WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 314: I'm a Fan (1)

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1.

Even if it's just three times, that's enough.

In my life, please let me have my way.

In return, take everything I have.

I had stayed up all night, and upon reflection, only one choice remained.

2.

"Are you the King of Death? What a grandiose alias. So grandiose that it becomes laughable in the opposite direction! Remember this. I am one of the Thirteen Evils. The one who brought down the eternal cliffs. The master of the waves that batter every shore, the ninth Sea Lord, the Pirate General, the Maniac..."

Slash.

Silence.

"I heard you defeated the Mad Blood Sea Lord! Quite impressive. I hear you broke through a full 10 floors at once! Certainly, surely, without a doubt, you are the first rising star to appear in a very long time since the Sword Emperor! But remember this. Every Constellation shining in the night sky was once called a rising star. As for the one imparting this valuable lesson, oh, what need is there to say more? A living witness to the miracles of rising stars! One of the Thirteen Evils! The Pine Cone Singing in the White Night, the Forester, whose very epithet inspires fear..."

Slash.

Silence.

"I will not speak at length. The longer the tongue, the shorter the life. Be afraid. Tremble in terror. Today, I shall teach you one truth..."

Slash.

Silence.

"Uh. Could you possibly spare my life? Of course, I did torment people a little. No, quite a lot, actually... Wait! Just a moment! Stop! People naturally grow twisted after living for 200 or 300 years! Once I have enjoyed every pleasure there is, what fun remains besides tormenting someone other than myself? No. Wait. You must not go in there... No, no! Please wait! That bloodstain is not human! I swear! ...Ah. Fuck, I forgot to clean up after killing them..."

Slash.

Silence.

"I have no regrets. You know? Torturing living people is truly enjoyable."

Slash.

Silence.

"You think you're that impressive?"

Slash.

Silence.

"Strong. King of Death, is it? The Sword Emperor earned the title of emperor despite being a mere hunter. Next comes a king. The Tower is strange indeed. How fitting. Love of life. Love of death. If your life is inevitable, fate must dwell in that name as well, and my end at this moment cannot be mere coincidence."

Slash.

Silence.

"...Damn it. Goddammit! I did not do anything wrong..."

Slash.

Silence.

"This is infuriating."

"I told you from the beginning that all twelve of us should join forces and attack... Why did none of you listen to me until twelve had dwindled to three? Brothers, were you idiots? Come to think of it, you were... Getting your throats opened in exchange for keeping your ears shut is one shitty exchange rate..."

"Uhahahaha! King of Death! Do not think this means you have won! Even if the Thirteen Evils perish, enemies will stand in your way twice, three times, yes, for as long as our brothers' will endures..."

Slash, slash, slash.

"Phew."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

"It was truly a tough and long battle..."

[Shiny judges that it was a series of battles worthy of a sweeping historical drama!]

"Hmm. If it were filmed, it would've been planned as a 102-episode series, but it would've become a legendary chronicle continuing to part 2, 3, and finally part 4, cherished in love and attention. And it would've become an even more painful legend due to an unfortunate incident causing an abrupt halt to the broadcast..."

[Shiny agrees that this is indeed so!]

Guardian Spirit watched us self-praise with a look of disbelief.

-Are you shooting a comedy? You just slayed twelve hunters, that's all.

"Ah. Come to think of it, if it's called the Thirteen Evils, why were there only twelve? I should've asked before slaying them, but I forgot."

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]

-One of them was slain by me as I passed by 150 years ago.

"Indeed. Even after 150 years, they haven't replenished their numbers..."

Even the 60th floor is suffering from a manpower shortage.

While lamenting the reality that despite numerous hunters aspiring to ascend the Tower, the upper floors lacked hunters, I sheathed the holy sword.

-Hmm.

Guardian Spirit glanced over, with his arms crossed.

He wasn't looking at me.

The Guardian Spirit's gaze was directed beyond my shoulder, towards the fortress where the Thirteen Evils had lurked. The fortress was ablaze, emitting wisps of smoke. Even from a considerable distance, the pungent smell of burning wafted over.

-Zombie.

"I know."

I spoke nonchalantly.

"They're persistent. They've followed me again."

-How many days has it been? This is getting on my nerves. Hey, hey. Can't you just go and catch it? How long will you ignore it?

"It's just following me without showing any hostility, just watching. I plan to leave it alone unless it shows direct hostility towards me."

That's right.

I was being stalked. Probably.

I added "probably" because I truly had no idea who was following me, why, or for what purpose.

-What if it's an assassin?

Guardian Spirit proposed an extreme hypothesis.

-Considering you saved the spiders, there's more than one or two who bear a grudge against you now.

"If someone is so consumed by hatred that they must send an assassin to me just to get through the day, they would likely send the assassin to the spider they have a grudge against and not me, right?"

I shrugged and started walking.

"Just in case, I deliberately left myself open yesterday and the day before while camping out. But it never came within a certain distance."

-That's strange... What is it? Why is it following you?

"I guess it likes me."

-Ah. So it's someone with a rotten brain.

"At least their character isn't rotten unlike someone."

-Aaaargh?

"What? What is it?"

As usual, we deepened our friendship while walking through the forest path.

The unidentified X maintained a constant distance from me, neither getting closer nor going further.

"Ah."

While keeping the presence in the back of my mind, I suddenly thought.

"I'm thirsty. Is there a stream where just drinking the water cools down the stomach? There should be one in such a forest."

That was the moment.

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]

Babble, babble.

As I pushed through the forest and stepped out, a stream flowed conspicuously. Two animals resembling deer were dipping their noses in the water, lapping it up. It meant the water was safe to drink.

"Oh. Lucky."

I approached the stream without much thought. The deer on the other side glanced at me as if thinking, 'What's that ugly animal?' but I brushed them off.

A water bottle would have been convenient, but Homo Sapiens have hands.

I scooped up the water with my hands and gulped it down.

"Ah! So refreshing! Now I feel alive."

-.......

"Uh? What? Why are you looking at me like that? Got something to say?"

-No... It's just a bit strange.

"What exactly is strange?"

Guardian Spirit furrowed his brow.

-Kim Zombie, haven’t you been too lucky these days?

"Excuse me?"

Too lucky?

"What are you talking about?"

-Think about it. Right when you got thirsty, a stream suddenly appeared. The same happened yesterday, the day before, and even the day before that. Actually, now that I think about it, you've been strangely lucky since ten days ago.

Really?

I wasn't so sure.

-Does it make any sense to have a water source wherever we go on this vast 60th floor?

Guardian Spirit passionately argued.

-And whenever you think it's time to get some sleep, there's always kindling nearby. It doesn't make sense. You're used to living in a world where drinking water and heating are taken for granted, but this kind of luck is really abnormal, you know?

"It's not exactly a world taken for granted..."

I furrowed my brows.

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]

And I refuted Guardian Spirit's words.

"Sword Emperor, sir. That's not strange because, [knowing there was a water source in this direction], we deliberately chose this path, didn't we?"

-...What? What are you talking about?

"What are YOU talking about? We obtained information that there was a stream flowing here [in advance], and planned our route to avoid hunger and thirst. Before we even left the village."

-.......

Just as Guardian Spirit was about to speak.

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Slowly, Guardian Spirit's expression turned ambiguous.

-…Right. That's true.

"Yeah. You told me to prepare thoroughly because the 60th floor is vastly different from the stages we've climbed so far, being extremely wide, and if we don't get geographic information in advance, we'll definitely get lost. So, after making an effort to gather geographic information in the village, why are you saying something different now?"

-Right... That's true. Hmm? It really is.

The Guardian Spirit crossed his arms.

-Why did I think your luck was strangely good...? It wasn't luck but the result of thorough preparation...?

"Exactly. Now you've got me hungry for no reason talking about weird things."

I sent out my aura and caught an animal resembling a deer. The deer, apparently not used to humans, didn't even show signs of wariness and was easily caught by me while it was drinking.

It was a simple hunt.

"Good thing there was meat nearby."

-.......

"Ah, there's dry firewood. Lucky. Let's have a barbecue today too."

-…Were the animals on the 60th floor always this tame? No. Wait a minute. Why are there normal animals here? From what I remember, this area was only swarming with demonic beasts...

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]

-…But not only those. Hmm. Right. Aren't you being sneaky eating something delicious all by yourself?

"It feels fucking great."

-Bad guy.

"Good guy?"

-Weirdo.

That's when it happened.

"Owowow...!"

From the [opposite] direction of where we came, someone burst through the bushes. It was a small-statured girl. As soon as she reached the stream, she fell with a thud.

"Uh-oh."

Holding a freshly roasted deer leg, I quickly approached the girl.

"Are you alright?"

"Ugh... Meat... Meat..."

The girl sniffed around with a vacant expression, as if she was smelling with her soul rather than her body, driven by the scent of roasting deer meat.

Can't help it with the meat.

"Here you go. Eat slowly."

"Uuuu... Th-Thank you..."

The girl desperately gnawed on the leg I gave her.

"Cough! Ack, huk! W-Water...!"

"Here."

[■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■.]

"Drink this."

Conveniently, I had a [water bottle]. How fortunate. If I didn't have a water bottle, I would've had to scoop water with my hands for the girl, which would have been quite awkward to watch from the side.

"Hwa!"

The girl drank hurriedly, spilling water around her mouth. Gulping down, her throat vibrated, and finally, she seemed to be coming back to life.

"Thanks to you, I'm saved!"

"It's nothing. Wanderers should help each other in places like this."

"If you weren't here, I would have starved to death... You're a savior..."

The girl shyly looked up at me after casting her gaze down.

Despite wandering through the forest, her clothes and hair were relatively clean. There was a sense of hardship, but not dirtiness, perhaps?

More than anything, she was exceptionally beautiful. Really exceptionally beautiful. After meeting Raviel, I hardly thought about people's appearances, but this girl slightly distorted my ingrained habits.

I smiled gently.

"I'm glad I could help."

I was just thinking, though.

Raviel is much prettier.

"......."

The girl slightly furrowed her brows.

And then murmured under her breath.

"......Strange... Could it be... Yes, if it's like this..."

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I tilted my head.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing."

Then the boy raised his head and smiled brightly.

"It's nothing!"

He was a boy with a truly radiant smile.

His clothes were so ragged and his whole body so covered in wounds that I could not guess how long he had wandered through the forest. Even so, the boy had not lost his smile and was doing his utmost to convey his gratitude to me.

An innate innocence shone from the boy's face.

"I haven't even asked for the name of my benefactor!"

"Ah."

"Benefactor, could you please tell me your name?"

I smiled.

"Of course. My alias is King of Death."

"King of Death... King of Death!?"

The boy was startled.

"If you're the King of Death, are you the one who recently cleared 10 floors all at once?"

"Um, yes. That's probably me."

"Wow! Amazing! How could such luck be...! The Constellations were all abuzz, wondering who it could be, and to run into you in a forest where I was lost!"

Grab.

The boy excitedly grabbed my hand.

"It's truly, truly an honor to meet you!"

With a smile that could dim even the sun.

"King of Death, I'm a fan of yours!"

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