Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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I rewound the footage to properly check how Han Yeo-reum had died all those times.
5th Round Death.
Entered the first boss fight during the round, time froze due to paralysis waves, and he died in that state. (I didn't see it myself.)
4th Round Death.
While hunting leisurely and resting in a safe zone, he snuck off with another woman behind Min Ha-yeon's back, then suddenly regressed. (Presumably, he was cornered by other mobs and killed.)
3rd Round Death.
Right after getting injured in a fight with a monster, he screamed and bolted in panic, then regressed at some point. (Probably swarmed and killed by other mobs.)
2nd Round Death.
Same as the 3rd round.
1st Round Death.
...Hit by a slime whip jelly, cried out in pain, fell, and bashed his head on a rock on the ground, dying.
Out of Han Yeo-reum's deaths above, which ones did I witness with my own eyes?
Only the 1st round.
And even then, I didn't pay it much mind.
I was too flustered by the regression itself at first, and the 1st round incident happened less than 10 minutes after leaving the village anyway.
But now, I had a chance to witness Han Yeo-reum's death directly once more.
6th Round Death.
There was definitely a shock bee stinger embedded in his head.
Yeah.
That scene of Han Yeo-reum dying was vividly etched in my memory.
I communicated with Armonia as I walked toward the inn..
'I should've looked at that 1st round part more carefully...'
'What are you talking about.... If we're nitpicking, the problem is me not figuring it out properly in the 2nd round...'
Armonia and I had basically skipped over the 1st round.
We were still clueless about what was even happening back then.
The final hint about Han Yeoreum's regressions was...
'You said the timings matched the 1st round, right?'
'Jeez... I thought it regressed right on death, didn't know it gave some leeway time.'
His death and regression weren't synonymous.
Han Yeo-reum's blessing (regression) activated 7.35 seconds after his death.
The real stroke of bad luck was that, aside from the 1st round, I never got to see his death scenes firsthand.
And figuring out the warp counter was a realization from the 6th round too...
The way to overcome this shitty regression was simple.
All I needed was a blessing that notified me the moment Han Yeoreum died.
But blowing 100,000 points on a one-time blessing just to relay a single death notice? That seemed absurd.
So today, while reviewing the footage, I tinkered and added more to the blessing.
Lying on my bed, I stared at my status window projected on the hologram.
I'd initially tried making the blessing with just the front part.
For reference, a blessing that just notifies of death costs a measly 2,000 points.
But tacking on the extra clause jacked it up to 100,000 points.
'Even for just 50 meters, that's insanely expensive.'
'Still, I've got plenty of Enel. Heh heh heh...'
Enel was abundant, and with warp on hand, this blessing perfectly shattered the regression.
For the record, I added the time stop because of Min Ha-yeon.
'I can't just let Ha-yeon keep losing her memories. Feels too unfair to me.'
From now on, Min Ha-yeon would obviously stick to me most of the time.
How could I be so sure?
With that Yin mark in place, she'd have zero desire to be apart from me.
Which meant, unless something extraordinary happened, Min Ha-yeon would stay glued to my side regardless of whether Han Yeo-reum lived or died.
The key was to Warp together with Min Ha-yeon while she was frozen in time the moment Han Yeo-reum died.
That would free her from the regression effect and let her keep her memories going forward. That was my plan.
'Yeah, I'll be careful.'
The thought of meeting Min Ha-yeon early tomorrow had my heart racing with excitement.
'Can't wait to see how Ha-yeon reacts!! Heh heh heh...'
As I lay in bed trying to sleep, a chat message popped up.
"That damn fapping of his..."
I'd completely forgotten about that guy...
I proposed to the voyeur with fap-watching syndrome.
"Wanna make a bet with me?"
..
..
"Whoa, so you're from Korea like me?"
"Yeah, if it's the Min Ha-yeon I know, probably the same place."
"Heh heh..."
Min Hayeon chatted leisurely with me mid-hunt while firing arrows.
She casually nocked arrows to her bowstring, each one hitting monsters' vitals with perfect accuracy.
'Whoa... all the tension's gone.'
Her archery skill level hadn't differed much from before.
But the shift in her mental state alone was boosting her efficiency tremendously.
No hesitation when firing arrows, calm responses even when swarmed by monster packs.
"As expected from a former national archer. Impressive."
"Hoo... It helped, sure. But after a few days, it felt kinda meaningless."
"...? Hasn't it only been 2 days?"
"..."
Min Ha-yeon gave me a droopy-eyed stare after hearing that, then smiled bitterly and spoke.
"You know how it is."
"..."
Looking at her, I thought.
'Yeah, I'd feel down too if I was the only one carrying memories alone.'
'...Yeah. Telling her I regress too might complicate things more.'
My selfish greed.
Letting only Min Ha-yeon carry memories.
Going beyond that and sharing info continuously could put us in a tough spot too.
Sorry, Min Ha-yeon, but to keep her by my side, I decided to hide it.
"Safe zone ahead. Let's take a break."
We rested in the safe zone.
I pulled up my alchemy list, planning to brew an Artemis potion.
That's when...
Grab!
"Whoa!?"
"C-Can I watch you do alchemy?"
Min Ha-yeon hugged me from behind, wearing a playful expression.
Caught off guard by the sudden move, I stammered, unable to hide my fluster.
"Haha... Uh... It's nothing much. Just touch the hologram... and activate. That's it."
"Hmm..."
Min Ha-yeon went beyond a hug, rubbing her chest against me.
'Gahhh!!! Feels so freaking good!!!'
I couldn't tell if it was deliberate or subconscious, but I had a hunch.
'That skinship allowance basically erases all aversion, huh?'
Min Ha-yeon had been doing skinship without hesitation from the start.
Compared to treating me like just another party member #4 at our first meeting last round, it was night and day.
And every time I looked at her, that rush of conquest...
Invisible to others, but crystal clear to me.
The pink Yin Mark glowing beneath her blouse...
'Subjugation.... The real deal...'
Armonia raised a question at my demeanor.
'Nah, I'll think carefully and set the Predispositions later.'
The sexual Predispositions.
The identity no eroge could do without.
Personally, I placed huge importance on that aspect.
Even for someone you love, there are sexual tastes that trigger aversion no matter what.
Min Ha-yeon surely had them too, and I figured setting Predispositions would be key to overriding those.
In other words, a hidden trump card.
'Can't just spam the Joker carelessly. Heh heh heh...'
I gently shook off her skinship and said.
"Uh... Anyway, it's done. You mentioned partying with your friend for lunch, right? Let's get moving."
"Hmm..."
Min Ha-yeon shot me a mischievous smile and resumed hunting.
After finishing the hunt, Min Ha-yeon and Seong Su-ho returned to the village to settle the loot.
"Whoa... 140,000!"
"70,000 each... Incredible."
Min Ha-yeon and Seong Su-ho both put on surprised expressions, pretending not to know the outcome..
But as she checked the settlement screen and distributed shares, Min Ha-yeon started feeling regret.
'...What to do. Invite him to meet for dinner later? Eating together shouldn't be weird, right?'
At first, it was pure selfishness wanting to get close, so it was easy to suggest.
But now that real feelings were involved, worries crept in.
'...He won't refuse or anything, right? Sigh... If we hung out till dinner, it'd be easier to ask.'
Deep down, she wanted to ditch Han Yeo-reum right now and spend more time with Seong Su-ho.
But without knowing the cause of her regressions, she hesitated to act too rashly.
Before parting, she made a proposal.
"Wanna grab dinner... tonight?"
"Ah... Sure, sounds good."
"Ahem... Then I'll head to the inn area in the evening. See you later!"
Min Ha-yeon flashed a bright smile, said goodbye to Seong Su-ho, and parted ways.
After hurrying off, as she passed through the village heading east, an idea struck her.
'Still some time left... Might as well check the shop for food.'
It was lunchtime, and her stomach was starting to growl.
'There's not much time left... I'll just have something light.'
She figured it wouldn't be good for her to enter combat without eating lunch.
Min Hayeon entered the shop to browse snacks.
"Its crowded..."
Everyone was grabbing simple rations for afternoon hunts.
Min Ha-yeon ignored the bustle and looked around.
"What to eat... Better keep it light and fill up at dinner later?"
Min Ha-yeon purchased some beef jerky and an ion drink and prepared to leave.
That's when something unique caught her eye as she exited.
Other shelves were swarming, but this one was deserted.
A quick scan told her why.
"Weird. They sell this stuff too, huh..."
The unpopular shelf was stocked with adult products.
Min Ha-yeon eyed the unfamiliar tools with curiosity.
Items that would've wrinkled her nose before now piqued her interest.
And suddenly, one fact hit her.
The sexual intercourse that had started in a sudden burst of excitement.
And a detail she hadn't considered amid the life-or-death stakes.
'...Wait! I did it with Su-ho! Birth control!'
In truth, her pregnancy risk was zero.
Armonia had rendered all women Seong Suho slept with incapable of conception.
But unaware, Min Ha-yeon grew anxious.
'Contraceptive first!'
Her eyes landed on birth control pills; she tapped to buy instantly.
The description was straightforward.
Birth Control Pill - 100 points
Prevents pregnancy for the duration upon consumption. (Effect lasts 10 days)
Dirt cheap with great efficacy.
'Since it says "duration," does that mean it covers emergency contraception too?'
Anxiety began to overwhelm her..
She trusted Seong Su-ho.
She firmly believed that if she did get pregnant, Seong Su-ho would definitely take responsibility.
But circumstances had changed.
She'd slept with past Seong Su-ho, not the current one.
'Argh... It'll be fine... It has to be...'
Min Ha-yeon tore open the pack with one pill and popped it in her mouth.
And at that moment.
"Um..."
"...?"
With the pill in her mouth, she couldn't reply to the voice calling her, just turned her head slightly.
Gulp...
As the pill slid firmly down her throat, a woman entered her view.
"Ha-yeon... That's... a birth control pill, right?"
The woman's identity was...
"Uh..."
Han Yeo-reum's first fling, Park Seon-hui.