I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 311: Utopia Syndrome
Boom—!
As the colossal demon collapsed, disintegrating into a pitiful heap, the world erupted in chaos.
『[Breaking News] Utopia Party Defeats Demon During Freshman Group Match! World in Shock!』
『A Stern Warning from Cheonhwa: Black Gates Will Appear, and Demons Will Emerge from Them.』
『A New Threat to Humanity: What Are These Demons? Experts from the Hunter Industry Analyze the Situation.』
『Step Up Again! Let's Take a Closer Look at Utopia's Strength! Asymmetrical Power: What Is Utopia's Rating?』
『Velvet Hunter Academy's Freshman Group Match Shocker! The MVP: The Sword Saint’s Granddaughter, Alice! Where Will She Go Next? Utopia!』
The public had already been buzzing ever since the unprecedented broadcast of Velvet Hunter Academy’s freshman group matches.
But the shocking revelation of a hidden demon among the students and the first public display of a demon's existence fueled the frenzy even more. To top it off, Utopia’s skills, which had been quiet since their monster extermination mission in the U.S., were once again put on full display, causing an uproar.
However, despite the appearance of such a terrifying new enemy, the atmosphere wasn’t all that grim.
After all, the demon had made such a menacing entrance, only to be sliced to pieces without even putting up a fight!
The live broadcast of Utopia’s battle continued to be replayed endlessly, flooding platforms like YouTube, Shorts, and news articles, dominating the top search results across the world.
[“Jin Yu-ha's Demon Hunt Compilation: 10 Hours of Continuous Replay.”]
"Jin Yu-ha! Jin Yu-ha! Jin Yu-ha!""He’s insane. How is he swinging that sword so easily? How does that even work...?""Oppa... I’m so overwhelmed." └ "You dirty girl. Clean yourself up, then.""Mom, when I grow up, I want to be Jin Yu-ha! Mom, when I grow up, I want to be Jin Yu-ha!" └ "Well, you’ll have to TS first." └ "Why wouldn’t you? He’s the most beautiful boy in the whole region!" └ ";;;" └ "I don’t think even TS could make you a pretty boy..."
[“Demon. You’ve got talent. Keep it up.”]
"Maybe the demon was a pacifist at heart.""For real though, Demon (0 kills, 1 death, 0 damage).""Honestly, its entrance was almost final boss level.""Ah... I miss him. ‘Trash Demon.’" └ "They say it's humanity’s greatest threat, but damn, it's getting called ‘Trash Demon’ now lol."
[“Jin Yu-ha Sitting in a Chair, Looking Down.”]
Ready to praise him?
"Me! Me! Me! I’m really good at it! My nickname is Doctor Fish! I’ll polish those soles until they shine!" └ "This guy’s the real deal lol." └ "Is it free?" └ "If it’s for licking Jin Yu-ha’s feet, you’d probably have to pay." └ "How much?" └ "Uh, does it matter which part I lick...? licks lips" └ "Get this guy arrested." └ "I said, how much?" └ "No seriously, how much?"
[“The Final Moments of a Demon Who Underestimated Humanity.”]
???: "When did I ever underestimate them?" └ "You did." └ ???: "I literally just showed up and got my ass kicked." └ "No, you disrespected us. You totally did." └ "Yeah, and that’s why it’s funny."
"LOL, are these people insane?"
"Shouldn't Japan be trembling in fear now, and China wailing? Isn't it time to bring out the nationalism tube and crank it up?" └ "Ma’am... that’s such old-school nationalism." └ "‘Strong teams don’t make a fuss.’" └ "Ever since the Velvet Hunter Academy was established, nationalism’s been pretty much wiped out." └ "The last nationalist leader was hospitalized when Utopia obliterated China’s senior hunters during the U.S. monster mission." └ "RIP Last Nationalist (Overworked)." └ "Here’s the YouTube link for your nostalgic patriotism fix~~"
All over the internet, dopamine-fueled content spread like wildfire.
The hysteria was unlike anything seen before.
No one had directly confronted the demon. Just watching it on screen was enough to make people’s teeth chatter and their hair stand on end, triggering a primal fear of the unknown. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
And yet, humanity’s hero had stepped up and utterly destroyed that terrifying force.
And all of it was broadcast live for the world to witness!
The sense of relief and confidence people felt soared to the sky. Now, there was a widespread belief that no matter what threat emerged, the heroes from Velvet Hunter Academy would save them.
The excitement and cheers continued to grow, spreading worldwide.
In the midst of this chaos, both inside and outside the Academy, Shin Se-hee organized a press conference.
Snap, snap, snap—
The camera flashes were so intense that it was difficult to even open her eyes, but Shin Se-hee smiled gently as she took her seat, as if she was used to it.
As soon as she did, reporters from all over the world started shouting questions.
"Can you tell us exactly how powerful Jin Yu-ha is as the leader of Utopia? Could you make a statement on that?"
"Cheonhwa! Why was there a demon hiding within the Academy? Is the security at Velvet Hunter Academy safe? Is there any chance other demons have infiltrated among the freshmen?"
"Could you clarify the rumors that the appearance of the demon was fabricated, that this whole event was staged to raise Utopia's prestige?"
The appearance and defeat of the demon might have been satisfying to the general public, but for other groups, the situation was viewed through a different lens.
Countries that didn’t want Korea to gain any more power, guilds and parties that weren’t affiliated with the Academy and believed Utopia’s strength was merely due to their backing, and the demons that had been hiding in the shadows, now forced into the light by the sudden appearance of the demon—all had their own interests.
For these groups, the demon’s appearance and Utopia’s skills had to be discredited, no matter what.
‘Hmph, the ones with their backs against the wall are all flocking here.’
Shin Se-hee smirked inwardly, raising her hand to calm the crowd.
"First, I’ll be answering all questions at the end of my statement. So please hold your questions for now."
“.....” “.....” “.....”
The press conference hall went silent in an instant.
Shin Se-hee judged that the atmosphere was right and finally opened her mouth.
She had no intention of resolving their suspicions or answering their questions here. She only planned to briefly touch on the preparations for the upcoming demonic gates.
"First of all, regarding the demons and the Black Gates, commonly referred to as Demonic Gates, I’ll explain. We have shared all the information we’ve gathered with the Hunter Management Bureau. Any additional information we uncover will be promptly shared as well, and it will be disseminated globally to all hunter management organizations without needing to request it."
The most important thing was sharing information.
According to Jin Yu-ha, the ecosystem within the Demonic Gates was entirely different from any gates humanity had experienced before. By spreading information in advance, they could reduce the casualties at the onset.
"Secondly, regarding Utopia’s demon extermination missions: As before, any requests for such missions can be submitted through the Academy, and Utopia will accept them and be dispatched accordingly. You can inquire at the Academy for specific request forms. However, I can assure you that the cost of the requests will not be burdensome."
In Shin Se-hee’s view, this was a necessity.
Even though Demonic Gates posed a threat to humanity, Utopia couldn’t just be dispatched for free. Otherwise, people would start to exploit Utopia as a tool for their own agendas.
‘On a national level, our Academy's fees aren’t that steep.’
Of course, the difficulty of the mission would determine the payout, but it was still far cheaper than contracting a specialized guild or party. And with the Academy’s backing, it was easier to preempt any underhanded schemes.
"And lastly, the third point: civilian protection and guidelines for guilds. If a Demonic Gate is discovered, it must be reported immediately. Guilds or parties are not permitted to take on extermination missions independently. Utopia will not allow such actions."
"...Allow?"
While they had listened quietly up until this point, the third statement caused a stir.
The attendees began whispering to one another.
She had offered no explanation about the demon’s existence, nor had she addressed the doubts surrounding Utopia’s abilities or the legitimacy of the Demonic Gate.
And now she was telling them what they could or couldn’t do?
"...Is she telling us to suck up to Velvet Hunter Academy or something?" "This sounds way too arrogant..." "Unbelievable. What nonsense is this?" "She didn’t even clarify whether the Black Gates or ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ demons are real, so what is she even talking about?"
Shin Se-hee’s intention behind these words was to prevent future problems.
‘Of course, even if I say this, they’ll still try to clear the gates on their own.’
But when other guilds or parties inevitably suffered losses, they wouldn’t be able to blame Utopia for it. This was her way of drawing a firm line.
And at that moment—
A reporter, who had been staring at his phone, suddenly widened his eyes and shouted.
"...Oh! Africa! A Black Gate has just appeared in Africa!!!"
