Chapter 65
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The Regressor's Plea
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Pungwoon wore a resolute expression. Inside the blanket lay Namgoong Yoo.
And me.
Only Pungwoon was oblivious to the bizarre love triangle unfolding in this very moment.
"Wh-what is it?"
"I wanted to talk about Seol-yeong."
"...About Seol-yeong?"
My blanket twitched suddenly.
It wasn't me shaking, of course. It was Namgoong Yoo inside reacting to the name Seol-yeong.
Part of me wanted to shut down that conversation right then and there.
I was terrified of Namgoong Yoo, who was kneading my leg hard from beneath the blanket, as if venting her frustration on me.
It felt like a thigh massage, but without absorbing internal energy, it would have been pure torture.
I could sense killing intent in her hands.
"Before we talk, there's something I need to say."
"Yeah?"
"Who are you?"
That was an incredibly tricky question to answer.
It almost felt philosophical, depending on how you looked at it.
"Who am I?"
"If you're hiding your true identity or have another real name, tell me."
I hadn't hidden my real name.
As for hiding my identity, I could say yes to that.
I wasn't from a demonic cult or an unorthodox sect, but I had come from an entirely different world.
"Do you think I'm hiding my identity?"
"Yes."
It was an answer without a hint of hesitation.
When I asked how he could be so sure, Pungwoon slowly moved his lips to reply.
"In all my life up to now—even including my previous one—I've never heard of talent like yours."
"...Previous one?"
"Yeah. I'm a regressor."
A regressor.
Someone who had returned to the past with memories of their previous life.
My mouth slowly fell open.
I felt Namgoong Yoo shuddering beneath the blanket.
She must have been shocked.
There had been odd signs, though.
His vast knowledge at times, or his reaction when Seol-yeong's condition improved.
Above all, when he mentioned gaining two fortuitous encounters at once, I'd even thought "maybe."
But a real regressor...
"So I didn't exist in your previous life?"
It was obvious, really.
"Unless you're lying about your name."
"You suspect me?"
"No, I don't. You're a good person... That's what makes it harder."
With that, Pungwoon ran a hand over his face.
Pungwoon began to speak of his past life—his previous one.
"...In my previous life, I was nothing more than a third-rate martial artist..."
"..."
That was hard to believe.
Pungwoon now possessed skills on par with the top young talents of the orthodox sects, alongside Namgoong Yoo in the blanket.
"In this life, I seized all the fortuitous encounters and connections I'd heard of in my previous one. That's how I ended up in the undeserved position of second disciple of Mount Hua Sect."
Even as he said it, Pungwoon's expression remained dark.
He let out a deep sigh and bowed his head.
"And because of that, the future has changed so much."
Was it guilt? Pungwoon clutched his head with both hands.
"Cheonmu Academy issued a challenge match, Jeongsun grew stronger, Seol-yeong unleashed her ice arts, and then you appeared."
Most of the changes were positive, of course, but Pungwoon couldn't help fearing even those.
He felt anxious as the future he knew slowly shifted into something unpredictable.
And I kept my mouth shut.
Aside from Cheonmu Academy's challenge at the forefront—
'These are all changes I caused, aren't they?'
Pungwoon's influence wasn't zero, but fundamentally, it was mostly my fault.
"...I see."
"You believe me?"
I nodded.
I could believe him, if anyone could.
I myself had come to this world on a quest from another, so there was no reason not to believe Pungwoon claiming regression.
Namgoong Yoo under the blanket still seemed to struggle with it, her hands trembling as she massaged my thigh.
It wasn't for any special reason—just something to do to calm her chaotic mind.
"So what does that have to do with Seol-yeong?"
I'd nearly forgotten amid Pungwoon's bombshell, but he'd approached me specifically to talk about her.
His being a regressor was just preamble to that story.
Pungwoon hesitated for a long moment before speaking.
"C-could you stop treating Seol-yeong?"
"..."
"I-I know! It sounds crazy."
Pungwoon waved his hands frantically, most flustered by his own words.
Then he brought up the time before his regression.
"It was the first fortuitous encounter that came to me."
Even to Pungwoon the third-rate martial artist before regression, fortune had found its way.
A certain "Snow Ginseng."
"It was inside an elegant pouch someone had dropped."
I felt a reaction from under the blanket.
Was that the Snow Ginseng Namgoong Yoo had promised me?
But at the time, Pungwoon hadn't seen it as fortune.
He'd even considered it misfortune.
For a third-rate martial artist, just possessing Snow Ginseng was a burden. And consuming it without extreme yin or yang internal energy would freeze the body solid on the spot. So he'd picked it up but left it unused for a while.
Selling it would get him labeled a thief, and returning it to the owner? Anyone would claim it as theirs.
That's when he encountered her.
Seol-yeong, collapsed on the ground with a blank expression.
She was emitting such intense cold that the ground around her was freezing over.
One thought filled Pungwoon's mind, he said.
'I have to give her the Snow Ginseng!'
He handed the troublesome Snow Ginseng from his bosom to Seol-yeong. Her eyes widened as she accepted it and swallowed.
Then she began circulating her energy.
But it wasn't enough.
The Snow Ginseng's storm-like internal energy subdued the yin qi of her Nine Yin Severed Meridians, but Seol-yeong's level couldn't handle it fully.
That's when an elder appeared, scattering plum blossom fragrance.
"That's my master now."
The elder of Mount Hua Sect placed a hand on Seol-yeong's back as she sat, murmuring softly.
"Two yin energies fighting to possess one body. No wonder it's coveted. Without the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, this body would have made her renowned for ice arts."
"N-Nine Yin Severed Meridians?"
"Yes. Without the Snow Ginseng, she'd have died right here."
With those words, the elder poured his internal energy to aid her circulation.
An hour passed, then two, half a day. Only then did the Mount Hua elder rise.
Seol-yeong looked up at Pungwoon with trembling eyes, he said.
And the smile she gave then captivated him.
Even in his next life, to the point where he could think only of her.
"Let me save Seol-yeong once more."
"...Hmm."
It was a touching story, but I shook my head.
Not expecting refusal, shock colored Pungwoon's face.
"Why...?"
"Because you're weighing Seol-yeong's life against winning her heart."
"...What?"
He'd said it himself.
That the future had changed so much because of him. And yet.
"What if you don't find the Snow Ginseng? What if the Mount Hua elder doesn't appear?"
"..."
"If the future changes? You'd let Seol-yeong die then?"
"...Me, let Seol-yeong..."
Pungwoon bit his lip.
Blood trickled from lips bitten in shame at his own behavior.
Even with the miraculous Snow Ginseng, treatment wasn't guaranteed.
The Mount Hua elder in the story had taken half a day.
I had extreme yang internal energy, but whether I could do it was another matter.
Pungwoon surely knew that.
"I-I..."
Pungwoon stammered, backing away.
Yes, perhaps things could play out exactly as in Pungwoon's past—finding the Snow Ginseng by chance, calling his master to save Seol-yeong.
But if he truly cared for her, he shouldn't cling to that future. He should try everything.
He had no right to tell me to stop treating her.
"...Pretend I didn't hear that."
"...Sorry."
Embarrassed by his actions, Pungwoon hurried out.
Meanwhile, I wondered.
What expression on Seol-yeong had moved him so?
To make him live for himself alone even in his next life.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, a pale hand slipped out from under the blanket.
Ah, right—
I lifted the blanket and pulled Namgoong Yoo out.
Her cheeks were dotted with sweat beads, perhaps from the heat inside.
She gazed at me with deep, soulful eyes.
Then she placed a hand on my chest and stroked it with her fingers.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Flustered by the sudden skinship, I asked. Namgoong Yoo met my eyes, her face flushed.
"...You were kinda cool, Oppa."
"Oppa...?"
I swallowed hard.
Why was she calling me that?
That was the pet name meant for Pungwoon...
"You need Snow Ginseng, right?"
"...I do, but."
"Then stare at the ceiling patterns. I'll make it quick."
"...Whoa..."
Her bold words left me speechless.
Of course, that boldness didn't last.
"Wait, this..."
Namgoong Yoo fumbled with my clothes using her long fingers but couldn't untie the knots.
Separate from any fetishes or bravado, she was simply inexperienced with men.
I undressed in her place.
"Oppa..."
Namgoong Yoo looked at me with an oddly moved expression, but no.
This was for the Snow Ginseng. For Seol-yeong.
How did things end up like this...
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