I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 5. Molting (5)

Yuri accepted Johan’s sword as if he had taken it and walked towards the square.

Amidst the sudden turn of events, doubts erupted here and there.

“What the hell is going on? What’s this deal about?”

“So, is Yuri taking the test or not?”

Questions about Johan and Yuri’s relationship and whether Yuri had the qualifications to take the Cradle’s test swirled amidst the confused murmurs.

However, no one was more perplexed than the Irons family, who had prepared this stage.

“…Who is that boy?”

When Ashiraf, whose face had stiffened, asked, the vassals were busy looking at each other.

Although they were in a remote territory, Irons had rapidly expanded their power, so the number of territorial residents alone approached 20,000.

No matter how much the vassals managed the administration, they couldn’t know every single resident.

As they exchanged wary glances, the oldest-looking vassal stepped forward.

“He seems to be one of the accepted refugees. I’ll find out and report back before the day is over.”

“Do so.”

Ashiraf nodded, but his hardened face did not relax.

And for a good reason; today was a deliberately prepared stage.

Yet the attention that should have been focused on Gunther was flowing elsewhere because of Johan.

Look even now.

“Wasn’t the Master here to see our young lord?”

“Right? Is he here to see that boy instead of our young lord?”

People were already gossiping about how Johan had chosen a commoner boy over Gunther.

“Hmph…”

Ashiraf let out a low groan, reflecting his discomfort.

His gaze fell on Johan.

‘Johan Redner.’

Why was he showing interest in such a common boy instead of his own son?

‘What exactly did you see in that child?’

Unable to shake off the rising questions, Ashiraf’s gaze lingered on Johan.

Meanwhile, Gunther, standing beside his father, was lost in his own thoughts.

‘Who is he?’

A boy who looked about the same age as him.

No, he looked even younger because of his small stature.

Gunther, who was observing Yuri with curious eyes, showed a hint of disappointment on his face.

‘He doesn’t have a trained body.’

Even through his shabby clothes, there were no signs of physical training.

At best, he might have a more balanced body compared to his peers.

Yet the Master had used the Dragon Plaque, which could only be used once in a lifetime, for this boy.

It was an incomprehensible choice.

And the Black Sword Corps shared the same doubts.

“Hm…”

The captain of the Black Sword Eight looked at Yuri, who was stretching in the center of the square.

‘I can’t understand. The Master used the Dragon Plaque for a boy like that?’

One of the few strong people recognized by his master.

He had high expectations for someone chosen by such a person.

‘Why him?’

But the boy recommended by Johan fell far short of the captain’s expectations.

Physical development.

Gait.

Breathing.

None of these showed any signs of training or discipline.

Moreover.

‘I can’t sense any trace of mana at all.’

With his level of skill, he could detect the residual mana of an 8th or 9th level expert unless they deliberately hid it.

‘There’s no way that boy is that skilled.’

This meant the boy hadn’t accumulated any mana, the foundation of Magic Body Technique.

This was a very serious problem.

In the past 50 years, none of the thousands who had passed the Cradle’s qualification test had failed to learn Magic Body Technique.

‘The Master wouldn’t be unaware of this.’

Despite this, he used the Dragon Plaque, indicating Johan had seen something he hadn’t.

‘We’ll find out soon enough.’

The captain nodded his head.

“Begin.”

At the captain’s command, the member who had faced Gunther stepped forward and shouted.

“The one taking the test, step forward.”

A blunt voice responded.

“I’m already here.”

“…State your name.”

“Yuri Holland.”

The Black Sword Corps member’s eyebrows twitched slightly at Yuri’s lack of tension.

But soon, the Black Sword Corps member regained his composure and announced in a loud voice.

“By the law set by the great owner of the sword, in the presence of the Black Sword Eight, the Cradle’s qualification test will now begin! The test will end with the exchange of blows. Enter whenever you are ready.”

The method was no different from Gunther’s test, and the Black Sword Corps member drew his sword and waited.

He stood leisurely, as if to say, “Come at me whenever.”

Watching him, Yuri drew Johan’s sword.

Shhhk-.

The blade, shimmering with silver and black waves, emerged from the scabbard.

Johan’s sword, like the Black Sword Corps member’s, was a narrow blade.

The only difference was that the tip of Johan’s straight blade was slightly curved.

It was a style of sword said to have been spread by the ancient eastern descendants who settled in the central continent.

At a glance, Johan’s sword was definitely a fine weapon.

Yuri’s impression of holding such a weapon was simple.

“It’s heavy.”

The weight of the sword, as well as the weight on his mind, was heavy.

The weight Yuri felt was fear.

‘How long has it been since I aimed a blade at a person…?’

Since he realized his curse, Yuri had not held a sword.

He feared that holding a sharp blade might summon the monster again.

That he might be consumed by the curse.

To live a little longer, he naturally distanced himself from the sword.

For seven long years.

Holding a sword again brought back memories of the day he first summoned the monster.

The feel of the kitchen knife in his hand.

[Aaaaaaah!]

The screams ringing in his ears.

[Splash-]

The red liquid that stained his retinas.

Although Yuri’s pupils wavered for a moment at the vivid memory, he quickly regained his composure.

He tightened his grip on the sword and spoke to the Black Sword Corps member.

“A warning.”

“…?”

“I can’t control my strength. Survive as best as you can.”

The Black Sword Corps member’s eyebrows furrowed deeply at Yuri’s playful warning.

Annoyance filled his eyes.

Seeing the Black Sword Corps member’s attitude, Yuri let out a small sigh.

‘I warned you. If someone dies, it’s not my fault.’

Rationalizing to himself, Yuri threw away the scabbard and held the sword with both hands.

The sword’s tip wobbled significantly.

He seemed unable to bear even the weight of the sword.

People murmured at the sight.

“Tsk, he can’t even hold the sword properly?”

“How can he pass the Cradle’s test like that?”

Ignoring the murmurs, Yuri took a deep breath.

Hooo- Hooo-.

With each repeated breath, Yuri’s mind focused on the sword, and the surrounding noise faded away.

He felt as if only he and the sword existed in the world.

At the same time, his senses expanded rapidly.

Everything around him seemed to be projected directly into his brain.

The gazes behind him.

The fingers pointing at him.

He could perceive every detail within a few meters radius, and time seemed to slow down.

‘This is not enough.’

Normally, he would have stopped here.

Until now, this level of focus was enough to overcome many obstacles.

But now, his opponent was a member of the famed Black Sword Corps.

Just dipping his toes in wouldn’t be enough.

He needed to dive in completely.

‘Let’s go!’

With his resolve firmed, Yuri sharpened his mental focus.

At the same time, Yuri felt as if his mind was being sucked into the sword.

‘Ugh!’

It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in seven years.

Soon, a buoyant feeling, as if his body were submerged in water and floating, gave him goosebumps.

‘This is terrible, really!’

It felt like drifting in an endless, vast ocean with nothing but his bare body.

To avoid experiencing this horrible sensation again, Yuri had avoided holding a sword.

He feared that he might drift endlessly until he lost his sense of self.

‘Get a grip!’

Yuri steadied his mind.

This was just the beginning.

‘It’s coming!’

And as if that were a signal…

-Grrrr….

From one corner of Yuri’s consciousness, a beast’s growl was heard.

‘It’s coming…!’

-Grrrr!

With another beastly growl, a black shadow in the vast, boundless sea of unconsciousness began approaching Yuri.

Like a giant whale emerging from below the surface.

Whoosh!

The black shape, which had rapidly grown in size, engulfed Yuri, who was drifting in the vast sea.

And at this point, changes began to occur in the real world.

“What’s that? Doesn’t it look darker?”

“Yeah, is it about to rain or something?”

Compared to just a moment ago, the surroundings were noticeably darker.

That was the beginning.

Srrrrk-.

A shadow rippled at Yuri’s feet.

Initially, it was a slight change, but then the shadow began climbing up Yuri’s body, causing everything to change drastically.

“What?!”

“Th-that?!”

The shadow, which had climbed up Yuri’s body, shot up vertically and swelled in size.

0.01 seconds.

In the blink of an eye, the black aura had expanded to the size of a house, making it seem as if it had appeared out of nowhere to the ordinary observer.

And then.

Grind-.

Two holes appeared in the black shadow.

The two holes, which looked like eyes, scanned the surroundings and curved into crescent shapes.

Creak-.

A massive hole, presumably a mouth, appeared and stretched wide to the sides.

Cackle-.

It was a wicked smile that could be felt even without sound.

“Th-that!”

“Gasp?!”

People were horrified by its ghostly, demonic appearance.

“What is that?! A ghost?!”

“A monster!”

“A demon, a demon has appeared!”

Cries of astonishment erupted from all around.

Terrified, people backed away.

But no one was more shocked than those who realized what the black figure created by Yuri actually was.

‘That, that is?!’

‘Unbelievable!’

The captain of the Black Sword Eight and Ashiraf Irons.

As seasoned warriors, who had each reached the 7th level, they immediately recognized the form above Yuri’s head.

‘A demon? It’s not just a demon!’

The black figure floating above Yuri’s head was not something to be described with such a lowly word.

For those who walked the path of nothingness, it was a dream, an aspiration.

The captain of the Black Sword Eight and Ashiraf both simultaneously let out cries akin to screams.

“A manifestation?!”

“A manifestation?!”

Manifestation.

Also known as “Transcendent Form,” “Idea,” “Image Realization,” or “Avatar,” among other names.

Moreover, just as there were various names for it, there were also various forms it could take.

For some, it took the form of a single sword.

For others, it appeared as a giant beast.

And for some, it manifested as a beautiful flower.

A manifestation had no fixed form, and little was known about it.

Nevertheless, the reason Ashiraf and the captain of the Black Sword Eight were so shocked upon recognizing the manifestation was due to one reason.

The common belief about manifestations.

It was the dividing line between a 9th-level expert and a Master.

In fact, only those who could materialize a manifestation were known as Masters.

‘Unbelievable!’

‘This is impossible, how could…!’

Even geniuses who trained their entire lives often couldn’t surpass the manifestation stage and died as 9th-level experts.

Yet here was a common boy, who hadn’t even accumulated mana, wielding a manifestation, which was supposed to be the sole domain of Masters?

It was an unimaginable, impossible event.

But denying it was difficult, as what was before their eyes was undoubtedly a manifestation.

An unmistakable proof.

They were bewildered by the gap between their common knowledge and the reality unfolding before them.

And then they realized.

Why they had failed to recognize the boy’s uniqueness.

And why Johan had used a precious Dragon Plaque to allow this boy to take the Cradle’s test.

‘He recognized it!’

Johan, who had also ascended to the rank of Master.

As someone who had reached the level of manifestation, he had recognized it.

He had recognized what was within the boy named Yuri Holland.

Meanwhile, Johan, watching Yuri’s manifestation, had a twisted smile on his lips.

“Kuhuhuhu, hahahaha!”

Excitement, joy, satisfaction, delight, ecstasy, euphoria.

Amidst the storm of surging emotions was a streak of madness.

“Finally…”

There are extremely rare cases where individuals are born with talent beyond common sense.

A talent so extreme that even if ordinary beings were to be reborn dozens or hundreds of times, they couldn’t possess it—a talent that defies logic.

Mutants who are born with a level of talent that others couldn’t achieve through a lifetime of effort.

The prime example was Luke Ryder, the Sword Master, ruler of the world.

A natural talent that would never appear again in the human world.

The entire world was convinced.

No one with a talent like the Sword Master would ever be born again.

It was impossible.

But there was one.

In a remote corner of the distant continent, a monster with talent equal to the Sword Master’s.

“A monstrous brat…”

Johan’s eyes gleamed, his mouth stretched wide into a ferocious smile.

“Has shed his human skin!”

With Johan’s muttering as the signal.

Cacklekackle-.

The black monster created by Yuri lunged at the Black Sword Corps member.