I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 58

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 58

Clop, clop, clop!

Rough hooves trampled the sturdy grass as the beast surged forward.
Stones and clods of earth scattered wildly in all directions.
The jet-black horse possessed no concept of speed control.
After all, it was Undead and could not die.

-Hyah!

Upon the saddle sat the horse’s master and a knight resurrected from death itself—the Death Knight.
Of course, he had not overcome death through his own strength.
Some god had slain him when he was human and granted him a new body.
And now the Death Knight served this god as his master, though one might call him his nemesis.
After all, the god had bestowed upon him a stronger body and greater power.
He, who normally guarded the fortress, had ridden out on his beloved steed only because his master had commanded him to patrol this region.

-Indeed, many soldiers lie dead here.

Truly, my master is magnificent.
He seized the reins and spurred the horse forward.

-Neeeigh!

The black steed cried out fiercely and galloped even more violently.
And finally, as it burst through the grassland, strange humans awaited him.

-They’ve come in a group again.

Through the blood-crimson eyes his master had granted him, I discerned the enemies.
Their various weapons and equipment revealed how balanced their party was.
Moreover.

-I sense an unpleasant holy power among them.

Among them, I spotted a Cleric I had let escape before.
It seemed she had returned and informed them of details regarding holy power.

-It doesn’t matter.

But that was all.

-Here!

He pushed off with even greater force.
Along with the thick darkness, he dropped the greatsword that had been resting on his shoulder.

Whoosh!

-Die.

But in that instant.

“Now! Jinhyeok!”
“Got it!”

An opaque barrier materialized before the Death Knight’s eyes.

-This…!

He belatedly swung his blade to shatter the barrier.

Crash!

Through the shattered barrier’s opening, he rolled across the ground.
The damage was considerable, but it was far better than colliding directly with the barrier at that devastating speed.
He was a Death Knight, after all.

-…You’ve put some thought into this, haven’t you.

Crack, pop.
He rose to his feet, realigning the dislocated bones throughout his body.
They must have thought it was their decisive blow, but there was no problem whatsoever.
This body bestowed by the Divine Lord would never break.
However.

“Success!”

The humans cried out in voices brimming with joy.
Only then did the Death Knight survey his surroundings and find his words.

-…!

I could see the steed thrashing about, unable to die despite its fatal wounds and agony.
I had shattered and overcome the barrier myself.
But the steed lacked the means to attack, making it impossible for the creature.

“It worked, it worked! It really worked! We’ve actually eliminated the Death Knight’s mobility!”

The human I had let slip away before bounded about with wide, startled eyes.

“Your plan succeeded! Right!? Say something….”

Then he looked toward someone.

“….”

There stood someone with an air of quiet confidence, gazing down at me.
The look in their eyes was peculiar, yet they didn’t seem like they could defeat me.
I straightened my posture.

-…Foolish. You rejoice merely at felling my comrade. Did you truly believe victory was within reach if you merely stripped away my mobility?

The moment I regained my senses and grasped my greatsword.
A familiar name spilled from the lips of the Cleric who had entered before.

“-Huh? Kang Ha-jin! Aren’t you pleased!”

My hand froze mid-motion.

-Kang, Ha-jin?

* * *

“Death Knight.”

It happened during training before entering the special dungeon layer.
Yang Sang-jin was recounting details about the dungeon to help us prepare for the conquest.
He was describing the monsters that appeared, the fields like forests and graveyards, when he suddenly began trembling violently.

“That thing is a monster.”

A supporter whose primary ability was healing magic—always one to boast and bluster.
This display was unfamiliar, and precisely because of that, it carried genuine weight.

“The conquest party had barely defeated the skeletal soldiers and was advancing when we heard hoofbeats and the cry of a horse. In the blink of an eye, the moment I closed and opened my eyes, it appeared.”

At that point, Yang Sang-jin’s eyelids trembled uncontrollably.

“We all died…!”

-Ehehehe-neighhhh!
-Shwaaaack!

His description was so vivid that the massacre of a creature I’d never seen before painted itself vividly in my mind.

“Ugh!”

Park Eun-ji even began retching.
Yang Sang-jin, still trembling, continued his account with difficulty.

“—Probably, that thing is the boss. It has to be, otherwise it doesn’t make sense.”

Everyone seemed to agree.
But I remained skeptical.

‘Probably not.’

Because Thanatos’s mark couldn’t be explained that way.
That creature was likely an intermediate boss.
If Elder Barkalor’s “death curse” originated from Thanatos’s abilities, then the Death Knight was probably a subordinate created by Thanatos through that curse as well.
It must have been a powerful individual among the Solar Knights.
Or perhaps something even higher in rank.

‘If his subordinate is that formidable… just how strong is Thanatos?’

And just how powerful would the items that monster drops be?

“….”

At that moment, Yang Sang-jin, who had been continuing his explanation, caught sight of my face and flinched.
Then he spoke as if exasperated.

“You, are you… smiling right now?”

Damn.
I quickly composed my expression and opened my mouth.

“So to summarize, we need to defeat that Death Knight. And to do that, we must seal away its most troublesome mobility.”

Yang Sang-jin, who had briefly wondered if he’d misread my expression, nodded again.

“Right. Without that black steed, we might be able to bring it down somehow. The real threat is the sword strikes it unleashes at incredible speed from atop that beast.”

Perhaps.
But what about the stamina to withstand such incredible speed, and the dynamic vision needed to time sword strikes with precision?

“….”

I remained skeptical but didn’t show it.
There was no point in dampening spirits before we’d even begun.
Besides, it wasn’t entirely wrong—facing an opponent without mobility would certainly be easier than one with it.
Let me think about a strategy.
I swept my gaze across the raid members waiting for my orders.

“Then let’s do this.”

And I looked toward Jinhyeok.

“Jinhyeok. The moment the Death Knight shows signs of charging, deploy a barrier. Make it as solid and tall as possible.”

* * *

…And that’s how the situation unfolded.
Jinhyeok, the one who had deployed the barrier and knocked the Death Knight from its steed, now showed signs of exhaustion.

“Huff, huff. Huff. My role ends here.”

It was a force field so threatening that even the Death Knight felt the pressure.
He must have pushed himself hard, and it made sense that he was completely exhausted.
Losing Jinhyeok, a dealer-position member rather than a tank, temporarily was unfortunate, but manageable.
With just Jinhyeok, he had pinned down the enemy’s movements.
I drew my jet-black longsword and spoke.

Whoosh!

“Well done. Fall back to the rear and rejoin the battle once you’ve recovered your stamina.”

Flexible position changes according to the situation, a broad field of vision spanning the entire battlefield.
Thanks to clearing the underground layers with the residents, I had gained command experience without other team members present.

“Everyone, fall back. Hold your positions with a defensive stance. Especially you dealers. Never recklessly charge in on your own.”

In fact, situations like this—where one might mistake themselves for having the upper hand—demanded such caution even more.

“What? No, Kang Ha-jin. Why are you giving such an order? We’ve sealed its mobility! Now it’s just a sitting duck! If we launch a full assault right now…”

Yang Sang-jin protested in frustration, unable to comprehend.
But I simply suppressed him with a sharp glance.

“You’re right. This is an order. Don’t question it—just follow it. Like a true team member.”

Flinch.
Yang Sang-jin’s momentum faltered.
He grumbled but retreated.
There was only one reason I issued the command this way.

‘It’s strong.’

The aura of the Death Knight, poised to charge at any moment, reached even here.
If even one of us had rushed in to attack just now…
The outcome played out vividly in my mind.

-Screech!

Seong U-jae was split in half and died.

-Crack!

Yun Seo-rin’s bow shattered.

-Thud!

Park Eun-ji’s body was pierced through, and she died.
Once again, I felt the true difficulty of this special dungeon layer.

‘Thanatos, you insane bastard.’

A hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.
Did he create this to be cleared?
Judging by the Death Knight’s aura, he couldn’t have been a mere Solar Knight in life.
It was strange from the start that a desert knight was riding a horse.
He must have been strengthened in the process of being resurrected as a specter.

“If you don’t want to die, everyone fall back—”
-Your name is Kang Ha-jin, isn’t it.
“…!”

What?
I felt every hair on my body stand on end in an instant.
Just now, the Death Knight spoke my name.
Those three characters: Kang Ha-jin.
Not just me—the other team members seemed shocked and each said something.

“D-Did only I hear that?”
“Captain. Was that a monster?”
“I thought I didn’t have any friends besides myself.”

At Hyeon-jun’s words, I let out a small laugh.
I too had never had a friend like a Death Knight.
Then there was only one possibility.
It was such a certain possibility that being surprised now seemed redundant.
I stared directly into the Death Knight’s eyes and asked.

“Did Thanatos tell you?”
-…!

This time, the Death Knight showed a startled reaction.
Though not overtly visible, I could sense the Death Knight’s emotions through the Root Ink Black that continuously activated at a low level.

-You even know the name of my Lord. Are you truly the one he spoke of?

Here, “he” surely referred to Thanatos.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had been anticipating this meeting.
But “my Lord”?
If Thanatos truly existed and was the god I understood him to be, wasn’t the title “my Lord” excessive?
Even Nix, powerful and influential as she was, couldn’t be called the “Lord God” of Greco-Roman mythology.
Much less her son would fall even shorter.

‘Is this excessive loyalty from the Death Knight?’

In this regard, he resembled Yahwi somewhat.
For some reason, the Death Knight seemed oddly familiar to me.
Perhaps I could make this easier for myself.

“I too am searching for him. I ask for your guidance.”
-I refuse.

The Death Knight swung his greatsword with a whoosh, pointing its tip at me.

-Merely sharing a name and knowing of him is insufficient to guide you to my Lord. Prove to me that you are the one he seeks.
“Prove? How should I do that?”

The Death Knight answered my question.

-That would naturally be through a duel. My Lord said that the one he seeks also wields power similar to his own.

Tch, nothing comes easy.
I had hoped otherwise.
I had no choice but to raise my jet-black longsword to meet his.

“Everyone, step back.”

At my declaration, Hyeon-jun tried to stop me.

“Ha-jin!”

Seong U-jae stepped forward again.

“No way, captain. We need a tank.”

Judging that my death would mean total annihilation, even Yang Sang-jin began to protest.

“Are you insane!? You opposed the all-out assault, and now you want to face that monster alone?”
“Hm? Ah. You mean when I told you to fall back earlier?”

They’ve misunderstood.
They mistakenly believed that if we had charged in, we would have been slaughtered by the Death Knight—and that I would have been included in that calculation.
When I had inwardly questioned Thanatos about how to dispel this misconception, I was naturally assuming the scenario where I would not be participating in the conquest.

“There’s no way I could lose.”

【Special Stat: Darkness is released.】

Whoosh!

The Death Knight faltered upon seeing the darkness surge across my skin.

-…This power!
“If you need to compare long and short to know the difference, if you need to taste it to tell shit from miso paste, then—”

I let out a quiet laugh and thrust my jet-black longsword toward the Death Knight.

“Open your eyes wide and watch carefully.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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