The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 25
I woke up early in the morning and immediately retrieved the Dongbaek sword.
[Jeong Haein]: I don’t think I can go for training today.
[Yu Hana]: Why? Are you sick?
[Jeong Haein]: I have somewhere to go.
[Yu Hana]: I see... Got it.
Thanks to that, I skipped my morning workout today.
‘I feel like I’m falling behind, though...’
Still, everything is for your sake, so I hope you understand.
“Ugh, this is heavy.”
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As expected, it’s still heavy since I haven’t gotten used to the weight yet.
I set the sword down on the ground and started preparing to leave again.
Today, I’m heading to Baekdu Mountain.
***
When I arrived at the terminal, it was as crowded as expected due to the weekend.
People heading back to their homes, students looking to enjoy some free time or take a break.
The terminal was filled with that familiar busy atmosphere.
Though, no one would be heading to Baekdu Mountain for a break.
Of course, neither am I taking a break.
Technically, it is a break, but I’ll be back home by the end of the day.
Unless there’s a major problem.
Baekdu Mountain is officially a hazardous area designated by the Association.
Naturally, there is no direct portal, and you must have the Association’s approval to enter.
So, first, I had to take the portal heading to Seoul.
A dim light covered my vision and then brightened again.
The terminal in Seoul was far more chaotic than Gaon.
I didn’t head to the regular portal but instead walked toward the special portal terminal managed by the Association.
The special portal terminal was much quieter than the regular area, but a tense air lingered.
At the entrance, a somewhat tired-looking attendant was standing.
I approached and asked him.
“I’m heading to Baekdu Mountain.”
The attendant glanced at me briefly and answered in a somewhat annoyed tone.
“Special portals require prior application or eligibility~”
I hesitated for a moment and then pulled out my Gaon student ID from my pocket.
“Will this work?”
I was hoping it might, as Gaon is a prestigious academy, and the title of an outstanding hero candidate often gets recognition everywhere.
The attendant took the student ID, stared at it for a while, then shook his head.
“Ah... being from Gaon usually works, but Baekdu Mountain is an exception. It’s such a dangerous place...”
So, it doesn’t work, huh?
I sighed internally and began reaching for the ID card issued by the Association.
After the incident with the Iano Tomb, I had received a new hero ID under the alias "Silent Ghost."
“Then, how about this...?”
But at that moment, footsteps were heard from behind.
“Why does a student want to go to Baekdu Mountain?”
A strange voice came from behind.
I turned around to see a group in combat gear approaching me.
Among them, the leader had armor with a lotus flower design.
‘Lotus Guild?’
The only guild that uses a lotus flower symbol is that one.
The man walking ahead mocked me and spoke.
“What a bold claim from someone so young... This is not a place to joke around. Move aside.”
I glanced at him but ignored him and continued my conversation with the attendant.
“Then, how about this...?”
I showed my hero ID.
This should be enough to prove my eligibility...
Thud
“Can’t you hear me?”
Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed tightly.
The low, rough voice from behind made the attendant flinch and step back.
‘So it’s you.’
The Lotus Guild’s vanguard, Woo Janghoon.
He was notorious for his gangster-like attitude.
An A-rank hero, his skills were top-notch, but every time his name was mentioned, bad rumors seemed to follow.
Woo Janghoon glanced at my ID and scoffed.
“Using a fake ID...”
He tightened his grip on my wrist, mocking me.
“Someone like you? I’ve never seen anyone like you in my life. Kid. Don’t you know impersonating a hero is a serious crime?”
I fell into a brief moment of thought.
I wasn’t someone who usually instigated fights, but I also wasn’t one to avoid them if they came my way.
‘Can I win this?’
It was ambiguous.
But it felt like I wouldn’t know unless I tried.
Then, the second thought.
‘Can I clean up afterward?’
That was clearly easy.
Both the reason and the justification were on my side.
‘Then, I’ll do it.’
It was a clean decision to just take action.
At that moment.
“Is there a problem?”
A clear, calm voice sliced through the air.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
There, standing confidently, was Kang Arin.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
She walked over with a calm smile, exuding a composed demeanor.
“That person is the one I’m going to Baekdu Mountain with today.”
Kang Arin said nonchalantly, looking directly at Woo Janghoon.
“Of course, I understand that with the recent disturbances, Lotus is probably feeling a bit rushed...”
She took another step forward, stopping right in front of Woo Janghoon.
She then briefly lowered her gaze to his arm and looked up at him with a cold glare.
“Given that Lotus Guild should be well-versed in rules and procedures, I’m sure you understand.”
Woo Janghoon’s expression hardened.
“And you must also know that Glory, our affiliated guild, has primary rights to raids over Lotus.”
At Kang Arin’s words, Woo Janghoon’s lips twitched slightly.
“Ah... Kang Arin-nim.”
He forced a smile and hastily changed his tone.
But the panic in his eyes was obvious.
“I didn’t realize you were with them. My apologies...”
Before he could finish, Kang Arin slapped his arm away and spoke firmly.
“Then, let go.”
Her words were short and decisive.
She then turned back to the attendant and calmly said.
“Please process that Jeong Haein and I have received approval from the Association.”
The attendant glanced nervously between Woo Janghoon and Kang Arin, then hurriedly started processing the paperwork.
Woo Janghoon couldn’t say anything more and stepped back.
As everything proceeded smoothly, Kang Arin turned to me with a smile.
“Shall we go?”
She asked gently.
I wasn’t oblivious.
It was clear she was trying to help me.
‘But why the formal speech?’
Without a word, I nodded and followed her into the portal.
***
Kang Arin and I arrived at the entrance to Baekdu Mountain.
It was only natural that the Lotus Guild’s Team 2 was following closely behind, so we traveled together for a while.
However, it seemed they had a separate route prepared, as they soon disappeared.
“Shall we split up soon?”
Kang Arin spoke up.
She had been using polite language the whole time, but as soon as the Lotus team left, she reverted to her usual self.
Honestly, it was more comfortable that way.
“Yeah. I’ll go ahead. Thanks for earlier.”
“Mm-hmm.”
I was curious about why she had helped me, but it didn’t seem like she would tell me if I asked.
Likewise, she didn’t ask why I came to Baekdu Mountain.
So, without digging into each other's motives, we naturally walked our separate ways.
Besides, there were ways of scaling the mountain that could be troublesome if others saw.
‘It’s high.’
Baekdu Mountain was one of the most difficult areas in the original game.
And the shard of harmony I was looking for had the strongest attributes among the four.
So naturally, it was Sung Siwoo’s responsibility.
The shard buried deep within the sky and earth.
But the problem was that the process of finding that shard was far too unrealistic.
The strange energy waves recently appearing from Baekdu Mountain were likely caused by the shard’s emitted energy.
Naturally, many guilds would have sent teams to raid the area, and Kang Arin and Lotus would likely be among them.
‘It’s probably impossible.’
There’s a reason why it’s considered hazardous terrain.
At this point, it would be nearly impossible for the current teams to cut through the monsters and reach the sky and earth.
In the original story, only teams with endgame stats could barely manage to raid it.
So, what was my plan?
Before I knew it, I had arrived at an area where monsters were starting to appear.
In front of me was a large sign, with a warning written in red letters.
“I’m going to the past.”
Baekdu Mountain became this hazardous area 50 years ago, in 1979.
After the shard of harmony was created in the sky and earth.
The high-dimensional energy emitted by the shard distorted the environment, and monsters fed on that energy, growing stronger.
That’s why I planned to go back to the time right after the shard’s creation and retrieve it from the sky ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ and earth.
This was the only way to approach the shard with the least effort.
Of course, once I obtained the shard in the past, it would naturally disappear in the present.
But there was a hidden gimmick to this plan.
A secret location that could only be discovered by the first player to successfully raid Baekdu Mountain in the original game.
‘The old cabin.’
For players who struggled greatly in the first playthrough to obtain the shard, this location had been set up so it could be accessed easily in subsequent playthroughs. It was like a save file.
So, I needed to find that cabin.
I knew the approximate location of the cabin.
It was near the altitude where monsters began to appear, in a relatively low-risk area.
So, I thought it would be easy to find.
But my expectations were completely wrong.
“Damn it.”
The problem was with that vague information.
I thought I would find the cabin quickly, but even after the sun set, I still couldn’t locate it.
The sun had gone down, and the rain began to pour, but the cabin still didn’t appear.
The rain and wind wrapped around me, and I was already drenched.
Before I knew it, I had wandered deeper into the mountains without even knowing where I was heading.
‘Maybe not today...’
Just when I decided to try again on another day, I saw a dilapidated cabin far off in the distance.
‘I found it.’
I silently cheered, cutting through the rain and wind, running toward the cabin.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, the smell of old wood hit my nose.
The inside was covered in dust, as if no one had been there for a long time.
But there was one strange thing.
It was the calendar hanging on the wall.
I approached the calendar and took a look.
Unlike the other furniture, which was covered in dust, this calendar was almost brand new.
And then—
“March 20, 2029.”
To my surprise, today’s date was written on it.
A calendar in an abandoned cabin, in a remote location, updated to the current date.
“It’s real.”
I had finally found it.
I plopped down on the floor and turned on my watch.
[PM 10:20]
Time had passed quickly.
‘Midnight, 12 AM.’
At midnight, this cabin would activate.
And it would send me to the time just after the shard of harmony was created.
Listening to the ticking of the old clock on the wall, I slowly waited for the time to come.
How long had passed?
I opened my eyes and checked the time.
[PM 11:58]
Only a few moments remained.
The ticking of the clock grew louder, and the tension in the air heightened.
Then, at that moment—
Bang!
The door slammed open, and cold air rushed into the cabin.
“What?!”
I quickly turned around, and a familiar face appeared.
“Kang Arin...?”
It was her.
She walked into the cabin, wringing out her rain-soaked shirt.
“Hey! Hey, it’s dangerous! Get out!”
I shouted in panic.
This cabin was a device set to send only one person to the past.
No one knew what would happen if more than one person entered.
“How cruel. You want me to leave in this weather?”
Kang Arin replied calmly, closing the door behind her.
Click
And locked it.
The wet shirt clung to her body, revealing her curves.
“I helped you earlier, you know. Don’t hold it against me.”
“No, that’s not it... We need to leave right now...”
Tck-tck, tck-tck.
The ticking of the old clock echoed louder than ever in the silence of the cabin.
Brrk, brrk.
Finally, the old cuckoo clock hanging on the wall let out its eerie chime.
It was midnight.
“Oh my.”
Kang Arin tilted her head slightly, looking at me.
Her red eyes glowed faintly as she smiled.
“It’s already twelve?”
At that moment, the air inside the cabin began to distort.
“Oh, shit...”
It was too late.
I bit my lip and stared at her, but Kang Arin just stood there, nonchalant.
And soon, a blinding light filled the space, swallowing everything.
