From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 113: Warning

“To think you would come to find us like this…”

The Round Table was a hidden secret organization within England and had a different perspective on how they viewed the world as compared to the other secret organizations.

Unlike the other secret organizations that tried to manipulate humanity in the guise of saving it, the Round Table was an organization that acted as a complete bystander and mediator.

They were neither good nor evil; they were basically a powerful organization that sat on the sidelines.

Furthermore, Lee Jun-Kyeong was meeting with the most influential person among them.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Deathblow.”

Right when he was about to enter the Round Table, he saw the person who had come to greet him, and it was someone entirely unexpected.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had thought that they would have sent one of the council stewards.

‘I didn’t expect them to send a Knight of the Round Table.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong was genuinely surprised.

Unexpectedly, one of the Knights of the Round Table had come to meet with him. The reason why the Round Table was able to command such strength was largely due to its central figure, Merlin, but that didn’t mean that the organization was weak without her.

The Knights of the Round Table.

Although they were few in number, each individual was stronger than any Hero that could be found and had always played a big part in any British crises.

All of them were actual knights, having been recognized by the British Royal Family.

“The honor is all mine to finally be able to see the Underdog in person,” said Lancelot, a handsome blond figure.

His well-styled hair, glossy and blond with impeccable gelling, showed his neat and meticulous personality.

“As someone who has attracted the attention of Merlin, everyone here is quite curious about you, Mr. Underdog,” the knight said, sipping his tea.

Lee Jun-Kyeong could see something in his eyes, though.

‘Damn it.’

There was some hostility hidden within the depths of the knight’s gaze.

There was another reason why Lee Jun-Kyeong had heard of Lancelot’s name before, and it went beyond the man’s strength.

‘The man who loved Merlin.’

Lancelot was also famous as the man who loved Merlin, the head of the Round Table. However, Merlin didn’t return his love, and their broken relationship ended up becoming a complete catastrophe.

It wasn’t that Lancelot had betrayed her or anything of the sort.

It was just that his obsession eventually went too far.

Although it was rare for problems to occur within the Round Table, many of those that did exist were intertwined with this knight.

‘Damn it.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong realized he had also stepped into the muck.

The knight in front of him had unnecessarily misunderstood his and Merlin’s connection, so he wasn’t sure how to move forward.

Still, this wasn’t a place for him to express his true feelings.

“I’ve only come to keep a promise…”

“What promise are you talking about?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong frowned at the knight, who had interjected while smiling brightly. Whether Lancelot loved Merlin or not had nothing to do with him, and seeing the knight continue to try to bring his personal feelings into their public affairs, he spoke out coldly, his voice ringing through the space.

“Are you toying with me right now? I came to find Merlin for a business-related matter. While I understand that you’ve come to greet me personally, Sir Lancelot, I cannot stand for this disrespect any longer.”

“In what manner could I have been rude…”

“Would a knight who couldn’t recognize his own rudeness really be a knight?”

Lancelot blushed.

Lee Jun-Kyeong was sure now that Merlin was watching them. After all, this was the Round Table. The only place that was beyond her view was the living quarters.

Since this was a drawing room, Lee Jun-Kyeong had a hunch that Merlin was watching them.

“How dare you insult me…”

As such, Lancelot responded in an inflamed manner, rose from his seat all of a sudden, and began to emit a ferocious aura.

“Underdog. While your reputation may be impeccably high… I still cannot stand this disrespect as a knight.”

The air between them began to tremble, the knight’s mana beginning to put pressure on Lee Jun-Kyeong.

"Stop."

Then a voice came from the air.

Merlin had torn a void through the space and appeared.

It left a bad taste in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s mouth. If she had stepped forward sooner, then he wouldn’t have collided with Lancelot.

“Lady Merlin.”

“...”

Lancelot stepped down onto one knee as a sign of respect for Merlin while Lee Jun-Kyeong glared at her, who had created the irritating situation.

Her eyes creased in a strange manner as she reprimanded the knight.

“Sir Lancelot, you’re being rude to my guest.”

“Lady Merlin…!”

Lancelot's face was bursting red, so much so that it wouldn’t be a shock if someone mistook it for the inside of a ripe watermelon.

"Underdog!" he shouted in spite of Merlin's dissuasion. "I request a duel!"

Lancelot meant it. What he was spouting now was near-murderous hostility.

“Lance…”

Piercing mana enveloped Lee Jun-Kyeong, and as Merlin was about to interject, Lee Jun-Kyeong responded calmly, "Very well."

Before she knew it.

“...!”

Lancelot's energy disappeared, almost like it had been washed away.

However, the Hunter hadn’t used his aura to break through it.

‘He consumed it.’

Merlin’s eyes opened wide as she saw what Lee Jun-Kyeong had just done. He hadn’t pierced through or responded to Lancelot’s bloodlust-filled mana with strength. Rather, it was almost like he had consumed it.

He had absorbed it.

He had made his opponent’s energy his own.

When Merlin’s eyes began to brighten, Lancelot began to hasten his steps.

“Let us go to the training hall!”

***

The quiet Round Table had become noisy again.

“Is it Lancelot again?”

"What's going on this time?"

The members of the Round Table had gathered at the news that there was a disturbance within the Training Hall.

“Hehe. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good fight.”

“Who is he fighting against?

A disturbance was something that didn’t happen easily. Consequently, it was both a pain for them to deal with and also an interesting spectacle as well.

The members made their rounds as they headed for the Training Hall.

“And here I thought I was going to die from all these emergencies lately. About time we had a break…”

“Yeah. Well, regardless of who it is, Lancelot is probably going to win anyway.”

“So then, who is he going against?”

Up to this point, the problems that Lancelot has caused had been simple. He had turned the hardworking reputation of the secret organization into a punching bag whenever he had wanted to see Merlin and had also turned any opponent whom he had seen as being rude to Merlin into a punching bag as well.

One of the things that left an impression on everyone had been one of these events as well.

“It was so funny when he had turned that bastard into a mess because they had thrown trash into the pond where Merlin lived, right?”

“Hehehe. So, who is he going against, anyway?”

“The Underdog!”

“The Underdog? From Asgard?”

"Yes!"

These days, the tales of the Underdog have spread throughout the world.

His story about leaving for China to rescue the survivors had been enough to attract the world’s attention.

“Is he here?”

“It seems he arrived a few hours ago.”

“Oh!!! It’s definitely going to be a big match, then!”

Seeing that the Underdog and Lancelot were matched together, the Round Table began to heat up with excitement.

“What crazy…”

The members who had been heading to the Training Hall suddenly stopped, their mouths dropping.

“Sir Gawain…”

"There is Sir Galahad, too...”

"How insane..."

They were the Knights of the Round Table.

Unlike Lancelot, who had frequently caused accidents, it wasn’t easy for people to meet the other Knights of the Round Table.

If Lancelot was a troublemaker, then the others were true aristocrats.

They were the Noblesse.

“I… I greet Sir Gawain!”

The knights were making their way to the Training Hall with graceful steps, and one of the members who had passed by them saluted them with his hand held proudly.

Nod.

"You’ve worked diligently,” the knight called Gawain said, patting the saluting man on the shoulder as he began to walk away.

The Knights were the idols and envy of the members of the Round Table.

They, too, seemed to be heading toward the Training Hall in case of any accidents after having heard the news as well. It was normally difficult for anyone to see one Knight of the Round Table, but they had all gathered here.

"Let's go!”

The people grew even more excited and hurried their steps.

“But… What happens if the Underdog wins?” someone whispered.

What if Lancelot would be defeated in a place where everyone had been gathered? If that happened, they didn’t know what Lancelot, who normally was bursting with pride, would do.

However, another person interjected, “I saw the Underdog a while ago. You know, when they had that Battle of Champions in England.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“There's no chance that the Underdog would be able to beat Sir Lancelot.”

“But he still came back from China alive…”

The person who had said he had seen the Underdog smirked and continued, "Are you crazy? No matter how much sponsorship a Sponsor could give, it’s impossible for someone to grow that much in this short of a time. There’s only an issue with Sir Lancelot’s personality, not with his ability, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Don’t worry. If Sir Lancelot loses, then I’ll run into the fire pit!”

The man's boast hastened their steps again.

As they hastened to enter the Training Hall, before anyone knew it, the hall had become full of people.

***

Sir Lancelot.

He stood, glaring at Lee Jun-Kyeong with a huge lance held in his hand.

Even a single glance made it obvious that the lance was enormous. It was so much so that it seemed unreasonable for someone to use it on the ground, but the knight was handling it as freely as a wooden stick.

“An eastern spear versus a western spear… It’s going to be an interesting duel it seems,” Lancelot said with a relaxed expression as he looked down upon Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s spear, Muspel’s Spear, was a spear that was often used in the East.

The knight looked around triumphantly as if he had already knocked down Lee Jun-Kyeong.

"The greatest thanks to you all for coming to see my duel."

Cheers were heard at his aristocratic greeting.

Lancelot had displayed a sudden stance, emitting his aura for display.

Then, Lee Jun-Kyeong’s cold voice rang out, “Are you a knight or a clown?”

“…”

The inflamed hall had suddenly sunk down as if water had poured over them.

“It’s obvious from what he’s doing that he’s a clown, but I can’t tell if I should be calling him “Sir Clown” as well.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s smile, which had reached well beyond the corners of his mouth, was cold.

“Is this duel a joke to you?” he continued.

Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly held up his spear to an offensive stance.

There was no customary round shield in his other hand.

“Unlike a spear, isn’t a duel where one is allowed to take the opponent’s life?”

“...”

Lancelot’s face stiffened.

It wasn’t because of the tension, but rather, his face distorted with shame and anger.

“That’s right,” he responded, suddenly dropping the honorifics from his words.

“A duel is something where it’s allowed to take the other’s life. Still, I had thoughts of letting you live…but it seems there’s no need for that now.”

“How noble of you.”

He had been playful, but in this moment, he betrayed his demeanor as an aristocrat. A selfish and arrogant western aristocrat, Lancelot.

That was how Lee Jun-Kyeong viewed the knight opposing him. He scanned the hall. It seemed as if most of the people living within the Round Table had gathered, as the Training Hall was packed.

‘The Knights of the Round Table are also here.’

Although he didn’t know their exact titles, even with a glance, he could see that special Hunters were gazing down at this place with their arms crossed.

He could feel the powerful aura wrapped around their bodies.

They were true knights.

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked away from them.

Then.

“Mr. Fake Knight, Lancelot.”

That had been the signal.

“You son of a bit—!”

Although a duel was supposed to begin with the agreement of both parties, Lancelot rushed out with his lance without waiting for any confirmation from Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Lee Jun-Kyeong could see his lance quivering from the condensation of an incredible amount of energy.

The Knight of the Deathblow.

That was the nickname that had been given to Lancelot because it had been said that the Knight penetrated everything with a Deathblow.

No matter his character, no matter his status, no matter his personality, Lee Jun-Kyeong mused for a moment.

“I guess a Hero really is a Hero?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong stood still as he watched the knight race forward.

“Ohhhh!!!”

“What is he doing?”

At that sight, the viewers began to scream in panic.

Even as the viewers were screaming, Lancelot was rushing forward and Lee Jun-Kyeong was standing still. It seemed as though he would be pierced through by the lance.

In fact, Lancelot was flustered by this point. His pupils shook as he looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong, who seemed to not defend whatsoever.

He was a Knight of the Round Table, regardless of what he had said earlier, killing such a defenseless person would be more disgraceful than anything he had ever done up to this point.

Moreover, killing someone from another secret organization in the name of a Knight of the Round Table would also be an act of harm to both Merlin and the Round Table itself.

That had been why, even though he had been involved in countless disputes, he had never killed anyone.

However.

“...”

It was too late for him to stop.

His charismatic performance quickly approached Lee Jun-Kyeong’s nose with a tempestuous force.

“...!”

He felt it; he had pierced through Lee Jun-Kyeong.

However, whether Lancelot, or the viewers who saw it soon after, they soon realized what had happened.

“A fake knight.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong stood, his mouth curled up in a smirk.

In front of all of the gazes, the huge lance had been stopped with the head of a red spear in his hand.

1. Their rank within the organization is Knight, but they are also official knights under the British Monarchy.

2. Lancelot is one of the greatest Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend and English mythos. As arguably the third most important figure in Arthurian Legend after Arthur and Merlin, he is famous for both his incredible power, and also his one-sided, and then adulterous, love of Arthur’s first wife, Guinevere.

3. This Lady is a bit different from the previous. This is a little less formal and more affectionate. He’s shocked so much by Merlin taking Lee Jun-Kyeong’s side that his form of address betrayed his feelings.

4. This is a warped use of the word Noblesse that Korea really likes. It’s a shortening of Noblesse Oblige used as a noun to describe the manner of people, but not necessarily referring to them as of noble birth.

5. Lances are meant for horseback, which is why it’s weird to use them on the ground. On average, a lance is roughly three meters long, and the handle itself is well over a meter long.