LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 33 - Entry (2)
Chapter 33: Entry (2)
“Have you ever heard of the Yum Tribe?”
At the slightly condescending tone, Yuri’s eyebrows twitched.
He responded with a slight snort.
“Yum Tribe? You mean the descendants of ancient giants?”
“Oh? So you know?”
“I may not have learned it formally, but I’ve picked up a lot. Anyway, the Yum Tribe are one of the bloodlines descended from ancient different races, right?”
Descendants of ancient giants, the Yum Tribe.
Descendants of ancient elves, the Lin Tribe.
Descendants of ancient dwarves, the Gol Tribe.
In the distant past, pure-blooded different races went extinct, and only those with mixed human blood survived.
These survivors continued the bloodline of ancient different races in the form of closed clans.
…Or so Yuri had heard.
And it was true.
Johan nodded and added further explanation.
“You’re quite knowledgeable. Yes, the descendants of the ancient giants. And among them, there is a group known as the monks.”
“Monks?”
“Perverts who seek the enlightenment of the soul through asceticism.”
“So?”
“When a Yum Tribe monk dies after long asceticism, it is their tradition to cremate the body and return it to nothingness. During the cremation, a radiant crystal is often found among the ashes…”
Yuri’s steps gradually slowed as he flinched.
Finally coming to a complete stop, he frowned slightly and spoke.
“No way, really?”
“It’s true.”
“…Seriously?”
“Yes, the crystal found in the ashes of a deceased Yum Tribe monk. That’s Shari. It may look like an ordinary stone, but it’s highly treasured by the Yum Tribe.”
“Why would they treasure something like that?!”
“Because it has the power to interfere with souls and spiritual holes. That’s why it could block your spiritual hole, right?”
“Well, that’s true. But it’s creepy that it came from a dead body, isn’t it?”
“Only idiots like you would find it creepy. The fact that Shari came from a dead monk’s body is proof that their asceticism was successful. It’s a very honorable thing.”
Yuri’s face turned sour at this explanation.
He replied curtly.
“Sorry for being an idiot.”
Then, as if he didn’t want to hear more, he tried to walk away, but Johan placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Why?”
At Yuri’s questioning gaze, Johan smiled slyly.
“You should hear the most important part before you go.”
“Huh?”
“Shari has a side effect.”
“…A side effect?”
A side effect, all of a sudden?
Sensing something ominous, Yuri swallowed dryly.
“What, what kind of side effect?”
“Heh, well…”
Johan lowered his voice after a brief pause.
“Ghosts cling to it.”
“…”
A short three-second silence.
The reaction came belatedly.
“…What?”
Startled, Yuri thought he must have misheard.
“Excuse me? What clings to it?”
In response to Yuri’s bewildered question, Johan kindly enunciated.
“Ghosts cling to it.”
“…”
And then he added an explanation.
“Since Shari is a pure spiritual power crystal, ghosts go crazy over it. Heh heh.”
“…You’re joking, right?”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
“…”
“So, stay away from places where many people have died or graveyards. Especially avoid places with vengeful spirits if you don’t want to be tormented by evil spirits.”
“…?!”
Yuri’s face stiffened more than ever.
His hand slowly moved to the hilt of his sword, trembling slightly.
His voice, trembling as much as his hand, escaped his lips.
“Old man, just in case…”
“What?”
“Just out of curiosity, I mean… Do you know how to stab a ghost?”
“…”
“Do you know how to attack a ghost?”
“…”
“…”
As soon as Yuri finished his question, a strange silence hung over the space where the two stood.
Then Johan casually threw out a word.
“Scared?”
The reaction was intense.
“Scared?”
Yuri shouted and then glanced downward sheepishly.
“I-I’m just curious about whether you can inflict physical damage on a ghost…”
“Oh? Really?”
“Do you know?”
“No.”
“Why don’t you know?”
“Why should I?”
“I think it would be good to know.”
“If you’re so curious, why don’t you research it yourself? I hope you achieve good results. Heh heh.”
Bwoo- Bwoo-
As soon as Johan finished speaking, a short horn sounded, urging the cadets to board the ship again.
And with this signal, Johan’s figure blurred and disappeared.
“O-Old man!”
Yuri reached out desperately, but the spot where Johan had been was now only filled with the wind.
“…”
The eerie wind blowing around the place where Johan had disappeared, along with his words, echoed in Yuri’s ears.
[Ghosts cling to it.]
[Ghosts cling to it…]
[Ghosts…]
The endlessly repeating word “ghost” made Yuri’s face pale.
“G-Ghosts…”
Yuri, who thought there was nothing in the world to be afraid of, had one and only fear.
And that was the existence of shapeless “ghosts.”
‘How do I fight a ghost?’
I can’t hit a ghost, but a ghost can hit me.
How unfair and terrifying is that!
So Yuri couldn’t help but worry.
“Should I take off the earrings?”
Yuri’s eyes wavered greatly with deep anguish.
* * *
Bwooo-
With the sound of a long horn, the sailing ship carrying Yuri and about 500 cadets left the port.
Johan sat on the roof of a store not far from the port, watching the departing ship.
‘I’ll be bored for a while without someone to torment.’
Sending Yuri to the Cradle was a plan he had since the moment he first saw him.
He never doubted that plan.
Under the premise of the strong preying on the weak, the Cradle was the only place in the world that offered near-infinite benefits to those who wished to become stronger.
So, the initial idea of sending Yuri to the Cradle was firm.
…Until he realized that Yuri’s talent far exceeded his expectations.
Yuri’s talent, which shocked even Johan, who was praised as one of the greatest geniuses.
So, he thought that even if Yuri didn’t go to the Cradle and trained with him, Yuri would grow exponentially.
With that in mind, the firm thought of sending Yuri to the Cradle began to crack.
Afterward, Johan pondered.
Was it right to send Yuri to the Cradle or not?
The moment he saw Yuri unleash the Magic Flow was when he made his decision.
‘His talent was evolving.’
A remarkable talent that was mastering more than what Johan had taught him.
Seeing this, Johan realized that he didn’t always need to be by Yuri’s side.
Yuri would grow rapidly with or without him.
He just needed to check on Yuri from time to time and prune the branches so he could grow upwards.
With that thought, the Cradle was the best environment for Yuri’s growth.
‘The experiences in the Cradle… Only experiences at that age in the Cradle will be a good foundation for Yuri’s growth.’
The experiences in the Cradle were something he couldn’t provide, no matter how skilled he was.
‘And the various benefits given by the Cradle are not easily obtainable either.’
If Yuri could monopolize the benefits given by the Cradle, the impact would be enormous.
Johan hoped for that inwardly but didn’t show it until the moment Yuri left.
Because he knew.
‘With his insidious personality, he’ll try to devour everything in the Cradle like a monster.’
Yuri’s greed was frightening, even from Johan’s perspective.
Whether it was money or growth-related matters.
Yuri didn’t hesitate to express his desires and was a monster who worked tirelessly to achieve them.
‘I originally planned to make him strong enough not to be beaten around even in the Cradle…’
Actually, he thought that might be difficult too.
With less than a year, even getting the basics down would have been successful.
But the problem was this monster had grown too much in that short period.
To the extent that even Johan couldn’t handle his growth.
‘Can the innocent kids in the Cradle handle that wicked kid?’
The Dragon’s Cradle was a cage for gathering beast cubs.
But what he had put in there was an Imoogi.
A black Imoogi that would ascend as soon as it created a dragon pearl.
Swoosh-
Johan emptied the last bit of his drink, looking at the departing ship.
“Kha!”
His stomach heated up.
His gaze, which turned red from the heat, looked far across the lake toward the direction of the Dragon’s Cradle.
Watching the vast horizon, a low murmur escaped his lips.
“A fertile soil to bloom talent…”
In the past, the Sword Master had declared.
That he would be the fertile soil where talented individuals could bloom.
That’s why the Dragon’s Cradle was created.
Recalling this, Johan’s lips twisted.
“Can the soil you created handle the seed I planted?”
Would the land of the Dragon’s Cradle have enough nutrients for the seed named Yuri to grow?
If not…
‘Sword Master, your land might wither and dry up.’
If the seed of a greedy monster fell on the land of the strong, it would greedily suck up everything the land had.
“Kuhuh.”
Just imagining what would happen in the Cradle made Johan chuckle.
And then.
Woosh-
Johan’s figure vanished into the wind.
* * *
In the windless weather, the black sailing ship continued its smooth voyage.
Five days had passed since the voyage began.
Inside the black ship cutting through the calm waves, boys and girls dressed in black roamed around.
Not the clothes they wore before, but the new black shirts and pants provided by the Black Sword Corps, worn by the cadets of the Cradle.
The black uniforms were long-sleeved and comfortable for movement but thin enough to wear in spring or summer.
Although it wasn’t icy, wearing such thin clothes in the cold winter was inappropriate.
However, the cold winter was not much of a problem for those with mana, even if they were young.
What actually bothered the young cadets was the odd tension during the voyage.
The 503 cadets of the 50th batch gathered from all over the world.
They were heading to an unknown land where anything could happen, a place with a grand name: the Dragon’s Cradle.
In that place, the cadets would inevitably become competitors, whether they liked it or not.
No one on the ship was unaware of this.
Moreover, they were individuals who grew up receiving high education, each regarded as prodigies, geniuses, and exceptional talents.
The cadets soon realized what they needed to do and began to act.
Some observed those who appeared stronger than themselves.
Others identified weaker prey to target.
The voyage to the Cradle became a time for reconnaissance before the real competition began.
Without anyone telling them, the children began to check each other.
So, someone thought.
‘Maybe the reason they crammed us all into one place without separate cabins was to encourage this.’
Perhaps the competition had started the moment they boarded the black ship.
As the reconnaissance period drew to a close.
With the accumulation of information about each other, the cadets moved on to the next phase.
It was time for the real division into groups to begin.