I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Water droplets fell from the closed ceiling, and all I could see was pitch-black darkness.

Honestly, this was ridiculous.

Being locked up and told to endure extreme hunger out of the blue—what kind of training was this?

‘This isn’t training at all…’

It wasn’t about swinging a sword, refining sword techniques, training the body, or learning to manipulate mana. It was just a crude way to waste my body away.

There was no set time, so I had no idea how long I would have to endure the hunger.

‘This is a waste of time.’

Having always trained under my master’s strict guidance, I couldn’t understand the point of this training.

‘Hmm, even if she’s my master’s master, this doesn’t make sense… I should go out and talk to Sword Emperor.’

With that thought, I reached out my hand in the pitch-black darkness, expecting to touch the wall soon.

The space wasn’t that large, and the wall was indeed within arm’s reach.

‘Hmm, this shouldn’t be too hard. I can probably just jump out of here. Or maybe I just need to take a step?’

I had seen Sword Emperor peering down at me from the hole in the ceiling earlier, and it didn’t seem that deep.

Thud!

I took a step forward, but—

Pfft!

My jump only lifted me about an inch off the ground.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head, then placed my hand on the wall.

The surface was smooth, as if cut with a knife.

‘Hmm, there’s nothing to grab onto. I guess I’ll have to use force!’

I focused my strength into my fingertips, intending to dig into the wall, but—

Smack!

“Ouch!”

My fingertips didn’t even make a dent, and instead, they felt numb from the backlash.

“What the…?”

I frowned, then drew my Moonlight Sword and slashed at the wall.

Clang!

My sword swung weakly, and not even a scratch appeared on the outer wall.

“What’s going on…?”

I examined my body and soon realized why.

Even though my mana was somewhat suppressed here, I should have still been able to use it. But now, I couldn’t sense any trace of mana at all. It felt like the mana I had always taken for granted had suddenly vanished, leaving me with an odd sense of dissonance. My physical abilities were also far below their usual level, as if they had sunk into the ground along with the hole.

Yes.

It felt like I had reverted to my pre-Velvet self, a mere mortal with no special powers, no monsters, no demons, and no hunters.

“······Am I really stuck here?”

I scratched the back of my head, feeling annoyed. It seemed I had no choice but to endure this bizarre imprisonment.

“Hmm, well, I do have the A-Space Tattoo if things get too rough.”

The A-Space Tattoo, upgraded multiple times by Director Rina, could now hold a significant number of items, including food and water.

“Hmm, how much do I have?”

I tried to open the A-Space Tattoo, but it didn’t budge.

“Oh, right. The A-Space Tattoo also requires mana to open…”

I had forgotten that the A-Space Tattoo used mana as its energy source.

So, to summarize my current situation:

Ordinary mortal body.

No mana.

No food.

Pathetic sword skills.

In other words, I had no choice but to endure Sword Emperor’s bizarre training.

Realizing the futility of my situation, I felt annoyed.

What was the point of this incomprehensible training that was forced upon me without any consultation?

Not a single word of discussion!

“Tsk, fine… Since there’s no other option, I’ll play along for now. Who knows how long this will last.”

I grumbled and plopped down on the ground.

And so began my bizarre training, which could be called the “Sword Emperor’s Training” or “Imprisonment Life.”

.

.

.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

“F*ck… What the hell is this…?”

I didn’t know how much time had passed.

Honestly, I had no idea.

In the pitch-black darkness, where one couldn’t tell the difference between day and night, the only sound was the drip of water droplets.

At first, it was bearable.

I sat in a meditative pose, eyes closed, organizing my thoughts.

I reflected on the lessons I had learned from my master, recalling her teachings.

“Always maintain a low center of gravity, and pay attention to the direction of your back foot. That will give you freedom in your next move.”

I also reviewed the main and sub-stories of this world, wondering—

“Is Alice’s personal story really about awakening Sword Emperor’s sword?”

I thought about the characters in this world—

“Soup, Puppy, Shin Se-hee, Ga-eul, Sophia, Ichika… Master. Lina… No Jammin’.”

I retraced my steps, evaluating my journey so far and objectively assessing if there was anything I could have done better.

“Hmm, that Gulliver’s Travels episode was a bit much. Thank goodness it ended quickly…”

As I went through the past and planned for the future, time flew by.

“I’m getting sleepy.”

When I felt tired, I took a nap.

“Haaam, what else should I think about… I don’t think there’s anything else to do…”

When I woke up, I continued my train of thought.

But.

Eventually, I reached my limit.

Grrrr!

“Ah…”

My stomach protested loudly, and I couldn’t ignore it any longer.

I could alleviate my thirst with the water droplets falling from above, but not my hunger.

“I’m hungry…”

The words slipped out between my lips, and I began to search the floor desperately, but all I found was the hard ground.

As my hunger reached its peak, it became impossible to think of anything else. All I could feel was a fierce desire to put something in my mouth, chew, and swallow.

At first, I denied it.

“Ah, isn’t it about time to let me out? This training doesn’t seem very effective, and it’s pointless to continue. What is the point of all this anyway? Hey! Sword Emperor! Let me out now!!!”

Driven by hunger, I shouted at the ceiling, but Sword Emperor didn’t open it.

.

.

.

Next came anger.

” Lee Yoo-ri, Do-hee Kang! Are you there? Are you looking for me? I’m here! I’ve been trapped by Sword Emperor! Open the ceiling! I don’t even have my phone anymore!!!”

But my party members didn’t open the ceiling.

.

.

.

Then came depression.

“······Am I really… dying like this?”

I called out the names of people I knew, pleading for help and rescue, until my throat became hoarse.

I was tired of catching the water droplets with my tongue.

I lay on my back, staring at the closed ceiling, and cursed.

“F*ck… What the hell is this…?”

Why did I have to endure this kind of suffering? I was just an unfortunate outsider who had been possessed in the world of Velvets for no reason.

Yet, despite the predetermined fate of this damn world, I had tried to save it.

I had swung my sword every day, fought terrifying monsters, and even battled the inhumane demons who considered human lives as insignificant.

Why should I have to go through this?

Sob.

“Sniff…”

Tears streamed down my face.

.

.

.

And finally, acceptance.

“I… am I really… dying like this?”

I lay on the floor, staring up at the closed ceiling, and muttered weakly.

Death was near. My head was dizzy, my vision blurry, and I felt like all my strength had drained from my fingers.

No one would have expected to die like this. Not by monster fangs, sword slashes, or demon attacks, but by hunger.

“Ha… Ha… Ha…”

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the absurdity of it all.

Then—

Thud.

I heard something drop next to my ear, a dull sound different from the dripping water droplets.

“Am I hallucinating…?”

Nevertheless, I reached out with a trembling hand and felt the floor next to my ear.

And—

I realized what I had found.

“······Why… Why is this here…?”

In my hand was a calorie bar, the same kind Master always ate as a snack.