Chapter 100. The Small Snowball (4)

At the time when the sun was high in the sky.

Thud, thud.

Yuri, who had just come out of the North Gate Clock Tower, looked up at the sky.

The bright sun was blinding.

Yuri, who shielded her eyes with her palm, smiled slightly.

"Really... what a beautiful day."

The world reflected in her eyes was incredibly beautiful.

What should she call this feeling?

After pondering for a while, Yuri found the words to express her current mood.

'Ah, this is it... the feeling of being reborn.'

There were no better words to describe her current state.

Yuri closed her eyes and spread her arms, embracing the sunlight.

'The me of yesterday and the me of today are qualitatively different!'

This wasn't just a thought in Yuri's mind.

She had truly changed qualitatively.

First, Yuri's mana core.

The mana core, which was only the size of an egg yesterday, had now grown to two or three times its size.

Yuri was amazed.

'Even though it's a potion distributed to squad leaders, the amount of mana isn't that much... but the purity is outstanding.'

The purity of the black pill she had taken this time was on a different level from the lower-grade pills she had taken before.

And although Yuri didn't know it, manufacturing a high-purity potion was dozens of times more difficult than making a potion with a large amount of mana.

The production cost was also significantly higher.

'Still, the Black Dragon Corps is the Black Dragon Corps. They distribute such things to squad leaders, which is why they are called the strongest.'

Yuri, who didn't know that the potion she had taken was grade 1, had misunderstood it this way.

And the second difference between yesterday's and today's Yuri.

It was her confidence.

Today, Yuri realized clearly.

'A man's confidence comes from a hefty bank balance.'

The points left after giving portions to Pobi and Arin.

The total was a staggering 32,734,000.

All of it was in Yuri's bank account.

In a safe place where she could retrieve it within 24 hours, just by showing her Black Dragon Token.

Thus, the current Yuri was extremely confident.

She hadn't realized it when she was living like a beggar, but with a full bank account, she naturally felt at ease.

'Good, so good!'

Swoosh!

Yuri took a long, refreshing breath of the fresh air.

Just as she was savoring the feeling of being reborn,

a voice came from right behind her.

"You definitely promised. To build a house for us. Don't forget it!"

"I'm hungry!"

Hearing the same voices she had heard hundreds of times, Yuri turned around quickly.

There stood Arin and Pobi, arms crossed.

Yuri waved her hand slightly, with a hint of irritation.

"Alright, alright! Don't you trust me?"

"How can I trust you?"

"I'm hungry?"

...Exactly!

Now that she had received all the points, why not just fly away?

But a bit of conscience suppressed that impulse.

And wasn't today a good day?

She should at least tolerate this much.

Yuri sighed lightly and said,

"Ha, meet me here on the 2nd of next month. I'll take care of it then."

"Here? The North Clock Tower?"

"Yeah."

"But why the 2nd? Can't you do it today?"

"Can a house be built so easily? I need to start looking into it from today. And I'll be busy with the monthly evaluation tomorrow and the day after."

"What about the 1st?"

"Absolutely not on the 1st."

"Why?"

"It's a very important day for me."

"An important day? Is it your birthday?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"The day I achieve my dream."

"......?"

Arin kept raising question marks above her head, but Yuri only smiled faintly and didn't give a precise answer.

Instead, she quickly waved and left.

"See you next time!"

Watching Yuri's back quickly disappear, Arin asked Pobi,

"Will she keep her promise?"

"......"

Pobi also couldn't easily answer that question.

* * *

Yuri ran quickly through the forest.

Soon, she arrived at the rift.

"Ha... home."

With that, Yuri's figure disappeared into the rift as if being sucked in.

* * *

Back in the rift after ten days.

Although it had only been ten days, with so much that had happened, it felt like almost a year.

Yuri, who had returned after a long time, didn't head straight to her residence.

Instead, she went to the communal training ground first.

Sure enough, there was Tereza, already in position.

Swish, swish.

The leather collection quest had just ended, so the wolf quest couldn't have been over for long.

Yet, Tereza was already practicing her spear thrusts.

Seeing this familiar scene, Yuri felt strangely at ease.

She raised her hand and greeted her warmly.

"Tereza-senpai, long time no see!"

Swish, swish.

Tereza's spear thrusts didn't stop even after Yuri's greeting.

At first, Yuri thought Tereza might just be too focused on her training to hear her.

But seeing Tereza's slightly puffed cheeks, she decided to try a different approach.

"Are you mad?"

Swish!

Startle!

"Surely you're not mad because I took two pieces of leather, right?"

During this quest, Yuri had met Tereza three times.

The first time, she had given Tereza the information and sent her off, but the next time they met, she had taken the leather without any leniency, as she had promised herself.

No matter the neighborly feelings.

There were none of those.

Well, Tereza might not be mad, but she couldn't help feeling frustrated.

Yuri knew this well but found it amusing to keep teasing Tereza, who kept flinching.

"Eh, surely not, right? Just because it's a quest?"

Startle!

"Especially since it was in an official capacity, and I took your skills, you're not mad, right?"

Startle!

Tereza, who had been flinching at Yuri's provocations, turned around irritably.

Whoosh.

The sharp tip of Tereza's spear was suddenly in front of Yuri's nose.

Beyond it, Tereza's face, which looked genuinely frustrated, was visible.

She glared at Yuri and said,

"...Let's spar."

"Now? Right away?"

"Yeah. But increase the number of rounds to 200. Is that possible?"

By specifically setting the number of rounds to 200, Tereza was aligning the sparring conditions with those of the wolf quest.

What could that mean?

Yuri grinned.

"Oh ho? Are you seeking revenge?"

"......"

Tereza didn't answer, but it was clearly a yes.

Yuri nodded slightly with a smile.

"Alright, let's do it."

He was itching for a fight anyway.

A sparring match? Just what he wanted!

And from now on, Yuri had no intention of going easy on Tereza.

He had confirmed that the fake flexibility framework was somewhat complete due to the intense battle with the tiger.

This meant there was no longer a need to drag out the sparring to receive Tereza's flexibility.

Yuri made a decision.

'Today, I will show you the newly reborn Yuri Holland!'

Thus, their sparring began.

Clang.

Before even 50 rounds had passed, Tereza's spear was deflected.

Yuri's sword, which had found a clear opening, was now pointed at Tereza's neck.

"End."

"......?!"

Tereza's pupils dilated in shock at the sparring that had ended in just 50 rounds.

Seeing her disbelieving eyes, Yuri said with a generous tone,

"There are still quite a few rounds left to 200. How about we continue?"

There was no reason to refuse.

Tereza gritted her teeth and nodded.

Thus, the sparring started again, but the result didn't change.

Clang!

Again, after about 50 rounds, Tereza was defeated.

Clang.

The next time, thanks to her use of flexibility and other techniques, she managed to last 100 rounds, but in the end, Yuri still won.

Thud.

Seeing Yuri's sword pointed at her neck again, Tereza asked in a deflated voice,

"Have you... been hiding your skills all this time? Were you going easy on me?"

Honestly, that was the case.

But seeing Tereza, who looked like her soul had been sucked out, Yuri didn't think it was a good idea to be honest.

Yuri had enough sense to realize this.

So he shook his head.

"No, I made some progress in the Animal Forest. I also ate something good."

This wasn't a lie either.

The ten days in the Animal Forest.

Due to this, his proficiency in handling the three techniques had improved, and his ability to read the flow of battle had advanced even further due to the life-or-death battle with the tiger.

Plus, the potion he had taken this time.

It had been a time of great gain, and he had grown as much as he had gained.

But Tereza, who didn't know these details, couldn't shake off the shock for a while.

Who wouldn't be shocked?

Someone who was evenly matched with her just ten days ago had suddenly surpassed her.

After standing there in a daze for a while, Tereza let out a long breath.

"Phew......"

Only then did her eyes, which had been overwhelmed by shock, return to normal.

No, they looked even clearer than before.

It was clear that she had overcome her inner conflict.

Yuri was impressed.

'Amazing mental recovery.'

While others might carry the mental shock for quite a while, she had overcome it quickly.

Not only that, she was using it as fuel to ignite her enthusiasm.

As if this was something completely natural for her.

Tereza's eyes, which had become even more resolute after overcoming adversity, looked at Yuri.

She said with a passionate gaze,

"Give me a discount on the sparring fee."

"...Suddenly?"

Yuri, who had been impressed by Tereza's mental strength, was momentarily deflated.

Regardless, Tereza launched into a passionate speech.

"This is too unreasonable. Although I was the one who requested the sparring, you're the one who benefits more from it, right? Since I have no intention of giving up on sparring, just give me a discount on the fee."

...Hadn't her eloquence improved while overcoming adversity?

Why is she suddenly so articulate?

'Hmm......'

After a moment's thought, Yuri nodded readily at Tereza's negotiation.

"Alright, I'll give you a discount."

"...Really? Why?"

"...After all the passionate persuasion you just gave, why are you asking why I'm giving you a discount?"

"I thought I'd have to persuade you at least five more times. I didn't expect it to work on the first try. Why...?"

Seeing Tereza's puzzled eyes, Yuri chuckled.

"Hehehe. Why?"

"......?"

"Because I'm reborn."

A few thousand points?

That's nothing to cut.

I'm a man with tens of millions of points in my account!

"Hehehehehe."

Tereza looked at Yuri, who smiled kindly and laughed strangely, with a strange expression.

Just as the sparring was about to end, Yuri said, as if realizing something.

"Ah, by the way, one of my guests will visit your residence soon."

"One of your guests? Why are they coming to my place?"

"It's a guest you'll be happy to see. So when they come, treat them well."

"...Who is it?"

"You'll know when you see them. Ah, you'll think, 'I should treat this person well.'"

"......?"

Seeing Tereza's puzzled expression, Yuri smiled cruelly.

And that night.

[Screech!]

A terrifying scream came from the direction of Tereza's residence.