Chapter 35. Surviving the Harsh Winter (1)

Creak, creak.

After checking her body by turning her neck from side to side, Yuri sprang up from her seat and looked around.

Empty.

In the cabin that had been bustling with so many people, only Yuri was left standing alone.

"What, they all vanished like the tide going out."

The cabin had emptied out in an instant as soon as the ship docked.

It had only been a few minutes ago.

Despite everyone else rushing out, Yuri moved slowly and calmly, holding her cherished sword, Whitey, as she left the cabin.

As she walked a bit, she could see a crowd waiting at the distant exit of the ship.

Murmur, murmur.

The entrance was narrow, and with so many people crowding in at once, a bottleneck had formed.

Seeing this, Yuri smiled.

'I knew it would be like this.'

If you want to move quickly, you should be the first to get off.

Otherwise, you end up wasting time by getting stuck in the middle.

"Rather, I should just take my time and get off last. Tsk."

Though she said that, she had no intention of joining the crowd and getting off last.

'Why wait? There's no need to go through the exit to get off the ship.'

Why bother using the exit to get off the ship?

A path is something you create.

As she thought this, she noticed the mooring ropes connecting the ship to the dock.

The ropes were tied at a spot opposite the exit, in a secluded corner.

No sooner had she spotted them than she leaped.

Thud.

She lightly kicked the railing and climbed onto the mooring rope, sliding down it as if on an ice rink.

Whoosh.

Her astonishing balance, unshaken even on a rope as thin as a child's wrist.

Her hair fluttered in the brisk, light movements as she slid down the rope, revealing her pale face.

Her golden eyes sparkled with joy, an added bonus.

But it was only for a moment.

Thud.

As Yuri landed on the ground with a short jump, her long hair once again covered her face.

While others were waiting, Yuri calmly left the ship, slipping her sword into her pocket and moving away from the scene.

And there was someone watching her.

"Wow?"

A girl with blue hair was perched precariously on the tall mast.

She watched as Yuri's figure grew distant, her eyes gleaming.

Her eyes sparkled excessively, as if she had discovered a hidden treasure.

The blue-haired girl smiled slightly and then threw herself off.

Thud.

Falling from an incredible height, she landed precisely on the mooring rope that Yuri had used.

The rope sank slightly under her weight, and using the bounce, she leaped again.

Her body spun lightly in the air, making two full rotations.

Rustle.

Her long, lively hair fluttered in the wind.

Thud.

Finally, her feet touched the ground.

"Got it!"

She spread her arms and landed safely, breaking into a wide smile.

Even though she had slowed her descent by using the mooring rope, her movements were incredibly light.

No, the boldness of leaping toward the rope from such a height was astonishing in itself.

Thud.

As the blue-haired girl made a perfect landing and left the ship, she hopped away like a rabbit.

The path she took was the same one Yuri had just taken.

* * *

Yuri, who had blazed her own trail to the dock.

She naturally blended into the line of people who had already started walking.

At the same time, she didn't forget to observe her surroundings.

'Where are they going?'

As they moved away from the dock, their destination became clear.

'The city wall?'

The line of prospective riders was heading toward the towering city wall.

The wall stretched so far that its end was not visible.

The 50th batch of prospective riders passed through the gate of the wall.

At the same time, their eyes widened in surprise.

"What is this...?"

"Wow..."

It's easy to assume that inside a city wall, there would be a city.

But the wall they passed through was different.

Inside was a vast forest filled with coniferous trees, stretching endlessly.

"Where are we...?"

People moved around, looking around in confusion.

Their steps finally stopped at a wide open space in front of the city gate.

The space was created by cutting down trees.

What was unusual about the place was that there was a single tree standing in the center of the open space, and hanging from that tree was a bell as big as a person's head.

"Is this the cradle?"

"What's that bell for?"

The people who had arrived at this unfamiliar place were busy trying to figure out what was happening.

Murmur, murmur.

Meanwhile, people who had disembarked from the ship were continuously passing through the city gate, and soon everyone had gathered in the open space.

Then,

Rumble.

Thud.

With a loud noise, the iron city gate fell shut.

Thud!

The gate, which had been firmly closed, sent dust flying.

"What, what is this?!"

At the sudden turn of events, people turned to look at the gate.

Thud, thud, thud.

Black-cloaked Black Swordsmen appeared on the wall, lining up in a row.

The sight of the firmly closed gate and the Black Swordsmen exuding a menacing aura felt like that of soldiers facing an enemy.

The people, who had been murmuring in surprise at the closed gate, fell silent under the overwhelming presence of the Black Swordsmen.

Then,

Thud.

A middle-aged man with a badge on his cloak appeared, different from the other Black Swordsmen.

A towering figure at 190 cm.

A broad face covered in scars and a beard like a nightshade.

His left eye was completely scarred over, and he didn't even wear an eye patch, revealing the horror.

Thud, thud.

The man climbed the watchtower with heavy steps.

Thud.

His brown boots, visible outside his cloak, hit the ground firmly.

"Welcome, brats."

The middle-aged man's scars twitched, and a sardonic smile appeared on his face.

He looked down at the prospective riders with a haughty gaze.

"The official name of this place is the Forest of Beginnings. But we don't call it that..."

His voice was not loud, but it was filled with mana, spreading evenly.

"A sieve to filter out the scum who dare to join the cradle without knowing their place."

The middle-aged man's sneer deepened.

He raised his arm toward the prospective 50th batch of riders.

"There are five things you need to remember."

The middle-aged man spread his fingers, showing the back of his hand to the prospective riders.

First, his thumb folded.

"First, survive for a month. Only those who cling to life will shed the 'prospective' label and become the 50th batch of riders."

Next, his index finger folded.

"Second, killing among prospective riders is forbidden, but everything else is allowed."

Then, skipping his middle finger, it was his ring finger.

"Third, the dragon tokens you carry are your lives. Those whose tokens are damaged will be considered dead."

His little finger folded next.

"Fourth, there is no second chance. Those who are filtered out here will never be allowed to set foot on the land of the cradle again."

Finally, it was the turn of his middle finger, which stood straight.

But instead of folding it, he grinned.

"Lastly, if you want to give up, strike that bell over there. We'll send you back to your parents' house safely. Hehehe."

The middle-aged man laughed, wiggling his middle finger at the prospective riders.

No one missed the fact that this was a gesture of contempt toward those who would give up and strike the bell.

The middle-aged man, still smiling, left another message.

"Remember, only those who survive until January 1st will truly step onto the land of the cradle!"

Flutter.

With that, he turned and disappeared, his cloak billowing behind him.

At the same time, the Black Swordsmen on the wall also vanished.

It was a decisive exit, as if no further explanation was needed.

It was truly an unfriendly situation.

"..."

A cold silence enveloped the open space.

After a moment, the silence turned into confusion.

"...Huh? So this isn't the cradle?"

"Survive? What do you mean by that?!"

"Damn! I came here to gain knowledge and honor my family through fair competition, not to do this ridiculous thing!"

Most of the prospective riders had thought of the cradle as an academy.

The highest level of education and a matching educational environment.

And the fiery competition among peers.

That was the life in the cradle that most of the prospective riders had imagined.

But this absurd situation?

The gap between their ideal and the reality caused murmurs to spread like wildfire among the prospective riders.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the chaos, a pair of golden eyes shone calmly.

'Ah, so that's it?'

Yuri smiled slightly and, taking advantage of the confusion, quietly moved to the edge of the open space.

Swoosh.

She slipped away from the open space like a ghost and entered the vast forest.

This happened just 10 seconds after the Black Swordsmen disappeared.

No one had moved before Yuri.

As time passed,

Some people's eyes began to narrow.

They quickly replayed the scarred man's words in their heads.

'This place definitely isn't the cradle.'

'Survive for a month... This is a test to distinguish the riders of this batch.'

'The test is... survival.'

'But they didn't give us anything we need to survive. That means...'

Finally, a few of them reached a similar conclusion.

'There are survival tools hidden in the forest!'

Food for survival and tools for making fire.

There wouldn't be enough for all 503 prospective riders.

So those who moved first would secure the necessary survival tools.

'If I'm lucky... I might monopolize a lot of survival tools and gain an advantage!'

It was also a golden opportunity to eliminate many competitors.

To do that, they needed to enter the forest before anyone else.

A few of them, having made this judgment, quietly slipped away from the crowd during the confusion.

Among them were the blue-haired girl, Gunter, and several people from prestigious families.

As time passed, more and more people left the open space.

Naturally, more and more people began to notice something was amiss.

'Huh?'

'Didn't the number of people just decrease?'

A few who hadn't noticed yet looked around with puzzled expressions.

Then, one fool who had some sense but lacked self-control made a mistake.

He blurted out what he had realized.

"Ah! The forest! There are survival tools in the forest...!"

He quickly clamped his mouth shut, looking around nervously.

But it was too late.

Thud.

His muttering wasn't that quiet, so it was heard by those around him.

Everyone who heard his muttering was rolling their eyes.

They had realized it too.

This was a situation where the first to move would definitely have an advantage.

They were just hesitating, not wanting to rush out foolishly.

But that didn't last long.

Thud.

After a long moment of mutual hesitation, someone took a step back.

That was the signal.

Thud!

As one person darted out first,

"Ah!"

"Damn it!"

About ten others, startled by the sudden action, ran into the forest to avoid falling behind.

This affected everyone gathered in the open space.

"Why are those guys suddenly running into the forest... Ah?! Could it be?!"

"Damn! That's what it was?!"

Some, seeing those who ran, finally understood the situation and followed into the forest.

"What, what is this?!"

"What's happening?"

"Why are they running?"

Others were swept up by the collective behavior, the herd mentality.

In other words, they just ran without thinking because others were running.

Thud.

The open space, which had been filled with people, emptied in an instant.

The forest, suddenly bustling with the sudden influx of people, saw startled birds flying into the sky.

Flap.

About 30 minutes after the black ship arrived at the Island of Beginnings,

All 503 prospective riders were thrown into the Forest of Beginnings, colloquially known as the 'Scum Compost Pit.'

* * *

Most of the prospective riders, convinced that survival tools were hidden in the forest, rushed into it.

But Yuri, who had headed into the forest before anyone else, thought differently.

'There's nothing prepared in this forest.'

Yuri's eyes shone brightly with certainty.