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SSS-Class Suicide Hunter (Web Novel) - Chapter 283: Final Vote (4)
Chapter 283: Final Vote (4)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
We held a banquet.
It was almost an instant clear of the 40th to 47th floors, and Viper had returned much stronger than expected from his solitary training. It was more than enough reason to celebrate. We, the leaders of the 5 great guilds, no longer regard a comrade's rapid growth with caution or fear. Like good friends, we simply congratulated him with pure hearts.
Very purely, indeed.
“For you, the Sword Saint! I specially made my signature milk cocktail.”
“Stop it! Stop! Elder Sword Saint! You know nothing about cocktails! You just want to enjoy the atmosphere of a cocktail bar but don’t understand the taste, so you just keep drinking milk like a kitsch dandy, using me as your sacrificial lamb… Pfft!?”
“Here, drink. It’s a cocktail made by a battle power gauge. I thought plain Kahlua milk would be boring, so I mixed in durian juice and espresso, then added milk. Isn’t this place similar to a seaside resort in the jungle? I’m going to measure your romanticism.”
“Suck… Ugh, ugh! Huk, huk, ugh!”
“Hoho, romanticism 1 million... 2 million... 5 million... 53 million... It’s rising. Being young is great. An old battle power gauge like me just needs to die.”
“You crazy old man, has the Medicine King infected you!?”
Such a purely chaotic scene.
“You guys really never grow up... Is there something wrong with your brain development...?”
Black Dragon Witch shook her head and enjoyed a simple drinking session with the Paladin. The neatly laid mat seemed to give off a vibe that said people with below-average intelligence should not approach. The Countess was also snuggling up to them on the mat, cooing 'nyangnyang'.
Peace. Elegance. Grace.
This was the true elegance of a drinking session, Black Dragon Witch seemed to be subtly showing off.
“One side is hell, meanwhile the other is paradise…”
I sipped my orange juice with a bitter smile.
Suddenly, a familiar voice popped up next to me.
“No. I think both sides are paradise.”
"......."
I turned my head.
A white-haired, doll-like face, embodying the ideal of a young girl – no, an idol – was right there.
“……You always appear out of nowhere, Princess.”
“Yep! That's my specialty!”
The girl, clearing her throat, supported her waist with her hands.
[‘The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages’ manifests.]
The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages.
The guide for our journey from the 30th to the 49th floor.
Others know her as a Constellation, but she’s actually one of the Pillars, the highest authorities of the Tower, and most importantly, the true daughter of the Tower Master.
“Yaaaay— But really, it's amazing. Yep. The King of Death is amazing. I've praised him several times already, but still, he’s amazing! Yep yep! Definitely worthy of the candidate I had my eyes on!”
Thud.
The Princess casually sat next to me, smiling radiantly. Seeing her sneakily sitting next to me, I shifted a bit but still looked at her with wary eyes.
“What scheme are you plotting this time?”
“Nothing at all. Nothing! I just came to praise the King of Death.”
I sighed and drank my orange juice.
The daughter of a mother, a Constellation and a Pillar, laughed next to me, the sound of her voice carrying her inherent playfulness.
“I’m sincere about wanting to praise you. You, umm. You all really did well. I've been around various towers, but there's never been one with such unanimous stage clearance like here.”
“There’s never been one?”
“Yep! The best case I've seen is when one species was completely ostracized. There's a saying, 'To make friends, create enemies first.' In that tower, the ascending candidates, the strategists, came up with a proven strategy. They agreed to make one species the scapegoat. Everything was the fault of that species. Flood? Their fault. Drought? Their fault. My life sucks? Actually, it's because of that species.”
"......."
“That’s the [best case]?”
I looked at the Princess.
Every scream, hatred, and death in the Tower is embraced by the Tower Master, who feels all the pain on behalf of everyone.
That's not something a child who asked me to save her mother should say.
"Yeah."
The Princess munched on rice cakes.
“Because that one species, called the [Witch Clan], turned the tables, beat up the species they believed to be gods, the strategists, and even thrashed the other four strategists.”
"......."
Wow.
“Yes?”
“Yeah, yeah. Then they brainwashed the other species into slave soldiers and attacked the lower floors of the tower. They massacred all humans who were comfortably relying on the strategists. Humans were used for biological experiments. Happy ending, happy ending.”
The Princess smiled cheerfully.
“By the way, the [humans] I'm talking about are different from your [humans]. They looked like toads. Basically, the tables were turned, and those world's humans, who were treated like gods, suddenly became laboratory toads.”
“Goodness. Really…”
“Cool, right?”
The Princess continued munching endlessly on rice cakes with her cheeks puffing up like a hamster.
How can she still enunciate clearly while eating like that…
“That happened about 1000 years ago.”
Her eyes turned serious.
“You actually have a deep connection with them, King of Death.”
I blinked.
“Really?”
“Think about it.”
Her eyes suddenly became serious.
“You've met them before.”
"......."
Her playful nature always lingered around her, but her eyes were like untainted jewels, looking deeply into mine.
I couldn’t recall immediately.
“People who conquered the tower 1000 years ago? How could I meet them? Even considering everything, the time difference is…”
“Just living simply, whether using Aura or Magic, it's common to live for thousands of years beyond the 50th floor. Isn't that obvious from Constellation Killer?”
Suddenly.
“……Ah."
The [hints] casually thrown by the Princess clicked together in my mind.
『Sword Emperor.』
『Huh?』
『150 years ago, you demolished one of the towers there, right?』
That was when I reached the 50th floor to meet Constellation Killer, using almost cheat-like methods.
The 50th floor was completely different from any stage I had experienced before - perilous and dominated by a fearsome [force].
『There used to be six towers.』
『But I demolished one.』
This [force] was entangled with the grudge of my Guardian Spirit... the Sword Emperor.
A sworn enemy, so to speak.
So when I mimicked the Sword Emperor and shouted, this [force] immediately responded.
『Sword Emperorrrrrrrrrr!!』
The response was a bit intense, I recall.
『Sword Emperor, you've returned! I knew you would someday! Even when all the constellations announced your death, only we believed you, the bastard who wouldn't die even in death!』
『Possession or reincarnation? Doesn't matter! Either way is fine!』
『Kill him! We will kill you, Sword Emperor! We'll tear your soul to shreds and scatter it across the world, then defecate over it! Kill him! Kill!! Kill him now! In the name of the tower's history, chase him down to hell!』
I can’t forget the sight of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of wizards flying towards us on broomsticks.
Shivering slightly at the memory, I turned to the Princess.
She was beaming innocently.
"......."
Hmm.
Let’s summarize.
1. 1000 years ago, a species reversed roles with gods and humans, becoming the tower's protagonists.
2. Their name is [Witch Clan].
3. Coincidentally, for over 1000 years, the 50th floor has been dominated by a force ruling as the stage boss.
4. The name of this force is [Magic Tower].
5. The Witch Clan used the species that persecuted them as slaves or lab rats. A total of 6 species suffered this fate: 5 species that ostracized the Witch Clan and toads that were humans in that world.
6. Coincidentally, the Magic Tower consists of 6 towers.
"......."
So.
“The witches from the Magic Tower I met on the 50th floor are the Witch Clan!?”
“Bababang- Correct!”
Bang!
The Princess set off a birthday firework.
“Yay, as expected of the King of Death! You're so quick-witted, it's easy to talk to you.”
“Insane……"
As I realized how entangled and knotted my connections had become, I suddenly noticed an important question I had missed.
“Wait a minute. The main inhabitants of the tower can change?”
“Of course. If the Earth Spirits go berserk and massacre all the residents of your tower, from that moment, the inhabitants of the tower would no longer be humans but Earth Spirits. But as long as the King of Death is alive, that won't happen.”
"......."
“Aegim Empire's citizens and the Revelations' residents could theoretically replace you and ascend the tower. It's just that you still monopolize the [rankings], so they haven't realized it yet.”
Rankings.
Indeed, currently, only those up to 7th place in the rankings could take the frontlines of the tower.
“If someone from the worlds we've conquered entered the top 7 rankings instead of us…”
“Yes! They would be able to ascend the tower too.”
The Princess shrugged.
“But it won’t be easy for them to climb the rankings.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, they are busy fighting every day in their own worlds. Those who don't need to leave their land usually don't find a reason to ascend to the heavens. No matter how strong they are, the tower doesn't pay attention to them.”
Her words left a strange resonance in my heart.
After a moment, the Princess shrugged again.
“But there could be those aiming for ascension for other reasons. Like the Earth Spirit Tribe, or should I say, [Asuras]?”
The Princess' eyes twinkled playfully.
“Asuras are strong. They know there are higher worlds since a Constellation emerged among them. Not just that. They've mastered the incredible Demonic Heavenly God Art and even know how to deploy the Demonic Formations Art. They will rise in the ranks quickly, but… that will cause its own problems.”
Perhaps the child had inherited not only her mother's playfulness but also her venom.
“What kind of problems?”
“You’re confident that the Earth Spirits will never betray you, and so are your comrades. But what about the vast majority of residents who haven't joined your conquest? Will they welcome the species you suddenly bring in as their children with open arms?”
"......."
“Hehehe.”
The Princess mockingly imitated laughter.
“What will you do? Will they believe you if you say, ‘Don't worry, there's no problem’? You’re the King of Death with a good image, so maybe your words might have some impact, but what about the others? Only a handful know that Black Dragon Witch has changed. And those who know that Heretic has changed, can they be counted on one hand?”
"......."
“Will they trust you if you say, ‘Please believe us’? What about Viper? What about Sword Saint? Will the people living below the tower trust you? Will they trust the children you bring?”
I looked around slowly.
The noisy sounds of the banquet reached my ears.
“Sadly, I’ll have to end the durian course here.”
“I, I’m alive... Ugh. I survived…”
“Next is a cocktail made with the essence of the Mountain Calamity Tribe and top-quality salt hand-mined from Limepolis. Sword Saint, this cocktail is said to reveal its true flavor only when drunk in one go. Drink up.”
“Uh… Isn’t that just jelly and salt water?”
“Drink it.”
Indeed.
Regardless of age, gender, or race, everyone at the banquet mingled in their own way. There was jealousy, admiration, friendship, and a mix of immature hope and deep sighs.
Everyone was looking straight at each other.
Like Viper and I did to each other.
‘When you see a person as a person.’
I nodded.
‘That's enough.’
And I looked directly into the Princess' playful eyes.
“I can solve it.”
“Really?”
“Exactly, I can help make it happen. Well.”
I turned my head to Black Dragon Witch. She was playing cards with the Paladin, not particularly chatty, and seemed bored as she observed the scenery. Just then, our eyes met.
-What are you looking at?
Black Dragon Witch's lips moved. Her face was shaded under the palm leaves. Despite the distance, her telepathy resonated clearly in my ears.
“Please come over for a moment.”
-It’s bothersome… Why?
“There’s something important I need to tell both you and the Princess. It’s important.”
Black Dragon Witch sighed and set down her cup. Before the cup could land, before her sigh could fully escape, she appeared right in front of me using [Teleportation].
“What's going on?”
“Before we head to the 50th floor, there’s an event we need to prepare.”
“An event?”
“Yes. An event.”
Black Dragon Witch tilted her head. The Princess looked at me with interest.
I took in their gaze and slowly began to speak.
“Tomorrow. Let’s return to the 1st floor of the tower and hold a vote.”
“A vote? But we’ve already completed all the votes with the Ghost Tribe.”
“No. There’s one last vote remaining.”
I shook my head.
“We haven’t yet received the votes from [the people living in Babylon]."
"......."
Anastasia fell silent.
Indeed.
‘There’s one crucial vote remaining.’
The 5 major guilds have overcome past divisions and united.
The heads of the guilds have decided to look forward despite the scars in their hearts.
It’s a good thing.
It deserves celebration.
‘But it’s still just our story.’
The ordinary residents living day-to-day in Babylon don’t know this.
They’re happy and cheering for the rapid conquest of the floors, supporting the massive guilds, but still, there are [unseen issues] lurking everywhere.
Like in a world shown by the Tower Master, a rebellion could occur in the Temple of All Gods, Black Dragon Witch could be betrayed, and the tower might crumble from within.
If we ignore the people living ordinary lives, they too will ignore us.
‘We need to talk to each other.’
No, talking isn’t enough.
‘We need to show them. Make them feel and experience it.’
For that reason alone.
This event is essential.
“Anastasia.”
“Please prepare a press conference.”
Anastasia furrowed her brows.
“Mmm.”
“I will hold my second press conference since becoming the King of Death.”
“That kind of event… wouldn’t be bad. It’s a triumph worth boasting to the outside world…”
“Let not only journalists but also the residents of the tower freely attend the conference. They can ask questions, and I won’t avoid answering them.”
“And.”
I looked directly at Black Dragon Witch.
“Not just me, but I hope all of you will attend as well.”
"......."
“To all the people living in Babylon, let's speak honestly and straightforwardly.”
For us to ascend the tower together.
"......."
Black Dragon Witch was silent.
The silence was long.
Not because there was little to say, but because there was so much to say, and that silence was needed to withstand and swallow that onslaught. Therefore,
“It will be dangerous.”
The words that flowed from her were inevitably suggestive.
“A normal press conference can be controlled by us. We can control which newspapers and journalists are allowed, the questions permitted in the conference, the reactions, the seating arrangement, everything. But if we allow the residents to ask questions…”
“I know.”
"......."
Anastasia closed her mouth again, taking more time to digest the silence before speaking again.
“There are many who want to slander you.”
“That’s right."
“The major guilds have secretly nurtured you as a star. The achievements of the King of Death are actually the work of the major guilds, but we intentionally credited them to the King of Death to build a star. The King of Death is just a marionette following the commands of the major guilds…”
“I know.”
“You’re an orphan. You brought your orphanage director to the tower. People will subtly belittle you for being an orphan, saying you’re taking care of those around you as soon as you got power…”
“Yes."
“Those people have no right to hurt you. There are many like them. There's no need to create a place for you to get hurt.”
“There is.”
I nodded.
“There is. You know there is, right?”
"......."
“If someone wants to hurt or blemish me, of course, some of them are just petty like I used to be. But Anastasia. This is the consequence of the major guilds secretly running the tower for over a decade.”
I placed my palm over Anastasia's hand.
“They aren’t fabricating lies to hurt me. They’ve been treated as non-existent all this time, and now they want to hurt someone to prove their existence.”
“Hurting a completely unrelated person with a completely unrelated wound.”
“Hmm. Well. The world is full of irrational things.”
I smiled.
“But sometimes, a leader has to take on irrational tasks for a while.”
"......."
“You made me a leader.”
I spoke.
“So now, it’s my turn to be the leader of this tower."
