Becoming the Dark Lord

The group moved silently through the mine tunnels. A few lanterns clipped to their belts lit the way, but it was the mages’ magical orbs that provided true visibility—floating spheres of light hovered near them. Every ten minutes, they also cast a spell that granted the group night vision. But the excessive lighting wasn’t just for visibility. It was essential for Perception to work.

”To the right,” Luke murmured.

”Confirmed,” said an archer, nocking an arrow.

Without hesitation, the archers fired. Two sharp cries rang out, followed by the dull thud of collapsing bodies. Dead ants. Unlike the others, Luke saw beyond. His Perception field worked even in total darkness—better, in fact, when shrouded in shadows. A perk of his [Demonic Perception].

”Fall back! Don’t push so far ahead!” Bob shouted to the soldiers up front.

He was the officer sent by Bartholomew, a support healer who had come along with four soldiers to reinforce the team. The path was littered with corpses. Bodies of soldiers dragged off by the ants. Remnants of battles that had taken place before they arrived. The group moved carefully, alert to any sound that didn’t come from them.

”Aaaargh!”

Three ants appeared from the far side, charging fast. One sank its jaws into a soldier’s arm, but before it could do more damage, a whistling arrow pierced its skull—Angelica. The soldier finished the attack, and within seconds, the creatures lay dead.

”Light!” Bob called.

The mages conjured new floating orbs. The old ones were starting to dim. Bob raised his hand, and a circle of green energy enveloped the group. The wounded stepped back inside, receiving the healing from the spell.

”Good thing we’ve got you,” Jonathan said with a tense smile.

No one mentioned the hidden healing potions. Best to keep that quiet. The Haven was already under enough suspicion regarding the stolen loot from Reward Event chests.

”How much farther?” Angelica asked.

One of the soldiers stepped up, studying the map under the light. Angelica and Bob gathered around him. The mine had been mapped years ago by Bartholomew’s men. But it was unstable. Too risky to use as a base. There were too many exits into the Wild Zone, and creatures frequently invaded the tunnels. It was safer to stay in a hideout within the Safe Zone, near the border.

Bob pointed to a spot on the map. ”The queen ant is here. In the center of the mine, close to the exits to the Wild Zone. It’s a more open area—almost like a cavern. There are still mine carts down there for those who want to go deeper into the lower levels.”

The soldier folded the map, and the group started moving again. Mages and archers held their power back. None of them could use destructive magic down here—a cave-in would be fatal. They passed through a section where the walls had collapsed. The ground was unstable.

”All tunnels lead to the central cavern,” Bob explained. ”From there, you can branch into the Wild Zone or descend even deeper into the mine. If someone gets lost, just keep going forward... unless they’re too much of a coward to continue.”

”As if anyone here’s smart enough to turn back and enjoy a good night’s sleep,” Jonathan joked.

The soldiers laughed.

“You’re not half bad, actually,” remarked Ricardo, one of the mages.

“You think we’re just a bunch of authoritarians? We’re just like you. We just want to get out of this tutorial,” Bob said, his tone nearly resigned.

“Give us some machine guns, a helicopter, a few tanks... and I promise I’ll take care of the whole thing,” Jonathan replied, drawing a round of laughter from the soldiers.

The group kept moving. One of the scouts ahead stepped back after reaching a fork in the path. Everyone stopped.

“Now what?” Jonathan asked.

“Any of these tunnels leads to the same place. We just want to avoid the ones that twist and turn too much. They’d slow us down,” one of the soldiers explained.

The archers quickly fired arrows enchanted with Perception magic. One landed firmly in the ground of the tunnel to the left.

“This one’s more direct,” said the archer, and the group began advancing again.

A mage launched a fresh orb of light, illuminating the darkness ahead. The tension hung thick in the air.

“What do you think it’s like to face a General?” Anna asked.

“Dangerous, of course... but now, maybe a bit easier. The situation favors us,” one of Bastion’s soldiers said.

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“We’ve taken down two of the Beast Lord’s Generals in the past three years,” Bob added casually.

The whole group turned to him in surprise.

“Yeah. We don’t exactly go around bragging about our achievements,” said another soldier with a faint smile.

So there are more generals...

Luke thought back to the mission orb that targeted the Orc Lord. After Morvat’s death, he’d been told the path to the Orc Lord had become more accessible. Maybe the Beast army really was more structured—more generals, more organization.

“The problem with fighting a General isn’t just the General,” Bob explained. “It’s the entire army around him. A General might be strong, but he’s not invincible. The hard part is getting to him.”

“Now I get why this is an opportunity. The ant army is scattered,” Allison murmured.

“Exactly! This is a huge opportunity,” Bob continued. “The Queen’s army is spread all across the Safe Zone. Her strength became her weakness. If we can kill her, we get a double victory—we save the Safe Zone and massively reduce the danger from the Wild Zone.”

He paused before going on.

“Have any of you seen lions in the past few months? No? After the Lion General was killed, the lions pulled back. Or vanished. No one knows. But the impact was real.”

“Targeting the Lords still seems more efficient,” Anna said.

“Sure. Cut off the head of the snake—always the best option. But someone’s got to be crazy enough to try. And besides, none of the Lords have a known location. Facing a General is practically a death sentence already. Even so, that’s Bartholomew’s plan: take out the Generals, weaken the enemy’s ranks, and only then consider sending a large group through the Wild Zone.”

Luke looked at Angelica.

“I told you to trust Bartholomew. He might be a bossy bastard, but he’s the only real hope we’ve got. Who else are you gonna trust? The Renegades? Please. And me? I’m a lazy leader, so don’t even count on me,” she joked, earning a few nervous laughs.

Luke drifted toward the back of the formation. Charlie walked beside him.

A risk... and a reward.

This was a real chance. Killing a Beast General was a direct step toward escaping this nightmare. But it could also be the last thing he ever did.

“Miss our days in the snow?” Allison asked, appearing beside him.

“Back when our biggest problem was a bunch of yetis? Sometimes I think those days were a lot simpler.”

She laughed—a soft sound, muffled by the tunnel’s echo. A lot had changed since that day. Since they’d first met in the frozen forest. Since the tutorial had begun to reveal its true form. But Luke wasn’t alone. And that was exactly what made the burden a little easier to bear. Having those people with him made everything feel a bit less impossible. They had gone over strategies carefully, trying to account for every possibility. Everyone knew their role—and that alone increased their chances.

The group wasn’t large. Bringing more people would leave the Haven unprotected, so only the necessary ones had been gathered. There were five archers, including Angelica, Cecilia, and Anna. On the front lines were six close-combat fighters: Phillip, Henry, Jonathan, Allison, Charlie... and Luke. Even though he was technically an assassin, he’d been assigned as a fighter. People assumed his class was “mercenary,” which wasn’t far from the truth. In the end, that was how he operated—fast, lethal, and unpredictable.

Three mages completed the formation: Ricardo, Victoria, and Melina. Each had a different specialty. Victoria was a fire specialist. She could conjure orbs of light and help with night vision, but her real strength was offensive power—flaming bursts, searing arrows, and fireballs that could reduce monsters to ash within seconds.

Melina was more versatile. She also conjured light orbs, but her true power lay in lightning. She could fire off precise electrical discharges, summon meteor-like bolts, and use a magnetic ability that allowed her to “mark” objects and manipulate them as if controlled by an invisible field. Push, pull, deflect—she was unpredictable and inventive in combat.

Ricardo was the most well-rounded. Alongside the basics, he could conjure two floating hands made of mana, useful for grabbing, throwing, or blocking. He could fire mana missiles and cast a protective dome around allies. A real wildcard.

The main strategy would depend on the nature of the fight ahead. If the Ant Queen turned out to be agile—fast, aggressive, constantly on the move—Luke, Allison, and Jonathan would take the front. All three specialized in high-speed close combat, ideal for keeping her distracted and forcing her into motion. Meanwhile, Charlie, Phillip, and Henry would provide backup, striking during moments of vulnerability.

If, on the other hand, the Queen was slower and more durable—with thick armor and devastating attacks—Charlie, Phillip, and Henry would hold the line. Their knight and warrior classes could take the hits and keep her pinned. That would give Luke, Allison, and Jonathan the space to flank and attack from the sides, aiming for gaps and weak points.

Allison’s role stayed the same in either scenario. Her Frozen Slash ability stacked slow effects with every strike, gradually locking down enemy movement. Against a giant brute relying on raw power, that could be the key to turning the tide. Luke and Jonathan, meanwhile, focused on strikes that inflicted bleeding damage—wounds that sapped the creature’s health over time. Small cuts that became deadly as the battle wore on.

Meanwhile, the archers and mages would provide long-range support. If the Queen was distracted, they could unleash everything—enchanted arrows, explosive spells, mana missiles. And if too many ants swarmed the area, the rear guard would handle the cleanup, assisted by a few of the frontline fighters. It was a risky plan, but a solid one.

In addition to them, there was still the backup from Bartholomew’s four soldiers. And, most importantly: Bob, the healer. He would stay at the rear, tending to the wounded and keeping the group standing longer. His presence was the line between endurance and annihilation. With this team at his side, Luke felt a real shot.

He knew it was possible. After all, he had faced Morvat alone—and ironically, that solitude was what secured his victory. The orc general would never have triggered his berserker mode if he’d known Luke was part of a strong group. And Luke, in turn, would never have made it through the orc forest if he’d been surrounded by allies. A large group would have been detected instantly—crushed by patrols, hunted by captains, slaughtered by Morvat.

It was that isolation, that risk, that desperation... that opened the path to victory. But this time was different. Now, he didn’t have to face the impossible alone. Everything was in place—the strategy, the roles, the rhythm of battle. Only one thing remained: surviving the Queen.

“On alert!” Bob shouted.

But no one needed orders anymore. Everyone was already in position. The wall trembled. A thunderous boom echoed—then it shattered.