The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 10

I am the protagonist.

[You are the protagonist of this world.]

[Uphold justice.]

When I first saw this message, I had no idea what it meant.

I was only ten years old at the time. The words themselves made no sense to me.

"Protagonist...? Justice...?"

Even after mulling over the meaning, I couldn’t understand it.

It just sounded like something out of a fairy tale or a comic book.

In my small countryside school, the teachers always smiled at me.

"Siwoo, you’re the best."

The girls my age would turn bright red whenever they saw me.

During breaks, I was always surrounded by people.

I was the center. I was the standard.

Everything about my environment ingrained into me, day after day, that I was special.

[You are the protagonist of this world.]

‘Of course.’

It had to be that way. My looks, my skills—I was superior to everyone else.

This was my fate.

‘Uphold justice?’

I was justice itself.

For ten years, I carried that belief. I graduated from the military academy as the top student. First place was never in question. I never even considered losing.

Then, an invitation arrived. A letter from Gaon Academy.

‘This is it.’

I had grown tired of this tiny, narrow well.

I didn’t belong in some backwater.

‘Gaon.’

The world’s greatest academy. A place that suited me perfectly.

And so, even after enrolling at Gaon, nothing was supposed to change.

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But then—

[Sung Siwoo]

[Rank 42]

"What the hell...."

This can’t be me.

Something was obviously wrong.

I wasn’t panicked, but the world around me kept pushing my buttons.

‘Fine, let’s do this.’

Unit practice.

When I proposed a strategy, everyone was supposed to follow it.

That was the natural order of things.

"Uh... but isn’t that too inefficient?"

I had laid out a perfect plan, yet someone dared to question it.

At first, I got angry.

In the past, whenever I spoke, people would nod and step aside.

But now, they didn’t back down so easily.

Instead, they pushed back.

"Well... that’s just what you think."

Something was wrong.

I was no longer at the center.

People weren’t moving according to me anymore.

‘What... what’s wrong?’

The more I thought about it, the more suffocating it felt.

Something was terribly off.

And I found the perfect place to vent my frustration.

‘Hey, friend, how about a spar?’

Jeong Haein.

Perfect timing.

For some reason, this guy had been bothering me.

He’d make a great stress relief.

***

Wow. That look in his eyes.

He looks like he wants to kill me.

Depending on the player, Sung Siwoo’s personality could vary a little in the original game....

But a protagonist’s fundamental nature doesn’t change in a narrative.

‘He’s supposed to be sincere and righteous.’

Yeah, maybe he’s just putting on a front.

There must still be some shred of justice inside him.

...Hopefully.

The instructor hadn’t given the start signal yet.

The arena wasn’t completely filled with students yet.

Maybe I should try asking him.

It might be possible to resolve this through conversation.

"Hey, friend."

‘Have you considered throwing away your sword?’

I repeated the thought in my head as I carefully spoke to him.

He stood in silence, as if meditating before the match.

"Who the hell is your friend?"

...Never mind.

Honestly, if some random guy suddenly walked up and told me to ditch my sword, I’d be pissed too.

For heroes, weapons were a sensitive and deeply personal matter.

But I had no choice. The fate of the world was at stake.

I wasn’t exaggerating—that was the reality.

Since talking wouldn’t work, I’d just have to communicate with my body.

By then, the training hall was packed.

In one corner, Yu Hana and Cheon Yeoul stood facing each other.

They seemed to be sparring partners.

‘That looks way more interesting.’

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t get to watch.

— The sparring session will now begin.

The instructor’s announcement cut through the air.

A wave of tension swept through the room.

I gripped my weapon lightly and lifted my gaze toward Sung Siwoo.

His sharp eyes remained fixed on me.

He slowly closed his eyes and began gathering his energy.

Golden mana flowed along his body, wrapping around his saber.

‘Sword aura.’

It coated his saber, but the shape was rough, unstable.

The jagged, uneven form meant that his mana control was incomplete.

To an observer, it might have still looked impressive.

Sword aura isn’t something just anyone can use.

But there’s a clear difference.

Between someone merely wielding a sword technique—

And someone who actually wields a sword.

Sung Siwoo was entirely the former.

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As the fated protagonist, he was born with an abundant pool of mana, so forming sword aura itself wasn’t difficult for him.

But that was all it was—a brute force process of shoving mana into his blade.

A peak display of inefficiency, a complete lack of understanding of the sword.

Sung Siwoo raised his sword aura and observed my expression.

I didn’t raise my energy. I simply looked at him.

Seeing my lack of reaction, he sneered.

"Scared? First time seeing sword aura?"

His voice brimmed with confidence, as if my silence had confirmed his superiority.

Growing even more relaxed, he ignited his sword aura further, strengthening its glow.

"Here I come."

I didn’t bother responding.

—Tak!

Sung Siwoo lunged forward, his eyes burning with intensity. His blade sliced through the air in a powerful arc.

—Kang!

A simple horizontal slash, swinging from left to right.

The force ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) behind it was decent, but the attack itself was simple. I tilted my blade slightly, letting the impact slide off harmlessly.

—Kang! Kang! Kang!

He kept pressing forward, slashes and thrusts chaining together in rapid succession.

I calmly regulated my breathing, engraving every pattern of his attack into my mind.

‘So this is how he fights.’

His swordsmanship could be summed up in one word—

Crude.

He relied purely on brute force to overwhelm his opponent, with no technique, no principle, no finesse.

Every movement carried an unnatural roughness, lacking any refinement.

"Haaah!"

He roared as he swung his blade once more, putting even more strength into it.

But my response remained unchanged.

A slight shift of my blade, deflecting the force yet again.

And so, the pattern repeated.

As the exchanges continued, his breathing grew heavier, his stamina depleting.

Blindly overusing his mana had left him gasping for air.

Yet, oblivious to his own exhaustion, he smirked at me.

"Huff... How long do you plan on running?"

I lightly spun my sword, knocking his away.

It was about time to wrap this up.

"Do you even know what sword aura is?"

I asked him.

This wasn’t a duel.

It was a lesson.

"What?"

His brow furrowed in irritation at my unexpected question.

"People have different views, but this is how I see it."

"When we draw mana from our bodies, we create a pathway for it to flow through."

I raised my blade slowly, deliberately, ensuring he saw every movement.

"And the sword is no different."

"You have to think of it as an extension of your body. When you channel mana into it, it has to flow evenly, consistently—not just recklessly pouring it in."

As I spoke, I steadily drew mana from within, closing my eyes to focus.

Feeling the sword as a part of my body—different from a spear, yet fundamentally the same.

Like opening a new pathway in a previously blocked body, guiding the mana through it.

And then, slowly, evenly, letting it flow.

A faint light flickered at the tip of my saber, gradually spreading until it enveloped the entire blade.

A soft, gray mana coated the sword, forming a solid, armor-like layer.

"Some call this Sword Aura Manifestation."

Sung Siwoo’s expression twisted.

A mix of shock and fury.

"...You recognize it, don’t you?"

"Shut the hell up!!"

He roared in disbelief and charged again.

I let go of my defensive stance and took a step forward.

His blade came slashing diagonally.

I simply aligned my saber with the trajectory of his attack.

I barely needed any force.

"You see, sword aura isn’t just about brute force."

—Ssshhh.

The moment his aura-coated sword touched mine, his mana was sucked away, vanishing without a trace.

"This—"

His blade met mine—

—And split into two, cleanly severed without the slightest resistance.

—Clang!

"So, if you think you can’t do it—"

I met his eyes and slowly lowered my sword.

"Then drop the sword."