Chương 18: The Dark Lord’s Loyal Blade

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 evolve, transcend, and march toward legend. Name: Princess Charlie Level: 0 Rank: F Class: — Race: Skeleton Titles: [Servant of the Dark Lord] Full information will be processed once the Servant's Class is selected.

"A system..." Luke murmured, still not believing it. The skeleton had its own progression system. Just like him. More than that — this undead could become his shield in battle… or his blade. If it leveled up, it might grow into something terrifying. Luke was stunned. He looked at the skeleton, who had a look on its face that said: 'See? I'm strong, told you so!'

"Alright, fair enough. But how does this work exactly?

'Class'? What do you mean, class?" he asked, watching as the interface shifted again. His own screen expanded — and now, he could access Charlie's interface directly through his own. Then he paused.

"Wait a second… your name's Princess Charlie. Are you... female?" The skeleton looked at him like he'd just kicked a sacred relic. Her empty sockets narrowed in offense, as if saying: 'Of course I'm a woman. What do you mean by that? Are you saying I don't look like a lady?' Luke froze. Oh no. I just stepped on a minefield. Monster or not… a woman is still a woman. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I would never dare say otherwise. You're… clearly a very elegant skeletal lady." Princess Charlie gave a subtle, satisfied nod. Luke let out a silent breath of relief. Honestly, I can't see the difference. All skeletons look the same…

"Anyway. Focus," he muttered quickly, shifting his eyes back to the interface. Just then, Charlie's screen shimmered — and several options appeared. Luke's eyes widened.

"Okay, Princess Charlie… I take it all back. You've got potential." Servant Path: Through evolution, the servants of the Dark Lord transcend their limits, transforming into creatures worthy of his legacy. Even the humblest skeleton may ascend and become a legendary beast. (Warning: Weaker monsters tend to have more versatile evolutionary paths.) Luke read the notification, nodding slowly.

"Alright. Maybe turning you into my servant wasn't a total waste after all." Princess Charlie rattled her bones proudly. At the center of the interface, new options appeared — a branching web of Class Choices, just like when Luke had first awakened his own system. [Knight: A stalwart figure of honor and endurance, the Knight stands at the front lines, shielding allies with a blend of discipline and sheer resilience. Stat Bonus: +2 Endurance, +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Free Point Final Path: Skeleton Knight -> Apocalypse Knight] [Archer: A master of distance combat, the Archer strikes with deadly precision and speed. Stat Bonus: +2 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Intelligence, +1 Free Point Final Path: Skeleton Archer -> Wraith of Desolation] [Warrior: A brutal frontline combatant, the Warrior charges into battle wielding heavy weapons and raw strength. Stat Bonus: +2 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Free Point Final Path: Skeleton Warrior -> Hollow Spectral] [Assassin: A swift and lethal striker, the Assassin eliminates targets with sharp precision and blinding speed. Stat Bonus: +2 Agility, +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point Final Path: Skeleton Assassin -> Reaper of Dusk] [Mage: A master of arcane knowledge, the Mage exchanges brute force for mystical power, striking from afar with deadly magic. Stat Bonus: +2 Intelligence, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point Final Path: Skeleton Mage -> Profane Archlich] Luke scrolled through the list in disbelief.

"You evolve?" he asked. Princess Charlie nodded with enthusiasm, her skull bobbing rapidly.

"You're basically a Pokémon," Luke muttered. But even he had to admit it: this was insane. The Final Paths listed for each class sounded powerful as hell — terrifying even. And if those were just the obvious evolutions… what else could she become? Another message appeared beneath the class list: Warning: A servant's evolution may shift drastically over time, unlocking new paths, skills, or forms — some far darker than expected. Their future depends on the guidance of the Dark Lord. Mold your minions wisely…

for they may become the generals of your legion. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Luke rubbed his temple.

"Yeah. Sure. That's not overwhelming at all…" He glanced at the skeleton standing proudly beside him.

"Okay, Princess Charlie. Wait— Is Charlie actually your name?" She nodded vigorously, looking very pleased with herself.

"Not exactly terrifying, is it," Luke said under his breath. But Charlie seemed unbothered. Instead, she picked up a sword — one way too large for her bony frame — and swung it once through the air with a sharp whoosh.

"You want a sword class?" She pointed dramatically at the blade… and then at the Warrior option on the screen. Luke sighed.

"I was kind of hoping you'd go with Mage, to be honest…" Charlie crossed her arms — or at least tried — and tapped the sword against the floor with purpose.

"Are you really sure about this? You're a princess. Shouldn't you, I don't know… be safe? Away from battle?" The skeleton swung the sword again with flair, clearly rejecting the notion. Then, just to drive the point home, she raised the weapon above her head like a banner and pointed again. Warrior. Luke had been tempted to pick Mage for her. Honestly, it would've been ideal — giving him ranged support and versatility. But something about the way Princess Charlie held that oversized sword told him everything.

She wanted this. She was his servant, yes. But if she had a will… he'd respect it.

"Alright then," he said.

"Warrior it is." He tapped the option. [Princess Charlie has acquired the Warrior class!] [Unlocking class skills. Please wait…] A soft hum echoed in his system interface. Even from Luke's own screen, he now had a side-panel showing Charlie's status — her name, her portrait, and a button to switch to her full profile. [Warrior class successfully awakened] [Princess Charlie has learned a Class Skill: [Basic Weapon Handling (Common)]] Luke raised an eyebrow.

"So you're already trained, huh? That's convenient." He opened the skill description: [Basic Weapon Handling (Common)]: The warrior receives foundational training in melee combat, gaining basic proficiency with one-handed and two-handed weapons like swords, axes, and hammers. This enables more accurate and adaptive strikes in close combat scenarios. Not bad at all.

Then her profile fully updated: Name: Princess Charlie Level: 0 Rank: F Class: [Warrior (Lvl 0)] Race: Skeleton Title: [Servant of the Dark Lord] Health Points (HP): 40/40 Mana Points (MP): 10/10 Stamina: 50/50 Stats: Strength: 8 Agility: 4 Endurance: 5 Vitality: 4 Perception: 2 Intelligence: 1 Free Points: 1 Unlike Luke's title, hers didn't have any description when he tapped it — just a label. Luke tilted his head.

"You're kinda… weak, Princess." Charlie's shoulders drooped dramatically. He sighed.

"Don't worry. We'll train together and get you strong. You'll be frontline material in no time." The skeleton brightened, posture straightening with a spark of pride. Am I seriously putting a princess on the frontlines of battle? he thought. Eh. Doesn't matter. He opened her stat screen and allocated her single free point into Vitality — she needed all the HP she could get. Updated Stats: Vitality: 4 -> 5 Free Points: 1 -> 0 Health Points: 40/40 -> 50/50 Luke nodded with satisfaction.

"There we go. Not bad, Charlie." She raised her sword high in a victory pose. And for the first time since their bizarre meeting… Luke allowed himself a small smile.

Luke had successfully slotted the new crystal into the elevator's core and had been rising for a few hours now. He'd asked Princess Charlie to carry it for him during the earlier descent, just in case. After all, he was the strongest between them — his hands needed to be free for anything unexpected. But no enemies had appeared. The return trip had been faster. No monsters, no battles. He even passed a massive stone door leading to what looked like a staircase that would let him climb the dungeon on foot. Tempting.

But Luke had left curiosity behind — at least for now. He'd returned to the elevator. Earlier, when traveling alone, he'd kept his eyes shut and meditated during the ascent, trying to stay alert through silence. But now… Princess Charlie was with him. And while she was technically a loyal servant… she was still a monster. Luke stayed alert, watching for any flicker of aggression — a sudden surge of madness. But none came.

He'd tested her during the ride: told her to raise her hand, to jump, even to press her blade lightly against her own neck. She obeyed everything. Still, he didn't push his luck. Eventually, he'd told her to return to "free-will mode," whatever that meant to her. And she'd gone still again, standing in the corner of the elevator like a silent, skeletal bodyguard.

Luke had lost track of how many hours had passed. He was starting to feel the weight of sleep clawing at the edges of his mind. At this point, he was sure he'd been awake for over twenty-four hours — maybe longer, if he counted everything since waking up inside the temple. And now... there was a new problem.

"This one's cracking too." The crystal was beginning to show fractures — again. He had no way of knowing how many floors were left. But based on his rough estimates, it took around 60 minutes per level. That's how long the elevator seemed to take between rest stops — those quiet, fruit-bearing chambers with water and shade. Problem was: he didn't know if the crystal would break in a rest area… or in the middle of a narrow shaft. That thought had haunted him for hours.

If this thing breaks mid-climb, I'll have to climb my way to a floor by hand… and from there, walk through the dungeon manually. Not ideal.

'CRACK!' A sharp shatter rang out — the crystal split and crumbled into dust. [Alert: Elevator Crystal has broken. Seek another crystal somewhere on this dungeon floor.] Luke sighed through gritted teeth.

"Of course that would happen…" But this time… he wasn't alone. He looked at Princess Charlie. She stood steady, her empty sockets fixed ahead, blade at the ready. A grim smile crossed Luke's lips.

"Well, I guess it's finally time to test my little experiment," he muttered.

"Let's see if you can level up… and survive." He drew his kukris. Charlie raised her sword in sync, her posture falling naturally into a battle stance beside him. For the first time since descending that hellish temple… Luke wouldn't fight alone.