WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 306: Reunion (2)

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3.

I thought it was strange.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Can you see me?"

At first, I thought I was just lucky.

Having an expert who had climbed up to the 99th floor by my side was a blessing.

The higher I ascended, the more I realized how incredible the Guardian Spirit's achievements were. The 99th floor. A legendary realm that only legends can reach. Although the Guardian Spirit often took a bystander's attitude, there was no doubt that I was fortunate.

But then.

"Huh, this is strange? This shouldn't be happening."

"Where did that Gramps Marcus go, and why is a kid like you in front of me?"

"Take me back to Gramps right now!"

It was odd.

How could the Guardian Spirit so easily accept the fact that he had been split into 'two'?

"You only copy skills, not steal them."

"Meaning, there's 'another me' attached to Gramps as the Guardian Spirit."

The greatest of all time. Unmatched in the world. A reckless and disrespectful warrior, unwilling to accept any other strongest besides himself. How could such a person simply accept that he was split into two?

"Gramps or you. Who will succeed more as a Hunter? I'm a bit curious now."

Out of mere curiosity, as the Guardian Spirit said?

"I'll help you."

Is helping others the Guardian Spirit's nature?

"Let's conquer the tower once and for all!"

No, that's not it.

"Even if only one of us reaches the 99th floor, it's fine, right?"

I said.

"Sword Saint or I. It's enough for you if just one of us reaches the 99th floor. You don't care about the means, as long as it's achieved, right?"

-......

"That's why you clung to the Sword Saint and then to me, despite splitting into two.... You weren't flustered."

I was mistaken.

It wasn't me who found luck.

"It's because the chances doubled for you."

The Guardian Spirit was the lucky one.

"The Sword Saint and I have different personalities. He is the direct heir of a chaebol family. I am an orphan without parents. Having grown old and achieved everything, he threw himself into the Tower for one more challenge. Having achieved nothing while young, I threw myself into the Tower. He is adept at life. I am accustomed to death. We truly could not be more different."

So, the Guardian Spirit must have thought.

Very well.

"You possessed two completely different humans. As you can see, I'm desperately proving myself by attacking the tower, while the Sword Saint is still stepping back, immersed in training like a hermit. Two types. Two methods. Two possibilities, all of which you can experiment with."

Why?

Why such an experiment?

"Your goal isn't just to take me to the 99th floor. Well, it is, but to be more precise, to take either the Sword Saint or me to the 99th floor. That's your real goal."

-Heh.

The Guardian Spirit laughed.

-Hehe. Haha!

As if delighted.

-Ahahaha!

Crossing his arms.

-Yes! That's right!

With his hair redder than the sun.

-I can't hate you for this! Kim Gong-Ja, you calculate kindness. No. You have no choice but to calculate. You are convinced to the core that no one would help you without a reason!

"It's a personality built from childhood."

-And yet you pile excuse upon excuse onto your own efforts to help other people! Heh heh. Good. I don't mind. In fact, well done for not treating me as though I acted out of selfless goodwill.

How boring it must have been.

Unable to have his own body.

Unable to roam the streets at will. Impossible to converse with others. Only able to follow where I go, and wander where I stay.

Such a life.

If a human endures such a life willingly, there's only one reason.

-Well done, Gong-Ja.

To have a purpose they desperately want to achieve.

-To take someone to the 99th floor. That's my job. My 99th floor quest. But there's a misunderstanding I need to correct.

"What is it?"

-It's not just about getting to the 99th floor. If that were the case, I would have quickly agreed when [Demon King of Autumn Rain] tried to coax you. There's a very harsh condition...

"Hey."

Someone murmured.

It was the Elder.

"No, [you two]. What are you talking about?"

She still held my neck. But she wasn't squeezing with the intent to kill immediately, as before. There was something more important now than killing me or eradicating the Guardian Spirit.

"Who are you talking to right now?"

"......"

"Is... Is the Sword Emperor there?"

"Yes."

I nodded.

"He's here."

"......"

"I'm not a reincarnation of the Sword Emperor. The Sword Emperor is definitely there, and so am I. The Sword Emperor is standing behind you, nonchalantly with crossed arms. He must have been there since he demolished the spire, ascended to the 99th floor, and returned here... The Sword Emperor has never been gone."

"......"

"He's always been there. Always challenging the tower."

The Elder, expressionless.

Expressionlessly, she turned around.

-Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.

"......"

-I'm the 40% transparent Sword Emperor. If you want to adjust the transparency, please contact the tower and purchase the DLC. A scam? Oh, dear customer, it can't be helped. That's the trend these days.

"I can't see."

-Of course.

"I can't hear."

-As expected.

"I can't see or hear."

Clench.

The Elder bit her lip.

"What's the point then?"

She clenched her fist.

A storm of magic swirled.

With her right hand still grasping my neck, she invoked some kind of magic with her left hand alone.

It resembled a summoning spell with attractive force. Boom! Bang! Buildings split apart. Suddenly, a straight path like a highway opened up from where the Elder stood to the northwest part of the city. Any obstructing building was pulverized.

"------!!"

A hunter was dragged in through this forcefully made path as if caught in an intangible grip.

Whoosh!

The Hunter flew in at an unnatural speed. As though their neck had been destined for this spot from the beginning, it landed precisely in the Elder's left hand.

"---Kuh, ack!"

A muffled cry.

"You're the Apostle of [The Bell That Rouses the Dead]."

The Elder muttered softly.

"Do it."

"Ugh, uh... what... what do you..."

"Use necromancy right now. There should be a ghost near me. Whether it's [Soul of the Dead] or [Red Bridge Between the Other Shore and This Shore], use any skill or plead with your damn Constellation for power. Make it possible for me to talk to that ghostly bastard if you don't want your head to explode."

"Activating skill..."

A dark aura enveloped the area, unmistakably including the Guardian Spirit within its radius. The Apostle, forced by the Elder's threats to use the skill, trembled.

"There's nobody... Nobody here. There is no soul of the dead here..."

-It's no use.

The Guardian Spirit spoke.

-I'm not a ghost. Strictly speaking, I'm a [skill]. At the level of the skill itself, I am fundamentally barred from physically interfering with this world. I can interfere mentally only with the person who owns the skill called me. Elder, you don't own me right now. Not that you ever did.

"Use other skills. Use your authority."

"Activating skill..."

A cluster of light spread out.

"Next."

Another cluster of light spread out.

"Next."

Another cluster of light spread out.

"......"

No miracle occurred. The Hunter groaned.

"There is no one here... Elder. There is no soul beside you. Resentment abounds, but did you not surround yourself with exorcism magic in the first place so that the curses of the dead could not reach you? Who would remain beside you even after death...?"

"Get lost, idiot."

The Elder flung her left hand aside, sending the Hunter flying. They struck the outer wall of a building with a heavy boom and went limp before they could even scream.

"I'll kill you."

The Elder glared at me again, grinding her teeth, her eyes fierce and resolute.

"Make it possible for me to see that bastard now."

-Forget it.

"No? Are you lying? Pretending? Pretending to talk to someone who isn't even here, just to deceive me? Don't make me laugh. I'll kill you."

-He won't die.

"How many times can a human skull be shaved off before it's gone? I'll delicately peel off your brain. Muscles. Bones. Organs. Nerves. I'll slice them thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of times."

-In the end, you will be the one to lose.

"So calm. Or perhaps you're only pretending to be calm. Maybe you're looking down on me. Fine. Your alias is King of Death, right? I'll ask you. Answer well. I can inflict the worst pain on you. Speak."

A thousand years of decay in her eyes.

"Aren't you afraid of death? You? A thing like you?"

"......"

I looked down at a millennium.

"I'm sorry."

"......"

"Threatening me like that won't change anything. It won't make any difference."

"......"

"The Sword Emperor told me."

You.

You have talent.

An incredible talent.

Of course, you don't have any talent in martial arts.

But regardless, you have a very rare talent.

"I'm not afraid of death."

More precisely, I had overcome it.

I've overcome it until now and I will in the future.

That's why.

Because he recognized that I would continue to overcome it.

"The Sword Emperor chose me."

"......"

I felt it.

The grip on my neck loosening.

Little by little.

"The Sword Emperor never betrayed you, Elder. He never broke his promise with you."

"I..."

"You waited six years. You waited no less than six full years for the Sword Emperor to clear the 99th floor. You must have thought that was enough, more than enough to let yourself give up."

"So..."

"It just took a little longer than that."

"I thought you were dead."

A voice minced to pieces.

"Of course... Of course, I thought you were dead. No. It's as good as being dead. What is this? Don't lie to me. It didn't even take you that many years to reach the 99th floor. You're the Sword Emperor. You’re invincible. You left to conquer the tower alone. But why… why did it take so long? Don't lie to me. Why..."

"Skill Card, Open."

I stretched my hand towards the Elder's face.

Before her eyes.

Perhaps a bit of light and letters were engraved in her pupils.

+

[Sword Constellation]

Rank: A+

Effect: He comes from another world. He cleared that world's Tower through the 99th floor, but was thwarted with the 100th floor before his eyes. His lingering resentment kept him from passing on, and he became a Guardian Spirit.

He cannot physically interfere with this world, but he can interfere with the skill holder's mind.

Seek his advice, drawing upon his wealth of experience and astonishing skill!

*Only the holder of this skill is able to feel his presence. 

*Skill copied from Marcus Calenbury.

+

It was an undeniable truth.

"......"

At first, the strength in her grip faded.

"...No. This is your failure, your defeat. A Constellation? What's the point of conquering the tower even as a Constellation? You've become a god."

-That's why.

Then, the sharp angle of her brows crumbled.

-I never used the power of a Constellation. Not until now and nor will I use it in the future.

Every time I translated and voiced out what the Guardian Spirit said, the pillars that had supported the Grey Spider for a millennium, one by one, collapsed.

-I didn't use the power of messaging. I let go of the faith that gathered. You can think of it as an excuse, but I did my utmost to race. I wanted to remain human, even as a ghost. I know that it’s a ridiculous story.

The expressionless look on her cheeks fell apart.

-Grey.

"......"

-I'm quite late.

Finally, the sneer on her lips crumbled.

-I'm sorry.

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