SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 167: Rain, Mud, and Fire (4)

The Shellmount soldier charged. “Lime, I'll cut off your nose with a single strike!”

Oh?

This was quite interesting. This soldier didn’t use one or two swords like Purens. Just like their title, Spiral Four Swords, they used four swords and swung them in four directions: up, down, left, and right. This opened up plenty of attack routes that were difficult for a primate with two arms to imitate. Only a Shellmount with multiple tentacles could achieve something of this sort.

Heh.

I had been through a lot of fights so far, but this was the first time I had seen such swordplay. In a flash, I analyzed the soldier’s attack patterns.

The attacks coming from up and down are feints. The ones from the left and right are the real ones... No, the one on the left is also a distraction. The one from the right is the real one. The sword on the left moves a bit faster than the others. This means that if the attacks coming in from the left are blocked, the soldier will immediately swing from the other side.

The Guardian sighed as if overwhelmed.

—Gosh. They say even a dog in a snack bar can cook ramen after three years.[1] Kim Zombie, now we’re talking.

You’re talking to the Young Heaven of the Heavenly Demonic Cult, mister.

—Who are you calling mister?

Anyway... How should I put this? It feels a bit strange to see that an entirely different species can come up with such a different style of swordplay.

—Huh? Isn’t that to be expected?

Yes, but I still find it surprising now that I’m witnessing this with my own eyes. Hmm. This is actually the martial arts of rogue sects. I wonder if it’ll help me refine my Demonic Heaven Arts.

—What, are you going to study snail swordplay now?

Maybe.

I skillfully ducked before closing the distance between me and the enemy. Using my front paws, I easily knocked away the Shellmont soldier’s swords. I didn’t even need to use any strength.

The Shellmount soldier’s tentacles shot up in shock. “Lime?”

Sorry, kid. This isn’t a matter of skills. I’m just built different.

The Shellmount soldier probably didn’t know how to use aura or how to channel it into their swords. Even the Guardian evaluated that I had a gift for utilizing aura, so it was simply impossible for the snail soldier to follow my movements. No matter how amazing their equestrian skills were, they were the equivalent of a novice flying an airplane while I was an expert pilot.

“Y-you evil god! Lime, please give me strength!”

Still, they swung their swords even more fiercely, but it was no use. The soldier couldn’t cut a single hair from my mane. I kicked away their swords as if I was playing a rhythm game.

Of course, from my perspective, this fight was easy enough for me to leisurely comment on it. In Gorke’s case, swords were slashing right by his nose.

“Kerrub? Keru! Save me! Save meeee! Kekerukker, please save me... Is Kekerukker the devil? I’m doomed! I’m actually done for!”

Tsk, tsk.

Pathetic. I had put a lot of effort into teaching him aura in his dream. He was supposed to show his grit, no matter how scared he was of dying. No way he didn’t think I would save him if he was in real danger of dying.

—Hey, Zombie.

Yes?

—The way you treated this goblin, Gorke or something, is so...

So? So what?

—It really reminds me of when someone was teaching someone else... It seems that you and this goblin are similar to someone and someone else here, but I must be deluding myself, right?

I have no idea what you're talking about. If your nonsense makes you feel poetic, just shut up and watch me.

—Yeah... Okay... I feel sorry for the goblin for some reason. I've rarely felt sorry for others in my life, but I never knew the day would come when I would feel sorry for a goblin...

What was this guy saying?

I concentrated on blocking and evading. With my claws, I deflected the Shellmount soldier’s swords without striking back. I wasn’t the one who was supposed to take down this opponent. This was up to Gorke.

It's your job to fight back, goblins.

Therefore, I decided to be patient and wait.

“Ker. Kerrr...?”

After some time, Gorke realized his life wasn’t in any danger, so he relaxed a little. He stopped pleading and looked at the battle taking place in front of him.

“Gerrrub...”

That's right.

The first step was to face what was happening to oneself.

That's it.

I fought off the soldier's swords with even more determination.

Claaang!

My claws pushed the swords back hard.

“Laime?”

The Shellmount soldier was left wide open. If I swung my claws one more time like this, that would be his end. Before they could stop me, I would slash their torso. However, I didn’t do that.

The soldier's face turned red. The Shellmounts had somewhat transparent skin. When their blood rushed to their face, it was very noticeable. Enraged, the Shellmount soldier dished out fiercer sword strikes.

“A-Are you insulting me?! Don't disgrace my family, lime!”

No, if I had to pick one person that had to be criticized here, it would be me.

Gorke was a slave until not too long ago, so he has never fought a noble soldier before. The snail soldier is a valiant hero who is facing an evil god despite being a mortal. Both of them deserve praise.

Meanwhile, I was like a god in this world, but I was playing around with the soldier. As the strong, mocking the weak not only went against the teachings of the Heavenly Demon Cult but was also immature. However, I had no other choice.

Sorry. I am responsible for these children.

Good parents didn’t mind getting insulted for their children’s sake. A good teacher also didn’t hesitate to endure shame for the sake of their students. People welcomed humiliation with open arms if it meant their loved ones were safe. So what was a god supposed to do?

I’m a Constellation that looks after an entire species.

So what if I was humiliated while taking care of my children? I was able to endure it, momentarily giving up on my principles as a martial artist, for the sake of those who had been slaves for their entire lives. I humbly welcomed humiliation.

Now, Gorke! And you, little goblins! Look! These are the Shellmounts you feared! And this soldier is one of the nobles who ruled you all. How do they look?

I pushed away at the soldier’s sword strikes. Once again, I unveiled an opening for a critical attack like before, but Gorke just stared at it, just like last time.

Does he not have the confidence to fight one-on-one yet?

Time to switch things up.

If he doesn't have the confidence, then I’ll hand it over to him.

Gorke moved his arms as if he were entranced. Red aura bloomed from his hands.

Thump!

“Ah?”

It was unclear who let that groan out—the Shellmount soldier who glanced down in confusion, or the young Terra who looked blankly at his hands. A clear red fist mark was left on the soldier's torso, as if they had been stamped with a seal.

I suppressed a smile. Nice punch. That's how you do it.

In the next second, the soldier bent over and vomited, their digestive juice pouring down on their hound’s head. Fortunately, Shellmounts seemed to eat a lot of soup. There were no solids in the soldier’s vomit, but the hound didn't seem to find it fortunate.

The huge hound struggled to shake off the vomit. It looked like a mountain struck by an earthquake as it ran toward the Shellmount troops with the snail tightly clinging to its waist. Even while being carried away, the soldier continued to vomit colorful liquids.

Gorke opened and closed his fist in disbelief. “Gorrr...”

More challengers came forward afterward, eleven in total—nobles, a noble’s private soldier, an experienced senior soldier, and an infantry soldier who was looking to make a fortune. But none of them withstood my claws because it was impossible for them to follow my movements.

The longer the fight went on, the less talkative Gorke became.

“Gorke! Gorke! Gorke!”

The other goblins became more enthusiastic as the winning streak continued.

How is it?

I decided to take a break. Instead of accepting the next duel right away, I leisurely walked in front of the goblins with Gorke, the victorious fighter, on my back.

This is pretty cool, right?

I caught the Terras’ attention.

Don’t you feel envious?

The fighting had set a spark in the Terras' hearts.

Don’t you want to be like him too?

I was kindling the Cavefire in their hearts.

Cavefire isn’t the only beauty of this world, nor is mud the only fragrance that exists. A victorious duel, winning challenges—these too are as beautiful as fire and as fragrant as mud.

It was clear that the Terras were captivated by the beauty of the duels and intoxicated by the scent of victory. Otherwise, why did their eyes twinkle so much? Seeing the stars in the goblins’ eyes as a new world unfolded before them made me smile.

Accept envy for what it is. Yearn for it! Dream for more. Life only becomes real when it flows in the direction of your choosing. Your envy will be the whisper in your head, telling you in which direction to flow. Become water that whispers about dreams, instead of wine that stagnates until it spoils.

When I saw the Terras fight in the colosseum, I realized there was a dormant fighting spirit within them. The goblins considered their kin Gyari, who had died in the colosseum, as odd when they held her funeral. But if Gyari had loved competition, other Terras surely did as well.

I kicked away the eleventh challenger's sword.

The White Lion is by your side.

Even though I was just a fake Constellation who also preached fake scriptures, I wanted to be remembered as a god who had whispered to Terras how beautiful they were.[2]

“Will you remember me as a flower?”

Maybe... No, I was sure that was what Teacher would have wanted for me, too. If a person sharing a life with another was a coincidence, and passing on one's will was fate, then inevitability would be at fault for me teaching these children about yearning.

I parried the twelfth challenger's sword.

[Terras have awakened their interest in dueling.]

[Terras desire the honor granted from victories.]

[Terras yearn for the honor and glory of challenge.]

Perhaps the Tower was following their procedures based on their principles when they sent out their messages. However, this was unnecessary, at least for now, based on the mesmerized expressions on Terras’ faces.

[Maximum Greed, the trait of Terras, is undergoing some chances!]

[Terras have gained a new trait: Competitive Spirit!]

Competitive Spirit

Category: Culture. Collective unconsciousness.

Origin: Maximum Greed (B)

Description: Terras are greedy. Greed isn’t born from the shallowness of someone’s nature but from the deficiency of life. In the eyes of other species, Terras are ugly, so from birth, they carry this deficiency as they look around the world.

“Life only becomes real when it flows in the direction of our choosing.”

From now on, Terras will not blame the world for this deficiency, but use it to challenge others.

“If life must flow, I’ll let it flow as a torrent.”

Terras believe that they too can become strong and that their desires can be achieved! For them, the sword is the symbol, the duel is the procedure, and victory is proof of their faith.

“More!”

A more honorable match. A more glorious victory. Terras’ greed will know no limits as they continue to seek proof of their faith.

Perhaps this will end in tragedy no matter what, but who cares? Terras are willing to shed tears over tragedies and applaud fallen heroes.

May dreams be with the Terras’ destinies.

※Aura users may be treated as privileged individuals.

※This trait may change depending on how history unfolds.

When the thirteenth challenger was defeated, drops of water fell on my mane.

“Gorrr, krrr. Gor.”

At first, I thought it was Gorke's sweat. He had just finished his thirteenth duel, so he was surely drenched in sweat. His mental strength had reached its limit way before his physical strength did. At this point, it was difficult for him to keep using aura.

But what was dripping down on my mane wasn’t his sweat. It was rain.

“Gor?”

“Ke?”

Confused, the goblins looked up at the sky, where heavy clouds had gathered. Raindrops fell and bounced off the Terras' hooked noses, flowing down their faces to rejoin the rain.

“Rain.”

“It’s kerukke...”

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“It’s rain.”

“Water really falls from the sky...”

The Terras opened their mouths to drink the rainwater, happier than when they watched the demonstration of Cavefire or when they first came out of the underground and saw the sunset.

“Gorub. Gor, gor!”

“Kerukke! Kerukke!”

The Terras spread their short arms and stomped their feet, splashing mud around. Some rolled on the ground, covering themselves in rain and mud. The sight was too messy to call it sacred, but it was also too sacred to call it messy.

The Shellmount general of the Shellmount put out their snail pipe.

“This is difficult. After receiving an order from the city, I hastily formed the troops and chased them all the way here. Unfortunately, the monsoon rain flooded the river and the dirty fungi have already crossed it... The torrents are too violent to make the hounds swim. Laime, I was born as a mortal, so how can I compete with immortals? Is this a curse from the evil god? Or perhaps this is also Lime’s will,” the general muttered as they turned their hound around.

They joined the hundreds of dog cavalry soldiers, yelling, “We won’t chase the fungi across the river!”

“Tentacle of the Valley, that’s...”

“Lime, this is my decision. We cannot be the only ones sacrificed in the crossfire of the immortals’ fight. We will join the pursuit party from White Mountain City and chase after the Purens. All troops, move!”

The sound of pipes rang through the rain as the Shellmounts patted their hounds’ waists with their tentacles. Panting, the hounds began walking away once given the signal. Soon enough, the troops disappeared into the rain, their long shadows slowly trailing behind them.

The sound of pipes could still be heard despite the Shellmounts’ shadows disappearing, but not for long. The sound of rain replaced the snail’s melody.

For a while, I watched the direction in which the dog cavalry troops had disappeared. The troops were quick to arrive and also nimble when they left. Looking at them, I could guess why the Inquisitor had been so confident and smug even when we were fighting him.

“Grrr.”

I glanced back at the goblins, who were happily enjoying the rain and covering themselves in mud.

I did everything I could.

Once I led them to Goru, I would be done with my duties.

It’s time to finish the stage.

But, before that, I watched the goblins running around a little more, unable to stop myself from smiling.

They’re cute.

1. This is the author’s variation of a Korean idiom “서당 개 삼 년에 풍월을 읊는다(Literal: A dog who spent three years at school can recite poetry.)” It’s about how practice makes perfect. ☜

2. This is from how 미신(迷信: superstition, fake belief) sounds the same with 미신(美神: a beautiful god). ☜