The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 9

Good morning.

So good that I’m at a loss for words.

I finished my deliberation overnight.

I came to the conclusion that this was the right decision.

[AM 07:40]

There’s no morning training today. I feel a little bad for Yu Hana, but there was a necessary reason for this.

Well, it’s not like she’s coming out just to see me. Still, telling her outright that I wouldn’t be there felt a bit...

I washed up, sat at my desk, and opened my laptop.

====

[Talent: Renaissance Man]

① Complete Human

— Possesses exceptional aptitude in ‘all’ fields.

====

When first encountering the Renaissance Man talent, it’s easy to be baffled by its vague description.

Exceptional aptitude? What exactly is aptitude?

To prove what this meant, I began an experiment.

In this world, stock trading is allowed from the age of 18.

And right now, I’m 19.

[100,000,000 KRW]

One year ago, after eliminating the monster wave, the Hero Association rewarded me with prize money.

I invested all of it.

Over the past year, I traded repeatedly. I wasn’t obsessively fixated on it—just whenever I felt like it.

And through that process, I came to understand just how absurdly overpowered the word ‘aptitude’ was in this world.

Aptitude isn’t immediately noticeable.

[91,533,264 KRW]

At first, it might even seem slower than others.

But gradually.

[142,566,214 KRW]

Gradually.

[295,330,111 KRW]

It begins to make its presence known.

[356,241,450 KRW]

And then, finally—

[Current Balance: Jeong Haein]

[1,245,242,186 KRW]

It inevitably distinguishes itself from others.

You think I only profited because I knew the future?

The main story only began two days ago.

I had no way of knowing anything about the stock market before that, nor was I ever interested.

[Distrust toward Glory Corporation’s in-house guild ‘Lord’ leads to consecutive lower limits....]

Glory, barring the risk of Kang Yuseong eventually being exposed as a demon’s pawn, is a company that will rise continuously until the end of the story.

People use their intelligence to minimize risk.

So, what happens when you know for certain that there is no risk?

"It’s about time to wrap this up."

I was tired of being glued to my monitor, wrestling with the numbers.

[AM 08:00]

The moment the market opened, the stock price plummeted straight to its lower limit.

Without a hint of hesitation, I pressed the buy button.

[‘Glory’ 8,300 shares ordered]

[Y]

Whether my decision was right—my future self would let me know.

I once said this:

"If you don’t have talent, you will never master the sword."

Last night, even after listening to the old man’s recording, I played the footage over and over.

The old man’s words were true.

In fact, he had put it rather kindly. The talent he had for the sword wasn’t just lacking—it was nonexistent.

But the problem wasn’t just his abysmal talent.

"His personality is absolute trash too."

Throughout the entire forest run, he was the cause of every single conflict within the team.

So, Sung Siwoo, there’s something I want to tell you.

"Give up the sword."

I doubt he’ll take my words to heart.

He won’t let go.

"A saber, huh."

I turned my laptop back on and placed my hands on the search bar.

As soon as I typed in the keyword ‘saber,’ countless videos popped up.

I selected a few and pressed play.

The movements of the sword wielders on the screen were dazzling and precise.

It’s fine if he doesn’t let go.

I was never the type to resolve things through mere conversation.

So, I’ll make him understand.

Even if it means breaking his wrist.

***

Yu Hana was not in a great mood.

"He didn’t come...."

Jeong Haein hadn’t shown up for morning training.

But it wasn’t just the fact that he didn’t come that put her in a bad mood.

— Do you always show up like this?

— As long as my legs are fine.

She recalled his words. He had clearly said that he would come as long as his legs were fine....

"Could he be injured?"

If he was hurt—if he looked weak and vulnerable—she might not be able to hold herself back.

In more ways than one.

"!"

As she was deep in thought, footsteps echoed in the distance.

Jeong Haein’s footsteps.

In truth, she could recognize his presence just by the sound of his steps alone.

"3... 2... 1...."

The moment she finished counting, he appeared.

Yu Hana immediately got up and hurried toward him.

"Haein!"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He looked slightly startled by her sudden approach.

Yu Hana took a step back and carefully asked,

"Did you... today...."

"Ah."

His face twisted slightly in an apologetic expression.

"Did you wait for me? Sorry, I had something to take care of today. I should’ve told you in advance."

Hearing his words, Yu Hana smiled.

He hadn’t even asked why she was there, yet he apologized first. Such kindness—it made her so happy.

She felt a little—no, extremely relieved. He wasn’t injured.

"It’s okay. I didn’t go either today."

"Really? That’s a relief."

Yu Hana naturally walked beside him, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) heading toward his usual seat.

But when they arrived, someone was already there.

"Hello?"

It was Cheon Yeoul.

She had claimed a wide space around Jeong Haein’s seat, subtly guiding him inward and taking her place beside him.

‘Look at this....’

Yu Hana clenched her fist, suppressing her irritation for the moment.

She had monopolized him for the past few days. They had come to a silent understanding.

"I’ll see you later."

Yu Hana waved her hand in farewell.

Knowing when to retreat was a virtue, too.

"Yeah, hurry along."

Cheon Yeoul responded with an infuriatingly smug tone.

"......."

Yu Hana exercised superhuman patience and endured the moment.

***

Yu Hana, where are you going?

Cheon Yeoul rested her chin on her hand and gazed at me.

Honestly, I preferred Yu Hana over Cheon Yeoul.

Not for any complicated reason.

It was because of that guy over there—glaring at me.

Now that I think about it, something about this class feels strange.

‘Yu Hana... Cheon Yeoul... Johan... Kang Arin... Sung Siwoo... No, scratch you.’

Even among the top ten ranked students, there were quite a few here.

Class assignments were determined by a random lottery system.

It’s like how the military assigns soldiers to different units after boot camp—

A training officer would stand in front of the recruits, demonstrating the fairness of the process, proving that there was no manipulation or interference.

Gaon Academy’s class assignment system followed the same principle, ensuring that external intervention was impossible.

Which meant... this lineup was purely coincidental.

As I pondered this, the classroom door opened.

"Good morning, everyone. I’m Instructor Do Hanseong."

The instructor who had introduced himself on the first day.

He still looked half-asleep as he entered the room.

"I may be your assigned instructor, but I have my own specialty."

"Spears... swords... let’s just call it weapons training."

He tapped the blackboard twice, and the auditorium from before reappeared.

"Today, you’ll be sparring with the weapons you chose."

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Near the entrance of the hall, all the weapons from before were neatly displayed, with a spacious open area beyond them.

The murmuring among the students grew louder.

"As for your opponents... well, pair up with whoever you’d like. Anyone left without a partner will be randomly assigned."

"Start now."

Today’s lesson was weapon sparring.

I had already decided who my opponent would be.

"Haein, do you want to spar with me?"

Cheon Yeoul asked from beside me.

But she wasn’t the one I had in mind.

"Sorry, I already have someone in mind."

"...Who?"

I turned my gaze, searching for my opponent.

Or at least, I was about to.

But Johan suddenly stepped in front of me, blocking my line of sight.

"Jeong Haein, right?"

He extended his hand.

"Spar with me."

His personal grudge had already begun.

His stance, his posture—it wasn’t bad.

As expected of a hero candidate, he was at least worth observing. It could be interesting, but...

Too bad.

"Already have someone in mind."

Despite my response, Johan didn’t budge.

His hand remained extended toward me.

"Hey, he told you to scram."

Jesus.

Cheon Yeoul growled beside me.

"If you pull this crap one more time, I’ll file a restriction order against you with the school."

Johan glanced at her, hesitated for a moment, then stepped back.

But his eyes remained locked on me.

‘Alright.’

I’d have to deal with him sooner or later.

"...So, who is it? Yu Hana? Or Kang Arin?"

"Neither."

I took a slight pause before answering.

"Sung Siwoo."

"Ah...."

Cheon Yeoul’s lips curled into a knowing smile.

"Got it."

***

Sung Siwoo accepted the duel surprisingly easily.

In fact, his reputation was so bad that no one else had even bothered to challenge him.

‘Sigh....’

Siwoo, what the hell are you gonna be when you grow up?

"You confident?"

The moment he accepted, he started picking a fight.

I didn’t bother responding. He didn’t seem to run out of energy.

"Instructor."

"Yes?"

"Jeong Haein and Sung Siwoo will spar."

"Alright, grab your weapons from the back and head to Zone C."

Instructor Do Hanseong jotted something down on his clipboard, then gestured toward the weapons rack.

As I walked over, I asked Sung Siwoo,

"What are you using?"

I already knew, but I asked anyway.

"Hah."

He scoffed and grabbed his saber.

Of course.

"And you?"

He held his saber out slightly, questioning me.

"Uh, excuse me! You can’t do that here. This zone isn’t magically reinforced yet—you’ll actually get hurt!"

Instructor Do Hanseong hurriedly stopped him.

"Hmm... maybe I’ll use that too."

I reached for the saber on the opposite side.

Instructor Do Hanseong tilted his head, puzzled.

"Haein, it says here you use a spear. Did I write that down wrong?"

"No, a spear is correct. I just wanted to try this out. Would that be a problem, Instructor?"

"Ah, I see. No, no problem. You’re responsible for yourself, after all."

He returned to marking down students' names.

Meanwhile, Sung Siwoo’s expression had completely twisted.

His pride had taken a hit.

I ignored him and headed toward Zone C in the auditorium.

The moment I stepped in, glass walls automatically rose around the area, forming a spacious battleground.

"Have you used a sword before?"

Sung Siwoo spoke from the other side.

His gaze was completely locked onto me.

"No."

My short answer made his stare intensify.

"Then... have you ever been taught?"

"Hmm... maybe?"

His brow furrowed even further.

He looked like he couldn’t believe it.

"Who’s your master?"

Master, huh... nice ring to it.

I had only ever had one.

"YouTube."

His angry expression instantly collapsed into one of sheer disbelief.

"YouTube videos."

YouTube is pretty useful these days.