Becoming the Dark Lord

Luke had reached the ghost ship in the middle of the storm. The vessel emerged from the fog like a dark stain ripping across the gray sea. He had already sunk a few crewless ships before this, but none of them had triggered the quest.

[Face a Ghost Pirate Ship (Exclusive to the Island Champion)]: Not Completed

Reward: ???

Luke climbed the soaked hull, hauled himself onto the deck, and studied the crew.

Ghosts. Of course.

They looked like undead, but something about them was different. Their bodies were wrapped in an ethereal glow. Some were missing arms, yet their hands still floated beside their bodies, attached to invisible limbs. At the center of the deck stood a pirate throne. Sitting on it, or maybe fused to it, was the captain. Probably.

Luke looked around, sizing up the spectral crew.

“So, do you people talk, or is this a screaming-and-stabbing thing?”

The creatures turned their faces toward him. Some drew rusted swords. Others raised weapons as if they had received a silent order.

“Yeah. Guess not.”

He snapped his fingers and triggered [Leviathan’s Embrace].

[Leviathan’s Embrace (Legendary)]: Leviathans are the titans of the ocean abyss, and this young kraken carries that blood in its depths. By reinforcing its tentacles to their limit, it unleashes a devastating attack against a massive target, wrapping it with every limb in a monstrous embrace. The pressure is enough to crush its prey while dragging it toward the depths, an attack reserved for enemies as relentless as the kraken itself.

The kraken beneath the ship answered. Tentacles burst from every side, breaking through the violent surface of the sea. Luke jumped into the water at the same time and watched from below as the creature unleashed its full power. One tentacle struck the mast and snapped it like a twig. Others came crashing down, tearing through the sails, gripping the hull, pinning the vessel in place like doomed prey.

The ghost crew reacted too late. Some hacked at the tentacles with their swords. Others tried to fire the cannons. None of it mattered. The kraken roared, the sound cutting through the storm. Then it crushed the ship. Wood cracked. The deck split apart. The entire vessel was dragged under, taking the captain, the throne, and the ghost crew down into the depths.

[Quest “Face a Ghost Pirate Ship” successfully completed]

[Calculating your reward...]

“Oh, crap.”

Luke floated in the middle of the storm and felt the kraken vanish.

“Yeah, that tracks. A skill that strong probably burned through all its soul energy.”

He started swimming, but the waves were too big. They rose like walls and swallowed everything around him. His ship had disappeared from sight.

“I may have screwed up.”

“Might?” Artemis said.

Half an hour later, the ship finally reached him.

Luke raised one hand while the waves kept tossing him around. “Hey, guys. Took a quick swim.”

A rope was thrown his way. Luke caught it, and Joanna leaned over the side, reaching down.

“Do you have some kind of disease that makes you throw yourself into danger every five minutes?”

“Something like that.”

He was pulled aboard, drenched and wearing a calm expression.

“Lucky for you this ship is full of assassins with tracking skills,” Erza said, crossing her arms. “Otherwise you’d still be lost at sea. So? What the hell were you doing on that ship?”

“Finish a quest.”

***

Dawn came, but the sea didn’t calm. The waters stayed rough, and the ship lurched forward through the waves. They had already left that sea of crystalline blue behind. Now everything was gray: the sky, the waves, the foam breaking against the hull.

Luke sat in one of the cabins. Anne sat nearby, sewing with her usual calm, as if the ship’s violent rocking meant nothing. The doll maid worked in deep concentration, moving the needle with flawless precision.

Layla lay nearby, looking miserable.

Luke looked at her. “You’re superhuman, and you still get seasick?”

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“I have limits, okay?”

He handed her a mug. “Drink. It’ll help with the nausea.”

Katarina was there too, quiet inside her jar near Layla. In Luke’s hand was the reward for sinking the ghost ship.

[Pirate Navigator’s Compass (Epic)]:

A compass made for those who refuse to be lost, even when the world insists on hiding its paths. Its face, worn down by salt and time, does not point north, but toward whatever its bearer has chosen. An object, a monument, a place. Mark it, and the needle will always find a way to point in its direction. Useful for finding lost treasures, forgotten ruins, distant hideouts, or promises that cannot be abandoned to the sea.

Information:ℴ

Rarity: Epic

Rank: E

Type: Item

Luke watched the compass needle point straight at Layla’s mug.

“Okay, I think I get how this thing works.”

“I hope so... Lord Luke,” Anne said.

“Thank you for your quick lesson on compasses, Anne.”

“I like... compasses.”

“You do?”

“Yes... they have... needles.”

Luke stared at Anne for a second. “Ah. When you put it that way, I guess they do.”

The compass pointed toward anything Luke marked as valuable. From what he could tell, it did not work directly on people.

But what if it’s something a person is wearing?

He still needed to test it properly. He could bury a marked object, or have someone carry it around to see if the compass kept tracking its location.

“Yeah. This thing has uses.”

In practice, he could track Charlie or Angie even from far away, as long as he marked something they were wearing.

Actually, that’s pretty damn insane.

Best of all, it was a system item. It would stay stored in his inventory, and even if destroyed, it could repair itself. There were limits, of course. If a system item was destroyed too many times, the loss became permanent.

“Lord Luke... I know people... who would kill for that,” Anne said.

“I bet you do, Anne.”

“Yikes,” Layla muttered, grimacing into her tea.

Luke spun the compass between his fingers.

At least that Battle Royale hadn’t been a total waste.

Those exclusive quests were weird. No one he knew had anything like them. Not even Erza, Charlie, or Anne. As far as Luke knew, it had been a one-time reward given by the Battle Royale island.

Maybe other Battle Royale islands handed out exclusive quests too.

While Anne kept sewing, Luke opened the notification for a new Profession Skill. He had reached level 85 and put off choosing for way too long.

[Venomous Saliva (Epic)]: The Guardian Botanist has ingested so many poisonous plants throughout his journey that his body has learned to draw nourishment from them through his special stomach. As a result, his saliva gains poisonous properties, turning into a weapon he always carries. Whether applied to blades, arrows, or any other medium, the botanist begins producing his own poisons, just as a plant produces its own toxin.

This skill seems good, but also kind of horrifying. I kiss Charlie all the time. Even if I can control when I produce poison, surprise kisses are still a thing...

Charlie was a vampire, so poison probably wouldn’t be much of a problem for her. Even so, Luke was not thrilled by the idea of turning his own saliva into a toxin. The implications were way too uncomfortable to think about.

Would someone get poisoned from using the same straw as me?

He dismissed it immediately.

[Botanical Weaving (Ultra-Rare)]: Grants the botanist the ability to craft fabrics from plants, tree bark, and other materials derived from flora. The Guardian Botanist can create clothing, cloaks, and useful equipment for his journey, making better use of the natural resources around him. With [Plant Sensor], he also becomes able to identify specimens with the potential to provide quality crafting materials. His knowledge expands not only to clothing, but also to other flora-derived products, such as fibers, ropes, and even paper.

It would give him another way to earn profession experience. Maybe even a way to craft equipment.

[Botanical Transmutation (Epic)]: The Guardian Botanist masters the power of [Transmutation] and brings it onto the path of botany. This skill allows him to alter seeds and plants, control their germination, perform instant grafts between compatible species, accelerate or modify fruiting cycles, and even fuse compatible materials into a plant’s structure to create unique mutant specimens. The botanist’s cultivation abilities take a great step forward, opening the way to the creation of new plants, new harvests, and new forms of plant life shaped by his will.

Did my Witch skill affect my Profession Path, or did this show up because I’ve been digging deeper into [Transmutation]?

There were still two more options.

[Shifting Clay (Rare)]: The Guardian Botanist’s synergy with the earth is so great that he learns to shape it rapidly. This skill allows him to transform an area of soil into a quagmire of shifting clay, creating a treacherous pit that traps and slowly sinks those who step into it. A useful magic for traps, terrain control, and combat, whose true potential depends on the creativity of its user.

[Soil Guardian II (Ancient)]: The Guardian Botanist transforms a single plant he shares a bond of friendship with into a Guardian Plant. The plant gains offensive and carnivorous capabilities. It can consume organic matter appropriate to its size, ranging from small beasts and insects to corpses. By absorbing matter and the mana contained within it, the plant strengthens its own body. With proper nourishment, the plant may one day assist its Botanist friend in battle. With the power of [Soil Guardian II], the Guardian Plant becomes better at digesting magical organic matter, using consumed energy more efficiently to strengthen its body, its powers, and even influence its development. In addition, it becomes more sentient, capable of learning, being taught, and making more refined use of its own abilities. By accepting this skill, the Guardian Botanist elevates his Guardian Plant to a new state of life, turning it into an intelligent being that also gains Rank.

Half the description is basically copied from [Soil Guardian I], but the new part is interesting.

The choice came down to three skills, but the two main ones were [Botanical Transmutation] and [Soil Guardian II]. The first opened up massive possibilities for cultivation, creation, and plant mutations. The second, however, affected Katarina directly.

Luke looked at Katarina in her jar. In the end, there was no real choice.

[You have acquired the Profession Skill: Soil Guardian II]

At level 90, when I unlock the rejected skills list, I can choose one of those.

He pointed his hand at Katarina and used the skill. The plant glowed green. Roots spilled out of the jar, snaking across the cabin’s wooden floor. For a few seconds, Katarina grew as the light intensified.

“Who’s that Pokémon?” Artemis asked.

Then the glow faded. Katarina returned to her normal size, but she was not exactly the same. Her teeth were sharper, and several roots remained outside the jar, moving with more life than before.

Layla lifted her head, still pale from seasickness, and stared at the plant. “What the hell happened to the plant?”