I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 38 Surviving the Harsh Winter (4)

Yuri’s expression grew serious as he heard footsteps coming from the corridor.

‘It was only after the footsteps got closer that I noticed them.’

For the past ten days, Yuri had not just been focused on gathering food.

Equally important to him as collecting food was setting up traps around his hideout.

These traps were installed in such a way that they weren’t easily visible from the outside, but would be triggered as soon as anyone stepped into the cave.

Although they weren’t powerful enough to seriously harm someone trained in the Magic Body Technique, they were definitely annoying enough to serve their purpose.

Moreover, these traps acted as an alert system to notify Yuri of any intruders.

However, despite an intruder appearing, there was no sign that any of the traps had been triggered.

This could mean one of two things.

First, the intruder might have noticed all the traps and avoided them.

‘Or, the intruder is strong enough to ignore the traps I set up.’

Judging by the intense aura gradually approaching, it seemed more likely to be the latter.

‘This is one seriously strong guy. Was there someone with this level of skill among the cadets?’

The approaching intruder did not seem to be hiding his presence, as his aura was clearly evident.

Faced with such an overwhelming presence, Yuri was convinced.

This intruder was someone he couldn’t handle.

This was someone who far surpassed his own abilities.

‘What should I do? Should I find out who it is, or just run away?’

One of the most important elements of Yuri’s hideout was the escape route.

If he ran to the emergency exit he had prepared, he could escape.

However, he also wanted to know the identity of this powerful cadet.

There would be no information more valuable in the future than the existence of a strong enemy he couldn’t deal with.

‘The intruder doesn’t have any killing intent. In that case…….’

After a moment of contemplation, Yuri made a quick decision.

His actions were even faster.

Yuri grabbed a couple of burning logs from the campfire and threw them toward the cave corridor.

At the same time, he extinguished the rest of the campfire and quickly moved to hide in one corner of the cave, holding his breath.

The entire process took barely five seconds.

Hidden in the darkness, Yuri watched the entrance with sharp eyes.

Yuri, not letting down his guard, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Thud-.

As the black boots stepped into the dim light of the logs, the intruder finally revealed himself.

Yuri’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the sight.

‘Why is he here?’

The intruder was none other than the one-eyed commander of the Black Sword Corps.

Yuri observed him with calm eyes.

At the same time, he shifted his weight backward, ready to flee if the one-eyed man made any move.

The one-eyed man turned his head.

His gaze swept across the cave, and then halted at one spot.

Yuri’s face stiffened as he realized where the man’s eyes had stopped.

‘He’s looking at me!’

The one-eyed man had pinpointed his location through the darkness.

Yuri was about to run out immediately.

At that moment.

“Stop, Yuri Holland.”

A voice stopped Yuri in his tracks.

Simultaneously, the heavy aura emanating from the entrance vanished as if it had never been there, as if to emphasize that he had no intention of harming him.

However, Yuri did not lower his guard.

Seeing this, the one-eyed man smirked.

“Take this.”

He said as he took something from his waist and tossed it to Yuri.

Yuri caught it swiftly.

Clang-.

It was a small cloth pouch containing something.

‘What is this?’

Yuri looked at the one-eyed man with a questioning gaze.

In response to Yuri’s look of confusion, the one-eyed man stepped forward.

Thud-.

Without saying a word, the one-eyed man turned his back and retraced his steps.

Watching him in a daze, Yuri muttered in disbelief.

“…What kind of person is he?”

—

The fragments of traps scattered here and there rolled under the feet of the retreating one-eyed man.

He glanced at the traps strewn across the corridor.

‘He managed to set up quite a lot in just a few days.’

Although the traps weren’t deadly, their interconnected design to anticipate the intruder’s next moves was quite impressive.

Even the real cadets of the Dragon’s Cradle would find them formidable enough.

The one-eyed man thought of the person who had set these traps.

‘Yuri Holland…’

Today, the one-eyed man had entered the Forest of Beginnings to deliver something to a cadet.

Normally, he wouldn’t have involved himself in such trivial matters.

As the overall person in charge, it was inefficient for him to move for such a minor task.

However, he acted personally this time because of the cadet named Yuri Holland.

The Tenth Black Dragon Plaque Holder.

And…

‘Johan Redner’s disciple.’

Curious about the existence of such a cadet with a dazzling resume, the vice-commander of the Black Sword Corps moved personally.

And after seeing Yuri Holland himself, the one-eyed man made a simple evaluation.

“He’s an interesting fellow.”

A perfectly concealed hideout.

Survival skills to endure the harsh winter.

The level of traps set to deter intruders.

Just from these three aspects alone, it was clear he was of a different caliber than the countless others wandering the forest.

But what the man valued more than these was Yuri’s judgment displayed a moment ago.

The quick thinking to extinguish the campfire and throw burning logs into the corridor to gather information about the intruder.

At the same time, he had meticulously hidden in the darkness to distance himself from the enemy.

Furthermore…

‘The place he was backing against was undoubtedly an emergency exit. If I had shown any sign of attacking, he would have fled immediately.’

Yuri Holland had recognized that the intruder’s strength was beyond what he could handle.

‘So, his plan was to identify the opponent to some extent and then escape.’

The decisive judgment to abandon the hard-earned survival supplies and hideout to flee.

Even though he had been forewarned of the intruder’s presence through the aura, the process of preparation against the intruder flowed seamlessly and all within a matter of seconds.

Only with exceptionally quick judgment could he have moved so swiftly.

‘At least he’s not just riding on Johan Redner’s reputation.’

This point pleased the one-eyed man.

And one more thing.

What pleased him even more was that the fellow seemed to have a lot of ambition.

Recalling Yuri Holland’s hideout, overflowing with an excessive amount of supplies, the one-eyed man wore a sly smile.

“In the Cradle, desire is as important as talent.”

—

Only after the intruder’s presence completely vanished did Yuri let down his guard.

He stared blankly at the pouch in his hand.

A sudden gift from a member of the Black Sword Corps.

Swoosh-.

He untied the string closing the cloth pouch, revealing its contents.

‘This is…?’

Clang-.

He had a rough idea of what it was from the moment he received the pouch.

He could tell the item inside was made of metal.

And upon seeing it with his own eyes, he confirmed that it was a small silver coin.

“A silver coin?”

The common currencies on the continent were gold coins called “Gold” and silver coins known as “Silver.”

But this silver coin wasn’t the standard currency used across the continent.

Yuri picked one of the clanging silver coins and examined it.

It was roughly 5cm in diameter, circular, with a 1cm square hole in the center.

‘A silver coin with a hole in it…’

That wasn’t its only unique feature.

Yuri flipped the coin back and forth.

“Hmm…”

On one side was an image of two crossed swords, and on the other side, the number 10,000 was intricately engraved.

This type of silver coin was not used anywhere on the continent.

There were a total of ten such coins.

‘It doesn’t seem like something meaningless.’

The level of craftsmanship was quite high to consider it insignificant.

Moreover, the fact that it was deliberately brought to him must mean it had a specific use.

‘What does this mean?’

There was too little information.

A gift given without any explanation.

Perhaps the very first step was to figure out its purpose.

Ting-.

Yuri flicked the silver coin with his thumb.

The coin spun in the air before falling back into his hand.

As he repeated the action, flicking the coin and catching it again, Yuri pondered.

‘Did I receive this alone?’

The answer to that question was probably ‘no.’

‘He called my name directly. That means he knew this was my hideout.’

In other words, the Black Sword Corps had been monitoring the movements of the cadets.

They wouldn’t have done so without a purpose.

‘They might be tracking the movements of key individuals… or perhaps all the cadets. If others have received the same item as I did…’

Then why did they give this item?

What were they supposed to do with it?

Ting-.

Catching the coin once more, Yuri’s lips curled into a slight smile.

He brought the coin to his nose.

Sniff, sniff-.

‘I smell it. I smell something.’

Yuri’s nostrils flared as he grinned broadly.

Of course, the only real scent he detected was the strong metallic smell.

But his instinctive sense smelled something else.

‘It’s certain. This is… the smell of money!’

Yuri’s keen intuition was telling him.

This unique silver coin.

It was something that could be used as ‘money’ within the Forest of Beginnings or the Dragon’s Cradle.

‘An item that becomes money… and it was distributed to multiple cadets simultaneously?’

Sparks flew in Yuri’s mind.

At the same time, he felt a sense of clarity, as if the frustrating fog of the past few days had lifted.

He finally understood.

The source of the discomfort that had been bothering him.

What he had been missing all this time.

Moreover, Yuri understood why the Black Sword Corps distributed these items.

‘Competition… it was competition!’

The survival test began the moment they entered the Forest of Beginnings.

The method itself wasn’t problematic.

But he should have delved deeper into the fact that the Cradle was the one conducting the test.

The Dragon’s Cradle was a place of relentless competition and growth.

And yet, the element of competition was missing from the survival test given by such a place.

Sure, securing resources necessary for survival could be seen as competition.

But would the Cradle really consider that level of effort as ‘competition’?

Then today, the Black Sword Corps distributed ‘something that becomes money.’

‘This item could actually be used as currency or might play a role in influencing the score of the survival test.’

This small piece of metal was likely the element meant to fill the void of ‘competition’ that had been missing from the test.

“This should be called competition, or perhaps plundering.”

The one-eyed man had said.

Anything was allowed among the cadets except for murder.

That was probably a condition set with this moment in mind.

‘Sharp-witted ones will probably start moving immediately! To rob the others!’

In such competition, he couldn’t afford to fall behind.

Yuri sprang to his feet.

But just as he was about to rush out,

“Wait… hold on?”

Yuri stopped abruptly, his mind whirling with complex thoughts.

He looked as if something was bothering him.

‘Is this right?’

Yuri crossed his arms and spun in place.

“Hmm…”

With his eyes closed, he stroked his chin.

“Hmmm…”

After a while, lost in deep thought, his eyes suddenly opened wide.

“Ah!”

Yuri exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly even in the dark.

“That’s it!”

He clapped his right fist into his left palm and broke into a wide smile.