WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 45: The Demon King’s Name (2)
──────
2.
[You have entered the Boss Stage.]
This is the second time.
It's my second entry into a Boss Stage.
Comparing then and now... there are many similarities, yet many differences.
[Challenger: King of Death. Alone.]
[May fortune be with you.]
First, the notification.
Just like when I challenged the ‘Hellfire Mansion,’ I was still a solo player. As always in the tower, it quietly wished luck to the challenger, to me.
However…
There were definite changes from that time.
[Clear rewards will be given.]
[Clear rewards from floors 11 to 19 will be collectively tabulated.]
Now, I was no longer just a challenger.
I had conquered from the 11th to the 19th floors and ascended here.
The tower welcomed me, the conqueror, and joyfully sounded its trumpets nine times.
[Tabulating Floor 11 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 12 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 13 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 14 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 15 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 16 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 17 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 18 clear reward.]
[Tabulating Floor 19 clear reward...]
Step.
I took a step forward.
[Tabulation complete.]
While listening to the melody that greeted my footsteps.
[The tower acknowledges your achievements.]
[You are granted the right to modify a skill!]
[You can enhance any skill, except for those of EX rank.]
It was like a hymn blessing me.
The tower had prepared the stage in advance, with the quest's path set. However, I didn't walk the paths already laid out. I created a completely new stage and cleared it in my own way.
The tower acknowledged my strategy.
As if to say, ‘That’s also a good approach.’
[Adjusting the King of Death's authority!]
This time was no different.
[You are temporarily granted the authority of an Apostle.]
[For this reward, you have limited management authority.]
[How you enhance a skill is left to your discretion!]
A stage not predetermined.
A strategy not predetermined.
Therefore, naturally, the rewards were also not predetermined.
‘Indeed.’
I nodded inwardly.
‘Leaving the choice to me.’
I don't know why the tower was built, who built it, or why it's filled with creatures from other worlds.
There’s still much I don’t know.
But now I have a guess about what the tower is.
‘An entity that observes our choices.’
And an entity that remembers my choices.
‘Alright.’
Swish!
I drew my sword.
‘I’ll show you my choice again.’
An artifact said to have been wielded by the founder of the empire.
[Leafanta Aegim's Holy Sword of Protection] resonated with my aura, emitting a white light.
I aimed my sword at the [enemy] in front of me.
“Now.”
At the entrance to the twentieth stage.
At the path leading to a small village, it stood.
“It’s time to decide your fate, Demon King.”
-......
It growled softly.
Like a beast irreversibly wounded.
A beast engulfed in the world's flames and driven out by fire had only a tiny refuge left. The entrance to the village.
-My...
A road lined with acacia trees.
In the middle of the road, draped with white flowers, the beast stood alone.
-My village!
It roared.
-Do not dare to destroy my paradise!
And a voice echoed.
[Initiating the Boss Stage.]
The stage was set.
A stage to defeat the weakest boss in the world.
"......"
I looked up at the sky for a moment.
It was clear and blue.
The sky had always been a territory of blue.
Looking up at the cloudless sky, I was certain.
Today…
There will be no rain.
3.
Acacia petals fluttered down in white.
As they drifted, the petals made no sound.
The ground was silently painted white by the falling petals.
Only the breaths exchanged above the path filled the world's silence.
-I cannot forgive!
The breath that filled the world was harsh.
-I will never forgive! The burn marks still in my eyes! The smell of char embedded in my brain! That fire! You people! How could I forget your malice!
It swung its red sword, crying out in despair.
Every scream narrows the world a bit more.
The 20th floor was especially cramped.
In comparison to other floors, the minimap revealed it to be less than 1/100th in size. Even checking the World Map wouldn’t change anything. Just a tiny red dot, one pixel in size, marked on the world map.
That was the boss stage of the 20th floor.
-Go back! Turn back time!
It was just an ordinary rural village.
-Are you trying to burn down my paradise again!
The narrowest stage in the world.
And…
The weakest boss monster in the world.
-Again! You people, always like that! Always!
In the path littered with acacia petals, it was screaming. Just one person’s scream. A frail voice. But even a single person’s outcry was enough to fill this narrow world.
A small world.
A tiny village.
“The roles are completely reversed now.”
I deflected the Demon King’s sword.
Our blades sharply collided.
“Remember? On the 12th floor, you were the Demon King and I was the hero. You invaded, and I defended. It’s ironic, isn’t it? Now you’re the one defending.”
-Die!
“Sorry, Demon King.”
I twisted my blade.
“That line means nothing to me.”
My sword easily pushed away the Demon King’s. The strength was incomparable. The Demon King’s physical power was already insignificant. Unable to withstand my push, it exposed its flank like an open path.
A gap.
My blade smoothly sliced through the Demon King’s torso.
-Aaaaaah!
Red blood gushed.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
Blood flowed.
On the ground, among the white acacia petals, red scents dripped, staining them.
“You’ve weakened, Demon King of Autumn Rain.”
I took a step forward.
Red petals were crushed under my feet.
“You've really weakened.”
-Ugh, cough... Ahhh...
“But it’s still not enough.”
I swung my sword.
“Become weaker.”
-You...
“Much weaker than now.”
My blade cut through the Demon King.
The white petals turned a shade redder.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
The road to the village.
Behind the Demon King, the path was white.
But the road behind me gradually reddened.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
One step.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
Another step.
With each step the Demon King retreated, the whiteness of the petals diminished.
With each of my steps forward, the one-lane acacia path reddened further.
It wasn't just that.
-Ugh... Ahhhh...
The Demon King's entire body began to reveal itself.
Resentment. Grudges. Curses.
The clotted wastewater was being stripped away.
-No...
The top of the Demon King’s foot became visible.
-No...! No more, no more...
Both of its legs standing on the path were revealed.
-Ugh...
Next, its left and right arms were fully exposed.
And after that, the area below and above the waist appeared.
Furthermore, a long neck became visible.
-Tower, it can't be... it just can’t be...
I swung my sword.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
And then.
Finally, the face started to be revealed.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
The jaw.
Lower and upper lips.
The philtrum and tip of the nose, both cheeks.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
The red eyes.
The white forehead.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
Lastly…
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
The hair, resembling a lion's mane.
Each strand of hair lost its black color.
The last of the wastewater dripped away.
-Ah...
It let out a groan. Its thin forearms trembled, unable to bear the weight of the sword anymore.
-Uh, uh...
Standing under the acacia tree, it was no longer the Demon King. No one would call someone who couldn't even properly lift a sword a Demon King.
And then.
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s existence becomes faint.]
[The Demon King of Autumn Rain can no longer maintain its authority.]
The tower too did not call it the Demon King.
[Initiating rank adjustment.]
[Revoking The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s alias.]
The former Demon King shivered.
-No!
It was engulfed in a white light.
Like being swarmed by bees, it thrashed around.
-It can't be! It can't be! No, it can't be!
But it was futile. The light unwaveringly enveloped it.
[Announcing once again.]
The sentence was carried out.
[Revoking The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s alias.]
[Revoking The Demon King of Autumn Rain’s authority.]
It screamed.
-Ahhhhhh!
Fall from Heaven.
The Constellation that had once boasted absolute martial might had now fallen.
-Ah, ahh! Ahhhh!
It reached out frantically, as if trying to grasp the dispersing light droplets. Desperately trying to catch the light. But the light could not be grasped, slipping through its fingers.
The white light scattered and dissipated.
-Ah,
There.
"Ah,"
Only a fragile creature remained.
"Ah, uh... no, uh... ahhh..."
Not the Demon King of Autumn Rain.
Not the master of nightmares.
Not the Saintess of the Outskirts.
A fragile being.
"Right."
I gripped the sword hilt.
"Now you are weak enough."
"Don't come... Don't come closer..."
"Then stop me."
Step.
I took a step forward.
“What will you stop me with, your rights? Your sword? Try to stop me with anything. Otherwise...”
Another step.
"I will stand right in front of you."
It took a step back.
Facing me, it struggled to speak.
"You... to me, to my children... You dare do this to me, after all that..."
"You're wrong."
I took another step forward.
“As you said before, I am a foreigner who crossed over from another world. Yes. The Demi-Human Alliance and the Temple, monarchs and emperors, everyone living in this world joined forces to burn you and your village. Let us say there is not a single person on this continent free of responsibility. But not me. I am a complete outsider. Hunters like us are free of that responsibility.”
"Uh..."
"You have no right to hold me accountable. And of course,"
I took another step towards it as it retreated.
"You no longer have the power to stop me."
It trembled. The trembling leaked from its lips.
"I... I didn't do anything..."
"You mean you did nothing wrong?"
"I! I just helped the sick..."
"[Ester] was afraid like you are now."
It flinched.
“She screamed for you to spare her. She cried that she did not want to die. She called for her father. What did you do to that little girl?”
I calmly recounted what it had done before it gained human memories, before it became Ester.
“You sank your teeth into the throat of a struggling girl. You devoured her as you pleased and became Ester. And that was not all. You swallowed the newborn baby a woman treasured and entrusted to you. Then you boasted that you had saved people and acted self-important. You betrayed the woman who trusted you with her baby.”
"I... That's not... I didn't..."
“You hid the truth. You concealed that you had become Ester and never told them you had swallowed the child. Even though you knew people would misunderstand, you deliberately kept silent because you were afraid they would treat you as a monster. You deceived them.”
I took another step forward.
"Excuses are useless. There's no one in this world who knows you better than I do. I know what you've experienced, how you felt, and how you changed."
"......"
"You are not an innocent saint. Not an innocent victim. There's no need to even mention the woman and child. Like I said, the moment you devoured Ester, you lost any right to claim your innocence,"
"I am!!"
And it suddenly exclaimed.
"I didn't know!!"
I stopped.
Clenching its teeth, trembling, it covered its face. Sobs leaked through the gaps in its fingers.
"I didn't know back then. I had no human memories... no knowledge..."
The meaning of pleas for mercy.
The struggles.
The begging.
"Back then... I didn't understand what that meant..."
"You mean you made a mistake because you didn't know."
"Yes! If only I had known, I never would have devoured Ester,"
It tried to say it wouldn't have eaten her, and I spoke first.
"That's what humans do."
It lost its words.
"The people who burned you could make the same excuse. Actually, they definitely did, didn't they? What did they say when they faced you, as you covered the world in blood?"
I didn't know,
We didn't know that you meant no harm.
We just thought you were an evil witch. A monster. So they said, “That was why. If only we had known.”
“Such obvious lies...”
“Some of them surely lied, of course,” I conceded. “Some must have ordered you and your followers burned out of ambition, arrogance, or prejudice, then tried to deny it. Why would there not be? Humans were involved. But can you be certain that every last one of them was like that? Can you say with certainty that there was not even a shred of truth in their excuses?”
Finally, it fell completely silent.
To the silent being, I spoke quietly.
"Sorry, but I'm not very educated. I don’t know much. There's only one form of justice I know in this world."
Another step.
"And that is Karma."
It shivered.
"An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. If you believe what you swallowed in shadow and then spat back out were people, fine. Then suffer the same fate. At least that's fair, isn't it?"
"What... what are you saying...?"
"Tower!"
I looked up to the sky.
"I want to use the clear reward!"
I pulled out a golden card. The clear reward earned by breaking through from the 11th to the 19th floors. I decided to use it on this skill.
+
[Ghoul Summoning]
Rank: SS
Effect: You summon as monsters those whom you have personally killed. The deceased do not inherit their abilities or memories from life. They are merely summoned as monsters like goblins, orcs, zombies, skeletons, etc.
*However, you can only summon once a week.
+
Ghoul Summoning.
An SS rank skill.
I held the card and raised it towards the high sky.
"The tower clearly said I could modify the skill as I wish!"
[The tower affirms your statement.]
A voice responded to my call.
[However, excessive modifications are not allowed.]
[The tower uses an example for your understanding.]
[Evolution of an SS-rank skill to an SSS-rank skill is within the permissible range.]
I nodded.
My request was simple from the start.
"I request the modification of the Ghoul Summoning skill!"
[The tower asks for your intent.]
"Don't touch anything else! Just modify the part about memory. The 'do not inherit memories' part. Allow the summoned to retain their memories from life, but only if I wish it!"
It flinched.
"You... what are you trying to do?"
"How about it! Isn't this a reasonable request?"
Ignoring Ester, I shouted.
"I’m not asking for the inheritance of their abilities! Not even to inherit their skills. Not even to reduce the cooldown. Just memories! Only memories. I want the dead I kill to remember their lives!"
Silence.
The sky was silent.
[Measuring your request level.]
[Currently measuring...]
After a moment.
[The tower acknowledges that your request is reasonable.]
Permission was granted.
[Confirming your request.]
[Do you wish to use the special privilege earned by clearing floors 11 to 19 on the Ghoul Summoning skill?]
"Yes."
[Ghoul Summoning's requested modification is as follows.]
[If you wish, the dead will inherit their memories from life.]
[Is the above request accurate?]
"Yes."
[Confirmation complete.]
[Requesting approval from Zuraqua.]
[Approval complete.]
And then.
[The King of Death’s request is approved.]
White light enveloped my skill card.
A storm of light blew through.
After the light settled, I carefully examined the card.
+
[Ghoul Reincarnation]
Rank: SSS
Effect: You summon those you've personally killed. The deceased do not inherit their abilities from life. However, if you wish, they can inherit their memories and appearances from when they were alive. If you do not wish it, they will only be summoned as monsters.
*However, you can only summon once a week.
+
Ghoul Reincarnation.
That was the new name of the first SSS-rank skill I had acquired.
'Good.'
Everything I wished for had been perfectly fulfilled.
I turned to look at it.
Our eyes met.
“I’m going to kill you now.”
“……”
“If the word ‘kill’ does not sit well with you, think of it as being swallowed, as you would put it. Just as you did when you swallowed Ester, the sick, and the children into your shadow. I will swallow you in the same way...”
Slowly.
I raised my sword.
“And spit you back out in the same way.”
It trembled in fear.
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