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Becoming the Dark Lord - Chapter 76

Added 2025-05-29 23:02:01 +0000 UTC

Luke opened his inventory and tapped the latest item he’d received after slaying the spider.

[Aracna’s Leggings – (Uncommon)
Description: Light, flexible pants crafted from the hide of Aracna, the spider guardian. Reinforced for durability without compromising agility.
Enchantment:

[Spider's Leap (Uncommon)]: Grants enhanced jumping capability.
Requirement: Level 10+ in any class or race.]

He tapped [Equip].

In an instant, the rugged trousers of the adventurer set vanished, replaced by form-fitting black leggings—smooth, flexible, and surprisingly sleek.

“Not bad.”

The material clung comfortably to his legs. He flexed once, then nodded with approval. A good fit.

He turned and walked toward the altar. Charlie was still standing near the spider’s corpse, motionless, sword raised. She hadn’t lowered her guard—even with the threat long dead.

Luke stepped up to the pedestal. Floating above it… was the treasure.

A necklace. A single blue gem, suspended midair, glowing faintly like a heartbeat frozen in glass. He reached out. Touched it.

The moment his fingers brushed the gem—

[Mission Complete]

[Reward Received]

Luke let out a slow breath.

Finally.

Weeks of tracking down ruined churches, false alarms, ambushes. And now… here it was. The real deal. The Invention of Artemis.

He stared at the empty pedestal, then at the necklace now pulsing in his inventory. A strange thought crept in.

If I’d found this place a few weeks ago... I would’ve died. Simple as that.

But now? Now he was strong enough to win. To fight something that once felt impossible—and walk away breathing.

He opened the inventory and selected the new item. His eyes widened.

“…It’s Unique?”

[Artemis Invention (Unique)
Description: A prototype crafted by Samael, the Inventor.
‘A gift to help you on your journey. Good luck. It was collecting dust in my workshop anyway.’

PS: I am not liable for any discomfort it causes. – Samael
Enchantments:

[Spatial Storage (Rare)]: Grants access to a pocket dimension where items can be stored.
[Artemis]: (???)
Requirement: Soulbound]

“What the hell…?”

Luke squinted, reading the description again.

Then again.

There was a message embedded in the item. A personal one. That wasn’t normal.

"Did the Inventor leave this for whoever found the treasure... or did the System create it just for me?"

But his eyes drifted down to the enchantments—and stopped.

“It’s a damn storage item.”

Without hesitation, he equipped it. The necklace materialized around his neck with a faint shimmer. The moment his fingers grazed the gem again—flash.

A room appeared inside his mind. Square. White. Empty. No doors. No windows. Just... space.

The vision vanished the moment he pulled his hand away.

“That was weird.”

He picked up a pebble from the ground.

Pressed his fingers to the necklace again.

The vision returned—the empty room, waiting. He brought the pebble close—

FWOOP.

It vanished. Inside the mental room, it now sat in the center—like a dream placed on a shelf.

Luke blinked.

“Holy shit.”

He stood there for a second, stunned by what he’d just witnessed.

“This... if people back on Earth got their hands on something like this…”

Storage items weren’t just rare. They were world-changing. You could carry food. Weapons. Medicine.

Or grenades.

The potential was terrifying.

He exhaled, the excitement settling in.

He finally had a place to keep everything. His gear. His tools. Even—his two precious health potions.

Then his eyes narrowed. There was something else. Another enchantment.

“Artemis…”

It was listed right below the storage effect. But there was no description. No activation method. He tried focusing. Nothing.

He frowned.

“Might be a locked effect. Or... conditional.”

Whatever it was, he wasn’t unlocking it today.

He turned to Charlie. She stood beside the spider corpse, still like a statue—sword lowered now, but presence sharp.

Luke adjusted the collar of the necklace and gave her a tired smile.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here.”

He glanced once at the altar.

“I just remembered… we killed a monster. Inside a church.”

He paused.

“Pretty sure that’s not how blessings work.”

***

Night had fallen.

The bell rang out in the distance—low, cold, unmistakably the midnight toll.

Luke didn’t slow down.

On the road back to the Haven, he kept testing the necklace. Fruit. Pebbles. Branches. Anything he could get his hands on. One by one, each item vanished into thin air.

Storage. True storage.

He didn’t have to choose anymore between essentials and extras. Now, he could bring everything. And the space inside… was bigger than he’d ever expected.

But along the way, he’d discovered a few important limitations: But during testing, he discovered an important rule:

The necklace had to be equipped.

It wouldn't go into the inventory if it had anything inside it.

Also, Charlie couldn’t interact with anything stored in the necklace.

Soulbound…

Just like the kukris and their magnetic return, the necklace responded only to him. It was his. And that made it perfect.

He pushed the tests further. Killed a few monsters along the way. Stored their meat inside. The blood didn’t spill. The cuts didn’t rot. Inside the pocket dimension, time stood still.

He’d even tried placing furniture inside.

A chair? Check.

A single bed? Surprisingly, yes.

Wooden cups, old plates, salvaged junk from abandoned homes? All of it stored.

He was building a house. Inside a necklace.

All he needed now was a water barrel. Fill it with purified water. Seal it. Drop it inside the storage dimension. And just like that... he’d be ready to survive the Wild Zone for days without needing to return.

The best part? It was organized.

Every time he touched the gem, the room appeared in his mind—white, clean, frozen. With a thought, he could rearrange every item inside.

A base of operations. A moving stronghold. A home.

He smiled at the thought.

That’s when a voice broke through his focus.

“You’re almost healed, Mr. Luke.”

Thiara.

Luke walked through the Haven’s makeshift infirmary, looking to get treated.

His ankle still ached. The spider fight had pushed him too far—he’d overextended one twist too many. Even with Basic Blood Regeneration, some wounds needed time. Especially internal ones.

He wasn’t reckless enough to pretend pain meant safety.

Thiara gently ran her fingers over the side of his ribs, her hand glowing faintly with purifying light.

“Being an Explorer... must be terrifying,” she said softly, a small smile on her lips. “Getting attacked like that... I’d be scared out of my mind.”

“Even with healing powers?” Luke asked.

She looked genuinely surprised. “Of course! It still hurts, doesn’t it?”

Luke gave a small nod. He understood now. Not everyone was like him. And even he felt fear. More often than he admitted.

There was a quiet moment. Then he asked, “You like apples? Cherries? Bananas?”

He opened his palm and touched the necklace.

Poof.

A handful of fresh fruit appeared like magic.

Thiara gasped.

“A storage item...?” Her eyes widened. “That’s amazing! And... the necklace is beautiful.”

He smiled and held out the fruit.

“All yours.”

“B-but that’s a lot…”

“If I had coin, I’d pay you for the help. This is the least I can offer. And with this necklace, I can bring back more from my runs. If you need anything, just ask.”

Thiara hesitated. Her hands fidgeted at her sides.

“Anything…?”

“Anything,” he said again.

She looked up at him, cheeks a little pink.

“If you ever find... pillows, blankets… maybe a hairbrush? Or sewing needles? I’d be so grateful.”

Luke gave her a slow, thoughtful nod.

“Consider it done.”

***

As Luke neared his tent, the air changed.

Shouts. Footsteps. Steel unsheathed. Tension.

He stopped in place. Something was wrong.

People moved fast, weapons drawn, heading toward the center of the Haven. A crowd had already gathered.

Luke slipped into the edges of the circle and spotted familiar faces—Allison near the front, Angelica standing tall among the restless.

“How long has it been there?” Angelica asked, voice taut.

“Less than an hour!” Johnny replied, breathless. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. We have to try.”

Luke moved closer and leaned toward Allison. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t look away, just tilted her head slightly toward him.

“A Reward Event.”

That made Luke blink.

“A chest appeared,” she whispered, “right near the border of the Safe Zone. Technically still Wild Zone territory… but no Midnight Wardens have been spotted.”

Johnny stepped forward.

“It’s in the ruins along the frontier. Could be anything inside: healing potions, real food, seeds... stuff that could change the Haven.”

Angelica’s jaw clenched. “It’s risky.”

Paul remained silent, arms folded. Watching.

“But it’s at the edge,” said Jonathan. “Not deep inside the cursed city. At the very least, it’s worth scouting.”

“And if a Midnight Warden shows up?” Angelica asked.

Nobody answered. They all knew what that meant.

But it was a chest.

“This one’s fair game,” Johnny added quickly. “Bartholomew won’t claim it—it’s outside Safe Zone bounds. We’re not stealing from Bastion.” He spoke faster now, eyes burning with hope.

“It might have potions. Or seeds. Hell, if there are eggs, we might even raise chickens. You know why Bastion thrives? Stuff like this. This could move us forward. More crops means fewer deaths out there.”

“We have minutes to decide,” Jonathan warned. “If Bartholomew’s men—or worse, Marshall’s—get there first, it’s over. This is the first real chance we’ve had in years to claim a chest.”

He locked eyes with Angelica.

“So… what’s it going to be?”

Silence.

She ran a hand through her hair, lips tight.

“Damn it…”

Everyone waited.

Tension gripped the air like a noose.

Angelica closed her eyes for a single breath. Weighed the odds. Then opened them.

“We go.”

Relief rippled through the group. Smiles, half-laughed exhales.

But she raised her hand—cutting it all short.

“However…”