I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game-Chapter 267: Forest of Sword Sacrifice (2)

"So, I'm heading to the Sword Sovereign's Forest for some training."

"Hmm... Well, considering our current level, it's understandable that regular classes are becoming less effective," Shin Se-hee nodded in agreement.

"The Sword Sovereign... It's been a while since I heard that name. I've only heard rumors, and everyone seems to have a different opinion on just how strong she is. This will be interesting," Kang Do-hee expressed her anticipation at the chance to finally meet the legendary figure.

"So, junior, are we all going this time?" Im Ga-eul asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Not everyone," I replied, shaking my head.

"Then...?" she probed further.

"Training with the Sword Sovereign will be highly effective for improving physical abilities like swordsmanship, body conditioning, and defense techniques. However, it's not as beneficial for those whose abilities lie in other areas."

Rina had recommended that only those who would gain significant benefits from physical training should go. I agreed with her assessment; there was no point in bringing people who wouldn’t benefit as much.

"So, the ones going to the Sword Sovereign's Forest with me are...," I paused, seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on my lips.

"Me, Gukbap, and Poppy. Just the three of us."

It was a logical choice.

Kang Do-hee, a fighter who specializes in hand-to-hand combat, and Yu-ri, a tank who uses a shield, both rely heavily on physical strength and defense. Enhancing these aspects would directly improve their overall capabilities.

Despite the clear reasoning, the room's atmosphere shifted.

"Ah..."

"Only three of us...?"

"Benefactor..."

"Junior! My stamina is terrible!" Im Ga-eul protested, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Those who weren’t selected sighed in frustration or expressed disbelief, while those who were chosen reacted with a mix of joy and satisfaction.

‘Everyone’s got a strong sense of self-improvement,’ I thought, nodding inwardly as I observed their reactions. Some were eager for the opportunity to get stronger, while others were clearly feeling left out.

‘I get it; it does feel unfair to have a few people get special training.’

If I were in their shoes and hadn’t been selected, I would’ve felt the same way. The idea of my party members going off to get stronger without me would definitely have stirred some resentment.

But I hadn’t forgotten about this.

‘That’s why I made a special request to Chairman Rina.’

Seeing the dejected expressions of those left behind, I couldn’t help but smile.

"Don’t feel too down. I’ve arranged something for you all."

Immediately, Shin Se-hee, Sophia, Im Ga-eul, and Ichika snapped their heads up, their °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° eyes filled with curiosity.

Clap, clap!

I clapped twice.

"Come on out."

Then, the air shimmered, and a woman appeared. She had violet hair tied in twin tails and a scowl plastered across her face. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the figure that materialized in the room.

"...R-Rina, the Chairman!?" Shin Se-hee stammered in disbelief, her voice conveying a mix of shock and confusion as if she couldn’t understand why Rina would show up here.

The girl frowned, clearly irritated.

"I am not Rina, that woman."

"...Huh?"

She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, exuding an air of reluctance as if she had been forced into this role. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I addressed her.

"Of course they’re confused. Could you return to your original form?"

At that, her body began to shrink, gradually transforming until she was only about the size of my palm. Four rainbow-colored wings sprouted from her back.

Flutter, flutter

Now, she looked like a tiny fairy, almost like she was cosplaying as one. I turned to my party members and explained.

"Some of you have seen her before. Ah, Ichika, you weren’t there at the time, so this will be new to you."

"..."

"Uh, this is..."

I nodded at their puzzled expressions.

"Yes, this is Reina, the one who acted as the shop NPC during our midterm evaluations."

"Who are you calling a shop NPC!!!" Reina snapped, clearly offended.

"Oh, um, that’s Rina Chairman’s homunculus!!!" Sophia exclaimed, pointing at Reina with wide eyes.

"...Do not point at me like that. It’s rude," Reina responded in a huffy tone, her attitude mirroring that of Rina herself.

Nom, nom

Reina flapped her wings constantly as she nibbled on a large cookie. The cookie was almost as big as she was, making her look like a hamster gnawing away at a snack.

"She’s so cute..." Ichika murmured, her eyes sparkling as she watched Reina. Apparently, Ichika had a soft spot for cute things.

"...But, junior, why is Chairman Rina’s homunculus here?" Im Ga-eul asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

"You can just call her Reina, senior. Well, since only a few of us are going to the Sword Sovereign’s Forest, I figured the rest of you might feel left out, so I asked Chairman Rina for a favor," I explained.

Im Ga-eul’s expression grew a bit complicated.

"It’s not that we’re upset about that... We just wanted to go with you, junior—"

"Ahem!" Shin Se-hee cleared her throat loudly, cutting off Im Ga-eul’s sentence.

"Jin Yoo-ha, does that mean Reina will be teaching us?" Shin Se-hee asked, her eyes narrowing with interest.

"Yes, while she can’t use all of Chairman Rina’s abilities, she shares some of her magical knowledge. She’s more than capable of providing excellent training, better than most instructors," I reassured them.

"I see," Shin Se-hee responded, clenching her fist with determination in her eyes. Her enthusiasm was encouraging.

It seemed that after our first real battle in China, she had realized the areas where she needed to improve.

‘This is a great opportunity for the entire party to level up. I was already thinking of ways to help everyone improve, and now we have this.’

I felt a bit more at ease, knowing that the rest of the party would also benefit from specialized training.

"Alright, that settles it. Yu-ri, Kang Do-hee, start packing. We’ll be moving out soon."

"Got it!"

"Understood."

After parting ways with the others, I returned to my room to pack my things.

Even though I had moved from the dormitory to a private room, the blue moving box still occupied a corner of the room.

The Alice Box.

I opened the box and peered inside, only to find myself gaping in disbelief.

"...Has it really gotten this empty?"

I had expected it to be nearly empty, but this was even worse than I thought.

The mana stones, which had once filled the box, had been consumed by Im Ga-eul or sold off when I urgently needed money, leaving only a few behind.

Most of the women’s equipment had also been gradually distributed to my party members as needed.

Unknowingly, I had gradually depleted the contents of the once-bulging box until there was hardly anything left.

Now, all that remained were some miscellaneous items.

I decided to check what was left.

"...Forgotten essence, twelve broken pieces of Lefnitz's spear, Snowflake Stone? This thing’s purpose was never even revealed. And why are there so many useless gag items? There’s really nothing good left... Maybe this?"

I pulled out a neatly folded, pure white uniform.

The fabric was meticulously crafted, with a smooth, snowy texture that felt cool to the touch. Despite being stored in the box for a long time, it remained spotless.

Guardian Armor of Verdure

[ Swordsman ], [ Female ]

This item had a restriction on who could wear it, which was why I hadn’t given it to any of the party members yet. I remembered it being a high-grade item.

‘Let’s see... What were its stats again...?’

It had been almost a year since I got it, so my memory was a bit fuzzy.

As I tried to recall, something clicked in my mind.

"Oh, right. This was the armor that boosts ice attribute attack power, wasn’t it?"

When Alice was first released, very little information about her was available. All that was known was her real name, "Kim Malsook," and her stunning character design.

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Speculation about her abilities was mostly based on her appearance.

Given that she was known as the "Sword Blossom" and wielded a sword, it was assumed she was a swordsman. With silver hair, blue eyes, and a cold, icy demeanor, it was only natural to conclude that she had an ice attribute.

The veteran players of Velvet had debated extensively and concluded that Alice was likely an "ice attribute swordsman."

I had been convinced by this logic and had drained my wallet to get this armor through a gacha pull.

‘Well, none of my party members have an ice attribute or are swordsmen, so I might as well give this as a gift.’

I packed the Guardian Armor of Verdure into my belongings.

And then...

"Just in case, I should bring the other miscellaneous items too."

I swept the remaining junk from the Alice Box into my spatial tattoo.

With that, I was ready to head to the Sword Sovereign's Forest.

"I hope this training turns out to be worth it. Without Master around, I feel a bit uneasy... I already miss her."

At that moment...

Flinch

I suddenly felt like the air around me had flinched.

"?"

I glanced around, puzzled.

"What was that? Just my imagination?"

I scratched my head and headed out of the room.