I Became the Dark Knight in the Game

Chapter 3: Dark Knight Dale (3)

The dark knight was a half-undead.

And, as with all undead, he was weakened by sunlight.

He wasnt exactly weakened; rather, he couldnt fully harness his power at such a time.

It was only on such a night, where even the moon was faint, that dark knights could unleash their full strength.

Dale stepped forward. Harkin asked in a tense voice.

Can you do it? Its bigger than I thought.

We have to.

The Great One-Eye. Ive faced it a few times in the game. Its definitely within my abilities.

Dale was always calm and collected. If he didnt think he could win the fight, he wouldnt even start it.

His calm demeanor spread to Harkin, easing his tension.

What should I do?

Hold out. And stay with Esther.

Co-come back quickly though; Im not confident.

Dale nodded his head, then he positioned himself in front of the great one-eye.

Dale aimed the tip of his longsword at the enemy.

It was a crude longsword, but the edge was sharp.

The Great One-Eye sneered as if amused upon seeing this. With its single eye curved slightly, it smirked and snickered.

Saliva dripped steadily from the creatures mouth.

The two glared at each other for a moment, then kicked the ground without any hesitation.

The Great One-Eye flew into the air above him and then lashed out with its long tongue like a whip.

Dale mechanically lowered his arm and swung her longsword. The blade dug into the Great One-Eyes thick tongue but failed to sever it.

The blade wasnt sharp enough.

Kiik!

The Great One was enraged by the pain radiating through its tongue.

It skillfully coiled its tongue and applied a strong force to the longsword.

Then, with a snap, the tip of the longsword broke off.

Dale gazed down at his broken longsword in dismay.

I was fond of that.

Dale threw away his longsword without hesitation and drew a hand axe from his holster at his waist.

He then charged at the Great One-Eye, rapidly closing the distance between them.

Its the tongue thats dangerous.

The One-Eye was a monster with an abnormally developed tongue. Its tongue was so strong that it could easily bend old metal.

Conversely, its other body parts were not as strong.

The key is to close in and prevent it from using its long tongue.

Dale faithfully executed the strategy in his mind.

He lunged at the Great One-Eye and swung his hand axe with lightning speed.

Thwack!

The axe buried itself in the creatures shoulder. Had it not turned its head at the last moment, the axe would have struck its head.

Kiiiik!

Startled, the Great One-Eye rapidly backpedaled on all fours. Dale was stronger than it had anticipated. It needed to create distance at all costs.

Dale relentlessly pursued it. After that, an unexpected game of tag unfolded.

The Great One-Eye was slightly faster, but it couldnt outlast the dark knight in stamina.

The victor of this chase was predetermined from the start.

The Great One-Eye knew this too.

The creature scurried away at full speed, desperately trying to put distance between them. Then, abruptly, it kicked off the ground and somersaulted in the air.

Its back and face rapidly switched places.

It had found the right distance and angle.

Now, it had the perfect conditions to use its tongue.

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The creature opened its maw wide and thrust its tongue like a spear.

Its speed was even faster than before. The Great One-Eye who sensed danger to its life had exerted all its strength.

Swish!

The flying tongue wrapped tightly around Dales right arm. Dale attempted to sever the tongue with his hand axe, but he failed.

The pressure on his right arm intensified.

Creak.

The armor wrapped around his arm began to crumple under the tongues grip. The elated Great One-Eye exerted even more force.

Dale grasped the tongue with his left hand and applied pressure, but his positioning was poor.

He couldnt apply enough force.

The Great One-Eye persistently twisted and coiled around his shoulder. Dales right arm began to bend at an increasingly unnatural angle.

Then, finally, with a crack! the armor shattered, and his right arm was torn off.

Blood splattered in all directions. It was cold blood. The Great One-Eye smirked triumphantly as if it was delighted by its victory.

But Dale remained calm.

With his right arm gone, he actually felt more liberated.

Dale picked up the piece of armor that had encased his right arm. The jagged edge, torn off forcibly, was exceedingly sharp. He stepped forward, closing the distance.

Dale thrust the sharp shard of metal into the gaping mouth of the Great One-Eye which was still rejoicing with its tongue out.

Ki-Kiiik!

The Great One-Eye, with the armor jammed in its throat, fell to the ground. And then the monster thrashed about wildly.

But Dale, who had mounted it, did not budge. He knew well how to balance his weight and exert pressure on his opponent.

Dale hammered his remaining fist into the armor stuck in the creatures maw like a mallet.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With each thunderous sound, the armor drove deeper into the monsters flesh.

Warm blood splattered in all directions.

Keeh

The resistance didnt last long. Draining too much blood, the creatures body gradually weakened.

Eventually, the light faded from the Great One-Eyes eye.

Dale spat out dismissively,

What a hassle.

Harkin and Esther, who had been watching the scene, murmured in shock.

How can someone fight so brutishly?

Is this the way of the dark knights

Even Harkin who was a skilled mercenary rarely witnessed such a savage fight. Only dark knights, numb to pain, could fight in such a brutal manner.

Having ended the Great One-Eyes life, Dale looked down at his own body.

His armor was dented, and his right arm was torn off.

A burning thirst welled up within him.

Thud!

Dale quickly inserted his gauntlet into the corpse of the Great One-Eye.

The gauntlet glowed with a reddish energy, and quickly, life force was absorbed from the monsters dead body.

Then a red line ran down the cross-section of his severed arm and shoulder. The lines stretched into hundreds of branches, neatly attaching the arm to the shoulder.

The same happened with his armor. To a dark knight, armor is as much a part of the body as his limbs.

With a creaking sound, the dented armor straightened and returned to its original state.

What a convenient body.

The ability to heal even severe wounds instantly by absorbing vitality was something he particularly appreciated.

After regaining his condition, Dale surveyed his surroundings.

The other One-Eyes were trembling as they looked at him. They felt terror towards Dale, who had single-handedly killed their leader.

Dale picked up a hand axe and walked towards them.

***

The moment the leader was killed, the outcome of the battle was effectively decided.

After a few more attempts at resistance, the One-Eyes eventually fled.

Harkin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

W,whew, I thought I was a goner for sure.

Harkin looked around with a pale face. The corpses of the One-Eyes, dried up like mummies, were scattered all around.

He knew that without Dale, they would not have escaped death.

There were casualties on their side as well.

Three people died while Dale was dealing with the Great One-Eye.

All of them were the weak and powerless.

But considering the strength of their attackers, the losses were minimal.

Esther performed the funeral rites for the deceased with sad eyes.

Harkin watched the scene for a moment and spoke to Dale.

You did well. To take down the Great One-Eye alone. Dark knights really are different, arent they?

Dale simply nodded his head without saying a word.

Harkin continued,

With your skills, its surprising I havent heard of Sir Dale before Where have you been active?

Ive never had a base.

Is that so? Then where are you traveling from?

Russell.

Russell. Russell. Russell.

Rolling the word around in his mouth several times, Harkin suddenly clapped his hands.

Ah, you came from the north. Its not too far from here. Did it take you about three weeks to get here?

One year.

What?

Harkin asked back with a puzzled look on his face.

What do you mean? It took you a year to cover a three-week distance?

I lost my way while following the path alone.

How on earth do you get lost on a road? Even a three-year-old child wouldnt

Dale abruptly raised his fist in a show for the other party to shut up.

Harkin didnt speak further.

Meanwhile, the funeral rites concluded. Esther sighed with an exhausted look on her face.

Her face was a mess with sweat.

Whew. Why did this have to happen?

Dale, who had quietly approached, asked,

Is it all over?

Yes its over.

Esther took a step back and hurriedly wiped her face with a cloth.

Before Dale could pull out another handkerchief.

Dale said after a brief pause.

Then well leave immediately. We dont want to attract any trouble because of the smell of blood.

Hearing this, the people with tired faces also quickly got up from their places.

However, the feared incident did not occur.

The scent of blood from the Great One-Eye was too intimidating for the weaker beasts to approach.

Dale strode forward confidently.

The forest path was dark at night, but the darkness posed no hindrance to a dark knight.

The people had to move briskly to keep up with Dales pace.

Before they knew it, the night had passed, and the faint light of dawn was approaching.

At that moment, they reached the end of the forest path.

Harkin, who was walking beside Dale, smiled.

Oh. Finally, we can see it.

The golden plains stretched out before them as the dawn began to break.

In the midst of the plains stood a towering city, surrounded by tall triple-layered walls that basked in the morning sunlight.

It was the second capital of the empire and one of the few remaining large cities of humanity. Moreover, it was the main stage of the game.

Dale recited the name of the city.

Irene.

It had taken a whole year to reach this point. Seeing the grandeur of the city firsthand, he felt a special kind of sentiment.

If only I hadnt lost my way, I would have arrived much earlier.

As Dale stood there, Harkin approached and asked,

Sir Dale, is this your first time in Irene? Prepare to be amazed. Its a thriving place that cannot be compared to other cities. Well, thats if you have the money to enjoy it.

Dale nodded and moved on.

The people following him quickened their steps, their faces brightening as they saw their destination.

***

As they got closer to the walls of the city, a slum filled with shabby houses appeared in their field of sight.

Not everyone could live within the safety of the city walls.

Ragged children gathered to beg, but they retreated hesitantly at the imposing aura Dale emitted.

Harkin who looked annoyed swung his shield through the air.

If you dont want to get beaten down, then scram. Were not here to be swindled by you lot.

It seemed that such incidents were quite frequent. Dale habitually reached for his money pouch.

Becoming a dark knight had made him lose many things, but habits from his previous life often surfaced.

When Dale scattered a few copper coins, the childrens eyes widened in surprise.

But soon, casting wary glances around, they hurriedly gathered the coins.

Harkin who was standing beside him was aghast and made a fuss.

Good heavens! Did you just scatter money? Why on earth would you do that?

Dale replied nonchalantly.

Just because.

But who just throws money around like that! And a dark knight giving alms to beggars, no less. If anyone heard, theyd think its as absurd as a dog eating grass.

Dogs are actually omnivores.

Oh. Is that so? But thats not the point, is it?

Harkin continued to vehemently argue why it was wrong to throw money at the children.

He explained that such children usually belonged to organized groups, and even if they earned money, it would all be taken from them.

In the end, he argued, Dale was only helping the ruffians prosper.

But Dale didnt care.

In the first place, the action wasnt carried out with a righteous heart or any other meaning like that.

It was just something that felt necessary at the moment.

From a short distance away, Esther overheard the conversation between the two of them. She looked at Dales back with a confused expression.

Meanwhile, Harkin raised his shield and glared furiously as if to ward off any other children who might approach them again.

Ironically, it was Dale who was scattering the money, yet Harkin reacted as if his own money was disappearing.

Thanks to this, they were able to reach the city gate without further incident.

At the city gate, two guards were leaning against the wall.

They appeared utterly bored and yawned widely as if the world itself was a nuisance.

However, their attitude changed dramatically upon seeing Dale.

One guard, with a tense expression, grabbed his spear and pointed it straight at Dales throat.

Stop right there!

Dale was taken aback by this intense reaction, so he responded.

I just want to enter the city.

Show something to prove your identity!

.

For Dale, who had been wandering for the past year, it was impossible he possessed anything to prove his identity.

But that didnt matter.

Without hesitation, Dale pulled out some money from his pocket and handed it over to the guard.

In games, this usually works to gain entry.

As it was his first time, he offered a generous amount of money.

However, the guards faces twisted in disgust upon seeing the money.

How dare this evil bastard try to bribe us with money?

?

Now that I look closer, theres something suspicious about you! Well send you straight to jail right now! We need to call a priest from the temple for an interrogation!

?

There was one major downside to being a dark knight in the game.

It could incur the hostility and disgust of those who follow the light.

And in this world, it was rare to find someone who did not adhere to the faith of light.

The guards, usually corrupt and lazy, had suddenly become diligent upon seeing Dale for this very reason.

Dale was frozen in disbelief at this absurd turn of events.

He had finally reached his destination, only to be potentially barred from entering the city.

Well, not exactly barred. He might actually enter, but

It looks like Ill be thrown into jail.

And once in jail, Dale would never see the light of day again.