SWNOVELXO Chapter 120 - The Bluebird (1)
Chapter 120. The Bluebird (1)
Ptui.
It was obvious to Yuri, and even to Arin and Poppy, who were watching from behind, that the short sound was an onomatopoeia for spitting.
Arin blinked and asked, “Did you do something to deserve being spat at?”
“…….”
…Well, he had.
Of course, Yuri wasn’t about to confess that out loud.
While the three of them stared, as if mesmerized, at the word “Ptui.”
Srrrk- Tak!
Another black paper shot out.
This time, the score on the paper was correctly written.
【200.】
Arin, who was staring at it absentmindedly, gave her thoughts on the matter.
“It feels like it’s saying, ‘Here, take this and leave!’ since it came right after the ‘Ptui’.”
“…….”
…Yuri knew it too.
He could definitely feel that way, but there was no need to say it.
In the meantime, another scorecard popped out.
【Please just leave.】
It was a sentence filled with genuine sincerity.
Theresia, who had just noticed the words written on the paper, muttered in surprise.
“…Words are written on the scorecard?”
Even Theresia, who had been in the quest hall for months, had never experienced such a situation.
But what was even more baffling was the phrase on the paper.
Theresia glanced at Yuri with a slightly squinted gaze.
“You… what exactly have you been doing?”
Yuri didn’t bother to respond to her question. Instead, he crumpled the paper in his hand and tossed it aside, then snatched his sword from Poppy’s hand.
“They want me to leave? Fine, I’ll leave. But first….”
Yuri drew his sword.
Srrrng-.
He thought there was nothing left to destroy today, but that wasn’t the case.
There was still one intact mechanism remaining.
‘Do they think I can’t break it just because it’s 7-star level?’
Avoiding it without breaking it was the hard part.
If he didn’t care about the score and was determined to break it, there was no reason he couldn’t destroy a 7-star mechanism.
Besides, after several attempts, he had already roughly memorized the locations of the traps.
“If I’m leaving, breaking one more shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Leaving those words behind, Yuri pressed the activation button on the clock.
Drrrriiiing-.
He disappeared beyond the iron door of the opened 7-star mechanism.
And soon, a satisfying explosion echoed through the air.
Boom- Bang!
“…….”
Only then did Theresia and the other two realize the source of the explosion they had heard before. They could only stare blankly at the trembling cave.
The day after every mechanism in the quest hall was destroyed.
The last day of February.
The day of the second monthly evaluation.
Twenty-six members of the lower ranks of the 50th class were expelled.
Including four deaths, the total number of the 50th class was now 170.
Three months had passed, including their time in the Forest of Beginnings.
As they gradually adapted to the cradle, the surviving members of the 50th class began to show a ferocity in their eyes.
Those who had been naive started to change.
The shocking news of four deaths accelerated that change.
And the change that occurred in the 50th class wasn’t the only one.
1st Place. Yuri Holland / 1,500,000 Points
The remaining members whispered as they looked at the name that confidently took the top spot in the February evaluation.
“It’s that guy again.”
“So last month wasn’t just a fluke.”
“Yuri Holland, huh.”
“How on earth did he earn 1.5 million points?”
Initially, only a few in the upper ranks were aware of Yuri’s presence. But now, his presence was felt by all remaining members of the 50th class.
As a result, people’s opinions of Yuri began to change.
He had started as a nobody, a worthless guy.
Lately, he was considered someone with a pretty decent face.
And now, he had become the individual who had taken the top spot for two consecutive months.
People’s perception of Yuri started to shift.
And the influence of Yuri’s presence extended beyond just the 50th class.
Around a large round table, a dozen people were gathered.
They called themselves the “Masters of the Circle.”
One of them spoke up.
“Have you all heard the news?”
It was a voice filled with excitement.
A low, heavy voice responded.
“What news?”
“Haha, it seems you’re all a bit out of the loop. Something interesting happened in this year’s 1st and 2nd-year quest hall.”
“Interesting?”
“They say an incredible new record has been set.”
“At the end of the day, it’s just a 1st and 2nd-year quest.”
To the slightly excited voice, the other circle members reacted indifferently.
Some sipped their tea in silence.
Others rested their chins on their hands with a sullen expression.
A few even yawned as if bored.
But their attitudes quickly changed when they heard what came next.
“A perfect score of 200 points.”
At those words, the circle members finally turned their attention to the one who had brought up the topic.
“Ho? Is that true, Goetz Röthen?”
The man called Goetz, who occupied one of the seats at the round table, lightly nodded.
His purple hair swayed with each motion.
“Do you think I’d lie about something like this? It would be found out immediately.”
Goetz’s eyes gleamed with interest as he turned his gaze in one direction.
His gaze landed on a young man with short blonde hair, sitting with a blank expression.
“What do you think, Gunther?”
Without much change in expression, Gunther replied to Goetz’s question.
“About what?”
“How do you feel about your record being broken? You were the one who held the top record, weren’t you?”
Goetz’s tone was slightly teasing, as if he was trying to provoke him. The others watched with interest.
However, despite Goetz’s taunt, Gunther didn’t show much reaction.
“I don’t care.”
“How so? After all, it’s a record you set two years ago.”
“It was just a record I set in my first year. If given the time, I could have scored 200 points as well.”
“Hmm, is that so? But from what I heard, it took you about 20 days to score 199 points. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But the record set this time was achieved in 16 days, I hear.”
A small crack appeared on Gunther’s otherwise expressionless face.
Noticing this, Goetz’s eyes gleamed with amusement.
“Can you guess what that record might be? Care to take a shot?”
“…Didn’t you just say it was a perfect score of 200 points?”
“Ah, not that. I’m talking about the time it took.”
“If someone scored 200 points, it must have been under 10 seconds.”
“Four seconds.”
“……?!”
“It took four seconds to clear a 2-star mechanism. So, tell me, could you manage 200 points in a 2-star mechanism in under four seconds?”
“…….”
Gunther didn’t respond.
His lips were tightly sealed, and his face remained as expressionless as ever.
But Goetz instantly recognized that Gunther’s current lack of expression held a different meaning than before.
‘He’s surprised.’
Earlier, Gunther’s indifference was due to a lack of interest, but now, his blank expression was because he was genuinely shocked.
Goetz found Gunther’s reaction incredibly amusing and enjoyable.
So, he decided to deliver another piece of startling news.
“And that’s not all. The same person who set the new record for the 2-star mechanism also broke the record for the 7-star mechanism.”
Once again, all eyes at the round table turned toward Goetz.
They were all familiar with the quest challenge, having experienced it themselves.
Attempting a 7-star challenge in the first or second year was already considered a feat of great courage.
Just surviving it was an achievement in itself.
So when they heard that a new record had been set in the 7-star mechanism, it naturally piqued their interest.
Everyone quietly waited for Goetz to continue.
Goetz smiled as he spoke.
“The new record set in the 7-star mechanism is….”
Goetz trailed off slightly, savoring the attention he was getting with a broader smile.
“A perfect score of 200 points, in four seconds.”
“……?!”
His words caused a ripple of shock to spread through the room.
“200 points, in a 7-star mechanism?”
“And in just four seconds?”
Everyone expressed their astonishment in their own way.
Except for Gunther Ryder.
He remained unusually calm.
It was as if he was deep in thought.
Once the murmur of surprise had subsided somewhat, Gunther finally spoke, looking directly at Goetz.
“Are you certain the 7-star record is also 200 points in four seconds?”
“Of course.”
“…What’s the name of the person who set that record?”
Though Gunther asked the question, it seemed he already had a good idea of who it might be.
Goetz smiled and gave a short answer.
“Yuri Holland, from the 50th class.”
March 1st, around 12:10 AM.
Three figures slipped out of the north gate.
They were Yuri, Arin, and Poppy.
As she watched Yuri walking slightly ahead, Arin grumbled.
“Wow, you knew about something this good and kept it to yourself? That’s really mean!”
Arin and Poppy had stealthily followed Yuri out of the gate and somewhere else, thanks to which they discovered the special sale shop for the first time and were amazed by the experience.
In response to Arin’s complaint, Yuri replied curtly.
“You’re always lazing around, doing nothing, which is why you’re slow to pick up on information. How is that my fault?”
“Ugh…”
“Do you think someone told me?”
Someone did.
Senior Jerry.
“I figured it all out on my own.”
He did figure it out on his own.
By threatening Senior Jerry.
“You two should count yourselves lucky. Most people still don’t know that the special sale items change on the 1st.”
“…Okay, I’m sorry, thank you.”
Enough time had passed that quite a few members of the 50th class had started using the special sale shop regularly.
However, it seemed that no one knew yet that the special sale items were updated at midnight on the 1st. It was just moments ago that Yuri’s group were the only customers.
‘I don’t know how long this advantage will last… but I’ll make the most of it while I can.’
Just as Yuri was thinking that, a group of 50th-class members emerged from the bushes near the north gate.
“……?!”
The group briefly flinched upon seeing Yuri’s group.
However, they quickly regained their composure and disappeared into the north gate’s clock tower, as if confirming something.
Their purposeful movements made it obvious what their goal was, even without deep thought.
Yuri’s brows furrowed.
‘Tch, the party’s over. I’ll have to move faster next month.’
There’s no such thing as a lasting secret. Even if just a few of them started talking, the news about the special sale shop’s updates would soon spread.
This was likely the last time Yuri would be able to leisurely purchase items on the 1st of each month.
This realization irritated Yuri even more.
‘And of all days, I come up empty-handed.’
The March special sale had about 1.5 times more items than last month.
But the problem was that none of the items Yuri needed, like elixirs or potions, were available.
Yuri briefly considered trying his luck with another mystery box, but he resisted the temptation.
‘I got lucky last time and got more than I paid for, but the chances of that happening again are low.’
Opening a mystery box now would be a waste.
From now on, unless there was something he really needed, Yuri planned to save everything.
And the day all those saved points would be spent in one go would be January 1st of next year.
The day the mystery box items would be updated.
‘I’ll save and save, and then… I’ll definitely get an elixir!’
He didn’t know how much it would take to get an elixir, so he had to save as much as possible.
With that in mind, Yuri consoled himself for not getting anything valuable in the March special sale.
He turned away.
But the direction Yuri turned was not toward their quarters.
This prompted Arin and Poppy to ask.
“Are you hungry?”
“Where are you going? That’s not the right way.”
Yuri grinned and answered.
“Do you know something?”
“Know what?”
Arin and Poppy tilted their heads in confusion.
Yuri’s smile took on a sinister edge.
“It’s always more painful and annoying to get hit when you’re off guard.”
“…What are you talking about? So where are we going?”
“By now, they should have fixed everything, right?”
Leaving those cryptic words behind, Yuri chuckled and walked away.
Arin and Poppy, realizing that the direction he was heading in was where the quest challenge was located, muttered as they watched Yuri’s retreating back.
“…I’m hungry.”
“…That devilish bastard.”
Under the faint light of the moon, a deafening explosion broke the quiet of the night.
Boom-!
And a moment later.
Yuri emerged from the cave, brushing off the dirt from his shoulders.
“That makes six.”
In just a short amount of time, Yuri had destroyed six mechanisms.
But the reason he was doing this in the middle of the night wasn’t because he disliked the person running the mechanism.
In fact, Yuri admired whoever had created these mechanisms.
He wanted to meet the operator and have a conversation, even if it meant going to such lengths.
And perhaps his efforts had finally paid off.
Srrrk- Tak!
A scorecard arrived, carrying the operator’s message.
【Let’s talk, you cursed spawn of Redner!】