WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 25: The Chosen Ones (1)
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1.
As dazzling light poured down, the Sword Emperor hurriedly said.
-Hey, wait. If only the top 10 are being summoned separately, wouldn't Marcus be there? If he sees you, he'll flip out and attack, what will you do?
‘Ah, don't worry. What's the worst that can happen? I'll die?’
-You, Kim Zombie...
The Sword Emperor's mouth twitched as if he were about to unleash another lecture. I hurriedly added,
‘I'm saying it's fine because I have a plan. Don't you know who I am? I'm Kim Gong-Ja, the sly fox acknowledged by the Sword Emperor! Trust me.’
-You have a plan?
‘Of course! A solid one. I'll show you in a moment.’
-Hmm.
The Sword Emperor crossed his arms, still displeased.
But whether he liked it or not, it was too late. The summoning had begun, and a white light completely enveloped us. Whatever the outcome, I had no choice but to face the Sword Saint.
I closed my eyes, and,
[Transfer complete.]
when I opened them again, I was already summoned to the 12th floor.
It was a place completely different from the 11th floor. Opposite, to be precise? If the 11th floor was a fierce and dirty battlefield where life and death were at stake, the 12th floor was a luxurious and lavish palace. The imperial palace of the Aegim Empire.
‘...Or maybe not.’
I looked around.
‘In terms of fierceness and dirtiness, palace politics might be the same.’
In the audience hall of the imperial palace, the other top contributors were being summoned one after another. Some were unfamiliar, but most were hunters I met yesterday, like the Witch and the Countess. Not surprisingly, they were the leaders of the major guilds.
I made eye contact with the other hunters.
“Oh?”
“Hmm.”
Their reactions varied. Some smiled broadly as if to say, 'I knew you would be here first,' while others frowned, seemingly surprised at my top rank.
“Hunter Kim Gong-Ja! You were amazing!”
The Heretic Inquisitor belonged to the former.
“I enjoyed watching your performance on the 11th floor! Using NPCs like that. I was moved!”
The Heretic Inquisitor scurried over. His short stature made him look like a puppy rushing towards me.
“Is the sword at your waist a special item? After seeing that sword, the NPCs started following you without hesitation. Did you receive it as a reward for clearing the 10th floor?”
“Well. Yes...”
“Exactly!”
The Heretic Inquisitor looked up at me with a beaming smile.
“Using the reward from the 10th floor to lead the way through the 11th floor. Your adaptability is impressive!”
“Ah, well, it wasn’t really that big of a deal...”
“From now on, many people will be jealous of you. They might treat you as a lucky upstart. Ignore them! It's all your skill!”
Uh.
What's with this person? An angel?
-Hey! Kim Zombie! You idiot!
The Sword Emperor suddenly shouted.
It was different from his usual teasing tone. It was an urgent cry.
-Be careful! Right now, behind you...
At that moment, before the Sword Emperor could finish, everything happened.
“Hmm.”
The first to react was the Heretic Inquisitor in front of me.
The Heretic Inquisitor, who had been all smiles, narrowed his eyes and grabbed my wrist, pulling me. My posture wavered and crumbled. One step. The Heretic Inquisitor pushed me back and stepped forward in my place.
“Holy Technique, God of Flesh.”
It was a whisper from the Heretic Inquisitor. Clang! The sound of steel fiercely colliding with something echoed. It wasn’t just any steel.
A sword.
A sword strike filled with unmistakable killing intent.
“Ahaha.”
The Heretic Inquisitor laughed.
His eyes, however, were not smiling.
“Surprising, Sword Saint. When did you change professions to an assassin?”
“Move aside.”
The well-dressed elderly gentleman, the Sword Saint, spoke coldly.
He was holding a long sword, pointing it at us.
No, I misspoke.
“I will kill that man.”
Not at us, but at me.
2.
Silence enveloped the audience hall.
Electricity seemed to flow in the air, tingling my whole body.
“Hmm.”
Only the Heretic Inquisitor remained unfazed.
“Excuse me, but when you say 'that man,' are you referring to Hunter Kim Gong-Ja?”
“Indeed.”
The Sword Saint replied.
“If you don't move aside, I'll cut off one of your arms as well.”
The Heretic Inquisitor smiled subtly.
“That would be quite inconvenient! I cannot make way for you right now. Hunter Kim Gong-Ja has been recognized by all five major guilds, including our Pantheon. If we let him die here, the five guilds will lose all face!”
“So, you intend to lose an arm, young one.”
“Ah, that too is problematic! My arms are still quite useful.”
The Heretic Inquisitor tilted his head, still smiling.
“May I ask why you are targeting Hunter Kim Gong-Ja?”
“I have no obligation to tell you.”
“No intention of backing down, then?”
“Stop talking and move aside.”
The Sword Saint firmly refused.
Right. From the old man’s perspective, I was a murderer who killed over four thousand people. Without knowing about my skill, the Sword Saint had no choice but to act like this.
“I repeat, I will kill that man.”
“Hmm! Then there's nothing I can do.”
The Heretic Inquisitor joined his hands together.
“I will subdue you here. Holy Technique, God of Teleportation.”
At that moment, light burst behind the Sword Saint. Bam! Bursting through the light were two hunters.
The leader of the Celestial Martial Clan, Viper, and the vice-captain of the Vigilante Corps, Paladin. These two well-known fighters shouted their battle cries. They swung their weapons at the Sword Saint's back.
“Haaah!”
The Sword Saint frowned.
“Annoying flies...”
The Sword Saint clicked his tongue. In the time it took him to click it once, his sword moved. Blue aura cut through the air and raised a small spray of blood. Two slashes. With only two strikes, the Paladin was cut on her cheek and Viper's forearm split open.
“Th-this monstrous old man!”
It was a lightning-fast skirmish.
“What the hell do you eat to stay this spry at your age? Please, just get old already! Retire! Young people like me cannot get anywhere because of you!”
Viper yelled, fuming.
The Sword Saint let out a small snort.
"There's an old saying that goes like this: behind every strong man, there's an even stronger one."
“You are over forty yourself, are you not? To truly young people, you are just as old.”
"Don't joke! Being in the 40s is just the prime of life! It's practically the true beginning of life..."
The Heretic Inquisitor cut in. “Celestial Martial Clan Master! You really are old! For one thing, your face makes you look much older than your age!”
“Is that fucking zealot really on my side right now? Huh?”
“Haah,” sighed the Paladin.
"Focus on the enemy in front of us, Viper. We're in a disadvantageous fight."
Despite her sigh, the Paladin remained on guard. If anything, she seemed even tenser. The Heretic Inquisitor, Viper, and the Paladin, three top rankers, surrounded the Sword Saint from three sides, yet he stood aloof and alone.
"Hmm. This is indeed a disadvantage."
The Heretic Inquisitor seemed to realize the current situation as well.
He cheerfully called for reinforcements. "Countess!"
"Why?"
"Lend me some money!"
"How much do you need?"
"Thankfully, the Sword Saint hasn't lost his sanity. A brief restraint should suffice. I need 10,000 gold, please!"
"15% interest. Compounded."
The Countess, who had been quietly watching the fight, unrolled a fan.
"Three-month interest-free installment. Would that be acceptable?"
“Ahaha! You misunderstood me! I did not ask you to lend me money. I asked you to give me some.”
"How dare you demand a donation from a merchant?"
“Yes! It is money you earned through dirty dealings anyway. I will put it to good use, so donate generously to the temple and go to heaven!”
"You're a worse robber than I thought..."
The Countess shook her head and pulled out a pouch patterned with snails. She loosened the gold cord cinching its mouth.
"Withdraw, 10,000 gold."
The pouch opened its mouth, and countless gold coins poured out. The pouch itself was probably an extremely rare item. Once the coins had formed a low hill, the Countess put the pouch away.
"Here you go, priest. Exactly 10,000 gold."
"I'll take it!"
The Heretic Inquisitor gleefully joined his hands together.
"Holy Technique, God of Donation!"
The spilled gold coins emitted light. The golden light filled the hall, and the Heretic Inquisitor quickly moved his hands, muttering.
"Holy miracle, physical enhancement. Target, Paladin. Viper. Duration, 300 seconds each. The gold will bind our hands. Completed!"
"Hmm."
"Che..."
Then, something strange happened. The gold coins vanished without a trace.
Instead, the light from the coins moved onto the Paladin and the Viper. They were surrounded by a golden aura. "Now," announced the Heretic Inquisitor, "for the next 300 seconds, the Paladin and the Viper will be significantly transformed. Sword Saint! Even someone as strong as you will struggle against us four!"
"..."
“More importantly, the Countess's coffers are nowhere near empty. Hah! I wonder if they will ever run dry! If you would like to test whether the Countess goes bankrupt first or your head flies off first, please, be my guest!”
The Countess, standing afar, pursed her lips.
"Why involve my coffers in your test? I simply donated because the priest asked. Oh, how hard it is to be a merchant, whether outside or in the Tower..."
"Let me add one thing."
The cold voice flowed from the Black Witch, the 2nd rank hunter and the leader of the Black Dragon Guild. She broke her silence.
"The combined attack won't end with just four of us. I, too, will participate. Hunter Kim Gong-Ja yesterday formally made an agreement with all five major guilds."
The Sword Saint furrowed his brows.
"An agreement?"
"Yes, an agreement."
The Witch nodded.
"Hunter Kim Gong-Ja joined all five guilds without being tied to any specific one. In return, we promised to treat him as equal to a guild master. Sword Saint. If you point your sword at Hunter Kim Gong-Ja, it's the same as attacking us all."
"..."
"Of course, by 'us,' I mean the five major guilds."
The Witch took out a mirror.
"Black Dragon. Sang-Ryun. Pantheon. Chun-Moon. Vigilante Corps."
The mirror rose on its own and flew in circles. One. Two. Three. Six mirrors in all circled the Witch like hunting dogs guarding their master.
"Are you really prepared to face us all, Sword Saint?"
Shk.
Five hunters leveled their weapons at the Sword Saint in unison.
"..."
The old swordsman remained silent.
That's right.
'No matter how fearsome the Sword Saint is.'
At this moment-.
'He's not strong enough to make enemies of all five guilds.'
I made an agreement with the guild masters for this moment.
Someday, I might become stronger than the Sword Saint. No, I would make sure that day came. But it would not come today or tomorrow, so I needed a plan until then.
I smiled inwardly.
‘Do you remember what I said on the 11th floor?’
-What?
‘There are two ways to face a powerful enemy.’
Either become a one-man army strong enough to devour the enemy alone.
Or build an army of my own and fight back.
‘The Sword Saint is only a solo player.’
But I was different.
‘I already have an allied army.’
Therefore, if the Sword Saint and I fought right now, victory would be mine.
'Do you see? This was my plan. Now, be amazed.'
-Tsk. As expected of a sly fox…
The Sword Emperor sighed.
But his expression was not as displeased as expected. He seemed quite satisfied that I had not come to the 12th floor thoughtlessly and had a plan in place. Despite appearances, this ghost was an enormous worrywart.
I stepped forward.
"Sword Saint."
The hunters in the audience hall turned their attention to me, including the Sword Saint. I deliberately smiled to show confidence.
And I looked directly at the Sword Saint.
"Let’s have a conversation?"
Listen closely. Lord Gong-Ja is speaking.
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