the well took three hours.
Not because the repairs were complex, but because raw fear kept the villagers at a distance.
They watched from doorways and cracked windows like scared rabbits who had seen too many wolves.
By the time the first moon set, three truths had crystallized in his mind: The well was fixable.
The spring had been deliberately poisoned.
And someone extremely dangerous was still watching him from the shadows.
Kai didn't turn his head.
Identify the watcher.
This world doesn't do mercy… but it does do stupidity.
Boryn greeted him the next morning with that fake warm smile.
"Welcome to Deadhollow, friend."
Kai shook his hand firmly.
"Kai Ren. Just passing through."
Behind him, one Weak Evil Warrior accidentally stepped on a chicken.
Loud squawking and flying feathers made three villagers scream and one old woman faint into a barrel.
Kai almost smirked.
My terrifying army's first achievement — Chicken Slayer.
Twelve days passed.
In those twelve days, Kai grew rapidly:
Level 2 came after slaughtering a pack of rabid Shadow Wolves that attacked the village border.
Level 3 & 4 were earned by clearing out a nest of giant poisonous spiders inside the old mine.
Level 5 unlocked the Weak Evil Warrior summon after he destroyed a group of bandit scouts.
Level 6 to 8 were earned in brutal fights against corrupted forest beasts that kept coming closer every night.
Level 9 came when he personally hunted down and killed the traitor who had been poisoning the wells from inside the village.
Level 10 was achieved just hours before facing Boryn, after wiping out an entire ambush team sent by the chief himself.
[Dark Origin Summoning System] → New Evil Summon shall be unlocked every 5 levels.
[BATTLE COMPLETE] Level: 1 → 10
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Dark Origin Summoning System
– Milestone Achieved!
Level 5 → New Summon Unlocked: Weak Evil Warrior
Level 10 → New Summon Unlocked: Crimson Blade Assassin
Now Level 10, with new power and a freshly unlocked Crimson Blade Assassin, Kai stood outside Boryn's door on the twelfth night.
The fight began the moment the door burst open.
Boryn roared and slammed his palm on the ground.
Black thorn vines erupted violently, stabbing toward Kai from every direction.
Kai dodged sharply, but one thorn still sliced his left arm.
Blood sprayed.
"You dare challenge me in my own village?!"
Boryn bellowed, his body glowing with dark energy.
The Shadow Knight charged like a moving fortress.
Boryn met him head-on.
The two clashed with terrifying force — steel against corrupted magic.
Sparks and black energy exploded with every collision.
The Shadow Knight's armor cracked loudly, but it refused to fall back.
Kai commanded coldly,
"Flank him."
The Scout Captain vanished into shadows and reappeared behind Boryn, slashing at his back.
Boryn spun and unleashed a point-blank mana explosion that sent the Scout flying into a wall, badly injured.
The Demon Archer fired arrow after arrow.
Boryn deflected most with a dark shield, but one arrow grazed his thigh.
He snarled in pain and rage.
"You think these pathetic toys can kill me?!"
Boryn suddenly slammed both hands together.
A giant thorn spike erupted beneath the Shadow Knight, impaling it through the chest. The summon roared in agony but still swung its sword, cutting Boryn deeply across the chest.
Blood poured from Boryn's wound.
He was breathing heavily now.
Kai stepped forward.
"End it."
The newly summoned Crimson Blade Assassin appeared in a swirl of red mist behind Boryn.
Before the chief could react, two crimson daggers plunged into his back.
Boryn screamed, turned, and grabbed the Assassin by the throat — crushing its neck with raw strength.
But it was too late.
The Demon Archer's final empowered shot pierced straight through Boryn's heart.
The village chief staggered, blood dripping from his mouth, and looked at Kai with pure hatred.
"You… will regret this…"
he gasped, before collapsing dead on the floor.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Title Unlocked: LORD OF DEADHOLLOW
Village Capture Successful! Deadhollow is now under your control.
Dawn arrived gray and unforgiving.
Five hundred terrified villagers gathered in the square.
Ten dark summons stood behind Kai like demons from hell.
The air felt ice cold.
Kai spoke, his voice flat and heavy:
"Boryn is dead.
The forest attacks end today.
But the water remains poisoned. I will fix it… when the time is right."
A woman shouted, "You're no different from him!"
Before Kai could reply, a skinny villager fainted dramatically and fell face-first into mud with a loud splat.
Two others fell on top of him trying to help.
Kai stared at the pile for a second, then continued coldly:
"I'm not here for your trust.
This village was rotting long before I came.
Want clean water?
Stronger walls?
A future?
Then work.
Otherwise keep drinking poison and crying."
The crowd fell into heavy, fearful silence.
Near the front stood Finn Harlan —
broad shoulders rigid, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
Once the village's finest hunter and a secret leader of the small resistance against Boryn, Finn had spent two years quietly rallying the people, only to be betrayed by his own father.
Garrick the blacksmith —
one of Boryn's three most loyal agents —
had sold out the entire group for a handful of coins and a promise of power.
Finn had watched his friends die one by one.
The shame, rage, and helpless guilt had eaten him alive ever since.
Now he stared at Kai with eyes burning with the same mix of fury and fear, knowing he was looking at yet another monster who had just taken control.
Kai felt their hatred like knives.
They see a monster.
Good.
He opened the system.
Stone and timber locations appeared.
But beneath the square, that dangerous orange glow pulsed strongly.
[DARK ORIGIN ANOMALY –
FORBIDDEN] Risk: Premature awakening may consume everything.
Kai's expression turned icy. Of course there's a bigger trap.
He looked at the villagers and said quietly:
"First we gather stone. Then timber.
Then tools.
Until then… ration what you have and stop wasting energy on complaints."
Inside, a dark thought surfaced: Let them stay thirsty a little longer.
Nothing teaches faster than suffering.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kai Ren
Level: 10
Title: Lord of Deadhollow
Souls: 840
Resources: Critically Low
Active Summons: 10
Something far worse than Boryn was already coming.
Kai stood in the center of the square, surrounded by fear and shadows, and allowed himself one small, cold smile.
"Welcome to lordship. Try not to die too quickly."