SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 364: The First Floor (1)
“I don’t recognize this ceiling...”
After white light surrounded me, the words that left my mouth were probably among the top one hundred quotes in the history of most overused lines, but I was actually lying. The sight before my eyes was very familiar. This was Cafe Planetarium. Once the lobby of the Great Library of All Life, it was now a cafe with a high ceiling.
—Oh? Why are we here? Ah, by the looks of it, you were called to another Pillar meeting. And I lacked the authorization level to watch it. Is that right, Zombie?
Yes, that’s... 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
I was about to say “right,” but I suddenly felt mischievous. If I were to list people I shouldn’t tease, the Guardian would be at the bottom of the list. I immediately put my prank into action.
[The Scream-Gathering Sky confirms the Sword Emperor’s statement.]
I had only thought of it, yet the message was still sent. Well, I had done this before, but still, it was the first time the Guardian received my message.
—...Huh.
The Guardian forgot what he was about to say and simply stared down at me. The feelings in his gaze were mixed, yet it was clear there was satisfaction with a hint of regret there.
—Yeah, it’s about time you become a complete Constellation. Gosh, you aren’t even a hundred years old, and you’re already acting like a Constellation? You’ve grown a lot.
I shrugged.
Come on. If you count the time I spent in people’s traumas, I would be way over a hundred years old. Anyhow, as you guessed, I went to the Pillars’ meeting. I won a duel and earned the right to edit my Skills.
—What? You edited your Skills? I never had that in my time!
Well, you’ve never beaten a Pillar, and you don’t even remember them...
—Damn it! This is Hunter discrimination! Why do they favor Kim Zombie so much! You—Pillars, Tower master, or whatever you are! If you had given me even one-hundredth of the favors you’re giving Kim Zombie, I wouldn’t have become a ghoooooost!!!
The Guardian shouted at the top of his lungs, seemingly convinced that his voice could reach the Tower. All I could do was chuckle.
A man walked over toward us.
“Hey, you bum.”
He was wearing a cafe uniform. Even at work, he chewed gum loudly. His eyes were so sharp that one would doubt that he was a decent person at first glance. His mere existence lowered humanity’s average moral level by one percent.
The man was none other than Yoo Soo-Ha. Who else could it be?
“What, Ponytail?” I asked sourly.
“Weren’t you on the higher floors to clear the Tower? Why are you here? A moment ago, no one was here, but you suddenly made yourself at home.”
This was a quiet corner, even within Cafe Planetarium. The other customers were far away and hadn’t noticed I was there. I was quite a celebrity, so if they had noticed me, there would have been a commotion.
“Don’t you remember?”
Yoo Soo-Ha narrowed his brows, looking confused. “Huh? Remember what?”
I guessed that made sense. All Hunters who had gotten involved with a Pillar lost their memories. Yoo Soo-Ha didn’t remember meeting the Primordial Staff, nor did he remember acting as my examiner. It was to be expected, but I felt disheartened for some reason. I quickly swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and asked, “Hey, do you want to see me dance?”
Yoo Soo-Ha’s face seemed to say that I had reached a new level of insanity, though he knew I was already crazy. “You’re married. Are you asking me to go to a club with you? Forget about it. I’m the only one who will suffer if I piss off your duke.”
I scowled. “Are you insane? I didn’t ask if you wanted to go clubbing. I asked if you wanted to see me embarrass myself by dancing the hopak.”
“No, you still sound like an absolute maniac... Hmm.”
Only then did Yoo Soo-Ha cross his arms, probably getting intrigued, but he still gave me a wary look, thinking I was teasing him. It was understandable since Yoo Soo-Ha was ranked just after the Guardian on the list of people I could pull pranks on.
“Alright. Since you’re putting on a show in front of your big brother, I better watch it. Why don’t you try it in the caf—what the heck are you doing, you wacko?”
“I’m! Dancing! Hopak!” I answered.
“Fucking stop!” Yoo Soo-Ha turned his head to the customers. “Don’t look over here! I’ll make sure anyone who makes eye contact with me will feel nervous about their every coffee order from now on! Got it? If you stare for more than one second, you’ll get phlegm coffee. Three seconds will get you... I don’t fucking know either! Hey! Hey!! What are you still staring at? You, over there!”
At Yoo Soo-Ha’s bellow, the customers who had looked over to see the commotion quickly turned away, scared by his fierce glare. The handsome part-timer, who had become a celebrity at Cafe Planetarium, was now more known for his temper than his looks.
He sighed. “Phew... You freaking wacko. You really danced just because I told you to?”
“Yeah, it’s no problem to dance hopak whenever you want.”
“What’s wrong with you? Did you eat something bad?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I just thought that if seeing me dance makes you feel that this world is worth living in a little longer, then it may not be so bad to dance for you.”
Yoo Soo-Ha looked like he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. “You really went nuts. No, you were already a lunatic, but what do you call a nutjob who has gone insane a second time?”
“Yoo Soo-Ha. I’m... a god who can dance for you.”
“If a normal Hunter went mad, I could report it to the Watchmen League, but where am I supposed to report it when the Rank 1 Hunter becomes a nutcase? Do I have to contact the Ducal Family of Ivansia?” Yoo Soo-Ha muttered, expression serious.
Although none of the words he had just muttered were serious, something particular stood out to me.
“Rank 1? What are you talking about? I’m still number two.”
“Huh? Ah, right.” Yoo Soo-Ha frowned and let out a sigh brimming with annoyance. “Come to think of it, you don’t know yet. Go.”
“Where?”
“Babylon Plaza. It’d be easy if you had a smartphone, but you don’t carry one, do you? If you stay here, the customers will cause a commotion. Leave before you cause me more trouble.”
Yoo Soo-Ha waved his hand dismissively.
Like he said, I had discarded my smartphone long ago. I patted him on the back, though he punched me in return. It wasn’t a big deal, so I let him. Still, it freaking hurt.
I went to the first floor. When I arrived at the plaza, I saw a large hologram image floating around.
Rank 1: Death King
Rank 2: Sword Star
Rank 3: Black Witch
Rank 4: Viper
Rank 5: Countess
Rank 6: Inquisitor
Rank 7: Paladin
“Huh, that man over there... Could it be...?”
“Isn’t that the Death King?”
“There’s no news that he came back. No way.”
“Maybe he came back briefly to rest! Look! His face looks exactly the same. Compare it to this photo...”
Murmurs arose. The plaza quickly began to stir. Many people were coming and going from all directions. Even compared to when I had been clearing the tenth floor, Babylon Plaza was much more vibrant. I wouldn’t even have to mention the timeline where I had decided to regress over four thousand days.
The Five Guilds had chosen teamwork over war. The tenth, twentieth, thirtieth, and fortieth floors provided endless land and new markets, promising to be the Tower’s New Continent forever. Raviel was my lover, and Uburka was my son.
The rules were strict and the policies were detailed. With the work of the Five Guilds and local factions from the other floors, our Tower was flourishing. It was blossoming even at this moment.
Those passing through the plaza weren’t only people who had come from different worlds, like the imperial exchange students that the Ducal Family of Ivansia had picked. Though still a tiny minority, many species walked the streets. There were Skians who had followed the Viper here and joined the OJP Sect. The Terra warriors who led the trend of Cavefire plays were also walking around.
There would be discrimination and hatred. However, while I handled external affairs by climbing the Tower, my comrades worked on internal affairs. In our world, at the very least, there was no place like Babylon Plaza that had been reduced to ruins by many terror attacks. We wouldn’t allow even an inch of this place to be turned into ruins. Ever.
“Huuuuh? Look at that!”
Someone raised a hand and pointed at the hologram. They didn’t get a lot of reactions because most passersby were staring at me. Regardless, the ranking chart they were pointing to was clearly changing. It was a big enough change to draw people’s attention.
Pzzzzzzz—!
The hologram crackled, and the text suddenly changed.
Rank 1: Scream-Gathering Sky
Rank 2: Sword Star
Rank 3: Black Witch
Rank 4: Viper
Rank 5: Countess
Rank 6: Inquisitor
Rank 7: Paladin
It was as if someone had been waiting for me to arrive here. At first, only two or three people saw the change.
“Huuuuh?”
That one “huh” had the power to instinctively draw people’s attention. Dozens of passersby turned their gaze. In an instant, “huh?” spread across the plaza.
“What? Scream-Gathering Sky?”
“That was the Death King’s spot.”
“I-Is the Death King dead? Is that why he was removed from the ranking board?”
“My god. You mean the Death King might be dead?”
“The Death King is dead?”
“The Death King is gone for good?”
“The Death King has been brutally slaughtered.”
Dear citizens of the Tower, you show a prime example of how information gets distorted...
“Then who is the Scream-Gathering Sky supposed to be?”
“Even if the Death King is dead, there’s no way a new Hunter would suddenly take first place.”
“That guy standing over there looks like the Death King...”
Many were still making logical assumptions. However, the rumor that I was dead drowned out the fewer logical opinions. Like that, the plaza turned chaotic for about four minutes.
“Seriously?”
The first person to push through the crowd and run toward me was the Black Witch. Well, she didn’t exactly push through. She used her teleportation to show up right beside me.
“Would it kill you to not start a problem right after you come back?” she asked, clearly annoyed.
I waved at her. “Wassup, man?”
“What the heck is wrong with you?”
“Don’t you know? This is how people greet each other nowadays,” I replied.
“What are you even... Never mind. I’d rather become the infantry troops breaking through the Maginot Line than try to make sense of what you’re saying[1]. The first thing you do after returning is spread the rumor that the Rank 1 Hunter might be dead!”
“That wasn’t me!”
I felt wronged. I just got a new title, and it was the passersby who spread the rumor. Some Black Dragon Guild members were likely among them and had gone to the Black Witch to report the commotion. Because of that, the Black Witch had teleported here in under five minutes.
Anyway, it’s been a while.
I assumed that my friends didn’t remember what happened on the Nine Heaven floors. If they had, they would have told the Black Witch.
“You’re right. It’s been a while. How have the others been?” I asked.
That was why I hadn’t expected the Black Witch’s response at all.
“Huh? What are you talking about? You talk as if you haven’t met them in months. You met the Countess a few days ago, didn’t you?”
My head went blank for a moment. “What?”
“What do you mean what? I heard the stories. Heaven floors, right? You would be the only one who would go to such a dreadful place without hesitation. What if the examiners betrayed you?”
My eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. The noise coming from the passersby around us died down because the Black Witch had come in person and was arguing with me. If I weren’t the real Death King, she wouldn’t have come all this way, so the rumor of my death ended as fast as it appeared. In contrast to the crowd, my heart was racing.
“Wait a moment. How do you—”
“Let me explain,” someone said from behind me.
I turned my head in the direction of the voice. The MA guild members wearing cat ears were escorting someone through the crowd, clearing a path. There stood the Countess with a fan in hand and a smile on her face.
“It wasn’t hard.”
1. ”I’d rather die than try to understand you.” ☜
