Game 『Brave Hearts』.
In a game where multiple playthroughs were possible, completing at least one prior playthrough was recommended in order to experience the journey of Gang Hanbyeol graduating from the academy.
It couldn’t be helped.
In the first playthrough, he….
‘Because he unconditionally loses his life in an episode that occurs before advancing to the second year.’
According to the game’s story.
At this time, Gang Hanbyeol receives a final request from So Hyeyul.
The request was to retrieve the Stake of Time hidden somewhere within the Temple of Time, a Green Gate.
Accordingly, after defeating Do Sieun in the graduation ceremony duel, Gang Hanbyeol picks a date and enters the gate.
There, with the help of his Gift, he finds the Stake of Time, but….
‘The thing is, in the exact place where the stake was stored, there happened to be a dangerous monster.’
A Rank 4 hidden boss monster.
In the process of leaving the gate, Gang Hanbyeol fights it.
And regardless of the battle’s outcome, he inevitably allows its ambush and becomes afflicted with poison.
「Gang Hanbyeol」
—Wh-why is my body… like this? …Huh?
The creature possessed a poison that caused existence to age until it ultimately stole life away.
In the game, it was described as an absolutely incurable poison.
Therefore, Gang Hanbyeol’s fate was as good as sealed the moment he was poisoned.
「Gang Hanbyeol」
—I can’t… see… pro-perly….
Having barely escaped the gate, Gang Hanbyeol had transformed into an old man.
He could no longer support his body and collapsed before the artificial gate.
As his vision slowly began to fade, he senses death.
At that moment, So Hyeyul, who had been standing guard, approaches with the sound of footsteps.
「Gang Hanbyeol」
—Di-Director… over… here….
「So Hyeyul」
—…I’m sorry.
Handing over the Stake of Time, Gang Hanbyeol makes an expression of relief, as if he had finally fulfilled his assigned role.
On the other hand, So Hyeyul, as always, fails to maintain her composure.
Realizing she cannot save him, she feels guilt.
She had vowed not to hesitate at any sacrifice to fulfill her grand wish, yet she wavers.
She makes an impulsive decision.
If she cannot reverse his death, she will reverse time itself.
「So Hyeyul」
—I didn’t know I was this foolish. Now that I’ve obtained the Stake of Time, it’s almost no different from having achieved everything…. Yet I’m doing this because of one student. If only he hadn’t resembled that child, this wouldn’t have happened….
So Hyeyul expends the mana she had independently gathered, which was meant to be used for her wish someday, to cast magic.
But even though she is acclaimed as the Witch of the Stars who among all mages is most accomplished in the principles of the universe, she cannot defy causality like an omnipotent god.
She minimizes the burden of reversing the world’s time.
To ensure she can change only the future where Gang Hanbyeol dies, she decides to restrict memories.
「So Hyeyul」
—The most recent point where I recorded time… was it the entrance ceremony? Almost a year ago. I deliberately recorded it carelessly so as not to remain attached to the present, but if I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have…. After regressing, I’ll have to delay my plans by another year or two in order to gather the mana consumed by this magic. It can’t be helped. As long as I have the Stake of Time, I can wait several more years. It’s fine. If I can just see that child again.
「So Hyeyul」
—Student Gang Hanbyeol won’t remember anything even after regressing. He’ll only feel sporadic déjà vu in the time he’s sent back to. However, what happened in the Temple of Time will feel vivid, so this time he should be able to avoid death. Therefore, I’m asking you. Please, in the regressed world, don’t die and return safely with the Stake of Time.
With So Hyeyul’s last line,
the player is able to view the ending message floating upon the darkened screen.
[To So Hyeyul, the present and future hold no value. She is obsessed solely with the past.]
[Such a woman, with her wish within reach, turns back the world’s time to change Gang Hanbyeol’s death.]
[Her choice sprouts hope.]
[Perhaps, in this world, it may be possible.]
[The regressed Gang Hanbyeol will not die this time and can advance toward a better future.]
[─ Happy Ending ─]
[There are still many opportunities left. This is only the beginning.]
[Will you restart the game?]
[Yes / No]
The so-called first-playthrough regression ending.
The funny part was that it was one of the few happy endings in the game.
The player had to complete this ending in order to progress through the story after the second-year advancement from the second playthrough onward.
* * *
The game provided a function to quickly skip through already-progressed story.
Thanks to this, a player who completed the first-playthrough regression ending could proceed through the Temple of Time episode in a short time without investing the same effort as at the beginning.
But this world is not a game; it is unmistakable reality.
Convenient functions for the player, as in the game, do not exist.
Therefore, if one were to regress to a second playthrough, they would have to suffer through another year from the start without any process of skipping the middle.
‘Of course, the second-playthrough me might not think much of it. Since he doesn’t remember the first playthrough anyway, he’d just say it’s a matter of suffering again…’
However, the me currently living through the first playthrough must not think complacently.
Going back in time without remembering anything means the current me disappears.
It is no different from death.
Naturally, I didn’t want to die.
The first-playthrough regression ending was out of the question.
‘But it’s not a problem that would be simply solved by refusing the request either…’
Leaving aside the rewards obtained from the Temple of Time episode.
The Stake of Time is material that leads to a later So Hyeyul episode.
In that episode, she uses the Stake of Time to fulfill her wish.
But if Gang Hanbyeol refuses the request, and she fails to obtain the Stake?
For me, it would be good since I’d safely pass an episode carrying the possibility of a bad ending.
The problem is that it’s hard to predict how she would respond.
‘She might coax and cajole Hanbyeol, or try to send him into the Temple of Time by force. Or find another method…’
The worst case is if So Hyeyul causes negative effects on the future beyond what I can handle.
‘This is dangerous, that is dangerous… It really is a massive headache.’
Still, I’m not wandering aimlessly.
What choice I must make was decided long ago.
The conclusion reached after five years of contemplation upon realizing my past life had not changed.
‘It works out perfectly. I was planning to follow Hanbyeol anyway.’
What was unknown in the game is that in this world, Gang Hanbyeol’s death is not set in stone.
It can sufficiently be changed depending on my efforts.
Therefore, I planned to clear the Temple of Time episode together with Gang Hanbyeol.
Even if it meant shouldering danger.
‘I should make a suggestion to the Director at this opportunity.’
While Gang Hanbyeol and I were examining the Green Gate key as we listened to the request contents.
It was then that So Hyeyul pulled a device from her bosom and extended it before us.
The device shone brilliantly, as though made of gold.
“There is one firmly locked door in the Temple of Time. According to investigations, it is a door that cannot be opened by any means other than a key. It cannot be destroyed either.”
“….”
“This came from another gate, and it is presumed to be the key to that door. However… according to appraisal results, only a chosen being can change the metal plate into the form of a key.”
“It chooses its master.”
“Yes, Student Gang Hanbyeol is correct. And I… am thinking that perhaps Student Gang Hanbyeol might become that master.”
“Me?”
“Because of Student Gang Hanbyeol’s Gift. Resonance Hands. If it’s a Gift that leads any tool handled by hand to the level of a master, regardless of what it is, then wouldn’t it be possible? A key is also a tool handled by hand, after all.”
“…That makes sense.”
“Would you check?”
The reason So Hyeyul disguised a board of directors’ request to guide Gang Hanbyeol to the Temple of Time lay here.
Because she determined that with his Gift, Resonance Hands, he would be able to open the door where the Stake of Time was stored.
In fact, her prediction was correct.
As proof.
“Device on.”
When Gang Hanbyeol infused mana into the metal plate and spoke the activation word.
Flash!
“….”
The metal plate regained its original form, flashing with blinding light.
Before long, Gang Hanbyeol was holding a gigantic golden key.
At that moment, while he was admiring the key, I turned my head from him and did not miss So Hyeyul’s reaction.
Likewise captivated by the key, she failed to manage her expression and smiled radiantly.
‘She’s absolutely thrilled.’
The corners of her mouth were practically touching her ears.
To that extent, the smile drenched in the madness of greed felt repulsive and horrifying.
So Hyeyul spoke in that state.
Satisfaction seeped from her voice.
“My request… no, my final request is to use that key to open the door in the Temple of Time and bring out whatever treasure is stored inside. A treasure shaped like a stake. Aside from that stake, Student Gang Hanbyeol may keep all the remaining treasures. So I’m asking you, Student Gang Hanbyeol.”
* * *
—If it’s a Green Gate, Hanbyeol might have difficulties clearing it alone, so I’ll go in together.
—Really? I’d appreciate that. I was already worried about sending Student Gang Hanbyeol to the Temple of Time alone, so I was thinking of asking Student Do Gyeonu as well. That’s why I called you both here.
—Director! Then can I bring other friends aside from Gyeonu?
—…No. I’ll ask only the two of you. Because of the request’s special nature, it must proceed quietly. That’s why I’ll be standing guard outside the artificial gate.
—Ah, I see. Yes….
Fortunately, So Hyeyul accepted my participation without opposition.
But she shook her head at other friends joining….
Gang Hanbyeol might have been disappointed, but I was secretly relieved.
Since I knew about the monsters we would encounter in the Temple of Time, I couldn’t guarantee their safety.
I might end up killing them while trying to prevent Gang Hanbyeol’s death.
A case of the cure being worse than the disease.
Therefore, there was no more suitable person to accompany him than me, who knew the future and possessed the Gift Evasion Instinct.
Anyway.
—Then when should we enter the Temple of Time?
—Well… I don’t know exactly how long it will take either. I can’t ask this of you during the final exam period, and after the final exams I have a schedule… Let’s do it this way. Won’t both of you have returned to the academy by around the end of winter break? There will be Shield activities, the graduation ceremony, and dormitory transfers as well.
—…I suppose so?
—Then shall we study hard for the exams, rest well during winter break, and then enter the gate? It would also be an appropriate time to open the artificial gate inconspicuously.
With this, measures regarding Nam Yuri’s villainess conversion and Gang Hanbyeol’s death event had been taken.
So now all I had to do was quietly wait for the right time.
At least for these two events.
‘An episode will occur soon.’
According to the game’s progression.
As the final exams approach, Sunhwan Chaga holds the Seonsanje, a traditional clan event.
For this, all people of Sunhwan Chaga gather at the clan’s ancestral mountain.
Cha Eunsol was no exception.
Reluctantly attending the clan event out of necessity, she would, there….
‘Be possessed by a spirit that had been imprisoned for a long time by the Chaga people, going on a rampage. Because of that, the clan head and several others would end up dying…’
This was a situation I didn’t wish for.
Because in the game, the spirit that took over Cha Eunsol’s body appeared as a formidable enemy.
Therefore, I needed to interfere in the episode to lower the difficulty.
‘Eunsol is close with us anyway, so I don’t need to clear the Cha Eunsol episode to bring her into the party. I’ve already been enticing her well with food…’
This was the reason I had been paying so much attention to Cha Eunsol lately, to the point of arousing Yeon Haneul’s suspicion.
According to the game’s progression, her cousin Cha Eunseo would come to tell her to attend the Seonsanje.
“Yum…. Why do you keep looking at me? Sorry, but this steamed bun is mine. Not planning to share.”
“I’m not thinking of eating your steamed bun?”
“Gyeonu? Wouldn’t it be better if Eunsol stopped staring and studied?”
That day, we were at the library preparing for the final exams.
But it seemed I had been staring intently at Cha Eunsol.
Having drawn her and Yeon Haneul’s attention, I averted my gaze slightly.
I grumbled inwardly.
‘Isn’t this force majeure?’
Across from me, Cha Eunsol was continuously munching steamed buns as if testing the limits of humanity.
Surely it’s only natural for a person’s eyes to be drawn to that?
She had already passed twenty.
It seemed she would head to the microwave in the break room to heat new steamed buns before long.
“Are you going to keep looking at Eunsol?”
“…Alright. I won’t look.”
Is she a ghost?
Yeon Haneul never lost sight of my gaze for even a moment, which was astonishing.
When I casually glanced at Cha Eunsol again, I had no choice but to quickly turn my head.
Still dissatisfied, she pinched my forearm and scolded me.
It was then that the presence I had been waiting for approached.
“Eunsol, I texted asking where you were, but why didn’t you see it?”
“Yum? Did you? Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to my phone because I was eating steamed buns.”
“That’s why I told you to set my alerts to vibrate….”
Cha Eunseo of the Sunhwan Chaga collateral branch.
After lightly greeting us, she confronted Cha Eunsol, who had been neatly stacking steamed bun wrappers.
Cha Eunsol, with her cheeks puffed like a squirrel, tilted her head indifferently.
Then Cha Eunseo, seeming to hold back words that had risen to her throat, let out a sigh and brought up her business.
“Anyway, you know there’s the Seonsanje this Saturday, right? I’ll pick you up at lunch, so don’t go anywhere and wait in your dorm room. We’ll move through the warp gate that day.”
“What a hassle…. Alright.”
It was the beginning of the Cha Eunsol episode.
I had become the childhood friend of a mid-boss.