SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 24

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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 24. Welcome, Heroes! (3)
4
There’s an old saying.
Above the jumper stands the flyer.
And there’s another.
Beside the Hunter with a sword stands the Hunter with soldiers.
Those words came from Kim Gongja himself.
“Hey, what’s that!”
“Huh? From the clothes, they look like a Hunter like us…?”
The Battlefield. Hunters mid-swing paused and turned their heads. It was reckless, stealing a glance away while monsters shrieked all around them. But fortunately, they had just enough breathing room to spare—because I’d made that space for them.
I’d created the opening myself.
“Your Highness!”
The General glanced back over his shoulder and shouted.
“This direction is correct, yes?”
The General’s body swayed. Mine swayed too—because we were both riding the same horse. The General held the reins and drove the beast forward while I sat behind him.
The ride was atrocious, but my spirits soared.
“Absolutely certain. Just keep charging straight ahead, then curve right—that’s where the Demon Army’s legion commander is. There are some monsters nearby, but never mind. Sweep them aside.”
“Understood!”
Because a thousand soldiers followed in our wake.
“All forces, follow me!”
The General raised his Commander’s Baton high.
“The Goddess’s champion protects us!”
“Uwoooooo!”
The soldiers roared and charged after him. A breakthrough formation! Soldiers who’d been holding the defensive line until now drove straight through the monster horde. Goblins and Orcs blocked their path but fell without resistance.
“Heh heh.”
It was the Mini-map’s doing.
I’d deliberately advised the General to aim only at points where the monsters were thin on the ground.
“All right, take a right here.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Of course, the Mini-map alone hadn’t won the General’s trust. Today’s loop had made all the difference. Considerable preparation was required beforehand.
I’d witnessed the General’s trauma when I acquired the skill—but I’d think about that later.
‘Status window.’
For now, I needed to focus on the battle at hand.
First, the Skills. Here’s what I’d acquired:
+
Name: Kim Gongja
Rank: E-Class
Skills (5/5)
1. I Want to Become Like You (S+)
2. Returnee’s Pocket Watch (EX)
3. Sword Constellation (A+)
4. Goblin Upper Society (F)
5. Battlefield’s Eye (B)
+
‘The new Skill is war-related.’
Battlefield’s Eye was exactly what its name suggested—the ability to read a battlefield. Whether our forces held the advantage or labored at a disadvantage. Where to strike the enemy line to break through. All of it came to me as pure instinct.
In short, it let me play the part of a passable expert.
‘But the Skill isn’t everything.’
I grinned and raised the sword in my hand.
It was no ordinary blade. Not the Dagger I’d used when I died. This was a Holy Sword—its blade glowing softly with sacred light, its hilt carved with the image of a lion’s gaping maw. As the silver luminescence cut through the air, soldiers all around opened their mouths in awe.
“The light bestowed by the Goddess!”
“The Founder’s Holy Sword… Ah, the Divine did not abandon the Empire!”
“Long live the Aikim Empire!”
That’s right.
This sword was the final piece of the puzzle that let me command an army.
An item I’d selected through the Merchant Goddess’s blessing.
+
Lepanta Aikim’s Guardian Holy Sword
Rarity: Legend
Description: “He who grasps the Holy Sword grasps the continent.” Thus reads the inscription on the Founder’s Holy Sword—said to have been bestowed upon the Founder who established the Aikim Empire by the Goddess herself. “He who grasped the continent shall be grasped by Fate.”
The Founder appointed a successor and departed. Did he take his own life? Did he fall to rebellion? At a time when legend and history had not yet diverged, his whereabouts became unknown, and the Guardian Holy Sword vanished with him. He left behind only a single line of prophecy as a waypoint.
‘When destiny arrives, so too shall the one who seized the Guardian Holy Sword.’
Whoever possessed the Guardian Holy Sword received absolute support and trust from those of Aikim Empire blood.
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The raw power of a legendary item was genuinely extraordinary.
“Long live the Empire! Long live the hero!”
“Goddess, protect us!”
“Attack! Sweep away those foul creatures!”
The soldiers charged forward with renewed courage.
“Excellent.”
To the soldiers’ eyes, my skills and I were nothing less than legendary heroes. The one actually commanding was the General—an NPC—while I was merely an adviser, yet it felt as though I alone reigned over the army.
I felt myself soaring.
‘This is marvelous. Ah, absolutely marvelous. Just witnessing a sight like this makes clearing a hidden Stage feel utterly worthwhile, doesn’t it?’
-Garbage item, that’s all it is!
As I rode that high, Specter raged.
-It’s just some sturdy, shiny sword!
‘Tsk, tsk. I suppose that’s what being a spirit does to your sensibilities. A sturdy, shiny sword that makes NPCs desperate from Floor Eleven through Floor Twenty? Do you understand? NPCs aren’t mere tools for dispensing quests.’
It was a simple shift in perspective.
‘They’re beings meant to be used to clear quests!’
And that perspective actually worked.
While other Hunters labored and sweated like dogs in the dirt, I charged across the Battlefield alongside the General with perfect ease.
“What… what is that……?”
Whenever I passed near the Hunters, someone gasped in bewilderment. Some even cried out in shock.
“Why is that person moving with the General?”
“Is he an NPC?”
“Wait. It looks like he’s actually giving the General orders…….”
“No, look at his clothes. He’s a Hunter!”
“Who is that person……?”
Voices of amazement. Voices of doubt. Voices thick with envy and jealousy.
The typical reactions one human takes when looking up at another.
‘Ah.’
I was intoxicated.
‘This is it. This, right here. Khah, magnificent.’
-…this lunatic taught you Aura, and instead of training in swordsmanship, you just enhanced your hearing to eavesdrop on gossip. Zombie, truly impressive. You’re a real zombie…….
‘What can I do? I’m being honest—it feels good!’
The charge was succeeding. Monsters fell in succession.
There were faint signs of resistance, attempts to stem our advance, but…….
“Hah!”
On the left flank, elite Hunters led by Sword Star slaughtered orcs without mercy.
“Ahahah! Ah, what a glorious day! New battle! A new era! How truly…….”
“Shut it! If you’ve got time to flap your mouth, catch another goblin!”
On the right flank, members of the great guild, including the Heretic Inquisitor and Viper, distinguished themselves.
Both wings of the enemy collapsed. There remained no reserves to block our breakthrough. Clop-clop! Clop-clop! Goblin heads shattered beneath cavalry hooves, while orc lungs were pierced by soldier spears.
“We can win this!”
“Follow the General! Follow the hero!”
Charge. And charge again!
Before long, a breach opened in the enemy ranks. We had reached the very threshold of the Demon Army’s legion commander. On the mini-map, that commander glowed with particular intensity—a single red dot.
-Gorr, gorr.
Looking straight ahead over the General’s shoulder, I could see a King Goblin in the distance, pacing back and forth in agitation.
‘Hmph.’
An inward laugh escaped me.
‘I wondered what kind of monster the enemy commander would be—and it’s just a King Goblin?’
True, it would be stronger than the King Goblin I’d caught on Floor Five. It commanded an army of thousands of monsters. But no matter how formidable a goblin became, it was still just a goblin. If cavalry charged and swept it away in one coordinated strike, there was no way it could withstand us.
And more than that.
[Activating skill.]
I possessed a skill specifically designed for goblins.
-Gorr, gorr!
The King Goblin raised its staff, rallying the monsters around it. Translated into human speech, it probably meant something like ‘Stop them! You idiots!’
Toward that King Goblin, I let out a cry.
“Gorrrgh!”
In perfectly flawless Goblin speech!
—High, Hurgh?
“Grrrrgh!”
—Grurgh?
The King Goblin visibly panicked. With the leader thrown into confusion, the monsters nearby descended into chaos. Naturally, even as this unfolded, our forces pressed their charge. The last hope that might have stopped our advance had vanished like smoke.
—Grurgh?
The King Goblin flailed in desperation. It seemed to realize it had been deceived.
But it was already far too late.
I poured my Aura into the Guardian Holy Sword and swung it with all my strength.
“That was a satisfying growl!”
The holy blade cleaved through the goblin like a knife through tofu. Clang! As the edge passed, there was a dull catch—that must have been the monster’s neck bone. The goblin didn’t even manage a proper death cry before its head flew clear.
“Huzzah!”
The General slowed his horse and shouted.
“The Goddess’s Champion has slain the beast!”
He wasn’t speaking to me. It was a cry meant for the soldiers to hear. The General infused his voice with Aura, straining to make it carry through the deafening roar of battle.
The adjutants riding nearby instantly grasped his intent.
“The beast is slain!”
“The Goddess’s Champion has felled the enemy commander!”
From the General to his adjutants, from adjutants to company commanders, from commanders to the soldiers under their charge—the voice rippled outward, echoing and resounding again, until the entire battlefield thundered with the cry.
“Uooooo!”
The battalions answered with fluttering flags. Cheers, shouts of joy. Here on the Battlefield where comrades fell dead and monsters surged forward, the soldiers finally raised their voices in triumph.
……
I dismounted and looked around me in wonder.
My eyes met those of a Flag Bearer. He had lost his left arm in the fighting. With only his right arm remaining, the Flag Bearer waved the banner high. When our eyes met, the one-armed Flag Bearer broke into a radiant smile. And he raised the flag even higher.
Sunlight poured down across the charred banner.
“Long live the Aikim Empire!”
We had won.
“Sweep up the stragglers!”
“Attack! Attack! Let not a single one escape!”
The tide of battle had completely turned.
—Kergh, kerr……
—Grrgh!
The monsters, wild as beasts, began to flee.
“Huh?”
“Look at these things.”
The Hunters’ eyes gleamed with new fervor. Army against army was one matter, but the pursuit of scattered monsters—that was the Hunter’s true domain. The Hunters bared their fangs and pounced on the goblins and orcs.
“Kill them all!”
The hunt had begun.
The slaughter did not last long.
Soon after, a voice vast and clear as the very echoes of the Battlefield itself resounded in our minds.
[Stage Clear!]
[Floor 11 has been cleared this day.]
It was the voice of victory.
[Hear now, one and all.]
[Floor 11 has been cleared this day.]
An uproar erupted.
“Whoa—is this real?!”
“We’re actually that strong, aren’t we?”
“Long live the Black Dragon Guild!”
This time it was the Hunters who cheered, not the soldiers. Some threw their hats into the air as they had in the Square before, while others embraced one another.
Floor 11 cleared in less than a single day!
It was a staggering triumph, an advance like a tidal wave.
[Measuring participants… measurement complete.]
[The count exceeds the limit.]
[Selecting the top 10 participants.]
The Hunters looked up toward the sky.
A list was being inscribed in vast letters of light across the heavens.
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[Clear Contribution Rankings]
1st Place: Kim Gongja
2nd Rank: Sword Star
3rd Rank: Heretic Inquisitor
4th Rank: Viper
5th Rank: Holy Knight
6th Rank: Black Witch
7th Rank: Count
.
.
.
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Familiar names cascaded down the list.
But as the roster neared completion, the Hunters began murmuring loudly.
“Wait? The 1st Rank has no epithet?”
“Sword Star is 2nd?”
“Kim Gongja…?”
My name had only recently been released to the press. The confusion was understandable. But the bewilderment passed quickly—someone in the crowd cried out.
“Oh! It’s the Floor 10 Conqueror!”
“Right! The Floor 10 Conqueror’s name was Gongja!”
“Another Hunter who didn’t receive an epithet from the Tower ranking 1st?”
“Maybe they’re some reclusive master or something?”
Hearing the crowd’s whispers, Specter made a sullen face.
-Tch. A reclusive master? This clever schemer is just that—clever.
‘Surely you recognize real skill when you see it now?’
-I don’t! Won’t!
Specter turned away sharply. It seemed he’d gotten miffed because I hadn’t been training with the sword lately. What could I say about this ghost? He had a marked tendency to value fundamentals over flashy skills.
I smiled wryly.
‘I’ll practice swordsmanship before we finish Floor 20, so please stop pouting.’
-Really? You mean it?
Specter’s ears perked up.
‘Of course. How could I travel with a Sword Master and learn nothing? You cleared up to Floor 99. If anything, I should be begging you to teach me.’
-That’s right!
As if he’d never been downhearted, Specter began spinning through the air in circles.
-Hah! Now this zombie finally recognizes my true worth! You see, even though this Tower you’re climbing is slightly different from our world’s stages, in our world I swept through floors like an unstoppable force. Floor 11 alone was just, you know, a warm-up!
This is easy.
This ghost is so easy to humor.
How can it be this simple?
“O Goddess’s Champion.”
As I watched Specter levitate through the air, General approached. His entire body was stained with monster blood. But his face had been wiped clean, and a neat smile settled there.
“Thanks to you, we were able to claim victory. Truly, I am grateful from the bottom of my heart.”
“Not at all. We won because everyone worked hard together.”
“Aha.”
General scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“I was worrying for nothing, it seems.”
“Sir?”
“An Oracle came down from the Temple long ago. It said that while the Demon Army would arrive, warriors from other worlds would also be summoned—so do not despair. Yet I remained skeptical. Why would warriors from a foreign world fight so hard for us?”
General smiled.
“But that worry proved needless. I offer my gratitude once more.”
General extended his hand.
A handshake. Despite the difference in worlds, the meaning of clasping hands together seemed much the same. Perhaps it was because humans possessed two hands in either world.
“I look forward to your continued brilliant efforts.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We shook hands.
[Measuring clear rewards… Measurement complete.]
[Distributing rewards to top Conquerors.]
At that moment, light engulfed me along with a voice.
It wasn’t just me. Beams of light shot up from scattered points across the Battlefield. One, two, three, four—ten pillars of light soared skyward in total.
[Top Conquerors will enter Floor 12 first.]
[Remaining Conquerors cannot enter Floor 12 until top Conquerors receive their rewards.]
[We announce once more to all. The top Conquerors….]
Indeed.
The top ten Hunters who contributed most to the Clear receive their rewards first. I felt a pang for those who scraped into eleventh or twelfth place, but it’s a fair enough system.
Just before the light consumed us entirely, the General spoke.
“Please, look kindly upon our empire.”
And then we were summoned to Floor 12.
SSS-Rank Hunter: You Must Die to Live (Serialized)
Author | Shin No-ah
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyeong
Publishing House | JaePlus Media, Inc.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyeok
Address | 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Shin No-ah 2019
※ This work is published by JaePlus Media, Inc. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the company and author.
Violation of this shall result in civil and criminal 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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