The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 83

“Ha....”

A deep breath escaped.

My shoulders trembled slightly, my palms were damp with sweat, and the mana I had forcefully summoned was stirring inside me.

I lowered the spear and took a step back.

The emerald glow surrounding the spear gradually faded.

The energy of the Fragment.

It was Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth.

“Ah...”

I groaned and slumped down.

With nothing to do—well, until the exchange tournament began—I had been enjoying a somewhat relaxed time lately.

Instead of offering something to the people around me, I tried to spend more time reflecting on myself.

I had been training hard in the training hall just now.

It was the weekend, and the training hall was completely empty. Since it was early, no one was around.

The lights were dim, and the only sound filling the space was mine.

As I mentioned, not everyone participated in the exchange tournament, so it could be seen as a break for the students right now.

What I wanted to focus on was simple.

====

[Authority: Fragment of Harmony]

① Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth

— Break what has been broken.

② ???

③ ???

====

Mine. Jeong Haein's, the Fragment.

"It’s difficult."

I said it sincerely.

It really was so difficult.

I wanted to open the second expansion of my authority.

Fragment.

The most alien yet essential force in this world.

A fundamental means of resistance that could stand against high-ranking demons or evil gods.

Yu Hana's Fragment of Order.

Kang Arin's Fragment of Emptiness.

Cheon Yeoul's Fragment of Desire.

And Sung Siwoo... no, my own, Jeong Haein's Fragment of Harmony.

There are exactly four Fragments in this world.

No more, no less. Exactly four.

Each has a different origin, but their commonality was clear.

Fragments grant the power to resist demons.

My first expansion authority, Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth, was no different.

But the issue was that the potential of this Fragment didn’t end there.

The expansion authority of a Fragment grows differently depending on how the target develops.

This allowed for the fun of experiencing the variations depending on how you raised the original protagonist, Sung Siwoo...

‘...What about me?’

I had no idea.

Sung Siwoo's route was familiar, but my own route was new to me as well.

The path of the Fragment that started with "Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth"—I had no idea how it would unfold from here.

I had never even seen "Destruction of Evil, Manifestation of Truth" before.

Sung Siwoo’s was Anti-Demon.

Yu Hana's was Evil Slaughter Butterfly.

Kang Arin's was Dominance Over Evil.

Cheon Yeoul's was Holy Fire.

Their names, their directions, their natures—all different.

But the first expansion authority universally grants resistance against demons.

And when the second expansion authority is unlocked, that power leaps into an entirely different dimension.

Thus, having obtained my Fragment early, I also wanted to quickly unlock the second expansion.

So I had been repeating all kinds of attempts lately...

"Am I still far off?"

Honestly, it was greedy.

It was still too early to knock on that door.

“I’m going to die.”

Having tried everything, squeezing out my mana and throwing my body into training, sweat poured down like rain.

Even though I was only pretending to knock on the second door.

Breathing heavily, I was taking a short break when—

Clink.

The sound of the training hall door opening.

Someone entered the training hall.

Thinking that my time here was coming to an end, I relaxed my posture, sitting down, and slowly turned my head.

‘Hm?’

There was a face I recognized.

Ju Seojun. And beside him, a cute girl.

I couldn’t recall her name, but it was clear that she was a Gaon student. I think I had seen her a few times as she passed by.

The two of them entered, unaware that I was inside, chatting happily with each other.

Their conversation and actions were naturally shared.

The casual looks and gestures.

Something about the whole scene...

‘Are they... together?’

It was exactly that feeling.

I had no intention of getting involved in other people's love lives, so I stood up from my seat.

“Seriously, I don’t think there’s anyone here? This is the secret spot I heard about from my senior...”

The girl spoke in an excited voice.

Ju Seojun quickly glanced inside, then his eyes met mine.

He let out a small laugh before speaking to the girl next to him.

“There’s someone. A person.”

I corrected his statement.

“No, there isn’t. I’m leaving.”

Having done what I needed to, I decided it was time to slip away.

Just as I was about to pass by them...

“Hey... Haein, was it?”

At Ju Seojun’s call, I stopped and turned around.

His face came into view. With striking looks and an air of confidence.

He nodded as if prompting me to continue, and he spoke again.

“Ah, sorry. I was just heading out to rest, but I caught you.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s nothing serious, just... Could you tell Chaehwa something? She’s been keeping to herself lately, and I haven’t been able to see her. But I think you two meet often, so...”

Lately, Yoon Chaehwa had been busy refining the new powers she had gained.

After class, she didn’t come out of her room at all.

Messages kept coming, though.

But recently, she’d been asking strange questions in the morning, and I hadn’t been answering them.

“Uh, what is it?”

“Hmm... It’s about the upcoming individual tournament. Eventually, we’ll face off, right? I’ve changed a lot since back then. Just wanted to let you know that.”

He said with a smile.

His eyes were full of confidence, and I watched him carefully.

Naturally, I nodded.

Ju Seojun was indeed growing steadily. And at quite a fast pace.

“I’ll pass it along.”

“Oh, thanks.” frёeωebɳovel.com

I gave a brief response and turned to leave.

From behind me, I heard the girl’s voice.

“...Who’s Chaehwa?”

“She’s a friend.”

Ju Seojun replied simply.

I couldn’t help but smile at his answer.

For a moment, I imagined them facing off in the individual tournament.

Lately, Yoon Chaehwa had been focusing more on refining her inner energy than her magic training.

Meanwhile, Ju Seojun was noticeably growing stronger both physically and mentally.

‘I’m not sure.’

For a moment, I had that thought.

Honestly, if it were like before, I wouldn’t have considered the possibility that Yoon Chaehwa might be outclassed.

It meant that Ju Seojun had really grown.

Of course, Yoon Chaehwa was no weak opponent either.

‘This will be interesting.’

We’d have to wait and see.

***

Inside the dorm room, filled with the scent of lavender.

“Why isn’t she answering?”

Yoon Chaehwa rested her arms on her knees, staring absentmindedly at her watch.

A moment ago, she had sent this message:

[summer]: Who would win in a fight, a Tyrannosaurus or a Carcharodontosaurus?

It was an odd, completely out-of-character question for her.

In fact, after sending it, she herself had been taken aback.

‘I can’t believe I sent that.’

...And now, she was being ignored.

It had been 29 minutes. Well, now it was 30 minutes.

Her face was expressionless, but her eyes looked almost a little wronged.

Next to her watch, on the desk, a thick magazine lay open.

[Even the Recluse Wizard Wonders About Relationship Laws~ The /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Ultimate 199 Flirting Techniques!]

It was something she’d found in the corner of the academy bookstore, a place no one usually visited.

At first, she had thought, ‘What is this?’ with an odd expression, but then...

‘What’s harder than magic? The heart of a person ♥’

‘The intimacy graph based on the average number of contacts per day!’

‘Meaningful vs. Habitual Skinship! How to tell the difference!’

These ridiculous lines made her laugh in disbelief, but strangely, her hands hadn’t let go of the magazine.

[Try asking the person you’re interested in an unusual question you wouldn’t usually ask! A smart image gives you a reversal charm! Innocence!]

She had been convinced by that one line, and eventually, she had chosen one of the "Ultimate 199 Flirting Techniques" and sent it as a message.

Yoon Chaehwa rested her chin in her hand and opened the message again.

“...”

Still no reply.

She pressed her lips together and shifted her gaze toward the bookshelf.

The title of the book on her desk caught her eye again.

Even the Recluse Wizard Wonders About Relationship Laws~

“Ah, damn.”

I’m an idiot.

She’d been blinded by the “Recluse Wizard” keyword.

After all, she was very much a recluse, and also a wizard.

If the magazine’s creators had done this on purpose, it was a very successful marketing strategy.

“...I’ll burn this...”

She muttered softly to herself, about to sigh.

Ding!

“!”

Her ears perked up. Her eyes widened.

Yoon Chaehwa instinctively grabbed her watch.

[belief_]: Sorry, I was training and didn’t get to reply.

[belief_]: But what’s with all these weird questions? What’s a saurous??

[belief_]: Do I have to answer? Let me think about it for a bit.

“Hehe...”

A smile spread across her face.

Her fingertips lightly grasped the hem of her clothes.

She’d been feeling this emotion more and more lately.

It was completely unfamiliar to Yoon Chaehwa, but also so new, and that made it even more interesting.

An oddly soft feeling filled her chest.

‘...Could it be real?’

Yoon Chaehwa glanced at the desk again.

“......”

Thud.

She carefully closed the magazine.

As if handling a precious magical book, she gently closed it.