I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Chapter 9

Am I crazy, our Soup just flipped me off...!?

I widened my eyes in surprise.

Am I upset about it?

No, quite the opposite.

A tingling, pleasant feeling in my chest.

‘I thought it would take much longer...’

Lee Yoo-ri grew up in a difficult environment, both at home and in life, and she always had thick guards up.

She was extremely reluctant to open up to others, even to the party members who seemed quite close to her.

She even hid her meals from them, as if they were complete strangers.

‘But now, Soup just flipped me off... after just one day of knowing me!’

Lee Yoo-ri flipping me off meant she had crossed the line from a complete stranger to a casual friend.

A little earlier, Go Yoon-seo had complained about Soup being ‘their’ Soup, and was a little annoyed, but I wondered if it was unnecessary.

Of course, since we haven’t even spoken to each other that much yet, we have a long way to go.

Nevertheless, a sense of accomplishment filled me.

As I smiled at Lee Yoo-ri’s raised middle finger, she scowled and lowered her finger.

“......What, what’s wrong with you? Are you really crazy?”

“Hearing the word ‘crazy bastard’ is nice.”

“......Crazy bastard.”

“Haha, don’t take it so seriously.”

Lee Yoo-ri scowled and shook her head.

Anyway, now that the Blood Goblin was taken care of, it was time to leave.

Unlike in the game, where defeating the boss monster marked the end, we didn’t know how the remaining goblins would react.

I didn’t want to get entangled with these green-headed creatures any longer.

“Kik...”

“Ke...”

“Ker-rur...”

The goblins stared at the headless corpse in disbelief.

I looked around and said to Lee Yoo-ri.

“Team Leader, let’s get out of here. I’ll take care of the Blood Goblin’s head.”

Lee Yoo-ri replied in a strained voice.

“......I’m experiencing mana depletion right now.”

Ah.

This was an unavoidable situation.

Mana depletion.

After fighting the Blood Goblin on top of an already exhausted body, it was to be expected.

With Lee Yoo-ri’s original specs, this goblin would have been a formidable opponent.

“Then, well... I guess we have no choice.”

“Are you going to leave me behind...?”

She sounded a bit sad again.

“If I was going to do that, I wouldn’t have come here.”

“But how are we going to get through all these goblins...?”

Lee Yoo-ri was worried about becoming a burden, given her current state.

Sheesh, didn’t she just see me take down the Blood Goblin a while ago?

I walked up to her and bent my knees, offering my back.

“Come on, get on.”

“......What, get on your back?”

“Yes, it’s too tiring to carry you. It’ll be uncomfortable, but we have to do it this way.”

Lee Yoo-ri’s eyes darted around, unsure of what to do.

“Hurry up. It’ll be a hassle if the goblins start acting up.”

“......Alright!”

She hesitantly placed her hand on my shoulder and leaned against me.

“And I need one of these arms free, so wrap your arm around my neck and hold on tight.”

I took her hand and wrapped it around my neck.

“......Yuna, what are you doing here? You have no combat skills. Why are you even here?”

It would have been better if he had just drawn his sword and fought them.

“Lee Yoo-ri is an objectively talented tanker, and you three are holding her back. She made the decision to stay behind because she objectively compared your skills to the enemies’ levels and concluded, ‘It’s hopeless.’ If there had been even a slight chance of victory, do you think she would have made that choice? You would only slow her down if you went to rescue her.”

Then, he continued.

“But I can rescue Lee Yoo-ri. I can draw the goblins’ attention away and join her as quickly as possible.”

The three of them could only lower their heads.

Everything he said was true.

They were well aware that Lee Yoo-ri’s talent far exceeded theirs.

After all, they had taken the Velvet Academy entrance exam together, and while Lee Yoo-ri had passed, Go Yoon-seo and Choi So-yeon had failed.

“So, you want us to just stand here and watch while you rescue her? We’re supposed to rely on a complete stranger, and you’re not even expecting much from us...?”

Go Yoon-seo bit her lip, her voice shaking.

Jin Yuha looked at her for a moment, then sighed and offered a solution.

“......What about the Nakki leather? We collected quite a lot today.”

.

.

.

‘I’ll go ahead and rescue Lee Yoo-ri from the goblins, and you can come later.’

And he added, ‘I don’t expect much from you, but...’

The stand-in party member was acting like a boss.

“That guy’s definitely got a bad personality.”

Go Yoon-seo grumbled.

“......But how is he so strong? He’s a man, after all.”

“I told you he was suspicious from the start. Soup has never mentioned a man to me! Could he be a stalker!?”

“But if it weren’t for him, we would have ended up like he said. He may have been harsh, but Jin Yuha was trying to protect us.”

“......”

Go Yoon-seo fell silent at Choi So-yeon’s cold, rational words.

But he was still an annoying guy.

“I’m done!”

At that moment, Yuna finished her work, attaching Nakki skins to their coats.

She handed one each to Choi So-yeon and Go Yoon-seo and put one on herself.

The hastily made coats were full of gaps, and the number of skins was insufficient, so they didn’t look very good, but time was of the essence.

The three of them quickly put on the coats without inspecting them further.

And the three made a determined expression.

“......From now on, we will rescue our Soup with our own hands. Since Soup isn’t here, I’ll be the temporary team leader and give the orders.”

Go Yoon-seo and Choi So-yeon nodded solemnly, and Yuna followed suit.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Yes, we’re going to rescue Unni, who’s waiting for us...”

Just then.

“Ah, what about the kids? Hmm... Oh, there they are.”

Suddenly, an annoying voice came from above.

Everyone looked up.

Jin Yuha, with Lee Yoo-ri on his back, and the party members locked eyes.

“......”

“......”

“......”

“......”

In the awkward silence, Lee Yoo-ri’s and the party members’ faces turned red.

Lee Yoo-ri felt embarrassed to be carried by a man after running off on her own, and the party members felt ridiculous after having just made their determined declaration.

“Wow. What are those coats? Are they in fashion? They look really unique, like bagworm larvae.”

In the meantime, Jin Yuha acted as if he had no idea what was going on.

Then, one of the little bagworm-like creatures knelt down.

Thud.

“What... have I been doing all this time...?”