The Second Salvation Myth of a Retired Regressed Hero

+++

Sophie and Doyun secretly borrowed an empty training hall, where they rolled around nude together – the ritual for consuming the Vitality Pill.

Even after the ritual ended, Sophie remained in a dazed state for quite some time. So much so that she stood still as Doyun personally dressed her in her underwear and clothes.

The infatuated gaze Sophie directed at Doyun seemed to contain hearts in her eyes, such was the depth of affection within.

Then, at some point, she suddenly snapped out of it, her face flushing beet red before immediately fleeing.

‘…It will be a little awkward for a while.’

He checked the time. The unexpectedly lengthy ritual had caused them to go over the training hall’s rental period.

Doyun decided to return the key first before heading back to the dorms.

In his previous life, Doyun had consumed the Vitality Pill numerous times through repeated regressions. Thanks to that, he had memorized the ritual and could guide Sophie through it.

Additionally, Doyun’s innate talent for mana control allowed him to perform his own ritual without an assistant.

As Doyun headed back to the dorms, he gathered the clothes he had taken off in a corner of the training hall.

However, before putting on his underwear, he gazed at his crotch area with a vexed expression.

His groin was coated in Sophie’s warm, sticky fluids.

‘…I wish this wasn’t so big.’

Doyun’s lower region was considerably larger than Enoch’s had been – to an inconvenient degree.

As such, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to put his pants back on. He would likely need to calm it down through some brief meditation first.

‘For now… I should wipe it off.’

Having nothing suitable to wipe with, Doyun reluctantly brought his clothes close to his lower body.

But then.

“Ack…!”

Doyun flinched and retracted his hand in shock.

‘Wh, what was that…?’

He looked down at his crotch with bewildered eyes.

+++

“Phew…”

A heavy sigh escaped Doyun’s lips as he sat on the dorm floor, having absorbed the elixir’s effects.

Doyun gazed at the system message before him.

[The stat ‘Vitality’ has increased by 1 level.]
[The stat ‘Mana’ has increased by 1 level.]

Stats:
Strength – 5 levels
Agility – 2 levels
Vitality – 8 levels
Endurance – 4 levels
Mana – 3 levels

A faint smile crept onto Doyun’s face at the rising stat levels and bodily changes he felt.

‘Remarkable.’

Indeed, she had been one of the top three alchemists of her era. As in his previous life, the effects of this Vitality Pill were truly exceptional.

His vitality stat had risen from 7 to 8 levels – a difference that couldn’t be dismissed as trivial.

Lower-level stats could be raised through simple physical training, making their leveling difficulty low. But as the levels increased, the hurdle between them grew exponentially steeper – and the bodily changes from each level-up became more drastic as well.

Doyun recalled an interesting anecdote an instructor had shared during a lesson.

‘In the past, there were elixirs that could raise [strength from 1 to 8 levels] and [strength from 8 to 9 levels]. Ah, those might not have been the exact names, just describing the effects. Anyway, which of those elixirs do you think traded at a higher price?’

‘Heh heh. Wrong. Or rather, right? The question was ambiguous. The one that traded at a higher price was… the former.’

‘The former eventually traded at an exorbitant sum. But the latter didn’t trade at all.’

‘The latter elixir sparked a war.’

‘In other words, it was one of the rarest treasures in history, whose value couldn’t be measured by mere money. A single elixir caused wars between entire kingdoms, even in this era when unity against the Demon Lord should have been paramount.’

No need for a lengthy explanation. According to the lessons, the highest stat since the System’s creation was the Lion King’s mana at 9 levels.

If the current allied forces’ strongest had a stat of 9, it could be inferred that the main stats of the top-tier apostles powerful enough to be counted among the elite few hovered around 7 to 9 levels.

In other words, 7 levels was considered the highest tier, with appropriately vicious leveling difficulty.

Generally, from around level 7 onward, there were virtually no natural methods to raise stats further. Forced stat increases became necessary at that point.

Such methods included top-grade elixirs or systemic blessings for level-ups, but even the former barely worked from level 8 onward.

Yet the Vitality Pill had raised Doyun’s 7-level stat to 8 – and it was merely an artificial elixir composed of cost-effective ingredients, no less.

‘They tried to design it for repeated consumption with this…?’

If that had truly succeeded, wouldn’t Enoch’s defeat of the Demon Lord in the 18th regression have been brought forward by a couple of regressions?

No matter how many times he consumed the Vitality Pill, recalling that fact always sent chills down his spine.

Doyun examined the changes in his body.

‘At least in terms of vitality, I’ve long since surpassed my prime in my previous life.’

Of course, the name Enoch Ruszvolnik was no lightweight either.

In this case, while Doyun’s innate talents and the Vitality Pill’s potency played a role, the greater factor was the lowly human birth that had always shackled Enoch – vitality being an area where racial differences were particularly pronounced.

This body was truly mind-boggling. Compared to the era when he had been bound by his unremarkable human birth, everything felt effortless and superior. The name ‘divine beast’ was not an iota excessive.

The vitality stat displayed by the System here didn’t simply refer to cardiovascular endurance, but encompassed a broader concept including regenerative abilities, pain tolerance, and more.

Moreover, according to the instructor’s explanation, higher vitality levels maximized the power of other stats and skills by increasing the body’s vigor and energy output.

Even with identical stats and skills, their might would vary based on vitality levels – including not just endurance but instantaneous output as well.

‘This should allow me to somewhat utilize Hecleus’ Fist Style in actual combat. Encouraging.’

Doyun had simply described it as ‘encouraging’, but if his current situation were revealed at the Cradle, it would cause far more than a stir.

A single student achieving an 8-level stat?

This was realistically an impossible feat. Not a single instructor at the Cradle currently possessed an 8-level stat.

Of course, Doyun’s stat distribution was currently unbalanced. Having an 8-level vitality didn’t automatically make him the Cradle’s strongest in overall output, especially with his crucial mana stat only at 3 levels.

But regardless, the fact remained that Doyun was now instructor-level or above based on stats alone.

Simultaneously, however, Doyun felt a tinge of vexation.

‘…My virility must have increased significantly as well.’

He looked down at his lower body. The bulge he had barely suppressed through willpower while absorbing the elixir was gradually swelling again.

Ever since assisting Sophie with the ritual, Doyun had been unable to understand this sudden change in his body.

His penis had become abnormally sensitized.

Until now, he had suppressed his erections through willpower, but with his vitality at 8 levels, even that had become difficult. His virility had soared to inhuman levels.

‘It seems Sophie is the cause, but…’

For now, he couldn’t grasp any solution.

In the end, the only recourse was to ask Sophie about it once morning came.

“…”

Doyun lay down in bed, worried if he would even be able to sleep tonight.

+++

The next day, Sophie continuously avoided Doyun.

Whenever Doyun tried to speak with her, she would only blush without meeting his gaze before immediately fleeing.

But after Doyun explained his bodily condition, she immediately reacted with wide eyes, dragging him somewhere.

“I’m, I’m so sorry!”

Behind one of the buildings, along a secluded walking path rarely frequented, Sophie abruptly bent over from the waist in a deep bow toward Doyun.

“…So Student Sophie was the cause after all?”

“Yes, definitely… I’m really sorry. I never expected things to turn out like this…”

Doyun nodded. While he had suspected Sophie was the reason, he hadn’t intended to blame her.

Her flustered, profuse apologies alone made it clear she hadn’t acted with malicious intent.

From the outset, it seemed unthinkable for a kind, innocent girl like Sophie to do such a thing deliberately.

“You see… the truth is…”

With a fidgety expression, Sophie began explaining the circumstances.

“It’s… it’s because of my… aphrodisiac fluids… that you ended up like that…”

“Pardon?”

Doyun responded with widened eyes, her explanation deviating far from his expectations.

“In my homeland dimension, my race is… known as succubi… So, our bodies have various traits… including an aph, aphrodisiac component in our fluids…”

Sophie mumbled in a hoarse voice, fidgeting her pelvis as if utterly mortified.

“Ah… I see…”

While utterly perplexed by her explanation, Doyun also felt an odd sense of realization.

It was hard to imagine a gentle soul like Sophie being a succubus. But looking at her body, he couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Porcelain-white skin, not a single hair on her mounds, hips far wider than her shoulders, a voice that seemed to tickle one’s glans, plump flesh inconsistent with her training levels…

In a way, her body was even lewder than the Demon Lord’s Succubus Queen commander Enoch had faced in his previous life.

‘…Huh? Wait a minute.’

But then Doyun recalled Sophie’s status window and felt a sense of dissonance.

‘Wasn’t her race one that valued chastity?’

Based on the traits and skills displayed, her race seemed to greatly emphasize ‘purity’.

And now she was a succubus? The two didn’t quite add up.

However, he couldn’t directly ask about this discrepancy – that would reveal his ability to view status windows.

In the end, Doyun decided to inquire in a roundabout manner.

“…Does being a ‘succubus’ mean you’re similar to this world’s succubi?”

At those words, Sophie’s expression turned aghast.

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she gazed up at Doyun, utterly indignant that he could even ask such a thing.

From her reaction, Doyun sensed his mistake.

‘Oh no.’

He had misspoken.

“No, no…! We’re completely different from those impure beings!!”

Sophie cried out in a shrill voice.