Chapter 256: The Ninth Layer of the Tower of the Demon (3)
Today was just another ordinary day for Coco.
She clenched a cigarette in her mouth and clocked in on the ninth floor.
As she had done for the past twenty days, she accepted Yuri’s challenge.
And, as always, she ended the day with Yuri fainting.
It really was just another uneventful day.
However, despite this, the reason she couldn’t leave the ninth floor was a strange sense of discomfort.
‘What is this?’
Coco began feeling this peculiar unease around the time she accepted Yuri’s last challenge of the day.
You know, that kind of feeling.
A bothersome, nagging sensation for no apparent reason.
That was how Coco felt.
‘Why do I… feel so uneasy?’
There was clearly something that kept bothering her, but she couldn’t pinpoint the source, making it even more unsettling.
After pondering for a while, she shrugged her shoulders.
‘I guess I’m just being sensitive.’
Concluding so, Coco left the area.
* * *
About thirty minutes after Coco left.
“Ugh….”
Yuri groaned as he wiggled and lifted his upper body.
“Oh god… I’m going to die.”
He grimaced and kept groaning.
If the 50th class saw him, they would probably be quite surprised.
The number of cigarettes Coco smoked during Yuri’s challenges was usually around twenty.
And it took Coco only about two minutes to finish one cigarette.
In other words, the time spent fighting between Yuri and Coco was at most around forty minutes.
Moreover, it wasn’t even forty consecutive minutes.
[Coco: “No, if I smoke them consecutively, it gives me a headache.”]
Coco refused Yuri’s repeated challenges because she claimed that smoking cigarettes in succession made her dizzy.
Thanks to that, Yuri had no choice but to take forced breaks in between.
So, the total time spent in combat each day amounted to around forty minutes.
Yuri, who was perfectly fine even after hours of sparring with the 50th class.
Now groaning in pain after a mere forty-minute fight.
From the 50th class’s perspective, it was certainly shocking.
But Yuri’s situation was different.
‘Ugh….’
Sparring with the 50th class.
It was like a long-distance run where you could adjust your pace.
You could sprint when you wanted to, and walk leisurely when it felt tough.
Completing it was a bit exhausting but didn’t put much strain on the body—a run like that.
But fighting Coco was different.
That was a sprint.
A full-speed dash that required pouring out everything at once.
Against an opponent whose victory wasn’t guaranteed, he couldn’t afford to hold back.
So, he had to unleash all his mana and bodily strength in a short time.
He had to focus his entire mind under the razor-sharp tension.
For this reason, though it was just two minutes, every moment of those two minutes consumed more energy and mental strength than sparring for hours with a dozen members of the 50th class.
Even Yuri began to feel overwhelming fatigue by the time Coco smoked her fifteenth cigarette.
So it wasn’t surprising that he fainted once she passed twenty.
‘It feels like my whole body is being wrung out.’
Though every day was a repetition of a hellish situation akin to wringing out a dry rag, Yuri didn’t particularly think it was tough.
In fact, he was actually enjoying the situation.
‘How long has it been since I’ve gone all out every single day like this?’
Currently, there was no other cadet in the Cradle who could push Yuri to his limits.
The only exception was Gunther Ryder, but he hadn’t met him since the last Wulong Tournament.
With no worthy opponents left in the Cradle, the only training options available to Yuri were personal training and sparring.
‘Even sparring with the others doesn’t really stimulate me anymore.’
Sparring with those weaker than him.
And since it was sparring he had already done hundreds of times, it didn’t particularly help Yuri.
If anything, it might have been beneficial for the other cadets sparring with Yuri.
Anyway, amidst such a situation, the fight with Coco began.
A fight that was somewhere between sparring and a life-or-death battle was proving to be a great stimulus for Yuri.
‘It feels like I’m losing my mind after eating something sweet and salty after only bland food.’
Every day was painful, but every day was also a day of growth.
How could he not enjoy this?
While Yuri was reveling in delight.
“Ah…!”
Johan’s words suddenly flashed through his mind.
[Johan: “Heh, at your current age… and with your status as a cadet of the Cradle, you have a privilege you can enjoy now. It’s the best opportunity you’ll ever have! Soon enough, you’ll get a chance like that… When it comes, enjoy it to the fullest. No, cling to it like a leech and suck the marrow out of it!”]
Looking back, it seemed that the privilege Johan spoke of was exactly this.
‘Back then, I thought he was just spouting nonsense….’
The Cradle, a place brimming with the strongest of the strong.
And his young age and unique status as a cadet of the Cradle.
Without these conditions, how could he ever spend time like this with a strong opponent like Coco?
‘If we met as enemies outside… my head would’ve rolled off in a second.’
Johan’s words were right.
Fighting an officially recognized 9th ranker.
Or perhaps an even greater master, with his life somewhat guaranteed.
That was a golden opportunity he could enjoy in his current status, one that wouldn’t come around again in his lifetime.
‘That’s how it is, huh?’
Having fully grasped Johan’s meaning, Yuri smiled.
And he resolved once more.
As Johan said, he would cling to Coco and suck the marrow right out of her.
* * *
It was the twenty-fifth day since the Hundred Steps Quest began.
Yuri lay sprawled out in the wide space of the ninth floor.
“Ugh… I can’t move.”
Maybe it was because he was beaten worse than usual today?
Feeling worse than usual, Yuri gave up on getting up.
He probably had to lie down for a while and let his body recover.
Of course, that didn’t mean he could rest indefinitely.
Yuri closed his eyes and began to replay his fight with Coco in his mind.
Within the dark world of his imagination.
Two blue lines were drawn, forming two illusions.
They were Coco and Yuri.
Those two illusions repeatedly clashed fiercely and then separated.
Yuri, now a spectator, began observing the vivid battles.
A moment later.
The fight, lasting about one to two minutes, ended.
Then, it repeated itself again, exactly the same, and Yuri observed it from different perspectives.
And that was the beginning.
The scene kept repeating infinitely.
Yuri watched it from various angles.
From above and below.
From the front and the back.
From the left and the right.
He meticulously and thoroughly examined angles that were unseen during the actual battle.
And he didn’t stop there; Yuri even analyzed Coco’s thoughts and habits.
After finishing his review of one fight, he pulled out memories of past fights and reviewed them multiple times.
Even if it was something he had already analyzed once, he repeated it several more times.
‘More… a little more!’
Everything he had observed about Coco over the past twenty-five days.
He was determined to consume it all.
Yuri continued his mental training, bordering on obsession and madness.
There was only one reason for this.
‘The answer lies with her!’
Coco’s movements.
He believed that everything she showed held the key needed to open his domain.
Huff, huff.
Thus, Yuri continued his endless battles in search of the path to a new realm.
* * *
It was the twenty-fifth day since the Hundred Steps Quest began.
Coco looked down at the unconscious Yuri, her face scrunched up.
“…Again?”
At first, she thought she was mistaken.
But she wasn’t.
She had sensed it correctly.
Coco had been plagued by the same feeling of discomfort for days.
“Tch!”
Irritation flickered in her eyes.
She clearly felt something was off, but she still hadn’t figured out the cause.
‘What on earth is this?’
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what exactly this discomfort was.
But one thing was certain.
That the source of this discomfort was none other than Yuri.
‘It seems like this unease grows every time I fight this guy….’
Surely something was changing with Yuri, which was why she felt this discomfort.
But what was it?
Coco stared at Yuri in bewilderment.
“…Seriously, what are you?”
What on earth are you doing?
After pondering for a moment.
Fizz.
She crushed the burnt-out cigarette between her fingers.
“Alright, let’s see.”
Would she figure out the nature of this discomfort first?
Or would Yuri’s change come first?
With her competitive spirit flaring, Coco turned and left the ninth floor.
* * *
Thirty-fifth day of the Hundred Steps Quest.
Huff, huff.
His breath ragged, making his nostrils and throat feel like they were being torn apart.
His mouth, already dry, tasted of bitterness.
Gulp.
Yuri gulped down the hot air as if it were water.
The moment he felt his tongue sticking to his dry palate, a little saliva was released.
As a result, his blurred vision cleared slightly.
“Hoo….”
Regaining his composure, Yuri took a deep breath and glared at Coco.
Or more precisely, at the half-burnt cigarette in Coco’s mouth.
‘…Is this a record?’
C
oco had already smoked more than twenty cigarettes today.
Yet, he was still conscious.
He even had a little energy left.
What that meant was simple.
The past thirty-five days of his efforts hadn’t been in vain.
‘This is good.’
Yuri was more than satisfied with the current situation.
The more his skills improved.
The longer his sparring with Coco lasted.
That time would become nutrients for his growth.
So how could he not be pleased?
Huff.
“Aren’t you coming?”
As the standoff dragged on, Coco exhaled smoke and asked.
In response, Yuri grinned widely.
“Of course.”
Smiling broadly, Yuri charged at Coco.
* * *
Forty-ninth day of the Hundred Steps Quest.
Yuri sprawled on the floor, disheveled and lying flat on his back.
As he endlessly replayed his battles with Coco, he quietly opened his eyes.
“……”
He stared at the ninth-floor ceiling with a blank expression, and a faint smile curled on his lips.
“…I see it.”
His bright white smile shone dazzlingly.
* * *
Fiftieth day of the Hundred Steps Quest.
“I’m going out for a smoke.”
“Yes, have a good one.”
Coco waved her hand dismissively as she left, and the Black Sword Corps briefly bowed to her.
It was a routine that had repeated for fifty days.
The Black Sword Corps knew all too well that she wasn’t simply going out for a smoke.
So, without any further questions, they saw her off.
Clack, clack.
With a cigarette in her mouth, Coco arrived on the ninth floor and halted briefly.
“Huh?”
Her gaze landed on Yuri, who stood in the center of the ninth floor, holding his sword at an angle.
Despite having seen this familiar sight for fifty days, Coco paused because the atmosphere emanating from Yuri was different from what she had seen before.
“What’s up with him today? Did you eat something bad?”
At Coco’s question, Yuri chuckled.
“Eat something bad? The only thing I’ve eaten is dry, tasteless rations.”
“So, why the serious face today?”
“Coco, did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That in a person’s life, there comes a moment when they have to take a gamble?”
“And?”
“Today is that day for me!”
Watching Yuri arrogantly lift his chin, Coco clicked her tongue, shaking her head slightly.
“Tch, what’s with all the talk today?”
“Why else? Since today is the last time I’ll be hanging around with you, I figured I’d chat a bit.”
“Oh my, that’s funny. Who said it’s the last time? I have no intention of letting you go.”
“Sorry, Coco. I’m only interested in people up to two years older or younger than me. In that sense, Coco, you’re… way too old.”
“……”
“Like, a lot?”
“…Do you want to die?”
“I’m not into scary women either.”
Seeing Yuri smirking, Coco’s forehead veins bulged.
She sneered coldly.
“Looks like I’ll have to start by punching that pretty mouth of yours.”
With that, she lit her cigarette.
Sizzle.
Ssshh.
She took a deep drag, filling her lungs with air.
Then.
Huff.
The thick smoke expelled into the air marked the beginning of the fiftieth challenge.
Coco made the first move.
Ssh.
Coco, disappearing from thin air, reappeared right in front of Yuri.
Despite her movements being close to teleportation, Yuri wasn’t fazed at all.
For the past fifty days, he had fought Coco an average of twenty times a day.
Almost a thousand times in total.
Including the battles in his imagination, the count was beyond measure.
Yuri’s effort and dedication were far from light, so he wouldn’t be shaken by this much.
Whoosh.
Coco, appearing before Yuri, swung her hand toward his mouth, just as she had warned.
That was the moment.
‘Now!’
As if he had predicted Coco’s actions, Yuri’s eyes shone.
Ssh.
His body lightly swayed from side to side.
Seeing Yuri’s faint afterimage ripple like a wave, Coco was overcome by a strong sense of unease.
At the same time, a chill ran down her spine.
‘What?’
Yuri’s body maneuvered effortlessly out of her grasp.
It was a movement so familiar to her.
At first, Coco wondered if she was seeing things.
But as Yuri’s hand flew toward her, she realized she hadn’t been mistaken.
‘This kid… no way?!’
Yuri’s movements had always been like lightning.
Fast and unpredictable, but made of short, straight motions.
But what Yuri was showing now wasn’t his usual style.
It was indeed light and quick, but fluid like flowing water.
It was…
‘Is he copying me?’
Coco’s style.
And it didn’t take long for her to realize that Yuri wasn’t merely mimicking her.
‘What is this kid…?’
It was like looking into a mirror.
Thoughts and habits.
Even her temperament.
Yuri’s movements reflected her as if he were projecting her image.
Finally, Coco understood the true nature of the discomfort she had felt all this time.
‘…How audacious.’
Yuri had tried hard to hide it, but she had sensed it unconsciously.
The fact that he had been steadily gnawing away at her bit by bit.