I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 96. The Tiger Who Repaid a Favor (5)

Yuri tilted his head at the eyes glaring at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there a problem?”

“…No.”

There was certainly a problem, but showing it would somehow feel like losing.

When Greta shook her head, Yuri eagerly waved his hands again. It was as if he was demanding that she place what he wanted in his hands immediately.

“Anyway, an elixir! As a reward for this job, I think an elixir would be best! A medicinal potion would be good too!”

At Yuri’s strong demand, Greta scratched her cheek as if perplexed.

“Hmm… But I don’t have anything like that? Medicinal potions or elixirs that increase mana no longer have much effect on me, so I stopped using them a while ago.”

Yuri’s expression instantly turned cold.

“…You stopped using something I can’t even get to try? Are you teasing me?”

“Oh! No, there is one!”

Yuri’s face immediately brightened.

He bowed deeply again.

“I knew I could trust you, sister!”

Arin and Poppy watched with amusement as Yuri’s expression changed colorfully.

Greta let out a soft sigh as she watched Yuri, who kept smiling broadly in front of her. It was a sigh born from not even knowing what was what anymore.

“Sigh… When you join the Black Sword Corps and reach the squad leader level, you’re given one elixir, but I never took mine because I didn’t need it. Maybe I could ask for that now.”

“Oh? If it’s given at the squad leader level, is it good?”

“Not sure. I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t say exactly, but from what the seniors told me, it’s not bad.”

“Sounds great! Ah, you’re truly amazing, sister!”

Yuri’s smile grew wider as he gave her a double thumbs-up, and he then slyly rubbed his hands together.

“So, when can I expect the elixir…?”

“Well, it shouldn’t take long. Since my role here is over, I need to return, submit my report, and bring the elixir back. I should be back before the quest ends.”

As soon as those words left her mouth, the proactive tiger left to repay her debt.

“Hurry back! We’ll be waiting!”

Watching Greta swiftly cross the forest, Yuri waved his arm so vigorously that it seemed like it would disappear from view.

Once Greta completely vanished from sight, the playful expression on Yuri’s face instantly turned calm.

Turning to Arin and Poppy, he asked, “So, what will you do now?”

The goal of Yuri and his friends’ quasi-alliance had been ‘Tiger Hunting.’

And now that they had achieved that goal, it was only natural to discuss what to do next.

Arin responded in a tired voice, “I’ve earned enough points up to now, so I think I’ll rest from here on out. I’m too exhausted to continue.”

“I’m hungry.”

Nodding in agreement with Arin’s words, Poppy seemed to be indicating he would do the same.

Having followed Yuri in hunting bears, they each held three bear pelts in their hands.

Even with just that, their scores were already enough to place them among the top ranks.

No, excluding Yuri, they might have earned the most points of anyone.

Points didn’t matter much to the two of them, and what they needed most right now was rest.
And now, the center of the animal forest, devoid of its tiger and shunned by everyone, was the safest resting place for them.

Having stated her intention, Arin then turned the question back on Yuri.

“What about you? What are you going to do?”

Yuri answered without a second’s hesitation.

“I’m going straight back to hunting.”

“You really are… something else.”

“I’m hungry.”

Arin and Poppy clicked their tongues in disbelief at his response, as if asking if he wasn’t satisfied even after all that hunting.

But Yuri couldn’t understand their reaction at all.

“Rest? Why?”

It had been six days since they entered the animal forest. Soon, it would be midnight, marking the start of the seventh day.

There were about three days left until the quest ended.

And to Yuri, those remaining three days were anything but ordinary.

He had caught all the bears in the forest.

As if that wasn’t enough, he had even dealt with the highest predator, the tiger.

The only predators left were the wolves, but they posed no significant threat to Yuri.

If anything, the wolves would be lucky not to be hunted by him.

‘In other words, for the next three days… this forest is my territory!’

A three-day reign, so to speak!

A new ruler had taken over the forest where the tiger had left.

And only three people—himself, Arin, and Poppy—knew that the bears and the tiger had disappeared from this animal forest.

Thus, Yuri couldn’t understand why Poppy and Arin chose rest over exploiting this advantage.

To give up this sweet, honey-like opportunity was beyond comprehension.

‘Well, if they want to take it easy, I’m grateful.’

Yuri’s lips curled into a grin.

He made no attempt to hide his greed as he openly smiled, gazing out toward the edge of the forest.

He imagined the 50th group, who were likely being hunted down at this moment, and the wolves, who would be excitedly prancing about.

“Ah, damn, you’re all dead.”

Yuri clenched his fists tightly, signaling the start of a frenzied hunt.

Time flew by quickly.

Living up to the word ‘frenzy,’ Yuri continued hunting day after day, like a man possessed.

And so it was, on the afternoon of January 28th, the day before the end of the “Skin Collection Quest.”

“Hand over the pelts. Where are the pelts?”

“T-they’ve already been taken by someone else… I don’t have any….”

“Are you sure you don’t have any? If I find something when I shake you down, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”

“You shameless bastard! Have some mercy! You’ve already taken so many pelts from me!”

“Are you done whining?”

Rustle-.

“No, I haven’t said it all! Even regular customers at a shop get a little something extra, so if I’m a regular of your caliber, you could let it slide just once, right? And I’m your senior, but the way you talk to me, you rude little— Ouch, ouch! Alright! I’ll give it to you! I said I will! Arrgh!”

That day, too, Yuri was relentlessly tormenting a rabbit.

To him, the person he’d been eagerly waiting for finally arrived.

The very person Yuri had longed for—Greta Wigun—returned after three days.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought what Yuri wanted.

“So, then…”

The two moved to a secluded spot to have a deep conversation.

Yuri’s gaze became sullen as he looked at Greta.

“…Why are you empty-handed?”

Where is my elixir? My elixir!

My elixir! My elixir?

Where is my elixir? My elixir!

Where’s my elixir!

…The intense look on his face clearly conveyed his thoughts, and Greta scratched the back of her head.

“Well…”

Greta began in a small voice, explaining why she hadn’t brought the elixir.

After a brief explanation, Yuri, bewildered, asked again, “It’s restricted from being taken out?”

“Yes.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be restricted, right? That’s why you went to get it.”

“…I thought it would be fine.”

Seeing Greta’s perplexed expression, it was clear that she hadn’t expected this outcome either. Yuri looked as if his world had just collapsed.

“So… I can’t have the elixir?”

Just as Yuri’s shoulders were about to slump, Greta shook her head.

“Oh, no, that’s not it. It’s restricted from being taken out, but you can go to the supply depot and take it there. I found out that even members of the Black Sword Corps, not just outsiders, must consume the elixir at the supply depot.”

The elixir given to squad leaders of the Black Sword Corps. While considered standard issue within the corps, it was of a high grade outside the Cradle.

For security reasons, the ingredients were to be kept confidential, so taking it outside was prohibited, and consumption on the spot was recommended.

The supply depot even had a place to rest after consuming the elixir, and Greta had already received permission to bring Yuri there.

Hearing this, Yuri’s shoulders straightened, and his face brightened.

“Oh, I thought it was something serious! Then there’s no problem at all!”

“Well…”

Greta scratched her cheek again with an awkward expression. A hint of guilt flickered in her eyes.

“I’ll be going out on a mission soon. Since I finished the tiger role too quickly, my next assignment was given immediately.”

“Oh, really? Well, have a safe trip. Before you go, could you take me to that supply depot or whatever?”

“Uh… well… you know, my mission… it’s, uh… tomorrow…”

“……”

Yuri’s cheerful expression quickly turned sour again.

“Tomorrow? When will you be back?”

“I don’t know. It’s definitely a long-term mission, but there’s no set return date…”

He wondered why she had come before the “Skin Collection Quest” was even over.

‘So, this was why.’

Just in case, Yuri asked, “Can I go to that supply depot or whatever by myself?”

“No. Even this time, I’d have to blindfold you to take you there. And the only reason you’re allowed in at all is because I vouched for you.”

“So, that supply depot isn’t in this animal forest?”

“Of course not.”

“Then, is it okay for me to leave the animal forest while the quest is still ongoing?”

“…I asked about that too, but since this is a personal matter and not official business, it doesn’t qualify as an exception.”

Greta scratched the back of her head awkwardly again.

Yuri’s expression grew cold.

“Let’s sum this up. You couldn’t bring the elixir, and since it’s the Black Sword Corps’ policy, I have to go myself. But I’m not allowed to leave the animal forest during the quest, and if I do, I’m immediately disqualified?”

“Y-yeah, that’s right.”

“Ugh, why does nothing ever work out?!”

Yuri sighed heavily.

To take the elixir, he had to go with Greta as his guarantor.

But Greta was leaving for a mission tomorrow.

The problem was, he still had at least one more day before he could finish the quest and leave the animal forest.

Greta had confidently promised to bring him the elixir, but now things were completely tangled up, and she felt rather embarrassed and sorry about it.

She hesitated.

“If… if you trust me and wait, I promise I’ll take you to the supply depot.”

“It’s a long-term mission with no return date. What if you come back after I’ve already finished the course?”

“Oh, come on, it won’t take that long…”

“Can you guarantee that you’ll be back within a few months?”

“……”

Greta’s lips pressed into a tight line.

Honestly, there were missions that often took years, so Greta couldn’t easily make any guarantees. She just felt embarrassed and sorry that she hadn’t been able to keep her promise properly.

Yuri pondered for a moment.

After a long period of inner conflict, he let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh… I guess there’s no other way.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not really what I want, but there’s no choice.”

“Is there a way?”

“There is, but…”

For Yuri, it was a very unpleasant solution.

Still, at this moment, this was the only way to secure both the quest reward and the favor from the tiger.

Having made up his mind, Yuri dusted off his pants and stood up.

“It won’t take long, so please wait here for a moment.”

“Alright.”

As Greta nodded, Yuri vanished in an instant.

About 15 minutes later.

“I’m back!”

Yuri reappeared with a bright expression and shouted, “Let’s go!”

And so, the night before the “Skin Collection Quest” was set to end, Yuri left the animal forest, and his quest failure was confirmed.