I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 241: Inscription (1)

The story of the fall of the Demon King and the tale of bloody revenge spread swiftly among the 51st cohort.

It hadn’t been long since they were released, so everyone, exhausted, had sprawled out near the training center.

The interesting part was that all members of the 51st cohort were quite enthusiastic about this revenge.

“If there’s even a chance, I’ll cooperate as much as I can!”

“Honestly, I don’t need anything else; I just want to hit him… just once!”

Their anger towards Yuri was so intense that, after hearing just a brief explanation, they all nodded fervently, expressing their desire to participate in the revenge.

The initial planners of this revenge were surprised by the level of enthusiasm.

The plan progressed smoothly, and finally…

The day of action approached.

* * *

The last day of the leather collection quest.

There were about two hours left until sunset.

Swoosh—.

Dark shadows started appearing one by one at the outskirts of the Forest of Animals.

Boys and girls, each with disheveled faces and hollow eyes.

But their eyes shone brightly—they were none other than the 51st cohort.

“Is everyone here?”

“Then let’s head to the rendezvous point.”

Ten or so people with cautious expressions confirmed their numbers and began to move.

Their appearances were disheveled, as if they had rolled through hell once again today.

The exhaustion was apparent throughout their bodies.

Still, the 51st cohort was content with their current state.

‘It’s fortunate that we’ve at least somewhat adjusted to the training.’

If not, they would’ve been collapsed near the training center, unconscious.

Rustle—.

They swiftly passed through the Rabbit Zone.

The rabbit cadets who were leisurely strolling through the forest flinched at the rare sight of the 51st cohort.

Then, recalling their forgotten duties, they began to flee from the 51st cohort.

But the 51st cohort paid no attention to the rabbits.

They were solely focused on rushing towards their destination.

How far did they run?

Passing through the Rabbit Zone, then the Deer Zone, they finally stopped right before entering the Wolf Zone.

Waiting at the location where they arrived were others who had come earlier.

“You’ve arrived.”

“We tried to hurry, but were we late?”

“No, there’s still time. Rest over there for now.”

The newly joined group exchanged brief greetings with those already in place and then found a spot to rest.

After that, groups of ten continued to gather one after another.

About ten minutes passed.

Finally, the entire 51st cohort gathered in one place.

Since the beginning of the Forest of Animals quest, it was certainly the first time that the entire cohort had assembled in one location.

“Looks like everyone’s here.”

“Let’s start.”

As 81 members formed a wide circle in the clearing, a boy stepped into the center.

It was the boy who first mentioned the bloody revenge.

He looked around at his peers and spoke.

“Hello, I’m Coban Mitchell.”

After briefly introducing himself, he became serious.

“Thank you all for agreeing with my idea and being so proactive. We don’t have much time, so I’ll go straight to the detailed plan.”

Coban pointed his finger toward the center of the forest.

“According to the information I’ve gathered, that demon bastard… I mean, the tiger is right in the center of this forest. That’s the Tiger Zone. Also, during the day, the tiger can’t leave that zone.”

The plan he devised was simpler than expected.

After resting and recovering somewhat during the day, before nightfall—

Before the tiger could roam outside its zone, the entire 51st cohort would launch an attack.

Coban’s voice, explaining his plan, spread quietly through the clearing.

“To get to the Tiger Zone, which is the center of the forest, we have to pass through the Wolf and Bear Zones. The problem is that, unlike the rabbits and deer, the wolves and bears attack first. Some of you may have encountered wolves here. They’re certified as first-rank combatants, so they aren’t much of a threat to us now… but the bears are a bit dangerous.”

“How dangerous?”

To someone’s question, Coban calmly replied.

“I heard that the bears are played by regular Black Sword Corps members. So, think of them as certified third-rank combatants.”

“Hm…”

The mention that the bears were regular Black Sword Corps members and certified third-rank combatants darkened the expressions of the 51st cohort.

Noticing this, Coban brightened his voice to lift the gloomy mood.

“There’s no need to worry so much! Even though they’re Black Sword Corps, we’re over 80 people. There’s no way the Black Sword Corps members will all be gathered in one spot in that vast zone, right?”

“But what if they are gathered?”

“Still, there’s nothing to worry about. I heard that the Black Sword Corps members playing the bear role also have an attack limit.”

“An attack limit? If the tiger has ten attacks, what about the bear?”

“I heard it’s fifty.”

“Fifty? Just fifty?”

“Yeah, so as long as we don’t face more than six at a time, we can definitely break through the Bear Zone.”

Coban’s confident voice lifted the spirits of the other members of the 51st cohort.

His explanation was convincing.

It was then—

“But you know…”

A small yet clear voice.

As everyone in the clearing turned their heads, they saw a girl with lemon-colored hair.

Seeing the gazes focused on her, Lisa smiled shyly, causing a few boys to stare blankly as if spellbound.

Lisa tilted her head and asked.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“What’s strange?”

“The fact that the bear role is played by regular Black Sword Corps members, but there’s only one tiger in this entire Forest of Animals quest, and that tiger is just a single cohort member.”

Many of the 51st cohort nodded in agreement with Lisa’s question.

It was, after all, the most fundamental question.

“That’s true… The tiger is worth five million points. How can a mere senior cohort member, not even a Black Sword Corps member, be playing that role…?”

“Is it possible that the senior is actually much stronger than the Black Sword Corps?”

Someone jokingly suggested a truth, but Coban shook his head without hesitation.

“That’s impossible.”

Lisa tilted her head at his certainty.

“How can you be so sure?”

Coban smiled faintly at her question.

“Most of those who complete the Cradle and enter society end up as certified third-rank, or fourth-rank at best.”

“And?”

“If someone is stronger than a regular Black Sword Corps member, they’d be at least a certified fourth or fifth-rank, right? At that level, they’d be the head of some mid-sized family. Considering that senior’s age, does that sound like a feasible rank? No matter how talented they are, it’s just not possible. And also…”

After a brief pause, Coban shifted his gaze to Mucci.

“Mucci said he knew that senior from outside and mentioned that the senior had only been practicing magic body techniques for about two years.”

The crowd stirred at this statement.

“What?”

“Two years?!”

“No way! He seemed so strong, but he’s only been learning magic body techniques for two years?!”

Everyone turned their astonished gazes toward Mucci.

Lisa’s gaze was among them.

With all eyes on him as if asking if this was true, Mucci scratched the back of his head and nodded.

“Well… I’m not entirely sure, but as far as I know, it hasn’t been two years yet. When I first met Yuri senior, we sparred. He probably started learning magic body techniques seriously after that sparring session.”

After hearing Mucci’s story, Lisa asked a question.

“Who won the spar?”

“Well… I won easily in the first round, but… I lost the next and the following rounds.”

“Really? Then, when you last saw Yuri senior outside, how strong was he? Compared to you now.”

“He was probably weaker than I am now.”

“And now? How strong do you think Yuri senior is now?”

Lisa, who seemed endlessly curious, continued her questioning.

Mucci, not showing any displeasure, continued to answer but hesitated at her last question.

After contemplating Yuri’s current abilities for a while, he lightly shook his head.

“…I don’t know.”

During the Hundred Steps Ceremony, Yuri had stood confidently at the ninth step where Mucci had fainted.

He didn’t know how many more steps Yuri had taken since then.

Therefore, Mucci could only give a vague answer.

However, there was one thing he could assert.

“But Yuri senior is strong. Very strong.”

Hearing Mucci’s confident answer, a look of admiration crossed Lisa’s eyes.

At that moment, Coban suddenly interjected into Mucci and Lisa’s conversation.

“Sure, he’s strong. That’s probably why the Cradle assigned him the tiger role, and that senior is definitely among those considered a genius.”

Coban furrowed his brows slightly.

He had gone to great lengths to boost his peers’ morale, but Mucci and Lisa’s unnecessary comments were undermining it.

However, he soon erased that expression and shouted briefly and emphatically.

“Even so!”

Coban’s firm voice captured the crowd’s attention.

He spoke while gazing around with calm eyes.

“Even if that senior is slightly stronger than a regular Black Sword Corps member, that’s likely the only reason he’s playing the tiger role.”

Coban shrugged.

“To be honest, I find it hard to believe. Reaching certified third-rank in just two years of practicing magic body techniques? Even for a genius, that’s far-fetched.”

Others nodded, agreeing with Coban

’s words, which were tinged with a slight chuckle.

The Cradle was known to gather well-renowned prodigies.

These talented individuals had trained in magic body techniques for more than a decade, reaching their current state.

Those with similar talents who had endured fierce competition in the Cradle typically graduated as certified third or fourth-rank combatants.

But someone who had never been heard of outside was supposed to be a certified third-rank after just two years in the Cradle?

It was an unbelievable notion by their conventional standards.

As the mood in the group flowed in agreement with his story, Coban wore a subtle smile.

“So, don’t worry too much. Besides, the tiger has even stricter limitations than the bear, so if we work together, we can definitely get our revenge!”

Coban’s powerful voice dispelled most of the doubts held by the 51st cohort.

Only a few remained wary.

Mucci looked uncertain.

And Lisa…

“Hehe.”

For some reason, she smiled gleefully.

Meanwhile, as Coban raised his clenched fist toward the sky and led the chant—

“Comrades are!”

The 51st cohort echoed back.

“One!”

“Defeat!”

“Yuri Holland!”

“Bloody!”

“Revenge!”

Fueled by camaraderie and loud cries, the 51st cohort forgot the fatigue in their bodies.

“Let’s go!”

Coban led the charge into the Wolf Zone.

Eighty of his comrades followed him, advancing toward the forest’s center.

Shortly after that—

“Huh?!”

“Look at that!”

Two wolves, seeing the united charge of the 51st cohort, were startled and fled.

Seeing the wolves run away, the 51st cohort felt even more encouraged.

“Don’t stop! We need to get there before sunset!”

“Run!”

They ignored the fleeing wolves and continued to dash forward.

As the 51st cohort charged forward—

The faint dust swirled in the forest.

From behind one of the trees, the wolves who had fled peered out cautiously.

“…Are they gone?”

“Seems like it.”

The two wolves were none other than Nellie and Pana.

They listened intently to the receding sounds.

Then, Nellie let out a small sigh as she watched the dust settle.

“Hah, is this really okay?”

Pana shrugged at her question.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. We were told to let them pass, so we did. The rest is up to them.”

“I guess so?”

“Yeah. And it’s not like we need to worry about him, right? Why worry about that guy?”

“…That’s true. Want to go watch then?”

“I’m in!”

The two exchanged words that were hard to understand and quickly moved.

They headed in the same direction the 51st cohort had just gone.

* * *

The 51st cohort’s advance gained speed.

Partly because of the urgency to attack the tiger before sunset, but more so because the wolves—and even the Black Sword Corps members playing the bear role—had avoided them, boosting their morale.

“We might be weak individually, but together we’re strong!”

“Yeah! This is it!”

They regretted.

Why hadn’t they done this sooner?

Why hadn’t they thought of banding together to take down the tiger… or rather, that Demon King?

…they thought.

With courage brimming and morale high, the 51st cohort sprinted through the forest for about 20 minutes.

The group of 81 finally arrived at the forest clearing.

Their destination.

A space meant for one person only.

The domain of the forest’s king, the tiger.

And waiting there for the 51st cohort was…

“Damn it, you bastards! What took you so long?”

A furious Yuri.