Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Awakening (3)

“Ah.”

Death.

For a hero, death is always close by.

T h i s w a s c op ie d f r o m k i n gm t l .o r g
For a hero who faces countless villains and monsters, death is a constant companion, like a shadow that never leaves.

Even Jin Soyeon, who is merely a hero-in-training, has come close to dying several times.

The Academy’s monster incident, the large-scale Union attack by villains—she had nearly lost her life on those occasions, and the memories are still vivid.

At the time, she really thought she might die.

The situations were so dire and dangerous that it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had died.

But every time, one man was there by her side.

When she was overwhelmed by the killing intent of the Black-Handed Long-Armed Monkey and couldn’t even think of resisting, trembling in fear.

When she was attacked by villains and left half-dead.

Lee Jinhyuk appeared, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and saved her from those crises.

Just having him by her side brought her peace of mind, and his actions almost always led to positive results.

He was always Jin Soyeon’s hero.

That’s why she might have momentarily forgotten.

Death is an inevitable part of a hero’s journey.

As they say, death comes suddenly.

“Ah, ugh.”

Jin Soyeon stared blankly at the screen.

The hallway, littered with the bloodied bodies of countless people, was imprinted onto her retinas.

Dozens of people lay sprawled on the filthy floor, having failed to stop a single man.

That man was an extraordinary fighter.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i ng m t l. o rg

With just an ordinary sword, he neutralized dozens of villains, some of whom appeared to be stronger than active heroes, without killing them. He even managed to overcome dangerous traps, proving beyond doubt that he was indeed a powerful adversary.

He reminded her of the white-haired villain who had terrified the hero trainees with overwhelming killing intent during the midterms.

Perhaps he was a top-ranked hero, one of those she had only heard about.

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But he had been too reckless.

The villains in this mansion were far too many to face alone.

Moreover, judging by the villains’ movements, they weren’t just random thugs; many of them were stronger than active heroes.

There were several mid-tier villains, equipped with the latest gear, and they had the numerical advantage and the terrain on their side.

T h is wa s co p i e d f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g
The man seemed to have underestimated the number of enemies in the mansion, and as the battles dragged on, his movements became sluggish, likely from exhaustion.

As he tried to retreat to regroup, Seong Yura’s assassins, who had been waiting for that moment, launched a surprise attack.

The one who leaped out of the shadows to ambush the man was none other than the assassin named James.

James was a villain on par with top-ranked heroes.

Specializing in ambushes, James was a formidable opponent, especially for the Vigilante, who was already physically exhausted.

The Vigilante had spent years in the back alleys, taking down numerous villains, but even for him, encountering someone like James was a rare experience.

There had been a few villains who had given him trouble, but he had never faced someone of James’s caliber.

And the elite assassins assisting James were no less skilled.

There were about four of them, all mid- to high-tier in strength, and they provided significant interference in the fight against James.

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No, it was more than just interference.

The sharp blades that struck with pinpoint accuracy, even in the gaps of James’s attacks, were enough to send chills down the Vigilante’s spine.

They moved like highly trained elite soldiers, gradually closing in on him with flawless formation.

Even if he wanted to flee, turning his back on them was not an option.

Having already expended a considerable amount of stamina and mana, the Vigilante must have found the situation overwhelming.

Who on earth could be the owner of this mansion, to be protected by so many powerful villains?

In hindsight, the Vigilante had been too reckless.

Driven by the thought that he could finally recover the sword he had been searching for, and realizing that the mansion’s guards were villains, he had resorted to force as usual.

But he hadn’t considered how many villains were in the mansion or how strong they were, and that had come back to bite him.

He was undoubtedly a genius, one of the most talented in the world.

After losing his parents to a villain at a young age, the Vigilante had dropped out of Union Academy and wandered the back alleys.

He had grown stronger from countless battles with villains, and that had filled him with pride.

No one had dared to challenge him.

He was strong enough to take down small- to mid-sized organizations on his own, and during his time at Union, only monsters like Hong Daye had been a threat to him.

That’s why he thought he could handle it alone this time as well.

After all, he had lived that way for years.

But the mansion’s forces were beyond his imagination, and the Vigilante had lost his usual weapon and powerful artifact.

Plunging headfirst into the lion’s den when he wasn’t even at full strength—it was clear what the outcome would be.

In the end, the Vigilante was struck by the assassins’ blades and could only cough up blood.

All the traces of his life, his genius, his confidence, had led him to this reckless decision.

If he had at least had his artifact and beloved sword, he might have been able to escape.

But facing so many villains with just a mass-produced iron sword from a regular shop, there was a clear limit to what he could do.
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Of course, one could not help but marvel at the Vigilante’s strength.

Even though Seong Yura’s assassins had an overwhelming advantage, half of them ended up crawling on the ground with their arms and legs severed.

Moreover, James, who had led the ambush with his subordinates, was severely injured by a sudden counterattack from the Vigilante.

So much so that it was difficult for him to continue fighting.

To think that the Vigilante, who was facing such overwhelming numbers and strength, had managed to inflict significant injuries on Seong Yura’s strongest asset, someone nearly on par with a top-ranked hero…

The Vigilante was undoubtedly an extraordinary talent, considering his age.

Even though the forces were spread out, who would have thought he could take down so many villains alone?

What if the Vigilante hadn’t held back and wielded his sword without mercy from the start?

Maybe he wouldn’t have wasted so much energy, and perhaps he could have created more opportunities in his fight against James and the elite forces.

Maybe they wouldn’t have been able to stop him from escaping either.

“He really is something. To take on so many people alone… I guess his reputation wasn’t exaggerated.”

“Ah…”

“But he was reckless. Does he even know who I am? To think he would storm in alone just because the forces were a bit scattered. Does he see me as an easy target?”

“Ah, Jinhyuk, no…”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Jin Soyeon?”

“Jinhyuk, Jinhyuk, it’s not him, right? Right? It’s not him… Ah…”

Seong Yura’s words barely registered.

The image of the bloodied man lying on the screen was all that was burned into Jin Soyeon’s eyes.

It wasn’t that she was stunned by seeing someone die.

Though Jin Soyeon had always had a deep concern for others, today, selfishly, she wished that the man in the video was someone else.

Her heart pounded violently as she slowly opened her tightly closed lips.

“It’s not Jinhyuk, right? R-Right? It’s all just your lie, isn’t it?”

That, that impossibly strong person can’t be Jinhyuk.

Just think logically.

How could Jinhyuk, who barely passed the Union Academy’s entrance exams, be cutting down enemies left and right among so many villains?

Lee Jinhyuk is an archer, an archer.

He had always said that his sword was only a secondary weapon, repeating it until his tongue went dry.

If you think logically, the chances of Lee Jinhyuk hiding his skills are incredibly low, and he wouldn’t be reckless enough to storm Seong Yura’s mansion alone.

Therefore, that person isn’t Jinhyuk.

Yes, that’s right. It’s strange to think it’s Jinhyuk.

I don’t know who that person is, and it’s really sad that they lost their life, but one thing I’m certain of is that it’s not Jinhyuk.

This is all just some nonsense Seong Yura is spouting to mess with me.

It definitely has to be that.

No.

It has to be.

“…Ah.”

Drip. Drip, drip.

Before she knew it, tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Ah, my vision is getting blurrier. Why am I crying? That person isn’t Jinhyuk. Of course, it’s sad when someone dies, but crying like this doesn’t make sense, it’s strange.

“I understand that you don’t want to believe it, but you know the truth, don’t you?”

“N-No, it’s not true!”

“Jin Soyeon, can’t you see that?”

“No! It’s not true!”

There’s no way Jinhyuk died like this!

Jin Soyeon desperately tried to deny Seong Yura’s words.

Seong Yura kept spouting nonsense.

I want to shut her mouth this very instant. There’s no way Jinhyuk bled out and died. It shouldn’t be like this.

He died trying to save me? That shouldn’t happen.

“Jin Soyeon, it’s time to accept it. Your childhood friend is dead.”

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r o m kin g m t l . o r g
“……”

“In his haste to save you, he stormed in here alone… How foolish, isn’t it?”

“……”

“He fought better than expected, but that’s all.”

“……”

Jin Soyeon hung her head low.

She had been denying it all along, but deep down, she knew Seong Yura was telling the truth.

She just didn’t want to accept it.
T h i s w a s co p ie d f ro m king m t l . o rg

Because once she accepted it, there would be no turning back.

The thought that Lee Jinhyuk had died because of her kept circling in her mind. It was clear that Jin Soyeon had been kidnapped because of Lee Jinhyuk, but right now, none of that mattered.

Because of that woman, Jinhyuk was dead.

Jinhyuk had died.

Had died.

What?

“…Seong Yura.”

After despair and denial, what began to fill Jin Soyeon’s heart was a searing rage and resentment that boiled like a volcano.

The sorrow and despair that had been consuming her heart just moments ago were now being overshadowed by something much darker.

It was an emotion Jin Soyeon had never felt before.

It was something far beyond mere anger, fury, or resentment.

“…Seong Yuraaa.”

These emotions, so overwhelming that she felt she might explode, made Jin Soyeon growl out lowly.

Ah, yes. This isn’t just anger.

“…I won’t forgive you. I’ll never let you get away with thissss!”

Killing intent.

Yes, it’s killing intent.

For the first time, Jin Soyeon harbored a desire to kill someone.

Filled with dark resentment and intense killing intent, Jin Soyeon poured all her mana and abilities into breaking free.

Even though her body was still bound, she didn’t care.

She thrashed about as if she would leap at Seong Yura at any moment.

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She resembled a beast.

A beast trapped in a cage.

“It’s useless, Jin Soyeon. No matter how much you struggle, you can’t break free of those restraints with your abilities…?”

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*Crack. Crack, crack.*

Seong Yura blinked as she saw cracks forming on the restraints.

H-Huh?

What the…?

“Seooong Yuraaaaa!”

In the hero genre, there’s a taboo that villains should never break.

And that’s killing the protagonist’s loved ones.

Because of Lee Jinhyuk’s “death,” Jin Soyeon unexpectedly took her first step toward awakening.

End of Chapter.