Chapter 45: Yu Eun-ha [End]

I had a nostalgic dream after a long time.

“Eunha, are you going to hang out with unnie again today?”

“Yes, I promised to go Gate exploring with unnie today.”

“Ah, take us with you too!”

“But… Jian-ssi, you have to retake your exam today because you didn’t meet the passing score. Unnie always says how great it would be if you could just pass your exams…”

“Then just ask them to lower the difficulty level.”

“That… Miss Jian, if they set the exam difficulty low enough for you to pass normally, wouldn’t the entire school be able to pass?”

“Ecclesia, you too? Arin! Help me out here…….”

“………….ZZZ”

“……Ugh.”

Happy daily life at Raon Academy with companions like Seo Jian and Ecclesia.

-Rustle…

“Eunha, are you ready to go?”

“Unnie!”

But unlike those times, my older sister was by my side now.

Different from my pre-regression memories, my sister who always had a kind and warm impression.

A fleeting image of Yun Se-ah doing paperwork tiredly at a desk bearing a nameplate [Student Council President Yun Se-ah].

As the scene shifted to me handing Yun Se-ah a fatigue recovery potion, a smile naturally formed on Yu Eun-ha’s lips.

How wonderful it would be if I could live exactly as in this dream.

But that thought shattered immediately when the next scene appeared.

The Seven Archdemons and their subordinate forces constantly targeting the academy.

But instead of fighting alongside Yun Se-ah as I expected, my presence had completely vanished. Only images of Yun Se-ah alone, always gravely injured, dealing with those enemies remained.

Her eyes weren’t yet clouded like a dead fish’s eyes, but they were gradually losing their light as if something was being lost.

Whenever we left somewhere, the Archdemons’ subordinates kept coming. Yun Se-ah’s eyes began losing their vitality.

A woman fighting a knight in black armor amidst the academy engulfed in flames. Again, it was Yun Se-ah.

Her eyes had long lost their spark, her lavender hair faded to an ashen gray, yet… Yun Se-ah still charged at the black knight wrapped in constellations, unleashing flashes of light.

After plunging a shining crystal sword into the heart of the giant knight in ash-gray armor, Yun Se-ah collapsed onto the corpse while muttering something.

Finally, whether we had just returned to the academy… I saw myself and friends running toward the fallen Yun Se-ah, but…

“Unnie, please… unnie..!!”

When I lifted her fallen body, Yun Se-ah’s arm limply dropped.

Completely like a dead person, even the faintly sparkling pupils lost their light and turned cloudy.

“No……! No……!”

Then, unconsciously reaching out, what Yu Eun-ha saw upon waking was:

“………Awake? You were having quite a noisy sleep.”

Her own arms covered in strange equipment, and Yun Se-ah writing something in a notebook.

…

…

…

‘What exactly is “no”?’

I was currently wearing three restraints since Eve told me to suppress magic use as much as possible until returning to the academy.

Probably meaning I should keep wearing these three artifacts even after academy admission. Since they could be forcibly equipped on others if needed, I didn’t mind them.

‘Really, how bad must I be to get three of these?’

Well, at least Eve said I could release them according to enemy threat levels, making destruction easier.

First, the choker around my neck.

This device completely absorbs my magic power and disperses it as ambient mana. Eve said I could remove it anytime. I won’t wear it – I’ll use it on subdued enemies.

Second restraint – the bracelet.

Even if I release power through the bracelet, the earring limits output to 50%. The button adjusts between 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%… but wearing it prevents gravity fields, so it’s all the same.

The last restraint was an earring.

A limiter for using Mephisto’s remnants. Eve gets alerted if removed, meaning truly dangerous situations.

‘Need to utilize them well.’

Suddenly, I recalled explaining my new abilities to Eve after showing her the numerous gems I’d created.

‘Really, that time even I was shocked.’

I still vividly remember checking my status window:

<><><><><><><><><><>

<Information>

<Name: Yun Se-ah>

<Age: 19>

<Alignment: Good, Chaotic>

<Skill List>

<Psychokinesis (A)>

<Can freely manipulate psychokinetic power>

<Crystal Maker (S)>

<Can create crystals that weaken enemy magic while amplifying your own>

<Recovery (S)>

<Can perfectly heal any injury. However, pain is still felt>

<Dulled Senses (B)>

<Long-term experiments have dulled pain perception>

<Great Fortune (S)>

<High probability of luck accompanying all your actions>

<Stats>

<Physical Strength: B>

<Defense: B>

<Magic Power: S>

<Stamina: F>

<Agility: B+>

<Luck: S>

<><><><><><><><><><>

Azathos’s <Crystallization (S)> skill had mutated into <Crystal Maker (S)>, and my magic stat broke through the A+ barrier without using Mephisto’s fragment.

Though my stamina dropped… D or F makes little difference anyway. Especially with <Recovery (S)> protecting me unless I receive instantly fatal damage.

‘Definitely not normal, I see.’

Instinctively concluded I’d absorbed part of Azathos’s remains when blocking his spear for Eunha.

His final attack compressed his entire body into a spear before detonation – a suicide move I took instead of Eunha.

‘An impossible game mechanic…’

Crystallization – the skill that dropped sealing fragments during Azathos fights, slightly increasing his difficulty. Now mutated into a new skill within me.

Honestly, I knew skills could be acquired since Eunha took Seo Jian’s UR-grade skill. But transplanting Archdemon body parts? Extremely dangerous.

I could lose control to the demons inhabiting my body. Constant risk of berserk states and unknown side effects.

The only relief… the power still obeys me completely. For now.

‘Maybe from all those monster parts and blood injections?’

After accepting Azathos’s fragment, using Mephisto’s power caused less backlash. My body was adapting to handling this power.

‘…Probably slowly merging with my body.’

The periodic seizures from Evil Eye use decreased significantly. Some days only brought slight dizziness without full episodes.

Abnormally fast recovery, magic output beyond my age, final boss fragments and an Archdemon’s remains inside me.

Could this still be classified as “human”?

I wouldn’t be surprised if classified as an S-grade Monster and hunted down immediately.

‘Doesn’t matter, as long as I don’t go berserk now.’

That was all.

But Eve seemed to think differently, strongly opposing my use of Mephisto and other demonic powers.

Hence these three restraints Eve created in three days, forcing me to wear them even at home.

I immediately removed the uncomfortable choker. The other two limiters proved quite useful.

‘So I was testing artifacts on Eunha since the restraints disrupt my magic readings.’

I’d equipped them on sleeping Eunha for testing… never expected her to wake after just ten minutes.

And for some reason…

“Um… Miss Eunha, even so, following me to the bathroom is a bit…”

“Unnie, don’t abandon me… It’s all my fault… Please.”

‘What nightmare did she have?’

Somehow Eunha started clinging to me everywhere, her mental state visibly fragile.

That this was the same assassin who tried to kill me days ago… truly an avant-garde situation.

Well, at least she likely won’t betray me again… small mercies.

“Unnie… I’m really sorry about what happened back then.”

“It’s fine. If someone killed me three times, I’d have killed them immediately upon regression too.”

After intensive counseling to restore Eunha’s mental state, we returned to the academy the next day.