I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 56
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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 56.
Silence descended upon the Alley.
Jung Han-sung gazed down at the android, as if waiting for something.
Then, at that moment.
“Th-thank you so much.”
A voice came from behind.
It was the Woman who had been fleeing from Jack. Jung Han-sung hesitated briefly before speaking.
“No need. Still, the Streets are dangerous—please be careful on your way back.”
“Yes, yes! Um, this is… it’s not much, but it’s my thanks!”
The Woman pressed something into Jung Han-sung’s hand as she spoke, then bowed hastily without another word and bolted out of the Alley.
Jung Han-sung watched her retreating figure before examining what she had placed in his palm.
“Hmm.”
It was a rectangular chip. As I stared at it, a message materialized before my eyes.
[500 Credits]
[Local currency of this place]
A brief explanation indeed.
In other words, money.
I deposited the Credits into my inventory, then looked back at Jack sprawled on the ground.
The reason I remained and waited was simple.
‘Why hasn’t the clear message appeared?’
The notification confirming completion had yet to materialize.
Was he perhaps feigning death? I thought.
Crackle—
Suddenly, electricity erupted from Jack’s head, and pale smoke billowed forth.
That was when the message appeared.
[You have completed the objective of Floor 42]
[You receive 10,000 Credits as a reward]
[You have completed the objective of Floor 42 in record time]
[You have overwhelmingly subjugated the enemy]
[You have achieved a clear rank of ‘SSS’]
[You receive a free construction permit for an advanced building as an additional reward]
I read through the messages and nodded.
‘The reward is Credits again.’
My suspicion that I would be returning to this place frequently seemed to be correct.
There was no reason they would grant me useless rewards.
And as always, an additional reward had been granted.
‘A free construction permit for an advanced building.’
This reward clearly seemed to relate to the Territory.
I confirmed that both rewards were properly stored in my inventory, then gazed into empty space, contemplating.
‘To the Territory… no, that’s not it.’
Han-sung had been about to return immediately, but he changed his mind and slung Jack’s shattered remains over his shoulder.
I’ll probably come back here again anyway.
With the wreckage in hand, Han-sung made his way back to the Tavern where he’d first received the contract.
“What… what is that?”
“An android?”
Drawing bewildered stares from the patrons, Han-sung approached the Bartender with Jack’s remains and spoke.
“The contract. It’s complete.”
“…Is that… Jack?”
“Yeah. I ran into him on-site and dealt with it.”
The Bartender’s mouth fell open in shock, but after running through a few verification procedures, he processed the payment.
“You can leave that here—we’ll need it for the report.”
“Got it.”
Han-sung set Jack down beside him without hesitation and slipped out of the Tavern.
He then stepped into the Alley right next door, and moments later, his form shimmered and vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, rumors about the mercenary who had defeated Jack began to spread slowly through the Streets.
* * *
A strange shimmer rippled across the land enclosed by a rather tall wooden palisade, and then Han-sung materialized before it.
“Master!”
The instant Han-sung appeared, Baek-seol came bounding toward him, her tail wagging.
Han-sung smiled at her and nodded, then opened his mouth to speak.
“What were you up to?”
“Just exploring around, checking if there are any other resources, and thinking about what kind of facilities we should build later!”
“Oh, so did you find any additional resources?”
“Yes! That Forest over there!”
Baek-seol pointed with her nose toward one direction as she spoke.
“The trees in the Forest should be usable as lumber as-is, and I also noticed there seem to be lots of things we could use as food supplies!”
“Now that you mention it, lumber would be important. We need a lot of it for facility construction.”
The basic facilities built so far required almost nothing but magical stones, since they were foundational structures.
If the wooden palisade or the Mercenary Office had demanded lumber, we wouldn’t have been able to build them immediately.
However, all tier-two facilities came with lumber as a basic requirement.
“We can’t just use any tree that’s lying around, can we?”
“No. We’d need lumberjacks or at least laborers.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
Even the stone wall required a quarry or stone as a prerequisite condition.
Just because there are rocks nearby doesn’t mean you can take them and build a structure.
The system provides some convenience, but it’s not designed to solve everything with magical stones alone.
“Ah! So that’s why the Mercenary Office is a basic facility with no additional requirements?”
“That seems to be it!”
Quick-witted Baek-seol immediately grasped what Han-sung meant and nodded in agreement.
With a Mercenary Office, we’d be able to hire the people we need.
Jung Han-sung suspected that the lumberjacks were likely included among them as well.
“And people like that would need food, wouldn’t they? Now that I think about it, food is actually a pretty important factor.”
“Exactly! Without food, you’d have to buy it from merchants! Though later on, it might be better to farm or something.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
One of the common themes he’d often seen regarding Territory management was that running one was far more difficult than expected—and seeing it firsthand, he had to agree.
“The Tower is simple—just fight well and climb. But Territory seems to have so many things to worry about.”
“Well, usually The Tower isn’t that simple either…!”
Baek-seol offered a contrary opinion for the first time in a while.
In truth, cases like Jung Han-sung’s—where someone simply smashes through every floor with raw power—were exceedingly rare.
Normally, Awakeners climbed by joining forces with colleagues who had their own specialties. Relying on strength alone and charging in recklessly led to plenty of trouble.
But Jung Han-sung simply pretended not to hear and opened his mouth.
“Anyway, time passes the same way here too, right?”
“Ah, yes! There’s a merchant over there, and someone came to the building quite a while ago and went inside!”
Baek-seol was right.
Over there at the stall sat a figure draped in a deep olive-colored robe, their hood pulled low.
The Mercenary Office door was slightly ajar as well.
Jung Han-sung deliberated for a moment, then headed toward the nearer stall.
As he approached, the merchant sitting quietly at the stall suddenly sprang to his feet.
“Greetings! I am a merchant by the name of Pan.”
The merchant named Pan spoke in a cheerful voice and bowed respectfully.
When he raised his head again, Jung Han-sung tried to get a look at his face. But strangely, the merchant’s face was invisible.
Only deep darkness settled beneath the pulled-down hood.
The merchant seemed to notice Jung Han-sung’s puzzled gaze and quickly spoke.
“Haha, my race is quite shy, you see. We don’t usually reveal our faces.”
“I see.”
Rather than asking him to reveal his face, Jung Han-sung looked directly at the merchant and spoke.
“I’m Jung Han-sung. How did you find this place?”
“Ah, this place!”
The merchant answered Jung Han-sung’s question immediately.
“We wandering merchants have a guild! When the guild learns of a newly opened Territory, we inform the merchants nearby.”
Then he spoke in a cheerful voice.
“As it happened, I was closest, so I was the first to arrive and claim a spot. But I never expected the Territory’s owner to be Lord Han.”
Jung Han-sung nodded, then paused.
“Wait, what did you say?”
“Pardon? I was the closest, so…”
“No, not that. Han?”
“Yes! Aren’t you Lord Han?”
The merchant tilted his head as if confused about what was wrong.
Jung Han-sung, equally bewildered, asked again. He had introduced himself as Han a few times before.
“How do you know my name?”
However, only a handful of people had said such things, and it seemed unlikely they would spread rumors about it.
The merchant observed my reaction, paused in thought for a moment, then spoke with a tone of sudden realization.
“Here, in The Tower, rumors spread very quickly. Much information circulates as well. In your case, you’ve been active across multiple floors, and you’re receiving the undivided attention of the Pantheon, so you’re quite famous!”
“But who spreads these rumors?”
“No one knows. Rumors are like the wind—they flow from somewhere and fill the surroundings.”
The merchant said this, then added a few more words with “However.”
“I suspect your name has spread through the members of the Pantheon and their followers. They’re paying attention to you, after all!”
“Hmm.”
That certainly seemed the most plausible explanation.
The Pantheon—in other words, the Transcendents were watching me, and I was well aware of it.
‘Just Lilith alone sends me messages whenever she gets the chance.’
In any case, rather than ask further questions, I simply changed the subject.
“Right. Then I’d like to confirm what you’re selling first.”
“Ah, of course! I’ll show you the inventory right away.”
The merchant clasped his hands together and rubbed them briskly, then raised one hand and snapped his fingers with a sharp sound.
[Sales Inventory]
―Plant Seed Bundle x10
―Food Bundle x10
―Weapon Bundle x5
―Logging Set x5
―Mining Set x5
I scanned through the list, then stroked my chin as I spoke.
“You don’t sell things like timber or stone?”
“Those are products we normally carry, but unfortunately, we cannot sell them here at this location.”
“Why is that?”
“Because this is a basic stall. As the most fundamental facility, there are restrictions on what can be sold.”
“Ah. So the items available for sale change depending on the facility’s grade?”
“That’s correct.”
The merchant nodded.
“Of course, no matter how high a facility’s grade is, we cannot sell products the merchant doesn’t handle. In such cases, we’d need to bring in a different merchant. But!”
The merchant then held up his long, slender fingers and spoke.
“I, Pan, handle everything except the products I don’t carry! I’m sure you won’t feel any shortage!”
“Hmm, alright.”
I nodded for now.
I had been thinking of buying timber and stone in bulk and constructing many facilities as soon as the core upgrade was complete, but it seemed that wouldn’t be possible.
Instead, I examined the inventory list again and spoke.
“So everything available for purchase right now is on this list?”
“Yes! But once the facility is upgraded, you’ll be able to purchase even more valuable products!”
At Pan’s words, I nodded, then without deliberating long, I said.
“I’ll purchase everything on the current list.”
“Wow! You certainly are generous! Thank you so much!”
Pan beamed with delight and held out a small bowl-like object.
“Just place your hand here! The mana stones will be automatically deducted.”
Before doing as instructed, I glanced at Baek-seol standing beside me.
She gave a subtle nod, and I placed my hand over the bowl.
A brilliant flash erupted.
Light burst from the bowl, and a message appeared before my eyes confirming the mana stones had been deducted.
It was a considerable sum for most lords, but from my perspective, the loss was barely perceptible.
“Thank you!”
“Good. When will the items arrive?”
“Right now, sir!”
Pan snapped his fingers together with a crisp sound.
In the next instant, light radiated from directly behind me.
I reflexively turned around.
“Oh.”
As the light faded, all the items I had requested materialized before me.
Boxes of provisions. Bundles of crop seeds. And sets of axes, pickaxes, timber, and mining equipment.
“Good. So I can’t purchase anything more right now?”
“That’s correct! The inventory replenishes after 48 hours. This restriction will eventually disappear as time passes.”
“Understood. Then I’ll see you in 48 hours.”
“Yes! Thank you for the transaction.”
Pan bowed respectfully at my farewell, picked up the backpack he had leaned against the stall, and walked off somewhere.
He simply walked away.
I had expected him to snap his fingers and vanish given the mystical nature of it all, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
I watched Pan leave through the palisade and head off into the distance before speaking to Baek-seol.
“Let’s organize the items after we stop by the Mercenary Office.”
“Yes!”
I had purchased everything necessary, so now it was time to hire personnel.
Baek-seol and I headed toward the Mercenary Office, its door slightly ajar.
The door glided smoothly open.
The door slid open without resistance, and immediately a booming voice rang out.
“Welcome! This is the Mercenary Office!”
I paused as I identified the owner of that thunderous voice beyond the open door.
Standing there was a muscular, bald man with a scar running across one of his eyes.
His appearance was decidedly menacing.
A thought crossed my mind.
‘Could the Mercenary Office actually be dealing in slaves?’
By any measure, he had the look of a slave trader.
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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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