Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Graduation
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"I've already made a promise with the World Tree Guild Master."
The guild masters let out sighs filled with regret and surprise. It seemed they had been beaten to the punch long ago.
Indeed, World Tree. A masterful move worthy of the master of the number one guild.
Heineken smacked his lips upon hearing Do-yoon's response.
'So the fight was already over.'
He had no choice but to withdraw the hand he had extended.
"Tch. Well, the fact that you'll become a hero hasn't changed, so if you need help later, contact me. After this business wraps up and I have some free time, that is."
"That's reassuring."
Do-yoon had rejected it for Elloa's sake, but Heineken's offer itself was highly intriguing.
And above all, he truly admired this man's ambition for the greater good. It would be great to join forces with him.
Do-yoon activated his trait [First Guild Master] to view Heineken's status window.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Heineken Athol Roxburgh
Race: Human
Affiliation: Panthera
Talent: Genius
⚡ Strength: Level 6 💨 Agility: Level 8 ✨ Mana: Level 6 💪 Stamina: Level 5 🛡️ Toughness: Level 5 Innate Traits: -
Acquired Traits: [Talent Hunter] [Stealthy Tracker] [Războinic] [Body-Spear Unity] Skills: [Dragon-Tiger Clash Lv. - Rate A] [Thousand-Mile Earth Spear Lv. - Rate A] [Spearsmanship Lv. 9 Rate B] - Expand 3 sub-skills [Return to Heaven Lv. 7 Rate B] [Spear Qi Lv. 4 Rate B] [Intent Concealment Lv. 7 Rate B] [Javelin Throw Lv. 6 Rate C] [Weak Point Capture Lv. 5 Rate C] [Acceleration Lv. 7 Rate C] [Pursuit Lv. 6 Rate D] ⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Han Do-yoon
Race: Human / Divine Beast
Affiliation: -
Talent: Genius
⚡ Strength: Level 5 💨 Agility: Level 2 ✨ Mana: Level 3 💪 Stamina: Level 8 🛡️ Toughness: Level 4 Innate Traits: [Trauma (Satiety Obsession)] [Divine Beast] [Acquired Genius] [First Războinic] [First Guild Master] Acquired Traits: -
Skills: [Hecleus Style Fist Art - Straight Punch Lv. 1 Rate S] [Localized Acceleration Control Lv. 1 Rate A] [Swordsmanship Lv. 2 Rate A] Sub-skills:
[Buske Style Swordsmanship Rate A]
[Seventh Sense Lv. - Rate A]
[Javelin Throw Lv. 1 Rate B] [Războinic Style Mana Circulation Lv. 1 Rate D] The first status window he'd ever seen from one of the strongest figures in the current era.
Do-yoon couldn't help but marvel at Heineken's status.
'What incredible skills.'
His stats were about what he'd expected. Aside from that level 8 agility, they might even be comparable to those Panthera guild members.
But the skills were on another level entirely. His [Spearsmanship] had especially reached level 9—a true mastery—and he had three A-rate skills to boot.
And that wasn't all. The notoriously hard-to-level [Spear Qi] was already at level 4. Plus, he had a wealth of high-quality traits.
This was a case of overcoming the limits of humanity through relentless skill honing. He was cut from the same cloth as Enoch.
That said, Heineken seemed to have been born with particularly exceptional bloodline among humans. No wonder he could become a hero through effort alone.
'Even his [Spearsmanship] itself is top-quality. A family secret art, perhaps.'
His noble lineage was evident even in his [Spearsmanship] skill, which was rated B—a very high mark.
Skills with the same name could vary wildly in quality and thus rating, as exemplified by [Javelin Throw].
Do-yoon had inherited the javelin throw of Zeke, the greatest spearman from 100 years ago. It was an outstanding technique, rated B.
But Debussy's was F-rate—the sort of basic javelin throw anyone could pick up from a street vendor's manual.
The same logic applied to Do-yoon's [Hecleus Style Fist Art - Straight Punch Rate S] and [Swordsmanship Rate A].
The Hecleus Style skill he currently possessed was the complete version from the 18th round.
However, the Buske Style sub-skill that determined the rating of its parent [Swordsmanship] was A-rate. He'd deliberately toned it down out of concern that someone might recognize it during the tournament—it was the pre-18th round version.
In the later rounds, Enoch had greatly influenced the martial arts of Hecleus and Buske. In particular, the insights from the 17th round's great battle against the Demon King that Enoch passed on elevated them to an entirely new realm in the 18th.
The 17th round Buske Style was still top-tier A-rate, but it paled in comparison to the 18th round versions of Hecleus or Buske Styles.
For a mere martial art—not a divine power—to reach S-rate was utterly absurd in the first place. That was how monumental Enoch's enlightenment on 'willpower' from the 17th round had been.
'I need to hurry and generate the S-rate Buske Style, and evolve the Hecleus Style from a single technique into its full form.'
Comparing Heineken's status to his own gave Do-yoon a chance to reflect on his position. It was a truly insightful window that taught him much.
And that made it all the more regrettable. He truly wished he could pursue the grand cause alongside such a man.
But for stable growth, following Elloa was the right call. What mattered to Do-yoon now wasn't some hero mentor—it was a reliable training environment to reclaim his past life's specs.
Heineken's ideals were undeniably alluring, but the path there would be perilous. Teaming up with him wasn't a wise choice.
Once he'd achieved sufficient growth in the future, he'd settle for offering the man a bit of help.
"Don't ignore me when I come calling for aid. Sometime, drop by the royal castle and give our apprentice knights a once-over."
"I'll make sure to do that... Ah."
Do-yoon paused mid-sentence to remind him of something he'd nearly forgotten.
"Be careful of curses."
"Yeah, thanks to you, I've got the intel on that."
"If you get cursed, come find me."
"Hm. You mean that mysterious phenomenon you showed me back then?"
"...Not exactly."
That day, the finance minister had tried to curse Do-yoon at the cost of his own life.
But for some reason, the curse had vanished without a trace. Even Do-yoon had no idea why.
'I'll look into it properly later.'
What Do-yoon meant was Sophie's [Curse Relief] skill.
"I've already prepared countermeasures against curses, so no worries."
"Good to hear."
Do-yoon and Heineken—the First Războinic and his successor—locked eyes for a moment.
"Best of luck."
"I'm curious what kind of monster you'll have become by the next time we meet."
They shared a brief handshake. Then Heineken turned and strode off, his full plate armor clanking with each step.
His splendidly equipped elite guild members fell in behind him in perfect formation.
The instructors, cadets, guild masters, and Do-yoon all watched silently as they marched off to the battlefield for the alliance's future, seeing them off.
"March out!"
His warhorse reared up on its forelegs with a mighty neigh.
With a resounding command, the White Tiger's army advanced, banners fluttering.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Millane poked at Elloa's shoulder boisterously, chattering away.
"Master, Master! When the heck did you snag Apostle Han Do-yoon!? Amazing! Totally amazing!"
"Ah, well..."
"I can't believe it! The third Boss Monster Killer in our guild! Kyaaah!!"
Elloa was utterly dumbfounded. She had never made any such 'promise' with Han Do-yoon. They hadn't even had a private conversation.
Yet Han Do-yoon had mentioned a 'promise.' And when he said it, looking right at her... he wore a meaningful smile.
'No way...'
Elloa felt her mind going blank. Her thoughts kept veering toward the impossible.
No, at this point, she couldn't just dismiss it. It was far too coincidental.
The same aura as that person, speaking like him, standing like him.
Using that person's techniques, bearing that person's gaze, radiating the same mana hue, dismissing pain just like him.
And now, uttering 'promise' at the exact timing she had hoped for, choosing World Tree for no apparent reason.
'...'
Her hopes were absurd. Impossible.
'But at this rate, could it really be...'
Could a miracle really have happened? Could he really have returned?
Such thoughts... kept creeping in.
Elloa felt her suspicions—which she'd dismissed as delusions—solidifying into conviction.
Watching her, Do-yoon thought:
'...Once we arrive at the guild by carriage.'
He'd need to have a talk with her.
Just the two of them.