Chapter 38. Surviving the Harsh Winter (4)

The sound of footsteps approaching from the corridor made Yurie's expression turn serious.

‘I only noticed the footsteps when they were close.’

Over the past ten days, Yurie had not just focused on gathering food.

Setting traps around the hiding place was as important to him as gathering food.

The traps, though not visible from outside the hiding place, would activate if anyone took a single step into the cave.

While they weren't powerful enough to threaten the lives of those skilled in martial arts, they were strong enough to be a nuisance.

Moreover, they would serve as a kind of alarm, alerting Yurie to the presence of an intruder.

However, despite the presence of an intruder, there was no sign that the traps had been triggered.

This meant two things.

First, the intruder had noticed all the traps and avoided them.

‘Or, the intruder is strong enough to easily ignore the traps I set.’

Judging by the intense aura gradually approaching, it seemed to be the latter.

‘This guy is really strong. Was there someone with this level of skill among the预备骑士们?’

The approaching intruder was not trying to hide, revealing a truly overwhelming aura.

Yurie was certain.

This intruder was beyond his capabilities.

Someone whose skills far surpassed his own.

‘What should I do? Should I confirm who the intruder is, or just run away?’

One of the most important aspects of Yurie's hiding place was the escape route.

If he ran to the emergency exit he had prepared, he could escape.

However, he also wanted to know who this aura-emitting预备骑士was.

Knowing the existence of a strong enemy he couldn't handle would be valuable information for the future.

‘The intruder doesn't seem hostile. Then...’

After a moment of hesitation and a quick decision, his actions were even faster.

Yurie picked up a couple of burning logs from the fire and threw them towards the cave entrance.

At the same time, he extinguished the rest of the fire and quickly moved to the side of the cave, holding his breath.

The entire process took no more than five seconds.

Yurie, hidden in the darkness, watched the entrance with a sharp gaze.

Yurie, who remained tense, heard a slight sound.

Creak.

Just as his hand tightened on the hilt of his sword.

Thud.

At the end of the corridor, a black boot appeared in the faint light of the burning logs.

Finally, the intruder fully revealed himself.

Yurie's eyebrows twitched slightly when he saw the intruder.

‘Why is he here?’

The intruder was none other than the one-eyed leader of the Black Sword Corps.

Yurie observed the intruder calmly.

At the same time, he quietly shifted his center of gravity backward.

If the one-eyed man showed any reaction, he would be ready to turn and run.

Swish.

The one-eyed man turned his head.

His gaze swept the cave and stopped at a certain point.

Yurie's face stiffened as he realized the one-eyed man was looking directly at him.

‘He can see through the darkness and pinpoint my location!’

Yurie was about to run out.

At that moment.

"Stop, Yurie Holland."

The voice that stopped Yurie's steps.

At the same time, the heavy aura that had been emanating from the cave entrance disappeared as if it had been washed away.

It was as if he was trying to convey that he had no intention of harming Yurie.

However, Yurie did not lower his guard.

The one-eyed man smiled slightly at his expression.

"Take this."

He said, pulling something from his waist and throwing it to Yurie.

Yurie caught the object, which was flying at a slow speed.

Clank.

It was a small cloth bag containing something.

‘What is this?’

Yurie looked at the one-eyed man with a puzzled expression.

The one-eyed man, seeing Yurie's questioning gaze, ...

Thud.

Turned around and walked back the way he came without a word.

Yurie, who had been watching him in a daze, muttered in disbelief.

"...What kind of person is he?"

* * *

The remnants of the traps scattered around the cave were kicked and rolled by the one-eyed man's feet as he walked back.

The one-eyed man gazed at the traps scattered in the corridor.

‘He set up quite a few in just a few days.’

Although they weren't particularly lethal, the traps were well-coordinated, predicting the intruder's next move.

Even real Dragon's Cradle knights would have been caught by their power.

The one-eyed man thought of the person who had set these traps.

‘Yurie Holland...’

The one-eyed man had entered the Forest of Beginnings today to deliver something to a预备骑士.

Of course, he wouldn't have done this himself under normal circumstances.

It would have been inefficient for the overall commander to handle such a trivial matter.

However, he had moved personally because of Yurie Holland, the tenth Black Dragon Leader.

And...

‘Johan Redner's disciple.’

Curious about what kind of person this highly accomplished预备骑士was, the deputy commander of the Black Sword Corps moved personally.

After seeing Yurie Holland, the one-eyed man gave a simple evaluation.

"An interesting guy."

A perfectly concealed hiding place.

Survival skills to endure the harsh winter.

The level of traps set to deter intruders.

Just these three aspects alone showed that he was qualitatively different from the many wanderers in the forest.

However, what the man valued more than these was the judgment Yurie had shown earlier.

Extinguishing the fire and throwing burning logs to gather information about the intruder.

At the same time, hiding in the darkness to maintain a distance from the enemy.

And...

‘The spot where he was standing was definitely an emergency exit. If I had shown any sign of attacking, he would have run away immediately.’

Yurie Holland had clearly realized that the intruder's skills were beyond his capabilities.

‘So his plan was to identify the intruder and then run away.’

The bold judgment to abandon the survival supplies and hiding place he had worked hard to secure.

Although he had revealed his presence by emitting aura, the process of preparing for the intruder had flowed smoothly, all happening within a few seconds.

It would have been impossible to move so quickly without exceptional judgment.

‘At least he's not just a name riding on Johan Redner's reputation.’

This point pleased the one-eyed man.

And another thing.

What pleased him even more was that the kid seemed to be quite greedy.

Thinking of the excessive amount of supplies piled up in Yurie Holland's hiding place, the one-eyed man smiled bitterly.

"In the Dragon's Cradle, desire is as important as talent."

* * *

Only after the intruder's aura had completely disappeared did Yurie lower his guard.

He stared at the bag in his hand.

The item the Black Sword Corps member had given him and then left.

Swish.

Untying the string at the mouth of the cloth bag, the contents were revealed.

‘This is...?’

Clank.

He had a feeling from the moment he caught the bag that it contained metal.

And when he actually saw the item, it was a small silver coin.

"Silver coin?"

The common currency on the continent was gold coins called "Gold" and silver coins called "Silver."

However, this silver coin was not the typical currency used on the continent.

Yurie took one of the clinking silver coins and examined it.

The coin was roughly 5 cm in diameter and circular.

In the center was a 1 cm square hole.

‘A silver coin with a hole...’

The unique feature didn't end there.

Yurie flipped the coin over.

"Hmm..."

On one side was a picture of two swords (劍) crossed in an X shape, and on the other side was the number 10,000 intricately engraved.

Such silver coins were not used anywhere on the continent.

There were a total of 10 of them.

‘This doesn't seem to be just a meaningless item.’

The level of craftsmanship was too high to be meaningless.

Moreover, the fact that someone had deliberately brought this to him meant it had a purpose.

‘What does this mean?’

The information given was too limited.

An item given without any explanation.

Finding its purpose would be the first step.

Ting.

Yurie flicked the silver coin with his thumb.

The coin spun in the air and fell.

He caught it and flicked it again with his thumb, repeating the process while asking himself a question.

‘Did I receive this alone?’

The answer to this question was likely "no."

‘He definitely called my name accurately. That means he knew this was my hiding place and came here.’

In other words, the Black Sword Corps had been tracking the movements of the预备骑士s.

They wouldn't do this without a purpose.

‘The movements of some key figures... or perhaps all the预备骑士s are being monitored. If we assume that the same item was given to those who were identified...’

Then why were these items given?

What were they supposed to do with them?

Ting.

Yurie's lips curled up slightly as he caught the flicked silver coin again.

He brought the coin to his nose.

Sniff, sniff.

‘It smells...’

A deep smile spread across Yurie's face as he kept sniffing.

Of course, the only real smell was the strong metallic scent.

But Yurie's instinctive sense of smell detected another scent.

‘It's definite. This is... the smell of