Chapter 265. Weariness (2)
“It’s been a while.”
Yuri, who had left behind a huge shock and fear among the 50th batch cadets, returned.
He gazed at Yulia, who greeted him calmly, his eyes shining.
“You’re not surprised?”
“Was I supposed to be?”
“When someone who was thought to be dead comes back, people usually are.”
“If an actually dead person came back, sure. But that’s not you, is it? You just holed up somewhere for a while.”
“Looks like you know what I’ve been up to?”
“Of course. I’m Yulia Singh.”
Yulia shrugged lightly.
Seeing her exude such strong confidence, Yuri couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Then, what does the great Yulia Singh think I’ve come here for?”
“It’s obvious. You’re here to find something out.”
“As expected, beautiful and smart, like an all-knowing dictionary!”
“You don’t have to flatter me, I was going to tell you anyway.”
Though her response was curt, it was clear Yulia was pleased with the nickname Yuri had given her. A faint hint of shyness crossed her face as she raised her chin arrogantly.
Her expression clearly said, “Ask whatever you want.”
“So then…”
Yuri, starting cautiously, began asking the questions that had been on his mind one by one.
Yulia listened quietly, tapping her fingers on the desk.
“Hm… I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“You’re looking for information… that means you have something, right?”
“Well, yeah, I do.”
Since he had no reason to hide it, Yuri nodded willingly.
At that, Yulia’s eyes sparkled.
“Then… how about a trade?”
“A trade? Well, let’s talk about that later. First, the information.”
“Alright. I have three things I can tell you now. The other two will take some time.”
“Go ahead.”
“First, the Mana Crystal. It’s one of the ingredients used in several rare elixirs. And the most famous elixir that uses a Mana Crystal is… the Elixir.”
“The Elixir? Really?”
“Yes, actually, the Elixir is the potion that maximizes the effects of the Mana Crystal.”
“So, does that mean the Mana Crystal’s effect is to enhance the purity of mana?”
“Exactly. You can consume a Mana Crystal as it is, but it’s far better to use it to make an Elixir. Of course, only the Bone Clan can make an Elixir.”
“So, it’s pretty… expensive, huh?”
Yuri’s eyes sparkled, as if stars had fallen into them. Yulia chuckled at his overly excited expression.
“Expensive? Of course. You can still find Power Crystals without much difficulty, but a Mana Crystal is something you can only get by sheer luck. Even one the size of a pinky nail can fetch a fortune.”
“T-that much?”
“There’s basically no other way to improve the purity of mana except consuming a Mana Crystal or using an Elixir.”
Yulia’s words had barely left her mouth when Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘If a crystal the size of a pinky nail is worth that much…?’
The one Yuri possessed was as big as a thumbnail.
That meant it would be worth much more than what Yulia described.
‘I’ve hit the jackpot!’
Since the Cradle would soon provide him with an Elixir, there was no need to waste the Mana Crystal now. He could just save it for later.
“Hehe.”
Yuri wore a deeply satisfied smile as he asked expectantly.
“And the next one?”
“Next is the Crystal Armor… this one’s even rarer. You managed to get it from the Cradle, huh?”
Yuri’s eyes grew wide again.
The word ‘rare’ was synonymous with expensive.
Yulia, receiving his eager gaze, continued her explanation.
“If the Elixir is the secret of the Bone Clan, then the Lin Clan has something called ‘Crystal Thread’.”
“Crystal Thread?”
“Yes, it’s a fiber produced in secret by the Lin Clan. It’s stronger than White Steel, softer than silk, and more elastic than rubber. And when woven together, it forms Crystal Armor.”
“Oh?”
“Because Crystal Thread is produced in such small quantities, it takes a long time to make even one suit of Crystal Armor. But the benefits far outweigh the wait.”
“How so?”
“It’s incredibly light, so it’s comfortable to wear, and it’s extremely breathable. It doesn’t even absorb odors and is said to self-cleanse, so you don’t need to wash it. But the best part is its defensive capability. Crystal Armor… cannot be cut by sacred energy.”
“Sacred energy? You mean, even a holy sword can’t cut through it?”
“That’s right. Of course, the wearer would still have to endure the impact from the sword, but it won’t be cut. And even if the armor gets torn, it’s known to self-repair over time.”
“That’s… insane.”
He couldn’t help but be amazed.
If Yulia’s explanation was accurate, the Crystal Armor wasn’t just protective gear; it was practically an extra life.
It was something power-hungry people, with many sins to hide, would be desperate to get their hands on.
‘The Cradle wouldn’t give out fakes as rewards…’
Naturally, Yuri had no intention of selling it. No matter how valuable the money, he wasn’t foolish enough to sell something that could save his life.
Seeing Yuri’s slight excitement, Yulia chuckled softly.
“Congratulations, Crystal Armor is even harder to get than the Bone Clan’s Elixir. Not only is it difficult to make, but the Lin Clan is even more secretive than the Bone Clan, so they rarely let their goods out. And you got it from the Hundred Days Tower quest?”
“Why? Thinking of trying it yourself?”
“Of course not.”
“…?”
“Even in the Cradle, if you want to get something like Crystal Armor as a quest reward, you’d have to risk your life… I’m not willing to do that.”
“Then why ask?”
“Information. There are a lot of clients who want to know what the quest rewards are like.”
“Ah, so… you’re collecting information too.”
“Haha.”
The names of the items Yuri asked about made it clear that they came from the Hell-level difficulty of the Hundred Days Tower quest.
In that way, Yulia was both providing Yuri with information and gathering intel about the quest rewards for herself.
Yuri glanced lazily at Yulia before shrugging.
“Well, I suppose I can think of it as the cost of obtaining information. So, what else?”
“Well, as for the Wind Spirit Stone, I need to gather more information. As for White Night, I have an idea, but I’m not entirely sure yet. I’ll need more time to look into both.”
“Do as you please.”
“And lastly, Elion… That’s what I want to propose a trade for.”
“What’s that about?”
“Elion is…”
Yulia trailed off slightly, and Yuri detected a thick layer of desire in her voice.
‘Elion must be something incredibly valuable.’
The Mana Crystal and the Crystal Armor were already worth a great deal based on what Yulia had said.
Yet Yulia hadn’t shown the slightest greed for either of those items, as if she were beyond material possessions.
But when she mentioned Elion, she openly displayed her greed.
This made Yuri all the more curious.
Just what kind of item was it for Yulia to covet it so openly?
As Yuri gazed at her with curiosity, Yulia finally spoke.
“It’s a potion that prevents aging.”
“…”
Yuri blinked, clearly caught off guard by the unexpected answer.
He asked in a dazed voice, “…What?”
“A potion that prevents aging!”
“Aging prevention? If you take that… you won’t get old?”
“Well, it’s not like the legendary elixir of immortality, but it’s known to slow aging by about half.”
“Just… that?”
“Just that?! It’s a potion that prevents aging! If you take it when you’re young, even an ordinary person in their 50s could look like they’re in their 20s. And a martial artist could look like they’re in their 20s even in their 70s!”
“…”
“My goodness, I can’t believe the Cradle has Elion! Only about 100 of them were made fifty years ago.”
“…Is there any other effect besides slowing aging?”
“There’s a slight mana enhancement… just kidding! There’s no such thing!”
“…”
“So, how about you sell it to me?”
Yuri, who had been staring blankly at the bright-eyed Yulia, suddenly turned away with a quick movement.
“Thanks for the information today. Let me know when you find out about the other two.”
Waving his hand dismissively, Yuri walked off, leaving Yulia behind. She reached out, calling after him.
“W-wait a minute! How about just half if not all of it?!”
Despite her desperate plea, Yuri never looked back.
‘Hmm, aging prevention…’
To be honest, who in the world would want to age? Yuri was no different. As he walked quickly away from Yulia, a faint smile formed on his lips.
—
A few hours later.
On the last day of June, the results for the 50th batch were announced.
**1st place: Yuri Holland**
The same name remained at the very top of the leaderboard, cementing Yuri’s survival and rapidly spreading the news throughout the Cradle.
—
In the northern forest of the Cradle, there was a large clearing, spacious enough to accommodate hundreds of people lying down at once.
It was now a scene of utter chaos.
“Urgh…”
“Ugh…”
About a hundred people lay scattered in all directions.
Weapons, just like their owners, were strewn across the ground.
Some of the group were crawling, groaning in pain, while others couldn’t even muster the strength to do that, only twitching weakly.
In this battlefield-like clearing, there was one person who still appeared somewhat intact.
Her emerald hair was tangled with sweat, her clothes torn in several places, and she still gripped her spear tightly as she staggered on her feet.
It was none other than Theresia.
“Huff, huff…”
Even though she had held out until the very end, Theresia no longer had the strength to continue.
“Urgh!”
With a short cry, her body tilted to the side, and she collapsed.
As she fell, the scene that had been hidden behind her was revealed.
There were more than a dozen of the top-ranking cadets from the 50th batch scattered chaotically.
Gunther occasionally twitched while Arin lay completely still.
Mucci and Poppy were sprawled on top of each other in an “X” shape.
The clearing was full of traces of an intense battle.
And at the center of it all stood one figure alone.
Naturally, it was Yuri Holland.
“Yawn.”
Yuri let out a small yawn as he glanced at the devastation he had caused, then casually sat down on top of Poppy and Mucci.
He crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand, as the other cadets stared blankly at him.
They were too exhausted to move, but they were still conscious, and all they could feel was despair.
‘That bastard…’
‘Just how…’
‘How strong has he become?!’
The person they had thought was dead had returned completely fine.
And not only had he come back stronger than before, but it seemed like he had undergone some intense training somewhere.
But that wasn’t even the real issue.
The real problem was that this damn bastard was using that newfound strength against them.
‘We… we got stronger because of the quest…’
‘So why… did it turn out like this?’
The 50th batch had grown significantly through the Hundred Days Tower quest.
Their progress had been remarkable, and they had regained some confidence.
But it didn’t take long for that confidence to be shattered.
Despite gathering everyone from the 50th batch for the first time in a while, and even though Theresia and Mucci had somehow joined them, they hadn’t been able to touch Yuri at all.
Before, they could at least fight back when they teamed up, but now even that didn’t work. They had been completely and thoroughly humiliated.
‘We all had the same amount of time, so why is the difference so huge?’
Up until last year, things hadn’t been this bad.
But as time passed, Yuri had accelerated his growth at an alarming rate.
‘Damn it! Can’t you slow down, even a little?’
Gunther clenched his teeth and groaned, trying to force his upper body up.
Yuri, noticing this, spoke in a bored tone.
“Typical weaklings. They’re the ones who attack in groups, but then they’re always the ones acting like they’re the most tired.”
“…”
“They get more exhausted than the person fighting alone.”
Twitch.
The cadets, still lying on the ground, felt veins bulging on their foreheads at his irritating words.
Yuri smirked, clearly enjoying himself.
“Typical weaklings. They hate being insulted when they lose and always get worked up over it.”
“Y-you…”
“Typical weaklings. They’re bad with words, so they can’t even come up with a good response.”
“Urgh!”
The weaklings, trembling on the ground, were on the verge of breaking from Yuri’s continuous verbal assault.
Some of them even turned red in the face, looking like they were about to cough up blood.
Meanwhile, after delivering this second wave of attacks with his words, Yuri yawned again with a dazed look on his face.
Wiping away a tear that had formed from yawning, he muttered quietly, his eyes dull.
“I’m bored.”
Yuri’s voice drifted into the air, heavy with weariness.
‘Ah, this is no fun.’
The sparring match with the 50th batch had been close to real combat, yet Yuri felt nothing but boredom and tedium.
He swept his gaze over the trembling cadets.
‘They’re… too weak.’
He could tell that they had definitely grown stronger compared to before.
But the problem was that his own growth had been much steeper than theirs.
Even after taking on all of them at once, his breathing hadn’t even quickened.
The difference between them had become overwhelming.
‘It wasn’t this dull before…’
Before entering the Hundred Days Tower, it had been at least somewhat worth fighting them.
While he hadn’t felt any real danger, there had still been things to learn, and the fights hadn’t been bad training.
But ever since returning from the tower, everything had changed.
‘I’ve been through too much stimulation… Now, this just feels bland.’
Training with Coco had been like walking a tightrope, with every moment being a life-or-death struggle.
For the past four months, he had lived with constant tension, but now, sparring with the 50th batch didn’t provide any thrill at all.
Especially with his now-awakened domain, which allowed him to predict every move around him, there was no way he could feel any sense of danger.
“Yawn…”
Yawning once more, Yuri stood up and clapped his hands.
Clap, clap.
“Come on, get up! What are you all doing? Get up already! How long are you going to just lie there?”
“Ugh…”
“Do you think you’re skilled enough to be lying around like this? Get up!”
Yuri’s loud voice wasn’t enough, so he went around kicking his comrades lightly to wake them up.
When he kicked Clarice on the tailbone, making her jerk up, she finally couldn’t hold back and shouted.
“Hey, you bastard! Are you even human?!”
“What did I do?”
“Why do you always pick on us?!”
Her scream, almost a desperate wail, echoed.
A cold silence settled over the clearing for a moment.
The cadets silently prayed for her.
‘Clarice… we admire your courage.’
‘You sacrificed yourself to speak on behalf of us all… You are truly a hero!’
Everyone present expected to hear the sound of Clarice’s skull cracking, followed by her screams.
No, they were certain that was what would happen.
But to their shock, something surprising occurred instead.
“…You’re right. Why do I always pick on you guys?”
“…?”
“Clarice, are you… a genius?”
“…Huh?”
A sudden moment of self-reflection.
And even more unexpected praise.
Clarice, who had just rebelled, as well as everyone else in the clearing, had question marks practically floating above their heads.