Becoming the Dark Lord

One of Luke’s least-used skills had evolved.

Not because it was useless, but ever since he reached Rank E, there had been very few situations where he relied on Basic Blood Regeneration. Even so, somehow, it had still evolved.

[Advanced Blood Regeneration (Ultra-Rare)]: The first cut is only the beginning of a deeper feast. Whenever you make an enemy bleed, your demonic nature awakens, devouring the life that spills from your prey. You heal as they weaken, your body growing stronger with every drop shed. When you directly touch an enemy’s wound, the bond intensifies. Blood flows faster, life is drained more greedily, and your regeneration accelerates. Your blade becomes a conduit for a hunger that no longer knows limits. In the end, it is not just the enemy who bleeds. It is you who consumes.

[Crimson Fang (Ultra-Rare)]: The assassin causes the blade to glow red and lunges in a rapid strike aimed at the heart, dealing high critical damage. A successful hit absorbs a portion of the target’s health points. The attack significantly increases piercing power and damage dealt. It combines physical and magical damage, scaling with Lethality, Agility, and Intelligence. Strikes that miss the heart still cause bleeding, but only a vital hit grants regeneration.

I think this evolved because I kept targeting enemy hearts.

He compared it to [Basic Blood Regeneration]. The first option kept the original effect, with the added benefit of absorbing more HP if he directly touched the wound. That was the problem.

It meant keeping one hand free instead of holding his kukris. He already dealt with that limitation when using his witch skills . Giving up his kukris even more was out of the question.

A new strike, or an evolution of power?

He made his choice.

[You have evolved Basic Blood Regeneration into Crimson Fang]

Luke gripped a kukri and activated the skill. Mana and a bit of stamina drained away. The blade turned red, not glowing like a lantern, but as if the metal itself had become a vivid, living crimson. He sprinted toward a boulder. The impact sent debris flying in every direction. A hole had been punched clean through the rock. Luke looked down at the kukri and smiled. When he tried to activate it again, nothing happened.

A cooldown. Good to know.

Rustling came from the bushes.

“What was that loud noise?” Layla asked.

“Just me destroying a rock while imagining it was your head.”

“That’s not funny at all.”

They had stopped some distance away from their destination. Luke stepped out from between the trees and looked ahead.

“Are you sure the hidden temple is here?” she asked.

Luke glanced at the map. From the three pieces he had gathered, the combined drawing formed something that unmistakably resembled a face.

“That’s my bet. The only way to find the treasure is by solving the riddle. And according to the map, the abyss is shaped like a mouth. That’s where I need to enter to find the answer.”

He looked down at the map again, then lifted his gaze to the abyss ahead.

“Then why didn’t anyone else just put the maps together like you did?” Layla asked.

“It’s simple, Layla. Two of the map temples were inaccessible. Arcadia and the Sporewood. That left Cassandra and the others with two separate quadrant maps. The lines didn’t match. The angles didn’t continue. Everything looked broken. But when I combined these three pieces, the quadrants stopped fighting each other. The edges finally aligned… and the face appeared.”

He stared at the image. One upper section of the face was still missing, but the most important part was already there. The mouth. Still, it was all theory. The real problem was that the only way to prove his hypothesis was by throwing himself into a dark, endless abyss.

This reminds me of the Forgotten Temple Dungeon.

He and Layla spent an entire day circling the abyss, searching for any sign of something below. Even Franky tried to help, flying down as far as he dared. But there was nothing. Only shadows, swallowing everything.

All except one thing.

Near the edge, they spotted a structure. It wasn’t built by human hands, yet something had existed there long before. A foundation. Like the many ruins they had encountered across the dimension, but this one was different. It was being used.

“That’s one of the baron’s bases,” Layla said. “We’re in their territory.”

The outpost sat close to the abyss, with parts of it extending into the forest. The sound of hammer striking steel echoed constantly. They watched as ore shipments arrived from other regions, dragged in by lines of men.

If the baron had smiths where he resided, then he certainly had them here as well. This place lay almost at the center of the dimension’s map, making it a perfect forward base to support soldiers spread across the land.

The operation was massive. Luke could tell the men weren’t there out of blind loyalty. There was more at stake. Some had been bought with gold, others with promises of wealth.

“I’m going to have to investigate,” Luke said. “There’s no way the only structure built by the ancient inhabitants this close to the abyss doesn’t hold some kind of clue or marker.”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Layla asked.

***

A man had just finished unloading a few heavy logs. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and headed toward the trees.

“Don’t even think about slacking off. We still have to come back for more,” another man called after him.

“I’m just going to take a piss, damn it,” he complained.

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The moment he stepped into the forest and stopped beside a tree, something yanked him backward. In one clean motion, Luke ended it.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

He lowered the body to the ground without a sound and slipped back out of the trees.

“That guy’s got the weakest bladder I’ve ever seen,” the other muttered, adjusting the wagon wheel.

Luke appeared behind him and struck just as quietly.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

Holding a throwing knife, Luke hurled it toward a ruined tower.

[Witch’s Thread activated]

The thread snapped tight and pulled him upward. Mid-motion, he threw another knife at the man stationed on the opposite tower.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

Luke moved across the rooftops, soldiers patrolling below. He threw another knife to a nearby house, let the thread pull him in, and as he swung past, he passed behind a guard and finished him in a single motion.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

He landed on a rooftop and crept to the edge, spotting two men talking below. Two knives flashed.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

A third man was inside a house. Luke waited until he leaned out the window, then threw.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

Another knife flew, another thread formed, and Luke continued moving through the base, using the night to his advantage. Luke dropped behind a man seated at a table, drove the kukri in, and caught the plate before it could clatter to the ground. He moved on, following the sounds of metal.

Inside the forge, a man hammered glowing steel. Luke stepped in behind him and struck. The man collapsed forward, chaos erupting as heat and metal clanged together. Gritting his teeth, the blacksmith reacted fast, sealing the wound with metal, downing a potion, and staggering back.

“You bastard! I don’t know who you are, but you shouldn’t have come here!” he shouted.

He raised his hand. Spears of metal formed in midair and shot toward Luke. Fragments of armor scattered across the forge flew back and assembled around the man, encasing him in full plate.

High level.

Luke dodged, weaving between the projectiles, and drew a throwing knife.

[Telekinetic Impulse activated]

The blade launched like a missile. The blacksmith raised both hands, forming a metal shield that absorbed the impact. Luke kept moving, throwing knives as he ran. One flew into the ceiling.

[Witch’s Thread activated]

The pull yanked him upward. He dropped from above.

[Crimson Fang activated]

The kukri flared red as Luke struck with everything he had. The shield shattered, the armor failed, and the blow went straight through.

“Son of a—” The blacksmith fell backward, lifeless.

[You have slain a human…]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

**Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 68!**

“At least that one had a decent profession level. The others were weak across the board.”

Luke sheathed his kukris. Everyone in the base was dead. He searched the forge, finding nothing of real value. Then he followed a stone path through the base until it ended. At the edge of an abyss.

Luke repeated the words the oni had spoken long ago. “Oh, they don’t know. The hammer strikes, the hammer sharpens. Lava can only be worked in one place.”

He stared down into the darkness.

Was the lava the forge? And had they been talking about this abyss all along?

It didn’t matter anymore. He had made his decision. He was going to jump in.

***

Luke and Layla were nearing the Spore Forest. He had been away from Charlie and Angie for twenty-one days.

“Layla, you’ll need to stay here in the cave, with the snake,” Luke said.

They stopped at the familiar cavern entrance.

“You’re not going to take three days like last time, are you?” she asked.

“No idea. By the way, why did you even come along, Layla? Why didn’t you stay at Cassandra’s camp?”

“And you’re asking that now?” she shot back. “I don’t want to end up as a ninja casualty if they decide to attack that place.”

Luke glanced at Franky. “If everything went well, Charlie probably gathered a few more cores during all that free time.”

He stepped into the forest. After walking for over an hour, Luke picked up the pace, pushing forward faster.

When he reached the oni village, the sight stopped him cold.

“What the hell happened here?”

The village was in ruins, along with a large portion of the surrounding forest. Burn marks scarred the ground. But what truly stood out were the wooden stakes, each one bearing a human head.

Did the ninjas come through here?

He broke into a run, gripping both kukris tightly. Luke charged up the stairs toward the temple, and when he reached the top, he saw Charlie and Angie standing at the entrance, waiting for him.

“I spotted you from far away, Master Luke. I always wait up here whenever I have free time,” Charlie said.

He looked back toward the destroyed village.

“What happened here?” he asked.

“Just a small incident we handled,” Angie replied calmly.

Suddenly, Charlie jumped forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. A fierce, desperate hug. “I missed you, Master Luke.”

“Alright… Charlie. I missed you too,” he said, giving her a few gentle pats on the head.

Then they told him everything. The attack on the temple. Hunting down enemies throughout the forest. How they focused on eliminating the remaining oni and beasts in the area.

“Wow. You two did a lot,” Luke said honestly.

“You were late. By seven days,” Angie added.

“Sorry. A few complications came up. But I solved our main problem,” Luke said. “We’re heading to the hidden temple.”

He explained his theory about the location as he spoke.

“We’ve got news too. We leveled up,” Charlie said.

“And we unlocked new skills,” Angie added. She hurled her spear far into the distance. A moment later, it snapped back into her hand.

“No way. That’s just like my kukris,” Luke said, genuinely surprised.

The possibilities were absurd. A spear that could be thrown freely and recalled at will changed everything.

“Master Luke, I also reached race level sixty-one,” Charlie said.

“Sixty-one?” Luke blinked. “That’s a lot of progress. Both of you did great.” He glanced at Angie. Through their bond, he could feel her quiet pride at the praise.

“Level sixty-one… race level… Master Luke,” Charlie repeated.

Level sixty-one? Wait. There’s a strong chance that at level sixty…

“I awakened a new vampire skill, but I haven’t chosen yet,” she said, opening her interface, visibly excited to share it.

[Blood Core Expansion I (Ancient)]: A natural evolution of the Blood Core that expands the vampire’s capacity to store vital energy. This enhancement allows the core to hold an additional 25 units of Blood Energy, significantly extending its natural reserves. A rare and ancient improvement, a sign that the vampire’s blood is beginning to adapt, expanding its dark heritage and strengthening the core that sustains its immortality.

(Warning: This Skill advances one step along the Path of the Vampire)

[Blood Orb I (Ancient)]: By channeling the power of the Blood Core, the vampire consumes 10 Blood Energy to form a floating sphere of blood known as a Blood Orb. This orb can drain blood from recently deceased bodies, accumulating up to 50 Blood Energy. The Blood Orb cannot be absorbed directly by the vampire. Its purpose is to act as an external reserve of blood energy used exclusively to activate vampiric skills, preserving the Blood Core itself. During combat, the vampire may replenish the orb by fully draining their victims, ensuring a steady flow of blood energy. However, the Blood Orb is temporary. It dissolves over time or when its blood energy is depleted. A strategic skill for moments when the vampire must reveal themselves in battle and unleash the true power of their lineage without destabilizing the vital balance of their Blood Core.

(Warning: This skill advances one step along the Path of the Vampiric Beast.)