SWNOVELXO Chapter 128 - Bug Catcher (5)
Chapter 128: Bug Catcher (5)
Gunther glanced at the squad leaders gathered in the center of the clearing, letting out a hollow laugh.
‘Only thirteen, including me.’
It hadn’t been long since the quest began, yet only 13 of the 25 squads remained.
And every single one of them had been wiped out by Yuri Holland alone.
It was utterly ridiculous.
The only consolation was that many of those who remained were top performers.
Most of them had been in the later groups, and their presence and demeanor were distinctly different from those who had been eliminated earlier.
They gave the impression of being a carefully selected elite.
Gunther’s gaze turned to one side.
There, sitting with his arms crossed, was someone who resembled a rat.
Gunther stared intently at Schleiman Hans’ small eyes.
‘Maybe this was his intention all along.’
Throwing weaker squads as sacrifices to gauge the enemy’s strength while preserving the true power.
However, there was one thing that Gunther didn’t understand.
‘He’s preserved his forces too much. It would have been better to deal with other strong squads that would eventually become enemies.’
Once Yuri Holland was dealt with, all remaining squads would turn against each other anyway.
If Schleiman Hans hadn’t given the signal to pull back, he could have easily diminished their forces.
Just as he had done to them.
But Schleiman Hans hadn’t done that.
He had given the signal only to his 7th squad, excluding the weaker ones.
‘Does that mean he’s confident that he can win as long as our squad and the 1st squad are gone?’
While Gunther was trying to decipher Schleiman’s intentions, Clarice addressed Schleiman.
“So, what’s your plan now?”
And as if they had been waiting for that, the others also turned their gaze toward Schleiman.
Receiving everyone’s attention, Schleiman shrugged his shoulders.
“Before we get into it… let’s acknowledge something honestly.”
“What do you mean?”
“That Yuri Holland is strong.”
At those words, about half of the gathered squad leaders nodded in agreement.
The rest still looked uncertain.
They were aware of the current situation but were skeptical that Yuri Holland had single-handedly wiped out 11 squads.
Seeing their expressions, Schleiman spoke up.
He told them how Yuri was the holder of the Black Dragon Plaque and had walked fifteen steps during the Hundred Steps Ceremony.
Some of those who already knew this looked at Schleiman with eyes that showed they hadn’t expected him to reveal it himself.
Those who were unaware were visibly surprised and murmured among themselves.
Watching them, Schleiman continued.
“I’ll say it again: Yuri Holland is strong. So, let’s make the most of our advantage here.”
“Advantage?”
“The numbers. It’s hard to handle ten hands with just one. No matter how strong Yuri Holland is, he can’t handle all 90 of us here.”
“Did you forget that dozens have already fallen to him?”
“Haha, those guys are different from us. Honestly, I feel like I could take on at least one of those eliminated squads myself. Am I the only one who thinks that? If given the time, you guys could also do what Yuri Holland did, right? Am I wrong?”
As Schleiman calmly scanned the squad leaders with his eyes, they showed varying degrees of agreement.
None of them ranked outside the top 20.
They had each secured their positions by subtly showcasing their skills.
Thus, many nodded in some agreement with Schleiman’s words.
“Honestly… it seems doable.”
“Yeah, me too.”
They felt confident that if they could isolate and take down squads individually like Yuri Holland did, they could certainly wipe out at least one weaker squad.
As several squad leaders nodded, Schleiman smiled.
‘Of course, it’s impossible to wipe out this many squads in such a short time like Yuri Holland did.’
What mattered was instilling the belief that they could do what Yuri Holland had done.
Making them recognize Yuri Holland as a formidable opponent but also reminding them that it was possible to oppose him.
That was what Schleiman wanted.
‘The ones I’ve gathered can’t afford to hold back and be passive.’
As intended, a squad leader, newly filled with confidence, asked boldly.
“So what’s the plan? You proposed this alliance, and you’ve steered the situation this way, so let’s hear it. I doubt you created this situation without any ideas.”
“Of course, I have a plan.”
“What is it?”
“They’re trying to take us down individually, so we’ll go with a revolving battle strategy.”
“Revolving battle?”
“No matter how strong Yuri Holland is, he’s still human… won’t he get tired?”
Schleiman’s lips twisted as he spoke.
* * *
Yuri moved freely between the trees.
His already light movements had become even more agile thanks to his improved Cloud Step after passing through the recent breakthrough quest.
Moving swiftly through the forest like a ghost, Yuri soon arrived at a narrow crevice close to where the tiger’s territory used to be.
Without hesitation, he slipped into the split in the rock.
With the low ceiling, he had to duck his head, and soon a solid wall blocked his path.
Standing before it, Yuri spoke.
“It’s me.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice responded from beyond the wall.
“Who are you?”
It was a voice that, by all accounts, sounded like Arin’s.
There was a hint of mischief in the voice, and Yuri’s face twisted slightly in annoyance.
“It’s me. Quit joking around and open up.”
“Who is it? Password!”
“…No dessert for you from now on.”
Immediately, there was a bustle on the other side of the wall.
“Hurry, hurry, open it!”
With a grinding noise, the wall slid aside.
A 1.5-meter opening appeared, revealing Arin with a bow at the ready, and behind her, a spacious interior was visible.
The space was broad and comfortable, big enough for ten grown men to lie down, though completely enclosed.
At first glance, it might have seemed like an ordinary cave, but this place was undoubtedly the best hideout Yuri had discovered.
The reason Yuri ranked this hideout first was because of the massive boulder inside.
“Ugh…”
The rock was so large that even Poppy, who was fairly strong, had to strain as if he were about to soil himself just to move it.
With a grinding sound, Poppy rolled the boulder back to block the cave’s entrance.
Thus, the cave was perfectly sealed once more.
A space completely enclosed on all sides.
Yet despite being completely shut in, the place was ventilated, proving that it was an artificially created space.
‘Even though it’s sealed off, the ventilation means someone definitely made this place.’
Yuri didn’t know who, but he was simply grateful.
As he entered the cave, Yuri glanced around with a renewed sense of appreciation.
‘So, this is how we’re using it.’
This was a hideout he had found near the end of the leather-gathering quest.
Yuri had told Arin and Poppy to come here with the leather they’d collected and hide if he failed to hunt the tiger.
Their plan, if the tiger hunt failed, was to stay hidden here while protecting the collected leather until Yuri could escape from the training grounds.
That was the contingency plan, ‘Action Directive in Case of Tiger Hunt Failure.’
However, the tiger hunt succeeded spectacularly on the first attempt, and so Yuri’s group had never needed to use this place until now.
Surveying the area, Yuri moved to the center of the cave and began taking off the armbands tucked in his pocket.
When Arin saw the eleven armbands he dumped out, she clicked her tongue.
“Seriously, did we even need to be here? You could handle them all by yourself.”
To this, Yuri shook his head slightly.
“Things probably won’t be as easy from here on out.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“It seems like there’s someone on the other side who’s quite clever. They’ve already started to gather up.”
“What? Then what do we do? Our original plan was to draw them deep into the forest and take them down individually.”
“What else? If they’ve grouped up, we just have to scatter them again.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
When Arin tilted her head in doubt, Yuri let out a small chuckle.
“Remember, I told you there are two things that work in our favor.”
“Yeah, you said the first is that we know this forest’s terrain better than anyone else. So, what’s the second?”
“The second is that everyone except us is the enemy.”
“…How’s that a good thing? Isn’t that a bad thing?”
“Why would that be bad? It’s obviously good. We can take down anyone that comes our way without worrying about friend or foe. Meanwhile, they’ll constantly need to figure out who’s on their side.”
“What are you talking about? We’re the only ones they see as enemies right now.”
“For now, yes. But do you think it’ll stay that way?”
A subtle madness flickered in Yuri’s eyes as he spoke.
“The scariest enemies are always the ones that arise from within.”
* * *
Several groups moved through the forest.
They wore armbands with various numbers.
Numbers like 9, 10, 22, 23.
This was how four squads formed one team, all part of Schleiman’s strategy.
[From now on, I’m going to divide the remaining 13 squads into three units. Two units will stay here to rest, while the other unit enters the forest to engage Yuri Holland’s 1st squad. Each unit will rotate every 8 hours.]
The plan was based on the idea that even Yuri couldn’t handle groups of multiple squads all at once.
[With only three people, the 1st squad will have no choice
but to be wary of our approaching units, causing their fatigue to accumulate.]
Meanwhile, the three units would take turns resting, so the longer the situation dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for them.
This was an excellent plan, and other squad leaders agreed with Schleiman’s strategy.
Thus, eight hours ago, the first unit deployed had returned without any significant results.
Then, the second unit, composed of squads 9, 10, 22, and 23, was sent into the operation.
Step, step—
Moving as one group, the second unit remained vigilant of their surroundings.
Perhaps it was because they had been briefed by the squad leaders about Yuri Holland.
The second unit appeared somewhat tense as they embarked on the operation.
But as time passed, their tension eased.
Around an hour later, despite combing through the forest, they still hadn’t caught even a glimpse of Yuri Holland.
Gradually, the unit members relaxed their guard.
Small voices began to surface from different spots.
“Yuri Holland? He’s no big deal. He just looked strong because he only fought weaker opponents. Look at this—he’s hiding somewhere, too scared to show up.”
“Honestly, isn’t this a bit much?”
“I agree. We’re going through all this trouble to catch just three people?”
Initially, seeing other squads fall one after another had instilled a sense of fear toward Yuri Holland.
But now, as their tension diminished, their fear was also fading.
Another thirty minutes or so passed.
“Ugh… Hey, I’m stepping out for a bit. I really need to pee.”
“Hurry back.”
“I’ll catch up soon. Don’t worry.”
A boy in the middle of the group told his classmate beside him as he broke off from the unit.
Yet the unit continued to move forward without pausing.
A moment later—
Ssshh—
The boy entered the bushes and relieved himself, leaving the group behind.
Shiver—
Finishing his business, he shook off the chill and pulled up his pants.
He then hurried to catch up with the unit that had gone ahead.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew overhead, and a dark figure descended from above.
“…?!”
Startled, the boy looked up quickly.
Golden eyes stared back at him.
The boy’s eyes widened as he realized the identity of the shadow that had attacked him.
‘Yuri Holland!’
Shocked by the sudden appearance of their target, the boy opened his mouth to shout.
But a white yet firm-looking fist was already rushing toward his face.
Thwack—
* * *
Thwack—
Gilbert Becker instinctively raised his arm against Yuri Holland’s incoming attack.
A sharp pain surged up his forearm.
But having successfully blocked the attack, Gilbert stepped back and shouted.
“You bastard, attacking from the shadows!”
Yuri Holland’s face showed a hint of surprise, possibly because his confident strike had been blocked.
Meanwhile, Gilbert drew his sword and looked around for backup, but the forest remained silent.
It seemed the unit had moved further away in that brief moment.
Realizing this, Gilbert gripped his sword’s hilt tightly.
‘Damn it, I’ll have to deal with this myself!’
He had heard the stories.
The squads that had been wiped out by Yuri Holland alone.
The rumor that Yuri Holland might be the strongest among the 50th batch had been spreading widely.
However, Gilbert did not run.
‘Yuri Holland, no matter how strong you are, I’m also a cadet of the Cradle! I won’t run from a fight!’
Swoosh—
Gilbert charged forward with his sword.
“Come on, I’m Gilbert Becker!”
Yuri Holland responded by swinging his sword.
For some reason, Gilbert found it easy to read the trajectory of Yuri’s strike.
Clang—
Gilbert easily parried Yuri Holland’s attack.
Then, Yuri Holland’s follow-up attack came.
Clang, clang, clang—Boom!
With each loud clash, their swords met and parted repeatedly.
After exchanging several blows, Gilbert sensed something odd.
‘What’s going on? Why is he so weak?’
Yuri Holland’s strikes were strangely slow.
And the force behind them was too weak.
Gilbert looked at Yuri Holland’s face.
Sweat beaded on Yuri’s forehead.
His lips clenched tightly.
Even the veins stood out on his temples.
Gilbert could feel that Yuri Holland was giving his all.
At the same time, he realized something.
‘It’s not that Yuri Holland is weak. It’s that I…’
Boom!
The two swords clashed, and this time it was Yuri Holland’s weapon that was flung back.
Yuri’s arm was trembling, while Gilbert still had plenty of strength left.
Realizing this, a fiery determination flared in Gilbert’s eyes.
‘I’m strong!’
Boom!
Gilbert swung his sword again, causing Yuri Holland to stagger significantly.
Seeing this, Gilbert was elated.
‘Three months in the Cradle… I’ve grown stronger!’
It was as if Yuri Holland had never expected to lose.
Watching the dismay on Yuri’s face, Gilbert grinned widely and swung his sword repeatedly.
Boom, boom, boom—
With each swing, the sound of their clashing swords echoed, and Yuri Holland retreated in a fluster.
Seeing this, Gilbert laughed brightly.
Clang—Boom!
“Haha! You’re supposed to be strong, right? They say you might be the strongest among the 50th batch! But…”
Boom!
“Why are you so weak?”
Yuri Holland, who was rumored to be the strongest, was struggling to fend off Gilbert’s sword.
Elated by this, Gilbert swung his sword with gusto and burst into laughter.
“Make this more fun, Yuri Holland! Hahaha!”
* * *
Arin crouched next to someone sprawled awkwardly on the ground.
After observing something closely, she raised her hand and waved it.
“Yuri, come here!”
“What is it?”
“This guy… he’s smiling.”
“Huh?”
Indeed, the boy lying unconscious from Yuri’s punch was smiling as if something amused him.
With one eye bruised blue, he continued to grin stupidly, and Yuri spoke dismissively.
“Leave him. Must be having a good dream.”
Then he turned his gaze to Arin.
“You memorized your lines, right?”
“Of course!”
Watching Arin nod confidently, Yuri’s lips curled into a sly smile.