Surviving as a Knight in a Trash Game

Chapter 156

“Why do you follow me this far and interfere, human.”

“If you hadn’t run away and fought in the North, I wouldn’t have had to come this far.”

“…Do I have some kind of vendetta with you?”

“You were the one who came in first, killed innocent domain residents, and plundered. Pig head.”

“…”

Blue Fang revealed his sharp fangs as he looked at the man he had faced so tiresomely.

“So it was your doing, human, that Red Sole couldn't join us.”

Not long after Karl appeared, Blue Fang confirmed the 300 Uruks who had joined the main force.

From their appearance, which was close to that of defeated soldiers, he realized that the over 1,000 Uruks Red Sole had taken with him had ended up like that.

“We’ll have to settle this here, one way or another, human.”

The Uruk, flaring up his blue ghostly fire with clear, burning hostility, instantly kicked off the ground and soared.

At that moment, Karl’s Léctĭo, which was in front of the fallen Boris, was drawn, and a golden flash collided with the blue flame.

Kwaaaaang!

The continuous explosions vibrated the entire Ankal Castle.

Shockwaves and enormous explosions, unimaginable to be created by just one Uruk and one human, continued.

As fierce as the fight between the two was, the battle between the Uruks and the soldiers on the castle walls also grew increasingly intense.

“Lord Karl and the Lighthouse Knights are here! Be strong! We can win!”

The Lord of Ankal Castle, seeing Karl and the knighthood, shouted encouragement to the soldiers.

The soldiers, whose morale had hit rock bottom due to the continuous battles and fallen comrades, reignited their fighting spirit upon seeing the Uruks being swept away by the Lighthouse Knights.

“We can win!”

“We will win!”

“Die, you pig bastards!”

Even the soldiers who had been passive just a moment ago, without exception, gripped their spears and struck at the Uruks.

Even if several attacks failed, the subsequent blows pierced the Uruks' tough hides, tougher than human skin, and Uruks began to fall from the castle walls.

In addition to that, knights of the Lighthouse Knights were cutting down Uruks with swords emitting white light in various places.

The dying atmosphere had suddenly shifted completely to the side of the Ankal Castle soldiers.

“Kururururu…! Human…!”

Blue Fang, sensing the suddenly changed air of the battlefield, roared in anger.

As his cry vibrated all around, he charged his body towards Karl.

The blue ghostly fire burned even more fiercely than before.

The axe of blue ghostly fire, looking like it would shatter anything, fell from the sky with the intent to split Karl.

At that moment, the aura imbued in Karl’s sword scattered and rose to the sky.

[Karl Meyer Style. 6th Form. Ascension]

The light of the golden aura scattered like golden powder in all directions, erasing the falling blue axe.

Thus, the particles of golden aura scattered in all directions along with the blue ghostly fire.

“Kururururu. This is enjoyable, human.”

Blue Fang was genuinely smiling.

The peculiar nature of Uruks, who considered fighting strong opponents a blessing, was once again demonstrated here.

“Here I come again, human!”

Kicking off the ground and soaring powerfully once more, Blue Fang’s ghostly fire flew towards Karl as if to devour him.

Kwang!

Karl, with his usual indifferent face, collided the incoming ghostly fire with his aura.

Unlike the previous time when they were offset by an equal amount of force, there was a very subtle difference, but a feeling of the blue flame being pushed back when the aura and ghostly fire collided was repeated.

“Kurururururu.”

Blue Fang, sensing that subtle difference, instead burned with even greater fighting spirit, flaring up his ghostly fire.

And when his flame reached its peak, his axe once again mercilessly struck down towards Karl’s head.

[Karl Meyer Style. 2nd Form. One-point]

A lightning-fast thrust unfolded towards the incoming axe.

Karl, transformed into a streak of light, instantly advanced and pierced through Blue Fang.

By the time the brightly shining aura light gradually faded, Blue Fang’s flames had also died down.

Kwoong.

After the momentary clash, the massive Uruk, who seemed like he would be eternally engulfed in flames, knelt on one knee.

“Baltara…!”

Even as he was dying, he invariably muttered the name of their god.

“It was… an honorable fight…”

The collapsing Blue Fang had a satisfied look on his face even as he died.

At that moment, the Lord of Ankal Castle, who had been watching this process from afar, let out a tremendous roar.

“The enemy leader’s head has fallen! Push forward!”

Those who saw Blue Fang, the object of fear and dread, fall to Karl’s sword, their momentum instantly multiplied severalfold and they pushed back the Uruks.

And not long after, the heads of all the Uruks who had been occupying the castle walls fell.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

The soldiers, seeing the Uruks retreating, roared from atop the castle walls.

Even amidst the soldiers’ cheers, Karl quietly recovered Boris’s body and then slowly moved his steps.

The soldiers, at some point, stopped their cheers and made way for Karl.

Karl, having completely descended from the castle walls, gently laid the cold Boris on the ground.

He recalled Boris, who, even while dying, clung to the Uruk brandishing the blue-flamed axe until the very end.

Both Boris and Blue Fang had taken a step forward in the face of the word ‘death,’ but the paths the two had taken held completely different meanings.

If Blue Fang’s death was the honor of a warrior, Boris’s death, throwing everything he had for his remaining subordinates and soldiers even amidst endless fear, was a noble sacrifice.

Perhaps this difference between the two was why the Uruks could not defeat humans.

Passing by people who were wiping their tears while recovering the bodies of their comrades behind the cheers of victory, Karl walked slowly with the rising sun at his back.

***

After the decisive battle with Blue Fang, the Uruks in the area where Karl and the Changong Knights were located were cleared out.

The forces led by Duke Yevgeny also succeeded in subjugating the Ice Water Tribe in the East, bringing stability to the eastern region.

Thus, a festival commemorating the victory of the nearly three-month-long subjugation war was being held at Volkov Castle.

“Lord Karl, I have never trusted anyone else in my entire life. Nor have I ever thought of genuinely planning something together with them.”

Duke Yevgeny, perhaps overjoyed by the victory against the Uruks, drank more heavily than usual and then revealed his true feelings in front of Karl.

“Though I am such a person, I will help Lord Karl, no matter what.”

Karl simply listened to Yevgeny, who was speaking while drunk.

“These Changong Knights, I mean.”

“…?”

“Tell me of their military achievements.”

A question arose on Yevgeny’s face.

Suddenly, the military achievements of the Changong Knights? What did that mean?

“Vice-Commander Boris, he tried to protect his subordinates by risking his life until the very end. The other members of the Changong Knights were the same.”

Karl continued to speak calmly to Yevgeny, who had a puzzled expression.

“I hope that the story of a knight who stood proudly, knowing he would die, with a body trembling in fear, will not be recorded as a single line of a loser.”

What meaning would it have after death anyway, and perhaps all these moments were just a single line of record in a game.

Nevertheless, Karl hoped that the history created by those who died would not be in vain.

Perhaps it was a consolation for himself, living in this damn game right now.

“You… make people feel awkward in many ways.”

Duke Yevgeny, having understood all of Karl’s words, showed a bitter yet refreshing smile.

“I fully understand Lord Karl’s intentions. So today, let’s get thoroughly drunk while honoring them.”

Yevgeny raised his glass.

“To the Changong Knights.”

Karl clinked his glass in response to his toast.

***

About a week after the banquet ended, Karl left the Volkov Duchy with Yevgeny’s warm send-off.

And in the duchy, the story of the Changong Knights, who faced the Uruks resolutely even in the face of death, spread widely.

There were many stories about Karl and the Lighthouse Knights, but the stories of the Changong Knights came out ahead of them.

In particular, the story of Boris, who, despite not being a Master-grade knight, confronted Blue Fang and held him back until the end, became a hot topic.

In Ankal Castle, Yevgeny even decided to erect a statue specially honoring Boris, and the story of the Changong Knights, who had been brutally defeated, disappeared, and the story of them becoming heroes spread throughout the world.

“What possessed you to do something like this?”

Anne was looking at Karl, who had returned to the lord’s castle, with a strange smile.

The rumors about the Changong Knights spreading so quickly was entirely thanks to Anne’s help.

“It’s thanks to you.”

“Huh? Why me? I’ve never done anything like this.”

Karl didn’t answer Anne’s question and simply picked up the teacup in front of him and threw open the window of the lord’s castle.

Below the opened window, numerous people were moving quickly.

He felt the heat of people moving in the dawning hours being transmitted to him.

“Because you made me realize that I, and the people around me, are all alive.”

“…?”

Sometimes Karl would say things that were as vague as grasping at clouds, like now.

Previously, Karl’s words contained a suffocating emptiness.

Fortunately, now, it seemed to contain a subtle warmth.

Anne liked that feeling and, without realizing it, tightly hugged Karl’s back as he looked out the window.

Feeling the warmth from Anne and the vitality of the people, Karl quietly closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment.

It was a moment where he felt glad to have survived.

[Mission: Halt the Uruk Continent Invasion (Ongoing) Completed.]

[A Random Domain Development Kit is given as a reward.]

***

Karl, sitting alone in his office, was racking his brain while looking at the item he received as a reward for completing the mission the previous day.

The square box-shaped item seemed to have a structure that gave a reward when used, similar to the Random Potion Box.

‘Domain development, huh… Nothing to really think about, I guess.’

Anyway, if he couldn't know before trying it, he could just use it and then think.

When was Karl ever concerned and then used something?

He pressed the use button of the Domain Development Kit, just like when he used the Potion Box.

At that moment, a bright light emanated from the box, rotated, and began to brightly color the surroundings.

[Congratulations. A ‘Mine Summoning Scroll’ has been given.]

‘…’

Karl had to slowly look again at the system window that had just popped up.

A Mine Summoning Scroll?

Did that mean he could create a mine in the domain?

This unfriendly damn game had only put a strange ticket-like thing called a summoning scroll into Karl’s inventory.

There was no information written anywhere on how to use it.

Karl fell silent for a while, looking at the item that looked like a paper coupon.

First.

Karl, getting up, summoned Silver and headed towards the northern mountain range of the Arthur Domain.

Since the Arthur Domain was located in the north of the continent and had a huge mountain range, mines actually existed in several places.

The problem was that the mining output wasn't that high, so it wasn't very efficient.

Anyway, he couldn't know exactly what would happen when he used the summoning scroll, so he moved without bringing any attendants.

When he thought he had gone quite deep into the mountains, Karl briefly looked at the summoning scroll and then pressed the use button.

[System is analyzing the surrounding environment.]

[Analysis Rate: 50%], [Analysis Rate 90%], [Analysis Rate 100%]

[The environment is suitable for mine summoning. Commencing summoning.]

It was a moment when a tremendous wave of light, a huge light, seemed to color the surroundings.

A cave entrance-like thing formed on one side of the mountain range, and some changes occurred in the surrounding terrain.

[Mine summoning has been completed.]

[Owner: Undetermined]

When all summoning was completed, Karl naturally thought he would be the owner of the mine.

However, after the final summoning was completed, the owner was not Karl.

“…”

Karl, who barely managed to suppress the urge to swear for a moment, walked towards the cave.

“Grrrrrrrrrr.”

Sounds like the cries of wild animals were heard from inside the mine, and several eyes filled with killing intent floated in the darkness.

Karl let out a shallow sigh and drew his sword towards the charging beasts.