I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 298: Training of first-year students

I stared intently at the guy.

The name tag on his chest read [Min Tae-hoon].

‘This guy is definitely a Demonfolk.’

At first, I thought I might have misread him, but focusing my magical energy confirmed it. The dark aura emanating from him was unmistakably the filthy magic unique to Demonfolk.

‘But how did this guy get in?’

It was strange. Of course, I knew that the male quota system typically didn’t perform strict skill or magical aptitude tests, allowing students to enter randomly. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have been able to get in either.

However, when I enrolled last year, there had been a precedent where I was suspected of being a Demon. Lina had placed detection barriers throughout the academy to sense Demonfolk.

‘Did he slip past that?’

If so, he likely had a power. Probably something related to mental manipulation or stealth. He could easily escape detection from a magic detector or thorough inspection.

And the fact that he was here meant that the Demonfolk were starting to catch on to Lina's inability to intervene directly in worldly matters.

‘Should I kill him now?’

Even with such powers, a dead body can’t lie. If I killed him and performed an autopsy, his true nature as a Demon would be revealed.

You might think he’d be a tough opponent?

Not really.

At this level, Demonfolk were hardly a challenge.

Sure, there were occasionally stronger ones among them, like the Seven Deadly Sins, but honestly, they were all about the same.

Demonfolk were barely more than a launching pad for Demons.

What mattered was capturing the Demons.

‘But the problem is that lately, Demons have been scarce.’

At this point, the status of Velvet Hunter Academy had changed significantly from its standing in the game.

Originally, starting last year, the academy should have been on a slow decline.

With the Hunter Management Bureau opposing them, cadets being sacrificed during evaluations, and a swarm of Chimeras unleashed in China, the world should have been one where Demons and Demonfolk thrived.

With the world in such disarray and Lina not stepping in, public opinion and the media were bound to raise suspicions about the academy.

‘In the midst of all this, the player is struggling to maintain the academy's reputation.’

That had been the original story, but I was intervening much more broadly than in the game, maintaining faith in Lina while also preserving the academy’s trust.

Given the circumstances, the influx of Demons had decreased!

Though we’d caught nearly every one that appeared, fewer came than expected.

‘Still, we took down some big guys that originally were impossible to hunt. It’s a much better situation than the original.’

For example, the ones I caught during summer break with my teacher, the one I saved Ichika from, and even the Tree of the Demon Realm.

In a situation where Demons would typically face significant burdens descending into reality, capturing those bigger ones had been a tremendous harvest. Because of that, I had earned achievements like "Demon Slayer" and "Demon King Slayer."

‘But once the Demon Realm gates start appearing, that burden will vanish...’

In other words, it meant /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ that capturing Demons before the gates were created was increasingly advantageous.

‘It would be best to keep this Demon alive, use him to draw in the Demons, and then hunt them down.’

At that moment, I noticed the guy’s magic stirring and shifting.

‘Oh no, have I been staring too long?’

I tried to activate the mental protection barrier I had learned from my teacher to prevent Lina from reading my thoughts.

But then, suddenly...

[The blessing, “Demon King Slayer,” negates low-tier powers.]

“Jin Yoo-ha, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but that’s a misunderstanding. I’m just an ordinary cadet.”

Min Tae-hoon spouted some nonsense out of nowhere.

As expected, it seemed like he had some sort of mental manipulation ability.

‘It’d be best to play along and let him think I’ve been fooled.’

I relaxed my gaze and opened my mouth.

“What do you mean? There’s no way you’re just an ordinary cadet.”

Min Tae-hoon’s expression hardened at my response.

“You’re not a male quota cadet?”

His face relaxed again as he quickly replied.

“Ahaha, well, yes. I am a male quota cadet. A fan of Jin Yoo-ha.”

“Hmm, sorry. I was lost in thought for too long. I was thinking about something else.”

“Yes, that’s fine. It’s an honor, really.”

As he spoke, Min Tae-hoon flashed a bright smile.

'After all, I won’t be doing anything drastic today.'

It’s a trait of Demonfolk to sow seeds of discord while scheming.

Well, I’d ask someone smarter, like Shin Se-hee, with her big operational brain, about summoning the Demons through this guy.

'For now, the training must go on.'

I scanned the cadets and frowned.

Something didn’t sit right.

I had an eye for discerning aptitude.

The special admission students were ‘usable’ in my eyes.

But the male quota students were truly pathetic.

Not that lacking talent was an unforgivable sin.

Judging someone solely by their talent wasn’t something I should do.

Plus, unlike them, I had enhanced my abilities through rather sneaky methods.

‘Still, this is just unacceptable.’

What bothered me was their attitude.

All the male quota students were fidgeting, grinning from ear to ear as if they were on vacation.

Meanwhile, the special admission students maintained stiff, serious expressions.

‘...Is this my karma?’

I was making waves as a male quota student, and in doing so, I had inflated their egos. I felt a twinge of frustration.

‘So this is what it felt like.’

I realized just how open-minded my teacher was for giving me a chance.

Even when it was obvious that these guys were below par in terms of talent and physicality, they still acted arrogantly.

Honestly, I wanted to yell at them to drop to the ground and get lost.

Hah—

I sighed inwardly and addressed the male quota students.

“You guys, you came here hoping to be like me, right?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

They answered with high-pitched voices, not even trying to hide their enthusiasm.

“That’s understandable. In that case, I’ll give you a choice.”

“A choice?”

“Yes, you’ll have the opportunity to train at the same level as the special admission students.”

“Did Jin Yoo-ha also train at the same level as the special admission students when he was a cadet?”

One male student, whose face looked like he had applied white makeup, asked.

Ugh, it’s really annoying how they keep interrupting me.

“...Yes. I also demanded to train at the same level as the special admission students at first.”

“Oooh...!”

“If you endure training at the same level as the special admission students, you will have a chance to rise to the same level as me.”

At that, they began to chuckle among themselves.

“Wow, is it possible to become the second Jin Yoo-ha?”

“I accept!”

“I’ll be fine even if I have to take a hit!”

I closed my eyes tightly.

‘So this is how it feels to have someone praising you for nothing.’

My respect for my teacher grew as I realized just how open-minded they were.

Even when they were clearly beneath me in talent and ability, they acted as if they were entitled.

Honestly, if I had my way, I would yell at them to get down and shut up.

Hah—

I released a sigh and spoke to the male quota students.

“Alright, then. How about you all run 50 laps around here to start?”

I forced a smile as I said it.

Huff—

Huff—

Alice was catching her breath while running. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Heavy weights were strapped to her hands and feet.

She had always been confident in her basic stamina.

Her grandmother had always emphasized the importance of physical fitness. The lesson was to never neglect stamina training at any moment.

Thanks to that, she was holding up quite well during this training.

The others were already struggling.

Hah— Hah—

Hic— Hic—

The special admission students were also finding it tough, their breaths ragged.

“Ugh!”

“I—I’m going to die!”

Yet, they were stubbornly keeping up.

Meanwhile, the boys who had confidently strapped on weights initially showed enthusiasm, but before they could even finish one lap, they started making excuses like “My stomach hurts” or “I trained this morning” and opted out.

‘As expected, Jin Yoo-ha is something else.’

Alice gazed at Jin Yoo-ha, who was running ahead of her, with newfound admiration.

Even though he was here as an instructor, he didn’t have to join in the training, yet he was still running alongside them. He was wearing even heavier weights than she was.

‘But that’s embarrassing.’

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

She quickly moved her feet and shot up next to Jin Yoo-ha.

“Hmm? Alice?”

Jin Yoo-ha raised his eyebrows and glanced back at her.

Breathless and sweating, he was more attractive than ever. In that moment, Alice instinctively inhaled sharply, but quickly swallowed her breath and spoke.

“...Same weight.”

She wanted to say more, but her words kept coming out shorter in his presence. Thankfully, Jin Yoo-ha seemed to catch on.

“What? You want to use the same weight as me?”

Nodding vigorously.

As she nodded, Jin Yoo-ha let out a soft chuckle.

“Right? This weight must be too light for you, huh? Just a moment. If you wear this along with what you have, it will match my weight.”

Wooosh—

Even while running, Jin Yoo-ha effortlessly opened a pocket dimension and handed her a weight of a different color.

Stumble!

The moment she received that weight, Alice almost lost her balance.

But she gritted her teeth and strapped the new weight onto her hands and feet.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The weight of Alice's steps sank into the training ground.

‘...Did I really run with this weight on!?’

For a moment, doubt crept into her mind about whether she could manage it.

“Honestly, I’m so glad you’re here.”

With Jin Yoo-ha’s words, her will to give up vanished.

‘Hmph! It’s not about wanting to impress him or anything; I have to keep up with him if I want to reach Utopia’s level!’

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Deep impressions of her footsteps appeared behind Alice as she ran.