Became a Swordsman Genius in a Pretty Girl Game

385. Confession (1)

After receiving the warning from Lina,

I summoned our party.

Yuri Lee, Dohee Kang, Sehee Shin, Gaeul Lim, Sophia, Ichika, Alice, and even Master.

Everyone gathered in the conference room.

First, the regular report.

“······and so, a core member of the Chinese government was revealed to be a Mind Eater. Instructor Seolhui Baek handled that matter separately.”

Master nodded impassively at Sehee’s report.

“And the group that attempted to assassinate Jin Yuha and target our Utopia······. Grrr.”

Behind Sehee, her teeth clenched tight, a string of names floated up.

Yuri Lee’s expression soured.

“Tch, they’re ridiculously numerous. I want to sweep them all away.”

The atmosphere among the party members turned equally fierce.

It was no wonder, considering the countless assassination attempts and attacks from public opinion they had been enduring.

The Human Rights Protection Association

The Awakened Alliance

The Anti-Discrimination Solidarity

The New Age Salvation Society

The Awakened Supremacy Coalition

The Mana Research Foundation

The Human Evolution League

The Crimson Moon Cult

The Illuminati Thirteenth Council

The Children of Chaos

.

.

.

Human rights groups, environmental protection groups, specific religious organizations, awakened supremacist groups, even conspiracy theory groups like the Illuminati, whose existence I wasn’t even sure of, and more.

A list of countless organizations surfaced.

Mind Eaters had taken root everywhere.

Politics, media, economy, religion – there was almost no field they weren’t involved in.

Truly, if it hadn’t been for Lina, this world would have fallen to the Mins long ago.

‘In the game itself, the moment Lina’s influence weakened, all hell broke loose.’

No matter how one looked at it, the thought of the entire world turning upside down so quickly was bewildering,

but considering how many were hidden like cockroaches in so many places, perhaps it wasn’t so strange after all.

“…We’ve dealt with about 60% of them. However, the remaining 40% are still under investigation.”

“Master, what’s the situation with the Min Elimination Squad?”

“Hmm, they actually have less work than before.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, we’ve exterminated a large number of Mins this time, and the Min groups we need to monitor have been identified, making the work easier than it was before.”

Good.

This is enough.

I judged that the remaining 40% or so could be adequately handled by the Utopia sub-party and the Min Elimination Squad.

“Then, the Utopia main force will withdraw from matters concerning the Min groups now. You as well, Master. Hand over the remaining tasks to the Min Elimination Squad.”

At that, the party members turned their heads towards me.

Alice’s eyes widened at my words.

“…Uh, there will be severe backlash if─”

“Chairman Lina has agreed to handle that part.”

I had received confirmation from Lina. She would take responsibility for dealing with the remaining Mins.

“It’s the final chapter now.”

Then, the faces of the party members hardened.

“…The final chapter.”

“Yes, we really don’t have much time left. Before that, we need to prepare.”

“…Prepare?”

“Yes.”

I answered Kang Do-hee’s words as I raised my hand.

And a pink light sparkled from the ring on my fourth finger.

At that, the eyes of the party members grew larger.

Because the party members knew what this was.

“The Ring of Affection and Obsession…”

“That’s right. The first thing we need to do is this, the Ring of Affection and Obsession. We’re going to raise it to 5% for everyone.”

Right then, the task at hand was to level up every single member of the party.

* * *

Ring of Affection and Obsession.

─ A ring bestowed by a demon, an incubus, upon his most favored apostle.

It increases overall stats by 3-5%, depending on the wearer’s ‘Affection’ score.

Current application status:

【 Shin Se-hee 】 – 5%

【 Lee Yu-ri 】 – 4%

【 Kang Do-hee 】 – 4%

【 Im Ga-eul 】 – 4%

【 Sophia 】 – 4%

【 Ichika 】 – 4%

【 Baek Seol-hee 】 – 4%

【 Alice 】 – 4%

I glanced over at Shin Se-hee for a moment. The only one to reach 5%.

Memories of the previous night flickered through my mind.

‘…So, Shin Se-hee is the highest, huh.’

I could think of a few reasons why.

After dealing with the third demon gate.

The day she was the first to notice my secret and confessed to me.

Her Affection score had shot up to the maximum that night.

‘Perhaps… the condition is revealing my secret.’

Or perhaps…

…the condition was a kiss.

‘I’d prefer it if the condition was revealing my secret, if at all possible.’

Because, to kiss someone just to raise their Affection was a bit much.

My honest feelings were that I wanted it to be as natural as possible, and truly come from the heart for everyone involved.

The night before holding today’s meeting.

I spoke with Shin Se-hee separately.

*

“The fact you came to see me separately like this… I gather you’re finally ready?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded firmly in response.

Yes, delaying the revealing of the truth any longer would be foolish.

The party members still believed the words I mumbled unconsciously were just me belittling myself.

“I never intended to drag it out for too long either. Of course, sharing a secret, just the two of us, in secret from everyone else, was a truly thrilling and special experience… but… I decided to give meaning to the ‘first’ time more significance.”

*First.* The word tickled in a strange way.

Before I knew it, my gaze drifted towards Shin Sehee’s lips.

She seemed to notice my gaze, clearing her throat slightly and turning her head away.

“Ahem! But, I still wouldn’t recommend gathering everyone together and telling them at once.”

“…Why is that?”

“We all love Jin Yuha, but at the same time, we want to be the *only* one for Jin Yuha.”

Then, Shin Sehee’s voice took on a dreamy, slightly languid quality.

“I was so happy that day. The feelings, the temperature, the atmosphere. Even Jin Yuha’s expression and manner of speaking that day.”

The moonlight streaming in from the window softly illuminated her face.

“It felt like it was just Jin Yuha and me in the whole world. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day, even when I die.”

That’s right. Me too.

Everything about that day was branded into my mind, resurfacing vividly.

What clothes Shin Sehee wore that day, what kind of conversations we had, how she smiled that day,

And… even the sensation of her lips.

“So, I recommend you visit each party member, one by one. And confess. So that everyone can feel they are special enough.”

“Special enough…”

“That’s… how we can all love Jin Yuha together, isn’t it?”

Shin Sehee answered with a soft smile.

I received Shin Sehee’s consultation on how to speak to each of them.

Among other things, Shin Sehee emphasized the order several times.

– Jin Yuha, you absolutely mustn’t decide this order.

I was first to know, I suppose, because I was commanding, but let’s just say, just as a for instance, let’s imagine I knew nothing.

If you decide the order in which to reveal the secret,

and so another party member hears your secret first, and I only find out later…

Surely, they were probably blinded by a mix of envy and resentment, no? To the point where I might have entertained some truly dark thoughts, without even realizing it.

*

Jin-yoo-ha, after a moment of recalling the previous day, spoke to the party members.

“So, uh, I was hoping you guys could decide on the order. I’m going to talk about something really… private, and personal.”

“…Private and personal?”

“Yeah. Something about things you’ve probably found strange about me, up until now.”

The gazes of the party members crossed in a fleeting instant.

“…Things we’ve found strange.”

Sophia cautiously opened her mouth. Jin-yoo-ha nodded in response.

Certainly, there were many oddities.

Jin-yoo-ha was… unconventional.

Even in the heat of battle, he acted as if he knew what was coming, and sometimes he saw right through the enemy’s patterns as if he had memorized a攻略 guide.

Slightly unfamiliar speech patterns, behaviors.

The party members had been aware of all of these oddities, but they were waiting for him to share when he felt the time was right.

And now Jin-yoo-ha was going to talk about it.

“Then! I’ll go first–”

In a flash, Lee Yu-ri shot to her feet, raising her hand.

“No, me!”

“Me, too!”

Almost instantly, the other party members also rose from their seats. Everyone wanted to hear Jin-yoo-ha’s story first.

And no one among them wanted to miss out on that chance.

“The benefactor’s secret.”

“I’m the oldest. I’ll listen to my junior’s secret.”

“Unni! That’s a little unfair. I should go first…”

“No, I’m going first. I’ve got… Nu-roong-i’s…”

Only Shin Se-hee remained seated quietly. A slight smile played on her lips.

‘It turned out just as I expected, huh.’

She wore an expression as if she had anticipated this outcome.

I scratched the back of my neck with an awkward expression.

I hadn’t realized they would all be this eager.

“Whew, if I’d decided, it would’ve been a real mess.”

Just then.

“We’ll draw lots.”

My teacher said.

And the order was decided.