WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The World After the Fall ◈
Chapter 124: Episode 18. God Without a Vicegerent (6)
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SyrenTV?
Rene rubbed her eyes several times. Even after looking again, she had not seen it wrong. As far as she knew, there was only one being on 《Little Brother》 who used that account name.
Rene, who had been staring blankly, asked again.
“Um, this isn’t someone impersonating you, right?”
* * *
Fifth Site, Ragnarok.
Sirwen had one foot propped up on the dashboard as she leisurely watched the sunset over the 《Abyss》 beyond the airship.
Karlton had moved his lips soundlessly for quite a while as he watched her, but eventually spoke.
“According to Article 8, Clause 4 of the Airship Management Act, placing one’s foot on the dashboard during departure is...”
“When is the old man coming back?”
“He left less than twenty minutes ago, so it will likely take a little longer.”
“Tell him to hurry back. If we stay here too long, the high-grade gods will find us.”
Sirwen shrugged and put both feet on the dashboard. Karlton sighed and shook his head.
Opening 《Little Brother》, Sirwen checked the recent news.
Two years had passed since they came to the 《Abyss》.
The days had flown by. They had been chased by the retainers of the Seven Divine Thrones and discovered Treasures hidden throughout the 《Abyss》.
During that time, they built the airship Destruction. And now...
―Wanted pirate list for the airship ‘Destruction’ has been released.
―The commander of the airship ‘Destruction’ has been revealed to be the 《Little Brother》 influencer ‘Sirwen’...
They had become pirates.
Grumbling, Sirwen rapidly scrolled through her messages on 《Little Brother》. She had been too busy to log in for a while, and a mountain of messages had piled up.
Karlton asked, “You do not seem to be active as a broadcaster these days.”
“How am I supposed to upload videos while we’re on the run? What if they trace us through them?”
“You do not watch many other people’s videos either.”
“To be honest, I got a little sick of it. Everything they upload is the same.”
Sirwen began sorting through her accumulated messages. There were messages asking how she was doing, threats, headhunting offers, and more. Grinning, Sirwen deleted them one by one with a deliberately solemn expression.
This damn popularity was exhausting.
Feeling better, Sirwen clicked on the popular clips for the first time in a while. She wanted to see what kind of videos were popular these days.
Then she froze.
“Doesn’t this kid sound like they’re copying the way I talk?”
“Is that so?”
“No, look. It’s way too similar. Even the hairstyle and clothes are similar.”
“I cannot say for certain, but are there not many people like that?”
“Forget it. I shouldn’t watch broadcasts either.”
“No, there are channels such as ‘Shushu’s Edict Research Lab’ and ‘The Man Who Earns You trust’...”
Ignoring Karlton, Sirwen diligently hit dislike on every video she did not like. Her finger stopped after she found one particular video.
―What would happen if someone used Stab every day for 2,000 years without missing a single day? [HOT!]
Sirwen snorted.
How could anyone use Stab for two thousand years?
Still, the moment she absentmindedly clicked on the video, Sirwen’s expression changed.
A video of a man repeatedly using Stab toward empty air. His face had been mosaicked and was impossible to recognize, but his build and posture were far too familiar.
“Huh?”
Sitting up straighter, Sirwen entered the channel that had uploaded the video.
ReneTV.
She could not stop herself from imagining it, even while thinking it could not possibly be true.
As it happened, the channel was live.
―[LIVE] Naked Stab’s Great Crisis!
Sirwen clicked the video.
―Boom boom boom boom boom!
―Die, Naked Stab!
―Boom boom boom boom boom!
―Aaargh!
Perhaps there was some sort of channel interference, because the man’s face was difficult to see.
Still, there was no doubt.
“Sirwen-nim.”
“Karlton.”
They did not need to look at one another.
They were thinking the same thing.
“Right?”
“I am certain.”
“So that is...”
“Aaargh! Jaehwan! That bastard Jaehwan!”
When had he returned? Chunghuh rushed in and shook Sirwen by the shoulders, pointing at the screen.
“Where is that? Huh? Where is that, girl?”
“Hold on. I’m checking the broadcast location.”
“Still, Citadel Lord-nim has not changed at all.”
A chorus of screams continued from the screen. The Followers of high-grade gods struck by Jaehwan’s Stab were all becoming wandering spirits.
They did not know what had happened to him in the meantime, but it looked as if he had not been in the Abyss for long.
Yet he was already waging war against a massive Alliance.
He really was the same human who had become Gorgon’s Citadel Lord only days after arriving in 《Chaos》.
“That’s it! Well done, you bastard Jaehwan! The slashing you learned from me has really improved!”
“What are you talking about? All he’s doing is using Stab.”
“It is a Stab containing the mysteries of slashing!”
Sirwen and Chunghuh had been bickering when their expressions hardened.
“W-What is that?”
“Damn it. Why do those bastards have that?”
Jaehwan, who had continued his Stab amid brilliant rays of light, was sucked into a small cube. The tide of battle reversed in an instant.
Rene’s frantic voice rang out.
―Gods! At this rate, our cute Runald is going to get hurt! Is there anyone who can help?
Chunghuh said, “Quickly, let’s go there, girl. We have to go!”
“I’m already looking into it.”
After checking the target location on the navigation system, Sirwen spoke.
“Metaverse Floor 6 in Caspion?”
“It is far too distant from here.”
“Even if we risk being discovered by the high-grade gods, it will take at least fifteen days.”
“Damn it. Can’t we get there faster?”
“We can cut a day or two at most, but no more than that.”
In other words, there was nothing they could do for Jaehwan right now.
“Damn it. We finally found him.”
Two years.
For two whole years, they had searched for that man.
They had stolen the Treasures of the Seven Divine Thrones and built the airship Destruction for one reason only, to find Jaehwan. The more famous they became in the 《Abyss》, the better their chances of finding him.
And now what was this?
Jaehwan, whom they had finally found, was in danger, yet there was nothing they could do.
Chunghuh stared at the screen with a grave expression before opening his mouth.
“Did you say that place was 〈Metaverse〉?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Chunghuh hesitated for a long time, then spoke carefully.
“There is one place that could help Jaehwan.”
“What? Where?”
They were pirates who had stolen the Treasures of the Seven Divine Thrones, an Abyss Expedition that had killed a Lord and left Chaos. There could not be any group anywhere on this 《Phantasmal Tree》 willing to help them.
“Wait, don’t tell me.”
Sirwen’s expression changed. Chunghuh pulled something from his robe.
It was a coin engraved with a cracked scale weight.
“I do not want to do this, but we have no choice.”
* * *
Runald’s steps stopped with a soft tap.
There was nowhere left to retreat. Behind him stood a dead-end wall, beside him was a crater boiling with lava, and before him approached Beris in a terrifying Skin.
“Ah, gods. This isn’t picking on a child. Besides, despite how he looks, who knows how old he really is?”
He had to fight.
Runald immediately gripped his sword and charged.
The enemy was letting his guard down because Runald was a child. If so, this might be his only chance.
Clack.
The attack was caught far too easily.
Beris tightly gripped the blade with his fingerless-gloved hand.
“Well, look at that.”
When Beris lifted it, Runald’s small body rose with it.
The difference in their abilities was overwhelming.
Beris smiled at Runald, who dangled in the air.
“Even little brats are looking down on me now.”
Thud.
A lightly swung fist forced the air from Runald’s lungs. His entire body trembled violently. Only then did he feel the World Power Beris was giving off.
The shadow of an enormous Sanctuary spread behind Beris.
Jaehwan had been fighting beings like this.
“Do you not know who I am?”
Runald knew. Even if he had not wanted to, he knew now.
The gods’ messages rang incessantly in his ears.
[‘Anonymous God 94’ says they are tired of this and tells him to wrap it up quickly.]
[‘Anonymous God 88’ calls for the defeat of the terrorist organization.]
[‘Anonymous God 414’ chants Beris’s name.]
Currently ranked 16th in the Metaverse.
The person with the most new Skins in 〈Metaverse〉.
Beris of the Crimson Flame Blade.
With a desperate struggle, Runald escaped Beris’s grasp. He wiped away the silver blood dripping from him and readied himself again.
If only he had trained harder. If only he had learned more.
Would he have avoided ending up like this?
Regret was useless.
All he could do was his best in this moment.
He could not bring disgrace upon his god.
“You should have picked a better god, kid.”
Flames sparked in Runald’s eyes at Beris’s pitying words.
World Power began to flow steadily through Runald’s entire body.
He knew he was weak. He had been weak in his hometown and in the Tower of Nightmares.
But his weakness did not mean his god was weak.
As Beris’s Crimson Flame Blade descended, Runald thought of his god.
A man who knew nothing but Stab. A man who used Stab whether he was awake or asleep. A man who looked up at the sky whenever he was not using Stab.
Runald wanted to become like him.
That was why he used Stab.
The days he had followed his god’s training method had been short, but when his god used Stab, he used Stab. When his god looked at the sky, he looked at the sky too.
“You have talent.”
Once again, he recalled that Stab.
A sacred Stab that showed not even an inch of opening. An unyielding straight line. The one technique created by whittling away at years no one ever recognized.
「Light Stab」
As if by magic, Runald’s sword drew a line.
A silver flash sprang lightly into the air.
“Gah! You bastard!”
Runald blankly looked down at his hand.
Beris was glaring at him as he covered the wound on the back of his hand.
The Stab had worked.
His breath caught in his throat, and his vision swam. He had only managed one proper Stab, yet it felt as if half his World Power had been drained away.
Enraged, Beris charged at the staggering Runald.
This time, Runald knew he could not evade it.
“I’ll split you in half, you reactionary brat.”
That was when lightning struck from the sky above the crater.
Beris’s incoming Crimson Flame Blade flew through the air with a heavy crash.
“What...?”
Multicolored blocks spinning in midair were pouring out World Power and deflecting every one of his blades.
Beris quickly stepped back twice and looked up.
There was a ‘Door’ they had not opened.
Judging by the form of the ‘Door’ and the Penalty Sparks, it was undoubtedly a ranker from the upper floors, like them.
An Alliance member?
But Beris had never heard of an Alliance member like that.
“‘Reactionary brat’?”
Brilliant yellow World Power spread outward.
At its center stood a child around Runald’s age.
A cap pulled low over their face, headphones around their neck, and a baseball jacket casually thrown on.
Beris’s expression changed.
“An Alliance member?”
“Who are you!”
The Alliance members who still had not grasped the situation shouted.
But Beris knew exactly who the ranker before him was.
Alongside Naked Stab, this ranker was one of the most famous figures in the Metaverse.
“My god, it’s Jin Eunsae!”
“Y-You? Why are you here?”
The Alliance members stirred after recognizing the ranker.
Jin Eunsae pulled their cap down further, as though annoyed.
“Why? I can’t come? You came too.”
There were passengers considered among the strongest in 〈Metaverse〉, but few possessed rankings as dazzling as Jin Eunsae’s.
Jin Eunsae.
Currently ranked 9th in the Metaverse.
4th in Floor 1’s all-time score record.
1st in Floor 5’s all-time damage ranking.
1st in Floor 6’s all-time score record.
Fastest all-time clear of Floor 7.
...
Jin Eunsae looked at Runald.
“You’re that man’s Follower, right?”
Jin Eunsae’s achievements were adorned with dazzling numbers.
But those numbers were not why the passengers here feared Jin Eunsae.
Jin Eunsae’s record could be condensed into a single description.
The Phantasmal Tree’s largest and worst terrorist organization.
“I came to save you.”
Jin Eunsae was part of 「Rift」.
Footnotes:
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