Chapter 1 – Savage Age (1)

It was an era of chaos and a time of war.

Lords were bloodshot with greed for land grab and constantly waged war, while monsters of unknown origin lurked in the deep forests.

As public order deteriorated, bandits naturally ran rampant.

It was a world where one had to risk their life just to go to a neighboring village a few days’ distance away.

Yes. This alone made it a shitty enough world. But I ended up making a fatal mistake.

“Hellfire difficulty… sounds fun.”

I had no particular thoughts. I was just curious about how this game would change when I selected the hardest of the three difficulties.

[You have selected Hellfire difficulty.]

[The five Great Demons and their followers take root on the Continent of Adria.]

The screen changed. Unlike the surface, an underworld where not a single speck of light entered appeared.

Crimson flames surged, and horned monsters giggled.

The demon lords, who had been looking down at those followers with arrogant eyes, suddenly let out high-pitched screams filled with joy.

A gentle light seeped into the dark world. It meant only one thing. The gate leading to the surface had opened.

Thud.

The Great Demons sitting on their thrones lifted their heavy hips. Then they spread their arms and shouted.

“It is time to enjoy the amusement.”

As a massive resonance spread out, the followers cheered. It was indeed the beginning of a festival.

They would crush the bones of humans and pull out their entrails. They would cut off the heads of elves and play ball.

They would trample the dwarves and turn them into a bloody mess.

The demons, harboring grand ambitions, began their march toward the high surface.

It was not a march of formality and dignity.

They simply crawled up from the very bottom, grinning widely like demons.

The video was filthy realistic. To the point where I, beyond the monitor, gulped down dry spit. But that was only for a moment.

“What is this? Are they just adding those demon guys?”

My excitement fizzled out. Having cleared Easy and Normal, I had chosen Hellfire because it was the last difficulty left, but to think the addition of new races was all there was to it.

[Due to your choice, the world has become even more chaotic.]

Along with the message window, the screen inverted again.

[You will have to establish justice.]

Diverse characters of various races and tribes filled the character selection window.

Every single one of them shined with brilliant eyes and showed off a grand aura, like heroes that would never be seen again.

[Who are you?]

Just as there were numerous races, there were numerous classes. However, I chose the human knight this time as well. I had no particular thoughts. It was just my third playthrough, so I intended to clear everything starting with what was familiar.

[Welcome, Knight Veloc. We pray that you will strive for the peace of the continent.]

Uniquely, this game had a fixed name and a unique story for each race’s character. The boredom was only temporary. Yes, this was now the third playthrough.

There were still many playstyles I hadn’t tried and many secrets I hadn’t found.

Soon, I felt my body tremble with excitement.

Already in my mind, a powerful knight riding a horse, sweeping through the battlefield, and slicing the necks of enemies was depicted.

But until then, I did not know. That I would fall into the game world. Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I would have chosen a better class than a knight.

No, wouldn’t it have been better to just lower the difficulty?

What an idiot. If I were to put it that way, I shouldn’t have even started this game in the first place.

All sorts of emotions whirled in my head.

Denial, anger, fear, bargaining, and finally, resignation.

That was how I became a knight in the game.

“Waaaaah!”

Clang, clang!

Together with thunderous shouts, the sound of clashing metal echoed here and there.

Damn it. It felt like my ears would burst. Where on earth was this place?

I frowned deeply and jerked my head around.

A crowd with no uniformity in their attire whatsoever was rushing toward the castle before them, clutching their respective weapons.

To the eyes of a modern person, their attire was unfamiliar yet strangely familiar.

Those are… mercenaries?

“Hahaha! Raise the ladders! They are rats in a trap!”

As a man shouted while raising his sword, a ladder was placed against the castle wall.

Then, the mercenaries waiting below began to climb up the castle like hungry ghosts.

The defenders above also fought back desperately against the invaders’ assault.

They poured boiling water and oil down with all their might.

Sizzle!

“Aaaaargh!”

The foul smell of burning flesh spread. Armor melted and stuck to the skin. Mercenaries who suffered severe burns all over their bodies flailed their arms and fell to the ground.

Even so, they did not give up and placed a second and third ladder. A reckless charge with no regard for their own bodies. I gaped at the horrific sight before me.

My god. I was definitely playing a game… What on earth is this?

A situation lacking any sense of reality.

I couldn’t pull myself together.

At that moment.

“Sir Veloc! The enemy’s gate is about to open!”

A woman fully equipped in chainmail and leather protectors approached and spoke.

Her voice, which sounded somewhat excited, was strangely familiar. I held my head.

‘Veloc? What on earth…’

Ringing…

My head throbbed.

Following a high-pitched ringing sound, all kinds of information began to flood into my blank mind.

“Heugh.”

Shivering like an aspen tree, I was absorbing the lake of incoming information.

Veloc Heine.

A wandering knight from a fallen family with an unknown history.

A man who participated in this war with his squire, Adel, to find a place to rely on in this era of war.

And these were all settings within the game, while his real self was a modern person busy making a living. The two memories gradually began to merge.

A brief moment passed.

Veloc, who had completed the assimilation to some extent, held his throbbing head.

Then he clenched and unclenched his hands.

Hands like rocks, full of calluses, instead of his original soft hands.

A trained body hardened by suffering.

Veloc snapped to his senses. He also realized that he had fallen into a very nasty situation.

Falling into a game world. And a dark fantasy world like this, devoid of dream or hope. Veloc spat out.

“I’m fucked.”

“Pardon? Sir Veloc. What do you mean by… You son of a bitch!”

Clang!

“Aaargh!”

Adel’s confusion did not last long.

Because she had to cut down a mercenary who recklessly rushed at the two of them.

As Adel’s sword flashed, the guy sprayed blood and tumbled back.

Clean skill and bold decisiveness. Despite being a woman, Adel was an excellent squire. So much so that Veloc had taken her in solely based on her talent.

“One, two!”

Dozens of mercenaries swung the battering ram in unison.

Thump, thump!

The hinges shook, and the sturdy outer gate let out a shriek.

Arrows flew from the castle walls, but their momentum was weak. In the first place, the difference in numbers was too great. Emboldened by this, the mercenaries moved the battering ram once more.

“One, two!”

Boom!

With a roar, the ironclad castle gate finally shattered.

The battering ram, modeled after a wolf’s head, gaped open its maw toward the enemy’s heart.

“Waaaaah!”

Baring their teeth, the mercenaries began to push through the breached gate like ants.

Whether it was plundering or fighting, the ones at the very forefront always stood to gain the most. Their greed was ignited.

“Sir Veloc! The gate is open. Now is the chance to earn merits!”

Squire Adel took a stance as if she would rush in at any moment. But Veloc tapped her shoulder and stopped her.

“Adel. Hold on.”

“Pardon? Sir Veloc, why on earth…”

At her master’s hesitation, Adel cast a questioning gaze once again.

Veloc never retreated when it came to battle and fighting.

Although he was a wandering knight with no master to serve, his valor was real.

If it had been the original master’s personality, he would have competed to be the first to head for the gate. Why?

But Veloc could not resolve Adel’s question.

Because he had to grasp the situation he was in. His mind raced busy.

When he came to, he had become a knight in the game.

And thinking based on the memories he had, this world was the game world he had played. Moreover, it was a world so realistic that he could vividly smell the sweat and blood of the nearby mercenaries.

For some reason, Veloc could instinctively tell.

That dying here would not be a very pleasant experience.

‘It might be real death.’

For a moment, a chill cold enough to cool down even the heat of the battlefield crept over his body.

Veloc’s Adam’s apple bobbed. But he quickly regained his senses.

The experience and knowledge of a steel-like knight, rather than a weak modern person, infused strength into him.

“Yes, let’s look on the bright side. I have a steel body and future knowledge.”

Although he had only cleared up to the second playthrough, he remembered the general flow.

The game he had fallen into, Adria’s Second Coming, had different starting points and story progressions for each birth origin. The early story of the knight origin.

‘The beginning is the territorial war between Bates and Roben.’

The side they currently belonged to was Roben. The defending side was Bates.

The current war situation was also advantageous to the Roben side.

And according to what he saw in the game, this war would be won by the Roben side.

It was the result of the Lord of Roben pouring out gold without looking back.

A quantity offensive employing an overwhelming number of mercenaries.

Thus, Bates would fall. Since the gate was also open, it would happen soon.

But before that, there was a problem.

“Aaargh!”

“Aaack!”

Several mercenaries who had rushed into the gate with high spirits were chopped up and thrown back out. Holding their severed body parts, they screamed at the top of their lungs.

“What…”

Seeing this scene, Adel opened her eyes wide.

Veloc recalled the enemy knight who would be running wild inside the broken outer castle by now.

‘Steel Axe Bourbon.’

Surely, that was his fame.

A warrior who, with just a single axe, had decapitated most of the Roben knights participating in this war.

If you think about it, this battlefield could be seen as a tutorial.

And Bourbon was the boss monster of that tutorial.

The mercenaries entered the castle endlessly, but without fail, some parts of their bodies were severed, and they rolled on the ground. A few terrified ones backed away and muttered.

“Sh… Shit!”

“It’s a monster! The archer unit! Where is the archer unit?”

“We have to wait a long time! Those guys are at the very end.”

A situation where a ragtag crowd could never break through. Bourbon’s martial prowess was that powerful.

Right at this moment.

The player must step forward, defeat Bourbon, and pave the way.

Then, they could earn the trust of the Lord of Roben and seek shelter.

If they dawdle and miss the opportunity, they would be branded as a coward.

Not to mention losing all the achievements and reputation they had built up on the battlefield so far,

They would be expelled from Roben and left to wander the streets again.

Roaming outside in an era of war like these days was something where even ten lives would not be enough. Veloc sighed. In the end, there was no choice but to fight.

“It’s a checkmate.”

Spitting out the words, Veloc tapped squire Adel’s shoulder. And gestured toward the gate with his chin.

Adel spoke in a loud voice, as if she had been waiting.

“Yes! Sir Veloc! I will pave the way.”

There were dozens of mercenaries blocking the path to the gate. How did she plan to break through?

In the game, such detailed situations were not shown.

As Veloc looked at her with a face full of curiosity, Adel soon went into action.

Oh my god.

Seeing that, Veloc slightly parted his mouth.