SSS-Class Suicide Hunter
chapter-299

1.

On the day when the Sword Emperor appeared on the 50th floor, it is said that all the constellations adorning the sky at that time whispered to him.

[The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains invites you to join.]

[The Ox that Harvests Ruins recommends a long campaign to you.]

[The Eye Living in the Labyrinth invites you to join.]

[The Incarnation of Love and Lust offers you an apostleship.]

[The Lotus Reflected on the Water invites you to join.]

[The Lone Seeker of Truth…….]

From the most prestigious constellations to the minor levels of constellations.

It was certain. Under any constellation, this human would shine! The quests woven by the constellations, one by one, would surely lead the Sword Emperor to the most dramatic love, the most dramatic victory, and the most dramatic life in this world.

-Hmm.

It was evident in his eyes. The eyes of the Sword Emperor were clear. They were the eyes that would boldly accept the toxicity of any wound he received.

-Interesting.

He did not think of himself as a [body too precious to be wounded]. Nor did he boast of being a [body that need not suffer wounds]. He simply always strived to become stronger. A monster-like pride lurked in this man’s heart.

-But, I shall refuse.

Looking around at the starlight flocking to him, the Sword Emperor smirked.

-I will not choose anyone! I won’t pick any constellation! I will climb to the 100th floor, see the view there before anyone else, keep it to myself, and then remain silent. I won’t tell any of you anything!

With his hair red as the sun, the Sword Emperor laughed.

-If you’re curious about what’s up there, stand up and follow me! Friendship is not about climbing a mountain together. Only those who have climbed the same mountain are entitled to share friendship!

The Sword Emperor vanished into the distance, becoming a starlight himself.

99th floor.

The place where he fell like a meteor was just one step away from reaching the top.

People could not find his remains. It was impossible to ascend to the 99th floor. Even the Sword Emperor’s followers, who arrogantly called themselves his devotees, couldn’t get close.

Was he really dead? Or was he still on the 99th floor? Perhaps, he reached the 100th floor and disappeared without a trace.

The tower revealed nothing. Only rumors were rampant.

-…….

There was someone who reached the next highest stage after the Sword Emperor. It was a magician. The only human who had set foot up to the 90th floor. But as soon as the Sword Emperor’s presence disappeared, the magician turned away.

-Idiot.

She was the elder of the Magic Tower.

2.

There are many things I realized while climbing the tower, but if I were to choose the most practical realization, it would be this:

It’s hard to resolve everything in the world just with words.

“Damn it!”

Chang! With an unpleasant metallic sound, a spear flew. It was the spear held by the Apostle of Mahos, a man with black hair.

I whirled my aura and sent the spear flying far away.

“Argh…!”

“You’re strong.”

I flexed my shoulder muscles. There was a cramp.

Nevertheless, the man tried to retrieve the spear by controlling his aura, but it was difficult to defeat me in a realm purely of aura against aura.

My master, even while being consumed by the zombie virus, used the technique of Empty Space Grasping to move her muscles, intestines, bones, and heart.

I am her successor. The training I’ve undergone is different from others.

‘Well. This duel is not the [first] time.’

I spoke leisurely.

“It’s not flattery. You are truly strong. In our world, you would probably rank among the top five.”

“Audacious…! I haven’t even used Mahos’s powers yet!”

“It’s the same for me. I haven’t yet called upon my family’s army.”

I sheathed the holy sword.

“When I call upon my family, it becomes quite impressive.”

“What?”

“The sky turns upside down, and the earth is flipped over. Sounds like a lie, right? But it’s true. If you knew who the shadow of my family is, you would probably collapse from a heart attack.”

It’s the Constellation Killer.

“……It might be a lie, but if it’s true, why don’t you call such a great army?”

“They are guarding the house.”

I shrugged.

“What if someone from another world invades while I’m away? Those kids are guarding the house, so I can wander around with peace of mind. They are all as strong as me.”

“…….”

The Apostle of Mahos bit his lip tightly.

[You have passed the test.]

[The pursuit and attack orders against you are lifted!]

[The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains recognizes you as a temporary follower!]

[From now on, you share the main quest with the Warhorse of the Eternal Plains.]

Okay.

It seemed the Apostle was still not convinced of his defeat, but the constellation he served, Mahos, had cleanly accepted it. Mahos recognized me as a [temporary follower] and agreed for me to participate in his quests.

This allowed me to directly participate in the quests undertaken by Mahos, even though I was not officially serving him.

A rather unusual case. It was a special exception.

“What an unsightly sight. Hurry up and come out.”

Pushing aside the Apostle of Mahos, another hunter appeared.

“Greetings! I am one of the Apostles of [The Eye Living in the Labyrinth], known as [Jester].”

The hunter, true to her name, was dressed as a jester. Her face was covered in red and white makeup. The heavy makeup hid all her expressions, making it hard to read her emotions.

“I heard that you intend to become a follower of all the constellations existing on the 50th floor.”

“Temporary follower, though.”

“Ha ha. How interesting!”

The Jester’s face, while claiming to find it amusing, looked incredibly unamused. Behind her, more than ten hunters were waiting. All of them, regardless of whether their power was strong or weak, were Apostles of a constellation.

They had come to test me on behalf of their constellation.

“Since Mahos has tested your [strength], let me test your [luck]!”

Chuk.

The Jester brought out a table.

And she overturned 13 [cups] on it.

“A labyrinth is ultimately about wandering in search of the right answer!”

The Jester smiled.

“No matter how complicated the maze or how evil the traps in the dungeon, if you shorten it, it’s just like these 13 cups. Now now, look! Death King. There’s only one cup with candy that you can eat first.”

The Jester tapped the cups lightly. Transparent glass. Inside each cup was a piece of candy that children would love.

“In other words,”

“The other 12 cups contain candy that should not be eaten.”

“Ha ha! Exactly! You guessed it right!”

The Jester smiled a pleased smile, the kind that makes only herself feel refreshed while others feel sour.

“All are extremely poisonous!”

“They might look like ordinary glass cups, but they are sacred objects. A gift from [The Eye Living in the Labyrinth] who highly appreciated my clowning around! Ordinary aura can’t penetrate it, and no skill can discern what’s inside!”

Right. I know well.

“Now! Now now! Death King. Although it’s just a trivial display of talent, join my little prank and…”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

I immediately picked up the fourth cup and ate the candy inside it.

“Eh?”

The Jester, who was eloquently spreading her grand speech, looked dumbfounded. Regardless, I chewed the candy expressionlessly and swallowed it.

“It’s mint-flavored. I prefer yogurt-flavored candies, though.”

“…….”

“Do you know about yogurt candies? They are sweet with a slight milky taste, absolutely delicious. Sometimes they have them at barbecue restaurants. Those are really the best.”

Silence ensued.

The Jester slowly covered her cheeks with her hands.

Her face looked utterly shocked.

“How can this be…! Holy shit! Oh my God! How on earth…!?”

I let out a hollow laugh.

“Does this mean I’ve passed the test?”

“I, I don’t know! I can’t understand! How can a mere jester like me judge someone born with such strong luck. It’s terrifying, so terrifying…….”

“It’s not over yet, is it?”

Hesitation.

“What do you mean?”

“You said it yourself. Among these, there is a [candy that can be eaten first].”

I cleared away the sixth cup.

“That means there’s also a [candy that should be eaten later].”

And without hesitation, I ate the candy inside the cup.

“…….”

“Now, I’ve eaten two. How many are left?”

“……One left.”

“Okay.”

I deliberately smiled broadly as I looked around at the remaining glass cups.

‘It’s harder than defeating the Apostle of Mahos.’

I have experienced these tests before, not for the first time. Precisely speaking, it may be the first time for others, but for me, it’s already been several times.

‘Unnecessarily died 9 times.’

Today, I’m experiencing the same day for the tenth time.

If it were a battle of skill, perhaps, but in a test purely based on luck like this, even I am helpless. The first few times, I died screaming after eating the extremely poisonous candy. Then, after [correctly guessing the answer!], I died an hour later.

The [candy that can be eaten first] also contained poison, and if not followed by eating other specific candies in order, it would be fatal.

“Where could the tasty candy be? This one? Or, this one? Hmm, it’s difficult. Both look delicious, which is a big problem…”

The Jester, unaware that I had returned to the past, just looked at me blankly.

“How…? It can’t be detected by skills, nor aura…”

“Ah.”

I picked up the first cup.

“This is it.”

“…….”

“This candy was begging me to eat it. It was shouting that it’s truly harmless to humans. Ah, so noisy. I feel sorry, so I have to eat it.”

I unwrapped the candy and chewed it. The poison in the first candy was neutralized by the second, and the poison in the second was completely detoxified by the third.

Originally, the Jester would have watched me slowly succumb to the poison in agony, exclaiming, ‘Ha ha ha! Are you suffering! It must be painful! Now! Now! Quickly choose! Find your own answer! Your own correct answer, with your own hands!’ as she danced around.

“Is it over now?”

“…….”

But now, having completed the mission in less than a minute, she just stood with her mouth agape.

I smiled radiantly.

“People often tell me I have good luck.”

[You have passed the test.]

[The Eye Living in the Labyrinth recognizes you as a temporary follower!]

[From now on, you share the main quest with The Eye Living in the Labyrinth.]

That’s right.

[You have passed the test.]

[The Lone Seeker of Truth recognizes you as a temporary follower!]

[From now on, you share the main quest with The Lone Seeker of Truth.]

Bae Hu-ryeong refused all the constellations’ invitations.

Steadfastly, nobly, but lonely, he climbed the tower alone.

But he failed.

[You have passed the test.]

[The Last Sword in the Wilderness recognizes you as a temporary follower!]

[From now on, you share the main quest with The Last Sword in the Wilderness.]

Why he failed, I do not know.

One thing is clear: even a hunter as great as Bae Hu-ryeong failed when he tried to climb the tower alone.

That means it’s not the path.

It’s just a dead end.

I want to believe that Bae Hu-ryeong didn’t fail because he was weak or lacking, but rather because he chose the wrong method.

No.

I believe it.

Therefore.

[You have passed the test.]

[The Bell that Mourns the Dead recognizes you as a temporary follower!]

[From now on, you share the main quest with The Bell that Mourns the Dead.]

I walk a path completely opposite to the one he chose.

-…….

If Bae Hu-ryeong walked the path of orthodoxy, then I walk the path of heresy.

If Bae Hu-ryeong climbed alone without forming any alliances, I build alliances. I gain favor with the residents of the tower. I unite the large guilds. I accept the love of a lover, the loyalty of a vassal, and create a family.

I establish a clan.

[You have passed the test.]

[You have passed the test.]

[You have passed the test.]

Bae Hu-ryeong served no constellations.

Therefore, I will serve [all constellations].

“……Good.”

The evening sun had set.

The Apostles, once numbering over ten, had been defeated one by one, leaving only one in the queue.

“I admit. I, no, we underestimated you.”

The last remaining Apostle wore a cloak redder than the sunset.

[The Incarnation of Love and Lust].

The Apostle of Babit, a girl, looked at me seriously.

“You have proven your strength and that luck is with you. Even if it wasn’t purely luck that you survived, you must have a skill that makes your success seem like a matter of fortune.”

The girl removed her cloak. The thick fur cloak fell to the ground.

And she took out a bottle of water.

“But can you really understand [love]?”

Splash!

The Apostle of Babit poured water on her head. Dewdrops slid down her fresh blonde hair. The sunset was burning, and the light that set the sky ablaze sneaked into the droplets on the girl, quietly reddening her cheeks.

“You and I. Let’s see who can make the other’s heart flutter first.”

Babit’s power unfolded, enveloping the surroundings in a pink hue.

The girl, as if accustomed to it, now wore a sorrowful smile, as if her previous expressionlessness was a lie. Her eyes drooped, and her pride and arrogance disappeared from her lips.

[Come to me].

The Apostle’s smile, her slow gestures, her gaze said it all.

“I’ll say this in advance. I’m sorry.”

The sunset was falling just for her.

“You will come to like me.”

“…….”

I shook my head.

“I have multiple identities. Just like everyone else.”

I slowly approached the Apostle of Babit.

“A leader of a sect. A head of a family. A director of a troupe. Someone’s father. A friend of a race. Now, I will add being a temporary follower of Mahos, Babit, and others. As I climb the tower, more names will be attached to me. But…….”

I stood firmly in front of the girl.

The Apostle drenched in water looked up at me.

“My first and foremost identity will never change.”

I smiled.

“I am the man of the most beautiful person in this world.”

“…….”

“She don’t have a heart, so I carefully crafted mine and offered it to her.”

Before being a hunter, I am a lover.

And.

[You have passed the test.]

[The Incarnation of Love and Lust recognizes you as a temporary follower!]

[From now on, you share the main quest with The Incarnation of Love and Lust.]

That day, I made contracts with numerous constellations.

*****