Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Gathering Leather (2)
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January 20th, morning.
A small backpack hung from Yuri's shoulder as he stepped out of the shop inside the circular arena.
His expression wasn't particularly good.
‘Hah… such an unnecessary expense. My stomach's churning.’
Over 10,000 points had been spent in a completely unexpected place.
It was the largest expenditure since becoming an official knight.
And the reason Yuri's expression wasn't good wasn't just because of the unnecessary spending.
His brow furrowed in dissatisfaction.
‘The reaction feels all off somehow.’
The day before, Yuri had tried to get information from Theresia about this integrated quest.
But.
[That's all I can tell you. The first-year first integrated quest is Leather Gathering.]
Theresia said only that and refused to share more.
She kept hesitating.
Her attitude was strangely reluctant to leak any information.
When Yuri said that wasn't worth 10,000 points, only then...
[You're self-sufficient, I know, but you should still stock up on plenty of rations. About ten days' worth.]
...did she spit out that additional info.
Accordingly, Yuri had spent a whopping 10,000 points plus a bit more to buy ten days' worth of rations and a backpack.
Even after that, Yuri tried to get more information, but Theresia fled back to her quarters.
It was a reaction that made no sense at all.
Thanks to that, Yuri felt strangely uneasy.
‘Leather Gathering...’
Judging by the name, it was probably a quest to hunt some animal and collect its hide.
Plus Theresia's additional info to prepare ten days' rations even if self-sufficient.
From that, he could infer a few situations.
‘The quest will likely run for ten days.’
And the schedule would be so tight that he couldn't self-sustain food.
That's why Theresia told him to buy ten days' rations.
‘Maybe they'll lock us somewhere like the Forest of Beginnings.’
It was plenty plausible.
And the second point.
This was the most important.
‘If this quest is a ten-day affair... then right after it ends, it's the end-of-month evaluation.’
In other words, this quest would determine the January end-of-month evaluation.
Starting today and running a tight ten-day schedule meant no time for other quests to earn points.
With that thought, Yuri exited the circular arena.
Then he flinched and stopped at the sight before him.
It definitely hadn't been like this before he entered the arena.
‘What, what is this?’
The 50th Cohort cadets had gathered as assembly time approached.
But looking at their states, no fitting description came to mind easily.
‘What do you even call this?’
A ragtag bunch of defeated soldiers?
Refugees?
After much deliberation, he found the right term.
"Ah! It's a plague-ridden beggar den."
The scene before him was that pathetic, as Yuri put it.
People sprawled everywhere like corpses.
Sunken cheeks on gaunt faces.
Greasy, matted hair and filthy clothes.
‘No wonder Yoram loves black clothes so much... it all makes sense now.’
They'd turn black anyway later, so why not just give them black from the start?
Wasn't that Yoram's profound wisdom?
Yuri slowly strolled through the plague-ridden beggar den.
‘What the hell have they been doing to end up like this?’
Yuri opened his ears to the sounds around him.
"I... I'm... screwed... I already abandoned my human dignity long ago... couldn't beat that damn hunger... ate bugs... bugs..."
"So cold, someone light a fire, my ears are gonna freeze off..."
"Sleepy..."
"No! Don't sleep! Sleeping here means you're done for!"
"Caught one wrong rat and spent three days puking and shitting."
Pathetic tales and groans echoed from all around.
Just as he was about to shut his ears from the discomfort.
"Damn it! One day's rations for 1,000 points! A low-grade quest takes a whole day! Are they telling us to eat or to starve?"
"Ah, you did that one too?"
"Had to. To eat."
"Did you succeed?"
"The difficulty wasn't that high, so yeah."
Stories of earning points from quests popped up here and there.
‘Some people already challenged quests, huh.’
Over the past few days, Yuri's top priority had been building a hideout, so he'd focused on that.
He hadn't even had time to think about quests.
‘The hideout's sorted now, so time to seriously farm points.’
And the start would be this integrated quest.
With that thought, Yuri glanced at the clock tower.
8:50 a.m.
Ten minutes until the Black Sword Soldiers appeared.
Then, a massive finger tapped his shoulder.
Tap tap.
Yuri, already aware of the giant approaching him, gave a light greeting.
"Long time no see."
But what was this?
Instead of responding, Boppi whipped his gaze away.
"......?"
Yuri's head tilted at the unexpected reaction.
‘What? Why touch me and pretend not to see?’
And what's that?
That face screaming 'I'm sulking'?
As Yuri tried to read his intent, another voice cut in.
"He's sulking."
"Sulking?"
Yuri turned at the familiar voice.
Soon Arin stood next to Boppi, arm linked with his.
"Yeah, our Boppi's sulking at you. How do you not run into us once in over ten days? You avoided us, didn't you."
"Yeah."
"...You really avoided us?"
"Yeah."
"Ah, whatever, so Boppi's sulking! And now I'm sulking too! Right?"
Arin patted around Boppi's waist.
Boppi nodded vigorously.
Yuri's eyes narrowed slyly.
"Ah, I see. You're sulking."
He just said that and turned his head away.
"...."
Boppi and Arin panicked at the cold response.
Arin and Boppi huddled and whispered.
"Looks like the pity ploy failed."
"Hungry."
"He's colder than we thought. Normally they'd ask why we were looking at this point out of pity."
"Hungry..."
...I can hear you idiots.
Yuri sighed inwardly.
‘Haa...’
Honestly, he was curious.
Why they were looking for him so much.
But.
‘The moment I ask, I'll get properly tangled up.’
So he couldn't ask.
No, he deliberately didn't.
"Hungry?"
"Another way? I'll think on it."
Had sticking together the past few days worked?
Boppi no longer wary of Arin.
As the now-close pair whispered, the clock struck nine sharp.
At that instant, the Black Sword Soldiers appeared precisely.
Step step.
Ten Black Sword Soldiers.
At their lead was the glasses-wearing man who had harshly criticized the 50th Cohort last time.
At their appearance, the sprawled cadets came to their senses one by one.
And.
Clack.
"Attention all."
A low voice rode mana, booming heavily.
As the entire 50th Cohort looked his way, the glasses man gave a slight nod.
The Black Sword Soldiers behind him moved, distributing something to the 50th Cohort.
"That's the proof you'll be 50th Cohort for the next five years. Lose it, and you'll have to buy a replacement with points, so keep it safe."
The item distributed by the Black Sword Soldiers was none other than an epaulet.
Yuri's eyes gleamed as he took it.
‘The 50th Cohort is red.’
49th yellow, 48th green, 47th blue, 46th white.
Probably 45th was red, and they passed it on upon graduation.
Once epaulets reached everyone in the 50th Cohort, they moved right on without a breath.
"We're moving now. Anyone who can't keep up gets left behind. Follow closely."
Then the Black Sword Soldiers walked off briskly.
At the sudden march, those pinning epaulets to shoulders startled and chased after.
After walking a bit.
"Increasing speed."
The Black Sword Soldiers began jogging slowly.
The pace gradually ramped up until it matched a civilian's full sprint.
They ran like that for a full hour.
Huff huff.
Already drained from adapting to Yoram.
Those with weak stamina breathed harder, eventually sweating like it was pouring rain.
Finally, the run stopped.
The place the Black Sword Soldiers brought the 50th Cohort was somewhere in the northern sector, fenced with wooden stakes.
A fence made of wooden posts about two meters high.
Standing at the entrance inside, the glasses man shouted.
"Welcome to the Beast Forest."
Someone grumbled, ‘Another forest? Last time Forest of Beginnings, now Beast Forest? Some creativity.’
The glasses man glared at the ‘pouting black-haired guy’ once and continued.
"I'll explain just once now, no questions."
The 50th Cohort focused.
In the space silent even of breaths, the glasses man's voice rang out.
"This first-year integrated quest takes place inside these boundaries for a total of ten days. Quest name: Leather Gathering."
The glasses man pointed to the wooden fence behind his shoulder.
"The content is just as the name says: hunt the beasts inside the fence and collect their hides. Five types: rabbit, deer, wolf, bear, tiger. Naturally, points per hide differ."
The glasses man recited the points per hide right there.
Rabbit hide: 1,000 points each.
Deer hide: 5,000 points each.
Wolf hide: 50,000 points each.
Bear hide: 500,000 points each.
Tiger hide: a whopping 5,000,000 points.
The 50th Cohort's eyes changed at that.
‘Rabbit hide 1,000 points each?!’
‘Tiger hide 5 million? One tiger hide is rations for 5,000 days!’
‘Just bears would be enough!’
They'd earned 1,000 points from a full-day low-grade quest, but here one rabbit gave 1,000.
To those who knew how stingy regular quest points were, this was like rain in a drought.
‘At least 100,000... no, 200,000 points from this quest!’
‘Just catch one tiger!’
Motivation flared in the 50th Cohort's eyes.
And a voice poured oil on that fire.
"On the last day of the quest, the top three by most hides—total points—get bonuses: 30% for third, 50% for second, 100% for first."
"......?!"
In other words, first place meant double the earned points.
"This is an individual quest, but cooperation is fine. However, leaving the boundaries means disqualification."
Saying that, the glasses man checked his watch.
"Current time: January 20th, 10:16 a.m. Quest end: January 29th, 10:16 a.m."
He stepped aside from the entrance.
"Begin."
The 50th Cohort glanced around, gauging.
Then, without anyone first, they all dashed in at once.
Meanwhile, Yuri stood at the very back, stroking his chin.
‘Beast Forest, huh...’
These people with zero creativity.
Can't name anything without slapping ‘forest’ on it.
Everything's a forest anyway.
Grumbling inwardly, Yuri scanned the fence.
‘No matter how I look, something's off.’
The wooden posts were spaced enough for a slim person to slip through easily.
Loosely tied with rope too.
Sloppy didn't even cover it.
‘This couldn't keep rabbits in, let alone tigers?’
The fence was clearly just to mark boundaries, not to block external intrusion or escape.
But the Black Sword Soldiers talked like they'd released beasts inside.
‘Theresia definitely said prepare rations. But with beasts, no need for rations? What's up? Something's there, but...’
He couldn't quite grasp what yet.
‘Well, I'll find out inside.’
If rations weren't needed, he could eat them later.
If they were, even better.
He seemed the only one who'd brought food anyway.
Sorting his thoughts, Yuri stepped inside the fence.
With Yuri last, the entire 50th Cohort entered the Beast Forest.
Creak—thud!
The Beast Forest entrance shut.