I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

“Ji, Jin Yuha! I just got a weird skill… it’s called Shield of Conviction…”
“What!? Shield of Conviction!?”

I was so shocked by Lee Yoo-ri’s words that my mouth fell open.

Of course, I expected her to unlock a new trait or skill since she’d cleared her personal story dungeon.

But…

I never imagined she’d unlock that absurdly overpowered skill.

The Shield of Conviction is a skill that can block even a fatal, instant-death attack once a month—completely unconditionally.

It doesn’t matter how far away the target is or whether the attack is even noticed. It negates the enemy’s attack entirely, right before the protected person is killed—a skill that is genuinely outrageous.

‘In the game, almost no one had this skill, even among the player base…’

As far as I remember, only three people ever had it?
And all of them were Grandmaster-ranked players who had spent billions rolling gacha to obtain skill tickets.

Lee Yoo-ri was already a diligent character who didn’t spare effort, a hexagonal tanker with high baseline stats and no particular weaknesses—essentially the ultimate “comfort food” type of character.

But now, with the Shield of Conviction added?

It was safe to say this had completely shattered her previously cited low peak potential.

Of course, the cooldown period for this skill—once a month—might feel excessively long at first glance.

But in the game, new bosses typically appeared once a month, so the efficiency of the skill was downright insane.

It was so broken that even the usually chill Velvets community had members who saw this Shield of Conviction Lee Yoo-ri and petitioned to have the skill deleted, calling her a “disgustingly overpowered character.”

‘Seriously, what’s going on…?’

Not long ago, Kang Do-hee surprised me by learning Avatar of Fire on her own, and now this—the Shield of Conviction.

‘How are skills like these falling into our laps without even rolling gacha?’

I stared at Lee Yoo-ri in stunned silence.

“W-what is it, Jin Yuha? What’s wrong? Is this Shield of Conviction not a good skill or something?”

Seeing my reaction, Lee Yoo-ri stammered, looking flustered.

‘If I recorded this scene and uploaded it to the community, it’d cause a complete uproar.’

Hearing Lee Yoo-ri herself make a humble brag like this was pure gold.

[ ???: I just got Shield of Conviction as a personal story reward. Is this skill any good? ]

If I made a post with that title and screenshot, even the fiercely loyal members of Lee Yoo-ri’s fan club, the “Solid Soup Supporters,” would lose it.

“This… this isn’t our comfort-food queen!!” they’d scream in denial.

“No, it’s amazing. I just… lost my words for a moment because it’s too good.”

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The day after finishing the camping trip with Lee Yoo-ri.

I visited Kang Do-hee’s mentor with her.

The guild she belonged to before joining the academy—Paradis—was led by S-class hunter Choi Hye-seo.

In the past, she risked her life to save a man dragged away by a monster.

That man falsely accused her of sexual assault inside the dungeon to extort money from her.

Although she was eventually declared innocent, the trial took over a year.

By the time the verdict came, everything she’d built was ruined, and she was forced to retire in disgrace.

Originally, Kang Do-hee’s personal story was about gradually building her reputation as a hunter with the support of her sponsor.

Choi Hye-seo wasn’t meant to play a central role.

She was merely a trigger for Kang Do-hee to draw inspiration from by comparing her sponsor to her past guild leader.

But I felt resolving this grievance would be the better course of action.

‘Besides, Kang Do-hee’s reputation is already immense.’

When we found Choi Hye-seo, she was surprised but greeted us warmly.

She was especially thrilled to meet me with Kang Do-hee.

Holding both my hands in hers, she spoke softly.

“Our Do-hee… She might seem tough, but she’s gentle and kind-hearted. I’ve always been keeping an eye on her. Please take good care of her.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I fell for her.”
“Oh my…”

Beside me, Kang Do-hee blushed furiously and coughed awkwardly.

Hmm.

‘This seems like the right moment to bring it up.’

“Um, I know this might be a sensitive topic, but could I ask you something?”
“Sensitive? What do you mean…?”
“I heard that even though you were declared innocent, it wasn’t widely publicized at the time of your retirement.”
“…Yes, that’s true.”

Her nod brought a shadow of despair back into her eyes.

“If you had the chance to clear your name even now, would you take it?”
“Clear my name? Is… is that even possible? It’s such an old incident, and most people have probably forgotten my name by now…”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll make sure your honor is restored.”

As soon as she agreed, I contacted Shin Se-hee and asked her to make the truth of Choi Hye-seo’s false accusation widely known.

Not long after, articles about Choi Hye-seo’s innocence spread like wildfire.

A documentary titled “The Forgotten Hero: The Tragedy of an S-Class Hunter” was announced.

Choi Hye-seo shed tears of gratitude repeatedly.

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On our way back to the academy, Kang Do-hee spoke up from behind me.

“…Hey, Little Fool.”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe… I’ve been turning a blind eye all this time… If I’d been more thoughtful, I could have done this earlier—”
“Shh.”

I placed a finger to her lips and smiled.

“No guilt allowed. You’ve never stopped moving forward, not even once, right?”
“…”
“Thanks to your dedication and support, our party has become this strong. So let’s just be glad we’re doing it now.”
“B-but…”
“Besides, I scored major points with your mom. That’s a win for me.”
“W-what mom! Guild leader and I aren’t—”
“She’s like a mother to you, isn’t she?”

Kang Do-hee’s face turned beet red as she nodded hesitantly.

“You… You, Jin Yuha!!!”

She pointed at me, her voice trembling with frustration.

“I… I will never, never forget this debt.”
“Pfft! That sounded like a line from a third-rate villain!”
“A th-third-rate villain!?”
“And don’t think of it as a debt. Aren’t we partners? We’ve confirmed our feelings for each other, and now we’re seeing each other with good intentions.”
“Th-that’s…! A-anyway!! Ahem! I’ll have your back and fight by your side wherever we go!!! So, you better be ready!!!”
“Pfft! Who even says ‘be ready’ in this context? You’re such a fool.”

I burst out laughing at the quintessentially Kang Do-hee-like remark.

Then, light enveloped her body.

She awakened to a new trait:
Indomitable Spirit.

No matter how much damage she took during a battle, she would fight with the same condition as when she started, until her HP was fully depleted.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much, especially since she already had Avatar of Fire.

But somehow, she got a trait perfectly suited to her.

‘Hmm. Now I’m curious about what traits the others will get…?’

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Next up was Shin Se-hee.

Actually, her personal storyline was already finished.
She had avenged her family, the Shin clan, and secured their elite guards.

‘Originally, Se-hee’s personal story involved acquiring a few Shin clan elites. The higher the affection level, the more guards you could secure.’

So, I spent time following her lead on a date doing what she had always wanted.

We went shopping, ate a meal, got a couple’s massage, and sipped wine—a rather ordinary date.
Of course, it was a bit uncomfortable having all eyes on us everywhere we went…

“Are you sure this is really fine?”

I asked Se-hee, who was sitting at the bar, sipping her wine.

“Yes, this is exactly what I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Hmm…”

As I hesitated, she rested her chin in her hand, a slight blush from the alcohol coloring her cheeks.

“Jin Yuha. You know, I’m actually a very possessive and self-assertive person. That’s why I’m happiest when I can show the world, ‘This man is mine.’”
“Well… if that’s what makes you happy, then I’m glad. But now I’m curious about something—can I ask?”
“Go ahead. Ask me anything.”
“Why did you agree to the whole shared relationship thing?”

Honestly, it still baffled me.
I prided myself on knowing her personality better than anyone else.
So, I never imagined someone like Shin Se-hee would agree to such an arrangement.

“Hehe, you know what? I was the one who suggested it first.”
“What…? Really?”
“Yes. Hmm, since today’s my special day, and because you’ve already been out with two others before me… should I let myself get a little mischievous?”

Sip.

She picked up her glass and took a light sip, her lips barely wetting.

Her confession was unexpected:

She admitted that her possessiveness and jealousy made sharing someone she loved unthinkable.
Reaching the decision to accept the arrangement took an eternity of anguish and deliberation.

She even considered gambling on the chance of being chosen as the sole partner.
But she quickly discarded that thought.

“Why? I mean, if it’s you, Se-hee, then—”
“Hehe, I wasn’t chosen by you, was I? Unlike the others, whom you actively pursued… I was the one who clung to you.”
“T-that’s…”

I had nothing to say in my defense.
Honestly, I did hesitate when deciding whether to let Se-hee join the party.
Now, I couldn’t imagine Utopia without her.

“Pfft! I know. I can tell it’s different now. But… I’m just a bit of a difficult woman, you see.”

Se-hee let out a deep sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

“To tell you the truth, if I had schemed or sown discord among the party to monopolize you… it wouldn’t have been that hard. I mean, our party members are all so honest and straightforward.”

In other words, simple.
I couldn’t deny it and nodded.

“But, despite that… I couldn’t forget the promise you made to me when you accepted me into the party.”
“…A promise?”
“Yes. Don’t you remember what you said back then?”

Ah.

I remembered.

“In front of me, always be honest. If you ever try to deceive me, even once, we’re done that very day… I really was that blunt, wasn’t I?”
“Yes. And you included the party members in that promise, too. You told me not to indulge in malicious games.”
“Ah…”
“So, that promise ended up becoming my leash.”
“Wait, but you tricked me this time, didn’t you? Pretending to be affected by that enchantment…”
“Hehe, but I didn’t lie, did I? Nor was it malicious. We were all genuinely in love with you, after all.”

Se-hee said this while winking playfully.

Her cheeky reply left me at a loss for words.

‘Well, at this point, no matter how much she tricks me, I could never abandon her.’

Because I now trusted her completely.

“Thank you, Se-hee. You say you lack confidence, but… if I had to choose one person, I wouldn’t have put you aside. I would have seriously considered choosing you. I can’t imagine myself without you now.”
“…Oh. So that’s what this is.”
“What is?”
“Now I understand why Yoo-Ri and Do-Hee were so out of it after their dates with you… This is dangerous.”

Wooong.

“Huh? This is…? A trait? I just awakened a trait?”
“What?”
“It’s called Insight. Apparently, it enhances my perceptiveness?”

At her words, I could only scratch my head.

“What’s even happening anymore?”

I couldn’t risk joking about favoritism with anyone at this rate.