I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 284: New members (1)

Step. Step. Step.

Alice watched the backs of the black-haired man and the two women walking ahead of her.

‘Um...’

‘What is this...?’

‘Who am I, and where am I...?’

Having lived her entire life secluded in Taebaek Mountain with just her grandmother, the current situation was utterly confusing for her.

Was she dreaming?

There had been a monstrous tree living beneath the mansion where she had spent her life, she had been suddenly kidnapped by that horrible creature, losing control of her body, and had nearly killed her own grandmother. Although she had managed to defeat the monster with the help of unexpected guests, the entire mountain had been blown away in the process.

In one fell swoop, she had lost her home, and now she was separated from the only family she had left.

‘...I didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye.’

Of course, her grandmother had told her she could visit anytime she wanted, but that wasn’t much comfort.

Now, she was headed to Velvet Hunter Academy. Originally, she was supposed to enter next year, but who could have predicted she’d end up going like this?

Alice tried to hide her dismay, hardening her expression, but she couldn’t stop the trembling in her eyes.

As they say, even a dog feels more confident at home. With her house gone and her dependable grandmother no longer by her side, Alice felt a surge of anxiety.

Thump. Thump.

Sweat trickled down her clenched fists, and her mouth was dry.

Thud!

Suddenly, Lee Yu-ri collapsed to the ground in front of her, causing Alice to gasp in surprise.

“N-no... My, my precious shields worth 19,149,300 won...”

Lee Yu-ri clutched the broken pieces of metal on the ground, trembling. She looked up at Jin Yoo-ha with teary eyes.

“Do you think they’ll repair them if I take them in for service?”

Jin Yoo-ha scratched his cheek awkwardly and replied, “Well, with them smashed up this badly, I doubt it... Let’s just let them go.”

“How can you say something so heartless!”

“I’ll buy you a new one when we get back, something even better.”

“Those shields, they were my faithful companions, and they even played songs that made them stronger every day...”

“How about a 20 million won one?”

“...Huh?”

At Jin Yoo-ha’s words, Lee Yu-ri’s tears instantly disappeared as if they had never been there.

Tap. Tap.

She brushed off her knees and stood up. “Sometimes you just have to let your grown-up kids be independent. They served their purpose and left when their time came. Come on, we’re busy.”

‘Hmm... It seems like it’ll be a bit difficult to get close to them,’ Alice thought to herself as she listened to their absurd exchange.

Vroom—

On the way back, they rode in a large vehicle. Alice had been startled when the car suddenly appeared from a box, but she tried to nod calmly as if it were nothing.

“Ahem! I’ll drive. Jin Yoo-ha, you get some rest.”

“I’ll close my eyes for a bit.”

Lee Yu-ri took the driver’s seat, and Kang Do-hee sat in the passenger seat.

Alice sat in the back with Jin Yoo-ha.

“...”

“...”

An awkward silence fell between them, weighing heavily on her shoulders.

It was uncomfortable.

At least she had exchanged a few words with Kang Do-hee and Lee Yu-ri during their training, but she hadn’t spoken a single word to Jin Yoo-ha until now.

And he was a man.

Where would she have had a chance to talk to a man? Her only exposure had been through anime and comics, having lived secluded in the mountains.

Glance.

Glance.

Since he had saved her and her grandmother from danger, any initial hostility she had felt toward him had dissipated, and she was aware that she owed him a debt of gratitude.

‘Should I thank him first?’ freёwebnoѵel.com

Hmm.

Not easy.

Now that she was trying to set aside her preconceptions, she noticed his appearance first.

He seemed thinner than when she first saw him, likely due to the lack of proper nutrition.

A sickly, delicate boyish look?

His half-closed eyes had a languid and decadent feel to them. His sharp nose and pale skin gave off a mysterious aura. Her gaze involuntarily drifted to his red lips and the slight exposure of his collarbone.

‘...He’s really handsome.’

So, is this man going to be her senior? Are there only men like him at the academy? As her imagination about life at the academy began to run wild, Jin Yoo-ha’s dark eyes, which had been staring out the window, suddenly turned to her.

“!”

Alice quickly turned her head down to look at her knees.

A low, lethargic voice reached her ears.

“Alice.”

“Y-yes! No, um, yes. Why are you calling me?”

‘Did I lose my mind?!’

She was so flustered that she momentarily lost her composure.

“You’ve suddenly been thrown into going to the academy. Are you worried?”

“I-it’s fine. I was already planning to enter next year, so I’m... prepared!”

Alice squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Prepared? What does that even mean?!’

Just like when they first met, why did her words and actions keep getting tangled up? Alice felt like crying.

Jin Yoo-ha simply looked at her quietly. Alice, unable to bear meeting his gaze, kept staring at the headrest that Kang Do-hee was leaning on.

“Well, I’m quite interested in you, Alice.”

“...Interested?”

Glance.

She briefly looked over at Jin Yoo-ha before turning her eyes away again.

‘Interested in me?’

What does that mean?

Thump, thump.

Her heart started beating faster.

“Yes, I’m interested enough to want to bring you into our party. Hmm, I know Director Rina said she would take care of you at the academy, but if you’re okay with it, why not consider staying with us?”

Gulp.

Alice swallowed dryly.

This was more forward than she had expected. First, he said he was interested, and now, after only a short conversation, he was suggesting they stay together?

‘...Is this how men are in the outside world?’

Having little to no knowledge about men, Alice felt her mind becoming a jumbled mess.

‘What should I say? I don’t know...!’

As she struggled to come up with a good response, Alice’s brows furrowed.

“What?! Jin Yoo-ha, are you thinking of bringing her into our house?”

At that moment, Lee Yu-ri, who had been driving quietly, glanced into the rearview mirror and spoke up. Kang Do-hee, who had been dozing off, also opened her eyes wide and turned her head to glare at Alice.

“Nureongi, I wonder how you’d feel about bringing an outsider into our space without discussing it.”

Alice was even more shocked by their reaction.

‘Our house? Outsider? Are they all living together...?’

This was a culture shock Alice couldn’t handle.

Men and women living together? Is this city life?

Jin Yoo-ha, now responding, said, “Alice has just been separated from her grandmother and is on her own. She doesn’t know anyone here, and she doesn’t have anyone close. It doesn’t feel right to just leave her on her own. Plus, being the Sword Sovereign’s granddaughter, she won’t be a burden, and she might even be a help.”

“Hmm...”

“Hmmm...”

Lee Yu-ri and Kang Do-hee looked at Alice with expressions that suggested they weren’t entirely convinced. The more they scrutinized her, the more Alice felt herself shrinking inward.

She hadn’t even said anything, yet the conversation was moving forward. Jin Yoo-ha flashed a bright smile at her and said,

“It’ll be fine. They’re all good people.”

“I-I’ll think about it...”

“Sure, just try to think about it positively.”

“Y-yeah. And, um, you’re a bit too close...”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

The reason I suggested that Alice join us wasn’t complicated.

‘I’m curious!’

When you pull a new character, you naturally want to test them out, explore their abilities, and see what they can do. That’s the nature of a gamer. Unfortunately, right after pulling Alice, I had gotten stuck in this world and hadn’t had a chance to use her at all. While I knew all the details about the other characters’ personal stories, traits, and skills, Alice was still a mystery to me.

In my mind, Alice was unexplored territory!

‘And besides, she’s guaranteed to be good.’

After all, Alice was a limited 5-star character from the start. Being able to recruit her early on? How could I resist? There’s no way I’d let this chance slip by.

‘Though, I do feel a bit guilty about not giving her what she was supposed to get...’

But I didn’t regret it. Giving that to my teacher was the right choice.

It’s better that she has the Ice Sword now and can continue her work with the Demon Slayers # Nоvеlight # rather than putting herself in danger by sticking to the Wolyeong Sword Technique.

‘Still, I feel a little bad. Maybe I should ask Director Rina to set up a spatial tattoo for her...’

Soon after, the view of the academy came into sight through the window.

“We’ve arrived.”

Alice’s eyes widened in awe as she let out a soft exclamation.

“This is Velvet Hunter Academy...”

“Welcome, Alice.”