I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 301: Quota system for men

A week had passed since the new students began their training at the academy.

Every night, I received a video from Ichika.

The video was none other than a recording of Min Tae-hoon’s dream. Though the people and the landscape in the dream were the same as in real life, the situation and atmosphere were quite different.

In Min Tae-hoon’s dream, the male quota members, who had been struggling, were now soaring with newfound power from the demonic energy. Min Tae-hoon, meanwhile, expanded his influence, manipulating not only the special admission students but also students from other groups, those who had been lured by rumors of gaining strength.

The events in the dream were far more vivid and realistic than I had expected. It felt disturbingly plausible—had I not caught that demon early, things could have unfolded just like that.

‘Hmm, maybe not exactly... The dream had some rather convenient developments in his favor, probably because it was a dream.’

Despite the sudden rise in the students' abilities, none of the instructors or other students seemed to question it, among other logical inconsistencies.

Even so, Ichika’s new ability was proving to be extremely effective at pushing Min Tae-hoon into a corner.

‘It’s disturbingly realistic... And it seems the other party members are using it to relieve their stress as well.’

I’ll have to ask Ichika if I can give it a try myself later. It might be a good way to blow off steam once this mission is over. I should also ask the others what kind of dreams they’re using to relieve their stress.

Anyway, back to reality.

The demon was captured before he could attempt anything significant. As a result, reality was far from the dream.

Alice and the other special admission students were sweating and gritting their teeth as they struggled to keep up with my training regimen. The male quota members, meanwhile, were undoubtedly cursing me behind my back, though none of them dared to voice their complaints in front of me.

I looked at the nervous new students standing before me and spoke.

“You’ve all done well enduring the grueling basic training over the past week.”

I meant it.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Alice to keep up with the same training as me. And I definitely didn’t expect Chunhwa and Iron Wall, the other two special admission students, to volunteer for the same intense training regimen.

Of course, those two didn’t handle the training as flawlessly as Alice. But even so, they grit their teeth and refused to give up, pushing through with fierce determination.

“For the past week, your bodies ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) have been pushed to their limits. It hasn’t been an easy path, but you should be proud of what you’ve endured.”

“...!”

Chunhwa and Iron Wall straightened their spines with pride at my words.

“And, for enduring such training, there should be a fitting reward.”

This was something I had prepared out of my own pocket after watching Min Tae-hoon’s dream and thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“Special admission students, step forward.”

Alice, Chunhwa, and Iron Wall came forward.

“Take this.”

I handed each of them a small box.

“...What is this?”

Alice asked, looking at the pill inside. She didn’t use honorifics before, but she’s improved. I smirked internally and explained.

“It’s called a Chodan.”

Chodan.

In Velvetra the game, it was known as the "Beginner’s Elixir."

It’s an elixir that randomly increases one stat—strength, agility, endurance, or speed—by 1, as long as the stat is under 60.

It wasn’t as powerful as the magic-enhancing elixirs I had taken or the pills made from the refined Fire Dragon. But among the potions available for purchase, it was considered upper-mid-tier.

Well, it’s useless for me and the other party members. This elixir hadn’t even been developed back when my stats were below 60.

‘It’s an item introduced in later scenarios to give newly created characters a bit of a boost.’

“When you take this, one of your stats—strength, agility, or endurance—will increase if it’s under 60.”

At that, their eyes widened. They seemed to realize just how valuable the item was.

Utopia party members, including myself, were currently earning astronomical amounts of money. We had countless clients seeking us out, and our value had skyrocketed. While we often took on missions without payment if necessary, on average, each mission we accepted involved billions of won.

So this expense meant nothing to us.

But from their perspective, it was probably a different story.

“H-hold on... does this really just increase stats by consuming it?”

Chunhwa asked, eyes wide as she alternated between staring at the pill and me.

“Yes. The development of this elixir was completed just a week ago. It’s already gone through clinical trials, so there’s no need to worry about side effects.”

“I-I don’t know if I’m worthy of accepting something so valuable...”

“It’s a reward for your effort. But don’t take it now.”

“...Huh?”

“You see, there’s a group battle in two weeks, right? If you raise your stats with this elixir before the battle, people will definitely start talking. So wait until the training period is completely over before you consume it.”

“Oh.”

Realization dawned in Chunhwa’s eyes.

“Ugh... B-but, could you hold onto this for me?”

Chunhwa held out the box, trembling slightly.

“...?”

I looked at her, puzzled. She answered sheepishly.

“Well, I’m not very good at resisting temptations. I have to eat delicious things right away, or it drives me crazy.”

Yeah, I knew that. Chunhwa had a carefree personality that earned her a decent fan base.

“So if I keep this, I’m sure I’ll be tempted and lose focus on training. Can you hold onto it for me until the training’s over?”

I had planned to test her willpower by having her hold onto the elixir herself, but to my surprise, she handed it back immediately. This was unexpected.

‘She’d be a good addition to Utopia’s sub-party.’

A satisfied smile spread across my face.

“Understood. I’ll hold onto your Chodan and return it to you once the training is complete.”

I nodded and placed the box back in my spatial storage.

“Here.”

“P-please hold mine too!”

Not wanting to be left behind, Alice and Iron Wall handed back their Chodan as well.

And with that, the rewards ceremony for the special admission students concluded on a positive note.

Now, all that remained were the male quota members.

Their eyes held a strange glint of anticipation, hoping they might receive something too.

‘Hah, look at them.’

I had no intention of giving them a single elixir. Giving these guys a Chodan would be like throwing money into the trash.

“If any of you were expecting something, let me be clear. There’s nothing for you.”

That statement lit a fuse.

One of the larger male quota members stepped forward and shouted.

“That’s unfair!”

“Unfair?”

I tilted my head at him.

“Yes, it’s unfair!”

“And why do you think that?”

“Men and women have fundamentally different physiques! They were born with stronger bodies than us, so how is it fair that we undergo the same training and are held to the same standards? Even Chunhwa and Iron Wall couldn’t keep up with all of the training!”

He pointed accusingly at the special admission students as he ranted.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You couldn’t even complete 10% of the training, yet you had time to observe theirs so closely?”

As I sneered, he bit his lip. The others glared at me as if agreeing with his words.

“I clearly gave you the choice at the start—to train at the same level as the special admission students or not. And it was you who chose to take on the training.”

“B-but!”

“Fine, I’ll admit it. You’re right. You and they are fundamentally different. Your highest stat is still lower than their lowest stat.”

When I hit them with that fact, their eyes filled with resentment.

“So why didn’t you work harder? If I were you, I’d be clawing at their heels just to keep up. Why didn’t you?”

“T-the training exceeded my limits—”

Ah.

Now I understood why my master had always looked at male quota members with such a cold expression.

People who, despite their lack of qualifications, were quick to tear down the efforts of others.

It was disgusting.

“You said Chunhwa and Iron Wall couldn’t keep up with the training, right?”

Both Chunhwa and Iron Wall stiffened at his words, suppressing their anger just because he was a man.

“Don’t make me laugh. They volunteered to take on training that was several times harder than what they had been receiving.”

Were these guys even trying to use that as an excuse?

“And despite collapsing from exhaustion, they never gave up. Don’t lump them in with you cowards who quit after just 10 or 5 minutes. It’s an insult to them.”

I looked each of the male quota members in the eye.

“Did any of you even collapse from exhaustion?”

The male quota members clammed up like oysters.

They had nothing to say. Whenever they were tired, they simply sat down and started goofing off. Some of them had even gained weight since starting training.

“You expect a reward after putting in that kind of effort? Have some shame.”

“B-but if we had known about the reward—”

Sigh.

I let out a long breath and ran a hand through my hair.

“So, you’re claiming that because of the difference in physical ability, this evaluation was unfair. Is that right?”

“...Yes.”

“Fine. We have three weeks left. Every weekend, I’ll review your progress and hand out Chodan. If you work hard enough, each of you could receive three elixirs.”

“!”

“And since you raised the issue of physical ability, I’ll account for that as well. From now on, the training will focus solely on mental fortitude. Do you have confidence?”

“D-don’t regret it.”

Thud!

With that statement, I stomped my foot.

Immediately.

Rumble!

The guy who had just told me not to regret it foamed at the mouth, collapsing in a puddle of his own urine.

I could only look down at him in disappointment and mutter.

“...Idiot.”