Chapter 399: SSS-Class Revival Hunter (1)

「Breaking news. The Death King has set out to conquer the Tower’s hundredth floor, but we haven’t heard from him for quite some time. Many believed he failed. There have been a lot of talks going on about sending out search parties from within the Black Dragon Guild, along with the other Five Guilds and the Death King Clan. Now, I believe that those talks can end. The Death King, the Rank 1 Hunter, has cleared the Absolute Heavenly Peak!」

Thunderous cheers rang through the Tower’s plaza.

「As you can see, Babylon Plaza is now in a frenzy. It’s probably because everyone has heard the Tower’s message before we could go live with the news. You heard it too, right?」

The anchor turned to his colleague, who nodded.

「Yes, based on what we’ve checked so far, it seems everyone in the Tower heard that message.」

「It’s like the time when the OJP Sect Master and Constellation Ruin-Harvesting Cow crafted an item with an immeasurable rarity level.」

「Exactly. Back then, there was a prophecy that the Ruin-Harvesting Cow would stand in the Death King’s path, plunging the Tower in chaos. I remember there were heated debates over whether or not the worlds of our Tower should unite and form a large-scale punitive expedition or wait a little longer.」

「The debate ended only after the OJP Sect Master returned and explained what happened.」

The anchors wiped their foreheads.

「Compared to that time, there’s barely any chaos this time. The worst chaos we’ll see in this Tower is probably a shortage of alcohol or chicken[1].」

「Yes, it’s great that there’s no room for misunderstanding.」

「Yet it looks like the Death King’s haters—the Organization Demanding Truth from the Death King—want there to be a misunderstanding. What do you think?」

「We’ll now hear from our staff at the scene.」

People with masks had gathered and raised placards.

—Death King (X) Fraud King (O).

—Death King, the Fabricated Hero.

—Corrupted Connection Between the Death King and the Aegim Empire.

—Earth’s Traitor. Sormwin’s Puppet.

Those at the front shouted into megaphones.

「We’re the Organization Demanding Truth from the Death King, also known as Organization Demanding Death[2]. Today, it was said a certain message was sent to everyone in the Tower, so we have gathered experts from the Tower here today to point out that there is a high chance the message has been fabricated. According to the experts... (...) the Death King has bribed the Tower. Don’t we already have eyewitness accounts of the Tower’s managers showing favoritism toward the Death King on many occasions? (...) There is also the possibility that the message was sent by a Skill. Even if it was a Skill or a real message, our organization believes that the Death King becoming a Constellation warrants an investigation. Still, if he is a Constellation, he could send the same message to many people at once. (...) How can a previously jobless man become the Hunter representing this Tower and conquer the hundredth floor? Even an elementary student would say this doesn’t make much sense—」

After listening for a while, the anchor narrowed his eyes.

「What are those people saying?」

「I’m not sure. I feel like their yapping can be summarized to “It’s fabrication,” “The Death King is a fraud,” “Even if he did clear the hundredth floor, he rigged it with the Tower, so the Death King has basically done nothing,” “So what if he reached the hundredth floor? It’s not like our lives are going to get any better.”」

「This info seems useless. Anyhow, it’s been a while since the Tower’s general message announcing that the hundredth floor has been cleared. Has there been any contact from the Death King himself?」

「We’re staying in touch with the Broadband Communicator, the Five Guilds, the Ducal Family of Ivansia, and the vassals of the Death King Clan, but no news—

Ah

. 」

The anchor’s expression changed at once.

「The Death King has made contact just now!」

「Is that so? Which one did he make contact with?」

「The Black Dragon Guild.」

The anchors knew that if they got the message that the Black Dragon Guild had contacted the Death King, it meant that everything had been sorted out. What to keep secret had been decided, and the Death King was ready to make a public announcement. This reduced the burden on the broadcasting station, so the anchor smiled with a light heart.

「Patch us to the site, please.」

The screen changed, showing the Black Dragon Guild’s hall. There had once been a vote carried out within the Tower on whether they should pioneer or settle down. In that vote, the people of the Lion Realm had chosen to move forward instead of settling with what they had. There was no doubt that the Death King’s speech at the time had decided the vote’s outcome.

The hall of the Black Dragon Guild shown on screen looked like the very place where that speech had taken place. This was likely part of the Black Witch’s plan. Kim Gong-Ja, the one responsible for stirring up the Tower, was standing exactly where he had been during that speech.

「Everyone, this is the Four Kings!」

「Sixteen years have passed since he left for the ninetieth floor! After all these years, the Death King finally showed himself!」

The anchors were so excited that they raised their voices. Beyond the screen, faint noises could be heard from the Black Dragon Guild’s hall.

「There’s no need to rush, everyone. You’ll be able to meet the Death King soon.」

「Reporters, please enter in an orderly way.」

The Black Dragon Guild members led the reporters to their places, keeping them under control.

「

Ah

, the Death King isn’t actually in the venue. A screen has been set up. It’s a video conference.」

「The Broadband Communicator is standing right beside him. Since the Inventor King is also there, it seems that the feed is live.」

「The Organization Demanding Death has just stated that if the Death King doesn’t actually appear at the venue, then this is just the Black Dragon Guild pulling the strings behind the scenes. What are your thoughts?」

「I’ll say it again. I believe that there’s no need to listen to them. I was a little disappointed when I saw that the Death King wasn’t actually at the venue, but the mere thought of having a similar opinion to those people made me not care that the Death King isn’t actually there. I’m actually grateful for that.」

「The press conference site seems ready. Let’s focus.」

A group of reporters gathered around the projector showing Kim Gong-Ja and asked their questions.

「Greetings, Mr. Death King! Or should I call you Mr. Scream-Gathering Sky now?」

This was the first question asked after the Death King’s return. He smiled.

「Call me whatever you like. The people from the Organization Demanding Death seem to be here too, so you can just call me Fraud King, but I prefer being called Kim Gong-Ja. Calling me Mr. Gong-Ja would put me more at ease.」

「I also received the message that you cleared the hundredth floor. Congratulations! What is beyond it?」

「What reward did you get?」

「What happened?」

「What are your plans from now?」

Despite the Black Dragon Guild members’ best efforts to keep order, questions erupted at once like a snake with many heads. It didn’t matter. He had to answer them someday.

Kim Gong-Ja took a deep breath.

「I—」

***

I met the Tower master, became a Pillar, parted ways with the Sword Emperor, and talked with my comrades. I accepted the first event calmly. In fact, when the Tower master appeared in the fallen world after the last key was turned, neither the Sword Emperor nor I had any energy to react.

The Tower master commented, “You guys are like two exhausted sergeants after an intense round of soccer.”

I lay on my back, panting, not even bothering to turn my head to look at those purple eyes.

“What? Tower Master... What are you talking about? How can you play soccer with just two people? Isn’t that a sport for twelve players?”

“This shows that you’re from the generation where mandatory military service[3] was abolished. Truly, what a brilliant resolve of foreshadowing.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. Finally, I turned toward the Tower master. Like the crest of a mountain, the top of the tower was just a white dot up close. The Tower master stood alone on that white dot, looking down at me and the Sword Emperor.

The Sword Emperor raised a hand. “Hello, old lady.”

The Tower master did the same. “Wassup, man?”

I laughed. “Shouldn’t you blush and say ‘W-who are you calling old lady!’ or cover one eye and ask, ‘What did you just say?’”

“Scream Sky, please note that what you just said is

not

normal. What kind of person do you think I am?”

She was indeed the goddess of fertility who had twenty-four children. Although I had no mother, this had to be how I would feel if my mom discovered the comic I was reading.

The Tower master sighed, her sleeves fluttering as she waved her hands around. “If you insist on using the word ‘normal,’ you should say it like this. ‘Don’t people usually meet in a more sacred and impactful way than this?’”

“I already know the answer to that one. This was where we should have met for the first time.”

I had already met the Tower Master several times. The impact was weaker than my first encounter with the Sword Emperor. Still, I thought it could have been a more formal meeting than just “Wassup, man.”

Just as I thought that, the Sword Emperor scratched his cheek. “This is our first time meeting face to face, right? My memories don’t need to be censored anymore, so I now remember that several Pillar meetings were held because of me.”

“If we don’t count the time you met my terminal in the Lion Realm[4] or the time I’ve always been by your side... If we only count the time we met face to face, then yes, that is right.”

“Would you like a drink?” he asked.

“Is this really the first proposal made by the first people to set foot on the Absolute Heavenly Peak?” The Tower master laughed and snapped her fingers. “Not bad at all.”

A low table descended into the empty world, and the Sword Emperor pulled a porcelain liquor bottle from his robe. I was astonished.

“That liquor is at least one hundred forty years old, isn’t it?”

He shrugged. “Probably older. Time passes much faster where I come from.”

“Mr. Sword Emperor... Have you ever heard of an expiration date? When I lived alone, I would open a can of tuna past its expiration date by several years and mix it with old ramen. You shouldn’t do that. It makes life feel quite miserable, you know..."

“Don’t you know that liquor gets better with age? Stop talking nonsense and get some snacks ready.” The Sword Emperor kicked me in the back as he took a seat.

“

Ah

, this is bothersome,” I complained as I stood up. “Are the Pillars not coming?”

“I didn’t summon them,” the Tower master answered.

“

Huh?

Why not?”

“Well, most of the Pillars wouldn’t welcome you two, especially you, Scream Sky.”

I remembered how the Pillars except for the Mirage-Walking Princess had reacted when I defeated the Primordial Staff. I lit up my aura and laughed. “I do like annoying people.”

The Sword Emperor chuckled. “This weasel was born to annoy others.”

The Tower master shook her head, laughing. “You’re also good at pouring oil on the fire he starts, aren’t you, Sword Emperor?

“Now that I have a body and a mouth, maybe I’ll stay for a while and play by your side like I have been doing so far.”

I bowed. “I’m willing to recruit you to be the Death King Clan’s violence-instigating advisor.”

I cooked fried egg rice with the aura I lit. When I thought about it, the eggs and rice were probably old, but since they had been stored in my somewhat crude magic pouch, they were probably safe. Besides, these guys couldn’t get food poisoning.

The Tower master prepared cups and bowls. “I didn’t come here just for you two. Finally, people have made it all the way to the Absolute Heavenly Peak. Shouldn’t I get to enjoy the moment?"

“Tower Master, I think you’ll still enjoy watching me and the Sword Emperor annoying the Pillars a

lot

,” I said.

“Of course I will. I’ll probably get to watch that a lot in the future.” The Tower master smiled as she placed a cup before each of us. “Still, I want to relax and enjoy this moment for now.”

I finished cooking. After shaping the fried rice into fist-sized balls, I added a light drizzle of oyster sauce as a finishing touch. The Tower master seemed baffled by the fried egg rice ball.

“Do you eat rice balls when you drink alcohol, Scream Sky?” she asked.

“Fried egg rice with oyster sauce is delicious.”

“Do you eat rice as a side dish for your liquor? I’m asking again because I think you didn’t hear me.”

I shrugged. “It’s savory and goes well with alcohol, especially with the sweet type, like rice wine or fruit wine. Mr. Sword Emperor, that liquor is unfiltered, right?”

“It’s distilled.”

“Even when you aren’t my Guardian anymore, you’re still the Sword Emperor, so you’re useless at important moments...”

The Sword Emperor packed a drop of liquor with his aura and shot it at me, nearly piercing my heart and sending me back in time.

“How can you keep fighting before

and

after clearing the Absolute Heavenly Peak?” the Tower master scolded us.

“

Tsk, tsk.

Tower Master, life is an endless series of fights, you know?”

“Mr. Gong-Ja, please don’t try to rival Mr. Viper in that way. Pick up your cups.”

The Sword Emperor and I did just that.

The Tower Master poured wine into my cup first. “Great work.”

“Thank you.”

1. Koreans often eat fried chicken to celebrate something. ☜

2. This is satire based on the incident where a Korean rapper named Tablo was accused of having a fake diploma. Although Stanford, the university he graduated from, verified his graduation, a group called "We Demand Truth From Tablo" didn't believe it and kept demanding the truth. The incident is often used as an example to show how blind a witch hunt can be. ☜

3. Although they have been granted more freedom now, Korean soldiers, who are doing their mandatory military service, used to have almost no source of entertainment. Playing soccer or any sport using a ball used to be their primary source of entertainment. ☜

4. Ja Su-Jeong. ☜