The final level of the tower1. At long last.
Finally, for fuck’s sake. Finally.
She reached this level after ten long years.
The tower was extremely lofty in height and no one was strong enough for it.
The sheer amount of Hunters who sacrificed their own lives to reach this level exceeded seventy-thousand.
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> becomes manic due to the potent stench of blood!]
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> transmits words of encouragement to you via the system!]
[The <Emperor of Enticement> expresses their alluring support for you!]
Just like the others, all the members of her guild had perished. The sole remaining survivor of this battle was Kim Young, an S-Class Hunter; it was her and only her.
‘If I screw up in a place like this, it’s undeniable that I’ll die in vain. I have to conquer this level.’
I’m not going to endure all this suffering again! I won’t allow myself to regress2 yet another time! I’ve regressed 58 times already!
‘Come on, Lee Young3. Let’s return home.’
She definitely knew the Final Boss’s attack patterns by heart. She made an effort to commit it to her memory an awful number of times, to the point where it had even begun to appear in her dreams.
Lee Young ultimately drew its attack patterns on the ground, arranging them in a consecutive order.
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> laments that you’ll now be returning to your original world.]
“I have to return home someday, Unnie4.”
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> weeps and sniffs back their tears.]
“You’ve been with me for seventy years, you don’t need to be with me anymore. Enough is enough. Why are you guys crying?”
[The <Emperor of Enticement> scolds you for saying such nonsense.]
“Gosh. I’ve become quite old now, for fuck’s sake. After this whole ‘transmigration’ thing is over, I’m returning home. My puppy has been waiting for me. My Maltese, Cerberus, has surely become restless from all this waiting.”
It was true.
The current S-Class Hunter Kim Young was actually someone who transmigrated into <The More The S-Class Hunter Regresses, The More Powerful She Becomes>; a Fantasy Novel with Constellations5.
Initially, the idea was inconceivable to her.
I… I’m an S-Class Hunter?
She had applied to take Korea’s civil service exam again, like she usually did, and after four years and seven months of cramming, she finally passed the exam. However, when she left to go dine at a restaurant,
Lee Young died…
…Due to someone driving while they were intoxicated.
Shortly after, she transmigrated into a novel she had read while she had been taking those exams for the past four years and seven months.
‘Being an S-Class Hunter and a ‘Munchkin’6 main character was quite enjoyable in the beginning.’
Even the dungeons that everyone was unable to conquer, Lee Young could defeat them just by lifting her finger.
Lee Young had the skill of ‘Regression’. So, with what she discerned from the novel and with the insight she gained from experiencing regressions first-hand, she had the capability of being a ‘Munchkin’.
And that wasn’t the end of it? She even seized all of the Rank 3, Rank 2 and Rank 1 Constellations and signed contracts with them.
‘But in spite of all that, I ultimately couldn’t do anything, could I? I’ve never been able to defeat the Final Boss!’
“Display my stat window.”
[Name: Kim Young
Affiliated Guild: Guild of the Republic of Korea {Rare}
Prominence: Infinite {ထ}
Designated Titles: The <Final S-Class Hunter>, The <World’s Sole Salvation>, The <’Munchkin’ Hero>, The <Regressor>, The <Possessor of Otherworldly Prowess>… {View More}
Stats:
Strength: Incalculable7
Agility: Incalculable
Stamina: Incalculable
Intelligence: Incalculable
Luck: -999
{Constellations You’ve Made Contracts With}
<Lord of Vile Blood>
Skills You’re Currently Able To Use: LV. 999 skill <Everlasting Vigor>8, LV.999 skill <Red Liquid of Impenetrability; Combater of Ten Thousand Poisons>, LV.999 skill <Swordsmanship of the War Demon>, LV.999 skill <Noble Blood of the Vampiric Race>, LV.999 skill <Blood Circulation Technique of the Heavenly Demon>9… {View More}
<Monarch of Billows and Healing>
Skills You’re Currently Able To Use: LV.999 skill <Oasis of Reverence>, LV.999 skill <Order of the Vast Depths>10, LV.999 skill <Summoning of ****11>… {View More}
<Emperor of Enticement>
Skills You’re Currently Able To Use: LV.999 skill <Breath of Astaroth>12, LV.999 skill <Grin of the Lord of the Flies>13, LV.999 skill <Allurement of Asmodeus>14, LV.999 skill <Gates of the Valley of Torment>15, LV.999 skill <Devil’s Advocate>16, LV.999 skill <Favor of Eligor>17… {View More}]
[There are 78 more pages18. Do you wish to view them?]
Despite having such cheat-like stats, Lee Young still couldn’t defeat the Final Boss; not even once.
That was how OP19 the Final Boss (a.k.a. the <Boss of the Tower> and the novel’s villain) was.
She didn’t have any actual tactics to fight it with because it didn’t possess any weak points on its body and it had far too versatile attack patterns.
‘The author never finished writing the novel so I’m not even sure how the tower was cleared.’
You scummy author! If you enjoy writing so much, then at least finish what you started!
“I do not wish to view them. Now, display my quest window.”
[{Quest Window}
<Final Quest>
Please clear the final level in the tower.
Requirements for clearing: the <Boss of the Tower> must be annihilated.
Reward(s) for clearing: your transmigration will cease. You will go back to your original world.]
“Stop displaying it.”
That was her final quest.
Only after she completed that quest would she be able to return home and carry on with an easygoing, uneventful life.
A place where she didn’t have to fight monsters that possessed hundreds of appendages or malevolent beings that possessed thousands of eyes.
A place where she could just fall asleep while she sniffed the back of her puppy’s head and breathed in its scent.
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> reminds you that once your transmigration ceases, you’ll be sent back to the point in time you were originally in. Your puppy wouldn’t realize that it’s been waiting.]
“If that’s the case, then I’ve been the only one waiting. I want to go home and see my puppy so much that it’s killing me.”
[The <Emperor of Enticement> tempts you into imagining your puppy over a hundred times, out of consideration for you.]
“Please don’t tempt me anymore!”
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> indirectly suggests that they can become your dog, out of consideration for you.]
“You’re actually a nutjob20. This is ridiculous. How fucking old are you, you old geezer21?”
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> mutters discontentedly, saying that they have a youthful appearance22, so they couldn’t possibly be an old geezer.]
“Whatever. Neither I nor my Grandpa are five hundred years old. But you’re probably around five thousand years old, gramps.”
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> concurs emphatically.]
[The <Emperor of Enticement> grins whilst they snicker.]
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> advises you to hurry up and clear the level as they avert their back away from you.]
“Alright, I’ll clear it then. As of now, this will be my 58th time attempting to conquer this level. I cannot delay it anymore. My success will be the harbinger of all your demises23.”
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> nods their head ruefully.]
[The <Emperor of Enticement>] juts their lips out and pouts.]
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> begins to weep all over again.]
“Open the Gate.”
[You are at the Final Level of the tower. The boss of this level is the <Boss of the Tower>. Do you still wish to open the Gate?]
“Just open it already.”
[Opening the Gate.]
***
“I… de..feated…”
Lee Young could see the <Boss of the Tower> slowly become smaller and weaker as she regained her composure.
She actually defeated it? Like actually? The outcome didn’t even feel real to her yet.
[The Final Level’s boss <Boss of the Tower> has been annihilated.]
[The requirements for clearing the <Final Quest> have been fulfilled!]
But the appearance of those notification windows made Lee Young realize that it was real.
She actually defeated it.
In the end, after 58 regressions, Lee Young was finally victorious.
She had grown attached to the people around her even though they were mere characters inside a novel. Regrettably, it was after they were all dead that Lee Young ended up defeating it.
[No! N…No! I… I can’t be defeated!]
“Your dialogue really resembles that of a witless minor boss. Can you just die? I need to return home so I can see my puppy.”
[How… how can a human like you do this to me… no, this can’t be real! My momentous plans have yet to be enacted!]
“What are your ‘momentous’ plans, then? If you seriously say something stupid like ‘world domination’, then I won’t let you die peacefully.”
[…]
“For real, that was it?”
The author literally has no creativity. Lee Young made a “tsk” sound with her tongue.
[I shall get my revenge, human.]
“Don’t get revenge on me, get revenge on the unimaginative author.”
[You’ve crushed my hopes and dreams, so I shall dispose of what you desire the most.]
What, am I being imprecated?
Upon imprecating her, the <Boss of the Tower> gazed up at Lee Young, peering into her with menacing eyes. Inexplicably, she began to feel unnerved.
Lee Young eventually felt so unnerved that she unsheathed her sword and swung it at the <Boss of the Tower> again.
“You’re basically dead, so die already. Imprecate, my ass! Are you aware of how many people you have killed? Many of my comrades have died because of you!”
[In… in my next life… I will achieve… everything I want to. You shall be there… eternally…]
Next life? That was the creepiest thing Lee Young had ever heard.
Lee Young stomped her foot on what was left of the <Boss of the Tower>’s corpse.
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> vehemently condemns the <Boss of the Tower>!]
[The <Emperor of Enticement> rebukes the <Boss of the Tower> with unspeakable swear words.]
[The <Lord of Vile Blood> goes batshit insane!]
“It’s over. I don’t have to clear any more quests, and it’s already been defeated so there’s no need to cuss it out.”
[The <Monarch of Billows and Healing> commends your sensibility.]
“Quest window! Come on and give me the reward for clearing this quest!”
[{Ding!}
Important <System> Announcement: an error has occurred in the system and the system is currently undergoing an urgent update. We give our gratitude to all our users for waiting patiently.]
The hell? This was the first time she had seen this kind of notification. For some reason, her heart jolted.
Lee Young sank to her knees and requested for every window to be displayed; she felt that something wasn’t right.
“Display my stat window!”
[You cannot view the <Stat Window> right now.]
“Display my q-quest window!”
[You cannot view the <Quest Window> right now.]
“Then, what about my reward? You’ll give me the reward that we had agreed upon, won’t you?”
[The system is currently undergoing an update right now. Please be patient. The update will be done in (00:03:00)]
[Loading…]
“What the fuck is this nonsense! Give me my reward! Send me back!”
[TIP of the day: <The More The S-Class Hunter Regresses, The More Powerful She Becomes> is quite entertaining.]
[TIP of the day: <diddkcl>, the author of <The More The S-Class Hunter Regresses, The More Powerful She Becomes>, has just published their next book. Why don’t you go read it right now?]
[Loading…]
“Damnit. Don’t just give me tips when I’m in this kind of a situation.”
[TIP of the day: <diddkcl>’s next book is titled <<What If The S-Class Hunter Becomes A Villainous Young Lady>>. Doesn’t that sound entertaining?]
“Why is the title so foreboding? ‘Next book’? The hell?”
[The system has been updated!]
“OK, if you send me back right now I guess I can overlook all the mistakes you’ve made.”
[Confirming the completion of the quest…]
[Completion of the quest has been confirmed! Congratulations! The <Final Quest> has been cleared without any mishaps!]
Lee Young finally felt relief wash over her. Right, this was what was supposed to happen. At least this damn system had morals.
[The conditions of the reward will be altered due to an error in the system.]
“Huh?”
[Congratulations! You have been given the quest reward!]
[The <Final Quest> has been cleared!
Old reward(s) for clearing: your transmigration will cease. You will go back to your original world.
New reward(s) for clearing: your transmigration will cease. You will transmigrate again as a character in a different novel.]
“Transmigrate again? What the fuck does that mean?”24
[<System> Announcement: sorry, user <Lee Young>. It will be quite troublesome for us to give you the reward we had agreed upon right now due to an error in the system.
But since the aforementioned novel is entertaining as well, we believe you will be content with it.]
“I want to speak to the manager.”
[<System> Announcement: OK, so <<What If The S-Class Hunter Becomes A Villainous Young Lady>> it is! Have fun! ^^]
“Then at least let me speak to the author! What is this bullshit?!”
[Loading…]
[<System> Announcement: transmigration into <<What If The S-Class Hunter Becomes A Villainous Young Lady>> has commenced.]