SWNOVELXO Chapter 63 - The Hundred-Step Ceremony (5)
Chapter 63: The Hundred-Step Ceremony (5)
The moment they took their first step, following behind Yuri.
The expressions on many faces hardened.
Crack.
‘What the?!’
They had only taken a single step, yet everything had changed so drastically!
Out of the 32 who desperately managed to take their first step, only 22 succeeded in planting their feet on the ground.
Thud.
Ten of them collapsed sideways without even managing to take a single step.
Meanwhile, as the 22 who barely succeeded in taking their first step gasped for breath.
Thud.
A heavy sound echoed once more.
All 22 pairs of eyes turned forward, where Yuri had just taken another step.
Seeing his back, their faces stiffened again.
‘He… moved farther away?’
They had taken a step as well, so why had the distance between them and that guy increased?
The answer to that question was very simple.
Such an unbelievably simple reason.
‘He’s taken two steps…?’
While they had been struggling just to take their first step, the guy walking ahead had already taken two steps.
Realizing this, Gunther gritted his teeth and took another step.
The others followed suit, taking their steps in unison.
Crunch.
Thud.
With that, they took their second step.
This time, another ten people dropped out, leaving only 12 remaining.
The third step followed.
Crack.
Thud.
Unable to withstand the force, which had now multiplied several times compared to the first step, more fell.
Now, only seven remained.
And then.
Step—Thud.
Two collapsed on the fourth step.
Step—
After the fifth step, only three were left standing.
Arin Helga.
Bobikrutankapurtabi.
And Gunther Irons.
These were the three who had followed Yuri’s lead and taken the first steps.
They were the only ones left.
But even their condition was far from good.
Arin was bent over, bracing herself on her knees.
Poppy was pale and trembling.
Gunther’s lips were bleeding.
All three of their bodies were shaking like aspen trees.
Yet they continued to take their next steps as if competing with each other.
Then.
Thud—
Before she could take her sixth step, Arin collapsed forward.
Step—Thud!
Though Poppy managed to take the step, she fainted and fell sideways as soon as her foot touched the ground.
Finally, Gunther.
Thud.
He successfully took the sixth step, barely managing to straighten his body that threatened to fold.
Tremble.
It felt as though he was deep in the abyss, under immense pressure that made it hard to even breathe.
Gunther forced himself to stay conscious and looked ahead.
The boy who had been walking in front had taken seven steps, but was now struggling to take the eighth.
‘I… finally caught up….’
He had chased after the boy who had walked ahead and had finally closed the gap to just one step.
If he could just take one more step, he would finally stand beside the black-haired boy.
But…
“Is this… my limit?”
The once abundant mana had dried up, and his trained body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.
As his vision began to fade to white, it seemed that he had long surpassed his mental limits as well.
In that increasingly narrowing field of view…
Grind—.
He saw the black-haired boy attempting to take his eighth step.
Gunther’s eyes wavered at the sight.
‘That guy?!’
The black-haired boy was moving.
Creak—Crunch—Crack—.
The horrifying sounds emanating from his body as he fought against the immense pressure reached Gunther’s ears.
It was a precarious sight.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if he had collapsed at any moment.
But the boy, in the end…
Thud—.
Succeeded in taking the next step with a heavy sound.
“Urgh!”
But was that success worth the cost?
The black-haired boy’s knees buckled.
Watching that pitiful back, Gunther steeled his gaze.
‘Eight steps.’
Having walked six steps himself, he could only imagine how difficult it must have been to take that eighth step.
Even though it was just a difference of two steps, the pressure that boy must have been enduring was likely several times more than his own.
That alone was enough for Gunther to acknowledge the boy.
‘But… this is the end.’
Surely, that guy had reached his limit as well.
‘The difference between you and me is two steps.’
Gunther admitted to that difference.
At the same time, as he momentarily loosened his tenuous grip on consciousness…
Groooooan—.
The boy who had been kneeling on the ground raised his upper body.
A sound like the cry of a beast escaped from him.
Growl—Roar!
The boy, straining with every ounce of strength, finally straightened his back.
Crunch—.
And he took another step.
‘…What?!’
The sheer desperation of it all jolted Gunther back to his senses for a moment.
Roaaaar!
Yuri’s roaring back filled Gunther’s vision.
‘You…’
As he watched the determined figure trying so hard to take the ninth step, Gunther thought…
‘…are you not giving up?’
Thud—.
Gunther Irons’ vision went black.
When Yuri had first taken his initial step, the audience didn’t pay much attention to him.
There was only a slight sense of indifference toward the one who had moved first.
However, as he immediately took his second step and began to outpace the others, they finally began to take an interest.
‘To walk the second step so smoothly… he’s not bad.’
‘Not too shabby.’
Soon after, as they watched the other 50 cadets following Yuri and taking their steps, the audience adjusted their posture with keen interest.
When the 50th group took their first steps…
“Oh?”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t until they saw Yuri, who had walked two steps further alone, that the audience realized something was amiss.
‘Are the others too slow?’
‘No, it’s… that guy who’s fast!’
He had acted before anyone else.
He was walking faster and more powerfully than anyone else.
When they saw Yuri take four steps in the blink of an eye, the audience finally grew serious.
‘He’s fast!’
‘He’s on his fourth step, and he still has strength left.’
Everyone in the audience had already gone through the Hundred Steps Ceremony before.
Because they knew just how ridiculously fast that black-haired boy was walking.
‘Why does it look so easy for him to walk? It wasn’t like that for me.’
If someone had a bit of skill, they might manage to take two steps.
But by the third step, even when drawing on mana, their body would start to be pushed back.
It was normal to be utterly exhausted by the third step.
Yet, even after taking four steps, that black-haired boy still seemed to have plenty of energy.
‘Someone once said, if what someone else is doing looks easy, it means that person is really good at it.’
‘Not bad, huh?’
Up until then, the audience had only thought, ‘A decent one has shown up.’
However, when Yuri took the fifth step and then the sixth…
Gulp—.
People swallowed nervously.
‘He’s reached the sixth step this quickly?!’
‘Will he succeed in taking the seventh step?’
Reaching the sixth step was something that geniuses, as they were often called outside, would occasionally accomplish.
But the seventh step—that was where things changed.
It was commonly said in the Cradle that the real geniuses were distinguished from the fakes between the sixth and seventh steps.
The number of people who succeeded in taking seven steps could be counted on one hand.
That was why the audience’s focus was now entirely on Yuri’s seventh step.
Thud—.
When Yuri finally took his seventh step, sighs of awe filled the air.
“Ha… A true genius has entered the 50th batch.”
“Seven steps.”
While the audience was left speechless, those who had been trailing Yuri gradually closed the gap.
When three others succeeded in taking their sixth step, the audience sighed once more.
“This 50th batch is quite impressive.”
“One person with seven steps, and three with six?”
“One of them is at five and a half steps, but even so, this is quite remarkable.”
There were plenty of batches with no one who could even take six steps.
In that sense, the fact that four people in the 50th batch had taken six steps or more meant they were an exceptionally talented group.
On top of that, one of them had managed to take seven steps.
As the audience nodded in acknowledgment…
“What? That kid?!”
At someone’s brief exclamation of shock, all eyes turned back to the arena.
There stood Yuri, who had been paused after taking his seventh step, beginning to move again.
“E-eighth step?!”
“Why is everyone getting ahead of themselves? He hasn’t even succeeded yet.”
Some were astonished, while others suggested taking a more cautious view of the situation.
And then.
Thud—.
With a soft sound, Yuri succeeded in taking his eighth step.
As he collapsed forward, many in the audience clicked their tongues.
“Hah? Another one, just like two years ago?”
“An 8-stepper again, after only two years?”
Eight steps.
It was a record that had appeared sporadically ever since May Winchester set the record of nine steps 35 years ago.
So far, only four people had ever achieved eight steps.
The most recent eight-step record had been set by the 48th batch.
Most people had assumed it would be several more years before another eight-step record was achieved.
But defying those expectations, someone had managed to reach that milestone again in just two years.
While everyone was still marveling at the eight-step record and failing to pay attention to Yuri…
“It’s not over yet.”
Theresia muttered to herself.
“It’s not over yet.”
And as if he had heard her whisper, Yuri’s upper body began to twitch.
At the same time, a strange, guttural sound emerged.
Grroooowwll—.
It was unclear whether it was a laugh or a cry, but Yuri’s upper body began to rise, little by little.
Cries of astonishment erupted from all around.
“Th-that?!”
“Insane!”
Soon, when Yuri fully straightened his body, a deathly silence fell over the arena.
This included the 46th and 49th batches, as well as the Black Sword Corps.
Tens of thousands of people held their breath as they looked down at the arena.
There, in the midst of it all…
Roar!
Amidst the hundreds of fallen figures, there was one person struggling to stand alone.
Aaaargh!
Yuri, roaring as if to expel everything within him, finally managed to push himself up on one knee.
Soon, his legs began to move.
But, in truth, it wasn’t walking so much as dragging his body forward.
His entire body trembled under the immense pressure coming at him from all directions, but his gaze remained intense.
And finally.
Crack—.
Thud—.
He succeeded in taking his ninth step.
“Nine… steps.”
“My God…”
For the first time in 35 years, someone had taken nine steps.
While everyone was still in shock at this incredible feat, someone muttered as if in a trance.
“But that guy… he’s still… still moving?”
“…?!”
Just as he said, Yuri, who had taken nine steps, was still pressing forward.
It hurt.
It felt like his entire body had been crushed.
‘I want to rest.’
When he had collapsed after the eighth step, all he wanted was to fall asleep right there.
But Yuri stood up and walked again.
‘I can’t… I can’t just stop at eight steps.’
The Sword Master was still far ahead.
Johan, who had gone before him, was still showing him his back.
‘Didn’t I say I’d catch up soon?’
Yuri’s pride wouldn’t allow him to sit down after just eight steps.
So, he forced his upper body to straighten.
Boom—.
He took the ninth step.
It was the fruit of his efforts, earned under extreme circumstances.
And yet, Yuri felt it wasn’t enough.
He asked himself.
‘Is this it? Is this all I can do?’
Yuri examined himself objectively.
Despite his efforts to conserve mana, his mana core was nearly depleted.
Even the stamina he had been so confident in was now barely holding on.
But for some reason, his mind remained clear.
‘It’s enough. I can go further.’
With that conviction, Yuri moved forward.
And finally.
Thud—.
With a sound different from before, he took his tenth step.
And Yuri’s body collapsed once more.
His face pressed into the dirt, Yuri muttered softly.
“Ten…”
Out of the 100 steps, he had only taken ten.
It was the highest record set in 35 years, but Yuri didn’t know that and couldn’t find joy in it.
He simply lifted his head slightly to look ahead.
The Sword Master was propping his chin on his hand, looking down at him with a bored expression.
‘So, even this isn’t enough… to pique his interest?’
It made sense.
To the Sword Master, someone who had barely made it 90 steps before collapsing was nothing more than trash, not even worth drawing his sword for.
Knowing this only made Yuri more determined to see a change in that bored expression.
But…
‘Is this… the extent of my abilities?’
He had reached his limit.
He had no strength left to stand.
It was a miracle he could even hold onto his consciousness under the immense pressure surrounding him.
‘Yes… let’s admit it. Right now, I’m only capable of ten steps.’
Testing himself had shown him that with only his accumulated abilities, this was as far as he could go.
Now, he intended to use a different method beyond what he had built up so far.
Perhaps this would be enough to surprise that bored Sword Master.
Just as Yuri made up his mind…
Stop—.
The illusion of Johan, who had been moving far ahead toward the Sword Master, came to a halt.
Then, slowly turning around, Johan smirked at Yuri.
As if to say, “How long are you going to lie there?”
Yuri laughed as well.
‘Got it, I’m coming right now!’
Shouting this in his mind, Yuri spread the last bit of mana he had been saving throughout his entire body.
Toward the path Johan had paved, the shortcut he had carved out with his own blood and sweat.
Toward the mana road Johan had created to face the monster.
The last bit of mana surged forward.
The Redner Family’s Secret Magic Body Technique.
Magic Flow.
And then.
Whoooosh—.
The flow of magic began to surge violently around Yuri.