I Became the Black Knight

The Black Knight is a half-undead.

And like all undead, he is weakened by sunlight.

No—rather than being weakened, it's more accurate to say he can't unleash his full strength.

Only on nights like this, when even the moon is faint, can a Black Knight exert his complete power.

Dale stepped forward.

Haken asked in a tense voice,

"C-Can you handle it? It's bigger than I thought…"

"I have to."

Dale thought to himself:

"Great One-Eye. I've faced it a few times in the game. It's manageable."

Dale was always calm and composed.

If it had been a fight he couldn't win, he wouldn't have started it.

That calmness spread to Haken as well, easing his nerves.

"What should I do?"

"Hold the line—with Estel."

"R-Right. Then go finish it quickly—I'm not that confident back here."

Nod.

Dale gave a slight nod and stepped in front of the Great One-Eye.

He pointed the tip of his longsword at the enemy.

It was a crude blade, but well-honed.

The Great One-Eye looked at him with disdain, curling its single eye into a mocking grin.

Drool dripped steadily from its mouth.

After a moment of silent tension, the two lunged at the same time.

The Great One-Eye leapt into the air, swinging its long tongue like a whip.

Dale responded mechanically, lowering his arm and slashing with his longsword.

The blade bit into the creature's thick tongue—but it didn't cut all the way through.

The edge wasn't sharp enough.

"Kiiiiiik!"

Enraged by the pain shooting through its tongue, the Great One-Eye twisted it skillfully around the blade and pulled hard.

Snap!

With a sharp sound, the tip of Dale's longsword broke off.

Dale looked down at the broken longsword in dismay.

"I liked that one…"

Without hesitation, he tossed the broken sword aside and pulled a hand axe from the holster at his waist.

Then, he charged straight at the Great One-Eye.

In an instant, the distance between them vanished.

"The tongue is the real threat."

The One-Eye was a monster with a grotesquely overdeveloped tongue.

Its tongue was strong enough to bend old iron with ease.

In contrast, the rest of its body wasn't nearly as tough.

"The key is to close the distance so it can't use that long tongue effectively."

Dale faithfully carried out the strategy he had in mind.

He closed in on the Great One-Eye and swung the hand axe like a flash of lightning.

Thud!

The axe sank into the creature's shoulder.

Had it not twisted its head at the last second, the blow would've landed right in its skull.

"Kiiieeekk!!"

The startled Great One-Eye quickly scurried backward on all fours.

Dale was stronger than it had expected. It had to create some distance—no matter what.

Dale chased immediately.

An unexpected game of tag unfolded.

The Great One-Eye was slightly faster.

But it couldn't outlast a Black Knight in stamina.

The winner of this chase had been decided from the start.

The Great One-Eye realized this too.

It scrambled at full speed to widen the gap, then suddenly—

It kicked off the ground and flipped in the air.

Its back and face switched positions in a blink.

The distance and angle were just right.

Everything was set to unleash its tongue.

It opened its mouth wide and shot its tongue forward like a spear.

It was even faster than before.

Sensing danger, the Great One-Eye had used its full strength.

Schlak!

The flying tongue wrapped tightly around Dale's right arm.

Dale tried to sever it with his hand axe—but failed.

The pressure on his arm grew steadily stronger.

Crack.

The shoulder plate of his armor, trapped in the coil of the tongue, began to bend inward.

The excited Great One-Eye tightened its grip even more.

Dale grabbed the tongue with his left hand and tried to pull, but his stance was poor.

He couldn't apply proper force.

The Great One-Eye relentlessly twisted and squeezed his shoulder.

Dale's right arm began to bend at a grotesque angle.

And then finally—

Crunch!

With a loud snap, the armor shattered and his right arm was torn off.

Blood splattered in every direction.

It was cold blood.

The Great One-Eye smiled with its single eye, drunk on the thrill of victory.

But Dale remained calm.

With his right arm ripped off, his body had become even more free to move.

Dale picked up the piece of armor that had once protected his right arm.

Since it had been torn off forcibly, its edge was jagged and razor-sharp.

He took a step forward, closing the distance.

Then, Dale shoved the sharp chunk of metal straight into the Great One-Eye's gaping mouth.

"K-Kiiik!"

With the armor lodged in its throat, the Great One-Eye collapsed to the ground, writhing violently.

But Dale, now straddling the creature, didn't budge an inch.

He knew how to pin down an opponent and hold his balance.

With his remaining fist, Dale began pounding on the armor jammed into its mouth like a hammer.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each thunderous strike drove the jagged metal deeper inside.

Warm blood sprayed everywhere.

"Kiiiii…"

The resistance didn't last long.

The Great One-Eye had lost too much blood—its strength drained rapidly.

Soon, the light faded from its single eye.

Dale muttered flatly,

"What a nuisance."

Haken and Estel, who had been watching from the sidelines, whispered in shock.

"W-What kind of lunatic fights like that…"

"That's… a Black Knight…"

Haken was a seasoned mercenary, but even he had rarely seen such a brutal, savage fight.

Only a Black Knight—dull to sensation and pain—could battle so recklessly.

Having finished off the Great One-Eye, Dale looked down at himself.

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

A burning thirst surged within him.

Shhk!

Dale quickly drove the gauntlet on his left hand into the corpse of the Great One-Eye.

A reddish energy began to pulse through the gauntlet, and life force was rapidly absorbed.

Then, a red line extended from the torn edges of his arm and shoulder.

The line split into hundreds of strands, neatly reattaching the arm to his shoulder.

The same happened with the armor.

For a Black Knight, armor was as much a part of the body as flesh.

Crack.

With that sound, the dented armor reshaped itself, soon returning to its original form.

"A convenient body."

As long as life force was absorbed, even the gravest wounds could be instantly healed.

Whatever else he disliked, this feature alone was something Dale genuinely appreciated.

Now fully restored, Dale looked around.

The remaining One-Eyes were trembling as they stared at him.

They were gripped with fear—Dale had slain their leader singlehandedly.

Holding his hand axe, Dale began walking toward them.

***

The moment their leader was slain, the outcome of the battle had already been decided.

The One-Eyes put up a bit more resistance, but soon turned tail and fled.

Haken wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Whew… Damn, I really thought I was going to die."

He glanced around with wide, shaken eyes.

The desiccated corpses of the One-Eyes, now shriveled like mummies, were scattered across the ground.

If Dale hadn't been there, they would've all been killed.

There had been casualties on their side too.

While Dale was facing off against the Great One-Eye, three people had died.

They were all weak and powerless individuals.

But considering the monsters they had faced, the losses were minimal.

Estel, eyes filled with sorrow, performed a funeral rite for the fallen.

As Haken watched her for a moment, he turned to speak to Dale.

"You really did a great job. To think you took down a Great One-Eye all by yourself... Black Knights really are on another level, huh?"

Dale simply nodded without a word.

Haken continued asking.

"At this level, I feel like I should've at least heard your name before... Where have you been active?"

"I never had a base."

"Is that so? Then where are you coming from?"

"Russell."

Russell. Russell. Russell.

Haken rolled the name around in his mouth a few times, then clapped his hands.

"Ah, so you're from the north. That's not too far from here. Took you about three weeks to get here?"

"One year."

"...What?"

Haken looked back at him with a bewildered expression.

"What do you mean…? A three-week journey took you a whole year?"

"I was walking the trade road alone… and got lost."

"How... How do you even get lost on a trade road? Even a three-year-old kid wouldn't—"

Dale raised his fist slightly.

It meant shut up.

Haken didn't say another word.

Meanwhile, the funeral was completed.

Estel, utterly exhausted, let out a long sigh.

Her face was a mess of sweat.

"Hoo… How did things end up like this…"

Before she realized it, Dale had approached her.

"All done?"

"Yes… It's finished."

Estel took a step back and quickly wiped her face with a cloth.

Before Dale could take out another handkerchief.

After a brief pause, Dale spoke.

"Then we move out immediately. The smell of blood might attract some annoying creatures."

Hearing that, even the exhausted people quickly got up to their feet.

But the feared situation never came.

For lesser beasts, the scent of the Great One-Eye's blood was far too intimidating to approach.

Dale walked with long, purposeful strides.

The forest path at night was dark, but darkness posed no obstacle to a Black Knight.

The others had to push themselves just to keep up with Dale's pace.

Before long, the night fully passed. The pale light of dawn began to creep in.

And at that moment, the forest path came to an end.

Haken, walking beside Dale, smiled.

"Oh! We can finally see it."

"..."

The golden plains stretched wide as the dawn began to rise.

In the center of the plain stood a massive city, towering and proud.

The morning sunlight poured over the tall triple-layered walls that surrounded it.

The Empire's second capital, one of humanity's last remaining great cities—

and the main setting of the game.

Dale quietly murmured the city's name.

"Irene."

It had taken him a full year to reach this place.

Seeing the city's grandeur with his own eyes brought a deep, emotional feeling.

'If I hadn't gotten lost, I could've arrived much sooner.'

As Dale stood silently taking it in, Haken walked up beside him and asked,

"Sir Dale, is this your first time in Irene? Then get ready to be amazed. This place thrives like no other city. Well, assuming you've got the coin to enjoy it, of course."

Dale nodded and resumed walking.

The people following behind, now seeing their destination, quickened their pace with brightened expressions.

***

As they drew closer to the city walls, a slum filled with shabby houses came into view.

Not everyone could afford the safety of living within the city walls.

Dirty, ragged children swarmed in to beg, but they hesitated and backed away at the oppressive aura Dale gave off.

Haken waved his shield in the air, annoyed.

"Get lost if you don't wanna get smacked, you little brats. Trying to scam money off strangers, huh?"

It seemed like this kind of thing happened often.

Dale instinctively reached for his coin pouch.

He had lost many things when he became a Black Knight,

but every now and then, old habits from his past life would resurface like this.

Dale scattered a few copper coins, and the children's eyes went wide.

They hesitated briefly, then scrambled to pick up the coins, stealing glances at him as they did.

Haken, horrified, gasped beside him.

"Dear gods, you threw money?! Why would you do that, for heaven's sake?!"

Dale replied as if it was bothersome.

"Just because."

"What do you mean just because?! Who in their right mind throws money for no reason?! And a Black Knight giving alms to beggars? If someone hears that, they'll think it's some nonsense fit for a fairytale."

"Dogs are omnivores by nature."

"Wait, really? No, that's not the point here!"

Haken then launched into a passionate speech about why giving money to street children was a bad idea.

Normally, kids like that belonged to some organization, and even if they earned money, it would all be taken from them anyway.

In the end, it only helped line the pockets of thugs.

But Dale didn't care.

It wasn't some noble gesture or an act done with great meaning.

He just did it because it felt like the thing to do.

A short distance away, Estelle overheard the conversation.

With a confused expression, she stared at Dale's back.

Haken raised his shield and glared menacingly, as if to fend off any other children who might approach.

Even though Dale was the one tossing out money, Haken reacted as if it were his own wallet being emptied.

Thanks to that, they managed to reach the city gates without further incident.

In front of the gate stood two guards, leaning against the wall.

One of them yawned with his mouth wide open, looking incredibly bored.

But the moment they laid eyes on Dale, their attitude changed entirely.

One guard, now tense, gripped his spear tightly and immediately aimed it at Dale's neck.

"Halt!!"

Caught a bit off guard by the intense reaction, Dale spoke.

"...I want to enter the city."

"Show us proof of identification!"

"..."

Dale, who had spent the past year wandering aimlessly, naturally didn't have any formal identification.

But that was fine.

Without hesitation, he pulled out some money from his coat and handed it over.

'In the game, this usually worked.'

Since it was his first time, he even offered a generous amount.

However, the guards' faces twisted in fury the moment they saw the money.

"You wicked bastard! You think you can bribe us?!"

"?"

"So you do have something to hide, huh?! You're going straight to jail! We'll summon a priest from the Church and interrogate you!"

"?"

A major drawback of being a Dark Knight:

They easily attract hostility and disgust from those who follow the Light.

And in this world, almost everyone follows the faith of the Light.

The usually corrupt and lazy guards had suddenly turned earnest the moment they saw Dale — and this was exactly why.

Dale stood frozen in disbelief at the absurd situation.

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

No—he would get in, technically...

'But it'll be through a prison cell.'

And once he was imprisoned, Dale knew one thing for sure:

As a Dark Knight, he would never see the light of day again.