I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

P.S. Hello everyone, I’m sorry for the wait but the author went on hiatus without warnings and so I could only wait and hope the story wasn’t abandoned. In theory there shouldn’t be any other hiatus (at least I hope so), sorry if I didn’t say anything but there was no news from the author so I couldn’t say when a new chapter would be released. Another thing, as my other novels i will probally post 3 chapters every 3-4 days as I currently a bit busy with exams and university.

Outside the gate, Shin Se-hee watched the hologram, unable to hide her astonishment.

She never imagined Jin Yuha, of all people, would act so impulsively.

‘…Weren’t you trying to comfort me?’

But what was done was done, and now she needed to assess the situation.

Her mind raced as she analyzed Jin Yuha’s current diminished abilities, the stats of the unknown Rage Howler gathered from the previous battle, and how many Jin Yuha could realistically handle alone.

After quickly calculating, her expression hardened.

‘…This is reckless.’

Based on her assessment, Jin Yuha could probably handle around 200 of them alone in his current state. But just from what she could see, there were about 500.

The Rage Howlers’ defining feature was their ability to summon allies in moments of crisis. She needed to prepare for at least 1,000 of them.

Moreover, Jin Yuha, a close-range combat specialist skilled in one-on-one duels, was not suited for fighting against overwhelming waves of monsters.

If only someone like Lee Yoo-ri, a tank, or Ichika, who could provide mobility support, or Lim Ga-eul, who could inflict acceleration and slow effects, were here, there might be a chance…

‘No way… Are you planning to release the restraints and face them?’

If that was the case, everything would change.

Once those shackles binding Jin Yuha’s strength were undone, the number of Rage Howlers would be irrelevant. Just a few swings of his sword infused with mana could annihilate them all.

‘That must be it. Jin Yuha did say he would show me his true strength…’

Relieved by this conclusion, Shin Se-hee relaxed and leaned back in her chair.

Then she saw Jin Yuha glance down at his shackled hands, clenching and unclenching them a couple of times before stepping directly toward the Rage Howlers.

“…What!?”

Shin Se-hee leapt forward in shock.

The Rage Howlers, who had been warily observing Jin Yuha, suddenly reacted.

“Kieeeeeeeeek!!!”

One of them threw its head back and let out a piercing shriek at Jin Yuha’s approach.

“Ook! Ookiiik!”

The cry spread like a contagion, rousing the others from their slumber.

“Kiik! Kiikkiik!”
“Ookii!”
“Keekeeeeeeek─!!”

Before long, the cave was filled with the deafening cries of hundreds of Rage Howlers.

Rumble—

They scrambled to arm themselves, grabbing weapons and gear, their eyes blazing with hostility and rage toward the intruder.

But Jin Yuha stood there, relaxed, his expression calm. He didn’t move an inch.

Shin Se-hee bit her lip in frustration, unable to comprehend his behavior.

‘Jin Yuha… Why on earth…’

.

.

.

‘Hmm. Quite a crowd.’

I gazed at the horde of Rage Howlers before me.

‘This will be my first time using Muah(Emptiness) in a real battle.’

Ever since I learned it from Sword Emperor, I hadn’t had the chance to use it.

It’s a dangerous technique that shouldn’t be used lightly.

Losing awareness and coming to only after the battle is over—imagine if I accidentally turned my blade on an ally.

That’s the true fear of this skill.

The first time I used it, I nearly stabbed Sword Emperor in the gut. Though, to be fair, she did nearly work me to death after that.

Still, I wonder what expression Sword Emperor would make if she saw me use Muah now.

She didn’t teach it as an offensive technique. It was merely a supplementary method to channel the full potential of the True Moon Shadow Swordsmanship from the subconscious.

Muah is simply a switch to access the True techniques buried in the unconscious mind.

-“Never let yourself sink too deep. If it feels like you’re slipping, disengage immediately,” she had warned.

But…

Muah is extraordinary.

‘It’s top-tier, even by Velvets standards.’

Comparable to Kang Do-hee’s “Avatar of Fire” or Lee Yoo-ri’s “Shield of Conviction,” Muah is another skill that deserves recognition.

If it makes me stronger, if it allows me to protect my comrades, my mentor, and the people important to me, I will use anything as a weapon.

That’s why I’ve focused on mastering it.

I reduced team training to a minimum and honed my ability to stay conscious while in Muah.

‘And I’ve made decent progress.’

Though there are still risks, I’ve never demonstrated it to my team before.

‘Looks like Shin Se-hee will be the first.’

I glanced up at the hovering gemstone, smiling faintly.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

I released all the tension from my body, letting my consciousness plunge deep into my subconscious.

My vision slowly blurred.

.

.

.

Jin Yuha’s eyes grew darker and more unfocused.

Srrrng.

A deep blue sword slid from his side.

Twitch.

The corners of Jin Yuha’s lips curled upward.

A dark smile spread across his face, as if he could hardly wait for the upcoming battle.

The shrieking Rage Howlers fell silent, sensing something ominous.

“……”

The heavy silence in the cave was palpable, like a gun with its trigger half-pulled.

Then—

Bang!

The one to first break the silence was Jin Yuha.

Dashing forward, his swift and thunderous strike extended like lightning, his sword aimed at the neck of the Rage Howler at the forefront.

Thunk.

The sword, which had been swinging with fierce momentum, suddenly halted midair, then twisted bizarrely in the opposite direction, altering its trajectory.

“Kiiek!?”
“Keck!?”

Slash! Slash!

Two Rage Howlers clutched their necks, uttering dying screams.

‘…What, what is this?’

Shin Se-hee, who had been watching the scene, widened her eyes in astonishment.

‘Clearly, the sword didn’t even touch the first Rage Howler… And the second one was the same.’

Yet, almost simultaneously, the throats of the two creatures split wide open, gushing blood.

‘Could it be…’

Shin Se-hee quickly moved her hand, summoning a separate video screen to replay Jin Yuha’s movements at 0.1x speed.

And there she saw it.

A thin, dense blade aura emanated from Jin Yuha’s sword at an extraordinary speed, slicing through the necks of the Rage Howlers.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Jin Yuha, now visible in real-time footage, continued to cut down the panicked Rage Howlers. Yet, his sword never physically touched them.

Hum!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the distance, a Rage Howler fired magical projectiles.

The energy bolts hurtled toward Jin Yuha but abruptly veered off course, slamming into a cluster of other Rage Howlers.

“Grrk!!!”
“Kiaaack!”
“Kuuek!”

As their comrades fell dead in the blink of an eye, the remaining Rage Howlers turned their crazed faces toward Jin Yuha and charged.

Their frenzy and desperation to somehow stop the sword of the hateful invader, even at the cost of their own lives, were palpable.

However, with a calm expression, Jin Yuha seized the head of one charging Rage Howler. Lightly leaping into the air, he reversed the grip on his sword and plunged downward.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Five short, consecutive strikes. The sharp edge of his blade penetrated the heads of the Rage Howlers, piercing their brains.

Kicking off one of the corpses, he propelled himself toward the wall. He dug his fingers into the wall to anchor himself and crouched in place, clinging like a predator about to strike. Jin Yuha raised his gaze to survey the Rage Howlers.

“Heuuu—”

A sly grin curled his lips.

Bang!

Jin Yuha kicked off the wall, launching himself toward the Rage Howlers once more.

Before his body even reached the ground, his sword lashed out at a lightning-fast speed.

Swish! Swish! Swish!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Swish! Swish! Swish!

“Kuuek!”
“Ickk!”

With each movement, Rage Howlers clutched their throats, hearts, or heads, letting out agonized screams.

“Kiieeek!”

Rumble—

A large Rage Howler, seemingly realizing they couldn’t continue like this, planted its hands into the ground and tore up a slab of stone. It hurled the massive stone slab at Jin Yuha with a roar.

Whoooom—

The slab’s immense weight and size hurtled through the air toward Jin Yuha.

Not missing a beat, Jin Yuha fluidly rotated his sword-wielding wrist, redirecting the slab.

Whirr!

A small hole etched in the center of the slab—just large enough for one person to slip through—allowed Jin Yuha to escape outside.

Thud!

“Kiieeek!”
“Ukkiik!!”
“Kiiik!”

Other Rage Howlers, scrambling to reach Jin Yuha, were crushed beneath the slab, letting out shrieks of pain as they were pressed to death.

Yet Jin Yuha’s sword strikes continued to rain down without respite.

Hum!
Whoosh!

A long axe swung low, targeting Jin Yuha’s legs. Just moments later, a spear flew above the axe’s blade with a slight delay, aiming to impale him midair if he dodged.

The calculation was simple: even if he evaded the axe, there would be no escape from the spear in the air. Its deadly momentum was undeniable.

But.

Crack!

Jin Yuha dodged the axe, tilting his head midair to narrowly avoid the spearhead. Grasping the spear’s shaft, he crushed it with sheer grip strength.

Swoosh!

Thunk!

The shattered spearhead changed direction and embedded itself in the forehead of a Rage Howler.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Not just once, but repeatedly. Seated atop the monster’s shoulders, Jin Yuha used the broken spear to turn its face into pulp.

The monster’s crimson blood splattered across Jin Yuha’s face.

Thud.

The Rage Howler, its face riddled with dozens of holes, collapsed where it stood.

Jin Yuha lightly stepped down from its shoulders and lifted his gaze. In his eyes gleamed an intense, unrestrained madness.

The Rage Howlers began to retreat, stepping backward from the incomprehensible monster before them.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A sinister smile deepened on the monster’s face.

“You have to play with me.”