bookpower Chapter 129: The Compatriots (2)
Chapter 129: The Compatriots (2)
Chapter 129: The Compatriots (2)
Of course, the Constellations weren’t the only ones who were shocked by the Constellation Murderer’s death.
“What?”
“What? Wait, what...? The Constellation Murderer is dead? Seriously?” a shocked voice asked from the gray sky. It belonged to the Magic Tower Master, the leader of the wizards who’d had an intense battle against the Constellation Murderer not too long before.
Upon hearing that, Hunters slowly gathered in the wasteland after fleeing from the battle between the Constellation Murderer and the Magic Tower.
“That’s impossible. The Constellation Murderer is dead?”
“Who is this guy?”
“Who the hell is the Sword Emperor supposed to be?”
“Fuck, that crazy motherfucker has reincarnated...”
Despite their shock, the Hunters were hesitant to come closer, wary of a strange Hunter who had suddenly appeared and hunted the Constellation Murderer.
I steadied my breath, which was ragged from my fight.
This is dangerous. I need to disappear before I attract more attention. If they find out that my combat prowess is actually not as high as they think, they won’t hesitate to hunt me down.
I was able to hunt the Constellation Murderer because of the trap I had set. If we had fought each other head-on, if both of us had been fully prepared, I would have lost no matter what. The other Hunters didn’t know this yet... and it was fortunate that they didn’t.
Let’s hurry.
“Send me back,” I muttered after carrying the Constellation Murderer’s body on my back.
I pictured the majestic lobby of the great library. Soon I was going to be teleported there, carrying the Constellation Murderer’s body, and then I would persuade the Indoor Librarian according to my plan.
“...?”
But nothing happened.
“Send me back,” I said again, but still nothing. I was still in the desolate wasteland. The Constellation Murderer’s sticky blood drenched my back. Hundreds of Hunters were looking at me in confusion.
Suddenly, I had an ominous realization.
The stage clear message hasn’t appeared yet.
The Constellation Murderer was definitely dead. However, I wasn’t told that the stage was cleared.
Why? What am I missing?
I hurriedly reviewed everything I had done to find out what was amiss. Perhaps just killing the Constellation Murderer wasn’t enough since he wasn’t the ruler of the fiftieth floor.
“What’s wrong with him? He’s just standing there.”
“Wait a sec. My evaluation Skill says that his Class is B.”
“B?”
While I was desperately searching for an answer by racking through my memories, the Hunters were chatting away. The initial shock slowly gave way to waves of wariness and then doubt.
“Don’t bullshit me.”
“Well, maybe he has a Skill that camouflages his level. The Constellation Murderer is estimated to be at least Class S, so there’s no way a Class B Hunter could just kill him.”
“Hey! Somebody talk to that guy!”
“Are there any Hunters among you who were around when the Sword Emperor was alive?”
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
Not good.
The atmosphere was becoming uneasy. It wasn’t just because the Hunters were trying to approach me. Each and every one of those Hunters was dangerous and probably of a higher Class than me. My hunter instincts were telling me that I was missing something.
I instinctively looked to the side. The Guardian was there, grinning.
—What are you looking at?
Be honest with me. You know something I don’t, isn’t that right?
—I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve already given you all the advice I can give you.
Even as he said that, the Guardian couldn’t erase the smirk off his face. A hint of playfulness lay in the corners of his mouth.
Shit. I cursed, hurriedly recalling the Guardian’s advice from before.
—Gong-Ja, don’t fall for it. He’s talking to you to buy as much time as possible. Don’t see that guy as a human being. He’s no different from a walking weapon that operates strictly based on the information he has.
That was what the Guardian had told me earlier. I quickly analyzed the Constellation Murderer.
Lefanta Aegim obsessively calculated everything. Of course, even if it were just a small possibility, wouldn’t he have assumed that he might die? The Constellation Murderer has even met the Sword Emperor before. What would I have done if I were him?
During one of my previous trauma penalties, I had seen the Constellation Murderer for the first time. The Guardian was also with me at that time and immediately recognized the Constellation Murderer.
—Huh? I’ve seen that bastard before. He’s the Constellation Murderer. I’m sure of it. Yeah. I was wondering where that psycho was born. Wow, I didn’t know he was from Aegim.
When I asked how the Guardian knew the Constellation Murderer, he had just shrugged.
—What do you mean, how? We went at it. He’s strong, but he can’t compete with me.
In other words, the Guardian had defeated the Constellation Murderer before. Strange. Very strange.
I looked at the Guardian, feeling the Constellation Murderer’s blood flowing down my back. No...@@@@
—Yeah.
There’s no way someone like you would let the Constellation Murderer live.
The Sword Emperor was one hell of a psychopath, but he was very respectful and valued honor when it came to the sword and martial arts.
The Guardian had killed my teacher in a fair match of words. Teacher had been as beautiful as she had been kind. However, the Guardian had firmly stated that her words abided by the wicked principles of a demonic cult and slew her.
—Hehe.
The Constellation Murderer was incomparably more wicked than Teacher.
—You smart rascal.
So... there was no way the Guardian wouldn’t have killed the Constellation Murderer after defeating him.
“Don’t commit suicide without my permission. Don’t die even when death is your easiest escape. You’re my lover, so you can’t just throw away your life. Even if death seems inevitable, struggle to survive until the end.”
I swung my sword instead. If I couldn’t block the attack and was going to die anyway, I should make one attack that landed on him somehow. This was my promise to Raviel.
Slaaaashh!
The Constellation Murderer’s strike and my sword crossed paths. I tore through the diary in the Constellation Murderer’s left hand and saw his silver eyebrows twitch slightly before his sword pierced me.
“...”
I’ll admit it.
Blood crawled up my throat, and the world around me turned white. Even while I felt my whole body boiling in pain, I glared at the Constellation Murderer until the end.
You are a monster who is stronger than me. You’re also very cautious, like me. However, you are not the only one who can wait for the next chance, Lefanta Aegim.
[The Indoor Librarian sighs in lament.]
Alright, kill me. I’ll die now. Kill me over and over. Let’s kill each other! Your hell can compete with mine, but the last person standing will be me because you are in the wrong!
[The Indoor Librarian is experiencing delighted despair]
I’ll beat you.
[You have died.]
Just you wait.
[Your Hunter Class is B.]
[Due to the doubled penalty effect, the order of the Skill activation has changed.]
No matter what... I will...
[Warning.]
[Recreating your killer's trauma.]
[Extracting the required data for recreation from your memory.]
The white world around me turned red.
[The penalty's intensity level is high.]
[The penalty's theme is the Tiryagyoni[1] Realm.]
As my consciousness faded away and I crossed to the otherworld, I heard a melody.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
It was a very familiar melody of bells I had heard somewhere a long time before.
Where have I heard that before... Oh, where... Where was it?
I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were as heavy as metal. I felt numb, as if I was under the effects of sleep paralysis. I could only hear the unrefined, vague melody of bells occasionally.
Ding, ding, ding.
At some point, I heard a different sound.
—This is an announcement from the broadcasting club to all students on campus.
Campus?
— Please return home if you aren’t attending the night self-study session. There have recently been multiple reports of students remaining on campus even after school hours. Again, those who have not signed up for the night self-study session should return home.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
The bell rang again and the voice died out. What in the world was that about?
I struggled to break free from the paralysis, but it didn’t work. Instead, I drew a dot in my mind and focused on it. I felt my body shaking. When I was about to focus a little harder and lift my fingers, something hit my head.
“Sunbae, wake up! They’re telling us to go home!”
Only then could I move as if freed from a binding spell. I exhaled sharply, gradually feeling the outline of my body, and then my senses came back. My hearing came back first, followed by my sight.
“Haha.”
The familiar sound of laughter made me raise my head.
“Sleeping face down on your desk is bad for your health, especially your back. More than anything, you can’t get a good night’s sleep like this. Midterm season is coming up soon, so I understand that you need to study hard, but it’s better to go home and sleep!”
The Inquisitor was looking down at me with a smile, but something about him was different.
“Mr. Inquisitor?”
The Inquisitor was wearing a school uniform.
“What? Inquisitor?” He tilted his head. “Who is that supposed to be?”
“Is that you, Goldencup? Did you possess the Inquisitor this time?”
“Possess? Oh, were you dreaming? Hahahaha, you read a lot, Sunbae, so I guess that's why you had such an interesting dream!”
“...”
I slowly looked around. The two of us were... in a library, but it was shabby compared to the Great Library of All Life. If the great library was a magnificent mansion, this was a cramped doghouse. When I looked outside the window, I saw a large schoolyard like those in any school.
Mr. Sword Emperor, I muttered in my mind as I felt my mouth turning dry, we’re in big trouble. It seems that the penalty became weird when my Hunter Class increased. In the past, I watched the trauma like I was dreaming, but this is like... Mr. Sword Emperor?
I didn’t get a reply, so I looked around again.
Hello?
Silence.
Hey, idiot.
Still nothing.
“Come on, Sunbae. Hurry up and go home. The student council president will probably be waiting at the school gate today as well. You shouldn’t make your girlfriend angry! I’ll put back the books, so you leave first, Sunbae!”
And then I realized that I had entered a new phase of the trauma penalty.
1. The word for nonhuman animals in Buddhism. ☜