Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Side Effects (4)
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The next morning.
“Rise and shine!”
The 51st Batch snapped their eyes open at the cold voice drilling into their ears.
“…Huh?”
“W-where is this?”
The familiar ceiling of the barracks.
And then.
“Everyone, get up!”
Gunter appeared, backlit by the morning sunlight.
The still-dazed 51st Batch felt like the whole situation was a dream.
‘…This feels like something I saw in a dream.’
‘What is this? Yesterday? No, today?’
Clearly yesterday… or the day before… no, yesterday, it had been the same.
They had been attacked by tigers, bears, and wolves, passed out.
And when they woke up in the morning, it was this tent.
‘And after that… we toured hell.’
A repetition of something that felt like it had happened once before.
A strange sensation where past and present blurred together.
Seeing the juniors still out of it, Gunter flashed a menacing smile.
“Was yesterday’s training not enough to snap you out of it? Then we’ll have to make up for what was lacking today.”
At Gunter’s bloodthirsty words, chills ran down the 51st Batch’s spines.
And with that, those who had fully woken up realized it.
This situation wasn’t a dream, nor a repeat of yesterday.
It was simply… the start of a new hell.
‘N-no way!’
The faces of the 51st Batch in the barracks paled.
‘N-no! I don’t want this! I don’t want this!’
Moochi, in particular, looked like he might faint any second.
* * *
What followed was identical to the day before.
Snapped awake by Gunter’s harsh warning as if doused with cold water, the 51st Batch scrambled out of the barracks.
Under Arin and Poppi’s guidance outside, they headed to the tribunal.
Everyone was sentenced to eight hours of hellish training and staggered out like soulless husks.
Waiting for them was Theresia, exuding an icy chill as always.
A truly astonishing repetition of the exact same situation as the day before.
The only difference afterward was that Yuri was already there at the destination under Theresia’s guidance, wearing his red hat and waiting for the 51st Batch.
He greeted them with a bright smile.
“Did everyone sleep well?”
Most of the 51st Batch gave him hollow stares at his casual wave.
But a few among them.
Some whose spirits hadn’t yet broken.
A glint passed through Yuri’s eyes as he looked at them.
‘Oh ho? Some who haven’t been broken yet?’
Even one day wasn’t enough to fully drain the softness out of them, huh?
But Yuri wasn’t disappointed.
He still had five more days left.
“Alright, since you all slept well… shall we start an energetic day?”
The brighter Yuri’s smile shone, the darker the faces of the 51st Batch before him grew.
And then.
“Doooongkiineeeun!”
“Hey, is that the best your voice can do?”
“Ooooneeeee!”
The 51st Batch’s agonized screams echoed deafeningly through hell’s sky.
* * *
“Nighttime!”
“Finally, hunting time!”
Night fell, and the forest beasts stretched excitedly.
Laughter laced voices emerged among them.
“Man, isn’t this quest basically free rewards?”
“It’s way too easy!”
The quest was already on its third day, but among those playing animals, only a tiny few had lost their hides.
And that was only on the first day.
If they kept hold of their hides like this until the end, they’d get huge rewards on the last day.
That’s why they could call this quest easy.
But those saying that were all from the 50th Batch.
Everyone else knew full well how weird this quest was.
“Hey, this is too strange.”
“Right? I’m not the only one thinking that?”
“No matter how long we wait during the day, the 51st Batch never shows up wandering the forest.”
This quest was about enduring in your zone during the day to avoid losing hides to the hunters.
Then at night, the beasts turned hunters and preyed on the humans—an exchange of offense and defense.
But no matter how hard they looked, no hunters from the 51st Batch roamed the animal forest during the day.
The forest was so quiet that those playing animals were whining from boredom.
“Compared to getting skinned alive by Yuri Holland last year… this quest is basically freebies.”
“Last year… was a nightmare.”
Especially those who’d done the animal forest quest multiple times couldn’t help comparing last year to this one.
So, those heading out for night hunts while tilting their heads at the quest’s oddity.
They couldn’t help but freeze at an even stranger sight.
“…What is this?”
“Did someone else already get to them before us?”
Welcoming those searching the forest for prey were the 51st Batch, sprawled corpse-like on the cold dirt here and there.
“Ugh…….”
“Urgh…….”
They twitched sporadically, so they were at least alive.
But they were still unconscious, unaware of anyone approaching.
And these half-dead bodies were mostly found near the hell training ground.
The black sword troops who came to collect the fainted ones immediately figured it out.
“…How hard did they drill these kids to leave them like this?”
The beasts’ night hunt had only just begun, so there was only one reason they were already sprawled out like that.
They’d been in that state since before the night hunt even started.
In other words, the 51st Batch had stumbled out of the hell training ground, collapsed nearby, and hadn’t woken up since.
The black sword troops smiled.
“We can clock out early today.”
“Yeah. Just patrol near the training ground, and we’ll scoop them all up.”
“I’ve assisted on this quest a bunch, but this is the smoothest it’s ever been.”
“Isn’t the one training the 51st Batch that Yuri Holland guy?”
“Yeah.”
“Hope he handles next year’s training too.”
Chatting amiably with smiles, the black sword troops picked up the unconscious 51st Batch and vanished.
Thus, this quest made everyone happy—from the batches playing animals to the black sword troops assisting.
Everyone except the quest’s protagonists, the 51st Batch.
* * *
“Rise and shine!”
At the curt icy voice, the 51st Batch reflexively shot up.
And their faces turned ashen.
“Huh?!”
“A-again?!”
“Why… am I… why here?!”
The familiar barracks ceiling.
Gunter appearing backlit.
It was all exactly the same as yesterday, and the day before.
If not for the horrific muscle pain wracking their bodies, they might’ve thought they’d gone back in time.
‘I definitely… after release yesterday…….’
‘And then… what happened?’
They clearly remembered being released yesterday.
Then they blacked out for a bit, so why were they waking up in this damn barracks again?!
“I’ll count to ten starting now. Anyone still here then will be considered insubordinate… and pay the price.”
Hearing the same words for the third time, the 51st Batch’s eyes welled up.
“T-this can’t be…….”
“P-please… someone… someone save us.”
Trapped in the infinite loop of hell Yuri had created.
Their feeble pleas for rescue scattered futilely into the air.
And then.
“Doooongkiineeeun!”
“Yawn, what?”
“Ooooneeee!”
Once more, bloodcurdling screams echoed through hell’s sky.
* * *
Time flew by.
Day 5 of the hide-gathering quest.
Thanks to a single demon lord, the animal forest enjoyed an unprecedented era of peace.
But the 51st Batch, trapped in hell’s infinite loop, were growing gaunt by the day.
Their routine over the past few days had been brutally simple.
Wake at Gunter’s morning call.
Roll in hellfire for eight hours, squeezing out their lifeblood.
Stagger a few steps from the hell training ground after release and collapse unconscious.
Then wake in the barracks to greet the morning again.
At that point, to the 51st Batch, this was no longer a hide-gathering quest.
It was a survival quest in hell.
‘Hides my ass!’
‘Wasting stamina on that crap? Better sleep one more second!’
They needed every bit of rest to recover if they wanted to survive this hell.
So now, even if released, some were just staying in the barracks to sleep.
Why bother going out when they’d just get dragged back anyway?
But humans are adaptive creatures, they say.
Proving it, the 51st Batch slowly began adapting to hell.
The problem was, with adaptation came a sliver of leeway, and the resentment suppressed by pain and fear started rearing its head.
“…We can’t live like this. Let’s get revenge, revenge!”
Someone sprawled against a tree trunk shouted that.
At the heated voice, the 51st Batch scattered near the hell training ground after release slowly lifted their heads.
But even that was too much effort, so they just rolled over and asked.
“…Revenge?”
“Yeah, revenge! On Senior Yuri… no, that demon instructor! Bloody revenge!”
The brief spark of interest quickly fizzled.
“Revenge? Thought it was something big. Tch.”
“Is that guy crazy?”
“Revenge? Sounds good… but how?”
Who in the 51st Batch didn’t grind their teeth at Yuri?
They all wanted revenge if they could.
To pay back the pain they’d endured.
But how?
The one who’d spoken first provided the answer.
“That senior said it, right? If we’re pissed, come at him outside. He’ll take us on without ranks!”
“…He did.”
On the first day of hell, Yuri had definitely said that.
Finally seeing others listening, the first speaker propped up his upper body a bit.
“You all know that senior’s the tiger, right?”
“Who doesn’t? So?”
“Let’s charge him! Into the tiger zone! And take down that tiger!”
Everyone shot him looks like he was insane.
But the first speaker met their gazes head-on.
“Why does everyone think it’s impossible?”
“Isn’t thinking it’s possible what’s weird?”
“No, it’s doable. I got some top-tier info.”
“Top-tier info?”
Interest piqued at “top-tier info,” and the first speaker’s eyes gleamed.
“Yeah, top-tier info that’ll complete our revenge.”
“…What is it?”
“Listen up. Tigers can only attack exactly ten times. That’s the restriction on the tiger role.”
Eyes lit up among those who heard the info.
“What? Where’d you hear that?”
“From Senior Arin… no, Instructor Arin. During break last time, she was talking about how she cleared this quest last year.”
With credible info and source, the sprawled 51st Batch’s interest surged.
They started doing the math themselves.
If that info was true, then the first speaker’s revenge wasn’t impossible.
Then someone raised a counterpoint.
“Ten attacks… still not easy, right? That senior’s no pushover. Heard he took down like ten guys alone on the first day?”
The first speaker, as if expecting it, replied immediately.
“If ten isn’t enough… what if we all charge?”
“Huh?”
The first speaker’s eyes burned hot.
“If ten won’t do… then the entire 51st Batch charges.”
“…….”
“No matter how skilled he is, you think he can take down all 81 of us with just ten attacks?”
Now even the others propped up their upper bodies.
Inspired by the first speaker’s fervor, heat flickered in their eyes too.
“True…….”
“…There’s a chance.”
No matter how skilled, he was just one senior from the batch above.
If the entire 51st Batch charged, they could definitely take down that demon lord.
That thought was enough to fill them with hope.
As the mood heated up, the first speaker glanced at one side and asked.
“What about you?”
Everyone’s gazes followed.
There sat a giant whose head seemed several sizes larger than the rest.
“Me…….”
Moochi paused.
A venomous glint entered his eyes.
“…I’m in. For that revenge.”
The light in Moochi’s eyes.
It was pure venom.
“Count me in for sure on that revenge!”
Moochi clenched his fist tightly.
Over the past five days.
Moochi had shed much of his innocent, mild-mannered vibe.
His innate nature still gave a gentle impression, unavoidably.
But for Moochi, who’d never matched the nursery rhyme image before, to show “venom” for the first time was a shocking change.
This was something Ralph Schnell had tried to teach his grandson over a dozen years but failed at.
Yuri had accomplished it in a mere five days.
Of course, if a third party saw how Yuri treated Moochi, they might call Moochi a saint for enduring five whole days without falling.
“Yeah, knew you’d say that.”
“No one tortures their enemies like that… poor guy.”
“Moochi, if you join, we’re in too!”
Those present looked at Moochi with pity.
And welcomed his joining the revenge plan.
They already knew Moochi’s skills far outstripped theirs.
A skilled fighter’s participation was always welcome.
As the plan gained momentum, the first speaker pressed on energetically.
“Great, I’ll convince the rest of the batch. Most… should agree.”
No sooner had he spoken than the sprawled 51st Batch around them surged toward one spot.
Shoulder to shoulder.
Looking at each other, their eyes brimmed with camaraderie.
And this was the side effect of Yuri’s excessively brilliant training.
“We can do it! Let’s do it, that revenge!”
“Yeah! Even if we go down, let’s land one on that demon lord!”
“Down with! The demon lord!”
Since ancient times, humanity has always banded together against giant foes.
“My batchmates!”
The hellish training of the past few days had forged unbreakable bonds among the 51st Batch.
“Ooooneeee!”
Under the banner of “Down with the demon lord,” they united as one.