Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Bluebird (1)
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Ptui.
No one—not Yuri, nor Arin and Poppy watching from behind—could mistake that single short word for anything other than the sound of spitting.
At that, Arin blinked and asked,
"You, what kinda spit-worthy crap have you been up to?"
"......"
...Well, he had.
Of course, Yuri wasn't about to admit it himself.
While the three of them stared at the word 'ptui' like they were mesmerized,
Srrk—thud!
A black paper popped out again.
This time, the score sheet had a proper number on it.
【200.】
Arin gazed at it blankly and shared her thoughts.
"Comin' right after a 'ptui,' it feels just like 'Here, take this and get lost!'"
"......"
...Yuri knew it too.
He felt it plenty, he just hadn't said it out loud.
In the meantime, another score sheet emerged.
【Please just leave already.】
It was a single sentence brimming with utter sincerity.
Only now spotting the words on the paper, Teresa muttered in surprise.
"...Words on a score sheet?"
It was a situation even she, who'd spent months in the mechanism breakthrough quest zone, had never encountered.
And what was even more bewildering was the message itself.
Teresa shot Yuri a sullen glare.
"You... what the hell have you really been doing?"
Yuri gave no real answer to her question.
He simply crumpled the paper in his hand and snatched his sword from Poppy's grip.
"They want me gone? Fine, I'll go... but first......"
Yuri drew his sword.
Shing—.
He'd thought there was nothing left to smash today, but no.
One mechanism remained intact.
'You think I can't smash a 7-Star grade one?'
Dodging without smashing was the hard part.
If he just gave up on points and went all-out to destroy it, there was no reason he couldn't take down a 7-Star grade.
Plus, after challenging it several times already, he'd roughly memorized the trap positions.
"If I'm leavin', at least one last one won't hurt, right?"
With those words, Yuri pressed the activation button on the clock.
Drurrrng—.
He vanished beyond the iron gate of the now-open 7-Star grade mechanism.
And soon after, a resounding explosion echoed through.
Kwang—boom!
"......"
Only then realizing the source of the blast they'd just heard, Teresa and the other two could only stare blankly at the shaking cave.
* * *
The day after every mechanism in the breakthrough quest zone lay in ruins.
The last day of February.
The day of the second monthly evaluation.
Twenty-six from the bottom of the 50th Cohort were expelled.
Including four deaths, the 50th Cohort's final number settled at 170.
Three months total, including the Forest of Beginnings.
As they adapted to the cradle, a venomous glint began creeping into the eyes of the surviving 50th Cohort.
The innocents were starting to change.
Especially after the shocking news of four deaths accelerated the shift.
And the changes in the 50th Cohort didn't stop there.
1st. Yuri Holland / 1,500,000 points
Seeing the name that claimed first place again in the February monthly evaluation, the survivors whispered.
"That guy's number one again."
"Last month... wasn't a fluke, huh."
"Yuri Holland."
"How the hell did he rack up 1.5 million points?"
Yuri's presence, once felt only by the top ranks, now loomed over the entire remaining 50th Cohort.
As a result, opinions about Yuri shifted.
Starting from beggar brat, nobody special.
Lately, a decent-looking guy.
And today, he'd become the one who'd taken first two months running.
People's perception of Yuri was beginning to change.
And Yuri's growing presence didn't affect just the 50th Cohort.
* * *
A dozen people sat around a massive round table.
They called themselves the 'Lords of the Circle.'
One of them spoke up.
"Everyone heard the talk, right?"
It was a voice bubbling with excitement.
A low, heavy voice replied.
"Talk about what?"
"Haha, you guys are so behind on the news. Apparently, something fun happened in this year's first- and second-year mechanism breakthrough quest zone."
"Something fun?"
"They say an insane new record popped up."
"Still just a first- or second-year quest."
The slightly hyped tone drew lukewarm reactions from the other Lords.
One silently sipping tea.
One propping their chin with a sour face.
One yawning like it was boring.
But those reactions flipped at the next words.
"Full 200 points."
At that, the Lords finally turned their eyes to the one who'd brought it up.
"Hoo? That's real, Goetz Roeten?"
Goetz, seated at one spot on the table, nodded lightly.
His purple hair swayed with the motion.
"You think I'd lie about something like this? Easy to verify yourself."
Goetz smiled faintly, his eyes glinting with interest as they slid sideways.
Where his gaze landed.
A blond buzz-cut youth sat there with a blank expression.
"What do you think, Kunter?"
Kunter answered Goetz's question without a flicker of expression.
"About what?"
"How do you feel about your record being broken? You were the top score holder, weren't you?"
The onlookers perked up at Goetz's teasing, almost provoking tone.
But even to that jab, Kunter showed no reaction.
"No big deal."
"Come on? It's been broken after two years."
"It was a record from my first year anyway. Given time, I could've hit 200 too."
"Hmm, is that so? Word is, it took you about twenty days for 199. Right?"
"Yeah."
"But this new one? Done in sixteen days."
A tiny crack appeared on Kunter's hitherto impassive face.
Goetz caught it and grinned with his eyes.
"And guess what that record looks like? Wanna take a shot?"
"...You just said 200 full points."
"Ah, not that. The time. The time."
"If it's 200, obviously under ten seconds."
"Four seconds."
"......?! "
"They say it took four seconds to clear the 2-Star grade mechanism. Think you could score 200 in a 2-Star breakthrough quest in four seconds?"
"......"
Kunter had no answer.
Lips pressed tight, face still blank.
But Goetz instantly knew this blankness differed from before.
'He's shocked.'
The initial blankness was indifference; now, it was shock freezing his features.
Goetz found Kunter's shift endlessly amusing.
So he decided to share another shocker.
"And that's not all. The 7-Star grade record? Smashed by the same guy who set the 2-Star one."
The gazes around the table swarmed back to Goetz.
They'd all experienced the breakthrough quest themselves, so they knew.
Challenging a 7-Star in your first or second year took guts.
And surviving alone was impressive enough.
So news of a 7-Star record naturally piqued interest.
Everyone fell silent, waiting for Goetz.
Goetz smiled and said,
"The new 7-Star record is......"
He trailed off slightly.
Savoring the attention, his smile deepened.
"Full 200 points, in four seconds."
"......?!"
Murmurs rippled through the group at Goetz's words.
"A 7-Star at 200?"
"In four seconds?"
Everyone blurted out their shock.
Except Kunter Raider.
He was uncannily still.
As if deep in thought.
When the murmurs died down a bit,
Kunter looked at Goetz and spoke.
"The 7-Star record is definitely 200 in four seconds?"
"Of course."
"...And the name of the one who set it?"
He asked, but Kunter already seemed to suspect who it was.
Goetz chuckled shortly.
"Yuri Holland of the 50th Cohort."
* * *
March 1st, around 12:10 AM.
Three people slipped out the north gate.
It was Yuri, Arin, and Poppy.
Watching Yuri lead a bit ahead, Arin grumbled.
"Wow, you kept this good stuff to yourself? That's so not cool!"
Arin and Poppy had tailed Yuri as he sneaked through a crevice to somewhere.
Thanks to that, they learned of the special sale shop's existence for the first time today and marveled at the revelation.
To Arin's griping, Yuri shot back curtly.
"You laze around doin' nothing all day, so you're slow on info. Why blame me?"
"Uuu......"
"You think someone told me?"
Someone had.
Senior Jelli.
"I figured it out all on my own."
He had, by strong-arming Senior Jelli.
"You guys got lucky. Lots still don't know the special sale items reset daily."
"...Yes, sorry, thank you."
Time had passed, so quite a few from the 50th Cohort used the normally open special sale.
Yet apparently, no one knew the items refreshed at midnight— the shop's only customers just now had been Yuri's group.
'Not sure how long this edge lasts... but milk it while I can.'
And right at that thought,
A bunch of 50th Cohort emerged from the north gate bushes.
"......?!"
They startled briefly at the sight of Yuri's group.
But then, as if confirmed in something, they hurried toward the north gate clock tower.
Their purposeful stride was obvious, and their goal didn't take much guessing.
Yuri's brows furrowed.
'Tch, party's over. Gotta move faster come next month.'
No secret lasts forever—once a few of them talked, word on the refresh would spread fast.
No more leisurely shopping on the first of the month after today.
And that fact irked Yuri even more.
'Of all days, strike out today.'
March's special sale had about 1.5 times more items than last month.
Problem was, not a single elixir or potion Yuri needed was among them.
He'd debated spinning the mystery box again.
But he shook off the temptation.
'Last time was luck to break even. Odds are I'd lose big now.'
Opening mystery boxes now was a waste.
From here on, Yuri planned to save points unless something he truly needed appeared.
And the day those savings would unleash? January 1st next year.
When the mystery box items refreshed.
'Save hard, save tons, and definitely... pull an Elixir!'
No clue how much it'd cost, so hoard as much as possible.
Comforting himself with that after zilch from March's sale,
Yuri turned.
But not toward their hideout.
Arin and Poppy asked,
"Hungry?"
"Where to? That's not the way."
To their questions, Yuri grinned.
"You know what they say?"
"What?"
Arin and Poppy's heads tilted.
Yuri's smile turned vicious.
"Gettin' hit when you're off-guard hurts more and pisses you off worse?"
"...What're you on about? So where we goin'?"
"Should be all fixed by now, right?"
Muttering nonsense, Yuri cackled and slipped away.
Realizing the direction led to the mechanism breakthrough quest zone, Arin and Poppy caught on to his intent and muttered at his retreating back.
"...I'm hungry."
"...That devil bastard."
* * *
Under the dim moonlight.
An explosion shattered the quiet.
Kwarang—!
A moment later.
Yuri emerged from the cave, brushing dirt off his shoulder.
"That's six now."
In that short time, he'd smashed six mechanisms.
Why was he pulling an all-nighter for this?
Not to harass the operator.
If anything, Yuri admired the creator.
He wanted to meet and talk to them so badly he'd go this far.
And maybe that effort paid off?
Srrk—thud!
A score sheet arrived, carrying the other's intent.
【Let's talk, you cursed spawn of Redner!】