Knight of the Night [Dark Comedic LitRPG]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

It was never meant to be you

In the World of Ruin, players are guided toward classes that best suit their aptitude. For Noctus, this was the Demon King. But he didn't care. His coding skills were enough to hack the system and acquire the legendary Knight of the Night class

Now, stuck in a realm of light with armor he's too weak to wear and a class he was never meant to have, Noctus has to live up to the legend he's hijacked. Thankfully, he's smart, has a party of misfits (including a battle-dancing girl wholovesviolence), and enough bot accounts to make the Game Masters cry.

But in a world ruled by the harshness of the eternal light, tragedy occurs at every corner. Faced against the God of Light's "mercy" , Noctus will need every dirty trick in his arsenal to survive.

In a world overwhelmed with light, he'll have to bring back the night.

What to expect:

Story setting inspired by Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

Anime style tropesIsekai like VR story

A mixture of dark fantasy and humor (Try until chapter 5 to get the full experience of both styles)

Snarky MC

Hacking and game exploitation

No harem

Schedule:M/W/F

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Night Prince

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 335
Views: 55,680

Chapters(58 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

CKJ5Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Disclaimer: This review is based on the first chapter and may not reflect the story as a whole.
Knight of the Night is described as a LitRPG/Gamelit story featuring fantasy, adventure, action, grimdark elements, and a male lead.
The story opens with the protagonist, Noctus, creating a new character for the latest VRMMO, but he isn’t overly impressed with the available choices.
The chapters from Noctus’s perspective are written in first person, and the writing is strong. The author does a good job of breaking up inner monologuing to keep the narrative engaging. However, I did have one critique: Noctus is described as a genius, but at no point during the chapter did his inner thoughts or actions reflect that level of intelligence. This disconnect was especially noticeable during the appearance of the woman monitoring him, who gushed over his stats. It made me pause and double-check to see if I’d missed something.
Overall:
Knight of the Night was a smooth and enjoyable read. While LitRPG isn’t a genre I typically gravitate toward, the story held my attention, and the humor brought a smile to my face more than once. If you’re a fan of LitRPGs and Gamelit, I recommend giving this one a try.
D.N.A.Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Seriously, really! At first, it felt super light to read (except you, prologue!), and some parts in the early chapters made me laugh hhhhh I guess my sense of humor is quite cheesy TvT)
But don't entirely blame my taste in humor! Noctus, our main character, is "witty" and tends to be sarcastic, which gives a fresh humor. If I have to say, he is a master of serious jokes! Noctus' determination to face challenges and his refusal to follow a predetermined fate also give him an intriguing rebellious vibe.
And the conflict of the story is also interesting! Usually, in cliche tropes, anything related to light is considered a blessing. But in this story, surprisingly, it's not! How could that be? Better you read it, because in the discussion about "light," the real conflict emerges.
Especially the concept of "light poisoning" as a "divine punishment" propagated by the church, which adds layers of social and religious conflict that are very compelling.
From here, I can conclude that this story is a subversion of traditional themes.
The more you read, the more the "dark" side of the story becomes apparent, shifting from laughter at the beginning to difficult choices that lead us to a morally gray area: reflections on values, morality, and humanity.
As for the grammar, it's pretty good! However, personally, there are some long sentences that could be broken into shorter ones to improve readability. Sometimes I have to reread a sentence multiple times… well, that's also because I'm kind of a slow reader, trying to be immersive ><
Overall, if you want to laugh and end up contemplating life at the same time, this is definitely recommended!
Fenghuang0296Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really enjoyed experiencing this story. It drops right into the action with minimal exposition, just character interactions mixed with flashbacks to provide extra details about Noctus’ personality. The story unfolds organically through dialogue and hints that are fascinating to piece together.
The worldbuilding is the best part, there’s a sense of ongoing mystery riddled with fantastic hooks like ‘eternal day, restore the night’.
Style is excellent, especially the brief glimpse in the first chapter of direct code tampering. Hoping to see more of that. My one real point of criticism is that the story feels a bit confused about whether it’s trying to be a VR game or an isekai, Noctus doesn’t ever log out of the game to go and eat or sleep? He resigns himself to ‘death’ and doesn’t even think “Oh well, it’s just a game?” If this is some kind of hyper-realistic deep-dive thing thar’s supposed to last for months on end, that needed to be signposted better.
The characters feel crisp and well-defined, even as we rotate through an extended cast of brief interactions they all stay in my mind and I wonder if/when we’ll see them again.
I do have to dock half a point for grammar, particularly around speech, there are a lot of missing full stops and a few other mistakes so I’d recommend the author do some extra proofreading. Thar’s a minor thing, though, and it doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story!
KPS_writesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The first five chapters introduce the MC’s character beautifully. His passion for playing the knight is deeply ingrained, and his refusal to take on any role, even that of the demon king, if he can't be a knight is both unique and a charming character trait. It gives insight into his personality and makes him stand out.
The supporting characters, however, are what truly caught my attention. Ada and Eli, in particular, stood out in the first four chapters. Their depth and relatability made them even more compelling than the MC for me. Their interactions Brought an emotional weight that enriched the story.
The subplot about blaming the victim instead of treating them well was surprisingly realistic and handled in a way that resonated. It added a darker layer to the story and made it feel more grounded.
The writing style is consistent throughout, with the first-person POV adding a personal and immersive touch. The author does a great job of balancing emotional depth with world-building.
The concept of light zombies and light poisoning was both fascinating and heartbreaking.
I’m excited to continue this series and will update my review as I progress further. I am reviewing this quite early so idk maybe there's some cool plot twist or something in future chapters.
Kleo EriliRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Knight of the Night is a funny, genre and trope subverting LitRPG with lots of fresh and creative ideas. Protagonist Noctus is a snarky, sarcastic nerd who stands out nicely against a lot of the muscle-bound superhumans you typically see.
The arsy-versy light vs darkness conflict is a really nice touch giving the story a somewhat Dark Souls like feeling. The writing style is full of humor sarcasm and basically feels like Douglas Adams meets LitRPG. It always feels immersive and concepts like light poisoning feel original and fresh.
Even secondary characters like Ada, Eli and Elijah are painted with depth and a lot of care which gives the story a certain emotional gravitas despite its otherwise lighthearted tone.
The prose is polished and I couldn't find any errors grammar-wise.
If you're interested in a smart, snarky and original LitRPG, you should definitely give Knight of the Night a read!
LJ KnightRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What a thrilling read! I’ve really been enjoying my time in this story! Night Prince does a great job of capturing the imagination, giving me a clear picture of what’s happening in my head as I read. I would love to see this turned into an anime someday, it has great anime vibes.
This was my first taste of this genre and it did not disappoint. The tables that were used for the status messages were so well done and such a fun touch to add. That might be standard for this sort of story, but it’s not something I’ve experienced before. It really adds a nice touch, an extra flair, that shows the author really cares about putting their best foot forward. Kudos!
One of my favorite aspects was the characters. Even the side characters drew me in and made me invested in them. Especially Ada and Eli. The MC shows potential and room for growth. I would say my investment in him is wanting to see how that comes about. How does he become worthy of the power he’s effectively stolen? I don’t know yet, but finding out is going to be a wild ride!
Epic, imaginative, and comical; a deadly combination in this tantalizing tale!
PBJ_TimeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow. This is probably the first time I've given a perfect review, and I hope it wouldn't be my last. When I read "grimdark" and "virtual reality" in the tags, I expected the most milquetoast, cliched slog of a story with "dark and edgy" elements. This isn't one of them, folks.
Style: amazing, simply amazing. It doesn't try to sound overly poetic or chew up an entire thesaurus for wordplay. It's straightforward yet still gives us enough room to guess what's gonna happen next or what happened to the protagonist in the past.
Story: finally, some accurate hacking skills that don't just come out of nowhere. Since this is about VR, it does a great job conveying how its world would build as it progresses. It's not edgy for the sake of edgy, as I've said, but it still makes those elements work. The stats are also solid and well thought-out.
Grammar: it's as perfect as the other points I've made. There wasn't a single error, even when I gave it a more thorough second read.
Character: just like my other point, I'm already amazed that Noctus (which may or may not be a FFXV reference) actually knows how to hack a system without making it look like he pulled that skill out of his behind. Not to mention the way the author managed to convey how much grief he's been struck with on the first paragraphs in chapter 1 alone. It really sets up the mood for what will come next.
Wizardly DudeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow. Just wow is honestly what kept going through my head reading through these first chapters. I tend to enjoy checking out newer works by new authors, so it's not often I find the writing itself to be one of the highlights of my reviews.
Story: For starters, you may have read virtual reality based stories before, but I'm willing to bet you haven't read one where the MC hacks into the game itself and has some sort of secret assassin-training backstory (which I gotta say, I'm super invested in whatever that is already).
Style: As mentioned above, I think the author's style of sliding in bits of backstory to give us more knowledge of the MC is very well done, each little side bit never overstaying its welcome. On top of that, the author's use of imagery is honestly next tier.
Grammar: Crystal clean and excellent flow, couldn't give any advice if I wanted to.
Characters: I'm only 5 chapters in and not only am I'm already invested in whatever is going on with the MC Noctus, but most of the NPC's he's met as well. With just a few lines the author has painted a picture of loss and struggle that is so easy to imagine it's scary.
Final verdict: This is an immediate follow for me!
fakerdakerhahahaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
You can tell that a story is gonna be interesting when the prologue itself subverts the usual trope of light vs dark. After all, with just a glance, it becomes all but blindingly obvious that everything is not so black and white, but rather composed of many shades of gray
Style and Story:
Knight of the Night is quite unique in its setting, since the protagonist is not isekai’d or sucked into a game world like the norm. Instead, the world he finds himself in is a virtual reality where NPCs and players alike inhabit. There is also an advanced AI designed to railroad new players into picking the class best suited for them – which the mc proceeds to deny in turn. From that point on, adventures, mysteries and a lot of role-playing ensue
Grammar:
The grammar is clear and concise. The author did an excellent job describing events with clear details, which adds to the reading experience as a whole
Character:
Noctus, the main character, admits he’s a rebel who likes to go against the norm. The more we read, the more we realize that said fella had quite a traumatic experience growing up, receiving “tough love” that scarred him more deeply. This, in turn, also allows him to better sympathize with the “people” of this new world, whose suffering – while completely different from his – still tugs at his heart strings
This novel is the story of Noctus as he improves himself in every aspect, from strength and power to heart and soul. Along the way, the wittiness of fellow players and brutal seriousness of knight templars make for wonderful additions as forces of dark and light clash against each other. And, it would be Noctus himself who has to decide which side of the conflict he’ll win the war for, as well as how many exploits he can abuse until the game kicks him out
isaiahironsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story starts off with an incredible opener. I love the good vs evil vibes and a God who is basically like, ‘whatever you are trash . . . move on’ and intentional or not, I was left wondering if that was really part of the game or not after the transition to the MC.
The style is fluid, and I am able to understand what is going on and the action that is being taken. I also think the litRPG elements are well done, and there are a lot of them, so if you like medium to heavy readouts this might be your jam! Specifically, I like how it doesn’t repeat itself, and everything pulled up feels unique.
The characters are really well done, and I definitely get OP genius and snarky vibes from the MC. All the side characters have something to add to the story and I am glad to say don’t feel pointless or plot driven.
Grammar wise, I didn’t notice anything blaring, though I do think this could benefit from a line edit! And as a programmer myself, I appreciated the hacker vibes this one gives off, and the literal C++ code the author displays. It’s not every day do you come across a story with actual code!
Overall, this is a fun one and it definitely brought me back to playing some of my favorite RPG’s as a kid!