Becoming the Dark Lord

Yut lingered at the top of the ruins for a while. His focus had shifted completely. The treasure wasn’t his priority anymore. Collecting bracelets for his men was. And this place was the perfect aquarium, packed with people carrying all four bracelets. All he had to do was fish.

A nasty wound split across his abdomen.

“That guy with the black-and-blue eye…” he muttered, chuckling under his breath. “That bastard’s going to pay.”

The man had grabbed him deliberately, forcing him to take the arrow.

Why didn’t he kill me? Why not injure me? He just dragged me into the shot. Did the bastard want me and Ivor stuck fighting while he slipped ahead?

Yut walked along the ledge, the thought settling. That’s it. The bastard’s sharp. Too damn sharp.

Didn’t matter. Yut would get the treasure one way or another. All he needed was to kill whoever climbed out of that abyss.

“That wicked man with the black-and-blue eye,” someone said behind him.

He turned and saw four people approaching. These four would be the next dead.

“You could’ve run,” Yut told them, raising his sword. “We already had plenty.”

“We hate the same man,” one of them replied. “The man with the black-and-blue eye.”

The woman in their group stepped forward. “We have healers. You and your men are wounded. What do you say we join forces to hunt him down? Something tells us letting him advance is… problematic.”

“That little group that follows the Father? The lunatic? No,” Yut said. “Go away. Don’t waste my time. You’re not worth the trouble.”

He glanced at his soldiers. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Yut!” Whoever called out didn’t get to finish, because Yut stepped off the edge and vanished into the abyss.

He plunged into the lake below and swam until he reached a half-flooded village. Bodies floated everywhere. A massive crab lay dead in the water. More figures splashed down behind him. The Father’s lunatics.

“Looks like a real party happened here,” Yut said.

“To the bastards who dropped in,” a voice answered.

Yut recognized it instantly. The black-and-blue–eyed bastard.

“I already claimed the treasure,” the man said from the top of a roof.

More fighters reached the village.

“So all we have to do is kill you,” Yut replied.

“If you can find me.” The man lifted his bow.

“Go ahead,” Yut laughed. “Waste all your arrows. Because when I get my hands on you—”

The shot came, but not at him. It struck one of the huge blue orbs sitting throughout the village.

“What? Lost your aim?”

The orb detonated.

“Shit!” Yut bolted for the water.

The other blue spheres erupted one after another, each explosion triggering the next. A massive surge of water crashed through the village, sweeping debris and bodies and structures with it. Yut was tossed through ruins until the wave finally lost strength. He clawed his way onto a rock, coughing.

“And here I thought they’d be fire bombs,” he said, wincing. But when he looked around, the bastard was nowhere.

“The damn rat ran…”

Climbing a nearby rooftop, Yut spotted one of the Father’s men staring down at him.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“We warned you,” the man said. “He’s dangerous on his own, and now he has the treasure. So… are you joining us or not?”

Yut glanced down at the wound carved into his abdomen.

“And where the hell is that healer?” he growled.

***

Luke drifted in the water, deep beneath the surface. Nearly a full day had passed. The abyss was now completely flooded. Water surged from cracks in the earth like underwater geysers. He moved along the bottom, checking every corner and collecting whatever spoils had sunk, arrows, knives, and scattered gear.

He hadn’t rushed back to the surface. He knew what kind of chaos would erupt up there. So he stayed below. Thanks to his new item, he could.

[Veil of the Drowned (Epic)]

A dark green assassin’s half-mask crafted from rare Sunken Realms algae. While covering your nose, the mask extracts oxygen from water, allowing you to breathe underwater indefinitely. It ensures you can explore Sunken Realms completely once Stage 1 ends.

Enchantments:

[Mana Repair (Rare)]: The mask repairs itself when infused with mana.

Requirement: Lvl 50+ in the Assassin class.

Must be an Epic, Rank F.

He remained in the depths without concern. Only when the noise finally died did he swim upward, still underwater, weaving through the drowned forest until he was far from the battlefield. After another hour, he climbed a massive tree and hid among its branches. Inside the treasure chest, he had found the mask and three healing potions. He’d already downed one earlier. Now he finished the other two, letting the last of his strength return.

Not much time left until the next bracelet trial starts.

He could hunt for a skill chest and unlock his final skill of the zone… or he could rest. Luke chose rest. He needed it more than anything. He ate a handful of wild fruit, leaning back against the trunk, watching the night sky through the canopy.

“All that work for this mask,” he muttered, turning it over in his hands. When lowered, it looked like some kind of bandana. “But it’ll matter for Stage Two of Event Fifty-One.”

His quiver was full again. He’d recovered two extra daggers. And on his belt, he carried more than twenty bracelets. Luke set them down beside him.

Never know when I might lose one. Better to keep spares. Just in case.

If anything happened and he lost the ones he had, the spare bracelets could come in handy. With the stars above, his thoughts drifted. He thought of his family, of Charlie and Angie. While he remained in that abyss, sinking into the cold darkness, they were all he could think about.

Charlie and Angie aren’t from this universe. Are they going through this event too?

Then came thoughts of his adoptive mother and father. His brother, his sister. He couldn’t stop thinking about them. And then… about her. His mother. His real mother. She was alive.

After all that time apart, fifteen years believing she was dead. And she was alive. Why didn’t you ever come back for me?

He sighed.

Wherever you are, don’t die. Not now that I know you’re alive.

***

Morning light hit his eyes just as a massive notification floated in front of him. The next challenge would begin in seconds. When the countdown reached zero, a huge red message flashed across the sky.

[Attention: This is the second-to-last challenge and the most important one so far. It will last for 3 weeks.]

Three weeks? That leaves only a month for the final challenge.

Given the time frame, it would be rough. Three weeks to track down a bracelet.

I get the bracelet, grab one skill chest, and then avoid every fight possible. I need to be at full strength for the final challenge. No wounds.

Suddenly his arm lit up. Something materialized against his skin.

[Bracelets Found: 5/6]

He froze.

A bright orange bracelet had simply appeared on him.

[A small bonus for killing the Treasure Guardian. You are exempt from the next challenge.]

What?

He had cursed this island for throwing him into impossible situations. But for once… it wasn’t trying to kill him. Three weeks to rest. Three weeks to prepare. Another notification unfolded in front of him.

Fifth Bracelet: Orange Bracelet

The Orange Bracelet’s primary challenge is a continuous Free-For-All. When the timer ends, only the ten participants with the highest point totals will automatically receive the Orange Bracelet.

Only those who possess an Orange Bracelet may enter the final challenge zone. When the deadline arrives, anyone still remaining in the second zone will be eliminated as it collapses into the sea.

Steal bracelets, kill, and accumulate points. You will need every point you can get if you want to remain in the top ten by the end of three weeks… and survive.

[Time Remaining: 2 Weeks : 6 Days : 23 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds]

A free-for-all.

Total chaos, and Luke knew it. There’d be no way around it. Anyone who wanted to live would have to kill as many people as possible to secure their ranking.

These three weeks will be hell for everyone else. He glanced at his wrist. At least I already have one.

Another notification popped up immediately.

The free-for-all begins now, and only the strongest will survive. However, there is a small gift awarded to all of you. An extra Orange Bracelet already exists in the hands of the Treasure Guardian’s victor. His name is Luke Moon.

You may kill him and take the bracelet, allowing you to skip the entire free-for-all challenge. It’s simple. To help, his location is now public to everyone. Good luck, whether you choose to earn points… or kill Luke Moon and steal his bracelet.

What? What the hell is this?

[Good luck, Luke Moon. You’ll need it!]