Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Tiger Hunt (1)
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Yuri and his friends slipped out of the training ground.
Screeech—clunk—thud!
The rusty iron gate closed with a creepy groan.
“Haaaaah!”
Yuri spread his arms wide and filled his lungs with air.
A chilly gust rushed in, lifting the corners of his mouth just a bit.
“Ha… the smell of society.”
He hadn’t even spent a full day inside, yet the outside world’s scent felt so refreshingly sweet.
“Sah! Sahaaaah!”
As if determined to wash away the stale stench clinging to him, Yuri flared his nostrils and greedily inhaled the crisp forest air over and over.
Behind him.
“Uuuugh…”
“Ugh…”
Poppi and Arin shuffled past him like zombies, dragging their feet.
Yuri placed his hands on their shoulders.
Tap.
“What’s this? Where do you think you’re going?”
Arin and Poppi slowly turned their heads.
The blank expressions on their faces made Yuri flinch.
“…Why do you guys look like that?”
Their cold reply came back at his question.
“Who’re you? Some stranger’s talking to us? Hmph!”
“I’m hungry!”
They snorted and turned away with a flick of their heads.
Yuri grinned wide and teased them.
“Come on, why the attitude? We’re comrades who stuck it out together for 17 hours and 44 minutes.”
“Eek! Who said they wanted to be comrades!”
“I’m hungry!”
“Why should we pay for a crime we didn’t commit!”
“I’m hungry!”
Poppi nodded vigorously in agreement with Arin’s protest.
But Yuri just shrugged it off like it was nothing.
“You’re the ones who begged to stick by my side.”
“What does that have to do with this!”
“Think of it as rent.”
“…Rent?”
“The fee for letting you hang out next to me. Hmm, looks like you still owe me a ton… but for now, just consider this the down payment, and we’ll settle the rest later.”
“…You a thug or something?”
“…I’m hungry?”
Even under their stares—like they’d never met a thug quite like him—Yuri just beamed.
But what slipped from his mouth next was a far cry from that cheerful grin.
“You’d better get used to it. Like I said before, sticking by my side was your choice. So tough it out with grit.”
“…”
Poppi and Arin were at a loss for words.
He was being so shameless with that smiling face—it drained any energy they had left to argue.
No, at this point, even if he kicked them out, they wouldn’t leave.
Out of sheer spite, they had to stick around!
“Whew…”
“…I’m hungry.”
Watching them sigh deeply, Yuri smiled softly with his eyes and asked.
“Hey, if you’ve got nothing else going on, wanna do something with me?”
“Like what?”
Yuri’s answer came right away.
“Tiger hunt.”
The reactions split right down the middle.
“Tiger hunt?”
Arin, still clueless about what a tiger really was, showed some curiosity.
Flinch!
Poppi—who’d been dragged around after getting mauled by a tiger first—shuddered in shock ahead of Yuri.
Yuri nodded at their different responses.
“Yeah, I’m gonna catch a tiger.”
“I’m hungry.”
Poppi shook his head vigorously.
It wasn’t exact, but you could guess what he meant.
“You can’t catch a tiger?”
Nod nod.
Fair enough, coming from someone who’d been beaten by one.
But Yuri was firm.
“Nah, we can. If you two help me.”
During that time, Yuri hadn’t just endured the hellish training.
He’d thought and thought nonstop.
About how to take down a tiger.
He’d puzzled over it, agonized, and finally come up with one plan. And that plan needed Poppi and Arin.
Arin’s eyes sparkled at his words.
“Ooh? So you’re asking us to be your partners?”
“Not partners exactly—just team up and snag that tiger.”
“Same difference! So we’re a squad now, right?”
“Think whatever you want.”
Yuri shrugged.
Still, Arin looked thrilled.
Poppi, on the other hand, stayed worried.
Yuri turned to him.
“What about you? In or out?”
Poppi didn’t lose the concern on his face, but he nodded.
Since he’d already decided to stick with Yuri, he had no real choice.
And so, the three-person squad was formed. Yuri rubbed his hands together.
“Alright then, let’s talk compensation first. Tiger’s worth 5 million points, so factoring in your contributions, 500,000 points…”
“Sounds good!”
“I’m hungry.”
Arin and Poppi nodded before he even finished.
Yuri’s eyes shifted slightly.
“…Split between you two, 250,000 each. You in?”
“Don’t care. Sounds fun.”
“I’m hungry.”
Yuri looked genuinely moved at how they nodded so purely, without a shred of interest in the points.
‘These kids… are they angels?’
He’d originally planned to give each 10% of the 5 million—500,000.
But Arin jumped in with a “Sounds good!” and even roped Poppi along.
No way Yuri would miss that opening.
He switched it on the spot to 250,000 per person.
And seeing them react like even that didn’t matter… a wave of deep emotion hit him.
‘I… think I made some great friends.’
Man, friends this kind-hearted…
Yuri was over the moon with his first real friends.
And he had a good feeling things were about to go smoothly.
“So, what now? What’s first?”
“First off…”
As Arin prodded, Yuri replied in a crisp voice.
“Let’s rest a bit.”
The daily quota was 8 hours, but they’d powered through 17 hours and 44 minutes nonstop to get out ASAP.
Even with Poppi’s healing hands patching them up, Yuri had been wheezing from brainpower overuse not long ago.
Pushing through 18 hours of hell training in that state? Even he was beat.
‘Dawn’ll break soon.’
Plenty of time till nightfall.
They needed to crash hard and recover their stamina by then.
Crunch.
Yuri took the lead, with Poppi and Arin close behind.
And so, Yuri and his friends returned to the Beast Forest.
* * *
Around lunchtime.
Yuri and his friends showed up.
Well-rested, their faces looked way better than right after release.
Arin, loosening up with some stretches, turned to Yuri.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“Follow me.”
Yuri jerked his head.
He led Poppi and Arin through the forest.
Their destination: the wolf zone.
Simple reason why Yuri headed to the wolf zone.
‘I need intel.’
To take down the tiger, he needed all sorts of info.
So he was off to the wolf zone for some experiments to gather it.
Arin remembered teaming up with him before and lit up.
“Off to hunt wolves?”
She looked a little excited, figuring they’d get another shot at that.
But Yuri didn’t really answer her.
They hadn’t gone far into the silent forest before reaching the wolf zone—Yuri and his friends.
Lucky break—they ran into a lone wolf right away.
“Woof.”
This wolf was from the 49th Cohort.
He flinched and hesitated at the sight of Yuri and the others.
Yuri stepped forward, sword in hand.
Arin and Poppi immediately grabbed their weapons and followed.
“I’ll help!”
“I’m hungry!”
Yuri waved them off lightly.
“Nah, you two hang back and chill for a sec.”
“Huh?”
Poppi and Arin tilted their heads.
They’d formed a squad to hunt wolves together—why were they benched?
Their eyes screamed it plain as day.
Meanwhile, the wolf bristled, pride clearly hurt.
“You gonna take me on solo?”
“Yep.”
“…”
As the 49th Cohort wolf’s brow furrowed, a glint flashed in his eyes while sizing up Yuri.
“You… you’re that guy. Yuri Holland.”
“You know me?”
“Who doesn’t? No one in this cradle hasn’t heard your name.”
“50th Cohort kids haven’t. Oh, except these two.”
Yuri thumbed back at them.
He’d never told them directly, but they’d heard it during the trial.
Poppi and Arin—the first from the 50th Cohort to learn Yuri’s name.
At his point, the 49th Cohort wolf backpedaled.
“…Minus the 50th Cohort, no one in this cradle hasn’t heard of you.”
“Wow, backtrack much? No spine.”
“…You’ve got skills, but zero manners. Where’d you sell your respect for seniors?”
“Sell what? Never had any to sell.”
The wolf drew his sword at Yuri’s cheeky tone.
“Guess I’ll have to teach you respect for your elders.”
“Please, with your skills? Nah, you’ll just get hurt.”
Yuri waved dismissively, that crescent-eyed smirk so infuriating.
Murderous intent flickered in the 49th Cohort wolf’s eyes as he charged, sword out.
The fight began.
Clang—clang—clang.
Or… was it a fight?
Watching Yuri clash with the wolf, Arin sensed something off.
‘What is it? Something’s weird.’
Their duel looked fierce.
But weirdly, it lacked any real tension.
Arin felt it because she’d seen how Yuri fought two wolves before.
Compared to that, this felt like…
‘Like he’s deliberately dragging it out to look evenly matched.’
Soon, she was convinced.
‘Definitely! That’s acting!’
Certain now, she couldn’t help but be stunned.
If she hadn’t seen Yuri take on two wolves before.
If she wasn’t watching from a bird’s-eye view.
She might’ve bought it too—them trading intense, neck-and-neck blows.
Yuri’s performance was that flawless.
Proving it, the wolf battling him yelled excitedly, thrilled.
“That all you got! Fifteen paces in the Hundred Steps Rite must’ve been dumb luck! Hahaha!”
“Urk!”
The wolf, convinced he had Yuri Holland on the ropes, was pumped.
Desperation etched every expression on Yuri’s face.
Arin muttered under her breath.
“…He’s just a natural-born con artist.”
Look at that face acting.
Harder not to fall for it.
Still shaking her head in awe, Arin belatedly caught the wolf’s words and jolted.
“Wait… fifteen paces in the Hundred Steps Rite?”
Her eyes went wide.
‘Fifteen paces…?!’
Holy crap! How?!
She’d barely managed six… no, not even full six before passing out.
Right before she blacked out, Yuri had been out front, and she’d wondered how far he got… fifteen whole paces?
Poppi was just as shocked at the news, blinking in surprise.
But the real shock was just beginning.