I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 85
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
#Chapter 85.
Wave Missions were notoriously difficult.
The difficulty was so punishing that despite the generous rewards, climbers ranked them among the most dreaded missions available.
Jung Han-sung himself had recognized during the tenth wave that the challenge was far from ordinary.
“Grrraaaaahhh!”
Crash―!
But when the twentieth wave began, the tenth wave seemed trivial by comparison.
For one, there were two ogres.
Trolls numbered several times more, and orc warriors were scattered about like pebbles beneath one’s feet.
This difficulty far exceeded the 50s Floors—it was the caliber that would make even a 70s Floors climbing team break into a cold sweat.
“Phew.”
Yet Jung Han-sung still refrained from direct combat.
Though he had to continuously supply mana to his undead, they were holding their ground far better than expected.
The undead had begun showing signs of strain only during the tenth wave.
The reason they could maintain parity against enemies several times stronger and far more numerous was simple.
―The undead are growing stronger.
Through battle, his undead were becoming increasingly formidable.
Jung Han-sung kept his gaze fixed on the battlefield as he answered Onyx.
“The corpses vanish, but the residual essence does not.”
Residual essence was a concept distinct from the soul itself.
It was, in essence, the lingering trace of a soul—its dregs. For a dark mage, it was a resource nearly as precious as mana.
Jung Han-sung’s eyes perceived it clearly.
The residual essence left behind by monsters that had fallen before now hung thick across the entire battlefield.
Without any effort on Jung Han-sung’s part, the essence itself benefited his undead.
In places where essence was dense, they moved faster and struck with greater force.
“If left untended, this essence would eventually dissipate over time.”
Jung Han-sung raised the staff in his hand and chanted a brief incantation.
The thick essence slowly spiraled into the bodies of his undead.
Infused with the essence, the undead’s eyes blazed with an even more intense luminescence as they clashed with their foes.
“Used properly, you can hone the undead into formidable forces.”
―Some of the undead might even achieve a higher rank by the time this floor ends.
“Exactly. This mission is perfect for cultivating undead.”
Several undead had already accumulated essence as dense as Kuhuelt’s had been in the past.
Though Kuhuelt had since become Araktar, whose essence was now several times denser than before.
In any case.
The reward the gods had offered was certainly motivating, but even without it, Jung Han-sung would not have been satisfied with merely ten waves.
With each successive battle, his undead grew visibly stronger.
Why leave early when enemies were supplied endlessly without having to venture elsewhere?
“Roooaaarrr!”
Thus, the monsters that erupted from the twentieth wave ultimately fell before the undead, collapsing lifeless to the ground.
[The twentieth wave has ended.]
[The twenty-first wave will begin in 5 minutes.]
Simultaneously, messages announcing the end of the twentieth wave and previewing the next one appeared before me.
And there was one more.
[For meeting the conditions, you receive an additional reward from the First Witch.]
Along with the message, a small box materialized before me. Before I could even reach for it, the box opened and revealed its contents.
Inside lay a pair of sharp fangs.
[Fang of Count Themaricus]
[Grade: Unique]
[A fang imbued with the formidable aura of a powerful vampire. It possesses special power in its own right and serves as material for artifacts and undead enhancement.]
[Dominion over blood increased]
[Dominion over vampire-type monsters]
“….”
I blinked as I read the description that appeared.
‘Isn’t this reward a bit too generous?’
The mission difficulty hadn’t been low, that much was certain.
Even accounting for the considerable challenge, I was simply taken aback by how exceptional the item was.
Then a message appeared—different from The Tower’s usual notifications, distinctly foreign.
[Lilith says you may subscribe to her channel anytime at your convenience.]
[Lilith says she will certainly be satisfied.]
[Lilith says…]
A message bombardment I’d experienced countless times before.
With the next wave about to begin soon, I closed the floating box and stored it in my inventory.
Then, remembering something, I muttered quietly to myself.
“If the twentieth reward is this good, the next rewards must be even better, right?”
It was a mutter with an obvious ulterior motive written all over it.
Whether this would actually work remained to be seen when the next reward milestone arrived.
[The twenty-first wave begins.]
Time passed, and the next wave commenced.
“GRAAAAAHHH―!”
This wave contained monsters I’d never encountered before.
Minotaurs with heads shaped like cattle.
―Will you fight directly this time?
Onyx asked as I surveyed the enemies.
I shook my head.
“Not yet.”
The undead’s power alone was still sufficient.
Originally, I had planned to join the battle midway and fight alongside them.
But I changed my mind.
‘Something feels off about this.’
For some reason, I felt like I needed to conserve my strength as much as possible.
That feeling started right after I declared I would continue challenging the eleventh wave.
Boom, boom, boom―!
So this time too, I didn’t step forward myself and merely supplied mana.
The enemies pressed the undead fiercely as if their goal was to draw me out, but Karon and Araktar never retreated.
The waves continued in this manner.
[The twenty-first wave has ended]
[The twenty-second wave has ended…]
[The twenty-third…]
The number of enemies steadily increased.
During the twenty-fifth wave, a Twin-Headed Ogre was summoned for the first time.
The undead were destroyed and recovered nearly three or four times with each wave.
[For meeting the conditions, an additional reward for the Archer Who Pierces the Sun is granted]
And as a reward for the twenty-fifth wave, I received an item called the “Arrow That Pierces the Sun.”
It emanated an aura that looked extraordinary at first glance, so I carefully stored it in my inventory.
The waves continued after that.
Twenty-sixth. Twenty-seventh. Twenty-eighth. Twenty-ninth. And finally.
[The final wave will commence in 10 minutes]
It was time to face the final wave.
At the same time, I felt my “intuition” once more.
―Your expression hardened, Master.
“Huh? Ah…. I just got a strong feeling about something.”
I feel it. A sense of crisis that sends chills down my spine.
So I wondered.
‘No matter how much they call it the final wave, the difficulty shouldn’t spike this sharply to generate such a sense of crisis.’
I felt there must be another reason.
I recalled the previous message.
‘The final wave had Unyielding History putting up a reward.’
My relationship with Unyielding History wasn’t particularly bad.
They were one of the gods who highly valued me and granted me their blessing.
Even recalling them, I didn’t feel any particular sense of crisis.
The source of this crisis I’m feeling now lies elsewhere.
“Hmm.”
I furrowed my brow, then put my robe and staff into my inventory and drew my sword.
Then I spoke to the undead.
“This time I won’t be able to continuously supply mana, so fight in a form that supports me.”
All the undead bowed their heads in obedience.
Time passed. When about 1 minute remained until the next wave would start.
[The Master of Ten Thousand Demons places a special reward on the final wave]
[The difficulty of the final wave increases]
[If you wish to decline, you may forfeit the final wave and return.]
[Will you take the challenge?]
The message materialized before me.
Jung Han-sung’s eyes narrowed as he read it.
‘So that’s what this is.’
The Master of Ten Thousand Demons.
That was another name for Evil God Sargon.
Now that I thought about it, even in the Pantheon, he had extended an offer to me. Which meant he could intervene in this floor as well.
‘Rather than breaking rules or forcing something in, he’s using the system of this mission itself.’
Looking at the message, unlike before, it explicitly stated “special reward.”
Seeing that, I suspected the difficulty of the wave could be raised proportionally to the value of the reward.
The other gods had given rewards within what they could offer without unnecessarily tampering with the difficulty.
‘In contrast, Sargon must have wagered a reward valuable enough to raise the difficulty to its maximum.’
That seemed likely.
It was an opportunity to make me suffer without any real effort on his part.
Of course, my answer was already decided.
“I’ll take it.”
I had no intention of backing down out of fear over something like this.
Whatever I’d prepared for, I’d just crush it and be done.
[The final wave begins.]
The message materialized as if responding to my declaration.
Simultaneously, that tiresome brilliant light erupted from ahead. I didn’t even squint, staring directly into it.
As the light faded, the monsters of the final wave revealed themselves.
“….”
Silence.
The monsters that emerged from the light didn’t shriek or cry out in excitement.
They simply stared at me with eyes brimming with sinister killing intent.
Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Ogres, Twin-Headed Ogres, Minotaurs, and more.
Monsters I’d encountered in the previous wave. Their numbers were no different from the wave before that.
But there was one thing that differed.
Their bodies were pitch black.
As if holes had been punched clean through in their exact shapes where the monsters stood.
Despite the considerable distance, I felt it—the aura of the Evil God dwelling within their bodies.
In that state, even a single Goblin could fight an Ogre as an equal.
‘He really did wager an extraordinary reward.’
Compared to the previous wave, the difficulty was at least ten times greater.
Without such an absurd reward, this insane difficulty would have been impossible.
Thud, thud―.
Soon, the monsters advanced in formation toward me.
The sight of monsters that would normally have thrown themselves at me in wild abandon now walking in orderly ranks was deeply unsettling.
Crack!
Yet the undead formed their ranks without hesitation, encircling Jung Han-sung.
As if declaring they would not permit his advance.
“Good. Now this is worth the effort.”
And Jung Han-sung was smiling.
He immediately activated his ability and subscribed to an additional playlist.
[You have consumed a Bronze Ticket to subscribe to the ‘Survival’ playlist]
[This subscription is valid for 10 hours]
Playback power enhancement, mana regeneration acceleration, health recovery—
Channels governing combat endurance infused Jung Han-sung’s body with renewed vigor in succession.
Crackle—
As he began chanting the divine technique, a tingling sensation coursed through him and his perception of the world shifted dramatically.
Preparations complete.
Now came only the collision.
Jung Han-sung advanced with measured steps.
Whoosh—
Of course, “measured” was merely by his own standards.
His body blurred past the undead in an instant, arriving before the enemies in the blink of an eye.
The monsters reacted a beat too late.
Killing intent erupted and surged toward Jung Han-sung.
But Jung Han-sung paid it no mind.
Whoosh.
Facing dozens of enemies, Jung Han-sung drew his blade and assumed the ready stance.
‘Soul-Shattering Sword, First Form.’
Piercing Soul Flash.
The blade extended with lightning speed, piercing through the enemy vanguard.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————