I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

The next day.

As I set out with the party members to tackle the Rage Howlers, I couldn’t help but glance at them warily.

After being betrayed by Soup, whom I had trusted the day before,
Before I could say anything, Shin Se-hee had stepped in.

-“Jin Yuha, could you do some scouting for a moment?”

“I just finished scouting, though…”

-“We have something to discuss among ourselves. It won’t take long.”

Her voice, cold and sharp like frost, left me no choice. As soon as I returned to the hideout, I was sent out again, wandering alone for scouting.

Then, after coming back and dozing off due to the mental backlash of using Muah, I woke up to find myself here.

‘Hmm, are these guys really okay?’

I looked at the party members with skeptical eyes.

The previous day, I couldn’t point out Shin Se-hee’s shortcomings.
The party members were likely still dissatisfied with her leadership.
Would things really improve if we tried again today?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Regardless, the battle had begun.
Since Shin Se-hee had asked me to observe the other party members instead of stepping in myself,
I decided to follow her suggestion and watch them fight.

Confronting the Rage Howler pack again—

Boom!

Soup swung her shield wide, driving the Rage Howlers back.
This created an opening for Kang Do-hee and Alice to slip in.

Swish—

Amidst it all, Ichika’s shadow rose, obscuring the Rage Howlers’ vision.

“Haah! Accelerate!”

With the acceleration boost from Senior Ga-eul, Kang Do-hee and Alice dove in aggressively, slaughtering the Rage Howlers.

Crack! Crack! Boom!

Screech!
Squeal!

Meanwhile, Sophia’s golden arrows arched through the air, landing precisely to support the two attackers.

‘Oh, what’s this?’

I watched the party’s battle, my eyes widening.

‘This isn’t… Shin Se-hee’s solo direction, is it?’

The start was noticeably different from the meticulous, flawless planning of the day before.

‘Hmm… Sophia’s healing timing is definitely Shin Se-hee’s doing.’

The arrows landed at just the right moments, aiding party members who had taken damage.

But other aspects seemed to involve significant individual decision-making.

‘Not bad…’

It felt far smoother than the previous day.

‘What on earth did they talk about to end up like this?’

I found myself marveling at the party’s distinct improvement.

Crack! Crack!

Before I knew it, the battle was wrapping up.

‘Hmm, but are they not going to give me any orders?’

I had been observing as requested, but my patience was wearing thin.

-“Jin Yuha.”

At that moment, Shin Se-hee’s voice reached my ears.

“Oh, finally. Is it my turn?”

-“Yes, there’s a pack of about 200 Rage Howlers ahead. Hmm, and it seems there’s a demon mixed in as well. Can you handle them all alone using Muah?”

“…Muah?”

-“Yes.”

“I mean, I can use it, but why so suddenly?”

-“Because everyone needs to see. To see how much you’ve changed compared to before using Muah. I’m truly sorry for asking you to sacrifice yourself.”

‘Sacrifice? What does she mean by that?’

Tilting my head in confusion, I stepped forward.

.

.

.

-“No.”

When the party members suggested handing the leadership back to Jin Yuha the previous day,
Shin Se-hee firmly rejected it.

“I won’t follow your commands.”

Kang Do-hee, in a heated tone that made the other party members nervous, retorted,
but Shin Se-hee simply snorted dismissively.

-“It’s not happening.”

Frustrated, Kang Do-hee swore.

“Fine, damn it. Do whatever you want. No matter how much you talk, I’ll never follow your orders.”

-“You have to.”

It was a standoff, with one side insisting on following orders and the other refusing outright.

Their argument dragged on endlessly, like talking to a brick wall.

Eventually, after who knows how long, Shin Se-hee spoke in a slightly lowered voice.

-“After reflecting on today’s battle, I understand your thoughts. You likely want to prioritize your own judgment over detailed instructions.”

“…”

The party members nodded slightly in agreement.

-“However, I still don’t think I’m wrong. My direction was stable, and the strategy was efficient. I believe my orders are more accurate and yield better results than your half-baked decisions.”

“You mean to say—!”

Just as Kang Do-hee was about to snap,

-“But I’ll yield.”

“…What?”

The party members were stunned into silence. None of them had expected Shin Se-hee to say such a thing.

She had maintained her pride up until moments ago, insisting she wasn’t wrong.

-“If I don’t yield here, we’ll end up holding Jin Yuha back again. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’ll completely give up on giving orders. Let’s find a suitable compromise.”

Among everything she said, one sentence struck the party members deeply.

“We’re holding Jin Yuha back…?”

It wasn’t the first time they’d heard this.
Jin Yuha’s mentor, Baek Seol-hee, had mentioned it before.
But hearing it from Shin Se-hee ignited their anger even more.

Since that criticism, the party members had worked harder.
They moved more flexibly, reduced their reliance on Jin Yuha’s orders,
and adapted to their surroundings.

And yet, it wasn’t enough?

-“No, it’s not enough. If Jin Yuha has to take care of you even a little, he can’t fully unleash his true abilities.”

Afterward, Shin Se-hee listened to the party members’ grievances.
She decided to allow more autonomy while only intervening at critical moments.

.

.

.

Now, back to the present.

It was better than the previous day,
but still not on par with Jin Yuha’s leadership.

After a round of battle,

Jin Yuha stepped forward.

-“Watch closely. See how much of a shackle you’ve become on Jin Yuha.”

The unpleasant voice of the Se-hee whispered in my ear.

Yesterday, whatever Jin Yuha had done with his outing, it was certain that Shin Se-hee had changed after seeing something vastly different from them.

‘What does she mean we’re holding him back?’

Kang Do-hee and the other party members silently stared at Jin Yuha’s back as he strode ahead alone.

.

.

.

Ahead, about 200 Rage Howlers and a group of women came into view.

Their sharp, protruding horns identified them as demons.

It seemed they were in some kind of symbiotic relationship with the Rage Howlers.

Or rather, parasitic.

They soon noticed us, their eyes glinting with hostility.

“Huh? What the hell are they? Are there still insane humans daring to come here? Pfft, hahaha!”
“Wow!!! Hey, look at that guy! Isn’t he amazing?”
“Unbelievable─!”
“Wow, I want to have him.”

Despite their loud chatter, the Rage Howlers beside them paid no attention to their noise.

‘Hmm, there must be someone with the ability to erase their presence.’

If that were the case, it wouldn’t be strange for them to coexist with the Rage Howlers.

However, there was something peculiar.

As demons, they shouldn’t be ignorant of Utopia. Yet their reaction made it seem as if they were seeing both me and Utopia for the first time.

“Shin Sehee, do you know who they are?”

-“Yes, I just checked. Those demons are an SS-class danger group known as Carpe Diem. They caused a massive slaughter two years ago and then disappeared without a trace. It seems they’ve settled here.”

I nodded at her words.

We started making a name for ourselves about a year and three months ago. If they had holed up here all this time, it made sense they wouldn’t know Utopia.

‘Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee did make some waves back then, but they were still rookies.’

“Carpe Diem.”

When I spoke their name, one of the demons widened her eyes.

“Wow, you even know our name? That’s right. We’re Carpe Diem. It’s been two years since we made a name for ourselves. I didn’t think anyone still remembered us!”
“Well, I just learned about you now.”
“By the way, you’re really handsome. You seem to be with some other women, but why don’t you ditch them and hang out with us sisters?”
“Hmm, leave my party members behind?”
“Yeah, if you come with us quietly, we’ll spare the others.”
“Fine. Sure. Let’s play together.”

When I nodded while suppressing myself into a state of Muah, the demons clapped and cheered.

“Then, I’ll be the tagger. Try to run and hide as best as you can.”

I felt the corners of my mouth curl upward as I drew my sword.

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.

.

Slash───

Kang Do-hee and the other Utopia party members watched the battle unfolding before them with their mouths agape.

Hundreds of Rage Howlers and SS-class danger-level demons.

Even giving it the most optimistic assessment, these weren’t enemies Jin Yuha could handle alone, especially with his powers restricted.

They were ready to jump in at any moment.

But the moment the sword was drawn, they were overwhelmed.

The Rage Howlers charged toward Jin Yuha, and the demons used them as shields to unleash their attacks.

With a swift motion, Jin Yuha bent backward and swung his sword.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

His sword pierced through the throats of the Rage Howlers one after another in a single upward motion.

Using the momentum of stepping lightly on a charging Rage Howler’s fist, Jin Yuha launched himself toward the demons.

“This insane…! Why… Why isn’t our concealment working on him?”
“Kill him! Kill that bastard immediately! You useless beasts!”
“Take down that lunatic now!! Gyaaah!!!”

Slash─

One of the demons’ arms was severed.

“Ahaha! You’re dead!”

Jin Yuha spoke in a cheerful voice.

This wasn’t the Jin Yuha they knew.

No, could this even be called “different”?

Jin Yuha was tormenting the demons like a child playing hide-and-seek among the Rage Howlers.

He could end it at any moment, but instead, he chose to maim them, cutting off a limb here or there before letting them go again.

That smile, now streaked with blood, felt all the more chilling.

“…Junior, what on earth is happening?”

Lim Ga-eul muttered in a shocked voice.

-“This is Jin Yuha’s true power.”

The jewel-like voice beside them answered.

“His true power…?”

-“Yes. When he uses this skill, his reason fades, leaving only his combat instincts. It’s not a power he can use while considering the safety of others.”

“Jin Yuha… Is he okay? Won’t this lead to something like corruption─”

Lee Yoo-ri asked worriedly, but Shin Se-hee scoffed as if the question was ridiculous.

-“Ha. Are you really worried about that now, without even considering why Jin Yuha looks like this in the first place?”

“What do you mean, why he looks like that?”

-“It’s all to protect us.”

Shin Se-hee’s calm voice struck a chord in the party members.

“…”

-“Jin Yuha never wanted to show us this side of himself. But he judged that to deal with increasingly powerful enemies, he had no choice but to reveal it. That’s why he handed over command to me.”

-“Jin Yuha said he would be fine. But as Lee Yoo-ri pointed out, using this power repeatedly could eventually take a toll on his mind. Even so, he made that sacrifice because I begged him for this chance.”

“Wait! If it’s that dangerous, why would you…”

-“Because unless you see this, you won’t realize how much you’re holding him back.”

That wasn’t entirely true.

The reason Jin Yuha handed over command to Shin Se-hee was justified.

In a state of Muah, Jin Yuha had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use this skill.
The risk of accidentally attacking his comrades due to diminished reason made it unusable until now.

Furthermore, Jin Yuha’s unusually high mental fortitude meant there was little actual harm to him from using Muah.

But Shin Se-hee chose to focus on the fact that Jin Yuha had now revealed this ability, interpreting it as a decision he made reluctantly to show his comrades.

While she might have found it appealing, it was not a sight the average person could easily accept.

From an outsider’s perspective, it was natural to assume the risk of using this power was more than just temporary fatigue.

-“Jin Yuha was prepared for this level of sacrifice. Do you finally understand that the weight of responsibility he carries is different from yours?”

“The weight of responsibility…”

-“And yet, you’re still going to cling to him, asking him to lead you, while you continue to hold him back?”

“…”

At Shin Se-hee’s words, everyone fell silent.

Kang Do-hee, meanwhile, silently etched Jin Yuha’s image into her mind without blinking.

“Little Fool…”

Her clenched jaw tightened further.