Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Stimulation (1)
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After the first sparring match ended, Yuri plopped down right there on the training ground floor.
In front of him, Teresia began her practice.
Shuk-.
A very simple thrust.
As if to say anyone could watch this without issue, she dove straight into her training.
It was just thrusting practice, after all, so it really wasn't anything special to see.
He watched Teresia repeat her spear thrusts right in front of him with keen interest and asked,
"Tess senior, what was that? That pure white trajectory thrust."
Even as Yuri asked, Teresia didn't stop her thrusting and replied,
"Drunk Star."
"Drunk Star..."
"And what was that weird thing of yours?"
"Weird thing?"
"Wind? Barrier? Not sure what it was, but for that instant, it felt like the space around you twisted."
At Teresia's words, Yuri's eyes lit up with interest.
'Is that how it feels to the opponent caught in my Demon Flow?'
Since he was the one deploying the Demon Flow, he had no way of knowing what the attacker experienced.
In response to Teresia's question, Yuri answered in a calm voice.
"Demon Flow."
"Demon Flow..."
Teresia mulled over the words Demon Flow.
And that was it.
She soon lost interest in Yuri and stared only at the tip of her spear.
As if projecting herself entirely into that single spear.
Watching her, Yuri fell into thought as well.
'There was definitely nothing wrong with the Demon Flow I deployed.'
Even so, Teresia's Drunk Star had pierced right through it.
He still didn't know how that was possible.
But if they kept sparring steadily from now on, he'd surely uncover the reason.
At first, it had just been sparring for the 10,000 points.
But since he was gaining more from it than expected, Yuri was enjoying himself.
'Points and experience, both.'
Was there anything more beneficial in the world?
Yuri stood up and looked at Teresia.
Whether he was there or not, she was immersed in her training.
She had already entered perfect concentration, repeating the same thrust over and over in the exact same stance.
Observing her intently, Yuri couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of admiration.
'Clean.'
It looked like a simple thrust anyone with a spear could do, but Teresia's felt different somehow.
Even after countless repetitions, the path never deviated.
The power distribution in each thrust was perfectly consistent too.
Just from that stance, you could tell how many times she had repeated it.
Mindful not to disturb his new neighbor Teresia's focus, Yuri quietly slipped out of the training ground.
He arrived at his new cave—the place that would now be his home—and looked around.
'How should I decorate this place?'
Excited at the thought of turning the empty space into his own, Yuri grinned.
'For now, let's head outside.'
Since he'd be living here from now on, it wouldn't hurt to memorize the surrounding terrain perfectly.
Plus, he could scout for dinner while he was at it.
With that decided, Yuri swiftly exited the rift.
Even after he left, the sound of air being pierced continued leaking from the training ground.
Shik- shik- shik-.
For quite a while.
* * *
Monday dawn.
"Ughhh-."
Yuri stretched with a short groan as he woke.
His cave had changed a lot since yesterday.
A wooden door covering the entrance.
And a simple wooden bed to match.
For things made in just one day, they were impressively solid.
It was a moment where his handiwork, honed from years of wandering, truly shone.
But Yuri wasn't particularly satisfied with any of it.
'One night can pass in a pinch like this, but after attending roll call today, I'll get to properly furnishing it.'
He had a lot to do.
Traps to prevent outside intruders first.
A proper bed, not this makeshift one.
Ventilation, exhaust systems, a bonfire stove, and so on.
Since he'd be living here long-term, Yuri planned to equip everything properly.
'I'll need torches too, but getting oil isn't easy.'
He didn't like the smell of burning oil torches anyway.
But light was essential in a dark cave.
Without hesitation, Yuri chose the next best option.
"Poriza."
The training cave he'd seen yesterday.
The dozens of glowing stones embedded in the ceiling of that so-called training ground danced in his mind.
'Taking one won't make much difference there.'
It was too risky to pry one from the circular arena, so he planned to snag one from the training cave.
And once decided, action was immediate.
'Plenty of time before roll call, so let's go now.'
Yuri quietly crept out of his dwelling and headed to the training ground.
He planned to sneak one out before Teresia showed up.
But his plan went awry from the start.
Saeak-.
The first thing to greet him at the training ground entrance was the sound of air ripping.
Then thick sweat stench and heat washed over him.
"Huh?"
As Yuri entered the training ground, Teresia was already there, thrusting her spear.
Shek- shek-.
Repeating thrusts in the exact same stance as yesterday.
She seemed oblivious to Yuri's arrival, fixated solely on her spear tip.
Yuri glanced at her.
'Just how long has she been at it?'
Her clothes clung to her body, soaked in sweat, making it impossible to tell.
The ground under her feet was darkened and wet from her sweat.
Steam rose thickly from her body in the cold air.
Shek- shek-.
'I'll have to come back later.'
Seeing she showed no sign of breaking concentration, Yuri turned to leave.
* * *
With his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, Yuri strolled leisurely down the forest path.
Unlike the frantic rush yesterday, his steps were full of ease.
Basking in the clear sunlight, Yuri smiled contentedly.
"Ha, feels refreshing."
The weather was clear today, so even in winter, the sunshine felt warm.
If not for the first regular roll call, he'd want to lounge and sunbathe slowly.
'Maybe I can afford that kind of leisure once in a while?'
His heart fluttered a bit at the word "leisure."
But as the forest path ended, the northern clocktower came into view in the distance.
'Right on time.'
The clock read 8:50.
Yuri muttered under his breath.
"Guess I should get a watch."
His internal clock was pretty accurate, but not as good as a real one.
Time seemed pretty important in the Cradle, so he couldn't rely on his body clock forever.
'Outside, I couldn't afford luxuries like watches, so I just lived without.'
But this was the Cradle.
A place where you could buy what you wanted with points, not money.
With enough points, a watch should be doable.
The question was whether the shop even sold them...
'They probably don't stock anything but basic necessities, so I'll aim for a special sale.'
Lost in those thoughts, Yuri reached the clocktower area.
Given the time, tons of 50th Cohort members were already there.
Wungseong wungseong-.
The atmosphere among the 50th Cohort, gathered after days apart, was chaotic.
It couldn't be helped.
All the Cradle had told them was about points and to fend for themselves.
With such a lack of info, the 50th Cohort—who'd been here less than a week—still hadn't grasped the situation fully.
So they clustered by pre-existing bonds from the Black Line or familiar faces, exchanging whatever info they'd scraped together.
But that was just ragtag gossip, not particularly useful.
Anyone with real valuable intel kept their mouths shut, gauging the crowd.
And amid that slightly bazaar-like vibe, Yuri appeared.
The 50th Cohort's reactions split into two.
"So anyway..."
"Oh, that..."
Those who kept chatting, ignoring Yuri entirely.
They were the 260 or so nobodies who'd passed out the moment the Hundred Steps rite began, unconcerned with Yuri.
"...That's the guy, right?"
"Is that him?"
"Looks like it? The black-haired one."
Those who stopped what they were doing and turned to stare the second Yuri showed.
They were the thirty or so who'd clearly registered Yuri's presence as he outpaced them in the Hundred Steps rite.
Thus, Yuri's entrance divided the 299 into exactly two groups.
Those who knew of him and those who didn't.
Of course, not one knew his name.
Everyone had passed out before he even told the Sword Lord.
Even those aware of him just called him "that black-haired guy."
Meanwhile, Yuri pushed through the crowd to the front row, heedless of the whispers.
Soon, a familiar presence attached itself to his back.
"Hungry!"
Yuri smirked at the familiar voice.
His mood must really be good today.
Even this guy's voice sounded welcoming.
He half-turned, then flinched.
He blinked.
"You... what the hell happened to you?"
What the heck had Boppi been up to? He was filthy.
Rotten leaves stuck all over his clothes, plus what looked like animal fur.
"Hungry..."
Scratching the back of his head, Boppi plopped down next to Yuri.
Then another voice made Boppi's shoulders twitch.
"That guy's been looking all over for you these past few days."
This time, it was Arin who appeared.
Yuri turned toward the voice, his face hardening again.
"And what's your excuse for looking like that?"
Arin's state matched Boppi's.
Filthy, covered in weird animal fur.
As if they'd roamed the exact same spots.
Yuri narrowed his eyes.
"...Don't tell me you were looking for me too?"
Arin brushed fur and leaves off her shoulder and replied.
"Nope."
"That's a relief..."
"I was chasing him."
"..."
Arin nodded toward Boppi.
Yuri looked puzzled.
'When did you two get so chummy?'
...He swallowed those words, seeing Boppi urgently ducking behind him.
"H-Hungry..."
Huddled behind Yuri, peeking at Arin over his shoulder.
Yuri asked Arin, bemused by the extreme wariness anyone could see.
"Why were you chasing him?"
"He's fascinating."
"...Right."
He regretted asking a weirdo a normal question.
But her next words made his eyes widen like saucers.
"First time I've seen a Yum in my life."
"...Yum?"
"Yeah? What, you didn't know?"
"..."
"He's a Yum."
"..."
Yuri's head whipped around to Boppi.
His eyes said it all.
*You serious?*
*Why didn't you say so!*
Boppi tilted his head at the look.
"Hungry?"
As if *you* were the one out of the loop.
Those innocent eyes—like everyone else knew but you—deflated Yuri completely.
"Yeah, sure, just me out of the loop."
As Yuri's lips twisted sourly, Arin cut in.
"You can tell he's a Yum at a glance, right? Who else has that build? Even if they do, it's rare."
"...Got it. It's all that bear-like old man's and grandson's fault."
Ralph and Muchi, normal guys with freakishly huge builds!
They'd arbitrarily raised the bar for "normal" people.
As Yuri's lips pursed again.
Thud-.
9:00 sharp.
Right on the announced roll call time, the Black Sword Soldiers stormed in.