Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Demon King's Castle (1)
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Pop-.
The red fireworks that had lit up the sky slowly dispersed.
At first, the people on the White Force's side had been rejoicing in their victory, but one by one, their faces turned awkward.
The atmosphere in the arena wasn't exactly conducive to carefree celebration.
Ruuuumble-.
Yuri and Kwantor.
The quest was over, but the tension between them lingered.
Kwantor's glare at Yuri was downright terrifying.
The air was so thick with the threat of violence that no one else dared to leave.
That was when it happened.
Shing-.
Yuri, who had been locked in a standoff, sheathed his sword first.
Kwantor's eyebrow twitched at the clear signal that he had no intention of fighting.
"Draw your sword."
The command was curt and rigid.
As if Yuri would listen.
"Why should I?"
"Our fight isn't over yet."
"What bullshit is that?"
Yuri picked at his ear.
"There's no reason for me to fight you anymore, right? Didn't you see the signal that it's over?"
"......"
"The quest's done and dusted. Why waste energy on pointless crap? I'd just end up hungry for nothing."
Kwantor remained silent with a stony face, while Yuri flashed a grin and shoved his hands into his pockets.
Just looking at their faces made it obvious who the winner and loser were.
With a smile on his lips, Yuri turned his back to the clustered White Force riders.
Just as he took a step.
"December."
Kwantor's low voice halted Yuri's feet.
Yuri glanced back slightly.
There stood Kwantor, glaring daggers.
"You know the Martial Dragon Grand Tournament happens in December."
"So?"
"I'll be waiting there. Don't run away then."
"Run away......"
Yuri trailed off with a scoff.
"Run away, my ass. And your tone's pissing me off... Sounds like you're treating me like the challenger here."
The smile faded from Yuri's face, replaced by a chilling killing intent directed at Kwantor.
"Listen up. Today was clearly my victory......"
"......"
"And you're the one itching for revenge, so you're the challenger by any measure. Got it?"
Yuri tapped his temple with his index finger.
Crack-.
Kwantor's fist clenched hard enough to make his knuckles pop at the sight.
Yuri wiped away the killing intent and smirked again.
"If you want a rematch, admit you lost to me today first. None of that 'I didn't lose, squeak! That last one doesn't count, squeak!' bullshit. Seriously, grow up."
Julia stuck out her tongue in admiration at Yuri's sharp tongue-lashing, while Goetz covered his mouth, choking back laughter that threatened to explode.
Everyone else, excluding those two, had gone pale, their eyes screaming, 'How's he gonna deal with the fallout?'
Having flung his provocation disguised as criticism, Yuri turned away without a second thought.
Naturally, the White Force followed right behind him.
Once all the White Force members had left.
Grit-.
A grinding sound emanated from Kwantor, left alone.
* * *
The riders returned to Yoram's mainland aboard the black ship once more.
They split back into Blue Force and White Force at the same spot where they had divided earlier.
The starting location for the quest was the same, and so was the even split between Blue and White.
But the mood in the two camps was worlds apart from before the quest began.
First, the White Force.
"No way... We actually won this!"
"Yeah, I never imagined the quest would turn out like this!"
"That guy's... he really pulled it off!"
The faces that had been clouded over before the quest now beamed with joy.
The White Force riders wore genuine, happy smiles.
In contrast, the Blue Force's atmosphere was like a funeral parlor.
On the other hand, they murmured in disbelief.
"Really... Kwantor Rider lost?"
"Yeah, for real! They say he even used a holy sword?"
"Huh? Really? I heard it wasn't a holy sword. Honestly, a holy sword at his age? Come on."
"True, but people who saw it say otherwise."
"Everyone saying that is from the White Force, right? The guy who told me said it definitely wasn't."
"Oh, yeah?"
The Blue Force riders huddled in small groups, stealing glances at the silent Kwantor as they shared news of his defeat.
Next came the hottest topic: whether Yuri had really used a holy sword or not.
Rumors spread from mouth to mouth, and with everyone saying something different, the truth twisted into ghost stories in no time.
Amid the somewhat chaotic atmosphere.
Thud- thud-.
Koko appeared, leading a large contingent of Black Sword Corps soldiers.
Chatter ceased instantly as the riders snapped into formation, straightening the mood.
Of course, they couldn't hide the emotions etched on their faces.
"Hmm......"
Koko, stepping one pace ahead of the other Black Sword Corps members, smiled faintly at the contrasting expressions of the Blue and White Forces.
'This is fun.'
Even among the Black Sword Corps, this quest had been quite the controversy.
Blue Force and White Force—two camps divided by clear superiority from the start.
Everyone in the Black Sword Corps had predicted a Blue Force victory, but the White Force had overturned expectations and claimed the win.
And the event that shocked the Black Sword Corps most of all.
Kwantor's defeat.
'The young master's been beaten......'
Koko's gaze lingered on Kwantor for a moment.
His torn clothes, bloodstains clinging to his skin.
His rigidly set face screamed defeated.
Koko's eyes shifted to the White Force's front line, landing on Yuri, who stood with legs spread wide.
Curiosity beyond words filled Koko's gaze.
'You... what the hell are you?'
She had been keeping close tabs on him from the start, so she knew his abilities better than anyone.
'You, who was barely Uncertified Grade 1 back then... you beat Kwantor?'
There were even reports that Yuri had used a holy sword.
And only nine months had passed.
'I knew your growth was fast, but this is insane......'
Koko clicked her tongue inwardly and pushed the thoughts aside.
She had business to attend to first.
"You've all worked hard on the quest."
Koko's voice, infused with mana, boomed across the arena.
"Now, shall we get into the rewards properly?"
No sooner had she spoken than the White Force's excitement surged.
The unified pounding of 150 heartbeats made the air feel scorching hot.
Into that, Koko's voice flowed.
"First off, each of the White Force's 150 members will receive 3 million points."
3 million points.
Still a hefty sum for the 50th Cohort, but middling for the 49th.
And not particularly impressive for the 48th.
Even hearing the reward, they showed no disappointment.
After all, Koko had said "first off."
So the entire White Force watched Koko's mouth intently, brimming with anticipation.
For what reward would come after the 3 million points.
Gulp-.
Someone swallowed dryly in the tension.
Finally, Koko's lips parted.
"You guys are really lucky. Opportunities like this don't come around often."
Expectations soared even higher at her words.
And true to them, Koko announced the reward without delay.
"The reward for this joint quest is... a 2-night, 3-day vacation pass. However, the outstanding rider selected by our instructors from the winning side will receive a 4-night, 5-day pass."
"......"
A heavy silence blanketed those who heard the reward.
Yuri furrowed his brow in disgust.
'A vacation pass? 2 nights, 3 days?'
He thought he'd misheard at first.
A vacation pass, of all things.
For all this hell!
'No way, what kind of reward is that?!'
Sure, 3 million points per person was being handed out.
But for a joint quest like this, shouldn't it come with some ultra-rare elixir as standard?
A vacation pass instead!
A scrap of paper!
Yuri's irritation boiled over.
'Treating a measly outing like some grand favor?'
And only 3 days, so they couldn't even go far.
What kind of reward was this crap?
As Yuri grumbled internally.
The silence in the arena shattered.
Wooooaaah-!
Cheers erupted from all sides, shaking Yoram's mainland.
"What... what the hell?!"
Yuri whipped around in confusion to see the White Force in ecstatic rapture, roaring with joy.
Some were even shedding tears.
"C-Crazy! A vacation pass?!"
"For real? A real vacation pass? 2 nights, 3 days? I heard even fourth-years barely snag an outing pass as a quest reward!"
"This quest... we won... thank god... sniff."
As the White Force's cheers continued, the Blue Force's mood sank deeper into despair.
"Damn... a vacation pass!"
"Even for a three-cohort joint quest, handing out vacation passes... 2 nights, 3 days? No way!"
"...Fifth-years haven't had a single outing pass in years, they say."
"If we'd known this beforehand, we'd have fought like our lives depended on it!"
Frustrated voices rose here and there.
Meanwhile, Yuri's face was full of bewilderment.
"...Is a vacation pass really that great? Just 3 days?"
He couldn't fathom why they were losing their minds over a simple outing.
But one thing became crystal clear.
'With this reaction... this thing's definitely worth money!'
And it could fetch a hefty price.
Plus, who else but him could claim the outstanding rider's reward?
'A 4-night, 5-day pass would sell for multiples more than the 3-day one, right?'
He had no use for it anyway.
With so much to do in Yoram, why waste time lounging outside?
Selling off this useless junk would be pure profit for him.
But as if reading his mind, Koko's amused voice rang out.
"Oh, and just so you know, the passes have no expiration date, so you can use them anytime, but they can't be transferred to others. Don't forget that."
The crowd nodded vigorously at Koko's words.
"Of course! Even if we could, who'd be crazy enough to hand this over?"
"What lunatic would? It's mine to use!"
In an atmosphere where transferring a pass was treated like insanity.
Yuri, whose grand scheme had been crushed, muttered "fuck" under his breath repeatedly.
* * *
Near a pond shimmering with beautiful blue light.
In a pavilion blending ancient Eastern styles with classical elegance, two people sat facing each other across a low tea table laden with light refreshments.
One was Gordon Crowden, captain of the Black Sword Corps and known as One Sword.
Surprisingly, he was kneeling.
And in this world, only one being could make Gordon kneel.
Slurp-.
An elderly man of robust build, eyes half-lidded, sipped his tea briefly.
Simply sitting there leisurely enjoying his tea exuded an aura that crushed the world.
Yoram's master and the world's master—the Sword Lord—parted his lips from the teacup and posed a question.
"The youngest was defeated?"
His deep, dark eyes gleamed faintly in the clear golden tea.