WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 157: Becoming God (3)
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[Purchasing ‘Prey Search.’]
[5 Race Points will be consumed!]
[You currently have 865 Race Points.]
“Grrrr!"
I tore into the hide of a bull. Although it looked nothing like a cow, with its shell back and porcupine-like spikes, I had my reasons for calling it a bull.
-Eummeo!
Its bellow sounded just like that of a cow.
-Eummeo! Eummeo!
The bull let out a feeble cry. It struggled and resisted to the end, but it was no use. It could not withstand my teeth and claws, least of all the bamboo spears thrust by the goblins.
Kuung!
The bull fell.
The goblins who joined me in the hunt jumped around excitedly.
-Kiruk! Ke!
-Kerk, Kekgo, Goruk!
[You have succeeded in ‘Hunting’!]
[You have now fully understood this prey. Hunting this animal further will not yield more Race Points.]
[Your hunting experience has reached its limit. You cannot gain more Race Points from hunting.]
'Well, that's it for hunting in this area.'
-Zombie... Let’s leave already... Please... You’ve squeezed everything you can out of this place....
‘Alright, let's go gathering now!’
-Damn it!
How long did those idyllic days continue?
[You can no longer secure Race Points through gathering.]
The goblins no longer exposed their bare skin. They used red and green mud to awkwardly, but brilliantly, tattoo themselves.
For some reason, even their smell diminished. Whether the mud had a deodorizing effect or it was the power of the Primitive Fashionista trait, it was finally goodbye to the stench of soybean-paste stew and summer heat blended together and dumped into a sewer.
But that wasn’t all.
[The Earth Spirit Tribe has established itself as ‘Hunter-Gatherers’!]
[Among the Earth Spirit Tribe, the fear of large animals diminishes.]
[You have gained 50 Race Points.]
[Your current Race Points are 1015.]
“Gor.”
‘Okay.’
I wagged my tail in satisfaction.
‘Now, I've almost done everything I can for them.’
The goblins have learned to play with mud and can now hunt large animals in groups.
This is the starting point. The groundwork for a great [Goblin Civilization] to flourish in the future is laid.
‘There are no more Race Points to gain.’
I wonder if the other companions are in a similar situation?
[The Celestial Clan Master leading the Ghost Tribe declares a clear!]
[The Sword Saint leading the Pure Humans declares a clear!]
More companions are declaring ‘Stage Clear’. The Celestial Clan Master was the first, followed by the Sword Saint.
The rest of the companions will probably wrap up this stage one by one.
‘Ah.’
Feeling reluctant to leave, I smacked my lips.
‘I really wanted to pass on things like 'writing' or 'aura'. This is frustrating...’
-Why? Just teach them.
‘I wish I could, but I can’t.’
Sighing through the lion’s maw, I looked at the Civilization Shop. The shop had almost every item imaginable, including the things I wanted to pass on to the goblins.
‘Item search. Writing.’
The problem is that it’s just a pie in the sky.
The hologram smoothly moved, displaying the product.
+
[Writing]
Description: Your tribe invents a writing system. Leaving written records is far more effective than oral transmission! Unlike a voice that evaporates as soon as it is spoken, writing withstands the passage of time.
Price: 4500 Race Points
*The Pure Humans start with this technology.
+
'Damn. Have you ever seen such a crazy price...'
The price is excessively steep.
I have 1015 Race Points right now. Even if I hadn’t spent any points on hunting and other activities, it wouldn’t be enough to purchase 'Writing'. What’s more, the Pure Humans start with this expensive 'Writing'.
Is this a joke about race balance?
-It’s your fault for choosing goblins. Hehe.
The Pure Humans aren’t the only ones with a bonus.
In fact, the Pure Humans have it easy by comparison. The Fairy Tribe ruled by the Countess, the elves, start with both ‘Mana Reaction’ and ‘Aura Reaction,’ each of which costs 6,200 points.
It's now clear how disadvantaged the goblins were from the start.
‘Of course, I believe these kids will ascend in the future and eat up both the Pure Humans and Elves, but it’s still pitiful.’
-Your head might be the pitiful thing here, Zombie.
‘I really wanted to leave them with writing at least. Sigh. Is there really no way to accumulate 4500 points...?’
The Tower's voice reached me again.
[The Paladin leading the Gill-Fin Tribe declares a clear!]
The Paladin had now also declared a clear.
Only three of us remained on the 31st-floor stage: the Heretic Inquisitor leading the Mountain Snail Tribe, the Black Dragon Master ruling the Vampiric Tribe, and me.
‘Hmm.’
At that point, I decided to give up.
‘Alright, let’s abandon the straightforward method of purchasing 'Writing'.’
-Huh?
‘Even if I managed to collect 4500 points, it would be too precious to spend on one item. And since when have I used a straightforward method? I’ve always relied on cunning.’
-What are you talking about?
‘I'll just teach them letters myself!’
From that day on, I waged a bloody battle against the goblins’ brains.
“Goruk, Gor. Ah. Ker, Ah.”
‘Look, kids, this is A. This is A.’
I drew the letter A on the ground. To ensure they could recognize it, I etched it large with my claw. However, the goblins gathered around me just tilted their heads in confusion.
-Kerrrr?
-Kekerkek?
As expected.
They didn’t get it at all.
But I am a man who doesn’t know how to give up.
“Gor! Gaa, ah, ker, ah!”
‘Look! A, A, this is A!’
I growled, driving the goblins into action.
The goblins, startled, twitched their shoulders.
-Gar...?
-Go, go?
The goblins stood up and walked somewhere.
[The Earth Spirit Tribe is frightened by you.]
[Your inexplicable behavior has plunged the Earth Spirit Tribe into confusion.]
Shortly afterward, the goblins brought over meat from the bull they had caught that morning. They cautiously held out a piece that had been charred until it was easy to eat.
-Kekerkek!
The goblins bowed their heads to the ground, crying.
[The Earth Spirit Tribe pleads for you to calm your anger.]
‘Seriously, you brats?’ Do you think your mother is angry at you because she wants some bull meat?
I'm just trying to do some advanced learning for your benefit. You always play around, going 'Goruk, Goruk', but if you don't learn, the Elves next door and the Humans in the neighboring house will catch you and turn you into monster barbecue. Do you want to be barbecue? Huh? Do you want to be treated like experience-farming monsters by the Elves later?
“Grrrung! Gaa, ah, kar!"
-Ker, Kerruk....
I didn’t give up and continued trying to teach them letters.
But it was a colossal failure.
The goblins couldn’t even learn ABC. It seemed like they memorized A somehow, but with expressions that said, ‘What's this even for?’ ‘Don’t know…’ ‘Not sure why we're doing this…’, they became disheartened.
‘Khuung.’
For the first time while leading the goblin tribe, I encountered a real obstacle.
‘Could it be impossible for goblins to learn letters with their intelligence? That's strange. I remember the Earth Spirit Tribe using letters when the Flame Emperor was clearing the 33rd floor. Is it too early in history for their intelligence to develop? It shouldn’t be…’
I deeply pondered the situation.
‘Teaching them ABC like this will only lead to them forgetting it soon.’
The goblins must directly feel the meaning of letters. They need to understand why they are learning and what benefits it brings. Otherwise, even if I successfully pass on writing, it will all be forgotten in a generation.
How can I imbue meaning into these letters?
"......."
Wait.
An idea struck me.
‘Maybe I’m trapped in a fixed mindset?’
Right. There’s no need to strictly teach ABC when passing on writing!
I suddenly stood up and roared.
“Grrruk!”
‘Gather around!’
The goblins, who were eating meat, gathered around me, startled. They all looked like droopy-eared puppies, probably thinking, ‘Is he going to do something strange again?’ ‘Ugh, I don’t like this...’ ‘I’d rather he just put mud on us like usual.’
In short, they were a little sulky.
“Grrr, grruk. Kekekek, gor, ke.”
‘There, there. It’s okay. You know I like you, right?’
I coated my forepaw with mud and spread it over the goblins’ bodies. Tickle, tickle. The sullen goblins began to smile a little.
-Gorgoruk.
-Kerrup, ker!
Little brats. As easily as they sulk, they reconcile.
My skillful mud application melted their icy hearts. Once the mood lightened up, I showed the goblins some [writing].
‘Look here, kids. This is mud.’
This time, however, I used a slightly different type of writing.
I swiftly drew something with my claw.
■.
First, I drew a square and filled it in black.
Then, I piled up mud next to the ■.
‘Mud. This is mud. Get it?’
-Kerruk...?
The goblins looked puzzled. They didn’t understand much, but I didn’t mind and decided to take my time.
Days passed by.
Each time I applied mud to the goblins, I drew ■ on the ground. Not just that, I tattooed letters on the goblins' bodies whenever I had time.
‘This is daytime. The sky is bright.’
○.
‘Now it’s night. The sky is dark.’
●.
‘That’s the sun. Blinding, right?’
☆.
‘This is the moon.’
★.
‘This is water. Water. Stream water.’
~.
‘What if the water is a bit deep?’
~~.
‘What if the water is extremely deep?’
~~~.
-Kerrr....
-Kerk? Ker, ke?
At first, the goblins were baffled, but they slowly began to understand my [pictures]. They couldn’t grasp why A meant ‘ah’, but they somewhat understood that ■ meant ‘mud’.
‘Right.’
My initial approach was wrong.
‘The world is still small for the goblins.’
In this vast world, there isn't much that goblins recognize.
Huge as it is, what goblins see, feel, smell, and hear here is really just a handful.
-Kerk.
Sky.
-Kerruk.
Land.
-Ker.
Meat.
-Ke.
Water.
The goblins saw something blue stretching above them. They felt something hard yet sometimes soft under their feet. They smelled the pleasant aroma of roasted centipede meat. They heard the soothing sound of something cool to drink and fun to jump into.
-Gor!
They said they were happy when happy.
-Kerruk...
And expressed discontent when they weren’t.
Thus, in the world of goblins, there were about six things. Just six. Six words were enough to represent these six aspects of their world.
Six pictures instead of dozens of ‘alphabets’.
That’s what the goblins needed.
Sssss...
One day, it rained.
The goblins bathed and played in the rain.
I showed them a certain letter.
'Water.'
~.
‘Dark sky.’
●.
‘Water from the dark sky.’
●~.
'Rain'
I looked up at the rain pouring down from the sky.
The goblins followed my gesture and looked at the rain.
'Rain.'
-.......
After some time passed.
The goblins slowly began to speak.
-Kerkke?
-Kerkke. Kerkke.
The goblins pointed at the rain, then imitated the ●~ I had etched into the ground, drawing a similar figure in the dirt.
-Kerkke!
‘Rain.’
The goblins looked at me as if asking if they got it right.
I nodded in satisfaction.
“Gor.”
‘Good.’
At that moment.
[The Earth Spirit Tribe has awakened to writing!]
[The Earth Spirit Tribe gains a new trait ‘Legacy of Records’!]
Words appeared before my eyes.
+
[Legacy of Records]
Rank: E (A)
Effect: The Earth Spirit Tribe has realized the endless possibilities of drawing! They understand that their drawings are not just visually pleasing but can represent something in this world. They now know that symbols can carry meaning.
‘○.’
This represents the sky to the Earth Spirit Tribe.
'■.'
This represents mud and land to them.
'O■.'
Thus, ‘○■’ means heaven and earth to the Earth Spirit Tribe, allowing them to express Heaven and Earth (天地), that is, the ‘world.’
'O■.'
‘○■.’ That is the Earth Spirit Tribe’s world.
From now on, the Earth Spirit Tribe will develop their pictographic writing. They will leave behind what they love in pictures, and their letters will contain their lives.
May fortune be with them.
*However, this trait can change depending on the course of history.
+
"......."
What was it?
I felt strangely moved just for teaching a few pictures.
-Kerkke, kerkke!
-Kerkkeruk!
Now, the goblins, covered in mud, drew pictures with joy, ignoring me. Watching them, I felt a mix of emotions, sorrow, happiness, a touch of loneliness. Pride? Admiration? It was an indescribable feeling.
[The Black Dragon Master leading the Vampiric Tribe declares a clear!]
After about two weeks, the Black Dragon Master also declared a clear.
Now only the Heretic Inquisitor and I remained on the 31st floor stage.
‘The Heretic Inquisitor must be diligently teaching something too.’
Meanwhile, I taught the goblins numbers.
Initially, I tried teaching them Arabic numerals, but they didn’t understand at all, so I compromised with Roman numerals. I, II, III. Perhaps because they were simple sticks, the goblins understood them.
I would've liked to teach arithmetic, but...
‘These kids don’t get the concept of subtraction…’
A goblin is a goblin.
They couldn't even grasp the existence of numbers greater than six.
Well, it's too much to ask for so much so soon.
‘I guess I've taught them everything I can. Right?’
-Yeah, seems like it, man.
I nodded.
‘It’s time for me to leave.’
That night, when the goblins were deep asleep, I sneaked out of the tribe.
The goblins would be very sad when they realized I was gone.
But I couldn't leave this white lion body in the middle of the tribe and depart the 31st floor. It might attack and injure the goblins.
“Grrr. Gorrurr."
‘Take care, kids.’
I licked a young goblin's forehead with my tongue.
-Gorr...
The little goblin, oblivious, slept soundly.
‘Cute things.’
I moved as far away as possible from the goblin settlement, [Guru]. Time passed. In the dark night, where nothing but insect sounds were heard, I faintly heard the goblins' mournful cries from afar.
-Kekerk… Ker...
Had they already realized I was gone?
The goblins were crying out my name: Kekerkker.
I didn’t look back and disappeared faster into the darkness.
‘Live well! Grow well! Let’s meet again when you’re even more splendid!’
And I whispered in my heart.
‘I declare, stage clear!’
The Tower's voice responded.
[Stage Clear!]
[You have cleared the 31st floor.]
[Reward tallying will be conducted after entering the 32nd floor.]
[Sequential layer progression - You will be forcibly transferred to the 32nd floor!]
Sssss...
A white light engulfed my vision.
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