The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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002.

So I suppose it made sense that I found the whole thing hard to believe.
Useful knowledge from a pastime that cost maybe a hundred won per issue—I’d never imagined such a thing would ever matter.
There’s a saying that if you wake to an unfamiliar ceiling, you’ve crossed into another world.
This ceiling was familiar enough, but logically impossible circumstances made it fair game to treat the same way.
‘This is insane.’
I clicked my tongue and set the desk calendar—dated fifteen years ago—back in its place.
Summarizing the information I’d gleaned from searching this cramped room, the conclusion was simple.
This was fifteen years in the past, and I’d undoubtedly traveled backward through time.
……What in the world am I supposed to do about this.
[You need only achieve the dream you left unfulfilled.]
“……!”
I nearly screamed.
So I could summon it just by thinking about it.
The Status Window that materialized suddenly glowed with blinding intensity.
‘Wait, wait. Just—give me a second, would you?’
[Okay.]
Regardless of anything else, this was a straw to grasp at right now.
I called upon it again, this time with deliberate calm.
‘Status Window.’
[You called?]
‘What can you actually do?’
[Ah, there’s something we need to do first.]
A chime sounded—ding.

[Scanning Ability Stats for Returnee ‘Kim Ha-seol’.]
[Yes/No]

I mindlessly tapped a finger.
The moment I selected “Yes,” blue sparkles erupted around where I sat at the desk and chair.
All manner of game-like visual effects came cascading down.
Pop-up windows materialized by the dozens, vanishing before I could read them, over and over.
[System Loading…]
After a flurry of activity, everything fell silent.
I exhaled slowly.
‘Good lord.’
This really is like a web novel.
And then, a moment later, the Status Window chime sounded again.

[Kim Ha-seol]
Age: 13 years old (Born February 27)
Height: 162cm
Weight: 47kg
Secondary Sexual Development: 24%

Strength: B-
Stamina: C-
Flexibility: C+
Precision: B
Charisma: C-

Special Notes: Returnee, Indomitable Will

“…….”
My mind had gone blank; I nearly spoke aloud with vacant stupor.
‘Unbelievable.’
The Status Window had organized my physical abilities into grades.
It was exactly like viewing the profile of a real game character.
‘What can I even do with this? Is this all there is?’
Fortunately, the Status Window didn’t leave me hanging for long.

[Condition met (Ability Stats profile unlocked). The ‘Point System’ has been activated.]
[Points: 0]

[!A new Challenge Quest has been assigned!]
[1. Clear the Grade 5 Figure Skating Promotion Test]

“…….”
I stared at the Status Window with an odd expression.
The entire setup was designed so I could succeed in figure skating from start to finish.
It was lavish help I hadn’t received from anywhere in over a decade.
As if someone desperately wanted me to get back on skates.
“You gave me this assignment on purpose, didn’t you.”
A popup appeared instantly.
[Skating is a sport where you lose your balance if you don’t practice regularly. Since this is your first time in fifteen years, this is an appropriate starting point.]
“……I see.”
The first quest that came was one stage of the Figure Skating Promotion Test.
Typically, promotion tests are taken by athletes from kindergarten through elementary school level as they build their fundamentals.
The beginner level covers only the most basic movements, and goes up to Grade 8, where skaters must perform according to international federation regulations.
It’s like earning belts in Taekwondo—a measure to assess an athlete’s level.
‘But then why not start me at the beginner level?’
Perhaps it was fine because the body remembers.
[As I said, you just need to fulfill the dream you couldn’t achieve.]
People naturally choose familiar unhappiness over strange happiness, and they often feel afraid of sudden changes, don’t they.
What truly made me laugh bitterly was that after reading all these popups, my eyes had begun to sting uncontrollably.
I……, damn it all, I was yearning for that ice rink.
Ding-dong-ding-dong—.
The alarm I’d set on my phone went off noisily.
I got up quietly and roughly chopped some cabbage.
While preparing food according to my diet plan, my face had grown damp.
The steamed cabbage tasted good enough, and it was especially salty that day.
It was a flavor I’d longed for.

***

I tapped my Transit Card and sat toward the back.
Bus route 225, passing near the school and academy districts—seven stops.
When I got off there, the Municipal Sports Complex with its large park came into view.
Since there was still time to get there, I decided to explore the Status Window a bit more.
‘Status Window.’
I called it mentally, and the familiar interface appeared before my eyes.
First, the Point System.
‘How does this work?’
[You can upgrade the attribute stats listed in your profile or equip special abilities.]
‘How do I earn points?’
[You must complete Challenge Quests.]
Helpfully, another new window appeared beside it.
The new Challenge Quest from before, and one more.

[Permanent Challenge Quest List]
[Receive Grade 3 or higher on Layback Spin (2 Points)]
[Receive Grade of Execution 3 or higher on Choreography Sequence (2 Points)]

“Ah, I see.”
It seemed points were given when I completed what was asked or met certain conditions.
Beyond what the system demanded, there were quite a few things worth challenging.
Quests that could only be cleared by competing and receiving scores from judges.
And there were also quests that could be cleared with simple training—practicing jumps or running.

[Points: 3]
[This is on the house. Consider it a tutorial!]

Right, I’ll make good use of it. As for the rest…….

[Double Toe Loop 6+ Combination Jump Success (Points: 1)]

“What is this?”
There were challenges whose purpose I couldn’t fathom.
‘I’ll worry about that later.’
I need to get down soon anyway.
Across from the bus stop, a wide empty lot sprawled with a track drawn across it.
Just down the stairs from the stop, a few exercise machines had been installed.
This was where we used to rest after Ground Training.
‘How long has it been?’
Past that spot, several small benches came into view.
A few girls around my age were warming up.
Despite the chilly March weather, they were all dressed in athletic wear.
“Oh, Ha-seol’s here?”
“……Yeah.”
What was this girl’s name again?
I greeted her awkwardly and hurried past.
Seeing a small middle schooler greet me so casually—that’s when it hit me.
The part of me that worked at the tripe restaurant was screaming.
At the front bench, someone with short-cropped hair was loosening their ankles.
Sharp features, keen eyes, an androgynous presence.
“I’m here, Coach.”
“You are? A bit late today. You usually arrive first.”
But from her was the thin, high voice of a woman—entirely at odds with her appearance.
Coach Park Chae-ram’s eyes blinked with an indifferent gaze.
Watching her expression, something hot surged up in my chest again.
“What’s wrong with your eyes? Have you been crying?”
“……No. I got dust in my eye.”
“My goodness.”
Seeing her this way again stirred something very strange inside me.
She looked so much younger than I remembered.
“Well? Finish warming up.”
“Yes.”
I never thought I’d find that resigned, weary tone so welcome.
Though the last time I’d seen her was a decade ago…….
‘I’m sorry.’
For so many reasons, words weren’t enough.
Her favored student’s leg had come to that—she must have suffered for it.
I rushed through my warm-up routine, heavy-hearted.
Loosening my legs, rotating my neck, bending at the waist.
Coach Park was already standing by with an Apple Pad in hand.
“Everyone warmed up?”
“Yes~.”
“So-yeon won the Shuttle Run last week. Who’ll take it today?”
I only half-listened to the coach’s briefing, still working out my ankles.
Ground Training was precious time even for ice sport athletes.
Figure Skating especially held its own in Winter Olympic endurance demands.
You had to be able to perform at full intensity for four minutes or more without exhaustion.
And today was one of those weekly sessions where Coach Park oversaw multiple students’ training.
Five middle schoolers, myself included, lined up in a row.
I set down someone’s gym bag beside us, then walked some distance away and took my position.
Soon, a very familiar sound came from the phone in her hand.
{The Shuttle Run will now commence. Beeps will sound at set intervals. You must reach the target point before the next beep sounds.}
The student fitness test administered in middle school P.E. class.
A familiar audio track — typically called “PAPS” or Shuttle Run — began playing to time the sprint intervals.
“Everyone, please take your positions on the starting line. We’ll begin at Level One.”
“Alright, let’s see who has the stamina to make it to the end today!”
The moment the coach shouted, the children snapped into position as if they’d been waiting for this.
I found myself doing the same, almost without thinking.
A sharp beep cut through the air alongside a pop song from the 2020s.
“One!”
At that signal, they all pushed off and sprinted toward the coach.
More precisely, toward the line on the ground where the coach was standing.
“Two!”
In unison, the children bolted back to their starting positions.
I’d forgotten how rare it was to have legs that didn’t scream with pain.
Three, four, five, six…….
The count climbed steadily, and the children kept running.
‘Wow.’
I was doing this again. Actually doing this.
How much time had passed?
Finally, I broke through the fifty-rep barrier.
“Huff, huff.”
By then, my facial muscles had begun to contort.
Despite the cool air, sweat dripped steadily onto the floor.
Running like this after so long—it felt like my lungs might burst!
Or was it really just the time that mattered?
I was the only one here straining and grimacing.
“Come on, Ha-seol—can you push through just a bit more? You did sixty-five last week. Want to try for more?”
Instead of answering, I gritted my teeth.
This pain—I’d longed for it for over a decade.
But simply having returned wasn’t enough. I couldn’t settle for that.
Now that I thought about it, they said I could upgrade my Ability Stats, right?
‘Status Window!’
The moment I cried out silently, a popup materialized instantly.
As my vision wavered, I scanned through the various stats.
What I needed right now was clear.
‘Add three points to Stamina!’
Ding!
A cheerful chime accompanied the popup.

[Stamina : C- → B-]

The moment the letter changed, something magical happened.
Fresh blood seemed to surge through my burning thighs.
My blurring vision sharpened, and my laboring lungs suddenly found room to breathe.
My feet quickly regained their footing and control.
It was undeniably remarkable.
If I’d run like this in my thirty-year-old body, my knees would have been completely finished.
Most of all……it was fun.
‘Just a little more.’
“Sixty-six!”
My pace quickened steadily.
“Seventy-seven! Seventy-eight!”
Before long, I was running alone.

And just as I was closing in on one hundred.
“That’s enough!”
Coach Park seized my shoulder like lightning and brought me to a stop.
I stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
My face was drenched in sweat.
Just as my head was beginning to fog.
“Hey, Kim Ha-seol.”
The coach’s voice snapped me back to attention.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Ever since we started, you’ve been dazed and distant, and then you keep sprinting like you’ve lost your mind. I was wondering what that was about.”
…….
I looked up at my coach slowly.
“Coach.”
“You did well.”
Unexpectedly, my coach placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You looked tired today, but I guess your potential finally bloomed, huh? Man, this kid.”
For a moment, I forgot how to control my expression.
And in the next instant, I understood what I’d been wanting to hear.
It’s natural to be praised when your skills improve.
But to hear even such a small compliment after so long without one.
My coach broke into a warm, genuine smile.
The Returnee’s Ice Rink Volume 2
E-book Publication Date | June 5, 2026

Author | Korkarolli
Publishers | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Potentia

Address | [04783] 10th Floor, 8 Yeonmuljang 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0002
List Price | Not for Sale

© Korkarolli 2026

This e-book is protected by copyright law.
This e-book has been published under contract with the author, and unauthorized reproduction, distribution, sharing, or reprint is prohibited without written consent from both parties.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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