SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 193

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 193: That Wasn't My Intention, Though (1)

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The light that filled my vision faded.

The three of us were dropped into a stark white space.

The Black Dragon Master, the Paladin, and me.

“Hmm. It was good to have unexpected gains in this stage!”

The Black Dragon Master stretched. With her hands clasped, she leaned from side to side, looking for all the world like one of the middle-aged men from a badminton club warming up on the hill behind town.

“I can’t wait to go down to the City of Ascension and establish the Black Knights…”

“It will be difficult. We have to conquer up to the 40th floor continuously.”

“That’s true…. Ah, really! If word gets out that the [Diva of the Night Sky] is making a comeback, there’ll be more than a few who’ll lose their minds! There are quite a few who miss the Paladin’s piano.”

“It’s not entirely decided yet.”

The Paladin gave a wry smile and tapped the Black Dragon Master’s shoulder.

“Ah. Why?"

“Didn’t I tell you not to call me by old nicknames? Anyway, my return to the stage isn’t confirmed. I need to seek understanding and permission from my person.”

“Permission? More like [Imperial Consent], I suppose.”

The Black Dragon Master clicked her tongue.

“Speaking of your lover… that’s an illness too. The possessiveness is excessive. Does it make any sense to tell you not to show your face to anyone else and make you wear a helmet all the time?”

“It's valid. Such possessiveness is what makes it endearing.”

“Look at this. Sick, this is sickness….”

It was at that moment when the Black Dragon Master sighed.

[Viper leading the Ghost Tribe declares Stage Clear.]

[The Sword Saint leading the Pure Humans Race declares Stage Clear.]

Our colleagues who did not join us started to arrive.

It seemed they had already cleared and were waiting for others to declare their clearance.

Paaaat, light spread.

After a moment, the one-eyed swordsman and the elderly swordsmaster stood there.

“Yo. Long time no see.”

The Celestial Guild Master, the Viper, waved his right hand languidly.

Anyone would have taken him for a dashing martial hero. But after reading the Light Novel Emperor’s innermost thoughts, I could no longer take even his casual greeting of “Yo” at face value.

Sad, indeed.

I wish I hadn't known....

“All of you declared clear as if it was planned. Hey, you three didn’t secretly form a federation or something, did you?”

“Hmm. We made something much more intriguing than a mere federation.”

“Oh? Really? What is it?”

“It’s a secret.”

Viper prodded with curiosity, but neither the Black Dragon Master nor the Paladin were easy targets. If a [Poker Face Acting Contest] was held in our tower, these two would undoubtedly vie for the trophy.

Eventually, Viper, unable to glean anything, fumed in frustration.

“Damn it. What’s with you three suddenly getting so close? You guys are known for being aloof. Damn, I feel left out.”

"......."

Meanwhile, the Sword Saint looked at us with an incredibly complicated gaze.

Surprise? Guilt? Regret?

The emotions were so mixed that even I found them hard to read.

[The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages appears.]

While we chatted, the Constellation responsible for this stage silently appeared. The Princess, as always, had a drowsy look as if she had just woken up from a nap.

“Is everyone here? No one is missing?”

We nodded our heads.

“Good. Well done, everyone. So, to get straight to the point, there were no failures in this stage. There’s no one who didn’t clear the quest. Usually, there’s at least one dropout per floor…”

That’s a bit troublesome.

The Princess muttered to herself.

“I don’t like to fuss over minor things, but Mula… the Tower Master values aesthetics a lot. Sorry, but I have to pick the one with the worst performance among you and eliminate them. Let’s see. It’s obviously not the King of Death...."

“Wait.”

The Paladin raised her left hand.

“Does one of us have to be eliminated?”

"Yes."

“For what reason?”

“There are various reasons. I’d like to tell you as much as I can… but I’m restricted here. Hmm. Normally, I could access up to security level 6, but now it feels like I can only mention up to level 3.”

At that moment, the Princess’s eyes turned towards me.

"In truth, I shouldn’t be doing [this kind of work]."

"......."

Indeed.

I remember the Princess's true identity.

‘An existence with higher authority than the Constellations.’

A pillar of the tower.

I have faced these pillars before. When I accepted Preta as my ally. And when I acquired the skill [A Certain Returner's Love] for Raviel.

A secret unknown even to the Sword Saint, known only to me.

“The theme after the 30th floor is self-awareness.”

One of the pillars spoke.

The Black Dragon Master, who adored the tower more than anyone, instantly reacted.

“Theme? Self-awareness?”

“Alright. I’ll answer one question per person.”

The Princess smiled brightly.

“It's your reward for clearing the 34th floor. Since you’re unique kids, I guess you’d prefer this kind of reward over race points?”

The eyes of my fellow hunters sparkled.

We live in the tower, yet we know little about it.

Why did the tower suddenly appear in the world?

Why is each floor of the tower structurally different?

Many hunters were burning with curiosity but couldn’t find answers. There was no one to answer their questions.

Now, that someone appeared before us.

“You can ask in order of lowest rank. Ah! No consulting each other. If it's something I can’t answer, I’ll honestly say so. Don’t worry. If that happens, you can ask something else.”

"......."

Silence ensued.

We exchanged glances. The condition of 'no consulting each other' sealed our lips. The Paladin looked at each of us, then nodded.

“What is the purpose of the tower’s existence?”

“That’s too broad a question. The tower is a world unto itself. If you ask why a world exists, I can only get philosophical. Hmm, is that what you want?”

“...No.”

“Then refine your question.”

The Paladin pondered deeply.

"......I want to know how the tower is established. Our world has a tower. But there are worlds without one. [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon] was such, and so was [Tales of Sormewin Academy]. How are towers created?”

“Ah-. Straight to the core. Should I say it? Hmm. I guess I can.”

The Princess reached towards the white floor. Swoosh. The ground split like tofu, and a pillow emerged. Holding a peach-designed pillow, the Princess slowly opened her lips.

“Live the life of the most miserable person in that world.”

“What?"

“Bear with me if my answer seems vague. As I mentioned, my security level has been downgraded. But anyway… there is a master who established the tower. That master lives the life of the most miserable person in each world. The worlds where towers are erected are those where the master has already lived and passed through. Worlds without towers are places the master hasn’t visited yet.”

"What......."

“Next.”

The Paladin tried to ask more, but the Princess decisively shifted her gaze away.

Next in line was the sixth-ranked hunter, Viper.

Viper frowned with his one eye.

“The most miserable person? Can such a thing even be determined?”

“That’s true. It’s a difficult task. Misery is relative, after all. Sometimes, there are ambiguous candidates who are hard to judge.”

The Princess smiled.

“So, they have to live multiple times.”

"......."

"Next."

The Countess and the Heretic Inquisitor, ranked fifth and fourth respectively, had already been eliminated. Thus, it was the Black Dragon Master’s turn.

After hearing these unexpected answers, the Black Dragon Master glared sharply at the Princess.

“What do you mean by the theme you mentioned earlier? To beings like you, is the tower just an amusement park, and we are merely struggling spectacles within it?”

“Ahaha!”

The Princess burst into laughter.

“Ah, if only it were that simple! Life would be so much easier for me. But no, absolutely not! A theme is simply like the intention behind a test.”

“The intention of a test?”

“Yes. For example, people grow themselves throughout their lives, right? It’s often said that they raise children, but in raising children, they are also growing themselves. It's about understanding oneself. In that sense, the theme after the 30th floor is self-awareness. That’s all.”

“Why put us through such a test……"

“Next.”

The Princess’s gaze turned to me.

“What will the King of Death ask?”

I looked at the small Princess in front of me.

‘Before my regression, such a being did not exist.’

More precisely, did not appear.

Before my regression, no matter which strategy guide I looked at, the name [The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages] was not seen. There was no mention of her.

‘The appearance of the Princess is probably because Hamusutra is no longer a constellation.’

Hamusutra was said to be a fairly high-ranking Constellation.

She must have descended to fill the void left by Hamusutra’s fall.

‘And since Hamusutra’s fall was because of me... It’s highly likely that the appearance of the Princess is entirely my fault.’

Then.

I decided on my question.

“Why do you show particular favor towards me?”

It was curious.

The Princess often sleeps. She doesn’t seem to enjoy working.

And yet, the Princess, who herself said she shouldn’t be doing [this kind of work], the cause of which was me, had been approaching me with favor. Even though there was no reason for her to have positive feelings towards me, as I was the cause of her predicament.

“Umm.”

The Princess seemed troubled.

It was as if she received a question she didn’t want to answer.

“...There are too many people listening right now. I’ll answer you separately later.”

“Huh?"

“Next.”

“Wait, just a moment---”

“Ne-xt!”

The Princess forcefully moved on. I had no choice but to close my mouth.

"Hmm."

Finally, it was the Sword Saint’s turn to ask, being the last with the right to question.

“What lies at the very top of the tower?”

“Ah, all the memories you have gathered, shining like beautiful treasures…. Sorry. Just kidding. Anyway, I can’t answer that question. If I do, Mula-Gaga… Nail!”

The Princess tightly clenched the pillow.

“Really! Anyway, the tower’s master would be furious.”

“I understand. Then, who is the strongest swordsman you know?”

For some reason, the Guardian Spirit squared his shoulders.

Shiny also shivered, seemingly signaling something. Is she sending Morse code? L... e... f... a... n... t...

However, mercilessly, the Princess mentioned a completely different name.

“The Absolute Sword Duke.”

It was an immediate response.

“Judged purely by skill as a swordsman, no one can match the Peerless Sword Duke. Zaqu…. No, aren’t these restrictions too severe? Ugh. Anyway, this person is a duke of a certain kingdom, a noble with [the right to kill anyone but royalty without punishment]. In other words, they’re strong enough to kill anyone, right?”

“How big is the gap in skill between them and me?”

“It’s meaningless.”

The Princess bluntly stated.

“Such a gap in skill can only be discussed when there’s a comparable level.”

The Sword Saint’s eyebrows twitched.

“...You mean the gap isn’t even worth discussing?”

"Yes."

"......."

“Don’t let it wound your pride. The Peerless Sword Duke is the Primordial Duke, a monster who has lived for more than two thousand years. Oh, I shouldn’t call the duke a monster…. Anyway, think of the duke as a natural disaster. You probably won’t ever meet, so don’t worry.”

Squeeze.

The Sword Saint clenched his fist.

Not only I, but the other colleagues also seemed slightly shocked.

‘Incomparable.’

He was an elder who abandoned all wealth and status in the outside world to plunge into the tower. He had honed his skills with only his sword, but now he was disregarded to his face. Though he maintained a poker face, it was clear his pride was wounded.

“Okay, then. While I give my answer to the King of Death… the rest of you wait a bit.”

Clap.

The Princess clapped her hands softly.

Then, my colleagues were enveloped in light and disappeared in an instant, transported somewhere. In the white space, only the Princess and I were left.

"......."

The Princess awkwardly glanced at me.

Why would such a high-ranking being, surpassing Constellations and even becoming a pillar, act like this towards me?

“What’s wrong with you since earlier?”

“Um, uhhum…”

The Princess put down the pillow.

"Sorry!"

Then she abruptly bent at the waist and planted her head in the pillow.

I was taken aback.

“What are you doing right now......"

“I’m really sorry! King of Death!”

With her head still against the pillow, the Princess shouted.