
So Jung Han-sung immediately boarded a private jet and chose to return home.
“You’ve truly worked hard.”
On the return flight in the private jet, Baek Jin-woo continued to shower Jung Han-sung with praise.
It was well-deserved.
The record set in Korea before was remarkable in itself, but this time, even though it was a fresh conquest starting from Floor 1, I had conquered Floor 60 in merely three days.
This wasn’t just remarkable—it was a level that would astonish the entire world.
In fact, news articles were being published at an astounding rate, and the entire world was paying attention to the identity of Korea’s Awakener.
The reason a private jet was hastily prepared to facilitate the return was precisely because of this.
To return home before other nations could make their moves.
“Thank you.”
Jung Han-sung exchanged pleasantries before closing his eyes.
It wasn’t an attempt to sleep. Instead, I recalled my sparring match with Arthur.
Though the sparring with Arthur had lasted only a single day, it had imparted as much enlightenment as months of actual combat experience.
Of course, if Arthur could have imparted everything through sparring alone, he would have restrained me from the beginning.
Much of what I had come to understand was also thanks to the countless real battles Jung Han-sung had endured in the past.
‘Even when wielding a sword identically, the smallest differences often manifest as profound transformations.’
Because of this, I could feel the towering wall that had long stood before me slowly crumbling away.
Until now, I had attempted to glimpse beyond that barrier through means other than the sword, but a wall erected upon the path of the blade must be overcome through the blade itself.
“Exhale.”
Throughout the journey back, I remained in a state half-akin to meditation.
By the time the private jet crossed the skies and arrived in Korea, my thoughts had become considerably clearer.
As I descended from the jet and transferred into the vehicle Baek Jin-woo had prepared, heading toward Han-sung’s Home, I reflected.
‘I’ve certainly relied too heavily on other means.’
I hadn’t neglected the sword entirely.
Yet it was true that I had depended considerably on alternatives beyond it.
At the time, I believed that approach was correct, but looking back now, I could have overcome many of those crises with nothing but a single blade.
Of course, this didn’t mean I would abandon all other abilities and rely solely on the sword going forward.
But there was a lingering regret—had I focused more on the sword, I might have reached far greater heights.
‘No. There’s no need for regret.’
Yet I quickly cast aside that regret.
Wasn’t I receiving instruction from Arthur precisely to fill those gaps?
Arthur, through the sword alone, was teaching me how to overcome the despair and insufficiency I had felt.
All I needed to do was perceive the direction he was showing me and advance along that path.
The engine hummed as we drove on.
Escort vehicles were positioned all around the car carrying me and Baek Jin-woo.
Thanks to this, I arrived home without any complications.
“Thank you once again for fulfilling the request.”
Baek Jin-woo escorted me to the front of Han-sung’s Home, offered his thanks once more, and withdrew.
Receiving his bow, I quickly entered the house and drew my sword.
“Exhale.”
My body had been restless and difficult to contain during the journey here.
I immediately entered The Tower and headed straight to the Personal Space Training Room, beginning to swing my blade as if possessed by something.
―It’s time again.
And as time passed, Arthur would return to find me and offer his instruction.
This cycle repeated for several days. For an entire week, I thought of nothing but the sword.
I slept while holding it, and I never let go of it even while eating.
And so, on the seventh day.
―This is the final sparring match.
I faced Arthur once more.
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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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