Chapter 127: White Knight (2)
After a round of punching the sandbag, he went around the gym and critiqued the gym members’ postures. Because of his unusually irritable mood that day, several gym members found themselves on the floor as Baek Han-Ho personally demonstrated movements on them when they didn’t meet his expectations.
A female gym member, who had been observing the ongoing activities at the gym, was stricken with fear when Baek Han-Ho approached her.
‘Baek Han-Ho Gym’ had now become a hang-out for men who liked to display their strength and engage in combat. There were only burly, physically imposing men in the gym now. But those men fell to the floor at Baek Han-Ho’s slightest movement.
The woman trembling in fear was just a normal person who came to that gym to become fit because it was close to her house. She smiled awkwardly as Baek Han-Ho stood in front of her. “Hahaha...Master.”
“Did you practice what I taught you last time? Let’s try it. One two!”
“Uhhh...” She clenched her eyes shut and then awkwardly extended her fist.
“One two, one two!”
She shouted as she performed the move.
“This time double-two!”
“Ugh...”
“Double-two, double-two!”
Her fists swished forward as she struggled to land punches. The male members of the gym would have fallen on their faces at Baek Han-Ho’s hands, but Baek Han-Ho nodded in approval for some reason. “Good job.”
“...?”
“Has it been around three months since you’ve been coming here?”
“Four months...”
“Hahaha. That’s still really good for four months. You are pretty athletic.”
“...”
She nodded reluctantly because she had just witnessed a gym member who had only been there for a month receive a low-kick and crumble to the floor just because he had turned his waist a centimeter less.
“But bear in mind, our bodies are weapons, and martial arts is the art of killing.”
“Huh?”
“If possible, a woman should avoid fighting and dangerous situations. That’s what true strength is in a woman.”
Baek Han-Ho looked off into the distance with a sentimental look on his face. “It is a knight’s duty to protect ladies, but the world is...”
Despite her bewildered expression, she forced herself to smile at Baek Han-Ho’s nonsense.
“In the modern world where chivalry has disappeared...” continued Baek Han-Ho. Someone had to stop him. But he was already deep inside his own world. There was no one who could stop him in this gym.
Right then, someone came to the rescue.
“What are you doing right now?”
It was Yi-An. He had approached Baek Han-Ho from behind. He looked at Baek Han-Ho with questioning eyes.
“Ahem, you’re here.”
“Why are you suddenly saying weird things?”
“What weird stuff did I say?”
“You shouldn’t play games too much.”
“Look who’s talking...”
Yi-An and Baek Han-Ho chatted as they headed to the office of the gym. The female gym member stared at them in a daze. The woman who was now alone began swinging at the sandbag as she thought about what Baek Han-Ho had said. ‘Bodies are weapons, and martial arts is the art of killing.’ And he had called her a lady. She smirked.
“How old fashioned.” Then, she quietly drew a sign in the air and moved her hands in a strange motion. “Magic can save people.”
She was a well-known magician in Elder Lord.
***
“What have you been up to? Yeo-Ri has been worried about you,” asked Baek Han-Ho.
Yi-An furrowed his eyebrows. “Yeo-Ri?”
“Yeah, Yeo-Ri.”
“When did you start speaking to Yeo-Ri?”
“It’s been a while.”
Baek Han-Ho shrugged and shook his head as Yi-An continued staring at him. “I told her I was the one who taught you martial arts, and she became interested and began calling me ‘master’ and acted all friendly, so we started talking to each other. Quit giving me that look.
“It’s hard to believe based on what I just saw. Have you been playing the role of a knight too much in the game?”
“How dare you insult your teacher. If this was the past, I would have brought down the iron fist on you.”
Yi-An grinned. “Bring it on.”
Yi-An and Baek Han-Ho’s eyes met. Sparks flew between their eyes. They looked like they were ready to get up any moment and head to the sparring ring, but they both shook their heads and leaned back in their backrest.
“If only I wasn’t tired...”
“That’s what I have to say...”
Yi-An wanted to take a break for a bit after fighting with Calmahart. He had accessed the game through a capsule, so it didn’t take a physical toll on him, but he was mentally tired. Baek Han-Ho was also fatigued from playing Elder Lord, so he didn’t want to bicker with Yi-An. The two leaned back in their chairs. Then, they sighed.
“What species are you?” asked Baek Han-Ho.
“It’s a secret.”
“What’s your class?”
“It’s a secret.”
“You stubborn...”
“Why don’t you say it first? Heard you are a knight?”
“Will you tell me yours if I tell you mine?”
“No.”
“Whew, I’ve raised my disciples wrong.”
“Disciples like me grow up to become like you.”
“Well...you are not wrong.” Baek Han-Ho chuckled as he slouched in his chair. “Yi-An.”
“Yes.”
“This guy has been causing a scene lately.” Baek Han-Ho gestured at the TV screen that occupied the wall of the director’s office that was playing a show. Yi-An flinched. It was Crockta.
“...” Seeing Crockta from an outsider’s perspective was frightening. A bandana that seemed to be made up of blood and a ridiculously large greatsword. He looked like a villain rather than a hero.
“I don’t like him,” said Baek Han-Ho.
“What, why?”
“I was preparing to defeat the guy named Calmahart, but I lost interest because Crockta ended things before it even started.” Baek Han-Ho sat up straight as he changed what was playing on the screen. This time, it was the world’s best video site, Youvids. It was none other than Crockta on the homepage of the Youvids website.
After news of Calmahart’s loss spread, Crockta’s popularity skyrocketed again. Laney, who had filmed him in the past, continued to upload his videos, and other witness videos continued to be uploaded on Youvids. His videos had some of the highest views on Youvids.
Choi Han-Sung’s battle videos were no longer trending and were passed on for Crockta’s.
“Let’s catch him!” Baek Han-Ho shouted.
Yi-An was still.
“What, are you scared?”
“....No.”
Baek Han-Ho nodded. “I know he’s a frightening guy. Even though we are some of the world’s best martial arts masters, that guy is a monster inside a game! He probably has unbelievable strength and physical ability.”
Crockta’s battle video played on the screen. It was Chesswood. Yi-An’s heart fell as he faced the scene from back then. Many innocent people had died, and they weren’t NPCs. People who actually existed died in the hands of players who had logged onto Elder Lord.
But because of the authority of the woman who was supposedly a god, ‘perceptual distortion,’ others couldn’t even understand that kind of possibility.
“Look at his beast-like movements.”
It was the scene when Crockta pierced through the rain of spears and swung his greatsword and massacred everyone. As if that wasn’t enough, he leapt up and slashed through the heart of the enemy lines. The players began running away. Crockta chased after them and plunged his greatsword into their backs.
“The most astonishing thing about him is the rate at which he improves,” commented Baek Han-Ho.
This time, they showed an old video. Three players and a single orc were facing off. It was the time he had run into the user hunters in Anail. Crockta seemed to be on the losing end but swiftly won by letting the enemy pierce his stomach while killing them.
“Moreover, that boldness and decisiveness are truly astonishing. He is someone who knows how to fight properly.” Yi-An swelled with pride because he had rarely received compliments from Baek Han-Ho, but he also felt anxious at the same time.
“So what?” asked Yi-An.
“Let’s capture him.”
“...Why?”
“Because I don’t like him.”
Yi-An looked at Baek Han-Ho’s expression. He was for real. His expression said that he would immediately go find Crockta if he came down to the continent and swing his sword at him.
Yi-An calmly said, “Hold it in. Crockta is righteous, strong, and has a well-renowned reputation. He even has a fan club.”
“Fan club? I have one too.”
“Huh?”
“Hahaha, do you want to know?”
“Stop lying.”
“This guy...it’s the truth. Of course I won’t tell you since you don’t tell me either.”
“...”
Baek Han-Ho angrily changed the channel and accidentally went to his favorites library on the Youvids video site.
“...!” Baek Han-Ho quickly turned off the television, and warily eyed Yi-An wondering if he saw his favorites page. Luckily, Yi-An was still checking his phone.
“What are you looking at?” asked Yi-An.
“It’s nothing.” Baek Han-Ho coughed awkwardly.
“I will head out now. It was nice to see you. I have to also check in on my café.”
“Yeah. You should do some work instead of just making the people below you do everything. Just relying on passive income makes people sick.”
But the gym was mostly run by coaches under Baek Han-Ho. Yi-An shook his head. “Take care.”
“You too. Be safe.”
Yi-An left the Baek Han-Ho gym and headed to Café Reason after a long time.
***
He didn’t go empty-handed. After he arrived at Café Reason and gave food to Han Yeo-Ri and Yoo Soo-Yeon who were grumbling, he organized trivial things while they were watching the counter. There were quite a number of customers. Yi-An sipped on the café latte Yeo-Ri made and looked up ‘Andre the White Knight’ on his phone.
Yi-An had gotten a glimpse of Baek Han-Ho’s favorites page during the brief moment Baek Han-Ho had accidentally landed on the page. Baek Han-Ho’s favorites page was filled with videos of the player ‘Andre the White Knight.’ As soon as he saw it, Yi-An pretended to be looking at something else immediately.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. There was a saying that if you know your enemy and yourself, you can win as many as a hundred times. Baek Han-Ho would definitely come find him. In the world of Elder Lord, there weren’t any barriers. He would deliver a one shot one kill without any second thoughts! Andre the White Knight was quite well known.
“Oh, you also know Andre?” Han Yeo-Ri, who had been loitering around the café approached him and sat next to him.
“Do you know him?” asked Yi-An.
“Of course. He’s so cool.”
“...He’s cool?”
“Yes.”
As Yi-An played the video with skeptical eyes, Han Yeo-Ri said, “I don’t play games, but I’ve seen quite a few of this person’s videos.”
Yi-An almost spat out his coffee at the sight of the character appearing on the screen. The character had glossy blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a straight nose. His pale, youthful skin didn’t have a single wrinkle, and he had a pair of soft, pink lips that stood out even to Yi-An. He was clad in silver plate armor that completely covered his whole body under his delicate neckline. He was a beautiful young man who looked like a quintessential medieval knight. How much effort did he put in to customize every single detail of his appearance? He even rode a white horse with its mane flapping in the wind.
“Doesn’t he look cool?” asked Han Yeo-Ri.
“Hmm...” Yi-An nodded.
Baek Han-Ho, no, Andre the White Knight, was talking in the video. “To the fools who swing their swords at ladies.”
He got off his horse. He rubbed his forehead against the horse’s mane as if signaling to it to wait a bit and then raised his sword toward the enemies in front of him. It was a longsword with a sharp blade. “This righteous knight Andre will teach you what chivalry is.”
Then he charged at the enemies in front of him. His opponents were bandits armed with axes and swords. They swung their weapons at each other. They were startled at first by Andre’s flamboyant appearance, but they believed they could easily defeat him since they outnumbered him. But that was just for a brief moment.
Andre pierced their throats with exquisite swordsmanship. There wasn’t a desperate battle where blood and flesh splattered. Andre displayed elegant skills as he elegantly pierced his enemies’ vitals with a single blow. All of the enemies collapsed to the ground. Andre the White Knight swiftly turned away.
The female NPC who had been threatened by the bandits stared at him in a daze. Andre approached her and grabbed her hand. He then kissed the back of her hand and winked softly. “Lady, I have taken care of the enemies. Please rest assured.” The video then faded out with Andre’s sweet smile.
Han Yeo-Ri poked Yi-An’s side. “So cool. He’s the real prince on a horse. Isn’t that so? Boss?”
But Yi-An, who knew the man behind Andre, couldn't nod in agreement. Han Yeo-Ri laughed and returned to the counter. Yi-An wanted to erase his memories. No, he wanted to gouge out his eyes and replace it with a new pair that had never seen the video. Yi-An checked the comments section of the video. At first, it was all praise.
—Milky White Andre: Andre, I’m your fan!^^ More videos please! Let’s go, Andre!
—Homme Fatale White Knight: >?< Every day, I get so much energy from watching you...Where is that? I want to visit...Andre’s pink lips...he’s so dreamy...drool
—White Cacao: Based on the background, it seems like he’s in Mount Hesse!
—Jung-Min’s Mom: Andre...What a cool, young man~^^ My daughters enjoy it when I play Andre’s videos~~?^^ Please continue your path of righteousness~~~!
—Yi-Yu’s Mom: Same here~^^ My babies like them too, haha
But the tone of the comments shifted.
—Let’s Have A Shot Of Soju: Dammit...this guy...he bumped against my shoulder but didn’t apologize... he just glared...just cause he can fight...he’s two-faced! Quit pretending to be nice...and reveal your true nature...ugh! Justice? Crockta is the best!
—Mt.Seorak Falcon: I didn’t expect to see you here commenting...haha...why aren’t you coming to the mountaineering club these days? Your brothers miss you...
—Let’s Have A Shot Of Soju: Dammit...I’ve been busy...life is... a lonely journey. Have a good life until I return. Brother!
—Ronaldo Ballon d’Or: He pretends to be nice around women but doesn’t even talk to men. Quit acting so fake.
—Gonna Be An Orc: How can someone who discriminates against people claim the title of righteousness? Crockta is righteous. I swear he will get beaten up by Crockta and cry like a wuss after trying to mess with him.
—Orc King: lolololololol Andre won’t even be able to meet Crockta in the eye if they come across each other lololololol he’s just a fucking loser who picks on the weak and uploads videos of himself winning lololol
—Bul’tar Crockta: lololol How can he be compared to Crockta lololol It’s like a hoodlum of a small town comparing himself to a real, strong man.
—Xylitol One Shot: Am I the only one who gets pissed off when he keeps babbling about justice? What did he do? Did he rescue a village or say anything memorable like Crockta? All he does is say cringey lines in front of women tsk tsk
—Dog Who Barks At Cringe: Bow-wow! Woof! Grrr...
—Don’t Go Too Far: So cringey...I get chills when I watch Crockta’s videos, but watching him makes my...toes curl...
—Philosopher: Andre is all talk when he only defeats weak opponents. I miss Crockta.
Yi-An dropped his head. “...” His shoulders began trembling. “...he...hehe...” Yi-An tried to suppress the smile emerging on his face, but he couldn’t stop the laughter seeping out. “Hehehe...hehehahaha...!”
Sometimes, he felt like his standards differed from the ways of the world, but it wasn’t always the case if he looked deeper.
“Yes, exactly. Crockta is the real man. They have good taste.”
The comments section became heated and was split between ‘Crockta vs Andre.’ Andre’s female fans and male haters gathered and engaged in keyboard warfare. This division intensified as Andre’s statement about wanting to fight Crockta went viral.
It was a cross between two characters that bore the title of righteousness—Andre the White Knight who had the affection of women and orc warrior Crockta, who had the support of men. Han Yeo-Ri sighed as she saw Yi-An chuckling to himself.
“Why is he becoming weirder and weirder...?”
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