I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Rage Howler’s Cave

Although it is called a cave, the interior of the gate is structured as a maze with sturdy gray stone walls.

The Rage Howlers that inhabit this place are monsters resembling a mix of monkeys and apes. They are characterized by their immense strength, high intelligence, and deep sense of camaraderie.

‘At one point, this was a notorious gate.’

This place is a haven for shady characters.

Rage Howlers, with their intelligence, use equipment stolen from hunters. The longer a Rage Howler has lived, the more experienced it becomes, enabling it to employ a wide variety of attacks—sometimes as skillfully as a human hunter.

But why was it so infamous?

The Rage Howlers’ use of hunter equipment led to hunters entering the gate, secretly killing others, framing the Howlers for the act, and walking out with the victim’s equipment as spoils of war. As a result, this gate became a favorite dungeon for scumbags and rogue hunters who preyed on other hunters.

Despite the risks, the gate was still quite popular.

Hunting Rage Howlers not only yielded magic stones but also the hunter equipment they carried. Naturally, money-driven hunters couldn’t resist such a lucrative farming spot.

This resulted in a continuous influx of people, traps being set, hunters betraying one another, and even the emergence of hunters specializing in targeting these betrayers. Chaos reigned in this gate.

As the casualties spiraled out of control, measures had to be taken. Eventually, the Archmage intervened.

She placed a magical rule upon the gate:

《Rule》
“Those who attack humans rather than Rage Howlers shall be branded.”

-Anyone attacking another human within the gate would have the word “Murderer” branded above their head.

-Branded individuals became exceptions to the dungeon’s rules.

This meant all other hunters inside the dungeon would treat them as enemies, and hundreds of hunters outside the gate would be waiting to ambush them.

Essentially, attacking a fellow human turned you into a glittering golden treasure goblin for all others to target.

‘Sure, one could survive by hiding and enduring for 30 days amidst the Rage Howlers and hostile hunters, but…’

That was far from easy.

Under the Archmage’s rule, the Rage Howlers’ domain paradoxically became the safest hunting ground.

‘However, the unexplored regions unaffected by Lina’s rule are quite dangerous.’

In these areas, murders could be committed without branding, attracting rogue hunters and killers. These regions were also home to Rage Howlers, who possessed strength far surpassing humans but intelligence comparable to them. When one was attacked, others would swarm in retaliation due to their strong pack mentality.

We were about to step into the shadows of this chaotic region.

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Footsteps echoed.

The magically enhanced restraints crafted by Lina were formidable. Not only did they suppress mana, but they also weakened physical abilities. It felt like moving through a dense liquid compared to normal.

“Hey, Jin Yuha, doesn’t this remind you of that time?”

Lee Yoo-ri, walking ahead, struck up a conversation with me.

“When? Oh, right, when we visited the Sword Master’s domain.”

Exactly. It felt just like that.

“…It’s nostalgic,” Alice chimed in, nodding as if she didn’t mind the constrictive sensation of her body and mana being suppressed.

At that moment, a clear voice came through the artifact in my ear.

-“This is Operator Shin Se-hee. Commencing command.”

-“Since there’s not much to gain here, our goal is to take the shortest route to the unexplored region.”

-“Formation D. Wedge formation.”

At her command, we shifted into a wedge formation:

Kang Do-hee

Alice ┃ Jin Yuha

Ichika ┃ Sophia ┃ Lim Ga-eul

Lee Yoo-ri

This formation was focused purely on advancing forward, disregarding defense.

-“Projecting the route now.”

With a whirring sound, a gem emitted a white light, tracing a path on the ground.

“Heh, as expected of meticulous Shin Se-hee.”

The line was as precise as a maze solution drawn out in advance.

-“500 meters ahead: a group of 15 Rage Howlers detected.”

Shin Se-hee even crafted arrows of light to guide us with care. I couldn’t help but smile at her thoroughness.

‘I think I’m starting to understand what’s been troubling her.’

Though I had something to say to her, I decided to follow her instructions for now. Sometimes, experiencing failure firsthand is the best way to recognize and fix mistakes.

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BOOM!

Led by Kang Do-hee, Utopia swiftly navigated the maze.

Even when Rage Howlers wielding hunter equipment blocked our way, Utopia pressed forward without hesitation.

-“Good. Next step…”

The dungeon was a complex labyrinth.

Unlike other hunters who carried paper maps to record their routes, Utopia had no need for such things.

A gate-specific drone camera floated above, illuminating the dungeon, while Shin Se-hee’s eyes darted around. She updated the map in her head with Utopia’s position in real-time, identifying optimal routes and projecting them as beams of light.

-“Take a left here. After 300 meters, turn right. Then a U-turn. Six suspicious individuals spotted—likely ordinary hunters.”

Thanks to this efficient approach, Utopia reached the edge of the unexplored region—a new record time of just one hour.

Normally, for an ordinary high-ranking party to reach the edge of the territory, it takes over 9 hours. Considering that, a record of just 1 hour was unbelievable.
Nevertheless, Shin Se-hee’s expression hardened even further.

‘This is just the beginning.’

The Unknown

Yes, the true test of a commander’s abilities begins here. A maze with no information, hunters and demonic beings who kill without hesitation, and the Rage Howlers who live in groups, endlessly calling for reinforcements.
The threats are everywhere.

Of course, even with that, if Utopia were to go all out, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.
However, the current party members are restricted by mana limiters and various other constraints.

‘… This must be to test my command capabilities, right?’

Shin Se-hee accepted this as a sign of trust and instead raised the corners of her mouth into a smile.

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“Screeee!!”
“Screech!”
“Screech, screech! Scree-scree-scree!!”

The battle against the Rage Howlers had begun in the Unknown.

A crazed horde of monkey-like creatures blocked Utopia’s path, rampaging wildly.

-“Lee Yoo-ri.”

Hearing the clear voice through her ear communicator, Lee Yoo-ri furrowed her brows.

To be honest, when she heard that Shin Se-hee was taking over the party’s command, Lee Yoo-ri wasn’t particularly worried.

After all, Shin Se-hee had already proven her abilities many times over. She had effortlessly handled difficult and complex tasks that Yoo-ri herself could never have managed.

For that reason, she believed this command would be executed well enough too.

However, the instructions she received from Shin Se-hee felt stifling somehow.

-“Tilt your shield upward at a 45-degree angle. Then take two steps back. Yes, that’s good.”

Thwack!

When she retreated, sharp spikes suddenly shot up from where she had just been standing—a trap laid by the Rage Howlers.

‘I know.’

-“Sofia, an arrow is coming from the 2 o’clock direction. Tilt your shield slightly to the right to deflect it.”

Ting!

Yoo-ri tilted her shield as instructed, deflecting the incoming arrow, which then embedded itself in the forehead of a Rage Howler behind her.

‘I already know that too…’

The style of command was similar to Jin Yuha’s.
No, perhaps even more meticulous.
The instructions were reasonable, and not particularly taxing to follow.

But why did she feel so suffocated?

Yoo-ri glanced at the other party members.

Just like her, they all wore unpleasant expressions.

“Screeech!”

Boom!

Especially Kang Do-hee, who seemed to be suppressing a boiling rage, punching with all her emotions behind every swing.

And then, for a brief moment, she hesitated.

‘… Se-hee must have said something to her.’

Shin Se-hee was a monster—that much was undeniable.

Right now, she was giving such detailed instructions to Yoo-ri, all while providing equally precise guidance to the other party members.

‘I’ve taken command as vice-party leader a few times, but I couldn’t even imitate Jin Yuha.’

But still, how should she put it?

“… Like puppets?”

Yes, exactly. That was it.
It felt as if Shin Se-hee was controlling them like puppets or leading a personal guard.

‘I didn’t want to compare her to Jin Yuha, but this is making it impossible not to…’

Jin Yuha and Shin Se-hee.
What was so different between the two that it created this disparity?

On the surface, they seemed similar.
The detailed instructions, the foresight to anticipate several moves ahead, the way they suggested optimal movements and skill timings—it was evident that Shin Se-hee had deeply studied Jin Yuha’s command style.

But when Jin Yuha was in command, not once did Yoo-ri feel like a puppet.

‘… Jin Yuha lets me make my own decisions and doesn’t intervene unless necessary.’

Somehow, Jin Yuha only spoke concisely when pointing out things she hadn’t thought of herself.

It felt like an itch being scratched in just the right spot.

Recently, his instructions had become much less frequent.
And whenever that happened, she’d catch him turning back to give a sly smile.

‘It feels like my judgment is being validated.’

-“Lee Yoo-ri, the direction straight ahead. Coordinated attack. Step on Ichika’s shadow to evade.”

Following Shin Se-hee’s instructions, Yoo-ri stepped on the shadow and continued her thoughts.

‘And Jin Yuha sometimes makes reckless demands that leave me wondering, “Can I really do this?”’

But when she moved without hesitation, she found herself surpassing her own limits.

What followed was an overwhelming sense of achievement.
The belief that she could grow stronger if she stayed with this person naturally led her to recognize Jin Yuha as the leader.

Looking back to when the Utopia party was first formed, and Jin Yuha became the leader…

‘At that time, Kang Do-hee was the strongest among us.’

Even that prideful Kang Do-hee had no objections to Jin Yuha taking the leader’s position.

But now…

“Shut up, you flowery chatterbox! Just shut your mouth!”

Boom!

In the end, Kang Do-hee couldn’t hold back any longer and exploded.

‘Is this… really okay?’

Yoo-ri turned her gaze to Jin Yuha, who wore an unreadable expression, his thoughts a mystery.