I walked alone through the alleyways of the city at night.
I quickly parted ways with the workers.
They gave me fearful glances, uncomfortable to be around.
As I walked down the rutted alleyway, I looked up.
The streets were deserted, but not dark. Unlike the abandoned, unlit factories, this place was full of light.
I could see tall buildings towering in the distance.
"Tirna."
I mouthed the city's name.
Tirna was literally a giant city. The architecture was 19th century, but it felt much more developed than that.
Seeing the light-filled buildings in the distance gave me mixed emotions.I used to play medieval fantasy games but the landscape I was in now was modern.
From medieval to modern times. If I count the number of years alone, hundreds of years would have passed.
Since the original setting was based in the Middle Ages with a 14th century feel, it was safe to say that almost 500 years had passed.
Holy shit, 500 years, that's a minimum.
This is the world that I knew, but it's not the world as I knew it.
In five hundred years, countless dungeons, ruins, and boss monsters would have been lost to the winds of time.
I was already at a loss for what to do, this is why I can't even say that I know this world.
The only thing I can rely on is my incredibly strong body.
‘Still, this is where I am.’
I see a bullet flying toward my eyes and slash it with my sword.
It's enough to make me almost superhuman.
‘My character in the game is at max level. I raised all the stats that a knight can raise.’
In this game, the stats are [Strength], [Agility], [Stamina], [Mental Strength], [Intelligence], and [Faith], which are called the six major stats.
[Strength] is, unsurprisingly, physical strength.
The higher your Strength, the more damage you can do with melee weapons and the easier it is to wield heavy weapons and armor. Naturally, it is the primary stat of the Wandering Knight.
[Agility] is mobility and dexterity. Among weapons, there are some that require a lot of skill, and among skills, there are some that require dexterity, so agility is also essential for melee characters.
[Stamina] obviously refers to maximum HP and it also affects endurance. In this game, you have an endurance gauge, so it's hard to keep attacking or running nonstop.
If you have high health, it's much easier.
[Mental strength], on the other hand, is MP, or mana. In addition, it increases your resistance to ailments, mental attacks, and elemental attacks.
[Intellect] is used by wizards and warlocks to increase the power of spells and magic.
I'm a knight, so I can't increase this stat due to my natural limitations.
[Faith] is one of the six major stats, and it is the stat that Clerics and Paladins are responsible for. However, Wandering Knights can also increase this stat, and I increased it to the limit.
All stats can only reach a maximum value of 99 and my character's six major stats all reached 99 except for intelligence.
‘Well, at least I'm not going to get killed in an argument on the street.’
But I can't let my guard down.
People are one thing, but monsters are another.
This is a crazy game where even if you are at max level, you can get killed by random mobs on the side of the road if you make a mistake.
And the question is, what do I do?
There must be a reason I was sucked into this world.
In other words, there's a way back.
I had to find the cause and reason.
With a knife.
In a city of steel and machinery, steam and gunpowder.
Hiss!
At that moment, the roaring sound that pierced through the belly of my armor made me stop walking.
I realized that I hadn't put anything in my mouth since I came here. Not even a sip of water.
In-game, there's no hunger system, so there's no need to eat, but the real world is different.
I was hungry and thirsty. Even a max level character is useless if he starves.
Especially with a body full of muscles, even the slightest movement burns a huge amount of calories, making him demand a lot of food.
‘......For now, let's eat.’
*
A bar in Tirna.
Ding!
The bell on the door swung open and a customer walked in.
Silence descended on the noisy tavern.
The noisy tavern turned from clinking oak barrels full of ale to the chattering of the crowd.
"......."
"......."
"......."
Normally, this would have been just someone who came to eat or drink, but this visitor was too unique.
The visitor was a knight in full armor, a rare sight in this day and age.
With each step, they could hear the clinking of iron.
The only part of his head that wasn't covered by a helmet was his face, and his fair skin, black hair, and handsome appearance reminded them of a master from a well-to-do family.
The armored young man, Osian, plopped down on a stool in front of the bar table.
Everyone stared at the sight.
Some wondered if they were too drunk to be seeing things.
Osian pulled out the money he'd extorted from the gang.
"Hey, boss. Here's the order."
The moment he opened his mouth and spoke with his charismatic aesthetic, everyone in the bar realized this was real.
"What the hell is that?"
"A knight? Or a knight-obsessed lunatic?"
"A lunatic who wears armor in this day and age?"
The tavern was a hangout for mercenaries and fixers who did dirty work.
As a result, there were some people who looked at the knight and tried to analyze him, or showed hostility towards him.
Osian also looked back at the customers at the bar, perhaps feeling their hostility.
Sigh.
He showed off the sword at his side to some people who were glaring at him.
-This one carries a sword. You're not going to get away with this.
Osian said with a gesture.
In response, some of the mercenaries who were glaring at him drew pistols from their waistbands and placed them on the table.
-Uh, we have guns. What do you say?
They were saying that.
"Hmm."
Osian casually turned his head to face the front, as if he didn’t want to bother with them.
Osian didn't bother to tell them that he could parry bullets with his sword, or that he could see and dodge incoming bullets.
He didn't need to, and no one would believe him if he did.
But the mercenaries who drew their guns snickered, as if Osian's gesture meant something else.
Osian knew it, but he didn't question it, just waited for his food.
"Here's your food."
In front of him was a smoky, marinated lamb, toasted bread with butter and cheese, and vegetable soup.
Osian gazed at it with rapt attention, then lifted his head to look at the bartender.
"Where's the alcohol? Isn't alcohol supposed to come with the meal?"
Osian said the words, but he didn't mean them.
This was exactly what his "body" would do if he wanted a drink.
But despite his arrogant tone, the older bartender didn't seem to mind at all.
"Which one would you like?"
"The strongest one."
"I see."
With that, the bartender pulled out a bottle of liquor with a skull-shaped mark from a teacup full of bottles and poured it gently into a clear glass.
Osian swallowed hard at the sight of the scarlet liquor.
He reached out and took a sip of his first drink in this hard world.
"Brother. You're eating something delicious, why don't you let us join you?"
The three mercenaries who had laughed at him a moment ago came to stand near him, smiles on their lips.
Osian stopped his hand from gripping his drink.
The tavern patrons watched the scene with interest.
"The Dutri brothers."
"That freak is out of luck, coming in when they're in the midst of their mischief."
The three men were brothers, as evidenced by their similar faces.
As the Dutri brothers, they made their living as mercenaries in the underworld.
They had a reputation as mercenaries in a world of violence, but it was clear from their surroundings that it was not a good one.
Osian turned his head sharply to look at the eldest of the three brothers who had spoken to him.
"Do you have any business with me?"
"Business? I'm just curious. What brings our noble knight to this tavern all of a sudden?"
With that, the eldest snatched the goblet from Osian's hand and poured a mouthful down his own throat.
"Hmph, that's some strong stuff."
"It's my drink."
"I thought you wouldn't be able to drink it, so I took it for you."
The second and third brothers giggled at the eldest son's words.
At the sight of that, Osian's expression turned cold.
Osian opened his mouth with a heavy expression.
"You dare to come and insult me."
At those words, the three Dutri brothers looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.
-Fahahaha!
The laughter spread throughout the tavern, not only among the three brothers, but also among the rest of the tavern, due to Osian's noble tone and manner of speaking.
But Osian spoke in a serious tone, as if he was not at all embarrassed by the situation.
"I'm in a good mood right now. So your rudeness of a moment ago will be forgiven by my generosity, so stop and go do your business."
"......Ha, you bastard."
Osian said in a caring tone, and the eldest brother snorted in disbelief.
"You still don't understand the situation. I don't know what the hell you were thinking when you came here in such a ridiculous outfit, but the circus is elsewhere, so get the hell out of here."
"......."
"Don't stare at me. Look at the way you're glaring at me, what, are you going to pull out that fancy knife in your waistband?"
The eldest brother said, and tried to reach for Osian but he couldn't get his hands on Osian's armor.
Osian’s fist was in his face before he could reach it.
The eldest brother's face was dented in the shape of a fist. His nose was crushed and his teeth scattered in a spray of blood.
The eldest brother was thrown across the tavern, smashing through the door and bouncing outside.
The laughing patrons stopped laughing in unison, unable to believe that a single punch had knocked him out.
"......."
"......."
Their gazes alternated between Osian's outstretched fist and the shattered door.
'Did he just punch someone that far with his fist?’
'Considering the size of the eldest of the Dutri brothers, he must have weighed at least ninety.'
As everyone watched in bewilderment, the other two of the three brothers reacted.
"Brother!"
"You fucking asshole!"
The second and third brothers simultaneously drew the guns in their waistbands.
It was a sawed-off shotgun that destroyed enemies with pellets at close range.
The time between the brothers drawing their guns on Osian and pulling the trigger was less than a second but that was just enough time for Osian to draw the sword at his waist and swing it twice.
Tuduk. Tuduk.
"Huh?"
"What the......."
The second and third muttered dazedly as they looked at the gun that had been cut off and littered the floor.
The section of the gun that had been cut off was smooth, as if it had been cut with something sharp.
While the brothers were still trying to process the sudden reality of what had happened, Osian, who had sheathed his sword back on his waist, punched.
-Pow! Pow!
With a clean one-two straight punch the second and third, who were hit in the face like the eldest brother, were sent flying and bounced out the door of the tavern.
The tavern was once again plunged into silence.
Everyone was stunned and awed by the unbelievable physical prowess that Osian had just displayed.
After the spectacle, Osian turned to the bartender, who was staring at him, and spoke softly.
"Those three should pay for the broken door."
The bartender, who hadn't shown any emotion, nodded with a dazed expression.