Chapter 258. The Ninth Floor of the Tower of Magic (5)
No matter how much he thought about it, Yuri felt that this was truly a scam.
‘Ah, why does the difficulty keep increasing!’
He was overflowing with complaints, but he couldn’t openly protest.
The reason was that Coco had been sparring with him barehanded until now.
‘It’s not like I can complain about someone using their weapon when they’re supposed to.’
Just the difference in intimidation was enough to tell him that the nunchaku was Coco’s main weapon.
Which also meant that Coco had been going easy on him up to this point.
And it didn’t feel right to get angry at someone who had been holding back until now just because they weren’t anymore.
As Yuri retreated a good distance away and just stood there blankly, Coco gestured with her hand again.
“Aren’t you going to come in?”
“Uh… Do I really have to?”
To be honest, he didn’t want to go.
If he went in now… no, he had a sad premonition that it would hurt quite a bit.
As Yuri, who had been speaking informally, suddenly switched to a more polite tone, Coco chuckled.
“You should feel honored. You’re the first person in years to make me pull this out.”
“You really didn’t have to, though…?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been this serious.”
“…So, really, you don’t have to?”
It was undeniably a good thing to be recognized by a strong opponent.
The only problem was that it didn’t have to happen right now.
“Ah, geez…”
Seeing Yuri let out a long sigh, a glint passed through Coco’s squinted eyes.
‘Yuri Holland.’
Until now, her feelings toward Yuri had been curiosity.
Wondering what that old man Johan had taught him.
And what secrets the boy might be hiding.
To uncover those, she’d been poking at Yuri.
But surprisingly, this young lad had started to gnaw away at her.
As if that wasn’t enough, he’d grown at an absurd rate in such a short time, using her as his nourishment.
Enough for her to feel threatened, even if only for a moment.
‘It almost ended.’
If she hadn’t made the choice to burn her cigarette all at once a moment ago, this fight would have surely ended.
At that moment, Coco realized something.
Who exactly Yuri Holland was.
‘That boy is… a monster.’
An entity with an abnormal talent that shouldn’t exist in this world.
Yes, just like…
‘The Sword Master.’
Another monster, one she’d thought wouldn’t exist in this world, was crouching in the cradle.
Taking the nest that another monster had made as its own.
‘Wait… a nest?’
Coco burst out laughing inwardly at that moment.
‘Ahaha, Yuri Holland, you… were a cuckoo chick!’
A creature that takes over another’s nest, growing big and strong on the food given by others.
Yuri was nothing less than a cuckoo chick that Johan Redner had laid in the cradle.
Of course, that didn’t particularly matter to Coco.
What was important to her at the moment was the fact that her heart was pounding.
‘How long has it been since I felt like this?’
Though she wasn’t confined, living in the cradle was almost no different from imprisonment.
The monotonous, repetitive days had left Coco feeling lethargic.
A little monster had entered her dull life and gnawed away at her.
And in the process, had broken a few of the chains that bound her desires.
As a result.
Thump, thump—
The dormant desires in Coco’s monotonous life were awakened, provoked.
‘I can’t let this fun end so soon!’
Coco Romani.
One of the five deputy commanders of the Black Sword Corps.
The oldest veteran of the Black Sword Corps, apart from the commander, Gordon.
Officially ranked third in the Black Sword Corps, and…
‘Let’s enjoy this a little more!’
…Even the Black Sword soldiers obsessed with combat avoided her, calling her a fighting dog.
And this very fighting dog, who even Gordon had trouble controlling, was drooling slightly as she looked at the opponent she could finally sink her teeth into after waking up from a long slumber.
Of course, it was none other than Yuri she was looking at.
Yuri’s only saving grace was that the leash Gordon had placed on Coco was still firmly fastened.
In other words, Coco’s eyes hadn’t completely gone mad yet.
Srrk—
Coco licked her lips slightly and spoke.
“When are you coming?”
“I’m still considering it.”
“Where did all that bravado from earlier go?”
“Bravado? Who? Me? No way, where would you find someone as timid as me?”
As Yuri kept babbling and sizing her up, Coco gave a sly smile and made a suggestion.
“Well, well, I was so impressed with that bravado earlier that I thought I’d give you a present.”
“…A present?”
“If you manage to entertain me for the remaining 50 days, I’ll give you a special gift from me.”
Yuri responded with a dubious expression.
“A really good present?”
“Can’t we have a bit of trust in each other?”
“I’ve been backstabbed too many times to trust anyone.”
“Then forget it.”
At her words, Yuri quickly changed his tune.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want it.”
Whether he liked it or not, he couldn’t keep dragging things out like this.
Eventually, he’d have to clash with Coco again.
And since she was offering a gift, there was no reason to refuse.
Actually, it was better for Yuri this way.
“Well, then, I’ll look forward to this ‘really good present’…”
With renewed determination, he took a step toward Coco.
At the same time, a blue thunderbolt slowly began to rise from his entire body.
Meanwhile, Coco lit her cigarette.
Fsshh—
And perhaps that was the signal.
Crackle—!
A thick bolt of lightning shot upwards, engulfing Yuri.
Seeing this, Coco’s smile deepened.
‘Are you trying to devour me?’
Initially, she thought Yuri was audacious.
But not anymore.
How adorable this boy was.
‘I’ll give you as much as you want!’
But grow big and strong…
‘And keep me entertained!’
More than before!
Much more than ever!
With a broad smile, Coco charged at Yuri.
A moment later.
Bang—!
A loud, clear, cracking sound echoed through the air.
Then came a scream of pain that resounded throughout the ninth floor.
“Aaaargh!”
* * *
The Hundred Days Tower Quest, Day 65.
“Ow…”
A figure, swollen like it had been stung by a bee, with a huge bump on its forehead, slathered white ointment all over its face.
The ointment, befitting the name of the Bone Clan’s top-grade external recovery medicine, showed results within minutes as the swelling and bump subsided.
And the face that was revealed was none other than the familiar Yuri.
“Ow…”
After smearing the ointment even inside his torn mouth, Yuri stripped down to his underwear.
Exposing his muscular body.
However, his entire body was covered with reddish-purple bruises, which would have horrified anyone who saw it.
Yet, Yuri, the one who should have been most concerned, casually applied ointment and lay down on his back.
“Oof, my body aches.”
Fifteen days had passed since the day he thought he could finally escape from this damned tower.
And Yuri, in exchange for awakening the fighting dog’s desire, had to end each day in a state like this.
If it weren’t for the recovery medicine he could buy from the makeshift shop in the tower.
And the power crystal he had consumed previously.
Yuri would have spent not just a day but weeks stuck in recovery.
He grimaced at the dull pain.
‘She really beats the crap out of me.’
Coco had been strong even with her bare hands, but with the nunchaku, she was on an entirely different level.
No matter how much he tried to find an opening, none appeared.
Staring at the ceiling adorned with luminous stones, Yuri muttered in a somewhat deflated voice.
“This is a big problem…”
His trump card, the Domain, didn’t work.
As if a trigger had been pulled, Coco charged at him, her eyes glinting with a faint madness.
And now, he had only 35 days left.
In that time, he had to find a way, any way, to land a blow on Coco.
Moreover, something even more troubling had recently occurred for Yuri.
Srrk—
Yuri lifted his upper body slightly.
Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes.
Soon, a faint golden glow emanated from his body, tracing geometric lines.
It was none other than Guangxue.
Ssss—
How long did he sit with his eyes closed like that?
When Yuri, who had been contemplating his inner self in the Guangxue state, suddenly opened his eyes, a resolute voice escaped his lips.
“…As expected, it’s not working.”
Until now, Yuri had enjoyed three main effects from Guangxue.
A temporary restoration of depleted mental strength, physical strength, and mana.
Although the amount of mana restored wasn’t much, it had been a hidden ace he could rely on in critical situations.
But recently, Guangxue had stopped restoring mana.
‘Why?’
At first, he thought it was a side effect from overusing Guangxue after entering the tower.
Hoping it was only a temporary condition, he refrained from using Guangxue for several days, but the result was the same.
The mana restoration effect did not return.
‘Maybe it’ll normalize if I wait a little
longer?’
It might work if he waited with patience, but unfortunately, Yuri didn’t have the luxury of time.
‘It’s disappointing, but if it’s a card I can’t use, I need to let it go.’
It had been a useful card in his battles with Coco up to now, but since it no longer worked, he had to let go of any lingering attachment.
Now, he needed to find a combination of moves with the cards he currently had that could lead to victory.
“Hooo…”
Yuri let out a long breath.
Then he half-opened his eyes and began replaying his fight with Coco over and over in his mind.
Yuri’s golden eyes, lowered like that, now contained a much deeper light than before entering the tower.
* * *
The Hundred Days Tower Quest, Day 69.
Clang, clang—
The sound of chains rubbing against each other.
Whoosh—
And the nunchaku slicing through the air sent a chill down Yuri’s spine.
He leaned his body back instantly.
As Yuri’s body formed a ‘ㄱ’ shape, Coco’s left hand whipped past his face.
The nunchaku was spinning like a disc in her palm.
Whoosh—!
Escaping danger, Yuri immediately swung upward at Coco from an angle.
But—
Clang—!
Coco’s nunchaku suddenly appeared and struck Yuri’s sword.
Using the recoil, Yuri twisted his blade and aimed at Coco’s upper body.
However, like a ghost, Coco’s spinning nunchaku blocked the sword like a circular shield.
The nunchaku, having done its job, spun around and moved along Coco’s right arm, across her shoulder and neck, before settling in her left hand.
Witnessing this sequence, Yuri clicked his tongue.
‘Nunchaku, damn… what a pain in the ass!’
Coco’s nunchaku was the epitome of versatility.
Sometimes wielded as two short sticks.
Other times as a single mid-length stick.
At times, it extended the length of its chains.
It spun, flew in a straight line, and even coiled around weapons.
Unpredictable, bizarre movements.
Yuri was just barely managing to respond to Coco’s nunchaku.
Of course, he couldn’t react to everything.
Thunk—
The nunchaku struck Yuri’s left thigh.
“Grr!”
Yuri frequently—no, very often had to endure such hits from the nunchaku.
Of course, knowing he’d be hit, he dispersed the impact as much as possible.
If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t just be groaning but would have had his bones shattered.
Even so, Coco couldn’t help but be impressed with Yuri.
‘What the heck is this kid?’
Naturally, Coco wasn’t going all out.
If she were, the fight between her and Yuri wouldn’t even be a fight.
But even so, her nunchaku was not something that an average sixth-rank combatant could fend off.
Someone like Yuri, who could at least react, would need to be a seventh-rank combatant who had opened the Domain.
And that was precisely what was so astonishing.
‘He hasn’t opened the Domain yet, has he?’
A boy who hasn’t opened the Domain is moving as if he had?
Seriously, what kind of monster was this kid?
‘What on earth is the principle behind this?’
Day 50.
From the moment Yuri first showed that move, Coco had been observing him diligently.
But she just couldn’t figure out the true nature of Yuri’s uncanny movements.
She hadn’t grasped even a simple clue.
Though she had tentatively called it the “Fake Domain,” feeling it wasn’t quite a true Domain.
‘It’s not just a simple Fake Domain.’
It’s fake, but it’s not fake.
This might be a new realm entirely.
‘A new Domain free from nullification…’
Nullification.
It’s the term used for the annihilation that occurs when Domains of absolute perception collide.
Whenever two or more Domains overlap, nullification is inevitable.
Therefore, in battles among seventh-rank combatants and above, having a denser Domain and being able to nullify the opponent’s sensory Domain faster are what decide victory or defeat.
That’s the basic knowledge among high-rankers today.
But…
‘What if this boy Yuri masters the sensory Domain in his current state?’
Yuri, who was currently moving as if he’d opened the Domain through his Fake Domain.
What if, amid this, he managed to open the real Domain?
What if it allowed him to nullify his opponent’s Domain?
‘…Ah!’
Imagining that future, Coco felt chills run down her spine.