Winny-Kaisk’s Repayment 3

“His death was a mere dog’s death.”

For a brief moment, the Vagabond Hero noticed Doyun’s eyes subtly, yet profoundly, falter.

“To the existence that is ‘me,’ ‘my’ death signifies the end of everything. The world becoming happy at the cost of ‘my’ death? Utterly meaningless. The moment ‘I’ die, ‘my’ world has perished. There is nothing beyond that.”

“…”

“I say this even though I’ve never met him… but from the stories I’ve heard, I cannot help but find him utterly pitiful. Of what use is saving the world through death? His world ended there, unable to enjoy even a shred of happiness until the very end.”

He inhaled from his pipe.

“Did you know the context behind his fondness for cuisine? It was a mechanical choice to manage stress, they say. The legends even state he would hemorrhage for days whenever a comrade fell.”

The Vagabond Hero raised his head, exhaling smoke towards the heavens with sublime reverence, as if paying homage to a departed soul.

“He… should have been happy above all else. No one deserved it more than him…”

“…”

“So… even if it’s you. Don’t die, don’t go insane. Saving the world is admirable. But live while cherishing your own happiness, your own well-being, so that you may contribute to the world’s salvation and enjoy the world you’ve saved.”

“…”

“For the time being, stay off the battlefield. Preserve your body until your growth has progressed sufficiently.”

Head bowed, Doyun couldn’t find any words to respond.

A prolonged silence ensued, and the Vagabond Hero’s spent cigarettes gradually piled up in the ashtray before he finally spoke again.

“…Enoch.”

Enoch opened his mouth.

“Even after death… he must have been happy.”

“…”

“If he could have witnessed the world he preserved, he would have been overwhelmed with emotion, moved to tears.”

Slowly raising his head to meet the Vagabond Hero’s gaze, there was not a shred of regret in Enoch’s eyes.

“And if he saw the state of this world now, once again, just as before, he would have taken up the sword to save it.”

“His over 200 years of hardship would have culminated in pure happiness. I too will fight on the battlefield, just like him.”

“…”

“This place is Enoch’s world.”

The Vagabond Hero didn’t respond.

He simply met Doyun’s solemn gaze, taking a final puff from his pipe.

“…If that is your resolve.”

The Vagabond Hero prematurely stubbed out his unfinished cigarette in the ashtray.

His hand visibly trembled as he extinguished it.

Rising from his seat, he spoke.

“The reason I brought this up… Eloah and Sophie both pleaded with me, seemingly quite desperate. To please talk some sense into you, it seems you’ve given them quite a few frights…”

“…”

“And… about that item you received from Winny. Never use it. This too is at Winny’s request.”

The Vagabond Hero turned to leave.

“I’ll be off, then.”

“…Take care.”

Doyun remained seated, his gaze lowered towards the table.

His eyes seemed to sink heavily, deeply immersed in contemplation.

As such, he failed to notice the Vagabond Hero’s subtle shift in demeanor as he departed.

‘He definitely said… 200 years.’

His quickening heartbeat urging him to hasten his steps.

‘How could he…?’

The hand inside the pocket of his tattered robe trembled faintly.

The Vagabond Hero swiftly made his way towards the warp gate.

+++

“Hah!”

Sophie swung her leg forcefully, aiming a kick towards Doyun’s head.

Doyun neither dodged nor deflected it, simply raising his arm to block it directly.

Thump!

A dull impact resounded.

‘She’s growing remarkably fast.’

Doyun felt considerable pressure transfer through his arm – a level of power his Endurance 4 wouldn’t be able to withstand for long.

Of course, his monstrous Vitality 8 regenerative abilities instantly healed the damage.

‘Her Kicking Techniques must have reached Level 4.’

It seemed Sophie’s skill levels had risen through her recent warfare experiences.

Once martial arts skills like swordsmanship, spearmanship, and kicking techniques reached Level 4, they met the minimum requirement to utilize ki techniques.

Normally, it took even the swiftest rookie Disciples at least 2 years of systemic growth to reach ki utilization.

Of course, she would still need considerable effort to manifest an actual Ki Foot Skill, but to have progressed this far in just 3 months was an astounding growth rate.

It was the result of her talent assured by Tiamat, Doyun’s guidance and growth rate adjustment, and her daily absorption of his dense life force.

‘Moreover…’

Her Celestial Archery Illusion skill had undoubtedly grown as well.

“Hmph!”

And so, instead of dodging or deflecting, Doyun allowed Sophie’s kicks to connect, gauging her growth before speaking.

“Now, let’s get serious.”

At the shift in his intensity, Sophie’s body momentarily stiffened.

She retreated a couple of steps before swiftly and sharply thrusting a piercing side kick.

But Doyun deflected the solar plexus-aimed attack through the gap between his ribs and arm, then lightly tapped her clavicle with two fingers, instantly disrupting her balance.

As Sophie hurriedly tried to regain her footing, Doyun’s fingers had already snaked in, giving her shoulder a light shove.

Sophie’s body helplessly tumbled backwards.

Thump.

Landing flat on her buttocks with a dazed expression, their sparring session ended abruptly.

“The moment you launched that side kick, you should have instantly recognized my evasion and automatically transitioned to your next move. Focus more on sparring with others.”

“Yes…!”

However, upon receiving Doyun’s advice, Sophie immediately adopted a serious expression, actively listening.

This was also an excellent attitude that would accelerate her growth.

“That’s enough for today.”

Doyun extended his hand to help her up.

“Ah… Th, thank you.”

Flinching slightly, Sophie placed her soft hand in Doyun’s.

Doyun gazed at Sophie’s rosy pink eyes as she dusted herself off.

‘The Vagabond Hero did ask me to…’

Yet neither Sophie nor Eloah showed any outward signs when around Doyun, respecting his intentions even as they worried for him.

Doyun couldn’t simply brush off the Vagabond Hero’s words. Since then, he had given it much thought.

‘Perhaps I’ve… been unconsciously maintaining my previous life’s habit of fighting while disregarding death.’

In Enoch’s era, death held no fear – he could simply start over.

While having all his connections reset was a mentally draining ordeal, death itself was no concern.

Naturally, he had always fought while disregarding mortal peril, neglecting his own wellbeing.

But now was different.

‘My life is the only one I have now. If I die, it ends.’

The Vagabond Hero might have had a point.

He needed to discard that lingering habit from his previous life.

Of course, his determination to dedicate his life to saving the world hadn’t changed in the slightest, but that was a separate issue from preserving his life.

‘I should… take it a bit slower.’

Come to think of it, there was no urgent need to rush.

With the Lion King steadfastly holding the frontlines and the Apostle threat gone, he could afford to focus on growth for now.

‘I still need to attend to Brudhild’s sword, recruit new teammates quickly…’

While he did need to swiftly build renown and accumulate points to locate the Apostles, it wasn’t an urgent matter – they had been in hiding for over a century.

‘For the time being, I should address the backlog while learning to be mindful of my life.’

Having settled his thoughts, Doyun steadied his resolve.

“Um… Doyun…”

Conveniently, Sophie’s voice snapped him out of his contemplation.

“Ah, Sophie. Come to think of it, about your Celestial Archery Illusion, how has it developed?”

“Huh? Ah, well, that’s…!”

Strangely, Sophie seemed quite flustered by Doyun’s question, hesitating to answer.

Her face instantly flushed red as she averted her gaze.

“Uh, um… Yes, it has grown! But more than that…”

“How has it grown? Have the activation conditions changed?”

“Ah, that. Uhhh…”

Sophie fidgeted nervously, her ample hips swaying.

Puzzled by her telltale sensual habit when flustered, Doyun tilted his head.

“Uh, um… I, I don’t really know the details myself… but just know that I can now teleport to Doyun’s side as well…! So like, as a subject of deep emotional connection…”

“Hmm… I see.”

Although her explanation seemed unnatural, Doyun didn’t pry further or check her status window, sensing her discomfort. She likely had her reasons.

Having somehow satisfied Doyun, Sophie hurriedly changed the subject.

“B, but more importantly, Doyun! Uh… it’s about time for life force absorption…”

“…”

Now it was Doyun’s turn to feel awkward.

“…Didn’t you already absorb some this morning?”

“B, but, the more life force, the better, right…?”

“…”

“Since we just finished training, absorbing it now would be immediately effective… for growth and all…”

“…Understood. I did sweat quite a bit, so I’ll shower first, then come to your room.”

“Ah… you don’t need to shower or anything…”

Doyun pretended not to hear Sophie’s final mumbled remark.

He could already feel a stirring below upon seeing Sophie’s yearning expression and the dense, alluring scent wafting from her sweat-drenched body after their training session.

‘Why has this been happening lately…?’

It was an inexplicable physical change, but an awfully awkward topic to broach. How could he tell her, “I keep getting erections from looking at you”?

‘…If it’s something harmful, Sophie would surely let me know.’

For now, it wasn’t overly bothersome. He would observe further and only bring it up if it worsened.

Soon after, the Sophie who had invited him to her room knelt between his legs, bobbing her head eagerly.

+++

The Vagabond Hero stood before a towering, burly man seated upon a throne.

It was a majestic throne room where all others were required to kneel, yet he was among the few in the entire Alliance permitted to stand upright here.

From the low steps, the Vagabond Hero addressed the massive man gazing down from the towering throne.

“You clearly stated Enoch’s tenure was ‘200 years,’ did you not?”

“Indeed.”

The deep voice reverberated softly throughout the throne room.

“But I cannot be certain he is the ‘one’ you speak of.”

A voice that commanded kneeling with mere utterance, brimming with immense presence through its words alone.

Yet the Vagabond Hero remained unflinching before it.

Exhaling a heavy plume of smoke, he spoke with uncharacteristic trepidation, his usually unshakable demeanor wavering.

Noting his unsettled state, the burly man asked quizzically, “Have you found some clue?”

“Nothing conclusive yet. I’ll… speak again next time.”

“…”

The Vagabond Hero turned to leave, his tattered robe fluttering.

“You must be quite busy dealing with the slumbering lion. I won’t trouble you with formalities.”

There was no response.

The towering man silently watched the Vagabond Hero’s pensive back as he departed.

And once more, silence descended upon the throne room.