FMKE 01

Chapter 1 Dropped into the 12th-Century Levant (1)

The virtual reality game ‘Crusader Knights’ had a solid player base thanks to its realistic graphics and dynamic action.

It was a game set during the turbulent 12th century, an era that any history fanatic would go crazy over—the Crusader Wars in the Levant, an age that gave players the full knight experience.

Crusader Knights was not simply a game that borrowed the setting of that era.

It was, quite literally, a battlefield that allowed players to experience the age itself, giving them the feeling of truly living in the middle of the medieval world where blood and steel, faith and madness were mixed together.

That was why once players became addicted to it, they found it difficult to leave.

Some became obsessed with battles, some with politics and diplomacy, while others became intoxicated by the very status of being a knight.

And this man was someone who, among all those things, was most deeply and heavily fascinated by the existence of a knight.

However… to play this game, one had to buy a virtual reality connection device called a G-Capsule.

The price of one was a whopping 20 million won… practically the price of a small-to-medium-sized car. It was far too expensive a barrier to entry just to play a single game.

It was an amount that most ordinary people would have looked at several times before clicking their tongues and giving up.

Reality was always stronger than hobbies, and colder than dreams.

“Hoho… Is it finally time?”

The man stared at the G-Capsule he had bought after working hard and saving money for two whole years without even meeting his friends.

He laughed like a villain hiding behind the scenes.

That laugh was not simply because he was happy.

It was the twisted yet desperate satisfaction that finally came out when a long-held obsession had taken physical form.

Of course, he still did not have enough money to buy a new one, so he had bought this used one for 14 million won.

But he did not care.

Whether it was new or used had no meaning at this moment.

What mattered was that he could finally enter inside.

The fact that the door to a world different from reality was now right in front of him alone made his heart feel like it was about to burst.

“With the skills I’ve built up in the Western Swordsmanship Club, I’ll conquer the world of Crusader Knights.”

The man had always been extremely interested in knights, almost to the point of being a complete fanatic, and among all eras involving knights, he was most passionate about the Crusader era.

An age before gunpowder dominated the battlefield, when steel, physical strength, courage, and faith directly proved a person’s worth.

That cruel yet brilliant era was romance, admiration, and perhaps even something close to an ideal world for the man.

Because of that, he became interested in Western swordsmanship as well.

Naturally, he joined a club where he could learn Western swordsmanship, trained with swords, fought against other members, and steadily improved his skills.

At first, he had only started because it looked cool.

But from the moment he held a wooden sword and took his stance, he gradually became absorbed in it.

The countless basic movements he repeated until his arms went numb, the training that continued until his palms were scraped raw and his wrists ached, the hours he spent gritting his teeth and enduring inside protective gear soaked with sweat…

All of it piled up and eventually made him who he was now.

It might have looked like a pathetic hobby to some people, but to him, a sword was not simply equipment.

It was the one area into which he had poured his sincerity for the longest time.

When early VR games first appeared, he had even demonstrated enough skill to rank within the top 100 in a swordsmanship simulation battle game.

Of course, there were many monsters of skilled players in the world, and he was nowhere near being called a genius.

Still, at least he was not some keyboard knight full of empty bravado.

He was someone who had actually used his body, actually clashed with others, and actually learned how to swing a sword.

Therefore…

Crusader Knights, which was heavily influenced by the player’s actions, could be called his home ground.

With this game, he could really give it a try.

No, perhaps this was the world where he could shine the most.

Thinking that, the corners of his mouth slowly rose.

His anticipation, confidence, and long-suppressed desire were gradually boiling up.

The man entered the capsule, settled himself down, and lay there before immediately putting on the headgear.

When the cold and heavy machine wrapped around his head, a strange thrill ran down his spine.

Soon, the headgear emitted sleep waves and caused him to fall asleep.

The capsule worked by putting the user to sleep and then sending signals to the brain through brain waves, creating images like dreams and transmitting them directly into the brain.

Naturally, it worked in reverse as well, detecting the brain waves produced when the user moved and translating them directly into movement.

Just a few years ago, the very idea of cutting off reality and connecting to another reality sounded like something from a science-fiction movie.

Now, however, it had become such a commercialized technology that it was even being traded in used markets like this.

It was a little funny, yet strangely exciting, to realize that he was now lying right in the middle of such advanced technology.

The pinnacle of advanced technology.

Although it was used, the man had invested a huge 14 million won in it, so his expectations were extremely high.

Afterward, the man launched Crusader Knights, which he had purchased for 90,000 won.

When he entered the character selection screen, he smiled.

His heart was pounding.

It was finally beginning.

The world he had dreamed about for so long had finally appeared before his eyes.

“Alright. Since I’m doing this anyway, I might as well use a handsome guy.”

Character customization had not been released yet, so he had to choose from predetermined characters.

Among the already-created characters, he selected the most impossibly handsome male knight, with blond hair and blue eyes.

He was the perfect handsome knight.

His blue eyes were almost unnaturally clear, while his blond hair looked as though it would shine like a halo beneath the sunlight.

His appearance was enough for anyone to immediately call him the ‘protagonist.’

The man did not dislike such an obvious, self-indulgent setting.

Rather, he liked it very much.

After all, if he was going to play at being a knight, shouldn’t he do it properly all the way to the end?

The available classes were divided into three types: Knight, Sergeant, and Monk.

As expected, a Knight was a person of knightly status, and because they were bound by their social position, their freedom was somewhat limited.

They had the dignity and privileges that came with their status, but they also had corresponding duties and expectations.

They were not half-free adventurers.

They were beings who were incorporated into society and its systems from the very beginning.

That was certainly attractive, but it was also troublesome.

Unlike them, a Sergeant was an ordinary person.

They could become mercenaries and fight on the side of the Crusaders, or fight on the Islamic side.

They could freely travel throughout Europe while working as mercenaries, or serve someone as a lord and eventually become a knight.

In terms of freedom alone, it was clearly the best.

It was a path where one could survive through their own abilities without being bound by birth or reputation.

The fact that they could enter any faction they wanted if they had enough ambition also made it a very attractive choice.

They could even become an Islamic general, showing just how much freedom the class had.

Lastly, a Monk was a religious person who started as a squire in organizations such as the Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller, or Teutonic Knights.

Being a religious person did not mean being far from battle.

Rather, this was the path where one would fight most fiercely in the name of God.

Naturally, they had even less freedom than a knight…

But they were the status that allowed them to experience the most battles and the most glory.

They had little freedom, but the density of their story was the highest.

That was the Monk’s deadly attraction.

“Hmm… Even so, I think a knight with at least some freedom is better.”

After choosing Knight, he had to decide on a first and last name.

The character was set as German, meaning he came from the Holy Roman Empire.

Looking through the available names and surnames, every single one was German.

Each name felt unfamiliar yet strangely stimulating.

Their rough and solid pronunciation somehow suited the profession of a knight perfectly.

It was almost like a voice echoing from inside a steel helmet.

“Hmm… I’ll use Michael for the first name, and for the last name… let’s go with Eisenschwert.”

Eisenschwert, meaning ‘Steel Sword.’

When he said it aloud, it sounded pretty cool.

No, honestly, he really liked it.

The meaning was almost painfully straightforward, but that was exactly what made it so powerful.

Steel Sword.

Could there be a surname more suitable for a knight?

After that, he was asked to choose a family crest.

He selected a black sword-shaped cross on a white background.

Since his surname was Eisenschwert, he thought a sword-cross would suit it perfectly.

He also liked the contrast between white and black.

It was not excessive, yet it had a strong symbolism.

At a glance, the emblem seemed to contain both war and faith.

Even the short moment of choosing a crest was quite serious for the man.

His name and crest, status and equipment…

Each of them was an element that created the identity of the character he was going to become, so he could not simply choose them carelessly.

“The difficulty is… Hmm… Let’s start with Easy for now.”

He would need some time to adapt to the game.

A moment later, a list of traits that could be applied to the character appeared.

One Who Possesses the Strength of Ten Thousand.

One Who Possesses the Wisdom of Ten Thousand.

One Who Possesses the Charisma of Ten Thousand.

One Who Possesses the Silver Tongue of Ten Thousand.

One Who Possesses the Business Sense of Ten Thousand.

“Why is everything ten thousand…?”

Perhaps because the difficulty was set to Easy, but the traits were extremely overpowered.

Honestly, they were almost ridiculous.

He had thought he was starting some hardcore medieval simulator after going through all kinds of hardships, but the names of the traits gave off an obvious fantasy hero vibe.

But rather than being annoyed, the man found it funny.

After all, if it was a game, it was only natural for it to have some game-like exaggeration.

“Yeah. I’m going to live as a knight… so the One Who Possesses the Strength of Ten Thousand trait is probably best.”

After selecting the trait, he moved on to the screen where he could choose his starting equipment.

The armor came with chainmail and a surcoat by default.

His weapons were a heater shield, an arming sword, and a lance.

Finally, he was also given a warhorse wearing a horse coat.

For starting equipment, it was quite good.

As a Knight class, it was practically the most ‘knightly’ start possible.

Everything he needed was already prepared.

It was a setup that would at least allow him to maintain his dignity even when going onto the battlefield.

That made the man’s heart beat even faster.

He could also take up to five additional weapons, such as a crossbow, bow, throwing weapons, or secondary weapons.

“A crossbow might be usable somehow… but a bow?”

Crusader Knights was heavily influenced by the player’s actual skill.

Of course, there was an assistance function that provided a certain amount of movement correction, but…

Most players preferred turning that function off and playing entirely with their own physical abilities.

It was more fun that way.

It also felt more satisfying to one’s pride.

Above all, whether it was swordsmanship or archery, the feeling of crushing an enemy using nothing but one’s own skill was incredibly strong.

Because of that, people who were good with bows could sometimes completely dominate enemies from a distance with skills that would make even Robin Hood or Legolas look ordinary.

The problem was that he was not one of those people.

He had held swords for a long time, but even if it was a game, a bow was not a weapon that naturally followed his instincts.

“I’ll just take swords.”

The more swords, the better.

The reason was that swords could lose their effectiveness surprisingly quickly because their edges became damaged.

Therefore, carrying spare swords could be more useful than expected.

So he took four arming swords and equipped two on each side of his waist.

It definitely looked a little excessive.

But from the man’s perspective, it was a fairly reasonable choice.

In actual combat, weapons were consumables.

Especially if the game was claiming to be this realistic, there was an even greater chance that this would be the case.

Blades could become damaged, their balance could shift, and even a tiny defect could decide the outcome of a battle.