[Location: Mid-Air above The Necropolis]
[Altitude: 2,000 feet and dropping]
[Transport: Stolen Bone Wyvern (Very Angry)]
The wind roared like a jet engine.
Ryan dangled from the chain attached to the Wyvern's neck. Below him, hanging onto his legs like a human chain, were Grog, Felix, Violet, and Annabelle.
"Boss!" Grog screamed, his voice whipping away in the wind. "The bone bird is trying to eat us!"
The Wyvern twisted its neck, snapping its jaws at the pests hanging from it. It barrel-rolled, trying to shake them off.
"Hold tight!" Ryan shouted. He looked down.
They were directly above the Black Castle. It was a monstrosity of obsidian spires and green flames.
In the center was a massive glass dome—the roof of the Throne Room.
"Target sighted!" Ryan grinned. "We're going in through the skylight!"
"Through the what?!" Felix cried.
Ryan retracted the grappling hook chain violently.
This pulled the Wyvern's head down, forcing it into a steep dive.
The Wyvern screeched, picking up speed. It couldn't pull up. It was a missile made of bone.
"Brace for impact!"
CRASH!
The Wyvern smashed through the reinforced glass dome of the castle.
Shards of glass rained down like diamonds.
The Wyvern slammed into the marble floor of the Throne Room, sliding for fifty meters before crashing into a pillar.
BOOM.
The impact turned the Wyvern into a pile of shattered bones.
Ryan and his team tumbled across the floor, rolling to dissipate the momentum.
Ryan stood up, dusting glass off his [Shadow Cloak].
He checked his team. Bruised, dizzy, but alive.
"10/10 landing," Ryan announced. "Stuck the dismount."
Then, he looked around.
The room was silent.
It was a massive hall lined with frozen statues of warriors. Green fire burned in braziers.
At the far end, sitting on a throne made of fused skulls, was The Lich King.
He was a skeleton wearing ancient, rusted armor and a tattered purple cape. His eyes burned with blue fire.
In his hand, he held a staff topped with a screaming skull.
On his head... sat the [Crown of Shadows]. The Quest Item.
Surrounding the throne were twenty Death Knights (Level 30 Elites). They drew their black swords in unison.
SHING.
The Lich King stood up slowly. His voice sounded like grinding stones.
"Who... dares... interrupt... my... tea... time?"
Ryan looked at the table next to the throne. There was indeed a delicate tea set. The cup was shattered.
"Oops," Ryan whispered.
The Death Knights stepped forward. Their killing intent was suffocating.
Grog whimpered. "Boss... they look strong."
Ryan's mind raced.
Fight? Impossible. 20 Elites + 1 Boss vs 5 tired Noobs.
Run? Nowhere to go.
So, Ryan did what he did best.
He Bluffed.
He walked forward confidently, kicking a piece of the dead Wyvern aside.
He looked the Lich King in the eye.
"Tea time?" Ryan scoffed. "You sit here drinking tea while your city burns?"
The Lich King paused. "What?"
"I am the Inspector," Ryan lied smoothly, flashing his [Black Market VIP Card] (which looked official enough from a distance). "Sent by the Nether Council. We received reports of incompetent management in Zone Z."
He pointed at the shattered roof.
"Look at that! Security breach! A Wyvern crashed right in! If I were an assassin, you'd be dead already!"
The Lich King looked at the roof. Then at the dead Wyvern. Then at Ryan.
He was confused. A human... scolding him?
"Inspector? I... I was not informed."
"Of course not!" Ryan shouted, channeling his inner 'Angry Manager'. "It's a surprise inspection! And you are failing! Look at this place! Dust everywhere! The guards are slow! And you..."
Ryan pointed at the Lich King's crown.
"...That Crown is crooked. Fix it."
The Lich King instinctively reached up to adjust his crown.
Then he stopped.
His blue eyes flared brighter.
"Wait..." The Lich King growled. "The Nether Council... does not hire humans."
Ryan froze. "Uh..."
"AND I DO NOT DRINK TEA!" The Lich King roared. "THAT WAS SOULS IN A CUP!"
"Well," Ryan sighed, pulling out his Soul Shatterer. "It was worth a try."
"KILL THEM!" The Lich King commanded.
The twenty Death Knights charged. The floor shook.
"Grog! Tank mode!"
"Violet! Poison everything!"
"Felix! Trip someone!"
"Annabelle! Go for the knees!"
Ryan tapped his Pandora watch.
"Pandora... Form Change: Scythe."
The watch transformed into a massive, grim reaper scythe.
"If I can't scam you," Ryan grinned, "I'll just harvest you."
But before the two sides could clash...
The shadows in the room froze.
Not metaphorically. The actual shadows on the floor stopped moving. The green fire turned grey.
Time seemed to stop.
A slow, clapping sound echoed from the dark corner of the Throne Room.
Clap... Clap... Clap...
A man stepped out of the shadows.
He wore a pristine white suit that clashed with the gloomy castle. He had silver hair and a monocle.
He held a cane made of white bone.
The Lich King fell to his knees instantly. His arrogance vanished.
"Lord... No. 6..."
Ryan's heart stopped.
[System Warning: ENTITY DETECTED.]
[Name: Valerius.]
[Title: Demon Lord No. 6 (The Architect).]
[Power Level: ???]
[Survival Chance: 0%]
Valerius looked at Ryan with amusement.
"An Inspector?" Valerius chuckled softly. "Creative. I like creativity."
He walked past the kneeling Lich King and stood in front of Ryan.
The pressure was immense. Ryan couldn't move a finger.
"You possess a System," Valerius stated. It wasn't a question. "And you seek the Crown to evolve your Class."
"Maybe," Ryan managed to say through gritted teeth.
Valerius smiled.
"I will make you a deal, little Necromancer."
He pointed his cane at the Crown of Shadows.
"You can have the Crown. You can have your Class Advancement. I will even tell the Lich to let you leave alive."
"What's the price?" Ryan asked. There was always a price.
Valerius leaned in close. His eyes were like voids.
"The price... is a favor. In the future, when the 7th Lord (The Collector) comes for you... you will lead him into a trap I have prepared."
"You want me to betray a Demon Lord?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"I want you to be the bait," Valerius corrected. "The Collector is... greedy. He wants your System. I want The Collector dead. Our interests align."
Valerius stepped back. The pressure lifted.
"Take the Crown. Become a Lord. And when the time comes... I will call."
Valerius vanished into white mist.
The Lich King stood up, trembling. He looked at Ryan with fear.
"Take it," The Lich King threw the Crown at Ryan's feet. "Take it and leave! Before I change my mind!"
Ryan picked up the [Crown of Shadows].
It was cold. It pulsed with power.
[Quest Complete: The Trial of the Abyssal Monarch.]
[Class Change Initiated...]
Ryan looked at the camera drone.
"Well chat," Ryan whispered. "I think we just made a deal with the Devil. Again."
[System: Evolution beginning in 3... 2... 1...]
Black light engulfed Ryan.
The Novice was dead.
The Necromancer Lord was born.