SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 366

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 366: The first floor (3)

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Feeling reassured by the presence of my trustworthy comrades guarding the rear, I wished I could say that I had started climbing the tower again. However, there was still unfinished business around the first floor.

"Where do you think you're going? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews that have been put off. The press has been giving us the side-eye for a while now, making things quite burdensome, but this is a good opportunity. Let's get them out of the way."

Looking into Anastasia's eyes, it seemed there was indeed a lot left to do.

"Also, there's this, Kim Gong-Ja. There's going to be the first marriage between one of our hunters and a member of the Earth Spirit Tribe."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I made exactly that face when I first heard. It seems much too fast, but it is still something to celebrate, right? They have not held the wedding yet. You are the Earth Spirit Tribe's oldest friend and their god, so go congratulate them. No, wait! Hold on! The interviews come first! Hey! Kim Gong-Ja! You doting bastard!"

I ran straight over and congratulated them.

The Earth Spirit Tribe has a unique marriage culture. Each partner searches through their respective homes' hearths, transferring the burning embers to a lantern. At the wedding, they combine their flames into one.

The guests also bring empty lanterns to the ceremony. Once the couple's flames merge, the guests pass on their congratulations by transferring the flame to their lanterns.

Guests carry this newly kindled flame back to their own hearths, [certifying the birth of a new couple] among all attendees. In homes without a hearth, they at least light a campfire.

It was a fittingly splendid ceremony for the Earth Spirit Tribe, who worship fire and revere their community... Naturally, there was a problem.

"W-We don't have a hearth at home! What do we do, King of Death?"

One half of the couple, the hunter, looked distressed.

Indeed.

Our citizens, enjoying the pinnacle of modern, or rather, future civilization, naturally did not keep hearths.

"Ugor. I do not cling to such things. Is love not all that matters?"

"Ah, my love! But I'm interested in your traditions too! Surely, when we press our foreheads together, a brilliant idea will come to us!"

"My love...! Your heart is more delicate than the dew-kissed blossoms at dawn!"

Hmm.

Well.

A couple that loves each other to this extent would indeed be the first to marry across species. Yes, that makes sense...

"Ah, what a lovely occasion."

I felt a torrent of sweetness surge from my stomach and back up my throat, but I forced a smile.

"Argh! I've shown something unseemly before the great Kekerkker, ugor! Forgive me!"

"It's fine. I'm the one who should bear it, having intruded upon a couple's home uninvited."

"Right. That is why I asked you to forgive me."

Uburka and our children really have no sense of how to treat a deity.

"Given that it's the first marriage of its kind, it's bound to attract a lot of attention. The major guilds are even planning to use this as a chance to promote harmony between species, but wouldn't that be too burdensome for you?"

"Ugor? Is that so?"

The Earth Spirit Tribe member tilted their head in confusion, but the hunter beside them cautiously nodded.

It's the difference in cultures, after all. I did well to rush over.

"I'll handle the press intrusion at the wedding venue. What business do merchants have interfering with the sacred union of flames?"

While pretending to address the Earth Spirit Tribe, I first reassured the hunter.

"And on this occasion, I'll arrange for a Holy Fire in the center of the square."

"Ugor, by Holy Fire you mean...?"

"I'll personally prepare the flame using my Aura. We'll set up something like an Olympic cauldron in the square to keep my fire burning continuously."

I turned to look at the hunter.

"You can take the flame from there to the wedding. For the Earth Spirit Tribe, it's as good as bringing divine fire, which should be more than sufficient. Of course, whether or not you choose to respect the Earth Spirit Tribe's marital traditions is entirely up to your agreement."

"Ah, um... Th-thank you for your consideration!"

The hunter bowed deeply, perhaps a bit too earnestly.

I smirked wryly. To them, it must seem like the top-ranked hunter is intervening on their behalf.

Imagine, someone of my stature blocking the press and installing something in the middle of Babylon's most expensive square. Naturally, they would feel immensely pressured.

'It reminds me of when I married Raviel...'

Back then, notable nobles from across the empire flocked to the ceremony.

Compared to Raviel, my status was lower, necessitating my adoption by the Imperial Chamberlain.

Even now, when dealing with official matters in the empire, it's more convenient to act under the title of 'Wife of the Ivansia Ducal House' than as the 'Top-ranked Hunter of Lion World'. Am I the only one? The Black Dragon Master and the Heretic Inquisitor also hold nominal noble titles.

Such are the differences between worlds.

"That's all I can do for you."

Raviel used her power to summon the Imperial Chamberlain and facilitate my adoption, which could be seen as either a kindness or a burden on me. Ultimately, it was my choice to make.

I will support the couple before me. If two people can transcend the differences in status and even species, they will surely navigate their future wisely.

"I'll do my best to suppress the press and provide a ceremony that's flawless from the Earth Spirit Tribe's perspective. However, there will undoubtedly be challenges that you must face on your own."

"Ah, um... What... What are your plans for the media?"

"Simple."

I grinned.

"Just give them a bigger scoop than interspecies marriage."

「Shock! Encounter with a new species!」

The media was ablaze with excitement just one day before the wedding.

「Intelligent life discovered living in a city underground on the 5th floor!」

「A splendid city hidden beneath the 5th floor, previously thought to be a mere hunting ground!?」

「An unexpected encounter. Who are the beings of this underground city?」

「Was the urban legend true?」

「It's said that the darkest place is under the candlestick, but this place under the candlestick is mighty strong!」

「The Black Dragon Master responds to the news: 'It is shocking, but we welcome them'...」

The reaction was quite explosive.

"Die! Just die, you crazy bastard!"

As evidence of this, Anastasia was currently storming into my room in real-time, throttling me.

"Ghhhuuuub?!"

"You are driving me insane! Do you really want to watch me collapse and die from overwork? The work I already have to deal with is Mount Everest, and you had to pile this colossal incident on top of it before you would feel satisfied?!"

Squeeze, squeeze, shake, shaaake.

Anastasia clutched my neck and shook me wildly up, down, left, and right.

She was not joking. Dark Aura filled Anastasia's grip. Though she was not quite at my level, Anastasia was a Hunter whom almost no one could match in Aura.

"I'm dying... Can't breathe... really... dying..."

"Fine. Die. Just die already. Death means nothing to you anyway. Die, go back to yesterday, and take action right now so this disaster never happens!"

"Help... help me..."

It was only when I was on the brink of death that Anastasia finally let me go, heaving a huge sigh as if bidding the world goodbye.

"Haah... Fine. I'll listen to your excuse. But how did you even find out about an underground civilization on the 5th floor?"

Catching my breath, I answered.

"Whew. It was Mutia, the Constellation I met on the 62nd floor."

"Mutia?"

"Yes. Her formal title is [The Ruin-Harvesting Cow]. She has the power to make people regress. You could say this Constellation has a rough grasp of what sort of life a person could live and how many different possibilities they possess."

The Black Dragon Master slightly furrowed her brows.

"What? That's... overpowered."

"Yep. An overpowered character, indeed. Anyway, this overpowered character fought me and pulled all sorts of tricks."

If Flame Emperor had not obtained [Returner’s Winding Clock], a worldline based on this assumption.

In that worldline, I didn't lose my life to the Flame Emperor but instead forged my own path. Roaming around from the 2nd to the 9th floor, I eventually discovered a city hidden underground on the 5th floor, thanks to a combination of luck and happenstance.

"Thanks to Mutia showing me my possibilities, I learned about the 5th floor's underground civilization as a by-product. Since I happened to learn about it, I might as well put it to use."

"…I understand the situation, but you should have waited to reveal it. Now, our kids might collapse under the workload."

"Hm, actually, that was part of the plan."

"Huh?"

Anastasia asked, baffled by what seemed like nonsense.

But I was serious.

"The guild masters of our guilds trust each other completely now but the situation is different for the guild members below us. They've been fiercely fighting for years, so suddenly becoming all buddy-buddy?"

"…That's true."

"Exactly. They might refrain from fighting for now, out of respect for us, the guild leaders. But this is a matter of emotions."

The top-ranked hunters chose the path of cooperation after countless battles across stages.

However, it's different for the average guild member. They couldn't actively participate in stage conquests past the 12th floor. They lack the experience of [sharing hardships together].

"Anastasia is right. It's busy. With the discovery of an underground civilization on the 5th floor, no single guild can handle the workload alone now."

So, I deliberately created an experience.

"If only to avoid being worked to death, the guilds have to cooperate. These hellish tasks can be resolved only if every guild gives its full cooperation."

"Good heavens..."

"Past conflicts? Old grudges? That is all well and good, but drop enough work in front of them that even nine months of overtime might not let them see the end of it. Do you think the guild members do not want to sleep or go home? They will cooperate, no matter what."

"You're truly a devil..."

Anastasia looked appalled.

I just shrugged.

"In the next few months, all the major guilds will effectively function as [one company]."

"But what about our kids' stress?"

"There's an easy target for stress relief. Announce that I was the one who discovered the underground civilization. All the guild members will collectively berate me, and I'll be the sole target of their ire."

"A scapegoat, then..."

"Yes. Taking that abuse is part of a leader's responsibility anyway. More importantly, is it not also my role, as the one clearing stages alone, to ensure that some of the benefits fall to the guild members?"

To the members of the major guilds, I am an object of both love and hate.

Because of me, their workload has skyrocketed, making me an object of hatred. But thanks to me, they've also gained numerous benefits from many stages, making me an object of affection as well.

'If someone has to be the scapegoat, it's better if I take on that role.'

Don't want to work? Then leave the great guild. Give up numerous privileges.

Even now, there are countless hunters begging to be recruited by a great guild, even if it means working like an ox, just for a chance.

Practically, only hunters affiliated with major guilds have the freedom to come and go from worlds beyond the 11th floor.

We strictly regulate Hunters entering other worlds to minimize the shock those worlds experience. Under these circumstances, Hunters from smaller guilds have a difficult time securing opportunities, though there are exceptions such as [Apothecary], who succeeded purely through personal ability.

"If the joke that being cursed at makes you live longer is true, Kim Gong-Ja, you are going to live for a very long time..."

"It looks like I will not merely live a long time. I will live forever."

"Eh?"

"I'll explain later."

I turned my head and looked at the laptop screen.

The screen was filled with articles ecstatic about the discovery of the 5th floor's underground civilization.

Amid the articles pouring down like a summer flood, one tiny piece only two or three lines long caught my eye.

「The first marriage between a Babylonian and an Earth Spirit Tribe member! A modest but beautiful ceremony. Citizens shower blessings on this news...」

Smiling, I closed the laptop.

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