SWNOVELXO Chapter 89 - Tiger Hunting (3)
Chapter 89: Tiger Hunting 3)
“The number of times the beasts can attack and defend.”
Yuri provided the answer, but Arin and Poppy still had puzzled expressions.
“What does that mean?”
“Are you hungry?”
Yuri sighed softly at the repeated questions.
He briefly explained how the Forest of Animals operated.
Only after hearing that did the two finally nod in understanding.
“The wolf can only attack 200 times? Wow… How did you even figure that out?”
Yuri shrugged.
“That’s not the important thing right now. What I wanted to find out was how the attack and defense counts are applied when multiple people attack together.”
“So, what did you find out?”
“The attack and defense counts apply to each person individually, with a limit of 200 times.”
Yuri made sure that Poppy and Arin intervened just before his 200th exchange.
In the process, the Wolfman deflected Arin’s arrows and exchanged a few blows with Poppy.
After that, Yuri re-engaged, continuing the battle, but the total number of exchanges between the Wolfman and Yuri ended precisely at 200.
If the counts from Arin’s and Poppy’s exchanges with the wolf had been included, Yuri’s count would not have reached 200.
In simple terms, it was impossible to share and exhaust the 200 exchanges through a combined attack.
Meanwhile, as Arin listened to Yuri’s explanation, she asked a question.
“But what if there are other conditions?”
“Other conditions?”
“It’s possible that my attacks and Poppy’s didn’t meet certain conditions, so they weren’t included in the 200 exchanges.”
Yuri asked back.
“Like what?”
“For example, my arrows weren’t particularly threatening to the wolf, and Poppy didn’t directly clash weapons with the wolf. You were the only one who directly exchanged threatening attacks, so only those were counted.”
At her explanation, Yuri nodded.
“You’re right; that’s certainly a possibility. That’s why more verification is needed.”
Arin’s points were things Yuri had also considered.
And hearing them from Arin made Yuri feel something peculiar.
‘Having your thoughts validated by others isn’t as bad as I thought.’
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Yuri turned his gaze to the western sky.
The red glow of the sunset was fading, and darkness began to settle in.
With that, Yuri stood up.
“Let’s move.”
“Are we going back to hunt wolves? To test again?”
Yuri shook his head at that question.
“No, we won’t be hunting at night for a while.”
“Then?”
“We need to keep moving to avoid the tiger.”
In truth, there were reasons they shouldn’t hunt wolves, but that was something to address later.
“Our top priority is to get through the night safely. To do that, we need to keep moving without rest.”
“Is that really necessary? Can’t we just hide in one spot?”
“With the Tiger Woman… No, with the tiger, staying in one place is more dangerous. It’s better to keep moving all night.”
If the spider web-like Magic Flow they had previously discovered worked as expected, they would be able to detect the Tiger Woman, who moved without hiding her energy, and avoid her.
“Ugh, it looks like I won’t be getting any sleep at night from now on.”
“I’m hungry……”
Seeing Arin and Poppy already looking exhausted, Yuri chuckled.
“Do you want to go back to the training camp? If that’s what you want, feel free to stay in one spot and sleep.”
At Yuri’s question, Arin and Poppy shook their heads vigorously.
“No way! I’d rather keep running all night.”
“I’m hungry!”
In an instant, the exhaustion on their faces disappeared, replaced by determination.
Yuri nodded at that.
“Alright, great resolve. Let’s get through this night safely first. Then, starting tomorrow…”
With those words, Yuri kicked over the campfire, extinguishing it.
In the scattering embers, Yuri’s eyes gleamed.
“…we’ll start hunting the bear.”
That would be the first step toward hunting the tiger.
Crackle– Crackle–
The embers of the campfire completely died out, and the surroundings were soon engulfed in darkness.
This marked the beginning of a long night.
And many nights passed after that.
At noon, a Black Sword Corps member, wearing a round, brown bear-ear headband, scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.
Anyone could see he was on high alert.
Indeed, small beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Rustle–
He flinched.
The Black Sword Corps member reacted sensitively to every small noise around him.
The grip on his sword tightened as well.
Crackle–
His sword was engulfed in the flaming mana that proved he was a certified Third Rank.
It was a Flame Sword, and the Black Sword Corps member maintained it, ready to respond at any moment, never letting his guard down for even a second.
And then, at that very moment…
Whoosh–
A gust of wind rustled the branches of the coniferous trees.
Rustle, rustle, rustle–
It sounded as if a snake was slithering through the underbrush.
“…?!”
The Black Sword Corps member swung his sword in the direction of the sound.
Clang– Slash–
Something hard caught on the tip of his sword was cut cleanly in half, and an arrowhead fell to the ground around him.
Though he had deflected one arrow, he couldn’t rest.
Rustle, rustle–
The same sound as before continued to echo.
Above his head, behind his back, on his left shoulder, at his ankle.
Four in total.
All of them aimed at his blind spots.
Even though the arrow aimed at his ankle arrived slightly later, the difference in timing was negligible.
The Black Sword Corps member clicked his tongue.
‘What remarkable archery.’
He recognized it immediately.
How could he not?
The intent in each arrow was identical.
This meant that the arrows weren’t shot by multiple people, but by a single individual.
And that one person was making arrows arrive from different directions at nearly the same time.
It was truly impressive archery.
Of course, while the technique was remarkable…
‘There’s no power in it.’
It didn’t pose much of a threat.
Slash– Slash– Slash–
With one swing of his sword, three arrows were cut down at once.
Then, as another arrow aimed at his ankle flew in with a slight delay, the Black Sword Corps member’s upper body dipped slightly to deflect it.
This caused his stance to falter for just a moment.
Whoosh—
A dark shadow loomed over his head.
“…?”
It was certainly midday, with the sun high in the sky.
But suddenly, something large and round appeared, blocking the sun, as if an eclipse were happening.
The Black Sword Corps member quickly realized what was causing the phenomenon.
‘…A shield?’
It was indeed a massive shield.
And this enormous shield was arcing down towards him.
‘Danger!’
It didn’t take long to figure out what would happen if he were crushed by that gigantic shield.
Thus, the Black Sword Corps member retreated.
And as if it had been waiting for this, another arrow appeared.
‘…?!’
The arrow, targeting his thigh, appeared as if it had teleported there suddenly.
The Black Sword Corps member realized the truth.
‘It predicted my movement. No, it led me to move this way!’
The arrow that aimed at his ankle among the initial four was deliberately delayed.
This forced him to deal with that arrow last, disrupting his stance.
Taking advantage of that opening, the massive shield came flying in.
On top of that, the arrow was fired in advance, predicting where his startled self would dodge.
All of this had been calculated by someone.
‘Impressive.’
The Black Sword Corps member was a certified Third Rank, but he was on the cusp of achieving the Fourth Rank.
Within the Black Sword Corps, he was considered a seasoned veteran.
Even with his experience, he had never encountered such a precise sequence of attacks.
The Black Sword Corps member gritted his teeth.
Grind—
He had to make a choice.
Would he take the hit from the massive shield that threatened to crush him?
Or would he deal with the arrow that had appeared from behind?
In truth, it wasn’t much of a choice.
It was better to take a few arrows than to be flattened by the massive shield.
This decision was made in a split second.
It was also the optimal choice, driven by instinct.
However, the unfortunate thing for the Black Sword Corps member was that someone had anticipated even this choice.
Thuck—!
An arrow embedded itself in the thigh of the retreating Black Sword Corps member.
Despite the significant pain, the Black Sword Corps member didn’t flinch and continued his retreat.
At the same time, the massive shield landed in the spot where he had been just moments before.
Thud—!
The shield struck the ground with such force that more than half of it was buried.
And at that moment—
Zzt— Crackle—
Suddenly, a black shadow, like a dark cloud, rippled in the air, unleashing lightning.
The shadow swept across the ground and soon transformed into the Black-Haired Boy.
Maintaining a low stance, Yuri quickly and continuously slashed his sword.
Even though the Black Sword Corps member hadn’t expected the ambush, he calmly defended against Yuri’s attacks.
As they exchanged several blows, the expression of the Black Sword Corps member, who hadn’t flinched even after taking an arrow to the leg, gradually darkened.
‘This kid…’
Since a moment ago, his right leg, where the arrow was lodged, had been bearing an unusual strain as he fended off the boy’s attacks.
‘Could it be?’
Just as suspicion began to creep in—
Crack—
Yuri suddenly shifted his stance.
To follow this movement, the Black Sword Corps member had to strain himself and twist his body, putting more strain on his right leg.
With that, his suspicion turned into certainty.
He could only laugh at the realization.
‘Was this all part of the plan?’
The arrow lodged in his right thigh, especially the one in the back of his leg, was clearly intended to create this situation.
‘Well, damn!’
It was almost laughable that a seasoned Black Sword Corps veteran like himself was being outmaneuvered by a mere cadet from the Cradle.
And not just any cadet, but a member of the 50th cohort, who had just joined.
Despite the absurdity of being so thoroughly outplayed, he couldn’t help but enjoy it.
‘I wasn’t expecting much from a mission involving mere rookies…’
But here he was, having the time of his life!
The Black Sword Corps member, who had been bored out of his mind for days, now laughed out loud.
“More… Mooore! Push harder, come at me with everything you’ve got! Hahahaha!”
Even though he was being pushed back, the Black Sword Corps member burst out laughing.
Without hesitation, he yanked the arrow out of his thigh.
Blood spurted from the reopened wound.
His right leg, already in poor condition from Yuri’s focused attacks, wasn’t in good shape.
Yet, the Black Sword Corps member moved as if it was nothing.
In fact, his movements seemed even sharper than before, as if he had forgotten about the pain.
Yuri gritted his teeth at the sight.
‘Damn, these guys are really crazy about fighting.’
A little provocation, and their eyes would turn bloodshot.
And it wasn’t just this Black Sword Corps member; every single one he had faced so far had gone wild halfway through the fight.
‘It’s like they’re possessed by the spirits of fighters who couldn’t die in peace!’
They all fought like their lives depended on it.
The world’s strongest combat unit.
Or perhaps, a group of battle-crazed maniacs—either way, it was clear why these Black Sword Corps members were so feared.
And naturally, the moment their eyes went wild, the battle became much more difficult.
‘Damn it! These bastards don’t know when to quit!’
It was the same this time.
The Black Sword Corps member ignored his injuries and pain, charging at Yuri with even greater ferocity, turning what had been Yuri’s advantage into a disadvantage.
‘Damn it!’
No matter how well he predicted and meticulously laid traps, it was all for nothing.
Once the battle-crazed Black Sword Corps members started smashing through everything with their raw strength.
‘I swear, I’ll become a certified Third Rank soon!’
Clang— Clang, clang, clang!
Yuri gritted his teeth and fought back against the Black Sword Corps member.
The number of attacks and defenses gradually increased.
And finally—
“…Fifty!”
The number of exchanges reached fifty.