SSS-Class Suicide Hunter

Chapter 364: 1st Floor (1)

1.

There is an afterword.

"I don't recognize this ceiling...."

What I said, wrapped in white light, probably belonged in the top 100 most clichéd quotations used in the history of human literature. However, it was a lie. The scenery that entered my view was not unfamiliar at all.

-Oh? ...Ohh? Why am I suddenly here?

This is Cafe Planetarium.

Once the lobby of the grand library, now repurposed as a cafe.

Under the lofty ceilings of the library, Bae Hu-ryeong floated around lightly.

-Ah, looks like you got called out to some meeting or something again, zombie? And I couldn't attend because I don't have the authority?

'Yes, that's correc....'

Just as I was about to finish my sentence, a playful thought struck me. And if you had to list the people who shouldn't be pranked, Bae Hu-ryeong would be at the bottom. I immediately put my plan into action.

['The Sky That Gathers Screams' affirms the words of the Sword Emperor.]

Though it was just a thought, surprisingly, the message appeared. Well, it wasn't the first time I had done something like this. But for Bae Hu-ryeong, it was the first time he received a message from me.

-...Hmm.

Bae Hu-ryeong, forgetting what he was about to say, stared down at me. His look was filled with various emotions, but they were starkly apparent: satisfaction and a trace of regret.

-Well. Yes. It's about time you were made into a constellation. You little punk. Not even 100 years old and already acting like a constellation, you've grown a lot.

'Eh. If you add up all the time I spent in trauma, it's probably well over 100 years?'

I shrugged nonchalantly.

'Anyway, it's just as you thought. I went to the meeting of pillars. I won. And as a prize, I got the chance to revise my skills once.'

-What? Skill revision? There was no such thing in my time!

'Well, you never won against a pillar, nor do you remember them, do you….'

-Dammit! This is hunter discrimination! Why does only Kim Zombie get such favoritism? Hey! You pillars or tower masters or whatever, if you had given me even 1/100th of the favors you give to Kim Zombie, would I be stuck here crunching on ghost crisps!

Bae Hu-ryeong really believed his voice could reach the tower as he screamed at the top of his lungs. I just grinned.

Then a man walked toward us.

"Hey, slob."

Thump.

The man was dressed in a work uniform, chewing gum nonchalantly even during his shift, his eyes so dull that it was doubtful if they were even human eyes. A man whose mere existence would drop the average moral standards of humanity by 1%. Who else could it be?

It was Yoo Soo-ha.

"Why, tail-ender."

"You were busy attacking the tower, weren't you? Why are you suddenly here? Just a moment ago, there was no one in this spot, but in the blink of an eye, you're sitting here."

This corner of Cafe Planetarium was quite secluded. The customers were far enough away that they hadn't noticed my presence. Being a well-known figure, there would likely be a commotion if they did.

"...You don't remember?"

"Huh? Remember what?"

Yoo Soo-ha furrowed his brows, clueless.

'I see.'

Of course. Hunters related to the pillars all lose their memories. Even the memories of meeting with [The Wand of Ages] or taking the role f judging me, Yoo Soo-ha doesn't remember any of it.

It was a fact that couldn't be more obvious, but— for some reason. I felt a little bitter.

"Hey."

I swallowed that bitterness down my throat.

"Do you want to see me dance?"

"...."

Yoo Soo-ha's expression seemed to say, 'I knew this guy was nuts, but he's really reached a new level of madness now.'

"You mean to tell me you, of all people, are asking me to go clubbing now? No chance, kid. I'd only lose out if I got mixed up with your duke."

"Are you crazy? Are you a moron? I'm not talking about a club, just asking if you'd like to see me embarrass myself doing the Cossack dance."

"No, what you're saying sounds even more moronic… Hmm."

Then, Yoo Soo-ha crossed his arms. He must have been intrigued. But still, he cast a doubtful glance, suspecting that I was joking. It was not an unreasonable doubt since, in the list of people that could afford to be pranked, Yoo Soo-ha was ranked second right after Bae Hu-ryeong.

"Fine. If you want to show off in front of this old man, I suppose it's only proper to watch. Go on, dance here in the cafe—– What are you doing,

you madman!?"

"Cossack, dancing, that's, what!"

"Stop it! Fuck, ah. Don't look here! Anyone who makes eye contact with me, I'll make you anxious about what goes into your coffee whenever you order from now on! Hey! If you stare for more than 1 second, I'll spit in it, and if it's over 3 seconds, fuck, even I don't fucking know! Hey! Hey! Why are you still looking?!"

Yoo Soo-ha screamed out loud. The customers who glanced over due to the commotion turned their heads away upon meeting Yoo Soo-ha's murderous gaze. The handsome part-timer at Cafe Planetarium had become more famous for his temper than his looks at this point.

"Phew... Wow, shit. You crazy bastard. When I said yes to dance and you really started dancing?"

"Yeah. If it's just doing the Cossack dance, I can dance anytime you want."

"Why are you like this? Did you eat something wrong…?"

"No. I just thought if my dancing makes this world slightly more bearable for you, then dancing is the least I can do."

"...."

Finally, Yoo Soo-ha's expression reached its peak. It was the face of someone who had heard something he wished he hadn't.

"Good Lord. You really are insane. No, you were already insane. What do you call an insane person who goes mad again?"

"Yoo Soo-ha. I am... a god who can dance for you."

"If a normal hunter goes mad, you report them to the Civil Militia, but what do you do if it's the number one ranked guy who's lost it? Should I really be calling the Duke Ivansia's house…?"

Yoo Soo-ha muttered seriously. His muttered words weren't meant to be taken seriously, but there was one thing he mentioned that I was hearing for the first time.

"Number one rank? What are you talking about? I'm still number two."

"Huh? ...Ah, right."

Yoo Soo-ha furrowed his brow as he realized, 'Oh, this guy didn't know yet' and seemed lost in thought, sighing with an air of annoyance.

"Get going."

"Where to?"

"Babylon Square. You could just look it up on your smartphone, but you don't carry one, do you? If you stay here any longer, it'll only cause a scene with the customers. Better leave before it gets too annoying."

Yoo Soo-ha waved his hands dismissively. True to his words, I had long since abandoned using a smartphone. I patted Yoo Soo-ha on the back (which got me a punch in the solar plexus, but well, I took it. Damn it hurts), and transported myself to the first floor.

Upon arriving at the square, I was greeted by a massive hologram floating in the air.

+

1st. Death King

2nd. Sword Saint

3rd. Black Dragon Master

4th. Venomous Snake

5th. Count

6th. Heretic Questioner

7th. Crusader

+

"...."

I stood dumbfounded in the middle of Babylon Square, looking up at the ranking.

"Hey, isn't that person over there..."

"Death King, isn't it?"

"Nah. There was no talk of him coming back yet."

"He might have taken a break from conquering floors and came to rest! Look! His face is exactly like in this photo..."

Buzz.

A commotion began to stir in the square.

Numerous people were coming and going in the square. Compared to when I had first challenged the 10th floor, or even the future when I had decided on 4000 days of regression, Babylon Square was much more vibrant now.

The large guilds had chosen cooperation over invasion. The 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th floors, the endlessly spreading farmlands and new markets promised an eternal new world in the tower. Raviel was my lover, and Uburka was my son. The procedures were strict and the policies precise. Under the cooperation of the large guilds and local forces, the tower was prospering.

And so it was at this moment too.

Not only humans from the outside world traversed the square. Though still a tiny minority, there were empire exchange students selected by the Duke Ivansia family, guild members of the Oni race who followed Venomous Snake into Chen Mu-mun, and Goblin warriors leading the fashion of the Fire Painting Play, among various races walking around.

There would be discrimination, certainly. There would be contempt as well. But while I was in charge of external affairs, endlessly climbing the tower, my comrades were pouring all their sweat and blood into internal affairs.

At least in our world, there would be no Babylon Square turned into ruins from numerous terrorist attacks. We would not allow even a single inch of this place to fall into ruin.

Never.

"Huh? Look over there!"

Someone pointed at the hologram with their hand. The reaction was minimal because most passersby were looking at me.

However, a clear change was happening on the ranking list he pointed at with his fingertip, a change significant enough to divert people's attention.

Crackle-

The hologram fuzzed with static, and suddenly the letters changed.

+

1st. The Sky That Gathers Screams

2nd. Sword Saint

3rd. Black Dragon Master

4th. Venomous Snake

5th. Count

6th. Heretic Questioner

7th. Crusader

+

As if the ranking list had been waiting for me to arrive and see myself on it, my title on the board changed.

A few people witnessed this change. The sound of Huh?, naturally drew people's attention. Dozens of bystanders turned their heads, and in an instant, "Huh?" spread throughout the entire square.

"What? The Sky That Gathers Screams?"

"That's where the Death King used to be."

"Did, did the Death King die? If he's been removed from the rankings…"

"Could it be that the Death King is dead?"

"The Death King is dead?"

"The Death King is gone?"

"The Death King has been brutally murdered ahhhhh!!"

Dear citizens of the tower, what an exemplary process of information distortion you are showing….

There were also voices like "Then what's The Sky That Gathers Screams?" or "It's unlikely a new hunter took the 1st place just because the Death King might have died" or "That person standing there looks like the Death King himself…" but all minority opinions were drowned out by the rumors of my death.

The square was in turmoil for about four minutes.

"Really!"

The first person to rush towards me through the crowd was the Black Dragon Master.

To be precise, she didn't exactly run. She used her [Instant Transfer] skill, a specialty of hers, and appeared right beside me.

"You just got here, and can't stand not causing a scene, can you!?"

"Hi, nice to see ya!" (ED: Greeting used by tower master previously in Ch 359)

"...What the fuck is that?"

"You didn't know? This is the latest greeting these days."

"What nonsense… No. Never mind. I'd rather crash infantry on the Maginot line than try to understand you logically. Coming back after a long time, and you start by spreading rumors that the 1st ranked hunter might be dead!"

"It wasn't my doing."

I felt somewhat wronged.

I had just acquired a new alias, and it was the bystanders here who spread the rumor. Probably among the bystanders, there was a member of the Black Dragon Guild. Hearing the commotion, they must have immediately run to report to the Black Dragon Master. Thanks to that, she used Instant Transfer to get here even before five minutes had passed.

'It's been a while, though.'

Indeed, the other comrades also do not remember the events of the heavenly floors. If they did, I would have shared the discussion with the Black Dragon Master as well.

That's what I thought.

"That's right. It's been a while. How have the other comrades been?"

"...Huh? What are you talking about?"

Since that was my thought, I completely didn't expect the Black Dragon Master's response.

"You talk as if you haven't seen us for months. Didn't you just meet the Count a few days ago?"

I was momentarily stunned.

"...Yes?"

"What do you mean, 'yes'? I heard about it. You said the heaven floors, right? You're the only one who could climb up to such a terrifying place so nonchalantly. What would have happened if the judge had betrayed you?"

My eyebrows twitched.

The commotion among the passersby around us had started to settle down a bit. The Black Dragon Master appearing in person and conversing casually with me made it clear.

If I had not truly been Death King, it would have been impossible, and thus, the commotion about the 'Death King is dead' quickly subsided.

Contrary to the passersby, my heart was only being shaken violently.

"Hold on a second. How can you remember...."

"I'll let you explain that yourself."

Thud.

Footsteps approached.

"It wasn't a difficult method."

I dully turned my head. Guild members of the Merchant Guild, wearing cat ears, escorted someone through the crowd, making way among the onlookers.

There, the Count was smiling, holding a fan.