Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Union Quest (3)
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Those in the Blue Army gazed leisurely at the White Army's camp.
The Blue Army cadets wore faint smiles.
They had faces full of confidence in their victory.
And it was no wonder.
The White Army had thirty members.
Among them, only four were second- or third-years.
Even among those, there was just one third-year: Goetz Loetern.
In other words, most of the top-ranked second- and third-years had all gone to the Blue Army.
The only silver lining, if one could call it that, was that the White Army's thirty included a good number of top ranks from the 50th Cohort.
Regardless, no one could deny that the White Army's lineup was overwhelmingly unfavorable.
But as if there would be no more callings or interventions, Coco handed the roster back to the glasses guy.
Her face showed satisfaction that things had wrapped up quicker than expected, and she looked at those who hadn't been called.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you heading to your spots?"
At Coco's chin gesture, dripping with annoyance, the remaining first-, second-, and third-years shuffled lazily into the White Army camp.
Their faces looked like those of defeated soldiers.
And with that, the team division was complete.
Clap—.
As Coco clapped with mana infused in her hands, all eyes from both the White Army and Blue Army turned to her.
"Alright, now that the teams are set, I'll explain the real rules. The exact name of this quest is Bingo Conquest. You all played bingo as kids, right? The rules will be pretty much what you remember. The win condition is to be the first to complete a single line of five squares. Simple, huh?"
Question marks popped up over many heads at that explanation.
It was woefully inadequate.
‘A conquest... but bingo?’
‘What the hell does that mean?’
Just as confusion spread.
Snap—.
Coco snapped her fingers, and one black-armored soldier pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it.
Drawn there was a 5x5 grid.
Twenty-five small squares forming one large square.
Coco tapped it with her fingertip.
"Once I'm done explaining, you'll move to the special zone. What you have to do there is fight tooth and nail to claim these twenty-five occupation points that look like this."
With those words, small leather pouches were tossed to both camps.
"Inside are twenty-five 30-minute hourglasses, essential for occupation. No need to explain what that means, right? If you don't get it, ask the smart ones in your camps. Oh, and if they break, no replacements. So take good care of them."
Coco winked with one eye.
Yuri let out a slight chuckle at that.
His brain kicked into high gear.
‘The purpose of the 30-minute hourglasses... Obviously, you have to hold an occupation point for 30 minutes straight for it to count.’
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glared at the leather pouch that had been handed over.
‘I figured it wouldn't be a standard conquest... but this is more of a headache than I thought.’
This quest cleverly mixed childhood bingo with conquest battles.
‘You have to divide 150 people appropriately to claim twenty-five small occupation points...’
And you couldn't just claim them anywhere.
You had to occupy them in a straight line of five squares.
That meant battles at each point were crucial, but so was the overarching strategy across the board.
‘Fitting for a union quest—the difficulty is no joke.’
With all three cohorts together, the challenge had spiked.
And that meant...
‘The rewards will be huge!’
Yuri looked at Coco with anticipation.
And apparently, he wasn't the only one.
No—more precisely, in the White Army camp, Yuri was the only one eyeing the rewards.
But on the opposite side, the Blue Army camp.
Already convinced of their victory, they stared at Coco with eyes much like Yuri's.
Coco smirked faintly at the sparkling eyes directed her way.
A smile that said she knew exactly what they wanted.
She shrugged.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that, huh? The reward for this quest is..."
Tension peaked in the room.
‘A union quest with all three cohorts... the reward can't be shabby.’
‘What'll it be?’
As anticipation surged and focus sharpened.
Coco grinned broadly.
"It's a secret."
"......?"
Question marks popped up over the cadets' heads the moment she finished speaking.
Not just the inexperienced 50th Cohort, but the 49th and 48th as well.
It was the first time any of them had seen quest rewards kept secret, leaving them all baffled.
But before anyone could object.
"I'm done here! Good luck on the quest, everyone!"
Whoosh—.
Coco exhaled a puff of smoke, waved her hand, and turned away.
"......"
As 300 pairs of eyes stared blankly at her retreating figure.
"We'll move out. White Army and Blue Army, follow your leaders and proceed swiftly!"
At the square-jawed black-armored soldier's shout, the leaders guided the White and Blue Armies.
Thus, with the North Gate Clock Tower at the center, the White and Blue Armies split off back-to-back.
The White Army, following their leader, ran for a while until a black ship appeared before them.
The black ship carrying the White Army then hoisted its pristine white flag and cleaved through the waves.
* * *
Inside the black ship carrying the White Army.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
The 150 White Army cadets scattered throughout the ship.
Most wore faces as if they'd already lost, even though the quest hadn't started.
Perhaps because of the mood, the pure white flag flapping atop the mast looked like a flag of surrender.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
"Ah, get lost!"
A sudden loud shout erupted inside the black ship.
The voice rang out especially loud in the quiet, drawing all eyes.
Soon, their expressions shifted to 'Of course, knew it wouldn't stay quiet.'
What was surprising was that those changed expressions were aimed at two different targets.
First, where the 48th Cohort's gazes landed.
"Haha, where would I go, Owl Boy? Even if I tried, I'd still be on this black ship."
The 48th Cohort, seeing Goetz at the center of the commotion as always, looked on with jaded eyes, as if it were routine.
And the other gazes from the 50th Cohort.
Their eyes were on Yuri, who was scowling in clear displeasure.
"Damn it, seriously..."
Seeing Yuri's irritated glare, the 50th Cohort wore faces of 'What now?’
Thus, with the two representative troublemakers from the 48th and 50th Cohorts facing off, the once-quiet ship turned rowdy in an instant.
"In this huge black ship, with all this space, why stick right here?"
"Because this is where I belong, obviously, Owl Boy."
Goetz spoke softly as he leaned slightly toward Yuri's back.
"Still as beautiful as ever today, Miss Theresia."
One hand behind his back.
The other on his chest.
Theresia gripped her spear tightly with wary eyes at Goetz's noble, elegant bow.
Then she subtly slipped behind Yuri.
Undeterred by her reaction, Goetz turned his head to the side.
"Ahh..."
Goetz looked moved by something.
He flashed his pearly whites in a gentle smile.
"It's been a while, Blue Rose... Your unwavering brilliance nearly blinds me. Might you grant me the honor of whispering your name to my ear today?"
Arin shuddered under Goetz's affectionate gaze and, like Theresia, hid behind Yuri.
As a result, Goetz's pursuing gaze landed on the Yuri sandwiched in between.
Shing—.
Yuri half-drew his sword.
"...If you don't get those sleazy eyes off her right now, your eyes'll go blind from my blade, not the Blue Rose's brilliance."
Did the menacing threat work? Goetz's gaze shifted slightly aside.
Yuri snapped irritably at those hiding behind him.
"Hey! Why do you keep hiding behind me!"
Theresia answered first.
"Crazy people..."
Arin picked up right after.
"...gotta be blocked by crazy guys!"
Suddenly turned into a crazy guy shield, Yuri sighed as he looked at Goetz and waved him off.
"Haa... Whatever, go gather some people."
"People? What people?"
"Trying to hold a strategy meeting for this quest, so round up some from the 48th Cohort."
"...Me?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"You were called second after that Kwon Ter Rider guy, right? Means you're second in the 48th Cohort rankings."
"True, but?"
"Then you must have some sway in the 48th. I'll handle the 50th and 49th with Tetsha, so bring a few from the 48th."
Goetz's face twisted strangely the moment Yuri finished.
"...Sway? Me?"
His expression was like he'd heard it for the first time in his life.
And it wasn't just him.
The 48th Cohort watching the exchange looked equally dubious.
Goetz burst into amused laughter.
"Haha! Owl Boy, you must not know me well yet. I'm not the type to wield that kind of influence over others..."
"No?"
"Indeed not?"
"What? I thought you were at least a main or side character in the 48th, but turns out you're just some random passerby No. 1?"
"...At least I'm No. 1 out of a hundred passersby!"
Some had said it.
That the 48th Cohort was the most unified cohort in history.
But Goetz disagreed.
He nodded at his own phrasing.
‘Passerby out of a hundred... No better way to describe the 48th's situation.’
The 48th Cohort cadets.
They were nothing more than the dime-a-dozen extras constantly moving on stage solely for the lead, Kwon Ter Rider.
"Fine, whatever. Go grab some other influential passersby. Strategy meeting."
"Hmm..."
Prodded repeatedly, Goetz scratched his cheek.
For the first time, he met Yuri's steadfast gaze with a serious expression.
"Owl Boy, you..."
"What."
"You really think... we can win this quest?"
Yuri replied with exasperation.
"What? Can't we?"
"Do you even grasp the current situation?"
"What's it like?"
Goetz let out a faint sigh.
Then, as if reminding everyone of what they all knew, he spoke loudly.
"It's overwhelmingly against us. All the top second- and third-year ranks are in the Blue Army, so individual prowess is a non-issue. And above all, they've got him..."
The word ‘him’ brought a stifling silence over the 48th Cohort.
In the meantime, Goetz, suddenly emotionless, continued.
"The one among the Sword Lord's many children said to have inherited his talent most faithfully... Kwon Ter Rider."
Goetz eyed him like ‘Get it now?’, and Yuri responded flatly.
"So what?"
"......"
"Our camp's at a disadvantage, and they've got that Kwon Ter guy, so we shouldn't even try and just give up? Is that it?"
Yuri's gaze grew icy.
Naturally, a chill laced his voice.
"Sure, you lose sometimes in life. No one wins every time. But deciding we've lost without even trying?"
Yuri's pointed remark.
The 48th Cohort cadets' faces stiffened sharply.
Knowing that, Yuri's words grew even harsher.
"Fuck, what kind of pussy mindset is that?"
He was fine with defeat.
But Yuri had etched unyielding resolve into his heart, refusing to let it break his spirit.
He found Goetz's words and the 48th Cohort's agreement repulsive.
That disgust filled his voice.
One of the 48th Cohort spoke with faint killing intent.
"Watch your mouth, punk. You haven't even faced what kind of monster Kwon Ter Rider is."
That someone's intent carried irritation and grievance.
Of course, Yuri wasn't one to empathize.
"Yeah, haven't faced him, so I don't know. That's why I'm gonna this time. See what the hell Kwon Ter's got that turned the whole 48th into a bunch of tail-tucked bitches."
"This bastard dares to mouth off to his seniors...!"
As another bristled.
Yuri's overwhelming presence crushed the room.
"And I!"
His voice, packed with intense power, drew eyes unnaturally.
Amid the gazes on him, Yuri smirked and continued.
"Don't particularly think we're gonna lose. What about you, oh strategist of ours?"
Yuri's gaze turned to one side of the black ship.
Others' heads followed.
And at once, they saw her.
A girl with snow-white hair, blinking her red eyes repeatedly.