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Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 28

Night had fallen over the floor—or at least, what passed for night in this strange, artificial world. The massive crystal embedded in the ceiling, once radiating a steady, false daylight, had dimmed and gone dark hours ago. In its absence, oppressive shadows swallowed the zone, cloaking everything in a suffocating veil. It wasn’t true darkness—but it felt colder, heavier, as if the dungeon itself was holding its breath.

The only light came from the scattered torches and campfires ...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 27

Luke had slept. Not just drifted off like before—he had actually slept. Deep, dreamless, vulnerable sleep. And yet, part of him had remained on edge, like a coiled spring. The kind of sleep soldiers talk about—light enough to wake at the softest creak. Just in case. That’s why he’d wedged the crystal in front of the door. If anyone tried to enter, the noise would jolt him awake in an instant.

Even as he rested, his mind had been working. Planning. Calculating. Trying to anticipa...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 26

Luke pushed himself up from the ground—barely. His body protested with every movement, trembling under its own weight, like a structure on the verge of collapse. His right arm was unrecognizable, a mass of blackened flesh barely clinging to the bone. Where his right hand had once been, there was now nothing but a blackened stump—burned away, bone exposed, fingers lost to the blast. His abdomen was scorched.

He could feel part of his right ear fused to his scalp. He vomited blood, th...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 25

Princess Charlie’s bones turned to ash. Even the last fragment of her shattered skull dissolved—swept away by the wind.

She was gone.

“Princess Char—” Luke called out, his voice cracking, as if words alone could stop the inevitable.

But there was nothing left.

Only dust.

Princess Charlie is dead.

Luke stood completely frozen, his mind blank as the weight of the loss crashed into him like a collapsing ceiling. His breath caught in his thro...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 24

Charlie could barely walk, and she was armed with nothing but two small throwing knives.

Luke didn’t know exactly how skill knowledge worked for skeletons, but it was obvious—Charlie wouldn’t wield those knives like he could. Just as he couldn’t properly use a bow or a greatsword.

She needed to level up her race. He had to get her to that regeneration bonus, or she’d be dead the moment a real fight broke out.

A rattling noise echoed through the rustic, stone corrid...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 23

Luke dragged himself across the shallows, his body torn and battered.

Blood dripped from everywhere—his arm, his abdomen, his back. He couldn’t even tell what was bleeding anymore. All he knew was the burning in his wounds, and the water turning red around him.

He kept moving, desperate to get away from the lake.

What if another crocodile showed up?

Charlie grabbed him and pulled, struggling with only one arm.

“We have to climb...” Luke muttered.

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 22

What emerged was a deep green beast, its body covered in jagged spikes. A massive jaw full of teeth opened wide, and slitted pupils locked onto them like a predator to prey.

It was a monstrous crocodile.

“Shit!”

“GROOOAAR!” The creature roared and lunged onto the giant water lily.

Luke stumbled backward, his foot slipping off the slick edge of the lily pad—and with a splash, he tumbled into the cold, murky water below.

Beneath the surface, he saw the cr...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 21

Charlie and Luke were wading through the waterlogged tunnel when the sound of heavy splashes echoed around them. More Drowned Walkers emerged from the shadows, slowly surrounding them.

Then came the splash.

Something massive charged through the water with terrifying momentum. Luke’s instincts kicked in—he blinked sideways with Assassin’s Dash just as the creature lunged into view.

[Enraged Drowned Walker - Lv 9]

It was larger than the rest, bloat...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 20

Luke opened the chest. It was the first time he had received a reward in the dungeon like this. Sure, the twin kukris had been a gift of sorts—but this was different. This was systemic. The chest had materialized in the room, almost like it had been teleported there just for him.

It was massive, and as he looked inside, a soft red glow shimmered at the bottom.

He reached in—and found something unexpected.

“A ring...?”

A golden band with a deep crimson gem.

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 19

Luke stood at the threshold of the resting chamber.

Like the others, it was calm — a patch of grass, a fruit-bearing tree, a small waterfall trickling from the stone wall into a shallow pool. In the corner, he noticed several crates, some broken and scattered.

I can’t keep going.

His body was stiff. His thoughts were slowing. The constant mana channeling to power the elevator had worn down more than just his energy — it had drained him mentally. Luke could’v...

Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 18

Luke was back in the room where the remains of the fallen skeletons and their weapons still lay scattered across the floor. His skeletal servant followed closely behind. He was still a bit shaken, staring at the floating screen in front of him, a prompt triggered by his Dark Lord skill.

[Servant of the Dark Lord System]: Every tyrant needs servants worthy of their greatness. A Dark Lord tolerates no weakness — only the strongest survive. Through the servant bond, your soldiers...