Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“...! Damn it, these mercenaries never listen!”

Charlie’s face turned pale.

At a time when working together wasn’t even enough, he was acting on his own! If he died first, it would be a disaster like no other.

What’s more, the man hadn’t even drawn his sword. It looked as though he was walking right into his own death.

Keek! Kieek!

The monsters also seemed amused by Do-hyeon’s reckless behavior, laughing as they swung their blunt weapons.

One of the clubs was swung right before his eyes.

In just a moment, that massive club would crush Do-hyeon’s skull, splattering blood everywhere.

“Damn it...!”

Just as Charlie tried to rush after him in a panic.

“...?”

He saw it.

Shwoosh—

Whoosh!

Keerik?

Do-hyeon’s movement paused for a moment.

Then, as if by magic, the club brushed past his head.

The margin was so close that just 1cm more would have smashed his skull.

Swinging a weapon naturally destabilizes one’s stance.

And that creates an inevitable opening.

Crack! Shk!

With a swift kick, the gnoll lost its balance and staggered.

After grabbing its neck and snapping it, Do-hyeon stabbed the neck of the gnoll beside it, instantly taking down both of them.

[Critical Hit!]

[Critical Hit!]

By hitting their vital points, he triggered critical damage, doubling the impact.

It also helped that the monsters had low health, typical of a tutorial.

Keerik? Keerireek!

The situation reversed in an instant.

The archers, who had been enjoying their prey, were suddenly stunned as they became the hunted.

They hurriedly got into position.

But they had only one monster left as their shield.

Whoosh—.

The remaining gnoll attempted a surprise attack from the side, but Do-hyeon dodged it with a simple backward step and followed it up with a knee strike.

Crunch— Thud.

It was a perfectly timed strike that knocked the weapon from the gnoll’s grasp.

This technique, known as Weapon Drop, had been one of the skills that terrified Do-hyeon’s opponents back in his DemRock days.

Since the system was similar, he had tried it, and fortunately, it worked.

[You used the skill ‘Strike.’]

Do-hyeon kicked the gnoll in the torso and finished it off with his skill.

‘One hit from Strike is enough.’

Even without a critical hit, the skill did significant damage, making one strike fatal.

Keerik... Keerik...

Now, only two archers remained.

With no bodyguards to protect them, the two remaining gnolls with bows posed no threat. Before they could even draw their bows, they were sliced in half by Do-hyeon’s sword.

With the battle over in an instant, Do-hyeon casually shook the blood off his sword.

He had worried that his body might have stiffened since it had been a while since he last played a game, but fortunately, his movements were as fluid as ever.

‘...Actually, my body feels even lighter.’

Maybe it was because he could feel all his senses in this VR game, unlike before.

His movements felt smoother than ever.

Just as Do-hyeon was satisfied with this realization, a voice interrupted.

“My goodness...”

Charlie, who had been watching in a daze, slowly approached.

Staring in disbelief at the fallen gnolls and Do-hyeon, he let out a gasp of admiration.

“I can’t believe it... You took down five monsters by yourself.”

At those words, a message appeared.

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’ is impressed by your unexpected combat prowess.]

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has increased.]

‘Favorability?’

It was a system that had existed in DemRock as well.

Although it varied by NPC, if you raised their favorability, you could earn rewards, which had prompted many players to work on favorability quests.

However, once people realized that even those rewards were random, most players gave up.

Still, it wasn’t a particularly surprising system.

However—

‘Is it really this easy to raise favorability?’

It was strange that his favorability increased after just one fight.

In DemRock, raising favorability had been one of the hardest things to do.

But that wasn’t anything to dwell on.

‘Each NPC has different criteria and difficulty levels.’

[Critical Hit!]

He threw the dagger at the gnoll that was retreating, hitting it squarely in the eye, then picked up a club and swung it at another as monstrous as the gnoll was, smashing it with the club.

The gnolls, now short one more comrade, were left bewildered.

The archers, desperate, pulled back their bowstrings, but Do-hyeon’s movements were so swift and elusive that they couldn’t get a clear shot.

Keerik... Keerik...?

Each time they aimed at him, he skillfully disappeared behind the cover of their comrades.

Fueled by sheer frustration, they fired a few arrows, but as expected, all they managed to do was hit their unfortunate allies in the back.

“My God...”

Charlie, no longer just amazed but nearly in shock, watched the scene unfold.

Do-hyeon had casually disarmed the enemies using Weapon Drop, then immediately turned their own weapons against them, as if they were his own.

Even Charlie, who had stood on many battlefields, had never seen such a remarkable display of mastery over so many different weapons.

It wasn’t just that Do-hyeon used multiple weapons with ease.

The way he tactically positioned himself to gain the upper hand in every situation was flawless.

It was like watching water flow naturally—every move smooth and effortless, every action leading to victory.

Even the finest mercenaries or knights couldn’t fight with such grace and efficiency.

Yet here was this unknown mercenary, showing such prowess and bravery.

It felt as though this man was walking a path entirely separate from the norms of combat.

In the future, people would have a word for those who walked this lonely path, defying all logic.

“...Hero.”

Perhaps what Charlie was witnessing was the beginning of a legendary hero’s tale, the kind that only appeared in the annals of history.

The kind he had admired since childhood.

Keerik! Keeeaak!

It was then that one of the gnolls, staring at Do-hyeon as though he were a terrifying demon, tried to flee in terror.

Charlie, snapping out of his reverie, drew his sword.

‘I should finish this.’

He had been mesmerized by the overwhelming display of combat, but he was still a Knight Commander.

One fleeing monster wouldn’t be a challenge.

But unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to act.

Fwoosh— Thwack!

Kek!

An arrow fired by Do-hyeon pierced through the monster’s skull with pinpoint accuracy.

He fired another arrow to ensure the kill, and only then did he lower his weapon.

‘Always finish the job.’

Back in DemRock, there were countless boss monsters.

The game was notorious for being mercilessly hard, with bosses that had endless patterns and tricks.

Some bosses, even after being defeated, had additional abilities.

Some would parasitize other creatures upon death, others would launch a final attack, and some would even resurrect.

Perhaps because his first experience with gaming had been so brutal, Do-hyeon had developed a habit of always confirming the kill.

The gnolls probably didn’t have any such abilities, but still...

‘It’s better to be sure.’

It had become a matter of personal satisfaction for him.

As he surveyed the area, checking to see if more monsters were approaching, he suddenly heard a sound.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

‘Hm?’

Do-hyeon turned his head toward the source of the applause.

There he saw Charlie, who had abandoned his sword and was now clapping enthusiastically.

“...?”

Even though Do-hyeon gave him a look that seemed to say, “What are you doing?” Charlie didn’t stop.

In fact, he doubled down.

“I owe you an apology.”

“...?”

Charlie’s expression turned sincere as he apologized out of the blue.

Do-hyeon tilted his head in confusion, but Charlie’s gaze was serious.

In a voice filled with emotion, he spoke as if the words were coming straight from his heart.

“Saying you were born to wield a sword was an insult. You’re no mere swordsman—you’re a god of war! A hero born for the battlefield!”

“...”

“It is my honor to fight alongside a hero such as yourself!”

Charlie placed his hand on Do-hyeon’s shoulder, delivering his heartfelt gratitude.

Do-hyeon opened his mouth as if to respond but then closed it again.

There was plenty he could say, but no words came to mind.

‘An NPC that stops fighting to applaud...’

Was this the kind of hyper-realistic NPC behavior people had been talking about in God of Savior?

Back in DemRock, this sort of thing was unthinkable.

He found himself at a loss for words, but decided to take it in stride. After all, it wasn’t a bad thing.

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’ is deeply moved by your overwhelming combat prowess.]

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has greatly increased.]

[Knight Commander ‘Charlie’s favorability has reached its maximum.]

[He now trusts you implicitly. Even if you commit an evil act, if you claim it was a false accusation, he will believe you.]

[You have acquired the title ‘Max Favorability from the Start?’]

Do-hyeon checked the title he had just earned.