SWNOVELXO Chapter 79 - Gathering Leather (5)
Chapter 79. Gathering Leather (5)
As Yuri ventured deeper into the forest, he began to deduce the restrictions surrounding the wolves.
The role of the rabbit allowed anyone to participate regardless of skill, but it had the absolute restriction of not being able to attack.
The deer could attack, but only under the condition of counterattacking, and only those with an unofficial first rank could participate.
‘Then the wolf is likely to be at least officially first-rank.’
Even with a broad estimation, it seemed that only those with skills between the official first and second ranks would be able to participate.
So, just before crossing into the wolves’ territory, Yuri began to contemplate his current abilities.
He wondered if his current skills were enough to freely roam the wolves’ area.
‘Theresia said that her skills were approaching the official second rank.’
And he had fought on equal footing with Theresia.
No, he was confident that if he set his mind to it, he could easily overpower her.
So, was he at the official second rank? Or perhaps even third rank?
At this thought, Yuri slightly shook his head.
‘No, that’s definitely not it.’
On the day he learned the Strong Sword from Theresia, Yuri returned to his quarters and attempted to perform the Linked Sword technique.
And he failed miserably.
The reason was simple.
‘I’m lacking too much mana and magic power to perform the Linked Sword.’
The reason Yuri was able to quickly synchronize the resonance between his weapon and mana core was due to his exceptional innate sensory talent.
Moreover, having honed his sensory abilities through mastering the Magic Flow, he was able to manifest the Strong Sword on his first attempt.
However, compared to his natural talent, Yuri’s mana and magic power, which could be considered fundamental, were woefully insufficient.
That was inevitable.
The descendants of other martial families had been accumulating mana since childhood by consuming various elixirs, and they had trained in the Magic Body Technique to increase the purity of their mana.
This increased mana purity led to greater magical power.
But what about Yuri?
It hadn’t even been a year since he started learning the Magic Body Technique.
Although he had recently consumed a Low-Grade Mana Enhancement Elixir, it was just one.
Moreover, the elixirs provided by the Cradle had high purity but contained a low amount of mana.
How could he possibly catch up to the mana accumulated over years by the descendants of other martial families with just that one elixir?
‘I’m really, really short on mana…….’
His mana was so lacking that just maintaining the Strong Sword for 30 minutes drained him completely.
Judging by that alone, it was hard to even say that Yuri was at the official first rank.
But still…
‘The old man said that people like him and me are beings who exist outside the standards set by the world.’
Yuri now understood what that meant.
Despite being at an unofficial first rank at best, and even though he couldn’t fully manifest the Strong Sword, he was confident that he could subdue Theresia, who was on the brink of the official second rank.
Moreover, he felt assured that if he prepared adequately, he could accomplish even more.
With that, Yuri was able to vaguely determine his current standing.
‘Alright, if the wolves are around the first or second rank as I predicted, I’ll just continue hunting… But if they’re above that, I’ll retreat.’
It was only the first day out of the ten-day period.
He had a mountain of points to accumulate, and he couldn’t afford to get injured on the first day.
There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
With that in mind, Yuri cautiously stepped into the wolves’ territory.
No sooner had he done so than he heard the clashing of metal and explosions in the distance.
Clang- Boom!
‘Looks like someone’s already in a fight.’
Yuri decided this was a good opportunity and turned in the direction of the sound.
If someone was hunting wolves, he could at least confirm the strength of the wolves.
Soon enough, Yuri saw it.
A girl and a boy.
Theresia, wearing wolf-ear headbands, and…
‘Uh, what’s his name again?’
He couldn’t remember the name, but it was the boy he had argued with on the Black Ship.
They were engaged in a fierce battle.
Clang!
Gunther backpedaled as he parried the rapidly thrusting spear.
‘This isn’t good!’
The flow of the battle and the initiative had completely shifted to his opponent.
He had to reclaim it.
Gunther kept a sharp eye on the spear thrusts coming at him from all directions.
‘I can’t parry them all. In that case…’
Gritting his teeth, Gunther’s eyes flashed with determination.
Swish-
As Theresia’s spear lightly grazed his left shoulder, he seized the moment.
Boom!
Gunther stomped the ground forcefully and took a half-step forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc.
From below to above.
The sword, swung at a diagonal, moved so quickly that an ordinary person would have struggled to track it with their eyes.
But his opponent was Theresia.
Someone skilled enough to engage Yuri in a speed contest.
Whoosh-
Theresia loosened her grip on the spear and twisted her body to the side, narrowly evading the sword.
She appeared to be doing so with ease.
Theresia herself felt she had evaded the attack effortlessly.
But she was wrong.
Creak-
Before the sword could complete its upward trajectory, it trembled as if caught by something in midair.
Simultaneously, it suddenly changed direction, thrusting straight toward Theresia’s chest.
‘…?!’
Startled, Theresia spun around, leaping backward just in time.
The blade narrowly grazed her shoulder as she retreated.
Swish-
Theresia and Gunther.
Both bore small wounds on their shoulders as they paused and stared at each other.
Then, Theresia’s eyes glimmered with recognition.
‘Ah, it’s that kid. The one who was chasing after Yuri Holland.’
He was a junior who had achieved the second-best score in the Hundred Steps Ceremony among the 50th batch, just behind Yuri.
‘Was it six steps?’
Normally, walking six steps would be an impressive feat in any cohort.
However, in this 50th batch, there was a monster who had walked fifteen steps.
As a result, those who had walked six steps received relatively less attention.
‘Still, he’s got skills.’
The sword strike just now.
It was an unusual attack where the motion of an ‘upward slash’ was abruptly halted by force before completion.
Not only that, but the power of the ‘slash’ was disregarded, and it was converted into a ‘thrust.’
It was a tricky maneuver that required a high level of strength and proficiency to execute.
‘Hmm…’
Theresia examined her opponent’s weapon.
A rugged-looking two-handed sword.
A heavy weapon, commonly used by knights.
And as if to confirm this, Gunther raised the sword so that the flat of the blade was visible.
It was a gesture often seen in knightly rituals.
“I am Gunther, the eldest son of the Irons family. May I know your name, senior?”
Theresia’s eyes showed a hint of emotion.
‘So… this is what having juniors is like.’
Look at how polite he is.
It was such a stark contrast to that terrible guy who treated her like a bag of points to hit and get rewards from.
For the first time, Theresia felt what it was like to be treated with respect as a senior, and it made her feel genuinely pleased.
Lowering her spear slightly, she replied.
“Theresia Winchester.”
“Theresia… Winchester?!”
Gunther’s eyes widened in surprise.
The Winchester family of Briwell was so famous that even he knew of them.
But what surprised Gunther the most was the name “Theresia.”
Seeing his reaction, Theresia smiled bitterly.
Noticing this, Gunther quickly snapped back to his senses and bowed his head.
“I apologize.”
“It’s fine, I’m used to it.”
“But it seems the rumors were wrong. Someone like you….”
Gunther couldn’t finish his sentence.
Theresia’s bitter smile deepened.
‘Yes, this is the typical reaction.’
Although her fellow cadets and seniors no longer reacted much, this kind of response was all too familiar to Theresia, who had lived outside as the “freak of the Winchesters.”
In fact, the only strange one was Yuri Holland, who acted as if he knew nothing from the start.
“Ah…”
Seeing Theresia fall silent, Gunther realized he had made another mistake, and his pupils trembled.
Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward, Theresia raised her spear and pointed it at Gunther.
“Don’t you think this is no time to be worried about others?”
“Ah… you’re right.”
Nodding, Gunther lowered his sword and assumed his stance.
The awkward atmosphere instantly vanished, replaced by tension once again.
Theresia asked Gunther.
“You seem like a knight, am I right?”
“Yes.”
“I know the situation is unfavorable for you, but I have no intention of holding back.”
This was in reference to Gunther’s equipment.
Unlike those classified as warriors, knights considered full armor just as important as their swords.
There was even a saying that a knight without full armor wasn’t a real knight, and indeed, knights couldn’t perform at their best without it.
Understanding this, Gunther nodded.
“I don’t intend to blame my inadequacy on my equipment. Please teach me.”
“You’ve been well-trained. Unlike someone else I know.”
“Excuse me?”
“…Never mind.”
Theresia mumbled briefly as she pulled her spear back.
Seeing this, Gunther also moved his sword behind his back.
Tension filled the air between them.
Gunther moved first.
Boom!
His leg slammed into the ground, propelling his body forward like a cannonball.
His mana core activated its unique Magic Body Technique.
The Irons Family’s secret Magic Body Technique.
The Claws of Thunder King.
It was a technique and swordsmanship created to mimic the griffin king that commanded thunder.
Among them, this claw-shaped attack was the ultimate skill Gunther had used during the qualification exam against the Black Sword Corps.
Back then, Gunther had managed to create only three claws.
But now, Gunther had formed four thunder claws.
This was proof of Gunther’s consistent and unrelenting effort.
As Gunther’s claws charged straight ahead, Theresia was thinking something unexpected.
‘Why does this look so simple?’
Gunther’s attack was undoubtedly high-level.
Yet, for some reason, it didn’t seem threatening to her.
Despite the skill involved, it felt ‘crude.’
Theresia quickly realized why.
‘Ah… it’s because of that guy.’
Yuri’s attacks had always struck at the perfect moments.
Not a single move was wasted, as if he could read her every thought.
After sparring with Yuri, Theresia’s standards had naturally risen.
Although she hadn’t made a tremendous leap in her skills, her ability to read her opponent’s moves had improved, which was a significant achievement for her.
And this progress was clearly reflected in her own attack.
The Winchester Family’s secret Magic Body Technique.
Shadow Bullet.
Theresia, becoming one with her shadow, slipped effortlessly between Gunther’s four thunder claws, as if she had predicted them.
‘What?!’
Gunther was taken aback.
But before he could even express his surprise, a black shadow engulfed him.
Moments later, as the shadow behind Gunther transformed into Theresia.
Thud.
Gunther’s body collapsed.
Theresia watched the unconscious Gunther with a faint sense of satisfaction.
‘The sparring with Yuri paid off.’
It paid off quite well.
‘To think I’ve achieved this much in just over ten days since the sparring.’
Such rapid progress was unprecedented in her life.
Was that why?
A tiny seed of gratitude toward Yuri began to sprout in Theresia’s heart.
‘Come to think of it, when I fainted, he’s the one who carried me back.’
Even though Yuri had his own reasons, like aiming for points, he had looked after her in various ways, which had greatly improved her quality of life.
As a result, her physical condition had improved daily, allowing her to focus more on her training.
It was clear that she was probably benefiting more than the points she was giving him.
‘Certainly… I should be grateful.’
Just as the seed of gratitude in Theresia’s heart was about to grow a bit more.
Rustle.
A sound came from one side.
To avoid unnecessary conflict with what might be another wolf, Theresia prepared to say the designated password.
“Woof woof, I am a wolf…”
Or at least she would have, if her eyes hadn’t met those of the person approaching.
“…….”
“…….”
With the unconscious Gunther between them, Theresia and Yuri’s gazes locked.
In the slight silence, Yuri’s cheeks slowly puffed up.
He quickly clapped his hand over his mouth.
But in the end, he couldn’t hold it back any longer, and laughter burst out along with some spit.
“Pfft, pffft-hahaha!”
“…….”
“Woof? Woof woof? Woof woof? Pffft-hahahahahaha!”
Yuri’s eyes curved like crescent moons as he imitated Theresia, unable to stop laughing.
As a result, Theresia’s head slowly dropped towards the ground.
Her shoulders trembling with frustration, Theresia suddenly muttered.
“…How annoying.”
He should just drop dead.
Rustle.
The seed of gratitude that had sprouted in Theresia’s heart withered before it had a chance to grow.