Level 0 Master

It turned out just as everyone had expected.

Rittier and Nart faced each other in the forest, unsheathing their swords. Once, they were called to be the four knights to serve the late king, and now, they faced each other as enemies.

"You must have pledged your loyalty towards Her Highness Ereka, before the late king! Don't you feel any shame to have abandoned your oath by fighting for the Blood Ruler?"

Nart laughed at the veteran knight's thundering.

"Haha. The oath? Hey, old man. That old tyrant forced everyone to make an oath, trying to make it sound like chivalry. Don't you know that everyone said those words unwillingly?"

"What...?"

"Extras are our gift from God for us to play with, but that tyrant didn't let us."

Nart's anger roused the wind around him.

"He trampled our rights with his power and gave us anger, pain, and sorrow! You disloyal, old subjects who sucked up to the tyrant would never know how that felt!"

It was similarly written in the scripture. God created this world to see the supremacy of hero levels; extra levels were just awarded assets for the heroes. But the tyrant forced the heroes to dip into their own pockets to feed the old and disabled instead of throwing them away. Messing around with girls was also not allowed.

It was their right to do whatever they wished to their belongings, whether by breaking them or using them, so why was the king telling them what to do?

"From this point of view, our Majesty the Blood Ruler is better. She lets us do whatever we want to do in our own territory as long as we obey her in battle. Hahaha. She is strict, but she can be called a wise lord."

Nart nodded.

"The princess who tried to suppress us, unlike the Blood Ruler? Ha. Hehe. But her body is something special. I'll tame her like a dog in chains starting tomorrow. It will be fun to watch that noble face licking, crawling, and begging me."

"Shut… Shut up! My Highness' rule of right is out of love for the weak. How dare you call it a suppression!"

"Then why is that b*** trying to steal my possessions!"

The wind blew around Nart's twin blades. The knight of wind, Nart. That was his nickname because he was the fastest among the four knights, and his skill was managing the wind.

The eyes of an old knight and a young knight glared at each other. Incompatible faiths were confronted.

One believed that a ruler's path to kingship was great love, and the other believed that such a path was tyranny over his lawful right.

A fundamental difference of a point of view couldn't be resolved by a conversation.

There was only one way left.

"No more talking! Let's have a duel as knights. We don't need anything else."

"Ha. Do you realize that your level is lower than mine?"

"Are you going to run away from a lower level's challenge?"

"Of course not. I will cut that old throat of yours in an instant."

Nart rushed toward Rittier, and Rittier firmly returned the blow.

This was a sword fight, one that would have been replaced by firearms on earth a long time ago.

Swords were an old fashioned weapon that couldn't be used as a main weapon apart from some special occasions, such as kendo competitions or hand-to-hand fights.

But no.

This was a story of a human against a human.

Their energy dug into the ground.

A shock wave exploded.

Trees were cut in an instant.

Rocks were shattered into splinters.

The collision of swords left traces everywhere.

"Wind Cutting!"

"Earth Armor!"

The collision of Heroic Power radiated and heated up the air. The shock wave from the twin blades broke up a gigantic tree in a heartbeat and sliced the rocks around it.

Rittier, as the opponent, received all the attacks with a body as strong as iron.

Nart was the knight of wind. When Rittier thought an attack was coming from the front, Nart was already behind him, and as soon as Rittier was attacked from behind, Nart's sword was in front of him.

It was the free movement of a rapid wind.

Rittier, the knight of earth, took all the attacks with one huge sword and fought back. His armor was the crystalloid of his devotion. His firm legs never collapsed, but his huge sword was not enough for Nart's speed.

It was a close match.

Nart seemed to be irritated that it took so much time although his level was higher.

How long should I spend fighting with an old man at level 5?

"Pfft. Stubborn old man. I will give you a death blow!"

Finally, Nart showed a strange posture and crossed his swords in front of him. The next moment, the wind that had been rising around him stopped.

The air stopped, and the leaves fluttered. Suddenly, all the falling leaves started to flow towards Nart.

A hurricane followed the air around him and was sucked into the area where Nart was standing.

"Hurricane Blade!"

Compressed air blew up into two streams and then swirled around Rittier. The massive pressure overpowered his body, and the streams spinning against each other ripped through everything.

The human body was like an apple in a mixer within this power that tore up the earth. But the real terror of this technique was something else.

Such an attack usually wouldn't have worked on similar level heroes.

But there were twin blades tangled up in the wind. There were supposed to be two, but the wind formed 33 swords in total.

This was the lethal technique of Nart.

Each magical sword formed contained the power of the wind. The storm tied up the opponent, and 33 swords cut up the opponent's body. This was an impossible phenomenon that was beyond a human's capability, but it was an extreme sword skill of the knight of wind who moved beyond the speed of this world.

But Rittier reacted with a smile in the middle of this fierce attack.

This was the moment I was waiting for.

It was clear that Nart's ultimate skill was maximizing his Heroic Power. However, that also caused a massive rebound after using this skill. Nart's Heroic Power would decrease for a moment and expose his weakness. Of course, this would only be useful if the opponent were still alive.

Lack of experience and patience, those are your weaknesses as the youngest of the three knights.

Nart was one level higher, yet Rittier had incomparable experience.

"Armor of Faith!"

Armor of Faith, that was Rittier's ultimate skill. It maximized his defensive ability in a second. It was a passive skill, yet the increment was absolute. This skill won over their one level difference and bounced back all the swords in the wind.

It was the formation of Rittier's loyalty that lasted through the world's changes, and the people's wavering hearts. It defended, and reflected.

This is my final defense!

After blocking all 33 swords, Rittier attacked with his gigantic sword. This was the victory that Rittier was presenting to the princess in a battle of 3:2 without needing an extra class.

"Molting Sentence!"

If only there were no chains attacking and twisting his body like a poisonous snake.

"Ugh."

Chains twisted all over Rittier's body. They were pitch black as if they were made of stone-cold magma that had just cooled. There was red, bloody magma about the chains, and every drop melted the ground it touched.

No need to mention the state of Rittier, who was tied up by the chains.

This was the ultimate kill of the knight of fire—Molting Sentence. It would tie up the opponent's body and melt them to death. This skill contained both long-term imprisonment and powerful damage.

"You… In this sacred duel..."

Rittier looked toward the caster of the chains with anger and sorrow in his eyes.

There was Firgrine, the knight of fire. The air around him heated up and shimmered.

"Haha. A sacred duel? Victory is the only thing one needs."

Firgrine laughed at Rittier as he poured more Heroic Power into the chains.

"You should thank me, Nart."

"Pfft. You were hiding behind to get a chance to stab him in the back. You didn't even show up as soon as I called you."

Nart already knew Rittier would not be an easy target despite their level difference. So Nart had to secretly use a Wind Spirit Stone to call Firgrine, but Firgrine took his time to deal the final blow.

"You… Nart... You accepted the duel... how dare you call yourself a knight after doing such a dishonorable thing!" Rittier cried out with anger, while Nart laughed at him.

"You were a fool to be tricked."

Firgrine agreed.

"Haha, and you are a fool to have given me this opportunity. I'm taking the credit of killing Rittier!"

"No chance!"

Levels were given at birth. The only way to raise your level was to accumulate credit in battle. To take credit, both Nart and Firgrine started their attack to kill Rittier.

"Ughhhh!"

The Armor of Faith expired, and the fire burnt Rittier's body while the wind was cutting him into pieces.

Your… Highness...

Rittier was out of the game in three minutes. And now, the 3:2 strategy for victory was destroyed.

"Now all that's left is the princess and the kid. Now, I will head north, so you defend the forest," said Firgrine.

"No. Now that Rittier is done, I don't need to defend the forest. You take the forest."

The two knights started a quarrel while thinking of the same thing.

Rittier came here, meaning that the princess was in the top lane or the bottom lane. That further meant that the one who went to those lanes would have a chance to catch the princess in the early stages. Neither of them had any intention of missing that chance.

"Are you disobeying the ruler's lineup?"

When Firgrine named the Blood Ruler, Nart agreed unwillingly.

"Ugh, okay."

"If you think that's unfair, then clear the forest and join us."

A few moments after Rittier left for the duel, Ereka bit her lip and grabbed her spear. Before her, the puppet soldiers had appeared and were marching towards the battlefield.

There was no time to waste.

I have no idea what happened to Sungjin, but since we all entered, it is just the three of us fighting.

She had no idea that now it was only two, not three. Rittier died without being able to use a Wind Spirit stone to report.

"Jenna. We can do it. Now that our minions are here, so let's get moving."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Jenna answered with her tail flapping about.

"Yes. We will win, and we will have a feast with amazing food."

"I would love that! Let's bake chicken and pie! Hehehe."

Jenna smiled to cheer herself up.

"Hehehe. When we win over the castle, let's call everyone over to have a party. Everyone must be starving."

There's no way people were fed under the Blood Ruler. Although Jenna was young, she knew that much.

"Yes, I promise. I'm sure Sir Rittier is having a good fight."

The two girls made a promise.

Their level was lower, yet they had the same power, so they promised to somehow overcome the difference together, without knowing that Rittier was already gone.

"Your Highness… Your Highness..."

In the waiting room. Rittier's tears fell with sorrow and anger. The old knight's regret melted into his tears.

But there was nothing he could do.

He was already dead and exiled from the battlefield. From the waiting room, no one could send any messages to the inside. The battlefield was a different world. Even a Wind Spirit stone couldn't be used. All he could do was watch what was going on in despair.

"Ahh... What kind of humiliation have I given you…? This was my fault… I should have protected her..."

Rittier fell down to his knees.

"Ahhh. My late king. I couldn't protect the princess. How can I expect your forgiveness?"

There was no way. Giving his life could not protect Ereka from the humiliation. Then the waiting room door opened.

"Don't worry. I will protect her."

Rittier looked toward the confident voice, and there stood Sungjin.

"But how did you...?"

"Of course, I escaped."

"Ugh, But how! You are supposed to still be unconscious! And even if you woke up, I tied you up and locked the warehouse door!"

"I was prepared. I saw it coming."

Sungjin's laughter reflected his arrogance, and Rittier shook with anger. If he was not worried about the princess, he would have hit Sungjin.

"Ugh… you used some kind of a trick. But it is too late! I'm already dead. Now the princess has only herself and the kid! There's nothing we can do!"

Rittier hit the ground with his fist.

"Even if you had a real strategy to win… It is too late. There's nothing we can do."

Rittier, the one who was supposed to execute the strategy, was already exiled, and there's no way to re-enter.

"Now… the princess will fight this impossible battle only to be defeated… ugh… if only..."

That was exactly what was shown on the screen airing the battlefield.

Ereka met her opponent on the crossroads to their bases—Angrasil, the knight of water. He was a cold-blooded and sadistic man, but nevertheless a powerful knight.

When he moved his spear of ice, the air froze on its way. The air became ice particles and dropped to the ground. Naturally, his power froze not only the air but also his opponents.

Ereka had to fight the chilly air that was surrounding her. Every time she returned the spear, the icicle flowers gnawed at her defenses.

But that was not her biggest problem. She, herself was a knight of level 6. She could have returned the spear with her glorious shield to break up the icicle flowers, but the real trouble was not those things.

When she returned the spear of ice with her shield in her left hand and tried to counterattack with her spear in her right, a new spear raised up from the spear of ice and attacked her ribs. She twisted her body to avoid the second spear, yet within a second, a third spear appeared.

Even if she managed to return an attack, there was another spear coming from an unpredictable position, and the fourth one came right in.

This was the fatal skill of Angrasil.

"Ugh!"

She wanted to counterattack, but she could barely return the attacks. They both were level 6, yet the difference in knowledge and skill as knights was huge. Trying hard was not enough, because some people were already born with talent.

"How long do you think you can keep up?" Angrasil laughed frigidly.

"Until I kill you!" Ereka answered with a shout.

Even if the enemy was strong, she was determined to win. She had so much to protect. Angrasil's laugh became even crueler when he saw her determined face.

"I will give you a good tip."

"I won't take any false information."

"This is my good will. Rittier is already dead."

"That's not true!"

"Hahaha. You can try to contact him. The game is already over. You are done."

"I don't trust you!" said Ereka, yet she started to have doubts.

Is that true? Is Rittier really dead?

If that was true, this disadvantaged battle just became an impossible one. There's no chance to win against a stronger enemy who also had more manpower.

"I will give you a break. Check if it's true."

Angrasil stepped back as if he was trying to provoke her. With doubts, Ereka used a Wind Spirit stone to call Rittier, but there was no answer.

"Rittier? Rittier?"

"Hahaha. Can't you see! He is dead. Now, it's just the two of you!"

"Oh… no..."

Ereka trembled. She knew she needed to stand still, but she felt like her body was sinking into quicksand.

The only hope to take over the castle by winning against these three knights was gone.

They were going to be defeated. They had lost their last remaining territory. People were going to be killed under the tyranny of the Blood Ruler's magical sword, everyone, including herself, were going to meet a terrible end.

We can't give up. We need to fight!

Ereka told herself knowing it was impossible now.

No… we need to defeat them… we must fight!

There was nothing left but sorrow and grief. She felt tears in her eyes.

It was really going to end this way. The hope… the hope was gone.

"Yes. That's it! That sad face turns me on!" Angrasil cheered and attacked her once again.

"Argh."

Ereka tried to defend from the raining spears, but her body trembled just like her spirit did. She lost her firm defenses, and the second spear attacked her ribs again. The concentrated power broke past her defense and tore up her flesh.

"Ugh..."

Ereka quickly retreated to the turret.

This is not going to work. We need to change something…

It was taboo in a fierce match to return to one's base while the enemies were still out there. During that time, the enemies would hunt down their minions to win more crystals and damage their turrets at the same time.

But she had to. She knew that if she kept fighting like this, she would be slaughtered. She had no choice but to activate her Return stone.

"Tsk. Pity."

Angrasil thought it was too bad; this had been his chance to gain the most credit. It had been a winning game.

The important credit went to the person who killed the princess. It was fine that the other two had managed to defeat Rittier. In the end, the princess slayer was going to walk away the victor.

Oh well, that's okay. Even if she rests for a while, she won't be able to fight properly. I will have another chance.

Fighting a battle was impossible, after all, when despair had taken over the mind and body.