Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

'Amazing.'

Sophia held her breath, capturing the battle unfolding before her eyes with her camera.

Sweat dripped from her clenched hand holding the camera.

'······This is the true strength of Jin Yuha, the party leader of Utopia.'

Of course, she believed that Jin Yuha would win.

However, that belief was solely based on her one-sided faith and fangirl admiration.

Even though the training they had gone through together had strengthened that belief to some extent, the actual combat she was witnessing was on a whole different level from what she had imagined.

In the end, the general public and Velvet Academy were separated by a glass wall. The only information the public could rely on was the words of the hunters who had actually cleared the dungeons, as they were not allowed to enter themselves.

There had been countless hunters who had fallen into disgrace after their incompetence was exposed when their fabricated achievements and abilities were revealed.

Among them was Jin Yuha.

How many slanders and suspicions had there been about him!

The leader of Utopia, who led the Cheonhwa and the Fighting Dog.

Although Shin Se-hee had stated that he was stronger than her and had won against Kang Do-hee in a sparring match, the public did not take her words at face value.

Because it didn't make sense when you thought about it logically.

There was a clear limit to what a man's body could achieve.

If he was such an exceptional hunter, he should have been famous even before enrolling in the academy, like the Cheonhwa and the Fighting Dog.

Some claimed that Jin Yuha was just a figurehead for Utopia Party, riding on the coattails of the other party members' abilities.

Jin Yuha had remained silent in the face of all the accusations, which only fueled the controversy further.

But they were all wrong.

'As I thought, Jin Yuha is the real deal!'

Tears welled up in Sophia's dilated pupils as she took in Jin Yuha's retreating back.

His shoulder was heavily wounded, with blood flowing profusely, and the shallow wounds all over his body were gaping open, red and raw.

Anyone could see that he was in a dire state.

Could anyone still utter those words to Jin Yuha after seeing this?

No way.

'This needs to be shown to the world. This is what a real hunter looks like.'

Hunters are those who throw away their lives as if they were nothing, standing at the forefront to protect the safety of the public.

Even after protecting countless people, they receive no words of gratitude. Instead, they are met with accusations:

Why couldn't you protect my family? Why did you leave people to fend for themselves? Why are you always late to the scene, only cleaning up the mess afterward? Why should I bear the losses caused by the aftermath of your battles?

Despite all the complaints and criticisms, the public still seeks out hunters when a crisis arises.

It wouldn't be strange for hunters to feel disillusioned, yet they continuously prove themselves for the sake of the people.

In this first real fight she had witnessed, there was no romance or fantasy that she had always dreamed of as a fangirl.

It was just a relentless struggle.

But ironically, it was this raw intensity that stirred something deep within Sophia's heart.

"I want to become like that, too······."

To be honest, even before today, Sophia had a casual desire to become a hunter.

But in this moment, she found herself admiring these hunters.

Nom-Sob

Sophia, with her tearful eyes, turned her head at the sound coming from the side.

Reina, resembling the Chairman, had paused from eating her popcorn, swallowing hard.

Then,

Drip

A tear fell from her purple eyes into the popcorn tub.

"······Reina?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you crying?"

"Me, crying? Who, me···?"

"Yes."

Reina looked surprised and brought her hand to her eye.

Then, she looked startled.

"Why am I crying! Why are tears coming out!"

"······How would I know? Are you a fan of Jin Yuha, too?"

"Th, that's not it! I, I just feel······. somehow relieved that no one died this time······?"

Reyna blurted out unprompted, sounding like a broken record, then furrowed her brow.

"What am I saying? No, I just feel······ somehow relieved for some reason!"

Sophia offered her a tissue, understanding the feeling of finding a kindred spirit.

"It's the denial period of becoming a fan. I understand."

"······Denial period of becoming a fan? I, I don't know what that is, but no! I said it wasn't that!"

"We'll talk about that later. And Reina, can you do me a favor?"

Sophia handed her the camera.

"Hmm?"

"I think this is the moment that Jin Yuha-nim mentioned."

"Now?"

Reyna asked, but Sophia didn't turn around, and calmly stood up.

To be honest, she had almost pulled the trigger several times since earlier.

But she had trusted his command to wait until that moment came and had endured until the end.

Suddenly, she felt a surge of sinister energy enveloping the fallen girl.

Sophia instinctively knew that this was the moment Jin Yuha had been talking about.

And she raised her bow.

.

.

.

The students stopped fighting as Shin Se-hee declared the abandonment of the mid-term evaluation.

Just now, her coins had been reset to '0 coins', putting her at the bottom of the entire student body.

Since Shin Se-hee, who usually ranked high, had made such a choice, no one suspected that she was up to something else.

"Everyone, please get your gear ready."

When Shin Se-hee spoke,

"Hmm? Oh, that's right. Do we still need to wear these outfits now?"

"I guess not······? Since we're not fighting each other, but against an external enemy······."

Yoo-ri's group of students only then felt embarrassed about their attire.

The true purpose of this test was not to fight among themselves, but to repel an external enemy, so there was no longer any need to distinguish themselves by their outfits!

The students untied the cords around their waists and helped each other to clean up and dress properly.

"Wait a minute, but if we attack another student, we still get coins, right? What if someone takes advantage of the situation and backstabs us during the fight with the real enemies?"

"Hmm······? Yeah, that's true."

In the midst of this, a student made a small comment in a quiet voice. However, as if she had heard that small voice right next to her, Shin Se-hee spoke up.

"If, from this moment on, there is a student who attacks another student, Miss Kang Do-hee, Miss Lee Yoo-ri, and I will take care of that person first. We're already in a situation where we'll be scolded for missing the point of the test, and if someone causes a disturbance on top of that······. They will be filling my lacking coin purse."

Shin Se-hee, the original instigator, smiled coldly.

"Eek!"

"······I, I'll just fight honestly."

"Yeah! I wanted to work together with everyone from the start to fight the real enemies!"

Hearing this, the students who had been harboring ulterior motives paled and nodded their heads.

Haa─

"We've somehow managed to get things under control."

Shin Se-hee let out a small sigh.

"······The real purpose of the test is to join forces to defeat an external enemy, but who are they?"

Yoo-ri, who had been standing by and watching the situation unfold, asked.

"Ah, I should probably fill you in on this."

Shin Se-hee said as if she had just remembered.

"Huh?"

"Hmm?"

"The truth is, it's a lie that the real purpose of this test is for all of us to join forces to catch the outsiders."

Shin Se-hee smiled innocently.

"What the hell!?"

"What did you say?"

Yoo-ri, taken aback by her unexpected words, exclaimed loudly, but then covered her mouth as she became aware of her surroundings. Kang Do-hee also frowned, suspecting some trickery.

Seeing their reactions, Shin Se-hee raised the corners of her mouth, looking amused, and continued.

"But, 'Demons' are coming, right?"

"······Demons?"

"Why······?"

"And if you die by their hands, you really die."

You really die.

Hearing this, Yoo-ri and Kang Do-hee's expressions turned serious.

"Haa. That Little Fool."

"Haa. Jin Yuha."

After a moment of silence, they sighed simultaneously, calling out Jin Yuha's name as if he was giving them a headache.

"So, what you're saying is that Demons have appeared here, and if we die by their hands, we really die. Is that it?"

"Yes. That's right."

"So, the instructors and the principal can't come because of some circumstances?"

"Yes. That's right?"

By this point, they could only understand the situation. That Jin Yuha had orchestrated this entire scenario.

"There's one more thing I should tell you. The mission that Jin Yuha gave me and you is to 'keep everyone here alive until he arrives.'"

Haa.

Kang Do-hee laughed in disbelief.

"This Little Fool always brings up unexpected things."

"I told you······."

In fact, despite the sudden and absurd nature of the statement, Kang Do-hee and Yoo-ri accepted it without a shred of doubt.

"Anyway. Since we've received an order, we should carry it out, right? Hmm, I think Jin Yuha must have predicted the timing as well······."

Suddenly, Shin Se-hee wore a devilish smile.

"Yoo-ri, why don't you move over there and use your skill on the entire forest?"

"·····Me? I just used my skill at maximum output······?"

"If we want to keep everyone alive, shouldn't we draw their attention and bring them out?"

"Hmm, yeah."

"Is this also Jin Yuha's request? Are you having a hard time doing it······?"

In fact, Jin Yuha had not given such specific orders, but Shin Se-hee used his name to make her point.

This was Shin Se-hee, seizing the opportunity to gain the upper hand in front of Yoo-ri.

Yoo-ri frowned and scratched her head.

"······Alright."

Yoo-ri sighed softly and trudged towards the forest.

Then, turning her back to the students who were watching her, she raised her shield towards the forest.

Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang─!

"······."

A brief silence followed.

Suddenly,

Suddenly,

"What the heck, what's going on!"

"It's a skill!"

"This bitch, she's using some weird skill!?"

"Why is my body moving on its own!?"

A dozen or so women in tattered and worn-out clothing emerged from the bushes. The students behind Yoo-ri looked at them with puzzled expressions.

"Are they the outsiders?"

"Ew, look at their clothes. What is that, a caveman?"

"Their skin is dirty and scruffy."

The students, who had forgotten their own appearance just a while ago, spoke up one by one.

"······I'll deal with you later."

"Bu, but you were definitely dressed like us just a while ago, weren't you!?"

As they appeared, Yoo-ri stepped forward with a stern expression.

"So, it's you guys? The outsiders we have to deal with."

Yoo-ri confidently raised her shield.

"Everyone."

"Attack!!!!!"

At Yoo-ri's command, attacks rained down on them from all directions.