After that, Yoo Eun-ha woke up in a luxurious hospital and blankly stared at the restriction cuffs on her arms and legs.
“……….”
She also knew the reason well.
However, as if not caring about such trivial things as restriction cuffs, Yoo Eun-ha cried like a mad person for a while.
Even making excuses was a luxury.
She realized she was wrong and had committed unspeakable atrocities against her sister.
Eun-ha briefly thought about committing suicide to travel further back in time and erase the fact of the crime entirely, but…
She must not run away. She must atone.
“Anyway, just drop out of the Academy and never show your face in front of the cutie again, alright?”
“I… must atone to my sister.”
Even if the people of the Golden Guild threatened to kill her on the spot, she would boldly tell them to go ahead and kill her if that was the case. Eventually, they gave up and appeared to contact someone.
Then, not long after…
-Click
“You’ve got guts, kid.”
In the end, Eve Meitner arrived.
“I told you not to ever show your face in front of Se-ah again… I don’t understand why you refuse to accept such a simple request.”
Eve Meitner possessed the ability to read memories.
It’s probable that she, like herself, confirmed Yoon Se-ah’s memories shortly after fainting and was read into the memories.
“……”
“Se-ah might not wish for your death, but frankly, I’m having a hard time holding back.”
-Pop! Pop!
Currents of electricity began to spark from Eve Meitner’s eyes. Yoo Eun-ha would surely know that if she gave the wrong answer, even slightly, she would be electrocuted to death without hesitation.
Then, Yoo Eun-ha began her assault.
“I… am a regressive.”
“…I know, only a regressive could have three memories of dying.”
It seemed that Eve, who already knew she was a regressive, began listening to her words and situation.
She explained that in the world where she had died, Yoon Se-ah was a monstrous sinner who had sent beasts to wreak havoc and chaos across the world at Raon Academy, and after regressing, she coldly condemned Se-ah as a sinner upon the loss of what was like a father to her: Yoon Seong-ho.
“I never thought that… Yoon Seong-ho, that bastard… would do such a thing to Yoon Se-ah. Especially at the time of my death, because Yoon Se-ah was using the mana-eye. When I saw her mana-eye flashing during a mock battle with the Vice President, I lost my mind and attacked Se-ah.”
Upon hearing this statement, Eve wore an incredibly awkward expression.
Who wouldn’t want to hurt someone who was like their own parent if they had an opportunity for revenge after being killed by them three times?
“But while I was intruding on Se-ah’s memories without permission… I realized that everything I knew wasn’t the truth. In the past, the sister was… influenced by Yoon Seong-ho’s hypnosis and brainwashing from a very young age, left with no choice but to follow his will. Even at the moment of my death, she must have still been resisting to the very end…”
Eve Meitner’s face became more and more shocked.
Perhaps because Se-ah hadn’t explained the situation properly, Eve’s face distorted in real-time with every word that Eun-ha spoke.
Almost like a madman driven by guilt, or perhaps someone who had given up on everything out of sorrow.
“……I have no intention of asking for forgiveness, but… I want to protect Se-ah, no, Neesan until the very end.”
“Watch your words, girl.”
-Pop!
“……!”
In an instant, a high-level magic called [Lightning Chain] zipped past Yoo Eun-ha’s side.
“The only reason I’m letting you live is because Se-ah wants it that way. But what makes you think you have the right to be by Se-ah’s side?”
Eve’s words grew more concentrated with murderous intent. Even amidst what felt like a suffocating pressure, Yoon Se-ah continued speaking, holding on to every word.
“I must… absolutely atone.”
With those words, Eun-ha foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.
She awoke 30 minutes later…
…
…
…
Eve mumbled as she walked away, looking annoyed.
“What is it about her that Se-ah likes?”
Eve genuinely considered killing Yoo Eun-ha and simply reporting to Se-ah that she had dropped out, but instinctively felt that such a plan wouldn’t work against Yoon Se-ah, who always seemed to foresee things one step ahead. She snapped her fingers, calling someone.
“Guild President, did you call?”
“I’m busy, what’s this about?”
“Listen carefully, Yoo Eun-ha has volunteered to be Se-ah’s bodyguard. Therefore, we must have her prove it. Prove that Yoo Eun-ha is capable of perfectly protecting Se-ah.”
Upon hearing Eve’s words, the two women’s faces distorted in an ominous fashion.
“Though it’s a bit irritating… thinking of it as adding more meat-shields to protect Se-ah within the academy… It doesn’t seem so bad.”
“Hmm… In that case, if she wants to guard the cutie, shouldn’t we make her prove it?”
Though seemingly contradictory, Eve perceived that they both agreed to at least monitor the situation. However, there was something strangely uncomfortable in the tone of the short-haired woman.
“Hmm… Right, but why do you keep calling Se-ah ‘cutie’?”
“…Hmm, now that you mention it?”
An unforeseen accident occurred where one of the heroes got electrocuted, but the meeting continued.
“Alright, then Han-ra and Da-in will be responsible for making Yoon Se-ah give up on guarding.”
Famously known as the ‘if-you-can’t-take-it, quit it’ strategy.
Along with a three-month salary deduction for one top-tier guild member.
…
…
…
Expecting to be either abandoned or threatened with death upon waking up, Yoo Eun-ha was surprised when she realized the magical power sealing cuffs binding her were gone.
“You’ve finally awakened.”
Looking up, she saw a striking woman with orange eyes and reddish-brown hair looking down at her.
“Congratulations, the president is willing to grant you the qualification of Se-ah’s bodyguard.”
“….Is that true?!”
Eun-ha’s voice rose suddenly with the good news but…
“Of course, if you pass the test.”
Of course, there were conditions. While feeling slightly disappointed that there were conditions, Eun-ha asked what they were…
“Simple, just show satisfactory results in a mock battle with me… and another hero.”
Even with an abundance of hidden skills, making Yoo Eun-ha, who had grown considerably stronger, seem like she would never be able to complete the mission, she could only gaze at Yoo Han-ra.
Her goal was to last over five minutes. She thought that was her limit with her still incomplete growth…
But, her assumption was entirely wrong.
-Crunch!
“Ghhk…!”
-BOOM!
“Aaaaah…!”
In an instant, Eun-ha received a shock to her abdomen as if it was going to burst and fainted.
The cause of the pain was a direct kick from Yoo Han-ra, who was wearing heavy gloves and iron boots.
“Disappointing, it’s a waste of those brilliant skills.”
In the basement of the Golden Guild, known as the punishment room, there was a special installation.
An anti-field generator that increased damage received by 200%, and a full regeneration field that would perfectly regenerate an arm cut off in 4-10 seconds.
Thanks to these two devices, even if her body was chopped off or her bones were broken, Yoo Eun-ha could wake up and fight again after a brief 1-2 minute unconsciousness.
“Well, since you’re obviously not going to give up even if you fail, the president set a time limit.”
“…Time limit?”
“Before the young lady returns to the academy, if you can’t pass the test by then, you must give up on guarding the young lady.”
“……Alright.”
There was about 2-3 days left.
-Crunch…!!
“K… aaaah!”
Her bones broke.
-BANG!
“AAAAH…!”
Her abdomen and various vital areas ruptured endlessly, but Eun-ha refused to give up.
She had committed an unforgivable, monumental sin.
“……Are you going to give up?”
“……Absolutely not, I can continue all day.”
“Unfortunately, it’s a relay, not just me.”
With those words, she removed the blood-soaked iron boots and gauntlets and placed them in a dimensional pocket. “Would she ever meet Se-ah?” muttering those words and spraying all sorts of air fresheners to erase the blood smell that soaked her clothes, she sped off.
“Hey there, stop spacing out.”
-CRACK!
“…….”
The next opponent came in attacking in a second, kicking Yoo Eun-ha’s abdomen.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Song Da-in.”
“Cough!”
In an instant, looking at the full body armor clad figure, Eun-ha instinctively realized that she was a Defender class.
“Did you mention your position is a Striker? Let’s see how long you can hold out against me at the front line.”
The characteristics of Eun-ha’s abilities were a prototypical Striker designed to handle enemies attacking from a distance.
Against a defender with overwhelmingly high defense and stamina, her attacks wouldn’t return much, and if she allowed even one attack from the Defender…
-CRACK!
“Ghhk…! AAAH!!”
In an instant, a fatal strike would allow her to receive great damage that would knock her unconscious.
When the blow felt like she was about to lose consciousness, an A-rank Supporter nearby judged that continuing the fight was impossible for now and used a healing magic on Yoo Eun-ha. Combining with the recovery field in the punishment room, Eun-ha’s eyes snapped back quickly, and Song Da-in yawned while swinging her mace.
“Wow, this armor designed by our cutie is really useful. I mean, what can’t our cutie do?”
The slumped Yoo Eun-ha instantly felt reassured upon seeing Yoon Se-ah, who had gained the trust of the Golden Guild members to the point of being affectionately called a ‘cutie’.
If it weren’t for her, at least those people could become shields to protect her sister.
“No, if I leave like this… I won’t have a face to show.”
However, she immediately recalled what she had done to Yoon Se-ah and refused the A-rank Supporter’s healing, slowly standing up.
“Yeah, are you going for more?”
“Yes, there’s something I absolutely must say to my sister.”
Song Da-in smiled at the sight of Yoo Eun-ha standing up despite her limbs breaking countless times.
“Got a bit of spunk on you.”
As Song Da-in prepared to swing her mace in earnest and deliver a direct hit to Yoo Eun-ha’s abdomen using the rocket boosters on her back, she instantly sensed something amiss.
-BANG!
The attack missed.
It was certainly aimed at the center, and unless the trajectory intentionally shifted, it was an unavoidable attack.
So, there are two hypotheses.
First, she deflected the hammer.
Second, she moved fast enough to dodge the hammer beyond its swinging speed.
However, the speed of the hammer was so fast that an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to evade it.
It was obvious that Song Da-in instinctively judged that Eun-ha had successfully deflected the hammer with her strength, but…
Song Da-in didn’t understand.
Just moments before, Eun-ha was in a state where she could only barely stand up with the support of the healer.
Unless she was a martial arts genius, there shouldn’t have been a single chance to perfectly deflect the attack she had just made…
“…So this is how it works?”
Looking at the white hair, now dyed red with blood, and the purple eyes that burned like a flame identical to Yoon Se-ah’s…
“…Alright, now I’m going all out without holding back.”
Song Da-in, seemingly unconsciously, thought that she might lose.
“How long has it been, Se Wu?”
“U…m, 2 minutes and 45 seconds have passed, Master.”
“Good, we have plenty of time if 2 minutes is enough for making pancakes.”
Upon confirming the remaining time, the back of Song Da-in began to produce a yellow flame at maximum output.
-BOOM!
In an instant, the speed that seemed like child’s play until now was used to instantly capture Yoo Eun-ha from behind and wildly swing the mace.
-BOOM!
However, Eun-ha managed to keep dodging narrowly by deflecting the mace’s trajectory with a single slashing sword strike.
The complete coverage of the large area by the broad mace head, combined with the heavy armor, which alone made her at least 1.2 times the size of a normal adult, created perfect dead zones.
She was moving leisurely between these dead zones while narrowly dodging Song Da-in’s attacks.
Upon seeing this, Song Da-in…
-BANG!
Let out an explosive sound.
-Whiiiiing, CLANG!
The heavy armor dismantled with a weighty sound, revealing a 27-year-old woman wearing a full-body clinging black body suit.
“Huff…”
She laid the mace down casually, raising one hand high. Immediately, the fragments of the armor began gathering.
Soon, a giant steel fist with a diameter of at least 1.5 meters was completed.
If even a truck could be easily squished with a single well-aimed strike from it, Song Da-in aimed it at Yoo Eun-ha’s abdomen.
Eun-ha tried to use her sword to defend against the attack.
-KLING!
Song Da-in’s steel fist shattered her sword completely and struck her rib, sending her tumbling backward.
-PUKE!
“Khaaack…?!?!”
Not having expected the blow from just now, Eun-ha coughed up blood and lost consciousness again.
Her arms seemed completely broken, and she no longer had the strength to wiggle her fingers when Song Da-in noticed she had reached her limit.
“… Give up now, you’re too young.”
After Song Da-in prepared to finish her with all her strength, but…
“Anti-field outside, Da-in senior.”
“…Guess I made a mistake. Thanks for stopping it. Han-ra.”
“Don’t mention it, if this person dies, the President and all of us will be in trouble with Se-ah.”
After that, they threw the fallen Eun-ha back inside the recovery field where she recovered rapidly.
“Hmph… Not done yet.”
However, the recovered Eun-ha stood up again, gripping her broken sword.
Even with blood streaming down her hands, Eun-ha stabilized her trembling body with the sword strike in her shaking hand.
“… Shall I relieve you?”
“Nah, I think she’s qualified.”
“Senior?!”
“Still 18, we did hit her somewhat harshly, but… her talent is certainly proven…”
Song Da-in raised her hands and turned around as if dismissing it.
“I’ve done enough~”
“… Haa, if that’s the case, I can’t help it. I’ll report to the President that Yoo Eun-ha has sufficient talent.”
Both Yoo Han-ra also recognized her and ascended in the elevator to report.
In the end, Yoo Eun-ha had obtained recognition.
Eun-ha herself passed out before knowing it, but learned the fact later.
