SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 155

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 155: Becoming God (1)

──────

The volcano painted the world red.

Rumble, rumble, rumble-

Lava engulfed the mountaintop, uncontrollable like overflowing soda. The lush greenery covering the slopes and peaks was instantly set ablaze.

Screams echoed from numerous races.

"I'm just here to assist you."

The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages yawned against the backdrop of the disaster.

"You are different. You are the Guardian Constellations caring for these children. You chose to open the next stage and selected a race to nurture. Please, make an effort."

"But even if you ask me to try... This is troublesome."

The Paladin frowned, alternating her gaze between the volcano and the primitives. Impatience was evident on her face.

"There's no way to intervene. We can't communicate, be seen, or heard. How can we possibly evacuate these children?"

Our Tower's Vigilante Corps Vice-Captain is inherently good. She would want to help these unfamiliar races.

The other colleagues were similarly restless. Most of them couldn't stand still as lava continued to ravage the primeval forest.

"Hmm."

I stepped in.

"Princess, before starting the stage, you distributed something called [Race Points] to us."

"And?"

"You wouldn't have given them to us without a reason. There must be a purpose for these points."

I spoke calmly.

"As our helper, please tell us what we can do with these [Race Points]. Preferably quickly and intuitively."

"......."

The Princess grinned. Her eyes seemed to say, 'You're correct.' My companions' eyes widened, realizing the validity of my point.

"Aha... Perhaps it's a system to purchase certain items or skills?"

"We'll also use points! Please show us the services available with points!"

"Ha."

The Princess shrugged her shoulders.

"This is why having a quick-witted warrior makes a difference in clearing a stage, right? Well, the King of Death is correct. This certainly falls under the helper's duties."

Swoosh!

A notification window appeared, displaying a hologram before us.

[Welcome to the Civilization Store.]

The hologram contained an extensive list of products.

[Oracle Message] - 20p

[Animal Possession] - 40p

[Appearance in Dreams] - 100p

[Hunting Prey Tracking] - 5p

[Bronze-rank Settlement Search] - 80p

[Tribal-rank General (Lottery)] - 100P

[Bronze-rank Technology Invention (Lottery)] - 1,000P

ㆍ

'Okay.'

Now the real challenge begins.

I had been referencing the 'strategy guide' Flame Emperor had gone through in the past. He often bragged in interviews about how he conquered stages, and those collections served as a sort of strategy guide.

I remember this strategy guide quite well.

'But that doesn't mean I know every specific tactic.'

I knew about the existence of the [Civilization Store].

However, I didn't know which products would help us overcome the current crisis. I had to figure it out myself, using my own intellect.

'How can I surely guide the goblins to safety? Maybe I should buy [Oracle Message] to attempt communication?'

I pondered.

Just then, the Paladin spoke urgently.

"I have a question. Does [Oracle Message] directly deliver a message to a race?"

Interestingly, the Paladin had her eye on the same item as I did. The Princess nodded, as if she had expected this.

"Yes, that's right."

"In what way is the message delivered?"

"It's a method you're already familiar with. It's similar to how Constellations communicate with you."

The Princess twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

[The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages demonstrates an example for you.]

A voice echoed in my head. It was an audio message.

"You've experienced it several times already, haven't you?"

"I told you. You're experiencing what it's like to be Constellations. Oh, and remember, [Oracle Message] is a one-time use product. Even if you purchase it, you can only send it once, so be careful! The recipient of the message is also limited to one person! If you want to send more, you'll have to purchase again."

The Paladin nodded in understanding.

"I see. I'll purchase one [Oracle Message]."

The Princess smiled ominously.

"Sure. But remember, there are absolutely no refunds, no matter what happens."

I sensed something was off with the Princess's smile.

But the purchase was already completed.

The Paladin looked down at her chosen race, the Gill-Fin Tribe, which were mermaids. They were floundering in the river, gills fluttering.

"The lava is flowing in from the east... South won't work."

The Paladin muttered to herself. Even in urgency, she tried to stay calm. She chose a leader-like mermaid and declared her oracle.

"[Swim westward with all your might!]"

Splash!

The mermaid leader splashed vigorously.

-Kyaw? Kyaw Kyaw?

The mermaid seemed startled, thrashing the water with its tail. Suddenly hearing a divine voice in its head would naturally be shocking.

But this mermaid's reaction was odd.

"......Huh?"

The mermaid didn't swim west. It just spun in place. Despite using valuable points, the oracle was ignored. The Paladin stared blankly at the mermaid.

"Wait a minute. This is different! Why isn't it following the oracle?"

"Hmm?"

The Princess leaned on a pillow, feigning ignorance.

"Just because you hear the voice of Constellations doesn’t mean you immediately say 'Yes, understood' and respond accordingly, right? Maybe it's similar to that."

"What......!"

"Or not. Anyway, there's not much time left. If left alone, all races might go extinct from the 31st floor onwards. That would be the end of your tower conquest."

Annoying as she was, the Princess was right.

Rumble, rumble, rumble-

The lava had now reached the foothills. Not just the lava, but the exploding volcanic rocks were also a threat. A single rock hitting a tribe could cause significant damage.

'Why? Why didn't the oracle work?'

I quickly racked my brains.

'Was the Princess deceiving us? No. It's unlikely that the tower's guide would deliberately deceive us. She might not tell the truth, but she wouldn't lie. Could it be that the mermaid genuinely didn't understand?’

While I pondered, the goblins caught my eye.

-Kerrr!

-Keruk! Keruk!

The goblins howled. Faced with rocks raining down like meteor showers, the primitive race was in panic.

"......."

That moment.

"Ah."

I realized something.

An all-too-obvious truth.

"The oracle wasn’t wrong!"

"Hm?"

"The Paladin’s oracle was flawless! The problem lies with them!"

I turned to my companions. Our eyes met, and the Paladin, who was contemplating purchasing another [Oracle Message], paused.

"What do you mean, King of Death?"

"Don't buy another message. It's useless."

"But why? We need to know the reason..."

"Of course! Their [language] hasn't even fully developed yet!"

"Ah, indeed!"

"Yes! Their translation might not even be accurate. They lack the [vocabulary]!"

The Paladin's eyes widened.

"What?"

Only then did the Paladin realize the oversight.

The other colleagues' eyes widened too. My point was correct. Compared to the primitives, our language was overly advanced. No matter how much they wanted to understand, they couldn't.

"...Good heavens. So the oracle is truly useless?"

The Black Dragon Master expressed disbelief.

"[Go that way] might work, but this time we can't specify [that way]... We can't be sure how much they understand our language."

"No, there must be a way."

The Tower does not lie.

It never sets up a stage that is impossible to conquer.

I looked again at the [Civilization Store] with confidence.

[Oracle Message] - 20p

[Animal Possession] - 40p

[Appearance in Dreams] - 100p

[Hunting Prey Tracking] - 5p

[Bronze-rank Settlement Search] - 80p

[Tribal-rank General (Lottery)] - 100P

[Bronze-rank Technology Invention (Lottery)] - 1,000P

And then.

I thought of a strategy.

A way to evacuate the primitives to a safe area without using language.

"Princess!"

"Yep."

"Can I use [Hunting Prey Tracking] to find a specific prey? For example, if I want a tiger, can it locate the nearest one?"

The Princess nodded.

"Yes, that's possible. There are no tigers in this world, but it can find the closest resembling beast. However, direct possession of a primitive is prohibited. You'll need a higher-grade item for that."

Okay.

A plan formed in my mind.

"I'll purchase one [Hunting Prey Tracking]."

The Black Dragon Master, not understanding, tried to dissuade me.

"King of Death? In this situation, why leisurely hunt..."

"I'll explain later!"

We were running out of time.

[Purchasing 'Hunting Prey Tracking.']

[5 Race Points will be consumed!]

[You currently have 95 Race Points.]

A bronze-colored card appeared in my hand.

Without hesitation, I asked the Princess.

"Princess, please locate a creature 'with a unique color,' 'fast on its feet,' and 'fairly large' nearby. Something like a white deer or a white lion, or even a black horse. Anything will do!"

"......Heh."

The Princess's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Those are pretty vague criteria. But okay, I'll find it for you. You're still beginners after all. I don't want to be as strict as with the others."

With a flick of her finger, the Princess activated the card.

My card melted away.

[Your 'Hunting Prey Tracking' has been consumed.]

As the card melted, it became motes of bronze light. The motes shot away like arrows as though they possessed wills of their own. In the thicket they flew toward, a huge beast lay crouching.

A lion with white fur.

Fortunately, it was quite close to the goblin tribe.

"I'll purchase another item from the shop."

I spoke decisively.

"I'm buying [Animal Possession]."

Messages appeared in succession.

[Purchasing 'Animal Possession.']

[40 Race Points will be consumed!]

[You currently have 55 Race Points.]

Half of the valuable initial funds were gone in an instant. But it didn't matter. The priority was to save the goblin race from the impending volcanic lava.

"Ah!"

The Heretic Inquisitor realized my plan.

"Indeed! Everyone, possess the most conspicuous animals!"

Following my lead, the Heretic Inquisitor purchased [Hunting Prey Tracking] and [Animal Possession].

"Primitives revere animals with mystical appearances. It's a very basic form of faith! Aha, ha. In a situation like the end of the world, if a 'white lion' or 'black deer' appears, they'll take it as a divine sign!"

Typical of the Heretic Inquisitor. Quick to understand.

"Possess these mystical animals and guide them to safety! They'll follow without needing words! A brilliant idea, King of Death!"

"Ah."

"Certainly..."

"Everyone, hurry up!"

My colleagues purchased the same items.

Leaving them behind, I pointed at the white lion and used the [Animal Possession] card.

"I'll possess this animal."

Ssssshhhh!

My consciousness flickered into darkness.

The next moment, I opened my eyes to a different view.

"Growl..."

From my mouth, no, from the beast's jaws, a rough growl escaped. Sharp claws dug into the ground. The beautiful white fur masked the wild ferocity.

"Growl! Growl!"

'Perfect, everything is going as planned!'

I stood up in the lion's body. Its form was utterly different from a human's. Walking on four legs felt strange. Despite the awkwardness, I ran towards the nearby goblins.

'Using aura is... not impossible, but difficult. The Ki points are too different.'

Thump! Thump!

I dashed through the dry forest path. The lion’s forelegs struck the ground, and its hindlegs kicked off. Though quadrupedal running was awkward, the lion's speed was incredibly fast.

'Oh.'

It felt amazing.

‘This is unexpectedly pleasant?’

The smell of smoke from the burning trees.

The scent of freshly blossomed flowers.

And this stench... must be the goblins. It smelled like a pot of bean paste stew left out in the summer heat for too long.

‘Ugh. Why does this race even smell bad?’

Soon, I arrived at the goblin village. The strong scent made it easier to find.

-Keruk!

-Ker, Kerk!

The primitive goblins were still in a state of panic. Young goblins clung to their mothers, wailing, and the adults either banged their heads on the ground (I had no idea what gesture that was) or stomped their feet.

They were so panicked they didn't even notice the white lion approaching.

‘Such a pitiful and unfortunate race.’

I stood at the entrance of the village.

"Growl!"

I roared towards the goblins.

-Keruk?!

-Kerup! Ker?!

The goblins panicked. Those who were head-butting the ground hastily stood up, only to stumble and fall. The wails of the young goblins intensified.

‘Good job. Very good.’

From the goblins' perspective, the earth had just quaked, a fire demon had covered the sky, and now a strangely colored beast had appeared. It must have felt like the end of the world.

"Growl!"

I swished my tail and hit the ground, then shook my head.

‘Follow me, you bastards! Follow me!’

Of course, these were goblins. They looked like goblins, and their brains were on a goblin's level. Even with a mysterious animal appearing and behaving inexplicably, they did not readily follow. They merely watched me fearfully from a distance.

‘In that case.’

I brought out my trump card.

"Goruk!"

A bizarre sound burst from my maw, neither a human voice nor a lion's cry.

I had used [Goblin High Society].

The goblins, who had been frustratingly unresponsive until now, pricked up their ears.

-Ke-Keruk?

"Gorrr! Goruk!"

-Kerrr...?

The goblins exchanged glances and began whispering among themselves. Their intonation made it sound as if they were chattering, 'What is that thing saying?' and 'I don't understand, but it possesses some unapproachable majesty...'

I stamped the ground with a forepaw.

"Goruk! Gor-gor! Gorgoruk!"

‘Follow me, you bastards! Please!’

Hesitantly, the goblins began to stand up.

‘Yes, that's it! Good, my little ones!’

I snorted.

Goblins. You are bipedal creatures. Though your brains may be soaked in green stupidity as a primitive tribe, you can one day achieve a dazzling civilization!

"Gar, growl!"

‘Come on, follow me!’

I turned around gracefully and walked into the forest.

The goblins hesitantly followed. There was a brief squabble over who would lead, but eventually, all the goblins in the village started to follow me, entranced.

Then.

Boom!

Not long after I led the group away, an exploded rock from the volcano landed on the goblin village. The ground shook violently.

-Ker?!

-Keru! Kerp, Ker?!

The goblins dropped to the ground in fright. They soon realized that their homeland had suffered a terrible fate and had narrowly escaped the disaster.

[The last residence of the Goblin race has been destroyed!]

[You must now lead them to a new residence.]

The goblins looked at me, utterly lost.

Their goofy faces held a subtle charm.

"Gar."

‘Hmph.’

I snorted as the white lion.

"Kek, Kerk."

‘You should be grateful.’

And with a majestic stride, I walked on.

-Ker...

-Ker, Kerk!