Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Preparation for the Final Battle (1)

***

“By the way, Yoo Dahee.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

When Isabelle called out in a quiet voice, Yoo Dahee blinked her eyes and tilted her head back.

Blood dripped down from the tips of her ash-colored hair.

She casually shook off the bloodstained hair and looked at Isabelle.

“Is it okay to leave that girl alone?”

“Girl? Who?”

A large question mark seemed to float above Yoo Dahee’s head.

“Jin Soyeon. Jin Soyeon.”

“Oh, her?”

As if remembering just now, Yoo Dahee clapped her hands.

Was it because she just didn’t care, or did she genuinely forget?

Either way, this woman Yoo Dahee had no sense of urgency or tension whatsoever.

“So what’s the deal with her?”

“Yoo Dahee, you said it yourself. That girl’s talent could be a real threat to us.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

“In fact, she’s wiped out more than ten malicious organizations in just the past few months.”

Jin Soyeon’s growth was too steep.

It had only been a couple of months at most.

She had grown exponentially, to the point where it was now hard to dismiss her strength.

To be honest, if Isabelle hadn’t looked into it herself, she would have probably laughed it off as just exaggerated rumors.

After all, that’s usually how rumors worked.

“They say that she recently destroyed a cult group by herself and even took down Ma Yongtaek.”

“Whew~ Took down that guy?”

Yoo Dahee whistled with an intrigued expression.

Ma Yongtaek was a notorious villain who had once been a famous high-ranker hero, wasn’t he?

He was supposed to hold significant power over an entire region, but that pretty little girl destroyed him on her own…

This was becoming really interesting, no way around it.

“Has she grown that much already? Wow~ She’s quite something, huh?”

“This is not the time to be impressed, Yoo Dahee. You know her target is us, don’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Jin Soyeon’s only childhood friend had been brutally murdered right in front of her, so of course, she was sharpening her blade for revenge.

“Honestly, I thought she’d self-destruct on her own if I just left her alone.”

There were always a lot of geniuses in this world.

And among those geniuses, some occasionally vowed to take revenge on Yoo Dahee, swearing to bring her down.

But unfortunately for them, most of these people ended up self-destructing before they could even reach her.

Yoo Dahee had assumed the same would happen with Jin Soyeon, but no—she had grown strong enough to make Isabelle feel nervous, all on her own.

“I didn’t expect her to crush everything in her path, be it villains, monsters, or entire organizations. Wow~ It’s almost like looking at my younger self.”

“Yoo Dahee.”

As Yoo Dahee scratched the back of her neck and indulged in self-praise, Isabelle spoke in a slightly more serious tone.

“Her growth rate is unnatural. She might even…”

Isabelle bit her lower lip for a moment before finishing her sentence.

“…surpass you.”

Based on the investigation, just a year ago Jin Soyeon had been a mere trainee at the Union Academy.

Back then, she wasn’t someone one would consider as a potential threat.

Yet, at some point, her rate of growth had become monstrous, and now she had even defeated a high-ranker.

How strong is Jin Soyeon right now?

No, the present wasn’t what mattered.

She might not be a huge threat at this moment, but what about a week from now? A month? A year? No one knew. It was impossible to predict.

At her current rate of unnatural growth, how powerful could she become?

That’s why she was too dangerous.

With the government’s pursuit, attacks from the Association, and clashes with various clans, things had been too hectic for Isabelle to pay attention to Jin Soyeon.

But seeing her take down Ma Yongtaek made Isabelle decide.

They couldn’t leave her alone any longer.

“Seriously, Isabelle, you worry too much. What could she possibly do on her own?”

“Right now, maybe not much—right now.”

But who knows what might happen in the future?

If the girl really had the potential to surpass Yoo Dahee, or perhaps even surpass that, the best option would be to deal with her quickly.

“Isn’t that cult more annoying anyway? Roxanne, that persistent girl—man, speaking of which, I still need to take care of that Church soon.”

“Then…”

“After. Once the Heroes’ Day Terror is over.”

Yoo Dahee grinned.

“We’ve got so many preparations in place for Heroes’ Day, don’t we? I don’t want to waste any energy before that. So let’s deal with both Jin Soyeon and the Church after the event, okay?”

“Well, I guess…”

It wouldn’t make sense to lose strength before the large-scale terror they were preparing.

But why did she feel so uneasy?

Isabelle couldn’t quite explain it, but a growing anxiety gnawed at her.

It was as if today’s decision would lead to irreversible consequences.

***

“This dungeon took quite a while.”

In a dungeon located in Ulsan—known as the Tomb of the King—the difficulty was notoriously high, yet we cleared it without much trouble.

If this was a game, I probably wouldn’t have cleared it until my third year.

Thanks to Soyeon, Yoo Seolhyun, Roxanne, Baek Yoorin, Lee Siwoon, and Kang Daehan, we breezed through it like it was nothing.

In the original story, the protagonists had to clear it by themselves, but now we had help from various clan members and the Church personnel, so it was much easier.

“Ah, I found it, Jinhyuk. Is this the ‘Shisan Blood Sea’ you were talking about?”

“Oh.”

Soyeon, who had defeated the King of Corpses, raised a red-bladed longsword from a corner of the room.

“Yeah. That’s the relic, Shisan Blood Sea.”

The Shisan Blood Sea was one of the final-tier artifacts from ‘Romance Hero Academy.’

As expected, its power was terrifying.

“That’s yours, Soyeon.”

“Are you sure?”

“We came here to get it for you. And there’s no one who can wield it better than you.”

“Well, if you put it that way…”

Soyeon nodded, carefully holding the Shisan Blood Sea close.

“I’ll make good use of it, Jinhyuk. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Now use that sword to deal with Yoo Dahee properly.

“There seems to be quite a lot of treasure, too. Jackpot.”

Kang Daehan, who had been examining the spoils nearby, marveled at the pile of gold and silver.

At this rate, the profits would be enough for everyone to be quite satisfied.

“Your ability sure is something. You already had dibs on this dungeon, huh?”

“Well, something like that.”

I lightly agreed with Kang Daehan.

The reason I had been clearing dungeons with others was in exchange for their help, I gave them parts of the loot.

I knew about quite a few dungeons, though I’d been holding off on the more dangerous ones for later. But if I could count on their support, things could change.

“By the way, Yoorin, how are you feeling with that sword now? Did you get used to it?”

“…Yeah.”

Baek Yoorin nodded quietly.

She held a sleek, curved saber in her hands.

The weapon was a relic, the Cheongwol Mugum, which I got for her when we cleared the previous dungeon. Since she would be helping during Heroes’ Day, I made sure to get her a decent sword, and it seemed she liked it a lot.

“It’s starting to fit my hand… It’s a good sword…”

Baek Yoorin had undoubtedly reached top-tier skills by now.

Although a bit below a high-ranker, her gear could make up for most of her shortcomings.

“Nobody’s hurt, right? You all did great.”

“Ah, Roxanne.”

Roxanne approached with a gentle smile and handed me something to drink.

She must’ve prepared it herself.

“You worked hard, Jinhyuk.”

“What are you talking about? I barely did anything. The others did all the real work.”

“There’s no need to downplay your efforts, Jinhyuk.”

Roxanne shook her head lightly, then lifted her gaze to meet mine. Her smile was as radiant as ever.

“Everyone knows how hard it is to command a group.”

“Ah, well…”

No, really, I didn’t do much.

Everyone’s a pro, so they took care of things neatly on their own.

“This is tea that’s good for relieving fatigue. Please try it.”

“Oh? Ah, thanks.”

Just as Roxanne handed me the tea with a bright smile, Cynthia, who had been watching from nearby, snickered mischievously.

“What’s going on, Roxanne? Trying to win some points?”

“Huh? What?”

At Cynthia’s remark, Roxanne blinked in confusion but soon caught on, softly exclaiming an “Ah?” with her face turning a little red.

“N-no. I just thought he looked tired, so I brought him something to drink…”

“…Do you have feelings for Jinhyuk, Roxanne?”

“Soyeon?”

When Soyeon approached quietly, a bit of darkness in her gaze, Roxanne’s shoulders flinched.

Uh-oh. There it is again. Soyeon’s eyes had lost their light.

How does she even do that? It didn’t happen in the game either.

“Feelings? Of course not. You know that, Soyeon.”

“…Everyone says that.”

“Wow, it’s like we’re watching some sort of youth drama.”

Hey, Cynthia. Stop stirring the pot.

Your meddling is making things awkward for Roxanne.

Whistling and babbling about youth doesn’t help anyone here, trust me.

Especially considering Soyeon’s been getting more possessive lately, it’s getting really hard to handle. And sometimes, she just flips a switch, which freaks me out.

“Kukuku. What’s the deal, Jinhyuk? You’re quite popular, huh?”

“Why does it feel like your words are dripping with sarcasm?”

“Not at all. Must be your imagination.”

Yoo Seolhyun chuckled, shrugging her shoulders, but something about it didn’t sit right with me.

“…Jinhyuk.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“…You don’t have feelings for Roxanne, right? Right?”

At some point, Soyeon had crept up beside me, tugging lightly at my sleeve, asking as if seeking reassurance.

“Of course not.”

I casually replied, scanning the surroundings for anyone to bail me out.

It was then that my eyes met Lee Siwoon’s.

Out of nowhere, Lee Siwoon let out a faint, bitter smile and turned his gaze away.

Hey! Don’t just act like you didn’t see anything. Help me out here! You used to like Soyeon, right? Have you given up already?

…Well, it was another typical day, as usual.

End of Chapter