I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 37
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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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#Episode 37.
I crossed my arms.
I could tell because of what I’d experienced before.
These messages hadn’t appeared without context.
‘Did they notice that I haven’t been subscribing to my teacher’s channel lately?’
Recently, I’d been alternating between several channels depending on the situation. But among them, there was no channel I could call my “primary” one.
Primary channel.
It wasn’t an official concept—just a term I’d created for my own classification.
For example, when I first entered The Tower, my primary channel was Arthur’s basic swordsmanship.
With that swordsmanship, I’d set new records and cleared The Tower, instantly rising to prominence as a prodigy.
And around the time my subscription to the basic swordsmanship channel ended, I subscribed to Indra’s channel.
‘Looking back now, it was an excellent choice.’
Indra’s abilities showed me a new path beyond swordsmanship, and even now that the subscription has ended, the skill remains with me, providing tremendous power.
After subscribing to those two channels, rather than seeking out new abilities, I focused on properly mastering the two abilities I’d acquired as skills.
Hadn’t the Heavenly Demon himself advised me not on learning something entirely new, but on how to better utilize the abilities I already possessed?
‘Going forward, I plan to continue practicing with swordsmanship and Indra’s power.’
I was still far from perfecting either.
Yet at the same time, I was beginning to feel that my growth was plateauing.
Unlike before, I no longer felt my skills surging with each floor I climbed.
If others—even transcendents—had known my true thoughts, they would have found it absurd.
My achievements were still abnormally rapid by any standard.
But that was simply how I perceived it.
And there was also the final advice my teacher Arthur had given me.
Learn much, and don’t fear pioneering new paths.
“I think it’s time I chose my next primary channel.”
However, making a decision didn’t mean my troubles were over.
The most important problem still remained.
‘So what kind of channel should I subscribe to?’
I reviewed the proposals that had come to me once more.
[The Heavenly Demon extends a special proposal.]
[Lilith sends an earnest request.]
[The Indomitable Historian seeks conversation.]
[The Archer Who Pierced the Heavens….]
[….]
The Heavenly Demon, Lilith, and several names I’d seen at the Pantheon were among them.
I hadn’t examined all of them in detail, but they were likely all formidable transcendents.
It was impossible to choose based solely on reputation.
‘The first channel was one thing, but for my second primary channel, I chose an ability that didn’t overlap with swordsmanship.’
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
When I’d chosen Indra’s lightning, I’d prioritized an ability that didn’t directly overlap with swordsmanship and would create synergy between the two channels.
And that judgment was accurate.
Indra’s lightning was a formidable ability on its own, but when combined with swordsmanship, it unleashed far greater power.
Then should I approach the third channel the same way, considering the first and second?
“Though it might not be strictly necessary.”
If the connections between all channels were solid, that wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
But on the other hand, I couldn’t help thinking it was a shame to limit my scope from the start like that.
Hadn’t Arthur himself told me to explore diverse abilities rather than delve deeply into swordsmanship alone?
“Hmm.”
After pondering for a long while, I arrived at a realization.
“What I need right now is a channel that can compensate for my shortcomings.”
This conclusion came after setting aside thoughts of synergy with existing channels.
Compared to others at similar levels, I possessed considerably formidable combat capabilities.
But that didn’t mean perfection.
In my own assessment, I actually had quite a few weaknesses.
‘I can’t eliminate every weakness, but if there’s something critically lacking, I should fill that gap first.’
So what exactly was I clearly lacking compared to others?
Surprisingly, the answer came quickly. Comparing myself to others made it immediately obvious.
“Allies. Or subordinates.”
That was it.
Most people don’t climb The Tower alone. They pack their teams as full as possible.
Though having more people created certain problems, the advantages outweighed them.
Even when moving with Cheon-woong, there were many annoying aspects, but it wasn’t true that he was completely unhelpful.
“The problem is… finding ordinary allies is difficult.”
This could be attributed to my own issue or to others’ problems.
Simply put, the gap in ability was too vast.
Cheon-woong alone was an Awakener with potential that ranked among the world’s finest.
Yet even Cheon-woong couldn’t keep up with my pace.
Most Awakeners would probably be closer to the level where I’d be carrying them rather than them being true allies.
‘Besides, Awakeners of that caliber usually have affiliations.’
Just because I wanted to find someone didn’t mean I could easily do so.
Normally, one would have to either compromise pragmatically or stick to solo play—one of two choices.
But I had one additional option.
To find a channel that could fulfill such a need.
“But… is there even a channel that can create allies or subordinates?”
There were all sorts of channels, but did one like that actually exist?
Just as I had that thought.
[The Owner of Necronomicon strongly recommends his channel.]
[The Avatar of Flame extends a secret proposal.]
[The Puppet Master dangles puppet strings.]
[Lilith makes an offer for now.]
[….]
As if waiting for this moment, new proposals flooded my mind in rapid succession.
At that, I lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.
Honestly, I’d anticipated this as well.
It was obvious that the Transcendents were watching me, so the moment I spoke aloud, proposals would come flying in!
“Hmm.”
I scanned through the updated messages.
Rather than selecting the ones that looked promising first, I began by filtering out those that seemed far from my own thoughts.
The first to be excluded was Lilith’s proposal.
That proposal was essentially to brainwash people and use them as slaves.
The other proposals were also eliminated one by one for various reasons, and ultimately, three remained.
“Owner of Necronomicon. Avatar of Flame. Puppet Master.”
These were the proposals that had appeared at the top of the updated messages in order.
Of course, I’d already examined what each of the three proposals entailed.
“So they’re necromancy, spirit summoning, and puppetry, in order.”
Most of them were abilities in a similar vein. If you don’t have companions, you just make them yourself, right? That kind of feeling.
Of course, when you delve into the details, the differences become quite clear.
Spirit summoning involves summoning spirits that already exist in the first place.
In other words, it’s like hiring spirits to do work for you.
Puppetry, on the other hand, is merely about crafting and manipulating puppets—they don’t possess independent consciousness.
Supposedly, if you reach an extraordinary level, you can create puppets with their own will, but that’s not something I could achieve just by subscribing to a channel right now.
‘Hmm. Puppetry is out.’
Manipulating puppets without consciousness didn’t quite align with my original intent.
So then, I had to choose between spirit summoning and necromancy.
“Necromancy feels like it’s somewhere in the middle between spirit summoning and puppetry….”
In the case of the lowest-tier undead, they move without consciousness like puppets, following only commands. In other words, you have to give instructions one by one.
Meanwhile, even low-tier undead possess some degree of consciousness.
‘Since even the lowest-tier spirits barely have consciousness, spirit summoning is actually more similar to necromancy.’
I pondered with my arms crossed.
In truth, I’d been quite negative about necromancy at first.
So I’d had an opportunity to choose it once before, but I’d eliminated it from consideration back then.
However, upon closer examination, I discovered it had its own advantages, and among them were aspects where it was clearly superior to spirit summoning.
‘Once you create an undead, maintaining it doesn’t require separate mana expenditure.’
With spirits, mana is continuously consumed throughout the summoning and maintenance.
Considering my current mana reserves, the limit of what I could comfortably handle was the lowest-tier spirit.
Yet the lowest-tier spirit has such faint consciousness that I’d ultimately have to give it instructions one by one.
I wasn’t particularly lacking in mana compared to others.
In fact, I could say my mana was quite exceptional.
Most people at this tier can barely maintain a spirit for about an hour, even if they happen to contract with one.
Spirit summoning simply consumes a lot of mana. And relative to the mana consumption, it’s actually more efficient than magic.
However, the direction I’m heading differs somewhat from what Baek-seol wants.
“Hmm…”
In the end, I’m back to necromancy again.
Surprisingly, necromancy had no fatal drawbacks—aside from personal reluctance.
It’s not that necromancy itself is flawed, but rather that in terms of the ability I desire, it’s perfectly suited.
It consumes minimal mana, allows me to command subordinates with their own will intact, and makes personal training easier even after the subscription ends.
I even possessed items related to necromancy.
‘The rewards I obtained from the previous floor.’
Not to mention the book detailing undead creation methods, the mysterious bones were also suspected to be necromancy-related items.
It felt as though everything in my surroundings was whispering for me to pursue necromancy.
[The Owner of Necronomicon promises to provide additional foundational texts if you subscribe now.]
As I deliberated, another message appeared, tempting me as if on cue.
Other channel owners sent messages in competition, but the moment I saw them, I made my decision.
My finger pressed firmly on the topmost message.
Detailed channel information then burst into view with a sharp snap.
I absorbed it once more and spoke.
“Would it be possible to subscribe briefly using a Silver Ticket?”
[The Owner of Necronomicon answers that it is naturally possible.]
Confirming the response, I immediately consumed the Silver Ticket.
Then a message appeared.
[You have subscribed to Necronomicon Fundamentals using a Silver Ticket.]
[This subscription’s validity period is a total of 23 hours.]
23 hours.
Not an exceptionally long time, but sufficient to grasp what necromancy entailed.
After completing the subscription, I gazed into empty space with eyes that mingled tension and anticipation.
Given the channel’s description, I sensed something would materialize from the void once more.
My prediction proved accurate.
Suddenly, desolate spiritual energy began flowing from my surroundings.
“Eek!”
Simultaneously, Baek-seol, who had been working in the distance, let out a sharp cry and trembled.
As if she had sensed that spiritual energy.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes! I was just startled! Oh! It’s books!”
At Baek-seol’s words, I looked forward again.
Just as she said, two books were hovering before my eyes.
The deep indigo tome bore the simple title “Introduction to Ahanelian Necromancy.”
The other book had no title inscribed upon it, yet its very appearance emanated an ominous aura.
It bore a peculiar hue, and its surface was wrinkled like human skin.
Moreover, the pattern at its center resembled the face of a person frozen in a scream.
I gazed at it with a hardened expression, silently reciting its name.
‘The Necronomicon.’
As if responding to his thought, the Necronomicon unfurled with a sharp crack.
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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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