SSS-Class Revival Hunter - Chapter 59

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 59: An Expedition Without Dreams or Hope (1)

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In the library's restroom.

"Okay."

After washing my face at the sink, I said,

"Before heading to the martial world... let's start by dying once."

Silence filled the space around me. There were no humans in the restroom besides myself. However, a ghost and a sword were present, and they reacted to my words.

-What's okay?

[Shiny cannot understand your intention.]

The Guardian Spirit blinked, and the holy sword flickered.

"Leafanta Aegim. The empire's first emperor, and the one who turned the Goddess of Protection into Shiny."

[Shiny points out that you are the one who named her Shiny…]

"I don't know what kind of man he is, but this means he can travel between worlds."

I put on my coat. It was a tailored suit gifted by the Black Witch before a press conference. In the mirror, I looked like a new employee ready for work.

This appearance oddly provided a sense of stability.

"Think about it. Shiny was in the world of the Aegim Empire, right? But another part is in the martial world. This means Leafanta Aegim has the ability to 'cross worlds.'"

-Hmm.

"He must be a munchkin of some sort."

I fingered the hilt of the holy sword at my waist.

"He was capable enough to establish an empire, strong enough to split and seal a Constellation, and even capable of interdimensional travel. Just diving into [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon] without a plan isn't wise."

I felt the need to be more cautious.

"I'm not invincible, after all."

Indeed.

Lately, I've been feeling a bit tense.

A sense of wariness toward myself, perhaps?

I was worried that if I let my guard down even slightly, my 'confidence' might become stained with 'arrogance.'

"Having climbed to the 3rd hunter rank, almost single-handedly defeating the Demon King, people in the city talking only about me, and now even commanding hunters with titles..."

-So what?

"I'm just worried I might become complacent. That's all."

The Tower has 100 floors.

I've only reached the 21st floor.

It's too early to relax with my recent successes.

'The Flame Emperor also became complacent and got hunted by me.'

He had the skill [Returner's Winding Clock], which kept him from staying dead. It was a broken skill that seemed to have no possible counter. But what ultimately happened to the Flame Emperor Yoo Soo-Ha, possessor of that broken ability?

'He died.'

And after dying, he even did a full Cossack dance in front of the continent's armies.

No matter how strong a hunter, complacency is dangerous. It was a great example.

-No. That's because you, Zombie, are kind of a demonic bastard....

"Anyway, I won't just jump into [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon] without a plan. I need to know what kind of person Leafanta Aegim is first. Right now, I have no information."

Better safe than sorry.

Why is a fragment of the holy sword in a completely different world of martial arts and not in Aegim continent? What was Leafanta Aegim's intention in scattering parts of [Goddess of Protection]?

I want to gather at least some basic information before entering the stage.

-Not a bad mindset, but exactly what are you planning to do? Like you said, you have no information about that Leafanta or whatever. There's no way to find out, either.

"Well, I might not know anything, but..."

I tapped the holy sword lightly.

"There's certainly a way to find out."

-What?

"This sword is the [Goddess of Protection], a Constellation, though divided into five pieces."

I grinned.

"Here's the question. If I stab myself with this sword, is it suicide or homicide by a Constellation?"

The Guardian Spirit's eyes widened.

-Huh? Wh-what?

"Could be either. It's a fifty-fifty chance, and I don't know which it is yet... but it's worth a try."

Shiiing!

I drew the holy sword from its sheath, and an urgent voice reached me.

[Shiny urgently requests you to reconsider.]

"Why?"

[Shiny is embarrassed for others to see her past and strongly requests privacy.]

I twisted my lips.

"Ah, come on, where's the privacy between us? I'm under 24-hour live surveillance anyway. It should be fair."

[Shiny pleads desperately not to...]

Shnk!

The holy sword pierced through my body.

In the next moment, I was confident I had won the fifty-fifty gamble.

[You have died.]

[The condition for your skill has been fulfilled by your death.]

[The skill of the Goddess of Protection is currently sealed and cannot be acquired.]

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn't copy the skill.

However, what I was seeking at the moment wasn't a skill.

[You are currently a D-Rank Hunter.]

[You are penalized by the skill.]

[Re-enacting the trauma of your killer.]

[The level of penalty is medium. Hungry Ghost Realm.]

Woosh!

The scene I had been hoping for unfolded before my eyes.

ㆍ

-You have finally completed your long journey.

A beautiful voice spoke.

-I knew you could do it, Hero.

She was a woman I had never seen before. Yet, somehow, I immediately understood who she was.

The [Goddess of Protection], not confined in a blade.

A Constellation with her full powers intact.

-Yes.

The man addressed as the hero responded.

A silver-haired nobleman. The first emperor of the Aegim Empire, Leafanta Aegim, sat on a plain throne. A trace of fatigue showed on the face propped against his hand.

‘So that's Leafanta Aegim.’

The man spoke.

-It feels like just yesterday when I was suddenly summoned here. Now, I've become an emperor who unified the continent. Life is unpredictable.

-Hehe. It feels strange to me too. At first, you were truly an ordinary person who knew nothing. Now you're stronger than I am. No, most divine spirits would not even be a match for you...

That's when it happened.

-Hey? What's this?

Watching the trauma scene with me, the Sword Emperor spoke out.

-I've seen that bastard somewhere before.
'What?'
-That silver-haired bastard. No matter how I look at him, that's the Constellation Killer.

The Sword Emperor said, sounding puzzled.

I was shocked to learn that the Sword Emperor and Leafanta Aegim knew each other.

‘What's the Constellation Killer?’

-It's his alias. He's a lunatic who goes around beating up Constellations.

Beating up Constellations?

-You've seen it. The Tower is connected to various worlds. From the 50th floor, you have to compete with hunters from other worlds.

‘Really?’

-Yes. And that [Constellation Killer] is one of those crazy regulars on the 50th floor.

The Guardian Spirit explained.

-He never climbs the Tower. Just hangs around on the 50th floor and, whenever a Constellation appears, he immediately knocks them down. At least hundreds of Constellations have died by his hands.

‘So, Leafanta Aegim is a hunter?’

-Yes. I wondered from which world such a madman could have emerged. So, he's from Aegim.

Guardian Spirit murmured.

-Who would have thought I'd see an old acquaintance here. Hmm.

‘What was your relationship with him?’

-What relationship? We had a proper fight. He was strong, but not strong enough to be on par with me.

As we talked, the trauma scene continued to unfold.

The Goddess of Protection spoke.

-What do you plan to do now, Hero? There are no more deities or evil spirits to block your path. Your long journey is now...

-Constellation.

-Yes?

-Not deities or evil spirits. Constellations.

Leafanta Aegim stood up from his throne.

-The world belongs not to Constellations but to humans.

Leafanta Aegim turned to the Goddess.

Dark red aura rose from the emperor's body.

-...Hero? Why are you suddenly using aura...?

The fatigued emperor seemed to ponder.

It wasn't long.

-I won't kill you since you've helped me till now.

The red aura engulfed the Goddess.

-Your existence will be split and sealed. This way, you'll never regain your power. And without Constellations...

His words were drowned out by a tearing scream.

The Goddess's existence was literally being torn apart.

-I'm sorry.

Leafanta Aegim spoke.

-But this is the right path.

With the Goddess's scream, the trauma abruptly faded from us.

[Trauma re-enactment complete.]

[The target’s ego has remained intact.]

[The penalty is ending.]

ㆍ

“What... Who is this guy?”

Returning to the day before, I found myself mumbling in the restroom.

“I thought peering into the past through trauma would give me some insight into him... but even after seeing, I still don't understand. Hey, Shiny. Why did your old master seal you?”

[Shiny gloomily responds that she also doesn't know.]

The scene of her traumatic past had provided more questions than answers. The mystery of Leafanta Aegim and his connection to the Constellation Killer only deepened.

The Holy Sword emitted a faint light.

Was it just my imagination?

The light from the Holy Sword seemed particularly weak.

[Shiny states that the Leafanta Aegim she remembers was a taciturn but just hero. She has no idea why he sealed her away and left the empire he established.]

The mystery only deepened.

-Didn't I tell you? The higher a hunter's level, the crazier they are?

Guardian Spirit shrugged.

-Don't try to understand madmen. Gaze into the abyss and you become the abyss yourself. Just get strong like me and beat the shit out of every bastard you dislike, whether he's the Constellation Killer or whatever else!

I sighed.

“True. At least knowing his face is a gain.”

And one thing became clear.

Leafanta Aegim, also known as [Constellation Killer], would be hostile towards me on sight.

After all, I was carrying around a fragment of the Goddess of Protection he had sealed.

“Hmm."

I narrowed my eyes while looking in the mirror.

“If I'm going to meet him on the 50th floor anyway, I want to prepare in advance…”

-Forget it. With your current skills, you don't stand a chance! He might be weaker than me, but he's still among the top fighters. And if you're already worried about the 50th floor, focus on conquering the 22nd first, weakling!

“Ahem.”

He wasn’t wrong, so I quietly spent the day the same as before.

The next day, after reading all the Apocalypses, the hunters chose their '22nd floor.' Since none other than the Sword Saint had recommended it, [The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon] was selected without difficulty.

“Oh? Choosing martial arts as the first genre, I see.”

The Head Librarian watched our choice and smiled meaningfully.

“Not a bad choice! Although it may not be exactly like the martial world you know, it still has martial arts and a world of martial artists. Depending on how you lead the story, you might encounter extraordinary opportunities and gain invaluable martial arts... or in your terms, ‘skills’.”

The hunters excitedly buzzed.

The atmosphere heated with enthusiasm, and the Head Librarian immediately doused the flames.

“However, all things follow the law of high risk and high return! The characters who appear as ‘enemies’ in this Apocalypse will be correspondingly powerful. Naturally, if you lose your life inside the Apocalypse, you will truly die. And of course, you cannot escape the Apocalypse until you properly complete its ‘ending’!”

The hunters fell silent.

Understandable. Unlike me with my unique skill, death was always a silencer with its formidable power.

“[The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon] allows two to four people. Now! Who wishes to become a character in this Apocalypse?”

The hunters’ gazes naturally fell on the top rankers, especially me. The reason was simple; for the past few days, I had been giving orders and instructions to the hunters as if I were their representative.

Power naturally comes with responsibility.

“I will do it.”

And I had no intention of shirking my duty.

My prompt response pleased the guild masters, who seemed to think ‘as expected,’ while most hunters looked at me in surprise.

“I will join as well.”

Sword Saint followed up.

“As the one who recommended this Apocalypse, I cannot very well sit it out.”

He spoke with a stern expression, but a slight smile played on his lips. His body seemed to itch with excitement. Perhaps, as a fan of martial arts, he was thrilled about entering a real martial world?

“Good, the minimum number of participants is met!”

The Head Librarian chuckled.

“There's room for two more characters… What will you do?”

“As it happens, I had one more reason for recommending this Apocalypse.”

Sword Saint confidently continued.

“Everyone, look at the reason for its discontinuation.”

[The Veritable Records of the Heavenly Demon]

Genre: Martial Arts, Fusion

Difficulty: B

Required Participants: 2~4

*The serialization has been discontinued.

Description: In the world of martial arts, where martial arts are revered and utilized to reach enlightenment! Here, a Heavenly Demon appeared, aiming to unify the martial world. The Demonic Cult, united under the Heavenly Demon, and the opposing forces clashed over the fate of the world... or so they would have.

Had it not been for a sudden super pandemic.

Reason for Discontinuation: An unidentified pandemic spread, leading to the death of the Heavenly Demon. The Demonic Cult was annihilated. All other forces perished. The end.

Revisiting the ridiculous reason for discontinuation, it still didn't reveal what the pandemic was.

The main text of the Apocalypse only said, [A mysterious illness suddenly spread, killing the Heavenly Demon, and soon everyone else died].

‘We'll only know once we enter that world.’

It was clear that the martial world was doomed due to an unknown pandemic.

Sword Saint nodded.

“As you can see, this world was destroyed by a pandemic. Naturally, we need to take not only strong hunters but also those knowledgeable about diseases. And there’s one person here who knows best about diseases.”

Sword Saint beckoned someone from the same martial arts group.

“Medicine King, will you join us?”

A cranky-looking old man stepped forward.

The Sword Emperor seemed to recognize him.

-Oh! That guy!

'Why? Who is he?'

-You know, that place. The one I first tried to take you, zombie. The owner of the pharmacy that Marcus frequents.

Ah, indeed.

-He’s good at making medicine... But, well, he’s good at it, but...

The Sword Emperor trailed off, but I knew the reason just as well.

“Don’t worry. I'll handle most of the fighting, and if I'm not enough, the King of Death will help. And this [Medicine King] will solve the disease problem. With just the three of us… King of Death, do you have something to say?”

Sword Saint, who was confidently speaking, looked at me curiously as I raised my hand.

“Yes. There's someone I'd like to bring along.”

I lowered my hand and pointed to a hunter.

The hunter, caught off guard, was startled.

“Uh, me?”

It was the Apothecary.

I nodded.

“Yes. Right.”

The Apothecary trembled as if struck by lightning.

“Ki-King of Death… I've only had the alias for less than a week. I’m, I’m so weak! I won't be of any use if you take me. Why…”

“I know you’re the most capable pharmacist and doctor among the people I know.”

“Ye-yes…?”