SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 396

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 396: My World and Yours (1)

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“I anticipated this.”

I began.

“You've hinted at the 99th floor a few times, making cryptic remarks...”

Correction.

I tried to begin.

“Quiet, zombie! Eat this first!”

The clouds in the sky split in two.

Then the sky itself split. A crack formed in empty space along the solid line dividing the two halves of the sky. It ran toward me and rapidly grew thicker.

“You damn...!”

The moment I raised my dagger, an explosion ensued.

Boom…!

The aura I had infused into the dagger snuffed out like a flame hit by sand. I frantically pumped aura through the hilt, but soon realized the futility of my actions.

“Arghhhhh!”

It was akin to raising a shield against an oncoming tsunami. Even if some called that person a Don Quixote rather than a hero, from the perspective of someone once hailed as a hero, doing something that leaves a meaningful impact is the bare minimum.

“Ngh.”

For that...

“Would you just, pleeease...!!”

With a grunt, I shifted my grip on the dagger.

As the angle of incidence shifted, the Sword Emperor's overflowing strike was thrown slightly off course. Its sheer volume still made it impossible to block even after diverting it, but I had at least gained a moment to breathe. In truth, that was enough.

I shouted.

“Stoooop!!”

The ground swayed and shook.

The roots stretching through it, the grass growing over it, the sunflowers, windflowers, daylilies, daffodils, hepatica, bird's-foot trefoil, snowball flowers, marigolds, and morning glories all shook at once. Pollen scattered in profusion. Vitality and the will to live overflowed.

On this trembling land, however, I remained unshaken, firmly rooted in place.

What I envisioned was not a pillar, but a great tree.

The World Tree.

I imagined roots sprouting from beneath my feet, extending deep, very deep, and spreading wide, endlessly wide. Even if the ground shook, I wouldn't be disturbed since my roots reached the far end of the opposite side. Not only was I unshaken, but the trembling of the ground itself was due to the vibration of my roots.

I absorbed it all.

The scattered vitality, the nutrients spread throughout the ground, the grains stored in termite nests, the single breath of an unnamed insect hibernating for winter, I drew them all in. Energy rushed into me like a waterfall in reverse, but I didn't hoard it. Instead, I directed it all to one place, my left hand gripping the dagger.

I had become a conduit.

A tremendous energy flowed through me towards the dagger I held.

It exploded.

Boom…!

The Sword Emperor's strike from the sky was repelled by my own that burst forth from the ground.

The Sword Emperor, like a butterfly on a spring day, twirled and landed gently on a blade of grass, coming to a stop.

“That's right.”

The Sword Emperor grinned.

“You've learned to wield external ki.”

“What are you doing!”

I fumed, yelling out.

The Sword Emperor, not losing his smile, replied.

“Well done.”

“What? Well, praise like that is a little embarrassing... All I did was keep practicing what you taught me in the Heaven of Truth and then practically spelled out for me on the 91st floor. No, no, that isn't the point. Why did you attack me out of nowhere...?”

“Knowing something and using it are different matters. Knowing you, I thought you might not know how to apply it in actual combat.”

“Really now…”

I scratched the back of my head.

“Thinking about it, there were many hints even before you told me.”

"......."

“The usual way to manifest aura force is to accumulate internal energy. And the most common method of accumulating internal energy is to sit cross-legged and meditate somewhere with good water and clean air.”

These are commonly referred to as Ki Cultivation Methods, Energy Accumulation Techniques, and Internal Energy Heart Techniques.

“In other words, most of the Ki used by martial artists originates from the outside. They digest and refine it and melt it inside, which then becomes what we call [internal energy].”

Turning the Ki that exists outside of me into my own.

That is what internal-energy cultivation methods do. It is also why ten-thousand-year snow ginseng, thousand-year fleeceflower, hollow stalactite milk, medicines made by the Apothecary, and that enormous tortoise composed almost entirely of aura all function as spiritual medicines.

“But the world and I are not separate entities.”

In the Demonic Cult, [I] am [the rope that ties the world together].

On the orthodox path, [I] am separate from every object in the world, but for that very reason, [I myself am also one of the world's terminals].

Subjectification and objectification. The advantages and disadvantages of each are clearly reflected in the martial arts of each faction.

It's commonly believed that while it's easier to advance to a certain extent in the Demonic Cult, it's difficult to go beyond, whereas in the Orthodox Faction, it's hard to reach a certain level, but there are more experts beyond the extreme compared to the Demonic Cult, probably for this reason.

“There's no need to obsess over growing [my internal energy] within me.”

As I spoke, I dispelled the image of roots I had spread beneath my feet.

“No matter how much internal energy I build within myself, even enough to return from old age to youth and reconstruct my bones and body, the vessel called [me] still has a limit.”

As the image of the roots receded, the pathway for absorbing external energy closed.

“Rather, it's more efficient to make [myself] into [a conduit].”

Naturally, the World’s Ki that had been flowing into the dagger through my body dispersed.

“Of course, to [strengthen that conduit], I need to be somewhat stronger myself.”

I took a deep breath.

The inner ki that had been swept out along with the external ki, leaving me empty, refilled the vessel called true-origin ki.

“Even that is not a necessary condition.”

I looked at the Sword Emperor.

“That's why master could split mountains even without a speck of internal energy.”

“That's right.”

The Sword Emperor nodded.

“The core structure of internal-energy cultivation has two main parts: [Meditation] and [Circulation]. Whether it is the Nine Yang Divine Art, the Violet Mist Mental Art, or the Valkenheim-style Mana Cultivation Method, both elements are indispensable. The methods differ only in the depth of meditation and the route along which they carry ki.”

"......."

“Among these, meditation is for absorbing external energy into me. By deeply understanding the world, I break down the boundary between the world and myself, allowing me to absorb energy from the entire world. Circulation is to guide the absorbed Ki to the Dantian. As you just said, by combining the Ki I had with the absorbed Ki and refining it, I enhance my own Ki.”

The Sword Emperor plucked a piece of the severed cloud and sat upon it, raising a finger.

“But if you truly understand this, you can immerse yourself in deep meditation under any circumstances, breaking down the boundary between the world and yourself, and directly transport the world's Ki to the desired location, making [your own internal energy] unnecessary.”

The Sword Emperor stated plainly.

“That is the essence of the Sword Heart.”

This entire process involved no grand ideology, no hollow abstraction, and no utterly inscrutable mystery.

Once the premises are known, it all becomes logically possible.

Such is the secret of all magic.

“Have you been here all along?”

“Yeah."

The Sword Emperor chuckled with his arms crossed.

“My ghosts that were attached to you and the old man... um. I do control them, but explaining this is even more complicated than explaining the Sword Heart."

“Try explaining anyway.”

“Let me show you.”

With that, the Sword Emperor flicked his finger.

[Sword Constellation: Original]

Rank: A+

Effect: You can create your own spiritual beings to advise those climbing the tower. Whisper your experiences of climbing up to the 99th floor in their ears. Those who receive your advice will be astonished by your vast knowledge.

*However, the recipient must possess a skill that complements this one. Without it, no one will recognize you.

*Synchronization between you and your spiritual being(s) occurs at specific intervals, typically daily, but this may shorten or lengthen depending on the floors the advisee is climbing.

*The knowledge applied to your spiritual being(s) may be distorted or modified as it passes through the tower. These alternative guidelines are determined by the Pillar Assembly.

Indeed.

I understood.

“Just like messages in a chat program don't go directly to the recipient but first pass through a [server], the messages you send through the Guardian Spirit also go through the tower as a [server] and get censored in the process.”

“Similar. Uh, how should I put it? It's more like...”

“Ah. Is it closer to [Puppeteer's Parade], with its shared memories? No, rather than sharing memories...”

“Right. It's like copying and pasting my memories to create them. Then, periodically synchronize and absorb the created Guardian Spirits' memories. After that, update again with another copy-paste. But during that process, the tower's censorship comes into play, and it's not done in real-time, so…”

I recalled the Guardian Spirit of the Sword Saint looking puzzled when he had just been copied.

Well, waking up in another world after falling asleep would be just as bewildering.

“When I was getting thrashed by the fox…”

“Yeah. Because there's a periodic synchronization process, I noticed something was off quite early.”

But because there was a time lag on top of the fox's and the tower's two layers of memory manipulation, that was why the Sword Emperor had helped me in such a roundabout way.

I was completely convinced.

“Huh. So besides me and the Sword Saint, there could be others you're attached to…”

“Wanna know?”

“No. Honestly, I'm curious, but I won't ask because…”

I took out a fresh roll of blue duct tape and rewrapped the handle, which the recent clash had worn through.

“Having you here means I'm the first to arrive anyway.”

The Sword Emperor's smile deepened.

That was enough of an answer, so I asked the next question.

“What's the quest for the 99th floor?”

“What do you think?”

“Well.”

I stroked my chin.

I looked around. The splendid flower garden welcomed me as always.

Despite the recent clash, where the Sword Emperor and I used the world's energy, there was no change, as if removing a spoonful of water from the ocean. Not only because the consumed external energy was returned to the world but also because the world was so powerful.

Naturally, my gaze settled on the Sword Emperor and stopped.

I smiled.

“Shall we settle it with a duel between us?”

The Sword Emperor also smiled.

“You've grown a lot, our zombie.”

“It's my growth spurt.”

“You're more of an uncle than I am now, aren't you?”

“Try calling me Uncle Gong-Ja.”

“Zombie geezer.”

*Korean word for referring to older middle-aged men.

“Considering your juvenile jokiness, I'm definitely the adult here…”

“Ahjussi, shall we spar?”