Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: Imprint (1)
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The story of overthrowing the Demon King and exacting bloody vengeance spread to every member of the 51st Batch in no time at all.
It hadn't been long since they'd been released from training, so everyone was utterly exhausted and sprawled out near the training camp.
The funny thing was, the entire 51st Batch was surprisingly enthusiastic about this revenge plot.
"If there's even a chance, I'll cooperate however I can!"
"Honestly, I don't care about anything else—just let me land one solid hit!"
Their fury toward Yuri was so intense that a brief explanation was all it took for everyone to nod eagerly in agreement.
They all insisted they wanted in on the revenge.
It was an enthusiasm that left the original planners flustered.
And so, the plan proceeded smoothly until, at last...
The day of execution arrived.
* * *
The final day of the leather-gathering quest.
With just a couple of hours left until sunset.
Rustle.
Black shadows began emerging one by one near the outskirts of Animal Forest.
They were boys and girls with haggard, ashen faces and hollow eyes.
But their gazes burned bright—they were none other than the 51st Batch.
"Everyone here?"
"Then let's head straight to the rendezvous point."
A dozen or so with serious expressions quickly checked headcounts and started moving.
As always, they looked disheveled, as if they'd just tumbled through hell again today.
An undeniable weariness radiated from their entire bodies.
Even so, the 51st Batch was satisfied with their current condition.
'At least we've adapted to the training somewhat.'
Otherwise, they'd still be passed out near the hellish training camp.
Whoosh.
They swiftly crossed the rabbit zone.
The rabbit riders, who had been leisurely strolling through the forest, flinched in surprise at the sight of the 51st Batch—their first appearance in ages.
They suddenly remembered their duty, which they'd forgotten over the past few days, and fled from the 51st Batch.
But the 51st Batch ignored the rabbits entirely.
They simply hurried toward their destination.
How long did they run?
They passed the rabbit zone, then the deer zone, and stopped right at the border before entering the wolf zone.
There were already people waiting for them there.
"You made it."
"We hurried as much as we could—did we keep you waiting?"
"Nah, plenty of time left. Have them rest over there for now."
The newcomers exchanged light greetings with those already settled, then took a spot off to the side to catch their breath.
After that, groups of ten kept trickling in.
About ten minutes later.
At last, every member of the 51st Batch had gathered in one place.
This had to be the first time an entire cohort had assembled together since the Animal Forest quest began.
"Looks like everyone's here."
"Let's get started."
The eighty-one members formed a wide circle in the open clearing, and one boy stepped into the center.
It was the boy who had first brought up the idea of bloody vengeance.
He looked around at his comrades and spoke.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Koban Mitchell."
After a casual introduction, his face turned serious.
"I'm really grateful that you all agreed with my idea and got so fired up about it. No time to waste, so I'll brief you on the details."
Koban pointed toward the heart of the forest.
"From the intel I gathered, that devil spawn... er, the tiger should be right in the center of this forest. That's its territory. And apparently, as long as the sun's up, the tiger can't leave that area."
His plan was simpler than expected.
Rest up during the day to recover, then strike before nightfall.
In other words, hit the tiger with the full 51st Batch before it could leave its territory and roam free.
Koban's voice echoed softly across the clearing as he laid out the plan.
"To reach the tiger zone—the center of the forest—we have to pass through the wolf and bear zones. The issue is, unlike rabbits and deer, wolves and bears strike first. Some of you have probably run into wolves here already. They're about Certified 1st Dan level, so not a huge threat to us now... but bears are dangerous."
"How dangerous?"
Koban answered the question matter-of-factly.
"The bears are played by regular Blackblade soldiers. Think Certified 3rd Dan level."
"Hmm..."
The 51st Batch's faces darkened slightly at the news that bears were Blackblade soldiers at Certified 3rd Dan.
Noticing this, Koban lightened his tone to lift the mood.
"No need to worry that much! Sure, they're Blackblade soldiers, but we've got over eighty on our side. No way they're all clustered in one spot across that huge zone, right?"
"But what if they are?"
"Still no problem. Even the Blackblade soldiers playing bears have attack limits."
"Attack limits? Tiger's is ten—bears?"
"I heard it's fifty."
"Fifty? That's it?"
"Yeah, so as long as we don't run into more than six at once, we can break through the bear zone no sweat."
Emboldened by Koban's confident words, the rest of the 51st Batch brightened up.
His explanation made perfect sense.
That's when it happened.
"But hey."
A small but clear voice.
Heads turned toward it across the clearing.
There stood a girl with lemon-yellow hair.
Lisa flashed a bright smile as all eyes turned to her, leaving a few boys staring blankly, entranced.
She tilted her head and asked,
"Doesn't that seem weird?"
"Weird how?"
"That the bears are regular Blackblade soldiers, but the one and only tiger in this whole Animal Forest is just some random senior from the batch above us."
Many in the 51st Batch nodded in agreement at Lisa's pointed question.
It was the most fundamental doubt of all.
"True... A tiger worth five million points, and they give the role to a senior just one batch ahead—not even a Blackblade soldier."
"What if that senior's actually super strong? Stronger than the Blackblades?"
Someone half-jokingly voiced the truth, but Koban shook his head without hesitation.
"No way."
Lisa tilted her head at his firm denial.
"How can you be so sure?"
Koban gave a slight smile at her follow-up.
"Most graduates from the Cradle enter society at Certified 3rd Dan, maybe 4th at best—that's the common wisdom."
"And?"
"If he's stronger than regular Blackblade soldiers, that'd make him Certified 4th or even 5th Dan... That's head-of-a-mid-sized-clan level out in the real world. You think that's realistic for that senior's age? Even for a genius, no chance. And..."
Koban paused briefly and glanced toward Muchi.
"Muchi here knows the senior from outside... He said the guy's only been training Martial Body Arts for about two years."
Murmurs rippled through the group.
"What?"
"Two years?!"
"No way! He seemed so strong, and he's only been at Martial Body Arts for two years?!"
Everyone turned wide-eyed stares toward Muchi.
Lisa's gaze was among them.
Muchi scratched the back of his head and nodded as eyes bored into him, questioning if it was true.
"Uh... yeah, I don't know exactly, but from what I know, it's less than two years. When I first met Senior Yuri outside, we sparred, and I figure that's when he really started learning Martial Body Arts seriously."
Lisa fired off a question at Muchi's explanation.
"Who won that spar?"
"Well... I won the first round easily, but I lost the next two."
"I see. So when you last saw Senior Yuri outside, how did he stack up? Compared to you now."
"He was weaker than me now."
"And now? What do you think of Senior Yuri's level these days?"
Lisa kept prodding with endless curiosity.
Muchi answered without complaint, but he hesitated at the last question.
He pondered Yuri's current strength for a long moment before shaking his head lightly.
"...No idea."
During the Hundred-Pace Ritual, Yuri had stood tall even at the ninth step where Muchi blacked out.
He had no clue how many more steps Yuri had taken after that.
So he couldn't gauge how strong Yuri had become.
All Muchi could do was give that vague answer.
But there was one thing he could say for sure.
"Still, Senior Yuri's strong. Insanely strong."
Lisa's eyes flashed with admiration at Muchi's conviction.
That's when Koban cut in between them.
"Yeah, he's strong, sure. That's why the Cradle gave him the tiger role—he's probably one of those genius types."
Koban scowled a bit as he said it.
He'd just rallied everyone's morale, and now Muchi and Lisa were dragging it down with pointless talk.
But he quickly schooled his expression and barked shortly,
"Even so!"
His sharp voice seized everyone's attention.
Koban swept his gaze around with steely eyes and continued.
"Even if he's a bit stronger than regular Blackblade soldiers—that's why he got the tiger role! He's probably just a tad above them."
Koban shrugged.
"Honestly, I have a hard time buying even that. Certified 3rd Dan after just two years of Martial Body Arts? Genius or not, come on."
The others nodded along with Koban's scoffing laugh, buying into it.
The Cradle gathered all the famed prodigies from outside.
Even they, with their talents, had trained relentlessly for over a decade to reach their current levels.
And graduates who'd clawed through the Cradle's cutthroat competition typically hit Certified 3rd or 4th Dan.
Some no-name from outside reaching Certified 3rd Dan in two years at the Cradle?
It defied their common sense.
As the mood shifted to agreement, Koban smiled faintly.
"So no need to overthink it. Plus, the tiger has even stricter limits than the bears. If we stick together, we can absolutely get our revenge!"
Emboldened by Koban's rallying cry, most of the 51st Batch cast aside their doubts.
A few remained wary.
Muchi looked uncertain.
Lisa...
"Heh."
For some reason, she wore a delighted smile.
Meanwhile, Koban thrust his clenched fist skyward and led the chant.
"Comrades!"
The 51st Batch roared back.
"Are one!"
"Down with!"
"Yuri Holland!"
"Bloody!"
"Revenge!"
United by camaraderie and thunderous cheers, the 51st Batch forgot their fatigue.
"Charge!"
Koban led the way boldly into the wolf woods.
Eighty comrades followed, marching toward the forest's heart.
A short while later.
"Huh?!"
"What the—?!"
Two wolves spotted the tightly packed 51st Batch charging and bolted in panic.
The sight fueled the 51st Batch's courage even more.
"Don't stop! We have to get there before sunset!"
"Keep running!"
They ignored the fleeing wolves and pressed on.
As the 51st Batch thundered past.
Dust settled lightly in the forest.
The two wolves peeked out from behind a tree.
"...Gone?"
"Seems like it."
The fleeing wolves were none other than Nelly and Pana.
They perked their ears toward the fading sounds.
Nelly let out a small sigh, eyeing the settling dust.
"Sigh... Is this really okay?"
Pana shrugged at her words.
"Psh, it's fine. No point overthinking. We let 'em through like we were told—the rest is on them."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Right? Worry about someone else. Why fret over that guy?"
"...Fair point. Wanna go watch then?"
"I'm in!"
The two shared their cryptic exchange and quickened their pace.
They headed in the exact direction the 51st Batch had just gone.
* * *
The 51st Batch's advance picked up speed.
Part of it was the urgency of hitting the tiger while the sun was still up.
But mostly, it was because the wolves they encountered—and even the Blackblade soldiers playing bears—were dodging them, filling them with confidence.
"We might be weak alone, but together we're unstoppable!"
"Yeah! That's the spirit!"
They regretted it.
Why hadn't they done this sooner?
Why hadn't they teamed up to take down the tiger—no, that Demon King—earlier?
...
After twenty minutes of charging through the forest with boosted morale.
The eighty-one-strong group finally reached the central clearing.
Their destination.
A space reserved for just one person.
The domain of the forest's king, the tiger.
And waiting for the 51st Batch there was...
"Ah, you little shits! Come at me already, hurry up!"
A furious Yuri.