Chapter 4: Prison

A sword.

Was this the first time I’d seen the real thing? The object, which I had seen countless times through various media, felt strangely unfamiliar.

An object that requires a permit even to possess in modern times. That object, no, that weapon, which can only be used as a murder tool, was being swung at me.

Swinging a sword. The intent behind that act transformed the sword, which had been nothing more than a weapon in media, into a real-life murder tool.

My body recoiled at the intent to kill, incomparable to the clumsy murderous intent Penny had shown earlier, and my mind filled with thoughts of death.

The dark, bluish sword drew dozens of trajectories as it lunged toward my chest.

My mind knew I had to dodge immediately, to duck or struggle somehow, but my body wouldn’t obey.

‘Am I going to die?’

Death. Perhaps because I regretted the remaining time I had, the one second felt like it stretched hundreds of times longer, as if I were experiencing a hallucination.

The sword touched my body. Thinking this was the end, I closed my eyes, but…

“…Huh?”

The sound that followed wasn’t of flesh tearing, nor was it the sensation of my head and body parting ways.

“What?! (Experience Count: 17)”

The swords that had attacked me from all sides were blocked by an incomparable white light just before they reached me.

How should I describe this light? It felt like all the white in the world had been gathered, filtered, and condensed into the purest white, emitting a warmth like the sun.

While everyone, including myself, was stunned by the sudden appearance of the light…

The light surrounding me began to gather in one place, taking on a new form, and a name flashed through my mind.

「Holy Purity (Uni-)」

A giant, pure white shield, unapproachable by anyone but a virgin, formed in my hand.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by the familiar sensation, as if I had known this shield all along.

Uni- was a massive shield, large enough to cover my entire upper body, but I felt no weight at all.

Before I could process the sudden wave of information, swords lunged at me again.

“…Useless.”

However, the swords thrust by the knights from all sides were stopped by an invisible wall before they could reach me, as if they had stopped on their own.

This is the power of Holy Purity, Uni-. It accepts only the pure and rejects all that is impure.

To put it simply for the foolish knights who follow the foolish tyrant, it accepts only the first attack (virgin) and blocks all subsequent attacks (non-virgins).

“No attack can penetrate me!!”

Only the first strike can pass through Uni-. Any attack blocked once will be repelled unless Uni- is destroyed or I draw a new weapon.

This means that if they discard their weapons and punch me, the attack will land unless I block it, but I didn’t bother mentioning that fact.

Because I’m not an idiot who blabbers on about his abilities and weaknesses like some top-ranked lecturer.

“Hey!! Hit me again!! Try it, you bastards!!”

Did they have the courage to point their swords at a helpless cook, but not at an invincible hero?

Most of the knights faltered and backed away, taken aback by the sudden change even I didn’t understand.

“Uwaaagh!!! (Experience Count: 9)”

A few knights, either brave or stupid, swung their swords again, but the result was the same no matter how many times they repeated it.

Unlike the sl*ts who opened up like automatic doors to anyone with the title of the king’s knight, the pure white shield, accepting only the pure, didn’t allow anything impure to touch it.

‘Now I need to get out of here somehow…’

I had memorized the structure of the castle on my way to this room, anticipating this situation.

“Get out of my way, you bastards!!”

Pushing aside the knights blocking my path with Uni-, I ran towards the door.

“Huh?”

However, a sudden wave of exhaustion robbed me of my strength and freedom of movement, and my body began to fall to the ground, succumbing to gravity.

What just happened? My eyelids grew heavy. Unable to resist the drowsiness that washed over me like a tide, I closed my eyes.

A splitting headache, as if someone was striking my head with a gong, forced my eyelids open.

I regained consciousness, but the exhaustion that had coursed through my body before I fainted lingered, draining my energy.

“F*ck…”

Was the cost of this powerful ability a huge drain on stamina?

It would be illogical for an ability with such unknown origins to have no drawbacks.

Anyway, where am I? I seem to have survived, but I don’t feel safe.

The room was dark and damp. The sounds of rats squeaking and water dripping suggested I was underground.

Considering the violent king’s personality, it was probably a dungeon.

Imprisoning me for defending myself against violence…f*ck, is this Korea?

“Ugh…!!”

I wanted to get up and beat those bastards, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

Even if I could get up, the shield alone wouldn’t be enough.

‘What’s going to happen to me now?’

It wasn’t that I couldn’t imagine. It’s just that my imagination leaned towards the worst-case scenario.

Now that I had shown my usefulness, there was a possibility, albeit slim, that the king might treat me better and try to build a favorable relationship.

But it was unlikely. It wouldn’t be surprising if that otherworldly Dong Zhuo, realizing my threat, tried to kill me.

‘D*mn it…this is why you should be careful what you say in front of a tyrant. I should have known better when I heard he slept with 78 women besides his wife.’

“When I get out, I’m going to give that bastard a piece of my mind…”

“Huh?!”

“Oh?”

The one who answered my solitary grumbling was the man who might as well be my only ally in this world.

“Hero! You’re awake!!”

An old man in shabby clothes, holding a basin of splashing water. Priest Jarvis, a worshipper of the Goddess of Purity, knelt before the bars, repeatedly calling my name.

His voice echoed loudly in the underground space, making me frown. Perhaps noticing my subtle change in expression, Jarvis hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands.

“…Are you here to take care of me?”

“Ah, yes…You have no external injuries, but you’ve expended a great deal of energy. It’s natural that you’d faint after suddenly using a Holy Artifact.”

“Holy Artifact?”

“A Holy Artifact refers to equipment created by a blessing, like the Holy Sword or the Holy Shield you used. In a moment of crisis, your potential awakened, and you splendidly transformed your blessing into a shield.”

“…Awakening. I never thought I’d hear the word ‘awakening’ used in relation to me…”

I laughed self-deprecatingly, and Jarvis tilted his head, puzzled.

“…Anyway, rest for now. You’ve been unconscious for two days.”

“Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry…”

“I’ll tell His Majesty immediately so he can prepare a meal.”

“Do you think he’ll give a decent meal to someone he imprisoned?”

“Hahaha, His Majesty seems to have been very impressed by the power you displayed. He’ll surely release you from here soon.”

“I hope so…”

Would he really? If it were me, I’d kill him right now.

“Hmm…”

Galeon closed his eyes, recalling the scene from earlier that day, which could only be described as a reenactment of a myth.

The centennial competition to defeat the Demon King and reshape the continent. The Vergina Kingdom had been preparing for this moment for generations.

They had accumulated national power and focused on nurturing talent to raise warriors who would receive God’s blessing.

However, their centuries of effort had crumbled due to an unexpected variable.

[The Vergina Kingdom has received the blessing of the Goddess of Purity.]

A whim of the Goddess of Purity, who had never bestowed a hero since the first generation.

Furthermore, the chosen hero wasn’t a young warrior honed through years of training, but a commoner who had probably never held a sword properly.

When Galeon realized that all the efforts passed down through generations had been in vain, he had given up everything and resolved to wait for the next hundred years.

But the moment he saw the invincible ability displayed by the hero today, his mind changed.

Honestly, the fact that he was still lagging behind the other heroes remained unchanged. The probability of the Hero of Purity defeating the Demon King before the other heroes was slim.

But it wasn’t zero. Perhaps he could exploit an opening when the other heroes were exhausted from fighting each other.

Even if he couldn’t defeat the Demon King, his power would be enough to gain an advantage in negotiations after the Demon King’s defeat.

‘Is improving our relationship the priority for now?’

Galeon thought for a moment and then raised his head. Just then, a servant arrived with news, whether good or bad, he didn’t know.

“Your Majesty, the hero has awakened.”