Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

"...Hmm? No."

Suddenly, Shin Se-hee lunged forward, grabbing the blade and trying to push it against her neck.

'What the heck is she doing?!'

Whoosh!

I quickly grabbed the sword from her neck, startled by her sudden action.

I was speechless. How could her thoughts have gone down such a path?

"Why would I want to kill you?"

"Huh…?"

When I asked her, Shin Se-hee blinked in surprise.

"I, I mean, I'm not of much use in combat… I usually stay out of it, and if you catch me, you'll earn a lot of coins…"

I let out a bitter laugh at her words.

Ha…

"So, you thought I came here to take your coins so that I could get a good grade, huh? That's a bit harsh, seeing me as complete trash."

"I, I mean, that, that's…"

"And you thought you could just slip away by yourself in this dangerous situation?"

As I asked her in a playful tone, Shin Se-hee belatedly realized her mistake and frantically waved her hands in denial.

"No, no! I, I didn't mean that I'd just slip away by myself…"

I smirked.

"Yeah, right."

'Hmm, she always stays out of the battles, so now that we're in a dangerous situation, she's thinking of slipping away by herself, believing she doesn't belong here.'

It wasn't that Shin Se-hee lacked ability, but because the chemistry between her and Lee Yoo-ri wasn't good when they were in the same party.

She was also a regular 4-star character, a solid all-rounder with area-of-effect attacks.

Even though a higher-tier version of her was scheduled to appear later, that didn't make Shin Se-hee weak.

Of course, her other abilities (party management skills) were so superior that they overshadowed her combat prowess.

'Good. I was worried about entrusting her with the most important highlight scene anyway, but after this incident, she might gain some confidence.'

Although the highlight scene would inevitably go to the new character, Sophia, the task I was about to give Shin Se-hee wasn't easy either. Overcoming her own matchups would be a significant burden for her.

For now, though, I had more pressing matters to attend to.

I took Shin Se-hee's hand and brought it towards me. She winced in pain, realizing the injury a little late.

"Ouch!"

The hand that had gripped the sword blade was now bleeding profusely, with a straight line of red blood dripping from the gash. I had hastily pulled the sword away, causing the wound.

I clicked my tongue at the sight.

"Tsk, so don't suddenly do dangerous things like that. I was startled and pulled the sword away."

I was about to call Sophia, but then I remembered that I had just given her a mission and decided against it.

Instead,

-Tear

I tore a long strip of the student uniform I was wearing.

"Huh, uh, Ji, Jin Yuha? You, you don't have to go that far…"

"Shh, just hold still."

As Shin Se-hee kept fidgeting and trying to pull her hand away, I wrapped the torn piece of cloth around her hand, stopping her from moving.

-Grip…!

I tied it tightly to stop the bleeding.

"Later, I'll ask Sophia to shoot an arrow at you. Don't let the wound get infected, and try not to use your hand too much."

"Uh, yeah… Thank you."

"Healing late can leave scars. It's a pretty hand."

"…"

Shin Se-hee lowered her head, her face bright red.

"So, what is it that you want me to do!?"

Unable to bear the awkward atmosphere any longer, Shin Se-hee looked up and asked urgently.

"Oh, it's not a big deal. I need you to take the lead and guide all the students."

"Huh?"

"Of course, it might be a bit burdensome for you, but it's something only you can do."

And when Shin Se-hee heard my plan, she was so surprised that her eyes widened.

.

.

.

"…'

In the spot where Jin Yuha had been, there was now a calm silence as if he had never been there.

Shin Se-hee covered her face with her hands, which were bright red.

'I'm so embarrassed. So ashamed!'

What kind of misunderstanding had she fallen into?

She took pride in her ability to objectively accept a situation, extract clues from it, and piece together the context.

The given context was that the Incarnation would interrupt this mid-term evaluation, and Jin Yuha intended to deal with the Incarnation without any casualties among the students and end the test today.

In such a situation, who was the most dangerous person on the battlefield?

It was none other than herself.

Shin Se-hee.

Why?

Because it was ambiguous.

Her role in Utopia was management. In combat situations, she always took a step back and handled the aftermath, making her a non-combatant party member.

However, she was slightly stronger than the average student, so she won't die easily.

In other words, this meant that she was different from the other students here.

Jin Yuha could quickly step in and finish off the Incarnation and if necessary the students before they were in danger so that they could be teleported to safety.

But in her case, with her mediocre defense, if the timing was just a little off, she might die faster from the Incarnation's attack than from Jin Yuha's sword.

So, Shin Se-hee made a judgment.

Jin Yuha had come to kill her in advance to exclude her from the upcoming fight, and since she had the most coins here, her coins would go to him if she died by his hand. Of course, this didn't mean that the record of her accumulated coins would disappear, but still.

In the end, her test was over.

Shin Se-hee had inwardly been pleased with this choice.

She was grateful that Jin Yuha had come to worry about her, and she was happy to be of help by giving him her coins. Her contribution to this battle was minimal, but even so…

However, when Jin Yuha told her that she also had a role to play and gave her a separate mission, she became aware of the feelings she had hidden deep within herself. Shin Se-hee smiled bitterly.

'…I'm a little resentful.'

Every time something like this happened, she had to take a step back. While the other party members risked their lives in combat, she had to wait for them in a safe space.

Of course, she wasn't denying this now. It would be denying Jin Yuha's high regard for her abilities.

Shin Se-hee objectively examined her feelings.

This was simply a result of her having an extremely small role in this incident.

The roles of delivering the dungeon map in advance, gathering information about the enemy, and checking items and preparing for variables—it seemed like Jin Yuha was trying to do all of this without any help.

So, a little resentment had built up.

'…Jin Yuha knows that I really don't like being at the forefront. I prefer to reign from the background…'

But her lips naturally curved upward, and a pleasant hum escaped her lips.

Hmm. Hmm.

"But since you say you need me… I can't refuse this time."

Shin Se-hee lightly touched the cloth he had wrapped around her hand to her lips and then firmly focused her eyes on the battlefield.

.

.

.

Kwaaaang—!

Bang!

Kwaang—!

The sound of metal and fist clashing created a deafening roar.

It had already been an hour.

Kang Do-hee and Lee Yoo-ri continued their battle.

"Ha! How long are you going to keep blocking!?"

"Hmph! You haven't landed a single hit, and you're talking big!!!"

Kang Do-hee's eyes narrowed.

Of course, if she used her skills now, defeating Lee Yoo-ri would be an easy task.

But it would be like admitting that she couldn't overwhelm Lee Yoo-ri in a direct confrontation.

Kang Do-hee, the embodiment of a competitive spirit, wasn't about to accept this easily. As she once again lifted herself into the air and swung her leg fiercely…

"The fight ends here."

Suddenly, a voice interrupted the two of them.

"Shin Se-hee? What are you doing here…?"

Kang Do-hee and Lee Yoo-ri stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Shin Se-hee, their expressions filled with confusion.

"The situation has changed. We need to end the battle now."

"Hah, do you think I'll listen to you just because you say so? Do you really think I'm beneath you or something?"

Kang Do-hee shot back with a displeased expression, and Lee Yoo-ri also rejected her suggestion.

The two, who had been clashing with each other just moments ago, now directed their hostility towards Shin Se-hee, but her expression remained calm.

'Well, there's a phrase that's most effective in situations like this.'

"Jin Yuha told me to."

"Huh? The Little Fool?"

"Huh? Jin Yuha?"

The hostile atmosphere instantly melted away, and they shifted to a more receptive tone, as if they'd hear her out.

'As expected.'

"Yes, it's urgent, so I'll explain the situation later. First, Yoo-ri, can you use your skills at maximum output to attract the attention of all the students here?"

"Is that… also something Jin Yuha told you to do?"

"Yes, it's important."

Shin Se-hee nodded seriously, looking directly at Lee Yoo-ri.

'As expected, I still feel uncomfortable.'

Lee Yoo-ri's mana, which had been surging during the battle, now overflowed and consumed the surrounding area.

Shin Se-hee, who was vulnerable to mana, had to expend mental strength just to maintain a poker face and speak casually to her.

Lee Yoo-ri, who had been staring at Shin Se-hee, slowly nodded.

"...If it's something that brat told you to do, then fine. But if you're lying, you better watch out."

"Would I lie about something involving Jin Yuha?"

-heh

Lee Yoo-ri slowly inhaled, and her surroundings were filled with a concentration of mana unlike anything before.

At that point, the students nearby stopped their battles and turned their attention to Lee Yoo-ri.

Soon, she drew her dagger and slammed it down on her shield.

Kaaaaaaaang—!

The sharp metallic sound, along with the resonance, spread out, capturing everyone's gaze.

Shin Se-hee clenched her teeth.

The swirling mana churned inside her, making her nauseous and dizzy at such close proximity to Lee Yoo-ri's skill.

Drip…

Blood trickled from between her clenched teeth, staining her lips red.

'It's okay. I can do this.'

Even though she had stuffed her ears with wet cloth, her head kept wanting to turn. The veins in Shin Se-hee's neck bulged.

Hoo…

She took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

With her eyes wide open, she spoke to the students in front of her in the clearest voice she could muster.

"Everyone, stop fighting for a moment and listen to what I have to say."