Chapter 6
He felt bitter.
The fact that people were fighting amongst themselves, even in a world like this.
A fight where good and evil, victory and defeat were unclear… but the fight itself was enough to make Mason feel bitter.
“I looked it up, and there’s no data on you. You wouldn’t tell me where you came from if I asked, would you?”
“No, I came from 28th century Earth. I dimension-shifted.”
“Right, everyone has their own story that’s hard to tell.”
“No, I’m telling you, I dimension-shifted.”
“I won’t pry too much. There will be a time when you want to reveal it yourself…”
Mason realized.
“Ah, so this is the quality of a tanker.”
“I’m the best tanker in Korea, you know.”
Sung Kijun extinguished his cigarette by rubbing it on his finger.
“As far as I know, you’re unaffiliated. Where do you plan to go now?”
“Somewhere where I won’t have to fight with people.”
“As far as I know, there’s only one raid team like that.”
“Where is it?”
“Holy Knights.”
Mason chuckled.
“There must be other places.”
“Does that sound like a joke?”
Sung Kijun looked at the forest of concrete.
“We’re the only ones. In this chaotic world filled with disasters, those who decide to fight for others… there are only a handful of us.”
His words resembled a sigh. It was rough and bitter.
“The Player System is based on human greed. It’s a system designed to give greater benefits to the stronger ones. And in such a system, those like us are nothing more than irregulars.”
“Are there that few?”
Disappointment was evident in Mason’s voice.
He was realizing that the word ‘humanity’ used in his era and ‘humanity’ in this era were two different words.
“Sacrifice, service, righteousness, goodwill. Such things must be voluntary, not demanded. So… it’s fortunate that at least this many people are willing to step forward, even among all the players.”
“Is that so…?”
Mason looked at the same place Sung Kijun was looking at.
What was this man seeing amidst the concrete ruins?
The homeland to be reclaimed? Or a hunting ground where money sleeps?
For some reason, Mason believed that Sung Kijun was looking at the same thing he was.
“How many are in the Holy Knights?”
“Thirty-two. Not enough to fill a regular raid team.”
“Would you consider accepting a 33rd member?”
“Our pay is low. There’s a lot of overtime, and the work is tough.”
Mason asked only one thing.
“Can we help people?”
Sung Kijun smiled.
“Quite a lot.”
That was the moment Mason joined the Holy Knights.
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A dark room.
A woman sat on a throne within it.
Composure that didn’t show a single shred of weakness. With her loose-fitting formal attire, the blonde beauty looked more like an ancient goddess than a modern person.
And beside her, a man clad in dark red heavy armor stood as if guarding her.
“…So.”
The man spoke in a cold voice.
“You disobeyed the order to bring him with you, is that it?”
“Yes, Red Knight.”
The man called Red Knight looked at Gwendolyn.
Gwendolyn was taller and more muscular than him, but that was irrelevant.
Red Knight, the personal knight of the Heavenly King, Yekaterina.
He was a transcendental powerhouse, at the pinnacle not only of the Inner Circle but also of the Player world.
Even before Gwendolyn was born…
“As I recall, it wasn’t that difficult of an order.”
“…There was a radio transmission about Camp Newbie being attacked. I couldn’t stop him from going to provide support.”
“My order was to bring him.”
Red Knight spoke in a contemptuous tone.
“Not to create an opportunity for him to meet Seo Yeonhee.”
“I apologize. I…”
Just then, the Heavenly King gestured with her hand.
Both of them closed their mouths and paid their respects.
The Heavenly King asked softly.
“Why did he go to Camp Newbie?”
“To help people.”
“Then there’s no chance he’d be with Seo Yeonhee. On the contrary…”
At that moment, a pop-up window appeared on the cell phone placed next to the table.
“…Unless he joined the Holy Knights.”
Red Knight frowned at the Heavenly King’s words.
“That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not bad. At least he didn’t go under Seo Yeonhee.”
“Should we put pressure on the Holy Knights?”
It wouldn’t be difficult to hinder the Holy Knights, or even disband them. They had violence, financial resources, and above all… power.
“Leave them be.”
The Heavenly King spoke calmly.
“Let them do as they please in the Holy Knights.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Evil often breeds evil deeds, but good intentions don’t always lead to good deeds.
In a twisted world, those who walk the righteous path are bound to tread a rough road.
And now, the boy who began to walk a new path was the most upright of all.
“There might be a slight delay…”
Powerless good intentions are futile. Good intentions without action are empty words.
The moment he realizes that even good deeds require power, the place he’ll end up is predetermined.
The Heavenly King spoke in a calm voice.
“He’ll surely come here.”
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The Holy Knights’ headquarters was a former air force base located on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
The main facilities were centered around the hangar and runway of the large transport aircraft, Archangel, with the base’s buildings renovated and repurposed.
What was unique was that most of the personnel working there were soldiers.
“It’s like an army.”
“I can’t say it’s not.”
Sung Kijun said leisurely.
“But at least you can commute freely.”
The headquarters of other raid teams were mostly located in major cities. However, the Holy Knights’ headquarters was in a remote place like a military facility.
There weren’t even proper shops nearby, to the point that a PX was operating inside.
“There are plenty of empty rooms. Take your pick.”
BOQ. Most of the bachelor officer quarters were empty. Mason settled down in a suitable place.
“Now, isn’t it about time you told me?”
“What?”
“About where you’re from. We need to register you for the raid team, so tell me the truth.”
Mason sighed.
“I told you, I dimension-shifted from the 28th century future!”
“Really?”
Sung Kijun tilted his head. He fiddled with his smartphone and made a dubious expression.
“You’re registered as a resident.”
“…?”
Tilting his head for a moment, he suddenly recalled a name.
“I had contact with another raid team before the Holy Knights. They said they were the Heavenly King’s subordinates. They must have registered me as a resident.”
“So, you’re saying you dimension-shifted from the 28th century future, and the Heavenly King, whom you’ve never met, registered you as a resident?”
“That’s right.”
“Without you even asking?”
“That’s right.”
Sung Kijun smiled gently.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Who doesn’t have their own story in this day and age? You can tell me when you feel like it.”
“Ugh.”
The Holy Knights also had facilities related to cores.
He took Mason to the facility.
“First, let’s do a physical examination.”
Mason lay down on the scanner, and his physical data was quickly printed out.
Level 0
HP: 2250
MP: 0
Strength: 115
Agility: 90
Stamina: 150
Magic Power: 60
Sung Kijun made a perplexed expression.
“Is the machine broken?”
“Why? Is something lacking?”
“No, quite the opposite.”
Sung Kijun shook his head.
“You’re too strong.”
Sung Kijun showed him his own data sheet.
Level 55
HP: 300
MP: 45
Strength: 16
Agility: 16
Stamina: 18
Magic Power: 3
Mason tilted his head.
“Isn’t that too low?”
“You’re the one who’s too high. I told you, I’m the best tanker in Korea.”
Sung Kijun looked back and forth between his and Mason’s data sheets in disbelief.
“An average person has about 7 to 12 points. Over 12 points is athlete level, and the highest recorded data so far was ‘Captain America’ Steve Queen.”
“How high was he?”
“Strength 23. Stamina 21.”
“Weak, isn’t he?”
“You’re the monster.”
Well, he could roughly guess from Mason’s appearance and the way he tore apart monsters with his bare hands.
That Mason was a superhuman.
It was just… shocking to see how much he surpassed humans.
“What do we do about this?”
And, Mason’s abilities brought a new concern.
“You can do too much.”
Tanker, dealer, or even a healer if he wanted to.
And all of them were attractive options.
Not only a traditional tanker, but also a dealer or healer with tanker-level durability was appealing.
“What position do you want?”
“As the raid team leader?”
“Yes.”
“It would be good if you became a healer.”
On the battlefield, healers were the ones to be protected. Because they focused on healing abilities, their offensive and defensive abilities lagged behind.
Especially considering the Heavenly King’s Inner Circle, the shortage of healers was severe.
However, in Mason’s case, he could become a mobile healer who could handle any situation.
With the Holy Knights having enough tankers, it was an incredibly attractive option.
“Then I’ll be a healer, why not.”
“But… as a player, I want you to be a tanker.”
“Why?”
“Because even enemies that I or Red Knight can’t handle, you could.”
Sung Kijun spoke in a calm voice.
“At the forefront of humanity, in the most harsh place on the battlefield, you could stand.”
“…”
“Become a tanker. Not just for our Holy Knights, but for all of humanity.”
Mason nodded.
The Holy Knights had enough spare cores in stock.
Of course, tanker cores as well.
“It’s convenient that I don’t have to go hunting for one.”
The Player procedure was simple. It ended with implanting a core into the body.
Mason felt the core melting into his body.
He felt a faint energy field forming around him.
“Is this core energy?”
“Yes.”
Sung Kijun said.
“The utilization of core energy varies slightly depending on the job. Tankers like us have high defense, dealers excel at breaking down the opponent’s core energy, and…”
“…Healers excel at transferring energy, right?”
“That’s right.”
Sung Kijun drew his sword.
“Now, then…”
Swish!
Sung Kijun’s sword grazed Mason’s hair.
At that moment, Mason felt dizzy.
“What is this?”
“It’s the feeling of your core energy depleting. It’s something you need to endure.”
“Hmm.”
Sung Kijun spoke with a serious expression.
“The shock of core energy depletion often goes to the brain, especially when the core is broken by the shock. So, be wary of core dementia. Especially those like us who get beaten up a lot.”
“But isn’t a tanker’s fight about taking hits?”
“That’s right.”
Sung Kijun smiled.
“That’s why there are so few people who want to be tankers.”
There was a strange bitterness in Sung Kijun’s smile.
Perhaps because a few, maybe dozens of names were flashing through his mind.
“Well, if I have any energy left after protecting my comrades… I’ll try to protect myself as well.”
“Yes.”
Sung Kijun smiled.
“Don’t forget to protect yourself. The you who protects your comrades.”
