WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 263: Idol Destruction (3)
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[Quest Complete.]
[All races have learned the secrets of their gods!]
Have you ever seen a sunset in the jungle?
[Stage Clear.]
[The 39th floor has been cleared.]
When the sun sinks to the horizon, all the palm trees bend at the waist to watch the sunset, as if drawn by its gravity. The sun does not look back at them. Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of palms are steeped in pitch-black shadow...... They exit as black pillars, leaving only the sky and the river with any 'color' in this world.
A world distinctly divided into black and color.
-It's impossible! Our god would never do such a thing!
In the midst of nature's indifferent play of colors, hundreds of thousands of people were clamorously bustling.
-Above all, our god takes the form of a great dog! But what are these images that keep streaming through my head...... Laimu! That is plainly a Pure Human! It makes no sense!
-Kekerkker looks handsome.
-Come to think of it, for a supposed white lion, the romance in those blood-fire dramas always felt far too real.
-So, that was a disguise? The gods, they took animal forms to approach us easily. Not just any animals, but ones that looked very special, either white or black. Thanks to that, we revered them like gods. Isn't it all for the best in the end?
-This is deception!
-We are worshippers of the great puppy, not followers of some weird-looking brat!
The Heretic Inquisitor watching the hologram with me tilted his head.
"Do I look strange?"
The Black Dragon Master answered the question.
"You don't look like a snail."
"Is that so? I thought I resembled a snail quite a bit."
"What are you talking about... No, now's not the time for such discussions."
That's right. It wasn't the atmosphere for joking around.
The chaos in the hologram footage was getting worse.
Being in the waiting room of the eliminated, all we could do was watch for the time being.
'Although the stage clear announcement appeared...'
No one was able to rejoice over the stage clear.
Anastasia, the Countess, the Paladin, everyone was just tensely staring at the hologram.
'It's not over yet.'
Rather, it was just the beginning.
What reaction would the children, now knowing the truth, show?
The success or failure of this raid depended on that.
[Sequential Layer Progression in progress.]
As if to confirm our premonition, the tower immediately presented us with the next challenge.
[Forcibly entering the 40th floor.]
[Since you've entered the 40th floor, the original eliminated participants regain their status as raid participants.]
[Displaying the 40th floor quest!]
The era had not changed.
The Ki Dragon's body remained just as it had been when it collapsed, and the children were still engulfed in confusion and excitement. It was a sequential progression in the most literal sense. Without the slightest interval, with that very moment preserved, we faced a new quest.
+
[Mountain Snail Tribe's Idol]
Difficulty: B+
Mission Objective: The Heretic Inquisitor has aided the Mountain Snail Tribe.
Under your devoted care, the Mountain Snail Tribe built the most successful early civilization! The Slime Empire's domain was nearly equal in extent to the territory now encompassed by the Earth Spirit Tribe. The Mountain Snail Tribe assigned occupations according to each race's traits, developed a highly integrated system of specialized labor, and advanced without end by making its great cities into centers of trade.
But the brighter the light, the darker the shadow.
In your empire, other races were enslaved. Eventually, the slaves rebelled, destroying your grand empire and the proud cities of the Mountain Snail Tribe. Thereafter, the Mountain Snail Tribe became public enemies of the continent, forced to live in foreign lands.
Heretic Inquisitor, you have tasted both the first glory and the first defeat.
Now the Mountain Snail Tribe has come to know about you. They have realized that you are not a god. They understood that the glory and luxury they enjoyed, the yokes they had to bear, the oppression they endured, all originated from you.
How will the Mountain Snail Tribe treat you now?
The voting begins.
Option 1: 'I am glad to have been guided by you.'
Option 2: 'I disliked being guided by you.'
You must obtain as many votes for Option 1 as possible. If Option 1 receives more than half the votes, the 40th floor will automatically be cleared. However, you cannot bribe or make promises for votes, and must only sway the hearts of the Mountain Snail Tribe through [conversation] and [meetings].
*However, if you lose in the vote, you must exterminate all Mountain Snail Tribe members living on the continent to move on to the next stage.
+
Everyone sitting in the waiting room was silent.
Anastasia, the Countess, the Paladin, even I, kept our mouths shut.
And slowly, we all turned to look at the lunatic chosen for this quest.
"Ahaha. I understand! Yes, I get it!"
The psychopath, who would surely rank among the five people in this world you should least want as a parent, laughed cheerfully.
"It seems I'm the first batter!"
3.
"Ah, ahhhh......"
Anastasia was in despair.
"This is serious..."
"Why? Is it because the Heretic Inquisitor is the first batter?"
"Yes. Ah, I shouldn't have fallen for Kim Gong-Ja's sweet talk. At the very least, I should have prepared a minimum safety net before starting work. We should have created and distributed propaganda about how much we've worked for these kids, stirring up sympathy... Damn, it's my specialty."
"That's not revealing secrets, it's brainwashing."
Anastasia always seemed unflappable, but whenever something seemed like [her failure], she became incredibly flustered.
Perfectionists must be exhausting.
"Don't worry too much. It’s okay."
"It’s okay? Is it the situation where all the kindness we showed those kids turns into naught and only anger grows? Or…"
Anastasia turned sharply and pointed at the Heretic Inquisitor.
"This situation where we entrust our fates to that 100% pure psycho!?"
"Ahaha."
"How well will he convince the Mountain Snail Tribe kids? All I can vividly imagine is him tilting his head in confusion, not understanding what he did wrong!"
The Heretic Inquisitor just kept smiling brightly.
Meanwhile, the situation in the hologram was continuing to worsen.
-Our guiding deity is a beautiful pink-skinned dolphin! Keeek, how can a human without gills or fins pretend to be our god!
-Uh, but our god can transform into a cat, right? Then I do not see much of a problem. A cat god polymorphing into human form to roam the world for amusement has been a fucking staple of blood-fire dramas since ancient times......
-That we built mining cities, burying children in them...
-That we were dragged to the mines and lived like slaves for hundreds of years, it was all because of that Mountain Snail Tribe's god!
The jungle sunset illuminated each of their faces.
Their faces were half blackened, resembling the shadows of the palm trees, and the other half brightly red, receiving the sunset from the sky.
-Why would you do such a thing!
-Were we just pawns in your little game!
-No, look at the footage carefully. The gods were merely trying to take care of us…
-The problem is they're not gods but humans!
People with open mouths in anger, those enraged, others holding their heads in confusion, some unsure what to do, individuals resting their chins on their hands deep in thought, and occasionally someone realizing something with an 'Ah, so that's why that happened…'
-False gods!
Someone shouted out.
-We must drag the false gods down from their false sanctum!
-They're just humans!
-They always said they were doing this for us, that they loved us, but in the end, it was all for their own agenda! To climb the tower and incorporate stages into their own territories, wasn't it!
Though still a minority...
A faction violently reacting to the fact that we were human and feeling betrayed had emerged. To them, it didn't matter how much we had struggled or what lives we had led.
[They are not gods].
That alone was enough for them to feel betrayed. Their sense of betrayal turned into curses against the gods who had reigned over them for thousands of years. Their curses soon became calls for our execution.
-Yes! Let's bring down the false gods!
-Let us make the false gods answer for our ancestors' grudges, their lives, everything!
-Bring down the false gods! Bring down the false gods!
Still, the absolute majority of the races were either dazed or puzzled. But if left alone, the minority's anger would spread like a plague, swiftly engulfing the jungle.
"…It's not okay. Kim Gong-Ja. This is really, not okay."
Anastasia muttered.
She had lived as the guild master of the Black Dragon. More than anyone, she was deeply involved in public opinion and propaganda campaigns. Being the Black Dragon Master, she must be feeling most acutely how dire the situation was turning, and how unreliable the Heretic Inquisitor was for this situation.
"No."
But I continued to cut off Anastasia's worries.
"What I meant by saying it's okay isn't that the current situation is good. Nor am I saying that the Heretic Inquisitor is reliable. It's just..."
I turned to look at the hologram.
"Our children will be alright."
That's when it happened.
Crack!
A whip crack echoed across the jungle. The enraged, the shouting, the contemplating, the anxious, everyone's ears were sharply pierced by the sound of the whip. Hundreds of thousands in the crowd were startled, turning towards the source of the sound.
-Be quiet, Lime.
The 629th Chair of the Fire River Council.
The strongest warrior of the Mountain Snail Tribe, Seimslam.
-Stop talking.
-What? How can we not discuss such a shocking event…
-Let me propose a bill as the Chair of the Fire River Council. The bill's name: [To speak even a single word about the gods here, one must duel the Chair of the Fire River Council. For every attack you block or dodge, you will be granted one chance to speak.]
-......
Let me reiterate, the Fire River Council has a unique custom.
Anyone, regardless of race or origin, can join the council if they rank somewhere among the two thousand strongest people in the world. The moment they join, they are treated as council members and may freely speak or vote in meetings that decide the races' fate.
However, if they lose a duel, they must yield their opinion.
Consequently, the [strongest fighter] typically becomes the Chairman, and decisions usually go as the Chairman wishes. Isn't it obvious? If there are any dissenters, just challenge and defeat them in a duel.
-......
-Well then, all members of the Fire River Council present here, raise your hand if you oppose this bill.
Seimslam spoke coolly.
-Though I doubt there will be any opposition. Unanimity has always been a long-standing tradition and pride of our Fire River Council.
-......
The warriors hesitated.
For the first time in the council's history, someone outside the Earth Spirit Tribe had become chair. That fact alone amply proved what a deranged swordswoman Seimslam was. Plenty of Earth Spirits refused to accept the proof, and the funeral trade reportedly boomed as a result.
-Ugor... Chair.
As all members remained silent, one from the Earth Spirit Tribe raised a hand. Or rather, they should now probably be called an Asura.
Unlike before, the children's skin glowed red. Bulging muscles on the shoulders, chest, and abs were like red flesh faintly oiled. The fangs protruding from the mouth in a crescent moon shape were incredibly sharp, instilling fear in those who saw them.
-I don't necessarily oppose the bill proposed by the Chair but... Huh?
The formidable Asura adopted a very respectful attitude. Hands placed over the stomach, head bowed at a 45-degree angle, and not emitting any aura or fighting spirit. What are you guys doing?
-If it’s not that. What is it?
-We, we look quite different, don't we? Ugor. Our bodies have grown larger. Just looking at it, it seems the amount of aura itself has risen enormously, doesn't it? And it's not just low-quality aura that seems to be stacked up and ready to blow away. It's the aura of the Ki Dragon, which has been in this world since the beginning. Isn't it amazing?
-What do you want me to do about it?
-Ch-Chair. We seem to have grown stronger, don't we......? The chairmanship might pass from its 629th holder to its 630th today, and that 630th holder might even be me......
-Are you challenging me to a duel?
-Just, once.
No more words were needed.
Seimslam grasped the sword with her remaining tentacle and charged at the challenger. In one step, she closed the significant gap between them.
-Ugor!?
But the challenger was no amateur. A master worthy of swaggering in the Fire River Council. The Asura countered with an axe, and clang! Their red palm went numb from the impact.
-Crazy,
-Is this a fight to the death or a nonlethal match? If you do not answer within one second, your neck will......
-Nonlethal! Nonlethal! Nonlethaaaaal!
Boom.
The challenger dropped their axe. Seimslam's blade was already poised beneath their chin. Sweat poured down their red forehead as they stared at the strongest warrior of their age in disbelief.
-No... we... even evolved....
-Did only you evolve? Lime. I evolved too. While you were gorging on the Ki Dragon's aura, do you think I was just breathing the nice air of the jungle?
-Damn it!
-If the Earth Spirit Tribe and Mountain Snail Tribe split into two factions and fight, the Earth Spirit Tribe would certainly win a sweeping victory. Your evolution seems to have had much more dramatic effects. But, I'm not just any snail. Lime.
Seimslam flicked her sword.
-I'm the strongest snail in this world.
She looked around at the hundreds of thousands watching her duel and spoke.
-Any opposing opinions?
-......
-If there are none, I declare the bill I proposed passed. This place has become the temporary chamber of the Fire River Council, and under the authority of the Fire River Council, all of you who have stepped in here must follow our orders. And if you want to blabber about the gods here, at least, block my sword once. Like the council member who just got defeated by me.
Seimslam chuckled, puffing out air.
-This world is too beautiful to waste time on the excuses of the weak.
And then.
In the waiting room of the eliminated, another anomaly began. Whoosh! White light leaked from the sofa where the Heretic Inquisitor sat, slowly enveloping his body.
As we all turned to see what was happening, the Heretic Inquisitor seemed to have realized something.
"Eh? Ah. I see. So persuading through [conversation] and [meetings] means [I have to go there and talk in person]! Ahaha. Of course, it's much more efficient for me to be summoned there than summoning the entire Mountain Snail Tribe here!"
Whoosh-
The light intensified rapidly. In just a few seconds, it would probably engulf the Heretic Inquisitor and transport him to that world, not here.
I had to warn him before that.
"Heretic Inquisitor!"
"Yes! My master!"
"You are those children's parent! A parent, you understand? Respond and converse with the feelings of a parent... No, damn it. Even if I tell you this, you won't understand!"
The Heretic Inquisitor laughed broadly.
"Yes! I don't understand!"
Damn it!
"Just try your best to think and imagine from others' perspectives! Got it? If it's hard, ask the kids around for help!"
The Heretic Inquisitor laughed, saluting.
"I'll do my best!"
Whoosh!
The white light completely enveloped the Heretic Inquisitor.
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