SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 154

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 154: Surging to the Top (3)

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Naturally, I was the only one eyeing the Earth Spirit Tribe, the goblins. My other companions reacted in all sorts of ways as they browsed the list.

"The pinnacle of all races is surely the dragon. This race marked as 'Dragonkin' must be the most superior."

"Look at the illustration. They just look like wyverns. Can they even speak?"

"There are so many intelligent races..."

"Oh, indeed. Oh ho."

The Countess was fervently searching through the list, reminiscent of someone determined to pick the freshest apple at an open market. On the other hand, the Black Dragon Master slightly frowned in distaste, while the Heretic Inquisitor's eyes sparkled.

"Princess! I have a question!"

"Ah, I like students who ask questions. It gives me a chance to show off for free. Go ahead, Heretic. I’ll gladly let you assist in my bragging."

"Are we choosing only one race for our tower?"

"Good question."

The Princess buried her face in her pillow, chuckling.

"It's your choice."

"Our choice, you say?"

"Now, I'm going to give a gift to the top seven in the ranking."

Swoosh.

A hologram window appeared in front of us.

[The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages sponsors startup funds.]

[You have received 700 race points!]

[Your total race points are now 700.]

It was a reward I had never received before regression.

As the Princess said, this privilege was given only to the top seven rankers. In my past life, where I was nameless, such a thing was beyond my wildest dreams.

"Now, as the first in ranking, our Swordy boy must choose!"

Technically, it wasn't given to us yet, but we could potentially receive this bonus.

"From the 31st to the 40th floors, a total of ten calamities will strike you. Each one is a terrifying disaster! Your primary goal is to survive these and lead your civilization to prosperity. Now, Swordy, will you put all your points in one race or distribute them?"

"Put all my points?"

Unfamiliar with the term, the Sword Saint, our Tower's number-one ranker, furrowed his brow.

"What does that mean?"

"It's literal. You can choose one race and put all 700 points into it. Or, each of the top seven rankers can pick one race, starting with 100 points each."

The Princess grinned broadly.

"Putting all 700 points in one race obviously has its benefits. You can get a head start. But the risk is also greater. If that race goes extinct, you all go down with it. On the other hand-"

"If we each choose a race, the risk is distributed. Even if one race goes extinct, the others can still survive."

"Right! You catch on quickly."

"......."

The Sword Saint stroked his chin, his eyes becoming more contemplative.

In the past, the Flame Emperor, the former number one ranker, didn't hesitate and chose 'all in.' He manipulated the elf race as he pleased, disregarding the opinions of other rankers and guild leaders.

But the Sword Saint was different.

"......Evolution is an art of diversity and chance."

The Sword Saint was a learned elder.

"The environmental changes a single race has to endure are infinite. To survive in a cruel world, diversity of species must be ensured first. I don't know how significant these 700 points are, but it's hard to see them equaling the value of seven races."

"Ah."

"We choose 'distribution,' Princess."

The Princess looked at us amusedly.

"Really? If you choose seven races, they will compete against each other. Someone might even stab another in the back."

"Conflict is also a form of competition."

The Sword Saint spoke calmly.

"Those without rivals are usually eliminated."

The old man glanced at me briefly. Without a word, the gaze conveyed his intention. Recalling our recent sword fight, I nodded.

"Hmm."

The Sword Saint nodded as well.

"I'll say it again. Our tower chooses distribution."

"Great!"

[The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages welcomes your choice.]

"Now, from the first to the seventh in ranking, choose the race you'll rule! Oh, and guys, remember, no duplicates. If someone else has already chosen a race, the next person can't select it."

The Princess sat down in the cafe chair. Hamusutra had already served her a coffee. Sipping a smoothie loaded with chocolate chips, she winked at us.

"Take about 120 years to think about it if you want! There's no time limit on choosing your race."

Of course, there was no need for such lengthy deliberation.

The Sword Saint, the number-one ranker, was the first to choose a race.

"I choose the Conformist Humans."

Ah..."

Disappointed sighs sounded here and there. The Conformist Humans, 順人種, were humans much like us. They might not have had any exceptional traits, but that only made them more familiar. Apparently, quite a few Hunters had secretly been eyeing them.

"Well, a safe choice. What will you choose, King of Death?"

The Princess turned to me.

The eyes of my comrades also converged on me.

Everyone was curious about my choice.

-Just choose zombies instead. Huh? Zombies would be better.

The Guardian Spirit clutched his head in despair.

-Or elves. They're potent. Good-looking, long-lived, and high in magic. Let's go with elves, huh?

I spoke solemnly.

"I'll choose the Earth Spirit Tribe."

-Ahhhh! Insane! Lunatic! Insane lunatic!!

The Guardian Spirit rolled around in midair.

Below him, my fellow hunters displayed a collective '?' on their faces.

"The Earth Spirit Tribe?"

The Black Dragon Master asked on behalf of everyone.

"What is that?"

"It's number 103 on the list."

"Oh. 103? That means..."

My comrades each scrolled through their lists. After a long scroll,

"......"

Silence fell.

"Uh...?"

The Black Dragon Master rubbed her eyes.

Did she see or hear something wrong?

But it's okay. We are of one mind. What I see, she also sees, and what she sees, I too am seeing.

[Earth Spirit Tribe]

Extinction Grade: A (High Danger)

Maxim: 'Keruk! Goruk!'

Description: A race with all abilities in the lower tier. In other words, an inferior race. Their intelligence is less than that of the Pure Humans, their combat power falls short of the Ghost Tribe, and their magic is weaker than the Vampiric Race. Amazing! No matter which aspect you consider, there's always a superior counterpart to the Earth Spirit Tribe!

No race finds the Earth Spirit Tribe beautiful. A race devoid of beauty, that is the Earth Spirit Tribe. From the Conformist Humans to the Earth Spirit Tribe themselves, every race considers the Earth Spirit Tribe ugly.

So ugly!

This is a bit too much!

Traits: [Victim of Racial Discrimination], [Kinship], [Top-Tier Greed]

Evolution: Unknown. Two evolutions exist. 10,000 racial points are needed for the next evolution.

Alias: Goblin, etc.

An illustration stood alone next to the description.

A creature, unmistakably a goblin, was depicted.

"Uh, uh...."

The Black Dragon Master stumbled over her words.

"King of Death?"

"Yes."

"That's a goblin, right? It says so in the alias."

"Yes, it's a goblin."

"......Are you insane?"

"Huh."

I smiled in triumph. The Black Dragon Master stared at me as though I were insane. So did every one of my other companions, but ah, how could little sparrows understand the will of a great roc?

"Everyone."

I clasped my hands in prayer like a solitary saint.

"Goblins, the Earth Spirit Tribe, are the greatest race in this world."

The Black Dragon Master's gaze turned slightly pitiful.

"King of Death... you poor thing... I'm sorry. You've been too busy lately, right? I'll be more considerate from now on. Let's cancel all the interviews scheduled for this month."

"Please listen to me devoutly, everyone."

I preached about the greatness of goblins.

"Look at the description. It says, 'In any field you choose, you can find a superior counterpart to the Earth Spirit Tribe.' Right?"

"Uh-huh."

"In other words, they can exhibit inferior abilities in any field. Whether it's intelligence, magic power, or combat, they might not be the best, but they can be the next best or at least the least worst."

"Uh..."

My fellow hunters looked confused.

'He’s interpreting it that way?'

"Above all, they're pitiful. Look, every race considers goblins ugly. Even the description mocks them. I... feel a kinship with them..."

I gave a sorrowful smile.

"They're persecuted and ignored, thus exiled. Doesn't it remind you of us in our tower?"

"......"

"Yes. Goblins are in fact a reflection of ourselves. What's truly ugly is not the goblins, but our hearts that scorn them... Ah, everyone. I am saddened. We all have a 'goblin heart' within us..."

My comrades' faces were baffled.

'Has he finally lost his mind?'

I firmly continued my speech.

"Goblins will rise."

"......"

"They will surely rise."

"............."

"Trust me, I'm a prophet. Don't you believe me?"

"Alright, alright. Have it your way."

Overwhelmed by my unwavering determination, the Black Dragon Master gave in. She seemed to want to avoid me as much as possible, but that must be my imagination. Our friendship is solid. Right.

"Ahahaha!"

The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages was rolling with laughter.

"Alright. The King of Death chooses goblins, right?"

"Yes. My heart is clear and free of doubt."

"Ah, as expected. This is why I... No, no. It's nothing. Let's continue."

The racial selection for the top seven rankers was completed.

The races chosen by each were as follows:

1st Place, Sword Saint: Conformist Humans.

- Alias: Human.

2nd Place, King of Death: Earth Spirit Tribe.

- Alias: Goblin.

3rd Place, Black Dragon Master: Vampiric Tribe.

- Alias: Vampire.

4th Place, Heretic Inquisitor: Mountain Snail Tribe.

- Representative alias: Slug.

5th Place, Countess: Fairy Tribe.

- Alias: Elf.

6th Place, Viper: Ghost Tribe.

- Alias: Dokkaebi.

7th Place, Paladin: Gill-Fin Tribe.

- Alias: Mermaid.

The Paladin had spent some time in ninth place, but over the past two months she had surged upward and settled into seventh. She had worked hard during the dismantling of the African warlord faction. Thanks to that, she could participate in this stage.

"Alright. Everyone’s done. Now each person will get 100 points."

[The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages distributes the grant.]

[You have received 100 race points!]

[Your total race points are now 100.]

The Princess put down her glass on the café table.

"Shall we start lightly with the 31st floor?"

Fwoosh!

At the exact moment the glass touched the table, we were enveloped in light. A moment passed.

When we opened our eyes, we were above a primeval forest.

"Here...?"

"This is the world where the races you chose live in peace. Look below."

Looking down, we saw tiny creatures scurrying about in the forest. Each race had formed its own tribe, living in a primitive state.

"Oh ho! The Mountain Snail Tribe lives in the swamp!"

"Fascinating... The Vampiric Tribe lives in caves."

We observed the races as if visiting a museum.

It was as if we had gained a third-person omniscient perspective.

We zoomed in and out as we wished, even going down among the primitives. They didn't notice us at all.

-Keruk...

-Keruk, ker.

The Earth Spirit Tribe were busily butchering a creature resembling a giant centipede with stone knives. When they roasted the centipede's legs over the fire, surprisingly, it smelled like chicken.

-Keruk!

Young goblins were eagerly devouring the centipede meat.

'Centipede chicken?'

Could it be that in this world, giant centipedes are the source of chicken meat? Then, each leg could taste like a chicken drumstick. Catching one centipede would yield dozens of drumsticks.

Wow, isn't that amazing? Could this world be a paradise?

"Goblins look quite cute from this perspective."

-Are you insane? Well, you've always been...

The Guardian Spirit clicked his tongue in disbelief.

The small primitive communities had us captivated.

Rumble, rumble...

Unfortunately, the peaceful times were brief.

A towering mountain in the midst of the forest began to shake. It was a volcano. The primitives below couldn't see it, but with our third-person view, we could clearly see the lava bubbling up.

"Hmm?"

"Uh-oh."

My comrades were startled.

"This looks... a bit dangerous."

The volcano would erupt before long. For some reason, we knew that intuitively. Lava would mercilessly engulf the primeval forest, and naturally, the races living there would be annihilated.

If nothing was done, all seven races we were guiding would face extinction.

"Then, let's start with the first quest of the 31st floor!"

The Princess announced.

"This is the Great Primeval Forest, where many races coexist. But as you can see, the volcano will soon erupt and destroy everything!"

A hologram appeared before us.

[The 31st floor quest has been given.]

Text quickly formed.

[End of the Golden Age]

Difficulty: E

Mission Objective: The Golden Age of all races has come to an end. A volcano is about to erupt in this land where numerous races have built their homes. There's no time. You must guide your protected race to a 'safe area'!

*However, failure to guide them will result in the extinction of your race.

Boom!

Almost simultaneously with the quest's announcement, the first explosion from the volcano echoed. Lava spewed, shaking the rocks. Huge boulders teetered as if they would tumble down any moment.

"Uh."

The Black Dragon Master hastily said,

"Wait. They can't see or hear us. How are we supposed to lead them to safety? Communication itself is impossible!"

"Indeed."

The Princess smiled mischievously.

Behind her smile, Boom! Rocks shot into the air. They fell in the middle of the forest.

-Kirrr!

-Kek! Kek!

The primitive tribes finally sensed something was wrong. Some quickly climbed trees to look at the volcano, which was spewing lava.

"But you are their guardian constellations. From now on, it's up to you to handle it!"

The 31st floor had begun.

Goblins were in a state of confusion.