"God is an absolute bastard."
Let me say it again.
"God is an absolute bastard."
That was the conclusion I reached as I stared at my draft notice.
A draft notice.
Why the hell had I received one?
Just a few weeks ago, I had been a cadet at the Korea Military Academy.Company commander cadet. Multiple commendations. One semester left until commissioning.
Just one more semester and I would have graduated.
And then, in a single night, everything was gone.
It happened during a weekend leave.
I saw a woman being sexually assaulted in an alley.I threw punches. Fought the guy. Eventually subdued him.
The problem came afterward.
Turns out the bastard was the son of a sitting National Assembly member.
The victim disappeared from the scene.
And I? I became "a cadet who assaulted a civilian."
[Fourth-year Korea Military Academy cadet assaults civilian while on leave]
The result: expulsion.
One semester before commissioning.
[We may have to take this to the Supreme Court. We'll do everything we can to overturn the expulsion, so please don't lose hope…]
[What an idiot lol why even stick your nose in someone else's business?]
How many times had I reread my lawyer's text messages and the news comment section?
With a sigh, I turned off my phone.
To hell with the academy.
I'd just live as a gaming shut-in.
If the Military Manpower Administration came looking for me, I'd run.
I clicked the mouse.
The familiar main screen appeared.
Last Crusaders.
A simulation game set in the Crusader era—and for the past few weeks, the only thing keeping me sane.
The Crusades!
If you're running from reality, there's no better era.
The Holy Land. Jerusalem.A glorious blood-soaked madhouse where Western Catholics, Byzantines, and Islamic powers clashed in chaos.
In Last Crusaders, you could choose from hundreds of noble houses.
A king ruling a realm.A knight fighting on the front lines.A merchant leading caravans across continents.
The detail and freedom were insane. Anyone could be played.
"Hmm… what concept should I try today?"
I'd played most of the usual options already.
As I hesitated over the selection menu, a new window popped up.
[Congratulations! You have been selected as a Closed Beta Tester for a New Mode!]
"A new mode?"
It was an in-game window—so not spam.
Red text. Marked as sent by a developer.
I clicked.
[New Mode][One-Way Ticket – Choose a single character, not a house. Play only that character. A character-specific objective will be assigned.]
Only one character? Not a dynasty?
That sounded less interesting at first glance. One of the best parts of Last Crusaders was continuing a bloodline.
Scrolling down, more text appeared.
[You may alter the character's settings from established history. Age, gender, and traits included.]
Customizable?
Now that was new.
In the original game, you couldn't modify character stats or traits.You couldn't even edit the game files.
It had been the biggest complaint among fans.
Had they finally changed it?
What if Eleanor of Aquitaine were a man?What if Richard the Lionheart were a woman?
Though… those two would be too easy.
"Skip the tutorial… start year 1181…"
Right before the Third Crusade.
The air thick with tension between the Leper King Baldwin and Saladin.
You couldn't ask for a more thrilling setup.
I'd even written a military science report on this era once.
My professor had told me to stop obsessing over the Crusades.
As I browsed the character list, one name caught my eye.
Baldwin of Montferrat.
"The Leper King's nephew. In 1181, he'd still be a child."
Historically, he would succeed Baldwin IV as King of Jerusalem—only to die a year later.
I didn't think I'd ever played him before.
Original age: four.
Too young to rule or lead.
But if I could change that…
I slid the age bar to the maximum.
Thirteen.
"Guess that's the limit."
Next: traits.
A long list appeared.
Positive traits cost points. Negative traits gave points.
Total score had to be zero or below.
So no stacking only good traits.
Fine.
I studied them carefully.
After some thought, I chose three negatives.
[Congenitally Frail] +10Large debuffs to physical stamina.
[Ill-Mannered Rake] +10Starts with "Bad Reputation."
If I wasn't personally fighting on the battlefield, a weak body didn't matter much.
And reputation? That could be fixed.
'You can always build it back up.'
Now for positives.
[Innate Charisma] –10Large buffs to diplomacy and persuasion.
Mandatory.
If you're not a pure frontline warrior, diplomacy matters more.
One more to balance it.
That's when I saw it.
A trait I'd never seen before.
Unique.
[Inexplicable Sixth Sense – Unique] –10Massive bonuses to assassination avoidance, enemy detection, and reading emotions.
Sixth sense?
New mode exclusive?
Assassination avoidance alone made it worth it.
The Assassins existed in this era. You couldn't ignore that risk.
"Let's go with this."
Now difficulty.
"Ironman mode."
Of course.
If I died, I'd just restart.
Stretching lazily, I clicked Start.
[Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre]Final Objective: As a royal of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, defend the Holy City from Saladin and the forces of Islam.Reward: ???
The screen turned white as the game loaded.
"Reward: ???"
Was that a bug?
Then large letters filled the monitor.
[Compatible host detected. Initiating synchronization.]
"…What?"
I stared blankly.
Compatible host?
Synchronization?
Before I could process it—
I heard shouting in the distance.
The clash of steel.
—"Deus vult!"
—"Deus vult!"
Light burst from the monitor, engulfing me.
Everything spun violently, twisting into a vortex.
Had I finally gone insane?
Or had I played too much—
Before I could finish the thought, darkness swallowed me.
The last thing I saw were words.
[Synchronization complete.][Final Objective: Defend Jerusalem.][Reward: Return to original world + Bonus.][Failure: Erasure from both worlds.][Good luck, Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre.]
"Your Highness!"
Someone was shaking me.
Why did my back hurt so much?
Did I pass out at my desk?
"Your Highness, are you alright?!"
I opened my eyes.
A man I had never seen before loomed over me.
Strange medieval clothes. A crossbow in his hand.
He definitely wasn't a paramedic.
Was this some kind of hospital cosplay event?
"Please endure a moment! I'll fetch a physician at once!"
"W-what…?"
"Your horse was startled by a serpent. You were thrown from the saddle. Please bear the pain."
Only then did I truly see my surroundings.
A vast plain.
Orchards.
In the distance—desert.
And… were those lions?
Alright.
Let's analyze.
I was playing Last Crusaders.
I clicked Start.
A strange message appeared.
I blacked out.
Defend Jerusalem.Return to original world upon success.
No way.
This wasn't—
I grabbed the man by the arm.
"What's my name?"
"Y-Your name? Why, of course—"
"Who am I?!"
He stared at me, bewildered.
"You are Prince Baldwin. A royal of the glorious Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the son of Lady Sibylla—"
You've got to be kidding me.
Pain surged through me.
The world went dark again.
I vaguely heard shouting.
"Your Highness?! Your Highness! Fetch the physician!"
The twelfth century.
The age when Crusaders and Muslims clashed head-on.
And I had fallen into it.
Not as a peasant.
Not as a knight.
But as a royal of a kingdom doomed to fall.