Chapter 3

Chapter 3: [Knight Soul] Was This Game Always This Easy? (3)

The world felt so nakedly vivid, as if a single layer had been peeled away from it.

Sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. 

His five senses were strengthened…… and at last, his sixth sense opened.

The Power of Foresight had activated to its maximum. 

Several months at the longest, a few seconds at the shortest. 

He had reached a state where he could see and change what would happen in the future, or the possibility of it.

‘There is no mistake. I am… activating my ability to the maximum right now. I am not feeling this incorrectly.’

The chapel. 

The entire space was perceived perfectly, and even a single speck of dust floating in the air could be felt in detail.

That did not change even if he closed his eyes.

Even in a state where nothing should have been visible, his spatial perception had reached a transcendent level, and every movement was detected.

And that was not merely an increase in his perception of space.

━Um… Oppa, are you all right? Your complexion does not look good… Is something wrong? Tell me.

“Um… Oppa, are you all right? Your complexion does not look good… Is something wrong? Tell me.”

‘As expected.’

Foresight. 

It went beyond looking ahead into the future and was felt through his five senses. 

Even Ju Seo-yoon frowning in concern was something he had seen in advance.

Improvement of physical ability. 

Expansion of the range of perception. 

And…… even the sixth sense. 

These were phenomena that appeared only when he activated his ability to its maximum.

In other words- at the current point in time, even though Ju Seo-jin had activated the Power of Foresight to its maximum and was using it, he was not paying any price whatsoever.

There was enough basis for judgment now.

‘Inside a virtual reality game…… even if I activate my ability to the maximum, I do not have to pay any price at all.’

He was certain.

Unlike in the real world, inside a game that was nothing more than a virtual world, even if he used the ‘Eyes That Saw Fate’ to the maximum, he did not have to pay a price for it.

No risk.

The fact that he could avoid paying the price that came with activating his ability. 

At that realization, Ju Seo-jin quietly trembled.

‘Activating the Power of Foresight to its maximum… and yet paying no price for it at all……? Does this make any sense…?’

The Eyes That Saw Fate.

In other words, the ‘Power of Foresight.’ 

To Ju Seo-jin, it had been a curse, not a blessing.

Every moment had been like that. 

In order to suppress his ability, he had lived without letting his guard down for even an instant.

He had a body that could not even dream of an ordinary life.

And yet……

In a virtual reality game, he did not have to pay the price for using his ability?

This was something he could not help but feel excited about.

However, within only a few seconds, Ju Seo-jin calmed his excitement and returned to his usual cold expression.

Because they were in the middle of streaming.

-For real, this is a genuine newbie reaction.. This is precious..

-Everyone is usually like this when they first do full dive haha. It makes you dizzy haha

-Ah haha, this really brings back memories haha. I was like that back when I first did full dive too hahahaha

‘I cannot cause trouble for Seo-yoon’s broadcast for no reason. ……I can think about my impressions later.’

Ju Seo-jin’s complexion quickly returned to expressionlessness.

The fact that he could activate his ability to the maximum inside a virtual reality game was… certainly astonishing, but not enough for him to lose control of his emotions.

Because of that, the viewers also merely thought that Ju Seo-jin was standing still because of dizziness from his first full dive. 

They did not show any particular concern or suspicion.

Then, Ju Seo-jin spoke indifferently.

“Do not mind it. It is nothing. I am fine now. ……I was just dizzy for a moment.”

“Really? Mm… well, you did say this was your first full dive, Oppa, so that can happen.”

Ju Seo-yoon also nodded as if finally relieved, and her complexion returned to its lively look.

Originally, it was common for those connecting to a virtual reality game for the first time to feel a slight motion sickness due to the Full Dive Confusion Phenomenon.

If Ju Seo-jin had also experienced the Full Dive Confusion Phenomenon, there was no need to worry too much… so for now, it was right to focus on proceeding with the game stream again.

Ju Seo-yoon put a hand on her waist, shook her head, then extended her hand.

“Whew. I guess there is no helping it. It seems I have no choice but to solve this for you! I will carry you.”

“What?”

“Oppa. Since you are a ‘Knight’s Descendant,’ you have a longsword and leather clothes, right? Give those to me.”

“…….”

Ju Seo-jin’s [Knight Soul] player character origin was set as ‘Knight’s Descendant.’ 

Equipment corresponding to that had also been provided.

Though, calling it equipment did not amount to much. 

Worn-out leather clothes that even smelled musty. 

One longsword tied at his waist. 

That was all.

However- if he handed all of that over, Ju Seo-jin would be left barehanded. 

Therefore, the answer was already decided.

“No.”

“Huh…? Why? I said I would carry you, did I not? Are you worried I might not return your items? Do not worry! I will only borrow them until we clear the tutorial, and then return them…”

“Mm… That is not it. You are bad at games, are you not? I appreciate it, but you do not have to push yourself like that. I will try to handle it myself.”

“……….”

At Ju Seo-jin’s refusal, which he gave with a tilt of his head and a pure heart, Ju Seo-yoon lost her words.

-Ughahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

-Ah haha, he is saying that even while suffering from Full Dive Confusion Phenomenon, he still thinks he will be better than you haha

-They really are siblings haha. Straight-up declaration of ‘You? You are bad at games’ hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

“And… it does not seem as though we have enough leeway to be exchanging equipment with each other.”

“Hm? Ah, were you worried the tutorial might start? It is fine, it is fine! The combat event only starts after we leave the chapel…”

“The enemy is coming.”

“Huh?”

-?

-What is he talking about?

-Huh..? The tutorial has not even started yet?

“…….”

“Get ready.”

After Ju Seo-jin stepped down from the altar of the chapel, he placed his hand on the hilt of his longsword.

At that sight, Ju Seo-yoon let out a “Haaa-” sigh and shook her head.

“Oh dear. Oppa, I know a little about [Knight Soul], you know? The tutorial is far, far from starting! The game only begins after we finish item farming! There is no need to be that scared.”

“───3 people. No, should I say 3 creatures? I can hear the sound. They have reached the door at the entrance. It has been bothering me for a while, and they are definitely coming here.”

However, that too lasted only a moment. 

Ju Seo-jin activated his ability without minding it and spoke according to what he felt. 

He could feel what was about to happen.

“They are coming.”

“What? What do you mea───”

The next moment.

CRAAASH─!

The chapel. 

The old door broke apart without a single warning, noisily scattering wooden fragments…… and then, three figures burst out of the dust with strange cries.

CLATTER, CLATTER-!

Skeletons. 

Skeletal soldiers wearing rusty helmets and crumbling chainmail, holding longswords. 

What that meant was… one thing.

-???

-Wow, what is this?

-? Was the [Knight Soul] tutorial not still far from starting?? What is that?

A sudden combat event had occurred.

***

Even the viewers all showed confused reactions, but only for a moment.

-Ah. I have seen this before haha. What was it again? If you play on Nightmare Mode, sometimes a sudden combat event pops up before the tutorial haha

-Maybe because it is 2-player, 3 skeletons showed up hahahahahaha It is dizzying from the start hahahaha

-This is why people do not really play Nightmare Mode, but Myangbangwool <<< what kind of guts made her choose the highest difficulty?? Ughahahaha

The viewers, who roughly grasped the situation, excitedly typed in the chat.

Of course, there were not few viewers who questioned how Ju Seo-jin had foreseen the sudden combat event in advance.

-...But how did he notice this? Can you realize a sudden combat event.. through sound??;

-What..? You should not be able to know about a sudden event before the tutorial starts.. How did he know? Is it possible with sound alone?

-???????? A sudden combat event really popped up??; How did he know???? Did he use future sight or something?; Saying he heard it and knew makes no sense for real.

Normally, if there had been leeway, Ju Seo-yoon would also have asked what had happened… but that was impossible.

“Eek. A, a sudden combat event? Was there something like this in [Knight Soul]…? What is this! This is unfair!”

The atmosphere grew urgent. 

Ju Seo-yoon was flusteredly trying to prepare for battle.

Ju Seo-jin, who had taken one step ahead of her, firmly gripped the hilt of his longsword and spoke briefly.

“Mm… whether it is a sudden combat event or whatever else, I just need to knock them all down first, right? Then… I will handle it myself.”

“What?”

“Do not worry. I will not die. I am not so lacking in athletic reflexes… nor am I bad at games.”

“…….”

A calm voice. 

Words that were almost arrogant, in contrast to that voice. 

Hearing them, the viewers burst into laughter and reacted as though they found him cute.

-Her brother must exercise a bit? His confidence looks good haha

-Kya. His confidence alone is bb! But this is not something even people who exercise can clear easily hahahaha

-How cute hahahahahaha Excuse me, just because you exercised a bit in reality does not mean you will be good here!!

Regardless.

Without even looking at the streaming window, Ju Seo-jin stepped forward…… then whispered quietly in a low voice.

“And… do not come forward. It will become difficult to protect you.”

“What……? No, no! W, wait! Wai-”

THUD-!

And. 

At the same time, Ju Seo-jin dashed forward, rapidly narrowing the distance to the skeletons. 

Watching his back, Ju Seo-yoon was horrified.

“Huh? Do not go, I said do not go! Oppa? Oppaaaaa!! No, noooooo-! I said do not go-!”

She was horrified.

To Ju Seo-yoon, Ju Seo-jin was merely a newbie with many things to learn. 

It had not even been ten minutes since his first connection to a virtual reality game. 

The battle was obviously too much for him.

Furthermore, had Ju Seo-jin not had a sickly body since childhood? 

A fistfight? 

He had never done one, except for a single time.

Far from winning, even surviving was difficult to expect.

‘Ugh…! This is bad……! If he dies here, the player character’s origin will be assigned one level lower…? Ah, seriously……!’

[Knight Soul]. 

This dark fantasy game, befitting its roguelike-style nature, was strict about death penalties. 

Dying at the beginning was especially so.

If a player character died at the starting stage… they would receive the terrible penalty of having that player character’s origin lowered by one level.

However, Ju Seo-jin had already gone somewhere she could not catch him, so there was no hope at all.

‘Haa. There is no helping it. Next time… I will have no choice but to tell Oppa not to act however he wants…’

But then…….

CLAAANG-!

An abnormality occurred.

CLANG! CRUNCH…! CRACK-!

-?

-What is this..?

-Huh??? What the hell? What is that..? What is this..?

Ten seconds. 

No, in an even shorter span of time than that…… Ju Seo-jin had shattered two skeletons as easily as if they were crackers.

SPLAAAT─!

Finish.

Flying Sword. 

Then, the moment Ju Seo-jin flung the longsword entirely away with a swing, the chest of the skeleton at the very back burst apart from the incoming sword.

Three. 

The skeletons that had appeared due to the sudden combat event were all annihilated in less than thirty seconds.

-?

-Fuck..? What did I just see? What is this?????????

-What..? While even suffering from Full Dive Confusion.. he killed 3 skeletons this cleanly..? A newbie did? Does that make sense???;

The chat window went berserk. 

Along with it, Ju Seo-jin raised his body, let out a whew- breath… and calmly gave his impression.

“Was this game always this easy?”

***

Clarity.

The impression Ju Seo-jin felt while dashing forward was that ‘the world was far too clear.’ 

The flow of time, the perception of space. 

Everything happened far too easily.

Time flowed slowly, and space felt as clear as if it had been placed upon the palm of his hand.

Even a single speck of dust floating in the air entered his range of perception, including how and where it would flow from then on.

It was a pleasantly refreshing sensation.

───.

And.

‘I can see it.’

The Power of Foresight. 

The sixth sense, the sixth sense that should not exist… his third eye opened, and he saw what would happen in the future.

Future sight on the scale of seconds. 

He glimpsed the future in which the two skeletons charging at him head-on would split left and right and strike with their swords.

At the same time… Ju Seo-jin naturally realized where and how he should move. 

He gripped his longsword tightly and swung it to the right.

Then, the sound of impact rang out.

CLAAANG-!

The moment small sparks scattered with a crackle, the skeleton’s body was pushed backward by the recoil of force─── and immediately, another skeleton attacked from the left with a sword strike.

‘Here, I use the repulsion of force to rotate my body… and block. Then, that should be enough.’

CLANG!

‘Mm. If I push forward like this while keeping the swords pressed together, sliding the blade along… it will definitely die.’

CRUNCH…!

From the deadlock of sword against sword, he shot the tip of his sword forward as if sliding it toward the opponent’s skull and shattered its head.

At that moment, his sharpened senses warned him of a threat. He felt the skeleton he had pushed back with the first sword strike secretly attacking from behind.

If he had not known about the surprise attack, it would have been dangerous, but once he had noticed it, it was not threatening at all.

Ju Seo-jin lowered his upper body with a slide, rotated his body, dug backward at the same time, and swung his sword… then crushed the waist of the skeleton behind him whole.

Cleanly.

CRACK-!

Ju Seo-jin’s cold gaze turned toward the skeleton charging from the very back.

Because he had sharply lowered his upper body and swung the sword with force, his body’s balance had been thrown off by inertia.

Here, if he rolled to the side, he would avoid the next attack, but it was obvious that responding to the subsequent continuous attacks would become difficult.

In that fleeting instant, Ju Seo-jin made a judgment and added force in the opposite direction of inertia, rotating his body once again.

And then…….

WHOOOSH-!

Flying Sword. 

He launched the longsword with all his strength, adding even centrifugal force to it. 

Aiming at the chest of the skeleton that had secured a distance of less than 3m… he smashed it apart.

SPLAAAT─!

Then, the skeleton’s chest burst apart, bone fragments scattered with a clatter, and its body fell backward.

CLAT-TER─!

A complete victory. 

He had won perfectly without being injured even once, but it did not feel particularly difficult. 

People had said [Knight Soul] was an incredibly difficult game, too.

‘This is troublesome. I was trying to test how far I could use my ability without paying a price… but it is too easy, so I cannot.’

Ju Seo-jin rose to his feet with a strange feeling. 

At the same time… he spoke calmly, with a slight hint of dissatisfaction.

“Was this game always this easy?”

And then.

“Ah…? Uhehe…ek……?”

It was the moment Ju Seo-yoon’s mouth fell open, and she let out a strange exclamation as if her soul had left her body.

-????????????????????

-Pardon? ...An easy game? An easy game, you say? This? This??????? Are you serious??

-Fuck..? This person.. I thought he was pure clean water.. but he is an insane monster genius, is he not..?

Innate talent.

At that insane play, the viewers began cheering as if going berserk.