SWNOVELXO Chapter 188 - The Demon King’s Castle (1)
Chapter 188: The Demon King’s Castle (1)
Boom-.
The red fireworks that had lit up the sky slowly dispersed.
At first, the White Army rejoiced in their victory, but soon their expressions turned awkward one by one.
The atmosphere in the arena wasn’t conducive to simply celebrating.
Woooo-.
Yuri and Gunther.
Though the quest had ended, the tension between the two persisted.
Especially Gunther, whose intense glare at Yuri was frightening.
It seemed like a conflict could erupt at any moment, making it difficult for others to leave.
It was then.
Screee-.
Yuri, who had been in a standoff, sheathed his sword first.
Gunther’s eyebrow twitched at the gesture, which clearly signaled that Yuri had no intention of fighting.
“Draw your sword.”
A rigid command.
As expected, Yuri wasn’t going to comply with that.
“Why should I?”
“Our fight is not over yet.”
“What nonsense?”
Yuri scratched his ear.
“I have no reason to fight you anymore. Didn’t you see? The signal indicating it’s over went up.”
“…….”
“Now that the quest is over, why waste energy unnecessarily? It’ll just make us hungry.”
Gunther remained silent with a hardened expression, while Yuri smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets.
Just by looking at their faces, it was clear who the victor was and who the loser was.
With that, Yuri smiled and turned his back, heading towards the cadets of the White Army gathered to one side.
Just as he was about to start walking.
“December.”
Gunther’s low voice stopped Yuri in his tracks.
When Yuri slightly turned his head.
There was Gunther, glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him.
“You know the Dragonless Tournament is held in December.”
“So what?”
“I’ll be waiting for you there. Don’t run away then.”
“Run away….”
Yuri sneered, letting his words trail off.
“Running? And the way you’re talking… It’s as if I’m the challenger?”
Yuri’s smile slowly faded, and a chilling aura was directed at Gunther.
“Listen well, today’s victory was clearly mine….”
“…….”
“The one who’s desperate for revenge and itching to settle the score is obviously the challenger here. Got it?”
Yuri tapped his temple with his index finger.
Crunch-.
Gunther’s fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked at the sight.
Yuri, suppressing his aura, smirked once more.
“If you want a rematch, first admit that you lost to me today. Stop acting like a child, whining ‘I didn’t lose! Wah! That last one doesn’t count! Wah!’ like a kid.”
Julia marveled and clicked her tongue at Yuri’s sharp criticism, while Goetz covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter.
However, everyone else, apart from those two, was pale, wondering how Yuri would handle the aftermath of his provocations disguised as insults.
Without any lingering attachments, Yuri turned away.
Naturally, the White Army followed in his footsteps.
As the entire White Army left.
Grit-.
A grinding sound emanated from Gunther, who was left alone.
The cadets had returned to the Cradle’s mainland on the Black Ship.
Once again, they stood divided into the Blue and White armies at the location where they had initially split into teams.
Although they started at the same place, with the Blue and White armies equally split, the atmosphere of the two factions was starkly different from before the quest began.
First, the White Army.
“Oh my… To think we’d actually win this!”
“Seriously, I never imagined this quest would turn out like this!”
“That guy… He really pulled it off!”
The faces that had been overshadowed by dark clouds before the quest were now beaming brightly.
The cadets of the White Army wore genuinely happy smiles.
In contrast, the Blue Army’s mood was akin to a funeral.
They whispered among themselves, seemingly unable to believe what had happened.
“Really… Gunther Ryder?”
“Yeah, it’s true! They say that guy used the Sacred Sword.”
“Huh? Really? I heard it wasn’t the Sacred Sword though. Honestly, at that age, how could he even have a Sacred Sword?”
“That’s true, but… some of them said they saw it firsthand.”
“But all those who said that were White Army members, right? And the one who told me said it wasn’t the Sacred Sword.”
“Is that… so?”
The Blue Army cadets gathered in small groups, stealing glances at the silent Gunther, sharing the news of his defeat.
The second most talked about topic was whether or not Yuri had used the Sacred Sword.
The story was passed from mouth to mouth, and with so many differing accounts, the truth quickly morphed into a sort of myth in the short time it circulated.
As the somewhat chaotic atmosphere persisted.
Thud- Thud-.
Coco appeared, leading a number of Black Sword Corps members.
At her arrival, the murmurs ceased, and the cadets quickly lined up, restoring order.
Of course, they couldn’t completely hide the emotions on their faces.
“Hmm….”
Coco, stepping forward ahead of the other Black Sword Corps members, glanced at the contrasting expressions of the Blue and White armies with a slight smile.
‘How interesting.’
Even among the Black Sword Corps, this quest had become quite a topic of discussion.
The Blue and White armies, whose capabilities were distinct from the start.
Even the Black Sword Corps had predicted the Blue Army’s victory, but it was the White Army that had defied expectations and won.
And above all, what had shocked the Black Sword Corps was Gunther’s defeat.
‘The Young Master lost….’
Coco’s gaze briefly fell on Gunther.
His clothes were torn, blood stained his skin, and his grim expression clearly marked him as the defeated.
Having looked at Gunther, Coco’s eyes then turned to Yuri, standing at the front of the White Army, resting on one leg.
Coco’s eyes brimmed with an indescribable curiosity.
‘Who exactly are you?’
She had been observing Yuri closely for a while, so she was more aware of his abilities than anyone else.
‘When you entered, you were just an unofficial first rank… and now you’ve defeated Gunther?’
There were even reports that Yuri had used the Sacred Sword.
Only about nine months had passed, yet he was wielding a Sacred Sword.
‘I knew your growth rate was fast, but this is beyond reason….’
Coco clicked her tongue inwardly and put her thoughts aside for now.
There was business to attend to first.
“You all worked hard during the quest.”
Coco’s voice, amplified by mana, resonated throughout the hall.
“Now, it’s time to talk about the rewards.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the White Army’s atmosphere quickly heated up.
The excitement was so intense it felt as if the air had warmed due to the unified heartbeat of 150 people.
Amidst this, Coco’s voice continued.
“First, each of the 150 members of the White Army will receive 3 million points.”
Three million points.
While it was still a significant amount for the 50th class, it was somewhat modest for the 49th class.
And for the 48th class, it wasn’t particularly substantial.
Even after hearing the reward, they were not disappointed.
Coco had clearly said ‘first.’
Thus, all the members of the White Army eagerly focused on Coco, anticipating what she would announce next after the 3 million points.
Gulp-.
Someone swallowed nervously.
Finally, Coco’s lips parted.
“You all are really lucky. Opportunities like this are extremely rare.”
Coco’s words heightened the anticipation among the crowd.
And as if to meet those expectations, Coco promptly announced the reward.
“The reward for this joint quest is… a 2-night, 3-day vacation permit. Additionally, the best cadets chosen from the winning faction by our instructors will receive a 4-night, 5-day vacation permit.”
“…….”
A heavy silence hung among the cadets who heard the reward.
Yuri’s brows furrowed deeply.
“A vacation permit? For 2 nights and 3 days?”
At first, he thought he had misheard.
A vacation permit, of all things.
The reward for all this hardship!
‘What the hell kind of reward is this?!’
Of course, they would each receive 3 million points.
But for a joint quest of this scale, shouldn’t they be getting some incredibly valuable elixirs?
But just a vacation permit!
That piece of paper!
Yuri’s annoyance flared.
‘Acting like granting us a mere outing is some great favor, as if they’re doing us a huge kindness?’
And it was only for three days, so they wouldn’t even be able to go far.
What kind of reward was this supposed to be?
Just as Yuri grumbled inwardly.
The silence in the hall broke.
Waaaaaah-!
Thunderous cheers erupted from all around, echoing through the Cradle’s mainland.
“What… what the hell?!”
Yuri, bewildered, looked around to see the White Army rejoicing in delight.
Some were even crying.
“A v-vacation permit! For real?!”
“Seriously? A vacation permit? And for 2 nights and 3 days? They said even the fourth-years rarely get an outing permit as a quest reward!”
“Winning this quest… I’m so glad… sniff.”
As the White Army’s cheers continued, the Blue Army’s mood sank even further into gloom.
“Damn it… A vacation permit!”
“Even for a three-class joint quest, a vacation permit… and a 2-night, 3-day one at that, is this even reasonable?!”
“…They say the fifth-years haven’t received a single outing permit so far.”
“If we had known this in advance, we would’ve fought like hell!”
Voices filled with frustration and regret echoed from all directions.
Meanwhile, Yuri looked utterly confused.
“…Is a vacation permit really that great? It’s only for three days.”
What was so special about going outside that everyone was losing their minds over it?
Yuri couldn’t understand at all.
But one thing became clear to him.
‘With this kind of reaction… this thing is worth a lot of money!’
It would definitely sell for a huge price.
And who else but him would receive the reward for the best cadet?
‘A 4-night, 5-day permit would fetch a much higher price than a 2-night, 3-day one, right?’
It was something he didn’t particularly need.
There was so much to do in the Cradle, why waste time idling outside?
If he could sell that useless item at a high price, it would be a profitable deal for him.
But unfortunately, as if Coco had read Yuri’s mind, her amused voice rang out.
“Oh, by the way, the vacation permits have no expiration date and can be used anytime, but remember, they are non-transferable.”
At Coco’s words, everyone nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course, even if they were transferable, who would be crazy enough to give this away?”
“Who would do that? I’m definitely using mine!”
In this atmosphere where transferring vacation permits was considered absurd.
Yuri’s grand plans were crushed, and he kept muttering curses under his breath.
Near a pond that shimmered with a beautiful blue light.
In an old-fashioned pavilion that blended traditional Eastern designs with existing styles, two people sat facing each other with a low tea table between them.
One of them was Gordon Crowden, the Commander of the Black Sword Corps and the first of the Twelve Swords.
Amazingly, he was kneeling.
And in this world, there was only one person before whom Gordon would kneel.
Sluuurp-.
With eyes slightly open, an elderly man of strong build took a short sip of his tea.
Just by sitting leisurely and enjoying his tea, he exuded an overwhelming presence that seemed to press down on the world.
The Sword Master, the ruler of the Cradle and the world, placed the teacup down and posed a question.
“The Young Master was defeated?”
The Sword Master’s deep, dark eyes were faintly reflected in the clear, golden tea.