Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Support Force Arrives
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A golden fang protruded from the ring that had absorbed Guardsand.
[The Vampire Princess Ring has evolved into the Oath-Binding Princess Ring (S+).]
[Additional effects of the Oath-Binding Princess Ring (S+):
- You can display the majesty of a count to other vampires.
- You can wield the Vampire Count Guardsand at 50% of his original strength.
- Granting him more power than that may result in disobedience to commands.]
[Blood Dominion has risen to 'Count' rank.]
[A subordinate trait of Royal Bloodline (SS), 'Noble Blood (A+)', has formed.]
[Blood Manipulation (A), Blood Hardening (A+), Blood Mana Infusion (A+) skills have been newly created.]
[New job classes are available for transfer based on the additional traits and skills.]
[Vampire Princess Ring (C) cloak and Damaged Vampire Heirloom (C-) have been acquired.]
[Regeneration is in progress, but it appears to require maintenance by a professional blacksmith or alchemist.]
['Black Box of Unknown Origin (S)' has been acquired.]
[For the first time among humans, and second overall in Babel, you have defeated a Celestial Knight.]
[Achievement 'Celestial Knight Slayer' has been unlocked.]
[As a reward, 1 White Coin is granted.]
[Rewards are being granted to those who helped defeat the Celestial Knight...]
"Hmm."
Gonghyeok stroked his chin.
'The first one taken down was the Dragon God, right?'
Even for him, this was his first time killing a Celestial Knight below the 5th floor.
He had expected a first-clear achievement, but seeing it say second slayer meant the first was probably the Dragon God, the strongest beastman.
'He's dangerous, as expected.'
The Dragon God had the potential to even rival a Demon King depending on the timing.
He even remembered fighting that guy being tougher than clearing the Demon King itself.
But that was a problem for later. Right now, there was a human he needed to check on before time ran out.
Leaving the spot where he'd taken down Guardsand, he moved on.
Archer Selma Whispiwood, whose head and arms lay separately scattered.
Golem Alchemist Bashar al-Hamidin, drowned to death.
Toma Ambia, whose upper body had been shredded by thorn whips.
Among those who'd fought standing on their own two feet rather than being helplessly hunted, these were the only names he recognized.
"Cough, cough."
One among them still had a spark of life flickering.
Or, to put it another way, that spark was about to go out.
Hunter Raoul Fontana, heart and guts exposed, grinned at him.
"All done?"
"Yeah. Good work."
"Heh... damn. You handle shit fast as hell."
"Of course. I'm the most capable hunter in this world."
"Fuck, after seeing you smash that bastard, I've got nothing to say. Cough."
Raoul swallowed the blood bubbling back up his throat.
Too much of his body was gone.
Even Flesh Mending Flower couldn't save him now.
Gonghyeok knelt on one knee and spoke in an uncharacteristically serene tone.
"Rest easy now. Congratulations on a meaningful death."
"Gah, teasing me to the end. Damn you..."
His fading eyes murmured.
"Meaningful death or a dog's death, dying's dying all the same. Honestly, I regret it a bit. Should've just closed my eyes and run."
Memories flashed in Gonghyeok's calm gaze.
He placed a hand on Raoul's half-gone right chest.
"No death comes without regrets. No matter how many times you die, that doesn't change. But..."
With his other hand, he gently closed Raoul's eyes.
"Isn't there something fulfilling settled in this heart right now? Even if you call it self-consolation."
"......"
"Go to sleep embracing that feeling. I'll handle the rest. I'll remember you all."
Raoul drew his final breath quietly and opened his mouth.
"Raymi..."
Tears welled in his eyes, holding the four seasons of his life.
Then gray sand winds howled, stealing even that from him.
Gonghyeok slowly rose.
"No cigarettes left."
A filthy feeling stabbed at his mind.
If he had any left, he'd have stubbed one out on his own eye.
Cigarettes were always his comforting friend.
They sparked lightning in his head to hype him up when mocking others, and cradled his brain like a mother's embrace when his mood was shit.
The more he tinkered with them, the further they strayed from real cigarettes, but they were still his friends, no doubt.
"A meaningful death is a good thing, though."
At least two or three times.
He could assign meaning to a meaningful death.
But no death, no sacrifice, if it all reset back to square one...
It was just dogshit bullshit.
At least, all the meaningful deeds and sacrifices Ju Gonghyeok had done turned to nothing when he died and regressed, and countless nameless heroes' noble acts and self-sacrifices left no trace in the world, all initialized.
The only place they left marks was in Gonghyeok's heart.
Too many marks carved in, now only ruins remained.
Those marks whispered to him.
'Show no mercy in your heart.'
'Don't pile up more meaningless traces.'
'We won't allow you to dump it on others and die.'
For those marks that shaped the current Gonghyeok to finally hold meaning, there was only one way.
Break the regression cycle and build a world that doesn't perish.
Countless hunters had fallen solely for that.
And he alone carried their deeds one by one, advancing to the next world.
Crackle—
The entire 4th floor glitched once, and human shadows appeared in midair.
[Support force arrives!]
[Volunteers from the 5th floor's unique city have been gathered to counter the Celestial Knight!]
Gonghyeok scanned the faces of those descending.
Hunter ranking 2nd, owner of the Slaughter Goddess Kali: Christina C. Mahadeva.
Quadruple Avatar bearer with 4 S-rank avatars: Liang Xian.
Head of the largest faction, 'Legion': Silver Arms Edgar.
Legion's second-in-command, owner of Hephaistos: Williford Hoover.
Top assault party's vanguard tank, 'Samson' Ben-Hur.
'Knight Order's' demon sword, Shaktar.
Acceleration-type top avatar, Dragon King Guardian Kawashima.
A 14-man raid party unbound by affiliations—lineup worthy of boasting as the strongest hunters.
"You vermin! You're alive! Where's the Celestial Knight, that damned vampire who did this atrocity!"
Azazel's form flickered in the noise, appearing in midair.
The support force was probably all they could send; further interference would be tough.
Gonghyeok shrugged once.
"Just killed him."
"......"
Rather than the cliché 'No way, how could a C-stat hunter kill a Celestial Knight! Quit bullshitting and tell me where he fled!', she hardened her face and checked the 4th floor achievements and logs.
"It's true."
"Wow, how many died? 3,000? 4,000?"
"First mission of this scale I've seen."
"So where's the Celestial Knight? Don't drop your guard. We haven't even started."
"Heh, talk's cheap. Funny seeing you boss us around."
The elites who'd descended with her began scouting the surroundings.
Gonghyeok pulled Azazel's smooth arm.
"Azazel, leave them be. Let's talk just us first."
She glanced around, then deployed a sound barrier and gaze block.
"Huh, Angel? Where you going?"
"What do we do?"
Leaving the baffled hunters behind, Azazel lowered her head, fidgeting her toes.
"...... Hunter Ju Gonghyeok, I did my best to save people..."
"Yeah, over 50,000 died, but 80,000 survived, so you saved quite a few. You didn't really do anything, though."
"......"
"Look at you, worked so hard. Nearly all died, barely survived."
"How... did you win? This is a temporary floor, so proper records..."
"Yeah, enough."
He cut Azazel off.
"First things first, shouldn't you apologize for your incompetence and recklessness?"
"......"
"Why did the 130,000 humans who survived the 3rd floor get ambushed here?"
Gonghyeok matched eye level with her, barely 150cm tall.
"Isn't it because you fucked up? You raged at the demons over 40 deaths on 3 just before. But 50,000 lives are a joke?"
"That's..."
"Speak up!"
He barked viciously right in her face; Azazel flinched and stepped back.
He advanced one step.
"Well, the Hontar you gave was useful. Might not have caught him without it."
"Really?"
As she looked up with eyes like she'd grasped a sliver of solace, Gonghyeok bent at the waist, crushing down from above to meet her gaze.
"But that Demon-Slaying Tool seems what drew him here? Whining about unfair trades, Cluesti standing out too much."
"!?"
She'd never said that, but it was plenty inferable.
On the 3rd floor, Gonghyeok had grown to a top-tier strength across all his regressions, shattering the unspoken code and balance between angels and demons.
Even if it wasn't explicitly stated.
Feeling threatened, the demons poked at undefined gray areas to screw the angels over, consequences be damned.
"I get you meant well. But wasn't it too reckless?"
"Uh..."
"Azazel, it's your fault. Your incompetence nearly killed me and all hunters here; your recklessness caused this!"
"Sniff..."
Tears overflowed her eyes, dripping onto her pursed cheeks.
Gonghyeok pondered briefly at the sight.
'Slapping her cheek would be fun. But might actually kill her.'
Nathanie emerged from his embrace, wagering his own life as chips.
- Azazel, stop crying. Enough.
"Sniff, my fault... my incompetence killed people..."
- It's not your fault. Expecting to foresee everything is impossible.
Nathanie glared at Gonghyeok.
Meaning, don't blame her for something impossible to stop.
'Alright. Whip's done; time for the carrot.'
Gonghyeok gently stroked Azazel's head as he spoke.
"Azazel, 50,000 already died from your mistake. And it's not just 50,000. Even if not your fault, nearly 10 million have died in Babel already."
"I... could only..."
"Remember what you said on the 1st floor?"
He wiped her tear streaks and continued.
"You're smart, kind, and... yeah. Cute."
- You, is that what you say now?
"......"
Azazel looked up mid-sob; Gonghyeok lightly kissed her forehead and went on.
"Anything depends on you—and that applies to me too. I proved it, taking down the Celestial Knight here on the 4th floor."
"Ah..."
"I guarantee it. Even with the same rewards, no one else in Babel could do this.
Hunter Ju Gonghyeok, under Archangel Azazel, is Babel's strongest, most capable—the sharpest blade to pierce the Demon King's heart."
"Weapon..."
"While you work for me, I'm on your side. I'll be your most fearsome weapon, stabbing the Demon King's heart.
Compared to some hunter barely reaching Babel's 4th floor killing a Celestial Knight, isn't that more realistic?"
Seating Azazel on his lap, he calmly brushed her hair.
"Well, start by giving me that."
"Then first, shall we claim the 4th floor title?"
As he wiped her sniffly nose, Nathanie looked enlightened.
- You talk rewards nonstop, but otherwise you'd seem cool.
Flutter
Gonghyeok's finger lifted the little angel's skirt.
- What're you doing, you pervert bastard!!!
"Just claiming what's mine. Nothing's set up here for achievements or rewards."
- What's that got to do with flipping skirts!
"You've been sulky lately since I ignore you."
- Stop more than that! Keep it up and it'll really show!
"So what're you wearing."
- Stop it, you jerk─!
Enjoying Nathaniэl desperately pressing her skirt, as he teasingly flipped it with skill, a notification appeared.
[Title 'Savior of the 4th Floor' acquired.]
[Limited to the 4th floor, against boss monsters...]
[You now have 2 Savior titles. Collect 5 or more for a new title.]
[Unique Title! 'Super Rookie Who Defeated the Celestial Knight on the 4th Floor' acquired.
- Demons who notice this will have heightened hostility.
- Equip this title against Celestial Knights for +25 to all stats.
- Against demons below Celestial Knight rank, +50 to all stats.]
[Special perk 'Archangel Azazel's Complicated Recognition (A)' acquired.]
[You can occasionally gain Azazel's cooperation if desired. It might even develop into personal feelings.]
'Is it really okay for a human like me to pick up lines this well?'
With a complicated expression, Azazel sat obediently on Gonghyeok's lap.
And Gonghyeok debated whether to tug her cheek, brushing her hair.
[Chapter 56 - Support Force Arrives] End