[Lv. 5]
[Lv. 6]
[Lv. 5]
[Lv. 4]
What is level? It's a measurement to gauge whether this bastard is stronger or weaker than me.
Level is an essential game element for a guy who only goes all out against the weak.
Fortunately, even now that it became reality, levels were still visible.
For reference, in the
Red level means hostility.
Green means goodwill.
Orange means caution.
Pink means affection.
Black means fear.
Currently, all the visible level colors were black.
One second of just staring at each other. Bodies frozen, only thoughts moving.
'I'm fucked.'
Levels 3-5 are regular adult male NPCs. To a level 44 Death Knight, they're less than insects.
But regardless of their low levels, meeting humans is already a major crisis.
Surely these humans must have worse thoughts than me. The pitch-black levels were proof of that.
First, I should clear up the misunderstanding through dialogue, right?
Ah, don't worry. I'm a friendly Death Knight.
"I'm a friendly—"
"It's a Death Knight!!"
"Ahhhhh!!"
But damn, this body made even attempting dialogue impossible.
At my gesture meant to calm them, people were busy rushing to escape ahead of each other. In the narrow straight path, there was chaos with people pushing and falling.
Someone, even after falling, dragged their bottom while keeping their eyes on me. Even seeing a ghost wouldn't elicit such an intense reaction.
"Run! Run quickly!"
"Don't push, hurry!"
I need to resolve this through dialogue but they're running away? There wasn't even time to think about this.
"Don't go! Please listen to me!"
"Ahhhhh!!"
"It's coming! It's coming, hurry!!"
"Fuck, mom!"
The screams turned into wails, and belatedly realizing my actions were wrong, I stopped.
After everyone had distanced themselves, I alone remained standing still.
Suddenly, I'm reminded of when I accidentally entered the women's bathroom during school days. The reaction was exactly like this.
"This suddenly makes me really sad."
It hadn't even been an hour since I hid to avoid humans when I was discovered.
Not just one or two people saw me, and there was a village nearby.
It was obvious that rumors like 'Hey, you know that Death Knight is here?' would spread soon.
"It's still daytime so I can't go out, geez."
Though I want to leave right away, it's still a time when the sun is up.
Before humans, the threat of exposure to sunlight was greater. Once night falls, I need to get away as quickly as possible.
Surely a subjugation party won't come here in less than a day, right?
==
Outside the cave had already been drenched in pitch-black darkness.
The worry about what if a subjugation party comes before nightfall turned out to be groundless.
Naturally, a sigh of relief came first. Though the sigh turned into a chilly breeze.
Swoosh—
Just as I was about to exit through the entrance, the bushes rustled.
Fuck, again?
It seemed too accompanied by human presence to be just wind moving it, and soon something jumped out from within the bushes.
Undead vision is free in darkness. I could tell at a glance that they were 'them' not 'those.'
It doesn't make sense for them to appear again less than a minute after I felt relieved.
Worried about being caught, I retreated from the entrance deeper into the cave.
But somehow the footsteps kept approaching and even entered the cave. At this point, they must have heard the rumors and come to see me.
They couldn't be the people from earlier today. It doesn't make sense to come back again after being so scared.
"Get a hold of yourself! Please, sister...!" "I'm sorry everyone. I think I'm done for."
Dense blood scent. Ironically, undead who have no sense of smell can eerily sense blood smell better than anything. Even I could right now.
At the unsettling atmosphere, I paid more attention. In the darkness, one dying person was surrounded by others who were sobbing.
At first, I thought they were human. If I hadn't seen the red eyes and fangs, I would have mistaken them for humans until the end.
[Lv.12]
[Lv.10]
[Lv.14]
Looking at the levels, they don't seem to be vampires.
Adult vampires usually exceed level 20.
The vampires visible to my eyes were all adults yet didn't even reach near 20.
They must be either a subspecies or an inferior species.
'Won't last much longer.'
The dying female vampire had no complexion and even her lip color was quite pale. This despite vampires being characterized by crimson lips.
It's a pitiful situation, but there was nothing I could do. All I could do was secretly watch this melodrama and wait until they leave.
[Evolution conditions have been met for the target.]
[Would you like to evolve Isabella, the vampire?]
What?
A status window notification appeared while looking at the vampire.
'This works like this?'
Evolution Art is a structure that activates when the target, not the artisan, fulfills the conditions.
There are three fulfillment conditions.
First, assuming the target has abundant potential.
Second, when the target's life is threatened.
Third, if that life threat was driven by sacrifice for others, all conditions are met.
Here, even without the third condition, if just two conditions were met, attempting Evolution Art was possible.
Two conditions meant 50% chance, all three conditions meant 100%.
By the way, the reason why the third condition of sacrifice exists is because one must know how to sacrifice oneself to become a familiar for the artisan.
Well, not all who evolve become familiars anyway, but still.
That woman seemed to have sacrificed herself for other vampires.
I too am a person, no, a Death Knight with rich sensitivity.
If there's a way to save someone, just watching would truly make me a heartless undead.
Though my body may be like this, my heart is as warm as a human's.
Before I knew it, my feet were heading toward the vampires.
"Gasp."
When I revealed myself after making up my mind, seven pairs of red eyes were fixed on me.
'Oh?'
Orange level means caution.
As expected, since they're monsters too, they don't get scared prematurely.
If I just speak properly, maybe I can even gain their goodwill.
Just as there's humanity among humans, I've heard there's something similar among monsters too.
"A Death Knight?"
The vampire holding the female vampire in his arms sprang up.
Then after looking back and forth between her and me, turned pale.
"How is a Death Knight here? Don't tell me this... this was a Death Knight's dungeon?"
What nonsense.
It's not a dungeon but it is my shelter. In a way, they could be considered uninvited guests.
Though I rather want to help them, there's no way they would know that.
"I apologize. O master of the dungeon. If your anger cannot be quelled, take my soul. Please just let the others live."
"No! Young master absolutely not! Kill me instead!"
"O great dungeon boss. These people are pitiful ones. Please quell your anger with my life alone."
What did I even do.
It was heartbreaking from my position of coming to help.
Suddenly I'm reminded of my reflection in the spring water.
...With this face, I guess I'd look more like a grim reaper on a black horse than a prince on a white horse.
==
Hoover Village is a village that settled near the highway connecting the commercial city and the free city.
Mercenaries, merchants, and travelers frequently passed through, and merchant groups heading to the commercial city also often came and went.
It was also perfect for dungeon subjugation parties heading to the free city to regroup.
"So you're saying there's a dungeon in these back mountains?"
"That's what I'm saying! We nearly died!"
Hoover Village's tavern was quite bustling.
Though taverns are always noisy, today was especially so.
It was because of the expedition team making a fuss about being dungeon survivors.
An expedition team, not even a subjugation party, surviving a dungeon? Those who initially dismissed it as a joke were now listening attentively to the expedition team's detailed explanation.
"You're saying you're the expedition leader? Are your members telling the truth?"
"Why would we put so much effort into such a lie?"
"Tell us more details."
The expedition leader turned his head at the voice that cut in from behind. His eyes twitched simultaneously.
The six men were all in light to heavy armor. Even without explanation, one could tell they were an official subjugation party.
The leader, who appeared to be a middle-aged man, was clearly a veteran who had been through thick and thin.
Plate armor worn over quilted armor. On the right side of his belt was a scabbard containing a two-handed sword, on the left were various potion pouches dangling.
He also had a dagger fastened with a thigh belt, and the crossbow on his back was spotless, indicating regular maintenance without fail.
"And you are?"
"Sergei, leader of the Billion Star Subjugation Party."
"Ser... gei?"
Sergei, who introduced himself as part of the subjugation party, plopped down in the empty seat next to him. He grabbed the beer mug that the waitress had just brought and brought it to his lips.
Sergei's neck gradually tilted back as he drank the beer with an unusual intensity.
Bang! The beer mug he put down in less than 3 seconds was completely empty.
He nodded at the expedition leader who was watching with his mouth wide open.
"Care to tell me more about that dungeon in detail?"
"..."
The expedition leader explained the whole story without hesitation.
Sergei, who had been quiet, seemed to react at the mention of the Death Knight the expedition team encountered.
"Are you certain it's a new dungeon?"
"Certain. The village herbalist said so. He was going in and out of the cave just the day before yesterday."
"A Death Knight in a new dungeon..."
"It's not a lie. If you doubt it, ask all the boys."
It would be strange for over a dozen people to have seen wrong. But it wasn't something easy to believe either.
Undead are beings that live in death, going against the natural order. Death Knights belonged to the upper echelons of such undead.
It was no ordinary matter for a Death Knight to appear at the entrance of a new dungeon.
Furthermore, Death Knights serve as dungeon guardians, even mid-bosses.
Outside of Demongate, it's hard to even see one—
"Could it be."
The thought that suddenly occurred was the big news that recently caused a stir.
Demongate, called humanity's nemesis. In Demongate, which is clearly divided by ranks, the top 7 dungeons were an unknown territory that had never been conquered.
The Imperial Subjugation Command reverently calls it the 'Invincible 7 Palace.'
But exactly a week ago, the last palace of the Invincible 7 Palace was completely conquered by a hero subjugation party.
When dungeon rank 7 disappears, it's not that rank 8 fills rank 7's position.
Soon a new dungeon is born and it gains similar power as if inheriting the 7th position.
"Jayden."
"Yes, captain."
"How many of the Demongate dungeons have been conquered with last week as the starting point?"
They're a subjugation party with thorough knowledge about dungeons. The members knew this much information, and so did Sergei. He only asked to confirm the facts.
"Only Bango's Dark Abyss, sir."
Bango's Dark Abyss refers to the last palace of the Invincible 7 Palace.
No other dungeons were conquered. A week is plenty of time for a new dungeon to be born and inherit that position.
The only conquered dungeon, perfect timeline, a new dungeon with a Death Knight appearing from the entrance.
There was only one answer.
"...The Invincible 7 Palace has been renewed."