I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 168: Amnesia (1)

Clarice Van and Nellie Blanc, too.

The challenges directed at Yuri that followed after Gunther sparked new enthusiasm.

“I will challenge him as well!”

“Next, it’s my turn!”

After both Clarice and Nellie finished their duels safely, new challengers started appearing from all directions.

People began to line up, wanting to personally experience Yuri’s strength.

Of course, this was exactly what Yuri had hoped for.

‘I get to face various martial techniques, train… This isn’t too bad, is it?’

Yuri had always sparred frequently with Arin, Poppy, and Theresia.

Whenever a duel began, Arin and Poppy wouldn’t stop until they were on the verge of exhaustion and had to flee.

For Yuri, who was used to these intense bouts, sparring with opponents less skilled than Arin, Poppy, and Theresia wasn’t a problem.

Physically and mentally, Yuri was tireless and continued to spar without any signs of fatigue.

In fact, he even found it amusing and would chuckle as he encountered new martial techniques.

As Yuri dealt with one challenger after another, facing them in line…

‘Huh?’

After facing about twenty people, he realized something odd.

“So, where do you think I rank?”

Then, after about twenty-five opponents…

“Hey, I must be stronger than that guy, right? Don’t you think?”

“…”

Yuri realized it.

Each challenger kept asking him what their rank was.

Some even took the ranking Yuri gave them and posted their names on the ranking board.

Yuri blinked.

‘…What is this?’

At first, he answered without much thought.

He was too busy analyzing each opponent’s martial technique to pay much attention.

Once he finally grasped the situation, he found their behavior downright ridiculous.

‘These bastards… their reason for challenging me has changed, hasn’t it?’

Initially, it was clear that the early challengers were genuinely trying to test their skills against him.

It felt like a proper duel, more or less.

However, at some point, the atmosphere shifted.

It stopped feeling like a true contest of skills and started feeling like they were simply showing off their abilities to him.

It was as if they were putting on a ‘demonstration’ of their skills.

Realizing what this meant, Yuri stared at his peers with an incredulous look.

‘How did it… get to this point?’

Indeed.

The ranking quest for the 50th batch was taking an unprecedented and bizarre direction in the history of the Cradle.

A number one ranked individual with overwhelming skills.

Lower ranks had given up on challenging the top rank.

And now, that number one was analyzing and comparing everyone’s abilities, even giving them their rankings?

Given the circumstances, it naturally led to people showcasing their skills to Yuri, seeking his evaluation of their strengths.

After sparring with dozens of challengers, Yuri could no longer hold back his frustration and shouted.

“Hey, you bastards! Do I look like a strength evaluator to you? Damn it, enough already!”

Yuri, who initially intended to pick up some martial techniques, suddenly found himself acting as an impromptu evaluator of combat power.

As a result, with each challenge, the draft of the 50th batch’s ranking board gradually came together.

Gunther found himself staring blankly at the ceiling as he regained consciousness in the infirmary.

Throbbing pain.

It was a pain like he had never experienced before, searing through every part of his body.

Astonishingly, this was him in a much-improved state.

When he first awoke, Gunther truly thought he had fallen into hell.

Even breathing brought such excruciating pain that he fainted immediately upon awakening, several times.

After two days, he began to move little by little.

It was only on the seventh day since he was first brought to the infirmary that he managed to resume some normal activities.

Blank stare.

Although his body had somewhat recovered, Gunther’s mind remained clouded.

It felt as if it wasn’t his body but his mind that had broken down; he could only stare blankly at the ceiling.

“……”

As Gunther gazed at the pristine white ceiling, the events before he passed out began to blur in his mind.

His defeat and enlightenment.

And Yuri’s harsh words that followed.

A truly horrifying memory.

Gunther slowly mulled over that recollection.

‘A defeat as humiliating as it could get.’

He had been utterly powerless.

The duel with Yuri.

It was less a duel and more like one-sided violence.

And the words spoken by the one who had inflicted such a helpless defeat echoed in his ears.

[“Don’t delude yourself, you idiot! Whether you admit it or not, you just lost. The crap about you accepting it or not is just you trying to comfort yourself. Get it?”]

At first, Gunther wanted to argue against those words.

But soon, he shook his head slightly.

‘His words… were right.’

Upon reflecting on his true feelings, Gunther realized that Yuri Holland’s criticism was spot on.

What was he trying to accomplish by dressing up his defeat in some noble way?

Did acknowledging his loss in such a way change anything?

A defeat was still a defeat.

Gunther let out a small chuckle.

‘I’ve still got a long way to go.’

He had thought he had grown significantly on a mental level after his enlightenment.

He believed he had removed the veil of stubbornness that had blinded him, achieving a broader perspective.

But he was wrong.

He was still foolish, still a prisoner to his own stubbornness, with an immature mindset.

That previous enlightenment had only put a tiny crack in his stubbornness.

‘Unless I can rid myself of this stubbornness ingrained in my bones… I won’t grow.’

To uphold his own beliefs and methods, he had to rid himself of this stubbornness.

But…

‘How?’

How on earth was he supposed to cast off this stubbornness?

While contemplating this, a name escaped from Gunther’s lips.

“…Yuri Holland.”

Gunther instinctively found his answer.

‘Yes, if it’s him…….’

If it were Yuri Holland, who had granted him this realization.

If it were the one who had pointed out his flaws without hesitation…

Perhaps by watching and learning from him up close, he could shed this stubbornness.

That thought took root in Gunther’s mind.

Swoosh—

As if entranced, Gunther rose from his bed.

“…I’ll go to him.”

He opened the door and stepped out.

Heading to where Yuri Holland would be.

Gunther walked persistently.

His destination was Yuri Holland’s residence.

Finding it wasn’t particularly challenging.

There wasn’t a single person among the 50th batch who didn’t know its location.

More precisely, they knew of a place that screamed, ‘Only someone like Yuri Holland would do something like that!’

A bizarre wooden structure with an ominous atmosphere that had appeared out of nowhere.

Everyone avoided approaching the place due to its strangely sinister and eerie aura, which was believed to be where Yuri Holland resided.

As Gunther walked toward it, he fell into contemplation.

‘Will Yuri Holland… accept me?’

Going to Yuri and observing him from close by.

It was a somewhat impulsive plan.

Suddenly appearing out of nowhere, he was still nothing more than an outsider to Yuri.

Whether Yuri would accept him or not was entirely up to Yuri.

Thus, Gunther couldn’t help but be concerned.

What if Yuri refused to accept him?

With these concerns weighing on him, Gunther strolled through the forest.

‘…I’m almost there.’

He sensed a chilling vibe in the back of his neck.

It meant he was close to his destination.

Before long, he arrived at what was presumed to be ‘Yuri and his group’s residence.’

Gunther tilted his head at the sight before him.

‘Was this place… always like this?’

There should have been that bizarre wooden structure here, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

But what stood in its place were merely a few wooden pillars, barely forming a skeleton.

Venturing a bit further inside, Gunther picked up a piece of wooden debris scattered all around.

‘This is…’

The traces were shattered as if something had exploded with immense force.

Gunther blinked at the marks that resembled those left by artillery fire.

‘Artillery? What on earth happened here?’

Having gone into hiding after being betrayed by those he trusted, Gunther was unaware that Yuri’s fortress had been blown away by Segyung’s fury.

“Hmm…”

He scanned the surroundings.

There was a gloomy atmosphere with no sign of life.

An empty clearing, full of debris scattered everywhere, and a forlorn-looking furnace sitting right in the middle.

“A furnace? Really?”

Gunther’s pupils quivered momentarily.

He blinked repeatedly, unsure if what he was seeing was real.

But no matter how many times he looked, it was undeniably a furnace.

‘A furnace? Here, in the middle of the forest?’

Though it had a makeshift roof over it, there were no signs of a smithy or any other building.

Just a furnace standing alone in the wide clearing.

It was a setting that would naturally stir curiosity about what that furnace was doing there.

As Gunther, seemingly entranced, started to approach the furnace…

Whoosh–!

A dark shadow loomed over Gunther’s head.

Startled, Gunther instinctively threw himself aside.

Moments later, a massive object crashed heavily into the spot where Gunther had been standing.

Boom-!

Gunther’s eyes widened as he identified what had almost crushed him.

‘…A tree?’

It was a gigantic tree that had nearly hit him.

As he wondered, “Why a tree?” a voice came from the direction the tree had been thrown from.

“Hey, damn it! I told you not to throw it!”

“I’m hungry!”

“It’s a hassle to carry it.”

“Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you that the wood will rot! Listen to me, you muscle-headed meathead who’s useless except for brute strength!”

“I’m hungry!”

“If you call me meathead one more time, it’s war, you little punk! …that’s what I’m saying!”

“Argh! Fine, let’s go! I’ll pull out every single hair on your head in the future!”

“You guys… it’s embarrassing, so walk a bit further away from me.”

“Let’s go together, senior!”

Hearing the loud chatter, Gunther turned his head.

Soon after, four people appeared.

Theresia, sighing heavily and walking briskly to distance herself from the group, and Arin trotting closely beside her.

Poppy, swinging his arms wildly, was running with Yuri clinging to his back like a cicada.

“Huh?”

“Oh?”

Theresia and Arin, who arrived first, spotted Gunther and stopped.

Then Poppy, who was dangling Yuri from his neck and playfully gnawing on the smooth top of his head, also noticed Gunther and looked up.

“…”

“…”

A tense 4-to-1 standoff.

A brief silence hung between the surprised parties.

The one to break the silence was Yuri.

Thunk—

Yuri jumped off Poppy’s back and took a few steps forward.

“What’s this? Isn’t it Jae-ba-so?”

“…Jae-ba-so?”

Gunther was puzzled by the word “Jae-ba-so” used to refer to him.

A sulky voice responded.

“Annoying Goody-Two-Shoes Boy.”

“…”

Calling someone annoying to their face…

Gunther was momentarily lost for words.

Regardless, Yuri glared at Gunther.

“What brings you here? Did you come to settle the score? Then let’s go; I love that stuff.”

Yuri twisted his hand with a menacing smile.

Crack, crack—

Hearing the sound of bones cracking in his ears, Gunther shook his head.

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not here because I want revenge.”

“What the heck? Then why did you come here?”

“That’s…”

For a moment, Gunther was at a loss for words.

Facing Yuri, he didn’t know how to express and convey his desire to observe him closely.

Watching Gunther stand there, dazed, Yuri frowned and waved his hand dismissively.

“If you have nothing to say, just go. I’m busy.”

“…”

As Yuri coldly turned to leave, Gunther, suddenly anxious, quickly opened his mouth.

“I-I want to watch you!”

“Huh?”

“I want to observe who you are… up close!”

“…”

Gunther’s shout echoed through the clearing.

Theresia, Arin, and Poppy’s mouths dropped open.

Yuri’s face paled as he immediately drew his sword.

Sssrrng—

“You… you bastard…! I didn’t expect this from you?!”

Clatter, clatter—

“You’re a pervert too, huh?!”

“Argh!”

Yuri’s deadly aura washed over Gunther, threatening to kill him if he took even a single step closer.

‘Huh…?’

As he realized the implication of his own words, Gunther quickly waved his hands, his face turning pale.

“N-No, that’s not what I meant!”

“Argh! Don’t come any closer, you pervert!”

“L-Let me explain…”

“Hyaaah!”

Watching Yuri swing his sword wildly, Gunther broke out in a cold sweat.

Afterward, Gunther had to explain several times that he came to learn from Yuri for his personal growth.

Of course, even during this, there were several close calls where he almost got hit by Yuri’s sword.

But perhaps thanks to his persistence?

Finally, calming down and successfully understanding Gunther’s explanation, Yuri blinked.

“So, you’re here for some life lessons?”

Yuri, with a slightly baffled expression, pointed at his own face.

“You want to learn… about life from me? Seriously? Not from anyone else but me?”

Gunther nodded slightly at Yuri’s suspicious question.

“If I were to describe it, that’s about right. Actually, it might be the most accurate way to put it.”

As soon as Gunther finished speaking, a quiet settled over the clearing.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

A peculiar silence lingered for a long while.

Then, four voices erupted simultaneously.

“A very fine and wise choice indeed!”

“…Is he sick in the head?”

“That guy’s seriously gone nuts.”

“I’m hungry.”