I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 271: Sword Sacrifice (1)
Baek Seol-hee had been observing everything from the moment Jin Yoo-ha and his party entered Taebaeksan.
Bound by Rina's magic, she could not approach within 10 meters of Jin Yoo-ha. Nor could she interfere physically, wield a sword, or attack in any way related to him.
‘At least climbing the cliff isn’t restricted. That's a relief.’
Climbing the cliff slightly away from Jin Yoo-ha, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia. She had trained in this very place herself once.
It was a time when, no matter how hard she trained alone, her skills seemed to hit a plateau. The potential for growth was there, she could feel it, but her usual methods weren't yielding results. It was then that Rina had brought her to Taebaeksan.
Indeed, the mysterious properties of this place, which limited 90% of one's mana and physical abilities, allowed for training that couldn’t be done elsewhere.
Even in these constrained conditions...
— "SQUEEEEAL!"
The sudden appearance of the Drake, which blocked the path of her disciple and his companions on the cliff, had caused Baek Seol-hee to tense up. In such a perilous environment where weapons were hard to use effectively, her disciple was in real danger. But Jin Yoo-ha, even in that dire situation, showed resourcefulness and successfully dealt with the Drake.
She didn't know who had trained him, but he was an excellent disciple.
And now, they had reached the critical location—the Sword Sovereign’s abode.
The woman who greeted them was lazily puffing on a pipe with an indifferent expression—the Sword Sovereign.
Even after all these years, Baek Seol-hee still found her distasteful. A woman who was endlessly frivolous, careless, and rude.
‘...Though her skills are genuine.’
When the Sword Sovereign first instructed her disciple to pass through the Forest of Swords, Baek Seol-hee couldn’t help but scoff internally. After all, this was a training exercise she had put her disciple through a long time ago.
Seeing the Sword Sovereign boast without knowing this gave Baek Seol-hee a small sense of satisfaction.
The training methods available here had all been absorbed and refined long ago. What had once been an impressive regimen had been improved under her guidance and drilled into her disciple.
‘There’s nothing for my disciple to learn here.’
Yes, all Jin Yoo-ha needed to do was train in this unique environment, swinging his sword and honing his skills. Baek Seol-hee allowed herself a faint smile, confident that her disciple would soon lose interest in these redundant exercises.
But then, things took an unexpected turn.
"My sword! That boy... he must inherit my sword!!!"
The Sword Sovereign's exclamation as she watched Jin Yoo-ha pass through the Forest of Swords struck Baek Seol-hee like a thunderbolt.
Her expression hardened instantly.
‘That crazy woman, how dare she...!’
However...
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A dense, impenetrable magical barrier blocked Baek Seol-hee's path, preventing her from advancing.
‘Finally... Finally...! Fate has come to me. The gods haven’t abandoned me after all.’
The Sword Sovereign had been living in seclusion, forgotten by the world, but she had no significant complaints about her life.
Her reasons for living in seclusion were varied, but the primary one was Malsook.
She had made a vow on her sword, promising the parents of Malsook—two people she couldn’t save during a gate explosion—that she would protect their child until adulthood.
Thus, Malsook had naturally become the Sword Sovereign’s granddaughter.
The second reason was more practical. A person of her caliber didn’t really need to live in seclusion just to protect her granddaughter. Her sword skills had never failed her, and she was confident in defending Malsook from any threat.
But the real issue was her peculiar condition.
Even though she had always possessed an immense amount of mana, akin to an ocean, at some point, an abnormal phenomenon began to occur—her mana reserves started growing without end.
Just walking outside would cause destruction and suppression in all directions, as if the world was rejecting her power.
It became impossible for her to live among people.
Even though she had sought help from Rina, the best that could be done was a temporary solution—an enforced suppression of her mana that would eventually explode if left unchecked.
Thus, she had settled here, in Taebaeksan, a place she had discovered while hunting monsters. Here, for some reason, her mana and physical strength were reduced to almost nothing, a miraculous and mysterious phenomenon. Even her ocean-like mana was suppressed by 90%.
Occasionally, she would forcefully suppress her powers and visit the outside world for a day or two, but she regretted not being able to show her granddaughter more of the world. She figured, however, that once Malsook was old enough to be independent, everything would resolve itself naturally.
The Sword Sovereign wasn’t someone driven by greed, fame, or a need to show off. She just wanted to live out her remaining years in peace and comfort.
But there was one thing she couldn’t let go of—her sword.
The regret of not being able to pass on the sword she had honed and practiced with her entire life weighed heavily on her.
Malsook wasn’t capable of inheriting her sword.
She lacked the talent necessary for such a task.
‘That’s why I planned to send her to the academy next year with a manual, hoping Rina could find someone worthy of inheriting it.’
Rina could find someone suitable for her sword.
But naturally, the Sword Sovereign had a deep, personal desire to raise a disciple herself, to nurture the growth of her sword and witness its completion.
Circumstances hadn’t allowed for it, so she had given up.
But now, in this moment, her eyes sparkled with renewed hope.
The talent to inherit her sword had walked right into her life.
Jin Yoo-ha had passed through the Forest of Swords without a scratch.
As she looked at him, the Sword Sovereign asked in a trembling voice,
"What’s your name?"
Suddenly, the Sword Sovereign moved closer to me, almost invading my personal space. I responded with a somewhat awkward expression.
"My name is Jin Yoo-ha."
She began to prod and squeeze my arms and legs, feeling them as if evaluating my physique.
"Hoo... Oh... Yes, this is... This is real."
She couldn’t seem to stop herself from murmuring in awe.
"Uh, could you please... let go?"
"Talk without touching him."
Kang Do-hee and Lee Yu-ri glared at the Sword Sovereign as if she were a pervert, which finally made her release her grip.
"Oh, sorry about that. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a body so perfectly suited for swordsmanship. Anyway, Jin Yoo-ha, right? Obviously, you're specialized in swordsmanship."
"Uh, yes, that's correct."
"Become my disciple."
"...Excuse me?"
"Didn’t you hear me? I said I’ll teach you the sword. Become my disciple."
She really was a person who lived by her own rules. She just suddenly asked me to be her disciple.
Of course, I had come here to learn swordsmanship, but becoming a disciple was a different matter entirely. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) After all, I already had a master.
"Are you worried about the others? Afraid they won’t receive any training?"
She seemed to interpret my hesitation in her own way.
"Granddaughter."
At her call, Alice stepped forward, glaring at me with a displeased expression.
‘Did I do something wrong? Why does she seem upset?’
We hadn’t even had a proper conversation yet, but it felt like I had somehow already made a bad first impression.
"Take the other girls and have them do your training."
Kang Do-hee and Lee Yu-ri looked shocked at the sudden shift in plans. They had come to train under the Sword Sovereign, not her granddaughter.
The Sword Sovereign added, almost as an afterthought,
"I taught her everything that’s not related to the sword. Whether I train them or she does, it won’t make much difference. You two don’t use swords, after all."
‘Wait, what?’
I gaped at her words.
‘What does she mean she didn’t teach Alice the sword?’
Given that Alice was the Sword Sovereign’s granddaughter and had the impressive nickname of "Sword Flower," I had naturally assumed that she had inherited the Sword Sovereign’s swordsmanship.
‘Is this some kind of personal storyline? Like, Alice discovers her swordsmanship later on?’
Not knowing much about Alice, I could only speculate.
"Grandma."
"Hmm?"
"We need to talk later."
"Alright, alright."
Alice shot me one last glare before turning and leaving. Seeing Kang Do-hee and Lee Yu-ri hesitate, I nodded to them.
"Go ahead. We didn’t come here for just one day. If it doesn’t seem right, we can change it tomorrow."
"Hmm... Alright."
Reluctantly, the two of them followed Alice.
Now, it was just the Sword Sovereign and me left.
"Now that your friends' training is settled, how about it? Will you become my disciple?"
The Sword Sovereign asked with a self-assured smile, as if it was a foregone conclusion that I would agree.
But I answered calmly,
"I’ll learn the sword from you, but I must decline becoming your disciple."
"...What!?"
The Sword Sovereign's jaw dropped in disbelief.
