Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Ranking (6)
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All eyes in the room turned to Arin at her words.
"To Yuri?"
At someone's retort, Arin replied with a nonchalant expression.
"We just need to roughly decide our own rankings among us, then ask Yuri to assign the Gunter spot later, right?"
Objections immediately arose.
"Hmm... To do that, we'd need more people to compare besides Gunter?"
"Poppi and I have sparred with Yuri often, so we can just ask her to rank us based on that."
With that, Arin turned her gaze to Yuri.
Her eyes seemed to ask what he thought of her idea.
Meeting her look, Yuri picked at his ear.
"Me? Why? That's annoying."
"Even if it's annoying, do it."
"Ah, let's just do it roughly. The most important number one spot is already set, and everything below that is meaningless anyway, so why bother so much?"
"It means something to us."
"Hmm...?"
Yuri slapped his left palm with his fist at Arin's firm response.
"Aha, so this is that kind of situation right now?"
"...What situation?"
"You're saying to exclude transcendent beings like me and have us lowly humans fight over the top spot in the human realm out of pride?"
"...."
It was somewhat accurate, but hearing him say it himself was extremely irritating.
However, no one openly contradicted Yuri's words...
"That's irritating."
"I'm hungry."
...Or rather, there were.
Arin and Poppi, arms crossed, glared at Yuri with sullen faces.
Under their stares, Yuri put on a troubled expression.
"The envy and jealousy of those below the top rank... Sigh, being the unrivaled number one is truly a tiring position."
Seeing his lonely expression, Arin pouted her lips and asked.
"So, in your opinion, how strong is Gunter? Compared to me and Poppi?"
"Hmm..."
Yuri's brows furrowed at Arin's unusually serious demeanor from moments ago.
'Why is she being so serious all of a sudden?'
If asked who was the most laid-back person around him, Yuri would unhesitatingly pick Arin.
Quest performance, monthly evaluations, everything.
He had never seen her actively step up for anything until now.
She went with the flow.
Good was good, bad was bad.
From what Yuri had observed, Arin lived with that mindset.
Yet today, she was uncharacteristically proactive.
'Was there something that stimulated her?'
If there was one thing, it was Gunter's enlightenment.
'...Is she annoyed too? That she spars with me all the time, but Gunter got a breakthrough?'
Since Yuri had felt similar himself, he figured Arin could too.
This was half right and half wrong.
What stimulated Arin was indeed Gunter's enlightenment.
But the emotion it sparked in her wasn't annoyance—it was jealousy.
The feeling when a friend you thought you were closer to strangely clicks better with someone they've known less than a day.
That subtle jealousy, too embarrassing to voice directly to the friend.
That was exactly what Arin felt now.
But Yuri, who had never been that close to anyone in his life, couldn't possibly notice such a shift in her emotions.
Instead, sensing something due to his perceptiveness, he matched her seriousness with his own.
"Hmm... Compared to you and Poppi."
After much deliberation, he reached a conclusion.
"Arin, if you fought Gunter, he'd win."
Arin's brow twitched.
Her face clearly brimmed with dissatisfaction.
But her expression softened slightly at Yuri's follow-up explanation.
"And if Gunter fought Poppi, Poppi would win. If you fought Poppi... you'd win."
Seeing Arin's furrowed brow relax, Yuri smirked and continued.
"Your matchups are completely a rock-paper-scissors situation."
Gunter lacked the power and speed to breach Poppi's defense.
But he had the full-body armor and agility to block Arin's arrows.
And Arin had her "bizarre archery" that could strike beyond Poppi's shield.
Thus, Arin, Poppi, and Gunter formed a cycle of counters.
"Figure out your own rankings with that dynamic. If you want, just tie for second place."
With that, he waved his hand dismissively again.
Meaning, don't bother him.
"Well, if you say so, then it must be."
"I'm hungry."
Neither Arin nor Poppi objected to Yuri's words.
They trusted his opinion, knowing his strength better than anyone.
With Arin and Poppi taking that stance, the surroundings began to lean toward agreeing with Yuri to some extent.
Just as Gunter's ranking issue seemed settled...
"So, where do I fit in?"
A voice came from the arena entrance.
All eyes turned backward.
The voice's owner came into view.
Clank-.
There stood Clarice, striding in clad in full-body armor, changed at some point.
Clank- clank-.
Pushing through the crowd around Yuri, she stood before him.
"Compared to those three you mentioned... where do you think my strength ranks, Yuri Holland?"
Yuri replied with a bored face.
"Who knows? I haven't really seen much of your skills."
"...."
Clarice clenched her fist slightly.
'That fight back then... didn't even leave an impression?'
During the armband theft quest before, Clarice had tracked Yuri and clashed with him once.
It had been her utter defeat.
Unarmed properly, she couldn't show her full potential and had been helplessly overpowered—a memory she recalled.
Afterward, with equipment production rights, she got her full-body armor fitted, and with recent minor progress, her confidence had swelled.
But that confidence crumbled like a sandcastle when she saw Gunter fly from Yuri's single blow.
'I can never beat Yuri Holland with my skills....'
Despairing at the reality before her eyes, Clarice steadied herself upon seeing Gunter rise and achieve enlightenment.
She shifted her thinking.
'Yeah, that Yuri Holland is an untouchable powerhouse... maybe that's even better.'
Chasing after such an absolute strongman as a goal might make her grow faster too.
Just like Gunter did today by persistently challenging without giving up.
With that thought, Clarice left right after Yuri and Gunter's duel ended.
And now, fully armed, she appeared to challenge Yuri.
Clarice took a stance toward Yuri and shouted.
"I challenge you to a ranking battle, Yuri Holland! This time, I'll show you my true strength. One you'll definitely remember!"
Those watching the sudden challenge from Clarice were startled.
That surprise soon turned to admiration.
"To challenge after seeing how Gunter got wrecked."
"Clarice, you...."
The 50th Cohort murmured softly, then quickly cleared space from Yuri and Clarice.
Meanwhile, Yuri let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh, you're really annoying."
Annoying.
So annoying he wanted to quit everything, but he had no choice.
Higher ranks couldn't refuse challenges from lower ones.
'Did I claim the number one spot too early?'
Maybe he should have waited and gauged the situation before stepping up—regret flickered.
And he hadn't expected anyone to challenge right after seeing Gunter get carried off like that, so he was a bit surprised.
Yuri stared blankly at the challenger before him.
'Clarice Ban... the one using that armor combat technique or whatever?'
A knight who doesn't wield a sword.
Her opponent used a unique martial art treating full-body armor as a weapon.
Seeing her, Yuri's rising irritation subsided, another thought crossing his mind.
'This won't be the last one challenging me, right?'
Someone challenged knowing what happened to Gunter.
No reason others wouldn't.
'Is blindly beating down every challenger the best approach?'
Yuri shook his head inwardly.
'No. If I have to accept challenges anyway and spend my time on them... I need to gain something too.'
And what Yuri could gain from those weaker than him was one thing only.
Experience.
The surviving 50th Cohort of Yuram.
Though now weaker than him, they were once scions of families he wouldn't even glance at.
Not just any common houses, but renowned noble lineages.
What they wielded was the essence of martial arts honed over generations by those great houses.
That was what Yuri aimed for.
Experiencing high-level martial arts developed uniquely for each house.
It might be a precious opportunity unique to Yuram.
And Yuri had one more target.
'Who knows? Maybe something worth taking like Tetsha's weak point strike?'
In other words, if a promising martial art caught his eye, he'd steal its principles.
A special theft only Yuri could pull off.
For that, the process and outcome of these spars from now on mattered.
'If I smash this one too, challenges might really dry up....'
So, he had to go easy.
Make others watching think, 'Ah, at that level, I could give it a shot too!'
Yuri grinned and nodded his sword toward Clarice.
"Come on, come at me quick. I'll give you my full attention!"
"....?"
Yuri, who had been full of annoyance moments ago, now smiled like he was enjoying it, making Clarice flinch briefly.
But only for a moment.
Hoo-.
Exhaling deeply, she charged at Yuri with fierce eyes.
"Here I go!"
"Come on!"
* * *
Yuri and Clarice's duel differed entirely from Gunter's prior one.
Clarice threw punches with all her might desperately.
Yuri moved lightly and leisurely, poking at her openings casually.
If Gunter's had been one-sided brutality, this looked like a sparring lesson.
As the other 50th Cohort floated question marks over their heads at the vast gap, only two floated exclamation points.
'He's up to no good again!'
'I'm hungry!'
Unlike Arin and Poppi grasping the truth, the rest of the 50th Cohort watched the arena with shining eyes.
'He can do that, so why did he beat Gunter so badly? What happened between them?'
'The skill gap between those two is huge.'
'Sparring with someone that much stronger... it'll definitely help me.'
'Hmm, a duel like that... I could totally challenge him. No, I want to!'
Thus, moths began gathering around the bonfire Yuri had lit.
Meanwhile, the arena duel neared its end.
Boom-!
Clarice flew back hard, skidding across the ground.
Cough-.
"I lost...."
Spitting a bit of blood, Clarice admitted defeat on one knee.
She looked up at Yuri standing loftily.
'He's... really strong.'
Yuri's swordsmanship poked her openings, tapped, and withdrew—like pointing out her flaws.
Facing him felt like receiving guidance from her family's elders.
'That means the skill gap between Yuri and me is that huge.'
With such a difference, defeat didn't feel unfair.
Instead, having poured everything out left her refreshed.
Seeing Clarice's faint smile, Yuri beamed brightly.
"Wow, your martial art is pretty impressive?"
His eyes gleamed like a predator spotting prey.
'I can probably snag something good from her.'
Yuri pondered what to pilfer to spread the word he'd taken well.
Unaware of his thoughts, Clarice took his words at face value, her face filling with pride.
"The Ban House's Armor Combat Art ranks in the upper tiers of the continent's top 100 martial arts."
"Oh? Really?"
He didn't know what the top 100 were, but sounded good anyway?
Yuri's eyes sparkled.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's spar often then!"
"I'd be honored."
She hadn't achieved enlightenment like Gunter, but Clarice gained plenty from this duel.
No way she'd refuse Yuri's offer.
She wanted to request it herself.
As Clarice moved to end the duel, she tossed out another question.
"So... where do I rank?"
Yuri answered casually.
"Well, your skills aren't lacking, but you're quite a bit below the tied-for-second group. With three tied for second, you're around fifth."
"...I see."
Clarice's face stiffened slightly at Yuri's assessment.
But she didn't protest.
She too decided to trust his judgment.
Just as the duel with Clarice truly wrapped up...
"If you two are done talking, can I handle my business now?"
Nelly Blanc, leaping down from the spectator seats into the arena.
She politely addressed Yuri.
"I challenge you to a ranking battle, Yuri Holland."
Seeing the moth dive into his bonfire, Yuri smiled brightly.
"By all means!"
And from that moment...
The 50th Cohort's ranking quest began veering in a strange direction.