Becoming the Dark Lord

The moment Luke accepted the class evolution, five options appeared before him. Artemis stayed quiet. She always did that when something important came up, giving him space to make the decision on his own. She didn’t want to influence his choice.

It struck him that maybe he had been too hasty. He could have waited until he was somewhere calmer instead of standing in the middle of a ruined street. Sure, nothing was likely to attack him here, but making a decision like this with a clear head would’ve been better… not minutes after nearly dying in an intense fight.

He read the first option.

[Demonic Assassin Veteran]: You have walked the path of blood and death, showing no mercy to anything that stood in your way. Your blade has fallen on both the guilty and the innocent, each life taken etching marks into your soul, but also hardening your body and your resolve.

As a Demonic Assassin Veteran, you have mastered the use of knives and light blades, blending speed with brutality in close combat. Through blood and savagery, you grow in strength, aiming to reach the pinnacle, the Berserker Demon Blade.

Powerful abilities born from death, blood, and fear await you. Your path is drenched in death, and you have accepted it. Now, nothing can stop you.

(Attribute Bonus per level: +10 Perception, +8 Agility, +5 Strength, +5 Endurance, +4 Vitality, +4 Intelligence, +6 Free Points.)

Luke felt the weight of those words. It was the natural extension of the choice he had made months ago, in that forgotten temple dungeon when he had faced down criminals, long before this cursed tutorial. Now, the path was offering to sharpen him even further.

But one line clung to him. “Your blade has fallen on both the guilty and the innocent…”

His mind went to Angelica. Out of all the lives he had taken, hers was the only one that haunted him. Even in sleep, she was there. And in a way, she was still here, her preserved body resting inside his dimensional pendant. He planned to take her back to Earth one day, to bury her far away from this prison of a world.

He didn’t just blame himself for killing her, she had been dying already, and she had asked him for help, but for everything else. If he had seen through Paul earlier, she might still be alive. He pushed the thoughts down and focused.

This class gives me forty-two attribute points per level.

His first class, Assassin, had given him a mere six per level. Later, his major breakthrough had led him to Demonic Assassin, which had boosted that to twenty-one. Now, this would double it again.

“So at level fifty there’s a massive jump in power,” he thought aloud. “If someone didn’t get lucky enough to evolve before level fifty, then that means anyone past that point is automatically a far stronger opponent, right?”

Artemis was quiet for a moment before answering.

“Hmm… yes. Level fifty is a wall. The gap between forty-nine and fifty is huge. But don’t think someone who mutates their class before fifty is just lucky. Ask yourself this, have you managed to unlock a profession yet?”

Luke paused, then realization hit.

“No… I haven’t gained a profession. At least not on my own,” he admitted.

“Exactly. The system balances itself. You managed to snag a strong class early, but in return, you never picked up a profession. And I’m not even talking about anything rare. You could have unlocked something simple, cook, tailor, survivalist, anything. But the system kept it even. People who didn’t evolve their class before the mandatory evolution had an easier time acquiring professions, gaining extra attributes through them,” Artemis explained.

It made sense. The more he thought about it, the more it clicked.

“So that’s why Samael gave me a profession?” he asked.

“Probably. But don’t think of it as cheating. If the system allowed him to give you one, then it’s fair game. After all, there are ways to get professions through tutorial quests. That’s the point of a tutorial, offering multiple paths forward.”

Luke nodded slowly. Her explanation fit. It was all about balance.

“But still,” he reasoned, “I’ve unlocked more combat-oriented abilities than someone who focused on a profession. Even if the attributes were balanced at first, in a fight I’d have the upper hand, right?”

“Not necessarily,” she countered. “The multiverse is vast. Life isn’t just about killing things to get stronger. If it were, civilizations wouldn’t advance. Outside of this insane tutorial, people live normal lives. In Divine Orders, a master blacksmith, a skilled administrator, or a talented swordsman hold equal value. Everyone excels at something.”

Looking at it from that angle, Luke saw her point.

This class says I’ll unlock skills tied to death, blood, and fear. Definitely leaning into the berserker side of things.

It was another reminder of something he couldn’t ignore, class evolution didn’t just boost stats, it also set the tone for his skills. When he mutated into Demonic Assassin, he had gained things like Basic Blood Regeneration and Wraith Form, abilities a plain Assassin could never get. Theme mattered.

His gaze shifted back to the list, sliding down to the next option.

[Black Raven Scout Apprentice]: The Scouts of the Black Raven Order are masters of infiltration, espionage, and manipulation. You now begin walking this path, seeking to become a true expert in stealth and intelligence gathering.

Killing is only the final step. The real art lies in extracting what matters from your targets, secrets, weaknesses, hidden lies. You will be as much a keen analyst as a relentless killer.

Beyond exploration, you will follow the Raven’s Path, awakening skills tied to the cunning of the Order. Observation, strategy, manipulation, and infiltration will be as sharp as any blade you wield.

As a member of the Black Raven Order, you will belong to one of the most secretive factions in the multiverse. Few know where its true base lies. Even fewer have survived crossing paths with a Raven.

Long live the Empire of the Hidden! May the raven’s call be the last thing our enemies ever hear.

(Attribute Bonus per level: +12 Perception, +8 Agility, +8 Intelligence, +5 Strength, +5 Vitality, +4 Endurance, +8 Free Points.)

This class granted a total of fifty attribute points per level. He didn’t have to think too hard about it. If forty-two points per level was already incredible, well above what his current class offered, this one added eight more on top. An even bigger leap. But there was a catch: it was tied to a Divine Order.

“Scout?” He studied the option again, reading it twice.

The Black Raven Order was clearly a mysterious Divine Order, its entire purpose revolving around secrecy and concealment. The irony was that they hadn’t even listed the god behind it, as if even that detail was intentionally hidden.

Still, the class itself specialized in gathering intelligence on enemies, something Luke had learned to value deeply. Preparation was essential to an assassination. His last two powerful foes had only fallen because he had taken the time to learn about them first. In a straightforward, no-prep duel, he would’ve been crushed. Without analysis and planning, the Fallen Stone Angel and the Beast Lord would have killed him without effort.

Information needed to be sharper than any blade. Like the class description said, killing was the final step. The true art lay in acquiring the knowledge to make that kill possible. The old Luke, the one who had charged headfirst into a fight with a Captain Orc or the Electric Manticore without a plan, wouldn’t have lasted a second against the angel or the giant serpent.

A class focused on strategy, intelligence, and analysis… It almost felt like the god behind this had noticed his planning style and extended an invitation. Or maybe it was just one of that god’s servants.

He didn’t know how the offer had reached him, whether it was triggered by some obscure event, a coin he had picked up by chance, or a direct investment from above. Attribute-wise, it was stronger than the previous class, but accepting it meant binding himself to a Divine Order whose patron deity he didn’t even know.

He decided to move on to the next option.

[Bounty Hunter]: You’ve left behind the narrow path of the common assassin and stepped into the life of a true bounty hunter. No matter how strong or dangerous the target, you’ll always give everything you have, respecting the prey, but never abandoning your right to claim what’s yours.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

For some, the reward is just money or power. For you, it’s both.

As a Bounty Hunter, you seize every opportunity to track, kill, and rise higher. Your combat mastery expands, you refine your skill with knives and other blades, learn the use of crossbows, and master the art of creating traps and strategies to overcome any challenge.

Stealth or raw offense, you walk both paths with equal determination, gaining skills from each. After all, for you, every kill is just another step toward the real prize: claiming what’s rightfully yours.

(Attribute Bonus per level: +8 Agility, +7 Strength, +7 Vitality, +6 Endurance, +6 Perception, +4 Intelligence, +7 Free Points.)

This one offered forty-five attribute points per level.

A bounty hunter…

It didn’t feel like something handed down by a god. More like the natural branching of his own choices and actions. Still, one detail caught his eye, the mention of crossbows. He reread the description, noting the emphasis on traps and strategy. Maybe it came directly from the way he had fought his enemies.

He remembered what Samael had told him during his profession evolution: every path you choose is a door to new skills tied to that choice. No going back. And the higher your level, the harder it becomes to earn new skills. That meant he had to weigh this carefully. Picking something for a “potential future” was pointless if he didn’t even make it back to Earth. His priority was surviving the tutorial, finding out the truth about his mother’s death, and getting home. For that, he needed raw power.

But what exactly would a bounty hunter’s skill set look like? Was he supposed to be some kind of Boba Fett?

One of the biggest drawbacks of using a bow as an assassin was that, in most kills, he didn’t earn any class experience. Luke had already known about that risk when he decided to take down the Beast Lord with a bow. Of course, that time had been different. He’d channeled Mana Infusion, a skill tied directly to his assassin class, and then driven a kukri into the creature’s eye to clear the way for the arrow. It had been a very particular set of circumstances.

The sheer amount of mana he poured into that attack outweighed the usual loss of experience from using a bow, because in the end it wasn’t the arrow that killed the monster, it was the mana explosion. Even so, he suspected he would’ve gained far more experience if he’d finished the job with a kukri. But since he’d already stopped earning points after hitting level fifty, he hadn’t let it bother him too much.

Under normal conditions, killing something with an arrow meant no experience at all. And that wasn’t the only issue. The bow also limited his skill variety. He could throw a kukri and duplicate it midair, but he couldn’t do the same with an arrow. The class simply wasn’t built for that weapon. A bounty hunter, on the other hand, would also unlock crossbow skills.

“Artemis, I’m already decent with a bow. Would crossbow skills carry over from my training?”

“Crossbow? No! Absolutely not! Crossbows are for pathetic little losers who can’t appreciate the beauty of firing a bow. Fucking assholes! Damn the one who invented them, I hate him!” Her tone was pure venom.

Wow. Someone had deep-seated crossbow trauma.

“Calm down. I’m asking from a purely practical standpoint, which is better, bow or crossbow?”

“Go to hell! You’re not using a crossbow.”

“Look, I’m just trying to be impartial here. If you hate them so much, then tell me, why are bows better?”

She paused. “With a bow, you and the weapon are one. You move as a single body. A crossbow is mechanical, soulless. A decent archer can fire three arrows in a single second. And a damn crossbow user? He has to reload, pull the string back, lock it, no. Luke, don’t touch crossbows. Only assholes use crossbows. Assholes!”

“Alright, alright. You convinced me on the firing speed. No need to get worked up.”

“Crossbow scrubs put everything on autopilot, they lose the essence of it. It’s like refusing to use your dick during sex and pulling out a vibra—”

Luke pressed the necklace hard. “OK! I get it! I won’t use crossbows. No need to drag the conversation into the gutter.”

Leaving the chatty spirit to stew, he turned his attention to the next class option. And the moment he read the name, something stirred in him. A pull, subtle but undeniable, like an invisible thread urging him to follow it.

[Demonic Predator]: You’ve evolved into something beyond an assassin, embracing what was always within you, the nature of a true predator. Child of Assassination. Chosen of Darkness. You’ve accepted what you are and now walk the path of carnage without hesitation. There is no “weak” or “strong” prey, only prey.

Skills tied to Assassination, Darkness, and Predation await you. Your goal is clear: become the Predator of Predators, the one at the very top, without rival.

This class transcends weapons. Your blade is death itself. If there’s no knife, you’ll use your hands. If you lose your hands, your feet. If you lose your feet, your teeth. You’ll do whatever it takes to bring down your prey, sharpening your abilities as you grow stronger, more powerful, more relentless. The key to what you seek is power, and through it, you will bend your enemies to your will.

May your thirst for blood never be quenched, and your hunger for power be eternal.

(Attribute Bonus per level: +10 Strength, +7 Perception, +6 Agility, +6 Vitality, +6 Intelligence, +5 Endurance, +8 Free Points.)

When he finished reading, the thread inside him thickened, pulling at him harder. This class wasn’t just calling, it was almost grabbing his hand, urging him to choose. It was the same feeling he had back when he had first chosen the Assassin class.

A Predator. The evolution of an Assassin.

But it was also personal. The wording, “Child of Assassination” and “Chosen of Darkness”, felt like it was speaking directly to him. Forty-eight attribute points per level. Less than the Scout, but the skill themes, Assassination, Darkness, Predation, made something deep inside him stir. In other words, power. Pure, hungry, ruthless power. Every instinct he had wanted him to take it, but he forced his mind to settle. There were still more options to read.

The next was tied to a divine order, and when he saw which god it served and what the class was, something twisted in his chest. A strange, tangled feeling. Another thread appeared, waiting for him to pull.

[Acolyte Assassin of Lakarion]: By pledging yourself to Lakarion, the God of Assassination, you step onto the most refined and lethal path in the art of death. As an Acolyte Assassin, you’ll walk a road that blends the shadows’ stealth with the raw brutality of direct combat, crafting a dance of shadowed slaughter.

Mages, archers, and anyone who relies on distance won’t scare you. The night is your ally, and through the darkness, you become the reaper who strikes without warning. Embrace your assassin nature and join the Order of Assassins. Under Lakarion’s blessing, your true potential will be revealed.

(Attribute Bonus per level: +10 Strength, +10 Intelligence, +7 Agility, +7 Perception, +5 Endurance, +5 Vitality, +8 Free Points.)

Luke couldn’t deny it. Fifty-two attribute points per level was a monster of a boost.

Ten Strength. Ten Intelligence. And on top of that, eight free points.

Temptation didn’t even begin to cover it. The natural evolution of his Demonic Assassin class into Demonic Assassin Veteran would grant forty-two points per level, but this… this was on a completely different tier. It was raw, unapologetic power. And the description had even been generous enough to hint at potential shadow-based skills, another hook sinking even deeper into him.

The thread in his mind was tightening, almost pleading for him to pull it. But there were two threads now, both calling to him, both offering a different future: Predator or Shadow. Only one could be chosen.

The catch was obvious. This would make him an acolyte of a Divine Order. Of the God of Assassination.

Lakarion. The god Allison wanted dead.

Luke didn’t see gods as good or evil, just like he didn’t see humans that way. They were creatures driven by their own interests. No pure light, no absolute darkness, only deals, debts, and agendas. Whatever reason Lakarion had for killing Allison’s mentor was on a level far beyond Luke’s understanding. And as the God of Assassins, it was only natural he’d have a long line of people eager to see him dead. Allison was just another name on that list. In the same way, Luke knew there were plenty out there who wanted him dead, like the enemies in the Haven.

But would he take a class gifted by a god his friend hated? And more importantly, should he even be limiting himself like that? So he pushed emotion aside and broke the decision down like numbers on a board.

Demonic Assassin Veteran: 42 points per level.

Black Raven Scout Apprentice: 50.

Bounty Hunter: 45.

Demonic Predator: 48.

Acolyte Assassin of Lakarion: 52.

The cards were face-up, and the dealer was waiting.

He replayed Samael’s words in his mind. Professions offered early by Divine Orders were just “free samples.” Bait. A taste of the kind of power you could have if you joined them for real. And the same logic applied to classes. The fact that these divine options appeared in his mandatory class evolution wasn’t a coincidence. It was an invitation. A test drive. Only once you pledged yourself to the Order would you get access to even stronger evolutions in the future.

So… he could choose one of these divine classes now, and then just walk away later? His eyes lingered on the list. Continue the path he had already carved. Follow a trail laid out by a Divine Order. Or cut a completely new one and become the Demonic Predator.

It was more than just attribute points per level. This was the kind of decision that would shape everything that came after. Luke’s gaze drifted back to the Demonic Predator option. Was it just him, or was there something darkly fitting about those attribute numbers lining up in a perfect 6-6-6?

Pushing everything else aside, he made his choice. He didn’t want to be part of a cult or tie himself to a Divine Order, not even as a test drive with the intention of walking away later. That would be a waste. It would mean starting a project he had no intention of finishing, locking himself into a path he’d eventually abandon, forcing him to rebuild from scratch.

He also had no interest in staying a Demonic Assassin Veteran, not after that little reminder about killing innocents. And the Bounty Hunter? Too shallow. Too much about chasing coin or raw power. For him, it had to be more than that.

His eyes returned to the Predator class. This was the one. If he became a predator, no one would stand above him. That was the kind of power he wanted, the kind that would let him protect those weaker than himself. Because he wouldn’t hunt the weak. He would hunt predators.

**Congratulations! Your class has successfully evolved!**

[You have evolved into Demonic Predator]

The system interface vanished. The decision was final.

“All done?” Artemis asked as she saw him start walking again.

“Yes. I chose my new class.”

“And what is it?” Her voice narrowed. “Don’t tell me it has anything to do with crossbows…”

That’s when it hit him. He wasn’t actually done. He still hadn’t picked the new skill from level 45, the one that had been locked until he finalized his class evolution.

“It’s got nothing to do with crossbows, don’t worry,” he replied.

“It better not,” she muttered.

“I still have a skill to choose,” he added.

But when Luke opened his system interface, something unexpected happened.

[Warning: Your Demonic Predator class has corrupted your new skill choice!]