I Became the Dark Knight in the Game
Chapter 2: Dark Knight Dale (2)

The dark knight was an unstable being, existing on the border between the undead and the living.

In the heart of this half-undead knight, human emotions coexisted with undead instincts.

At times, these two forces clashed within him.

Perhaps that’s why, in the game, the character would sometimes defy the player’s commands and act on its own.

This was one of the reasons Dale never chose the dark knight class despite its powerful abilities.

So imagine how frustrated Dale felt when he first found himself inhabiting this body.

“……”

Dale habitually placed his hand on his chest. He felt no heartbeat.

When he became a dark knight, Dale’s heart stopped beating.

But this new form wasn’t all that bad.

First of all, he never tired. And he didn’t necessarily need sleep or food.

He just needed to replenish his energy at the right time, much like filling a car with gasoline.

Dale walked ahead while carrying a backpack larger than most.

Harkin, a mercenary with notably curly brown hair was walking alongside him before he expressed his admiration.

“Wow. You’re carrying others’ loads without breaking a sweat. Being half-undead must give you some extraordinary physical abilities.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm, maybe I should seriously consider becoming a dark knight. The Night Goddess doesn’t discriminate against anyone, I heard.”

Harkin said this in a joking manner. Dale glanced at him and responded in a stiff voice.

“I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not exactly a pleasant body to have.”

“Hahaha! I was just joking. I’ve heard that dark knights have dulled senses. So, that means, well, you wouldn’t feel anything even during… you know.”

Harkin then made a gesture with his left hand, curling it into a circle and moving his index finger in and out.

“Right? Life’s all about enjoying, isn’t it? If you can’t feel anything even when embracing a woman, what’s the point of living? Right… uh, ahem.”

Harkin hastily ended his sentence with a cough.

When he thought about it, he realized it might not be an appropriate topic for Dale. However, Dale didn’t seem to get angry.

More precisely, he appeared indifferent to whatever Harkin said.

Feeling awkward, Harkin scratched his head and continued.

“Anyway, now that we’re together, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Harkin, son of Gollen. Quill, whom you saw earlier, was a good buddy of mine, and uh… oh yeah, I’m an iron plate mercenary and a grade 2 shieldman.”

Grade. In game terms, it was like a level.

Fight strong enemies, go to the temple, and raise your grade.

The world he was in worked by the same rules as the game he used to enjoy.

Grade 2 shieldman. Armed with chain mail and a round shield.

Dale nodded his head.

“You’ve worked on your character well.”

“Yes, I have. I’ve been working hard on… huh?”

“Dale. Grade 1. I am a dark knight.”

“Huh? You fight so well, and yet your grade is only one? Ah, but of course. You were originally a knight, so that’s not surprising.”

Harkin who was briefly taken aback soon smiled again. Regardless of his grade, Dale was strong.

Building a connection with him could prove beneficial in the future.

Harkin brought up various topics: the current lull in the front lines, the inner workings of the mercenary business, and scandals at the royal court.

Harkin knew a lot as a mercenary.

Dale just nodded along half-heartedly. Although he found it somewhat tedious to listen, he didn’t shut Harkin up as some of the information could be useful.

At that time, a sharp voice called out from behind them.

“Excuse me. Can we walk with you?”

Harkin turned around with an annoyed expression on his face. Behind him, the apprentice priestess was standing with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

Further back, about ten of the passengers who had survived the carriage accident were standing with pale faces. Every single one of them looked exhausted.

The apprentice priestess looked around at the people and said,

“These people don’t have the same stamina as you. Please give them some time.”

Harkin scowled in response.

“No. We’re already in a hurry. What time are you talking about? Do you want to camp outside with monsters roaming around?”

“But still… There are children and elderly people here. They need rest.”

The apprentice priestess’s voice trailed off towards the end. She too knew that she was asking for too much.

“Tsk.”

Harkin clicked his tongue and then spoke to Dale.

“Sir Dale, why don’t we just leave them behind? Do we really need to drag along these burdens?”

The apprentice priestess was shocked.

“How can you say that… Abandon the weak? Are you even human!”

“Hah. In a world where people abandon their own families for money, what does it matter?”

Harkin snorted and then turned to speak with Dale in a suggestive tone.

“What do you think of my suggestion? It doesn’t really concern you, does it?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Dale nodded without hesitation.

Honestly, he found himself empathizing more with Harkin’s opinion.

These were people he had never met before. What did their fate have to do with Dale?

There was no reason to take risks and lead these people around.

If he thought about it calmly, the right choice would be to leave them behind.

This was the instinct of the undead.

Yet another voice inside him spoke.

It argued that he couldn’t just leave them to die.

He needed to find a balance between these two opinions.

Dale approached the apprentice priestess. The latter took a step back with trembling legs.

She remembered how Dale had once covered her face in blood with a handkerchief.

Dale asked her,

“Your name was Esther, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t think we’re on friendly terms to call each other by our names, are we?”

“Esther. I will make you a suggestion.”

Esther swallowed dryly at Dale’s cold and almost mechanical voice.

After gathering her courage she asked him.

“What is it? Please speak.”

“Give me a reason to keep taking you guys with me.”

“A reason? Well…”

Esther was about to speak about human morality but then she closed her mouth.

She remembered who she was dealing with.

This was a dark knight who had forsaken not just morality but even his humanity.

Moreover, Dale had not asked for a reason but had said to ‘give’ one.

It’s a trade. He wants me to propose conditions that would satisfy him.

Esther twirled her platinum blonde hair around her finger; it was a habit she did when she was worrying.

Dale gazed blankly at the sky. The sun was setting behind the hills. Night would soon fall.

There wasn’t much time left.

Esther hurriedly racked her brain. Still, there weren’t many things that someone like Dale would want in the first place.

Money… Probably. That’s likely it.

Money held an equal value for everyone. Even if it was for a half-undead dark knight.

The real issue was her ability to pay.

Esther looked around. People with gaunt, shabby appearances gazed back at her.

It seemed unlikely that any of them had money.

The same was true for Esther who was an apprentice priestess. She had only enough to cover her basic living expenses.

After much deliberation, Esther finally spoke.

“I don’t have the means to pay you right now.”

“I see.”

Dale responded and was ready to turn away, but Esther quickly added.

“B-but, I promise to take responsibility and repay this debt.”

Harkin scoffed.

“And how do you plan to repay?”

“It’s not easy to say, but I am considered a promising talent in the temple. I’ll soon advance in rank. If you ever need the power of a priestess, I’ll be there to help. I swear it on my faith.”

“So you’re saying you’ll repay him with your body.”

“M-My body?!”

Harkin turned his gaze to Dale.

“What do you think, Sir Dale? She might be lying about being a promising priestess in her temple. You saw it yourself. She couldn’t even perform a miracle properly during battle.”

“…….”

Dale pondered over the situation.

Indeed, as Harkin had pointed out, Esther’s potential was uncertain.

There was no guarantee that she would become a competent priestess over time.

But,

Even a half-baked priestess is better than none for me.

One of the major penalties of choosing the dark knight profession was incurring the hostility of those who followed the light faith.

To receive help from priests or paladins, he would have to pay exorbitant fees.

The problem was that a priest was an essential member of any party. The presence of a priest or a priestess could make a major difference in terms of safety, even with the same level of power.

This was why the dark knight was known to be a notoriously difficult class in the game.

Playing the game without a priest was extremely difficult.

But what if I made Esther owe me?

Esther herself might not be of great help.

However, through her, he might be able to establish some connections with the Church of Light.

Dale made his decision.

“Did you say you swear on your faith?”

“…. Yes!”

Esther nodded with her eyes filled with determination.

Dale looked into those eyes.

Her blue eyes sparkled beautifully; this was a light that Dale could no longer produce.

Dale nodded his head.

“I accept your offer.”

“Hoo.”

Esther sighed in relief.

Surprisingly, Harkin did not question Dale’s decision.

“Well. Even if that apprentice priestess isn’t very useful, you can just make her pay with her body… Her face is pretty, and she has a nice figure. It’s very pleasing to the eyes.”

Harkin smirked sinisterly.

Esther covered her body with a displeased expression on her face.

Ignoring them both, Dale opened his mouth.

“We’ve rested enough. Let’s set off again.”

At Dale’s command, the people who had been sitting down slowly got up.

Harkin asked.

“So, Sir Dale. It seems like the sun will set if we continue this way, are we going to camp tonight?”

“No. We’ll keep moving.”

“Right. We hardly have enough people for a proper watch; camping would be difficult. We have to move, even if it’s hard.”

Dale led the people and resumed their march. Since he was leading many, the pace of the march inevitably slowed down.

Esther encouraged the people and worked hard to ensure that no one was left behind.

Regardless, Dale kept turning his head, focusing only on the forest that spread on either side.

Harkin asked with a worried face.

“Why are you looking around so much? It makes the others anxious, you know. It’s not even fully dark yet.”

Dale, still vigilant of his surroundings, muttered in a low voice.

“There were seven.”

“What?”

“The one-eyed monsters that first attacked us. There were seven of them.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“What are you talking about? There were clearly six, weren’t there?”

“One fled right after seeing its buddy killed.”

“Oh.”

Harkin’s eyes widened in shock. Dale asked calmly.

“Do you know anything about the behavior of eaters?”

“Huh? No, I don’t really…”

It was common knowledge in the game. This mercenary, who recently returned from the front lines, seemed unaware of such details.

Dale explained.

“They are sensitive to their territory and live in packs. Living in packs means there is an alpha. And they are fiercely loyal to each other. The others will definitely come for revenge.”

“Oh. Then that means…”

The eaters might still be pursuing them, led by their alpha.

The thought of the eaters was terrifying enough, let alone their leader.

Harkin felt a chill down his spine.

“But we’re still at a distance from them, right?”

“No. They’re very close now. I can feel it.”

The trait of a black knight, “Unholy Sensation”.

The sense of touch, pain, and taste become dull, but other senses become sensitive.

In particular, the newly developed sixth sense was extremely sensitive to killing intent, hostility, and the smell of blood.

Dale’s senses alerted him.

Enemies were nearby.

“Uh, Uhhh?”

A flustered Harkin hastily scanned his surroundings. The forest was peaceful. The people following them also looked bewildered, turning their gazes towards Harkin.

It was then that Harkin realized why Dale had spoken in a low voice.

“…This isn’t something we need to tell the others.”

“It would only cause confusion.”

“What will you do?”

“We’ll have to fight.”

“Can we win?”

“We have to.”

Harkin swallowed hard at Dale’s blunt words. It wasn’t about whether they could win; they had to win.

Clearly, they had no other choice.

If the enemy was already this close, fleeing was not an option.

All that was left was to wait for when the enemy would attack.

The two subtly slowed down to close the distance with their group.

In case of an attack, it was better to stay together and resist together rather than scatter.

Is there something going on between the two? Esther’s face was etched with anxiety as she clutched the symbol of the church that hung around her neck.

Time passed slowly in the silence. Finally, dusk fell.

Darkness descended around them.

Those who had prepared in advance began to light their torches one by one.

It was the moment when the light from the torches pushed back the darkness.

Sssssk!

Suddenly, something flew out of the darkness and coiled around the arm of a man holding a torch.

“What?”

The man struggled with all his might, but he couldn’t move. The tongue that had wrapped around his arm was trying to pull him in.

But Dale was quicker.

His longsword swung as fast as lightning and cut off the tongue.

Squelch!

“Kiyaaaa!”

Blood splattered. A scream of agony echoed through the forest.

The startled people hurriedly scanned their surroundings.

Dozens of pairs of sinister, glowing red eyes stared out from the darkness at them.

Esther’s face turned pale white.

“There are too many of them.”

But Dale was calm. He turned his head towards a creature in the darkness that was exuding a particularly strong aura.

And then he uttered shortly,

“Come at me quickly.”

A one-eyed monster, easily twice the size of the other creatures, slunk forward. The creature drooled as it eyed Dale.

It was presumably imagining how tasty the flesh of the one who had killed its kin would be.

Yet, Dale did not even blink. He mechanically lowered the visor of his helmet.

Soon, a blue glow began to emanate from the eyeholes of the helmet.

In the sky, a waning moon had risen.

The night belonged to the dark knight.

Sᴇarch the ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.