I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 89

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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 89.
Darkness surrounded me.
Jung Han-sung surveyed his surroundings carefully. The space he occupied was so cramped that only three or four people could fit comfortably.
The undead that had been transported alongside him when entering the trial had already been unsummoned.
The bone fragments that served as the medium for summoning them had safely returned to his pocket.
The problem, however, was that he could no longer feel the “connection” with them.
‘The bone fragments are fine.’
Jung Han-sung withdrew one of the bone fragments to examine it.
Upon closer inspection, he could sense that the undead was properly embedded within it. He simply couldn’t summon that undead.
Just to be certain, he checked the others—they too refused to be summoned.
Jung Han-sung furrowed his brow briefly before attempting to place the pouch containing the bone fragments into his inventory.
‘It won’t open?’
But his inventory remained completely unresponsive.
“Onyx.”
―What is it, Master?
At least Onyx responded without issue.
Jung Han-sung asked him quietly.
“Do you sense anything? Any strange feeling?”
―Hmm. I’m not entirely sure… Wait, something does feel odd. It’s difficult to exert my power.
“Your power?”
―Yes. Even manifesting outside the armor is challenging. It feels as though something is suppressing me.
At those words, Jung Han-sung furrowed his brow once more.
“It seems like there’s some kind of restriction in place.”
The inventory wouldn’t open, the undead couldn’t be summoned, and even the status window refused to appear.
The one saving grace was that my original abilities functioned without issue.
Crackle―.
Jung Han-sung watched electricity flow through his body before withdrawing it.
Next, he verified the flow of mana. No problems. The mana stored in the runes was also under proper control.
‘What’s the criteria?’
As I pondered what could and couldn’t be done, Onyx spoke.
―Perhaps you should think about it more simply?
“More simply?”
―From what we’ve seen so far, The Tower’s system isn’t functioning properly, and on top of that, it seems summoning anything is impossible.
Now that he mentioned it, that was indeed the case.
Not only was the inventory inaccessible, but the status window couldn’t be viewed either, and the undead refused to be summoned even when I injected mana directly.
And there was one more thing.
“The effects of my equipment also seem to be suppressed.”
―That does appear to be the case, Master.
Upon checking one by one, I could confirm that the equipment I wore on my body aside from Onyx had also weakened in effectiveness.
―It feels as though your innate abilities are being left alone while the power of all other means is being suppressed.
Jung Han-sung nodded at Onyx’s words.
“Exactly that feeling. Like I’m being told to overcome this with my own abilities.”
―It seems I’ll need to move cautiously, Master.
“Well, that goes without saying.”
Jung Han-sung slowly surveyed his surroundings again, preparing to move forward.
Walls stacked roughly from stone. A low ceiling. And before him, a rusted iron gate blocking the entire passage.
After carefully examining the space, Jung Han-sung exhaled softly. The air around me was thick with a silence that felt brittle and the scent of dust.
He approached the iron gate slowly.
“It’s just like a prison.”
The surface of the gate was corroded with rust, but when I tapped it with my hand, the core remained intact.
“I could probably break it if I wanted to…”
But the noise would be quite loud.
Without knowing exactly how this trial was structured, drawing attention felt unwise.
So while contemplating whether there was a way to open the gate, I examined it carefully again and noticed a small groove on one side.
Looking closer at the groove, I could see it was designed to fit something inside.
‘Do I need a key or something?’
Jung Han-sung turned his head back toward the interior of the space.
The space itself was so cramped that there wasn’t much to check, but upon careful inspection, I noticed something that hadn’t been visible before.
There was a small hole-like opening in one corner.
Jung Han-sung approached it and reached his hand into the hole.
Click.
Something came into my grasp.
Jung Han-sung pulled it out. It was a metal key, nothing more.
―So brute force wouldn’t have worked, it seems.
Onyx spoke upon seeing it.
Jung Han-sung nodded. Given that the key had been hidden inside, it seemed highly likely that forcing the door open would have triggered some consequence.
Click.
He then approached the iron gate, inserted the key, and turned it—the gate opened smoothly.
Jung Han-sung carefully emerged without making a sound.
Beyond lay a narrow corridor, and looking around, I could see iron bars and cells identical to the one I’d just left scattered throughout.
‘Is this really a prison?’
It certainly felt like one.
Jung Han-sung moved forward slowly, his mind working.
‘Information about Phatalith’s Trial is extremely scarce.’
For one, not many people have actually attempted Phatalith’s Trial.
And those who had all seemed reluctant to speak about it in detail.
At the time, I’d simply assumed they were avoiding the subject because of traumatic memories, but now that I understood more about The Tower’s system, it felt different.
‘There must have been information restrictions in place.’
Certain information about The Tower carries restrictions.
For example, the existence of ‘other dimensions’ was like that—I myself had no knowledge of their existence until I reached a certain floor.
Even now, it was impossible to share that information with someone who didn’t have the qualifications.
I thought the scarcity of information about Phatalith’s Trial was likely due to information restrictions.
‘What I do know is….’
Still, after repeated investigations, there was one fact I had managed to uncover.
Right here, inside Phatalith’s Trial, the flow of time was different.
Someone had spent nearly three months inside and returned, yet only a single day had passed in reality.
Furthermore, from that information, I could infer another fact.
‘There’s a high probability this will be a long-term mission.’
First, the person who said that had been trapped inside for three months, which meant the mission likely wouldn’t end as a quick, decisive short-term engagement.
Of course, it could vary depending on the person.
I myself had completed missions in a fraction of the time it would take others more than once.
But this time, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy.
The number of people who had cleared Phatalith’s Trial could be counted on one hand across the entire world.
It meant the difficulty was on an entirely different level from ordinary missions.
―There’s a staircase ahead.
I looked forward at Onyx’s words.
There was a staircase stretching upward. Since there was nothing particularly noteworthy in the Basement, I climbed the stairs immediately.
At the end of the staircase was an iron door, and fortunately, this time it opened with just a push.
Swish―.
As I stepped outside after opening the door, I furrowed my brow.
‘Where is this?’
Outside was a Corridor permeated with an ancient chill.
The ceiling was a high arch, and the walls were decorated with murals that appeared to have been painted long ago and broken candelabras.
Sunlight filtering through stained glass that glowed red added to the eerie atmosphere, and stains that might have been footprints were scattered across the floor.
―It feels like a serial killer’s Mansion.
Onyx whispered in a low voice. I nodded slightly in agreement.
It certainly gave off a similar feeling to Burdkel’s Mansion, which I had visited before.
The air carried a faint mixture of the smell of iron, mold, and blood far older than that.
I surveyed my surroundings carefully and noticed a broken window on one side, so I headed toward it.
Fortunately, unlike the serial killer’s Mansion I had visited before, I could clearly see the outside landscape here.
―Is this inside a castle?
“It seems like it….”
Castle walls were visible outside, and when I leaned out slightly and turned my head to the side, I could confirm that my current location was inside a Western-style castle.
‘Should I go outside? Or should I go up?’
My current location was the 1st Floor of the castle.
I could go anywhere from here.
As I was deliberating for a moment.
[Objective: Uncover the secrets of Fatalis Castle]
A message suddenly appeared before my eyes. As I flinched in surprise, Onyx immediately asked a question.
―Is something wrong?
“Uncover the castle’s secrets,” they said.
―Then I suppose I should start by examining the interior of the castle.
“That would be wise.”
At least having a clear objective was something to be grateful for.
There was no risk of wandering aimlessly without knowing what to do, though the objective itself was frustratingly vague.
‘I’ll need to thoroughly sweep through the 1st Floor first.’
With that conclusion, I began moving forward slowly.
The castle’s interior was eerily quiet—the only sound was my footsteps echoing with each step I took.
An unsettling silence, to say the least.
Creak―.
The rusted hinges groaned every time I opened a door, evidence of long abandonment.
I furrowed my brow as I methodically checked each door on the 1st Floor.
‘There’s nothing here.’
The atmosphere felt as though something might leap out at any moment, yet every room I opened was completely empty.
Still, I couldn’t afford to be careless. I pressed on with patience, examining all the rooms on this floor.
―This one’s empty too.
And the search results were utterly fruitless.
Even the final room was vacant.
I clicked my tongue in frustration, about to voice my displeasure.
Whoosh―.
Then, suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me. Sword in hand, I spun around quickly.
―What is it, Master?
Onyx asked me in a puzzled tone.
After scanning the surroundings briefly, I spoke in a low voice.
“I felt something. A presence.”
―But there’s nothing here.
“I can see that for myself.”
I furrowed my brow.
It was too vivid to be a mistake—as if something had brushed past me just moments ago.
Yet standing there for a long while, I detected nothing of note.
Sword still drawn, I turned toward the center of the castle, where the Staircase to the upper floors awaited.
But as I approached the central hall.
Clang―.
The sound of metal striking metal echoed from nearby.
―It’s over there!
This time, Onyx heard it too and spoke urgently.
Of course, I was already rushing in that direction. Before long, I reached the far end of the Corridor.
―It sounded like it came from around here.
I examined the area as Onyx spoke.
That earlier sound was no illusion. Something had definitely made a noise in this vicinity.
The end of the Corridor was empty, as was the room beside it, but Jung Han-sung refused to give up, continuing to scan his surroundings methodically.
―Master. There’s something over there.
“Where?”
―There. On the windowsill.
Following Onyx’s direction, I could now see something resting in the corner of the windowsill.
It was a key, similar to the one I’d seen on the floor below.
“A key, then….”
What could this one unlock?
As I turned my body around contemplating this, my gaze suddenly fell upon the door across the room.
The door handle bore a keyhole.
It was the room I’d already confirmed was unlocked. Its interior had been empty.
Yet I found myself moving as if possessed, inserting the newly discovered key into the keyhole.
Click―.
After turning the key, I grasped the handle and pulled it open.
―Welcome!
―It’s been so long since we’ve had a visitor!
An entirely different scene unfolded before me.

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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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