Chapter 237
Chapter 237
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: Side Effects (1)
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Yuri strode forward with a lazy swagger, issuing an order to the wolves.
"You're just getting in the way, so back off."
It was a command bordering on outright dismissal, one that might have bruised their pride, but the wolves didn't seem to mind at all.
In fact, they retreated with gleeful grins plastered on their faces.
Even as the 50th Cohort members leisurely slipped out of the encirclement the wolves had so painstakingly set up, the 51st Batch showed no particular reaction.
It was the presence of the tiger casually approaching them that kept the 51st Batch from acting rashly—far more intimidating than the wolves.
"That guy's... the tiger?"
"Worth a whopping five million points!"
The 51st Batch members who had been with Mu-chi from the start lit up at the sight of the tiger pelt vest draped over Yuri's shoulders.
"......"
Those who had joined later gathered warily around Lisa.
Even so, they all wore faintly puzzled expressions.
The conversation between the newly appeared tiger and the 50th Cohort.
And the fact that the clothes the tiger wore matched their own, not those of the Black Sword Unit.
The implication was simple.
'The tiger's from the same batch as us?'
In this Forest of Beasts, the hardest prey to catch—a tiger—and it turned out to be from the Cradle, just like them.
That fact felt a bit off somehow.
And that was only natural.
Yuri had made his appearance during the Hundred Steps Ritual when most of the 51st Batch had already passed out.
Among the 51st Batch, only Mu-chi and Lisa—who had pretended to faint until the very end—knew what Yuri was really like.
So the others were wary of him, but they had no intention of fleeing or showing fear.
On the contrary, a sneaky thought began to creep into their minds: with their numerical advantage, this could be their chance to bag the tiger and strike it rich.
"...Miss, what should we do?"
One of the boys who had come with Lisa spoke up in a low voice.
Lisa smiled faintly in response.
"Do whatever you want."
"You mean...?"
"I said, do as you please."
"......?!"
It was the first time since they'd been with her that Lisa had ever ordered them to act on their own initiative.
The boy hesitated for a moment before glancing at his comrades.
Excluding Lisa, there were seven of them in total, himself included.
Add in the ones over there, and that made ten.
And for some reason, the wolf-role seniors had pulled back.
'The other seniors aren't going to interfere?'
'Does she plan to take us all on by herself?'
If the tiger approaching them had been a Black Sword Unit member instead of just another batchmate.
And if she hadn't been alone, with the other wolf seniors joining in, then the 51st Batch might have thought twice.
But Yuri's relaxed solo approach only fueled their confidence, making them think, 'This is doable.'
'Before the other seniors jump in...'
'Let's finish this quick!'
They exchanged glances and charged at Yuri like lightning.
Seeing this, the two others behind Mu-chi gritted their teeth and rushed in as well.
"Ah, no!"
Mu-chi reached out in panic as his comrades dashed past him, but he couldn't stop them.
Their eyes were already clouded with greed.
'If we play this right...!'
'Maybe we'll get a shot too!'
With so many piling on, maybe luck would swing their way?
If the first attackers wore down the tiger or even wounded her, they might end up claiming the tiger pelt themselves.
Nine boys and girls rushed toward Yuri, each with their own motives.
Some harbored hope of catching the tiger themselves.
Others dreamed of profiting as fishermen in troubled waters or sheer dumb luck.
But it was all a judgment call from those who hadn't even set foot in bear territory, let alone tangled with a tiger.
It was also a delusion born of ignorance about who Yuri Holland really was.
Such delusions shattered easily.
Tadak-.
Even as swords were drawn and they closed in from all sides, Yuri remained utterly calm.
The moment the distance shrank to within about two meters.
Pachik-.
A streak of blue lightning bloomed in the center of the clearing.
With it, Yuri's form vanished into the lightning as if sucked away.
And then.
Kwarung-.
A massive roar erupted with blinding light, thick bolts of electricity weaving through the nine attackers.
"Guhk!"
"Krhek!"
The nine convulsed in midair like they'd been electrocuted.
Soon, a single thunderous boom rang out, sending them all flying backward at once.
Thud- Kwuduk- Thud!
Some soared far away.
Some crashed into trees.
Some tumbled into the underbrush.
The processes varied slightly, but the end result was the same: sprawled on the ground.
And since they'd already blacked out mid-flight, none of them got back up.
A single bolt of lightning.
A strike in an instant.
The wolves, who had pulled back to watch, swallowed dryly at the scene unfolding before their eyes.
'...Couldn't even see it.'
'What the hell just happened?'
'Compared to the Dragon Tournament, something feels... different?'
They couldn't pinpoint it with their own level of skill, but Yuri's presence felt more stable somehow.
To think she'd changed again after just a few days since the Dragon Tournament.
Ivan, Clarice, and Jerry gulped hard.
Having dispatched nine foes with one blow, Yuri turned to find her next victim.
At the end of her gaze stood Mu-chi, face stiff with tension.
"What're you waiting for? Coming or not?"
Yuri smirked and beckoned him with a finger.
When Mu-chi still didn't budge, she snorted.
"Hey, you. Didn't you join the Cradle just to rematch me? This looks like your moment."
Grip tightening on his spear at her taunting words, Mu-chi thought:
'Yeah...!'
She was right.
He'd entered the Cradle for exactly this—a rematch.
Vowing never to lose again.
How grueling had his training been for this?
So this should be the moment he'd been longing for...
'Then why... am I not moving?'
Because he'd seen those nine comrades drop in an instant?
Because he was overwhelmed by Yuri's aura?
Or because that back view from the Hundred Steps Ritual—charging ahead while leaving him behind—loomed so enormously in his mind?
Mu-chi stood frozen, silent.
Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, Yuri clicked her tongue.
"Hey, snot-nose. What're you mulling over? You already know, don't you? Even if you died and came back, you'd never beat me. You thinking you can win?"
"......?!"
The mocking voice pierced his eardrums.
In that instant, Mu-chi realized why he couldn't move.
'It was everything... all of it!'
Every reason was correct.
He'd seen the nine drop at once.
He was overwhelmed by Yuri's aura.
Yuri's back from the ritual had seemed impossibly vast.
Accepting all that, knowing he'd lose again—that's why he couldn't move.
Mu-chi didn't want to lose.
Yuri, who had seen through it from the start, let out a mocking chuckle.
"Yeah, maybe it's better if you just stay put like this."
"What do you...?"
"You lost once already, you'll keep losing, you'll never beat me in your life... So just accept defeat like you are now and live out the rest without doing a damn thing."
"......?!"
Sparks flew from Mu-chi's eyes at her scornful words.
He muttered softly.
"Don't wanna..."
The mutter mixed with heat surging from his chest, exploding into a bellow.
"I said I don't wanna!"
His shout tore through the air.
With it, Mu-chi's axe-spear traced a blood-red arc toward Yuri.
Shuuuung-!
Immense power, astonishing speed.
Facing it, Yuri vanished once more.
Suruk-.
She reappeared behind Mu-chi's back.
'Huh?!'
Mu-chi, having so easily lost track of her, twisted in panic—but of course, Yuri was faster.
Hung-.
She swung her sheathed sword at his back.
The blade, infused with qi, slammed into Mu-chi's back.
Kwang-!
The impact of scabbard on flesh boomed like a bomb.
"Keuheuk!"
Even Mu-chi, with his sturdy build, couldn't withstand it; he vomited blood and pitched forward.
For an attack that would have killed an ordinary person outright, he'd only coughed up blood.
And not content with that, he even tried to rise immediately.
But.
Ppak-.
Yuri's scabbard cracked against the back of his head, smashing his face into the dirt.
Teolseok-.
Mu-chi went limp without mounting any real resistance.
Gazing down at him unconscious and unmoving, Yuri muttered.
"What can ya do? Big bro's gotten too big to play with you anymore."
She had dispatched Mu-chi—who once required real effort to beat—with ridiculous ease.
Sensing the growing gap between them, Yuri smiled in satisfaction.
But right then.
Her expression turned icy as she thrust her left arm out.
Paseok-.
Her arm extended, crackling with lightning.
Geudeuk-.
Her hand seized empty air.
With a faint afterimage, Lisa appeared clutching a short dagger.
Yuri's hand gripped her jaw firmly.
'What the hell?'
Lisa's turquoise eyes held surprise—and delight.
The instant her jaw was seized, she swung her dagger, but Yuri reacted faster.
Kwang-!
She slammed Lisa's head into the ground.
"Eup?!"
Was the impact that severe?
Lisa's eyes flew wide, pupils rolling upward.
Eyes flipped back, as they say.
Her vision was probably whited out right now.
Yuri looked down at the girl's eyes and growled low.
"You tried to hit my blind spot... so you knew the risks, right?"
Casting a cold glare, Yuri lifted Lisa's jaw slightly and smashed it back down.
Kwang-!
"......?!"
Lisa convulsed, limbs twitching from the successive brutal impacts.
Unable to endure, she lost consciousness.
Rising smoothly after taking out all eleven in a mere five exchanges, Yuri stared at her palm.
The hand that had gripped Lisa's jaw was slick with moisture.
"...She licked it?"
Gazing at the unconscious girl with a mix of bafflement and odd amusement, Yuri clicked her tongue.
"Got ourselves a real psycho here."
He wiped the saliva on Lisa's clothes, then turned to the wolves.
"Alright, this area's cleared. Let's find the others and move."
The night had only just begun.
Plenty of 51st Batch left to hunt down.
"Let's go!"
Yuri called out cheerfully, taking the lead.
The wolves, tongues clicking in awe, hurried after her.
"Take me with you, Your Highness!"
"I'm coming too!"
"Together!"
They had realized the safest way to enjoy this mad night was right by Yuri's side.
And so that night.
Thanks to Yuri's rampage, the entire 51st Batch—without a single exception...
Was dragged straight to hell.
* * *
Inside a massive tent.
Over eighty people lay scattered about, utterly still.
To an outsider, it might have looked like a pile of corpses.
How much time passed in that darkness?
Light seeped through a thin gap at the tent entrance.
About five minutes later.
Mu-chi, who had taken the worst of it, was the first to stir.
Grimacing at the throbbing pain, he twitched.
The agony from his back and the nape of his neck helped snap him awake.
Opening his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
Blinking slowly as he pieced things together.
"...Huh?!"
He bolted upright, scanning the strange space.
A vast tent-like area.
Dozens of people lying inside.
"Where... am I?"
Mu-chi tried to stand and assess properly.
Right then.
Flutter-.
The tent flap flew open wide, sunlight flooding in.
Against the blinding backlight, a figure appeared.
"Rise and shine!"
The voice brimmed with resolve and ruthlessness.
Mu-chi tilted his head at the familiar tone.
'Huh? That voice...'
The tent flap settled, blocking the light.
The backlight faded, revealing the owner.
"Everyone, up!"
A boy with a stern, ruthless face.
None other than Gunter Irons.