Episode 4
Clang—!
Gunter parried the incoming sword with a rough swing and stumbled back.
Enemies were charging from every direction, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off the status window that flashed before him.
[The amount of Karma you offered is absurdly insufficient.]
He had put in all the Karma he possessed, and still, it wasn’t enough.
It was baffling.
Thankfully, the god did not strip away the power already granted.
Only a minor penalty was imposed.
[Only a portion of the Stigmata will be activated.]
Wuuuuung—!
His wrist burned hot as the stigmata began to glow.
[Stigmata Activation: The One Who Raises His Head]
When a powerful foe exists on the battlefield, all stats increase by 10%.
The mark shone brighter, and a sacred, oppressive aura swirled within him before radiating outward.
Gunter could feel his body surging with renewed vigor.
The stigmata had detected a Holy Knight somewhere on the battlefield and had awakened.
But that wasn’t all.
[Power flows in from the activated Stigmata.]
[A new skill has been acquired.]
“…Dear god.”
For the first time in both this world and the last, Gunter uttered such a reverent exclamation.
He hadn’t imagined that on top of a Stigmata, he’d gain a skill as well.
[A new skill has been acquired.]
Knight’s Swordsmanship Lv.1
Tip: Acquired skills are retained even after Death Regression.
A skill was no mere technique—
it was a fragment of divine authority, bestowed directly by a god.
Upon acquisition, one bypassed all training and could immediately wield the power in its perfected form.
And so it was with Knight’s Swordsmanship.
The instant he acquired it, he gained the mastery of a knight who had trained for decades.
A realm unreachable for the uncontracted—those who had no divine patron.
Yet now, simply by offering Karma, he’d grasped it effortlessly.
“What the hell is Karma?”
[The Gigolo of the Red Street shrugs, saying you’ll be even more surprised once you gain your own skill.]
[The Pharmastic Saint lifts her flask with a smile, as if to toast your joy.]
Still, contracts with gods were double-edged.
They granted swift power—but at a steep price.
Each came with conditions, and each condition had to be fulfilled.
But Gunter was different.
He had no contract.
He served no god.
There were no strings attached—only profit.
“This is… unbelievable.”
He realized it then—
his potential rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, that of the world’s protagonists.
Waaaah—!
His thoughts had gone on too long.
The Holy Army soldiers were nearly upon him.
Gunther gripped his sword tighter as a large man wielding a hammer stepped forward.
“What’s this weakling supposed to be?”
Their eyes met through the man’s helmet.
Gunther’s brow furrowed.
‘I know those eyes. He’s the bastard who broke my shoulder.’
In his previous life, Gunther had been grievously injured by a soldier’s hammer blow.
He hadn’t noticed back then, but now—
he could tell this man wasn’t just some grunt.
‘A Decurion… a commander of ten.’
He tensed instinctively.
A Decurion was no pushover.
To lead ten men meant having the strength to command them.
A properly trained soldier could crush mercenaries with ease.
Vwoom—
The hammer’s edge gleamed red, stained with blood.
Gunther watched it fall with a terrible hum.
“Hey, Gunther!”
Even his comrades gasped at the ferocity of the blow.
‘!’
But there was no need to worry.
[Knight’s Swordsmanship Lv.1 activates.]
It was as though some long-lost memory had been implanted in his body.
He moved—like a knight.
Tap—!
He nudged the ground with his toe, sliding half a step to the right, and tilted his blade nearly vertical to intercept the descending hammer.
Schring—!
Gasps erupted around him.
That thin sword, against a hammer that size?
It would surely shatter—
everyone expected Gunter’s head to split in the next instant.
Kakakakang—!
But then—
his blade slithered up the hammer’s trajectory, like a serpent coiling around prey.
“What the—!”
Sparks burst.
The trajectory was thrown off by mere degrees—
Boom—!
The hammer smashed into the ground instead of Gunther, the impact throwing its wielder off balance.
“What… what is this?!”
Gunther blinked, almost as surprised as the Decurion before him.
‘Ha…’
A technique he’d never dared attempt before—executed naturally, flawlessly.
Power, angle, movement—all perfectly aligned.
“So this is the power of a skill…”
The difference was staggering.
He could feel himself—several times stronger than before.
[The Fallen Knight King chuckles that it’s far too early to be amazed.]
‘Right… this is only Level 1.’
A crooked smile spread across Gunther’s lips.
The Decurion, now enraged, yanked his hammer free from the ground and swung again.
Vwoooom—!
Perhaps to hide his panic, his movements grew even wilder.
But Gunther had already stepped into his blind spot.
“You—!”
The man twisted desperately, but too late.
Gunther’s sword thrust straight forward—
clean, simple, perfect.
Thud.
The blade pierced the man’s carotid artery precisely.
A textbook counterattack, anticipating even his reflexive dodge.
The Decurion collapsed lifelessly.
The entire exchange had lasted barely ten seconds.
“…Hah.”
“What the hell…”
The mercenaries around him stared in disbelief.
Ryan, his closest comrade, was particularly shaken.
“…Are you a knight or something?”
Every move—defense, offense, reaction—was calculated and controlled.
No wild swings, no desperation.
It was refined swordsmanship—
the kind only those raised on wooden swords instead of milk bottles could achieve.
“……”
Meanwhile, Gunther’s heart pounded like fire in his chest.
He stared at the sword in his hand.
‘Yeah…’
[Level Up! / Lv.26]
[Skill ‘Knight’s Swordsmanship’ proficiency has increased.]
‘…This is Forgotten God.’
A game where one wielded divine authority and carved out their own myth.
After three years, the essence of this world had come flooding back.
[The Pharmastic Saint beams with joy.]
[The Red Street Gigolo hums a happy tune.]
[The Fallen Knight King laughs as he witnesses a new legend begin.]
Karma—
the currency settled through death.
Now, Gunther finally understood what kind of battle awaited him.
His eyes glowed with determination.
“If I can endure the pain and fear… that’s all I need.”
Power and stigmata didn’t make him invincible overnight.
His stats were still low, his skill underdeveloped.
He’d die several more times, surely.
There was a gap—
between him, uncontracted and self-taught,
and those who had built their power slowly through divine contracts.
The thought of dying again was terrifying—
but not unbearable.
Thinking of the little sister he’d left behind on Earth made every death feel insignificant.
Gunther flicked the blood from his blade and inhaled deeply.
Step. Step.
Neither spear nor sword could stop him now.
His eyes locked on a single target—
the Holy Knight, casually cutting down the upper escort of the caravan.
Gunther raised his sword high.
[You have died.]
[Counting death records…]
[2 / 99]
[NEW! Summarizing growth from this life.]
Level increased by 2.
Skill ‘Knight’s Swordsmanship’ proficiency slightly increased.
Hope—
the belief that tomorrow will be better—keeps humans from breaking.
Maybe that was why…
[#2 The Life of the Arrogant One]
[You thought you were strong just because you got a skill? Your reckless charge was…]
“Yeah, yeah…”
[…]
Even the status window’s sarcasm couldn’t sour his mood.
He calmly reviewed the battle while waiting for regression.
As expected, it hadn’t been the Holy Knight who killed him.
He’d been overwhelmed by the mob before he could even reach the knight.
Even with Knight’s Swordsmanship,
there was no way to block every spear and sword coming from all directions.
If he’d had time to thin them out one by one, maybe—but he hadn’t.
The caravan leader had to be saved quickly.
Still, unlike the first death, he felt no despair this time.
If anything, he was excited to return.
So much was already different.
[Level 27]
[Remaining Stat Points: 2]
New Skill Acquired:
[Knight’s Swordsmanship]
Rank: Rare
Type: Basic Swordsmanship / Passive
Level: 1
Proficiency: 19.7%
A refined, battle-tested sword style perfected through rigorous discipline.
Its strikes seamlessly connect offense and defense.
“To think I get to start over with all this…”
The thought that he could do even better made him eager for the next life.
“Alright then.”
He waited expectantly for the next message—the Karma Settlement window.
The divine currency that would determine how much more power he could obtain.
Ding—!
[Karma from 2nd Life: 15]
[Current Karma: 15]
[Total Accumulated Karma: 115]
…A slightly underwhelming amount.
“Well, nobody’s full after their first bite.”
This was only the beginning.
With stats and skills carrying over, his future battles would yield even greater results.
More achievements meant more Karma—and more Karma meant more strength.
A perfect feedback loop.
“Even my next life should earn more than fifteen.”
The system had been clear about Karma’s nature:
[Karma is a currency that accumulates from all deeds—good or evil alike.]
And on the battlefield, what deeds existed other than killing?
“…Then I’ll just have to earn as much as possible.”
He was just about to plan how to maximize his Karma income when—
[Returning to Save Point #1.]
The death regression process was complete.
[10… 9… 8…]
Fwoooosh—
The black void was once again filled with gentle white light.
A calm radiance enveloped him.
Gunter exhaled slowly and turned toward it.
“…Alright. Let’s go.”
His third life began.
