Chapter 95. The Tiger Who Repaid a Favor (4)

Arin followed Yuri's gaze.

She, too, looked at the thick cloud of dust and asked,

"What happened?"

"What happened...?"

To be honest, Yuri didn't know what had happened.

The fake technique he used had worked perfectly.

After that, Yuri had anticipated two possible moves from Greta.

Either she would dodge the attack,

Or she would convert the attack into a defense.

However, the situation that had just occurred was not part of any of Yuri's predictions.

In fact, he couldn't even guess what had happened.

The only fortunate thing was that the ten rounds had ended with that.

"Phew, it's over..."

Just as Yuri let out a sigh of relief,

A gentle cold breeze blew, sweeping away the dust.

This revealed the scene that had been hidden by the dust.

Greta stood in the center of the clearing, motionless.

The ground around her, several meters in radius, was cracked and overturned.

'So that was the cause of the dust.'

The ground must have exploded, sending the dust flying.

The problem was why the ground had exploded.

And while the sudden explosion of the ground was strange, Greta's condition was even stranger.

She stood there motionless,

Her eyes, which didn't even blink, were vacant.

And her entire body emitted a faint light.

Seeing this, Yuri's eyes widened.

"What's that? Why is she like that?"

Light coming from a person's body.

This was bizarre...

'Ah, well, whether it's light from a weapon or a person, it's all the same.'

Yuri nodded in agreement as he thought this.

At that moment, Arin's voice reached him.

"That... looks like a sudden enlightenment (頓悟, Donwo) state?"

"I'm hungry."

Poppie nodded as if agreeing with Arin.

On the other hand, Yuri looked puzzled.

"Sudden enlightenment? What's that?"

"Simply put, it means she gained enlightenment and broke through a barrier. Wow, that's sudden enlightenment. I've never seen it before."

"......?!"

Yuri's eyes widened again at Arin's answer.

"So you're saying... she gained enlightenment while fighting me?"

"It seems so? And from the looks of it, she was stuck at that barrier for quite a long time. I heard the longer you're stuck, the longer the enlightenment state lasts."

Greta Wigen, who was clearly a 6th Rank, had come out of her family to join the Black Sword Corps to gain more practical experience.

A place where skilled individuals, hard to find even within her own family, were abundant.

That was the Black Sword Corps.

Since leaving her family, Greta had grown rapidly through countless practical experiences and efforts.

But at some point, her growth stagnated.

With her innate talent, Greta had thought she could easily overcome any barrier.

But this was a huge miscalculation.

The barrier she thought she could easily overcome still stood firmly in front of her, as solid as ever.

Thus, she had been stuck at the end of 6th Rank for three years.

During this time, Greta had tried everything to break through the barrier.

She had sought out and sparred with the stronger section leaders countless times.

She had even volunteered for life-threatening missions to gain practical experience.

But nothing worked.

The barrier in front of her refused to let her see beyond it.

Feeling frustrated for not reaching 7th Rank and obtaining a Zone,

She was assigned to the current mission in the Animal Forest.

Originally, such a trivial tiger role didn't need to be filled by a veteran like Greta.

But she had taken on the role voluntarily, hoping it would be a change of pace.

However, the change of pace was a joke.

The first day was fun, but the days that followed were monotonous, making her regret taking on the tiger role.

Then, unexpectedly, luck found her.

'So that's why. That's why it felt so ticklish.'

When she fought Yuri for the 9th round, there was a strange feeling in her chest.

And in the final 10th round, when her punch was deflected and the 'stab' came towards her, the ticklish feeling in her chest turned into a refreshing sensation.

It felt like Yuri's stab had scratched an itch she had been wanting to scratch for a long time.

She couldn't exactly describe what it was.

But one thing was clear: something Yuri Holland showed had helped her break through her barrier.

This was an undeniable fact.

"Phew..."

A long breath escaped her, and the vacant look in Greta's eyes returned to normal.

As she slowly came out of her enlightenment state, the first thing she saw was the three people gathered in front of her.

'That kid must be the one who shot the bizarre arrow.'

The blue-haired girl with a bow slung over her shoulder.

'That's definitely a Yum.'

The bald giant with a simple and honest face.

He must be the giant.

And next to the Yum, a boy squatted in a rather delinquent posture.

'Yuri Holland.'

Greta's face brightened when she saw Yuri.

Yuri, who met her gaze, got up, holding his knee.

"Finally woke up, huh. Ugh..."

His face contorted as he groaned.

'I feel like I'm dying.'

Having used everything he had, Yuri was in a state where he could faint at any moment.

He could only move this much because he had taken some rest and received Poppie's healing.

Seeing Yuri struggle, Greta smiled and asked,

"Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? A 6th Rank going all out against a mere 1st Rank?"

"Ah! Cough... That's because you're so talented..."

"Yay, I survived. If it were anyone else, they would have been dead long ago. Ah, of course, I'm half-dead now. Oh, I'm dying. Ouch, ouch."

"Chuck, chuck, chuck."

"Did you just laugh after reducing a perfectly fine person to half-dead?"

"...I'm sorry."

Although her tone was quite sarcastic, it was true that she had gone overboard, so Greta had nothing to say.

Instead, she sincerely praised him.

"You did great today."

Even with the help of his companions, it was almost impossible for a 1st Rank to last ten rounds against a 6th Rank.

The tiger being worth 5 million points had a good reason.

And the one who had achieved the impossible was this kid.

Greta had no objections to his skills and talent.

Seeing her admiring look, Yuri suddenly extended his hand.

"Words of praise aren't enough. Let's settle the accounts first."

"Ah!"

As if just realizing, Greta took off the vest she was wearing and handed it to Yuri.

"...What is this?"

"Take it, it's the tiger's skin."

"......"

Yuri stared at the tattered vest, worn out from their intense battle.

'This is worth 5 million points...'

For something worth 5 million points, it looked quite shabby.

Still, he couldn't refuse it, so he took it and looked at Greta with bright eyes.

The tiger's skin was just the beginning of the real settlement Yuri had in mind.

He subtly started the conversation.

"Hmm... Congratulations. How long were you stuck at that barrier to be in that state for an hour?"

Greta's face brightened.

Perhaps because she had finally broken through the barrier that had held her back for so long.

She happily accepted Yuri's congratulations.

"Hehe, thank you. I was stuck for three whole years... Finally broke through. All thanks to you!"

"Right? Thanks to me?"

"Of course!"

"Out loud?"

"...Huh?"

Greta blinked.

Poppie and Arin, who were watching from the side, also blinked.

Only Yuri maintained a calm expression.

Greta, still trying to find her words, was gently but firmly questioned by Yuri.

"Come on, think about it. You broke through a barrier that had held you back for three years because of me, right?"

"Y-Yes?"

"What if it wasn't me today? How long would it have taken you?"

"Um... I don't know?"

"Exactly!"

"Huh?"

"You wouldn't know! It could have taken another three years, five years, or even ten years!"

"...I don't think it would have taken that long."

"Are you sure? If you were so confident, why did you stay stuck for three years?"

"......"

As Yuri gently but persistently pressed her with facts, Greta's face darkened.

Regardless, Yuri continued his line of questioning.

"Anyway! The younger you are when you reach a higher realm, the longer your skin stays firm!"

"Really?"

"Eh? What, don't you believe me? Come on, feel your skin. Isn't it smoother and firmer than before?"

Hearing this, Greta unconsciously touched her cheek and nodded.

'Sure... it does feel that way.'

It was true that the depth of one's realm affected aging.

So Yuri's words weren't wrong.

Meanwhile, Arin whispered to Poppie, who was watching the scene.

"...Doesn't he seem like someone who has sold some medicine before?"

Nod, nod.

Yuri, who glared at the two whispering, quickly moved to the conclusion before Greta could come to her senses.

"So!"

"......?"

"Did you really think you could just say 'thank you' and be done with it? Are you that heartless?"

After pondering for a moment, Greta realized that Yuri's words weren't just empty talk.

There were people who were stuck at a barrier for years, decades, or even longer.

In her own family and in the Black Sword Corps, such cases were common.

So she thought it was fair to give Yuri a proper reward for helping her reach 7th Rank.

Greta nodded.

"Alright, what do you want? Treasure?"

"Treasure! Gold! Sure! But besides that... you know, there's something else, right?"

Greta's eyes narrowed as Yuri's eyes became half-lidded, and she firmly shook her head.

"Points are out of the question. That goes against the cradle's rules."

"No, no, not points! I don't want that. Instead, you know what I mean."

"What?"

"Y-You know. Cough, cough... It's a bit awkward for me to explain it..."

"......?"

"Something that's expensive, good for the body, and boosts mana... you know?"

Seeing Yuri squirm, Greta tilted her head in confusion.

Just then, a word popped into her mind.

Greta murmured softly,

"...Elixir?"

The moment she heard the word, Yuri's eyes sparkled.

"Exactly, sis!"

...Sis.

When she was called 'aunt' earlier.

The 27-year-old, who had been hurt, gave a sweet glare.