I Regressed After Getting Tired of Their Obsession – Chapter 14

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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[Respect to the Great Warrior]

A mechanical voice echoed.

Choi Ah-hyun, startled by the sudden bowing of the wolf statues, clutched her chest.

“Oh my god… Weren’t these just statues? What’s going on?”

“It’s part of the school’s setup. It’s probably a compliment. Just take it as a good sign.”

“Hehe. Is that so? I wonder if we’ll get any bonus skills like last time?”

Choi Ah-hyun opened her status window with a cheerful grin, while Han Yuri wore an expression of frustration.

Quite the contrast.

“Alright, my turn.”

I placed my hand on the crystal, and the liquid began to rise.

Much slower than the previous two. It slowly climbed to 5% and stopped.

“…”

“…”

A different kind of silence.

The wolf statues, which had been bowing just moments ago, returned to their original positions.

Han Yuri looked at me like I was an insect.

“Idiot…”

“I think something’s wrong…”

“You’re pathetic. Let’s just go in.”

“Uh… okay.”

Perhaps because I was recognized as Choi Ah-hyun’s teammate, a wolf mark appeared on the back of my hand as well.

I touched the invisible wall.

-Whoosh.

My body passed through effortlessly.

“Whoa, that’s cool!”

“Yeah, the school actually put some effort into this.”

We chatted as we walked forward, and there it was: a Golden Goblin, sleeping soundly on the grass.

“Han Yuri.”

No further commands were needed. We were in sync.

The goblin, startled by our presence, tried to get up, but Han Yuri was faster.

A boulder the size of a sedan slammed down mercilessly.

-Crash!

“Gurgle…”

The goblin was instantly reduced to a bloody mess.

Choi Ah-hyun and Han Yuri tilted their heads in confusion.

“Huh? That’s it?”

“Easy.”

It was somewhat anticlimactic.

They had expected a fierce battle, but upon seeing it, they seemed disappointed and clicked their tongues.

‘In a way, the crystal orb itself was the real challenge.’

Knowing the truth, I wasn’t surprised.

“Now that we’ve killed the goblin, let’s get out of here. We can’t just stay here forever.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah. But it’s a little disappointing. I thought the Golden Goblin would be different.”

“Looks like your new weapons have made you completely oblivious. I’ll arrange a sparring match with Han Yuri for you soon.”

“Eek! Not with Yuri…”

Han Yuri and I chuckled at Choi Ah-hyun’s horrified expression.

We chatted as we walked back towards the barrier, but…

“Huh? They’re gone.”

The wolf statues had disappeared.

“Did they disappear because we killed the goblin?”

“…”

“Seong-hyun-ah?”

The crystal orb…

…was shattered.

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About five minutes after Lee Seong-hyun’s team entered the barrier, three more people emerged from the fog.

One man and two women.

Among them, there was one woman who stood out.

Smooth skin like a blank canvas, a pure and innocent face.

It was Lee Seol.

But regardless of their arrival, the crystal orb at the entrance of the barrier continued to change.

*Hum.*

The liquid, which had stopped at 5%, began to rise again. The once blue liquid turned a murky, ominous color.

10%. 20%… 90%.

The orb filled completely.

-Shatter!

Then it exploded into fragments.

At the same time, the wolf statues were engulfed in flames and transformed.

D-rank. Flare Wolves.

“Grrrrrr! Awoooo!”

Their howls echoed throughout the evaluation zone.

In response, the cries of the Junior Wolves scattered across the plains and forest of the zone echoed back.
.
“Grrrrrr!”

The wolves’ rebellion had begun.

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The control room.

Dozens of monitors displayed the evaluation zone.

Irena, the supervisor, watched them with a calm expression.

“Professor Sung, please give us a briefing.”

“The ‘Effort Crystal’ has been destroyed for unknown reasons, causing all the monsters in the evaluation zone to go berserk.”

“What about the rescue team?”

“They’ve all been deployed, and we’ve requested backup from the Academy.”

“Good work.”

Professor Sung was reassured by Irena’s calm demeanor, despite the unexpected situation.

‘Being the head professor isn’t easy.’

Dozens of students could die, and yet she maintained her composure.

If he were in her position, he would have completely lost it.

“Are there any other unusual developments?”

“Actually… we’ve lost connection with the monitors in Sector C, the deepest part of the evaluation zone.”

“Lost connection?”

“Yes. Since the crystal was located there, we believe there might be a connection…”

“All these monitors are connected through transceiver artifacts, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Irena thought for a moment, then instructed Professor Sung.

“Please identify the students currently visible on the monitors.”

“Are you trying to narrow down the students in Sector C?”

“Yes. I suspect a skill nullification field has been activated in that area. In the worst-case scenario, we might need assistance from the Association.”

“Understood!”

Skill nullification.

Professor Sung quickly scanned the monitors. After about ten minutes…

He had a list of the students in Sector C.

“Professor, I have the list.”

“Read it out, please.”

“Yes. Lee Seol, Kim Ji-hoon, Lee Yoon-ah, Han Yuri, Choi Ah-hyun, and… Lee Seong-hyun.”

Silence.

The daughter of the Korean Hunter Association President and the daughter of one of the world’s top guild leaders.

This was no ordinary situation.

“We should contact the Association immediately, Professor. We’re running out of time.”

“…”

“Professor?”

“Give me the list.”

“Here.”

Irena took the list and read through it. Then, in a trembling voice, she said,

“…Lee Seong-hyun.”

She immediately stood up.

“Professor?! Where are you going?!”

“I’ll go provide support. There’s no need to contact the Association.”

“What?!”

Irena’s expression remained unchanged.

The same calm face as always.

But her pupils were trembling slightly.

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The crystal orb was shattered. Which meant…

“Aaaaagh!”

Ji-hoon’s scream. At that, I stopped thinking and ran into the fog.

“Hey! Lee Seong-hyun!”

“Seong-hyun-ah!”

I ran through the blinding fog.

At the edge, where the fog cleared, I saw Lee Seol’s team battling a Flare Wolf.

The situation was dire.

Lee Seol had burns on her shoulder, and Kim Ji-hoon’s shield, along with his arm, was half-melted.

The remaining team member was unconscious, lying on the ground.

Any ordinary first-year F-rank would have been instantly killed by a Flare Wolf, but Lee Seol’s team was different. With Lee Seol’s Eternal Snow…

‘She’s not using her ability?’

Kim Ji-hoon was barely blocking the Flare Wolf’s attacks, while Lee Seol stood there, frozen in fear.

‘It’s not that she’s not using it, but that she can’t use it!’

Why?

This hadn’t happened in the previous timeline. The only difference was…

The shattered crystal orb. That was it.

‘A wide-area skill nullification is a pain in the ass.’

It was a rare skill, sometimes seen in mutated monsters.

It seemed the Flare Wolf had gained that ability because of the shattered orb.

‘What should I do?’

With the orb destroyed, the evaluation zone was about to descend into chaos.

The rescue team, prepared for emergencies, wouldn’t have enough manpower.

And it would take too long for them to reach us, all the way at the edge of the evaluation zone.

‘If I go…’

I could probably handle it.

My Unique Skill, Equivalent Exchange, wasn’t affected by skill nullification, so I should be able to take on a D-rank monster. But…

‘I could kill Lee Seol without any repercussions.’

I could eliminate a major problem without getting my hands dirty. But I hesitated.

‘…’

Kim Ji-hoon.

It was because of him.

He’d suffered just like I had in the previous timeline, all because of a woman.

And even when he was struggling, he’d comforted me.

I wanted him to have a better life this time around…

‘If Lee Seol dies, Kim Ji-hoon, the tank, will inevitably die too.’

A checkmate.

Even though there was only one real choice, I hesitated. As I struggled with my decision…

“Ugh!”

“Ji-hoon-ah!”

Kim Ji-hoon collapsed, finally reaching his limit.

The sight of him made my heart go cold. I couldn’t hesitate any longer.

‘Don’t be scared.’

I could get stronger. Strong enough to surpass Lee Seol and Han Yuri, strong enough to crush their powerful backgrounds.

So…

‘I’ll save him.’

My one and only troublesome friend.

I shot forward.

The Flare Wolf was now targeting Lee Seol, who had stepped in front of the fallen Kim Ji-hoon.

“Grrrr!”

Razor-sharp teeth, radiating intense heat, lunged towards Lee Seol.

Two seconds later, I could already see Lee Seol covered in blood.

Normally, any other person would have saved Lee Seol first. Pushed her out of the way or something.

But I was different.

Just as the wolf was about to sink its teeth into her, I used Lee Seol as bait, masking my presence as I charged at it.

A mere 30cm.

That was the distance between Lee Seol and the wolf. The wolf didn’t notice me approaching from behind.

‘Got you!’

I jumped and swung my sword. At that moment, I saw Lee Seol’s face, previously hidden behind the wolf.

Contrary to my expectations, she wasn’t trembling. She was looking at me.

Directly, clearly, transparently. Her gaze pierced through me.

The wolf lunged.

My life was on the line. I had to dodge. I had to attack.

But Lee Seol continued to stare at me.

As if she’d known I would come. As if she was certain she wouldn’t die.

She smiled and her eyes locked on mine.

“You came?”

A woman so pure and innocent, yet so dangerous.

The Pure White Witch greeted me.

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