The Heroine Stole My Regression

11 – Seong Siwoo (4)

Dohan Seong was an instructor at Gaon Academy, but he was also an operative employed by the ‘Lotus’ guild.

His task: to select promising and exceptionally talented students, then report them to the guild.

The clipboard he held in his hand was the tool for recording that information.

‘Indeed…’

When he first received the list for Class B, it had seemed ordinary.

A commonplace class, peppered with a few above-average students.

But the new roster he received on the day of the entrance ceremony completely overturned his expectations.

Yohan, Yoo Hana, Cheon Yeoul, Kang Arin.

Names that would instantly become the talk of the school, students of renown, filled the list.

Of course, most of them already had affiliations, or they were practically spoken for.

He naturally excluded them, turning his attention to those who were still possibilities.

And now, his gaze was drawn to the center of the auditorium.

Two students sparring. Especially one.

Initially, the most attention had been on the duel between Yoo Hana and Cheon Yeoul.

A dazzling display, exceeding expectations, had stimulated the eyes.

Their skills were already beyond what one would expect from students, to the point where he wondered, *’Was it this high?’*

However, his attention had shifted elsewhere.

To Jung Haein and Seong Siwoo.

The beginning of their battle was simple.

Seong Siwoo relentlessly attacking, Jung Haein receiving all those attacks with defense.

On the surface, it seemed as if Seong Siwoo was overwhelming him, but in reality, the difference between the two wasn’t that significant. Seong Siwoo hadn’t managed to land a single effective hit on Jung Haein, either.

Therefore, Dohanseong’s assessment of them was simple.

‘Ordinary upper-tier students…’

That was Dohanseong’s initial evaluation of the two.

Seong Siwoo seemed to have natural physical advantages, but he was technically a zero.

Jung Haein was stable, but he lacked a special finishing move.

However, that judgment was quickly subject to revision.

Even amidst Seong Siwoo’s relentless attacks, Jung Haein’s demeanor never faltered.

Rather, he was gradually reading Seong Siwoo’s patterns, perfectly grasping the flow of the battle.

– *Clang!*

It was the decisive moment.

The sword ki generated by Jung Haein cleaved Seong Siwoo’s sword aura in two with a single blow.

Sword ki at that age?

“The first since the previous Hero, perhaps…”

He sighed softly, highlighting Jung Haein’s name on his clipboard with a fluorescent marker.

This, inevitably, would reach Lotus’s ears.

*

Seong Siwoo remained rooted, seemingly stunned, for quite some time.

I offered him no further words.

I simply turned my back and headed for the waiting area in silence.

It left a rather unpleasant aftertaste.

I also felt a tinge of guilt, upending his common sense as I was, molding it to my liking.

Still, he was a character of my creation.

His arrogance was likely the product of his environment, those last dozen-odd years.

‘Being from the backwoods…’

He must have been a frog in a well.

But abandoning him wasn’t an option.

I believed he could change.

Even if it didn’t happen overnight, even if it took time, I hoped he would revert to the person I knew.

Regardless of what anyone said, he was the protagonist of this world, after all.

Across the way, I saw Seong Siwoo falter as he made his way to the waiting area.

At that moment, a voice from somewhere shattered my thoughts.

“He’ll never change, you know?”

What?

Did I say that aloud?

Startled, I looked towards the source of the voice.

“Isn’t that right?”

It was Kang Arin.

She had somehow sidled up beside me and was looking up at me, questioning.

“Uh…?”

I was momentarily speechless.

What was I supposed to say to that?

As I deliberated whether to offer some excuse, Kang Arin crossed her arms and tilted her head.

“No, about your thoughts. Do you think the next ranking will change?”

-The next ranking will definitely change. Yoo Hana is stronger than Cheon Yeoul, after all.

“Think the Saintess is some pushover? No way she’s changing.”

Ah… Now the situation dawns on me. The battle between Yu Hana and Cheon Yeoul was still raging on.

Around us, hushed debates about their rankings were in full swing.

I stared blankly at her for a moment, then quietly shook my head.

“We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?”

“Hmph…”

Kang Arin arched an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at her lips as she gauged my reaction.

-KRA-KOOM!

A deafening roar echoed through the entire auditorium, followed by a massive shockwave rippling outwards.

The shockwave slammed into the erected mana barrier and dissipated, but the sound alone was terrifying.

I turned my head to look in that direction.

Do they even remember this is supposed to be a sparring match? They’re going at it like they want to half-kill each other.

“So, how was your sparring partner?”

The moment my gaze shifted back from Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana, she was questioning me.

I almost blurted out everything I was thinking, but stopped myself.

…I guess I should defend him, at least a little.

“Good.”

A simple answer, free of any embellishment.

But the questioner didn’t react at all.

I turned my attention to Kang Arin.

She was staring at me, her teeth clenched tightly.

Her expression looked like she was about to burst into tears, and I was taken aback.

Seriously, what is it *this* time?

She acted like she was over the Kang Yuseong thing, all casual and talkative. I thought she had sorted her feelings out.

Judging by her reaction, I was wrong.

“Are you okay…”

But as if nothing had happened, her expression turned sharp.

“Lacking in skill, but overflowing with stubbornness.”

She began her assessment of Seong Siwoo.

“Already ruined from the start, with bad habits ingrained deep.”

“But… feels like I’ve heard this somewhere before.”

“A rootless dog.”

She didn’t even pause for breath, just kept pressing on.

“And a dog who’ll never change, not ever.”

Adding that final word, she suddenly flashed a bright smile.

“That’s my evaluation.”

She does have a good eye, I suppose…

“Uh, yeah…”

I mumbled something vague and nodded.

No point in arguing when she’s laying it all out like that.

“Hmph~”

Ahrin Kang stretched languidly, letting out a light sigh.

Her trim waist was exposed as she exhaled with easy leisure.

I found my gaze drawn to her for a moment, before another thought suddenly struck me.

Speaking of, who *was* Ahrin Kang’s opponent?

“Who were you up against?”

“Hm?”

She tilted her head, extending one arm straight out. And then leisurely pointed toward one side of the gymnasium.

“Over there~”

The scene that unfolded before my eyes was shocking.

“Hurry, get in here!”

The gymnasium doors burst open and emergency medical personnel rushed in.

A student was being carried out on a stretcher, bleeding. It didn’t take long to recognize him.

‘Yohan…?’

He lay there unconscious.

More than that, the sword he held was a complete wreck, as if it had been torn apart with two hands.

Was the difference between them really *this* significant?

I couldn’t stop my mouth from falling open.

“He kept trying to climb on up~”

Ahrin Kang’s voice drifted out slowly.

I turned to face her, slowly.

“…doesn’t even know her place, picking on someone like…”

She met my gaze, her eyes locking onto mine.

Then, ever so slowly, the corner of her mouth tilted upward.

She was smiling brightly.

With an expression that shone far too brightly.

*

“That’ll be 8000 won.”

The best way to forget a shocking scene is with something delicious.

I took my food and set off to find a seat.

Sion had recommended this place, saying it was a real hidden gem, but as expected, it was packed.

I found a spot tucked away in a far corner and unwrapped my food.

“Did you hear…? Kang Arin totally…”

Everywhere you went, that was the topic of conversation.

It didn’t take long for the story of what happened during the sparring match today to spread.

Kang Arin’s ranking was 1st. Yohan’s was 2nd.

‘So the gap between them was *that* big?’

Even in the original story, Yohan never managed to surpass Kang Arin until graduation. The difference between them only grew exponentially as time went on.

Which meant, in other words, that the difference in their abilities was at its narrowest right now.

They were rivals in every way, from their affiliations to their ideologies. It wasn’t exactly strange for them to fight, but…

She’d gone a bit too far.

I heard he’d suffered mana exhaustion, which meant at least two weeks of recovery.

I’d been planning to deal with him eventually anyway, due to his constant attempts to undermine me.

So, in a way, this saved me some trouble…

Good things are good things, right?

-Munch

Delicious.

Sion’s recommendations are always reliable.

I guess I’ve just had a bit of a change of heart since last night, or rather, I’m trying to clear my head a little.

Trying to keep everything under my control was just too reckless.

“Just keep going like this…”

Muttering to myself, I moved my chopsticks, when I sensed something… off.

“Excuse me, are you perhaps Jeong Hae-in?”

Instead of answering, I stuck the chopsticks in my mouth and stared at him.

Undeterred by my reaction, he sat down and pulled something from his bag.

“Take this.”

He offered me a business card.

Embossed elegantly at the top of the card was a single word:

‘Lotus.’

The second-ranked guild in the world.

A name everyone had heard.

“I don’t think this is the place to talk. Do you have some time?”

He placed the card on the table, seemingly already anticipating my affirmative reply.

“No.”

“…Excuse me?”

His expression twisted, ever so briefly.

He clearly hadn’t expected that.

Most students, when approached by a Lotus scout, would leap to their feet, overjoyed.

Second in the world, after all. It’s hard not to be swayed by a name like that.

Oblivious to its illegality.

At Gaon Academy, all scouting contact outside of the official recruitment period is strictly forbidden.

And once a verbal agreement is made, breaking it later becomes difficult, with Lotus using the illegality as leverage for blackmail.

The contracts subtly include clauses about non-affiliation changes and non-disclosure obligations.

The students, unaware of just how dangerous these contracts are, sign them, and later, when they try to back out, Lotus threatens massive lawsuits for guild reputation damage or breach of contract.

With a little thought, they could fight back, but a young, unaffiliated student wouldn’t know such a defense. They’d inevitably swallow their bitterness and be dragged along.

What’s even more insidious is that genuinely promising, highly skilled students are treated with the utmost courtesy, following all proper procedures.

On the other hand, those in a more ambiguous position, those who are just barely too good to let go… they approach like this.

“Haha, it seems there might be some misunderstanding.”

He forced a smile and continued.

“Actually, after watching you spar today, Lotus holds Jeong Hae-in in very high regard. We’d like to offer you a formal…”

“No, stop it.”

I cut him off, slamming my chopsticks down with a snap of irritation.

Slowly, I met his gaze head-on.

“Offers should be made during the official period, with an official contract.”

I presented the smartwatch on my wrist.

-…positive assessment…

The screen flickered to life, replaying the recording of our conversation thus far, every word captured.

His face instantly tightened.

I rose from my seat.

My appetite, which had been quite good, vanished.

“And I will be formally reporting this to the Academy.”

No matter where you go, trying to screw over a fresh graduate is the most infuriating thing.