SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 4

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

Chapter 4. Hunting the Hero (1)
1
‘I can’t beat Yu Suha with ordinary methods.’
My heart hammered against my ribs. I tried to stay calm, but it was easier said than done. And why shouldn’t it be? Just moments ago, I had died—my head burning away from the inside out.
The agony of bone and flesh charring alive… it was truly unbearable.
“Damn it. Son of a bitch.”
I glared at the newspaper scraps plastered on the wall.
The history of Yu Suha. Articles and interviews from his days as an unknown novice all the way to his current position as the world’s number-one Hunter were taped haphazardly across the surface.
Of course, there were photographs of Yu Suha too. I wanted to tear them to shreds right then and there.
“Tch. But this bastard also reverts to twenty-four hours ago whenever he dies.”
He couldn’t be killed. Not permanently.
That was the real problem.
‘It’s basically an invincible cheat code, isn’t it?’
The gap between Yu Suha and me was already immense—sun and firefly. He was the world’s number-one Ranked Hunter. I was Unranked. My jealousy was supposedly legendary enough that even the Tower acknowledged it, but jealousy didn’t translate to actual power.
Even if miracle piled upon miracle, killing Yu Suha was beyond my reach.
‘Even if I actually managed to kill him, that’s still a problem.’
What would happen if I killed Yu Suha?
He’d simply revert to twenty-four hours before. That would be it. Afterward, he would stop at nothing to kill me. And the moment he realized he couldn’t succeed, he’d move to confine me forever.
Lock me away in a basement cell, perhaps.
With his power and skill, subduing me would be trivial. I’d spend the rest of my life trapped behind bars.
Kim Gongja’s worst ending number two. A glorious imprisonment route.
“Damn it….”
Killing him was impossible. Not killing him was also impossible.
How was I supposed to get revenge on a psychopath like that?
‘How can I do this? What method could possibly let me make the world’s number-one Hunter suffer?’
One day.
I holed up in my rented room for more than twenty-four hours, thinking.
I stared at the newspaper articles on the wall, turning it over in my mind. All of Yu Suha’s information was contained there. Maybe something would spark an idea.
“Yu Suha Conquers 39th Floor Solo!”
“38th Floor Cleared in Solo Play! Another Legend Born from Yu Suha!”
“Hunter Yu Suha Reaches World Ranking 1st. Korea’s First.”
.
.
.
“The Sword Saint’s Disappearance Leaves the Ranking 1st Throne Vacant. Who Will Be Its Next Master? Foreign Experts Agree: ‘The Strongest Candidate is Korea’s Yu Suha.'”
“Impregnable 10th Floor Breached. Who Is This Mysterious Hero?”
“Sword Saint Missing for 22 Days. Is the Hunter Industry Facing Its Worst Crisis Yet?”
“…….”
That was when it happened.
“Huh?”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Wait. …Look at this?”
I touched a scrap of newspaper and murmured to myself. It was an interview between a magazine and Yu Suha—an article originally published online that I had printed and taped up myself.
+
Q. How old were you when you first Awakened?
A. Summer, age twenty-one. So that was eleven years ago now.
Q. The fact that you remember the season so precisely suggests you have an excellent memory.
A. I’ve never thought my memory was particularly good. It just so happened that the day I Awakened was my birthday. June 7th, eleven years ago. That’s why I remember it.
Q. You Awakened on your birthday, then. What happened that day?
A. I was on the Tower 1st Floor. I won’t say anything more than that. It’s private.
+
On the surface, it was an ordinary interview.
But for me… it was an incredibly precious hint.
“Wow. Wait. Really? Could this actually work?”
There was a way. A way to kill the world’s number-one Hunter.
It was far from easy, and anyone who heard it would call me crazy. But at the same time, I had finally glimpsed the only method that could eliminate Yu Suha. It was something even an F-rank Hunter like me—a nobody at the bottom—could possibly do.
‘I can really get my revenge!’
That was when—
“Fire!”
Commotion erupted outside the window. Curious, I opened the glass pane. Thick crimson smoke billowed from the far side of the neighborhood. Residents poured into the alley, shouting in alarm.
“Oh no. What do we do, what do we do!”
“Don’t just stand there—we need to put it out!”
“Right, let’s go!”
The residents rushed off in a stream.
The place where I lived was different from the Outside World. It was a city built by those who had stepped into the Tower to become Hunters—the 1st Floor of the Tower.
The city had many names. Some called it Babylon, others called it Naarak. Some Hunters simply called it the “1st Floor City,” while others referred to it grandly as Ascension City.
People of all races had gathered here from every corner of the world.
Most of those who lived here were Hunters. They had all faced mortal danger, whether they liked it or not. When crisis struck, they knew how to move faster than the people of the Outside World.
I quickly descended from my rented room and joined the residents in their firefighting efforts.
‘Insane.’
I checked the time on my phone. It had been exactly twenty-four hours since I’d died at Yu Suha’s hands and regressed. It matched precisely with the moment he’d killed Seongnyo.
In other words….
‘It’s Yu Suha! He set the fire! To destroy the evidence!’
Yu Suha.
The bastard was truly like a demon.
2
The vigilante corps had already arrived at the scene. Hunters from major guilds followed in quick succession. Though they usually bared their fangs at each other, now that the Fire Demon had descended, they all worked in unison.
“Water-ability users—don’t use your Skills alone!”
“That’s right, time it together! Yes, like that!”
“The Heukryong Guild is taking temporary command! Please follow our directions for now, everyone!”
Hunters rarely seen except in newspapers or in passing. Even the top-ranked ones numbered only two or three, yet they showed their faces. I helped other residents while stealing glances at the high-rankers.
“We’ve completed the perimeter isolation. The question is whether there are survivors inside… I think we need to send a rescue team right away.”
Ranking 5th. Guild Master of the Physicians and Pharmacists—Yeon Geum Seongjoo.
“It’s fine. This area was originally a slum. It’s been off-limits for five years since no one’s lived here. If anything, it’s a blessing the fire happened in such a place.”
Ranking 10th. The vigilante corps commander who manages the city’s security—Seong Kisa.
Indeed, they were Hunters known for helping others. Among the top-rankers, these were the ones who didn’t play it alone. They’d arrived faster than anyone and were now directing the operation.
‘Normally, Seongnyo should be among them too….’
But Seongnyo was nowhere to be seen.
It made sense. She’d been murdered by the most antisocial of all the solo operators.
Only Yu Suha and I knew this truth in the entire world. A truth the top-rankers didn’t yet know—or perhaps would never know for all eternity.
Yeon Geum Seongjoo looked around restlessly.
“It’s strange. Why hasn’t Seongnyo shown up yet…?”
“She mentioned having something tonight. I’m not sure, but it might be a date.”
Seong Kisa, the Ranking 10th Hunter, chuckled.
“She’s been spending more time with Yu Suha these days.”
“…I don’t like that man Yu Suha.”
Yeon Geum Seongjoo’s shoulders tensed.
“He gives me an uneasy feeling, you might say. Though gossiping in a place like this hardly shows good manners either. Still, I think Seongnyo deserves someone better.”
“Your standards are too high. If you want someone better than the Ranking 1st, who on earth are they supposed to meet? That’s why you’re still without a partner.”
“W-well, I could find a romantic partner anytime… it’s just that I haven’t thought about it yet….”
Even tigers perk up at the sound of their own names.
“Yu Suha!”
Those helping with the firefighting paused. Even the top-rankers turned their heads. There stood Yu Suha—no, Yu Suha in a hoodie and sweatpants, ambling along with a thoroughly annoyed expression on his face. His irritation was palpable.
“Hey, who the hell played with fire without asking my permission?”
A psychopath. A genuine psychopath.
“Welcome, Yu Suha.”
“Yeah. Good to see you, Commander.”
“As you can see, there’s been an arson in the old slum district. Could you lend us your assistance?”
Seong Kisa spoke politely. But Yu Suha remained unmoved.
“Help you do what? What do I get?”
“The satisfaction of having helped many people for free.”
“Cut the bullshit. Tell me what you’re offering.”
“Tomorrow, every major news outlet and broadcast station around the world will run the headline: [Yu Suha Extinguishes Fire, Performs Great Good Deed]. It’ll send shockwaves through the world while simultaneously improving your image.”
“Pfft.”
Yu Suha thrust his hands into his pants pockets and sneered.
“Have I ever cared what those media bastards think?”
A genuine lunatic.
Residents had already pulled out their phones and were filming Yu Suha. His expression and words were being broadcast live to the world in real time. The internet was surely already ablaze, split between those defending him and those cursing his name.
What would his supporters say?
-Right. Gotta protect your own interests ruthlessly.
Helping people for free is how you get played for a fool.
Even as a hero, he’s still so honest—it’s admirable, really.
My head spun.
‘Nobody knows.’
Ice crawled down my spine, cold enough to freeze the marrow.
‘That’s not honesty. That bastard is… just insane. Out of his mind.’
Flames flickered in the space around us, yet my heart turned to stone. The fire, the arson, this catastrophe—Yu Suha had done it all himself. And yet he’d returned with that calm face and asked me, ‘So what are you going to give me in return?’
That was when I knew for certain.
‘He has to disappear.’
A monster.
Not just for my revenge. For humanity, for the honor of Hunters everywhere, that creature had to be eradicated. A monster is a monster. And isn’t it our duty, our calling as Hunters, to hunt them down?
‘By any means necessary… I have to kill him.’
This tower held one monster who breathed flame. Yes, that was true. But to say it merely ‘existed’ felt wrong. Terribly wrong.
Because that monster was my prey.
‘Even if it costs me my life.’
I moved my feet.
Step.
Past the heroes debating damage control. Past ordinary people fighting the blaze. Toward the endless roaring flames. Toward the inferno that crackled like hell itself, I walked.
“Wait—where are you going?”
I kept walking.
“Hey! Don’t get that close!”
I kept walking.
“My god, that person must be insane!”
“Someone stop them!”
“Damn it, that’s a madman! What the hell!”
Then I ran.
Behind me, people shouted in chaos. Someone jumped up and down. Firefighters screamed mid-operation. I ignored them all. I ran on, deaf to everything.
‘Burning.’
It was hell itself. Whoosh! Flames licked out everywhere like crimson tongues.
‘It hurts!’
With each step, my flesh charred. My eyeballs scorched, the membranes shriveling in the heat.
But.
‘This is better than what he’d do to me!’
This was the only way to kill Yu Suha.
How long did I run? It felt like an eternity and one minute all at once. My throat choked on smoke, and as the coughing subsided, I heard a voice.
[You have died.]
Yes.
[Returning to 24 hours prior.]
My second death.
3
People thought I’d lost my mind, rushing into those flames.
Of course I hadn’t. Quite the opposite. I understood the situation with perfect clarity.
“…I’m back.”
My hell. My cramped 3.5-pyeong studio.
Interview clippings plastered the walls, and the television played a live broadcast—the third time I’d heard this same broadcast.
-Breaking news: The Heukryong Guild’s attempt to clear Tower 40th Floor….
I’d returned to yesterday again.
‘Good. The skill is working.’
Unlike last time, I didn’t look at the television. There was no need. What mattered was confirming that the skill—returning 24 hours into the past—was functioning properly.
With this, I could kill Yu Suha.
[Your current Hunter Ranking is F-rank.]
[No Penalty has been incurred from this Skill.]
“As expected.”
I muttered to myself.
‘The Regressor’s Gear Clock…. The higher your Hunter Ranking, the greater the Penalty, they said.’
Conversely, if your Ranking bottoms out, the Penalty is minimal.
At F-rank like me, there was still no Penalty at all.
‘Now is my chance.’
Right now, while I’m still F-rank.
My one and only opportunity to hunt Yu Suha.
‘This is my last chance.’
I pulled a knife from my backpack.
An old blade. A short sword I’d kept with me ever since I began working as a Hunter. Even if I couldn’t use it to hunt monsters anymore… it was sharp enough to kill a man.
‘How am I going to kill Yu Suha?’
I kept turning it over in my mind.
‘Should I cooperate with Seongnyo, assuming she hasn’t died yet? Reveal my abilities to the Heukryong Guild, prove myself, and then scheme to lock Yu Suha away forever? Or should I secretly film Yu Suha killing Seongnyo and leak it to the broadcasting company?’
Any of those methods would work.
But that was all they were — workable. I couldn’t guarantee with absolute certainty that I could send Yu Suha to his grave.
‘Because I have no track record to make Seongnyo trust me.’
I had no track record.
‘Because I don’t have the strength to avoid being discarded by the Guild.’
I had no strength.
‘Because I have no confidence I can successfully film Yu Suha in secret.’
I had no confidence.
‘But……’
Even so, I had something.
‘When I die, I return to 24 hours ago.’
A skill.
The Regressor’s Gear Clock, copied from Yu Suha.
‘That’s right. I have the skill. Don’t worry, Kim Gongja. You can do this.’
I swallowed hard and looked at the wall one last time. Pasted there was the full text of an interview between Yu Suha and a magazine journalist.
+
Q. How old were you when you first experienced your Awakening?
A. Twenty-one, summer. So eleven years have passed now.
Q. The way you recall even the season so precisely suggests you have an excellent memory.
A. I’ve never thought of myself as having a particularly good memory. It’s simply that the day I underwent my Awakening happened to be my birthday. June 7th, eleven years ago. That’s why I remember it.
+
‘Eleven years.’
June 7th, eleven years ago. Summer.
Calculating backward from today.
‘4,050 days.’
That was it.
‘If I die 4,050 times, that will be enough.’
That was the only way to kill Yu Suha.
‘Yu Suha. If you’re a monster that won’t die even when killed…’
I raised the knife high above my head.
‘Then I’ll kill you before you become a monster!’
And I plunged the blade into my throat.
To return to the past.
To June 7th, eleven years ago. To that summer when Yu Suha hadn’t yet awakened his skill. To that time before he possessed the ability to regress 24 hours whenever he died.
To return to a past when I could still kill Yu Suha!
“Urgh……!”
It was burning. It hurt. My heart hammered wildly in my chest. Every nerve in my body screamed. My vision dissolved into nothing, and I could feel nothing at all.
But I heard a voice.
[You have died.]
[Regressing to 24 hours prior.]
I returned to the previous day.
The me from a day ago was lying in bed. The television was off. But the newspaper scraps plastered all over the wall remained. A single regression of one day wasn’t enough to erase Yu Suha’s history, to erase the legend of that madman.
I stared at Yu Suha’s photograph.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
If one day isn’t enough, then a week. If a week isn’t enough, then a month. If a month isn’t enough, then a year. And if a year isn’t enough…
“All right.”
I drew the short sword again.
“Now it’s 4,049 days.”
And I stabbed myself.
SSS-Rank Hunter: Death is the Only Way to Live (Serialized)
Author │ Shin Noa
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J. Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, Daelung Post Tower 1st, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul, Korea
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Shin No-ah 2019
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. No content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this provision may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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