I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

The moment the Demon Gate opened, who were the most anxious?

The hunters, excited and tense, wondering what rewards they might receive for facing a new enemy?

The ordinary people, who had grown accustomed to monsters emerging from the gates, now faced with even more formidable foes, sighing in despair and cheering for Utopia?

Or the politicians, who had lost their influence to the powerful hunters, quietly seething in the background, only to jump at the chance to stand in front of the cameras when a new opportunity arose?

It was only natural that the appearance of the Demon Gate and the devils caused a stir among all these groups.

But the ones who were most shocked by the Demon Gate were none other than the demons themselves.

It was only natural, as they had been forced underground, unable to fully express their true nature and desires, thanks to the pressure from Velvet Hunter Academy, Utopia, and the Demon Slayer Corps.

The appearance of the Demon Gate and the devils was like finding an oasis in the desert for the demons, a chance for a turnaround.

Why am I bringing this up now?

“You said you felt something was off when you dug a little deeper?”

At my question, Shin Se-hee nodded seriously.

“Yes, the Four Nations Alliance’s assault on the Demon Gate was carried out in an extremely irrational and abnormal manner.”

Se-hee explained that the assault on the Demon Gate was a major operation, involving 200 high-level hunters.

They didn’t know what kind of demon would emerge from the gate, how to deal with it, or even what they could gain from it.

“Well, others don’t know what they can get from assaulting the Demon Gate.”

At Se-hee’s explanation, I looked down at the book in my hand.

Of course, they had obtained other items as well, like the weapons used by the minions, adamantium ore, high-purity top-grade magic stones and black magic stones, and various other materials.

But compared to the book I was holding, a worn-out, pitch-black book, those were all just trash items.

On the cover of the book was the title, ‘Dust of Life and Death’.

It was a demon skill book, which would allow the user to obtain the skill used by the demon Sloth.

‘I haven’t seen a skill book since my first time being transmigrated, and I was starting to wonder if they didn’t exist in this world. But here it is.’

If this became known to the outside world, it would cause quite a stir.

This was a ‘fusion skill’ that allowed the user to incorporate demon abilities into their own skills.

‘If Se-hee uses this, she’ll be able to spread the dust like a fire, and if Sophia uses it, she’ll be able to use a continuous healing skill, a healing light dust. On the other hand, if Soup uses it, it’ll increase the defense of the entire party, but only by 10 points, which is honestly not that useful.’

The effectiveness of the demon skill book varied greatly depending on who used it. That’s why I hadn’t decided who to give it to yet.

‘I need to see Ichika and Alice’s skills first, and mine as well.’

Anyway, others didn’t know what they could gain from the Demon Gate.

The information I released about the gate was vague and lacking in detail.

Yet, they rushed to assault the gate with the lives of 200 high-level hunters at stake.

“They forced the top 200 hunters to assault the gate, hoping to reap the rewards after we cleared it and distribute the spoils to them.”

“Yeah, this skill book is like a bible to the demons.”

“Yes, and from the demons’ perspective, weakening the hunters’ power…”

“Is something they would welcome, as it creates an environment for them to thrive.”

I nodded in agreement with Se-hee’s words.

‘This makes sense.’

In the game, when the Demon Gate opened, the demons rejoiced and became even more active.

I had overlooked this background because the world line I knew had diverged too much from the current one.

‘If it weren’t for Se-hee, I would’ve missed this.’

Indeed, bringing Se-hee into the party early on was a stroke of genius.

“Well, whether they’re demons or not… By rescuing the hunters who were sent in first, we’ve gained a legitimate reason to deal a blow to those politicians. If we squeeze them dry…”

“Se-hee, wait.”

I interrupted Se-hee as she drifted off into her own world.

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t we go all the way?”

“All the way?”

Se-hee tilted her head adorably.

How?

Well, we had an expert on our side, didn’t we?

An expert who made demons tremble and wet themselves at the mere mention of their name!

.

.

.

“Ah, it seems like our disciple has done it again.”

Poke, poke.

Baek Seol-hee frowned as her ribs were poked by the Sword Emperor.

“Who’s your disciple? He’s my disciple.”

“Hmm, you’re still saying that? If it weren’t for me, that crazy swordsmanship of yours…”

The Sword Emperor turned away from Seol-hee’s words.

“You, a walking time bomb, should be staying indoors. Sword Emperor.”

“Hmm, I was a bit worried after that incident with the tree monster, but it seems like I recovered quickly thanks to the space created by the magic kid. I should be fine for a couple of days. And I need to see my granddaughter, Malsook, who’s been neglecting me.”

At that moment, Seol-hee and the Sword Emperor were on their way to the Velvet Hunter Academy at the request of Jin Yuha.

When they arrived at the space teleportation device in Jeju Island, Jin Yuha and Alice were already waiting for them.

“Grandma.”

Alice immediately ran towards the Sword Emperor.

“How’s the outside world?”

“Good.”

Alice nodded at the Sword Emperor’s question.

“Haha, maybe I should’ve let you out sooner.”

Just as the Sword Emperor was about to get sentimental…

“Master!”

Alice and the Sword Emperor were content with just holding hands, but Jin Yuha ran towards Seol-hee with a beaming smile, like a dog reunited with its long-lost owner.

“D-Disciple?”

Seol-hee stiffened at Jin Yuha’s sudden tight hug.

“Didn’t you miss me, Master?”

“Y-Yes, I missed you too.”

Seol-hee wanted to hold onto Jin Yuha for a while, but she reluctantly let go.

“Master?”

“Ahem.”

Seol-hee couldn’t help but smile as the Sword Emperor gave her a lecherous look, alternating her gaze between her and her disciple. And the strange expression on her granddaughter’s face was also hard to bear.

“Weren’t there only six of you?”

Cough, cough!

“Disciple, you asked for help in catching demons, right?”

Seol-hee quickly got to the point to break the awkward atmosphere. Jin Yuha looked disappointed, but Seol-hee couldn’t help it.

She didn’t want to show this side of herself in front of that woman.

“Ah, yes. Well, Shin Se-hee said that she needed some time to prepare, so can you help us in a couple of days? We really need your help.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Seol-hee couldn’t help but smile. She had been a little disappointed that Jin Yuha hadn’t asked for her help after returning from the Demon Gate, a place she had never been to before.

But hearing that she was needed directly melted away her disappointment.

“Yes, Disciple. Can’t you see that I’m your master’s master?”

At that moment, the Sword Emperor interrupted, addressing Jin Yuha.

“Ah, Sword Emperor, it’s been a while. How’s Jeju Island treating you?”

“Tsk, it’s not like I’m asking for a favor or anything… Yes, I’ve been doing well. And my granddaughter—”

Jin Yuha’s face stiffened as she sensed a potential complaint from the Sword Emperor. She was worried that he might scold her for taking Alice to the Demon Gate, a dangerous place, when she had just started school.

But the Sword Emperor’s attention was focused elsewhere.

“Is this the weapon Malsook is using? A spear? No, a sword? Or is it a glaive? Hmm, this is your doing, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. I gave it to her.”

“Hmm, I can’t believe you gave her such a weapon. So, this was it. This is what suits her. I kept trying to get her to stop using the sword like a spear, but it seemed like a bad habit was forming. I never thought you would know her better than me, even though I’ve lived with her all her life.”

The Sword Emperor examined Alice’s weapon from various angles, letting out both exclamations of admiration and sighs of resignation.

“Oh, and you two. You’ve been up to something interesting, haven’t you?”

‘Ah, she’s finally going to bring it up.’

But the Sword Emperor shrugged, as if to say, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to scold you.’

“Well, I’m not going to complain. After all, who else could’ve stopped those demons if not you two? And if my granddaughter can lend a hand, I have no complaints.”

“Oh, okay.”

The Sword Emperor turned out to be more easygoing than expected.

“Oh, by the way, I overheard that you have a couple of free days?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, I can take a look at your sword for a while.”

“Master, I’m enough for the disciple.”

At that moment, the Master glared at the Sword Emperor.

“Haha, is that so?”

The Sword Emperor looked at the Master with a meaningful smile, but the Master turned away.

‘Ah, it seems like the Sword Emperor’s help is needed as well.’

The Sword Emperor chuckled, finding the Master cute, and then turned to me.

“To put it simply, the Moon Shadow Sword Art is almost complete.”

“Really?”

“But it’s only theoretically complete. Your sword needs to be mixed with mine and Seol-hee’s. And while your sword can get infinitely close to perfection, it can never truly reach it. Keep that in mind. It’s truly a crazy swordsmanship you’ve created.”

“My disciple can definitely do it.”

“Hmm, what nonsense are you talking about now?”

As the tension between the two seemed to rise, Jin Yuha stepped in to defuse the situation.

“Anyway! So, both of you will be helping me with my sword for a couple of days?”

“Yes, sure. Malsook, come here too.”

“M-Me too?”

Alice was surprised at the Sword Emperor’s words.

“Yes, my granddaughter is using a glaive-like sword, so as the Sword Emperor, I should be able to give some advice.”

Alice had asked the Sword Emperor for guidance countless times but had never learned a single sword technique from her. But now, with the glaive, she finally had the opportunity to receive her teachings.

“I-I’ll do my best!”

Alice spoke in a stifled voice.

“What’s so special about my sword’s techniques?”

The Sword Emperor chuckled and patted her head.

“Instead of standing here, let’s go inside and talk.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.”

“Yes, let’s go see where my granddaughter lives.”

So, we headed home with the Master and the Sword Emperor.