I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 19. Third Attempt, Second Selection (4)

It was around lunchtime.

The place was a spacious clearing behind the blacksmith shop.

“So… How old is he again?”

That was Yuri’s first reaction upon seeing Ralph’s grandson, a kid who looked like a baby bear.

His question was filled with bewilderment.

Ralph answered Yuri’s dazed question with a pleased expression.

“He’s thirteen this year.”

A retort came immediately.

“Thirteen? No way! That guy looks like he’s at least twenty-six!”

“Hey! How dare you speak like that about my grandson, who is so dear to me!”

“Old bear… If you put something like that in your eye, you’d die.”

With a look of disgust, Yuri turned his gaze to Johan.

“Old man! Say something! How can that kid be thirteen? I swear they switched him midway!”

Yuri was convinced that the old bear had swapped the fighter midway.

And with good reason.

Just look at that so-called thirteen-year-old.

He appeared to be about 185 cm tall.

His arms were as thick as Yuri’s calves.

His thighs were like tree trunks.

An enormous neck circumference.

And the biggest problem was that it was all muscle.

A solid mass of muscle that seemed capable of repelling a knife’s blade.

How on earth could that be the body of a thirteen-year-old?

Johan, laughing heartily, patted Ralph’s waist in response to Yuri’s indignant outburst.

“Ha ha ha, they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Your grandson is just like you were at that age.”

“Like me? When I was his age, I was at least a head taller and more muscular.”

“Hmm… Now that you mention it, that does seem right.”

“It’s because he takes after his grandmother. Picky eater. He shouldn’t have picked up that trait.”

Listening to the conversation between Johan and Ralph, Yuri gave up.

‘This is hopeless…’

Johan had already accepted without doubt that the muscular monster in front of them was thirteen years old.

In some way, Yuri found himself somewhat convinced as well.

‘Well, if he’s the grandson of that bear-like old man, it might make sense.’

Like produces like.

If the grandfather was a muscle-bound bear, it was only natural for the grandson to be a muscle-bound baby bear.

And so, before he realized it, Yuri found himself accepting the situation.

Yuri’s face darkened.

‘So, that’s my opponent? I have to beat that beast… without using the Avatar?!’

He could win easily if he could use his Avatar, but without it, he might have to risk his life.

Moreover…

‘What’s that? An axe? A spear?’

Look at the weapon of that deceitful beast who lied about being thirteen.

A spear with a shaft as thick as an average adult male’s forearm.

And a massive blade.

Even if it was made entirely of wood, the strength required to wield it like a twig was far from ordinary.

‘This is just…’

Three matches, two wins?

It looked like his skull might get smashed in the first match.

Yuri felt a rare sense of danger to his life.

‘Fine… This can’t be helped!’

In the end, Yuri made a big decision and raised his hand.

“Wait!”

“…?”

Facing questioning looks, Yuri boldly declared.

“I forfeit!”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Sounds of disbelief came from all around, but Yuri paid no mind and shouted again.

“I forfeit!”

Given it was three matches, two wins, he would give up the first match.

As his clean declaration of forfeiture echoed, silence fell for a moment.

Johan, who came to his senses, placed a hand on Yuri’s shoulder with a rotten smile.

“You rascal, cut the crap. Now, go! Fight and die valiantly!”

“I refuse!”

Johan looked at Yuri with a stunned expression.

“Where did the kid who was shouting ‘Bring it on, world! I’ll take you all on!’ go? You acted like you could take on the kids entering the cradle with your toes!”

“You’re exaggerating! I never said it like that. How can anyone fight with their toes?”

“Anyway! Where’s that spirited kid who spoke like that?”

“Forget that. I was just being childish.”

Yuri rubbed his nose with his index finger, looking embarrassed.

Johan was even more dumbfounded by his brazenness.

“It’s only been a few months!”

“Kids grow fast, you know. I realized something.”

“What?”

“The reality is harsher than I thought!”

“…”

“There are more monsters in this world than I imagined. I’ve survived this far because I was lucky. Even a beast cub can get kicked to death by a herbivore. So I’ll stay low until my teeth and claws are fully grown!”

“You sure know how to dress up running away as something fancy.”

“Hey! Even if you say the same thing, it sounds different. Like… a wounded beast? A master hiding his power? Oh! That’s perfect. A master hiding his power!”

“Stop your nonsense. Are you going to fight or not!”

“No!”

As Yuri and Johan seemed about to tear each other’s hair out, Ralph expressed his admiration.

“Huh… You picked someone just like you?”

At that, Johan’s eyes blazed.

“What nonsense! Do you think I was as spineless as this kid?”

After shouting and barely calming down, Johan had a realization.

‘Wait, why have I been listening to this kid’s nonsense?’

Johan, having gained enlightenment, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Haha.”

“Uh?”

At the slightly crazed laughter, Yuri felt a chill down his spine.

He instinctively tried to step back, but Johan’s hand was faster.

Whoosh.

Johan’s hand grabbed the back of Yuri’s neck and threw him into the center of the clearing.

Yuri flew through the air.

“Huh?”

Thud.

“Wha…?!”

As Yuri lay sprawled in the center, stunned, Johan’s cheerful voice reached his ears.

“Now, it begins! Fight!”

At that shout, Ralph’s grandson looked at him.

A gaze asking if it was really time to start.

Nod.

As Ralph nodded, the thirteen-year-old sighed lightly and picked up his wooden spear.

After a brief hesitation, determination filled the boy’s eyes.

Swoosh!

The boy moved.

Despite his size, his speed was tremendous.

Thud- Thud- Thud!

The ground shook as the massive figure charged like a boar, making Yuri’s guts clench.

‘Damn it…’

Yuri had boasted to Johan about handling the baby bear.

But now…

‘Looks like I’m the one who’s going to get handled.’

Thud- Thud!

As the sparring partner approached in an instant, Yuri shouted in frustration.

“You crazy old man! If you want me to fight, at least give me a sword!”

At that moment, the wooden spear aimed at Yuri’s head came down.

Yuri hastily retreated.

Whoosh.

The sharp blade whistled past, just missing his face.

But his hurried movement threw him off balance.

“Gah!”

Panicked, Yuri tilted his body backward.

Instinctively shifting his weight, he did two backflips to get out of the way.

His movements were so quick and agile, it was like watching a piece of acrobatics.

Whoosh- Crunch!

At the same time, the heavy spearhead lodged into the ground between his legs with a solid thud.

Yuri, who had narrowly avoided losing not just his life but also something precious, checked between his legs.

‘Still there?’

Relieved to find everything intact, Yuri shouted with a pale face.

“Hey, this isn’t fair between men!”

If the spear had gone just a bit deeper, it would have been a disaster.

But Ralph’s grandson didn’t stop his attacks despite Yuri’s desperate cry.

Whoosh-.

“Yikes?!”

Swish-.

“Gah!”

The quickly swung spear whipped up a fierce wind, fluttering Yuri’s clothes.

A series of attacks that could inflict serious injury with just a graze.

Swoosh-.

“Yikes!”

Though his screams were odd, Yuri evaded all the attacks with swift movements.

Yuri himself was the most surprised by this.

‘My body… feels light?’

In the past, he had shown acrobatic evasion moves while fighting Dutch’s gang.

But the opponents back then were not on the same level as the one before him now.

Even when fighting Dutch’s gang, he had used his Avatar, which was currently sealed.

Yet, he clearly perceived his surroundings and moved as intended.

It felt as if his body responded instantly to his brain’s commands.

There was only one reason for this distinct change.

‘This must be the power of mana!’

The mana he had recently acquired.

Although he couldn’t accumulate new mana without Johan’s help to open his spiritual hole, the mana he had already gathered was effectively working.

Thanks to this, Yuri realized why people desired mana so much.

Whoosh- Swish-.

Thus, Yuri continued evading using mana.

Watching him quietly, Ralph stroked his chin, frowning slightly as if dissatisfied.

“It’s a mess.”

Yuri’s movements were indeed agile and flexible.

His evasion instinct was almost animalistic.

But to Ralph’s eyes, Yuri was just a wild colt with a tail on fire.

His movements were cluttered and extremely inefficient.

A disciple of Johan should never move like that.

Especially in terms of ‘movement.’

At Ralph’s harsh critique, Johan nodded with a laugh.

“Yes, it’s a mess. Haha.”

“What did you teach him?”

“Nothing yet. Now is when the teaching starts.”

With that, Ralph’s gaze returned to Yuri.

‘Hmm…’

Ralph removed the element of ‘Johan’s disciple’ from Yuri.

He evaluated Yuri based solely on his abilities.

‘Not bad.’

To perform such evasive maneuvers instinctively indicated that Yuri’s talent wasn’t bad.

A talent seen once in every hundred people, perhaps?

But by Ralph’s standards, having seen countless geniuses, it wasn’t satisfactory.

Johan likely had even stricter criteria.

‘Yet Johan chose this kid…’

This meant that there was something special about Yuri.

Stroking his chin, Ralph wore a thoughtful expression.

After watching Yuri for a while, he opened his mouth.