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Chapter 9: The Reason He Talks To Himself (3)

My studio was small even for me alone, but now it had a ghost flying around in it. It was like a three-meter-long mosquito was flying around my ears. My human rights were being threatened.

“Oh, for crying out loud! I told you, I can’t bring you back even if I want to!”

—You said that you copied me using your Skill, so you should be able to cancel it too! Don’t you know what a refund is? Refund! What are we, cavemen? We have to be able to get a refund!

“For the last time, I can’t cancel it!”

—Arghhh... Gramps Marcus! Your teacher got kidnapped! Your one and only teacher got kidnapped by some loser off the street!

The Guardian started crying his eyes out while hanging upside down.

—Ahhhhhhh, this is your fault, Gramps Marcus! This disaster happened because you treated your teacher like shit! This is why I always told you to treat your teacher with more respect. Your teacher is worth more than this!

“Excuse me...” I massaged my aching temples. My fear of seeing a ghost for the first time in my life was already gone. Who cared? Anyone would get a headache if the ghost were this noisy.

“Let’s please live peacefully. Okay?”

—What do you mean, live peacefully?! I’m already dead!

“Ah, then rest in peace.”

—What a son of a bitch. I’m already sad because I’m dead, and you want me to die one more time. People, look at this bastard over here! We’ve only just met, but look at how he already treats me!

“Whoa.” I gaped. Today was the first time in my life I got to see a ghost, but I hadn’t seen anyone who talked this much—this fucking much—either. And I now realized why the Sword Star had been constantly talking to himself in the pub like a headcase... Yeah, he never stopped talking, but most of his words were similar.

“Shut up.”

“Be quiet.”

“You’re too noisy. I’ll take care of it, so leave me alone.”

Ninety-nine percent of the things he said to himself were to tell someone to be quiet.

“It’s only natural he would keep talking if he has a ghost like this beside him...”

—Huh? Are you trash-talking me to my face? How old are you? You should treat me with respect like the elder I am, brat.

“Shit.” My shoulders drooped. I could feel my doomed future already. “I have to spend my entire life running away from the Sword Star, but I got a ghost instead of a Skill that can help me.”

—Huh? What do you mean you have to run away from Gramps?

The Guardian tilted his head in confusion.

—You won’t be able to find a Hunter with a kinder heart than Gramps Marcus. Though he’s my student and I have to admit that he’s a geezer. Oh, yeah—never mention his grandchildren in front of him. He’s usually calm and all, but his lid seems to flip whenever those kiddos are mentioned.

“I’m already very familiar.” I sighed. “He has that Skill—what do you call it? The one that shows him how many times someone’s committed murder.”

—Oh, are you talking about the Detective’s Wise Eyes? That’s a useless Skill, the Guardian answered right away.

It looked like the Guardian seemed to know all of the Sword Star’s Skills. So the name of the Sword Star’s kill count Skill seemed to be Detective’s Wise Eyes.

—So what? The only purpose it serves is to find out if someone’s an assassin or not. Besides, a higher count doesn’t guarantee that they’re actually an assassin.

“4091 times.”

—Hmm?

“The kill count above my head is 4091.”

—Umm... You wouldn’t happen to be delusional, would you? The Guardian crumpled up his face in disbelief. He was a ghost, but it looked like his expression changed more often than most living people.

“I think I actually will be if I spend one more day with you. You’ll drive me nuts with your babbling.”

—No, I mean... you’re a complete beginner.

The Guardian’s voice became a little serious.

—You’re a beginner of beginners. It looks like you haven’t even learned how to use aura. There’s no way a guy like you killed 4091 people. I managed to clear the Tower’s ninety-ninth floor and even I didn’t kill that many people.

“It’s because I didn’t kill 4091 people.”

—Huh?

I shrugged. “I only hunted down one very bad guy who will be called the Fire Emperor...”

I explained the whole situation to the Guardian. After getting killed by the Fire Emperor, I had been incredibly lucky and copied his time regression Skill. I didn’t have any other method to get revenge on him, so I had decided—and actually done it—to go back over four thousand days.

—...What? You killed yourself over four thousand times just for revenge? the Guardian asked.

“Yeah, I did.”

The Guardian was silent. In contrast to his look of disbelief earlier, he was looking at me contemplatively. He seemed so serious that I couldn’t believe that he was the same ghost who almost shook my seven-square-meter studio with his yelling. It took a long time for the Guardian to break his silence.

—Hey.

“What is it?”

—What is your name?

“It’s Kim Gong-Ja.”

—Okay, Gong-Ja. Why did you choose Gramps Marcus, out of all the people in the world? the Guardian asked, picking his words carefully.

“Hmm?”

—As soon as you finished getting revenge on Fucker character, you decided to copy Gramps’s Skill. Why did you do that?

“...Isn’t it obvious?” I replied drily. The answer was blindingly obvious. “I should get the strongest person’s Skill first, and he’s the best Hunter of the century.”

—So it’s because you believe it’s the fastest way to become strong, is that it?

“Yup, that’s right.”

—...You’re giving me the honest answers to my questions because there’s no risk of me telling someone your secret. It’s already said in the Skill Card that no one can perceive me except you. Am I right?

“Well, yeah.”

Silence fell upon my studio once again.

—Hmm. The Guardian flew around me with a very serious look. On my left side, he got a look at my face, and then he measured my height from the right.

I frowned, wondering what the heck he was doing.

—Let’s see. Hmm. Your physique can be improved with training. You have the tenacity of a bloodhound. And you also have the desire to become better. You’re still in your right mind, so you know when to be clever... I see. Mmm... With material like you...

What is he talking about?

Judging from the way he kept talking to himself, it seemed that the Guardian was indeed the Sword Star’s teacher. Like teacher, like student.

He flew right in front of me.

—Hey, Kim Gong-Ja, he said.

“Yes?”

—Go kill some monsters.

***

I hunted some monsters.

“Are you satisfied now?”

I had nothing to do in my studio even if I stayed cooped up inside, so I headed to a hunting ground at daybreak. Besides, I had other business to take care of. Since I regressed by one day after getting killed by the Sword Star, I had to hunt Yoo Soo-Ha again today.

—I knew it... I’m right. The Guardian nodded.

“What do you mean, you’re right?”

—Before I died, I was called the Sword Emperor.

It was still early dawn, so no one was around in this remote hunting ground as I listened to the Guardian.

—I’m not from around here. From your perspective, I’m from another world. Anyhow, a Tower showed up in my world, just like the one here. And I cleared the floors faster than anyone else in my world.

“Was all that build-up just to brag?”

—Yeah. Well, I still failed to clear the hundredth floor of the Tower in my world. That’s written in your Skill Card, isn’t it? That’s what actually happened. The Guardian chuckled.

Sword Constellation

Class: A+

Effect: He is from another world and managed to clear the ninety-ninth floor of the Tower in his world. However, he was brought to his knees right on the verge of reaching the Tower’s hundredth floor. Due to his regret, he failed to find eternal peace and became a Guardian instead. He can’t physically influence the world, but he is able to talk to you. He has abundant experience and is incredibly skilled, so ask him for advice!

※No one can perceive your Guardian except for you.

※The Skill has been copied from Hunter Marcus Carlenbery.

It’s still remarkable to think about.

The Fire Emperor used to be a legend for clearing the fortieth floor until I had regressed. However, the Guardian in front of me had cleared the ninety-ninth floor, a height no human had ever reached before.

—When you’re as good as me, one look is enough for me to see if a Hunter will be a smash hit or just get smashed by life. That’s why I asked you to hunt monsters, Gong-Ja.

“Aha.” I smiled bitterly. “So you were trying to see if I’m good with the sword?”

There were many novels about a protagonist who wasn’t aware of their gift. One day, they suddenly fell off a cliff or met a legendary martial artist in seclusion and awakened their true power.

“Tsk, tsk. You wasted your time.”

Unfortunately, that was the type of luck I didn’t get to receive.

“I have zero talent for combat. Zero. Nada. That is why I’m chasing after other Hunters’ Skills. If I were gifted, I wouldn’t be a Class F Hunter right now.”

—What the hell are you talking about? You’re talented, the Guardian said with a furrowed brow.

“What?”

—It’s actually remarkable.

This wasn’t the reaction I had expected.

“Come on. You’re trying to tease me, aren’t you?”

—I don’t joke about this kind of stuff.

The Guardian quietly shook his head.

—Yes, your gift isn’t in martial arts. Your movements are clumsy, and your physique is mediocre at best. From the looks of it, it’ll take you very long to learn how to use aura through ordinary methods. Regardless, you have a very rare gift.

His eyes were serious.

—You don’t fear death. I’m actually surprised by the fact that you aren’t scared of it at all.

He stroked his chin.

—Killing yourself over four thousand times must have erased your fear. That’s what I think is happening here. You may not have noticed it, but you’re being very reckless when you charge toward monsters. People normally hesitate at least a little because they’re scared of dying or getting injured, but you just throw yourself out there.

“Umm... Does that count as a gift?”

—Of course. There is more to talents than what you’re born with. People can acquire a new gift as they live. Among those gifts, overcoming the fear of death is the hardest one to build, but you’ve already done it. That’s incredible.

I was a little taken aback. No one in my life told me this. Even I had never thought this way. I was just angry at how the Fire Emperor had treated me like a bug... I was so furious that I had blindly killed myself 4090 times. But the Guardian was telling me that it was my gift.

—Let me ask you one more question.

“...What is it?”

—You said that Gramps Marcus killed you. How did you feel at the time?

I recalled my last death. It hadn’t been more than a couple of hours, so I could remember the night sky, moon, and that soundless slash. They made me feel...

“...I thought it was a beautiful attack.”

—Hahahahahaha!

The Guardian threw back his head and roared with laughter. His laughter was so loud that it seemed to fill up the empty, dimly lit hunting ground. Only after a long time did the Guardian stop laughing.

—Interesting.

The Guardian’s eyes sparkled.

—You copy Skills, not steal them. In other words, Gramps Marcus has another me as his Guardian. I’m curious to see who will become a better Hunter: you or Gramps.

The Sword Constellation—the ghost who used to be called the Sword Emperor for clearing the Tower up to the ninety-ninth floor—the man who was now my Guardian looked straight into my eyes and held out his hand.

—Let me help you become as strong as—no, a lot stronger than Gramps Marcus! Let’s conquer the Tower!

I realized that I had found myself a partner.