Oathbound: Rise of the Crownless Paladin [LITRPG, PROGRESSION]

He was the anonymous number-one player of the world’s most popular fantasy game—a master strategist who proved that no class was truly useless.

Then, after accepting a mysterious final quest, he awakens inside the game world as a young adventurer with no equipment, no reputation, and none of his former power.

During his awakening ceremony, he receives the class everyone despises most:

Paladin.

Mocked as a slow, weak defender with little offensive potential, he is abandoned by parties and dismissed by guilds that worship damage above all else. But while the world sees a worthless shield, he sees countless hidden possibilities.

Armed with unmatched game knowledge, ruthless combat instincts, and the secret Covenant abilities of the forgotten Paladin class, he begins his journey to prove that strength is not decided by a class but by the one who wields it.

Yet this world is no longer following the game’s original story. Demons are invading years too early, powerful humans are turning against one another, and someone has begun corrupting the Class System itself.

To survive, he must rise from the most useless class in the world and build a legacy as the strongest Paladin who ever lived.