The Heroine Stole My Regression-Chapter 127
Finding the path was, surprisingly—
No, far more difficult than I had imagined.
Flames surged from all directions, and the lava-covered ground rippled uneasily, as if it might collapse at any moment.
The searing heat pierced down to the bone. Even breathing was painful.
While the gear protected me from the damage of the heat, it didn’t dull the sensation.
“Hooo…”
— Boom!
The ground beneath my feet trembled.
And then, the supporting floor collapsed rapidly.
I realized with perfect clarity:
Every will in this land, in this space, seeks to burn me.
Bugaram’s world mirrored my mental landscape—my hidden chaos, emptiness, and anxieties reflected back at me °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° like a flawless mirror.
All the flaws I tried to hide—my wounds, my lack—manifested directly before me as enemies.
If your mind was unstable or unwell, conquering this space was near impossible.
Only by overcoming those inner demons could you reach Bugaram.
But the truth was—I had no idea what state my mind was in.
“Am I… mentally screwed up or something?”
It felt like I was walking atop a warped version of my own subconscious.
It was far from pleasant.
At every block, a colossal lava giant blocked the path.
Even in the original game, the difficulty was never this high.
— Groooan.
After taking down several of them in succession, it was clear this wasn’t the way.
Am I supposed to do this alone…?
The pressure of solitude closed in around me, suffocating.
This was exactly why I brought equipment.
I immediately pulled out the compass and flipped it open.
[Compass of Salvation]
[Even in the abyss of despair, it points unwaveringly toward the correct path.]
From the tip of the needle, a glowing beam of light shone forward.
A narrow path appeared, winding through the red-hot lava and flames.
— Vzzzz…
I tensed my entire body.
One step, then another, following the light.
— Boom!
A lava giant swung a fist right near me.
I thought I’d be flattened then and there—but it barely missed.
Flames brushed past my cheek, and magma erupted beneath my feet.
Yet the compass’s light, almost magically, dodged all danger and revealed only safe routes.
The path didn’t end easily.
I was seriously considering scheduling a psych evaluation after this.
Even so, the compass’s light guided me—narrow, perilous paths, but unquestionably safe.
As I continued walking, catching my breath over and over, I lost track of time.
Hours? Days?
Eventually, even my perception of time became hazy.
And just when it felt like the path might stretch on forever—
I saw the end.
My vision cleared.
No more raw, chaotic flames.
Only pure, perfect fire blazed brightly.
A metal floor, like a massive smelting furnace, radiated divine majesty.
At the end stood the entrance to a dark, deep forge.
I stopped walking.
Slowly, a figure emerged from the flames.
A massive hammer slung over one shoulder, his armor scorched and soaked with molten steel.
His hair blazed orange, falling over his brow.
His gaze, like unmeltable metal, burned straight through me.
A divine-level blacksmith—Bugaram—was staring at me.
This level…
It wasn’t a lie—he had truly reached the realm of gods.
The pressure was suffocating. I could barely breathe.
An Apostle?
This was something else entirely.
I cautiously stepped forward.
“Um…”
I opened my mouth with effort—
“You damn fool.”
The sharp insult hit me directly.
“?”
While I was still processing it, Bugaram ripped the spear from my hands with overwhelming force.
He levitated Catastrophe into the air with telekinesis.
After studying the weapon for a moment, he chuckled.
“A mere beast’s fang… thinks it’s worthy of stepping into my sacred ground?”
— Clang!
He hurled the spear into the floor.
It was clearly stuck for good.
Next, he casually snatched the compass from my hand.
“And who told you to rely on this thing? You, of all people, should know that’s not what this path was meant for.”
With a cold smile, he flung the compass to the ground.
— CRASH!
The metallic shatter rang throughout the forge.
The atmosphere had shifted.
The compass was a legitimate route in the original strategy.
I hadn’t expected this kind of rejection.
Thankfully, I did have the Fragment.
Without it, this could have gone very badly.
I cautiously stepped forward.
“I do have the qualifications. I may be insignificant, but the power I carry—”
“Says who?”
Bugaram scoffed.
He stood firmly in place, staring me down.
“Talking about qualifications, are we now.”
It was clear—this wasn’t going to be easy.
***
Memories of the past surfaced.
Though, could they truly be called “memories”?
Who could say?
“Bugaram! I’ve come!”
That day was no different from today.
Some idiot stormed in yelling at the top of his lungs.
A complete fool—Bugaram’s own words.
He skipped every trial, leaning solely on the artifact in his possession, and barged into the forge.
“I have a Fragment, and I’ve conquered the trials. Hand over the weapon.”
His name was Sung Siwoo.
“Tch.”
Bugaram sighed. It wasn’t even worth replying.
He split him in half and tossed him out.
The fact that someone like that had a Fragment… what was the world coming to?
Not long after, someone else appeared.
And Bugaram saw something he’d never expected—a mental landscape unlike anything before.
A place of pitch-black torment, like the pits of hell.
Could a mere human harbor such pain?
Could a human stay sane within it?
Bugaram sat quietly in a corner of the forge and observed.
Clad in a black overcoat, lifeless eyes, but an overwhelming presence: Jeong Haein.
He disregarded his body’s limits.
He pressed forward.
Fiercely.
Even bleeding, even wounded, he moved only forward.
Bugaram sensed something strange.
That man should’ve died.
Dozens, hundreds of times over.
But he didn’t die.
He didn’t fear death—didn’t even register fear.
His eyes—hollow, beyond death.
In Bugaram’s divine forge, he could feel it clearly:
That man… even in death, did not die.
“Regression,” he muttered.
An impressive power, yes—but Jeong Haein had already pushed it to its absolute limits.
There was nowhere further to go.
And yet, Jeong Haein reached Bugaram.
He looked furious… or perhaps utterly transcendent.
“What’s the reason?”
Jeong Haein asked calmly.
“Having a Fragment proves I’m qualified, doesn’t it?”
A rare, intriguing opponent.
Worthy of conversation.
“You’re not wrong. But… that one’s not it. You know why, don’t you?”
Bugaram’s words made Jeong Haein nod slightly.
“You won’t change your mind?”
“I won’t.”
“….”
Bugaram could feel the rising pressure.
The human would challenge a god with force.
He aimed to wrest what he wanted with power.
Bugaram smiled.
He couldn’t help but respect that spirit.
“Hahaha!”
Jeong Haein lowered his spear slightly at Bugaram’s laughter.
“But you… you might be a different case.”
Bugaram opened the forge to Jeong Haein.
It was full recognition.
Even knowing the end would be ruin—
Bugaram understood.
Jeong Haein would never reach his true goal.
Not selfish, but extremely self-righteous.
Always shouldering everything for others—yet never letting them carry any burden in return.
Like a rotting tree, his sense of connection to others could collapse at any time.
That was Bugaram’s judgment.
And it was absolutely correct.
“…How unfortunate.”
In the heart of the forge, he sensed the end of the world.
Cold regret—but nothing more could be done.
But then, the world turned upside down.
He didn’t know why.
Time, space, everything reversed.
Even Bugaram couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
A great star rose in Bugaram’s forge.
The star shifted—then found a new path.
And Bugaram instinctively understood:
Something had changed.
And now—
Jeong Haein returned to the forge once more.
Younger this time.
Bugaram couldn’t help but smile.
This was different.
Jeong Haein hadn’t lost his vitality.
He had entered carrying the values of a human: joy, rage, sorrow, hesitation… hope.
Bugaram could see the protections surrounding him—shields even Jeong Haein didn’t know about.
He was weaker than before, but still walked forward—this time, with others.
The mental world wasn’t pure, but it wasn’t a wasteland either.
This place was a trial.
Anyone with desire and strength could find a way.
And in Jeong Haein’s case, the core trial was connection with others.
Calling upon others—was not a forbidden act.
“Tch.”
But Jeong Haein quietly pulled out the compass.
He still hadn’t completely let go of the idea of doing it alone.
But Bugaram’s eyes held hope.
All that remained was to help him fully understand the value of solidarity.
That would be no trouble.
Bugaram declared firmly:
“Who said you’re the one who gets to talk about qualifications?”
Jeong Haein hesitated, ready to make a clumsy excuse—but stopped.
“This…”
This mental world was designed so it couldn’t be conquered alone.
And Bugaram knew:
That boy—Jeong Haein—had recently raised someone like a child.
“You think that because you have a Fragment, you can shoulder everything on your own?”
Bugaram’s voice rang out like a hammer crashing into a furnace.
“The spark of a generation is not something you carry alone.”
“This trial does not test personal strength.
Only those who protect the fire of connection, inheritance, and hope deserve to enter my forge.”
Jeong Haein looked at him silently, eyes filled with questions.
Even after choosing a new path, Bugaram was determined not to let the same mistake repeat.
As the new path opened, the one Jeong Haein chose—
“Bring the one you’re raising. That child.”
Jeong Haein looked momentarily startled.
Bugaram also paused.
“Lord Bugaram, but… I don’t have a child.”
“…Tch.”
Divine power surged across the space.
Bugaram banished Jeong Haein from the forge.
***
“Snrrk…”
A faint breath stirred the air in the room.
“……”
Bugaram, you lunatic.
If he was going to eject me, he could’ve at least done it gently.
When I opened my eyes—
I found myself in Yoon Chaeha’s room.
She was sleeping soundly on the bed, her face the very picture of peace.
Just then, a voice called out from beyond the door.
“Chaeha~ Time to get up~”
A wave of headache hit me, and I pressed my forehead lightly.
Ah.
It seemed…
There was going to be a bit of a problem.
.
!
Chapter 127
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