"So, Smaug the fire-drake," Luke said from above, his voice carrying down through the storm. "Did you lose your air already? Or should I press this a little lower so you can understand what comes next?"
The massive blue spear lowered slightly, lightning crawling across its surface as it pointed directly at the dragon.
"Because from here," Luke continued, calm and steady, "it's simple. One throw, and it goes through your scales… and through you."
Below, Smaug shifted.
The dragon's body was partially embedded in the broken stone, smoke rising from his scales where the lightning had struck. Slowly, he lifted his head, eyes locking onto the weapon above him.
For the first time,
There was no arrogance in that gaze.
Only calculation.
"And do not comfort yourself with your scales," Luke added. "That spear will cut through them like they aren't even there."
The lightning around the spear intensified, flashing brighter for a moment.
"So," Luke asked, his voice quieter now but heavier, "do you want to die here?"
Smaug did not answer immediately.
The dragon drew in a slow breath, smoke curling from his nostrils as his eyes remained fixed on Luke. Even injured, even pressed into the ground, there was something ancient and unbroken in his presence.
Then he spoke.
"Death?" Smaug rumbled, his voice low, roughened but still carrying across the mountain. "You speak to me… of death?"
He shifted slightly, claws digging into the stone as he pushed himself up just enough to lift his head higher.
"I have laid waste to kingdoms," he continued, his tone regaining strength. "I have seen men burn and cities fall beneath my fire."
His gaze sharpened.
"And now a creature wearing the shape of a man stands above me… and offers me a choice?"
"Well, I'm not a man," Luke replied. "That part's right. I'm something a lot more dangerous."
The air tightened slightly as the energy around him settled, controlled instead of flaring.
"Dangerous enough that, if I really wanted to, I could wipe out all of Middle-earth with a snap of my fingers."
"It's simple," Luke said. "You either die here… or you live under me."
Smaug stayed where he was, his massive form tense against the broken stone. His eyes moved from the weapon back to Luke, slower this time, weighing rather than reacting.
Pride burned in him, as it always had, but it wasn't the only thing guiding him. He had ruled, destroyed, survived—long enough to understand when something stood beyond him.
The force behind that spear, the ease with which this human-shaped being spoke, the lack of hesitation… none of it felt like a bluff.
His claws pressed into the rock as he steadied himself, breath heavy but controlled.
Smaug did not lower himself, but he did not lunge either.
For all his greed, for all his arrogance, he was not foolish enough to throw his life away when another path—however bitter—stood in front of him.
Smaug slowly lowered his head.
"I do not bow," Smaug said, voice low, controlled. "But I will not die for pride alone."
His eyes remained fixed on Luke.
"I accept… for now."
Above, Luke watched him for a moment, then the lightning around his hand faded and the pressure in the air eased.
"Good," he said.
The storm began to disperse.
Then—
A familiar voice echoed in Luke's mind.
[Notice: system updated]
[All anomalies purged]
[All modules unlocked]
[Class Quest completed]
[Class updated to VOID SOVEREIGN — Legendary]
[Race changed to OBLIVION SPAWN]
The change didn't wait.
It began immediately.
Luke's hair lost its color, turning white strand by strand, while his pupils shifted into something unnatural—dark, hollow, marked with a faint void-like pattern that didn't reflect light properly.
It wasn't just his appearance; the space around him reacted first.
The air bent.
Not violently, but unnaturally, like everything nearby was being pulled toward a center that didn't exist. The ground beneath him trembled slightly as loose debris slid inward, drawn by a force that wasn't visible but impossible to ignore.
Above Erebor, the sky darkened again.
A vast distortion formed high above, like a whirlpool carved into the sky itself, revealing something deeper than clouds.
Black, weightless energy poured from it, not falling but being pulled, streaming downward in slow, endless currents before sinking into Luke's body.
He didn't move.
The energy entered him without resistance, without overflow, as if it had always belonged there.
Like standing near something that erased everything around it simply by existing.
Even the mountain seemed quieter.
Below, Smaug felt it clearly.
The dragon's body stiffened, instincts screaming in a way they hadn't before. This wasn't strength in the way he understood it—fire, force, domination. This was something else entirely. Something that didn't burn or crush… but erased.
Luke exhaled slowly, the last traces of that black energy fading into him as the distortion above began to close.
Class skills obtained:
[Abyssal Dominion: Expands a void field around him that weakens matter, suppresses energy, and creates constant pressure on everything within its range]
[Event Horizon Step: Moves through void space instantly, bypassing distance and obstacles while leaving behind a brief spatial distortion]
[Null Collapse: Targets a point in space and forces it to collapse inward, crushing everything caught within regardless of physical defenses]
[Void Consumption: Absorbs incoming attacks and surrounding energy, converting them into stamina and reinforcing his body]
[Singularity Manifest: Creates a controlled singularity that pulls enemies in, distorts movement, and can be detonated or dismissed at will]
Innate trait of Void Sovereign:
[Sovereign of Nothingness: His existence cannot be sealed, suppressed, or fully contained; lower forces are overridden by his presence]
Trait of oblivion spawn
[Final State: Damage inflicted by him becomes quantum-locked, preventing matter and energy from returning to their original state and nullifying healing, repair, and restoration effects]
Luke read through it, then let out a small breath.
"Now that's a bunch of overpowered skills… and they call it balanced," he muttered. Even by his standards, this wasn't normal. The class was already strong, and this trait just made it worse in a fight.
If he had this kind of ability back then, dealing with Dark King wouldn't have been a fight at all. No healing, no recovery—once damage landed, it would stay. That alone would have ended things much faster.
He shook his head slightly and opened his stats.
For a moment, he didn't react.
Then his eyes widened a little.
"…What is this?"
The display didn't look right. The values weren't clear numbers anymore, some overlapping, some not even following a proper scale.
Luke stared at it a second longer, trying to make sense of it, but there was nothing to compare it to.
"…I can't even tell how strong I am now."