The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 111

A cavern filled with shadows.

This space, steeped in a chilling aura, was a resting place granted to Yu Serin.

Commonly referred to as "cooldown time."

As the Black Droplet boss, she was penalized by being unable to move for a set duration.

She accepted this without complaint, simply sitting on a bench and closing her eyes for a moment.

But then—

Clack. Clack.

Click. Clack.

The sound of high heels echoed clearly within the cavern.

Yu Serin rose to her feet.

To her, the bold challenge of a defense team was as good as a guest to be greeted politely.

However—

The ones entering the cavern weren’t the faces she had expected.

“...Vice Guildmaster Kang Arin.”

The corner of her lips slowly lifted.

There were two figures before her.

One was a face she knew very well: Kang Arin, Vice Guildmaster of Glory.

The other... she’d seen in a scouting report. The name was Ha Sion, if she remembered right.

Yu Serin smiled and gently caressed the back of her hand.

“All restrictions are lifted... for attackers.”

She stepped forward lightly.

Her movement was so silent, not even a trace of presence accompanied it.

She simply... floated.

“And yet, you came here yourselves...”

She tilted her head slightly.

Her eyes shimmered faintly, and a thin smile formed on her lips.

“Looks like... you underestimated me?”

At her words, black chains began to coil outward from her toes like serpents.

However, Kang Arin and Ha Sion—

Both were overconfident.

Yes, they had regressed, retained their memories, and possessed vast knowledge of future events.

There was no denying their strength.

But "not yet."

Sion had yet to awaken the Flame of Perm.

And Kang Arin still hadn't acquired the Fragment.

Despite that, they were mistaken.

They assumed that a hero like Yu Serin—who didn’t exist in their data—was someone they could easily suppress.

In truth, Cheon Yeoul had made the same mistake.

And all of this... was being broadcast live.

If they could defeat Yu Serin right here, they could uphold the prestige of Glory and prevent her from getting ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ closer to Jeong Haein.

Well, and if they lost?

‘Haein will probably save us anyway.’

That simple certainty... was the beginning of all misjudgments.

“Sion, do you see that dark thing? The Flame of Perm. Hurry.”

Kang Arin demanded confidently.

“Kang Arin—hurry, Shadow Claw....”

Ha Sion reflexively replied.

The entire operation was based on the premise of having their "cards" ready.

But neither of them actually had their cards.

It was an act born from a vague assumption that the other had reached a certain level of mastery.

No coordination. No strategy meeting.

They had rushed here the moment they ran into each other.

A careless conviction of ‘She must be prepared.’

“...Eh?”

“...Huh?”

As their eyes met, they finally realized—

They weren’t prepared for anything.

—

At the same time, in the dropout waiting area.

“Ahahahahahaha!!!”

Yu Hana had been unable to breathe from laughing for a while now.

“Pfft—hahaha!”

Cheon Yeoul was no better.

Just moments ago, her face had looked like she might cry, but now it was flushed red with laughter.

Her nose, which had turned red after hearing Yu Hana's story about her journey, still looked like she’d been crying—but her eyes were creased from smiling.

Cheon Yeoul had also underestimated Yu Serin.

And overestimated herself.

The result? Utter defeat.

Incidentally, Yoon Chaeha was huddled in a corner.

She was still in shock after Yu Hana's earlier bombshell of a statement.

“...I want to go on a trip too...”

And not long after, a beam of light shimmered in the waiting area.

Two women of similar height entered.

***

A hidden location concealed by Gaon.

This zone, referred to as the "Hidden Shop," was only accessible to those who had gathered a set amount of points.

You had to defeat at least a Silver Droplet boss to discover its location.

From resurrection items to special equipment and stat-boosting artifacts—

It was an elite store provided by Gaon.

[140 PT]

I glanced at the number on my watch, took a short breath, and looked around.

‘That’s... kind of low.’

It did feel a little lacking.

‘Even if I skip resurrection...’

If I chose to forgo resurrection, I could probably pick up a few decent items....

But there might be hidden rewards beyond what I knew.

Eventually, I made up my mind.

I’d gather more points.

And choose one more boss to take down.

Not Do Hanseong.

He’s a Silver Droplet. Annoying. Requires a team.

So I settled on Instructor Park Changmyeong, also a Silver Droplet.

Same color, but very different personalities.

If Do Hanseong is team-oriented, Park Changmyeong is more... individual-focused.

I made my way quickly to the simulation room where he was stationed.

The place was quieter than I expected. But quiet didn’t mean peaceful.

Several students lay sprawled on the floor, half-conscious.

They were part of the defense team—so not eliminated yet, but at this rate, they would be soon.

“Name?”

As I stepped into the zone, Instructor Park Changmyeong asked me.

“Jeong Haein.”

I answered concisely.

The instructor nodded once, then pointed behind him.

“The method is simple.”

Behind him stood a punch machine.

The striking pad on the front was the kind we were all familiar with.

The twist was—the machine didn’t just take hits. A menacing-looking fist was mounted above it.

“Strike it from the front. If your score passes the threshold, you earn the Droplet. But—”

He turned to face me.

“If you fail to reach the score in one shot, that fist will strike back with exactly double the force.”

As he finished speaking, the fist above gave a low, ominous clunk.

My gaze shifted to the punch machine.

Scores were visible on the digital panel:

560, 670, 880....

But the top score slot was blank.

In this way, the exam wasn’t a one-on-one duel with the instructor, but rather a test designed to suit the level of the Droplet boss.

And Park Changmyeong had chosen a challenge of pure strength.

True to his nature—simple and direct.

What I needed was—

One hit.

“Here I go.”

From the previous Apostle battle, I’d realized something.

Something about Phalanx.

‘Do I really need to fly?’

The rising Catenaccio. The Phalanx.

Both techniques soared skyward before crashing down, using gravity and spin to amplify destructive force.

That worked in real combat.

But this wasn’t real combat.

The ceiling was low.

And like the last fight—I needed a piercing strike. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

I didn’t summon any clones.

I just envisioned countless spears in my mind.

Then condensed them—

Into a single, massive spear.

The arm holding the spear trembled violently.

Compressed energy surged at my fingertips, threatening to erupt.

I couldn’t hold it anymore.

I had to let go.

‘Where?’

Straight ahead.

Phalanx — Flash.

BOOOOM!

My spear drove into the punch machine.

A deafening boom tore through the air, followed by the sound of metal rupturing.

After a few moments, the dust cleared, and the mangled shape of the machine came into view.

Half destroyed.

It emitted a low mechanical whine, unable to operate properly.

Beep-beep-beep-beep...

Still, the digital reader blinked and displayed a number.

『999』

A perfect success.

Instructor Park Changmyeong stared at it for a long time, then slowly unfolded his arms and nodded.

“...Thanks to you, I get off work early.”

He wasn’t the expressive type.

But his lips curled up—just barely.

He held out his watch.

On the screen, the Silver Droplet icon blinked faintly.

I quietly tapped the screen.

[Reward Delivered]

[Solo Kill!]

[Points Gained: +500]

[640 PT]

That looked like enough.

“There’s one thing I should tell you. The hidden location for this test is—”

“I already know.”

“...?”

I nodded and swiftly left the simulation room.

Then headed straight for that hidden place.

The problem was—

“...Is this even real?”

The hidden location turned out to be the top floor of the Gaon VIP Room, the same space used to observe the midterms.

A place so exclusive, no one would imagine students could go there.

That part was fine.

I already knew the location anyway.

But the elevator wasn’t working.

I hesitated for a moment, then tilted my head up toward the ceiling.

“...Haa.”

I climbed, step by step, up the vertical wall.

Driving my spear into the surface and using it as a foothold.

Honestly, this was more dangerous than the exam itself.

“...Thought I was gonna die.”

Wiping sweat from my brow, I pushed open the glass door to the VIP Room.

The door slid open with a whisper, revealing a quiet interior.

Display cases came into view.

Gold, silver, and even a resurrection pond.

I slowly scanned the space.

There were items I recognized—and others I didn’t.

But overall, the quality wasn’t impressive.

Then—

“...Oh?”

[Training Elixir of Awakening]

Typical of Gaon—they had hidden some growth-related items.

Amid all the miscellaneous bonuses and common equipment, this one stood out.

I hadn’t expected to see it here. It was rarely produced even in workshops.

If you drank this and trained, the effect would be massively amplified.

Several times the usual efficiency.

Basically, the elixir version of a Holy Land.

I’d seen everything, but this was by far the best item.

[Price: 100 PT]

Six in stock.

My points were a perfect match.

One for me.

Cheon Yeoul, Yu Hana, Kang Arin, Yoon Chaeha... and Sion...?

If I fed it to them myself and trained them personally, the results would be doubled.

Without hesitation, I held my watch to the panel.

Just six.

Beep.

A chime rang, and a message appeared.

[Delivered After the Exam!]

A good haul.

I checked my remaining points.

[40 PT]

“...Huh?”

Wait.

I turned toward the resurrection pond.

[Price: 50 PT]

With 50 points, I could bring someone back.

Originally, I was going to revive Yu Hana...

But I couldn’t anymore.

“Well, guess that’s that.”

Either way, if they drank the elixir and trained, it’d benefit them more.

Especially for Yu Hana, whose nature sought the martial path—she’d probably prefer this.

I turned on my heel.

Now, just one more rotation of offense and defense remains.