[Location: Throne Room of the Necropolis]
[Time: 01:00 AM]
[Event: Class Advancement Complete]
A pillar of pure darkness erupted from Ryan's body, piercing through the shattered roof of the castle and shooting into the night sky. The green fog of the city turned black. The radioactive storm stopped.
Inside the pillar, Ryan floated.
His Pandora watch fused deeper into his skin, turning his veins black. The Crown of Shadows dissolved, becoming a tattoo of a crown on his forehead.
[System Notification: Evolution Complete.]
[Class Change: Novice -> Necromancer Lord (Unique).]
[Level Cap Removed.]
[Current Level: 10 -> 20 (Bonus Exp Applied).]
Ryan opened his eyes.
They were no longer blue. They were purple, with a vertical slit like a dragon's eye.
He felt... powerful.
Before, he felt like he was borrowing power from the System. Now, he owned it.
He landed on the floor.
His clothes had changed. The dirty hoodie was gone.
He now wore a sleek, black trench coat made of shadow fabric. It moved on its own, like smoke.
The Lich King and his Death Knights watched in silence.
"You..." The Lich King gripped his staff. "You feel... different."
Ryan looked at his hands.
"System, show me my new toys."
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Domain of the Dead'.]
Effect: You can turn any battlefield into your territory. Dead enemies within 1km rise automatically as temporary soldiers.
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Shadow Inventory'.]
Effect: You can store up to 1,000 Shadow Soldiers in your shadow.
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Command'.]
Effect: Lower-ranking Undead must obey your voice.
Ryan smiled. A cruel, kingly smile.
He looked at the Lich King.
"Hey, Bones. Remember when you tried to kill me five minutes ago?"
The Lich King snarled. "Do not get arrogant, human! You are still weak! Attack him!"
The twenty Death Knights charged. Their blades glowed with green death energy.
"Grog! Violet! Stand back," Ryan ordered calmly.
He didn't pull out his gun. He didn't use his scythe.
He simply spread his arms.
"Domain of the Dead."
WHOOSH.
A wave of purple energy exploded from Ryan's feet. It covered the entire Throne Room instantly.
The marble floor turned into a swamp of black sludge.
"Rise."
From the black swamp, hands reached out.
Not skeletons. Not goblins.
Shadow Knights.
They were the shadows of the Death Knights themselves. The Domain was pulling their shadows out of their bodies while they were still alive (well, undead).
The Death Knights froze as their own shadows grabbed their legs.
"What is this magic?!"
Ryan walked forward.
"I don't need to kill you to own you," Ryan whispered. "I just need to be... scarier."
He pointed a finger at the lead Knight.
"Your sword is mine."
The Knight's shadow ripped the sword from the Knight's hand and offered it to Ryan.
Ryan took the black sword. He inspected it.
"Rank B. Decent."
He tossed it to Grog. "Here, catch."
The Lich King roared. "ENOUGH!"
He raised his staff. A massive green skull formed in the air—a Level 50 Spell: [Soul Annihilation].
"DIE!"
The skull flew towards Ryan.
Ryan didn't move.
He tapped his Pandora watch.
"Pandora... Form Change: Mirror Shield."
A wall of polished obsidian appeared in front of him.
The green skull hit the mirror.
It didn't explode. It bounced back.
"NO!" The Lich King screamed.
The spell hit the Lich King in the chest.
BOOM!
The Lich King was blasted backward, crashing into his own throne. His armor shattered. His HP dropped to critical.
Ryan walked up to the fallen King.
He placed his foot on the Lich's chest.
"You sat on this throne for 100 years," Ryan said coldly. "But you didn't rule anything. You just sat here while a Demon Lord treated you like a servant."
Ryan leaned down.
"I'm not a servant. I'm a streamer. And this..."
He pointed to the camera drone.
"...is my show."
"Please..." The Lich King wheezed, his blue flame flickering. "Mercy..."
[System Option: Extract Shadow?]
[Target: The Lich King (Level 50 Boss).]
[Success Rate: 100% (Target has submitted).]
Ryan grinned.
"Arise."
The Lich King's body dissolved into ash.
From the ash, a magnificent, purple-glowing Shadow Lich rose up. It knelt before Ryan, bowing its head.
[Ding! New Shadow Soldier Acquired: High Lich (Mage Class).]
[Name: Kel'Thuzad (Let's call him Kelly).]
Ryan turned to the remaining Death Knights. They dropped their weapons and knelt instantly. They knew who the new boss was.
Ryan looked at his team.
Grog was cheering. "Boss is King! Boss is King!"
Violet was taking notes. "Fascinating... necrotic dominance..."
Felix was hiding behind a pillar, but he gave a thumbs up.
Annabelle was trying to steal a shiny cup.
Ryan walked to the balcony of the castle.
He looked out over the City of the Dead.
Millions of zombies roamed the streets.
But now, under his Domain, they stopped screeching. They looked up at the castle. They sensed the change in leadership.
"System," Ryan asked. "Can I control the whole city?"
[System: Negative. Your level is too low for global control. But you can control the Castle Guard.]
"Good enough."
Ryan looked at the horizon.
Far away, beyond the city, the sun was rising.
He had completed the Quest. He had survived the Demon Lord. He had an Army.
But his phone buzzed.
[New Message: Agent Zoya]
"Ryan. Come back. The Academy is safe, but... something happened to the Director. He wants to see you."
Ryan frowned. "Malik?"
He turned to his new Shadow Lich (Kelly).
"Kelly, can you teleport us home?"
The Shadow Lich nodded. It raised its staff.
"Yes... My Lord..."
A massive purple portal opened in the Throne Room.
Ryan stepped through.
"Let's go home, Suicide Squad. I need a shower and a burger."