SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 56

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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 56. Bibliomania (1)
1
Silence fell over the Grand Library.
The weak-stomached Hunters retched. The strong-stomached ones grew quiet, staring at the quest that had materialized before their eyes, lost in thought.
Only one Constellation moved.
“Ah.”
The Librarian alone fluttered his five-meter-long sleeves and opened his mouth.
“Do clean up any vomit, if you would. It’s basic decorum, is it not? The library’s cleanliness is preserved only when every patron works diligently to maintain it.”
Clap!
The Librarian clapped lightly. From behind the shelves—from a shadowed, dark corner—unidentifiable things began to approach. They had limbs, which gave them a superficial appearance of humanity, but…
The Black Dragon Lord narrowed her brow.
“…Bookmarks?”
The unidentifiable creatures had bodies made of bookmarks.
Strange drawings were inscribed across each bookmark. A maidservant’s dress? A maid’s outfit? In any case, it was an image of the sort of clothing that ancient attendants might have worn.
“Oh, precisely right! Bookmark Maids, they are!”
The Librarian placed his hands on his waist with an ahem.
“They shall attend to you until you clear the thirtieth floor.”
The bookmarks depicting maids bowed deeply.
“Should you wish to eat or use the lavatory, simply tell the Bookmark Maids. Humble though they appear, they are quite capable.”
“They’re monsters, right? At least?”
“Hm.”
The Librarian covered his mouth with his sleeve.
The Constellation’s eyes were smiling wickedly.
“You may regard them as such.”
The Librarian’s eyes smiled, but his voice did not. The Hunters stiffened. The Constellation’s cheerful tone had grown cold for the first time.
“There are certain matters you must attend to during your stay here.”
The Librarian spoke.
“First. Do not touch any books that I have not explicitly permitted. Do not even lay a hand upon them. These are all volumes I have gathered through blood, sweat, and tears. They are apocalyptic texts of which this universe contains but a single copy each. Those foolish enough to handle books without the owner’s consent…”
“Damn.”
Just then, one of the Hunters spat out a curse.
“This is ridiculous. You’re just the boss monster after all!”
“…Hm.”
“Hey! Everyone grab your weapons! Forget the quest—just kill this bastard and we clear to the thirtieth floor. Boss, my ass! With three hundred of us attacking at once, we can bring him down!”
The crowd stirred restlessly.
The Librarian made no move to stop the Agitator. He simply watched in quiet amusement, smiling with his eyes. Emboldened by the Constellation’s silence, the Hunter grew even more confident.
“We can beat some little squirt like him! Even that green kid, Sa Wang or whatever, cleared floor twenty alone.”
“……”
So they’re going to drag me into this.
“Why should we lose? Huh?”
When the Agitator pointed at me, several people turned to look. They were of different races, with eyes of every color imaginable. But the emotion that burned in those eyes was identical across all of them.
Envy. Jealousy. Greed.
These were all far too familiar emotions.
“You lot stay out of this! In fact, all of the Five Major Guilds—step back!”
The Hunter shouted not only at me but at the Black Dragon Lord and the Sword Saint as well. Even the Heresy Inquisitor and the Count—leaders of the great Guilds—felt the force of his voice.
“We’ve been fed up with you monopolizing the strategy from floor eleven onward! We know what you’re doing—acting like you represent the tower, grooming some kid to be the next hero, manipulating everything! Did you think we wouldn’t notice?”
The Black Dragon Lord bristled.
“Who do you think you’re speaking to!”
Grip.
I seized the Black Dragon Lord’s wrist.
“Please. Stay calm.”
“No, Sa Wang. If we let them—”
“Still, let us refrain for now.”
I whispered in her ear.
“This is all being broadcast live.”
The Black Dragon Lord blinked.
“A live broadcast? What do you mean?”
“It’s being projected as a hologram in Babylon Plaza.”
“…!”
In my previous life, I never obtained a reputation and never set foot beyond floor twenty. Yet I knew in perfect detail how this stage operated, what the quest entailed—everything.
“It’s like a television program. The crowds gathered in the plaza are watching everything we do. Right now. In real time.”
“Why would you do such a thing?”
“That Constellation said it himself. We’re no different from characters.”
I spoke quietly.
“Of course there are readers watching characters like us.”
That’s right.
The me of yesterday saw it in the plaza. Watched it live. Even if I couldn’t participate in the conquest myself… I witnessed everything—how Hunters bearing true names cleared Floors 21 through 30, every step of the way.
‘There must be holograms floating in the plaza right now.’
Every gesture of everyone gathered here is being broadcast live.
Every word we speak, every action we take.
Tens of thousands of readers observe it all in vivid detail.
In the truest sense, we had stepped onto a stage.
“Don’t let your guard down thinking no one is watching, Black Dragon Lord.”
“……”
“If you say something strange here or show a bad impression, you’ll be remembered that way by people for life.”
The guild master before me grasped it immediately.
How terrifying that would be.
“…Indeed. This stage isn’t about whether we clear it or not, is it.”
I nodded.
“No. It’s about how we clear it that matters most.”
We must avoid doing anything that might later become ammunition for the books. We must make sure that to the people—no, the readers—we truly feel like heroes from within a story.
We had to perform and embody our roles ourselves.
“We’ve already stepped into a work called the Grand Library.”
That was the moment.
The notification that should have come after the quest appeared sounded.
Not in the witch’s voice, not in the Librarian’s voice, but in the Tower’s voice.
[Welcome, Sa Wang.]
I smiled inwardly.
[Floor 20 Clear Reward granted!]
The price paid by yesterday’s me for protecting the Aikim Empire and the continent.
The time had come to receive it.
2
The Tower is cruel to the latecomers.
But in equal measure, it grants high rewards to those who come first.
[Normal Stage Reward.]
[Blessing of the Goddess of Beauty descends upon you!]
[From Floor 21 through Floor 30, you may observe the Favorability of characters.]
The reward did not end there.
The compensation for completing the Hidden Quest still remained.
[Hidden Stage Reward.]
[Blessing of the Snake God descends upon you!]
[From Floor 21 through Floor 30, you may observe the Psychological State of characters.]
‘Excellent!’
These were privileges beyond compare.
In this quest, the key would be how well I performed whatever role was assigned.
‘These are exactly the privileges I need right now!’
To perform a role, it wasn’t enough that I alone did well. I had to read through the hearts of others—the psychological depths of other characters too.
Acting is never a solo performance; it’s always teamwork.
‘Status Window.’
Before diving into the quest proper, I checked my condition.
+
Name: Sa Wang
Rank: D-rank
Skills (5/6)
1. I Want To Become Like You (S+)
2. Regressor’s Clockwork (EX)
3. Sword Constellation (A+)
4. Goblin High Society (F)
5. Hundred Spirit Rebirth (SSS)
6. None.
※Blessing of the Goddess of Beauty is currently applied.
※The Blessing of the Snake God is currently active.
+
‘Okay.’
I glanced back at the Black Dragon Lord. Only then did I realize I was still gripping her wrist. I released it as naturally as I could manage, then murmured a plausible command to myself.
‘Character Window.’
Whoosh!
A hologram materialized before my eyes.
And I found myself witnessing a status window unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
+
Name: Black Dragon Lord
Favorability: 82
Preferred Genre: [Romance]
Disliked Genre: [History]
Preferred Character Types: [Prince on a White Horse], [Young Men], [Wolf-types], [Airheads]
Disliked Character Types: [Psychopaths], [Soldiers], [Politicians], [Incompetent Heroines]
Preferred Plot Elements: [Repayment], [Sacrifice for the Greater Good]
Disliked Plot Elements: [Betrayal], [Forgetfulness], [Heroine’s Misunderstanding]
Psychological State: ‘If our appearance really is being broadcast to Babylon… I need to perform the role of a noble character for the sake of the future. Clearing this Stage is secondary. Yes. I must act with ruthless political calculation. Then the wisest tactic would be…’
+
“…….”
Oh.
As I lost my words in shock, the Black Dragon Lord’s expression hardened. She seemed anxious that something had gone wrong with me.
“What is it? What’s the matter?”
“Oh. No, it’s nothing at all.”
“…Well, that’s a relief. If there’s any other information I should know about, tell me quickly. I’m already formulating countermeasures in my head.”
“Yes, yes.”
The Black Dragon Lord turned her head and sank back into thought.
Her expression intensely serious.
As I gazed at her profile, I was seized by a peculiar emotion.
‘What is this?’
What exactly was this nameless sense of guilt?
‘This feels just like… I’ve secretly read someone else’s diary…’
-Puhahahaha!
The Backhoe Spirit, who shared consciousness with me, had already lost it.
Kicking at the air with both legs, he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
-A p-prince on a white horse! A prince on a white horse…! Gaasp! A man who’s aged well past his prime and only maintains his appearance value through Elixir, and at his age he wants a prince on a white horse! Z-zombie! Get yourself a magnificent steed from somewhere and ride it! You call yourself a Hero! If you just crown a Hero, doesn’t he become a prince? Man, it’s a match made in heaven!
“…….”
I stared hard at the Backhoe Spirit.
-What? What’s with that look? Like you’re glaring at me?
I muttered softly to myself.
‘…Character Window.’
-Huh? Wh-what? Hey, Kim Gongja! What are you doing right now!? Don’t! Hey!
The Backhoe Spirit panicked and waved his hands.
But waving his hands couldn’t block the command.
The Backhoe Spirit’s Character Window laid itself bare before my eyes.
+
Name: Sword Emperor
Favorability: 59
Preferred Genre: [Martial Arts]
Disliked Genre: [Everything Except Martial Arts]
Preferred Character Types: [Macho Men], [Rivals], [Mothers]
Disliked Character Types: [Weaklings], [Pushovers]
Preferred Plot Elements: [Victory], [Satisfying Revenge]
Disliked Plot Elements: [Defeat], [Drawn-out Melodrama]
Psychological State: ‘Damn! There’s no way this actually works on me too, right?’
+
‘Pfft!’
I exploded internally.
I nearly lost my deadpan expression right then.
‘M-mothers? I never would have guessed… So the Sword Emperor is a mama’s boy after all…’
—I’ll kill you!
The Backhoe Spirit’s eyes blazed. Not merely glared—they positively blazed with fury. He thrashed about, flailing his limbs in a fit of frenzy.
—I’ll kill you dead! Damn it! Erase it right now! Delete it from your brain, you bastard! If you don’t erase it this second, I’ll blow your head clean off! I’m serious—I’ll sever all ties with you, you scum!
It had been some time since I’d met the Backhoe Spirit, but I’d never seen him this flustered. The losing party always tends to get louder. Unlike him, I remained perfectly composed.
‘Until Floor 30, just bow your head to me without complaint. Otherwise, I’ll open your Psychological State window whenever I get the chance.’
—Nngh……!
The Backhoe Spirit snarled, his nostrils flaring with such force. But what did it matter how hard he snorted? He couldn’t strike me, and he couldn’t block my abilities.
—Wait and see! One day you’ll get what’s coming to you!
‘Pfft.’
His threat meant nothing to me.
While I tested out my new privileges, the Hunters were dividing into two distinct factions.
One group, following the Agitator, wanted to gang up on the Boss Monster—the radical faction. The other side, led by me and the Black Dragon Lord, preferred to watch and wait before acting—the cautious faction.
The radicals numbered roughly a hundred.
The cautious faction was about two hundred strong.
“Fools.”
The Sword Saint, who had maintained silence until now, finally spoke.
The elderly swordmaster regarded the radicals with pity.
“Did you already forget what that Constellation showed you—worlds falling into annihilation? If he so desired, he could throw us into one of those dying worlds and slip away without a care. Yet you wish to fight him? Madness, pure madness.”
“…….”
“If you’re bent on mass suicide, I won’t stop you.”
The Sword Saint’s words alone caused half the radicals to defect.
The remaining radicals now numbered around fifty.
“Hey! Don’t lose your nerve!”
The Hunter who had first stirred up the group shouted.
“Sa Wang cleared Floor 10 solo! Floor 20 was solo too! All Boss Monsters are like that—the big guilds just hoard the profits. If you’re planning to spend your whole life wagging your tail to the Five Major Guilds, then get out!”
The Agitator seemed to be a fairly high-ranking Hunter himself.
The fact that fifty people still hung on his words proved as much.
‘He might even be the head of a mid-sized guild with some real standing, even if not one of the major powers.’
Yet crucially, I couldn’t recall his face or his name. I memorized all the top-ranked Hunters—Yeom Je, the Philosopher’s Stone Lord, the Black Dragon Lord, the Sword Saint, and so on. I’d even devoted myself to fandom over them.
If someone like me couldn’t remember him…
“Hmm—”
There had to be a reason.
“—Have you finished managing traffic, then?”
The Librarian looked down upon the fifty radical Hunters.
Hundreds of books orbited around him like planets circling the sun.
“Yeah! You monster boss! We’ve got fifty people here, and that’s plenty to crush a runt like you……!”
“I apologize. I’m not particularly fond of clichés, you see.”
Click.
The Librarian seized a single book.
The title on its cover read “Sealed Apocalypse Epic.”
“I’ll simply end this quickly.”
Whoooosh!
The book flew open, and white light erupted forth. But this time, the light did more than flash. Dark, writhing appendages—countless tentacles spilled out, engulfing the radical Hunters.
The Hunters screamed.
“What—what is this?”
“In this apocalypse, mankind has perished, leaving only a single sorcerer alive.”
One. Two. Three.
The radical Hunters were seized by the monster’s tentacles and dragged skyward.
“Through various hardships, this sorcerer has become less human and more akin to a tentacle creature. My favorite protagonist, in fact. My ninth-favorite character, I’d say.”
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
The Hunter yanked into the air was swallowed into the book.
“P-please, save me!”
The Hunters lucky enough to dodge the tentacles tried to flee, but it was futile. Swish-swish! Ten times as many tentacles burst from the book. One Hunter was caught by the wrist, another by the waist, another by the ankle.
“This sorcerer, my favorite character, specializes in Sealing Magic. I suppose you might call it a relationship of client and contractor—I occasionally provide them with materials, and in return, the sorcerer happily fulfills my requests.”
In moments, all fifty Hunters were devoured by the book.
The Librarian smiled thinly.
“Just as I’m doing now.”
Thunk.
Thunk, thunk, thunk. Plop-plop-plop. Thunk-thunk.
The book that had swallowed the Hunters began to expel something.
Gluttony and regurgitation.
We held our breath, watching the scene unfold before us. Though we couldn’t see it from here… hundreds of thousands gathered in Babylon Plaza were almost certainly doing the same, breath suspended.
“Good grief.”
What the book had expelled was an enormous bookmark.
As tall as a human.
Bookmarks with limbs.
“The sorcerer’s hobby is dressing up the creations he’s made as maids.”
A maid’s uniform was drawn across the center of the bookmark.
“Slightly perverted, if I’m being honest.”
“…….”
“What’s to be done, really? All of humanity perished except for himself. Maintaining sanity would be the stranger thing.”
The Hunters looked around with fear-stricken faces.
Fifty Bookmark Maids stood silently.
Looking further across the library, there were not fifty, but hundreds—thousands of bookmarks at work, holding mops and serving utensils and the like.
“…….”
The Hunters fell silent.
Just counting what entered the field of vision was that much.
This Grand Library stretched beyond the Horizon.
If one accounted for the entire library, how many bookmarks in total were wandering about?
“Hmm. It’s all neat and tidy now! The unnecessary extras have been taken care of.”
Snap!
The Librarian closed the book.
“Now, wouldn’t you like to try being protagonists?”
S-Rank Hunter Must Die to Live (Serialized)
Author │ Shin Noah
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J-Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelyung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Homepage │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Shin Noah 2019
※This work is published by J-Plus 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 permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this will 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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