The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 29
The grounds of Gaon Academy sat atop an artificial island drifting near the western sea.
It was Monday morning, and most of the students were on their way to class.
—WEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOO!
In that instant, a piercing alarm ripped through the air.
The sirens had begun to wail.
Because Gaon was an artificial island, this kind of alarm almost never went off.
Magical phenomena couldn't occur here—by design.
So when the sirens did go off at Gaon, it meant one thing:
A nationwide emergency had just been declared.
[Large-scale magical anomaly detected at Heaven Lake, Mount Baekdu]
—Similar magical pulses to those previously observed in the U.S. and China...
—Over 72% of monsters in the Baekdu region have gone into hiding or vanished...
The students of Gaon read the headlines in real time, displayed on their smart devices and holographic news feeds.
Buzzing chatter, a mix of curiosity and excitement, filled the classrooms.
Cheon Yeoul silently stared at the news screen.
A pillar of jade-green mana surged into the sky in the video footage.
She clasped her hands together and prayed, her expression sincere.
“Please...”
Let him rise again.
***
I opened my eyes.
The ceiling above me still stretched impossibly high—an enormous cavern with no visible end.
I'd been here before.
Now that I had returned, even the memories I'd long forgotten came flooding back in vivid detail.
At the far end of the cavern, a sliver of light seeped in.
Slightly brighter than before, but still not enough to fully drive back the darkness.
Instinctively, I began to move toward the light.
Then—stairs.
The place that led to the exit. And at the top of those stairs, someone was still sitting.
He stood motionless, silently watching me.
No words. No movement. But the pressure radiating from him was as chilling and sharp as ever.
The last time we met, I couldn’t even move properly.
But this time was different.
And then—
“Didn’t think we’d meet again this soon.”
He finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
“That’s good news...”
“Who are you?” I cut him off.
Even now, I couldn’t make out his face.
You’d think it would become clearer as I approached the light, but it remained obscured—as if draped in a veil of darkness.
“I’d love to tell you, but...”
The silhouette in the shadows began descending the stairs, step by slow step.
“...that would ruin the fun.”
His presence was overwhelming.
Was he a named-level opponent?
I started mentally cycling through the strongest named figures I knew.
‘I’m not being pushed back.’
That was the conclusion I reached.
‘I might even be stronger...’
He slowly unsheathed his spear, and it let out a shrieking, tearing cry.
“Kh...”
I grimaced, instinctively covering my ears.
That sound pierced through my entire body like a razor.
“You hear that?”
He pointed at the spear and laughed.
I couldn’t see his face, but somehow, I knew he was smiling.
“That’s a good sign.”
He raised the tip of the spear slowly and murmured,
“Still... it’s a little early here. There are a few more to go.”
His face remained completely hidden.
“Just keep going like you are. Honestly, I’d recommend letting go of thought altogether. Just surrender to them... oh, wait, that might be a bit dangerous.”
My vision began to expand.
Almost as if something was trying to shield me from an impending attack.
The Fragment.
That expanded vision—it was one of the powers granted by the Fragment.
And at the same time—
I gripped the spear at my waist, hard.
This time, I could feel it. He was charging straight at me.
A silhouette approached head-on.
No—
Not just from the front.
In an instant, my vision warped.
From ahead, behind, beside me—phantom afterimage trails blurred in every direction.
Dozens of attack paths filled the space.
There was no escape.
I was completely sealed in.
Catena Cio.
He was using one of the highest-difficulty techniques from the game—and using it effortlessly.
Perfect spatial domination. A flawless encirclement of spear strikes, leaving no room to breathe.
“Watch closely,”
I heard his voice.
“At your age, just watching is enough to help you grow.”
—Papapapapak!
The sensation of a spear stabbing into my entire body.
Like I was being carved apart, piece by piece.
...Hang in there.
My vision—
Once again went black.
***
I awoke.
—Chirp chirp.
I was lying in the underbrush somewhere on Mount Baekdu, staring up at the sky.
My mind was completely blank.
All I could see was the clear sky, and tree leaves rustling in the wind.
And—
====
[Authority: Fragment of Harmony]
① Destroy Evil, Reveal Truth
— Break what is false. Reveal what is just.
② ???
③ ???
====
A status window I wasn’t familiar with.
And in my Authority slot, only one thing sat, perfectly centered.
Fragment of Harmony.
I didn’t know why.
But I was certain—I had absorbed the Fragment.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
[Job Skill "Intuition" resonates with Authority "Fragment of Harmony" and evolves into "Unified Perception."]
[Trait "Renaissance Man" resonates with Authority "Fragment of Harmony" and evolves into "True Human."]
.
.
.
Along with that, several more notifications appeared.
Messages of growth flooding my vision.
But instead of excitement, I felt mostly dazed.
“Where... am I?”
I looked around.
The lodge? No, this wasn’t it.
My breathing was slightly ragged—meaning I was at high altitude.
It was definitely somewhere close to Heaven Lake.
I wondered how I’d get down, but it was fine.
The Fragment of the past had been absorbed into me, and the one in the present had vanished.
With the Fragment’s energy gone, the monsters of this era would immediately weaken. Or go into hiding.
Which meant they were no longer a threat.
And Kang Arin...
Was nowhere to be seen.
So she didn’t fall here with me.
Our positions must’ve gotten split.
I recalled the last thing she said before the world collapsed.
"Actually... I’m yours too."
My head grew warm.
We had shared real emotions during those seven days together.
It was true that she had a strong attachment to people she considered her own.
But still... was it that deep?
It had been intense, yes, but—
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then, I organized my thoughts.
Regression was gone.
Since then, the story I knew had begun to go off course.
Key characters acting outside their established roles. Their reactions subtly altered.
And above all else—the Fragment.
Only those chosen by the system could absorb one.
In other words, there should never have been a route where I absorbed the Fragment.
Yet now, I had.
I opened my hand.
Mana flowed gently through my fingertips.
I opened my eyes and examined the color—it was still that familiar ashen hue.
But mixed within was a faint jade-green glow, quietly proving I had indeed absorbed the Fragment.
Exhaling softly, I rose to my feet.
All of my previous plans... no longer meant anything.
I had to accept it—I was wrong.
“Time to make a new plan.”
In that moment, I resolved myself.
***
Team 2 of the Lotus Guild had been stranded on Mount Baekdu for two days.
They’d originally been sent as a recon team to investigate the area.
But their leader, Woo Janghun, had let greed get the better of him—and everything spiraled out of control.
“We keep going. Descending is low priority.”
He’d delayed the descent over and over, claiming he # Nоvеlight # needed to analyze more of the released energy.
As a result, the way down became completely blocked.
They ran out of food. Their strength was fading fast.
Even their emergency signals were being jammed by the energy pouring out of Heaven Lake.
And so, they were slowly becoming part of the mountain.
Some of the team members’ eyes had gone hollow.
More and more of them looked at Woo Janghun like they wanted to rip him apart.
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Then it happened.
—Swoooooooosh!
From Heaven Lake, a massive jade-green pillar of light shot into the sky.
An overwhelming surge of magical energy rippled across the mountain range.
And at that moment—
—Beep beep beep!
The radio crackled to life.
Woo Janghun reflexively snatched it up.
“This is Team 2!”
A call from HQ.
The voice on the other end didn’t even hesitate—just shouted straight into the receiver.
“Hey, whatever you do, don’t come down—go up! Head straight to Heaven Lake!”
“...Huh?”
“The monsters are all gone! Move it!”
They stared at each other in disbelief.
Then, as if moving as one, everyone grabbed their gear and started running.
They didn’t realize it, but while fleeing the monsters, they had already made it close to Heaven Lake.
Which meant they reached it much faster than anyone expected.
And there—
At the crystal-clear shore of Heaven Lake—
A lone figure stood.
“...Huh?”
A breath of awe slipped from Woo Janghun’s mouth without him realizing it.
Just a few days ago, before climbing Baekdu, he’d seen that boy at the terminal.
Back then, he had looked every bit the clueless amateur—barely hiding how young he was.
But now—
He was completely different.
His aura, his presence, everything about him had changed.
It was like looking at an enlightened sage after years of training.
What the hell happened in just two days...?
Woo Janghun was honestly rattled.
“Wow...”
A female team member behind him let out a quiet gasp.
But Jeong Haein, standing there at Heaven Lake, instantly understood the situation.
They got stranded.
Their haggard appearance said it all.
Torn equipment. Faces etched with exhaustion.
The hunger and fatigue were written all over them.
Before descending the mountain, Jeong Haein had come to Heaven Lake to recharge his watch with sunlight.
It had been about two days since he first climbed Baekdu.
Which meant—they’d been trapped here for those two days.
Jeong Haein silently looked at them. Woo Janghun averted his eyes.
Then, with a calm smile, Jeong Haein finally spoke.
“You all okay?”
There was ease in his voice.
