Dark Creatures

Biodata

Origin and Manifestation

Dark Creatures normally reach the surface through Demon Caverns, which form where separate spaces collide and create Spatial Gates between the Gods Continent and the Dark World. A spatial barrier prevents them from simply digging to the surface. 94

• Stronger creatures have greater difficulty crossing a Spatial Gate. 94
• Black Warlocks can expand these gates through black magic and altars, allowing more powerful Dark Creatures to enter. 94
• Demon Caverns are often shrouded in mist, and their emergence precedes outbreaks across the continent. 94 208
• During large invasions, powerful demons create dark clouds to block sunlight and enable prolonged assaults. 214

Documented Types

Behavior and Vulnerabilities

Dark Creatures are driven to slaughter living beings and consume their blood and souls during invasions. Their armies can attack without visible exhaustion, turning prolonged defenses into wars of attrition. 210 211

• Sunlight — Their attributes become very low during the day; intense midday sunlight is a major reason for their retreat. 94 214
• Light and lightning — William’s thunder battle aura has a suppressive effect against them, while large-scale lightning attacks can annihilate their formations. 90 349
• Soul damage — Dark Creatures are extremely vulnerable to soul attacks; William’s Soul Shockwave destroyed dozens and repelled hundreds at once. 95
• Predatory instincts — They abandoned Makulide’s commands and swarmed a Demon corpse when William used it as bait. 96
• Fear response — After William fought continuously beneath Dawn City’s cliffs, Dark Creatures refused to approach within thirty meters of him. 216

Command and Control

Dark Creatures do not always act as an organized force. Early waves were described as scattered skirmishers, but stronger commanders can turn them into disciplined armies. 218

• Black Warlocks — Makulide strengthened creatures with black energy, temporarily raising low-class creatures by more than five levels. 95
• Abyss Altars — Sacrifices at Abyss Altars can increase the number and strength of gathered Dark Creatures. 91
• Demons — Human-like demons can organize tens of thousands of Dark Creatures into battle formations. 218
• Legendary demons — During the Third Dark Invasion, Legendary Demons commanded black-tide armies against surviving cities. 656

Major Invasions

Demon Cavern Crisis

An elder Black Warlock gathered more than a thousand Undead and numerous Dark Creatures in a cavern near Dawn City, intending to use the Dawn Legion as sacrifices. 91 Makulide later used an Illusion Array and black magic to deploy Skeleton Soldiers, Demon Hounds, Death Knights, and other Dark Creatures against William. 95

William’s destruction of the Illusion Array exposed the valley, while the creatures’ instinctive pursuit of a slain Demon created an opening for Makulide’s retreat. 96

First Dark Invasion

The first waves outside Dawn City numbered several hundred thousand creatures, including Skeleton Soldiers, ghouls, and Dark Knights. They scaled cliffs with claws and weapons in an attempt to enter the city. 210

• Dawn City killed more than 80,000 enemies during one five-hour defense while suffering fewer than 1,300 casualties. 215
• By the fourth day, Dark Creatures continued attacking Dawn City in waves of 200,000 to 300,000 daily. 218
• The invasion spread across the Nine Continents; within four days, eight duchy capitals had fallen and NPC deaths exceeded seven million. 218
• Dawn City ultimately counterattacked with Thunder Warhorse cavalry and Troll forces led by Bloody Bonecrusher. 216

Second Dark Invasion

The second wave placed more than 1.5 million Dark Creatures against each Grand Duchy, including High-Class, Grandmaster, and Epic-level enemies. 511 Their endless stamina wore down defenders over months, while Black Warlocks simultaneously caused chaos within human cities by summoning creatures and spreading panic. 511

Third Dark Invasion

The Third Dark Invasion began with the Black Tide: nearly thirty billion Dark Creatures emerged from Demon Caverns across the Seven Continents, accompanied by as many as one hundred Dark Lords. 656

• More than a thousand Demon Caverns were raised around Dawn City and the Winged Folk to contain their forces and prevent outside intervention. 656
• Moxis destroyed over eighteen million Dark Creatures and collapsed multiple Demon Caverns around the Slaughter Plains with a single large-scale attack. 656

Resources

Dark Creature remains are valuable to soldiers, adventurers, and Players.

• Skeleton bones can be processed into materials or forged into weapons. 208
• Dark Knight equipment can be remade after its dark attributes are removed. 208
• Heads and boss drops from Demon Caverns can be exchanged for contribution points and serve as major incentives for clearing caverns. 385
• Corpses accumulated beneath Dawn City’s cliffs were considered useful materials rather than mere battlefield waste. 214