Yuda (Judah).
It’s was a name commonly known as one of the twelve apostles handpicked by Jesus in the New Testament era.
But blinded by a small sum of money, he betrayed the one he trusted, losing his honor and earning the shameful label of “betrayer.” I took the name from that story.
Yuda Arshe.
Though he bore a family name which made him a noble, he was from a fallen, powerless lineage.
As descendants of an empire that fell over 150 years ago, his parents tried desperately to revive the family but failed due to a lack of talent. They ended up wandering as ordinary adventurers, striking it big once, and settling in the city known as the “homeland of adventurers,” Serenia.
Settling in the city, they give birth to Yuda and live simply until one night, old comrades snuck in and kill them.
The reason was because of the family heirloom the 〈Black Claw Secrets〉, which Yuda’s parents possessed only as a manual as they were unable to master due to lack of talent.
Those former comrades came to seize the valuable manual, knowing it could fetch a high price from an empire or noble house. Trusting their old allies, they let their guard down—a weakness that cost them their lives. Had they possessed the talent to master its secrets, they wouldn’t have fallen so easily to an unexpected ambush.
Up to this point, it matched the setting I had created.
But there was one thing different from what I’d known.
In the original story, Yuda’s father desperately fought his former comrades to protect his young son, and they perished together. But here, perhaps because it was a tutorial, Yuda himself had killed them. The real problem lay in what came next.
Left alone after losing both parents, Yuda is taken in by the grandfather of the game’s protagonist, Kain Sabnak. Through that, it allowed him to spend his childhood relatively smoothly.
From this point, he becomes rivals with Kain Sabnak, who later becomes a hero. As an adult, he realizes his parents died due to human greed and avarice, learning that without power, he can do nothing.
But unless you’re the protagonist, there’s no such thing as an easy path.
To highlight his natural combat talent, Yuda was given the overpowered S-rank skill 〈Warrior’s Spirit〉but even with it, he always loses to the protagonist.
It’s not because Yuda is stupid or careless.
In a one-on-one fight, his insane stats could easily crush the protagonist, but this game isn’t one where the hero roams alone.
Thanks to the companion system, Yuda always appears solo like a boss, forced to battle multiple foes.
He gets several chances to claim fragments first, but at critical moments, Kain Sabnak and his companions swoop in to snatch them away.
“Was I secretly a sadist or something?”
I gave Yuda companions a few times, but always had them betray him. Players loved it, calling him “Yeong-go-yu, eternally suffering Yuda” every time it happened.
I’m still not sure if it was that, or because I named him “Yuda,” meaning betrayer. I kept making him betrayed and pitiful just because he was set as a “lonely” character. I’ve said it a few times, but despite that, I put a lot of care into him out of a strange mix of love and hate.
“…And now I’ve become Yuda.”
Not even as an adult with some life skills, but as a child.
Sure, a twenty-five-year-old soul inhabits this body, but all it brings are values that probably won’t help much and a surface-level knowledge of modern civilization.
Plus, a third-degree black belt in taekwondo for fitness, not combat and some basic cooking skills. That was it.
If I’d mastered modern knowledge and could adapt it here, I could wield influence easily, but with my shallow understanding, it was near impossible.
To make matters worse, this child’s body is just seven years old, on the cusp of rapid growth. My level is a hopeless single digit, and my parents, who could have taught me about this world and aided my growth, were murdered last night.
Could I really survive this harsh world without parental help?
Still, the faint glimmer of hope lies in the upper-tier magic swordsman class 〈Black Claw〉 along with high potentials and decent starting stats in luck, mana, and mana resistance. By mid-to-late game, it was obvious that they would skyrocket.
Especially luck—that was what I’m banking on most.
In the game, it only affected item drop rates or critical hit chances, but here—
Since this isn’t quite a game world, it’ll surely influence things positively somehow.
And through that, I’ll return to my original world.
According to Sian, the only way out of this world is to become the successor of the fourth lord, Ferlnern.
Otherwise, I’d be trapped here forever, reliving the same moments—like when that mercenary first killed me. There was no pain, but I didn’t want to be rewinded like a video.
I scratched my head with still-unfamiliar tiny hands and let out a sigh.
“Oh, someone’s coming.”
I saw the doorknob on the elegant, vintage-colored door turn silently and smoothly.
I straightened up from slouching in the chair and looked at the person entering.
An elderly man in a dark black priestly robe stepped inside.
For a priest, the bulging muscles visible through his robe were anything but ordinary.
He was Seron, a 〈High-ranking Holy Knight – Paladin〉 serving at the temple that had taken Yuda in.
Thanks to a resident reporting the bodies I’d left outside last night, I could see this paladin and several soldiers barge into the house in the morning.
He kicked down the firmly shut door and entered with a sword drawn. The door got the honor of being his stepping stone.
The paladin’s entrance had been truly imposing.
The paladin who was clad in thick plate armor entered with a group of soldiers. They searched the house quickly, then took my parents’ bodies from the floor. I had no idea where they were taken. When I tried to ask, the paladin noticed me standing there in a daze and brought me to the temple. He let me wash up right away and brought me some food to eat.
Since I was starving, I gratefully ate the soup and two pieces of bread he gave me.
Just as I finished my meal and was lost in thought, he came in.
He sat across the table, let out a “hm,” and fell silent with a troubled look.
“Yeah, you would be stumped.”
He probably wanted to ask about the mercenary bodies, but the only survivor was a baby-faced kid like me.
“…….”
The paladin gazed at Yuda in silence. Not trying to intimidate, he seemed restless, unsure how to broach the topic.
He was kind and gentle.
Though this world was based on a game, it was still a medieval era with a strict class system.
It wouldn’t be odd for him to demand, “Kid, what happened here? Tell the truth or else.”
Grilling me like that would’ve been normal. Or maybe this was the weird part?
Anyway, he didn’t. Maybe it was because he was a temple priest serving Yophiel—the second holy king who cherished peace and life. Or perhaps he was simply showing courtesy since Yuda carried noble blood, fallen or not.
“Hey kid.”
“It’s Yuda.”
“My name’s Seron. So, Yuda, do you… remember what happened last night?”
He asked cautiously. My answer was, of course, no. When I said I couldn’t remember, he looked flustered. He probably thought I’d lost the memory from the shock of seeing my parents killed. Maybe unused to asking this way, he seemed awkward and chose to change the subject.
“You ate it all without leaving a bit. Was it good?”
He said, glancing at the neatly stacked dishes on the table.
The soup was nicely salty, and the bread was surprisingly soft.
Amazingly, it rivaled modern bread and soup.
I hadn’t noticed while eating, but since this was a game world, spices must be widely available. Or maybe it was possible because this was 〈Serenia〉
I nodded belatedly to his question.
“Yes.”
Another brief silence followed.
“Hmm… I’m truly sorry about your parents. Is there really nothing you recall? Even something small is fine. I know it’s painful, but for the sake of those who passed, won’t you tell me anything you remember?”
He remembered clearly. He didn’t see his parents die, but it was Yuda himself who killed the two mercenaries.
But I slowly put on a pained expression, letting tears well up.
“Yes. I just… dragged the dead bodies outside. That’s all I remember.”
“I see, sorry. It’s, it’s alright. Don’t cry.”
Maybe because it’s a child’s body, even a slight sad thought brought tears.
He considered bursting into sobs but held it back, and he looked at me with a proud gaze.
He reached out and took Yuda’s small hand.
“Fortunately, someone stepped up to be your guardian. Ah, I mean, someone offered to help you until you’re an adult.”
So this is how the game goes.
The one offering to be my guardian is probably the grandfather of the game’s protagonist, Kain Sabnak.
In the past, Yuda’s father greatly helped Kain Sabnak’s family settle here.
In the game’s lore, he vowed to repay that debt by looking after me until adulthood, and it seems that’s the plan here too.
“His name’s Kaseun Sabnak. Do you still remember him?”
Right! I had been worried about how to survive if he didn’t step up as my guardian, but things seemed to go smoothly. To avoid showing too much joy, Yuda nodded slowly.
* * *
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Tip 4: In this world, there are beings who take on the role of gods.
In the demon realm, they’re called lords; in the heavens, holy kings. Humans and various other races worship and follow them, though most tend to favor the holy kings.
And why not? The demon realm is full of ferocious monsters, while the heavens are mostly populated by beautiful, impressive beings. Which side would you choose?
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***Author’s Note***
? Wait, what? “Tteok-tazi”? What’s that? I’ve got no clue.
Ohh, by the way, some folks gave me coupons! Thank you! We’re only at chapter 5.
It’s my first time getting them, and my heart’s pounding! Haha.
