The Heroine Stole My Regression

5 – Unit (2)

A point in time, perhaps the future, or perhaps the past.

The war showed no sign of ending.

Jeong Hae-in and Yu Hana were trapped within the endlessly closing enemy lines.

To say they were surrounded was an understatement.

The moment an unknown chill ran down her back, Yu Hana instinctively turned her head.

– *Shhikk-*!

A sharp blade sliced through her vision, a close call.

‘This is the end…’

Yu Hana cursed herself for momentarily letting her guard down.

But the blade’s tip did not strike her.

– *Thunk!*

A deep wound pierced Jeong Hae-in’s chest as he cut down enemies in front. His body slid down, collapsing against the wall.

“No!!”

Yu Hana’s scream ripped through the air.

Even until he fell, Jeong Hae-in hadn’t lost focus for a single instant.

Even as he swept away the enemies surging forward, he had been watching his comrades standing behind.

“This… I can never seem to get used to it…”

Jeong Hae-in trailed off, as if spitting blood with his words.

He clutched at the hole in his chest, squeezing out a voice that wouldn’t come.

“Please, please, please…”

Yu Hana tried to staunch the flowing blood with trembling hands.

But the blood gushed out between her fingertips.

“Yu Hana…”

He lifted his head.

“I’ve thought about it a lot… maybe I was wrong.”

“No, don’t say things like that… please.”

– *Agh!*

– *aaah!*

Behind them, the heroes’ screams of collapse echoed. The encroaching enemies, the defenses crumbling, inch by agonizing inch.

When Hae-in Jeong fell, the tide shifted with brutal speed.

He wasn’t just tasked with breaching the front lines.

He controlled every facet, sensed every danger, a linchpin supporting the entire team.

The instant he was gone, the battlefield descended into chaos.

Everyone had been hiding behind his shield.

Yu-hana closed her eyes.

“I’ll… follow you.”

She carefully pressed a kiss to his forehead and rose.

Someone needed to replace the shield that was lost.

But Hae-in Jeong shook his head.

“You won’t die. Never.”

His voice was weak, yet undeniably firm.

Yu-hana couldn’t comprehend those words at the time.

And this memory—

Was but a fragment, a single drop, in the immeasurable sea of his deaths.

*

Rewinding time, to the day of the entrance ceremony.

Yu-hana sat quietly in a corner of the entrance hall. Amidst the murmuring students, her gaze was fixed on one person.

‘There he is.’

Neatly dressed, with delicate features. Hae-in sat in his seat, showing no particular desire to stand out.

But his expression wasn’t good. He was lost in thought.

‘He’s brooding again, all by himself.’

Seeing his deeply thoughtful face, Yu-hana smiled faintly.

Because she had resolved, this time, not to leave him alone, not to let him struggle on his own.

It was then.

Cheon Yeo-ul approached Hae-in Jeong’s side.

Wearing a natural smile, she spoke to him as if they’d known each other for ages.

‘…That harlot.’

Yu Hana found her fingers tightening without her conscious bidding.

As if things weren’t chaotic enough, those saintly types always posed a problem.

They always approached with that benevolent pretense, acting like they could somehow solve everything.

Yu Hana inhaled quietly. Her intention was to observe for now.

But that restraint shattered during weapon selection.

Cheon Yeoul’s irritating behavior persisted even here, with the mystic weapons.

Jeong Hae-in stood before a spear.

He seemed hesitant to choose, but his stance before it suggested a decision was imminent.

‘Take it!’

Yu Hana silently cheered him on within her heart.

Again, Yu Hana hoped he would choose the spear.

You were never wrong.

It was only we who were mistaken.

But Cheon Yeoul obstructed his choice. She even used force to suppress him.

It wasn’t incomprehensible, but this was overstepping.

And so, Yu Hana moved.

After a brief, sharp exchange with Cheon Yeoul, she quietly retreated.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

Jeong Hae-in left those words behind and held firm to his choice. Perhaps it would have been the same even if I hadn’t intervened.

Watching his resolve, Yu Hana felt a strange thrill stir deep within her, her heart pounding wildly.

The way he gripped the spear, the aura he radiated. His unwavering gaze, his resolute tone—perfectly identical.

‘He’s the same…’

He had never changed.

*

It wasn’t I who chose to overturn things, but Yu Hana.

“Hm? Answer me.”

Yu Hana, having boldly taken action, looked at me with a playful expression.

Her mischievous face made me want to flick her forehead, but instinct screamed at me not to do it.

‘It doesn’t really matter though.’

I didn’t particularly intend to hide it.

My handler hadn’t given me a chance to hide it in the first place.

I already figured at least one of the students knew.

Well, considering Yoo Hana’s family and her access to information, it wasn’t strange that she’d figured out who I was.

That explains her weapon choice and those constant run-ins during morning runs.

She’s of the Yoo lineage.

Networking with promising students here would be natural for her.

As for Chun Yeoul… I’m not quite sure yet, but it’s probably along similar lines as Yoo Hana.

“Really… you’re actually the ‘Silent Wraith’?”

Yoon Sanghyuk’s voice still trembled. He still couldn’t accept reality.

Silent Wraith.

A nickname earned for dealing with Waves and vanishing without a trace.

It was famous for a time, but it’s died down a bit now.

Truthfully, I never vanished. I just sat and waited for the Association to arrive.

And when I opened my eyes, I was the Silent Wraith.

A product of heroic commodification, the Hero Association’s flawless image making.

The Association recommended I enroll in Gaon, and I accepted. It was what I wanted, after all.

Of course, my enrollment was top secret.

And naturally, my rank was…

[Unmeasurable]

‘Haha. How could we possibly measure this?’

The face of the appraiser, dripping with sweat as he explained, flashed in my mind.

The entrance test had ended, and I had already far surpassed the average level of the incoming students. That was the reason.

‘No, but can we just let him enroll like this? We don’t know his origins, or what academy he attended!’

‘Then, let’s have the Vice Principal grab a random student and try to stop a Rank 5 Wave.’

‘…’

The Vice Principal’s face, like he’d swallowed honey.

Anyway, until the school officially holds a test, I have no rank.

“It’s me, alright.”

I answered calmly. There was no need to hide it anymore.

Now that the rumors had spread, denying it wouldn’t change anything.

Yoon Sang-hyuk stared at me, speechless.

I turned my gaze to Yoo Hana, as if it were nothing of consequence.

“And the team…”

Yoo Hana was still watching me.

She seemed to be waiting for the next words to fall from my lips.

“Let’s all go together. I just…feel like we should.”

When I said that, Yoo Hana gazed back at me, then smiled.

“Okay, sure.”

She agreed surprisingly easily.

It seemed like the team composition didn’t really matter to her in the first place.

“Dae-hyun, how about you?”

“I…it’s fine.”

Kim Dae-hyun answered with a dazed expression.

Now, only two remained.

Yoon Sang-hyuk, watching my every move. And… what was his name again?

“What’s your name?”

The male student leaning casually next to Yoon Sang-hyuk flinched and replied.

“L…Lee Sang-bong. Ranked 189th.”

“Oh, right, Sang-bong, Sang-hyuk. Wanna join?”

I casually placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

Then, I smiled slightly and added,

“If you don’t want to, you can always go by yourselves.”

““We’ll do it….””

The two of them answered, looking as though they were about to die.

But this will be good for you guys too.

This training ground itself is a kind of test.

The instructor didn’t just randomly divide the students.

It’s a ratio of 1 top student, 2 upper-middle, and 2 lower-ranked students.

A deliberate distribution.

Students who entered the world’s best academy as top-ranked students have self-esteem that scrapes the sky. They easily ignore the opinions of lower-ranked students or act oppressively.

Naturally, this breeds conflict and division within the team.

“But it’s not like only the top students have pride.”

Even those dubbed “lower ranks” were prized talents elsewhere, before coming here.

This sudden drop in the hierarchy, and the “lower rank” label, inflicts a crushing sense of humiliation.

Inevitably, the team fractures under the upper ranks’ overbearing attitude and the lower ranks’ resistance.

And such a fierce clash of pride…

Is precisely what the instructor is aiming for.

As if to underscore his intent, the dense thicket before us splits into several possible entry points.

-The unit formations appear to be complete. Formal practical exercises will now commence.

-Penetrate the forest ahead with your assembled units.

The sharp voice echoed.

As the announcement ended, the magical barrier blocking the dense foliage dissolved.

‘Finally, a chance to shine.’

Now *this* feels more like what I expected.

I turned to look at my teammates.

“Let’s go.”