The Second Salvation Myth of a Retired Regressed Hero

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Whoosh…

In the garden of the Buske residence, a cloud of dust swirled briefly.

Grass and leaves sliced by keen edges fluttered in the breeze, the ground thoroughly scarred by countless sword streaks.

And amidst it all stood the Hero Brudhild and Han Doyun, their blades crossed.

Clicking her tongue at the garden’s state, Eloah remarked,

‘The head maid will have a fit.’

Though just an informal friendly exchange showcasing their techniques without going all out, Brudhild and Doyun had become quite invested midway, resulting in this mess.

“Huff…”

Brudhild closed her eyes, slowly sheathing her sword.

Quite unusually, her hands and sword tip trembled unsteadily.

It couldn’t be helped. After 100 years, she had crossed blades with her master’s swordsmanship and that of the legendary Hero himself.

A lofty, profound realm far transcending her century of dedicated cultivation – she had experienced it firsthand.

Opening her eyes, Brudhild met Doyun’s gaze, his golden irises shimmering brilliantly with mana.

An unmistakably lucid, dazzling radiance.

The eyes of Enoch Războlnic, the greatest man in history.

“…”

Brudhild closed her eyes once more, lowering herself as her body fell prostrate.

Eventually, kowtowing with her knees, forehead, and palms pressed to the ground.

“I, Brudhild Buske, the Sword Saint’s disciple and hero of Skeletonia, greet the Progenitor Hero, Uncle Războlnic.”

“Long time no see, Brudhild.”

Doyun sheathed his sword.

“Rise. What’s with these overly formal formalities?”

“After such a long time finally meeting the Progenitor, this much courtesy is hardly…”

“Why am I your progenitor, you rascal.”

Though his words disagreed, Doyun inwardly smiled with pride. As expected, that Buske fellow had impeccably taught his disciples propriety.

Since long ago, whenever Doyun saw the adorably energetic Eloah and the polite, decorous Brudhild, he had thought of them as grandchildren of sorts.

“Father instructed me to revere you as his equal Master. Buske’s Style itself is fundamentally based on Războlnic Willow Style as its core…”

“I’ll box your ears. Even after 100 years, you’re still spouting the same nonsense.”

Doyun helped Brudhild up.

“My swordsmanship is also derived from that Buske’s at its core. For friends to positively influence each other is only natural. I have no intentions of being revered as some master.”

“Haha. You truly haven’t changed at all, Uncle.”

Brudhild smiled, forming shallow wrinkles, her bearded, lined expression reminiscent of her youthful face.

Eloah, who had watched the exchange, approached and playfully nudged Brudhild with her elbow.

“Didn’t I say I’d surprise you?”

“Truly… Phew. Is this a dream or reality…”

“Tee-hee.”

Seeing the two fully grown women, Doyun smiled contentedly. With the aged Brudhild and matured Eloah side by side, the century that had passed felt palpable.

“Incidentally, Uncle. I sensed your swordsmanship change midway…”

“Yes, I noticed that too. What was it? A [Swordsmanship] level up?”

Brudhild and Eloah had perceived Doyun’s swordsmanship undergo a major qualitative shift mid-exchange, beyond a mere skill level increase – a more fundamental transformation of the sword’s essence itself.

Both recognized that an abnormal change had occurred.

Doyun gazed at the system window before him.

[The skill ‘Buske’s Style Swordsmanship’ has been elevated to S-Tier.]
[The parent skill ‘Swordsmanship’ for ‘Buske’s Style Swordsmanship’ has been elevated to S-Tier.]

“So Buske’s Style, which was A-Tier, has become S-Tier.”

“…Pardon?”

Brudhild’s expression froze in shock, while Eloah reflexively echoed in disbelief.

“It seems we were right before the rating increase threshold. But I wonder when Războlnic Willow Style will manifest…”

“An, an S-Tier skill has emerged…? And for mere swordsmanship at that…?”

“Wha, whoa…”

The two marveled at the birth of an S-Tier skill wielder before their very eyes.

“In, incredible… Congratulations…!”

S-Tier skills were of the highest echelon, their mere existence wielding tremendous worldwide influence.

While the World Tree did have one S-Tier skill wielder, even for Eloah the Guild Master and the Hero Brudhild, witnessing an S-Tier skill’s emergence was utterly unprecedented.

Moreover, it wasn’t just any skill, but [Swordsmanship] itself attaining S-Tier – something hitherto unheard of.

Swallowing hard, Brudhild asked with a stiff expression,

“When the [Swordsmanship] skill was initially created… was it A-Tier?”

“Yes. Back then, I was using a slightly degraded version – Buske’s Style before imparting the Manifest Sword enlightenment to your father.”

“Ah… Then that means…!”

Brudhild urged Doyun’s reply with yearning eyes.

“It seems the Manifest Sword enlightenment is the determining factor separating Buske’s S-Tier and A-Tier Styles.”

“As I thought…! Ah, but…”

Clenching his fists, Brudhild wore a conflicted look, his expression mixing eagerness and resignation – Doyun sensed both emotions.

“Your Buske’s Style is likely still A-Tier then.”

“Yes…”

An inevitable outcome, without anyone to teach him.

But for Brudhild to independently awaken to it was utterly impossible as well.

Doyun nodded at him.

“I shall teach you.”

“Truly!?”

“Yes.”

Brudhild and Eloah stared at Doyun with wide eyes.

“Wow… I’m envious…”

“Bu, but… will I be able to learn it?”

“What level is your current Buske’s Style?”

“Level 9.”

Doyun had inquired about confidential status window information, but none present seemed to mind.

Considering the one asking was the legendary Enoch Războlnic himself, how could they hold back any details when offered tutelage in an S-Tier skill? They would readily divulge everything.

“Level 9? Lower than I expected.”

A remark that would have provoked dumbfounded head-scratching from others, but to Doyun’s eyes, it seemed that way – especially compared to the extraordinarily exceptional benchmark he had inwardly compared against.

Haineken, who hadn’t even lived 50 years, had [Spearmanship] at Level 9.

Yet Brudhild, over a century old and the direct disciple of the renowned Sword Saint, was at the same Level 9? It defied understanding.

Seeing Doyun’s reaction, Eloah spoke up,

“Brudhild’s [Swordsmanship] cannot be equated to other disciples’ Level 9 skills.”

The system had been created by the gods 70 years ago. The relatively youthful Haineken had been blessed with the system from birth thanks to his talent, acquiring the basic Level 1 [Spearmanship] skill in his novice days.

But 70 years ago, Brudhild was already well into her forties, renowned as one of the era’s foremost swordsmanship experts. Yet her initial [Swordsmanship] had still been Level 1.

Those already at an outstanding level before receiving the system’s blessings could not be treated equally to others at the same level, since skills had to start at Level 1.

To illustrate: when Haineken’s [Spearmanship] was Level 1, Brudhild’s Level 1 [Swordsmanship] had already effectively reached around Level 7 in practice.

As levels increased, the difficulty curve for leveling up spiked steeply.

However, despite starting from a vastly higher realm than Level 1 Haineken, Brudhild had been subject to the same growth rate and proficiency adjustments simply by virtue of sharing the same level.

Naturally then, by the time they reached the current shared Level 9, Brudhild’s prowess far surpassed his.

Doyun and Brudhild were extreme examples of such cases.

Doyun’s Buske’s Style had already reached around the average Level 8 standard, yet was still officially Level 3 in the system, affording him a swifter growth rate with corresponding adjustments upon each level up.

Simplistic level calculations couldn’t be applied to cases like Doyun’s or Brudhild’s.

The reason the Cradle curriculum didn’t cover this was because such cases were exceedingly rare – essentially a meaningless theory in reality, only relevant for a handful.

“Then can your current [Swordsmanship] be considered equivalent to the typical Level 10?”

“Haha… Not quite that high. The gap between Levels 9 and 10 is quite vast after all…”

For both stats and skills, the level gaps widened exponentially towards the higher ends.

While Brudhild had reached [Swordsmanship] Level 9 in antiquity, the Level 10 wall had remained too lofty even for her.

“Hmm… I see. In any case, Level 9 means you’ve thoroughly mastered Buske’s Style to near perfection, at least.”

“Haha…”

Seemingly bashful to affirm it himself, Brudhild merely scratched his head.

“I asked if you could awaken to Manifest Sword.”

“Yes. Even Father said his own comprehension of Manifest Sword couldn’t reach Uncle Războlnic’s feet…”

This was Brudhild’s concern.

Even her father, the renowned Sword Saint, had failed to fully understand Manifest Sword. Could someone like her truly set foot in that profound realm?

“Have no worries. As you said, he didn’t grasp much about Manifest Sword either, but he was still a genius in his own right.”

Doyun unsheathed the sword from Brudhild’s hip, handing it to Eloah as he continued,

“With just a sliver of insight into Manifest Sword, your father magnificently integrated it into his Buske’s Style. The Buske’s Style you’ve cultivated already has a sturdy framework to receive Manifest Sword.”

“Ah… You mean…!”

“Having thoroughly trained in Buske’s Style, it will greatly reduce the difficulty of learning Manifest Sword for you. Be grateful to your father.”

In fact, it hadn’t been mere lack of ability that prevented Buske from comprehending Manifest Sword.

In his later years, rather than further refining his own sword, he had devoted himself entirely to paving Brudhild’s path forward.

The stubbornly single-minded swordsman had strayed from the crucial Manifest Sword after encountering it.

“Drop by whenever you have time.”

“My deepest gratitude!”

Brudhild emphatically bowed. Doyun nodded approvingly at his eager ‘niece’.

“Yes. But enough about training for now – I have a veritable mountain of stories to share with you and Eloah. Might you have some time?”

“If Uncle wishes it, I shall make time even where there is none. Then, shall we head inside to converse for a bit… Ah!”

Midsentence, Brudhild clapped her hands, a mischievous glint appearing on her face as if recalling something. With palpable excitement, she asked Eloah,

“Did you show Uncle that?”

“Hm?”

“The Războlnic Edition.”

“Ah…! Ahah, tehe, heheh…!”

Realizing Brudhild’s meaning, Eloah began giggling uncontrollably. Doyun tilted his head, not understanding the situation.

“Uncle rather enjoyed his drinks back then. I possess a most precious vintage I’ve been saving. I would have us sample it today – would you care to join us?”

Eloah’s laughter intensified as she clutched her stomach, barely containing herself.

“Hmm… Very well. I’d be delighted.”

“Yes! Then please, come inside.”

Though puzzled, Doyun followed Brudhild into the mansion.