I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

The girl with the bun introduced herself as Shasha Fong. She then proceeded to explain her situation.

“Yup, the landlord’s daughter,” I confirmed as her story unfolded.

This episode’s villains were twofold. One was the Shin Family, who abducted people for his sinister experiments. The other was the landlord of Guangdong Province, who supplied them with victims.

Regarding the landlord of Guangdong Province, she was, in a nutshell, a woman obsessed with power. Already wielding imperial-like authority and wealth in Guangdong, she had reduced the local civilians to a state of near-slavery. Yet, this wasn’t enough for her, as she craved control over the entire country.

Imagine, then, her reaction when Shin Family, possessing the technology to create artificial Hunters, approached her. She must have jumped at the opportunity.

“I asked her about it,” Shasha Fong continued, her eyes narrowing. “Recently, my mother has been meeting with suspicious people…”

I raised my hand to interrupt her, seeing no need to listen to a story I already knew. “So, your mother has been meeting with suspicious people, and you think she might have taken your father to a dangerous place?”

“Y-yes, that’s right…” Shasha Fong stammered, her eyes filled with suspicion.

I gazed at her intently, my doubts about her growing. My first suspicion was whether she had truly come to request my help in rescuing her father, who was in danger. “If your mother is meeting with suspicious people, isn’t she in danger, too?”

At this, Shasha Fong clenched her teeth and shook her fists, her voice trembling. “I can’t acknowledge that woman as my mother. If I could, I would kill her with my own hands…”

She seemed to realize she had said too much and clamped her mouth shut.

‘Hmm… I can’t tell if she’s lying or not. For now, she passes the first test,’ I thought to myself, still not entirely convinced of her sincerity. While she seemed to harbor hatred for her mother, the landlord of Guangdong Province, she had yet to reveal her true identity as the landlord’s daughter.

‘And the timing is just too convenient. In the game, the character only appeared briefly in a cutscene. Yet, here she is, waiting for me, not knowing if I would even show up? It feels too orchestrated,’ I mused.

‘Perhaps Shasha Fong is working with Shin Family. After all, they could have been tracking Se-hee’s movements. I need to be cautious,’ I warned myself.

“I understand that you want me to rescue your father. But Shasha Fong, how did you even find me?” I asked, my tone conveying my skepticism.

“I… I am, in fact, the daughter of the Guangdong landlord,” she admitted reluctantly, as if confessing something shameful.

‘Hmm, she passes the second test,’ I thought, my suspicions easing slightly.

“I figured as much. I was wondering why you hadn’t mentioned it,” I said, nodding.

“I-I didn’t want to admit that I was the daughter of such a despicable woman…” Shasha Fong stammered, her face reddening.

I nodded again, feigning understanding. “I get it. Now, the next thing you need to explain is how you knew I would be here and why you were waiting for me. If your explanation doesn’t convince me, I won’t be able to help you.”

I lowered my gaze, feigning disinterest, and let out a slight sigh.

Shasha Fong’s teeth began to chatter, and she looked terrified, finally realizing she was being tested. Most people would have crumbled under the pressure, but she met my gaze head-on, her jaw set in determination.

“As the landlord’s daughter, I had a lot of money… although it was dirty money,” she began, her voice steady. She explained that when her father first went missing, she had used her wealth to try and find him, but to no avail. Even when she sought help from other landlords in the area, they all refused, fearing retaliation from Guangdong.

‘Makes sense. After all, the entire region is already under their control,’ I thought.

She continued, explaining that as a last resort, she had considered hiring foreign Hunters, but by then, she had spent most of her money on the futile search.

Just when she thought she had run out of options, she stumbled upon an online post:

[Waiting for the arrival of Jin Yuha]

It was a small cafe named ‘Indian Rain Dance’.

‘Indian Rain Dance? Seriously?’ I thought, unable to suppress a laugh at the absurdity.

Shasha Fong continued, “So, I started looking into Jin Yuha… I visited the ‘Flower on the Cliff’ cafe, subscribed to the Utopia channel…”

As she witnessed my feats and read the testimonies of those I had helped, she became convinced that I was the only one who could aid her. She joined the expedition, scraping together what little money she had left.

“I waited for a whole month, desperately hoping that you would come. I had no other options left,” she concluded, her voice steady despite the emotion in her eyes.

“So, you’re telling me that just as you were running out of money, I miraculously appeared?” I asked, my tone conveying my skepticism.

Shasha Fong finished her story with a calm voice.

‘Should I believe her or not?’ I wondered. While her story made sense and seemed plausible, it also relied heavily on coincidence.

‘Ugh, this is giving me a headache. Let’s move on for now,’ I thought, deciding to press further. “How did you know your father was in danger? Did you just come here because he went missing?”

“My father used to be a very strong hunter, one of the best among men,” she replied, her voice steady.

“I know,” I said, my eyes narrowing.

“Y-you do?” She asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

I saw her pupils shake.

“So, you don’t know why?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

After all, her father was the mid-boss of this episode. There was even a cutscene where, after defeating him, he briefly regained his senses and tearfully thought of his daughter.

“Sha…”

The little girl in front of me, Shasha Fong, appeared in that scene for a mere second.

‘Hmm, but even if I believe her, is it already too late?’ I wondered.

“I, my father gave me something before he disappeared!” Shasha Fong said, frantically rummaging through her belongings.

“Something he gave you?” I asked, curious.

“Yes, this…” She pulled out a magic stone, a white one at that.

“Huh? A white magic stone? How did he get this?” I exclaimed, surprised.

“He gave it to me… He said that as long as this stone doesn’t go dark, he won’t die. And if it does, I should run away from Guangdong and hide where no one can find me,” she explained, her eyes filled with worry.

“Ah,” I muttered, realizing the significance of the stone. “Why didn’t you show me this earlier?”

Shasha Fong! Or should I say, our Shasha!

‘If you had shown me this, I wouldn’t have doubted you and would have accepted your request immediately!’ I thought, slightly annoyed.

Just then, the faintly glowing white magic stone began to dim even further.

“No, no, no! Dad!!!” Shasha cried out in alarm, but I had other thoughts running through my mind.

‘Hmm, if I play this right, maybe I can minimize the damage in this episode…’ I mused, a plan forming in my head.

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“Huh? You need my help again, Yuha? Really?” Lim Ga-eul asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes, only you can do this,” I replied, my tone serious.

“…” Ga-eul opened her mouth, taken aback by my sudden request for help. It had only been a short while since she returned from her Gulliver’s Travels adventure.

‘What’s going on lately? It feels like good things keep happening one after the other,’ she thought, a smile spreading across her face.

“C-cough! Lately, I’ve been quite busy helping others. So, Your Majesty, if you could just let me…” Ga-eul began, hoping to show off in front of the other party members.

“I’m in a hurry, so just listen,” I cut in, not giving her a chance to finish.

I handed her the white magic stone, and she examined it curiously. “Hmm, this is a magic stone, but it’s white. What’s it for?”

“It’s similar to the black magic stone we used before. Remember that?” I asked, a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.

How could she forget? The black magic stone had been a pivotal moment in her life, a highlight she would never forget. And while she had used magic stones during her Gulliver’s Travels, it had been a matter of quantity, not quality.

‘Is this stone similar to the black magic stone?’ Ga-eul wondered, her eyes widening in anticipation.

“Could you fill this with mana?” I asked, my gaze unwavering.

“Huh?” Ga-eul tilted her head, confused. She had expected me to ask her to use the stone to support the party with her powerful magic, but my request was unexpected.

“Only you can do this. You can freely manipulate mana regardless of the nature of the magic stone,” I explained, my expression serious.

Ga-eul’s face fell as she realized this wasn’t the opportunity she had hoped for. Disappointment spread through her like a drop of ink in water.

But how could she refuse when I was asking so sincerely? “O-okay, leave it to me!” she agreed, nodding vigorously.

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Whoooooosh─

“Ugh, uhhhh─! Haah, haah, haah─ Ugh, ugh, ugh─!!!”

An hour had passed since Ga-eul began infusing the white magic stone with mana. She would replenish the stone’s mana, only for it to dim again shortly after. To compensate, she would transfer mana from other magic stones she had brought with her.

‘This is too exhausting!’ Ga-eul thought, her face glistening with sweat.

“Umm, Yuha, how long do I have to do this for?” Ga-eul asked, her voice weary.

“Until the end of this episode… or rather, until the end of our time in China,” I replied, a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.

“W-what? How long is that?” Ga-eul asked, her eyes widening in alarm.

“I don’t know, but don’t worry. I won’t be including you in the upcoming battle, so just focus on charging the stone,” I assured her, my tone light.

Ga-eul closed her eyes, a resigned expression on her face.

Huk.