I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 245

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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 245
Crack―!
The first arm to grab the boat’s railing and climb up split apart from the wrist down.
The severed limb scattered through the air before being pulled back into the river waters.
“The spirits of this river don’t die, even when killed.”
The Boatman Elder spoke in a calm voice.
Jung Han-sung nodded slightly at those words and continued swinging his blade.
Craaack―!
With each swing of his sword, one or two spirits fell away.
But true to the old man’s words, the spirits merely returned to the river after suffering fatal wounds rather than dying. It was, quite literally, an endless battle.
‘This doesn’t feel like the end.’
My instincts told me this ordeal wouldn’t be limited to just this.
Facing enemies that don’t die and keep charging is troublesome, but since my only objective is to cross the river, simply enduring should guarantee success in the mission.
That’s why I suspected there was something more.
Floor 127’s difficulty couldn’t possibly end here.
Crack!
Of course, regardless of such thoughts, I didn’t lose my concentration.
The boat I rode was too small—it could capsize instantly if even a few spirits managed to climb aboard.
Countless spirits continued their cycle of crawling onto the boat and falling back.
Jung Han-sung kept swinging his blade without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
There was no choice. I wasn’t unleashing any extraordinary power—I was simply swinging the sword with pure physical strength, nothing more.
At this pace, I could continue for hours.
Thud―!
The change didn’t come from me, but from the river.
Jung Han-sung turned his head toward the source of a sound distinctly different from before.
Something incomparable to the pale arms desperately trying to climb over the railing.
A massive presence writhed within the river.
Shhhhh―.
The entire river surged.
Simultaneously, waves rippled outward in all directions.
The Boatman Elder, witnessing this, paused his oar-rowing. His expression remained impassive, but his voice carried greater weight than before.
“It’s here.”
Jung Han-sung didn’t ask what it was. More precisely, there was no need to.
Because immediately after, a colossal form erupted from the river.
It bore a color similar to the hands clinging densely to the boat’s edge.
A pale, grayish-white body.
However, it appeared to be at least six meters tall, and its shape resembled something like a child haphazardly molding clay.
―Grrrrooooaaahhh!
The creature—roughly a colossal spirit—let out a horrible shriek as it raised both arms.
“Should I get closer and deal with that thing?”
Jung Han-sung watched as the creature attempted to strike the River, and he quickly asked the Boatman Elder, who shook his head.
“As long as we aren’t hit directly, we should be fine.”
In that case.
Rather than drawing upon another power, Jung Han-sung simply observed what the creature was doing.
Whoooooosh!
Soon, as the creature brought both arms crashing down upon the River, a violent wave engulfed the boat.
The boat tilted precariously, yet it never capsized.
The massive specter, displeased with this result, repeated the same action several more times in succession, but the outcome remained unchanged.
Eventually, as if concluding that direct assault was necessary, it began wading through the water toward the boat.
Whoooosh—.
With each movement the creature made, the River split apart and the boat shuddered.
Yet Jung Han-sung stood unmoved, his gaze fixed upon the approaching specter.
Regardless of the opponent, the method of combat remained the same.
Read the flow, and swing the blade.
The specter held dominion over a range of flow as vast as its own colossal frame.
It was as though the very currents of the surrounding area were warped and distorted around it as their center.
Shhhhh—.
Soon the specter reached the vicinity of the boat.
It raised its arm toward Jung Han-sung, who stood upon the small vessel.
Though its size was immense, its movements were far from slow. Moreover, judging from how it had wielded its arm moments before, its strength was certainly not to be underestimated.
Yet when the creature’s arm came swinging down, Jung Han-sung did not dodge—instead, he lightly swung his blade.
Whoooooosh!
When his sword met the specter’s arm, something remarkable occurred.
The blade carved cleanly through the specter’s limb, but the arm itself slid sideways as if gliding, striking the innocent River surface instead.
The specter staggered, quickly regained its footing, and swung its other arm.
Whoooosh!
But the result was identical. And somewhere along the way, a smile had formed at the corners of Jung Han-sung’s mouth.
‘It’s strong, certainly.’
The specter’s strength was undeniably formidable.
Moreover, for reasons I couldn’t quite grasp, each time my blade made contact with its body, the force seemed to drain away completely.
But that was all.
Its attacks lacked the complexity and precision of the Gatekeeper I had faced before.
For anyone else, perhaps—but for me, this was far easier to contend with.
Whoooosh!
As if to prove this point, Jung Han-sung slashed at the specter’s body in rapid succession.
The specter desperately lunged, attempting to strike him, yet each time its arm veered toward some other location entirely.
And then, at some point.
“Hah.”
Jung Han-sung exhaled sharply, his eyes gleaming with clarity.
I had grasped its entire pattern. And now I could see the flow.
The flow was thick and simple, just like when I faced the Gatekeeper.
Without hesitation, I swung my sword along that flow.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
My blade pierced through the flow and cut down the specter’s distant form.
―Ooooohhhhh….
The specter let out a mournful cry, staggered, and fell backward.
Splash―.
The River surged violently once more. But the Boatman Elder skillfully rowed through the turbulent waters.
“You possess skill worthy of the Gatekeeper’s recognition.”
At the Boatman Elder’s words, I chuckled and simply nodded.
After dispatching the massive specter, no smaller specters appeared anymore.
Thanks to that, I could simply ride the boat across the River in peace.
Not long after, the boat arrived on the opposite bank of the River.
“Do not be swallowed by Purgatory.”
The Boatman Elder left those words and rowed the boat back to where he came from.
I watched the departing Boatman Elder before turning my gaze forward again.
Just then, a message appeared before my eyes.
[Floor 127’s objective has been completed]
“Hmm.”
After reviewing the message, I surveyed my surroundings before heading to the next Floor.
‘It looks similar.’
The opposite bank of the River held nothing particularly noteworthy. Just the same landscape stretching endlessly.
After a moment of deliberation, I decided to head to Floor 128.
On Floor 128, stronger specters appeared as prey. But the clear time didn’t differ significantly from the previous Floors.
Floor 129 was the same.
Still, thanks to that, I got to swing my sword to my heart’s content.
“Phew.”
After dispatching nearly a hundred specters on Floor 129, I brushed the debris from my blade and paused in thought.
‘Should I go higher?’
I still had energy remaining.
But soon I shook my head.
If I had no concerns, I would have climbed at least one more Floor, but since I didn’t know what scheme Sargon might be plotting, I needed to exercise restraint.
If I ascended to Floor 130 like this and encountered Sargon’s trap, I’d have quite a difficult time.
‘I’ll return to the Territory.’
So I chose to return to the Territory.
Soon my body was engulfed in light and transported.
When I opened my eyes again.
I had returned to the Territory I had conquered before.
“Hmm.”
Looking around, I could see the Futuristic City was being rebuilt.
Not much time had passed, yet it seemed a considerable amount of work had already been completed.
‘They’re working hard, it seems.’
With that thought, I entered the building I was currently using.
“Phew.”
Though I had held back somewhat, returning to this safe place, exhaustion came crashing down upon me all at once.
But instead of lying down on the bed, I drew my sword once more.
‘I’m starting to get a feel for it now.’
Digesting the experience accumulated from sparring with Arthur was no simple task.
But perhaps it was because I had swung the sword without relying on other abilities for nearly ten floors.
Now it felt as though I had truly internalized that experience.
In particular, my confrontation with the Gatekeeper had been invaluable.
At the time, I had wielded the sword in an almost transcendent state. And at the very end, I glimpsed a thick, enormous current of power.
And in my clash with the colossal specter, even without falling into that transcendent state, I was able to reproduce that strike without difficulty.
‘Let me fully master the next floor before ascending.’
Part of me wanted to cleanly push through to Floor 130, but first, making the sword truly my own took priority.
In my confrontation with Sargon, I wouldn’t have the luxury of fighting with only the sword anyway.
With those thoughts organized, I began swinging the sword.
For a long while, the sound of the blade cutting through air echoed ceaselessly from my quarters.
* * *
Four days had passed.
In that time, the newly conquered Territory had nearly recovered from the damage of the previous battle, and construction of new facilities had even begun.
I intended to establish this place as a third city entirely.
After four days, stepping outside to see the progress, I felt genuine admiration and made a mental note to praise Baek-seol later.
But not now.
‘I’ll clear up to Floor 135 and return.’
Over the past four days, I had made the sword completely my own. And now I wanted to confirm that once more while ascending The Tower.
Of course, if I encountered Sargon’s trap, I would break through with all my strength.
With those thoughts settled, I quietly entered The Tower.
Whoosh!
Soon after, I arrived at a familiar place.
Floor 130. Purgatory once again.
‘The atmosphere feels different somehow.’
However, something about this floor felt distinctly different from the previous ones.
The energy felt far more viscous and sticky. I had sensed this when I first arrived at the middle zone, but now it was several times stronger. The discomfort was proportionally greater as well.
“Hmm.”
I slowly surveyed my surroundings before shifting my gaze to the empty air.
There, my objective appeared clearly.
[Objective: Overcome the Judgment of Purgatory]
Overcome the Judgment of Purgatory.
It was clearly no ordinary objective.
Jung Han-sung moved forward with a cautious expression.
Where should he go?
As he pondered this question, a brilliant light suddenly burst forth from the distance with a sharp crack.
Jung Han-sung’s brow furrowed at the sight, but he soon saw something emerging from that radiant glow.
‘What is that?’
Its appearance was strikingly alien compared to anything he had encountered before in Purgatory.
For one, its entire form was drenched in black, and its shape shifted continuously.
As if its form had never been clearly defined.
And above all, it radiated an overwhelming malevolence.
Thud, thud—.
It approached Jung Han-sung slowly, and when the distance had closed sufficiently, it suddenly stretched both arms wide.
Shhhhwooooosh—!
Black liquid then spread outward, staining the entire surrounding area in darkness.
It was then that Jung Han-sung understood.
‘Sargon.’
This entity—it was something Sargon had sent.

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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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