Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: Passing the Bomb (2)
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A silver flash blazed, and the tent split clean in half with a rip.
Along with it came someone's scream.
“Argh! My teeeent?!”
The wail of the powerless, robbed of their nest, echoed through the air.
But that was just one noise among many.
Boom—.
Explosions rang out without end.
Ugh—!
Groans filled with agony everywhere.
Crack—rip—!
Sounds of things breaking and tearing.
It didn't take long for the once-peaceful third-year residential area to turn into ruins.
Yulia, who had watched the whole process from start to finish, could only stick out her tongue.
‘It's totally fucked.’
What had at least looked like a refugee camp was now unrecognizable.
49th Cohort members scattered and sprawled everywhere.
Among the shredded and collapsed tents, it would be faster to count the ones still usable.
And all this disaster caused by a single person.
In other words, seventy people had failed to stop one.
Yulia's gaze landed on the one who was rampaging madly, turning the surroundings into a wasteland.
‘Looks like the hellish training paid off pretty well. You're... even stronger.’
Just recently, everyone thought he was dead, but far from it—he'd come back stronger than ever.
His cohorts being swept away with a casual, playful flick of the wrist proved Yuri's power.
That fact put Yulia in a good mood.
‘My investment was spot on!’
She had predicted Yuri would become a master and decided on that bold investment.
Seeing his growth surpass her expectations like this, how could she not be thrilled?
‘So... just keep on growing like this, my Yuri!’
If he kept shooting up like that, he'd surely become the youngest master ever.
Yulia watched Yuri smack the back of a cohort's head smartly with his scabbard and smiled warmly.
But her smile didn't last.
“St-stop... just k-kill... guk!”
“Hm?”
Yuri, who had been grabbing a 49th Cohort member by the collar and shaking him down, spotted the smiling Yulia and walked over.
Yuri looked at Yulia, who stood there without fleeing, as if she were some curiosity.
“What're you doing?”
“Me? Just watching.”
“Watching your cohorts get beat?”
“More precisely, checking out how much stronger you've gotten.”
“Oh? Like that? Satisfied?”
“Of course!”
Yuri mirrored the pleased nod and warm smile on Yulia's face.
But the words that soon came from his mouth were the complete opposite of that smile.
“Then, done watching? Your turn.”
“...Huh?”
Yulia blinked, wondering if she'd misheard.
In the meantime, Yuri strode toward her.
Startled, Yulia backpedaled and shouted.
“W-wait a sec!”
Her panic clear, she waved both hands.
“Why're you doing this?!”
“Doing what?”
“Trying to... mess with me too?”
“Any reason I shouldn't?”
“Well, obviously, I'm your...!”
Before Yulia could finish, Yuri's figure vanished like a mirage.
At the same time, he appeared at her side like a ghost and whispered softly in her ear.
“What? 'Cause I'm your business partner?”
“Y-yeah!”
Yulia nodded vigorously at the low voice tickling her ear.
She was Yuri's business partner and investor.
That's why she believed Yuri wouldn't touch her even if he beat up everyone else—and that let her stay so relaxed.
But apparently, that was just her thinking.
Swoosh—.
Yuri vanished like a ghost once more.
This time, the whisper reached her other ear.
“Pfft, to be precise, not just any partner... a secret partner.”
“...!?”
Yulia's pupils shook.
A memory flashed through her mind.
[I'd like it to look like I'm only publicly joined to the Resident Council. Even if I join Bluebird.]
Yuri, who wanted to remain a secret member of Bluebird.
She was the one who'd approved that proposal—how could she forget?
As that memory resurfaced, Yuri's excited voice flowed into her ear amid her fluster.
“If I go easy on just you here... people'll get suspicious about us.”
“...”
“And if our secret partnership gets out, what then? So... forgive me for having to lay hands on you.”
“Th-that...!”
Yulia tried to protest something, but she clamped her mouth shut.
She realized it from Yuri's gleeful, mischievous eyes right in front of her.
‘He planned to do this from the start?!’
Secret partner or whatever bullshit.
No matter what, Yuri had no intention of sparing her.
“Ah...!”
A black shadow fell over Yulia's paling face.
And moments later.
Kyaaack!
A shrill scream rang out into the clear sky.
* * *
About an hour later.
The third-year residential area, now a barren wasteland with not even traces of its former self.
At the center of the ruins, the unconscious 49th Cohort members were piled up in layers.
And atop that pile, which looked like a mountain of corpses, sat Yuri.
“Hmm...”
Yuri surveyed the devastation he'd wrought and nodded.
“Not bad.”
Frankly, the 49th Cohort's overall skill was several levels below even the 50th.
That was because the 50th had grown terrifyingly under a year of Yuri's relentless beatings.
So scrapping with the 49th wasn't much training for Yuri.
Still, it seemed somewhat helpful.
‘Same bland taste across the board... but it's fresh and novel.’
A flavor totally different from what he ate every day.
And among the martial arts the 49th threw at him, some looked usable.
Usable enough to make his own.
‘Shouldn't get sick of it for a while.’
Yuri smirked faintly as he thought about his future plans.
Right then.
Grab—!
A right hand shot out from the corpse pile and seized Yuri's ankle.
A grumpy voice leaked from Yuri.
“If you don't wanna practice swordsmanship with your left hand starting tomorrow, you'd better let go.”
No sooner had the warning ended than the hand twitched and slithered back into the corpse pile.
In its place, a head poked out.
“What the hell's your problem doing this...! What'd we do wrong!”
The one who cautiously stuck out his head was none other than Jerry.
He glared at Yuri with furious yet wronged eyes as he asked.
Yuri shrugged.
“No real problem, and the 49th didn't do anything wrong?”
“Then why...?”
“Any rule saying the 50th Cohort can't enter the 49th's area?”
“...”
...There wasn't.
It was just that no sane junior ever thought to barge into their seniors' turf.
“Any rule saying the 50th can't jump the 49th?”
“...”
...That too.
The hierarchy between Cradle cohorts was an order built on strength to begin with.
Seniors got respect because they'd spent even one more year in the Cradle.
Because they could crush juniors with the power accumulated in that time.
So even with this mess, all the 49th could do was blame their own lack of strength.
“Haa...”
Unable to retort to Yuri's words, Jerry let out a long sigh and slowly tucked his head back into the corpse pile.
But then came Yuri's voice.
“Anyway, good work today. See you tomorrow.”
At those words, the corpse pile—no, the 49th Cohort faking unconsciousness—shuddered violently.
Jerry yanked his head back out in shock.
“T-tomorrow too?!”
“Yeah.”
“...Why?”
“Gotta train every day.”
“Tr-train?”
“Oh, didn't I mention? I came here to train? The 50th's gotten boring, so trying other folks.”
“...”
“So take good care of me for a while.”
Jerry muttered blankly at those words.
“This whole thing... was training?”
Beating the entire 49th Cohort like rats, turning their residential area into a wasteland—all just for training?
And for the foreseeable future... they'd have to keep seeing this bastard's face?
Realizing that, the 49th Cohort members trembled.
The corpse pile quaked like there was an earthquake.
The faces of those faking unconsciousness turned as pale as real corpses.
‘No, no way!’
Jerry screamed internally.
He knew.
That if this mad bastard said he'd do it, he'd really do it.
And unfortunately, the 49th had no power to stop this mad bastard.
They were just too weak.
‘In that case...’
A glint of grim resolve entered Jerry's despair-filled eyes.
Grab—!
He reached out and clutched Yuri's pant leg.
An intensely serious voice came from him.
“This... is unfair treatment.”
“Unfair? How?”
“If this lowly body can be used for Your Highness's training, it's our cohort's honor. However!”
“...?”
“Having this honor all to ourselves! It's utterly unjust! If the others find out, they'll surely be most disappointed!”
“Yeah?”
“Indeed, Your Highness!”
Yuri couldn't help chuckling at the resounding cry.
As if he didn't know what Jerry was getting at.
‘Well... might as well play along.’
Dealing with just the 49th had only lightly loosened him up at best.
It was barely just past noon.
Plenty of time left—ending now would be a shame.
So Yuri asked in a playful tone.
“Haha, very well. Then tell me. Who do you want to share this honor with?”
Jerry answered without hesitation.
“The group staying over there to the east would be perfect!”
His voice carried some intense longing.
Yuri nodded and lightly sprang to his feet.
“Is that so? Very well, I'll grant your request.”
“I am most grateful!”
“Sure.”
Yuri waved off Jerry's thanks casually, clasped his hands behind his back, and strolled off.
And so the whirlwind disaster departed.
“Heh heh heh.”
A mad laugh leaked from the corpse pile.
Followed by a chilling voice.
“...Fuck, yeah... let's die.”
The 49th Cohort was weak, so they had no choice but to take it.
Everyone in the 49th, Jerry included, knew that.
‘But what if the opponent is Yuri Holland? That mad bastard?’
Then the weak ones wouldn't just be them.
In front of that ‘demon bastard,’ everyone was an equal weakling.
So...
“Let's all die togetherrrr!”
They couldn't die alone.
That'd be too unfair, right?
“Pfft heh!”
“Heh heh heh.”
The other 49th Cohort members joined Jerry's maniacal laugh with snickers of their own.
And so the bomb Jerry had passed began rolling eastward.
* * *
The eastern side of the circular arena.
While the first- and second-years camped in the woods.
And the third-years lived in tents like refugees.
Come the fourth year, treatment changed drastically, as if to compensate all at once for the past three years of hardship.
No more tents—instead, a massive building housing two hundred, complete with private rooms, however small.
Meals served three times a day, actual cooking instead of rations at set times, and even personal training rooms.
The gap between first- through third-years and fourth-years was indescribable.
It was the Cradle's consideration and privilege, granted only to cohorts that survived three years unscathed.
Thanks to that, the 48th Cohort, now in their fourth year, enjoyed the most comfortable days since entering the Cradle.
But that didn't mean the 48th were just lounging around.
The past three years in the Cradle.
To waste that time they'd clung to through fierce competition would be a shame.
Less time left than spent—falling behind now was out of the question.
So the 48th poured every moment once used for survival fully into training.
That's why their residential area—the fourth-year dorm—was deathly quiet, as if no one lived there.
That overly peaceful dorm saw an incident around 1 p.m.
Baaam—!
A massive explosion blew the front door off its hinges.
“Eek!”
“Ugh?!”
Roop and Yerun Crave, the siblings passing by right then, urgently dodged the flying door shards.
Once they did, the siblings looked toward the entrance with wide eyes.
Step—.
One person appeared, backlit.
Meanwhile, the 48th Cohort members emerged one after another, startled by the door's explosive crash.
“What the—?”
“Who the hell is that!”
“Damn it! Let us live in peace!”
“You think you're the only ones training? Have some consideration for your roommates!”
The highly strung 48th were annoyed at having their personal training interrupted, faces full of irritation.
Soon, the intruder who broke the silence shoved his hands in his pockets and swaggered into the dorm.
The siblings, who saw his face first, paled and cried out.
“You?”
“You?!”
A shrill shout.
Yuri yelled back at the siblings' shocked welcome in a booming voice.
A shout completely out of left field.
“Fiiight tiiiime, play tiiiime!”
----Play tiiiime—!
His hyped-up voice rode the mana, echoing thunderously through the dorm.