LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 35 - Surviving the Harsh Winter (1)
Chapter 35 Surviving the Harsh Winter (1)
Crack, crack—
Yuri confirmed his physical condition by cracking his neck from side to side, then sprang up from his seat and looked around.
Whoosh—
The once-crowded cabin, bustling with people, was now deserted, leaving Yuri alone.
“Did everyone leave like an ebb tide?”
As soon as the ship docked, the cabin emptied in an instant.
It was only a few minutes ago.
Despite everyone else hurrying off, Yuri leisurely picked up his sword, White, and left the cabin.
After walking a bit, he saw a crowd waiting at the distant exit of the sailboat.
Murmur, murmur—
The narrow exit was causing a bottleneck as people gathered there all at once.
Seeing this, Yuri smirked.
‘I knew this would happen.’
If you wanted to move quickly, you should be the first to disembark.
Otherwise, you’d end up wasting time, stuck in the middle like that.
“Either rest and disembark last, or just avoid the crowd. Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue softly, Yuri looked around.
Despite his words, he had no intention of joining the crowd and waiting to be the last one to disembark.
‘Why wait? There’s no need to use the designated exit.’
Why bother using the exit to leave the ship?
He believed paths were meant to be forged.
With that thought, he noticed the mooring rope connecting the sailboat to the dock.
The mooring rope was tied in a secluded spot, opposite the exit.
The moment he spotted it, Yuri leaped.
Tap—
Lightly kicking off the railing, Yuri landed on the mooring rope and slid down it as if gliding on ice.
Whoosh—
On the rope, as thick as a child’s wrist, he maintained his balance without a wobble.
With nimble and light movements, Yuri’s hair fluttered, revealing his pale face as he slid down the rope.
His golden eyes sparkled with joy.
But it was only for a moment.
Tap—
As soon as Yuri jumped off and landed on the ground, his long hair covered his face again.
While others waited, Yuri leisurely exited the sailboat, slipped his hand into his pocket, and left the area.
Someone was watching him.
“Wow?”
A girl with blue hair, sitting precariously on a dizzyingly high mast, watched him leave.
Her eyes sparkled excessively as if she had discovered a hidden gem.
The blue-haired girl smiled slightly and then leaped down.
Tap—
Falling from a great height, she surprisingly landed precisely on the mooring rope Yuri had used.
The rope dipped slightly under her weight, and using that recoil, she bounced.
In the air, she gracefully spun twice.
Swish—
Her vibrant long hair fluttered.
Tap—
Finally, her feet touched the ground.
“Ta-da!”
Spreading her arms, the girl who had safely landed on the ground smiled brightly.
Even though she had used the mooring rope to reduce her falling speed, her light movements were still incredible.
No, what was more astonishing was her boldness to leap toward the mooring rope from such a height in the first place.
Rustle—
After showcasing a perfect landing, the blue-haired girl skipped away like a rabbit.
The path she took was… the same path Yuri had just taken.
* * *
Yuri, having forged his own path to the dock, seamlessly blended into the line of people walking ahead.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to observe his surroundings.
‘Where are they heading?’
After moving a bit away from the dock, the destination became clear.
‘A wall?’
The line of the cadets was heading towards none other than a towering wall.
A wall that stretched so far that its end was nowhere in sight.
The 50th cadets passed through the gate of the wall.
Simultaneously, their eyes widened.
“What is this….”
“Wow….”
Typically, one would expect a city inside the walls.
But the wall they passed through was different.
Inside was an expansive forest filled with coniferous trees.
A forest so vast that its end couldn’t be seen.
“What is this place…?”
People moved, looking around curiously.
Their steps halted at a spacious clearing right in front of the gate.
The clearing was created by cutting down trees.
What was unique about the place was that there was only one tree left standing in the center of the clearing, and a bell the size of a human head hung from it.
“Is this the Cradle?”
“What’s with the bell?”
The newcomers were busy trying to figure out the situation in the unfamiliar space.
Murmur, murmur—
Meanwhile, people disembarking from the ship continued to pass through the gate until everyone had gathered in the clearing.
Then,
Rumble—
Thud—
With a loud noise, the iron gate fell shut.
Boom!
Dust flew as the gate closed firmly.
“What, what’s going on?!”
Just as they turned to look at the gate in surprise.
Step, step, step—
Black Sword Corps members in black cloaks appeared atop the wall, lining up in a row.
The firmly closed gate and the Black Sword Corps members radiating a menacing aura looked like soldiers ready to face an enemy.
The people, who had been murmuring about the closed gate, fell silent under the overwhelming presence of the Black Sword Corps.
And then,
Thud—
A middle-aged man in a cloak with epaulets, unlike the other Black Sword Corps members, appeared.
A giant of 190 cm.
A face full of slashed scars and a spiky beard like a chestnut burr.
His left eye was completely crushed and, even though the wound had healed, he did not wear an eyepatch, fully displaying its gruesomeness.
Thud, thud—
With heavy steps, the man ascended the watchtower.
Bang—
His brown boots, exposed outside his cloak, stomped hard on the floor.
“Welcome, rookies.”
The scars on the middle-aged man’s face twitched as a sinister smile appeared.
He looked arrogantly at the cadets below the wall.
“The official name of this place is the Forest of Beginnings. But we call it this….”
His voice wasn’t very loud, but it was filled with mana, spreading evenly.
“A place to filter out the worms who dare to think they can become part of the Cradle.”
His sneer deepened.
He raised his arm towards the 50th cadets who were looking at him.
“There are five things you need to remember.”
The middle-aged man opened his fingers so that the back of his hand was visible to the cadets.
First, his thumb folded down.
“First, survive for a month. Only those who desperately survive will shed the ‘cadet’ label and become the 50th cadets.”
Next, his index finger folded down.
“Second, murder among cadets is prohibited, but anything else is permitted.”
Skipping the middle finger, his ring finger folded down.
“Third, the Dragon Plaque each of you possesses is your life. If your Dragon Plaque is damaged, you will be considered dead.”
Next, his pinky finger folded down.
“Fourth, there are no second chances. Worms filtered out here will never again set foot on the land of the Cradle.”
Finally, it was time to fold down the middle finger that was still standing.
But he didn’t fold his middle finger and smirked instead.
“The last, fifth option is for the idiots who want to give up. Ring that bell over there. Then you’ll be safely sent back home to your mom and dad. Hahaha.”
The middle-aged man laughed, flicking his middle finger at the cadets.
No one misunderstood that gesture as anything other than an insult aimed at those who would later ring the bell to give up.
Still smiling, the middle-aged man left them with one final statement.
“Remember, only those who survive until January 1st will be able to set foot on the true land of the Cradle!”
With a flutter of his cloak, he turned and disappeared.
At the same time, the Black Sword Corps stationed on the wall vanished as well.
Their departure was as abrupt as if to say no further explanation was needed.
It was indeed an unfriendly and perplexing situation.
“……”
A cold silence settled over the open space.
After a moment, the silence turned into confusion.
“…Huh? So this isn’t the Cradle?”
“Survive? What do you mean?!”
“Damn it! I came here to learn from the Cradle and elevate my family’s honor through fair competition! Not to participate in this ridiculous farce!”
Most of the cadets had considered the Cradle akin to an academy.
The world’s highest level of education and an environment befitting it.
And the fierce competition among fellow cadets.
That was the life at the Cradle most cadets had imagined.
But this situation was beyond belief.
As the gap between their dreams and reality widened, murmurs spread like wildfire among the cadets.
Meanwhile, amidst the swirling confusion, a pair of golden eyes shone brightly.
‘Oh? So that’s how it is?’
With a slight smile, Yuri quietly moved towards the edge of the clearing, taking advantage of the chaos.
Slipping out like a ghost, he entered the vast forest.
This happened just ten seconds after the Black Sword Corps had disappeared.
No one had moved before Yuri.
As time passed, some people’s expressions began to change.
They quickly replayed the scarred man’s words in their minds.
‘It’s clear this isn’t the Cradle.’
‘Surviving for a month… This is a test to screen this cohort.’
‘The test’s theme is… survival.’
‘But they haven’t provided any survival supplies. Which means…?’
Finally, some reached a similar conclusion.
‘There must be survival tools in the forest!’
Tools for food and making fire, among other essentials.
There wouldn’t be enough for all 503 cadets.
So, whoever moved first could secure the necessary survival tools.
‘If I’m lucky… I could monopolize the tools and gain an advantage!’
This was a prime opportunity to eliminate many competitors.
To do so, they needed to enter the forest as quickly as possible.
Several cadets, having made this judgment, quietly slipped away amidst the confusion.
Among them were the blue-haired girl, Gunther, and several others from prestigious families.
As more time passed, more people began to leave the clearing.
It was only natural that those who noticed the strangeness started to increase.
‘Huh?’
‘Doesn’t it seem like there are fewer people around?’
Some who hadn’t yet realized looked around in confusion.
Then, an inattentive idiot who lacked self-control made a mistake.
He blurted out his realization.
“Ah! The forest! The items needed for survival must be in the forest…!”
At least he wasn’t entirely foolish as he quickly covered his mouth.
He then glanced around, taking in his surroundings nervously.
But it was too late to keep a low profile.
Murmurs spread as others heard his outburst.
They, too, had realized.
This was an advantage for those who moved first.
They just hadn’t wanted to make a rash move by rushing out all at once.
But that restraint didn’t last long.
Swish—.
In a moment when everyone was hesitating, someone took a step back.
That was the signal.
Thud!
One person dashed forward.
“Ah!”
“Damn it!”
Startled by the sudden move, about ten others quickly followed, racing towards the forest.
This had an effect on everyone gathered in the clearing.
“Why are they suddenly running to the forest… Ah?! Could it be?!”
“Damn! So that’s what it was?!”
Some, finally understanding the situation by watching those running, sprinted towards the forest as well.
“What, what’s going on?!”
“What’s happening?”
“Why are they running?”
Others moved due to collective behavior, simply running because they saw others running.
Rumble—.
In an instant, the clearing that had been filled with people emptied.
The sudden mass movement caused a commotion in the forest, startling the birds into the sky.
Flap—.
Thus, 30 minutes after the black ship arrived at the Island of Beginnings, all 503 cadets had been driven into the Forest of Beginnings, nicknamed the “Bug Compost.”
* * *
The majority of the cadets were certain there were survival tools hidden in the forest and rushed in.
But Yuri, who had entered the forest before anyone else, had a different thought.
‘There will be… nothing prepared in this forest.’
Yuri’s eyes shone brightly with certainty.