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

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

I explained to the Guardian how I duplicated him, but he still went wild.

—Take me back to Gramps right now!

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?

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.