Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Gathering Hides (5)
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As Yuri headed deeper into the forest, he pondered the restrictions on the wolves.
The rabbit role could be joined by anyone regardless of skill, but came with the restriction that they absolutely could not attack.
The deer could attack under the condition of counterattacking, but only unofficial Grade 1 participants were allowed.
‘Then the wolves are probably around certified Rank 1 level.’
Even if he widened the range as much as possible, it seemed like only those around certified Rank 1 to 2 would be able to join.
Just before crossing into the wolves’ territory,
Yuri began to reflect on his own current level of skill.
Whether he could freely roam the wolf zone with his present abilities.
‘Theresa said her skills were on the verge of certified Rank 2.’
And he had fought her on equal footing.
No, he even felt confident that if he put his mind to it, he could fully suppress her.
So was he certified Rank 2? Or Rank 3?
Yuri shook his head slightly at that.
‘That’s absolutely not it.’
On the day he learned the Reinforced Sword from Theresa, Yuri had returned to his quarters and tried practicing the Linked Sword.
And he had failed spectacularly.
The reason was simple.
‘My mana and magical power are too lacking to deploy the Linked Sword.’
Finding and matching the wavelengths of his weapon and mana core in one go had been due to Yuri’s innate sensory talent.
Combined with the heightened sensory talent he had developed while mastering demon arts, it had allowed him to manifest the Reinforced Sword on his first try.
But compared to his talent, his mana and magical power—which could be called the basics—were ridiculously insufficient.
That was unavoidable.
The heirs of other martial houses built up their mana from childhood with all sorts of spirit medicines and refined its purity through mana body techniques.
That elevated purity then led to higher magical power.
But what about Yuri?
It had been less than a year since he started practicing mana body techniques.
Sure, he had taken a low-grade mana enhancement potion just recently, but that was only one.
And the potions provided by the academy had high purity but low mana content to begin with.
How could he catch up to the years of accumulated mana from other martial house heirs with just that one?
‘My mana is lacking... way too lacking...’
His mana had run dry just from maintaining the Reinforced Sword for a mere thirty minutes.
By that measure alone, Yuri’s level was questionable even for certified Rank 1.
However...
‘The old man said it: people like him, or like me, are existences that deviate from the world’s standards.’
Yuri now understood well what that meant.
With skills barely at unofficial Grade 1,
He felt confident he could suppress Theresa—who was aiming for certified Rank 2—without even deploying the Reinforced Sword.
Furthermore, if he prepared properly, he was certain he could accomplish even greater feats.
With that, Yuri could vaguely pinpoint his current position.
‘Alright, if the wolves are certified Rank 1 or 2 as I expect, I’ll keep hunting... If they’re higher, I retreat.’
It was only the first day of the ten-day period.
He had mountains of points to earn ahead—no need to get hurt on day one.
No reason to push himself unnecessarily.
With that thought, Yuri cautiously stepped into the wolves’ territory.
The moment he did, metallic clashes and explosions echoed from far away.
Clang—Boom!
‘Someone’s already in the thick of it?’
Thinking it was perfect timing, Yuri turned toward the source of the noise.
If it was someone hunting a wolf, he could at least accurately gauge the wolves’ level.
And soon enough, Yuri saw them.
One girl and one boy.
Theresa, wearing a wolf-ear headband.
And...
‘Uh, what was his name again?’
He didn’t know the name, but it was the boy who had argued with him at the black line.
The two of them locked in combat.
* * *
Clang—!
As he parried the swiftly incoming spear, Gunther kept retreating step by step.
‘This won’t do!’
The flow of the fight—and the initiative—had completely shifted to his opponent.
He had to take it back.
Gunther eyed the spears thrusting at him from all directions with fierce eyes.
‘I can’t block them all. In that case...’
His eyes gleaming, Gunther gritted his teeth.
Splat—
The moment Theresa’s spear grazed his left shoulder thinly.
‘Now!’
Boom—
Gunther stomped the ground hard and surged forward half a step, swinging his sword in a wide arc.
From below to above.
The diagonal slash was so fast that an ordinary person couldn’t follow it with their eyes.
But the one facing it was none other than Theresa.
A powerhouse who had dueled Yuri in a battle of speed.
Whoosh—
Theresa loosened her grip on the spear and twisted her body sideways to evade the sword.
It was a fairly relaxed dodge.
Theresa herself thought she had evaded the attack with ease.
But she was wrong.
Grind—
The upward-surging sword twitched in midair as if caught by something before it could complete its path.
Then, abruptly changing direction, it thrust straight toward Theresa’s chest.
‘...?!’
Startled, Theresa spun her body in a full rotation and leaped back.
Her opponent’s sword narrowly grazed her shoulder.
Swish—
Theresa and Gunther.
Each with a small wound on their shoulder, they separated slightly and stared each other down.
Then, a glint passed through Theresa’s eyes.
‘Oh, it’s that kid. The one chasing after Yuri Holland.’
Among the 50th Cohort, he was the one with the second-best White Step Ceremony score after Yuri.
‘Six steps, was it?’
Six steps would be noteworthy in any cohort.
But this 50th Cohort had a monster who walked fifteen steps.
Relatively, those with six steps drew less attention.
‘Still, he’s definitely skilled.’
That sword strike just now.
It was an irregular attack that braked the upward swing mid-motion with sheer force before it finished.
Not content with that, it ignored the slashing momentum to transition into a thrust.
Something that required exceptional strength and proficiency to even attempt.
‘Hmm...’
Theresa examined her opponent’s armament.
A crude-looking two-handed sword.
A heavy weapon, mainly used by knights.
And as if to prove it, Gunther raised his sword with the flat side facing her.
A salute commonly used by knights.
“I am Gunther, the eldest son of House Irons. Might I know your name, senior?”
A hint of admiration entered Theresa’s eyes.
‘Right... this is how juniors should be.’
Look at that politeness.
So different from that awful guy who treated her like a walking point dispenser, poking at her casually.
Receiving proper senior treatment for the first time, Theresa’s mood lifted naturally.
She lowered her spear slightly and replied.
“Theresa Winchester.”
“Theresa... Winchester?!”
Surprise entered Gunther’s eyes.
House Winchester of Briwell was famous enough that even he knew of it well.
But more than anything, it was the name ‘Theresa’ that shocked him.
Seeing his reaction, Theresa gave a wry smile.
Gunther snapped out of it and bowed his head.
“My apologies.”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“But the rumors must be wrong. For someone like you to...”
Gunther trailed off.
Theresa’s wry smile deepened.
‘Yeah, this is the normal reaction.’
Her cohort and senior cohorts didn’t react much anymore, but for Theresa—who had lived as the ‘Winchester freak’ outside—it was all too familiar.
Yuri Holland was the weird one for acting like he knew nothing from the start.
“Ah...”
Seeing Theresa close her mouth, Gunther realized he had blundered repeatedly, his pupils shaking.
Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, Theresa raised her spear, aiming at Gunther.
“Doesn’t seem like you’re in a position to worry about others right now?”
“Ah... you’re right.”
Gunther nodded and lowered his sword into stance.
The awkwardness vanished in an instant, replaced by tension thick in the air.
Theresa asked Gunther.
“You’re a knight, right?”
“Yes.”
“You know you’re at a disadvantage, but I’m not going easy.”
She was referring to his armament.
Unlike warriors, knights valued full plate armor as much as their swords.
There was even a saying that a knight without full plate wasn’t a true knight—and in reality, they couldn’t perform at full strength without it.
Knowing this, Gunther nodded.
“I won’t blame my shortcomings on my lack of armor. Please instruct me.”
“As expected, well-taught. Unlike some.”
“Pardon?”
“...Nothing.”
Brushing it off briefly, Theresa pulled her spear back.
Gunther, seeing this, sent his sword behind his waist.
Whooo—
Dense tension swirled between them.
Gunther moved first.
Boom—!
His leg stamped the ground, launching his body forward like a cannonball.
His mana core activated its unique mana body technique.
House Irons’ secret mana body technique.
Claws of the Thunder Heaven King.
A mana body and sword art created to mimic the Griffin King that wielded lightning storms.
Among them, this claw-shaped attack was the ultimate technique Gunther had unleashed against a black sword soldier during his certification exam.
Back then, Gunther had only produced three claws.
But now, the lightning claws he created numbered a full four.
Proof that he had diligently refined it without rest.
Crackle—
The moment Gunther’s claws surged straight ahead.
Theresa was lost in an odd thought.
‘Why does this look so simplistic?’
Gunther’s attack was undoubtedly high-level.
Yet, for some reason, it didn’t feel threatening at all.
Despite its sophistication, it felt ‘crude.’
Theresa quickly realized why.
‘Ah... it’s because of that guy.’
Yuri’s attacks that slipped in at the perfect moments.
That guy never wasted a single move.
As if reading her mind.
Having parried Yuri’s moves, Theresa’s discernment had naturally sharpened.
She hadn’t made tremendous progress, but widening her vision to read moves was a major achievement for her.
And that reflected directly in her own attacks.
House Winchester’s secret mana body technique.
Bounding Shadow.
Theresa, turned to shadow, slipped leisurely between the four claws Gunther had created—as if she had anticipated it.
‘What the—?!’
Gunther panicked.
But before he could voice it, the black shadow enveloped him.
A moment later, the shadow surging behind Gunther reverted to Theresa.
Thud—
Gunther’s form collapsed.
Faint joy entered Theresa’s eyes as she gazed at the fainted Gunther.
‘Sparring with Yuri paid off.’
And quite effectively.
‘To achieve this much in just over ten days since our duel...’
Such rapid progress was a first in her life.
Was that why?
A sprout of gratitude toward Yuri budded faintly in her chest.
‘Come to think of it, he’s the one who carried me back to my quarters when I passed out.’
Even if it was to target her points, Yuri had taken care of various things, raising her living standards.
Her physical condition improved day by day as a result, making training easier—it was undeniable.
She might even be receiving more benefits than the points she was paying.
‘Definitely... I should thank him.’
Just as the sprout of gratitude in Theresa’s heart began to grow a bit more.
Rustle—
A sound came from one side.
To avoid conflict with a potential fellow wolf, Theresa recited the designated code phrase.
“Woof woof, I’m a wolf...”
No, she tried to.
If she hadn’t locked eyes with the source of the sound.
“......”
“......”
With the fainted Gunther between them, Theresa and Yuri’s gazes met head-on.
In the brief silence, Yuri’s cheeks slowly puffed up.
He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand.
But he couldn’t hold it in anymore—laughter burst out with saliva.
“Pfft, pfuhaha!”
“......”
“Woof? Woof woof? Woooof? Pfuhahahahaha!”
Yuri’s eyes, mimicking Theresa, curved like crescent moons and wouldn’t straighten.
Accordingly, Theresa’s head slowly tilted toward the ground.
Her shoulders trembling, a single phrase burst from her lips.
“...Annoying.”
She wished he’d just go die.
Rustle—
The sprout of gratitude blooming in Theresa’s chest withered away before it could grow.