I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 177: Alliance Quest (2)

It wasn’t just Yuri’s group whose attention was captured by the appearance of the 48th class.

Everyone present was the same.

The 49th and 50th classes.

About 200 pairs of eyes were fixed on the 48th class.

Tense silence descended upon the wide open space.

Unlike the 49th class, who occasionally encountered each other due to overlapping residential areas, the 50th class was meeting seniors two years above them for the first time and felt nervous.

The 49th class, more than anyone else, knew what kind of stature the current 48th class held in this cradle and couldn’t help but feel tense.

The tension that had settled in the hall grew even more intense as the 48th class drew closer.

In particular, the 49th class’s gaze was almost fixed on the person leading the 48th class.

A young man who appeared to be naturally and effortlessly leading a group of about a hundred.

A handsome man with distinct features and short golden hair.

Someone murmured his name softly as he walked towards them with a blank expression.

“Gunther Ryder…”

It was like the groan of someone facing a massive wall.

No, the name Gunther Ryder was, in fact, a massive wall to the 49th class.

A wall that not only couldn’t be surpassed but grew larger and cast an immense shadow, Gunther Ryder.

As Gunther slowly approached, the 49th class once again felt the dark shadow swallowing them.

Such was the pressure of Gunther’s presence on the 49th class.

And Theresia was no exception to this.

In fact, Theresia felt the pressure even more strongly than the others.

‘Gunther… Ryder.’

The surname Ryder that he carried.

And the overwhelming talent he displayed against the 49th class.

Theresia had been pretending to be strong, but from the moment she stood at the forefront of the 49th class and set Gunther as her goal, she could not be free from his presence.

She believed this restraint would only end when Gunther completed his time at the cradle.

At least until she met another genius.

‘Yuri…’

A possessor of a brilliant talent that would not lose to Gunther.

No, perhaps Yuri might even surpass Gunther, and he was right by Theresia’s side.

He had become her new goal.

Thanks to that, Theresia was able to escape from Gunther’s presence.

‘Gunther and Yuri…’

Both were individuals who possessed overwhelming talent that was difficult for her to keep up with.

However, the feeling she had when she set Gunther as her goal and when she set Yuri as her goal were completely opposite.

While Gunther’s presence shackled her with intense pressure, Yuri’s presence…

‘…Felt like it was guiding me.’

Theresia herself did not know what created such a difference.

‘Perhaps if I compare the two closely, I might find out?’

As if noticing her thoughts, Gunther, who had been leading the 48th class, suddenly stopped walking.

His gaze shifted.

Standing directly in line with that gaze was none other than Yuri.

“……”

Gunther, standing at about 190 cm tall.

“……”

Yuri, who hadn’t yet reached 180 cm.

A distance of about 5 meters separated the two as their gazes met.

A strange atmosphere flowed between them.

It was as if they recognized each other without introductions.

And indeed, they did.

Despite seeing his cropped hair for the first time, Gunther knew he was Yuri Holland.

Yuri, too, recognized the golden-haired figure as Gunther Ryder, who held the record for the top spot in the previous trial.

Both instantly recognized each other’s identity.

As if it were fate.

“……”

“……”

Their gazes clashed in midair for a long time.

Yuri’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

‘Huh?’

Gunther’s gaze, slightly looking down on him due to the height difference, stirred Yuri’s temper with its indifference.

‘Those black eyes…’

They reminded him of the Sword Master’s gaze, looking down from a high throne during the Hundred Steps Ceremony.

A gaze filled with the boredom of life that came from having no worthy opponent for so long.

Gunther’s black eyes vaguely resembled those of the Sword Master.

Yuri’s face twisted into a faint sneer in response.

‘The little brat is imitating the Sword Master as if it suits him.’

Was it because he bore the Ryder surname and thought himself the Sword Master?

Or was he so used to leading among the mediocre that he genuinely believed he had no equal?

Regardless of which of the two thoughts was correct, or if both were just Yuri’s misunderstandings,

One thing was certain: he found the look in that Sword Master’s son’s eyes incredibly displeasing.

Perhaps that was why the sneer hidden in his heart appeared openly on Yuri’s face.

A slight, crooked smirk.

Gunther, noticing this subtle change, felt a flicker of anger in his eyes.

But only for a moment.

Step—.

Gunther quickly scattered his emotions and resumed his steps.

Step— Step—.

Turning his direction, Gunther led the 48th class to the right of the 49th class.

As the 48th class moved away, the group, which had been holding its breath during Yuri and Gunther’s strange staring contest, exhaled softly.

At that moment, Yuri suddenly turned his head sharply towards Gunther.

With an extremely displeased expression, Yuri glared at Gunther and growled.

“So annoying.”

“…?”

Gunther, who was suddenly insulted without cause, could only raise a question mark above his head.

Simultaneously, Yuri’s irritated voice continued.

“Seriously, Gunther or Gunther, the names are similar, and so is the aura they exude.”

“…”

“Ugh, both are equally annoying.”

“…”

…This bastard?

Simply because their names were similar, Gunther ended up taking the brunt of the insults meant for Gunther.

Tremble—.

His fist quivered in anger.

Gunther clenched his fist tightly, as if ready to strike at any moment.

But his fist never found its mark.

“Formation!”

A sharp shout rang out.

Along with it, more Black Sword Corps members appeared than usual.

The spectacled man in charge of the 50th class.

The short-haired woman in charge of the 49th class.

And even a square-jawed man who seemed to be in charge of the 48th class.

It was evident that all the Black Sword Corps members in charge of each class had been mobilized.

They lined up, forming a human wall.

From between the walls of people, someone Yuri was very familiar with appeared.

It was none other than the shopkeeper Coco, who had once again shown up with a cigarette in her mouth.

Fwoosh—

Pale smoke drifted into the sky as Coco, hands clasped behind her back, glanced at the gathered cadets and spoke in a slightly irritated tone.

“I really hate summer. My delicate skin is far too sensitive to sunlight. I’d rather go into the shade right now. So, I hope none of you interrupt me or make me explain things twice. If that happens… I might just kill you.”

Indeed, Coco’s face was stained with discomfort, as if she truly despised the summer.

She took a deep drag of her cigarette, exhaling smoke as she continued.

“The theme of this year’s joint quest for the first, second, and third-year cadets is a Conquest Battle. Now, before we get into the details…”

Snap—

Coco snapped her fingers, and the Black Sword Corps members who had formed the human wall moved behind her and lined up in a row.

Two members of the Black Sword Corps, each holding a white and blue flag, took positions on Coco’s left and right.

Once the preparations were complete, Coco waved her hand lightly.

“First, let’s divide into teams. Come forward in the order I call your names and choose which side you want to join, the Blue Team or the White Team. Since there are exactly 300 of you here, we need 150 on the Blue Team and 150 on the White Team, right?”

She added further instructions.

“Also, if one side fills up with 150 people first, everyone else will automatically be assigned to the other side.”

For example, if the 200th person called out ends up making the White Team reach 150 members, the rest would automatically be placed on the Blue Team without a choice.

“And once you’ve made your choice, you obviously can’t switch sides, right? Oh! Unless… you can manage to cross over to the other side, in which case, I’ll let you change as much as you want.”

Coco gestured with her thumb toward the Black Sword Corps members lined up behind her, emphasizing the wall dividing the Blue and White Teams.

Only then did the cadets realize that the Black Sword Corps members standing behind Coco were the barrier separating the Blue and White Teams.

Coco finished her brief explanation and, holding the list handed to her by the spectacled man, began calling names.

“Let’s see, first up… 48th class, Gunther Ryder!”

The mention of Gunther’s name from the very start caught everyone’s attention.

Simultaneously, everyone focused intently on Gunther’s every move.

‘In a conquest battle with 150 against 150, who you align with is crucial.’

The ‘who’ had to be someone exceptionally skilled, and no one fit that criterion better than Gunther.

‘To win this quest, you have to be on Gunther Ryder’s side!’

As all eyes were fixed on him, Gunther stepped forward and walked straight into the nearest Blue Team camp.

Confirming this, Coco called the next name.

“49th class, Theresia Winchester!”

Theresia, who wasn’t in her third year and whose name was suddenly called, looked slightly puzzled.

But only for a moment.

She glanced at Gunther, who was in the Blue Team, and without much hesitation, she stepped into the White Team camp.

Theresia’s choice caused a slight stir.

That stir was immediately quelled by the chilly aura emanating from Coco.

Having swiftly quieted the crowd, Coco returned her gaze to the list.

Checking the third name, Coco called out in a slightly relaxed tone.

“50th class, Yu…”

Before she could even finish saying the name, Yuri had already walked briskly into the White Team camp.

It was as if he had anticipated that his name would be called.

His movements were decisive, as though he had already made up his mind and had no need for hesitation.

“…ri Holland!”

Coco finished calling the name with a chuckle.

“You see that? You should all do the same. Make your decisions in advance, and act quickly!”

Then she called the fourth name.

“Goetz…”

Before she could complete the surname, a man with purple hair swinging jumped straight into the White Team camp.

“…Röthen!”

From that point on, Coco continued calling out names quickly.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Theresia.

“Nice to meet you both!”

They stiffened as they saw Goetz running towards them, waving his hands.

“…Damn, should we switch sides?”

“Take me with you if you do…”

Both began seriously contemplating the switch with grim expressions.

Names were called rapidly.

From this, the cadets realized the order.

‘This… it’s based on rank, isn’t it?’

‘The 48th, 49th, and 50th classes are being called in order of rank!’

That’s why 48th rank 1 Gunther, 49th rank 1 Theresia, 50th rank 1 Yuri, and 48th rank 2 Goetz were called in that sequence.

Everyone watched intently to see where the top-ranked members would go.

However, there was no need for such vigilance.

By the time the top 10 ranks from each class were called,

Only six individuals, including Yuri, Theresia, Arin, Poppy, Gunther, and Goetz, stood in the White Team.

On the other hand, the Blue Team had 24 members.

With such a staggering difference in numbers, the faces of those who had not yet been called hardened considerably.

‘No matter how you look at it, it’s excessive to have everyone on one side!’

‘Damn it, is the Blue Team going to fill up before my turn comes?’

‘What are the Black Sword Corps doing without intervening? Can this even be called a fair quest?’

The remaining cadets hoped that the Black Sword Corps would intervene to address this unfair and unbalanced team division.

However, the Black Sword Corps made no interference.

Then, finally, when names were called up to the top 60 ranks.

Thud—

As the last girl whose name was called joined the Blue Team camp, the Black Sword Corps member holding the blue flag lowered the flagpole horizontally.

As if to indicate that no further entries would be allowed.

Everyone understood what that meant.

Annoyed voices emerged from those who had not yet been called.

“Ha, damn it… it’s over.”

“…Those shameless bastards.”

Their dismal gazes fell on the open ground beyond the blue flag, where 150 of the 180 names called earlier were gathered.