Chapter 1

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Translator: Vine

Chapter: 1

Chapter Title: Prologue

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Prologue

My name is Juingong.

It's the name my parents gave me, hoping I'd be the protagonist of the world.

And, as anyone could guess, I grew up being teased endlessly because of it.

In kindergarten, in elementary school, in middle school, and in high school.

So, if I had gone to college as planned, I probably would have been teased there, too.

There was a time I truly hated my name.

But not anymore. Now, I have a slightly different idea. Perhaps my name being Juingong was a kind of foreshadowing?

[Name: Shutora]

[Age: 17]

[Race: Gandharva]

[Profession: Protagonist]

[Special Trait: Prince, Knight of Conquest]

A status window showing my current situation on the continent of Asenbach at a glance.

My name is Juingong.

A protagonist.

Chapter 1 - Entrance

Remake.

The act of newly recreating a movie, music, game, or novel from the past.

Juingong, on the cusp of entering college, flung open his door, breathing heavily. In the black plastic bag clutched in his hand was a game that had just been released today.

*Knight Saga: Re*, a remake of *Knight Saga*.

*Knight Saga* was Juingong’s favorite classic game. It was the biggest hit from the developer, Taro Soft, and rumors were rampant that a remake wouldn't be released unless the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. But defying everyone's expectations, it had been suddenly released.

And it wasn't just any remake. The number of playable characters, originally only two, had been increased to twelve, and the game's format had completely changed from a standard PC RPG to a virtual reality game.

Giggling, Ingong set up the game on the virtual reality machine he had received as a college entrance gift. His expression suddenly turned solemn, and he took a deep breath.

He had cleared *Knight Saga* more than ten times, so he knew everything from its world to its characters, special items, and hidden events. But this wasn't *Knight Saga*. This was *Knight Saga: Re*.

With a joyful heart, Ingong first read the manual thoroughly. As expected from someone who had visited the official website daily, there wasn't much new information. But wasn't savoring every little detail like this the mark of a true fan?

*Knight Saga* was a story that unfolded between two factions: humans and demons. The protagonist for the human side was Locke, a Hero raised in a temple, while the protagonist for the demon side was Zephyr Ragnarok, the second son of the Demon King.

The gameplay was similar regardless of which side you chose. You traveled the world, raising your protagonist's level to increase their stats, and gathered items and followers to achieve your goal.

Zephyr's goal was to become the Demon King and unify the demon and human realms. Locke's goal was to defeat the Demon King and save the human realm.

But with *Knight Saga: Re*, the number of playable characters had increased dramatically.

On the demon side, you could now choose the other princes and princesses who were originally Zephyr's rivals. On the human side, you could select Locke's companions or the kings of various nations.

After a final review of the newly added playable characters, Ingong turned his gaze to the virtual reality machine, which resembled a pure white coffin. *Knight Saga: Re* was already fully installed.

“Alright, shall I enjoy a light eight hours today?”

Muttering something that made one reconsider the definition of "light," Ingong lay down inside the virtual reality machine.

&

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the roof of a tent. Sunlight streamed through a hole in the wall that served as a window, providing just enough light to see despite the dimness.

The boy—Ingong—who had been lying on a folding cot, smoothly sat up, not stopping there but turning to swing his feet over the side.

A satisfied smile touched his lips.

‘Yes, this is how it should be. The protagonist of an RPG ought to start by waking up in a bed.’

Nodding to himself a few times, Ingong looked around. His mouth fell open in awe.

‘Wow, the graphics are insane.’

The various items inside the tent looked utterly real. Moreover, the texture of the cot and blanket beneath his hands felt incredibly vivid.

Virtual reality games had been commercialized for a long time, but that didn't mean VR could perfectly replicate reality. The limits of technology still existed.

‘Did Taro Soft start torturing aliens or something?’

Muttering such nonsense, Ingong marveled again, touching the objects around him like someone trying a VR game for the first time.

And just then.

“Comin’ in!”

A gruff voice came from outside the tent. Startled, Ingong reflexively looked up as a large man entered.

“Oh.”

As he had been doing, Ingong immediately let out a gasp of admiration.

Shoulders as broad as a gorilla's, well-developed arms, green skin that clearly marked him as non-human, and tusks peeking out from beyond his lips.

It was an Orc, a race that appeared in almost every fantasy game like a staple ingredient.

But Ingong wasn't impressed because the giant was an Orc.

Like the props inside the tent, the Orc before him looked real.

‘This is almost… no, this is completely photorealistic, isn’t it?’

If it weren't for the mini-map and various menu buttons in the corner of his vision, he would have believed it was reality.

“What’re you starin’ at?”

The Orc asked bluntly, his eyebrows twitching. Ingong answered reflexively.

“Oh, just that the graphics are amazing.”

“Graphics?”

The Orc tilted his head and repeated the word. And, just as before, Ingong couldn't help but be amazed once again.

‘Wow, you can even have a proper conversation?’

The advancement of virtual reality and artificial intelligence were two separate fields. While creating photorealistic graphics was somewhat possible, creating an AI that seemed truly human was beyond current technology. Thus, NPCs in most VR games could only respond to predefined keywords and couldn't engage in dynamic conversation.

But the Orc before him had questioned the word "graphics," tilting his head as if to ask what on earth that meant. It could have been designed to react that way to all unrecognized keywords, but if not, it was truly remarkable.

‘Did Taro Soft really start torturing aliens? But why didn’t they advertise these features?’

Was it a marketing ploy to create a surprise effect?

‘Eh, whatever.’

For Ingong, all that mattered was enjoying the game. If the game was better than expected, it was simply more fun for him.

Having reached a conclusion of sorts, Ingong looked up at the Orc.

‘I’m getting nervous for no reason.’

The Orc in front of him looked so real that he found himself uncharacteristically hesitant to speak. In the end, Ingong had to clear his throat several times before he could finally open his mouth again.

“Ahem. My name is Juingong. What’s yours?”

It was a self-introduction that always felt awkward, thanks to his name.

At Ingong’s question, the Orc furrowed his brow and muttered something under his breath. It wasn't clear, but it sounded like a curse.

‘Son of a bitch. A person can be named Juingong, you know.’

Good AI was one thing, but this was a bit unpleasant. And besides, if someone had to show up, couldn't it have been a pretty female character? A succubus, or a succubus, or maybe a succubus.

But the Orc's scowl wasn't because of Ingong's name. Scratching the back of his head, the Orc said.

“Name’s Karak. Told you yesterday. And ain’t the Prince’s name Shutora, not Ju-something?”

Shutora Ignus. The ninth child of the Demon King. One of the twelve playable characters in this game.

‘Huh, come to think of it, I didn’t choose a character. Is the first playthrough as a demon automatically Shutora?’

Ingong briefly recalled Shutora from the original *Knight Saga*. A weakling prince with a weak maternal family and no real power base. In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* terms, he was basically in the Yan Baihu position.

“Anyway, I’ll be waitin’ outside.”

The Orc man—Karak—clicked his tongue and turned away. Ingong stared at the back of Karak’s head for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.

‘Given the flow of things, the tutorial should start when I go outside.’

He had no problem with the tutorial itself. The problem lay elsewhere.

‘Should I change my character?’

*Knight Saga: Re* was a remake, but it wasn't the exact same game as *Knight Saga*. There was no need to play with a high-difficulty character from the very first run.

‘Taro Soft wouldn’t be crazy enough to lock the first playthrough character as Shutora, right? It’s either a bug or my mistake.’

If it were locked to the original protagonists, the second prince Zephyr Ragnarok or the Hero Locke, that would be one thing. But Shutora made no sense.

‘First, I should save and log out to look up some info.’

The game had just been released today, but there should be information about character selection available.

Besides, if it really was a bug, Taro Soft would have posted an emergency notice.

Ingong reached out into the air, as if to touch the menu button in the corner of his vision. A window of light materialized before him.

[Name: Shutora Ignus]

[Age: 14]

[Race: Gandharva]

[Profession: Protagonist]

[Special Trait: Prince / Knight of Conquest]

[Level: 1]

Strength: 5

Intelligence: 5

Agility: 5

Dexterity: 5

Stamina: 5

Endurance: 5

Spirit: 5

Magic: 5

Charm: 5

‘As expected of the Yan Baihu of Knight Saga. All his stats are garbage.’

The average stats for a normal villager A were 10, so even considering his age, his stats were pathetic.

How could a demon prince have less magic than villager A?

‘But… Profession: Protagonist? Is this really a bug?’

Letting out a dry laugh, Ingong shifted his gaze to the buttons lined up next to the status window.

“Huh?”

There was no save button, let alone a load button. He swallowed dryly and slowly scanned the menu again, but it was no use.

‘Crap, there’s no quit game button either.’

Panicked, Ingong tried to bring up the VR machine's own menu, but it was impossible.

The system button for a forced shutdown was nowhere to be seen.

‘Calm down, calm down, Juingong.’

Ingong took slow, deep breaths, counting sheep in his head to calm himself.

‘There are two possibilities.’

First, he was trapped in virtual reality.

Taro Soft had caused some kind of catastrophic bug, leading to this mess.

In terms of realism, this was the more likely scenario. And from Ingong’s perspective, it wasn't so bad. He would likely be rescued after waiting a day or two.

But Ingong couldn't shake the feeling that the other possibility was more likely.

Second, this wasn't a game, but reality. He had entered a world inside a game, or one similar to it, just like in novels and comics.

It was a completely crazy thought. The kind of thing that would get you told to stop playing so many games.

But Ingong had his reasons.

‘It’s too real.’

The surroundings could only be described as real.

The Orc Karak’s behavior was no different from a human's.

And Ingong himself, who had been breaking out in a cold sweat.

No matter how advanced VR games had become, this was impossible. Taking deep breaths, swallowing dryly, and breaking out in a cold sweat inside a game?

Until a moment ago, he had just thought it was a game with amazing graphics and AI, but not anymore. Stepping back and looking at it, there were too many strange things.

And there was one more, crucial reason.

‘It’s not Korean.’

He had been conversing with the Orc without a second thought, but now that he considered it, he hadn't been speaking Korean. He understood what was being said instantly, but he had clearly been speaking in a strange language he had never heard before.

Covering his face with his hands in a gesture of despair, Ingong let out a long sigh. Suddenly, he shot up from his seat and pulled down his pants. It wasn't a sudden bout of exhibitionism. Ingong pulled down his underwear as well, looked at his lower half, and clenched his teeth.

‘There’s no mosaic.’

*Knight Saga: Re* was rated for players 17 and older, but to comply with domestic laws, genital exposure was forbidden.

But here, everything was in plain sight.

‘Oh, please.’

With a look of utter defeat, Ingong put his underwear and pants back on and slumped onto the cot.

‘Seriously, if I had to get sucked into a game, there are so many others! Like an adult game, or an adult game, or an adult… anyway, damn it!’

Ingong started counting sheep again, trying to think positively.

‘Okay, at least I’m not some monster character like an orc or an ogre. And even if I’m the Yan Baihu of Knight Saga, I’m still a prince. A golden spoon of golden spoons!’

There were plenty of other positives.

According to the character introductions on the website, Shutora was a very handsome pretty boy, even if he looked delicate. There was no mirror to check his face, but seeing his arms, now as slender and pale as a girl's, his face had surely changed to match Shutora's.

‘Even if the worst happens and I have to live here forever, I’m a prince and a pretty boy. Okay, not bad. In a way, I’ve hit the lottery. I even de-aged from nineteen to fourteen!’

The power of positive thinking was indeed limitless. The forced endorphin rush was enough to bring peace to Ingong’s mind and body.

But as the excitement subsided, rational thoughts filled his head.

‘In Knight Saga, what happened to Shutora?’

The demon storyline in *Knight Saga* was about the protagonist, Zephyr, defeating his rival siblings to become the Demon King.

In other words, Shutora was Zephyr’s enemy. So in the game, naturally—

‘The Day of Slaughter! A mandatory event!’

Like the orthodox Hero Locke, Zephyr was an orthodox Demon King. A cold-blooded man without a shred of pity, Zephyr killed all his siblings during the Day of Slaughter event.

‘That crazy bastard killed not only his rival siblings but also the ones who supported him.’

If his memory served, Shutora had been in hiding at the time. But that bastard Zephyr had scoured the entire demon realm, found him, and ultimately slaughtered him.

‘How old is Zephyr now? How much time is left until the Day of Slaughter?’

Just thinking about it wouldn't yield an answer. He had too little information right now. He didn't even know where he was.

“You comin’ out?”

Karak’s voice came from outside the tent. Startled, Ingong quickly patted his cheeks with both hands and stood up.

Whether this was inside a game or a different world nearly identical to one, he decided not to differentiate for now.

What he needed now was information.

Steeling his resolve, Ingong stepped out of the tent.

&

“Here. A bit late, but it’s breakfast.”

The first things he saw upon leaving the tent were Karak and the food on a folding table.

Following Karak’s lead, Ingong approached the table, looking around. A dozen or so tents were lined up in a clearing the size of an elementary school playground.

‘Is this like a military encampment in the mountains?’

Under the blue sky, everything was lush and green. Sitting at the table, Ingong first looked at the food. It was just a bowl of stew with some vegetables and meat, and a piece of bread.

‘Shutora, you are a prince, right?’

The doubt was fleeting. It would be stranger to be served a feast in a camp like this.

Ingong took a bite of the stew as a test. The taste was mediocre, but taste wasn't what mattered right now. Ingong was certain.

‘It’s real.’

His senses of touch, hearing, and sight, now joined by taste and smell, all screamed that everything around him was real.

“Hoo.”

He didn’t know how many times he had sighed today. Composing himself with a deep breath, Ingong asked Karak, who was standing beside him, gazing at the distant mountains.

“Karak, what year is it?”

At the somewhat awkward question, Karak narrowed his eyes and leaned down. He stared intently at Ingong, posing a question instead of an answer.

“Did you happen to run a fever last night?”

At the question of whether he was sick, Ingong quickly nodded.

“Yes, I woke up with a terrible headache. My memory is all jumbled.”

Even to his own ears, it sounded like a ridiculous story, but he decided to stick with it. He would be the one asking questions for a while.

‘But wait, why is this guy so cheeky to a prince, even if he is an orc?’

No matter how much of a Yan Baihu Shutora was in *Knight Saga*, he was still a prince. A pitiful kid with little power, little magic, a weak maternal family, no prospects, no followers, no friends, and a near-zero chance of inheriting the Demon King's throne, but still.

‘He is pretty easy to dismiss. I’d dismiss him too.’

Besides, Karak was an orc. The orcs of *Knight Saga* were a race that revered strength, so they wouldn't properly respect a prince weaker than villager A.

Still, from his actions, it didn't seem like he was openly disrespecting him. Was he just naturally gruff?

As Ingong thought, Karak wasn’t disrespecting Shutora. He just frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something, and said.

“Eh, it’s the year 512, and we’re at the edge of the Jishka Mountains. The Prince came here for combat experience. We arrived yesterday.”

“Combat experience? Are we in the middle of a war?”

At Ingong’s question, Karak’s expression changed. Unlike before, he looked at Ingong with genuine concern.

“That fever you mentioned, is it serious?”

“Just answer the question.”

Even Ingong had to admit he was acting strange. He was practically an amnesiac at this point.

Fortunately, Karak, being a simple orc, just tilted his head a few times before continuing his explanation.

“The Red Lightning tribe of orcs livin’ around here raised an army. They probably thought it’d be overlooked since it’s a border region. Anyway, the central command sent troops, and the Prince came along with another prince and princess. I was assigned to you.”

“Then where are those two, the other prince and princess?”

“Each of ‘em is commandin’ their own unit. Prince Chris is over there, and Princess Caitlin is beyond that.”

Chris and Caitlin.

The seventh and eighth children of the Demon King. Both were born to the fourth queen, Elaine Moonlight, the queen of the Lycanthropes.

‘Both of them were tough opponents when playing as Zephyr.’

Their faction itself wasn't particularly large, but each Lycanthrope was a warrior worth a hundred men, making them incredibly difficult to deal with. Chris and Caitlin, in particular, were monsters who stood out even among the Lycanthropes.

‘They must still be young, too.’

He didn't know their exact ages, but Caitlin was much younger than Zephyr. Chris was only a year or two older than Caitlin.

“Anyway, since you’ve finished eatin’, let’s get back to trainin’.”

Karak said, glancing at the empty stew bowl. Ingong, who had been munching on his breakfast while listening, quickly looked up at the word "training."

“Training?”

It was a natural progression. Most games had a tutorial. But the problem was that this situation wasn't a game.

‘Don’t tell me I have to spar with that orc?’

The muscles on his forearm were nearly as thick as Shutora’s waist. Sparring with a monster like that would surely get him pulverized.

As Ingong’s face paled, Karak clicked his tongue and said.

“Don’t worry. What kinda crazy stuff would I make a prince do? For now, let’s just run like yesterday. As you know, Prince, your stamina is just too low. Ah, but don’t push yourself so hard you get a fever again.”

Karak gave Ingong a concerned once-over and then laid out a running course. It was a simple circuit, circling the clearing where the tents were pitched.

Breathing a sigh of relief inwardly, Ingong agreed and stood up. It was a good suggestion, as he needed time to sort out his thoughts anyway.

Ingong did some light stretches and then started running at a light jog.

‘Caitlin is here, and so is Chris. I guess I can assume this is the same world as Knight Saga, right?’

If so, the problem was what would happen next. Would the events from *Knight Saga* happen exactly as they did in the game?

For reference, *Knight Saga* began in the year 513. Since it was now 512, that meant there were five years until the ‘Day of Slaughter’ event in 517.

‘Assuming I continue living as Shutora… what should I do?’

First, run away and live in hiding.

Second, work hard to become Zephyr’s aide.

Third, work hard to stand against Zephyr.

Without a second thought, the first two options were out. On the Day of Slaughter, Zephyr killed any and all of his siblings. He hunted down those in hiding and disposed of the siblings who supported him.

That left only one option.

‘Pant, pant… man, why is my stamina so terrible.’

He felt like he had only run three or four laps, but he was so out of breath he couldn't continue his thoughts. Even for the Yan Baihu of *Knight Saga*, wasn't this a bit much? How was he supposed to stand against Zephyr with a body like this?

But just then.

[You have leveled up.]

A clear female voice, accompanied by a *ding-a-ling* sound effect, rang out, and a cluster of white light enveloped his entire body.

“Uh, uhhh?”

Ingong let out a dazed sound and blinked. Not only had his breathing, which had reached his chin, calmed down, but strength returned to his legs, which had been trembling as if they were about to collapse.

“Prince? Did you just use some kinda magic?”

Karak approached with a surprised look on his face.

“Wait, hold on a second.”

Ingong held up a hand to stop Karak and looked himself over.

‘First, let’s check.’

The fact that he had leveled up just by running a bit was absurd, but that wasn't the important thing right now.

He had leveled up. Meaning, it was possible to level up. So, what had changed?

Ingong hurriedly activated his status window.

[Name: Shutora Ignus]

[Age: 14]

[Race: Gandharva]

[Profession: Protagonist]

[Special Trait: Prince / Knight of Conquest]

[Level: 2]

Strength: 7

Intelligence: 7

Agility: 7

Dexterity: 7

Stamina: 7

Endurance: 7

Spirit: 7

Magic: 7

Charm: 7

Bonus Points: 2

‘Whoa! All my stats went up by 2?’

His stats were still pathetically weaker than villager A's, but that wasn't the point.

‘Don’t tell me all my stats will go up again next time I level up? That would be totally broken.’

Even the Hero, considered the most broken class in *Knight Saga*, wasn't this good.

‘Skills, let’s check the skill window.’

Excited, Ingong activated the skill window with a trembling hand.

[Conquest Lv -]

[Protagonist’s Boon Lv 1]

He didn't know either skill. Furthermore, for some reason, Conquest was currently inactive.

‘Don’t tell me that Protagonist’s Boon is what I think it is… Is it?’

It seemed like a passive skill, but unfortunately, there was no skill description.

‘What’s Conquest? Oh, come to think of it…’

Among his special traits were Prince and Knight of Conquest. He didn't know what a Knight of Conquest was, but it was surely a skill related to that.

‘I can level up. And it looks like I can use skills, too.’

That wasn't all. He hadn't had the presence of mind to notice before, but the mini-map function was also available. The cherry on top was the inventory window.

Ingong quickly picked up a stone lying on the ground.

‘Store.’

As he thought the word, he got an immediate response. The stone in his palm disappeared, and in its place, a new item appeared in his inventory window.

[Stone]

“It works! It works!”

Ingong clenched his fist and exclaimed.

“Prince?”

Karak called out, but Ingong was in no state to pay attention.

It wasn't just the inventory window that excited him.

Shutora was undoubtedly the weakest prince. But if he continued to level up like this, what would happen?

The mini-map and inventory were also incredible. Depending on how he used them, he could perform what would seem like magic.

And there was one more, most important fact.

‘I know.’

There was no guarantee that all the events from *Knight Saga* would happen exactly as they did in the game. But even if they didn't, there was something that wouldn't disappear.

Information.

He knew who was where. What items were where. What secrets his rivals had. He even knew about the human realm, not just the demon realm.

‘I can do it, I can do it!’

He could stand against Zephyr. No, he could even become the Demon King himself!

‘Yeah, going back would be best, but if I can’t, I might as well aim for the top!’

He was getting carried away in his excitement, but it wasn't an entirely wrong line of thought.

He didn't know how he ended up in this world, so naturally, he didn't know how to get back. In that case, the best course of action was to struggle to find a way to survive.

“Uh… Prince? Are you alright?”

Karak asked again with a bewildered face. Ingong, finally coming to his senses, nodded, and Karak spoke again.

“It’s just that, you know. That look in your eyes, burnin’ with ambition. It came outta nowhere.”

It seemed his excitement had been too obvious.

Brought back to his senses by Karak, Ingong took a deep breath.

‘It’s too early to get excited. I need more information.’

Ingong turned to look at Karak. He posed a question that could solve the myriad of doubts that had just surfaced in one fell swoop.

“Karak, what’s your level?”

&

Ingong himself had a level.

So, did the other people in this world have levels too?

If levels existed, did they level up and increase their stats in the same way he did?

To Ingong's question, tinged with a bit of tension, Karak blinked his large eyes, then scratched his chin and answered.

“Uh… last time I checked, it was 21. No, was it 22? Somethin’ around there.”

To summarize briefly:

First, people in this world did have levels.

However, unlike Ingong, they couldn't check them instantly through a status window.

They also couldn't see their detailed stats, nor could they enhance them with bonus points from leveling up.

They could only find out their level through a level-measuring spell.

Therefore, the concept of leveling up to become stronger didn't exist. It was more like, they trained hard and fought, and their level just happened to go up.

‘In that sense, am I in a hugely advantageous position?’

When Ingong himself leveled up, not only did his health and magic recover, but all his stats increased. Considering the bonus point distribution, he possessed enormous growth potential.

‘They don’t seem to know about the mini-map or inventory either… so I can assume these are my unique abilities for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now, right?’

Of course, there might be someone else in this world who was dragged here while playing *Knight Saga: Re*, but if he viewed it as a binary between himself and the people of this world, then they were his unique abilities.

A smile naturally formed on Ingong’s lips.

Although he was currently weaker than villager A, it was only for a moment. If he raised his level by just two more, all his stats would be 11! He would be stronger than the average villager A, whose stats were 10.

‘And if I consider the bonus points, I’ll be much stronger.’

It was heartbreaking that his comparison was villager A, but it couldn't be helped. His starting point was rock bottom.

‘Anyway.’

The next important thing was the existence of skills. Fortunately or unfortunately, skills did exist in this world, like magic spells, but the process of learning them was not much different from the reality Ingong had lived in. It was said that you could acquire them by diligently honing your techniques.

‘But not me.’

Upon reaching level 2, he had gained not only bonus points to add to his stats, but also skill points. And obviously, by investing skill points, he could raise his skill levels with just that.

“Heh heh heh.”

Ingong let out a laugh he couldn't suppress. Karak's stare, as if he were looking at a madman, was quite piercing, but he couldn't contain his joy.

‘Yeah, if I’m going to be thrown into another world out of the blue, I should at least have this much of a boost!’

Frankly, being told to live as Shutora without such a boost was tantamount to being told to just die.

As Ingong continued to laugh contentedly, Karak, unable to watch any longer, furrowed his brow.

“Prince, are you really alright? You seem a bit…”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. In fact, I feel great. Should we keep running?”

He was also curious to see how high he could raise his level just by running. But Karak gave Ingong a once-over from top to bottom and shook his head.

“Hmm… no. It’s a bit strange, but you seem much more energetic than before. I think we can do somethin’ other than running.”

With that, Karak turned on his heel and led Ingong to an open area in the clearing.

“I heard the Prince uses a sword. Could you show me?”

He then produced a wooden sword from somewhere and held it out. When Karak held it, it looked as flimsy as a toothpick, but when Ingong took it, it was quite heavy and its length was considerable.

“Uh… show you my swordsmanship?”

“Just swing it a few times. I just need to see what level you’re at.”

It might have seemed like a rather rude request, but looking at Karak’s expression, it appeared he didn't even think it was rude. Then again, that's probably why he had made him run as "training" in the first place.

‘I’m getting nervous.’

Ingong had never even learned kendo in his original world. The most he had done was fool around with brooms with his friends during cleaning time.

Gripping the wooden sword in an awkward stance, Ingong took a deep breath. He swung the wooden sword forcefully, as if swinging a baseball bat.

[Basic Swordsmanship Lv 1 acquired.]

“Huh?”

Tilting his head, Ingong stopped swinging the sword and instead stood still, looking himself over. He reflexively activated the skill window and, without a moment's hesitation, invested a skill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠point.

[Basic Swordsmanship Lv 2]

There was no physical change. But Ingong instinctively knew.

‘It changed. No, I’ve learned it.’

The way he held the wooden sword changed. The distance between his feet, the arc the sword drew—everything was distinctly different from the first time.

“Hmm?”

Karak blinked his large eyes again. Ingong, enjoying it slightly, asked.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“What?”

“Nothin’, just that your movements suddenly got a lot better.”

He then kept tilting his head. His face was that of someone who had witnessed something incomprehensible.

At Karak’s reaction, Ingong smiled contentedly once more.

‘Good, I can really do this.’

He could become stronger. He could get ahead faster than others.

This fact was incredibly important. If Ingong himself didn't become strong, he couldn't do anything.

Imagine a modern person transported into the world of a *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* game. If he became one of the warlords, what would he try to do first?

Naturally, it would be to gather talented people. Whether he was Liu Bei or Cao Cao, he would first try to secure Zhuge Liang, who was living in seclusion in Jing Province.

What if he had Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and even Zhou Yu and Sima Yi under his command?

What if Guan Yu and Zhang Liao formed a tag team? It would be amazing even if Zhang Fei and Xu Chu charged forward as a duo.

But there was one problem.

Just knowing where the talented generals were was meaningless.

If Yan Baihu, not Liu Bei, had gone to see him, would Zhuge Liang have left his quiet life?

If Yan Baihu, not Sun Ce, had gone to see him, would Zhou Yu have become his sworn brother?

It was a ridiculous notion. It was because he was Liu Bei that Zhuge Liang came out of seclusion, and because he was Sun Ce that Zhou Yu became his sworn brother.

If Shutora, the Yan Baihu of *Knight Saga*, went to see them, almost no one would follow him. He would probably be turned away at the door nine times out of ten.

‘So, first, I need to get stronger. I need to establish my position, too.’

Being the youngest prince with no power, no authority, nothing, was not enough. He had to create the minimum level of strength and position to be able to utilize the information he possessed.

[You have leveled up.]

Perhaps thanks to continuously swinging the wooden sword while thinking, he leveled up. Since he was a lowbie, it seemed he would level up quickly for a while.

Contentedly looking at his stats, which were now close to those of villager A, Ingong immediately picked up the wooden sword again. Thanks to the level up, his stamina was fully restored, so he planned to swing the sword for a while longer.

‘If I swing hard today and tomorrow, I should be able to reach level 5 without a problem, right?’

Karak had said that Shutora came here for combat experience. So, he had to raise his level as much as possible before heading into actual combat.

‘Come to think of it.’

When would the first real battle be? Caitlin and Chris were each in charge of different units, so were they going to do some kind of joint operation?

“Karak, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Is there a battle scheduled? Like a meeting with Chris or Caitlin.”

Come to think of it, a meeting was a bit problematic.

The one here now was Ingong, not Shutora.

What would happen if those two noticed this fact?

‘Maybe it won’t be a big deal?’

No, would they even be able to notice the change in the first place? In any case, his appearance was still Shutora's.

In any case, it was better not to be found out. Karak, being an orc (?), had just accepted the excuse about the fever, but Chris and Caitlin would be different. He needed to make some preparations before meeting them.

Karak answered Ingong's question.

“Of course there’s a meetin’. You don’t remember that either?”

“I don’t. Anyway, when is it?”

Surely they didn't have meetings every day, right?

Ingong looked at Karak with a "you've got to be kidding me" expression, and Karak, as always, answered with a blunt face.

“Today.”

“Seriously, why are you telling me something so important only now!”

“You didn’t ask. And I thought you remembered.”

He didn't ask.

Right, he certainly didn't ask. And Karak's response was natural. In a normal situation, of course he would have remembered!

Sighing deeply, Ingong acted rationally instead of blaming the innocent Karak.

“When today?”

Although it should have been prefaced with "a little late," it was still morning. If the meeting was late in the afternoon or in the evening, there was still time.

Karak, once again, scratched his chin and answered.

“Uh… we were supposed to do it before lunch, around 11 o’clock, so there’s not much time left.”

Instead of trying to figure out the time units in *Knight Saga*, Ingong enlarged the clock menu next to the mini-map. It was 9:52.

‘There's only an hour left!’

Damn it! Did he really have to tell him right at the last minute?!

“Where is it?”

Ingong asked reflexively, and Karak pointed over the mountain.

“We decided to do it at Princess Caitlin’s camp. It takes time to get there, so we should probably start gettin’ ready.”

It was hopeless. Proper preparation was impossible.

Ingong took another deep breath. And thought rationally. What he needed now was not curses and laments.

Information. He needed information.

“Hey, Karak. You know my memory is a bit hazy because of the fever, right?”

“Are you really sure you’re okay?”

Worry crept back into Karak’s face. He was a bit rough around the edges, but he didn't seem like a bad guy.

“I’m fine. Anyway, can you tell me a bit about Caitlin and Chris? Like, what I used to call them.”

Titles.

Normally, he would just call Caitlin, who was his age, by her name, and Chris, who was a couple of years older, "hyung" (older brother), but the problem was that Shutora, Caitlin, and Chris were all royalty.

‘They wouldn’t have just called each other hyung and nuna, right?’

Ingong looked at Karak with pleading eyes, and Karak, with the firmness of a gourd, said.

“Dunno.”

“You must have seen them at a meeting!”

“Today’s the first meetin’. Like I said, the Prince arrived yesterday.”

Perfect logic. Defeated by an orc's logic, Ingong finally slumped his shoulders.

“Fine, let’s get ready to leave.”

&

In reality, there wasn't much to prepare. It was just a matter of putting on a few more layers of clothing.

‘At this point, I’m sticking with the fever story.’

It was bound to seem strange, but he would push through with it.

‘As long as I look the same, it should be fine.’

Of course, they would be suspicious. But what could they do? It was Shutora's body!

The reason Karak just tilted his head and let it go was not simply because he was an orc.

‘Yeah, maybe they’ll just worry a bit like Karak and then drop it.’

Crucially, Shutora and the siblings Chris and Caitlin were not particularly close. They would likely worry for a bit and then move on.

‘Or they might not even worry at all.’

Nodding to himself, Ingong briefly looked around. He saw Karak's large back leading the way and the orcs walking on either side.

‘Think. Deduce.’

The demon storyline in *Knight Saga* was told from Zephyr’s perspective. Therefore, the relationship between Shutora and the siblings Chris and Caitlin was not properly highlighted.

But some deductions were possible.

Zephyr had almost no interaction with Shutora, nor with Chris and Caitlin. The reasons were different for each. In Shutora’s case, he was always cooped up in a corner of a separate palace, living as if he didn't exist. As for Chris and Caitlin, they were rarely at the Demon King's castle.

Chris and Caitlin’s mother, the Lycanthrope Queen Elaine Moonlight, unlike the other queens, had no ambition for the Demon King's throne. She educated Chris and Caitlin not as potential successors to the Demon King, but as royalty of the Lycanthropes.

Therefore, the two spent most of their childhood not in the Demon King's castle, but in the lands of the Lycanthropes.

‘In other words, Shutora has almost no connection with Chris or Caitlin either.’

This probably wasn't their first meeting. But it was highly likely they had never had a proper conversation.

‘Yeah, so let’s just push through. They probably won’t even care.’

He had a high fever, and when he woke up, his memory was hazy. It seemed he had partial amnesia.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Ingong nodded with a firm expression. And then he let out a ragged breath.

‘Pant, pant… man, even after leveling up, this body’s stamina is garbage.’

His current level was 3. All his stats were 9, so he was almost on par with villager A, but he was still weak. The rough mountain path, especially the uphill climb, was tough.

“We’re almost there. Just a little more.”

Karak said with a grin. For better or worse, it seemed he was quite concerned.

“Yeah.”

Forcing a smile back, Ingong started walking again. And after how long? The uphill path began to level out, and soon a fairly wide clearing came into view.

“We’re here.”

Ignoring Karak's words, Ingong kept looking around. The place they had arrived at was not just a clearing. It was a military encampment. A proper one, incomparable to Ingong's own camp, which resembled a slash-and-burn village.

Dozens of tents were lined up in an orderly fashion, and a sturdy-looking stockade surrounded the entire camp.

The soldiers were different too. Dozens of Lycanthropes, who appeared to be Caitlin’s private soldiers, were stationed throughout the camp. They were all wearing black leather armor, likely their uniform, and every one of them was large with fierce eyes. They were the very model of elite troops.

Being among the elite troops, even the orcs looked different. The orcs were local soldiers, so they probably weren't much different from the ones in Ingong's camp, but they somehow looked stronger and more reliable.

As tension crept onto Ingong’s face, Karak grinned and said.

“It’s alright, they’re all on our side. Reassurin’, ain’t it?”

It seemed he thought Ingong was intimidated by the atmosphere of the camp.

“Yeah, our side.”

Ingong tried to reply lightly, but a low voice escaped his lips unintentionally.

Karak patted Ingong’s shoulder.

“Let’s go in. Looks like they’re comin’ out to greet us.”

A Lycanthrope warrior who had been standing in front of a large tent in the center of the camp was approaching them.

‘Chris and Caitlin.’

The 7th Prince and the 8th Princess.

Shutora's half-siblings.

The two blood-crazed beasts who had stood in Zephyr’s way. The monsters of the Lycanthropes.

Ingong swallowed dryly. Clenching his teeth once, he moved forward with Karak.

&

Entering the tent, Ingong was taken aback. The inside and outside of the tent were so different.

The inside of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tent could have passed for a proper palace chamber. The floor, covered with several layers of carpets, was soft, and the walls, decorated with silk, were incredibly beautiful. He didn't know how they had managed it, but despite being inside a tent, it was very bright. A gentle light poured down from the ceiling, reminiscent of the stained glass in a great cathedral.

The large round table in the center of the tent was no ordinary object either. Ingong, being a layman in this area, couldn't appraise it, but it was clearly a high-quality item.

A large battle map was spread out on the table, and intricately made models were placed on it.

“Please have a seat here.”

A Lycanthrope youth with a friendly face showed Ingong to a seat. Seeing that there were only three chairs, it seemed there were only seats for himself, Chris, and Caitlin.

As Ingong looked at the two empty seats, the youth smiled gently and said.

“Prince Chris and Princess Caitlin will be here shortly. Please wait a moment.”

What could he do but wait? Ingong nodded and looked at the clock next to the mini-map. He had hurried so as not to be late, so there were still about 10 minutes until the scheduled meeting time.

‘Man, this is impressive.’

As expected of Chris and Caitlin.

They were all children of the Demon King, but they were worlds apart from Shutora in many ways.

To be honest, Chris and Caitlin didn't have a very good impression in Ingong's mind. They were formidable enemies who always stood in his way when he played as Zephyr.

Battles with Chris and Caitlin were a nightmare, no matter how many times he fought them. Even with save-scumming, after every battle, several of his precious generals would be dead. Not to mention the soldiers.

Even before they started fighting tooth and nail—that is, before the succession struggle intensified—they were always awkward. Even when he managed to meet them, there were no proper events.

Chris would openly show hostility and growl, while Caitlin would just maintain her ice-cold expression and remain silent.

‘They were like perfectly crafted mid-bosses.’

And now he had to meet those two. And if possible, he had to form a friendly relationship with them. Being a huge obstacle for Zephyr meant they could be great allies for him.

‘Though they seem like the type to kill all their other siblings after taking down Zephyr.’

The thought made him sigh. He could understand the sorrow of Yan Baihu, who had to face Sun Ce in an isolated region.

“Prince.”

As he was lost in his various delusions, Karak spoke in a small voice. Startled, he straightened his posture as a sound came from outside the tent.

It was the arrival of Chris and Caitlin.

&

Ingong knew almost all the characters in *Knight Saga*. Therefore, he was well aware of Chris's and Caitlin's physical features.

But even so, he couldn't help but be captivated for a moment.

‘She’s incredibly beautiful.’

Caitlin entered first. A year older than Shutora, she was now just fifteen.

Her small face, framed by long, dark blue hair, was incredibly pale, and her golden eyes were as gentle as the moonlight in the night sky.

Wearing tight-fitting leather armor with a blue cloak over it, she faced Ingong with a cold, smile-less expression.

Their eyes met for a few seconds.

Just as Ingong was about to say something, a voice of salvation came.

“Hurry up. Don’t block the way.”

It was, of course, Chris, who unceremoniously pushed past Caitlin, who had been standing there like a noble rose.

Caitlin shot a brief glare at Chris before taking her seat, while Chris, finding something amusing, chuckled and gave Ingong a nod of greeting.

Just as Caitlin was beautiful, Chris was handsome.

His messy golden hair, grown out haphazardly, was like a lion's mane, and his blue eyes held both mischief and ferocity.

‘What a mismatch.’

Below his pretty-boy face, his body was massive. His body alone could pass for a thirty-year-old, not seventeen. He wore a tiger skin like a cloak, and if you covered his face, he looked just like a mountain bandit.

As Chris took his seat, a line of formidable-looking individuals filed in and stood behind Chris and Caitlin. They seemed to be their honor guards.

‘Tsk, I knew it, but the gap is huge.’

Shutora didn't have a proper honor guard. Karak was standing firmly behind him, but he was a local warrior, not Shutora's vassal.

‘I had so many subordinates when I played as Zephyr.’

The beautiful succubus honor guard Nayatra, the one-man-army ogre hero Bandal, the strongest and worst necromancer Sectum, and so on.

Briefly recalling Nayatra's beauty, Ingong clenched his teeth. Come to think of it, they were all his enemies now.

‘No, I have to steal them away somehow. I raised those kids!’

Of course, he had raised them in the game, and as Zephyr, but that was a minor detail, so he ignored it.

‘Where were Nayatra and the others at this time?’

“Prince.”

Just as he was about to get lost in thought again, Karak’s voice came softly. Snapping back to his senses, Ingong quickly straightened his posture.

“It’s been a while.”

Caitlin spoke first. Her tone was a bit stiff, but her voice was beautiful.

Chris chuckled again.

“What do you mean, ‘a while’? Isn’t this pretty much the first time we’ve seen each other up close and talked? We all came here separately.”

Pretty much the first time?

Separately?

‘Oh, nice!’

As expected, Shutora and the siblings Chris and Caitlin didn't have much of a connection. Even more so than Ingong had thought!

Maybe he wouldn't even have to make up some ridiculous excuse about a fever.

“Relax, relax. We’re siblings, after all. This isn’t that dreary Demon King's castle. Speak comfortably, and call me hyung.”

Chris even gave a slight wink. It was a bit creepy coming from a huge guy, but because he was so handsome, it had a certain charm.

‘Chris, you were a good guy all along.’

To solve the naming issue in one go.

“Alright, hyung.”

When Ingong said it, Chris grinned and nodded, then gestured towards Caitlin with his chin.

Chris was hyung. So what should he call Caitlin?

“Uh… nuna?”

When Ingong called her shyly (?), Caitlin lowered her eyes slightly and pursed her lips. Upon closer inspection, the corners of her mouth were twitching.

‘Wait, what’s with that reaction.’

Was she trying to hide her pleasure? Her earlobes seemed to turn a little red, was that right?

Chris chuckled again.

“Hey, hey, what’s with the ‘nuna’? She’s only a few months older than you.”

Caitlin glared, and Ingong was flustered.

‘Are they really Chris and Caitlin? Those blood-crazed beasts?’

“Let’s get straight to the strategy.”

Caitlin said, cutting off Ingong’s thoughts. She stood up from her seat and pointed to the battle map spread on the table with her long, slender fingers.

“This is the current known location of the Red Lightning tribe. I will strike here, and Chris-oppa will strike here.”

Blue models were allies, red models were enemies.

As he listened to Caitlin’s explanation and looked at the map, a clear female voice suddenly echoed in his head.

[Map Reading Lv 1 acquired.]

It was the same as with swordsmanship. It was the same map as before, but Ingong could read much more from it.

‘Don’t tell me I can learn every single skill there is?’

He swung a sword and got a swordsmanship skill; he looked at a map and got a map reading skill.

Even though it was only Lv 1, this was no small matter. After all, he could raise the level just by investing skill points.

‘Could I learn magic right away? If I can use spirit arts and divine arts at the same time…’

The ultimate multi-class. The birth of a broken character that would chew up even the Hero.

Of course, with limited skill points, if he failed to choose and focus correctly, he could end up as a mediocre jack-of-all-trades, but that was unlikely. Because Ingong was a master of *Knight Saga*. Several synergistic combinations came to his mind.

“Shutora, you’ll be in charge of scouting this area.”

Caitlin’s call broke his reverie. Quickly gathering his thoughts, Ingong looked where Caitlin was pointing. It was an area with no red models representing the Red Lightning tribe.

“Scouting?”

“Yes, scouting. It’s the area where the Red Lightning tribe resided before they rebelled. Based on their recent movements, it’s highly likely there aren’t many troops here. But we can’t be careless.”

After saying that, Caitlin hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ingong again and said.

“I’m sorry for the one-sided notification. Do you have any other opinions?”

‘Huh?’

Sorry? Other opinions?

What is she talking about?

“You make it sound so complicated. Hey, Shutora.”

Chris, who had abruptly called out to Ingong, leaned back deep into his chair.

“Sorry to say this, but your forces are a bit weaker than ours, right? It could be dangerous if you charge in recklessly.”

He was right. For starters, Shutora himself was weak.

“But if you do nothing at all, it’ll be a problem when we go back, right? You need something to put in your report. As you know, just guarding the camp isn’t report-worthy.”

That was also true.

‘Wait, don’t tell me?’

“It would be nice if we could lend you some of our troops, but then the credit would all go to us, not you.”

Shutora had come here for combat experience. As a prince, he had even been given troops.

But what would happen if he returned without any achievements?

All the external activities of the Demon King’s children were graded. Their treatment depended on the results, so it was important to achieve something once they were out. It wasn't for nothing that Shutora's current situation was in the gutter.

Whether viewed objectively or subjectively, Shutora was weak. He had no private army from his maternal family, so his entire force consisted of a single orc unit received locally.

Naturally, charging to the front lines was dangerous.

But he couldn't borrow troops from Chris or Caitlin either. The only troops they could lend were Lycanthropes, and as Chris said, the credit for any success would likely go entirely to Chris and Caitlin.

A frontal assault was impossible. But he still had to do something. And with only the troops he had.

“Caitlin put a lot of thought into this.”

Chris smiled warmly and looked at Caitlin, and Caitlin pursed her lips again.

And Ingong looked back and forth between them.

‘Are they… actually really nice?’

The Chris and Caitlin he knew were monsters. Blood-crazed monsters at that.

But maybe that was just from Zephyr’s perspective?

Moreover, the place where Zephyr spent the most time with Chris and Caitlin was not the Demon King's castle, but the battlefield. And not as allies, but as enemies.

“So, Shutora, what will you do? We’ll start like this, and next time we’ll give you a more substantial task. This isn't a fight that will end in one battle anyway.”

At Chris’s question, Ingong looked at Caitlin. Stripping away his prejudice for a moment, he saw a shy fifteen-year-old girl. She was a little, no, she was just plain cute.

“Alright, I’ll do as nuna says. Thanks for being considerate.”

At Ingong’s words, Caitlin tried to maintain a haughty expression, but her eyes were smiling. The corners of her mouth were twitching, too.

“Tsk, tsk, sorry my sister’s not very honest.”

Ignoring Caitlin’s glare, Chris chuckled and stretched out his hand to point at the battle map.

“That’s the overview. Now I’ll explain the details.”

Chris and Caitlin took turns explaining the battle that would take place the next day. Listening to them, Ingong felt a little complicated.

Assuming he would stand against Zephyr, Chris and Caitlin could be good allies. But it was also difficult to say they would be unconditionally good allies.

A year before the Day of Slaughter event, Chris and Caitlin were killed in a joint attack by the Demon King’s children, led by Zephyr.

The reason the bickering children of the Demon King united to eliminate the two was simple.

The 8th Princess, Caitlin Moonlight.

She was not the Demon King’s child.

&

After having lunch with Chris and Caitlin—a truly luxurious meal compared to Shutora’s breakfast; apparently, they had brought a personal chef to the battlefield—Ingong returned to his camp with Karak.

‘In the game, Zephyr was the one who found out, right?’

The secret of Caitlin’s birth.

She was the illegitimate child of the 4th Queen, Elaine Moonlight, and Galahad, one of the five great generals of the Demon King's castle.

Zephyr, being an orthodox Demon King, did not let this slide. He instigated his other siblings to form a united front and raised an army to eliminate not only Caitlin but also Chris and the 4th Queen Elaine all at once.

Chris, who adored Caitlin, and the 4th Queen Elaine, who had always hated the Demon King, fought to the death, resulting in enormous casualties on both sides.

Chris, Caitlin, and the 4th Queen Elaine died.

The Lycanthrope race was virtually exterminated.

The power of Zephyr’s rival siblings was weakened.

Zephyr, who had instigated the whole thing, suffered the least damage, having stood back and watched during the final battle.

‘The balance of power shifted dramatically after that battle.’

In other words, it was better for Ingong if the Caitlin purge event didn't happen.

‘Or I could use it myself.’

A rather cold thought crossed Ingong’s mind, but he quickly scowled. They had only talked for a bit and had a meal, but the faces of Chris and Caitlin—to be honest, Caitlin’s more than Chris’s—flickered before his eyes.

‘Ah, whatever. It’s still a long way off. Let’s deal with the situation at hand first.’

It would be a while before it was discovered anyway. There were still a few years left, so he could think about it later.

‘And whether I use it or not, I need to build up that much power.’

The same conclusion as this morning. First, he had to build up his strength to be able to do anything.

“Karak, please prepare for the scouting mission. We should be fine if we leave after breakfast tomorrow, right?”

“Should be.”

Karak nodded with a bright face. The meal he had at Caitlin’s camp seemed to have been quite satisfying, as he had been in that state the whole way back.

‘Well, I even got a Gourmet skill out of it.’

Gourmet Lv 1. It wasn't a particularly useful skill for combat, but the higher the level—

‘What good is it? Does my palate just become more refined? Isn’t that actually a bad thing?’

It was a useless worry. Shaking his head to clear the stray thoughts, Ingong spoke to Karak again.

“Then I’ll rest inside. Introduce me to the unit members at dinner later.”

“Got it.”

After a glance at Karak, Ingong entered the tent. As soon as he was alone, a sigh escaped him.

Had he really entered a game, or had he come to a different world that was identical to a game?

Whether it was the former or the latter, why did this happen? Why did he have game-like abilities?

The profession of Protagonist, the special trait of Knight of Conquest.

Questions piled on top of questions, but once again, the answer Ingong could come up with for now was set.

‘Time to swing a sword.’

Improving Shutora’s lot was the top priority. He had to become someone impressive to gather followers, investigate, and do all sorts of things.

Ingong picked up the wooden sword.

And the next morning, Ingong reached level 5.

&

“Feelin’ alright today?”

As they were about to leave the camp after breakfast, Karak asked from the side. He was grinning, but his eyes held a hint of concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine, you brute.”

The orc was huge and fierce-looking, but after seeing him for a while, he had grown somewhat accustomed to him. When Ingong retorted, Karak shrugged.

“Hmm, you’ve changed overnight. For the better, though.”

He could just imagine how Shutora had appeared to Karak two days ago. Instead of replying, Ingong left the camp with the soldiers.

The number of troops under Ingong's command was thirty-one, including Karak. All were orcs.

Since they were normally under Karak's command, Ingong left all matters of leading the troops to Karak.

‘It’s not like I’ll be leading them forever anyway.’

He wanted to raise his own level more than that.

In fact, Ingong had stayed up all night. He couldn't sleep, having suddenly been dropped into another world, but also, he had so much fun seeing his experience points go up with every swing of the wooden sword that he had lost track of time.

Whenever he did something, the results were immediately visible. And since he was low-level, his growth was fast.

He couldn't help but enjoy it. If the results of studying were displayed as numbers, the grades of high school students nationwide would surely skyrocket.

‘Ah, I want to swing my sword. I want to level up.’

Fortunately, he had leveled up in the morning, so his condition was excellent. The reason he could swing the wooden sword all night with Shutora's poor stamina was that his stamina recovered every time he leveled up.

‘Heh heh heh, my name is Juingong. A man 1.3 times stronger than villager A.’

Currently, Ingong's average stat was 13. He was now, without a doubt, a man stronger than villager A.

He had deliberately left his bonus points and skill points unspent. It was obvious that leveling up would become harder as his level increased, and he didn't want to waste bonus points so early on.

‘I’ll just dump them all later.’

The same went for skills. With so many skills to learn, a clear choice and focus were necessary.

‘How do I learn magic or psionics? Do I need to find a teacher?’

As he mulled over various thoughts, they had left the camp and arrived at the scouting area.

The scouting area assigned by Caitlin was originally where a part of the Red Lightning tribe resided. It was a region they had abandoned for strategic reasons as soon as they rebelled, but due to its original purpose, it couldn't just be left alone.

‘Yeah, I can’t just write a report about scouting some random place.’

Caitlin had said there wouldn't be much of a threat, but he couldn't be completely at ease. Ingong temporarily set aside his desire to level up and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. He checked the map given to him by Karak while maximizing the mini-map to increase the accuracy of his scouting.

After about twenty minutes of walking.

“Hmm?”

Ingong suddenly stopped in his tracks. Karak quickly halted the soldiers and asked Ingong.

“What’s wrong? Somethin’ happen? Your legs hurt?”

He must have seemed like a real weakling. Ingong waved his hand dismissively and pointed at the map he was looking at.

“Is this map accurate?”

“Is somethin’ wrong with it?”

“Not wrong, but…”

There was a difference.

On the map, there was only a straight path ahead, but on the mini-map, a small side path was marked.

Why was that?

‘What do you mean, why! It’s a hidden path!’

It wasn't on the map. Meaning, the people who made the map didn't know about it.

It was on the mini-map. Meaning, it definitely existed.

So what could it be but a hidden path!

‘If this were a game, this would be the perfect setup for an event.’

Hidden paths were bound to have something at the end, whether it was an event or treasure. Moreover, since this was a scouting mission, finding anything would be a plus.

‘Enemies might appear, but… I have Karak!’

Karak looked at least ten times stronger than villager A, and there were thirty orc warriors. Unless he was incredibly unlucky, there wouldn't be a major problem.

“Karak, from now on, I’ll lead the way.”

As he said it with a grin, Karak narrowed his eyes. Then he let out a hearty laugh.

“Your eyes are burnin’ again. Burnin’ with ambition.”

Ingong ignored him and led the orcs. The path suddenly changed, but perhaps because Karak was there, the orcs followed Ingong’s directions without a word.

The hidden path was truly hidden. After pushing through the undergrowth for a while, they came to a place where rocks and soil were piled up, as if from a landslide. And, cleverly hidden by trees, there was a small side path.

And just as Ingong had hoped, the side path didn't just end as a side path. At the end of it was a very old stone gate. It was covered in so much moss that it was hard to make out, but there were letters engraved on its surface.

“Wow, how did you find this? Are you a wizard, Prince?”

When Karak asked in admiration, Ingong grinned.

“Just because.”

*And I’m not a wizard yet. Though I’ll probably learn magic soon.*

Shrugging, Ingong ordered Karak and the orcs to clear the debris piled up near the stone gate.

The stone gate was large enough for even Karak to pass through, but it was so old that it wouldn't budge. To get inside, it seemed they would have to break the entire gate.

“Prince, what should we do? Break it and go in?”

Karak asked Ingong. Instead of answering immediately, Ingong stared at the stone gate for a moment.

‘A protagonist who falls off a cliff doesn’t break his legs; he finds a fortuitous encounter.’

Even if everyone else died, the protagonist lived. And not just lived, but found a secret manual or a magical elixir.

Waving his hand in the air, Ingong glanced at the ‘Protagonist’s Boon Lv 1’ nestled in his skill window and nodded. He commanded Karak.

“Break it.”

Karak raised his hammer.

&

The stone gate was large and sturdy, but in the end, it was just a stone slab made to be opened and closed. When Karak, muscles bulging, smashed it with his hammer, it didn't take long for it to shatter.

Naturally, the inside of the tunnel was dark. And it looked quite deep.

“This looks like a tunnel dug by dwarves.”

Karak said, narrowing his eyes. Ingong’s face lit up as he asked back.

“Dwarves? Aren’t there no dwarves in the demon realm?”

Just as the orcs of *Knight Saga* were typical fantasy orcs, the dwarves also followed the standard definition of dwarves.

A race of short, broad-shouldered, bearded men. Naturally (?), they had excellent strength and stamina, and were skilled craftsmen.

When playing the human side—that is, as the Hero Locke—you could meet quite a few dwarves. In fact, one of Locke’s companions was a dwarf.

But not when playing as Zephyr. Officially, there were no dwarves living in the demon realm.

At Ingong’s question, Karak blinked. It wasn't that he didn't understand the question, but rather he seemed surprised by something else.

“What?”

“Well, it’s just strange that you don’t remember your own name but you remember dwarves.”

Ingong made a sour face, and Karak let out an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject.

“I heard they don’t live here now, but they did a long time ago. The Jishka Mountains here are pretty close to human territory.”

“Did they migrate as a group or something?”

“That’s what I heard. Well, that was hundreds of years ago.”

It made sense. As Ingong nodded, Karak added.

“Anyway, it seems to be a dwarven tunnel. The carvings on the gate earlier, and honestly, don’t you think it’s a bit much, Prince? For us orcs to dig a tunnel like this?”

This was the Jishka Mountains, of all places. Such a large-scale civil engineering project couldn't be done with just manpower. It required proper technology.

“Alright, let’s go in anyway.”

Judging by the state of the stone gate, it seemed the Red Lightning tribe orcs didn't even know of its existence and had left it abandoned. At least, it was unlikely they would meet any orcs inside.

‘If it’s a dwarven tunnel, there should be dwarven-made weapons and stuff, right?’

It was also a given (?) that dwarven-made weapons were expensive. And their performance was as good as their price. The worst dwarven-made weapon Ingong had seen while playing *Knight Saga* was of uncommon grade, which said it all.

All items in *Knight Saga* were divided into five grades: common, uncommon, rare, unique, and legend. You could think of the price multiplying by ten with each grade increase.

‘Yeah, when your stats are bad, you rely on your gear!’

Armed with dwarven weapons, even the frail Shutora could pull his own weight.

‘And it would be even better if I found even better gear!’

With a heart full of dreams, Ingong entered the tunnel.

And how much time had passed?

‘Sob, of course.’

It was great that he had found a hidden room thanks to the mini-map. And it was great that the room was, believe it or not, an armory.

But there was one crucial problem.

[Level too low.]

[Strength too low.]

[Magic too low.]

Almost identical messages popped into his head every time he tried to pick up a weapon.

They were too heavy for Shutora’s slender arms to lift. The magic required by the weapons was too much for Shutora’s meager magic to handle.

Of course, he could probably just lift and swing them, but it would be absolutely impossible to bring out the true performance of the weapons. And a weapon that couldn't be wielded properly was more of a hindrance than a help.

Ingong cleanly gave up. Come to think of it, it was only natural.

If Yan Baihu tried to ride Red Hare, would the horse let him?

Even Excalibur couldn't be pulled by anyone before King Arthur. To use a good weapon, you first had to be a good person (?).

‘Still, I should take them.’

Ingong picked up the dwarven weapons and put them into his inventory. Just like with the stone, he could store them in his inventory by holding them and thinking ‘store’.

As he was putting the weapons, which were lined up in a space of about ten *pyeong*, into his inventory one by one, Karak, who was watching from behind, widened his eyes.

“Wow, Prince?”

Ingong grinned. He knew why he was surprised without having to ask.

When Ingong held a weapon, it disappeared. But Ingong wasn't surprised and was silently repeating the process.

“Just collecting the spoils. I’ll get you a good one later, Karak… no, Karak. Pick one now. And tell the unit members that I’ll be giving out weapons to those with high merit.”

When enemies appeared, Karak was the one who fought at the forefront. Naturally, Karak needed a good weapon.

Of course, the orc unit members would also fight, but he couldn't just give them all out.

‘But it’s okay for me to just take these, right?’

Normally, when a general obtained spoils, he was supposed to report it to his superiors. But come to think of it, Ingong himself was currently a prince. Chris and Caitlin were also on the same level as Shutora, so it probably didn't matter.

At Ingong’s command, Karak snapped to his senses and, with sparkling eyes, chose a weapon for himself, but even then, he kept glancing at the weapons disappearing from Ingong’s hands.

“Prince, you were a wizard after all?”

“What prince can’t use a couple of spells?”

Come to think of it, it was stranger for a demon prince not to be a wizard. What kind of person was this Shutora?

Anyway, Ingong continued to fill his inventory, and in about ten minutes, he was able to sweep up all the dwarven equipment in the armory.

‘I’ll just equip this.’

Ingong, who could handle a dwarven dagger with his strength, which was slightly stronger than villager A's, strapped it to his waist and then put on a shirt made of thin linked chains over his clothes. He was originally going to wear a helmet too, but his head became too heavy, so he gave up on it.

“Prince, should we keep goin’?”

Karak, who had picked up a large axe, asked with a face mixed with joy and worry. With thirty-one large orcs inside, even a fairly large tunnel felt stuffy. No, it really felt a bit hard to breathe.

Ingong glanced at the passage, which was about 4 meters wide and 5 meters high, and nodded.

“Our mission is scouting, after all. Let’s go as far as we can.”

There might be another armory or treasury.

Activating the mini-map, Ingong took the lead with Karak.

And about an hour later. As they walked and walked through the long tunnel, they found a few more empty rooms, but no armory or treasury.

Ingong looked at the endlessly extending mini-map and scratched his chin.

‘This tunnel is way too long. Does it just go straight through the mountain?’

Going through it was fine, but where the exit was was important. He could end up sticking his head right in front of the Red Lightning tribe.

‘Come to think of it, that’s not entirely bad either.’

He could launch a proper surprise attack.

Of course, Ingong had no intention of jumping into the middle of the enemy camp with just Karak and thirty orcs. He just planned to check where the exit led and then go back immediately.

‘By the way, how do I learn magic?’

If it was the same as when he learned swordsmanship or map reading skills, learning the skill itself probably wouldn't be that difficult. The problem was finding someone to teach him.

‘I need to find a wizard.’

He was in the demon realm and was a demon prince, yet there was no one around who could use magic.

‘Chris and Caitlin probably know how to use magic, right? There must be a lot of people in their camp who can use it too. Should I ask Caitlin to teach me?’

If he asked Zephyr to teach him magic, he would probably tell him to stop talking nonsense and swing his sword, but Chris and Caitlin were different. Those soft-hearted siblings (?) would likely roll up their sleeves and teach him with all their heart.

‘If I’m going to learn, I’ll learn from Caitlin, not Chris.’

If the price is the same, choose the prettier one, as they say.

As he was happily imagining Caitlin’s pale, pretty face, Ingong suddenly looked up. The path ahead was still dark, beyond the reach of the torches, but on the mini-map, he could see a stone gate beyond the darkness.

“It’s the exit.”

When Ingong whispered, Karak stopped in his tracks and raised his hand. The orcs, well-trained, stopped in their tracks as if by magic.

Just like the entrance, the exit was likely sealed. So, should they break the exit and check outside, or should they turn back now?

When Karak asked with his eyes, Ingong crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

But just at that moment.

With a dull roar, a part of the darkness was torn away. Light and sound poured in from the exit.

“Hurry! That crazy witch is going to follow us!”

“Calm down, Kaichin! I’ve only ever known about this passage, never used it. That witch won’t be able to follow us.”

It was the gruff voices of orcs. Ingong and Karak looked at each other, and at that moment, another dull roar echoed as the sound of the stone gate crumbling rang out. Light poured in, blinding their eyes, which had grown accustomed to the dark.

Ingong frowned. And, as if by magic, many things came to his mind at once.

The orcs who appeared at the exit.

Kaichin. One of the generals of the Red Lightning tribe.

Over the mountain.

A crazy witch is coming after us.

‘Caitlin!’

The tunnel, as Ingong had expected, was connected to the rear of the Red Lightning tribe's camp. And that camp was attacked by Chris and Caitlin today.

In other words, the Kaichin and orcs before him were routed soldiers—no, a general and soldiers who had fled from the battlefield!

The orcs on both sides were surprised at the same time. Karak let out a battle cry and raised his axe, and the orcs on the other side, though flustered, raised their weapons.

Ingong quickly turned his gaze to the mini-map. It was to check the number of enemies displayed on it.

“Prince! Get back!”

Karak shouted. Ingong looked up, and something pierced his chest.

“Keuk!”

“Prince!”

It happened the moment one of the orcs standing at the exit pointed a staff with an animal bone attached to it towards Ingong. Ingong was sent tumbling to the ground as if hit by a giant's fist, and Karak cursed and kicked off the ground. The orcs charged after him.

“Keoheok, keok!”

Ingong writhed on the ground. It hurt so much. It was a good thing he was wearing the chain shirt; if he had been hit bare-chested, it would have been a disaster.

‘Magic?! No, is it psionics?!’

There was no incantation or anything. It was likely a telekinesis-type ability.

Anyway, this was not the time to be thinking about that. Screams and shouts were mixed together as the fight had already begun.

‘Get up. I have to get up!’

Ingong clenched his teeth and stood up. He tried to enlarge the mini-map again to check the situation.

But Ingong couldn't concentrate this time either. A clear female voice echoed in his head.

[Telekinesis Lv 1 acquired.]

“Huh?”

Telekinesis.

Ingong looked down at his chest.

&

‘Telekinesis? You mean *that* telekinesis? But did I really learn it?’

Various supernatural abilities existed in *Knight Saga*.

Aura, the life force acquired by those who fought with their bodies, like swordsmen and martial artists.

Mana, the power of nature used by mages to cast spells.

Psionics, the power of the mind, which was closer to instinct than theoretical magic.

Divine power, granted by gods to their followers.

While all required innate talent to master, psionics was among the rarest.

‘I got hit by psionics and awakened psionics? So if I get hit by aura, I’ll awaken aura? If I get hit by divine power, I’ll awaken divine power?’

If his thoughts were correct, it was truly broken. Even Zephyr and the Hero Locke couldn't master all four powers.

Ingong impulsively opened the skill window. And, just as impulsively, he was about to distribute his skill points but shook his head.

‘No, no. How much help would it be to dump all my points into telekinesis now? I have to survive first!’

This was a battle. It was not the time to be distracted. To learn mana or aura, he first had to be alive.

Snapping back to his senses, Ingong looked ahead. The exit opened into a fairly large clearing, so it was much wider than the passage, but with dozens of large orcs running wild, it was just as cramped.

“Kuaaa!”

“Krahang!”

Among them, the largest, Karak and Kaichin, clashed with roars. Other orcs also swung their weapons, busy dealing with the enemies in front of them.

Ingong looked for the orc who had shot the telekinetic blast at him. The one with the staff with a wolf skull attached was also swinging his staff wildly as he fought.

‘At least we’re not outnumbered.’

A rough count of the allies and enemies on the mini-map showed that their numbers were about even.

But battles weren't fought with numbers alone. Ingong swallowed dryly, suppressing his anxiety, and looked at Karak. He was holding his own against Kaichin, one of the generals of the Red Lightning tribe, in a fierce duel.

‘Go! As expected of Karak! It was worth giving you a weapon!’

“Kuaak!”

“Keok!”

Karak's orc subordinates and the Red Lightning tribe's orcs killed and were killed, letting out screams and roars. The carnage was gruesome, with flesh being torn and fountains of blood gushing from the sword fight.

“Hah, hah.”

Ingong gasped for breath and backed away. Thanks to being knocked back by the telekinetic blast earlier, he was now at the very rear of the battlefield.

‘What should I do? Do I need to get the last hit to get experience points?’

It was impossible for Ingong to fight an orc head-on. He was 1.3 times stronger than villager A, but those orcs looked several times stronger than villager A. Moreover, this was a chaotic battle. A 1-on-1 duel would be tough enough; a chaotic battle where he could be killed by a stray blade was impossible.

But he couldn't just stand by and watch. He could gain experience just by swinging a wooden sword, so if he participated in a real battle, he might level up in an instant.

‘Last hit, my ass. I could die trying to get the last hit.’

To get the last hit or anything, he had to jump into that pandemonium.

‘Something else, something else.’

He had to be helpful. With a fight breaking out in front of him, just running away or hiding didn't suit his personality.

‘Raise my telekinesis level?’

If he invested all his current skill points, he could probably get to telekinesis level 3. But it seemed difficult to do anything with that level.

‘Besides, skills like telekinesis require a lot of points. The required points might jump up after hitting level 2.’

If that happened and he couldn't even reach level 3, it would be a real disaster.

‘I’d rather just throw rocks than do something with low-level telekinesis.’

Then the only thing left was basic swordsmanship. If he raised his basic swordsmanship to around level 4, he could probably protect himself.

Ingong opened the skill window. But contrary to his original plan, he didn't touch the basic swordsmanship skill.

Something else caught his eye.

[Conquest Lv -]

An inactive skill.

The Knight of Conquest mentioned in his special traits.

The Knight of Conquest did not appear in *Knight Saga*. What was a Knight of Conquest? And what was that skill?

‘Conquest.’

His heart suddenly pounded. It wasn't excitement. It was as if something was surging from within him.

‘To conquer, to subjugate… to rule.’

The words that came to his mind. In an instant, his vision was dyed in darkness. And in the pitch-blackness, he saw a white woman. A woman with a brilliant golden crown on her head, long white hair, and red and blue eyes was looking at him.

“He’s doing something! Get him!”

The orc with the wolf-bone staff shouted, pointing at Ingong. Orcs, both friend and foe, turned to look at Ingong, and though to varying degrees, all had surprised expressions. A cluster of white light was circling around Ingong.

“Block him!”

“Get him!”

“Protect the Prince!”

The last shout was from Karak. At Karak’s cry, Kaichin, who had been huffing and puffing as he swung his warhammer, was startled and his eyes widened.

“A prince?!”

It seemed he hadn't heard Karak mention the prince the first time. With a desperate look, Kaichin swung his warhammer wide to push Karak back and then charged towards Ingong himself.

“Kill him! He must be killed!”

The son of the Demon King.

A demon prince.

Shutora was incredibly weak, but Chris and Caitlin were immensely strong. To Kaichin, who had faced those two, Shutora also seemed like a terrifying monster.

Karak turned and chased after Kaichin. Some to kill Ingong, some to protect him, orcs with conflicting objectives converged.

Ingong did not feel the commotion. He faced the white woman who shone alone in a pitch-black world.

She said something. He couldn't hear her voice. The darkness enveloped the woman, and soon the pitch-blackness that had filled Ingong’s vision disappeared entirely.

“Prince!”

“Huk?!”

Karak shouted, and Ingong gasped and quickly threw himself backward. Kaichin’s warhammer slammed down where Ingong had just been standing.

“Uooooh!”

Karak lunged at Kaichin. A life-or-death struggle between orcs unfolded before Ingong’s eyes.

Ingong quickly drew his dwarven dagger and clenched his teeth. Instead of rushing in recklessly, he followed his instinct and activated the skill window.

[Sub-Profession: Knight of Conquest Lv 1]

A new profession had appeared. And it wasn't just a profession that was added.

‘The power of conquest is the power of a king!’

Ingong understood naturally. He activated a technique derived from the newly acquired Conquest skill.

“Beneath the King’s Banner!”

Ingong plunged the dwarven dagger into the ground. At that moment, the cluster of white light that had been enveloping him scattered in all directions, and Ingong perceived a pure white line connecting him and Karak.

For now, just one.

But it was enough. Ingong had exerted his power as a king, and Karak, as the king’s subordinate, had accepted that power.

“Kuuuoooooh!”

Karak roared and swung his axe. It was a much faster and more powerful blow than before.

“Keok?!”

Kaichin, pushed back by Karak’s monstrous strength, let out a sound of bewilderment and a groan. And Karak swung his axe again at Kaichin’s head. It was a consecutive attack he could never have performed normally.

The dwarven battle-axe split Kaichin’s head in one blow. As brain matter and blood gushed out simultaneously, Ingong and Karak shared a single sensation.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

The general’s merit is for his king.

Having gained 2 levels in an instant, Ingong looked at Karak’s broad back. The line between Ingong and Karak was still connected.

“Go! Karak!”

Ingong commanded, and Karak, gasping for breath, pulled the battle-axe from Kaichin’s head. He let out a battle cry that could shake the entire cavern.

“F-fight! It’s the only way to live!”

The orc with the wolf-bone staff—the orc shaman—managed to shout, but it was already too late. Some of the Red Lightning tribe orcs standing at the exit glanced around and fled, and the unrest spread throughout the cavern in an instant.

“Kuuoh!”

Karak leaped among those orcs, swinging his axe wildly. His momentum was so fierce that no orc could properly block his attacks.

“Run!”

The moment one of the orcs shouted, the balance that had been precariously maintained completely collapsed.

The Red Lightning tribe orcs fled towards the exit in a flood. Instead of chasing them, Karak charged at the orc shaman, and the orc shaman cursed and swung his staff wide.

*Clang!*

The axe and staff clashed with a loud noise. But they didn't rebound off each other. Karak’s axe split the staff and tore into the orc shaman’s chest.

“Keuhak!”

The orc shaman let out a pained groan. But his eyes were still alive. He used his telekinesis to push Karak back forcefully.

A final act of defiance.

The orc shaman resigned himself to death. He reached for the dagger tucked at his waist.

‘At least one more!’

But his wish was not granted. A new blade pierced the orc shaman’s side.

“Keoheok!”

He couldn't even use his telekinesis due to the extreme pain. The orc shaman glared at his attacker with venomous eyes, and Ingong met his gaze squarely. He twisted the firmly embedded dwarven dagger.

‘Gotta get the last hit!’

He couldn't say it out loud, but it was enough. The orc shaman collapsed with a final groan, and Ingong let out a breath he had been holding and took a couple of steps back.

“Haa, ha…”

The line connecting him to Karak disappeared. Despite having just leveled up, his whole body felt heavy, as if he had exhausted all his stamina.

“Prince.”

Karak called out to Ingong, and Ingong looked at him. The already fierce-looking orc was now covered in blood, the very picture of viciousness. But even then, Karak grinned good-naturedly and raised his axe high, shouting.

“We won! We’ve taken the head of the enemy general Kaichin! It’s the Prince’s victory!”

“Uoooh!”

“Oooooh!”

Karak’s orc subordinates roared in celebration of their victory.

Instead of joining in the cheers, Ingong slumped to the ground and let out a long breath. He had talked about last hits and what not, but now that it was all over, his mind was a blank.

And as if to console him, a voice far more welcome than the orcs' cheers echoed in his head.

[You have leveled up.]

Level 8.

Ingong let out an involuntary, dry laugh.