Chapter 19: 3rd Round, 2nd Game (4)
It was around lunchtime.
The setting was a spacious courtyard behind the blacksmith's shop.
"Hmm... So, how old is that guy?"
That was Yuri's immediate reaction upon seeing the young bear that Ralph had brought as a sparring partner.
His question was filled with confusion.
Ralph responded with a proud smile, "He's thirteen this year."
Yuri immediately objected, "Thirteen? Are you kidding me? That thing looks like it's eaten more than a thirteen-year-old! It seems more like seventeen than me!"
"Oh, come on! How dare you speak ill of my grandson, who wouldn't even feel it if you poked him in the eye!"
"Grandson... poking something like that in the eye would be suicidal."
Disgusted, Yuri turned his gaze towards Johann this time.
"Johann! Say something! Where did you see that it's thirteen? Clearly, it's a case of switching players in the middle!"
Yuri sincerely believed that the bear had switched players midway through the match.
And who could blame him, looking at that thirteen-year-old?
He appeared to be around 185cm tall.
His calves were thicker than Yuri's arms.
Thighs like tree trunks.
An enormous neck.
And the biggest problem was that it was all muscle.
Where did they see a thirteen-year-old's body in that?
Frustrated by Yuri's outcry, Johann chuckled and patted Ralph's back.
"Hahaha, blood doesn't lie, it seems your grandson is quite the little powerhouse compared to you at his age."
"Tsk, powerhouse my foot. When I was his age, I was at least an inch taller than that. And I had more muscle than him."
"Hmm... now that you mention it, it does seem plausible."
"Maybe it's because he takes after my grandfather. Ugh, he should've taken after someone else."
As the conversation between Johann and Ralph flowed, Yuri resigned himself.
"I'm doomed... I'm really doomed."
Johann already believed without a doubt that the muscular monster in front of him was thirteen.
In a way, Yuri also found some degree of acceptance.
"Well, if he's the grandson of that bear-like inspiration, it's not surprising."
Like father, like son, as they say.
If the grandfather bear had muscles like boulders, wouldn't it be normal for the baby bear to be muscular too?
In that moment of unwitting acceptance.
Yuri's expression hardened.
"So, he's my opponent? That beanpole... is supposed to win against me without using divine powers?!"
If only he could use divine powers, he could win easily, but without them, it seemed like he'd have to stake his life on it.
And on top of that...
"What's that? An axe? A spear?"
Look at the disgusting weapon of that liar who claims to be thirteen.
It's as thick as the arm of an average adult man, with a huge blade on top.
Even if it's a wooden spear, the strength he's wielding it with is definitely not human.
"What is this..."
3rd Round, 2nd Game, or whatever.
Seems like the first round will break the helmet, doesn't it?
Yuri felt the peril of his life for the first time in a while.
"Well... this is inevitable!"
In the end, Yuri made a bold decision and raised his hand.
"Wait a minute!"
"...?"
Facing questioning glances, Yuri boldly shouted, "I concede!"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Although scattered murmurs could be heard, Yuri paid them no mind and shouted again.
"I concede!"
Might as well give up the first round if it's 3rd Round, 2nd Game.
When the clean concession declaration, leaving no room for regrets, echoed, there was a moment of silence.
Shortly after, Johann, regaining his senses, grinned wickedly and patted Yuri's shoulder.
"Haha, where did this kid pick up such a pathetic attitude? Now, go! Fight and die heroically!"
"I refuse!"
Yuri's swift and firm refusal prompted an incredulous look from Johann.
"Not long ago, you were exuding an aura of 'Come at me, world! I'll take on anyone!' Where did that kid go? Why, did you think you could beat toddlers in a toe-to-toe fight?"
"Are you exaggerating? I didn't go that far, but seriously, who fights with their toes?"
"Anyway! What happened to that spirited kid with all that bravado?"
"Let that time go. It was just childish antics."
Yuri brushed his nose with his index finger as if embarrassed.
His audacity left Johann even more bewildered.
"It hasn't been that long, you know!"
"Kids grow up fast in a few days. And I realized something."
"What?"
"The reality is more harsh than I thought!"
"...."
"There are more monsters in this world than I imagined. All this time, I've been able to maintain my leash just because I was lucky. Even predators can be overpowered by herbivores when they're young! So, I'll quietly bide my time until my teeth and claws are sharp enough!"
"...You're just packaging it nicely to say you'll keep a low profile and save yourself."
"Heh! Even if I say the same thing, it feels different when said like that, doesn't it? What should I call it... a wounded beast? A master hiding his strength for a reason? Oh! That's it. A master hiding his strength!"
"What nonsense! Just go and fight already!"
"I refuse!"
As Yuri and Johann bickered like they were about to tear each other's hair out, Ralph exclaimed in admiration.
"Wow... Where did you manage to pick such a senior-like guy?"
Upon hearing that, Johann narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"What nonsensical talk! Am I as spineless as this guy?"
After calming his racing heart with a deep breath, Johann tried to compose himself. A spark of realization flickered in his mind.
"Wait, why have I been listening to this guy's nonsense all this time?"
With this newfound realization, Johann burst into laughter.
"Hehehe."
"Huh?"
Yuri felt a chill down his spine at Johann's slightly crazed laughter.
Instinctively, he tried to take a step back, but Johann was quicker.
Whoosh!
Johann's hand flew like a dart, grabbing Yuri's back and throwing him into the center of the courtyard.
Yuri went flying.
"Huh?"
Thud!
"What?!"
In the midst of Yuri's confusion, Johann's cheerful voice reached his bewildered ears.
"Let's go, it's starting! Fight!"
At Johann's command, his grandson looked at Ralph.
His eyes seemed to ask if it was really okay to start now.
Nodding, Ralph gestured up and down with his head. With a faint sigh, the thirteen-year-old grandson raised his wooden spear.
Resolve filled the hesitant boy's eyes for a moment.
Thunk!
He moved.
With a speed incongruent with his size, he charged like a wild boar, shaking the ground with each step.
As Yuri watched the charging behemoth, a chill ran down his spine.
"Oh, damn it..."
He boasted to Johann that he would handle the young bear.
But...
"It seems like handling will be on my side after all."
Thud! Thud!
Yuri shouted with frustration as his sparring partner closed in on him in an instant.
"Hey, you crazy old man! If you're going to make me fight, at least give me a sword!"
As he yelled, a wooden spear aimed for Yuri's head, descending rapidly.
Seeing this, Yuri quickly stepped back.
Swish!
With a rough wind, the sharp tip barely missed his nose.
But was it because he shifted his stance too hastily?
His balance faltered slightly as his center of gravity shifted.
"Eek!"
Startled, Yuri fell backward, his body collapsing.
Instinctively, he shifted his weight and tumbled backward twice, narrowly avoiding the attack.
His movements were so fast and agile, it was as if he was watching an acrobat.
Slish- Thud!
Simultaneously, a hefty sound accompanied the wooden spear's tip embedding itself into the ground between Yuri's legs.
It was a hair's breadth away from a fatal blow, not to mention losing something precious.
"Phew, still attached?"
Relieved to find no serious injury, Yuri shouted with a pale face.
"Hey, isn't this a bit much for a fellow man!"
If Johann's grandson had dug a little deeper, Yuri's life and even his "precious" would have been in jeopardy in the precarious situation.
But despite Yuri's outcry, Ralph's grandson didn't stop and continued his assault.
Swish- Thwack!
"Huh?!"
Swish-
"Yikes!"
The swiftly swinging wooden spear stirred up the air, causing Yuri's clothes to flutter.
Each attack was potentially debilitating with just a slight graze.
Crunch-
"Yaaah!"
Although the screams were bizarre, Yuri evaded all the attacks with swift movements.
What surprised Yuri the most in this situation was himself.
"My body... feels lighter?"
He had demonstrated acrobatic dodges like this before when fighting Dutz Paggery.
However, the opponent he faced then and the one in front of him now were qualitatively different beings.
Although the opponent might be much younger, their combat prowess couldn't even be compared.
Furthermore, when facing Dutz Paggery, he had used divine powers, but now he was sealed even from that.
Yet, despite the clear perception of the surrounding situation, his body moved as he intended.
It felt like his brain commanded, and his body responded immediately.
There was only one cause for such a clear change.
"This is the power of mana!"
Mana, a newly acquired ability.
Though Yuri couldn't have built up mana without Johann's help in blocking the ether, the mana he had already accumulated faithfully exerted its power.
Thanks to this, Yuri could clearly understand why people craved mana so desperately.
Swish, swoosh.
Yuri's evasion, utilizing mana, continued.
Watching silently, Ralph stroked his chin.
Then, with a slight furrow of his brow, as if displeased, he muttered, "What a mess."
Yuri's movements were undoubtedly agile and flexible.
His sense of evasion was almost instinctual, akin to an animal's instinct.
But in Ralph's eyes, Yuri appeared no more than a wild colt with a fire in its tail, full of excess movement and inefficiency.
If Yuri was indeed Johann's disciple, he should never display such movements, especially in "unsin."
At Ralph's critique, Johann chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah, it's a mess. Heh heh."
"What exactly did you teach him?"
"I haven't really taught him anything yet. It's about time to start teaching."
At that, Ralph's gaze turned to Yuri.
"Hmm..."
Ralph excluded the factor of Yuri being Johann's disciple and simply evaluated Yuri's abilities.
"Not bad."
Being able to continue such evasion maneuvers purely by instinctual response indicated that Yuri's talent wasn't bad at all.
It could be seen as a talent that occurs roughly once in a hundred people, if one were to quantify it.
However, by Ralph's standards, having seen all sorts of geniuses, it wasn't satisfactory enough to be considered content.
Likely, Johann held even higher standards.
No, he might even have more rigorous conditions.
"But even so, for Johann senpai to choose that kid..."
That must mean there's something special about this boy named Yuri.
With a thoughtful expression, Ralph stroked his chin.
After observing Yuri for a while, his lips finally parted.
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