Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

The Velvet Hunter Academy's vacation had begun.

Ding-a-ling~♪

[The Master of Magical Power, the Chairman of the Velvet Hunter Academy, the Magic Emperor. May the children's laughter always remain the same]

— [Photo]

— Come there~ and see,,, I've prepared what you want,,, so come and get it,,, you,,,disrespectful,,,brat~~!!!

Kick.

I burst out laughing at the message Lina had sent.

'It's so awkward to see you using that kind of speech with that face…. Hmm, is it a map? The location is Seoul?'

The reason I asked Lina to find me a rental room was simple. Even though I considered myself quite knowledgeable about living on my own, there was a bit of a gap between the real world and this world. It would be naive to think that land and housing prices would remain the same in this era of the Gate in Korea.

It would be better to take Lina's recommendation and stay in a place for a few months rather than accidentally signing a bad contract and getting stuck in an expensive and unsatisfactory place.

'And most places won't show you the room if you say you only want to rent for three months…, but they can't refuse if the Magic Emperor makes the request.'

Of course, since it was a recommendation from the Magic Emperor, it would probably be quite expensive. But now I had a decent amount of money in my account as well.

The location on the map was the center of Seoul.

Myeong-dong.

'But there doesn't seem to be any specific building marked on the map…'

I took a taxi and got off at Myeong-dong Station.

As expected of the center of Seoul, the place was bustling with people like a swarm of ants.

"Hey, did you see the photo that was posted on Jin Yuhan's fan club yesterday?"

Among the voices of the crowd, I caught the chatter of two girls who seemed to be middle school students.

"Huh? There's a photo of him there? Isn't it hard to find photos of him usually? He's not the type to take good pictures outside, so isn't that fan club mostly for writing fan fiction and drawing fan art?"

"Yeah, that's how it used to be. But last night, a bunch of photos were released!"

"What? What!?"

"That fan who calls herself 'Climbing on the Cliffs of Yuha's Nose Bridge' (Sophia Account) or something, she posted behind-the-scenes photos from the midterm evaluations, saying they were exclusive cuts. It's so freaking cool."

"Really? Let me see."

"Here."

"Eek!!! This is insane!!! He's so freaking handsome!! And he looks so cute sleeping!!!!"

The girls squealed and slapped each other's shoulders excitedly as they looked at their phones.

'A fan club? I have one of those? And what are these midterm behind-the-scenes cuts…?'

Se-hee, Se-hee… It's you again, isn't it?

My interest was piqued by the photos they were looking at, but only for a moment. I quickly pulled my hat down and adjusted my mask to cover my face.

If my identity were revealed here, it would cause a commotion. I silently thanked Sophia for giving me this restricted facial recognition mask, which would prevent anyone from recognizing me.

'As expected of someone who used to be a model, she's well-versed in these kinds of things.'

I felt a strange sense of celebrity as I hurried along, like I was some kind of entertainer.

'Hmm?'

Following the map, I turned down alleys and lanes, and gradually, the sounds of the city faded away.

'Where am I now?'

I looked around, trying to locate the place that Lina had told me about.

Vrooom—

Suddenly, the surroundings blurred, and a massive building appeared.

It was a modern architectural masterpiece, a tall cylinder with floor-to-ceiling windows. In front of it were training grounds and various convenience facilities.

The courtyard was filled with beautiful flowers and trees that I had never seen before.

I stood there with my mouth agape, staring at the scene through the gate's bars. Even at a glance, I could tell this was no ordinary house.

'Is this really in the middle of Myeong-dong…?'

As I stood there, bewildered by the differences between this world and my previous one, a massive surge of magical power suddenly washed over me, and the gate opened.

Standing before me was an elderly woman with white hair and a stern expression.

"Good day to you."

She bowed her head at a right angle when she saw me.

"Oh, hello…"

I responded awkwardly to her greeting. She was probably the landlord.

"I've been expecting you. Please come this way."

"Umm, is this the place that Chairman Lina recommended…?"

It probably was. No one else could have pulled off such an extraordinary feat of magic. But the situation was so different from what I had expected that I had to ask.

"Are you Student Jin Yuha?" the old woman asked in a polite but blunt tone.

"Yes, that's me."

"Then you've come to the right place. Please follow me."

Click-clack, click-clack.

The landlord walked ahead with precise, measured steps. I followed behind, thinking that this didn't quite feel right.

It was just a place to stay for a little over three months during the Academy's vacation. I had used the Magic Emperor's name because most places wouldn't agree to a three-month lease.

'…I thought she'd get me a decent two-room apartment for around 100 bucks a month. Who would've imagined a crazy house like this!'

I followed the landlord in, and my expression turned incredulous as I took in the surroundings.

'What's that, a fountain? A creek…? And is that a virtual training ground over there?'

There was a convenience store, a restaurant, and all sorts of other amenities. Everything seemed to be operated without any staff, too. The maintenance costs alone must be astronomical.

I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by this absurd situation.

"Umm, is the rent for this place expensive?"

It was a rather silly question, but what else could I do? If I wasn't careful, I might end up spending all my savings during my stay here.

"Hmm, rent… I've never calculated it that way, so I'm not sure. But I suppose it would be around this much."

The landlord answered without turning around, holding up two fingers behind her back.

'Oh, 200 bucks a month?'

My face lit up at the mention of 200 in monthly rent.

'Well, it's quite a bit more expensive than I expected, but for these facilities… Hmm, not bad. No, it's actually great!'

Hmm, hmm.

It was truly amazing.

After all, I would only be staying here for three months.

With the money I had saved up, 200 per month was well within my means!

Just as I was nodding in relief, a bolt from the blue struck.

"Oh, my apologies. You were talking about monthly rent. That amount was for a one-night stay."

"!? You mean two hundred per night…?"

I asked, my face a picture of disbelief. But the shock wasn't over yet.

"What do you mean?"

"Pardon?"

"It's two thousand per night. So, if we're talking about monthly rent, it would be roughly six hundred million won."

"..."

Now, I was too stunned to speak.

Six hundred million won in monthly rent? What world did Lina live in? Had I been underestimating her because of her childlike appearance?

'This place isn't made of gold bricks! Two thousand per night is ridiculous!!!'

As I mentally vented my frustration at Lina, I let out a deep sigh.

'Tsk, there's no way I can afford to live here… I'll have to apologize and leave.'

Just as I was about to call out to the landlord, she said something bizarre.

"But why are you asking about monthly rent? Ah, do you plan to put this place up for rent after your vacation is over?"

"...What? Me?"

"Well, I know I have no right to interfere since you are the owner of this house, but to be honest, I wouldn't recommend it."

"...Who are you talking about? Me?"

"This place is imbued with the essence of Lina's magic. There will undoubtedly be outsiders who enter with malicious intentions."

Our words were crossing wires. I looked at her with a confused expression.

'What? Is she misunderstanding something? I'm just going to live here for three months.'

Could she be mistaking me for a potential buyer of the building?

"Wait a moment, I have no intention of buying this house! I don't have that kind of money!"

The elderly woman furrowed her brows and turned to face me, clearly annoyed.

'She's angry, but at least I cleared up the misunderstanding…'

"Hah, so the Magic Emperor didn't even bother to explain that to you."

"What? What do you mean…?"

She sighed heavily and shook her head.

Then she uttered the most surreal words I had heard all day.

"As of today, this house is now yours, Master Jin Yuha."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?"

.

.

.

With the vacation from the Academy, Lee Yoo-ri was making her way home, driving a truck.

Vroooom—

Yoo-ri's heart was as light as a feather.

A triumphant return.

What was once a novice hunter who struggled with E-rank dungeons had now become the tank of the hottest party in town, all within a few months of entering the Academy.

It was no wonder that Yoo-ri felt a sense of pride.

The money she earned weekly from the Utopia Party's dungeon runs was on a completely different scale from what she used to scrimp and save.

Every week, she sent her earnings from the Academy back home. It had accumulated over the months, and now she had a whopping 100 million won!

'And Jin Yuha said that amount would only grow. He mentioned that it's smaller now because they're in the early stages and have a lot of investments to make.'

"Hmm♪ Hmmmm♪"

The thought of that brilliant future made her hum a happy tune.

'When I get back, I'll buy a lot of things for my siblings that I couldn't afford before.'

Squeak—

Yoo-ri parked the truck in front of the shabby house and stepped out.

'…Why is it so quiet?'

She had sent a message ahead of time, so she expected her siblings to be waiting for her. Her parents were probably at work, but her younger siblings should have been at home.

"Yuna!"

She called out to her older sister, but there was no response.

Squeak—

Yoo-ri narrowed her brows and opened the door. The room was cold, devoid of any human presence.

Click—

She turned on the lights, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Wha, what… What happened here…?"

The scene that greeted her was one of chaos, as if thieves had ransacked the place. Torn clothes and shattered furniture lay strewn about.

"What the hell happened here!!!!!!!!!!"

Yoo-ri screamed in a murderous tone.

Ding-a-ling~♪

[ Sword Demon] ─ …Hey guys, can we discuss something quickly? Are you available right now?

It was a message from Jin Yuha.