Episode 70: The Heroines Stole My Regression

Episode 70: Reward (5)

Park Seo-hee seemed momentarily flustered, but she quickly regained her composure. Her eyes wavered for only a brief moment before she returned to her usual calm and collected expression.

“That’s fine. Since you have achieved such a monumental feat by eliminating the Apostle, it is only right for us to accommodate your request.”

She appeared to deliberate for a moment but soon closed her lips again and nodded.

“Therefore, we will conduct an internal review within the Association and determine an additional compensation plan. Once that is finalized, we will contact Hero Jung Haein.”

“Very well.”

I nodded in response.

It was likely deemed too difficult to provide more compensation on the spot. If they handed out rewards too easily, it might seem as though they had the means to do so all along but simply chose not to.

Well, it didn’t matter.

The Association had plenty of money, and when it came to achieving their goals, they wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary.

Behind Park Seo-hee’s impassive expression, countless calculations were undoubtedly being made.

‘What should we offer? What would satisfy him and ensure he accepts without complaints?’

Something along those lines.

“Now then…”

Organizing the documents in front of her, Park Seo-hee’s expression grew even more serious.

“Next, we will discuss the matter of compensation.”

Her gaze naturally shifted toward the old man.

Leaning back into my chair, I took a quiet breath.

The Association’s accountability—and the process of making them take responsibility.

Now, it was the old man’s turn.

***

The old man and I walked through the Association’s corridors.

The negotiations were over. The outcome… was satisfactory.

The Association had fully recognized their mistakes and the significance of this battle.

After reviewing the footage recovered by the second team of the Fierce Tiger Division, they could no longer feign ignorance.

In the end, the Association had willingly opened their vault.

Even in the original work, the Association’s treasury was known to be difficult to access, so I hadn’t expected them to unlock it this quickly.

I let out a faint smile.

The Korean Association possessed an unparalleled amount of wealth compared to other world associations.

In most countries, associations were managed as government institutions. However, the Korean Association remained strictly private, continuing under the will of its founding leader.

But they hadn’t just inherited his will.

They had also inherited the vast fortune he left behind.

The Association’s treasury was on an entirely different level compared to the vault of Gaon’s founder, which I had visited previously.

Simply put, these guys were loaded.

As I was lost in thought—

“Well, I’ll be damned. Life never ceases to surprise me,” the old man muttered as he gazed forward.

“The Association has agreed to open Bulgaraam’s forge…”

He halted his steps and slowly turned toward me.

“…And here I am, seeing someone who isn’t satisfied with that and demands even more.”

I, too, stopped walking and looked at him. Then, with a slight smirk, I replied,

“What’s lacking is lacking.”

In my hand was a transparent cube embedded with a crimson key.

‘We will notify you of any additional compensation after the review process. However, the Association has no intention of retrieving the forge’s key. As per our original plan, we believe it is best for Hero Jung Haein to open it.’

Park Seo-hee had promised the forge’s opening, independent of any additional rewards.

Supporting the growth of promising heroes was also part of the Association’s duty.

That was the justification they presented.

With this, it was certain—the Association wanted me to open that place.

I idly rolled the transparent cube in my hand and let out a quiet chuckle.

At that moment, the old man spoke again, sounding intrigued.

“I heard that Arcadia recently demanded the Association hand over the forge’s key… Looks like they’ve been left chasing shadows.”

He scoffed as he resumed walking.

It seemed that the Church was investing considerable effort behind the scenes to support Yohan.

But there was one unfortunate truth.

Once a forge was opened, it remained sealed for a set period.

And the time required for it to open again…

At least ten years.

Not that I felt bad about it.

The association would never have allowed it in the first place, and even if Yohan managed to enter the workshop, he’d surely be thrown out under Bulgarram’s fierce rebuke.

At the end of the hallway.

Two agents in suits stood waiting.

Before them, a massive iron briefcase lay open.

“Please place it inside.”

I reached out and set the key inside the case.

A red light flickered as it wavered briefly within a transparent cube before settling down quietly.

There was no need for me to carry it personally. When the time for release came, I would simply retrieve it again.

I smiled lightly at the agents.

“I’ll leave it in your care.”

Then, I turned around and walked away with light steps.

***

Ha Sion sent her grandfather and Haein to the meeting room, then went down to the café on the first floor.

Seated at a corner table, she glanced down at her watch, which had been vibrating continuously for hours.

As soon as she opened the screen, an overwhelming flood of messages exploded onto the display.

She scrolled up slowly to grasp where it all started.

The conversation had begun that morning.

[Rin]: Is everyone here? I have something to say.

[1000_y]: Yeah.

[Rin]: What about the others?

[1000_y]: That Yuga bitch is in seclusion training.

[1000_y]: As for that Ha bitch, no need to even check— she’s probably lying in Haein’s dorm bed.

Sion’s fingers trembled for a brief moment.

She thought she had kept it hidden, but they already knew.

To be fair, it had already been two weeks since he lost consciousness.

She had missed him too much—it couldn’t be helped.

[Rin]: Oh, I see… It’s nothing big, but my back really hurts, haha.

[1000_y]: You’re getting old?

[Rin]: He hugged me so tightly… I guess guys really are strong.

[1000_y]: ?

[1000_y]: What are you talking about?

[Rin]: (Photo)

Sion’s scrolling finger froze.

The moment she saw the screen, her brows furrowed slightly.

“What the hell….”

A single photo.

In it, Jung Haein was sitting on a hospital bed, holding Kang Arin in his arms.

Judging from the angle, Arin had secretly stretched her watch behind his back to take the picture while hugging Haein.

But what really made Sion angry wasn’t just the hug.

The posture, the distance—

They were far too close.

Her gaze turned ice-cold.

‘Are you insane?’

In the picture, Kang Arin had her legs wrapped around Haein’s thighs.

Her flushed face rested lightly on his shoulder, and one outstretched arm roamed freely over his back.

[Rin]: Haein woke up. 😊

[1000_y]: I’m coming right now.

[Rin]: Nope. He needs to undergo tests. Come after that.

[Rin]: We’ll have fun while we wait, haha.

There was no need to read further.

The rest of the messages were just someone cursing nonstop.

“Tsk.”

Sion let out a quiet sigh and scrolled to the very end.

She tapped out a short message.

[Sion]: Haein has entered negotiations.

His every move was always shared within their circle.

That was routine. They respected his privacy—

But only up to a point.

There was no need to say anything more.

Closing the watch, she took a sip of her now-cold coffee.

The bitterness spread across her tongue…

The picture.

…melding with the scent to create a rich, complex flavor…

The picture.

“Damn it, this is really annoying.”

That picture.

The composition.

The distance.

It wouldn’t leave her mind.

‘Who hugged first? It must’ve been Kang Arin. There’s no way Haein would’ve…’

It was getting on her nerves.

In the end, Sion reopened her watch.

This time, without hesitation, she quickly started typing.

***

Beep.

The cheerful sound of the door lock engaging rang out.

I had returned to the dormitory.

It didn’t feel like it had been that long, but in reality, almost three weeks had passed.

As I took a step inside, the familiar atmosphere greeted me.

A heavy wave of fatigue washed over me, and without thinking twice, I threw myself onto the bed.

“Oh, so soft.”

The mattress gently embraced my body.

The tension that had been clinging to me slowly melted away.

“Haa…”

I let out a deep sigh, inhaling the air.

Only then did it start to feel real.

I had successfully overcome a major hurdle.

With every slow inhale, a subtle scent filled my nose—sweet and soft.

I raised my hand to my forehead, closed my eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them again.

I was about to sink deeper into the comfortable bed but stopped and sat up.

There was still work to be done.

I got up from the bed and walked over to my desk.

Right now, my body was in the middle of a war.

The various elixirs I had suddenly consumed were clashing, competing to exert their effects.

I had received a list of all the elixirs the different groups had fed me while I was unconscious.

[Arcadia – Moon Spirit Water (月靈水)]

A mystical elixir containing the concentrated essence of moonlight. The moon’s yin energy stimulates the body’s yang energy, explosively enhancing cell regeneration and growth.

[Yu Family – Ahwan dan (亞還丹)]

A high-grade pill made using the secret techniques of a renowned physician. It harmonizes essence and blood, boosting internal energy and accumulating strong yang energy.

And then, from the head of the Alliance…

‘What?’

“Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp??”

I stared at the list in disbelief.

The elixir the head of the Alliance had fed me was an internal pill made by drying and grinding a Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp (萬年火鯉).

“Where the hell did they even get this…?”

A carp that had survived for over a thousand years in hot springs or lava.

The moment it is consumed, the body’s energy channels explode, forcibly drawing out the deeply accumulated energy within.

A supreme tonic—and a deadly drug.

It was pure yang energy, nothing else.

Its signature trait was its fiery red color, and they had actually made me ingest this.

I opened the setting notebook on my desk.

Just as I was about to check the effects and usage of each elixir, an odd feeling crept into my mind.

…Wait a minute.

I looked down at the list of three elixirs again.

Normally, when administering elixirs, one would consider the body’s growth direction and carefully adjust the combination.

Of course, I could acknowledge that this situation had been urgent. Their priority must have been keeping me alive.

“But what the hell were they thinking with this combination…?”

I pressed my fingers against my temples.

The problem was that, coincidentally, these three elixirs weren’t just highly effective—they all shared one common trait.

They all massively amplified yang energy.

In other words, they were all elixirs meant to enhance male vitality.

And not just a little.

Of course, yang energy is fundamentally linked to vitality and recovery.

So their decision was likely based on prioritizing my healing.

“….”

No wonder my body had been feeling so overheated.

“…No, but still, this is a bit much…”

For a moment, I imagined the worst-case scenario.

An excess of yang energy.

An uncontrollable surge.

And the disaster that might unfold the next morning.

“…Ah, fuck.”

I pressed my forehead and swallowed a sigh.

This was a nightmare.

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