SWNOVELXO Chapter 125 - Bug Catcher (2)
Chapter 125: Bug Catcher (2)
*Gooooooohhhhh-*
The bespectacled man smirked as he observed the surging killing intent.
Since he became the caretaker of the Cradle, Yuri Holland was the first person to launch such a provocation from the very beginning.
‘He really wasn’t in his right mind.’
Perhaps the ability to provoke such killing intent with just a few words was a talent in itself.
‘Now, let’s see if he has the right to flap that mouth of his.’
He was well aware of Yuri Holland’s exceptional skills.
Moreover, his companions, Arin Helga and Bobikrutankapurtabi, were also capable of walking six steps during the recent Hundred Steps Ceremony.
However, there was a distinct difference between a fight where individual skills were pitted against each other and a battle between groups.
Especially now, when those three had turned all 167 others against them.
No matter how outstanding their abilities were, unless Yuri was an overwhelmingly absolute powerhouse, it would be difficult to overturn the numerical disadvantage.
However…
‘Those three did have a record of capturing Greta.’
That’s why the bespectacled man was curious to see how Yuri Holland, who had issued a wide-scale provocation, and the squad he led would handle the situation.
With a faint smile, the bespectacled man snapped his fingers.
*Snap-*
At that moment, a few members of the Black Sword Corps who had been watching him operated the mechanical devices.
*Creak-*
The entrance to the (former) Animal Forest, now the Forest Combat Zone, began to open.
Simultaneously, the intensity of the 167 people’s killing intent grew thicker.
Earlier, their killing intent had been filled with a determined will to kill, but now it had shifted to an eager anticipation of finally being able to kill.
As if to prove this, the hands of the 50th cadets, who were glaring at Yuri, twitched as they gripped their sword hilts.
And then, facing those 50th cadets, Yuri—
Standing calmly with his back to the slowly opening door, he gestured toward Poppy and Arin.
A gesture only they could see.
‘Hungry?’
‘Us? Come here?’
It was an unmistakable gesture for them to come closer.
Though they didn’t want to go, they couldn’t avoid it, so Poppy and Arin reluctantly approached and stood beside him.
As they got closer, they indirectly felt the killing intent directed at Yuri, causing their faces to grow even paler.
‘Ah, this is why I didn’t want to come!’
At the same time, Yuri’s ability to stand unaffected amidst this killing intent was beginning to seem impressive.
*Creak- Grooooo-*
Just as the entrance to the quest area was nearly fully opened—
Arin, keeping her gaze straight ahead, spoke without moving her lips, as if using ventriloquism.
“…What are you planning? You do have something in mind, right?”
There was a hint of anticipation in her voice.
She still harbored hope that Yuri might have some plan to break out of this situation.
In response, Yuri answered in the same ventriloquist manner.
“Of course.”
At those words, Arin and Poppy’s faces immediately brightened.
They had gained hope that they wouldn’t simply die here.
And at that moment—
*Boom*
The door finally swung wide open.
“Current time, March 10th, 9:12 AM. The quest to steal the armbands begins now.”
*Goooo!*
With the bespectacled man’s declaration, the surrounding killing intent reached its peak.
At the same time, a voice pierced through that killing intent.
“Hey, you bastards, come at me as much as you want! But…!”
Yuri’s loud shout caused those who seemed ready to rush at him to hesitate for a moment.
As small question marks popped up in their minds—
“Come at us one squad at a time!”
“…”
“…I didn’t say all of you should come at once, did I?”
At the next words, which sounded like a feeble excuse, the rising killing intent suddenly wavered.
Seeing this, Yuri whispered quietly, so only those around him could hear.
“Guys.”
“…?”
“Run.”
“…?”
Though the words were simple and easy to understand, Arin and Poppy stood there in a daze for a moment, trying to interpret their meaning.
They were that taken aback.
By the time they grasped the meaning of ‘run’ about a second later, Yuri had already passed through the entrance and was running far ahead.
‘What?!’
‘Hun—Hungry?!’
Arin and Poppy’s mouths hung open in shock as they stared at the back of Yuri, who had abandoned them and fled.
But they couldn’t remain shocked for long.
“Let’s, let’s go with him!”
“Hungry!”
The two quickly started running after Yuri.
Thus, the 1st Squad disappeared from sight in a bewildering manner.
“…”
As silence settled back over the area.
The faces of the remaining 50th cadets turned red with anger as they finally realized what had just happened.
Watching Yuri and his comrades, now reduced to three tiny dots in the distance, they shouted in fury.
“Catch those bastards!”
“Don’t let them get away!”
“Chase them!”
“Get them, no matter what!”
With their rage boiling over, dozens of people rushed into the Forest Combat Zone.
Even those who were more leisurely passed through the entrance.
Watching the now-empty clearing, the bespectacled man muttered to himself.
“…It’s a complete mess.”
It seemed that Yuri Holland was even more insane than he had initially thought.
* * *
Meanwhile, Arin and Poppy were quickly chasing after Yuri.
Arin shouted, frustrated, on behalf of Poppy, who was struggling to keep up.
“You said that even if 167 bugs swarmed, they’re still just bugs! That even if they all attacked at once, you could handle them! Why are you suddenly running away?!”
Yuri glanced back at her.
While performing the impressive feat of running backward, he responded.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
“I meant that even if bugs swarm together, they’re still just bugs.”
“…”
“Bugs don’t become human just because they group up, right?”
“…Spineless.”
…It was clear that this guy had shot his mouth off without thinking and was now chickening out and backtracking.
Arin’s eyes flashed with anger.
“Seriously, why do you provoke others when you can’t even handle it!”
“Hey, it was all part of the plan!”
“A plan, my foot!”
“It was a strategic provocation meant to stir up their anger and cloud their judgment.”
“…You’ve got no shame.”
Being able to come up with excuses so quickly and effortlessly was surely a talent in its own right.
In that sense, this guy was definitely a genius.
Arin let out a deep sigh.
“Haa, so what now? You must have some kind of plan, right?”
“That’s why we’re running like crazy, isn’t it?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Ah, you don’t get it. I knew I was right to be the squad leader.”
“You…!”
Just as Arin was about to snap, Yuri cut her off with a dismissive shake of his head.
“There are three of us, and 167 of them. But for them to make the most of their numerical advantage, they need two things.”
“And what are those?”
“A leader and time.”
“You mean a unified command structure and the time to implement it?”
“Exactly!”
Yuri gave Arin a thumbs-up, impressed by how quickly she understood him.
Then, with a sly grin, he added.
“But I wonder if those bastards, chasing us like foals with their tails on fire, have anything like that.”
“Oh, right, if they regrouped and moved in an organized manner….”
What good was it if over a hundred people were charging toward them?
Without a unified command structure, they were just 24 separate squads moving independently.
And a single squad of about ten people wasn’t much of a threat.
As she realized this, Arin’s gaze toward Yuri sparkled.
‘No way, Yuri…’
Until now, everything had seemed so natural that she’d thought it was just impulsive behavior…
‘Was it not?’
Even she had noticed how their fellow cadets were treating them with cold detachment, so there was no way Yuri hadn’t noticed.
‘Is that why he did it?’
So, he provoked them directly, making sure they would chase after them?
Was it all an intentional act?
‘Could it be… to gain a situational advantage?’
If everything had indeed been an orchestrated performance and part of Yuri’s plan…
Then his ability to assess the situation and come up with such a plan on the spot was truly astonishing.
As Arin stared at Yuri, he casually opened his mouth.
“There are two advantages we have in this forest.”
“Two?”
Arin tilted her head, uncertain of what he meant.
Yuri raised one finger.
“First, no one knows this forest as well as we do.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
Arin began to object but then gasped as she realized the direction they were running.
“Oh, so that’s why! That’s why we’re heading deeper in!”
The Forest Combat Zone, formerly known as the Animal Forest, was divided into different areas for each type of beast.
And the only ones who had ventured deep into the bear and tiger territories were themselves.
Therefore, no other squad would know the terrain of those areas as well as they did.
Arin’s eyes sparkled with understanding.
‘If we can lure the enemy squads into a
terrain we’re familiar with, while they remain separated…’
If they could manage that…
“…It’ll be easy to pick them off one by one?”
“Exactly.”
Seeing Arin grasp his intentions without needing further explanation, Yuri allowed a faint smile to appear on his lips.
‘It’s definitely convenient.’
Having a companion who could instantly understand his intentions without requiring lengthy explanations was undoubtedly a great asset.
“So, what’s the second advantage?”
“The second… I’ll tell you later.”
Yuri pointed ahead of them as he spoke.
Following his gaze, Arin saw Poppy, who was struggling so much he couldn’t even manage to cry out ‘hungry’ as he ran.
Yuri clicked his tongue in sympathy.
“At this rate, he’s going to collapse.”
“Ah!”
Just as Yuri said, Poppy was gasping for breath as if he was about to pass out.
Yuri was not only running while facing backward but was also having a conversation with ease.
On the other hand, Poppy, who was specialized in strength and stamina rather than speed and agility, was having difficulty keeping up.
Yuri quickly continued.
“Do you remember the emergency protocol for when we fail to hunt the tiger?”
“Of course.”
Arin nodded, and Yuri waved his hand dismissively.
“Then take Poppy and head there to get ready.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll buy some time and reduce their numbers a bit.”
“Will you be okay alone?”
“I’ll be moving stealthily, so being alone is actually better. Those mindless fools chasing us won’t be much of a problem. I’ll make sure they understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Who exactly they’re chasing.”
“…”
“See you later.”
Leaving those words behind, Yuri dashed forward.
Since he had been running backward, his new direction was now opposite to where Arin and Poppy were heading.
He was running straight toward the direction where the other 50th cadets were sure to be pursuing them.
As Yuri’s figure disappeared, Arin muttered softly.
“He looked really happy when he smiled, didn’t he?”
“Hun—Hun—Hun….”
“…You’re going to bite your tongue. Don’t even try to answer.”
Nodding—Nodding—
With that, after Yuri left, Poppy and Arin leisurely disappeared into the forest.
* * *
*Tap-tap-tap-tap*
Centered around the boy wearing the armband labeled 13-1, eight girls and boys from 13-8 were running together.
“This way!”
“Pick up the pace!”
Anger contorted their faces, and a faint killing intent flickered in their eyes.
‘Bugs? He called us bugs?’
‘How dare he compare us to bugs?’
Even though their self-esteem had taken a hit since coming to the Cradle, they were still individuals who had been raised with care and respect from a young age.
That’s why they felt a deep sense of displeasure at being compared to ‘bugs’ by Yuri, along with the condescending look in his cold eyes.
But there was another reason they were so particularly offended and quick to anger at Yuri’s provocation.
‘If it weren’t for the Cradle, we wouldn’t even have spoken to a lowlife like him!’
‘Just because he placed first twice in the monthly evaluations, he thinks he can judge us like that?’
In society, they held high status, but here in the Cradle, they were at the bottom.
That’s why, even though they were barely holding on to their pride, when an unknown individual who had only achieved first place a couple of times began to provoke them, the inferiority complex they had been suppressing exploded.
However, if it had been someone other than Yuri provoking them—
If it had been one of the high-ranking offspring from another prestigious family—
They wouldn’t have been so quick to anger and offense.
In reality, their anger was a signal from their subconscious, driven by a sense of social superiority, pushing them to restore their lost self-confidence by targeting Yuri Holland, a supposedly ‘insignificant’ first-place holder.
Thus, they chased after Yuri as if possessed—
*Bang*
Only to be confronted by the Black Plague.