SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 27

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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 27. The Chosen Ones (3)
“I… I….”
After a long silence, Geom Seong opened his mouth.
The Hunters were watching him. The old man’s lips had gone dry.
“I… to Kim Gong-ja….”
Here, Geom Seong could have said so much.
Above all, he need not have trusted Seong Ki-sa. There was no reason to. Even if she was famous for being honest and fair as a Hunter, she was still just another power broker among the Five Major Guilds. Why should he trust her?
‘So you’ve all conspired together to deceive me!’
Geom Seong could have raged.
Or else… he could have revealed his Skill Card. Detective’s Insight. An ability that showed the opponent’s Kill Count. It was hardly wise to expose one’s own skill to others. But it would have served as excuse enough.
‘I didn’t suspect Kim Gong-ja because I’m stubborn. It’s all the fault of the skill! The skill says so—what can I do? It’s only natural to trust one’s own skill rather than rashly believe another.’
When people commit wrongs, they tend to either distrust others or make excuses to them.
‘Though there are psychopaths like Yeom Je who simply kill their opponent outright.’
Distrust. Excuses. Silencing.
Just as Yeom Je proved he was a psychopath by choosing the method of silencing… Geom Seong too would define himself by whatever choice he made now.
It was simply that.
“Mm.”
Geom Seong pressed his lips together.
And he decided.
“…Your name is Kim Gong-ja, then.”
“Yes.”
“If you truly have not slaughtered innocent people… no, that’s not it. That’s not the right question.”
Geom Seong shook his head as he spoke.
The old man slid his sword back into its sheath. With a soft whisper, the blade was sheathed, and sighs of relief escaped from various corners of the Reception Hall. The Hunters surrounding Geom Seong loosened their grip slightly. In their midst, the old man straightened his Necktie crisp and proper.
“Let me speak again.”
The elderly prosecutor bowed his head deeply.
“I am truly sorry.”
The old man had apologized.
“I was wrong. I thought carelessly and misunderstood easily. …And because of that, I nearly killed someone. Until now, I have judged by my own hand and believed that those who deserve death should be erased from the earth as quickly as possible—in a single second if I could. I have killed according to that belief.”
Geom Seong lowered his head further still.
“But from now on, never again will such a thing happen.”
The old man’s voice fell low in the Reception Hall.
“Words of apology alone are worthless. I would grant whatever you desire… if I could speak so grandly.”
Self-mockery threaded through his lowered voice.
“I ask only that you spare my life. I beg you. I still wish to live. I wish to stand at the summit of this tower. …I have made a grave error and nearly killed you. Yet even so, would you forgive this wretched old body to go on living?”
The Reception Hall of the palace fell silent.
The old man could have chosen differently in every way. He could have mistrusted Seong Ki-sa. He could have made excuses with his skill. But he did not. Instead, the elderly prosecutor acknowledged that perhaps he himself was wrong.
“…….”
Seong Ki-sa glanced at my face. Our eyes met. She nodded silently. No words passed between us, but I understood what she meant to say.
‘It is the truth.’
Everything the old man had said was true.
That he was sorry, that henceforth he would not kill people based on Detective’s Insight alone. Not only that, but that he does not wish to die.
That he wishes to live longer.
That he asks for your forgiveness.
-Stubborn old fool.
Bae Hu Ryeong muttered. But he added nothing more. Only regarded the old man who had once been his student with eyes tinged with slight regret.
As if to say he would leave the decision of whether to forgive Geom Seong entirely to me.
“Mm.”
Hearing that silence, I too made up my mind.
“Geom Seong.”
“Speak.”
“Teach me the sword.”
“…….”
Geom Seong lifted the head he had bowed and looked up at me.
“Rather than teaching… whenever I request sparring with you in the future, would you accept? I’ve managed to find a sword teacher, but I still lack a proper training partner. I would be grateful if you became my sparring partner.”
Besides, I had already made a promise with Bae Hu Ryeong on Floor 11.
That I would devote myself to sword training in earnest before clearing Floor 20.
Taking Geom Seong as a training partner here would serve that purpose well.
And it would lead to my own gain and growth in the end…….
“…….”
No.
That’s not it.
I didn’t mean to say something like that.
I shook my head.
“My apologies. Please, let me start over.”
“……?”
“Truthfully, I could forgive you without asking for anything in return. But.”
I opened my mouth.
“It would just feel embarrassing, you know? Like I’m coming off as some paragon of virtue compared to you. I’m not that kind of person. I’m just… satisfied that a strong Hunter like you won’t be my enemy anymore. That’s enough for me.”
“…….”
“But we’ve already crossed swords. I can’t just say okay and call it even—it feels cheap. Playing the magnanimous type leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So instead, why don’t you teach me the most valuable thing you have? Your swordsmanship, perhaps.”
I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me.
Actually, my cheeks were burning.
“That way neither of us loses face, and you preserve your dignity too.”
“…….”
“…….”
Damn it.
Baring your true feelings turned out to be this mortifying.
Good grief. How did Geom Seong manage to say he was afraid of death and desperately beg for forgiveness? And he seems proud too. Remarkable. Impressive. Can a person really apologize sincerely like that? Beg forgiveness like that? I could never. I won’t. I’d rather die first.
“…Goodness.”
Seong Ki-sa murmured.
“Unbelievable as it is… every word is true.”
Silence settled over the Reception Hall again.
Heavy silence.
Though it was the same quiet, the atmosphere felt entirely different from moments before.
“Well.”
Dok Sa was the first to speak up.
“For real? You could ask anything of Geom Seong, but you’re too embarrassed to show off… so you’re just asking to become his sparring partner?”
“Difficult as it may be to believe, my skill confirms it’s true.”
“What is this rookie, some kind of natural treasure?”
Go boil yourself into snake soup before I do it for you.
“…Refreshing.”
The Witch spoke with a wry smile.
“I don’t know what to say. After seeing nothing but youngsters squabbling and grasping for every scrap of advantage… meeting someone like Hunter Kim Gong-ja again after all this time feels surreal. Somehow you’ve managed to survive this long without dying.”
I’ve died. Countless times.
To be precise, over four thousand times. Satisfied?
“Ahhhhh.”
For some reason, the Heretic Inquisitor’s eyes were glistening with tears.
“A man who truly repents and a woman who truly forgives! What a sublime spectacle! Yes, humanity endlessly conflicts. And yet—paradoxically—it is precisely for this reason we can forgive without end! This is a sacred miracle! Ah, everyone gathered here, I…….”
“Shut your mouth already, you’re being loud.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The Heretic Inquisitor actually fell silent at Dok Sa’s single remark.
It was something of a miracle in itself.
“So, um… it looks like everything’s ended on good terms. But doesn’t that mean my ten thousand gold just went to waste?”
No one paid the Count’s lament any mind.
I let out a sigh. I could really use a stiff drink right about now.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. You don’t need to start training swordwork immediately. Just come when I call, and that will suffice. Become my sparring partner.”
“…….”
Geom Seong said nothing for a while, only staring intently at my face. Then, slowly, the old man’s lips parted.
“That I could,”
The old man’s lips trembled, along with his mustache.
“misjudge such a goodhearted young man!”
“Uh…….”
“Oh! You ask me to teach you the blade? To become your sparring partner? Of course! Yes, indeed! I shall gladly be your sparring partner!”
Geom Seong seized both my hands with his own.
“Wait, hold on. What are you—”
“Call me Grandfather Marcus!”
“Pardon?”
“How old are you, young Kim? I would guess you haven’t yet reached thirty. As it happens, I left behind a granddaughter in the outside world—a kindhearted child with a gentle soul. Should she ever enter the Tower, I shall certainly tout your virtues most enthusiastically!”
“No, really, that’s not necessary…”
Romance wasn’t on my mind. My hand hurt. It really did.
Geom Seong’s grip strength was extraordinary — he hadn’t claimed the number-one Ranking just for show.
“What? You’re saying you have no interest in my granddaughter?”
“Ah, yes. I apologize, but I’m not interested in just your granddaughter — right now I’m not really interested in romance itself…….”
“Good heavens! That won’t do at all!”
His grip strength increased by one level.
“Youth must feel the spring breeze of love, that’s how it should be. Marriage need not be rushed, but romance is essential! When you fall in love, you begin to see things you’ve never seen before, and you learn things you never knew existed! Yes. And most importantly, you come to understand just how ugly you yourself can become!”
“Ah, yes…….”
“Do you realize how important it is to know one’s own ugliness? Let me tell you about my case. It was when I was sixteen, back when I still thought little of the world and all its ways. But after I met a girl from my own year…….”
Wait.
This old man had suddenly become terribly bothersome.
His face was far too close. I could see the pores on his nose, the blackheads.
Honestly, it was awkward.
I wished he’d step back.
-I told you he was an old fogey.
Bae Hu Ryeong clicked his tongue.
-He’s an old fogey whether you mean it kindly or not. You know what one is? Someone who won’t listen to others — that’s an old fogey. Marcus won’t listen to anyone. In a good light, he’s principled; in a bad light, his principles are so rigid he’s reached the point of complete detachment from reality.
I’d had no idea.
And I didn’t want to know.
“At any rate, don’t you worry, young Kim! From now on, I shall look after you properly. Ah, do you need spending money? I’ve been stacking cash in the safe room until I can’t manage it anymore.”
“Sir, I can manage my own finances. Besides, spending money? I’m a grown man…….”
“Looking at you now, your clothes are far too shabby! Dear me, a person must dress properly first before the mind can be clean. I happen to know a rather skilled tailor. What do you say we have a proper suit made for you?”
What is this.
Could this also be a form of [countless requests for handshakes]?
I should probably be grateful to be receiving goodwill from the current number-one Hunter, but I wasn’t. If anything, I felt deeply embarrassed — as if I were standing beside a real grandfather bragging about his grandson in real time.
Why should the shame fall on me?
‘What if I just kill myself and restart this whole day over?’
-You’re insane…….
That was the moment.
[Welcome, Hunter Kim Gong-ja.]
[You have cleared Floor 11 in first place.]
A voice rang through my mind.
As if it had been waiting for nothing but my fight to end.
3
‘Ah.’
I instinctively looked around.
Most were breathing sighs of relief. They looked glad that Geom Seong had quietly stopped fighting. No one else seemed to have heard the voice yet.
‘I was the first.’
A smile crossed my face.
‘For some reason, information about Floors 12 through 20 has been scarce.’
Perhaps media control had been imposed. The detailed truth was impossible to know. But before I’d Regressed through 4,000 deaths, other floors had released abundant strategy information, while Floors 12 through 20 alone remained conspicuously sparse with data.
As if the major Guilds had joined forces to forcibly suppress the information.
[Your reward for clearing Floor 11 is granted.]
I soon understood why.
[The Goddess of Protection offers you a reward.]
[The Demon Lord of Autumn Rain offers you a reward.]
[Choose one of the two rewards.]
‘What?’
I blinked.
‘A reward to choose?’
In the previous stage, I’d never heard voices like these in succession.
As if responding to my shock, a choice window slid smoothly into view.
+
[The Goddess of Protection]
Description: The Goddess who safeguards the Aikim Empire has been moved by your devotion! The Goddess has decided to entrust you with an important position in the Empire.
You may become the Prime Minister of the Empire, the Supreme General, or the Commander of the Knights. When you select your position, you will also inherit the abilities and prestige that come with it!
Champion of the Goddess! Unite your strength with your fellow champions.
And destroy the Demon Lord’s Core located on Floor 20!
※However, if you choose the Demon Lord’s reward, you cannot select the Goddess’s reward.
+
I read through the reward carefully.
I nodded to myself.
‘So far, this is exactly what I already knew.’
What they call Role-Playing!
Hunters become actual citizens of the Aikim Empire and act as such. One might become the Empire’s Prime Minister, another the Master of its Knight Order.
It’s not merely a title swap. If you become Master of the Knight Order, you inherit both the abilities and renown that come with the position.
[Special classes available for selection on Floor 12 are marked below.]
And Hunters who cleared the previous stage with high rankings received rewards.
Specifically, the right to claim a “special position” one step ahead of everyone else!
+
[Prime Minister of the Aikim Empire]
[Supreme General of the Aikim Empire]
[Minister of Finance of the Aikim Empire]
[Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Aikim Empire]
[Master of the Knight Order of the Aikim Empire]
[Commander of the Imperial Guard of the Aikim Empire]
.
.
.
+
A glittering succession of positions stretched before me.
‘Hah.’
I marveled inwardly.
‘Before the Regression, I could only choose roles like Guard A…’
I had reached Floor 12 before I experienced the Regression, of course. But circumstances were entirely different then. The top-ranked Hunters had monopolized every prestigious post—not just Master of the Knight Order, but even positions like Commander of the Guard.
But now?
‘The stage reward really is generous.’
I could now choose the Empire’s Prime Minister or Supreme General.
How the times had changed.
The saying was right a thousand times over—you had to row when the tide came in.
‘…But what’s this reward from the Demon Lord?’
I shifted my gaze.
There lay text I’d never seen before.
+
[The Autumn Rain Demon Lord]
Description: The Demon Lord marvels at your accomplishments. He proposes to cooperate with you in secret. He promises you the exact same reward as the Divine Guardian, with one additional gift on top.
Kill every hero ranked in the top 10 except yourself!
Then the Demon Lord will exercise his power and transport you directly to Floor 99 of the Tower.
※However, only one of the top 10 may receive the Demon Lord’s reward.
※If multiple choose this reward, one will be selected at random.
※If no one selects it, the Demon Lord’s reward will vanish.
+
“…….”
I was at a loss for words.
When I finally reacted, two voices overlapped in my mind.
‘What?’
-Huh?
It was Bae Hu Ryeong and me.
We blinked and read the Demon Lord’s reward once more.
But the same text remained carved before us.
[Kill every hero ranked in the top 10 except yourself!]
[Then the Demon Lord will exercise his power and transport you directly to Floor 99 of the Tower.]
That was unmistakably what it said.
I looked around. Geom Seong, the Witch, the Heretic Inquisitor, the Count, Dok Sa, Seong Ki-sa—the top-ranked Hunters I’d come to know stood there.
‘If I killed all these people…’
If I killed them all.
‘I could Clear all the way to Floor 99 in one go?’
I swallowed hard.
A voice rang out one last time.
[Hunter Kim Gong-ja.]
[Choose one of two rewards.]
SSS-Rank Hunter: To Live, One Must Die (Serialized)
Author │ Shin Noa
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ JPlus Media Co., Ltd.
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 Noa 2019
※ This work is published by JPlus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the company and author.
Violation of this 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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