Chapter 412: Ten Billion in Blood

Now that the Rank E notification had finally vanished, Luke could return to reading what his new titles actually meant.

“Titles earned during a tutorial remain locked until it ends. Your tutorial was… long. A full year is quite a stretch for a mortal human,” Samael remarked.

[Your Dark Lord title has been updated]

[Dark Lord] Master of the dark forces. Supreme commander of monsters, demons, and abyssal creatures. This title grants authority to dominate and mold supernatural beings at will, commanding them as extensions of your will. The horde that follows you grows stronger simply by being near you.
(Bonus: +10 to all Attributes, +10% to all Attributes)

His very first title had evolved and gained an even better bonus.

That’s a ridiculous amount.

[Survivor of the Midnight Terror]: This title allows locked Fragments tied to the Midnight Universe to be opened whenever one is found. These Fragments linger in isolated dimensions, echoes of bygone eras waiting for bold scavengers in search of lost relics. While active, it grants +5% to all stats.

[Regicide]: Title granted to those who decided crowns look better on the floor. While active, provides resistance against intimidation from authority figures. After all, once you’ve toppled a monarch, it’s hard for anyone else to scare you.

“For now, due to your limitations, you can only maintain one active title at a time,” Samael explained.

[Do you wish to switch your Title?]
(Warning: all bonuses gained from the current title will be removed)

Luke wasn’t even remotely considering swapping his first title for either of the others.

“Now that we’ve covered that, we need to move on to the next stage,” Sigil announced.

“And what would that be?” Luke asked.

“Shopping,” Sigil replied. “It’s time for you to use your tutorial points to buy whatever you want from the store. Skills, items, scrolls.”

Dozens of questions crowded Luke’s mind, but he forced himself to stay focused. Even so, all he really wanted was to ask Samael about the truth concerning his mother.

“Every achievement you completed in the tutorial granted you Tutorial Points,” Samael explained. “Every creature you killed as well. These points will now be calculated and delivered to you. However, they cannot be saved for later. You must spend all of them in the post-tutorial shop or they will be lost forever.”

Sigil approached Luke and raised his hand. The hand looked mummified and dry, almost brown, but it shimmered with light. A screen bloomed from it, as if his palm were projecting a hologram straight out of a Star Wars movie.

“Luke Moon or Luke Baumann, place your hand on the screen. It will analyze your system and prepare your reward,” Sigil instructed.

Luke did as told, pressing his hand to the glowing interface like someone scanning a fingerprint to unlock a door.

The screen shifted. A loading symbol spun.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just sense my presence and activate when I get close?” he asked.

“No, Luke Moon or Luke Baumann. Your soul is the access key. Not even I can interfere with that. The shop is personalizing itself for you. Pay attention. There will be special items scattered throughout it that may aid you on your journey. The Counselor may assist you, but he can only advise, not suggest. It’s up to you to ask the right questions. And remember, the number of questions is limited. The limit? I cannot say. Walk the tightrope on your own,” Sigil said.

The screen Luke was staring at shifted again and displayed his picture.

The screen shifted.

[Tutorial Participant: Luke Moon!]

[Major Kills:
Killed the Midnight King – 10,000,000,000 TP
Killed the Beast Lord – 100,000,000 TP
Killed the Witch – 20,000,000 TP]

As the list continued to scroll downward, the notifications piled up, line after line, a long catalog of everything he’d taken down.

[Killed a Midnight Warden – 40,000 TP]

More repeats followed, reflecting the absurd number of identical creatures he had wiped out.

[Killed Human: Kruger – 2,000,000 TP]
[Killed Human: Paul – 300,000 TP]
…

[Tutorial Points: 10,534,815,162]

Ten billion. If that were dollars, I’d be celebrating.

[Analyzing participant information…]

[Important Information: Assassin, Witch, Botanist.]

Those were his first class, his second, and of course his profession. Pure versions, untouched by evolutions or branching paths. A new loading icon spun across the interface, and the highlighted text dissolved into scattered particles.

When the next screen formed, Luke actually blinked. It looked… normal. Shockingly normal. Like an online store. There was even a section for “most purchased items.” He guessed the rankings were based on what people with similar classes and professions tended to buy.

At the top of the interface were five tabs:

[Assassin Items], [Witch Items], [Botanist Items], [Utility Items], [Skills]

Naturally, his eyes went straight to Skills. He tapped it. He wasn’t sure if time flowed normally here, so he tried to stay sharp and fast.

Inside, the skills were divided into categories:

[Assassin Skills], [Witch Skills], [Botanist Skills]

He opened the Assassin section and scrolled down until a few options caught his attention.

[Assassin’s Flash (Rare)]: The assassin channels a sudden burst of searing light into his blade and unleashes it in a blinding flash aimed straight at an enemy’s eyes. The explosion causes temporary blindness and disorientation, perfect for interrupting attacks, creating openings, or slipping away cleanly. Deadly when timed right. Like everything else he carried.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
(Price: 250,000,000 TP.)

[Shadow Camouflage (Rare)]: The assassin wraps his body in muted shadow, blurring his presence. While completely still, his silhouette blends into surrounding darkness, drastically reducing the chance of being noticed. Any quick movement or an attack immediately cancels the effect.
(Price: 250,000,000 TP.)

He kept scrolling, and then he found one that genuinely made him pause.

[Assassin’s Blink (Epic)]: A rapid jump through a thin fold in space. The user can teleport instantly to any point within a radius of 3 meters, as long as they remain perfectly still for a brief moment before activation.
(Price: 1,000,000,000 TP.)

Luke added it to his cart without hesitation.

He returned to the main section.

[Weapons], [Outfits], [Equipment], [Items]

He browsed Items first, then Equipment.

[Smoke Bomb (Common)]: A small black sphere that, when thrown to the ground, bursts into a dense cloud of smoke, ideal for escapes, ambushes, or repositioning.
(Price: 100,000 TP.)