SWNOVELXO Chapter 88 - Tiger Hunting (2)
Chapter 88: Tiger Hunting (2)
Poppy and Arin tilted their heads in confusion.
“What?”
“…?”
They both had the same thought at the same time.
‘Why does it feel like they’re getting closer?’
And it wasn’t just their imagination.
As they had sensed, the fierce battle between Yuri and the Wolf Man was gradually moving closer to where they were.
By the time Arin and Poppy realized this…
Clang- Clang- Clang!
“Ugh, ugh!”
“I’m hungry!”
…they were already caught up in the fight.
No, to be more precise, Yuri had deliberately dragged them into it.
With his goal achieved, Yuri called out in a small voice.
“Switch.”
And then, as if on cue, he darted behind Poppy.
In that moment, Arin and Poppy could see it clearly.
The wicked grin that accompanied Yuri’s low voice when he suggested switching places.
Only then did they realize that this whole situation was a scheme orchestrated by Yuri.
But by the time they realized it, it was too late.
“Get out of my way!”
The Wolf Man, annoyed by their interference, swung his sword aggressively.
Seeing the Wolf Man approach with deadly intent, Arin screamed.
“If you were going to do this, why did you tell us to stay out of it?”
Poppy snorted in agreement, but they couldn’t afford to complain any longer. Arin quickly drew her bowstring.
Swish-
Yuri, watching the arrow being drawn and fired in an instant, was slightly impressed.
‘She’s really fast.’
He had noticed it before, but her archery skills were truly remarkable.
How much practice must she have had to fire an arrow from the quiver in less than a second?
At this rate, she could probably shoot one arrow per second.
Whip-
However, she must have drawn her bow too hastily.
The arrow Arin shot was a standard one, not particularly special.
Such arrows had already proven to be no threat to a certified 1st-rank fighter.
Clang!
Sure enough, the Wolf Man easily deflected Arin’s arrow.
But it wasn’t entirely without effect, as it did cause him to hesitate slightly.
In that brief moment, Poppy pulled out the shield he had been carrying on his back.
Thud-
The massive shield, a staggering 1.6 meters in height, hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Yuri clicked his tongue in amazement.
‘How strong must he be to carry that heavy thing around?’
While the shield was large enough to cover an entire body for an average person, to Poppy, it was just a regular shield.
As Yuri, who had retreated behind Poppy, observed the scene, a glint appeared in his eyes.
‘Let’s see what happens.’
One of the things Yuri intended to investigate during this experiment was Poppy.
He had already gauged Arin’s abilities from their previous cooperation, but Poppy was still a complete unknown.
What type of magic body technique did Poppy use?
And how could he be utilized effectively?
Understanding these factors was one of the key objectives of this experiment.
Yuri watched Poppy’s fight closely.
Screech-
As soon as Poppy’s shield appeared, the soles of the Wolf Man’s shoes screeched against the ground from the sudden friction.
At the same time, the Wolf Man’s body tilted to the right.
Since his sole objective was Yuri, he attempted to twist his body to sidestep the shield.
Just as the Wolf Man was about to evade the shield…
Whoosh-
A massive round shield was swung toward the approaching enemy, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind.
For a moment, the Wolf Man felt as if a wall was rushing toward him.
But he snorted in disdain.
‘Too slow.’
The power behind the shield was impressive.
But what good was that if the attack was so slow?
If he had been the type to get hit by such a slow attack, he wouldn’t have survived in the Cradle until now.
Whoosh-
Just as the Wolf Man snorted, the wall-like shield that had been closing in on him vanished.
No, it hadn’t vanished.
The Wolf Man’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘He stood the shield up?!’
The shield, which had been approaching with its flat surface, had suddenly tilted horizontally.
The attack that had been a broad strike suddenly transformed into a sharp line.
As a result, the shield’s speed toward the enemy increased dramatically.
Yuri’s eyes gleamed as he observed this.
‘It’s slow, but with that strength, the destructive power is definite… and it’s a technique refined enough to incorporate unpredictability.’
The technique of using the shield not just for defense but also as a weapon wasn’t bad.
Against an inexperienced opponent, Poppy’s shield technique might have posed a significant challenge.
But the person Poppy was facing was a seasoned veteran who had survived two years in the Cradle.
Groan-
The Wolf Man bent his back, narrowly dodging the shield as it swept past him.
Having avoided the attack, Poppy’s body, which had been hiding behind the shield, was now fully exposed.
With the unexpected attack failing, Poppy had inadvertently revealed a weak point to his opponent.
Poppy hurriedly tried to retrieve his shield, but the Wolf Man was faster.
Swish-!
With a menacing aura, the Wolf Man swung his sword.
“Die!”
As the deadly blade approached, Poppy’s pupils trembled violently.
He knew it was too late to retrieve his shield.
Just as he was about to resign himself to taking a severe injury…
Crackle-!
Lightning suddenly struck from Poppy’s chest.
The lightning quickly transformed into a dark shadow, and from within, a sharp blade emerged, intercepting the sword aimed at Poppy.
Clang-
The Wolf Man, caught off guard by his attack being blocked, looked startled.
But he quickly made up his mind and retreated.
As the Wolf Man fled from the scene…
Yuri, who had saved Poppy by deploying Thunder Wing in the nick of time, shouted angrily.
“Who the hell dares to bully my friend?”
Hearing this, Arin muttered in disbelief.
“…You.”
This whole situation happened because of you, didn’t it?
You jerk!
It wasn’t even a case of causing the problem and then trying to fix it.
But it seemed Yuri didn’t hear Arin’s muttered complaint.
Perhaps they heard her, but chose to ignore it.
Yuri, wearing a confident expression, lifted his sword with one hand and pointed it at the Wolf Man.
“The price for tormenting my friend… you’ll pay with your hide.”
With that declaration, Yuri rushed at the Wolf Man, slashing his sword diagonally as he advanced.
“…….”
“…….”
Arin and Poppy could only stare in disbelief at Yuri’s back as he charged forward.
Meanwhile, the Wolf Man, watching Yuri approach, looked as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Come at me!”
The Wolf Man met Yuri with a determined expression, as if this time, he would definitely capture him.
It didn’t take long for the confident, smug look on the Wolf Man’s face to transform into one of confusion.
Clang-!
‘What?’
Clang!
‘What the…?’
Clang!
‘This guy…’
Clang!
‘Why…?’
Crackle!
‘How has he… gotten stronger?’
The feel of crossing swords with Yuri was completely different from before.
His strikes were heavier than earlier.
And much faster.
To the point where blocking each attack became a struggle.
Unaware that he had been fooled, the Wolf Man was puzzled by Yuri’s sudden increase in skill.
As time passed, the number of exchanges between Yuri and the Wolf Man continued to increase.
And finally…
“Two hundred.”
When Yuri muttered the number softly, the Wolf Man instantly understood its significance.
He had been counting as well.
As a result, the Wolf Man’s complexion darkened.
Following the established rules, he withdrew his sword and began to desperately evade Yuri’s attacks.
Yuri’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Ah, so that’s how it is.”
Having discovered what he needed to know, Yuri decided to end the experiment.
He suddenly sheathed his sword.
Crack-
“Alright, now it’s my turn.”
Yuri cracked his knuckles with a mocking smile.
“W-Wait a second!”
The Wolf Man, panicked, reached out his hand, but Yuri had already disappeared from the spot.
Whoosh-
Yuri reappeared in front of the Wolf Man like a mirage.
“Bite down hard. Unless you want to lose your tongue.”
Bam!
“Ugh!”
The Wolf Man tried to dodge, but he couldn’t keep up with Yuri’s speed.
“Gah?!”
Yuri’s knee slammed mercilessly into the Wolf Man’s abdomen.
The force was so powerful that the Wolf Man was sent flying through the air.
And Yuri wasn’t about to let him escape.
Boom!
Pushing off the ground, Yuri quickly caught up to the airborne Wolf Man.
Thud thud thud-
Yuri’s fists rained down like a storm, pummeling the Wolf Man relentlessly.
Bam bam bam bam bam!
“Argh!”
The Wolf Man was battered back and forth in the air.
Yuri’s punches were so fast that the Wolf Man couldn’t even fall to the ground.
Whenever he was about to drop, Yuri would kick him back up.
And when he was about to fall again, Yuri would kick him back up.
After about five minutes of this relentless beating, the Wolf Man finally lost consciousness in mid-air.
Thud-
The Wolf Man’s battered body fell to the ground in a miserable heap.
“Phew…”
Yuri exhaled, as if relieved, and pulled out the hide from the Wolf Man’s chest.
“You were a good test subject. Rest in peace.”
Yuri wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead with a satisfied look on his face.
Meanwhile, Poppy and Arin, who had been watching the entire process, broke out into a cold sweat.
“Is… is the wolf dead?”
“……”
Poppy couldn’t confidently say that the Wolf Man was still alive in response to Arin’s question.
Before true darkness set in, Yuri and his friends had lit a campfire and were resting.
The group was sharing the provisions that Yuri had brought along.
‘At least it’s a relief that they didn’t take this from us.’
The training center had confiscated all the hides they had collected, but they returned the food Yuri had purchased when they were released.
The rations they had were barely enough for the three of them to eat for a day.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stave off hunger for now.
Still, Yuri couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.
‘…If I had known, I would’ve bought more.’
At first, he thought it was an unnecessary expense, but in their current situation, the rations were proving to be worth over 1,000 points.
Nom nom-
As Arin chewed on the hard, dry rations, she asked,
“So, what exactly were you trying to figure out with all that chaos earlier?”
“What do you mean?”
“Killing that wolf…”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“…You were trying to.”
“Hey, I’ve never had such a wicked thought.”
“Gah! You turned the wolf into minced meat!”
“Ah… well, that’s accurate.”
“Anyway, you had a reason for doing all that, right?”
At her question, Poppy blinked and looked at Yuri.
He seemed to be asking if what she said was true.
Yuri, on the other hand, looked at her with curiosity.
‘She’s really hard to figure out.’
Was she just an easygoing fool?
Or was she a genius with a free spirit?
‘She’s too perceptive to be a fool.’
Without any explanation, she had inferred the meaning behind his actions.
That wasn’t something someone with just quick reflexes could figure out.
‘You’d need the ability to read between the lines and analyze the situation.’
And someone who could do that couldn’t be stupid.
‘They say the line between genius and idiot is thin… is she that?’
When Yuri stared at her without saying anything, Arin frowned.
“…What’s with that weird look?”
“What’s wrong with my look?”
“It’s like you’re surprised that someone you thought was an idiot isn’t actually an idiot.”
“……”
…It’s confirmed, this one’s a genius.
“See! You’re giving me that weird look again!”
At Arin’s remark, Yuri cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“The reason I did all that earlier was….”
“Aha! You’re changing the subject!”
“Be quiet.”
“Yes, sir.”
When Yuri glared at her, Arin quickly shut her mouth.
Only then did Yuri continue speaking.
“The reason I did all that was, as you guessed, to figure a few things out.”
“What were they?”
“Hungry?”
Seeing their curious gazes, Yuri smiled and gave a brief response.