Becoming the Dark Lord

Luke swam fast, his tentacle scarf driving him forward through the water. More than ever, he missed his spectral beast. Charlie kept pace beside him, wearing only minimal gear to avoid unnecessary weight. When they reached the crater, there was a Beacon at the bottom. Thick algae filled the place, forming something like an underwater forest. Charlie’s hearing was terrible beneath the surface. They had to rely almost entirely on sight.

As they drew closer, Luke felt movement in the water through the power of his scarf. He threw a knife just in time. A massive shark lunged at him. Luke pointed his hand downward and formed a sphere of mana. It exploded beneath him, blasting him upward and out of the way. Then he drove in from the side, slashing at the shark with his kukris.

Charlie attacked from above with her sword, but two more sharks emerged from the algae. One opened its mouth, and a brutal current suddenly tore Luke and Charlie off the wounded shark. Behind them, the other shark came in with its jaws wide. Charlie raised her glowing fist and punched the creature hard enough to open a hole in it, forcing it back. But it did not flee.

Luke struck its flank with [Crimson Fang]. The shark died. Two remained.

He swam toward the one he had injured earlier. Its fin was damaged, and Luke chased it down, firing mana spheres to close the distance. When the second shark burst out from the algae, Charlie appeared beside it, having teleported, and slashed at it with her sword. She struck its teeth, then hammered the creature with her fists.

Luke killed the second shark and swam toward Charlie, just in time to see the last shark slam her away with its snout. It dragged her down toward the crater floor. Angie appeared, swimming fast. She hurled a spear with the force of a harpoon. It pierced the shark, and electricity tore through its body, stopping its attack on Charlie.

[Witch’s Thread activated]

Luke was yanked forward by the knives planted at the bottom of the crater. He spun as he reached the shark, striking it with both kukris and finishing it off.

[You have slain a Deep Megalodon - Lvl 111] *2,905,041 EP earned*

Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 94! (+10 Lethality, +7 Perception, +6 Agility, +6 Vitality, +6 Intelligence, +5 Endurance, +8 Free Points)

The Beacon was clear of threats.

“Sorry I’m late,” Angie said.

She could speak underwater thanks to an item she had received, a transparent mask fitted over her face. Erza swam into view beside Eleanor and Anne.

“I’ll see you in a few days, sister,” Erza said in farewell.

From what little they knew, this was a Beacon whose challenges would not be quick to complete. Erza was going to search for a tower that had not been used for descent, so she could return to the surface.

“Luke, do you want your mask back?” Eleanor asked.

She was wearing the abyssal mask. He took it from her face and put it on his own so he could speak.

“No. It’s better if you keep it. Who knows what your Beacon trial will be like, and you don’t have another item that lets you breathe underwater.”

Eleanor and Anne entered the Beacon. Erza left.

She came all the way down here just to help her sister.

The group continued toward another nearby Beacon. This time, it was Angie and Evangeline’s turn.

“I’ll see you all in a few days. Let’s hope the Beacon has an option to teleport us back to the sky,” Evangeline said.

“I’ll come back stronger,” Angie said.

They disappeared. Only Luke and Charlie remained. They headed toward a glowing Beacon in the middle of the city square. Then an arrow shot toward them and split into five. Charlie used [Spectral Barrier]. More arrows came.

Inside the building.

A figure standing below them in the square launched upward, moving fast even in the water.

A skill.

The man appeared with a massive claymore in hand and spun, attacking both of them at once. Charlie blocked with her sword. Luke dodged by a narrow margin. More arrows came. One curved toward Charlie like a guided missile and exploded. She was thrown back, and the barrier she had raised shattered.

I’m going to kill that bastard.

The claymore wielder swam forward at high speed, and Luke saw why. It was the boots. Jets of air blasted from the man’s feet.

“Kill the woman first, Dom,” a voice said through the water.

Above them, on the roof of a building, a man with a staff pointed at Luke. Dozens of piranhas appeared, shaped entirely from water, and rushed toward him like a school. Luke aimed his bracer and fired a knife.

[Witch’s Thread activated]

He shot away from the swarm of piranhas and saw Charlie fighting the man with the claymore. The water piranhas turned and came back for him.

It’s an ambush. They’ve probably already killed a lot of people.

Luke thrust one hand toward a chunk of debris and dragged a massive block of stone in front of Charlie.

[Telekinetic Stasis activated]

The block became a natural barrier, shielding her from the attack. Luke’s other bracer launched a knife.

[Witch’s Thread activated]

He shot forward beneath the swarm of piranhas, moving fast. With the debris rising around him, he hurled more knives, the threads dragging him through the water. Then he struck the man with the claymore in the back.

“You son of a bitch.”

The man spun to attack him, but Luke forced a pillar of stone up between them.

[Telekinetic Stasis activated]

The claymore slammed into the pillar.

Luke appeared beside him a heartbeat later, tearing into the man with one kukri, then using the other to sever his head.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 83...] *62,479,968 EP earned*

[+1 Soul Fragment]

More arrows came, multiplying as they flew, but they only struck the debris Luke kept raising in their path.

“I’m using epic magic, Dom! Get out of there!” the mage shouted from the top of a building.

But it was too late. The man with the claymore was already dead. What came toward Luke and Charlie next was a sphere moving like a meteor. It shone with a white-blue light and began pulling everything toward it, creating a violent current that dragged in debris, the swarm of piranhas, Luke, and Charlie all at once.

Luke pointed his hand at a stone.

[Telekinetic Stasis activated]

He and Charlie grabbed onto it.

Charlie planted her feet against the rock and activated [Vampiric Leap I]. The mage tried to conjure another swarm of piranhas, but Charlie was faster. She reached him first and killed him.

Luke saw the archer fleeing, swimming away at full speed. You’re not getting away, you bastard.

He gripped a knife, took aim, and threw.

[Telekinetic Impulse activated]

The blade struck the archer in the leg. The man twisted back and fired a volley of arrows, each one bursting with green energy. Luke kept swimming, using [Witch’s Thread] to move, throwing knives into the ground ahead of him so the threads could pull him forward. He finally caught up to the archer, who kept firing arrows while swimming upward, away from the buildings. He was faster than Luke.

Good luck with that, asshole.

Luke threw two knives.

[Telekinetic Impulse activated]

[Knife Storm activated]

The archer flinched in surprise. Too late. The knives pierced him, and before he could do anything else, Luke grabbed him from behind. The man thrashed in his grip.

[You have slain a Human - Lvl 87...] *45,854,391 EP earned*

[+1 Soul Fragment]

The body drifted in the water. Charlie appeared swimming ahead of him. She was fine.

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That ambush was dangerous. They had good gear equipped.

Luke noticed the archer’s body sinking into a large dark hole.

Charlie, we need to loot their corpses.

He spoke through thought and tried to gesture at the same time, but she only gave him a confused look.

Forget it. You’ll understand when you see me doing it.

Luke started swimming toward the darkness.

You’re not supposed to follow me, idiot. You’re supposed to loot the corpses.

He sank deeper, swimming downward, and Charlie followed right behind him. Then, all at once, something snapped its jaws shut around the corpse. Luke activated his special eye to see through the darkness.

Back away, Charlie.

She didn’t understand. A creature emerged from the hole. A massive seahorse. It charged past them like a bull, skimming close enough that the rush of water hit them both.

Damn it. Stupid kraken. If I’d managed to dominate you, you would actually be useful right now.

The seahorse turned and came back for another attack.

Luke and Charlie dodged in opposite directions. Luke swung around by gripping one of his mana threads, grabbed Charlie, and pulled her with him. The creature rushed toward them again. Charlie slipped aside and attacked, tearing open its flank. Luke threw his kukri with [Burst Throw], and the monster crashed into a building. By the time the creature tried to get back up, it was already too late.

Luke finished it off.

[You have slain a Deep Seahorse - Lvl 116] *3,479,968 EP earned*

Charlie looked at the creature, then at Luke, and gave him a thumbs-up.

Yeah, I know. But you were supposed to listen to me.

She shook her head, clearly not understanding.

I’ll explain it better later.

He moved to pull the kukri out of the seahorse, but then noticed something. The weapon was absorbing the creature’s blood.

Oh, so now you decided to start doing that again?

He drove the second kukri into the seahorse to speed up the process. Meanwhile, Charlie shoved her sword into the beast and cut it open. After reaching inside, she pulled something free and offered it to Luke, visibly excited.

A core. Thanks, Charlie. Wow. This is actually giving me nostalgia for back when you couldn’t talk and we communicated like this.

She stared at him, confused.

Never mind.

[You have absorbed a Rank D Core!]

[Rank D Cores: 95/1000]

We got lucky with the seahorse. Those megalodons didn’t have cores.

Then, above them, Luke saw something moving. At least ten seahorses. More began to appear.

You have got to be kidding me.

He retrieved his kukris and threw a knife, forming a thread, then grabbed Charlie’s hand. The two of them were yanked forward. Charlie pointed in another direction.

I know. We’re leaving the corpses’ items behind, but there’s an army of seahorses coming, and we’re out of time.

They drew closer to the Beacon.

If I had the kraken under control, I’d love to fight all of you, he thought at the beasts rushing toward them. Goodbye.

Charlie finished placing the artifacts into the Beacon, and they were teleported away. Luke opened his eyes and woke up lying on his back.

“No water.”

He looked around. He was in a grassy field.

[Dungeon Challenge 1: Find the Cabin.]

“Charlie,” he called.

“Master Luke.” Her voice answered him from nearby, and she came running out from between the trees. “We made it.”

She held out her hand and pulled him to his feet. “I smell the sea, and I can hear the waves.”

“Your senses really are impressive.”

They walked for a while. Luke climbed a tree.

“I can see the cabin.”

He climbed back down, and the two of them started toward it.

“That seahorse got in the way,” Charlie said.

“Yeah. My plan was to steal those guys’ items. At least the ones that helped them breathe and move underwater.”

“But we got a core for you.”

“Did you get hurt in the fight?”

“No. I’m fine.”

She was equipped in her heavy armor now, with only her face exposed.

“It feels nice to walk in the sun without being bothered by it.”

As soon as they reached the cabin, a new notification appeared.

[Challenge complete!]

The cabin stood at the top of a hill. From there, they could see the entire island and the ocean surrounding it.

“Looks like this is the only island here,” Luke said.

When they moved to enter the cabin, another notification appeared.

[Dungeon Challenge 2: Protect the Cabin from the monster horde.]

[Living Monsters: 30/30.]

“They’re coming out of the water,” Charlie said.

Luke looked toward the beach. Creatures emerged from the sea. They were humanoid, but half fish, as if zombies had spent too much time underwater and slowly become part of the ocean. Some rode beasts.

The small army of thirty creatures began climbing the hill and was stopped soon after. Charlie and Luke slid down the slope and attacked them head-on. Most of the monsters fought with arms ending in hands that resembled lobster claws. When Charlie killed the last one, the notification came.

[Challenge complete!]

[Dungeon Challenge 3: Protect the Cabin from the Monster Hordes.]

[Objective: Monster hordes will emerge from the water with the intent to destroy the cabin. At random intervals, sometimes continuously, you must work with your partner to eliminate these hordes and protect the cabin. You may not leave the island, or you will be disqualified. In the ocean, there are five special monsters known as Sea Knights. Over time, one of them will come at a time, accompanied by a special horde. Stay alert. If the cabin is destroyed, or if you attempt to leave the island, the punishment will be the destruction of this dimension and everyone inside it.]

[Time Remaining: 1 Week : 6 Days : 23 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds.]

“Two weeks?” Luke said. “I have to spend two weeks trapped in this place?”

The challenge was long, and it would eat up precious days from the next phase of the event.

“Damn it. I really didn’t want to spend two weeks stuck here.”

“You’re going to spend those two weeks alone with me, and you’re complaining?” Charlie asked, making a little pout.

“I mean, that’s not what I meant. Two weeks with you isn’t the problem.”

“I know, Master Luke. I’m teasing.”

She pinched his cheek. “But I think two weeks alone together in a cabin on an island sounds like a wonderful honeymoon.”

Honeymoon?

“I... I guess so. I mean, we’re not officially married. Not that I don’t want a honeymoon. I just wanted to do things properly.”

“But to me, we already are.”

“I understand, Charlie, but I want to do it right. Like buying an actual ring and asking my girlfriend to marry me. And I know you already have a ring, but first comes the engagement, then a party. Though, honestly, I don’t know that many people.”

“Tell me more. H-how would you do it?”

Her eyes shone with curiosity.

“You know, a small celebration. Dinner. Then we’d officially be engaged. After that, we’d have to set a date for the wedding.”

“Aunt Artemis here can perform the ceremony and marry you two.”

Luke froze for a second. “I forgot we weren’t alone for a moment. We have the talkative necklace with us.”

“Exactly, Luke. It’ll be the three of us, all cozy together for two weeks.”

After making sure there were no more monsters in the area, the two of them entered the wooden cabin. It was simple, built from rough timber, but it had a second floor. On the first floor, right in the center of the cabin, a green cube floated silently in the air.

The Beacon’s exit cube.

[Available only at the end of the challenge.]

“I think we’re supposed to protect that thing inside the cabin,” Luke said.

The cabin had a living room, a kitchen, and even a bathroom.

“Do you think we can use water from the beach to bathe?” Charlie asked.

“Probably not. But I’ve got a few barrels full of water with me.”

The second floor was split into two bedrooms. The first had a single bed, while the second had a large bed meant for two.

Charlie walked closer to it, eyes lingering on the mattress. “The bed is huge.”

“Way bigger than the one on the ship. That thing barely fit both of us.”

“Yeah. Four people could lie down on this one easily. It’s a lot of space.”

“There’s definitely enough room for us to do plenty of fun things on that bed,” Luke said, pulling her closer.

Charlie’s face turned red. “True. We could do… that.”

“It’s been a while, Charlie. We couldn’t on the ship because you were embarrassed. So why not now?” His voice dipped, teasing. “You know, let me devour you just a little.”

“Y-you want to… right now?” Her voice came out small.

Luke smiled. “I’m only messing with you, dummy. You still get embarrassed so easily.”

He stopped in front of the window and looked outside. When he glanced back, Charlie was still red-faced.

“Wait. So if I actually wanted to, you would?”

“I-I don’t see why we couldn’t…”

Luke walked over, pulled her in by the waist, and kissed her. A moment later, Charlie fell back onto the bed.

“W-wait, Master Luke. I was going to say that first… you should let me take a bath. I’m sweaty.”

“I don’t care about that.”

He leaned closer, brushing his lips against her neck, then near her ear, where he knew she was sensitive to his teasing.

“You taste like the sea, Charlie.”

Her face went even redder. “I-I told you it would be better if I bathed first.”

Charlie tried to get up, but Luke gently pushed her back down onto the bed, leaning over her.

“I’m not complaining. It’s like you’ve been seasoned for me.”

Her face turned tomato red. Luke removed the necklace.

“No, wait, Luke!” said Artemis.

He pulled a wooden box from his pocket dimension, placed the necklace inside, and tossed it out of the bedroom. With telekinesis, he shut the door. Artemis was still complaining, but with the door closed, she could no longer be heard.

And then Luke turned all his attention back to Charlie.

Hey, everyone! A few quick notes before you go.

First, there’s a piece of Charlie artwork for this chapter, but it’s only in the Patreon version.

Second, for anyone who doesn’t know, I occasionally post Patreon-exclusive “.5 chapters.” They take place between regular chapters and usually include bonus scenes, alternate POVs, and some more intimate or romantic moments between Luke and Charlie with a slightly more mature tone. Since that kind of content can go a little beyond what I normally post on Royal Road, I keep those chapters over there.

So if you’re reading on Royal Road, the next regular chapter is 675. On Patreon, though, these come first:

[Chapter 674.5: Love on the Honeymoon (Part 1)]

[Chapter 674.5: Love on the Honeymoon (Part 2)]

Yep, two chapters, and both have some artwork that, let’s just say, would probably get Artemis’s seal of approval.

Don’t worry, though. You can go straight to Chapter 675 without missing anything important. The .5 chapters are completely optional and aren’t required to follow the main story.

And for anyone who’s been wondering what I meant whenever I mentioned artwork being “in that other place”... well, now you know.

Also, I seriously can’t wait for you guys to get to Volume 5. Luke just joined the Avengers.

Kidding.

Anyway, I should probably stop here, but that evil little author voice in my head is telling me this would be a great time to remind you that there are older .5 chapters you haven’t read, more chapters with character artwork, and several future .5 chapters already waiting for you. I could also mention that Patreon is over 90 chapters ahead, so if anyone needs an excuse to spend the whole weekend reading, well... there you go.

But that would be shameless marketing, and I would never do that.

...

All right, shameless marketing over.

Seriously, though, thank you so much for sticking with the story. I’ve liked Anne a lot ever since the tutorial, so it was really nice seeing how well you guys received her return. And now Erza and Angie are back too.

I really missed our angel lady.

Thanks for reading, everyone. See you next chapter!