Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

"Om nom nom."

Reina sat on a tree branch, popping popcorn into her mouth and chewing.

Born as a homunculus (artificial life form) by Lina's magic, she actually had no knowledge other than a few basic spells, common sense, and the rules of the mid-term evaluation.

The only reason she came here was that she had a sense of duty to protect the students because Lina's will was mixed in with her creation. There was nothing she could do here.

'…That guy is a demon recorded in the information I was injected with, Rebecca. I wonder if Jin Yuha can beat her?'

Reina kept chewing on her popcorn as she looked down.

"Um, Reina. Is it okay for me to sit next to you?"

"…Hmm?"

Suddenly, a voice came from beside her, and Reina turned her head.

It was Sophia, a girl with blond hair.

Reina narrowed her eyebrows and glared at her.

"You're not participating in the battle with that guy?"

"Well, I heard that my turn is from Phase 2. I'll naturally know when it's my turn… And I was told to save my strength as much as possible because I'll need it all at once later."

"…Is that so."

The words 'But if you just save your strength and that guy dies, it's just a meaningless death, isn't it?' almost came out of Reina's mouth, but she swallowed them back down.

"Um, Reina."

"Hmm?"

"That popcorn… Can I have some, too?"

Reina looked at Sophia with a bewildered expression.

'Isn't she worried at all?'"

Sophia huffed and puffed, clenching her fists and suddenly revving her engine.

"To be able to witness Yuha's fight up close like this!!! This is a miraculous moment that goes beyond the word 'fangirl'!"

Reina shook her head wearily.

'This girl isn't normal either······.'

"By the rules, nothing is free. Pay the coin. Popcorn costs 10 coins."

"Ah! If it's 10 coins, here you go!"

The coins were paid, and Reina reluctantly produced a new bag of popcorn from her subspace.

Sophia eagerly stuffed the popcorn into her mouth, her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm as she watched Jin Yuha.

Munch, munch─

"Haaawwrrrr──. I, it's unbelievable that I get to witness this incredible scene all by myself! It's such an honor, but I also feel sad that I can't share it with others! This moment needs to be recorded for posterity! If only I had a camera!!"

"A camera? Do you need this?"

"······Huh!? Woah! Reina-mong!"

Sophia pounced on Reina.

"Get off me! If you want the camera, pay the coins!"

"How much is it?"

"1000 coins."

"That's expensive!?"

Sophia glanced repeatedly at the camera that Reina had produced, biting her nails. She was concerned about spending such a large sum without consulting Jin Yuha!

"······Um, a thousand coins is a bit pricey, but! It's a sum that can be easily earned by hunting monsters or students! I can just hunt and pay it back! Yuha will understand. He'll definitely understand!"

After muttering to herself for a moment, she raised her head with a determined expression.

"Deal."

"Here it is."

"······Hmm? This isn't turning on."

"The battery is sold separately. It's 1000 coins."

Reina boldly held out her hand again.

"······."

Sophia seriously considered using Reina's broad forehead as a target for archery practice.

.

.

.

'Haa······. This is absurd.'

Rebecca's heated head soon cooled down, and she realized how ridiculous she looked.

She had fallen for the tricks of a first-year student who was still wet behind the ears, even going so far as to contemplate death and being provoked.

'There's no need to rush anymore.'

She glanced up at the tree.

It became even more certain that she was not the Emperor.

There was nothing holding her back anymore.

She was a mid-level executive of the Demon Association.

How many had lost their heads to her sword, and how many had knelt before her?

To begin with, those who were not at the level of instructors at Velvet Academy were not allowed to raise their heads in her presence.

Yet, this first-year student had the audacity to point a sword at her.

The archer accompanying himr also showed no signs of joining the fight.

The boy with black hair stood alone, sword drawn, as if intending to face her by himself.

'Is it because of ignorance that he is brave, or because of his bravery that he is ignorant?'

Regardless of how they had noticed her presence, she had to admire the courage it took for him to stand alone in front of her.

Sssss─

Rebecca quietly gathered her energy.

Her main weapon was a pair of swords.

One was a long katana, and the other was a shorter wakizashi, about half the length of the katana.

She held the shorter sword in her left hand in reverse grip, and the longer katana in her right hand pointed at the boy.

"You've got a cocky look in your eyes, kid."

Jin Yuha frowned.

"What are you talking about? Your attitude is pretty cocky too. I'm scared it'll give me nightmares."

"······What's your name?"

The boy with black hair furrowed his eyebrows and replied.

"Jin Yuha. But you don't need to tell me your name. You're going to die by my hand anyway, so Baldy will do just fine."

Pzzz─

Veins popped up on her bald head. The more they talked, the more her patience wore thin.

A pitch-black aura enveloped the tip of Rebecca's sword.

"You will regret provoking me."

Her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"······."

"······."

The two sword-wielding individuals faced each other, the tension thick between them.

Crunch─

The sound of Sophia munching on popcorn from her perch in the tree was a little louder,

Swish!

The first to make a move was none other than Rebecca.

Her sword, shrouded in a sinister aura, swung with incredible speed.

Swooshhhh

The sword, slicing through the air, was beyond the level of an ordinary student.

'It's over.'

Before the sword could even touch him, Rebecca smirked confidently, lifting the corner of her mouth.

However.

Caaang!

A sharp metallic sound rang out as Jin Yuha's sword firmly blocked the incoming attack.

'······Did he block my sword with sheer force?'

Rebecca's expression turned to surprise as this was not what she had expected.

With their swords crossed, Jin Yuha spoke in a detached tone.

"If you don't become serious right now, you'll just die, Baldy."

In a swift motion, Jin Yuha's wrist twisted, and his sword smoothly glided past the crossed blades.

Swoosh.

Rebecca, who had been momentarily stunned, jerked her head back, her expression turning to one of shock.

The sword had barely grazed her neck, leaving a thin line.

Drip.

A thin stream of bright red blood flowed from the shallow wound.

"If your head gets cut off now, you won't be able to say later that you didn't show your true skills. If you're going to do it, do it properly from the start."

Rebecca looked at him with a bewildered expression.

An attack without an ounce of hesitation.

'Just now, if I had been even a little slower to react······. My neck would've been sliced.'

Goosebumps rose on Rebecca's back as she realized the gravity of the situation.

Before she could fully recover from the shock,

Jin Yuha lunged forward.

Shick, shick, shick.

The sword extended forward, and the sharp thrusts divided into dozens of afterimages.

'What the······!?'

The trajectory of the sword was a chillingly clean straight line.

It was so flawless that it elicited admiration, without any unnecessary movements.

The deep blue mana wrapped around the sword as it unleashed its attack.

'What kind of sword is this······!'

Rebecca couldn't help but be astonished by the sword he wielded.

How could a man, who had not even been at the academy for a full year, possess such skills?

Chaaeng!

Chaaeng!

Chaaeng!

With each strike, a heavy vibration ran through her wrists as she parried Jin Yuha's sword by pushing her body backward.

'Is this really the skill of a first-year student at the academy······!?'

Even as she deflected the incoming sword, Rebecca's mind was filled with confusion.

"Stop thinking about other things. Do you really want to die?"

"Haaaaaaaat!"

Rebecca shouted, as if to push away the complicated thoughts swirling in her head.

She swung her sword horizontally with enough force to bisect her opponent.

Jin Yuha simply jumped back, his expression unchanged.

Haa

Haa

Rebecca's eyes, fixed on Jin Yuha, began to tremble.

'An incomprehensible monster······.'

She had never encountered anyone with such talent, at such a young age, in all her life.

A chilling fear ran down her spine.

Am I afraid of this little brat?

No, what I fear is his future.

The fear arose from the fact that she couldn't predict how much stronger he would become if he continued to grow, even just a little.

Because she herself was talented with the sword, she could clearly see Jin Yuha's potential.

Rebecca clenched her lips tightly.

'Yes, he's a monster. But for now, he's just a student. He's not my match yet.'

A year? No, a month?

In a short time, this monster would surpass her by leaps and bounds.

But that was not the case at the moment.

And then, Rebecca understood.

'······So that's why the Demon Association wanted me to capture him! They wanted me to deal with this monster before he grew any stronger!'

As she recalled the order she had received, her eyes naturally hardened.

'I won't let my guard down anymore!'

Deep within her, Rebecca summoned her murderous intent and demonic energy.

'I'll show you what it truly means to wield a sword and take a life.'

She intended to show him the killing sword, a sword whose sole purpose was to take lives.

No matter how talented a monster he was, as long as he was still a student at the academy, he couldn't be familiar with the true nature of fighting to kill.

However, there was something she didn't know about Jin Yuha.

.

.

.

'······Oh, that's a bit stingy. Are you finally getting serious?'

The first lesson Jin Yuha had learned in his sword-fighting elective was to withstand the thick, bloody aura of the Slaughter Maniac.

And because he had breathed that aura in every class as if it were second nature, he now considered a sword without any killing intent to be child's play.

As a result, the attacks she had launched so far were not even worth considering as attacks in his eyes.

'Hmm, but compared to Instructor Baek Seol-hee······. This is like mild spicy ramen?'