SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 194: Unintentional (2)

“Actually, what happened was... Oh, should I just show it to you? Yeah, I think it’ll be better that way.”

The princess clapped with her head still buried in the pillow. I really didn’t want to see that. Anyway, as soon as she clapped, the previously white space around us became colorful as if the place was surrounded by a 3D video. For some reason, the place in the video looked familiar.

“Huh? This is the hunting ground on the second floor, right?”

“That’s right.”

I would always recognize that place. Before my regression, when I was living the life of a Class F Hunter, I had visited this place every day, the same place where I destroyed Yoo Soo-Ha before he could become the Fire Emperor. I heard a familiar voice.

—Oh, fuck. How long do I have to sit on my ass all day here?

The man with the black ponytail was Yoo Soo-Ha. Every time he opened his mouth, he spewed out curses like a ray of rainbow, as if pimples would grow on his tongue if he didn’t swear. He swore so much that it made me want to wash my ears inside out.

—Shit. What is life anyway? I guess I should be satisfied with whatever ass I can kick. Fuck.

In the video, Yoo Soo-Ha was chasing after a slime.

—Hey, you bastard! Stop right there!

The slime ran away, but Yoo Soo-Ha ran after it. The way he was hunting gave off a rookie vibe. No matter how generous I was with the evaluation, he didn’t look anything more than a Class F Hunter.

“When did this happen?”

“Long, long ago. Before your regression,” the princess answered with her head still pressed down on her pillow and her hands clasped behind her back. “During that time, the Fire Emperor only wandered around the second floor like you because he didn’t have a Skill. But...”

Before she could finish speaking, a blond girl appeared in the video. It was the Mirage-Walking Princess. She walked across the grass, humming in a carefree manner as if she was enjoying a leisurely stroll.

Yoo Soo-Ha also sensed the princess’s presence and headed toward her.

—What? Why is a kid in a place like this? Hey, kid.

He walked behind the princess’s back and immediately grabbed her by the nape. Even though the princess looked like a kid on the outside, this was still extremely rude. However, he picked up the princess as if this was normal to him.

—What are you doing here?

The moment they locked eyes, the princess smiled brightly and held up a sign. The sign said “Treasure Goblin Lottery” in crude writing.

—Congratulations! The first person to find and catch me is given a golden skill! You are so lucky. Today, you are the luckiest person among everyone in all the Towers!

—Kid, have you lost your goddamn marbles?

—If you check your status window now, you’ll be able to find a golden skill. Well, then! Bye bye!

The princess disappeared since her job was now done. Yoo Soo-Ha was left alone.

—What the hell...

The video ended there. The space where I was became as plain as white paper again. The princess, who looked just like she did in the video, was still doing a plank with her forehead buried in her pillow. I glanced down at her and said, “I still can’t tell what you’re trying to tell me. Please explain.”

“I sometimes hold treasure goblin events as a kind of entertainment. I descend into a random Tower and walk around mindlessly. The first person who spots me and catches me—”

“Don’t tell me that you give away golden skills so easily.”

“Well, that’s exactly what I do. ”

“What the hell?”

It was absurd. My mind went blank. What suddenly occurred to me during my spiral was the fact that whenever people had asked the Fire Emperor what his secret to success was, he just frowned.

「Mr. Fire Emperor! Can you define your secret to success in just one word for aspiring Hunters, please?」

「Those who are destined to succeed will be successful no matter what.」

The Fire Emperor always said no more than that.

「That’s it. I have nothing else to say, so don’t follow me.」

Until now, I thought that statement was him being arrogant and condescending, but what if he got his Class EX Skill after catching a treasure goblin? He wouldn’t have been able to tell this to anyone. If he had, people would have called him crazy. He actually had no choice but to claim that he was destined to be successful!

“W-Why did you do that?” I asked, confused.

“I have an extremely private reason, as well as a very public one. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“Let’s start with the public reason.”

“The Pillars are divided into two types: those who just watch, and those who intervene. I prefer to meddle in the business of those who climb the Tower. As such, I host many events, and one of them is the treasure goblin event.”

“What is your private reason?”

“It’s fun.”

“Don’t ever lift your head.”

“Okay...”

I now understood why the Tower’s higher-ups had been treating me so favorably. I was the Fire Emperor’s murder victim, and the Skill behind the Fire Emperor’s success, Returner's Clockwork, had been given to him by one of the Pillars just for the sake of entertainment.

“It was part of the victim-care program...”

The princess shrugged. “You can call it that.”

My head hurt.

“I was curious as to why a guy like Yoo Soo-Ha, an asshole, had such a good Skill. Still, this is absurd.”

“I’m really sorry.”

I couldn’t help sighing. “Tsk, tsk. So did you come down here to be punished, despite being a Pillar?”

“That’s right. Mula... The Tower’s master ordered me to come to my senses by placing a restriction on me. Compared to my original self, I’m way weaker when it comes to physical strength, combat prowess, intelligence, charm, and everything else. Isn’t this a little too much?”

“The Tower’s master is a wise ruler. So great.”

Whoever they were, great decision on their part.

“Anyway, I personally want to reward you, Death King. Until now, whenever a meeting was convened because of you, I quietly took your side, but it feels like that’s not enough.”

I put my chin on my palm.

I don’t really want to get compensation for what the Fire Emperor did.

Thanks to Yoo Soo-Ha’s Returner’s Clockwork, I was also able to use I Want To Be Like You. I now lived a successful life, and I got to meet Teacher and Raviel. I was happy. Although I had been unfortunate at times, I wasn’t unhappy.

—Hey, Zombie. What’s going on? What’s a Pillar? the Guardian asked. He was with me at all times but was excluded whenever I met Pillars.

I’ll explain later... Ah.

Seeing the Guardian floating around changed my mind.

“You’re right. You should reward me, Princess.”

“What do you want? Would you like me to give you a ton of species points?”

“That sounds tempting, but... ” I shook my head. “Show me how my children lived after I left.”

“Huh?”

“Sonia, Ilric, Yumar, and Sakum. I’m talking about the Terras I got to meet during this stage. I want to see what became of them. Uburka and Gorke too, if possible.”

I really wanted to see my children’s after-stories.

The princess slowly raised her head and looked up at me with goodwill in her eyes. “You’re really greedy, Death King.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Okay. I can do that much for you.”

The pure white space lit up with my children’s faces.

***

Sonia didn’t quit acting.

—It’s okay.

Since I left, Sonia was criticized for her aura mastery suddenly deteriorating, or that her acting wasn’t just as good as before. Sonia’s Cavefire was never satisfactory to the Terras, whose standards couldn’t have been any higher at the moment.

—It’ll be fine.

But Sonia didn’t quit. She practiced day and night until all her fingernails and toenails broke.

—I can do it.

Sonia became less talkative. Except when she was performing or practicing, she rarely spoke. Her eyes were resolute, as if she wouldn’t live her life unless she was on stage. Ilric, Yumar, and Sakum were always by Sonia’s side.

—We just need to start over.

The troupe’s reputation suffered, but the actors didn’t care.

—The concept of dance dramas is new, so it was sensational to the audience at first, but they became used to it. That’s it. Let’s not get discouraged and just keep on performing. Someday, people will praise us again.

—Ugor.

Despite being criticized as a has-been troupe, the actors continued doing their job.

After some time, Ilric’s long-lost mother returned. He and his mother had already lost the opportunity to live together, so learning to act as a family was difficult. However, Ilric allowed his mother to participate in his life and occasionally had meals with her.

Yumar donated quite a lot of the money he had earned as an actor to his home village. The village was in decline because almost the entirety of the youth population had been killed off. Thanks to his donation, the village survived until the next generation took the reins.

Sakum learned that his old master’s family had gone bankrupt. Not wanting to miss such an opportunity, Sakum quickly ran and threw a coin at his former master, who was now a beggar on the streets. After that, he happily left, leaving his master staring at him blankly.

Time passed.

Sonia’s face had wrinkles now. After spending her entire life on the stage, her eyes were clear. Her life had been short, but full. One day, she sat alone in the empty auditorium, looking at the theater stage’s wooden floor.

—It was a good life.

Sonia looked into the darkness of the stage with narrow eyes, imagining herself dancing on stage like a shadow.

—I should have been a little nicer to people.

Sonia slowly closed her eyes. What was she thinking about?

—Mr. Kekerukker...

The scenery changed.

Unlike the delicate Sonia, the hobgoblin I was looking at was as huge as a mountain. He was the warrior recognized as the strongest in the history of Terras—Uburka, the chairman and Rank 1 warrior of the Fire Water Council.

For over twenty years after I left, Uburka reigned at the top. Over the decades, countless warriors had challenged him, but he was never defeated.

One day, he suddenly announced his resignation.

—Nothing good will happen if I continue to rule. I’ll step down from my position as chairman and solely pursue the path of martial arts.

The Terras were in an uproar. They were slowly becoming used to Uburka’s iron-fisted ruling, yet their monarch resigned. Naturally, they were bewildered, but Uburka was adamant.

—I actually should have done this sooner, uger. It was quite a hassle to stabilize the Shellmounts’ settlement and quell the continent. Twenty years ago, I was immature, but now that my immaturity has come to an end, I’ll live for myself. Don’t worry. I’ll cut ties with the secular world and won’t come back.

—Where are you trying to go, Chairman?

—I’m not going anywhere.

Uburka grinned.

—I’m waiting for Daddy to come back.

He left Goru and climbed the continent’s most rugged spirit mountain. Snowstorms raged all year round. At the top, Uburka sat in his typical lotus position. His voice was filled with joy.

—Daddy descends to this land every few hundred years. My limits allow me to only last for a hundred and fifty years. I’ll need to surpass my limit. Come back, Daddy. I will be waiting for you.

A blizzard buried Uburka. That seemed to be the end of his after-story. However, the video continued showcasing the raging blizzard on the spirit mountain without stopping.

I tilted my head. “Um, Princess?”

“Yup.”

“I think I’ve seen all of Uburka’s after-story.”

“No, you haven’t.” The princess stood up, her smile containing a secret playfulness. “It’s not over yet.”

No way. I felt my heart pounding hard. Even though I thought it couldn’t be possible, I had to ask, “Is he alive?”

When we said our goodbyes, I could vividly recall him telling me “That means I’ll have to live a very long time.” Still, I thought he had died as a legendary figure in the history of Terras. However, if Uburka successfully achieved life rejuvenation...

“Did he survive?” I asked, my voice trembling a little.

The princess smiled. “Yes. Do you want to meet him?”

I now knew who I had to meet on the next stage.