Chapter 247
Chapter 247
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: The Hundred-Day Tower
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Yuri's gaze toward Lisa abruptly shifted.
The bewildered feeling of staring at some unknown, alien creature vanished without a trace, replaced by the look of someone eyeing a familiar and friendly object.
Theresia and Arin, who had witnessed the change from right beside her, exchanged a few words.
“…She just called her a money pouch, right?”
“That’s what I heard too.”
“Incorrigible.”
Gunter, Poppi, and Muchi said nothing, but they nodded vigorously in agreement.
But Yuri, who had uttered the words, and Lisa, who had heard them, both looked utterly unfazed.
Satisfaction settled into Yuri’s eyes as she regarded Lisa.
‘Where on earth did this walking goldmine come from!’
Right now, in the Cradle, points were everything—no currency was more valuable than that.
But they wouldn’t be stuck in the Cradle for a thousand or even ten thousand years.
In just a few years, she’d have to step out into society herself.
And when that happened, she’d have no choice but to rely on the currency used in the wider world.
‘Having a hefty money pouch like this back then would make the world fearless!’
And this wasn’t just any money pouch—it was the heaviest one in the world.
It was sitting right there within arm’s reach, practically dropped into her lap.
Tempting her to scoop it up and take it away.
Yuri tamped down her joy and excitement as best she could.
‘To perfectly hook a big fish like this, I need to be cautious… doubly cautious!’
Sure, it was tempting her right now with an “Please catch me!” vibe, but human hearts were fickle things—who knew what might happen?
Lisa’s attitude could flip at any moment.
Especially someone like her, with a few screws loose—no telling what she might do.
So for now, her job was to keep this money pouch safe and sound until she could open it years from now.
Untouched by any mishaps until then.
Yuri composed her expression and spoke.
“Very well, Lisa Berfort.”
In an instant, Yuri had switched to her special Lisa-only tone.
And Lisa bowed her head politely before her.
“Speak, my Yuri.”
“No need to trouble yourself going far away—just build your dwelling where you originally planned.”
“Is that truly acceptable?”
Seeing Lisa’s face light up, Yuri grinned and nodded along.
“Of course it is. As much as you like.”
“I am deeply grateful for this immense favor.”
Yuri beckoned toward one side as she watched Lisa’s delight.
“Hey, you, come here.”
“Me?”
Muchi, who pointed at his own face in surprise at the sudden summons.
When Yuri crooked her finger for him to hurry over, he shuffled closer hesitantly.
Yuri patted Muchi’s waist and said to Lisa,
“Lisa, if there’s any hard labor or messages for me, tell this guy. Muchi, you keep an eye out for anything making Lisa uncomfortable—especially if anyone’s bothering her, come straight to me and report it.”
“Huh?! Wait, why me…!”
Muchi gaped at Yuri in shock over this abrupt assignment, but—
“Tsk!”
“Ugh… Y-Yes, got it.”
One glare from Yuri had him wilting, nodding dejectedly.
Yuri grabbed Muchi’s ear and whispered into it.
“The moment anything happens to Lisa… you’ll be working seven days straight in hell.”
“…?!”
Muchi’s back broke out in cold sweat at Yuri’s chilling warning.
‘S-Seven days nonstop?!’
That meant no sleep, just grinding for a full week.
As Muchi froze, Yuri dusted off his shoulders.
“Don’t worry too much—if you guard Lisa like she’s your own body, there won’t be any issues.”
“Ugh…”
Seeing Yuri’s grin, Muchi regretted everything.
‘If I’d known it’d be like this, I never would’ve come…’
He’d stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong and ended up with this hassle.
Who knew he’d get hit from behind like this?
In that moment, Muchi realized something.
‘Ah… so this is why people end up distrusting humanity!’
He’d tried to show others that people could be sincere, but look at this.
This incident had turned him into the one learning to distrust humanity.
Yuri gave Muchi’s shoulders one last pat after her little epiphany.
“I’m off. Contact me through Muchi if anything comes up… Let’s see each other often.”
“Farewell.”
As Yuri waved lightly and departed, the rest of the group followed behind.
Leaving Muchi alone.
Muchi watched them go from afar, then awkwardly extended a hand to Lisa.
“Uh, so… let’s get along from now on.”
“…”
Lisa glanced down at his hand for a moment before replying in a flat voice.
“Yeah, sure.”
Then she turned and walked off without a second glance, as if she couldn’t care less.
Stung by the reaction, Muchi withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head.
“…Just a little while ago, she was the one saying let’s get along.”
Was this really the same Lisa from back then?
‘How can a person change so much?’
Probably, Lisa’s interest had always been in Senior Yuri, and he’d just been a means to get closer.
Now that she’d achieved her goal, he was irrelevant.
Realizing that, Muchi felt inexplicably miffed and let his shoulders slump.
Meanwhile, Yuri’s group had arrived near the Demon King’s Castle.
That’s when Yulia spoke up, her voice laced with curiosity.
“If you’re that worried about her, why not just bring her inside the Demon King’s Castle?”
Yuri glanced at Lisa once before answering Yulia’s question.
“I don’t know the exact reason, but she seems to have some weird fantasy about me… No need to shatter that, right?”
“Ah…”
“Fantasies are even more mysterious and beautiful when they stay hidden.”
Yuri smiled faintly as she said it, and the others beside her nodded enthusiastically.
Gunter especially was the most fervent.
“I agree with that a hundred—no, a thousand times over! Ten thousand!”
Having built his own delusions about the Yuri he met as a child and now paying the price, Gunter couldn’t help but empathize.
Ignoring Gunter’s reaction, Yuri stared straight at Yulia.
“So… how long are you planning to follow me?”
Yulia flinched at the question, answering with an awkward smile.
“I didn’t finish that tea from earlier…”
“You drank it all. The cup was empty.”
“Oh! I left something inside! I’ll just grab that and go…!”
Yuri grabbed the collar of Yulia, who was slyly trying to slip past her into the Demon King’s Castle.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Eek…”
Dangling from Yuri’s grip, Yulia deployed her final resort.
She put on the most pitiful, heartrending expression possible.
Gazing up at Yuri with moist eyes, she asked in a quivering voice,
“Can’t I… stay here too? Please?”
White hair, red eyes.
Her petite, rabbit-like appearance packed a lethal punch in the charm department.
It would’ve worked on any guy but Yuri, for sure.
“Yeah, no. Scram.”
Yuri’s firm rejection came without hesitation as she picked Yulia up and chucked her far away.
Yulia, who’d been tossed aside, pouted and shouted,
“I have info on this year’s second-year quest!”
Whatever.
Yuri brushed it off with a casual wave and headed into the Demon King’s Castle.
In that instant, as Theresia glanced back while following Yuri, her eyes met Yulia’s in passing.
A smirk—Theresia’s lip corner twitched upward in a subtle, almost imperceptible way, caught in Yulia’s vision and gone.
“Huh?”
In that moment, something surged up in Yulia’s chest.
“That little—!”
If she wasn’t seeing things, that had been the smile of a victor.
Fuming, Yulia vowed to herself.
She’d get into the Demon King’s Castle no matter what it took.
* * *
Once they got permission from the shop owner.
The boy and girl with skills even Yuri acknowledged swiftly erected several wooden buildings with expert hands.
And afterward, a small sign was posted in front of the building.
Don’t touch the kids here if you don’t want to see blood.
—Yuri Holland
The blood-red warning was so intimidating that even the curious onlookers backed away.
It helped the new neighbors settle safely near the Demon King’s Castle.
Word soon spread that new neighbors had moved in around the Demon King’s Castle.
“Yuri! 50th Cohort, assemble!”
That’s when the summons came for the 50th Cohort.
* * *
Mid-February, with the harsh cold still in full swing.
Swoosh—
Inside the black galleon slicing through the biting north wind rode the 50th Cohort, radiating a razor-sharp aura.
Glasses Guy’s eyes gleamed as he took in their casually scattered yet poised figures.
‘…The atmosphere’s definitely changed.’
Just a year ago, they’d been a bunch of green, awkward kids.
Now, in a mere year, they exuded the vibe of seasoned mercenaries.
Glasses Guy had handled several new cohorts before, but none had undergone such a dramatic shift in so short a time.
And he knew exactly where that change came from.
Who in the Cradle didn’t?
“Yawn… When does this start anyway.”
Yuri, yawning hugely while using Arin’s lap as a pillow.
That guy was the problem.
Glasses Guy inwardly clicked his tongue at the sight.
‘Tch, how hard did he grind those kids?’
The training volume Yuri Holland had put them through, per reports, was brutally insane—enough to make your jaw drop.
And the periodic sparring sessions with the 50th Cohort were part of that training.
Forced into those grueling bouts—whether they were spars, stress relief, or live testing for new techniques, no one knew.
To survive Yuri’s merciless regimen, the 50th Cohort had thrashed desperately.
And their skills and momentum had shot up day by day.
But rapid growth came with quick side effects.
“Ugh, damn it… Freezing my ass off. When do we get there?”
“Man up, idiot. If you’d die from this, you’d have croaked ages ago.”
…Their speech patterns were starting to mimic Yuri Holland’s.
Glasses Guy pushed up his glasses.
‘Their families would be appalled if they saw this.’
A year was all it took to erase the refinement drilled into them from good homes over a decade.
As Glasses Guy assessed the 50th Cohort, the black ship docked at an island pier.
The 50th Cohort then followed the black-armored soldiers’ lead.
Soon, they beheld the sight before them and let out gasps of awe.
“Whoa, what’s that?”
“It’s huge!”
Having seen all sorts of structures during Cradle quests, the 50th Cohort was still stunned.
But this building dwarfed anything they’d encountered.
“How many floors?”
“Nine? Ten maybe?”
Glasses Guy smiled in satisfaction as the 50th Cohort craned their necks, exclaiming nonstop.
He felt rewarded for preparing this spectacle to gauge their reactions.
But the smile faded as quickly as it came.
“Fall in!”
At the sharp command, the 50th Cohort aligned perfectly.
A faint excitement and anticipation lit their eyes.
‘Second-year first quest.’
‘Wonder what it’ll be.’
Reading the expectant mood, Glasses Guy didn’t drag it out and announced the quest.
“This quest is called the Hundred-Day Tower.”
His mana-infused voice carried everywhere, and the 50th Cohort’s eyes sharpened instantly.
Second year in the Cradle.
They could now guess a quest’s nature from its name.
Glasses Guy smirked faintly at their changed expressions.
“This quest is simple: climb that tower as high as you can over 100 days. Of course, what happens inside won’t be so simple.”
With a murderous smile, he continued briskly.
“The tower has four entrances, each with a different difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, and… Hell.”
The word “Hell” made the cohort flinch reflexively.
Glasses Guy pressed on.
“The Hundred-Day Tower has nine floors total. Rewards depend, naturally, on the difficulty you choose and how high you reach in 100 days.”
Their eyes sparkled at the promise of better rewards for harder difficulties—expected.
Glasses Guy sneered and, unusually, launched into a lecture.
“You’ve survived a year and your confidence is swelling—I know that. So here’s my one piece of advice: don’t get cocky.”
“…”
“The higher the year—second, third, fourth, fifth—the less they get expelled for poor scores. So why do their numbers keep dwindling?”
“…?!”
Only two reasons a cohort’s numbers shrank in the Cradle.
Expulsion of low performers.
And… death.
Glasses Guy was warning them obliquely.
Higher-year quests meant higher death risks.
So if they valued their lives, don’t get greedy—choose difficulty wisely.
Realizing the grim warning, the 50th Cohort hardened their faces.
Satisfied with the sobered mood, Glasses Guy wrapped up.
“That’s the explanation. Figure out the details by clashing with it yourselves. But since it’s your first second-year quest… I’ll take one question, first come first served.”
In the year with Glasses Guy, this was the first time he’d offered questions.
The slightly surprised 50th Cohort turned serious.
One question.
A precious chance that could hugely impact the quest.
As some pondered what to ask—
Whoosh—
A snow-white hand shot up first and highest.
Glasses Guy looked surprised.
“…You’re the fastest. What is it, Yuri Holland?”
All eyes turned to Yuri.
Amid the attention, her voice came out flat.
“So, where’s the Hell difficulty entrance?”
“…”
A frigid silence blanketed the area the moment her nonchalant question ended.