Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

With the appearance of the Emperor Lina, the scattered Demons gathered again in the bushes, looking flustered.

"······Squad leader! what do we do! Are we screwed now!?"

The squad leader, a woman who resembled a ferret, was Lingwei.

"Shut up. Let me think for a moment."

She chewed on her nails.

Everything that had happened so far was beyond her expectations.

From the unexpected start of the Academy's mid-term evaluation at their base, to the appearance of Emperor Lina, whom they thought they had taken care of. As a result, the attack on the students had to be carried out without their leader, Rebecca, leaving only the remaining members to carry out the mission.

'This is a mess······.'

By this point, she felt wronged. It was as if someone who hated Demons had deliberately set them up to die.

"What do you mean, shut up! What's the point of beating up these kids now! We don't have our leader! We're screwed anyway once the Emperor shows up!"

The subordinate complained in a resentful voice.

Suddenly, Lingwei's eyes lit up as a thought occurred to her.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"······Beating up these kids, what, what's the point?"

"No, not that."

"We don't have our leader?"

"No, not that."

"We're screwed anyway once the Emperor shows up······?"

"Right? If the Emperor is here······. Why are we still alive?"

After a moment of contemplation, she smiled faintly.

"That's right, if she was serious, there's no way we could have made it here······. We would have been dead as soon as we tried to escape."

"······Huh? Oh, yeah."

"It's clear that the Emperor isn't here right now. The Demon Association did their job, we were just a little off with the timing."

"Then, what about our leader, Rebecca?"

"The Emperor must have killed Rebecca. No matter how urgent the matter was, she wouldn't have let that person escape right in front of her."

At that moment, an odd silence fell among the Demons.

"Hehe, hehe······. Hahaha!"

"So, there's no Emperor here, no leader······. Just a bunch of first-year Academy students, huh?"

"Always telling us what to do and what not to do. It was annoying as hell, but now it's like hitting the jackpot, right?"

"And if we do well in this mission, we'll be treated quite well when we return to the Demon Association, won't we?"

"Khehehe, it's been a while since we had a good feast. Let's keep a few of the tasty-looking ones alive and take them with us."

The Demons' happiness circuit started spinning wildly.

Rebecca's sacrifice, which had bought them time to escape from the Emperor, was already an afterthought.

Even though the plan had changed, the students in front of them were just first-year kids.

All they had to do was launch a surprise attack when they least expected it.

As they were getting ready,

Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang─!

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

Jerk.

"······Uh, squad leader. I, I feel weird."

"Why, why is this happening?"

"······!?"

The Demons were unconsciously drawn out of the forest by the sound of the shield.

Suddenly. Suddenly.

"······."

"······."

"······."

The eyes of the Demons who had emerged from the forest rolled around in their sockets.

"······Fuck."

The Demons were the only ones in tattered clothing, and their plan to hide among the students and pick them off one by one was ruined from the start. Moreover, it seemed like they had been waiting for this fight from the beginning!

The Demons glared at the one who had gone out on the first search mission.

"Everyone··· attack!"

At the command of the shield-wielding girl, attacks poured in from all directions.

Waaaaaaah─

Hooong─

Sway─

"Ouch! Ah, that hurts!? What is this, is this a rock!?"

"Uwaaaaaah······!?"

"Squad leader! This, what is this!?"

"I, I don't know! These crazy bastards!!!!"

The attacks were bizarre.

They had expected to be attacked with swords, spears, or magic, but instead, they were bombarded with burning pieces of wood, magic-infused stones, and crude bamboo spears.

One or two of those things wouldn't have been a problem, but since all the students, regardless of their positions, were throwing whatever they could get their hands on, their vision was obscured.

"I think these kids really were the hidden enemies! They must have planned to hide among us from the beginning!"

"Die!!! You half-baked brats! Ah, I've always wanted to say that."

"Fuck these beastly brats!!"

"You uncivilized bastards! Don't underestimate the power of civilization!!"

It was absurd.

Or did these bastards have no fear? If they knew we were coming, they must have known we were Demons as well. And what was with this strange teamwork!

"Squad leader! Com, commands!!!"

As they fended off the various objects flying at them, one of the Demons cried out to Lingwei in a panicked voice.

"Everyone, scatter! Take them on one by one!"

Lingwei gave the command despite her confusion.

But.

"Haa, where am I supposed to go?"

Kaaaaaaaaaaang─!

Yoo-ri struck her shield again, causing the Demons to freeze.

"Ugh!"

"Damn it! This damn skill!!!"

However, Yoo-ri had already used her full power twice, so her magic power was significantly depleted.

As a result, Lingwei was able to regain her composure quickly.

"······I need to get out of here, at least by myself."

Swish!

"Hey! Hey, squad leader!"

"That bitch escaped by herself!"

"You son of a bitch!!!"

The Demons left behind cried out, but she didn't turn back and slipped away on her own.

Haa─

Haa─

"Fuck, what the hell is going on."

Lingwei, who had fled with all her might, breathed heavily.

"Hmm, the Little Fool was right. ······There's no way there would be loyalty among these Demon bastards."

"···!?"

Suddenly, Lingwei spun around at the sound coming from behind her. Her thin eyes widened.

"Mad Dog?"

Kang Do-hee spat in disgust. "Don't call me that. I've given up the 'Mad Dog' title a long time ago."

Crunch, crunch.

"I already feel like a leftover food disposer… "

Kang Do-hee cracked her knuckles and twisted her neck from side to side.

"You're getting a beating from me today, sis."

.

.

.

Oh the f…

Sophia's pupils shook uncontrollably.

'This… this isn't what I had in mind at all… !'

There was a world of difference between the glory she had envisioned and her current situation.

Was this heaven or hell?

.

.

.

As mana began to swirl around Rebecca.

Sophia realized it was her turn to act, and she immediately fired a golden arrow at Jin Yuha.

But instead of praise, she received a scolding.

"What?! Why are you wasting your mana on me?! I told you to conserve it!"

Well… I'm a healer…

And your shoulder is wounded…

It hurts…

Sophia protested with shaky eyes, but Jin Yuha ignored her, lost in his own world with a serious expression.

As the Rebecca's body began to transform, Sophia was horrified.

'Waaah… what is that… ?'

Crunch, crunch.

It was no longer human.

"Keeeek…"

Rebecca, infused with mana, had taken on a form far from human.

Her back had swollen grotesquely, sprouting repulsive tentacles, each ending in hundreds of eyeballs like ripe fruit. And scythe-like legs supported her massive form as she rose.

It was a terrifying sight, something out of a nightmare.

Gulping, Sophia called out to Jin Yuha.

"Um, Jin Yuha?"

But he was still muttering to himself, deep in thought.

"Hmm, hmm… This makes the cooldown calculation a bit tricky. It could be risky… No, I think I can manage. I just need to be more proactive…"

Finally, he turned to Sophia, having made his decision.

"Okay, Sophia."

"Yes?"

"Come here."

"Huh?"

"Come here and hug me."

Jin Yuha held out his arms, inviting her to embrace him.

What's this about?

Is this some kind of test? Or a fan meeting?

Sophia slowly approached Jin Yuha with his arms outstretched and hugged him tightly.

"Hehehe…"

A laugh that didn't quite fit the situation escaped her lips. Jin Yuha furrowed his eyebrows and whispered in her ear.

"What are you doing?"

"You told me to hug you."

"No, if you hug me like this, how are you going to shoot arrows? Wrap your legs around my waist. That way, your arms will be free."

Hmm…

So, I need to cling to Jin Yuha like a cicada and shoot arrows at that monster?

Before she could fully process the situation, Jin Yuha, sounding exasperated, lifted her by the hips.

"Waaah!?

"Okay, wrap your legs firmly around my body! Keep your back straight! Focus!"

"Y-yes!"

"Think back to our training. It's not much different from what we practiced."

Training… yes, training…

…Oh, the training.

Goosebumps ran down Sophia's spine.

I almost died during those drills. They were brutal.

Every day was a test of my fangirl dedication.

Swinging his sword back and forth right in front of my face, aiming at targets behind me.

Shooting at targets while falling off a cliff.

Firing arrows relentlessly at moving targets as Jin Yuha hid among monsters.

'Was all that training meant for this moment… ?'

But there was no time to dwell on his intentions further.

Thwip!

Jin Yuha leaped forward, carrying Sophia with him.

Whoosh!

A tentacle slammed down where they had just been standing, melting the surrounding vegetation as if doused in acid.

"Eek!"

Sophia screamed at the sight, but Jin Yuha remained calm.

"Sophia, just follow my instructions. Every arrow you shoot from now on is a healing arrow."

"Y-yes!"

"Shoot one at the top of my head in exactly seven seconds."

"Okay!"

Despite her confusion, Sophia's body moved automatically in response to Jin Yuha's command.

Exactly seven seconds later, she shot an arrow upward.

Swoosh!

Thwack!

"Kieeeek!"

The arrow struck first, and the tentacle slammed into it.

"I, I hit it!?"

Sophia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Now, duck your head a little."

"O-okay… Waaah!"

A tentacle brushed past her head.

Ssss.

The tips of her golden hair melted where they touched the tentacle.

"No need to reply."

"Hup! Hmm!"

Whoosh!

Tentacles slashed through the surrounding trees.

Thwip!

Jin Yuha dodged the reaching tentacles with another leap, his lips curling into a smug smile.

"As expected."

Sophia, despite her lack of experience as a hunter, was incredibly powerful. Being able to both attack and heal from a distance made her a valuable asset. Even when the game was first released, many had complained that she was too overpowered. To balance her abilities, a significant drawback was introduced:

The inability to move while shooting.

In the game, Sophia had to remain stationary whether she was healing or dealing with a Demon. But now, in this reality, Jin Yuha realized that he could be her legs.

'It means we can attempt strategies that weren't possible in the game!'

It meant that they could take on bosses that originally required a party of five or more, just the two of them—a healer and a dealer.

"Operation Moving Turret. Sophia, shoot two arrows to the right in three seconds."

"Waaaaah!"

Sophia's delighted scream echoed through the forest.