WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 5: Hero Hunting (2)
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4048 days.
[You have died.]
4047 days.
[You have died.]
4046 days.
[You have died.]
It was a process of erasing one's history, of wiping away a legend that seemed forever etched in the tower's memory. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, Flame Emperor's legend wasn't created in a few days either. Naturally, it was difficult.
But it wasn't impossible.
"Damn it...!"
I screamed as I killed myself.
When I felt like giving up, I remembered the pain when the Flame Emperor set my body on fire, the sense of injustice, the rage. His face, when he returned nonchalantly after burning down the village and asked, "What's in it for me?"
His expression as he looked down on me like an insect.
'I'll kill you!'
Thump!
I bit down hard and stabbed the knife into my neck.
'I'll kill you, Yoo Soo-Ha!'
It was a task of killing myself.
But more so, it was about killing the Flame Emperor.
[You have died.]
[You will return 24 hours into the past.]
4040 days.
4039 days.
4038 days.
4037 days...
...
...
...
...
...
...
How many times did I kill myself?
Like an endless hourglass, my task seemed to never end. Flame Emperor's achievements appeared as indestructible as a pyramid.
Then, cracks began to appear in that pyramid.
"Flame Emperor solos floor 39!"
"Solo play conquers floor 38! Another legend of the Flame Emperor!"
"Floor 37 conquered!"
"Hunter Yoo Soo-Ha. First Korean to reach world rank 1."
...
"Who will claim the throne of rank 1 with Sword Saint gone? Foreign experts say 'Korean Yoo Soo-Ha is the most likely.'"
"The enigmatic hero breaks through floor 10. Who is this hero?"
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
...
One by one, the newspaper clippings on my room wall that showcased Flame Emperor's history disappeared.
One by one.
"Solo play conquers floor 38! Another legend of the Flame Emperor!"
"Floor 37 conquered!"
"Hunter Yoo Soo-Ha. First Korean to reach world rank 1."
"Who will claim the throne of rank 1 with Sword Saint gone? Foreign experts say 'Korean Yoo Soo-Ha is the most likely.'"
"The enigmatic hero breaks through floor 10. Who is this hero?"
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
One sheet at a time. One sheet. Then another. More and more wallpaper showed through, like an old man's teeth falling out one by one.
"Floor 37 conquered!"
"Hunter Yoo Soo-Ha. First Korean to reach world rank 1."
"Who will claim the throne of rank 1 with Sword Saint gone? Foreign experts say 'Korean Yoo Soo-Ha is the most likely.'"
"Unbreakable 10th Floor Conquered. Who is this Mysterious Hero?"
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
They Disappeared.
'I can see it!'
The end was in sight.
There was still a long way to go, but... it was all right. I could endure it. The Flame Emperor had seemed eternal and immortal, but he was neither. If only I could be certain of that fact, I could endure as much as it took.
'It isn't impossible!'
I swung the knife.
Swinging it, I killed the time when the Flame Emperor conquered the 37th floor.
"Hunter Yoo Soo-Ha. First Korean to reach world rank 1."
"Who will claim the throne of rank 1 with Sword Saint gone? Foreign experts say 'Korean Yoo Soo-Ha is the most likely.'"
"The enigmatic hero breaks through floor 10. Who is this hero?"
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
I swung the knife again.
Swinging it, I killed the time when the Flame Emperor reached the pinnacle of the world.
"Who will claim the throne of rank 1 with Sword Saint gone? Foreign experts say 'Korean Yoo Soo-Ha is the most likely.'"
"The enigmatic hero breaks through floor 10. Who is this hero?"
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
I killed it.
"The enigmatic hero breaks through floor 10. Who is this hero?"
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
I killed it.
"Sword Saint missing for 22 days. Is this the worst turmoil for the Hunter industry?"
Finally,
[You have died.]
My old knife now gleamed as if new.
My hands had fewer wrinkles. My room had become smaller due to frequent moves. As I regressed to my younger days, life became poorer. Occasionally, when I went to the bathroom to take a break, I could see my much younger face in the mirror.
And then.
"Ah..."
They were gone.
Nothing was there on my wall.
The numerous newspaper articles and magazine interviews had vanished. There were no scraps of paper on the walls of my room.
Blankness.
I had erased the history named Flame Emperor.
"I did it."
I murmured unconsciously.
"I'm back..."
May 6th, 11 years ago.
One month before Flame Emperor - Yoo Soo-Ha's awakening.
I had regressed.
4.
'There's no need to hesitate.'
I was dressed in shabby clothes.
'No need to wait.'
A shabby hoodie and sweatpants. They were everything I owned in my early twenties. I put on everything I owned like a single layer of armor and went outside.
The thrill of being in the past... was absent.
'Yoo Soo-Ha.'
Until I killed him.
'I won't be complacent.'
4090 times.
That's how many times I died to return to today.
That was forty more deaths than I had initially calculated. Once I included the time spent killing myself thousands of times and the time spent resting, that was the total.
But that wasn't all.
I gathered everything about Yoo Soo-Ha, every bit of information.
I repeated today, May 6th, 10 times.
'11 AM.'
Yoo Soo-Ha almost always wakes up at 11 AM. On May 6th, he awoke at the same time, grimacing, perhaps because of the four beers he downed the night before.
'2 PM.'
Yoo Soo-Ha left the rental studio he lived in for hunting grounds. A place where F-rank Hunters often stayed. Taking advantage of the fact that they often died while hunting, the landlord set low rents but demanded high security deposits. Shrewd business.
'3 PM.'
Yoo Soo-Ha hunted slimes on the 2nd floor of the tower. But slimes alone didn't make for a good day's earnings. At 3:11 PM, Yoo Soo-Ha grumbled to himself,
"Ah, damn. When will I be rolling in dough like the Sword Saint?"
Four minutes later, at 3:15 PM, he muttered,
"Wow, hunting slimes is so boring."
A typical F-rank Hunter.
Living life waiting for a golden ticket.
That was 21-year-old Yoo Soo-Ha, not the 32-year-old Flame Emperor.
"If only I could win the lottery..."
Soon after, 21-year-old Yoo Soo-Ha would realize this wish.
Upon gaining the Returner's skill, Yoo Soo-Ha used it to win the lottery.
The Merchant Union, known as Sang-Ryun, issued lottery tickets weekly, the only guild in the tower to do so. And among the recorded winners was the young man who would later be known as the Flame Emperor.
Twice in a row, he hit the jackpot.
'That's three and four weeks from today.'
But…
The 21-year-old Yoo Soo-Ha I was looking at would not have that future.
'You die here today.'
May 6th, 5:31 PM.
Yoo Soo-Ha left the 2nd-floor hunting grounds, perhaps thinking he couldn't make it in life just hunting slimes. He moved to a more challenging area, less frequented by novice Hunters.
A place a little more remote and dangerous, where no one but Yoo Soo-Ha would pass by for the next thirty-six minutes.
'...He's here.'
I was waiting there.
'That's him.'
Yoo Soo-Ha, yawning and sauntering along. I recognized him instantly, even though it had been 11 years. Not because I was particularly perceptive. Simply because Yoo Soo-Ha looked much the same then as he would 11 years later.
'He must have gotten his hands on some elixir of immortality later and stuffed himself with it.'
Thanks.
For being such a greed-driven pig!
'Come on.'
My heart pounded wildly.
I swallowed my nerves and called out.
"Ex-excuse me, Hunter! Please save me..."
"What?"
Yoo Soo-Ha looked my way.
"I was attacked by wolves... Please, save me. Give me a potion..."
I was covered in blood. Not mine, but from monsters I'd hunted earlier. To anyone else, I looked like a novice Hunter, inches from death.
"Ah, damn. What's this?"
Yoo Soo-Ha probably saw me just like that.
"Did you already mess with the monsters here? Damn it. My hunt's ruined for today."
"Please... a potion..."
"Potion, my ass. It looks like I won't even make my day's wages now. Haa."
Yoo Soo-Ha took out a plastic bottle and shook it in front of me. Slosh. A blood-red liquid moved inside the bottle, which bore the Alchemy Castle guild's mark. It was a health potion sold by Alchemy Castle for twenty gold, or nineteen gold apiece when bought in a bundle of five.
"I'll give you... twenty gold... for it..."
"Wow. You're really greedy, aren't you?"
Yoo Soo-Ha crouched down to my eye level.
"Mister, don't you understand your situation? You're about to die. About to die. This potion is what will save you. And you want to buy your life for just twenty gold? Is your life only worth twenty gold?"
"Uh..."
"Think about it. If I leave right now, you're dead. If you don't want to die, you should be willing to pay the right price for your life."
"..."
Alright.
I knew it.
"I'll give you... forty gold..."
"Forget it. Just give me everything you have."
I knew he was this kind of guy.
"Ah, right. You want to give more, but you can't even move your hands, right? Don't worry. I'll collect it for you. I'm that generous."
Yoo Soo-Ha rummaged through my pockets. My shirt, inside my hoodie, and my pants. He finally found my leather wallet and smirked.
"Let's see. 1 gold, 2 gold, 3 gold... Hmm. About 60 gold? Why are you so poor? Carry more money on you."
"Uh, that's... all I have..."
"Don't worry. I'll spend it well."
Yoo Soo-Ha pocketed my wallet and patted my head.
Just as he had 4,050 days ago. No, as he would 4,050 days later, when he burned me alive.
"Life's like that, isn't it?"
He reached into his pocket, not for the promised recovery potion, but something else. Instead, he drew out a knife.
A sword.
Not a lifesaving tool, but a deadly weapon.
'Hah.'
I looked up at Yoo Soo-Ha. It wasn't out of anger, just disbelief. But perhaps interpreting my look differently, Yoo Soo-Ha shrugged.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I thought about giving you the potion, but what if you seek revenge later? Can't have that. Gotta live without future troubles. Since you've seen my face..."
Yoo Soo-Ha was smiling.
"You've gotta die."
The Hunter I had only seen from behind on TV. The one I admired as a hero for ten years, envying his success.
The true face of the hero was hideous.
Much more than I had imagined.
'Good.'
I quietly watched Yoo Soo-Ha grip the knife.
'I'll live without future troubles.'
He slowly raised the knife.
And then.
I kicked his groin with my right foot.
"Argh!?"
Staggering, Yoo Soo-Ha's posture faltered for a brief moment. But that was all I needed. I narrowly dodged the trajectory of his knife and,
"Huh?"
I stabbed his throat with my sword.
"..., ...!"
I wasn't like Yoo Soo-Ha. Facing my prey, my target for elimination, I didn't waste time with pointless chatter. Immediately after stabbing him in the neck, I twisted the sword, slicing under his jaw.
"Krh, huuh...!"
A fountain of blood erupted. My hands were quickly drenched. Yoo Soo-Ha forced out choked groans, then finally managed a proper scream as he collapsed to the ground.
"Aaaaaah!"
But it lasted only a moment. Blood soon bubbled up and choked his throat.
"Ugh, kgh... Urk...!"
Yoo Soo-Ha was dying with every passing second. He must have instinctively realized it himself. He stopped thrashing on the ground and arched his back. He clamped both hands over the wound in his throat, but the blood did not stop. It only streamed more thickly through the gaps between his fingers.
"Yeah."
I ground my foot down hard on Yoo Soo-Ha's throat.
"..."
His eyes widened. Why? How? Such questions and anger were visible in his gaze. A gaze that would soon fade. I had no obligation to answer.
"I'll think of it as a valuable experience."
I gripped my sword.
The sword I had used to kill myself 4,090 times.
And swung it.
To kill the monster.
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