I Became the Dark Knight in the Game

Chapter 19: The Servant (2)

Its a fu*king monster!

Harkin was startled and he instinctively moved to strike with his shield.

Dale stretched out his hand and grabbed the shield, then asked the dwarf.

Im sure your heart has stopped beating.

Seemingly too weak to even flutter his eyelids, the dwarf with closed eyes replied with difficulty.

Ive picked up various tricks in order to survive. Like making the heart beat extremely slowly for a short time. Who are you people? Have I finally gone mad and started seeing hallucinations, or is it some deception magic from that demons servant?

We were sent by Garland.

When he heard Dales response, the dwarf closed his mouth for a moment, then opened it again.

Thats So unexpected. Its such a favorable situation; it almost seems like its not deception magic.

Although the dwarf suffered from all kinds of torture, there seemed to be no problem with his mind.

There was even a sense of ease in his voice.

Dale found himself interested in the dwarf.

Whats your name?

Balton. Balton, son of Briggs.

Alright, Balton. How do you feel?

Hmm. To be honest, I feel like Im dying. Its not an exaggeration; I think Id die if I lose any more blood.

Dale glanced at Esther, and without a word, the latter nodded her head and sprinkled holy water on Balton.

She then quietly recited a prayer.

A halo of white light surrounded the dwarfs body.

And with that, his wounds began to heal rapidly.

Well, I wonder if its alright to waste holy water and miracles like this when were getting into a dangerous battle.

Harkin grumbled, but no one paid him any mind.

As his body healed somewhat, Baltons expression became much more relaxed.

Balton struggled to turn his head towards Dale. His eyes remained closed as he asked.

Do you know what happened to the other mercenaries?

Theyre all dead. Were they your companions?

Balton immediately denied it.

Ha! That cant be! It was a hastily formed party at the time. Just a bunch of fools, really. When the demons servant was about to torture them and tried to win them over, they all caved before the knife even touched their skin. All four of them. Thanks to that, I had to endure intensive torture. Damned fools.

Dale asked with genuine curiosity,

You managed not to fall for it. That must have been tough.

Dont underestimate the mental strength of us dwarves. This is nothing for us. Besides, falling for a demon would mean getting my skull cracked open by my ancestors in the afterlife. How could I give in?

Pride and stubbornness were characteristic traits of the dwarven race.

Both were evident in Baltons words.

The stubbornness to resist persuasion, the pride of being a dwarf.

By now, the emergency treatment was complete.

There would be some scars left but his life was no longer in danger.

It was time to confront the demons servant.

Dale asked him before leaving.

Balton, do you know what kind of magic the demons servant used?

Well, Im not sure. Other than the typical demonic deception and mastery of intense flames, I dont know. After trying to win us over once, it didnt come back Wait. Youre not saying youre going to kill that bastard right now, are you?

It seems we must.

Value your life! The three of you are not enough to handle that thing Ugh.

Surprised, Balton struggled to open his eyes. Only then did he take in the identity of the benefactor who had helped him.

Balton froze for a moment and muttered to himself.

I was wondering why my body was trembling. Never in my dreams did I think a dark knight would come to my aid.

Theres no harm in helping.

True, but damn it. Am I still dreaming?

Having set out on an investigation, he encountered the demons servant and was then captured, thinking he was dead, only to be rescued by a team led by a dark knight himself.

One unbelievable event after another had left his head throbbing.

Anyway, it doesnt look like youre going to run away just because I tell you to.

If that was the case, I wouldnt have come this far.

Balton sighed and said.

Is my backpack around here somewhere?

Harkin picked up a green backpack lying on the ground. The backpack was stained with blood.

You mean this?

Yes, thats it. Luckily, the servant didnt pay any attention to it. There should be a fist-sized box in the front pocket.

Harkin did as he was told and searched his backpack. In the front pocket, as Balton had said, was a fist-sized box that was surprisingly heavy for its size.

Harkin turned the box over in his hands.

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There was a finger-sized hole on the front and a button on top, but he couldnt figure out what it was for.

Harkin murmured.

What the hell is this?

My masterpiece. Press the button on top and daggers will come flying out of the hole. They have the power to pierce through iron if shot at close range. Please, make a hole in that bastards head with it.

Harkin handed the box over to Dale. The latter examined the box and then said,

If its as powerful as you say, it must be quite expensive.

Expensive or not. If you die, Im as good as dead too. Make good use of it.

What good was hoarding possessions if you were going to die anyway?

Dale appreciated Baltons pragmatic way of thinking.

Use this, Harkin.

Ah, alright then.

You only have one shot, so use it wisely.

Lets go.

As Dale turned away, Harkin followed suit.

Esther nodded her head.

Ill be back soon.

I hope so. I need to get some sleep.

Balton closed his eyes.

Once Esther had left, the room was engulfed in silence once again.

Balton, who could not bear the silence, deliberately muttered out loud.

Shit. Im afraid it wouldve been all a dream when I open my eyes.

***

The three walked down the corridor.

At long last, they saw the end of the seemingly endless corridor.

A tightly shut iron door.

It was clear that something awaited them on the other side of the door.

Harkin and Esthers steps gradually slowed down. As the fight drew near, the resolve they had mustered began to falter.

Dale glanced back at them briefly.

Unlike the other two, Dale showed no hesitation as he placed his palm against the iron door.

Creak

The door was easily pushed open, revealing the room inside.

In the center of the spacious square room was a square altar.

And a black long sword was stuck in the altar.

Beside the sword, there was a female mage who was constantly murmuring stuff in an unknown language with her hand on the blade.

As the door opened, the mage turned her head with an annoyed look on her face.

I clearly warned you not to disturb me, but it seems you didnt understand Ugh!

Without any hesitation, Dale rushed forward and thrust his longsword.

Caught off guard by the surprise attack, the mage reacted too late.

The longsword deeply pierced the mages shoulder. However, Dale tilted his head in confusion.

Why isnt she being knocked back?

He had expected the mages frail body to be thrown by the force of the blow.

But, to his surprise, the mages body didnt budge at all.

It felt as if a heavy rock stood in her place.

The mage herself looked at Dale with disbelief.

Even in a world gone mad, which kingdoms manners dictate stabbing without a word of conversation?

When did demons servants care about manners?

Upon hearing this, she had nothing to say in response.

A brief awkward silence hovered between them.

The mage then pushed Dale away with great strength.

There was more strength in her push than he had expected and Dale stumbled backward.

She frowned as she looked at him. Except for her eyes, which were hardened like jewels and glowed red, she was a woman of ordinary beauty.

However, the ruby-like red jewels in her eyes flickered once and her ordinary appearance vanished, replaced by a mysterious and enchanting aura

The mage asked,

First, let me ask. My minions and slaves were guarding this place. How did you manage to get past them?

Are you really asking because you dont know?

At Dales response, the mages brow furrowed.

So, you killed them all. Strange. No matter how dim-witted they were, their numbers were not insignificant.

Her red eyes emitted a light.

The light emitted from her eyes slowly swept over Dale and his companions. Harkin and Estel recoiled as they felt a creepy sensation like insects crawling on their skin all over their body.

The mage muttered,

The fool in the back and the harlot who willingly became a slave of light are insignificant. But, you, the hald-undead who follows the darkness

Her eyes sparkled with interest.

My, what an unusual soul. You what are you? How did you come to be in such a form

Dale frowned.

He found the mages penchant for talking about things only I know and showing off to be extremely irritating.

Dale adjusted his grip on the longsword and said,

Explain so I can understand. Stop talking about things only you know.

H ha! What luck has come upon me! By capturing this scoundrel and offering him and this sword to my master, I could become an apostle!

No, I said explain.

The mage looked this way and smirked. It was a smile with a mysterious charm that captivated people.

Simply put, Im going to kill you.

Dale nodded his head.

Right. Now I understand.

The female mage spread her arms wide and exclaimed.

Filthy undead! I am Hasina, servant of Arghul, the 19th-ranked demon, the one who ascends through the starry seas! The apostle who serves Arghul the Annihilator! Remember the name of the one who will kill you!

Hasinas eyes flickered rapidly. At the same time, her body began to undergo a bizarre transformation.

Scales appeared on her skin and hardened like a rock; her legs split and bent into six tentacle-like appendages that looked like the legs of an octopus.

The suckers on the tentacles pulsated ceaselessly.

It was evident from her appearance alone.

She was on a completely different level from those Dale had encountered before.

Hasina continued to undergo her metamorphosis, becoming more and more detached from her human self.

But Dale was not the kind of honorable person to wait for an opponents transformation to be complete.

He rushed forward swiftly and struck down with his longsword.

Hasina forcefully swung her tentacles.

Clang!

The tentacles clashed with the blade. Surprisingly, it was the longsword that couldnt withstand the impact.

Cracks appeared along the blade of the longsword.

Broken again.

Dale tossed his longsword aside and picked up the warhammer.

As he did so, he quickly sifted through his memories.

There were quite a few useful pieces of information remaining.

Arghul the annihilator. A demon that twists the bodies of its servants to grant them strong physiques. The magic it uses is crude, but I remember it being incredibly tenacious.

Arghul was not a demon a mage would typically choose as a master.

Arghul favored physical strength, whereas most mages were lacking in physical power.

Was Hasina the type who preferred direct action?

Or had she attached herself to a relatively unpopular demon to seek an opportunity?

It was unclear.

Dale simply swung his warhammer.

Bang!

The warhammer swung with astonishing speed. Its pointed end struck Hasinas rock-like skin.

A couple of scales fell off with a clatter.

Kyaaak!

Despite her monstrous appearance, Hasina let out a very human-like scream as she whipped her tentacles like a whip.

It was a blow that carried all of her strength and weight.

Moreover, if those wriggling suckers made contact with his body, even Dale would be in trouble.

Dale quickly took two steps back, maintaining his distance while looking for an opening.

Hasina shouted,

Whats the matter! Where has your initial fervor gone? Scared, even though youre an undead?

Hasinas tentacles touched the ground and the suckers attached to the flagstones.

When she exerted force on the tentacles, the flagstones were lifted with ease. Hasina then hurled them indiscriminately.

Thats annoying.

Dale, who was dodging the flagstones, was starting to feel annoyed.

Above all, he wanted to shut up that babbling mage first.

Dale quickly grabbed a flagstone flying towards him.

Its hefty weight was transmitted to his hands. Instead of stopping the flagstone, Dale used its momentum.

He used the incoming force to spin his body dramatically.

Dale completed a full rotation.

The flagstone hadnt lost its momentum yet. Dale added his own strength to it.

The flagstone returned to its origin with even more ferocious speed than before.

Hasina, who was preparing for her next throw, hurriedly moved her tentacles to protect her head.

Bang!

A thunderous noise that was far too loud to be merely the sound of a stone breaking rang out.

The smashed flagstone scattered in all directions.

Even for a demons servant, such attack must have been quite painful. Hasina momentarily froze in her place.

But she soon realized her mistake and quickly raised her head.

Dale was already upon her. The hand axe in his left hand buried itself in Hasinas head.

Crunch!

Due to her tough skin, the hand axe didnt penetrate the brain.

But the splatter of green blood confirmed there was an impact.

Before Hasina could scream, Dale wrapped his right arm around her neck. With his other arm, he reached under Hasinas armpit and crossed his hands in a triangular shape.

Hasina was firmly restrained and she panicked.

Dales strength was greater than she had expected.

Moreover, the direction of his strength application was ingenious.

Even when she used all six of her tentacles, she couldnt immediately free herself.

But on the other hand, Dale also couldnt wield his weapon.

Though he was tightly choking her, a demons servant wasnt the kind to die from mere suffocation.

Hasina let out a deflated sound and exclaimed,

Geh! Wh-what kind of trick is this!

Just felt like you were focusing too much on me.

What?

Harkin!

In that instant, Harkin, who had stealthily approached, stretched out his arm forcefully.

Hasina quickly glanced at his hand.

She was expecting a sharp weapon, but she was surprised to see it wasnt.

In his hand was a small box.

Hasina couldnt fathom Harkins intention, causing her reaction to be delayed.

Harkin pressed the box against Hasinas temple.

And she shouted.

What is this!

A gift from this fool to you, little bit*h.

Harkin pressed the button.

Tick, tick. The sounds of a winding clockwork and an expanding spring echoed.

Then, in the next instant, Boom! With a loud sound, Harkin was pushed backward.

Whoa.

The impact in his hands was greater than he had anticipated. Harkin quickly looked down at the box.

The box that had served his purpose was already broken.

Harkin then raised his head to scrutinize Hasina.

He burst into a cheer.

It worked!

A hole had been pierced in her solid temple. It was a large hole, big enough to see through to the other side of her head.

Sticky blood dripped from the hole.

Hasina, with eyes wide open, stared back at him.

You

Yeah, yeah. Remember well. Sir Dale and the great Harkin. The names of those who defeated you!

Dale, annoyed by Harkins gloating, was about to tell him to stop and back off just in case.

But by then, it was already too late.

Hasinas expression had already regained its composure. Her jewel-like eyes blinked once.

As they did, the flesh around the hole in her head astonishingly began to fill in rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, it had completely healed.

Hasina said with a smug look on her face.

You dont seriously believe this was the extent of my preparations, do you?

Indeed, it just seemed too easy.