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Translator: thursdays Editor: Yahiko PR: LightBrin
3.
-What?
Of course, it wasn’t only the Constellations who reacted to the death of the Constellation Killer.
-What? Wait, what… Did the Constellation Killer just die? Really?
A dull voice resounded in the gray sky. The chief of the wizards who had just warred against the Constellation Killer, the so-called Magic Tower Master, was in shock.
That voice was only the beginning. People started to flock to the wasteland. One by one, the Hunters who had fled the battle between the Constellation Killer and the Magic Tower approached.
“No way. The Constellation Killer died?”
“Who is that guy?”
“I’ve never heard of the Sword Emperor.”
“Fuck, that crazy mofo bastard was reincarnated…”
Though they were shocked, they did not rush and pile on top of me. There was an alertness in their eyes. They were wary of a newcomer who had suddenly hunted the Constellation Killer.
‘It’s dangerous. I should disappear before I draw more attention.’
I caught my breath, which had become feverish during my fight with the Constellation Killer.
‘If they discover that my fighting prowess is less than they think, I don’t know when or how they’ll attack.’
I was only able to hunt the Constellation Killer through a trap. If we were both fully prepared, I would have lost 100 percent no matter how many times we fought. The other Hunters weren’t aware of this fact yet… It was really lucky that they weren’t.
‘I should hurry.’
I put the Constellation Killer’s body on my back and muttered, “Transmit.”
In my mind, I was already thinking of the Great Library’s majestic lobby. Soon, my body would be transmitted there, carrying the Constellation Killer’s corpse. Then, I would coax [The Corner Librarian] to follow my schemes.
“……?”
However, nothing happened.
“Transmit.”
I muttered again, but it was the same. I remained in the desolate field. The glutenous blood from the Constellation Killer’s corpse soaked my back. Hundreds of Hunters stared at me in confusion.
“……”
Suddenly, an ominous premonition swept over me.
‘The stage clear announcement hasn’t been made yet!’
The Constellation Killer was unmistakably dead. And yet, no voice declared to me that [the stage has been cleared].
‘Why? Was something lacking?’
I desperately tried to think of what happened. Was it not enough to kill the Constellation Killer? Was the Tower refusing to recognize the 50th floor as cleared since the Constellation Killer wasn’t the master of the 50th floor?
“…Why’s he like that? He’s just standing still.”
“Hold on, my observation skill says that guy’s level is only B-Class.”
“B-Class?”
While I was urgently thinking, the Hunters began to murmur. The air of astonishment ebbed away. Astonishment slowly turned into alertness, and alertness soon became suspicion.
“Don’t joke.”
“Well, he must have a camouflage skill. The Constellation Killer is at least S-Class, so there’s no way he’d die to a B-Class.”
“Hey! Somebody talk to him!”
“Are there any Hunters who were active when the Sword Emperor was alive?”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
‘This isn’t good.’
Uneasiness rippled through the air. It wasn’t just because I could see the Hunters sniffing about. It wasn’t because each of those Hunters was a higher level than me and thus dangerous.
The sense that I’d [missed something].
A Hunter’s intuition.
“……”
I instinctively looked to my side.
-……
Next to me, Bae Hu-ryeong was smirking.
-What’re you looking at?
‘Speak honestly. You know something, don’t you?’
-I don’t know what you mean. I already gave you all the advice I’ll give.
Saying so, Bae Hu-ryeong grinned. The corners of his mouth were filled with mischief. Shit. Cursing in my mind, I recalled the advice he gave me.
『Gongja.』
『Don’t see him as a human. He’s nothing but a weapon that moves fully according to what he has written.』
Not a human but a weapon. A fighting machine.
‘What would I do if I was Lefanta Aegim? He’s a man who calculates everything obsessively. Wouldn’t he naturally have plans for if he died?’
My thinking became quicker.
‘Furthermore, Bae Hu-ryeong has met the Constellation Killer before.’
I saw Lefanta Aegim’s face for the first time in a trauma. Bae Hu-ryeong was with me then, too. He had immediately recognized Lefanta Aegim’s identity.
『It feels like I’ve seen that bastard before?』
『Even at a glance, I can recognize that he’s definitely the Constellation Killer.』
『I was wondering what kind of world such a madman was born in, that brat. So he’s from Aegim.』
I asked Bae Hu-ryeong what sort of relationship he had with the man. Bae Hu-ryeong shrugged.
『What else could our relationship be? We had a proper fight.』
『He was strong, I’ll give him that, but he couldn’t dare match me.』
In other words…
‘Bae Hu-ryeong beat the Constellation Killer in battle.’
The Constellation Killer had been defeated by Bae Hu-ryeong before.
Then, wasn’t it too strange?
Feeling the Constellation Killer’s blood drip down my spine, I looked at Bae Hu-ryeong.
‘You…’
-Yeah.
‘There is no way a person like you would spare the Constellation Killer.’
The Sword Emperor.
He was a crazy nutjob, but he had a noble attitude when it came to swords and martial arts.
Bae Hu-ryeong killed my master. He killed her in a fair match. Master was beautiful, and she was as kind as she was beautiful. Bae Hu-ryeong recognized it, saying that [this was the doctrine of the Demonic Cult], and cut her.
-Heh.
The Constellation Killer was depraved. He couldn’t even be compared to my master.
-Smart little brat.
After subduing the Constellation Killer… there was no way that Bae Hu-ryeong wouldn’t have killed him.
-This is why I like you. You have to be smart to be a Hunter. There are three qualities a Hunter needs. Intelligence, to plan a way to win. Courage, to execute the plan. Skill, to succeed in the execution. You have to be smart, adaptive, and competent.
There was only one conclusion.
Bae Hu-ryeong must have killed the Constellation Killer in the past.
Only, that wasn’t the end.
-The Constellation Killer bastard is a Hunter, Gongja, just like you.
The sky split.
“Strengthening one blow.”
I.
“–I throw away the white flower I saw when I looked down on my way here.”
I was only able to avoid the blow because I was extremely tense and wary of my surroundings. I had reinforced my vision and hearing, all five senses, with my aura as much as I could. As I keenly observed the flow of air, I felt a blade that tore the flow apart.
I hit the ground.
I discarded Lefanta Aegim’s corpse. I disregarded my posture. I fiercely rolled away, my sole aim to get out of that spot. Running Wave. Any martial artist would laugh at my technique, but I used it with not a single inkling of shame.
In exchange, I survived.
Kwaaaang!
The wasteland was completely uprooted. The ground broke. The sudden blow had waylaid even the crowd who had gathered to look at me. Unlike me, not all of them had been paying attention. Over twenty Hunters died due to this bit of carelessness.
It happened in an instant.
“On the way, I saw an old man planting something in a flower pot.”
Someone took a step. Thud. The man’s footsteps echoed in the dense wasteland of screams and groans.
“The flowerpot was small. Petite. The man’s life had become old and lacking, and he was planting his all into a single flowerpot. For a moment, I saw the flowerpot that contained the old man’s life. Life, regardless of size, can be beautiful so long as it can be contained somewhere.”
The walker was wearing a ratty hood.
“One strike. Strengthening.”
A voice flowed from beneath the hood.
“I forsake the memories of the old man and the pot.”
A gale blew.
[‘The Lone Seeker of Truth’ rejoices.]
[‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth’ watches as new events unfold.]
[‘The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains’ abandons the plan to attack you.]
The number of deaths earlier—20—instantly doubled. Everyone but the Hunters with prompt reactions was caught in the blow. There was a spirited man who ran toward the man in the hood, but soon his limbs were blown away, demonstrating to everyone the difference between courage and recklessness.
“I overheard people whispering in the alley.”
The man’s hood slipped because of the wind that he himself caused.
“I couldn’t understand them, so I shan’t say they were voices. But I cannot say it was mere noise because I wanted to understand them. The allure of something you don’t understand. I wondered if that was a sign of beauty. I thought the sound of the alley was beautiful.”
Silver hair.
“While walking, I stepped on the ground. The feeling of touching the ground was new to me. It was firm. It was nice. I thought that maybe the people of the world would become nicer if they walked around on bare feet. Then, I felt pained because I thought they would step on a glass shard. The people who walk barefoot in this world are good people, but that is why they will always be in pain.”
Blue eyes.
“I deduce that the one who murdered me is in this group. Among them, the person with the highest possibility of being the killer is… the one that was carrying my corpse.”
An old notebook.
“It is the first time I’ve died in 153 years, 7 months, and 2 days. The Hunter who killed me in the past, the Sword Emperor, was distinctly more skilled than I. Thus, I added a rule on page 2. [If I am about to be killed by an opponent stronger than me, I will escape]. This is the lesson I gained after dying three times in three battles against the Sword Emperor.”
The silver-haired man scanned the old notebook with his blue eyes.
“From my judgment.”
Then, he looked at me.
“You avoided two of my blows. But if you were a fighter on the Sword Emperor’s level, you would have counterattacked immediately after dodging. The Sword Emperor said his level of martial arts was called the Dawn Circle Sword. Your skills are not on that level.”
The Holy Sword by my waist trembled.
“It’s hard to understand why I was killed by a person on your level.”
The one who massacres Constellations.
“This means that you are smart enough to devise a method that I cannot guess. A Hunter who is smarter than me is dangerous. If you gain more outstanding power than you have now, you may grow into a Hunter comparable to the Sword Emperor.”
A human weapon.
A person who plans for his own death and has made an additional body. Whether it was a [clone], a [puppet], or some Constellation’s technique, the Constellation Killer, Lefanta Aegim, stood before me.
『Don’t see him as a human.』
『The Constellation Killer bastard is a Hunter, Gongja, just like you.』
Like me, who never really dies no matter how much I die.
The Constellation Killer was another person who had measures against death.
“I judge that you are a dangerous person whom I cannot leave alone. I will neutralize you immediately.”
The Constellation Killer pulled a yellow rubber band from his chest pocket. Slowly, he tied his silver hair.
“Our fight begins now.”
The world fractured.
-Come on, Gongja.
Bae Hu-ryeong laughed loudly.
The slightly frayed sleeves of a robe fluttered.
-This is the world after the 50th floor!
4.
I pulled forth my red aura with all my strength.
“Dammit! A doll? You’re really no different from a machine, are you?!”
“In my battles against the Sword Emperor, there were no witnesses except for one Constellation.”
The Constellation Killer looked between me and his diary. It would be nice if looking was all he did. He continued to rain down blows without pause. I did my best to avoid his repeated attacks.
“It was because the Sword Emperor considered the duel to be sacred. The Sword Emperor called it a martial arts contest. However, too many have witnessed this death. It will be difficult to eliminate all witnesses.”
-This crazy bastard…
I heard a voice muttering absently in the faraway sky. It was the voice of the Magic Tower Master. Regardless, the Constellation Killer continued to calculate how to act next.
“Therefore, I will threaten them instead of killing them. Listen. Look. To those who oppose me and to those who will oppose me in the future, I have artificially acquired immortality. Even if you kill me, I will stand before you again.”
-……
“And I vow to kill the person who has killed me. If a group worked together to kill me, I will destroy the whole group.”
Booooom!
I narrowly managed to avoid the Constellation Killer’s attack. The attack I dodged did not cut me but [the Constellation Killer’s corpse]. The corpse was cut off at its waist in one stroke. This was crazy. That guy, the Constellation Killer, shredded a body that looked exactly like his own.
“My declaration is not just a threat. I will kill you here to prove it.”
His face was still expressionless.
It was like he placed no value on his own body.
“Strengthening one blow.”
The Constellation Killer dashed at me.
“I abandon all the beauty of the world.”
‘Ah.’
I had been under the illusion that time had stopped.
As a wave of air from his sword strike ripped through the earth, I looked the Constellation Killer in the eyes. They were apathetic.
Pure madness.
His eyes were not afraid of any sacrifice or price he had to pay in order to act on his convictions. Yes, Bae Hu-ryeong was right. This man was a person who lived as a hunter just like I did.
‘It’s me.’
I lamented.
‘It’s me if I didn’t meet Raviel—‘
Staring at my imminent death, in that moment, I gave up on defending. I ignored it. But I wasn’t just throwing away my life.
『Don’t kill yourself without my permission.』
『Don’t die even when there’s an easy escape.』
『Even if you don’t think you can escape death, struggle until the end.』
As I gave up on defense, I swung my sword. If I couldn’t block the blow anyway, even if I was going to die, I could at least hit him properly. That was just who I was. That was the promise I made with Raviel.
Chwaak!
My sword collided with the Constellation Killer’s strike.
My blade cut open the diary in the Constellation Killer’s left hand.
“……”
I saw the Constellation Killer’s silver eyebrows twitch.
“——.”
His blow had pierced me.
‘I admit it.’
I coughed. Blood poured back down my throat. My vision turned white. Even as my body boiled, I glared at the Constellation Killer until the very end.
‘You are a monster. You’re stronger than me. You’re very cautious like me. However, you’re not the only one who has another chance, Lefanta Aegim.’
[The Corner Librarian sighs.]
‘Kill me. I’ll die for you now. Kill me again and again. Let’s kill each other! Your hell and my hell can compete. The last person standing will be me. You are wrong!’
[The Corner Librarian rejoices but also despairs.]
I will beat you.
[You have died.]
Just wait.
[Currently, your Hunter rank is B-Class.]
[As part of your penalty for leveling, the order of your skill activation will be changed.]
I will definitely, to you—-.
[Warning.]
[The trauma of the enemy who killed you is being materialized.]
[The data necessary for materialization will be extracted from your memories.]
The whiteness I saw turned red.
[The severity of the penalty is high.]
[The penalty is the animal road.][1]
My consciousness drifted away.
From a faraway world, like it was crossing nirvana, there was a melody.
Ding,
Dong,
Dang,
Dong.
……
Somehow, the tune sounded very familiar.
It was the sound of a bell I think I heard a long time ago.
‘Where did I hear this… Oh? Where… Where was it?’
I tried to open my eyes. My eyelids felt like they were being weighed down with iron. My whole body was tingling with sleep paralysis. Only the unclear melody, the hazy bells, could be heard.
Ding, dong, dang, dong…
At some point, I could hear another sound.
-This is the broadcasting department, notifying all students remaining on school grounds…
School?
-Other than the students who will participate in nighttime self-study, everyone, please go home now. Once again, the broadcasting department announces…
Go home.
-Recently, some students have remained on school grounds after dismissal time has passed. To the students at school now, please return home if you have not applied for nighttime self-study.
Ding, dong, dang, dong.
The bell rang again, and the voice stopped speaking.
“……”
What the hell was this?
I struggled to break free of the sleep paralysis. But struggling was no use, so I concentrated my consciousness on one point as much as I could. I felt my body fidget. As I was trying to move my fingers by concentrating a bit more, something hit my head.
“Sunbae, wake up! We’ve been dismissed!”
Only then could I move, like I had been released from binding magic. I exhaled violently. Gradually, I regained control of my body. Sensations returned. The first to return was hearing, then sight.
“Aha—”
Drawn by the familiar laugh, I raised my head.
“It’s not good for you to sleep on your desk! It’s bad for your back, and more importantly, you won’t sleep well. I understand that you’re studying hard since it’s almost midterms, but please go home and sleep instead!”
The Heretic Questioner was smiling down at me.
However, something was different.
“…Heretic Questioner?”
The Heretic Questioner was wearing a school uniform.
“What? A heretic questioner?”
He tilted his head side to side.
“Who’s that?”
“…Maybe… Are you the Golden Silk? Were you possessed by the Heretic Questioner again?”
“Possessed? Ah. Did you have a dream? Ahaha. Sunbae, you read a lot of books. You must have had an interesting dream!”
“……”
I slowly looked around.
The two of us were at… a library. But even though it was a library, it was shabby when compared to the Great Library of All Things. If the Great Library was a magnificent chateau, this was a cramped kennel.
Looking out the window, I could see a wide schoolyard.
“……”
Like a normal school.
‘Sword Emperor.’
Feeling my mouth go dry, I muttered in my head.
‘There’s trouble, Sword Emperor. This. I think the penalties became totally weird as my level went up. Before, I saw the trauma like I was peeping in a dream, but this… Sword Emperor?’
There was no response.
I looked around again.
‘Hello?’
It was quiet.
‘Hey. Sword Emperor.’
It was silent.
“……”
Then, I realized.
“Now, sunbae. Let’s leave now. The student council president will probably be waiting at the school gate today! You can’t make your girlfriend angry! I’ll organize the books, so sunbae, you go first!”
I had entered a new stage.
The trauma was unfolding on a different level than before.