SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 23

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 23: Welcome, Warriors! (2)

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[Normal Stage Reward.]

[You are blessed by the Deity of War's protection!]

[You have access to the map of the tower from the 11th to the 20th floor.]

Swoosh.

A translucent map appeared before my eyes. Was it some kind of mini-map?

Red and blue dots were chaotically intertwined across the map. Judging by the terrain, the red dots represented monsters, while the blue dots seemed to indicate human troops.

-Tsk, tsk... As expected, a cheat-like privilege!

The Sword Emperor grumbled, his face contorting.

-While others are crawling on the ground, you're just looking down from the sky. Ugh. Yes, always rely on your wits and not on hard-earned skills. This tower is a classic case of the rich getting richer, and the successful becoming more...

However, the Sword Emperor couldn't continue his rant.

[Hidden Stage Reward.]

[You are blessed by the Deity of Humanity's protection!]

[You can observe the names, abilities, and locations of all NPCs from the 11th to the 20th floor.]

-...Eh?

The notification of privileges wasn't over yet.

[Hidden Stage Reward.]

[You are blessed by the God of Commerce's protection!]

[Select and own one item that exists from the 11th to the 20th floor.]

Swish!

Lists appeared next to the mini-map. One listed the names and abilities of NPCs. The other clearly revealed the names and effects of items.

"......"

We were at a loss for words.

"Kill them! Push back calmly!"

"Kyaaak! Goblins are throwing spears!"

On the frontline, Hunters were fervently engaged in battle. Orcs howled, and human soldiers bled. Amidst the noisy battlefield, only silence descended between the Sword Emperor and me.

The silence soon broke.

"Ah. What a glorious skill-based game..."

-Fucking bullshit RNG!

Our reactions were a mix of admiration and screams.

Theme.

Each floor of the tower has a designated theme.

Maybe it's easier to understand if I say genre.

From the 1st to the 10th floor, it's literally [Tutorial].

Hunting grounds are prepared, and there's even a city where you can rest at your leisure. It's a phase for newcomers to get accustomed to the tower.

And from the 11th to the 20th floor...

'Demon King Invasion Story.'

Or a Demon King and Hero story.

It could also be considered a defense story, given the objective of protecting the empire of humanity.

'It's about repelling the armies of the Demon King that swarm like dogs.'

What's important is that the nature of the battles changes from what we've experienced so far.

Monsters no longer roam alone like in the beginner's hunting ground. They form groups. They form units. They create armies.

There are only two ways to defeat a monster army.

'Either become a powerful one-man army strong enough to devour the entire army -'

I looked towards the frontline.

The Sword Saint was slaughtering monsters while scattering blue Aura.

'-or lead an army yourself in battle.'

I smiled.

'This time, I choose the latter.'

I've just received an extraordinary privilege.

Leaving such an immense privilege unused would be a loss.

Of course, I didn't have the knack for leading an army. I'd never done it before, so it was natural. But where there's a will, there's a way.

I was confident I could develop new talents.

"Status window."

Before diving headfirst into the battlefield, I first checked my current status.

Name: Kim Gong-Ja

Rank: E

Skills (5/5)

1. I Want to Become Just Like You (S+)

2. Returner’s Winding Clock (EX)

3. Sword Constellation (A+)

4. Goblin High Society (F)

5. Only You Can Prevent Fire (A)

*Deity of War's blessing is being applied.

*Deity of Humanity's blessing is being applied.

*God of Commerce's blessing is being applied.

Good.

I smiled and spoke.

"Hey, Sword Emperor. Did you just curse the game as a luck-based crap game?"

-Yes, I did! You rotten zombie!

"Let me show you why I called it a game of skill and excitement."

I first pulled up the NPC list.

According to the Human God's blessing, numerous NPCs were neatly listed.

[Enju] Position: Conscript / Location: 11th floor, Port City Kungur

[Karia] Position: Regular Soldier / Location: 11th floor, Port City Kungur

[Sort] Position: Serf / Location: 13th floor, Barony of Panbasa

[Rafa Casabella] Position: Sergeant / Location: 14th floor, Horome in the Wall Canyon

[Dop] Position: Blacksmith / Location: 12th floor, Imperial Capital Hakamunia

ㆍ

Tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of names appeared on the list.

So far, it was nothing but a chaotic jumble.

But.

"Display NPCs located on the 11th floor only."

The list began to move on its own, as if understanding my command.

Minor names disappeared as if being deleted, leaving only the NPCs located on the 11th floor, reappearing in a newly organized list.

[Enju] Position: Conscript / Location: 11th floor, Port City Kungur

[Karia] Position: Regular Soldier / Location: 11th floor, Port City Kungur

[Cort] Position: Sergeant / Location: 11th floor, Port City Kungur

[Amalgam] Position: Conscript / Location: 11th floor, Port City Kungur

ㆍ

I continued to speak without pause.

“Sort by highest skill level. Display only the top 100.”

-Huh.

The Sword Emperor let out a short gasp, clearly realizing my intention. His mood shifted from mere grumbling to genuine urgency.

-Wait a minute! Zombie! This is not right. Let's grow stronger step by step, shall we? Slowly train, accumulate skills, learn swordsmanship -how good does that sound?

“That can wait.”

-Eek! No matter how slippery you are, this really crosses the line! Aren't you ashamed when your name is Gong-Ja?

“Hmm. No, not really ashamed?”

Regardless of what the Sword Emperor said, the list moved according to my command. The characters in the air scattered and then came together again.

The newly formed list appeared.

[Rohan Panbasa] Position: Panbasa Knight Commander

[Sarbast Aegim] Position: Commander of Kungur Front

[Jeshua Camancha] Position: High Knight of the Imperial Knights

[Tomund] Position: Chief Senior Soldier of the Shield Unit

ㆍ

Almost there.

Ignoring the Sword Emperor's outburst, I shouted.

"Display NPCs with command skills! Top 3 only!"

-Aaaah! Aaaaah!

Exactly.

I didn't have the knack for commanding an army.

But what's the issue?

If I lack the skill, I can simply steal it from other NPCs!

[Sarbast Aegim] Position: Commander of Kungur Front

[Rohan Panbasa] Position: Panbasa Knight Commander

[Sain Camen] Position: Regimental Commander of the Shield Unit

From a list of hundreds of thousands, only three names remained.

I gave my final command.

"Display the locations of these three on the map."

-Cheater!

The names displayed through [the Deity of Humanity's blessing] scattered, becoming green lights that slipped into the mini-map shown by [the Deity of War's blessing]. Perfect. The map now displayed the locations of NPCs with command skills.

"Okay. Show my current position!"

Finally, my own location was added.

"See? It’s all about application. People can turn decent privileges into extraordinary ones with just a bit of ingenuity. It’s all thanks to my strategic thinking."

-Give me a break! What do you mean, using your head? All you ever do is scheme like mad!

“Hehe. Cunning is also a skill.”

Preparations complete. No reason to hesitate now.

I quickly ran to the nearest NPC indicated on the map. Fortunately, he was nearby. The general who had welcomed us as "heroes" upon our arrival was the NPC with the best command skill.

“General Sarbast Aegim.”

“Hmm? Oh, the hero from another world. What brings you here?”

The general, in the middle of issuing orders to his subordinates, turned to look at me. His mustache was impressive. His skills must be impressive too.

-Get away!

The Sword Emperor shouted.

-Run, you dimwitted NPC! This guy isn't a yongsa, a hero. He's a yongpali, a scam artist! If he gets his hands on you, he'll suck you dry to the marrow!

Yongpali, really.

This ghost really turned Korean after spending a few days with me.

“General, I have a request.”

“Speak! Thanks to you heroes, what seemed like a hopeless battle is now showing signs of hope. If it's within my capacity, I will gladly fulfill your request.”

“I need you to kill me.”

The general's eyes widened.

“What do you mean?”

“...I have a secret technique. It's a kind of self-destruction. If I die, divine protection will descend upon the entire battlefield. If the blessing is activated, the empire will surely win.”

I tried to look as solemn as possible. Surprisingly, making a grave expression was easy. Just recalling being burnt to death by the Flame Emperor naturally made my face stiffen and my voice solemn.

-Lies! This zombie has no such self-destruct technique!

Hush.

Let's just ignore the ranting ghost of a loser who died just shy of the 100th floor.

“S-such a blessing... No. But to take a hero's life? I cannot do it!”

“General Sarbast Aegim. Think about what's more important. Whether you draw your sword or not, I'm going to commit suicide. This is the surest way to help the empire.”

I spoke with a grave face.

“I'm asking you for a favor.”

“A favor...?”

“The general, burdened with the responsibility of this harbor, desires the empire’s victory more than anyone. Rather than killing myself or dying at the hands of evil monsters, I'd like to entrust my life to you, the battle commander.”

“......”

“There's no time. Please!”

The general’s face turned miserable.

"Even if I must strive for the empire's survival, to take the life of a hero who has come from another world with great effort..."

-Hey. Hey! Do you believe this? Oh, man! How can you believe this? Of all the trustworthy people in the universe, why trust this zombie Kim? Really?

"Oh. Our world must be truly cursed. The advent of the Demon King, only spoken of in legends, the ceaseless onslaught of monsters. And now, having to take the life of a hero, it’s all a curse..."

-The curse is the level of your brain!

"Ah, dear God. Do not forgive our sins..."

The general lamented like a protagonist of a tragedy, then took hold of his sword's hilt. With a swish, a seemingly luxurious blade was revealed.

"...At least, I will send you off with a clean, painless cut."

"Thank you."

I was genuinely grateful.

I didn't mind dying, but I disliked pain.

"Please tell me your name."

"Kim Gong-Ja."

"Kim Gong-Ja... On behalf of the empire, I thank you. You are a true hero!"

Slice.

As promised by the general, it was a clean beheading. The aura-infused blade cleanly severed my neck.