I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Back at the Academy in China after the mission.

I disbanded the party and headed straight for the training grounds.

The training grounds were now not only familiar but also tedious.

Even though there was a device installed that automatically restored the area after training.

The footprints that had been trampled on repeatedly and the marks left by the swinging sword remained unhealed in several places.

“Hmm.”

I stared blankly at the training ground. It was the first time I had come in and just stood there without doing anything, and it felt strange.

Then.

Thud—

I heard footsteps behind me.

Usually, she would completely silence her steps, but she deliberately made a noise in front of me, a delicate consideration.

Yes, it was my master.

Baek Seol-hee.

“Master.”

As I turned to look at her, I saw my master’s usual expressionless face.

“……”

Paan—

Flinch.

Flinch.

Master narrowed her eyes and looked at me, then twitched her eyebrows twice.

“Disciple, you have mastered the sword.”

I had deliberately not drawn my sword to surprise my master, but it seemed my plan had failed from the start.

‘Well, even so…… Two twitches is still a decent achievement.’

Two consecutive eyebrow twitches were an expression of astonishment that was not easily seen.

I smirked and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I learned it during the mission in China this time.”

“Hmm, that’s fast. I expected it to take at least a few months……”

Master sighed, but she didn’t seem surprised anymore.

‘Not only has my rank risen to three stars, but my sword specialization has also reached SS-rank.’

The synergy between the two had also increased my learning ability in swordsmanship.

I felt a sense of satisfaction as I received my master’s recognition.

As expected, it was worth coming to see my master right after the mission.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I came.

‘Well, since we’re on the topic, shall I ask?’

“Master, how did this happen? I was also surprised. When did you teach me this swordsmanship?”

To be honest, when I was first given the enigmatic task of “putting multiple sword intents into a single swing” and told to figure out the rest myself, I felt overwhelmed.

But now I understood.

Instructor had already taught me everything through our previous training sessions.

By combining what I had learned, I was able to create my own swordsmanship.

Master, who had been staring at me, slowly opened her mouth.

“……That swordsmanship is called the Moon Shadow Sword Technique.”

“Moon Shadow Sword Technique……”

“Yes, it is a swordsmanship that contains my essence. It is my everything, and it is also an incomplete swordsmanship.”

I was surprised by her words.

“This is incomplete?”

I couldn’t believe it.

The speed, direction, destructive power, and the combination of offense and defense.

How could this swordsmanship, which was infinitely free and yet interconnected, be incomplete?

To be honest, the first time I used this sword, I felt an omnipotent sense of invincibility against any opponent wielding a sword.

‘Then how strong would it be when it’s complete……?’

It felt like I had climbed one mountain only to be faced with an even higher wall.

As I pondered this, Master spoke again.

“You asked when I started teaching you.”

“Yes, yes.”

“It was from the moment I accepted you as my disciple.”

“……”

“To be honest, this is the only swordsmanship I can use. But I am a failure because I have not been able to complete it.”

“Don’t say that, Master……”

“Hmm, as you know, I’m not good at explaining things verbally. So, I will explain the rest with my sword.”

Srrr—

Master said as she drew her black sword from her waist.

I also drew Moonlight with a serious expression.

“Yes, please go easy on me, Master.”

.

.

.

Ching!

Ching!

Swish!!

A sparring match between master and disciple after a long time.

From a distance, the sword dance of the two didn’t seem particularly flashy or dazzling.

But if you looked a little closer, you would realize how absurd their match was.

The swords would momentarily pause in midair as if suspended, only to accelerate suddenly and shoot towards the opponent’s vital points in the blink of an eye.

The constant changes in tempo deceived the eyes, creating an intense mental battle between the two.

Swish!

Ching! Ching! Ching! Ching!

The clashing of swords created a continuous series of bursting sounds.

Jin Yuha’s forehead was covered in sweat, and

Baek Seol-hee, who was facing him, also had a significant amount of it in her whole body.

Ching!

As Baek Seol-hee received the blow from Jin Yuha’s sword, a surge of emotion rose within her.

“……Impressive.”

Sword intents assaulted her from all directions like a tidal wave.

Illusions mixed with reality, confusing the eyes.

Everything was an illusion, but at the same time, it was real.

“You have truly mastered the Moon Shadow Sword Technique.”

To be honest, when she first started teaching Jin Yuha, she wasn’t sure if her disciple would be able to reach this level.

But it had only taken her disciple a year to reach this realm.

Even she, who was known as a monster, hadn’t progressed this quickly.

It was a growth rate that made her want to laugh out loud.

Even though her disciple showed such monstrous growth, there was still something about Jin Yuha that Baek Seol-hee didn’t understand.

If it had been someone like Kang Do-hee, Sophia, or Lim Ga-eul from Utopia who had shown this kind of growth, she would have acknowledged it, but she wouldn’t have been as amazed as she was now.

After all, they were naturally talented from the start.

On the other hand, Jin Yuha’s sword could be described as…

‘A desperate sword.’

Despite being born with heavy shackles, his sword bore the intense struggle of breaking free from them one by one, while also advancing forward faster than anyone else.

‘That’s why I can expect him to complete the Moon Shadow Sword.’

The essence of the sword that she had cultivated throughout her life.

Jin Yuha had successfully sprouted its seeds.

Even though her disciple had clearly surpassed her, Baek Seol-hee couldn’t bring herself to smile in happiness.

Because it also meant that she had nothing more to teach him.

She had already failed to complete the Moon Shadow Sword herself, and if she continued to interfere, Jin Yuha would only follow in her footsteps of failure.

From now on, he would have to complete it on his own, without anyone’s help.

Yes, the end of their relationship was approaching.

‘It’s a bit disappointing, isn’t it…’

Ching! Ching! Ching!

Of course, their relationship wouldn’t end just because she stopped teaching him, but the thought of not being able to act as his master anymore made her feel a mix of regret and sadness.

‘This is why masters with exceptional disciples tend to become ugly, isn’t it…’

Pfft.

Ching—

Baek Seol-hee blocked Jin Yuha’s outstretched sword, and the two stood still with their swords crossed.

The tip of Baek Seol-hee’s sword touched Jin Yuha’s neck, while his sword was a foot away from her.

“Haa… Haa… Haa… I… I lost…”

Covered in sweat from head to toe, Jin Yuha sheathed his sword and bowed his head.

Baek Seol-hee stared at him.

The time had come to put an end to their master-disciple relationship.

She hadn’t expected it to come so soon, and she hadn’t prepared what to say or how to end it.

‘First, I should praise him.’

Praise for her disciple’s remarkable progress under her inadequate guidance.

“You’ve truly done an excellent job, disciple.”

Baek Seol-hee awkwardly expressed her sincere admiration for Jin Yuha.

In response, Jin Yuha smiled brightly.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Master.”

“……”

Baek Seol-hee couldn’t bring herself to speak while facing Jin Yuha’s beaming smile.

‘……If I hesitate, I’ll only hold him back. I need to tell him that this is the end.’

Baek Seol-hee mentally prepared herself once again.

Yes.

It was time to speak.

Just then.

“Master.”

Before Baek Seol-hee could say anything, Jin Yuha spoke first.

“What is it?”

“Um, I’m sorry, but could you close your eyes for a moment?”

“My eyes?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I understand.”

Baek Seol-hee closed her eyes.

“Now, could you open your mouth for me?”

“……My mouth?”

First, he asked her to close her eyes, and now he wanted her to open her mouth.

She couldn’t understand his intentions, but she couldn’t refuse his request.

Ah.

Baek Seol-hee closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

“……”

Perhaps because it was a part of her body that she rarely exposed to others, she felt a bit embarrassed with her mouth open in front of her disciple.

After a while, she felt something that Jin Yuha was holding approach her mouth.

‘What is this? A stone…? No, it’s imbued with magic power. Is it a magic stone? Hmm, was it a silly prank?’

She felt a bit deflated, as if the tension had been for nothing.

Her disciple occasionally played harmless pranks on her like this.

‘Well, it’s not like I dislike it since it means he’s comfortable with me… But I wanted to have a serious conversation today…’

While thinking this, Baek Seol-hee obediently kept her eyes closed and her mouth open as Jin Yuha had instructed.

The magic stone that Jin Yuha was holding touched her tongue.

And then.

She suddenly felt an unfamiliar sensation.

Scalding—

‘What? My tongue feels… hot?’

Her tongue should have lost its sense of taste a long time ago, shouldn’t it?

As she was taken aback by this, something else entered her mouth.

Baek Seol-hee opened her eyes wide.

A momentary, mind-numbing sweetness filled her mouth, a taste she hadn’t experienced since she was a child.

In front of her, Jin Yuha held a white magic stone and smiled bashfully.

“It’s tanghulu. I bought it from the most famous shop in China. I thought that for the first taste, something sweet would be nice.”

Baek Seol-hee stared at Jin Yuha with her cheeks puffed out, the tanghulu still in her mouth.

“How does the sweetness after a long time taste?”

“Swee…t.”

Baek Seol-hee replied awkwardly with the tanghulu still in her mouth.

She stared at Jin Yuha.

‘I want to remain your master for a little while longer…’

Yes.

If that was the case, she could simply surpass her own limitations.

‘If there’s nothing left to teach, I can create something new to teach. If it’s incomplete, I can find the key to its completion.’

Baek Seol-hee’s eyes narrowed with determination.