I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 48 Changing the Dragon Plaque (7)

‘It would be great if Jerry could take care of all three of them…’

The “three” Yuri mentioned were the operators of the multi-level store.

They were the ones running the store on his behalf and knew about the real owner, Yuri.

‘They must have figured out roughly how many points I have.’

Why wouldn’t they know?

They had also started siphoning off points little by little, having sensed something.

The amount they had embezzled must have been in the thousands of points.

Thus, they could estimate how many points the real owner of the multi-level store, Yuri, had.

‘For now, it doesn’t matter since they don’t know the importance of points, but if they survive without being eliminated, it could be a problem.’

If those guys became real cadets and realized the importance of points…

Yuri’s status would change significantly if they found out he held a large amount of points.

This would give the three who knew Yuri’s identity a major advantage.

Whether they tried to cling to Yuri, or sold his information, or teamed up with someone else to target Yuri’s points, they would try to use their advantage in some way.

For those who had just become cadets, tens of thousands of points were a huge temptation, and it was obvious that this would cause trouble for Yuri.

‘In that sense, although that weak senior wavered a bit, he didn’t covet my points.’

When Yuri had deliberately shown him the bag of points, Jerry’s eyes had sparkled with surprise and greed.

But that greed had quickly faded.

‘Probably because he knew he couldn’t do anything with his skills, so he chose not to be overly ambitious.’

That made him useful.

He was quite perceptive and didn’t covet things beyond his abilities.

‘It’s better for just one person who knows about me than three. And it’s even better if that one person isn’t greedy.’

It was easier to control the situation that way, and if information about him leaked, he only had to deal with Jerry.

‘I had originally planned to deal with those three later…’

That was why he had turned a blind eye to their embezzlement and had already identified their hiding places.

But something more important had come up, and he had to prioritize it over dealing with the trio.

Thus, he had dumped the task on Jerry.

Of course, Jerry had no idea that what he was doing was for Yuri.

“Hang in there, senior.”

Yuri cheered Jerry on.

Hoping he would eliminate the troublesome trio.

Leaving that trivial wish behind, Yuri quickened his pace towards the south again.

As he ran, he occasionally saw members of the 49th generation and cadets, but the further he got from the forest, the fewer people he saw.

How long had he been running?

The dark clouds that had brought a snowstorm to the forest receded.

By the time the stars began to twinkle one by one in the dark night sky,

Yuri, who had been gradually slowing down, finally came to a stop.

What stopped him was a towering wall blocking his way.

A massive 17-meter wall surrounding the Forest of Beginnings.

Looking up at the wall that had completely isolated the forest from the outside world for a long time, Yuri let out an excited breath.

“Phew…”

Taking a deep breath, he moved his legs again.

‘This is not my destination.’

Yuri’s body shot forward quickly.

As he ran, he examined the approaching wall.

A height that an ordinary person wouldn’t dare to climb.

Moreover, the smooth outer wall had barely a finger’s width of a gap.

Even for someone trained in Magic Body Technique, climbing it without any preparation would not be easy.

Yet, Yuri’s eyes showed no hesitation as he ran towards the wall.

‘I’ll go over it.’

As Yuri reached his top speed,

Thunk.

His body sprang towards the wall.

In an instant, he leapt up to 3 meters, his right foot touching the wall.

Zzzzip.

The friction between his foot and the wall was not enough to overcome the force of gravity pulling down his body.

But for Yuri, who had mastered Cloud Step, it was sufficient.

Zzzzip.

His leg pushed off the wall with strength.

Bang!

Yuri’s body shot upward.

That was the start.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each time Yuri alternated his steps, his body rose a meter up the wall.

It was a spectacle akin to a human walking up a wall.

After exactly fifteen steps,

Thunk.

Yuri’s two feet landed precisely on top of the wall.

“Huff…”

Yuri took a short breath and looked beyond the wall.

A flat plain and the dark horizon filled his view.

According to Jerry, it would take a day’s journey south by boat to reach the mainland of the Cradle.

“If I go down from here… there’s no coming back.”

There were about 28 hours left until midnight on January 1st.

In that time, Yuri had to either successfully reach the mainland or fail.

His future hinged on those two possibilities…

“But I don’t think I’ll fail.”

As long as he didn’t get lost, he could reach the mainland with time to spare.

He was confident in his swimming skills.

‘That old man’s training is coming in handy in an unexpected way.’

Whether it was intentional or just luck, it didn’t matter.

He felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that all the hardships had paid off.

Composing his excited thoughts, Yuri checked the box of points he was carrying.

Making sure there were no broken parts,

and ensuring the points inside were safe.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Yuri secured the box on his back.

“Alright, let’s go.”

With a faint smile, Yuri threw himself off the wall.

Thunk.

Yuri’s figure grew smaller as he moved away from the wall.

Dada-dada-da-

Eventually, his figure disappeared from the Forest of Beginnings.

28 hours after Yuri had left the forest,

Ding-dong-ding-dong.

A giant bell rang out across the Forest of Beginnings.

It signaled the end of the month-long survival test and the start of the new year.

* * *

Around 1 PM on January 1st.

Three black ships docked at the pier near the Forest of Beginnings.

And hundreds of people were gathered in front of them.

They were divided into exactly four groups.

First, the largest group.

Looking like defeated soldiers, these were the dropouts whose Dragon Plaques had been broken.

They were trudging up the black ships with powerless steps, while the second group was behind them.

Though disheveled and exhausted, their faces were filled with joy and a sense of accomplishment.

These boys and girls, as well as those who looked relieved that they were not among those boarding the ships, were the surviving cadets.

Dropouts and survivors.

Two groups with completely opposite atmospheres.

In the middle of them was another group with a different vibe.

Standing in rows of seven, maintaining strict military discipline without a single movement, were the 49th generation cadets with yellow epaulets.

And the last group was the Black Sword Corps organizing the situation.

The one-eyed man at the center of the Black Sword Corps frowned as he received a report from his subordinate.

“…Only 202 dropouts?”

301 out of 503 cadets had survived this survival test.

A dropout rate of 40%, but to the one-eyed man, this was only “just.”

That was because the number of survivors had always been around 100.

Sometimes as many as 150.

But this time, twice that number had survived.

There were several reasons for this unusual situation.

First was the unusually extreme weather.

Because of the erratic weather, the cadets hid themselves tightly, making it difficult for the 49th generation to track them down.

And secondly, only 72 members of the 49th generation had participated in this year’s Dragon Plaque Hunt.

‘Tsk, the 48th generation was too reckless.’

The current 49th generation were survivors of the Dragon Plaque Hunt themselves.

But due to the highly cohesive 48th generation, only 81 of them had survived the hunt.

As a result, the number of 49th generation participants in this hunt was drastically reduced.

This had been a stroke of luck for the 50th generation.

But the primary reason why 301 members of the 50th generation had survived was because of one person.

During the height of the cadets’ conflicts, the one who had suddenly opened a bizarre store, creating a peaceful Forest of Beginnings without competition.

And the one who had collected most of the points scattered throughout the forest.

‘Yuri Holland.’

It was because of that guy that 301 members of the 50th generation had survived.

‘How many of the 50th generation know that they survived because of him…’

The one-eyed man clicked his tongue in disbelief as a subordinate approached.

“All the dropouts have signed the non-disclosure agreement and boarded the ship.”

“Then get rid of them right away.”

The one-eyed man waved his hand dismissively, and the subordinate, looking slightly awkward, said,

“Before that, there’s something to report.”

“…?”

“One cadet is missing.”

“Missing one?”

“Yes, out of 503 cadets, 502 are present.”

“Did you conduct the search properly? Are you sure you didn’t miss them?”

“…We are continuing the search, but additional manpower may be needed.”

“So you couldn’t find them. Tsk, who is missing?”

“Yuri Holland.”

“Yuri Holland?”

The one-eyed man, who had already been thinking of Yuri, clicked his tongue again at the mention of his name.

‘Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker.’

But he understood why the Black Sword Corps couldn’t find Yuri.

‘If that guy is determined to hide or evade, even the Black Sword Corps will have a hard time.’

Not only was he skilled, but he was also extraordinarily cunning.

If they hadn’t been tracking him from the start, finding him would be difficult.

Understanding this, the one-eyed man gave his order.

“Deploy all available Black Sword Corps members for the search.”

“Yes.”

“And get rid of those bugs right away.”

When the one-eyed man pointed his chin at the black ship carrying the dropouts, the subordinate, looking slightly confused, asked,

“Yes? But we haven’t confirmed Yuri Holland’s status…”

“Never mind. There’s no way he’d fail.”

“Understood.”

Without further objections, the subordinate moved, and soon the black ship carrying the dropouts left the dock.

Fifteen minutes later, the black ship carrying the 49th generation also departed.

As more time passed, around 2 PM, the other survivors began to murmur, sensing that something was off with the prolonged wait.

Still, no news of Yuri’s discovery came, and the one-eyed man clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, if the test is over, he should come out quickly. What is he doing…”

Was he napping somewhere?

The one-eyed man scratched his chin at the thought.

‘That’s even more problematic.’

The Black Sword Corps, known for their prowess across the continent, couldn’t find a cadet napping on a small island?

If true, it would be a disciplinary issue for all those involved in the search.

‘Well, there’s no way that would happen.’

As the one-eyed man scoffed inwardly, a group appeared at the castle gate.

“Hmm?”

The one-eyed man turned his head curiously and let out a sigh.

“Finally, showing up.”

The one-eyed man muttered as he looked at the group.

There, surrounded by the Black Sword Corps, was Yuri.