Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Hierarchy (1)
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No sooner had Se-kyung left than Poppi and Arin scampered over to Yuri's side.
"What? What? How'd you figure it out?"
"I'm hungry?"
Seeing Yuri win the bet had filled their heads with curiosity.
How on earth had he distinguished those iron bars?
They rushed over eager to hear the secret, but Yuri ignored the barrage of questions.
Instead, he focused on his senses.
He couldn't afford to dawdle, or he'd lose forever that sensation he'd felt from Donoh just moments ago.
He erased the presence of those around him from his mind.
And concentrated on the beloved sword in his hand, Whitey.
'I can feel it.'
The unique mana wavelength of the White Steel Sword began to etch itself clearly into his mind.
Not the distorted wavelength forcibly amplified through mana, but the pure wavelength inherent to the White Steel Sword.
Yuri channeled mana into the White Steel Sword.
Mana not for amplifying the wavelength, but to link himself with the sword.
Sss—
At the same time, he tuned the wavelength of his mana core.
Thump— thump—.
Like a heartbeat pulsing, the mana core's wavelength leaped about, gradually aligning its waveform to match the White Steel Sword's.
In the blink of an eye, the synchronization rate hit 80%.
Crackle—
The White Steel Sword gleamed with a transparent luster, absorbing lightning into its blade.
Meanwhile, watching Yuri, Teresa quietly pulled Arin and Poppi back.
"Tessa senior?"
"Shh, he's in his first embodiment."
Enlightenment was a realm of the mind.
Knowing how crucial the initial process of refining it into the body was, Teresa hushed Arin and Poppi.
By then, the synchronization rate had reached 90%.
Crack!
Teresa's face grew complicated as she gazed at the sword, which glowed red-hot and spewed fierce lightning.
'The realm of Linked Sword...'
She was the one who had taught Yuri, who hadn't even known what a spirit sword was, about the system.
Yet now, Yuri had leaped far beyond her into a new realm.
A realm of Linked Sword that even she had yet to attempt.
And...
'Perhaps... you'll show me something even greater today.'
A few days ago, she had seen Yuri reach the Linked Sword realm while facing the Demon King.
Having gone through Donoh and now embodying that enlightenment.
It was only natural he'd step into a realm beyond Linked Sword.
As if living up to Teresa's expectations, Yuri's sword began to change.
Sizzle—
At the base of the blade, or what you'd call the guard, a small spark flickered up.
That became the trigger.
Synchronization rate 95%.
The flame that started at the blade's base shot out in an instant, swirling around the sword body and enveloping it.
Whoosh—
Golden flames infused with blue lightning.
Crackle—
Seeing the translucent-burning sword, Teresa murmured softly.
"...Flame Sword."
The representative realm symbolizing Certified 3rd Dan.
A junior who had entered the Cradle just four months ago had reached a stage that still felt distant to her.
Poppi and Arin stared at the Flame Sword Yuri had created with wide-eyed wonder.
But.
Whoosh—
The sword's transformation didn't end there.
The synchronization rate, thought to have stopped, began climbing again.
Synchronization rate 96%.
The golden flames ballooned nearly twice their size in an instant.
And the once-calm flames surged with violent waves.
Synchronization rate 97%.
The golden flames raged wildly like an angry beast, spewing blue lightning madly in all directions.
Synchronization rate 98%.
The madly flaring golden flames vanished.
Fizzle—
As if suddenly cut off from oxygen, they shrank in volume and were absorbed into the sword body, extinguishing.
But the flames hadn't disappeared.
They had merely coiled inward for a new evolution.
Then, finally, at synchronization rate 99%.
Pop—
The golden flames that had retreated burst forth, enveloping Yuri's sword.
And moments later.
Crackle—
The pure white White Steel Sword was wrapped in a translucent golden membrane, threaded with fine blue lightning.
Teresa, Arin, and Poppi lost themselves in the breathtaking sight.
Then, as if entranced, Teresa murmured.
"Ma... Sword?"
If her eyes weren't deceiving her, that was undoubtedly a Magic Sword.
The symbol only Certified 4th Dan could manifest.
'My god, a Magic Sword?!'
Even for those with decent talent, reaching Certified 4th Dan came in the mid-to-late thirties.
Those who seemed fast entered Certified 4th Dan in their twenties, and they weren't rare.
But not all of them could manifest a Magic Sword.
Even with mana reaching Certified 4th Dan level, countless failed to achieve a Magic Sword due to low synchronization rates.
Mana could be grown through elixirs, spirit medicines, superior mana body techniques, and such.
But raising synchronization rate was more a matter of talent than effort.
Thus, some who qualified for Certified 4th Dan in their twenties never manifested a Magic Sword even past fifty.
Yuri had completed his at just sixteen.
Yet the most astonishing part was elsewhere.
'A kid who didn't know what a spirit sword was... completes a Magic Sword in less than four months?'
The Cradle had produced countless geniuses.
Surely some had completed a Magic Sword at an even younger age than Yuri.
But they had all received systematic training from childhood, tuning their synchronization rates.
None among them had gone from spirit sword to Magic Sword in a mere four months.
'And he completed both Flame Sword and Magic Sword today... in a single day. Even if his rate was 94%, that means raising at least 5% in one day.'
Raising the synchronization rate by at least 5% in a single day?
Was that even possible?
But the irrefutable proof stood right before her.
'What kind of talent does it take... to pull off this impossible feat?'
At this point, Yuri's talent wasn't just enviable—it was terrifying.
As Teresa stared gravely at Yuri's Magic Sword with a hardened expression.
Pffft—
Yuri's brilliantly shining Magic Sword flickered like a snuffed candle, trailing golden smoke as it vanished.
"Ah...."
Letting out a small gasp, Yuri opened his eyes and gazed wistfully at the dissipating strand of golden smoke in the air.
Unaware of his look, Arin and Poppi scampered back to him.
"What, what! Why's your Magic Sword so pretty? Show us a bit more!"
"I'm hungry!"
No sooner had Arin finished than Poppi nodded vigorously.
Teresa felt much the same.
'Definitely... beautiful.'
She couldn't claim to have seen many Magic Swords, but even so, Yuri's stood apart.
The harmony of gold and blue lightning looked like an artifact from antiquity, perhaps?
Especially for Arin, with her keen aesthetic sense, her heart raced.
"Show us again!"
"I'm hungry!"
Urged by Arin and Poppi, Yuri stayed silent.
Their clamor intensified.
"Show us!"
"I'm hungry!"
Unable to bear the protests, Yuri finally spoke.
"No."
"Aw, why? It's not like it'll wear out if you show it! Come on!"
"No."
"Aaang, why!"
"No."
"Why!"
"...Can't."
"Huh?"
"...No mana."
"......?"
"My mana tank's bone dry."
Yuri's face fell instantly as he answered.
The three around him blinked.
"Huh?"
"I'm hungry?"
"...Just from that? For real?"
Seeing Yuri's even more dejected face and his silence confirming it, Teresa tilted her head.
"Hmm... Didn't it last like 10 seconds?"
"No, not that long. About 5 seconds? Hmm... 5's too much. Like 3?"
Stab— stab—.
Arin's words stabbed into Yuri's chest, and his shoulders slumped.
In truth, the Magic Sword had lasted only about 3-4 seconds.
Just before, it hadn't been Yuri dispelling it like a snuffed candle—his mana had truly run out.
Teresa inwardly clicked her tongue.
'Lacking mana to sustain a Magic Sword...'
Wasn't it usually the opposite?
As Teresa gazed at Yuri in wonder.
Clap—
Poppi placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder.
"I'm hungry...."
Poppi patted Yuri with a face full of pity.
Yuri's brow furrowed slightly.
'...What the hell? I don't understand the words, but why do I feel like I get it?'
And it was an intensely unpleasant feeling.
That flat-faced oaf looking at him with pity was poking at his male pride in the weirdest way.
As something welled up from his gut, Arin helpfully translated Poppi's words.
"Poppi says you're a pitiful premature ejaculator..."
Before Arin could even finish.
"Kyaaak! You muscle pig bastard!"
Enraged, Yuri's feet slammed— jab— into Poppi's solar plexus.
* * *
April 17th.
Suuuuu— suuuuu—.
In the dim cave, long, rhythmic breaths echoed at steady intervals.
The breathing, soothing to any listener's heart, had continued through the night.
How much time passed like that?
As the sun rose, light poured into the cave.
Suuuuu— suuuuu—.
The light entering through the cave mouth first illuminated the knees of a figure seated in meditation.
Then, as the sunlight swiftly climbed, a straight torso and prominent Adam's apple came into view.
Soon, passing a slender jawline, distinct features emerged into the bright world.
A refined appearance that seemed to proclaim, "This is what a golden-haired young noble looks like."
Suuuuu— suuuuu—.
The source of the echoing breaths was none other than Gunter.
Bathed in sunlight, he looked quite gaunt.
Suuuuu— suuuuu—.
Even as the harsh light struck his face, Gunter kept his eyes closed, continuing his breathing.
It was meditation to clear stray thoughts.
And such meditation had persisted since March 13th.
Yet despite the long duration, Gunter's mind remained turbulent.
Countless scenes swirled chaotically in his head.
Yuri, recommended for Dragon Badge, wielding a black monster in the aptitude test to defeat the Black Sword Soldier, and his own shock at it.
Seeing Yuri off and resolving to train harder, viewing him as a rival.
On the black ship to the Cradle, Yuri sprawled like a beggar, and his own subtle disdain.
Yuri boldly shoving classmates out and declaring it, while he opposed him.
Recalling his entanglements with Yuri, Gunter's memories reached the most recent: March 13th.
Classmate Clarice's betrayal and the shock, followed by other classmates' betrayals.
Yuri's bright smile scheming it all, and his own bitter walk after tearing off the armband himself.
As the memory fragments reached that point, Gunter's closed eyelids trembled.
'Was I... wrong?'
From birth until now, he had believed righteousness and integrity were right.
That justice and faith were correct, and anything less was wrong.
The immoral deserved punishment, and the honest would ultimately be rewarded and succeed.
His family had taught him so, and he had lived thinking it natural.
But.
'Is that... truly right?'
The convictions he had held firm began to waver slightly.
He had been honest, so why was he betrayed, and all gains went to the immoral?
'...Why? Why the hell?!'
He still believed his convictions right.
But the events and outcomes of the past months contradicted them, breeding confusion.
And the source of that confusion.
At its center stood Yuri Holland.
Swipe—
Gunter opened his eyes.
'Yuri Holland... If I surpass him, will this turmoil end?'
If he proved himself superior to Yuri.
Wouldn't that confirm his convictions weren't wrong?
With that thought, fierce determination filled Gunter's green eyes.
And just then, the morning sunlight illuminated deep into the cave.
Glint—
Light reflected off a silver steel doll, scattering brilliantly.