SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 140

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 140: Latecomer (2)

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Silence reigned.

"Wh-what..."

There was no one around us. We were near the area of the Forbidden Books as mentioned by the Head Librarian. Only the three of us were present, with no prying eyes upon us. Thus, the Head Librarian's groan resonated more profoundly.

“What a cruel act.”

The Head Librarian covered their mouth with their sleeve.

“King of Death. Do you understand what you are saying? Constellation Killer faced death at that school, right? No, that's an understatement. That world abandoned the Constellation Killer to death. It discarded him! To drop him back into that world to regain Kim Yul's memories, how, how much…”

The Head Librarian failed to finish, not because their voice was swallowed by a groan, but because I released the director's hand and seized their wrist instead. Their sleeve slipped down, revealing their unmasked face.

"How utterly..."

The Head Librarian grinned.

“Cruel, you say…?”

“Yes. It's cruel.”

I looked sternly at the Head Librarian. Their cheeks were already flushed, seemingly engrossed in imagining the stage I proposed.

“But that is your favoritism. Do you know what was truly cruel? The people who lived in the world of [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon]. The common folk who had to become corpses without knowing why because Constellation Killer killed their Constellation. What happened to them was truly cruel.”

“Hmm, well, you have a point there......”

The Head Librarian's eyes narrowed.

“So, you're determined to restore all of Constellation Killer's memories?”

“If it's within my power to do so. Certainly.”

“To make Constellation Killer apologize to the countless victims of [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon]? Do you know how many Constellations he has slaughtered? To those who lived in that world, to those who died, to make him apologize to all of them?”

“Yes. At least to those in the world I have come to shoulder.”

“King of Death…”

The Head Librarian's breath quickened.

“What a beautifully phrased descent into hell...”

The Constellation seemed like they were following the etiquette of a demon heralding doom.

“Bias is natural. Ah, I know of a human who chose a similar path. It's endlessly tragic. That person... No. Revealing this would violate our agreement.”

“I'm sorry to interrupt your storytelling, but.”

I let go of their wrist and spoke softly.

“Just open the book.”

The Head Librarian chuckled.

“Gladly.”

They opened [Story of the City of Ascension].

“The trauma you dreamed of is merely an illusory world, artificially created and temporarily maintained. Even if you change its ending, it cannot become part of official history. Strictly speaking, it is a side story. Frankly, even I have never sampled a delicacy like this, so I do not know how the stage will be processed.”

Black smoke began to rise from the book.

Yes, it was black smoke.

Until now, white light had seeped out whenever an Apocalypse was opened. This time it was different. The smoke, black and ominous, writhing like the tentacles of the void that had swallowed the nightmare, rose up.

“Eh? What?”

The Head Librarian seemed surprised. They seemed to have realized something.

“This is the shadow of Zuraqua's demigod... Ah, of course. Of course! Even with a golden contract, I thought manifesting an entire world through trauma was excessive authority, but of course! A truly exalted personage intervened personally. To favor the King of Death this much... Many people will be seized by jealousy.”

Someone favored me?

Who?

[The ‘Holed-Up Head Librarian’ attempts negotiation.]

While I pondered, the Head Librarian muttered as if talking to someone.

“Hmm. In that case, it will be... difficult for me to watch this conquest voyeuristically. That world has already become its master's domain. Goodness. Then at least leave a record in the Apocalypse once the conquest is over.”

Black smoke writhed.

“Good! You understand well. Our lovely jester...”

The Head Librarian grinned.

Like petting a beloved animal, they stroked the black smoke.

“King of Death. Constellation Killer. The King of Death's caretaker. I designate these three as new characters in [Story of the City of Ascension: Side Story]. When you open your eyes, you will be in that world before the [Side Story] suffered its unfortunate cancellation. But take care. Especially you, King of Death.”

The Head Librarian twined their long fingers around the black mist.

“You've caught the attention of someone high above.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Tower remembers everything. I just read the book to peek into your past, but the Tower truly remembers you. Naturally, it remembers you bypassed the 50th floor using a loophole.”

“You violated the Tower's strict rules, so you must receive some penalty. The Tower is asking you. Do you really, truly trust your nurturer and Constellation Killer?”

The mist was writhing around the Head Librarian's fingers.

“Do you believe your nurturer won't crumble under the weight of guilt? Constellation Killer might be consumed by vengeance, unable to forgive even your nurturer. Nobody might be forgiven or able to forgive. Do you really think those two,”

The Head Librarian glanced at Constellation Killer and the director.

“Can reach a different ending than the original history?”

A daunting question.

But the answer was already set.

『I'm sorry. Class president.』

I remember Kim Yul and the class president.

『I didn't mean to hurt someone like you.』

The Kim Yul I saw was a remarkably strong person.

Even in the Hell of Animal Realm, he cared for the children in the barn.

『There was someone. I thought there wasn't a single one.』

Stronger than the Constellation Killer, who had slain numerous Constellations.

『I'm glad there's at least one person I can forgive.』

Kim Yul, having met the class president, was stronger as a human being. Unbelievably strong.

The director too. He survived even in a world without Kim Yul.

“Yes."

Both just despaired because they met too late.

I believe in the breaths and voices they shared on the rooftop that day.

It was the truth.

Not all illusions are mere fantasies.

“I trust those two.”

The Head Librarian smiled.

“Poor creatures.”

The mist around their fingers dissolved. Swirling! The mist spread rapidly, engulfing Constellation Killer, the director, and me.

“Then prove it.”

The Head Librarian's smiling face was the last thing I saw before the world darkened.

“But the one who proves it won't be you.”

The world was engulfed in darkness.

[You have been subjected to a high-level penalty.]

[You are placed in the world a year earlier than other participants.]

[From the starting point, you are strongly immersed in the character.]

A voice echoed.

[Your immersion rate is currently 95%.]

The nightmare began.

'Penalty.'

The moment I opened my eyes.

'A whopping 95% immersion rate.'

I sprang into action.

'There's no time to hesitate. None. The immersion rate will hit 100% soon. I must complete all preparations before that.'

It's easy to resent the cruel penalty, to be angry about being dropped a year early.

But what does that change?

I can't waste precious time on resentment or anger.

‘In the end, I'm forcibly placing the past Constellation Killer discarded back into his hands. So I must be prepared to have unwanted memories implanted in me as well.’

Even if those memories belong to a nauseating perpetrator.

‘Simply returning Kim Yul's past to Constellation Killer isn't enough. I have to make Kim Yul feel that he wants to live again. The director will do everything possible, but...’

I made a cold judgement.

‘The director alone won't be enough. Right. Unlike in the future, at this point the director is still only an ordinary high school student. There is far too little that one high school student can do.’

Before I'm completely devoured by the perpetrator's ego.

‘Revenge.’

Do what can be done.

‘Let the director and Kim Yul get revenge on those despicable creatures.’

I took action.

[Your immersion rate is currently 95%.]

When I witnessed the end of the previous trauma.

I regretted being too late.

Lamented.

I could have done better, but didn't.

Perhaps I panicked too much. Even though I possessed the perpetrator, I missed what could be done as a perpetrator, what could only be done because I was the perpetrator.

‘Create evidence of violence.’

That's what [only I can do].

I created evidence.

"Everyone, attention."

In the classroom.

“Bow to the teacher.”

It seemed the director was the class president even in his first year. Is the role of the president usually held by the same student? Instead of the Black Dragon Master’s face, the young face of the director was there.

‘Only a year left.’

Unlike me, the director had not yet been possessed.

‘Kim Yul too.’

Kim Yul had been in the same class since the first year. Like before, Kim Yul was exiled to the back row near the window. What should have been the best seat became a kind of forbidden zone, chosen for its convenience to secretly bully.

Thump.

When the teacher turned their back to the blackboard, students tightly rolled eraser dust into balls. Into these balls, they inserted finely chopped pencil leads, resembling a curled-up hedgehog. The students stealthily threw these sharp pencil lead balls at Kim Yul.

“Pfft.”

“Kek…”

Each time Kim Yul was hit, he flinched slightly. He tried to ignore it, but his nape reddened from the pencil lead stings. The young brutes had various ways of enjoying their malice.

‘One year.’

I endured.

‘This is decades ago.’

Society was in even worse shape than when I was young. Far worse.

‘To prove violence, evidence is needed. If it's a one-time act, the punishment is light. It needs to be proven as a long-term, hidden, intentional, and utterly malicious act.’

The only way to beat the brutes is to become just as beastly.

“Hey, you guys. Look here.”

"Huh?"

Click!

I took photos of the scenes of violence. It was a time when the quality of phone photos was terribly poor. I bought a digital camera to take photos and a camcorder to record videos.

“Uh, senior.”

One of my juniors from middle school looked worried.

In the previous trauma, they had been possessed by the Moon Shadow Demon, one of the Four Demon Lords.

“Is it okay to film this?”

“Don't worry. I'll just show it to a few people and delete it. Hey, let's do some introductions for fun.”

“Me? Oh, my name is......”

I recorded every single day.

There was no end to the misconduct committed by me and the people around me. Smoking was child's play. I did not limit myself to Kim Yul, but frequently targeted other students and even took pleasure in tormenting a middle schooler.

‘Madmen.’

Is this normal?

Does this happen in other schools?

If so, in every elementary, junior high, and high school in this land, why does no one intervene? Why does everyone stay silent?

How can they stay silent?

"......."

Kim Yul lay on the ground and looked toward me. Behind the school, my gang and I had descended on him while he tended the rabbits and chickens in the animal enclosure. We mocked his care for the animals as [something hopelessly uncool].

“It stinks where he is. Smells like dung.”

“Why are you raising chickens? For eggs? Should I buy you some?”

"......."

Kim Yul didn’t reply.

He simply stared at me as I recorded him with the camcorder.

Kim Yul’s dark eyes reflected in the small camcorder screen.

[Your immersion rate is currently 95%.]

One day.

[Your immersion rate is currently 96%.]

Another day.

[Your immersion rate is currently 97%.]

Hellish records accumulated.

‘It’s dangerous now.’

I felt the limit after 11 months.

‘Any time now, the immersion rate could reach 99%.’

My mind was already a mess.

At some point, I stopped feeling anger or guilt when filming Kim Yul being beaten. Only a sly smirk and spontaneous pleasure remained.

‘My role ends here.’

I lifted a cardboard box.

103 audio recordings.

311 videos.

30,790 photos.

Text messages on mine and Kim Yul's phones. Two phones.

Every recording, video, and photograph documented the exact date and place. It was a record of time that no one could deny. There was not even a needlepoint's worth of room for lies such as [I repent my past wrongdoing] or [There was no malicious intent].

‘Director.’

I set the box down in front of the director's family home. When the director was young, the family lived in a low-rise apartment building. I rang the doorbell and hid.

The director came out.

"......Huh?"

The young director, not yet possessed, looked around, puzzled.

“Who's there? Who…”

The director stopped short upon seeing the box.

On top of the box, I had attached a printed A4 paper.

Sending you all the evidence.

It’s up to you how to use it.

If you decide to act, please start after 30 days.

"......."

The director had been cautious even as a child. Rather than immediately carrying the box inside, he fetched a utility knife, cut through its seal, and slowly examined the contents.

"......."

The director's face hardened.

The director looked around once more.

And cautiously, quietly, took the box inside.

Thud.

The door closed.

‘Ah.’

I finally relaxed.

‘I endured.’

The first time I could breathe easy since falling into this world.

‘It's done. I made it. I survived. I did it.’

On my way home.

I looked up at the dark night sky.

‘I've finished everything I can do. Could I have done something else? Was there a better way? Will the days ahead truly be worth more than the violence I could have prevented during the past eleven months?’

[Your immersion rate is currently 98%.]

‘I don’t know.’

I lay in bed.

‘But I didn't give up just because I didn't know. Right. This must be right. If anyone can change the ending of this world, if anyone should, it's Kim Yul. It’s the director. I'll leave everything to them. It's not my role...'

I…

[Your immersion rate is currently 99%.]

Clasped my hands.

‘The wicked just disappear.’

As if praying.

‘In this world, my role is merely to wait.’

I closed my eyes.

‘I'll wait. Kim Yul. Director. Please.’

ㆍ

[Your immersion rate is currently 100%.]

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