The Second Salvation Myth of a Retired Regressed Hero

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(I will say this in advance. If you assume 1 silver coin is worth 10,000 won, it will be easier for you to read. Not gold coins, but 1 silver coin is worth 10,000 won.)
(And be sure to read the author’s afterword. It will help you understand the work.)

The area in front of the Cradle was bustling with numerous carriages.

Unlike usual, this semester had quite a few splendid carriages exclusive for guild masters. The masters of major guilds had come in person.

“Whew…”

Eloah, waiting in the carriage, took a deep breath to calm her inexplicably tense heart.

She herself didn’t understand this feeling. To be so flustered over just one student.

‘Get a grip…!’

Eloah chided herself. Projecting the image of the Hero onto him was mere delusion.

He did resemble the Hero a great deal. Embarrassingly, she had even wondered if student Han Doyun could be the Hero’s reincarnation.

But she quickly shook her head. That was an impossible thought.

He wasn’t the Hero. Don’t harbor unnecessary expectations. Eloah kept reminding herself.

“Master, relax…”

“Mm…”

“We’ve poured so much money into this! We’ll definitely be able to bring him in. Fighting!”

“Mmm…”

Eloah continued taking deep breaths repeatedly.

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The outdoor meeting area provided by the Cradle.

This place, set up with tables and chairs like an outdoor terrace, was where contracts were made between guilds and students.

Students could approach people from the guilds they wanted here, discuss contracts, and sign the contract papers.

Of course, not all students were recruited at this venue.

The top-ranking students had already finalized where they would go after talking with their close instructors within the Cradle itself. Upper-middle rank students also had to put in some effort, but generally contracted here.

But conditions grew much harsher from the middle ranks onward. They ended up selling themselves off to small and medium-sized guilds under harsh conditions, or were expelled into society without joining any guild. They had to start from the very bottom as mercenaries, building their careers.

Only after suffering hardships and accumulating sufficient experience and skills could they join small and medium-sized guilds. Or they might continue living as mercenaries if unable to do even that.

Of course, this premise assumed they survived the harsh dungeons and battlefields.

“Wow…”
“What a spectacle…”

The instructors marveled at the sight of the meeting area. The scene here this semester was definitely different from previous ones.

Normally, contracts were handled by scouts dispatched from the guilds. But today, not only them but the masters of the major guilds themselves had shown up in force, lining up in a row at the center of the meeting area.

It was all for the sake of a single student, of course.

The students who had finished their graduation ceremony streamed out into the outdoor meeting area.

“Woah…”

The students who hadn’t seen the guild masters during the inspection gaped at the unfamiliar sight.

They had thought this was a normal occurrence seen every semester.

‘So I’m… negotiating the contract… directly with the Guild Master? Am… am I that big of a deal? Haha…!’

Some of the top-ranking students puffed out their chests smugly.

Amidst that commotion, the main character of this meeting area made his entrance.

“He’s here.”
“Get ready.”
“Yes!”

Han Doyun walked out of the building with Sophie and the Headmaster by his side. In sync with his arrival, the guild masters’ attendants began moving in unison.

Splendid tables and chairs were set up in front of each guild master lined up horizontally. Just large enough for two people to sit face-to-face.

‘The Hero is…’

Some looked around for Haineken, but he wasn’t present here.

‘Where is he?’

Considering the extreme interest he had shown in Doyun, his absence was rather strange.

Originally, it was taboo for someone from another nation to intrude into a foreign Cradle and try to poach talents. But for a boss monster killer, breaching such impropriety was well worth it. Especially for the talent hunter Haineken.

But no matter how much they looked, Haineken was nowhere to be found.

‘…This makes me uneasy for some reason.’

Although the guild masters furrowed their brows at this incomprehensible phenomenon, they focused on the matter at hand for now.

The diverse array of lavish tables lined up, the solemn guild masters seated, and the unprecedented scale of conditions plastered over the contract papers placed before them.

It was a rather bizarre sight. As if Doyun was being presented with various dishes to choose from.

All of this had been prepared for the sake of a single student.

The students who had momentarily deluded themselves into thinking it was for them belatedly realized the reality and stepped back with an “Ah…”

“Hmm!”

The man seated at the leftmost table drew everyone’s attention with a cough. A signal to begin. The surroundings fell into an uncanny silence.

All eyes turned towards him.

“Our Amaterasu Guild will offer student Han Doyun 1,000 gold coins as a lump-sum contract bonus, and a monthly salary of 50 gold coins.”

“Wha… wha…!”

Someone in the crowd exclaimed convulsively at his words.

The instructors’ eyes bulged dramatically, and the other guild masters flinched.

The currency units in this world were copper, silver, and gold coins.

100 copper coins equaled 1 silver coin’s value, while 1,000 silver coins equaled 1 gold coin’s value.

Normally, the contract bonus paid upfront was around 1 to 2 gold coins. Top students ranking in the top 10 at the Cradle might receive 6 or 7 gold coins, with the top student getting over 10 gold coins.

Even that was an enormous sum from commoners’ perspectives, but treatment for guild disciples was that generous in this world.

Disciples were regarded not as ordinary soldiers but as weapons of war themselves in times of conflict.

And this was a wartime era when every nation needed them.

Monthly salaries varied wildly afterward, but regular students started from around 300 silver coins. Top students usually received 1 gold coin.

Yet Doyun was offered a contract bonus of 1,000 gold coins and a monthly salary of 50 gold coins right from the start. It was an unprecedented sum that defied description as merely generous.

Some commotion arose, and the guild masters hurriedly revised their plans with their attendants.

Amidst that minor ruckus, only the World Tree maintained its dignified composure.

Doyun simply watched them calmly.

Soon, the guild seated right next to Amaterasu opened its mouth.

“Our Black Cat offers a contract bonus of 1,500 gold coins and a salary of 60 gold coins.”

“1… 1,500 coins…”

Again, exclamations burst from the instructors, and the Amaterasu guild master gritted his teeth audibly.

Immediately after, the guilds next in line opened their mouths.

“We offer 2,000 coins and 70 coins.”
“2,000 coins and 100 coins.”
“2,300 gold coins and 80 gold coins.”

The offered amounts kept rising. Many guilds had dropped out early, leaving only the scheduled major guilds to compete.

“4,000 gold coins in installments and 120 gold coins!”

As the numbers approached 5,000, some pauses began emerging between the bids. Around 5,000 gold coins, even major guilds could go bankrupt if they lacked sufficient internal reserves.

It was an amount that required national-level deliberation before disbursing, not something even major guilds could commit to recklessly. 5,000 gold coins carried that level of value.

And the boss monster killer was a treasure and hope of the allied forces worth that amount – no, even more.

Sophie, standing behind Doyun, kept giggling uncontrollably amidst this atmosphere. Strangely, she felt as if the world was evaluating Doyun’s worth so highly.

As the bids approached 6,000, an atmosphere formed as if the end was in sight. Only three guilds remained participating in the competition.

After some deliberation, the figure 6,500 was laboriously called out with difficulty.

“Whew…”
“6,500… so that’s a boss monster killer…”

The instructors muttered in awe, admiration, and resignation.

6,500 gold coins. An amount they could never dream of touching even if they lived a hundred lifetimes.

As time passed, the murmurs gradually died down, and complete silence fell over the meeting area. All eyes turned towards Doyun.

‘Hmm…’

After observing the situation, he surveyed the guild masters once more.

‘Is that all?’

Just as Doyun was about to open his mouth,

“10,000 gold coins and a 200 gold coin salary.”

Eloah’s voice reverberated through the meeting area, having remained silent until the very end.

The previously quiet meeting area was instantly filled with shock.

“Wha… what!?”
“Huh…? 10,000…? Did I hear that wrong?”
“Wo… woah… woaaah…”

10,000 gold coins. A student had been offered 10,000 gold coins as a contract bonus. It was a sum beyond the word “unprecedented” – an amount almost unbelievable.

Some clutched their foreheads dizzily, overwhelmed by the exorbitant figure transcending their sense of reality.

If it had been any other guild besides the World Tree, they would have gone bankrupt immediately due to cash flow issues. It was that kind of an amount.

Eloah, the World Tree’s Guild Master, calmly listed the additional conditions in a cold, charismatic tone.

But then,

“Announcing the Hero of the Vielorn Kingdom!!”

The gatekeeper’s booming voice drowned out Eloah’s words and echoed through the hall.

Including Eloah, everyone started in shock and turned their heads towards the entrance. Haineken was walking in from there.

Clack, clack, clack, clack.

Haineken’s approaching figure exuded solemn grandeur. Fully armed in thick armor and weapons, he was followed by 10 elite guild members marching in formation behind him.

As if marching off to war itself, their appearance was fearsome and grave beyond words.

“Wh, what’s this!? Are they here to fight!?”
“Look outside! It’s a real army! He’s brought an army!”

Thump thump. The guild masters stood up indignantly from their seats.

“Hero Haineken! What is the meaning of this! Bringing armed forces into another nation’s Cradle!”

“This is an unprecedented grave crime! Your Hero title shall be revoked, and the entire continent will lament your treachery!”

A small number of attendants equivalent to each guild’s elites stood with their backs to their respective guild masters. Their hands were already gripping their weapons, on guard against Haineken.

The instructors reacted similarly. Some rushed back inside urgently to request reinforcements, while those combat-ready instructors reached for their weapons.

In an instant, a hair-trigger atmosphere emerged.

No one present could make sense of the current situation. Did any of this even make sense? For a hero of another nation to enter fully armed, even bringing an army with him into the Cradle!

‘What is the Headmaster doing!? No, how did they even cross the border in the first place!? What is this nation’s military up to!’

The guild masters glanced towards the Headmaster. But the Headmaster simply smiled faintly, as if already aware, and merely observed the situation.

Donning a thick full-body armor and carrying three javelins on his back, Haineken strode towards Doyun with heavy footsteps.

“Disciple Han Doyun.”

With a giant white tiger emblem fluttering on the banner behind him, he grinned at Doyun.

“Would you like to become a king?”

At his words, everyone’s jaws dropped wide open.