Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Death Knight, Simir
The gazes of all the knights turned toward Derrick.
"...Is it true, Captain?"
"N-No! That’s not..."
As the captain of the Iskar 1st Knights, Derrick was a man who prided himself not only on his skills but also on maintaining a flawless image.
The only reason Rudian survived after witnessing such a disgraceful scene from Derrick was because he had been standing next to Calline, the young master, during the spectacle.
The tense atmosphere dissolved in an instant.
Even though Derrick didn’t immediately deny the accusation, his flustered demeanor was enough for Rudian to realize his words had struck true.
‘I might die at Derrick’s hands later... But for now, I need to survive.’
Though the false accusation seemed to have been cleared, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly awkward.
"Uh, th-that’s...!"
As Derrick stammered, unable to form a proper excuse, a radiant voice saved both him and Rudian.
"Rudian! Why are you so late?"
"Young Master!"
"I was bored without you! Hurry up and join the ranks!"
‘...Consistent as always, really.’
Any trace of gratitude from earlier had vanished. Instead of thanking him, Calline gestured at Rudian with a sullen expression.
"Young Master! No matter how you look at it, Rudian’s current state is too suspicious...!"
The knights who had regained their composure tried to interject, but Calline’s decision remained unchanged.
"What’s the problem? He looks exactly the same as before!"
"That is the problem...!"
"Ah, enough! If any issues arise, Derrick will handle it. We have magicians here too, right? Let’s not waste energy on trivial matters now that we’re close to our destination."
‘I’m saved!’
Rudian quickly gathered his belongings while gauging the knights’ reactions.
"........"
The knights turned their gazes toward the only person who could still overturn Calline’s decision.
"L-Let’s depart..."
"........"
With even Derrick siding with Calline, the knights had no choice but to relent.
Regardless, the dungeon expedition continued even after Rudian rejoined.
-The hostility hasn’t disappeared.
Adi, who had been observing the situation, muttered.
Though the overtly hostile glares had faded, suspicious glances still lingered.
‘It’s fine. Soon, they won’t have the luxury to pay attention to me.’
Rudian’s confidence stemmed from a simple fact.
As Calline had mentioned earlier, the expedition was on the verge of reaching the dungeon’s deepest core—the final layer before the sealed location where Adi had been imprisoned.
"It’s a Lich!"
"Damn it, there are ogres too!"
The monsters grew stronger and more ferocious as they neared the deepest part of the dungeon.
Rudian stuck close behind the knights while subtly scanning his surroundings, confirming one fact.
‘No one is paying attention to this guy.’
Despite floating conspicuously in midair, no one seemed to notice Adi’s presence.
Given that Adi’s appearance resembled something straight out of a horror myths, if his form had been visible, a bloodbath would have ensued immediately.
-To be precise, they cannot perceive me. The humans of this world cannot detect my existence unless I intentionally reveal myself.
‘Then what about me?’
-Because you are my Master. Do not compare yourself to the unworthy.
According to Adi’s grandiose claims, only “outsiders” like Rudian could perceive his existence.
‘Does that mean there could be others like me who fell into the world of ’
If a devoted reader of possessed a certain level of foundation, they could easily seize the opportunities scattered across this world.
However, the absence of any major incidents reaching Rudian’s ears suggested this might simply be paranoia.
‘Of course, if they were born into wretched circumstances like me, staying low makes sense. Though rebirth privileges would render such environments meaningless.’
Why didn’t I receive the same rebirth privileges as the protagonist?
This was a question Rudian had long pondered.
DRRRRRT!
As the magicians channeled magic somewhere, the stone gate to the deepest chamber began to open.
Before entering the chamber, Rudian glimpsed a tiny, shadowy passageway hidden in the darkness the same secret path he had taken under Adi’s guidance.
"...There it is."
Once the party entered the chamber, the true objective of the expedition finally came into view.
The deepest part of the dungeon resembled a circular altar.
At its center stood a lone figure gripping a sword hilt with both hands, its tip lightly embedded into the ground.
A knight.
Though the knight’s armor was rusted and his cloak tattered, no one dared to belittle him.
For he was no ordinary knight—he was a knight of the dead.
Derrick glared at the knight and roared.
"Death Knight!"
At his command, the knights and magicians of House Iskar immediately assumed combat positions.
Death Knight.
Though individual power levels varied greatly among their kind, all Death Knights wielded netherworldly magic, making them impossible to oppose without the skill of a Sword Expert.
According to prior intel, this particular Death Knight was exceptionally stronger than average, ensuring the battle would be far from easy.
Then, Calline gasped as he noticed the sword in the Death Knight’s grip.
"That’s the Holy Sword Daylight! The ducal family’s intel was accurate!"
Though corrupted by netherworldly magic, emitting a sinister purple glow instead of golden radiance, even Rudian—who couldn’t sense magic—recognized the sword’s inherent divinity.
"If the intel is correct, that must be Sir Simir Dran, who betrayed the ducal family and vanished with the sword 50 years ago!"
“Krrrr... You’re quick to notice.”
A response finally came from the Death Knight, who had remained motionless until now.
A man who had stolen the ducal family’s treasured sword and disappeared.
Though his motives remained unknown to the public, given his former status granting him access to the Holy Sword, his skills in life were said to rival Derrick’s.
Why such a man had become a monster in this dungeon was a mystery only he and the author might know—but Rudian didn’t care.
After today, they’d never cross paths again!
"Surround him!"
At Derrick’s order, thirty knights seamlessly encircled the Death Knight.
House Iskar was no mere barony—it was a Count family.
The military prowess of its knight order was on par with the Delphione Duchy, their informant.
Derrick’s sword gleamed not with a magic blade, but with “Aura”—a technique only top-tier Sword Experts could wield.
SCREEEECH!
The Death Knight retaliated with a violet Aura fueled by netherworldly magic, but the overall advantage clearly lay with the knights.
The Death Knight sneered, his crimson eyes glowing.
“The Glory Knights... No, this is disappointing.”
The emblem of the Delphione Ducal Knights—the Glory Knights—was etched onto his armor.
"We are more than enough to handle you."
“Kehkeh. One who wields Aura has the right to make such claims.”
Despite the Death Knight’s mockery, Derrick remained composed.
"Since you can converse, answer me this, Sir Simir Dran."
"........"
"Why did you betray the ducal family and steal the Holy Sword? Did you abandon your chivalry just to become... This?"
“Betrayal...?”
GOOOOOOOH!
"What... What’s happening?!"
The moment the word “betrayal” left Derrick’s lips, the Death Knight’s demeanor shifted violently.
“You fools... Rotting beneath your own feet... Are unworthy of an answer.”
‘Rotting beneath their feet?’
As Rudian pondered the meaning, the knights scrambled to adapt to the sudden change.
THUD! THUD!
"...Skeleton Soldiers?!"
Skeletal warriors began clawing their way out of the ground behind the encircling knights.
"Stay calm!"
Despite being surrounded, Derrick assessed the situation coolly.
"Teams 2 and 3, handle the skeleton soldiers! Team 1, with me—we’ll take down this traitor!"
“Kkkkkeh...!”
"Charge!"
Amidst the Death Knight’s laughter, Derrick and the Lion Hearts knights lunged forward.
***
Ten minutes had passed since the clash between the knights and the skeleton soldiers began.
‘...What’s going on?’
Rudian grew puzzled as the battle showed no signs of concluding.
While the knights held off the Skeleton Soldiers, Derrick and his elites focused on ganging up on the Death Knight.
Though the strategy seemed sound...
"Why won’t that bastard go down?!"
Despite the relentless assault, the Death Knight refused to fall!
AHAHAHA!
"Tch! Does this monster have infinite vitality and magic?!"
Even after Derrick severed one of the Death Knight’s arms with his Aura blade, the limb regenerated within seconds.
The problem wasn’t limited to the Death Knight.
"The Skeleton Soldiers are regenerating!"
"Magicians! Bind their movements!"
"I’ve already cast Entangle multiple times! But their magic shows no signs of depleting!"
"Damn it! We should’ve brought a priest from the church!"
Despite the magicians’ support, the Death Knight continued rampaging unscathed.
“Is this all? KHAHAHA!”
"We’ll exhaust ourselves before taking him down!"
"Hold the line, knights! Do not retreat!"
Calline diligently played the role of cheerleader, oblivious to the deteriorating situation.
‘Adi, what do you think?’
Observing the battle from Calline’s side, Rudian sought Adi’s counsel.
To his surprise, the response was unexpected.
-External forces are at play.
‘...External forces?’
-Master should be able to see it. Try using “that eye.”
Adi answered succinctly.
‘That eye...?’
He must mean the Status Window.
BEEP!
Focusing his mind, Rudian checked the Death Knight’s information.
-Name: Simir Dran
-Class: Death Knight
-Age: -
-Titles: Knight of Death, Knight of Loyalty, Bound Wight
-Strength: 127
-Agility: 102
-Vitality: ∞ (192)
-Magic: ∞ (54)
-Total Combat Power: 9,260
Characteristics: Temporarily granted immortality and infinite magic through synchronization with the dungeon’s core.
‘9,260?!’
A dazzling figure incomparable to Rudian’s measly 192.
But more alarming than the Death Knight’s stats was the new “Characteristics” section in the Status Window.
‘Synchronized with the dungeon’s core?’
Rudian’s eyes widened as he scanned the battlefield.
‘There it is!’
Beyond the fray, embedded in the stone wall, was a gem emitting a sinister glow.
-That’s a Blood Magic Stone. A first-class magic crystal often used as a dungeon core or a Lich’s phylactery.
Adi had already identified it.
-This dungeon was created 500 years ago by a magician unaware of my existence. Still, 500 years of accumulated magic is no joke. Without special measures, they’ll be wiped out soon.
‘Can I destroy it?’
-Master’s current strength makes it impossible...
The Blood Magic Stone itself wasn’t particularly durable.
But Adi’s definition of “strength” wasn’t limited to brute force.
-Can Master reach it?
"........"
Following Adi’s tentacle, Rudian saw the battle worsening by the second.
Empowered by the Blood Magic Stone, the Death Knight had begun resurrecting his shattered minions to overwhelm the knights.
"Uh, ugh?!"
WHOOSH!
As violet light erupted from the Death Knight’s body, the crushed bones of Skeleton Soldiers rapidly regenerated.
The knights, initially confident, now visibly panicked at the abnormal regeneration speed.
"This is insane!"
ROOOOAR!
CRUNCH! CRACK!
Not only were the bones restored harder than before, but their weapons now gleamed with magic, sharper than ever.
-If Master heads there now, they’ll notice. Given Master’s physical capabilities... Well, nine out of ten times, you’d die.
Judging by the knights’ situation, reaching the Blood Magic Stone seemed impossible.
Unless one was Calline or a servant beneath notice...
-Master...?
Though Rudian had never experienced war firsthand, his time trailing Calline had taught him enough through observation.
By his estimation, they were all doomed.
A glance at his fellow servants revealed them frozen in terror.
In other words, only he could act now.
‘Sigh. No choice.’