WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 60: An Expedition Without Dreams or Hope (2)

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2.

The hunters murmured among themselves.

"Wait, does that mean all four are here?"

"But who is that woman?"

"That's what I'm saying. I understand about Medicine King, but..."

Sword Saint looked perplexed.

"The lady from last time."

"Gasp...!"

The Apothecary hid behind me.

During the time Sword Saint mistook me for a murderous fiend, she had stood with the Paladin to confront Sword Saint. His aura was so menacing back then that just seeing him now seemed to revive those memories for her.

Sword Saint himself seemed to recall that time, clearing his throat.

"Hmm-hmm. No need to be so frightened. I've resolved my grudge with the King of Death."

"Is that so...?"

"Yes. Well... But, you see."

Sword Saint looked at me awkwardly.

"King of Death. The place we're about to enter is extremely dangerous. Didn't the Constellation say so? If you die inside an Apocalypse, you die in reality as well. Is it truly all right to take that young lady somewhere so dangerous?"

"Yes."

I nodded confidently.

"She's the best apothecary I know."

And probably the best currently alive.

-Ugh...

Even the Sword Emperor had acknowledged her.

Using the same ingredients, she had produced fifteen times the quantity I would have received from the shop he originally meant to introduce, the shop belonging to that man called the Medicine King, and her product had been even more potent.

- That guy knows how to make medicine, but... he's not the best. Not anymore. Not with her around...

'Yes.'

However, Sword Saint's expression was subtly complex.

"The best Alchemist you know..."

I opened the Character Window to read Sword Saint's thoughts.

'Hmm. Since an extraordinary young man recommends her, she must have something extraordinary about her. Still, the world is a vast place... I see, Sword Emperor. You have made a sound point for the first time in ages. Even a king crucian carp from a stream learns upon reaching a river that it cannot compare to the smallest carp there. Yes, I should use this opportunity to help those two young people become acquainted with the Medicine King.'

Wow.

Despite our past interactions and Sword Saint's promises made in front of me, he held back from speaking outright. Though I could tell there was goodwill behind his attitude, his old-fashioned tendencies were unmistakably present.

The other Sword Emperor with Sword Saint, just like our Sword Emperor here, seemed to be underestimating the Apothecary based on her appearance.

There was even someone here who flaunted his pompous old-fogy tendencies openly and without a shred of goodwill.

"Ha! The best you know!"

It was Medicine King.

"This is the trouble with brats! Good grief. They step over one little rock and puff out their chests as if they had crossed a mountain. It's so much like looking at my younger self that I hate it. I truly do. Tsk, tsk."

"Medicine King, try to understand. The King of Death is an exceptional man. He merely lacks a little life experience...."
"Exactly, experience! Isn't experience the most important thing of all? Yet he knows nothing of it and acts as if he understands the entire world. Good grief, I'm embarrassed on his behalf. He's exactly like I was in my twenties, when I made about a billion dollars in Silicon Valley. The same thoroughly rotten attitude! And he alone doesn't realize it."
"Try to calm that temper of yours...."

"Good grief, I have been keeping my temper in check this entire time. I tolerated every order that brat barked because of you, Marcus. And now what? He says he's taking along some scrawny slip of a girl who crawled in from who knows where. Just like a young Silicon Valley billionaire parading around a trophy on his arm."

"Medicine King, he's not that kind of young man..."

"What do you mean he's not! You, old man! Look me in the eye and tell me! Is he really not!?"

Incredible...

What's incredible is that someone exists who can make even the great Sword Saint squirm. It seems in the world of the old-fashioned, a greater one devours the lesser.

I was astounded by this newly discovered ecosystem.

Perhaps that's why it wasn't me who retorted to the greatest of the old-fashioned.

"It's okay to call me a brat, but..."

The Apothecary squeaked out, clutching my coat.

"King of Death is definitely not a brat! He's an amazing person! To say he has a rotten attitude..."

"Ha, look at that, Marcus. She's carrying on as if she were defending her own husband. This is the trouble with young people. Bah. Then again, when I was young, I thought all that was what youth meant too...."

"As if I were defending my husband...?"

The Apothecary's mouth opened and closed. What she had heard was apparently too absurd for her brain to process.

The Paladin stepped forward to defend the Apothecary.

"Enough. This 'Apothecary' is indeed outstanding. I came to know her through the King of Death, and she has provided the Vigilante Corps with countless effective medicines."

Medicine King snorted dismissively.

"That might be true for the standards of the Vigilante Corps."

"What did you say?"

"Plain truth. With your funding, you couldn't even afford to visit my store. You don't know the sky, so you think the ceiling is high. Not realizing that ceiling is just the lid of a box. It's exactly the same as when I was young, tsk..."

The Paladin bit her lip.

Though called one of the Five Great Guilds, the Vigilante Corps always struggled financially. The Medicine King had cruelly hit a sore spot.

The Medicine King waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah, why bother talking? Let's just stop. It's tiring for you and for me."

Hmm.

He's not wrong.

'Sword Emperor.'

-Yes?

'Isn't it enough listening to this nonsense?'

-It's more than enough. Why are you subjecting yourself to this?

I glanced around the library.

'It's not self-inflicted.'

As I've said before, this whole scene is being broadcast live to the hunters gathered in Babylon Square.

In other words, for both a [debut] and a [retirement], this moment is the perfect timing.

I spoke to the Medicine King.

"How about a challenge?"

If the Sword Saint's look was awkward, Medicine King's was immediately inflamed.

"Ha! See that, Marcus. He can't win with logic, so he goes straight for the sword. Just like his rotten mindset! Reminds me of when I became a boxing world champion in my 40s."

"No, I don't mean a fight with me."

I took out some medicinal ingredients.

"I'll provide the ingredients. Both of you make a medicine each. Then we can compare their effects and see who's really the best, right?"

"Eek...!!"

The Apothecary jumped in shock.

"Ki-King of Death! It makes me furious that that old geezer... that gentleman insulted you, but... he's someone known as the Medicine King, you know? He's famous enough that all the hunters recognize him... Compared with him, I only received my alias less than a week ago, kyaah!"

The Apothecary shivered.

I held her shoulders firmly.

"Apothecary."

"Yes, yes!"

Our eyes met, separated only by her glasses, as I spoke.

"I believe in you."

"…King of Death."

"So, believe in yourself too."

"......"

The Apothecary took a deep breath. Behind her glasses, her eyes regained their sparkle.

Firmly gripping her fists, she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, King of Death! I'll do my best! No,"

She immediately shook her head, correcting herself.

"I will win!"

The Medicine King looked at us with a disdainful expression.

"Huh."

He shook his head in disapproval.

"Always like that, aren't they? Have to taste whether it's ketchup or blood to be satisfied. Just like when I was about three years old. Tsk, tsk…"

"You're awfully long-winded. Getting scared?"

"All right, brat. Prepare yourself properly to watch that girl cry her eyes out. I have never known how to go easy on the young."

Medicine King vs. Apothecary.

A legendary contest began.

3.

At the start of the contest, the hunters' reactions were cynical.

"Obviously, the Medicine King will win."

"That old man's medicine is so expensive, and it's booked for nearly a month."

"What's their relationship, really? It seems the King of Death is overreaching."

"King of Death and Medicine King. They may both be kings, but their years of experience are worlds apart."

Typical responses.

"Place your bets here! Who thinks Medicine King will win? Who's betting on Apothecary?"

Meanwhile, the Countess, not missing a chance to make money, had set up a betting pool. Bookmark Maids stood quietly, holding the collection boxes.

"King of Death, are you sure? The odds are 1.08 to 47 right now."

The Witch whispered to me.

"Sounds good. Think of it as pocket money. Bet just enough on Apothecary so the odds don't drop too much, maybe?"

"...You're the one who said this was all being broadcast live."

The Witch looked seriously at me.

"What if the Apothecary you recommended gets utterly defeated? If that happens…"

"It'll all be broadcast in Babylon, and to the world. Right now, the internet must already be buzzing."

What would the old me have commented?

Would I have wished to be like Medicine King or something?

Lost in such idle thoughts, the Witch pressed her forehead.

"King of Death, if that happens, it'll damage your reputation. …Are you really okay with this?"

"I do feel a bit sorry for that old man, Medicine King."

Not really. Not sorry at all.

If he's made bold statements, he should be prepared to face the consequences, right?

Was that not the true spirit of respecting the proper order between elders and juniors?

The Witch looked at me and the Apothecary alternately, her expression indecipherable. Just as I was about to open her psychological window, it happened.

"It's done, kiddo!"

Medicine King.

He triumphantly raised the medicine he had created.

"Bow before my magnificent creation!"

+

[Epic Recovery Potion]

Rarity: Epic

Creator: Medicine King

Description: It tastes a little bitter, but drinking it can heal even most mortal wounds. Of course, since it is a recovery potion, you should account for the aftereffects of healing, drink it somewhere safe, and get plenty of rest. In any event, creating a potion of this caliber is truly a remarkable feat!

+

Cheers of "Wow" filled the library.

"An Epic Recovery Potion!"

"Incredible. He actually made an Epic Recovery Potion. Truly, Medicine King. The king never dies."

"Medicine King! Would you consider selling that to me?"

"Don't cut in line! Medicine King! I have the highest reservation! I'll buy it!"

The Medicine King raised his chin, looking back and forth between me and the Apothecary. His face seemed to say, 'Now you both have provoked the tiger, and you will face utter humiliation for it.'

That's when it happened.

"Uh… I'm done too..."

The Apothecary lifted her own creation.

+

[Soma Strawberry]

Rarity: Quasi-Mythic

Creator: Apothecary

Description: No, it tastes like strawberries! There isn't a single strawberry in it, so why does it taste like strawberries!? And what is this effect!? As long as the severed body part is kept in good condition, this could graft it back on without any aftereffects! What in the world have you made!?

+

Silence enveloped the library.

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