SWNOVELXO Chapter 75 - Gathering Leather (1)
Chapter 75. Gathering Leather (1)
When Yuri seemed to be attempting to use the Kang Sword, Theresia subtly shook her head.
“It won’t be easy if it’s your first time. Some people struggle even just to feel the wavelength.”
Moreover, it takes even longer to align oneself with that wavelength.
There’s a reason why those who’ve practiced the Magic Body Technique since childhood only manage to manifest the Kang Sword after becoming a certified first rank.
Despite her explanation, Yuri seemed not to hear her and continued to concentrate with his sword.
Theresia let out a small sigh.
“It’s impossible for now. It’ll take at least a few weeks just to find the two wavelengths. Even I… it took longer than I expected…”
The moment she said that—
Wooong—.
A faint humming sound could be heard as Yuri’s beloved sword, White, was enveloped in a transparent luster.
And that wasn’t all.
Patz-zzt—.
A thin current of electricity began to ripple along the pure white blade.
Yuri opened his eyes and, noticing this, grinned with excitement.
“Wow, my White just got even prettier, didn’t it?”
He lovingly gazed at his beloved sword before turning his head toward Theresia.
“Didn’t you just say something?”
“…”
Theresia muttered softly as she watched Yuri tilt his head innocently.
“…How annoying.”
All these geniuses should just drop dead.
Theresia glared at Yuri’s sword.
The transparent luster and the blue electricity coursing through the blade.
This was definitely proof that the Kang had manifested.
Unable to hold it in any longer, she asked,
“…You, be honest.”
“What?”
“You knew how to use it from the start, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Kang Sword!”
“What do you mean? I just heard about it today.”
“Then… how did you…?”
She couldn’t finish her sentence.
‘Is this even possible?’
It typically takes months to find the wavelength, and years to align and harmonize with it.
Even those with innate talent usually take one to two years.
She herself hadn’t manifested the Kang Sword until recently, despite starting from childhood.
And he managed to do it after hearing about it just once?
No matter how much of a genius he was, could this really be happening?
While Theresia was lost in her confusion, Yuri was impatiently waiting for more information.
“So, what about the rest? The Yeon Sword, Hwa Sword, and Ma Sword?”
Sigh, with a complicated expression, Theresia explained the rest.
When the wavelength match rate reaches 90%, the blade transforms as if heated by fire—this is known as Yeon (Refining).
Raising it another 5%, to a 95% match rate, the mana erupts outward like flames—this is called Hwa (Fire).
And when it reaches a 99% match rate—
The flames of mana that flicker externally transform into a thin, translucent membrane that fully envelops the weapon.
People refer to this state as the realm of Ma (Magic).
Yuri nodded as he listened to her explanation.
“So, it all depends on how closely the wavelengths match.”
“Right. As the level rises, even increasing the match rate by 1% can take years…”
Theresia’s gaze, filled with the thought of ‘Could he really do it again?’ fell upon Yuri as he picked up his sword again. She grabbed his wrist quickly.
“Wait!”
“What?”
“You were about to try the Yeon Sword, weren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Do it later… when I’m not around.”
If you manage to succeed with the Yeon Sword here and now, I… I might not be able to handle it.
Theresia couldn’t bring herself to say the rest.
Yuri, sensing the mood, put away his sword.
Instead, he asked another question.
“Then what about a 100% match rate? What happens when it reaches 100%?”
“When it goes from 99% to 100%… they say it causes a resonance phenomenon. The weapon becomes engulfed in a deep, profound light of mana…”
“…And?”
“It’s called Seong (Holy).”
“Oh, so it’s a Seong Sword! A Holy Sword, right?”
“…Yes, and for the record, the realm of Seong is a certified sixth rank.”
While the Ma Sword is at the certified fourth rank, the Seong Sword is at the sixth rank.
This highlighted just how grueling it was to bridge the gap of that last 1%.
At that moment, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.
‘Alright, in the next year… let’s aim for the Seong Sword.’
Johan’s assignment was to reach the Ma Sword within a year.
But Yuri naturally set his sights on something beyond that.
His reason was simple.
‘When setting a goal, you should aim high, so even if you fail, you still achieve half of it.’
If I aim for the certified sixth rank Seong Sword, even if I fail, I might at least reach the third or fourth rank.
…This was his straightforward reasoning.
And there was one more simple reason.
‘The Seong Sword sounds way cooler than the Ma Sword, right?’
Just from the name alone, the Seong Sword seems bigger and stronger.
It was a blessing in disguise that Theresia hadn’t heard his simplistic thoughts.
Time flew by quickly.
Every day, Yuri and Theresia sparred repeatedly.
Outside of those times, it was as if they had planned it—they both focused on individual training.
Yuri, inspired by Theresia’s dedication to her training.
He, too, devoted most of his day to practice.
And this, in turn, motivated Theresia.
‘Why is he working so hard?’
Theresia, unaware that everything had started because of her, couldn’t understand Yuri’s relentless training.
Theresia, who sparred with Yuri daily, knew better than anyone how steep his growth curve was.
Day by day, Yuri appeared with a new level of skill.
Not to mention the talent to instantly succeed with the Kang Sword.
It was clear that this was something beyond her reach.
And with such an extraordinary talent…
‘Couldn’t he take it a little easier?’
Why is he pushing himself so hard?
Is he not thinking about the people trying to keep up with him?
If you run ahead like that, what happens to those left behind?
With those thoughts,
In the face of the gap between her talent and Yuri’s,
And watching Yuri tirelessly hone his talent,
Theresia gritted her teeth.
And, as always, she picked up her spear.
‘Right, I already knew, didn’t I? That he’s different from me. Yuri Holland’s talent… I can’t keep up with it.’
That’s why she just needed to work harder.
If Yuri Holland put in 10 efforts, she would put in 20.
She would absolutely put in more effort than him!
Swish—!
Whoosh—!
And so, in the training ground, Yuri and Theresia, as if in a competition, threw themselves into their training.
They practiced the secret techniques they couldn’t show each other in their respective quarters, but for the basic training, they began to train together.
As a result, their daily routines naturally started to align, and they began to eat together more frequently.
Or rather, to be precise, when mealtime arrived, Theresia would seek out Yuri’s quarters.
Knock knock—.
At the sound of knocking on the wooden door, Yuri quickly ran over, swung it wide open, and bowed his head.
“Welcome!”
Yuri, slightly extending his hand, gestured inside.
“Please, take a seat wherever you feel comfortable.”
Although he said “wherever,” there was only one place to sit.
In one corner of Yuri’s quarters, there was a wooden table and chair.
Theresia, now accustomed to Yuri’s little skit, took her seat at the table without any reaction.
Yuri approached with a smile in his eyes.
“Thank you for visiting Yuri Holland’s restaurant again today. You’re back, dear guest?”
Clatter—.
Yuri placed a wooden plate, bowl, spoon, and chopsticks in front of Theresia.
“If you find the chopsticks inconvenient, I can replace them with a fork.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m used to them now.”
“Then, I’ll introduce today’s menu right away. Ahem—.”
Yuri cleared his throat slightly and spoke clearly.
“Luckily, I managed to acquire some fresh freshwater fish and crayfish today. So, the menu for today includes a soup and a grilled dish made with the fish, crayfish, and a variety of spices.”
With a bright smile, he extended his hand.
“As always, payment is required in advance.”
Without a word, Theresia placed points into Yuri’s hand.
Clink—
It was a hefty 2,000 points.
Once the payment was made, Yuri quickly became busy again.
“Please wait a moment. Your meal will be served shortly!”
Yuri scurried away.
As he bustled about in one corner, Theresia looked around the place.
‘His craftsmanship is truly impressive.’
In one part of the cave, there was a sturdy-looking stone bed.
Then there was the chair she was sitting on, the table, the shelves, and more.
Everywhere she looked, there were items that Yuri had made.
One day, curious about how he managed to create such things without nails or even proper tools, she asked him…
‘The bed has an unusual design? Ah, that’s because it’s an ondol style. If you light a fire underneath, the stone bed warms up.’
‘This table and chair? It’s nothing special, just a simple joint technique. I learned it when I was a kid.’
…was the response she received.
‘When he says “when I was a kid,” how young could he possibly mean?’
That question crossed her mind, but she didn’t press the issue.
There were more astonishing things about Yuri’s place than just that.
Theresia glanced toward the center of the living space.
There was a small wooden box, and light seeped out of it, softly illuminating the cave.
It was a lamp made from the luminous stones that Yuri had stolen.
The principle was simple.
He drilled small holes into the wooden box and covered them to control the amount of light.
Thanks to this, Yuri’s living space was bright without the need for a campfire or torches, and he could turn the light on and off whenever he wished.
Theresia had been furious when she found out that Yuri had recklessly taken the luminous stones from the training ground.
But when Yuri made an identical lamp and brought it to her, the convenience of it quickly calmed her anger.
Although this left two of the luminous stones from the training ground missing.
After scanning the central area, Theresia’s gaze moved to the storage room attached to Yuri’s quarters.
She peeked inside.
‘…The amount has increased.’
The small cavern used as a storage room was lined with shelves filled with various items.
There were herbs, spices,
Fresh meat, smoked meat, and more.
In just a few days, Yuri’s storage room had accumulated a wealth of goods.
Theresia clicked her tongue in amazement.
‘Does he even sleep?’
He spent most of his day sparring and training with her.
Yet, every time she visited his place, there was something new.
She couldn’t help but wonder when he found the time to gather and make all these things.
Just then, Yuri appeared, carrying a large wooden tray laden with dishes.
Clatter—
Theresia let out a small sigh as she took in the sight of the table, now filled to the brim.
“Ah…”
This was it.
These dishes!
Real food!
‘It’s not a waste of 2,000 points at all.’
Theresia genuinely thought so.
For the past year, she had subsisted on rations.
She had been so focused on training that she had suppressed all other desires.
But thanks to Yuri, she had tasted real food again, and her previously subdued appetite had reawakened.
Considering that the rations sold at the store cost 1,000 points per day, one might think that 2,000 points for a single meal was excessive.
But one look at the dishes before her, and such thoughts quickly faded.
“Go ahead and eat.”
“…”
She looked down at the bowl Yuri handed her.
In the rich, white broth, pieces of fish, crayfish meat, and a few spices floated.
As the sweet and spicy aroma wafted to her nose, she couldn’t resist and picked up the spoon.
She carefully scooped up some fish and broth and brought it to her mouth.
And then—
Pop!
A burst of flavor exploded in her mouth.
“…It’s delicious.”
Yuri Holland’s craftsmanship was impressive, but what was even more remarkable was his cooking skill.
How he managed to create such flavors with such modest ingredients was beyond her.
She quickly devoured the broth, fish, and grilled crayfish before her.
Yuri watched her with satisfaction before taking his seat and starting his meal.
Even without adding sugar, the fish tasted sweeter than honey to Yuri.
‘Ah, the sweetness of unearned income… It’s so sweet it’s driving me crazy.’
He only had to prepare one extra portion while making his own meal, and yet he was pocketing a cool 2,000 points per meal.
Could there be anything sweeter in the world than this?
Caught up in that sweetness, Yuri quickly finished his portion as well.
Clatter, clatter—
There was no conversation, only the sound of utensils clinking against dishes.
The short but intense meal time passed, and then—
“…That was good.”
“You’re too kind. Please come again!”
“I will.”
Theresia nodded.
Now that she was full, she noticed the large stone pot placed in the hearth.
“I’ve been curious for a while now, but where did you get that stone pot?”
The black, glossy stone pot was almost the size of a human torso.
It was fire-resistant and, more importantly, extremely durable.
The question was, how had he managed to carve such hard stone so precisely?
“Oh, that?”
Yuri smirked at Theresia’s question.
“It’s nothing special. It was a gift.”
“A gift? From who? Is there really someone who would give you a gift?”
“…That remark was meant to tease me about having no friends, wasn’t it?”
“…”
Theresia turned her head slightly, avoiding the question.
Yuri rolled his eyes.
‘Tch, she’s got good instincts…’
Theresia’s comment had struck a nerve with Yuri.
In truth, that stone pot wasn’t a gift from Johan; it was something he had reluctantly made for Yuri after being badgered into it.
‘He sure made a fuss over a few knife strokes.’
Of course, carving a pot from stone with swordsmanship wasn’t just a simple knife job.
Yuri shook off the image of Johan’s smug face.
Then, he asked the question that had been on his mind, turning to Theresia, who still wasn’t looking at him.
“More importantly, about the fee for our next sparring match.”
“Our next sparring match?”
“Yeah, I want to be paid in information instead of points for the next one.”
Up until now, Yuri had accepted any information Theresia offered, always valuing it at 10,000 points.
This was the first time he had requested specific information.
Theresia’s eyes sparkled with interest as she asked,
“What do you want to know?”
“Oh, it’s nothing special. Do you happen to know what the first integrated quest for first-years is? It’s happening tomorrow, so I thought it’d be good to know in advance.”
At that question, Theresia flinched—her shoulders trembled slightly.
But she quickly regained her usual composure and answered calmly.
“If it’s the first integrated quest for first-years… it’s probably… Gathering Leather.”
Theresia’s voice trailed off, growing quieter at the end.
Yuri tilted his head in confusion at her answer.
“Gathering Leather?”