SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 21

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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 21. A Cup of Coffee’s Leisure (3)
2
—Gongja! This bastard’s got a Straight. You’re done for.
“Fold.”
—Ah, Gongja. This son of a bitch is Bluffing with just One Pair? Good lord, come on, it’s weak, so weak. Why don’t you Call and finish him off already?
“Call.”
—Hey, look at that—Gongja’s got the same hand. Both Two Pair. But what now? Your Two Pair’s got better kickers though? Man, this is a blast. Let’s see this through till one of us drops, Gongja!
“Raise.”
—Whoa, is this guy really going for a Full House now? Gongja, don’t you worry. I just took a peek at the cards from under the table a moment ago. No matter what comes down in the end, he’s never gonna make that Full House. Trust me on this and let’s go all the way!
“All-in.”
About thirty hands into the poker game.
“…….”
The man sitting across from me was trembling violently. Doksa. The one-eyed Hunter’s complexion had flushed red and purple in turns.
“Damn it! This is cheating!”
Doksa shot up from his seat. Crash! The table lurched. The other Hunters, having apparently seen this outburst coming from a mile away, simultaneously lifted their coffee cups. Crisis averted—no coffee spilled on the table. Well, impeccable timing.
“This doesn’t make sense! Thirty-some hands in and this bastard hasn’t lost a single one. Bluffing doesn’t work on him. It’s gotta be cheating! Some Passive Skill or whatever he’s using—some dog-shit ability! It’s fraud! Pure fraud!”
“Do you have proof?”
I sipped my hot chocolate. It had long gone cold by now, turning into a bland chocolate latte. But that had its own charm.
“Perhaps I’m simply good at poker. Without evidence, you’re being awfully hard on me. Won’t you cut me some slack, senior?”
“Is this asshole really registered as an F-class Hunter?”
Doksa looked around the room and shouted.
“There’s no way he’s F-class! I’d sooner believe the Management Bureau took bribes and lied through their teeth. The audacity radiating off this kid puts him at minimum B-class!”
“Wow, how’d you figure that out? That I’m not F-class.”
“Of course—I had a feeling…….”
“Actually, I just got bumped up to E-class yesterday. I’ve been so busy Clearing the tenth floor since then that I haven’t had time to report it to the Management Bureau yet.”
“…….”
I smiled.
“Thank you for the high regard. By the way, Gate Master, you’re all out of chips, aren’t you?”
“Ugh…….”
Doksa turned his back. He walked away with heavy, depleted steps. To the loser’s section. The players who had been knocked out early were huddled together in the outer seats.
“Welcome! Gate Master of Heaven’s Gate!”
The Idan Shimun Official, who had been eliminated first, beamed brightly.
“I figured it was about time for the Gate Master to bow out. So I ordered an extra espresso! Don’t be shy. Drink up and enjoy.”
“I hate espresso…….”
“Yes! I know. But picky eating is bad for you—overcome it!”
“Bloody fanatic…….”
Doksa sat down in the loser’s section with a grimace.
Three Hunters remained at the gaming table. Myself, the Witch of the Black Dragon Guild, and—surprisingly—Sung Kisa had also survived.
“Hmm.”
Sung Kisa furrowed her brow, staring down at her cards.
Sub-Guild Master of the Jayeongdan. A Hunter renowned for her integrity and fairness. The Jayeongdan was a guild founded to maintain peace and order in Babylon, the city of the Tower’s first floor. In the outside world, the Hunter before me would have ranked on par with a Police Commissioner.
It was said she’d donated her entire fortune to an orphanage out of selflessness.
“I’m done.”
Sung Kisa sighed and laid down her cards.
“I prided myself on my poker face. Kim Gongja, do you happen to possess a Mind Reading skill?”
“Who knows? Could be Mind Reading, could be Clairvoyance. Why don’t you guess?”
“…Rookies these days are tougher than they look.”
Sung Kisa gave a wry smile. She bowed to me politely, then made her way to the loser’s section.
“Hey! Don’t give up so easily, you bastard!”
Doksa, already seated in the outer section, raised his voice in protest. Coffee mustache stained the corner of his mouth—he must have spilled some espresso.
“Win or lose, you should cling on like a hunting dog! You gonna just let that con artist walk free?”
“Con artist? That’s harsh talk to level at a new hero.”
“It’s obvious the bastard’s using a skill openly!”
Sung Kisa shrugged.
“I knew from the start.”
“What? Knew what?”
“It would be strange not to know. Would a rookie really propose a poker game with nothing but blind luck and no preparation? The very fact that he issued a challenge through the game itself was a declaration: ‘I’m confident enough to beat you all without revealing my skill.’ We simply accepted that challenge.”
Doksa stared blankly.
“So… that’s what it was?”
“Gate Master… it’s good that you work hard on your martial arts. But use your head a little too.”
Sung Kisa looked down at Doksa with an expression of genuine pity.
“From the start, we have nothing to lose in this game. Of course, winning would be a windfall. But even if we lose… didn’t that newcomer say it himself? That he’d join all the guilds here? That’s a decent outcome in its own way.”
“But… but we have our pride! How could we be treated as equals with some green kid…….”
“Does pride pay the bills?”
Doksa fell silent.
“Espresso will! Here, have some coffee liqueur. Finish it!”
“Several…….”
In the end, the last two players remaining were the Rank 2 Hunter—the Black Witch—and me.
Just the two of us.
Two people alone.
“…….”
The Witch stared at her cards for a moment, then spoke.
“I’m glad.”
“Glad about what?”
“That you’re at least someone I can talk to.”
The Witch placed her chips down. A raise—she’d increased the pot. Was she trying to provoke me?
“I’m from Ukraine. More accurately, from what used to be Ukraine. After I lost my family in the civil war, I’ve been living abroad ever since. You know as well as I do—whether it’s the Tower or the outside world, it’s not easy for a woman to survive alone.”
“True enough.”
I cheerfully accepted her provocation. A re-raise—I pushed the stakes higher.
“…….”
The Witch hesitated for a moment, then tapped the table twice. Tap. Tap. A signal that she accepted the challenge. After folding earlier, Baekjak had volunteered to deal, and now he spread the cards across the table.
“So what are you trying to say?”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“People who entered the Tower—especially the first generation—it’s harder to find someone without a story. I’m just an ordinary orphan myself.”
My hand was One Pair.
“This Tower is like a homeland to me.”
Her hand was a Flush.
“In the Tower, we don’t ask about origins. Rather, we’ve built a world where we don’t have to ask. That I’m from Ukraine. That Tianwu Manjuushu is from China. That you’re from Korea…. Such things don’t matter in our Tower.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Thanks to the Tower’s Blessing, we can understand each other’s words. Here, we are equal challengers… at least more so than in the outside world.”
If I called now, I’d lose.
But I raised the bet anyway, calmly.
“People in the outside world treat this place like a garbage dump.”
“Even in a garbage dump, roses bloom.”
The Witch signaled her call firmly.
“Kim Gongja, the moment the Heavenly Clock in the sky strikes [00:00:00], the media will flood the news with articles about you all at once. Your life will take a completely different turn. I hope you handle it wisely.”
“That sounds great.”
Another card flipped over on the table.
“Not to brag, but I love the attention. I want people to praise me, to look up to me, to envy me. I mean it. Honestly, that’s all there is to me.”
Now my hand had become Two Pair.
“…You’re honest. I guess you’re the complete opposite of Geom Sung.”
The Witch’s hand was still a Flush.
I was still badly behind.
“All-in.”
“…….”
“I’m confident.”
I tore my eyes from my cards and looked at the Witch.
“Let me tell you all something now. I don’t expect to be treated with respect just for clearing ten floors. I will clear twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred floors. No matter how long it takes, I will conquer the Tower.”
“…….”
“I understand that you all hold the Tower dear. I respect that. I have no intention of needlessly fighting you either. But I will think of you all as rivals.”
Who will be the first to reach the top of the Tower?
Who will be worthy of being called the greatest hero?
To be remembered by the people, to be praised, to be envied and resented. To build a golden pyramid that everyone looks up to.
“I want to see the world beyond the Tower more than the world inside it.”
Therefore, I will climb the Tower.
“War refugees, food shortages—honestly, I don’t have time to worry about such things. If my name is needed to solve those problems, use it. Use it as much as you want. Just support me in my climb up the Tower.”
The feeling I’d had after clearing ten floors today. I wanted to feel that sensation of reaching the summit again. I’d only tasted it once so far… but I was already addicted to that feeling.
Because it felt absolutely incredible!
“…Hah.”
After a long silence, the Witch let out a sigh.
“I was wrong about you. You’re not the opposite of Geom Sung at all — you’re exactly the same.”
The Witch raised both hands and pushed her chips forward. Whoosh! The mountain of chips tumbled across the table and gathered in the center.
All in.
“Is that a compliment?”
“No, it’s an insult. You’re just like greedy people.”
The final card flipped over.
Her hand remained a Flush.
My hand was a Full House.
“Then it was a compliment after all.”
I smiled wryly.
“Thank you.”
It was my victory.
“So I trust you’ll honor our agreement — equal treatment with everyone else.”
“Should I expect you to shoulder the same obligations as you enjoy the rights?”
“Pardon? A Hunter’s obligation is to climb the Tower, isn’t it? Don’t worry. I’ll continue to fulfill my duties as a Hunter.”
“A newcomer with such Brazenness…”
The Witch let out a bitter laugh.
-Hmm, this zombie bastard does have guts. If there was actually a Brazenness Skill, he’d have hit S-rank.
‘…Are you really calling me Zombie again the instant the game ends?’
-Of course, you zombie son of a bitch! What’s all this “Gongja” nonsense!
Bae Huryeong darted about the empty air excitedly.
-Zombie! Zombie! You zombie bastard! Ah, how I’ve missed calling a zombie a zombie! Never again will I wager with that brazen wretch!
‘How pathetic.’
This so-called Sword Emperor was remarkably vulgar.
I stood up, clicking my tongue inwardly.
“Leaving already?”
“Yes. The 11th floor will open soon. If I don’t want to fall behind, I need to start preparing now.”
“How can you prepare when you don’t even know what kind of place the 11th floor will be?”
Hmm.
‘Dropping a hint here wouldn’t be a bad move.’
Since I’d secured equal treatment anyway, it would be wise to create a debt — it would make future dealings smoother.
I gathered my thoughts and opened my mouth.
“It’s Role-playing.”
“What?”
“The theme for floors 11 through 20 is Role-playing.”
Every Hunter in the room, The Witch included, fixed their gaze on me. Their eyes burned with intensity. Of course they did. Even the smallest hint could give someone the edge to move faster than others.
The information I was handing out was worth its weight in gold.
“I got a hint as a reward for clearing the 10th floor.”
Of course, a lie.
I hadn’t yet received my reward for conquering the 10th floor — that would come the moment the Heavenly Clock struck 00:00:00. But I already knew what was going to happen next.
Knowledge of the future. There was no reason not to use it.
“That’s all I know.”
“…Right. Thanks for sharing.”
The Witch nodded.
“I’ll repay this debt eventually.”
It was a promise worth anticipating.
3
I woke from a deep sleep at the lodging and headed out to the plaza.
The city was already in festival mood. Hunters celebrated the fact that the 10th floor had been cleared for the first time in years. Some taverns were handing out free beer, and anyone with a decent voice was belting out a tune in the square.
“But who actually cleared the 10th floor?”
There was only one question nagging at people.
“There’s still been no official announcement…”
“Someone said they saw all the Guild Masters gathered in one place.”
“Did you see that video where Geom Sung says it wasn’t him? He looked so pissed, just kept insisting he definitely didn’t do it.”
“Then who on earth was it?”
Murmur, murmur—
The whispered conversation drifted clearly from the side.
I had to suppress a smile.
‘Right here next to them.’
I was standing in the middle of the celebration, blended into the crowd.
[00:02:09]
Before long, the tenth floor had been cleared, and as a day passed, the Heavenly Clock ticked downward steadily, albeit slowly.
Some Hunter raised a beer glass they’d gotten for nothing, while others craned their necks skyward, murmuring about the mysterious conqueror of that floor.
Much like people in the world above welcoming the new year.
[00:00:10]
“Ten!”
No one had instructed them, yet the moment the Heavenly Clock reached ten seconds, Hunters throughout the square began counting aloud in unison.
[00:00:09]
“Nine!”
[00:00:08]
“Eight!”
The square resonated with the chorus of countless Hunters. Seven, six, five…. It wasn’t the new year, but anticipation for a new era hung upon every face.
[00:00:04]
“Four!”
I pulled out my smartphone and checked the news.
The embargo still held—articles about me hadn’t surfaced yet.
[00:00:03]
“Three!”
That was when it happened.
News outlets operated by Babylon began uploading articles in rapid succession, mere seconds apart. The hunger to scoop every rival by even a single second, perhaps.
[00:00:02]
“Two!”
I scanned the headlines.
-[Breaking] Floor 10 cleared by unknown E-rank newcomer!
-[Breaking] Real name is Kim Gongja. Korean-born….
-[Breaking] Floor 10 conqueror reportedly joined multiple major guilds simultaneously.
-[Breaking] Black Dragon Guild issues official statement. Welcoming a new hero….
I smiled.
[00:00:01]
“One!”
The dawn of a new era had begun.
SSS-Rank Hunter: One Must Die to Live (Serialized)
Author │ Shin Noah
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Publishing Company │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Posttower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Shin Noah 2019
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and no part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without the permission of 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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