SWNOVELXO Chapter 70 - Stimulation (3)
Chapter 70: Stimulation (3)
Yuri closed the entrance to the cave to prevent any light from leaking out.
When he turned back, Johan was already sprawled on the lone bed, picking his nose.
“What kind of lousy hospitality is this? What are you doing, not even offering something to eat?”
He casually stirred his nose and dangled his leg in a carefree manner.
Seeing this long-unseen sight, Yuri sighed.
‘…I must have lost my mind for a moment.’
He couldn’t believe he had felt glad to see this cranky old man.
Shaking his head in disgust, Yuri sat down in front of Johan.
“How did you manage to find me?”
“Did you really think you could hide from me on an island this small? So, where’s the food?”
“It doesn’t seem that small to me.”
“Hmph, my booger is a bit on the large side. Now, get me something to eat.”
Johan flicked his finger, the one that had been digging in his nose.
A surprisingly large booger shot out and stuck to the cave wall.
Yuri’s face twisted in disgust as he looked at it.
“Ah, gross! And stop whining about food! I only got here yesterday! How would I have anything to eat?”
“If there’s no food, at least get me some water to wet my throat.”
“There’s nothing like that either.”
“Geez, what kind of a dump is this?”
“…”
“Seriously, what a mess.”
“…”
Yuri seriously considered it.
Should he give this old man a piece of his mind after all this time?
As he pondered, Johan also looked him over.
‘He’s grown.’
It had been just over a month since they had been apart.
And in that month, Yuri had grown rapidly, just as Johan had predicted, even without his guidance.
‘He must’ve found something good to eat, considering how much his mana has increased.’
But more than anything, what had changed was the confidence in Yuri’s eyes.
‘Something must have happened.’
Johan lay on his side and looked at Yuri, speaking.
“Tsk, forget the food. Tell me what you’ve been up to for the past month.”
“About what happened in the Cradle? …Can I talk about it so freely? I even signed a non-disclosure agreement.”
“Anyone would think you actually follow rules like that.”
“Why are you like this? I’ve lived a pure and honest life!”
“Bullshit. And you’re the one who signed it, not me, right? If you get caught, you’re the one who’ll get in trouble.”
“If the Black Sword Corps catches me, I’ll make sure to rat you out too, old man.”
“Do as you please. Do you think I haven’t tangled with them a few times? And if I decide to run, unless the Sword Master himself steps in, no one can catch me.”
“…If you run, could you take me with you?”
“That depends on how you behave. So, are you going to tell me or not?”
“Fine.”
Yuri pouted his lips.
Although he grumbled, he had always intended to tell Johan everything.
‘As long as I don’t blab outside the Cradle, it should be fine, right?’
Rationalizing to himself, Yuri opened his mouth.
“Well, it goes like this…”
He started lightly, recounting the events in the Forest of Beginnings and the Changing of the Dragon Plaque.
Hearing this, Johan’s lips curled up slightly.
“Heh, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that! The Forest of Beginnings and the Changing of the Dragon Plaque…”
“Huh? Did they have that back in your day too?”
“Of course! The first-generation brats, who didn’t even go through it themselves, tormented us so viciously. Even after nearly fifty years, I still remember it vividly! Those first-generation bastards!”
“Did you suffer at the hands of the first generation too?”
“Who, me? Do you think I would?”
“I figured not, so I asked.”
“Of course, I didn’t! If anything, I destroyed any first-generation punks who crossed my path! It’s just that my comrades and friends had a tough time, so I got angry on their behalf…”
“You don’t have any friends.”
“…”
“…”
A moment of silence passed between them.
Johan then asked quietly.
“…Do you have any?”
“…”
The silence between them grew longer.
The bitter silence was broken when Yuri spoke up again.
“Old man, I… I saw the Sword Master.”
“What?!”
For the first time, Johan, who had been lying down all this time, suddenly sat up straight.
“Where?”
“At the Hundred Steps Ceremony.”
“The Hundred Steps Ceremony? What’s that?”
“Guess it didn’t exist in your time?”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it. Explain.”
At Johan’s urging, Yuri began to unravel his story.
He explained what the Hundred Steps Ceremony was and what he had done there.
After hearing it, Johan spoke bluntly.
“Fifteen steps? Only that?”
“…Sorry for only managing fifteen steps, then.”
“No, technically, it’s not even fifteen steps, but ten, right? You managed to walk ten paces on your own without using any Magic Flow.”
“…If you keep hitting me with those remarks, I won’t feel like talking.”
Yuri pouted his lips again, and Johan chuckled.
Then he asked in a serious tone.
“So, how was it, seeing the Sword Master in person?”
“…”
Yuri closed his mouth for a moment at that question.
After a brief silence, he answered sincerely.
“He was strong. Terrifyingly so.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Johan let out a rough laugh at Yuri’s response.
Sharp words flowed from him.
“So, are you going to give up? Weren’t you planning to beat the strongest man in the world and take his place? Now that you’ve seen the Sword Master, do you think you can’t do it?”
“Well.”
“Are you scared?”
“When I was ignorant, I looked at the massive mountain that is the Sword Master from afar and thought it would be easy. And when I arrived at the foot of the mountain, I was shocked by the unseen peak.”
“And?”
“Even so… Even so, shouldn’t I at least try to climb it? I’ll figure out how to conquer that colossal mountain called the Sword Master step by step.”
“Is that why you asked for such a reward? To participate in that Hundred Steps Ceremony every year?”
“A chance to challenge the Sword Master four more times without risking my life. And a chance to see how much I’ve grown each year through the Sword Master. I just judged that this was the best reward I could get in the Cradle.”
His voice was filled with sincerity.
Johan could also sense the unquenchable fire in Yuri’s golden eyes.
‘He hasn’t broken.’
If Yuri’s resolve had been broken by the Sword Master, he wouldn’t have considered participating in the Hundred Steps Ceremony every year.
The words “That’s enough” almost rose to Johan’s throat, but he managed to swallow them down.
Instead, what came out was a sarcastic remark.
“Kid, acting all tough. Do you think what you saw was all there is to the Sword Master?”
Yuri wore a puzzled expression.
To this remarkable young man, who hadn’t lost his will despite facing the Sword Master, Johan thought the least he could do was share his experiences to help Yuri prepare for the shock he would inevitably face later.
“Tsk tsk tsk, that Hundred Steps Ceremony or whatever it is must have been going on for quite some time, right? At least a decade or two, if not longer.”
“Probably.”
“Then the Sword Master you faced that day was likely from a decade or two ago, maybe even longer.”
“…What do you mean?”
“The Sword Master… that monster is far more conservative and traditional than you might think. If the Hundred Steps Ceremony started decades ago, then the ceremony you participated in a few days ago was likely calibrated to that time’s level. This way, it serves as a benchmark for assessing the newcomers’ abilities.”
“…?!”
Yuri’s pupils trembled.
His voice wavered slightly as he asked again.
“So… you’re saying that the Sword Master I faced was at the level he was decades ago?”
The image of the Sword Master, who had painted the sky red, resurfaced in Yuri’s mind.
‘If that was his level from decades ago…?’
Just how powerful is the Sword Master now?
Seeing Yuri frozen in shock, Johan clicked his tongue.
“Why are you so surprised? Did you really think the Sword Master was just that powerful?”
“It didn’t seem like just that…”
“It was just that. The Sword Master was already a perfected monster decades ago. And that monster hasn’t aged or weakened; he’s been honing his power for decades. What do you think he’s like now?”
“…”
“That’s why I created the Magic Flow. There’s no way to take down that ancient monster through conventional means.”
“…Instead of nurturing a budding sprout, you’re crushing its spirit. You’re a mean old man.”
“Ha, just know this. The ancient monster I’m trying to catch, and that you’ll eventually face, is not something you can measure with common sense.”
“…”
Yuri didn’t respond to Johan’s warning.
Instead, he deeply etched that warning into his heart.
So deeply that it would never be erased.
In the midst of this, Johan casually threw out a comment.
“Well done.”
“Huh?”
Yuri blinked in surprise.
In front of him, Johan was smiling.
“Not relying on the Magic Flow as much as possible during the Hundred Steps Ceremony, testing your own abilities to the fullest, and securing the reward to challenge the Sword Master every year.”
“Huh?”
“It was a wise decision.”
“Huh?”
Yuri stood there, dumbfounded by Johan’s unexpected praise.
But soon, a sad expression clouded his face.
“Old man… are you really sick?”
“…?”
“Or are you about to die? Why are you acting so out of character?”
“…”
“If that’s the case, make sure you leave everything to me in your will…”
Whack-!
“Ow!”
Yuri, who had finally been smacked, clutched his head and rolled around on the ground.
Johan clicked his tongue at the pitiful sight.
“Tsk, I don’t know what I was thinking, trusting my life’s work, the Magic Flow, to someone like this. When will you ever master it at this rate?”
“I’m working hard too!”
“Hard, my ass. How long have you been in the Cradle, and you’re already fooling around with some girl?”
“Fooling around? Me? When?”
“I saw you hugging some girl earlier.”
“…Just how long have you been here?”
How long had he been there to see everything?
Yuri held his forehead in disbelief and glared at Johan.
At that moment, Yuri remembered the trajectory of the white spear that defied the Magic Flow yesterday.
“Old man, do you know anything about a spear technique called Chwisung?”
“Chwisung? If it’s a spear technique called Chwisung… could you mean the one from the Winchester family?”
“Huh? You know it? The person who used it had the surname Winchester. Is it famous?”
Johan looked at Yuri with an exasperated expression at his question.
“Haven’t you heard of the Winchesters of Briwell?”
“Oh? Is it a prominent family?”
“Very prominent. They’re the strongest family in the Briwell Administrative District. And what they’re most famous for…”
“…?”
“They’re known as the insane family that harbors the mad ambition of piercing the sky with a single spear.”
“Well, people can run on air nowadays, so piercing the sky doesn’t seem that far-fetched.”
“I teach you something good, and you dare compare the Redner family’s ultimate technique to some spear-wielder’s cheap trick?”
“I’ll be sure to tell them exactly what you said when that person wakes up. That Johan Redner called their family’s ultimate technique a cheap spear trick.”
“Go ahead. I’ll win if we fight anyway.”
“Wow, you’re practically a thug.”
“This little… Wait, so that girl you were carrying earlier, is she from the Winchester family?”
“I wasn’t carrying her; I was just giving her a piggyback ride, okay? And yeah, she’s from the Winchester family.”
“If she’s from the Winchester family and at the age to enter the Cradle… it must be that kid. Te… Te… what was her name again?”
“Theresia Winchester.”
“Yeah, that’s the one!”
“You know her?”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces. Her aunt came to me for advice a few times.”
“Advice? Why?”
“Don’t you know?”
“Know what?”
“If you were close enough to be hugging and cuddling, you’d think she’d tell you.”
“What nonsense! There was no hugging and cuddling! We just exchanged a few spear and sword techniques!”
Johan gave Yuri a half-lidded, skeptical look.
“Fine, fine. No need to get all worked up.”
“Grr…!”
Yuri suppressed his anger and asked.
“So, what did her aunt come to consult you about?”
“Tsk, so clueless. Why do you think I brought this up? Obviously, because the consultation was related to that Te… whatever her name is.”
“What was it?”
“Hmm…”
Johan stroked his chin, appearing to be in slight contemplation, before speaking.
“Well, since it’s already widely known, I guess there’s no harm in telling you, but don’t let on about it in front of her.”
“Fine, fine. Just tell me already.”
“Theresia was quite famous in the Briwell Administrative District. As the Winchester family’s malformed child.”
“…What?”
“Her aunt consulted me about that. She wanted to know if there was any way to lift the curse that afflicted her niece.”
Yuri’s eyes widened at this unexpected revelation.