Becoming the Dark Lord

Luke ran through the forest after using his last healing potion. The skill he had gotten from the chest was [Teleport Pentagram]. Useless in a straight fight, but not completely worthless. It had already earned its keep. The island was sinking now. Water flooded the land up to his waist. The beach was even deeper already. Ahead of him, Brandt was making for a hill, fleeing the rising water with the Red Bracelet still in his possession.

The moment Luke broke out of the trees, he saw the old man climbing. He raised the bow and started firing, one arrow after another, advancing as he shot. Lightning came flashing back at him.

“I won! I have the Red Bracelet! Stay away from me!” Brandt screamed, hurling bolts while Luke ducked behind a tree.

“The game ends when the timer hits zero, Palpatine,” Luke shot back as he stepped out and fired again.

Then he sprinted forward, slinging the bow across his back and drawing both machetes. Brandt kept throwing lightning while Luke charged up the hill, weaving through the attacks. He moved so fast the old man visibly panicked. Brandt cried out, his body flaring with blinding light as a barrier sprang into existence around him.

Luke hit it like a striking mantis. The barrier shattered. He launched himself straight at the old man.

“No! I will become a god!” Brandt shrieked, firing lightning wildly.

Luke slipped around the bolts and cut him across the chest. Then the leg. Then the back. Another stab followed. A second dome of force bloomed around Brandt. Luke leapt, twisted over the old man’s head in midair, and came down hard, breaking through the barrier and severing the Father’s hand.

“A god? You?” Luke kicked the staff away.

Brandt pointed his remaining hand at him and fired another bolt.

“I will become one. I’ll have countless worshippers. My paradise. They’ll all adore me,” the old man babbled.

Luke drove one machete into his stomach and the other into his neck. Then he kicked him backward.

“It’s always the same,” Luke muttered, watching the old man collapse as he picked the bracelet up off the ground.

“Don’t kill me!” Brandt screamed. “Your name is Luke Moon. I understand. I know what you want. Your family. Ah, I see it. I can see it. Your mother and father, is that it? You want to find your mother and discover who your real father is?”

Luke kicked him in the face. “Now I get it. A con artist with some kind of analysis skill. And something that strong is probably a rank skill. That’s how you manipulate people, isn’t it?”

Luke stepped on the old man’s face. “Well, it doesn’t work on me.”

“I can see your soul!” Brandt screamed. “I know the truth about your origin. I can see the fragment of your mother and father that formed it. Give me time and I can even find his name–”

[You have slain a Human…] *595,713,023 IP earned*

[Participants Alive: 2/11]

“I’ve gone fifteen years without answers. I can wait a little longer.”

Luke sheathed the machetes and sat down at the top of the hill. From there, he could see everything. Only one other participant was still alive.

Oliver?

That was his best guess. The crossbowman seemed the most likely, even though Luke had not heard that absurd weapon fire in a while. So he stayed there. Completely exposed. Waiting.

Zoe?

That was possible too. Then someone emerged from the flooded forest below, half wading, half swimming through the water.

Cindy.

“You...?” Luke murmured to himself. “That’s unexpected.”

He saw the dagger in her hand. He knew absolutely nothing about her skills.

“The one who was with Zoe,” Luke said, watching her start up the hill. He rose to his feet. “Stop right there.”

“You’re Luke Moon, aren’t you?” she asked. “Zoe told me about you.”

“And how did she die?”

Cindy froze for a moment. “Oliver killed her.”

“I see. I hope it was quick.”

“It was.” Her voice caught. “She helped me get away.”

“It’s over, Cindy,” Luke said. “I won.”

She slowly put the dagger away. “You have a good heart. Zoe told me to find you, said if I made it to you, you’d help me. Protect me.”

“There’s no one left alive but the two of us, Cindy.”

“Then let me stay close to someone for these last moments. Please. Talk to me. I don’t want to die alone.” Her voice trembled. “I promise I’ll...”

Then a dome sprang up around Luke, and he was already gone. The teleportation pentagram carried him away. He stepped out from behind a tree.

“Where? Where are you?” Cindy cried.

An arrow struck her leg. Then another hit her in the back. Cindy fell and rolled down the hill as more arrows slammed into her. When she tried to get up, she saw Luke in the distance, bow raised, one arrow aimed straight at her head.

“You killed Zoe, didn’t you?”

“Me? No, I swear!” Cindy screamed.

Luke put an arrow through her eye. He held back on purpose, not enough force to punch through into her brain. Cindy shrieked, clutching her face as green light spilled from her hand and washed over the wound.

“Lie to me again, and I’ll fire another one. This could be fun. You’re a healer, so you’ll keep patching yourself up, clinging to life, and I’ll spend these last few minutes torturing you. That’s a good combination.”

“You bastard! I deserved to live more than any of them!” she screamed. “I have a niece who needs me!”

Luke buried an arrow in her stomach.

“Answer me.”

“I killed her! I killed her!” Cindy howled. “And I’d do it again! None of you deserve to live. Not one of you! You’re all psychopaths!”

“Yes,” Luke said. “I am a psychopath. The worst psychopath in this place. And that’s exactly why I’m getting out of here, and you’re not.”

Then he put an arrow through her face.

[You have slain a Human…]*842,886,974 IP earned*

[Participants Alive: 1/11]

“Finally. It’s over.” Luke lowered the bow. “This goddamn challenge.”

[Luke Moon, you won the Battle Royale!]

The island began to tremble. Geysers of water burst from the ground.

[The island is sinking completely!]

[Teleporting you to a safe location. Please wait...]

Luke climbed the hill and stood there as the water swallowed everything. A moment later, light swallowed him too, and he vanished.

His body reappeared on top of a wooden platform. He was in the middle of the ocean, standing on what looked like a pier attached to a tiny island. The place was only a little bigger than his bedroom. When he turned around, he saw a massive island in the distance, covered by a black dome. He guessed that was where the challenge had taken place. The island kept sinking, breaking apart as it disappeared beneath the water. The sea was black. Dark.

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There was even a sign congratulating him.

[Stage 1 of Sunken Realms has ended! All islands completed their challenges at this exact moment.]

Another notification appeared.

[The next stage is Stage 2, where you will be able to explore Sunken Realms and all its wonders and mysteries!]

Luke stood in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by ocean.

“Yeah. I’m screwed.”

[Your level has returned to its original state!]

[Your rank has returned to E!]

[All your skills have been reactivated!]

[Your Bloodline Skill is being activated!]

[Your magical organs have been activated!]

[Your title ‘Dark Lord’ has been activated!]

[Eye of Sariel is now unlocked for use!]

[Your Second Core is now unlocked for use!]

[Your equipment has been returned and is nearby!]

On the table, Luke’s things began to reappear one by one. His necklace. His boots. His pants, his cloak, the assassin’s outfit, his kukris. Everything was coming back. His body felt lighter almost instantly. Using Sariel’s Eye, he zoomed his vision in and watched the island sinking now that the dome had vanished.

“Finally.”

He could feel his second core awakening, power flooding back through him. His blood, his magical stomach, every part of him that had been sealed away was his again.

Luke raised a hand and summoned a black knife. “Damn, I missed this.”

Then the bracelets on his arm began to glow. All six of them. They slipped free from Luke’s wrist and floated into the air, spinning together. Slowly, they began folding into one another, each one shrinking and sliding inside the next like a chain of nested rings. They kept merging until they formed something new.

A coin.

The coin dropped, and Luke caught it out of the air.

[???]: A reward worthy of the true champions of Stage 1. Your abilities have been recognized, and this coin is a special invitation to a special place, though only after the 51 is over. Its value is beyond measure, and it is non-transferable. It belongs only to you, an invitation meant for you alone.

“So that’s what the bracelets were for. Hope it’s worth it.”

Another notification appeared. Luke slipped the coin into his pocket.

Event Stages: Sunken Realms

Three monumental stages will shape the fate of all participants in Sunken Realms. Each phase is a crucible of survival, strategy, and courage. As survivors advance, they approach the climax of the event, along with the fate that awaits them.

(Warning: These stages do not include details of the Special Event reserved for the 49% of humans originally non integrated or for Rank C participants in the frozen waters.)

The system separated us.

Stage 1: Island Challenge (Complete)

[Unlock information about Stage 2?]

He pressed yes.

Stage 2: Sunken Hunt

Humans already integrated into the system, belonging to the 51% and below Rank C, who survived the Island Challenge, will now venture into the Sunken Realms. Scattered across the ruins are Marine Artifacts, guarded by terrifying Sea Beasts.

Whether alone or in groups, the integrated are now free to form their own factions. The main goal is simple: survive until the next stage begins. But be warned. Collecting Marine Artifacts is the key to activating Beacons, special dungeons filled with treasure and unique challenges. Countless rewards and other treasures can be obtained there, making you stronger.

Luke stared at the message for a moment.

“Okay. So it’s a game. Now we’re in the open-world part.”

He gathered his things from the table.

“Artemis?”

The necklace remained silent.

“Great. She’s offline.”

Touching the necklace, he accessed his pocket dimension and began storing everything he had brought from the island, including the coin. Then he stripped off the clothes he was wearing and changed into the assassin’s outfit.

He looked down at the kukris and smiled faintly. “I missed you too.”

He slid them back into their sheaths. Now he had an entire world to explore. The problem was, he had no idea which direction to go, or how to begin.

“Charlie, Angie, and the rest of my friends... they’re out there somewhere.”

And so was his family, in some other part of this world, if Luke remembered right. He scrolled through the notifications. Now that the system was fully unlocked, he could access his entire history.

Planetary Event: Sunken Realms

A distant echo stirs from the deep… and the forgotten planet rises once more from beneath the waves. Millennia ago, this world was home to glorious empires and colossal cities. Now only the ocean reigns, guarding beneath its crushing tides the ruins of lost civilizations and the abyssal creatures that thrived within them.

Once every age, when the waters finally recede, the sunken kingdoms return, forbidden treasures, ancient horrors, and trials worthy only of the boldest. The time has come again. The planet calls for new conquerors.

Location 1: The Forgotten Continent:

A ravaged landmass left behind after the last great tide. Here, the 49% who were not yet integrated must survive against monsters that slumbered for thousands of years in the shadows of newly risen ruins.

Location 2: The Archipelago of the Sunken Realms:

A labyrinth of remote islands surrounded by unstable seas and the skeletal remains of drowned empires. This is the arena of the System-integrated, where submerged cities rise and sink with the tide, revealing treasures and nightmares of the deep.

Location 3: The Frozen Waters of the North:

The planet’s frigid extreme, where the ocean becomes crystal and ice. Only Rank C humans will be sent here to challenge the frozen abyss and the ancient creatures sleeping beneath the eternal ice.

Event Objective: Survive. Push forward. Complete every Stage of the Event and escape this drowned world before the tides rise again to swallow everything whole.

Time Limit: The call has already been made. Teleportation begins now, and every step, every dive, every battle will decide who is remembered as a conqueror… and who becomes just another whisper in the SUNKEN REALMS.

“That was the notification I received just before I was teleported to the island.”

His family belonged to the forty-nine percent.

“Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to reach them.”

If this world was as vast as his own planet, then it was impossible. Crossing the sea would take years even if he knew where they were, and he did not even know which continent the Baumanns were on.

“I don’t have a choice. I need to keep playing this event.”

The notification had made it clear that the main objective was survival. But anyone who managed to collect special artifacts could gain access to dungeons that held treasure.

“Something tells me that’s going to matter in Stage 3.”

Luke walked over to the wooden sign marked with the symbol of a basket. Beneath it was a single word.

“Shop.”

He touched the sign.

[Activating Island Shop...]

[Calculating your points...]

[Luke Moon’s Island Points: 4,831,140,403 IP]

[+2,000,000,000 bonus for winning the Battle Royale]

The total updated.

[Luke Moon: 6,831,140,403 IP]

The sign unfolded into an interface screen.

Island Challenge Shop

In this shop, you may exchange your Island Points (IP) for items that may help you during Stage 2. It is recommended that you read the Stage 2 notification carefully so you can choose the item most suited to your needs.

(Warning: The shop will remain active for only a few hours. After that, it will disappear forever, and any unspent IP will be permanently lost.)

“Okay. Got it.”

He touched the half mask he was wearing. “At least I don’t need an item to help me breathe underwater.”

Now he understood the true value of the Guardian’s treasure. Luke opened the shop, and a new screen appeared.

[Equipment], [Weapons], [Ticket], [Vehicles]

He selected [Equipment], and the prices were brutal.

[Seaweed Shirt (Epic)]:

A shirt woven from a thin layer of jellyfish membrane intertwined with magical seaweed. It allows the wearer to store oxygen within its structure, making it possible to breathe the accumulated air while submerged. It also increases underwater mobility by 10%.

Enchantments:

[Emergency Buoyancy (Uncommon)]: Getting back to the surface is not always easy, especially when oxygen is running low. The shirt can suddenly inflate, acting as an emergency mechanism that launches the user rapidly upward. Extremely useful in desperate situations.

[Mana Repair (Rare)]: The equipment slowly regenerates when supplied with the user’s mana.

[Temperature Regulation (Rare)]: The deeper the ocean, the colder it becomes. This shirt stabilizes the user’s body temperature even in extremely deep submerged zones.

[Seaweed Camouflage (Epic)]: In areas dense with marine vegetation, the user can blend in with the seaweed and become nearly invisible.

(Price: 850,000,000 IP)

[Calm Tide Boots (Epic)]:

Enchanted boots designed for maritime exploration. They improve underwater mobility by 20% and increase swimming speed by 15%.

Enchantments:

[Water Walk (Uncommon)]: Allows the user to walk on the water’s surface as long as mana is continuously supplied. Sometimes swimming is not enough. Walking across the sea can be far more useful.

[Mana Repair (Rare)]: The equipment slowly repairs itself when supplied with the user’s mana.

[Water Surf (Epic)]: The boots can shape the water beneath the user’s feet, allowing them to glide across the waves at high speed. A simple pair of boots can become a true vehicle on the ocean.

(Price: 2,000,000,000 IP)

“They’re absurdly expensive. Supply and demand, I guess. These are exactly what I need, so of course they priced everything sky-high.”

He kept browsing. There were even more items than he expected. One of them was a necklace that created a bubble of air around the user’s head, letting them breathe underwater.

Luke clicked on [Vehicles].

[Warship]:

A sturdy wooden ship outfitted with cannons, capable of supporting its crew in naval combat or in battles against sea beasts.

Enchantments:

[Reinforced Hull (Rare)]: The ship carries structural enchantments that make its hull far more resistant and durable against impacts and attacks.

(Price: 6,000,000,000 IP)

“Naval combat?”

The scale of this event was going to be enormous.

“I don’t know how to operate a damn ship.”

[Medium Wooden Boat]:

A simple wooden boat with room for up to 10 people. Equipped with light oars so everyone can row together. Ideal for beginners who want to explore the sea without experience handling larger vessels.

(Price: 1,000,000,000 IP)

“That’s at least a start.”

Then Luke clicked on the [Ticket] option, and what appeared there caught him completely off guard.

[Island Resurrection Ticket]: The island participants have not disappeared completely. Their souls remain trapped in this place until the winner leaves the shop area. With this ticket, it is possible to resurrect any of the fallen participants. But be mindful of the cost: every ticket you buy means fewer resources left for equipment or upgrades for yourself.

(Price: 2,000,000,000 IP)