The Heroine Stole My Regression

14 – Reward (1)

I opened my eyes.

The ceiling above stretched high, impossibly so.

At the far reaches of this immense cavern, a slender ray of light seeped in, barely illuminating the black expanse.

Instinctively, I took a step towards the light.

And there, the stairs leading to the source of that meager light.

Someone sat upon them.

His back was curved, head bowed.

A spear was held in one hand, used to tap at something.

But the fact that I hadn’t sensed his presence until I actually laid eyes on him sent a chill down my spine.

Without a word, without a movement, the eerie aura emanating from him was cold, sharp.

‘If I fight, I lose… no.’

An overwhelming pressure, suffocating. Winning or losing wasn’t the issue.

‘I die.’

His silhouette in the darkness was similar in build to my own. But his presence utterly dwarfed me.

I froze. The pounding of my heart reverberated in my ears.

“Hello?”

He spoke.

“Hmm… glad to see you, but I think it’s a little early for you to be here.”

His features remained indiscernible.

“The elixir, perhaps? Still… they really administered it well.”

He rose silently. The movement was fluid, seamless.

I gripped the spear at my hip, hard.

I didn’t know why. It was instinct.

*Phat-*

The figure that had been far off vanished in an instant.

Instinctively, I drew my spear, warding off the frontal attack. But it was already too late. A chilling sensation grazed my throat. The blade against my neck felt coldly immediate.

He was already there, before me.

A hair’s breadth away, and yet… distant.

His face was a static blur, like a signal lost, impossible to decipher.

“Forgive me. This was the only way to wake you.”

With that, the blade bit deeper.

“Until next time.”

Darkness swallowed my vision.

“Though you likely won’t recall any of this.”

*

My eyes fluttered open, as if pulled from some deep, uncharted dream.

My body felt…renewed. The kind of invigoration one feels after a full day spent luxuriating in a feather bed.

The soft, yielding touch of the mattress cradled my back, and as my mind gradually returned, the surrounding scenery sharpened into focus.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

-I jolted upright-

“Where am I?”

Scanning my surroundings, I took in a spacious, immaculate hospital room. Beyond the window, a vista of towering skyscrapers unfolded.

Pulling back the covers, I saw I was wearing a hospital gown.

And then, the last memory before oblivion finally surfaced.

‘That’s it… that’s it… keep drinking.’

Ah. Blast.

I hastily closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began to draw on my mana.

Feeling the pulse of energy bloom from deep within my chest, I traced the pathways of its flow.

-Thump, thump-

As my heartbeat quickened, the conduits of mana became discernible.

‘Triple… quadruple…’

My mind raced, calculating.

‘No… quintuple.’

Speed, efficiency, the sheer volume of it all. Everything was beyond comparison to what it once was.

I cut off the mana flow, pressed my fingers to my temple, and released a soft sigh.

“What… what have you done?”

This sacred draught doesn’t yield such results simply from drinking it.

Of course, one can still glean some benefit just by consuming it. After all, it’s a heavenly elixir, dense with centuries of accumulated natural energy.

But these long-condensed natural energies are untamed, difficult to control.

The one who ingests it risks being overwhelmed by the force, fainting, or even suffering a life-threatening crisis.

That’s why someone needed to provide *Hobeop* – spiritual guardianship. To delicately manipulate mana, spreading the draught’s energy into every corner of the body, and expertly manage any excess.

Yet, the mana swirling within my body was as if perfectly tamed, efficiently organized.

…Frankly, it was meticulously executed.

As if determined not to waste a single drop of the elixir, so utterly thorough.

It seemed Cheon Yeoul had flawlessly performed even this process.

“Umm… you’re awake?”

I turned towards the soft, slightly languid voice.

My gaze lowered to the hospital bed to my lower right.

There, Sion was stretching, bending her body.

Awakened by the sound of my movement, she rubbed her eyes and slowly lifted her head.

“Did I wake you? Sorry.”

“Oh, no. I was about to get up anyway…”

– *Yawwwn.*

She covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a long yawn.

“Why are you here?”

“They told me to watch over you in case something went wrong during the night. So, I just stayed.”

“Thank you.”

Sion nodded at my brief reply. Then, she slowly rose from the bed and began to stretch out her body.

– *Thump.*

At that moment, the hospital room door swung open with a weighty sound.

A figure entered, bowing his head slightly.

An overwhelming height of nearly 2 meters, neatly combed-back white hair, and a deep scar that ran from his jaw to his cheek.

It was Elder.

His eyes met mine, and he closed them tightly for a moment before opening them again.

“I heard you collapsed, so I came to check, but seeing you hale and hearty, it seems I came for naught.”

The deep voice resonated within the sterile room.

“Aish, Grandfather, not again. You were here just yesterday evening.”

The old man cleared his throat, averting his gaze. But his eyes, they drifted back to me.

His stare locked onto me, his eyes shimmering with a blue cast.

He squeezed his eyes shut, then inquired,

“…Just what in the world did you scavenge up and swallow?”

The old man’s tone was low, yet heavy with both weighty questioning and caution.

I turned my head, letting out a soft sigh.

“You tell me.”

The old man approached me slowly, continuing,

“Stand up.”

I pushed myself up from the bed.

“Heart rate is stable enough. Mana…”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Solid.”

The old man uttered the word quietly.

“But you’ll still have to undergo an examination, of course.”

I nodded, agreeing with his words.

“Naturally.”

He picked up the intercom attached to the bedside, speaking briefly into it.

Ending the call, the old man rotated his wrist, walking slowly toward the door.

“Move.”

A single word, an order.

“Yes.”

I nodded and followed him.

*

We’re on the way out after receiving the test results.

‘There are absolutely no abnormalities in your health… If anything, you’re too healthy, ha ha.’

The doctor from Glory Hospital, considered one of the best medical facilities in the Republic of Korea, had said it himself. He wouldn’t be wrong.

‘I figured as much.’

“A relief, that~”

The Elder and Sion, after hearing the doctor’s explanation, left with an indifference.

Sion needed to attend school, and the Elder was, as always, a busy man.

I, too, completed the discharge procedures and exited the hospital.

“Excuse me? Who…?”

The payment had already been settled in full. I asked who had done it, but they wouldn’t tell me.

“Who could it be…”

I couldn’t be sure, but it was likely the Elder.

The moment I stepped out of the hospital doors, a black luxury sedan caught my eye.

The door opened, and a man in a sharply tailored suit emerged from the car.

A crisply ironed collar, a tie at the perfect angle.

‘The Association.’

I could tell he was from the Association at a glance.

“I’m relieved you were discharged without incident, ‘Muk-gwi’-nim. I am Kim Gil-gyu, a hero affiliated with the Association.”

“If you have the time, would you be willing to discuss the matter of Iano’s Tomb?”

“Well, I was supposed to go to school.”

He offered a light smile and bowed his head slightly.

“Arrangements have already been made with Gaon. How about you take the day to relax and recuperate?”

It seemed the Association had already pulled some strings.

Truthfully, I was planning on going with them anyway.

I just wanted to play hard to get, for a moment.

“Alright, then.”

The interior of the sedan was spacious. The seats were plush and luxuriously appointed.

“We will be departing now.”

As the car pulled away, I leaned back against the seat and gripped my bag.

The cross remained inside the bag, untouched.

“I heard from the Saintess Candidate.”

After a few minutes of driving, the man driving the car spoke.

“That you, Jung Hae-in-nim, were the one who discovered Iano’s Tomb, and that all rights belong to you.”

“Yeah, so?”

“He wasn’t wrong.”

“…Since yesterday evening, envoys from the Japanese Hero Association have been waiting for Mr. Jeong Hae-in.”

The rumors had already spread that far, it seemed. Iano was a symbolic figure in Japan, so they must have rushed over at once.

“…The Elixir, and the Cross of Iano as well. Might I inquire as to how you intend to use them?”

But realizing his faux pas, he quickly added,

“Of course, we completely respect your Hero’s Dungeon rights. But knowing something of your plans would facilitate our response and negotiation with the Japanese side. If there’s any way we can cooperate…”

“I ate it.”

“Pardon?”

I didn’t want to, but it happened.

“I did.”

Really.