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SSS-Class Suicide Hunter (Web Novel) - Chapter 293: Sword Emperor’s Return (1)
Chapter 293: Sword Emperor’s Return (1)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
He was overwhelmingly superior to be considered just another hunter like them.
-Hey, you losers! Sometimes you need to get some air.
-Staying cooped up all day like you guys isn't good for you.
It was excessively repulsive to even consider him a human being like themselves.
-Here, consider this a favor! I'll give you a free remodeling today! Haha.
The elder of the Magic Tower clenched her teeth. She had numerous subordinates under her command. So far, six constellations had kneeled before them, and six worlds had submitted to their rule. The 50th floor had long been their domain.
But why.
-Why can't we catch that damn gorilla!
-Because I'm a damn strong gorilla, that's why.
The elder was infuriated. "Ah, fuck," she muttered involuntarily.
If he had been a warrior of some dignity, she could have accepted defeat. If he had a clean character deserving of respect, if not admiration, she would have willingly handed over the throne of the 50th floor.
-I can’t do that!
But she couldn't accept defeat to a bastard like him.
-No, I won't! Sword Emperor, you bastard! It’s better you just kill us instead!
-Oh. Then let's do this. From now on, every time you call me a bastard, I'll take down one of your towers. Deal?
-What? What nonsense…
The Sword Emperor swung his sword casually. All the hunters fighting on the 50th floor realized something. Even if the Sword Emperor was a bastard, what came out of his mouth was far from nonsense.
The spire, boasting its majesty for over a thousand years, was neatly sliced off.
-Aaaaaah!?
The elder was going insane.
-No! Stop it! My research! My experiment materials! No, no, the Constellations! At least protect the Constellations sealed underground! And you, you bastar……
-You alright? Call me a bastard one more time, and another tower goes down.
-B…… Ba…… Bird……! Fuck, bird!!
-Oh. Right. The universe is vast, so somewhere, there might actually be a species of bird called 'fuck bird'. I'll accept that.
The elder seemed on the verge of losing her mind. No, she actually had lost it. If only she could smash her fist into that smug face of his, she would gladly lose all her 200 years' worth of research data.
A thousand-year-old great tree. A demon. A monster. She had many aliases, but now, she was nothing more than an ordinary madwoman before the Sword Emperor. He had the knack for driving his opponents insane.
-I'll kill you!
The elder vowed.
-I will kill you for sure! I'll leave the ruins of the tower you destroyed as an eternal mark! And when you return to the 50th floor, fuck bird! I'll catch you and imprison you in the ruins underground! Forever! I'll stake your heart!
-That's why you guys are going to fail.
The Sword Emperor clicked his tongue and slung his sword over his shoulder.
-You should think of chasing me but you're already thinking of my return.
-What?
-I am the Sword Emperor. The unrivaled warrior of the World of Thousand Swords. And, I will be the first orthodox warrior to conquer the 100th floor of the tower in all creation!
Then, something astonishing happened.
The hunters on the 50th floor, who were watching the battle, felt something from the Sword Emperor's declaration.
Maybe they were too complacent in reality? Weren't hunters supposed to climb the tower? Hunting newcomers on the 50th floor, dominating the world of beginners, and living comfortably - wasn't that wrong?
Yes. There was a deep meaning behind the Sword Emperor collapsing the spire of the Magic Tower. Even if they ruled the 50th floor, they were not eternal victors! Anyone can become a traitor. The Sword Emperor had taken up his sword to teach us, the common people, this noble intention. Oh, praise him. From now on, we are followers of the Sword Emperor, disciples of the Sword Emperor Sect. We shall all follow him…
"Excuse me, Bird Sir."
-Huh? What now? It’s just reaching the climax.
"Stop your bullshit and just show me the way."
It was all an old story of the Guardian Spirit.
While listening to the Guardian Spirit's old tales about the Magic Tower, specifically his useless brags, I delved deeper into the interior of the Magic Tower.
Infiltration was easier than expected.
-That's because the external surveillance is too thorough.
The Guardian Spirit, who seemed in a good mood for visiting a place related to his past after a long time, willingly answered questions I didn’t even ask.
-There are few cases of successful infiltration up to this point. There are too few intruders, so they rarely have a chance to reevaluate their internal security. And right now, you're being guided by an insider.
“Eeeeeek…. The big spiders will kill me if they find out….”
As the Guardian Spirit said, an insider of the Magic Tower was faithfully guiding me.
His name was Charumu, right?
The mage boy trembled as he walked, his long bangs obscuring his face, but he seemed to be very timid.
"I've betrayed the Magic Tower... If caught, no, I'll surely be flayed alive. The big spiders will see how pretty my mana is, then thinly slice my small intestine, marinate it in a potion, and grill it on a torture plate... I'm scared...! They'll record my pitiful screams in a harmony and play it as an acapella song every time they torture me...! Scared, scared, scared......"
"......."
This boy, he’s so detailed in his imagination yet he’s cooperating with me?
He’s more like a hero who lost his fear rather than just timid.
“Ah… wait, please stop….”
Just when I was slightly taken aback by his unusual behavior, the mage boy, holding his staff, suddenly stopped.
“There are guards stationed up ahead…”
Was the weight of the staff, longer than his height, too much for him? He trembled.
“If we go further, they'll notice…”
“There are guards?”
“Yes, yes…”
At my inquiry, the mage boy shrunk. He nervously twiddled a strand of his bangs.
“They’re not very strong, but they guard and monitor the disciples of Hamusutra… A sensitive spider was chosen as the jailor. And, you mustn't recklessly kill the jailor. If he dies, an alarm will automatically sound throughout the Magic Tower…”
“Hmm. I see. It is indeed a bit tricky.”
I stroked my chin. What to do? Approaching and knocking them out before they notice would be simple, but I wanted to avoid dangerous methods.
Seeing me pondering, the mage boy, Charumu, hesitated.
“There is a way…”
"Uh?"
“I'll distract the jailor… You must be a great master, right? If the jailor is busy with me, you can surely finish the job…”
Huh.
He was clinging to me, begging to be saved just moments ago, and now he’s offering proactive suggestions.
I tilted my head.
“Really? That would make it easier for me. Are you sure?”
“Not at all. Not at all… *sob*. But now, my life is bound with yours… If you succeed, I live. If you fail, I die too.”
“Hmm.”
Even the lowest mage is still a mage.
He surrendered just minutes ago, but as soon as his fate was decided, he started thinking fast.
As I was pleased with the boy's proactiveness, he continued mumbling.
“If you fail, my intestines will be skewered and crisped over a flame fueled by dog shit from the Cerberuses… *sob*. My small intestine will be skewered with yours… In a way, we're already bound by an intestinal connection…”
"......."
What kind of connection is that?
It's quite disturbing….
Besides, this boy, he’s definitely not normal.
Honestly, it's scary.
"Then... I'll go first."
The mage boy walked away, dragging his cloak behind him.
[The 'Lone Seeker' watches your stealthy movements with interest.]
[The 'Eyes That Dwell in the Labyrinth' predict that your companion will betray you.]
[The 'Incarnation of Love and Lust' gives generous points to the boy hiding behind his bangs.]
After a few steps, the mage boy turned a corner. Splish, splash. For a while, only the sound of his bare feet squishing in puddles echoed from around the corner.
Shortly after.
"Hey! Stop! Who's that?"
A strange voice addressed the boy.
"Come any closer and I'll shoot..."
"I-I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"
"…What? It’s just a bug."
I pressed myself against the corridor wall, eavesdropping on their conversation. The owner of the voice seemed to relax upon recognizing the mage boy, a distinctly condescending tone in their voice.
"What's a bug like you doing here, huh?"
"I-I was cleaning the sewers... and lost my mop. Could you, um, maybe lend me a spare one...?"
"A mop, huh? Haha."
The voice chuckled.
"There's a mop right there."
"Where, where?"
"You. You're the mop. Look at that cape you're wearing. Just roll around on the floor to clean it. A bug whose very existence is a mop. You lost something and came all the way here to borrow?"
Thump!
A sound of a hit echoed.
"Ouch......!"
"Mop bug, bug mop. Perfectly poetic. Hey, I was bored watching the prisoners. I couldn't even punch them once; the big spiders strictly forbid torturing prisoners for fun. They get to enjoy all they want!"
Thump, thump. Familiar sounds of beating continued from around the corner.
"Yikes, ugh. Sob…!"
"I took this job as a guard hoping for some fun, but it's just a waste of my precious time. I need to research too! It's obvious how my colleagues are getting ahead! This is troublesome, you see!"
"I'm sorry…. Sob! I'm sorry…."
Okay.
The attention is more than diverted; it's glued.
I immediately sprinted around the corner.
In my first step, I entered the hallway; in my second, I passed the guard who seemed to be a mage.
"Huh?"
Detecting me, the mage uttered a dumbfounded sound. He didn't look much older than Charumu. He was kicking the fallen Charumu when he froze in his tracks.
"What the----"
On my third step, I was behind the guard. Tapping the back of his head with a finger, I poured aura into his spine. Forcing aura into his vertebrae, he gasped, "Huh!?" and fainted.
Thud.
The guard collapsed next to the mage boy who was being beaten. The crisis was resolved in an instant.
The mage boy, curled up like a hamster, then looked up.
"Ah...."
"Good job. Thanks to you, it was easy to subdue him."
I patted the mage boy's head once and searched the fallen guard. Clink. An old bunch of keys came into my hand.
"From now on, I'll make sure to take good care of your identity."
"Really…?"
"Of course. It's a person's duty to take care of their own. You betrayed the Magic Tower to join me and even actively helped like this. Of course, I'll save your life. I'll help you settle down properly in the world."
"Really…? For real…? Can you swear by the Constellations you believe in? I mean, uh, of course I believe you but… just…"
"You've been deceived too much."
I smiled.
"I don't particularly worship any Constellation, but to someone important to me... Alright, I swear on the name of the House of Ivansia. And just so you know, it's a big deal."
"Aaaaah......"
The mage boy covered his face with his hands and sobbed.
"Thank you… Thank you, intruder… Thank you..."
"Ah, it's nothing."
Feeling strangely pleased, I turned around.
A typical prison unfolded before me. It was too dark to see inside the cells, but I could sense the presence of prisoners.
Among them, there might be the [Assistant Writer] Hamustra mentioned.
"Well then, the guard is out cold. Let’s slowly free the disciples..."
That's when it happened.
Screeeeeeech!
A grating noise ripped through the entire prison, maybe even the whole Magic Tower. It was a sound that instinctively made people flinch. I reflexively raised my aura to protect my hearing and looked around in confusion.
"An alarm? Is this an alarm? What’s going on…"
Then I saw it.
The mage boy stabbing the guard with a dagger.
"......."
"Huff, huff. Haaah…"
The mage boy was covered in blood. The guard, who had been unconscious, was obviously dead without having resisted. The boy, smeared in blood, wiped his sweaty forehead with his hand.
"I finally killed him…"
I was stunned.
"Excuse me."
"Yes? Intruder…?"
"Why did you kill the guard?"
"What…?"
The mage boy blinked, not understanding my question.
"Because he deserved to die, didn’t he?"
"......."
"He was 30 years younger than me yet flaunted the favor of the big spiders. I've been cleaning sewers for 131 years, 10 months, and 21 days, and he already had a guard position… If that’s so, sob, it's unforgivable…"
"......."
"Also, he beat me… A lot. He deserved a little death… It's unavoidable retribution…"
"But..."
I barely managed to speak.
"You told me not to kill the guard on our way here, right? You said if the guard dies, it triggers an alarm. So I should be careful."
"No? No…?"
The mage boy tilted his head.
"I said [you] shouldn't kill the guard…"
"......."
"I had to kill him…"
Right.
My instincts are never wrong.
Whenever I felt some guy was crazy, he was 100% crazy.
Not once did it turn out to be, [Hey, relax! Actually, he was normal!] No such cliché ever happened. It's always been like this, it will be like this in the future, and it is like this right now. Crazy. Why did I trust a guy like that? Did I trust him because there was nothing else, not even a bald chimpanzee?
"Ah, of course the alarm went off… But now the chances of us being bound by the skewer connection have increased. Considering it a small price to pay for a bit of justice in this world... isn't that cheap?"
Screeeeech! Screeeech!
The unsettling alarm continued nonstop.
The Guardian Spirit spoke to me, lost in my sage time.
-I told you. The 50th floor is full of crazies, right? Why do you treat the words of a heavenly senior like dog shit and ignore them? Doing so, you become dog shit yourself, zombie.
You're the craziest of them all, you nutcase.
