Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Multi-Level (1)
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As Yuri had predicted, the Black Sword Soldiers who had scattered throughout the Forest of Beginnings handed out pouches to every single reserve rider.
A few among them realized the meaning of the item right away, just like Yuri had, while several others racked their brains trying to figure it out.
But the vast majority of reserve riders didn't give it much thought.
No, to be precise, they didn't have the mental bandwidth to think about anything else.
And so, a day passed since the pouches had been distributed...
At the edge of the forest.
A boy was staggering down a snow-covered forest path.
"I can't... I just can't... hold on anymore."
His hair was matted with sweat, grease, and water.
His cheeks were sunken in, with dark hollows under his eyes.
His face was ashen and flaky, his lips cracked and rough.
And as if to show what he'd been through in just over ten days, his clothes were riddled with holes.
He looked worse than a beggar—truly pitiful.
It was a sight even more wretched than Yuri's had been when he first boarded the Black Ship.
Of course, the boy hadn't started out like this.
Before the exam began, he'd been strutting around like any spoiled rich kid.
But after wandering endlessly through the forest, he'd ended up in this horrific state after a mere eleven days.
"Stomach... so hun... gry..."
With his pupils half-dilated, the boy dragged his unsteady body forward with great effort.
The place he was heading was none other than the clearing where the exam had begun.
"The... bell..."
His dazed body moved like a zombie, driven solely by the goal of ringing the bell.
Yet a flood of different thoughts swirled in the boy's mind.
*I'm hungry.*
*I want to sleep.*
*I want to lie down somewhere warm.*
*I want to go home,* and so on.
But above all, what filled his head was a defense mechanism rationalizing his surrender.
*I've done enough.*
*I didn't shell out all that money just to take some half-assed exam like this. Something's gotta be wrong with this!*
*Someone's already rung the bell anyway, right?*
*Yeah! I've lasted pretty long as it is.*
*For the Cradle's exam, this is actually pretty good, right?*
The boy kept justifying himself to himself as he trudged along the path.
At the forest's edge, he paused just short of the spot where the bell stood.
A flicker of life returned to his eyes, now shaking wildly.
*Is this... really it? Is this really the end?*
That was the last thread of rationality left in him.
But the rational conflict was all too brief.
Having already reached the end of his self-justifications, the boy just wanted to escape this godforsaken forest as quickly as possible.
"...Yeah. Let's go! I've done enough!"
The boy muttered softly to himself and stepped forward.
Just as he was about to exit the forest.
"Nah, come on, that's not it."
A sudden voice grabbed his foot and held it in place.
"...?!"
Alertness flashed into the boy's hazy eyes, restoring their light.
He might have been weak-willed, but he was still a prodigy who'd made it into the Cradle.
The boy swiftly drew his sword and pointed it toward the source of the voice.
His eyes widened slightly at what the blade was aimed at.
"...You?"
There stood a single person.
A boy with long, unkempt black hair covering half his face.
The owner of the voice, squatting sloppily next to a thick tree trunk.
It was none other than Yuri.
"You, who the hell are you?!"
Yuri was fairly well-known within the Black Ship, but after ten days looking even cleaner than before, the boy didn't recognize him.
Meanwhile, Yuri paid no mind to the wary glare directed at him.
With an utterly relaxed expression, he wagged his index finger side to side.
"Tsk tsk, that's not how it's done, my friend."
"...?"
"You look like a donation admit, right off the bat."
"So what?"
"The donation fee ain't pocket change, you know. You shelled out all that cash, and you're gonna quit after just this much?"
As Yuri dragged the fact the boy had been ignoring back into the light, the boy's pupils shook violently.
He shouted desperately.
"Whether I quit or not is none of your damn business!"
The boy vented his anger and frustration, but Yuri remained utterly calm.
"None of my business? Of course it is. See, I just can't walk past someone who's struggling and pitiful—I'm a suuuuper compassionate soul like that."
"...?"
"What I'm saying is! This fine body of mine will help you out! ...Right here!"
"Help... me? You?"
Disbelief filled the boy's eyes.
And understandably so—the vibe from this random guy who appeared out of nowhere was extremely shady.
The boy wouldn't claim to be great at reading people, but this dude looked like he was miles away from anything like volunteering.
Who would believe it when a guy like that said he'd help?
Yuri gave the boy a look that said he totally got it.
"Man, as expected from a rich kid—early education done right, huh? Yeah, that's it! If some sketchy guy offers you candy and tells you to follow, you gotta suspect him first, right? Of course! But don't worry. I'm not a sketchy guy."
"...You look extremely sketchy right now?"
"Alright, before we get into the real talk, let's see here..."
*This punk just ignored what I said?*
*Did he?*
The boy's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
In the meantime, Yuri let out an old-man grunt and slipped his hand behind the tree trunk.
Then he started rummaging around like he was looking for something.
"H-Hey, don't move!"
Yuri's sudden action put the boy even more on guard, poised to lunge at any second.
But the item that emerged from behind the trunk soon made that caution seem unfounded.
"Huh? That's...?!"
What Yuri pulled out from behind the tree trunk.
It was a well-roasted tuber the size of his finger.
"Ow, hot hot."
Yuri carefully peeled off the still-steaming tuber skin.
Shh shh.
Hot steam rose gently, revealing bright yellow flesh inside.
"Ah..."
For the boy who'd eaten nothing but cold snow and reluctantly chewed pine needles over the past ten days, the warm tuber was nothing short of the devil's temptation.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from the tuber as Yuri peeled it.
Saliva pooling in his mouth was only natural.
*Gulp.*
He'd eaten one once before, but hadn't given them a second thought since.
But now, even the white steam rising from the tuber looked delicious.
*Gulp gulp.*
Yuri smirked as he watched the boy frantically swallowing.
He beckoned the boy over with the tuber.
"Come on, come here and try a bite."
A sketchy guy was luring him over by waving food around.
According to everything he'd learned as a kid, he absolutely shouldn't follow.
But the boy's body moved toward Yuri's gesture as if entranced.
Step by step.
One step, two steps, three.
Finally reaching Yuri, the boy asked without taking his eyes off the tuber.
"Y-You're... giving this to me?"
"You bet! Eat it before it cools!"
The boy could no longer hold onto his suspicions as the bright yellow tuber flesh dangled right in front of him.
*Y-Yeah... if it cools... it can't cool!*
Instead, the only thought circling his mind was that he had to eat the perfectly ripe tuber before it got cold.
The boy took the tuber with trembling hands.
*Gulp.*
He quickly swallowed the saliva filling his mouth and slowly brought it to his lips.
Sliiiide.
And at last, he bit into the tuber.
The warm, soft tuber spread through his mouth.
At the same time, a storm of flavor assaulted his taste buds and crashed into his brain.
*Boom!*
The boy felt a thunderous impact.
*Th-this flavor?!*
Tubers weren't particularly sweet to begin with.
But the boy's brain, starved for over ten days and numb to bold flavors, amplified the tuber's sweetness to extreme heights.
At the same time, he was certain.
*This is heavenly sweetness!*
It was truly exquisite.
*Drip.*
So moved was he that a single tear rolled down the boy's cheek.
But that感動 didn't last long.
"Ahh..."
What Yuri had given him was just a finger-sized tuber.
The roasted tuber melted away in his mouth and slid down his throat all too quickly.
Snapping out of his euphoric haze, the boy looked at Yuri with desperate eyes.
"M-More? No more?"
"Want more?"
*Nod nod.*
The boy nodded vigorously.
Yuri grinned and this time pulled a roasted tuber from his pants pocket.
How it got there didn't matter to the boy at all.
He was just thrilled that this tuber was at least five times bigger than the first.
"C-Come on!"
The boy flailed his arms toward the tuber.
But it didn't land in his grasp.
Because Yuri was dodging his hands, waving the tuber around teasingly.
"What the hell!"
"Whoa there, buddy, no conscience at all?"
"...What?"
"That first one was a free sample. This one's for sale."
"For sale?"
Confusion flickered in the boy's eyes.
Yuri's mouth immediately started running.
"Come on, think about it! In this freezing cold! I risked life and limb collecting these tubers!"
*Yeah, I worked my ass off gathering them, half-dead.*
"And perfectly cooked like this!"
*Burned a bit 'cause I dozed off while roasting.*
"You're gonna eat it for free? If you've got any conscience, you can't do that."
Something felt off, but with his senses overwhelmed by the long-lost sweetness, the boy couldn't think straight.
"Th-Then?"
"You're my first customer since I started my little business, so I'll waive material costs and just charge for labor."
"...I got no money?"
Not just the boy—everyone had surrendered their possessions from society the moment they boarded the Black Ship.
The Cradle had taken all their clothes and money, save for a few important accessories.
*'Accessories...?*
The thought hit him, and the boy's eyes widened.
"N-No way! You can't have this!"
He cupped the ring on his finger and stepped back.
*'No matter how hungry I am, I can't trade the family crest for some stupid tuber!'*
As the boy regained a shred of rationality and bristled with caution, Yuri shrugged.
"Ah, sure, I'd love to have that too, but..."
Brushing aside his slip of true intent, Yuri got to his real point.
"Forget that. Didn't you get something from a Black Sword Soldier yesterday?"
"From a Black Sword Soldier?"
The boy blinked, recalling yesterday.
*'Oh, right...*
A Black Sword Soldier had come by while he was suffering from hunger, exhaustion, and cold.
*'The thing I got then...*
Clink.
The boy pulled a small cloth pouch from his pants pocket.
"This?"
Yuri's eyes gleamed at the sight.
*'Jackpot!'*
Yuri was now certain his guess had been right.
*'Even a nobody like this punk got a pouch... means every reserve rider got one.'*
A faint smile crossed Yuri's lips as he shook the roasted tuber.
"Yeah, that. Let's trade it for this tuber."
"What do you even want it for? It's just some weird silver coins."
Yuri dodged the question and shook the tuber.
"So, wanna trade? Not wanna? The longer you think, the colder it gets."
"N-No, can't let that happen!"
Panic filled the boy's eyes.
It wasn't his family crest—just some weird silver coins. He could trade those for a tuber any day.
The boy hurriedly handed over the pouch and reached for the tuber.
This time, Yuri didn't dodge.
They swiftly swapped items. The boy blew on the tuber to cool it, peeled the skin, and carefully took a big bite.
Chomp.
"Ahh..."
While the boy was lost in the flavor filling his mouth, Yuri opened the pouch.
Clink.
Sure enough, it contained silver coins with holes in them.
The shape and engravings matched, and there seemed to be ten of them.
*Hmm...?*
But not everything was the same.