Breaking Up with the Heroine of the Female-Oriented Game

After finding the artifact, I hurried back to where I had originally been.

I cautiously surveyed the surroundings while staying slightly concealed.

Yoo Seolhyun was lying motionless in the distance, which made me wonder if she was still alive.

‘She couldn’t be dead, could she?’

I swallowed hard as the worst-case scenario loomed large in my thoughts.

Doubts about being too late circled in my head.

“Ugh, so persistent, so very persistent…!”

“…”

“What, you’ve finally collapsed? Ugh, this is annoying.”

“…”

Ah, is she alive?

It seemed likely as Kate was spitefully raising her voice.

Yoo Seolhyun must have hit her head hard and passed out for a moment. Phew. Thankfully, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

“I’m going to burn you to a crisp, for real.”

Kate was starting to concentrate a significant amount of magic power, her intent sinister.

It looked like she intended to use the breath of flame technique.

Was she preparing to incinerate Yoo Seolhyun, who was lying unconscious? Damn, this is bad.

What should I do?

Shall I use an arrow to distract her? Oh, right. I’m out of arrows, aren’t I?

Then other items…
But no, I’ve almost used them all up. Damn it.

“Phew.”

I gripped the artifact I had farmed tightly, taking deep breaths to steel myself.

Let’s not get cold feet now, I’d braced myself for this from the start.

“…Okay, let’s go.”

After muttering to myself to shake off the fear, I quickly dashed to where Yoo Seolhyun had fallen.

Then, standing before her, I glanced over her condition.

“Phew… that’s a relief.”

She had quite a few injuries, but thankfully, it didn’t look fatal.

“She’s just unconscious, not dead…”

It seemed we had narrowly averted the worst situation.

If something had happened to Yoo Seolhyun, it would have been my fault.

“…Why, why did you bother coming back? Huuuh, huuuh.”

Kate had gathered nearly all her mana and murmured mockingly upon seeing me.

Well, she must find it ridiculous, seeing as I had shamefully run away only to return like this.

But her letting her guard down like this was actually to my advantage.

The more the opponent is off guard, the better it is for using this artifact properly.

“…Heheh, you’re going to be burned too!”

‘Here it comes.’

Kate unleashed her flame.

As the roaring blaze approached, I bit my lower lip.

I could feel the heat as if it would singe my skin, but I couldn’t dodge.

Running away would do me no good – I had to face it head-on.

‘Ugh! Please.’

As I prayed internally, I activated the artifact and swung my sword horizontally.

Though I had only experimented with it briefly before and couldn’t be 100% sure, I had faith in the power of this artifact.

Right now, faith was all I had.

‘…Done, it worked!’

The volcanic flames that had been raging lost their power and vanished like smoke, as if I had sliced through the fire with my sword.

It was a bit confusing, but as someone who had formed a contract with the Tears of the Moon, I understood.

It wasn’t just that the flames had disappeared; they had been absorbed.

‘So this is how it absorbs.’

Amazement was short-lived as I faltered, my expression wincing.

That’s because the moment I activated the artifact, a considerable amount of my stamina evaporated.

I knew that using the artifact would consume stamina, but I hadn’t expected it to be this extensive.

The stamina depletion was much greater than when I had experimented with absorbing magic.

It seemed that the more powerful the magic I absorbed, the greater the stamina cost, so I couldn’t help but take a long, covert breath.

‘Haah, but I can still hold on for now.’

I looked towards Kate, feigning calmness.

Showing weakness in such a critical situation would do no good, so I had to pretend to be unfazed.

“I’ll kill you, you’re going to die.”

‘Ah crap, her?’

Kate was gathering magic again.

The magic swirled, indicating that she was no pushover for a boss monster.

What to do? Should I just rush in and swing my sword?

No, I am not a swordsman.

A close fight with Kate would not last long.

One mistake and I could be counterattacked.

‘Should I just use the release of magic power, then?’

I swallowed dryly and gripped the sword hilt even tighter.

The consumption of stamina had been significant from just absorbing Kate’s magic, leaving me apprehensive about how much would be required for a release.

However, thanks to Kate’s gathering of magic, which would increase my hit rate, I considered it worth attempting.

Moreover, releasing magic through the artifact was the best attack I could muster at the moment.

‘Haah.’

I bit my lip slightly and raised the sword.

The immense power I felt swirling from my fingertips had just been absorbed from Kate’s magic – an amount of power that was shameful even to compare to my own.

‘This should be enough, right?’

Before Kate could move, I quickly utilized the artifact and swung the sword to release the magic.

The keenly focused blade of magic radiated a brilliant light as it surged towards Kate with tremendous speed.

With the help of the artifact, it was like unleashing a Sword Qi Wounder.

It was no wonder it was considered a precious item.

Kate, taken by surprise, fired her flames, but they wouldn’t be much use.

Because, according to the artifact’s settings, when the absorbed magic was released all at once, its power would be increased by 1.5 times.

“Kuh, ugh, ahhh?!”

Directly hit by the sword qi, Kate spilled blood and stumbled backward, her arms and tentacles severed.

The scene was ghastly, and I furrowed my brows.

“Sword Qi, Sword Qi Wounder…? You, how could someone like you… possess such a technique?”

The damage seemed more severe than I had thought.

In gaming terms, the damage might have been considered amplified by the artifact’s 1.5x effect, a 1.9x strike on a physical weakness, plus a 2.0x critical hit.

In any case, Kate writhed helplessly on the ground, but I was unable to land a follow-up blow.

The stamina expenditure had been too severe.

“Ha, *pant*… this much, al, already?”

After releasing the magic just once, my heart pounded, and my arms and leg shook uncontrollably.

It was as if I had marched a long distance in full battle gear.

An inexplicable exhaustion enveloped my body.

My muscles ached, my eyelids weighed heavy like lead, and my limbs refused to move as if I were a waterlogged puff of cotton fished from the deep.

I felt an urge to sprawl and gasp for air, to greedily inhale the sweet oxygen, but Kate hadn’t completely fallen yet.

I couldn’t afford to show I was exhausted.

Doing so might inspire her to struggle or resist unnecessarily.

Thus, I gritted my teeth and forced a rigid expression as I slowly stepped forward.

‘What’s wrong with my legs? Are they giving out?’

I almost staggered.

A release of tension, and I felt I might collapse on the spot.

However, I calmed the trembling in my legs, like a tree swaying in the wind, as I moved toward Kate, who lay fallen.

Despite my long history of endurance training, just a few uses of the artifact had left me in this state.

It crossed my mind that it wasn’t only about farming artifacts; I should also consider securing some high-quality elixirs.

“…Ugh, ugh.”

Before I realized it, I had reached Kate and raised my sword subtly.

“Are you, cough cough, seriously, are you going to let me die like this?”

With her face a mess and continuously expelling blood, Kate looked up feebly.

For a moment, I pondered as I looked down at her conflicted.

Though her lower body was that of a serpent, her upper body was human.

In the midst of battle, I had no luxury for sentiment, but now it was different.

She could talk like a person, and her appearance was human, which naturally gave me pause.

But then…

“Ugh, ugh.”

Thump.

I reluctantly stabbed with the sword.

The sharp blade penetrated straight into her heart.

Kate uttered a brief moan, shuddered violently, and then, losing the light in her eyes, she passed away.

“…”

Looking down at Kate, now a cold body, I pondered.

Leaving her alive was far too dangerous.

Kate wasn’t human; she was half monster and capable of creating unforeseen troubles.

I was too weakened to leave her alive; it was never really an option for me.

Someone else would have come along to finish her if I hadn’t.

‘I just didn’t want to be the one to do it myself.’

Yes, maybe that was all it was.

I sighed deeply inside.

As I had resolved to become a hero, I was bound to kill villains someday.

In a fight, a moment’s distraction could lead to death.

I was not strong enough to spare an opponent. For the weak to show mercy to the strong is absurd.

With a sudden movement, I pulled out the sword and collapsed to the ground.

“Ah, thought I was a goner there.”

Shiver. My arms and legs trembled.

Was it due to the tension release, or because I had killed Kate? I couldn’t be sure, but one thing was clear; I didn’t feel good.

It was tough both mentally and physically.

Still, I couldn’t whine like a child at my age.

Besides, in my past life, I had even been to the military; I needed to shake off this uncomfortable feeling quickly.

‘Ah, right, Yoo Seolhyun, how is she?’

I was slightly worried about Yoo Seolhyun lying there.

She seemed not to have died, but her injuries looked serious enough to require immediate attention, so I hurried over to her.

“Yoo Seolhyun, are you okay? Hey?”

“…”

I gently shook her shoulder without touching the injuries to try waking her, but she didn’t respond.

It seemed it would take some time for her to regain consciousness.

I quickly checked around, and after rummaging through a torn bag from the fight with Kate, I took out the necessary medicine to stop Yoo Seolhyun’s bleeding.

I wanted to give her some healing elixir because her injuries were serious, but I had used them all up in the midst of the fight.

For now, this emergency treatment would have to do.

“Phew. Is that everything done?”

I had done all I could, applying the medicine and wrapping the bandages.

“Now all that’s left is… to wait for the rest of the team to arrive?”

But why in the world aren’t they showing up yet?

It’s like they’re purposely avoiding this place.

“…Huh?”

My gaze suddenly drifted to the sword.

I realized that I’d made a deal in the dungeon to get an item. One, just one…

‘There were quite a few decent items, though not as good as the Tears of the Moon.’

After such a grueling ordeal, just one artifact seemed somehow lacking, didn’t it?

Yoo Seolhyun was the type to keep her promises, but conversely, she didn’t go out of her way for things she hadn’t committed to.

In other words, if I asked for a bit more compensation, there was a high chance Yoo Seolhyun wouldn’t oblige.

‘Umm.’

I sneaked a glance at Yoo Seolhyun, still unconscious.

She had been out for the entirety of the fight.

She wouldn’t know how I had defeated Kate.

‘Hmm.’

After a mock cough to solidify my plan, I subtly pulled out the longsword I had brought as a sidearm and tossed it far away.

Then, I placed the famous sword equipped with the Tears of the Moon I had found here into the scabbard.

It slid in smoothly. Oh, it fits perfectly?

‘It looks just like the ordinary sword I brought with me.’

Its appearance was so average that it seemed fitting.

The size was similar, too.

Minus the gem on the cross-guard, it was indistinguishable.

She wouldn’t check for a stealthily taken item, would she?

Even if she did, there was no way to tell if it was an artifact or not.

So… maybe this sword will just be the ordinary one I brought, and I’ll ask for a different item from Yoo Seolhyun.

Frankly, it’s a little… no, quite a petty method.

But it’s beneficial to farm as many items as possible early in the game.

Midterms, ranking matches, intensive training camps – several events are on the horizon, and gathering more items would be advantageous.

‘I could just tell Yoo Seolhyun about the dungeon’s location from the game and get a larger share of the loot.’

After all, haven’t I saved Yoo Seolhyun’s life twice now? Wouldn’t that make me somewhat of a life-saving benefactor? Maybe this isn’t too bad of an ask?

…I gave myself a little self-justification inside.

‘Ah, but how do I explain to Yoo Seolhyun about running away earlier?’

I was genuinely concerned about it.

Initially, I planned to show her this artifact and make excuses with it.

I had intended to persuade her that I temporarily left to fetch an artifact that could defeat Kate, but deciding to covertly take it meant that plan was no longer an option.

‘Maybe I just waited hidden until Kate let her guard down and then ambushed her?’

There were large injuries on Kate’s body, but I could just say I used a magic scroll or something.

Though the excuse was rather flimsy, with the right spin, it might become quite plausible.

‘Alright, maybe I should come up with a decent excuse before the others arrive.’

So, I decided to come up with several excuses until my teammates arrived.

***

After rescuing all the trapped heroes and heading home, the wounds of Yoo Seolhyun and the other heroes were somewhat healed thanks to healing water provided by team members. Nevertheless, for thorough medical examination and treatment, I turned the car towards the Gaon Nuri Clan. But then…

‘Lee Jinhyuk, he keeps glancing over, doesn’t he?’

Casting sidelong glances as if walking on eggshells, Lee Jinhyuk’s behavior caused Yoo Seolhyun to tilt her head in puzzlement.

‘Ah, wait a minute.’

Amidst her thoughts, Yoo Seolhyun gulped down a suspicion.

‘Is he acting like this because he’s afraid I saw what he did during the fight with the snake woman?’

Well, he came up with various strange excuses, such as ambushing and luckily defeating her…

In truth, he had been hiding until Yoo Seolhyun collapsed.

It was fairly obvious that he disliked showing his strength in front of others.

At the time, Lee Jinhyuk must have believed Yoo Seolhyun had been unconscious, although she could have been just barely aware.

Indeed, if Lee Jinhyuk was more skilled than expected, he might have sensed her consciousness – or lack thereof – by her presence.

Regardless of what Lee Jinhyuk was hiding or why he was reluctant to reveal it, relentlessly prying would do no favors to positive human relations.

So, Yoo Seolhyun decided to play dumb for once.

“It’s fine.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t worry so much. I’ll pretend I don’t know.”

“Noted.”

Forcing someone to bring up what they want to keep hidden can quickly damage a positive relationship, can’t it?

Isn’t that right, Lee Jinhyuk?

“Hmm.”

Meanwhile, Lee Jinhyuk just blinked in confusion.

What was Yoo Seolhyun suddenly talking about?

What is there to worry about, and what is she going to pretend not to know?

‘Oh, she’s caught on, hasn’t she?’

Did she realize I was lying to get other items?

“…”

Suddenly, Lee Jinhyuk fell silent.

Perhaps his conscience was pricking him for he longed to return home.