Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Translator: Penny
Episode 43: Yoo Eunha [4]
Afterward, Yu Eun-ha woke up in a high-end hospital, staring blankly at the restraints binding her arms and legs.
".........."
She knew the reason all too well.
Yet, as if the restraints were irrelevant, Yu Eun-ha wept hysterically for a long time, like a madwoman.
Even making excuses felt like a luxury.
She was wrong. She had committed unspeakable atrocities against her sister.
For a fleeting moment, Yu Eun-ha considered suicide, hoping to travel further back in time and erase her crimes altogether. But...
I shouldn't run away. I must atone.
"No, just withdraw from the Academy and never show your face to Cutie again, got it?"
"I... I have to atone to my sister."
Even when the Golden Guild members threatened to kill her on the spot, she dared them to try. Eventually, they gave up and started contacting someone else.
And not long after...
Click
"You've got some nerve."
Eve Meitner finally appeared.
"I told you to never show your face to Se-a again... I don't understand why you're so resistant to that suggestion."
One of Eve Meitner's abilities was memory reading.
Just as she had checked Yun Se-a's memories, she had likely had her own memories read immediately after losing consciousness.
"........."
"Se-a wouldn't want you to die... but honestly, I'm finding it hard to hold back."
Fzzzt...!
Electricity began to crackle in Eve Meitner's eyes. Yu Eun-ha instinctively knew that any wrong answer would result in her being fried to death by that electricity.
And so, Yu Eun-ha decided to confront the situation head-on.
"I am... a Regressor."
"...I know. There's no way you could have three memories of dying if you weren't a Regressor."
Eve, who already seemed to know Yu Eun-ha was a Regressor, continued to listen to her explanation.
In the world before her death, Yun Se-a had been the infamous villain who unleashed monsters upon Raon Academy, plunging the entire world into chaos. Immediately after her Regression, Eve had carelessly branded Yun Se-a as evil, influenced by the death of Yun Seong-ho, who had been like a father to her.
"I never imagined that my... Yun Seong-ho, that bastard, would do such a thing to Ms. Yun Se-a. Especially since she was using the Demonic Eye at the time of my death. When I saw that eye flash during the mock battle with the Vice President, I lost my composure and attacked Ms. Se-a."
Hearing this, Eve wore a genuinely troubled expression.
Anyone would have done the same if they had harmed someone who was like a parent to them and had the chance to avenge themselves against the murderer who had killed them three times over.
"But... when I forcibly entered Ms. Se-a's memories, I realized that everything I thought I knew was wrong. My sister in the past... she had been subjected to Yun Seong-ho's hypnosis and brainwashing since childhood, leaving her no choice but to act according to his will. Even in the moment of my death, she was likely still resisting him with all her might."
Eve Meitner's face twisted in shock.
Perhaps because Yun Se-a hadn't fully explained the situation, Eve's expression contorted with each word Yu Eun-ha spoke, as if she were a madman driven insane by guilt, or someone who had abandoned all hope in the face of overwhelming sorrow.
"...I have no intention of asking for forgiveness, but I... Ms. Se-a. No, Sister Se-a, I want to protect her to the very end."
"...Watch your tongue, you."
Crackling!
".....!"
In an instant, the advanced magic spell Lightning Chain flashed past Yu Eun-ha's side.
"The only reason I'm letting you live is because Se-a wants it. But what right do you have to claim you deserve to be by her side?"
The murderous intent in Eve's voice intensified with each word. Yun Se-a, despite the overwhelming pressure that threatened to overwhelm her, stubbornly finished her statement.
"I must atone... I absolutely must."
With those final words, foam bubbled at Yu Eun-ha's lips as she lost consciousness.
She awoke thirty minutes later.
Eve muttered irritably as she stormed out, "What does Se-a even see in someone like that?"
She seriously considered killing Yu Eun-ha and simply reporting to Se-a that Yu Eun-ha had withdrawn from the Academy. However, Eve instinctively knew that such a scheme wouldn't work on Yun Se-a, who always seemed to be one step ahead of her. With a clap of her hands, Eve summoned someone.
"Guild Master, you called?"
"I'm busy. What is it?"
"Listen carefully. Yu Eun-ha claims to be Se-a's bodyguard. We need to make her prove it—whether she can truly protect Se-a perfectly."
At Eve's words, the two women's expressions twisted into fierce scowls.
"It's a bit annoying, but... if we think of it as increasing the number of meat shields protecting Ms. Se-a within the Academy... it doesn't seem so bad."
"Hmm... If they insist on protecting 'Cutie,' shouldn't we just make them prove it?"
Eve recognized that despite the seemingly contradictory statement, it meant they should observe the situation for now. She found something subtly unsettling about the short-haired woman's tone.
"Hmm... Right, but why do you keep calling Se-a 'Cutie'?"
"..........Uh, good question?"
Despite an unfortunate accident where a Hero was electrocuted mid-meeting, the discussion continued.
"Alright, then Han-ra and Da-in will take responsibility for making Yun Se-a give up her protection."
Thus began the so-called "If You Can't Handle It, Give Up" strategy, accompanied by a three-month salary reduction for an A-Rank Guild Member.
Yu Eun-ha had expected to be abandoned or threatened with death the moment she woke up. But when she opened her eyes, the Mana Sealing Restraints that had bound her were gone.
"You're finally awake."
Looking up, she saw a woman with striking orange eyes and reddish-brown hair gazing down at her.
"Congratulations, the Guild Master has granted you the position of Ms. Se-a's bodyguard."
"...Really?!" Yu Eun-ha's voice rose sharply at the sudden good news, but...
"Of course, provided you pass the test."
As expected, there was a condition. Slightly disappointed, Yu Eun-ha asked what the condition was.
"It's simple. If you and... another Hero can demonstrate satisfactory results in a mock battle against me, that will suffice."
Yu Eun-ha, who had become significantly stronger by gathering numerous Hidden Pieces, could only stare slowly at Yu Han-ra, who had just declared a mission that seemed utterly impossible.
Her goal was to endure for at least five minutes. As someone who hadn't yet fully matured, she believed that was her limit.
But that assumption was a complete misjudgment.
Crack...!
"Ugh...!"
Boom!
"Aaaargh...!"
In an instant, Yu Eun-ha collapsed unconscious from a blow that felt like her abdomen was about to explode.
The source of her agony was a direct hit from Yu Han-ra's spinning kick, delivered with gauntlets and iron boots.
"You're terrible. It's a waste of those brilliant skills."
In the basement of the Golden Guild, within a training room known as the Punishment Room, stood a peculiar device: a Force Field Generator that doubled incoming damage and a Complete Healing Device capable of fully regenerating severed limbs within 4 to 10 seconds.
Thanks to these two devices, Yu Eun-ha could endure being dismembered and having her bones shattered, only to awaken from a brief 1-2 minute daze and resume fighting.
"Well, since you'll keep challenging this test even if you fail, the Guild Master has imposed a time limit."
"...A time limit?"
"Before you return to the Academy, Young Lady. If you fail to pass this test by then, you'll have to abandon your role as her bodyguard."
"......Alright."
The remaining time was about two to three days.
Crack...!!
"Ugh... Aaaagh!"
Bones shattered.
Boom!
"Aaaagh...!"
Her abdomen and vital areas were repeatedly blasted apart, but Yu Eun-ha refused to give up.
She had committed an unforgivable sin.
"......Are you going to give up?"
".........Absolutely not. I could do this all day."
"Unfortunately, I can't. It's my shift change."
With those words, Yu Han-ra removed her blood-soaked iron boots and gauntlets, stowing them in her Subspace Pouch. Muttering, "Will Ms. Se-a notice?" she sprinted away, spraying every kind of air freshener to mask the stench of blood that had soaked into her clothes.
"Hey, kid, stop spacing out!"
Crack...!
"............!!!"
The next opponent appeared in an instant, kicking Yu Eun-ha in the abdomen.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Song Da-in."
"Cough!"
Encased in full-body armor, Yu Eun-ha immediately recognized her as a Defender.
"You said your position is Striker, right? Let's see how long you can hold out in the front lines."
Yu Eun-ha's stats were typical of a glass cannon Striker, specializing in dealing with ranged attackers.
Attacking a Defender with overwhelmingly high defense and HP would yield little return. Worse, even a single hit from the Defender...
Crack!
"Ugh...! Aaaargh!!"
The immediate critical hit dealt such massive damage that Yu Eun-ha nearly lost consciousness.
Judging that she couldn't continue fighting in her dazed state, the A-Rank Supporter cast a healing spell on Yu Eun-ha. Combined with the Recovery Field already active in the Punishment Room, Yu Eun-ha's glazed eyes rapidly regained their focus. Song Da-in yawned, as if growing bored, and swung her hammer again.
"This armor Cutie designed is incredibly useful. Is there anything our Cutie can't do?"
Yu Eun-ha, who had been slumped over, suddenly felt a surge of relief as she saw Yun Se-a—now affectionately called "Cutie"—being trusted by the Golden Guild members.
Even if she herself couldn't protect her sister, these people seemed like they would become a shield for her.
"No, I can't just leave like this... I'd never be able to face her again."
But then she remembered what she had done to Yun Se-a. Refusing the healing magic from the A-Rank Supporter, she slowly rose to her feet.
"Oh, you're not done yet?"
"Yes, there's something I absolutely have to tell my sister."
Song Da-in smiled as she watched Yu Eun-ha, who had been broken countless times, rise again.
"I like your tenacity."
Using the rocket boosters on her back, Da-in instantly closed the distance to Yu Eun-ha and swung her hammer, aiming to crush her abdomen once more. But then, she sensed something was wrong.
BOOM!
The hammer missed.
She had aimed perfectly for the center; it was an attack that should have hit without fail unless the trajectory was deliberately altered.
Two hypotheses emerged:
First, she deflected the hammer's force to evade the attack.
Second, she moved faster than the hammer's swing to dodge it.
However, the hammer's speed just now was so fast that only someone exceptionally skilled could have avoided it.
Naturally, Song Da-in's mind could deduce that Yu Eun-ha had survived by perfectly deflecting the hammer's force...
But Song Da-in couldn't understand it.
Just moments ago, Yu Eun-ha had been so battered that she could barely stand even with the Supporter's healing.
Unless she was a martial arts prodigy, there was no way she could have perfectly deflected that attack...
"...So that's how you do it."
The white hair before her eyes was now stained crimson with blood, but the violet eyes, identical to Yun Se-a's, burned like flames...
"...Alright, no more holding back. I'm going all out now."
Song Da-in unconsciously considered the possibility of defeat.
"Seong-woo, how much time has passed?"
"Umm... about 2 minutes and 45 seconds, hyung-nim."
"Good. Two minutes is more than enough."
Checking the remaining time, Song Da-in's back erupted in golden flames, as if unleashing her maximum output.
BOOM!
As if the speed she had shown earlier was child's play, Song Da-in instantly closed the distance behind Yu Eun-ha and swung her hammer.
CRASH!
But with a single sword strike, Yu Eun-ha deflected the hammer's trajectory, narrowly evading each swing.
The hammer's wide range, combined with Song Da-in's massive armor—which made her armored form 1.2 times larger than an average adult male—created a perfect blind spot.
Watching Yu Eun-ha effortlessly navigate the blind spots, dodging Song Da-in's attacks by a hair's breadth, Song Da-in finally snapped.
Thwack!
"Keugh?!"
Her composure shattered.
Whirring, clank!
The massive armor disassembled with a heavy thud, revealing a woman in her late twenties wearing a full-body black bodysuit.
"Hoo..."
She set down her hammer and raised one hand high, summoning the armor fragments to coalesce.
In moments, a colossal steel fist at least 1.5 meters in diameter materialized.
With enough force to crush a truck, Song Da-in slammed the fist into Yu Eun-ha's abdomen.
Yu Eun-ha lowered her sword to block, but...
Clang!
Song Da-in's iron fist shattered Yu Eun-ha's sword and slammed into her side.
Thud!
"Gah...?!"
Boom!
Yu Eun-ha, completely unprepared for the impact, coughed up blood and lost consciousness again.
Her arms seemed completely broken, leaving her unable to even twitch her fingers. Song Da-in realized she had reached her limit.
"...Give up. You're still young."
Song Da-in then swung her fist with full force to finish her off, but...
Boom!
"We're outside the Force Field, Senior Da-in."
"...I miscalculated. Thanks for blocking that, Han-ra."
"Don't mention it. If she died, Ms. Se-a would have all our heads, including the Guild Master's."
Afterward, they grabbed the fallen Yu Eun-ha and tossed her back inside the Recovery Field. Her body began healing rapidly.
"Ah... it's not over yet."
But Yu Eun-ha, fully recovered, rose to her feet, gripping the broken blade.
Blood streamed from her hand, yet she steadied her trembling body by slamming the sword into the ground, anchoring herself against the tremors.
"...Should we switch?"
"No need. I'll pass her."
"Senior?!"
"She's still only eighteen. We might have pushed her a bit too hard, but... it's clear she has the talent."
Seeing this, Song Da-in raised her hands in surrender and turned away.
"I've done my part~"
"...Haa, then there's no choice. I'll inform the Guild Master that Yu Eun-ha meets the qualifications."
Yu Han-ra acknowledged her and took the elevator upstairs to report. In the end, Yu Eun-ha had finally earned their recognition.
Yu Eun-ha herself had collapsed unconscious and only learned of this later...