Becoming the Dark Lord

[Challenge of the 50 Survivors]

[The Marine Artifact will only appear once there are 50 people remaining in your vicinity.]

[People in the area: 113/50]

Luke yanked the arrow out of his leg and sniffed the tip. “Poison.”

Not that it mattered much. He was practically immune. Still, he drank a healing potion. The arrow had struck bone and punched clean through his leg.

“This artifact is protected by some kind of challenge.”

Luke peered out. The ruins were crawling with people. Some were posted in the buildings, firing arrows from above. The sounds of battle echoed through the entire area. Something purple flashed in the distance.

[People in the area: 111/50]

Two died.

A moment later, the notification appeared again.

[People in the area: 115/50]

“More people are making it here.”

“You’re going to fall back? There were other artifacts farther away, from what we saw at dawn,” Artemis asked.

“No. If I want more information about Sunken Realms, I need to clear a Beacon as soon as possible. I’m not leaving this artifact behind.”

“Stay alert for dangerous enemies. The Dragon Queen isn’t in your event stage, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people only a little weaker than her walking around out here.”

Luke conjured two black knives.

“Good. Then they’ll be experience points.”

He dove into his own shadow and started moving through the area. Far in the distance, he spotted a mage flying on top of a cloud, staff raised, firing glittering blue needles into the sky. Luke slipped past bodies until he found a man lying on the ground in a pale yellow-white robe.

“Goddess of Kindness, let her shine upon my heart and grant me strength!” the man cried, pointing a trembling wand.

In front of him, a taller man with an axe laughed. He was broad and muscular. “Fuck you and your goddess.”

Luke stepped out of the shadows and threw the knife.

[Telekinetic Impulse activated]

The blade struck the man in the head.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 64 (Forest Slayer: Lvl 56 / Ore Crusher: Lvl 91)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 83!

“Thank you, Goddess!” the robed man said at once.

“No goddess saved you.” Luke pressed the edge of his kukri to the man’s throat.

The man swallowed hard.

“I want you to answer a few questions before I let you go,” Luke said. “And don’t worry. If I wanted you dead, you’d already be dead. I’ve got no reason to lie.”

“O-okay.”

“What was your island challenge like?”

“My island?”

“Stage 1. What was the challenge?”

“S-survive until the end of Stage 1.”

“Battle Royale? Or what?”

“Just survive. Like... camping. Me and the others on my island worked together to stay alive. At night, the beasts got more ferocious. When we were finally allowed to leave the island, we were scattered.”

“And what do you know about this artifact challenge here?”

After Luke got a few answers, he made his decision. The man was one of the worshipers from the same church Jack had served. He fled the area the second Luke let him go.

Luke began climbing a building with [Demonic Predator Hands].

From the top, he saw a massive structure ahead, its openings packed with archers. They all belonged to the same faction, the Aurora Hawks. The Marine Artifact appeared somewhere near them, but access to it was blocked.

[People in the area: 116/50]

“It only activates when it drops to fifty.”

Luke’s Eye of Sariel let him see the battlefield in perfect detail, even at a distance.

“So all I have to do... is reduce the number of people.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

He smiled faintly.

“Okay. My turn.”

Luke gripped a throwing knife and began charging [Shadow Mana Explosion], channeling mana into it, forcing more and more power into the blade. He could feel the mana moving like a river. By the time it had consumed forty percent of his reserves, the knife started to crack. That was the limit.

Luke threw with all his strength. In midair, he activated [Telekinetic Impulse], and the blade tore forward, leaving a white trail behind it.

“Let’s see how much that cuts the number down.”

Then it hit the building. The explosion was enormous.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 41 (Aurora Hawk Archer: Lvl 56 / Alchemist: Lvl 46)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 52 (Forest Arrow Archer: Lvl 56 / Weaponsmith: Lvl 48)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 61 (War Archer: Lvl 56 / Arrow Maker: Lvl 87)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 33 (Archer: Lvl 38 / Merchant: Lvl 26)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 67 (Aurora Hawk Archer: Lvl 71 / Spy: Lvl 25 / Ink Ammunition Maker - Lvl 59)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 66!

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 71 (Shadow Archer: Lvl 74 / Sound Scout: Lvl 54 / Wooden Arrow Weaponsmith - Lvl 64)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 45 (Archer: Lvl 33 / Gate Builder - Lvl 61)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 56 (Aurora Hawk Archer: Lvl 67 / Ore Crusher: Lvl 61)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 71 (Archer: Lvl 22 / Paralysis Poison Maker: Lvl 91)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 63 (Forest Archer: Lvl 73 / Mage: Lvl 12 / Fish Impaler - Lvl 51)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 53 (Stealth Archer: Lvl 62 / Apothecary: Lvl 46)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

...

Your second class [Witch] has reached Level 67!

The building split apart. Half of it collapsed into the surrounding ruins and slammed into the ground, kicking up a storm of sand and dust. Luke saw the people nearby staring in shock.

[People in the area: 87/50]

“That worked pretty well.”

He conjured another knife. Luke could only pull off one more shot like that. Luke jumped from the building, and while still in the air, he started hurling knives at the people below in the street.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 71 (Beast Assassin: Lvl 75 / Thief: Lvl 31 / Disguise Specialist - Lvl 79)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 68 (Hidden Wind Crossbowman: Lvl 33 / Bolt Maker - Lvl 86)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 71 (Leech Controller Healer: Lvl 80 / Mimic Assassin - Lvl 56 / Blacksmith - Lvl 41)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

The moment he landed, he sprinted forward, drawing both kukris. He spun through the crowd like a blade storm.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 31 (Soldier: Lvl 32 / Herbalist - Lvl 47)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 73 (Bounty Hunter: Lvl 74 / Yellow Flame Pyromancer: Lvl 69 / Coal Miner - Lvl 53)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

One man lost an arm. Everyone still standing in the street turned toward Luke, staring at the wounded and dead scattered around him.

“You psychopath,” someone said, pointing a sword at him.

Luke looked at the group closing in. “No decent person would still be here after learning what this artifact challenge is. Which means anyone still standing in this place is already willing to kill to get what they want.” His voice stayed cold. “So there’s no reason for me to hold back.”

“You’re outnumbered,” another man said.

A massive barrier rose around the area, sealing them in. ℴℴ𝘮

“My epic cage skill won’t let you escape.”

[Despair Aura I activated]

“Perfect,” Luke said, summoning [Demonic Predator Hands]. “Looks like most of you are trapped in here too.”

“M-maybe we should leave this guy alone.”

“Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

“Cowards,” the man started to snap, but he never finished.

A kukri slammed into his chest. Luke rushed them. Part of the group broke and ran, screaming as they leaped over rubble and scattered through the ruins. The one with the sword came straight at him.

Fast. A speed skill.

Luke met him head-on, steel clashing as he activated [Demonic Blade Dance].

“You seem pretty high level,” Luke said.

He slipped around the attacks with precise movements. Then the swordsman drew a second weapon, a thin blade coated in a layer of water. The man swung in a wide arc, sending a horizontal blade of water at Luke.

Luke leaped over it. He landed already trading blows again. In one spinning slash, he clipped the man. Acid power bit through the armor. Luke kept pressing, breaking the man’s posture piece by piece under the relentless force of his strikes until the final blow killed him.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 76 (Mist Swordsman: Lvl 74 / Water Blade Elementalist: Lvl 69 / Fisherman - Lvl 42)]

[+1 Soul Fragment]

Luke ripped the kukri free, acid still eating through the dead man’s face, and looked ahead. The street was choked with rubble from the fallen building. The remaining people were either running or hiding.

[People in the area: 76/50]

“It’s almost nightfall!” he shouted. “Anyone who stays in this zone and keeps getting in the way of this challenge ending should consider themselves dead.”

Luke peered across the ruins, watching people scatter while others stayed hidden.

“My friends and I just watched your little performance. Drop your gear on the ground, and maybe you get to walk away alive. Or beg to join us,” called a voice from somewhere inside the ruins.

“The water’s going to flood all of this soon anyway,” someone else shouted. “We should all team up and clear the event together. Like civilized people.”

“Civilized people?” the first voice shot back. “We’re not on Earth anymore. This is a lawless world.”

Luke watched more figures spreading out through the rubble. “Looks like you picked the hard way.”

“Yeah, we did. Come down here and face us. We’re waiting with weapons ready!” someone yelled.

“All right,” Luke answered.

He sheathed one kukri, kept the other in hand, and broke into a run. Luke raised his free hand.

[Enhanced Telekinesis activated]

One by one, chunks of rubble lifted off the ground and rose into the air as he ran. Everyone taking cover looked up at the floating debris, then at Luke charging straight at them.

“Yeah, we’re screwed!” somebody shouted.

“This guy’s high-level!”

More stones tore loose and rose higher and higher. Luke stopped and held them all suspended in the air under his control.