Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Episode 5.
“I slept well.”
“Gunter! You slept well… Huh?”
While the merchant guild leader’s daughter, who had greeted him, blinked in surprise.
He quickly finished what he had to do.
[Invest 2 Remaining Stat Points into ‘Stamina’]
[Stamina 18 -> Stamina 20]
[Stamina has reached 20]
[Your Stamina grows even stronger. You will feel little fatigue even after strenuous physical activity for half a day]
The difference in stats becomes stark around the 10-unit mark.
Upon reaching 20 Stamina, his condition drastically improved, and his body felt invigorated.
Stamina was essential for surviving long in a chaotic battle.
Next was…
“Krrk!”
He casually dodged Eddie, who, as usual, slammed into his shoulder with fierce intent.
But then.
Unlike his previous life, his body moved reflexively.
It wasn’t just a simple evasion.
His foot slipped between Eddie’s flailing legs, and-
“Ugh!”
CRASH-!
Eddie lost his balance in an instant and slammed onto the floor.
‘…Huh?’
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King smiles faintly]
He quickly understood what had happened.
This was Grappling.
Knights don’t just use swords in combat.
To deal with various variables such as controlling distance from the enemy, situations without a sword, or opponents in heavy armor, Grappling is also a mandatory skill.
That’s why the techniques he passed down were deeply infused with a high level of Grappling.
“……”
But the surprise didn’t end there.
Eddie, too embarrassed, attempted to feign unconsciousness.
Above him, a faint silhouette appeared like an afterimage.
[‘He Who Writes Love Letters That Will Never Be Sent’ glares at you]
It was the god Eddie had contracted with.
Normally, only a message would appear; seeing such a form was impossible.
However, thanks to the Stigma, it had become a kind of ‘Divine Artifact’.
‘Wait, does that mean other people can see or feel you too?’
[Three gods shake their heads]
[They state that you are an exceptional case, bound by Karma rather than a normal contractor, and thus an exception]
‘…So, unless I reveal it, no one knows I’m a contractor?’
[Three gods nod]
That was good.
He smiled with satisfaction and watched ‘He Who Writes Love Letters That Will Never Be Sent’ slowly fade away.
‘By the way, I thought your epithets were the worst, but they’re quite interesting.’
[Three gods glare at you in unison]
He then moved out of formation, leaving behind the bewildered people (though Ryan was laughing heartily).
‘Anyway, let’s talk.’
Before the Holy Army arrived.
There were many things he needed to ask.
* * *
Approximately 5 minutes until the raid.
Gunter bombarded them with questions without pause.
It was about regression and Karma.
…However, sadly, most of his questions went unanswered.
[Three gods remain silent]
[A strange power compels them to silence]
Prohibition.
Something was preventing them from answering.
Gunter’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected outcome.
‘Could it be the work of a higher Divine Rank?’
In <Forgotten God>, there was a clear difference in power and hierarchy among the gods.
The oppression of weaker gods by higher Divine Ranks was a common phenomenon.
Naturally, Gunter, a mere human, had no way to resolve this.
Ultimately, he could only get answers to relatively simple questions like the following.
Q. What is Karma that you bestow such favor upon us?
A. Think of it as a very useful commodity for gods.
Q. Do other gods besides yourselves covet Karma?
A. They likely do. However, one must be cautious about revealing regression or Karma to other gods.
Q. Do other gods know about my regression?
A. They do not know.
However, a small number of higher Divine Ranks might have noticed.
“……”
[……]
Gunter gazed blankly at the status window, which no longer displayed further messages.
The following question was only natural.
Perhaps, they had approached him from the beginning, knowing he possessed such abilities?
Having already sensed that he was a regressor and a user of Karma?
[Red Street Pillar whistles and avoids eye contact]
[Addict Saintess shows sudden interest in her forgotten knitting]
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King reconfirms the sharpness of his sword’s edge]
‘…Got it.’
Gunter let out a short sigh.
It had been over two years since he had been with them.
During that time, the gods had done their best to help him.
They offered advice in times of crisis and cheered him up with jokes and comfort when he was exhausted and collapsed.
Without them, he wouldn’t have been able to survive and reach this point.
Even if his suspicions were true, there was no reason to resent them.
[Red Street Pillar wishes to change the subject]
[He suggests discussing countermeasures for the upcoming raid instead]
‘…Yes, that’s a good idea.’
Gunter nodded slowly.
As if waiting, messages followed.
[They ask who you intend to offer the next gathered Karma to]
The Karma gathered so far was 15.
It was far from enough to acquire new skills.
Gunter intended to repeat life and death a few more times to gather Karma, and he had already decided on its use.
‘Next is the Knight King.’
A brief moment of silence.
[Addict Saintess fiddles with a beaker, her expression shocked by your unfair treatment]
[Red Street Pillar lowers his pants and jeers]
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King gently admonishes his companions, telling them to wait their turn]
[…But he is smiling]
I’m sorry to the other two, but it can’t be helped.
The Saintess or the Pillar are likely to grant support-type skills and Stigmas.
You could tell from the kind of advice they mostly gave.
The Saintess would surely be healing-related.
The Pillar would likely be evasion or charm-related.
Right now, he needed combat-related skills more than anything.
‘Unless there’s another god attached to me. Of course, it’s the Knight King.’
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King asks how much more Karma you plan to gather and offer]
‘…I was going to ask that myself.’
Gunter recalled the status window from his previous life.
[The amount of Karma offered is ridiculously small]
It had said 100 was small.
Because of that, only a portion of the Stigma was engraved, and the skills received were also degraded.
‘Is it more efficient to offer a lot of Karma at once than to offer it little by little?’
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King nods]
[He replies that the more you offer at once, the higher the efficiency]
Gunter immediately asked again.
‘Then tell me. How much do I need to gather to resolve the current situation?’
[They ask for clarification on what specific ‘resolution’ you desire]
‘I need to kill the Paladin before he kills the guild leader. It would be even better if I could win overwhelmingly.’
This silence was a bit longer.
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King holds up five fingers]
‘…….’
Gunter blinked for a moment.
It couldn’t be fifty, could it?
* * *
“Ryan.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I ask you for a favor?”
Ryan looked at Gunter with a puzzled expression.
With the enemies closing in.
The Gunter he knew would be steeling himself rather than making small talk.
“What’s with the sudden favor? Go ahead.”
“I think I’ll have to push myself a bit due to circumstances.”
“…Push yourself?”
“I need you to cover my back.”
Right after those words.
Gunter changed 180 degrees from his usual self.
Both his skill and his attitude.
“…Seven!”
“You crazy bastard! Be careful!”
Ryan was barely keeping up with Gunter.
He knew well that Gunter possessed exceptional skill for a mercenary.
After all, they had been partners for nearly a year.
He also knew that Gunter was an incredible hard worker, improving little by little every day.
‘But this is….’
It was beyond the scope of a mercenary.
Ryan looked at the corpses at his feet with a disgusted expression.
‘Did he become a contractor or something?’
…And he was strangely fixated on ‘eliminating’ enemies.
He meticulously sought out and killed even enemies crawling on the ground, near death.
Of course, finishing them off was natural, but it wasn’t something you’d deliberately do in the middle of a chaotic battle.
Because of this, Gunter, who moved recklessly, was exposed to many dangers-
“Ugh, I chose the wrong friend!”
Ryan had to protect his comrade as a living shield.
Standing 195cm tall.
With muscles built to wield his two-handed hammer, his weight exceeded 100kg.
As he swung his hammer around Gunter’s back with all his might, a significant number of threats were neutralized.
“Thanks. I’m gaining ground thanks to you.”
“Gaining… what? Did you take something?”
“Well, it feels similar.”
Surprisingly, Gunter was smiling faintly.
Ryan couldn’t understand why.
“Aaaargh!”
Because just a few dozen meters ahead.
The defensive line, desperately built by Eddie and a small escort, was collapsing in real-time.
It would soon be their turn.
“Not much left! Kill them all!”
“You goddamn heretics!”
There were now more enemy soldiers around than allies.
Even Ryan, who had felt no fear fighting alongside Gunter, felt his legs tremble as his life flashed before his eyes.
‘Crazy bastard. I knew he was brave, but I didn’t know he was this brave.’
But Gunter wasn’t calm because he didn’t know the state of the battlefield.
He knew it too.
That inevitable death was approaching.
‘So what.’
He would be resurrected anyway.
It would hurt, of course.
But now was not the time to tremble at the impending pain; it was time to consider how to more efficiently gather 500 Karma.
‘I need to die as little as possible.’
A clear goal to accumulate as much karma as possible in each life.
The conviction that he could achieve that goal if he didn’t give up.
It was enough reason for Gunter to charge into the enemy ranks, risking death.
“Let’s go!”
“…Damn it, I don’t care anymore!”
They charged forward, shouting.
.
.
.
[Red Street Pillar laughs merrily, stating he’s never seen a human leap into death so joyfully]
[Addict Saintess gazes at your numerous wounds with hollow eyes]
[Ninety-Nine Overlord Knight King admires your spirit, which does not bow before formidable enemies]
“Are you alive?”
“Barely… cough… clinging to life. Though I’ll probably die soon.”
Ryan.
As expected, he was a great partner.
The immense strength emanating from his massive frame, a head taller than others, paired exceptionally well with Gunter’s sharp and precise swordsmanship.
‘I must have earned much more than in my previous life, at least.’
Thirteen.
Gunter counted the number of enemies he had killed.
It was a number unbelievable for a mere mercenary to have achieved.
While the Knight’s Swordsmanship was a factor, Ryan’s role in steadfastly supporting him without holding back during his rampage was also significant.
‘Maybe I earned about 30?’
Ah, by the way-
[Level 28]
[Agility 20 -> Agility 21]
He had also leveled up.
Gunter patted Ryan’s shoulder with gratitude.
This was why he liked Ryan.
Beyond his skill, he produced good results if you just input the desired outcome.
If you asked him to cover your back, he would hold firm no matter what.
“I’ll definitely save you later, so don’t worry and die.”
“Uh… I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re spouting, but I’ll take your word for it.”
It was when Gunter and Ryan were leaning against each other, chuckling.
-Thump.
Heavy footsteps could be heard, piercing through the din of the battlefield.
Simultaneously, the enemy soldiers surrounding them all widened their distance.
Thump-
Even Ryan, who had been smiling, stiffened his expression under the intangible pressure.
Gunter slowly rose to his feet.
Both Stamina and Mana were depleted.
Even that single movement was a struggle, but he had no intention of dying without resistance.
‘Still, I get to see its face this time.’
A man with a contorted expression stepped into the circular space that naturally formed.
“You’ve killed quite a few dealing with these pests.”
It was the Paladin, who had finished off all the remaining allies.