I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 95: The Tiger that Repaid the Favor (4)

Arin followed Yuri’s gaze.

She also looked at the thick cloud of dust and asked,
“What happened?”

“What happened, you ask…?”

To be honest, Yuri didn’t know what had happened either.

Yuri’s version of the Chwisung technique had activated and worked properly.

Afterward, Yuri had predicted two possible moves for Greta.

Either she would retract her attack and dodge,
Or she would switch to defense.

However, what had just happened was not among any of the moves Yuri had anticipated.
No, he had no idea what had even transpired in the first place.

The only fortunate thing was that whatever it was, the ten exchanges had all ended.

“Ha, it’s over…”

A sigh of relief escaped Yuri’s lips.

Just then, a gentle wind swept in, dispersing the dust.

And the scene that had been obscured by the dust came into view.

Greta stood blankly in the center of the clearing.

Around her, the ground had cracked and overturned within a few meters radius.

‘So that’s what caused the dust.’

The ground must have exploded like that, causing the dust to fly up.

But the real problem was why the ground had exploded in the first place.

And while the sudden explosion of the ground was strange, what was even stranger was Greta’s condition.

She stood still without the slightest movement.

Her unblinking eyes were unfocused, staring blankly.

And her entire body emitted a soft glow.

Seeing this, Yuri’s eyes widened.

“What is that? What’s happening to her?”

Light emanating from a human body?

What kind of bizarre…

‘Well, whether it’s a weapon shining or a person glowing…’

It’s all the same in the end.

As Yuri was convincing himself of this, he heard Arin’s voice.

“That looks like the state of Dono (頓悟)…”

“I’m hungry,”

Poppy nodded in agreement with Arin’s statement.

Meanwhile, Yuri’s eyes showed that he still didn’t understand.

“Dono? What’s that?”

“Simply put, it means she gained enlightenment and broke through a barrier. Wow, so that’s Dono. It’s my first time seeing it too.”

“…?!”

Hearing Arin’s explanation, Yuri’s eyes widened again.

“So, right now… she gained enlightenment while fighting me?”

“It seems like it. And judging by her state, it looks like she was stuck at that barrier for quite a long time. I heard that the longer one is stuck at a barrier, the longer the state of Dono lasts.”

Greta, who had demonstrated her prowess in Seong-gwon, was officially a 6th rank.

If she gained enlightenment and advanced in level, it was highly likely she would reach the 7th rank.

A look of disbelief appeared on Yuri’s face.

‘Wow… she was pummeling someone far weaker than herself and gained enlightenment?’

This felt…

‘…Like I got the short end of the stick.’

After fighting tooth and nail, she had managed to break through a long-standing barrier, while all he got was a mere 5 million points.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been at a loss.

Then Yuri shook his head.

‘No, wait, doesn’t this mean I played a significant role in her gaining enlightenment?’

Yuri had his own moment of realization.

‘Then I should… stake my claim on my share of the credit, right?’

Yuri’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Greta Wigan.

The reason she left her noble family to join the Black Sword Corps was to gain more practical experience.

The Black Sword Corps was a place where skilled fighters, rarely seen even within her own family, abounded.

That’s why Greta had left her family and quickly grew through numerous battles and efforts.

But at some point, her growth came to a standstill.

Greta, who had advanced without any hindrance thanks to her innate talent, thought she would overcome the barrier this time without any trouble.

But this was a huge misjudgment on her part.

The barrier she thought she would easily surpass still stood firmly before her.

And it was still solid.

Thus, she had remained stuck at the end of the 6th rank for three years now.

During that time, Greta had tried everything to break through the barrier.

She sought out stronger commanders to spar countless times.

She volunteered for life-threatening missions to gain real combat experience.

But nothing worked.

The wall that blocked her way refused to let her glimpse what lay beyond.

Frustrated that she couldn’t reach the 7th rank, the Zone, she was stuck in despair.

Then came the order for the Animal Forest mission for her unit.

Originally, playing the tedious role of the tiger was not something a senior like Greta had to do.

However, needing a change of pace, she volunteered for the role of the tiger.

But a change of pace, my foot.

The fun only lasted the first day, and with each passing day, she regretted taking on this boring tiger role.

Then, an unexpected stroke of luck found her.

‘So that’s why. That’s why it felt so ticklish.’

When she exchanged the ninth move with Yuri, there was a peculiar sensation tickling inside her chest.

And at the moment she saw that ‘thrust’ coming at her, deflecting her fist in the tenth and final exchange, the tickling feeling in her chest turned into a refreshing one.

It was like Yuri’s thrust had scratched an itch she’d been dying to reach for a long time.

She couldn’t precisely explain what it was.

But what was clear was that something Yuri Holland showed had helped her break through her wall.

That was an undeniable fact.

“Hooo…”

As a long breath escaped, light returned to Greta’s vacant eyes.

As she slowly emerged from her Dono state, the first thing she saw was the three people gathered in front of her.

Greta glanced at them.

‘That kid must be the one who shot that strange arrow.’

The blue-haired girl with a bow slung over her shoulder.

‘And that one, anyone could see he’s of the Yuum tribe.’

The big, burly, bald man with a simple look.

He must be that giant.

And next to the Yuum tribe member, a boy squatted in a rather unruly posture.

‘Yuri Holland.’

Greta’s face brightened as she looked at Yuri.

Yuri, who made eye contact with her, got up while bracing his knees.

“You’ve finally woken up. Ugh…”

He groaned as he stood, his face twisting in pain.

‘Damn, this is tough.’

Yuri, who had used up everything he had, was in a state where it wouldn’t be surprising if he fainted right away.

It was only because he had received some healing from Poppy and rested a bit that he could even move like this.

Seeing the struggling Yuri, Greta smiled brightly and asked,
“Are you okay?”

“Do you think I’d be okay? A 6th rank official attacked a mere 1st ranker with all her might!”

“Ah! Ahem… That’s because your skills are so exceptional…”

“Yeah, yeah, I survived because it was me. If it had been someone else, they’d already be a corpse. Oh, and I’m practically half-dead myself right now. Ugh, I’m dying. Ow, ow…”

“Kuk-kuk-kuk.”

“…You’re laughing after turning a perfectly fine person into a half-dead mess?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Although his tone was quite sarcastic, Greta had to admit that she might have overdone it a bit.

So, instead, she offered a sincere compliment.

“You were excellent today.”

Though he had some help from others, it was nearly impossible for a 1st rank to last ten exchanges against a 6th rank.

There was a reason why the Tiger was worth 5 million points.

And the one who had achieved that impossible feat was standing right there.

Greta had no disagreement about his skills and talent.

As she looked at him with an admiring gaze, Yuri abruptly extended his hand.

“Empty compliments don’t mean much, so let’s settle accounts first.”

“Ah!”

At those words, Greta seemed to realize something and took off the vest she was wearing and handed it to Yuri.

“…What is this?”

“Take it, it’s the tiger’s hide.”

“……”

Yuri stared blankly at the tattered vest, ruined by their fierce battle.

‘This is worth 5 million points…?’

For something worth 5 million points, it seemed like a pretty shabby item.

Still, he couldn’t refuse, so he quickly took it and then looked at Greta with a gleam in his eyes.

While the tiger’s hide was one thing, the real settling of accounts Yuri was talking about was about to start.

He casually began.

“Hmm… Congratulations. But just how long were you stuck at that wall to be in that state for over an hour?”

Greta’s face brightened.

Was it because she had broken through a wall that had blocked her for so long?

Greta joyfully accepted Yuri’s congratulations.

“Haha, thank you. I was stuck in place for as long as three years… but I finally broke through. All thanks to you!”

“Right? Thanks to me, right?”

“Of course!”

“And for free?”

“…What?”

Greta blinked.

Poppy and Arin, who were watching from the side, also blinked in confusion.

Only Yuri maintained a calm expression.

Yuri gently pressed on, seeing that Greta was struggling to find the right words.

“Now, think about it. You broke through a wall that had blocked you for three whole years, all because of me, right?”

“Well… yes?”

“If I hadn’t been here today, what do you think would have happened?”

“…Hmm? I’m not sure.”

“That’s exactly it!”

“Huh?”

“You don’t know what would have happened! It could have taken you another three years to break through that wall, or maybe five years, or even ten years!”

“…I don’t think it would have taken that long.”

“Are you sure? Can you be so confident when you were stuck for three years?”

“……”

Yuri’s relentless reasoning made Greta’s face darken.

But Yuri continued on without missing a beat.

“Anyway! The younger you are when you reach a higher level, the longer your skin stays firm and youthful!”

“…Really?”

“Huh? What’s with that doubtful look? No, just touch your skin right now and see for yourself. Don’t you feel how much smoother and firmer it is compared to before?”

At Yuri’s words, Greta unconsciously touched her cheek.

As she did, she nodded her head.

‘It does… seem that way.’

It was true that the depth of one’s level could affect aging.

So Yuri’s words weren’t wrong.

Meanwhile, Arin whispered quietly to Poppy, who was watching this unfold.

“…Doesn’t it seem like he’s selling some snake oil?”

Nod, nod—

Yuri gave the two a sharp look, then quickly moved to close the deal before Greta could regain her senses.

“So!”

“……?”

“You received such great help from me… and you’re just going to brush it off with a simple ‘thank you’? Are you really that shameless?”

Thinking deeply, Greta began to realize that Yuri’s argument wasn’t just nonsense.

There were countless people who had been stuck behind a wall for years, even decades, both in her family and in the Black Sword Corps.

So, she thought it wouldn’t be unreasonable to offer Yuri a proper reward for helping her reach the 7th rank this time.

Greta nodded.

“Alright, fine. What do you want? Money?”

“Money! Gold! That’s great! But actually, no… there’s something else.”

Yuri’s eyes narrowed slightly, and as if realizing something, Greta firmly shook her head.

“No points. That would go against the rules of the Cradle.”

“No, no. Not points! I wouldn’t ask for that. Instead, there’s… you know.”

“What?”

“You know, it’s kind of hard to explain myself…”

“…?”

“Oh, come on, you know what I mean. Something really expensive, good for the body, and boosts mana like crazy… something like that?”

Greta tilted her head, watching Yuri wriggle awkwardly.

Just as she wondered what was wrong with him, a word popped into her mind.

Greta muttered softly.

“…Elixir?”

The moment she murmured the word, Yuri’s eyes sparkled with a radiant light.

He nodded his head so vigorously it seemed his neck might fall off.

“That’s it, sister!”

…Sister?

Not long ago, he’d been calling her ‘auntie.’

The 27-year-old Greta, who was still hurt by that, gave him a sharp glare.