WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 125: Demonic Realm (1)
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1.
Kim ■ vividly remembers the day he first fell into another world.
-Congratulations.
-You have been chosen as the hero to save this world.
A stunningly beautiful woman smiled at him. Bewildered, Kim ■ saw an angel before him.
Having seen numerous celebrities through videos and news, he was just an [ordinary high school student]. It was his first time meeting a beauty whose mere smile seemed to brighten everything around her. He stuttered.
-Um... Excuse me? Angel? Where am I?
-Don't be in such a hurry, Hero. I am the [Goddess of Protection], the constellation that will guard and guide you from now on. You may not know much now, but you will learn a lot.
A goddess, not an angel.
Kim ■ felt his head go numb.
-I was just at the school rooftop...
-You were being bullied at school.
The Goddess calmly clasped her hands.
-Young humans can sometimes be like beasts. They act out pure malice through sheer ignorance. Unfortunately, you became prey to those beasts, and when you could endure it no longer, you fell.
-Fell...
-Yes. If I were to add one word, it would be a fall to your death.
Only after hearing the Goddess's words did Kim ■ remember.
The school rooftop.
The iron door to the rooftop was securely locked, chained shut. Seeing the locked door sparked defiance in him. So, Kim ■ opened a 5th-floor classroom window and slipped out, climbing the pipe to the rooftop.
It was insane.
But, clinging to the pipe, inching upwards, Kim ■ felt alive for the first time.
‘Ridiculous.’
For the first time, he climbed out a window; for the first time, he climbed a pipe; and for the first time, he reached the school rooftop. He had never felt this even once when he was trying his hardest to live.
Choosing to abandon life made him feel more alive.
-.......
The sky he saw from the rooftop was red.
Kim ■ was grateful to the sky that turned red once a day.
For the first time - he felt thankful to the sky.
The red sky was a little kinder than the blue sky. He wanted his whole body to fade away into that tender color.
‘If I fall.’
Kim ■ looked down at the ground. The sports field, steeped in sunset, was red as the Sahara.
‘They say you regret it right after you fall.’
Kim ■ neatly placed his indoor shoes on the ground. The soles, blackened with marker ink, weren’t his doing.
‘Will I regret it too?’
The sports field became noisy. Had someone noticed him? Students who were playing soccer before evening study crowded below, pointing up at the rooftop. Among them were familiar faces.
Kim ■ quietly moved his thumb. Click. He sent a prepared message to 37 students. They would all receive the same last words.
+
You murdered me.
Don’t forget.
You killed me.
+
Moments later, a notification for the sent message appeared.
Done.
It was liberating.
Kim ■ threw his phone. It plummeted and shattered on the sports field. The students below recoiled at the sight of the broken phone. Some of them turned pale, apparently having received his suicide note.
‘May your lives be ruined forever.’
Kim ■ let himself fall into the red sandy field.
Falling, he thought of it as an unsuccessful flight.
-I am the Goddess of Protection.
And that's how he arrived here.
-I possess many powers. The Idol, The Pity, The Prayer, The Sacrifice, The Salvation.
Kim ■ remembered the day he first fell into another world.
-By borrowing my power, you can do anything, become anything, Hero.
The dazzlingly beautiful woman smiled at him.
-What do you wish to become, Hero?
2.
[You have entered the 50th floor through an abnormal route.]
When I opened my eyes, a voice flowed into my head.
[The blessing of the ‘Holed-Up Head Librarian’ has been removed.]
[Novice protection measures have been suspended.]
[Novice privileges are temporarily revoked.]
I gave a bitter smile.
'Such a spine-chilling warning.'
I looked around.
First thing I noticed were the spires soaring into the sky.
Like the fingers of giants pointing upwards, five towers twisted and stood in the distance. It was a wonder they didn't collapse.
-Wow. Shit. It’s been over a hundred fifty years since I’ve been here.
Fortunately, I had someone beside me who could serve as a guide. The Sword Emperor. The Guardian Spirit, who had once climbed to the Tower's 99th floor, had naturally set foot on the 50th floor as well.
-But nothing’s changed.
The Guardian Spirit surveyed the 50th floor with a gaze that was less nostalgic than utterly fed up.
"What are those spires?"
-Magic Towers. The residents have been here for over a thousand years, hunkered down on the 50th floor. They chose to live here instead of climbing the tower…
A thousand years.
-Anyway, don’t get too close to them now. Better not even look at them.
"Why’s that?"
-If you stare for over 23 seconds, it automatically detects your gaze. In their world, the number 23 is like the number 18 in yours, implying ‘What the fuck are you looking at?’ It’s a warning system reflecting their terrible personalities. See what I mean?
I quickly averted my gaze from the Magic Towers. A warning system activated by just looking!
-Oh, right. There used to be six towers, but I demolished one. They'd go insane if they learned I'd returned as a ghost. They'll issue a full mobilization order and chase you to hell, so make sure you keep that fact hidden.
“…I see you’re not a guide, but a troll. Damn. I should have known better.”
That’s when it happened.
[You are beginning to be eroded by the Void Poison.]
[Your current erosion level is Lv.1.]
I was shocked.
"What’s this Void Poison? It says my body is being eroded?"
-Oh, right. Forgot about that. Yeah, it feels more like the tower now.
The Guardian Spirit shrugged nonchalantly.
-It’s just a poison spread throughout the 50th floor. Who was it again? Anyway, the floor’s manager had some issues with favoritism, being too friendly with certain hunters. Ended up dying in what they called the 'Midnight Liberation War' or something?
"And then?"
-They died without going peacefully, cursed the world, and that curse turned into this poison.
I blinked.
“Wait, that’s like…”
-Yes, yes. Like that virus spread by a dying Constellation in the Martial Realm. Think of it as an enhanced version of that.
“No.”
I incredulously asked.
"People live here with that kind of poison in the air? And they have for a thousand years? Are they insane?"
-Well, yes, they’re insane, but those who've climbed this high usually have some basic skills, whether it’s aura, magic, skills, or even a Constellation’s blessing. What are you doing, zombie? Use your aura to protect yourself.
As advised, I raised my aura. I enveloped myself in my red aura, especially fortifying my respiratory system. After catching my breath, I looked at the Guardian Spirit.
"What if I don’t defend? What happens?”
-Well…
The Guardian Spirit hesitated, an unusual expression of struggling to find the right words.
-You end up with a very unique appearance and mental state…
“Kieeeeeek!”
-Oh, perfect timing. There’s one over there.
I turned around.
There, a toad-like monster crouched.
"Kioeeeeek!"
The only problem was that none of the toads I knew had roughly thirty-six legs or shark teeth in their mouths.
Another issue was that it seemed to weigh about 2 tons.
"What is that thing?!"
-Well, it was probably a human similar to you. Someone who ate, excreted, and occasionally spouted nonsense, like you. About 20 years ago.
While the Guardian Spirit casually murmured, the 2-ton monster toad leaped. It was clear that the toad was charging at me. I gasped in horror and focused aura on my feet to leap away.
Boom!
The ground shook. It was far too cheerful a boom to chalk up to a mere toad. The ground had cratered as though a small meteor had fallen.
"Damn it."
I drew out my holy sword and used the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven. Swish! My strike, imbued with red aura, sliced the monster toad in half.
Did I kill it?
-Oh.
The Guardian Spirit spoke abruptly.
-Sorry, Kim Zombie. I forgot to warn you. From the 50th floor onwards, it's literally a demonic realm. Acting on common sense here often leads to trouble.
"What are you trying to say?"
Just then, something emerged from the exposed surfaces of the bisected monster toad. They were legs resembling tentacles. Dozens of them shot out in an instant, and the toad rose upright again.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kyoook!"
Now there were two of them.
-Yeah, like that.
"What the hell?"
-If you're scared, keep staring at the Magic Towers. If you look for more than twenty-three seconds, they'll speak to you and ask, ‘Who are you to glare at us?’ Ask for help then, and mages on broomsticks will come rescue you. How about that? Nice, right?
It was not my imagination. The Guardian Spirit had been smirking for a while, and when he smirked, there was a very high chance he was making fun of me.
So.
"…What do they ask for in return for the rescue?"
-Wow, look at you catching on. How did you know? They'll bind you to a soul-sucking contract for twelve years. Since you have an SSS-class skill, you'll monopolize an incredible amount of affection. I'm jealous!
Damn it…
"Hey, y-you over there! Run away!"
A desperate voice came from behind.
"This way! Run this way! Hurry!"
Looking back, three old people in shabby cloaks were beckoning. Their cloaks were dirty like homeless people, but their eyes were mysterious. Their voices were earnest, making me almost head towards them.
-Huhuhu.
However, I couldn't proceed because of the Guardian Spirit's suspicious face. Reflexively, my feet stopped.
Instead of running to the old people, I scattered aura to attack them.
"Over here!"
"Run this way!"
"Hurry!"
The instant my attack landed, something horrifying happened. All at once, something sprang from the ground where the old people had been standing.
It was like a hedgehog... 'something'.
"Hey, y-you over there!"
"Run away!"
"Over here!"
The hedgehog's back wasn't covered in spines but had three old people attached instead.
"Insane…"
In other words, those weren't living old people. They were just a disguise by the monster's shell to lure and prey on people who approached.
-Yeah, but still, Kim Zombie. You're naive but think things through. What kind of place do you think this is? Logically, why would old people help you for no reason? Right?
"Kieeeek!"
"Run this way!"
"Kyooook!"
"Hurry!"
Both monster toads and the monster hedgehog charged at me. The toad's skin wriggled with dozens of tentacles, and the hedgehog's back sang in chorus with the three old people.
Just watching was enough to corrupt one's mind.
"Is this place always like this?!"
-‘Exceptions’ exist, but generally, yes. Welcome to the demonic realm where cosmic horrors dance, fledgling. Now you realize how normal and sensible a hunter I am, right?
"This is not the time to say that...!"
Fortunately or unfortunately.
"---Bow your head, stranger."
The voice of the [exception] mentioned by the Guardian Spirit quickly manifested.
"You'll be cut."
The voice rode the aura directly into my head. It was a transmitted voice. I quickly lowered my head as instructed. At that moment, the sound of wind being split accompanied a chilling strike past my head.
Swish!
Both monster toads were cut in half at once.
Considering the regenerative scene of the monster toad earlier, I shouted in a chilling realization.
"No, if you cut them, they’ll just split and regenerate...!"
I stopped mid-sentence. The monster toads didn't move after being split. In other words, they were dead.
‘What? They only split the first time and die normally afterward?’
-Nope~. They regenerate no matter how many times~.
‘Then why did they die now?’
-Because.
Before the Guardian Spirit could explain, another explained.
"To kill [One Who Dies When Split in Half],"
The owner of the transmitted voice continued.
"you must split it precisely in [half], just as its name says."
Dumbfounded, I looked again, and it was true.
The monster toads were split exactly in half down the middle. Somehow, this exact splitting resulted in their permanent death.
"Next."
The owner of the transmitted voice immediately leveled his sword at the monster hedgehog.
He swung his sword.
Boom!
Each strike exploded with a loud bang.
Despite the horrifying aura infused in the strikes, the monster hedgehog nonchalantly withstood them.
‘It's like Lady Goldencup when she was protected by a blessing...’
The monster hedgehog, unharmed and charging, was continuously struck by the telepathy user.
"Over here,"
Boom!
The left old person's call was buried in the explosion.
"Run away,"
Boom!
The right old person's call was buried in the explosion.
"Hurry,"
Boom!
The middle old person's call was buried in the explosion.
"The true body of the Screamer lies in its scream,"
As the old people's calls were drowned out by the strikes, the hedgehog crumbled down like sand.
"Kill it by burying it in sound."
Both types of monsters were swiftly dealt with.
Profound knowledge of the prey and the overwhelming martial prowess to realize that knowledge.
‘A hunter…’
I stared blankly at that hunter, the telepathy user.
The Guardian Spirit grumbled.
-See, that bastard hasn't aged a bit.
The silver-haired young man I saw in Shiny’s trauma.
"Leafanta Aegim…"
The Constellation Killer.
Leafanta Aegim sheathed his sword and tilted his head.
"Do you know me?"
His eyes, blue like a newly born star, were fixed on me.
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