"Where did you go again!!"
Han Yeo-reum banged on Min Ha-yeon's door as if he wanted to break it down, calling out to her, but there was no response.
He began to feel uneasy again.
"Why the hell are you getting involved with that bastard!! A nobody like him!"
Han Yeo-reum couldn't understand it.
The more he regressed, the more he felt like he was falling into an abyss rather than gaining an advantage.
Especially the alchemist.
He had disliked him from the start, but just seeing him sticking close to Min Ha-yeon made his blood boil.
At least in the early rounds, it usually ended quickly, so it wasn't a problem.
The problem was the 5th round.
On the day they survived for seven days and encountered the Shock Bees, Han Yeo-reum sensed a strange emotional current flowing between the two.
He immediately decided to exclude Seong Suho in the next round.
It was the only round where he ignored the advice from the chat that the alchemist was useful.
And in the round where he ignored Seong Suho, Min Ha-yeon...
"My boyfriend is here~~ Hehe."
Bang!
"Damn it!"
Han Yeo-reum remembered Min Ha-yeon's seductive expression, her hips swaying obscenely, and her beautiful chest bouncing under the waves of gravity.
He had never seen her naked before, and he was mesmerized.
But all of that wasn't for him.
Min Ha-yeon had stripped off all her clothes, not for Han Yeo-reum, but for the alchemist. For Seong Suho.
"You bastard... I'm going to destroy you throughout this regression."
Only after saying that did Han Yeo-reum start to feel a little better.
A regressor.
No matter how he thought about it, he was an unbeatable existence.
He thought there was no way Seong Suho, who started with just a thousand points, could compare to him, who had earned regression with billions of points.
Even though all his points disappeared because he wrote regression in his blessing, it didn't matter.
Because he had luck he could rely on, just like regression.
Although it only applied to probability-based things like item drops or gambling, that luck was a significant factor in this world.
Even if he couldn't perform well in actual combat, items always dropped in abundance for him.
While others were happy with 1,000 or 2,000 points, he was earning 3,000 to 4,000 points by selling items, even if they were junk.
After kicking Min Ha-yeon's door, he headed to the Zephyrum inn.
"Why... why is Ha-yeon with that bastard..."
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand.
Clearly, the two hadn't known each other before coming here.
But by the 6th round, just three days in, they were already all over each other.
"Damn it, that bastard must have done something to Ha-yeon..."
Han Yeo-reum justified Min Ha-yeon's actions with his hatred and desire for revenge against Seong Suho, wanting to make her his even now.
And when he arrived at the inn...
"Oh my? We have a lot of guests this time."
"Uh... uh..."
Han Yeo-reum stuttered as he looked at the middle-aged woman with a stout build.
The monster who had snapped his neck.
Han Yeo-reum, in a posture he had never taken in his life, asked about the whereabouts of Seong Suho and Min Ha-yeon.
"Ah~ I think they went out for a walk earlier. They didn't check out of their room."
"Ah, I see..."
Han Yeo-reum wrapped his cold neck with both hands and immediately rushed out of the inn.
At least he was relieved that the two weren't inside the inn.
But the fact that they had gone out together remained unchanged.
"Sigh... What if they're doing something again..."
He began searching the village to find them.
Han Yeo-reum thought.
'If they're doing that again... Somewhere where people won't see them...'
In his eyes, the grand Colosseum was reflected.
***
"Damn it, why are you with Ha-yeon!!"
Han Yeo-reum shouted at the two standing in the center of the Colosseum.
Seeing Han Yeo-reum striding toward the center, Min Ha-yeon covered her forehead with her hand and sighed.
"Sigh... Han Yeo-reum. Why are you here?"
"That's what I should be asking! Why are you with this guy?!"
"Ugh... Sigh..."
Min Ha-yeon, aside from being angry at Han Yeo-reum, was reflecting inwardly.
'Because of my actions, he might do something even worse to Suho.'
Even though Min Ha-yeon didn't fully understand the concept of regression, she had experienced enough to know how powerful this kind of repetition could be.
What worried Min Ha-yeon the most was the possibility that at some point, she too might be swept up in Han Yeo-reum's regression and lose her memories again.
And the situation she feared the most was Han Yeo-reum causing irreversible damage to Seong Suho in that state.
Even if she couldn't remember, she wouldn't feel guilty, but just the thought of it made her heart ache.
'First, I need to find out why this is repeating. If I can find that and use it...'
Min Ha-yeon reflected on her rash actions and approached Han Yeo-reum.
"We were just talking for a bit."
"Talking in a place like this?"
"..."
Min Ha-yeon knew Han Yeo-reum wouldn't believe her.
She clearly remembered the situation he had seen last time.
The image of Min Ha-yeon dancing on top of Seong Suho...
'Sigh!!! This is driving me crazy! But it's not like forcing myself to stay away from Suho now will solve anything...'
While Min Ha-yeon was inwardly agonizing, Han Yeo-reum calmly walked up to Seong Suho.
A look of disdain and contempt.
Han Yeo-reum's expression was so clearly filled with scorn that it could have been a textbook example in a psychology class.
"Hey, this is my last warning. If you stick with Ha-yeon, you're really going to die."
"...Haha."
"Hey, Han Yeo-reum... Are you out of your mind..."
Min Ha-yeon was more angry at the contempt Seong Suho was receiving than at Han Yeo-reum's insults.
But Seong Suho cut her off, smiled gently, and said one thing.
***
[Suho's POV]
"Everyone who's talked to me like that so far hasn't been able to walk away unscathed. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
"...What did you just say?"
I've been holding back for a day or two.
I've already prepared a perfect countermeasure for regression, and now that Min Ha-yeon is my woman, there's no reason to hold back anymore.
The only reason I've been holding back so far is that I wanted to create a situation where Min Ha-yeon takes the lead.
I have Enel, and if things go south, I can fail this request and take on another one.
But Min Ha-yeon isn't like that.
For her, summoned here, this life is the only one she has, and she has no idea how it will unfold.
I've been trying to boost her self-esteem and confidence by playing along with Han Yeo-reum's tune.
But...
"You look different, but it seems like your eardrums are already ageing. Let me say it again."
"You son of a..."
I cut Han Yeo-reum off and glared at him.
"If you keep messing around like this, you might end up dead."
"What, what!"
Han Yeo-reum's eyebrows twitched as if having a seizure, clearly showing how pissed off he was even in the middle of the night.
And Min Ha-yeon, standing at a distance, raised the corner of her mouth and looked at me with expectant eyes.
The only one here who's playing separately.
"Sigh... This bastard... Hey."
Han Yeo-reum came right up to me, his mouth twitching as he spoke.
"Let's fight."
"What?"
It was an incomprehensible statement.
If summoners fight here, they naturally become Red Summoners, right?
But Gekkosu immediately cleared up my confusion.
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: He's challenging you to a duel, I think?
I asked through the channel chat.
"A duel?"
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: Yeah, it's a sanctioned fight. But killing is off the table. If it looks like someone's going to die, the system decides the winner.
"Ah... I guess it makes sense that such a system exists."
Thinking about it, it was obvious.
In a place where people risk their lives for the amusement of the constellations, it's only natural to have a system for them to fight each other.
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: LOLOLOL There's even an arena when you climb Midgard.
From what he explained, there are quite a few who prefer that over climbing Yggdrasil.
Plus, the channels there are way more popular than this newbie channel...
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: LOL I didn't think there'd be someone here challenging you to a duel. What are you gonna bet?
"Wait, I didn't even say I'd do it."
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: Scared?
"...Just get ready to watch that guy die."
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: LOLOLOL
I finished the channel chat and asked Han Yeo-reum with a serious expression.
"You really want to do this?"
"Why? You scared?"
Han Yeo-reum, grinning, seemed desperate to provoke me into a fight.
At first, I couldn't understand, but then I realized Han Yeo-reum had no idea about my true abilities.
'Now that I think about it, only Ha-yeon knows about my magic and other abilities.'
[If he knew, he would never have challenged you to a duel.]
'True...'
[Suho, this is an opportunity. I think it's a good chance to crush his momentum.]
It was unexpected. I didn't think Armonia would suggest such a forceful approach.
I thought she would advise caution and to let it slide quietly.
'Huh? I thought you'd say to let it go quietly.'
[....]
Armonia was quiet for a while, then spoke through the communication.
[Suho, you are our employee. The reason we tolerated the insult was due to the circumstances. But now it's different.]
'Oh...'
[I can't stand seeing you, who has overcome regression, being pushed around by such a trivial existence. Please teach him a lesson.]
'Haha! I must follow the orders of my superior!'
I like this side of Armonia.
Even though she seems emotionless, the respect she has for me, hidden deep inside, makes me feel better than ever when I occasionally realize it.
And one woman watching this situation with interest.
"...Hehe."
Min Ha-yeon knew the outcome.
She probably had a rough idea of the destructive power of the magic I could unleash.
She tried to stop Han Yeo-reum with clumsy acting.
"Please, just stop."
"Min Ha-yeon, you stay quiet."
Han Yeo-reum stopped her with an angry face.
Looking at Min Ha-yeon's expression, I could roughly guess.
"I tried to stop him once. It's your responsibility now."
That's the feeling I got.
When Han Yeo-reum looked at me again, a hologram window appeared in front of me.
======
Han Yeo-reum has challenged you to a duel.
Will you accept?
(Victory Reward: None)
======
I frowned as I looked at the window.
"Isn't it boring to do this without any victory reward?"
"Puhahahaha!"
Han Yeo-reum laughed heartily, as if he found it ridiculous.
He seemed 100% confident of victory.
In fact, his goal was probably just to crush me once.
He probably thought I wouldn't accept if he added a bet.
I added a condition and challenged him to a duel.
Gekkosu started to worry when he saw the condition I set.
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: Are you sure? I heard alchemists have zero combat ability...
"Just watch."
└Guardian of the Gay Dick: Hey, I was joking, do it without any conditions. How are you going to beat someone with a sword bare-handed...
Even the usually crazy guy was worried about me.
Seeing this, he really seems like a good guy...
"Don't worry, just watch."
Han Yeo-reum stared at the hologram with my condition for a while, then frowned at me.
"Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy?"
"Are you... scared?"
"You... crazy bastard... Puhahaha."
He laughed for a while, then a hologram appeared in front of me.
======
Han Yeoreum has accepted your duel challenge.
The duel will begin in 15 seconds.
======
Han Yeo-reum took out an old sword from his inventory and started swinging it around.
Then he sneered at me and asked.
"Hey, I'll go easy on you because the condition is too good for me. I was going to cripple both your arms and legs, but I'll spare one."
"Haha."
"Tsk... Well, you need your arms for alchemy, right? I'll just cripple your legs."
"Legs, huh..."
I looked at his legs and watched the countdown.
======
The duel will begin in 5 seconds.
======
Before I knew it, only 5 seconds were left.
Han Yeo-reum, perhaps worried that I might attack first, focused his gaze on the blade and pointed it at me.
"Alright, for three days, you'll be a leg-disabled slave...!"
Just as Han Yeo-reum was about to swing his sword at me.
Clang!
"Kuaaaah!"
Han Yeo-reum, who had taken a step forward, suddenly collapsed forward.
Blood was gushing from his leg.
I smiled gracefully at the fallen Han Yeo-reum and said.
"I told you so."
And a hologram window appeared in front of me.
======
Duel Winner: Seong Suho
Reward: While in Zephyrum, you can give Han Yeo-reum any order as long as it doesn't endanger his life or financial situation.
======
"No one who's talked to me like that has walked away unscathed."
***
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