SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 305

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 305: Reunion (1)

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Throughout my life, I don't think I ever felt a cool breeze.

-Hey.

But a hot wind? One day, I felt it once.

-I’ve heard your name often.

The heatwave suddenly blew from behind.

-Are you the Grey Spider?

-.......

-It's hard to pronounce. Let's just call you Grey. How about it, Grey? It sounds friendly. But why is it so stuffy here? No windows? What about ventilation? Is this even a place for humans to live?

The Grey Spider sighed and turned around.

The man was red and hot.

Though it was autumn and everything was turning red, this man’s hair resembled the sun more than the autumn leaves. His eyes, the slight upward curve of his lips, his shining white teeth. Everything about him flickered like summer.

He wore a sleeveless uniform with the word ‘Sword’ boldly written on it.

Using sight magic to look behind him, she saw ‘Emperor’ on the back of his uniform.

-A genuine fucking lunatic.

The summer-like hot man must have his brain fried from the heat.

Above all, even the smell of his sweat was hot.

Not the stale kind, but fresh sweat from exercising.

Apparently the stories that he trained without rest were true. Aura constantly coursed through his acupoints and energy pathways, leaving no time for impurities to accumulate. His sweat was probably clearer than a newborn’s.

Like dew on a ripe apple.

His sweat smelled only of warmth. A hot wind. Sunlight gleaming on well-defined muscles. Hot dew. A smile shining unabashedly, as if the sun, if it had an expression, could only smile.

-Why?

All of it denied death.

-Jealous?

-How did you get to the top floor of this headquarters? Only I can access this secret lab, but I won't ask how you got here. Firstly, it would be a waste of my time, and secondly, it would only give you a chance to brag about yourself.

-Our Grey is such a smart kid. There, there, there.

-And I won’t fight either. Because if we fight here, my precious research tools will be destroyed. Sword Emperor, I'm trying my best to maintain my composure. I ask you to stop provoking me for your life and my peace. Otherwise, I'll fuck you up, you son of a bitch.

-What? You’re more sane than I thought.

The Sword Emperor plopped down on the sofa. A treasure found 600 years ago when destroying a kingdom, its softness embracing the sitter was phenomenal. It was also the Grey Spider’s place to rest when she got tired of her research and the world.

-Oh? Wow, this sofa is so squishy! What is this? It’s amazing.

It was also a sentient magical item.

-Aaaaah?!

-Just spit it out before I rip your mouth open and weave it into a scarf.

-I already got bitten by this sofa on my fabulous butt!?

-I know you’re a legendary hunter, Sword Emperor. You’ve only been on the 50th floor for a fortnight, right? The streets are already buzzing with your achievements.

-My butt! My butt! Aaaaah! My cute plump butt!!

-Damn it.

The Grey Spider whacked the sofa with her staff. Finally, the sofa let go of the Sword Emperor's butt and closed its mouth.

-Ha, hi, hoo… Ha, hi, hoo… That was close.

-Just tell me what you’re going to do.

-Oh, I was just curious. You’ve been holed up here for over a thousand years? I wanted to see what kind of person does such an epic shut-in act.

-So?

-Turns out you’re more normal than I thought. Ouch, it hurts.

The Sword Emperor patted his butt. The Grey Spider frowned.

-Normal? Who are you calling normal?

-You, Grey.

-……I've been called many things, but it's been a long time since anyone called me normal.

-Anger where it's due. Taking responsibility in your own way afterwards. Sounds like a perfectly normal adult to me.

The Sword Emperor shrugged.

The Grey Spider was speechless.

-You know that in the Tower's basement, six constellations are nailed down as power generators, and that we have conquered dozens of worlds?

-There must be reasons for each.

-.......

-Just by looking into your eyes, I can tell. Whether you're just a brat throwing a tantrum at the world or someone who weaves her own rules into the world's web. Grey, you're the latter. You might have been hurt in the past, but you seem to have coped well enough.

-……Ha. A guy I met three minutes ago is acting like a sage.

-I don’t think it's presumptuous.

The Sword Emperor smiled slyly.

-It took a thousand years for you to be here, and a thousand years for you to meet me here. Three minutes is just the result of a thousand years. Life is ultimately about waiting to meet someone.

-.......

-So am I your destiny? Sorry, I'm not.

The Sword Emperor stood up.

-I need to climb the Tower more alone than anyone else.

-……What do you mean?

-There are people less fortunate than me in this world. They too could ascend if they wished. I’ve decided to climb alone to prove that to them.

-Ha.

The Grey Spider scoffed.

-Such a noble sense of sacrifice.

-Yes. It is a noble deed.

The Sword Emperor bowed his head.

-I’m sorry.

-.......

-I must accomplish what I want to do. No matter what. I’m dedicating my life to leaving a mark in this world with my sword. So, I don’t have time to look after you. Even as a ghost, I’ll fulfill my mission.

The Grey Spider was enveloped in strange emotions.

She felt the man in front of her genuinely apologizing. It seemed like he knew exactly what he should apologize for and what she should be apologized to for.

He was just a man she met five minutes ago. But the Grey Spider felt his footprints already imprinted in a dry territory of her heart. It would take many winds to erase even their traces from this desert.

-.......

-You merely live longer than other people. Your clock is a little larger, so it simply takes the second hand a little more effort to meet the hour hand. Wait. Keep living. Better days than these will come.

-You…….

The Grey Spider opened her mouth.

-You’re so irresponsibly annoying, aren’t you?

-Huh.

The Sword Emperor laughed.

-Tomorrow, I’ll ascend to the 51st floor.

-I didn’t permit that.

-Don’t worry. I’ll give this place a makeover and take the price.

-You think it's that simple?

-If you’re annoyed, if you dislike it, follow me.

-.......

-I have no comrades or lovers. But a stalker secretly trailing me is a burden I must bear as a celebrity. Follow and see me ascend the 100th floor. Trust me, Grey!

The Sword Emperor’s smile shone like the sun.

And it was hotter than the desert.

-You shall be the second person to conquer the 100th floor.

Constellation [The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains].

Objective: Drive the Magic Tower's forces from the 50th floor.

Quest Progress: Favorable.

Constellation [The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth].

Objective: Reveal and expose all the facilities and terrains inside the Magic Tower.

Quest Progress: Beginning.

Constellation [The Bell that Rouses the Dead].

Objective: Engrave the names of those sacrificed by the Magic Tower in the past 150 years on the five spires and commemorate them.

Quest Progress: Favorable.

Constellation [The Lonely Seeker].

Objective: Each follower must seek out the designated archenemy of the Magic Tower assigned to them and defeat that enemy in a one-on-one duel.

Quest Progress: Favorable.

And.

Constellation [The Incarnation of Love and Lust].

Objective of the Constellation [The Incarnation of Love and Lust]: Shake and topple the leader of the Magic Tower, commonly known as the Elder, by any means necessary.

Quest Progress:

"You,"

Currently ongoing.

"You son of a bitch!"

A storm of magical power engulfed me.

"Wow, this is on a whole different level..."

"I knew you’d come back alive! Reincarnation? Possession? Why? why did you return without dying!”

I hastily raised my aura and unfolded the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven. Shredding my shadow into hundreds of pieces, I simultaneously attacked the Elder. Boom! Hundreds of explosions erupted in the air.

-Zombie.

Behind the dust clouds from the explosions, the Elder stood unharmed. Enraged and flying towards me, her fingers twitched, conjuring dozens of spells. My attacks were all intercepted.

-Sorry, but can you repeat what I'm saying?

'I don't mind. Go ahead.'

-Aren’t you exactly the same as 150 years ago?

I smirked.

"Hey, Grey."

"Die!"

"Aren’t you just the same as you were 150 years ago? A bit, well, how to say it? Just like that."

"I'll kill you! I swear, I’ll tear you apart and scatter your soul across the universe, then smother it with shit!"

She’s fierce.

"Even though you knew perfectly well how someone left behind would feel! Sword Emperor!"

The magic the Elder of the Tower wielded was indeed splendid.

Each moment, thirty-six different spells shot towards me, all with varying directions and speeds, ruthlessly slicing through the flow of battle. An attack without any discernable pattern. It was a carpet bombing.

Pop!

For the first time since the battle began, blood dripped from my cheek.

"You stirred up someone's heart however you pleased, lived however you pleased, and then died however you pleased! To hell with watching you conquer the 100th floor! You bastard! All you did was die alone!"

-Hahaha.

"That was my only mistake in life, allowing a man like you even a single chance!"

-Well, the 99th floor was quite tough. Couldn’t help it, you know?

"Become ashes!"

Swoosh.

A blade-like magic force grazed my calf. Luckily, it didn't sever any nerves, but the stinging pain was evident.

"You always do this, convincing people with all your fancy words that it's different this time! It always ends in failure! Sword Emperor, how are you any different from those bastards? You’re just a fucking smooth talker!"

Honestly, it was dangerous.

I pride myself on surpassing the Constellation Killer, but right now, I was being overpowered by the Grey Spider. Was it because she was a great mage whom I faced for the first time? Or was her magic amplified by her rage?

"You're just one of countless, countless bastards!"

She was strong.

Even when I unleashed the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven First Form: Sword of Starving Death,

"How dare you plunge me into so many, so many sentiments!"

She easily countered it.

She seemed to know too well what it felt like to be starving.

"What's supposed to be so special about you, trash!"

I unleashed the Sword of Parched Death and the Sword of Drowning Death simultaneously.

"What was all that about conquering the Tower alone and showing those less fortunate than you? Sword Emperor, what did you show anyone?"

The Elder knew all too well what thirst and suffocation were. She immediately read my offensive and wrenched it apart.

"Do you know? After you died, a Sword Emperor Church was founded. Ha! Isn't that a hilarious masterpiece? A religion. A religion! You tried to show how great a human being could become, but the result was the greatness of a god! People, human beings, never acknowledge a human greater than themselves. They acknowledge them only once they become a god! Sword Emperor! In the end, all you did was create one more Other in this world!"

Frostbite, Poison, Plague, Bludgeoning, Scorching, even Suicide.

From the first to the ninth heaven of the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven, the Elder trampled all over them, breaking through, and finally reaching right in front of me.

"I’ll ask you one more time!"

Her capillaries had burst as well. The sword paths I had drawn had wounded her, sending blood spraying from her forearm and thigh. But none of the wounds was fatal. Had she lived too long to accept new wounds?

The Elder stood right before me.

Her magic, like a spear, crossed with my sword.

"Why shouldn't I kill you!"

"......."

Thump.

My heart throbbed.

‘……Semi-Divine Eye.’

Ever since I met the Tower Master and witnessed her trauma, and the screams from all over the world, this sixth sense awakened within me. It subtly reared its head.

The phenomenon where the past or future of the person I am fighting faintly appears.

This strange occurrence has no set rules. Like déjà vu, it occasionally pierces the other person's heart and mine without any warning.

「Follow me.」

Not the voice of the Guardian Spirit, but the Sword Emperor's voice to the Elder rang out for a moment like an echo.

「Wait. Keep living.」

「Memorize the scene of me ascending the 100th floor.」

「Even as a ghost, I will fulfill my mission.」

「Trust me!」

Along with that voice, the Elder's emotions reached me as well. Like a fleeting spring dream floating in broad daylight, the Elder had secretly followed him, just as the Sword Emperor had told her to.

When the Sword Emperor reached the 99th floor, the Elder quietly waited on the 90th floor.

Without telling anyone.

「.......」

One week.

「.......」

Six months.

「.......」

Three years.

「......Right.」

When six years passed, the Elder quietly stood up.

Muttering softly as she turned her back.

「Stupid bastard.」

The hallucination broke there.

"You stupid bastard!"

A clanging sound seemed to ring.

Was it an illusion?

But the scene that briefly unfolded before my eyes shattered like glass. Pushing aside countless shards, the Elder lunged at me.

Clench!

Her fingers stretched out and grabbed my throat.

"Do you know why I never rebuilt the sixth spire? Why I left those ruins sitting idle for more than a hundred years? It was so I could nail down your remains, seal them away, and make them the sacrifice for the sixth tower!"

"......."

The Guardian Spirit silently watched.

Behind the Elder.

Although the Elder was shouting at the Sword Emperor, he was actually standing behind her. Despite the pain eating at my throat, I kept looking at the Guardian Spirit until the end.

-.......

The Guardian Spirit was calm.

Expressionless.

Seeing his eyes devoid of any regret, remorse, or the slightest self-blame, I somehow realized something I had felt for a long time, only to confirm it at this moment.

“…No.”

I murmured.

“What?”

“The Sword Emperor… Your rival didn’t fail.”

I raised my left hand.

Squeeze.

I grabbed the Elder’s wrist, which was clutching my neck.

“Elder. The Sword Emperor never failed.”

“What are you…."

“He told you. He said he'd fulfill his mission even as a ghost.”

I looked down into the Elder’s eyes.

“The Sword Emperor didn’t fail. He just died.”