WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 24: Welcome, Warriors! (3)
──────
4.
There is a saying.
Above one who runs, there is one who flies.
Here's another saying.
Next to a hunter who wields a sword, there's a hunter who commands soldiers.
Those are the words of Lord Gong-Ja.
*Gong-ja means Confucius in Korean.
"Hey, what's that!"
"Uh? By the looks of it, isn't that one of our hunters?"
In the midst of battle. Hunters, busy swinging their swords, turned their heads. Distracting oneself in the middle of a fight with monsters was dangerous. Fortunately, the hunters could afford to glance away momentarily.
I personally created that opportunity.
"Hero!"
The general glanced back and shouted.
"Is this the right direction?"
The general's body shook. Mine did too. Naturally, since the two of us were riding the same horse. The general rode with the reins in his hands, and I sat behind him.
Although the ride was horribly uncomfortable, the feeling was exhilarating.
"Absolutely. Just keep going straight and turn right, you'll find the Demon King's legion commander there. There are some monsters around, but don't worry. Just sweep them away."
"Oh! Understood!"
Why? Because behind the general and me, a thousand soldiers were following.
"All troops, follow me!"
The general raised his baton.
"The Goddess's hero protects us!"
"Uoooh!"
The soldiers roared and followed the general. A breakthrough attack! The soldiers, who had been defensive until now, pushed through the monster horde. Goblins and orcs were struck down effortlessly.
"Heh."
It was the effect of the minimap.
I had advised the general to target areas where the monsters were fewer.
"Ah. Turn right here."
"Understood! Hero!"
Of course, the minimap alone had not earned the general's trust. You could say that was thanks to repeating this day. It had taken several rounds of preparation.
Let's talk about witnessing the general's trauma when gaining the skill some other time.
'Status Window.'
Now is the time to focus on the battle ahead.
First, the skill. The skill I had acquired was as follows:
+
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. Battlefield Insight (B)
+
'The new skill is war-related.'
[Battlefield Insight] was, as the name suggests, an ability to assess the battlefield. Whether our side was at an advantage or disadvantage, where to strike the enemy for a breakthrough -all this became intuitively clear.
In short, it allowed me to pose quite convincingly as a specialist.
'But the skill isn't everything.'
I grinned and raised my sword.
It was no ordinary sword, nor was it the dagger I had used to kill myself. Its blade gave off a soft holy glow, and its hilt was carved in the shape of a lion with its jaws open. When the silver light pierced the air, soldiers all around gaped.
"The Goddess has blessed us with her light!"
"The Founder's Holy Sword... Ah, the Goddess has not abandoned the empire!"
"Long live the empire! Long live the hero!"
Indeed.
This sword was the final piece of the puzzle needed to command the army.
An item chosen through the blessing of the God of Commerce.
+
[Leafanta Aegim’s Holy Sword of Protection]
Rarity: Legendary
Description: 'Whoever seizes the holy sword, shall conquer the continent.' The legendary ancestral sword of Aegim. Rumored to be bestowed upon the founder of the Aegim Empire by the Goddess. 'He who conquered the continent, shall be seized by fate.'
The founder named his successor and then disappeared. Suicide? Betrayed? In a time when legend and history had not yet diverged, his whereabouts became unknown, and the holy sword vanished without a trace. Leaving only a prophecy as a guide.
'On the day destiny arrives, whoever seizes the holy sword shall also arrive.'
The owner of the Holy Sword of Protection receives absolute support and trust from those of the Aegim Empire.
+
The legendary item was phenomenal.
"Long live the empire! Long live the hero!"
"O Goddess, protect us!"
"Attack! Sweep away those filthy monsters!"
The soldiers charged with renewed courage.
"Kyaa."
To the soldiers, my skills and I were nothing short of a legendary hero. Though the real commander was the NPC general, and I was just an advisor... It felt as though I was directly reigning over the soldiers.
I felt uplifted.
'This is it. This is it. Ah, this is great. Just witnessing such a scene makes the effort of conquering the hidden stage worthwhile, doesn't it?'
-It's a complete piece-of-shit item!
As I soared high, the Sword Emperor ranted.
-It's just a sturdy, shiny sword!
'Tsk tsk. Such a bleak perspective from a ghost. It's a sturdy, shiny sword that makes NPCs go crazy from the 11th to the 20th floor. Got it? NPCs aren't just tools for giving quests.'
A simple change in perspective.
'They're beings to be used in completing quests!'
And this perspective indeed worked.
While other hunters were sweating and struggling in battle, I was enjoying a breezy ride through the battlefield with the general.
"What is that...?"
Every time we passed near the hunters, someone was dumbfounded. There were even looks of shock.
"Why is he alone with the general?"
"Is that an NPC?"
"Wow. Wait. He seems to be giving orders to the general..."
"No, look at his clothes. He's a hunter!"
"Who is that person...?"
Voices of astonishment, doubt, jealousy, and envy.
Typical reactions when humans look up to another human.
'Ah.'
I was intoxicated.
'This is it. This is what I've been looking for. Ah, it's incredible.'
-...This lunatic. I taught you Aura, but instead of practicing the sword like you should, you enhance your hearing to eavesdrop on gossip. Zombie, you're incredible. You really are such a zombie...
'Seriously, what's wrong with enjoying it!'
The assault was successful. The monster army was falling swiftly.
The enemy showed signs of scrambling desperately to stop us, but...
"Huff!"
To our left, the Sword Saint, leading a group of skilled hunters, was slaughtering orcs.
"Ahaha! Oh, what a touching day! A new battle! A new era! How much-"
"Shut up! If you have time to yap, kill another goblin!"
To our right, the Heretic Inquisitor, along with Viper and members of the major guilds, were making a mark.
The enemy's flanks crumbled. There was no reserve force left to stop our breakthrough. Clatter! Clatter! Under the hooves of the cavalry, goblins' heads were crushed, and orcs were impaled on spears.
"We can win!"
"Follow the general! Follow the hero!"
Charge! And another charge!
Before long, a breach appeared in the enemy lines. We had almost reached the location of the Demon King's legion commander. The minimap marked the legion commander with a particularly red dot.
-Gurgle.
Looking straight ahead over the general's shoulder, I saw a Great Goblin floundering in the distance.
'Huh.'
I inwardly scoffed.
'I wondered what kind of monster the enemy commander would be, and it's a Great Goblin?'
Of course, it would be stronger than the Great Goblin I had killed on the 5th floor, since it commanded a legion of thousands of monsters. But however strong a goblin became, it was still only a goblin. It could not possibly withstand the cavalry sweeping it away in a concerted charge.
Besides…
[Activating skill.]
I had a skill specialized for goblins.
-Gurgle! Gur!
The Great Goblin raised its staff and urged on the monsters around it. Translated into human speech, it probably meant something like, 'Stop those bastards! You idiots!'
I bellowed at the Great Goblin.
"Gurrle!"
In a perfect Goblin language!
-Gurk?
"Grrrle!"
-Gurk?
The Great Goblin was visibly flustered. When their leader faltered, the nearby monsters fell into confusion. Naturally, our forces continued charging all the while. The last hope that might have stopped our charge vanished.
-Gorrle!?
The Great Goblin flailed in panic. It seemed to have realized it had been deceived.
But it was too late.
I swung the Holy Sword vigorously, infusing it with aura.
“A good gurrle!”
The holy sword sliced through the goblin as though cutting tofu. Chop! The brief, dull resistance the blade met was probably the monster's neck bone. The goblin's head flew off before it could utter so much as a proper scream.
“Ooh!”
The general slowed down the horse and shouted.
“The hero has slain the monster!”
It wasn’t directed at me. It was for the soldiers to hear. The general put aura into his voice, striving to make it resonate even amidst the noisy battlefield.
Immediately, the adjutants riding along with us caught the general's intention.
“The monster has been slain!”
“The hero sent by the Goddess has defeated the enemy leader!”
From the general to the adjutants, from the adjutants to the regimental commanders, and from them to their soldiers, the voices resonated and echoed, and the echoes thundered across the battlefield.
“Uoooh!”
The regiments waved their flags in response. Cheers and jubilations. On the battlefield where comrades were falling and monsters were rushing in, the soldiers finally rejoiced.
“......”
I dismounted from the horse and looked around.
My eyes met with a standard-bearer. They seemed to have lost their left arm in the heat of battle. With their remaining right arm, they waved the flag. As our eyes met, the one-armed standard-bearer smiled broadly and raised the flag even higher.
Sunlight poured over the grimy flag.
"Long live the Aegim Empire!"
We had won.
“Purge the remnants!”
“Attack! Attack! Don’t let a single one escape!”
The tide had completely turned.
-Keurk, keurr...
-Grrr!
The once ferocious monsters began to flee.
“Huh?”
“Look at these guys.”
Then, the hunters’ eyes changed. If it were a battle between armies, it might be different, but chasing down scattered monsters was a hunter's specialty. The hunters bared their teeth and pounced on the goblins and orcs.
“Kill them all!”
It was time for the hunt.
The massacre didn’t last long.
Soon after, a voice as vast and clear as the echoes on the battlefield resonated in our heads.
[Stage Clear!]
[Today, the 11th floor stage has been cleared.]
It was a voice of victory.
[Once again announcing to everyone.]
[Today, the 11th floor stage has been cleared.]
Cheers erupted.
“Wow! Is this real?”
“Aren’t we too strong?”
“Long live the Black Dragon Guild!”
This time, not the soldiers but the hunters shouted in jubilation. Just like they had in the square, some hunters threw their hats in the air, and some embraced each other.
Clearing the 11th floor in less than a day!
It was an incredible achievement and a tide-like advance.
[Assessing raid participants... Assessment complete.]
[The raid has exceeded the participant limit.]
[Selecting the top 10 contributors.]
The hunters looked up.
Names were being etched in the sky in light.
+
[Raid Contribution Ranking]
1st. Kim Gong-Ja
2nd. Sword Saint
3rd. Heretic Inquisitor
4th. Viper
5th. Paladin
6th. Black Witch
7th. Countess
...
...
...
+
Familiar names appeared one after another.
However, as the list neared completion, the hunters began to murmur intensely.
“Huh? The first place has no alias?”
“Sword Saint is second?”
“Kim Gong-Ja...?”
My name hadn’t been out in the media for long. It was understandable that people were bewildered. But the confusion was short-lived. Someone in the crowd shouted.
“Ah, it's the 10th-floor conqueror!”
“That’s right! The conqueror of the 10th floor was named Gong-Ja!”
“A hunter without an alias from the tower in first place again?”
“Could it be some sort of reclusive expert or something?”
Hearing the people's whispers, the Sword Emperor looked sullen.
-Well, look at that. A reclusive expert? Just a sly guy who's good at scheming...
‘You do acknowledge it's a skill-based game now, right?’
-I can't! I won’t!
The Sword Emperor turned away, apparently sulking because I still was not practicing the sword. How should I put it? This ghost had a strong tendency to value fundamental ability over Skills.
I let out a bitter smile.
‘I’ll train in swordsmanship before we finish the 20th floor, so cool off.’
-Really?
The Sword Emperor perked up.
‘Yes, of course. I'm traveling with the Sword Emperor himself, so how could I finish without learning anything? You made it all the way to the 99th floor. If anything, I should be begging you to teach me the sword.’
-That's right!
The Sword Emperor started to circle in the air, rejuvenated.
-Ha, finally you recognize my worth, zombie. Though the tower you’re climbing is slightly different from mine, I soared through it in my world. The 11th floor was just light warm-up exercise for me...
Ah, it's easy.
This ghost was so simple to appease.
How could it be this easy?
"Hero sent by the Goddess."
While watching the Sword Emperor float, the general approached. He was covered in monster blood, but his face was clean with a neat smile.
"Thanks to you, we were able to win. I truly, sincerely thank you."
"It’s nothing. We all worked together to win."
"Ahaha."
The general scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I was worried for nothing."
“Pardon?”
“A long time ago, an oracle came from the temple. The Demon King would come, but so would heroes from another world, so don't worry... I was skeptical. Would heroes, not even from this world, really fight hard for us?"
The general smiled.
“But it was unnecessary worry. Let me express my gratitude again.”
The general extended his hand.
A handshake. Despite the different worlds, the meaning of clasping each other's hands seemed similar. Whether in this world or ours, humans have two hands, right?
"I look forward to your continued impressive performance."
“I’ll try my best.”
We shook hands.
[Assessing clear rewards... Assessment complete.]
[Rewarding the top contributors.]
Then, along with the voice, light enveloped me.
Not just me. Lights shot up here and there across the battlefield. One, two, three, four... Ten beams of light shot up into the sky.
[The top contributors will be given early entry into floor 12.]
[Until the top contributors receive their rewards, the remaining participants cannot enter floor 12.]
[Once again announcing to everyone. The top contributors...]
As expected.
The 10 who contributed the most to the raid received the rewards first. I felt sorry for the hunters who narrowly missed 11th or 12th place, but it was a quite reasonable system.
Right before I was completely engulfed in light, the general said.
"Please take good care of our empire."
And then, we were summoned to floor 12.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
