I Regressed After Getting Tired of Their Obsession – Chapter 10

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Two weeks had passed since Shin Su-yeon and I opened up to each other.

Since that day, the problems that had been plaguing me had vanished like ghosts.

I hadn’t run into Lee Seol even once, and Han Yuri, the queen of solo play and doing things her own way, was actually starting to cooperate with us.

As a result…

“The rank-up test is coming up soon.”

“Wow… You’re right. There was a time I thought we were doomed. As expected of Sir Han, a true knight!! A comfortable ride, five stars!”

“Heh. Glad you appreciate it.”

Choi Ah-hyun gave Han Yuri, who was chuckling, a thumbs-up.

We, who had once been on the verge of disbanding, were now on the cusp of ranking up.

It was a lot, yet also not that much, depending on how you looked at it.

Perhaps because of the bitter taste of our first variant dungeon experience, we’d cleared assignments at a breakneck pace. Thanks to that…

We were ranked first among the first-years.

‘Just one assignment ahead, but… considering it’s against Lee Seol, we did pretty well.’

Even Han Yuri seemed satisfied. I smiled and asked Choi Ah-hyun,

“Ah-hyun-ah, are you confident about the test? You’re not going to freeze up from nerves, are you?”

Lately, she’d been showing the slowest growth among us.

“Hehe! No way. A test is nothing a bottle of soju can’t fix!”

“If you can say that, I guess you’re fine. What about you?”

Han Yuri responded to my question without even looking at me.

“Are you seriously asking that?”

“No? Just being polite.”

“…You’ve gotten a lot cheekier lately. Do you want to get hit?”

“Why so aggressive? Let’s just keep things friendly.”

I’d noticed something over the past week.

Between Han Yuri and Choi Ah-hyun, one of their Witch seeds had germinated. That was a fact.

‘But so what?’

As long as it didn’t interfere with my daily life, I could just ignore it.

And if it did start to affect my mental state…

‘I just need to get stronger and kill them before their seeds bloom.’

In the previous timeline, the obsession hell began the moment their seeds bloomed.

For now, I just needed to enjoy my precious freedom and get stronger. So strong that no one on this Earth could touch me.

“Alright, let’s go.”

We stepped out of the dungeon, and the bustling Hall of Challenges greeted us.

It was 4:00 PM.

It was the peak hour.

“Wow, Team 2 is already taking the test. Han Yuri must be really strong.”

“Damn, I should have switched with Lee Seong-hyun when he asked.”

The second-stringers I’d tried to trade with were kicking themselves in regret.

“Tsk.”

“Bus-riding bastards.”

The first-stringers glared at Choi Ah-hyun and me as if we were parasites.

They all thought Han Yuri had achieved first place on her own. Weren’t we upset that our efforts weren’t being recognized?

Not really.

‘Considering we were two of the biggest slackers in the school, it was understandable.’

I would have thought the same.

As we left the Hall, Choi Ah-hyun waved goodbye.

“I have a lecture, so I’ll head off first. Bye!”

“Okay. Don’t drink too much, and get back early.”

“Ugh, I hate nagging. What about you? Aren’t you going to attend any lectures? You haven’t shown up once so far.”

“Hmm…”

Lately, I’ve been getting nagging texts from my professor, telling me to attend class.

Apparently, I was the only student with 0% attendance.

“I think practical training suits me better than theoretical lectures. I can’t stand sitting still.”

“Well, can’t argue with that. See you later. Bye bye~ Yuri, have a safe trip back home~”

“Yeah, see you.”

Choi Ah-hyun hurried off to the dorm, presumably to change clothes.

‘I should get going too.’

I wanted to avoid being alone with Han Yuri as much as possible. I said to her as she was reading a monster compendium,

“Good work. You said you were going back home for a week, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Get some rest.”

“Hey.”

She looked up from the compendium, her eyes were cold and sharp.

In a frigid tone, she said,

“Let’s kick Choi Ah-hyun out.”

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Han Yuri’s sudden words stunned me. What was this, no warning whatsoever?

I calmly replied,

“…What are you talking about?”

“Do you remember what you said to me?”

“About Ah-hyun and me being able to stand on equal footing with you?”

Han Yuri nodded slightly and continued,

“I’ve been observing you and Choi Ah-hyun for the past two weeks. Choi Ah-hyun won’t make it. She’s hopeless.”

“So you’re saying I have potential?”

“Don’t get cocky. You’re barely managing to keep up with me. But Choi Ah-hyun is different. Her growth is slow, and her skills aren’t anything special. If we take the test as we are, because of the team evaluation, we’ll all fail. It’s better for her, and for us, to let her go now.”

Han Yuri knew.

She knew how overwhelming the feelings of inferiority and despair could be for ordinary or slow learners when compared to a genius.

That’s why she was saying this now.

It would be better for Choi Ah-hyun to give up on being a Hunter and find a different path now, rather than face crushing disappointment later.

‘She seems to like alcohol, so maybe a bartender would be a good fit.’

But…

“She’s good at finding openings, and her combat sense is decent. If we give her some time…”

“How many times do you think I’ve heard that in middle and high school? Anyway, I’ve warned you. I don’t want to go through that shit again, and I’m sick of being the only bitch.”

“…”

“I’ll give you a week. Decide by then.”

She turned her back on me after saying her piece.

One problem after another. Nothing was ever easy.

From Han Yuri’s perspective, Choi Ah-hyun probably seemed lacking. Given her own talent, it was understandable.

But we’d finally established some team synergy. Bringing in someone new would mean starting from scratch. And…

‘Who knows what kind of bomb we’d get next.’

Choi Ah-hyun was perfect outside of combat.

Sociable, adaptable, and friendly. She perfectly compensated for Han Yuri’s and my shortcomings.

‘She’s worth investing in.’

At least, it was worth sharing some of the rewards I planned to hoard.

Having made my decision, I walked towards the first-year main building.

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After about two hours of loitering in front of the main building…

Students started pouring out as lectures ended.

Among them were Choi Ah-hyun and a group of girls.

From what I overheard, it sounded like they were going out for drinks again.

“You’re late.”

“Huh? What are you doing here, Seong-hyun-ah?”

“I need to talk to you.”

My words sent the girls into a flurry of giggles and whispers. But Choi Ah-hyun didn’t smile.

She must have sensed something different in my demeanor. I led her towards the grassy field.

The same field where we’d first met. Her usual goofy grin was gone, replaced by a stiff, almost scared expression.

I carefully chose my words.

“You know that if you keep this up, you’re likely to fail the test, right?”

“Yeah…”

She closed her eyes tightly, as if expecting this.

She knew. She knew she was lagging behind Han Yuri and me.

“So… let’s do some special training together for a while.”

“Okay. I’ll leave the team… Huh?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re… not kicking me out?”

“Why? Do you want me to?”

“Well… I’m not stronger than Yuri, and I’m always relying on you…”

“There’s only one person in our year stronger than Han Yuri. And I rely on you a lot outside of combat.”

If it weren’t for Choi Ah-hyun, I would have fought with Han Yuri countless times.

She always stepped in to lighten the mood whenever things got tense.

Thanks to her, I was able to work with Han Yuri.

“So… let’s go together. To rank E.”

“I’m not sure I can…”

“You can do it. I guarantee it. So…”

I held out my hand to Choi Ah-hyun.

“Follow me.”

“…”

She stared at my hand for a moment, then slowly smiled and took it.

“But… Seong-hyun-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“You probably shouldn’t say things like that to other girls.”

“Why?”

“Well… you know, something like that.”

She led me away with an enigmatic smile.

“Now, let’s celebrate the start of our special training with a party!”

“Sure, sure.”

We’d be training hard starting tomorrow, so it was okay to let loose for today.

The next day…

Choi Ah-hyun and I were browsing the shops near the Academy, looking for weapons.

“You really don’t have to buy me anything…”

“Your current weapon is worn out, and we’ll need better ones to hunt E-rank monsters anyway. And we’ll use team funds too, so stop complaining and follow me.”

“But I feel so bad…”

“If you feel bad, pay me back when you become successful. Okay?”

“Okay…”

She scratched her cheek, a mixture of gratitude and guilt in her smile.

How much money could a newly admitted F-rank student have? The standard-issue equipment from the Academy was barely enough for F-rank hunts.

And for damage dealers, unlike tanks like me, weapon performance made a huge difference.

‘Just upgrading her weapon will make her a valuable asset. But…’

That wouldn’t be enough to convince Han Yuri.

Overwhelming strength through overwhelming equipment. I planned to deck Choi Ah-hyun out in top-tier gear.

After walking for a while, we turned into an alley.

“Whoa… so many weapons…”

“Is this your first time here?”

“Yeah! I’ve only ever been around the front gate. I didn’t know there was a place like this near the back gate…”

Choi Ah-hyun’s eyes lit up as she looked around at the weapons displayed on the stalls.

She looked like a kid in a candy store, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I led her deeper into the alleyways.

A dark, secluded area where sunlight barely reached.

At the end of the alley, a shabby-looking shop greeted us.

A rusty sign that looked like it would fall off any minute, cracked walls.

With no one around and flies buzzing everywhere, it looked like a business on the verge of bankruptcy.

“Is this it?”
“Yeah.”

Contrary to my expectations, Choi Ah-hyun’s expression didn’t change.

She probably assumed I couldn’t afford anything expensive, considering my financial situation.

It was just like her to hide her disappointment.

But what she didn’t know was that I had a decent amount of money thanks to my parents’ inheritance.

I grabbed the rusty doorknob and opened the door.

*Creak.*

The unpleasant screech of metal accompanied the opening of the door. Beyond it stood a girl, about 140cm tall, with long, straight blonde hair down to her waist.

She was beautiful enough to be a child actress.

She looked back and forth between Choi Ah-hyun and me, her eyes widening in surprise.

Then she greeted us with a bright smile.

“Welcome! I’m Yoo Chung!”

This was…

The god-given blacksmith, Gold Dragon Yoo Chung’s shop.

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