Becoming the Dark Lord [LitRPG]

The blade pressed against Luke's chest with startling speed.

"I want answers," the boy demanded, eyes sharp and focused.

Luke didn't flinch. Instead, he met the force with equal resolve, slapping the sword aside. "Then I want some too."

The boy shifted back briefly, about to strike again—

But something moved behind him.

A blur of white.

A hand gripped him by the collar and hurled him across the room. He hit the wooden wall with a dull thud, groaning.

By the time he looked up, a kukri was pressed against his neck.

"A skeleton?! What the hell?!" The boy panicked, trying to raise his hand to fight back, but Luke grabbed his wrist mid-motion and pushed his own blade inches from the boy's eye.

"If you touch her," Luke said calmly, his voice like ice, "you're going to lose an eye. I won't kill you. But I won't hesitate to blind you."

The boy froze, breath caught in his throat.

Luke continued. "You know, I'm a little irritated myself. I dragged your frozen ass out of the snow, built that fire, gave you a blanket, even made sure you didn't die of dehydration while unconscious. The least you could offer is a little damn courtesy."

The boy glanced between Luke and the skeletal figure beside him.

Finally, with a sigh of resignation, he dismissed his weapon into his inventory and raised both hands.

"My name's Allison."

"Luke," he replied, nodding toward the skeleton.

Allison is a girl's name... but this guy's a man. Maybe in his country it's unisex.

At his signal, the skeletal warrior backed off. Luke never lowered his guard.

"You… you're friends with that thing? It's not going to kill me, right?"

"She's not going to kill anyone," Luke replied, picking up a chunk of meat that had fallen onto the floor. "Unless you give her a reason."

"Sorry… about before," Allison said, rubbing his arm awkwardly. "And… thanks. For helping with the Yetis, and… everything."

"Forget it. We're both tutorial participants. Watching each other's backs is kind of the point."

At that moment, a loud growl echoed through the cabin.

Allison's face went red. "That was my stomach…"

Luke exhaled and gestured toward the fire, where a slab of meat roasted on a crude spit.

"Can I—?"

"Eat. And while you do, we're going to talk."

Apparently I've become a babysitter.

***

They sat by the fire, sharing the warmth and the meal. Allison was still wrapped in the makeshift wolf-pelt blanket, holding the steaming meat like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

He began explaining his side of things.

Unlike Luke, he'd already spent three full days in this frozen nightmare.

"So you're just as lost as I am," Luke muttered.

"Yeah. From what I understand, we were supposed to spawn close to the main group, probably near the city. But for some reason, you and I got dumped way out here in the wild."

Luke considered his words for a moment.

"That's not exactly what happened to me."

Allison looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I wasn't teleported far from the others," Luke said, voice low. "Actually... I spawned right next to them."

"But—then why…?"

"There was a problem."

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"What kind of problem?"

Luke's gaze drifted toward the memory of the frozen lake.

"They were all dead," he said quietly. "Other participants. At first, I thought the ice had always been solid—but no. Just like me, they must've landed on the lake, broke through the surface, and got dragged under by the current. They froze to death… trapped beneath the ice. If I didn't have a way to make fire, I would've joined them."

Allison fell silent, the weight of those words settling on him.

Then, like pieces falling into place, his expression changed.

"You're saying…" he started.

"That others probably arrived in this world at different times, just like we did," Luke continued. "But most of them didn't stand a chance. The cold killed them before monsters even had to try. You survived longer because you found this cabin. But anyone stuck out there in the ice fields, without anything to fight the cold... they're gone."

Allison turned toward the frosty window. The wind outside had picked up again, and the world beyond the walls looked colder than ever.

"If you hadn't found me," he muttered, "I'd be dead too. Either from the Yetis… or just from the cold."

Luke sighed, rubbing his fingers together near the fire.

It was worse than he thought. But maybe not hopeless.

"Still," Luke said slowly, "some people must've made it to the wall. Or maybe a few were lucky enough to be teleported inside the city right from the start."

Allison nodded, his expression suddenly shifting. "If I had gear like yours, I would've gone already."

Luke blinked. "Wait. What do you mean?"

"You haven't seen it?"

"Seen what?"

"The wall," Allison said, confused. "You didn't know?"

Luke straightened. "You saw the wall?"

"It's visible past the forest, a few hours out," Allison replied, pointing vaguely in the direction. "It's not exactly nearby—you'd need a couple days to reach it on foot—but it's there. You just have to keep moving through the trees and cross the next frozen ridge. I was planning to go, but…"

"You didn't have the gear to survive the trip."

"Exactly," Allison admitted. "I was stuck here. I knew if I wandered too far without something to fight the cold, I'd freeze long before I saw anything. And when the Yetis showed up, I couldn't leave the area without risking death either. I thought this cabin would protect me. And then you came."

Luke considered the situation.

Allison wasn't wrong. Without fire, shelter, or proper cold-weather gear, traveling even a few miles in this frozen wasteland was basically suicide. And even if more survivors had been dropped in similar places, they'd likely meet the same fate as the ones under the ice.

They'd die before ever reaching civilization.

Luke stood.

"Then we go together."

Allison looked up, hopeful. "I'd really appreciate it. If you'd lend me one of those wolf pelts, or maybe help me skin one of the Yetis—though they don't have much fur."

His eyes nervously shifted to Princess Charlie, who stood silently by the door, arms crossed and aura looming like a silent judge.

She didn't seem thrilled about someone asking for Luke's supplies.

"I'll lend you the wolf pelt," Luke said. "Don't worry."

Allison exhaled in relief, though he avoided eye contact with the towering skeletal guardian.

Luke glanced toward the exit. "Can you walk? I don't want to waste another minute stuck in this place."

Allison nodded quickly. "Yeah. Let's move."

***

They moved quietly through the snow-covered forest, their steps muffled by the thick white floor beneath them.

Allison had fashioned his wolf pelt into a crude coat, mimicking Luke's design by cutting holes for his arms and head. The results weren't exactly elegant, but they did the job. Still, Luke noticed how the boy kept some distance from Princess Charlie—as if expecting her to snap his neck at any moment.

"There," Allison pointed ahead. "We're almost there."

He let Allison take the lead, keeping a few paces behind.

Luke hadn't ruled out the possibility of a trap—this whole forest could be part of an ambush. His eyes scanned the treetops while his hand hovered near his weapon.

"Princess Charlie," he whispered. "Better carry a few more branches, just in case."

She nodded.

"Wait," Allison said, his tone puzzled. "The terrifying skeleton is… a princess?"

Princess Charlie turned her head sharply. The air grew heavier. Even without facial expressions, Luke could feel her irritation from the shift in posture alone.

"You mean to say she doesn't look like a woman?" Luke said, mock-offended. "You're telling me you can't appreciate the graceful curves of her finely-sculpted, death-defying bone structure?"

Allison blinked, panic settling in. "N-no! That's not what I meant at all! I'd never say she's not… um… elegantly terrifying?"

Charlie's mood visibly lifted.

Allison exhaled.

"I just didn't realize you two were… so close," he added, side-eyeing Luke. "Not that I'm judging, of course. Totally support whatever kind of... relationship you two have."

Luke shot him a flat look. "What? Me and the princess? We're not like that. We're just friends. Right, Charlie?"

The towering skeleton tilted her head… then slowly shook it.

'More than friends,' the gesture said without words.

"Don't deny it like that!" Luke hissed. "You're making it sound like something else entirely."

"I-I don't judge!" Allison said quickly. "In fact, I support it! Love is love!"

Princess Charlie seemed pleased by the declaration.

Luke was about to fire back when he suddenly lunged—tackling Allison to the snowy ground and pinning him there.

"Wha—hey! What are you doing?" Allison squirmed. "This better not be part of your weird dynamic!"

"Shhh," Luke hissed, placing a finger to his lips. He gestured forward.

Charlie crouched beside them, her skull lowering like a soldier scanning a battlefield.

Just ahead, the trees ended.

And so did any sense of safety.

Beyond the treeline, the snowy plain stretched toward what looked like a ridge—but they weren't alone.

A dozen Yetis stood motionless in the open. Massive. Silent.

Eyes locked on the trees.

Luke's heart sank.

They're not wandering.

They're waiting.

They knew we were coming. This is an ambush!