SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 13

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 13: Do you have skills, too? (1)

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-GRROOOAAAR!

The orc bellowed.

Perhaps it had not roared at all, but merely growled for a moment. To me, however, it sounded like a prolonged howl. A full fifty seconds! The orc's cry continued ringing in my ears for nearly a minute.

"Cr-, ugh...!"

I felt a splitting headache.

-Concentrate.

In the endlessly slowed time, the Sword Emperor urged me.

-Don't get scared of trash mobs like orcs! Orcs are stupidly strong, but their attack patterns are simple. If you know where an attack is coming from, you can easily dodge and counter it. They're fucking easy.

"That's... easier said than... done!"

-Here it comes.

WHOOM!

The orc swung its club. No, it was swinging it, slowly but surely targeting my head. I had to move, or my skull would be smashed in less than 20 seconds.

"F-Fuck!"

I attempted to jump aside with all my might, but my body didn't respond as expected.

'So slow!'

Just one step would have been enough to dodge the orc's strike, but that single step felt excruciatingly slow. It was frustrating. I knew where the attack was coming and that it was avoidable!

-You can dodge it. Don't give up.

The Sword Emperor spoke softly.

-Concentrate Aura in your feet. Strengthen your legs! Imagine sending the flow pooled in your heart into your right foot. Hurry!

Damn it.

'A ghost who's only good with words!'

It was my first time feeling Aura. How could I focus it on my legs? It sounded so simple.

But I had no other choice. I had to try somehow. Even if I had no fear of death, I did not want an orc's club to burst my head open!

'Move!'

The flow in my heart was thinner than blood and somehow felt cool and clean. Was it like a clear stream? I focused on that cool sensation and tried to send it toward my right leg.

A twitch.

There was some success as the Aura stirred in my heart, but...

-It's hard, isn't it?

It was challenging.

-You don't have any pathways for Aura inside your body yet. The roads haven't been opened! To use an analogy, your body is a narrow trail deep in the mountains. You need to open it up until it is as broad as a highway before anyone will say you know how to use Aura.

"Gr-, ugh...!"

Despite the Sword Emperor's rambling, I kept focusing on my right leg. If the heart was a clogged faucet, then my right leg was a cup placed beneath it. Drip by drip, Aura trickled down, but it was far from enough.

'Frustrating as it was, the Sword Emperor was right.'

A trail so untrodden that weeds had overgrown it.

A fitting description for my current state.

That was why I wondered.

If I could rise above this level.

If I could escape it.

"What... would happen?"

-Heh.

The Sword Emperor chuckled.

-Remember how you were killed by the Sword Saint? Without being able to do anything?

Yes, I remembered that scene under the crescent moon.

His words sank into my mind.

-That was like a clean, lined avenue.

"..."

A lined avenue.

Such a beautiful strike was just an avenue.

-The Sword Saint still has a long way to go. And you're not even worth mentioning. Zombie, I'm not harassing you for fun, it's because you deserve it. Chuckle.

Crack.

I clenched my teeth.

-Hmm?

Determination surged within me.

"Huff...!"

I ducked my upper body down.

WHOOOSH!

The orc's club passed through the air above my waist. It was close. I had barely dodged its second attack after the first.

"What..."

Before I could relax from dodging the first attack.

"happens...?"

The orc snorted in frustration. Probably irritated that a seemingly weak prey dodged its attack. It immediately raised its club again.

-GRRRR!

This time, a horizontal swipe aimed to slice my waist.

There was no time to rest.

I focused Aura on my upper body.

-What? How's that going?

"If the trail... opens up... like a highway...!"

It was still hard. The heart's faucet remained clogged. No sign of a free-flowing stream. Despite my thirst, the Aura dripped only a drop at a time.

'Frustrating, but his words ring true.'

A secluded trail.

A fitting analogy for my current state.

So, I wondered.

What if I could break free from this level?

"How does it... work!"

-Hmm.

But I wasn't about to let the third attack come.

-Ah?

I gathered strength in my knees.

-What's this?

And concentrated Aura on my feet, not just gathering it, but trying to coil it like a spring. 5 seconds... 3 seconds... 1 second... It was clumsy, but when I felt enough Aura had gathered, I leaped with all my might.

I raised my sword.

Aiming for the orc's throat!

-GROO?

The monster looked down at me in confusion. Its eyes reflected both me and the sword point I thrust forward. My sword grew larger in its pupils. In the next instant, the blade pierced its throat, and its face twisted in pain.

-GRAAAA!

A scream echoed across the hunting ground in the evening sky.

When I thought it was over.

-Don't let your guard down to the end!

The Sword Emperor shouted.

-Orc flesh is thick! Concentrate Aura at the tip of your sword! No, that may be too difficult. Just pour it in as if you're hammering it through!

I did exactly that.

-GRAAAAA!

The orc's screams intensified. I wrung every last drop of Aura from my heart, pouring it all into the sword. With each drop of Aura, the monster's agony deepened.

-GRO, GA... GRRR...!

Blood sprayed. The orc's blood moved slowly, as if in slow motion, and washed over my face. I did not dodge it. I did not even blink. Instead, I struggled to force one more drop of Aura into the blade.

"Die, now...!"

In a brief moment, I felt my sword pierce through the orc's neck to the other side.

-GRROOOOO... R...

The orc staggered.

Even its staggering seemed prolonged. Gradually, the orc fell backwards. THUD! Since I didn't let go of my sword's hilt, I fell along with the collapsing monster.

"Hu-...uck, ugh! Huhuk...!"

I gazed down at the orc's corpse, struggling to breathe.

The struggle wasn't just with my breath.

Throb. A beat late, excruciating pain swept through my entire body. My vision spun. Without exaggeration, it truly felt as though all four of my limbs were being torn apart.

"Ugh...!?"

-Does it hurt? It does, doesn't it? Of course. It must hurt like fucking hell.

The Sword Emperor hovered around me, snickering.

-You recklessly used Aura without proper pathways. Your frail body couldn't endure it! Serves you right.

"You... evil...!"

-But, you did well at the end, coiling Aura like a spring. That deserves praise. Always remember, creativity is key in using Aura. People often misunderstand, but those with sharp minds are better in combat.

I wasn't interested in that right now.

"Hi-, huk...! Kuhuk...!"

This pain!

A torment as if my bones were crushed and veins burst. How could I alleviate this agony? Normally, pain fades over time, but with the time dilation from the Elixir, there was no relief. It just hurt, continuously.

I felt like I was dying.

-Does it feel like dying?

"You wouldn't... know..."

-Then, just die. It'll be fine.

What?

-If you forcibly open Aura pathways, you become half-paralyzed. No potion can cure that. It's a permanent scar. So, you basically crippled yourself fighting that orc.

"What... are... you..."

-Didn't I tell you, Zombie? If you didn't have the Return skill, I wouldn't have suggested such a harsh training method. Even the Sword Saint takes elixirs, but he just meditates. He doesn't recklessly charge at monsters like you.

This damn ghost!

-But you can return from death. It's amazing! Even if you train aggressively, you remain unscathed. I'm envious. How great it would have been if I had a Return skill too!

Wow.

How can someone be so irritating?

Could he have a passive skill like [Snarkiness] or [No Manners]? Otherwise, there was no explaining why his personality was such utter garbage.

-Zombie. But if you commit suicide, your kill count increases.

"So what... about it...?"

-It's unnecessary to increase the kill count here. It's dangerous to attract the Sword Saint's attention.

KUOONG.

An ominous sound echoed from behind. A sound I'd heard recently. Turning around, my bad premonition was confirmed. Another orc, identical to the one I'd just felled, stood drooling.

"Dam... n it..."

The monster looked the same, but my condition was far from it. As the Sword Emperor pointed out, I was practically paralyzed. My entire body was in agony, unable to move a finger.

-It's fine! There are more than enough hunters who never master Aura in their entire lives, but you took an elixir and got the hang of it on your first try. At this rate, a hundred deaths should be enough. A journey of a thousand ri begins with one step, and a hundred deaths begin with one death.

The Sword Emperor grinned.

-You can do it, Zombie! Now, let's start with death number one!

Simultaneously, the orc's club began descending. Slowly. Precisely targeting my skull.

I looked up at the club nearing my face and muttered.

"Oh... for... fuck's... sake..."

WHACK!

Ever felt your nose break, skull shatter, and brain explode?

Probably not. Be glad you haven't. It feels like absolute shit.

But at least there was some solace. As my brain burst, a voice echoed.

[You have died.]

Time returned to normal.

Or more accurately, my sense of time returned.

'Sigh...'

A pitch-black space.

A brief stopover after death and before returning.

I'd grown somewhat accustomed to this place... though I wished I hadn't.

And there, floating idly, was someone I didn't want to be familiar with.

-Huh?

It was the Sword Emperor.

-What's this now?

'...This is where I stay briefly after dying, before I return. When the Flame Emperor and the Sword Saint killed me, I chose skill cards here. For now, I'm calling it the Netherworld.'

-So fascinating.

The Sword Emperor gazed around the dark expanse.

-But, Zombie. Why am I here too?

'How would I know? Probably because you're possessing me.'

I sighed.

"Just wait, and soon a voice will announce the return to 24 hours ago. By the way, I'm curious if you'll return with me or not..."

Just as I was about to express my curiosity, an announcement interrupted.

[The condition for your skill has been fulfilled by your death.]

[Randomly copying a skill from the monster orc.]

"...What?"

-What?

Both the Sword Emperor and I were startled. We turned to look at each other, both wearing faces of disbelief.