Chapter 23
< Bad Ending Maker Episode 23>
“Congratulations on passing the trials!”
As Labo exited the event dungeon, Terio, who had been waiting, spread his arms wide in welcome.
“I knew you could do it. Well done!”
“Oh, this was a piece of cake.”
Labo shrugged his shoulders with a sly grin, and Terio nodded in approval.
“You’ve met the promotion conditions. From now on, you are the Dark Legion Commander, leading the forces of the Dark Cult!”
Immediately, system messages flooded Labo’s vision.
Second Job Change Quest - ‘Demon King’s Legacy III’ has been completed!
Job promotion successful!
Job change skills unlocked!
“Hmm……”
Labo cleared the system messages and opened his status window.
User ID: Labo
– Job: Dark Legion Commander
– Character Level: 50
– Item Level: 495
The second job change for a Dark Knight, Dark Legion Commander.
The job change for a Dark Knight was structured as a promotion within the Dark Cult.
Knight, Legion Commander, Grand Marshal… it was a straightforward progression.
‘It feels more like a promotion than a level-up.’
As he thought this, Labo suddenly recalled his first promotion at Nepam.
Back then, Nepam’s CEO had entrusted Min-chul, a mere five-year developer, with leading Development Team 2.
He was also given full authority over the development of Wings Online.
This bold personnel decision turned out to be a massive success, and Wings Online became the game with the highest number of concurrent players worldwide.
‘……Back then, I thought I’d be loyal to Nepam for life.’
However, the CEO of Nepam at the time, whom Labo had considered a mentor, resigned after Wings Online’s release and left without a trace.
The CEO changed, and after that, Nepam started to feel… off…….
“…….”
Labo shook his head vigorously to snap out of his reminiscence.
Chasing past glories was thrilling, but now wasn’t the time for that.
Labo closed his status window. As if waiting for this moment, Terio continued speaking.
“Now I grant you command over the Under Town branch of the Dark Cult base! Always strive for the glory of Crow, the great star of darkness!”
At the same time, new system messages appeared.
New features - ‘Dark Base Development’, ‘Dark Legion Training’ have been unlocked!
– You can now travel from Under Town to the Dark Cult base.
– Develop your base and train your forces to contribute to the Dark Cult.
– For more details, visit your base and proceed with the tutorial.
“Ah, so this is what unlocks during the second job change.”
Labo let out an impressed sound as he stroked his chin.
Oasis, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation while fidgeting nearby, tilted her head curiously.
“Dark Cult base in Under Town? What’s that?”
Labo grinned at her question.
“This is one of the fun parts of being a Dark Knight.”
“Huh……?”
“Well, you’ll understand once you see it.”
Just as he finished speaking, Labo suddenly smacked his forehead.
“Ah! I thought this would unlock during the third job change. I miscalculated.”
“Huh? What miscalculation?”
“After this feature unlocks, your relationship with the Dark Cult becomes really important.”
Labo clicked his tongue as he glanced back at Terio.
“I was planning to kill Terio one more time when it didn’t matter much.”
“…….”
“I wanted to farm some extra EXP and loot. Ugh, what a waste……”
Oasis narrowed her eyes and glared at Labo.
This guy really never changes…….
Labo kept clicking his tongue in frustration.
“Lucky you, Terio. I’ll let it slide this time. Ugh, what a waste.”
Of course, Terio had no idea that Labo was saying such things.
“Now let us go! Let us spread the name of the Dark Cult across the entire continent!”
He simply repeated the same scripted lines over and over again.
Dragging along a reluctant Labo who kept muttering ‘Should I finish him off? Or not?’, Oasis stepped into a Dark Portal.
Under Town.
Beggar Square.
Labo and Oasis entered this place where all sorts of beggar NPCs were begging for alms.
Din, the Dark Mage NPC who had been eager to give Labo the Dark Knight job quest, saw him and was startled.
“Oh my! It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Legion Commander!”
He quickly prostrated himself and started groveling.
It didn’t seem like he was just acting respectful because of meeting someone higher up in the cult hierarchy.
Oasis broke out in a cold sweat.
Was he acting like this because of what happened last time……?
Labo looked around casually before asking Din,
“Where is the Dark Cult base?”
“You came to the right place. It is here.”
Din pointed behind where he had been begging.
There was a sewer gate leading underground.
“Would you like to activate your base?”
“Of course.”
As soon as Labo agreed, Din formed a hand seal.
The sewer gate began glowing black, and the magic circle engraved on it flickered faintly.
“Your base has been activated. From now on, you can teleport directly to it from anywhere in Under Town.”
Din bowed deeply and stepped aside.
“Please go ahead.”
Labo and Oasis stepped onto the sewer gate, and the magic circle flashed brightly, transporting them both away.
“Whoa?!”
Oasis let out a short scream as she hadn’t expected teleportation.
After they arrived, her already large eyes widened even more.
An underground cavern located even deeper than Under Town itself.
There stood a crude base.
A rickety wooden fence and crude timber barricades stood alongside a dilapidated stone gate guarded by a few poorly equipped goblin soldiers.
A black flag fluttered in the wind, embroidered with an ominous crow symbol.
As they approached, characters appeared above the stone gate:
Dark Cult Base - Under Town Branch
“This place……”
“Is where the legions of the Dark Cult reside, the Under Town branch,” said Labo.
The tightly shut stone gate slowly opened inward.
“It’s kind of like a ‘My Home’ given to dark knights, but unlike personal instance spaces, anyone can access it…….
But since it’s hidden so well, most people won’t find it anyway.”
Labo walked inside nonchalantly while Oasis followed nervously behind him.
As they entered, voices reached their ears:
“Welcome, Lord of the Legion.”
At the entrance stood twin NPCs with purple hair.
The girl wore a maid outfit, while the boy wore a neat butler outfit.
“I am Alpha,” said the girl, bowing respectfully.
“And I am Beta,” said the boy, bowing simultaneously.
“We are the ‘Managers’ in charge of maintaining this base.
Since you have become its master, we will explain how to operate it. Is that alright?”
It was the tutorial for managing their new base.
Labo nodded, and Alpha and Beta smoothly continued explaining:
“The bases of the Dark Cult are scattered throughout the continent, and this one in Under Town is just one of them.
But as you can see, the current facilities are very crude, so the knights must work together to grow this place into something greater.”
Alpha and Beta led them inside, showing them around while Labo and Oasis followed closely.
“Resources needed for growth are mined here by golems.”
They pointed toward a run-down quarry where a single golem slowly chipped away at rocks.
“There is currently only one golem, but you can increase their numbers based on your investments, Lord Legion Commander.
Golems can mine not just stone but also wood and iron ore, so investing in them will pay off greatly over time.”
Oasis tilted her head curiously.
“Investments?”
“Yes. Infamy and gold can be invested to develop facilities here.
From increasing the number of golems to producing troops and upgrading buildings, everything requires infamy and gold.”
Oasis looked up at Labo in surprise.
Labo nodded knowingly.
“Now you see why I need so much infamy, right?”
Next, they stopped in front of dusty, shabby barracks where a few small goblins sat lazily yawning.
“Here, you can train troops for your legion.
Training consumes infamy and gold, and also takes some time.”
Labo glanced at the troops list, noticing only goblins were available due to the barracks being level one.
“Trained legions can launch raids.
Raids range from clearing dungeons against powerful monsters to plundering players or attacking villages in PvP battles.
Raids against monsters yield gold, while raids against players yield infamy.
However, if tasks assigned exceed the legion’s level, failure may occur, resulting in troop losses. Please keep that in mind when assigning tasks.”
Finally, Oasis began to understand how this base operated.
Invest resources to develop facilities and train armies, then use them to regularly earn gold and infamy.
It might cost upfront, but the long-term benefits were clear.
How much to invest, and how long to recoup the investment?
That was the core of managing this Dark Cult base.
Alpha and Beta showed them the rest—walls, moats, and various locked facilities—before returning to the entrance and bowing deeply once more.
“That concludes our explanation, Lord Legion Commander.
Please strengthen your base and prepare troops for future battles against heroes who may come seeking a challenge.”
Alpha and Beta shouted simultaneously:
“Now, Lord Legion Commander, please give us your orders!”
“……Hmm……”
Labo looked over the shabby base thoughtfully.
If there were other Dark Knight class users, they could work together to develop this place.
But currently, Labo was the only Dark Knight user—and likely would remain so. He’d have to cultivate it alone.
“Well, this’ll do.”
With steady steps, Labo headed toward the commander’s tent at the center of the base.
In front of the faded tent stood a worn-out wooden chair with peeling paint.
“Hup!”
Labo sat down without hesitation. Alpha and Beta swiftly took positions at his sides.
Labo crossed his legs, resting his gauntlet-covered hand on his chin with a wicked grin.
“I like this. Starting from the bottom… it feels right.”
“…….”
For a moment, Oasis stared blankly at her master.
Why did he seem almost regal—a king perched on that shabby chair in the heart of this crude base?
Labo smirked, curling one side of his mouth as he winked playfully at Oasis.
“Alright, so… what shall we do first?”
