SWNOVELXO Chapter 54 - The Playboy (2)
Chapter 54. The Playboy (2)
Gulp.
Yuri, who had been staring blankly at the Bone Clan’s secret technique, snapped back to reality at the sound of someone swallowing loudly.
Shake, shake.
After shaking his head vigorously, Yuri’s dazed eyes finally returned to normal.
‘Do you even know what that is before trying to eat it? Get a grip!’
Whether this green liquid was poison or medicine.
And if it was medicine, what effects it might have.
There was no information available at the moment.
“Normally, the tastiest things should be eaten first…”
But what’s delicious isn’t just delicious to me.
That’s why the tastiest things should always be eaten first.
It would be disastrous if someone else snatched it away.
‘In professional terms, it’s called “saving it only to lose it.”’
Anything expensive, good, and tasty should be put in your mouth the moment you get it.
That was how Yuri had lived his life up until now and the secret to surviving on the streets.
However.
“…I’ll hold off on this one for now.”
There were exceptions, like this time.
Who knew what might happen if he put it in his mouth recklessly?
Clatter.
Smack.
Yuri, who smacked his lips lightly, tucked the pendant back into his clothes.
At the same time, he turned his body north and began to run.
Yuri’s eyes, fixed on the path ahead, were shining brightly.
‘I feel too refreshed to sleep, and since I’ll be living here from now on, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stake out a spot in advance.’
Although he had officially become a cadet, his situation wouldn’t be much different from when he was in the Forest of Beginnings.
Every day would be a struggle for self-sufficiency.
So, he decided to start looking for a hideout and a home base.
‘I need to find a proper place since I’ll be staying there for at least a year, maybe longer.’
However, the northern area was a shared living space for first and second-year cadets.
Most of the good spots would already have been taken by the second-years.
To secure a decent spot among those left, he had to move quickly before the rest of the 50th group arrived.
Moreover, with the second-years out of the way for the Dragon Plaque Exchange, there wasn’t a better time to explore the northern area thoroughly without interference.
“Hmm~.”
Yuri’s steps as he ran were light and lively.
He had obtained what he wanted, didn’t need to rush anymore.
His body felt light, his mind was clear.
And since there was nothing to be wary of, unlike in the western and eastern zones, there was no reason for Yuri’s steps to be heavy.
‘First, I should search around this area.’
As he ran, he mentally listed the criteria for his ideal hideout.
First, it had to be well-protected against external intrusion.
‘That’s the most important requirement for a hideout.’
Second, it shouldn’t be too far from the central area where the circular arena was located.
‘It would be convenient if it wasn’t too far from the central area so I could use the stores and other facilities.’
Third, it should have a secluded training space cut off from the outside world.
‘The Old Man will visit occasionally, so I need a training space with minimal risk of being exposed.’
After all, it wouldn’t do them any good if others saw the magic flow they were researching.
‘A hideout that meets all these conditions… That won’t be easy. For now, I’ll look into underground options.’
With that, Yuri continued his search, combing through various parts of the northern area.
The northern zone was quite expansive, but surprisingly, traces of the 49th group were easy to find.
To be precise, they were traces left by the 49th group who had staked out spots near the central area.
‘Everyone thinks similarly, so the 49th group would have tried to secure places close to the central area as well.’
And those traces of human activity he found.
Yuri summed up the lifestyle of the 49th group in one word.
“Are they refugees?”
Yuri shook his head instinctively.
“Wow… How on earth are these people living?”
The 49th group had been living in the northern zone for a year.
If Yuri had been given that much time, he would have at least set up the basic necessities for living.
However, the traces of life he found in the northern area left behind by the 49th group were at a primitive level.
Clicking his tongue softly, Yuri recalled something and was slightly startled.
‘Hmm, considering the chaos the 50th group caused in the Forest of Beginnings… is this actually impressive?’
Accepting the situation, Yuri nodded slightly.
After that, Yuri quickly passed by the less promising places and expanded his search area again.
About ten minutes later.
“Oh?”
Yuri found a place that somewhat matched the conditions he had set.
It was a cave hidden behind a small waterfall.
Ssshhhh.
After inspecting the cave behind the waterfall, Yuri shook his head.
‘The distance from the central area is good, it’s well hidden, and the interior space is spacious, but…’
There was just one problem—the sound of the waterfall.
‘If an intruder comes, their noise could be drowned out by the sound of the waterfall, delaying my response.’
With that, Yuri turned away without hesitation.
After that, he explored many other places.
But each time, there was always something wrong.
If a place was good for defending against intruders, the interior space was too cramped.
If the interior space was spacious, the place was too exposed.
And if a location met all the conditions, it was already occupied by someone else.
Despite all his efforts, it seemed like one unsuccessful search after another.
But Yuri didn’t give up and continued his exploration.
He hadn’t expected to find a good place in such a short time anyway.
About an hour passed.
As Yuri pushed through the bushes, he noticed a peculiar spot.
“Huh?”
It was a crack formed by a split in the ground.
The width was about 1 meter.
But the depth was so dark that it was impossible to guess.
At first, Yuri intended to pass by it without much thought.
However.
‘Huh?’
He noticed a tiny light flickering deep within the crack.
‘…Did I see that wrong?’
But Yuri shook his head.
Although it had disappeared now, he was sure he saw a light deep down.
And then.
“……?!”
The small light flickered again.
It piqued Yuri’s curiosity.
‘A light underground?’
He felt it.
If he went down there, something interesting was bound to happen.
With a grin, Yuri fearlessly leaped into the crack.
It was no different from throwing himself off a cliff.
Of course, Yuri wasn’t throwing himself in without a plan.
Scrape.
As he fell, Yuri’s legs braced against the split earthen walls.
Using his strength, he controlled his falling speed.
Zzzz…
Dust scattered around.
The deeper he went, the more something caught Yuri’s eye.
‘…What’s this?’
At the entrance, the gap was barely 1 meter wide, just enough for one person to pass through.
But as he descended, the distance between the walls widened.
In other words, the area was shaped like a bottle, expanding the deeper it went.
When he reached a width where his legs could no longer brace against both walls, Yuri alternated kicking off the walls.
Thud, thud, thud.
Left, right.
Each time his legs kicked off the earthen walls, his body descended quickly.
When the distance between the walls exceeded 2 meters, Yuri finally reached the place where he had first noticed the light.
And there it was.
A fist-sized hole emitting a faint light.
Yuri, who had been kicking off the walls, tried to stop to investigate the hole.
The moment he extended his hand to touch the hole—
Crumble Plop.
There was the sound of something collapsing, and Yuri’s balance tipped forward.
‘W-What the—?!’
Before he could react, his upper body lurched forward.
The surroundings, now suddenly brightened.
And the flat ground that had appeared out of nowhere rushed toward him at alarming speed.
Momentarily startled, Yuri calmly regained his balance.
‘In moments like this, don’t panic—just roll…!’
Using the momentum from his forward tilt, Yuri executed a perfect forward roll.
Roll, roll, roll.
It was a front roll so flawless it could have been included in a training manual.
Yuri stood up, spreading his arms wide, ready to congratulate himself on his calmness and quick reflexes.
“Ta-da!”
…he exclaimed.
But at that moment, he froze in place.
“……?!”
Yuri, who prided himself on having faced all kinds of situations—battle-hardened, and even aerial combat with Johan at a young age—was momentarily at a loss for words in front of the scene before him.
He could only blink.
Blink, blink.
‘…Uh? So, what the… What kind of absurd situation is this?’
Yuri, who had rolled forward excitedly and risen up impressively.
What greeted him was none other than—
“…….”
“…….”
…a naked man and woman.
Moreover, the two were entwined as if they were one, embracing each other in their nakedness.
It was obvious to anyone—it was that kind of situation.
They were moments away from a major event.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Yuri was surprised, but the man and woman were probably even more shocked.
In a critical moment, an unexpected guest had barged in, leaving the naked couple frozen in place.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Amidst the heavy silence, Yuri’s eyes darted around.
Only then did he fully grasp the situation that had unfolded around him.
A cave deep within the crack.
A couple had ventured there, seeking to spend a historic night together.
Since it was the northern zone, where all the first and second-year cadets had left, and the cave was deep enough to be hidden from the outside, they had let their guard down somewhat.
Still, just in case, they had closed the makeshift wooden door and lit a fire, preparing for the big event.
But what a mistake!
A hole had appeared in the cave’s wooden door.
‘And through that hole, the light seeped out… which I happened to notice.’
And so, after climbing down the walls of the crack, he had broken the wooden door as he entered the cave.
Executing a perfect forward roll.
And appearing before the couple just before their big event.
Exclaiming, “Ta-da!”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
The oppressive silence showed no signs of ending.
Eventually, it was Yuri who broke the silence first.
“Uh… um… well then…”
He grinned and raised his hand.
“Please, carry on!”
And with that, he darted backward at lightning speed.
What saw him off was—
Whoosh.
A blade filled with killing intent aimed straight at his neck.
Of course, Yuri wasn’t one to just give up his neck easily.
Clang!
A small spark flew as the two swords clashed and recoiled.
One sword was a thin, double-edged blade with a rose-ornamented guard.
The other was a single-edged white sword.
The rose sword, briefly distanced by the clash, flew at Yuri again.
Yuri, who had parried it, shouted angrily.
“I said I’d leave, so just carry on!”
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
The man shouted back as he swung his sword again.
Yuri’s expression crumpled.
‘I didn’t commit some unforgivable crime! What’s with the overreaction…’
No, his expression softened as he paused.
‘…Actually, it makes sense.’
Shake, shake.
People often use the expression “talking with swords.”
Whenever Yuri heard that, he’d scoff, wondering how anyone could converse with swords.
But now he thought he understood.
‘Wow, I didn’t know you could convey emotions so clearly through swordplay.’
The fierce strikes aimed at him were filled with the purple-haired man’s irritation and anger at being interrupted at such a crucial moment…
‘Wait, what?’
Yuri’s eyes blinked.
He had been too preoccupied to notice until now.
But he finally realized something.
And that was…
‘…Purple hair?’
The man, who was slashing at him naked, had a bruised-looking purple hair color that felt all too familiar.
Clang, clang.
After a few more exchanges of blows—
‘This guy… he’s that guy!’
Yuri finally recognized him and shouted.
“You’re that rogue bastard!”