I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

The bright light blinded me, and when I opened my eyes again, the library was gone, replaced by what seemed to be a martial arts training ground.

Hundreds of people, all women, were sweating profusely and swinging their swords in perfect rows and columns. I looked down at myself, confused by this sudden change.

Clad in rusty chainmail, with a shoddy iron sword in hand and a large helmet covering most of my face, I realized, ‘So, Jin Yuha is… a regular soldier?’

When you accept Rina’s library quest, your character becomes one of the characters in the story.

Since I had never played the quest as Jin Yuha before, I didn’t know what role I would assume.

Well… I know now.

‘…An extra. Tsk.’

As expected, the trash-tier character that is Jin Yuha in his original life was relegated to an insignificant role.

It seemed that I had become a lowly soldier in Gulliver’s Travels.

‘I’ll just blend in with the training for now and observe the atmosphere.’

Being a lowly soldier for the first time, I had to be extra cautious. As I watched and tried to learn from the other soldiers’ training methods, a woman with her yellow hair tied up approached me with purposeful strides.

“Jin Yuha, trainee! Is it you again???”

‘…A military instructor, I presume.’

“Yes!” I replied crisply, standing at attention.

Thanks to my past life’s military experience, I knew that displaying discipline in such situations was crucial.

“You always answer well, but…”

However, the instructor’s response was cold.

“…Even though I’ve said it countless times that we don’t accept men into the military, especially with a war looming. It’s just disrupting the discipline.”

She muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, and the surrounding trainees stopped their training to turn and stare at me. Every single one of them was a woman.

‘Wow, this is quite a familiar scenario.’

Those looks of contempt and disdain.

It had been so long since I’d experienced this kind of treatment that I almost felt nostalgic. Ever since Utopia rose to prominence, the number of people who disregarded me as the party leader or mocked me as a beneficiary of affirmative action had dwindled to almost none.

This familiar situation brought a realization.

‘So, the gender reversal in the game’s story remains consistent? Makes sense, otherwise, it would be odd for Velvet School Life characters to be thriving in the medieval era.’

Undoubtedly, the gender discrimination in this era would have been far more severe than in modern times.

Anyway, if the gender reversal was maintained, it was predictable how a man like me would be treated during this period.

“Why did they let a guy join the army?”

“Yeah, he’s just causing trouble. It’s a real nuisance.”

“With that pretty face, he should just go to a brothel and sit pretty on a bed. I’d make him feel good every night.”

“Pfft. As if you could handle him. Look at his face. With that face, he’d be snatched up by the nobility to serve them at night.”

Yup, just as I thought.

“Trainee Jin Yuha.”

The instructor, seemingly oblivious to the whispers around us, spoke in a chilly tone.

“Yes!”

“Are you here to slack off?”

“No!” I replied loudly, ignoring the mocking comments from my peers.

“Really? Because you’re just standing there doing nothing, I thought you were slacking off.”

“…”

“Honestly, if you can’t even keep up with the basic training, what am I supposed to do with you?”

“I’ll do better from now on!”

“No, it’s too late for that. After observing you for the entire day, it’s clear that our unit doesn’t need someone like you. Just pack your bags and leave right now. This is the last bit of mercy I can offer.”

‘What the hell?’

Her ultimatum caught me off guard. Was I supposed to be kicked out of the quest right at the start?

‘…This is bullshit! It’s too much!’

I wondered if this was some kind of route where I’d be kicked out and sent to another location, but based on the story’s flow, it seemed that staying in the military was the most conventional approach.

‘What should I do?’

I clenched my fists and racked my brains for a solution.

“Why aren’t you answering? Should I pack your bags myself? Are men so incompetent that they can’t even—”

“I can beat anyone here in a fight.”

I interrupted her, my words fueled by desperation.

“Huh?”

The instructor was taken aback by my audacity, which would have earned me a stint in the stockade if I had said it in the military. But what could I do? I couldn’t think of any other option at the moment. Besides, the words had already left my mouth.

“I believe a soldier’s value lies not in their gender but in their ability to defeat enemies. Their strength should be the determining factor. Please give me one last chance to prove myself.”

I straightened my posture even more confidently.

.

.

.

In the spacious training ground, a circle formed as people gathered around.

In the center stood a man with long black hair and a woman with yellow hair, facing each other from a distance.

It was a duel between me and Instructor Elena.

Hush…

The onlookers whispered among themselves, their voices filled with disbelief.

“Is he crazy or something?”

“He’s screwed. He should’ve just apologized and bowed his head. With that pretty face, I would’ve enjoyed looking at him, but…”

“Instructor Elena never goes easy on men.”

“Yeah, he’s lucky if she only breaks one of his limbs. She was the one who caused the biggest fuss about having men in the unit in the first place.”

Instructor Elena, with her yellow hair tied up, glared at me with icy eyes, her wooden spear pointed in my direction.

“I never expected you to challenge me, Trainee Jin Yuha.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

‘…Why didn’t she just pick any other trainee for the duel? Hmm, can I handle this?’

Of course, I wasn’t worried about losing. I was more concerned about causing a bit of a stir as a lowly trainee.

‘Well, it’s a good thing that this isn’t a spiritual possession where I just transfer my soul. My physical body is here, and it’s in top shape.’

I had recently reached the 3-star rating and had also consumed the Fire Dragon’s Elixir, so I was at my peak condition.

I scratched my head while holding the wooden sword for the duel, having already discarded the ill-fitting helmet.

Even that act seemed like an insult to Elena.

Grrr…

She gritted her teeth and spoke in a low voice.

“You said you could beat anyone here, which includes me, the instructor who teaches the trainees. That’s an insult to our entire Tiger Corps.”

“Um, I’m sorry…”

“No, don’t apologize. It’s too late for regrets now. Besides, you said a soldier’s value lies not in their gender. So, I’ll take that into account and face you accordingly.”

Elena finished her sentence and signaled to one of her fellow instructors standing nearby.

A woman stepped forward awkwardly to act as the referee between Elena and me.

“Um, the duel will now begin! The opponents are Elena and… Jin Yuha! The rules are simple: the duel ends when one party is incapacitated or surrenders!”

The referee glanced back and forth between us, then swallowed nervously.

She lowered her hand.

“Begin!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Elena charged at me with her spear, looking like a massive chariot barreling forward.

In no time, she was within striking distance.

“Hyaaaaaaaahhhh!!!”

With a powerful battle cry, she began to wield her spear with dazzling speed.

She showed no mercy, and the air whistled as her spear sliced through it.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swish! Sssssss!

Everyone closed their eyes, unable to bear the tension.

Trainee Jin Yuha, the man, had failed to even assume a proper stance as Elena approached. He simply stood there, holding the wooden sword limply, his eyes fixed on his opponent.

It was clear that he had frozen in fear of battle. Despite his bold words, he had crumbled under pressure. Surely, he would be humiliated.

“…?”

After a brief silence, someone slowly opened their eyes, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.

“Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief at what they saw.

“!?”

There stood Jin Yuha, holding the spear shaft in one hand and pressing his sword against Elena’s neck.

She stared at him, dazed.

“Well, I guess you might not be convinced with just that. Let’s do it again.”

“…”

Elena’s pupils trembled at his nonchalant words.