Becoming the Dark Lord

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Dark Lord’s Army]

A new interface opened in front of him. Luke read it once, then again.

“So that’s what the Dark Lord title was really for.”

[Kingdom Core successfully claimed!]

**You have conquered a Seed of Sovereignty recognized by the System!**

From this moment forward, you are recognized as the Monarch of this land. Your authority extends throughout the Kingdom Core’s zone of influence, and all those accepted as citizens may receive the Kingdom’s benefits.

The Kingdom Core will grow as your Kingdom prospers. Citizens, territory, loyalty, production, defense, and conquest will all contribute to the expansion of its influence. The greater the Kingdom, the greater the Core’s power. The greater the Core’s power, the greater the Monarch’s authority.

A Kingdom may expand in many ways: population growth, internal development, agreements, annexation, or war. Among these methods is the claiming of other Kingdom Cores.

By conquering a rival Core, the Monarch may absorb a portion of its authority, expand their domain, and incorporate that Kingdom into their own. However, this rule does not apply to you alone. Just as your Kingdom can grow by conquering other Cores, your Kingdom Core may also be claimed by rival Monarchs. Should that happen, your authority may be nullified, your Kingdom absorbed, and your citizens transferred to another domain.

Monarchs follow different paths of governance. Some maintain small, discreet Kingdoms, either to lessen the burden of administration or avoid drawing the attention of greater powers. Others develop stable, self-sufficient Kingdoms, expanding only when they possess the strength to support new lands. Some expand their borders through diplomacy, growth, or war, absorbing territories and increasing their influence. And then there are Conquerors: Monarchs who claim Kingdom Cores one after another until every border on a planet disappears beneath a single authority.

When every Kingdom Core on a planet has been united under one authority, that Monarch shall be recognized as the World Sovereign.

A new notification appeared on his System screen.

[The Dark Lord’s Relic has awakened the Skill: Dark Lord’s Army]

The Relic’s interface confirmed it: the Relic was now linked to the Kingdom Core as well.

Luke dismissed the notification, but the System wasn’t finished. More messages appeared in rapid succession.

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Citizenship Card]

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Sovereign’s Gaze]

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Domain Mana]

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Kingdom’s Calling]

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Safe Domain]

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Kingdom Bond]

[The Kingdom Core has awakened the Skill: Core Soul Reservoir]

It was too much information. And it wasn’t just text floating on an interface. Luke’s connection to the Kingdom Core was literal. Every awakened skill seemed to latch onto him like an extension of his own body, something he could feel and understand instinctively without needing a full explanation.

“Okay. Holy shit... that’s a lot.”

He finally understood what it truly meant for a World King to have a kingdom. Why would someone that powerful bother taking care of weaker people? Why waste time building infrastructure, gathering cities, managing citizens, territory, production, and defense? Luke had always thought there was something strange about it. It made no sense for someone with that kind of power to shackle themselves to bureaucracy and responsibility just because some Divine Order demanded it.

But it wasn’t just duty. It was power. Real power.

The Core’s main interface opened before him.

Kingdom Core

Monarch: Luke Moon

Kingdom Name: -

Level: 0

Citizens: 0/10

Skills: [Dark Lord’s Army], [Citizenship Card], [Sovereign’s Gaze], [Domain Mana], [Kingdom’s Calling], [Safe Domain], [Kingdom Bond], [Core Soul Reservoir]

[Quests]: (Click to Unlock)

Luke ignored the rest.

The first Skill changed everything.

[Dark Lord’s Army]: While ordinary Monarchs grant noble titles to loyal citizens, a Dark Lord may bestow Dark Ranks upon monsters under their command, formally incorporating them into the Dark Lord’s Army. Granting a Dark Rank consumes Soul Energy directly from the Dark Lord’s Relic. Ranked monsters gain increased base strength, obedience, combat instinct, and evolutionary potential, while mindless creatures may develop greater intelligence, better understand orders, and learn to fight in formation. Initially, only lesser ranks may be granted, but new positions within the dark hierarchy will unlock as the Kingdom gains citizens, influence, military power, and authority. Monsters may rise through loyalty, merit, strength, and affinity with the Dark Lord’s cause, or through Promotions of Power granted directly by the Monarch once the necessary requirements have been met. Higher Ranks may trigger unique mutations, racial evolutions, or the awakening of new skills. May this mark the beginning of your tyrannical reign.

Available Rank: [Soldier]

(Warning: The Dark Lord’s Relic is required for this function.)

“So that’s what the title meant.” Luke’s voice came out low. “This was the horde.”

He pulled up his own title.

[Dark Lord]: Master of the dark forces. Supreme commander of monsters, demons, and abyssal creatures. This title grants the authority to dominate and mold supernatural beings at will, commanding them as extensions of your will. The horde that follows you grows stronger simply by remaining near you. (Bonus: +10 to all Attributes, +10% to all Attributes)

Title Path: [Tree of Knowledge], [Dark Lord’s Relic]

Luke stood motionless for several seconds, staring at the text. Then he started pacing, rereading every word.

“It was right in front of me the whole time. From the very beginning. The title was talking about the Kingdom Core.”

He had spent far too long looking at it from the wrong angle.

I thought the title was talking about my servant-creation Skill. It had been pointing to the Kingdom Core from the beginning.

Luke opened the Kingdom Core’s other skills one by one.

[Citizenship Card]: Creates a mana card that offers an individual an official bond of citizenship with the Kingdom Core. The card disappears after several hours, or immediately if it leaves the Kingdom’s territory before the bond is formed. Upon receiving the card, the individual must genuinely accept citizenship for the bond to be established. Citizenship cannot be renounced during the first year of the bond. After that period, renouncing citizenship will impose a one-year penalty during which the individual cannot bond with another Kingdom Core. If the individual later renounces citizenship again, the penalty will increase to five years.

“Okay. This must be what Angie was talking about.” Luke narrowed his eyes. “She and Charlie aren’t recognized as citizens of the kingdom they live in.”

The other Skills were powerful too, just in a different way. They didn’t make Luke directly stronger in combat, at least not like an offensive Skill would. They existed to keep a kingdom running. To help it grow. To turn territory, people, and authority into tangible power.

[Sovereign’s Gaze]: Within the Kingdom Core’s zone of influence, the Monarch gains an expanded awareness of their domain. They cannot perceive every detail simultaneously, but they can sense significant movement, disturbances in mana, concentrations of creatures, the movement of citizens, and events that may affect the Kingdom’s stability. As the Kingdom Core grows stronger, this awareness becomes more precise and far-reaching.

[Domain Mana]: Mana within the Kingdom circulates in harmony with the Kingdom Core, drastically accelerating the Monarch’s mana recovery while they remain within their domain. Citizens recognized by the Kingdom also receive this benefit, though at a lower intensity. Mages, artisans, healers, and users of mana-dependent skills become particularly efficient within the Kingdom’s borders.

[Kingdom’s Calling]: The presence of the Kingdom Core increases the chance that citizens will awaken a Profession. Those who live, work, and develop within the Kingdom are more easily recognized by the System as individuals capable of following a professional path. This effect cannot force an awakening, but it makes latent talents more likely to emerge.

[Safe Domain]: Before being claimed, the Kingdom Core radiated raw mana without restraint, attracting bestial creatures to its surroundings. After recognizing a Monarch, that energy is reorganized into a zone of stability and protection. The safe zone is not absolute. Powerful mindless monsters, organized hordes, or determined invaders may still cross its borders. However, random attacks, beast migrations, and spontaneous invasions become drastically less frequent.

[Kingdom Bond]: The Core’s full blessings are granted only to citizens truly aligned with the Monarch and their Kingdom. Traitors, infiltrators, disguised enemies, and individuals who reject the Monarch’s authority may have their benefits reduced, blocked, or completely denied by the System.

“Those World Kings have been benefiting from this the entire time.”

Luke let out a dry laugh, though there was no humor in it. They had never revealed the truth to the other kingdoms. Gathering people, building walls, and placing a crown on someone’s head was not enough to create a true kingdom. The Kingdom Core was what truly mattered. Without one, a kingdom was nothing more than an organized crowd ruled by a king, and the World Kings had known that all along.

He approached the Core and tried to push it. The floating stone shifted under the pressure, but not in the way he wanted. Through his connection to it, the rules flowed directly into his mind. The Core could not be destroyed, removed from the Kingdom’s territory, or moved to its edge to manipulate the borders. It was the physical anchor of a territory whose boundaries had been established by the System.

“Of course. That would’ve been too easy.”

The Core’s final Skill was directly tied to his title.

[Core Soul Reservoir]: Allows Soul Energy stored within the [Dark Lord’s Relic] to be transferred into a reservoir linked to the Kingdom Core, where it can be used to fuel future powers, skills, rituals, and functions related to both the Dark Lord and the Kingdom Core itself. The Monarch may also channel Soul Energy back into the [Dark Lord’s Relic] whenever its capacity needs to be replenished. The reservoir begins with a maximum capacity of 10,000 Soul Energy and gains an additional 5,000 capacity each time the Kingdom Core levels up.

Soul Energy: 0/10,000

The descriptions were useful, but Luke wanted proof. He left the Core where it was and walked out of the castle. Once outside, he activated the power of the [Cloak of the Arcane Witch] and began exploring the region. He traveled across the lands of his new kingdom, focusing on the unfamiliar sensation spreading through his awareness. Thanks to [Sovereign’s Gaze], he could sense where the border began and where it ended. It felt like a Perception Field, only deeper, wider, and backed by absolute authority.

At the same time, he monitored the cloak’s mana consumption. Energy flowed out of him, but [Domain Mana] replenished it almost as quickly. It reminded him of [Meditation], except he didn’t have to stop, sit down, or breathe like a monk. He could use his power and recover mana at the same time.

“Fighting a king in his own territory is no joke.”

Next, he tested the Core’s awareness. Luke focused and sank his consciousness into the Kingdom Core.

“I wonder if Franky’s nearby.”

His awareness swept across forests, rivers, stretches of damp earth, tangled roots, clearings, and the shadows between the trees. He sensed beasts, insects, and tiny movements that normally would have escaped his notice.

Then he sensed the intruders.

“Got it.”

Luke raced toward the disturbance. He leaped between trees and tore through the forest. When he drew close, he stopped in the woods and watched the village he had passed earlier. The Core was flagging the entire village as an intrusion. Not because its people were hostile. Because none of them belonged to his Kingdom. It wasn’t an exact location. There were no names, faces, or clear intentions.

Still, he understood enough. The village stood within the Core’s zone of influence, but its people remained unrecognized by the System. Once he confirmed that, Luke returned to the castle. The territorial skills worked. Now he needed to test the part tied to the Dark Lord.

He went back to the spider’s corpse.

“I got so caught up in the Core that I completely forgot about this.”

Luke cut open the monster’s body and extracted a core from inside it. Then he summoned his spectral beast. The creature emerged larger than before, formed from thick, dark smoke, with sharp eyes glowing deep within its shadowy body. It had been formless ever since Luke consumed the [Splinter Monkey] and [Juvenile Sunken Kraken] forms.

He tossed the core toward it. The smoke surged forward and devoured the entire thing. Within his soul world, the boss appeared, stalking through the tutorial capital. Its monstrous body loomed between the buildings, long legs striking the ground like blades.

Luke smiled. The core had given the beast a new form. Now he wanted to see what it could do. He activated the cloak, his horns, and the [Demonic Predator Hands].

Then he dropped onto the creature.

The fight was over almost immediately.

[The Spectral Beast is awakening the Ivory Leaping Spider’s skills...]

The spectral beast changed. The smoke condensed into a black spider, spectral cracks pulsing across its body like open wounds.

Luke grinned.

“Yeah. That’ll do.” He looked the creature over once more. “I’ll have you clean out that goddamn stinking castle later.”

He dismissed the monster and returned to the Kingdom Core. The tests had answered one question, but the power tied to his ring still needed a closer look.

[Dark Lord’s Relic]

Sins Absorbed: 1/7

Soul Energy: 244/1000

Relic Skills: [Soul Reservoir], [Living Relic], [Sinbound Will], [Relic-Borne Authority], [Dark Lord’s Bond], [Dark Lord’s Army]

Sin Manifestation: [Wrath of the Usurper]

Sin Curses: [Protection of Wrath]

Losing the Relic, or having it destroyed, would also stop me from using certain Core skills. A Demon Lord really is crippled without his Relic.

[Dark Lord’s Army]: Allows the Dark Lord’s Relic to access the [Dark Lord’s Army] skill while the Dark Lord remains within the Kingdom Core’s zone of influence. When granting a Dark Rank, the required Soul Energy is consumed directly from the Relic, which acts as a conduit of authority to incorporate monsters into the Dark Lord’s Army. This function depends on the bond with the Kingdom Core and cannot be used outside its zone of influence.

Available Rank: [Soldier]

Luke selected the Rank.

[Soldier]: The first Dark Rank within the Dark Lord’s Army. This Rank may only be granted to monsters, beasts, or supernatural creatures under the Monarch’s command and cannot be applied to humans or ordinary citizens. Upon receiving it, the creature officially joins the Dark Lord’s Army, and its Race Evolution Path is rebuilt from the ground up, strengthening it without increasing its level.

The initial transformation manifests as a unique mutation that enhances the creature’s body, instincts, obedience, and growth potential, but the Rank’s true value lies in the path it opens. Soldiers may evolve, learn new skills, and ascend to higher Ranks by demonstrating strength, loyalty, merit, and affinity with the Dark Lord’s cause, with each higher Rank unlocking increasingly powerful evolutionary paths.

Soldier Slots: 1/1

Cost: 10 Soul Energy

(The number of available slots may increase as the Kingdom grows in citizens, influence, and Kingdom Core authority.)

“So this is what Azazel meant when he said I’d understand once I had a kingdom.”

Luke felt like an idiot for a few seconds. At the time, he had assumed he would need to find an unclaimed region in the New World, build a base in the middle of nowhere, and start establishing himself like any ordinary king.

He was talking about Kingdom Cores the whole time. God, I feel stupid.

He closed the tab.

“There’s a lot of interesting stuff to figure out here.” Luke stared at the Core, his expression turning thoughtful. “But how is this different from a Servant?”

He reread everything carefully, then reopened the windows connected to his Bloodline Skill and compared the details.

“Monsters don’t use the System the way humans do. Some don’t even have classes.”

That alone made this different from a Servant. Luke could give a Servant a complete System from scratch, classes and all.

Then he noticed the real difference.

Azazel had told him before that the Servant ability granted a System of Azazel’s own design. It was basically a backdoor into the main System, giving the Servant access to the best possible paths.

“That’s why Angie and Charlie are stronger than other people at the same level.”

Luke fell silent for a moment, but his curiosity only sharpened.

“Still, I want to see what happens when I give a monster the Soldier Rank.”

All he needed was one willing to serve him. Or at least one willing to fight beside him without trying to tear his head off.

“A problem for later.”

A new notification appeared before him.

[Quest: Kings of the New Era unlocked!]

Luke stared at the title.

“Exactly what I needed.”