Ghost Knight King's Dungeon Project

Chapter 19 [Bloodsteel and Hellbronze]

clang!clang!clang!
The blood-red steel sword and the dark blue bronze knight's sword clashed repeatedly under the twin moons, and under the metallic flame reaction, blue-green sparks exploded like fireworks.

The glowing cloud from the burning potion bottle floated high in the sky, illuminating the ruins of the ancient imperial beacon towers and the piles of goods, making the camp as bright as day.

The scanner is now enabled.

A complex data panel popped up on the ethereal blue screen.

[Target race: Human]

[Biological structural integrity: 93%]

[Stamina: 87%]

[Psionic Power: 73%]

"Appraisal magic? You still have the leisure to instantly cast appraisal magic to provoke me? Are you trying to insult me ​​like this?" The bandit leader swordsman raised his blood-red longsword and slashed rapidly downwards. "Where are your runestones and catalysts hidden?"

Samael ignored him and simply raised his bronze shield to defend himself. After all, he was a newcomer to the world, and although he had far superior stats compared to his enemies, his combat skills were not as refined as those of the bandit leader's swordsman.

Clang! Clang! The blood-red longsword struck repeatedly with precision and power, each strike sending the curved blade and barb of the sword tip firmly and ruthlessly slamming into the same spot on the shield!
A series of continuous impacts and sparks erupted, as dense as popping beans. The curved blade of the sword pecked a small dent into the surface of the bronze shield, but due to the shield's insanely thick thickness, its overall structure remained sturdy.

[Body Status Detection:]

Stamina: 99%

Stamina: 98%

Stamina: 97%

Samael's shield trembled, but remained steady under the grip of the undead giant's strength.

His stamina bar was so long and his recovery speed was so fast that he was practically a tireless mechanical undead. Such a dense combo was enough to catch any enemy off guard, enough to knock an ordinary shield-wielding warrior to the point of having their stamina bar empty, their shield shattered, or their hand dropped. But for Samael, it was just a slight scratch at the end of his stamina bar.

The scanner is now enabled.

[Bio-Attitude Detection: Precise Combo]

[To conduct rapid, dense, and continuous high-precision strikes on a single location, forcibly creating openings in the posture of highly defensive targets, or to sculpt, forge, hammer, shape, and excavate hard materials.]

The database has been updated.

[Burn to the "Artificial Life Science - Biological Posture Materials" content library]

[The device is usable.]

This is something similar to a combat skill; it can be used for fighting, as well as for forging and mining... Samael seized the opportunity, using his left hand to strike with his shield, deflecting the opponent's sword tip and interrupting their combo, while suddenly swinging his sword with his right hand.

[Using biological pose data: Precise combos]

[Target location identified: throat]

The dark blue bronze knight's sword, in the same posture, unleashed a series of dense and precise thrusts, each aimed at the bandit leader's throat!
The bandit leader, a swordsman, was startled and hurriedly raised his blood-red longsword to parry.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The bandit leader swordsman was indeed an excellent warrior. He gripped the hilt of his sword with one hand and supported the flat surface of the blade with the other, using the heavy and broad blood-red blade as a shield. He barely managed to block three quick and precise pecking blows at his throat, then used the momentum to retreat backward and quickly dodge out of the range of the knight's sword.

"...Deliberately mocking and humiliating me, is that it?" He said with a gloomy face. "First you used identification magic, then you used shield-breaking and armor-piercing combat techniques against heavily armored targets to attack me? Just to imitate my movements?"

He suddenly darted forward, nimbly dodging the knight's sword strike with a sidestep, getting close to the shield, and with a backhand upward thrust, stabbed Samael's forearm holding the sword, but it only left two faint bluish-white marks on the arm guard.

He swung the shield back, but the bandit leader dodged it by ducking and retreated out of the attack range once again.

[Bio-attitude detection: Gait focusing]

[This technique forces intense concentration for a short period, enhancing balance, coordination, and dodging abilities to achieve rapid movement and stealth. It is commonly used in complex dance moves, high-risk acrobatics, parkour traversing complex terrain, and one-on-one duels. Frequent use will cause mental fatigue, equivalent to consuming psionic energy.]

The database has been updated.

[Burn to the "Artificial Life Science - Biological Posture Materials" content library]

[The device is usable.]

Samael brushed the UI's notification bar aside and snorted. Level 5 adventurers were indeed quite skilled; he'd never detected anything resembling combat techniques on lower-level adventurers like Rondar.

"...Who are you, hmm?" The bandit leader swordsman cautiously raised his sword, slowly circling outside the attack range, probing, "Your sword, shield, and armor... must be made of some unknown enchanted metal... otherwise, how could they have withstood so many strikes from the bloodsteel blade?"

Samael didn't answer, but silently raised his shield and sword, slowly advancing towards the bandit leader. Clang, clang, the sound of metal clashing rolled forward as calmly as an armored tank.

The bandit leader, a swordsman, was forced to slowly retreat a few steps, circling around the enemy.

"Did that lord send you? Why?" he asked. "No, according to the deal, I haven't completed the task he asked for. Why would he kill me at this time?"

Silence. Only the soft clanging of cold metal.

The bandit leader swordsman took a deep breath, raised his hand and tore off the cumbersome beast skin robe, revealing slightly rusty light chainmail and breastplate on his body.

He held the fur robe horizontally, then released it, letting the turned-up, furry robe fall with the night wind.

The moment the fur robe hit the ground, the figure transformed into a smooth, curved blade, a flash of crimson light!
Oh no! Samael was startled and barely managed to raise the Nether Bronze Kite Shield just before the arc of light touched his body!

A resounding boom, like the crack of a bell, echoed as the impact occurred!
The bronze body swayed violently, and a deafening roar echoed inside the empty armor, as if the body had transformed into a bronze bell and been struck hard by a heavy hammer!
Stamina: 75% (Recovering)

[Body Status: Unbalanced (lasts 3 seconds)]

This attack directly reduced Samael's health by nearly 25%! If it were ordinary armor and a regular shield, he would probably have been cut in half.

A deep crack had been etched into the bronze shield, gleaming with a blood-red light, as if the metal were bleeding.

[Biological Attitude Detection: Energy Storage Impact]

[Utilizing gravity, acceleration from a sprint, vehicle charge, or centrifugal acceleration from limb rotation, this technique allows for the accumulation of energy on weapons, tools, or limbs to achieve a powerful strike. It is particularly effective when used with heavy weapons. However, it consumes a significant amount of stamina.]

The database has been updated.

[Burn to the "Artificial Life Science - Biological Posture Materials" content library]

[The device is usable.]

Samael staggered back two steps, and in the next instant, the bandit leader swordsman took advantage of his loss of balance, forcefully swept past the shield, and stabbed Samael in the gap where his breastplate and shoulder armor met!

Pierced in the internal organs by the Bloodsteel Sword, await the draining of his life force! The bandit leader gripped the hilt tightly, waiting for the demonic circuitry within the Bloodsteel Sword to draw life force from the wound and restore his condition.

However, the moment the sword pierced through, he realized that something was wrong.

There was no soft resistance as it broke through skin and flesh, no stuttering as the blade touched the ribs, and no replenishment or healing effect from the life force absorbed by the Blood Steel Sword.

Empty, there's nothing there.

The next second, he was slammed hard on the shoulder by the hilt of the Dark Copper Knight Sword, and then another slap from the familiar shield sent him flying, sword and all.

[Body Status Detection:]

Stamina: 92% (Recovering)

[Body condition: Normal]

Samael silently raised his head and looked at the bandit leader swordsman who was barely able to stand.

[Target race: Human]

[Biological structural integrity: 83% (minor injury, mild muscle strain)]

[Stamina: 37%]

[Psionic Power: 52%]

[Status: Panic] The bandit leader planted his sword in the ground to steady himself, but another shield imprint was slapped onto his face. He stood there panting heavily, looking at Samael who had regained his footing.

For the first time since he acquired the demonic sword, he felt a slight sense of panic.

This attack consumed a great deal of energy, and combined with the indestructible Bloodsteel Sword, it was enough to shatter the army formation and cut through the city walls. Why is this happening? Why did the opponent only slightly lose their balance and retreat?

Furthermore, Bloodsteel possesses the ability to drain life; after the Bloodsteel blade inflicts damage, it should replenish its own status through the sword's demonic circuitry. Why? Why hasn't any life drain effect been triggered?
The opponent was even continuously casting identification spells! The scanning sensations of being spied on hadn't stopped since the start of the fight! Like a perverted lecher who likes to peep at other people's underwear, the opponent was scrutinizing my combat moves, using that invisible, tactile gaze to frantically touch and examine every single movement!
He couldn't even tell where the man had hidden the runestone for casting spells! Perhaps this horrible, perverted knight who liked to peep had stuffed the runestone into his crotch to satisfy his lewd desires!

The bandit leader swordsman felt a chill. If he were defeated by a bounty hunter, being killed and having his ear cut off for the reward would be one thing. But if he were defeated by this lecherous, voyeuristic knight who was frantically casting appraisal spells, he might be captured and taken to a secluded place where no one could find him, and forced to do some terrible things to humiliate him!

"What...what exactly are you?" he asked, weighing the situation.

"What do you want? We can make a deal. Money? Potions? Supplies? Powerful weapons? I can give you a lot—just stop humiliating me with appraisal magic..."

silence.

A shield, a sword, and a tall figure behind it slowly advanced toward him, the powerful pressure like the weight of an inescapable fate.

"Think about your teammates left outside the camp. They're not as resilient as you! They... they're being besieged by my men," the bandit leader swordsman threatened. "If you stop now, we can make a deal. I'll recall my men, and your teammates outside the camp won't suffer a terrible fate!"

The advance of the sword-and-shield duo and the armored warriors paused slightly.

The bandit leader, a swordsman, was overjoyed! Had the threat finally worked?
A soft sigh came from the bronze helmet beneath the tattered hood.

“I wasn’t watching her; she was probably having a great time killing.” A melancholy yet sincere voice came from the cold shadows within the bronze helmet. “I feel sorry for you all.”

"Wh...what?" The bandit leader swordsman was stunned, not understanding. "You care about your teammates, don't you? Aren't you afraid that your teammates left outside the camp will be intercepted and killed by my men?"

“I’m really not afraid,” Samael answered honestly.

The bandit leader, panting, pulled a dark blue vitality potion and a blood-red healing potion from his belt with one hand, and while backing away, he bit the small glass tube and drank them down in one gulp.

He was already exhausted, and his potion supply was running low. After struggling for a long time, he could only manage to leave a sword mark on his opponent's shield and cause him to lose his balance.

The operation is as fierce as a tiger, but the damage is only 0.5.

He struggled to maintain his balance, raising his longsword horizontally with one hand, the blade slightly tilted, half-protecting his body in a defensive stance.

[Bio-attitude detection: Blade-reversing stance]

[A passive fighting stance for humanoid creatures. Suitable for medium-sized one-handed weapons such as swords and short clubs, primarily for passive blocking and defensive counter-attacks. For one-handed use.]

The database has been updated.

[Burn to the "Artificial Life Science - Biological Posture Materials" content library]

[The device is usable.]

"You damn pervert! Stop using your appraisal magic to spy on me! Do you have an endless supply of mental energy?" The bandit leader swordsman screamed instinctively, wildly swinging his sword, trying to shake off the feeling of being stared at by an invisible gaze. His bloodsteel longsword accidentally struck the wall of the beacon tower next to him, almost slipping out of his hand and flying away!

Damn it! We don't usually fight with swords in the camp, and this cramped, godforsaken place isn't suitable for longswords! He frantically gripped the hilt, enduring the chill of being spied on, barely maintaining a parry stance with one hand while fumbling for a potion bottle at his waist with the other, carefully circling around to deal with Samael and barely managing to buy some time.

This was an enemy they couldn't confront head-on; their only hope was that their men outside the camp would quickly deal with the terrifying knight's companions, distracting him slightly...

The next second, a mangled, bloody bandit corpse flew from the darkness in the distance and crashed heavily into the crumbling wall behind the bandit leader swordsman, its head smashed like a broken watermelon.

"What..." The bandit leader shuddered.

A hoarse laugh came from not far away in the darkness. The tall, thin knight in the demon horn helmet, clad in black armor, swung his hammer and spear wildly among the bandits, like a blacksmith swinging a hammer, joyfully and recklessly smashing one pottery vessel after another filled with deep red liquid.

The next second, the bandit leader swordsman sheathed his blade, reversed his stance, turned around, and ran away!
The situation has come to this! Even the dumbest person can see that staying means certain death... or worse! They'll be captured and imprisoned by a perverted knight who loves using appraisal magic, and humiliated by some mysterious and wondrous tool!
They're just a bunch of bandits' henchmen. They're just a bunch of fugitive criminals who went to block the imperial border. You can take them all in one go.

As long as this demonic sword remains... there is still hope!

He activated his combat skill [Focus on Footwork], gulped down the last two Vitality Potions, and sprinted off in the opposite direction from the perverted knight!
Samael was taken aback and subconsciously activated the [Focus on Footsteps] biological stance, trying to catch up, but his speed was far slower than that of the bandit leader swordsman—the Nether Bronze body was too heavy, and it would take some time to accelerate.

He couldn't catch up. He raised his longsword, took a quick aim, and hurled it at the bandit leader's back, only to be nimbly dodged by the man laughing loudly.

There was nothing he could do; after all, he had no ranged attacks. Samael sighed, stopped, and turned to check on Rondar and Elliott, only to see Rondar stand up, blow three bone whistles, take off his hunting bow, nock an arrow, draw the bowstring taut, and aim at the bandit leader's back.

After three piercing whistles, a volley of spell arrows made of venom and small fireballs in potion bottles were launched from the shadows of the night not far from the camp, soaring over Rondar toward the bandit leader swordsman!

Amid the bandit leader's scream, Rondar narrowed his eyes, aimed at the fleeing figure, and fired thirteen arrows in quick succession!
The venom arrows and the swift-burning demonic fire blocked the bandit leader's escape route. Eleven arrows missed their mark in the chaos, with one arrow hitting the bandit leader's calf and the other striking him in the back.

The poison took effect quickly, and the next second, the bandit leader collapsed to the ground, struggling and spitting out a mouthful of bluish-green blood as he fumbled for the antidote bottle at his waist.

Samael strode forward, picking up the bronze knight's sword he had just missed with, and dragged the hilt toward the bandit leader.

clang! clang!
He struck the bronze shield with the hilt of his sword, producing a terrifying clang like the tolling of death.

clang! clang!
The bandit leader trembled, half-lying beside the blood-red longsword, frantically grabbing the antidote bottle, biting the cork stopper with trembling hands. He was startled by the terrifying sound of the sword and shield colliding, and the antidote bottle fell to the ground and shattered.

He convulsed a few times, his face turned blue, and his throat was blocked by the swollen lump caused by the poison, making it impossible for him to swallow even with the antidote.

His breath and body temperature gradually disappeared, leaving only coldness and emptiness.

Samael stared silently at the corpse, raised the blood-red longsword, and activated the scanner.

Bloodsteel

[Type 2 steel phase, formed through psionic phase transformation, incorporates organic iron during casting using a special processing method. It is semi-living, possessing psionic affinity and biochemical properties. It can conduct psionic energy from living biological tissues and provide biological structural replenishment to the user through a one-way conduction device.]

[A technological intersection of fundamental materials science (Level 1) and fundamental matter phase transition (Level 2); relevant data has been completed.]

[Due to a lack of pre-developed technology and equipment, manufacturing is currently impossible.]

"A vampire sword..." Samael scratched his helmet. His body could automatically recover by absorbing heat from the surrounding environment, so he didn't need such a thing. Talia, on the other hand, possessed the super-strong healing abilities of a demon, so she didn't need it either.

"How is Elliott?" He turned and looked at the two people in the ruins.

"It's alright... I'm stable now." Elliott had woken up, but was still lying weakly on the ground.

Wounds inflicted by Bloodsteel weapons are difficult to heal and severely deplete one's energy and stamina. Rondar administered six vials of healing potions mixed with painkillers before he gradually recovered.

“Thanks to you, Brother Samos,” Rondar sighed wearily. “I was ultimately too… too young. I shouldn’t have accepted such a dangerous mission. If I had listened to Brother Taran, things wouldn’t have turned out this way…”

“It’s alright, everyone has a period of being naive and ignorant... Young people should not be content with the status quo, they should have dreams and lofty ambitions.” Samael was silent for a moment, “I was like you a few years ago.”

“Did the Sama monks do the same?” Rondar smiled wryly.

“Of course,” Samael replied, “but don’t give up on such aspirations and dreams. It’s just a failure due to a lack of experience… After all, we don’t know what the future holds.”

"Perhaps your entire life will change dramatically overnight. Perhaps, looking back now, the things you once thought were terrifying seem far away from you now, and not so significant."

He gazed intently at the bronze-white twin moons in the sky, then turned the hilt of his blood-steel longsword upside down and handed it to Randall.

“This is…” Randall was stunned.

“Taran and I don’t need it,” Samael said casually. “You shot the bandit leader, so the spoils should be yours.”

“No, no… I didn’t exert much effort at all. How could I possibly…” Rondar stepped back, repeatedly refusing.

“Take this. You’ve helped us a lot. There’s a saying in my hometown: If someone gives you a drop of water when you’re thirsty, you should repay them with a spring when you’re wealthy. If someone gives you a simple meal when you’re poor and hungry, you should repay them with a thousand gold coins when you’re rich.” Samael didn’t say much, but simply placed the hilt of his sword in Randall’s hand. “Taran and the others have probably finished clearing out the low-level bandits and will be here soon. Let’s prepare to count the spoils.”

“Brother Samos,” Randall looked at Samael, “I expect that you two will have priority in choosing the spoils, and… regarding the share of the spoils, you should take the majority.”

“No need…” Samael said casually, glancing at the scattered grain sacks in the bandit camp, then suddenly stopped.

He slowly bent down and squatted down in front of a grain sack at his feet.

The rough-woven cloth bag was bulging with wheat grains, and a line of clear and familiar handwriting was printed on it:

[Transporting grain to the Kanas Plain, to the Demon King Valak's underground city].

　We'll be adjusting the posting time to the afternoon from now on, so everyone won't have to stay up late to read. (As the author, I'm always so enthusiastic that even after posting at midnight, I can't be the first to read my own work! Thank you all for your support!)
　　I wish all my readers good health and happiness, and that you always believe in the many lucky things that are about to happen. With *Song of Silk* about to be released, what is impossible?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)