Became a Swordsman Genius in a Pretty Girl Game

304. Group Competition (2)

Group Competition.

Divide the academy freshmen into groups.

A yearly event where they compete against each other, based on their training results.

This group competition event was just one of the criteria to measure the freshmen’s abilities, not a particularly important event.

However, due to Lina’s announcement about this group competition, an unprecedented weight was added.

[ The winner of this group competition will be granted the right to choose one party within the academy and join it immediately. Furthermore, the chosen party cannot exercise their veto power. ]

At first, there was a small backlash against this decision.

The winner of the group competition. Even if they were the most outstanding student.

Suddenly being absorbed into a party was a problem for the existing parties.

If the selected freshman was too weak, it would be a problem, and if they were too strong, it would be a burden for the party.

Since most parties already had their positions established.

The issue of adding a new member to a party was a sensitive matter.

Despite the sudden announcement without considering the existing parties.

Surprisingly, the backlash subsided quickly.

Well, the party that the winner would choose was most likely the hottest party right now, ‘Utopia.’

Representing such a Utopia, Shin Se-hee expressed an open attitude by saying,

“If an outstanding first-year student can be chosen, it would truly be a joyful opportunity for Utopia to strengthen its power.”

Murmurs filled the air—

“Wow, Utopia… I heard that it’s not just a party anyone can join, even if they have some skills.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, my sister is an A-class Hunter, and she says she couldn’t even make it into the second string with her skills. To get in there, you need to have a completely ‘special’ talent that’s different from others.”

“Hehe, if I’m the best here, does that mean I can get into Utopia too?”

“Dream on, with your level, you wouldn’t even stand a chance.”

“No, I’m pretty good, you know? Huh? But what’s that… a camera?”

“Yeah, this time there might be fairness issues, so they’re going to publicly broadcast the matches.”

“Wow, they really seem to be serious about this.”

“So, this is also an opportunity.”

“…Opportunity?”

If you need any further adjustments or additional context, feel free to ask!

“An opportunity to raise the stakes.”

Regardless of the circumstances, this round’s group battle had turned into something significant, far beyond just a light event.

With a chance to enter the utopia they had only heard about, the new students began to ignite their enthusiasm even more.

*

And on the screen being filmed by the camera.

Seon Se-hee and Im Ga-eul were seated at the caster’s desk.

“Hehe, being a broadcast caster… it’s been a while.”

“Um, junior, but I’m not sure if I can do this well…”

“Oh, the broadcast is live. Hello, everyone! This is Seon Se-hee from Utopia.”

Im Ga-eul seemed awkward at first, but quickly got into the mood and struck a pose.

“Ah, hello! You’re already dead! This is the squinty-eyed villain, Im Ga-eul!”

– Squintyㅋㅋeyesㅋㅋvillainㅋㅋ

– Wow, it’s been a while! Squinty-eyed villain!

– It’s been a while, Cheon-hwa! Seon Se-hee, why haven’t you been broadcasting lately!!!

– Why now, why now, why now, why now, why now!

If you need any further adjustments or additional context, feel free to ask!

Finally……!

“I’m sorry. I’ve been really busy lately, so I haven’t had time to communicate with you all. But it’s nice to see you after a while, right?”

Shin Se-hee spoke smoothly as she continued the conversation with the viewers.

“Hmm, I heard this time the scale is really big. Autumn senior, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, yes! That’s right! It’s 100 groups of 10 people each. A total of a thousand people participating simultaneously. It’s almost three times larger than last year.”

“Wow─! So, does that mean there will be 50 matches happening at the same time today?”

“Yeah, so I think it might be hard to catch all of them.”

“Then we’ll have to focus and choose wisely. I heard there’s a particularly unique and special team! Which one could that be?”

It was a sudden question from Shin Se-hee, but since it had been discussed beforehand, Im Ga-eul nodded and replied.

“Isn’t it the group of Yoo Ha, the junior?”

“Yes, that’s right. A major twist! Our Utopia’s Jin Yoo-ha is making a surprise appearance as an instructor this time and is in charge of a group, right?”

“I heard it’s a team made up of three special admission students and seven under the male quota.”

“Oh, and there’s that too! Mana limit! Sometimes, irregulars pop up among the special admission students and blow up the matches. So, they adjust to the average mana of the opposing team.”

“Speaking of which, Se-hee, you did that last year, right? How was it?”

“Ugh, that was really the worst. How should I put it? While everyone else was running on land, I felt like I was the only one jumping in the water?”

If you need any further adjustments or additional context, feel free to ask!

Although Shin Se-hee and Lim Ga-eul spoke as if passing by,

For those hearing this story for the first time, it was a bombshell announcement.

Jin Yoo-ha is coming out as an instructor?

– What…? Is it true that Jin Yoo-ha is teaching the cadets? Is this for real?

– And the special admission students

– Huh, it’s really impressive, but… is it right for her to be teaching anyone?

– But still, don’t you have to go even if you can’t eat? Just think about it, with Jin Yoo-ha next to you correcting your posture and saying, ‘You’re better suited for a sword than a bow.’?

– From that day on, my goal is to become a sword master, haha!

– I knew she was a genius, but… wasn’t she in the same position as those new students just a year ago?

– No, she actually had it worse. She came in through the male quota and faced all sorts of ridicule, taking all the insults thrown at her.

That was the case.

A year ago, when Jin Yoo-ha first set foot in the Velvet Hunter Academy.

At that time, everyone had doubts about Jin Yoo-ha.

The male gender.

The dealer position.

And a clean, blank past, without any previous records.

As the thick, stubborn prejudices accumulated, one by one, they were shed like skin.

Now, he stood in his current position.

There were hardly any people who doubted his abilities.

It was just, now, the next step.

A position as an instructor, where he would be verified once again.

– But, aren’t the special admission students’ mana limited, plus the seven male quotas, making the sandbag too heavy? ㅋㅋ

– Yeah, I guess so. Hmm, can Yoo-ha do it? ······.

“Whoa! Over there! The junior is coming out! That way!”

The camera turned to the upper floor at Im-gaeul’s shout.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

With a calm, composed expression, and a peaceful gait, without any tension.

He appeared, dressed in formal attire, along with the other instructors.

Seo Shin-hee and Lim Ga-eul held their breath, their mouths shut tight.

‘The junior looks good in anything, doesn’t he?’

‘Jin Yu-ha…’

But this impression wasn’t exclusive to just the two of them.

“Waaahhh!!!”

The room erupted in cheers, the sound echoing loudly with Jin Yu-ha’s arrival.

– How long has it been since we saw Jin Yu-ha on broadcast?

– What’s with Jin Yu-ha’s suit? It’s so red!

– Crazy, look at the kids screaming!

– But it’s understandable, his looks are on another level. Why does he get more handsome every time we see him?

– Seriously, I thought he was already at his peak, but I guess that wasn’t his peak after all;;; his eyes seem deeper too. It feels like his whole aura has changed.

– I agree, before, I would at least think, “Wow, he’s so handsome, I should try to talk to him or ask for an autograph.” But now, I just can’t even look away from his face when he’s in front of me.

“Alright, let’s begin the group matches now!”

And so, amidst the crowd’s anticipation and worries, the first group match of the Velvet Hunter Academy began.

* * *

“True, it’s not like I’m thinking about the limitations of Chairman Rina, but this is on a whole different scale…”

I let out a dry laugh and looked around the training grounds.

100 teams competing in 50 matches.

Logically, it was absurd to think that all of this could be held in one space.

But, as expected, Rina’s class was something else.

She had broken through the spatial limitations using magic.

In the auditorium, 50 doors led to separate training grounds, each with its own spatial expansion magic, where the matches were held.

And the matches were being broadcasted on a holographic screen.

“Hmm, your lineup is interesting.”

“Ah, Instructor.”

At that moment, the instructor of the opposing team, who was scheduled to face us, approached us with a friendly demeanor.

I remembered him as a popular instructor who had taught a well-liked lesson during our combat training class.

“It doesn’t feel like a single team at all, and why do you only have nine members?”

She looked at our team’s positions and tilted her head, asking.

Tank (Iron Wall) – Dealer (Alice) – Dealer (Hwarang)

Jin Yu-ha’s team had three special admission students positioned in a triangular formation at the front.

The remaining six male quota students were huddled together in the distance, looking somewhat bewildered.

“One person is out long-term due to an injury sustained early on, and the other six… To be honest, they’re not really up to par.”

“What? So you’re saying it’ll be 10 against 3?”

“Yes, well… I suppose that’s how it’ll be. They’re completely unusable.”

I scratched my cheek as I replied.

“Hm, well, the male quota students are a bit lacking. So, this match will be an easy win for us, right? Honestly, your contribution was significant in your team’s victory last year, wasn’t it?”

The instructor chuckled as he spoke.

I heard that a considerable reward would be given to the instructor of the team that wins this time, so everyone was feeling motivated.

“Well, the limitation on mana based on the opposing team’s average is quite a hefty penalty, though…”

I turned my gaze to the screen where our team’s match was unfolding.

And at the point where my gaze landed,

“There’s a key player who can change the situation once again. The presence of the Queen.”

There was a woman with flowing white hair and striking blue eyes.