SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 57

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 57: Bibliomania (2)

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The hunters gathered around in the library.

"......"
"Um..."

Hunters sat in a wide circle, and in the middle of them were hundreds of [Apocalypses] piled up. Now, they had to choose one, but no one dared to approach the pile hastily.

It was understandable. Just moments ago, their comrades were devoured by books, fifty of them. Everyone was either fearful or gloomy.

In such a situation, who would dare to laugh cheerily unless they were a lunatic of sorts?

"Ahaha!"

Surprisingly, such a lunatic existed.

"Fifty people eliminated right at the start. That's quite a blow."

The blond boy was universally recognized as one of the foremost lunatics in our world. The Heretic Inquisitor stroked his chin.

"But, sacrifices are part of advancement. We must not forget their sacrifices and strive harder in our conquest!"

"Let's lift our spirits! It’s fortunate that only 50 were lost instead of a potential 100. Instead of mourning what’s lost, we should be happy for what’s preserved!"

As the Heretic Inquisitor spoke more, the atmosphere grew heavier.

Bookmark Maids were still serving around us. They brought hot coffee and tea, yet of the 250 hunters, only the Heretic Inquisitor accepted it with a cheerful "Ah! Thank you!"

"Hmm?"

Sipping tea, the Inquisitor looked puzzled.

"Aren't you drinking, everyone? It's quite delicious, you know?"

"Firstly..."

I interrupted the Inquisitor.
It was never a good idea to let a psychopath talk for too long.

"Heretic Inquisitor. Please keep your mouth shut for a while."

"Why is that?"

"The more you talk, the more our morale drops. If our morale falls any further here, it'll be a disaster, so please, just shut up until I say otherwise."

"Ah, that would indeed be a disaster."

The Inquisitor laughed heartily.

"Understood, King of Death! I’ll gladly shut up!"

Hunters looked at us incredulously.

Don’t look at me like that. I just figured out how to handle this lunatic.

"Now."

I raised my voice to change the mood.

"Everyone, you must have realized by now. We can't rashly challenge that Constellation. For now, we have no choice but to follow the quest the librarian gave us."

The hunters’ gazes slowly shifted to me.

I swallowed the instinctive feeling of pressure.

'I am now ranked third.'

In this place, I'm the third most influential hunter!
I had to become as accustomed to people's attention as I was to breathing.

I maintained a stoic expression and spoke.

"But just because we follow the quest doesn’t mean we’re at a disadvantage. Everyone, take a look at the quest window."

Following my cue, the hunters looked into the air.

The same hologram I saw must be appearing before their eyes.

[Remake The World, Volume 1]

Difficulty: Undecided

Objective: There are countless worlds, and countless destructions. The 'Holed-Up Head Librarian' refers to this as 'serialization cancellation.' They wish for the worlds that have faced unjust cancellation to resume their stories.

First, choose one of the canceled apocalypses!

If you succeed in saving the world, it will be registered as your 22nd floor.

*However, if you fail, the 22nd floor will not open.

"Have you all read it?"

The hunters nodded. Some even verbally affirmed. Maybe it was the effect of silencing the Heretic Inquisitor, but it seemed there would be no challenge to my authority for the time being.

"The most important part is the last sentence. [If you succeed in saving the world, it will be registered as your 22nd floor]. Do you understand what this means?"

The hunters looked confused.

They didn't realize the immense reward it represented.

I explained.

"Depending on which world we save, the rewards can vary greatly. Imagine if we save a world laden with diamonds! Then that world becomes our 22nd floor."

"........!"

The hunters’ faces began to change.

"Diamonds are just an example. We, who live in the tower, have no need for such coal chunks. But what if it’s a world rich in food, water, and various ores?"

"Self-sufficiency..."

The Witch murmured.

"We can truly become self-sufficient."

"Exactly."

I stood up and walked towards the pile of books, the Apocalypses the librarian had left for us to choose from.

"Wait, King of Death!"

Viper called out from behind.

"If you touch them recklessly, more tentacle monsters might..."

I picked up a random Apocalypse. Gasps! Hunters screamed and closed their eyes, fearing another outbreak of tentacle monsters. Some even ran away.

But nothing happened for one second, two seconds, three seconds.

The Apocalypse lay quietly in my hand, just like an ordinary book.

"Eh?"

Viper cautiously opened one eye.

"Nothing happened...?"

"Hehe."

The librarian, floating in the air, laughed.

"That's right! Unless I exert my power, Apocalypses are just ordinary books. Of course, there are forbidden books that become dangerous by mere touch. But those are sealed deep away, so don't worry."

"Hmm."

I nodded and opened the book I held. Another hologram popped up, this time with information about the book.

[Tales of the Sormewin Academy]

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Difficulty: D

Required Participants: 2-5

*The serialization has been discontinued.

Description: Sormewin is a time-honored magic academy. It is an ordinary academy where friendship and rivalry, love and jealousy, come and go. This Apocalypse could have remained an ordinary academy story if only a world-ending artifact had not been sealed beneath the academy!

Reason for Discontinuation: The Villainess Lady loses her fiancé (the Crown Prince) to a second-time reincarnated female student. In a fit of rage, she unleashes the sealed artifact, freeing the Great Demon and causing world annihilation.

The reason for discontinuation, in short, the cause of world annihilation, was rather pitiable.

Better than worlds destroyed by meteorites or tsunamis.

'Pitiful. A world destroyed over petty romantic squabbles of kids...'

No wonder the librarian was angry.

Imagine this.

******

"Ah."

As though a blue gem had cracked, understanding began to seep into the Crown Prince's icy eyes.

The long misunderstanding that had kept them apart finally melted away only now, after a second life.

"My other half was here all along. Lady Silvia, you are my other half."

The prince, murmuring as if sighing, knelt on one knee. Silvia held her breath in silence and sobbed in her heart.

Without realizing it, they both knew they would never forget this moment for as long as they lived.

At that moment.

Bang! The Crown Prince burst open.

"What?"

In the next instant, Silvia also burst open.

The chaotic screams echoed in the fading consciousness of Silvia.

"Aaaah!"

"The demon! A demon has appeared!"

"Bad luck."

The world.

It was the moment of its demise.

******

Imagine a gripping romance novel abruptly ending like this. Any reader would be infuriated.

And if it's a real world, even more so.

'Anyway.'

That’s not what’s important right now.

"Everyone! Come over and take a look at these books."

I shouted to the hunters.

"The difficulty and content of each book vary. We need to select books that we can clear and those that will benefit us the most!"

A few hunters stood up.

But still, the majority just stared at each other blankly.

-Idiot. They're acting like that because you keep speaking politely to them. Don't you know yet that these hunter bastards never listen?

The Sword Emperor commented.

-You're responsible for 250 hunters now. Two hundred and fifty. With those bastards, you'll be lucky if they listen at all unless you bark orders at them.
'Really?'
-Every time you level up, you hear [Your existence has become more distinct], right? Know what that means? It means [Your pride has grown stronger]. The higher a hunter's level, the fucking stronger their pride gets. They don't listen.

Indeed.

I let out a roar filled with aura.

"Read the Apocalypses! There are hundreds of them, how the hell can I read them all alone! Come and read!"

Startled.

Finally, the hesitant hunters got up.

"Listen up!"

I continued commanding.

"Divide into groups. Those who’ve read novels or history, go to the left! If you’re clueless about either, go to the right! Hurry! Quick!"

The hunters’ steps quickened.

Rumble!

They divided into two groups.

"Readers, divide by your favorite genre! Romance lovers, go to the romance group! Fantasy fans, to the fantasy group! Mystery enthusiasts, form a separate group for mystery! Hurry!"

Finally, the library atmosphere became busier.

Under my command, hunters began scurrying around.

"Now, we'll all read!"

I tapped the Apocalypse in my hand.

"We'll distribute hundreds of books by genre. Romance group, read romance books. Other groups, read according to your genre! Read and determine whether it’s a hit or a flop."

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The Heretic Inquisitor waved his arms, still following my order to keep quiet.

"Go ahead, speak."

"King of Death! I don't understand what a flop is! Can you explain the criteria? Is a story a hit if it's good and a flop if it's bad?"

"No, not at all."

I opened an Apocalypse to show him.

"Take this, for example. This is a flop."

[Surviving in a Volcano!]

Genre: Survival, Romance

Difficulty: D

Required Participants: 2

*The serialization has been discontinued.

Description: This world was devastated by a nuclear war. However, the tenacity of human life is remarkable! Even on the post-war surface, the protagonist and their lover survived. The protagonist couple, overcoming all adversities, vowed to become the new Adam and Eve.

Reason for Discontinuation: On their last day of camping, the protagonist couple unfortunately chose a volcanic area. A volcano erupted in the middle of the night. Rocks hurled from the volcano killed both the protagonist and their lover. Humanity perished.

I spoke with a sense of tragedy.

"This isn't just an ordinary flop. It's a total piece of shit."

"Why?" the Heretic Inquisitor tilted his head.

"New Adam and Eve. Isn't that romantic and nice!"

"This world is useless to save. It's already a world after a nuclear war."

I sighed and closed the book.

"What's the use of getting a world contaminated with radiation as our 22nd floor? Do we want to die collectively from radiation?"

"Aha."

For reference…

In the past, the Flame Emperor cleared the Great Library in an astonishing way.

From the 22nd to the 29th floor, he exclusively chose worlds covered with [lava] or [volcanoes].

'Crazy.'

The Flame Emperor was immune to fire. In such dystopian worlds with flowing lava and erupting volcanoes, he could stroll leisurely.

He chose Apocalypses based solely on [how easily they could be conquered].

He didn't consider, not even a bit, what benefits rescuing each Apocalypse would bring us.

'An opportunity to acquire eight treasure troves!'

Such self-absorbed individuals are no help.

It's a loss for others living in the tower.

'This time, I'll pick Apocalypses that can maximize our gains.'

Apocalypses teeming with monsters that could help the hunters gain combat experience, Apocalypses full of rare minerals, Apocalypses set amid ruins packed with treasures, or Apocalypses where glazed fried chicken and sweet-and-sour pork ran through the forests and fried shrimp danced in the sea.

No, let's cancel that last one. It'd be quite scary if it actually existed.

Anyway!

"Remember! It's not important whether the story is garbage or not!"

I shouted while distributing books to the hunters.

"Don't worry if the protagonist is infuriating or the plot makes no sense. Just read! Read from start to finish and calculate whether saving this world would benefit us all...."

I stopped short.

I stopped handing out the books.

One hunter caught my eye.

"...Excuse me, Black Dragon Master?"

"Yes. What is it?"

It was the Witch.

I slowly began to speak.

"This is the [Mystery] group."

A gathering of those who regularly read detective novels.

Somehow, the Witch was sitting there confidently.

Didn't her character window earlier show her as a fan of romance?

"I know."

The witch nodded as if it were obvious.

"You think I don’t know where I'm sitting?"

"Um... Black Dragon Master. Do you like mystery novels?"

"Of course."

Sipping her black coffee demurely, she replied,

"I'm an intellectual woman."

"........"

Insane.

Why is this guild master suddenly pretending to be ordinary? She loves dramas and romances, clearly a fan of melodramatic romance.

'Maybe.'

I had a realization.

'She doesn't want others to know she's into romance?'

Indeed, the [Romance] group had unusually few hunters. Not a single man was present. Strangely, the [Martial Arts] group was swarming with men.

I would bet that not even a handful of them actually read martial arts novels.

'Wow.'

My mind went blank.

'Are these people still pretending in this situation!?'

-Didn't I tell you?

The Sword Emperor muttered dully.

-High-level hunters live by their pride. They've even received titles. They'd rather die than lose face. Didn't you see? Earlier, 50 of them attempted a suicide attack. They're all insane.

Going insane.

"No, Black Dragon Master... even so..."

"What's the matter?"

She inquired calmly, her face impenetrable like a fortress.

Desperately searching for something to say, I cautiously continued,

"No... I always thought you, Black Dragon Master, were a very romantic person. Seeing you in the mystery group rather than the romance group surprised me..."

Her fingers around the coffee cup paused.

"Hmm. Is that so?"

Her voice remained unchanged.

"Do I look like someone who suits romance?"

"Yes. Actually, it feels odd seeing you elsewhere. Like wearing clothes that don’t fit...."

"Ha."

Setting down her coffee cup, the witch stood up.

"If the King of Death says so, I can't argue. I've never read a romance novel, but let's see. A new genre to get acquainted with. It's the right attitude for a hunter to always embrace new challenges."

"That's a wise decision...."

"Okay. Got it."

The Witch walked towards the romance group, like a cowboy walking off into the sunset in a Western film.

I watched her leave with complex feelings.

"Amazing, King of Death!"

The Heretic Inquisitor looked at me with bright eyes. He too was sitting in the mystery group.

"Once the Black Dragon Master sits down somewhere, she hardly ever gets up. Aha. What an extraordinary rookie has appeared!"

"...Temple Lord. Do you read detective novels?"

The Inquisitor smiled like an angel.

"I know Sherlock Holmes!"

"........"
"Ah. I also know Doctor Watson."

I quietly recited a command in my mind.

'Character Window.'

The text appeared before my eyes.

Name: Heretic Inquisitor

Favorability: 50

Preferred Genres: [Fairy Tales] [Mythology] [Legends]

Disliked Genres: None

Preferred Characters: [Humans]

Disliked Characters: None

Preferred Plots: [Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number of People]

Disliked Plots: None

Psychological State: 'I know Sherlock Holmes! Ah. And Doctor Watson too.'

Insane.

Chills ran down my spine.

'He's exactly as he appears?'

Moreover, he had no dislikes or hates.

'Is he even human!?'

A shocking and terrifying realization.

A pure, natural-born crazy psycho.

"Hmm? What's wrong, King of Death?"

The crazy psycho tilted his head.

I pondered briefly on how to handle him.

Then, pulling out a sign pen, I wrote on the Inquisitor's hand.

[Fairy Tales].

With a stern face, I spoke.

"Inquisitor."

"Yes!"

"From now on, you are part of the Fairy Tales group."

"Fairy Tales!"

"Yes. In this group, it's just you. You alone will have to verify and review all the books that come into this group."

"Oh! That's a heavy responsibility!"

The crazy psycho's eyes sparkled.

I nodded.

"Yes, it is. So please take care of it."

"Ahaha. Don't worry! King of Death. I'll thoroughly review them!"

Right.

Even though there wasn't a single Fairy Tale among the hundreds of Apocalypses.

I scanned again to ensure no hunters were pretending to be ordinary. The result was astounding. Over 100 out of 250 hunters were disguising their true reading preferences.

'These crazy people...'

It took three hours just to divide the groups.

I managed to relocate 112 pretenders to their rightful places.

But even I...

Upon reaching the last person, I couldn't help but fall silent.

Name: Viper

Favorability: 32

Preferred Genres: [Isekai], [Overpowered MC], [Rampage], [Harem]...

Disliked Genres: [Political], [Crime]

Preferred Characters: [Older Sisters], [Younger Sisters], [Married Women], [Innocent], [Sassy], [Cross-Dressing Boys]...

Disliked Characters: [Mafia], [Thugs], [Blond Tanned Delinquents]

Preferred Plots: [Summoned to another world, turns out I'm a pure cheat character with the blood of the strongest dragon and the demon empress, so I'll show what real overpowering is, any problem?], [Seems like my sister became the creator god for me, but as a normal high school student who just wants a peaceful life, this is troubling], [Cheat], [Unrivaled], [Harem], [Oh well, looks like I have to step up]

Disliked Plots: [NTR]

Mental State: 'What the fuck is the Nine Schools and One Gang? What the hell is wrong with martial arts novels? Every line I read is full of Beggars' Sect members, escort warriors, and sweaty men. Shit. Isn't this far too inconsiderate of the readers?'

This individual wore an eye patch over one eye.

This individual was known as the Master of the Celestial Martial Clan.

This individual... was the Emperor of Light Novels.

"Huh?"

Viper turned to look at me.

"What? I'm busy reading."

And Viper was sitting in the [Martial Arts] group.

"No..."

I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"Sorry for disturbing your reading. Please continue...."

"Alright."

I turned and walked away weakly.