Chapter 301: Mandatory Servant Evolution

Luke sat in his chair deep inside the cave while the others busied themselves with maps, plans, and whispered arguments about how best to scout the forest and hunt its creatures. Charlie stood beside him. She knew exactly what he was about to do. Her interface glowed before them, a massive notification pulsing across the screen. Princess Charlie had finally reached level 50 as a Death Knight.

**Mandatory Class Evolution of the Dark Lord’s Servant!**

There are many types of beings across the multiverse, but among those you know are humanoids, monsters, and Magical Beasts. Each of these races has its own version of the System, some more restrictive, others more open. Within them lie countless evolutionary paths. Races classified as monsters have a stronger synergy with their classes, though they are limited by their own nature. For this reason, when a monster approaches evolution, a new evolutionary path may open according to its class.

Choose wisely, Dark Lord, for your servant’s evolution will be directly tied to the class you select. Taking advantage of the opportunities on this path will be in your hands.

Warning: Until the new class is chosen, your servant will gain no experience, learn no new skills, and once the choice is made any unspent free points will be lost forever.

Charlie had done it. Level 50 in a class. A milestone most could only dream of. Luke knew exactly what came next. He had crossed that threshold himself before. The attribute points at that stage were ridiculous, a surge of power that could redefine a build. But before locking in her evolution, he intended to allocate every last unspent point she had.

Name: Princess Charlie
Level: 42
Race: Skeleton
Rank: F
Class: Death Knight (Lvl 50)
2nd Class: Pugilist (Lvl 41)
Title: [Servant of the Dark Lord]
Health Points (HP): 2860/2860
Mana Points (MP): 2190/2190
Stamina: 2435/(3090)

Stats:
Strength: 434 (504)
Agility: 221
Endurance: 269 (309)
Vitality: 286
Perception: 180
Intelligence: 219
Free Points: 6

Class Skills: [Basic Weapon Handling (Common)], [Heavy Strike (Common)], [Basic Spectral Charge (Rare)], [Crescent Slash (Uncommon)], [Whirlwind Strike (Uncommon)], [Spectral Chain (Rare)], [Spectral Barrier (Rare)], [Doomblade (Rare)], [Mark of Doom (Rare)], [Force Infusion (Rare)], [Doom Explosion (Rare)], [Spectral Soldier (Ultra-Rare)]

Second Class Skills: [Advanced Hand-to-Hand (Uncommon)], [Steel Fist (Rare)], [Stunning Punch (Uncommon)], [Battle Roar (Uncommon)], [Concentrated Kick (Uncommon)], [Power Punch (Uncommon)], [Pugilist’s Leap (Uncommon)], [Muscle Reading (Uncommon)], [Movement Echo (Uncommon)], [Flame (Common)], [Flame Fist (Rare)], [Flame Aura (Rare)]

Race Skills: [Demonic Servant Perception (Uncommon)], [Basic Bone Regeneration (Rare)], [Bone Endurance (Rare)], [Iron Bones (Ultra-Rare)]

Rune Skill: [Berserker Flames (Rare)]

Luke wasn’t about to let Charlie’s six free points go to waste. He split them without hesitation: two into Strength, four into Vitality.

Stats Updated (Princess Charlie):
Strength: 434 (504) -> 436 (506)
Vitality: 286 -> 290
Free Points: 6 -> 0
Health Points (HP): 2860/2860 -> 2900/2900

The moment he confirmed, a new prompt flickered into existence.

[Accept Class Evolution? Y/N]

There was no real choice here. He tapped Yes.

[Sorting Class Options…]

Seriously? A loading screen? For a cosmic multiversal power?

He tried to make sense of it. Maybe it had something to do with the soul, some safeguard so the mind didn’t shatter under a flood of data. The loading vanished. The class evolution options for Princess Charlie’s Death Knight appeared. But something was off.

Only two?

That wasn’t what he expected. He’d braced himself for five choices and a full hour of weighing pros and cons, knowing their fate might hinge on the decision. Two options might still be complex, but at least it cut the mental agony in half.

Was it because she was technically a monster? Monsters probably didn’t have the same sprawling class trees humans did. He wondered how the systems for Magical Beasts worked. Evangeline had once mentioned her raven Jerry didn’t even have a level.

As Luke read through the two possibilities, the term “Evolutionary Path” finally started to make sense, and it only made things more complicated.

[Death Knight Commander]: You have accepted the burden most fear, walking the veil between life and death, belonging fully to neither.
Once, your blade reaped alone. Now a fallen soul marches under your banner, the first of many. By claiming the title of Commander, you seal a pact with the specters, deciding the dead will not rest, not while they can still fight for you.

Your presence draws from beyond. Every soul that dies by your sword feels the call. Few resist. Few desire it. But all, eventually, bow.

Your dominion over the spectral realm will grow over time, step by step, soul by soul. Skills once hidden will reveal themselves. Spirits will heed your command. And with each battle, your power digs deeper into the darkness.

You are no longer a lone knight. You are the beginning of a legion.

(Attribute Bonuses per Class Level: +14 STR, +12 INT, +7 END, +7 VIT, +6 AGI, +4 PER, +10 Free Points.)

The second option was even more enigmatic.

[Blood Death Knight]: When night rises and the world falls asleep, the Blood Death Knight awakens. They are not merely a knight; they are a harbinger of ruin, marked by blood and vengeance. Their blade is cold and silent, shaped by the touch of death, reflecting only the insatiable hunger of a soul that devours both hope and life alike.

The night is their cloak. Blood, their inheritance. Every strike is a ritual, every battle a sacrifice, every fallen foe a tribute to the dark power that sustains them. No army to command, no pact to uphold. Only the pure will to corrupt, consume, and grow stronger with every life taken.

Their skills are not mere attacks. They are living curses, echoes of necromancy and blood magic. Doomblade, Mark of Doom, and Doom Explosion are only the beginning, signs of a deeper power where blood and curse intertwine to transform each confrontation into a crimson ritual.

The Blood Death Knight is forged on the edge between life and death, between blood and darkness. Many were Death Knights betrayed, warriors who crossed the threshold of death and returned forever changed. They seek not legions or glory. They seek transcendence through the power of blood.

Only those marked by trauma, curse, or a special bloodline can walk this path. In the hands of the Blood Death Knight, blood is not merely fuel; it is weapon, shield, and offering. With every battle, they draw closer to their true destiny: to become not just a knight of death but a lord of blood and perdition.

(Attribute Bonuses per Class Level: +18 STR, +10 INT, +8 END, +8 VIT, +4 AGI, +2 PER, +10 Free Points.)

(Warning: This class resonates deeply with Princess Charlie’s soul and will influence the evolutionary path of her race. If you let this opportunity pass, that path will be lost to your servant forever.)

A storm of questions churned in Luke’s head. It was obvious now—because Charlie was a monster—he would have to be even more careful. This wasn’t just about skill trees or future branches of specialization. There was something larger at play, something hidden. He just couldn’t see what it was yet.

For a moment he stared at her interface, expression hardening. If the System wanted to stay mysterious, fine. He’d just have to cheat a little.

He dragged the window aside, pulled up Charlie’s notification history, and began scrolling. Not one notification, not ten—dozens. Then hundreds. He scrolled back through months, flicking the feed like a madman until the System itself balked. His thumb ached, but it worked.

Finally he stopped on a single entry, one that stood out from the endless stream. It was from the day Charlie had chosen her class inside the dungeon of the Forgotten Temple. Opening it, he felt a strange wave of nostalgia wash over him, a ghost of that moment rising to the surface.

Servant Path: Through evolution, the servants of the Dark Lord transcend their limits, transforming into creatures worthy of his legacy. Even the humblest skeleton may ascend and become a legendary beast.

(Warning: Weaker monsters tend to have more versatile evolutionary paths.)

[Knight: A stalwart figure of honor and endurance, the Knight stands at the front lines, shielding allies with a blend of discipline and sheer resilience.
Stat Bonus: +2 Endurance, +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Free Point
Final Path: Skeleton Knight -> Apocalypse Knight]

[Archer: A master of distance combat, the Archer strikes with deadly precision and speed.
Stat Bonus: +2 Agility, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Intelligence, +1 Free Point
Final Path: Skeleton Archer -> Wraith of Desolation]

[Warrior: A brutal frontline combatant, the Warrior charges into battle wielding heavy weapons and raw strength.
Stat Bonus: +2 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Free Point
Final Path: Skeleton Warrior -> Hollow Spectral]

[Assassin: A swift and lethal striker, the Assassin eliminates targets with sharp precision and blinding speed.
Stat Bonus: +2 Agility, +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point
Final Path: Skeleton Assassin -> Reaper of Dusk]

[Mage: A master of arcane knowledge, the Mage exchanges brute force for mystical power, striking from afar with deadly magic.
Stat Bonus: +2 Intelligence, +1 Vitality, +1 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point
Final Path: Skeleton Mage -> Profane Archlich]

**Warning: A servant’s evolution may shift drastically over time, unlocking new paths, skills, or forms. Some far darker than expected. Their future depends on the guidance of the Dark Lord. Mold your minions wisely, for they may become the generals of your legion.**

The clue had been there from the very start. A monster servant’s class could actually shape the evolution of its race. It made sense: a skeletal mage would gradually twist its frame, step by step, until it became a lich. Monsters and classes weren’t just loosely connected—they were locked in some kind of symbiotic feedback loop. Still, it wasn’t mandatory. It simply opened new doors, new race evolution paths, if you were smart enough to take them.

I didn’t pay attention to that detail when I picked the Death Knight class.

But he remembered the subtle changes afterward—her bones shifting, her presence growing quieter and heavier. The class had been shaping her, literally and otherwise.

Luke closed the notification window and turned back to the evolution screen. The divide in power was unmistakable. Death Knight Commander would plunge Princess Charlie deep into the spectral arts, letting her command a growing host of ghostly soldiers. Blood Death Knight would instead funnel that power inward, making her far stronger on her own. One path offered a powerful army. The other, the power of an army embodied in a single being. The difference between the two was more than semantics.

The author’s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

But Luke didn’t make the choice. He dragged the window toward her. This wasn’t his decision. Princess Charlie slid the interface back to him and shook her head. She didn’t want to decide either.

I thought I’d shaken off this doubt, and here it was again, tossed right back at me.

Your presence draws from beyond. Every soul that dies by your sword feels the call. Few resist. Few desire it. But all, eventually, bow.

You are no longer a lone knight. You are the beginning of a legion.

(Attribute Bonuses per Class Level: +14 STR, +12 INT, +7 END, +7 VIT, +6 AGI, +4 PER, +10 Free Points.)

(Attribute Bonuses per Class Level: +18 STR, +10 INT, +8 END, +8 VIT, +4 AGI, +2 PER, +10 Free Points.)

Setting aside the attribute points and focusing on the raw potential of each class, it was obvious that Death Knight Commander was a long game. A very long game. For anyone else it would be tempting, an exceptional option, but there was a catch. They were still trapped inside the tutorial. That meant both Luke and Charlie would be capped at level 60 in the class, unlocking only the level 60 skill. Everything hinged on that one skill, and they might not even live long enough to reach it. The Midnight War could easily kill them both, which made the decision even heavier.

Blood Death Knight, on the other hand, screamed immediate destruction. Its signature, the Mark of Doom, was deceptively simple yet devastating. With it, Charlie could curse an enemy so that every hit landed on them dealt ten percent more damage. Ludicrous. If she marked a monster like the Midnight Lord and Luke followed up with a heavy strike, the combined damage would be catastrophic. And then there was Doom Explosion, which made every marked enemy explode, damaging everything nearby. In terms of short-term firepower, nothing else compared.

The real question was whether to gamble on an unseen epic skill from Death Knight Commander or seize the raw offensive power of Blood Death Knight, especially since Blood Death Knight also promised to open a new evolutionary path for Charlie, whatever that actually meant.

He looked at her.

“Are you sure?” he whispered.

She nodded. It was a coin toss, but he placed his bet.

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