I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

My name is Lee Ji-eun, but I’m more commonly known by my alias, ‘Hwarang’.

Before entering the Velvet Hunter Academy, I had made a name for myself as the next-generation melee damage dealer, following in the footsteps of ‘Mad Dog’ Kang Do-Hee, swinging my twin axes with gusto.

However, no matter how many monsters I slayed or gates I cleared, it was difficult to gain significant attention.

After all, we were living in the age of Utopia, where their fame was unparalleled.

But I didn’t feel any inferiority or jealousy towards them.

Such petty behavior didn’t fit my style of aiming to be a top-class woman.

Instead, I became curious.

I wanted to know what Utopia, a group that the world praised and held in high regard, was really like.

Were they truly an irregular group with impeccable skills and genuine heroism, following in the footsteps of Lina?

Or were they just a bubble group, using Jin Yuha’s good looks as a front for fame, as some people claimed?

Of course, with the development of the internet, it was easy to find information about Utopia and Jin Yuha.

But I had always believed that I should only trust what I saw with my own eyes.

So, when I entered the Velvet Hunter Academy, I had high expectations.

I was confident that I would be the top student in the academy and hoped to meet Utopia and see Jin Yuha’s true colors.

‘Getting the top score in the academy shouldn’t be too difficult. Among the students entering this year, the only one worth watching is Cheolbyeok. Hmm, if I get the top score, I’ll ask for an introduction to Utopia. That should be possible, right?’

I was confident because I had met Choi Yoon-A, aka Cheolbyeok, a few times before entering the academy.

Despite her small stature and timid personality, she was an exceptional tank, skillfully blocking enemy attacks with her large shield.

I was certain that I wouldn’t lose to her.

After all, I had an objective advantage in physical abilities.

However, my ambitious plan only succeeded halfway.

The successful part was meeting Jin Yuha.

I had expected that the meeting with Jin Yuha, which was supposed to happen after the one-month training period and some more time, would take place much later.

But to my surprise, it happened much sooner than expected.

Jin Yuha was the special admission student and male quota instructor.

Honestly, I was skeptical at first.

No matter how talented he was, he was still a student, just one year ahead of me and now a second-year senior.

‘Is there really a lack of instructor talent at the Velvet Hunter Academy?’

I had such thoughts when I first saw him.

At the same time, I couldn’t help but be amazed by his unrealistically beautiful appearance.

But my doubts were quickly dispelled on the first day.

It was inevitable, as even I, a woman, felt my legs shaking like a newborn foal, while Jin Yuha calmly performed the same training as us, carrying several times more equipment than us.

‘He’s truly a monster…’

I wondered where such strength came from in such a delicate body.

‘Hmm! She’s definitely something else!!!’

Despite this, my goal of being the top student among the previous students remained unchanged.

However, I made a second mistake.

Shockingly, the top student in our batch wasn’t me!

‘Who is this person…?’

She had white hair and blue eyes, with a mysterious and cold aura that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

I had considered myself well-connected, knowing most of the hunters of my generation who stood out.

‘Who is she…?’

It was as if she had fallen from the sky.

When she first appeared on the training ground, she was intimating…

Omnomnom…

Now, she was sitting next to me, devouring chicken with gusto. Her expression, which usually exuded a cold aura, was forgotten as she ate with delight on her face.

Alice was eating chicken and drinking chicken broth, her eyes sparkling. Then, she picked up some radish pickles and drank the entire container.

Slurp!

“It’s refreshing.”

At her exclamation, Hwarang couldn’t help but laugh.

It was as if she had been picked up by a reclusive master and forced to train in a place completely cut off from civilization, like in a novel.

Of course, it was an unrealistic imagination.

But seeing her alternate between bites of chicken and sips of chicken broth, her eyes sparkling, it was hard not to think that way.

“Hwarang, aren’t you eating…?”

At that moment, Choi Yoon-A, aka Cheolbyeok, who was sitting across from her, asked.

“You’re not eating either…”

There was a chicken leg in front of her as well, but it remained untouched, with only the marks of a fork poking at it.

“I’m not in the mood for food…”

And Hwarang agreed with Cheolbyeok’s words.

“Me too…”

Yes, Cheolbyeok and Hwarang were currently feeling a loss of appetite.

The reason was the training that had taken place earlier in the day, which had caused a male quota student to wet his pants.

Cheolbyeok’s face still had traces of tears and snot, and Hwarang’s face was probably in the same state.

Only Alice, who was calmly eating chicken with a nonchalant expression, seemed unaffected.

‘What is Jin Yuha…?’

Hwarang thought back to the shocking events of the day.

Jin Yuha had given them an unimaginable gift, saying that they had worked hard.

‘A pill that increases attributes below 60…’

Hwarang had never heard of such a thing.

Although she had never tried it, she knew that elixirs that increased attributes were expensive.

But Jin Yuha not only gave them the pill, but also promised to give them more each week based on their training performance.

It was clear that this was a great opportunity.

Jin Yuha’s wealth was beyond imagination, and Hwarang knew that she wouldn’t even be able to compare her earnings from selling monster stones.

However, any disappointment she had felt earlier had disappeared in an instant.

What was she disappointed about?

At first, it seemed like Jin Yuha was favoring Alice, but Hwarang understood that it was only natural.

‘That’s understandable. To be honest, even though Cheolbyeok and I tried to keep up, Alice was the only one who perfectly completed the training.’

If Hwarang had been in Jin Yuha’s position, she would have paid more attention to a student like Alice as well.

In fact, Hwarang was more disappointed with the male students than with the overpowered woman.

Alice, Cheolbyeok, and Hwarang were working hard to pass the intense training and earn Jin Yuha’s recognition, even increasing their training load.

Meanwhile, the male students were whining and not lifting a finger, just lazing around.

But Jin Yuha didn’t say anything to them and simply watched from the sidelines.

Hwarang couldn’t help but feel frustrated, even though she tried not to pay attention to them.

Perhaps it was because they were men, or because they were also male quota students.

But that wasn’t the case.

‘Jin Yuha’ was paying attention to them.

Only the three of them received the pill, which proved that.

When they received the pill, the male quota students had complained that it was unfair and that they should also receive it because they couldn’t keep up with the training.

When one of them complained about the favouritism toward Hwarang and Cheolbyeok and said such nonsense, Hwarang felt a surge of anger.

But Jin Yuha’s words at that moment were like a refreshing drink, washing away her frustration.

-That’s ridiculous. They were just like you in the beginning. They voluntarily chose to receive training that was several times more difficult than what they were used to.

-And they didn’t give up even when they were exhausted. Don’t compare them to you, who gave up after just 10 or 5 minutes. It’s an insult to them.

Hwarang felt a sense of satisfaction, as if she had just chugged a can of soda.

She even made a silent vow to herself.

‘From now on, any attack on Jin Yuha will be considered an attack on me.’

However, if it weren’t for the training that followed, she might have felt differently.

As Hwarang thought back to Jin Yuha, her expression hardened.

‘…If only he hadn’t mentioned the difference in physical abilities…’

The training focused solely on mental strength, not physical abilities.

When the male quota student suddenly wet his pants during the training, Hwarang had wondered why.

But soon, they all understood the reason.

It was simply a test of endurance, where they had to stand in front of Jin Yuha for 10 minutes without backing down.

It was more terrifying than they had imagined.

During the training, Hwarang realized just how amazing Jin Yuha was.

She understood why Jin Yuha had become a hunter sought after by the whole world.

She also understood why the amazing Mad Dog and Cheonhwa, along with the others, stayed by Jin Yuha’s side despite being men.

Hwarang had thought that she had developed a certain level of tolerance for fear after facing various monsters.

But Jin Yuha was on a whole different level.

Just standing in front of Jin Yuha with his unrealistically beautiful appearance was enough to make Hwarang’s legs shake, her body break out in a cold sweat, and tears and snot flow.

Hwarang tried to endure, but she could only stand her ground for 4 minutes.

Cheolbyeok, who was small and timid but had a strong will, also lasted only 4 minutes.

So, Hwarang had no choice but to ask the overpowered woman in front of her.

“How did you manage to endure it for 10 minutes…?”

Alice, who had been focused on her chicken, looked up at Hwarang with her blue eyes.