The Heroine Stole My Regression

26 – Fragment (2)

My vision, which had been washed in white, returned to normal before long.

Opening my eyes, I was lying on the cabin floor. The feel of the cold wood floor was distinct.

“Ugh!”

As soon as I raised my upper body, a wave of dizziness washed over me, making me nauseous.

I barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit and looked around.

The cabin, which had been so dilapidated it looked like it was about to collapse until just now, now smelled of fine lumber, as if it had just been built, completely transformed into a brand new appearance.

It looked the same, but the feeling was completely different. Cleanliness replaced the old, solidity replaced the feeling of impending collapse.

“The past.”

I scrambled up, checking the calendar hanging on the wall.

If the lodge had truly wound back time perfectly, today’s date should be January 1st, 1979.

The fragment of Harmony materialized on that day, precisely.

“Please.”

But the date staring back at me was… slightly off.

[December 26th, 1978]

Exactly six days before the fragment came into being.

I let out a sigh.

“…Close, too close.”

The source material stipulated a seven-day limit for time travel.

Exceed that, and the temporal axis would crumble automatically, snapping you back to your original point in time.

And there would be no next time. The lodge would vanish.

‘In that case, I have to obtain it on the very last day…’

Lost in thought, already agonizing over the plan…

A voice behind me made me slowly turn my head.

“Uhhh…”

I slowly turned my head.

There, Kang Arin was stretching languidly.

She slowly turned her head to look at me, a familiar smile playing on her lips.

“Sleep well?”

“… “

I closed my eyes briefly. Forcing down the rising tide of confusion and questions.

I didn’t even know where to begin untangling this mess.

Kang Arin, oblivious or uncaring to my bewilderment, remained unnervingly calm.

I looked at her and sighed deeply.

“…How did you know?”

She had been calm all along, locking the door just before midnight.

I know it doesn’t make sense, but it made even less sense that she would act like that without knowing the lodge’s mechanisms.

My mind spun in confusion. Rather than torture myself with further thought, all I could do was wait for her answer.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and tilted her head.

Her expression suggested it was nothing of great consequence.

“An honor, isn’t it?”

Kang Arin stretched languidly as she replied.

“Is there anything I *wouldn’t* know?”

I subtly furrowed my brow at her words.

It was true that “Glory” was an organization with considerable intelligence resources.

But discovering hidden gimmicks, like this mountain lodge, that were even concealed within the original work, was simply beyond the pale.

“Glory?”

I nodded slowly as I responded.

“I’m not in the mood for games right now.”

The edge to my voice was unintentional.

Kang Arin seemed amused by my reaction, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“I understand your suspicion. But you can trust me.”

Slowly, Kang Arin pointed a finger downwards, indicating the earth.

“Here, Mount Baekdu. A fragment, one of only two ever discovered in the world, is buried here.”

Hearing her words, I tried to calm my subtly trembling heart.

“And this mountain lodge…”

Kang Arin looked around, speaking slowly.

“This lodge is a space influenced by the fragment’s temporal axis. Simply put, the fragment’s energy has created an axis that twists time.”

*How…?*

It was the perfect answer.

Precisely the setup, as it was.

“So? Still don’t believe me?”

She grinned and approached me.

She knew too many intricate details; I had no choice but to believe her.

My head swam with more confusion. How on earth had the information reached this far?

Was this, too, a snowball effect triggered by Kang Yoosung’s death?

If so, it only further proved his incompetence as a manager…

“And actually, I wanted to ask you something instead.”

Kang Arin leaned closer, invading my personal space. The crimson irises drawing near shimmered subtly, an almost unnerving gleam. Her gaze was piercing, as if attempting to see straight through me, laden with unspoken meaning.

“This information is treated as top secret within Yeonggwang, known by almost no one. How is it that *you* know it?”

Now it was my turn to offer an explanation.

If what she said held true, then only a handful within Yeonggwang’s inner circles possessed this knowledge. So for me to be aware of it? It was only natural she would harbor suspicion.

Not that I was obligated to answer her question, mind you.

Without responding, I turned and headed straight out of the mountain lodge.

“Where are you going?”

Her voice followed me, a note of urgency laced within the usual calm.

I didn’t break stride, only glanced back at her, a fleeting, assessing look.

“Weren’t you here to find the Fragment as well?”

Outside, evening still held sway.

I took a step, then another, into the snow-covered vista, adding, “That’s why I’m here.” The lodge, once shrouded in rain, was now cloaked in pristine white. The frigid, clear air pricked at my skin.

I could feel her gaze boring into my back. But I deliberately ignored her reaction and pressed onward.

*I know the Fragment’s location and the precise moment of its emergence.*

Lake Cheonji on Mount Baekdu. January 1st. The Fragment would manifest exactly on that day, at that place. In the original story, it had appeared suddenly, without any warning signs whatsoever.

My concern was, just how competent was Yeonggwang’s intelligence apparatus in Yu Seong’s deceased world-line?

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let’s say they knew of the Fragment’s presence inside Lake Cheonji.

But there was no way they could know the specific *time* of its creation.

I lifted my gaze to the sky.

Mentally solidifying my plans, I scanned the surroundings. What I needed to do now was simple: to separate myself from her under the guise of searching.

I was about to step onto the snowy field when—

–*Pfft.*

A soft burst of laughter escaped from behind. The sound cut through the frigid air, and I froze.

Turning around, I saw Kang Arin, one hand covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking. She was trying to suppress her amusement, but her eyes were already dancing with mirth.

“Ah, sorry.”

She lowered her head slightly, stifling her giggles, but the hint of a smile lingered around her lips. Then, she looked up at me, offering a bright, almost innocent smile.

“Seeing you…struggling…it was kinda cute.”

I furrowed my brow slightly. But her composed smile remained unfazed.

“But, you know…”

She approached me slowly. A few steps through the snow, and she was standing right beside me. Then, looking up at me, she spoke.

Her lips moved softly, each word enunciated with a crispness that cut through the air.

“Baekdu Mountain’s Heaven Lake. And January first. How does that sound?”

In that instant, my mind went blank.

“…”

She smiled, a slight tilt to her head.

“Rather than wandering around cold and dark…”

She took my hand firmly in hers.

“Let’s just go inside the warm lodge and chat.”

Kang Arin held my hand tightly, pulling me toward the lodge with a gentle force.

I could have shaken her off with strength, but, having given up on thinking, I had no choice but to let her lead me back.

*

Younggwang’s intel was beyond anything I could have imagined.

Frankly, it was enough to make me want to quit everything and get a job right now.

Every plan I hatched was being systematically crushed by her.

Whether our trains of thought were similar or not, she was a tiresome opponent in many ways.

“…So, you need a Shard, too, then?”

There was no point in hiding it anymore.

“Yes.”

At my response, she grinned and gave my arm a light tap.

Doesn’t one usually keep a bit of distance during negotiations like this?

Claiming the space in front of the stove was warm, she stuck right beside me.

When I tried to move to the other side, she held me back.

“Shall I give you a Shard?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

Seriously, what is this woman…

It’s not like I’m wanting a Shard for my own selfish reasons. It’s all for the sake of the world.

Even if I got it, it’s Seong Siwoo exclusive, so I wouldn’t be able to absorb it.

If I *could* have absorbed the Shard, I might have devised a plan to use infinite regression to mess everything up.

Of course, regression is gone now…

“…Wouldn’t that be nice.”

Of course, I grumbled only in my thoughts.

I, who needed to obtain even a single fragment with my own hands, was completely in the position of suppliant.

If she stubbornly tried to seize the fragment, a forceful clash would inevitably occur.

But colliding with a character I created in such a manner was something I wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Seemingly pleased with my answer, she looked at me with playful eyes and smiled.

The slight upturn of her lips felt oddly mocking.

“I’ll give it to you.”

Kang Arin nodded and said it so nonchalantly.

An attitude as if she could hand it over right away.

“But there’s a condition.”

“What is it?”

If there wasn’t a condition, it’d be fraud.

What on earth was she going to demand?

The Camellia Sword?

Iano’s Cross?

She watched my reaction, a smile playing on her lips, as if enjoying herself, and opened her mouth.

“After you graduate… join Glory.”

For a moment, my mind froze.

Glory was the preeminent guild, standing beneath the umbrella of “Eternal Glory”.

The undisputed number one guild in the world.

In other words, it was less of a condition and more of an enormous proposition.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Arin’s expression remained undisturbed.

Then, stepping back slightly, she leaned against the stove and continued.

“I know you’re a Silent One.”

“And, I also know you’ve come this far – from Iano’s Tomb to the fragment’s location – with solitary intelligence.”

She leisurely continued, flashing a sweet smile.

“I’ve simply judged that a capable person is more valuable than a fragment that you don’t even know how to use.”

And she paused a beat, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“And see, if you become mine, then the Fragment becomes mine too, naturally, no?”

Kang Arin grinned, one corner of her mouth lifting.

“What do you say?”

Truthfully, it was a proposition that needed no deliberation.

“Sounds good….”

I intended to join Glorie after graduation anyway.