I Just Subscribed and It’s the Best Hunter of All Time - Chapter 92

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#Chapter 92.
The moment Jung Han-sung inserted the key, he felt as though awakening from a dream.
―Master? Are you alright? Master?
And he heard Onyx’s voice calling out to him.
“What?”
―It seems you can hear me now. Master, you’ve been completely out of it this entire time.
At those words, Jung Han-sung frowned and turned around.
There were masked figures there. But they were no longer looking at him.
Just as when he’d first ascended to this floor, they simply stared blankly into empty space.
“How much time has passed?”
―You’ve been out of it for at least 30 minutes straight.
“30 minutes….”
Even after hearing this from Onyx, it didn’t feel real.
And no wonder—for Jung Han-sung, what he’d just experienced felt like nothing more than a fleeting instant.
He’d suffered briefly, inserted the key, and then it was all over.
‘Some kind of mental attack, perhaps.’
At first, he’d definitely maintained his composure, but at some point, he’d been swept away by something.
Jung Han-sung cracked his neck absently, exhaled sharply, and grasped the door handle.
“Let’s keep moving for now.”
―Understood.
Jung Han-sung pulled the door handle. Once again, it opened with a creaking sound.
“What is this now?”
But this time, something was different.
―It’s a Staircase.
“Right. But why is there a Staircase here? The Hall also has a Staircase….”
Jung Han-sung trailed off and walked toward the Hall for a moment.
“It’s not there.”
There was only a Staircase leading downward, not one ascending upward.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t examined that area carefully after arriving.
He’d simply assumed there would be a Staircase to the 4th Floor, as there had been before.
―It seems we should go up that way, Master.
“I suppose so.”
Jung Han-sung walked back toward the open door. The ordeal of this floor must have been what he’d just experienced.
But the moment he reached the door.
―Reckless one, advance.
Just before entering, a strange voice rang out, and a hand suddenly thrust toward him.
Jung Han-sung reflexively moved to swing his sword at the arm, but stopped short when he noticed the key in that hand.
It was a key made of glass.
Following the hand holding the key, he looked to the side and saw a masked Male Ranker standing there.
“….”
Jung Han-sung pondered for a moment before accepting it. Considering the previous floors, he suspected he would need to use the key on the 4th Floor as well.
With the glass key secured, Jung Han-sung moved toward the Staircase beyond the door.
“It’s dark.”
The Staircase within the room was shrouded in darkness—barely visible enough to discern the faint outlines of its shape.
Yet it posed no real inconvenience.
With senses honed to their peak, I could ascend the Staircase without difficulty using only the sensitivity of my fingertips, even in complete darkness without a single ray of light.
―This castle seems deeply connected to Fatalis, doesn’t it?
Just as I began climbing the Staircase, Onyx posed a question.
“Connected to Fatalis?”
―Yes. It doesn’t seem like they simply scattered various dangerous trials haphazardly.
At those words, Jung Han-sung nodded after a moment of thought.
“I get that feeling too. Each floor seems to have its own distinct concept, so to speak.”
On the 1st Floor, I conversed with a doll. On the Second Floor, I battled a grotesquely amalgamated entity.
On Floor 3, I fell victim to a bizarre mental assault and remained dazed for quite some time.
“If they simply wanted to create a difficult trial, they would have filled this place with monsters like the one I faced on the Second Floor.”
―True. The Floor 3 trial was dangerous, but… the 1st Floor was merely a conversation.
Jung Han-sung nodded, then suddenly recalled something and spoke.
“Besides, the objective itself reflects this. They clearly told me to uncover the secrets of Fatalis Castle, didn’t they?”
―That’s right. But I can’t quite grasp what secret they’re referring to.
“I’m in the same boat… but something tells me I’ll understand once I continue ascending.”
―Hmm. Based on the structure so far, it does seem like continuing upward is the right path.
“…Yes. Let’s keep going for now.”
Responding to Onyx’s words, Jung Han-sung continued climbing while contemplating.
‘Certainly, I feel the absence of subscription abilities keenly.’
Normally in such situations, I would have subscribed to channels that enhanced intuition or aided pathfinding, resolving matters swiftly.
I had grown accustomed to breaching such obstacles with ease through the assistance of those channels.
Of course, I had cultivated various skills through embodiment to strengthen my own combat prowess.
The problem was that these skills leaned heavily in one direction.
‘When I think about it, the embodied abilities are almost entirely combat-related.’
Indra’s Lightning, Kaleha Swordsmanship, Soul-Rending Blade, Soul-Rending Guard. And most recently, Necromancy registered as a skill.
While others struggle to obtain even a single advanced skill, I possess numerous ones—yet all are combat-oriented.
Until now, I had filled those gaps through subscription abilities, never experiencing significant inconvenience.
But now that subscription abilities were sealed, those gaps felt immensely pronounced.
―Then why not simply set your main channel in that direction? The channel you’ve currently selected only has two days of subscription remaining anyway.
At Onyx’s suggestion, Jung Han-sung stroked his chin.
“That’s true.”
Currently, I had selected and subscribed to one main channel.
Though the situation prevented me from using it, it remained combat-related regardless.
‘More importantly, it’s not an ability I can casually attempt to embody right now.’
Originally, I had intended to extend it depending on circumstances, but after this experience, my thoughts had shifted.
“I think I’ll need some utility skills to handle various situations overall.”
―I agree. There’s no harm in learning such abilities.
“Alright. Then I’ll need to go back and carefully review those channels again.”
For now, I couldn’t even check my subscriptions, and finishing this trial safely took priority.
With that conclusion, I refocused on climbing the Staircase.
But even after considerable time passed, the Staircase showed no signs of ending.
“Is climbing the Staircase not the entire trial?”
I muttered the thought aloud.
Considering the distance I’d already covered, something was definitely off.
After pondering briefly, I retrieved a key I’d been keeping in my pocket.
It was the glass key.
“Is there something I’m supposed to do with this glass key or…?”
I murmured while examining the glass key in my hand. But before I could finish speaking, I heard something.
Thud.
The sound of something falling. And vibrations reverberating beneath my feet.
I furrowed my brow. And immediately after.
Rummmble!
The walls trembled as a deafening roar erupted from below the Staircase. Dust billowed as stone fragments cascaded down.
―Master!
“I know!”
The moment Onyx cried out, I was already pushing off the Staircase, ascending rapidly.
Crumble!
The Staircase was collapsing.
From below, at an accelerating pace.
I glanced back while running up the Staircase.
I could see the Staircase crumbling in real-time from below.
It was as if the Staircase was being swallowed by thick Darkness.
―Is this also a trial?
Onyx’s voice reached me.
I answered while sprinting upward.
“What kind of trial would that be?”
Besides the Staircase collapsing, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
Onyx pondered my question for a moment before responding.
―Perhaps we must climb the entire Staircase before it collapses?
While such a trial seemed plausible in its simplicity, something told me that wasn’t it.
I had a feeling that simply running up the Staircase wouldn’t be enough to reach the destination.
But I had no time to leisurely examine anything.
The Staircase was collapsing at an increasingly rapid pace.
Crackle!
So from the middle point onward, I had to activate my Mana Technique to increase my speed.
And an hour passed.
“This is endless.”
Just as Onyx had said, Jung Han-sung was still sprinting up the Staircase.
No matter how much higher he climbed, the end of the Staircase showed no sign of appearing.
Meanwhile, the collapse accelerated at an unstoppable pace, threatening to overtake his speed.
Now he could barely maintain the gap even by sprinting with his full power.
“Master, we cannot endure this any longer at this rate.”
“I know.”
Though his speed had plateaued at its peak, Jung Han-sung could not sustain this velocity indefinitely.
‘What is the nature of this trial?’
Jung Han-sung’s mind raced.
There were no clues to be found in his immediate surroundings—only the same landscape repeating endlessly.
Except for the Staircase crumbling behind him, it felt like running on a treadmill.
‘What do I have right now?’
Jung Han-sung pondered.
What he possessed at this very moment.
The first thing that came to mind was the glass key in his hand.
But there was no keyhole in sight to insert it into.
Then, suddenly, he recalled the voice he had heard when receiving the key.
‘Reckless one, advance forward.’
At the time, he had paid little attention to its content.
He had simply thought it was a continuation of the delirious whispers he had heard during the mental attack.
Yet strangely, that sentence now came to him with crystalline clarity.
“Reckless one, advance forward.”
Jung Han-sung murmured the words aloud, and with sudden resolve blazing in his eyes, he came to a halt.
“Master? What are you doing all of a sudden?”
Hearing Onyx’s bewildered voice, Jung Han-sung turned calmly to face behind him.
He felt the Staircase beneath his feet crumbling away.
But instead of stepping back, Jung Han-sung extended his arm holding the key straight forward.
Toward the Darkness ahead.
Then came a sound.
Click—!
The sound of the key turning in a lock.
Without hesitation, Jung Han-sung turned the key and hurled himself toward that point.
Rumble!
With a deafening roar, his body lifted into the void. Would he plummet into the bottomless abyss below?
Thud!
Before that thought could fully form, a solid surface met his shoulder.
Jung Han-sung reflexively rolled across the floor and sprang to his feet.
“Oh.”
Onyx’s voice reached me a beat too late. And I could see it.
A vast, open expanse.
Gray stone walls were crisscrossed with black lines, and the floor resembled dark marble, but upon closer inspection, something seemed to flow between the cracks.
Yet what truly commanded attention lay elsewhere.
In the center of the vast space.
―You’ve arrived.
A colossal being draped in an ornate robe hovered before me.
It regarded me with eyes that gleamed gold as it spoke.
―My disciple.
With utmost tenderness.
I furrowed my brow and scrutinized the figure before me.
A massive frame nearly three meters tall. And emanating from its entire being was an unprecedented aura.
At first glance, it bore no resemblance to an ordinary being.
―Why do you not answer?
When I offered no response, it spoke again. And before I could react, it extended its hand forward.
A brilliant flash—
Light erupted outward, and suddenly a massive staff materialized in its grasp.
―Do you now dare to disrespect your master? Hmm?
And beneath that voice lurked a viscous malice.
Without hesitation, I drew my blade. The figure’s mouth split into a grin as it spoke.
―Finally! Your true nature reveals itself!
Simultaneously, a violent current of energy began to swirl around it.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————