Becoming the Dark Lord

Luke sat inside the crumbling shell of a house. Hours had passed since Charlie’s massive leap in levels, and so much had happened that he hadn’t had a chance to stop and check her updated stats, let alone the new skills she had unlocked.

Her system interface was cluttered with notifications, but one stood out above the rest: new skill options. He had talked with Charlie about choosing them. From what it seemed, she had already looked through the list and only one had caught her interest, a Pugilist skill related to fire. That meant he was free to choose whatever he wanted for her from the remaining options.

“Jerry!” a voice croaked.

The raven familiar swooped in through a crack in the roof and started pecking at Luke’s leg.

“Hey, give me a minute, featherbrain. I’ll head out soon, but I need to handle this first.”

“Jerry!” the bird cawed again, irritated.

“Keep that up and you’re turning into roast chicken.”

The raven froze, tilting its head as if offended, then flapped its wings and shot back outside with a final, sulky squawk. Luke smirked faintly before returning to the glowing screen in front of him.

“Let’s see… new pugilist skill.” He tapped the icon, and five options unfolded.

The first one made him whistle under his breath.

[Protective Dome (Rare)]: The pugilist channels mana into their fists and releases it as a translucent spherical barrier, forming a protective dome around themselves or nearby allies. The dome blocks incoming attacks for a limited time or until it absorbs enough damage.

He immediately thought of the Spectral Barrier skill, rectangular shields that absorbed blows, but this dome seemed like an upgrade, wrapping everyone inside with layered protection.

“Maybe it won’t soak damage as efficiently,” he muttered, “but it’s still an extra wall between her and whatever’s trying to kill us.”

It was tempting. With this, Charlie would already have two different ways to protect herself and others. He moved on to the next.

[Blade Fist (Uncommon)]: As the pugilist prepares the strike, they cloak their fist in an ethereal blade of mana, turning the punch into a blow that can cut and pierce as well as deal physical damage. A combination of brutality and precision.

It was clever, dangerous even, but Luke shook his head.

Not worth it. She already had Force Infusion to empower her sword, and that new blade she picked up was more than enough. Why waste a slot on something weaker?

The third option caught his eye.

[Defense Aura (Rare)]: The pugilist radiates a protective aura of reinforced mana, temporarily increasing both physical and magical defenses. Ideal for withstanding ambushes or enduring prolonged battles.

At first glance, it seemed less impressive than the dome. But as he read again, something clicked.

“Ah… that’s the difference.”

The dome locked Charlie and her allies inside a sealed defense, safe but unable to strike back at whatever was outside. This aura, though, strengthened her directly, letting her keep fighting while still resisting incoming damage. One was group defense with a trade-off. The other was solo resilience in the thick of battle.

“This one wins,” he decided.

Then came the fourth.

[Flame Fist (Rare)]: The pugilist draws upon the power of [Flame], engulfing their fist in searing fire. Each strike deals additional fire damage, with a chance to ignite flammable objects or inflict burns on vulnerable enemies.

Luke leaned back, considering. “Not bad… this must be the fire option Charlie wants.”

So that power born from the fire of love turned out to be useful after all.

More raw offense. And Charlie already hit hard enough as it was.

Could it stack with Iron Fist? Maybe not. But Power Punch? That combo had potential.

He remembered Mason’s words, how he had explained the devastating effect of stacking skills in the right way. Using the golden fire from his bloodline to amplify damage, fusing it with his blacksmith’s epic skill that boosted both casting speed and the raw power of fire, and then channeling it all into something as basic as Fireball.

The result was brutal efficiency: a rapid-fire barrage, each spell slamming out like bullets from a machine gun.

That was the real strength of synergy. Simple pieces, combined in the right order, becoming something far greater. It had been right in front of Luke all along, and he’d never noticed. The last option appeared:

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[Seismic Impact (Uncommon)]: Striking the ground with concentrated force, the pugilist unleashes a localized tremor that destabilizes the terrain beneath enemies’ feet. It can cause imbalance, knockdowns, or interrupt spellcasting.

He was almost sure he had seen this before, one of the options that had shown up for Charlie earlier. He had even watched Dustin use it against the Warden Captain. Solid, practical, undeniably useful.

Luke stared at the list of skills for a long moment.

“Lay the foundation first, then the walls, then the roof,” he muttered, comparing skill selection to building a house.

Too many times he had picked skills on impulse, because they looked flashy or because he needed a quick fix in the moment. He had always viewed them in isolation, never as parts of a greater structure. Two minutes of conversation with Mason had left him feeling like an amateur.

At least I managed to stumble into a combo by accident, he thought, remembering how Botanical Bold, Plant Manipulation, Plant Growth, and Thorn Mutation had ended up meshing together.

[Princess Charlie has acquired the Second Class skill: Flame Fist]

“Good thing Charlie wants this skill, she really loves fire.”

A faint smile tugged at him. “With Berserker Fire Mode and Power Punch on top of that, her damage output’s going to skyrocket.”

But the system wasn’t done yet. A new notification pulsed. Charlie had reached level 40 as a Death Knight, unlocking her first major milestone skill, and she had already pushed to 45, which meant two choices waited for him.

Four skills appeared.

[Protective Aura (Uncommon)]: An ethereal aura of mana surrounds the knight, reducing damage taken from spells and magic. Ideal for withstanding arcane assaults in battles against casters.

It struck him as a variation of the pugilist’s defensive skills, but he passed it by quickly.

The next drew his attention.

[Blade of Ruin (Rare)]: Against severely wounded enemies, the knight’s blade finds fatal openings. The lower the target’s HP, the greater the damage dealt, enabling brutal executions.

“Morbid,” he muttered. Still, he couldn’t deny its practicality. The Warden Captain came to mind, monsters that clung to life even at death’s door, still capable of killing before going down. A skill like this could make the difference between surviving and getting crushed under a boss’s final strike.

Then came something far more intriguing.

[Doom Explosion (Rare)]: Enemies marked by [Mark of Doom], upon death, unleash a dark explosion that devastates the surrounding area, dealing AoE damage and spreading destruction. Each death becomes not just the end of the foe, but a weapon against all nearby.

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Now that’s… disturbingly clever.”

It was tailor-made to sync with Charlie’s existing skill set. A simple kill would trigger an explosion, multiplying her battlefield presence instantly. The risk was obvious. Was the blast instant, or delayed just enough to endanger allies too? Still, she would have control. She could always remove the Mark if she wanted restraint.

He scrolled to the final option. And as usual, the last one looked the most promising.

[Doomground (Rare)]: The Death Knight corrupts the ground beneath his feet, creating a profane zone. Within it, healing skills are drastically reduced, leaving enemies more vulnerable and limiting regeneration.

It was interesting in its own way, but Luke couldn’t see much real use for it.

“Enough of this. The system always tries to trick me, dangling the last option like it’s the golden prize.”

Instead, he went with the one that caught his attention, the skill that meshed perfectly with an earlier choice.

[Princess Charlie has acquired Class Skill: Doom Explosion]

He quickly pulled up the description of a skill Charlie already had.

[Mark of Doom (Rare)]: Touch a target to apply an invisible seal that increases damage taken by 10%. Marked enemies become prioritized targets, making it easier to focus them down. Ideal for eliminating high-risk threats quickly. The mark remains until it expires or the target leaves your perception range.

“A perfect combo,” Luke muttered, almost laughing. “What’s Doomground compared to this?”

But the smile slipped from his face.

“Oh, shit. Bartholomew’s a damn healer.”

A sharp pang went through his chest. “Damn it. That skill would’ve been perfect against him.”

He shook the thought away.

“Too late now,” he sighed.

And to think I was mocking the system’s last picks…

He opened the notification for the new skill granted when Charlie hit level 45 and froze.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he whispered, then laughed under his breath.

This time, the list wasn’t five neat choices. It was massive, a collection of every single skill he had skipped before, including the one that countered healing.

“Alright, system. I take it back. Thanks,” he said with a crooked grin.

It made sense. At level 50, Charlie wouldn’t be getting any more skills from this class. Advancement meant evolving into something new. This was the system’s way of giving one last chance to sweep up what was left behind. That meant Doomground was back on the table. But Luke didn’t pick it right away. He scrolled slowly, reading through each old option, reevaluating.

One in particular hit him with a wave of regret.

[Spectral Arrow Barrage (Rare)]: A spectral circle manifests above a chosen area, raining down a hail of ethereal arrows. Hits multiple enemies. Mana-based. The maximum distance scales with the Perception stat.

It was the kind of skill that would completely change Charlie’s reach in battle. So far, she was locked into close-range combat, but this gave her mid-to-long range coverage. The arrows wouldn’t hit nearly as hard as one of Luke’s own shots, fueled by stamina and mana, but it didn’t matter. It was perfect for mowing down groups.

He marked it as his second choice, then kept scrolling. A strange sense of nostalgia crept over him. Each discarded option reminded him of a different moment since he had first pulled her out of that dungeon. Every skill passed over was a piece of the road they’d walked together.

And then he reached the very end of the list. Unlike the others, this wasn’t a recycled choice. It was new. The only new option there. When his eyes ran over the description, he stopped breathing.

“Ultra-Rare?!”

His heart skipped. He stood so fast the chair scraped, pacing in a tight circle.

“No way. This… this is insane!” He ran a hand through his hair, still reading, still disbelieving. “This is broken.”

He spun back to the system screen, almost laughing.

“Damn you, system. You always save the best for last.”

And without hesitation, he chose it.

[Princess Charlie has acquired Class Skill: …]