I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 303: Team sparring (1)

The training for the special admission students under Jin Yoo-ha continued relentlessly.

In the second week, they endured killing intent.

In the third, they had to actively move and fight within that suffocating atmosphere.

Finally, in the fourth and last week, the students teamed up to attempt a single meaningful strike against Jin Yoo-ha.

The last day of the fourth week arrived.

The training ground lay in ruins, an unmistakable sign of the harsh battle that had taken place.

Huff— Huff—

Hwarang knelt on one knee, breathing heavily with a tired expression.

Iron Wall had collapsed, motionless over her shield, as if unconscious.

The only one still standing was Alice, though it would be a stretch to say she was in good shape.

Was this even possible?

Hwarang had thought she’d experienced enough of what Jin Yoo-ha was capable of, but his limits remained out of sight.

Jin Yoo-ha hadn’t moved a single step from his initial position, his sword raised.

Not a drop of sweat nor a hint of tension was visible on his face.

It was as if he was saying, “I alone am absolute in this space.”

“...He’s a monster. That’s what he is.”

“Cadet Hwarang, that’s quite a harsh comment to make about your instructor.”

“Huh...? Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, you did.”

“S-sorry, sir.”

Jin Yoo-ha chuckled and nodded.

“Apology accepted.”

“Ugh... Could you maybe turn down the killing intent a bit?”

“Sorry, but you’ll only get stronger by facing real combat situations.”

Jin Yoo-ha shifted his gaze to Alice.

With a cold, determined look on her face, she seemed to be searching for an opening, desperate to land a successful hit.

Phew...

Alice steadied her breathing.

‘I’m fine with the killing intent... I can handle it.’

For her, enduring this kind of pressure wasn’t unbearable. It was challenging, but she could manage.

Unlike Hwarang and Iron Wall, her mental fortitude was on a different level.

She wasn’t sure why, but the older Utopia members had taken her under their wing at some point.

Now, Min Tae-hoon roamed through dreams, spreading seeds of demonic energy among the academy’s new students and causing havoc. He also had an unhealthy obsession with her.

Alice had watched his antics alongside the other Utopia members under the guise of a “provisional party member.”

Even though it was a dream, Alice had been placed under Min Tae-hoon’s control, constantly humiliated.

Perhaps that was why Ichika, her mentor in maintaining a poker face, felt a bit sorry for her.

Ichika had promised to let her experience a different dream.

“It’s not difficult to recreate dreams based on experience.”Alice had been curious about the dreams the other Utopia members shared, so she nodded.

‘It was incredible...’

In the dream Ichika created, the only indication that it was a dream was a giant sign in the sky that read, This is a dream.

There, Alice experienced a date with Jin Yoo-ha in a lucid dream.

Dream Jin Yoo-ha had led her with such ease, helping her navigate her nervousness around men.

When she’d widened her eyes at the taste of new food, he had chuckled, calling her cute.

Then, he’d wiped a bit of sauce from her lips with his finger and licked it off. That moment remained burned into her memory.

‘So... this is what all the other Utopia members have experienced with him...’

After learning how Utopia shared Jin Yoo-ha, Alice had wondered how they could manage it. Jin Yoo-ha meticulously divided his time each day, constantly training or preparing for future tasks with barely any rest.

The idea that they shared this time with him made no sense to her. How could they not fight over what little time was left?

She finally understood after the dream Ichika shared.

While Jin Yoo-ha didn’t spend much time with any one person, sharing dreams allowed them all to experience his attention.

Even though they didn’t share the most intimate aspects of their relationships with him, the heart-pounding moments Alice had experienced in her dream made her realize why [N O V E L I G H T] they all felt the way they did.

And now, after experiencing so many facets of Jin Yoo-ha in those dreams, Alice found herself undaunted by his killing intent.

‘I’ve got an edge over Hwarang and Iron Wall...’

Still, even with her advantage, finding an opening against him was proving difficult.

“Focus, Alice.”

Jin Yoo-ha’s calm, steely voice snapped her back to attention.

Right. She’d allowed her mind to wander.

“In your upcoming group sparring sessions, you’ll be wearing mana-restraining artifacts. And as for the male quota members... they won’t be of much help, honestly.”

That was true. From the second week on, Jin Yoo-ha had essentially given up on the male quota members, who kept avoiding training altogether.

“So, just because you’re special admission students doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to win.”

At his words, Alice gripped her weapon tightly, mentally preparing herself.

Huff— Huff—

Alice steadied her breathing, her focus unwavering. I watched her and couldn’t help but smirk.

I knew I was pushing her harder than I should.

‘But what choice do I have?’

The male quota members were utterly useless.

Compared to the two guys from my year, who had at least managed to make a name for themselves in other parties, this new batch was completely hopeless.

If they’d had even a little grit, I would’ve tried to teach them. But these guys... they’d already started feigning injuries to skip training altogether.

They were better off leaving the academy now before they endangered any of their teammates.

So, I’d given up on them and focused on the special admission students.

But that meant our team was down to just three members, compared to the other teams’ eight.

And with the mana-restraining artifacts they’d be wearing, they wouldn’t have any real advantage as special admission students.

‘The only bright side is that Alice has spent her whole life dealing with mana restraints, so she’ll adapt quickly.’

I needed Alice to take the top spot and join Utopia, which meant pushing her as hard as possible.

After composing herself, Alice swung her halberd and charged at me like a whirlwind.

Wham!

A fierce flurry of strikes came at me from all directions.

I parried her attacks with my sword, studying her as she moved.

‘Her resistance to killing intent is remarkable...’

As expected from a limited-edition character.

Even when the others froze up, unable to move, Alice could fight freely.

Back when my master first subjected me to this, I couldn’t even take a single step.

Swish!

Clang!

The blade of her halberd clashed with my sword, producing a resonant ring.

‘She’s got impressive strength.’

I absorbed the force, redirecting it and exploiting the opening that followed her big swing.

But just as I moved to exploit the gap, Alice smirked and thrust the back end of her halberd toward my waist.

Boom!

I managed to block it, but her unexpected move forced me to step back slightly.

‘She used the pole to brace herself and transitioned into a thrust...?’

Lowering my sword, I laughed.

‘Did I overtrain her a bit...?’

No, surely not. The other instructors are excellent, after all. There’s no way we’ll get steamrolled in an eight-to-three fight... right?

“Four elixirs! Alice! You did it!”

“Alice! That was amazing! You actually managed to land a hit on him!”

When I announced that Alice had earned four elixirs for landing that hit, Hwarang and Iron Wall practically leaped with excitement.

Both of them had done well, but in the end, Alice had outshone them.

So they would each receive three elixirs, while Alice would get four.

Despite the obvious difference in rewards, they didn’t seem to mind and congratulated Alice wholeheartedly.

It looked like Alice had built a good relationship with her fellow special admission students.

‘Perhaps I should bring them into Utopia’s second team as well.’

Smiling, I nodded as I watched them.

“You all did well to endure the tough training until now. Starting tomorrow, it’s time for your group sparring sessions. Show them what you’ve got.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We’ll do our best!”

“Understood. We’ll give it our all.”

And with that, the special admission students’ training officially came to an end.