Three Months Later

+++

Three months had passed.

“Clear a path to the gate! Somehow, just open a path to the gate!!”

Amidst the clanging of metal and bursts on the battlefield, an Alliance general roared at the top of his lungs.

Soon, a path was cleared, and a soldier bowed to the man on horseback, flanked by escort Disciples.

“Disciple. It’s your turn to take the field.”

“Doyun.”

Leona, among the escort Disciples, called out to him, and the man nodded before dismounting.

As Doyun strode forward, the army’s ranks parted elegantly to the sides, as if enacting Moses’ miracle.

Before him stood only B-3, a fortress the Alliance had constructed long ago but lost to the Demon Lord’s army as the frontlines retreated – its gate remained.

“Disciple Han Doyun takes the field!!”

“Waaahhhh-!!”

Witnessing in person the awe-inspiring presence they had only heard tales of, the soldiers cheered excitedly, their morale soaring through the heavens.

The soldiers on either side brandished their spears and swords, fending off the Demon Lord’s army, forming a veritable red carpet solely for Doyun.

Doyun’s Dragon Heart blazed fiercely as mana surged into his legs.

The moment he took a step…

Paang-!

The ki burst from his soles propelled his figure forward at a speed unbelievable for his Agility 4, courtesy of the now Level 3 [Barracuda: Revised – Jet Propulsion].

Paang-! Paang-! Paang-!

With each footfall shattering the ground, he accelerated further, his strides growing wider and wider.

To the soldiers’ eyes, it seemed as if he were folding the very earth beneath his feet.

“Sh, shit! It’s that bastard! Stop hi-!!”

Before the Demon Lord’s commander could finish his anguished roar…

‘Emperor’s Divine Palm.’

Doyun’s palm struck the gate.

Jjeojeojeojeong-!

Accompanied by an earth-shaking shockwave, the gate’s fragments exploded inwards.

[The Skill ‘Emperor’s Divine Palm’ has leveled up. Current Level: 3]

“The Disciple has demolished the gate! Advance inwards!!”

“Waaahhhh-!!”

Doyun’s awe-inspiring display sent allied morale soaring to unprecedented heights, leaving the fortress’ occupants with no choice but bitter surrender.

Among the soldiers swarming into the fortress, Doyun marched steadily forwards.

+++

After the fortress fell, the Alliance pushed northward, regaining part of the frontlines once more.

“Good work, Human Siege Weapon.”

“…Don’t call me that.”

Leona playfully used the nickname Doyun disliked, chuckling as she patted his shoulder for completing the mission.

Afterwards, Doyun didn’t take further action, focusing on protecting himself under the rear Disciples’ escort.

Over this period, Doyun had compromised between the Vagabond Hero’s words and his own beliefs, acting as a one-man siege weapon on the battlefield while prioritizing self-preservation.

Sieges were truly inefficient, dragging on for weeks at best, years at worst.

But Doyun had been concluding such sieges within a single day, making remarkable contributions to pushing back frontlines that had stagnated for decades.

‘He’s really only been a Disciple for 6 months…’

Leona watched his retreating back with a conflicted gaze.

Despite not revealing his true identity, Doyun had already exerted far greater influence at the 6-month mark than any previous Boss Monster Killers.

Just 5 months ago, he had been the team’s rookie, but now he was undisputedly their strongest member and a pivotal figure for the Alliance.

Leona too had reaped considerable benefits thanks to Doyun.

Yet ever since harboring feelings for him, watching Doyun’s growth at an unattainable pace left her heart fluttering restlessly.

Even now, during their return march, Doyun was surrounded by various individuals vying for his attention.

“Disciple Han Doyun, congratulations on the fall of Fortress B-3! This will surely change the maps once again.”

“It was not my sole achievement.”

“Hahah! As modest as ever, I see.”

“Disciple Han Doyun. I’ve heard you enjoy wine. I have a Cabernet Sauvignon, the Razvolnic Edition! How about a celebratory drink when we return…”

“……I must decline.”

“Disciple. General Ryburn wishes to meet with you…”

High-ranking Disciples from prestigious guilds across nations, even Muspelheim’s knights numbering in the thousands, fawned over Doyun.

They were all eager to establish connections with the Alliance’s current hot commodity, the Human Siege Weapon Han Doyun.

While not usually this overt, a recent rumor circulating across the continent had indirectly caused Doyun’s already high stock to skyrocket further.

‘Could it be true… that he’s a Boss Monster Killer?’

‘I’ll take any scraps. I must establish a connection somehow!’

A rumor had been spreading that a Boss Monster Killer had emerged within the past two years.

Still a closely guarded secret known only to a few, the individual’s identity remained unspecified.

However, among the various promising candidates, Disciple Han Doyun was being touted as the most likely Boss Monster Killer prospect despite being the latest rookie.

As such, those around him became increasingly keen, practically clinging to Doyun’s side.

Yet Doyun showed no interest in wealth or fame, focused solely on warfare, growth, and accumulating points.

He merely responded politely to such individuals as usual.

Mechanically moving his lips, he checked his status window.

[Status Window]

Name: Han Doyun

Race: Human / Divine Beast

Affiliation: –

Talent: Genius

Stats:

Strength – Level 5

Agility – Level 4

Vitality – Level 8

Endurance – Level 4

Mana – Level 4 -> Level 5

Innate Traits:

[Trauma (Satiation Compulsion)]

[Divine Beast]

[Self-Made Genius]

[First Razvolnic]

[First Guild Master]

Acquired Traits:

[Human Siege Weapon]

Skills:

[Hecleus’s Style Pugilism – Orthodox Fist Lv.1 Rate.S]

[Swordsmanship Lv.3 Rate.S]

Sub-Skills:

[Buske’s Sword Art]

[Razvolnic’s Mana Cultivation Method Lv.2 Rate.S]

Sub-Skills:

[Draconic Mana Blessing – Revised: Razvolnic’s Style]

[Emperor’s Divine Palm Lv.2 -> Lv.3 Rate.A]

[7th Sense Lv.- Rate.A]

[Javelin Lv.3 -> Lv.4 Rate.B]

[Barracuda: Revised – Jet Propulsion Lv.1 -> Lv.3 Rate.C]

Doyun had recently felt his growth stagnating.

‘Both skills and stats barely rise from Level 4 onwards.’

Admittedly, preserving his life on the battlefield had significantly hampered his growth rate.

Of course, even this was still an astounding pace by others’ standards. Who would believe this status window belonged to a 6-month rookie?

But it paled in comparison to his former self as Enoch Razvolnic, the once-strongest on the continent.

‘…No. I mustn’t be impatient.’

Shaking his head, Doyun dismissed his newly acquired habit of checking his status window.

This was the right approach. No matter how swift his growth, what use was it if he died?

Regression was no longer an option. He had to prioritize his life now.

Doyun took a deep breath, recalling his conversation with the Vagabond Hero three months prior.

+++

Leona’s team entered the guild’s personal vault.

“Hm? Who’s this?”

But an unfamiliar face was seated at the counter.

“Ah, hello…! The previous staff member retired last week, and I’m the new one. Please take care of me!”

“Ah…! So they retired… Yes, I’m in your care!”

Leona greeted the new personal vault staff cheerfully.

Each team member inserted their guild insignia into the recognition device, with Doyun going last.

“Oh, Disciple Han Doyun? There have been some changes to your personal vault. Shall I print out the transaction log?”

“No need. Just recite it verbally, please.”

“Certainly. Let’s see, Disciple… Han Doyun…”

She typed on the keyboard, displaying the change log on the monitor, but her eyes widened at the topmost entry.

“Wo, wow…! It seems you’ve made quite the extraordinary contributions recently…! The most recent cash deposit is 200 gold pieces…! Th, this is the first time I’m handling such an enormous sum…!”

Her reaction drew amused chuckles from Leona’s team members.

Certainly, 200 gold pieces was an astronomical sum even veteran Disciples could scarcely dream of earning over decades.

‘The previous staff member had a similar reaction when first handling Doyun’s vault too.’

Of course, not long after, she had processed deposits of hundreds of gold pieces with casual indifference, as if it were routine.

“Are you a high-ranking Disciple? So impressive…! Ah, just a moment please!”

After rapidly inputting the changes, a confirmation slip printed out, which she read.

“200 gold pieces deposited from the Muspelheim military in recognition of your service, 10 gold pieces from the Amaterasu Guild for… travel expenses? Travel expenses? And 30 gold pieces from the Squares Guild as a gratuity fee, added to your existing assets of 345… Huh?”

Sophie and Jillaine stifled their giggles, covering their mouths.

“Wha… one, ten, hundred… thousand… wha… mil…?”

She reread it with increasing bewilderment before checking again on the keyboard, doubting her own eyes.

But the amount on the newly printed confirmation slip matched.

“Th, th, this is…”

[Disciple Han Doyun’s Personal Vault]

.

.

.

[Current Cash Holdings: 34,500 gold, 540 silver]

Dazed by the staggering sum, she soon realized something was amiss, her expression turning ashen.

This was absolutely not an amount that should be in a personal vault. It had clearly been erroneously linked to the World Tree’s corporate vault instead.

A colossal mistake that could potentially get herself fired and the guild in serious trouble, to put it crudely.

The staff member’s hands began trembling uncontrollably.

‘No, no… but why do I even have access to such an important vault? Was my position really that significant? Why me? I’m just a new hire?’

Before long, tears began welling up in her eyes.

“Um, uh… ju, just a moment… please, wait…”

Her shaking fingers kept making typos on the keyboard. Why was this happening to her barely a week into the job? Why had she been granted such access? She was terrified.

‘Mom…’

She wanted to go home.

“So, sorry! It seems there’s been an administrative error, let me check…”

“That is my vault.”

“Pardon?”

The female team members roared with laughter behind him, finding it all too adorable, while Doyun could only sigh awkwardly.