I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 38
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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 38.
I snapped my eyes open.
The yellowed pages of the Necronomicon unfurled before me.
It was merely a book. Yet as I faced this Necronomicon, cold sweat trickled down my forehead and my eyes grew bloodshot.
This was a book, and yet it was not.
On Earth, the Necronomicon had been a fictional grimoire from novels.
That was partly why I’d felt drawn to this channel when I first discovered it.
Even someone like me, with no particular interest in such things, had heard its name—it was that famous, fictional or not.
It was only natural to feel curious about what knowledge it might contain.
‘This is, this is….’
But now, in this moment, I realized how dangerously naive my mindset had been.
This Necronomicon was no mere fictional tome from a novel.
It contained knowledge spanning all dimensions—knowledge far too perilous for humanity to comprehend.
Part of me wanted to tear my gaze away.
Yet another part of me refused to look away.
The yellowed pages were densely covered in characters I should never have been able to understand.
But now, I transcended mere reading—I grasped the content intuitively.
Like subscribing to a new channel, the knowledge contained in this perilous tome was etching itself into my mind.
After some time had passed.
Snap—!
The Necronomicon closed of its own accord with a sound.
“Gasp!”
Only then could I draw a deep breath and tear my gaze from the Necronomicon.
It felt like waking from a long, terrible nightmare.
“Master? Are you alright?”
Baek-seol turned to look at me, tilting her head with concern.
I took several more moments to steady my breathing before asking her.
“H-how much time has passed?”
“What do you mean, how much time?”
“Since I said I had something to do—how long has it been?”
“Huh? Didn’t you just say that?”
Her words only deepened my confusion.
Subjectively, it felt like hours had elapsed, but according to Baek-seol, only a few minutes had passed at most.
“Ah, I see.”
I nodded my thanks and looked at the Necronomicon still hovering in the air.
‘This is just the basics?’
The channel’s name came to mind, and I let out a hollow laugh.
If knowledge this dangerous was merely foundational, what horrors awaited beyond it?
I stopped myself there and shook my head.
For now, I needed to calm my mind.
The knowledge contained within the Necronomicon was undoubtedly something extraordinarily perilous.
Had I encountered it before my awakening, merely glimpsing its contents might have driven me to madness.
This was no benevolent tome offering instruction in necromancy or dark sorcery.
It was something far greater—dangerous and arcane knowledge dwelling in realms far beyond mortal reach.
‘Yet it poses no threat to me now.’
Though I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, despite the horrifying knowledge seared into my mind, I remained perfectly intact.
It wasn’t simply that my mental fortitude had grown stronger since before my awakening.
Rather, it felt distinctly peculiar.
Even recalling it sent shivers down my spine, yet the knowledge itself exerted no significant influence over my psyche.
It was as though a thin membrane separated me from it.
I had a suspicion about what might be responsible.
‘Could it be the effect of my ability?’
My own ability—Channel Subscription.
Perhaps it possessed some minimal safeguard built within it.
I had no way to verify this immediately, but nothing else came to mind.
“Phew.”
After confirming that the knowledge posed no serious threat to me, I could finally contemplate the Necronomicon more calmly.
‘The Necronomicon itself doesn’t allow me to actually practice necromancy or dark magic.’
How should I describe this?
If I had to draw a comparison, it was more akin to enhancing the fundamental capacity itself.
Without separately learning necromancy or dark magic, the ability alone couldn’t accomplish anything.
After all, merely doubling one’s strength wouldn’t allow me to wield swordsmanship I’d never studied.
‘That must be it.’
I recalled the proposal the channel owner had made when I subscribed.
They’d offered to provide a foundational necromancy manual upon subscription.
As the Owner of Necronomicon, they must have anticipated this and made such an offer accordingly.
Though I hadn’t known about it until now.
In any case, I retrieved the foundational necromancy manual from my inventory.
Unlike the Necronomicon, it had a rather modest appearance, and upon opening it, my expression grew peculiar.
“Hmm.”
It didn’t contain the indescribably dangerous knowledge like the Necronomicon, nor was the content so difficult that I couldn’t comprehend it.
Quite the opposite, actually.
‘It’s… easy?’
Yes. Simply reading through it, the content flowed into my understanding effortlessly.
It felt as though I were merely reviewing something I’d already known.
The thought ‘So I’m a necromancy prodigy?’ crossed my mind before I let out a soft chuckle and shook my head.
‘Yet this is far too strange.’
Regardless of anything else, this sense of familiarity transcended mere talent.
I glanced sideways at the Necronomicon I’d set aside.
It was the only plausible source I could suspect.
Is the knowledge from the Necronomicon affecting me?
In other words, this wasn’t merely a matter of amplifying my strength—it was forcibly bestowing upon me a talent for dark magic itself.
Naturally, that was far more remarkable.
“First, I’ll need to practice until I can use this in actual combat.”
Han-sung continued to murmur while scanning the pages before him.
My head still throbbed from the aftereffects of reading the Necronomicon, but it was bearable.
Instead, I decided to forgo entering the Hidden Floor today and dedicate myself to mastering this.
Soon, the only sound echoing through my space was the occasional rustling of turning pages.
* * *
The next morning.
Waking early and re-entering my Unique Space, I gazed ahead with a tense expression.
Before me lay a towering heap of pristine white bones.
Everything has its use, it seems.
That pile of bones was the “Nameless Sorcerer’s Bones” I’d received as a reward when climbing The Tower early on.
Back then, I’d wondered what on earth to do with it and stuffed it into my inventory, but now that I’d learned necromancy, I realized it was quite a valuable item.
First, the fact that they’re a sorcerer’s bones is significant.
Ordinarily, common bones simply become ordinary skeletons when resurrected.
But bones specifically named “sorcerer’s bones” have a very high probability of becoming skeletons capable of wielding sorcery.
That said, killing a sorcerer doesn’t guarantee you’ll obtain sorcerer’s bones.
For bones to become sorcerer’s bones, the bones themselves must be imbued with sufficient power.
That’s why they’re harder to obtain than ordinary bones.
The modifier “nameless” attached to the front was also quite important.
Usually, when people hear “nameless swordsman,” they think of a swordsman whose name isn’t widely known, someone without renown.
But in The Tower, “nameless” carries a different meaning.
It simply means unknown identity.
It could be the bones of an incredibly powerful grand sorcerer, or it could be the bones of a truly insignificant sorcerer.
In other words, it’s a gacha.
Han-sung thought that far and let out an involuntary dry laugh.
Here I am, comparing bones to gacha after learning necromancy for just a single day.
Still, I found myself hoping it would at least be decent bones.
After all, I’d decided to learn necromancy in the first place to shore up my weaknesses.
Well, even if it’s a dud, I can always try again later.
Bones can be purchased for money in the Neutral Zone.
I even have bones obtained from the 27th Floor, but I’ve set those aside since their identity remains unclear.
“Hah.”
Han-sung exhaled shortly and refocused. I’d know the result once I actually performed the necromancy spell.
I slowly began to recite the incantation for the necromancy spell.
“…Rise!”
Moments later, I finished the lengthy incantation and extended one hand forward.
Black light rippled from my fingertips—mana infused with death energy that I’d absorbed into my body the previous day using other bones.
A low, resonant hum filled the air.
The black light swiftly drained from his hand into the bones arranged on the floor in a precise, deliberate pattern.
Han-sung watched the scene unfold with a tense expression.
I had done all I could. Now, there was nothing left but to await the result.
A sharp clatter echoed through the space.
Not long after, the bones lying on the floor began to move of their own accord.
They rose into the air, gradually taking on form and structure.
The vertebrae established the central axis first, with the remaining bones adhering above and below.
And when that form was finally complete.
A resonant pulse emanated outward.
It awakened from its deep slumber, its eye sockets blazing with spectral light.
Observing the skeleton before me, I spoke the words I had committed to memory beforehand.
“I am your master. Obey my commands.”
It was the imprinting process that completed the incantation.
I had worried that undead with strong sense of self might resist during this process, but fortunately, nothing of the sort occurred.
Bone struck against bone with a sharp sound.
The skeleton then knelt on one knee before me and bowed its head.
Witnessing such obedience, I felt both relief and a twinge of disappointment simultaneously.
Obedience meant a weak sense of self, and a weak sense of self in undead meant lower rank and power.
But the moment such thoughts crossed my mind, a message materialized before me.
[You have subjugated Skeleton Sorcerer Kuhuelt.]
“Hm?”
I was taken aback by the name Kuhuelt written after “Skeleton Sorcerer.”
“It has a name?”
For undead, a name is of paramount importance. Knowing who one is signifies a strong sense of self.
For this reason, most lower-tier undead typically lack individual names.
‘Then why is it so obedient?’
As I pondered this, my thoughts suddenly turned to the book I held in my left hand.
Of course, that book was the Necronomicon.
‘Could it be because of this…?’
The Necronomicon was a powerful artifact in its own right.
Recalling this, I noticed Kuhuelt’s gaze drifting repeatedly toward the Necronomicon.
“Hmm.”
I resolved to diligently master necromancy during the duration of my subscription.
Once the subscription ended, I would need to control Kuhuelt entirely through my own power.
‘Well, considering there’s no grand title like “Grand Sorcerer” or anything, it shouldn’t be too difficult to manage.’
In gacha terms, it wasn’t a jackpot, but thinking of it as above average seemed reasonable.
These bones had come from merely the 10th Floor range, after all.
“Good. Kuhuelt. Rise.”
Kuhuelt slowly lifted itself at my command.
I looked Kuhuelt over and pulled a staff from my inventory, handing it to him.
“Use this for now.”
It was an artifact I’d stored away for later disposal, equipped with an option that enhanced the potency of curses and magic.
Since using it wouldn’t cause wear, I planned to entrust it to Kuhuelt for the time being.
*Click!*
Kuhuelt accepted the staff I offered with both hands respectfully, then clicked his jaw bones together in gratitude.
I nodded and proceeded to give Kuhuelt several instructions.
I needed to understand his capabilities to some degree before I could direct him effectively in combat.
“Not bad at all.”
Moments later, I nodded with considerable satisfaction.
Kuhuelt could deploy a total of four curses.
Based on their effects, I’d name them: Binding, Sluggishness, Weakening, and Decay.
The variety wasn’t extensive, but most of the abilities were quite useful.
What pleased me most was that they were primarily curses designed to support my own combat.
“Good. Then let’s confirm the rest in actual combat.”
*Click!*
Kuhuelt clicked his bones together spiritedly. A reassuring sight.
“I’m heading out now.”
“Yes! Please be careful!”
With Baek-seol’s farewell, I prepared to enter the next floor immediately.
Simply ascending to the 28th Floor wouldn’t require special preparation, but this time was different.
The floor I was entering was a Hidden Floor.
I retrieved the key to enter the Hidden Floor from my inventory and spoke aloud.
“Hidden Floor entry.”
Immediately, I felt the familiar sensation. My vision wavered. A faint dizziness washed over me.
As I experienced each sensation in sequence, my surroundings transformed entirely.
An antiquated corridor. Cool air.
And a staircase descending below.
It was that mansion from before.
[Objective: Eliminate Necromancer Burdkel]
[Time Limit: 2 hours]
A message appeared, announcing this floor’s objective.
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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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