Ghost Knight King's Dungeon Project

Chapter 7 [The Bronze Sword and Shield and the Tree of Hanging Corpses]

The sunlight shines on the Kanas desert like thousands of golden rays, but the heat stirs up dust on the desert surface.

The Kanas wilderness during the day is different from that at night. Under the intense heat of the sun, the ground is constantly shrouded in a thin, yellowish twilight. While this blocks some sunlight, it also reduces visibility, blurring most landmarks. Inexperienced adventurers are very likely to get lost.

Fortunately, the hybrid demon race possesses an extremely strong sense of direction, which comes from the Earth's magnetic field itself and is unaffected by sunlight and dust.

call!
Samael followed Talia with a clanging thud, enthusiastically brandishing his bronze knight's longsword, the blade whistling as it cut through the air.

[Remaining Energy: 97.3% (Free heat detected in the environment, automatically absorbing heat to recharge)]

As the sword was swung, the stamina panel on the interface changed from [100%] to [99%], and then quickly rose back to [100%] when the action stopped, just like the green stamina bar in Dark Souls.

[Remaining Energy: 97.1% (Free heat detected in the environment, automatically absorbing heat to recharge)]

This suit of armor can absorb free heat from the surrounding environment to restore stamina and energy at an extremely fast rate. Samael studied the interface UI and text descriptions.

This may be why, even under sunlight, the surface temperature of the armor remains very low, and a bone-chilling cold often permeates the surrounding area.

"Maybe I'm a magical air conditioner," Samael thought to himself, amused.

"Talia, look at me! Look at what I can do!" He extended his bronze knight's gauntlets, gripping the sword blade in his palm.

The bronze sword blade, gleaming with a bluish-green luster, was instantly heated to a red-hot temperature, melted, and deformed, revealing shark-tooth-shaped hook-like serrations. It then cooled rapidly, forging itself into a ferocious shark-tooth sword.

“And look at this!” Samael stretched out his other hand, and red-hot, semi-molten metal flowed from his palm, being shaped in the air before rapidly cooling and transforming into a large, kite-shaped shield. “I can play with my favorite shield poke again!”

He held up the shield with one hand and gripped the sword hilt with the other, swinging it around in a rather pretentious manner.

Clang! A loud crash. The sword in his right hand accidentally struck the shield in his left, the hilt was jolted out of his hand, and the sword flew away.

The sword, which had slipped from her grasp, spun before being caught firmly in Talia's dark gauntlets.

“Alright, I know you’re a very powerful Ghost Knight, able to summon strange bronze tools and weapons. Now, stop fiddling with that sword like a big boy getting his hands on one for the first time.” Talia sighed, gripped the blade, and handed the sword back, turning the hilt upside down.

“I’m researching how many functions my body has—it has many amazing uses, but there are just too many messy entries and data, like a library. It takes a lot of time to understand what they mean, what they’re used for, and how to use them.” Samael scratched his head as he took the hilt of the sword, slung the kite-shaped shield over his back, and then reached out to grasp the blade, recasting the Shark Tooth Sword back into a simple and elegant knight’s longsword.

"At least now I know how to make weapons made of the same material as armor."

The armor system contains a massive database, and parsing it requires a significant amount of time and effort. Samael has been studying its uses and applications almost every minute of his time. These past few days, while traveling, he has been deciphering the data maze within the armor's UI, and has finally figured out one important technology that is currently usable.

This is the third level 0 technology under the Basic Materials Science entry: [Underworld Copper Printer], which allows you to cast objects made of underworld copper according to your wishes.

Dark bronze is the material that makes up Samael's armor. It is a dull gold-copper with dark blue-green rust spots and a dark, bluish luster.

Samael had assumed the armor that made up his body was originally shiny brass, which had turned this dark, rusty bronze color over time in the underground ruins. However, the freshly printed Netherworld bronze sword turned out to be rusty bronze. Perhaps these dark blue-green spots weren't rust, but rather the unique texture of Netherworld bronze.

Unfortunately, the amount of Nether Copper remaining in the printer is limited, enough to print only a few sets of swords and shields or halberds. To forge more equipment, you need to find more Nether Copper to fill the material library, or—starting from the level 0 [Nether Copper Printer] entry, follow the tech tree upwards; at level 1 Materials Science, there's a locked entry [Nether Copper Generator]. However, it's currently inaccessible, and I don't know how to use it.

Samael felt a pang of regret. The underground ruins where he had awakened contained dozens of identical suits of armor, and the storage silos for the Nether Bronze inside must have been the same.

Before leaving the ruins, I realized I hadn't taken all the Nether Bronze stored in the other armors. That Nether Bronze could have built an entire armory—after all, I didn't know what Nether Bronze was or how to use the printer back then. But thinking about it carefully, I also realized I didn't know how to activate the other armors or how to extract the Nether Bronze from them.

In short, at least now we have a set of weapons that can be modified at will, so if we really encounter any danger, we won't have to resort to punching each other.

“Samael, psychic magic cannot create normal physical matter out of thin air. Nether Bronze is a rare enchanted metal, an ancient alloy corroded by psychic energy. It's related to the advanced branch of necromancy within the Void Magic school, called [Ghost Knight Forging]. It's a spell from the age of the gods, and its manufacturing method has been lost. Remember not to use [Nether Bronze Summoning] carelessly in front of people.” Talia sighed worriedly, watching Samael, who was frantically clutching the Nether Bronze longsword. “Some demons skilled in Void Magic and high-ranking mages in academies researching related divine relics might know of Nether Bronze's existence, but ordinary humans don't. Don't attract unnecessary attention.”

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not stupid." Samael hung his knight's longsword at his waist and adjusted the kite-shaped shield on his back. "I'll print out the weapons in advance when no one is watching, so I won't have to manufacture them on-site if I need them later."

The two were trekking through the desolate land, making their way to the nearest adventurers' guild outpost.

It was fortunate that one of them was a half-demon and the other a ghost knight. Carrying heavy armor and trekking for such a long time, an ordinary person would have worn their kneecaps off by now.

“Alright, let’s repeat our false identities one more time.” Talia took a deep breath. “I am Taran, a War Knight, and I aspire to become a novice adventurer. I come from the Holy Light Kingdom in the south, an ancient and remote war monastery. According to the commandments, I offer my mortal face to the gods, and therefore I cannot remove my helmet in public.”

“I am Sama, from the same ancient, remote, cruel, and inhuman monastery as Taran. We are super idols, and the agency has rules against showing you our faces because our profession is virtual streamer avatars… oh no, war knights, aspiring to become novice adventurers. According to the commandments, I offer my mortal face to the gods, therefore I cannot remove my helmet in public.” Samael devoutly made the sign of the cross on his chest, clasped his hands together, and nodded.

“Seriously, don’t exaggerate like that—and also, we wear heavy armor all the time to practice physical discipline according to ascetic rules. That’s how we’ll answer if they ask,” Talia added. “If they ask about food… well, just say we’re bound by ascetic rules and can’t eat with others. If they try to give you food, say you’re fasting, or you’re not hungry right now and will eat later. In short, just brush it off—ah, the more I think about it, the harder it gets. How can I possibly fool them!”

She slapped her helmet and sighed deeply.

"Let's give it a try. Maybe the adventurers don't care about these things at all?" Samael shrugged...shoulder armor.

“Alright, continue. Our journey as two war knights is a rigorous ascetic practice. Our next stop is hopefully to cross the Erdrik Empire and head towards the center of the continent. If your adventurer's party has its own caravan, it would be wonderful if you could give us a ride. If not, that's fine too, as long as you can help us earn enough for the journey. If all else fails, we can figure something out at the Erdrik border gate... at worst, we can sneak in and infiltrate the caravan's cargo.” Talia continued rehearsing her words, organizing her thoughts. “Do you understand?” “Oh, oh, I get it. We're monks... like the Lord of the Rings version of Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong! This humble monk comes from the Holy Light Kingdom in the southwest, on our way to the central continent to obtain scriptures!” Samael nodded.

"Tang Sanzang wore a black armor of black metal, black cloud-walking boots, a double-horned helmet to subdue demons, and a blood-red brocade cassock as a cloak. He wielded a 108,000-jin iron staff, which he wielded with great force. A slight bump would break bones, a slight touch would crush flesh, a glancing blow would kill, and a slight tug would injure!"

"Wukong is a ghostly knight demon king from another world, clad in a suit of dark bronze and azure rainbow armor, wearing Yama's Boots of Helplessness, and a rusty gold mask without form. He wields the Azure Rainbow Sword that slays ghosts and carries a demon-suppressing plaque. Though his body is empty, his spirit is incredibly fascinating! The Buddha said: If you seek me by form or sound, you will not see the Tathagata. The physical body is nothing but bones, but the soul is one in a million that achieves perfection!"

Talia couldn't help but laugh out loud, then coughed twice.

"I'm so glad you're here to chat with me like this." She chuckled softly. "Of course, to be serious, if we're teaming up with other adventurers, we still need to cultivate a believable image of a disciplined ascetic. Maybe a stern-faced one? A man of few words? Or perhaps a bit mystical?"

“It can’t be the Flower Monk… Alright. I understand, Master.” Samael nodded. “Trust me, I’m a veteran Dark Souls 1 player, and I have a lot of experience with the Royal Pirates and the Chosen Undead.”

The two chatted as they traversed the wilderness.

As they moved forward, the surrounding environment became less and less thorny. Animal skeletons became fewer and fewer, and the rotten root balls and slime monsters that used to peek out from the shadows of the wasteland were almost nowhere to be seen.

A building appeared faintly on the distant horizon; it was the stronghold wall of the Adventurers' Alliance.

Talia suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong... what's that?" Samael walked absentmindedly, analyzing the data maze while distracted, and accidentally bumped into Talia's back, peering over Talia's shoulder armor.

Caw, caw. Two crows cawed.

A grotesque, giant tree with gnarled and twisted roots stood before the two, its thick branches, squeezed and twisted by knots, stretching out in all directions like the ribs of a giant umbrella. Hanging from its thick branches, like the abundant fruits of autumn, were semi-dried, mutilated corpses.

The corpse was crudely dressed, adorned with worn-out, cheap, and rough equipment. It hung in mid-air, swaying slightly in the wind.

A flock of carrion crows circled overhead. Demon crows landed all over the tree, like musical notes on a staff in the eerie classical piece "In the Palace of the Mountain King," arranged among the twisted staff formed by the branches, pecking at the corpses while tilting their heads and staring at the two with their blood-red crow eyes.

On the charred, blackened bark of trees, decayed by the barren soil, someone had carved pale words with a sharp knife:

"The fate of bandits and criminals!!!"

"—The wasteland of Kanas, the stronghold of the Alliance, stands in the city of Fallenthorn."

"Okay... alright?" Samael looked at the giant tree with the hanging corpse in front of him, circled the tree once, and boldly examined the corpse.

Thankfully, his current body lacked a sense of smell, so he couldn't detect the stench of decaying corpses. If Xia Mo'an had seen a corpse in his previous life, he would probably have been terrified, but now, with his cold, armored body, he felt little fear—perhaps because the necromancer armor had somewhat suppressed his emotions, or perhaps because he had already died once, and the dead were nothing more than his own kind to him.

"There are very few wounds on the corpse." He examined the body. "Most of them were... killed with a single blow. The person who did this must have been a master."

“It was probably done by the Alliance Guards.” Talia looked at the wound. “Most of them are former professional soldiers. Although they don’t have much experience in exploring and surviving in the wasteland, they are usually very good at quickly killing unarmored humanoid enemies. The Alliance Guards are responsible for maintaining order and killing criminals.”

"Long ago, the earliest adventurers were a mixed bag. Because there were no laws in the wasteland, many adventurers were no different from criminals. Rape, theft, robbery, and double-crossing were common occurrences. Therefore, the first thing the alliance did after its establishment was to establish the 'Explorer's Code,' setting up alliance guards who specialized in killing humanoid enemies to try and eliminate all criminals according to the law. This action made the word 'explorer' no longer synonymous with bandits, and no longer despised. Its reputation gradually improved, and it became a synonym for explorers and heroes."

"Back then, many adventurers with criminal records fled directly to the desolate lands to avoid execution, becoming outlaws and bandits. Many criminals and fugitives today also form gangs to escape the law and survive in the desolate lands."

“Oh, a new broom sweeps clean, and to get rich, you have to lay down the rules first! They know their stuff!” Samael leaned closer and poked at the corpse’s wound. “It looks like a penetrating wound caused by being thrown off by a long-handled weapon… a spear? A lance? Or a Lancer…”

“The Wasteland is a haven for many bandits and fugitives. They usually make a living by robbing caravans traveling between nations, and occasionally hunt mutated creatures to gather valuable resources, which they then smuggle to the black market for sale.” Talia gazed at the corpse on the giant tree. “The Adventurers’ Alliance is stationed on the front lines of the Wasteland. Caravans transporting supplies are frequently robbed by bandits, and their strongholds are often harassed by bandits. There are constant frictions with bandit gangs. In addition to exploring caves, gathering supplies, and escorting caravans, adventurers also have some special bounty missions that involve eliminating bandit gangs.”

Caw, caw. The flock of crows screeched in the trees.

One of the largest crested ravens folded its wings, a hint of a smile on its face, and gazed quietly at Talia.

Talia squinted slightly behind her helmet.

“Wait a minute, demons can control low-level demonic creatures… this demonic raven…” She raised her hand, trying to control the demonic raven.

Gaa! Gaa gaa—

The crested raven did not obey her will, but instead cawed and laughed loudly with a hoarse cry.

"Ah, do you think I don't recognize you, Miss Ronoway from the northern Rondoran Mountains?" The crested raven laughed, its rough bird voice speaking in an elegant tone. "Of course, you have indeed changed quite a bit in the two years since the collapse of the Demon Kingdom in the Rondoran Mountains."

Talia took a small half-step back, but Samael had already moved behind her. Her back gently bumped against Samael's chest, supporting her and allowing her to regain her footing.

“Valak, the lord of the underground city of the Kanas wasteland plain,” she answered softly.

(End of this chapter)