Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Amnesia (1)
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Clarice Ban and even Nelly Blanc.
The challenges aimed at Yuri that followed Gunter sparked a fresh wave of excitement.
“I’ll challenge you too!”
“Next up is me!”
Once Clarice and then Nelly both finished their spars without issue, new challengers began popping up left and right.
Those eager to experience Yuri’s strength firsthand started lining up.
Of course, this was exactly what Yuri had hoped for.
‘Getting to face all sorts of different martial arts styles, plus some training to boot… This is pretty great, actually?’
Yuri had often sparred with Arin, Poppi, and Teresa even before this.
And once they started, she wouldn’t stop until Arin and Poppi were squealing and running away.
For Yuri, sparring with people weaker than those three posed no real problem.
Physically or mentally, she showed no signs of tiring as she kept going.
No, she was actually grinning to herself, thoroughly enjoying the chance to encounter new martial arts techniques.
That’s how Yuri kept facing the lineup of challengers, one by one, two by two.
‘Huh?’
After handling about twenty of them, she noticed something off.
“So, where do you think I rank?”
And then after another twenty-five or so.
“Eh, I’ve gotta be stronger than that guy, right? Don’t you think?”
“…….”
Yuri realized it.
Every challenger kept asking her where they ranked.
They were even using her assessments to update the rankings on the leaderboard.
Yuri blinked.
‘…What the hell is this?’
At first, she’d answered without much thought.
She’d been too busy analyzing their martial arts to pay attention.
But now that she’d caught on late to what was happening, their antics were downright ridiculous.
‘These bastards… Their reason for challenging me has completely changed, hasn’t it?’
The early challengers had definitely come to test themselves against her.
It had felt somewhat like a proper spar.
But at some point, the vibe shifted.
From then on, it wasn’t about competing—it was more like they were showing off their skills to prove their level.
Like they were putting on a ‘demonstration’ of their abilities.
Once Yuri grasped what that meant, she looked at her fellow cadets with utter disbelief.
‘How the hell did things end up like this?’
That’s right.
The 50th Cohort’s ranking quest was veering into the most bizarre territory in Yuram’s history.
An overwhelmingly dominant No. 1 ranker.
Lower ranks who’d given up challenging the top spot.
And now that No. 1 was precisely analyzing their power levels and handing out rankings like clockwork?
Naturally, the atmosphere had turned into one where everyone was showing off their skills to Yuri for validation.
After dealing with dozens like this, Yuri finally snapped.
“Hey, you assholes! You think I’m some kind of power scanner? Fuck off, cut it out already!”
She’d just wanted to steal some martial arts techniques, but she’d ended up as the cohort’s impromptu combat analyzer.
Thanks to her, the draft rankings on the 50th Cohort’s leaderboard were gradually filling up as the challenges continued.
* * *
Gunter came to in the infirmary and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Throb, throb.
Indescribable agony wracked his body in places he’d never felt before.
But the shocking part was that this was already a vast improvement.
When he first woke up, Gunter genuinely thought he’d fallen into hell.
The sheer pain of breathing alone had him passing out again right after coming to, over and over.
It took another two days after that before he could move even a little.
And only now, a full week after being carried into the infirmary, could he manage basic activities.
Mooo~.
His body had recovered somewhat, but for some reason, Gunter’s mind remained foggy.
It was as if his spirit, not his body, had broken—he just kept staring vacantly at the ceiling.
“…….”
Against the pristine white ceiling he gazed at, hazy memories from just before he blacked out flickered into view.
His defeat and the don-oh.
Followed by Yuri’s brutal words.
Truly nightmarish recollections.
Gunter slowly chewed over those memories.
‘It was a utterly pathetic defeat.’
He’d been so powerless.
The clash with Yuri.
It wasn’t a spar—it was outright one-sided brutality.
And the words from the one who’d inflicted that humiliating loss echoed in his ears.
[Don’t kid yourself, you moron! Like it or not, you lost. Whether you admit it or not doesn’t change shit—it’s just your cope because you can’t handle the L, got it?]
At first, those words sparked defiance in him.
But Gunter soon shook his head slightly.
‘He’s… right.’
Reflecting on his own heart, Yuri Holland’s assessment hit the nail on the head.
What was he doing, dressing up his failure all fancy?
Did sugarcoating the loss change anything?
A loss was a loss.
Gunter let out a small, bitter chuckle.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
He’d thought surviving the don-oh had led to major mental growth.
That he’d shed his stubborn blinders and gained a broader perspective.
But no.
He was still an idiot, trapped in immature stubbornness.
The don-oh had merely cracked the rigid shell of his obstinacy a little.
‘If I can’t shake this deep-rooted stubbornness… I’ll never grow.’
To pursue his ideals and convictions, he had to rid himself of it.
But……
‘How?’
Just how was he supposed to uproot this stubbornness?
As he pondered, a name slipped from Gunter’s lips.
“…Yuri Holland.”
Unconsciously, he’d found his answer.
‘Yeah, if it’s him…….’
Yuri Holland, who’d given him enlightenment.
The one who’d bluntly called out his flaws……
If he stuck by his side, observed him, learned from him—couldn’t he shed this stubbornness?
That thought took root in Gunter’s mind.
Rustle-.
As if entranced, Gunter rose from his bed.
“…Let’s go to him.”
He opened the door and headed out.
Toward where Yuri Holland would be.
* * *
Gunter walked steadily onward.
His destination: Yuri Holland’s residence.
He didn’t need to search for it.
No one in the 50th Cohort didn’t know the place.
Or rather, everyone knew it as the spot where only Yuri Holland would pull that kind of stunt.
A wooden structure that had appeared out of nowhere one day, exuding an eerie vibe.
Its oppressively gloomy, unsettling aura had kept everyone away.
That was the presumed location of Yuri Holland’s home base.
As Gunter approached, he paused in thought.
‘Will Yuri Holland… accept me?’
Going to Yuri and shadowing him.
It was a bit of an impulsive plan.
Showing up out of the blue, he was just an outsider to Yuri.
Whether Yuri accepted him or not was entirely up to Yuri.
Gunter couldn’t help but worry.
What if Yuri turned him away?
Lost in such thoughts, Gunter wandered through the woods.
‘…Almost there.’
A chill prickled the back of his neck.
He was nearing his goal.
Soon enough, he arrived at what he assumed was ‘Yuri and his crew’s base.’
Gunter tilted his head at the scene before him.
‘Is this… how it always looked?’
There was supposed to be that creepy wooden building here.
But all that remained were a few wooden pillars, barely a skeleton frame.
Venturing a bit further in, Gunter picked up some scattered wood debris.
‘This…….’
Traces of it being shattered by immense force.
Like it had been blasted by a cannon, Gunter blinked.
‘A cannon? What the hell happened here?’
Betrayed by comrades he’d trusted, Gunter had gone into hiding for a while and had no idea Yuri’s fortress had been obliterated by Se-kyung’s wrath.
“Hmm…….”
He scanned the surroundings.
No signs of life, just an eerie emptiness.
A barren clearing filled with pathetic wreckage strewn about.
And smack in the center: a massive smelter.
“Huh? A smelter?”
Gunter’s pupils shook for a moment.
He blinked repeatedly, doubting his eyes.
But no matter how many times he looked, it was definitely a smelter.
‘A smelter? Right in the middle of the woods?’
Sure, there was a simple roof over it, but no forge or other buildings.
Just a lone smelter plunked down in the wide-open clearing.
In such a setup, it was impossible not to feel intense curiosity about what the hell it was for.
Just as Gunter, drawn like a moth to flame, started toward it—
Whoosh--!
A black shadow lunged from above.
Startled, Gunter reflexively leaped aside.
Right after, a heavy thud echoed as something enormous crashed where he’d stood.
Boom-!
Seeing what had attacked him, Gunter’s eyes widened.
‘…A tree?’
It was a massive log that had come for him.
As his mind raced with *Why?*, a voice rang out from the direction it had flown from.
“Hey, you idiot! I told you not to throw it!”
“I’m hungry!”
“They said it’s a hassle to carry.”
“Argh, how many times do I have to tell you it’ll damage the wood? Listen for once, you muscle-headed pig who’s useless for anything but brute strength!”
“I’m hungry!”
“Call me muscle-head one more time and it’s war, you premature ejaculator! …Or so he says?”
“Kyaaak! Fine, bring it! I’ll rip every hair off your head in the future!”
“You guys… this is embarrassing, so walk a bit apart.”
“Let’s go together, sunbae!”
Gunter whipped his head toward the boisterous chatter.
Four people soon appeared.
Teresa, sighing heavily and trotting to shake off the group, with Arin scurrying right beside her.
Poppi swinging his arms wildly as he ran, and Yuri clinging to his back like a cicada, shiny bald head and all.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Teresa and Arin, arriving first, spotted Gunter and froze.
Poppi and Yuri—who’d been gnawing on that gleaming dome—soon noticed him too and looked up.
“…….”
“…….”
A 4-vs-1 standoff.
Silence hung briefly between the mutually stunned groups.
Yuri broke it.
Thud-.
He hopped off Poppi’s back and took a few steps forward.
“What’s this? It’s the goody-two-shoes.”
“…Goody-two-shoes?”
Gunter questioned the label thrown his way.
A sullen voice shot back.
“A annoying stickler for the rules.”
“…….”
Calling someone annoying right to their face……
Gunter was momentarily speechless.
Ignoring him, Yuri glared.
“What’re you doing here? Here for a rematch? I’ll take you on—I love that shit.”
Yuri flashed a menacing grin and cracked his knuckles.
Crack, crack-.
The bone-chilling sounds made Gunter shake his head.
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“Huh?”
“I’m not here for revenge or anything like that.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Well…….”
Gunter’s words caught in his throat.
How was he supposed to express his inner desire to shadow him? Face-to-face with Yuri, the words wouldn’t come.
Yuri frowned and waved him off as Gunter stood there dumbly.
“No words? Then get lost—I’m busy.”
“…….”
Just as Yuri turned away curtly—
Desperate, Gunter blurted it out.
“I-I want to observe you!”
“Huh?”
“I want to… watch you up close and see what kind of person you are!”
“…….”
Gunter’s shout echoed loudly across the clearing.
Teresa, Arin, and Poppi gaped.
Yuri paled and whipped out his sword.
Shing-.
“You… you bastard……! Didn’t peg you for *that*!”
Grrrrr-.
“You’re a pervert too?!”
Kyaaak!
Murderous intent poured out, promising death if he took one step closer. Gunter blinked.
‘Huh……?’
Realizing how his words sounded, he paled and flailed his hands.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant!”
“Kyaaak! Stay back, you perv!”
“P-Please, just hear me out…….”
“Hyaak!”
Seeing Yuri swing his sword wildly, Gunter broke into a cold sweat.
It took several desperate explanations—and a few near-misses with Yuri’s blade—for him to get through.
Finally calming down and grasping it, Yuri blinked.
“So… you’re here to learn about life?”
With a slightly dumbfounded look, Yuri pointed at his own face.
“From me? Life lessons? For real? Not someone else, but me?”
Gunter nodded faintly at Yuri’s skeptical question.
“Life lessons… Yeah, that’s a fair way to put it. Actually, it might be the most accurate phrase.”
Silence blanketed the clearing the moment Gunter finished.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
An awkward hush stretched on for a while.
Then, four voices erupted at once.
“A most wise and excellent choice!”
“…Is that guy feeling okay?”
“That dude’s lost his marbles for sure.”
“Hungry?”