Chapter 6: Thirst (1)

The Black Sword Soldier stepped forward as Yuris test opponent. His view of Yuris was not much different from that of others.

'Why did the Irregular recommend such a guy?'

Until now, all the test takers he had faced were geniuses or prodigies.

But look at this guy in front of him.

'Has he ever even held a sword?'

A complete mess, lacking even the basics. That was the Black Sword Soldier's judgment of Yuris.

But all those thoughts were washed away when he faced the suddenly rising black figure.

No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn't think of anything at all.

'What... is this?'

The black figure, like smoke or flames, rose up. The curved black eye sockets, like a crescent moon, and the large mouth, tearing open wickedly.

The Black Sword Soldier, encountering the sublime realm of 'Avatar' for the first time, couldn't determine what he was seeing.

'Monster?'

He could only call it a 'monster.'

And the moment he stared into the monster's sunken eye sockets, a terrifying murderous intent washed over him.

- Die! Die! Die...!

The monster's murderous intent, transformed into words, pierced directly into the Black Sword Soldier's brain.

It caused a terrible pain.

But the real ordeal was just beginning.

The intensity of the murderous intent grew even stronger.

- Die! Die! Die! Die!

"......?!"

Even though he was just a low-ranking member of the Black Sword Corps, he had undergone hellish training, crossing the threshold of death many times. He believed he had the mental fortitude to overcome such murderous intent.

But this murderous intent was different.

It wasn't something he could overcome or endure.

- Die! Dieee!

The repeated murderous intent reached his soul.

Shiver, shiver, shiver.

The Black Sword Soldier's body, ignoring his will, began to tremble like a leaf.

Clack, clack, clack.

His teeth clattered rapidly.

In the face of an irresistible fear, his body went numb, and his thoughts turned white.

Soon, only one thought filled his mind.

'I'm going to die... I'm going to die... I'm going to dieaaa!'

Thud.

The Black Sword Soldier, having lost his will to live, dropped his sword, which rolled on the ground.

And the black monster.

Its torn mouth opened wide.

Kyaahahaha!

The monster, as if laughing, opened its mouth wide, expanded greatly, and pounced on the Black Sword Soldier.

"Th, that?!"

"Kyaahh!"

The black monster's momentum, which blocked the sky, was ferocious, and the Black Sword Soldier, standing in front of it, looked utterly powerless.

People expected the Black Sword Soldier to be devoured alive by the monster.

But at that moment.

Swoosh.

A gentle breeze blew from somewhere.

And a strong gust of wind followed.

Whoooooosh.

"Ugh?!"

"What, what is this!"

The strong wind made people's hair fly, and even those who turned their heads due to the wind pressure.

Those who didn't turn their heads witnessed a wondrous sight.

The newly blown white wind wrapped around the black monster.

Swoosh.

- Roar!

The black monster struggled, trapped in the white wind.

The white wind, trying to bind the black monster.

It was as if a white dragon was trying to devour a black beast.

The intense battle between black and white ended in a futile manner.

Boom.

Unable to withstand the pressure of the white wind, the black monster burst.

As a result, the black monster turned into a wisp of smoke and dispersed into the air.

Before anyone could react to the situation that unfolded in the blink of an eye.

Thud.

The Black Sword Soldier, who had escaped the threat of death, closed his eyes and collapsed.

And standing in front of the fallen Black Sword Soldier was Johann.

No one knew how or when he moved to that position.

Johann appeared as if by magic, like in a legend.

Though no one knew what had happened, people instinctively realized one thing.

At the moment the Black Sword Soldier was about to be devoured by the monster, Johann Redner had raised a white wind to save him.

'The master drove away the monster!'

'That person saved the Black Sword Soldier!'

From the moment Yuris started the test to when the Black Sword Soldier collapsed, it wasn't a long time, but the series of shocking events left the spectators speechless.

In the suffocating silence, Yuris knees buckled.

The boy's body collapsed forward.

Thud.

Just as Yuris upper body was about to fall, he plunged his sword into the ground, barely managing to support himself.

He smiled at Johann, who stood in front of him.

"Isn't it... a foul when an old man interferes?"

His voice, strained as if squeezed, wasn't loud, but no one missed it.

Johann chuckled and replied.

"Can't just leave a corpse, can I? It's my responsibility, right?"

"Well, that's true... So... what's the result?"

"That's something they'll tell you."

Johann nodded toward the Black Sword Soldiers standing still.

The spectators' gazes naturally turned to the Black Sword Soldiers, filled with curiosity about their judgment.

Amid the hundreds of pairs of eyes, the 8th Squad Leader, who had been silent for a moment, spoke.

"Standard... Judgment impossible."

Judgment impossible.

As a test administrator of the Cradle, it could be considered an irresponsible conclusion.

But if anyone had seen 'that' just now, no one would have objected to the 8th Squad Leader's judgment.

After a moment of staring at Yuris, the 8th Squad Leader announced his evaluation.

"Special (特)."

Following the 8th Squad Leader's evaluation, the other Black Sword Corps members gave their opinions.

"Standard judgment impossible, Special (特)."

"Standard judgment impossible, Special (特)."

"Standard judgment impossible, Special (特)."

All the Black Sword Corps members, except for the one who had fainted, gave the same opinion as the 8th Squad Leader.

If the fainted member had been awake, he would have given the same evaluation.

The 8th Squad Leader, summarizing the opinions, concluded.

"Comprehensive standard Special (特)... Pass."

The Black Sword Soldier who made the judgment took out a dragon token from his pocket.

The same black dragon token that Johann had thrown before the test.

The 8th Squad Leader's eyes were filled with emotion as he held it.

'I never thought I would be the one to hand this over.'

Black Sword Corps members who serve as test administrators are given various dragon tokens.

Although countless dragon tokens had passed through the hands of the 8th Squad Leader and been given to passers, this was the first time he had taken out a black dragon token.

'Wasn't it said that the last black dragon token was issued two years ago?'

Many people had passed through the Cradle of Dragons, but only nine had held a black dragon token.

'I thought there wouldn't be a new black dragon token holder for a while after the ninth one.'

But a new black dragon token holder was born in just two years.

'The tenth black dragon token holder.'

Not all masters are black dragon token holders, but only two recent recipients of the token have not become masters.

Of course, the Cradle's analysis was that these two would eventually reach the rank of master.

In other words, the black dragon token was a symbol guaranteeing a future master.

The 8th Squad Leader formally extended the black dragon token.

"I sincerely congratulate you on becoming a black dragon token holder."

Yuris calmly took the black dragon token offered by the 8th Squad Leader.

Then he threw the black dragon token directly at Johann.

Thud.

The black dragon token landed near Johann's prosthetic leg.

Everyone who had been watching the series of events was wide-eyed.

In contrast, Yuris asked as if nothing had happened.

"...Old man, I passed, right?"

"I heard."

"Does this mean I pass by your standards too?"

"I guess so."

"Then it's your turn to keep your promise. If everything you told me was a lie..."

Cough.

After a moment's pause, blood spurted from Yuris mouth.

Yuris, wiping his blood-stained lips, glared at Johann with fierce eyes.

"You'd better... be prepared."

A threat directed at a master.

With that, the darkness that had been fighting to stay conscious enveloped Yuris vision.

At the same time, his body collapsed like a wet doll.

Thud.

The audience, still in shock, remained silent.

Only one person.

Johann smiled and spoke.

"Well, this little guy has a temper."

The look in Johann's eyes as he gazed at the unconscious Yuris was filled with joy.

* * *

'Hmm...'

Yuris consciousness slowly returned from the faint.

The first sense to awaken was his hearing.

Crack, crack.

The sound of logs burning.

Soon, the smell of cooking meat stimulated his sense of smell.

Yuris, who hadn't smelled meat in a long time, opened his eyes wide.

'...Where am I?'

He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his blurry vision.

Through the red glow of the campfire, a familiar ceiling came into view.

He realized where he was lying.

'My... cave?'

He had woken up in the hiding place where he had lived for the past half year.

A cave on the cliff outside the Irons estate, a place so dangerous that even if someone found it, they wouldn't easily enter.

The problem was that Yuris had never revealed his hiding place to anyone.

'How did I... get here?'

He had no memory of walking here on his own.

As Yuris lay staring at the ceiling, the events before he fainted flashed through his mind like a panorama.

The test with the Black Sword Soldier and the Cradle.

And the deal with the Irregular, Johann Redner.

Remembering this, Yuris abruptly sat up.

"Cough!"

He coughed from the sudden movement.

While he was holding his chest, a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Sure, kids are full of energy. I would have been bedridden for nine days."

"Cough!"

Yuris coughed again and checked his body.

'Not bad for a reckless move. No, it's surprisingly good.'

He couldn't remember the last time his body felt this good.

Feeling no significant issues, Yuris turned his gaze.

Crack, crack.

The burning campfire and the uninvited guest sitting nearby.

Yuris glared at him and asked.

"Old man... how did you know about this place?"

"How did I know? I followed you around and found out."

"Since when?"

"Since you were catching those guys in the alley like mice?"

In other words, he had been following Yuris since the previous day when he had a run-in with Dutz and his group.

Yuris looked at him in disbelief, but Johann spoke without any concern.

"What were you thinking, making your home in such a dangerous place?"

"I didn't want to get involved with someone like you."

"Brat, stop complaining. I carried your unconscious body all the way here."

"..."

Yuris closed his mouth, and Johann gestured.

"Since you're awake, come over here and eat."

Johann extended a piece of roasted meat, which looked like a rabbit, toward Yuris.

Yuris, who was already feeling extremely hungry, got up and quickly took the meat, devouring it greedily. Johann also started tearing into his share of the meat.

Crack, crack.

Soon, the cave was filled only with the sound of burning logs and the two of them tearing into the meat.

Yuris, who had quickly finished his share, wiped his greasy lips and asked.

"Old man, we have to settle things, right?"

Yuris' eyes, which had been calm, now shone with a steady light.