SSS-Class Suicide Hunter - Chapter 69 - The World of Dead Constellations. (1)>
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Chapter 69 - The World of Dead Constellations. (1)>

Chapter 69.

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Translator: thursdays Editor: Sasha

1.

One winter day.

So Baek-hyang followed her mother across a snowy field.

It was cloudy. Snow poured out of the cloudy sky. In the pouring snowstorm, people were but shadows.

Her mothers back, too, was a shadow-like haze.

So Baek-hyang raised her voice.

-Mother!

So Baek-hyang suddenly became afraid. The sound of snow was too loud. Her voice was covered by the sound of the falling snow, so she could not cry very loudly.

-Mother!

Her mothers shadow was still far away.

So Baek-hyang became impatient.

She had to walk faster to chase after her mother. However, the further she walked, the more breathless she became. The more she walked, the smaller her voice. What should she do?

-Uh

Should she stop yelling and walk faster to catch up with her mother? Or should she stop walking and scream as loud as she can?

The young Heavenly Demon did not know.

While she was debating what to do, the shadow withdrew a little further away.

-Mother!

Eventually, So Baek-hyang stopped.

-Mother!

As she stopped, her voice became a little stronger. Until now, her energy had been focused on walking not on directing her voice. So Baek-hyang thought that finally her mother would turn her head and look at her, and the shadow would become clear.

But what happened?

The shadow got a little further away.

While So Baek-hyang screamed, it had gained more distance.

Before long, the shadow of her mother was buried in the blizzard and disappeared into the snowfield.

-.

Did her mother abandon her?

Had she intended to part ways with her while using the snowstorm as a pretext?

Or did her mother really lose her by accident?

So Baek-hyang did not know.

She couldnt know.

2.

[You have died.]

I let my eyes stay closed for a moment, then opened them.

It was an endlessly dark s.p.a.ce.

[Your death has satisfied the skill condition.]

[So Baek-hyangs skills are being randomly copied.]

My h.e.l.l.

[The skill cards are being created.]

The cards floated before my eyes.

But my immediate concern wasnt getting a skill card.

I sighed and said to Bae Hu-ryeong,

Sword Emperor. Did you memorize the file?

-Yeah, to some extent.

Bae Hu-ryeong scratched the back of his head.

It was the folder in which the Alchemist and the Medicine King desperately wrote down their research results. That was the important thing. The Heavenly Demon was drowning in disharmony and causing turmoil, so I couldnt carefully memorize the contents of the file.

-If we combine what you memorized and what I memorized, the pieces will somehow fit together. But we have to go back quickly before I forget

Okay. Then, lets quickly choose a skill first.

-Mhm.

Bae Hu-ryeong moved in the air. He then looked at the back of the cards and read them out loud. The Heavenly Demon had quite a lot of skills, but there was one that caught our attention.

+

[Infernal Heavens Demonic Art ()]

Rank: A+

Effect: The Demonic Cult. They hate the logic of the heavens. They curse it. And they did not stop at hating and cursing the heavens, but formed cults, eventually uniting under one doctrine. The Infernal Heavens Demonic Art is a martial art with the essence of that doctrine.

Those who awaken the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art can tear up the heavens and crush the tall mountains! However, you must deeply understand the hatred and curses contained in the basic movements of this skill.

The more you hate and curse the world, the more you overshadow the heavens. One who has mastered and reached the peak of the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art is the Heavenly Demon, the one who will overthrow the heavens.

However, it becomes difficult to maintain your sense of self if you use this new skill.

+

Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.

It was a terrible name, but I couldnt make fun of it.

This must be the martial arts we saw earlier, right?

Because it was really that powerful.

She just swung her sword from a distance, but the Medicine Kings head fell off. The Venomous Snake died without being able to withstand 3 strikes. Even I, who was confident in my training against [The Devil King of Fall Rain], could not outrun the sword path cut by the Heavenly Demon.

The greatest skill that existed in this world.

-Tsk. Its a typical demonic art.

Bae Hu-ryeong frowned.

-In the end, its a matter of how you deal with the world, whether its with strength or strategy.

How I deal with the world?

-Indeed. If you try to embrace the world with generosity, you usually end up in the Righteous Sect. If you try to ravage the world, that is the Demonic Cult. That is why the people of the Righteous Sect made their bodies into [vessels to accept the world], and the Demonic Cults people made their bodies with [nails that can scratch the world]

Bae Hu-ryeong hmphed and crossed his arms.

-Ill give you the simplest example. A sword strike that cuts straight from the head to the bottom. In some schools, they call that the Tiger Fury because it is like [a tiger rus.h.i.+ng].

Hwik!

Bae Hu-ryeong took a stance and swung his arms down as if he was wielding a sword with both hands.

!

It was only for an instant, but I flinched. I really felt the spirit of a wild beast charging at me.

It was strong.

His tone and behavior are so pathetic that I sometimes forget about it, but in front of my eyes was indeed the Sword Emperor Bae Hu-ryeong. He was a warrior who had nearly conquered the Tower with just a sword.

-Well, it doesnt really matter whether its a tiger or a bull. The specifics can vary depending on how the founder or the creator of the move gained enlightenment. Anyway, its important to [imitate] a tiger or bull.

Emulate it. Copy it.

Thus, you make something of the world into your own.

Thats what Bae Hu-ryeong meant by vessels to [accept the world.]

-But the demonic arts are different.

Bae Hu-ryeong took a stance again.

It was the same posture as when he previously swung his arms.

-In the Demonic Sect, they say something like this when teaching initiates.

Bae Hu-ryeong breathed in forcefully and stomped his foot.

-Recall your rage, the soreness in your stomach, at the moment a thief stole one of yours.

The empty air in the void split open.

I unintentionally stepped back.

The face.

It was because of Bae Hu-ryeongs countenance.

His face was blank, but it still emanated an infinitely cold anger.

It was as if he became a completely different person.

-Recall the moment your younger sister was dragged away by the governor. Remember your weakness, your inability to do anything. You waited in front of the governors house for the night to pa.s.s, but at dawn, your sister returned to you as a cold carca.s.s. Remember her face, and paint it into your heart.

Bae Hu-ryeong began to perform a sword dance.

Even though his hands were empty, somehow I felt as if I could still see a sword. That sword was as black as the s.p.a.ce in which we stood.

-Recall when you buried your sisters body, alone. Was it winter? The ground was frozen and it was hard to dig. Did you dig at the stubborn soil with your fingertips? Did your fingernails crack? Did blood flow from your broken nails?

.

-In the end, you couldnt even dig down to a foot. Did you put your sisters corpse into a pit? Did you bury her feet first? Did you put a pile of cold dirt over your younger sisters body? You couldnt bury her in the ground. In the end, did you sprinkle the dirt on her face, one handful at a time?

I couldnt breathe.

As Bae Hu-ryeongs sword dance continued, the endless s.p.a.ce which we were in seemed to narrow. It was enough to make my head spin a little. It was only the movement of his hands and arms, but Bae Hu-ryeongs grudge resonated deeply.

-Recall the texture of that grain of soil. Hold your sword with the hand that dug the earth. Swing your sword as you scattered the dirt over your younger sister. Lament your helplessness and blame the cruelty of the world.

I muttered, though it was more like a moan.

The nails that scratch the world

-Thats right.

Bae Hu-ryeong stopped his arms.

Only then could I breathe again.

-Shall we say that its a mental cultivation method that uses internal energy? Its literally a way to build and train your mind by pus.h.i.+ng through adversity. Whether its a strong person or a hunter, the outcome will be different depending on how well they use internal energy or Aura.

Bae Hu-ryeong shrugged as if it didnt matter.

-In simpler terms, its a battle of wills. The demonic arts are a little heavy on the spirit.

.

-Anyway, Zombie, this isnt something you need to learn.

I quietly looked at the silver skill card.

-Really, you dont need to learn other martial arts. Dont you know who I am? Am I not the Sword Emperor? Im the greatest martial artist in this universe. You may not know this, but youre slowly becoming proficient at my supreme techniques! Infernal Heavens Demonic Art or whatnot, compared to my martial arts, its like trash

I want to learn it.

-Huh?

Bae Hu-ryeong blinked.

Im going to learn it. This. Infernal Heavens Demonic Art.

-Uh, uh Uuuhhh

Blink. Blink.

It was after about 3 seconds that Bae Hu-ryeong recovered his voice.

-Why?!

Because I want to.

-Compared to my martial arts, this is total c.r.a.p!

Bae Hu-ryeong began to go wild.

-No way. Zombie, did you fall for the Heavenly Demons swordplay?! The f.u.c.k. Im gonna go nuts. That only looked impressive because she entered the state of life or death, leaking her energy! It sucks. It literally sucks out your energy! Zombie. A traditional warrior should not get drunk and waste ones energy!

I grinned.

Are you mad because Im trying to learn someone elses martial arts?

-Whaaat?

No need to worry. In any case, our Sword Emperors martial arts are the strongest in the universe. Do you think Im trying to learn the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art because I dont know that?

-Um

Bae Hu-ryeongs nose twitched.

Still, his pride seemed to have been satisfied since I flattered him a bit. This ghost was really easy to handle.

-Well. I am, as you say, the strongest. But then, why are you trying to learn the demonic arts?

Its so I can fully conquer this stage.

In other words, it was to bring the correct ending to this world.

Say that a cure is made. If so, its over after we save two people, the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord. All other humans have been dead for over two years And treatment doesnt mean that theyll survive. Isnt that right?

-Hmm.

Bae Hu-ryeong furrowed his brows.

-Youre right about that.

Then how will the ending turn out? In the reborn new world, the Murim Lord and the Heavenly Demon become [Adam and Eve]? Sword Emperor. Does that look like a good ending to you?

-.

Bae Hu-ryeongs face looked like he was chewing s.h.i.+t.

He was probably imagining the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord as a couple.

-No, thats kind of Thats really wrong. I cant imagine a scene where the two become a sweet couple. It gives off a bad mood

Right?

I looked straight ahead.

[Please select a skill card.]

Whoos.h.!.+ Whooooos.h.!.+

The cards chaotically danced about in the air. But I only had one card in my sight. My gaze did not leave the silver card.

Creating a cure is just the first condition necessary to make a [good ending]. In the end, a great ending depends on whether the characters in the work can really be satisfied

I stretched out my arm and grabbed the card.

I want to present a perfectly satisfying ending to the Heavenly Demon and the Murim Lord.

[Selection complete.]

[The skill is being copied.]

Of course, it didnt end there.

[Your current hunter cla.s.s is D Cla.s.s.]

[There is a penalty from your skill.]

The Heavenly Demons trauma.

The bitter grudge in her heart.

Another h.e.l.l that I had to cross.

[The trauma of the enemy who killed you is being reenacted.]

[The severity of the penalty is moderate.]

However, this wasnt the first h.e.l.l Id run through. It wouldnt be the last, either.

[The penalty is the Hungry Ghost Road.]

Will I have the chance to talk calmly about the h.e.l.lish landscape that Ill cross?

3.

After returning to a day earlier.

I committed eight more suicides.

It was to return to the first day we fell into the Apocalypse.

Its cold!

Same as the last time, the Venomous Snake shouted in surprise. The Alchemist and the Medicine King also instinctively hugged themselves. The dreadful coldness overtook our party.

Guuoooh!

The blizzard raged, shouting its ire. Achoo! The Alchemist already started sneezing and coughing.

W, why is it so cold? Wasnt this a martial arts novel?

Brrr. Its like the Siberian wilderness

It was a white field of snow.

For me, I had become used to the sight over the past ten days.

However, the rest of the party was fl.u.s.tered, and I wordlessly grabbed the Alchemists hand.

Ah.

The Alchemist carefully bowed her head.

Th, thank you. Death King-nim.

.

Some memories from not too long ago struck my mind.

I still believe in you.

The torso of the Alchemist that had dropped onto the snow. The red-stained snowfield. All of these images emerged one after another. My heart was pounding a bit.

I spoke calmly, however, not letting any sign of my nervousness appear on my facet.

Its natural, I guess. Chen Mu-mun master, please take care of the Medicine King.

All right!

Also, I think I just saw a human shadow over there.

Unlike the last run-through, I led the party this time. Soon, the snowstorm died down, and before us, the forest of silhouettesno, the forest of corpsesstretched out.

The Venomous Snake was confused.

What. What are these? Why are all the humans frozen?

It seems like theyre zombies.

I touched the face of one of the corpses.

Huh? Zombie?

Yes. Look at this.

I pointed to the mouth of the zombie. Specifically, I pointed to its teeth.

Theres a lot of flesh sc.r.a.ps in between the teeth. People here may not have the habit of brus.h.i.+ng their teeth after eating, but even then, this is a bit severe. Its like he bit things like a beast

.

Upon hearing my words, the Alchemists expression changed.

She examined the corpses mouth with a more serious look. After a while, she seemed surprised.

Hes right. The flesh and DNA in this mouth and the owner of this body are inconsistent. They are completely different from each other.

D-Doesnt that mean he just ate human flesh?

The Medicine King was disgusted.

Why? People in the past also ate human flesh. It isnt a zombie

The dates of death dont match.

The Alchemist adjusted her gla.s.ses.

This body died about three years ago. On the other hand, the owner of the flesh that was eaten died two years ago. That would be impossible if the eater had died and not moved for a whole year. Its hard to believe, but Yes. As Death King-nim said, it must be a zombie-like creature.

I, I hate monsters and horror movies! Do something about this!

Erm. Sir. Even if you tell me to do something about this

The Alchemist looked embarra.s.sed.

Okay.

The progress was much quicker than last time.

Even if the zombies started to move, we wouldnt be caught off guard like before. The antic.i.p.ation of a situation alone can change peoples reactions completely.

Above all.

Mm.

In my head, I remembered the results of the last few days of research.

Boss. Medicine King.

Yes?

Hmm?

I have a strange skill, though I cant tell you what the skill is. According to my skills a.n.a.lysis..

I explained the results of their research step by step.

My memory wasnt perfect. I couldnt memorize the entire file at once. However, when the Heavenly Demon killed me and I went back 24 hours, I had more time to memorize the file carefully.

Bae Hu-ryung also memorized it with me.

Hmm

Upon hearing my explanation, the Alchemist fell in deep thought.

Thats amazing. Its a flawless research method. I cant find any fault with it. Its almost like something I would do But the terminology used is completely different from mine. No, its really really awesome. What an amazing skill, Death King-nim?

The Alchemist looked at me with admiration.

From my point of view, the Alchemist was praising herself.

Perhaps The boss was evaluating herself as a really, really awesome person. In this desolate world, wasnt that confidence the most amazing thing? Or thats what I thought, at least.

Hm. Its good that our research time will be shortened, the Medicine King said easily.

Anyway, I want to get away from the zombies. Ugh. It would be nice if there was a place to stay warm

At that moment.

Ahahaha!

We heard the sound of laughter.

In the last run-through, I didnt know who was the one laughing. But not this time. The Murim Lord. The Namgung clan and Taesang familys old man was the one who burst into laughter.

The Demonic Cult ends today!

Ha.

Then.

Even a pa.s.sing dog will turn over and laugh.

The voice of the Heavenly Demon, of course, could be heard.

.

I held my breath and went in the direction of the voices.

Crunch.

The snowflakes were trampled under my shoes. The closer the voice got closer, the more clearly I recalled the scene when the Heavenly Demon admitted her emotions.

I am afraid.

As long as I am alive and well, the Demonic Cult remains strong.

This is why the world is so scared.

Ax saint. Youre the one that should say your last goodbyes to the Righteous Sect.

Where is Namgung Un! Call the Namgung family and the Taesang family! Summon the Murim Lord here!

The countrys greatest.

The most powerful person in the world.

Thats why this woman survived until the last moment.

In an infinitely sad sense, the warrior who realized the egotism of the heaven and the earth.

Phew.

The warrior was still smiling.

She was standing up to the world in the middle of this snowy field, still smiling toughly.

She was like a single dot stamped on a white sheet of paper.

What a long tongue this old man has. The b.l.o.o.d.y Ghosts are just staying off the radar for a while after receiving my secret order Hm?

I just.

I just hoped that the lone dot would connect to a line.

You guys are?

The Heavenly Demons eyes widened. She looked at me as if she couldnt believe it. It was worth it. From her point of view, I was the first new person she had met in years.

Uh, uhhh. Is my great self seeing things now? It looks like a living person is moving

Heavenly Demon-nim.

I arrived in front of the woman.

Then, I slowly knelt down.

The cool snow field gently sank under my weight.

Huh?

From a world far away, I heard of the majesty of the Heavenly Demon and came to find you. For a long time, I have deeply admired the stories of the greatest person of all time.

I didnt know how much time it will take from now on.

But I was determined. I faced the Heavenly demon and shouted.

Please accept me as your disciple, Heavenly Demon-nim!

.

The Heavenly Demon dropped her jaws as if she had seen a ghost.