Chapter 8…
Thirst (3)
At Johan’s reply, Yuri blinked.
“…The Dragon’s Cradle? Why there?”
“Why else? I took the test and passed. Of course I have to enter.”
“Wasn’t that Cradle test thing just something you did on a whim?”
“On a whim? Just on a whim?”
“Yeah. Just because.”
“Are you insane? You think I’d waste a Dragon Emblem on some meaningless nonsense?”
At Johan’s crooked tone, Yuri looked like he couldn’t understand at all.
Tilting his head, Yuri asked,
“If I’m going to be your… that…”
“Test subject?”
“…Yeah. If I’m going to play test subject, shouldn’t I not enter the Cradle? If I go in, we won’t be able to meet.”
“Oh? Not bad. You can think that far.”
“…Who are you calling an idiot?”
“Heh heh, don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of that problem.”
Johan’s playful smile faded as he continued.
“And even for the experiment’s sake, you absolutely must go to the Cradle.”
“Why?”
“There’s no better place to build your strength.”
“…?”
Seeing Yuri blink in confusion, Johan smiled again.
“Do you know why all those so-called prodigies who think they’re the best in the world are desperate to get into the Cradle?”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no place where the strong monopolize everything more thoroughly than there.”
“…!”
“In the Cradle, dozens of spiritual elixirs that are hard to obtain even with money are released every single year. And that’s not all. Priceless swords, secret body-enhancement techniques of masters who once dominated an era—everything is there.”
“Wow.”
“All of it can only be claimed by those who win in fair competition. Now, what do you think happens if one person stands out overwhelmingly in that competition?”
“That one person would sweep up every benefit the Cradle offers.”
“Correct. A perfect monopoly by the strong.”
As Yuri listened, his expression stiffened slightly.
At the same time, a voice once branded into him in childhood surfaced in his mind.
[The weak are trampled and eliminated, but the strong… crush and evolve. That… is the era of the Sword Lord.]
Words spoken with a laugh by a knight on the verge of death.
The world Yuri had wandered through over the past years was not much different from that dead knight’s tale.
‘And the Dragon’s Cradle is practically the symbol of this era.’
In other words, the Cradle was a place where the current age of the strong devouring all was thickly condensed.
That was why Yuri could somewhat understand Johan’s reasoning.
‘He’s right. It really is a good place to build power.’
But that depended on one condition.
Overwhelming strength.
For the Cradle to be “a good place to build strength,” Yuri had to possess the power to defeat every competitor.
In that regard, he was confident.
“So I just go in there and suck up every last drop of the sweet rewards they scatter around? Sounds like a good plan.”
A glint flickered in Johan’s eyes at Yuri’s confident mutter.
But the smile on his lips was unmistakably a sneer.
“Heh. You’re really full of yourself.”
“…?”
“One day.”
“Huh?”
“If you enter the Cradle right now, one day would be enough for you to pack your bags and get kicked out. That is, if you’re lucky enough to walk out with all four limbs intact. More likely, you’ll be carried out in a coffin.”
“…What?”
“What’s so surprising? Do you think the Cradle is some gathering of neighborhood brats? It’s where carefully selected talents from all over the world gather. And they’ve been rigorously trained as prodigies since childhood.”
“……”
“In the middle of those geniuses, how long do you think that pitiful body of yours—without even accumulated mana, let alone body-enhancement techniques—would last?”
“What if I use the Curse… I mean, the Incarnation?”
“That estimate already includes it. Without it, you wouldn’t last an hour—hell, not even a minute.”
It was an extremely harsh evaluation.
Yuri’s brow twitched, and Johan snorted.
“What? Hurt your pride?”
“……”
“The Incarnation is certainly an incredible technique. But no matter how fine a sword is, in the hands of a peasant it’s just a tool for chopping firewood. You’ve never properly wielded that fine sword called the Incarnation—you’ve just crushed opponents with its raw power.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“So far, that approach has worked. Whether swordsmanship or body-enhancement arts, you never felt lacking because you hadn’t learned them. That’s why you didn’t care much about them either.”
He was right.
Even basic swordsmanship required steady training at a martial hall.
As for body-enhancement techniques, even the lowest-grade ones cost more money than ordinary commoners could dream of affording.
‘And even if I somehow learned them, they wouldn’t compare to using the Incarnation.’
For someone like Yuri, who struggled daily just to survive, it hadn’t been worth the choice.
Their gazes locked.
“You’re seriously unbalanced right now.”
“I know. My soul’s swollen—”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what?”
“You have the power to kill an opponent in a single blow. But you don’t have the power to protect yourself. If you wipe out every enemy in one spot, fine. But what if you don’t?”
“……”
“If you collapse unconscious like you did today… and even one enemy is still alive?”
Yuri clenched his fist.
Johan spoke coldly.
“Those who set foot in the Cradle… are vicious sharks. To creatures like that, someone who collapses after using the Incarnation once is nothing more than easy prey.”
Things Yuri had never considered—
No, things he had unconsciously avoided thinking about—poured from Johan’s mouth.
Yuri’s face hardened slightly.
‘Me… prey?’
He had never seriously thought about it before.
Ever since awakening the Curse—no, the Incarnation—he had always been the predator.
Street fighters who strutted around a region.
Mercenary warriors proud of their body-enhancement skills.
Even knights with unofficial certifications.
He had met and faced many people while wandering the world, but never once had he thought of them as threats.
He had even brought down the infamous Black Sword Soldier.
‘And I’m prey?’
The word scratched at his pride, and a defiant tone slipped out.
“That guy Gunther who passed the Cradle this time didn’t seem that impressive.”
“That brat who doesn’t look like much? He could probably kill you with one finger if you couldn’t use the Incarnation.”
“Why do you keep excluding the Incarnation? It’s my power too. If I control it properly—”
“You plan to keep using a power that gnaws away at your lifespan once you’re in the Cradle?”
“……”
“If that’s your plan, carry a coffin in with you. If you use the Incarnation every time something happens, your lifespan will run out before you even finish the five years there.”
Yuri bit his lip hard.
But he couldn’t refute him.
Every word Johan said was right.
As if sensing his thoughts, Johan continued with a mocking smile.
“That Gunther you mentioned? He’s a rookie. A baby shark, maybe.”
“……”
“And that baby shark grows big and strong by eating prey like you. Heh.”
Repeating the word “prey,” Johan watched Yuri inwardly.
‘For his future, I need to break this brat’s pride a little.’
Yuri was like a wary wild beast.
Provoke him and he’d bare his fangs. Threaten his safety and he’d bite without hesitation.
And his pride—so strong that even when you tried to treat his wounds, he’d brush you off.
How do you tame such a beast?
Build closeness slowly?
That was one way—but Johan had no taste for that lukewarm approach.
‘To handle a beast, you crush its pride and make it show its belly.’
Imprint an overwhelming difference in strength so that it follows you.
That was Johan’s preferred method.
He grinned.
“But don’t worry! There’s still plenty of time before this class enters the Cradle!”
“……”
“If you keep grinding under me from now on, you might at least become the Shark King there. You need to be at least that much to count as a proper human!”
Cackling as he needled Yuri, Johan waited.
‘That should be enough to set him off.’
And sure enough—
Sparks flashed in Yuri’s eyes.
“Old man.”
His golden irises sharpened as they fixed on Johan.
“…How strong are you?”
“Hm?”
“I don’t care about being some Shark King. If I’m going to get stronger…”
He paused briefly.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he looked at Johan.
“Then I need to be at least stronger than you.”
“Oh?”
“So I can punch that annoying face of yours.”
A glint flickered in Johan’s eyes.
‘He’s taken the bait.’
Time to reel him in.
“Curious how strong I am?”
Before Yuri could answer, Johan vanished.
He reappeared behind him.
“—?!”
“Then I’ll show you.”
In an instant, Johan grabbed Yuri by the nape and leapt out of the cave.
“Ol-old man?! What are you doing?!”
But Johan was faster than Yuri’s shout.
By the time Yuri’s voice echoed, they had already been flung outside.
The cave was perched on a twenty-meter cliff.
Naturally, a dizzying drop spread beneath them.
Yuri’s face went pale.
But his expression soon shifted from fear to shock.
“…Huh?”
His eyes widened.
“Walking…?”
Johan, still gripping his collar—
“…on air?”
He was walking through the sky.
As if stepping down invisible stairs, Johan leisurely trod the air.
When they finally touched the ground, he tossed the stunned Yuri aside.
Yuri quickly righted himself and stared.
“You want to hit me? Then watch carefully. You’ll need at least this much just to bring your hand near my face.”
Johan turned toward the cliff.
At his feet, something hazy and white began to gather.
‘…What is that?’
White smoke? Mist?
No.
It was a cloud.
A pure white cloud formed beneath his feet, supporting him.
Yuri immediately realized—it wasn’t an ordinary cloud.
Because he had something similar.
Though different in appearance.
‘Is that his Incarnation?’
Where Yuri’s Incarnation resembled a monstrous embodiment of fear, Johan’s took the form of a white billowing cloud.
As Yuri stared blankly—
Shing.
Johan drew his sword and angled it diagonally.
A current rose from the cloud, climbing his calves, thighs, body, and arm before gathering around the blade.
A white stream coiled around it like a serpent.
Woooong—
The cloud wrapped around the blade vibrated violently, as if begging to be unleashed.
Johan lightly flicked his sword.
Slash—
A simple upward diagonal swing.
But what followed was anything but simple.
The white current surged forward, expanding to dozens of meters before transforming as it reached the cliff.
Rumble—
A dragon’s head with antlers.
A serpentine body with four pairs of legs.
It resembled the divine dragon spoken of in ancient eastern legends.
Rooooar!
The cloud dragon opened its maw and roared.
And slammed into the cliff.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, the cloud dragon vanished—
And so did the cliff.
No—not just the cliff. The mountain behind it was erased as well.
As the mountain blocking the sunset disappeared, a vivid red sun revealed itself.
Yuri’s trembling eyes followed the empty space.
‘This… was made by…’
One strike.
With that single, casual swing, the cliff and mountain had vanished.
‘By a single human?’
At that moment, Yuri realized—
He had been using his Incarnation wrong all along.
He hadn’t drawn out even one-thousandth—no, one-ten-thousandth—of its true potential.
‘I wasn’t controlling it. I was being dragged around by its power.’
He stared at Johan’s back.
The once-small figure now seemed immeasurably vast.
‘This… is the power of a Master?’
He had heard endlessly about Masters and their fame.
But he had never truly understood the weight of that reputation.
‘My god…’
He was only fifteen.
And he had never once tasted defeat.
The crack formed in his youthful arrogance.
‘I was a frog in a well.’
With that realization, his pride and condescension shattered completely.
In their place, a spark of yearning ignited.
‘That… is true strength.’
The world created by Sword Lord Luke Rider.
The absolute power held by those who reigned within it.
“Ah…”
Yuri’s eyes grew hazy.
Only one thought filled his mind.
‘I want it. That strength…’
The power Johan Redner had shown him.
A longing for it.
That alone circled in his head.
‘No. I want power beyond even that!’
At seven, when children wanted toys, Yuri had instead harbored hatred alongside unnatural strength.
At eight, realizing his life was limited, he chose the will to live over hatred.
And now, at fifteen, weary from a drifting life without purpose—
‘…I’m thirsty.’
For the first time in his life, Yuri felt a burning thirst born of pure desire.
