SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 47

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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 47. How to Face the World (1)
1
In the space left by a king and his retainer, it was neither of them who spoke first.
—Or rather, it was an entity who was neither king nor retainer, an ’emperor’ as it were, who opened his mouth with grave solemnity.
“…Must you always be ‘Geomje’ even at a moment like this?”
In any case, he had a certain talent for disrupting the mood.
He contorted his body like a pretzel, writhing in distress.
—Yeah… I’ve got to do this. No, I don’t even want to, honestly… I’d really love to just distance myself from you lot and pretend I don’t know you, but hell, there’s nobody else who can say this but me.
“What are you talking about?”
—What are you two doing?
I wondered what he meant, but I think that was what Geomje wanted to ask.
“What are we doing? As you can see….”
—Yeah, you killed the Demon Lord, and then? You brought her back with your skill. You even gave her a name… Aw damn, a name for a girl like that—Agui of all things? If you were going to name her Agui anyway, wouldn’t it be cuter to call her something like ‘Little Lantern Agui,’ so every time you call her it sounds nicer?
“Now you’re picking a fight over her name?”
—No, forget the name. It’s the next part… why did you two suddenly establish a master-and-retainer relationship?
Geomje looked us over as if surveying the strange wonders of the world.
—You two seem to have some kind of bond or something…. No wait, look! I could maybe understand it for the zombie. Fine, by your own logic you caught her as prey, right? You’re my slave girl, just skoo, under my skin. Yeah, I guess you could argue you have the right to do that sort of thing—like some old-time pop song from your world or something.
“You listen to pop songs too, Geomje?”
—Marcus the old codger, one of his hobbies is… No, never mind. So I get why you’d do that, but I can’t figure out why she’s going around saying ‘Yes, my lord.’
It was the moment I learned one of Geomje’s hobbies.
If I could have chosen not to know, I would have preferred that… but that’s not the point.
Hmm.
“So you’re saying you don’t understand why Agui would serve me as her lord?”
—Yep. Zombie? Let me list out, one by one, the things you’ve done to her, all objective-like.
I nodded.
—You blocked her path forward and cast ‘hehe, you can’t pass.’
“That’s how it started.”
—You erased everything she’d built up, piece by piece. Later on, you even broke her mental state with straight-up mockery.
“That’s how it unfolded.”
—And then you severed her head entirely. Man, that unwilling kid who kept resisting, saying she didn’t want to… you forcibly dragged her back into the world with the Resurrection of Hundred Ghosts or whatever. That was the finishing touch.
“That’s how it ended.”
Geomje clicked his tongue.
—Pfft, you’ve got no compassion at all. Are all the arteries in your heart made of viper?
“There might be cobra mixed in too. Since you somehow forgot to mention that someone—and I forget who—said ‘show a fitting end to one who isn’t even a swordsman yet.’ That’s why I broke her sword too.”
Geomje spoke with sudden gravity. “That was necessary work, work that had to be done. And Agui herself surely harbors deep gratitude for it in her heart. If there remains even a spark of desire to become a swordsman in that place.”
He spoke solemnly.
I’d always thought this ghost was just good at disrupting things, but now I was learning he was also excellent at spouting bullshit.
—In any case, I’d think she ought to be pouring her resentment and rage onto you, no? Why is she just lying prostrate with her neck stretched out, saying ‘Give me your orders, lord’? Did this calamity that swallowed an entire world turn out to be a world-class masochist?
“Wow….”
Geomje had said he wanted to distance himself from us, but I found myself taking a step back from him instead.
Really, that gorilla’s way of thinking….
“Geomje… the reason Agui submitted to me without hesitation is because…”
—Because?
“Because Agui knows.”
I glanced at Agui.
“What you’ll soon find out.”
A sound echoed through the Acacia Forest Path.
“Sob… ah… sob…….”
Agui was weeping. Tears of indignation and sorrow. A prolonged, anguished wail condensed into beads that fell one by one.
Yes.
Agui understood well.
[Scanning for Demon Lord presence on Layer 20.]
What was about to unfold.
[Detection impossible.]
Agui’s shoulders convulsed in a spasm.
[Demon Lord’s absence confirmed.]
Whoosh—!
Spheres of light bloomed from all directions. They rose from the ground, flowed from the acacia trees. Layer 20 was a small world to begin with, so we were soon engulfed in a sphere of luminescence.
[History Alteration.]
And it expanded.
[Revising Layer 20 Stage.]
Beyond the path lay a village. Buildings that had burned away in flames took shape once more. Wheat fields sprouted. Orchards came into being. The air filled with children’s laughter, and thus a paradise bloomed—a place where humanity itself seemed beautiful.
Before Agui was drenched in filth.
Before the Demon Lord of autumn rain was born.
“Ah…….”
Yet Agui received that paradise’s resurrection with a face twisted in agony.
She would know, after all.
What was about to unfold from this moment onward.
“No… please. No…….”
Agui trembled and moaned, but it was all in vain.
What had to happen simply began to happen.
“Ah…….”
Agui stared into the distance with tear-streaked eyes. From the opposite end of the village, something was approaching along the entrance to the Acacia Forest Path.
Clang! Clatter!
Each footfall of those things rang out with vicious metallic shrieks—armor and helmets crying out. Above them, flags painted in every conceivable color fluttered in the wind.
“Please…….”
Countless military banners.
The sound of military boots, hoofbeats, and beating wings.
“The village will burn again… it will burn…….”
To set the paradise aflame.
Now, a coalition army dispatched from all corners of the world had entered the Acacia Forest Path.
“No, please… ah, ahhh…….”
Agui crouched down on the ground, drawing herself small.
At the point where her bowed head and clasped hands were directed stood I.
“My lord…….”
Just as Geomje had said, I must be to Agui an enemy with a blood debt she could never forgive even if she tore into me.
To bow so deeply to such an enemy—that must be anguish enough to shatter her heart.
“My lord……!”
But she did so.
She had to.
“I will not harbor resentment… I will not seek revenge…….”
Agui had no choice but to accept becoming my retainer, to take me as her lord.
When the powerless acquire something they must protect, they transform into demons capable of swallowing any humiliation whole.
“Command me, and I will do anything, I will obey… I will become your servant, your slave……. It matters not what becomes of me, only please.”
The woman prostrated herself and begged.
“Please, my paradise…….”
“So be it.”
I.
“I will see it done.”
I did not speak at length.
I took a step forward.
Drawn by that stride, Geomje followed. He, who moments before had worn a ridiculous expression while mocking Agui and me alike, now bore a weight upon his features heavier than mountains.
-So that’s how it was, then.
“Yes. That’s what it is.”
Step.
-A subject has a duty to follow their lord.
“And a lord bears responsibility to protect their own.”
Step.
-Forgive me for the mockery.
“You lost a bet besides. Consider this your settlement.”
I walked forward and positioned myself before my people.
I drew breath and channeled my aura into my voice.
I shouted.
“All forces, halt!”
Acacia petals scattered as if a transparent giant had swung its fist.
The sound of wyrm wings ceased. The clatter of armor fell silent. The thunder of hoofbeats stopped. The ring of steel died away.
I stood.
Upon the narrow path of Acacia.
Between myself and the army lay only petals.
2
When petals scatter, they make no sound. So when petals blanket the world, the world seems to melt into sleep.
But petals that leave the branch must eventually fall to the ground.
Clad in armor the color of the sea, seamlessly fitted, with the imperial seal of the sun carved into the breastplate, a general of the Aigim Empire stepped forward.
I knew who he was.
“I am General Sarbas Aigim! How dare you block the path before us!”
And of course, he did not know who I was.
Hmm.
“Well then…….”
I had fought hundreds of monsters, thousands of undead. I had even met the gaze directly of Agui in her prime, when she was a Demon Lord.
Few people had experienced as much ominous presence as I had.
Still, I had to take a breath.
I gripped the hilt of my sword.
“What business do you folk have in this backwater?”
“The will of the Emperor!”
General Sarbas Aigim answered with full voice.
Uooooo! A regiment’s worth of soldiers waved their spears in response. From the forest, instead of more petals falling, birds scattered away in a flutter.
“We have heard that here dwells a witch who has seduced the righteous people of the continent! Foolishly, there are even monsters who have fallen into the abyss of evil through her deceptions—how could we turn a blind eye to such a thing!”
“And?”
“We shall purify them with holy fire!”
I looked silently at the blue dots on my Mini Map.
“It is not merely the Emperor’s will!”
The blue dots were not just one. Hundreds, thousands. One corner of the map was filled with blue points. And still it did not end—the blue tide continued to pour toward here without cease.
I knew who they were.
“The Pope commanded us to punish the heretic who dares claim the title of Saint!”
Holy knights of the Temple, saved from Layer 13.
“At the behest of the Forest Lord, all spirits bless our path!”
Elves of the forest, saved from Layer 14.
“The Mermaid Kingdom’s Precious Jewel approves our execution!”
Mages of the waterfall, saved from Layer 15.
“Ancient dragon-knights march forth from the primordial volcano to honor our sworn bond!”
Warriors of the volcano, saved from Layer 16.
“The merchants of the Free City Alliance and the horsemen of the plains and soldiers of all the tributary nations have united with us!”
Armed merchants of Layer 17, nomadic clans of Layer 18, small kingdoms of Layer 19, and soldiers from even smaller territories.
“All the worlds stand together in our judgment!”
Layers 11 through 19.
Places I had walked, places I had risen through, places I had saved.
The protagonists of those stages—from dozens to hundreds each—came pouring forth with their flags unfurled.
……
I knew them all, and they knew none of me.
Just as Sarbas Aigim did not.
“I ask once more!”
Sarbas Aigim cried out.
“Who are you who dares obstruct our mission!”
I looked at my quest window.
+
[Hero of the Frozen World]
Difficulty: Unknown
Objective: You have decided. You will not permit even a single casualty.
To expect no reward from those you save is justice. To expect no recognition from those you save is devotion. One who devotes themselves to justice is called a hero.
Hero!
The people of this continent will not know of your justice. They will not recognize your devotion. Yet still justice remains justice, and devotion remains devotion. Will you choose to remain a hero even in this frozen world?
Now only your choice remains.
+
Of course, my choice had already been made.
“General Sarbas Aigim.”
Sarbas Aigim hesitated.
I pointed at him and spoke in a mocking tone.
“You said you came here under imperial order, yes?”
“Y-you? You dare speak to the Emperor’s general who carries the imperial command in such a manner…….”
“Ha, now there’s a funny one. Sitting there spinning scenarios. Who in all the world knows the Emperor’s current situation as well as you do, that you dare speak of imperial orders?”
“How… how is that possible…?”
Well, when I died trying to steal your skill, I caught a glimpse of your trauma.
And I’m well aware that the power struggle among the princes has been intensifying because of it.
By the time I saved Layer 12, rumors were already spreading through the streets of the Imperial Capital.
Instead of answering, I fixed Sarbas Aigim with a stern gaze. The general, who had been leading the allied forces from the front, faltered and swept his eyes across the lords beside him.
It was because what I’d just said touched on the imperial household’s dirty secrets, but his shock didn’t last long. Only the cavalry commander, the holy knight commander, and the nomadic chieftain narrowed their eyes—the rest glanced away as if they hadn’t heard.
The greatest general of this world’s mightiest nation let out a dry cough and widened his eyes.
“…How dare you speak such presumptuous words! Were you sent by the witch who stands before us?”
“Presumptuous? Ha—you, who scheme to depose an already-decided crown prince and elevate the Third Prince to his place, dare speak of presumption now?”
Sarbas Aigim’s shock deepened. This time it was far greater than before, enough to scatter the composure from his face.
I continued baiting him with a deliberate, provoking tone.
“Listen to yourself. You can’t live like this. Do you know how much grace His Majesty has shown you? Don’t you? You were born to be nothing but a net-mender at the harbor for life, yet through trials and hardships you’ve received the title of imperial uncle and risen to the rank of general—and all of it is thanks to His Majesty, and yet you’ve gone mad with power……”
Every word calculated to stoke his fury.
The general, finally abandoning all restraint, erupted in rage.
“This woman… now I see it. You came from Hobak Palace! Is this your game—to sway public opinion here where the world has gathered as one? If you truly are a subject of the empire, you would know that only the Third Prince can lead the empire to glory……”
“You fool!”
I seized that moment of fury as I’d been waiting for it.
Then I shifted my tone, pressing down on the startled Sarbas Aigim.
“Hobak Palace? Ha! Do I look like some lackey of a deposed consort to you? A man who used to weave nets, with eyes like knots in wood! How dull and witless you are!”
“Then… then who sent you…?”
“Did I not ask who I am!”
I raised my sword and declared with absolute certainty.
“See for yourself!”
Sarbas Aigim’s eyes, wide with confusion, filled with horror.
“Can you see it now?”
Yes.
“Even eyes as blind as knotted wood should be able to see this much, Sarbas Aigim!”
I had lifted Lepanta Aigim’s Guardian Holy Sword!
+
Lepanta Aigim’s Guardian Holy Sword
Rarity: Legendary
Description: “He who grasps the holy sword shall grasp the continent.” Thus spoke the Founder Emperor’s blade. According to legend, the founder who built the Aigim Empire received it as a gift from the goddess. “He who grasps the continent shall be grasped by fate.”
The Founder appointed a successor and departed. Did he take his own life? Was he struck down by treachery? When legend and history had not yet diverged, his whereabouts became unknown, and the holy sword vanished from sight. He left only a single prophecy as a landmark.
“When fate arrives, so too shall arrive he who grasps the holy sword.”
Those who possess the Guardian Holy Sword receive absolute support and trust from all who hail from the Aigim Empire.
+
I cried out with absolute conviction.
“The great Founder Emperor, Lepanta Aigim, has sent his Emissary to stand before you!”
Sarbas Aigim trembled from head to toe.
That tremor spread to the knights bearing the seal of the Aigim Empire, then to the soldiers. When finally the entire force from the empire began to shake, I fixed them with an eagle’s piercing gaze.
“Sarbas Aigim!”
“Y-yes, yes…!”
“I understand the chaos within the imperial household, and I have witnessed the wickedness of that wild crown prince! I also know that your choice to stand with the Third Prince stems only from pure loyalty to the empire’s fate! When I accused you of succumbing to power mere moments ago, it was only to test your character. Do you resent me for it?”
Sarbas Aigim’s eyes, which had been filled with shock, now gleamed with tears of gratitude.
“R-resent you? No, not at all! That you would acknowledge… my loyalty… But this fool could not master his own nature, so how can I atone for such a sin… Ah, honored Emissary of the Founder Emperor…!”
“Nonsense, no resentment at all! And if you show no hesitation in addressing me so, why do you still sit upon your horse looking down?”
“A-I am deeply ashamed…!”
Sarbas Aigim quickly dismounted. He stumbled. He staggered to his feet and fell to his knees without even bothering to brush the petals and mud from his armor.
“We honor the rising sun! We protect all things that dwell between sea and land! May the Aigim Empire shine eternal!”
The general of the empire cried out with fervent passion.
“This humble servant beholds the Emissary of the Founder Emperor…!”
It spread in an instant.
“We behold you!” The knights bearing the seal of the Aigim Empire descended from their horses. “We behold you!” The soldiers knelt as one. “We behold you!” Some threw themselves down in prostration.
“We behold the Emissary of the Founder Emperor!”
The world’s allied forces gathered to slay the witch.
The strongest of the eight factions had knelt before me.
-Wow.
Geomje breathed genuine admiration.
-Kim-zombie… I thought you only knew how to talk bullshit and nonsense, but you’ve got quite the talent for lies too.
‘Took you long enough to figure that out?’
Just as when I faced the Tower’s six pillars.
No matter how powerful the foe, no matter how many I stand against, my options have always narrowed down to two.
Fight them, or convince them.
But just as there are many ways to fight…….
‘There’s more than one way to convince someone, too.’
Very well.
It’s time to deceive the world I saved.
SSS-Rank Hunter: Must Die to Live (serialized)
Author │ Shin Noah
Publisher │ Kim Joo-hyung
Published by │ JPlus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
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 has been 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 both 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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