I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 280: Ma Count (1)
Alice slowly blinked her eyes.
All she could see was pitch-black darkness, with nothing visible before her. Although she had regained consciousness, her mind was filled with confusion.
“...Where am I?”
She didn’t know. No matter how hard she tried to figure it out, she couldn’t grasp where she was. The bigger problem was that her body refused to move at all.
Even when she tried to exert strength, her body wouldn’t budge, as if it were tied down.
Despite the situation, she managed to calm herself.
‘Grandmother will come to save me soon.’
After all, the Sword Sovereign was there.
Even so, Alice knew she needed to figure out how she had ended up in this situation, so she slowly began to trace her memories.
“So, if I remember correctly...”
Ah.
Lee Yu-ri and Kang Do-hee. It all started with watching over their training.
* *
Two weeks ago.
After being asked by the Sword Sovereign to supervise their training.
To be honest, she wasn’t thrilled about it, but Alice took the request seriously.
There was also a part of her that wanted to show off to that good-looking guy who had been asked to become her grandmother’s disciple. She couldn’t confront him directly, so she aimed to impress the two who came with him.
Each of them chose terrain according to their attributes.
Lee Yu-ri chose a barren, dry land with not a single tree.
Kang Do-hee picked a scorching hot magma region.
Apparently, a man named Maje had come by some time ago and created various terrains, though Alice didn’t really remember him.
In any case, she passed on the training she had done in the terrain that suited each of their attributes.
Swimming in a valley with an iron ball strapped to her waist, climbing up a cliffhead first only to descend it upside down, and navigating a trap course filled with lethal weapons.
However, what Alice hadn’t anticipated was the level of these girls.
Even though Alice had been secluded in this place, she had ventured outside a few times, so she knew. There was a strange energy in this mountain that sapped one’s stamina and mana.
Yet, these two began ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to catch up at a frightening pace with the training she had spent her entire life doing.
At first, they struggled with their depleted stamina and mana, taking nearly a day or two to complete a single exercise.
But gradually, they not only became accustomed but started performing the training at a level similar to hers.
Then, in the first week, after seeing that guy, Jin Yoo-ha, they pushed themselves even harder as if possessed, to the point where they risked breaking their bodies.
Alice tried to maintain her composure, but she couldn’t help feeling shaken. What was driving them to such extremes?
‘Is everyone in the Academy like this? But grandmother told me I’m special, that no one in the Academy could surpass me... She told me to hide at least 30% of my strength.’
Yet here she was, uncertain if she could even stand on equal footing with them.
The conviction that she had always been special was starting to waver.
By the second week.
Lee Yu-ri and Kang Do-hee had not only exhausted all they had but were now mastering the training she had spent her life perfecting, doing so more skillfully than she ever had.
Thud!
Thud!
Boom─!
“Argh!”
Lee Yu-ri was blocking boulders rolling down from the mountain. Even though she was in danger of being crushed, she held on until the end. Her arms and legs were already bruised to the point where there wasn’t a single unscathed spot, yet her eyes remained fierce as she held up her shield against the boulders.
It was the most difficult training for someone with a rock attribute, and though she had never done such training due to her water attribute, Alice could imagine how difficult it was.
Alice herself had failed when attempting the highest level of water attribute training.
‘Kang Do-hee must be doing that training too...’
Punching and kicking through a lava waterfall. No matter how much magic protection was used, the skin would still melt.
‘They’re crazy...’
At this point, Alice couldn’t help but feel anxious.
If this was the average level at the Academy, it made sense why her grandmother hadn’t taught her the sword yet.
Crack─
As Alice watched Lee Yu-ri’s training, she noticed a moment when Lee Yu-ri sat down to catch her breath. Taking the opportunity, Alice approached her.
Kang Do-hee was too intimidating and blunt to approach easily, but Lee Yu-ri was at least polite enough to answer questions.
“...Is that, Jin Yoo-ha really stronger than you two?”
Alice awkwardly asked Lee Yu-ri. In response, Lee Yu-ri turned her head sharply towards Alice.
“Hah─ Hah─ What, Jin Yoo-ha?”
“Yes.”
“What, are you interested in Jin Yoo-ha?”
Lee Yu-ri’s expression suddenly turned cold, a stark contrast to the passionate energy she usually exuded.
‘─Eek!’
Alice gulped involuntarily but forced herself to respond with a cold tone, determined not to show weakness.
“I’m just curious about his level.”
Lee Yu-ri squinted at her, and a brief silence followed between them.
“...Hmm.”
After a moment, Lee Yu-ri sighed and nodded.
“Yeah, he’s the strongest among us.”
“...But he’s a guy?”
Even though Alice had been sheltered, she knew that men couldn’t beat women.
Given the difference in innate mana and physical abilities, how could he be the strongest?
“Jin Yoo-ha can’t be judged by that standard.”
“What...?”
“I’m telling you, he’s not like the average guy you’re imagining. That’s why we’re going through all this suffering so we won’t be a burden to him.”
Ugh─
Lee Yu-ri raised her shield again, as if she had rested long enough.
Watching her, Alice felt a strange curiosity rise within her.
‘What kind of man is Jin Yoo-ha?’
And at that moment.
Sssss─
A vine began to creep up her ankle.
“...Huh?”
The vine that grabbed her ankle dragged her down into the ground.
* * *
“S-sensei, you’re...an ice attribute user?”
My teacher nodded. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Even though I could see frost forming on her sword due to the mana, I still found it hard to believe.
Normally, if someone had an attribute, it would be obvious right away.
‘How can that be? The Wolyeong Sword Technique is supposed to be non-elemental...?’
Naturally, I assumed my teacher was like me, non-elemental.
But my teacher, perhaps sensing my confusion, began to explain.
“The sword technique I taught you...”
She seemed uncomfortable as she spoke.
“The Wolyeong Sword Technique?”
“Yes, that’s the one... It must remain free of any attributes.”
“What?”
“...It drastically reduces the possibilities.”
“Ah.”
Now that she mentioned it, I understood immediately.
‘The Wolyeong Sword Technique is a method that must remain free from exploitation.’
The very foundation of it is to encompass all possibilities. If it had a noticeable weakness, the number of viable options would certainly decrease.
Though it’s often seen as lacking since others are born with inherent attributes and it appears inefficient, in the world of Velvetra, being non-elemental wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The hallmark of being non-elemental is this: while it lacks any standout strengths, it also has no glaring weaknesses.
Just as Kang Do-hee, with her fire attribute, is weak to water, and the ice attribute is vulnerable to fire.
However, being non-elemental means there are no such weaknesses. It can deal and take equal damage, regardless of the opponent's attribute. In other words, it’s highly versatile.
‘So that’s why my teacher, despite having an ice attribute, chose to go non-elemental. But isn’t that inefficient...?’
I suddenly wondered how powerful my teacher would be if she wielded an ice attribute sword.
In any case, this was good news.
If my teacher was an ice attribute user, then our chances of defeating the Magesu increased significantly.
“If you’re prepared with the ice attribute, then─! Where is that Magesu monster?”
The Sword Sovereign, having lost patience, asked in an urgent tone.
“Over there.”
I pointed to a specific location with my finger.
“...Where?”
Everyone turned their eyes to follow where I pointed, and their pupils trembled when they saw.
Because the place I was pointing to was the pit I had been trapped in for over two weeks.
When I tried to save my teacher and saw the black and white threads of possibility, black threads had been extending from the ground.
So.
The Magesu was lurking underground in this mountain.
