Rantaro stared down the monster. It was huge—easily twice his height, its muscles rippling under a thick layer of armored skin. Its eyes glowed with malice, and every breath it took made the air around it thrum with pressure.
This wasn't just a beast.
This was S-Rank.
And yet, Rantaro didn't flinch.
Without a word, his fingers flicked open his status screen. In a single motion, he poured 63 points into Strength, 63 into Speed.
His body reacted instantly—his muscles tensed, his veins lit with energy. He could feel the strength surging through his limbs, his heart pounding like a war drum.
Then, the shadows embraced him.
Dark Berserk Mode – Activated.
The world around him dulled, like a curtain falling over his senses. His vision darkened at the edges, but in the center—everything became clearer, sharper. The power of darkness thrummed in his chest, pulsing with every heartbeat.
He gripped his sword. It seemed to hum in response.
He moved.
Faster than a blink.
His blade sliced across the beast's thick hide. The impact was explosive—muscle tearing, blood spraying. The monster reeled back, howling in pain.
But then… the impossible happened.
The wound closed.
Sealed. In an instant.
Rantaro froze.
That's… the gap between us.
His jaw clenched. His chest ached—not just from the effort, but from the bitter taste of reality.
The monster struck.
Its claw ripped across his chest. He was thrown like a rag doll, crashing into the ground with a thunderous crack. His vision went black.
---
Silence.
Darkness.
Then… a voice. Cold. Mocking.
> "Human. I liked your spirit… your fighting style. Reminds me of myself.
Take my power… or die here."
The voice vanished. But something else remained.
A presence. Ancient. Heavy.
Rantaro's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, dragging air into his lungs like he was drowning. Darkness still swirled around him—but now it was different. Controlled. Steady. Sharper.
He rose to his feet, eyes burning.
Power surged through his veins again—but it wasn't wild now. It was focused. Forged. Like a blade tempered in fire.
He dashed forward.
His sword struck with a sound like thunder.
This time, the monster didn't heal.
The cut grew, splitting its armored hide wide open. Then—with one final scream—it shattered. Flesh, bone, energy—all of it blown apart like glass under pressure.
The power left him in an instant. Like a flame snuffed out.
He stood there, panting.
What… was that power?
System Notification:
Level up x10
Congratulations, Host. You are now Level 79.
He barely registered it. His body was trembling, his mind spinning from the rush.
Blood ran down his face. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
Then—another beep.
System Notification:
Class Choice Task Available.
Do you wish to accept?
"No hesitation."
"Yes."
System Notification:
Choose your path: Light or Dark.
His answer came instantly.
"Dark."
---
The world bent around him.
The dungeon dissolved into shadows, warping and shifting, until suddenly—he was somewhere else entirely.
A battlefield.
Everywhere he looked—monsters. Massive ones. Dozens of them. Their eyes glowed like dying stars. Some towered over trees. Some crawled on all fours, their bodies covered in blades, horns, or twisted armor.
All of them… S-Rank.
And all of them… staring at him.
System Task:
Kill all the monsters to prove you are worthy of your class.
Rantaro summoned his sword from system storage.
It appeared in his hand with a burst of black lightning. Shadows crackled around the blade. It pulsed in sync with his heartbeat.
He ran.
Into the horde.
His sword flashed—once, twice, then more times than could be counted. Monsters screamed. Bodies fell. Dark blood splattered the battlefield. Rantaro became a storm of death, cutting down everything in his path.
They kept coming.
He didn't care.
He was faster than before. Stronger. But he could feel it—the power was draining. Every step grew heavier. Every swing more strained.
Then a monster—twice the size of the last S-Rank—lunged at him.
He barely dodged. Its claws grazed his back.
Pain exploded across his spine. He staggered.
Blood poured down his side.
He gritted his teeth, eyes wild.
He didn't stop.
He jumped, twisted mid-air, and drove his sword deep into the monster's chest. It roared, flailed—
—but fell.
Silence followed. Rantaro stood amidst the carnage, sword dripping, shoulders heaving.
Then the final notification came.
---
System Notification:
Level up x17
Task Completed.
Class Unlocked: Dark Ruler.
He stood there, surrounded by fallen giants.
Then… the shadows shifted.
They moved—toward him.
Darkness poured from the corpses. Swirling tendrils wrapped around his legs, his arms, his chest. Not hostile—welcoming.
He raised his hand.
The darkness obeyed.
It flowed into him like water into a vessel.
System Notification:
As a Dark Ruler, you may absorb the darkness of fallen beings. The more you collect, the stronger you become. You can summon Dark Soldiers from the shadows—creatures born from your enemies' darkness.
Their strength, form, and abilities scale with your power.
Rantaro smiled.
It was not the smile of a hero.
It was the smile of something else entirely.
He could feel it now—true power. Not borrowed. Not temporary.
His.
---
Then in a blink—he was back.
The ruin reformed around him. The silence returned. His blade still hummed, but his heart beat steady now.
This wasn't the end.
Not even close.
This was only the beginning.