WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 41: Their Time (2)
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3.
The light did not envelop only me.
[Searching for the Demon King's presence on the 12th floor... Not found.]
[The Demon King's retreat has been confirmed.]
Whoosh!
[Timeline Alteration.]
The white light spread in all directions, like a faintly sparkling mist. The cluster of light rapidly unfolded across the vast plains and soon covered the capital of the Aegim Empire.
Light droplets.
They were innumerable, floating like dandelion seeds in the wind.
“What's this...?”
The Witch looked around in confusion.
“Kim Gong-Ja. What’s happening?”
“Well, I... This is new to me too...”
I was just as perplexed.
As the world was engulfed in light, I asked myself:
‘Sword Emperor, do you have any idea what's going on?’
-No, this is new to me too. What is this? It's scary.
‘......’
Apart from when learning swordsmanship, this guy is really no help.
How such an ignorant gorilla conquered up to the 99th floor is beyond me.
-Huh? Hey, Kim Zombie. You just cursed me in your mind, didn't you? Right?
‘No, Sword Emperor. I was just thinking that someone as great as you is beyond my understanding.’
-Strange. That's not it. Your face looked like you were cursing me...
The Sword Emperor grimaced and grumbled.
While we were chatting, the light droplets continued to float endlessly.
“Huh?”
That's when I felt a noticeable change.
I pointed towards the empire's majestic city walls.
“Black Dragon Master, look over there.”
“Hmm?”
“The city walls. The number of flags seems to have drastically decreased.”
The military banners on the city walls, fluttering in the wind.
The red and gold flags were rapidly disappearing. From what was hundreds, only dozens remained, and even then, they were still diminishing.
“...You're right.”
The Witch narrowed her eyes.
“Hold on to me. I need to check.”
“Agreed.”
“Teleport!”
The Witch held my hand and used her skill. In the next moment, we were no longer in the middle of the desolate plains but atop the empire's battlements. The splendid cityscape was visible at a glance.
“My goodness...”
The Witch murmured softly.
“Everything is changing.”
Indeed, it was.
The world was transforming.
The slums, no. The refugee camp disappeared. Refugees had fled there from every corner of the continent after the Demon King destroyed their homes. The ghetto they had formed was enveloped in white light... and then vanished.
As if the refugee camps never existed.
“......”
The clothes of passersby in the marketplace changed. Worn-out rags became proper cloth garments.
Even the fruits on the market stalls changed. The rotten apples slowly started glistening with freshness.
I murmured unconsciously.
“Timeline Alteration...”
“What?”
“The history has changed.”
The number of patrolling guards on the city walls had significantly decreased.
Not just in number, but their expressions were different too.
The soldiers' faces were no longer filled with despair from the fear of the Demon King. They showed the boredom of duty, the tedium of patrol, the expressions of ordinary human beings.
“Originally, the Aegim Empire was invaded by the Demon King. It was meant to be invaded. Whether it won after fighting or was defeated and destroyed... either way, it had to face the Demon King's army. But...”
I swallowed hard.
“In this world, the invasion by the Demon King itself has become [nonexistent].”
Unknown to everyone.
Unnoticed by all, the Demon King's invasion was erased.
Yes.
I erased it.
“...History has been rewritten.”
The result unfolded before my eyes.
[Altering the 11th floor.]
[Altering the 12th floor.]
The white light enveloped the city.
The light touched the face of a child who had wandered the streets as a beggar.
A light droplet settled on the clothes of a man walking aimlessly as he worried about tomorrow's meal.
Shhh...
The light droplets fluttered like dandelion seeds.
In the city streets. At intersections. In a shop with a crumbling pillar. In the house of someone returning home from work.
The fingertips of light gently caressed the world,
[Alteration complete.]
And soon drifted away.
Disappearing somewhere.
“......”
I closed my mouth.
The Witch did the same.
In the frozen world where no sound was heard, even though it was just our silence, it felt as if the world itself had held its breath.
But…
"---Come on, they're cheap! Very cheap!"
The silence soon broke.
"Apples freshly brought in from Eilbrandt! Fresh apples! My lords, even elves can't resist these seasonal fruits! Take a look at these fresh apples!"
Sounds.
"These days, the baths are not clean. I can see the dirt. Really, these bureaucrats can't even manage water properly. What do they expect us to believe..."
Sounds were heard.
Time, which had remained frozen until I accepted the quest, began to flow.
"I'm telling you, the imperial princes have been causing no end of trouble! They say Their Majesty's wails can be heard beyond the palace walls every night. It may only be a rumor, but I think..."
"Let's have a drink tonight, just us, what do you say?"
"Please spare a coin. Just one coin! The Goddess loves you all."
"Eilbrandt apples that even elves crave for taste! They're cheap!"
The world resumed breathing.
"Hey!"
Among them was a breath directed at us.
"What are you people doing here!"
The Witch and I turned our heads towards the voice. From the direction of the city wall, a general was brandishing his sword.
The general's face contorted angrily.
"How audacious! Who dares to trample upon the battlements of the Empire! Come down immediately!"
Somehow, his face looked familiar.
I murmured.
"Sarbast Aegim..."
The NPC general's eyes widened.
As if seeing someone like me for the first time.
"Ha! Insolent thieves. How do you know my name?"
I pressed my lips together tightly.
‘...I see.’
The general, who should have been on the 11th floor, not the 12th.
The first to kindly welcome hunters in the empire.
The NPC from whom I deliberately received death to copy his skill.
"Come down at once! Can't you hear me?"
The man who should have recognized me as a familiar face was shouting as if I were a complete stranger.
The alteration was not limited to the 12th floor; it had also changed the history of the 11th floor.
Thump.
‘Ah.’
Suddenly, my heart pounded against my chest.
An unknown emotion wrapped around my heart, chest, and then my entire body, even seeming to clog my throat, making it hard to speak. Why? While the world had regained its sounds, it felt like my voice was taken away by something.
“......”
I looked down at the general, my lips twitching slightly.
Memories that had already become stories of the past.
I reminisced about the words the NPC general had said to me.
-'Take the life of a hero? I cannot do that!'
-'We thank you on behalf of the empire.'
-'I was skeptical. I wondered whether heroes from other worlds would truly fight earnestly for us. But it was just needless worry. I thank you again.'
The last smile of the general crossed my mind.
-'Please take good care of our empire.'
“......”
Ah. Yes.
This is what it feels like.
“Huh.”
For some reason, a smile broke out on my lips.
“Ahaha, uhah! Haha, ahahahahat!”
I laughed, holding my stomach.
The general looked up at me with wide eyes, soldiers focused their attention on me, and the Witch gave me a weird look. The Sword Emperor stared at me as if I were insane.
But I didn't care.
There was sorrow that the people of the empire had forgotten me.
But a much more immense emotion had seized my entire being.
“Ah.”
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth even wider.
“----I protected it!”
A roar burst from my mouth.
The general's shoulders flinched.
“I protected it!”
The soldiers on the walls were startled.
“I protected your empire!”
Yet, I did not stop.
I made sure my roar was amplified with my red aura to reach far and wide.
“I! Kept my promise!”
The people of the empire turned their heads. In the marketplace. At intersections. In shopping streets. In someone's home.
My voice shook the city walls, rang against the palace walls, and must even have struck and echoed from the walls of the audience chamber. I laughed. I laughed loudly. My laughter echoed and echoed again, ringing through the Tower.
“Without the slightest shame!”
Standing tall upon the battlement, I pointed at the sky.
“Without a single regret!”
Hundreds of days.
Crossing hundreds of days with my palms blackened by permanent marker, driven by the single desire never to see even one victim, until at last I defeated the Demon King of the Autumn Rain...
“I am proud!”
I was happy.
“I did it!”
For the first time in my life.
I felt this emotion for the first time.
I lived like trash.
Jealous of others, mocking them, wasting my days just drinking. Freezing my heart under the guise of being rational, giving up on life, on myself.
But not today.
[Stage Cleared.]
At least today, I could hold my head high.
[Today, the 12th floor stage has been cleared.]
I could hold my head high before other people.
Before the Witch and the Sword Saint.
Before the world.
Above all, I could hold my head high before myself.
[Announcing once again to everyone.]
I could be proud of myself.
[Today, the 12th floor stage has been cleared.]
I could be that kind of person.
[Raid participant assessment in progress...]
[Assessment complete.]
I was overjoyed.
[Announcing the 3 raid participants.]
The sky of the empire was etched with light.
+
[Raid Contribution Ranking]
1. King of Death
2. Witch
3. Sword Saint
+
It was probably invisible to NPCs.
The general was frozen by my roar.
“What… what are you talking about...”
“Sarbast Aegim!”
The general flinched.
I looked down at him from the battlement.
“Take good care of the empire!”
“......”
“Sorry, but this is as far as the hero's role goes! Taking care of the Demon King is enough! Your empire has probably rotted in places no one can see, and I'm sure it has all sorts of problems! That's obvious!”
I smiled broadly.
“From now on, you figure it out yourselves!”
“......”
“Let's hear it for our lives! Come on, come on! We can do it!”
The general opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.
“Ah, I don't understand what you’ve been saying since just now... I can't comprehend it at all...”
-Hahaha!
The Sword Emperor rolled around in the air, clutching his stomach.
-Heeheehee! You crazy bastard! You lunatic! You zombie bastard! I thought you were finally going to sink into some mature reflection, but wow, this lunatic just openly starts bragging about himself! I want to know how your mind works! Hey, Kim Zombie! I admit it! You really are a case study!
‘Ah.’
I brushed back my hair.
‘So what? I’m too adorable today.’
-Crazy... Kim Lunatic! Heh, okay! At least you don’t whine pathetically! Heheheh!
Despite his laughter, the ghost continued to roll in the air, as if it wasn’t enough.
I turned to the Witch.
“Come on, Black Dragon Master! What are you waiting for? Let's go to the 13th floor!”
“......”
The Witch sighed enigmatically.
“Alright... It’s common for high-ranking hunters to be abnormal. It’s okay. I understand. At least you’re better than the Heretic Inquisitor.”
“Huh?”
“Teleport.”
The Witch grabbed my hand and activated her skill. In the next moment, we were back in the wilderness. Without warning, she grabbed the Sword Saint’s arm.
The Witch looked into my face.
“The entry priority is always given to the first rank.”
She said.
“You represent us, so you give the command to transfer. King of Death.”
It was the first time I was called by my alias.
Today was a day full of new experiences.
“Yes.”
I smiled.
“-Transfer.”
And thus…
My stage moves on to the next one.
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