Becoming the Dark Lord [LitRPG]

[Arcane Witch Golem (Legendary)]: Using [Advanced Magic Conjuration] and the alchemical power of [Transmutation], the Witch creates a mana-made golem identical to herself. The creature is controlled like an extension of her own body. It copies her appearance and can be used for infiltration, distractions, or even battle. While controlling the golem, the Witch’s awareness of her real body’s surroundings is considerably reduced, and she cannot activate other Witch skills. The golem can use some of her powers, but only those belonging to the Witch class and subject to certain power restrictions. Even so, few tools are as valuable to a manipulator as a second version of herself walking through the world.

Price: 800,000,000,000 EP

Seeing that skill there hit Luke harder than he wanted to admit. Any other time, he might’ve been excited. Hell, he might’ve laughed at the insane idea of making a second version of himself out of mana. Right then, none of that mattered.

Not the skill. Not the points. Not the auction. Only his mother.

“Can I check if the others who went back to Earth are okay?”

“No.”

The answer was dry. Final. So Charlie, Angie, the Baummans, his friends, everyone else would have to wait. At least for now.

Luke took a deep breath and kept skimming through the [Witch] skills. There were simple options like [Fire Ball], [Water Ball], [Light Ball], and all their branches. Even common skills could open new Paths for his class in the future, but he had neither the time nor the patience to sit there calculating possibilities like he was theorycrafting the perfect build.

“Can I buy as many skills as I want?”

The old man looked at him with that same calm.

“I should let you try buying them, just so the warning can tell you itself. But since you asked, yes, there is a limit. Three skills, to be exact. The same applies to items, weapons, and equipment. Three for each category.”

In that case, wasting slots on basic skills made no sense. He needed to go straight for the strongest ones.

“Weaker skills tend to open many new paths,” the old man explained. “Stronger skills, however, branch far less often. Sometimes they have no branches at all.”

“I figured,” Luke said.

Two other skills caught his attention. After that, he moved to the [Assassin] class tab. There, he only found two options that actually seemed worth it.

[Meteor Shot (Epic)]: The Assassin channels condensed power into a throwing knife, turning the blade itself into a small meteor the instant it leaves his hand. The transformed projectile launches forward at extreme speed, packed with compressed destructive force, before detonating on impact. The blast erupts across the strike zone, scattering earth, fragments, and debris in every direction. Especially effective against groups of enemies, defensive formations, and fortified structures, this skill turns a simple throwing knife into a devastating meteor projectile in the hands of a skilled Assassin. This skill receives a small bonus based on Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence.

Price: 450,000,000,000 EP

[Toxin Serpent Knife (Legendary)]: The Assassin creates a throwing knife whose blade is the sharpened fang of a venomous serpent. The blade absorbs the toxins circulating through the Assassin’s body, becoming stronger as a result. Upon striking a target, it releases venom much like a serpent’s bite. Even if the knife fails to kill, a good Assassin always keeps another option up his sleeve. This skill receives a bonus based on Vitality and Intelligence.

Price: 780,000,000,000 EP

Luke then opened the [Assassin] equipment section.

[Scimitar Dagger (Rare)]: A curved, sharp, silent dagger designed for quick cuts and fluid movements. Its shape resembles a small scimitar, allowing for precise attacks, unpredictable angles, and efficient strikes in close combat.

Price: 12,000,000,000 EP

[Assassin’s Gravitational Boots (Ultra-Rare)]: When activated, these boots alter the user’s sense of gravity, allowing the Assassin to walk along walls and vertical surfaces as if they were solid ground. They greatly increase mobility, making infiltrations, ambushes, and escapes far easier.

Price: 5,000,000,000 EP

[Balloon Cape (Uncommon)]: When activated, this cape expands and takes the shape of a small balloon, allowing the Assassin to float a few meters above the ground. Simple, but useful for crossing obstacles, reducing falls, and reaching elevated positions more safely.

Price: 800,000,000 EP

Next, he checked the [Botanist] skill list. There was only one option that looked genuinely good.

[Living Garden (Legendary)]: Allows the user to plant and cultivate seeds inside his own body. If the Botanist wishes, the seed does not need to physically develop, but it will continue growing inside him and can be released instantly as a weapon or tool. It represents the true union between nature and the Botanist, both existing within a single body.

Price: 430,000,000,000 EP

Luke stared at the description for a few seconds. He was not nearly desperate enough to grow seeds inside his own body.

In the [Witch] equipment tab, he found plenty of wands, staves, and bracelets. But he went straight to the [Rings] section. There were only two items, both absurdly expensive. After putting everything that actually interested him into the cart, Luke realized the total had eaten up almost 50% of all his points.

[Purchases Completed Successfully!]

[Total Event Points: 1,655,519,064,658]

He closed the shop.

A ring appeared in the palm of his hand.

[Basilisk Bone Ring (Legendary)]: A dark-gray ring carved from the bones of a basilisk known for vanishing before its prey’s eyes moments before delivering the final strike. Even after the creature’s death, part of its stealthy nature remained bound to the bone, leaving the ring cold to the touch and strangely difficult to perceive, as if the eye itself kept trying to ignore its existence.

When used as a magical focus, the ring improves the wearer’s mana flow, increasing magical channeling speed by 15% and offensive spell damage by 10%.

Enchantment:

[Ring Concealment (Rare)]: When not being used to channel magic, the ring can turn invisible at the wearer’s will, continuously consuming mana to maintain the effect. This property allows the magical focus to remain hidden, making it harder for enemies to realize the wearer is armed or prepared to cast.

The ring had set him back 250 billion points.

Luke swapped out one of the rings he was wearing and slid the new one onto his finger.

[Unlocking skills...]

[You have acquired the Class Skill: Perception Sphere (Rare)]

[You have acquired the Class Skill: Meteor Shot (Epic)]

[You have acquired the Class Skill: Arcane Witch Golem (Legendary)]

“I’ll save the rest of my points for the auction,” he said. “Can I go to the party hall?”

The old man was holding a slim, elegant gift box. “Not before you bathe and change into proper attire, Mr. Moon.”

The two continued down the hallway.

“This is a temporary room. Very simple,” the old man said, stopping in front of a door. “I will be waiting right outside. Take all the time you need, as long as it isn’t eternity.”

He ended the sentence with a small laugh.

Luke went in quickly. The moment he saw himself in the mirror, he understood why he needed the bath. His clothes were ragged, torn, and covered in sweat, blood, dust, and sand. Parts of the fabric were scorched by either fire or electricity. Maybe both. He looked like a walking disaster.

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“Artemis, if you were here, you’d say I look like a homeless nomad again.”

The package the old man had given him contained fine clothes, all perfectly fitted to him.

Luke picked up the necklace. “Offline or not, I’m not letting you watch me shower.”

He said it expecting some sarcastic comment from the goddess.

Nothing came.

The silence hit harder than it should have.

“Being alone right now... sucks.”

Part of him was anxious at the possibility of seeing his mother. He did not know what he would say first. He did not know if he would hug Elizabeth Moon, ask where she had been, demand answers, or just stand there in silence. He wanted someone there to talk to about it. But his friend with the questionable personality wasn’t there.

The bathroom’s “shower” was a waterfall inside a room bigger than his old house in Maine.

“The waterfall is warm...?”

It was. Perfect temperature, too. While he bathed, Luke opened the description of the simplest skill he had bought.

[Perception Sphere (Rare)]: By concentrating his Perception to its limit, the user can shape it into a sphere around himself. While active, anything that enters the sphere will be perceived, allowing for immediate reaction. The more refined the user’s Perception, the better his reflexes inside the sphere. Even for those who do this naturally, using mana to keep the skill active greatly reduces the mental strain, making perception sharper. This skill receives a small bonus from Perception and Willpower.

When Luke left the room, he was wearing a tuxedo.

“We will send additional outfits to your room for tomorrow’s festivities,” the old man said. “Including the one you will wear at the masquerade.”

“Masquerade? How long am I staying in this universe?”

The old man looked at the watch on his wrist. It resembled one from Earth, except instead of numbers and hands, it showed falling sand.

“In human time, perhaps close to a week, assuming you don’t extend your stay. Incidentally, your planet has undergone significant changes. But that can wait. The day after the auction, there will be a lecture before we send all of you back. As I said before, as winners, you will have access to privileged information. And those with noble titles will have the right to claim a Kingdom Core.”

“Kingdom Core?”

“Questions like that are for the lecture. Also, here is your room key.”

The old man handed him a key with a tag. The number engraved on it was... absurd.

“This room number is ridiculous. How am I supposed to find it?”

“An elevator will take you there. Your floor, let me see...” The old man studied the key. “It’s adapted for humanoid guests. Oxygen included. It has a lovely view of the frozen mountains and a pleasant climate, provided you don’t open the window. When you grow tired of the party hall, simply ask a hotel employee. And do not try to keep pace with those gods. They can keep... celebrating forever. Believe me, I have guests who have been here for a few hundred years.”

They reached a pair of double doors.

“My explanations end here, Mr. Moon.”

When Luke was about to touch the handle, the old man stepped ahead of him.

“That is my job, by the way.” He took the handle, then added, “In the Battle Royale, you were rewarded with a coin.”

“Is this where I’m supposed to use that thing?”

Luke pulled the coin out of his pocket dimension.

“No. Not here. That coin will be very useful to you. It will take you somewhere else. Another universe. But you will only be able to use it once the Quest of Kings ends, which should happen, in human time, within a few months.”

“Quest of Kings?”

“In any case, receiving an invitation like that while only at Rank D is no small thing. Congratulations.”

The door opened.

Luke stepped into a luxurious hall so massive it looked like a shopping mall. The place was packed with beings that were anything but human. Tall vertical screens displayed faces and names passing one after another.

They were the winners.

“Participant Number 666?” someone asked.

It was a man in the hotel uniform, with a hat perched on his head.

“That’s... me?”

The employee pinned an identification tag to Luke’s tuxedo.

“Congratulations. You are one of the 1,238 winners of the event.”

1,238?

Earth had eight billion people.

That was all who made it?

“I advise you to enjoy the winners’ party,” the employee said. “In a few days, in human time, we will hold a masquerade. Since you do not yet belong to a divine order, now would be a good time to join one. I’ll leave you to it. And I recommend eating only what looks digestible to your species.”

Before Luke could ask anything, the assistant vanished like he had teleported.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

The hall wasn’t playing one song. It was playing several at once. Or maybe it was only one song, and that was simply how those beings consumed sound. Either way, it was way too confusing. Everything else became noise. He needed to find Elizabeth Moon.

At least I know the event participants have that ID on their clothes.

[Your Familiar has been teleported near your location]

Franky’s here?

He began walking through the hall, watching the screens. Battles from other participants flashed across them in quick, dramatic edits, arranged to entertain the guests.

Were these people watching me naked during the event?

“Don’t worry. It’s like a TV show,” a voice said behind him.

Luke turned.

Samael was there.

“A familiar face, at least,” Luke said.

The demon took two glasses from an employee passing by with a tray and handed one to Luke.

“The system edits and assembles everything for entertainment,” Samael said. “It prioritizes the places where interesting things are happening. Private conversations, showers, things like that don’t end up on the giant screens.”

“You read my mind?”

“No. But I figured you would think that. I’m not good at chess for no reason.” Samael took a sip. “What we see during the event is closer to a reality show cut. And I’m not joking. That’s quite literally what it is.”

As they walked, Luke drank the champagne and scanned the crowd for his mother. He saw a few humans wearing identification tags similar to his. They did not show names, only numbers.

“Your number being 666 is a fine joke,” Samael said.

“Only 1,238 people won Stage 3?”

“Correct.”

“That’s still way too few.”

“Do you remember the vote in the citadel?” Samael asked. “One thousand participants voted. And it was not exclusive to your Event Zone. Incidentally, that is the term we use for each region of Sunken Realms where people from your planet were placed inside volcanic craters.”

“That means 1,238 Event Zones had winners among billions of people from Earth.”

“During the vote, around ninety percent of the Event Zones rejected the system’s offer. You remember the options, yes? The Red Token gave everyone the bonus for completing the Phase 1 Beacon, but made the remaining phases harder. The Blue Token allowed the following phases to continue without that penalty, but the Event would end for everyone after Stage 2.”

“So ninety percent of the Event Zones chose the Blue Token...”

It was a big number. Too big.

“And remember,” Samael continued, “only fifty-one percent of the people on your planet were able to make that choice. The other forty-nine percent, people like your family, were sent back home at the end of Stage 2. Already integrated into the system. Already carrying the class and profession levels they gained during the first two stages.”

Samael looked toward the crowd.

“Your world is entering a New Era now.”

“Still, out of the ten percent of Zones that voted, there were only 1,238 winners,” Luke said.

“Of those ten percent that chose the Red Token, only a small portion decided to continue to Stage 3. In many regions, most of them pissed themselves and turned back after realizing how difficult the Beacons had become. Because of that, some lucky ones reached Stage 3 with only one enemy. Others with none. Guaranteed victory.”

Participants were appearing through doors that opened in the walls, just as Luke had earlier. He studied every human face that entered, trying to recognize a detail, an expression, anything.

Then his stomach dropped.

I don’t remember her face.

He had a vague memory, but he did not know if he could trust it.

She’ll look the same. The system kept her from aging.

Her voice, on the other hand, he was sure he did not remember anymore.

“An enormous coincidence,” Samael said, “not only that your mother is alive, but that she also won the event and is, therefore, here.”

“And how did you find out she was alive? What kind of tutorial was she in? What did she do all these years?”

“For the same reason you don’t want anyone knowing about your tutorial, your class, your skills, or what you did in there. That kind of information isn’t easy to get.” Samael smiled faintly. “And getting permission to tell you is even harder.”

“You’re on your own,” Samael said. “But she is here. Somewhere in this room.”

Luke left Samael behind. The demon seemed to be talking to someone, but Luke was no longer paying attention.

“Excuse me.”

He approached a woman from behind.

“Yes?” She turned and smiled. “I see you’re a winner too. It’s still insane to me, being in a place like this.”

Luke answered on autopilot.

Then he saw her face.

Not Elizabeth.

“I know you, human,” a creature said, approaching him.

For a second, Luke’s brain went straight to Jabba the Hutt. The creature had a heavy, slimy body and a shell on its back like a snail’s.

“You know me?”

“I enjoyed your fight against the half-dragon.”

Beside the slug, five humanoid beings stepped forward. They were identical. Far too thin, dressed in gray, with no mouths on their faces.

“Our master has taken an interest in you,” one of them said.

The voice came from the body itself, despite the lack of lips.

“Has he now?”

“My name is Grorklin,” said the shelled creature. “I believe you could be an important asset to my Sovereign’s order on your planet.”

“Ah...”

Luke had no idea how to answer without sounding too rude.

“Our Order wants a stronger foothold in your universe. I do not know if your language has the exact word for it, but do you know what a mafia is?”

“Isn’t there some mafia rule about not calling yourself the mafia?”

The snail seemed to laugh, producing a strange sound from the back of its throat.

“Our Order is interested in narcotics, alcohol, smuggling, and anything else forbidden in the mortal realms. Where there is prohibition, there is profit. We already have several branches. We are in the beverage business on one of the continents of what you will call New Earth. We wish to expand the network. Someone like you could be useful.”

The creature’s eyes narrowed.

“Strength is necessary to make the weak obey. A whip for the beast, so to speak.”

Aren’t you already some kind of mount?

“I’m still considering my offers,” Luke said. “Mostly which branch of crime fits me best.”

“Ask for Blonksi at reception if you decide.”

The giant snail dragged itself away.

I hadn’t even realized I’m basically in Star Wars. You definitely would’ve made that joke, Artemis.

After walking around for a while longer, Luke still had not found Elizabeth. The place was too big. There were too many beings. Every section of the hall seemed to have its own environment. In one section, rain fell. In another, it was night. Farther ahead, something imitated a nightclub or a casino.

Luke stopped at a large bar in the center of the hall and leaned against the counter beside a few people.

I can’t find you. Where are you, Elizabeth Moon?

A loud sound reverberated through the hall.

“Dear winners, after the masquerade, we will be holding an auction featuring premium equipment and items offered by our illustrious guests and the organizers. It promises to be memorable. Counselors and Participants, feel free to mingle until then.”

I don’t even know which God is supposed to be my Counselor.

Luke downed a drink quickly. It was strong. Strong enough to burn his throat.

“Rough day, huh? You should be celebrating,” said a man seated at the bar. Beside him, a woman had her back turned.

“Yeah.”

“My name is Sigfried.”

“Luke.”

More beings kept arriving. More doors opened. More faces crossed the hall. They laughed, toasted, negotiated, and watched the winners like rare prizes put on display.

Luke looked around one more time.

How the hell am I supposed to find my mother in this place?