Chapter Title: Thirst (1)
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The Black Sword Soldier stepped forward as Yuri's exam opponent.
The way he looked at Yuri was no different from anyone else.
*Why the hell did the Indomitable Sword recommend a punk like that?*
Every examinee he'd faced so far had been hailed as geniuses or prodigies.
But look at the kid in front of him now.
*Has this guy even held a sword before?*
A total trash who couldn't even grasp the basics.
That was the Black Sword Soldier's judgment of Yuri.
But all those thoughts vanished in an instant as a black form suddenly surged up.
No—more accurately, he couldn't think of anything at all.
*What... the hell is that?*
A black form rising like smoke or flames, roaring fiercely.
Black hollows curved like a crescent moon for eyes, and a huge mouth splitting open wickedly.
The Black Sword Soldier, encountering the supreme realm of an "avatar" for the first time, couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
*M-mon... ster?*
He could only call it a monster.
And the moment he stared into the monster's sunken eye sockets, a horrific killing intent flooded over him.
-Kill! Kill! Kill...!
The monster's killing intent stabbed directly into the Black Sword Soldier's brain as words.
It triggered excruciating pain.
But the real thing was only just beginning.
The density of the killing intent grew thicker and thicker.
-Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
"...?!"
Even as a lowly member of the Black Sword Corps, he had endured hellish training.
He had crossed the threshold of death countless times and believed he possessed a spirit strong enough to shrug off mere killing intent.
But this killing intent was different.
This wasn't something you could endure or withstand.
-Die! Dieee!
The repeating killing intent touched his soul.
Tremble, tremble.
The Black Sword Soldier's body began shaking like an aspen leaf, ignoring its master's will.
Clack, clack.
His teeth chattered rapidly.
Before the irresistible terror, his body went numb, and his mind went blank.
Soon, a single thought filled his brain.
*I'm gonna die... I'm going to die... I'm dying!*
Clatter.
The sword slipped from the Black Sword Soldier's hand, who had lost all will to live, and rolled across the ground.
And the black monster.
Its torn mouth gaped wide.
Kyakyakya—!
The monster's mouth split open as if vomiting laughter, then ballooned enormously and lunged at the Black Sword Soldier.
"Th-that?!"
"Kyaaak!"
The black monster blotting out the sky had a ferocious momentum, and the dazed Black Sword Soldier before it looked utterly powerless.
So everyone assumed the Black Sword Soldier would be devoured alive by the monster.
But at that moment.
Swaaah—
A gentle breeze blew in from somewhere.
Followed by a fierce gust.
Whoooosh—
"Ugh?!"
"Wh-what?!"
The strong wind whipped people's hair, even making those turning their heads from the pressure.
Those who didn't turn saw the wondrous sight.
A pristine white wind blowing in cleanly, wrapping around the black monster.
Swoooosh—
-Grraa!
The black monster thrashed, trapped in the pure white wind.
The white wind binding it tight.
The black monster struggling to break free.
It was like watching a pristine white serpent devouring a black beast.
The fierce black-and-white battle ended anticlimactically.
Pop.
Unable to withstand the pressure from the white wind, the black monster burst.
As a result, the black monster turned into a wisp of smoke and scattered into the air.
Before anyone could react to the situation that unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Thud.
The Black Sword Soldier, escaped from the brink of death, closed his eyes and collapsed.
And standing before the fallen Black Sword Soldier was Yohan.
No one knew how or when he had moved there.
Yohan had appeared as if by magic from legend.
No one knew exactly what had happened, but people instinctively realized one thing.
The moment the Black Sword Soldier was about to be devoured by the monster.
It was Yohan Redner who summoned the white wind and saved him.
*The master drove away the monster!*
*That guy saved the Black Sword Soldier!*
From the moment Yuri took the exam to the Black Sword Soldier's collapse.
It hadn't been long, but the barrage of shocking events left the onlookers unable to speak easily.
In the suffocating silence, Yuri's knees buckled.
The boy's body pitched forward.
Thump.
At the last second, as his upper body was about to topple, Yuri thrust his sword into the ground to barely support himself.
He flashed a smirk toward Yohan straight ahead.
"Interfering like that... isn't it cheating?"
His squeezed-out voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.
Yohan chuckled in response.
"Can't just let an innocent stiff get offed, right? It's my responsibility, yeah?"
"Fine, whatever... So... what's the result?"
"That'll be up to those guys to say."
Yohan nodded toward the Black Sword Soldiers standing stunned.
The onlookers' gazes naturally followed to the Black Sword Soldiers.
Everyone wondered what judgment the Black Sword Soldiers would make.
Under hundreds of pouring gazes, the temporarily silent 8th Squad Leader of the Black Sword Corps finally spoke.
"Standards... unable to judge."
Unable to judge.
As an examiner for the Dragon's Cradle, it seemed irresponsible.
But anyone who had seen "that thing" just now wouldn't object to the 8th Squad Leader's call.
After staring at Yuri for a moment, the 8th Squad Leader announced his evaluation.
"Special Irregular."
After the 8th Squad Leader's evaluation, the other Black Sword members followed.
"Standards unable to judge, Special Irregular."
"Standards unable to judge, Special Irregular."
"Standards unable to judge, Special Irregular."
Everyone except the unconscious Black Sword member gave the same opinion as the 8th Squad Leader.
Even if the fainted one had been awake, he probably would have said the same.
Compiling opinions, the 8th Squad Leader of the Black Sword Corps gave the conclusion.
"Overall Special... Pass."
The Black Sword Soldier who made the judgment pulled a dragon token from his bosom.
A black dragon token, identical to the one Yohan had tossed before the exam.
Emotion flickered in the eyes of the 8th Squad Leader holding it out.
*I never thought the day would come when I'd hand one of these over myself.*
Black Sword Squad examiners for the Dragon's Cradle are issued various dragon tokens.
Countless tokens had passed through the squad leader's hands to passersby, but this was the first time the 8th Squad Leader had drawn the Black Dragon Token.
*Was the last Black Dragon Token issued the year before last?*
Countless people had gone through the Dragon's Cradle, but only nine had ever held a Black Dragon Token.
*After the ninth Black Dragon Token holder, I figured there wouldn't be another for a while.*
Yet in just two years, a new Black Dragon Token holder was born.
*The tenth Black Dragon Token holder.*
Not all masters were Black Dragon Token holders, but only two recent recipients had failed to become masters.
Of course, the Cradle's analysis was that those two would ascend to master rank someday.
In other words, the Black Dragon Token was like a symbol guaranteeing a future master.
The 8th Squad Leader of the Black Sword Corps formally extended the Black Dragon Token.
"Congratulations on becoming a Black Dragon Token holder."
Yuri indifferently accepted the Black Dragon Token from the 8th Squad Leader.
Then he hurled it straight at Yohan.
Clack.
The token landed near Yohan's prosthetic leg.
Everyone watching widened their eyes at the sequence.
Meanwhile, Yuri asked nonchalantly.
"...Old man, I passed, you know?"
"I heard."
"Does that mean I pass by your standards too?"
"Something like that, yeah?"
"Then it's your turn to keep your promise. If everything you told me was a lie..."
Cough.
Yuri paused mid-sentence, and blood sprayed from his mouth like a fountain.
Yuri wiped his blood-reddened lips.
He glared at Yohan with fierce eyes.
"You'd better... prepare yourself."
A threat directed at a master, no less.
With that, the darkness swallowed Yuri's vision as he clung desperately to his willpower.
At the same time, his body flopped to the ground like a waterlogged doll.
Thud.
The crowd still hadn't recovered from the shock, mouths firmly shut.
Except for one person.
Yohan alone smiled faintly and spoke.
"Damn, what a cheeky brat."
Yohan's gaze on the fainted Yuri looked utterly delighted.
* * *
"Ugh..."
Yuri's consciousness slowly returned from the faint.
The first sense to awaken was hearing.
Crackle—crackle—
The sound of firewood burning.
Soon, the smell of roasting meat wafted into his nose, stimulating his sense of smell.
His eyes snapped open at the long-missed aroma of meat.
*...Where am I?*
He blinked repeatedly, clearing his blurry vision.
Through the crimson glow of the campfire, a familiar ceiling came into view.
And he realized where he was lying.
*My... cave?*
The place where he awoke was none other than his hideout of the past half year.
A cave nestled in the cliffs on the outskirts of Irons Territory.
A nest in a spot too dangerous for ordinary folk to find easily, let alone enter casually.
The problem was that Yuri had never let anyone discover his hideout until now.
He hadn't told a soul, naturally.
*How the hell did I get here?*
He had no memory of walking here himself.
As he stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, memories before the faint flashed through his mind like a panorama.
The Black Sword Soldier and the Dragon's Cradle exam.
And the deal with Indomitable Sword Yohan Redner.
Recalling this, Yuri abruptly sat up.
"Cough!"
Coughing from the sudden movement.
As he clutched his chest, a familiar voice flowed into his ears.
"As expected of a young one—full of vigor. If it were me, I'd be bedridden for a day."
"Cough!"
Coughing once more, Yuri checked his condition.
*Not bad for overdoing it. No—it's weirdly good.*
He couldn't even remember the last time his body felt this good.
Feeling no particular issues, Yuri shifted his gaze.
Crackle, crackle.
The blazing campfire and an unwelcome guest sitting nearby.
Yuri glared at him and asked.
"Old man... how'd you know about this place?"
"How? I followed your ass and found out."
"Since when?"
"From when you were grabbing random punks in the alley like rats?"
That meant he'd been tailing him since the clash with Dutz's crew the day before.
Yuri shot him an incredulous look, but Yohan spoke with a completely unperturbed face.
"What kinda idiot builds his house in a deathtrap like this?"
"So I wouldn't get tangled with a scary old guy like you?"
"Quit yapping, kid. I carried your knocked-out ass all the way here."
"..."
As Yuri clamped his mouth shut, Yohan beckoned.
"If you're up, come grab some of this."
Yohan held out what looked like rabbit meat roast toward Yuri.
Already ravenous, Yuri got up, snatched the meat, and wolfed it down greedily. Yohan then tore into his own share.
Crackle—crackle—
Soon, the cave in the cliff echoed only with the firewood popping and the two men devouring meat.
Yuri finished his share in a flash.
Wiping his greasy lips, he asked.
"Old man, don't we have some settling up to do?"
Yuri's eyes gleamed quietly as he posed the question.