Chapter 1473 – 1473. Paladin: A Journey Of Eradication
[Paladin: A Journey of Eradication.
Long ago, evil ran rampant.
It is frightening.
Evil seduces, deceives, and devours humans.
Humans fall into evil and become corrupted, and the world is being stained by evil.
A few forces of good are trying to protect this world.
It is difficult.
There is too much evil in this world.
The demons who spread evil laugh at good.
But there is a god who shines light in this terrible world. She is the only hope left in this world. You are the light of the world she spreads.
Eradicate evil.
Eliminate the archdemons.
Pull the world sinking into darkness into the light.
Quest Success Condition: Eliminate the archdemons
Quest Success Reward: Incarnation
※There is a penalty.]
Paladin was a game notorious for its hellish difficulty.
The map was full of traps, and even a slight mistake could lead to death by mobs. The viciousness of the boss monsters was beyond words.
However, the high difficulty was a popular element of the game. Other elements besides the difficulty, such as the story, graphics, and music, were all praised as perfect.
‘…What’s important to me right now isn’t the gameplay of Paladin. It’s the Incarnation, the quest reward.’
[Incarnation
Summons and recreates yourself from the desired ending world.
The duration and ability reproduction of the Incarnation depend on the total sum of your stats.
Price: 10,000 points
※Caution
All applied penalties are also reproduced.]
‘So, I can reproduce my power from the world where I reached the ending?’
For example, it means I can summon the emperor from the world of ‘Tyrant for You’ and use his power.
‘Even if the ability reproduction varies depending on the total sum of stats… If I have the emperor’s power, I might be able to kill all those bastards and break through.’
There’s also an ending called ‘Kill the Gay King.’ In that world, I became an omnipotent god. Of course, I don’t think I can fully reproduce myself from that world with my current total stats.
‘What I need to focus on is the price of the Incarnation. 10,000 points. It’s not a burdensome price for me right now. Once I get it, I can buy it again from the random draw shop… It’s better to get it now.’
I didn’t know when I could get it again if not now.
Random draw?
There’s a higher chance it won’t come out even if I invest 100,000 points.
‘My current situation isn’t one where I can afford to be picky… Let’s do it.’
[Select the quest.]
[There is a penalty.]
[Penalty stat adjustment.]
[Stats are adjusted to match the avatar’s origin.]
[Please select the avatar’s origin.]
[You can choose one of 10 origins.]
[1. Noble. 2. Monk. 3. Free Knight. 4. Paladin. 5. Merchant. 6. Beggar. 7. Leper. 8. Diviner. 9. Slave. 10. Errand Boy]
‘Origin, huh? It’s the same as the beginning of the game.’
In Paladin, stats vary depending on the origin. The content of the game doesn’t change much, but the choices and NPC reactions are also affected by the origin.
‘It’s like choosing a difficulty level. The origins that receive stat bonuses are Monk, Free Knight, Paladin…’
The Monk has the best stats. In particular, the Monk starts with a weapon called ‘Monk’s Mace’ in the early game. It’s a decent weapon that can be used until the mid-game.
‘But it’s not without its drawbacks.’
The Monk has quite a few restrictions on choices. They cannot refuse the orders of the Order, and they cannot attack NPCs recklessly.
‘If those restrictions are applied to the game world as they are… Choosing the Monk could be the worst choice.’
However, I had no intention of choosing an origin with weak stats. I didn’t choose this quest to enjoy the game world. My goal right now is to clear the quest as quickly and efficiently as possible.
‘Excluding the Monk… I should choose from Free Knight, Paladin, Noble, and Errand Boy.’
Among these, the most suitable and recommended origin for beginners is the Free Knight. Their stats are decent, they have few restrictions to follow, and they are not ignored by NPCs. Next are the Noble and Paladin. Their stats are decent, and they are revered by NPCs, but like the Monk, there are restrictions to follow. The Errand Boy has few restrictions but is ignored by NPCs.
‘I’ll go with the Paladin, who has the second-best stats after the Monk. The Paladin doesn’t have as many strict rules to follow as the Monk… and I can refuse unfair requests from the Order.’
[4. Select Paladin.]
[Adjusting stats. All stats decrease. Absolute Spirit changes to Holy Spirit.]
[The memories and experiences of the Paladin seep in.]
[Starting the game.]
•••
I was in the darkness.
My consciousness was awake, but my body was submerged in darkness and wouldn’t move.
1 hour. 2 hours. 3 hours….
Time kept passing.
The empty darkness seemed to be gnawing at my mind.
Do I have to stay in the darkness like this? Until when? Wouldn’t it be better to die?
It was around the time I started to feel fear in the darkness.
Light fell from the sky. The warm golden light shone directly on me. The darkness disappeared, and my body moved. I reached out as if to grab the light. Of course, I couldn’t grab the light.
-Yujin. My faithful servant.
A sacred voice was heard. I immediately knelt down on the spot.
“Goddess Herianne…!”
-The end times are approaching. You will illuminate this world as a ray of light.
The light seeped into my body.
I bowed my head and simply accepted the light.
The great being disappeared.
Three paths appeared before me. I stood blankly in front of the three paths.
‘…It’s the beginning of the game.’
I was briefly confused as I accepted the memories and experiences of the Paladin. I gathered my wits and looked around at the three paths.
Three paths. I had to choose one of them to move forward. At the end of each path, there was a different skill.
‘You can get other skills in the later parts, but… in the early parts, a lot changes depending on what you choose.’
If you walk the left path, you can get the skill ‘Perfect Body.’ As the name suggests, it’s a skill related to physical abilities. Having a Perfect Body makes the early game easier. It becomes less significant in the mid-to-late game when the boss monsters are too strong.
The middle path allows you to obtain ‘Wings of Dawn.’ Most people choose these wings. It greatly improves mobility.
The right path allows you to obtain ‘Holy Eye.’ It doesn’t help in combat. But with it, you can distinguish between demons disguised as humans and the corrupted. Unlike the other two skills, it doesn’t grow.
I chose the right path.
‘Being able to distinguish demons with the Holy Eye… also means there are more enemies I can kill.’
A semi-transparent notification window appeared before my eyes.
It was the interface of the original game.
[Name: Yujin
Origin: Paladin
Level: 1
Strength: 7 Agility: 5 Stamina: 5 Holy Power: 2
Skills: Holy Aura (Lv.1)]
The game system was being applied.
To raise levels and stats, experience points are needed. And the only way to get experience points is by killing enemies.
‘I’ll find them with the Holy Eye, kill them, and grow.’
At the end of the path, a blue light was shimmering in the air. I reached out towards the light without hesitation.
[Holy Eye (Lv. Master) is bestowed upon you.]
My eyes burned fiercely.
“Kuhhh!”
I writhed, covering my eyes with my left hand. The pain was immense. For a moment, I even regretted my choice. The pain slowly subsided.
-Go to the Valenteer Cathedral. That child will guide you….
The voice of Goddess Herianne echoed.
And I opened my eyes.
I jumped up from the old bed. And slowly looked around.
The room was small and old. There was a faint but foul odor. Next to the bed were my sword and armor. I stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, recalling the memories of the Paladin and the memories of the original game.
I became a Paladin two years ago.
Sold as a slave, I was taken in by an Inquisitor at the age of five. There was no special reason. I was recognized for my talent. I trained for 20 years and became a Paladin two years ago. I was currently staying in a rural village called Golti on a mission.
The mission I received was to find and kill the demon near the village.
‘I was destined to die fighting demons as a Paladin, but…’
My destiny has now changed.
I received the revelation of Goddess Herianne and became a Paladin. A divine message must have been sent to the Papal Court as well.
I got off the bed.
What I had to do was clear.
Kill demons and the corrupted and become stronger. After becoming as strong as possible, kill the archdemons. Fortunately, I knew all the locations of the archdemons and the powers they possessed.
I reached out towards the armor after getting off the bed, but frowned.
‘What is this trashy armor?’
Some parts of the armor were dented, and it even smelled. I felt like I would get sick the moment I put it on. As I looked at the armor, the memories immediately came back.
‘It’s the armor that the senior Paladin used to wear…’
The senior Paladin was ambushed and killed by a ghoul. I inherited his armor and sword. In this world, just wearing full plate armor makes you very wealthy, but….
‘I don’t need to wear this kind of trash.’
I recalled the penalties of this world. Stats decreased, and the Absolute Spirit changed. That was all. I could use weapons and armor from other worlds.
‘Stormbreaker.’
A grand object appeared before my eyes.
I sent my will to Stormbreaker. Stormbreaker was disassembled into pieces and attached to my body, becoming armor.
I looked at my hand wearing the gauntlet and clenched my fist.
The power I felt was weak. The durability of the armor didn’t seem as strong as I thought it would be.
‘It can’t be helped. Stormbreaker’s performance is affected by the wearer’s power.’
I was much weaker now than I was in reality.
‘Hwaryeon Bido.’
The moment I held the Hwaryeon Bido in my hand.
Crack!
Red lightning erupted.
My hand lost its strength. The Hwaryeon Bido fell to the floor with a thud.
‘……Is it rejecting me? Why?’
I couldn’t figure it out even after racking my brain. There were several possible reasons. First, because I’m a Paladin. Second, the repulsion with my holy power. Third, the holy spirit.
‘If you don’t like it, fine.’
I reverse-summoned the Hwaryeon Bido and picked up the Paladin’s sword. There were many other excellent swords in my inventory. Some of them even had the power of exorcism.
‘The Paladin’s sword isn’t weak either. It’s a sword that was forged in a special way to kill demons.’
There was a small mirror on the side table. It was a mirror of poor quality, but it reflected me properly.
There I was, wearing silver full-body armor. The sword in my hand was a greatsword big enough to easily split a person in half. I wasn’t wearing a helmet, so my face was clearly visible. I looked at the mirror and used the Holy Eye.
Kiiiiiing.
Holy power gathered in my eyes.
My two black pupils turned blue, and a cross with wings spread out appeared in the center of my pupils.
I closed and opened my eyes. My pupils returned to their original black color.
‘It’s just like the original game.’
I grabbed the Paladin’s sword and a small bag and went out of the room.
