SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 53

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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 53. The Ultimate Fan (1)
1
—You are now witnessing extraordinary footage!
—A witch renowned by the alias Black Dragon Lord is directing the assault team on the eleventh floor. This is the latest video material we just obtained through our BBS. Ah! Let me enlarge this section for you.
—Yes, this part here! Shall we pause the video for a moment?
The waiting room was quiet and sparse.
I was staring blankly at the television.
—Viewers, can you see it? The Black Dragon Lord is holding hands with another hunter. This hunter is presumed to be the Death King.
—If the video footage hasn’t been tampered with, it appears the Death King took down the stage boss on the eleventh floor in a single strike. What hunters commonly call One Shot One Kill. However, no documented cases of a boss monster being felled with a single strike have been found to date.
The caster and commentator were making a fuss.
—So you’re saying this would be the first time?
—Yes, that’s correct. Of course, the Black Dragon Lord provided support, but the hunter who directly faced the boss monster appears to be the Death King alone.
A breaking news caption scrolled across the bottom of the screen: [Death King, Press Conference This Afternoon].
—Viewers, shall we view the next footage as well?
—The Death King, who had remained veiled in mystery until now, finally revealed himself yesterday afternoon. He returned to Babylon via Transfer Stone, with the Black Dragon Lord and the Sword Saint accompanying him, as you can see.
—It almost looks as though the two of them are escorting the Death King, doesn’t it?
—Yes, to convey the atmosphere of the scene to our viewers, let me turn up the audio for a moment.
Footage that appeared to have been filmed on someone’s phone played.
On the screen, I walked forward with an expressionless face.
—Excuse me, just a moment!
—Stop pushing! Won’t you say something for us?
—Black Dragon Lord, when can we expect an official statement!
—What is the relationship between you two……?
Snort!
I couldn’t take it anymore and slammed the remote.
The Backhoe Spirit, who had been watching television beside me, scowled.
—Hey, why’d you turn it off? I was just getting into it.
I opened my mouth.
“Because I’m dying of embarrassment!”
This was the waiting room.
It had been a single night since earning the Sword Saint’s acknowledgment.
Today was the day a press conference would be held regarding the progress made in clearing the tower thus far.
Normally, the leaders of the Major Guilds should have handled everything on their own, but this time I’d been specially invited as a guest. The conference would begin shortly.
—So what if you die of embarrassment? You don’t even die anyway.
“I still don’t like it!”
Since there was nothing to do until the conference began, I thought I might as well watch television—but that turned out to be a mistake.
—Ah, fine. Okay. Then change to a different channel.
“All the channels are talking about me anyway!”
Whether it was a news channel or not, nearly every broadcast covered the clearing of floors eleven through twenty. And that was just television. The internet was no different when I checked it.
They say you wake up famous after a single night’s sleep.
That was exactly what had happened to me.
[The Guardian Goddess points out that your achievements are that exceptional.]
The Holy Sword at my waist thrummed with a deep, resonant hum.
[Fame is like a tax that heroes pay day by day. You should grow accustomed to your position as a hero, the Guardian Goddess advises!]
“…….”
I felt deeply uncomfortable and looked down at the Holy Sword.
“Yesterday I was too exhausted to say much before I fell asleep… Um, Goddess? Don’t you think you’re overestimating me?”
[You are light!]
The Holy Sword vibrated more intensely.
Whether it was mere perception or not, the goddess seemed exactly like a fan obsessing over an idol.
[The Guardian Goddess whispers that she remembers it vividly still. Your figure atop the Pavilion of the Empire, unleashing the Lion’s Roar by yourself! And the moment you declared, ‘I entrust this empire to you all’ was so magnificent that…….]
“Aaaahhh!”
I covered my ears.
“Stop! Stop it! I said that while I was completely carried away!”
But it was useless. The voice of the sword wasn’t reaching my ears—it was transmitting directly into my mind.
The Holy Sword relentlessly whispered my shameful history.
[The Guardian Goddess says: A true hero must love themselves! Heroes without self-love always meet a tragic end, bringing misfortune upon those around them as well. In that regard, your confidence is most commendable! Truly magnificent!]
That was it.
The Guardian Goddess was nothing other than my biggest fan.
“Please… just stop……!”
Just as I’d once been a devoted fan of Yeom Je, the Holy Sword had become a devoted fan of me.
If only this blade kept its admiration to itself, somewhere out of my sight—but its voice reached me twenty-four hours a day, streaming live directly into my ears.
[The Guardian Goddess confesses.]
[She says she’s happy to serve someone like you as a second master!]
God help me.
Have you ever heard someone beside you constantly praising you with genuine sincerity? Worse yet—endlessly murmuring praise about memories you yourself consider shameful history, desperate to forget as quickly as possible?
Just kill me already.
[Especially that moment when you took the Demon King of Autumn Rain as your vassal, and kept muttering about how “a lord has a duty to protect his own people”—that was truly a masterful scene….]
This absolutely won’t do.
I pulled out a bottle of Sword Oil from my backpack. It’s the kind of oil you use when cleaning blades. I dabbed some onto a cloth and eyed the Holy Sword menacingly.
“You started this, you know.”
My hand drew closer to the blade.
The Holy Sword flickered with white light.
[The Guardian Goddess senses a threat to her safety.]
[The Guardian Goddess begs you to stop.]
[The Guardian Goddess….]
Ten minutes later.
[The Guardian Goddess apologizes for her wrongdoing to you.]
Gleam.
Thanks to my meticulous polishing, the Holy Sword had become spotless. The blade turned mirror-clear, reflecting my face perfectly. Yet the Holy Sword trembled with shame.
“Phew, finally quiet.”
I looked down at the now-docile Holy Sword.
“So you’re a Constellation, but why are you a sword? Were you always bound to a blade?”
From what I understood, a Constellation was something like a floor manager in a Stage.
There might be cases where something had ascended from being a monster like a fiend, but I couldn’t imagine how a “sword” could possibly become a Constellation.
When I voiced this question, the Holy Sword emanated a soft white glow.
[The Guardian Goddess shakes her head.]
[It’s easier to understand if you think of a Constellation as “something that represents a given world.”]
A representative of the world.
[The Guardian Goddess speaks.]
[Originally, she was a holy spirit revered as a goddess. But Repanta Aikkim, the founder of the Aikkim Empire, shattered her into five swords and sealed them away.]
[She is the first of those five Holy Swords—”Idol.”]
I blinked.
“The sword’s name is Idol?”
[Affirmative.]
And the Guardian Goddess listed out the five swords.
[First Blade: Idol.]
[Second Blade: Compassion.]
[Third Blade: Prayer.]
[Fourth Blade: Sacrifice.]
[Fifth Blade: Salvation.]
[These are the five sister swords.]
[When all the sister blades are gathered, she can reclaim power rivaling her prime, the Guardian Goddess boasts.]
“Interesting.”
So in other words, the blade glimmering before me now was a genuine fragment of a Holy Sword.
To unlock its true power, I’d need to find the remaining four blades as well.
“Neat. So where are these sister blades?”
No answer came back.
An awkward silence settled over the waiting room.
“Hello? Miss Goddess? Where are your sisters?”
Still nothing.
My eyes narrowed.
“…Don’t tell me you don’t know either?”
After a moment, a quiet voice trickled out.
[The Guardian Goddess invokes her right to remain silent.]
“So basically, you don’t know.”
[She can sense their existence if she’s close enough, the Guardian Goddess protests.]
I shrugged.
“Well, there’s no rush on that front anyway. At least I’ve got one-fifth of her power, then. So what can you do, Miss Idol Sword?”
[You can receive absolute support from the people of the Aikkim Empire.]
“I know that better than anyone. Anything else?”
Blaze!
The Holy Sword blazed forth at maximum intensity, as if it had been waiting for this very moment.
“Aagh! My eyes! My eyeeeees!”
I wrapped my eyes and rolled across the floor.
In my mind, I heard the Holy Sword preening.
[The Guardian Goddess is proud of her ability to emit light.]
“I’m sick of that too, so of course I know about it!”
Good heavens. I only survived because I’d instantly protected my eyes with aura. I nearly went blind.
“So you’re saying that besides being loved by the Empire’s people and sparkling, there’s nothing else you can do?”
Silence fell.
The Holy Sword dimmed slightly. It was like watching someone stammer over their words.
[I am confident in my ability to cleave monsters.]
“…….”
[The Guardian Goddess hastily adds that she is also confident in her ability to cleave humans.]
Tap, tap, tap.
While I sat in stunned silence, someone knocked on the waiting room door. I quickly sheathed the Holy Sword. From anyone else’s perspective, a man chatting with his blade looked like nothing but a madman.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
The Black Dragon Lord’s voice came from beyond the door.
“You’ve been making a racket in there. Everything alright?”
“All good. Nothing at all!”
“Is that so……?”
The Black Dragon Lord seemed suspicious, but she didn’t press further.
“In five minutes, the press conference starts. The journalists will probably bombard us with questions. By the time it wraps up, the 21st floor should be open. We’ll give the press their answers, then head straight to the 21st floor. Understand?”
“Yes!”
“Your replies are truly exceptional… don’t be late now.”
Footsteps echoed beyond the door—thump, thump—and only once the Black Dragon Lord’s footfalls had completely faded did I draw the Holy Sword again.
I gazed quietly at the blade.
“So to sum it up, aside from glowing, you’re completely useless.”
[The Guardian Goddess protests this unfair assessment…….]
“Enough. From now on, you’re not the Guardian Goddess anymore—you’re Sparkle. The name ‘Holy Sword’ is wasted on you!”
Now that I thought about it, this Constellation was pathetic beyond measure!
She couldn’t even defend her own world and had it all devoured by the Demon King of Autumn Rain. In the end, I had to carry her and save this Constellation’s world myself. Like the Abyss Guardian before her, this Constellation had no right to hold her head high in front of me.
“And you’re too loud. I already have my hands full with the Sword Saint rattling around in my head. Every time you keep yammering on about being the Guardian Goddess, the Guardian Goddess, I can’t focus! From now on, don’t talk to me unless it’s truly necessary.”
[The Guardian Goddess…….]
“Hmph. I’m half a mind to return you to the Aikkim Empire. Do you understand, Sparkle?”
Silence stretched on.
A moment later, the Holy Sword trembled.
[Sparkle answers: Yes, brave warrior.]
I had obtained a Constellation.
2
The press conference was held in the Central Plaza.
The plaza itself and the surrounding alleys were packed—easily tens of thousands of people. As the three of us walked onto the stage in the middle of the plaza, camera flashes erupted from all directions.
The Black Dragon Lord, the Sword Saint, me.
We three sat side by side at the prepared table.
“…Thank you for welcoming us.”
The Black Dragon Lord held the microphone. As her flat voice carried across the square, cheers erupted from one section.
“Black Dragon Lord!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Look over here, Black Dragon Lord! Just once!”
A group of people waved placards. Someone had even brought a magazine cover featuring the Black Dragon Lord as a model.
‘Remarkable.’
Perhaps because we were still in an era before the emergence of the Saint—the Black Dragon Lord commanded unparalleled popularity as a female Hunter.
The Black Dragon Lord bowed briefly in greeting, then launched into the conference proper.
“As you all know, we have cleared floors 11 through 20. As various media outlets and broadcasters have highlighted, this is a tremendous achievement. We considered how best to share this joy with all of you… but there was no need to worry. You all publicized it for us. Indeed, I must extend deep gratitude for sparing us the cost of advertising.”
A light chuckle rippled through the journalists clustered in the front rows.
“However, there is something else we are most proud of on this occasion.”
The plaza gradually fell silent.
“It is not the fact that the long-awaited clearing of the 10th floor has finally been achieved after years of everyone’s hopes. It is not even the fact that we conquered all the way to the 20th floor at a speed no one anticipated. What brings us the greatest joy is this: zero casualties. Not a single death.”
She tucked humor into the lead, then laid bare her sincerity.
For someone like me—a complete novice when it came to public speaking—the Black Dragon Lord had guided the press conference with remarkable ease from start to finish.
‘Is this really the level you need to reach to lead one of the Major Guilds?’
I wondered if this could truly be the same person who’d clumsily dressed me in various outfits yesterday.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if I may direct your attention downward for a moment.”
The witch spoke.
“Look at the floor of Babylon’s Central Plaza beneath your feet. You’ll notice names carved into each and every stone. The names of warriors who have fallen in sacrifice until now. The names of our seniors who gave their lives to conquer the Tower.”
Whirrrr—
The cameras of the assembled journalists swung down in unison to capture the ground.
“When the second floor was cleared, when the third was conquered, countless names were inscribed upon this plaza. It is because of their sacrifice that we stand here today. And I—I am genuinely honored to declare this before them.”
The witch’s voice carried across the square.
“Today, we carve no new names into this plaza.”
Click! Click!
The journalists snapped photos back and forth between the plaza tiles and the witch. In that moment, tomorrow’s newspaper photographs were decided, and with them, the entire tone of the conference was set. The crowd erupted in cheers, calling out the witch’s epithet.
‘I don’t even need to appear at this point.’
I maintained my blank expression and watched the proceedings unfold.
For some reason, my chest felt warm.
‘You really do need to know how to pick your position in line.’
At ease with the moment, I glanced up at the sky.
[01:22:10]
It was identical to when the eleventh floor had opened. A clock of pure light was still inscribed across the heavens. The instant the numbers reached zero hours, zero minutes, and zero seconds, the twenty-first floor would open.
‘I’d love to wrap this conference up and head to floor 21 already……’
The press conference had been flowing smoothly.
Questions and answers were being exchanged between journalists and the witch.
“John Evans, reporter for Babylon Daily News!”
One journalist abruptly rose from his seat.
“I have a question for the Death King, who has newly ranked third.”
‘Huh? Me?’
I turned to look at the reporter.
Naturally, every eye in the gathered crowd swung toward me.
“There’s been considerable talk about your sudden rise in ranking, Death King. Particularly, the speculation that you’re ‘a major newcomer secretly cultivated by the Major Guilds for a very long time’ is gaining traction!”
“Uh……”
“If that’s true, it would mean you’re a hero deliberately manufactured by the Major Guilds. What do you make of such suspicions!”
Murmur, murmur.
The plaza began to grow restless.
“There’s also considerable concern that the Major Guilds are monopolizing floors eleven through twenty by uniting their forces. I’ve heard that you, Death King, have acquired exclusive rights over the twentieth floor! Is this true!”
The atmosphere grew even more turbulent.
Tsk.
The witch beside me remained expressionless, but she clicked her tongue—barely audible, meant only for my ears. She switched off her microphone and muttered.
“That’s bait. Don’t answer. I’ll handle it.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“People like that will keep coming anyway. I should set the record straight at least once.”
“But……”
“It’s fine.”
I extended my hand toward the witch.
“Hand me the microphone.”
“……”
My resolve was unwavering.
Before heading to floor 21, I would cut away this gossip at the roots, once and for all.
SSS-Rank: A Hunter Who Must Die to Live (Serialization)
Author │ Shin Noa
Publisher │ Kim Joo-hyung
Publishing House │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
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 J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and its contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of these terms 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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