SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 18. Trauma Penalty (3)
4
[The Conqueror is Hunter Kim Gongja. Alone.]
[Measuring Clear Reward… Measurement complete.]
[The Reward will be given 24 hours from now, upon entering the 11th Floor.]
Boss Stage cleared.
An achievement no one had ever accomplished before. Not by someone else—but by me. Not yet registered in the Ranking, and I still have no Epithet. Me.
If this fact got out, the world would turn upside down.
“Hah.”
But my heart found no peace. Joy and melancholy carved the space in equal halves—or so it felt. I drifted through the ruins like a lonely poet wandering through nothing but ash.
-Hey, why the gloomy face? You cleared the Hidden Stage too. In my lifetime, I’ve only cleared a Hidden Stage a handful of times. The Reward’s probably decent.
“People like you, psychopaths, wouldn’t understand why I feel this way. You have no human heart.”
-Huh. Now that I think about it, you’re not looking gloomy—you’re actually in pain.
“…….”
I was astounded. One word from Bae Hu-ryeong, and the melancholy vanished like it had been washed clean. Right—living with this lunatic makes it impossible to wallow in sentiment.
“…I just got the feeling that the world is pretty rotten.”
-Hm?
“You saw it in the Boss Stage just now. Whether it’s our world or another, nothing changes—the same rotten things happen everywhere.”
-True enough.
Bae Hu-ryeong nodded.
-People are people, wherever they live.
We stood in silence for a time. The kind of silence that swallows time itself. Bae Hu-ryeong gazed at the ruins of the manor beside me, then suddenly trembled. “Brrr!” he said.
-That’s enough. That’s it. Whew. This kind of thing doesn’t suit me! But Kim Gongja, what you did back there—that was incredible!
“What?”
-The way you found your own path and conquered that boss. Magnificent. I’m giving you my praise!
I furrowed my brow. He probably meant it as genuine praise, but it unsettled me.
“…Where’s this praise coming from all of a sudden? It’s strange.”
-Listen, if there’s something worthy of praise, I praise it. You overcame this ordeal through your own strength this time, not luck. My partner’s had a stroke of fortune—so of course we celebrate together. Don’t you think?
My frown deepened.
“Something feels off……?”
-Off, my foot. Well done, Kim Gongja! Magnificent, Kim Gongja! Once that 11th Floor opens, let’s sprint right to the top and claim first place in the Ranking! If those other bastards call us cheaters, so what. If they’re upset, let them get themselves a Cheat Skill!
Bae Hu-ryeong laughed with clear delight. What is this? Why is he suddenly like this? Unless the sun rises in the west or the Tower collapses, there’s no way Bae Hu-ryeong would act like this.
Then it came.
[Attention, all.]
[Today, the 10th Floor Stage has been Cleared.]
A voice.
[Once more, attention, all.]
It wasn’t just me hearing it.
The voice echoed, filling the sky.
[Today.]
[The 10th Floor Stage has been Cleared.]
A fanfare announcing a new age had begun.
[Beginning now, 24 hours hence, the 11th Floor Stage shall be opened.]
Phweeeee…!
Something erupted in the sky. A fireworks display. Purple sparks burst first, then red, blue, yellow—dozens of colors, thousands upon thousands of trails bloomed brilliantly across the void.
“Ah…….”
I gazed up at the sky, dazed. The fireworks in the heavens did not fade after their burst. They moved of their own accord. Each spark wriggled like a serpent, slowly taking shape.
[24:00:00]
A clock.
[23:59:59]
And the clock in the sky began to count down.
“…….”
Bae Hu-ryeong and I stood side by side, gazing upward at the vast expanse.
Then Bae Hu-ryeong murmured quietly.
-At last. The main story begins.
I nodded.
“Indeed.”
-I’ve seen this same fireworks show before, once upon a time.
“This is my second time witnessing it. But.”
I clenched my fist.
“But back then, I was in a bar on the 1st Floor. Just a spectator. I had no idea what was happening, so I flailed around for ages and eventually missed my chance, ending up as an F-Rank Hunter for the rest of my life. Damn it. Even thinking about it now, I was an idiot.”
-Hehehehe.
Bae Hu-ryeong laughed.
-So, how does it feel going from an extra to the main character?
I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I pulled out my Smartphone.
I wanted to see how the communities related to the Hunter industry were reacting.
-What? Fireworks? What’s that about?
-Fireworks display happening on the 1st Floor right now. Is this only on the 1st Floor?
-I’m at a hunting ground on the 3rd Floor and there’s a fireworks show going on here too.
Sure enough.
The midday fireworks had turned every community into a raging inferno.
-Just heard a voice.
-I heard the 10th Floor got cleared. Is that real?
-Did the Black Dragon Guild clear the 10th Floor?
-There was no official announcement. What’s going on here?
A post.
-The Administration scheduled the next conquest for two weeks from now.
-Definitely not Black Dragon! Black Dragon executives are all right now at the café across from Babylon Bank on the 1st Floor. Evidence photo attached.
-Who cleared it?
Another post.
-[Breaking News] 10th Floor Cleared!
-The guild that achieved the Clear hasn’t been revealed yet.
-[Breaking News] Black Dragon makes no Clear declaration.
Dozens of posts poured in every second. It wasn’t just one place. Every Hunter community was the same, and the flames soon spread to other communities as well.
News outlets operating out of Babylon frantically pumped out one-liner breaking news, and gossip blogs became kindling that set the communities ablaze again.
-If not Black Dragon, then who are they?
-I’m praying at Manshinjon right now, and I just saw the Inquisitor suddenly gathering the priests. It’s chaos. Manshinjon doesn’t seem to be involved either.
-That’s it! The Sword Saint!
-The Sword Saint cleared it alone. A hundred percent.
-Ah, if it’s the Sword Saint, that’s possible.
The flames spreading through the communities at first flared up separately. In one place, Manshinjon Guild was pushed forward. In another, the Sword Saint was pointed to. Earl, Viper, Holy Knight, and so on—all the top-ranked Hunters’ names were mentioned at least once.
But……
-What are you talking about? The Sword Saint’s at a bar right now drinking milk.
-Not the Sword Saint. Evidence photo attached.
-Viper is at the Dojang teaching guild disciples right now.
-What are you saying?
-Holy Knight works at Babylon Plaza.
-I asked him directly. The Sword Saint says it wasn’t him.
-Wait a minute. That doesn’t make sense logically.
-I’m a Sangryeon executive. I can’t reveal my real name or Epithet, but it’s not Sangryeon.
-Why isn’t a single guild declaring the Clear?
-What the hell.
The separate blazes in the communities soon merged into one.
Into a single, massive question.
-Then who is it?
-Does nobody know who cleared it right now?
-Who is the Hunter that conquered the 10th Floor?
-Who on earth……
* * *
Click.
I turned off the Smartphone screen.
And I decided to answer the question Bae Hu-ryeong had thrown at me earlier.
“How I feel right now, you mean.”
Somehow.
My lips were smiling.
“Honestly, it’s killing me.”
It was an emotion I’d never felt before in my life. But I didn’t need to have learned it from anyone to understand what it was. I knew it with instinctive certainty.
It was the feeling of standing at the very top.
“It feels like I own the whole world.”
-Right?
Bae Hu-ryeong laughed with a soft snort.
-Of course, right now it’s just an illusion. You haven’t seized the whole world—you’ve merely conquered the 10th Floor. But it’s not entirely an illusion, either. Kim Gongja, you stand closer to the summit than anyone else in your world.
“I know.”
I turned my gaze away.
“Now comes the real climb to the top.”
The stone staircase one must pass to challenge Hell Manor. A figure came bounding up those steps.
It was the Manager—the one who’d duped me about having an incurable disease.
“Huff, haa…! Haa-huff. Hunter, sir…!”
The Manager was drenched in sweat. He’d clearly sprinted here in a panic. He halted before me, breathing heavily.
“Just… just now. Did… did the Hunter do that?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“The 10th Floor Clear, sir!”
The Manager’s voice cracked with urgency.
“I’m the supervisor today, and all day long only the Hunter has challenged the 10th Floor, so… so it’s absolute chaos right now. Administration keeps calling me asking what happened…!”
“Mm.”
I gave the Manager a brief once-over. Buzz. Buzz-buzz. Even as we spoke, his pants pocket trembled ceaselessly—incoming calls, no doubt. Clearly, the tower was in an uproar, just as he’d said.
I smiled.
“And if I really had cleared it?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking what you’d do if I were truly a Hunter who cleared the 10th Floor.”
“That, well….”
The Manager’s face went pale.
“Since I wasn’t able to inspect your ID Card yet… I could do it now—”
“Now, Manager. Your words are strange. You couldn’t inspect it? That’s not quite honest, is it? Not when you already took 100 Gold from me.”
“That was… well….”
“You work so hard. I admire it.”
Tap.
I gave the Manager’s shoulder a gentle pat. He stared at me blankly. I passed him and descended the stone staircase at a leisurely pace.
Behind me, a desperate voice cried out.
“W-wait, please! Hunter, sir! Just your epithet is fine! Please, just tell me your epithet and I’ll go! Otherwise my seniors at Administration will beat me senseless!”
I answered without turning back.
“I don’t have an epithet.”
“…….”
“Work hard now. And don’t chase after me. Next time, I really will run.”
Fortunately, the Manager didn’t follow. Even if he had, it wouldn’t have mattered—he’d exhausted himself climbing those stairs, and I’d have left him behind effortlessly.
-Ha, look at his face. Absolute ghost-eyes.
Bae Hu-ryeong turned back to watch, giggling to himself.
-Anyway, well done. That’s how you build a legend properly. Right, you hide who you are and let others come searching for you. Without even telling them, they’ll figure it out themselves….
“Jeok Mu-wol.”
-What? Why?
I stood before the Teleportation Stone set at the 10th Floor’s entrance.
“I just realized something.”
-Realized what?
“Why you suddenly praised me.”
I spoke as I reserved transportation to the 1st Floor.
“The bet.”
Bae Hu-ryeong froze.
“Remember? You promised to call me Master if I defeated the boss within 2 Coins. Well, look at this. I actually conquered the 10th Floor in just 2 Coins. Sounds like you’re in trouble, old friend.”
-Come on, Gongja… we’re partners, aren’t we? This is a bit much…
Bae Hu-ryeong pleaded, his expression miserable.
-Think about it. Partners are supposed to be equals, right? You and me. Equals. The one who conquered 99 floors and the one who’ll challenge the 100th someday. Come on, partner! Friend! Isn’t that beautiful?
I smiled broadly.
“Enough. From now on, call me Master.”
-…….
“Forever.”
It was the moment despair consumed Bae Hu-ryeong’s face.
SSS-Rank Hunter: Alive Only to Die (Serialized)
Author │ Shin No-ah
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ JP Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 204, Digro 288, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Homepage │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Shin Noah 2019
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this provision may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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