WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 75: Song of Light and Shadow (1)
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"The Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven originally consists of nine sword techniques," the Heavenly Demon commented after watching my duel.
"The Sword of Starving Death you demonstrated is the first form. You must be aware of that."
"Yes."
"After the Sword of Starving Death comes the Sword of Parched Death."
Sword of Parched Death.
"Death by thirst."
"Indeed. Child from beyond the frontier, you gave a fairly decent demonstration of the Sword of Starving Death. If you devote yourself to training, you may become a fine demonic martial artist..."
"Just a moment.”
Snap. I raised my hand.
"Please wait."
Sorry, but I couldn't bear it without raising my hand. The person sitting cross-legged before me seemed to be glossing over something important, but that wall, in my view, was quite high.
“…What is it?”
"What did you just say? 'Quite decently'?"
The Heavenly Demon's lips pressed tightly together.
“Strange, I thought I did quite well. To the Heavenly Demon, it was just decent…. Oh! Sorry. Suddenly, my pride vanished and my confidence started to wane. You know, when your spirit just gets crushed.”
“This brat….”
The corner of the Heavenly Demon's mouth twitched.
“…Alright, I admit it. You displayed the Sword of Starving Death skillfully. Just don't go around boasting that you've mastered the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven.”
“What? What did you say? 'Skillfully'?”
“Are you trying to mock me with wordplay!”
The Heavenly Demon exclaimed.
“Would you only be satisfied if I bowed my head and performed the Nine Bows before you? What a child, with no sense of moderation whatsoever! You be the master, then! I shall be the disciple.”
Okay. I've got a bite.
I acted nonchalantly, like a fisherman.
“So, you're saying that I've been acknowledged as your disciple, right? That's right, isn't it? Not an outer sect disciple, but a true, direct, personal disciple."
The Heavenly Demon couldn't immediately respond.
One second. Two seconds.
After a slight pause, she finally opened her mouth.
“Refrain from digression. Child, I will now impart my teachings, so be attentive."
Hmm.
‘As I thought.’
Just now, the Heavenly Demon had forcibly ignored what I said. Force comes from stubbornness, and stubbornness comes from sincerity. I could tell exactly what her true feelings were hesitating over.
‘She won't outright say she'll take me as a disciple.’
The bond between master and disciple.
She had internally marked me as her disciple. However, she adamantly, absolutely refused to say aloud, "I accept you as my disciple."
I often failed to notice due to the bickering with the Sword Emperor.
For martial artists, especially the Heavenly Demon, the bond between master and disciple is that significant.
‘A heavy bond… can sometimes turn into a terrifying one.’
Therefore, the lady of the Demonic Cult refrains from declaring a master-disciple relationship.
She hesitates.
To take in a character like me, whom she had just met and who isn't even from the central martial realm. To allow such a child into her heart.
To hold a bit more hope in her life.
The Heavenly Demon, So BaekHyang, was wavering.
“Listen well. If you can execute the Sword of Starving Death to such a degree, at least you deserve to stealthily overhear and steal the teachings of our sect. But……"
Despite her outward appearance of utter calmness.
‘Character Window.’
The inner feelings revealed to me were entirely different.
+
Name: So BaekHyang
Favorability: 51
Preferred Genres: [Martial Arts]
Disliked Genres: [Classics], [Mythology], [History], [Fairy Tales]
Preferred Characters: [Commoners], [Rivals]
Disliked Characters: [Oppressors], [Deceivers], [Idlers]
Preferred Plots: [Full-strength Battles]
Disliked Plots: [Escape], [Oblivion], [Meaningless Death]
Psychological State: ‘A disciple. Is it time for me to make a decision...? No, no. What a wretched thought! I should be satisfied with facing Namgung Woon. To take a disciple now, when my life has already reached its twilight, would be excessive greed! The ugly greed of old age.’
+
Yes.
I smiled inwardly.
‘Please contemplate.’
The Heavenly Demon's dilemma.
It was a green light for me.
‘Please waver more deeply.’
After all, I was the one who presented her with this crossroads.
Should she continue the Great Orthodox-Demonic War against the Head of the Martial Alliance with no hope of success? Or should she take a single disciple and ensure that the Demonic Cult's teachings continued into the next generation?
Which exit truly leads away from a [Meaningless Death]?
‘Don't let go of life just yet.’
Words are light.
Futile. Light words can take responsibility only for light people. No, that is little different from taking no responsibility at all.
How hollow it is to say, "Live."
'Even if the world falls to ruin and you're the only one left in the martial world, I still wish for you to live. It'd be good if you were alive.'
Does piling up words lend any weight to them?
'I hope to be a reason for you to continue living a little longer.'
Empty and vain words.
I didn't utter these thoughts aloud.
The Heavenly Demon didn't declare a master-disciple relationship for the same reason as me.
The lightness of words must be counterbalanced by the weight of actions. Only then can they be grounded.
Neither the Heavenly Demon nor I had yet put in enough effort to carry the weight of the words we wanted to speak.
"The time for a decision has not yet come," the Heavenly Demon thought to herself.
'I haven't yet managed to draw out that decision,' I thought to myself.
"......."
"......."
The Heavenly Demon and I faced each other.
“You, the child from another world. You don’t seem to be paying attention. Are you listening well to what I am saying?”
“Yes."
Watching carefully.
“Of course, I’m concentrating. What are you talking about?”
“You are not joking. You mean it.”
“Of course. I swear to it, whether it’s to the Jade Emperor or to the King of the Underworld.”
Our eyes met, interlocking yet diverging. Eyes, unlike hands, meet and miss at the same time. That's why eyes are somewhat like human hearts.
After several missed connections, the Heavenly Demon spoke.
“Good. Seeing your overflowing confidence, you seem ready for the next test.”
The Heavenly Demon brushed off the snow and stood.
She left abruptly.
“Do not follow. I am in a hurry.”
With that, she left. Walking on the snowfield, she left no footprints, only her slender shadow gliding over the ice. She showed me the meaning of Printless Snow Walk, a term I heard on my first day in this world.
Then, suddenly.
-I want to fight.
The Guardian Spirit spoke up.
-I want to duel, even if it’s just for one round. Seriously.
I involuntarily turned to look at him.
‘What?’
-I said I want a real fight, a duel.
And then, for the first time, I witnessed the Sword Emperor with such an expression.
-Dammit. Damn it all, damn!
The Sword Emperor was genuinely aggrieved.
-You know, zombie! In the martial world where I was born, the Demonic Cult was ridiculously weak! The only pleasure was to trounce those demonic lackeys! There was a guy pretending to be the Heavenly Demon, but ever since I planted his butt into the ground, he changed his title to Earth Demon! Damn it! Among all the so-called martial heroes I roamed around with, I must have changed the surname of hundreds. Ah, seriously!!
It was different.
It wasn't the same expression he had when he lost a bet to me.
Even though he was upset and struggling back then... The expression on the Guardian Spirit's face now,
-I'm so envious of the Martial Alliance Leader born in this world!
Was much more intense.
-If it were me, huh? I'd settle it in a proper duel to the death! We'd find out whether the death waiting there was yours or mine and cut the answer cleanly in two! Then we'd climb any snowy peak we pleased, drink a bowl of cloudy rice wine, and chew on a piece of sweet-and-sour carp. Ah! That's the true pleasure of looking down over the martial world!
Competitive drive. Love of a good fight. Fighting spirit.
His face was as vivid as raw meat.
-If only I weren't a ghost! Really!
"......."
I quietly closed my mouth.
Without realizing it, I had fallen into deep thought, supporting my chin with my hand as my head bowed. My mind was so filled with thoughts that I needed to support my head with my hand.
-Huh? Zombie, why are you making a zombie face again? Are you upset because I'm calling you a sparrow instead of a zombie lately? Hey, should I just call you a 'zombie sparrow'?
“……That's it.”
-Huh?
“That’s exactly it.”
I abruptly lifted my head.
“The Apothecary creates a cure for the zombie virus. I get officially recognized as the Heavenly Demon's disciple. All that’s great. But... I felt something was missing. A finale, if you will? But just now, you gave me the final shot I needed.”
-Uh....
“Nice play. Well done, Sword Emperor sir.”
I grinned.
For some reason, the Sword Emperor backed away when he saw me smile.
“What's wrong?”
-No, it's just... every time you make that face, I get struck by bad luck. As if my dignity and status are about to be smeared.
“You know how much I respect you in my heart, right, Sword Emperor?”
-Thanks. Now, should I just throw up on your face?
“Hmm.”
I gazed at the distant sky with my hands behind my back.
“We have an unsettled debt between us.”
-.......
The Guardian Spirit hesitated.
-...Debt? What debt? I’ve never lived a life in debt to anyone. Eh, this young master is trying to cast some curse with his mouth again. Don’t do that. Oh! You’ll get hurt doing that!
“[Let’s bet how many times I die before reaching the 19th floor].”
-.......
“You bet that I would die no more than 100 times. I bet on 99 times or less.”
-Well....
“Right?”
My smile became a bit more innocent.
-That's... How long ago was that...
“If my memory isn't failing, that bet concluded with 97 times, didn’t it?”
-.......
“And unless my arithmetic has gone to hell, 97 is 99 or less. Right?”
-.......
“Sword Emperor.”
-Why do you keep doing this to me....
“Could you do me a favor?”
The Guardian Spirit made a sulking face.
-Fine, you wicked brat. Do whatever you want with me....
A complete surrender.
2. The Heavenly Demon returned.
When she left across the snowfield, she was alone, but not when she came back. She carried a zombie on her shoulder. Like the Palm Blast Zombie, this one was also dressed in black robes.
"In our sect, there is a unit called the Blood Ghosts, composed only of elites. They're the finest practical unit made up entirely of assassins. They exist solely to fulfill my orders."
The second sparring partner had arrived.
I took up the Holy Sword and assumed my stance.
"Last time it was a highly regarded rising talent, and now it's an assassin from an active combat unit? The difficulty is shooting up fast."
"Don’t worry. I’ve brought someone suitable for your level."
Probably, the Heavenly Demon really did find [the perfect opponent] for me. Searching across the snowfield, checking hundreds of zombies one by one.
It was a thoughtful gesture.
A gesture filled with effort.
I gratefully accepted it as a compliment.
"What you have to demonstrate today is no different from this morning. Fight the zombie, but..."
"In my heart, only thirst. Only the pain of thirst must be present."
"Hm."
The Heavenly Demon smiled.
"Indeed. Allow no emotion or thought other than thirst to reside in your mind!"
"Understood!"
I charged in exuberantly.
"I’ll show you something again this time...."
[You have died.]
[Returning 24 hours to the past.]
"So damn strong! Damn it!"
I did show something.
The fastest ultra-speed death scene in the universe.
Whatever.
"Apothecary, Medicine King. This is how you should proceed with the research into a cure for the gangsi plague..."
"Good heavens! It's as though I conducted the research myself! No, it's like my research was dressed up beautifully, granted a noble title, and put into full formal wear. As if it had been made a count, no less!"
"What is this? You brat called the King of Death or whatever, are you from Silicon Valley too? This is organized exactly the way I would have organized it..."
First, as always, I updated the research results on the cure.
"Ghoul Reincarnation!"
Once again, I decided to shut myself away in the snowy mountain for closed-door training.
I summoned Preta and the skeletons to collect deaths, which was similar to before. Although the request was to find thirsty corpses instead of hungry ones, the command wasn't much different.
"Scatter. Scatter and gather corpses of those who died due to dehydration."
"Yes, my lord. Your command shall be obeyed."
But…
"There's one more task I have for you."
Here's where it differed from last time.
Preta tilted her head in curiosity.
"What would you have us do, my lord...."
"There must be zombies skilled in martial arts scattered around."
I wasn't talking about the 'Forest of Corpses' I witnessed upon falling into this world. In the last three years, the Heavenly Demon and the Martial Alliance Leader fought a lonely Great Orthodox-Demonic War, gradually losing corpses in the chaos.
When blizzards blew incessantly for days and nights lengthened, leaving no daylight. During those times, the Demonic Cult and the orthodox faction slowly lost their strength and went missing.
The 'zombies' I spoke of were these 'missing' people.
"Find them."
I said.
"Find the demonic cultists in black robes. Find the martial heroes in white robes. Whether they're a hundred li away or three hundred, send out the skeletons and find them without fail. No, make a map and mark every place where a gangsi is located."
Preta looked puzzled.
"What do you plan to do with those lives, my lord...?"
"There are still two people fighting a war in this ruined world. They want a proper conclusion, a proper ending. But sadly, from what I see, it's just a pitiful game of soldiers."
I looked up at the night sky.
The moon was up.
"If they want a real conclusion, let's give them a real war."
"A real war, you say?"
"Yes."
A smile came naturally to me.
I felt like Santa preparing Christmas gifts.
"Let's prepare a proper Great Orthodox-Demonic War."
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