WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 357: Return to the Origin (2)

──────

I shouted valiantly.

"How could you do this to me…!"

"There are hundreds of reasons why I can. You bastard."

Yoo Soo-Ha didn't even flutter an eyelash.

I shuddered. Could this guy truly lack blood, tears, and conscience?

In other words, was he indeed Yoo Soo-Ha?

"Yoo Soo-Ha. I secured you a job at the Café Planetarium…"

"Eh. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, but it's not like I ever asked for it?"

"I gifted you a disciple position under the Celestial Martial Clan Master…"

"Thanks to you, every morning and night, all the muscles in my body joyously tear apart. Much appreciated."

"I gave you back your life…! Snap out of it! Open your eyes!"

"And if my memory hasn't deteriorated, you were the one who killed me in the first place. You fucking bastard. A person without blood, tears, or conscience. Right now, my mental state is crystal clear, and my eyes are bright and alert."

If we're counting, you were the one who tried to kill me first at the 2nd floor hunting ground! Before the regression, I was actually murdered! If we went to court, the judge, spectators, jurors, and even the news reporters would all stand to acknowledge my innocence and your ruthlessness!

"Change…"

I clasped my head with both hands and moaned towards the Staff of Time Immemorial.

"Please, change the judge…!"

"No."

Only a cold reply infiltrated my ears.

"That won't happen, King of Death. The fates of this tower favor you, but sometimes they wish to screw with you as well, even if I don't intend it. Think of it as the price for the chaos you caused on the 75th floor."

This can't be happening.

"There's no way Yoo Soo-Ha is the person most deeply connected to me! What about Uburka? Logically, it should be my son's turn first!"

"Didn't you know? [The Muscle Pig Dreaming of Parricide] doesn’t want to go to an afterlife."

"Why?! Is this discrimination against the Earth Spirit Tribe!? Does even the tower, which proclaimed that it would give everyone a fair second chance, ignore and belittle our Earth Spirit children?!"

"No… it's just that [Muscle Pig] thinks there's no need for an afterlife when you're dead…"

Damn it, Uburka!

Who raised you to become such a cool, unfilial brat?! Uburka! Your father is desperately crying out your name from here, and you cannot even hear me?!

"Then, Raviel. Yes, my love exists."

I pinned my last hope.

"It makes no sense for Raviel not to be the judge. This is invalid! Summon my Duchess right now!"

"[The Silver-Clad Heart]… Ah, was that title revoked? Anyway, [Duchess Ivansia] doesn't desire an afterlife unless it's with you. Memories with you are far more important than any afterlife."

Ah, Raviel! I feel the same!

Joy overwhelmed me!

But… when I think that the result of this joy is that psychopathic ponytailed bastard needling me less than two meters away, why does my heart hurt so badly…?!

"Are we done talking? So, when will you dance?"

Shut your damn mouth.

"…Fine. I'll concede to the judge selection as it is."

I lifted my head. My face was as hard as stone.

"But I will absolutely not dance. Never ever, Yoo Soo-Ha."

"Hah? Didn't you hear what I said? If you don't dance, I'll never stamp the approval. Never, as in forever."

"Don't stamp it."

"What?"

"Do as you like. You'll end up stamping it anyway."

Yoo Soo-Ha looked incredulous.

"Ha, this is a funny situation. Do you think you're so special that I'll stamp the approval just because of you?"

"Because at first, you'll watch me thinking, 'Let's see how long he can hold out.' Then you'll quickly get bored and put it on fast-forward, but when you see that I still have not changed, your boredom with that very moment will outweigh your desire for revenge. After about two days, you'll have a moment of clarity and think, 'What the hell am I doing? Let's just go back.' Then you'll lose interest and say, 'Pass, pass. I don't give a damn whether you pass or raise hell.'"

"Uh…."

Yoo Soo-Ha blinked.

"…That's totally me."

"Exactly. So, there's no chance I'll dance. Wake up from your dream."

"Wait. How do you know what's in my heart so well?"

"Who knows? Maybe it is because I once gave your guts a good stabbing. In a sense, I cannot help knowing your insides better than you do."

"You fucking bastard."

Having no more business with the ponytail man who can't speak without swearing, I turned to the Staff of Time Immemorial.

"Please send me to the next stage immediately. I'll just bide my time there. You said this judge might be a bit tricky, right? You were wrong. I'll simply go to the 76th floor and slow down my sense of time. A week will feel like a second, a year like a minute. Before I know it, the stage will be cleared. How about that? Mage, my victory is now clear."

"Remarkable."

The mage truly marveled at me, as if astonished.

"You really are amazing…"

I'll take it as a compliment.

[The Staff of Time Immemorial sends you off.]

Seen off by the two utterly unimpressed gazes, I was transported to the next floor.

3.

[You have entered the 76th Stage.]

[You are stepping into a place where you should not be.]

What I said to the mage wasn’t a lie, it was the truth.

As the white light faded and my feet touched the ground of the new stage, my first thought was to numb my sense of time. It was only natural, wasn't it? I knew what kind of person Yoo Soo-Ha was and how to safely navigate his temper.

"Thread Snake."

Before delving into time manipulation, I decided to see what kind of heaven this place was.

"Let's start with the information."

"Sss."

The thread snake, which had become my trusty source of walkthrough information, flicked its tongue.

[The Eye Dwelling in the Labyrinth manifests its authority.]

[Information about the current stage has been revealed to you.]

Words twirled before my eyes.

+

[Heaven of Vision]

Floor: 76th

Constellation: 'The Lotus Reflected on Water'

Difficulty: C+

Description (Lv.1): Everyone in this world sees you exactly as you wish to be seen!

You control all gazes. Want to appear as a charming beauty? You will be seen as such. Desire to be seen as a wealthy person? It shall be reflected so.

All you need to do is wish to be perceived by others in a certain way. No other effort is necessary. You gain unlimited freedom where you yourself are concerned.

However, you gain not a speck of right over others. You cannot decide how to view others. You can only see them in the way they wish....

+

The text continued downwards.

I chuckled as I read the information.

"This would be a paradise for Yoo Soo-Ha."

That was my first thought. If there were a heaven that suited Yoo Soo-Ha, this place wouldn't be a bad choice.

"Okay, snake. Hurry and unveil the rest of the hidden details......."

But just as I was about to command Hisimet Cretsu, a completely different idea from my first thought crossed my mind, akin to a suspicion.

'Wait a minute.'

I hesitated.

'A heaven? A heaven suited for Yoo Soo-Ha?'

Something bothered me. It felt as unpleasant as unexpectedly biting into eggshell while happily shoveling down egg and rice.

"Keeek?"

Hisimet Cretsu tilted its head, puzzled by my sudden pause in speech.

"......."

However, my lips remained sealed. While my mouth stopped and my tongue stilled, my doubts spun faster and faster.

The Apothecary's words before leaving the 70th floor came to mind.

「That's the criterion for the judges.」

「The heaven they would go to in the afterlife.」

That's correct.

Meaning, if Yoo Soo-Ha were to die, he would consider this world a heaven and reincarnate here, hence the role of the judge for this stage was given to Yoo Soo-Ha.

There's nothing strange so far. What exactly is bothering me? Why is my instinct uneasy?

「What about Uburka?」

「The Muscle Pig Dreaming of Parricide doesn't want to go to an afterlife.」

The conversation I had with the magician in jest just a moment ago caught in my mind.

「Why not?」

「No… it's just that Muscle Pig thinks there's no need for an afterlife when you're dead…」

I felt my eyes narrow. By reducing the width of my sight, I reduced external stimuli. As unnecessary information was blocked out, my thoughts soared.

「It doesn't make sense for Raviel not to be the judge.」

Suddenly.

「Duchess Ivansia doesn't desire an afterlife unless it's with you.」

I muttered unknowingly.

"……This can't be Yoo Soo-Ha's heaven."

"Kee?"

The serpent raised its chin, looking up at me, mistaking that I was speaking to it.

Instead of correcting Hisimet Cretsu's misunderstanding, I voiced out the conclusions flowing in my mind.

"According to the [Staff of Time Immemorial], not everyone is guided to heaven upon death. Like Uburka, who has no regrets about the afterlife, or Raviel, who refuses to let go of her current memories no matter what, they would simply embrace death instead of reincarnating in heaven."

The more I voiced out my thoughts, the firmer they became.

Was it because the inside of the mouth is warm and the outside is cold? Thoughts that were mushy and melting on my tongue solidified as they passed my lips, cooling down.

"Then, Yoo Soo-Ha must accept the concept of [the world after death] to eventually reach the heaven floor. Otherwise, like Uburka or Raviel, he would just be categorized as someone who accepts death when it comes, and wouldn't meet the criteria to be selected as the judge for the 76th floor."

"......."

The serpent looked at me. The fox turned its head to glance at me. The gaze of the Guardian Spirit also fell upon me.

There must be more eyes looking down at me now, unseen by me.

"That's exactly the problem."

I stated.

"Yoo Soo-Ha would never consider this place heaven."

With certainty.

"Because even if he dies, he would wish to be reborn in [the same world]."

Not because he likes the world he was born in.

It’s the opposite.

"He doesn't like other worlds either. He doesn't even think that changing himself and the world would make him a better person. He just cherishes his own body, life, and memories that he has possessed so far. As long as he can protect those, it doesn't matter what the world turns into……."

I looked up at the sky.

The clear blue expanse.

"If he can't protect those, no world can satisfy him."

I spoke towards the [Staff of Time Immemorial], presumably observing my every move in the lobby.

"I hereby challenge your selection of the judge."

There was no response.

"If Uburka and Raviel were excluded from being judges, then by the same standard, Yoo Soo-Ha cannot be a judge either. Although the reasons differ, the result is the same: they absolutely do not accept the future of [losing their memories and reincarnating in heaven]. Don't you think?"

There was still no response.

"If I'm mistaken, please correct me. But you won't be able to refute it."

Silence persisted.

"After all, as Yoo Soo-Ha himself admitted, I know him better than he knows himself."

And then.

[The Staff of Time Immemorial closes her eyes.]

[The Staff of Time Immemorial fully accepts your objection.]

Bzzzt!

[The 76th floor stage has been forcibly terminated.]

The world of the blue sky split apart.

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