I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Red.
The world is red.
Everything within view is stained crimson.

Reason flickers, on the verge of being snuffed out.

The acrid scent of blood invades my nostrils, while seething hostility relentlessly gnaws at my being.

A voice whispers in my ears.

Commanding me to slash at them with my sword,
To mercilessly, brutally slaughter the enemies before me.
To sink sharp fangs into the necks of those beasts.
To bathe in their blood, quench my thirst, and sate my craving.

To that inner voice, I…

Snort.

Scoffed.

‘Have I lost my mind?’

Killing them? Fine, that’s necessary.
Whether I kill brutally or not, the result is the same, so fine.
But what? Bite into a Rage Howler, bathe in its blood, and drink it?

‘Gross. They look like they’d stink.’

Besides, these monsters survive by eating humans.
Sure, not many humans venture this deep into the wilderness, so they might have other main prey, but…
What could they possibly scavenge in these dreary caves? At most, they’d be feeding on cockroach-like creatures.

And you want me to drink their blood?

‘What if there’s something mixed in with it?’

At best, it’d give me food poisoning; at worst, I could be poisoned outright.
There’s a reason the academy strictly warns against eating monster flesh, no matter how hungry you are.
Even Blue Crabs barely pass safety inspections.

I frowned as I observed the Rage Howlers cautiously circling me.

‘Hmph, but I don’t like that they’re trying to run away.’

I’m just getting started.

‘Come to think of it, these things have strong pack instincts and maternal bonds, don’t they?’

Good.
In that case, I’ll take a hostage.
Scanning my surroundings, I spot a smaller one hiding behind a larger one.

A young one, maybe?
Their appearance makes it hard to distinguish between young and adult.

My decision is instantaneous, and my body moves reflexively.

Bang!

A sharp sound echoes as I lightly launch myself with a burst of magical energy.

“Screeech!!”

Startled by my approach, the Rage Howlers freeze momentarily, giving me the opening to reach my target.

They were so wary of me that they clumsily allowed the young one to be snatched away.

“Wraaaaaaagh!!!!”

An enraged cry erupts from the pack as I grab the young one.

Swish.

I press my blade to the young one’s neck, and the others immediately halt.

‘This feels like I’m some kind of child kidnapper.’

I glance down to see its dark, black eyes staring up at me.

Its trembling gaze, filled with fear, almost makes me waver.
But I quickly regain composure.

‘In the end, this thing will grow into a monster that preys on humans.’

Feeling pity for monsters is foolish.
People have long attempted to tame them, only for every effort to end in failure.

‘Well, not every effort. Some demon bastards managed to tame a few monsters.’

But whatever.

“Wraaaaagh! Wraaaaagh!!!!”

As I held the young one with my blade poised, its presumed mother erupted in a frenzy.
I couldn’t understand their language, but I could guess:
“Cowardly scum!” or “Give me back my child!”

“Really? You lot were going to kill me anyway. And with overwhelming numbers, too. Now you’re complaining? Hypocrites.”

I hadn’t planned on talking to them, but the words spilled out on their own.

“In any case, it’s you or me. Humans and monsters can’t coexist.”

Thunk!

The blade pierced the young one’s neck, and its light quickly faded.

I didn’t go out of my way to be cruel.
I judged that killing it like this would be enough to provoke their rage.

‘And I don’t want to be driven by that crazy subconscious voice.’

For a moment, I realized how well I was controlling myself.

‘Huh, I’m practically the same as usual.’

If I can manage this level of composure, I won’t need to worry about accidentally turning my blade on my teammates while using Muah.

It feels like I’m just a bit bolder and stronger than usual.
I should discuss this with Shin Se-hee before we tackle the next Demon Realm Gate.

But enough of that.

Now’s the time to wrap things up.

“Alright, come at me, you damn monkeys.”

I smirked and gestured provocatively at them.

And then,

The enraged tide of Rage Howlers surged toward Jin Yuha.

.

.

.

‘…What on earth is this?’

Shin Se-hee ran her hand over the goosebumps that had risen on her arms.

When Jin Yuha had said he would show his true skills, she had expected an overwhelming display, wiping out the enemies with raw power after releasing his restraints.

But what unfolded before her eyes was starkly different from her expectations.

The scene was still overwhelming, but it was different.

More blatant. Raw.

It was primal, instinctive.

The intent to kill—clear and sharp—filled the air.

Indeed, it wasn’t just killing intent. It was a deep, concentrated malice that dominated the battlefield.

In the midst of the raging horde of enraged Rage Howlers, Jin Yuha curved his lips into a delighted smile and swung his blade.

Splat! Splat! Splat! Splat!

The chunks of flesh from the Rage Howlers flew through the air, accompanied by dark crimson blood.

Amidst his relentless cutting, a wave of mana surged toward Jin Yuha from a Rage Howler wielding a mage’s wand.

Yuha stared at the incoming mana wave for a brief moment before slicing downward with his sword.

Slash!

In an instant, a gap appeared in the flow of mana, and Yuha twisted his body to force his way into that opening.

Once through the torrent of mana, he grabbed the wand-wielding Rage Howler by the neck with one hand, snapping it with a twist, and with the sword in his other hand, decapitated an approaching foe.

He kicked a corpse upward to intercept a hammer descending toward him.

Surrounded by countless foes, Jin Yuha didn’t seem to entertain the possibility of being struck even once.

“Yeah, that’s right! This is more like it!!! Hahaha!”

Rather than despairing at the Howlers’ seething fury and aggressive attacks, Yuha smiled radiantly, plunging deeper into the horde.

Crash! Crush! Slash!

“More, more, more! Is this all you’ve got?!”

Slash! Crunch! Slash, slash!

The severed limbs and blood-soaked ground bore witness to his relentless rampage. His every move seemed calculated to inflict maximum pain upon his enemies.

Yet despite his carnage, the seemingly endless waves of monsters kept coming.

The battle teetered on the edge of disaster, a precarious tightrope that could snap at any moment.

Shin Se-hee, observing the scene, clenched her fists nervously, several times tempted to intervene.

However, each time Yuha evaded danger with his eerie grin and unpredictable movements, making it clear he needed no such help.

The Rage Howlers had him completely surrounded.

BOOM!

Yuha drove his foot into the ground with such force that it cracked like a spiderweb, the impact creating a circular shockwave.

The brief disruption made the Howlers hesitate, and in that fleeting moment—

A blue light flared from his sword.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

The blade moved with inhuman speed and precision, cutting through the opening as if he couldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip away.

‘Is he… getting faster…?’

Se-hee watched Yuha with wide eyes, unable to blink.

It was as if everything so far had merely been warm-up. Yuha’s movements grew sharper and more decisive.

Every strike aimed for vital points, each motion flowing seamlessly into the next. He fought like a creature relying solely on instinct.

Even as more Rage Howlers joined the fray—nearly a thousand by now—their numbers began to dwindle rapidly.

Beside Se-hee, an analysis program displayed on her device whirred as it meticulously evaluated Yuha’s movements.

The verdict: perfection.

Every aspect—blade trajectory, force distribution, absorption of impacts, strategic foresight, mana utilization—was flawless.

Even the cold, calculated cruelty behind his blade bore no unnecessary flourishes.

The supercomputer hailed as the pinnacle of combat analysis software awarded him the highest score at every moment.

Executing such perfect judgments and performances in an unpredictable environment?

Se-hee had never seen anything like it.

‘…Is this Jin Yuha’s true skill?’

No.

That wasn’t correct.

In reality, Yuha wasn’t even showing a tenth of his full potential.

‘If Jin Yuha unleashes his full power after removing all restraints, while displaying this level of combat…’

A shiver ran down Se-hee’s spine, her hair standing on end as the terrifying image formed in her mind.

‘So that’s why… why I have to lead. That’s the answer.’

She couldn’t argue against it.

‘Still…’

Gulp.

Se-hee swallowed hard, her face flushing, her breathing ragged.

‘…Right now, Jin Yuha… He’s just… too… sexy.’

Indeed.

She liked the gentle, laid-back demeanor he usually showed.

But this?

The ruthless, savage, twisted version of him…

The manic grin as he mercilessly cut down his enemies, drenched in their blood…

The blood-drenched, unrestrained Jin Yuha in his “Muah” mode hit her preferences with pinpoint accuracy.

Her face froze as a sudden realization struck her.

‘…Do I really have to let everyone see this side of him?’

The next Demon Realm Gate would also be broadcast live as part of Utopia’s operations.

If Yuha used this technique then, this image would inevitably be transmitted worldwide.

Fine. She could begrudgingly accept sharing this with their teammates.

But strangers outside of Utopia?

No.

Absolutely not.

This was something she wanted to keep for herself, for them alone.

A deep possessiveness stirred within her.

‘…Could we put some kind of mask on Jin Yuha’s face when he uses this?’