WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 301: Grand Campaign (3)

──────

-We don't know who you are. Consider yourself lucky that we don't! If we knew who you were, we would already have snapped your arms and legs into tiny pieces with nail clippers, smashed your eyeballs with a hammer, and then... Yeees! Your family! Your friends! No, even the place where you were born! Even the world itself that dumped trash like you here without properly sorting it! Everything! We would already have torn it all to shreds! Oh, look forward to it! I truly cannot wait to see whether your precious vocal cords will still sing like a nightingale after being split into twenty-three pieces...!!

Click.

The Assistant Writer turned off the recorder. It was a magical recorder, not a mechanical one. A magic item that perfectly captured the skill [Storing Human Voices].

"This was the official statement broadcast over Monopolized City yesterday."

"The official statements I know of usually have a different vibe."

"We might consider this normal, but... King of Death. Because of you, the spiders of the Magic Tower are seriously pissed off."

"Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"I'm just asking, Ms. Writer. Do you feel that the decision to work together with me was a bit hasty?"

"What are you talking about? I’m obviously..."

The Assistant Writer dropped the recorder.

Crunch.

Her high heel stomped on the magic device.

"Obviously, I'm having the time of my life."

The corners of the Assistant Writer's bleary eyes crinkled into a grin.

"I honestly never understood why the Head Librarian chose someone like you as a successor. But now I think I get it. You look like an innocent who knows nothing about the ways of the world, yet you know how to toy with people's hearts."

"That's harsh. I don't play around. I always live seriously."

"Ah, sure you do. That makes you even more despicable! You're the best."

I can't tell if that's an insult or a compliment.

Kwaaaa... Aaaah….

A distant explosion was heard. The vibrations traveled along the cave ceiling, causing droplets to fall from the stalactites. The cold water dripped onto our scalps. We both shook our heads like cats.

"Damn it."

"It seems the Magic Tower has sent another search party to the cave."

"Yeah, we'll be discovered here soon. Let's move quickly. It would be cliché to film a chase scene in a cave, befitting a horror flick!"

[The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth guides you to a safe zone.]

[The Lonely Seeker distracts the intruders.]

We fled under the protection of the Constellations. Kwaaaang... Kooong... The explosions grew more distant as we hastened our steps.

For some time now, the Magic Tower had been certain that we were hiding in the underground caves. The vibrations now shaking the caves were caused by the Tower's spiders firing off spells indiscriminately.

'They must be desperately looking for me.'

'But the caves in the Monopolized Poisonous city are bizarrely vast.'

We quickly moved to our next hideout.

'Even if one entrance to the cave collapses, a new one appears the next day. It's as if this underground world is a giant monster, constantly alive and moving.'

A terrain difficult to search.

Moreover, numerous Constellations and countless disciples are aiding us.

In a head-to-head confrontation, things might be different, but in this game of hide-and-seek, the Magic Tower was at a disadvantage.

"What's the next plan? Huh?"

The Assistant Writer asked with excitement.

"Hmm."

Ever since the Grand Campaign began, the Assistant Writer had been burning with enthusiasm. Whenever I outlined the big picture, she fabricated, spread, and reproduced rumors suited to local circumstances, steering the situation in the direction we wanted.

'Just like a disciple of Hamusutra.'

Is this also my responsibility?

I forced a bitter smile.

"Next, we need to meet the believers of the Sword Emperor Cult."

We do not recognize you.

"The Sword Emperor's sect?"

The Assistant Writer smiled.

It wasn't a soft smile. It certainly wasn't one filled with kindness.

Humans smile even when testing others.

"It's a place full of people obsessed with swords. You can hardly even call them an organization. They're basically a gathering of people who personally worship the Sword Emperor and train together. Their daily routine is simple: breakfast, training, lunch, training, dinner, training, sleep, then training again... What are you going to do with lunatics like that?"

"We are gradually seeing the rise of an Anti-Magic Alliance."

Koooom.

Another explosion echoed from beyond our hideout.

It seems the battle between the Magic Tower's search party and the resisting disciples had intensified.

[The Lonely Seeker requests reinforcements from other Constellations!]

[The Incarnation of Love and Lust is too busy watching the campaign.]

[The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains advises handling it alone.]

[The Lonely Seeker spews indescribable curses.]

The local broadcast had also become intense.

"But it still isn't enough. The so-called alliance is merely a coalition of Constellations hostile to the Magic Tower. Constellations have attacked the Tower time and again, and the Tower has won every time. Hunters outside the coalition will think, [No matter what they do, the Magic Tower will win again this time]."

"Yeah, right."

The Assistant Writer readily agreed with my reasoning.

"Even if they don't like the Magic Tower, many Constellations still cooperate with it to some extent. No, even if an alliance is formed, not all Constellations will actively participate. They'll wait and see how things go. If the situation turns unfavorable, they'll quickly withdraw."

That's how the world works, the Assistant Writer said.

[Shiny feels sorry for not being able to help other Constellations.]

[Several Constellations remain silent.]

[The Lonely Seeker cautiously asks who that was.]

[The Incarnation of Love and Lust says they don't know.]

[The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains also doesn't know.]

[Some Constellations feel fear towards an unknown entity.]

"That's exactly it."

I pressed down on Shiny’s hilt. The holy sword hummed. She seemed to sulk at my gesture to be quiet.

"The Constellations' quest windows are certainly powerful. Their believers will accept the premise that the Sword Emperor has returned and join the Anti-Magic Alliance without hesitation. But... put another way, they have little effect on [other hunters who cannot see the quest windows]."

For more impactful incitement and fabrication, something else is needed.

A joker card.

"That's why the lunatics from the Sword Emperor's Sect need to step in."

The group that would rise faster than anyone else if the Sword Emperor really returned.

If this faction moves, even unrelated third parties will be swayed, 'Could the Sword Emperor have really returned?'

They are the Sword Emperor's Sect.

"......."

The Assistant Writer grinned.

"Of course, I can arrange a meeting. But you know this, right? The two forces most enraged by the rumor of the Sword Emperor's return on the 50th floor are the Magic Tower and the Sword Emperor's Sect. King of Death, if they find out you're behind the rumors, they'll probably tear you to pieces!"

"Haha."

I laughed.

Because I understood all too well why they would react so violently.

"How dare that nobody impersonate the Sword Emperor and deceive the people?"

"Yes, that's it."

They were people who still revered a Guardian Spirit who had died 150 years ago.

Their faces were unknown, but probably fully armed with fervent devotion to the Sword Emperor.

Then a completely unknown kid impersonates their god... Well, it's natural they'd be angry. I understand. They want to kill me, but…

"It's okay."

That's only if I were a liar.

I smirked bitterly.

"Because I really am the successor of the Sword Emperor."

Let me say it again.

We do not recognize you.

We only allowed you to enter our sacred altar because acquaintances begged us just this once. Not executing you right now is our last act of mercy.

Get lost.

What do I need to do for you to acknowledge me?

We don't acknowledge anyone.

Acknowledgement isn't given, it's earned.

If you're so confident, use a sword, not words. Kid, even if you win, it doesn't mean we'll acknowledge the Sword Emperor's return!

Is that so? That's problematic.

Hmm.

What?

Hold on, wait a moment. Let me ask something to this noisy guy... Ah, yes. Hmm. I see.

You there, with the impressive beard.

Is your alias the Demon Vanquishing Spear?

Are you talking about me?

Well, the alias is as you said.

Yes. Your real name is Mihustra Pelennoban, from the Ten Thousand Sword World. Born in the same world as the Sword Emperor, but you only encountered him after ascending the Tower.

……What nonsense are you spouting? It seems you possess some worthless skill. Young cult leader, if you try to deceive the world with a clown's sleight of hand, my spear will teach you to fear the heavens...

You always followed the Sword Emperor, seeking his teachings.

.......

The Sword Emperor found you annoying. Once, he even used his movement techniques to escape from you just to see if you'd follow. But you always managed to catch up and pleaded for a single lesson.

The Sword Emperor said to you when the two of you were alone.

For free?

.......

There.

Your alias is Cat-Cry Roar. You are a master of sonic arts. Your real name is So Cheon-Myeong, and you come from a renowned family in the Ten Thousand Sword World. But you were actually an illegitimate child, so you spent your childhood wandering outside the family home.

.......

You were deeply captivated by the Sword Emperor because he raced through the martial world alone, without receiving any help from a prestigious family.

You too asked to climb the Tower with the Sword Emperor, but he refused, saying you were a nuisance. You could not accept that.

Every night, you went to where the Sword Emperor stayed and imitated a cat's cry to the top of your voice. When the Sword Emperor came out in a rage, you ran away, and as soon as he tried to sleep, you sneaked back in and started the cat cries again.

Then, one winter, the Sword Emperor only pretended to be asleep, caught you, and beat the hell out of you.

.......

The Sword Emperor said.

Kid. Do you know why I'm hitting you?

Because you're weak but shamelessly sought my teachings? No, it's not that.

Because you disturbed my sleep? That's not it either.

It's simply because you imitated a cat's cry.

I hate cats.

Very much.

So now, you're going to be hit a lot.

.......

Hmm.

The atmosphere is tense.

If I've touched on some unpleasant memories, I apologize. I'm just trying to earn your recognition. No matter how much you deny it or find it hard to believe, I truly came here to carry on the will of the Sword Emperor.

I know that the alias of the person sitting there and staring blankly is Flower-Flash Bow. I know your name, your birthplace, and, above all, what time you spent with the Sword Emperor and what conversations you shared. I can recite the personal history of every person here.

Everything the Sword Emperor knew, I know.

.......

Ah. Of course, even saying this might be hard for you to accept.

If talking were enough, you wouldn't have joined a crazy group like the Sword Emperor's Sect.

Come at me.

I'll face each of you one at a time.

.......

.......

You...

What are you?

My alias is the King of Death.

I am the successor who received Aura from the greatest martial artist of all time in the Ten Thousand Sword World, the heir who inherited the sword of the greatest under heaven in a certain snowfield, and one who will someday set foot farther than the constellation you worship at your altar.

So, please, grant me a lesson.

Seniors.

"The disciples of the Sword Emperor's Sect have repelled the Magic Tower's tracking team."

The Assistant Writer walked on.

"And right in the middle of the street, regular hunters are quite agitated. The disciples of the Sword Emperor's Sect are known for not interfering with outside affairs, but this time, they’ve clearly opposed the Magic Tower."

We were climbing through a cave passage. A flight of stairs carried us gradually higher. The oppressive weight of the underground and the sensation of earth drained away through my thighs and calves.

"The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains, the Lonely Seeker, they're all rallying their disciples. The Incarnation of Love and Lust... may not be much help in battle, but might unexpectedly provide help in terms of connections. Well, you know."

Thud.

"We're on the verge of completing the Anti-Magic Alliance."

Light shone at my feet.

Not from the torches in the cave or the magical light summoned by the Assistant Writer, but from a weak ray of sunlight streaming from the gloomy sky above.

"Congratulations, King of Death."

Ten days.

After hiding in the underground caves, I looked up at the sky for the first time in a while.

"In a hundred and fifty years, we’ve acquired the sharpest blade of rebellion for the first time."

The sky of the 50th floor was dotted with spires.

The towers, painted jet black as if mocking the brilliant sky, had no windows, refusing to let anyone in or out.

Above all, the five towers looked like fingers, as if trying to grasp and pull down the sky.

Whose hand did they resemble?

"Good."

I smiled, looking at the Magic Tower.

"Let's see if we can bring down the Elder."

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried