Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Night Walker (2)
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The 50th Cohort's second integrated quest had wrapped up in just four days.
A mere four days.
Compared to the Forest of Beginnings quest or the leather-gathering quest that had come before, it was practically a blink.
But in those four days, a slew of events had unfolded.
For some, it brought despair.
For others, a shift in their hearts.
And for a few more, pure joy.
One thing was crystal clear from it all: Yuri's presence had been seared into the minds of the entire 50th Cohort.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd completely dominated this quest.
Most were fixated on his raw combat prowess.
But the few who knew how he'd schemed and maneuvered the board eyed his strategic brilliance warily.
While the bulk of the cohort reeled from Yuri's outsized impact—far beyond what they'd imagined—two people were thrown by his unexpected gesture.
"Seriously... this is for us?"
"I'm hungry?!"
Arin and Poppi gawked at the 250,000 points Yuri had handed them, eyes wide as saucers.
Truth be told, they hadn't done much in the quest, so they had no ground to complain if he'd claimed it all.
Yet here he was, shoving 250,000 points their way—their share, he said.
Each of them, no less.
The two froze in disbelief.
Then Arin snapped out of it and blurted,
"W-We didn't do anything this time?"
"I'm hungry?"
"Is it really okay to take this? You're not gonna make us pay it back tenfold later?!"
Yuri met their skeptical stares with a deadpan look.
"It's a bribe."
"...A bribe?"
"A bribe so you won't betray me later."
With that, Yuri spun on his heel and scurried off.
"......"
"......"
Arin and Poppi traded glances between his retreating back and the point pouches in their hands.
Then Arin cocked her head and muttered softly,
"He was embarrassed just now, right?"
"I'm hungry."
Poppi nodded vigorously.
Seeing she wasn't alone in that thought, Arin crossed her arms and tossed out a question.
"Does this feel like a bribe to you?"
"I'm hungry."
Poppi shook her head without hesitation.
As far as they could tell, wealth meant more to Yuri than mere human connections.
For someone with that mindset to share his own riches with them?
'Maybe... this means he trusts us a little?'
A bribe to stave off betrayal.
But to Arin and Poppi, these points felt like a sign of trust from Yuri.
Grinning with quiet satisfaction, the two rubbed their noses with their index fingers.
"He's... kinda cute, huh?"
"I'm hungry."
They figured that this time, they'd earned 500,000 out of 3 million points—about 16.6% trust.
Next time, they wanted a bigger slice.
"Yuri, wait up!"
"I'm hungry!"
The pair scampered after him.
* * *
Five days had passed since the second integrated quest.
Yuri and his friends had slipped back into their routine.
Not that their daily grind was anything special.
Yuri had resumed construction on the fortress foundation he'd only roughed out before.
Arin and Poppi had been roped into the groundwork at his nagging.
And Yuri had picked up sparring with Theresia again.
Their days were largely unchanged.
The one small shift? Arin and Poppi had started joining Yuri and Theresia's spars.
Clang—!
A sharp spear tip slammed into the massive shield, exploding with noise.
The shaft vibrated wildly, as if it might snap any second.
Kagagang!
The blade scraped along the shield's curve, spitting sparks with a eerie screech.
The spear whipped left, slicing past the figure behind the shield—but the shield wasn't done.
Kang—hoong!
It shoved in from the side in a flash, batting the shaft aside and charging forward with a gale-force wind.
The metal shield—nearly as tall as she was—bore down like a wall, giving Theresia the illusion of an oncoming cliff face.
She dodged back and slipped to the shield's right flank.
But the shield was already pivoting to block her path.
Theresia gritted her teeth.
'Power, destructive force... but above all, it's too fast!'
Poppi—the Yum tribe's young monk with the cutesy nickname.
Anyone assuming his hulking frame and enormous shield meant sluggish moves would be dead wrong.
The sheer power let him wield that giant metal slab like a down pillow, so his speed never lagged.
His muscles' elasticity and agility far outstripped the norm to begin with.
They were just overshadowed by his superhuman strength.
But spar against him, and you'd gasp at his agility on top of that power.
'And his technique... holds up just fine.'
Plus, Poppi handled that oversized shield with unnatural skill for his age.
'He's chaining small movements on purpose.'
Even with insane strength and speed, a broad shield catches air resistance on big swings.
That creates openings.
Having eaten those losses before, Poppi moved it with minimal motions.
Small, rapid combos.
Add his explosive power and velocity, and it'd feel like the shield was glued to you.
Even Theresia—the fastest in the 49th Cohort—felt that way.
'He's my perfect counter.'
A massive shield her strength couldn't pierce.
One that read her attacks and always beat her to the punch—this iron wall was poison to a speed-focused fighter like her.
And that fact lit a fire under her competitive spirit.
'Yuri... broke through that iron wall.'
She'd seen him vault it once and press his sword to Poppi's throat.
That image gave her certainty.
'If my speed outpaces the wall's moves, this matchup flips completely.'
Right now, her paths were stonewalled, leaving her helpless.
But conquer that wall, and Poppi would be wide open instead.
A predator-prey reversal.
Grit.
Theresia gripped her spear tight, eyes gleaming.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
'Nice.'
The spars with Yuri, Arin, and Poppi had kicked off a few days back.
Theresia—deprived of bow-and-shield practice since entering the Cradle—had swallowed her senior pride and asked to join.
Best decision ever.
Theresia shouted at Poppi.
"Here I go again!"
"I'm hungry!"
She charged at the snorting Poppi.
Clang!
Spear and shield clashed once more.
A short distance away, two others faced off about 20 meters apart.
Yuri, standing casually.
And Arin, arrow nocked on him.
With anxious eyes, she yelled,
"You're sure... I should shoot?"
"Yeah."
"Really shoot? No regrets?"
"Yeah!"
"For real?"
"Argh, just shoot already! Hit me, and dinner's all your favorites tonight!"
"...If you insist."
Looking put-upon, Arin released the string.
Swoosh—.
The arrow whistled fiercely toward Yuri's chest.
But despite the momentum, it sliced empty air.
Yuri had sidestepped with ease.
Arin's brows twitched.
Her hand blurred into motion.
Swoosh—swoosh—.
Two arrows streaked out in rapid succession.
Yuri dodged them effortlessly, then retraced their paths in his mind.
'Fast, sure—but predictable if I read the aim early.'
Arin's shots crossed 20 meters in under a second.
But starting from the arrowhead's direction made it a breeze to evade.
Yuri took a step forward and taunted,
"What? That's it? I could dodge this blindfolded!"
And he did—eyes shut, weaving past the next arrow.
A feat possible only because he knew the trajectory ahead.
Arin's brow furrowed at the provocation.
"You little...!"
Yuri had crept to 15 meters while dodging.
For an archer, letting a foe close distance unscathed was humiliating.
Especially since Yuri hadn't even drawn his sword.
Arin vowed payback.
She nocked two arrows.
They flew at him together.
Swish—.
Faster, fiercer.
Yuri watched the ordinary arcs—then his eyes bulged.
'Huh?!'
The paired arrows split apart.
Then they snaked in on twisting paths like serpents.
Ssk—.
They grazed his right thigh and left ear by a hair.
Yuri barely evaded, chills racing down his spine.
'A bit closer, and I'd have been in real trouble.'
Arin's bow was deadlier than the 7-star mechanism traps he'd faced.
From 15 meters, no less.
'To close further, I'd need my sword.'
But Yuri held off.
Pushing in swordless would level him up another notch.
As that thought crossed his mind,
Arin's next volley came—unpredictable, writhing trajectories.
Yuri eyed them carefully and shifted.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh—.
Three arrows whispered past him.
More followed in a barrage.
Swish—!
Firing non-stop, Arin sensed something off.
'This isn't sparring—I'm just training fodder for Yuri!'
She realized it too late; she was already an arrow-shooting machine.
How long had it gone on?
Arin finally snapped,
"How long are we doing this?!"
"Just a bit more!"
"A bit more how much?!"
"Empty your quiver three more times."
"You said three last time and we'd stop!"
"Did I? Make it five then."
"Ugh!"
She'd lost count of the quivers she'd emptied.
Dozens of shots: retrieve, reload, fire.
Arin scowled at her aching fingers.
'Like a practice dummy possessed—once he starts, he never stops!'
Since starting spars with Yuri, she'd fired thousands of arrows and quit tallying.
She knew her skills were sharpening fast, but the grind hurt.
And she wasn't alone.
"I'm... hungry?"
"Not yet!"
Poppi shot a "how much longer?" look over his shield, then sighed and raised it against Theresia's rush.
Arin and Poppi suffered under the duo's obsessive training zeal.
Their torment ended with a voice from beyond the palisade.
"Is anyone hooome?!"
Clear yet resonant—a woman's bright call halted all four.
"Visitors?"
"I'm hungry?"
"Someone's here for us?"
"Here?"
Unheard of since the fortress foundation finished.
Stunned, Yuri, Theresia, and Arin vaulted up the log pillars.
And there she was.
A petite woman with white hair and red eyes, right at the palisade.
"No one's hooome...? Oh?"
Mid-shout, hands cupped, she spotted Yuri atop and beamed, waving both arms wildly.
"Yuri! Got that intel you requested!"