Chapter 83: Hell (3)

Huff—

The long exhaled breath turned into a white mist and dispersed in the darkness.

Yuri looked at the wolf that was watching her warily from beyond the mist.

It had stayed far away after its companion fell, not daring to approach recklessly.

Thanks to this, Yuri had a moment to catch her breath.

‘As expected… I can somehow handle two wolves.’

One wolf would be easy.

Even two could be dealt with normally.

And if she went all out…

‘Three is possible.’

Of course, there were a few conditions.

First, the wolves shouldn’t be at Theresa’s level.

Second, she would use Yunbo, Noeok, and Maryu to their fullest.

Lastly, she wouldn’t prolong the fight.

‘Anyway, the problem is my mana. I need to earn points quickly and buy a potion.’

In any case, she thought she could handle three opponents if she ended the fight quickly against the level of opponents she was facing now.

‘And if I get a little more support like this…’

Maybe even four or more.

While gauging this, Yuri glanced behind her.

There, Arin was still on guard, her bowstring taut.

‘…Not bad, actually?’

This was the first time Yuri had fought alongside someone.

Through this experience, she realized something clearly.

‘Ah, this is why people form teams.’

Fighting together with someone to take down an opponent felt surprisingly good.

Moreover, coordinating attacks was surprisingly smooth.

Even though it was her first time, their movements didn’t get tangled up.

Yuri lightly clenched and unclenched her fist, glancing at Arin again.

‘Hmm, is this kid doing well?’

Arin’s arrows, inserted at the right moments between her attacks, and her vigilance against the opponent were truly fitting for the term ‘support fire.’

‘Not bad.’

Praising her internally, Yuri looked at the wolf in front of her.

The wolf, already badly injured, hesitated to attack.

Yuri quickly searched the two wolves she had already dealt with.

Swish—Swoosh—

With movements faster than any pickpocket, Yuri took the leather from the unconscious wolves.

Stepping back, she called out to Arin.

“What are you doing? Run!”

“Huh?”

Arin, wide-eyed with surprise, stood there dumbfounded.

Frowning, Yuri grabbed her wrist.

“Run!”

“Eh? What, what?!”

Leading the startled Arin, Yuri calmly left the scene.

The surviving wolf watched their retreating backs in confusion.

“…What? Why are they running?”

They clearly had the upper hand, so why were they running?

The wolf stared blankly in the direction they had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Arin, who was being dragged by Yuri, was equally puzzled.

“What? Why are we running? We were winning!”

Yuri answered with a stern face.

“Are you stupid? Do you think those wolves were the end?”

The initial cause of gathering the beasts was the bonfire.

But after that, the sounds of their struggle with the wolves would have attracted more beasts.

If they had stayed, they would have soon been surrounded by beasts gathering to hunt them.

So, Yuri decided to leave before it was too late.

Or perhaps…

‘…It’s already too late.’

And that unease soon became reality.

In the direction Yuri and Arin were running.

Swish—

Suddenly, a sharp wolf ear appeared.

And a sound followed.

“Woof.”

Yuri’s expression hardened.

‘Already this close?’

And that wasn’t all.

‘Three o'clock direction.’

Although still a bit distant, a powerful presence was approaching without any attempt to hide.

If they continued, they would be surrounded.

Sensing the danger, Yuri decided to break through the front.

Instinctively, she swung her right hand.

‘…Huh? …What’s in my hand?’

Realizing her unconscious action, Yuri’s thoughts faltered.

‘…Wait, what was I holding?’

She wiggled her right hand.

Then, she felt a soft wrist.

‘Huh?’

By the time Yuri realized, a blue-haired figure had already whizzed past her.

‘…?!’

A beautiful face, filled with shock, filled Yuri’s vision.

‘Huh?’

The scene unfolded in slow motion for Yuri.

She could clearly read Arin’s mouth shape.

“Youuuu aaaaare ssssoooooo mmmeeeaaan!”

Arin’s scream echoed in the air.

The curse she contained was incomplete.

“…?!”

Startled by her instinctive action, Yuri let go of Arin’s wrist.

As a result, Arin flew away like a cannonball.

Whoosh—

“Wh-What, what, what…!”

A 48th female wolf, who had been chasing the sounds of a fight, was taken aback when someone suddenly flew towards her, and she didn’t have time to react.

In the meantime, Arin’s head collided forcefully with the wolf’s face.

Smack!

The satisfying collision sound echoed through the forest.

The crisp sound, like a melon splitting, made Yuri wince.

“Ow… ow…”

Soon, the sound of someone falling followed.

Thud—Thump—

“Hmm…”

Yuri scratched her cheek, looking at Arin’s trembling shoulder.

“It… wasn’t intentional. Just a habit…”

What kind of habit could throw someone like that?

But the person to question it was already sprawled on the ground, twitching.

And then, it happened.

Rustle—

Yuri’s ears perked up.

Her eyes darkened.

“Too late.”

She should have escaped earlier.

But the unexpected situation had delayed her, and now a powerful presence was right in front of her.

With a stern face, Yuri turned towards the approaching presence.

Three o'clock direction.

As soon as she confirmed the vague shape of the approaching figure, a light sweat broke out on her hand.

Thud—Thud—

The newcomer was a tall woman, about 180 cm.

Unlike the other animals, she didn’t wear a headband.

She only wore a thick leather vest with tiger stripes over her black clothes.

But that was enough to reveal her identity.

‘No wonder she didn’t hide her presence; it’s a tiger.’

The sudden appearance of a tiger.

What surprised Yuri even more was—

The person being dragged by the tiger woman’s hand.

It was someone Yuri knew well, seemingly unconscious.

“Poppie?”

The very person Arin had been looking for, Poppie, was being dragged by the tiger woman.

‘She must have been caught earlier.’

The tiger woman tilted her head at Yuri’s muttering.

“You know this one?”

She then threw Poppie to the side.

Poppie landed near where Arin had fainted.

The tiger woman took a leisurely step forward.

“It’s a tiger.”

Seeing the woman emphasize her identity, Yuri’s eyes deepened.

‘Indeed, a Black Sword Soldier.’

The hint from Theresa.

Thanks to it, Yuri had deduced that the bear was a Black Sword Soldier, and her guess was correct; the tiger was a Black Sword Soldier.

That meant the woman was at least a recognized 3rd rank.

But as the top predator in the Animal Forest and the owner of 5 million points, she couldn’t be just a 3rd rank.

‘Maybe… a squad leader.’

A squad leader Black Sword Soldier would be at least a recognized 5th rank.

A squad leader Black Sword Soldier?

This was definitely not someone she could face alone.

Yuri glanced around.

‘Can I escape?’

A direct confrontation was impossible, but maybe she could run.

‘If I use all my Noeok to escape?’

With a rough plan, her body moved.

Her center of gravity shifted slightly backward.

Swish—

Just as she was about to run—

A sudden thought crossed her mind.

‘Why should I run?’

It was a strange thought.

She knew better than anyone that she wasn’t a match for the tiger woman.

The skill gap was clear and insurmountable.

But…

‘Should I always run from strong opponents?’

Afraid of losing, just run?

Yuri’s face hardened.

‘I hate losing.’

That’s why, after losing to Muchi, she had vowed never to lose again.

But if she only picked fights she could win…

‘What’s the point of that vow?’

Would the victories she accumulated this way have any meaning?

A simple realization hit her.

But it cleared her mind.

‘Ah, what I should fear and guard against… isn’t losing.’

Losing?

She could do that anytime.

What she needed to guard against was—

‘Not letting my spirit be broken by losing.’

No matter how many times she was knocked down, she had to get back up.

‘Maeryu was created to face unbeatable, strong enemies.’

Maeryu, born from Johan’s defeats, was a testament to his unbreakable will.

Using Maeryu, created to face stronger enemies, only against weaker ones would mean no growth.

This realization sparked a fire in Yuri’s eyes.

‘I can lose. No, I will lose thousands, tens of thousands of times. I will grow through these losses and become stronger.’

The unbreakable will she had shown unconsciously was a part of her nature.

But when she became aware of this unconscious trait—

A firm resolve solidified in her mind.

Unbreakable (不折).

The will to challenge, even if it means pain and suffering, without ever breaking.

Though the path to this realization was different, Yuri had chosen the same path Johan had walked decades ago.

“Huff—”

Yuri lowered her sword and took a stance.

Only after deciding not to run did she fully see her opponent.

Copper