WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 8: The Identity of the Soliloquy (2)
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Luck.
It was purely luck that I dodged Sword Saint's strike.
"Uh!?"
Sword Saint's eyes widened in surprise. He must have thought I was an incredibly skilled master. He might have been prepared for a master to counterattack or dodge his strike... but he surely hadn't expected me to awkwardly roll on the ground.
"Sword Saint, please wait a moment. Hear me out!"
Dying was not a concern for me; I had followed him intending to die. However, I wanted to clear up his misunderstanding before dying, if possible. It would help avoid unnecessary conflicts in the next loop.
"I'm just a worthless F-Rank Hunter..."
"You managed to dodge my sword. You're definitely a top-class assassin!"
"Ah, is this old geezer deaf!?"
This was bad.
The misunderstanding was getting deeper instead of being resolved.
Dodging his attack earlier was purely coincidental. I hadn't even seen where or how the blade was coming. The old man's skill was far beyond my cognitive abilities.
'If he attacks again, there's no way I can dodge it!'
Was I left with no choice but to give up on persuading him?
I braced for death and watched Sword Saint slowly approach.
"......"
Suddenly, Sword Saint hesitated for a moment. His steps halted.
At first, I thought:
'Oh? Is he considering listening to me?'
But that wasn't the case. Sword Saint wasn't looking at me. The white-haired old man was frowning at the empty air. I glanced over, thinking maybe a mosquito was flying around, but of course, there was nothing.
"...Did I not say that I would handle this myself?"
"...Quiet. Capture and interrogate him, you say? Can we afford to leave a demon like this alive...?"
He was talking to himself again.
'What's going on?'
Sword Saint, who seemed ready to strike me down at any moment, had inexplicably stopped his attack. Instead, he started muttering to himself non-stop. The imminent crisis was momentarily deferred.
I narrowed my eyes in thought.
'Could his soliloquy be a skill?'
That's a possibility.
In the tavern, I had assumed the old man was suffering from a mental illness. But watching him talk to himself up close, it seemed different. It was too sophisticated for a mental illness. The old man looked like he was really having a conversation with someone.
'Telepathy skill?'
A hypothesis suddenly came to mind. Telepathy or transmitted voice, a technique to freely converse with people far away. I knew such skills really existed.
'So, he's relaying information about me to others?'
A chill ran down my spine.
'Like broadcasting that he found someone who massacred 4091 people?'
A bounty order.
The Hunter Association only rarely issues a wanted notice. In name it was a wanted notice, but in practice it was an execution order. The wanted person would make enemies of every major guild and be hunted by the highest-ranked Hunters.
Until they're publicly executed in Babylon's main square of the first floor of the Tower.
'That cannot happen.'
I clenched my teeth.
'I need to die now!'
To prevent even the slightest chance of a wanted notice being issued. To return 24 hours into the past and erase everything that had happened. I had to die immediately, without a moment's delay.
I glared straight ahead.
"…It's decided. Despite being my teacher… I must…"
The old man continued his one-sided conversation. Whether he was merely an old man with a mental illness or actually communicating with someone, I couldn't be 100% sure. But regardless of my certainty, to prevent the worst-case scenario, I opened my mouth.
"How are your grandchildren doing?"
Sword Saint abruptly stopped his soliloquy.
He slowly turned his head towards me.
"I've heard that the outside world is quite dangerous nowadays. As Sword Saint's grandchildren, they must be quite lovely. You must be very worried."
"……"
Deep blue eyes.
His pupils were as calm as the glimmering surface of a deep sea.
"I heard your family was prominent in Northern Europe. Families like that are prime targets for terrorists, aren't they? Who knows? Perhaps, without your knowledge, your grandchildren have already lost their lives to some outlaws..."
Slash.
‘Huh.’
It was a sound as clear as an apple being sliced.
‘Huh…’
Initially, I couldn’t tell what had happened. I’d been watching the gramps this entire time and I hadn’t seen him move. Not even his lips.
So where did that sound come from?
The strangeness didn’t end there though. Originally, the Sword Saint was standing on the ground right in front of me.
But…
It started feeling as if the ground was slowly turning around.
The horizon tilted. The half-moon turned over and floated like a ferryboat in the night sky. In the middle of a world where the night sky lay upside down and the waxing moon tilted into a waning one, a lone old man hung from the horizon.
“…”
The old man's blue eyes watched me. Suspended against the sky, they resembled starlight, and I thought I understood why his title, Sword Saint, used the character for 'star.'
*The hanja for the Sword Saint’s name actually refers to ‘Star’ instead of ‘Saint’. But for the sake of audience familiarity and convenience, I will keep using Sword Saint, even though ‘Sword Star’ is a more accurate translation.
Then I realized.
‘Ah.’
And then I realized.
'Ah.'
It wasn't the ground that had flipped.
My head had been severed and was falling upside down.
A single strike.
'Beautiful.'
I couldn't perceive the strike from Sword Saint. However, I could see the world after the strike had cleaved through. Seeing it, I couldn't help but think it was beautiful.
Shortly after, I felt a collision. My head felt numb. My ears were muffled. I couldn't hear anything. It took me a moment to realize my head had hit the ground.
By the time I realized it… my vision had gone completely dark.
[You have died.]
What kind of skill did he have?
How long must one train to reach such a level?
[The condition for your skill has been fulfilled by your death.]
I was engulfed in an emotion completely opposite to what I felt when Flame Emperor Yoo Soo-Ha had killed me. With him, I felt betrayed. I wanted revenge.
But with Sword Saint, it was different.
'I want to be like him.'
I was simply envious.
'I want that strike.'
Just like the feelings I had before I knew the true nature of Flame Emperor Yoo Soo-Ha.
'I want it too!'
Jealousy. Desire. Admiration.
Once again, a burning desire enveloped my heart.
And there was a response to my burning desire.
[Randomly copying a skill from Hunter Marcus Callenbury.]
In the darkened world, cards appeared.
[Creating skill cards.]
Shrrrk!
The cards showed only their backs. Perhaps to hide which card contained what skill?
'At least the card colors are more distinct than when I died from Flame Emperor.'
Maybe I had already gotten used to death. 4090 times. Just as Sword Saint's [Kill Count Skill] had proven, I had experienced thousands of deaths.
No hunter was more accustomed to death than me.
'Not something to brag about, though.'
I wanted to smile bitterly at that moment.
[Please select a skill card.]
The cards that were floating in the air started moving rapidly.
'Wow!'
I was startled by the suddenness, but I quickly focused on the cards.
'I don't need anything else. Golden! I must choose a golden card.'
They were fast. It seemed impossible to follow with consciousness.
'Incredible.'
Had I really picked a golden card from the rapidly flying cards when Flame Emperor killed me? How did I manage that? In hindsight, I was incredibly lucky back then.
'There's no rule saying I can't be lucky again! Come on, gold. Where are you, gold?'
But then.
Something was off.
'Huh?'
No matter how carefully I looked, I couldn't see it.
'The golden card... seems to be missing?'
Among the cards whipping past my eyes were shit-colored cards and silver cards, but there was not a single card shining gold anywhere.
I focused several times, but if it wasn't there, it wasn't there.
There was only one possibility.
'No, can it be?'
I was shocked.
'Is it really... not there?'
From the beginning…
The Sword Saint never had an S-Rank skill.
3.
'Impossible!'
I felt like screaming in disbelief.
'He's the number one Hunter! He reigned as a legend until that damned Flame Emperor appeared, yet he doesn't have a single S-rank skill!?'
It was hard to believe. But it was the truth. My skill clearly proved it. Marcus Callenbury, the Sword Saint, had reached the pinnacle alone, without any S-Rank skills.
It was a shocking and horrifying revelation.
'No. No! This can't be!'
I was in denial, facing shock and horror.
'There has to be some outrageously broken skill among the silver cards!'
Whether this was a desperate hope or just pathetic, I was desperate. With all my might, I focused on the cards.
'Three shit-colored cards. Four silver cards.'
Seven cards in total flew chaotically around.
'I'll completely ignore the shit-colored cards.'
It was a logical choice.
Now, the problem was which silver card to choose!
Probably one of them contained the [Kill Count Skill], and another, some mysterious overpowered skill.
Of course, I was aiming for a skill as powerful as the Returner’s Winding Clock, not a subtle one like the Kill Count.
'A one-in-four chance!'
It was a gamble based purely on luck.
'Please, let it come up!'
I reached out.
'Please, just this once, let me draw the Sword Saint's cheat skill!'
Then I snatched a silver card.
[Selection complete. Copying skill.]
[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]
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"Gasp!"
I let out a groan and sat up abruptly.
The cramped room.
A cubbyhole. My room welcomed me with its generous two pyeong of space, enough to make even one's heart feel expansive. The bedding had been left unwashed so long that a musty smell had conquered it. Unfortunately, I had little time to admire my one-room apartment.
"Did it... work!?"
I immediately checked my status window.
To see if I succeeded or failed in the one in four chance gamble!
Name: Kim Gong-Ja
Rank: F-Rank
Skills (3/4)
1. I Want to Become Just Like You (S+): Passive
2. Returner’s Winding Clock (EX): Passive
3. Sword Constellation (A+): Passive
4. None
"Ah..."
I sighed, a mix of astonishment and disappointment.
"Thankfully, I got an A+ class skill..."
First, the relief.
While not reaching S-Class, I was relieved to have drawn the best option available. It was fortunate not to end up with a subtle skill like the Kill Count.
"...Another passive skill."
Then, the frustration.
My initial goal was a combat skill. Some rare martial art, swordsmanship, or a skill that awakens aura. Such abilities were usually active skills.
Meaning, I failed to obtain a top-notch combat skill.
"Ha."
I sighed again.
"No, when I think about it, this is just being greedy..."
If any of the numerous low-tier hunters heard my complaint, they would go berserk. How dare I grumble after obtaining an A+ rank skill?
Right.
I decided to think positively. I would focus on the skill in front of me.
"Open skill card."
The cards, visible only to the hunter, appeared.
[I want to become just like you (S+)]
[Returner’s Winding Clock (EX)]
[Sword Constellation (A+)]
Sword Constellation. Just by the name, I couldn't guess what kind of skill it was.
"Well, ‘I Want to Become Just Like You’ is also a weird name."
It was hard to judge whether a skill was a hit or a miss just by its name.
Maybe it was an incredible skill.
Comforting myself with that thought, I grabbed the silver card.
- Ah, why is it so noisy?
A voice that shouldn't be heard suddenly spoke.
- Gramps. How many times has this master told you? If you're going out to train in the middle of the night, leave quietly.
"......"
- I automatically float and follow you around. There's no need to wake me up. Let's respect each other, okay?
Slowly.
Very slowly, I looked towards the direction the voice came from.
My bed. In the tiny space barely enough for me, something was there. Faint but unmistakably present. That something was lying down like a bull, with its back towards me.
"Excuse me."
I felt chills.
"Who… are you?"
- Eh?
Then, I found myself face-to-face with the unknown entity.
A ghost. A spirit.
Something that could never be mistaken for a living human.
- Eh?
The ghost looked fierce. If it wasn't for the clothes, I might have mistaken him for a gorilla. With a bulky figure and a scowling face, he could star in a horror movie.
- Hey, who are you?
"...I wanted to ask that. Who are you?"
- You can see me?
I nodded hesitantly.
"Yes."
- And hear me too?
"Yes. Considering we are communicating... I suppose so."
What was happening?
Was I actually having a conversation with a ghost?
I expected a ghost to be consumed by grudges from its lifetime, wandering like a monster. But this one was different. Apart from being faint, he spoke just like a human.
- Huh, this is strange. This shouldn't be happening.
The ghost seemed just as puzzled about the situation as I was.
- Where is this? Why is it so cramped like a doghouse? Where did that old man Marcus go, and why are you here instead of him?
Finally, a statement from the ghost I could understand.
"Oh. Marcus? Marcus Callenbury? Are you talking about Sword Saint?"
- Tsk. It's too much for a rookie like him to be called Sword Saint.
The ghost seemed displeased, clicking his tongue.
- Anyway, yes, that old man. Where did he go? He should be around here.
I was dumbfounded.
'Sword Saint, a rookie?'
The current number-one Hunter. Since Yoo Soo-Ha was fated to die by my hand, the Sword Saint would probably reign at the top for years to come.
Who exactly was this ghost, calling such a figure a mere rookie? And why could I suddenly see and communicate with a ghost?
"......"
To solve these questions, I flipped over the silver card.
And read the skill description.
[Sword Constellation]
Rank: A+
Effect: A being from another world. This being cleared that world's tower through the 99th floor but met defeat with the 100th floor just ahead. The lingering resentment prevented the being from passing on, turning him into a Guardian Spirit.
The Guardian Spirit cannot physically interfere with this world, but he can meddle with the owner's mind.
Ask the Guardian Spirit for advice, drawing on his wealth of experience and astonishing skill!
*However, no one except the holder can perceive the Guardian Spirit.
*This skill was copied from Hunter Marcus Callenbury.
I was at a loss for words.
- Hey, where did the old man go? Are you ignoring me? Sigh. Hey. Hey! I used to be quite something back in the day! Warriors would shiver at the blink of an eye, and you dare ignore me?
Incredible.
It seemed I had copied the Sword Saint's Guardian Spirit.
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