From the portals, hundreds of hellspawn poured out—fiends, imps, devils, demons—every flavor of nightmare imaginable. Each one wasn't as strong as the Balor alone, but together? The sheer mass made the ground quake.
The Dark Lord threw his arms wide, laughing triumphantly as his voice echoed through the shattered arena.
"Behold, Lucian! This power—once yours—now mine!"
Lucian snorted, barely hiding his grin.
"Oh wow, the new Dark Lord truly is incredible!" he shouted in mock amazement. "Look at that, my old soldiers! How nostalgic."
He rolled his eyes playfully.
The Dark Lord remained stoic, not even flinching.
"They follow me now," he said coolly. "Not you. I bear the title—you don't."
Lucian gave a casual shrug. "If you say so."
With a dramatic gesture, the Dark Lord pointed toward the Balor.
"Kill it!"
The hellish army surged forward like a tide of molten rage, converging on the massive demon.
The Balor let out a roar of pure fury, charging straight into them. Its chains whipped through the air, carving flaming arcs and vaporizing hundreds in a single sweep.
The Dark Lord stood tall, doing his best to reclaim his intimidation vibe by channeling peak "Dark Lord Energy."
Lucian, meanwhile, had a better idea.
"You know," he said loudly, twisting his body in exaggerated storytelling poses, "back in my day, I actually fought with my army. None of this standing around looking dramatic stuff."
The Dark Lord shot him a flat look. "You before and you now… it's like night and day."
He sighed—deep, exasperated—and muttered, "Fine. I'll humor you."
Then he charged straight into the fray, sword gleaming, aiming for the now-weakened Balor.
Lucian chuckled darkly as he watched.
"What a sucker," he muttered, then snapped his fingers.
A shadowy chair materialized behind him. He flopped into it with a satisfied grin.
"Now this... is how you clear a trial dungeon."
A few minutes ticked by with Lucian lounging in his conjured chair, arms folded behind his head, looking like a man on vacation. The Dark Lord kept glancing back at him mid-battle—each look more furious than the last.
"You go, Dark Lord, you!" Lucian called out with a lazy grin, mockery now completely unfiltered.
That was the final straw.
The Dark Lord's rage boiled over. His grip on Damnarex tightened, the blade swelling with corrupted power.
"Take me seriously, Lucian! Just once!" he roared.
With one furious swing, the now-enlarged sword cleaved the weakened Balor clean in two—along with a chunk of his own army that had the misfortune of standing too close.
Lucian yawned as he stood up.
"Nah. Don't think I will."
[Wave 3: Completed]
[EXP: 5,000]
"Huh. Still less than the last trial dungeon boss," Lucian muttered, stretching casually.
[Level:124→127]
"I feel stronger already."
He twirled the halberd once, savoring the weight like greeting an old friend.
"Now… let's see if the gods watching decide to step in."
[ERROR: Trial completed through unsanctioned delegation. Rewards issued. Dungeon terminated.]
[Rewards Obtained:]
5,000 EXP
Balor's Demon Wings (Legendary)
Title: "System Breaker"
Lucian's eyes lit up as the message appeared, his smile stretching wider.
"What a shame. Guess I'll have to redo it… but hey, I still get to keep the rewards."
A portal shimmered into existence behind him. Lucian stepped backward toward it, smirking.
"Goodbye… 'Dark Lord'."
The Dark Lord lunged in desperation. "Don't leave me here, you ba—!"
The portal snapped shut with a whisper of magic and smug finality.
Lucian reappeared back in the real world—with halberd in hand, and unfortunately, smack in the middle of a crowded street buzzing with market noise and the scent of baked bread and spice.
Dozens of wide-eyed civilians stared at him.
A few dropped their groceries.
One child pointed and screamed.
"…Right. Forgot this thing's, uh… noticeable."
Lucian snapped his fingers and melted into the shadows, reappearing on a nearby rooftop before anyone could notice.
"Well… let's think positively," he said, arms crossed as he surveyed the city below.
"At least my reputation as a shadowy noble might get a boost. Mysterious rooftop exits? Shadow magic? Come on—this is how legends are born."
He shook his head with a faint smirk.
"That's exactly it."
The midday sun beat down from above, but Lucian barely noticed—his mind already drifting to the upcoming royal ball.
A chime echoed in his mind.
[Stat Points Available: Auto-Allocate?]
"Do you have everything built in at this point? Hell yes."
He confirmed the prompt, and the system vanished with a satisfying ping.
"Now then…" Lucian stretched, eyes sweeping over the city skyline. "With that trial dungeon failed, what's next?"
He paused for a moment, scanning the city from his perch.
"Maybe I can retry it?"
He called out mentally, "System, open dungeon menu."
Another chime.
[ERROR: Fixing anomalous objects present in trials. Unavailable in the meantime.]
"Shame. I wanted to get stronger before the ball," he muttered. "Guess I'll have to find another way to kill time."
"I could pick a fight with the city's guildmaster… nah, too soon. What about pretending to be a masked vigilante? Ugh, cliché. I'll think of something." He yawned again.
Lucian tapped a finger to his lips, deep in thought.
"Well… I could check on the goblins and Varen…"
He glanced toward the forest, its view blocked by the towering city walls.
"Nah. They need to learn independence."
Suddenly, his expression lit up.
"Wait—nobody in this city knows me yet."
His smirk returned, wide and ambitious.
"If I build up my rep as a generous noble before the ball…"
He clapped his hands, decision made.
"Operation Beloved Lord, here we go!"
Without another word, Lucian dashed to the rooftop's edge, eyed a narrow alleyway below, and leapt. He landed with a whisper of wind, checking to make sure no one was around.
"I'm truly a once-in-an-immortal-lifespan genius," he declared, eyes gleaming with mischief.
With a pulse of Dominion of War, the blood vanished from his clothes, leaving him looking immaculate as ever. He stepped out of the alley and into the bustling street like he owned it.
Cracking his knuckles with a grin, he muttered,
"Time to make this city fall in love with me."