WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: Ryuu

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SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 25: The Chosen Ones (1)

Just as the dazzling light was about to envelop us, the Sword Saint hurriedly spoke.

-Hey, wait. If only the top 10 are being summoned separately, wouldn't Marcus be there? If he sees you, he'll flip out and attack, what will you do?

‘Ah, don't worry. What's the worst that can happen? I'll die?’

-You, Kim Zombie...

The Sword Saint seemed about to nag further, but I quickly added,

‘I have a plan, so it's fine. Don't you know? I'm Kim Gong-Ja, the sly fox acknowledged by the Sword Saint! Just trust me.’

-You have a plan?

‘Of course! A solid one. I'll show you in a moment.’

-Hmm.

The Sword Saint crossed his arms, still displeased.

But whether he liked it or not, it was too late. The summoning had begun, and a white light completely enveloped us. Whatever the outcome, I had no choice but to face the Sword Saint.

I closed my eyes, and,

[Transfer complete.]

when I opened them again, I was already summoned to the 12th floor.

It was a place completely different from the 11th floor. Opposite, to be precise? If the 11th floor was a fierce and dirty battlefield where life and death were at stake, the 12th floor was a luxurious and lavish palace. The imperial palace of the Aegim Empire.

‘...Or maybe not.’

I looked around.

‘In terms of fierceness and dirtiness, palace politics might be the same.’

In the audience hall of the imperial palace, the other top contributors were being summoned one after another. Some were unfamiliar, but most were hunters I met yesterday, like the Witch and the Countess. Not surprisingly, they were the leaders of the major guilds.

I caught eyes with other hunters.

“Oh?”

“Hmm.”

Their reactions varied. Some smiled broadly as if to say, 'I knew you would be here first,' while others frowned, seemingly surprised at my top rank.

“Hunter Kim Gong-Ja! You were amazing!”

The Heretic Inquisitor belonged to the former.

“I enjoyed watching your performance on the 11th floor! Using NPCs like that. I was moved!”

The Heretic Inquisitor scurried over. His short stature made him look like a puppy rushing towards me.

“Is the sword at your waist a special item? After seeing that sword, the NPCs started following you without hesitation. Did you receive it as a reward for clearing the 10th floor?”

“Well. Yes...”

“Exactly!”

The Heretic Inquisitor looked up at me with a beaming smile.

“Using the reward from the 10th floor to lead the way through the 11th floor. Your adaptability is impressive!”

“Ah, well, it wasn’t really that big of a deal...”

“From now on, many people will be jealous of you. They might treat you as a lucky upstart. Ignore them! It's all your skill!”

Uh.

What's with this person? An angel?

-Hey! Kim Zombie! You idiot!

The Sword Saint suddenly shouted.

It was different from his usual teasing tone. It was an urgent cry.

-Be careful! Right now, behind you...

At that moment, before the Sword Saint could finish his sentence, everything happened.

“Hmm.”

The first to react was the Heretic Inquisitor in front of me.

The Heretic Inquisitor, who had been all smiles, narrowed his eyes and grabbed my wrist, pulling me. My posture wavered and crumbled. One step. The Heretic Inquisitor pushed me back and stepped forward in my place.

“Holy Technique, God of Flesh.”

It was a whisper from the Heretic Inquisitor. Clang! The sound of steel fiercely colliding with something echoed. It wasn’t just any steel.

A sword.

A stroke of a sword imbued with clear killing intent.

“Ahaha.”

The Heretic Inquisitor laughed.

His eyes, however, were not smiling.

“Surprising, Sword Saint. When did you change professions to an assassin?”

“Move aside.”

The well-dressed elderly gentleman, the Sword Saint, spoke coldly.

He was holding a long sword, pointing it at us.

No, I misspoke.

“I will kill that man.”

Not at us, but at me.

Silence enveloped the audience hall.

Electricity seemed to flow in the air, tingling my whole body.

“Hmm.”

Only the Heretic Inquisitor remained unfazed.

“Excuse me, but when you say 'that man,' are you referring to Hunter Kim Gong-Ja?”

“Indeed.”

The Sword Saint replied.

“If you don’t move aside, I may have to take off one of your arms as well.”

The Heretic Inquisitor smiled subtly.

“That would be quite inconvenient! I can’t afford to make way for you right now. Hunter Kim Gong-Ja is acknowledged by the Temple of the Omnipotent God and the five major guilds. Leaving him to die here would be disgraceful for the guilds!”

“So, you intend to lose an arm, young one.”

“Ah, that too is problematic! My arms are still quite useful.”

The Heretic Inquisitor tilted his head, still smiling.

“May I ask why you are targeting Hunter Kim Gong-Ja?”

“I have no obligation to tell you.”

“No intention of backing down, then?”

“Stop talking and move aside.”

The Sword Saint firmly refused.

Right. From the old man’s perspective, I was a murderer who killed over four thousand people. Without knowing about my skill, the Sword Saint had no choice but to act like this.

“I repeat, I will kill that man.”

“Hmm! Then there's nothing I can do.”

The Heretic Inquisitor joined his hands together.

“I will subdue you here. Holy Technique, God of Teleportation.”

At that moment, light burst behind the Sword Saint. Bam! Bursting through the light were two hunters.

The leader of the Chun-Moon Guild, Viper, and the vice-captain of the Vigilante Corps, Paladin. These two well-known fighters shouted their battle cries. They swung their weapons at the Sword Saint's back.

“Haaah!”

The Sword Saint frowned.

“Annoying flies...”

He clicked his tongue. In the time it took to click his tongue, a single sword strike flew. A blue aura sliced through the air, creating a small blood spray. Two strikes. With just two strikes, the Paladin had a wound on his cheek, and the Viper had a gash on his arm.

“Th-this monstrous old man!”

It was a lightning-fast skirmish.

“How come an old man like you is so spry? Eat less, please! Retire already! You’re stifling the youth like me!”

Viper yelled, fuming.

The Sword Saint let out a small snort.

"There's an old saying that goes like this: behind every strong man, there's an even stronger one."

The Sword Saint, Marcus, spoke sharply. "You're over 40 yourself, aren't you? To the truly young, you're just as old."

"Don't joke! Being in the 40s is just the prime of life! It's practically the true beginning of life..."

The Viper, the leader of the Chun-Moon Guild, was interrupted by the Paladin, a leading member of the Vigilante Corps. "You're old, face it! You look older than you are!"

"Haah," sighed the Paladin.

"Focus on the enemy in front of us, Viper. We're in a disadvantageous fight."

Despite his sigh, the Paladin remained on guard. Actually, he seemed even more alert. The Heretic Inquisitor, the Viper, and the Paladin, three top rankers, were surrounding the Sword Saint, yet he stood tall and alone.

"Hmm. This is indeed a disadvantage."

The Heretic Inquisitor seemed to realize the current situation as well.

He cheerfully called for reinforcements. "Countess!"

"Why?"

"Lend me some money!"

"How much do you need?"

"Thankfully, the Sword Saint hasn't lost his sanity. A brief restraint should suffice. I need 10,000 gold, please!"

"15% interest. Compounded."

The Countess, who had been quietly watching the fight, unrolled a fan.

"Three-month interest-free installment. Would that be acceptable?"

"Ahaha! You misunderstood me! I didn't ask for a loan. I asked for a donation."

"How dare you demand a donation from a merchant?"

"Yes! It's dirty money anyway. Donate it to the temple and go to heaven!"

"You're a worse robber than I thought..."

The Countess shook her head and pulled out a bag with a snail pattern.

"Withdraw, 10,000 gold."

The bag opened its mouth, and countless gold coins poured out. The bag itself must have been a rare item. As the coins piled up, the Countess gathered the bag.

"Here you go, priest. Exactly 10,000 gold."

"I'll take it!"

The Heretic Inquisitor gleefully joined his hands together.

"Holy Technique, God of Donation!"

The spilled gold coins emitted light. The golden light filled the hall, and the Heretic Inquisitor quickly moved his hands, muttering.

"Holy miracle, physical enhancement. Target, Paladin. Viper. Duration, 300 seconds each. The gold will bind our hands. Completed!"

"Hmm."

"Che..."

Then, something strange happened. The gold coins vanished without a trace.

Instead, the light from the coins moved onto the Paladin and the Viper. They were surrounded by a golden aura. "Now," announced the Heretic Inquisitor, "for the next 300 seconds, the Paladin and the Viper will be significantly transformed. Sword Saint! Even someone as strong as you will struggle against us four!"

"..."

"Plus, the Countess's coffers are still far from empty. It's uncertain whether her coffers will run out first or your head will be taken first. If you want to test it, feel free to!"

The Countess, standing afar, pursed her lips.

"Why involve my coffers in your test? I simply donated because the priest asked. Oh, how hard it is to be a merchant, whether outside or in the Tower..."

"Let me add one thing."

The cold voice flowed from the Black Witch, the 2nd rank hunter and the leader of the Black Dragon Guild. She broke her silence.

"The combined attack won't end with just four of us. I, too, will participate. Hunter Kim Gong-Ja yesterday formally made an agreement with all five major guilds."

The Sword Saint furrowed his brows.

"An agreement?"

"Yes, an agreement."

The Witch nodded.

"Hunter Kim Gong-Ja joined all five guilds without being tied to any specific one. In return, we promised to treat him as equal to a guild master. Sword Saint. If you point your sword at Hunter Kim Gong-Ja, it's the same as attacking us all."

"..."

"Of course, by 'us,' I mean the five major guilds."

The Witch took out a mirror.

"Black Dragon. Sang-Ryun. Temple of the Omnipotent God. Chun-Moon. Vigilante Corps."

The mirrors floated and circled around the Witch like protective dogs.

"Are you really prepared to face us all, Sword Saint?"

Five hunters pointed their weapons at the Sword Saint.

"..."

The old swordsman remained silent.

That's right.

'No matter how fearsome the Sword Saint is.'

At this moment-.

'He's not strong enough to make enemies of all five guilds.'

I made an agreement with the guild masters for this moment.

I might become stronger than the Sword Saint someday. But that day wasn't today or tomorrow. Until then, I had to have a plan.

I smiled inwardly.

'Do you see? This was my plan. Now, be amazed.'

-Tsk. As expected of a sly fox…

The Sword Emperor sighed.

But he didn't seem too displeased, knowing that I hadn't ascended to the 12th floor without a plan. He’s always been one to worry.

I stepped forward.

"Sword Saint."

The hunters in the audience hall turned their attention to me, including the Sword Saint. I deliberately smiled to show confidence.

And I looked directly at the Sword Saint.

"Let’s have a conversation?"

Listen well. It's a word from the master himself.

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