Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Leather Gathering (1)
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As Yuri looked like he was about to try the Strong Blade, Theresia shook her head slightly.
“If it’s your first time, it won’t be easy. Some people even struggle just to sense the wavelength.”
Not to mention, it took even longer to attune and match that wavelength.
That’s why those who had trained in mana arts since childhood only succeeded in manifesting the Strong Blade upon reaching Certified 1st Dan.
But despite her explanation, Yuri didn’t seem to hear a word of it. He just kept holding his sword, focusing intently.
Theresia let out a small sigh.
“It’s impossible right now. Just finding the two wavelengths takes at least a few weeks. Even for me, it took longer than I expected…”
At that moment.
Woooong—.
A faint vibration hummed as Yuri’s beloved sword, Whitey, became enveloped in a transparent sheen.
That wasn’t all.
Crackle—.
Thin currents of electricity rippled along the pristine white blade.
Yuri opened his eyes, saw it, and grinned ear to ear.
“Agoo, Whitey looks even prettier now?”
He gazed at his beloved sword fondly, then turned to Theresia.
“What did you say just now?”
“……”
Watching Yuri innocently tilt his head, Theresia muttered under her breath.
“…What a jerk.”
All geniuses should just drop dead.
Theresia glared at Yuri’s sword.
The transparent sheen and blue currents on the blade.
It was clear proof that the Strong Blade had manifested.
Finally unable to hold back, she asked.
“…Be honest.”
“With what?”
“You… you already knew how to do it, didn’t you?”
“Do what?”
“The Strong Blade!”
“What are you talking about? I just heard about it today.”
“Then… how……”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
‘Does this even make sense?’
Normally, it took months to find the wavelength, and years to tune and match it.
Even with innate talent, it would take at least one or two years.
She herself had started young and only manifested it recently.
And he did it after hearing about it once?
No matter how much of a genius he was, did this make any sense?
Whether Theresia was bewildered or not.
Yuri pressed her for what he wanted to hear.
“So, what about the rest? Refined Blade, Flame Blade, Demon Blade?”
“Sigh, those are……”
Theresia sighed away her frustration and explained the rest.
At 90% wavelength match, it glows like metal heated in fire—hence Refined Blade.
Pushing to 95%, mana erupts outward like flames—Flame Blade.
And at 99% match.
The flickering external mana flames turn into a thin, semi-transparent membrane that fully envelops the weapon.
People called this the Demon realm.
Yuri nodded at her explanation.
“So it all depends on how well you match the wavelengths.”
“Right. They say that as the realms advance, even raising that match by 1% can take years……”
Theresia’s gaze toward Yuri was filled with the thought, ‘No way, not again?’
Just then, as Yuri raised his sword again, Theresia grabbed his wrist.
“Wait!”
“Why?”
“You were about to try the Refined Blade just now, weren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Do it later… when I’m not around.”
If you succeed at the Refined Blade right here, I… might not be able to handle it.
Theresia couldn’t voice the latter part.
Yuri roughly got the vibe and sheathed his sword.
Instead, he asked a question.
“Then what about 100%? What happens at 100% match?”
“From 99% to 100%... filling that last 1% causes a resonance. The weapon gets wrapped in deep, intense mana light……”
“…And?”
“They call it the Holy realm.”
“Oh, Holy Blade! It’s the Holy Blade!”
“…Yeah. And for reference, the Holy realm is Certified 6th Dan.”
Demon Blade was Certified 4th Dan, and Holy Blade was 6th.
That showed just how grueling it was to bridge that mere 1% gap between 99% and 100%.
The moment he heard that, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.
‘Alright, one year from now… let’s aim for Holy Blade.’
Johan’s assignment was to reach Demon Blade in a year.
But Yuri set his sights higher on his own.
The reason was simple.
‘You always aim big so even if you fall short, you still get more than half.’
Aiming for Certified 6th Dan Holy Blade meant he’d at least hit 3rd or 4th even if he failed.
…That was the straightforward logic.
And there was one even simpler reason.
‘Holy Blade just sounds cooler than Demon Blade, right?’
The name alone made it seem bigger and stronger.
It was a miracle Theresia didn’t hear that idiotic reasoning right in front of her.
* * *
Time flew by.
Day after day, Yuri and Theresia sparred repeatedly.
Outside those sessions, they both dove into personal training as if on cue.
Yuri, stimulated by Theresia’s dedication to training.
He too devoted most of his day to it.
And that, in turn, spurred Theresia.
‘Why is he working so hard?’
Theresia couldn’t comprehend Yuri’s training. She had no idea it was all because of her.
No one knew Yuri’s growth better than Theresia, who sparred with him daily.
Day by day, he showed up with skills beyond yesterday’s.
Plus, manifesting Strong Blade in one go.
It was clearly something she could never catch up to.
And with such amazing talent……
‘Shouldn’t he take it a bit easier?’
Why was he working so relentlessly?
Did he never think about the one chasing him?
What about the person left behind if he charged ahead like that?
With those thoughts.
The gap in talent between her and Yuri.
And seeing him endlessly honing that talent without rest.
Theresia gritted her teeth.
And as always, she picked up her spear.
‘Yeah, I already knew, right? He’s different from me anyway. Yuri Holland’s talent… is beyond me.’
So she just had to work harder.
If Yuri Holland put in 10 units of effort, she’d do 20.
No matter what, more than him!
Swoosh—!
Whoosh—!
In the training grounds, Yuri and Theresia trained like they were in a competition.
They practiced secret techniques they couldn’t show in their own rooms, but did basic drills together.
Naturally, their lifestyles synced up, and they started eating together more.
Well, precisely, Theresia would show up at Yuri’s place at mealtimes.
Knock knock—.
Yuri rushed to the wooden door at the sound, flung it open wide, and bowed.
“Welcome!”
He extended a hand slightly, gesturing inside.
“Please, have a seat wherever’s comfy.”
He said comfy spot, but there was only one place to sit.
In Yuri’s dwelling, a wooden table and chair in one corner.
Theresia, now used to Yuri’s theatrics, sat at the table without reaction.
Yuri approached with a smile in his eyes.
“Thank you for visiting Yuri Holland’s Restaurant today. Back again, customer?”
Clack—.
Yuri set down a wooden plate, bowl, spoon, and chopsticks in front of Theresia.
“If chopsticks are inconvenient, I can switch to a fork.”
“No thanks. I’m used to them now.”
“Then allow me to introduce today’s menu. Ahem—.”
Clearing his throat lightly, Yuri spoke clearly.
“By sheer luck, we got fresh river fish and crayfish today. So the menu is river fish and crayfish stew and grill, boiled with spices.”
He beamed and held out his hand.
“As always, payment upfront.”
Theresia handed over the points to Yuri’s palm without complaint.
Clink—.
That was a whopping 2,000 points.
Once paid, Yuri got busy again.
“Please wait just a moment. Dinner will be served shortly!”
Yuri scurried off.
While he rustled around in the corner, Theresia looked around.
‘He really has impressive handiwork.’
A sturdy-looking stone bed in one corner of the cave.
The chair and table she sat at, shelves, and more.
Yuri-made items were everywhere.
One day, curiosity got the better of her—no tools, no nothing, how?—so she asked.
‘The bed shape is weird? Oh, it’s an ondol system. Light a fire here, and the stone bed warms up.’
‘This table and chair? No big deal. Just assemble it. Learned it as a kid.’
…Came the reply.
‘As a kid, younger than now? When exactly?’
The question arose, but she didn’t voice it.
Yuri’s dwelling held more surprises.
Theresia looked at the center.
A small wooden box there leaked light, softly illuminating the cave.
It was a lamp made from the glowstone Yuri had swiped.
Simple principle.
Drill a small hole in the wooden box and cover it to control the light.
Thanks to it, Yuri’s place was bright without campfire or torch, and he could turn it on and off anytime.
Theresia had been furious when she learned he’d pried off a training ground glowstone.
But when he made an identical one, its convenience quelled her anger.
Though it left two empty spots in the training grounds.
Her gaze swept the center, then shifted to the storage nook attached to the dwelling.
She glanced inside.
‘…It’s grown even more.’
The shelves in the small cave Yuri used as storage were piling up with goods.
Herbs, spices.
Raw meat, smoked meat, etc.
In just days, Yuri’s stockpile had swelled.
Theresia clicked her tongue.
‘Does he even sleep?’
He spent most days sparring and training with her.
Yet every visit, something new appeared.
When did he make and gather all this? She wondered.
Then Yuri returned with a large wooden tray laden with food.
Clatter—.
The feast covering the table drew a small sigh from Theresia.
“Ah……”
This was it.
Real food!
‘2,000 points is worth every bit.’
She meant it sincerely.
For the past year, she’d survived on rations.
Focused solely on training, suppressing all other desires.
But Yuri awakened her dormant appetite with proper meals.
Rations cost 1,000 points per day’s worth, so 2,000 for one meal seemed excessive.
But one look at the dishes melted those thoughts away.
“Please, dig in.”
“……”
She peered into the bowl Yuri handed her.
Thick white broth with fish, crayfish meat, and hints of spices floating.
The sweet-spicy aroma hooked her; she couldn’t resist grabbing a spoon.
She carefully scooped fish and broth to her mouth.
Then.
Boom!
A fireworks burst of flavor exploded in her mouth.
“…Delicious.”
Yuri Holland’s craftsmanship was impressive, but his cooking was on another level.
How did he coax such taste from these humble ingredients?
She devoured the broth, fish, crayfish grill in short order.
Yuri watched contentedly, then sat and ate his share.
Yuri savored the unsugared fish, sweeter than honey.
‘Ah, the sweetness of this side hustle… too sweet to handle.’
Just prep one extra serving while making his own, and pocket 2,000 points per meal.
What could be sweeter?
Intoxicated by it, Yuri wolfed down his portion.
Clatter clatter—.
No conversation, just the clink of utensils.
The short but intense mealtime ended.
“…Thanks for the meal.”
“No problem at all. Come again!”
“I will.”
Theresia nodded.
Her full belly brought some leisure; her eyes caught the large stone pot by the hearth.
“I’ve wondered since last time—where’d that stone pot come from?”
The black-gloss pot was nearly torso-sized.
Heat-resistant, incredibly durable.
The issue was how he’d carved such tough stone so precisely.
“Oh, that?”
Yuri grinned at her question.
“No biggie. It was a gift.”
“A gift? From who? Who’d give you a gift?”
“…Was that a jab at me having no friends?”
“……”
Theresia turned away, dodging the answer.
Yuri rolled his eyes.
‘Tch, sharp as ever……’
Her words stung inwardly.
Truth was, Johan hadn’t gifted the pot—Yuri had made it reluctantly after back pain complaints.
‘Bragged like crazy after a few sword cuts.’
Carving stone into a pot with swordsmanship wasn’t “just cuts,” of course.
Shaking off Johan’s smug face from memory.
Yuri turned to Theresia, who still avoided his gaze, and brought up what he wanted to ask.
“More importantly, about the next sparring fee.”
“Next spar?”
“Yeah. For the next one, I want info I choose.”
Until now, Yuri had taken any info Theresia offered at a flat 10,000 points.
This was the first time he’d requested specific info.
Theresia’s eyes lit with interest.
“What do you want to know?”
“Nothing major. Do you know what the first integrated quest for first-years is? It’s tomorrow, so good to know ahead.”
At the question, Theresia flinched—her shoulders twitched.
But she quickly regained composure and answered flatly.
“The first-years’ first integrated quest… probably Leather Gathering.”
Theresia’s voice trailed off softly at the end.
Yuri’s head tilted at her reply.
“Leather Gathering?”