The Second Salvation Myth of a Retired Regressed Hero

Doyun accessed the skill description for [Manifest Sword].

[Manifest Sword Lv.- Rate.-]

“…?”

It didn’t display.

He tried again, attempting to view [Manifest Sword]’s description.

‘…It’s not showing up.’

The skill description for [Manifest Sword] didn’t exist. The rating was also abnormal.

‘Why is that?’

…Actually, he had a vague idea.

Manifest (顯) referred to the power the Demon Lord had briefly manifested upon momentarily reaching the divine realm – in other words, divine might.

Then couldn’t Manifest Sword, derived from that basis, be considered part of the divine domain as well?

In the climactic final battle of the 18th iteration, when driven into a corner, the Demon Lord had once again manifested the phenomenon of ‘Death’ to attack Doyun, just like the 17th iteration. But Doyun had severed it with Manifest Sword.

Only an equal divine force could nullify divinity itself. From this, he could infer the answer to his question.

But it was such an arrogant, lofty notion that he couldn’t bring himself to fully believe it. Yet now, another piece of evidence supporting that hypothesis had emerged.

Perhaps this would become the key to victory against the current Demon Lord in the future.

‘…’

Doyun concluded his contemplation and examined his status window again.

[Swordsmanship Lv.3 Rate.A]
Sub-skills:
[Buske’s Style Swordsmanship Rate.A]

From the last battle, his [Swordsmanship] had leveled up from 2 to 3.

‘So combat against demonkin truly is the swiftest growth method.’

It had taken him several days to progress from Level 1 to 2, but Level 3 was achieved through a single battle. The real combat experience clearly provided immense merit.

This alone would motivate others to willingly risk their lives on the battlefield, undeterred. A positive system, indeed.

‘I had hoped Buske’s Style might reach S-Tier… but not yet.’

Apparently, raising a skill’s rating was far more arduous than simply leveling it up. An expected outcome, truthfully.

But whether much more remained or if it was drawing near remained to be seen.

Doyun’s growth rate was abnormally swift to begin with, and the [Manifest Sword] skill forming the S-Tier crux of Buske’s Style had already been created.

Perhaps a rating increase could be anticipated soon.

Organizing his thoughts, Doyun headed to the mana training grounds.

+++

The next day, after completing her duties, Eloah summoned the guild member Han Doyun.

She felt awkward about presuming to summon the Hero, but outwardly, as the vastly superior Guild Master, this appearance was proper. Of course, Doyun didn’t mind in the slightest.

The two sipped Uncle’s special tea blend, conversing about what they hadn’t finished the previous day.

Regardless of the topic, Eloah simply giggled happily throughout, cherishing this time spent with the Hero.

But she would soon be flustered by an unexpected ambush.

“That egg dish in the center of the table at our last banquet.”

“Pffft!”

Eloah spat out her tea.

“That fried egg. It was your handiwork, wasn’t it, Eloah?”

“Ho, how did you…”

“How? Why else would two random fried egg plates occupy the center among Uncle’s lavish main courses? There was no other reason.”

“You, you knew from the start…?”

“There wasn’t a single guild member who didn’t know. Until I took some, no one else touched it, and everyone snickered when I reached for that plate. Your wide, expectant eyes fixed on me were quite the sight too.”

“Ah, ahh… stop… please stop…!”

“It was delicious. A bit burnt on the bottom, but not bad at all. Our little chick’s first attempt at cooking, made for me – I was overjoyed.”

“Stop… stop…!”

Eloah flushed crimson, covering her face with her hands. Doyun smiled faintly at her reaction.

“I’d like to taste it again. What do you say, has your cooking improved at all since then?”

“Well…”

“May I request it?”

“……”

With both palms still covering her face, Eloah slowly nodded without answering. Doyun nodded satisfactorily too – her reaction to his teasing praise remained unchanged from the past.

After a while, once Eloah had somewhat cooled her flushed face, she fanned herself as she deliberately changed the subject.

“By, by the way… how will you approach team activities within the guild going forward? Operating the same way as 100 years ago would draw too much attention.”

“Hmm… I suppose so.”

Enoch’s team structure 100 years ago had been irregular – understandably so, with the overwhelming vanguard force led by Enoch, the Sword Saint, and the Sword King.

In standard teams, the tank drew aggro at the frontlines while withstanding attacks, with the vanguard fighting alongside them.

The sub-tank and melee DPS protected the ranged DPS and supporters from the rear lines. This was the conventional format.

But Enoch’s team had differed.

The tanks and all other members focused solely on rear guard protection. And in the vanguard, Enoch, the Sword Saint, and Sword King swept the battlefield without any tanks. The rear lines existed purely to support those three.

An utterly anomalous structure only possible with Enoch’s team composition.

“I’d like to teach Sophie conventional team tactics.”

“Certainly, I’ll inform Millaine. For lacking members, will you recruit newcomers? Or join an existing team as a trainee to learn?”

“The latter. I can’t properly teach her the fundamentals myself.”

It had been ages since he had experienced textbook team tactics.

“Understood, I’ll have you join under skilled veterans.”

“My thanks for your consideration.”

“Heheh. And please, let me know if there’s anything else you need or feel inconvenienced about!”

“Hmm…”

Doyun nearly brought up another matter after hearing Eloah’s words, but closed his mouth.

‘The guild does have an alchemy workshop… doesn’t it.’

…Right. Better not ask. He felt uneasy at the mere thought of that workshop’s scent.

Unexpectedly, Doyun had quite the knack for alchemy.

His alchemical talent was unremarkable like his other fields. Moreover, being a ritual art rather than potion brewing, it held no practical combat applications.

Yet from the 6th iteration where he first encountered alchemy until the 18th, he never once abandoned it across any iterations. Even the 10th to 13th iterations where he had discarded all humanity to live as a monster, alchemy was the sole exception he never relinquished.

Amid the recurring deaths and unfathomable ordeals, the murderous stress accumulating with each iteration that gnawed at his sanity – alchemy had been the core of his survival from that stress.

The alchemy he had lightly studied in the 6th iteration to enhance potion efficiency. And the small ritual golem he had created for idle amusement.

It had been the sole light anchoring Enoch as he devolved into a monster through those countless deaths.

Each iteration, Enoch had studied ritual arts slightly further. And his little friend’s completion had improved alongside Enoch’s increasing ritual prowess with every reincarnation cycle.

The resetting of connections from reincarnation – even after decades of camaraderie, his colleagues remained unable to recognize him. No one could console the curse of death and rebirth.

Within that, only that small friend’s form had changed according to Enoch’s reincarnations and improving ritual mastery – the sole existence carried over alongside his memories through each reset cycle.

The only companion who truly reincarnated alongside Enoch.

A mere composite of machinery and mana circuitry, devoid of soul, ego or memory.

Without alchemy, or rather, without that precious little friend’s reincarnation beside him,

Enoch would have gone insane long ago.

‘…But in this life, I’ll avoid the workshop.’

This 19th life Doyun currently lived was connected to the 18th iteration from 100 years ago, not reset through the reincarnation gimmick.

In other words, his little friend too still existed somewhere in this world, lying dormant and inactive.

He couldn’t create a new companion while that child still existed in this cycle. For Doyun, that would be utterly unforgivable.

‘Someday… when I have the chance.’

He would seek out his own workshop and retrieve that child.

Definitely, he would retrieve it.

‘…’

Doyun changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, Eloah. About the gods of this era…”

Bzzz- Bzzz-

But then, Eloah’s communication crystal began flashing and ringing.

“Oh, one moment.”

Eloah rose and headed to the crystal, checking the caller before turning to Doyun with a mischievous grin.

“…?”

Ignoring Doyun’s puzzled look, the crystal connected.

“What’s up? Weren’t you too busy meditating?”

[It doesn’t seem like an epiphany I’ll attain anytime soon.]

Doyun’s eyes lit up at the familiar voice from the crystal. Seeing his reaction, Eloah’s playful smile deepened.

“Hey! I’m coming over, I’ve got something to show you!”

[Hm? So suddenly?]

Eloah excitedly shuffled her feet, barely containing her laughter.

“The Hero doesn’t have any pressing matters, does he? Clear your schedule?”

[I’m free for now. But what’s got you so giddy?]

“Wouldn’t you like to know!”

The owner of that familiar voice was someone Doyun knew well too.

“Don’t spoil the surprise!”

“Just brace yourself for a shock, Brudhild!”

None other than his closest friend’s disciple.