Level 0 Master

She had to think back to all his first words.

"No need."

"Useless thing."

Even if there were hundreds of extras and so on, Jenna, the weakest of the three, could wipe them out on her own.

Ereka sank, the feeling of her last hope shattered.

It's over.

The last-ditch plan was for naught, and the Blood Ruler will now be unstoppable.

Sungjin's shining legend was on the verge of ending before it even started. There was no way to get back to the earth now.

* * *

Chapter 2

No one spoke for a while. Where was the enormous pressure one would feel after summoning a demidevil? Where did the fear of the demidevil go?

This was really a shock.

How could the presence of a legend summoned through a ritual of prohibition be so weak?

"Hey, you bastard! How dare you be such a low level!"

Rittier was ready to explode, and Ereka stopped his fist before he could swing.

"Stop it. It is our responsibility for having summoned wrongly anyway."

Even though Ereka was dumbfounded by the demidevil being level 0, she still held onto moral principle.

"Was your name Sungjin? I'll pretend I didn't talk to you. We don't have a way to send you back, but we'll be looking for a place for you to live in the country."

Sungjin sent a cold look towards the princess. She changed her tone and abandoned him as soon as him being level 0 was revealed.

Hmph. I already knew that that polite and innocent attitude in the beginning was pretentious.

Everyone was shocked, but he still kept his cool-headedness.

In fact, he was considering from the start that his own level might be 0. It would be so convenient if he were to suddenly open his eyes to new powers just because he came to another world.

In addition, he expected their attitude to change so much.

If he didn't pay attention, he would end up in a country workhouse. He began to act immediately because he knew that he was gambling from now on. In this game of poker, he had to make the opponent, who had a full house card, give up by using his bluff card. Even a little bit of uneasiness could not be expressed.

"Don't jump to conclusions. Do you think that your level is all about power?"

Ereka was momentarily dumbfounded by his confident attitude even though he was level 0. The extra class was only made up of the underdogs who were subject to protection. They were not the ones who could stand and do something on the battlefield.

"Then what else do you have?" Even though she asked with doubt, she was shaken by how confident he looked. The level of Heroic Power, which represented a hero's strength, was the only screening criteria.

A body with unpolished beauty, a confident laugh, a fierce and cold look—nothing was characteristic of the vulnerable people, the extra class. On the contrary, none of the hero-class men were so proud and arrogant in front of her, the princess.

Whether she liked it or not, such a man was the first.

Is he really… weak? He's the demidevil of Other World. Is there any other power other than Valhalla's Heroic Power?

"Can you show me something?"

Magic like Jenna, sword skills of a knight like Rittier or any other skill would be okay.

Knight, warrior, archer, assassin, wizard, supporter—these were the first six classes. Being any of these, or the unique classes that emerged after those, would be good in the princess's eyes. Even having a special talent as a demidevil of the Other World would be fine. As long as the skill was strong, something like archery or using a small-loop blade would be okay too.

"This right here." Sungjin pointed to his brain.

"I can't see anything?"

"Because it's in here. This is my strength."

"What is it?"

"My resource."

"What…?"

"Even if someone fights with the same forces, the result depends on how they fight."

An excellent brain. He studied strategy and tactics, and he had been training in games. When it came to the minute control of characters, the world top players were never behind him in terms of how fast their hands were. Unless they were supermen, their reflex speeds were about the same.

Still, what made Sungjin special was his ability to read a game, read the thoughts of the opponent, predict and induce movements, and prescribe all kinds of variables. That was the secret to help him win against the world champion, Dark Wolf, in battle.

"I left all my other powers on earth."

Actually, there was nothing to bring.

"But this brain is still the same. The important thing is not my level, but whether I can win a fight against the Blood Ruler or not, right?"

"Resource? You're saying you're going to overcome the power of the Blood Ruler with that alone?"

Ereka, who had expected some powerful and special talent, was dumbfounded again. Of course, the fight outcome between those of the same level depended on how they fought each other. She didn't ignore the power of strategy at all, but that's only when the ones fighting were similar to each other. What power did the "resource" of this level 0 extra class have? How could it break through the overwhelming gap between him and the Blood Ruler?

If the sheep fought well, could it beat the tiger?

"Your Highness, please don't listen anymore. There is no need to talk with an extra. I beg you to expel him now."

Rittier gave a look saying that he would kill if he could do as he wanted.

"Do as you want! But you will have to deal with my resource as the enemy next time if I leave this castle now."

Sungjin's warning was chilly, and Ereka hesitated.

Is he the demidevil from the Other World or just a level 0 extra? Or is it that… the demidevil became level 0 after crossing over to here?

Is his resource really that powerful?

Sungjin walked out without hesitation until Ereka finally called to him.

"Wait a minute. Can you prove the power of your resource?"

"If you want to test it, I'll take it."

No one else saw the smile of victory grace the sides of Sungjin's mouth.

"If you're so confident, can you overcome a power gap that's twice as much?"

"That sounds fun."

"Even if it is a bad situation?"

"Of course."

Ereka changed her posture.

"Okay, then I am applying for a duel with you before the contract. Miss Jenna here is an excellent level 4 wizard for her age. But…"

She pointed to herself.

"To the fullest extent of this body, I inherited the power of a level 6 knight from my father. It wasn't enough to protect the country, but I still have twice as much Heroic Power as Jenna. Would you take Jenna on your team and beat me in the duel?"

Level 4 plus Level 0 gives Level 4 power.

The combat capability of Extra is just nothing. That's the common sense of this world. No, the law. However, if he can create a miracle that makes 4+0 greater than 6, I will admit that Sungjin has a different power.

"I'm telling you in advance, I'm a knight, and I'm proud of having a high resistance to magic."

Even with the same level of Heroic Power, the efficiency of the classes was totally different. A knight, especially a high-level knight, was hard to defeat for a wizard.

"Oh, I'll be the one to win."

Against the confident answer, Ereka reached out and then a spear appeared. She drew upon her Heroic Power, and in the next moment, she hit the ground and threw the spear out into the woods outside.

"Glorious Strike!"

The earth rang and splintered around her feet, and the shock waves stretched over a couple of trees.

"Ho, you can pierce a tree at a distance."

"Not just one."

At the same time, five trees fell in succession.

"And that's one of my general skills. The body of a level 0 is surely weaker than that tree. Would you like to play this game?"

She might well be a pure, paternal girl. However, the Heroic Power in her was succeeded by the former powerful king. In her nature, she disliked fights, but she was never weak. Still, Sungjin remained calm.

"Just decide the time."

"You don't have a single foundation of power, but you're so full of confidence."

"Certainly, if a man is brought up well by his parents, nothing is unattainable with the right amount of desire."

Ereka stiffened for a moment and nodded at his confident, in spite of his level.

"I see. We'll have a duel tomorrow when the sun rises. If your 'resource' is really that great, then you can come up with a way to break through this gap overnight."

"Are there any conditions that you want to add?" Jenna asked.

"That's enough, Miss Jenna."

"Yes, Princess."

"Please do work hard to verify Sungjin's resource."

"Will I have a mock battle with you on a team with that guy?"

"Yes, but it's a serious duel, not a routine practice. So please do your best to follow his lead! That's the only way to verify if his resource is real or not."

"If that's what Princess wants!" Jenna replied briskly as her knife tail straightened.

Ereka, who gave Jenna an order, saw Sungjin again.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning. Please arrange a place for him to stay for the night."

"Please leave it to us." The maids bowed.

"Your Highness. A duel against a mere extra… that's too much," Rittier complained again, but Ereka shook her head.

"If we check it out, it'll make sense. Don't say anything now."

"I will obey you if you say so…"

Ereka took Rittier and left.

Sungjin smiled at Jenna slightly.

"You said that you are a level 4 wizard. There's a lot I don't know about this world, so I have a few questions to ask you. Will you answer them sincerely?"

Jenna's innocent eyes seemed to get bigger.

I'd like to feed poison to you for abusing the princess verbally, but… you are the only man who has the potential to be the princess's strength at this moment.

Her knife tail was shaking gently; it was like the tail of a little devil.

And it's not too late to decide on how to treat you after knowing whether the power of your 'resource' is real or not.

She grinned like a child.

"I was ordered to follow your command. Therefore, you can ask me anything."

"All right. Let's move to a comfortable place."

"But are you really going to take me up against the princess? No matter how hard I try, I'm absolutely not a match for the princess."

Are you doing this because of something you really believe in? she asked in her mind.

"All you have to do is follow me."

Sungjin declared victory.

The truth was, he needed to start collecting information about the battlefields and the various rules of this world.

One could say that he bit off more than he could chew by accepting this duel. But he'd rather face the danger of death, rather than be insulted and have to work doing menial labor.

As she said, he was weaker than a tree with his level 0 body.

Tomorrow's game will determine where his bluff will lead him.

Then let's come up with a plan.

He only had one night. There wasn't much time to collect information or analyze and formulate alternatives. Most of all, no matter how similar it was to the game on the earth, this was a completely different place. There were still a lot of things he didn't know.

* * *

Chapter 3

The next morning came.

"How was he all night?" Ereka asked the maids. They had visited Sungjin's room along with Rittier.

"That's… he asked Jenna a few questions and saw the Video Stones' records of past battles; then he inspected the battlefields and went straight to bed. He got up just now."

"They didn't make a plan during the whole night?"

"No, Your Highness."

"I don't understand. He managed to come up with a plan that would make Jenna beat me with only that? Maybe he pretended to sleep…"

"We can't tell you for sure, but we think that he got a good night's sleep."

"We'll find out soon enough if he is bluffing or actually talented."

Fighting spirit burned all throughout Ereka's body. She never thought of letting him go. Most of all, he was a demidevil who verbally abused her from the first meeting.

She was curious. If the demidevil from the Other World was actually capable, how could he fall asleep under such a circumstance as being level 0.

Everyone said that if her level was a little higher, she could beat the Blood Ruler. She also lamented on this fact. Other variables in battle only mattered when the two opposing forces were of the same level. That was the truth. But this demidevil claimed that that was only an excuse.

One man could have so much hope?

I'll… I'll verify that.

After the meal, Sungjin greeted Princess Ereka who was waiting for him.

"You're here. Then shall we go have a duel? There will not be another chance, so I hope you show all of your strength."

"The same to you," Sungjin replied.

"Miss Jenna, please follow Sungjin's lead from now on."

"Yes, Princess."

Jenna came flittingly and stood next to Sungjin.

Rittier looked at them with a discontented face. Even just a duel between an extra and Your Highness caused dishonor in itself.

"Let's go to the battlefield."

They set off.

Sungjin looked around as he headed toward the battlefield. The trees were so dry as if the season in Valhalla was winter. The air was cold and dry as well.

The battlefield was a unique space base on what he judged yesterday. It was small and reached the temple, and it was separated from the daily areas of everyday life. It was just a little world that was built only for the battles between heroes. All fights in there were real. But when the battles were over, the dead were resurrected, and the world was restored to its original form for the next battle.

It was a game map that God made. A battleground where the real battle could be done as a game. The reality transcends the game because it was "real."

However, there were many similarities in the rules.

Each battlefield had its own unique terrain. It was controlled by whoever ruled the most land, and there were neutral monsters. It was very similar to a few MOBA games in that puppet soldiers replaced the minions, and these soldiers could be created as an army of both sides. In addition, there was a turret that automatically attacked approaching enemies. It was also similar in that crystal, instead of gold, could be earned by capturing puppet soldiers or neutral monsters, and you could equip items from Valkyrie in the base camp. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was definitely a MOBA genre.

But there were differences too, and these differences contained many disadvantages.

The disadvantageous difference was just in the level system. In the game on earth, players started at the same level. But in Valhalla, players started with different levels from the beginning.

Naturally, this was in favor of the princess absolutely and very disadvantageous to him.

Another disadvantage was "artifacts."

The variety of items that could be used with crystals was more diverse than any other games. It was possible to implement any ordinary-level items in this world if the adequate amount of crystals was paid. But there was an exception. There was a unique artifact. Only its owner was able to use it on the battlefield because he had his own powerful ordinary items and his own origin transmission.

And…

"Do you really think you can beat the princess by using me?" Jenna asked in a low voice beside him. "I'm sure she will forgive you of your mistakes if you beg her now."

Actually, she would not forgive him.

"The princess's Heroic Power is twice as much as mine. And her magic-resistance power is so high that it's incompatible with me, a wizard. You look down on her for her having lost to the Blood Ruler. But, the opponent was just too strong."

"Moreover, she has the 'Shield of all People' artifact that was inherited from the former king. The moment she uses it, her resistance power gets stronger."

Princess Ereka's artifact increased physical defense and magical resistance power. It could not be compared with ordinary items that could be bought with the same crystals.

It only widened the gap between them more.

"I'll bring us victory, so you just do as you're ordered."

"Wow. Okay. I will do my best because it is a match. That's all."

Okay, I can decide after seeing if he's real or fake. I'll watch him clearly.

Jenna stopped asking more questions.

Doing your best because it was a match…

"I like that," Sungjin said with a slight smile.

* * *

Both sides entered the waiting room through the temple, and an unemotional, mechanical tone signaled the start of the match.

[Both sides will be transformed into the battlefield after 10 seconds. Please prepare. 10… 9… 1… 0.]

After the countdown, the door of the waiting room was opened.

There was a large battlefield instead of the temple, a miracle only possible by God.

An expressionless Valkyrie wearing a winged-helmet was in charge of implementing the game items. The Valkyrie stood right in front of the entrance, while the puppet soldiers were created at a set speed in the magic square next to it.

In front of the magic square, there was a turret, which was the last line of defense and there was a passageway reaching the opponent's camp beyond it. There was a dry, winter forest on the side where neutral monsters existed.

This was similar but different terrain to the game map that Sungjin used to play in on earth.

But that was okay.

Stepping on the ground where "real air" was, Sungjin purely admired the "real soldiers" and "real weapons."

The battlefield here was real indeed; there were no such things as a program constraint on movement. What existed here were only the laws of physics, and the game did not have any limits where you could go. It was a real battleground where he could really do anything, a battle in which he could truly unfold all the things he had trained for.

From text to 2D, from 2D to 3D, and from 3D to a plausible virtual reality someday—humans will continue to develop technology on earth to resemble the real thing. But here, this "reality" was present from the beginning.

There were special talents, miracles, magic, arms of legend, and even monsters from myths that were not on earth.

Hu-hoo. I'm excited.

It was truly fortunate that he was summoned to this world, despite the promise he couldn't keep. This stage for his shining legend was far more majestic than the final game competition on earth.