Becoming the Dark Lord

Now that the Rank E notification had finally vanished, Luke could return to reading what his new titles actually meant.

“Titles earned during a tutorial remain locked until it ends. Your tutorial was… long. A full year is quite a stretch for a mortal human,” Samael remarked.

[Your Dark Lord title has been updated]

[Dark Lord] Master of the dark forces. Supreme commander of monsters, demons, and abyssal creatures. This title grants authority to dominate and mold supernatural beings at will, commanding them as extensions of your will. The horde that follows you grows stronger simply by being near you.

(Bonus: +10 to all Attributes, +10% to all Attributes)

His very first title had evolved and gained an even better bonus.

That’s a ridiculous amount.

[Survivor of the Midnight Terror]: This title allows locked Fragments tied to the Midnight Universe to be opened whenever one is found. These Fragments linger in isolated dimensions, echoes of bygone eras waiting for bold scavengers in search of lost relics. While active, it grants +5% to all stats.

[Regicide]: Title granted to those who decided crowns look better on the floor. While active, provides resistance against intimidation from authority figures. After all, once you’ve toppled a monarch, it’s hard for anyone else to scare you.

“For now, due to your limitations, you can only maintain one active title at a time,” Samael explained.

[Do you wish to switch your Title?]

(Warning: all bonuses gained from the current title will be removed)

Luke wasn’t even remotely considering swapping his first title for either of the others.

“Now that we’ve covered that, we need to move on to the next stage,” Sigil announced.

“And what would that be?” Luke asked.

“Shopping,” Sigil replied. “It’s time for you to use your tutorial points to buy whatever you want from the store. Skills, items, scrolls.”

Dozens of questions crowded Luke’s mind, but he forced himself to stay focused. Even so, all he really wanted was to ask Samael about the truth concerning his mother.

“Every achievement you completed in the tutorial granted you Tutorial Points,” Samael explained. “Every creature you killed as well. These points will now be calculated and delivered to you. However, they cannot be saved for later. You must spend all of them in the post-tutorial shop or they will be lost forever.”

Sigil approached Luke and raised his hand. The hand looked mummified and dry, almost brown, but it shimmered with light. A screen bloomed from it, as if his palm were projecting a hologram straight out of a Star Wars movie.

“Luke Moon or Luke Baumann, place your hand on the screen. It will analyze your system and prepare your reward,” Sigil instructed.

Luke did as told, pressing his hand to the glowing interface like someone scanning a fingerprint to unlock a door.

The screen shifted. A loading symbol spun.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just sense my presence and activate when I get close?” he asked.

“No, Luke Moon or Luke Baumann. Your soul is the access key. Not even I can interfere with that. The shop is personalizing itself for you. Pay attention. There will be special items scattered throughout it that may aid you on your journey. The Counselor may assist you, but he can only advise, not suggest. It’s up to you to ask the right questions. And remember, the number of questions is limited. The limit? I cannot say. Walk the tightrope on your own,” Sigil said.

The screen Luke was staring at shifted again and displayed his picture.

The screen shifted.

[Tutorial Participant: Luke Moon!]

[Major Kills:

Killed the Midnight King: 10,000,000,000 TP

Killed the Beast Lord: 100,000,000 TP

Killed the Witch: 20,000,000 TP]

As the list continued to scroll downward, the notifications piled up, line after line, a long catalog of everything he’d taken down.

[Killed a Midnight Warden: 40,000 TP]

More repeats followed, reflecting the absurd number of identical creatures he had wiped out.

[Killed Human: Kruger: 2,000,000 TP]

[Killed Human: Paul: 300,000 TP]

…

[Tutorial Points: 10,534,815,162]

Ten billion. If that were dollars, I’d be celebrating.

[Analyzing participant information…]

[Important Information: Assassin, Witch, Botanist.]

Those were his first class, his second, and of course his profession. Pure versions, untouched by evolutions or branching paths. A new loading icon spun across the interface, and the highlighted text dissolved into scattered particles.

When the next screen formed, Luke actually blinked. It looked… normal. Shockingly normal. Like an online store. There was even a section for “most purchased items.” He guessed the rankings were based on what people with similar classes and professions tended to buy.

At the top of the interface were five tabs:

[Assassin Items], [Witch Items], [Botanist Items], [Utility Items], [Skills]

Naturally, his eyes went straight to Skills. He tapped it. He wasn’t sure if time flowed normally here, so he tried to stay sharp and fast.

Inside, the skills were divided into categories:

[Assassin Skills], [Witch Skills], [Botanist Skills]

He opened the Assassin section and scrolled down until a few options caught his attention.

[Assassin’s Flash (Rare)]: The assassin channels a sudden burst of searing light into his blade and unleashes it in a blinding flash aimed straight at an enemy’s eyes. The explosion causes temporary blindness and disorientation, perfect for interrupting attacks, creating openings, or slipping away cleanly. Deadly when timed right. Like everything else he carried.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

(Price: 250,000,000 TP.)

[Shadow Camouflage (Rare)]: The assassin wraps his body in muted shadow, blurring his presence. While completely still, his silhouette blends into surrounding darkness, drastically reducing the chance of being noticed. Any quick movement or an attack immediately cancels the effect.

(Price: 250,000,000 TP.)

He kept scrolling, and then he found one that genuinely made him pause.

[Assassin’s Blink (Epic)]: A rapid jump through a thin fold in space. The user can teleport instantly to any point within a radius of 3 meters, as long as they remain perfectly still for a brief moment before activation.

(Price: 1,000,000,000 TP.)

Luke added it to his cart without hesitation.

He returned to the main section.

[Weapons], [Outfits], [Equipment], [Items]

He browsed Items first, then Equipment.

[Smoke Bomb (Common)]: A small black sphere that, when thrown to the ground, bursts into a dense cloud of smoke, ideal for escapes, ambushes, or repositioning.

(Price: 100,000 TP.)

[Iron Cloak (Rare)]: A reinforced fabric cloak that hardens into iron when infused with mana, functioning as a portable shield capable of blocking light to moderate attacks.

(Price: 10,000,000 TP.)

[Cloak of Ignis Worshippers (Rare)]: A cloak worn by the devout followers of Ignis, God of Fire. Its refined fabric and elegant design carry a basic resistance to flames.

(Price: 50,000,000 TP.)

The cloak would clearly help anyone trying to awaken class paths related to that god. The price wasn’t high just because of the cloak itself, but because of what the currency represented in the purchaser’s legacy vault.

[Victoria Amazonica Boots (Uncommon)]: Green boots crafted from a special water plant. Allow the user to walk on the surface of water, as long as the water remains calm.

(Price: 25,000,000 TP.)

A normal person with no remarkable achievements during the tutorial, but who reached the maximum level of the rank, would end up with what… around 40 to 50 million TP?

That was Luke’s guess based on how many monsters someone would have to kill to reach level fifty.

At least with a few new items, it might be possible.

He opened the profession options. Cauldrons, garden beds, special soil, tools, and other equipment. Luke even spotted a spatial barrel made solely for storing water.

[River Canteen: A canteen that contains an entire river inside it. You will never go thirsty, unless, of course… you drink the whole river.

(Price: 200,000,000 TP.)

Interesting. Is there a limit to how much I should buy? If there is, I’d better check the most expensive things first.

He backed out and tapped on [Witch Items], curious about what might help his second class.

I can use both Assassin gear and Witch gear now.

[Weapons], [Outfits], [Equipment], [Items].

When he opened the outfit tab, every single piece was… feminine.

“I’m assuming mage clothes still fit me, right?” he asked.

It would be exactly the kind of cosmic joke Artemis would laugh about forever if his class forced him to wear women’s clothing.

“You may use items intended for the Witch class or anything listed for Magic Caster–type classes,” Samael answered. “So you can wear mage and sorcerer outfits without any issue.”

Luke closed the outfit tab and moved to equipment instead. He silently thanked whatever powers existed that this category included masculine accessories.

[Hat of the Arcane Scholar: A hat that improves concentration for sustained spells, even under mental stress. Also boasts an elegant design.

Requirement: Any Magic Caster–type class.

(Price: 300,000,000 TP.)

An item like this might help him awaken a legacy path tied to the Witch class.

He already had Freya’s path, and as an assassin he didn’t need to chase another legacy. That part of his life was settled. The focus now was strengthening his Witch class. Charlie had awakened her “Flame” skill just by using a fire ring over and over, eventually evolving her class into Black Ash Fighter. If Luke could equip Witch–related items, he might trigger an evolution of his own once he reached level fifty.

He opened the weapon tab, curious about what counted as Witch weapons.

“Wands and staves…” he muttered.

He tapped on one of the wands. The price was outrageous.

[Wand of the Graytree at Sunset (Epic)]: Crafted from the heartwood of a rare Graytree, a species that naturally darkens to an amber tone as the sun sets. Wands made from this wood are prized by scholars and battle-mages alike for their unusually smooth mana conduction and the way they stabilize Light-based incantations. The polished surface still carries the tree’s natural grain, long and straight, ideal for channeling swift, precise spellwork, granting 15% Casting Speed, 5% extra damage to enemies below 10% HP, and 10% increased damage for Light–element spells.

(Price: 1,000,000,000 TP.)

One billion?

Luke scrolled further down the list.

[Wooden Wand (Common)]: A simple wand. Despite its modest design, it channels magical energy efficiently, granting +10% casting speed for all spells cast by the wielder.

(Price: 20,000,000 TP.)

At least he’d found something cheap. He kept going.

[Dragon Tail Staff (Legendary)]: Crafted from the final vertebra of an ancient crimson dragon, this staff retains the creature’s natural heat and bone-forged resilience. Artifacts made from such remnants are prized for their exceptional conduction of fire mana, a result of centuries of exposure to extreme temperatures and draconic pressure. In hot environments, its structure reacts more efficiently, reducing the strain of spellcasting. Increases Casting Speed by 50%, Fire Spells deal 50% more damage, and in hot locations mana costs are reduced by 15%.

(Price: 5,000,000,000 TP.)

The difference between a staff and a wand was absurd. Staves were absolute beasts when it came to raw power… but they were big, obvious, and basically shouted, “Look at me, I’m important, kill me first.”

[Crested Blue Eel Staff (Epic)]: A staff carved from the crystalline crest of a Deep Blue Sea Eel. These eels generate powerful electric charge through the ridge on their heads and rarely surface from the abyss. This staff increases casting speed by 15% and reduces the mana cost of lightning spells by 20%.

Enchantments:

[Lightning (Rare)]: Fires a yellow bolt of electricity.

(Price: 1,000,000,000 TP.)

A floating orb hovered at the top of the staff — the preserved eye of an eel.

The deeper he went, the more options appeared. Staff after staff, wand after wand, some elegant, some grotesque, all tempting in their own way. Luke glanced down at his hands, imagining the chaos of an actual fight. He fought with two kukris. Switching them out mid-battle to pull a wand or staff from his inventory sounded like a nightmare. Especially since, half the time, he was also using a bow.

So I’d have to cast with one hand while only using a single kukri?

“Your Witch class will benefit from using a proper spell-channeling weapon,” Sigil noted.

“I know, but it’s complicated when my other class keeps both my hands busy.”

A healer awakening as a mage had it easy. They already used wands or staves. Now Luke finally understood the hell Charlie went through in combat, punching with one hand and wielding a sword with the other just to level both classes.

“You want to advance both classes at the same time,” Sigil mused. “Good. Just remember that in some fights, one of them will have to take the lead.”

“I can cast spells with my hands, right?”

“Correct. But you’ve already seen the benefits of using a wand or staff. Spells can cost less mana, deal more damage, recharge your mana faster, unlock new magic, and one more thing you must not forget. If you kill without using your class weapon, experience gain will be reduced, even if you cast spells. Your Witch class is built on channeling mana through a focus. Ignoring that will stunt your growth.”

Luke hadn’t considered that. If he fought a strong enemy and landed the killing blow with Witch spells alone, he’d lose a significant portion of the experience simply for not wielding a wand or staff.

“That is why your Advisor is here,” Sigil said. “Ask your questions.”

Luke turned to Samael.

“Try an ring,” Samael suggested casually.

“A ring?” Luke blinked, thrown off.

“You and I both know a certain sorcerer who channeled his power through a ring. Remember?” Samael replied.

Of course. Sauron.

But could a ring really substitute for a wand or a staff? The thought followed him as he scrolled through the weapon options and filtered them by type. A list appeared:

[Wands], [Staves], [Lanterns], [Rings]

When he clicked on [Rings], an entire section opened… with only two items.