The Heroine Stole My Regression

22 – Mock Dungeon (6)

-Jung Hae-in Team, artifact acquisition successful. Simulation terminated.

The announcement, signaling the end, echoed throughout the ruins.

Only then did I release the tension in my hands and turn.

The two members of the opposing team were already sprawled on the ground, Zion’s hand resting upon the artifact.

Kim Dae-hyun and Yoon Sang-hyuk stood beside her, their faces serene.

“It’s over.”

I said to Han I-ri before me. He seemed to have no intention of fighting further either. Wearily, he turned to extract Joo Han-kang, who was embedded in a wall, from behind me.

Even if he’d fainted, he wouldn’t be seriously injured. All practical exercises had safety measures in place.

A portal materialized in the place where the artifact had been. I started walking towards it, intending to exit.

Just then, Zion rushed towards me.

“Hae-in, are you alright?”

She approached, scrutinizing my face and my condition meticulously.

She must have been worried after seeing me lower my head at the end.

“I’m fine.”

“Really? Is something wrong?”

“I think it’s probably because of the elixir I drank last time; it seems like the effect was stronger than I anticipated.”

“Really…?”

Zion observed me for a moment, then nodded and glanced down at my wrist.

There, the obsidian bracelet shimmered with a dark, lustrous light.

I’d only just noticed it.

What is this?

“What’s going on with this thing now?”

I asked, looking at the shimmering bracelet.

“Who knows, maybe it’s finally kicking in? It *is* a ‘vitality boost’ bracelet, after all.”

Shion murmured, gently stroking the bracelet with her fingertips.

-Mm, feels alright…

I started walking towards the portal with her.

Yoon Sanghyuk and Kim Daehyun were already ahead of us.

Just as I was about to follow them, Shion came right up beside me.

“Need a little support?”

“No, it’s not *that* bad…”

“Alright.”

Shion didn’t even let me finish, just linked her arm through mine.

I tugged lightly, trying to free myself, but she wouldn’t budge, so I gave up and walked beside her.

As we entered the portal, the scenery before our eyes shifted rapidly, revealing the training ground.

Every student already seated focused their gaze on us.

Seemed we were the last team to arrive.

Shion, still linked to my arm, waved to the other students.

As if she were enjoying the attention, her face was lit with confidence.

‘What is she doing…’

With all eyes on us, and a beauty on my arm no less.

I felt my face flush, like some conquering hero returning home.

I hurried to our seats, whispering to Shion.

“Let go, will you?”

She didn’t even flinch at my request, her expression unchanged as only her lips moved.

“You might have to get used to it?”

“Get used to what, now?”

Shion didn’t answer my last question.

We ended up returning to our seats like that.

She’s usually kind, but she’s always had her moments of being headstrong, and it feels like those moments have been happening a lot more often lately.

As we settled into our seats, Han Yiri walked out of the portal, carrying Joo Han-gang on her back.

“Hey, he’s awake.”

“Who?”

“The guy being carried, Ju Han-gang.”

Yoon Sang-hyuk, beside him, stated it casually.

Looking like they were maybe a bit embarrassed, the two seemed to head straight for the medical bay.

“Today was your first mock dungeon class. You all worked hard.”

The instructor in charge climbed onto the platform and began to speak.

“As the vanguard, please give a round of applause to the eight teams that provided knowledge to you all.”

-Clap clap clap-

Applause rang out briefly. Following a few announcements about the next class, the instructor closed the portal and announced the end of the lesson.

Students began to leave the training grounds, one by one.

Just then, a few students passed by and spoke to me.

“Jeong Hae-in, was it? You were good.”

“Even without being a silver-spoon, you’d have gotten in, huh?”

“Hae-in-ah, maybe I could get your number…”

I was also about to leave, but stopped halfway to listen to their brief evaluations.

It was a truly Gaon-like sight, being recognized for your skills.

I returned the spear to the weapon return box next to the door and stepped into the hallway. Sion had been with me the whole time.

Since we had taken the same class, her idea was to eat dinner together.

I had originally planned to just go back to the dorm and rest.

‘No, otherwise we won’t even meet, can’t eat together, when else would we…’

…I simply agreed.

Coming outside, the sky just before sunset caught my eye through the windows. It seemed quite a lot of time had passed.

On the way to the school cafeteria, eye-catching, large-lettered posters plastered on the wall caught my attention.

We stopped and gazed at the posters.

‘Clubs…’

Posters advertising school clubs.

At Gaon, students are encouraged to join at least one club.

Actually, it’s called ‘encouraged’, but considering the mileage earned through club activities, you practically have to join.

“We do have to join one…”

Since the club choices of the main characters change every playthrough in the original game, I decided to just skip the first application period and check out the members before applying during the correction and additional application periods.

The other leads had probably already signed up.

I should look into it and apply starting tomorrow…

“Haein, haven’t you done it yet? I haven’t either.”

I turned my head to look at her.

“Oh, not yet. I’ve been too busy.”

“Then, wanna do this together?”

She gestured towards a poster.

“Let’s sign up for this one, just the two of us. It looks fun, don’t you think?”

Where is it?

I wondered what club it was and read the poster she was pointing at.

[Heal the fatigue accumulated from studies with travel!]

The club she pointed out was a travel club.

Wait a minute, though…

In the lower right corner, an arrow and the small text ‘Required to see the back.’ caught my eye.

With a slightly uneasy feeling, I picked up the poster and looked at the back.

[Only couples can apply together, with your beloved partner…]

The phrases written along with the provocative heart symbol stimulated the imagination.

“… What?”

In that instant, a memory from inside the game resurfaced in my mind.

Ah, this.

‘The X Club.’

This club was one of the Easter eggs.

It wasn’t that the outside appearance was innocuous; it was already strange from the cover.

It was a club that matched very well with the characteristics of Gaon, which encouraged romance and club activities at the same time.

It was also an episode where an embarrassing situation occurred when the protagonist applied with a specific heroine.

Moreover, since all freshmen were at least 19 years old, there wasn’t really anything to be concerned about.

Sion seemed to have suggested it to me without knowing.

I completely flipped the notice over and showed her the contents.

After that, Sion didn’t say anything for about ten seconds.

Her face flushed crimson, she hastily covered the posted notice.

“… I didn’t know.”

She might not, but still, it seemed she really hadn’t.

Having known her under grandfather’s care for ten years now.

“Ah, I know.”

We were like family, so there’s no way she would offer such a suggestion knowingly.

Probably, absolutely not.

*

I scalded myself in the shower with boiling water and emerged into the living room.

“Agh, exhausted.”

It had been a grueling day.

I know my body well.

After ten years of relentless training, I’ve learned a thing or two about it.

My instantaneous output and raw performance are quite usable. Even the old man admits that.

However, the problem is…

“Fuel efficiency is… subpar.”

Not terrible, but not exactly great either.

The downside is that I tire quickly if I exert myself continuously.

Ultimately, my weakness was the long game.

I sat cross-legged in the center of my dorm room, and began to observe the state of my entire body.

I did a quick diagnosis at the hospital last time, but clearly, I hadn’t grasped the full picture.

‘Let’s see properly.’

Closing my eyes, I deeply circulated my mana. Soon, an explosive amount of mana swirled within my body, rampaging wildly.

Like a feral beast unleashed.

That elixir I drank last time definitely increased the absolute total of my mana.

But it also excessively amplified its flow, making it difficult to control within my body.

‘That’s the problem.’

I was racking my brain, pondering how to resolve this, when it happened.

The obsidian bracelet on my wrist began to emit a subtle light.

The unique sheen of the obsidian flickered with a regular rhythm, like a pulse, and the mana within my body ceased its frenzied movement, as if responding to the light.

The obsidian bracelet, it pierced through me, seizing the rampaging flow of mana and bringing order to chaos.

“Huh?”

I murmured, startled, gazing down at my wrist.

The wild mana, guided by the bracelet’s newly woven pathways, gradually found its equilibrium.

Like a turbulent tide receding into gentle ripples, the violent storm within me slowly subsided into a tranquil current.

It was as if a dam, containing a raging torrent, had engaged precisely calibrated sluice gates to control the deluge.

I tentatively extended my hand, channeling a small amount of *ganggi* and testing the sensation.

The stability, the potency, the clarity emanating from the *ganggi*.

Everything, utterly unlike before.

“Heh.”

A dry chuckle escaped me unbidden.

I know my own body well.

Slowly, I stroked the bracelet and whispered.

“Old man, that’s some nice work.”

It was the moment my weakness vanished.