WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Ryuu

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 316: I'm a Fan (3)

The battle with the Blood Demon was truly a scene reminiscent of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

I blinked.

"Huh...?"

What just happened?

It felt like an eternity had passed, yet it also seemed like only a moment had gone by.

It was as if the sense humans have to perceive time had momentarily been paralyzed. To give an example, it was similar to the sensation of being under anesthesia for medical treatment from an Apothecary.

"King of Death. King of Death! Please come to your senses, King of Death!"

Before I knew it, I was lying down. When, why, and where I had lain down were all difficult to discern.

I can't quite remember.

What's clear is the face of the person sobbing in front of me. A boy, an all-too-familiar boy, held both of my hands, looking as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

*”The girl” from the previous chapter is now “a boy”. It’s not a translation error or author inconsistency, the character themselves switched genders.

"Are you alright? Please come to your senses."

"Where is this..."

"You've been injured while you were fighting with the Blood Demon. It was a dishonorable fight. While it was 1-on-1, the elite members of the Blood Demon God Cult joined the fight..."

The boy wiped his tears on my sleeve. It seemed as though the floodgates to his eyes had broken, as tears streamed endlessly, causing me concern just from watching.

"Fight... injuries..."

"Ah, please don't move recklessly...!!"

The boy urgently stopped me as I tried to get up.

"You've sustained severe internal injuries, King of Death! Your body is in shambles... bones shattered and organs torn to shreds... just a moment ago, I feared you might never open your eyes again!"

That's when it happened.

“—Ugh?!"

As the boy said, a surge of pain swept through my body. I tried to circulate aura and check my condition. Snap! My ki pathways twisted. Crunch! It felt like a thorny club was ravaging the insides of my veins.

"Ugh, kuh... uh..."

"Ah, what should I do? Wh-what can I do? How can this be fixed?"

It hurts. It feels like death. My eyes are drying up. My cheeks feel cool. The sensation in my fingertips has evaporated. Only pain remains. It's as if someone is peeling off my skin layer by layer, like peeling an orange.

No human could endure such pain.

I could, just because I had died to the point of death.

"Aah."

Suddenly.

From beyond my consciousness, a delighted sigh fluttered.

"Really, what should be done...?"

The scene faded into darkness.

"......"

I opened my eyes.

Again, it felt like a long time had passed, or perhaps, I had merely taken a breath.

What had changed since I lost consciousness was that my mind was somewhat clearer and the boy was coming toward me with a tray of porridge, having donned an apron.

"Ah, please eat. Mister."

"Ah."

The Constellation spooned up some invisible porridge and fed it to me.

The boy scooped up some porridge with a wooden spoon and fed it to me.

"......"

Huh?

"How does it taste?"

The Constellation looked at me expressionlessly.

The girl smiled affectionately.

"I specially made your favorite porridge."

The Constellation murmured softly.

The boy hesitated.

"Is the taste alright?"

"......"

The scent of anchovies wafted in my mouth.

When I was young and caught a cold, the director used to grate apples for me. He would then cook white rice porridge with tiny anchovies added. The grated apple tasted different from the usual apple, just as the porridge tasted different from usual. The bloated anchovies were tasteless but became somewhat chewy if you kept chewing, and they had a subtly nutty flavor.

"Yes. It's delicious."

"Phew, that's a relief."

The Constellation smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth.

The girl let out a sigh of relief.

"It was a real crisis. I merely wished for an enemy to block your path, but out of nowhere, a formidable enemy appeared. It seems you unconsciously believe that [nothing less than this level of strength can hinder you]."

"Yes?"

"No?"

The Constellation spoke as if it were nothing.

The boy tilted his head slightly.

"Did I just say something, Mister?"

"......"

"Why were you so angry at the Blood Demon? Even when attacked, you were dignified, but suddenly hearing about the Blood Demon God Cult, you became agitated. Honestly, I was a bit surprised."

"Ah."

My mind was foggy.

"Because I'm the Vice-lord of a place called the Demonic Cult..."

"Ah."

"I place significant meaning on the two words Demonic Cult. I believe it's a name that shouldn't be used lightly. The fact that mere riffraff dared to mention a cult similar to the Demonic Cult made me enraged."

"Indeed. Indeed."

The Constellation rested his chin on his hand and stared intently at me.

The girl nodded thoughtfully.

"So, that's your sore spot...?"

Hmm.

"I'm curious about the Demonic Cult. If it holds such deep meaning for you, there must have been someone precious. Would you share your story with me?"

......

"Ah. You had a master called So BaekHyang. It sounds lonely, yet clear, like a fragrance that tickles the nose."

......

"You love someone named Raviel Ivansia. Heh, she's that beautiful? Ah. Indeed. So that's why no matter how hard I tried, you never fell for any beauty tricks. Troublesome indeed. Being the loved one is the easiest and most powerful way. But with such a deeply engraved presence in your heart, any manipulation would backfire. Scary. Terrifying. I must be careful."

Huh.

"......Did I just say something?"

"Yes? No."

The Constellation caressed my cheek.

The boy grinned with a soft smile.

“Are you not saying anything, Mister?”

Is that so?

It was.

“However, the presence of the Sword Emperor is a bit of a nuisance. A Guardian Spirit, no less. It must have taken a long time for my powers to take hold because of that. What to do…? If I remove it, I'd be too far from the current Mister. No choice then. Yes, it'll be a bit tiring, but I'll take care of both of you.”

Swoosh!

An arrow flew towards me.

-Hey, Zombie Kim! What are you doing!

The Guardian Spirit shouted incredulously.

-Losing focus during a fight, have you become so complacent, thinking you're some high-and-mighty expert who has devoured the heavens!?

Ah.

Right.

Currently, we were raiding the stronghold of the Blood Demon God Cult, in the midst of purging the enemy.

Because... how I ended up attacking this place was…

“Mister!”

I lifted my head towards the direction of the voice.

“Over here!”

The girl.

I had run into her by chance in the forest two weeks ago, and though she was once a Constellation, she had now lost all her power. Along with the Thirteen Evils, there were cults like the Blood Demon God Cult on this 60th floor, not just them but also the God Demon Sect, White Demon Sect, and the Mad Demon Sect, collectively known as the Four Demons.

They were all…

Aiming to kidnap this boy for their nefarious uses.

Just like the Magic Tower.

Due to being bedridden a few days ago, I couldn't do anything but watch as the girl was kidnapped.

That was something I couldn't possibly accept.

“Please save me…!”

The boy's scream snapped me back to reality. Right, what's there to hesitate about? Deep within this fortress, the girl was chained to a pillar with iron chains.

No matter if she had lived for thousands of years or was once a Constellation, the child now was fragile. A fragile being. Someone must protect her. It just so happened to be me.

“Yes. Awaken in such a manner.”

From the far reaches of my mind. No, the very bottom of my consciousness. Perhaps from the highest sky, a distant voice echoed.

“What will you do now?”

“I will save the boy.”

I answered firmly. Answered? No. In this fortress-like castle, countless arrows flew at me, and I barely managed to fend them off one by one. Because, uh, because...

“Even though you haven't fully recovered from the injuries sustained in the fight against the Blood Demon, do you still intend to save the boy?”

“Yes."

“If so, the Blood Demon would come out and ask, [To think you'd dare confront us with a body no better than a rag, it's utterly ludicrous. Are you seeking death?] The Blood Demon seems to have been wounded in the previous bloody battle as well, but look... there are hundreds of trustworthy subordinates around him….”

"......."

“Ah. How unfortunate. An arrow has flown and struck your thigh."

Throb.

Pain surged through my thigh. It hurt. I almost kneeled.

“What will you do? Will you swing your sword again?”

The Constellation slowly stroked my thigh.

The boy cried out, calling for me.

“…Yes.”

“Really? You might really die at this rate?”

The Constellation chuckled.

The boy started crying.

“Arrows continue to rain down from the sky, piercing you.”

“I dodge.”

“Yes, you are strong. Your aura can indeed cover the sky and block the rain of arrows. But at that moment, the internal injuries you sustained flare up in agony.”

Crunch!

It was the sound of the pain of bones being torn apart coursing through my entire body.

“Argh."

“Does it hurt?”

“Gah. Uh, ah! Damn, it…!”

“Let me ask again. Does it hurt?”

“Damn… these, bastards. Getting all high and mighty with their bow skills.”

“One last time, I'll ask. King of Death, where does it hurt, how does it hurt, and how much does it hurt? Please answer me. It would please me to hear it.”

It was torturous.

“My body.”

As if it was burning, no.

It was actually burning.

My body, which needed rest and recuperation for a while now, was being burnt by my own aura. Normally, the aura should first protect the bones, blood vessels, muscles, and nerves before being utilized. But in the current situation, I had no capacity to protect myself.

"Ah......."

My veins burst with the pressure, scorching all my muscles like flowing lava. The aura pooled in my blood vessels, melting my bones into a mushy mess.

“Oh dear.”

The Constellation reveled in my agony.

The girl cried out in despair at my pain.

“How could this be…”

My breath was toxic.

“So adeptly, [pain] can be imagined, can’t it?”

“Ugh, ah. Gah……, ugh.”

“All I did was say you were hit by an arrow, Mister. I simply laid out the situation you would face if you came to rescue me, having been kidnapped. But how could you… how could you imagine it so vividly, to this extent?”

It’s amazing, someone seemed to murmur.

“Incredible. It's as if, as if you've really experienced [agonizing death] before…? But that can't be. It shouldn't be. How can you imagine such pain? Have you experienced your bones melting before? Have your blood vessels ever burnt up? How do you know such pain to recreate it under my power…?”

I pressed forward despite the pain.

Arrows struck my shoulder and forearm but I ignored them. Pushing my aura to its limits, I stepped forward and slashed through the ranks of the Blood Demon God Cult who had tied the boy to the pillar.

“Without a doubt…”

The Constellation reached out and cupped my cheeks.

The boy sobbed, bound tightly to the pillar.

“You are the one I’ve been waiting for since thousands of years.”

Just a little more.

“For someone you’ve only known for a few days, you throw your life into the fray, facing pain worse than death, not just in words, not out of ignorance, but knowing what death and pain are, yet you still move forward…”

Just a little more.

“You, perhaps, can imagine any quest I set forth. If I say you’re in the middle of the ocean facing death, you’ll truly find yourself drowning in the sea. Drowning. It’s a different dimension from the mediocre hunters who suck up to you—you will truly imagine every crisis, every pain, every death as they are. I have waited only for someone like you to ascend.”

Finally.

My blade struck the Blood Demon.

Blood spattered.

“You are my third disciple.”

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]

“I will create quests for you. I’ll continue the campaign. I’ll create a world where you can feel a sense of achievement and joy. I’ll become a god just for you. I only ask for one thing. Trust me, Mister.”

A bright smile emerged from the blood-stained scene.

“Will you trust me?”

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ invites you to their faith.]

[Will you accept ■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ as your Constellation?]

Darkness enveloped my vision.

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