In the Name of a Knight (3)
Seventh Round.
This was a story from the time when Julian had grown as stagnant as a person possibly could.
Even Julian, who had become proficient at everything, still felt a flicker of panic when he first set foot in the seventh world.
‘Man… no matter how many times I go through this, it’s always something new. Always fresh.’
The world wasn’t the typical medieval fantasy he had expected.
For some reason it felt more advanced than the Middle Ages—if he had to compare it to anything, it sat somewhere just before the Victorian era.
Yet that advancement had nothing to do with technological civilization.
It was entirely the product of magical research, and the standard of magic here was so high that in certain respects it actually surpassed even Archidia from the first round, which had been considered the pinnacle.
Those “certain respects” mostly concerned daily life.
The age of debating how to beat people down with magic or how many enemies you could slaughter had already ended here.
The established theory was that the previous hero had already half-killed the demon king, and no one knew where the bastard had crawled off to.
Of course, like a cheap MMORPG plot, the moment Julian appeared the demon king revived anyway and monsters flooded the land.
Even so, the scale of the outbreak wasn’t particularly serious.
People worried that killing the demon king might disrupt the ecosystem—the same casual concern modern humans might have about swatting mosquitoes.
Thanks to that atmosphere, combat mages were losing their place in the world.
They began focusing on lifestyle conveniences rather than battle magic, and some even built massive fortunes through business.
Magical products like the magic perfume from the first round, or scrolls that anyone could use, sold like hotcakes.
The most prosperous business of all was “Portal” technology.
It was also the only magical technique that looked superior to modern civilization in Julian’s eyes.
The portal system had advanced so far that it was used like a subway in major cities.
What had once been an advanced spell reserved for high-ranking mages to transport themselves and their parties had evolved into genuine public transportation.
‘The seventh round really was fascinating.’
Those were the relatively vivid memories Julian held of that world. His recollections of his comrades weren’t nearly as strong.
‘Kim Do-jeok…’
But Kim Do-jeok had been different.
Even though he had only been a temporary companion, the man left an indelible impression.
To be exact, he had no choice but to.
It happened exactly like that back then, too.
Clang!
The instant their blades met, Julian’s eyes twitched.
He sensed something was off.
“Who the hell are you?”
It was a time when Julian had yet to meet anyone who could truly be called a rival.
He rarely even drew his sword; most situations ended with a Mana Punch.
Thanks to that, the world called him the “Merciful Hero Julian,” and the Constellations praised his concept of using nothing but his fists.
However, that very concept was about to face a catastrophic crisis.
And the cause was Kim Do-jeok.
‘What the hell is this guy?’
The bastard had suddenly drawn a blade in the middle of the city, forcing Julian to draw his own sword.
“You blocked that surprise attack. As expected, I have a good eye for talent. You’re Julian, right?”
Even with the mask covering his face, the relaxed smile on his lips was obvious.
Julian, however, was not relaxed.
“J-Julian drew his sword…”
“Julian actually pulled his blade!”
The whispers spreading through the crowd were the reason.
Every single person present had witnessed the Merciful Hero Julian draw his sword.
‘You ruined my entire concept, you son of a bitch.’
He had every right to be furious.
He had maintained the image of only drawing his sword against truly powerful opponents.
From Julian’s perspective, the whole thing had happened absurdly.
Of course, Kim Do-jeok really was strong.
Unless he had carried over the full power from his sixth round, beating the man with bare fists was impossible at his current level.
That was why Julian had instinctively drawn his blade.
What frustrated him was that the dramatic moment of unsheathing his sword had been wasted without any proper buildup.
‘Since it’s come to this…’
He came up with a truly inspired idea fitting for the seventh round.
He swung his sword again and engaged.
Clang! Clang!
Since it was the middle of the city, the attention was enormous.
“Ooooh…!”
“Who is that guy?”
The crowd murmured.
Conscious of their eyes, Julian asked Kim Do-jeok.
“What’s your true identity?”
“If I was going to tell you, why would I wear a mask?”
Since he had already drawn his sword, Julian decided to turn this man into someone who seemed important.
“Whose orders are you following? The world government?”
He asked the question as if some grand conspiracy lurked behind it.
“Just remember that I’m the guy who has to kill you.”
A few weeks later.
Kim Do-jeok continued to ambush Julian.
Clang!
“You again?”
“Hah. You block it well. I really do have a good eye for people.”
Julian could have killed Kim Do-jeok at least three times by now, but he never did.
Clang!
“Just get lost already.”
He simply knocked the sword aside, subdued him, and sent him on his way.
After being sent away four or five times like that, Kim Do-jeok stopped appearing.
Then one day.
It was a drizzling afternoon.
Shaaaaaaa…!
Kim Do-jeok walked down the forest path beneath the shadow of dark clouds.
Unlike his usual surprise attacks, he approached from the front.
“…I really must kill you. I’m sorry.”
Kim Do-jeok stared at Julian with a face drenched in rain.
“When did I ever say I wouldn’t kill you? Come on in.”
“…”
Shing…!
The aura was different from before.
Kim Do-jeok had always used a single sword.
This time he drew two.
‘As expected… he really isn’t ordinary.’
Julian realized the feeling he had gotten during their first clash had been correct.
For someone who only used one sword to suddenly switch to dual blades was suicidal.
His true specialty must have been dual wielding all along.
He had simply been holding back.
“…Here I come.”
Boom!
The moment Kim Do-jeok kicked off the ground, water exploded upward.
Between the spraying droplets, two sword strikes whipped forward.
But Julian had already grown far stronger than Kim Do-jeok anticipated.
Clang!
He slammed the attack down like a thunderbolt and simultaneously brought his own blade to the man’s throat.
“!”
Kim Do-jeok looked at his two swords that had flown far away and made an expression that could have been either a smile or despair.
“Tell me why you’re doing this.”
“If I don’t kill you, I die.”
Kim Do-jeok fell to his knees.
“Kill me. I’ve lost.”
“You’re really going to die? Is that what you want?”
“…”
“Say you want to live.”
“…What?”
“If you say you want to live, I’ll kill everyone who’s trying to kill you.”
“…”
Kim Do-jeok cried out.
“I want to liiiiive!!”
After that, he officially joined Julian’s party as their “technician.”
“Stand up. From now on your name is Kim Do-jeok.”
“?”
Julian had taken an assassin who tried to kill him and turned him into a comrade.
Thanks to that, the ridiculous title “Merciful Hero Julian” spread even further.
Recalling that time, Junil muttered to himself.
‘Kim Do-jeok…’
As it turned out, the guy hadn’t been a technician but a “fixer.”
His real name was Dross.
Fixer Dross
Lv. 58
He had aged and become a corpse, so Junil hadn’t recognized him at first.
But looking closely, traces of his younger face remained.
Above all—
Clang!
The sensation that came when their blades met.
The unique sword style of dual-wielding daggers.
It was definitely Kim Do-jeok.
When Kim Do-jeok left the party, he had said one thing.
‘I dreamed of becoming a knight.’
He left the party one day saying he wanted to become a real knight.
Junil had cursed him at the time.
If a bastard like you could learn chivalry, a demon king would never have been born.
But the truth was that he had been sad to see Kim Do-jeok leave.
The competent ones always found their own path.
The incompetent ones clung on until the end, hoping to snatch whatever scraps they could.
Tired of that repetitive pattern in the seventh round, he had lashed out with unnecessary venom.
‘As expected… you really did become a knight.’
Dross.
Having returned as a death knight, he truly embodied the image of a knight.
Of course he had thrown away that mask now, but until then he had been so convincingly knightly that Junil never suspected a thing.
His sword strikes were far heavier than before, yet they still carried that same nimble precision.
Kim Do-jeok had become stronger.
‘But I…’
On the other hand, the current Junil was much weaker.
His entire body was already beginning to scream in pain. If they fought even one more hour, he felt like he might suddenly collapse.
Yet his opponent was only just getting started.
Magi surged across the man’s entire body.
Kim Do-jeok’s signature dual-wield charge, rushing forward like a violent storm.
‘It’s coming.’
Huu.
The moment he took a shallow breath.
“!”
Kwaaaaaaaa—
The dual blades swirled like a hurricane.
The speed was monstrous.
It felt less like sword strikes and more like blades of wind.
A level impossible to track with the naked eye.
He tried to block anyway.
Junil’s sword sliced through empty air.
‘Damn it.’
Instead, the enemy’s blade carved deep into his shoulder as it passed.
Slash!
“Ugh…!”
Even that had only barely avoided a direct hit to the heart.
It clearly hadn’t struck a vital point, yet—
“Huk!”
Thud.
One of Junil’s knees hit the ground.
His whole body trembled.
‘Seorim has gotten stronger.’
It was Seorim.
The bone-chilling cold traveled through the shoulder wound and wrapped around his heart.
To suffer this much pain from such a shallow cut.
It was completely different from when the man had still worn the appearance of a knight.
Had he coated the blade with poison?
“Does it hurt? I thought you’d at least be able to block this much.”
Grin.
Dross smiled exactly like he had in his Kim Do-jeok days, but the line was different.
“Did I misjudge you after all?”
The sight of him flicking sticky blood from the tip of his sword and cracking his neck was completely unlike the dignified knight from before.
‘He really did apply poison like back then.’
Looking at the man’s blade, something was definitely smeared on the edge.
He knew this fight would not be easy.
Was it because they were old comrades?
‘For a Kim Do-jeok.’
Junil ground his teeth and spoke.
“Come at me one more time and I’ll turn you into a honeycomb.”
This time he could counterattack.
He had only been hit because it was a surprise.
Junil bluffed with all his might.
“Very well.”
Whoosh—
Dross came in again.
Becoming the wind itself, the dual blades swirled violently.
Clang clang clang!
He blocked most of them, but still allowed several strikes to land.
Slash!
“Cough…!”
Frozen clots of blood flew from his mouth.
‘Damn it…’
Junil realized the truth.
If they exchanged blows one more time, he would die.
Most of the Constellations were seeing Junil get brutally beaten for the first time.
“Ahahaha!”
Dross laughed.
“Chivalry, honor, whatever—throwing it all away feels so good.”
He looked completely freed from any restraints.
This was probably only possible because the summoner was an outstanding individual.
“As expected, the summon has to be of a certain caliber. This is the first time I’ve realized summoning could be this enjoyable~”
Swish.
Dross spun his sword once through the air and laughed.
He was overflowing with leisure.
Meanwhile, Junil’s face had gone rigid.
The cold rising from his organs made his limbs tremble uncontrollably.
Some even claimed Dross seemed stronger than Belzerak.
It was understandable.
Belzerak had not been a demon specialized in combat. His fighting ability had been relatively low for his level.
This guy, however, was different.
He was specialized in personal combat.
Junil gritted his teeth and searched for a solution.
‘Normal methods won’t work.’
He needed to use something special.
At this rate he could never win.
‘Should I use the tears…?’
If he used up all his remaining tears, he could reach the Aroma stage beyond Whiff.
But Junil shook his head.
‘No.’
Aroma would bring out illusion-type abilities. That was reserved for a specific purpose.
Selling the future.
Besides, there was no guarantee the illusions would even work on this man.
In the end, he had to win through direct confrontation.
Junil’s gaze turned toward the number of Constellations watching.
Current Viewing Constellations: 3,598
An unprecedented number.
In other words, this had become an unprecedentedly successful legend for Julian.
‘We’ve passed one-third…’
They had crossed the one-third mark.
At this point he could attempt one of Julian’s unique techniques, even if only weakly.
It would be his first time trying it without the Hero’s Sword, but he was far more experienced now than Julian had been in the first round. He could do it.
“Still, I don’t have a hobby of watching others suffer, so let’s end this here.”
Tap—
Dross caught the sword he had thrown upward and kicked off the ground.
Black wind swirled just like before.
The same attack, yet impossible to follow with the eyes.
He couldn’t block them all.
However—
Mana Acceleration
Vwoong!
Junil’s eyes snapped wide open as a blue gleam flashed across them.
‘Huh? It works?’
Even at one-third power, the skill had activated.
‘Kim Do-jeok. Time for you to suffer a little.’
This time would be different.