The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 21

On the morning that Cheon Yeoul submitted her absence report, the instructor in charge of the mock dungeon, Choi Eunha, found herself deep in thought.

"Park Changmyeong, could you take a look at the revised seed list?"

She handed over the seed list, which had been based on the unit’s performance, excluding Cheon Yeoul.

It was important to consider that organizing teams based on grades might not always align with the intuition of the instructor handling the class.

Out of caution, she sought the opinion of her fellow instructor.

Park Changmyeong scanned the list carefully before reaching a conclusion.

"... Ju Han-gang, I think Jeong Haein would be more suitable for the seed position."

"I see."

Choi Eunha accepted his advice without much thought. After all, she had been debating between the two students. Looking at the grades, Jeong Haein was slightly ahead, but she had opted for the higher-ranked Ju Han-gang.

"And I think it would be best to set the dungeon as Lahala’s Maze, starting from the entrance."

"The entrance?"

Choi Eunha asked, slightly surprised.

This suggestion wasn’t something she could immediately agree with. Lahala’s Maze was a traditional internal evaluation dungeon at Gaon Academy, known for its high difficulty, typically reserved for the most outstanding students.

"Jeong Haein seems exceptional. Instructor Do Hanseong also mentioned that."

"Do Hanseong..."

"He said the student created a sword technique."

Exceptional.

It was a term used among the instructors at Gaon to describe a student who stood out beyond their assigned rank after enrollment.

When multiple instructors spoke highly of a student, it was something that should be trusted.

"I understand. We’ll go with that."

In the end, Choi Eunha accepted the suggestion. Now, all that remained was to see if Jeong Haein would live up to those expectations.

And Jeong Haein was completely fulfilling those expectations.

"Wow! Damn, he dodged again!"

"No, what the hell is up with him?"

The practice room was growing increasingly heated.

Even the students who had just completed the dungeon weren’t taking a break; one by one, they gathered in front of the screen.

Kang Arin, who had just finished butchering the opposing team, immediately lit up upon seeing the scene.

The chatter that had filled the room vanished, and everyone’s attention was focused on one single screen.

At that moment, a new star was being born.

***

Ju Han-gang, while flustered by the fact that his trap had been discovered, quickly came up with a plan.

‘Let’s quickly target Jeong Haein with the two of us.’

"That guy’s standing in the front even though he’s not a tank. If the two of us push hard, we can finish him off."

Normally, the basic strategy would be to target Ha Sion, the long-range attacker.

However, Ha Sion was a top-tier archer, and Han Iri and Ju Han-gang felt that even if they teamed up, they wouldn’t be able to take her down easily.

Han Iri felt that attacking together didn’t look good, but he still went along with it. Given that they’d already used traps, victory was their priority.

"Come out already, I’m waiting for you."

With an indifferent expression, Ju Han-gang slowly descended.

Han Iri and the other team members followed behind.

"Why the hell is he so confident?"

Yoon Sanghyuk yelled as he watched the scene.

"If it were me, I’d be embarrassed and surrender."

"Forget about that."

Ju Han-gang cut him off briefly and unsheathed his sword from his waist.

"Let’s go."

As soon as he spoke, several mana bombs flew toward Jeong Haein.

The bombs sharply approached him.

Clang clang clang!

Boom!

The mana bombs exploded.

Jeong Haein spun his spear and deflected the bombs, sending dust flying.

But the bombs had been thrown with the intention of forcing him into a defensive position.

Through the dust, Ju Han-gang and Han Iri rushed in simultaneously.

Jeong Haein didn’t wait for their approach. He swiftly moved to the side.

The two swords sliced through the air.

Han Iri, swinging his sword late, adjusted his stance, but Jeong Haein was already far from the main group and on the side.

Ju Han-gang grew increasingly anxious.

‘I thought I could catch him quickly...’

Jeong Haein’s movements seemed to respond to the battle in an instant, yet he dodged all attacks, maintaining distance.

And with each step he took, the gap between him and the main force grew wider.

"Hold on, Han-gang, you’re too far away..."

"Are you just going to run away?!"

Ju Han-gang’s impatience finally turned into frustration.

Han Iri warned him, but his patience had already run out.

It was a maddening style of combat.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Every time an attack missed, Jeong Haein’s calm and relaxed demeanor only grated on his nerves.

Jeong Haein took another step back and looked at Ju Han-gang.

His expression remained as indifferent as ever.

In those cold, emotionless eyes, Ju Han-gang felt a chill run down his spine.

But he didn’t stop. His pride wouldn’t allow him to halt his offensive.

Meanwhile, on the side of the main team.

As the two of them launched their coordinated attack, Yoon Sanghyuk couldn’t resist and tried to join in.

But his arm was strongly restrained by Sion’s hand.

‘No matter what happens, stay in position.’

It was something Jeong Haein had told him before they entered the center.

Yoon Sanghyuk hesitated and then asked Sion, who was pulling her bowstring beside him.

"Shouldn’t we help them?"

Sion calmly raised her gaze.

Then, she pulled the bowstring tight, looking at Yoon Sanghyuk, and said:

"Who?"

"We? Help Haein?"

Sion took a deep breath, then aimed her bow again and added:

"No, that’s not it."

Twang!

The arrow cut through the air, narrowly missing the alchemist and the archer, forcing them to hide among the debris.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

"Haein is helping us."

Her gaze gleamed sharply.

"So let’s do as we’re told."

Her voice was filled with unwavering conviction, tinged with a sense of bittersweet regret.

She drew the bowstring back again, focusing on the front.

"Because that’s how it’s always been."

***

As if about to fight but holding back, they charged toward me with all their might after a little provocation.

Ignoring the main force, it seemed you weren't cut out for leadership.

At least Han Iri pretended to keep an eye on the rear...

But there was no sign of him trying to turn back and defend the main force. He only seemed to be joining in.

Through the two charging at me like hunting dogs, Sion’s arrow, fired from behind, passed through and struck the opponent’s main force.

‘Getting close now.’

At this distance from the main force, this would be enough. Behind me was the ruin’s wall; there was no place left to retreat.

I decided to take one last step back, pulling myself closer to the wall as I prepared to draw in a deep breath.

Seeing this, Ju Han-gang grinned and charged.

"I’ve got you, you..."

Thud!

Before he could finish his sentence, his face collided with my foot, and he staggered back.

Using the rebound from the wall, I spun in mid-air, kicking him squarely in the face as I landed.

Lightly brushing off the dust as I landed, I asked, "What’s wrong?"

Ju Han-gang groaned, sprawled on the floor. Han Iri, who was following behind, could be seen adjusting his sword with a confused expression.

I teased Han Iri, who seemed hesitant.

Clenching his teeth, Han Iri charged forward, but his sword felt sluggish and his movements slow.

His blade swept low, aiming for my ankle.

I lightly sidestepped, avoiding the strike.

The sound of the sharp wind cutting through the air echoed as his blade missed.

"Too short. Against a spear, you need to take two more steps."

It seemed like my advice struck a chord, as Han Iri’s gaze sharpened for a moment.

Soon, his blade darted quickly toward my shoulder.

I smoothly twisted my spear to deflect his attack, thinking inwardly, Not bad...

His eagerness to apply feedback right away was impressive.

However, it seemed like the situation with the main force was mostly sorted out.

It was probably time to finish this.

"Still, you..."

As he tightened his grip on his sword and pushed forward,

I gently adjusted my spear to find the gap between his sword and arm.

The tip of my spear slid perfectly between them.

Clink!

He tried to pull his sword back in surprise, but it was already too late.

I twisted the spear slightly and yanked his sword back with it.

The weapon slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a thud.

"...Better than Seong Siwoo."

Clink!

I quickly spun my spear and pushed his sword, which had fallen at his feet, far away.

Han Iri stared down at his empty hands, dazed for a moment, then clenched his teeth.

Now, only Ju Han-gang remained.

At that moment, Ju Han-gang, groaning from behind, got up with a furious shout.

"You bastard!!!"

The energy from his sword surged outward.

Blue energy sliced through the air.

I narrowed my eyes and observed his movements.

Sadly,

‘Even you’re better than Seong Siwoo.’

Though both were top-tier students, it was still a disappointing realization.

This was for Seong Siwoo, who would be watching this scene.

The swordsmanship felt a bit cliché. This time, I wanted to show something new.

I lowered my spear and slowly gathered mana at my fingertips.

‘Kang Ki-gong.’

The mana gathered precisely as I intended, forming into a small cluster.

A slight tremor in the air accompanied the minuscule wave of mana emanating from my fingertips.

Refining control had always been my strength.

But something felt off.

The flow of mana felt different from usual.

The energy surged far more explosively than expected, and I began to lose my balance.

Massive amounts of mana [N O V E L I G H T] poured into the channel I had created, far beyond what I usually gathered.

The sphere grew too large and powerful, shaking uncontrollably.

"Why... why is this happening?"

I struggled to regain control of the mana in my hands, but it had already slipped beyond my grasp.

Pure mana exploded outward through the channel, refusing to be controlled.

In the end, the uncontrolled mass of pure mana shot out at high speed.

Boom!

The mana sphere tore through the air and struck Ju Han-gang directly.

With a powerful impact, his body slammed into the wall, embedding deep into it.

Rumble...

The wall cracked as large pieces began to crumble.

The falling bricks buried Ju Han-gang, and the last sound heard was his agonized scream.

"Ugh, damn... sorry..."

I muttered, flustered, looking down at my hand.

My palm was trembling lightly.

I placed my hand on my wrist to check my racing pulse.

The mana, still surging through me with a force I couldn’t contain, swirled around my body, racing through my heart.

Something was off.

It’s too much.

Something inside me was overflowing, something that couldn’t be contained.

My physical state felt... strange.