WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 257: The One Who Does Not Clear the Stage (3)
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The 38th stage.
Before my regression, it was a place solely conquered by Yoo Soo-Ha.
At that time, I was not part of the [Raid Team]. Far from it, I was just a lowly hunter who couldn’t even make it into the rankings.
‘How exactly was it conquered?’
I only learned this much later, from an interview article.
-38th floor? It was damn easy.
The strategy revealed by Flame Emperor in the interview was simple.
-Just do nothing.
Inaction.
-The boss that appears there isn’t meant to be defeated. Ah, you know, like those invincible monsters in game tutorials? The ones that can’t be killed even with cheats or hacks. Like, the Demon King on the 13th floor or the Librarian that appears on the 21st floor.
To Yoo Soo-Ha, Constellations were like [boss monsters designed for forced defeat], and the elves he personally led were no different from [NPCs in a game].
-The 38th floor boss is the same as those guys.
Therefore, Yoo Soo-Ha’s conclusion was simple.
-No need to do anything.
Standing by.
Ignoring it.
-The boss monster there... something like a Ki Dragon from the sea. Anyway, that thing isn’t really hindering stage clearance. It’s more like a sieve filtering out those moving from the 38th to the 39th floor.
Hunter Yoo Soo-Ha, who always topped the rankings, acted accordingly.
No hunter could dissuade Yoo Soo-Ha.
Looking back now, it wasn’t just his sole opinion.
I could no longer say that he conceived such an inhuman idea simply because he alone was uniquely demonic.
-The NPCs did die in large numbers. But what can you do?
Regarding the Tower's residents as ‘NPCs’ and Constellations as ‘bosses’.
Denying all contexts of those who lived, are living, and will live, and defining all stages as tactical spaces.
Viewing the Tower as a ‘dungeon’.
-What matters is us climbing the Tower.
That was not only the Flame Emperor’s view but also a principle shared by all who climbed the Tower at that time, and even after my regression, it was a principle that lingered with me for a long time.
‘And that principle will bring about the worst outcome in the next stage... the 39th floor.’
I shook my head.
Ending my reminiscence and returning to reality, I heard Anastasia gritting her teeth.
“What the heck is this quest!?”
Anastasia was visibly enraged.
“Selection!? Just killing off kids who haven’t awakened their Aura, isn’t that setting the bar too high!?”
“That’s what I’m saying. They should at least provide an option to handle it with a tribute or something.”
The Countess also couldn’t hide her dismay.
“Hmm! This is quite a predicament.”
Bambolina said, lightly smiling while stroking his chin.
“The Paladin said the creator would never destroy their own world, but the owner of the estate does arrange the garden to their liking. And a deity with a personality is more akin to the owner of an estate.”
The Paladin let a heavy silence fall.
Seeing my companions like this, I bitterly smiled.
‘Not bad, this situation.’
I was satisfied.
‘Compared to before my regression... No, frankly, it’s embarrassingly better.’
No one thought it was a quest that would clear itself if we just stayed put and did nothing.
‘Everyone views the Tower's residents as people just like themselves.’
Naturally, when you start seeing people as people, you adopt a corresponding attitude.
Thinking of those who can't use Aura as throwaways, you can no longer consider the same approach.
‘Even if they adopt such an attitude after much deliberation, it's not from the standpoint of a [game player] but that of a [leader].’
Thus, the weight of the decisions they make cannot be the same.
It simply cannot be.
“...Kim Gong-Ja.”
Anastasia spoke through gritted teeth.
As a leader of the Tower, she turned to me.
“You have something in mind... right?”
Her question was laden with various meanings, each carrying its own weight.
I nodded.
“Yes, of course.”
I looked at the hologram.
There, the seven races, including the Earth Spirit Tribe, were displayed, already heading toward the Fire River Council. The Mountain Snail Tribe slowly climbed the walls, the Ghost Tribe strode along the main road, and the Vampiric Tribe flapped their wings and hung from the council's pillars.
“I planted seeds there a long time ago and left a farmer to tend to them.”
The building of the Fire River Council wasn’t imposing.
Rather, it was crude.
A circular set of steps had been dug downward to form a basin.
In the center, the chairman sat on the bare ground. The floor was hard-packed earth, just like the steps, and only the props used in blood dramas lay scattered around.
It was hard to believe this place was the [pinnacle of power ruling over the continent].
-Heard some dog barking, Lime.
In the center of the circular basin lay a representative of the Mountain Snail Tribe.
-Wonder if you heard it too, Laimu.
629th Chairman Seimslam.
The hero who decapitated the dragon in the last stage.
The hero had now aged into an old woman. Her shell was wrinkly, her tentacles had lost their plumpness. The severed tentacles hadn’t regrown, leaving only one tentacle wriggling.
-They said they’d let those who use Aura live, and kill those who can’t... I thought some fearless bastard was messing with me through telepathy. I tried to trace it back, but it was a way higher being than me, so it failed.
Seimslam’s remaining tentacle gently scratched her shell.
On the shell of the Mountain Snail Tribe representative, there was a beautiful pattern painted in blue.
Perhaps influenced by the custom of goblins tattooing their bodies, which I introduced in the first stage as [Primitive Fashionista], it had persisted until now. Though the pattern became more complex over time, there was something uneroded by time, and I felt a bit moved.
-What do you all think?
-Ugor. We also tried to trace it back, but we failed!
-We felt something much bigger, much, much bigger than us.
Mountain Snail Tribe's chairman asked, and Earth Spirit Tribe warriors replied politely. It was a wise stance. At least 11 warriors who underestimated the chairman, thinking she was weak with only one tentacle left, ended up with only one leg themselves.
-It felt too powerful to be just a living being.
-Right. It's more like the will of nature, the violence of the world.
-What are you talking about? Are you saying we should follow the bullshit some unidentified bastard spouted and let everyone who can't use Aura die? Huh?
-This is why it's impossible to have a conversation with the Fairy Tribe. They always jump to conclusions. What I'm saying is, the one who sent us the telepathy is a damn powerful monster.
-Doesn’t that mean we’re surrendering!
-It could mean the exact opposite: that we should fight it.
-We, [The Group Dealing with the Voice in the Head Incident], demand the establishment of an investigative team to thoroughly uncover the conspiracy involved in this incident….
Debate raged in the Fire River Council.
Much had changed in the decades since Seimslam became the chairman, with the Earth Spirit Tribe previously dominating the conference. The multi-racial conference became more adept at handling various situations, but it also meant dozens of opinions easily clashed.
There were also more oddballs spouting strange things.
Just then.
-Everyone, quiet down! Fresh information just came in!
Amidst the uproar in the Fire River Council.
The representative of the Vampiric Tribe, who had been sitting in the middle, seemingly asleep to the world, suddenly opened their eyes and shouted.
-Everyone, close your eyes and take a nap for an hour! I will use [Dream Notification] to send you the footage!
The members of the Fire River Council looked at each other. Soon, one by one, they leaned back in their chairs and fell asleep.
Sleeping during a conference often indicates negligence, but in this case, it was a clear execution of duty.
In the dream they entered, the Vampiric Tribe's representative used [Dream Notification]. It was an authority gained by merging with the Dream Demon Tribe. Because of its many restrictions, it could not violate people inside dreams as the Dream Demon Tribe had in its prime, but it could transmit brief images, and that was enough for now.
-Incredible.
-What kind of monster is that?
Thus, the cutting-edge intelligence obtained by the busy wings of the Vampiric Tribe's intelligence unit was relayed to the members of the Fire River Council.
The Deep Sea-Dwelling Ki Dragon. The location and identity of the giant turtle were revealed in less than a day.
-It’s huge!
-Damn, is that a continent or a turtle? You could live on that thing.
-No matter how many times we stab it, we wouldn't leave a single scratch!
-And what's with the Aura surrounding it? No, it seems like its entire body is made of Aura!
One by one, the awakened council members began to stir up commotion again.
-Silence.
Snap!
The strongest entity of this era smacked the ground with her tentacle, quelling the noise.
-Let's sort out the situation first.
The commotion gradually subsided.
Seimslam spoke.
-An unidentified monster, this turtle, called itself the [Deep Sea Dwelling Ki Dragon]. It's probably a being with a special name like the gods we worshiped, so we must seek advice from someone who has directly communicated with the gods.
The council stirred at Seimslam’s words.
-Gods?
-Are you referring to beings like [The Great Puppy], Chairman Seimslam? But Lime, hasn’t the bloodline of that divine beast ended?
-Damn it! Even when we lost the holy land, we still managed to escape with the descendants of the Great Puppy!
-If only it weren't for the chocolate that came from the new continent, Lime... We, [The Group Commemorating the Great Puppy], strongly recommend the council establish an investigative team to look into the conspiracy of poisoning the divine beast....
-Silence!
Snap!
Seimslam smacked the ground again.
-[The Great Puppy], [The White Lion], [The Serpent God], there was a time when gods were with us. Lime. And there were people like Gorke, who directly communicated with them.
Seimslam scanned the audience.
That gaze rose above the prejudices and distrust of Seimslam's race and held a kind of ostentatious pride.
-And isn't the second prophet, succeeding Gorke, still alive, waiting for the day his master calls him while sitting alone on the harshest snowy mountain of this continent?
Indeed.
Just as Viper decided to stay in the stage enduring all the time, Uburka also stayed in his homeland.
‘If Dad leaves and I disappear too, we'll be in trouble if something happens.’
‘Daddy is their father, so he has to watch his children become independent. But I'm Daddy's eldest son, which makes me the Earth Spirit Tribe's oldest brother. Older brothers interfere whenever they don't like something, whether their younger siblings are independent or not. Ugor.’
‘So go, Daddy.’
‘I’ll be waiting, just like I did before.’
Still, I hoped we would reunite a little sooner than we had before.
That was the conversation Uburka and I had when we parted.
‘Such a reliable guy.’
Just as I was proud of how well I raised my son, the Fire River Council decided to formally invite Uburka. Although some protested, not wanting the intervention of an ancestor, they failed to present a practical plan to match their will.
Unproven will is nothing but childishness. Seimslam broke their petulance with her remaining tentacle and shouted.
-Bring the 212th Chairman of the Fire River Council, Uburka!
The summoning ritual commenced.
Uburka had apparently told his descendants to perform a special ritual if they ever needed him.
Twelve warriors with an exceptional amount of Aura gathered, exerting all their strength, shooting a beam of Aura straight into the sky.
Boooom!
Blue, yellow, apricot, twelve different colors merged in the beam piercing the clouds. The beam, a clear beacon visible even from the opposite side of the continent, lasted barely six seconds before fading.
-Gasp, gasp...
-Can't do this again, Ugor...
The warriors collapsed, drained of their energy.
-But, does this really bring the ancestor?
-I don't know, Ugor. Probably the first time we're using it.
-Even if he comes, it won't be immediate...
Then, how much time passed?
1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes... Just as it was about to hit 200 seconds.
-Ugor?
One of the Earth Spirit Tribe members, looking up at the sky, tilted their head.
-Something like a meteor...
In that instant.
Something crashed with a thunderous roar into the center of the Fire River Council.
Kaboom!
The Fire River Council was thrown into chaos.
-Agh!
-Lime!
Dust swept across the area like a wave. Those with antennae quivered their antennae, those with horns their horns, those with wings their wings, and those with gills their gills as they resisted the blast of wind.
Once the dust settled, a giant figure stood in the crater.
[The Muscle Pig Dreaming of Parricide has descended.]
Uburka.
A living legend had appeared.
-Ugor, I thought you’d call me soon.
Uburka didn’t ask why he was summoned.
Obviously, the situation unfolding in this world was clear to anyone.
-Uburka!
Seimslam called out.
-We seek wisdom from you, the former chairman! Do you have any advice for us regarding the threats of that turtle creature?
-Hmm.
Uburka grinned.
-Seeing as you call it a turtle, you've identified the monster. Ugor. You're really quick with your work.
-We appreciate the compliment, but does it relate?
-Of course. My advice is quite simple.
Uburka crossed his arms.
-If you've figured it out, that Ki Dragon is a massive Aura entity. It's like a pure Aura crystal.
Uburka, a martial artist who reached the heavens, sat in a lotus position and inhaled.
It was a basic Aura cultivation technique.
-So, Ugor, that means.
A white current was drawn into his nostrils, swept through his body, and flowed back out.
-Why not just do this, Churrrrrup, and suck it in?
The council members tilted their heads.
-Suck it in...?
-What do you mean?
Uburka stood up, grinning.
-You don't get it.
-What?
-You fools! That mountain-sized turtle is made entirely of [pure Aura]. The very Aura you all work so hard to accumulate. Ugor, that massive body is essentially a [spiritual medicine] that would put thousand-year-old ginseng to shame!
Only then did the council members pause.
Realizing Uburka’s point, their eyes widened or antennae twitched, and they began to murmur.
Among them, Uburka delivered the final blow.
-Gather people. Not only those who can use Aura, but everyone who has not even taken the first step into it. Gather dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions. Ugor. This isn't a crisis. It's an opportunity! Even those who have long struggled at a low level can raise their Aura to first-rate in one leap. This is a sweet opportunity that will never come again!
-......!
Mass Aura cultivation.
No, what Uburka proposed would more properly be called the Great Energy-Absorbing Art.
-Gather everyone, have them sit on the turtle's back in a lotus position, and cultivate!
The council members gaped.
My colleagues, watching the children through the hologram, also gaped.
And I smiled lightly.
‘I really raised my son well.’
Yoo Soo-Ha did nothing and conquered the 38th stage.
My method, declared to be different from the Flame Emperor’s, was somewhat similar.
‘Now they’ll reap the benefits on their own. Well done!’
Inaction.
But while Yoo Soo-Ha did nothing and allowed millions upon tens of millions of children to die, my inaction would produce a markedly different result.
Beyond the hologram, my son was proclaiming that [different outcome].
With a wicked smile on his face.
-Let's slurp up that turtle bastard like soup and rice, and all become supreme masters!
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