I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

[“In that sense, we won’t be relying on the Academy’s support and will clear the Demon World Gate with our own strength!”]

A few days after Shin Se-hee’s press conference, I was at home with my party members, sitting on the couch and watching the news on TV.

“Jin Yuha, look at this. It’s all over the news!”

Lee Yoo-ri, sitting next to me and munching on some snacks, turned her phone towards me to show me the article.

“Africa, Demon World Gate! The warning of Cheonhwa has become a reality.”

“Demon World Gate to be tackled on its own. Is it unfounded arrogance or justified confidence?”

“African authorities announce the formation of a Western Alliance with the US and UK to tackle the Demon World Gate.”

-Hmm, is this right…?

-What if they all die…?
└ Come on, if one party from Utopia could do it, surely a joint task force from three countries won’t fail?
└ Agreed, it doesn’t make sense that they can’t do it when a single party from Utopia managed it.

-What? No… Damn. Why are they doing this when Utopia said they would handle it?
└ Even if Utopia has the ability to solve it, we can’t rely on them for everything.
└ Why?
└ So, do you want Utopia to cook for us, bathe us, and clean our rooms?
└ It would be great if Jin Yuha did it!
└ Haha, why not?
└ Come on, other countries need to develop their own capabilities too, you idiots.
└ Wah! I don’t care about that! Yuha, feed me! Bathe me! Clean my room!! Do everything for me!!

“Haha! It’s so funny to read the comments on the internet these days.”

Lee Yoo-ri burst out laughing after reading the comments on the article.

“Well, I don’t think we’ll be getting any requests from Utopia for a while.”

Shin Se-hee said as she sipped her coffee.

“Hmm, I guess so.”

“We, the Western Alliance, will not stand idly by in the face of a national crisis!”

On the TV screen, hunters of various nationalities, dressed in dazzling equipment, were holding a parade and making a speech. The people gathered around them were cheering and applauding enthusiastically.

“Yes, if we had expressed our will independently of the Academy, it might have been different. But since we involved the Academy, it’s probably not something they would welcome.”

“Then, we’ll probably be in trouble for a while…”

In other words, the people currently on the TV screen are likely to die. Even though I had spread information about the Demon World Gate, experiencing it firsthand would be a completely different story.

The Demon World Gate is an area where one cannot survive without a star rating of at least 3-star.

That’s why I had been struggling so hard to raise my star rating.

Swish.

At that moment, Shin Se-hee’s hand suddenly rested on mine.

“We can’t avoid the initial casualties, Jin Yuha. I hope you don’t take it too hard.”

“Huh?”

I turned my head to look at Shin Se-hee. She stared at me intently, her eyes full of seriousness.

“If we hadn’t involved the Academy, they would have used it against us. So…”

“…”

I looked at Shin Se-hee with a slightly confused expression.

“I know, and I don’t really care…”

“…”

This time, Shin Se-hee’s eyes widened in surprise, and she looked just as confused as the rest of the party members.

‘What’s going on… Do they think I’m worried about what will happen to those people?’

Huh.

I let out a silent laugh at my party members’ reaction.

What do they think of me?

Do they see me as some kind of heroic figure, like those in isekai anime, who is driven by grand ideals and sacrifices, and would charge at the Demon King without hesitation?

Or those brainless heroes who go berserk at the slightest hint of personal sacrifice?

If that’s what they thought, it was a complete misunderstanding.

“I honestly don’t care what happens to those people.”

I shrugged as I said this.

“Is that so…?”

But the party members still looked at me with disbelief.

What kind of person do they think I am?

“Well, it might be a little sad, but it will make people more aware. I think it’s for the best.”

“Then why have you been putting yourself in danger all this time?”

Ga-eul, leaning on the back of the sofa, asked.

Even Ga-eul, who usually seemed carefree, was concerned?

‘Is it because I’ve been rushing to deal with incidents as soon as they arise?’

I felt the need to clarify my party members’ misconceptions.

Ahem.

“The reason I’ve been taking risks is not because of some grand ideal or heroism, but because if I don’t eliminate these threats early on, they might grow stronger and become a danger to us in the future.”

I could feel everyone’s attention on me.

Well, it was the first time I was having this kind of conversation with all the party members.

“Hmm… To be honest, I’m extremely selfish in this regard. I only care about the people close to me, like the Utopia party members, my master, and… Lina, I guess. And of course, your families, because you would be sad if something happened to them. But other than that, I don’t really care about anything else.”

That’s right.

My motivation came from these people.

After I was transported to this world, my initial thought was to stream and make some money.

This was because it was a gender-reversed world.

However, I soon decided to go to the Academy because I knew that if the players didn’t take action, this world would be destroyed.

In a world that was being destroyed in real-time, the chances of survival for a 1-star trash character like me, Jin Yuha, who had no power, were close to zero. So, I just wanted to survive.

And…

My narrow-minded and selfish goal had now expanded a little.

Lee Yoo-ri, Kang Do-hee, Shin Se-hee, Ga-eul, Sophia, Ichika, omy master, Rina, and even Alice, who had just joined Utopia.

They were more than just family to me now.

“Wow, talking about my true feelings like this is really embarrassing.”

I felt a surge of embarrassment, but I thought it was okay to share this with them.

“I don’t have a family.”

This was a story they all already knew.

But what I was talking about now was not about the character Jin Yuha, but about my life before I was transported to this world.

“I grew up as an orphan, not knowing my parents, and as you all know, I had a hard time.”

Before coming to this world, I grew up in an orphanage and was always an outsider, unable to fit in with society.

Of course, I had to form relationships with some people to make a living, but even those relationships weren’t deep.

In my previous life, orphans were not as common as they are in this world due to the Gate Incident, so orphans faced more harsh and prejudiced attitudes.

“So, while living day by day without anyone to rely on, I met you guys.”

Yes, it was the game Velvet School Life that saved me.

They probably thought we met at the Velvet Hunter Academy, but…

In a society where I couldn’t find any joy, these people were the only ones who made me smile.

Their stories, worries, and struggles.

And how they overcame them.

Some people might think it’s pathetic, but playing the game and watching their stories gave me comfort and allowed me to feel emotions.

So, I had been indebted to them for a long time.

The reason why an ordinary modern person like me, who used to tremble at the sight of a kitchen knife, could risk my life and rush into danger was because of them.

“Well, I don’t have a family, so I’m not sure, but… I think of you guys as my family. So, I don’t want any of you to get hurt or suffer…”

Wow.

I had never spoken so openly about my true feelings before.

It was more embarrassing than I imagined.

“Why is everyone so quiet…?”

I cleared my throat and glanced at the party members.

Sniffle—

Surprisingly, it was Kang Do-hee who broke the silence.

“Kang Do-hee, are you crying?”

“Who said I was crying?!”

“Junior! I’ll do it! Family! I’ll be your family!”

Suddenly, Ga-eul hugged me from behind, and the other party members started to join in.

“Jin Yuha!”

“Jin Yuha…”

“Jin Yuha-nim…”

“My savior…”

“Master… I mean, Senior.”

“Alice, you too?”

Of course, she just held my arm tightly.

The problem was…

“Ack! I can’t breathe!”

I tapped Ga-eul’s arm, but my desperate signal for help seemed to go unnoticed.