Franz Hosenfeld

Franz Hosenfeld is a powerful two-handed swordsman whose sense of justice first brings him into conflict with Sungjin. Chosen for both ability and conscience, Franz has to learn that righteous anger can be manipulated by people who understand the raid system. His confrontation with Illich, later magical training, and leadership in separate dimensions develop that conviction into more deliberate judgment without extinguishing his enthusiasm. (Chapters 80–93, 118–149, 166–180)

Appearance

Franz is a young white Austrian man with blond hair, blue eyes, agreeable features, and a handsome face. His combat silhouette is defined by the large two-handed sword associated with the Highlander title. He is energetic and physically expressive: he charges directly into danger, prepares for sparring with deliberate breathing, and often wears his excitement, embarrassment, or disappointment openly. (Chapters 82, 86, 92, 121, 130, 133, 138, 166–180)

Personality

Franz is honest, passionate, and intensely protective of teammates. He is willing to accept personal risk when he believes someone has endangered the group, mourns comrades he could not save, and judges his own failures harshly. Those qualities make him dependable, but they also create impatience: he can reach a moral conclusion before gathering enough evidence and is proud enough to delay asking for help even when a fight turns against him. (Chapters 82–93, 122–133)

He is also sociable, competitive, and eager to improve. Franz welcomes new Chosen Ones, turns shared meals into opportunities for camaraderie, lightens a tense dinner by imagining life after humanity's rescue, and responds to another swordsman's claims with playful rivalry. His attraction to Nada leaves him embarrassingly vulnerable to Beatrice's dream, but the incident is presented as an awkward human weakness rather than the basis of his value to the group. (Chapters 118–121, 135, 149, 166, 177–180)

Biography

Highlander and reluctant Chosen One

Franz enters the Magician's Ivory Tower as the Highlander, a skilled greatswordsman who consoles a less informed hunter and joins the party's agreed formation. When Sungjin abandons that formation, defeats the boss alone, and appears again without explaining himself, Franz concludes that he has endangered the team for selfish gain. He attacks despite the risk of being marked a troll, and his heavy, flowing sword combinations force Sungjin to pay close attention before the difference in their power becomes clear. (Chapters 80, 82–83)

Shared action changes Franz's judgment. Sungjin includes the party in a hidden-place reward, Franz helps reconstruct the forbidden Chimera ritual, and his Electro technique draws Lenin's lightning into his greatsword during the hidden-boss fight. When the Chimera kills Edwin, Franz fights on but mourns afterward and blames his own weakness. That grief, along with his earlier willingness to confront apparent wrongdoing, convinces Sungjin that Franz possesses both the strength and humanity he wants in an ally. (Chapters 83–86)

Franz gives his name after the battle and no longer regards Sungjin as a troll, but the Baptism itself is not preceded by a clear explanation or informed agreement: Sungjin admits that he does not know the precise effect and applies the water as Franz begins to rise. Franz nevertheless chooses what happens next. He apologizes for his earlier attack, activates the resulting Chosen One relationship, calls Sungjin at the Black Market, listens without demanding every secret, and agrees to cooperate toward the final raid. (Chapters 86–87, 92)

His early participation also carries real costs and contributions. Franz voluntarily buys the Heart of Gold rather than make Sungjin pay, accepts the Reign penalty that helps fund future Chosen Ones, discusses his previous encounters with trolls, and later purchases a Blood Vengeance copy on Sungjin's behalf. By the first full Chosen Ones briefing, he is not simply receiving a stat bonus; he is sharing resources, intelligence, and responsibility for identifying strong, trustworthy survivors. (Chapters 92–93, 114, 118–121)

The confrontation with Illich

In the Kariharan Frostplains, Franz initially admires Illich's strength, fast judgment, and natural authority. He provides Sungjin's tactical information without revealing its source, follows Illich's formations, and considers recommending him as a Chosen One after watching him rescue a threatened hunter. During the hidden-boss fight, however, Illich begins issuing orders that expose injured teammates and prioritize a clear over their survival, while Franz's attempts to intervene repeatedly arrive too late. (Chapters 122–127)

After the other hunters die, Illich inspects Franz's statistics and admits that he engineered their deaths without entering the system's troll state. Franz is enraged, but he remembers Sungjin's warning about striking first and initially refuses the provocation. He questions Illich, assesses what his opponent can do, and commits to fighting only after Illich openly explains his method and boasts that no witnesses have survived. The decision still makes Franz a system-defined troll, yet it is deliberate resistance to calculated murder rather than a bid for rewards. (Chapters 127–129)

The duel tests both Franz's ability and his remaining flaws. His conductive blade threatens Illich through blocks, but snow drains its charge, while Illich's freezing axe and psychological feints numb Franz's leg and dismantle his defense. Franz delays his Chosen One request because pride tells him he should win alone, then honestly admits that delay when Sungjin arrives. Even after being wounded, he stays alert enough to throw his greatsword through Illich and stop a concealed dagger attack against Sungjin. (Chapters 129–133)

Franz survives because he eventually asks for help, not because his independent choices are erased by the rescue. He has recognized the betrayal, resisted manipulation long enough to establish Illich's intent, fought a stronger tactical opponent, and intervened in the final ambush. Afterward he accepts responsibility without inventing excuses, clears the remaining dimension with Sungjin, and receives Adjudicator. The episode tempers his justice with evidence and restraint while preserving the moral force that made him confront Illich at all. (Chapters 131–133)

Alliance swordsman

Franz responds to the Frostplains by developing rather than withdrawing. At a later spar, he combines Electro with the greatsword so that even a successful block shocks Sungjin, predicts aerial evasions, and unveils Illusion to create pressure from several directions. His early clone control is imperfect, but he uses the new spell well enough to land the wagered touch before Time Reversal changes the result, showing that he has begun converting the Chosen One's unused magical statistics into a personal spellblade style. (Chapters 138–139)

In separate raids, Franz increasingly functions as an ace whom other hunters can follow. He and his parties clear later bosses and hidden objectives, he works with a crossbowman to bring down wyverns, and he offers Sungjin a Legendary helmet he believes might improve his protection. At Ninety Nine Nights he welcomes incoming allies, helps expand the dinner table, and deliberately revives a tense gathering by talking about humanity's rescue and the lives the survivors might build afterward. (Chapters 140, 143, 148–149, 166, 177)

Franz's friendly rivalry with Watanabe Hiroaki intensifies his desire to grow, but it also draws him further into the alliance's social life. He argues that his shared raid, sparring, and instruction make him Sungjin's more established student, then helps welcome Hiroaki once the younger swordsman joins. The competition remains playful rather than divisive and gives Franz a reason to seek improvement beyond the raw recognition he once associated with strength. (Chapters 177–179)

His final supplied raid gives him an independent leadership decision with imperfect consequences. Paired with Serin Han, Franz helps defeat the normal boss, proposes pursuing the hidden boss, listens when the other hunters express fear, and wins their consent by arguing that two Chosen Ones can carry the risk. The group follows his process for obtaining the clue, but Beatrice's dream later traps him and requires rescue. Franz is therefore a genuine party leader by Chapter 180, though not an infallible one. (Chapters 179–180)

Power progression

Relationships

• Sungjin: Franz begins by attacking Sungjin as an apparent troll, then revises his judgment after shared rewards and combat. Their relationship develops into frank loyalty: Sungjin values his honesty, teaches him to slow his anger, rescues him from Illich, and spars with him, while Franz shares resources, seeks improvement, and intervenes when Sungjin faces Illich's hidden dagger. (Chapters 82–93, 114, 121, 128–139, 149, 177)

• Illich: Franz first sees Illich as a near-ideal recruit whose command and strength could improve the Chosen Ones. That admiration makes the discovery of Illich's deliberate sacrifices more severe. Franz resists immediate provocation, challenges him once the pattern is confessed, and survives a duel in which Illich turns superior environmental knowledge and psychological analysis against him. (Chapters 122–133)

• Edwin: Edwin is the Hoplite who fights beside Franz in the Ivory Tower. The Terrible Chimera tears off his arm and throws him from the tower, and Franz's cry reveals his name. Franz mourns him and treats the death as evidence of his own insufficient strength, a response that helps reveal the conscience beneath his combative first impression. (Chapters 80–86)

• Serin Han: Serin and Franz meet at the first group breakfast and later fight together in the City of the Crimson Moon. Her disciplined aggression impresses him, while his confidence persuades her to support a hidden-boss attempt. Their partnership clears the normal boss and organizes the party, though Serin ultimately has to call Sungjin when Franz falls into Beatrice's dream. (Chapters 121, 135–149, 179–180)

• Nada: Nada is a fellow early Chosen One with whom Franz shares briefings and meals. By the last supplied raid, Beatrice's desire illusion exposes his attraction to her, leaving him embarrassed when Serin witnesses the aftermath. The corpus does not establish that Nada reciprocates those feelings. (Chapters 121, 135–149, 166, 179–180)

• Watanabe Hiroaki: Hiroaki's enthusiastic claim to be Sungjin's apprentice provokes a friendly rivalry. Franz counters with the time he has spent fighting and sparring with Sungjin, while Hiroaki demands his own training. Franz then helps welcome him at Ninety Nine Nights, and their competition becomes motivation rather than a fracture in the alliance. (Chapters 177–179)

Skills and abilities

Two-handed swordsmanship. Franz combines heavy force with flowing rotations, changing leverage instead of contesting every block directly. He can chain broad cuts, recover through spins, use Wind Slicer at range, defend reactively against axes and shields, and sever large monsters with his greatsword. His technique is strong enough to surprise Sungjin and make Franz the principal close-range fighter in many separate parties. (Chapters 82–85, 122–133, 138–140, 148, 179)

Electro. Franz's conductive gloves channel electricity into his greatsword, attracting magical lightning and letting current pass through an opponent's block. The technique makes defense costly and can paralyze an enemy holding metal equipment, but it is highly sensitive to terrain: snow or water disperses the charge, and careless handling could shock Franz himself. (Chapters 85, 129–130, 133, 138, 140)

Illusion. After Sungjin encourages the physical specialists to use their bonus magical statistics, Franz learns a spell that creates visually identical copies. He uses the duplicates for multi-angle pressure and initially fools Sungjin, but poor coordination allows illusions to collide and vanish. The technique is promising rather than mastered, showing an active effort to broaden his style beyond Strength and Dexterity. (Chapters 121, 138–139)

Chosen One. The title grants Franz twenty percent of Sungjin's statistics while active and permits one daily request for the Chooser's teleportation. It expands neglected Magic Power and Mind Power enough to support spellblade training, but it does not make Franz invulnerable or replace judgment; Illich can still defeat him, and a request can arrive late if Franz's pride delays it. (Chapters 86–93, 121–139)

Party leadership and moral judgment. Franz shares raid intelligence, proposes formations and hidden objectives, rallies hesitant hunters, and leads through visible participation rather than distance. His justice remains emotionally charged, but the Illich confrontation teaches him to test intent, account for system rules, and seek help before defeat becomes death. Later leadership remains fallible, yet it is recognizably his own rather than a command relayed from Sungjin. (Chapters 118–133, 140–149, 166, 179–180)

Equipment

• Franz's Greatsword: Franz's defining weapon is a large two-handed sword used for powerful combinations, Wind Slicer, defensive leverage, and Electro-enhanced attacks. He can also throw it accurately enough to pierce Illich and interrupt a lethal ambush. (Chapters 82–85, 122–140, 148, 179–180)

• Electro: These conductive gloves induce lightning in Franz's greatsword and allow the charge to damage through blocks. Their interaction with metal is a major tactical advantage, while snow and water can drain the electricity or redirect it dangerously. (Chapters 129–130, 133, 138, 140)

• Heart of Gold: Franz buys this ring himself when he learns that accepting the Reign burden will reduce future coin income. Its bonus offsets that reduction, allowing him to share the cost of expanding the Chosen Ones without surrendering his long-term resource growth. (Chapter 93)

• Arakadon, Kh'rot's Helm: Franz owns this Legendary helmet, which reduces magical damage and can summon ten armored lizardmen through King's Campaign. He offers it to Sungjin after deciding it may be more protective and visually suitable than the skull helm, but keeps it when Sungjin declines. (Chapter 149)