WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 185: Rookie Actor (3)
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3.
-Special seats are all sold out!
-Has this ever happened since we joined the troupe?
The actors were thrilled.
-Never. We were lucky if half the seats were filled….
-Are we becoming blockbuster actors?
-Our youngest is a real gem! Ugor!
Even for a third-rate theater in an alley, or rather because of it, the news of VIP seats selling out was a cause for celebration.
But their expressions changed upon hearing the next performance's plan.
-Perform without a single line of dialogue?
The seniors were shocked.
It was unimaginable.
-How on earth….
"Think of it in the opposite way."
I spoke calmly.
"You may not know, but Fire Drama originally had no dialogue. No script either. It was all about moving the flames with Aura. That's the origin of Fire Drama."
-Really?
-Hmmm.
The seniors pressed their upper lips to their philtrums, looking uncertain.
'Well, of course.'
It's obvious for me since I've seen it, but not for these kids.
'It's a story from 900 years ago.'
Nine hundred years is practically a thousand when rounded. The original form of Fire Drama is beyond the knowledge of today's Earth Spirit Tribe.
I'm the only one in this era who can say this with certainty.
"Seniors, within you, within the Earth Spirits, lies the ability to be immersed in sorrow just by looking at flames. You know? That's a wonderful sensitivity. I believe you can awaken that sense."
-.......
"Dialogue only gets in the way. The reason your acting is poor isn't because you are. It's because you treat Fire Drama as [someone else's story]!"
I looked at each Hopgoblin.
One-eyed.
One-armed.
One-eared.
Actors who had lost something were there.
"Seniors, you all carry shining gems in your hearts. They're simply buried. A gem is no different from a pebble as long as it remains buried on a sandy shore. I'll take you to that shore. And I'll help you truly come to love acting."
-How can you say such embarrassing things so casually.
I nodded.
"It's the truth."
-.......
"In the next seven days."
I infused Aura into my hand.
Then, I carved a large [7] on the theater wall.
"I'll teach you how to use Aura without sleeping for the next seven days."
That night, the special lessons began.
4.
"Sit comfortably. As relaxed as possible. Go ahead and stretch your legs out if you want."
The actors comfortably sat on the stage.
"Good. Anyone with stiff shoulders? Any discomfort, let me know. I'll massage it out. No one? Okay. Let's start."
I spoke in front of the seniors.
"Now, usually, Aura is dismissed as something mental. [Manifest your will] or [Awaken your spirit]. Just a bunch of indecipherable words. Seniors, try to manifest your will and raise Aura."
-Uh….
The actors tried to raise Aura, somewhat bewildered.
A faintly wavering mirage.
No clear shape or direction.
Compared to Uburka, the legendary warrior, one could say they had no talent.
"Not working well, is it?"
The actors looked embarrassed.
-Uh, well. Sometimes it works …
"Right. There are days when you're really [feeling it]. You're in good condition, your emotions are unusually vivid, and the Aura just pours out. But that's not enough."
-Not enough?
"From now on, you should be able to pull out Aura freely whenever you want."
-Ugor.
The seniors laughed awkwardly.
If only it were that easy.
A smile rooted in life's resignation.
I too smiled.
"Let me suggest something. Let's not use the word [will] here. It's true that Aura moves with will. But the activation of Aura is not due to will."
-Hmm?
"Aura is activated by [memory], not [will]."
That was my conclusion.
A truth learned in the world of the 'The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon,' from my master.
"Seniors, you need to learn [how to recall memories well]. Not some vague notion like [strengthening your will]."
-Recalling memories well….
"Yes. As vividly as possible."
I earnestly looked into the eyes of the Hopgoblins.
"Seniors. Think of the [sea]."
The actors closed their eyes.
-Hmm.
"Did you think of it?"
-Yes.
"Okay. Let me guess. You imagined a horizon stretching wide to either side, right? Like a picture drawn on paper. A pretty shade of blue. Right?"
The seniors all nodded in unison.
I grinned.
"That's the most basic level of memory. A memory association to be avoided when using Aura."
-Ugor?
"You didn't think of the sea. You just recalled the word [sea]. Such basic memory can never fully unleash Aura. Now!"
I clapped my hands.
"Stand up!"
The actors got up uneasily.
"This time, imagine planting the soles of your feet on a sandy beach. Imagine the feeling of your toes submerged in water. Ssshhh. Seawater flows between your toes. It washes smoothly up to your ankles, then recedes again."
-.......
"What's the color of the seawater? Blue?"
-No. It's clear.
"How does the water feel between your toes? Hot?"
-Cool.
"Refreshing, right? What about the seawater? Is it perfectly clean?"
-No... there are muddy particles.
"The waves bring in the mud. Okay. Now imagine sand getting stuck between your toes, and tiny dirt particles clinging to your ankles."
-Hmm.
"I personally dislike that feeling. It's scratchy, right? The grains mixed with salty water feel sticky."
-Right.
"You went into the sea and got your calves soaking wet. The saltiness feels uncomfortable. What will you do now? What's your next move?"
The actors each had a response.
-I'd go to a well and wash my feet first.
-Since I'm already at the sea and wet, might as well swim….
-Are there any clams?
Okay.
"That's a much [stronger memory]."
I said.
"Seniors, from now on, when you try to recall something, never start from a word, like [sea]. Start from a very specific sensation, like [the feeling of your feet submerged in seawater]. Your memory will naturally assist you."
I looked at the one-eyed Hopgoblin.
"How was it when you first thought of the [sea]? It was just a simple blue, like a simple canvas painting, right?"
-Ugor.
"But how about when you imagined dipping your feet? It's clear, right?"
-Yes.
"Not just clear, but you also recalled the uncomfortable sensation. You even thought about what to do next. That's it."
The proper way to recall a memory.
Like the feeling of a grain of sand caught between toes, recalling the most specific sensation.
If you can do that adeptly, Aura naturally intensifies.
"---If any of you have a memory of [almost dying in a fire]."
Fwoosh.
A flame easily ignited in my hand.
"With your Aura, you could even depict a hellfire. The brink of death forces a memory onto a person."
-.......
"There might be people born with natural acting talent. Just naturally exuding sad emotions, acting vividly as if in the midst of a real battlefield. You seniors might envy those actors. Even feel jealous. Seniors, want to know the secret of how they acquired such talent?"
I spread the flame wider in my hand.
"They have memories."
Trauma.
"How can they act as if they're really in the middle of hellfire? Simple. To them, the world itself is hell. Always, every day. They're trapped in the shadow of memories they can't escape no matter what."
-.......
For example, Uburka.
Even the strongest warrior in the history of the Earth Spirit Tribe was the same.
He suffered severely from albinism.
Sunlight, a blessing for others, was a hostile blade for Uburka. Walking under the sun was like battling and overcoming enemies. Naturally, the boy surrounded himself with Aura.
"The play we will perform next week, [The Fiery Sword Dance], is about Kekerkker's disappointment and anger towards the Flame Emperor. You are not Kekerkker. Nor the Flame Emperor. But, don't you have experiences of being disappointed by someone?"
I looked at each actor in turn.
One-eye. One-arm. One-ear.
I saw the children, each broken in one way or another.
"Ever disappointed someone?"
-.......
"Unlikely you haven't."
I extinguished the flame.
"We've all had to deal with an asshole, and we've all been an asshole to someone else. Any one of you can become Kekerkker. The Flame Emperor... Ah... that one's a little harder. That bastard's very existence has a difficulty level. So I'll play the Flame Emperor in the next performance."
Even with special lessons, there's a limit of time.
Among us, I'm the only one who can embody Yoo Soo-Ha.
The remaining three actors looked up at me with six pairs of eyes.
-So...
-Who will play Kekerkker?
-Who's going to take the role?
"One of you."
I answered.
"The one with the highest achievement over the next week will get the lead role."
In other words.
"The one who's been most profoundly disappointed by people, who is still feeling that disappointment, will take the lead."
The seniors fell silent.
5.
-My father gambles.
The one-eyed actor's name was 'Arika'.
-He's been like that since he was a kid. He started working at a forge when he was young, then learned to gamble by following his coworkers around. Turned out he had a knack for it.
He must have had a gift.
There are a few worlds where those with talent are more miserable than those without it.
Gambling is one of them.
-Some days he'd win a mountain of gold coins. On such days, he'd buy villas, even had me live there. Hired expensive tutors, housekeepers. Got anything I wanted.
"How long does it last?"
-At most 2 years. At least 3 days. Usually about 2 months…
The one-eyed Arika muttered.
-When he wins money gambling, he starts a business with it. He runs lodgings for gamblers and lends money to professional cardsharps. Sometimes he does pretty well. But whenever business slows down a little...
Business always has its ups and downs.
If riding the wave during good times is skill, enduring the bad times is a talent.
-He always tries to cover losses with gambling.
Arika's father simply lacked the ability to endure.
-This is how he does it. He sets the day's sales target at three gold coins. If the money comes in, great. If it doesn't, he gambles until he wins the difference. According to Father, that's part of the business too, an unavoidable way of doing trade.
The one-eyed Arika sighed.
-I don't have a home. Every place was either a villa or an inn. I never stayed anywhere long enough to call it home. We'd live in the city with the biggest gambling scene, then after he failed there we'd move to a city where gambling was a little less popular, then one where it was weaker still, and then...
The one-eyed Arika slowly clasped his head in his hands.
-One day, a woman came to the inn. My lifestyle was a mess, so even long past noon, I was sleeping in my inn room. Someone knocked on the door. I opened it with a scowl.
「Are you Mr. Arika?」
-I could tell at a glance that something was up. I figured Father had caused trouble again. People who'd lent him money sometimes came by. Or I thought she might work at the inn.
「Is your father here?」
「No.」
-I had just woken up, looking a mess. My expression completely wrinkled. So, I held the doorknob, ready to close the door if necessary.
「Who are you?」
「.......」
The woman didn't answer.
She mumbled something and left the inn.
The one-eyed Arika closed the door, feeling puzzled. In the evening, he mentioned the woman to his father.
-That woman was my mother.
"......."
-She left when I was three. I didn't recognize her.
Beneath the hand covering Arika's forehead, his eyebrow twisted.
-Everything else is fine. But I keep thinking about the expression I wore then. I was irritated. I looked at that woman as if she were nothing but a nuisance. I had my hand on the doorknob. I hate that. I don't know.
Arika looked down at the floor with his one eye.
-But why did my mother call me [Mr. Arika]? Why [Mr.]? I don't understand. I heard my name was thoughtfully chosen by both my father and mother. But why [Mr. Arika]? I don't get it.
His muttering flowed out.
-Fuck.
Next.
The one-eyed actor left, and the one-armed actor entered.
White tattoos ran across their torso, stopping at their right shoulder.
-I'm a drug dealer.
The one-armed actor's name was 'Yumar'.
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