I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 74: Beyond the Walls (1)

[Level has increased.]

[Level has increased.]

[Black Thunder Twelve Techniques: Black Sun acquired.]

“Leveling up, huh.”

After confirming the message on the status window, Yoo Seong immediately checked the “Black Sun” ability and let out a wry smile.

[Black Thunder Twelve Techniques: Black Sun]
Insufficient level.
Insufficient stamina.
Insufficient magic power.

“As expected.”

The only reason Yoo Seong had been able to use “Black Sun” was that the power of Black Knight 09, the master of the black wolves, had combined with the power of the Holy King.

Given his current state without the support of Kay’s chivalry, it was natural that Yoo Seong himself could not use it.

‘But still…’

He had seen the path.

The duel with Kay had become an experience etched deeply into Yoo Seong’s body and soul.

That was enough.

It was a power he would obtain in the near future, and this encounter had brought him closer to that future.

Clenching his fist tightly, Yoo Seong dismissed the status window.

Beyond the slowly dissipating mist, a familiar face—or rather, figure—emerged.

“Oh, Successor.”

A giant over 2.3 meters tall was a rare sight.

Hector, approaching with his usual hearty laughter, was greeted with a smile by Yoo Seong, who welcomed him warmly.

“Did you meet Sir Kay?”

“Yes, I did. He’s as lively as ever, past or present.”

It wasn’t strange for Hector and the other knights of Yoo Seong to know Kay, as they were all souls from Camelot.

“So, did you also experience Sir Kay’s chivalry?”

“Chivalry? No, not really. We just exchanged a few words and sparred lightly.”

Chuckling, Hector stroked his chin and asked, “Did you experience Kay’s chivalry, Successor?”

Sir Kay’s stage three chivalry, Storyteller’s Night.

When Yoo Seong nodded and explained his encounter with Kay, Hector clapped lightly in admiration.

“That’s incredible. It must have been an amazing experience. Congratulations on your achievement as well.”

It was not mere flattery but genuine admiration.

After all, experiencing a future, stronger version of oneself through Kay’s chivalry was indeed a rare and invaluable event.

Around that moment, another figure emerged from the mist.

“Kate?”

Holding her temples with a grimace, Kate raised her head at Yoo Seong’s call.

“Successor.”

“Did you return safely? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

When asked with concern, Kate smiled warmly as if to dispel his worries, but only briefly.

Soon, her brow furrowed again as she spoke.

“Yes, I’m fine… It’s just that my head hurts a bit.”

It seemed more like a mental blow than a physical injury.

Seeing her look more fatigued than usual, Hector chuckled knowingly and said with a mischievous expression, “Looks like the nag got a taste of her own medicine. And a hefty dose at that.”

At Hector’s words, Kate immediately shot him a sharp glare but didn’t bother refuting him.

‘Wait, seriously?’

Headache caused by Kay’s nagging?

As Yoo Seong unconsciously wore an incredulous expression, Kate, blushing slightly with embarrassment, offered an excuse.

“I’ve always found that man gives me a headache. He’s just so endlessly talkative…”

It seemed they were naturally incompatible.

However, Kate pursed her lips a few times before speaking in a slightly softer tone.

“Still…he was helpful, as always. He’s not entirely wrong about everything, after all.”

At her words, Hector laughed again, while Yoo Seong recalled an old memory.

When he first summoned Vanadain.

Kate had expressed disapproval of Vanadain’s casual tone with Yoo Seong but acknowledged his skills—wearing that exact same expression.

After Kate, Diana and Roland appeared.

Diana was as taciturn as ever, while Roland spoke about an enjoyable sparring session.

Finally, Vanadain arrived among the knights.

“Did you meet Sir Kay too, Vanadain?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, Vanadain’s expression turned slightly complicated before he nodded.

‘What happened there?’

Judging by his demeanor, it didn’t seem like he sparred, unlike Hector or Roland.

“Vanadain, did Sir Kay say something to you?”

Hector, ever direct, asked outright. Vanadain furrowed his brow but shook his head.

“We didn’t talk much. He said he didn’t have much to tell me, other than that I was already prepared.”

“Prepared for what?”

“That’s all he said.”

Already prepared.

What kind of preparation was he referring to?

Though unclear, Yoo Seong couldn’t dismiss Kay’s words as nonsense.

Despite being noisy and talkative, Kay was not someone who spouted meaningless words.

After the knights, Jillian arrived.

She mentioned chatting casually with Sir Kay and seemed quite satisfied, judging by her expression.

‘Looks like Sir Kay showered her with compliments.’

Jillian had always been vulnerable to praise, even overtly expressed.

“But, Successor, hasn’t Rene arrived yet?”

“No, not yet,” Yoo Seong replied to Jillian’s question, looking worried.

Though he trusted Rene to manage on her own, her absence still left him uneasy.

As if his concerns were misplaced, Rene appeared through the mist right after their conversation.

“Rene!”

“Ah! Successor!”

Rene, raising her hand with a bright smile, ran over energetically.

Seeing her cheerful and lively demeanor, Yoo Seong felt his worries had been unfounded.

“Did you meet Sir Kay too, Rene?”

“Sir Kay? You mean the Sir Kay from the Round Table?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, Rene exclaimed in surprise.

“Uh, yes…”

“Wow! The legendary Round Table knight! Robin would lose it if she heard!”

Judging by her excitement, she seemed not to have met Kay at all.

When Yoo Seong remained silent, puzzled, Rene looked around at the others, confirming their expressions, and became teary-eyed.

“Wait, does this mean everyone except me met Sir Kay?”

When everyone responded with their expressions, Rene let out a dramatic gasp and pursed her lips.

Jillian asked Rene, “Then, who did you meet, Rene?”

“Me?”

“Yes, if you didn’t meet Sir Kay, who was it?”

At Jillian’s question, Rene blinked and tilted her head, as if searching her memory.

“Uh… who was it? I feel like I met someone, but I can’t remember. It just felt so warm and comforting… like waking from a wonderful dream.”

Her uncertain response left everyone looking worried.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

When Yoo Seong asked on behalf of the group, Rene smiled brightly, flexing her arm as if to display nonexistent muscles.

“Of course! I feel even better than usual!”

It wasn’t just words—her entire body seemed brimming with energy.

Oddly, her magic felt more refined as well.

Kate, observing Rene intently, spoke up.

“Perhaps Rene is a special case. She is the King’s Magician, after all.”

It was a plausible thought.

The violet barrier surrounding the castle had been created by Merlin, Arthur’s magician, and Morgana, the witch of chaos.

If present-day King’s Magician Rene had a unique experience, it wouldn’t be surprising.

‘But the fact that she doesn’t remember who she met…’

If following conventional logic, it was likely Merlin.

But there was no way to be sure.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her.’

Even the status window showed no significant changes, aside from a slight increase in her maximum magic capacity—not drastic enough to raise alarm.

Though the matter was concerning, there seemed to be no immediate solution.

Since Rene herself described the experience as pleasant, Yoo Seong decided to let it go for now.

[Exploration complete.]

As the group gathered, the message of light signified the completion of the expedition.

Just as before, the surroundings began to change, revealing what had been concealed by the mist.

“Wow.”

“Huh?”

“Amazing.”

The reactions, in order, came from Yoo Seong, Jillian, and Rene, for a simple reason.

Unlike previous expeditions that revealed buildings, this time it revealed a unit.

A company of massive ballistae capable of firing bolts larger than a person, accompanied by nine soldiers.

Even at a glance, it was evident that this siege engine unit possessed incredible power, brightening the expressions of not only Yoo Seong but also the knights.

‘There don’t seem to be any knights, but even this is quite something.’

Recalling his past dilemma of whether to upgrade Vanadain’s unit to an elf or engineer unit, Yoo Seong broke into a wide smile.

“I am Rando, master of the ballista unit. I greet the successor of light.”

A man with sharp eyes, barely hidden even behind his glasses, stepped forward.

“I’m Yoo Seong. Welcome to the group.”

“It is an honor.”

As Rando respectfully bowed to Yoo Seong, Kate smiled warmly with satisfaction, while Hector chuckled and inspected the key pieces of the ballista unit: the ballistae themselves.

“These are some impressive weapons.”

“I can sense magic, too.”

At Rene’s comment, Rando flashed a satisfied smile and pointed at the ballistae as he explained.

“They are masterpieces of Camelot’s magitech engineering. They can fire a variety of magical bolts and can even launch scattershot to attack multiple enemies.”

“Whoa…”

Though Yoo Seong couldn’t quite grasp how a ballista could shoot scattershot, it was probably true if Rando said so.

‘If we get more of these, they’ll be invaluable.’

They would surely prove useful in battles against massive beasts and against hordes of enemies employing swarm tactics.

As the knights, as well as Rene and Jillian, examined the ballistae with growing interest, Rando’s face radiated pride.

“Hmph.”

One person, however, wore a sour expression.

Vanadain, for some reason, didn’t seem interested in the ballistae but was instead scanning elsewhere, his face turning serious.

“Successor. The ballistae aren’t all there is.”

“Huh?”

Turning to follow Vanadain’s gaze, Yoo Seong quickly realized what he was referring to.

Two objects were floating a short distance away.

One was a thin book.

When Yoo Seong reached out to touch its cover, the book dissolved into particles of light and was absorbed into his hand.

[You have acquired a Tactical Manual.]

[The maximum number of units you can summon has increased by 1.]

Hearing the clear voice that followed the glowing message, Yoo Seong clenched his fist, and Rene let out an ecstatic squeal.

Finally,

At long last.

The number of units he could summon had increased.

From now on, he could summon four units instead of three!

“Rene!”

“Successor!”

“Rene!”

“Successor!”

Yoo Seong and Rene embraced tightly, spinning in circles with joy as they held hands.

The others, unable to read the system messages, looked puzzled, wondering about the sudden outburst. But after Yoo Seong explained, they shared in the joy.

Increasing the number of units he could summon from three to four meant a straightforward power increase of over 30%. It was an extraordinary boost in strength.

And yet, there was more.

One more relic still floated in the air.

A relic likely belonging to a Knight of the Round Table.

Even amidst the collective excitement over the increased unit summon limit, Vanadain remained focused solely on the relic. As Yoo Seong approached it, he steadied his breath and looked directly ahead.

Suspended in midair was a bow and Yoo Seong slowly reached out toward it.