SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 20

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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 20. The Leisure of a Cup of Coffee (2)
“Hmm. Quite the nerve, this one.”
The Count’s lips curved upward slightly.
“A cat transforms into a person and you barely blink. Not the usual behavior for a youth these days. Ah, but that’s meant as a compliment.”
“Thank you. I’ve always had considerable nerve. Spirits tend to become visible to me, and all that.”
“Aha ha. Even a joke at a time like this. Impressive indeed.”
The Count withdrew his fan and laughed as he waved it.
I’d spoken in earnest, though. No joke about it.
“Uh…….”
“Mm…….”
The Hunters exchanged glances. Of everyone present, only the Count had laughed. The personnel directors who’d been shouting about contract fees moments before had gone silent as mice the instant he appeared.
“Pardon me, but… sir.”
A large, blonde-haired Hunter ventured to speak, treading carefully.
“Do pardon yourself.”
“Is fifty thousand gold for a contract fee and a Vice Guild Master position… not excessive? Of course, clearing Floor 10 is a tremendous achievement. But we still don’t know exactly what caliber of ability this Kim Gongja Hunter possesses… it remains uncertain… and so…….”
The Hunter’s stammering worsened with each word. It wasn’t sudden aphasia. The Count was watching him intently over his fan, his eyes crinkling with barely concealed mirth.
“…….”
Finally the Hunter fell silent. He’d belatedly realized that nothing he said would matter. His opponent was a top-three Ranker—the scales were tipped entirely in another direction.
“Are we past the apologies?”
“…Yes.”
“Then before anyone else stumbles, have your superiors brought here. I’m afraid I can’t communicate with the lot of you. Ah, unless there’s someone among you with the audacity to bid higher than fifty thousand gold—in which case, by all means, make yourselves comfortable.”
In cruder terms: get lost.
There was a bitter irony to middle management—told to leave, and so they could only leave. The personnel directors rose and filed out one by one.
Ten minutes later, as if passing the baton, new faces walked into the cafe.
“Damn that two-faced snake! The hell!”
Ranking 5. Cheonmumun Guild Master, Doksa.
“I must admit, we were outmaneuvered. That was our blunder.”
Ranking 4. Mansinjeom Guild Master, the Inquisitor.
“Blunder is an odd word for it. Our task today wasn’t to welcome a new Hero, but to ensure the existing Hunters don’t lose their footing. The Count overstepped.”
Ranking 8. Jagyeongdan Vice Guild Master, the Holy Knight.
“…….”
Ranking 2. Hukryong Guild Master, the Black Witch, said nothing.
‘Wow.’
I let out a silent whistle.
‘An all-out mobilization. A complete turnout.’
The lineup was impressive.
These top-tier Rankers I’d only ever encountered in interview videos or articles—now they sat before me in the flesh, taking their seats at the opposite end of the table. I was suddenly struck by how much my own market value had risen.
“Welcome, all of you.”
The Count rested his chin on his hand, smiling warmly.
“It feels like it’s been an age since we gathered like this. Those days clearing Floor 2 together feel like yesterday, and yet time is so cruel, isn’t it? We’re all getting older.”
“Cut the eloquence, you two-faced snake, before I boil you in broth.”
Doksa growled.
The Cheonmumun Guild Master—a middle-aged Hunter with a single eye, known as the first to clear Floor 2—wore an eye patch across his face.
A scar from challenging the Sword Saint, or so the rumor went.
“Heard on the way here. Fifty thousand gold? Vice Guild Master? You’re still playing beast costumes, so your mind’s sunk to beast level now? Money throwing is your specialty anyway, so fine, you’re still the snake I know, but Vice Guild Master—what the…….”
“Let’s place an order first, shall we!”
The Inquisitor said brightly.
“We’ve entered an establishment, and it would be rude not to patronize it. How could leaders of the great Guilds responsible for the Tower behave that way! I’ll have a cafe mocha. What about the rest of you?”
“Ah, I’ll take a warm Americano, please.”
“A cold cafe latte sounds right.”
“…Hazelnut latte. Hot. Extra shot. Grande.”
The Guild Masters rattled off their orders as if they’d been waiting for the prompt.
Only Doksa looked caught off guard.
“What? Coffee? No, wait. The world’s in chaos because Floor 10 just got cleared, and you’re sitting around with enough leisure to drink coffee? Are your brains pickled in caffeine or what the…….”
“So the Cheonmumun Master prefers a strong espresso. Understood.”
“You damned religious fanatic…?”
“Owner! We’re ready to order!”
The Inquisitor called out, ignoring Doksa entirely. The barista behind the counter flinched. The small-chain barista suddenly tasked with brewing coffee for top-tier Rankers had gone pale.
“S-should I… take your order…?”
“Yes!”
The Inquisitor laughed, clear and bright.
Guild Master of the Mansinjeom. A golden-haired Hunter. The young man tasked with preventing religious conflict among people gathered from every corner of the world was famous for speaking formally to everyone.
Even when torturing a terrorist, they say he used formal speech.
“One iced café mocha, tall size. One hot americano, tall size. One iced café latte, tall size. One hot hazelnut latte with an extra shot, grande size. One double espresso! That’s what I’ll order!”
“Yes! O-okay, yes……!”
“Oh, one more thing—”
The Inquisitor slowly turned his head.
“…And what will Hunter Kim Gongja have?”
All eyes at the table fixed on me. The room fell silent in an instant. Amused glances. Hostile glances. Bright, innocent glances. Cold glances. Blank stares. Five faces and ten eyes watched me quietly.
As if testing my reaction.
-Don’t be rattled.
The Backhoe Spirit, who had been silent until then, spoke.
-These guys aren’t anything special. Just tell yourself they’re nothing! You’ve already died to Marcus, for crying out loud. Not a single one of them is better than the old man.
‘I know.’
I knew it well.
‘It’s just a psychological battle.’
And it was a rigged game from the start.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Excuse me, do you have a menu?”
“Yes?”
“I had a macchiato earlier, so coffee doesn’t sound appealing. I’d like to look at the menu and decide… Hmm. Actually, if you have hot chocolate, just bring me that.”
“Ah, understood.”
Composure.
What I needed to project right now was an air of ease.
‘These people didn’t just happen to show up in a mob.’
Whether it was when the recruitment team leaders came earlier or now, Hunters from different guilds arrived simultaneously each time.
Was this timing created by coincidence?
‘Absolutely not!’
A ploy disguised as chance.
Nothing but an act.
‘They’re trying to swarm me all at once, shake my composure.’
It was a classic tactic, tried and true. Like thugs showing up in a mob to intimidate a single person.
‘I mean, for thugs, these Hunters are pretty damn terrifying…….’
The air was tense, like thin ice forming.
‘Compared to burning alive, it’s nothing.’
In other words, it was merely thin ice.
Before I died to Yeom Je, I would’ve trembled in fear of these people. But now was different. I wasn’t scared at all.
The reason was stupidly simple.
‘If it pisses you off, go ahead and kill me.’
Even if they did, I’d still be fine!
The Backhoe Spirit nodded.
-Exactly, I told you so. That’s your talent and your strength! Let them try if they dare—stare at them like you’re daring them to. Eyes sharp, forceful. These pathetic losers who can’t kill anyone acting like top rankers?
‘Well, I appreciate the support, but you’re still not getting the penalty lifted.’
-Damn it all……!
The Backhoe Spirit grabbed its head in frustration.
“Hmm.”
Meanwhile, the Inquisitor’s expression shifted.
“How fascinating. Before clearing Floor 10, you had no notable achievements on record at all. And suddenly you change completely… The world truly is full of surprises!”
“It’s not entirely true that there were no achievements.”
The Count covered his lower face with his fan and smiled with his eyes.
“This young man won our guild’s lottery not long ago. Lucky. And bold. I don’t know how he cleared it, but judging by the fact that he conquered Floor 10, he has skill too. Luck, boldness, skill. If a young man possesses all three, he’ll succeed at anything.”
“Ha… that’s what I’ve been saying.”
Doksa sighed from across the table.
“Stop with all these tricks and just recruit him! Surely someone who cleared Floor 10 isn’t some ignorant kid. Tch, pointless acting that won’t even work…….”
“That’s not what matters.”
Suddenly.
The Black Witch, the quiet guild master of Hukryong, finally spoke.
“If Buddha’s dignity is wounded, that doesn’t mean the temple’s dignity is wounded. We’re all busy anyway. Let’s put off blaming each other for later.”
“Ahem…….”
“Hunter Kim Gongja.”
The Black Witch regarded me carefully.
“Let me ask you straight. Which guild are you thinking of joining?”
Her eyes were dark, unfathomable.
“If you’re planning to remain unaffiliated like the Sword Saint, tell me now. Depending on your choice, we’ll need to discuss how to handle the media response.”
“And if I’m considering joining a specific guild?”
“Then a fierce bidding war begins.”
The Black Witch spoke matter-of-factly.
“We’ve lingered on Floor 9 far too long. Stagnation—that word doesn’t even do justice to how shameful it’s been. But thanks to you breaking through Floor 10, we finally have a chance to remind the outside world of the Tower’s value.”
“A chance.”
“Yes. A chance to draw not just war refugees, but countless others from the outside world into the Tower.”
The barista appeared with a tray, serving coffee to each guild master in turn. No one spoke. The Black Witch simply sipped her hazelnut latte in silence.
“Once Floor 10 opens, Hunters who’ve spent their entire careers confined to Floor 1 City will feel the pull of it. What waits beyond Floor 11? Even cynical realists will be tempted to peek.”
Naturally.
“It should help with the food shortage, at least.”
……
The Black Witch looked at me with surprise.
“You catch on fast, don’t you? Yes. We’re already struggling to meet food demand relying solely on goods excavated from below Floor 9.”
“Though I do maintain open trade routes with the outside world around the clock.”
The Count chuckled.
“But I’m not as spry as I once was. Age makes it taxing.”
“We need new products.”
The Black Witch continued.
“We need to draw adventurers into the world beyond Floor 10. We need to find items excavated only from beyond Floor 10.”
“Then you’ll need an active means of appealing to both the outside world and the Tower. A way to trumpet that a new era has begun. And that means is me, isn’t it?”
“…Yes. Precisely.”
All of it was still in the future.
It was the same reason the major guilds hadn’t simply seized someone like Yeom Je, who lived smugly in isolation—because he’d become a Hero. Whether they liked it or not, an icon of a new age.
The Tower needed such a Hero to keep growing.
‘Yet Hukryong still tried to have Yeom Je assassinated.’
I recalled the conversation I’d overheard in Slum Alley.
-Who ordered you to kill me? Just answer that.
-Did the Black Witch of Hukryong command it?
The Holy Maiden had nodded slowly.
If the Holy Maiden hadn’t lied, then the Black Witch before me had genuinely attempted to poison Yeom Je. Why, I couldn’t fathom now, but……
‘We might get along.’
Because.
‘Anyone who hates that bastard can’t be all bad!’
The enemy of my enemy, as they say.
A sense of camaraderie was beginning to form.
“I understand what you’re saying. Whichever guild successfully recruits me becomes the symbol of a new era. The other guilds become mere supporting players, don’t they?”
“Right.”
“That feels a bit unfair to them… so here’s what I propose.”
The Hunters leaned forward, attentive.
I drew Trump Cards from my pocket.
“…Trump Cards?”
The Black Witch tilted her head.
“Are you seriously suggesting we decide by game? Your guild affiliation?”
“Yes.”
……
“We’ll play Poker. Whoever comes in first, I join their guild. No contract fees, no conditions necessary. But!”
I grinned.
“If I win, I’ll join all of your guilds simultaneously.”
……
“Nominally as a member, of course. But in practice, treat me as your equal. You get to profit from my image, and I get treated on par with the heads of the highest guilds. What do you say?”
The guild masters’ eyes sharpened instantly.
“Ahahaha.”
The Count burst out laughing.
“So a young upstart who’s conquered barely one floor demands equal treatment with us?”
“Yes. Provided I beat all of you at cards and take first place.”
“Amusing. I’m in.”
The Count set down his coffee cup and glanced around the table.
“What do the rest of you say?”
“I’m fine with it, as long as we don’t use Deception!”
The Inquisitor answered first.
“…And we won’t use Skills either. Otherwise you’d have too much of an advantage. Anyone caught using Skills is automatically disqualified.”
Then came Doksa.
“Our guild is broke anyway—if we entered an auction, we’d lose for certain. Losing means we’re back where we started, and winning is pure windfall. This works for us.”
The Holy Knight nodded in agreement.
…….
Finally, the Black Witch inclined her head.
“Fine. I accept your proposal.”
The wager was set.
We established the detailed rules of Poker. The rules themselves were ordinary—only, the highest-ranking Hunters examined the cards meticulously to ensure there was no shoddy tampering, no suspicion of Deception.
‘Sword Saint, sir.’
When the cards were dealt.
-Huh……?
‘Honestly, you really hate calling me Gongja, don’t you?’
I called out to the Backhoe Spirit, who was still frustrated.
‘How about we do this instead.’
-Do what exactly……?
‘Just call me Gongja until this game ends.’
The Backhoe Spirit’s eyes went wide.
-Huh? Really, I can do that?
‘Yes. Of course.’
I grinned wickedly.
‘In exchange, tell me exactly what cards all these Hunters are holding.’
-Yes! Yes! Woohoo!
The Backhoe Spirit bounced with glee.
-This is so easy! Ha! Just as expected from Gongja! Truly magnanimous! I’ve never seen such generosity! You want to know what cards these bastards are holding? Don’t worry, I’ll even tell you if they’re dealing from the bottom of the deck! Your Gongja is so gracious! Simply magnificent!
Now then.
Let the game begin.
SSS-Rank Hunter: Live or Die (Serialized)
Author │ Shin Noah
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ 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, and its contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and the author.
Violation of this restriction 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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