WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 283: Final Vote (4)
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We held a banquet.
We had cleared the floors in the forties almost in one go, and Viper had returned from solitary seclusion far stronger than we had imagined. Those were reason enough for a banquet. We, the leaders of the five great guilds, no longer regarded a comrade's rapid growth with caution. We did not fear it. Like good friends, we congratulated him with pure hearts.
Very purely, indeed.
“I shall make my special milk cocktail especially for the Master of the Celestial Martial Clan.”
“Stop! Stop it, old man! You do not know so much as a crab shell's worth about cocktails! You want the atmosphere of a cocktail bar, but you cannot tell one drink from another, so you just guzzle milk like some kitsch dandy. Do not use me as your sacrificial lamb... Pff!?”
“Here, drink. It’s a cocktail made by a battle power gauge. I thought plain Kahlua milk would be boring, so I mixed in durian juice and espresso, then added milk. Isn’t this place similar to a seaside resort in the jungle? I’m going to measure your romanticism.”
“Suck… Ugh, ugh! Huk, huk, ugh!”
“Oh, your romanticism is at ten thousand... twenty thousand... fifty thousand... five hundred thirty thousand... It keeps rising. Youth is a wonderful thing. An old combat-power gauge like me ought to just die.”
“You crazy old man, has the Medicine King infected you!?”
Such a purely chaotic scene.
“You guys really never grow up... Is there something wrong with your brain development...?”
Black Dragon Master shook her head and quietly enjoyed her drinks with the Paladin. Their square mat seemed to radiate the message that anyone whose intelligence had fallen below a certain threshold should stay away. The Countess had planted her face into the mat and was going “nyaang, nyaang,” acting cute for the two of them.
Peace. Class. Elegance.
It was as though the Black Dragon Queen were subtly declaring, This is the true refinement of a drinking party.
“One side is hell, meanwhile the other is paradise…”
I gave a wry smile while holding my orange juice.
Suddenly, a familiar voice popped up next to me.
“No. I think both sides are paradise.”
"......."
I turned my head.
White-blond hair swayed once beneath my gaze. There was a face that seemed to have perfectly sculpted the ideal of a girl, no, an idol.
“……You always appear out of nowhere, Princess.”
“Yep! That's my specialty!”
The girl, clearing her throat, supported her waist with her hands.
[‘The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages’ manifests.]
The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages.
The guide for our journey from the 30th to the 49th floor.
Others know her as a Constellation, but she’s actually one of the Pillars, the highest authorities of the Tower, and most importantly, the true daughter of the Tower Master.
“Yaaay. But this really is amazing. Yes. I have already praised the King of Death several times, but you truly are remarkable! Mm-hm! Just what I would expect from the ascender I chose!”
Thud.
The Princess casually slipped into the seat beside me with a beaming smile. Wondering what she intended to say this time, I shifted over to make room while watching her with eyes like a suspicious sparrow chick.
“What scheme are you plotting this time?”
“Nothing at all. Nothing! I just came to praise the King of Death.”
I sighed and drank my orange juice.
The daughter of a certain mother, both a Constellation and a Pillar, giggled beside me.
“I’m sincere about wanting to praise you. You, umm. You all really did well. I've been around various towers, but there's never been one with such unanimous stage clearance like here.”
“There’s never been one?”
“Yep! In the best case I have ever seen, only one species ended up ostracized. This is a secret you should never be able to hear at your current access level, but... the ascenders there had chosen six species in all. From the beginning, they agreed to hang one species out as the target for everyone's abuse. Smart, right? If there was a flood, it was that species' fault. If there was a drought, it was that species' fault. Even the fact that my life was shit was really that species' fault. There is a saying that if you want allies, you should create an enemy first. The ascenders of that tower, the challengers, had brought out a well-proven strategy. Every species except one became thoroughly united.”
"......."
“That’s the [best case]?”
I looked at the Princess.
This tower, and every tower, was the Tower Master's furnace. Every scream, grudge, and death boiling within a tower was embraced by its Tower Master, who suffered all that pain in its place.
That's not something a child who asked me to save her mother should say.
"Yeah."
The Princess munched on rice cakes.
“Because that one species, called the [Witch Clan], beat the other five species senseless, then crushed the challenger they had believed was their god, and finally demolished the remaining four challengers too.”
"......."
Wow.
“Yes?”
“Yeah, yeah. Then they brainwashed the other species into slave soldiers and attacked the lower floors of the tower. They massacred all humans who were comfortably relying on the strategists. Humans were used for biological experiments. Happy ending, happy ending.”
The Princess smiled cheerfully.
“For reference, the [humans] I mean are a slightly different species from your [humans]. They look like toads. In short, their positions were reversed: the humans of that world went from being treated like gods to becoming laboratory toads overnight.”
“Goodness. Really…”
“Cool, right?”
The Princess continued munching endlessly on rice cakes with her cheeks puffing up like a hamster.
How can she still enunciate clearly while eating like that…
“That happened about 1000 years ago.”
Her eyes turned toward me. With both cheeks stuffed full of honey rice cake, her face could not possibly look serious, yet her gaze alone had settled into a strangely quiet calm.
“You actually have a deep connection with them, King of Death.”
I blinked.
“Really?”
“Think about it.”
Her eyes suddenly became serious.
“You've met them before.”
"......."
Her playful nature always lingered around her, but her eyes were like untainted jewels, looking deeply into mine.
I couldn’t recall immediately.
“People who conquered the tower 1000 years ago? How could I meet them? Even considering everything, the time difference is…”
“Just living simply, whether using Aura or Magic, it's common to live for thousands of years beyond the 50th floor. Isn't that obvious from Constellation Killer?”
Suddenly.
“……Ah."
The [hints] casually thrown by the Princess clicked together in my mind.
『Sword Emperor.』
『Huh?』
『150 years ago, you demolished one of the towers there, right?』
That was when I reached the 50th floor to meet Constellation Killer, using almost cheat-like methods.
The 50th floor was completely different from any stage I had experienced before - perilous and dominated by a fearsome [force].
『There used to be six towers.』
『But I demolished one.』
This [force] was entangled with the grudge of my Guardian Spirit... the Sword Emperor.
A sworn enemy, so to speak.
So when I mimicked the Sword Emperor and shouted, this [force] immediately responded.
『Sword Emperorrrrrrrrrr!!』
The response was a bit intense, I recall.
『You have returned, Sword Emperor! I knew you would return someday!』
『Is it possession? Reincarnation? Fine! None of that matters! We will kill you!』
『Kill him! We will kill you ourselves! We will tear your soul to shreds, scatter it throughout creation, and shit on the pieces! Kill him! Kill him! Kill that bastard now! In the name and history of the Magic Tower, chase him all the way to hell!』
I can’t forget the sight of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of wizards flying towards us on broomsticks.
Shivering slightly at the memory, I turned to the Princess.
She was beaming innocently.
"......."
Hmm.
Let’s summarize.
1. 1000 years ago, a species reversed roles with gods and humans, becoming the tower's protagonists.
2. Their name is [Witch Clan].
3. Coincidentally, for over 1000 years, the 50th floor has been dominated by a force ruling as the stage boss.
4. The name of this force is [Magic Tower].
5. The Witch Clan used the species that persecuted them as slaves or lab rats. A total of 6 species suffered this fate: 5 species that ostracized the Witch Clan and toads that were humans in that world.
6. Coincidentally, the Magic Tower consists of 6 towers.
"......."
So.
“The witches from the Magic Tower I met on the 50th floor are the Witch Clan!?”
“Bababang- Correct!”
Bang!
The Princess set off a birthday firework.
“Yay, as expected of the King of Death! You're so quick-witted, it's easy to talk to you.”
“Insane……"
As I realized how entangled and knotted my connections had become, I suddenly noticed an important question I had missed.
“Wait a minute. The main inhabitants of the tower can change?”
“Of course. If the Earth Spirits go berserk and massacre all the residents of your tower, from that moment, the inhabitants of the tower would no longer be humans but Earth Spirits. But as long as the King of Death is alive, that won't happen.”
"......."
“Aegim Empire's citizens and the Revelations' residents could theoretically replace you and ascend the tower. It's just that you still monopolize the [rankings], so you haven't realized it yet.”
Rankings.
Indeed, currently, only those up to 7th place in the rankings could take the frontlines of the tower.
“If someone from the worlds we've conquered entered the top 7 rankings instead of us…”
“Yes! They would be able to ascend the tower too.”
The Princess shrugged.
“But it won’t be easy for them to climb the rankings.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, they are busy fighting every day in their own worlds. Those who don't need to leave their land usually don't find a reason to ascend to the heavens. No matter how strong they are, the tower doesn't pay attention to them.”
Her words left a strange resonance in my heart.
After a moment, the Princess shrugged again.
“But there could be those aiming for ascension for other reasons. Like the Earth Spirit Tribe, or should I say, [Asuras]?”
The Princess' eyes twinkled playfully.
“The Asuras are strong. Because a Constellation arose from among them, they know that higher worlds exist. And that is not all. They learned the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven, a technique so great that even calling it a supreme art would fall short, and they can even deploy the Demonic Heavenly Formation. Those children will climb the rankings quickly, but... that will create problems of its own.”
Perhaps the child had inherited not only her mother's playfulness but also her venom. A subtle sneer seeped from the Princess's eyes, a smile that took pleasure in mocking something.
“What kind of problems?”
“You’re confident that the Earth Spirits will never betray you, and so are your comrades. But what about the vast majority of residents who haven't joined your conquest? Will they welcome the species you suddenly bring in as your children with open arms?”
"......."
“Hehehe.”
The Princess mockingly imitated laughter.
“What will happen? Will they believe you when you say, ‘There is no problem, so rest assured’? You have a good image, King of Death, so perhaps your gift of gab will work on them, but what about your companions? The people who know Black Dragon Master has changed are so few that you really could count them on one hand. Would even six people know that the Heretic Inquisitor has changed?”
"......."
“Will they trust them if they say, ‘Please believe us’? What about Viper? What about Sword Saint? Will the people living below the tower trust you? Will they trust the children you bring?”
I looked around slowly.
The noisy sounds of the banquet reached my ears.
“Sadly, I’ll have to end the durian course here.”
“I, I’m alive... Ugh. I survived…”
“Next is a cocktail made from the bodily fluids of the Sanwa Tribe and the finest salt mined by hand in Slimepolis. Master of the Celestial Martial Clan, I hear its true flavor emerges only if you drink it in one gulp. Drink.”
“Uh... Isn't that just jelly mixed with salt?”
“Drink it.”
Indeed.
Regardless of age or gender, species, or whether they were parents or children, everyone at the banquet laughed and mingled in their own way. There was jealousy, admiration, friendship, unripe hope, and long-simmered sighs.
Everyone was looking straight at each other.
Like Viper and I did to each other.
‘When you see a person as a person.’
I nodded.
‘That's enough.’
And I looked directly into the Princess' playful eyes.
“I can solve it.”
“Really?”
“Exactly, I can help make it happen. Well.”
I turned toward Black Dragon Master. She was drinking face-to-face with the Paladin without making much conversation, idly taking in the surrounding scenery. At that moment, our eyes met.
-What are you looking at?
Black Dragon Master's lips moved. Her face was shaded under the palm leaves. Despite the distance, her telepathy resonated clearly in my ears.
“Please come over for a moment.”
-It’s bothersome… Why?
“There’s something important I need to tell both you and the Princess. It’s important.”
Black Dragon Master sighed and set down her cup. Before the cup could land, before her sigh could fully escape, she appeared right in front of me using [Teleportation].
“What's going on?”
“Before we head to the 50th floor, there’s an event we need to prepare.”
“An event?”
“Yes. An event.”
Black Dragon Master tilted her head. The Princess looked at me with interest.
I took in their gaze and slowly began to speak.
“Tomorrow. Let’s return to the 1st floor of the tower and hold a vote.”
“A vote? But we’ve already completed all the votes with the Ghost Tribe.”
“No. There’s one last vote remaining.”
I shook my head.
“We haven’t yet received the votes from [the people living in Babylon]."
"......."
Anastasia fell silent.
Indeed.
‘There’s one crucial vote remaining.’
The 5 major guilds have overcome past divisions and united.
The heads of the guilds have decided to look forward despite the scars in their hearts.
It’s a good thing.
It deserves celebration.
‘But it’s still just our story.’
The ordinary residents living day-to-day in Babylon don’t know this.
They’re happy and cheering for the rapid conquest of the floors, supporting the massive guilds, but still, there are [unseen issues] lurking everywhere.
Like in a world shown by the Tower Master, a rebellion could occur in the Pantheon, Black Dragon Master could be betrayed, and the tower might crumble from within.
If we ignore the people living ordinary lives, they too will ignore us.
‘We need to talk to each other.’
No, talking isn’t enough.
‘We need to show them. Make them feel and experience it.’
For that reason alone.
This event is essential.
“Anastasia.”
“.......”
“Please prepare a press conference.”
Anastasia furrowed her brows.
“Mmm.”
“I will hold my second press conference since becoming the King of Death.”
“That kind of event… wouldn’t be bad. It’s a triumph worth boasting to the outside world…”
“Let not only journalists but also the residents of the tower freely attend the conference. They can ask questions, and I won’t avoid answering them.”
“.......”
“And.”
I looked directly at Black Dragon Master.
“Not just me, but I hope all of you will attend as well.”
"......."
“To all the people living in Babylon, let's speak honestly and straightforwardly.”
For us to ascend the tower together.
"......."
Black Dragon Master was silent.
The silence was long.
Not because there was little to say, but because there was so much to say, and that silence was needed to withstand and swallow that onslaught. Therefore,
“It will be dangerous.”
The words that finally emerged from her could only be heavily condensed.
“A normal press conference can be controlled by us. We can control which newspapers and journalists are allowed, the questions permitted in the conference, the reactions, the seating arrangement, everything. But if we allow the residents to ask questions…”
“I know.”
"......."
Anastasia closed her mouth again, taking more time to digest the silence before speaking again.
“There are many who want to slander you.”
“That’s right."
“The five great guilds secretly raised you into a star together. They will claim that the King of Death's accomplishments were actually achieved by the five great guilds, which deliberately handed him the credit to manufacture a celebrity. That the King of Death is merely a marionette who obeys the five great guilds' commands...”
“I know.”
“You’re an orphan. You brought your orphanage director to the tower. People will subtly belittle you for being an orphan, saying you’re taking care of those around you as soon as you got power…”
“Yes."
“Those people have no right to hurt you. There are many like them. There's no need to create a place for you to get hurt.”
“There is.”
I nodded.
“There is. You know there is, right?”
"......."
“If someone wants to hurt or blemish me, of course, some of them are just petty like I used to be. But Anastasia. This is the consequence of the major guilds secretly running the tower for over a decade.”
I placed my palm over Anastasia's hand.
“They aren’t fabricating lies to hurt me. They’ve been treated as non-existent all this time, and now they want to hurt someone to prove their existence.”
“Hurting a completely unrelated person with a completely unrelated wound.”
“Hmm. Well. The world is full of irrational things.”
I smiled.
“But sometimes, a leader has to take on irrational tasks for a while.”
"......."
“You made me a leader.”
I spoke.
“So now, it’s my turn to be the leader of this tower."
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