I’m Not a Piece of Shit

Chapter 3: How Could I Resist?

I dug deep into my memories from 12 years ago.

Even in the world I originally lived in, the graphics of Blessing of Saint had been exceptional for its time, leaving me in awe. 

The mid-game storyline was a blur due to all the skipping I did, but I could still vividly recall the early-game story.

The protagonist, a discarded orphan, catches the eye of the kingdom’s knight commander during a patrol and is taken in as a knight apprentice. 

Over three years, they grow under the loving guidance of the knight order, with no jealousy or hardships to mar the experience.

But such happiness is fleeting. The story takes a grim turn when a sinister plot by the vice commander, who colludes with demonic forces, leads to the kingdom’s capital being overrun by a demonic invasion. 

The protagonist escapes the destruction thanks to the sacrifice of their fellow knights and the knight commander.

It’s a cliché, but an effective setup for a tale of revenge.

The protagonist joins a mercenary group and begins piecing together clues for their revenge. 

Eventually, they confront the vice commander and are forced to choose: forgiveness or vengeance. That’s where the first arc ends.

The first arc spans five acts, with only three acts available at launch. The level cap would be 40, and the final dungeon of the season was likely to be the Corrupted Sanctuary.

The cinematic playing before my eyes confirmed that this was the story I remembered. 

Currently, I was watching a free-camera perspective of the protagonist being nurtured and loved by the knight order.

“Does every recruit get to sleep in these days?”

The man waking me up with a click of his tongue was Greg, a knight of the order and the tutorial’s first NPC.

Unlike traditional games with dialogue options, it seemed I had to express myself directly. I shook my head.

“Tsk, get dressed and come outside. The commander himself is overseeing today’s training.”

I nodded.

I gathered and donned my training gear, which had no special stats.

In Blessing of Saint, there was no armor system; all equipment stats were tied to weapons and accessories. 

This allowed players complete freedom in choosing their outfits—a feature that delighted fashion-conscious players.

While I currently had only one outfit, I looked forward to collecting many more.

A mirror was placed inexplicably in my quarters. I glanced at my reflection.

If I thought of it as my real appearance, it was still unnerving. But convincing myself it was a carefully crafted customization, I had to admit—it looked great.

I tried smiling. A bright, cheerful grin spread across my face. The image of a girl with round, jewel-like eyes and delicate, lovely features smiled back at me from the mirror. It felt good.

Customization, after all.

Done with my little detour, I headed to the training grounds, where NPCs diligently practiced.

In the old version, their animations were limited to repetitive attacks on wooden dummies. 

Now, they moved in ways that mimicked realistic martial arts, matching their respective weapons.

“DajeongDosha, start your morning training.”

Greg pointed me to a wooden dummy in the corner. Obediently, I stood before it, observing.

[Wooden Dummy]
[100/100%]

Objects I focused on displayed a name and a percentage-based health bar above them for convenience. While exact numbers weren’t shown, it was easy to gauge the remaining health.

Drawing my curse blade, I entered the combat stance. Talismans began orbiting me, moving naturally as if alive.

The basic combo for the Exorcist class starts with Blade Throw, which involves hurling the curse blade to strike an enemy. 

Talisman-based attacks prioritize targets struck by the blade, and enemies hit by it take additional damage. It’s the class’s standard opening move.

Following the tutorial prompt, I prepared to throw the blade. Unlike in the old version, where a simple key press like Q ensured a hit, I had to manually calculate the angle and range and physically swing my arm.

Recalling my limited experience with playing catch, I cautiously aimed at the wooden dummy and threw.

Clink.

The blade clattered to the ground near the dummy’s foot, missing entirely.

Huh? That’s not right.

I knew my current body lacked strength compared to my original one, but I hadn’t expected the difference to be this significant. I’d have to put more power into the throw.

I picked up the blade, returned to my spot, and threw it again.

This time, it struck the dummy squarely. Though it only hit its thigh due to the lack of force, it was still a hit.

Next, I followed up with Binding Formation. Although the dummy couldn’t move, the skill would immobilize a monster, preventing it from approaching or attacking. I layered two talismans and threw them.

The talismans flew over the dummy, transformed into chains, and bound it from above.

It was a satisfying start. The thrill of rediscovering this game in VR—how could I possibly resist?

As I threw another talisman, it fluttered through the air before transforming into a flash of light and striking the wooden dummy directly.

This was the basic attack skill Pasa Talisman, imbued with the Lightning attribute trait I had selected at the start.

The tutorial’s narration instructed me to successfully execute the skill three times in a row. However, I found myself pondering a question:

Do I really need to throw the blade to trigger the “Blade Throw” effect?

Despite this body’s surprisingly agile reflexes and sharp vision, the lack of physical strength was a problem. Whether this was due to the character’s build or my real-life body’s limits, I wasn’t sure.

But why not think differently?

Throwing the blade is just a means of hitting the target, right?

Wouldn’t it work just as well if I simply walked up and plunged the blade directly into the target? Surely the damage bonus and targeting effects would still apply.

Curious, I tested my theory. I approached the wooden dummy, retrieved the blade I had thrown earlier, and then calmly stabbed it into the dummy again.

Taking a few steps back, I followed up by channeling Pasa Talisman. Tossing a talisman into the air, it floated briefly before transforming into a lightning bolt and striking the dummy.

This… is freedom.

I couldn’t help but grin in satisfaction.

Of course, the Curse Blade class—let’s just call it Exorcist from now on, since insisting it’s not a “class” feels pretentious—was designed to favor close-quarters combat in the original Blessing of Saint as well.

***

In this game, characters use different resource systems—mana, rage, vigor, or energy—depending on their main weapon. 

For the Exorcist, that resource is talismans. These talismans orbit the player in combat stance and can be allocated to skills freely.

However, once a skill is cast, the talismans used turn to ash and slowly regenerate. Until they return, the remaining talismans are all you have to work with. 

For instance, after using Binding Formation, which consumes two talismans, I’d only have three left until the used ones regenerate.

This made close-quarters combat advantageous for Exorcists. Shortening the distance not only increased the speed of spell casting but also the recovery rate of spent talismans—essential for maximizing DPS. It was more a necessity than a choice.

Finding similarities to the mechanics I remembered brought a wave of nostalgia.

After successfully completing the Blade Throw → Binding Formation → Pasa Talisman combo two more times, I moved on to the next stage of the combat tutorial: blocking the dummy’s attacks with a counter skill and testing out a mobility skill.

Teleporting my body to another space felt disorienting at first, but with a few repetitions, I got used to it.

Then came the story.

The vice commander, still absent from the training grounds, assigned me a few tasks. 

Hearing his old meme-worthy line, “Haha, rookie, you’re quite something,” brought a smile to my face.

Skipping past the rage, tears, regret, and obsession that followed in the cinematic—it was a story I already knew by heart—I moved on.

Objective Updated:

Escape the burning city through the west gate.

This segment allowed me to apply the basic combat techniques learned in the tutorial. 

I faced weak demons, far too frail to be believable as subordinates of the arc’s final boss, while making my way through the city.

There was no time limit, so I took my time, walking and soaking in the city’s scenery. This area would reappear in Act 3 as an instance raid, so it didn’t hurt to familiarize myself with it.

Standing still, I tossed a talisman onto a nearby rooftop and focused my intent. 

Unlike melee skills that rely on physical actions, ranged skills for the Exorcist seemed more about manifesting thoughts into reality.

I activated the mobility skill Phantom Step. My vision flickered briefly as my position swapped with the talisman’s. Now on the rooftop, I momentarily closed my eyes to adjust to the odd sensation.

Looking down, I saw soldiers bravely fighting the invading demons, demons setting buildings ablaze with every swing of their arms, and the vice commander locked in combat with the knight commander in the distance.

I leapt down from the second floor. Though it was a decent height, my knees bore little impact—likely thanks to some in-game mechanic that mitigated physical pain. After all, experiencing full pain realism from being stabbed wouldn’t exactly be fun.

Time to clear the tutorial.

Walking down an alley, I encountered a shadowy spirit resembling a humanoid figure, moving sluggishly to block my path.

I charged forward.

The spirit raised its arm and swung it down in slow motion. In the split second before impact, I drew a talisman with my left hand and crossed my fingers to meet the point of attack. The weightless talisman took on a tangible force, deflecting the spirit’s arm.

Taking advantage of the opening, I drove the curse blade in my right hand into the spirit’s nape. While spirits didn’t have critical points like living beings, it was enough. I pressed a talisman onto its body and focused.

Repel all evil— infused with the power of Pasa and lightning, it struck the spirit’s core. With a crackling sound, the spirit dissolved into smoke and scattered.

The moves I envisioned in my head unfolded perfectly in reality.

“Haha!”

I laughed without realizing it.

If the basic level 1 skills were this fun, what would it be like as I gained more skills and faced dungeon or raid bosses?

The dopamine rush was something I hadn’t felt in years.

I once drunkenly dreamed of going back to the past and swore to myself, “If I do, I’ll work so hard… I’ll buy Bitcoin…”

But seriously, how could I resist this?

I’m only 21 years old…

Maybe… just a little more fun before getting serious?