Min Ha-yeon stared at the blessing note floating in the center, lost in thought.
'Did I really go back to the beginning? Do you start over from the first village if you die?'
Min Ha-yeon, who didn't understand the concept of regression, lacked the comprehension to grasp this situation.
After pondering for a while, Min Ha-yeon picked up the blessing note with her fingers.
At that moment…
"Huh!"
Suddenly, her vision brightened, and the bright sun greeted her.
And then, a woman's voice came from beside her.
"Um… you're Ha-yeon, right?"
"…Huh? What!?"
Startled by the sudden question, she turned to look and saw the woman named Sun-hee, who had been screaming with her arm torn off earlier, boldly addressing her.
"Uh… uh…"
"…That's too much. We've only just met, and you're already speaking informally…"
"Ah… I'm sorry… I was just caught off guard…"
"…."
Min Ha-yeon looked around in a daze.
And then, she locked eyes with a man.
"Huh!?"
For a moment, she almost ran towards the man who had made eye contact with her.
If someone hadn't stopped her…
"Ha-yeon."
"Huh?"
Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist and called her.
Min Ha-yeon instinctively turned around to see who had grabbed her wrist.
"Ha-yeon, let's go. I'll guide you."
"…."
The man who had abandoned her and run away, only to have his head pierced, was standing there.
...
...
It took Min Ha-yeon some time to fully grasp the situation.
'…I've gone back to the past. But why? How?'
There were no hints.
But in this situation without any hints, one question arose.
The three women chatting outside the coliseum, just like before.
And Seong Suho, who had been staring blankly at her before leaving.
Everything was eerily similar.
Except for one person…
'…Everyone else is mostly the same... But he's acting strangely different, isn't he?'
Only Han Yeo-reum was behaving differently from the past.
The original Han Yeo-reum would have leisurely guided them to a restaurant, built rapport with the women, and had a meal.
But this time, she was acting completely differently.
"Let's try hunting first."
"…."
The other women, though anxious, followed Han Yeo-reum with sparkling eyes as he confidently took the lead.
Han Yeo-reum headed towards the eastern hunting grounds as if she already knew everything.
"There's a place called the Zephyrum Hotel where a day's stay costs 1,500 points. Let's try to gather 500 points first and book a room."
"…How do you know the lodging fee is 1,500 points?"
"Huh!? Ah… I, I heard it from the channel. Haha…"
A flustered Han Yeo-reum awkwardly brushed off the situation.
Watching Han Yeo-reum, Min Ha-yeon recalled a memory.
"We've eaten, so let's buy some potions at the potion shop and go hunting."
'Yeo-reum, shouldn't we check out the lodging facilities first?"
"Ah~ it's 1,500 points. It's a waste of time to go now."
"…? How do you know it's 1,500 points?"
"Ah! Uh… ah, someone passing by mentioned it earlier. Haha…"
'Thinking about it, it was strange back then too. He seemed to know way more than necessary.'
She knew the exact location of the potion shop and that the eastern hunting grounds were convenient for hunting.
She found the Zephyrum Hotel without asking for directions and led the way as if she knew the system inside out.
And the boss battle…
'Suho clearly said he wasn't affected by the time stop either... It seems like he knows something.'
Even if Seong Suho, being a human who can use magic, had some countermeasures, there was no reason for Han Yeo-reum to be unaffected.
With that thought, Min Ha-yeon remembered Seong Suho.
'Earlier… he really doesn't remember me, right?'
The man who had been struggling to protect each other's lives just moments ago was now staring blankly at her, cutting off all interest and going his own way.
It seemed like he didn't remember her at all.
'…There will be plenty of chances to meet.'
Min Ha-yeon thought that, holding back her tears, and lifted her bow, thinking.
'This time… I have to help him.'
***
After about an hour of hunting, Han Yeo-reum opened his mouth in despair.
"Ah… we really need potions."
"…."
Everyone was injured here and there, unable to continue the fight.
Except for Han Yeo-reum…
He was the only one without a scratch after close combat here.
It wasn't that his skills were good.
'…It's clear. He wasn't like this before. Now, he seems to see the girls as disposable cards.'
Han Yeo-reum was just following behind the girls, doing nothing.
Yet, the girls didn't seem to mind Han Yeo-reum's behaviour at all.
'…Well, if they're fine with it…'
Min Ha-yeon smiled bitterly and said to the party members.
"Let's head back to the village and find a way to recover."
"…Yeah, let's go to the potion shop first."
Han Yeo-reum leisurely walked and guided the other members to the potion shop.
And as soon as they entered the potion shop…
"Huh! What… why is he here now…"
"…."
Seong Suho was wandering around the shop counter, looking at things.
Hearing Han Yeo-reum's words, Min Ha-yeon was certain.
'It's clear… He also came back to the past. Even before me…'
Min Ha-yeon looked at Seong Suho with conviction.
She was filled with the urge to run over and hug him right then and there.
But she quickly faced reality.
Seong Suho, who had glanced at her, immediately cut off his interest and went back to looking at the potions.
'…It hurts.'
Min Ha-yeon closed her eyes tightly and recalled the emotions she had felt for him.
At first, she had befriended Seong Suho thinking it would be helpful.
But her thoughts changed over just a few days, and she became filled with the desire to overcome hardships with him.
And now, he was looking at her like a complete stranger.
Min Ha-yeon composed herself and looked up at Seong Suho.
'Han Yeo-reum will need Suho anyway, so he'll try to take him in. I'll just have to get close to him again.'
She assumed Han Yeo-reum would try to take Seong Suho with him, just like before.
Back then, he had even said that an alchemist would be helpful and tried to bring him along.
But Han Yeo-reum started behaving differently than expected.
"Here, buying green potions should do."
"…Huh?"
Han Yeo-reum showed no interest in Seong Suho and bought about 30 potions, then urged the other party members to buy some too.
"They're only 10 points each, so buy 30-40 of them."
"Okay~"
"…."
Unlike the cheerful girls, Min Ha-yeon began to feel anxious as she bought potions.
'What's going on… why is Han Yeo-reum like this? Does he not plan to team up with Suho this time?'
Min Ha-yeon wanted to abandon Han Yeo-reum right now and form a party with Seong Suho.
But her relationship with Seong Suho had reset, and doing anything suspicious in front of Han Yeo-reum felt risky.
'Let's think carefully. I'll approach Suho… when no one else is around.'
Min Ha-yeon decided to set aside her worries for now and bought the potions.
...
...
...
'Sigh… I'm not in the mood for this.'
Throughout the hunt with Han Yeo-reum's party, Min Ha-yeon couldn't stop thinking about that.
The girls around Han Yeo-reum were diligently hunting monsters, but the skill gap was too wide.
Sure, after 7 days, these girls would level up a skill or two and become somewhat useful.
But for Min Ha-yeon, who had been taking Artemis potions and achieving one-shot kills, the calmness honed through archery was melting away like a glacier in global warming.
Still, she decided to obediently follow.
'…In 3 days, I can make an excuse and leave. Let's endure it.'
She occasionally opened her status window and looked at it curiously.
==========
[Name: Min Ha-yeon]
[Job: Junior Archer]
Skills: [Archery Lv.5], [Bullet Time Lv.3]
==========
When Min Ha-yeon first arrived here, her archery skill was only at 3.
Bullet Time was at 1.
But while hunting with Seong Suho, she realized she couldn't rely on potions forever and had levelled up her skills.
And those skills she had levelled up…
'…I still have them. So it's not a dream…'
Her gaze then shifted to Bullet Time.
=======
[Bullet Time]
A skill that has a chance to activate during combat, making 1 second feel like 10 seconds.
The chance increases with the level. (Current chance: 0.9%)
========
'…It activated when I saved Suho.'
When she first saw this skill, Min Ha-yeon thought it was amazing.
But it had never activated even once before she saved Seong Suho.
'…This time, I have to gather points desperately. And Suho…'
There was no guarantee he would join the boss battle, but if he joined another party, the chances of him participating were high.
After 7 days, most people would line up to challenge the boss, filled with confidence.
'I need to get close to him quickly and make sure he doesn't join…'
While Min Ha-yeon was hunting and thinking about the current situation, Han Yeo-reum spoke up.
"Alright, let's wrap it up for today."
"Okay~"
"…."
When they returned to the village, the distribution points displayed on the settlement screen were…
'1,000 points… good grief…'
Min Ha-yeon let out a hollow laugh as she received her points.
The feeling of your daily earnings dropping from 70,000 points to 1,000 points was indescribable.
But as Han Yeo-reum looked at the settlement screen, he frowned and said.
"Sigh… let's try harder starting tomorrow."
"Okay…"
Min Ha-yeon found the girls more absurd than Han Yeo-reum, who was shamelessly speaking.
Despite being treated like that after working so hard, the girls just gave Han Yeo-reum pitiful puppy-like looks.
As Min Ha-yeon received her points and looked at the girls, she smiled bitterly and entered the village.
"…."
Seong Suho was staring intently in her direction.
No, he was staring at the exit.
'…He still hasn't found a party.'
Min Ha-yeon felt both joy and pity.
Having an alchemist would save on potion costs, but they couldn't participate in combat at all.
From a beginner's perspective, there wasn't much merit in partying with an alchemist.
Just making potions and watching… It felt like freeloading.
'Right… I'll approach him first.'
Min Ha-yeon made up her mind and said to Han Yeo-reum.
"Yeo-reum, I'm going to stop by the general store for a bit."
Han Yeo-reum glared at Seong Suho for a while, then smiled and said to Min Ha-yeon.
"…Alright. Be careful, especially around that guy over there who's alone."
"…Got it."
Min Ha-yeon thought she had seen the peak of Han Yeo-reum's pettiness, but she was mistaken.
It felt like Han Yeo-reum was testing how much more petty he could be.
Min Ha-yeon gave a vague answer and parted ways with the party members.
After confirming that the girls and Han Yeo-reum had left, Min Ha-yeon approached Seong Suho.
"…Excuse me."
"Yes?"
Seong Suho looked at Min Ha-yeon with a questioning expression.
Min Ha-yeon spoke cautiously.
"…Do you have a party?"
"No."
Seong Suho answered curtly, showing signs of wariness.
Min Ha-yeon felt a surge of sadness as she looked at Seong Suho.
'I have to hold back… if I act strange, he'll only become more wary.'
Min Ha-yeon forced a smile and said.
"If it's okay… would you like to party with me?"
***
[Suho's POV]
"But I'm an alchemist, so I'm not much help…"
"Just try it for a day! Okay?"
"…Alright."
"Hehe…."
Min Ha-yeon couldn't hide her joy and giggled.
"Ahem, ahem… Then let's meet here tomorrow morning… I have to take care of some things over there, so the earlier, the better…"
"I'll be here at 7 AM tomorrow."
"Alright… then!"
Min Ha-yeon smiled brightly and left me to head into the village.
'That's a relief… Things are going much smoother, huh?'
While waiting at the potion shop, I ran into Han Yeo-reum's party, and naturally, I thought he would propose teaming up again this time.
But this time, Han Yeo-reum seemed intent on excluding me, as he didn't even greet me and just left the potion shop.
I was flustered and waited at the eastern entrance just in case, and sure enough, Han Yeo-reum just glared at me without proposing to team up.
While I was wondering how to approach him, Min Ha-yeon secretly proposed teaming up with me.
I communicated with Armonia about this.
'…Armonia, are you sure her memories are intact?'
[I'm sure. She wouldn't act like this otherwise.]
When Min Ha-yeon saved me, the Shock Bee in front of her landed on the ground.
At first, I thought the Shock Bee was intimidated by Min Ha-yeon's attack.
But the Shock Bee landed because…
'Did they really use the paralysis wave in that situation…'
The paralysis wave stopped everyone except me, and in a panic, I warped away with Min Ha-yeon.
Min Ha-yeon was also frozen due to the paralysis wave on the ship.
Because she warped with me to the ship, she was able to return with her memories intact.
While I was happy that her memories remained, I was also worried.
'Ha-yeon… I'm a bit worried… If Han Yeo-reum finds out, it'll get troublesome…'
[But Suho… if it weren't for that situation, you might not have found the perfect solution.]
'Hehehe… you're right…'
I kept replaying the footage from just before the regression at the eastern entrance until Han Yeo-reum's party finished hunting.
This time, I finally got the definitive answer.
I obtained the final hint to overcome Han Yeo-reum's regression.
I looked at the blessing note I had written earlier and touched it with my finger.
A hologram immediately appeared before my eyes.
-Would you like to apply the blessing? (Once applied, it cannot be undone! Please decide carefully!!)-
-Required points: 100,000.-
The points required were only 100,000.
That's 10,000 Enels.
But this is the end.
I touched the hologram.
-The blessing has been applied.-
"Han Yeo-reum… it's over now. Your damn regression won't work on me anymore. Puhahaha!!"
I laughed like a madman as I watched the blessing note evaporate.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹