Episode 41: The Heroines Stole My Regression

Episode 41: The Demonic humans (5)

It was an unremarkable attack.

By that time, there was no such thing as a “peculiar” assault.

Because it was war.

However, this time, the location was less than ideal. And the Association President had been taken hostage.

The situation was unfavorable in many ways.

That alone was bad enough, but all those conditions combined to push Jung Haein onto the battlefield.

Cheon Yeoul asked him,

“You’re going yourself, aren’t you?”

“I have to.”

He always had.

Because he had to go. Humanity was suffering from a severe manpower shortage.

Now, every named hero was crucial.

And in such dire times, his presence was an indispensable force.

But because of that, the demonic humans knew him well. They sought every opportunity to lure him out and kill him.

Kang Arin lowered her hand beneath the table.

Her nails dug into her flesh as she clenched her fist tightly.

By that time, they had all become weapons of extermination against demonic humans.

Forged by Jung Haein himself, over the course of years.

His creations, each and every one of them.

It’s not enough.

With them absorbing the fragments, Jung Haein shouldn’t have needed to stand on the front lines anymore.

That was how it should have been.

But a void had formed.

The man Jung Haein had nurtured most carefully—

Sung Siwoo.

He had vanished.

One day, suddenly. Without any warning, without any reason.

Jung Haein was devastated.

He didn’t show it openly.

But they knew.

In the study at dawn.

In the darkness that had settled over the room, the only light came from a single desk lamp.

Under that faint glow, Jung Haein sat with his head bowed.

His back, always straight and firm, was now slumped under an unfamiliar weight.

Even as he flipped through the documents before him, his gaze lingered on each page for far too long.

Pressing his fingertips against his brow, lost in deep thought.

They had seen it.

The sight of him wavering.

Cheon Yeoul, watching through the gap in the door, silently shed tears.

Yu Hana approached the study but turned back without a word.

Kang Arin left without speaking, heading straight to the training grounds.

Ha Sion gritted her teeth and ran out with her bow in hand.

In the end, to fill Sung Siwoo’s absence, Jung Haein pushed himself even harder.

“He’ll be back soon.”

Jung Haein believed that Sung Siwoo would return.

But no matter how much time passed, he did not come back.

His place remained empty.

Fortunately, the attack was resolved more smoothly than expected.

The demonic humans were eliminated one by one, and the Hero Association President was safely secured.

The tense atmosphere gradually began to ease.

Then, in that moment—

—Thud.

A dull sound echoed.

Something tumbled to the ground.

A pale, lifeless face.

Vacant, empty eyes.

The President’s severed head.

For an instant, all sound ceased.

No one even had time to scream.

There wasn’t even a moment to process the shock before the next event struck.

—Kwaaang!

Something hurtled toward Jung Haein.

An attack, filled with overwhelming force.

He instantly twisted his body into a defensive stance.

A violent impact surged through his spear.

The ground beneath him shattered.

Thick cracks spread, and the earth caved in.

Everyone turned their heads toward the source of the attack.

A silhouette shrouded in dark energy.

Eyes glowing red.

Demonic energy boiled from his body.

“…Sung Siwoo.”

He had not run away in fear.

And this was no return, either.

His body, now stained a deep violet—

His form, no longer human—

He had turned.

But the first thing the women did was turn their gazes to Jung Haein.

Sung Siwoo didn’t matter.

What mattered was him.

Would he be okay? Would he suffer?

Their own emotions came second.

His heart came first.

But he said nothing.

He simply brushed the dust off himself and slowly rose to his feet.

Then, with composure, he lifted his gaze and looked at Sung Siwoo.

What was he thinking?

What emotions did he feel?

No one knew.

***

Sung Siwoo experienced an unforgettable humiliation on the first day of his martial arts training.

He was furious.

It was easy to be angry.

But he wasn’t someone who simply got mad.

He was someone who knew how to sharpen his anger.

To defeat Jung Haein—his goal was singular.

Jung Haein’s plan had been to provoke him, and while the direction had changed, the outcome was still a success.

“Siwoo…”

“Get lost.”

“Oh, okay.”

Siwoo didn’t even look at him.

He ignored him as if he weren’t worth responding to.

Then, one day, he witnessed Jung Haein’s dungeon simulation training firsthand.

At that moment, his mind went blank.

Jung Haein effortlessly overpowered two students ranked higher than him.

His insides burned.

‘I have to surpass him.’

He made up his mind. He had trained enough.

So, during the midterms, he decided to defeat him.

On this stage, he would crush Jung Haein and prove that he was superior.

He challenged him.

But Jung Haein refused.

“This bastard…”

But the next moment, he was shocked by the opponent standing in the arena.

‘Yohan…?’

Jung Haein’s opponent was not him but Yohan, the rank 2 student.

Siwoo clenched his fists and watched the match.

Jung Haein dominated Yohan in an instant.

At that moment, the Crusader charged at Jung Haein with a look of madness in his eyes.

Siwoo instinctively clenched his fists as well.

But then, someone blocked his path.

“Why…?”

Siwoo’s eyes wavered.

Park Gwangchul was standing in his way.

The two exchanged a few words, and then he casually patted Jung Haein on the shoulder like they were close friends.

The place he had always believed he belonged—the strongest group in the world, Vanquisher.

Siwoo had always longed to join Vanquisher.

But even that belonged to Jung Haein.

At that moment, an overwhelming sense of emptiness surged in his chest.

That night, Siwoo couldn’t sleep.

Jung Haein’s image wouldn’t leave his mind.

Even the next day, he wandered aimlessly.

He didn’t know where to go.

He just walked and walked.

Wanting to avoid seeing anyone, he wandered deeper into the forest.

There, he met someone who had been waiting for him.

A masked man introduced himself as Moras.

“Are you lost?”

He whispered to Siwoo.

“I shall grant you power.”

At that moment, Siwoo’s heart pounded.

Elation surged through him. Finally, an opportunity has come.

From behind Moras, a black hand stretched out.

Siwoo was just about to reach for it.

—Swish!

“Hey, you bastard!!”

That voice rang out.

The last voice he ever wanted to hear.

It happened in an instant.

Just one more step, and he could have obtained power.

But a sharp pain, as if his head was splitting apart, overwhelmed him.

‘It’s you again.’

Once again, he had stolen his power.

Once again, he had taken away his opportunity.

His vision blurred.

Above his head, a sacred light emerged.

The system had intervened.

[Danger detected. Protecting the user.]

Divine energy enveloped Siwoo.

His body convulsed.

“Fuck…!”

His eyes trembled as pain surged through him.

“Are you okay?”

He rushed over, checking Siwoo’s condition. Only after confirming his safety did he let out a sigh of relief.

—You’re still okay….

—The system is handling it….

His voice gradually faded.

And from beyond, where the hand had stretched out, a whisper reached Siwoo’s ears.

—Accept it.

‘Accept? Accept what?’

—My child, accept this power.

At that moment, a strange calmness washed over him.

It was such a simple matter.

All he had to do was accept it.

[Warning. Abnormal mana detected.]

[Danger. System error detected.]

[Forced purification…]

[… Failed.]

The light shattered.

Jung Haein’s eyes widened.

His mind screamed.

The system—

Had shattered into pieces.

Despair overtook his face.

“……”

Jung Haein silently stared at him.

Siwoo smiled—slowly, ever so slowly.

From his body, a murky, dark energy began to rise.

He reached out.

—Clench!

He grabbed Jung Haein’s throat.

“…!”

The sudden force made Jung Haein’s body tremble for a moment.

Siwoo’s arm was gradually turning purple—a sign of his complete corruption by demonic energy.

His grip tightened.

Even breathing became difficult for Jung Haein.

And yet, he looked straight at Siwoo.

“Snap out of it… dumbass….”

He knew exactly what it meant for the system to be broken.

But this—

This was not how the protagonist of this world was supposed to end.

He was denying his own reality.

“Kuh.”

Siwoo scoffed. His crimson eyes burned with intensity.

“Just die already.”

Siwoo’s grip tightened even more. In response, Haein also clenched his fists.

Then—

—BOOM!!!

—CLANG!

Light rained down from the sky, an overwhelming pressure crushing the space around them.

A massive hammer wrapped in divine radiance and a pitch-black spear plummeted from above.

—CRUNCH!

Siwoo’s arm was torn off in an instant.

“Ugh… AAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

He let out a bloodcurdling scream as dark crimson blood dripped to the ground.

At that moment, a voice sliced through the air.

“This is corruption.”

It was a calm voice.

The one speaking was the paladin whom Haein had met before.

Behind her, a group of saints led by Chun Yeoul emerged.

“…This could have been dangerous.”

On the opposite side stood Kang Yoon-hyuk, the guild master of Glory, his hand still outstretched.

Beside him was Kang Arin.

She gazed down at Siwoo with cold contempt in her eyes.

Siwoo writhed on the ground, convulsing in agony from his severed arm.

With a wave of the paladin’s hand, white shackles materialized and latched onto his body, one by one.

Yoon-hyuk spoke up.

“What should we do with him?”

When dealing with demonic humans or those who had been brainwashed or corrupted by them, the standard protocol was to follow the church’s guidance.

Executing him would be easy, but the remnants of demonic energy could cause further issues.

The paladin hesitated.

If the corruption was still in its early stages, recovery might be possible.

However, seeing how his arm had already turned completely purple, it was clear that demonic humanization had progressed too far.

There were pros and cons to both execution and imprisonment.

After some thought, she finally spoke.

“Imprisonment would be the—”

—CRACK!

But she never got to finish her sentence.

Haein’s spear pierced straight through Siwoo’s heart.

“He’s a demonic human.”

His voice was brief, cold.

Then, his body slumped as he fell to his knees.

Haein had finally accepted reality.

“There is no way to bring him back.”

If the system was broken, then that was the end.

He didn’t care about the church’s advice.

Because when it came to corruption, no one understood it better than him.

Silence filled the air.

Except for two people.

Chun Yeoul and Kang Arin—

Their eyes trembled ever so slightly.

Their expressions were tinged with a quiet, almost imperceptible—

Joy.

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