WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 7: The Identity of the Soliloquy (1)

1.

I immediately searched for information about the Sword Saint on my smartphone.

-He was originally an elder of a great Nordic conglomerate family.

-Real name: Marcus Callenbury. A big shot who abandoned his family, connections, and wealth to enter the tower alone.

-Exactly what skills he possesses is unknown to everyone.

-It is said that he often mutters to himself.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

"Not much helpful information."

I searched for interview videos or anything similar, but found nothing. It seemed that this elder, unlike the Flame Emperor, had a completely opposite personality. The Flame Emperor, although rude to journalists, was essentially an attention-seeker and frequently appeared in the media.

In contrast, the Sword Saint was utterly enigmatic.

As a result, the information available on the internet was quite vague. 'It is said' he was from a conglomerate family, 'it is said' he entered the tower alone, 'it is said' he had a habit of muttering to himself. All speculative information.

'Well….'

I turned my head.

At a secluded table in the corner.

There sat the Sword Saint, drinking his milk-vodka alone.

'At least the information about his frequent muttering seems accurate.'

The elder was unusual from his fashion sense to his choice of drink. He was continuously muttering to himself without any side dishes, just sipping his drink.

"...Shut up. Don't be noisy. You've always been..."

Muttering.

I couldn’t make out exactly what he was saying, but every time he tilted his glass, he would definitely mutter something, frowning deeply. Honestly, it was a bit scary.

'Could he have some kind of mental illness?'

A mentally ill Hunter as the top ranker was a terrifying thought, like a ticking time bomb.

'...But then again, the Flame Emperor was a psychopath.'

Maybe being mentally disturbed is a prerequisite for becoming the top ranker.

'Anyway, the top rankers are almost all crazy.'

I shook my head, continuing my search on the smartphone. As expected, it was all speculative information, but one post caught my eye.

-[Caution] Words you should never say in front of the Sword Saint!

"Hmm?"

It was an interesting title. The post was in a Hunter-specific community, a place where you could only join with a Hunter’s license issued by the Hunter Association.

An anonymous post was there.

-I witnessed it myself. There are certain taboo words you should never say to the Sword Saint. If you don't want to die, never mention these words to him. Seriously, you'll die.

└What are they?

└Grandchildren. A few days ago, some high-ranking Hunters provoked the Sword Saint on Floor 9. One of them said,

‘Judging by the way you're behaving, I can tell exactly what sort of character the grandchildren you spawned outside must have.’

‘It's obvious they're off living as though they're better than everyone else, just like their grandfather.’

‘How embarrassed your grandchildren must be seeing you like this.’

-Then he killed them.

└Killed him?

└Yeah. He really killed them. In fact, while they were saying, ‘How embarrassed your grandchildren must be...’ their head flew off. Nobody could even react. Their head and body were separated in the blink of an eye.

After that, the post was flooded with comments.

-Don’t make stuff up.

-This is just another rumor spread by a major guild.

-As usual, those who are a bit successful step on others.

Most responses were incredulous.

But the anonymous poster stubbornly defended their claim.

-Believe it or not, it's up to you! I just thought you should know.

-I don't think the Sword Saint was wrong. It was the fault of those who brought up his family. But because of this incident, the top rankers are definitely angry. You can tell by how the media criticizes the Sword Saint lately.

-Anyway, be careful around the Sword Saint. Good luck.

That was the end of the poster’s comments.

As if there was nothing more to say.

"......"

I looked at my smartphone, pondering.

'A taboo word you should never say.'

I glanced at the pub corner. The elderly man was still sitting there.

"...Too noisy. I'll take care of it, just leave me alone..."

He was still muttering to himself.

Looking at him again, he still seemed mentally disturbed. However, being mentally ill or not, he was still the top ranker. The fact that he might possess unimaginable skills remained unchanged.

'Good.'

And that fact alone was enough for me.

'It's worth a try.'

2.

"Thanks for the drink."

"Ah, goodbye!"

The Sword Saint finished his drink and left. As soon as he was gone, the previously silent drunkards let out a sigh.

"Finally, he's gone."

"He must have dementia, muttering like that."

"How should I know? Anyway, he's ruining the taste of the booze..."

It seemed like everyone in the pub had been waiting for the Sword Saint to leave. I felt the same way.

But for a slightly different reason.

"Here's the money for my drinks."

I quickly got up and paid the owner as planned. There was no time to waste.

"Ah, thank you. Come again!"

"Thanks, keep up the good work."

Ding-.

The bell on the door rang.

Late at night, darkness had fallen on the streets.

'Where?'

I looked around. The street crowded with pubs also gathered a lot of people. Dozens of people laughed and exhaled alcohol-warmed breath into the night sky.

'Where did the top ranker go?'

Fortunately, I soon spotted the back I was looking for.

'Found him!'

His distinctive attire was a big help. In Babylon, he was the only one in a suit on this wide street.

I quickly silenced my steps and followed the elder.

'What kind of skill could he have?'

My heart raced.

'The Flame Emperor had a regression skill, an EX-rank skill. What about the Sword Saint, who succeeded a generation earlier than the Flame Emperor? Wouldn't he have an even more cheat-like skill?'

That was soon to be mine. If I was lucky.

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How long had I followed him?

Leaving the bustling area, we turned into an alley. Walking further, we left even the alley behind. The outskirts of the outskirts. An empty field with no buildings. The Sword Saint walked steadily into that desolate field.

"Hmm."

He walked, then stopped.

"This should be far enough."

The Sword Saint turned around, the faint starlight illuminating his figure.

"Enough hiding. Come out, young man."

"......"

"There's nobody around here to witness whatever happens."

He was staring right at the tree where I was hiding.

I sighed internally.

'I was caught, after all.'

It was foolish to think I could tail the top ranker without being noticed. Resigned to my own incompetence, I stepped out from behind the tree.

"I apologize for the intrusion. I desperately needed to ask something of you, Sword Saint."

I tried to speak as politely as possible. Yet, for some reason, the Sword Saint scoffed.

"Hmph. Didn't you purposely make noise to get noticed? I don't understand why you're threatening an old man like me."

"......"

Huh?

Somehow, he seemed to misunderstand that I had intentionally made noise. Moreover, without any aggressive action on my part, he was already gripping the hilt of his sword, ready for battle.

'Wait, why?'

Of course, this was actually good for me. My goal was to get killed by the Sword Saint.

'But I haven't done anything except tail him...?'

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, the Sword Saint’s expression turned even more fierce, almost spitting out killing intent.

"...Impressive acting. Fitting for a top assassin."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb. You can fool other hunters, but not my eyes. Did you think I wouldn't know that you're a top-grade assassin sent by the Black Dragon?"

Uhh...

The old man was making a huge mistake.

'Is this good or bad?'

In any case, this was favorable. Even without mentioning his grandchildren, he seemed ready to kill me.

But how did he mistake me, a mere F-rank Hunter, for a top-grade assassin? I was completely baffled.

"Hah! Truly repulsive. To keep acting even after coming this far!"

Seeing my expression, the Sword Saint twisted his lips. He looked so sincerely disgusted that I began to wonder what was wrong with him. It could hardly be that my face naturally looked like an assassin's.

"I told you, my eyes can never be deceived!"
"Excuse me, sir. I'm asking because I genuinely want to know..."

I finally gave in and asked.

"Why are you so certain I'm an assassin, and a top-class assassin at that? I think I look fairly ordinary, all things considered."
"Silence."

Shing.

The Sword Saint drew his sword.

"I possess many skills. Among them is a skill that lets me see how many people you've killed. Thanks to this skill, I've survived many crises."

"......?"

I was utterly confused.

'Ah.'

Then it hit me.

'I killed Yoo Soo-Ha.'

That's right.

Today, I had hunted Yoo Soo-Ha. I knew what kind of monster he would become, but to the people of this era, that was unknown. To them, I was just a murderer.

'Even if murder happened much more frequently inside the tower than it did in the outside world... murder was still murder.'

So, to the Sword Saint, there was probably a [1] floating above my head, signifying Yoo Soo-Ha's death.

It made sense why he was so wary of me.

"Yes, I understand, Sword Saint."

"Hmm."

"I have no words to counter your caution. But please, think of this as an excuse. I had a truly significant reason, and though I can't fully explain, I swear to the heavens it was crucial."

I was sincere.

But things turned strange. Hearing my sincerity, the Sword Saint's face contorted even more.

"Disgusting."

"Excuse me?"

"How dare a demon who has slaughtered as many people as you utter such nonsense. I have not lived an entirely spotless life myself, but... I have never committed indiscriminate slaughter as you have!"

Things were getting out of hand.

I was genuinely perplexed.

"No, wait a minute, sir. Massacre? I've only killed one person in my entire life."

"Shameless liar!"

Shiiing.

The Sword Saint pointed his sword at me.

And said,

"I can clearly see the number [4091] floating above your head!"

I was dumbfounded.

"What nonsense are you..."

I was about to retort when my mouth clamped shut. I realized where the number 4091 had come from.

'Ah.'

Killing Yoo Soo-Ha, one.

And...

'My suicides.'

4090 times.

The number of times I had killed myself matched exactly.

"Brace yourself, demon!"

So...

"I do not know whether the Black Dragon Witch sent you or who hired you, but I will use my full strength to kill you!"

To the Sword Saint, I could only look like an unprecedented murderer who had massacred 4,091 people. My spine went cold in an instant.

'No.'

This was serious.

'This isn't about whether or not I copy a skill from the Sword Saint!'

That was right.

'From now on, whenever the Sword Saint finds me... he'll try to kill me!'

To him, my very existence would be that of a loathsome mass murderer, a virus that had to be erased from the world even one second sooner.

"Wait!"

I reached out my hand.

"Just give me a moment to explain!"

At that moment.

The Sword Saint's sword lunged towards me.

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