I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 4
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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 4.
Information about The Tower was openly accessible to the general public without significant restrictions.
One could easily find channels broadcasting Tower-related information simply by turning on the television, and the internet hosted entire websites dedicated solely to such content.
TowerNet was one of them.
Korea’s largest site for Awakeners and Tower-related information alike.
Like many communities, TowerNet wasn’t limited to discussions about The Tower alone—its users chattered about all manner of topics.
But today was different.
A single post uploaded earlier that afternoon had changed everything.
―All record times from floors 2 to 5 have been updated. The slowest clears are in the 1-minute range. The fastest are under a minute. Isn’t this the same person from before?
The contents of that post were nothing short of astonishing.
Most of Tower 7’s records from floor 1 through floor 20 had remained unbroken since First, the current greatest Tower conqueror, had shattered them four years ago.
Their records had been that overwhelming.
Yet suddenly, someone had appeared like a comet and broken those records consecutively.
But that wasn’t even the most shocking part.
―I was in The Tower at the time, and notifications kept popping up saying records were being broken at roughly 10-minute intervals.
What did it mean that records were being broken at 10-minute intervals?
It meant they had climbed The Tower consecutively, taking only the bare minimum rest between attempts.
Considering that First had set their records by ascending one floor at a time with days between each attempt, this was truly astounding.
Naturally, people couldn’t stop talking about it.
―Why isn’t anyone mentioning that the clear was done solo? Isn’t this the same person from floor 1 before?
└Of course that’s why lol. You think there are two monsters like that?
└└For real, there’s no way two freaks like that exist.
The consensus was that this was the same person who had set TowerNet ablaze the day before.
└I heard the Association is even offering a reward to find them.
└└A reward? How much?
└└10 million won for any related information. And if the person shows up, apparently the Association is prepared to offer several hundred million as a signing bonus?
└└Several hundred million? People from China and the United States will come running with stacks of cash. The news has already spread all over international sites.
└└At this point, shouldn’t some major corporation be sponsoring them?
The Association’s reward. Concerns about a rare talent being poached overseas.
└Man, I’m so jealous. That bastard’s luck is insane lol. It’s gotta be pure ability.
└Yeah. Next time, corner pocket.
└Bastard? Is Anonymous your friend?
└└What’s Anonymous?
└└└Since they didn’t reveal their name on the records board, it just shows as ‘Anonymous’ lol
└└└└That’s pretty cool though;;
The fact that someone who had achieved such remarkable feats hadn’t even left a single nickname on the leaderboard was itself remarkable.
―First was bragging about their 5-minute record as Korea’s number one this whole time??
└For real lol Japan had 4-minute records.
└Just a commoner.
└The Japanese won’t be able to say a word about records anymore.
└What are those Japanese guys? Even the American Dream Team cleared it in the 3-minute range lol
└└Haha. Getting drunk on national pride.
Mixed in with the trash talk between teams was an overwhelming surge of patriotic fervor.
The forums showed no signs of cooling down, fueled by endless provocations.
* * *
After clearing up to the fifth floor and returning from The Tower, I took sufficient rest before heading out.
“My body still aches.”
I rubbed my throbbing forearms as the bus carried me forward.
I’d made efforts to minimize the aftereffects, but complete recovery was impossible—I’d cleared four consecutive floors, after all.
Of course, those efforts weren’t entirely wasted.
‘Still, it’s better than last time.’
If I’d pushed myself recklessly again, I would’ve collapsed before even reaching the fifth floor.
Now, after clearing four floors and resting for just a few hours, I could move about without issue.
I lifted my head, focusing on the positive aspects.
There, I recalled new information I’d discovered while checking my status window.
[Tower 7, Floor 5 Clear Time Rankings]
#1 ― 【Anonymous】 ― 00:00:59
#2 ― 【First】 ― 00:05:14
#3 ― 【Hero】 ― 00:07:37
#4 ― 【Mythic Construction】 ― 00:07:59
#5 ― 【Team Lispon】 ― 00:08:27
.
.
It was a window displaying the clear time rankings for the fifth floor.
‘I’m only checking this now.’
I’d known such a thing existed from the start—it was a topic frequently mentioned online.
But since awakening, I’d been too preoccupied, and there was no immediate reason to check it, so I’d simply forgotten about it.
‘And that’s how it turned out.’
I let out a wry smile seeing the name “Anonymous” written at the very top.
That Anonymous was me.
I certainly hadn’t entered it myself; it seemed the system had automatically registered me as Anonymous since I hadn’t specified a name.
‘I never intended to stay anonymous.’
From the beginning, I had no particular desire to keep my identity secret.
I was aware of the risks that came with revealing myself.
But if I’d only cared about safety, I wouldn’t have chosen to climb The Tower in the first place.
‘What I need right now is money and time.’
Money and time.
Resources I’d always lacked.
That’s why I’d dragged my exhausted body out today.
‘I should register soon.’
That’s right.
I was heading to the Awaker Association to register as an Awakener.
The reason I chose today was the thought that my market value had likely increased somewhat by now.
Simply becoming an Awakener doesn’t guarantee support.
Only exceptional Awakeners receive proper backing, and I believed I met that standard.
‘For now, there’s no need to sign a contract. The best approach is to make my presence known and receive support without committing.’
A contract would bring more support, but it would also come with restrictions.
My abilities weren’t the type to consistently produce the same power output anyway.
‘To maximize support, I should actually draw as much attention as possible.’
I closed the window I’d been keeping open and shifted my gaze back outside.
Once I received any support, I’d be able to breathe easier for a while.
‘Come to think of it, even when I was exhausted after work every day, I still walked home.’
Back then, I couldn’t even afford the bus fare.
But now I ride the bus without a second thought.
It was a small change, but a significant one for me.
―This stop is….
Before long, the bus arrived at my destination.
I stood up and stepped off the bus, dragging my aching body with me.
“That must be it.”
The Awaker Association building wasn’t far from the stop. Its distinctive sign commanded attention. I headed straight toward it.
When I arrived at the front of the building,
I thought to myself,
‘Just do as planned.’
After a brief deep breath, I recalled the feeling of climbing The Tower and confidently pushed open the door.
The atmosphere in the lobby shifted instantly.
The eyes of those who had been chattering or conducting business snapped toward me as if drawn by a magnet.
It was inevitable.
I was emanating an aura that instinctively captivated people’s attention.
“Is that an Awakener…?”
“Have we seen an Awakener like that before?”
“I’ve never seen them. Could it be…?”
The scouts who had been lying in wait to catch the recent “big fish” looked at me with sharpened eyes.
An overwhelmingly intense presence. Yet an unfamiliar face.
Even if not the big fish they’d been waiting for, this was someone impossible to ignore.
The more experienced scouts rose from their seats, moving before thinking.
But the young man paid no attention to their gazes and walked straight toward the desk.
“Welcome. What brings you in today?”
The receptionist at the desk greeted me with a friendly smile.
“I’m here to register as an Awakener.”
“Awakener registration, I see. Have you ever entered The Tower before?”
“Yes.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“I cleared up to the fifth floor alone.”
“Pardon?”
The employee gasped in surprise, clutching the documents mid-retrieval.
I spoke to the startled employee in an even tone.
“I also left my name on the record board.”
“That is, well, um. What name would that be?”
The employee stammered in confusion before finally managing a coherent question.
I answered simply.
“I registered under Anonymous.”
The employee’s eyes widened to twice their previous size.
“P-please wait a moment…. No, come this way instead!”
“Ah, yes.”
The employee, who had been about to summon a superior, felt the gazes of the gathering crowd and hastily ushered me inside, sensing the danger.
If I were left alone, they would descend upon me like a pack of starving hyenas.
As I followed the employee inward, those in the lobby wore disappointed expressions before frantically making calls to someone.
Meanwhile, I was guided into a rather luxuriously appointed room.
It didn’t appear to be an ordinary reception area, and as I waited there, a distinguished-looking man soon arrived.
“Good day. I am Baek Jin-woo, handling Awakener-related duties at the Awaker Association.”
The middle-aged man named Baek Jin-woo greeted me respectfully, then asked cautiously.
“I hear from the staff that you cleared up to the fifth floor alone—is that correct?”
“Yes. I awakened two days ago and cleared the fifth floor today.”
At those words, Baek Jin-woo’s expression grew even more tense.
“I, um…. Would you be willing to undergo a simple verification procedure?”
“What kind of verification?”
“There are two main methods. You can either demonstrate your abilities directly, or you can clear one floor here and now, then return.”
“Clear a floor of The Tower?”
“Yes. Once you’ve cleared it, we can verify by checking the record board.”
The record board documents the rankings of all who have passed through each floor.
So by checking the record board alone, we can confirm whether a floor was cleared or not.
I nodded and spoke.
“Then I’ll go with the latter.”
“Yes, the latter. Then, is there any special equipment or anything else you might need?”
“No, I’m fine.”
My physical condition wasn’t at one hundred percent, but it was far from being insufficient to clear a single floor.
Besides, I already knew what objectives would be given up to the tenth floor anyway.
“Then I’ll begin right away.”
“Yes.”
I immediately opened the entrance leading to The Tower.
A deep rumble echoed through the air.
Without hesitation, I stepped through the portal.
“Hmm.”
Baek Jin-woo watched the spot where I had vanished, crossing his arms.
Just then, an employee standing silently in the back spoke up cautiously.
“Could that be him?”
“Huh? Who knows. Ever since yesterday, people claiming to be the rookie from those rumors have been showing up left and right.”
“That’s true.”
It was a reasonable observation, but none of them had been the real “big catch” they were waiting for.
Most had balked at the verification process and left, while a select few had demonstrated their abilities or entered The Tower, only to prove they weren’t the one.
Yet the reason they went through this same procedure every time was simple.
Because it mattered that much.
This “big catch” case was drawing attention not only from the Association’s upper echelons but also from the government.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
After all, this prodigy was setting new records, ascending from the first floor all the way to the fifth.
And even if this person wasn’t that prodigy, anyone capable of clearing up to the fifth floor alone would undoubtedly be an exceptional Awakener.
Baek Jin-woo murmured as he recalled the man who had entered The Tower so suddenly.
“His impression was rather ordinary, though.”
“Really? I thought he was quite handsome.”
“Is that style popular these days? I wouldn’t know….”
A deep rumble sounded again.
Baek Jin-woo, who had been speaking, flinched in surprise and turned around. His eyes widened.
A blue fissure was rippling directly behind him.
When I emerged from the rift looking perfectly fine, even the female employee standing in the back had her mouth hanging open.
“Looks like I can skip the rest period. Thanks to that, I came out a bit faster….”
I tilted my head in confusion as I noticed the two of them staring at me as if they’d seen a ghost.
Baek Jin-woo snapped back to his senses and spoke.
“A Gangnam apartment….”
“Pardon?”
“One luxury apartment in Gangnam. A premium vehicle and driver support. Access to the Association’s finest equipment. Plus a minimum monthly stipend of 100 million won! How does that sound?”
When I didn’t answer immediately, at a loss for words, Baek Jin-woo squeezed his eyes shut and added.
“…An additional 100 million won! I’ll provide you with a minimum of 200 million won per month!”
It was an extraordinarily generous offer.
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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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