I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 79
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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 79.
Suddenly, a subscription window materialized before my eyes. I hadn’t even summoned it deliberately.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
[Would you like to upgrade your subscription window usage rights to the next level?]
An unexpected message appeared.
I blinked my eyes.
Since awakening, I’d encountered my share of unforeseen circumstances, but this genuinely caught me off guard.
I hadn’t even consciously activated any ability, yet suddenly this message materialized?
“Master?”
As I stared blankly into empty space, my expression hardening, Baek-seol called out to me cautiously.
I opened my mouth and spoke.
“Give me a moment… I need to verify something.”
“Of course! I’ll wait!”
Baek-seol finished what she was doing at my words.
This allowed me to examine the message more carefully.
‘Usage rights? An upgrade?’
The sudden appearance of the message was startling enough, but its contents were equally bewildering.
What were usage rights, and what did upgrading them even mean?
As I ascended to higher floors, channels that weren’t visible before had become apparent, but I’d never encountered anything about upgrades or such.
Then, as if reading my thoughts, another message materialized.
[Your current usage rights are at Level 1. You have met the conditions to upgrade to Level 2.]
‘What conditions?’
Unfortunately, no answer came for that question. Instead, an additional explanation appeared for my initial inquiry.
[Through upgrading, you can activate new features, and the ticket system will be restructured.]
New features and a restructured ticket system. No separate explanation was provided for what those entailed.
Multiple questions arose, but there were no explanations for them either.
Only a confirmation message asking whether to proceed with the upgrade appeared.
“Hmm.”
It seemed I could continue using the subscription ability even without upgrading.
In other words, the choice was mine alone. There was no compulsion involved.
‘But the upgrade suggestion wouldn’t have appeared without reason.’
The ability itself is already sufficient now. There are countless channels I haven’t even subscribed to yet.
However, remaining satisfied and stagnant didn’t suit my nature.
If I were that type of person, I wouldn’t have continued climbing The Tower in the first place.
I would have stopped at a comfortable level.
Once I thought that far, the answer came easily. Still, I didn’t respond immediately.
There were unresolved questions remaining.
‘Does upgrading require anything special? How much time does it consume? Can I use the ability while upgrading?’
I wasn’t certain I’d get answers, but there was no harm in asking.
Fortunately, this time there was a response.
[Total time required for upgrade: 72 hours. You cannot use abilities separately during the process. Do you wish to proceed with the upgrade?]
One question remained unanswered, but the two most pressing mysteries had been resolved.
Jung Han-sung’s eyes narrowed in contemplation for a moment longer before he nodded.
‘Proceed.’
[Upgrade in progress]
A message materialized before me, and that was all.
“….”
I waited a moment, but nothing particularly remarkable occurred.
Jung Han-sung blinked and quietly activated his subscription ability to test it.
‘Subscription window’
[Upgrade in progress]
[Time remaining: 71:59:51]
Instead of the familiar subscription window UI, a message appeared indicating the upgrade was underway.
It seemed the restriction on using abilities during the upgrade was indeed real.
“Hmm.”
Originally, I had planned to rest briefly before climbing The Tower again, but I changed my plans.
Of course, I was confident I could ascend The Tower with my current strength.
However, if an unexpected situation arose, I would have no choice but to struggle to respond.
‘If I fall into the Evil God’s trap again, it will be incredibly troublesome.’
Even though it had been some time since that creature last schemed, I could not afford to be careless.
Still, there was no shortage of things to do during the remaining time.
“This time, I’ll stay in my Territory until the protection period ends.”
“Really?”
Baek-seol lifted her head and looked at Jung Han-sung.
Jung Han-sung nodded and spoke.
“Yes. There’s no telling what might happen in the Territory. Besides, I was planning to take a thorough look around the entire Territory anyway.”
“Yes! Oh, that’s right! The personnel roster will be updated again soon!”
“Ah. Then I’ll check that and look around.”
“Okay!”
Baek-seol’s tail wagged with delight. The two of them headed toward the Mercenary Office.
Upon entering the Mercenary Office building, a familiar face greeted him.
“Welcome, my Lord!”
It was Jack, the Manager of the Mercenary Office.
Jack referred to Jung Han-sung as “my Lord.” In fact, everyone in the Territory except Baek-seol called Jung Han-sung by that title.
The master of the Territory. In short, my Lord.
I found it too bothersome to think of any other title, and since most people used this one, I simply accepted it.
“Has anything happened?”
“No, sir! Thanks to your constant employment of so many workers, our standing with the Central Trading Company continues to grow!”
Jack answered with enthusiasm.
This Mercenary Office belonged to the Central Trading Company, and Jack was also affiliated with them.
Moreover, the more manpower Jack provides to me, the higher his standing within the Central Trading Company becomes.
‘To be precise, it’s his merit points that increase.’
What’s interesting is that this arrangement benefits me as well.
Those with solid standing and high merit points within the Central Trading Company can exercise greater authority.
Even among those classified in the same tier, they can direct more exceptional individuals toward my operations.
In short, it’s a mutually beneficial structure.
I smiled as I spoke.
“The personnel roster refreshes soon, doesn’t it?”
“Yes! You’ll only need to wait three minutes.”
“Then I’ll sit here and wait.”
“Of course! I’ll show you the updated list as soon as it refreshes!”
The quantity and quality of personnel available for hire at the Mercenary Office vary according to one’s reputation score.
My current reputation score exceeded that of my tier level. Consequently, the pool of available hires had become far more diverse than before.
‘But that didn’t necessarily mean every option was actually useful.’
Initially, I’d hired everyone since I was desperately short-staffed, but as time passed, I noticed many seemed unnecessary.
For instance, my Territory didn’t really need simple laborers.
I’d already hired all the workers who came seeking employment, and besides, I had undead at my disposal.
So I’d decided to hire only high-tier personnel.
Yet because no one caught my eye, I still had room for four more hires.
‘My reputation score is currently 985. I’m just before tier four, so I could hire then.’
As reputation scores advance to the next tier, the probability of high-tier personnel appearing on the roster increases.
However, advancing tiers also increases the number of available hires, so I hoped this refresh would bring many worthy candidates.
“The roster has refreshed.”
While I was lost in thought, Jack returned with a mirror.
I accepted it while seated and examined its surface.
[Toby (Porter) ☆]
[Eddie (Woodcutter) ☆]
[Boyle (Shepherd) ☆]
[Tom (Carpenter) ★]
[Artie (Construction Laborer) ★]
[Belgard (Hunter) ★]
[Brisa (Herbalist) ★☆]
[Orel (Weaver) ★☆]
[Herman (Junior Scribe) ★★]
“Hmm?”
As I scanned through the list, I noticed the figure at the very bottom and felt a slight surprise.
“There’s someone with two stars? That fills out the stars perfectly.”
“I suspect that, seeing how rapidly your Territory is developing, the Central Trading Company made a special request to provide this candidate.”
“A request?”
“Yes.”
Jack nodded and spoke.
“From the two-star rank onward, these are individuals with skills recognized anywhere. They don’t merely register—they can prioritize selecting their desired Territory.”
“So normally they’d reach up to one-and-a-half stars, but this person requested additional stars themselves?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hmm.”
I stroked my chin, then showed the list to Baek-seol as well. I asked her a question.
“What do you think of these four: Belgard, Brisa, Orel, and Herman?”
“I’m in favor!”
Baek-seol agreed immediately without prolonged deliberation.
I didn’t need carpenters and construction laborers right now. Hunters, on the other hand, looked like they’d be invaluable. Weavers were also high-tier personnel at this stage.
An herbalist was precisely the profession I’d been seeking.
A junior clerk was important too.
My top priority for recruitment was someone capable enough to lighten Baek-seol’s workload.
“Good. Let’s hire these four.”
“An excellent choice, sir!”
Unlike last time, I wasn’t hiring everyone, but merit points accumulated more when placing expensive personnel. I’d heard that hiring one two-star individual earned more merit than ten one-star workers.
Or was it the other way around?
“Tell me if you need any magic stones.”
“Yes, here are the detailed expenses…”
Those who’d recently established their Territories either couldn’t afford magic stones or simply didn’t have enough to hire this way.
But for me now, this level of magic stone consumption was no burden whatsoever.
“Once you head forward, the personnel will arrive shortly!”
After concluding the contract and stepping outside, the workers arrived just as Jack had said.
“Everyone, pay attention!”
Baek-seol took charge of the new arrivals.
I watched for a moment, then slowly walked away.
Baek-seol said she could handle assigning the new personnel alone, so I had other matters to attend to.
‘I should take a walk.’
A chance to clear my head while surveying the Territory.
I passed through the gate in the fence and stepped outside.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never toured the entire Territory before.”
I always visited the Village within the fence, but the Territory contained more than just that.
A Village, a Forest, a Cave with a Mine, and nearby Hills and Plains.
Quite a vast area belonged to my Territory.
‘As time passes, the Territory will expand further.’
If the Territory grew smoothly, eventually I wouldn’t be able to tour it all in a single day.
With such thoughts, I walked all the way to the Territory’s outer edge, then proceeded along the perimeter.
The barrier wasn’t visibly apparent, but I could sense it when I concentrated.
Before long, this barrier would disappear.
But there was no need to worry about it now.
I’d already confirmed there were no major hazards in the surrounding area, and I’d placed a barrier stone I’d received as a reward long ago at the core.
While it lacked the absolute power of a protective barrier, weak monsters like goblins would have difficulty breaking through.
“I could even cultivate crops here later.”
As my Territory expanded, I contemplated how it might change and how I would shape it.
Eventually, I simply cleared my mind and walked, passively admiring the landscape.
Recently, I’d been constantly thinking no matter what I did, so walking with an empty mind wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
But when I’d traveled about halfway along the Territory’s perimeter.
“…What is this?”
I spotted something unusual.
A golem with mana stones embedded throughout its body stood in an unexpected location.
‘It looks identical to the one I saw in the Cave.’
My eyes narrowed.
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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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