SWNOVELXO Chapter 100 - A Small Snowball (4)
Chapter 100: A Small Snowball (4)
The sun was high in the sky.
Step by step—
Yuri, who had just exited the northern clock tower, looked up at the sky.
The brightly shining sun was blinding.
Shielding his eyes with his palm, a subtle smile formed on Yuri’s lips.
“Ah… what a beautiful day.”
The world reflected in his eyes was incredibly beautiful.
What exactly should he call this feeling?
After pondering for a while, Yuri finally found the words to describe his current mood.
‘Ah, so this is it… the feeling of being reborn.’
There were no words that fit his present self better than that.
Yuri closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, basking in the sunlight.
‘I’m fundamentally different from who I was yesterday!’
This wasn’t just Yuri’s thought.
He had truly changed, fundamentally.
First of all, there was Yuri’s mana core.
Yesterday, his mana core had been barely the size of an egg; now, it was two or three times larger.
Yuri was amazed at this.
‘It’s the kind of potion distributed to squad leaders. The amount of mana isn’t much, but… the purity is outstanding.’
The purity of the black elixir he consumed this time was on a completely different level from the low-grade elixir he had taken before.
And, unbeknownst to Yuri, producing a high-purity elixir was dozens of times more difficult than creating a mere high-volume one.
The manufacturing cost was equally different.
‘But still, the Black Sword Corps is indeed the Black Sword Corps. Giving something like this to squad leaders… no wonder they’re called the strongest.’
Not knowing that the elixir he took was of the highest grade, Yuri misunderstood.
And the second difference between Yuri yesterday and today.
That was his newfound confidence.
Today, Yuri had come to a definite realization.
‘A man’s confidence comes from a well-padded bank account.’
After deducting shares for Poppy and Arin, the remaining points.
The total amount was a staggering 32,734,000.
All of that was in Yuri’s bank account.
A safe place where he could retrieve it within 24 hours, anytime he showed his Black Dragon Plaque.
And so, Yuri was currently filled with immense confidence.
He hadn’t realized it while living like a beggar, but with a bank account brimming with points, he naturally overflowed with ease.
‘This feels great, just great!’
Whoosh—
Yuri took a long breath of the fresh air.
Just as he was enjoying the feeling of being reborn, an annoying sound came from right behind him.
“You, you promised. To build us a house. Don’t forget!”
“I’m hungry!”
Having heard these words at least a hundred times, Yuri quickly turned around.
There stood Arin and Poppy, arms crossed.
With a slight hint of annoyance, Yuri waved his hand dismissively.
“Alright, I got it! Don’t you trust me?”
“What reason do we have to trust you?”
“I’m hungry?”
…Should I just forget about them?
He thought about flying away since he had already received all the points, but a bit of conscience suppressed that impulse.
Besides, wasn’t today a good day?
He should tolerate at least this much.
Yuri let out a faint sigh and said,
“Sigh, let’s meet here on the 2nd of next month. I’ll sort it out then.”
“Here? The northern clock tower?”
“Yes.”
“But why the 2nd? Why not today?”
“You think a housing problem gets solved just like that? I also have to start looking into it busily from today. Plus, I’m busy with end-of-month evaluations tomorrow and the day after.”
“What about the 1st?”
“Absolutely not that day.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a very important day in my life.”
“An important day? Is it your birthday?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“The day I achieve my dream.”
“…?”
Arin’s face filled with question marks, but Yuri just kept a gentle smile without giving a clear answer.
Instead, he quickly waved his hand and walked away.
“See you next time!”
Watching Yuri’s figure disappear in an instant, Arin asked Poppy,
“…Do you think he’ll keep his promise?”
“….”
Poppy found it hard to answer that question easily.
Yuri ran swiftly through the forest.
After a while, he arrived at the crack.
“Ha… home.”
Yuri expressed his joy and quickly disappeared into it as if sucked in.
Tap tap—
It had been ten days since he last entered the crack.
Though it had been just ten days, so much had happened that it felt like almost a year had passed.
Although he thought he would go straight to his quarters since it had been a while, Yuri first went to the communal training ground.
And there, as expected, someone was already present.
Shwing— Shwing—
Having just finished the leather collection quest, the Wolf Hunt quest must have ended not long ago.
Yet, Theresia was already there, holding a spear and thrusting it.
That familiar sight strangely comforted Yuri.
He raised his hand and greeted her warmly.
“Tesha, it’s been a while!”
Shwing— Shwing—
Despite Yuri’s greeting, Theresia’s thrusts did not stop.
At first, Yuri thought she might have been so engrossed in training that she didn’t hear him.
But noticing Theresia’s slightly pouty cheeks, he casually threw a remark.
“Are you sulking?”
Shwing!
Jerk!
Theresia continued to thrust her spear, but for a brief moment, she hesitated, and Yuri caught it.
‘Oh? Look at that?’
The fact that there was a reaction meant she had heard everything Yuri said.
In other words, she was pretending not to hear.
Yuri’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Are you really sulking?”
Shwing! Jerk!
“Could it be you’re sulking because I took two pieces of leather from you?”
During this quest, Yuri had run into Theresia three times.
The first time, he had let her go after getting some information, but the next time they met, he stuck to his initial resolution and took the leather from her without any mercy.
Neighborly feelings or whatever.
Without any of that.
Well, Theresia might not have been sulking about it, but she certainly felt some frustration.
Yuri was well aware of this, but he found it amusing how Theresia flinched, so he kept provoking her.
“No way, are you sulking over a quest?”
Flinch!
“It’s not even a personal matter, but a public one, where I took your leather using my skills, and you’re sulking?”
Flinch!
Theresia, who kept flinching at Yuri’s taunts, finally turned around in frustration.
Whoosh—
A sharp spear blade appeared right in front of Yuri’s nose in an instant.
Beyond it, Theresia’s face looked genuinely upset.
She glared at Yuri and said,
“…Duel me.”
“Now? Right this moment?”
“Yes. But increase the exchange count to 200 moves. Can you do that?”
The demand to match the 200 moves meant she wanted to set the duel conditions to the same as when they were in the wolf state.
And what did that signify?
Yuri smirked.
“Oh, so you want revenge?”
“……”
Theresia didn’t reply, but her silence was a clear affirmation.
Yuri smiled slightly and nodded.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
After all, his body was itching for action too.
A duel? He had been hoping for this!
And Yuri had no intention of holding back against Theresia this time.
After the fierce battle with the tiger, he confirmed that the framework for the fake Chwisung was nearly complete.
This meant there was no longer a need to drag out the duel to receive Theresia’s Chwisung.
Yuri decided.
‘I will show you the newly reborn Yuri Holland today!’
And so, their duel began.
Clang—
Before they even reached 50 moves, Theresia’s spear was forcefully knocked aside.
Yuri’s sword darted through the wide-open gap and aimed at Theresia’s neck.
“End.”
“…?!”
Theresia’s pupils widened greatly at the duel ending in just 50 moves.
Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Yuri spoke generously.
“There are still plenty of moves left to reach 200. Do you want to continue?”
There was no reason to refuse.
Theresia gritted her teeth and nodded.
The duel resumed, but the result did not change.
Clang!
Once again, Theresia was defeated in just about 50 moves.
Clang.
The next time, using even her techniques like Chwisung and the rest of her unique skills, she barely managed to hold on for 100 moves, but it still ended in Yuri’s victory.
Tap—
Seeing Yuri’s sword aimed at her neck again, Theresia asked in a weak voice,
“All this time… were you hiding your true skills? Were you holding back against me?”
To be honest, he had.
But seeing Theresia looking like her spirit had been drained, he felt that being truthful wasn’t the right thing to do.
Yuri had at least that much tact.
So, he shook his head.
“No, I’ve made some progress in the Forest of Beasts. I also consumed something good.”
This wasn’t exactly a lie either.
Ten days in the Forest of Beasts.
During that time, his proficiency in handling the Third Technique had increased, and the life-and-death battle with the tiger had improved his ability to read moves.
Plus, the elixir he took this time.
Since he had risked his life, he gained much, and with that gain, he had grown.
But Theresia, who didn’t know much about Yuri’s circumstances, couldn’t easily snap out of her shock.
Who wouldn’t be?
Until ten days ago, they were on par, but suddenly, he had leaped far ahead.
After standing there blankly for a while, Theresia let out a long sigh.
“Whew…”
Only then did her eyes, which had been filled with shock, return to normal.
No, they seemed even clearer than before.
It was evident that she had overcome her internal conflict.
Yuri was impressed.
‘Remarkable mental resilience.’
Most people would carry such a psychological shock for quite some time, but she overcame it quickly.
And more than that, she was using it as fuel to ignite her will.
As if this sort of thing was only natural for her.
Theresia’s gaze, which had become more resolute after overcoming yet another hardship, locked onto Yuri.
She spoke with a determined look.
“Lower the sparring fee.”
“…Suddenly?”
Yuri, who had been admiring Theresia’s mental strength, suddenly felt deflated.
Regardless, Theresia continued with fervor.
“This is so unfair. Even though I was the one who asked for the sparring, you’re the one benefiting more from it, right? I don’t intend to back out of my request for sparring, but at least cut the fee a bit.”
…Did overcoming hardships also sharpen her negotiation skills?
Why is she suddenly so good with words?
‘Hmm…’
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yuri readily nodded to Theresia’s negotiation.
“Alright, I’ll lower it.”
“…Really? Why?”
“…After you passionately persuaded me to lower it, why would you ask why I’m lowering it? What do you expect me to say?”
“I thought I’d have to persuade you at least five more times. I didn’t think it’d work this easily. Why exactly…?”
Seeing Theresia’s puzzled expression, Yuri chuckled.
“Hehehe. Why, you ask?”
“…?”
“Because I’ve been reborn.”
A few thousand points?
Sure, he could lower that.
After all, he was a man with tens of millions of points in his account!
“Hehehehehe.”
Theresia looked at Yuri with a strange expression as he laughed bizarrely with a benevolent smile on his face.
Just as the duel seemed to be concluding, Yuri realized something and said,
“Oh, by the way, just so you know, my guest will soon visit your quarters, Tesha.”
“Your guest? But why are they coming to my quarters?”
“They’re my guest, but they’re also someone you’d be glad to meet. So, when they arrive, treat them well.”
“…Who is this person?”
“You’ll know when you see them. You’ll think, ‘Ah, I should treat this person well.’”
“…?”
As Theresia continued to look confused, Yuri wore a wicked smile.
And that night.
[Aaaaah!]
A horrible scream echoed from the direction of Theresia’s quarters.