WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 181: Our Children Changed (2)

“What are you talking about? My children are pure, cute, sturdy, sincere... They were born blessed with every good thing in the world. What do you know about my kids?”

-Yeah, sure. Overprotective parent. In your next life, you should be born as a goblin.

Guardian Spirit clicked his tongue in disapproval.

At that moment, a voice echoed in my head.

[A quest for the 34th floor has been assigned.]

Had the Tower decided that the circumstances of the stage had been revealed, at least roughly? It issued a quest. Letters spread into view before my eyes like paint.

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[Theatrical Warring States: Crisis of the Classics]

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The quest name was ominous.

I looked up at the quest window while remaining on my knees in a defeated posture.

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[Theatrical Warring States: Crisis of the Classics]

Difficulty: B+

Objective: You have successfully bestowed mythology upon the Earth Spirit Tribe. The Earth Spirit Tribe grows up listening to your stories, watching your deeds, and learning your beliefs. But the excitement is short-lived. Tired of hearing the same stories for hundreds of years, the new generation of the Earth Spirit Tribe has grown bored of the ordinary ‘classics’!

Recently, secondary creations of classics have become popular in the Earth Spirit Tribe society. This trend, which has gone beyond phenomenal popularity to almost a frenzy, now threatens to usurp the place of the original mythology!

‘Ugor. I prefer the scheming Kekerkker over the kind-hearted one.’

‘Goldencup and Silver Lily belong together. That's the tradition.’

‘Constellation Killer and Sword Emperor are good too.’

‘You don’t know anything. Sword Emperor should be with the Heavenly Demon for it to be classic.’

Disaster!

The Earth Spirit Tribe has begun fighting over which mythology is real. If this continues, they may lose their shared mythology. If that shared mythology collapses, they will be unable to deploy Aura Formations!

Noble White Lion. In the Earth Spirit Tribe, what's performed in theaters is the mythology, and the play that garners the most intense cheers is the official history. You decide what the true mythology and real history are! Unify the mythology and establish Aura Formations!

*However, if you fail to guide them, your race will lose the trait ‘Demonic Cult’.

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"......."

I read the quest window several times.

“So... my stories have been twisted so much that it's hard to tell what's real and what's fake? If I leave it as is, the Aura Formations I devised will be nullified.”

-That seems to be the case.

“Hmm.”

I stroked my chin, pondering.

What to do?

Several ideas crossed my mind instantly. But the first thought was,

“Do I really need to fix this?”

I felt like it might be okay to just leave it as it is.

“If I were them, I’d get bored hearing the same stories every day. If the kids are trying out new plays out of a desire for something fresh, I don't see a reason to spoil their fun.”

-Oh? What about the Aura Formations you ambitiously prepared?

“That's just my ambition. Uburka thought it would be fun and agreed to start it. If the kids of this era find it boring and reject it, well, that's their preference. I don’t plan to interfere with their fun and games.”

-Oho.

Guardian Spirit clapped.

-For the first time, you seem like a mature parent.

“I've always been a mature parent.”

-Your nonsense is dazzling. If there were a competition for the most childish parent in the world, you’d overwhelmingly win, zombie.

“Oh. That play over there looks interesting.”

I pointed to a theater across the street.

There were many theaters in this city. The circular theaters at the intersection were like big corporations, while this one seemed like a small theater company targeting the alley market. However, the advertisement for their play was attractively done.

-The Epic of Kekerkker! Witness the Cave Fire Drama [Sword Dance of Flames] by Kekerkker!

An elf ticket seller shouted.

-[Demon King Ester], [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon], [Raviel and Kekerkker], all stories begin here and end here! Two people always together on every journey through myth! Him and his story!

The poster featured a somewhat frail-looking Hobgoblin with black tattoos and another muscular Hobgoblin.

The two stood back-to-back, glaring straight ahead.

“It’s definitely us, right?”

-It seems so. That's our story.

Guardian Spirit seemed intrigued as well.

We entered the small theater, filled with anticipation. Several cleanly scraped logs were placed around, with Earth Spirit Tribe spectators sitting on them. It was packed, even the standing room.

“Wow.”

The anticipation rose with the surprisingly well-maintained facility.

“It’s small but neat. Feels very elite.”

-But among the stories you told Uburka, was there anything about you and me?

I guess not?

Apart from [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon], there wasn’t much.

“Well, maybe this is also a secondary creation. Ah. It’s starting. Let’s watch quietly… No need for that.”

-Being able to chat without anyone else hearing us is a pretty nice perk.

“Don’t they sell popcorn here? Watermelon beer? Watermelon rind fries? What's with these kids and watermelons?”

We joked around as we watched [Sword Dance of Flames]. Our excitement lasted only briefly. As the play went on, our faces, no, our ugly mugs, rotted in real time.

“What the hell.”

-Shit?

We both stormed out in the middle of the play.

-Have these bastards lost their minds?

“Crazy.”

-That wasn’t me on the poster, it was the Flame Emperor!?

“Crazy.”

-Why is the Flame Emperor hogging the scene where the Heavenly Demon and Sword Emperor are dueling!?

"Crazy."

“Crazy” poured endlessly from my mouth. Three crazies. Triple nope. Three strikes, out.

“Now that I think about it, I guess I should clarify what the real mythology is. The children’s fun? Of course, it's important. But not the Flame Emperor. Definitely not the Flame Emperor. Crazy. These kids have crossed the line.”

-You're right! We need to overhaul this!

Guardian Spirit and I were united in our resolve to complete the quest at all costs.

“Let’s figure out how to resolve this situation.”

I wandered around the city until nightfall.

The result: I realized that this era was facing a critical issue, intertwined with the Earth Spirit Tribe’s newly acquired trait.

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[Demonic Cult]

Category: Religion, Military, Politics.

Origin: [Bad Friend Doctrine]

Description: The White Lion faith has finally established itself as a religion, evolving from [Guru Doctrine] and [Bad Friend Doctrine]!

Through the first prophet, Gorke, the White Lion came to be recognized as the Earth Spirit Tribe’s friend and father. Through the second prophet, Uburka, the Earth Spirit Tribe learned the White Lion’s myths.

However, the Demonic Cult is now facing a crisis of identity! There’s a proliferation of sects, each interpreting the White Lion's myths differently. These sects accuse each other of heresy, each claiming to be the true heir of the White Lion's teachings!

Earth Spirit Tribe members believing in different myths develop different mental images. Depending on the mental image they hold, the appearance and efficacy of their aura vary greatly! Resolve the issue of doctrine interpretation!

*However, this trait may change depending on the course of history.

*Warning! 16 sects are in conflict over doctrine interpretation. If the conflict intensifies, religious schism and possibly even tribal division could occur!

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“Ah, this is troubling.”

I roughly understood how the last 300 years of history had unfolded.

“This probably became a problem when Uburka died. While they were alive, they could have simply beaten everyone down and subdued them by force...”

-Indeed. The ones who had been kept down without so much as a peep have started speaking up.

“That makes sense.”

Uburka was powerful. Too powerful. With his absence, disagreements among the Earth Spirit Tribe couldn’t be resolved by one person’s will alone.

A natural conflict.

Like everyone goes through adolescence, the Earth Spirit Tribe was experiencing growing pains.

-Come one, come all! If I can't have it, I'd rather destroy everything! Witness a different charm of Ester!

-This is the traditional Cave Fire Drama! All those fake plays can go away!

-Who are you calling fake? Heretics!

-The Flame Emperor was actually a good person!? This is the story of a man sacrificed to Kekerkker's schemes...

...Although those growing pains were evolving in a strange direction.

For the Earth Spirit Tribe, art and religion are inseparable. Whoever performs the Cave Fire Drama becomes a priest, the theater stage is their temple. Which play you attend reflects the sect you believe in.

‘Depending on the image in their mind, their aura changes entirely.’

Art. Religion. Military.

Key areas are intertwined.

Definitely not just an issue of Flame Emperor worship.

As I was solidifying my resolve, a commotion erupted.

-How can this be!?

In a remote alleyway.

In this poor area where Earth Spirit Tribe members lived in dugout holes, a shrill voice echoed. Looking over, I saw an argument unfolding in front of a small, shabby theater.

-I was clearly the best in the audition! My acting was overwhelming!

The one at the center of the argument was an elf, shouting at the top of their lungs. A large Hobgoblin stood before them with folded arms.

-Then why was someone else chosen for the role, not me? Is it bribery? Nepotism? The stage should be purely based on talent, this is unacceptable!

-We don’t take bribes. Nor do we choose based on connections. Poor as we may be, we’re a theater company with 130 years of tradition. Don’t underestimate us.

-Then why wasn’t I cast even in a supporting role? Is it because I’m an elf? Don’t make me laugh! This is racial discrimination! I’ll file a formal complaint with the Huaxia Council!

-It’s not because you’re an elf. We follow Kekerkker’s teachings of equality. But...

The Hobgoblin theater director spoke solemnly.

-You’re... just too weak.

-What, what?

-What is that body?

The director’s eyes critically scanned the elf.

-Your back is hunched. Your shoulders are narrow. Your muscles are feeble. Your arms and legs flop around like spider legs, as if they would snap from a tap. And your thighs... are those even thighs? I don’t know how they hold your body up.

The director shook his head.

-What’s the use of good acting? Nowadays, audiences care about muscles. With your flimsy body, you can’t even charm a snot-nosed kid. You’re not qualified.

-B-but acting is all about the performance!

The elf flared up, but apparently conscious of the criticism themselves, covered their body with both hands.

Still shaking their head, the director displayed their thick muscles.

-No. An actor is a priest who spreads Kekerkker’s teachings, a warrior who leads battles, and a combatant who attends the council to duel.

They’re still doing council duels? These adorable lunatics.

-That’s why the audience applauds actors. They recognize the authenticity in their illusions. Who would be enchanted by a warrior who only talks on stage?

-Ugh. Ugh...

-Your muscles are weak. First, grow your chest muscles four times bigger, then we’ll talk.

-I, according to the myths, Kekerkker had internal muscles! I’m also internal! Stronger than I look!

-Ugor.

The director chuckled.

-Then become Kekerkker instead of an actor. Transform into a lion and help your race. At least in our theater, we don’t believe in internal muscles.

-Wait, director! Just once more!

The elf fell to his knees, clinging to the director’s feet.

-Please let me audition again! I’m confident I can act much better than before. After seeing my performance, you won’t care about those muscleheads! I’m a genius in acting! If you choose me for the lead role, or even a Four Demon Lords role in [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon], I'll revolutionize Guru's theatrical world!

-An actor does not kneel.

The director dismissed him.

-Work out. Build muscles. That’s all I can say.

-Ah! Damn it! Elves can't grow muscles like you, you ignorant pigs! Is your brain also a muscle?

-No more words are necessary.

The Hobgoblin easily shoved the elf away. The elf screamed and rolled away.

-Oh, I’m dying! Oh, this mold is discriminating against my race! What misery, being born an elf! If I’d been born a goblin, I would have debuted onstage ages ago. Why did I have to be born with big ears and get treated like this? Does Kekerkker know you’re doing this!?

-Pathetic... Go earn some money.

-I prefer acting over money!

The director sighed and shut the theater doors.

The aspiring actor elf wept.

-O great Cat! Kekerkker! Please grant me the talent of an actor! Let me be on stage just once! Take my soul if you must! Or any demon, take my soul! Take it and debut me! Please!

Hmm.

I stroked my chin.

“I have a good idea.”

-What?

“Let’s make a top star actor.”

I would show the Earth Spirit Tribe, who worshipped false stories, a true play.

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