Chapter 75. Leather Collection (1)

When Yuri seemed about to attempt a strong sword, Theresa slightly shook her head.

“It won’t be easy if it’s your first time. Some people find it hard just to sense the waves.”

Moreover, it usually takes a long time to align those waves.

It’s not for nothing that those who have been practicing martial arts since childhood only manage to manifest a strong sword when they reach the recognized 1st Dan.

However, despite her explanation, Yuri continued to hold the sword and concentrate.

Seeing this, Theresa let out a small sigh.

“It’s too much for now. It will take at least a few weeks just to find the two waves. It took me longer than I thought...”

Just as she said that,

Hum—

A faint vibration sounded, and Yuri’s beloved sword, Whitey, was enveloped in a transparent luster.

That wasn’t all.

Zap—

A thin current of electricity rippled along the white blade.

Yuri, who had just opened her eyes, grinned at the sight.

“Wow, our Whitey looks even prettier now?”

He gazed lovingly at his sword and then turned to Theresa.

“What did you say just now?”

“...”

Seeing Yuri tilt his head innocently, Theresa muttered to herself.

“...What a pain.”

‘I wish all geniuses would just die.’

Theresa glared at Yuri’s sword.

The transparent luster and blue current on the sword were clear evidence that the strong (强) had manifested.

Unable to hold back any longer, she asked,

“...Be honest with me.”

“What?”

“Did you... Did you know how to use it originally?”

“What?”

“The strong sword!”

“What are you talking about? I just heard about it today.”

“But... How...”

She couldn’t continue.

‘Is this even possible?’

It usually takes months to find the waves, and years to align them.

Even with innate talent, it would take at least 1-2 years.

She herself had only managed to manifest a strong sword after starting from a young age.

And he did it on the first try?

No matter how talented he is, is this even possible?

Regardless of Theresa’s confusion,

Yuri urged her to continue.

“So, what about the rest? The tempered sword, the fire sword, and the magic sword?”

“Sigh, well...”

Theresa, suppressing her mixed feelings with a sigh, continued her explanation.

When the wave alignment reaches 90%, the sword changes as if it were heated, which is called tempered (煉).

From there, when the alignment reaches 95%, mana is emitted like flames, which is called fire (火).

And when it reaches 99%,

The flames of mana that were flickering outside turn into a thin, translucent film that completely envelops the weapon.

People call this the realm of magic (魔).

Yuri nodded at her explanation.

“So, it’s all about how well you align the waves.”

“Right. As the realm gets higher, it can take years to increase the alignment by just 1%.”

Theresa’s gaze on Yuri was filled with the thought, ‘Not again, right?’

Just as Yuri picked up his sword again, Theresa grabbed his wrist.

“Wait a minute!”

“What?”

“Are you... trying to attempt the tempered sword now?”

“Yeah.”

“Do it later... when I’m not around.”

If you succeed in the tempered sword here, I... might not be able to handle it.

Theresa couldn’t bring herself to say the rest.

Yuri, sensing the mood, put his sword away.

Instead, he asked a question.

“What about 100% alignment? What happens when it reaches 100%?”

“From 99% to 100%... when that 1% is filled, a resonance phenomenon occurs. The weapon is then enveloped in a thick, bright light of mana...”

“...And then?”

“It’s called holy (聖).”

“Oh, so it’s a holy sword! A holy sword!”

“...Right, and by the way, the holy (聖) realm is recognized as 6th Dan.”

While a magic sword is recognized as 4th Dan, a holy sword is recognized as 6th Dan.

This clearly showed how difficult it was to bridge that 1% gap between 99% and 100%.

The moment she said this, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.

‘Great, in the next year... let’s aim for a holy sword.’

Johan’s assignment was to reach a magic sword in a year.

But Yuri set a higher goal for himself.

There was no particular reason.

‘You should always set a big goal. Even if you fail, you’ll still achieve more than half of it.’

If he aims for a 6th Dan holy sword, he should at least reach 3rd or 4th Dan, right?

It was a simple thought.

And there was another, even simpler reason.

‘A holy sword sounds cooler than a magic sword, doesn’t it?’

The name itself suggests it’s bigger and stronger.

It was fortunate that Theresa didn’t hear this simple and ignorant statement.

* * *

Time passed quickly.

Every day, Yuri and Theresa repeated their sparring sessions.

Outside of that time, they both seemed to have a tacit agreement to focus on their individual training.

Theresa, inspired by Yuri’s dedication to training, also devoted most of her day to it.

And this, in turn, motivated Theresa.

‘Why is he so dedicated?’

Theresa, who didn’t realize that all this was happening because of her, found Yuri’s training incomprehensible.

Theresa, who sparred with him every day, knew better than anyone how rapidly Yuri was improving.

Every day, he showed a different level of skill from the day before.

Moreover, his talent in manifesting a strong sword in one attempt was something she couldn’t match.

And with such remarkable talent...

‘Can’t he take it a bit easier?’

Why is he so dedicated?

Doesn’t he think about the person chasing after him?

What about the person left behind if he keeps running like this?

With these thoughts,

Considering the difference in talent between Yuri and herself,

And seeing Yuri tirelessly honing his talent,

Theresa gritted her teeth.

And, as always, she picked up her spear.

‘Yeah, I already knew, right? That guy is different from me. Yuri Holland’s talent... I can’t keep up with it.’

So, she just works harder.

If Yuri Holland puts in 10 units of effort, she puts in 20.

More effort, no matter what!

Whoosh—

Boom—

In this way, Yuri and Theresa trained in the sparring area as if in competition.

They practiced techniques they couldn’t show in their own quarters, but for basic training, they started to do it together.

Naturally, their lifestyles became similar, and the time they spent eating together increased.

Or, more accurately, when it was mealtime, Theresa would come to Yuri’s quarters.

Knock knock.

At the sound of knocking on the wooden door, Yuri quickly ran to open it wide and bowed.

“Welcome!”

Yuri gestured inside with a slight wave of his hand.

“Please, take a seat wherever you like.”

Although he said “wherever you like,” there was only one place to sit.

Yuri’s quarters, with a wooden table and chair on one side.

Theresa, now used to Yuri’s little act, sat at the table without much reaction.

Yuri approached with a smile.

“Thank you for visiting Yuri Holland’s restaurant again. Another visit, customer?”

Clack.

Yuri placed a wooden plate, bowl, and chopsticks in front of Theresa.

“If you find the chopsticks inconvenient, I can replace them with a fork.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to them now.”

“In that case, let me introduce today’s menu. Ahem—”

Yuri cleared his throat and spoke clearly.

“Fortunately, I managed to get some fresh freshwater fish and crayfish today. Therefore, today’s menu will be a soup and grilled dishes made with freshwater fish, crayfish, and spices.”

He then smiled and extended his hand.

“As always, payment is in advance.”

Theresa, without a word, placed points in Yuri’s hand.

Clack.

It was a whopping 2,000 points.

After the payment was made, Yuri got busy again.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll bring your meal right away!”

Yuri scampered off.

While he was busy in the corner, Theresa looked around.

‘His craftsmanship is truly remarkable.’

A sturdy stone bed in one corner of the cave.

And the chair, table, and shelves she was sitting on.

Various items made by Yuri were visible everywhere.

One day, out of curiosity, she asked how he made these things without nails or proper tools.

‘The bed design is unique? Oh, it’s called an ondol system. When you light a fire here, the stone bed gets warm.’

‘This table and chair? It’s nothing, just a simple assembly. I learned it when I was young.’

...was her reply.

‘When was he young enough to learn this?’

She had this question but didn’t voice it.

There were many more surprising things in Yuri’s quarters.

Theresa looked at the center of the quarters.

There was a small wooden box there, and light was seeping out, gently illuminating the cave.

It was a lighting device made by Yuri using the luminescent stones he had stolen.

The principle was simple.

He drilled small holes in the wooden box and adjusted the amount of light by covering them.

This made Yuri’s quarters bright without