The Heroine Stole My Regression

17 – Mock Dungeon (1)

“What is this?”

Having unintentionally skipped my morning exercise these past few days, I came out earlier than usual today to increase my training.

‘Not even winded.’

Was it the elixir’s effect?

Normally, running at this intensity would have left me breathless, making it difficult for morning exercise, but now it felt light.

Or, could it be…

I glanced at the vigor-enhancing bracelet on my wrist.

Could it be this fellow? I hadn’t really noticed it until now, but perhaps its effects were slowly beginning to manifest.

“Huu…”

Yu Hana, who had been keeping pace with me from behind, stopped, catching her breath.

The sound of her breathing was strangely soft.

She always maintained a flawless appearance, but today she seemed a little strained.

Heated from the exercise, her appearance emitted a strange warmth, in stark contrast to the surrounding chilly air.

“Your condition seems good today?”

I turned my head to look at her, responding,

“Yeah, I’m doing alright.”

I caught my breath and asked her,

“But, by any chance, were there any important classes while I was gone?”

She brought a forefinger to her chin, pondering.

“Hmm… Just theory classes, maybe? But you’re good at those, aren’t you?”

“… Yeah.”

It’s true, but how did she know?

‘Do not separate practice from theory.’

It was something Master always emphasized. At first, I scoffed inwardly.

“All these settings, *I* designed them?”

But the thought didn’t linger.

“Due to the Dungeon Break, high-density mana is being released, causing spatial distortion phenomena. In the event we need to rescue civilians trapped in a phase-space pocket, what is the minimum mana threshold required for a stable extraction while preventing further spatial collapse?”

“…Excuse me?”

From that day on, I studied the settings *I* had created like my life depended on it.

‘It was brutal.’

Ah, right.

Speaking of settings, something suddenly comes to mind.

“Yoo Hana.”

“Hmm?”

It was about time Yoo Hana’s main storyline began to unfold.

And it wouldn’t be too early for the first signs to appear now.

We were already somewhat familiar with each other, the atmosphere wasn’t bad, so now seemed like the right moment. I casually tossed out a question.

“Say, have you been having any worries lately? Any problems?”

“No, not at all…? Ah.”

Yoo Hana started to deny it resolutely, but suddenly stopped. Then, she gave a slightly mischievous smile. Then again, she dropped the playful expression and looked dejected.

“Well… actually, lately…”

Just as I expected. It seemed it had already begun.

“My heart keeps racing, and my face gets all red. Do you know why that is?”

She took a step closer to me. The heat radiating from her body, warmed by training, was subtly palpable. Her breath tickled my ear as her face drew nearer.

‘Huh?’

I really don’t know about that.

Originally, Yoo Hana was a scion of a prestigious martial arts family.

I figured she’d be reaching a point where, by interacting with strong students, she’d be feeling new desires and challenges for improvement.

So, whatever her concerns were, I predicted they would be related to swordsmanship.

What should I even say to this…?

While I hesitated, repeating her words in my mind, Yoo Hana let out a playful laugh as she watched my reaction.

“Actually… it’s not that. I’ve just been thinking a lot about swordsmanship lately.”

Oh, okay. That’s it.

I nodded in relief, inwardly reassured.

“Then, how about we switch things up from just running during morning practice, and do partner training?”

I asked, cutting straight to the chase.

My proposition was a common training method in this world. Partners who wield different martial arts, who handle different weaponry, can compensate for each other’s blind spots, and hone their skills together.

I with the spear, she with the sword – a perfect pairing, without a doubt.

And this training grows more effective the longer it continues. The sooner we start, the greater the benefit; I had to make it happen.

She knows who I am. My moniker, ‘Silent Devil’, I suspect it fuels her ambition and pique her interest.

Otherwise, there’s no way she’d show up for these morning exercises, day after day.

‘Accept,’

My inner voice cried out.

Yuhana seemed to contemplate my words for a moment, lost in thought.

“No.”

An unexpected refusal, if I’m honest.

Just as I was beginning to think I’d been too hasty, the corner of her lip quirked upwards, ever so slightly.

“Morning practice is for practice, is all.”

She tilted her head a fraction, her eyes meeting mine. A deep intent swirling within those clear irises. A smile playing on her lips.

“Let’s meet separately, just the two of us. As for the time…”

Her gaze intensified.

“I think a late evening would suit best.”

*

I finished washing up and checked my watch. A message notification sat waiting.

[Jeong Haein-nim, the items sent from the Japanese side have arrived. Please feel free to visit at your convenience.]

“Already?”

Their efficiency is faster than expected. It worked out just fine.

I already had a training plan set with the person who will become the owner of the Camellia Sword.

The issue was, how to hand over the relic—a priceless treasure whose value could only be described as ‘whatever someone is willing to pay’—to Yuhana.

If it were up to me, I would just give it to her without hesitation. The problem is, her pride is strong, and I doubt she would accept such a gift.

‘Let’s think this over a little more.’

I raised a cup of warm water to my lips, switching screens on my watch.

I wanted to check the stock price of Glory, which I hadn’t been able to look at for the past few days.

-Glug

The screen assaulted me, and I couldn’t help but spill the water I was drinking.

“Wha…what?”

[Jeong Hae-in’s Purchase Amount]

[1,245,242,186 KRW]

My balance, which had hovered around 1.2 billion…

[Jeong Hae-in’s Evaluated Amount]

[2,132,143,167 KRW]

…had somehow reached 2 billion.

I hastily checked to see what had transpired.

[Yeonggwang Hospital, Collaboration Agreement with Arcadia Order… Large-Scale Deployment of Healing Priests Planned]

[Yeonggwang Pharmaceuticals, Successful Development of New Drug… Expectations at Their Peak]

Apparently, from the very day I made the purchases, Yeonggwang had been relentlessly releasing positive news, one after another.

‘Pharmaceuticals… hospital… electronics…’

Each and every one of them were affiliates held by Kang Ah-rin.

Kang Ah-rin’s capabilities weren’t limited to brute strength; she was also showing prowess in management.

Judging by the nature of the upturn, it seemed her unique drive had been brought to bear.

With the death of her brother, Kang Yu-seong, it seemed the scope of her management responsibilities had increased significantly.

“The only thing better than money is more money.”

This is good. I can’t obtain every elixir and artifact myself.

Eventually, a situation will arise where I have to resolve things with money.

In that regard, the current situation isn’t bad.

‘Time…’

I looked at my watch and realized it was almost time to leave for school.

“Damn it.”

I can’t get used to this, not at all.

*

The morning consisted of a simple theory class.

I intended to seriously question Cheon Yeo-ul. I was simply curious about her intentions.

However, she didn’t attend class, not even by the end of the morning session.

Meanwhile, Johan, who had been beaten senseless by Kang Ah-rin, was already in the lecture hall.

“That’s one resilient fellow.”

Must be the hero’s constitution, the way he’s bouncing back.

The afternoon lesson, they say, will be held in the training grounds. A joint class with another division today.

Lost in thought, I arrived at the training grounds before I knew it.

Arrived a little too close to the wire, it seemed, judging by the way everyone’s eyes snapped to me.

“Sion?”

Sion, sitting in the waiting area across from me, waved.

Looks like today’s joint class is with Division A, the one she’s in.

Sion patted the empty space next to her emphatically, gesturing for me to come over.

But with her inherent sociability, a throng had already gathered around her.

‘No way I’m getting over there.’

I shook my head and took the closest seat available. Sion’s expression immediately fell.

A moment later, the door swung open and an instructor walked in. Someone I’d never seen before.

“Hello. I’m Choi Eunha, and I’ll be in charge of your mock dungeon raid lesson. Nice to meet you all.”

A scattering of applause, and she continued.

“In the mock dungeon lesson, we’ll be conducting training unlike anything you’ve experienced thus far.”

The words “mock dungeon” stirred a buzz among the students.

A mock dungeon is incredibly inefficient to build, and only an academy the size of Gaon could afford the upkeep and maintenance.

Therefore, even the students here rarely get the chance to actually experience one.

“Therefore, not everyone will be participating in today’s first lesson.”

“Eight ‘seed’ students, selected based on their performance in the last unit lesson, will lead teams to complete the raid.”

“The remaining students will have the opportunity to observe and learn.”

The mock dungeon is high-difficulty, so today’s lesson will center around the eight outstanding students, it seems.

“Now, I’ll call out the seeds. As a note, Chun Yeo-ul will be absent today and is excluded.”

“First seed, Yoo Hana from Division B, ranked 5th.”

“Second seed, Yohan from Division B, ranked 2nd.”

Each time a name was called, the students’ gazes shifted towards the person named.

“Third seed, Kang Arin from Division B, ranked 1st.”

“Fourth seed, Han Iri from Division A, ranked 13th.”

The roll call continued for a few more names.

The chosen Seeds were all named students boasting exceptional skill.

“Seventh Seed, Class A, Ma Haejin, Ranked 29th.”

Before the final name was called, the training grounds fell silent.

“Last, Eighth Seed. Class B, Jung Haein.”

A brief stillness enveloped the training grounds.

In an instant, every gaze within the space focused on me.

“Ranking… nonexistent.”

To the instructor’s addition, some students wore expressions of bewilderment, others curled their lips in amusement, and still others openly displayed displeasure.

‘This is already tiresome.’

And I quietly accepted the weight of all those gazes.