WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 129: Compatriots (2)

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"What?"

3.

Of course, it wasn't just the Constellations who reacted to Leafanta Aegim's death.

"What? Wait, what… Leafanta Aegim is dead? Really?"

A dazed voice echoed under the ashen sky. It belonged to the leader of the mages who had just fought a decisive battle against Leafanta Aegim, the person known as the Magic Tower Master, who cried out in astonishment.

That voice marked the beginning. Slowly, people began to gather in the wasteland. Hunters who had fled the clash between Leafanta Aegim and the Magic Tower were now approaching one by one.

"It's impossible. Leafanta Aegim is dead?”

"Who is that guy?"

"Who's the Sword Emperor?"

“Fuck. That crazy bastard reincarnated...”

People were astonished, yet they hesitated to approach rashly. Their eyes were filled with caution. Caution against the unknown hunter who suddenly appeared and hunted down Leafanta Aegim.

'It's dangerous. I need to disappear before attracting more attention.'

I steadied my breath, heated from the battle with Leafanta Aegim.

'If they discover my martial prowess is weaker than expected, I won't know when they might attack.'

I hunted Leafanta Aegim by setting a trap. If we had fought with full preparation, I would have been defeated a hundred times. Thankfully, the other hunters didn’t know this… and it was a relief they didn’t.

'I need to hurry.'

I lifted Leafanta Aegim's body onto my back and muttered.

"Transfer."

I envisioned the majestic lobby of the Great Library in my mind. Soon, I would be teleported there with Leafanta Aegim's body. I planned to persuade the 'Holed-Up Head Librarian' according to a certain plan.

"......?"

But nothing happened.

"Transfer."

I muttered again, but the result was the same. The surroundings were still a desolate plain. Blood from Leafanta Aegim's corpse soaked my back with its sticky warmth. Hundreds of hunters stared at me in bewilderment.

"......."

Suddenly, a bad premonition engulfed me.

'The stage clear hasn’t been declared yet!'

Leafanta Aegim was undoubtedly dead. Yet, I hadn’t heard the voice declaring, '[Stage cleared.]'

'Why? What's missing?'

I desperately reviewed what could be lacking. Was killing Leafanta Aegim not enough? Since he wasn’t the owner of the 50th floor, was it not recognized as clearing the floor?

“…Why is that guy just standing there?”

“Wait a minute. My observation skill is showing that his level is B-Rank?”

“B-Rank?

While I desperately pondered, the hunters murmured among themselves. A current rippled through the atmosphere that had been frozen in shock. Their shock gradually became wariness, and that wariness soon curdled into suspicion.

“Stop kidding around.”

“Maybe he has a skill to disguise himself. Leafanta Aegim was estimated to be at least S-Rank, no way he’d die to a B-Rank.”

“Hey! Someone talk to him!”

“Is there any hunter here who was active when the Sword Emperor was alive?”

Sweat dripped down my forehead.

'This isn't good.'

The flow of the air was uneasy. Not just because the hunters seemed to be approaching me. Not just because they were likely higher level than me and thus extremely dangerous.

A sense that I was missing something.
A hunter's intuition.

"......."

Instinctively, I looked to my side.

-.......

Beside me, the Sword Emperor was grinning.

-What are you looking at?

‘Be honest. You know something, don’t you?’

-I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve already given you all the advice I can.

Even as he said this, the Sword Emperor continued to smirk, a hint of mischief at the corners of his mouth. Damn it. I grumbled curses in my mind while quickly recalling the Sword Emperor’s advice.

『"Gong-Ja."』 

『"Don’t see him as human. He is a weapon, moving strictly according to the content he has input."」

A weapon, not human. A battle machine.

'If I were Leafanta Aegim? A man obsessively calculating everything. Wouldn’t he have considered, even the slightest chance of his own death?'

My thoughts accelerated.

'Leafanta Aegim has even met the Sword Emperor.

In the dream of trauma, I saw Leafanta Aegim's face for the first time. The Sword Emperor was with me then. He immediately recognized Leafanta Aegim.

『"Where have I seen that guy before?"』

『That silver haired guy. He looks so familiar. He's definitely the Constellation Killer.』

『"Yes. I wondered from which world such a madman could have emerged. So, he's from Aegim."』

I asked the Sword Emperor what his relationship with that man was. He shrugged and replied.

『"What relationship? We had a proper fight, that's all."』

『”He was strong, but not strong enough to be on par with me."』

So.

'The Sword Emperor had previously defeated Leafanta Aegim.'

Constellation Killer had a history of being defeated by the Sword Emperor.

Then, isn’t it strange?

I felt the Constellation Killer's blood running down my spine and looked at the Sword Emperor.

'You...'

-Yes.

'You wouldn’t have left Leafanta Aegim alive.'

The Sword Emperor.

A mad lunatic, but a man who held a noble attitude only towards the sword and martial arts.

The Sword Emperor killed my master. In a legitimate martial duel, he cut my master down. My master was beautiful and, in proportion to that beauty, kind, yet the Sword Emperor declared, “That is the doctrine of a sinister Demonic Cult,” and struck.

-Hm.

Leafanta Aegim was far too sinister compared to my master.

-Smart bastard.

Having subdued Leafanta Aegim... it’s impossible the Sword Emperor didn't kill him.

-That's why I like you. To be a hunter, you need to be smart. A hunter's qualities are threefold: intelligence to think of ways to win, courage to execute those methods, and the ability to make them successful. Smart, bold, and capable.

There's only one conclusion.

The Sword Emperor had definitely killed Leafanta Aegim once before.

It was simply that Leafanta Aegim had not ended there.

-Leafanta Aegim is a hunter. Just like you, Kim Gong-Ja.

The sky split.

“Strike Enhancement.”

I.

“...I discard a white flower I happened to look down upon on my way here.”

It was thanks to my extreme vigilance that I could avoid that strike. I had enhanced my senses to the maximum with aura, keenly observing the flow of the air. I sensed the blade that tore through all flows.

I stamped the ground.

I abandoned Leafanta Aegim's body. I abandoned my stance, focusing solely on escaping that spot. Lazy Mule Roll, a technique that martial artists would ridicule or at least smirk at, I executed without a shred of shame.

That's why I survived.

Kwaang!

The wasteland shattered. The ground broke apart. The strike from nowhere swept through the crowd gathered to watch me. Unlike me, the hunters weren’t guarding their surroundings. Due to a slight negligence, more than twenty hunters were slaughtered.

It all happened in an instant.

“On my way here, I saw an old man tending a flowerpot.”

Someone stepped forward. Thud. In the wasteland now heavy with screams and groans, his footsteps echoed.

“That flowerpot was small. It was modest. The man’s life had aged and shrunk, now fitting entirely in one flowerpot. I briefly admired the flowerpot holding the old man’s life. I thought, no matter the size, life can be so beautiful if it can be contained somewhere.”

The man had a threadbare hood pulled over his head.

“One strike. Enhance.”

A voice flowed from beneath the hood.

“I forsake the memory of the old man and his flowerpot.”

A whirlwind blew.

[‘The Lonely Seeker’ rejoices.]

[‘The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth’ watches the emergence of new information.]

[‘Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’ abandons the plan to attack you.]

The number of deaths doubled in an instant. Except for the hunters who reacted swiftly, everyone was caught in the strike. A hunter who rashly charged at the hooded figure had their limbs severed, imprinting the difference between courage and recklessness on everyone.

“I heard the murmur of people in an alley.”

The wind lifted the man’s hood, revealing his face.

“It wasn’t clear enough to be called a voice. Too noisy to ignore. Something you can't understand but want to. Perhaps that’s the sign of beauty. I thought the sounds of the alley were beautiful.”

Silver hair.

Blue eyes.

“I deduce. Among them is the one who killed me. The person with the highest probability is... the one who was carrying my corpse.”

An old notebook.

“My death is an event that happened after 153 years, 7 months, and 2 days. The hunter who killed me before, the Sword Emperor, was clearly more skilled than me. Therefore, I added a rule on page 2 that [If I am killed by a stronger opponent, I should flee]. This is a lesson learned after fighting the Sword Emperor three times and losing my life each time.”

The man with silver hair and blue eyes scanned through the old notebook.

“I have made a judgment.”

Then he looked at me.

“You dodged my two strikes. However, a martial artist of the Sword Emperor's caliber would have counterattacked immediately after evading. The Sword Emperor called the realm of his martial arts the ‘Cosmic Sword.’ You lack the ability befitting such a realm.”

The holy sword at my waist trembled.

“It is difficult to surmise how I came to be killed by a martial artist of your caliber.”

The Constellation Killer.

“It means you are intelligent enough to devise a method that I find hard to predict. A hunter more intelligent than me is dangerous. If you acquire more formidable martial power, you might grow to be a hunter comparable to the Sword Emperor.”

A human weapon.

Someone who even anticipated his own death and thus had spare bodies prepared, whether it was through cloning, puppets, or some Constellation's power. Leafanta Aegim was standing there.

『"Do not see him as human."』

『"Leafanta Aegim is a hunter. Just like you, Kim Gong-Ja."』

Like me, who never truly dies no matter how many times I'm killed.

Leafanta Aegim was also a human who prepared for death.

“I judge it necessary to eliminate this dangerous individual immediately.”

The Constellation Killer pulled out a yellow rubber band. Slowly, he tied up his silver hair.

“The battle commences now.”

The world split apart.

-Welcome, Gong-Ja.

The Sword Emperor laughed heartily.

His moth-eaten robe fluttered.

-This is the world beyond the 50th floor!

4.

I drew up my red aura with all my strength.

"Damn it! A puppet! This makes him no different from an actual machine!"

“In the battle with the Sword Emperor, there were no witnesses, except for one Constellation.”

The Constellation Killer looked back and forth between the notebook and me. If only he had merely looked. Even then, strikes flew at me without pause, and I evaded the onslaught with all my strength.

“The Sword Emperor regarded his duel as sacred. He called it a martial contest. But this time, there are far too many witnesses to my death. It’s difficult to eliminate them all.”

-That crazy bastard....

A distant, dazed voice echoed from the sky. It was the Magic Tower Master's voice. Ignoring it, the Constellation Killer continuously calculated his 'action logic.'

“Therefore, I choose to threaten rather than eliminate. Hear this, see this. I announce to those who oppose me and will oppose me in the future: I have artificially acquired immortality. Even if you kill me, I will stand before you again.”

-.......

“And anyone who once kills me, I will definitely kill. If a group participates in my assassination, I will annihilate that entire group.”

Koooom!

I barely dodged the Constellation Killer's strike. The strike I evaded ended up slicing through [Leafanta Aegim's corpse] instead. The corpse was severed at the waist in an instant. Crazy. The Constellation Killer had just cut a body identical to his own.

“My declaration is not merely a threat. To prove it, I will kill you here.”

Yet his face remained expressionless.

As if his own body held no value to him.

“Enhance, one strike.”

The Constellation Killer rushed at me.

“I forsake all the beauty in the world.”

‘Ah.’

I was seized by the illusion that time had stopped.

A single strike tore through the air and the earth, rushing towards me. I looked into Leafanta Aegim's eyes. They were indifferent.

Pure madness.

Eyes that feared no sacrifice or consequence to execute their determined conviction. Yes, the Sword Emperor was right. This man, like me, was a human living as a hunter.

‘It’s me.’

I lamented.

‘Me, without meeting Raviel...'

Staring at the approaching death, I gave up on defense. Neglected it. But it wasn’t a reckless surrender of life.

『"Do not commit suicide without my permission."』

『“Do not die even when death would offer you an easy escape.”』

『"Even if it seems you can't escape death, struggle till the very end."』

Instead of defending, I swung my sword. If I couldn't avoid the inevitable strike, I at least had to land one hit before dying. That was my nature. It was a promise with Raviel.

Swoosh!

My sword intersected with Leafanta Aegim's strike.

My blade managed to tear through the notebook in Leafanta Aegim's left hand.

"......."

I saw Leafanta Aegim's silver eyebrows move slightly.

"------."

And his strike pierced me.

‘I admit it.’

Cough, blood surged up my throat. My vision blurred white. Amidst the boiling sensations throughout my body, I glared at Leafanta Aegim to the very end.

‘You are a monster. Stronger than me. As cautious as me. But you are not the only one who gets another chance, Leafanta Aegim.’

[The 'Holed-Up Head Librarian' sighs.]

‘Kill me. I’ll let you kill me now. Kill and keep killing. Let’s kill and be killed! Let’s contest your hell and my hell. The last one standing will be me. You are wrong!’

[The 'Holed-Up Head Librarian' rejoices and despairs.]

I will defeat you.

[You have died.]

Wait.

[Your current Hunter Rank is B-Rank.]

[Due to the enhanced penalty, the skill activation order changes.]

I will definitely, you.

[Warning.]

[Re-enacting the trauma of your killer.]

[Extracting the necessary data from your memories.]

My whitened vision turned red.

[Penalty depth: High.]

[Animal Realm.]

My consciousness faded.

From a distant world, as if crossing over from beyond death, a melody reached me.

Ding,

Dong,

Dang,

Dong.

.......

It was an oddly familiar sound.

A bell sound I seemed to have heard long ago somewhere.

'Where have I heard it... Ah, where... Where was it?'

I struggled to open my eyes. My eyelids felt as heavy as if laden with lead. My whole body felt numb, pinned down. Only a blurry, unrefined melody, a muffled bell sound, reached me.

Ding, Dong, Dang, Dong….

Then, at some point, another sound began to emerge.

-Attention to all students remaining in school, this announcement is from the Broadcasting Club.

In school?

-Except for those participating in the evening self-study, we ask other students to please go home now. Once again, this is an announcement from the Broadcasting Club.

Going home.

-Recently, there have been cases of students staying in school after the end of the school day. To all students remaining in school who have not signed up for evening self-study, please go home.

Ding, Dong, Dang, Dong.

The bell rang again, interrupting the voice.

"......."

What in the world was this all about?

I struggled to break free from the paralysis. Despite my struggles, it was futile, so I focused all my consciousness to one point. I felt my body twitch. As I tried to move my fingers, thud, something hit my head.

“Senior, wake up! It's time to go home!”

Only then did I move as if released from a binding spell. I gasped for air. Gradually, I felt the contours of my body. My senses returned. First hearing, then sight.

“Ahaha.”

Led by a familiar laugh, I lifted my head.

“Lying down on the desk is bad for your health! Bad for your back, and above all, it prevents you from getting proper sleep. I understand you are studying hard with midterms coming up, but you should go home and sleep!”

The Heretic Inquisitor smiled down at me.

But something was different.

“...Heretic Inquisitor?”

The Heretic Inquisitor was wearing a school uniform.

“What? What do you mean, ‘Heretic Inquisitor’?”

He tilted his head in confusion.

“Who is that?”

“...Could it be Goldencup? Have you possessed the Heretic Inquisitor again?”

“Possession? Oh. Did you have a dream? Ahaha. You read a lot of books, Senior. You must have had an interesting dream!”

"......."

I slowly looked around.

The place where the two of us were... was a library. A library that, compared to the Great Library of Myriad Thoughts, was rather modest. If the Great Library was a grand mansion, this was more like a cramped doghouse.

Looking out the window, I saw a wide schoolyard.

"......."

Like an ordinary school.

‘Sword Emperor.’

I murmured inside, feeling dry-mouthed.

‘We’re in trouble, Sword Emperor. It seems with the increase in level, the penalty has become quite strange. Before, I used to experience trauma like a dream, but now it’s like... Sword Emperor?’

No response came.

I looked around again.

‘Hello?’

Silence.

‘Hey. Sword Emperor.’

Nothing.

"......."

And then I realized.

“Come on, Senior. You should go home now. The Student Council President is probably waiting for you at the school gate! Don’t make your girlfriend angry! I’ll finish tidying up the books, so you go ahead!”

I had entered a new phase.

And a trauma of a completely different dimension was unfolding.

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