SWNOVELXO Chapter 55 - The Playboy (3)
Chapter 55: The Playboy (3)
The moment a brief shout echoed through the cave.
“Good job, everyone.”
A woman in black clothes brushed past Yuri, lightly waving her hand.
Yuri’s eyes widened in shock as he saw her.
“Huh?!”
She was definitely the woman who had been naked just moments ago.
But in the short time it took for Yuri to exchange a few blows with the playboy, she had managed to pick up her clothes and get dressed.
Her speed at changing clothes was truly astonishing.
The playboy, watching her walk away, shouted in a fluster.
“Hey, sweetheart?”
At his call, the woman stopped and turned around.
Red hair and bronze skin.
A beauty radiating health and vitality.
She winked at the playboy.
“Seems like today’s not my day. Too bad, maybe next time.”
She blew a light kiss with her hand and threw herself out of the cave.
Thud– thud–.
And just like Yuri had done earlier, she kicked off the wall and ascended upward.
‘Oh?’
Yuri could tell from her light movements that she was no ordinary person.
‘Well, her epaulet was white. If it’s white, that means she’s a fifth-year, so that level of skill is expected… Huh?’
As he thought about it, Yuri’s mouth slightly dropped open.
He looked at the playboy in disbelief.
‘Wow, this guy is really something.’
Even though Yuri had referred to him as a playboy, the man was far more impressive than Yuri had initially thought.
The first woman Yuri had seen had brown hair with a green epaulet, a 48th cadet.
The next woman had blonde hair with a blue epaulet, a 47th cadet.
And just now, the woman had red hair with a white epaulet, a 46th cadet.
In less than 24 hours, he had encountered three different women.
This playboy had a lover in each graduating class.
‘At this rate, there’s probably someone from the 49th class too, huh?’
Yuri clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the playboy, who had been staring blankly at his departing lover’s back, began to tremble.
Then, he let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha… Hahaha!”
As he brushed his hair back, he glared at Yuri.
Thanks to that, Yuri could finally get a good look at the playboy’s appearance.
His hair was a deep purple, almost like bruises.
He looked to be around 180 cm tall with a well-built physique.
And above all…
‘…He’s handsome.’
With sunken eyes that gave off a strangely decadent vibe, he was undeniably good-looking, even in Yuri’s eyes.
However, no matter how handsome he was, it wasn’t exactly pleasant to be observing a naked man, so Yuri instinctively took a step back.
“Uh… You can swing your sword all you want, but could you at least put some clothes on?”
Despite Yuri’s request, the playboy didn’t seem to have any intention of getting dressed. Instead, he pointed his sword at Yuri.
“Do you have any idea?”
“About what?”
“How long I’ve been waiting for this day.”
No, how would I know that?
This is our first time meeting.
“And do you know what today is?”
“…What day is it?”
“Today… Today was supposed to be the day I became a man!”
“……”
Yuri had no idea what he was talking about.
But he decided to apologize anyway.
For some reason… he felt a bit guilty.
“Well, you should have locked the door.”
…Oops!
Damn it, my mouth went off again, didn’t it?
And that unintentional provocation hit the mark with the playboy.
“You have the nerve…”
“……”
“To say that after breaking down a locked door and barging in?!”
The playboy’s sword began to move as he shouted in anger.
“You will personally feel how passionate my love was, which you so rudely interrupted!”
“What nonsense is that?”
Yuri had no idea what the playboy was going on about.
But there was one thing he understood perfectly.
‘His eyes… they look strange.’
The playboy’s eyes had a bit of a crazy glint to them.
The moment Yuri realized that, the playboy’s sword was already right in front of him.
Yuri quickly swung his beloved sword, White.
Swish!
And so, the fight, which had briefly paused, resumed.
Clang! Clang!
Yuri’s face stiffened as he parried the smooth swordsmanship of the playboy.
‘This is… dangerous?’
Despite the slightly crazed look in his eyes, each of the playboy’s sword moves was sharp.
Moreover, every movement flowed seamlessly, targeting Yuri with threatening precision.
‘It’s not fast, but it’s continuous… and elegant.’
That was Yuri’s impression as he blocked the playboy’s strikes.
At the same time, he felt an inexplicable sense of danger.
‘This isn’t the end.’
He had a strong premonition that the real fight was just beginning.
And Yuri’s hunch was spot on.
Ssssss-
The playboy’s sword began to emit a red aura and started to sway.
Along with it, the tip of the sword traced a shape in the air.
Like the nib of a pen soaked in red ink.
‘This is…?’
The trajectory of the sword drew the outline of a single petal.
Clang!
Yuri deflected the playboy’s sword, but it flowed back and drew another petal.
Clang!
One more.
Clang! Clang!
And another.
Yuri tried to break the flow by thrusting his sword, but the playboy’s blade relentlessly continued, meticulously adding red petals.
Then, finally.
Swish—
A single flower bloomed around Yuri.
It was…
‘A rose?’
A rose of red light.
A brilliant and beautiful red rose that captivated the eye.
The moment he was surrounded by it, Yuri’s instincts warned him.
This is dangerous.
Faced with imminent danger, a cold light of reason flashed in Yuri’s eyes.
‘This is… an Illusionary Sword!’
Illusionary Sword.
Johan had described it like this:
[An Illusionary Sword is a cheap trick used by those lacking in strength or speed to deceive the eyes! …That’s what I’d like to say, but some families, especially those that have studied it over many generations, have developed their Illusionary Sword to an exceptionally high level.]
According to Johan, the swordsmanship of families who had devoted themselves to the development of the Illusionary Sword over long periods had far surpassed the level of mere trickery.
[The boundary between illusion and reality disappears,] he had said.
And the highly refined Illusionary Sword Johan had spoken of was surely this rose right in front of him.
The rose illusions surrounding Yuri were both illusions and reality, each petal containing a sharp sword strike.
Many had likely suffered greatly while trapped within this rose prison.
But Yuri was different.
‘It’s true, this is a difficult technique to counter. But…’
Even now, his instincts warned him of the danger of the Illusionary Sword.
But in contrast, Yuri’s mind remained calm.
‘Compared to the bars of that ferocious prison Mucci showed me, this is pathetically weak, isn’t it?’
The Redner family’s secret magic body technique.
Cloud Step.
Swish-.
To pierce through the Schnell Axe Spear Technique – Frenzy, Yuri had to use Thunder Wing.
However, escaping from this Rose Prison required nothing more than a simple application of Cloud Step.
As Yuri broke free from the Rose Prison, the Playboy’s eyes flashed sharply.
“Are you daring to run away?”
With that, the Playboy’s sword began to move with even more precision than before.
A sword that flowed faster, more intricately.
And as he did so, small roses began to bloom one by one around him once again.
Facing him head-on, Yuri’s face turned pale.
The reason was simple.
“D-disgusting…”
A completely naked man…
Moreover, every time this man, who had something dangling between his legs, swung his sword, the illusion of red roses would pop up one after another.
It was truly a terrifying sight.
As Yuri, revolted, tried to flee, the naked man chased him closely, as if determined not to let him escape.
As their fierce chase continued, Yuri finally couldn’t hold back and shouted.
“Stop chasing me, you Playboy bastard!”
“Huh, how rude. Playboy, you say? That’s quite an ill-fitting title for me.”
“What else do you call a guy who meets not just two but three women in a single day? If you’re not a Playboy, then what are you? A three-timer? I bet those women would love to know about your cheating! I’ll tell them all!”
“You misunderstand. The women I meet know that my love isn’t solely directed at them.”
“So, the women… they know you’re cheating and still see you? And they forgive you?”
“I wouldn’t call it cheating. I’m just sharing my love with everyone. I distribute my love equally.”
“…What a load of crap. What nonsense.”
“And there’s something in your statement that needs correcting.”
“…?”
“It’s not three. It’s four. The women I love.”
“Don’t tell me the last one is… one of the 49th batch?”
“How did you know?”
The Playboy’s eyes held not a trace of shame as he spoke calmly.
Yuri felt as though his common sense was collapsing.
But thanks to that conversation, their fight reached a temporary lull.
And in that moment…
“…Huh?”
A glimmer of recognition passed through the Playboy’s eyes as he stared at Yuri.
“Come to think of it, you… were the Owl.”
“Owl?”
“Who else would be perched in a tree at night but an Owl?”
“…?!”
“We’ve met twice before, haven’t we?”
At his words, Yuri’s eyes widened.
‘He knew of my presence?’
He had been sure he completely concealed his presence, but the Playboy had known he was there.
And not just once, but twice.
At that moment.
‘Wait?!’
Realizing something, Yuri raised his hand.
“Hey…”
“Do you have a question, Owl?”
“Did you… did you do that even though you knew I was watching?”
“Do what?”
“Even though you knew I was watching, why did you… with that woman…”
“You mean, why did I kiss her?”
Nod, nod.
Seeing Yuri nod his head up and down, the Playboy smiled softly.
Then, while gently brushing his thumb over his lips, he cast a melancholy gaze.
Given his appearance, even that action created quite an impressive atmosphere.
If only he wasn’t completely naked.
If only he hadn’t said what he said next.
“Owl, sometimes people desire new stimulation.”
“…?”
“For example, a thrilling kiss shared not in private, but under the watchful eyes of someone else.”
“…”
“Hohohoho.”
Letting out a lewd chuckle, the Playboy stroked his lips again.
Seeing that, Yuri nodded.
‘…This guy isn’t just a Playboy.’
It was now clear.
This guy wasn’t just a Playboy.
He was a crazy, perverted Playboy.
“Would you like me to explain it to you in detail?”
The crazy, perverted Playboy took a step forward.
In response, Yuri raised his sword with a hardened expression, as if facing a life-or-death battle.
“Don’t come any closer, you perverted bastard! If you take one more step… I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you twice!”
Hyaaak-!
A black cat with its fur bristling started hissing.
Somewhere along the way, the situation had become oddly reversed.
Now, it was Yuri baring his fangs with murderous intent toward the Playboy.
Hyaaak!
On the other hand, the Playboy, who had been chasing Yuri and swinging his sword just moments ago, now looked at Yuri with curiosity.
“Haha, why are you running away?”
“I told you not to come any closer!”
Grrr-!
Facing the sharp energy Yuri was emitting, the Playboy calmly stroked his chin.
A single line of doubt appeared on his serene face.
“By the way, Owl, who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Why do you need to know?!”
Hiss!
“Let’s see, the first time I saw you was on the western coast, and the second time was near the central district, right?”
“Stop being curious about my identity! You filthy perverted bastard!”
“Hmm… Now that I think about it, you don’t have an epaulet? Could it be?!”
“…”
“You’re one of the 49th batch who lost their epaulet?! That’s why you couldn’t do the Changing the Dragon Plaque?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m from the 49th batch, but I lost my epaulet…”
“…Except that there’s no one like you among the 49th batch.”
…Is this guy messing with me?
Yuri made up his mind.
Whether that pervert dies today or he dies, he was going to settle this here.
But that resolve crumbled at the next words from the perverted Playboy.
“That’s it, you’re from the 50th batch.”
“…Why are you suddenly coming to that conclusion?”
“You don’t have an epaulet, do you?”
“I’m from the 49th batch, but I lost my epaulet…”
“And most importantly… you don’t know my name.”
“…”
“If you knew my name, you wouldn’t be calling me a Playboy. I’m quite famous, you know?”
“…”
“Judging by how you’re seeing me for the first time, and the fact that I’m also seeing you for the first time, it means you’re not originally from this territory. So what else could you be but a member of the 50th batch?”
…This guy is sharper than I thought?
Yuri was at a loss for words at the Playboy’s sharp deduction.
In the meantime, the Playboy, arms crossed, looked at Yuri with fascination.
“But how did you get here? There’s no way you’ve already completed the Changing the Dragon Plaque.”
The look in his eyes was the same as when Coco from the Special Sale had looked at Yuri.
“Strange indeed. For a member of the 50th batch, who should still be in the process of Changing the Dragon Plaque, to have crossed the lake to this land… Hm?”
As he muttered to himself, the Playboy suddenly lowered his head deeply.
He kept repeating, “Crossed the lake?” in a daze.
After a while, as if he realized something, his head shot up.
“Hey, Owl!”
“What.”
“Would you like to make a deal with me?”
Yuri, under the hopeful, twinkling gaze of the Playboy, let out a long, deep sigh.
“Haaa… damn it.”
Whether it was a deal or whatever, it didn’t matter.
Just…
“…Put on some pants.”
“Hey, Black Head!”
Yuri’s rather lengthy reminiscence was suddenly shattered by a shrill voice.