Episode 53: The Heroines Stole My Regression

Episode 53: The Night Before (6)

Four beautiful women were looking at me, each with a different expression.

What did I just say?

I raised my hand to my forehead. A slightly damp sensation—seems like I had been sweating while unconscious.

Yu Hana handed me a handkerchief from the side.

“Thanks.”

Taking a deep breath, I looked around. Judging by the time, I hadn’t been unconscious for too long.

Luxurious furniture, clean bed sheets, and a large monitor mounted on the wall.

‘This place is….’

I remembered. It was the same place where I had been hospitalized before after collapsing from taking an elixir.

At that moment—

“Haein, are you okay…?”

Sion asked me, her expression filled with deep concern.

I gave a slight nod. Objectively speaking, I was fine.

Mentally, I still felt some fatigue, but it was bearable. Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything, anyway.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing serious. I just had a little chat with the spear….”

I pointed to the spear lying beside me and spoke as if it were no big deal.

However, their expressions darkened at my casual response. They all looked somewhat gloomy, even sad.

What’s going on? Am I dying or something?

For a moment, I wondered if they had heard something from a doctor that I hadn’t. Cautiously, I asked,

“Did I get diagnosed with some terminal illness…?”

Just then—

“What? You’re awake?”

The hospital room door burst open.

It was Park Gwangcheol, carrying a basket of apples.

It seemed he had already heard the news and came to see me.

He walked into the room confidently, lifted the basket, and shook it slightly.

“You look fine to me.”

Without a second thought, he pulled out an apple and took a big bite.

“…What’s with the apples?”

I asked, bewildered.

“I just thought I’d bring some, but I guess you don’t really need them….”

His gaze slowly scanned the room, eventually landing on the four women standing in front of him.

He silently counted them with his fingers.

One, two, three… four.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he glanced at me before discreetly giving me a thumbs-up.

“I’ll leave these for you guys to enjoy~”

With that, he casually placed the basket on the bedside table and turned to leave.

I watched him exit the room with a dumbfounded expression, thinking to myself,

‘What the….’

Still, seeing his usual demeanor made me feel a little better.

Lately, I had only been seeing faces filled with despair.

Now that I had mostly regained my composure, I figured it was time to get up.

Those things I had seen…

I wasn’t sure if they were real, but I needed to prepare, just in case.

Slowly, I sat up and picked up Catastrophe, which was placed beside me.

“…Phew.”

I held my breath as I grabbed it, just in case.

Fortunately, there was no unusual reaction.

I leaned the weapon back against the side of the bed and turned around.

Then, looking at the women behind me, I spoke.

“Let’s go eat. You all free?”

Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana had been here from the start, but Sion and Kang Arin seemed to have come specifically to see me.

It felt right to at least treat them to a meal.

Kang Arin was the first to nod, followed by Yu Hana, Sion, and Cheon Yeoul, who quietly agreed as well.

“Okay.”

There were things I needed to discuss anyway, so this worked out well.

They continued to stand there, still watching me.

“Can you step out for a moment? I need to change.”

I tugged at the hospital gown I was still wearing.

“…….”

But instead of leaving, they exchanged subtle glances, hesitating.

Seeing their reactions, I spoke again.

“You’re not leaving?”

Let me change my clothes.

After I urged them once more, the door finally opened, and they stepped out of the hospital room.

***

A quiet restaurant’s private room.

We sat around the dining table.

Before I even had time to think about what to eat, Sion brought up eel.

Since I had collapsed, they all strongly insisted that I should eat something nourishing.

I just went along with it.

— Sizzle.

“…”

The sound of eel grilling filled the room.

Come to think of it, this was the first time this particular group had gathered together.

I had gotten fairly close to each of them individually, but they weren’t necessarily close with one another.

Especially Sion, since she wasn’t even in the same class.

Naturally, an awkward atmosphere formed.

Someone needed to break the silence.

I looked up and glanced across the table.

There, Cheon Yeoul was steadily placing pieces of cut eel onto my plate.

“Cheon Yeoul.”

When I called her name, she looked up slightly startled.

“Huh?”

I put my spoon down and asked,

“The Paladins of the Order—do they take commissions?”

In that instant, all four of them turned their eyes toward me.

Aldebaran’s Trial.

Within that trial, I had clearly seen it.

Three Apostles gathered in one place.

Three Apostles?

That was the kind of force that only appeared in the mid-to-late main story.

To be honest, I couldn’t believe it. Even from the perspective of the Evil Gods, Apostles were strategic-level assets.

Regardless, now that I had seen it, my course of action was clear.

I needed to balance the scales of power.

If this event truly occurred, the Vanquisher team alone wouldn’t stand a chance.

I had to call in other teams, at least to even the odds slightly.

Besides, in the final scene, when the Association’s reinforcements arrived, the Apostles immediately retreated.

They showed a tendency to avoid unnecessary clashes with other factions.

It was just a hypothesis, but if more forces were present, they might refrain from engaging recklessly.

So I had to gather allies.

Even if the Apostles didn’t appear in the end.

One might think, Why not just avoid going to the location altogether?

But that was practically impossible.

The Vanquisher’s Annihilation—a scripted event that wasn’t originally tied to the protagonist’s actions.

Even if I managed to avoid it now, it would inevitably resurface in an even greater and more unpredictable form.

So, it was better to prepare as much as possible while I still had some control.

That was the lesson I had learned from Aldebaran’s Trial.

I acknowledged my own complacency.

And once I did, I started to see the flaws in my original plan.

A wake-up call, huh.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but as long as I could take something away from it, it was meaningful.

The story was long, and there were still plenty of trials ahead.

“I do take commissions.”

Cheon Yeoul responded quietly.

That settled it—I needed the Paladins’ help.

Their combat style was centered around divine energy.

One of the few forces capable of countering the Apostles.

I met Cheon Yeoul’s gaze and said,

“Is that so? Then I’ll be submitting a request.”

The core force of the Order, the Paladins, didn’t normally accept external requests.

However, there was one exception.

A single individual whose orders they could not refuse.

The one to whom the Paladins had sworn their loyalty—

The Saintess.

It was time to make use of the relationships I had built with her and the Order.

Cheon Yeoul put down her chopsticks.

“What’s the request?”

I ran my hand across the table once before answering.

“The Apostles.”

In that instant, the air around the table grew heavy.

“I believe an Apostle has appeared.”

An Apostle would emerge.

No one would find it easy to believe such a claim.

Ever since the Evil God had been sealed away by the Hero of two generations ago, most of the Apostles had either perished or fallen into deep slumber.

Those who survived had hidden themselves thoroughly.

As a result, most heroes of the current era had never encountered an Apostle firsthand.

Their cruelty and strength were nothing more than stories in historical records.

The Recent Shanghai Mine Attack

It was the first official Apostle attack in decades.

When the assault was first reported, the Chinese Hero Association dispatched multiple A-rank heroes without much warning. Although historical records remained, they failed to grasp the true threat posed by the Apostles.

And within mere hours, all contact was lost. The result—total annihilation.

The Apostles were regarded as beings on the level of mythical monsters.

I observed Cheon Yeoul’s reaction.

Whether she believed me or not didn’t really matter.

As long as the Paladin was stationed nearby, we could fight together if an Apostle appeared.

And if no Apostle showed up?

That would simply be a good thing—the best possible outcome, where no blood would be spilled.

Of course, there was a chance I’d be dismissed as a lunatic, and in the worst case, it could create distrust between me and the Order.

‘That doesn’t matter.’

My honor, my prestige—none of that was important.

There was only one goal.

‘Prepare for the worst.’

Having seen a future where no preparations were made, that alone was enough for me.

“You don’t have to believe me.”

I spoke calmly.

“I’ll pay the price, so just stay on standby—”

But—

Cheon Yeoul didn’t let me finish. She stood up and, in an instant, closed the distance between us.

She leaned in close, gripping both of my hands tightly.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

“I believe you.”

A small but resolute voice.

Our eyes met, and her blue gaze remained steady, unwavering.

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

“…Oh.”

In the end, I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle and nod.

***

A Vast, Isolated Cavern

Dark and cold.

A man clad in black battle robes gazed upon the celestial body before him, its light dim as always.

“…!”

A tiny crack appeared on its surface.

From that fissure—faint yet unmistakable—a nebula began to bloom.

Surging aftershocks tore through the cosmic veil like a burst of starlight.

“…Hahaha.”

A dry laugh escaped his lips.

In a space where all paths had been blocked, a way had finally opened.

Where it led, even he did not know.

But only one thing mattered.

The path had opened.

—Kuuuuuuung.

The massive stone gate sealing the cavern began to creak open.

From within the pitch-black abyss, formless entities crawled out.

These were different from before.

Larger, greater in number, and possessing a clearer will.

The man slowly parted his lips.

“You’ve surpassed me.”

Once again, the worldline had shifted.

But through countless regressions, he had learned one thing—the world was never so easily altered.

If he had forcibly twisted fate to change the outcome, then a price had to be paid.

He sprang to his feet.

Gripping a spear soaked in the blood of demons, he exhaled deeply.

“…This time, it’s going to take a while.”

A faint light from the celestial body illuminated him.

Under that glow, his face and body were covered in wounds.

But he had neither the time for regrets nor the option to stop.

Now, it was time—

To bear the weight of the world’s restraints.

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