I Became the Dark Knight in the Game

Chapter 36: The Wolf (1)

Dale leaped down from the watchtower. He then said to Harkin,

Lets go.

Huh Yes!

Fighting near the village could lead to troublesome matters. Dale and Harkin went out to meet the mage in person.

As they walked down the main road leading to the village, they were noticed from the opposite side.

The pack of wolves halted abruptly. They all turned their heads towards their master who controlled them.

Then, a female mage emerged from behind the wolves.

Her skin was covered in scars. Her hair was greasy and unwashed. She wore leather clothes so tattered they were almost rags. And she tightly held a staff in her hand.

Above all, there was a strong smell of blood on her body.

She seemed more like a wild woman than a mage.

The mage looked over with a scowling face.

Who are you?

Harkin replied brusquely,

Who else? Were the mercenaries here to capture you.

Ah, so it was you who were following me But how did you manage to get ahead of me?

The woman scratched her head as she spoke, causing dandruff and lice to fall out in excess.

Harkin frowned before replying.

We took a shortcut through the giants territory.

Well. Thats not funny if its a joke.

Harkin shrugged his shoulders, conveying an attitude of indifference as if to say Believe it or not, its your choice.

He gripped his shield and declared,

Surrender peacefully, and Ill spare your life.

Of course, he had no intention of actually sparing her.

If the mage surrendered, he planned to take her life immediately.

However, this was more a tactic of nothing to lose than a genuine offer.

Had she been the type to surrender easily, she wouldnt have caused such trouble in the first place.

The mage ignored Harkins words completely. She stroked the fur of a large gray wolf standing beside her.

That village behind you is quite big. I wonder how many people live there. 100? 200? The previous village was too small, with hardly any food, but now my friends can feast to their content.

This who*e

Harkin was bristling with anger and he looked as though he was ready to charge at any moment. Dale grabbed his shoulder.

Calm down.

Sir Dale.

She a cunning one.

While the mage was stroking the wolf, the other wolves were slowly spreading out.

She was feigning nonchalance while meticulously preparing for battle.

Dale did the same.

He started scanning his surroundings out of habit.

The area was mostly flat terrain.

Oak trees were scattered here and there, and crows sat perched on their branches.

They were likely attracted by the scent of blood emanating from the mage.

The crows, with their characteristically eerie eyes, watched intently.

Regardless of who won, their desire to pick at some flesh was obvious.

Harkin swallowed hard as he looked at the pack of wolves surrounding him.

Sir Dale, these arent ordinary wolves, are they?

Likely not.

Dale and Harkin stood back-to-back.

The pack of wolves growled as they circled around them.

It was a tactic to keep threatening and tire out their prey.

Dale stood calmly and read the wolfs movements.

These beasts must have been strengthened by magic.

The wolves were unusually large. They were already big, but it seemed they had grown even larger by feeding on humans on their way here.

These beasts could already be called monsters without any exaggeration.

But, they were merely beasts after all.

Just a bit stronger than the usual kind.

When the wolves kept circling without approaching, Dale grew irritated.

He gripped the dagger holstered in his holster and, without a moments hesitation, swung his arm.

Swoosh!

The dagger flew in a straight line. Passing right through the wolves, it aimed directly at the mage standing behind them.

For an ordinary mage, such speed would be too fast to react.

But this woman was no ordinary mage.

Hmph.

With a snort that seemed to mock the effort, the mage swung her staff.

Thump! The trajectory of the dagger was abruptly altered.

Harkins eyes widened in surprise.

Eh, what? The mage blocked that?

Shes got some skills.

Nevertheless, Dales attempt was not entirely unsuccessful. At least, it brought an end to the tedious standoff.

The wolf pack whose owner was attacked became enraged and rushed at Dale and Harkin.

Dale immediately swung his longsword in a diagonal arc.

As the sword flashed once, the head of a large wolf was cleanly severed.

However, the wolves did not shrink back even at the death of their companion. Instead, they leaped forward, rushing towards Dale.

Their strategy seemed to be to overwhelm the enemy with sheer weight, regardless of whether they were decapitated or not.

Dale planted his longsword into the ground and stretched out both hands towards the approaching wolf before grabbing hold of the beast with all his might.

Guoo!

The wolf opened its jaws wide and attempted to bite Dale. However, its fangs were not strong enough to penetrate his armor.

Dale then hurled the wolf he was holding at another that was charging towards him.

keen!

The two collided wolves tumbled to the ground. And the watching mage expressed her admiration.

Such incredible strength.

Harkin who was beating a wolf with his shield from behind spoke up.

Ill take care of this side! Sir Dale, please focus on that mage!

Are you sure you can handle it alone?

I havent survived this long on luck alone.

Nodding his head, Dale kicked the ground. He then lunged in the direction of the mage.

A couple of wolves attempted to block Dales path.

With a swift move, Dale swung the hilt of his longsword, swiftly crushing the skull of one wolf.

The wolfs skull was cracked and hot blood flowed out.

Not even wolves could stop Dale.

The mage also realized this fact.

She stopped the wolves trying to block Dale.

Back off, my friends. He seems to be more than you can handle.

Then the wolves immediately cleared the way for Dale. They were moving like a well-trained army.

Dale passed the wolves and approached the mage.

Surprisingly, the mage just stood there while watching Dale.

It was strange.

Mages are usually sensitive to distance. Even the most powerful spellcasters can die from a knife in a vital spot.

Thats why they desperately maintain distance or have trustworthy guards by their side.

But this woman did neither.

She just waited for Dale with a relaxed expression. Dale found her confident attitude irritating.

Does she believe shes unbeatable in close combat?

Dale raised his longsword to his face, adopting a high guard position. Regardless of whether the opponent was confident or not, all you had to do was to stab them in the body.

Dale forcefully stomped on the ground.

His foot sunk slightly, kicking up dirt as his body accelerated.

A sword stroke, laden with speed and weight, descended toward the mages crown.

The mage gently stroked the smooth surface of her staff. In a moment, her eyes glowed red.

Bang!

With a sound like crushing metal, Dale was thrown back.

Dale who was suspended in mid-air maintained his composure and started coolly analyzing the situation.

What was that?

A powerful force had struck his side.

Dale scrutinized the mage.

Her right hand had transformed and now it was bushy like a bears with sharp claws.

Beast Transformation?

Transforming part of the body into that of a beast was not a common spell.

Dale pondered over the type of spell the woman had mastered.

But he couldnt immediately pinpoint it.

Beast Transformation and controlling beasts are different schools of magic.

Whether she knew Dales thoughts or not, the mage smirked.

Quite sturdy, arent you?

Her eyes emitted a red glow once again, triggering a transformation.

Fur sprouted thickly on her previously smooth legs. Her bones grew longer, and her legs became long and muscular.

The mage looked down at her sturdy deer-like legs with satisfaction.

Then, as if eager to test them, she immediately stamped on the ground.

She approached Dale with astonishing speed and swung her foreleg again.

Instead of defending, Dale thrust his sword diagonally forward.

It was a stance that said, Ill stab if you dare to swing.

Tch. The mage clicked her tongue and retracted her leg, knocking the longsword aside.

At that moment, Dale let go of his sword without hesitation. The sword flew far away.

A swordsman abandoning his sword was unexpected.

The mage was momentarily taken aback. Dale, seizing the opportunity, launched a fist towards the mages face.

Her head was still human.

An area not yet transformed by the Beast Transformation was surely vulnerable enough to be shattered.

Dale thought so, but once again, the mages eyes glowed red.

Black wings suddenly sprouted from her back and she hastily shielded her face with them.

Crunch!

The double-layered wings took the full brunt of the punch but they did not escape unscathed. The thin bones forming the wings snapped.

However, she managed to avoid a fatal blow.

Gah.

As the groaning mage struggled, Dale was about to deliver another punch to finish her off.

In the next moment, the crows perched in the trees above swooped down at Dale in unison.

Annoying.

Dale swatted away all the crows with a wave of his hand.

Black feathers fluttered, momentarily obscuring his vision.

Thanks to this brief distraction, the woman gained some distance.

While breathing heavily at a safe distance, she caressed her staff.

Her eyes were filled with the fear of death.

After reflecting on the recent exchange, Dale said,

You. Youre not a mage.

The sudden surprise attack he had unleashed was not something that could be easily dodged.

Even a skilled warrior might struggle to react, yet a mage had countered it?

It was hard to believe.

Moreover, seeing the haphazard and seemingly unrelated array of spells she possessed, Dale became more convinced that she was not a mage.

If shes not a mage

Dales gaze shifted to the staff in the womans hand.

A staff imbued with power. An artifact, perhaps?

The woman growled lowly.

Before he knew it, her mouth had transformed into a beak-like protrusion.

Grrrru. Its miiine.

With power comes a price.

It seemed the womans humanity was blurring as a cost for her beastly transformation.

Shrugging his shoulders, Dale picked up his longsword that had flown away.

Now that he knew his opponent was not a mage and that her strength came from the artifact staff, everything became more simple.

Breaking that staff should do the trick.

Dale charged towards the woman.

Having been harshly struck once, the woman faltered momentarily but soon countered Dales advance.

Her bear-like paw swung again to strike Dale.

He stepped back.

The paw missed his face by inches, creating a gust of wind as it passed by.

Dale advanced forward, turning his retreat into a swift counterattack.

His target was the staff and he intended to split it in two.

Grrr!

The woman made a sound like boiling phlegm and swung her staff in response. She trusted the hardness of the staff.

Creak.

Grr?

Her belief was shattered instantly.

A crack appeared on the tough surface of the artifact staff.

Dales strength was too overwhelming, and his cursed sword too sharp for the staff to remain unscathed.

Only then did the womans face contort with fear.

Grrrr. No! The staff must not break!

Dale swung his sword again toward the staff. The woman moved her arm to shield it.

Swish! With a slicing sound, her bear-like paw was severed.

Aaagh!

The woman screamed, yet there was a hint of relief on her face.

Her arm was gone, but the staff remained intact.

She seemed to value the staff more than her own body as she clutched it tightly and propelled herself backward.

No.

The deers legs shone brighter when fleeing than when fighting.

For herbivores, escaping is probably more familiar than hunting.

The woman desperately ran for her life.

As she did, she continuously flapped the wings that had sprouted from her back. But with her broken wings, she couldnt fly.

Dale followed closely behind her while searching for a weapon to throw before the distance between them widened further. He needed to finish this quickly.

He must handle that dangerous artifact staff and stop that deranged being from roaming this area.

Dales hand reached for the hand axe hanging in his holster.

However, there was no longer a need to throw a weapon.

In the next moment.

A large gray wolf burst out of the bushes and bit into the womans remaining arm.

Its powerful jaw strength was enough to sever the arm of the woman, who had not undergone beast transformation.

AAAGHHH!

The woman let out a piercing scream as blood gushed profusely from her severed arm.

Dale examined the eyes of the wolf that suddenly appeared.

Unlike the other controlled wolves, this ones eyes were clear, though they were filled with rage.

So, thats how it is.

Dale roughly understood the situation.

The wolf had come for revenge because the woman had controlled its kin.

It had been stealthily prowling around the woman, waiting for an opportunity.

The wolf was a persistent and patient hunter.

Dales eyes met with those of the wolf. The wolf, with a gleam in its eyes, crunched down on the womans arm as if to claim it as its own.

It seemed to say that this was its rightful share.

Regardless, it was of no concern to Dale. Capturing the woman was enough for him.

The staff the staff

With both arms severed and the staff lost, the woman had reverted to her ordinary human form.

She wriggled towards the staff as if thoroughly mesmerized by its magic.

Dale intended to ask her where she had gotten the staff but then decided against it.

It seems like talking wont do any good.

Dale walked ahead and picked up the staff.

Aah

The woman looked up at Dale with a devastated face.

Ignoring her, Dale smoothly stroked the staff.

Indeed, he could feel an extraordinary power from it. It seemed like the force of a demon, or perhaps the power of an ancient and evil spell.

As Dale held the staff in his hand, he felt a sense of discomfort.

It was as if some will was forcibly trying to wedge into his mind.

The staff corrupts the mind of its user.

Conversely, this also meant that the staff was an item of exceptional significance.

Depending on its use, it could wield immense power.

However, Dale was no fool.

He had no intention of becoming a slave to the staff for a bit more power.

P-please give it back.

The woman pleaded earnestly with Dale. He glanced at her briefly.

Then, in front of the woman, he gripped the staff with both hands and struck it down towards his knee.

The staff broke with a snap.

The considerate Dale then laid the broken staff right in front of the womans face.

Here it is.