Episode 43: The Heroines Stole My Regression

Episode 43: The Exchange Program (1)

For the past few days, Gaon had been on temporary leave.

Retaking the midterms was out of the question, and with several facilities destroyed, normal classes couldn’t resume anyway.

The watch kept ringing incessantly. I didn’t even dare to check the notifications.

Interview requests and broadcast appearances poured in like a flood. How on earth did they get my contact information?

If it ever comes out that I’m a “Silent Ghost,” I can’t even imagine what will happen. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

“Ugh, this is exhausting.”

I had to make the most of my time.

Even though my ten-year plan had completely fallen apart, I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.

So, for the past five days, I’ve been clearing dungeons nonstop. Starting with the ones that were easy to access.

The items I got weren’t particularly crucial, but they were things that would be good to have in advance.

Some were for me, and some were for the ladies.

After roughly tossing them into a corner of the room, I opened my notebook.

It was a revised version of my new plan.

I prefer writing things down rather than organizing them in my head.

The moment I put my scattered thoughts into words, the flow becomes clearer.

Originally, the premise of the plan was simple.

“A perfect all-in for Sung Siwoo, by Sung Siwoo, for Sung Siwoo.”

But now, that’s no longer possible.

Since it’s impossible, I had to redistribute.

The top priority was, of course—

‘Me.’

I absorbed the fragment and even consumed Iano’s elixir.

Most of the opportunities that should have gone to him now rightfully belong to me.

I have to become his replacement.

But the problem is, not all of those opportunities are usable for me.

Some opportunities simply don’t align with my characteristics.

This isn’t something that can be resolved through effort alone.

‘Mana.’

Sung Siwoo was born with an enormous mana capacity. I supplemented mine with the elixir, but fundamentally, it’s different.

If mine is refined and trained, Sung Siwoo’s mana was simply overflowing.

As a result, the powerful encounters that required an immense mana pool were never meant for anyone else.

In the end, those who shared traits similar to Sung Siwoo—

No matter how talented they were,

No matter how much potential they had—

They had to be excluded. Everything had to go to him. There was nothing left to share.

So now, he had to find someone else to inherit the opportunities that no longer belonged to him.

A recipient for the trickle-down effect.

I reviewed the options I had previously excluded.

Among them, the most striking individuals.

Those born with large mana capacities but overshadowed because of Sung Siwoo.

And the selection didn’t take long.

‘Yoon Chae-ha.’

A student from Kalos Academy, not Gaon Academy.

A person I initially excluded from consideration because her traits overlapped with Sung Siwoo’s.

But her specs were undeniable.

Her talent for magic was top-tier, and She had the determination to grow on her own.

Given time, She would naturally rise to the upper ranks.

However.

I decided to accelerate her growth.

As one of the new main characters.

Coincidentally, Gaon had just played its own card.

While the academy was temporarily closed, they announced a new program earlier than expected, under the pretext of supplementing the lacking curriculum.

‘The Exchange Program.’

A program usually held around this time of year for first-year students, but this year it was brought forward as an exception.

A student exchange system between Gaon, the world’s No.1 academy, and Kalos, Korea’s No.2 academy.

After meeting minimum qualifications, students could freely transfer to the other academy to attend classes.

The official purpose was academic enrichment between the two schools.

But in reality, it was more like a trade market for talent that suited their respective needs.

Gaon was overwhelmingly superior in melee combat and close-quarters weaponry.

However, Kalos was just as strong in the field of magic.

In fact, magic specialists often listed Kalos as their top choice.

Students with exceptional physical combat talent from Kalos would quietly transfer to Gaon, and the reverse was true as well.

Both academies absorbed each other’s strengths while covering their own weaknesses—a win-win system.

And that’s where it’s important.

In the original story, the powerful wildcard, that was Yoon Chae-ha, might or might not transfer to Gaon.

‘The condition was.’

Sung Siwoo had to exceed a certain level of attention and activity.

But meeting that standard was incredibly difficult.

If he surpassed it, she would become interested in him and cross over to Gaon.

There was no room for genuine interest or affection to develop.

However,

If he failed to meet that high level of attention and activity,

She would lose interest and graduate from Kalos.

Therefore, in the original story, she was not a character that could be pursued.

But now, Sung Siwoo is dead, and I’ve taken over his achievements.

It seems like those achievements have drawn quite a bit of attention.

In other words, all I have to do now is wait and see.

“Will she transfer?”

The probability seems to be around 80%...

I hope she does.

I turned my head and looked at the corner of the room.

There, glowing gemstones were piled up.

I smiled.

‘I have a lot to give. My friend.’

So come.

***

Kalos Academy, 1st-floor club room.

Sunlight streamed through the window, making the golden hair shine even brighter.

A dazzling radiance.

Joo Seo-jun instinctively squinted his eyes.

But she, despite her radiant hair, kept her gaze fixed on the computer screen.

A brief silence.

Finally, she spoke.

“Joo Seo-jun.”

“…What?”

The screen displayed a massive serpent, with five clones simultaneously striking its neck.

She continued staring at it, unmoving.

She leaned back deeply into her chair.

Stretching out her stocking-clad legs, she lazily wiggled her toes.

Joo Seo-jun didn’t know where to look.

But she, seemingly unconcerned, spoke again.

Her finger pointed at the screen.

Her orange eyes burned like the sun.

“Can you do this too?”

Her eyes, capable of dismantling and analyzing every spell.

Yet, no matter how much she calculated,

No matter how much she theorized,

This particular attack was beyond her comprehension.

Joo Seo-jun was caught off guard by the question.

‘Can I do it?’

He watched the video for a moment.

‘This is a bit…’

Distributing such precise amounts of mana in an instant and striking with perfect timing was something even high-level mages would struggle with.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say he couldn’t do it.

“…I’d have to think about it.”

“Considering the mana loss rate during flight, the difficulty of control due to speed changes, and the optimal landing point based on trajectory…”

“So, what’s the conclusion?”

She cut him off sharply.

“Huh?”

“The Conclusion.”

She pressed him directly.

“…I probably can’t do it.”

Finally, he confessed.

“Hmm…”

For a moment, Yoon Chae-ha’s lips curled slightly.

Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

“I can’t either.”

Even after seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn’t understand it.

She couldn’t even begin to guess how much time and effort had gone into achieving that level of precise control.

And the fact that someone capable of that was the same age as her made it even harder to believe.

Yoon Chae-ha casually glanced away.

A poster on the desk caught her eye.

‘The Exchange Program.’

It was something the professors at Kalos had been promoting for the past few days.

At first glance, it seemed like a simple exchange program between students—

But in reality, the conclusion was this:

‘If you don’t like magic, go to Gaon.’

There was a subtle tendency within Kalos to look down on warriors.

While it appeared to offer freedom of choice,

In reality, it was a policy to push combat-focused students out of Kalos and into Gaon.

Of course, even top-tier magic specialists like Yoon Chae-ha had received the offer.

But when she first enrolled, Kalos had presented her with a full scholarship and a connection to the Magic Tower.

An offer tailored specifically for mages, one that Gaon would never make.

They must have been certain she wouldn’t choose Gaon.

Yoon Chae-ha’s lips curled.

‘How boring.’

To her, the incentives Kalos offered held no merit.

Without even blinking, she stared at the poster with a piercing gaze.

Joo Seo-jun, who had been with her for 15 years, felt an instinctive unease.

Whenever she made that expression, she always made some reckless decision.

“Hey, you’re not thinking…”

It didn’t take long for his unease to become reality.

“This won’t do.”

She abruptly stood up and grabbed the poster.

“I’m going to Gaon.”

Joo Seo-jun’s jaw dropped.

She, ranked 5th in Kalos.

And him—ranked 1st.

“What about you?”

When she asked, he let out a sigh.

“…You’re insane.”

But the answer was already decided.

Yoon Chae-ha smiled brightly, like the sun, as she looked at the monitor.

Every time he saw that smile, he had no choice but to give in.

“Do whatever you want…”

And just like that, the two of them made their way to Gaon.

***

And at that moment, somewhere beyond reality.

To be precise, a place disconnected from the world.

A cold wind blew from somewhere.

A deep, dark space. A silence that made it feel as though even time had stopped.

A massive cavern.

A man dressed in black robes closed his eyes.

As he inhaled, a dark celestial body appeared before him.

Stars swirled, and planets traced orbits, creating lines.

An endless flow of meteors, planets scattering without any fixed order.

Within that vast flow, a single massive light flickered.

A cold star emitted a chilling blue light.

A star that had lost its sun wandered endlessly, searching for a new sun.

And—

A sun, hiding somewhere, crouched and captivated by that icy starlight.

Cautiously, very slowly.

It approached the star.

The star, as if it had been waiting, welcomed the sun.

The sun, which could never rise on its own,

Now boldly began to trace a new orbit behind the star.

The man’s lips slowly parted.

“So it begins.”

This is an altered timeline, a changed worldline.

The flow that has begun.

Will never stop.

-Goooooooong

The massive stone gate of the cavern slowly opened.

From within, demons stained entirely in black crawled out.

He slowly rose from his seat. The spear in his hand emitted an eerie resonance.

“That’s it.”

The sun accompanies the star.

And that new sun, which will never stop, will inevitably.

Become a fire demon that devours them all.

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