Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Kangrim (3)

***

With ambiguous words, Jin Soyeon slowly began to step forward, walking quietly toward the outside of the building.

“Hyuk-ah.”

Even as she walked slowly, her lips moved quietly.

“My ability is close to being omnipotent. I even overcame the flaw of not being able to directly interfere with others, and I’ve grown stronger than anyone. I’ve accomplished so many things.”

Without waiting for Lee Jinhyuk’s response, she continued speaking as if she were talking to herself.

“Yet my life has been nothing but one failure after another.”

There was a trace of bitterness in her voice.

“I only realized what mattered most after losing it, always chasing after regrets.”

They were almost at the exit now.

“Isn’t it so foolish?”

Her expression was nearly emotionless, but to Jinhyuk, she seemed profoundly sad.

“Then, suddenly.”

Jin Soyeon stopped briefly.

“I found that I could intervene in the lost possibilities.”

“You mean…?”

“I couldn’t reveal everything because of the law of Leakage of Heavenly Secrets in this world. But still.”

She slightly tilted her head.

“I used your memories of your past life to mask and modify my knowledge, subtly embedding it within a familiar form—like a game. Ideally, I would have liked to interfere with you at an earlier point, but it wasn’t easy. The earliest I could reach you was a month before the academy’s entrance ceremony.”

“Wait, does that mean…?”

“At first, I considered trusting myself from the past with the knowledge. But you know better than anyone, don’t you? How foolish, pathetic, and clumsy I am.”

She looked directly at Jinhyuk.

“It was only possible because it was you, Hyuk. Because I entrusted it to you, we’ve come this far without losing anyone.”

She continued walking again.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to give you some of the knowledge, which is practically exposing my weaknesses, but at the same time, I didn’t want to deceive you either.”

“……”

“To be honest, I worried a lot. I wasn’t sure what choices you’d make, which direction you’d go in, or if you’d think too negatively of me…”

“……”

Jin Soyeon faintly curled her lips into a sad smile.

“In the end, you didn’t give up on me.”

“That’s because…”

“Thank you, Hyuk.”

They finally reached the outside of the building.

“Thank you for not giving up on me. For not leaving me alone. For not letting me stray off the path.”

It seemed as if it had been a long time since she last smiled, and though her smile was a bit awkward, she soon managed a genuine one.

“Thank you, truly.”

Jin Soyeon slowly raised her sword.

She aimed it sharply at the Crawling Fear, which was moving on all fours in the distance.

“This is the end.”

“Kreelii?! Kreereeereerere!”

Had it instinctively sensed danger?

The Crawling Fear, which had been toying with countless heroes, let out a terrified shriek for the first time and took a step back.

The moment it saw Jin Soyeon, it realized just how lethal she had become.

“I broke the rule of Leakage of Heavenly Secrets, and I’ve interfered too directly. I probably won’t be able to interact with this world anymore.”

She seemed a bit lonely.

“But I’m okay.”

She lowered her sword slightly, then prepared for an upward strike.

“Because I got to see you again, even just once before I die.”

“…Soyeon-ah.”

“So, Hyuk. Take care.”

Jin Soyeon’s power began to surge.

“And one more thing, Hyuk. I pray for you.”

A massive amount of energy began to concentrate at the tip of her sword.

“That you may find your happy ending.”

In the next moment, Jin Soyeon—

“Move forward, Hyuk. Until the very end.”

—swung her sword upward towards the Crawling Fear.

One Slash.

The moment she swung her sword, a flash of light burst forth, a wave of sword energy surging out to strike the Crawling Fear.

The creature’s body was split in two, as if it were fragility itself, collapsing without resistance.

But that wasn’t all.

The sky itself was also torn apart.

A massive rift appeared in the sky above, as though everything had been cleaved in two, shattering into oblivion.

It was as if the world itself had been bisected by a single slash.

Not even the strongest version of Jin Soyeon in the game could produce such an awe-inspiring scene.

Her power had grown through years of unyielding effort, far beyond the scope of the original timeline.

That was the majestic power suited for the greatest in this world.

“This time, you must find happiness… Hyuk-ah.”

Jin Soyeon’s strength finally gave out, and her body slumped.

Lee Jinhyuk quickly caught her.

Upon checking her condition, he saw that she had fallen into a deep sleep, looking peaceful as ever. It seemed like the original Soyeon had returned.

“You’ve really been through a lot, Soyeon-ah.”

Lee Jinhyuk softly murmured his gratitude to the sleeping Jin Soyeon as he carried her on his back and walked toward the group of people in the distance.

Several heroes who had borne witness to the spectacular display glanced at Jin Soyeon in shock.

When Lee Jinhyuk approached, the people flinched but remained silent.

“Jinhyuk? What just happened? How did you defeat that monster in one strike…?”

Yoo Seolhyun, visibly shaken, approached Jinhyuk asking for answers, but Jinhyuk only kept silent as he gently passed Jin Soyeon over to her.

“Sorry, but I don’t have time to explain. Please take care of Soyeon for me.”

“What? Wait, hold on—”

“I have something I need to do.”

Jinhyuk reached down and picked up the Shisan Blood Sea sword that Jin Soyeon had been holding tightly just moments before.

“Sunari.”

“H-huh? What…?”

Sunari, taken aback by the sudden call, nodded and approached Jinhyuk.

“And Yoo Seolhyun.”

“Finally, you’re talking to me. So, what is it? Haa… What now?”

Though Yoo Seolhyun was frustrated by Jinhyuk’s curt attitude, given the situation, she didn’t press him further.

“I’m going to track down Yoo Dahee. In the meantime, I need you two to handle the people and the monsters.”

“What? You’re going after Yoo Dahee? Are you insane?”

Yoo Seolhyun was stunned. What the hell was Jinhyuk talking about? Chasing Yoo Dahee in this chaos? Was he out of his mind?

“This is our only chance. If Yoo Dahee recovers, we won’t be able to stop her anymore.”

“But, they’ve probably already fled far away by now.”

“With the condition Yoo Dahee’s party is in, they can’t move properly. And they need to avoid the monsters, so they’re likely not as far off as you think.”

“Even so, going after them alone is too dangerous.”

“I don’t plan on going alone.”

Jinhyuk looked around and called out.

“So, can you help me out? Lee Siwoon, Kang Daehan?”

“……”

Lee Siwoon and Kang Daehan, who had been with SL Group and the HanYoung Clan members, lifted their heads to meet Jinhyuk’s gaze.

“…Are you confident about this, Jinhyuk?”

“Yeah. Just give me ten minutes. I’ll make sure to catch Yoo Dahee.”

“Alright. If that’s what you want.”

Lee Siwoon nodded and stood up.

“We’re partially responsible for Yoo Dahee’s escape, me and Daehan. Not only did we fail to fulfill our roles, but we were even taken hostage.”

“Tch. Yeah, whatever. Haa, just… really.”

Kang Daehan clicked his tongue in frustration but scratched the back of his neck, nonetheless signaling his agreement.

“Alright, Jinhyuk. We’ll go with you. Our SL Group members will help too. What about you, Daehan?”

“Yeah, fine. We’ve come this far; there’s no way I’m letting that woman get away now. She turned Seoul into this mess; she’ll pay for it.”

It seemed like their frustration of being captured as hostages made them willing to cooperate.

“Wait, I’ll help too.”

“Roxanne?”

“It’s partly my fault that the spatial pouch was stolen as well.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if your Church focused on saving people?”

“Of course, I’ll assign some people for that. And outside support from the police, military, and heroes should be arriving soon.”

Indeed, thanks to the huge rift in the sky, countless monsters had poured out, and the police, military, and heroes were all fighting hard to subdue them.

“Alright, if you’re willing to help, I have no objections.”

“Me too.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll help as well, Jinhyuk.”

Baek Yoorin appeared with a sword she had picked up from somewhere, staring determinedly at Jinhyuk.

“Baek Yoorin? Will you be okay?”

“For now… I’ve taken up the role of being your bodyguard.”

It seemed that she had decided to assist as well.

“Thank you, Baek Yoorin.”

“…Don’t mention it.”

Jinhyuk quickly glanced over at Han Incheol, Baek Nam-il, and Hong Daye’s group.

They were currently busy fighting off monsters and rescuing civilians alongside the other heroes.

It would be difficult to ask for their help now.

Well, at least he could trust them to continue protecting the people.

“Jinhyuk, we’ll assign a tracker with special abilities to follow you closely.”

“Thanks.”

Yoo Seolhyun signaled to one of the Gaon Nuri Clan members, giving them a worried look as she glanced back at Jinhyuk.

“…Are you sure about this, Jinhyuk?”

“Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon with her.”

“Alright. I trust you, Jinhyuk. Don’t die.”

“Ha. What’s this? Even the great Yoo Seolhyun is concerned about me now?”

“…”

Yoo Seolhyun let out a bitter smile before nodding.

“…Enough with the joking. Go. Or do you plan to let her slip away?”

“Got it. I’m off. Please take care of Soyeon.”

Jinhyuk and his group, along with the tracker, quickly set off.

As Yoo Seolhyun watched them leave, she murmured quietly to herself with a slight sadness in her voice.

“…Always thinking about Soyeon until the very end. You’re so consistent, Jinhyuk.”

***

“Haa, haa, cough, cough… This is… I feel like my body’s falling apart… Even breathing is hard…”

“Shall we rest for a bit?”

“No, it’s fine. They might be after us. We need to keep moving.”

“The monsters are causing them enough trouble; they probably don’t have time to chase us.”

“Yeah, but the monsters are slowing us down too.”

Yoo Dahee chuckled cynically, but then her face twisted in pain as another spasm of agony shot through her body.

“Ugh. I chugged all the healing potions we had, but it still hurts like hell.”

“…Yoo Dahee.”

“Sigh. Well, today was a learning experience. I’m going to be more careful from now on.”

“That’s good to hear, Yoo Dahee. You’re always too overconfident in your own strength, taking reckless actions. If you’d been more cautious, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Ugh, nagging, nagging! I got it, Mom.”

“…”

“Wait, you’re not sulking because I said something, are you?”

“…I’m not.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that.”

“I said, I’m not.”

Isabelle responded curtly, and Yoo Dahee couldn’t help but smirk bitterly.

“Anyway, I’m not lying about learning a lot today. I’m going to be much more cautious in the future. Finally realized, there’s a clear limit to doing things alone.”

“You’re right.”

Yoo Dahee had already grown to become the most notorious villain in South Korea.

If she started acting from the shadows without letting her guard down, would there be anyone capable of stopping her?

And she would only grow stronger from here on.

“I trust you now, Yoo Dahee.”

Isabelle was convinced.

If they could escape this crisis, Yoo Dahee would become an evil that no one could contain.

She had no doubt.

Yes.

If they could just get through this moment…

“…Huh?”

“What is it, Isabelle?”

“Th-they’re coming. They’re here.”

“What?”

Their perception skills had dulled significantly, so they hadn’t noticed until the group was nearly upon them.

They were now within a few hundred meters.

Lee Jinhyuk and several heroes were sprinting toward them.

What the hell?

How had they found them already?

Aren’t they supposed to be dealing with that terrifying monster?

There’s no way they could’ve defeated that thing in such a short time.

Did they abandon the monster?

Could heroes really do that?

“Yoo Dahee! We need to move now! They’re almost here…!”

“Yoo Dahee-e-e-e-e-e!”

A male voice called out for her, loud and clear.

With a frown, Yoo Dahee turned toward the source of the voice.

There, panting heavily, with a fierce gaze locked onto her, stood a lone young man.

“Jinhyuk, if you shout like that, you’re going to attract the monsters.”

“I know. But I just had to say this.”

Ignoring Lee Siwoon’s warning, Jinhyuk fixed his gaze on Yoo Dahee and said,

“Hey, Yoo Dahee. Where do you think you’re running off to so fast?”

He smirked.

“I’m sick of it. Let’s finish this, you damn bitch.”

End of Chapter