I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 249

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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 249.
Jung Han-sung blinked.
He had witnessed a similar landscape when he entered the Pantheon from the Neutral Zone, but this was different.
That had merely been a projection of the Pantheon’s fragment onto the Neutral Zone.
What stood before him now was, quite literally, the true essence of the Pantheon itself.
A place where countless transcendents intersected…. I gazed upward at divinity, at transcendence, and contemplated.
‘Had I not possessed divinity, I could never have endured this long.’
The landscape before my eyes was not permitted to those who dared not harbor divinity.
Had I been anything less than what I was, I would have been cast out the moment my feet touched this ground.
Or I would have collapsed under the strain, my very existence crumbling.
“Exhale.”
Yet even I could not endure much longer in this state.
It was inevitable.
I possessed divinity, but I had not yet ascended beyond transcendence. The time permitted to me now was likely no more than five minutes at most.
So I kept my eyes wide open, continuously drinking in every sight the Pantheon offered.
Sometimes, mere observation could yield profound understanding.
This moment was precisely such an occasion.
Though they felt distant as stars in the night sky, I could perceive with crystalline clarity the divinity each of them possessed.
It was itself a record of those who had walked before me, a clue guiding me toward the path I must take.
Of course, to ascend beyond transcendence, following others alone would not suffice—I would need to forge my own way.
“Exhale.”
As I endured with my head feeling ready to split and tears streaming from my wide-open eyes, I suddenly spun around.
I felt it instinctively.
My permitted time had ended.
Yet I harbored no regret.
‘I must return now.’
But next time, I too would ascend beyond transcendence and claim my place here with confidence.
I spoke while gazing into empty space.
“Next floor.”
Immediately, my body blazed with light and I was transported to the next floor.
The place I arrived at was, surprisingly, not so different from where I had just been.
The Crimson Wasteland. Bizarre landscapes.
[Objective: Purify the corrupted (0/3)]
I narrowed my eyes.
Had this been a floor from long ago, I would have simply assumed it meant defeating another strange monster.
But given the current floor number and what I had just done on the previous floor, something felt different about this.
―I share that sentiment.
When I voiced this thought to Onyx, he licked his lips in agreement.
―Especially the word “corrupted” carries considerable significance at this juncture.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“The word ‘purification’ itself is telling.”
If it were simply about killing, they would have used words like ‘disposal’ or ‘hunting’.
“Hmm.”
Jung Han-sung slowly turned his head, then began to move forward.
Fortunately, I still retained Cassandra’s intuition, so there was no need to wander aimlessly for long.
Through the realm of essence, I could detect beings with exceptionally powerful auras.
Whoosh―.
After taking just a few steps, I arrived in a place vastly distant from where I had started.
Thud―.
And soon I could lay eyes directly upon my target.
A height of at least four meters. Bipedal locomotion. And a body stained black.
Its appearance alone was hardly extraordinary.
But I could instantly discern what the ‘corrupted thing’ before my eyes truly meant.
And its connection to the previous layer as well.
‘Divinity.’
I sensed divinity within that being.
Among all those I had encountered, only a select few possessed divinity. Especially among living creatures rather than objects, the number was even fewer.
It could not be otherwise.
For a being to harbor divinity within itself meant that entity had taken the first step upon the path of transcendence.
Of course, merely possessing a small amount of divinity did not immediately make one a transcendent.
After all, I myself harbored far greater divinity than this creature.
What mattered was that it had indeed taken that first step, and now such a being had become completely corrupted, reduced to nothing more than a mindless beast.
―And if I eliminate this creature, I could significantly increase my divinity.
There was also the matter Onyx had mentioned—the ability to gain divinity.
The divinity this creature possessed was only about half of mine, but even that was a considerable amount.
And if there were three such beings? This single layer could yield far more divinity than I had accumulated until now.
‘Transcendence.’
I twirled the weapon in my hand while contemplating.
The previous layer had shown me what transcendence was. The next layer had presented a method to obtain divinity.
‘The reason Layer 199 is so difficult is because the standard must change from Layer 200 onward—or so I’ve heard.’
That meant I now understood why these missions appeared as I approached Layer 199.
‘Even those who hadn’t grasped the concept of divinity until now could obtain the minimum qualifications if they possessed sufficient ability.’
Conversely, no matter how one reached this point, insufficient ability would result in failure at Layer 199.
Kuuuung―!
At that moment of thought.
The creature, which had been shambling about aimlessly, suddenly stopped, having belatedly noticed me.
I set aside other thoughts and looked up at the being.
Immediately after.
―Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
It roared.
I had hoped that since it possessed divinity, there might be some way to communicate, but it seemed that was wishful thinking.
Boom, boom, boom, boom―!
It charged straight toward Jung Han-sung.
Its massive frame belied an incredible speed. And as it rushed forward, a thick, oppressive aura radiated outward from it.
A noxious presence so potent that mere proximity threatened contamination.
‘Indeed, it reacts no differently than a beast.’
With that thought, Jung Han-sung slowly raised his blade.
Though its charge was undeniably threatening, it was hardly an opponent beyond his capacity to handle.
Crash―!
As it drove its fist into the ground, Jung Han-sung leaped lightly and swept his sword across.
Shhwiiing―!
His blade carved effortlessly into the creature’s forearm.
A devastatingly lethal strike, belying its apparent lightness.
Jung Han-sung’s sword, having reached enlightenment, could accomplish feats as miraculous as magic without channeling any aura whatsoever.
But the true shock came next.
Crackle―!
The creature’s half-severed arm, dangling loosely, began regenerating at astonishing speed.
Jung Han-sung’s eyes narrowed as he spoke.
“That’s…”
He had encountered enemies with regenerative abilities before.
But what he had just witnessed was faster and more flawless than any opponent he had ever faced.
At that moment, Onyx clicked his tongue and spoke.
―It appears that one is also a fallen entity.
“What?”
―When you first laid eyes upon me, I was in no better condition.
Jung Han-sung furrowed his brow.
“You didn’t seem quite that far gone, though?”
―That was because I remained within my temple, and moreover, I had lost so much power that there was nothing left to lose. Thus, I could maintain a semblance of reason.
“Then this one?”
Boom―!
Jung Han-sung dodged the creature’s attack as he asked.
Onyx answered simply.
―It hasn’t fallen to that extent yet. It is in the process of falling. That’s why it can still instinctively wield its former abilities.
“So that regenerative power was its original strength?”
―To be precise, I would call it a divine authority. It could not have wielded such power unless it was at least a demigod.
Boom―!
The creature showed no signs of fatigue, relentlessly throwing its fists.
Onyx observed this and spoke.
―In any case, its divinity will prove invaluable. We’ve struck fortune.
“What’s the difference?”
―Well, even though it’s fallen from grace, isn’t that the divine essence of one who once ascended to godhood? It’s incomparable to the sanctity of mediocre beings. The quality of divine essence matters just as much as its quantity.
In other words, absorbing that would be tremendously beneficial.
Of course, hearing that didn’t change anything. I had to defeat this creature regardless.
‘Some kind of ultra-regeneration ability, then.’
I didn’t say anything more to Onyx and paused to think. Soon, I made my decision.
Boom―!
Timing my charge with the creature’s descending fist, I rushed forward.
If it possessed ultra-regeneration, minor wounds would heal instantly.
Then I simply needed to target vital points in one strike.
I timed my slash with the creature’s fist recovery, severing its ankle.
Slash!
Nearly half the ankle was severed in that single blow.
Of course, the wound began regenerating immediately. But in that moment of injury, it inevitably lost its balance and stumbled.
Tap!
Not missing that opening, I leaped upward and began running along the creature’s body.
Naturally, the giant swung its arms to shake me off.
Whoosh!
But I anticipated that, lightly leaping upward to evade the attack, and before it knew it, I swung my blade toward its throat, now within arm’s reach.
Crack!
This time the blade penetrated about a third of the way through the neck before stopping. It was far more resilient than other parts.
Bzzzzzzzzzzt!
So I released lightning while simultaneously applying more force.
The thick neck was severed in an instant.
Even as the severed neck attempted to regenerate, my movements were faster.
Bzzzzt!
I unleashed lightning upon the severed section.
The area charred black, and the regeneration speed slowed. After that, it was simple.
Bzzt!
I only needed to continuously sear the flesh attempting to regenerate with lightning.
Despite its overwhelming vitality and power, the creature endured in that state for nearly five minutes, but eventually its limit arrived.
Boom―!
The giant’s body fell backward.
Simultaneously, the viscous aura enveloping its massive form began scattering in all directions.
―Stay back for a moment.
Following Onyx’s words, I retreated briefly and waited for the aura to dissipate before approaching the giant once the energy had fully scattered.
“Hmm.”
The giant, now restored to its original color, looked surprisingly ordinary.
And somehow, its expression even appeared slightly peaceful.
―Well, it can finally find rest. That’s better than wandering endlessly in such a state.
“I suppose so.”
Jung Han-sung answered thus, then approached the giant’s massive form and gazed down at its chest.
My intuition was pointing the way.
Deep within that chest lay its divinity, waiting to be claimed.
Without hesitation, Jung Han-sung drove his blade into that very spot.
As the wound opened, a familiar power emanated from the crevice.
Whoooosh―.
The power then surged forth at tremendous speed, hurtling toward Jung Han-sung.
It was an extraordinarily dense divinity.
Jung Han-sung closed his eyes briefly to accept it, and once he had fully absorbed every trace, his divinity had swelled to nearly 1.5 times its original magnitude.
The increase was far greater than anticipated.
“Ahhhhh.”
Jung Han-sung exhaled deeply, a satisfied smile crossing his face.
“I hope the remaining two yield at least this much.”

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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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