Genius Swordsman In Reverse Game

Waaaahhhhhh!

"Kill! Kill them! Finish them off!"

"Healers, what are you doing? You need to heal the Chief!"

"I… I used up all my magic power in the previous fight."

"Then squeeze out whatever you have left! Can't you see the Chief is holding them off alone!?"

In the midst of the battle between the Demons and the students.

Whoosh!

A blade sprouted from a student's chest. The student, stabbed from behind, managed to turn his head just enough to see the betrayer's face.

His eyes widened in shock.

"Kheuk!? Cheonhwa!? Why, why are you…?"

"You'll find out later. I have no regrets."

Shin Se-hee replied calmly.

She took advantage of the chaos to blend in with the students and quietly took out those who were too exhausted to continue fighting, ensuring they didn't fall victim to the Demons.

It was what Jin Yuha had asked of her.

He had requested that she prevent the students from dying at the hands of the Demons.

Since Lee Yoo-ri was fighting at the front, using magic was out of the question, and having Kang Do-hee join the battle would be an overkill.

So, she took matters into her own hands, physically eliminating students who were too weak to continue and at risk of falling to the Demons.

"Hmmph!"

A male student, having witnessed Shin Se-hee's actions a moment ago, covered his mouth in shock. She turned to him and said without hesitation.

"That student just now tried to stab a fellow student in the back during the confusion. I had no choice but to intervene."

"…"

"But this is a secret, okay? We don't want to demoralize the others."

Shh.

Shin Se-hee gently placed her index finger on her lips and flashed a soft smile.

"Yes, sir!"

The male student's face turned bright red at her angelic smile, and he nodded vigorously.

After settling the previous incident, Shin Se-hee's cheerful expression soon turned stiff.

'This isn't good…'

She scanned the battlefield with her eyes, taking in the situation.

It was true that they had been able to breathe a sigh of relief when Kang Do-hee left to face the fox-like Demon alone, as she seemed stronger than all the others combined. But the current situation was precarious.

There were fifteen Demons left, and Lee Yoo-ri was handling them all on her own.

At first, the Demons had been overwhelmed by the collective attacks of the students, but they were gradually adapting, skillfully dodging and countering the incoming assaults.

On top of that, the effect of Lee Yoo-ri's provocation skill was waning, and the healing spells directed at her by the students were becoming intermittent, likely due to their depleted mana.

Boom!

Boom!

Explosions rocked the area, attacks of a higher caliber than what the students could muster.

So far, Lee Yoo-ri had skillfully evaded the attacks while keeping the Demons occupied, but how long could she keep it up?

'If this continues, it's only a matter of time before we have casualties…'

Shin Se-hee's eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation.

Then, at that moment.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

Taking advantage of a lapse in Lee Yoo-ri's skills, a Demon slashed with her sword, leaving a deep gash on a student's abdomen, causing blood to gush out.

Shin Se-hee's expression hardened.

She couldn't step in to deal with the injured student herself, as she had to maintain the pretense that he had tried to attack his fellow student, which the others had witnessed.

'Should I ask the other students to finish off the severely injured students, telling them that it's for the sake of earning coins? After all, they're going to die anyway, and this way, they can at least earn something before being transported away for treatment…'

That way, those injured by the students could be summoned to the airship for healing.

But Shin Se-hee shook her head. It wasn't a good strategy.

While it might serve as a temporary solution, it would create confusion among the students, and if they started attacking each other to earn coins, the fragile unity they had managed to maintain would crumble in an instant.

'What do I do? Is there a better plan…?'

As Shin Se-hee bit her lip in contemplation, Lee Yoo-ri shouted.

"...… Sacrifice Shield!"

Lee Yoo-ri, breathless from exhaustion, raised her shield, and a massive blue cross with outstretched wings appeared above her.

'What…?'

Does Lee Yoo-ri have another skill besides provocation?

'Now that I think about it… during the group battle in the entrance exam…'

Her train of thought was interrupted by the voice of the dying student.

"Huh? What, what is this? My body…?"

The student who had been dying from the sword strike suddenly stood up, his face bewildered as the deep wound on his abdomen vanished without a trace.

.

.

.

Zzzzt!

A burning sensation spread from her abdomen, as if she had been scorched by fire.

"Ugh!"

Lee Yoo-ri clenched her teeth.

The skill she had just used was 'Sacrifice Shield'.

It was a skill that transferred damage from others to herself, something she had forgotten about after the group battle with Jin Yuha, as there was no need to use it within the Utopia Party.

After all, no one in the party was particularly weak, and as long as they followed Jin Yuha's commands, everyone could clear the dungeon without sustaining serious injuries.

But now, thanks to that skill, a student had been saved.

"Hoo…"

Lee Yoo-ri exhaled deeply, firmly planting her feet on the ground and raising her shield.

Boom!

Zzzzt!

The shield vibrated from the weight of the heavy attack.

"Hmm? Isn't that shield girl looking a bit weaker now?"

"Ah! Hey, that kid you tried to hit from behind is fine."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"No, you just tried to stab the kid behind you."

"Ugh, I just kept getting annoyed by the rocks they kept throwing at me."

"But that kid's fine, and this one's bleeding from the stomach."

"Huh? Really? Then, does that mean…?"

The Demons quickly caught on and grinned.

Meanwhile, Lee Yoo-ri's expression hardened.

The Demons ignored Lee Yoo-ri standing before them and began attacking the students behind her.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

"Ah!"

"Kwaak!"

"Screw the kids, come fight me, you bastards!"

Bang!

Lee Yoo-ri pounded her shield, veins popping out of her neck in frustration.

"Why should we? Why bother? We can just take out the kids behind you."

The Demons lowered their weapons and shrugged, seemingly content to wait for the provocation skill's duration to end.

'Damn it!'

"Sacrifice Shield!"

Even though she knew she was playing into their hands, Lee Yoo-ri had no choice but to shout again.

"Sacrifice Shield!"

"Sacrifice Shield…"

"Sacrifice Shield...!"

.

.

.

.

The situation did not improve.

While no students had died thanks to Lee Yoo-ri's skill, the burden on her body continued to increase.

Lee Yoo-ri had transferred the damage of the previous students to herself.

She was a pitiful sight, her entire body marked with the wounds of others.

Gradually, even the students who didn't understand the situation began to realize that something was amiss.

"Lee Yoo-ri, Chief…"

"Stop, stop it!"

"Chief! Why, why are you doing this? We won't die anyway!"

"We're fine! We don't need to earn any more coins, seriously!"

The students tried to dissuade her, shouting the ridiculous title of "Chief," but Lee Yoo-ri's voice trembled as she spoke again.

"...… Sacrifice… Shield."

She transferred the students' wounds to herself, her voice shaking.

"Ugh!"

A hole appeared as if something had pierced her back, and blood gushed out.

Her arms could no longer move, but she still held the shield forward. Her ankles, with torn ligaments, remained firmly rooted to the ground. Her trembling body looked like it could collapse at any moment.

She had lost too much blood; her ears were ringing, and her vision was blurry.

'But I can't give up here.'

Lee Yoo-ri glared at the Demons with determination.

"Wow, you're really something."

As the battle became increasingly one-sided, the Demons relaxed and began to mock her.

"Is this the sacrifice of a heroic fool?"

"Kyaaah—truly noble, truly noble."

"Do these kids even understand the situation? Is there any point in going this far?"

"The shield is wobbling, and she doesn't seem to have any strength left in her hands. Are you okay, kid?"

The Demons taunted her to her face.

Kick.

But Lee Yoo-ri forced a smile, gritting her teeth.

"…You Demons… you couldn't even get past one student's shield, yet you've got a lot of mouth…"

Her voice was barely audible, but her meaning was clear to the Demons.

Their expressions twisted in disgust.

"Hah, you really want to push it?"

"Kid, you seem to be under the wrong impression. We've been holding back until now because we wanted to see how far you could go."

"And there's not much left now, is there?"

"Ji… ral…"

Lee Yoo-ri cursed, her trembling hands gripping the shield tightly as she lifted it again.

"I… can still… do it…"

The Demon with a disgusted look on her face decided to stop holding back and raised her whip.

"Hah, alright, let's see how far you can go…"

Whoosh!

The whip soared towards Lee Yoo-ri's head, slicing through the air.

"Let's see what you've got!!!!"

Swoosh!

Lee Yoo-ri had to dodge. But her feet wouldn't move.

She bit her lip in frustration.

'Jin Yuha…'

Just then.

Swoosh!

Thud.

A sword flew in from somewhere, severing the whip and embedding itself in the ground at Lee Yoo-ri's feet.

"...… Who are you?"

And a clear voice pierced through her hazy consciousness.

Lee Yoo-ri slowly raised her heavy eyelids and looked up.

There stood Jin Yuha, his face contorted with anger like never before, glaring at the Demons.

"Who dares touch my Soup!!!!"

Lee Yoo-ri couldn't help but feel her lips curling up.

"You idiot. You're really late…"