《The Demon King is Unfathomable》


 Chapter 1: I Am Roan, a Student of the Demon King Academy

    A vicious-looking demon stood behind a ck stone podium in an eerie ssroom filled with torture tools hanging off the walls.


    He was Enos, a Diamond (Tier VII) furiataur. He had two massive bull horns that made him resemble a wild beast walking on its hind legs. His hulking physique was wrapped under a scarlet robe, and his scarlet eyes obscured by his hood¡¯s shadow reflected a chilling glint. <em>(T/N: A fiend bull)</em>


    The words carelessly scribbled on the ckboard behind him were:


    ¡¾How to efficiently torture a human and collect Terror Energy from their shrieks.¡¿


    ¡°Terror is different from charm, but they share the same fundamental properties¡­ Our energy also stems from human faith. Our believers might not praise but fear us, but that is worship too. A dead worshiper is meaningless as only a living worshiper can provide energy to us.


    ¡°Jot this down. We have to instill fear in our prey while avoiding excessive torture that may cause death or insanity.


    ¡°What we do loses its meaning once our prey stops reacting to external stimulus, so the best kind of torture should be bearable. But it could backfire on you if your torture is too light too. For instance, your prey might relish in it. That¡¯s another situation we have to avoid.


    ¡°Focus! You shouldn¡¯t think you don¡¯t need such knowledge just because you aren¡¯t a furiataur. Even a subus can learn a thing or two from this. Never let your prey think that they have grasped you. Only when you remain as a lofty existence will simps will they treat you like their deity¡­ I hope you have learned more than just crude seduction techniques from Lilith.¡±


    This was hell¡¯s highest education institution, the Demon King Academy.As the name suggested, it was a ce where demon kings were nurtured


    As the humans grew stronger, being a demon king was no longer as lucrative as it was five hundred years ago. One could say that they had be a consumable resource.


    So, most students strove to be civil servants in the Demon Capital to escape the battlefield, and that was why they were focused on the lecture.


    But Roan felt a chill run down his back as he listened to the lecture.


    The reason was simple.


    Those seated in this ssroom were either demons or undead. He was the only human here, and he was somehow seated in the dead center.


    His ass clenched each time the lesson touched on humans. It didn¡¯t help that Professor Enos would open his massive mouth wide and sh him a mysterious smile every now and then.


    Professor Enos¡¯ smiles were one thing, but trouble also came from beside him too.


    Seated on his left, Furiataur Lumi would sneak asional nces at him, revealing a tempted expression. He could only pray that Lumi was just flexing his imagination and wouldn¡¯t try to do it for real.


    On his right, Revemon Meykil gently blew at the ifrit in front, murmuring, ¡°I heard that humans doze off easily when the surroundings are warmer¡­¡± <em>(T/N: A dream demon)</em>


    Roan had no idea where she heard that from, and he didn¡¯t want to know what she was hoping to do after he fell asleep, but he didn¡¯t think that he would sleep in Professor Enos¡¯ lesson even if he was baked alive.


    But the one sitting behind him, Miss Mia, was worse than the two buffoons by the side.


    Mia was a red-haired subus with heart-shaped tail and irises and a pair of twisted sheep horns that grew above her ears. Her uniform skirt was tailored extremely short, making it tough for one to decide where to look.


    She had been messing with him since the start of the lesson, sometimes kicking his chair, sometimes feigning an exaggerated yawn to blow at his neck.


    <em>This fellow is the most dangerous one!</em>


    Other demons had to resort to spells, but she could rely solely on her racial talents.


    Without any spells, there would be no traces of her evildoing. There would be no way for redress his grievances if he fell for her tricks.


    Roan dared not to let his guard down, fearing that whatever was currently covered in ss would be immediately employed on him.


    The only other rtively normal person in ss was Egor.


    He was an incubus, which was ranked in the lower rungs in the high demons¡¯ hierarchy.


    Roan, as a ¡®protected species¡¯ designated by the Demon God, was in a position simr to pandas. Bullying him had severe legal repercussions, so Egor became the ss¡¯ go-to target instead.


    There were times when Egor would have such a pitiful look on his eyes that Roan felt sorry for him, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t decide whether Egor was putting on an act or not.


    <em>I have to keep my guard up!</em>


    The frequency of kicks on his chair was starting to get too much. Unable to tolerate it anymore, Roan turned around and red at Mia.


    But that failed to make Mia rein herself in. Instead, she provocatively licked her lips.


    Her burgundy irises were like sweet chocte marshmallows. Just meeting her eyes was enough to ce Roan in a dazed state.


    This was not a spell but subuses¡¯ racial talent. They were born with the innate power to enrapture anyone with their eyes.


    Only high demons or those with exceptionally strong psyche would be immune, but Roan fell in neither category.


    <em>Shit, I fell for her trick!</em>


    It was toote by the time this thought surfaced in his mind.


    It only took an instant for Professor Enos to notice his movement and roar like a bull, ¡°Roan, how dare you get distracted in my ss! You have guts!¡±


    The entire ssroom shook under that deafening voice. Those in the front rows had already covered their ears in pain.


    But this was merely the usual volume Professor Enos used when reprimanding students.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor¡ª¡±


    Roan shot to his feet and apologized for his wrongdoing, only to be interjected by a furious rumble.


    ¡°Sorry? No such word in hell! Lift your head up and look me in the eye! You dare to look into a subus¡¯ eyes but not mine? Don¡¯t submit to fear; conquer it! Yes, that¡¯s more like it! Good, you may go to the toilet to dry your pants now! Hahahaha!¡±


    Professor Enos guffawed, and the entire ss erupted inughter.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    Only Egor nced at Roan with worried, deer-like eyes.


    Mia ced her hands behind her head and stuck out her tongue, her expression reflecting her dissastisfaction with the situation. It was unknown whether she was annoyed because Professor Enos had gone in the way of her ploy or because it was not her who had wet Roan¡¯s pants.


    Roan¡¯s pants weren¡¯t actually wet, so there was no need for him to head to the toilet.


    He ignored his ssmates¡¯ughter and settled back into his seat with a soft sigh.


    It was hell. Such a situation couldn¡¯t have been moremon. This was not his first time being teased by the academy¡¯s professors.


    It was just yesterday that Professor Lilith, a subus who taught Illusion and Control Magic, used him as a guinea pig for her lesson.


    Mia¡¯s earlier action was probably a crude imitation of that.


    Professor Enos could be considered one of the kinder professors in the Demon King Academy. At least what he taught was useful.


    It was thanks to him that Roan, despite being a mortal living in hell, hadn¡¯t wet himself out of fear of a furiataur for a long time now.


    Professor Lilith, on the other hand, simply enjoyed teasing him.


    To this day, he still wasn¡¯t immune to the subus¡¯ control magic yet. He was certain that something must be wrong with her lessons!


    It was a long story how a mortal like him ended up attending this damned academy.


    First and foremost, he was not from this world but a transmigrator from Earth.


    He was caught in a traffic ident. He couldn¡¯t remember the details anymore, but by the time he opened his eyes once more, he was already in Ors Continent¡¯s deepest underground Demon God Church, with mysterious runes and a five-sided star behind him.


    ording to the Demon God Church¡¯s shadow priests, his mother was a human acolyte, whereas his father was a vampire who refused to divulge his identity.


    Yes, that should have made him a half-vampire¡­ but that was not how it worked out.


    The vampires of this world had to receive the Embrace toplete their heritage and inherit their vampiric powers. The Embrace was a troublesome ritual that was high demanding on not just manpower, wealth, but ancestry too.


    Only children whose both parents were vampires were Embraced at birth.


    As a shameful, illegitimate son, Roan was not qualified to receive the Embrace. The blood flowing through his blood vessels were no different from that of an ordinary human.


    All he had inherited from his father was a dashing face and a noble but useless bloodline¡­ though it was not as if Roan had expected anything more.


    His mother passed away shortly after giving birth to him, whereas his father had never appeared in the past eighteen years.


    But it didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    He did think that his life was screwed when he first transmigrated to this world, but after he stuck around for a while, he realized that things weren¡¯t as terrible as he had initially thought.


    First of all, humans were designed by the Demon God as a ¡®protected species¡¯ in the underworld. Hell¡¯s demons and undead beings were not to discriminate against or harm humans who worshiped the Demon God. Those caught doing so would be severely punished.


    This could have been done to assuage those who secretly worshiped the Demon God on the surface or to protect hell¡¯s diversity, but regardless, it ensured a minimum standard of living for humans¡­ as long as they weren¡¯t captured here as prey or prisoners.


    It was awfully optimistic to expect hell, a ce that revered the strong, to not discriminate against humans at all, but at least, on the surface, no demons or undead beings would curse a human who worshiped the Demon God.


    This was even more so for those closer to the center of hell¡¯s politics.


    On top of that, humans received special consideration when enrolling in hell¡¯s tertiary education institutions¡­ though most of them couldn¡¯t meet the cut even with the special consideration due to their abysmal magic talent.


    Humans also received employment benefits too.


    Most demon factories didn¡¯t wee weak humans, but the Ministry of Truth¡¯s churches always weed humans to join them as acolytes.


    That was a job equivalent to being a civil servant in hell.


    It was a respectable job in hell with a decent ie. There was no room for promotion, but there was no danger whatsoever. Furthermore, they wouldn¡¯t have be ghosts upon death. Instead, their souls were directly brought to the Reincarnation Lake to be reborn as demons.


    Roan¡¯s mother in this life was an acolyte.


    Being an acolyte wasn¡¯t a bad choice, but Roan didn¡¯t want to stay in hell for his entire life despite having the coveted ¡®hell citizenship¡¯.


    Yes, there were humans in hell, but that didn¡¯t mean it was a conducive environment for humans to live in.


    Putting all things aside, their ¡®oceans¡¯ wereva bubbling at over a thousand degrees Celsius. Any heat wave could raise a city¡¯s temperature by a hundred degrees.


    Such a temperature fluctuation might be nothing to demons, undead beings, or even dwarves, but it was lethal to humans.


    He only managed to survive to this day thanks to the Demon Capital¡¯s magic barrier.


    Roan felt like he was sitting on a bed of nails for the rest of the lesson.


    He could have been overthinking it, but Professor Enos¡¯tter part of the lesson¡¯s lecture on ¡®a hundred ingenious ways to make a human scream¡¯ seemed to be out of the sybus.


    Fortunately, the recess bell finally rang.


    As if someone had fired a race¡¯s starting gun, the lower demons in the ssroom rushed out of the window while shouting ¡°Mine, mine!¡±. Their target was the neighboring tower¡¯s canteen.


    Just as they were about to flee out of the window, there were loud ¡®Bams!¡¯.


    They had mmed into an air barrier.


    Someone had instantaneously cast a Silver-tier spell¡ªAir Barrier!


    Roan looked at the furiataur on the podium with envious eyes.


    On the Ors Continent, be it the surface or the underworld, power levels were determined using the First Epoch¡¯s standards.


    From weakest to strongest, Iron (I), Copper (II), Steel (III), Silver (IV), Gold (V), tinum (VI), Diamond (VII), Amethyst (VIII), Master (IX), and Half God (X).


    Actually, there was another tier above Half God¡ªPseudo God (XI). In conventional terms, Pseudo Gods were practically gods, but the only one who could have reached this tier in the underworld was its ruler, the Demon God.


    Each tier was further divided into five stars.


    But asbat experience and skills had heavier weight when it came to battles between people in the same tier, the star ssification system was not asmonly used.


    For a furiataur to instantaneously cast a Silver-tier spell, Professor Enos must have reached 5-star Diamond-tier!


    Roan himself was at Copper-tier (II).


    Despite excelling in theoretical knowledge¡ªhe was often one of the top rankers in the final examinations¡ªthere was little he could do topensate for his race¡¯s abysmal talent in magic.


    As the disgruntled lower demons lying under the window crawled to their feet while cussing under their breath, Professor Enos stomped his feet and roared, ¡°Silence! I didn¡¯t say ss is over yet! Get back to your seats now!¡±


    It was as if there was an earthquake.


    Upon sensing Professor Enos¡¯ rage, the disgruntled lower demons turned pale out of fear, and they quickly scrambled back to their seats.


    After the students returned to their seats, Professor Enos cast his gaze across the ssroom, cleared his bull throat, and continued with his powerful voice, ¡°Students, this is my final lesson to you. I hope you¡¯ll take my teaching to heart, especially those who wish to survive!¡±


    Roan could have been imagining things, but he had an inexplicable feeling that Professor Enos¡¯ bull eyes were ring at him. His back became a little wet.


    A mere Copper-tier necromancer couldn¡¯t hope to withstand the intimidation of a Diamond-tier demon, not to mention that his tier was dubious in the first ce.


    Professor Enos¡¯ voice spurred amotion in the ssroom.


    ¡°Final lesson?¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Are our summer holidays being brought ahead this year?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s being brought ahead if not your summer holidays but your graduation!¡± Professor Enos shook his head upon hearing that these buffoons were still thinking about their summer holiday. ¡°The surface adventurers are bing a problem. The demon kings we have on the frontlines isn¡¯t enough, so everyone¡¯s graduation is being moved forward.¡±


    The lower demons in the ssroom howled.


    ¡°Rawrrr! Tear them to shreds!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bite off their ears!¡±


    ¡°BRAINNNS!¡±


    Lower demons were unlike high demons.


    Strictly speaking, they shouldn¡¯t have been qualified to enroll in the Demon King Academy¡­ but these people here were nobles among lower demons, so they couldn¡¯t be put in the boat.


    Often, Roan thought that this bunch of good-for-nothing might not even be as smart as your run-of-the-mill lower demons. At least those crafty fellows would survive for two episodes.


    Behind Roan, Mia raised her hand and stood up. The entire ss looked at her.


    ¡°But Professor Enos, we are in our third year. We should only graduate next year. Did you remember wrongly?¡±


    Professor Enos looked at her in disdain and scoffed, ¡°I remembered wrongly? You¡¯re the ones who don¡¯t get the picture! The situation on the frontlines is tense, so third year and fourth year students will be graduating together¡­ but you¡¯re lucky.


    ¡°All slots to remain in school have been left for you. Don¡¯t bother bringing your textbooks tomorrow morning. Get to the assembly hall eight o¡¯clock sharp tomorrow for your graduation ceremony. Someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs wille at nine to guide you through your career application.


    ¡°You have hardly been through anybat sses, so pray hard that you aren¡¯t sent to the frontlines. That ce is no joke, especially since the situation isn¡¯t optimistic recently.¡±


    The lower demons were stunned, be it Furiataur Lumi or Revemon Meykil.


    ¡°How could this be¡­¡± Mia¡¯s pink eyes widened in fear, and her fair legs trembled.


    This was the first time Roan had seen such an expression from her. It could be because she had insider information about what was happening on the frontlines.


    ¡®But is it really that bad?¡¯


    Most students in the Demon King Academy avoided the demon king job like the gue¡ªthey were only studying here to build their credentials. Roan, on the other hand, wanted to be a demon king.


    Why, you ask?


    Only by bing a demon king would he have a chance to be dispatched to the surface.


    It was his only chance of returning to the surface world.


    Roan knew that things wouldn¡¯t be that simple, but it was at least worth a try. No matter how dangerous the surface world was, could it be more dangerous than hell?


    Even an ifrit¡¯s sneeze could burn him, let alone the subuses eyeing him.


    Roan had already decided to put ¡®Demon King¡¯ as his first career choice tomorrow.


    If he became a demon king, he would do his best to lie low and be transparent. He would do the minimum so that the demons wouldn¡¯t single him out, but at the same time, if he could get away with a rattan cane, he would never draw his forty-meters saber lest the humans see him as a threat.


    It was all about ying Taiji. <em>(T/N: Deflecting anything thates his way like Taiji.)</em>


    He might not be adept at magic, but he was an expert at malingering.


    Professor Enos had been on the battlefield, so he was familiar with the frontlines. As much as he disliked these wastrels, he couldn¡¯t bear to see his students marching to their deaths.


    As much as he knew how demons tortured humans, he was also familiar with the plight of captured demons.


    Looking at the buffoons before him, he shouted with his powerful bull vocals, ¡°Gutless cowards, you have a night to write to your families! ss is over! You¡¯re dismissed!¡±

 Chapter 2: All the Demons Are Joining the Civil Service… Guess I’ll Be the Demon King Then

    The Demon King Academy¡¯s roof was filled with messenger bats that evening.


    The lower demons were too busy sending letters out that they didn¡¯t sweep through the West Tower¡¯s self-service canteen.


    It was the first time Roan, in his three years in the Demon King Academy, got to taste the legendary Charcoal Grill Minotaur Ribeye. He had to admit that the rumors were not unfounded. The texture and vors were nothing short of mind-blowing.


    ¡®Speaking of which, is Professor Enos okay with this? If I remember correctly, the first furiataur was a demonified minotaurus.¡¯


    Roan imagined someone serving him a te of grilled monkey. That immediately destroyed his appetite.


    Egor carefully carried a bowl of vegetable nut stew and sat down opposite Roan. He first murmured his prayers before picking up his fork.


    This fellow was probably the most polite high demon in the Demon King Academy¡­ it was truly unfortunate that he was a man.


    ¡°Senior Roan, you aren¡¯t going to write home?¡±


    Egor addressed everyone senior, even to his peers and juniors.Roan found it awkward at the start, but he slowly got used to it as time passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m an orphan,¡± Roan replied nonchntly while munching on his steak.


    Stunned, Egor lowered his head and apologized, ¡°S-s-sorry.¡±


    Roan interjected with a wave of his fork, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Didn¡¯t you hear Enos? The word ¡®sorry¡¯ doesn¡¯t exist in hell. Be more confident when you cross me the next time.¡±


    That was what other demons initially did, though they dared not do so openlyter on. At least they wouldn¡¯t murmur spells anymore.


    The moment someone provoked Roan, he would write to the Ministry of Truth, reporting that XX had discriminated against him on Year XX Month XX Day XX, and that XX was XXX¡¯s child.


    He was exploiting his ¡®protected species¡¯ entitlement to its greatest value!


    ¡®Got a problem with that? Tell your daddy toin to His Majesty Demon God! You should be grateful that I¡¯m ying nice by not freeloading on my meals and groceries!¡¯


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Egorughed upon seeing that Roan was still in the mood to joke, but he still asked out of worry, ¡°Actually, my family happens to have some ties with Ministry of Internal Affairs. If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Roan stopped him with a wave. ¡°Just write in for yourself. There¡¯s no need to say anything on my behalf. We¡¯re only ssmates; you aren¡¯t obliged to do anything for me. Besides, I have already decided where to go.¡± ?


    ¡°Where do you intend to go?¡± Egor asked out of curiosity.


    Roan snickered. ¡°I¡¯ll go wherever demon kings go.¡±


    Egor was initially dumbstruck. It was a long while before his eyes slowly widened.


    ¡°D-Demon king?!¡± He stared at Roan incredulously. ¡°Are you mad? No, I-I-I don¡¯t mean to look down on you, but you have only scored Fs in your practical lessons. Shouldn¡¯t you give it more thought¡­¡±


    Roan had Fs because the lowest score was F. If there was a G, there was no doubt that he would have gotten it.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Roanughed loudly to conceal his awkwardness and helplessness. He patted Egor¡¯s slender shoulders and said, ¡°Magic is just one of the many tools to achieve a goal. Don¡¯t rely too much on it. I have other things up my sleeves too.¡±


    ¡°Other things?¡± Egor gulped as his slender body trembled.


    ¡°A secret.¡± Roan revealed a mysterious smile.


    In truth, he still had no idea what he should do. He could only take a step at a time.


    He couldn¡¯t tell this fellow he nned to flee if things went awry on the surface. Anyway, he looked no different from a human other than his inhumanely dashing good looks.


    But Egor took his words for real and looked at him with admiring eyes as if he was a hero.


    His response was so satisfying that Roan couldn¡¯t resist the urge to continue.


    ¡°How can a man live his life under the shadows of others? We should stick our chest out and live our worth! Only gutless cowards hide behind others!


    <em>¡°Cough!</em> Of course, I don¡¯t mean to say that you¡¯re a gutless coward. What I mean is that if I don¡¯t go to hell¡­ <em>Cough! </em>I mean, if I don¡¯t go to heaven, who¡¯ll go to heaven? Not only will I go to heaven, but I¡¯ll fiercely barge through its doors! Just wait till I be a Demon King. Hmph!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to buy a manor in the human¡¯s Holy City!¡¯


    <em>Pah! Pah! Pah!</em>


    Before Egor could gush over those words, an apuse echoed from the canteen entrance.


    ¡°Hahaha! Well said!¡±


    Roan looked past the table of goblins guzzling their food toward the entrance. The moment he saw the person who had just spoken up, he nearly slid off his chair.


    Evan Krueger, a Half God-tier (X Tier) lich!


    He was the principal of the Demon Capital¡¯s Demon King Academy!


    Roan¡¯s face tensed up. He silently murmured Soul Guard¡¯s incantation, fearing that the other party would see through his true thoughts.


    Fortunately, the respected Principal Evan Krueger wouldn¡¯t stoop so low as to cast Soul Siphon on a mere student.


    Casting spells that were above tier-4 was forbidden in the Demon Capital, let alone directing them at humans protected by the Demon God.


    That would have been equivalent to walking into a Chinese National Park and shooting a panda¡¯s balls.


    Looking at Roan¡¯s solemn expression, Principal Evan nodded in approval. His eyes looked so benevolent as if he was looking at his child.


    ¡°Your courage is praiseworthy. The talents in hell have declined in thest five hundred years, and our Demon King Academy has be a mere ypen for scions to gild their name. Howmentable! Who could have thought the bravest one would be a human? It¡¯s not to say that humans are unworthy; all worshipers of the Demon Gods are equal.¡±


    ¡®Looks like even Half-Gods aren¡¯t free from politics,¡¯ Roan thought bitterly. ¡®That¡¯s all the so-called power amounts to.¡¯


    He put on his most honest look and replied, ¡°Principal, you are ttering me! As you have said, all worshipers of the Demon God are equal. I might be a mere Bronze-tier, but I¡¯d like to offer my measly strength to His Majesty Demon God!¡±


    Those words seemed to contradict his earlier words, but that was not the case.


    The Demon God encouraged the ambitious. He even once famously said ¡®Demon kings who don¡¯t aspire to be the Demon God aren¡¯t good demon kings¡¯.


    There was nothing bad about quoting those words once in a while, but only the foolish would truly attempt that.


    Principal Evan looked at the humand with approving eyes. He was getting more and more fond of thetter.


    He was once a human too, and he had only been an ordinary necromancer till he was eighteen. Of course, he had already reached Gold-tier, three tiers above Bronze-tier, but that was not the main point!


    The main point was that he had the conviction of the strong!


    In contrast, the incubus sitting opposite him might be at Silver-tier, but he kept weeping like a little child. It was too much even for an incubus!


    The incubuses from a thousand years ago weren¡¯t like that!


    Back then, incubuses had eight pecs and wielded the power to destroy human knights with bare hands. Even furiataurs feared them!


    But now?


    All they had left was their ability to seduce!


    Principal Evan couldn¡¯t see any ambition to be strong from Egor.


    Even if the demons who had sent out letters today found good jobs and lived plentiful lives from now on, he, as their teacher, would still look down on them from the bottom of his phctery!


    ¡®These weaklings! How disappointing!¡¯


    Principal Evan smacked his cane on the ground in irritation. He turned to Roan and said, ¡°I¡¯ll remember you, youngd. Come to my office after you¡¯re done with your meal. I want to hand something to you. Think of it as a¡­ gift.¡±


    After speaking his piece, the old lich cloaked in a gray robe drifted away.


    Egor stared at Roan with reverent eyes. Thetter was practically his idol by this point.


    Roan, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t lift his spirits. Instead, he felt a headache settling in.


    ¡®Ugh. Feels like I went overboard boasting¡­¡¯


    He just wanted to be a small fry Demon King living far from the Demon Capital and near the human cities, able to flee at the slightest hint of danger. He wasn¡¯t an undead but an unskilled necromancer anyway, so it was not as if he could pose any threat to humans.


    If the surface religions were fine with it, he wouldn¡¯t mind changing his faith either.


    ¡®Let¡¯s hope trouble doesn¡¯te knocking,¡¯ Roan prayed earnestly to the Demon God.


    ¡­


    After dinner, Roan worriedly made his way to the Professor¡¯s Tower. He rejected Professor Lilith¡¯s offer for a remedial lesson and headed straight for the principal¡¯s office at the tower spire.


    He knocked on the door and entered.


    The old lich was standing by the window, smoking on a crooked pipe. A trail of smoke rose into the air like crushed souls.


    ¡®There might just be crushed souls inside his pipe.¡¯


    Looking at the old entity worrying about hell¡¯s future, Roan bucked up his courage and respectfully spoke up, ¡°Principal Evan, I havee.¡±


    ¡°Come here, child,¡± Principal Evan amicably called him over without turning around.


    Roan obediently went up to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you remember our promise.¡± The old lich extinguished his pipe and stuffed it into his gray robe. Still looking out of the window, he asked, ¡°Tell me, what do you see?¡±


    Not knowing what the old lich was getting at, Roan replied probingly, ¡°¡­The Demon King Academy?¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°The West Tower¡¯s canteen¡­ Ah, I mean the Demon Capital.¡±


    ¡°Set your eyes further. Can¡¯t you see? The ashen ceiling that¡¯s a poor replica of moonlight, and theva that spurts nonstop from day to night¡­ Demon God above, this is hell! This is the ce we have endured for a thousand years!¡± the old lich eximed in indignation.


    ¡®Who would have known?¡¯ Roan scoffed, but he knew better than to argue here.


    ¡°I see it¡­ but as someone reaping off others¡¯ fruits ofbor, I have no right to say those words.¡±


    To be life, life here wasn¡¯t too bad. Lava might spurt all day long, but the fact that he was still alive spoke volumes. However, the old monsters from another era might have a different take.


    Principal Evan nodded in approval. He looked outside the window and gazed upon the city that looked wealthy yet impoverished.


    With a wistful voice, he murmured, ¡°We have been underground for so long that our children think¡­ we were born here.¡±


    ¡®Is that not the case?¡¯ Roan wondered.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that a long time ago. In the distant First Epoch, we were no different from the surface dwellers. We, too, lived on the vast surface. We had our kingdoms, and we worshiped our own gods¡­


    ¡°The undead are averse to light, and demons are fond of the night, so we would dwell in caves or shadowy valleys.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®So how are things different from now?!¡¯ Roan retorted speechlessly.


    The old lich, immersed in his old memories, spoke with nostalgia, ¡°¡­Now that I think about it, it has already been a thousand years.¡±


    A thousand years ago, the Netherworld God Hagen died. This gave a chance for the Ors Empire, who worshiped Saint Sisto, to move in and unify humankind.


    Since then, the Netherworld God¡¯s old subjects were forced to migrate underground to survive, and that ce eventually became known as hell.


    Following that was the Second Epoch.


    In the earlier years of the Second Epoch, the First Demon God Odiss took over the fallen Netherworld God and became the ruler of the undead and the demons, thus unifying hell.


    But Odiss¡¯ strength was limited.


    The underworld suffered a few internal conflicts in the meantime, and Odiss himself unfortunately died in one of them.


    The current Demon God Bayeris was the third generation.


    Bayeris¡¯ rule was the longest of the three Demon Gods, going at five hundred years to date.


    The underground dwellers¡¯ living conditions had greatly improved under Bayeris¡¯ rule, such that even lower demons could fill their stomachs now, but their military might was declining with each passing year.


    Principal Evan watched in frustration as hell declined with each passing day.


    Five hundred years ago, one had to be well-connected to be a demon king! Only useless trash who remained at Bronze-tier despite being on the verge of reaching twenty would work in Ministry of Internal Affairs.


    But now, everyone was trying everything to get into Ministry of Internal Affairs.


    The younger generation had forgotten the prosperous world their people had once lived in; their eyes were only on what was directly ahead of them.


    Compared to the abundance of the surface world, the underworld was a flea¡¯s leg!


    That was why Principal Evan was heartened to see a young student who shared his ambition, and he decided to give him a little push.


    As an old lich who had lived a thousand years, he had amassed tremendous wealth and influence. A student of his happened to have be a powerful official in hell¡¯s Inner Circle.


    Unlike the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Truth, the Inner Circle was power in hell was centered. It was a ce closer to the Demon God than the Demon God Church. It wouldn¡¯t be far-fetched to im that it was the equivalent of a celestial court.


    ¡°I wrote a rmendation letter to His Majesty Demon God¡¯s Inner Circle. Your name is in it.¡±


    Roan was astonished.


    ¡®Good lord! He circumvented the Ministry of Internal Affairs and went straight for the Demon God¡¯s Inner Circle?!¡¯


    But instead of celebrating the good news right away, he vigntly asked, ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the high opinion you have of me¡­ So that I can be prepared for what is toe, can you tell me the content of the letter?¡±


    Principal Evan revealed a bright smile. He was delighted by Roan¡¯sposure.


    ¡°Demon King Lej Dragul¡¯s domain has just fallen. He¡¯s a Diamond-tier furiataur and a duke¡­ You should have heard of the Draculs if you¡¯re well-versed in the circle of nobility.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have been qualified to work for the Draculs, but that fellow screwed up big time. Lej¡¯s domain core was destroyed, and he even lost his life. Not even the Draculs, known for their ability to spread dread on the surface, dare to touch this scaldingvastone¡­


    ¡°While this might be a scaldingvastone for others, it¡¯s an opportunity for an amateur like you.¡±


    Roan¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    ¡®W-wait! A Diamond-tier furiataur?!¡¯


    He might not know Lej Dracul, but he knew Professor Enos, who could intimidate a person into peeing their pants with just a nce. He had no doubt that a furiataur at that level could squish him firmly into the ground with their pinky!


    Simrly, he also couldn¡¯t imagine how powerful the human heroes had to be to vanquish a monster of that tier.


    ¡°It might not be appropriate to entrust such an important domain to a newbie like me¡­¡± Roan carefully construed his words as beads of sweat dotted his forehead.


    But Principal Evan magnanimously waved his hand as if saying ¡®There¡¯s no need to thank me when you make it big in the future¡¯.


    ¡°Inappropriate? All worshipers are equal before the Demon God! The situation on the frontlines has been getting increasingly urgent, but everyone is busy shirking responsibility. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has been struggling to find someone to take over. You are secured for the position with my rmendation letter, so put your heart at ease!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s totally not what I¡¯m worried about!!!¡¯


    Seeing Roan¡¯s ¡®vignt¡¯ expression, Principal Evan nodded like he understood his feelings and patted his shoulder with a smile.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but there¡¯s no need to be. Your predecessor got done in because he was a pretentious smart-ass. He went on the offense, wanting to prove himself to His Majesty, but he suffered a defeat as a result. But you are a smart one. I trust you to do the right things at the right time instead of being blinded by your pride.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are right,¡± Roan squeezed out a smile that looked not much more radiant than theva.


    The letter had already been sent. Struggling was futile at this point, and it could instead cost him the goodwill of the powerhouse before him.


    This was the only thick thigh he could clutch onto now.


    ¡°May I know where the demon king domain is located? I¡¯d like to look up on the area so that I can make preparations.¡±


    ¡°Haha! I¡¯d expect no less from a student who scored full marks in his papers! I knew you¡¯d need those, so I prepared them on your behalf.¡±


    Principal Evan turned around and pointed at the stack of books on his table.


    ¡°The demon king domain you¡¯ll be taking over is located on the borders of Lyon Kingdom, in the fief of Lyon Kingdom¡¯s Duke Campelle.


    ¡°There¡¯s a free city nearby with a popce of a million¡­ but don¡¯t worry too much about them. Those people are small fry. Their interests aren¡¯t aligned with their fief lord and clergymen, and sometimes, they might even sell their souls to us.


    ¡°Each demon king domain has its own strategic goal. The one you¡¯ll be taking over is located behind the human world, far away from the frontlines. Your goal is not to invade the surface but to do everything you can to strengthen the demon king domain.¡±


    That was good news for Roan. It meant that he didn¡¯t have to dispatch skeleton soldiers every now and then to draw aggression.


    In the worst-case scenario, he could seek refuge in the city and disappear amidst the crowd.


    Roan¡¯s nervousness finally alleviated a little.


    Just then, his beloved Principal Evan handed him another huge gift.


    ¡°¡­Speaking of Duke Campelle, I suddenly remember a spoil of war I stole from the humans a long, long time ago. Give me a moment.¡±


    Principal Evan smacked his forehead. He turned around and drifted into his meditation room. Five minutester, he returned.


    Roan looked at the ne that the benevolent-looking old lich was handing him in confusion.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°The Isaac Dynasty preceded the Lyon Kingdom. This is the relic of their final king, ¡®Ipetent King¡¯ Isaac the Fourth.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This relic doesn¡¯t sound too useful just from the sound of it.¡±


    Principal Evan, however, begged to differ.


    ¡°Just like you, he had no magic talent in his younger years, but he eventually attained powerparable toparable to the gods. I obtained this relic of his from a Lyon knight. Judging from the energy it¡¯s emitting, its creator must have at least been at Half God-tier.¡±


    ¡°Half God-tier?!¡± Roan was taken aback.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Principal Evan nodded. ¡°It could be beyond Half-God, but that¡¯s the limit of my perception¡­ The lingering energy is weak, but my instincts won¡¯t be wrong. I have only felt the same aura from the three milords.¡±


    ¡®The three milords¡­ should be referring to the three generations of Demon Gods.¡¯


    Roan tightened his grip of the ne, his heart pounding fast. But he was also bewildered as to why Principal Evan would hand this to him.


    This gift was too valuable no matter how highly this esteemed lich regarded him!


    ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I handed it to you?¡± Principal Evan smiled amicably.


    ¡°This ne might have been created by a Half-God-tier expert, but its sheer power is nowhere near that level. It¡¯s more like an antique. My interest in it stems from its owner, Isaac the Fourth¡­ It¡¯s rumored that he¡¯s the only mortal who reached Half God-tier without relying on Saint Sisto¡¯s power, and he did it alive.¡±


    Unlike the undead, a human¡¯s lifespan was only a short hundred years.


    Principal Evan was curious to know how someone could attain power that intimidated even the gods in such a short time.


    Rumors had it that Saint Sisto had personally issued a divine edict to make arrangements for the Ors Empire¡¯s crusade against the Isaac Dynasty.


    The pretext of the crusade was Isaac the Fourth¡¯s sphemy, but there was probably much more to it than that. After all, the entire Isaac n was massacred, signaling the end of their bloodline.


    It was rare, even in the history of the Ors Continent, for someone to go this far.


    ¡°¡­Out of interest, I devoted twenty years to researching Isaac the Fourth¡¯s relics and even devised borate measures to acquire his diary from the human nations.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the content of his diary was written in obscure cryptography, and just deciphering that took me a lot of time. Many things happened in between too, so I ended up tossing this to the corner of my meditation room.¡±


    At this point, Principal Evan shed a radiant smile as he took out two books from his robe and handed them to Roan.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s time to entrust this job to the young¡­ I have high regards for your academic endeavors. Perhaps, you might be more suited to that than magic. You can spend your spare time looking into it. Even if you don¡¯t make any progress, it¡¯ll give you an insight into the surface human society and the Lyon Kingdom.¡±

 Chapter 3: A Thousand Years Ago, Someone Came To This Impoverished Land Too

    A hell difficulty demon king domain, an antique, two notebooks, and a stack of reference materials would take him ages to browse through¡­


    These were Roan¡¯s loot from Principal Evan¡¯s office.


    The appointment letter hadn¡¯t been issued yet, but Principal Evan¡¯s resolute tone suggested that this matter was likely already settled.


    In other words, trouble was about to knock on his door.


    Roan thanked Principal Evan before lugging the huge pile of items out of the office with a troubled face.


    He thought he had already depleted all his bad luck today, but an ident still happened after he reached the bottom of the tower.


    He couldn¡¯t see the path ahead of him due to the huge pile of reference books he was holding, which caused him to bump into Professor Lilith, who was walking out of the professors¡¯ office.


    A Diamond-tier subus knocked to the ground by a Copper-tier necromancer¡ªthere was probably no greater joke than that in hell.


    ¡°Ow ow ow¡­¡±Professor Lilithy on the floor, her crossed legs adorned with ck stockings concealing what was hidden in her skirt. She looked so frail that it was hard to imagine that she boasted strength and speed on par with Professor Enos.


    Her silver bob hair cascaded to her slender shoulders, and her rimless sses coincidentally fell into her half-opened shirt.


    Every detail was so on point that it could have been a model example¡­


    ¡®Hold on, when did her shirt get unbuttoned?!¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m


    The stunned Roan quickly apologized as he fearfully picked up his books. He was so afraid of getting involved with this troublesome woman that he dared not even meet her eyes.


    But Professor Lilith was obviously after him.


    She shot to her feet and snatched his books with her right hand while cornering him to the wall with her left hand.


    ¡°Mr Roan, the phrase ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ doesn¡¯t exist in hell. Do you think an apology can make up for your mistake? The least you can do is to support your beloved Professor Lilith back to her room and massage her injured leg.¡±


    That was a tempting suggestion, but Roan had just reached adulthood and didn¡¯t want to be reduced from a protected species into a skeleton soldier yet.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you need to be supported¡­¡± Roan tried to keep a straight face as he eyed the wall that had caved in under Professor Lilith¡¯s palm strike.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Professor Lilith¡¯s expression nearly crumbled when she realized she had exerted too much strength. At the same time, she sensed a sharp gazeing from the tower spire. This left her too embarrassed to continue bullying her student, so she returned the books to Roan.


    ¡®Tsk tsk. I didn¡¯t expect this fellow to earn the favor of the tower spire¡¯s old monster,¡¯ Professor Lilith thought. ¡®Perhaps¡­ I should up my investment.¡¯


    The Demon King Academy had sent many talents to the Demon God¡¯s pce and hell¡¯s administrative departments over the past few years¡­ but those who were sent to the Demon God¡¯s court were consumables who rarely lived more than a few years. ??


    So, the students did everything they could to secure a spot as a civil servant.


    Professor Lilith had plenty of connections in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but her influence waned when it came to demon kings. In fact, that was the greatest shoring of the Demon King Academy!


    Some stuff could only be acquired from the surface, and only demon kings had territories there. That was why connections with demon kings were highly coveted.


    On that topic, she had always wanted a sharp-eared maid as a pet too.


    Professor Lilith licked her lips as she looked at Roan with deep eyes.


    ¡°All right, I shan¡¯t tease you anymore. Your big sister hase to give you something.¡±


    ¡®Big sister¡­ This old monster sure knows how to tter herself,¡¯ Roan retorted.


    Professor Lilith flicked her slender finger, ripping open a pink slit in mid-air. An ancient, copper ring fell out from the pink slit andnded on Roan¡¯s pile of books.


    The ring was embedded with a crimson gem that emitted a mesmerizing glow reminiscent of a subus¡¯ eyes.


    Roan was startled. His breathing hastened.


    ¡°A Gold-tier magic ring?!¡±


    His unfortunately low mana capacity meant that he, despite being a necromancer, could only use a small handful of spells. So, he considered alternative measures, such as using scrolls or magic tools as mediums topensate for hiscking mana.


    Regrettably, it took a tinum-tier expert to create a Gold-tier scroll or magic tool.


    He was only a Copper-tier necromancer. The Iron-tier magic scrolls he made weren¡¯t exactly useless, but it would be a stretch to say that they were useful too.


    As for magic tools that could be used multiple times or even serve as a wand substitute, those cost ten to twenty times more than magic scrolls to make!


    Roan had to be thrifty just to survive with that bit of living expense he had. He had no money to squander on such luxuries.


    Seeing Roan¡¯s reddened, excited face, Professor Lilith felt gleeful yet annoyed. She flicked his nose and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you little rascal! It¡¯s called ¡®Soul Siphoner¡¯. It¡¯ll help you keep your head up on the distant border. If anyone bullies you, use this Gold-tier magic tool to <em>slurp</em> up that fool¡¯s soul.¡±


    With that, Professor Lilithzily returned to her office.


    As Roan had thought, she had intentionally bumped into him. With his strength, he would never be able to knock her down even if he ran down the stairs, let alone injure her.


    But looking at the Gold-tier ring, he still felt a tinge of respect for Professor Lilith.


    ¡®She found out about Principal Evan¡¯s rmendation letter so quickly. Her means are not to be underestimated¡­¡¯


    Roan intentionally walked over to Professor Enos¡¯ office door and stopped outside. He waited for a while, but the door remained firmly closed.


    In the end, he left in disappointment.


    ¡­


    The Demon King Academy¡¯s dormitory was a five-storeyed mansion not far from the West Tower.


    By modern architectural standards, this old mansion was no different from the haunted mansions in movies.


    There were gargoyle sculptures at the entrance, and the housekeepers were lower demons. Maneating flowers and vines grew in the garden and on the walls respectively, though they, fortunately, hadn¡¯t grown to the extent where they could devour a human yet.


    The paintings hanging in the corridors could move like the Demon Capital¡¯s newspaper, but their range of movements wasn¡¯t just limited to portraits but the washroom mirrors too.


    While Roan was washing his face, he spotted ady in a white dress who had her both eyes gouged out.


    ¡°Good evening to you, Madam Susanna.¡±


    She was said to be a human seer who prophesied a king¡¯s death, only for a loyal fief lord to dig out her eyes and hang her to death for lese majesty.


    She waster reanimated as a banshee during a war between hell and the surface and killed the fief lord who hung her to death and the king he was loyal to, thus fulfilling the prophecy she had made.


    Later, she was nearly vanquished during a battle when a Saint Sisto Church¡¯s priest sted her with Holy Light.


    She was now weaker than ordinary specters, with only a sliver of her soul left, and that confined her to the ¡®wheelchair¡¯ that the principal had constructed for her¡ªthe oil paintings and mirrors of the Demon King Academy¡¯s dormitory.


    Initially, Roan would be startled each time these ghosts appeared, but he slowly grew ustomed to them over time. He even started greeting them.


    Madam Susanna paused for a while before letting out a long sigh. ¡°Evenings should be when the sun sets and the moon rises¡­¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t there no sun in hell?¡± Roan wiped off the water on his face as he casually replied.


    The woman in the mirror fell silent. Crimson blood streaks slowly flowed from her gouged eyes.


    She looked terrifying, but it paled inparison to Professor Enos¡¯ intimidating re. Roan could only give her 50 points at most.


    However, Madam Susanna didn¡¯t mean to scare him. She was reminiscing the past.


    ¡°Ah¡­ How I wish to see it once more.¡±


    She sighed sorrowfully before drifting away from the male washroom¡¯s mirror.


    ¡­


    The sr cycle didn¡¯t exist in hell.


    Most demons didn¡¯t observe the same sleeping pattern as humans. Some slept for consecutive days, whereas some chose not to sleep altogether.


    As for the undead, they didn¡¯t need rest at all.


    It was at the insistence of Principal Evan Krueger and other obstinate old fools who came from the surface that the first Demon God installed a humongous purple crystal chandelier above the Demon Capital and used theva¡¯s heat to power the mana formation. Its purple light imitated the surface¡¯s sr cycle.


    The chandelier was rumored to be stolen from the dwarves¡¯ castle. The dwarves were still holding a grudge over this to this day.


    Day and night were inversed here. The purple moonlight outside the window had gone out, marking night for the demons.


    Sitting by the window, Roan pondered hard before deciding to write a letter to his priest and foster father, Jeffrey. He wrote down everything that happened, emphasizing that he would soon be heading to an extremely dangerous demon king domain that had lost its core.


    He didn¡¯t jot down his encounter with the subus.


    While he was thankful to Professor Lilith for her gift, Father Jeffrey Marte hated subus. It was a wonder what he had been through in his younger years.


    ¡°¡­Esteemed Father Jeffrey, I¡¯m grateful you took the time to read my letter. On the side note, I have used up my living expenses¡­¡±


    Part-time work part-time study was not a concept that existed in hell, and there were also no jobs here to give out flyers, deliver food, or send mail. He could work for the professors, but that was rarely a good idea for humans.


    Thew was thew, but staying together with Diamond-tier demons for a prolonged period was just an ident waiting to happen.


    Roan also didn¡¯t want to be a wastrel who demanded money from his foster father, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn¡¯t nning to lower himself to Professor Lilith, and Professor Enos wasn¡¯t an option too.


    After writing his letter, he folded it and ced it in a thumb-sized copper tube. He reached for the bell on his windowsill and pressed it.


    <em>Ding dong!</em>


    A bat as big as a poodlended on the windowsill. It eyed Roan with ck beady eyes as it coolly stretched out its right leg.


    Roan ced the copper tube into the leather bag on its right leg. ¡°Send this to Father Jeffrey Marte of Demon Capital West District¡¯s Ferocious Ghost Street 104¡¯s church.¡±


    The bat squeaked in response before swooping off toward the dull sky like a released arrow.


    Roan watched the bat disappear in the darkness before returning to the oakwood table ced beside his bed. He looked at the huge stack of books there and remarked with a sigh, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my three years of study toe to an end so soon¡­¡±


    ¡®A Copper-tier demon king. I hope the heroes whoe after me don¡¯t burst intoughter.¡¯


    To avoid dying in vain, Roan pepped himself up and picked up Isaac the Fourth¡¯s diary together with Principal Evan¡¯s journal filled with his insights from many years of research.


    It was unlikely that he could decipher the secrets that had stumbled Principal Evan for decades any time soon, but understanding the history of the world could help him better integrate into the surface world.


    So, he simultaneously flipped open the two books to study them side by side, only to freeze up when he saw the first page of Isaac the Fourth¡¯s diary.


    ¡¾Ors Year 77 Month 12 Day 12, my two older brothers were killed by the assassins they dispatched to each other. My father was on the frontlines when he learned about it. He was so infuriated that he spurted blood and died shortly after. It was while lying on the duchess¡¯ bed that I learned that I am the only sessor to the Lyon Kingdom¡­ My servantmented that the kingdom was doomed. Coincidentally, I thought the same too.¡¿


    ¡¾It has been 24 years since I came to this world. I never thought something this ridiculous would happen to me. Rather than managing a massive empire, I¡¯d rather do what transmigrators do, such as having a lover¡¯s squabble with my ravishing duchess wife or experimenting with different fragrances and soaps to conceal my body odor¡­¡¿


    ¡¾Haa, there¡¯s no point grumbling about it now. The least I can do is to make sure that the people know that the Lyon Kingdom¡¯s downfall is not just because it has a yboy king, and that everyone here has a problem¡­ So, I decided to start writing this diary.¡¿


    ¡¾Hmm¡­ It¡¯ll be troublesome if the indigenous poption sees this diary, so I¡¯ll write in my mother tongue for now. This way, I can revise the details as I deem fit if I ever decide to publish this diary. Hehehe!¡¿


    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t these Han characters?¡±


    ¡®Wait¡­ the so-called cryptography is Han characters?!¡¯


    Roan shot to his feet so fast that his chair plopped to the ground.


    ¡°Holy shit¡ª!¡±


    ¡®Isaac the Fourth is a fellow transmigrator?!¡¯

 Chapter 4: Let The World Feel Pain!

    In a church located in the Demon Capital West District¡¯s Ferocious Ghost Street, a shadow priest wearing ck garbs and a man dressed in fineries sat together on a long bench in the chapel.


    Worshipers entering and leaving the chapel couldn¡¯t help but nce at the man dressed in fineries. His face, which looked like it had been meticulously sculpted, stood out too much.


    Only vampires and subuses would have such looks in hell.


    Considering how the shadow priest despised subuses, it was not hard to deduce the man¡¯s identity.


    ¡°How has he been?¡±


    ¡°So-so¡­ How well can an ¡®orphan¡¯ fare? Esteemed Mister Lockser, I¡¯m sure you can imagine it. That¡¯s where demon kings are nurtured.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s strict there¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. Most students there are high demons from eminent ns, like you. A ¡®pureblooded¡¯ human like him has to tread carefully to avoid bing the prey of other demons while attending sses.¡±


    Faced with the shadow priest¡¯s criticism, Lockser Clint looked a little ufortable. He reflexively tried to find excuses for his irresponsibility.¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t think that he would walk this path. It would have been better if he became a clergyman serving His Majesty Demon God like Tiffany¡­¡±


    Lockser sensed a murderous gaze and shuddered. He instinctively cut his words short.


    He struggled to keep his head up before this shadow priest despite being an an eminent vampire duke. It had nothing to do with his strength or standing, but that this old shadow priest was the foster father of his deceased lover.


    In other words, his father-inw.


    When his lover was dying of an ailment that couldn¡¯t be treated by magic, he thick-skinnedly pleaded with his father-inw to take in the crystallization of him and his lover¡ªRoan.


    Having an illegitimate child wasn¡¯t honorable in hell either, especially one with a clergyman.


    But he had no choice either.


    Being born in an eminent n like the Clints came with great responsibility. His hands were often tied, even when it came to his personal affairs.


    The n patriarch and elders wouldn¡¯t allow an illegitimate child to dilute the Clints¡¯ noble bloodline. No one in hell was more obsessed with bloodline purity than the vampires.


    Shortly after Tiffany¡¯s death, Lockser¡¯s father coerced him to marry the eldest daughter of a branch family. The two of them had a son and a daughter together.


    ¡°You wanted him to be a clergyman? Hahaha! You must think of His Majesty Demon God¡¯s church as an orphanage for you people¡¯s illegitimate children!¡± Jeffrey scoffed before letting out a sigh.


    He looked down on Lockser from the bottom of his heart, but he didn¡¯t want to be too harsh on thetter either¡­ There was no point saying anything now.


    He had already said what he must eighteen years ago, and he didn¡¯t want to repeat them again.


    There was a pause before the aged shadow priest continued, ¡°Roan¡­ is a hardworking child. He knows what he wants, and he will slowly work toward it. He even came up with his name. Since you have decided not to involve him with the Clints, I hope that you¡¯ll do what you say and not interfere with his life.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Lockser replied with a weak smile.


    He nced at the divine idol ced at the chapel¡¯s front with a hint of exhaustion and pride in his eyes.


    ¡°I was surprised. He¡¯s more hardworking and outstanding than I have thought. There¡¯s nothing he can do about his magic talent, but it¡¯s something to achieve perfect scores for all his papers for two straight years¡­ He might be more suited than me to be the next patriarch.¡±


    While vampires wouldn¡¯t die, that didn¡¯t mean that they would be the patriarch for life.


    At the turn of each century, the patriarch would hand the ¡®King¡¯ title, which symbolized the patriarch''s position to the next generation and join the Elder Council.


    However, this system meant that the Elder Council wielded tremendous power. Often, the incumbent patriarch would have no effective power in the first fifty years of his term, and he would be co-ruling with the Elder Council for thetter fifty years.


    And a weak patriarch like him might just end up as the Elder Council¡¯s chess piece for the entire hundred years of his term.


    Looking at the indecisive man before him, Jeffrey calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ll remind you again that you have promised not to involve him in the Clints¡¯ affairs.¡±


    Just then, a bat flew into the church andnded on the long bench.


    Jeffrey grabbed the copper tube attached to the bat¡¯s leg and retrieved the letter stuffed inside. Then, he stuffed a note in aspensation. He waited for the bat to fly off before unfurling the letter to read it.


    A smile formed on his lips.


    After he was done with the letter, he passed it to Lockser. ¡°It¡¯s your son¡¯s letter. I¡¯d read it out for you, but it¡¯d be better for you to read it yourself.¡±


    Lockser received the letter and carefully unfurled it.


    When he read that Roan had earned a Half God-tier lich¡¯s favor by volunteering to be a demon king, and that he was rmended to the Inner Circle to shoulder heavy responsibility, Lockser immediately shot to his feet¡­ but he quickly sat back down too.


    ¡°He has decided to be a demon king?!¡±


    ¡®My child¡­ is much braver than me.¡¯


    This left Lockser feeling ashamed, but at the same time, he was proud of his child.


    Jeffrey nodded with a smile. ¡°As you have seen, he is more outstanding than we think. He can do well without you and your n¡¯s support.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Lockser lowered his head in shame while clutching the letter.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Just quietly root for him from behind,¡± Jeffrey gently replied.


    Lockser was silent for a long while before suddenly gritting his teeth. He took off the ring he wore on his forefinger and said, ¡°Please pass this to him on my behalf.¡±


    This ring might not be a formidable magic tool, but forged from expensive mythril and blood crystal, it could easily fetch five to six million kyrats.


    Lockser, as the next patriarch, lived in abundance, but he didn¡¯t have much spare money on hand as his father and his legitimate wife were keeping an eye on his expenses. The little bit of money he could squeeze out each month was all sent to this church.


    Jeffrey pushed Lockser¡¯s ring back and shook his head, saying, ¡°It won¡¯t be good for you or him if the Clints¡¯ ring appears on the hand of an eighteen-year-old boy. Not only are you not helping him, but it might draw unwanted attention to him too.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Jeffrey stopped Lockser with a raise of his hand before continuing with aposed voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t hand him all the money you sent each month; I saved it on his behalf. There should be two million in his ount now. Now that he¡¯s eighteen and is about to take over a demon king domain, it¡¯s time for this money to be put to good use.¡±


    Lockser was first startled, but he soon trembled in excitement. He hadn¡¯t expected his father-inw to do so much for Roan.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Lockser earnestly thanked Jeffrey.


    Jeffrey smiled. He turned to the divine idol and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. He¡¯s my grandson too.¡±


    ¡­


    The following day, the purple chandelier above the Demon Capital lit up punctually as usual, casting gentle moonlight on the sleeping city.


    To the demons of hell, ¡®moonrise¡¯ represented the start of a new day.


    But what woke Roan from his sleep wasn¡¯t the moonlight shining on his table¡¯s edge but the knocking on his door.


    ¡°Roan, are you awake? It¡¯s going to be the graduation ceremony soon. I¡¯m heading to the canteen first. Do you want toe along?¡±


    It was Egor.


    As one of Roan¡¯s few friends in Year 3 ss 2, the two of them would sometimes head to ss together.


    Roan shook his groggy head before propping himself off the ground.


    ¡°Give me a second, I¡¯ll be¡ªForget it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be done anytime soon. You should head there first. I¡¯lle right after.¡±


    Roan saw his room¡¯s messy state and changed his words halfway through.


    Egor was perplexed, but he didn¡¯t think too much about it. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll head there first.¡±


    As the sound of Egor¡¯s footsteps faded in the distance, Roan heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly got up to tidy up his messy room.


    He was so engrossed in studying his fellow transmigrator¡¯s diaryst night that he fell asleep on the floor, but thanks to that, he managed to finish the book.


    The diary¡¯s content was fairly interesting. It might make him some decent money if he could bring it back to his old world and publish it on a website called NovelBin. He even came up with a name for the book¡ª¡¶This Otherworld Is Too Real¡·!


    ¡®Maybe it can even climb up the monthly tickets ranking?¡¯


    The only problem was that this diary was written <em>exactly</em> like a diary. It was written from Isaac the Fourth¡¯s perspective as someone from the modern world, so it was filled withints about the otherworld¡¯s primitive culture and economy.


    For instance, the noblewomen didn¡¯t have the habit of bathing, and just their body odors nearly knocked him out during banquets.


    There were also no cisterns in the pce toilet for flushing, and one had to be guarded against assassins hiding under the toilet while doing their business¡­ and that was how one of Isaac the Fourth¡¯s brothers got done in.


    Simrly, there were also no light bulbs, smartphones, and inte here¡­


    In gist, they were mundaneints.


    But the diary was also not allints. Isaac the Fourth had brought in his knowledge as a transmigrator to resolve these problems.


    For instance, he revised the water supplywork and sewage system of Lyon Kingdom¡¯s capital. He also invented the printing press, steam engine, and fertilizers. If he had been given another twenty years, he might have started an industrial revolution.


    If the diary¡¯s content was true, Isaac the Fourth was, in no way, ipetent. From that angle, his title as ¡®Ipetent King¡¯ looked more like defamation attempts by those whose interests were threatened by him.


    The diary didn¡¯t mention what happened after the revolution, but it was recorded in ¡¶Ors Empire Annals¡· that Isaac the Fourth had faced divine retribution formitting sphemy. Saint Sisto had personally issued a divine edict to emunicate him.


    Shortly after, the isted Isaac the Fourth and his supporters came under the Ors Empire¡¯s attack.


    The advancements propagated by Isaac the Fourth persisted, but the Isaac Dynasty was destroyed in war. All that was left was the victors¡¯ testimony.


    A thousand years had passed since, and the Lyon Kingdom was currently in its third dynasty.


    Roan was left with many questions about this piece of history.


    Principal Evan mentioned that Isaac the Fourth wielded powersparable to the gods at his peak, and the Isaac Dynasty was a powerful nation too. It was hard to believe that they would crumble to a single divine edict.


    And how did Isaac the Fourthmit sphemy? Did he do something that rmed the gods?


    It was a pity that the diary didn¡¯t have the answers to what Roan was curious about. It abruptly halted after detailing Isaac the Fourth¡¯s production of steam engine.


    Nearing the end of his diary, Isaac the Fourth mentioned in passing that he was not suited for learning magic. The elements were averse to him as if he had insulted their mother, so he was destined to remain at Copper-tier till the day he died.


    This passage showed that Isaac the Fourth was at Copper-tier when he wrote this diary, and it was through mortal means that he won the adtions of his fellow mortals.


    It was probably many yearster, after he instituted a series of reforms for the Lyon Kingdom, that he obtained power rivaling the gods.


    Roan couldn¡¯t care less about steam engines and the sort. Someone who had been through nine years ofpulsory education like him wouldn¡¯t be amazed by those things.


    He was more interested to know how Isaac the Fourth overcame his Copper-tier bottleneck and rise to the ranks of the gods¡­


    But that was absent in the diary!


    ¡®Maybe that piece of information has been destroyed. Isaac the Fourth didn¡¯t publish his diary in the end¡­ Did he not want to, or was he unable to? Or is there something deeper behind this?¡¯


    Roan took a quick nce at Principal Evan¡¯s research journal.


    ¡®Well, he¡¯s notpletely off¡­ At least he got the punctuations right. I should keep this journal. It contains a Half God-tier lich¡¯s insights, after all. It might prove to be useful if I ever reach Half God or Master.¡¯


    Roan sighed inmentation. He was about to close the diary and retire for the night when he spotted a few lines of words on its final page.


    ¡¾I don¡¯t think my transmigration is a coincidence. Someone else wille to this world in the same way after me¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should tell you the reason or whether you¡¯ll get to see this diary if I wrote it down here.¡¿


    ¡¾You¡¯ll most certainly be able to read this book and guess my identity if you¡¯re my brethren¡­ and you¡¯ll also face the same dilemma as me in the future. I pray that if that dayes, you will understand your mission even without my interference.¡¿


    ¡¾Also, I prepared a special gift to wee you. It¡¯s the final item I left in this world, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it!¡¿


    These words were vastly different from the ones before, be it the calligraph or the ink quality. Isaac the Fourth likely added them in the heat of a moment many years after he wrote this diary.


    He detailed the method to im the ¡®special gift¡¯ at the bottom of the message.


    It was a Copper-tier magic ritual.


    It didn¡¯t require a huge amount of psyche and mana, so Roan could still barely pull it off. The only problematic requirement was that one needed a relic containing Isaac the Fourth¡¯s aura.


    But the ne he had received from Principal Evan satisfied that requirement!


    Roan¡¯s drowsiness vanished.


    With an excited heart, he spent an hour drawing a magic formation with a mana chalk. He ced the ne at the center of the formation before reading out the incantation, which, for some reason, was written in hanyu pinyin.


    ¡°Loyalty¡ªstrike the bell of grandness!


    ¡°Sincerity¡ªfire the valves of the zing furnace!


    ¡°Billow¡ªlet the water of purity dance to life!


    ¡°Praise¡ªthe great Machine God!¡±


    ¡®Hm? The Machine God?¡¯


    Upon reading the final syble, Roan saw a sh of white light before cking out.


    It was already the following morning when he opened his eyes once more.


    He propped himself up from the floor, feeling a sharp pain at the back of his head as if he was suffering from a hangover.


    This was his first time encountering this. He wasn¡¯t sure if his headache was caused by him lying on the hard ground for the night or his mana being drained by the magic formation.


    ¡°My mana¡­ didn¡¯t decrease. Is the magic formation powered by something other than mana?¡±


    Roan couldn¡¯t find anything that could be called ¡®special gift¡¯ either, and that left him wondering if he had been fooled.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    While he was wiping off the magic formation and tidying up the room, a very important question surfaced in his mind.


    ¡°¡­Where¡¯s the ne?¡±


    Roan anxiously scoured the room, even pulling open the innocent drawers of his study table and emptying their contents, but the ne was nowhere to be found.


    ¡®It¡¯s gone?¡¯


    Roan¡¯s face slowly darkened.


    ¡®I wonder if Principal Evan will die of anger a second time if he learns that I lost his antique on the very day he gave it to me¡­ Should I spill the truth and tell him that the ¡®encrypted words¡¯ in the diary are anguage from another world, and Isaac the Fourth is a transmigrator like me¡­¡¯


    ¡°No¡­ That won¡¯t work.¡±


    Roan¡¯s forehead was slick with sweat. It would have been easier for him to tell that old monster that he had lost his ne.


    ¡°I need to calm down first.¡±


    He took a deep breath topose himself before thinking things through.


    It was then he noticed that something was amiss in his psyche. Something he had never seen before was hiding in a thin, veil-like mist.


    ording to the textbook, the thin mist was the manifestation of his psyche or soul.


    He had never heard of a ritual that could change the form of one¡¯s essence!


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Nervous but curious, Roan carefully approached the thin veil. The deeper he ventured into his psyche, the more convinced he became that something was hiding in there.


    ¡®Could it be the ne? No¡­ things aren¡¯t that simple!¡¯


    When his consciousness arrived at the center of his psyche, he discovered a stone monument. He stiffened up as he read the words on the stone monument.


    ¡¾¡¯Cmity¡¯ has been installed! Let this foolish world burn!¡¿


    ¡¾¡ªBy the Supreme Machine God Linte Isaac.¡¿

 Chapter 5: ‘Calamity Online’, Coming Soon!

    In an ordinary bedroom on Earth, a 14-inch OLED screen emanated a light reminiscent of the magic formation, lighting up a pair of square, rimless sses.


    A highly myopic youth sat in front of hisputer, intently browsing through the mysterious webpage he had essed via an unknown source.


    He was Zhao Jinyan, an average high schooler.


    If one had to point out anything special about him, it would be that his stature was slightly shorter, his sses were slightly thicker, and his personality was slightly introverted.


    But that was not how he had always been. He, too, had his peak.


    Ten years ago, when he was in primary school, his peers used to respectfully call him ¡®Brother Zhao¡¯, but that nickname quickly turned into ¡®Little Jinyan¡¯ when he advanced to middle school, and whatever nicknames he had afterward were not worth mentioning.


    Anyway, he had had enough of the trashy game called ¡¶Real Life OL¡·.


    While he was idling away on the inte with such thoughts, he encountered a suspicious ad.


    ¡¾¡­The world¡¯s first full-immersion, virtual reality online game will be entering closed beta soon! Do you want to start a new life in another world? Join us now!¡¿¡¾¡¯Cmity Online¡¯ ising!¡¿


    ¡¾Official site: NNN.XXX¡­X.ysj¡¿


    ¡®I have never seen this domain name before. It doesn¡¯t even start with ¡­ Is it a private server?¡¯


    Despite the dubious domain name, Zhao Jinyan, perhaps out of faith in his plug-pulling speed andputer-rebooting skills, clicked the hyperlink.


    ¡®What if it¡¯s true? It will be cool to see how realistic a so-called full-immersion, virtual reality game is.¡¯


    Zhao Jinyan didn¡¯t know what had truly moved him was the ad¡¯s next line¡ª<em>¡¯Do you want to start a new life in another world?¡¯</em>


    ¡¾Fleetingpast¡¿


    Zhao Jinyan registered under this username before rapidly scrolling down the webpage to examine the details. Yet, there was no game demo or advertisement video at all.


    ¡®Closed beta my ass. I bet they haven¡¯t begun development yet!¡¯


    Speechless, he tapped on the official forum page and quickly realized that he wasn¡¯t the only one hooked by the ad. Many people wereining on the forum.


    Tourist666: ¡°What kind of game is this? Where¡¯s the game?¡±


    Freenezy: ¡°There¡¯s nothing except for a dogshit site!¡±


    Dontarguewithfools: ¡°Oi! Where¡¯s the developer? Say something!¡±


    Developer: ¡°Hey everyone, I am the developer. Our development has stalled due to our team members quitting. We urgently need money to continue development. Please send 5000 yuan to ount number XXX. I¡¯ll take you in as my godson and make you the crown prince once I build a country out of my army of 100,000 terracotta soldiers!¡±


    ¡¾PSA: ount ¡®Developer¡¯ has been silenced for 6666 days. The forum administrator once again reminds yers not to fall for such scams and privately send money to other yers¡­¡¿


    ¡°Woah, there¡¯s an administrator here?¡±


    ¡°Hold on, that fellow is just meme-ing! Isn¡¯t a ban too much?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a problem with his ount name. Bro, you should create a new ount under another username.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhao Jinyan didn¡¯t expect a game with a dubious domain name and without a demo to attract so many people. New posts popped out every minute, and they didn¡¯t look like they were from bots.


    ¡®Maybe everyone has time to spare.¡¯


    He suspected that it could just be the initial hype. The crowd would likely disperse if there was still nothing concrete after a few days.


    Everything he wanted to grumble about had already been grumbled, so he didn¡¯t bother posting anything. Instead, he went to browse the official site¡¯s game setting.


    ¡¾In the distant First Epoch, the mortals of the Ors Continent created divine personas with the power of faith and sealed off the orderless transcendent powers. This started the era of legends.¡¿


    ¡¾In the era of legends, be it light, dark, life, death, or the elements, these transcendent powers belonged equally to every mortal. Gods diligently governed their jurisdictions, and mortals sang praises about their work.¡¿


    ¡¾But secr greed eventually brought the downfall of this great era. The surface believers desired the gods they served to be the greatest, and the ambitious nobles and kings stoked those ideas.¡¿


    ¡¾The Ors Empire was the first to shatter the bnce.¡¿


    ¡¾Under Saint Sisto¡¯s protection, the god-ordained emperor swept the continent with his cavalry, crushing everyone who stood in his path.¡¿


    ¡¾The Netherworld God was the first to fall. His demise eroded the equality of death and reincarnation, and with that came the birth of noble souls that were intrinsically superior to others.¡¿


    ¡¾The Elemental God who governed the elements was the next. With their divine personas shattered, they roamed the world as mindless souls. ¡¿


    ¡¾Saint Sisto, who governed light, and his allies siphoned the fallen gods¡¯ powers to forge new divine personas. The authorities that mortals previously used to restrain transcendent powers became shackles binding all living and deceased beings instead.¡¿


    Zhao Jinyan read the background from the start to the end. There were so many things to retort that he didn¡¯t know where to start.


    ¡®What should I say? It¡¯s a standard setting. A clear antagonist with a clear conflict of interest. The main storyline might be worth looking forward to if the writer ispetent.¡¯


    But that came with obvious downsides.


    The gaming market had advanced beyond the era of ¡®good vs evil¡¯ and ¡®hero vs dragon¡¯; there was nock of creative themes in games now, be it consoles, PCs, or mobile.


    In his opinion, this game¡¯s setting paled inparison to the hottest RPGs in the market now.


    Unless the developer could pull off a full-immersion, virtual reality game.


    But was that possible?


    ¡®The talk about full-immersion virtual reality is probably the developer trying to hype things up. It¡¯s a cruel world we live in. A single misstep leads to one being fed shit.¡¯


    The developers only had to focus on selling the game out, but the gamers had much more to consider.


    Zhao Jinyan threw a chip into his mouth while tapping his forefinger on the table. His conclusion was¡­


    ¡°Feels like it won¡¯t be as good as G*nshin¡­¡±


    ¡®I hope the real game surprises me.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Roan¡­ Roan¡­ Wake up! The graduation ceremony is starting.¡±


    ¡®Uhh¡­ huh?¡¯


    rity slowly returned to Roan¡¯s eyes, but confusion continued to linger on his face.


    An hour had passed since Egor knocked on his door to wake him up.


    He had already washed up, changed into the formal clothes ced in his wardrobe¡¯s corner, and was now standing in the square in front of the Demon King Academy¡¯s assembly hall.


    His body was here, but his soul was still grappling with the shock he had suffered an hour back.


    ¡®What the hell is the ¡®Cmity¡¯ system and the Machine God?¡¯


    He had lived in this world for eighteen years, but he had never heard about those terms!


    Also, there was the ¡¶Cmity OL¡· game, the forum projected on the stone monument in his mind, and the information about the First Epoch and the Second Epoch on the official website¡­


    It felt too real to be a dream, but it was different from what he had heard in the eighteen years he had spent in this world.


    There was too much to process that he didn¡¯t know where to start from.


    Roan took a deep breath before attempting to organize his thoughts.


    ¡®First of all, Linte Isaac. Unlike Principal Evan¡¯s spection, I suspect he¡¯s not just at Half God-tier. He has stepped into the domain of the gods, forging a divine persona as a mortal!¡¯


    There were no records to support that im, but Roan, after looking into the ¡®Cmity¡¯ system, became firmly convinced about that for a simple reason.


    This system was linked to his old world Earth¡¯s inte!!!


    He had logged into ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s main website through the stone monument in his mind and saw a bunch of warm-heartedizensmenting on the forums.


    That was the only site he could visit right now, and he could only see but not post anything, but he was still excited to see his mother tongue after eighteen years.


    By touching the runes on the stone monument, he could see his character profile page and tab over to the game administration page. However, he couldn¡¯t test his ¡®GM¡¯ privileges yet because the yer count was still 0.


    He would have to slowly figure out what was the use of yers.


    The system had an important stat called ¡®Faith¡¯. He could deplete his faith to raise his soul tier without any side effects.


    Soul academics in hell theorized that a person¡¯s soul tier determined the upper limit of the transcendent powers they could wield.


    There were ways to raise one¡¯s soul tier, such as by undergoing demonification or undead transformation, but these unorthodox means had huge side effects.


    The most ssic example of that was a person gradually losing their mind or turning into another person after infusing too many things into their soul.


    To raise one¡¯s soul tier without suffering side effects¡­ only gods could achieve that feat!


    While he was worried about Linte Isaac¡¯s psychological state, this system looked to be beneficial to him. Through it, he saw hope of oveing his bottleneck!


    Meanwhile, Egor frowned worriedly when he saw Roan falling into a daze right after waking up. He waved his hand in front of thetter as he called out, ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡±


    Roan was first taken aback by the waving before snapping back to reality. He quickly replied with a smile, ¡°Me? Haha, I¡¯m fine. I was just thinking about something.¡±


    He was so caught up in exploring his mental world that he nearly forgot that he was still in the Demon Capital! This was a ce filled with high demons. A smallpse in attention was all they needed to get to him.


    ¡®Lucky it¡¯s Egor beside me. No¡­ I need to be wary of this fellow too!¡¯


    Egor, oblivious to Roan¡¯s sudden heightened vignce, was relieved to see him perking up.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re fine¡­ I thought Senior Meykil or Senior Mia did something to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that easy.¡±


    He ended the topic with a bright smile before turning to the eerie castle before him.


    That was the Demon King Academy¡¯s assembly hall, where the graduation ceremony was going to be held. There were fighting marks on the castle¡¯s battlements, said to be from centuries ago when this castle was still a fortress.


    The entrance to the castle was a huge pair of ck iron gates with ferocious sculptures and chilling runes inscribed on them.


    Vicious gargoyles and armored duhans stood by the pavement, keeping a close eye on everyone entering the ancient castle. It looked like they coulde to life at any moment to rip apart those who didn¡¯t follow the rules.


    Forbidding and frightening¡ªthese two words were often used to describe this castle.


    Roan usually kept his distance from this ce.


    It was neither because of the eerie atmosphere nor the lifelike sculptures, but because what flowed in their ponds and fountains wasva!


    ¡®Which smart-ass thought decided to pourva into the ponds and fountains?¡¯


    He had been annoyed about this since the first day of school¡­ though it looked like he was the only one annoyed about it.


    A huge crowd was gathered in the square.


    Other than the fourth and third-year students, who were participating in the graduation ceremony, many first and second-year students hade to join themotion and see their seniors off to the frontlines.


    The bell was struck on the dot, and the castle gates creaked open.


    ¡°Senior, we should go now,¡± Egor reminded Roan when he saw thetter rooted to the ground.


    ¡°I know¡­ Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine,¡± Roan replied as he took out a crystal sphere and aimed it at the castle in front.


    That was a recording crystal. It was more convenient than cameras, capable of recording anything reflected in the crystal once infused with mana.


    Egor directed a perplexed look at Roan, but he didn¡¯t say anything much about it.


    It was normal for him to want to snap a photo tomemorate his once-in-a-lifetime graduation from the Demon King Academy. Other demons around them were also doing something simr.


    Little did Egor know Roan wasn¡¯t doing this tomemorate the asion. He was working on the beginner mission he had received from the ¡®Cmity¡¯ system.


    ¡¾Mission: Film a game promotional video and upload it.¡¿


    ¡¾Reward: From 1 to 100 closed beta slots, depending on the promotional video¡¯s quality.¡¿


    Roan had no idea what the video¡¯s criteria were, but a parade filled with demons should make a cool video!

 Chapter 6: Graduation Ceremony!

    The demons entered the castle based on their seniority.


    When Roan, holding a recording crystal in hand, stepped into the assembly hall, he took a quick look around and spotted many fourth-year seniors whom he rarely met.


    The fourth-year seniorsmanded a disposition different from the first, second, and third-year amateur demons. They were stronger, more ferocious, more scheming¡­ and overall, their aura was just much more up there.


    Perhaps sensing his wandering gaze, a junior subus wearing clothes that covered less surface area than a bikini suddenly turned around, raised her chin, and looked at him with eyes so cold that she could have been looking at a bug instead.


    Roan turned away and switched off his recording crystal in a fluster.


    ¡®A two-minute video should be enough, or else I¡¯m going to run out of mana.¡¯


    While Roan was distracted, the other students of the Demon King Academy got into positions. Professor Lilith, Professor Enos, and the others arrived too.


    Soon, the assembly hall was jam-packed with demon students and professors.


    ¡°Silence,¡± a solemn voice reverberated from above.The noisy assembly hall immediately fell silent, and all demons turned to the podium.


    Under the watch of countless eyes, Principal Evan Krueger slowly drifted up to the podium and began hismencement speech.


    In gist, he thanked the professors for their hard work,plimented the students for their outstanding performance, and expressed the high hopes he harbored for the students when they finally joined the workforce.


    This thousand-year-old monster¡¯s voice was amicable but powerful as if he wasn¡¯t giving a speech in an academy but in the frontlines of a battlefield.


    ¡°¡­You are the pride of hell and His Majesty Demon God! Put what you have learned from your sses on the battlefield and plunge our enemies into terror and despair! A day wille when we return to the surface, cleanse ourselves of the humiliation we suffered a thousand years ago, and restore hell¡¯s honor!¡±


    The old man¡¯s impassioned speech was unlike a principal''s, but this was how hell rolled. The demons gathered in the assembly hall were feeling all revved up.


    The next one to take the stage was Vice Principal Doreen Weber.


    A noblewoman who gave off an air of mncholy stepped into the assembly hall, and the castle¡¯s temperature immediately plummeted several degrees. Some of the ifrits became visibly smaller.


    Vice Principal Doreen Weber was a mncholia, rumored to be from the extreme north.


    A thousand years ago, the mncholias migrated into the underworld together with the Netherworld Faction¡­ It was a wonder how they survived in this searing hot ce.


    Vice Principal Doreen¡¯s voice was soft and ethereal, filled with yearning like a sorrowful night tune. Unsurprisingly, it poured cold water over the atmosphere that Principal Evan had heated with his earlier speech.


    ¡°My beloved children, especially the third-year rascals, I¡¯m apologetic that I¡¯m unable to provide you with aplete academy experience as an elder¡­¡±


    There were rumors that Vice Principal Doreen had arguments with Principal Evan regarding the mobilization of the third-year students.


    The mobilization of the third-year students during this time of emergency felt more like a show than anything else. Most students here wouldn¡¯t be going to the frontlines anyway.


    Roan noticed Mia, one of his ssmates, yawning out of boredom. She must have already settled her post-graduation n.


    The same went for Lumi too. That dumb furiataur was fiddling with his peculiarly-shaped fingers again.


    Meykil was exhaling toward an ifrit like before, but it was because the assembly hall was freezing due to Vice Principal Doreen¡¯s cold aura. That annoyed the ifrit, who was already feeling ufortable, so he turned around and pummeled Meykil.


    While Roan¡¯s attention was wandering, a voice echoed in his ears, ¡°Dear, you don¡¯t want to go to the frontlines too, right?¡±


    The warm breath against his ear shocked Roan. He quickly turned around and found himself faced with Mia¡¯s mischievous smile.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mia wasn¡¯t discouraged by Roan¡¯s vignt look. Instead, that stoked her desire to conquer him.


    ¡°I browsed through your records and learned that you live in the divine temple. Is that real? Are your parents clergymen?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The Demon King Academy is a ce demon kings are nurtured, but demon kings don¡¯t live a long life. A few unlucky fellows are put in those positions each year. I wonder who will it be this year.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°A third-rate mage like you won¡¯t survive more than two days on the battlefield, but I happen to have some connections to reassign you from the battlefield into a civil servant role.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You can share an office with me~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Roan¡¯s unresponsiveness made Mia¡¯s face twitch. Her bright smile gradually crumbled.


    ¡®Hmph, he might have good self-control, but that¡¯s useless on the battlefield. I heard surface knights are not only ugly but also prone to jealousy. If they see your dashing face, they might lop off your head and hang it on the wall as decoration.¡¯


    ¡°Stop putting on airs. So what if you rue military achievements on the frontlines? Honor and glory are nothing before power. Even if you make outstanding contributions, the ultimate goal is still to be assigned back to the underworld¡­¡±


    Roan interjected her speech with a cough, ¡°I have already decided on my career. I joined this academy because I want to be a demon king.¡±


    Mia was bbergasted.


    Even Lumi, who was fiddling with his fingers, and the ifrit pummeling Meykil stopped what they were doing to stare at him in disbelief.


    ¡®He wants to be a demon king¡­ Is he out of his mind?!¡¯


    Egor silently shot him a thumbs up from the corner.


    ¡®As expected of senior. So dashing!¡¯


    Roan considered reciting some poetry to posture, but he dropped the idea and simply turned his eyes away when he remembered what happenedst night.


    But Mia didn¡¯t let him off just like that. She was so shocked that it looked as if she had swallowed a messenger bat whole.


    ¡°Are you m-m-mad?! Going to the frontlines as a demon king?! Do you know how humans torture demon kings?! If they capture you, they will tear your intestines out and force you to swallow them back in¡­¡±


    <em>Uweh!</em>


    ¡®Do the surface humans have such heavy tastes?!¡¯


    Roan nearly barfed when that gore imagery popped into his mind, but he pressed his lips together and held it in. If there was one other thing he learned from the Demon King Academy other than knowledge, it was holding things in.


    ¡°So? Are you afraid?¡±


    Roan took a step toward her, stared unflinchingly into her heart-shaped irises, and chuckled.


    ¡°Professor Enos said that fear is a type of faith. What do you have to fear as someone who worships His Majesty Demon God? Or have you offered your faith to someone else?¡±


    Mia¡¯s face turned pale, and she lowered her head in shame.


    It was not just her.


    Lumi, Meykil, and the other students who were secretly eyeing them looked ufortable too. These scions had their pride as well. They were living under their predecessors¡¯ shadow, but if given a chance, they would want to prove themselves worthy too.


    Roan, having spent three years with them, knew them too well.


    Not wanting to force Mia into a corner, he retreated a step, turned his gaze back to the podium, and saidposedly, ¡°My only faith is in His Majesty Demon God. I don¡¯t even fear Saint Sisto, let alone his knights.¡±


    He had nearly blurted out ¡®<em>I¡¯d fearlessly advance against an army of knights</em>¡¯, but it was too big of a boast that it made him cringe a little, so he decided to tone it down. At least his words were half true.


    ¡®Someone who dares buy a house in the Holy Capital wouldn¡¯t fear Saint Sisto¡¯s holy light.¡¯


    But his ssmates didn¡¯t know better, especially Egor, who quietly admired him from the crowd with tears brimming in his eyes.


    ¡®Uh? Something feels off. Forget it, I¡¯m about to graduate anyway.¡¯


    Not too far away, Principal Evan was busy bragging to the elegantly dressed Vampire King, Kaiser Clint.


    ¡°What do you think? He¡¯s a talent, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Kaiser Clint was the Clint House¡¯s patriarch and one of the six members of the Demon God¡¯s Inner Circle. He governed over military affairs, a sector that the Demon God paid a close eye to.


    He was the ex-student who had received Principal Evan¡¯s rmendation letter.


    The whisperings in the assembly hall were no secret to the two Half Gods, which meant to say that both of them had heard Roan¡¯s bragging loud and clear.


    Kaiser assessed the youth in the crowd with his sharp eyes. A long timeter, he finally nodded.


    ¡°A talent indeed.¡±


    ¡®He might only be at Bronze-tier, but he resisted a Silver-tier subus¡¯ seduction, as well as the temptation of beauty and power. That is evidence of his strong willpower.


    ¡®Unlike my useless son who fell in love with a mortal who offered her soul to the Demon God¡­ There is no way to extend the lifespan of someone like that. Even if I gather her soul together, there are no spells that can transform her into a lich or anything else.


    ¡®Never have our Clints had such a foolish lunatic before!¡¯


    The angrier he was at Lockser Clint, the more he admired the ordinaryd before him.


    ¡®But speaking of which, why does this child look so familiar?¡¯


    ¡°¡­Must be my imagination.¡±


    Kaiser eventually decided that he was overthinking it.


    Despite being a yboy in his younger days, he had no recollection of ever getting together with a human woman. He had tried centaurs, subuses, hell spiders, revemons, queen slimes¡­


    ¡®No, scrap thest one.¡¯


    Kaiser hurriedly shook off his thoughts, feeling like his dignity would crumble at this rate.


    Time ticked by.


    The graduation ceremony was finally nearing its conclusion. It was time for the civil servants from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to step in and do their work.


    Kaiser and Evan left the assembly hall to continue their chat somewhere else.


    Mia received an invitation for a civil servant post just as she had wanted, but for some reason, she wasn¡¯t happy about it. It was the same for Lumi and Meykil too.


    The only thing that came as a surprise to Roan was Egor¡­


    That shy, gentle youth had chosen to join the Ministry of War!


    While joining the Ministry of War didn¡¯t mean that one would step onto the battlefield, it was still a post closer to the battlefield than the others.


    Egor made his way to Roan with his appointment letter in hand. His eyes gleamed with conviction as he said, ¡°Senior, I spent thest night thinking things through and wrote another letter to my family. My family opposed me bing a demon king, but they let me join the Ministry of War for the time being. I hope that a dayes when I can lead reinforcements to your demon king domain and fight alongside you!¡±


    ¡®Bro¡­ can¡¯t you send someone more reliable if we evere to that point, like the Vampire King?¡¯


    Those were moving words, but Roan couldn¡¯t smile. He couldn¡¯t imagine how the warriors fighting on the frontlines would feel when they realized that their reinforcement was a useless Silver-tier incubus.


    Despite Roan¡¯sck of response, Egor ced his fist on his puffed-up chest and said, ¡°Your courage has moved me. I have decided to learn from your example and be a proud demon!¡±


    ¡°Good! I like your spirit.¡±


    Roan patted Egor¡¯s shoulder with a conflicted heart. Thetter was so motivated that it would fill him with guilt to crush thetter¡¯s morale, so he instead advised, ¡°If you ever encounter a knight, don¡¯t obstinately hold on and end up¡­ Just surrender if you are given a choice.¡±


    His surface brethren, based on Mia¡¯s ims, had a heavy taste. All of a sudden, he was no longer as excited about heading to the surface anymore.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be caught! Even if I¡¯m caught¡­ I-I won¡¯t submit!¡± Egor protested angrily.


    Roan nodded with a heartened smile and smacked Egor¡¯s unbudging shoulder with greater strength.


    ¡®Good, good. Remember this emotion. It might save your life during crucial moments.¡¯


    After sending off Egor, Roan bid farewell to his ssmates before finally making his way to one of the civil servants. It was a bespectacled gnome.


    Unlike goblins who could be seen everywhere, gnomes were an ¡®endangered species¡¯ in hell, and they were much more useful than humans.


    ¡°Mister Roan, the Inner Circle has decided to assign you to¡­ Ah, the previous demon king domain has been destroyed, so you¡¯ll have to nt a new domain core ande up with a new name for the demon king domain.¡±


    The gnome was exceptionally polite to Roan as he was chosen by the Inner Circle, though he was baffled as to why the Inner Circle would choose a Bronze-tier necromancer to handle this scaldingvastone.


    ¡®Maybe His Majesty Demon God has already given up on thatnd¡­¡¯


    Roan didn¡¯t hesitate to pick up the quill and write a name down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it Necropolis.¡±


    Being a naming cripple, it was beyond him toe up with something deep and meaningful. Besides, he was nning to lie low, so it was best for his domain name to be as low profile as possible.


    The gnome civil servant noted that the chosen domain name didn¡¯t conform to naming traditions, but he only hesitated for a second before stamping the document.


    ¡®Why does it matter? His Majesty Demon God is likely to have already given up on that piece ofnd, so it might be dissolved very soon.¡¯


    It didn¡¯t help that the demon king domain was located in Lyon Kingdom, the Tether Continent¡¯s home of knights. Even a Diamond-tier furiataur had died there.


    The gnome civil servant couldn¡¯t imagine how a Bronze-tier necromancer could survive there.

 Chapter 7: Mission Completed! Influx of Good Reviews?

    The official letter of appointment would be delivered the following day.


    After the graduation ceremony, Roan returned to his dormitory room and saw a messenger bat perched on his windowsill, striking the ss with its wing.


    He kicked off his shoes and rushed into the room to open the window. He retrieved the copper tube from the bat¡¯s feet and pulled out the letter inside.


    It was from Father Jeffrey.


    While expressing his care and concern, Jeffrey didn¡¯t neglect to jot down a bank ount number and its pin at the bottom of the letter.


    ¡¾¡­You are a child with initiative. I trust you have thought through your decision to be a Demon King, and I am proud of your decision. As for your living expenses, your father has left a sum of money for you. Now that you have graduated from the academy, it¡¯s time for me to pass the money on to you. You can use it however you deem fit.


    ¡ªFather Jeffrey.¡¿


    After reading the letter, Roan gratefully epted the bank ount number and its pin. He had no idea how much money was inside, but it should be enough tost him through the month.


    He would be able to earn a living from next month onward.¡®Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, will there be any ce for me to spend money on in my demon king domain?¡¯


    Roan reserved his skepticism about this.


    He wrote a reply letter with heartfelt gratitude, slipped it into the copper cylinder, and tied the copper cylinder back to the bat¡¯s leg.


    After dealing with that, he finally plopped down on his bed and began examining the ¡®Cmity¡¯ system he had received from his senior transmigrator.


    ¡¾ID: Roan


    Race: Human


    Soul Tier: Copper (Level Cap: 30)


    Level: 30


    Experience Points: 300,000/300,000


    HP: 800/800


    MP: 2600/2600


    Constitution: 8


    Strength: 8


    Agility: 8


    Intelligence: 25


    Psyche: 26¡¿


    ¡¾Faith: 133¡¿


    First and foremost was his character page.


    The system provided no calctions on how the value of each stat was derived, but it did exin the significance of each stat.


    Constitution affected life force, recovery, and physical resistance.


    Strength affected physical prowess and close-quarterbat damage.


    Agility affected speed and dexterity.


    Intelligence affected memory, spatial perception, spellcasting efficiency, and spell prowess.


    Psyche affected mana capacity.


    In Linte Isaac¡¯s era, an average young soldier¡¯s stats were 5/5/5/5/5, but it was unknown whether the standards had changed since.


    Experience point was the quantification of one¡¯s growth. Soul tier determined one¡¯s level cap.


    Most people wouldn¡¯t be able to perceive soul tier; that information was exclusive to gods. However, the Cmity system indicated that and even used the concept of level to quantify one¡¯s capabilities.


    An Iron-tier¡¯s level cap was 10. A Copper-tier¡¯s level cap was 30. A Steel-tier¡¯s level cap was 50. A Silver-tier¡¯s level cap was 70¡­ so on and so forth.


    The higher one¡¯s level, the greater the difficulty of leveling up, but the stat points obtained would increase correspondingly too.


    Race determined one¡¯s initial stats and talent.


    Humans had a base stat of 3~5. Their talent was the most useless ¡®Bnced Growth¡¯, which raised the growth rate of the lowest stat by 50%.


    For instance, Roan¡¯s lowest stat was constitution and strength, so he received additional experience when training those two.


    It was also worth noting that stat growth happened simultaneously when leveling up.


    If Roan had focused mainly on tempering his willpower by resisting a subus¡¯ seduction when he was at level 19, when he finally rued enough experience points to make a breakthrough, the chances were that his psyche would grow when he finally leveled up to 20.


    His strength and constitution wouldn¡¯t be randomly boosted as a result of his level-up.


    It was a surprisingly realistic system, but that only made the ¡®Bnced Growth¡¯ talent even more useless.


    Mages like him didn¡¯t need strength and constitution as much, and the level cap meant that there was a limit to the stats one could earn. It would be a waste for his precious stats to go to strength and constitution, thus making the 50% bonus growth rate useless for him.


    ¡°¡­Based on the Machine God¡¯s theory, it would be detrimental for mages to train their bodies?¡± Roan murmured while examining his stats.


    He had stats allocated to strength and constitution despite not having made special effort to train his body. It could have been the natural result of him spending eighteen years in the harsh environment of hell.


    Looking at his full experience bar, he also finally understood why he had been stuck at Copper-tier all this while.


    Unfortunately, his soul was only at Copper-tier, and he had already reached his bottleneck. Unless he found a way to raise his soul tier and thus level cap, he would be stuck at his current level till death.


    ¡®Linte Isaac must have faced the same problem.¡¯


    ¡®Faith¡¯ would be the key for him to raise his soul tier without incurring side effects.


    His faith had been at 0 this morning, but it had grown to 113 since. Just these numbers weren¡¯t enough for him to figure the pattern behind his increasing faith. It could have been from another world¡¯s yers or his fans in the academy.


    He needed more information to have a reliable deduction.


    He would have to umte 10,000 faith to raise his soul-tier to Steel.


    After studying his stats, Roan turned his attention to the mission page.


    So far, he had only unlocked one mission.


    ¡°Film a game promotional video and upload it¡­ I have filmed the video, but where do I upload it? It¡¯s not as if the Machine God has put together aputer in this world.¡±


    Roan took out the recording crystal he had used to film the game promotional video and held it in his hand for some time, but no option to upload the video popped up.


    Just then, his eyes fell on the remains on the magic formation that he had yet to cleanly wipe off, and a thought popped into his head.


    ¡°Could this be it?¡±


    A recording crystal cost 2000 kyrats, equivalent to a month of his living expenses. He had bought it to record his lectures.


    The realization that the magic formation might consume his recording crystal pained him.


    But knowing this might be crucial for his long-term development, he still took out a mana chalk, redrew the formation, and ce the recording crystal at the formation center.


    He tried infusing mana into the magic formation, and the formation emanated a dark green light that enveloped the transparent recording crystal..


    This time, Roan didn¡¯t faint from depleting his mana. He remained conscious to the end.


    On top of that, the recording crystal at the magic formation¡¯s center remained intact, and it gleamed brightly as if it was brand new!


    ¡°The magic formation didn¡¯t consume the recording crystal?¡± Roan was overjoyed.


    ¡®Great! I saved 2000 kyrats!¡¯


    Just then, he heard a monotonous voice in his ears, ¡°¡®Filming a Game Promotional Video¡¯ mission has beenpleted. A voting thread has been posted. Please patiently await the evaluation result¡­¡±


    ¡®A voting thread?¡¯


    A thought shed across Roan¡¯s mind, and he quickly sat down and immersed his consciousness into the depth of his mind to ess ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s official site.


    He essed the forum and immediately spotted the game promotional video he had just uploaded via the magic formation.


    The 360-degree video was stretched into a super long 2D screen, showcasing underworld¡¯s majesty and the ancient castle¡¯s loftiness.


    Little winged demons flew past his head. Demons and undead of all shapes and sizes could be spotted in the video, be they furiataurs or ifrits.


    ¡®I-is this where I usually study?!¡¯


    Roan was dumbstruck. He was shocked to realize that he could hardly recognize the ce he had studied for thest three years.


    ¡®¡­The filter is incredible.¡¯


    Meanwhile, thements were blowing up.


    Starlight: ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    Footontwocars: ¡°Is that a live demo?¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Must be a fake. A game promotional video wouldn¡¯t use the game content. I bet the developers hired a couple of animators!¡±


    Peerlessbear: ¡°It¡¯s still a high-quality work.¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°SUCCUBUS! I WANNA BE SUCCUBUS!!! GAHHHHH!!!¡±


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°Don¡¯t you think the mage holding the crystal is dashing?¡±


    Lambskewer: ¡°+10086¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Maybe because he¡¯s the only human there?¡±


    Exciteizen: ¡°Is that the developer¡¯s test ount? Or a NPC?¡±


    Dramamama: ¡°Requesting the developers to release the demo!¡±


    Cabbiecab: ¡°Requesting the developers to release the demo!¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Damn, can we take those subus as pets? (Shocked)¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    There were newments popping up every second.


    Roan was bbergasted. He wanted to say something too, but he didn¡¯t have the ess right.


    The vote was held right beneath the video, and users could pick a score from 0 to 10.


    More than five hundred users had already participated in the vote, and the average score had stabilized at 9.8.


    ¡®This is insane!¡¯


    Roan¡¯s heart beat fast. He hadn¡¯t expected the video he had casually filmed and uploaded to be so well-received.


    Theizens on the thread were focused on somethingpletely different. Over half of thements were about subuses. He could understand those wanting to take subuses as pets, but what was with those who wanted to be subuses themselves?


    The number of votes soon exceeded a thousand, locking the average score at 9.9.


    ¡¾Missionpleted!¡¿


    ¡¾Evaluation: S¡¿


    ¡¾Reward: 100 closed beta slots¡¿


    Three notification windows popped up before Roan.


    At the same time, a new post was posted to the forum and pinned to the top.


    ¡¾¡¶Cmity Online¡· Open Invitations!¡¿


    ¡¾To thank gamers for their overwhelming support, ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s development team has decided to open 100 closed beta ounts. Once you bind your ount to any VR device, you can request for a closed beta ount and download the demo!¡¿


    ¡¾Note: This game only allows one ount per user. Closed beta ounts will be randomly distributed. You can delete the ount, but you cannot transfer it to another user. Users who vite in-game rules or are inactive will have their closed beta ounts revoked. You will be epting the terms and conditions if you choose to subscribe.¡¿


    This post had popped out at the right time.


    While the forum was busy discussing the incredible promotional video, the development team suddenly announced the game¡¯s closed betaunch.


    Seeing the number of subscribers surge up, Roan felt excited yet nervous. He was unsure how this closed betaunch would affect him.


    ¡®What if these yers cause trouble in the Demon Capital and it ends up implicating me? Those people can dust their asses and leave, but I am bound to this world.¡¯


    Linte Isaac hadn¡¯t mentioned anything about transmigrating back to earth.


    But Roan quickly calmed down when he remembered that he would soon be assigned to a demon king domain. His demon king domain was far from the Demon Capital¡ªit was a two-month journey without using warp gates.


    ¡®And there are only 100 closed beta ounts. I should be able to contain the risk they pose.¡±


    The closed beta ounts were soon allocated.


    Those who didn¡¯t get an ountined that the draw was rigged, whereas those who got an ount bragged about it.


    There were even conspiracy theorists who imed that the so-called closed beta was a scam, and that those who had been chosen were all bots. However, these people numbered in the minority.


    Most people still harbored great expectations for ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s demo after watching its promotional video.


    There was ack of conscientious developers who would let yers try a snippet of the game for free before the official gameunch. Most would rather have a paid trial.


    ¡®It¡¯s worth a try. This closed beta doesn¡¯t cost money anyway.¡±


    If not for VR goggles being a raremodity, there would have been far more than a thousand subscribers for the closed beta.


    Roan browsed through the forums, curious to know what the closed beta yers faced after assessing the game. To his astonishment, he saw the number of online users suddenly jumping from 0 to 99.


    ¡®Hold on¡­ all of them have already essed the game?!¡¯


    While Roan was figuring out the situation, some people beganining on the forum post.


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Peerlessbear: ¡°Why is there no character creation page?¡±


    OrcKnight: ¡°What the hell! I can¡¯t move!¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°Is it a bug?¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Everyone, calm down! I just came offline. It may look like it¡¯s impossible to change the perspective, but there¡¯s a secret to it!¡±


    Lambskewers: ¡°???¡±


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°%£¤#@£¡Stop keeping us in suspense and let it out!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Tsk! What secret is there? Isn¡¯t it obvious that demo yers are looking at the world from the perspective of that mage¡¯s crystal?¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Fuck! I was typing that out!¡±


    ¡®What? These people migrated into my crystal ball?!¡¯


    Roan was shocked.


    The thread continued.


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Who¡¯s to be med for your slow typing? But that¡¯s not the main point. I¡¯m more astounded by how the game is presented. Has any of you noticed that the game is not shown through the VR goggles¡¯ screen?¡±


    Lambskewer ¡°Eh¡­ Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case!¡±


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°+1! I was shocked when I turned my neck 360 degrees. I thought that I was hallucinating for a moment there.¡±


    Calloustime: ¡°The image is ridiculously high-definition. It¡¯s not just 4K or 8K anymore. It feels almost¡­ real? I don¡¯t think my 800 RMB Taobao VR goggles can pull off such high-definition disy. (Bitter smile)¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°What¡¯s going on? My back feels weirdly cold after listening to your words. (Nervous)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Could this game be using some kind of experimental technology, like long-ranged hypnosis?¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Hypnosis???¡±


    Autumnnleaf: ¡°Yeah. You think that you¡¯re seeing the game interface with your eyes, but in truth, you have already fallen asleep, and everything you see and hear is generated in real-time by your brain¡¯s ¡®GPU¡¯. It¡¯s the same as lucid dreaming.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°I just checked the web. There¡¯s no such technology out in the market, which means that we know nothing about the technology and its safety. Given how suspicious the website is, I suspect we have be some enigmatic organization¡¯s guinea pigs. I don¡¯t rmend people with health issues to continue ying this game.¡±


    Peerlessdragonemperor: ¡°Bullshit. How can there be such technology?¡±


    Unyieldinglife: ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll only believe you if you give me a pair of goggles too!¡±


    Autumnnleaf: ¡°Will it kill you to get a secondhand one? (Rolls eyes)¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Autumnleaf¡¯s theory sparked a heated discussion among the users.


    The yers had logged off to rant quickly returned to the game. They swiftly noticed the differences between this game and normal VR games.


    Not only were the images highly realistic, but the immersion was also unlike what the brick-like VR goggles could provide.


    On top of that, more and more closed beta yers realized that they could pull off all sorts of inconceivable maneuvers in the game, like a 360 degrees perspective, inverted perspective, and so on.


    And when they logged out from the game, their bodies were still in the same position as before, not moving in the least.


    This was amazing!


    As Autumnleaf had theorized, it was like they had fallen asleep in real life to enter the gaming world, but it still eluded them how that could be pulled off with a simple VR goggles and a demo package.


    It was not just the users who found it ridiculous.


    Even Roan thought that the system was ridiculous to stuff the gamers from earth into his recording crystal!


    With the current limitations of his knowledge, he couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around how Linte Isaac pulled that feat off¡ªthat was likely something in the domain of the gods.


    But he figured that the consciousnesses were deposited inside the recording crystal through a manmade ¡®Soul Mirror¡¯.


    Earth¡¯s users, upon putting on the VR goggles, invoked a ritual that forged a link with this world¡¯s Soul Mirror via a special medium, and that medium was likely to be the stone monument in his mind.


    The Soul Mirror was still weak. Simr to his dormitory¡¯s paintings and mirrors, this Soul Mirror could only house pure consciousnesses, and entities within it were restricted to their containers.


    But unlike Madam Susan and the other specters, the souls controlled by yers in the recording crystal was capable of growth. These souls might be weak now, but they wereplete.


    Creating souls that previously didn¡¯t exist¡­ this was an inconceivable feat!


    ¡®¡­Won¡¯t the yers be able to move freely if I turn the recording crystal into skeletons?¡¯


    As this thought surfaced in Roan¡¯s mind, new words appeared on the stone monument in the depths of his mind.


    ¡¾Mission: Prepare mobile bodies for the yers (0/100)¡¿


    ¡¾Reward: 10,000 Faith¡¿


    It was so coincidental that he needed 10,000 faith to raise his soul tier from Bronze (II) to Steel (III). that he wondered if this reward was tailored for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that tough to summon a couple of skeletons.¡±


    But to avoid unnecessary trouble, he decided to tackle this mission after he reached his demon king domain.


    ¡­


    Roan concluded his meditation and rose from the ground. He walked to the magic formation and picked up the recording crystal ced in the center.


    The previously clear rcrystal had grown turbid as if it had been contaminated. The magic programming previously inside the crystal had been rewritten, causing it to lose its original function.


    Holding the crystal up to his face, Roan could hear murmursing from it.


    ¡°He¡¯s looking at me (Shrieks)!!¡±


    ¡°Closer, closer!¡±


    ¡°This looks too real.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I can even see the NPC¡¯s nose hair.¡±


    ¡°Let me out! I want to go out (Shrieks)!!!¡±


    ¡°Scram, male NPC! Get me a subus instead! I want the one in the PV¡¯s ending!!!¡±


    ¡®¡­These yers are still having plenty of fun despite not having a mobile body. They have pretty much turned my recording crystal into a chatting room. But I still ended up losing my 2000 kyrats.¡¯


    Losing the recording crystal that had apanied him for three years in the Demon King Academy made Roan¡¯s heart ache. He wrapped the recording crystal with his clothes before tossing it into his suitcase.


    He could expel all the yers with his consciousness, but he didn¡¯t think that there was a need to do that yet.


    He opened his cupboard, changed into a set of casual clothes, and stuffed Father Jeffrey¡¯s letter into his pocket.


    His savings had been emptied out. Time to get some from His Majesty Demon God¡¯s bank.

 Chapter 8: Signs of Addiction!

    A resounding shriek echoed from the Demon Capital Bank¡¯s counter.


    ¡°How much?!¡±


    A uniformed orc security guard quickly turned to look at the counter, but he turned away with a harrumph when he saw that it was just an ugly human.


    The female goblin sitting behind the counter looked shyly at Roan, whose mouth had opened so wide that an egg could be thrown inside.


    ¡°Two million kyrats¡­ Sir, are you sure you want to withdraw everything?¡±


    ¡®Now that I¡¯m taking a closer look, this customer looks quite dashing.¡¯


    Humans might be beneath high demons in hell¡¯s hierarchy, but they had value in scarcity. Furthermore, there were rumors that, with the exception of their noses and ears, humans were longer than goblins in all aspects.


    ¡®I guess I can make an exception for him if he invites me out for a meal¡­¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just¡­ withdraw 10,000 kyrats first,¡± Roan quickly calmed himself down and replied.He thought that the card would have, at most, a few thousand kyrats, since his monthly living expenses amounted to around 2000. Not even in his wildest imagination did he expect there to be a seven-digit figure in there.


    ¡®Did Father Jeffrey identally give me his private ount?¡¯


    The possibility of that happening was as good as null, but Roan couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    ¡®I should take a detour and pay him a visit in the West District¡¯s Ferocious Ghost Street. I should return the money to him if he got it wrong.¡¯


    The female goblin counted ten thousand-kyrat bills twice before cing them neatly on the copper te. These bills were made out of fire-resistant materials, and it was rumored that they wouldn¡¯t be impaired even when boiled inva.


    This was Roan¡¯s first time seeing the highest denomination note despite having lived in hell for eighteen years. The notes felt searing in his hands.


    ¡°Sir, please check the sum,¡± the female goblin reminded with a slightly raised pitch as she twirled like talon-like forefinger around her long ear.


    Roan didn¡¯t expect goblins to be so expressive.


    All this while, he thought their only trait was gluttony since he had only seen them in the West Tower¡¯s canteen.


    ¡°All right, thank you.¡±


    Roan stuffed the money into his wallet before striding off, much to the female goblin¡¯s shock. Not even her green foundation could conceal the redness glowing on her face, and her adoring eyes morphed into the most vicious curse.


    ¡®How can an ugly human be this rude?! What are you showing off for? Disgusting! Prawn head! £¤%£¤#@!¡¯


    ¡­


    Demons of all shapes and sizes walked along the Demon Capital¡¯s West District¡¯s Ferocious Ghost Street.


    Some were as tall as giants. Some were as short as dwarves. Some had countless legs. Some had eyes that covered half their faces¡­ and some weren¡¯t even mammals but giant worms who swam butterfly stroke in theva or seemingly harmless but fatal carnivorous nts.


    There was a distinctive difference between them and high demons.


    Lower demons, who formed the bulk of hell¡¯s popce, tended to have hybrid bloodlines, so they weren¡¯t ssified into a specific race. Rather, they were collectively termed as ¡®demonoids¡¯.


    That was a term mainly used to discriminate lower demons from high demons.


    But the distinction between demonoids and demons had already faded. Only antiques like Principal Evan cared about such semantics. The new-generation demons didn¡¯t care about it. ?


    This was where Father Jeffrey¡¯s church was located.


    Roan sensed sharp gazes on him as soon as he stepped onto the street.


    Non-clergyman humans were extremely conspicuous entities in hell¡­ they were so conspicuous that everyone wanted to have a taste of them.


    And this was one of the reasons Roan hardly ¡®went home¡¯ after getting into the Demon King Academy.


    Father Jeffrey had just concluded his evening prayer when he saw Roan at the church entrance. An amicable smile formed on his wrinkled face as if he was looking at his grandson.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I miss you,¡± Roan replied with a grin.


    He lifted the basket in his hand. It was filled with some of hell¡¯s specialties¡ªfireboar fruits and bread. He had bought these from a roadside vendor before entering this street.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Our church has nevercked food. Your money would have been better spent on the children living in rural areas.¡±


    Despite his words, Father Jeffrey still received Roan¡¯s gift with a smile. He pointed out with a leisurely voice, ¡°You must be here for the bank card.¡±


    Since Father Jeffrey had seen through him, Roan admitted it with augh, ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything from you.¡±


    Father Jeffrey nodded as if he had expected it. ¡°Were you shocked by the sum in it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I was wondering when you got so rich.¡±


    Father Jeffrey eyed Roan.


    He passed the basket to a nun and told her to ce it in the kitchen. There was enough food in the basket for all the church¡¯s orphans to have a heartening dinner.


    After dealing with the basket, he turned back to Roan and said, ¡°I mentioned in the letter that the money is from your father.¡±


    Roan fell silent for seconds before nodding. ¡°I know, but¡­ how should I put it? That¡¯s a lot of money. I need to at least know his name to thank him.¡±


    To be honest, he wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about this.


    That man had never appeared in his life for the past eighteen years, even keeping his name a secret. Yet, he suddenly tossed such a huge sum of money to him¡­


    Father Jeffrey nced at the chapel behind him.


    ¡°Your father¡­ can¡¯t meet you for reasons, so he can only offer you some help through me. I don¡¯t like that man, but I can tell that he cares for you, and he¡¯s doing this because he earnestly wishes well for you.¡±


    Roan nodded.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±


    Father Jeffrey raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°I thought you would probe me more for his name.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of asking the same question over and over again? You have already kept his identity a secret for so many years, and I¡¯m not fond of sticking my face to someone else¡¯s cold ass. If he thinks this is better, so be it,¡± Roan replied with a helpless but carefree smile. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, you are my father.¡±


    Father Jeffrey smiled, but he quickly put on a stern face and coughed. ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that, but it is more appropriate for you to call me grandfather age-wise.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Whatever pleases you.¡± Roanughed.


    Father Jeffrey nodded. He ced his big palm on Roan¡¯s shoulder and looked at him with nostalgic eyes as if he was seeing someone else through him.


    A whileter, he slowly spoke up, ¡°Your obsidian eyes resemble your mother¡¯s¡­ I remember being constantly worried about her when she was your age, and there were times I lost sleep over that. She didn¡¯t disappoint me¡­ She returned with a surprise eighteen years ago.¡±


    ¡°Surprise?¡± Roan blurted out, but it was unnecessary as he immediately realized what Father Jeffrey was driving at.


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s you.¡± Father Jeffrey looked at Roan deeply before slowly continuing, ¡°It¡¯s because of your troublemaking mother and indecisive father that I¡¯m always worried that I can¡¯t raise you well¡­ but you surprised me.


    ¡°There are times when you don¡¯t feel like a child to me. Even when you were little, there were times when I thought you seemed more mature than your mother and more decisive than your father. Whenever I remember those moments, I feel proud of you, but I also feel ashamed¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that,¡± Roan interjected with a light cough. ¡°I am grateful to you for raising me.¡±


    Father Jeffrey chuckled. ¡°Is that so? Thank you for your kind words. What I want to say is that even though I might not be a very qualified father, I have always thought of you as my child¡­ Forgive me for only being able to help you this far. You¡¯ll have to walk your path by yourself.¡±


    Roan shed Father Jeffrey a reassuring smile, saying, ¡°You have already helped me plenty. Don¡¯t worry, I can deal with whateveres my way by myself. Besides, I have already decided on where I want to go.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and do what you want.¡± Father Jeffrey patted Roan¡¯s shoulder.


    His eyes were filled with pride and approval like a true father.


    ¡°Come back and take a breather if you ever get tired. I¡¯ll always be here.¡±


    ¡­


    The purple light scattered from the ceiling slowly faded to darkness.


    The night-befallen Demon Capital resembled a snoring dragon. Only the streemps andva provided bits of illumination on the streets.


    Under Father Jeffrey¡¯s invitation, Roan had dinner with the church¡¯s orphans and slept in the dormitory he had spent sixteen years in for the first time in a long time.


    The dormitory was refurbished from an old chapel; it was a wide room with thirty beds. All the church¡¯s orphans stayed here.


    These orphans came from different races¡ªthere were unoculias, tendrilum, centaurs, felisapiens, and even slimes. <em>(T/N: One-eyed monsters, tentacle monsters, and catmen)</em>


    Just as Roan was about to fall asleep, a bunch of wingless ¡®lower demons¡¯ gathered around him and blinked their eyes in curiosity. They chattered like there was no tomorrow.


    It evoked a feeling of deja vu like something simr had just happened not too long ago.


    ¡°Big brother Roan, I heard that you¡¯re nning to be a demon king?!¡±


    ¡°Whee, I want to be a demon king too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your ws!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your bride!¡±


    ¡°Wrong! A demon king wouldn¡¯t have a bride!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll y the vige!¡±


    ¡°Aiya, I captured you.¡±


    ¡°Heh, let¡¯s lock him up and torture him!¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough. Calm down, or Father Jeffrey mighte knocking.¡±


    Seeing how the rascals were slowly getting out of hand, Roan quickly stepped in and evicted him from his bed.


    ¡®Something is wrong with the church¡¯s upbringing¡­ Oh wait, this is hell. It doesn¡¯t seem that wrong to teach children to torture vigers in hell¡­¡¯


    After the lower demons dozed off, Roany on his bed too. He was nning to meditate and take a quick look at the forums, but he was so tired that he fell asleep right away.


    Meanwhile, in another world where the purple chandelier didn¡¯t shine, the yers, who were hyped up but had nowhere to vent their energy, began ¡®warmly greeting¡¯ the developers on the forums.


    Orcknight: ¡°¡­%£¤@#&! Why are you blocking my view?! (Angry)¡±


    Soreloser: ¡°Dogshit developers,e out! I¡¯ll beat the shit out of you! (Angry)¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°Subus! Subus! I demand a change of NPC!¡±


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°Damn it! I could at least see him just now, but now I can¡¯t see anything at all!¡±


    Lambskewer: ¡°Argh, it itches! I feel like ten thousand ants are crawling on my body!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Are you all right? (Sweats)¡±


    In a small bedroom, Zhao Jinyan was so stunned that he didn¡¯t even notice his half-eaten popsicle falling to the ground.


    ¡®They are already showing signs of addiction? Is this game really all right?!¡±

 Chapter 9: He’s Playing a Huge Chess Game!

    The following morning¡­


    Roan quickly washed up before bidding farewell to Father Jeffrey and the orphans. He began making his way back to the Demon King Academy, and he arrived at his destination just before lunch.


    Unlike usual days, there were many opulent dragon carriages stopped in front of the humongous academy gates. Even the shabbiest carriage was pulled by a Gold-tier wyvern.


    There were no more sses for the third and fourth-year students after the graduation ceremony, and they had no finals to prepare for either. Suddenly, the students found their usually busy lives bing idle.


    The scions, who hade to the academy just to build their portfolio, wouldn¡¯t linger in their dormitories. They would at least return to their luxurious manors and enjoy their final holiday before giving their all for their futures.


    Those who didn¡¯t have strong connections and were unfortunate enough to be dispatched to the frontlines had already reported to the Ministry of War yesterday.


    The countdown for their service duration began when they reported to the barracks. The earlier they began their service, the earlier they could maneuver their way into a desk job. If they were lucky enough, they might even be able to escape the battlefield.


    The five-meter-long wyverny on the ground, eyeing its surroundings with lofty eyes as if a real dragon.


    Among the carriages, Roan spotted a few rare hell pegasus, a species that he had only seen in his textbook thus far.Hell pegasuses were ¡®strategic resources¡¯ in the underworld. One would have to be from a count n to use hell pegasuses for their carriage.


    While Roan was looking enviously at the carriage pulled by the hell pegasuses, a familiar figure suddenly peeked out from the carriage and looked at him with a smirk. It was a pink-haireddy with heart-shaped irises.


    ¡®Mia?!¡¯


    Roan quickly averted his eyes as he remembered the sh they had during the graduation ceremony, but Mia leaped down from her carriage and made her way over.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Senior Roan.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re from the same ss.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s how Egor calls you. Can¡¯t I do the same?¡± Mia shyly nced at him.


    But Roan had no doubt she was acting.


    As expected, when Roan disyedplete nonchnce, Mia revealed her primal nature as a demon, and her ¡®shy eyes¡¯ slowly narrowed menacingly.


    ¡°Tsk tsk. A human dares to question my faith. How have I never notice such spunk in you?¡±


    A ¡®protected species¡¯ was indeed in no position to criticize a high demon, though it surprisingly took her very long to register that.


    Seeing that Roan wasn¡¯t saying anything, she paced to his nk and leaned closer to him as if she was examining her prey.


    ¡°So, where did you gost night?¡±


    ¡®Ugh. I don¡¯t want to get involved with this troublesome woman.¡¯


    Roan quietly sighed before replying, ¡°Esteemed High Demon Mia, may I know what does this have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m just disappointed to have made a wasted tripst night. I thought you escaped with your tail clenched between your thighs. Hehe.¡± Miaughed with malicious intent.


    Roan frowned. ¡°You entered my room?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I am aw-abiding demon. I would never break thew¡­¡± Mia chuckled, but halfway through her words, she noticed Roan¡¯s expression and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Oh? Are you hiding something in your room?¡±


    Roan was nning to skirt his way around this matter when a light cough rescued him from his quandary.


    A middle-aged man walked over, bowed slightly, and urged with a humble but authoritative voice, ¡°Miss, we should set off soon.¡±


    His expensive clothes suggested that he was a butler, but Roan could sense that he was no ordinary demon. He was at least at Gold-tier, possibly even tinum or Diamond¡­


    Mia looked fearful of this middle-aged man. Despite having her words interrupted, she merely harrumphed in displeasure and threw a ¡°Just you wait¡± before returning to her carriage.


    The middle-aged man bowed before following Mia. His gaze casually brushed past Roan.


    It could have been an illusion, but Roan sensed a sliver of fear from his momentary gaze.


    ¡®Erm¡­ Fear? Must have been my imagination.¡¯


    ¡­


    The West Tower¡¯s canteen was crowded as usual.


    As usual, the foreign students from the Goblin Kingdom were downing their food as if trolls were eyeing their lunch.


    Little demons ignored the centaur chef¡¯s angry roars and flew recklessly around the sky with their meal tray.


    The thought that these sights would soon be a thing of the past left Roan feeling wistful.


    He stuffed yet another piece of a charcoal-grilled minotaur ribeye steak that was perfectly prepared and sliced into his mouth before finally wiping his mouth and cing his meal tray on the cart pushed by the goblin workers.


    Just as he was about to leave, a roar boomed across the canteen.


    ¡°Who is Roan? Is Roan here?¡±


    An orc dormitory manager was standing at the canteen entrance with a lower demon¡­ Of course, this lower demon was nothing like the ones flying around the canteen; he was dressed in a formal suit.


    Roan raised his hand.


    ¡°I am. May I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Your appointment letter has arrived! I knew you would be here if not your room!¡± The orc dormitory manager snorted as he made his way over. He introduced the lower demon beside him, ¡°This is Mister Kyrian, an important official from the Ministry of Personnel!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. I am merely a servant who hopes to shoulder some of His Majesty Demon God¡¯s burden,¡± Kyrian politely replied with a smile. He extended his right hand to Roan and asked, ¡°Roan, right? I was from this academy too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to meet you, senior!¡± Roan bowed.


    While forging a rtionship was no easy task, there was no harm in buttering up the person before him.


    Themotion here had drawn in quite a few curious gazes from the eating students.


    They had heard that a third-year student voluntarily applied to be a demon king, and his application was endorsed by Principal Evan¡¯s rmendation. However, he was assigned to take over an ailing domain, which was as good as being stuffed with a scaldingvastone.


    Everyone was waiting to see this fellow make a joke out of himself.


    Some even privately took bets on how many days he would survive in that role.


    No one had high expectations of this young demon king.


    Even those in the Inner Circle who had approved of Roan didn¡¯t bear any hope regarding this. They merely agreed to it as a stopgap measure as they couldn¡¯t find any other candidate for the domain.


    Kyrian, too, didn¡¯t think Roan could make it.


    But he was still interested in the student whom Principal Evan had taken the trouble to write to the Inner Circle to rmend. That was why he, despite being the vice chief of the Ministry of Personnel, was personally delivering the appointment letter when such tasks were usually left to his subordinates.


    Frankly speaking, he was very disappointed when he firstid his eyes on Roan, and looking at thetter more didn¡¯t change his mind.


    ¡®He¡¯s just an ordinary necromancer no matter how I look at him, not to mention he¡¯s only at Bronze-tier. Or¡­ could there be more than meets the eye?¡¯¡¯


    Kyrian concealed his disappointment with a graceful smile and spoke with an amiable tone, ¡°It¡¯s rare for anyone to be so young and aplished, junior. Back when I graduated, I spent years working as a clerk in the Ministry of War Logistics¡¯ Production Bureau. Being a demon king was something that I could only dream about.¡±


    Those words were 70% politeness, 20% buttering up, and 10% probing.


    Roan urately discerned the intent behind those words, but he replied with a humble smile, ¡°You¡¯re ttering me, senior. I am a greenhorn. I was lucky to be entrusted with such a huge responsibility. I¡¯ll do my best not to disappoint those who have supported me.¡±


    Kyrian looked at Roan in surprise.


    ¡®Lucky, he says? Does this pitiful junior not know the situation over there? But that can¡¯t be. This junior might not have the connections to learn such sensitive information, but Principal Evan has ears everywhere.¡¯


    He was astonished to realize that he couldn¡¯t see through his junior.


    ¡®Should I invest in him? Or should I wait a little longer¡­¡±


    Unable to make up his mind, Kyrian decided to first keep an eye on the situation. There were plenty of opportunities for them to strike a connection in the future anyway.


    ¡°You need not be so uptight¡­ Ah, this bustle feels nostalgic.¡±


    While looking at the meal trays and lower demons flying around them, Kyrian took a small step sideward to avoid a shrieking lower demon charging toward him. His smile remained unabated as he continued the conversation, ¡°This is not the ce to talk. Shall we head elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Roan was done eating anyway, so he followed his senior to the resting room beneath the canteen and settled down in a peaceful corner.


    Kyrian murmured an incantation before flicking his forefinger. A bright red envelope fell from a spatial crack onto the table.


    ¡®This must be my appointment letter.¡¯


    Roan reached out and touched the ring Demon God¡¯s insignia. It still felt warm.


    ¡®He must have delivered it right after the document was stamped.¡¯


    ¡°I shan¡¯t beat around the bush,¡± Kyrian reined in his smile and spoke with a serious voice as Roan tore the letter open. ¡°This is your appointment letter. The core of the demon king domain has been destroyed, so the portal constructed in thebyrinth may be extinguished at any moment, so the Ministry of Internal Affairs hopes that you can head there as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Roan nodded. ¡°What about my army? Will I meet them there, or are we heading there together?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you that you won¡¯t be given an army.¡± Kyrian shook his head.


    Roan froze up. ¡°I won¡¯t have an army?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s next on my agenda. Lej Dracul has screwed up. You can say that we have already lost the demon king domain nted in the heart of the human camp,¡± Kyrian grimly said. ¡°What do you think will happen if we suddenly send an army in?¡±


    Needless to say, the humans would dispatch their army too.


    But Roan had a feeling that Kyrian was looking for more to the answer, so he gave it some thought before replying, ¡°You¡¯re saying that the Lyon Kingdom will dispatch a proportionate force in response?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kyrian nodded in approval. ¡°There¡¯s a limit to the troops we can portal in, especially now that we have lost the demon king domain. No matter how big the army we have prepared, they just have to match our force and top it off with a little more to overpower us.¡±


    This was not a Paradox Interactive game, where one could strategically switch alliances and sneak troops in. <em>(T/N: Referring to Hearts of Iron IV)</em>


    Roan nodded to express his understanding.


    At this point, Kyrian suddenly changed his tone and said, ¡°So, we came up with a bold n. Instead of sending in an army to die, we might as well¡­¡±


    ¡°So you might as well send me in to die alone?!¡± Roan widened his eyes.


    ¡°<em>Cough</em>. Of course not¡­ We just have to find the right timing to send reinforcements in.¡±


    Kyrian averted his eyes. He was so embarrassed that he unwittingly quickened his talking speed, ¡°The Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed giving up on that demon king domain out of strategic concerns, and that motion would have passed if not for the Inner Circle¡¯s intervention. We only decided to give this a try because someone important pushed for it¡­


    ¡°You also know that demon king cores are precious, strategic resources. It would have been better put to use on the frontlines than on a fallen domain.¡±


    Only demon king domains stationed in hell or on the frontlines against the surface could produce a steady stream of supplies that could be shipped back to theherworld.


    Roan grimly crossed his fingers.


    ¡°That is the current situation. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to provide you with significant support right now¡­ but it¡¯s too early to give up. Duke Dracul is dead, but his subordinates should still be lingering in the area. You can try bringing them under your wing. They should be able to provide you with some help.


    ¡°Given your special circumstances, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not assign you with specific missions. You are granted a high level of autonomy. Unlike other demon kings, you won¡¯t have to regrly harass our enemies. You just have to focus on managing the domain and amassing power,¡± Kyrian added.


    ¡®It is the same as what Principal Evan told me. It will be much easier on me if I don¡¯t have to regrly stir trouble and offer faith crystals as tribute¡­ probably.¡¯


    What¡¯s done is done.


    Roan figured it would be best for him to proactively take control of the situation rather than to take a passive stance, so he asked, ¡°When do I have to set off?¡±


    Kyrian¡¯s response shocked Roan.


    Instead of throwing out a date, he lifted his sleeves and checked his watch. ¡°The portal should be ready by now. There¡¯s a dragon carriage waiting at the academy entrance. I will be waiting for you there. It¡¯ll be best to move as fast as possible, whether for you or us.¡±


    ¡­


    The Demon King Academy¡¯s main tower was shrouded by bats as usual.


    While Roan was bbergasted, the old lich looked at him from the principal office¡¯s frosted windows with a satisfied smile as if looking at a seedling he had personally nurtured.


    Vice Principal Doreen Weber stood behind him with a hint of worry on her frosty, unageing face. Her presence left the room feeling chilly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good thing, Sir Evan Krueger. Your trial is too much for a Copper-tier student.¡±


    She had only recently heard about Roan. She was delighted to learn that a demon king had finally emerged from their academy, but the other party was only a Copper-tier necromancer.


    He was too weak!


    Principal Evan heard the vice principal¡¯s concern, but he merely replied with an enigmatic smile, ¡°Do you think that he¡¯s a mere Copper-tier?¡±


    ¡°Is there¡­ any doubt concerning that?¡± Doreen stared at the old lich in disbelief, wondering if his mind had finally begun to ail.


    There were plenty of ways to conceal one¡¯s true strength, but deceiving the eyes of a Half God-tier lich was no easy feat. There was no point doing that here, since that this was an academy and not the battlefield.


    ¡°What you should doubt is not his strength but his ambition. It¡¯s hard for me to believe that someone who wants to be a demon king is only a Copper-tier necromancer. I would rather believe he had secrets we don¡¯t know about.¡±


    Principal Evan briefly paused before continuing, ¡°I noticed this boy a long time ago. I know quite a few people in the Inner Circle, including Kaiser Clint. He was once my student.¡±


    The Demon King Academy, as a ce for high demons to enhance their portfolio, had produced many talents over the years¡­ except for demon kings, of course.


    ¡°Kaiser Clint?¡± Doreen¡¯s eyes narrowed in displeasure. ¡°What does this have to do with him?¡±


    Principal Evan shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t you think they look simr? I noticed that from the day he stepped into the academy. They are practically made from the same mold, other than their eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Doreen was stunned. Her eyes bulged as if she had heard something unbelievable.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he is Kaiser¡¯s illegitimate¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop! I have never said that,¡± Principal Evan interjected. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Kaiser¡¯s son, Lockser Clint. Have you forgotten? The ¡®00 student!¡±


    Doreen was confused.


    ¡®¡¯00? Which ¡®00? 800, 900, or 1000?¡±


    She had taught in the Demon King Academy for three hundred years and managed it for decades as vice principal. Having sent off many batches of graduates to date, she couldn¡¯t possibly remember every single student.


    Only one of them in this room was that carefree.


    Principal Evan continued with a sigh, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have dug into our student¡¯s personal affairs, but Kaiser is both my student and an old friend, so I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to investigate a little. The truth was as dramatic as I thought.¡±


    ¡°Dramatic.¡± Doreen red at Principal Evan, knowing that he relished in drama.


    Principal Evan could see through her thoughts, but he paid her no mind and continued, ¡°The Clints will have a new patriarch in a few years¡¯ time. Kaiser will be moving to the Clints¡¯ Elder Council, and his son, Lockser, will be taking over his position. They will then decide the next sessor during a family meeting.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with¡­¡±


    ¡°I can feel that child¡¯s ambition! He desires his father¡¯s acknowledgment, and that¡¯s why he came to the Demon King Academy! Because only we can fulfill his dream!¡±


    For some reason, the old lich suddenly got extremely excited. The green mes in his eye sockets zed with fervor.


    ¡°He knows. Only with enough strength and influence can he be recognized by the Clints and receive the Embrace¡­ Otherwise, he would be doomed to remain Copper his entire life!¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s just your imagination. Why is this old thing so obsessed over this? Or do all undead eventually turn mad?¡¯


    Doreen stared at Principal Evan.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a child. Aren¡¯t you overthinking it?¡±


    ¡°Child? Ha! You better not think of him as a child. I have never seen a human child who can resist a subus, a feat that his father nor his father¡¯s father failed at¡ª<em>Cough! </em>I mean, the child is amazing!¡±


    Realizing he had let something slip, Principal Evan hurriedly covered it with a cough and stopped gossiping.


    Peering into others¡¯ lives and influencing their life trajectory was one of his few joys as an unageing lich. He could skip in joy for an entire year if a chess piece with unlimited potential received an unprecedented fortuitous encounter because of him.


    Still, spying was nothing honorable.


    In any case, Roan was one of the chess pieces that he had high expectations of at the moment. He had never felt so eager to see a story¡¯s climax and conclusion before.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me, but I can feel it. He¡¯s ying a huge game of chess. He will surpass everyone¡¯s imagination.¡±


    Doreen looked at the yapping principal with worried eyes.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, is it really fine for us to interfere in the Clints¡¯ internal affair? That¡¯s the Clint n we¡¯re dealing with¡­¡±


    The Clints were one of the six noble ns governing theherworld, frequenters of His Majesty Demon God¡¯s Inner Circle¡­


    Compared to such behemoths, the Demon King Academy couldn¡¯t even count as a power. It was just a ce to study at.


    ¡°Interfering in the Clints¡¯ internal affair?¡± Principal Evan shook his head,ughing. ¡°You think a millennium lich like me would be interested in that? Rx, I¡¯m not overstepping my boundaries. I¡¯m merely fulfilling my responsibilities as an elder.¡±


    He finally reined in his smile and regained his usual poise.


    ¡°I¡¯m helping him because he¡¯s my student.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I might have believed you if not for everything you have said.¡¯

 Chapter 10: That Day, Thunderbuzz Welcomes Its New King

    Today¡¯s Thunderbuzz City, a fief of the Lyon Kingdom¡¯s Duke Campelle, was as peaceful and bustling as always


    Ships puffing out steam sailed to and fro the port. Coolies with their bare tops moved boxes of goods from the deck to markets or workshops. Under vibrantly dyed cloths were vendors selling all kinds of little toys and essories.


    The prosperity permeating the city could be credited to the man riding on a huge war steed, galloping on the main street under ribbons andnterns with a toon of knights.


    His name was Aaron Campelle.


    It was not too hard to deduce from his name that he was the fief lord.


    Other than being a vassal of the Lyon Kingdom, he had also been conferred as Saint Sisto¡¯s god elect¡­ or to put it in more conventional terms, a <em>hero</em>.


    Not long ago, he slew the demon king wreaking havoc on the outskirts of Thunderbuzz City.


    Despite being in his seventies, he remained as valiant as he was back then. Many suspected that Duke Campelle might have ovee his bottleneck as a Diamond-tier and advanced to Amethyst or even Master-tier.


    ¡°Praise Saint Sisto! Praise the holy light!¡±¡°Long live Duke Campelle!¡±


    ¡°Long live the duchy!¡±


    ¡°Long live the Lyon Kingdom!¡±


    Cheers, apuse, and whistles filled the street.


    To wee the victorious heroes back, the youths along the streets tossed fresh flowers into the sky, and old farmers and city dwellers cheered with all their might.


    Duke Campelle subtly nodded with a poised smile in response to the warm wee, reminiscent of a stern, authoritative, but kind father.


    The people of Thunderbuzz City adored him, especially Saint Sisto¡¯s believers. They would throw themselves at him and kiss his feet if he allowed it.


    But not everyone celebrated Duke Campelle and his knights.


    Along the corridors of the city hall, the potbellied mayor lit a cigar while leaning against the windowsill. He looked at the old but still dashing duke with envious eyes.


    ¡°Look at how nauseating those fools are acting¡­ They are acting as if it was the roosters¡¯ crowing that hoisted the sun into the sky. They must think there was no sun in the First Epoch.¡±


    Not daring to stare too long at the duke, he hurriedly pulled the curtains close shortly after.


    Looking at the grumbling Mayor Miles, a gentleman wearing a bowler hat casually remarked with a smile, ¡°You look jealous.¡±


    He was Yang Andes, a renowned tycoon in Thunderbuzz City.


    Just an hour ago, the city council was discussing the highly contentious ¡®Raising Commercial Taxes¡¯ proposal. It sparked statements that would have required many exmation marks to properly ry the intensity.


    His friend, Miles, managed to pull one over the protesting shop owners, farm owners, and ship captains, and Yang himself belonged to thetter side.


    ¡°Jealous? You must be kidding!¡± Miles was displeased by his old friend¡¯s teasing remark. ¡°Thunderbuzz City has been like that since Isaac¡¯s era. I¡¯d say that things were much more interesting then! We didn¡¯t thank the fief lord for bestowing us with food. Instead, we brawled with the lizardmen in the marshes and pulled out manor after manor from their teeth. That¡¯s how Thunderbuzz City became what it is today!¡± ?


    ¡°But none of us has been through that, no?¡± Yang consoled. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that anymore. You also wouldn¡¯t want someone to overhear those words, lest you be treated as a sphemer who worships outside gods.¡±


    Outside gods referred to all gods aside from Saint Sisto, be it the ancient gods of the First Epoch or Isaac, whose name was forbidden.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Miles cowered.


    Those words pricked his pain point.


    Whether he truly worshiped goddamned Saint Sisto or not, he had to disy unwavering faith¡­ though it wasn¡¯t just an act since he did pray and donate to the church every now and then.


    Seeing that his old friend had finally calmed down, Yang slowly reasoned, ¡°At least he defeated the demon king. I¡¯d think that he¡¯s qualified as a ruler.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± Miles shook his head and sighed. ¡°With the demon king dead, the demon king domain will soon disappear. The adventurers in the city will first lose their jobs, followed by the taverns and cksmiths. I calcted. We will lose at least a fourth of our revenue¡­ maybe more.¡±


    The Lyon Kingdom might be the holynd for knights, but no city could thrive from knights alone.


    Thunderbuzz City¡¯s greatestpetitive advantage was not the celebrated Trident Knight Order but itsbyrinth. Thebyrinth was the one that lured thousands after thousands of hot-blooded youths from their viges here.


    Some youths died in thebyrinth, but some brought valuable treasures out.


    As for the underworld¡¯s invasion¡­ who gave a damn about that?! It was not as if they were located on the frontlines like the Ors Empire!


    In fact, Miles would have loved to try rearing a subus given the chance.


    But now that the demon king was dead, the wealthier adventurers would move to the nextbyrinth city, whereas the poorer adventurers who couldn¡¯t afford a ship ride would turn into criminals and disturb the city¡¯s peace.


    ¡°They have to adapt to times,¡± Yang said gently. ¡°No one can live in the past forever, even you and me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Mayor Miles sighed. He stared at the ceiling and murmured, ¡°Won¡¯t it be wonderful if we can strike a deal with a demon king? We will head down on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and he wille up on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.¡±


    ¡®Or better still if he remains underground. It¡¯s not as if he can hold onto Thunderbuzz City even if he takes it down.¡¯


    ¡°And we all rest on Sundays?¡± Yangughed out loud. ¡°Can that be called a demon king?¡±


    Adventurers pursuedbyrinths for faith, glory, to climb through the ranks, and to be favored by Saint Sisto.


    Conversely, demon kings must be driven by something too. They wouldn¡¯t go to the trouble of invading the surface just to fool around.


    Mayor Miles also thought his words were foolish, so he let out another sigh at the ceiling.


    ¡°True that.¡±


    Sometimes, he wondered what would have be of Thunderbuzz City if the Isaac Dynasty didn¡¯t copse and instead continued to this day, but that would always remain a hypothesis.


    ¡­


    Trailing behind the knight order on the street were the enlistees wieldingrge caliber rifles.


    Unlike the fief lord¡¯s soldiers, these enlistees came from the fields, the mines, and the ports. They only rallied together when the fief lord needed them.


    Even though the crowd¡¯s apuse and cheers were mainly directed at the fief lord and his knights, to mortals like them, it was still an honor to be able to walk down a street of flower petals that had fallen on the shoulders of the god elect.


    At least the beaming pride on their faces was not feigned.


    While the enlistees were marching down the street with orderly footsteps, one of the taverns along the street buzzed noisily like canaries on a branch.


    The name of this tavern was ¡®Sword and Broken de¡¯.


    It was rumored that the owner had once hung a sword at the tavern¡¯s entrance, but one day, it was stolen. The thief didn¡¯t just steal the sword; he also hung a broken de on it.


    There were spections that the thief intended not to steal but to borrow the sword, but he couldn¡¯t return it because he lost his life in thebyrinth.


    It was an inauspicious omen, but many adventurers still frequented this tavern because it was located right behind the Adventurer Guild.


    Over time, the tavern became known as the ¡®Adventurer Guild¡¯s second lobby¡¯.


    Sometimes, a customer would request the bartender to post some requests that couldn¡¯t be registered with the Adventurer Guild but weren¡¯t terrible enough to have to resort to the shady Thief Guild.


    It was just slightly past noon, hardly time for drinks yet.


    However, the demon king¡¯s death had led to a steep decline inbyrinth-rted requests, so a huge bunch of jobless adventurers ended up gathering in the tavern to drink.


    Some of the more foul-mouthed ones cussed when drunk.


    Perhaps Professor Enos was right when he said that humans would sometimes sell their souls to demons even when left to their own ord.


    ¡°That dogshit Campelle n! Why did that old coot kill the demon king? Does he not understand the value of a hardworking but useless demon king to Thunderbuzz City?!¡±


    A man carrying a battle axe on his back mmed his oak mug on the table as he cussed his heart out, his saliva flying meters away.


    The man carrying a bow beside him, who was likely to be hispanion, quickly consoled him, ¡°The demon king was the one who came invading¡­ The people will angrily protest if the fief lord and his army turn a blind eye to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem!¡± the man with a battle axe eximed with bulging eyes. His face was reddened, and veins were popping from his neck. ¡°If that old coot truly cares for his people, he should have dewed the demon king and released him!¡±


    His horrifiedpanion anxiously covered his mouth. ¡°Do you want to die?!¡±


    To say that a demon king ought to be spared was absolute sphemy to any devout believers of the holy light. They would have demanded justice to be immediately served in the name of their god!


    Fortunately, those in the tavern were all adventurers, so they pretended to have heard nothing. Some even thought there was nothing wrong with those words.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that the case?¡¯


    Thebyrinth produced shiny magic crystals and all sorts of valuable resources that could only be found in the underworld¡­ as if a massive gold mine.


    No, not even gold was as precious as those resources.


    The former paved the road to wealth, whereas thetter paved the road to greatness.


    Of course, the adventurers had to concede that their feelings were driven by envy. If they were given a chance to y a demon king, they would have also charged ahead and done the deed without much thought.


    That was an opportunity to receive god¡¯s favor!


    Duke Campelle, who was already a god elect, might not care much about the honor, but for those who had been stuck in a bottleneck for a long time, this was their only chance to make a breakthrough.


    And adventurers like them dreamed of making a breakthrough all the time!


    While the adventurers were ranting, no one noticed a dashing youth walking into the tavern and taking a seat near the entrance.


    None of them could have imagined that the ¡®special merit¡¯ they desired was seated beside them¡­

 Chapter 11: It’s Fine, Just Do Better In Your Next Life

    ¡®Sword and Broken de? That¡¯s a nice name.¡¯


    Roan settled down in the tavern and ced his luggage next to his leg.


    A waitress wearing a short skirt quickly rushed over with a serving tter and asked with a euphonious voice, ¡°Sir, what would you like to drink¡­¡±


    Her words trailed off to silence. The customer¡¯s dashing face had stolen herplete attention.


    From his purplish-ck, slightly curly hair, his ck eyes, to his sharp nose, he gave off a sharp impression despite looking slightly unkempt from his travel.


    She had met hotties working here, but a face this dashing and full of stories was unusual.


    ¡®Is he a noble from the Ors Empire? He must be often cooped up in a castle to have such a paleplexion¡­¡¯


    While the waitress was in a daze, Roan quickly looked through the menu and ordered a few simple items. ¡°Give me a cup of honey water and ten loaves of bread. Bring me a bag too if you have one.¡±


    The waitress quickly snapped out of her daze and warmly replied, ¡°Coming right up! Sir, we provide amodations too. Do consider us too if you haven¡¯t found a lodging yet.¡±Noticing his luggage, she took the chance to advertise their guest rooms.


    However, it was much too dangerous for Roan to stay here. He had heard of murderers returning to the crime scene, but he had never heard of a murderer marching into the police station to get lodging.


    The Adventurer Guild was less than ten meters away, and everyone seated around him was an adventurer!


    These people might be pitying the deceased old demon king now, but if they ever find out that the new demon king was seated among them right now, he would be floored right away.


    It was a long story about why he risked his life sitting here.


    Hours ago, he traversed through space via a portal to travel from the Demon Capital in the extreme west to the center of the Ors Continent, to the northeast shore of the Whirlpool Sea.


    But something went wrong.


    Roan didn¡¯t expect the Ministry of Internal Affairs to be this unreliable. The portal¡¯s destination should have been Thunderbuzz City¡¯s undergroundbyrinth, but it spat him out on the surface instead.


    By the time he recovered, he was already standing in an alley not far away from this tavern.


    Duke Campelle¡¯s procession happened to be passing by.


    When he met that pair of sharp eyes, he thought his heart was going to stop in its tracks.


    Luckily, he wasn¡¯t too eye-catching as a Copper-tier necromancer, and the crowd was too focused on the unting knights to notice his sudden appearance. Otherwise, he would have drowned in the sea of people even before the knights could make a move.


    On that note, the humans¡¯ reaction verified his long-time deduction¡ªa Copper-tier necromancer wouldn¡¯t pique the humans¡¯ vignce


    And having already crossed paths with a hero, he was also confident that the old thing wouldn¡¯t be able to smell the slightest underworld scent even if he held him up close and took a big sniff.


    Not that Roan would ever let anyone sniff him up close, of course.


    The adventurers in the tavern quickly became aware of the unusual guest, but none of them associated him with hell. Instead, they thought that he was a noble and unconsciously toned down their coarse way of speaking and switched to whispering.


    ¡°What¡¯s that fellow¡¯s background?¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­ Probably an outsider. Maybe the Campelle¡¯s guest?¡±


    ¡°Why in the world would a Campelle guest be here? It¡¯s more likely that he¡¯s the mayor or Andes¡¯ guest¡­¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s here to post a request. Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±


    Roan was unbothered by their whispers and probing eyes as he didn¡¯t think they could see through him.


    As much as they were observing him, he was also observing them.


    ¡®Short swords, battle axes, bows, and guns¡­ Their equipment is so-so, though I guess they don¡¯t need anything fanciful in thebyrinth either. The actual situation on the surface pretty much tallies with what¡¯s in the books. These guns are probably Isaac the Fourth¡¯s handiwork, but they don¡¯t seem to be a threat to the knights¡¯ rule.¡±


    This was a world with transcendent powers, after all.


    Transcendent powers were fixed to one¡¯s soul and grafted to one¡¯s bloodline. The creation of guns didn¡¯t significantly shake this world¡¯s power bnce.


    But these weren¡¯t important.


    As a demon king from hell, there were more important things for him to deal with.


    ¡°Speaking of which, the Draculs¡¯ demon king domain looks moreplicated than what the Ministry of Internal Affairs thinks.¡±


    Roan tried to sort his thoughts while the waitress served him his honeyed water.


    The chance of the portal going awry was extremely slim, and the teleportation wasn¡¯t a failure either as he had been transported over. The only mishap was hisnding point.


    There was only one possibility.


    Someone had erased the portal in thebyrinth and drew a new one in the city¡¯s alley, waiting for the new demon king to teleport over and fall right into theirp.


    And their reason for doing that was obvious!


    Roan had only gotten away scot-free because he was too weak and his arrival didn¡¯t cause a stir. Had the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent a Diamond-tier demon instead, they would have been pummeled till their head was oozing juice.


    ¡®Tsk¡­ Those buffoons can¡¯t be counted on. This works too. Spares me the effort of sounding out their loyalty. I should just use them as bait to buy time.¡¯


    While Roan was evaluating the situation, a nearby group set their eyes on him.


    Adventurers were a diverse bunching from all walks of life. Some took requests from the Adventurer Guild in the day and moonlit at night as pickpockets.


    However, the group knew that it wouldn¡¯t do to make amotion here as the Adventurer Guild was right beside.


    These brawny men in the group exchanged looks before their gaze finally fell at their only female member dressed in a small leather coat.


    ¡®Theses asses.¡¯


    The female member rolled her eyes at herpanions. Under herpanions¡¯ urging eyes, she stood up, made her way toward Roan¡¯s table, sat down, and began chatting with him as if they were acquaintances.


    ¡°Hey, bro. How did ya make ya money?¡±


    She pulled her neckline down to reveal the valleys of her not-that-abundant breasts. This trick was usually effective on men who thought with their lower head, but it was inferior to the means of the subuses.


    ¡®Those guys eyeing me must be herpanions.¡¯


    Roan awkwardly put down his cup, pretending to a nervous first-timer in this situation trying his best to maintain hisposure.


    ¡°Do I look rich to you?¡±


    The woman subconsciously nced at the ring Roan wore on his right hand.


    ¡®It¡¯s gold, but is it gilded or pure? The gemstone looks expensive.¡¯


    Greed shed across her eyes, but she nonchntly moved her gaze away and continued the conversation, ¡°Are ya looking for a way to strike it rich?¡±


    ¡°You know one?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The woman offered her right hand with a smile. ¡°Chris.¡±


    ¡°Qin Shihuang.¡± Roan grabbed her hand and shook it.


    He wanted to retract his hand, but the other party didn¡¯t loosen her grip. Instead, she gently touched the center of his palm with her forefinger.


    ¡°<em>Ching See-wang</em>? What an unusual name. Ya from Ors? Or the northern fiefs? Wow, ya have such good skin. No calluses¡­ Let me guess. Ya a mage?¡±


    ¡°Just an Iron-tier one,¡± Roan shyly pulled back his hand.


    His embarrassment had Chris bursting intoughter. She smacked his shoulder.


    ¡°All right, I shan¡¯t tease ya. Iron-tier mages are prettymon here since stronger mages can work for fief lords instead of risking their lives out there¡­ Our party is missing a mage. Ya want to join?¡±


    ¡°You have a party?¡± Roan asked.


    ¡°Silver Scimitar. Ya would have heard of us if ya a veteran,¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Is your party¡­ famous?¡±


    ¡°Very much so. We¡¯rebyrinth veterans,¡± Chris spouted bullshit. She suddenly warily looked around before leaning to his ear to whisper, ¡°Tell ya a secret. Don¡¯t let anyone else know, kay? We just found a new secret passageway in thebyrinth. It could be linked to the demon king¡¯s treasury.¡±


    Roan stared at Chris in astonishment. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Would I lie to ya?¡± Chris guffawed as she smacked Roan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How ¡®bout it? We need a mage like ya. Do ya want toe with us?¡±


    ¡°Definitely! Please bring me along. Ah, give me a second. I¡¯ll get the bill.¡±


    Overjoyed, Roan shot up from his seat as if he was giddy with happiness from the sudden bout of fortune. It was only when the waitress walked over that he btedly remembered his bill.


    He reached into his robe, but Chris beat him to it and tossed enough money into the serving te to cover the bill and the tips.


    ¡°Let me treat ya this meal. It¡¯s my way of weing ya to our Silver Scimitar! Ya can treat me back when ya strike it rich a few dayster!¡±


    At the same time, she turned to the side and red viciously at the waitress who tried to get in her way.


    The waitress trembled with a pale face. She was thinking of warning the handsomed that the woman with him wasn¡¯t a good person, but she sumbed to fear and lowered her head.


    She was just a normal person. This was something she couldn¡¯t get involved in.


    Roan quickly followed Chris out of the tavern with his luggage.


    ¡®Not bad. I was still wondering where to find a guide to thebyrinth!¡¯


    The nging of mugs in the tavern never stopped in the meantime. A few adventurers noticed thed being led out and chuckled.


    ¡®That poor child. For Silver Scimitar to have set their eyes on him. Oh well, we can only hope he learns his lesson and does better in his next life¡­¡¯

 Chapter 12: Call Me Demon King

    Vigegramps: ¡°¡­Maybe the development team is keeping us in suspense. The ck screen is toy the groundwork for a future surprise.¡±


    Peerlessdragonemperor: ¡°Like unleashing a big dump on us?¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°¡­¡±


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°Surprise my head! I want to y the game!¡±


    Lambskewers: ¡°Where¡¯s the character creation page?! I want to create my character!¡±


    Exciteizen: ¡°That¡¯s right! Hayaku!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Chill, everyone! The game is still in development, so maybe that¡¯s all the content they have. I¡¯d rather have this crystal ball covered in clothes transition than stop the demo.¡±


    Dragonyer: ¡°What the heck? You¡¯re ying the game?¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°They must be shills!¡±Unyieldinglife: ¡°I don¡¯t care! Everyone is a shill till someone gives me a helmet!!! (Frenzied)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Helmet? You don¡¯t need a helmet. Just a pair of goggles suffice¡­ (Sweats)¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Holy shit! Bro, something is happening. Go online quick!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°?!¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all if you scam me once more! (Angry)¡±


    The forum had been in an uproar since a certain NPC covered the crystal ball, but the development team refused to utter a word regarding the matter up to this point.


    Zhao Jinyan had been observing the situation.


    The forummenters could be divided into two groups. One group believed that the development team had developed a state-of-the-art, virtual reality RPG, whereas the other group didn¡¯t believe the developer¡¯s ims and the legitimacy of the promotional video.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t AI technology trending nowadays? It¡¯s not tough to generate a video.¡¯


    And Zhao Jinyan was leaning toward thetter group.


    A full-immersion, virtual reality game sounded too much like an exaggeration. Even if the technology existed, why would the first thing it was used for a game? Surely there must be more profitable choices out there!


    To Zhao Jinyan¡¯s shock, a few people on the forum appeared to have started ying the game after the release of the closed beta.


    It had only been hours since the closed beta¡¯s release, but their responses seemed genuine, especially when they even brought out some hypnosis theory.


    ¡®It can¡¯t be that these people are AI too?¡¯


    This was what surprised him the most. Could a game, which had only been announced a few days ago, acquire fiercely loyal fans with just a promotional video?


    ¡°¡­Or is the game really that amazing?¡± Zhao Jinyan murmured in a dilemma.


    After some hesitation, he picked up his phone and bought the cheapest second-hand VR gear he could find on the.


    ¡®A full-immersion, virtual reality game¡­ I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going all in. ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s development team better don¡¯t disappoint me!¡¯


    ¡­


    Thunderbuzz City¡¯s prosperous areas were focused in the southeast, where the port was.


    Conversely, the further north one headed, the more deste the streets became.


    Venturing outside the north gate, the tattered huts cramped along the city walls resembled cowsheds, and the many little alleys looked like wrinkles on the vastnd. ??


    These huts were often destroyed and rebuilt due to frequent skirmishes, so those living here struggled to make a living.


    Roan followed Chris and soon met her party members.


    Unsurprisingly, it was the same four fierce-looking brothers he had spotted in the tavern, but they warmly greeted Roan as if it was their first time meeting. They even cracked lewd jokes with him to warm up the atmosphere.


    One was a bald man named Amu. He was a Copper-tier berserker dual-wielding battle axes.


    The remaining three were Lakeson, Bant, and Hugo. One was an Iron-tier dual der, and the other two were scouts without transcendent powers.


    ¡®This is a veteran party exploring thebyrinth? Even Egor is more intimidating than them¡­¡¯


    Having spent three years in the Demon King Academy, a ce overflowing with Silver-tier demons and undead, he was disappointed in these fellows.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the entrance to thebyrinth? When do we begin?¡± Roan excitedly asked as if he couldn¡¯t wait to dive in.


    His excitement spurred Chris¡¯ughter.


    ¡°Calm down, will ya? Thebyrinth has many entrances. Ya gonna get lost if ya recklessly barge in. The secret passageway is up north, so we¡¯ll have to take a wagon there. Ya should first rent a room to put down ya luggage. I¡¯ll go with ya.¡±


    Roan was her type. It would be a waste not to have a taste before lopping off his head.


    It would also be a hassle to lug his luggage back. It would be easier to have him deposit his luggage in an inn and return with the keyter to retrieve it.


    But Roan abhorred trouble and couldn¡¯t be bothered to make a trip back, so he ignored her hint and shyly replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have some materials in my bag. I can concoct medicine on the spot if someone gets hurt.¡±


    Chris stared at him in astonishment. ¡°Ya can concoct potions?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Roan nodded with a smile. ¡°I know many forme, including recovery serums and energy potions.¡±


    ¡°Amazing! Lad, I didn¡¯t expect you to be equipped with such skills!¡± The bald Amu patted his shoulder as heughed. He wrapped his arm around Roan as he continued, ¡°You¡¯re going to be a huge asset to our party!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re too kind.¡± Roanughed in embarrassment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s quickly settle¡­ I mean, find the demon king¡¯s treasury so that we cane back and sleep.¡± Hugo, one of the two scouts, impatiently interjected as he yawned. He leaped onto one of the wagons along the street and said, ¡°The Northpeak Shaft.¡±


    Upon hearing the destination, the coach nervously asked, ¡°You¡¯re heading there at this timing?¡±


    The sky was already a tint of dusk yellow, and it would be nightfall in at most two hours. They were still in human territory, but it would be a stretch to say they were safe.


    The southwest was the lizardmen¡¯s turf, and undead wandered in the northern mountains.


    Not to mention the ones that they truly had to guard against in the dead of the night were not undead but humans harboring malevolent thoughts.


    ¡°Cut the crap and get moving,¡± Hugo tossed the coach some silver coins and impatiently urged.


    The coach eyed the silver coins in a dilemma, but he eventually decided to take his business.


    So, the party got onto the wagon, and after a thirty-minute bumpy ride, they arrived at thebyrinth¡¯s northernmost entrance.


    This used to be a mining shaft under the famous Andes n, rich in decent quality metal, coal, and ores. Once, a miner was expanding the shaft with explosives when he inadvertently sted an opening to thebyrinth.


    Since then, the mining shaft became a yground for undead beings and demons.


    This entrance was near thebyrinth¡¯s borders, so it was nigh impossible to find anything valuable here. That was why adventurers were hesitant to explore this area unless there was special reason to do so.


    The coach refused to go up the mountain, so the party had to alight at the foot of the mountain.


    Fortunately, it was just a ten minutes journey away from the mine.


    Roan spotted a decrepit inn not far away from the shaft entrance. The inn had an exquisite decor, though its countless holes hinted that it had been abandoned for many years.


    ¡°I wonder why the fief lord didn¡¯t seal off thebyrinth entrances when the demon king caused him much headache.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Do you take the demon king for a fool? It would be a stretch to say he¡¯s bright too, but it¡¯s easier for them to dig up than for us to block their paths.¡± Amu patted Roan¡¯s shoulder as if they were close buddies.


    ¡°I heard the demon king has abyrinth core that can be invoked to change thebyrinth¡¯s underground structure. His subordinates are alsoherworld races skilled in digging holes. Rumor has it that they have a city deep underground called the Demon Capital,¡± Chris casually exined while eyeing the shaft entrance.


    ¡°But thanks to Thunderbuzz City¡¯s underground sewage, thebyrinth is unable to expand to the main city area. It can only reach the city walls, where we got onto the wagon earlier.¡±


    The underground sewage constructed in the Isaac Dynasty was still working to date. Unexpectedly, it became an iron wall protecting Thunderbuzz City from underground powers.


    ¡®My transmigrator senior must have used reinforced concrete or something along that line for the underground sewage.¡¯


    This gave him a better grasp of the situation.


    The previous demon king¡¯sbyrinth was in Thunderbuzz City¡¯s northern area, spanning from the Northpeak Shaft down to the city walls.


    It was possible that the previous demon king¡¯s subordinates had defected, so he might have to nt hisbyrinth further northward, toward the Thousandmile Mountain Range¡¯s Shatterstone Peak. He would have to wait for the situation to cool down before connecting hisbyrinth with the previous demon king¡¯s.


    ¡®On that note, why haven¡¯t these oafs made a move yet? I am still waiting.¡¯


    Watching as Chris strutted toward the shaft entrance while fiddling with her daggers, Roan frowned in bewilderment.


    ¡®Did these fellows reallye here in search of the demon king¡¯s treasure? That¡¯s impossible, right?¡¯


    Chris, who wielded transcendent powers, took the lead while the two scouts, Bant and Hugo, stuck close behind her.


    Roan quickly followed them down the eerie shaft with a torch in hand.


    It could be because he had spent long years underground, but stepping into the shaft left him with a fleeting feeling like he had returned home.


    ¡®It feels nostalgic.¡¯


    He felt like the world had suddenly lit up, and eyes had grown out of his follicles.


    Chris and the others had to be vignt of their surroundings, whereas Roan only had to be wary of the humans around him.


    Not long after venturing into the shaft, he heard rustling noises.


    ¡®Ratmen. More specifically, ve rats!¡¯


    Roan had already figured out the assants¡¯ identity, but Chris had to ponder for a long time beforeing up with a vague deduction.


    ¡°Something¡¯s up front¡­ It isn¡¯t undead but rats! Prepare for battle!¡±


    The hidden ratmen suddenly pounced forth with loud squeaks. Their red beady eyes glowed ravenously in the darkness as if they hadn¡¯t eaten for a long time.


    ¡°Hahaha! Come at me!¡± the well-built Amu sneered.


    He tossed aside his torch and drew his two battle axes. He dashed forward while swinging his battle axes vigorously, ying thirteen sword- and spear-wielding ratmen right away.


    Not to be outdone, Lakeson drew his swords, took a deep breath, and suddenly surged forth like a cannonball toward a group of squealing ratmen.


    Despite being at Iron-tier, his swords didn¡¯t pale inparison to Amu¡¯s axes. With a few wild sweeps, the ratmen around him were shredded into carcasses.


    With the narrow shaft blocked by Amu¡¯s axes and Lakeson¡¯s swords, Chris and the two scouts decided to retreat.


    Chris turned to ¡®Qin Shihuang¡¯, thinking this would be a good chance to show the amateur a veteran¡¯s disposition, only to see thetter unfazed. This left her with an uncanny feeling, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on what it was.


    Just then, the battle concluded.


    Lakeson rested on his swords while gasping for air. ¡°All done. Let¡¯s hurry ahead.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±


    Hugo patted Lakeson¡¯s shoulder before advancing deeper into the shaft. Lakeson, on the other end, thought about the earlier battle and frowned.


    ¡®Somehow I feel more tired than usual. Did my stamina deteriorate?¡¯


    He shook his head, deciding not to pay it any mind.


    ¡®Probably my imagination. Maybe I¡¯m not on form today.¡¯


    Luckily, the ratmen were not on form too.


    After losing dozens ofrades, the remaining ones fled with shrill squeaks.


    That was typical ratmen behavior. Despite charging in packs, they didn¡¯t hesitate to flee when things went awry too, making them easier foes than goblins.


    After subduing five waves of ratmen, the party finally reached the deepest part of the shaft. White bones and dposing corpses littered the tunnel sides.


    They had arrived at the northern entrance of Thunderbuzz City¡¯s undergroundbyrinth.


    Roan sensed an eerie aura lingering in the surroundings. It was a familiar sensation that made his handsome face light up in delight.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t expect anything much, but these fellows brought me to somewhere good.¡¯


    Roan was still worrying about how he could get a footing in this foreignnd when an opportunity presented itself to him. With a chuckle, he reached into his clothes and took out the demon king domain¡¯s core.


    It was an ink-green crystal cube.


    In terms of appearances, it looked identical to faith crystals except for the additional tinge of green, but the magic forme contained inside this ink-green crystal were the crystallization of theherworld¡¯s thousand years of intelligence and effort.


    This object was the how theherworld carved its domain on and enveloped in holynd!


    The surface humans only knew that a Demon God¡¯s idoly in the heart of every demon king domain, but none knew how the domain core looked like before it was activated.


    Chris and the others didn¡¯t notice Roan¡¯s peculiarity. They even collectively heaved a relieved sigh at having reached their destination.


    ¡°This far should be fine. We aren¡¯t in Lord Saint Sisto¡¯s domain anymore¡­ Or do you really want to enter thebyrinth?¡± Hugo was the first to break the silence.


    Roan could tell that this cold-faced man had long lost his patience with him, but he held himself back for some reason.


    ¡°Well¡­ Chin uhh¡­¡± Chris suddenly turned to look at Roan, but she couldn¡¯t recall his name in the spur of the moment.


    ¡°Cindere.¡±


    ¡°Cindere? Haha, ya name is hard to pronounce.¡± Chrisughed awkwardly.


    ¡®Is this his name?¡¯


    She couldn¡¯t remember anymore, but there was no need to fuss over a dead man¡¯s name.


    ¡°It¡¯s still okay,¡± Roan replied.


    Chris took a deep breath, then the edges of her lips suddenly crept upward. ¡°Have you heard? There¡¯s a saying those without faith be homeless undead when they die.¡±


    ¡°I think I have heard about it. Why are you asking that out of the blue?¡±


    It was the same both on the surface and in theherworld.


    Other than the clergymen serving the Demon God, most humans, demonoids, and lower demons lose most of their memories when they die and turn into undead. This was not the handiwork of necromancers but the fate of most living beings since the real Netherworld¡¯s copse in the Second Epoch.


    Using an analogy, it was simr to a few divine robbers trashing a public toilet and stealing the toilet bowls back to their homes. However, none of them knew how to manage toilets, so toilets became a highly scarce resource.


    Only the privileged few got to poop on toilet bowls, whereas the others could only poop in their pants.


    Those who turned into undead belonged to thetter category.


    Among them were wrongfully killed witches like Madam Susan, the poor souls who didn¡¯t have money to be buried in churches, and the unlucky ones who died in ces where the holy light couldn¡¯t reach, such as theherworld or thebyrinths.


    ¡®Nobles probably have an exclusive channel for afterlife.¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t sure for the surface, but that was how things were in theherworld. High demons usually wouldn¡¯t die, but even if they identally dropped dead, they would still be reincarnated as high demons in their next life.


    Roan suddenly realized what these fellows were nning and nearly burst intoughter.


    ¡®So, they went through the trouble of bringing me into thebyrinth because they are worried that I am a noble and might report them to Saint Sisto after dying¡­ but do you think Saint Sisto is that free to bother with such petty things?


    ¡®Or maybe the Adventurer Guild has a cklist system too.¡¯


    ¡°Later, I learned they are just too poor to afford holy water. Hahaha!¡± Chris suddenlyughed aloud halfway through her monologue. ¡°That¡¯s why being poor is such a frightening thing!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Roan nodded earnestly. ¡°I understand how it feels to have no money in the pocket.¡±


    ¡°Is it? Doesn¡¯t seem so to me. Your ring looks expensive, and your skin tone¡­ I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re a noble from the Ors Empire,¡± Chris said with a chuckle. ¡°But my dear Cin¡­ little brother, you have nothing to worry about. Unlike people like us, you will be reincarnated into a good household. Just be more careful in your next life¡­ Ah, I nearly forgot we¡¯re in abyrinth. There might be no next time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ What you¡¯re after is not the demon king¡¯s treasure but me?¡± Roan slowly unveiled an unnerving smile. ¡°What a pity. I considered conferring you as my generals for bringing me back to my throne.¡±


    ¡°Chris, you talk too much. Hurry up and send him on his way,¡± Lakeson scoffed while casually brandishing his swords.


    Suddenly, his hand slipped and a sword flew out and brushed past Hugo.


    Hugo immediately broke out in cold sweat, having nearly lost his mind. He red at Lakeson and roared, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Lakeson was stunned too.


    Even if his condition was off today, he should have been at least able to hold his sword properly!


    ¡°I


    Before he could finish his sentence, his body suddenly copsed to the ground as if someone had siphoned his strength away.


    The other party members were dumbstruck.


    Bant, who had been silent the whole trip, was the first one to react. He raised his flintlock at Roan and pulled the trigger.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    A bullet burst forth and struck Roan.


    But Roan smiled at Bant as if it was nothing.


    ¡°Stone Skin.¡±


    Goosebumps rose all over Chris¡¯ body. She finally understood why she had felt so ufortable all this while.


    ¡°That fellow isn¡¯t Iron-tier! Kill him now!¡± she shrieked.


    ¡°AHHH!!!¡±


    Amu charged at Roan, furiously swinging his axes as if raising a storm.


    But history repeated itself.


    A secondter, he followed the footsteps of the dual der and copsed to the ground. Professor Lilith¡¯s ring had siphoned away everyst bit of his strength.


    Roan had been slowly eating away at their strength ever since they entered the shaft, just that he had refrained from taking everything away in one shot.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡±


    Roan murmured an incantation before dropping an ink-green cube from his right hand. It fell with a ng onto the magic formation he had drawn with his shoe.


    <em>Ksha!</em>


    A dark gray sculpture rose from the ground.


    At the same time, the skeletons lying along the sides of the tunnel rose to their feet. Holding pickaxes in their hands, their empty sockets gleamed with coldness.


    Sensing that things had gone awry, Bant, despite hisposure thus far, screamed. He tossed away the flintlock he was reloading and fled right away.


    Barely two stepster, the skeletons had already encircled him to smash him into bits with their pickaxes.


    Hugo tried to resist, but as soon as he raised his dagger, his entire body suddenly slumped to the ground. He could only watch in horror as the skeletons surrounded him.


    ¡°What did you do?!¡± Amu struggled with all his might in an attempt to stand up.


    He was the Silver Scimitar¡¯s only Copper-tier, yet he found himself helpless against this self-proimed Iron-tier mage.


    Chris realized that the man they were trying to rob was far stronger than them, and her eyes bulged in horror. Her face paled in despair.


    ¡°Y-you are a necromancer?!¡±


    Standing at the center of a pentagram that glowed with a dim green light, Roan watched his faith climb up a satisfied heart.


    ¡¾Faith +1¡¿


    ¡¾Faith +2¡¿


    ¡¾¡­¡¿


    ¡®It feels not bad terrorizing others.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t muchpared to what he got during his graduation ceremony, but it was better than nothing.


    ¡®Ah, I should share the joy.¡¯


    ¡°Necromancer?¡±


    Roan took out a turbid crystal sphere from his robe as he admired the looks of despair around him. It was time to reap onest wave of faith.


    ¡°Call me demon king.¡±

 Chapter 13: Overcoming the Bottleneck! Here Come the Players!

    ¡°Call me demon king.¡±


    An authoritative voice echoed throughout the pitch-ck tunnel, like a warm wind blowing against those ghastly pale faces.


    Chris fell to her knees with fear inscribed in her eyes. Despite the many years she had spent adventuring, this was her first time seeing the legendary demon king.


    To survive, she forsook her dignity and pressed her forehead firmly against the ground.


    ¡°D-D-Demon King, I was blind and foolish! P-please have mercy on me¡­¡±


    She had no idea what the other party had done, perhaps due to herck of understanding of necromancy, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t exert even an ounce of strength. She wobbled even in a kneeling position.


    Tears, snot, and saliva flowed freely.


    Even her crotch was wet.


    This could have been the side effect of ¡®Soul Siphon¡¯. Losing too much of her life force could have eroded her self-control.Roan also noticed that his faith had stopped growing.


    ¡®Looks like there¡¯s only so much energy a person can offer¡­ Perhaps it¡¯s tied to their soul tier.¡¯


    His gaze slowly fell on each member of the Silver Scimitar.


    His earlier deration was intended to engage the yers rather than terrorize these small fry.


    When he brought out the crystal sphere, the number of online yers in ¡¶Cmity Online¡· quickly shot up. These yers then charged back to the official forum to rant.


    ¡°Holy shit holy shit holy shit!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    ¡°Is the server about to be opened?!¡±


    ¡°Let me out! Let me out! (Shrieks)¡±


    The ruckus they kicked up was reminiscent of homeless undead.


    Roan first eyed the prostrating adventurers before ncing at the skeleton soldiers. It just so happened that the undead he had summoned via the demon king domain¡¯s core numbered a hundred!


    These skeleton soldiers were standing in a daze, awaiting his orders.


    As the most elementary necromancer summon, the initial stats of a skeleton soldier was even lower than that of an old farmer¡ª2/3/1/0/0. (T/N: Constitution/ Strength/ Agility/ Intelligence/ Psyche) ?


    Theirck of intelligence meant they could only carry out basic orders, so they often served as cannon fodder to draw firepower on the battlefield.


    ording to the Cmity system, he could transfer the yers from the Soul Mirror into the skeletons through a ritual. That would allow these skeletons to grow like natural-born undead. They would be able to level up and execute moreplicated orders.


    What if the undead refused to listen?


    Roan didn¡¯t have a solution to that. It was his first time being a demon king and ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s dogshit developer.


    ¡®I¡¯ll take a step at a time!¡¯


    ¡°¡­I hope you¡¯ll be useful.¡±


    He opened his suitcase to take out a mana chalk. He first drew a perfect circle before filling the inside. When he was finally done, he ced the turbid crystal sphere into the formation.


    A dim green light glowed, adding a sinister air to the atmosphere.


    Chris widened her eyes in terror. She wanted to know what was going on but dared not open her mouth.


    Roan pped his hand, and the green light in the magic formation receded.


    ¡°Come out, my ws.¡±


    <em>Sssss¡ª</em>


    Sparks emerged from the crystal sphere and first revolved around the magic formation before scattering like fireworks. These fireworks surged toward the skeleton soldiers, diving urately into their skulls.


    Secondster, the skeleton soldiers jolted violently like they were being electrocuted. Their joints began creaking.


    Hugo eyed the pickaxe pressing against his neck as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. He was frightened that these skeletons would suddenly hack his head off.


    Fortunately, the skeleton soldiers¡¯ abnormal condition didn¡¯tst long, and they soon reverted to normalcy.


    But the normalcy onlysted a few short seconds.


    The skeletons in the tunnel suddenly swung their creaking arms around and cheered.


    ¡°GRARRRRR!¡±


    ¡°All hail the dogshit developers!¡±


    ¡°I can move now!¡±


    ¡°Shit! Why am I a skeleton?!¡±


    ¡°Where are the subuses?! I don¡¯t want to be a skeleton! I want to be a subus!¡±


    ¡°Boo! Why don¡¯t I have a dick?¡±


    ¡°Pants¡­ Wait, where are my pants?! This is bullshit! How am I supposed to take off my pants when I don¡¯t have any on?!¡±


    ¡°Wuuu¡­ It¡¯s real! A full-immersion, virtual reality, online game¡­ I never thought I would get to y it in my lifetime!¡±


    The skeleton soldiers roared and danced all around the tunnel as if possessed.


    Roan understood the yers¡¯ words, and he had expected this level of jubnce from them too. He had been the one hyping them up for this, after all.


    However, the members of the Silver Scimitar feltpletely different about this situation.


    They couldn¡¯tprehend the skeleton soldiers¡¯ words, or rather, they weren¡¯t even sure whether they weremunicating or not. The creaking noises produced by the skeletons just sounded like friction to them.


    The dancing skeletons renewed Hugo¡¯s fear, and he mustered all his strength to pull away from the skeletons.


    It was the same for Chris too. Her sanity took a nosedive when she saw the skeleton soldiers approaching her, their jaws moving incessantly as if they were going to devour her. In the end, her eyes rolled up and she fainted.


    The skeleton yers hadn¡¯t expected this game to be so realistic, and they were hurt when they saw an NPC fainting because of them.


    Orcknight: ¡°Damn! Did we scare her unconscious?¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°It¡¯s all your fault, you ugly freak!¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Fck! You speak as if you¡¯re some hot stuff!¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°%£¤#@!¡±


    The two skeletons frantically moved their lower jaws, spitting non-existent saliva at each other.


    Meanwhile, several other skeletons noticed Bant¡¯s corpse.


    Some of them retched at the sight of his mashed-up corpse, having never seen such gore before. However, some daring ones also squatted down and observed him in interest.


    ¡°Uweh!¡±


    ¡°Disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Does this game not censor at all?!¡±


    ¡°Come out, dogshit developer! I swear I won¡¯t beat you up!¡±


    ¡°Ey, this guy died in such a pitiful manner.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second¡­ my pickaxe has blood on it. Did I kill him?¡±


    While a group of skeletons werementing on the corpse, a skeleton suddenly eximed in delight, ¡°Look what I¡¯ve found!¡±


    The other skeletons looked over.


    The skeleton raised the retro flintlock he had picked from the ground. It was probably a loot from the corpse.


    ¡°There must be bullets on him.¡±


    ¡°Quick, look for it!¡±


    Seeing that someone had already picked up equipment, the other skeletons realized they were too passive in their y style.


    They quickly snapped out of their daze and searched the corpse. It only took them moments to strip the heap of meat paste.


    It could have been due to the game framing, but these yers disyed no fear or disgust when ¡®picking loot¡¯. That saved Roan a lot of trouble.


    Thinking back on how he had struggled when he first learned necromancy, he couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by them.


    When thest yer logged into the game, an ink-green notification popped before Roan.


    ¡¾Mission: Prepare mobile bodies for the gamers (100/100) (Completed!)¡¿


    ¡¾Reward: 10,000 Faith¡¿


    10,000 faith was added to Roan¡¯s ount.


    Without any hesitation, Roan opened his character page and tapped on the ¡®Upgrade¡¯ button for his soul tier.


    The moment he tapped the button, a surge of ink-green energy flowed out of nowhere and gushed into his chest. The satisfaction he felt from the enrichment of his soul was so intense that he unknowingly let out a pleasurable groan.


    ¡®Ahhh, this feels so good! My body and mind have never felt better!¡¯


    Before the yers¡¯ eyes, Roanpleted his evolution from Copper-tier to Steel-tier!


    His overflowing experience points immediately propped him up from LV30 to LV31, crushing the bottleneck he had been stuck at for the longest time.


    ¡¾ID: Roan


    Race: Human


    Soul Tier: Steel (Level Cap: 50)


    Level: 31 (+1)


    Experience Points: 0/300,000


    HP: 1300/1300 (+500)


    MP: 3600/3600 (+1000)


    Constitution: 13 (+5)


    Strength: 13 (+5)


    Agility: 13 (+5)


    Intelligence: 35 (+10)


    Psyche: 36 (+10)¡¿


    Roan was so moved by his updated character page that he nearly burst into tears.


    After eighteen years, he finally broke through the Copper-tier ceiling limiting him!


    He had no idea when he reached the limits of Copper-tier, and he didn¡¯t want to waste his time figuring that out either. He just wanted to quietly enjoy this moment, as his cells were nourished by powerful energy.


    It might sound like an exaggeration, but that was how he felt in this instant.


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect a breakthrough from LV30 to LV31 to grant me so many stats. That¡¯s an entire 25 stat points!! I wonder how many stats I will earn from oveing Steel-tier.¡±


    With the massive growth in his psyche, Roan couldn¡¯t wait to try out the Steel-tier spells he had learned long ago but couldn¡¯t use due to hiscking mana.


    Just then, an ugly skeleton soldier staggered up to him, got down on a knee, and said creakingly, ¡°Esteemed Demon King, I am your loyal servant, Autumnleaf! I already know the mission I shoulder, so please skip the background introduction and assign me any task!¡±

 Chapter 14: There’s No One Normal

    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Mission? What¡¯s that?¡¯


    Roan didn¡¯t recall such a setting, but he decided to go with the flow, seeing how immersed the yer was in the role-y. It spared him the trouble of exining too.


    Faced with the skeleton soldier¡¯s expectant eyes, Roan cleared his throat and spoke with an authoritative voice, ¡°Good. That spares me the hassle of making unnecessary exnations.¡±


    Following the flow of typical RPGs, he should be assigning them quests next.


    ¡®Eyy¡­ What should I get them to do?¡¯


    Roan surveyed his surroundings before his gaze fell on thebyrinth¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°That is the previous demon king¡¯sbyrinth. Traitors of theherworld roam within. Explore thebyrinth and report all happenings to me. If anyone attacks you, give them a vicious pummeling in return!¡±


    ¡®Traitors of theherworld?! That has to be a main storyline quest!¡¯¡°Yes, Demon King!¡± Autumnleaf replied zealously.


    With glowing eyes, he ran to thebyrinth entrance.


    Some yers noticed his movements and followed him out of curiosity. Some looked at Roan, who was emanating boss¡¯ vibes, with gleaming eyes.


    ¡®Is this guiding NPC for beginners? You should have said so earlier! We wasted so much precious time doing nothing!¡¯


    After sending off an overexcited yer, Roan was about to confirm the condition of the demon king domain¡¯s core and check if there was a new mission when the remaining skeleton soldiers suddenly surrounded him.


    Ruckus followed.


    ¡°Mission! Beep beep! Skip! Faster!¡±


    ¡°Revered Demon King, I am your smartest servant! Please bestow me with a quest so that I can share your worries!¡±


    ¡°Demon King, look at me too! I am your fiercest w! I¡¯ll discipline this heroine on your behalf!¡±


    ¡°Demon King, you mustn¡¯t believe him! You don¡¯t know how many people that guy has scammed!¡±


    ¡°I am your long-lost brother!¡±


    ¡°Subus! I want a subus!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Roan was speechless.


    ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯


    Sensing the increasing excitement among the yers, Roan took a deep breath and roared, ¡°Silence!¡±


    At the same time, he used his authority to halt the noisy skeletons¡¯ movements, causing them to be frozen in theirst pose like machines with their plugs pulled. ?


    The Cmity system didn¡¯t grant Roan the ability to freeze yers, but these yers were upying skeleton soldiers he had summoned through the demon king domain¡¯s core, after all. As a demon king whose soul was bound to the core, he had absolute authority in this domain.


    No one could overwrite him!


    The tunnel was finally silent.


    Roan looked at the anxious monkeys before him and spoke up with a resounding voice, ¡°I am the demon king and your lord. Thend beneath your feet to the shaft entrance is my domain. My domain should have beenrger, but the previous demon king was an utter fool. He screwed everything up and left a huge mess behind, forcing me to start anew.


    ¡°Our goal for now is to build an evesting base in the heart of the human territory. It will be the foundation for us to propagate faith in theherworld among the surface dwellers. First and foremost¡­ we shall pick up our weapons and fight! We shall take back our shaft andbyrinth from those filthy rats!¡±


    Halfway through his words, Roan could already see pairs of crimson eyes warily eyeing him.


    In fact, he realized from the moment he stepped into this area that the Northpeak Shaft had be the ratmen¡¯s turf.


    It was unknown whether these ratmen used to be the previous demon king¡¯s subordinates or that they had moved in from elsewhere¡­ Regardless of which, it didn¡¯t matter.


    Those who bare their fangs at the demon king should be prepared for death.


    As soon as Roan was done with his monologue, he lifted the movement restraint on the yer skeletons and pointed at the rats hidden in the shadows.


    ¡°Smash their heads in with your pickaxes and im their weapons! Firste first serve!¡±


    He was worried that the yers might disregard his words and leave him in an awkward position, but it looked like he had severely underestimated their zealousness. They were so overly energetic that they would have leaped at any quest thrown their way.


    As soon as they regained their control, they raised their pickaxes and charged at the ratmen lying in ambush in the shadows.


    ¡°GWARRRRR!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a quest, a quest!¡±


    ¡°The rest of you get back! I¡¯ll handle it alone!¡±


    ¡°Long live the Demon King!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Quest?¡¯


    More than one yer had mentioned that term, so he couldn¡¯t help but think more about it.


    ¡®Can these yers receive quests from the Cmity system?¡¯


    It made sense for yers to receive quests from NPCs, but he would have to get to the bottom of how the quest mechanism worked so that he could put it to better use.


    Also, he wasn¡¯t nning to offer those yers any rewards. It would be very troubling if he had to pay them when theypleted their quests.


    While Roan was racking his brain, the skeletons were already ughtering their way through the ve rats. The sight of so many skeletons filling the tunnel terrified the ve rats, quelling their morale.


    There was no need for any profound strategies here. All the skeletons did was take turns smashing their pickaxes down on the ve rats.


    The ve rats blocked the attacks with wooden boards, but they stood no chance against the persistent barrage of attacks. It wouldn¡¯t have made a difference even if they were armed with metal tes!


    ve rats were ultimately cannon fodder in thebyrinth. It wasmon for them to bully amateurs in thebyrinth, but it was a different story when the amateurs were grouped up in a huge pack.


    Only a few seconds into the fight, the ve rats were already overwhelmed!


    ¡°Jip!!!¡±


    A ratman finally sumbed to its fear and darted back into the shadows.


    More quickly followed its example.


    To think that these experienced cannon fodder would be destroyed by a bunch of amateurs!


    ¡°Don¡¯t run!¡±


    ¡°Stand still!¡±


    ¡°Experience! My experience points!¡±


    The yers at the forefront immediately chased after their escaping experience packs.


    Undead beings were equipped with night vision and life detection, so the yers¡¯ movements weren¡¯t hindered even when they wandered beyond the torch-lit areas.


    But there were also yers who stopped, not daring to venture deeper into the shaft.


    There were cowardly yers as much as there were bold yers. This was their first time seeing rats who were half their height. Even though their fear of monsters was dampened by the game framing, they still needed time to grow ustomed to it.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s terrifying! How could there such fat rats?!¡± Hungryhungry huddled like a ball in the corner, shuddering out of nervousness.


    She wouldn¡¯t have feared even goblins and dragons, but rats¡­


    ¡®What¡¯s with this awful taste!!!¡¯


    A troublemaker noticed her and mischievously brought a still alive ratman up to her, ¡°Bro, you need some experience? This one is still alive¡ª¡±


    ¡°DIE!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Not bad. I¡¯ll give it an 80 out of 120.¡±


    On the whole, Roan was still satisfied with the yers¡¯ skills. He also jotted down a couple of more unique usernames.


    These skeletons looked identical, but when he focused on them he could see their usernames. If he stared a little longer, their health bar and character page would appear too.


    ¡®I wonder how things appear from the yers¡¯ perspective. Can they see my health bar?¡¯


    Roan didn¡¯t want to burden the yers with too many quests on their first day, so he handed the initiative to them and let them freely explore the Northpeak Shaft and the undergroundbyrinth.


    On the one hand, hecked an understanding of the yers¡¯ capabilities and characters.


    On the other hand, he needed to further investigate what the Cmity system was capable of.


    Further observation was required.


    He noticed one of the skeleton soldiers trying to pull down Chris¡¯ pants.


    He initially considered turning a blind eye to it, but to uphold some level of propriety, he still shouted, ¡°Enough! These people are my prisoners. If you want prisoners, capture your own!¡±


    The skeleton soldier named Explodingknowledge quickly pounced aside. When he noticed many eyes falling on him, he anxiously waved his hand and exined, ¡°I-I-I was just¡­¡±


    ¡°Seeing how realistic it is?¡± Orcknight wrapped his arm around Explodingknowledge while guffawing. ¡°I get it, bro!¡±


    ¡°Equipment! I¡¯m looting her equipment!!!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Chill, we get it. Later, when this NPC isn¡¯t around¡­¡±


    Roan: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I understand yournguage, you know? Haa, forget it.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t be bothered exining to the yers, so he added two more rules to the server to prevent these yers from going overboard with his prisoners.


    Only living beings could provide the power of faith, which was why demon kings took prisoners instead of killing them outright. That wasn¡¯t necessarily good for the prisoners though, as most of them were tortured.


    In any case, he had a use for these prisoners.


    ¡®I need to first get a cage to lock them. Let me try some Steel-tier spells.¡¯


    Roan took out a thin wand and waved it at a nearby wall, producing a dark yellow light.


    ¡°Stone Prison!¡±


    The earth shook slightly.


    Thick stone pirs rose from the ground and intersected one another, forming separate prison cells around each of the trembling adventurers.


    Even though Roan was a necromancer, he was capable of more than necromancy. He was also skilled at earth magic, one of the branches of magic close to necromancy.


    He also set up a couple of Copper-tier magic formations in the vicinity to further ensure that his prisoners couldn¡¯t escape.


    Next, he needed to secure the demon king domain¡¯s core.


    The core was not so fragile that it could be destroyed by a couple of skeleton soldiers, but in case the yers tried to do something to it, he added a few rules to the Cmity system that would result in the yer being automatically kicked offline.


    He also constructed a few defensive formations around the core.


    Protecting a demon king domain¡¯s core was Demon King Academy¡¯s 101.


    After settling everything, Roan pped his hands for a job well done.


    He looked at the stone prison again and saw Hugo staring at him in absolute terror. Thetter was the only one conscious, and he had witnessed Roan¡¯s entire ¡®coronation¡¯.


    While admiring Hugo¡¯s cowardly expression, Roan threatened with a smile, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try to escape if I were you. Death is nothing much, but it will be terrible if you turn undead, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Hugo frantically nodded, stopping short of only swearing on Saint Sisto¡¯s name.


    Roan shot him a huge gaze before picking up the torch, which had dropped to the ground, and left this eerie shaft.


    He might be a necromancer, but he had no ns of spending the night here. This shaft was not just filled with undead beings but demonic creatures too.


    Besides, there was an abandoned inn at the shaft¡¯s entrance.


    The inn was tattered and looked like a haunted house, but Roan was unfazed.


    His dormitory in the Demon King Academy had carnivorous nts andva fountains. Sometimes, when he was washing his face, he would raise his head and find himself facing a woman with unkempt hair inside the mirror.


    Compared to that, this inn was nothing at all.


    Roan upied the inn room with the least draft.


    After tossing his luggage on the bed frame, he took out a wand and cast a few detection and defensive spells. Then, hey down on the hard wooden bed.


    ¡®I¡¯ll make do with this for the night.¡¯


    He had traveled via a portal into apletely different time zone. By evening, he was already on the verge of nodding off. He was d that he could finally rest now.


    Just as he was about to doze off, he spotted a white silhouette shing across the mirror.


    Chills ran through his body. He leaped from the bed and grabbed his wand.


    ¡°Who is it? Come out!¡±

 Chapter 15: Divine Persona?!

    The room was silent.


    All that could be heard were the wind and insect calls.


    ¡®Did I mishear?¡¯


    Roan dared not let his guard down.


    He inspected the detection formation and his blind spots, but he couldn¡¯t find anything.


    Just when he was wondering if he was being oversensitive, he spotted another white silhouette shing across the mirror.


    His hand jerked upward, directing his wand at the mirror, but the white silhouette was already nowhere to be seen. This brought a frown to his face.


    So, he decided to fake the enemy out.


    ¡°I see you. Come out.¡±¡°I-I-I refuse!¡± a shy voice echoed from behind.


    Roan quickly turned around.


    The voice wasing from the mirror. There was a translucent figure reflected in the previously empty mirror.


    ¡°A specter?¡± Roan blurted out.


    ¡®No, this fellow is different from a specter.¡¯


    He had dealt with enough undead to discern that this fellow wasn¡¯t undead. It would be more urate to call the other party a soul entity.


    The moving figure in the mirror puffed up in anger and eximed, ¡°I am not a specter¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what are you?¡± Roan pressed on.


    ¡°I¡­ also want to know¡­¡± The voice was filled with confusion.


    Roan frowned. He couldn¡¯t tell if the other party was feigning it. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The figure in the mirror fell silent.


    A long timeter, he replied with an uncertain voice, ¡°I¡­ might be your divine persona.¡±


    ¡®¡­Divine persona?¡¯


    Roan was taken aback. He had no recollection of having anything like that.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± The unexpected response threw Roan¡¯s thoughts into disarray. He lowered his wand and massaged his temples. ¡°You¡¯re making me confused. What do you mean by divine persona? How are you rted to Linte Isaac?¡± ??


    While he had recently reaped a wave of faith, it was nowhere enough to forge a divine persona. It if was that easy to be a god, there would be Demon Gods at every turn!


    His intuition told him that the ¡®Machine God¡¯ could be behind this.


    ¡°Linte Isaac?¡± The figure¡¯s fleeting voice sounded confused. ¡°What a familiar name¡­ Can you tell me who he is?¡±


    Looking at the figure in the mirror, Roan took a moment to construe his words before replying, ¡°He is the final emperor of the Lyon Kingdom¡¯s Isaac Dynasty, a man suspected to have once ascended to godhood. That¡¯s all I know. Do you remember anything?¡±


    The figure nodded, only to shake its head right after. ¡°It¡¯s blurry¡­ I remember that he created me and ced me somewhere.¡±


    Its tone suddenly became excited as it eximed, ¡°Ah, I remember it now! It could be the demon king domain¡¯s core!¡±


    Roan was taken aback.


    ¡°The demon king domain¡¯s core?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The fleeting white fog-like figure nodded as it analyzed with a cheery voice, ¡°I am your divine persona, so when you forged a soul connection with the demon king domain¡¯s core, I became part of the connection too. There was a body of consciousness inside the core that tried to eat me, but it was too weak so I ate it instead!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®A body of consciousness inside the demon king domain¡¯s core?¡¯


    Roan remembered learning about it in the Demon King Academy¡¯s theory lessons.


    The demon king domain¡¯s core contained a sentient mind created by aplex array of spells. It served as both the demon king¡¯s assistant and the Demon God¡¯s mark on the mortal world.


    Through it, one could convert the faith umted in the core into demon entities, terraform the surrounding terrain, or expand thebyrinth.


    The professors had strongly emphasized that they mustn¡¯t resist the sentient mind when forging a soul connection with the core. They had to sincerely entrust their entirety to the Demon God.


    Roan did not attempt to resist the core¡¯s sentient mind, knowing that the Copper-tier him from a few hours ago wouldn¡¯t have been able to oppose it anyway.


    Little did he know that this fellow would consume the little helper he had received from the Demon God!


    ¡°Are you for real¡­¡± Roan panicked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± The fleeting figure smirked in glee. ¡°I am your divine persona. I can¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    Roan nearly fainted. ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean! What am I supposed to do now that you have consumed that thing?!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better? You have full authority over the demon king domain now!¡± the fleeting figure replied jovially. ¡°The demon king domain is now your territory instead of that whatever Demon God¡¯s. You don¡¯t have to worry about the Demon God finding out about the yers anymore!¡±


    ¡®This fellow knows about the yers too.¡¯


    For the time being, Roan couldn¡¯t grasp the significance of having ¡®full authority¡¯ over the demon king domain. Instead, he thought that it was troublesome as he would have no way of exining this if theherworld found out about it.


    Just a few hours ago, he was still thinking of writing aint letter to report the previous demon king¡¯s subordinates, but now, he should be thankful to not be reported.


    Looking at the vexed Roan, the white figure indignantly muttered, ¡°But Demon King, I would have been gobbled up if I didn¡¯t do anything. You would be in trouble if the Demon God learns that you are carrying another god¡¯s mark, right?¡±


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying¡­ You don¡¯t think that He won¡¯t notice you eating His child?¡±


    Roan didn¡¯t know how apt the metaphor was, but that was how he viewed the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± The figure analyzed the situation for him. ¡°Even gods can¡¯t keep track of every one of their children. The core wasn¡¯tpletely unleashed when I devoured the mark too, and we are currently out of His domain. It is almost impossible for Him to notice it.¡±


    ¡°That would be for the best,¡± Roan replied with a sigh. Just then, a thought surfaced in his mind, and he eximed, ¡°Wait a moment, I think I know who you are. Are you the stone monument in my mind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We have met before, though I wasn¡¯t able to speak back then¡­¡± The figure swayed happily upon learning that Roan had finally remembered him.


    ¡°So¡­ you were the one who issued the mission to the yers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me!¡±


    Roan rubbed his temples as he asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you inform me?¡±


    The figure replied in embarrassment, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have been able to speak. I didn¡¯t think devouring that little fellow inside the core would result in me inheriting its abilities, allowing me to wander out of your mind andmunicate with you like that¡­


    ¡°I was surprised, and I was hesitant to reveal myself too. My original function was to help you handle tasks that are beyond your function, such as managing the forum or issuing missions to the yers¡­¡±


    Roan scratched his head and he ced his wand back into his robe.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Feels strange. It¡¯s like there is someone else living in my body! Can this fellow even be considered a person? It¡¯s at most a stone, or a ¡®divine persona¡¯ as it self-identifies as.¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s the Cmity system up to? Does Linte Isaac intend to help me ascend to godhood? But why?¡¯


    He suddenly remembered the additional notification when the system was installed.


    ¡¾Let this foolish world feel pain!¡¿


    ¡®Vengeance, is it?¡¯


    But Roan didn¡¯t think it was that simple.


    After some thought, he looked at the unknown fog-like entity in the mirror and slowly asked, ¡°How should I address you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Why don¡¯t you give me a name?¡±


    Its voice was filled with expectations.


    ¡°How about Yuyu?¡± Roan asked after careful thought.


    To his surprise, the other party angrily replied, ¡°I told you I¡¯m not a specter!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with Youyou then.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is there any difference?¡±


    Roan didn¡¯t expect the other party to be so difficult as to reject both his suggestions. ¡°Tsk. That¡¯s all I have. Why don¡¯t youe up with something yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with the second one then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I guess this fellow is more of the stick than the carrot.¡¯


    Roan calmed himself down before asking the next question on his mind, ¡°What¡¯s your range of activity?¡±


    Youyou spent a moment in thought before replying, ¡°I can freely wander around the demon king domain. Other than that, I¡¯m restricted to your vicinity, roughly from where you are to the door. Right! I can also share what I see with you¡ªlike this!¡±


    The mirror slowly turned blurry as if a screen submerged in water. Through it, Roan saw the yers in the mining shaft.


    These overenergetic skeleton soldiers had already hunted down twenty ve rats who escaped from thebyrinth, causing a huge fuss in the mining shaft.


    One of the yers even squatted beside a ve rat¡¯s carcass, slowly slicing its body apart as if to see how realistic this game was.


    In one of the prison cells, Chris woke up before fainting right away, offering ¡¾Faith +1¡¿ to the demon king domain¡¯s core. A notification also popped up in Roan¡¯s system interface.


    ¡®I see.¡¯


    Roan should have realized in the mining shaft that it was odd how the faith absorbed by the demon king domain¡¯s core was synced with his system. The two should have been unrted.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    Roan was getting more and more energetic looking at the mirror. Even his exhaustion dissipated in the face of his sudden surge of excitement.


    ¡®Is this the joy of spying on others from the shadows? On this note, if this fellow can see what¡¯s happening in the demon king domain, does that mean it can immediately sense an adventurer¡¯s intrusion? I can even watch the show live from a safe area!¡¯


    Roan realized Youyou¡¯s abilities were stronger than he had imagined.


    ¡®I should bring a mirror wherever I go!¡¯


    He suddenly remembered another matter and asked, ¡°Youyou, can you see the official site?¡±


    ¡°Official site? Of course I can¡­ Waaa! The forum is bustling with life!¡±


    The fog in the mirror transformed once more, revealing ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s official site.


    It was just as Youyou had said. Amotion had broken out in the forum!

 Chapter 16: The Pawns Are Moving On Their Own Accord!

    On Cmity Online¡¯s forum¡­


    It had only been an hour since the closed beta server opened, but there were already dozens of pages talking about yer experience.


    Vigegramps: ¡°Brothers, we have tested the game for you! Cmity Online¡¯s developers aren¡¯t bragging at all! This game is out of the world!!!¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Out of my world, my ass! Where are the subuses in the promotional video?! (Angry)¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°Yeah! Why are we skeletons?! (Angry)¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°All you demanding asses¡­¡±


    Peerlessbear: ¡°You should be d you can move at all! This is a full-immersion, virtual reality game, something geeks dreamt about since decades ago! Yet you¡¯re stillining here¡­¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°These ingrates!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°You can¡¯t conte the two together. This development team is amazing; the lighting and sensations are all lifelike! If not for us being turned into skeletons, I would have thought it wasn¡¯t a game but a real otherworld¡­¡±Dogshit: ¡°Avatar, huh? (Laugh)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Yeah¡­ What¡¯s with your ID? (Sweats)¡±


    Peerlessdragonemperor: ¡°Tsk, you bunch of good-for-nuthins!¡±


    Unyieldinglife: ¡°Rofl. I¡¯ll do a handstand and eat my shit if it is anywhere as good as you put it out to be!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°%£¤#@!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The most popr thread had, on average, five newments popping in every second!


    Staring at hisputer screen, Zhao Jinyan was bbergasted. He couldn¡¯t believe how fast this bunch of people were typing. He dearly regretted moving so slowly that he lost the chance to be a closed beta yer.


    ¡°Damn¡­ Is the game that incredible?¡±


    Just looking at the ongoing discussion was enough to tempt him. At this instant, he wanted nothing more than to put on his VR goggles and fly into the game.


    ¡®This is ridiculous. I¡¯m feeling like an addict when I haven¡¯t even yed the game yet!¡¯


    Fleetingpast: ¡°Does anyone know if the developer will open more closed beta slots? T^T¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°Dk. Ask the dogshit developers. (Smirk)¡±


    Fleetingpast: ¡°Damn¡­ Will there be a reset for the closed beta ounts? Else those who go in first will get an unfair advantage.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Hard to say. The game environment is mostlypleted. Think they just need to tweak some minor details. I don¡¯t think the game will be in closed beta for too long.¡± ?


    Fleetingpast: ¡°What do you think about the game? Is it fun?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°I can¡¯t, in good faith, say that the game is fun as it is. The game systems are still rough on the edges. For example, you can get quests from NPCs, but you don¡¯t know what rewards you¡¯ll get. There¡¯s also hardly any guidance for newbies. If you aren¡¯t sharp enough, you might not even know what to do after essing the game¡­¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°But again, Rome isn¡¯t built in a day. While these problems do exist, they can be easily solved. As I have already said, this game¡¯s hardware foundation is rock solid, to the point where you can think of it as apletely realistic otherworld!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°With its impable physics engine, realistic sceneries, object interactions, intelligent NPCs, and a high degree of freedom, even the shorings I mentioned can be marketed as the game¡¯s strengths¡­ Of course, I¡¯d prefer the developers improve on the game if they see myment. It shouldn¡¯t be tough to add a currency and merchant function.¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Holy¡­ You guys sure he isn¡¯t a shill?¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°+10086¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°¡­Don¡¯t count on me to write a guide.¡±


    Peerlessbear: ¡°Nooooo! Bro, you don¡¯t know how much I admire you!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°Me too! I love to see you brag!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°¡­¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°And the rats! How can those rat monsters be so ugly?! Can the developers redesign them? Ugh, they are so big that I can¡¯t take it T_T¡±


    Soreloser: ¡°What?! Too big that you can¡¯t take it? I am small!¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Scram! £¨¨s¨F¡õ


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The person behind Cmity Online secretly peeked as theizens passionately shared their experience with the game online.


    ¡®Not bad, bro!¡¯


    Roan was wondering how he should reward yers forpleting quests when Autumnleaf¡¯sment enlightened him.


    ¡®I can always just print money! What? There¡¯s nothing in the shop to spend money on? Ah, that¡¯s because the game is still in development. Perfectly normal, I¡¯d say! You can buy all you want once the merchant function is online!¡¯


    ¡°Youyou.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Demon King?¡± Youyou replied crisply from the mirror.


    Roan stroked his lower jaw as he voiced his thoughts, ¡°I want to create a currency¡ªlike gold coins or silver coins¡ªto reward yers when theyplete quests. Is that possible to pull off?¡±


    Taken aback, Youyou hesitantly replied, ¡°You want me to conjure gold and silver? That¡­ might be a little difficult.¡±


    Roan shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to conjure gold or silver. I¡¯m asking you to create a virtual currency to coax the yers.¡±


    Youyou¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°As expected of the Demon King! Basically, you just want me to add an adjustable number on the yer¡¯s interface, right?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. You can do it however¡¯s convenient for you.¡±


    ¡°No problem! Leave it to me, Demon King! But what should we call the currency? Gold coins? Silver coins? Or should we use both?¡± Youyou was getting hyped up.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be too troublesome to maintain multiple currencies.¡± Roan thought about it before replying, ¡°Since my domain is called Necropolis, let¡¯s go with hell coins.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Youyou replied with a strained smile. ¡°It has your ir, Demon King.¡±


    Roan eyed the fellow in the mirror.


    ¡®You think you know my ir when you barely know me for a couple of days?¡¯


    As they discussed the details regarding hell coins, the chat on the forum progressed fromints about the gaming system to its content. This was also what Roan was the most concerned about.


    He could rely on Youyou to monitor his demon king domain, but his demon king domain was still small. He didn¡¯t have vision on the other mining shafts and the previous demon king¡¯sbyrinth.


    He could only rely on yers for information for these ¡®fog of war¡¯ blind spots.


    Autumnleaf: ¡°¡­I received a mission from the demon king to explore thebyrinth, so I went in to take a look. It is shocking! Unlike the narrow mining shafts, thebyrinth is a vast underground space that requires stone pirs to support its ceiling. The problem is that it is filled with spiders around half the height of a human, and many spider eggs are lying around.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°They didn¡¯t seem interested in me, a skeleton, but I feel the warning in their gaze. They will attack me if I proceed any closer.¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Why is it all rats and spiders? T^T¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll get massive cockroaches next (Snicker)¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Did you attack them?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Are you out of your mind? That¡¯s obviously not an enemy that new yers like us can deal with! I bet they are at least level 10 to 20!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°A vast space, huh? That would have made a better beginner vige than a mining shaft.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Indeed. I thought that the developers should move the beginner vige over since thebyrinth looks much more impressive than the mining shaft, but on second thought, I wondered if that¡¯s part of the gaming experience.


    Vigegramps: ¡°What you mean? (Confused)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Think about it. The game¡¯s high degree of freedom, its extreme realism, and the absence of a tutorial¡­ All these suggest that the developers hope that we can forge our own gaming experience and create our unique demon king domain!¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°Huh? You sure you¡¯re not a paid shill?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Were you paid? (Rolls eyes)¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°The only thing I¡¯m shilling for is my subus!¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°Hey hey, look at it from another perspective. If there are already giant spiders on the first floor of thebyrinth, you might just encounter subuses in the deeper levels. (Chuckles)¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s login now!¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°ORAHHHHH!!!¡±


    Roan, who was peeking through the mirror, was taken aback.


    ¡®Wow, my pawns are moving on their own ord.¡¯


    ¡­


    The following day¡­


    After staying up till midnight to surf the forumsst night, Roan slept in till the following afternoon. rmed at howte it was, he quickly got up and meditated.


    It seemed like his Cmity system hadpletely assimted the demon king domain and all its functions that usually requiredplicated rituals to unlock.


    ¡®The Machine God might be subpar at fighting, but it is a force to be reckoned with when ites to technology. To think that a thousand-year-old virus could still hack into a modern-day system.¡¯


    An idea suddenly surfaced in Roan¡¯s head.


    ¡®Hold on¡­ Could the demon king domain¡¯s core actually be a divine persona? I heard the third-generation Demon God Bayeris used to be a demon king¡­ Is this theherworld¡¯s way to mass-produce gods?!¡¯


    What was even more coincidental was the Cmity system he received from the Machine God happened to be a divine persona too, resulting in the fusion of the two¡­


    The more Roan thought about it, the more he felt like he had inadvertently stumbled upon a massive secret.


    Though it was still all spection at this stage. He didn¡¯t have enough information to verify it.


    Roan immersed his consciousness into his mind to inspect the changes in the Cmity system.


    The biggest change was in his ¡®Faith¡¯ section. It used to show a single number, but there were now two additional figures.


    ¡¾Faith: 277


    Daily Revenue£º101~120


    Daily Expenditure£º100¡¿


    ¡°My faith dropped from 377 to 277¡­ Does this mean that summoning a skeleton soldier consumes a point of faith?¡±


    Maintaining skeleton soldiers summoned through the demon king domain consumed faith too. The maintenance fee was not high, but it added up over time.


    The faith stored in the demon king domain¡¯s core was usually not quantified. A demon king could only rely on the crystal¡¯s brightness and their own experience to determine how much faith they had avable for usage.


    However, the Cmity system quantified the amount for him.


    ¡°This is a convenient feature¡­ but isn¡¯t my daily faith revenue too low?¡±


    Thunderbuzz City was at least a major city with over a million people. Was its popce really that loyal to their fief lord?


    Roan refused to believe that there was no traitorous person in their midst. He heard quite a few people ¡®paying their respect¡¯ to Saint Sisto yesterday in the tavern, after all.


    ¡°Those actions should be considered as selling their souls to the Demon God¡­ How bizarre.¡±


    While Roan was confused about the situation, an ink-green notification popped out.


    ¡¾Mission: Maintain an average yer daily in-game time of at least five hours for three consecutive days (Current average online time: 2 hours 33 minutes)¡¿


    ¡¾Reward: 400 closed beta slots¡¿


    ¡°Youyou.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Stop issuing missions to me.¡±


    As if knowing Roan would misunderstand it, Youyou anxiously exined, ¡°No, Demon King. I didn¡¯t issue that mission!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Is there another divine persona in my head?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. That is coded at a lower level than my programming¡­ You can interpret it as a default mission encoded into the Cmity system,¡± Youyou anxiously exined.


    However, Roan felt that it was just bullshitting him. In the end, he sighed. ¡°All right, assuming that¡¯s the case, what is the condition triggering those missions?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Youyou timidly replied. ¡°I suspect it serves a pushing force when the system thinks that you¡¯re progressing too slowly¡­¡±


    Roan: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®This is considered slow?! I was still dining in the Demon King Academy 24 hours ago!¡±


    ¡°Raising the yers¡¯ online time¡­ In gist, I just have to give the yers more work, right?¡±


    While he could cheat by producing and giving out hell coins, he knew it would be wiser not to screw around too much for the sake of long-term development.


    ¡°I think the yers are rather fond of you. You can try matching their expectations and find things for them to do.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡®Finding work for the yers? Easy. Those who are free should dig some ores and help me clear my daily tasks.¡¯


    Roan got up from his bed and tidied himself in front of the mirror before heading down the mining shaft.


    There was an awful blood stench lingering in the mining shaft, likely belonging to the ratmen.


    He made his way to the deepest area in the mining shaft, to where he nted the demon king domain¡¯s core, imprisoned the adventurers, and conjured the skeleton yers.


    Upon arriving at his destination, he froze at what he saw.


    Somehow, the sculpture containing the demon king domain¡¯s core transformed into a dashing human instead of Demon God Bayeris.


    Roan couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He rushed forward to take a closer look.


    It was his face!


    ¡®Shit! Why is my face up there?!¡¯

 Chapter 17: First Version Update!

    In the dim mining shaft¡­


    Two skeletons armed with pickaxes stood before the drop-dead dashing sculpture, rubbing their lower jaws as they discussed.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t this sculpture changed?¡±


    Orcknight remembered the sculpture looking different when he was yingst night.


    Minowarrior shook his head and replied, ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention¡­ Does this sculpture serve any purpose?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know and don¡¯t care. It¡¯s hideously ugly. Let¡¯s smash it!¡±


    Orcknight would never admit that he was envious. As he raised his pickaxe to smash the sculpture, a ray of green light suddenly struck his head, sting his soul out of his skeleton body.


    ¡°What the?!¡± The floating, soul-form Orcknight stared at his copsed skeleton body in horror. ¡°How did I be a corpse?!¡±


    Autumnleaf, who had just gotten online, walked over to examine Orcknight¡¯s copsed skeleton body before looking at the sculpture. ¡°You must have touched something forbidden.¡±He was curious about the sculpture but dared not carelessly approach after Orcknight¡¯s precedence.


    Orcknight was on the verge of tears.


    ¡°Shit! They should have put a warning on the sculpture¡­ Hold on, how do I return to my body?!¡±


    ¡°Check your system interface. Are you under any abnormal conditions?¡± Autumnleaf asked.


    All yers had a system interface that showed their character stats, present condition, health bar, quest list, and so on.


    Orcknight quickly noticed an abnormal condition on his character page. There was a demon icon with a small subtext beneath:


    ¡¾Demon King¡¯s Retribution: 59 minutes 21 seconds¡¿


    ¡°What the hell¡­ My soul will be separated from my body for an hour, and the countdown pauses if I go offline?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a feature. There¡¯s no helping it.¡± Autumnleaf shook his head before walking away. ¡°We should put a warning sign here¡­ You were unlucky to have stepped on andmine, so just go into spectator mode for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    yer activity was limited to the vicinity of the demon king domain¡¯s core when in soul form.


    The other yers guffawed upon seeing Orcknight¡¯s pitiful plight, but at the same time, it taught them that the demon king¡¯s sculpture was an untouchable entity.


    Watching the yers¡¯ interactions, especially the one known as Autumnleaf, Roan suddenly spoke to thin air, ¡°Youyou, is that fellow your side ount?¡±


    He recently realized that they couldmunicate even in the absence of mirrors.


    Youyou replied speechlessly, ¡°What are you saying, Demon King? That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°All right. I just think that he¡¯s too smart¡­ Don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Offensive actions taken against the demon king domain¡¯s core would result in the yer being evicted from their body for an hour. Subsequent attempts would be considered malevolent, and the yer would be evicted for at least 24 hours. ?§Ñ


    Roan had intended to erect a sign warning the yers not to attack the revival point, but he didn¡¯t expect someone with itchy hands to make a move so quickly.


    ¡®A warning sign might not be enough. I should quickly conceal this hatred-evoking sculpture.¡¯


    This was the heart of human territory, after all. Who knew when adventurers would start appearing here?


    Roan stared at his dashing sculpture for a good minute beforementing, ¡°Youyou¡­ You have put me in a spot.¡±


    Feeling ashamed, Youyou meekly consoled, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Demon King! Your sculpture looks great!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about how the sculpture looks¡­ I am in huge trouble now.¡±


    Roan shook his head before looking up at the ceiling, not wanting to say anymore.


    First and foremost, he couldn¡¯t exploit Demon God Bayeris¡¯ reputation anymore.


    All humans knew Bayeris and what He looked like. As for Roan¡­ what the hell was he?


    Other than that, he was also worried about how theherworld would interpret this.


    Youyou could be right¡ªthe Demon God might be unable to sense the anomaly in this distant domain¡ªbut theherworld would still eventually personnel over to check on the situation after things had settled down.


    If they found that he had changed the Demon God¡¯s sculpture into his own¡­


    He dared not even imagine the consequences.


    ¡°We need to hire a sculptor from Thunderbuzz City.¡±


    ¡®Hmm. Will any craftsman in an autonomous city worshiping Saint Sisto be willing to create a sculpture of the Demon God? Should I just kidnap one¡­¡¯


    ¡°Demon King, you can put this matter aside for the time being. It will take some time for theherworld to dispatch someone over,¡± Youyou said. ¡°We should focus on the more important matters at hand.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Roan first surveyed the mining shaft.


    Quite a few skeleton soldiers stood foolishly against the walls, a sign that they were offline. He couldn¡¯t believe howzy they were despite being one of the rare chosen ones.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do!¡¯


    ¡°Youyou, announce an update on the official site¡­ Inform the yers about the hell coins,¡± Roan said. ¡°On top of that, we should have another currency known as contribution points¡­ yers can earn contribution points bypleting quests, and contribution points can be used to purchase ¡®soul upgrades¡¯ and ¡®job change¡¯.¡±


    Faith could be used to upgrade yers too.


    The yers¡¯ souls were currently at Ordinary-tier, with a level cap of 3. That was equivalent to mortals without transcendent powers. Only when their souls were upgraded to Iron-tier would their level cap be increased to 10.


    Ordinary-tier souls only needed 100 faith to be upgraded to Iron-tier. It was a small expenditurepared to an upgrade from Copper-tier to Steel-tier.


    If these yers proved their worth, Roan didn¡¯t mind elevating their gaming experience, like granting them the experience of being a high demon.


    That being said, he also needed faith for his upgrades.


    Thus, he decided to set the ratio of contribution points to faith to 10:1. Whoever gathered 1000 contribution points first would be granted the honor of being the first yer to ovee the LV 3 bottleneck.


    ¡®Try your best!¡¯


    Roan smirked in glee, knowing he wasn¡¯t disadvantaged in this trade. He thought he was bing more and more like a demon king.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Youyou was also revved up after seeing her esteemed demon king doing work.


    Soon, a new post was published on ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s official site.


    ¡¾a.0.1 Update Notice: New Currency System!


    Dear yers,


    To enhance your gaming experience, we will be pushing out a ¡®Hell Coin¡¯ and ¡®Contribution¡¯ system!


    Hell coin, as the only legal tender in Necropolis, can be used to purchase equipment or tools from NPC shops and the Merchant Store. However, we ask for your patience as the Merchant Store is still in development and will onlye online a whileter.


    Next up is our vital ¡®Contribution¡¯ system. yers can earn contribution points bypleting the Demon King¡¯s quests, and umted contribution points can be used to upgrade soul tier and unlock the level cap. It can also be used for racial changes in the future.


    It will take a powerful soul to control a high demon¡¯s body.


    PS: It includes the subuses that you have been looking forward to~¡¿


    Roan eyed the forum.


    He was worried that Youyou wouldn¡¯t get what he was getting at, but thetter was unexpectedlypetent. It even made sure to dangle bait before the yers to motivate them.


    Unsurprisingly, thezy bums constantly eyeing the forum immediately jumped to life.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    ¡°Do the developers not sleep?!¡±


    ¡°It only took them a day to patch in yesterday¡¯s suggestions!¡±


    ¡°Got it! In gist, we can shake free of our skeleton bodies as long as we gather enough contribution points, right?¡±


    ¡°See yall, bros! Big bro will be charging ahead!¡±


    ¡°Bro, lend me your ount once you be a subus¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Dogshit developers, why don¡¯t you open more closed beta slots if you have the time to do updates!!! (Frenzied)¡±


    ¡°Screw it! I ain¡¯t going to work! I¡¯ll be taking a leave from my boss today!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®My poor little pawns. They¡¯repletely hooked.¡¯


    All hundred skeleton soldiers came online within a minute and excitedly surrounded Roan.


    ¡°Great Demon King, who are we chopping up today?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s invade the surface!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m overflowing with power now! I bet I can 1v10 god elects!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Faced with this ruckus, Roan cleared his throat andmanded, ¡°Silence! Listen to me!¡±


    Excited yers were hardly known to be the most obedient bunch in the world, though it was not as if Roan was ever banking on that.


    He sealed their movements with his authority before calmly continuing, ¡°The demon king domain needs to be further developed first. Use whatever means necessary to contribute to Necropolis¡¯ growth. I have refreshed your quest list. You may check it on your interface¡­¡±


    After finishing his piece, Roan released the yers and ced his hands behind his back, indicating the conclusion of the cutscene.


    Amotion broke out in the mining shaft, but it was not as chaotic as before.


    Autumnleaf hurriedly essed the quest list.


    ¡¾Daily Mission 1: Clearing the Spider Den!


    Description: Reiming the lostbyrinth is urgent business!


    Reward: 1000 hell coins and 10 contribution points for each crypt spider killed with its corpse brought back as proof¡¿


    ¡¾Daily Mission 2: Eliminating the Traitorous Ratmen!


    Description: The ratmen have betrayed theherworld and are hiding in the shadows of the Northpeak Shaft. These cowardly things aren¡¯t worthy of existing on the face of the world!


    Reward: 100 hell coins for each ratman tail (You may receive 50 contribution points by submitting 20 ratman tails in a day)¡¿


    ¡¾Daily Mission 3: Mine Digging!


    Description: The Northpeak Shaft¡¯s metal and coal mines are the cruxes to rebuilding the demon king army.


    Reward: 1 hell coin for every every gram of coal or metal (You may receive 50 contribution points by submitting 1 kilogram of coal or metal in a day)¡¿


    ¡¾Mission 4: Capturing Adventurers¡­¡¿


    ¡¾Mission 5: Exploring Uncharted Territories¡­¡¿


    ¡¾Mission 6: Crafting Equipment¡­¡¿


    ¡¾Mission 7: Harvesting Crypt Spider Eggs¡­¡¿


    There were many quests, and they could be broadly categorized intobat and lifestyle.


    Unlike yesterday, the quest requirements had more thorough details with their corresponding rewards clearly stated.


    Autumnleaf eyed the other yers. To his surprise, the others were much more motivated after this ¡®major patch¡¯.


    ¡®Looks like it is important to provide gamers with some directions even in a sandbox game.¡¯


    ¡°I see¡­ Soul tier determines one¡¯s level cap. I was still wondering what it is for,¡± Peerlessbear mumbled as he stroked his lower jaws while studying his character page.


    Not far away, Hungryhungry sighed in vexation, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll just dig some coal. Rats and spiders are too much for me. Call me when there are normal mobs.¡±


    Explodingknowledge teased with a grin, ¡°Digging coal is great! A gram of coal for a hell coin? You can be he sure I¡¯ll dig out this entire mine!¡±


    Vigegramps rolled his eyes. ¡°Brag. Continue bragging¡­ That pickaxe of yours can only dig up at most 3000 grams a day.¡±


    ¡°No no, fatigue doesn¡¯t apply in games. If I can mine 3000 grams in 8 hours, that would be 9000 grams in 24 hours!¡± Explodingknowledge eximed.


    ¡°Huh? You not going to rest?¡± Soreloser asked.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Roan was taken aback as he eavesdropped on their conversation.


    ¡®What? Can they dig up that much in a day? Did I set the mining rewards too high?¡¯


    Unlike the chatting yers, Autumnleaf quietly studied the quest list. His calm contemtiveness made him stand out among the skeleton soldiers.


    A skeleton soldier equipped with a spear and a shield walked up to Autumnleaf and asked, ¡°Wanna party?¡±


    Autumnleaf turned to the skeleton soldier¡ªit was an unfamiliar ID. He had no recollections of seeing it on the forum either, so he asked out of curiosity, ¡°Sure, but why me?¡±


    ¡°You look the most reliable out of the bunch,¡± the skeleton soldier replied with a sigh. He extended his hand and introduced himself, ¡°Nightfall.¡±


    yers could see each other¡¯s ID, but out of politeness, Autumnleaf also did the same self-introduction as he shook the other party¡¯s hand, ¡°Autumnleaf.¡±


    Nightfall chuckled.


    ¡°Pleased to work with you.¡±


    ¡­


    The yers slowly left the ¡®city square¡¯, leaving behind Orcwarrior¡¯s soul to howl pitifully before the demon king¡¯s sculpture.


    ¡°Noooo, wait for me! I want to mine too! I only have 40 minutes more before I¡¯m released!¡±


    Looking at the yers¡¯ departing figures, Roan smiled in delight.


    ¡®Good. It saves me a lot of hassle when my yers are so motivated. At this rate, I might even be able to take a break in the human world.¡¯


    Chris, Amu, Hugo, and the others shuddered in their respective cells. They couldn¡¯t make sense of the situation before them.


    Roan noticed his prisoners had woken up so he opened up his suitcase and tossed them some rations. He waited for them to be done eating before raising his ring-wearing finger.


    The frightened adventurers begged for mercy, but he still siphoned away a good of their vitality.


    ¡¾Faith +13¡¿


    ¡®Tsk, that¡¯s too little!¡¯


    Seeing how terrified the adventurers were, Roan wondered if he was bing less humane.


    ¡°Youyou, let¡¯s implement a ¡®Party¡¯ function too.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, master! Shall I do it now?¡±


    ¡°No rush,¡± Roan calmly reasoned. ¡°yers will take us for granted if we roll things out too quickly. We shouldn¡¯t indulge them too much. Let¡¯s wait for them to raise the matters before resolving them one by one¡­¡±


    Youyou nodded in awe, saying, ¡°As expected of the Demon King. Y-you are truly unfathomable!¡±


    Roan epted Youyou¡¯s heartfelt admiration with a chuckle.


    ¡®It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t receive faith from my divine persona.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t get overexcited yet. We¡¯re still on the basics.¡±

 Chapter 18: The Vengeance of the Rats!

    Once the yers started trying, thebyrinth¡¯s spiders and mining shaft¡¯s ratmen didn¡¯t stand a chance anymore.


    Upon finding a reliable ally, Autumnleaf decided to farm the crypt spiders, which offered the highest returns.


    While the crypt spiders looked like they weren¡¯t to be trifled with¡ªhe had previously estimated them to be between level 10 to 20¡ªit also dawned upon him that the game¡¯s extreme degree of freedom meant that level was not everything.


    Stats and health bar were really just for reference!


    The crypt spiders might boast formidable fighting prowess, but their intelligence was so-so. They were also highly territorial creatures who would devour even their own spawns if they carelessly approached.


    There was no question that the crypt spiders were highly dangerous, but conversely, these traits also meant that as long as the yer didn¡¯t venture too far in, the chances were that they would only have to face a crypt spider at a time.


    A crypt spider reaped ten times the reward of a ratman, and he could im the rewards for the nearby spider eggs too.


    Other than that, Autumnleaf also noticed another detail.


    Clearing the spider nest was the only mission avable that had no ceiling to the contribution points one could earn.Given their current growth rate, it wouldn¡¯t take long before they reached the level cap of 3. Thus, their priority should be obtaining contribution points!


    But aside from Autumnleaf and a few other ambitious yers, most yers still chose to hunt down the more ¡®adorable¡¯ ratmen.


    Ratmen struggled to deal with skeletons as thetter wasn¡¯t part of their diet, and they had a shorter health bar and dropped equipment.


    The only problem was that ratmen were prone to fleeing frantically whenever they were at a disadvantage, and it didn¡¯t help that the living was intrinsically averse to the undead. This made hunting them a huge pain in the ass.


    Unfortunately, the yers were also too low-leveled to have any AOE skills, which would have been extremely convenient against the ratmen.


    ¡­


    Even though Thunderbuzz City worshiped Saint Sisto, there were also ces where the holy light didn¡¯t shine.


    For instance, Thunderbuzz City¡¯s underground street was a ce where thieves and pirates sold their loots, ck-hearted merchants offered high-interest loan, and smugglers made illegal deals with their clients.


    Some said that even theherworld¡¯s demon kings would be robbed of their kidneys there.


    There were even rumors that evil outer god worshipers dwell in those shady alleys¡­


    In any case, the underground street was no ce for upstanding civilians.


    In the tavern neighboring the Thief Guild, three brutes, who looked like typical rogues, sat around a glistening oak wood table, busy ¡®fighting the noble¡¯. <em>(T/N: Parody of a famous Chinese card game called doudizhu aka fighting thendlord)</em>


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t be truly beating up a noble.


    It was a card game with over a thousand years of history. It was even popr in Lyon Kingdom¡¯s royal court for a period.


    Sometimes, Jack would wonder which masochistic king came up with this name. Was it that fun getting beaten up by others?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Chris around for a while.¡±


    He was from ck Viper, which had business dealings with the Silver Scimitar.


    In particr, Chris, despite being an Iron-tier thief, was exceptionally skilled in kidnapping and extortion.


    He recently received a job that required her expertise, but somehow, the intermediary was unable to reach her. And it was not just her. The entire Silver Scimitar had disappeared from Thunderbuzz City. ??


    This made him wonder if those scums had offended someone powerful, such as the Andes n¡­


    ¡°Chris, that fellow whose chest is tter than mine? Think someone saw her in Sword and Broken de yesterday.¡± A man with a sword scar on his face guffawed.


    Another man exhaled a stream of smoke as he threw out a club king to steal Jack¡¯s cards.


    ¡°¡±The tavern beside the Adventurer Guild? What is she doing there?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Looking for prey?¡±


    The smoking man paused for a second before replying, ¡°She might have found one. Someone saw her with a noble at the north gate¡¯s wagon stand.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! Which family¡¯s scion has such a heavy taste?!¡± The man with the sword scarughed.


    ¡°The north gate¡¯s carriage stand? All right, thanks for the intelligence,¡± Jack replied as he tossed out four fours.


    The smoking man casually waved his hand in response. He removed the cigar from his mouth as he asked, ¡°You can¡¯t find anyone else for the job?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many skilled female thieves around. I could probably find someone else, but I prefer to work with people I¡¯m familiar with.¡± Jack paused for a moment before adding, ¡°I¡¯m also curious to know what she got herself into.¡±


    The man with the sword scar suddenly reined in his smile and gave him a deep stare, saying, ¡°¡­There¡¯s been unrest in Thunderbuzz City recently. I suggest you lie low.¡±


    But Jack was unbothered. ¡°That¡¯s for themercial streets to worry about. It¡¯s none of our underground street¡¯s business.¡±


    ¡­


    North of Thunderbuzz City, deep inside Northpeak Shaft, a plump ratman sat on a throne of white bones.


    His name was Jaki.


    Up till a few days ago, he was a ratman reared by the demon king on thebyrinth¡¯s first level, but in a twist of fate, he had be the chief of thousands of ratmen.


    ¡®I shall create my own n soon, just like other great races. To fulfill this noble goal, I have to quickly store as much fats as possible!¡¯


    ced before him was food his underlings had stolen from human farms. There was pork, beef, mutton, bread that was baked to be crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and a bunch of glistening fruits.


    As Jaki feasted on the food, his waist and height grew like a balloon pumped full of water. Amazingly, he didn¡¯t get bloated from his ravenous eating. Instead, he gained greater power.


    This was one of the ratmen¡¯s unique traits.


    They could devour food far surpassing their mass and swiftly assimte a portion of it to build their body.


    This ravenously gorging also served as a ritual to delight one of the Three Rat Gods¡ª¡¯Gluttony Rat¡¯ Gerlo!


    Jaki, who was just obeying his instincts, didn¡¯t realize he was inadvertently carrying out the Gluttony Rat¡¯s god elect ritual. His ritual was clumsy and messy, but it still delighted Gerlo, so thetter bestowed him with a greater appetite and power surpassing ordinary ve rats.


    The other ve rats eyed their feasting leader with ravenous red eyes. They were tempted to rush forward and sink their teeth into the meat too, but their fear held them back.


    Once, a foolish ratman attempted toy its paws on the food, only for their leader to chomp off its head right away.


    While Jaki was feasting his fill, a ratman dressed in rags rushed into the cavern and shrilly squeaked, ¡°Bad news, Your Majesty Lord Jaki!¡±


    Jaki let out a long burp before replying with azy voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t bother me if it is just adventurers¡­¡±


    A meaty smell wafted across the cavern, causing the ratmen to salivate.


    The ratman dressed in rags pressed its head firmly against the ground as it squeaked in fright, ¡°No, it isn¡¯t the adventurers! It¡¯s the demon king!¡±


    ¡°Demon king?!¡±


    Jaki¡¯s fat shook in fright. He even dropped the chicken thigh in his hand. He anxiously climbed to his feet, but he was so heavy that it nearly caused an earthquake.


    Panic engulfed the ratmen serving Jaki, and they immediately fled in all directions while squeaking in fear.


    Jaki hurriedly swiped his paw to capture the deserters.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare run! Come back! Where can you escape to? Will you return to thebyrinth to be food for the spiders? Or are you hoping that the human farmers will take you in? I am your only shelter!¡±


    His furious roar intimidated the spineless cowards, stopping them in ce.


    He then red at the ratman dressed in rags and coldly hissed, ¡°You¡¯re lying! The demon king is dead! We saw it with our own eyes! Otherwise, those spiders wouldn¡¯t dare upy our den!¡±


    At Jaki¡¯s gesture, a few ratmen wielding spears and clubs marched forth to take down the ratman dressed in rags.


    The ratman dressed in rags trembled. Its head was so firmly pressed to the ground that blood began oozing from its ck, furry forehead. ¡°I¡¯m not lying, Your Majesty! The previous demon king is indeed dead¡ªwe saw it with our own eyes! B-b-but justst night, another demon king ughtered his way back with a party of adventurers¡­ and he is a necromancer!¡±


    Jaki was stunned.


    ¡®Another demon king came with a party of adventurers? You must be joking! And a necromancer, you say? What can a couple of skeletons do? I could have easily beaten ten of them even before I gorged myself to this size!¡¯


    ¡°This scum is taking me for a fool! Dice him!¡± Jaki roared.


    The ratmen lunged forth and diced the squeaking ratman into meat paste before gobbling its carcass.


    Meanwhile, Jaki sat atop white bones as he contemted the situation.


    ¡®A new demon king¡­ That could just be true.¡¯


    In truth, he was prepared for this possibility. It was only a matter of time before theherworld sent someone over to clean up the situation. He just didn¡¯t expect the helicopter boss tond in his turf.


    He had already escaped from thebyrinth. Was he supposed to flee deeper into the mountains?


    But there wasn¡¯t enough food there. He didn¡¯t want to and couldn¡¯t stray too far from human settlement!


    ¡®I can¡¯t let my underlings learn about this.¡¯


    So, he turned to the ratmen and bellowed, ¡°If you¡¯re done eating, get into the mining shaft and drag those humans out! The mine is our territory! Anyone who dares invade our turf shall face our wrath!¡±


    ¡°JIP JIP!¡±


    The ratmen raised their weapons with their oily hands as they squeaked battle cries.


    Looking at his huge army of underlings, Jaki¡¯s nervous heart settled down.


    ¡®Maybe the situation isn¡¯t as bad as I thought. The demon king might be weaker than I expected, or else the other party wouldn¡¯t have been wandering at thebyrinth¡¯s entrance. Not to mention I have an army of ten thousand with me. Everything is still under control!¡¯

 Chapter 19: Rat Stampede! The Monsters Are Sieging!

    Under Jaki¡¯s order, all of Northpeak Shaft¡¯s ratmen raised their weapons, ready to pounce at the intruders to tear them apart.


    Meanwhile, the yers farming in the mining shaft remained oblivious to their movements. <em>(T/N: Farming: repeatedly killing monsters to level up.)</em>


    Orcknight slew a cornered ratman, sliced off its tail with a dagger, and tied it around his ribcage.


    ¡°The tenth one! 1000 hell coins secured! Kakaka!¡±


    Minowarrior, wielding a dagger and a shield, followed him as he cackled, ¡°Work harder. You need ten more to get 50 contribution points.¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Bloody hell! There¡¯s still so much more to go?!¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°You were off for too long. The ratmen were pretty easy to hunt at the start. It didn¡¯t take me long to gather my twenty tails.¡±


    He had long met the quest requirement of twenty tails and was only hanging around to apany his good brother. Otherwise, he would have been mining alongside the other lifestyle gamers.


    Mining a kilogram of coal or ore would also earn him 50 contribution points.By clearing these two daily quests, they could earn a total of 100 contribution points. At this rate, they should be able to advance to Iron-tier in ten days and leap ahead of the others.


    Orcknight cursed bitterly, ¡°That ursed¡­ Saint Sisto.¡±


    Minowarrior burst intoughter as he asked a redundant question, ¡°The one who punished you is the demon king. Why are you cursing Saint Sisto?¡±


    Orcknight rolled his eyes. ¡°None of your business! I¡¯ll curse whoever I want!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Deciding not to tease his brother anymore, Minowarrior stepped forward with his shield in search of the next unlucky ratman.


    All of a sudden, the two skeletons heard loud rumbles echoing from ahead. It sounded like an army of thousand cavalrymen was charging at them.


    Orcknight¡¯s lower jaw ckened as he stared at the pitch-ck tunnel ahead of him in a daze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Minowarrior noticed themotion ahead, and his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Bro, something is amiss¡­¡±


    Going by gaming tropes, such an anomaly should have been a prelude to the appearance of an elite monster or a boss. However, that didn¡¯t seem like it here.


    As the quakes drew closer, he knew there was no time to hesitate. Thus, he tossed aside his equipment and pulled his good brother to the side.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Orcknight was taken aback.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s to feign death! What else can we do?! We are mere food to a boss monster!¡± Minowarrior eximed.


    He still had no idea what this game¡¯s death penalty was. It would be terrible if he was forced to go into observer mode for the next two or three days. ?


    ¡°Feign death?! Is that possible?!¡±


    ¡°Why not? Isn¡¯t that a basic maneuver of the undead?! Cut the crap and lie down!¡±


    Those words were surprisingly convincing.


    So, the two skeleton soldiersy unmoving on the ground, looking like they had died for a long time.


    Soon, the quakes reached their vicinity.


    The tensed Orcknight finally saw the culprits behind the shaking.


    ¡°My gosh¡­¡±


    Rats! More than ten thousand ratmen who were half the height of a human adult!


    Some were properly equipped with armor and swords, whereas others were dressed in rags and brandished their ws. But all of them had a vicious look on their faces, ready to tear apart any enemy who stood in their way.


    Orcknight even wondered why these ratman had chosen to settle in the mining shaft when they could have just overrun thebyrinth¡¯s crypt spiders.


    The rat swarm trampled past the two skeleton soldiers, raising a cloud of dust.


    Fortunately, Minowarrior was right, and the ratmen didn¡¯t see through their disguise.


    The rumbles finally faded in the distance, though it seemed to be heading toward the demon king domain.


    Minowarrior shook his skull as he stood up. He tossed away his tattered shield with a sigh before picking up his dagger.


    ¡®I barely evolved into a skeleton knight, but now I have regressed back into a skeleton soldier. What a waste!¡¯


    ¡°¡­Are those ratmen out of their mind?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe this is them retaliating after suffering so many casualties.¡±


    Most yers had farmed twenty tails earlier in the morning, which meant that around 700 to 800 ratmen had been killed.


    Based on the situation, Minowarrior deduced that either a mage was controlling the rats, or that the rats had a bossmanding them.


    ¡°¡­What should we do next?¡± Orcknight asked.


    Retreating was not an option, but the path ahead seemed fraught with dangers too.


    Minowarrior scratched his head, feeling at a loss. ¡°Should we¡­ post this on the forum?¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ then we advance deeper to take a look? What if we find a boss?¡±


    ¡°Huh?! You just said we can¡¯t beat it!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily have to beat it. There¡¯s also a quest for discovering new ces¡­ The boss room should be considered a discovery, right?¡±


    Orcknight shot a side nce at Minowarrior.


    To be honest, he was also curious to know what the boss looked like, so he decided to go along with thetter.


    As for the threat of death¡­ so be it.


    It was just a game anyway. One couldn¡¯t say one had yed a game without at least dying a couple of times.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll apany you.¡±


    ¡°Give me a sec. I¡¯ll make a quick trip to the forum.¡±


    Minowarriory down against the wall, turning into a carcass once more as he reported his discovery on the forum.


    ¡­


    In the demon king domain, near the entrance of thebyrinth¡¯s first floor, several adventurers shuddered in their respective cells.


    ¡®That evil mage¡­ No, that evil demon king is more cunning than we expected. He gave us food, only to use his evil spells to siphon our vitality right away.¡¯


    The feeling of having one¡¯s vitality siphoned was terrible, as if their bodies had been emptied out by an illness.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do¡­ I¡¯m already at my limit¡­ Please, anyone, save me!¡±


    The muscr Amu kneeled on the floor, on the verge of a mental breakdown. This highest-leveled, study berserker was surprisingly the first one to cave in to despair.


    But Chris didn¡¯t mock him because she was also at her limit.


    ¡°What do you think that fellow is nning?¡± the shivering Hugo asked with a pale face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Lakeson shook his head, the eyes hidden beneath his damp fringe reflecting his bitter regret.


    Had they known that man was such a dangerous figure, they wouldn¡¯t have ventured all the way into this mining shaft before making a move.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never dealt with a necromancer before.¡±


    ¡°Are there no necromancers in the underground street?¡± Hugo gulped.


    Unlike his veteran party members, he was a vige bumpkin who had just joined the trade not long ago. He had chosen to join Silver Scimitar in hopes that he could be rich overnight, as well as for a certain woman.


    Chris nced at Hugo with vacuous eyes.


    ¡°The underground street¡­ is just a ce where lowly thieves and hopeless blokes gather. Necromancers, on the other hand, are opponents whom even fief lords are wary of.¡±


    Necromancers was one of the evilest jobs in the world. Only the depravedherworld would ept the likes of them. These people had not only turned their backs on Saint Sisto, but they had also abandoned any virtues they had as a human being.


    There were sayings that Silver-tier necromancers could raise disasters that troubled not just Gold-tier but even tinum-tier knights too.


    Chris had only indirectly heard about this rare existence.


    All of a sudden, Lakeson opened his eyes and murmured, ¡°Something¡¯sing.¡±


    Chris quicklyy down and pressed her ear against the floor to listen.


    Thieves like her were skilled at scouting. Their deductions weren¡¯t always reliable, but themotion this time was so loud that she couldn¡¯t possibly get it wrong.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rat stampede!¡±


    Chris¡¯ face turned pale.


    She leaped to her feet, lurched against the resilient stone prison, and struck the nigh indestructible stone pirs with all her strength.


    ¡°Oi! Is anyone there? If you can hear me, let us out!¡±


    No response.


    A few skeletons did turn to look at her, but it was obvious from their dazed expressions that they didn¡¯t understand her words.


    ¡®That fellow abandoned us!¡¯


    Seeing how her little fists dealt zero damage to the granite prison, Chris descended into despair. She howled hoarsely, ¡°That¡­ Ch-Chin Seewang! You¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you?! Please, I¡¯m begging you¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    A thunderous voice cut her pleading short.


    A pitch-ck figure appeared at the center of the mining shaft. It was a ck-haired man wielding a wand, his arrogant face twisted with impatience. He didn¡¯t seem to think the rat stampede was a threat at all.


    Chris stared at the necromancer.


    Lakeson did the same too with eyes of disbelief.


    ¡®Is this fellow out of his mind, or¡­ Has he spent too much time dealing with corpses that he doesn¡¯t know what a rat stampede signifies?¡¯


    ¡°A couple of rats got you scared soulless¡­ Watch your attitudes. You are my prisoners. Or do you think we are ying house around here?¡±


    Roan¡¯s sharp re made Chris¡¯plexion turn even paler. She quickly stepped away from the stone pirs and fell onto her bum.


    Roan finally turned away from the prisoners. He raised his wand as he murmured a chant, ¡°Awaken, my servants!¡±


    A rotting corpse lying in the corner shakily rose to its feet. Bits of flesh fell from its skeleton rack. Not the slightest emotion could be seen on its dazed face.


    This sphemous sight had the prisoners gulp down their saliva, not daring to utter a word.


    That was their friend, Bant.


    As Roan assessed the corpse, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.


    ¡®He was a mortal devoid of transcendent powers, but his soul tier is Copper? Well, this works with me.¡¯


    This meant that Bant¡¯s power ceiling was higher than his other summons.


    He ordered Bant to pick up the greatsword that none of the yers could carry and protect the area around the Demon God¡¯s sculpture.


    Then, he issued an order, ¡°Youyou, gather the yers under the pretext of a monster invasion! As long as they fend off this wave of monsters, they will receive 10,000 hell coins and 100 contribution points on top of quest rewards! If they fail¡­ they can wait for the next closed beta!¡±

 Chapter 20: The Showdown Between Armies!

    ¡®Next closed beta¡¯ was a subtle way of putting it.


    He could resummon skeleton soldiers if they died, but it would be the end of him if the enemies overrun the Demon God¡¯s sculpture. There would be no more ¡®next time¡¯.


    Youyou understood the severity of the situation too.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Meanwhile, on thebyrinth¡¯s first floor¡­


    In a hall covered in spider webs, two skeleton soldiers used their skillful positioning to kite an isted crypt spider while slowly wearing it down.


    Nightfall would first lure the crypt spider to a pir, then exploiting its weakness of being unable to freely move sidewards, Autumnleaf would assault it from the nk using a spear.


    It took around three stabs to kill a crypt spider that was below two meters long.


    Rather than its hard head, the crypt spider¡¯s bum, especially the side of its bum, was a softer spot that was much easier to deal damage to.The only tricky part about dealing with these spiders was the sticky webs it shot from its mouth. It would be the end of the yers once they get bound in ce.


    Fortunately, these spiders had a conspicuous ¡®spitting¡¯ cast dy.


    As soon as the crypt spider¡¯s cheeks puffed up, Autumnleaf, hiding behind the pir, would immediately smack his spear on the ground to warn the kiting Knightfall to take heed and dodge.


    Altogether, the two of them spent the afternoon clearing twenty crypt spiders, and not once had they slipped up.


    Autumnleaf did a rough calction. Putting aside the hell coin rewards from the spider eggs, they would receive around 100 contribution points each from sharing their twenty kills.


    Later, they could hunt 20 ratmen each and spend some hell coins to buy a kilogram of coal from lifestyle yers. That would them another 100 contribution points from their daily quests.


    This meant they would earn a staggering 200 contribution points when most yers were onlyting 50 contribution points a day. At this rate, they could reach Iron-tier within five days!


    This farming speed would allow them to outscale the other yers by a great deal.


    Nightfall looked at the contemting Autumnleaf and said, ¡°You can have all the contribution points from these spiders. If we farm a bit more¡­ you should be able to reach Iron-tiertest by tomorrow night, raising your level cap to 20.¡±


    Autumnleaf was so taken aback that he blurted out, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Nightfall casually shrugged as he exined, ¡°Rather than equally dividing resources and slowing down each other¡¯s progress, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s much more efficient for one of us to first reach Iron-tier and pull the other up?¡±


    Autumnleaf quickly grasped what Nightfall was getting at.


    That was also what most ambitious guilds did in the earlier phase of a new game. They would first prioritize the development of a few seed yers to snowball their advantage before giving back to the other yers.


    Such a partnership was only possible between people who had mutual trust, whereas Autumnleaf and Nightfall had only met each other today.


    There was no way Nightfall was oblivious to the enormous potential of this game, as well as the tremendous value of getting a headstart.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about me turning my back on you?¡±


    Nightfall chuckled casually in response. ¡°I have a good eye for people. I believe you are a person with principles, and I don¡¯t think you will break your principles over paltry gains.¡± ?


    From those words, Autumnleaf was convinced that Nightfall was from a gaming guild.


    ¡°¡­I shan¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    Nightfall shifted his dagger to his left hand before extending his right hand for a handshake. ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure working with you¡­ Ah, I think I just leveled up.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°My stat was automatically assigned to agility.¡± Nightfall fell into deep thought staring at his character page. ¡°That was what I intended¡­ but does this game not allow yers to choose which stat to raise?¡±


    ¡°My stat was also automatically assigned to strength,¡± Autumnleaf studied his character page before saying.


    ¡¾


    ID: Autumnleaf


    Race: Human


    Soul Tier: Mortal (Level Cap: 3)


    Level: 1 (+1)


    Experience Points: 33/10,000


    HP: 200/200


    MP: 0/0


    Constitution: 2


    Strength: 4 (+1)


    Agility: 1


    Psyche: 0


    ¡¿


    He wanted to be a mage, but it didn¡¯t look an option for the most basic skeleton soldier.


    ¡°This is probably ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s hidden mechanism,¡± Autumnleaf said.


    ¡°Hidden mechanism?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Autumnleaf nodded as he shared his viewpoint. ¡°Most games would only allow yers to pump their stats after leveling up, but I suspect this game follows the logic of ¡®raising one¡¯s stats to level up¡¯.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the developer¡¯s rationale for designing it like that. Maybe it¡¯s to add to the realism? Either way, calling it experience points is misleading. It would have been more urate to call it ¡®mastery point¡¯ or something, since your stat growth is probably based on your in-game actions.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Nightfall¡¯s eyes lit up. He studied Autumnleaf in fascination. ¡°Bro, are you really not the gamingpany¡¯s internal staff?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that possible? Do I look a staff member¡­¡± Autumnleaf looked at Nightfall in resignation. He paused before looking aside. ¡°Though I have once thought of developing a game like this.¡±


    ¡°Your ideas happen to coincide?¡± Nightfall chuckled.


    He was about to say something more when a notification popped up.


    ¡¾Warning: Monster Siege!¡¿


    ¡¾Description: A huge rat stampede is pressing close to the demon king domain! All yers in the vicinity, please immediately pick up you weapons and gather at the demon king domain¡¯s core.


    You will receive a huge amount of hell coins and contribution points if you sessfully fend against the aggressors. Failure in this mission will result in the termination of the closed beta!¡¿


    Nightfall¡¯s heart nearly leaped out of his mouth¡­ though he had no heart in this game.


    ¡°A monster siege?!¡±


    ¡°I just checked the forum. A yer reported seeing thousands of rats marching toward the demon king,¡± Autumnleaf grimly said. ¡°It¡¯s probably a scheduled event.¡±


    ¡°Who reported it?¡± Nightfall anxiously asked.


    ¡°Minowarrior.¡±


    ¡°¡­What kind of lousy name is that?¡± Nightfall muttered before continuing, ¡°Where is he now? Can we confirm his location?¡±


    Autumnleaf shook his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be tough. The mining shaft is a maze, and there are nondmarks to refer to. Given his clumsy description, I worry if he can even find the way back¡­¡±


    Nightfall sighed. ¡°So, are we heading back to help?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We have to.¡±


    Autumnleaf looked at the hall covered in spider webs. He had just spent an entire afternoon fighting in this battlefield with his newfound friend.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be all in vain if we lose our home.¡±


    ¡­


    <em>Boom!</em>


    The earth shook!


    The ratmen roared, devouring everything in their path!


    Humans could only flee helplessly.


    This was one of the four apocalyptic murals in the Holy City Cathedral¡¯s Repentance Room.


    Tens of thousands of ratmen emerged from the depths of theherworld and charged fearlessly to overrun human fortresses.


    Saint Sisto¡¯s worshipers called this ¡®rat stampede¡¯!


    That was a folly that defied a living being¡¯s survival instinct. The ratmen trampled on even one another, destroying themselves as much as their enemies.


    Basked in the Three Rat Gods¡¯ corrupted light, the usually cowardly ratmen vowed to fight to their dying breath this time around. Retreat was not an option!


    Any ratman who paused for an instant would be immediately stomped down by their allies advancing from behind!


    ¡°Charge! Shatter those skeletons! Gnaw through those human necks! For Gerlo!!!¡±


    The red-eyed ratmen gushed through the tunnel like a flood as if they had lost their minds.


    Roan¡¯s eyes flickered when he heard the shrill cry.


    ¡®Gerlo! The Gluttony Rat!¡¯


    As someone who had once studied in the heart of theherworld, he immediately understood what was going on upon hearing that name.


    Somewhere in this mining shaft, a group of ve rats driven out of thebyrinth, driven by desperation,pleted a ritual to please Gerlo, thus birthing an iparably plump god elect rat!


    Roan remembered from his Demon King Academy¡¯s lectures that the requirement for that ritual was extreme hunger, extreme abundance of food and a ve rat with an extremely twisted soul.


    The ritual¡¯s chances of sess were incredibly slim, since Gerlo was as twisted as His children.


    Demon kings would asionally create such twisted creatures to deal with adventurers who dared venture into theirbyrinth, but very few demon kings opted for this ritual due to its low sess rate.


    It was even more unheard of for a demon king tounch a crusade against a rampaging god elect rat¡­


    ¡°Ugh, why do I keep stumbling upon such trouble?¡± Roan cursed under his breath.


    He raised his wand and began gathering the energy of the dead and earth mana under his feet.


    Faced with the bloodthirsty rat stampede, Explodingknowledge, who stood at the vanguard, widened his eyes in astonishment. If not for his skeleton face being incapable of expressing much emotions, he would have looked as if he had seen a ghost.


    ¡°Holy shit! So much experie¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his words, he was already crushed by the stampede.


    His skeleton rack was rammed into bits. With that, ¡¶Cmity Online¡· finally weed its first yer who died inbat.


    Explodingknowledge¡¯s death alerted the yers behind to the threat of the rat stampede, and they heightened their wariness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fear, brothers! Those are experience packs! Get into formation and raise your spears!¡± one of the skeleton soldiers shouted.


    A few skeleton soldiers first got to action, and that prompted the others to follow suit. They swiftly constructed a spiked bone wall in the rtively narrow tunnel.


    There were no mboyantbat tactics; it was a pure sh between flesh and bones!


    The skeletons in the front row were crushed into bits under the sheer pressure, but they sessfully dampened the momentum of the ratmen¡¯s charge, thus enabling the skeleton soldiers behind to hold the fort.


    The ratmen, despite their extreme tenacity, found themselvespletely blocked out.


    ¡°Jip!¡±


    The ratmen charging at the forefront were skewered by the spears, spurting out dark, viscous fluid. At the same time, bone spikes and stone pirs rose from the ground, further hindering the ratmen¡¯s advancement while dealing damage.


    Just as it looked like they had managed to stop the ratmen¡¯s advancement, the ratmen began smashing through all impediments with their pickaxes and blunt weapons.


    Roan gave careful thought to the spells he cast to maximize damage to the ratmen while avoiding causing excessive damage that might result in him and the yers getting buried alive.


    Over time, the crushed heap of flesh at the center of the sh formed a slope. The bloodthirsty ratmen stepped on their brethren¡¯s corpses in an attempt to scale over the towering bone wall.


    But just as their paws reached the top of the bone wall, they found themselves faced with a powerful shockwave st that severed them from their waist. Blood sttered everywhere.


    It was Bant.


    Roan had revived him as a zombie, and he now wielded strength far greater than when he was alive!


    ¡°Buggers! Where did this NPC pop out from?!¡± Dogshit stared at the zombie above him with his nonexistent eyes.


    ¡®So cool! But he stole my limelight!¡¯


    ¡°I think it was that meat paste from before.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    ¡°GRARRRR!¡±


    Holding her pickaxe with both hands, Hungryhungry screamed hysterically as she charged to the frontlines with a lowered head. She was scared of the ratmen, but she was even more afraid of her day¡¯s effort of coal mining going to waste if the server closed down.


    As the bone wall teetered on the verge of copse, another yer called Pooppool suddenly stepped forward. He had ten dynamites tied to him¡ªthese explosives were probably left behind from previous mine expansions.


    He lit the dynamites before climbing above the other skeletons.


    ¡°Brothers, I¡¯ll be heading off first! See you in the forums!¡±


    The sight of the dynamites¡¯ fuses burning down scared the skeletons beneath him so much that they nearly ran away. It was only when they recalled this was just a game that they barely stood their ground.


    There was no climactic run up.


    The NPC named Bant, upon spotting Pooppool with the dynamites, grabbed him by the arm and hurled him over.


    Pooppool flew in a beautiful arc across the air before crashing into the rat stampede.


    Seconds passed, but there was no explosion.


    ¡°Screw that bastard!¡± Dogshit cursed.


    It was a dud!


    ¡®What a waste of the mncholic atmosphere! To think that I was even touched for a good two seconds!¡¯


    The battle fell into a stalemate.


    The ratmen struggled to even advance an inch, but at the same time, the skeleton yers were unable to do anything much about the ratmen stampede too.


    Standing above the skeletons, Bant slew all ratmen who tried to scale over the bone wall. However, under the ratmen¡¯s relentless attack, he, despite being an indefatigable zombie, started showing signs of exhaustion.


    There were too many ratmen, and their attack showed no signs of slowing down.


    While deceased skeleton yers were quickly revived, they were still disadvantaged in terms of manpower.


    And summoning skeletons came at a price too.


    Creatures Roan summoned with his mana couldn¡¯t house souls, whereas summoning demonic creatures via the demon king domain¡¯s core consumed faith.


    Roan felt his heart bleed as he looked at his rapidly dropping faith.


    Just then, a skeleton soldier suddenly ran up to him, got on one knee, and reported, ¡°Lord Demon King, thebyrinth lies beneath the tunnel section just a hundred meters ahead of you!¡±


    It was Autumnleaf.


    Roan immediately caught his drift.


    If he could find a way to copse the tunnel and link it to thebyrinth, he could exploit the ratmen¡¯s nemesis against them. This was not difficult for a Steel-tier mage like him, especially when the tunnel was right beside thebyrinth!


    The only question was whether connecting this tunnel to thebyrinth would result in more trouble¡­


    But looking at the crumbling defense line, Roan knew there was no time to hesitate. He could only make a gamble and pray the ratmen and crypt spiders would destroy each other!


    So, he waved his wand and murmured an incantation. With the little bit of mana he had left, he cast his final Steel-tier spell.


    ¡°Earth Copse!¡±


    The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Without any warning, the ground of the narrow tunnel started to copse.


    ¡°Jip!¡±


    The ratmen fell into thebyrinth¡¯s first floor with shattered rock fragments. It looked as if a flood had found another outlet to flow toward.


    It was a ten meter fall. The ratmen who firstnded on the ground coughed blood, and the ones who came afterward were also a bit rattled by the impact.


    When they snapped out of their daze, they found themselves faced with many crimson eyes.


    Terror engulfed the ratmen. They knew to whom those crimson eyes belonged to, and they understood the significance behind those gazes.


    The starving crypt spiders rubbed their legs in glee as they intently eyed the ratmen who had fallen into their den. It was time to feast!

 Chapter 21: The Cornered Rats

    <em>BOOM!</em>


    The intense quakes rattled the mining shaft and sent puffs of smoke flying outward.


    Outside Northpeak Shaft, a covered wagon filled with goods had stopped beside the tattered inn at the foot of the winding mountainous path.


    Several adventurers looked at the rising smoke from the mountain in astonishment.


    ¡°Is that¡­ an earthquake?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it. I¡¯ve never heard of any earthquakes near Thunderbuzz City, and the shaking is too weak to be an earthquake.¡±


    A more experienced adventurer looked toward the forest, where resting birds remained perched on branches. They didn¡¯t flee in rm.


    Clearly, the quakes were limited to just the mines.


    ¡°Is someone developing the mines?¡± a long-haired man carrying a shortbow asked.A middle-aged man wielding a dagger shook his head and replied, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. That ce has been infested with demonic creatures since eight generations ago.¡±


    Jack, the party leader, quietly weighed the pros and cons with a frown. He was evaluating whether it was worth braving the danger for an old associate whom he had worked together with for years.


    The old coach looked at the frowning Jack and nervously asked, ¡°Sir, I dropped them off herest time. Can I leave now?¡±


    He was just a coach. If not for ck Serpent knocking on his door, he would have never mentioned his encounter with Silver Scimitarst night with anyone.


    Seeing that it was gettingte, Jack made up his mind and tossed a coin into the wagon and said, ¡°Wait here till sunset. You can only leave after the sun haspletely set.¡±


    The coach revealed a bitter face.


    He didn¡¯t want to get involved with this matter, but as his family¡¯s breadwinner, he dared not to offend these thugs who lived their lives on the edge. He could only meekly ept the request.


    Jack waved his hand, gesturing to his brothers to follow him up the mountain. It was then he noticed the oldest adventurer in his party staring at the inn with a tight frown.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Velo? Did you spot something?¡±


    The old adventurer nodded. ¡°Someone has been to this inn recently.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    The stalemate inside the mining shaft was broken, reced with a one-sided ughter.


    With the tunnel¡¯s copse, the army of ratmen charged mindlessly at thebyrinth covered in spider webs, which resembled ck waterfalls in the abyss.


    The crypt spiders upying thebyrinth¡¯s first floor were overjoyed with the food delivered to them. They leaped into the ratmen¡¯s midst and voraciously gobbled whatever was within reach.


    The ratmen were helpless against the crypt spiders¡¯ hunt, so it ended up bing a one-sided ughter.


    As time passed, the ratmen seeking to overrun the demon king domain suffered more than 50% casualties. Seeing that victory was now out of their reach, the remaining ratmen lost the morale to sustain their concentrated assault and scattered in all directions.


    There were ways to ovee rat stampedes too.


    When most ratmen were no longer forced to advance, their charge would swiftly lose the devastating momentum that destroyed their enemies and themselves.


    The crypt spiders in thebyrinth were somewhat full by this point, so they no longer feasted straight on the ratmen but instead tightly wrapped them up with their web as emergency food supply.


    It was their habit to stock up on food supplies.


    White spider webs flew everywhere in the pitch-ck hall like machine guns. It was a majestic sight to behold.


    Some yers felt like sanity was swiftly eroding.


    Some sped their lower jaw and gagged, though nothing came out.


    Some paid the gore no heed and cheered excitedly for their hard-earned victory¡­ though most of them only served as meat shields and hardly killed any ratmen.


    Looking at the web-shooting spiders below, Dogshit suddenly remarked enviously. ¡°Turning into a crypt spider suddenly doesn¡¯t look that bad.¡±


    Peerlessbear looked at him in surprise. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯d scare myself to death looking into the mirror if I turn into that thing.¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°Heh. That¡¯s not the point.¡±


    Peerlessbear: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Meanwhile, Explodingknowledge, who was reviving for the nth time, rose in the vicinity of the demon king domain¡¯s core and shook off the mud on him.


    ¡°Brothers, I have returned! Kakaka!¡±


    Not far away, Pooppool emerged from beneath a heap of ratmen and shook his groggy head.


    ¡°I have also¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, one of his dynamites suddenly exploded. His bones dissipated amidst a blinding sh of light, and his ashes scattered along with the shockwave.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was so embarrassing that the nearby yers all pretended not to see him.


    Roan, the MVP of the battle, exhaled deeply with his arm supporting his waist. He slowly walked over to a nearby stone stool and sat down.


    It was exhausting to cast so many spells in quick session right after advancing to Steel-tier, but the important thing was that he had managed to fend against the enemy.


    The ve rats had escaped from thebyrinth, only to return there again.


    ¡®I¡¯ll deal with the crypt spiders another day. I can at least take a break for now.¡¯


    Roan opened his character page and found that he had leveled up.


    ¡¾ID: Roan


    Race: Human


    Soul Tier: Steel (Level Cap: 50)


    Level: 31


    Experience Points: 1780/310,000


    HP: 1300/1300


    MP: 110/3600


    Constitution: 13


    Strength: 13


    Agility: 13


    Intelligence: 36 (+1)


    Psyche: 38 (+2)¡¿


    ¡¾Faith: 79


    Daily Revenue: 101-120


    Daily Expenditure: 100¡¿


    ¡°¡­I gain 3 stat points per level after reaching Steel-tier!¡±


    He also didn¡¯t expect to earn experience points from farming monsters.


    Before this, he thought the only way for necromancers to be stronger was through meditation. The yers didn¡¯t seem surprised by that as they thought it was a game, but it came as a surprise to him


    He took a few deep breaths to regain his spirit before instructing Youyou to distribute the hell coins and contribution points to the yers.


    The skeleton soldiers cheered at the rewards. Their happiness was contagious as it brought a smile to his face.


    ¡®These rascals are easy to coax.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t even defined the purchasing power of hell coins by stating how much a bottle of undead potion or a high-quality sword would cost.


    ¡®Forget it, let them celebrate all they want.¡¯


    Roan noticed a piercing stare from the side, so he looked over.


    Over in the stone prison, Chris and the others were staring intently at him with widened eyes. Clearly, they didn¡¯t expect him to resolve the much-feared rat stampede with such ease. For a moment there, they felt awe for him.


    Roan¡¯s gaze fell on the prisoners, and it suddenly struck him that he had ¡®blood bags¡¯ to replenish his mana. Thus, he raised his right hand and siphoned their vitality as he pleased.


    Amu: ¡°AHHH~~~¡±


    Chris: ¡°GUKK¡ª!¡±


    Hugo: ¡°UGHHH!¡±


    Lakeson: ¡°¡­¡±


    The surge of energy refreshed the exhausted Roan.


    ¡®Feels incredible! I suddenly understand why Professor Lilith wants one of those sharp-eared creatures as a pet.¡¯


    While Roan was wondering what he should do next, he suddenly heard Youyou¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Demon King, your yers discovered something incredible in the mining shaft.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a humongous rat whose size spans half a cavern! It¡¯s a wonder how it even got in there!¡± Youyou¡¯s voice was filled with fascination.


    Unfortunately, that ce was far beyond the reach of the demon king domain, or else it would have rushed over to take a look.


    Roan easily figured out the rat¡¯s identity from Youyou¡¯s description.


    Without a doubt, that was the culprit behind the rat stampede!


    ¡°Can you locate those yers?¡±


    ¡°I can! I can¡¯t pinpoint their exact location, but I can still provide you with the general direction,¡± Youyou replied.


    Roan stood up. ¡°Bring me there.¡±


    Youyou: ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Roan held his wand in hand as he walked along the walls to avoid the tunnel¡¯s copsed section. At the same time, he controlled the greatsword-wielding Bant to jump over the pit too.


    Several yers noticed his movements and followed him, curious to know what he was up to.


    Roan didn¡¯t stop them, and he soon arrived before a cavern.


    There, he saw Orcknight and Minowarrior.


    The two skeletons were hiding behind a boulder as they eyed the cavern entrance not far away. They heard the noises behind and anxiously turned their heads around, only to see Necropolis¡¯ boss standing behind them.


    ¡°Demon King?!¡±


    ¡°What brings you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    Roan raised a finger to his lips to tell the duo not to make too much noise. Then, he looked toward the cavern too.


    A massive raty in the center of the dark cavern, making loud wheezing noises from its mouth. Its voice was filled with fear, yet there was also a tinge of sincerity and extreme madness.


    ¡°What a fat rat¡­ Just how high is its level?¡± Dogshit murmured under his breath.


    Autumnleaf examined the rat before shaking his head, saying, ¡°I can¡¯t tell¡­ but my instinct tells me it is extremely powerful, possibly on par with the Demon King!¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°You don¡¯t say. I can tell as much!¡±


    Soreloser: ¡°Duh~¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°¡­¡±


    Roan shot a sideward nce at the boisterous yers. He didn¡¯t like what they were saying.


    ¡®What do you mean that thing is as strong as me? Is there anyparison?¡¯


    Knowing better than to argue with these rascals, Roan had ¡®Bant¡¯ advance into a cavern with a wave of his wand.


    Thetter dragged his greatsword along the ground as he walked forward, producing a screeching noise. It didn¡¯t take long for the plump rat inside the cavern to notice his presence.


    ¡°Who is it?!¡± Jaki squealed as he swiftly bounced to his feet, causing his fats to ripple like choppy waters.


    When he finally saw the man standing at the cavern entrance, his eyes narrowed into slits as he growled, ¡°You¡­ Are you the demon king? The one who just arrived?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    Under Roan¡¯s control, Bant spoke with a creaking voice that sounded like it would havee from the opening of a dposing coffin. He lifted his greatsword and pointed it at the plump rat¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Submit, or die.¡±

 Chapter 22: Submit, or Die

    ¡®Submit. Or die.¡¯


    That man¡¯s coercive attitude caused Jaki¡¯s panting to stop for two seconds.


    But only for two seconds.


    The plump rat burst into a shrill, arrogantughter.


    ¡°Submit? To the likes of you? You are nothingpared to Demon King Dracul¡¯s death knights, yet you have the galls to ask this Lord Jaki to submit to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s theherworld¡¯s order,¡± Bant coldly replied with unwavering eyes.


    ¡°Theherworld? Don¡¯t you know how far this ce is away from theherworld? Hahaha! Are you trying to make this Lord Jaki die ofughter! Let me tell you¡ªwe, the Ratmen, have never worshiped your Demon God, not even for a second! The only ones worthy of our worship are the Three Supreme Ones¡ªLord Svelte, Lord Gelor, and Lord Ravda!¡±


    The so-called Three Supreme Ones worshiped by the ratmen were the Deception Rat, the Gluttony Rat, and the Abundance Rat.


    Roan had learned about them from his study materials, and he could only say that each of them was more entric than the other.The ratmen were not well epted in theherworld¡¯s mainstream society because of their rebellious nature. There were ratmen ns allied with theherworld, but it was still rare to see ratmen in the Demon Capital.


    But this was none of Roan¡¯s concern. He was more interested in another matter.


    ¡°Why did you betray theherworld?¡±


    ¡°Betray? This Lord Jaki has never betrayed theherworld. How is this Jaki to know what the others in thebyrinth are up to? Till Lord Gelor bestowed power upon this Jaki, this Jaki was nothing more than a weak ve rat¡­ a ve rat whom none of you gave a proper nce to!¡±


    Jakiughed shrilly as his fats rippled. He was mocking the demon king¡¯s foolishness.


    With a few words, he verified that the new demon king was too weak to pose a threat to him. Thus, he didn¡¯t hesitate to turn against the other party.


    ¡°Since you havee knocking on your ord, this Jaki shall send you on your way!¡±


    The plump rat flicked his tail like a whip, sending Bant flying ten meters away before crashing into the wall.


    Dust rained down. The immense impact further mashed up what little flesh and blood that Bant had left.


    ¡°Die! Die! Hahahaha!¡± Jaki screamed in excitement, inadvertently letting down his guard.


    Roan didn¡¯t let this opportunity slip. As soon as he finished his chant, he emerged from behind the boulder, raised his staff, and unleashed a beam of dim yellow light.


    ¡°<strong>Earth Copse</strong>!¡±


    His target was not the ground but the ceiling above Jaki.


    The previously sturdy cavern ceiling shattered into bits right away!


    <em>Boom!</em>


    Large rock pieces fell from the ceiling to bombard the unguarded Jaki.


    The plump rat was stunned. He quickly turned to face Roan, but a rock smashed him squarely in the face then, causing him to stiffen in ce.


    In a matter of seconds, the shattered rocks crushed the plump rat to the ground.


    Despite being protected by over a hundred tonnes of fats, Jaki still suffered injuries all over. Buried under a huge pile of stones, he couldn¡¯t move at all. ??


    He looked at the human mage before him with amber eyes reflecting deep fear. Realizing the tides weren¡¯t in his favor, he quickly shrieked, ¡°You! You are the real demon king!¡±


    Despite having his physique inted hundreds of times over, he couldn¡¯t shake off the cowardice from his insignificant days.


    Roan looked at his terrified eyes and chuckled. ¡°I nned to give you a chance, but your foolishness shows you are unworthy of it.¡±


    Jaki trembled. He tried struggling free of the stone heap with all his might.


    ¡°No, Demon King! This Jaki¡­ This Jaki was just blinded by desires! Please give me another chance. My n and I will serve you loyally! We will be your sharpest ws and aid you in recovering thebyrinth!¡±


    Worried that Roan might get soft-hearted, Youyou quickly advised, ¡°Demon King, you mustn¡¯t trust him! I feel no faith from him! He¡¯s deceiving you!¡±


    ¡°I know. I am not a fool.¡±


    Roan nced at the gamers standing behind him. This time, he spoke in anguage theyprehended, ¡°Why are you still dawdling? That¡¯s the culprit behind the earlier stampede. Rip him a new one!¡±


    The skeleton soldiers zealously charged forward.


    Some wielded daggers. Some wielded spears. One held dubious explosives that no one knew whether they could be ignited or not.


    While Roan stopped the one holding explosives, the other skeleton soldiers plunged their weapons into Jaki¡¯s eyes, ears, nose, and other vitals. Thetter¡¯s blood and fats spilled all over the ground, leaving a disgusting mess.


    Who could have thought a god elect rat,manding prowessparable to Steel-tier or even Gold-tier, would be lynched to death by a bunch of mortal skeleton soldiers?


    Power level was indeed not absolute in this world.


    ¡¾Faith +11000¡¿


    As Jaki breathed hisst, Roan was shocked to discover an ink-green notification popping up.


    ¡®I gained faith instead of experience points?¡¯


    ¡°Youyou, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Youyou knew what Roan was driving at and exined, ¡°That must be the faith the ve rats gave the plump rat. He was killed by you and the yers, so his umted faith is transferred into your pocket.¡±


    Roan was taken aback. ¡°Faith can be transferred too?¡±


    ¡°To be exact, what¡¯s being transferred is the divine persona¡­ You wouldn¡¯t have received the faith if you didn¡¯t have an independent divine persona,¡± Youyou exined.


    Roan thought over the matter.


    ¡°Divine persona¡­ I always thought that was something god elects have, or are god elects considered gods too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. Demon kings are a simr existence too. The demon king domain¡¯s core carries the characteristics of a divine persona, albeit iplete,¡± Youyou replied.


    It looked likend and authority weren¡¯t the only things that could be conferred in this world.


    Roan quietly imprinted this piece of information in his mind before inspecting his spoils of war.


    There were crates of wheat, chicken jerky, duck jerky, beef, mutton, dairy products, a few bizarremodities, and money stolen from merchants.


    This was Roan¡¯s first time seeing a human currency.


    It was a stack of paper notes exuding a faint divine aura and a couple of silver and copper coins stamped with different insignias.


    ¡®Why¡¯s that plump rat collecting money? Does it intend to buy a house in the Holy City?¡¯


    Regardless, these things were his now.


    While Roan considered between moving these spoils of war in the demon king domain or keeping them here for the time being, the alert magic formation he had constructed at the shaft entrance was suddenly triggered.


    He lifted his eyebrows and remarked, ¡°What a bustling day. Yet another group of guests.¡±


    Despite his words, he wasn¡¯t surprised.


    The Northpeak Shaft was one of the entrances into Thunderbuzz City¡¯s undergroundbyrinth, just that adventurers rarely frequented this ce due to its remoteness.


    ¡°Are we taking them as prisoners? We can lock them up to collect faith!¡± Youyou eximed in delight. Perhaps due to the influence of the demon king domain¡¯s core, it was even more like a demon king than him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    Roan waved his hand, and Bant grabbed his greatsword and shakily stood up.


    Then, he instructed the yers behind, ¡°You can take the equipment, but leave the other items. I have a use for them!¡±


    After leaving those words behind, he left Jaki¡¯s ¡®pce¡¯ with Bant, and the two of them made their way toward the shaft entrance.


    He didn¡¯t intend to the yers as he wasn¡¯t sure of the opponent¡¯s identity, so he hastened his footsteps and disappeared at a bend.


    The Northpeak Shaft had many branching paths but only one exit, so it was not too difficult to find the intruders.


    Roan wasn¡¯t worried about missing the intruders either as they had been inflicted with undead auras after triggering the alert magic formation. As long as they weren¡¯t too far away, he could vaguely sense their locations.


    Clearly, the intruders didn¡¯t have the means to hire a mage or a priest.


    But out of safety precaution, Roan still had Bant take the lead and Youyou drifting in the middle while he trailed behind them.


    While marching through the tunnels, Roan glimpsed a torch¡¯s light in his peripheral vision at an uing bend. He overheard the adventurers¡¯ conversation, and they seemed to have made up their minds to retreat¡­


    ¡°Boss, something is off¡­ I have been to the Northpeak Shaft, but it wasn¡¯t like that before.¡±


    ¡°That sword mark over there¡­ It¡¯s Lakeson¡¯s greatsword, no mistake about that! Then that axe mark should be from Amu!¡±


    ¡°But where are they? Did they enter thebyrinth?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I can guess what Chris was scheming, but they shouldn¡¯t have a reason to enter thebyrinth. They just need to get to its vicinity.¡±


    Roan narrowed his eyes upon hearing the familiar name.


    ¡®Aplices, I see. There¡¯s nothing more to say then.¡¯


    He nced at Bant, and thetter raised his greatsword and charged toward the source of light.


    ¡°<strong>Extinguish Light</strong>!¡±


    At the same time, Roan waved his staff toward the source of light.


    This Iron-tier necromancy spell extinguished light sources that weren¡¯t too hot and Iron-tier illumination spells. He previously used it in the Demon King Academy to put out oilmps and candles.


    The adventurers¡¯ torches went out, plunging their surroundings into darkness.


    Jack felt a lurching feeling rising inside him.


    He instinctively raised his sword, and an immense force nged against his de right after, nearly tearing the web of his fingers.


    When he finally locked eyes with the aggressor, his heart nearly leaped out of his mouth.


    ¡°Bant?!¡±


    ¡®No, that¡¯s not right. This fellow is an undead! And he was awakened by a necromancer who is at least at Copper-tier!¡¯


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Jack hurriedly leaped back to create some distance after barely parrying the first attack. He raised his left hand as he eximed, ¡°Hold on, esteemed mage! There is no grudge between us. There is no reason for us to fight!¡±


    ¡°No grudge?¡± Roan¡¯s chuckle could be heard from the darkness as he slowly replied, ¡°Do you think I will let you go when you have seen through my spell?¡±


    Jack broke out in cold sweat. It could be a bluff, but the other party sounded confident of keeping them here forever!


    Driven by his desire to survive, his mind went into overdrive. His eyes suddenly flickered, and he said, ¡°Why not? We, the people of the Lyon Kingdom, aren¡¯t that devoted to Saint Sisto¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Roan asked nonchntly as he continued moving Bant forward.


    At the same time, he directed his Soul Siphon at the strongest-looking man in the Jack¡¯s party.


    ¡°We can work together!¡± The encroachment of death made Jack squeal in horror. ¡°Damn it, necromancers are living beings too. There must be something you need!¡±


    Roan halted. Looking at the silhouettes obscured by the shadows, he asked, ¡°You wish to make a deal with me?¡±


    Jack gulped as he mustered his courage to reply, ¡°That¡¯s right! I have many connections in the underworld, and now that I think about it, we aren¡¯t that different from you¡­ I¡¯m saying that we are all on the other side of thew, so I can¡¯t report you too. I can help you obtain whatever you require!¡±


    ¡°What if I want a long-eared ve?¡±


    Jack gasped, but he didn¡¯t turn down the request. ¡°That will take a lot of money¡ªa lot, a lot of money. The elves are allied with the Ors Empire.¡±


    Looking at the profusely sweating Jack, Roan chuckled before calmly replied, ¡°It was a casual question, but I see you have connections.¡±


    Jack might not be a good person, but it looked like he had a brain. He didn¡¯t just speak mindlessly and make empty promises like a rat.


    Seeing that he had piqued the necromancer¡¯s interest, Jack exhaled in relief. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants as he replied, ¡°Of course! I swear I¡¯ll be of value to you! My name is Jack¡­ May I know your name?¡±


    Roan intended toe up with a random name, but he quickly remembered he couldn¡¯t leech off the Demon God¡¯s faith anymore. He would soon have to develop his faith and build his name up in Thunderbuzz City and then the Lyon Kingdom¡­


    ¡°I am Roan. Also, don¡¯t make a vow to me. I want you to make a vow to that.¡±


    A grayish crystal ball rolled to Jack¡¯s foot.


    Jack stared at the crystal ball in confusion.


    Roan calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s a record crystal. I want you and your party members to make a vow before it, saying ¡®Long live the Demon God¡¯ and ¡®Saint Sisto is a steaming heap of shit¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 23: Reeling in a Big One

    A few adventurers staggered out of the Northpeak Shaft¡¯s entrance.


    All of them were so relieved to have survived an ordeal that they could kiss the ground beneath them, including the strongest Jack. They nearly lost their lives and became undeads for good.


    Looking at the setting sun, Rue murmured, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ We actually survived.¡±


    ¡®Though we ended up betraying Lord Saint Sisto¡­¡±


    But again, it was not as if they were devout believers with noble souls.


    They wouldn¡¯t reincarnate into an aristocratic n in their next life just because they were faithful anyway, so they might as well enjoy their current one.


    Jack didn¡¯t say a word. He was thinking whether it was worth making a deal with the demons.


    He wasn¡¯t so naive as to think he could ascend to heaven after death, but dealing with the demons was different from dealing with the pirates.


    ¡­but it was not as if he had a choice anyway.As long as there was enough distance between them, a Copper-tier necromancer could easily subdue a Copper-tier warrior.


    And that fellow, as someone who had subdued the entire Silver Scimitar, was possibly at Steel-tier or even tinum-tier. He would be courting death if he hadn¡¯t struck a deal with him there and then!


    But now that the necromancer had leverage over them, they were now on the same boat.


    A young man carrying a short bow looked at Jack and asked, ¡°What about Chris?¡±


    He was the only one who still remembered they were here to rescue Chris.


    Jack eyed the cavern behind him before coldly remarking, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see Bant? I bet Chris¡¯ dead too.¡±


    It was regrettable, but he had already done everything he could.


    Ultimately, the two of them were ultimately business associates who got along. The most he could do for her was to collect her corpse and bury her after he got closer to the necromancer. There was nothing else he could help her with.


    Looking at their leader¡¯s grim face, Rue softly asked, ¡°What about the kidnap? Are we still doing it?¡±


    Jack pondered about it and shook his head. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll give up on that. The reward is too high; there must be something off. The client also has quite the background. I heard he¡¯s one of the fief lord¡¯s people.¡±


    Duke Campelle hadn¡¯t been feeling well recently, presumably due to his ailing age.


    There was word on the street that most god elects, other than the Ors Empire¡¯s emperor, had roughter years.


    The client neglected to mention who the kidnapping target was despite having promised a generous reward. This left him with an ominous feeling. He also thought that it would be best to avoid risky trades for the next few days given that he had just cursed at Saint Sisto.


    On that note, that necromancer surprised him.


    He thought that fellow would request hard-to-source, illegal items, but he made an order for weapons and tools instead. Being a necromancer¡¯s intermediary was also a job that warranted the death penalty if caught, but it was still not as risky as kidnapping a noble.


    All he had to do was to ship the goods to the abandoned inn then scour the horse stable¡¯s straw heap for treasure.


    He had plenty of subordinates who could do this work. There was no less riskier trade than this.


    Jack walked up to the carriage but suddenly halted. He directed warning eyes at his fellowrades and said, ¡°No one is to divulge what happened today, got it?¡±


    The crowd hurriedly nodded before making solemn vows on that.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Jack nodded his head in satisfaction. He leaped onto the carriage and patted the coach¡¯s shoulder, a gesture that thetter could leave now.


    ¡®Actually, that is a good idea. Why have I never thought about that? Rather than have these faithless criminals swear on Saint Sisto¡¯s name, it is more effective to record them swearing to the Demon God. As long as I have the recording in hand, it would be as good as grasping them by their balls.¡¯


    The more Jack thought about it, the more ingenious he thought this move was. A normal human would have never thought of something as psychopathic as this!


    ¡®I should buy some record crystals. I¡¯ll eventually be able to use them¡­¡±


    ¡­


    In the mining shaft, Youyou watched the adventurers leave as she murmured reluctantly, ¡°Demon King, are we going to set them free just like that? Shouldn¡¯t we at least imprison them?¡±


    Under the shadows, Roan stroked a crystal as he slowly replied, ¡°Youyou, not all cages are visible. This is called reeling in a big one. Look and learn.¡±


    He had just ordered a hundred swords, spears, bows, daggers, leather armor, and shields each.


    The yers had obtained a huge amount of equipment from the ratmen, but those were low-quality, cannon fodder equipment that could barely be used. The purchased equipment would be much more useful.


    This would also allow him to fulfill one of the promises he made in the previous update¡ªhaving a store for yers to spend their hell coins on.


    That should elevate the gaming experience.


    Other than weapons, Roan also purchased tools like hammers, nails, and pliers.


    Now that they were almost done clearing the ratmen in the mining shaft, it was time to spend some effort designing his domain. Not all yers were passionate about fighting; some of them just wanted to quietly do their own stuff. The tools were for thetter yers.


    Of course, Roan could have entered the city himself to purchase the goods, but there were downsides to that.


    On the one hand, hecked the connections to source for affordable, quality goods.


    On the other hand, a foreigner bulk purchasing weapons and armor was bound to pique the fief lord¡¯s vignce.


    Thus, it was more effective to entrust this matter to those from the underground street.


    As long as it wasn¡¯t too much, Roan was fine with his partners pocketing money from the transactions. Trading with a necromancer came with risks, so it was only right topensate them ordingly.


    On that note, he harbored high hopes for that sharp-witted fellow.


    Back when he first arrived at Thunderbuzz City, he had seen how pious Saint Sisto¡¯s worshipers were as Duke Campelle and his knights marched victoriously down the streets¡­ Their faith was not one that could be shaken with just a few terror incidents.


    If Roan wanted his name to be known throughout Thunderbuzz City, he had to start working from its weakest link, namely the underground street.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, most of the yers were gathered around the pit near the demon king domain to loot the ratmen¡¯s carcasses..


    A tail was worth 100 hell coins.


    Most tails had fallen into thebyrinth, but there were plenty lying around the pit for them to collect. The skeleton soldiers diligently worked while humming an off-tune harvesting song.


    Only Fecespool was squatting before a pile of ashes, flipping through them as if searching for something.


    Some skeletons were just wired differently than the others.


    Dogshit, who was returning from the ¡®boss room¡¯, noticed him and walked over out of curiosity. ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    Fecespool tried ignoring him, but Dogshit was stuck to him like a stubborn chewing gum and was simply too much of an eyesore. Annoyed, he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is too, but it¡¯s shiny and looks valuable.¡±


    ¡°Shiny?¡± Dogshit was confused. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s this thing.¡± Fecespool opened his palm to reveal several ink-green crystals.


    Dogshit¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Huh? Diamonds?!¡±


    ¡°Nah, more like magic crystals or something. They were hidden near the neck area. I found them by coincidence,¡± Fecespool said. ¡°Only dead skeleton yers have it. Those buried in the dirt don¡¯t have them. It¡¯s a pity there are no NPC stores yet, so I don¡¯t know how valuable these things are.¡±


    Little did Fecespool know those things were really magic crystals. They could be exchanged for money in the Adventurer Guild, serving as the second biggest source of ie for adventurers aside frompleting missions.


    However, the magic crystals dropped by skeleton yers were of the lowest quality, so the Adventurer Guild wouldn¡¯t offer much for it¡ªnot even a copper coin. After all, summoning a skeleton soldier cost only 1 faith.


    But of course, yers wouldn¡¯t know these things.


    The soulfire in Dogshit¡¯s eye sockets suddenly flickered as he thought of something incredible. ¡°Hold on¡­ If we collect magic crystals from yer corpses, doesn¡¯t that mean that we can endlessly farm magic crystals by continuously killing ourselves and reviving?¡±


    Fecespool was taken aback.


    ¡°Holy shit, you are a genius!¡±


    They might be unable to sell these magic crystals now, but who knew what the future had in store? They would be rich if these things could be sold for hundreds of hell coins in NPC storester on!


    The two of them exchanged looks and understood each other¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Shall we stockpile?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    While they were discussing who should die first, an ink-green notification suddenly popped up before all the yers.


    ¡¾a.0.2 Update Notice: New Currency System!


    1. Reworking the Revive System!


    With the exception of ¡®Monster Siege¡¯ events, yers will now lose 20 contribution points upon death. (The amount of contribution points deducted may differ depending on the race and level. Check our patch notes for more detailed information.)


    2. Friend and Party System Update!


    You may add in-game friends andmunicate privately with your newly-acquainted brothers and sisters now!


    3. Possession System Update!


    Equipment purchased through NPC stores will be registered under the yer. Looted equipment can also be registered in NPC stores, but there will be a processing of 10% of the equipment¡¯s estimated value.


    Registered equipment can be listed on the official sales tform.


    Other yers are also forbidden from taking registered equipment that aren¡¯t under their name. yers who have their registered equipment stolen by another yer can report the matter, and the game administrator will take action against the vitor.


    Also, do note that there will be penalties for maliciously destroying other yers¡¯ registered equipment, as well aspensation for retrieving other yers¡¯ registered equipment. Check our patch notes for more detailed information.


    4. NPC Store Update


    NPC stores will be introduced in three days. Equipment blueprints have been updated on the official site.


    Also, NPC stores will be hiring yers as sales assistants, and they will receive their sry in hell coins. We wee lifestyle yers to join our ranks~


    5. Increasing the Closed Beta yer Count to 500!


    We are opening applications again! Interested yers should register as soon as possible!


    PS: Our game doesn¡¯t support ID change at the moment. For your gaming experience, please think thrice before keying in your username!¡¿


    Fecespool and Dogshit froze as if they were struck by lightning.


    Of that long system notification, they only saw the first subject and immediately lost their mood to continue reading.


    ¡®There is now a death penalty of 20 contribution points! There¡¯s no need to farm anymore!¡¯


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°This bug fix arrived too timely!¡±

 Chapter 24: Version a.02 Update! Death Penalty!

    There were plenty of rat tails to be looted. Many of the spiders in thebyrinth had also fallen asleep after overeating, making it ideal to hunt them now.


    Roan also didn¡¯t expect there to be buffoons to eye those worthless magic crystals when there were so much more better things to do.


    ¡®It¡¯s like taking off your pants to fart. They are wasting their effort on unnecessary ces.¡¯


    He was nning to wait for more yers to enter the game before introducing death penalties, but thanks to those two fools, he had no choice but to bring his n forward.


    Watching as the two yers with names that killed his appetite walked away, Roan asked with a sigh, ¡°Youyou, can¡¯t you pick yers with higher aptitude for the closed beta? I¡¯m not saying that only pros deserve to y games, but we should at least cklist the overly adventurous till the game mechanics are perfected.¡±


    Youyou hesitantly replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible. I can take back closed beta ounts, but I can¡¯t hand ounts to specific yers.¡±


    ¡®Seems like the closed beta ess rights have to be randomly issued. Is this one of the Cmity system¡¯s base code, so it can¡¯t be overwritten?¡¯


    Roan could only look on the bright side and think of the ¡®overly adventurous yers¡¯ as game testers to root out bugs for him.


    ¡­Meanwhile, the release of version a.02 made ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s forum bustle with life as if there was a celebration.


    When the monsters were attacking the city earlier, a couple of yers made use of the respawn dy to post real-time battle updates on the forum.


    A rat stampede!


    A boss who was the size of a little hill!


    And the cool spellcasting special effects too¡­ Even though an NPC doing the spellcasting, it still contributed to the gaming experience!


    In a single day, they verified two things.


    One, the game¡¯s server was more amazing than they had imagined. Not only were the locations and events seamlessly linked together, but its physics engine allowed realistic destruction of the terrain too!


    Two, the game was not just a monotonous farming and mining game!


    Just the dense cluster of events in the beginner vige showed just how conscientious the developers were! Other games definitely didn¡¯t have such a level of production.


    The yers on the forum felt itchy hands seeing how much the closed beta yers were enjoying themselves. If they could, they would charge into the game right away, pick up a dragonying de, and conquer the world!


    ¡°I strongly request the developers to allow screenshots and videos!¡±


    ¡°I demand the development team to delete all closed beta data!¡±


    ¡°AHHHHH!!! I¡¯m going to die without Cmity Online!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, another update?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m stunned! What¡¯s with this development speed?!¡±


    ¡°Good news, brothers! The developers are releasing more closed beta slots!¡±


    ¡°Bad news¡ªthere are only 400 slots. (Laughs)¡±


    ¡°Second bad news¡ªthere are over 10,000 people on the waiting list now. (Guffaws)¡±


    ¡°@%#$£¡¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill all of you! (Angry)¡±


    Zhao Jinyan stared at the forum page in shock. He was not shocked by theizens¡¯ etiquette on the forum but¡­


    ¡°Damn¡­ I got it?!¡±


    He had long downloaded the demo. With a frantically beating heart, he quickly put on the goggles and keyed in his username and password.


    He waited for a good five minutes or so before hearing a dissonant nose.


    <em>Bi!</em>


    He found himself faced not with the opening sequence he had heard so much about from existing closed beta yers but a static screen instead.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    He took off the goggles and angrily hurled it on the ground. The secondhand VR gear he had bought from Taobao for fifty bucks had hung on him!


    ¡®What lousy gear is this?!¡¯


    ¡­


    While Zhao Jinyan was busy arguing with ck-hearted merchants, the yers on ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s forum finally began a proper discussion about the a.02 update. R


    Vigegramps: ¡°This looks like a huge update, and it is indeed a huge update! Putting aside the death penalty, we are getting social functions and in-game stores!¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°Gramps, it looks like you have said a lot, and you have indeed said a lot.¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Screw you! I¡¯m summarizing the update details for our newbies, can¡¯t you tell?!¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°Okay, okay. Chill. The more desperately you try to exin, the more awkward it gets. (Laughs)¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°@#%$£¡¡±


    Peerlessbear: ¡°We finally have a ce to spend hell coins. Hooray!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°But what¡¯s the shopkeeper role? And it¡¯s sry is just hell coins?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°You think the developers will give you real money instead of hell coins? Is that possible? (Side nce)¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°Our guide bro is here!¡±


    FlowermonkLinDaiyu: ¡°Guidebro, help us break down what¡¯s going on! This is such a major update. Does it means the game is going to be officially released very soon?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Idk, I¡¯m not part of the development team. Besides, even though this update is pretty big, the implemented things are pretty routine. I mean, which game doesn¡¯t have death penalties, a social system, and in-game stores?¡±


    Dirtypants: ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right!¡±


    Noface: ¡°Whew, that¡¯s a close shave! I nearly got scammed by the dog developers!¡±


    Goblinchief: ¡°Fake update! Boo, I demand a refund!¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°Bro, your username is pretty interesting! Shall we y together?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Cough¡­ It was rude of me to say that. While these aremon features, we shouldn¡¯t forget that Cmity Online is unique, open world exploration game developed by an indie studio¡­ I¡¯m going to start ttering, so don¡¯t be in a rush to whack me, dog developer!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°This update might not be a lot, but we can get a glimpse of the developer¡¯s ambition if we read between the lines. For instance, it is stated that different races have different death penalties. They are alreadyying the groundwork for the implementation of other races.¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Subus! SUCCUBUSSSS!! (Shrieks)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m guessing there will be some kind of mechanism in the future that allows yers to spend contribution points to upgrade into orcs and subuses.¡±


    Fecespool: ¡°Why contribution points?! Why not hell coins or magic crystals?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Magic crystals? Back to the point, the death penalty deducts contribution points, so it makes sense for changing races to require contribution points too. Hell coins are too susceptible to intion. I would link such an important system to it if I¡¯m the developer.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Also, I can feel that the developer is carefully regting the distribution of contribution points, which suggests it might have a huge impact on the game¡¯s bnce. The biggest thing that will shake up the game bnce I can think of right now is race change. Obviously, high demons are going to be much stronger than low-rank demons.¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°Amazing analysis! I submit to you!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°You dare im you aren¡¯t an internal staff! I bet you¡¯re a shill! (Angry)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°¡­¡±


    Goblinchief: ¡°Bro, give me a closed beta slot! I¡¯ll let you have your way with me when I be a subus! QAQ¡±


    Autumnnleaf: ¡°Scram!¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, in the inn beside Northpeak Shaft¡¯s entrance, Roan sat beneath a decrepit stable, peeping on the discussions on the official forum page through a mirror while barbecuing rat tail skewers.


    He was averse to eating ratman flesh, but he had heard that rat tail was a herbal medicine.


    Anyway, he decided to stow away his meat jerky, which had a longer expiration date, and survive on the yers¡¯ tribute for the next few days.


    ¡°Not bad. He has some substance to him.¡±


    Roan repeatedly murmured ¡°Roasted duck¡± under his breath as he mustered his courage to a bite off his rat tail skewer. It was surprisingly not awful. Now that he was chewing it, it did bear some resemnce to duck meat.


    ¡®A pity I don¡¯t have cumin and MSG. It¡¯ll get too gamey if I eat too much.¡¯


    He suddenly remembered Thunderbuzz City was located next to the sea. There should be a coastline if he ventured southward.


    ¡®I might be able to refine MSG if I can get some seaweed there.¡¯


    He had no idea how MSG was made, but he had an army of yers to fall back on!


    The more he thought about it, the more usible he thought it was. At the same time, he was also surprised that his transmigrator senior hadn¡¯t considered this possibility.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s a limit to what one can do by oneself. Even gods are susceptible to mistakes¡­¡±


    Youyou: ¡°Demon King?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just thinking that it¡¯s good to have these rascals with us. Hahaha!¡±


    Entertained by theizens¡¯ humorous discussion, Roan guffawed like a true demon king.


    ¡°Speaking of which, Youyou, why don¡¯t you try a bite too?¡±


    Youyou fearfully took two steps back in the mirror. ¡°Uhh, I-I think I¡¯ll pass¡­ It¡¯s not like I can eat in my current state anyway.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Roan wiped the grease off his lips. ¡°What a pity. It¡¯s surprisingly tasty, you know?¡±


    All of a sudden, Bant, who was lying by the corner with his head dangling in an ufortable position, suddenly opened his pale eyes and growled.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Bant? Are you surprised by my culinary skills? Or do you smell a living being?¡± Roan asked with a cheery smile, but his eyes turned cold as he instinctively grabbed his wand.


    He and Jack had agreed to trade their goods tomorrow evening, when the sun was going down. There was still an entire day to go before that.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Demon King?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It might be an assassin.¡±


    ¡®That person¡¯s aura is very faint. Likely an expert capable of concealing their aura. Furthermore, that fellow is agile enough to avoid the alert magic formations I constructed around the inn!¡¯


    ¡®As I thought, it¡¯s still too dangerous to stay out here.¡¯


    Roan quietly rose to his feet.


    He darted to the corner, pretending that he urgently needed the toilet. At the same time, he secretly ordered Bant to rein in his aura and wait for the target to appear before making a move.


    Then, he grabbed a mirror piece and told Youyou to reflect the scene for him.


    Shortly after Roan left, the figure hidden in the shadows darted out and scurried to the campfire.


    ¡®Is that fellow nning toce the food with poison? That¡¯s a good n, but I have a counter.¡¯


    The agile figure grabbed a rat tail skewer from the campfire and wolfed it down.


    Looking at the cat ears swaying in the mirror, Roan was stunned.


    ¡®Is that¡­ a demonoid?! This fellow is from the underworld too?!¡¯

 Chapter 25: The Demonoids Living in the Human World

    She was draped in a cloth resembling a curtain that had been stitched so many times it could unravel at any moment. Her long, ck hair hid her emaciated upper body, and her pointy ears were covered in light pink fur.


    Roan could make out so many details not because of his good eyes, but because the excited Youyou had gone so close to the other party that the camera was jammed in this stray kitten¡¯s face.


    ¡®She must have been starving. She¡¯s so focused on devouring the food that she failed to notice the nearby undead. Also, there is no doubt she¡¯s a demonoid¡ªone of His Majesty Demon God¡¯s people.¡¯


    There was a simple method to distinguish between demonoids and beastmen¡ªthe former resembled humans who were gically modified with bestial traits, whereas thetter looked more like feral beasts.


    Roan had no idea what an underworld denizen was doing in human territory, but on second thought, if a human like him could graduate from the Demon King Academy, it didn¡¯t seem that far-fetched for demonoids to appear in the Lyon Kingdom.


    Looking at how she wolfed down her food, Roan could hardly imagine how terrible her living conditions in the human world were.


    It could be because they were loosely scattered around the world; there was no reason for the humans to bring them together, after all.


    ¡°Capture her, Demon King! Faith! Brainwash! Discipline! Mold her in your shape!¡±


    Youyou excitedly leaped around the ce. She would have personally captured this ¡®cat demonoid¡¯ if she could.¡°¡­¡±


    Roan didn¡¯t know how he should retort to the situation.


    ¡®That fellow is even more vicious than me, the demon king.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t bear himself toy his hands on the stray kitten who appreciated his culinary skills.


    ¡®Should I let it slip since she isn¡¯t an assassin? I¡¯m already full anyway.¡¯


    While that was what Roan thought, Bant, who had already received clear orders, wasn¡¯t going to let her off so easily.


    ¡°Hungryy¡­¡±


    Letting out a low growl, Bant abruptly pounced out of the shadows and swung his greatsword. His greatsword sliced through the surrounding haystack as it flew with unabated momentum toward the light-footed thief.


    The stray kitten, who had stuffed her mouth full with skewers, quickly pushed her paw against the ground and did a couple of somersaults to hurriedly retreat.


    Those were reflexes driven by her survival instincts.


    The sharp greatsword barely nicked her ear. If she had been even a split second slower, she would have lost that ear.


    Through the mirror, Roan saw Bant¡¯s greatsword passing right through Youyou.


    It was fortunate Youyou didn¡¯t have a corporeal body, so mortal attacks couldn¡¯t hope to hurt it, be it physical attacks or magic attacks.


    Rather, Roan was more worried about the stray kitten.


    ¡®Buddy, shouldn¡¯t you spit out those skewers first? Those have a sharpened edge. It¡¯s dangerous to do acrobatics with them in your mouth.¡¯


    ¡°Chase her! Demon Lord, you mustn¡¯t let her escape!¡± Youyou eximed through the mirror.


    Roan ignored his noisy divine persona and instead issued an order to Bant, ¡°Bant, stand down.¡±


    Bant was in the midst of preparing his next attack when he suddenly dropped his greatsword and sat down on the ground.


    Having nearly lost her life, the frightened stray kitten remained vignt. She didn¡¯t calm down just because the demon before her stopped his attack. She didn¡¯t know what just happened, but her survival instincts told her that now was the time to escape. ??


    Otherwise, it would be toote!


    Her slim but sturdy legs bent like a drawn bow, ready to slip away like a gust of wind.


    Yet, when she tried to take off, she found herself rooted to the ground as if someone had pumped her legs full of lead.


    ¡°Wuuu!¡±


    She lost her bnce and nearly fell down. It was only when she lowered her head that she noticed, much to her shock, two skeleton hands tightly clutching her ankles!


    It was the undead!


    Terrified, her fur stood on end, and she instinctively curled into a ball.


    Watching as she desperately tried to struggle free, Roan was worried that she might die of fright at this rate, so he stood out from the shadows and revealed himself.


    He didn¡¯t expect this simple appearance to bring him an influx of faith.


    ¡¾Faith +1¡¿


    ¡¾Faith +1¡¿


    ¡¾¡­¡¿


    ¡®Emmm¡­ Am I that scary?¡¯


    Roan cleared his throat and spoke with his most amicable voice, ¡°Good evening, uninvited guest. I am Roan from the underworld¡­ To avoid unnecessary trouble, I¡¯d like to ask you to report your name too.¡±


    To be safe, he first spoke using the underworld¡¯s tongue before using Lyon Kingdom¡¯s tongue.


    But the stray kitten didn¡¯t reciprocate his effort.


    She red at him with her amber eyes and hissed through her skewers-filled mouth, revealing her canines.


    ¡°Grrr¡­!¡±


    Not only was her fuzzy growlcking in the intimidation factor, but it also made her rather doltish, the way her mouth was stuffed with food.


    ¡°¡­You still don¡¯t want to pull those skewers out of your mouth? How many days have you not eaten?¡± Roan sighed in resignation.


    He murmured a chant while waving his wand to conjure a stone stool for him to sit down.


    ¡°You can finish your food first. We can talkter.¡±


    It could be because she had gotten tired of hissing or that she was too hungry, but upon seeing Roan¡¯sck of follow-up action, she quickly began moving her jaws.


    ¡°Don¡¯t swallow the wooden skewers down too,¡± Roan casually remarked.


    He took out a couple more skewered rat tails from the wooden box beside him and ced them along the campfire to be roasted.


    By the time the stray kitten guzzled down her skewers, he was also done roasting his new batch of skewers. He sprinkled a dash of salt on them before passing them to her.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Her amber eyes were filled with wariness, but her body was honest. She gulped down her saliva as her hand reflexively shot out to receive the food.


    Roan conjured another stone stool with a wave of his wand before gesturing to her to sit.


    It was only when she waspletely rxed that he finally released the skeleton hands gripping her ankles, returning her freedom.


    Roan noticed her shoulders tensing up when she regained her freedom, but after some hesitation, she chose to obediently stay put at the campfire, where another fresh batch of rat tail skewers had begun roasting.


    ¡°How are the skewers?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cooked! Delicious!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I knew it.¡±


    It turned out the cat demonoid was just exceptionally easy to satisfy; it was not that Roan¡¯s culinary skills were out of the world.


    Looking at the blissful smile hanging on her lips, Roan became increasingly curious about how her life had been.


    ¡°Slow down. Don¡¯t choke.¡±


    ¡°Aurkayyy!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself to eat. I can make more for you next time.¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    ¡°I said you have a good appetite.¡±


    After devouring 5000 hell coins worth of skewers, the kitten finally revealed a satisfied expression mixed with a tinge of bloated pain.


    Roan stopped feeding her upon seeing her slightly protruding tummy. He collected the wooden skewers and tossed them into a box.


    ¡®I heard people who have starved for too long may lose their sense of satiety, making them prone to overeating.¡¯


    The kitten noticed that no more skewers were being roasted along the campfire, so she directed a yearning look at Roan to signal for more.


    Roan responded with a shrug, indicating that was all.


    She licked her fingers and the corners of her mouth before letting out a yawn.


    ¡°T-thank you.¡±


    ¡®So she can speak the human tongue.¡¯


    Seeing how the kitten had opened up a little to him, Roan tried gently persuading her, ¡°There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony. Demon God Bayeris often preach for us to help one another on the surface, especially since humans aren¡¯t to be trusted¡­ except for those who worship the Demon God like me, of course.¡±


    ¡°Demon God Bayeris?¡± The kitten tilted her head as she asked hoarsely. ¡°Sara has only heard about Lord Saint Sisto¡­¡±


    Roan¡¯s cheeks twitched, but he firmly maintained his smile as he asked, ¡°Has your esteemed Saint Sisto ever roasted skewers for you?¡±


    Sara stared at him in confusion as she shook her head. ¡°He


    ¡°Has He ever given you money? Has He ever treated your illness? Or give you a warm home? Or help you catch rats? ¡­You don¡¯t have to answer my questions. I can see from your sorrowful eyes that you received nothing from Him,¡± Roan said with amenting sigh. ¡°Remember, from this day onward, you are a worshiper of the Demon King.¡±


    ¡°Demon¡­ King?¡± Sara looked even more confused as she struggled to make sense of what was going on. ¡°Not the Demon God?¡±


    Roan shook his head before calmly replying, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think the Demon God ever gave you any of that too. But I, the Demon King, gave you my skewers. Don¡¯t you think the least you can do is to worship me?¡±


    Roan waited a few seconds¡ªno lightning struck him.


    ¡®Whew. I guess neither the Demon God nor Saint Sisto heard that.¡¯


    Sara confusedly nodded. She wasn¡¯t too sure what was going on here, but Roan¡¯s words made sense to her.


    Back when her mother was alive, she was constantly reminded to have faith in Saint Sisto and the almighty holy light would one day bring redemption to them. Yet, not a single person who identified themself as Saint Sisto¡¯s follower had ever shown her any kindness¡­


    Rather, it was this fellow who identified himself as a demon king who fed her¡­


    ¡®Demon King¡­ He doesn¡¯t seem that bad?¡¯


    She recalled her earlier ¡®fierce¡¯ attitude and lowered her head in shame.


    ¡°My name is Sara¡­ Sorry for doubting you just now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s normal to be guarded against strangers. I also wondered whether you were an assassin at one point.¡± Roan chuckled softly before continuing on, ¡°On that note, I¡¯m still baffled as to how you circumvented the alert magic formation I constructed around this inn.¡±


    ¡°Alert¡­ magic formation?¡± Confusion flickered across Sara¡¯s eyes. She pondered for a long time before replying in uncertainty, ¡°Are you talking about the carcass smell? I smelled it outside the inn and avoided it¡­¡±


    ¡®Carcass smell? Is she talking about the bone ashes I used for the spell? Is it possible to detect them by smell?¡¯


    Roan fell into deep thought.


    ¡®I should improve on it. Such as changing the bone ashes to fauna ashes.¡¯


    Sara thought that Roan was angry, given how quiet he had be, so she timidly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ No one was ever here. I saw a me, so I came to take a look. I thought I could find something useful here.¡±


    Roan could tell from her careful attitude that she was misunderstanding something, so he quickly rified with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. This inn doesn¡¯t belong to me. I¡¯m merely staying here for the time being.¡±


    An autumn, night breeze tugged at the campfire, sweeping up fire sparks like dancing fireflies.


    Sara stared at Roan for a long time like a curious little kitten before saying, ¡°You are¡­ different.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not from here.¡±


    ¡°The underworld?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ far?¡±


    Roan saw a glimmer of expectation in her amber eyes.


    ¡°You wish to go to the underworld?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Sara nodded, baring her true thoughts.


    But Roan poured a bucket of cold water over her. ¡°I suggest you drop those unrealistic thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sara stared at him in bewilderment.


    Roan spent a moment construing his words. ¡°How should I put it? You would have lived morefortably if you were born in the Demon Capital, but if not, things would be very different.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t havee here to be a demon king if the underworld was thatfortable.


    And this was taking into ount he was born in the Demon Capital, his special privileges as a protected species, and the fact that his grandfather-cum-foster father worked as a priest in the Demon God¡¯s Ministry of Truth.


    Normal demonoids like Sara, particrly those born on the surface, would have to first fight on the frontlines to prove their loyalty before they could even enter theherworld, let alone enter the Demon Capital.


    Sara¡¯s ears drooped in disappointment after hearing Roan¡¯s response. She stared at her toes, deep in thought.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to put you down, but those who have grown up on the surface like you won¡¯t be able to adapt to the underworld¡¯s environment. So, I suggest you drop the idea. You don¡¯t know how many people in the underworld want toe up but are unable to¡­ I happen to be in need of manpower. If you don¡¯t have anywhere to go, why don¡¯t you work for me?¡±


    The yers were all busy leveling up, so he was struggling to find NPCs.


    A catgirl store attendant¡ªthis should rile up those subus-chanting perverts for a while.


    Sara didn¡¯t answer right away.


    Thinking the kitten was depressed, Roan was about to feed her some ¡®chicken soup for the soul¡¯ when he heard light snoring.


    He took a closer look and saw a thin silver thread swaying rhythmically from her opened mouth whenever she breathed. Her curled lips looked like a little boat sailing across the Milky Way.


    ¡®What delicacies is she dreaming of to be salivating like this¡­ Still, to doze off just like that!¡¯


    A certain ck-hearted boss was at a loss for words.

 Chapter 26: The Demon King Domain’s Little Provision Store Opens!

    Roan thought that he had a conscience even though he let it slip every now and then.


    Touching his heart, he had to concede that the underworld had treated him well over thest eighteen years. The goodwill he had received far outweighed the ill-will he had faced.


    While he had hardly any loyalty to His Majesty Demon God, he felt terrible when he saw how ill-treated the Demon God¡¯s people were outside. Through her, he saw what could have be of him if things had turned out slightly differently.


    ¡®The day is going to be over anyway. I¡¯ll just be a good person for the day.¡¯


    While the demon king was putting a nket over the napping little cat, the yers, after working hard for the day in the demon king domain, were preparing to go offline.


    Orcknight stared at the pitch-ck mining shaft when a thought suddenly urred to him, and he eximed in astonishment, ¡°Hey guys! I don¡¯t know if you noticed it yet¡­ but this game isn¡¯t taxing on the eyes at all!¡±


    Autumnleaf looked at Orcknight with a frown. ¡°Is there anything wrong about that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it amazing?!¡± Orcknight excitedly iled his arms around.


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Not really¡­ I mean, our eyes are closed after booting up the game, right?¡±Orcknight was taken aback by the remark. ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°It¡¯s a guess.¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°¡­¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°But I have to admit that this game is plenty weird. Despite it being such aborious game, it has a surprisingly low impact on our real-world bodies.¡±


    He had been intensely gaming for more than ten hours now, only taking a brief break in between to get some food in, but he was surprisingly not tired at all.


    This reinforced his conjecture that the development team was in possession of technology that was ahead of the present era¡­ such as controlling a person¡¯s dreams.


    Autumnleaf trembled in excitement at the thought of that.


    It was not just because he saw a hugemercial appeal for the game. More than that, he thought that he was watching the birth of a new technological era. He could witness with his own eyes the changes it would bring to their society.


    Soon, people might start working in their sleep instead so that they could reserve more waking hours for their private life.


    That sounded oddly wonderful.


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Lambskewers: ¡°Don¡¯t any of you need to work?!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Don¡¯t use him as an example. I bet he¡¯s a pro yer.¡±


    Autumnleaf eyed Twilight with narrowed eyes.


    ¡®Pot calling the kettle ck. You¡¯re the real pro yer here! I¡¯m just a casual veteran gamer!¡¯


    Gulpitdown, ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious what will happen if we stay online for 24 hours straight.¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°We¡¯ll jolt awake from hunger! I¡¯ve already tried it.¡±


    Lambskewers: ¡°Even if not for hunger, I doubt our body can take the burden.¡±


    Gulpitdown sighed in pity. ¡°Say, is there a chance we might transmigrate here if our body caves in while ying the game?¡±


    The crowd stared at Gulpitdown with speechless faces.


    Orcknight: ¡°I¡¯d be okay if it¡¯s a subus, but to transmigrate as a skeleton soldier¡­ Forget it.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Are you sure you want to transmigrate here with that username? It¡¯s one thing when it¡¯s just a game, but I doubt you can make any friends if that bes your real name.¡±


    Seeing that Gulpitdown was already on the verge of a mental breakdown, Twilight quickly interjected with a light cough and patted his shoulder. ¡°¡­You should go take a rest.¡±


    Gulpitdown staggered to the corner and slumped against the wall.


    Autumnleaf and Twilight bade each other farewell as they prepared to go offline.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to grind more?¡± Explodingknowledge asked in surprise.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to grind? I have already reached max level,¡± Autumnleaf replied.


    The crowd was astounded.


    Orcknight: ¡°Holy crap! You are at max level?!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°You¡¯re making it sound like I have reached level 100. The level cap is 3¡­ Ah right, I¡¯m looking for the Demon King. Have any of you seen him?¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°¡®fraid not. Why don¡¯t you try attacking that sculpture? He appeared right away thest time I tried.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Scram! Go scam the newbies instead!¡±


    ¡­


    Dogshit was exploring the demon king domain when he bumped into a peculiar sight.


    In the corner of a mining shaft, a skeleton soldier was smearing mashed ratman guts onto a wooden nk he had pried out of somewhere to make a garden. However, the garden didn¡¯t look to be for crops or flowers.


    At least he had never seen anyone raising nts like that.


    Out of curiosity, he went up and asked, ¡°Bro, what are you doing?¡±


    The skeleton soldier raised his head, revealing his profound username¡ªTablebench.


    Dogshit nearly spat out the water that <em>wasn¡¯t</em> in his mouth.


    Tablebench: ¡°I¡¯m raising mushrooms.


    ¡°Mushrooms?¡±


    Dogshit was perplexed. He leaned closer and saw little mushrooms growing on the ratmen¡¯s corpses, concentrated mainly on their abdomen and around wounded areas.


    ¡®Interesting! I have never seen such mushrooms before!¡¯


    But herees the important question¡­


    ¡°¡­What are these mushrooms for?¡± Dogshit asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Tablebench shook his head with a matter-of-factly attitude.


    Dogshit was at a loss for words. ¡°Why are you raising them then?¡±


    Baffled by the dumb question, Tablebench turned his head over and asked, ¡°Why do you game then?¡±


    Dogshit was floored. He couldn¡¯t retort against that.


    ¡®That makes so much sense!¡¯


    ¡°¡­Bro, I think you¡¯re a prodigy. Let¡¯s add each other as friends and hang out together!¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡± Tablebench casually waved his hand in agreement before turning his attention back to tending his mushroom garden. ¡°Just don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    ¡­


    Roan woke up early the following morning.


    He wanted to kickstart the day with someva eggs, but he btedly remembered that there were no firebird eggs orva here. So, he could only make do with some bread.


    After a quick breakfast, he fetched some water from the well in the inn¡¯s courtyard to wash up. Following that, he went to check up on the stray kitten.


    Sara was soundly asleep. She was curled up under the nket, taking in stable breaths like an adorable kitten.


    But Roan could tell she wasn¡¯t deeply asleep¡ªthe slightest movement could jolt her awake.


    Perhaps due to his approaching footsteps, her snoring gradually stopped. A little slit opened up in the nket, revealing an amber eye beneath.


    ¡°What do you want for breakfast?¡±


    That question spurred the lethargic Sara to sit up with overflowing energy.


    ¡°Skewers! Rat tails!¡±


    ¡°We can have that for dinner.¡± Roan passed a slice of bread to her. ¡°You should have something lighter for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Bread!¡±


    Sara¡¯s eyes lit up as she took in the appetizing fragrance of wheat. She bit down on the bread with so much fervor that she nearly chomped her own fingers off.


    Seeing the way she wolfed down her food made Roan, despite having just eaten, hungry again. So, he turned away from her, grabbed the wooden board he pried out of the neighboring room, and drew on it with his magic crystal brush.


    ¡®Yesterday¡¯s yer activity level was not bad. I should be able toplete the Cmity system¡¯s quest without any issues.¡¯


    ¡®There will be a huge influx of new yers once Iplete the quest. I should put some signs around the mining shafts to indicate the ces where they should go, lest they wander around like a bunch of headless flies.¡¯


    ¡®Ugh, the directionally-challenged ones are an issue too. I need to solve that problem as well.¡¯


    Soon, Sara was finally chowing down her bread, and she made sure to lick her fingers clean. Only then did she notice that Roan was up to something, so she walked over and leaned in out of curiosity.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Her fluffy ears tickled Roan¡¯s nose. He pushed her aside before lifting up the wooden board.


    ¡°Today is the opening of our demon king domain¡¯s provision shop, so I decided to personally draw our banner.¡±


    ¡°Provision shop? Banner?¡±


    Sara had no idea what those phrases meant, but her raised ears reflected her curiosity.


    ¡°Think of it as a store. You promised to work for mest night, don¡¯t you remember?¡± Roan exined.


    Sara stared at Roan in confusion. Those words sounded oddly familiar, though she didn¡¯t remember making that promise. Nevertheless, she still asked, ¡°What do you need Sara to do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. My servants will buy items from you, and you just have to hand the goods to them. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll run you through the procedure,¡± Roan replied.


    Youyou could handle the specifics of the transaction through the ¡®game rules¡¯.


    If gamers had sufficient hell coins to purchase their selected items, they would receive a notification informing them ¡¾Transaction Sessful¡¿. Otherwise, they would be informed that they had insufficient hell coins.


    If they tried to force the trade despite not having enough money, they would invoke the ¡®Demon King¡¯s Punishment¡¯.


    Even though Sara was the storekeeper, she didn¡¯t need to deal with money.


    If the yers tried to engage her, she could reply with a ¡®Meow¡¯ if she was in a good mood. Otherwise, she could just outright ignore them.


    The yers would be excited either way.


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Sara thought the job sounded interesting and excitedly nodded . ¡°Sara can do work!¡±


    ¡°Mm! Do well, all right? You will be paid for your work.¡± Roan patted her shoulders before handing the wooden board into her hands.


    Written on the wooden board was ¡®No feeding¡¯, but Sara couldn¡¯t read it as it was written in squarish characters.


    Roan brought Sara into the mining shaft to introduce her to the yers.


    As soon as he stepped into the demon king domain, he encountered a skeleton who respectfully dropped to one knee upon seeing him.


    ¡°O¡¯ great Demon King, I am your most loyal servant, Autumnleaf. I have reached a thousand contribution points. This should testify to the undying loyalty I have for you¡­¡±


    ¡®This fellow has a way with words.¡¯


    But Roan didn¡¯t want to waste his time with pleasantries when he had much to do.


    ¡°You want to level up, right? Permitted.¡±


    He grandly waved his wand and tapped it on the skeleton soldier¡¯s head. At the same time, he telepathically called for his assistant, ¡®<em>Youyou, I¡¯ll leave this fellow to you.</em>¡¯


    ¡®<em>Got it!</em>¡¯


    An ink-green light shone down on Autumnleaf.


    It sparked an incredible feeling in him, like his soul was being elevated, like he was an impoverished desert nourished by a rich spring¡­ In gist, he felt amazing!


    Autumnleaf spent a long time savoring this sensation.


    By the time he snapped out of his daze to give his thank you speech, he realized that the demon king was no longer around.


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡®Did the NPC skip my cutscene?!¡¯

 Chapter 27: The Cruel Truth

    ¡¾Faith: 11086£¨-100£©


    Daily Revenue: 108~128


    Daily Expenditure: 100¡¿


    Upgrading a mortal soul to Iron-tier cost 100 faith.


    This expenditure would have pained Roan back when his faith was still in the three digits, but he was not the man he used to be!


    Thanks to a certain plump rat, he was now rich in faith. He would have no trouble upgrading all 100 yers in his server to Iron-tier.


    As for upgrading his own soul tier, he was in no rush at the moment.


    It cost 100,000 faith to raise his soul from Steel-tier to tinum-tier, which was ten times more than before. That was an astronomical sum to the current him. Rather than stockpiling his faith for a distant future, he would rather use it to upgrade the more skilled yers.


    Besides, he had just advanced to Steel-tier, and it would take time before he hit his level cap. He was in no rush to raise his level cap at the moment.Soul tier only determined the upper limit of one¡¯s transcendent powers; it wouldn¡¯t raise one¡¯s current strength.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t keep holing up in that cavern. I need to find ways to gain more worshipers.¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s hope Jack can surprise me.¡¯


    While Roan was in thought, the other yers in the demon king domain couldn¡¯t help but stare at him. More specifically, they were staring at the person following him, Sara!


    Her cute face and delicate frame spurred squeals of adoration. Her twitching cat ears made the green soulfire in the skeleton soldiers¡¯ eyes re intensely.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?! A new NPC?!¡±


    Seeing he had the yers¡¯ attention, Roan cleared his throat and got straight to the point, ¡°Subjects of Necropolis, I am going to make an announcement. Necropolis¡¯ first merchant shall open today, and we only ept hell coins as currency¡­¡±


    The mining shaft was filled with the sound of clicking bones before Roan could finish his piece.


    ¡°Ooooooo!¡±


    ¡°Nekomimi!!! Nekomimi!!!¡±


    ¡°The dog developers totally get me!¡±


    ¡°Mine! MINEEEEEE!!! (Shrieks)¡±


    ¡°So cute!!!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I want to rub myself against her!¡±


    ¡°Can I touch her ears? I can clean my hands first!¡±


    The sudden encirclement of noisy skeleton soldiers frightened Sara so much that her fur stood up, and she let out a guttural growl. She might haveshed out if not for Roan standing next to her.


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    ck streaks appeared on Roan¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t expected the yers to be such good-for-nothings. He was forced to invoke his authority to suspend the yers¡¯ movements, forcing them to cool down.


    ¡®Where are all the reliable yers? Are they ying another game?¡¯


    Roan was so abruptly interrupted that he didn¡¯t even know where to continue from.


    ¡°Anyway, she is a subject of the demon king domain too, just like the rest of you. I won¡¯t allow my subjects to harm one another. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye here. If anyone bullies her, buys items without paying, or attempts to steal my treasures¡­ I¡¯ll make him regreting to this world.¡± ?


    ¡®Good.¡¯


    Roan was satisfied with his performance. He thought he managed to bring out a boss¡¯ ir despite hisst-minute improvisation.


    His only regret was that none of the yers had their attention on him¡­


    The adventurers imprisoned in the corner of the demon king domain looked over. They had no idea what the demon king had just said, but they clearly felt the preferential treatment.


    Chris¡¯ envy was spilling out. She tightly gripped the prison bars as she spat venomously, ¡°Hah¡­ That¡¯s how men are like. They treat a woman differently just because they look a bit cuter.¡±


    Lakeson, who was sitting against the wall with crossed arms, nced at Chris as he muttered, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s all?¡±


    He meant to say they had lost fair and square, and there was nothing to grumble about.


    Little did he know that he had stomped on Chris¡¯ sore spots, prompting thetter to direct her venomous re at him.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?! Are you saying I have no charm? I should gouge your eyes out and shove it down your throat!¡± Chris snapped.


    Lakeson was rendered speechless. He wisely chose not to retort against that.


    Meanwhile, Amu had been quietly staring at the demon king ever since thetter appeared, his fearful eyes tinged with expectation as if he was hoping for a reward.


    Hugo was huddled up in the corner as usual, his hands embracing his head. He only asionally looked up to scan his surroundings or look at hisrades.


    ¡®They are mad¡­ They have all gone mad!¡¯


    As the only normal person here, he had no idea how long more he couldst here.


    ¡­


    After the CG cutscene ended, Roan ced the ¡®No feeding¡¯ wooden board next to the store before dragging Sara behind the stone counter to instruct her about her job.


    Such as not eating food offered by the yers, how to tell if someone didn¡¯t pay, what to do if someone asked a question she didn¡¯t know how to respond to, or how to call Youyou for help if someone harassed her.


    Most yers were still poor at this stage of the game; theirbined asset couldn¡¯t even purchase a steel dagger, which cost 20,000 hell coins.


    Sara¡¯s work shouldn¡¯t be too busy yet. It was a good chance for her to get familiarized with her work station.


    Things happened as Roan expected.


    When the yers saw the list of goods, they blurted out ¡®It¡¯s a scam!¡¯.


    ¡°Bloody hell! A normal one-handed steel sword costs 60,000?!¡±


    ¡°Wow. This is as scummy as Mount & de II.¡±


    ¡°Those greedy bastards!¡±


    ¡°Damn it! I might as well smith my own weapons!¡±


    The skeletons¡¯ outrage terrified Sara. She anxiously looked around for Roan, but thetter had already darted away.


    All of a sudden, she recalled what Roan told her before he left. She hesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to squeeze out an embarrassing noise.


    ¡°Meow¡­¡±


    The outraged skeletons instantly stiffened up and quietened down.


    Sara blinked her eyes in confusion. ¡®Is this some kind of spell?¡¯


    The silencested two seconds before the skeletons broke into a second uproar.


    ¡°UWAAAAAA!¡±


    ¡°Again! Again!¡±


    ¡°Louder! I didn¡¯t hear it!¡±


    Their cking jaws sounded like firecrackers. These skeleton soldiers looked even more ardent than the zealots.


    Just then, a skeleton soldier broke free from the crowd and charged at the store counter.


    ¡°Brothers, I can¡¯t take it anymore! Who cares if the Demon King is watching? For the catgirl, I shall¡ª¡±


    A green light struck his head before he could finish his words.


    His transparent soul was sted out of his body, and it was forcefully dragged over and bound to the demon king domain¡¯s core.


    Orcknight: ¡°Goddamnit! Why is it that punishment again?! What the hell did I do wrong?!¡±


    Twilight looked at him with eyes dripping with disdain, ¡°You don¡¯t know what you did wrong? Can¡¯t you see the frightened look on that poor NPC¡¯s face?¡±


    Dogshit cackled loudly. ¡°It¡¯s you again! Why are you always the one sweeping thendmines?¡±


    Orcknight looked at the imprisonment duration and howled like a pig in an abattoir. ¡°Have mercy on this little one, Demon King! I won¡¯t dare to do it again! Please let me out!¡±


    It was so embarrassing that Minowarrior pretended not to know him and quietly walked away.


    ¡­


    Pitiful howls echoed in the mining shafts, adding an air of mncholia to Necropolis.


    As much as Roan pitied Orcknight¡¯s plight, he didn¡¯t have the time to deal with him as he had more important matters at hand.


    His earlier test showed that yers weren¡¯t the only ones who could earn experience points by hunting monsters; he, the demon king, could do the same too!


    Furthermore, he could earn far more experience points from farming monsters than meditating!


    Back when he was in the Demon King Academy, Egor or someone else had once told him the frontline was a good ce for one to grow stronger despite the frighteningly high casualty rate. Most demons who survived a battle would grow to some extent.


    Quite a few demons who massacred a vige or a city evolved into terrifying entities.


    The academic exnation for this phenomenon was that their survival instincts could have awakened theirtent potential. On top of that, the act of massacre could have the additional effect of pleasing Demon God Bayeris, thus unknowingly triggering some sort of ritual.


    But Linte Isaac¡¯s system had a cruel and stone-cold answer to that question.


    A soul entity simply grew when they murdered another soul entity.


    This phenomenon had nothing to do with faith. It was just a fundamentalw of this world. Simr to how a god could siphon another god¡¯s faith by murdering them, a mortal could steal another mortal¡¯s transcendent powers by killing them!


    It was just that the stolen power tended to be disproportionately smaller, and the growth wouldn¡¯t be realized until the individual ¡®leveled up¡¯, so this phenomenon mostly went unnoticed.


    Even when someone noticed it, they often attributed it to another reason, such as a sudden epiphany from oveing a life-and-death battle or the awakening of one¡¯stent potential, so on and so forth.


    In actuality, it was just one party bing another party¡¯s experience pack.


    Roan thought that since his transmigrator senior was able to arrive at this truth, it was unlikely that Saint Sisto or Demon God Beyeris were oblivious to it¡­ The more likely exnation was that they had both chosen to obscure this truth behind religious teaching.


    It was not too difficult to guess why they chose to do so.


    From the perspective of a fief lord or a knight, rather than risking their lives ying demons on the battlefield, there was a much safer way for them to grow¡ªthey could just hunt the weaklings within their ranks instead.


    With their authority and influence, as long as they didn¡¯t go overboard, they could easily get away with that.


    It was the same for the underworld too.


    In the first ce, the underworld was a ce where the strong reigned over the weak. If the demons were to ever learn that there was such a convenient way to grow stronger, the high demons would probably massacre half of their subordinate lower demons right away.


    Societal order would immediately unravel.


    Neither Saint Sisto nor the Demon God would want to see that.


    That was why they used all means to restrain the god elects and powerful figures in their ranks, be it through issuing divine edicts, issuingmandments, or reinforcing their divine influence.


    It was as if the world was a bonsai nt they were tending to. They didn¡¯t hesitate to snip away humans or demons who defied their will.


    In a way, Roan was a beneficiary of that.


    If the Demon Capital¡¯s demons recklessly used their transcendent powers without restraints, there was no way a human like him could live to adulthood. Putting all things aside, he would have likely sumbed to Professor Lilith.


    It was also not hard to guess why Linte Isaac was telling him this piece of information.


    This was indeed the most efficient path. The fastest way to ¡®clear¡¯ this otherworld was to kill, kill, and kill.


    The fastest way to raise his strength was to kill through physical means. The fastest way to raise his psyche was to kill through spells¡­ The stronger the opponent, the more experience points he could gain from the other party.


    Such a rate of growth far exceeded that of training and meditation.


    It was as if the experience system was encouraging chaos rather than order.


    Maybe the reason he couldn¡¯t select yers via the Cmity system was because the system already picked chaos-inclined yers over neutral- and order-inclined yers.


    As the Machine God said from the very start, ¡®Let this foolish world burn!¡¯


    He wasn¡¯t joking about it. He intended to unleash a true cmity upon this world!


    That being said, Roan was not a puppet for others to maneuver. Linte might have his ns, but Roan had his thoughts too.


    But it was still too early to talk about these.


    No matter what Roan wanted to do, the priority at hand was to be stronger.


    In contrast to the rtively dangerous Thunderbuzz City, the traitors in thebyrinth were much easier targets.


    It was time for him topete with the yers over mobs!


    After entrusting the NPC store to Sara, Roan advanced deeper into the mining shaft and converted a slightly wider cavern into his magic workshop. He hung a sign ¡®ess Prohibited¡¯ outside the cavern.


    He then issued an order, ¡°Youyou, get some yers to drag crypt spiders¡¯ carcasses from the storage room here. You can decide on the quest rewards. I¡¯ll leave all the bncing to you.¡±


    The yer ¡®Autumnleaf¡¯ had acquired quite a few crypt spiders¡¯ carcasses for him. It was time to put them to use!


    ¡°Yes, Demon King!¡± Youyou answered.


    The quest was soon issued.


    A short whileter, Youyou couldn¡¯t resist its curiosity and asked, ¡°May I ask what you are using the crypt spiders for?¡±


    Those things didn¡¯t look yummy.


    Roan took out a crucible for concocting potions, a silver knife, and a mortar and pestle.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯m just making some preparations to speed up my farming.¡±

 Chapter 28: The Demon King’s Summon

    An oilmp flickered in a dingy cavern.


    Before a stone table filled to the brim with bizarre containers, an evil mage murmured, ¡°Five grams of cattle gallstones, five grams of gastrodia ta, one crypt spider eye, one crypt spider fang¡­ Toss the ingredients into the mortar and crush them into powder. Transfer the powder into the crucible and put it under low heat until the smoke turns purple.¡±


    When the green smoke finally turned purple, Roan calmly grabbed a bottle of fluid he had previously refined and smoothly poured it in.


    ¡°¡­Add 200 milliliters of crypt spider nd concentrate. Slowly raise the temperature while stirring the mixture in a clockwise motion until the mixture bes viscous.¡±


    As he spoke, the mixture in the crucible had already turned as viscous as a paste.


    He poured the paste into a test tube before sealing it off with a wooden stopper.


    Youyou, who had witnessed the procedure, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What is that?¡±


    Roan ced the test tube on a test tube rack as he replied, ¡°It¡¯s an antidote against the crypt spider¡¯s paralytic venom.¡±


    It could neutralize some snake venoms too.Youyou looked at Roan with confused eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you detoxify venoms with magic?¡±


    ¡°Magic is not omnipotent. There are poisoning spells, but I have never heard of detoxifying spells,¡± Roan patiently replied.


    That being said, there were spells that could produce effects simr to detoxification.


    For instance, there were spells to boost poison immunity, heighten antibodies activity, and raise metabolism rate. These could help one withstand a poison¡¯s negative effects, thus surviving the ordeal.


    Viruses and gues caused by microorganisms could also be neutralized by the holy light.


    Saint Sisto¡¯s believers touted it as a miracle, but the truth was that the holy light had merely killed those microorganisms.


    ¡°But¡­ how can you drink the antidote when you¡¯re paralyzed?¡±


    ¡°The venom doesn¡¯t set in that quickly. Besides, I have summons too,¡± Roan replied as he scraped off the scums in the extractor.


    These were the remains from refining the crypt spider nd concentrate. Instead of throwing them away, he tossed them into the crucible and continued raising the heat.


    The diligent Youyou continued asking, ¡°What about this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a female spider¡¯s estrogen. It can be applied on a skeleton to draw aggro.¡±


    ¡°A-as expected of the Demon King! You are truly despicable!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for Roan to finish concocting another potion bottle. He gently swirled it around before cing it on the test tube rack.


    ¡°It¡¯s called being resourceful, not despicable.¡±


    As the Demon King Academy¡¯s top theory student, he had never failed to ace alchemy before. This was the only subject that didn¡¯t have a minimum mana requirement. Once he memorized the recipes, all there was left to do was to get used to the procedures. ??


    Thanks to the solid foundation he had built from his previous life¡¯s chemistry sses, not only was he able to master everything on his alchemy textbook, but he was even able to grasp the underlying principles behind the recipes and alter their potency and dosages as required.


    Most of the Demon King Academy¡¯s potion recipes were for demons. It would be like a human drinking an animal¡¯s medicine if Roan consumed them.


    It was not that it would be ineffective, but it would be nonoptimal.


    Roan repeated the previous procedures ten more times, until the test tube rack was almost full, before he moved on to the next potion.


    Aside from antidotes and monster bait, he also needed to prepare melting agents for the spider webs, vitality potions to lift petrification, and most important of all, red potions for external injury and blue potions to replenish his mana.


    After he was done concocting, Roan stuffed his potion-filled test tube rack into his specially-crafted waistcoat, which he hid beneath his robe. This significantly increased his weight load, but it greatly raised his firepower too.


    In his current state, he would dare challenge even Mia, who was just a step away from reaching Gold-tier.


    Roan tidied himself up before the mirror as he issued an order, ¡°Youyou, pick out five LV3 or above yers whose usernames aren¡¯t that embarrassing and issue them a main storyline quest. Have them wait for me at thebyrinth entrance.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Demon King!¡±


    The white fog in the mirror cheekily bowed.


    Five yers, who were in the midst of their farming, suddenly received the corresponding notification.


    Autumnleaf and Twilight, the two ace skeleton soldiers, were farming on thebyrinth¡¯s first floor, and they were unexpectedly caught in a difficult battle.


    ¡°This is a bummer¡­ That fellow refuses to chase us too far out.¡±


    The dagger-wielding Twilight stared unblinkingly at the massive spider after failing yet again to lure it out.


    The spear-wielding Autumnleaf, who was lying in ambush behind a stone pir, was at a loss too. He stroked his lower jaw as he considered their next move.


    So far, the crypt spiders they had encountered would tense up upon discovering intruders on their territory. They wouldunch an attack within three seconds and chase the intruders till they were finally out of their territory.


    But now, the crypt spiders looked as if they had abandoned their responsibilities.


    They refused to spare attention to the yers, feigning ignorance even when thetter were wreaking havoc on their webs. They would only twitch in wariness when the yers came within twenty steps of them.


    Even so, the crypt spiders still refrained from making a reckless move.


    They would only attack when the yers were within ten steps of them, or when the yers approached their eggs and spiderlings.


    ¡®Did the developers change the aggro system because we were leveling too quickly? No, that doesn¡¯t seem likely¡­¡¯


    Autumnleaf examined the crypt spider¡¯sir, and something suddenly dawned on him.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Twilight nced over.


    ¡°Look at the spider webs.¡± Autumnleaf pointed with his spear. ¡°Do you see something peculiar?¡±


    ¡°Something peculiar? Are you talking about those ¡®cocoons¡¯?¡±


    Twilight also noticed the gray-white cocoons hanging from the densest portions of the web. These cocoons resembled the spider eggs, just that the cocoons were half the height of a human whereas the spider eggs were basketball-sized.


    ¡°Those should be the ratmen from yesterday,¡± Autumnleaf said.


    Twilight stared at him in astonishment. ¡°Are you saying the crypt spiders have lost their interest in hunting because they have filled their stomachs and stockpiled a huge amount of rations?¡±


    ¡®Is such a thing possible?¡¯


    As a pro gamer, he was more inclined to think that the developers had raised the difficulty level so that other yers could catch up. With the crypt spiders moving slower than ever, it was now more efficient to confront them in a party of four to five.


    This was the first time he heard anyone deciphering a game¡¯s events from a biology standpoint.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I mean.¡± Autumnleaf stared at the torpid spiders surrounded by white cocoons with an excited glint in his eyes. ¡°This game is more realistic than I thought.¡±


    On top of capturing the hierarchy among monsters, this game also factored in the hunting and lifestyle habits of different monsters. Never had he yed a game as thorough as this!


    These detailed settings were glimpses into the developers¡¯ overflowing passion for the game!


    ¡®Interesting. Truly interesting!¡¯


    He looked forward to seeing the other monsters in thebyrinth. He wondered if they would be any different from the monsters lurking in this ¡®beginner vige¡¯.


    Just then, a notification popped up in front of him.


    ¡¾Quest: His Majesty Demon King¡¯s Summon!


    Description: His Majesty Demon King intends to go hunting in thebyrinth and is recruiting five LV3 aides. Will you ept the request?


    Reward: Decided by the yers¡¯ individual contribution


    Additional Note: yers participating in this quest are spared from the death penalty¡¿


    ¡°I received an expedition quest. What about you?¡± Twilight asked.


    ¡°I got it too.¡± Autumnleaf nodded as he epted the quest. ¡°Let¡¯s ept it. I don¡¯t see any downsides to it.¡±


    The quest prerequisite was for the yer to have reached LV3, but there were no more than a handful of yers in the server who had reached that level.


    The quest was clearly intended for them.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly. It will be good to proactively cooperate with the developers in a closed beta like this. Let¡¯s head there first and wait for the others,¡± Twilight replied.


    The quest¡¯s assembly point was set at thebyrinth entrance, not far away from their current location. There were ten minutes to go before the quest¡¯smencement.


    Twilight ced his dagger back into the leather sheath he wore around his waist before epting the quest too. Just then, a thought popped up in his mind. He turned to Autumnleaf and asked, ¡°How long will it take before you reach LV4? You should be close now, right?¡±


    Autumnleaf nodded. ¡°I¡¯m still 3000 experience points short.¡±


    ¡°3000? That¡¯s farther than I thought.¡± Twilight looked at him in astonishment. ¡°Weren¡¯t you already close to leveling upst night.¡±


    Autumnleaf was leveling faster than Twilight as he had been the onending the fatal blow on the monsters, thus earning more experience points.


    In contrast, Twilight had only reached LV3 this morning.


    He thought that Autumnleaf should be close to LV4 after grinding the morning away, but who could have thought that he was still loitering in LV3 like him?


    ¡°I was 5000 experience points shortst night¡­ Farming crypt spiders gives half as many experience pointspared to back when we were at LV1.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I thought my farming speed went down because I was contributing less to the kill, but it¡¯s the same for you too.¡± Twilight chuckled softly. ¡°We will have to challenge stronger monsters if we want to grow faster.¡±


    Autumnleaf rubbed his nose as he eyed the spider webs around them. ¡°Let¡¯s work within our means for now. Given our strength, crypt spiders are already the most efficient mobs for us to grind on.¡±


    It had only been two days since ¡¶Cmity Online¡· went into closed beta. Most yers had barely reached LV1, and several less ambitious ones were still stagnant at LV0.


    By that measure, Autumnleaf and Twilight were already advancing through the game quickly. The only reason they were still weak was because this game was too much of a grindfest.


    While they were chatting, three other skilled yers, who received the quest too, arrived at thebyrinth entrance.


    In this game, it was much more efficient to farm in a party than to go solo. The chances were that these three were partied up too.


    One of them carried a bow. One wielded a sword and a shield. Thest one lugged two axes¡­ There was a clear distribution of roles in their party.


    Skeleton soldiers, with their limited strength, would have struggled to simultaneously swing two axes. That fellow most likely equipped after reaching LV3 and gaining another point in strength.


    Twilight stared at the two axes and remarked in surprise, ¡°So he was the one who took those axes!¡±


    Autumnleaf nced at Twilight and asked, ¡°You know him?¡±


    Twilight shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know him, but I recognize those axes. They were previously dropped beside the prison cells, ced beside another NPC¡¯s greatsword. Someone tried to loot them but failed. At some point, the axes suddenly disappeared.¡±


    When the server first opened, all equipment belonged to whoever was holding them.


    But with the release of thetest patch, it should be safe to assume the two-handed axeman had already registered this ¡®beginner elite weapon¡¯ under his possession.


    The two-handed axeman had to be fairly skilled to raise his strength to 5 ahead of other yers.


    Meanwhile, those three noticed them too.


    The two-handed axeman stepped forward with a smile and greeted them, ¡°You are Autumnleaf? I have heard a lot about you!¡±


    As he spoke, his username appeared above his head¡ªDragonmyriad.


    ¡®What a domineering name! Though I don¡¯t think I have seen him on the forum¡­ Are pro yers fond of lying low and staying under the radar?¡¯


    Autumnleaf nced at the other two yers behind Dragonmyriad and noted that they had matching names. The swordsman was Dragonthousand, and the archer was Dragonhundred.


    Twilight couldn¡¯t help retorting under his breath, ¡°Why are they getting smaller and smaller¡­¡±


    Autumnleaf nced at Twilight, a signal reminding thetter not to stir trouble, before he stepped forward to shake Dragonmyriad¡¯s hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re too polite! The pleasure is very much ours!¡± Dragonmyriadughed heartily. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have obtained these axes so quickly if not for your guide!¡±


    Dragonmyriad suddenly changed his tone and smoothly extended an invitation, ¡°I shan¡¯t beat around the bush. We three are from a gaming guild. We were lucky to have received the closed beta invitation, and we see huge potential in this game too, so we¡¯re nning to focus here. I reckon we are the same type of people. Will you be interested in unraveling this game with us?¡±


    Autumnleaf replied with a warm smile, ¡°I am more than happy to ept party and friend requests, but pardon me for turning down your guild invitation. I am too used to freedom. I have tried joining guilds too, but I think going solo fits me better.¡±


    Dragonmyriad didn¡¯t look too disappointed despite the rejection. Heughed it off and said, ¡°Is that so? What a pity! Someone of your caliber can fetch at least a five-digits monthly sry from us. If this game supports live streaming, six-digits is not out of the question too.¡±


    Autumnleaf shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not about the money.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Dragonmyriad released Autumnleaf¡¯s hand and patted his shoulder. ¡°If you ever change your mind, please consider our guild, Dragon Odyssey!¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡± Autumnleaf sped his fist.


    Dragonmyriad nodded.


    He turned his gaze to Twilight, but before he could utter a word, Twilight waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll pass too.¡±


    Draognmyriadughed. ¡°I know. Twilight, hm? That¡¯s a familiar username. I know you.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡®So which game did he recognize me from?¡¯


    But Dragonmyriad didn¡¯t borate any further. Instead, he went on to introduce hisrades, Dragonthousand and Dragonhundred, to them.


    Much to Autumnleaf¡¯s surprise, Dragonthousand, the swordsman, was a female yer, and she had reached LV3 too.


    Unlike other games, ¡¶Cmity Online¡·¡¯s monsters were so abysmally hideous that it would take a certain level of mental resilience to y as a tank here.


    ¡°You have been farming here?¡± Dragonthousand scanned the surroundings before asking.


    Autumnleaf nodded. ¡°Yep. Untilst night, it was more efficient to grind here.¡±


    ¡°Did something change today?¡± Dragonthousand asked in confusion.


    ¡°Mmhm.¡± Autumnleaf eyed the surrounding spider webs as he shared his conjecture. ¡°Yesterday¡¯s monster siege allowed the spiders here to stockpile a huge amount of rations. Since then, their chasing distance became much shorter, making it harder to kite them¡­ though this could be an opportunity for you. <em>(T/N: Kiting refers to luring enemies across a long distance.)</em>


    ¡°Now that the crypt spiders are less aggressive and mobile, as long as your main tank can withstand two strikes, your control should be able to take their nk. I mentioned in my guide that their weakness is their abdomen, so it would be best for your party leader to switch your axes for a spear or a one-handed sword.¡± <em>(T/N: Tanks are frontline yers who protect their teammates from taking damage. Controls are yers who tie down the enemy through concentrated attacks or other means.) </em>


    ¡°Got it! But why two attacks?¡±


    Dragonthousand knew it was a breach of etiquette among pro yers to ask such detailed questions, but she still voiced her doubt aloud.


    Fortunately, Autumnleaf wasn¡¯t sensitive about such things, and he replied with a smile, ¡°Crypt spiders have a habit of first grabbing their prey with their front legs before biting them. My guess is that they had poor depth perception in front, so they have to first ascertain their prey¡¯s location before striking.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So crypt spiders usuallyunch two consecutive attacks. Understood!¡± Dragonthousand earnestly remembered every word he spoke like an attentive student.


    ¡®So this is a pro yer.¡¯


    Autumnleaf was d he wasn¡¯t bothered by mary concerns, so he could just enjoy the game without thinking too much.


    His unreserved sharing of intelligence, however, piqued Twilight¡¯s jealousy.


    ¡°Oi, isn¡¯t it rude of you to gather information like that?¡±


    Dragonmyriad calmly pulled Dragonthousand back. ¡°I¡¯ll apologize on behalf of my guild member. She identally got too far in a bout of excitement. Allow me topensate you. I¡¯m afraid it is inconvenient for us to pay you in hell coins right now, so how does RMB sound? If you leave me your phone number¡ª¡±


    ¡°No no, there¡¯s no need for that. This isn¡¯t any huge secret anyway, and I¡¯ll be sharing it on the forum very soon too.¡± Autumnleaf rejected Dragonmyriad¡¯s offer with a wave of his hand.


    He then turned to Twilight and sighed. ¡°Bro, let¡¯s not stir anything, all right?¡±


    Twilight averted his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re making a loss here¡­ Forget it, you were the one who discovered the clue, so it¡¯s your freedom to share it.¡±


    He had only interjected out of habit.


    As a pro yer, he was ustomed to trading such high-value intelligence for money, especially in the earlier stages of the game when information was scarce.


    For a game with as muchmercial value as ¡¶Cmity Online¡·, the information Autumnleaf had just shared was easily worth 100,000RMB.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t ept my money, I¡¯ll take it as a favor instead. Feel free to reach out to me if there¡¯s anything I can help you with,¡± Dragonmyriad dered.


    Dragonthousand felt guilt-ridden for dragging Dragonmyriad down. She wanted to say something, but the archer, Dragonhundred, held her back with a subtle nce.


    As Dragonmyriad¡¯s aide, Dragonhundred knew this was their guild leader¡¯s way of getting close to Autumnleaf. Rather than to get Autumnleaf to owe them a favor, it was easier to get close to him by owing him a favor instead.


    ¡®Looks like our boss has a high opinion of him. Well, I have to admit he has substance too.¡¯


    While they were busy socializing, Necropolis¡¯ boss finally graced them with his presence.


    The Demon King wore a simple robe and held a short wand that resembled a willow branch. Even though he was not dressed in finery, no one could ignore his presence, which naturally exuded malevolence and grace.


    In contrast, his good looks seemed to be his least noteworthy feature.


    Autumnleaf had to concede that this NPC was truly well-designed. Thetter naturallymanded the airs of a boss character.


    There was no long-winded introduction.


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re here.¡± Roan arrogantly eyed the yers.


    He was not into such role y, but what could he do when the yers dug into that?


    On the bright side, he just had to properly y his role as an overpowered demon king, and these wildly imaginative yers would probably fill in the nks in the storyline.


    His gaze passed by the five skeleton soldiers and eventually fell on the crypt spiders. With a light wave of his wand, he sneered, ¡°It¡¯s time to teach those short-sighted traitors a lesson for their foolishness.¡±

 Chapter 29: This Overpowered Demon King Is Ridiculously Cautious!

    ¡°<strong>Stone Skin</strong>!¡±


    A dim yellow light d Roan¡¯s body, forming ayer of imprable armor above his skin.


    ¡°That should be a spell that raises defense,¡± Dragonthousand stared intently at the Demon King, the soulfire in her eyes flickering intensely.


    Her intuition as a warrior told her that the additional defense provided from that spell would allow her to withstand even the simultaneous assault of five crypt spiders!


    But that wasn¡¯t all!


    Roan¡¯s chant continued as he waved his wand.


    A green light gathered at his wand tip. It morphed into a pair of transparent wings that crashed down on his shoulders before dissipating.


    ¡°<strong>Fleetfoot</strong>!¡±


    Roan felt his body be as light as a swallow, as if he was standing on a gryphon¡¯s shoulder.¡°That must be an agility buff!¡± Twilight eximed.


    ¡®But why on earth does a mage require an agility buff?¡¯


    The other yers were confused by the Demon King¡¯s actions as well, but they didn¡¯t think too much into it. Rather, they were too mesmerized by the endless stream of light that surfaced one after another to consider the rationale behind each of them.


    ¡°<strong>Magic Amplification</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Reinforced Bones</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Cold Ssh</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Living Armor</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Thorned Protection</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Wind Barrier</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Earth Shadow</strong>!¡±


    ¡°<strong>Netherworld Armor</strong>!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Roan chanted twelve spells in a breath,yering all the buffs he had on himself.


    He would even pick a fight with Egor in his current buffed-up state despite his lower level.


    ¡®Why Egor? Of course it¡¯s because he¡¯s the only one who won¡¯t retaliate.¡¯


    These spells were elementary, but the yers from Earth didn¡¯t know that and were awed.


    Dragonhundred gulped as he uttered his first words since entering thebyrinth, ¡°Good lord¡­ Isn¡¯t our Demon King too cautious?¡±


    In contrast to his rowdy image, Dragonmyriad stroked his lower jaw as he carefully studied the Demon King¡¯s ¡®magic warfare¡¯ with a look of interest.


    ¡°Fascinating¡­ Is this how the game¡¯s powerhouses fight? Strategic in their maneuvers, they would rather stay put unless they can take down their enemies in a single swoop! Incredible!¡± ?


    Dragonthousand also stroked her lower jaw and murmured contemtively, ¡°I see¡­ So this is the developer showing us a demonstration?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t expect there to be thisyer of meaning to it.¡±


    ¡®As expected of arge guild. I feel like an impostorpared to these people.¡¯


    One by one, they turned to look at Autumnleaf.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me? I don¡¯t know any spells¡­¡± Autumnleaf was bewildered.


    Draognmyriadughed. ¡°We know that. We¡¯re just curious what your thoughts are.¡±


    ¡°What thoughts could I have? I¡¯m not even on the same tier as him¡­ We have to wait and see. I¡¯m also curious to know how the top powerhouses of this world fight,¡± Autumnleaf replied with a helpless sigh.


    ¡®Now that the buffs have beenyered, we should begin farming now, right?¡¯


    As Autumnleaf was wondering that, the Demon King took out a blue potion out of nowhere and gulped it down.


    There was nothing to nitpick about this. It made sense for the Demon King to replenish his depleted mana.


    But to Autumnleaf¡¯s bewilderment, he heard familiar chants once more.


    ¡®Again?!¡¯


    It was the same light show as earlier, but this time, the buffs were ced at the greatsword-wielding zombie. That zombie was so inconspicuous that the yers failed to notice him even though he had been standing there for some time now.


    Even Twilight, who usually maintained hisposure regardless of the situation, had to retort, ¡°Goddamnit! Is he not done yet?!¡±


    He was immediately met with the Demon King¡¯s stern re.


    He anxiously zipped his mouth shut, but the great Demon King had already set his eyes on him.


    The Demon King reached into his robe, took out a test tube plugged with a wooden cork, and handed it to Twilight, saying, ¡°Drink it.¡±


    ¡®Drink it?!? Bro, I am a skeleton!¡¯


    Staring at the potion in his hand, Twilight pointed at himself in confusion.


    The Demon King nodded.


    In the end, Twilight uncorked the test tube and poured its contents into his mouth. A viscous, jelly-like paste flowed down his spine down onto his crotch. He didn¡¯t have a digestive system, so he naturally spilled however much he drank.


    Even though the potion had gone to waste, the Demon King nodded in satisfaction as if this was the effect he intended. ¡°Good.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, the Demon King ced a ¡®<strong>Fleetfoot</strong>¡¯ buff on Twilight.


    ¡°Go on, but don¡¯t stray from my line of sight. Do your best to draw the crypt spiders¡¯ attention. You may leave the rest to me.¡±


    The Demon King reached out and gently pushed Twilight forward.


    Luring enemies was Twilight¡¯s field of specialty, but he and Autumnleaf had already tested it earlier. The crypt spiders here had already eaten their fill, so bone sacks like them couldn¡¯t hope to draw their attention.


    Or at least that was what Twilight thought until he heard squealsing from his left.


    He quickly turned over to take a look. The crypt spider who had ignored him earlier was now staring fixedly at him with its red eyes as if it was on drugs.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?!¡¯


    Before he could think deeper into it, the crypt spider suddenly sucked in its abdomen. Having familiarized himself with the crypt spiders¡¯ habits and movements through previous battles, he knew that the crypt spider was about to spew webs.


    Thus, he reflexively ducked to dodge the iing white secrement.


    ¡°How fast!¡± Dragonthousand eximed in awe.


    Twilight¡¯s movements were so fluid that she nearly failed to follow them.


    The others, including Twilight himself, were surprised as well.


    ¡°I feel so light!¡±


    Twilight nced at his status column, where the ¡®Fleetfoot¡¯ buff flickered. He looked back at the crypt spider and suddenly felt a surge of fighting will.


    ¡®With such speed, I can kite the shit out of these spiders!¡¯


    As soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, several thousand more glowing red eyes appeared amidst the darkness. Those gazes were filled with desire¡­ or maybe thirst would be more apt as a descriptor.


    Meeting those eyes made Twilight feel as if his heart had stopped even though he had no heart.


    <em>Woosh!</em>


    A whizzing sound echoed past him.


    A bone spear mmed into the crypt spider who spewed web at him earlier, pinning it firmly against the wall.


    Twilight finally snapped out of his daze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand there like a fool. Run!¡± the Demon King howled.


    ¡°FFFFFUUUUUUUUUCCCCC¡ª¡±


    The spider horde came so quickly that Twilight didn¡¯t even have time to finish his expletive. Chills rattled his skeleton body as he immediately took flight.


    More whizzing sounds echoed past him.


    Some were the spiders¡¯ webs. Some were the Demon King¡¯s bone spears.


    Twilight initially fled frantically without a n, circling the pirs in a fluster, but it didn¡¯t take him long to figure out the trick to it.


    ¡®Brother Autumnleaf is right. These spiders have terrible close-ranged vision! It¡¯s safer to maintain five to ten steps away from them than further.¡¯


    The crypt spiders were not a harmonious bunch. They were so used to living alone that it was ufortable for them to crowd together, not to mention they werepeting for same prey. This resulted in infighting among them.


    Another thing that surprised Twilight was the Demon King¡¯s attacks.


    While the Demon King¡¯s bone spears appeared to be shot at random, they were, in fact, calcted attacks to open up a path for him, ensuring there was space for him to escape to.


    Putting these clues together, Twilight found the optimal solution to this quest¡ªrunning into the spider horde, maintaining five to ten steps away from the nearest spider, and following the bone spears¡¯ trail!


    ¡®Yes, it¡¯s feasible!¡¯


    ¡°GAHHHH! I¡¯ll kill all of you!¡±


    Having reforged his confidence, Twilight let out a war cry and charged forward. The fighting will that was nearly extinguished burned with greater fervor than before!


    His steps became firmer!


    Meanwhile, more crypt spiders arrived in the hall as if an avnche had washed them here.


    Feeling utterly chilled, the other yers solemnly murmured a prayer for Twilight.


    Only someone who had encountered a spider several times their size would understand just how terrifying such an encounter was. Now, imagine there were hundreds or even thousands of them lurking around¡­


    Even the most resilient person would suffer a mental breakdown!


    The sharp-witted yers swiftly realized they might have to take Twilight¡¯s ce if he sumbed here. All of a sudden, they dearly regretted having taken on this quest.


    ¡°That fellow¡­ is an expert,¡± Dragonthousand remarked in awe.


    ¡°Indeed. His gaming sense, controls, and reflexes are top-notch. No hard work canpensate for that kind of talent.¡± Dragonmyriad nodded in agreement before sighing in regret. ¡°What a pity he has a guild!¡±


    Dragonhundred didn¡¯t say a word. He was studying Twilight¡¯s movements with glowing eyes, hoping to imprint thetter¡¯s movements in his mind.


    Simrly, Autumnleaf also stared intently at his party member¡¯s figure while contemtively stroking his lower jaw. Some timeter, he suddenly mumbled, ¡°I see¡­¡±


    His mumble didn¡¯t escape Dragonmyriad¡¯s notice.


    Dragonmyriad immediately turned over and asked with a smile, ¡°Did you notice something?¡±


    Autumnleaf nodded. ¡°It¡¯s pheromones.¡±


    Dragonmyriad was baffled. ¡°Ph-pheromones?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about what Autumnleaf drank! To be exact¡­ it¡¯s probably a sex hormone,¡± Autumnleaf stared at the spider horde with eyes gleaming in excitement. ¡°Those who have satiated their hunger act on lust¡­ How could I have overlooked that?!¡±


    Dragonmyriad: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Dragonthousand: ¡°¡­¡±


    Dragonhundred: ¡°!¡±


    Meanwhile, Roan, who had been stalling time by creating an escape route for the yer, thought that it was about time. So, he tossed out hisst bone spear before quickly transiting to an incantation.


    Twilight stared at the final bone spear that had failed to strike a spider. He initially thought that the Demon King had missed his attack, but Autumnleaf¡¯s anxious shout enlightened him.


    ¡°The Demon King is chanting another spell! Run to the bone spear!¡±


    There was no time to hesitate.


    Twilight sprinted to the bone spear.


    The moment he reached the bone spear, a deafening roar reminiscent of a terrible storm stole his sense of hearing. For an instant, he thought a helicopter was flying across his head.


    ¡°<strong>Stone Rain</strong>!¡±


    Stone bullets fell like raindrops, indiscriminately striking every inch of space around Twilight. The webs were torn through, and dark red blood sttered. Even armor that yers considered ¡®imprable¡¯ was shredded like flimsy paper paste.


    Wherever the stone bullets struck, flopped-over spiders and crushed body parts could be seen.


    Nothing survived the devastation of the Demon King¡¯s spell!


    Autumnleaf¡¯s soulfire flickered in excitement as he clenched his fists.


    To reduce hundreds of crypt spiders to dust with the snap of a finger¡ªhe desired such overwhelming power too!

 Chapter 30: Evolution of a Skeleton Soldier!

    The shockwave faded, and the dust settled.


    Looking at the horde of deceased crypt spiders, as well as the skeleton soldier who was still clutching tightly to his bone spear, Roan finally lowered his wand and nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡®Not bad. He¡¯s good at kiting. I can continue using him for a long time toe.¡±


    Twilight¡¯s bottom had been clenched up throughout the entire bombardment of stones. He clutched dearly onto the bone spear as if it was his own straw of hope, and he exhaled in relief and got off the bone spear after double confirming that the spell was over.


    ¡®Is this true prower?¡¯


    While they were fussing over the crypt spiders¡¯ attacking patterns, the Demon King ughtered these arachnids with a mere wave of his hand.


    ¡®Damn¡­ I was determined to be Cmity Online¡¯s number one thief, but maybe that¡¯s not the right job to go for?¡¯


    Twilight was not the only one who thought that. Dragonthousand wondered the same too.


    The Demon King¡¯s ability to summon cmities at a whim was deeply imprinted in her mind.¡®Should I try bing a magic swordsman? But I should graduate from skeletonhood first.¡¯


    ¡®I should be able to gather enough contribution points to raise my Soul Tier within the next two days, but I wonder what are the jobs avable.¡¯


    At this point, none of the yers knew what they thought to be Cmity Online¡¯s power ceiling was nothing more than the Northpeak Shaft¡¯s power ceiling.


    Roan essed his character page to check his gains from the battle, only to find the experience points he earned were much less than anticipated.


    ¡°¡­I only earned 20,000 experience points from 300 crypt spiders? Is it due to our level gap?¡±


    Through Youyou, who was in charge of distribution contribution points, Roan could easily find out what each yer had been up to.


    All in all, Autumnleaf and Twilight had farmed 90 crypt spiders to advance from LV0 to LV3, which meant they had each earned 30,000 experience points from their hunt.


    Inparison to that, Roan¡¯s growth was meager.


    ¡°I guess I have to challenge stronger monsters if I want to earn more experience points. Alternatively, I could also make it up with quantity.¡±


    Roan took a blue potion from his cloak, uncorked it, and downed its contents. A surge of warmth flowed into his abdomen and diffused throughout his body before finally converging in his head.


    His exhaustion disappeared, and his depleted mana recovered to the brim.


    Thanks to that, he was able to quickly pull himself together. Then, he cast an enigmatic gaze upon the yers.


    ¡°Time to clear this area.¡±


    He took out four test tubes and passed them to the skeleton soldiers.


    ¡°Go and draw the spiders here¡­ You know what to do.¡±


    ¡­


    Twilight¡¯s earlier demonstration was enough for these skilled yers to understand their job. They poured the potions over themselves.


    Roan was very satisfied.


    ¡®I¡¯d expect no less from pro gamers. It¡¯s much easier to deal with them. They are nothing like those fools with ridiculous usernames who are always up to nonsense, like hacking my domain core or taking advantage of my cat.¡¯


    That was why it was important to have the bigger picture in mind!


    ¡®If only more yers would just work with me to make Necropolis big, you could have any cat you want when the timees! If you can¡¯t kidnap one, you can opt to be one yourself!¡¯


    The yers were just soul entities anyway. Reincarnating them was as easy as changing jobs in an MMORPG.


    The yers didn¡¯t haveints about the situation either.


    It was normal for NPCs to order yers around like servants during a quest. Veteran yers like them had long grown ustomed to that. If anything, they liked how the Demon King got straight to the point. At least he wasn¡¯t the type to nag or give obscure riddles.


    This game was alreadycking in guidance for new yers. It would be ridiculous if they had to guess what NPCs wanted on top of that.


    In the hours toe, Roan demonstrated true efficiency to the yers, shocking them with his callousness.


    Under Roan¡¯s instructions, the yers split up and ventured deeper into thebyrinth. They left marks along the way while luring as many monsters as they could back into the hall.


    The tens of thousands of ratmen who fell into thebyrinth wouldn¡¯t fall prey to a single hall of spiders. There were far more crypt spiders lurking in thebyrinth beneath Northpeak Shaft!


    The sudden abundance of food greatly stimted the crypt spiders¡¯ desire to procreate.


    As the skeleton soldiers smeared with pheromones entered their territory, thezy spiders quivered excitedly, reminiscent of Orcknight meeting a subus. They merely stopped short of screaming ¡°Mine, mine!¡±.


    It was hard to tell whether they knew what they were pursuing were skeletons, whom they couldn¡¯t do anything with even if they caught them¡­ maybe except for getting a chock full of ashes on them.


    Anyway, the yers got an early ess experience of being a subus.


    After they lured the spiders into the hall, it was time for the Demon King to unt his skills.


    If there weren¡¯t too many spiders, he would hurl bone spears with a wave of his wand and kill them one by one.


    If there was a huge horde of spiders, he would first hurl a bone spear to mark a safety zone before unleashing his AOE spell to ughter them. <em>(T/N: AOE refers to area-of-effect, which refers to skills or spells that can deal damage over a wide area.)</em>


    He would also asionally drink a potion or sit down to meditate.


    During these times, his zombie would fight on his behalf, swinging his greatsword to y the crypt spiders chasing after the yers.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this game too advantageous to mages?¡¯


    Autumnleaf was envious. If only this game had a cash shop, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to pump real-life money in!


    What he wanted wasn¡¯t too much.


    As long as it could cast spells, he wouldn¡¯t mind turning into a spider or a slime!


    Time ticked by.


    The spider carcasses in the hall were stacked into little hills. Dark red and pale yellow fluids flowed like streams, making this spider-web-filled room look even more grotesque than before.


    As more crypt spiders flopped over and died, Roan¡¯s experience points soared, but the yers also received a share of the pie too. They didn¡¯t receive many experience points from each crypt spider as they didn¡¯t deal too much damage to them, but that waspensated by quantity.


    Even if each spider only gave them two digits worth of experience points, that multiplied by a thousand still amounted to tens of thousands!


    The experience points ceiling for an LV3 was 30,000.


    Before Autumnleaf knew it, he had already filled up the experience bar. An unexpected transformation happened when he overcame his LV3 bottleneck.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    An eerie green light manifested out of thin air and enveloped Autumnleaf, engulfing him with a sensation of unprecedented power.


    All this while, his skeleton soldier avatar felt not much different from his real-life body¡ªjust without skin and flesh¡ªbut the earlier level up changed things. His reflexes and strength were nothing like before.


    Just then, a sticky ball of white fluid flew at him.


    Thus far, this attack had required his full concentration to dodge, but this time, he managed to pull off the same feat with a casual duck.


    The crypt spiders were also stunned by his changes. Their scuttering footsteps slowed as they reassessed whether it was worth the risk pursuing the troublesome sack of bones before them.


    Making use of this opening, Autumnleaf quickly retreated before examining his body.


    It could be his imagination, but his brittle bones appeared to have be much thicker than before. His weak joints had also stopped creaking as if someone had oiled it.


    He quickly checked his character page, and there was indeed something amiss.


    ¡¾ID: Autumnleaf


    Race: Skeleton


    Soul Tier: Iron (Level Cap: 10)


    Level: 4


    Experience Points: 18/40,000


    HP: 300/300


    MP: 100/100


    Constitution: 3 (+1)


    Strength: 6 (+1)


    Agility: 3 (+1)


    Intelligence: 1 (+1)


    Psyche: 1 (+1)¡¿


    All his stats had gone up by 1!


    In particr, his mana pool, intelligence, and psyche were no longer 0!


    Autumnleaf was overjoyed to see his updated character page.


    At the same time, a light-green notification window popped out.


    ¡¾Server Announcement: Congrattions to Autumnleaf for bing the first yer in this server to reach ¡®Iron-tier¡¯! May other yers work harder to usher prosperity to Necropolis!¡¿


    Autumnleaf was both delighted and embarrassed by the announcement.


    Even though the server announcement reflected the developer¡¯s sincerity, if there was a choice, he would have preferred to conceal his username. He didn¡¯t like to be too high profile.


    Meanwhile, Dragonmyriad, Dragonthousand, and Dragonhundred, who had just lured a wave of spiders over and were currently resting, looked at the announcement with envious faces.


    ¡°He beat us to it.¡±


    ¡°He has already earned 1000 contribution points?!¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    They had nned to score a few early achievements to build Dragon Odyssey¡¯s reputation in Cmity Online. That would aid them in uniting the closed beta yers together.


    It was a pity to have missed this opportunity.


    Dragonmyriad: ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I remember they had been farming crypt spiders since yesterday. It¡¯s no surprise their contribution points are way ahead of ours.¡±


    They had tried farming crypt spiders too, but their farming efficiency was too low, and there were even casualties. These skeletons were just too weak; even their real-life bodies were stronger.


    On top of that, this game had a limited number of closed beta slots, and the slots were distributed by random. This prevented him from mobilizing his guild. The only support he had was from Dragonthousand and Dragonhundred, who managed to obtain closed beta slots too.


    After weighing the pros and cons, they decided to farm the easier ratmen first.


    That allowed them to grow faster, but it unfortunately capped the contribution points they could earn in a day too. Looking back, it might have been the wrong choice to opt for the easier path.


    On the other hand, Twilight thought nothing about the server announcement. If anything, he thought it should have appeared much earlier.


    Autumnleaf had already advanced to Iron-tier early in the morning; the only thingcking was his experience points.


    ¡°¡­Seems like just raising our Soul Tier isn¡¯t enough. We have to raise our levels too.¡±


    This was fairer to most yers.


    Given that it was possible to trade crypt spider carcasses, it should be safe to say that it was possible to ¡®buy¡¯ contribution points and hell coins. It was only impossible to do so now because there were too few people on the server.


    There were bound to be such private trades in the future. This was unavoidable in such games.


    Experience points, on the other hand, had to be personally earned.


    While it was possible to hire a stronger yer to help out, it would be all for naught if the yer couldn¡¯t dish out any damage.


    Seeing the three ¡®Dragon¡¯ yers getting all revved up once more, a certain demon king revealed a triumphant smile.


    That earlier server announcement, rather than a reward to Autumnleaf, was more like a reminder to thezy bums in the server to work harder.


    ¡®Take a good look! All of you started out as the same shitty skeleton, but why is it that someone can reach Iron-tier in a single day whereas the others have stagnated at LV3?¡¯


    ¡®If none of you are working hard, how can I grow my demon king domain and be stronger? If I have to do everything myself, what use do I have for you fools?¡¯


    Roan uncorked another blue potion and downed its contents. Then, he raised his arm to wipe the corners of his lips.


    To his astonishment, he noticed a crimson smudge on his sleeves in his peripheral vision.


    ¡®Huh? A nosebleed?¡¯


    <em>Drip, drip.</em>


    While he was in a daze, red droplets fell beside his shoes.


    ¡°Demon King, you should take care of your body¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaken, such potionse with side effects, right?¡± Youyou looked at Roan with concerned eyes.


    This was already his seventh bottle, and he instinctively understood that excessive consumption of potions wasn¡¯t a good thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Maybe the excessive spellcasting overloaded my psyche¡­ It¡¯s not necessarily the potion¡¯s problem.¡±


    ¡®Is my constitution too weak? The underworld¡¯s demons gulp down many bottles of this potion¡ªat a monstrously concentrated level at that¡ªin a single sitting, yet they are still fine¡­¡¯


    Looking at the blood dripping on the floor, Roan felt slightly fearful.


    ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ll rest a bit first.¡±

 Chapter 31: Weaving Shadow Nest! Crypt Lord!

    Roan was about to sit down and meditate when he heard loud scutters from thebyrinth¡¯s northern area, suggesting a massive horde.


    There, viscous spider webs interweaved in a narrow space to form a mid-air bridge with many branching paths. Tens of thousands of crypt spiders skittered on this bridge.


    The spiders came in different sizes, ranging from two-meter-long monstrosities to palm-sized spiderlings. They were so densely clustered that a mere nce could erode one¡¯s sanity.


    Even the bravest, most experienced adventurer from Sword and Broken de tavern would turn tail and flee at this sight¡­ provided it was not toote to escape yet.


    This part of thebyrinth had already devolved into a monster nest.


    This was beyond the scope of what adventurers could deal with, and the matter ought to be escted to the fief lord. Besides, adventurers only sawbyrinths as a means to make a living. There was no reason for them to put their lives on the line for the fief lord¡¯s woes.


    Crypt spiders, despite beingbyrinth monsters, were capable of developing human-level intelligence. It was also possible for them to ovee their reclusive racial trait and form an orderly tribe.


    This phenomenon was more likely to happen whenbyrinth monsters shared a living space with natural-born monsters. Thetter would propagate ¡®forward-looking ideas¡¯ in thebyrinth, thus elerating thebyrinth monsters¡¯ evolution from primitive into civilized beings.


    A qualified demon king would prevent such things from happening.Only obedient monsters were good monsters.


    Monsters who had formed their own group were not only unreliable, but they also be vermin in thebyrinth.


    Under the right circumstances, other monsters had the potential to develop into a civilization too.


    Monsters who had forged a new order among themselves were less likely to respond to the demon king¡¯s summons. They might also attempt to break away to establish their independent ¡®nest¡¯ in thebyrinth to hunt other monsters.


    One could say that the Northpeak Shaft¡¯s ve rats were victims of this urrence.


    Back then Lej Dracul was still alive, the ve rats lived fairlyfortable lives in thebyrinth. Not only were they guaranteed a steady supply of food, but they could also asionally head out to steal nearby farmers¡¯ crops.


    The demon king¡¯s death overturned their lives.


    Being in the lowest stratum of the demon king domain resulted in them being demoted from cannon fodder to food.


    In contrast, the crypt spiders, one of the ratmen¡¯s natural enemies, flourished amidst thebyrinth¡¯s chaos.


    A mother spider named kinse, under the support of her tens of thousands of descendants, had dered herself the Crypt Lord. They founded a nation called the ¡®Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯ in the northern region of thebyrinth¡¯s first floor.


    Unlike the ¡®loners¡¯ wandering thebyrinth, they were much stronger, much more diligent, and disyed a clear division ofbor.


    Some took care of the spider eggs. Some transported hunted prey back. Some fed the knot wormlings. Some dug thebyrinth walls and transported the soil elsewhere to expand the nest.


    They were as busy as bees.


    Under the Crypt Lord¡¯s orders, the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s crypt spiders had been using a mix of favor and threat to bring ¡®loners¡¯ under theirmand.


    At the same time, many crypt spider tribes came into prominence, bing stalwart pirs of support for the Weaving Shadow Nest. It was an era of unprecedented prosperity for the crypt spiders!


    Just like how human ambitions ballooned, the same went for spiders.


    kinse knew well how powerful the demon king was, and that made her painfully aware of how weak it was despite her hulking stature.


    ¡®Unlike those little rats, those demons will be much harder to deal with.¡¯


    While they might not have the energy to interfere with what was happening on thebyrinth¡¯s first level yet, it was only a matter of time before they set their eyes here.


    Not to mention the underworld would eventually dispatch a new demon king here.


    To achieve true freedom, the Weaving Shadow Nest would have to expand its territory outward, increasing its living space along with its poption. The goal was to establish a massive ¡®nest capital¡¯ surpassing thebyrinth and even Thunderbuzz City.


    By then, neither the underworld nor the human countries would dare underestimate them!


    While the great Crypt Lord was busy unrolling its ambitious ns, a few fellows emitting corpse stench stepped into its webs¡­


    Flustered footsteps interrupted kinse¡¯s train of thought.


    A brawny, gray-shelled, male spider lowered its posture before the entrance of itsir as it reported, ¡°Your Majesty, the adventurers have murdered the ¡®pioneers¡¯ we dispatched. Our sentries have been destroyed, and the area is covered in our children¡¯s corpses. There is not a single survivor!¡±


    Its voice was filled with anger and sorrow. Were it not out of fear of the intruders¡¯ strength, it would have charged up and torn them into pieces.


    The humongous kinse gazed down on her servant, her crimson eyes flickering with disbelief and terror. ¡°What? How is that possible? Why would the adventurers suddenly set their eyes on the northern entrance when they have steered clear for a long time?¡±


    Before kinse came here with her spiderlings, this ce was already upied by many little spiders, who spun a thick web together. That was the reason she designated this ce as her new nest.


    The gray-shelled, male spider further lowered its big head, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! But recently, there have been more people at the northern entrance than before!¡±


    It suddenly thought of something and added, ¡°Those adventurers seem to have something to do with the ¡®Great Harvest¡¯ a while back!¡±


    kinse lowered her gaze, her crimson eyes flickering with fury.


    ¡®Adventurers. Of all times, they choose to appear now.¡¯


    This was terrible news to the Weaving Shadow Nest, which was aggressively expanding toward the northern mountain range.


    After a moment of silence, kinse issued her order, ¡°Arakdor, take a few hunters with you to scout the situation. Find out what the adventurers are up to. We have to first find out their nature and aim.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Your Majesty.¡±


    The ck-shelled, flower spider lying at the corner of herir quickly scurried out with his eight muscr but agile legs.


    kinse dismissed her servants with a wave before leading a group of trembling male spiders back into itsir.


    ¡®Danger is pressing close. As the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s mother, I have to bear more spiderlings¡­¡¯


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Roan, having rested up after spending some time in meditation, stood up and continued his grind.


    Despite having said he would leave the troublesome work to the yers, he didn¡¯t intend on truly dumping all work on the yers to skive off. As Necropolis¡¯ boss, the least he should do was to ensure he stayed firmly ahead of the yers.


    His hard work paid off. He sessfully advanced to LV33 before evening!


    The five yers also managed to make some progress, albeit to different extents.


    Dragonmyriad, Dragonthousand, Dragonhundred, and Twilight had maxed out their experience points. As soon as they hit the required contribution points, they could advance to Iron-tier right away and be blessed with transcendent powers.


    Meanwhile, the sharp-witted Autumnleaf, bying up with strategies to dish out more damage on the crypt spiders to leech more experience points, managed to further raise his level to LV5.


    Even Roan thought it was a waste to let this fellow yer this game for free.


    ¡¾ID: Roan


    Race: Human


    Soul Tier: Steel (Level Cap: 50)


    Level: 33


    Experience Points: 112/330,000


    Constitution: 13


    Strength: 13


    Agility: 13


    Intelligence: 38 (+2)


    Psyche: 39 (+1)¡¿


    Roan nced at his character page, followed by the carcasses littered on the floor, and he couldn¡¯t help but remark, ¡°A hero stands atop tens of thousands of skeletons.¡±


    ¡®Is this how the high demons grow so powerful? How many cities did they have to decimate to reach their current level¡­¡¯


    Just then, Youyou made an untimely interjection, ¡°Demon King, arachnids have skeletons.¡±


    Having expected the retort, Roan scoffed, ¡°Chitin is a type of bone too. I can even reanimate skeletons from their corpses. And Youyou, you won¡¯t have any friends at this rate.¡±


    Youyou: ¡°Wuu! QAQ¡±


    Roan¡¯s final remark was a critical blow to Youyou. She transformed into an emoticon she probably saw on the inte and drifted off in the mirror.


    ¡­


    Cmity Online¡¯s official site was bustling today.


    It had been two days since the closed beta¡¯s opening. While most yers had barely gathered three digits of contribution points, someone had already amassed 1000 contribution points and broken the LV3 level cap.


    What could this be if not cheating?!


    Orcknight: ¡°It¡¯s a ploy! Someone must be screwing with us!¡±


    Festivepool: ¡°Yaaa, it must be a hack or a glitch! We need to crack down on this!¡±


    Festivepool: ¡°Huh? What the hell, developers? Which bastard changed my username?!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°Pfft! Hold on, hold on. What happened to you is pretty funny, but let¡¯s focus on the hack first.¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°We¡¯re all still LV0. How can that fellow possibly be at LV4? (Screams)¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°You have to the cheek toin¡­ I wanted to take you leveling, but you¡¯re either being grounded or on your way to be grounded. (Sweat)¡±


    Dragonyer: ¡°Nerf him! I don¡¯t care! Nerf him! (Frenzied)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°It¡¯s one thing for them toin, but you aren¡¯t even in the game yet. (Sweats)¡±


    Unyieldinglife: ¡°Gwahaha! That made me burst intoughter!¡±


    Festivepool: ¡°Dogshit developers,e out! This must be a sign of guilt! If not, why would you change my name from ¡®Fecespool¡¯ to ¡®Festivepool¡¯?!¡±


    ¡¾yer ¡®Festivepool¡¯ has been muted for 24 hours. Please be courteous in the forums.¡¿


    Vigegramps: ¡°Where did this rabid doge from? (Sweats)¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°tremble.jpg¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Calm down, brothers. I have already added the details into my guide. It¡¯s not that hard to pull it off, though it can be challenging in terms of reflexes and control. Also, I am not at LV4 but LV5 now.¡±


    Vigegramps: ¡°Holy sheet! So fast?! (Spurts blood)¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°I was lucky, but that¡¯s not the main point. Let me share my conclusion¡­ Mage is the ultimate answer to this game!¡±


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°Hold on, you can cast skills now?!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Not yet, but NPCs can.¡±


    Autumnleaf proceeded to share the fortuitous encounter he had in the afternoon. He borated in vivid detail how suave the Demon King was when he crushed the crypt spiders.


    With a wave of his hand, the Demon King obliterated countless crypt spiders, each of which would have taken them skeleton soldiers great effort and wits to defeat.


    His descriptions were so exaggerated that even Roan, who was secretly peeking on the forums, blushed.


    Last but not least, Autumnleaf also shared what happened when he overcame his LV3 bottleneck, emphasizing the effects arising from the growth in his psyche and intelligence.


    He was no longer a brainless skeleton soldier but an intelligent elite mob!


    Vigegramps: ¡°If there¡¯s MP, we should be able to learn skills, right?¡±


    (T/N: MP is mana points.)


    Autumnleaf: ¡°That should be the case, yes, but I haven¡¯t figured out the way to learn skills yet.¡±


    Browsing through the discussions on the forum set Roan thinking.


    ¡°Youyou, is there a way for yers to learn spells?¡±


    Since the yers had a MP bar, it would be a waste not to put that to good use. It should be possible for some of them to convert to skeleton mages.


    Skeleton mages were still incapable of human speech, but they could wield transcendent powers throughmuning with the elements of the natural world.


    Youyou pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°It¡¯s possible. I was wondering if it is still too early, but since your valor has struck a chord with the yers, maybe it is time to further fluff up your lore.¡±


    ¡°Fluff up my lore? What does that mean?¡± Roan was confused.


    Youyou replied matter-of-factly, ¡°It¡¯s to build your faith, of course! Be it issuing a divine decree or speaking through the mouth of an oracle, these are the God 101, no?¡±


    Roan stared at Youyou with confused eyes. He was struggling to keep pace with thetter¡¯s train of thought.


    Youyou quickly continued her exnation, ¡°For instance, Saint Sisto¡¯s worshipers often preach that Saint Sisto brought holy light to this world, and that¡¯s why it exists. That is the most ssic example of a lore!¡±


    Roan was stunned.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that holy light was conceptualized, and it didn¡¯t exist before?¡±


    Youyou was baffled. ¡°Of course! How could such convenient light exist in the natural world? Others in this world might not know better, but you should at least at least be wiser!


    ¡°It¡¯s not just holy light; it is true for most magic in this world. Communing with elemental spirits is, in essence, praying to the elemental spirits to summon the elements. You should have sensed it by now, right? The summoned elements are different from what they are in the natural world.¡±


    ¡®Indeed.¡¯


    Roan nodded in agreement. He had been curious about this for some time now.


    Fire, in the natural world, is the movement of particles under high heat.


    This is very different from the fireballs he cast. The fire he conjured with his mana is capable of burning independently without using anything as fuel; it might not even undergo oxidation at all. It was an entirely different entity arising from transcendent powers.


    ¡°I get what you mean. In other words, the true nature of transcendent powers is faith?¡±


    ¡°Indeed! Transcendent power is the same thing as faith. To put it more directly, gods are congregations of faith, and they serve to realize what mortals firmly believe in! Demon King, are you only realizing that now? This was strongly hinted in Cmity Online¡¯s setting.¡±


    ¡®Urk¡­ Was it? If you¡¯re talking about the line where it states that ¡®the people of the First Epoch used transcendent powers to forge divine personas¡¯, isn¡¯t that expression way too abstract?¡¯


    Roan massaged his temples before pressing on, ¡°So, what do I have to do? Do I have to create my own system of magic like the Demon God and Saint Sisto? Isn¡¯t that too difficult for us?¡±


    He only had a hundred or so worshipers now.


    If he put aside the yers, all he had were the few adventurers he had locked up and the part-time sales assistant in his provision shop.


    If even a god like that could create a system of magic out of nothing, all beings on this should be trampling down mountains and flying in the sky by now.


    Youyou: ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that trouble! Look, even the Demon God didn¡¯t create a new system of magic, right? The underworld is still using the same magic system inherited from the Netherworld God, even if there were some modifications made along the way.


    ¡°Times have changed. The many rules created by the previous gods and mortals have already perfected this world¡¯s fundamental base code. You don¡¯t have to create a brand-new magic system from scratch. All you have to do is to review existing spells and skills and assign them to the yers ordingly!


    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine even if you bestow holy light upon your yers¡­ Ah, but holy light has a curbing effect on the undead. In view that you have already adopted the Netherworld God¡¯s magic system, I wouldn¡¯t rmend you do that!¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Hold on, you¡¯re saying I can just assign spells to the yers? It¡¯s¡­ that simple?¡±


    Roan couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing.


    Youyou confidently nodded its head.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s that simple! When yers execute their skills, they are using their own transcendent powers and consuming their own mana. In other words, they are using this world¡¯s pre-existing code instead of borrowing your powers.


    ¡°Toplete the lore, all you have to do is to find a few masters to teach them the basics so that they understand how the skills work and what effects they have. Then, I will add a user interface on the yers¡¯ side for them to execute the skills they have learned. Alternatively, you can also personally teach the yers an ¡®incantation¡¯ to focus their psyche, through which, they would be able to execute their skills too!¡±

 Chapter 32: The First Trade

    Five covered wagons pulled by oxen stopped at the abandoned inn outside Northpeak Shaft.


    Several ferocious-looking men alighted from the covered wagons and dragged crates of goods into the stable behind the inn. Following that, they retrieved several sacks of gold from under the haystack.


    Jack waited nervously beside the covered wagons.


    When he saw his subordinates walking over, he immediately asked, ¡°How much did they pay?¡±


    ¡°I just finished counting¡­ There¡¯s a total of 50,000 Ors silver,¡± the profusely sweating subordinate replied.


    It could be a necromancer quirk, but the money they received was all in loose change coins.


    To date, the Ors Empire had minted over fifty generations of silver coins, with each generation¡¯s coin having different dimensions and thus containing different weights in silver.


    Copper coins, on the other hand, were moremonly used, so the Ors Empire granted each region the right to mint their own copper coin. The Lyon Kingdom had its own copper coin, and so did the Campelle Duchy.


    While Jack¡¯s subordinate was counting the money inside the sacks, he found an ancient sixth-edition silver coin, which dated back to the earlier days of the First Epoch!¡®This should count as an antique, right?!¡¯


    Jack wasn¡¯t bothered whether the other party was paying him in terms of paper notes or coins; they would all be converted to gold bars when he stored them in the bank anyway. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    On the one hand, he was relieved that the esteemed necromancer was earnest about trading with him instead of one-sidedly extorting from him.


    On the other hand, he was also relieved that he had suppressed his fleeting greed topromise on the equipment¡¯s quality.


    50,000 Ors silver¡ªthat was 5% higher than market prices.


    The necromancer obviously had a good grasp of Thunderbuzz City¡¯smodity prices!


    After factoring in the stocking and transportation costs, his profit margin was around 25%. This was a trade worth making despite the risks. If nothing went awry, he didn¡¯t mind continuing this rtionship in the long term.


    Just then, Jack noticed a man with a greatsword standing beneath a tree. That man wore a hooded cloak that covered his face, but he could still tell the other party was Bant.


    Upon meeting eyes, Bant suddenly turned around and walked into the mining shaft.


    Jack understood from this gesture that the necromancer was calling him over, and he smiled bitterly. Despite his incredible reluctance, he told his subordinate to deal with the situation here and mustered his courage to follow Bant.


    Bant stopped at the entrance of the mining shaft.


    Jack respectfully lowered his head like a devoted worshiper and asked, ¡°Sir Roan, is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    Like before, the mysterious necromancer didn¡¯t reveal himself and instead spoke through the zombie, ¡°Is the money enough?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Jack anxiously nodded. ¡°When do you need the next batch of goods?¡±


    ¡°Three dayster,¡± Bant replied hoarsely. He suddenly changed the topic, ¡°You are a Bronze-tier warrior?¡±


    Jack was stunned. He didn¡¯t know what the rationale behind this question was, but he replied with a nod, ¡°Yes, I am¡­ May I know why you are asking that?¡±


    ¡°You know any skills?¡± Bant continued asking.


    Jack nervously nodded. ¡°Yes, I know a few¡­ But only the basics.¡±


    He had retired from the frontlines since bing ck Viper¡¯s chief. It had been a long time since he fought, and whatever skills he had were from his adventuring days.


    Transcendent powers were of limited use in the underground street.


    Those who wielded great powers could have sought an audience with the fief lord and joined Saint Sisto¡¯s Knight Orders; there was no need for such people to associate with the likes of them.


    While Jack was confused by the abrupt question, he suddenly heard words that shook his soul.


    ¡°sh me.¡±


    Jack¡¯s face twisted in fear, and his legs went jelly. He frantically racked his brain as he muttered, ¡°E-esteemed necromancer, I don¡¯t know where I have offended you b-but¡­¡±


    Bant stared at Jack and frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m just curious to know how you fight. Don¡¯t waste my time and draw your sword.¡±


    Seeing that the zombie before him had already drawn his greatsword, Jack bitterly prayed to the Demon God as he pressed down his rising fear and drew a one-handed sword from his waist.


    Bant held the greatsword horizontally before him as he ryed the Demon King¡¯s order with a hoarse voice, ¡°Good. Unleash your strongest attack on me¡­ Be fast. I will make my move if you continue dawdling.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    Jack frantically got into his attacking stance.


    He took a deep breath, gathered his concentration, and channeled his transcendent power into his de as he desperately raked up the skills he had nearly forgotten from the recesses of his mind.


    Meanwhile, from the shadows of the mining shaft, Roan held a recording crystal with his right hand while observing the flow of Jack¡¯s transcendent power with his <em>Eye of Truth</em>.


    There were two schools of warriors in this world.


    One was the Divine Temple School, and the other was the Dragon God School.


    The formerprised holy knights, temr warriors, inquisitors, and others who were loyal to the divine temple. They wielded power bestowed by Saint Sisto and fought under the holy light¡¯s radiance.


    Thetter usedbat skills passed down from the Age of Legends, the First Epoch. They utilized ki inbat, which was a type of energy emted from the dragons.


    As for magic swordsmen, magic archers, and magic gunmen, those were unorthodox jobs in this world.


    When Roan first learned about all these, he thought that ¡®ki¡¯ was a special type of energy thaty dormant inside the human body. However, after hearing Youyou¡¯s exnation, he gained a newfound understanding of this power.


    Be it ¡®ki¡¯, elemental energy, or other transcendent powers, they all came from the same origin.


    It had no particr shape and couldn¡¯t even be seen under normal circumstances, but it was a force that surely existed in this world. It was capable of sensing and resonating with the psyche of sentient beings, and it could be manifested as observable phenomena.


    This force was initially used by humans to spark mes, pray for dew drops, or pluck apples from the trees.


    But humans began desiring more.


    They tried gathering everyone¡¯s ¡®psyche¡¯ to create gods, and, through the power of gods, both restrain and concentrate transcendent powers.


    Instead of every individual struggling to manifest their own raindrops, it would be much better to gather everyone¡¯s powers to summon a hearty rain.


    Upon gathering everyone¡¯s powers, humans slowly learned that this great power could do far more than summon rain or incinerate a city.


    As long as they willed it, they could summon the sun or keep the moon from ever rising again. They could ensure that kind people continue reincarnating into good households, turn humans into wild beasts, or attain longevity.


    They could evenplete thews that the creators had left unfinished!


    ¡°AHHHHH!¡±


    After gathering his energy, Jack took a step forward and swung his de. A sharp projection of force was unleashed with unstoppable might toward Bant.


    As Roan had predicted, this attack was neither a shockwave produced by an immense force nor the release of incrediblypressed energy. It was purely the manifestation of a transcendent power known as ¡®ki¡¯, the power developed by the Dragon God.


    Even with Roan¡¯s buff, Bant practically depleted all his strength receiving this attack. There was even a scratch the width of a forefinger left on his steel de.


    Roan was startled. He didn¡¯t expect this seemingly cowardly man to wield such prowess.


    Little did he know that Jack was even more shocked than him.


    Jack might not be some legendary prodigy, but he had been a Bronze-tier warrior for many years now. He didn¡¯t think that anyone of the same tier could withstand his <strong>Execution</strong>.


    Most people either retreated out of his attacking range or pressured him so that he couldn¡¯t charge up for this move, and it was for a good reason that they had to do so.


    ¡®Is this necromancer capable of summoning Steel-tier zombies?! How powerful must he be then?!¡¯


    Jack¡¯s head was ringing.


    He was a brute who had spent most of his life struggling in Thunderbuzz City¡¯s underground city, so his understanding of necromancy was only at the level of hearsay.


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s passable.¡± Roan had Bant plunge his greatsword into the ground before offering a nonchnt appraisal. ¡°What do you call this move?¡±


    ¡°We call this skill <strong>Execution</strong>.¡± Jack nervously eyed the greatsword even as he gasped for air. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the damage¡­ Can Ipensate you with a new one?¡±


    ¡®That huge steel sword must be anything but cheap.¡¯


    The thought of handing away a fourth of his profit pained Jack. He consoled himself by thinking it was an investment for the future.


    ¡®It would be much more terrifying to get on the necromancer¡¯s bad side.¡¯


    Roan didn¡¯t reject the offer¡ªhe had Bant nod in silence before continuing, ¡°How does the move work? Is there an incantation or a trick to it?¡±


    Most skills from the Divine Temple School needed to be shouted out like an incantation, but he had heard that skills from the Dragon God School didn¡¯t require incantations. All one had to do was follow the ki cirction method imparted by the Dragon God.


    Jack scratched his head. ¡°There is no incantation¡­ The friend who taught me this move said that one just has to focus their ki on the de and sh with all their might.¡±


    Roan took out a palm-sized mirror from his pocket and looked at Youyou. Thetter responded with a conjured thumbs up. So, he stowed away the mirror and the crystal ball.


    With this, they should be good to go.


    Meanwhile, Bant gave Jack a nod and said, ¡°Good. You may leave now.¡±


    Jack was relieved that the necromancer was finally letting him off the hook. He felt like someone had removed a thousand kilograms of weight from his shoulders.


    Looking at Bant, who stoodpletely still at the mine entrance, he couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity and asked, ¡°Esteemed Sire Roan, may I know why you are asking these questions? Ah, please don¡¯t misunderstand. I don¡¯t mean to pry into your private affairs. If you are interested in adventurers¡¯bat skills, I can bring rted books and recording crystals to you.¡±


    ¡°Experiment,¡± Roan replied through Bant.


    Jack immediately shut his mouth, not daring to utter another word.


    Thest thing he wanted to know was what the necromancer was experimenting.


    However, the necromancer showed enormous interest in his suggestion.


    ¡°Bring me those things along with the next batch of goods.¡± There was a brief pause before Roan continued through Bant, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the greatsword.¡±


    ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll take it to heart.¡± Jack nodded with a beaming smile before respectfully taking his leave. ¡°It is my greatest honor to be of service to you, milord!¡±


    In the meantime, Autumnleaf was carefully browsing the goods at the demon king domain¡¯s only NPC store after receiving his rewards for benign the Demon King¡¯s monster bait.


    He and Twilight were the only ones who had the means to purchase anything from the NPC store at the moment.


    Dragonmyriad watched him in envy.


    ¡®What a pity. There are too few people in the server now, or else I would have bought hell coins at a 1:1 ratio.¡¯


    He believed that as long as his offer was high enough, someone would surely cave into the temptation and sell him their hell coins.


    While Autumnleaf was conflicted between buying a steel spear or saving up till the developer added wands to the NPC store, an ink-green notification window suddenly appeared before him.


    ¡¾a.0.3 Update: Skill System!¡¿


    He was not the only one who received the system notification.


    A hugemotion broke out in the demon king domain!

 Chapter 33: a.0.3 Update! Skills System

    ¡¾a.0.3 Update: Skills System!


    With the unyielding hard work of Cmity Online¡¯s development team, we are finally unrolling the Skills System! Denizens of Necropolis can now use skills!


    yers who satisfy the requirements to learn skills may purchase skill books at the NPC store.


    Note: The skill books are intangible. Your avatar will automatically learn the skill upon purchase, and the method to execute the skill will be exined through a video.¡¿


    Sara stood behind the counter of the demon king domain¡¯s NPC store, letting out another yawn. Her drooping cat ears showed the exhaustion built up over the day.


    Even though the demon king had tasked her to manage the store, her job really consisted of only standing in position, since she didn¡¯t understand anything the skeletons said. It took her a while to realize that the skeletons¡¯ ttering was their way ofmunication.


    Furthermore, they were paying for the goods through some kind of mental transaction; she didn¡¯t even have to receive money. All she had to do was to retrieve and hand them the items they wanted depending on whether the magic crystal on the table lit up or not.


    It was a boring job, but it was better than wandering outside.


    Her onlyint was that the demon kings¡¯ subordinates looked frightening, but she was slowly growing ustomed to this.For the Demon King¡¯s skewers, she thought she should bring out her <em>oompf</em> for this job!


    ¡®I should at least not fall asleep during working hours!¡¯


    When Sara pped her face for the third time, the two skeleton soldiers who had been standing in front of the counter for some time now finally made up their minds.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to learn this skill?¡± Twilight asked Autumnleaf in a serious tone.


    This game didn¡¯t seem to impose restrictions on the number of skills a yer could grasp¡ªtheoretically, a yer could concurrently have warrior and mage skills¡ªbut there was a hidden trap here.


    And that was the automatic stat allocation rule.


    ording to the official update forum post, most warrior skills fall under the Dragon God School and would cost a little MP and a moderate amount of HP.


    In this game, HP was more than just a reflection of one¡¯s health points; it was also an aggregate of one¡¯s life force and stamina. In other words, it showed how healthy one was.


    A yer wouldn¡¯t instantly die upon depleting their HP, but they would fall fatally ill and be unable to move. In gist, it was equivalent to having depleted their stamina.


    Thus, a warrior had to pump their constitution to boost their ability to fight a prolonged battle. Conversely, they had to raise their strength to boost their damage output.


    On the other hand, mages had to prioritize the growth of their intelligence and psyche. A stat point spent on strength and constitution was a stat point squandered.


    This was where the conflict arose.


    Those who leveled up by dealing physical damage and training their body would inevitably have their stat points allocated to strength or constitution. Once a yer learned a warrior skill, the odds were that he would be stuck on that path.


    Unless the yer chose not to use that skill at all.


    Twilight believed that Autumnleaf should have already figured out as much.


    But Autumnleaf¡¯s reply was more nonchnt than he had expected.


    ¡°Yup, I have already thought things through.¡±


    He tapped on the ¡®Purchase¡¯ button on his yer interface, and the skill was automatically added to his skill tree.


    ¡¾You have learned the skill: <strong>Execution</strong>!¡¿


    ¡¾Description: This is amon adventurer skill. Gather your ¡®transcendent power¡¯ and manifest it as ¡®ki¡¯, then channel it to your de. Once you are done charging, swing your de with all your might. This skill deals ki physical damage to targets within a 1 to 2-meter range. The damage dealt is dependent on your strength.¡¿


    ¡¾Usage Requirement: Iron-tier and above¡¿


    ¡¾Usage Method: Please refer to the video link¡¿


    This game was oddly realistic.


    To release a skill, one had to not only say the skill name and imagine the skill¡¯s form but also learn the usage from a video and memorize the Dragon God School¡¯s ki cirction method.


    In gist, one had to imagine transcendent power in the form of ki and infuse it into the weapon.


    ¡®Is there a need for it to be so convoluted? Won¡¯t it be better to automate these details? No¡­ this might be better for skill-based yers like me. If a skill¡¯s forewing* and backswing* can be controlled, skilled yers will be able to pull off even more impressive stunts.¡¯


    Autumnleaf reviewed the video several times and earnestly memorized every detail.


    ¡®I¡¯ll try it in thebyrinthter on!¡¯


    Looking at the silent Autumnleaf, Twilight suddenly felt guilt-ridden.


    ¡°I recall you wanted to be a mage¡­ If you¡¯re doing this for me, there¡¯s no need for that. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll make much of a difference even if you don¡¯t learn a skill.¡±


    Those words surprised Autumnleaf. He realized Twilight was misunderstanding something, so he quickly rified, ¡°Wait a second, I¡¯m not doing this for your sake. It¡¯s a decision I made after weighing the pros and cons.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°May I know the reason?¡±


    Autumnleaf didn¡¯t think there was anything to hide, so he answered with a chuckle, ¡°Look at it from another perspective. If I don¡¯t learn a skill and grind using basic attacks instead, my stats will be allocated to those three physical stats, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Hold on, are you saying things will be different with skills?¡± Twilight stared at Autumnleaf in astonishment.


    ¡°Psyche!¡± Autumnleaf replied as the fire in his eye sockets flickered. ¡°Using skills, even physical ones, can temper one¡¯s psyche. The difference only lies in the extent of it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± A gleam shed across Twilight¡¯s eyes. ¡°Instead of pumping everything on strength, learning a skill may allow some points to go to psyche.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°That¡¯s not all. Back when we were farming the crypt spiders, those mobs could hardly touch us, so all my level-up stats went to strength. Using physical skills will consume a certain amount of HP; this might skew the stat allocation toward constitution.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s ingenious!¡± Twilight eximed.


    Autumnleaf continued with a smile, ¡°Constitution should be more useful than strength to a mage. Worsees to worst, I¡¯ll just be a tanky mage. I think this is the wiser decision given theck of information¡­ I can¡¯t blindly wait for the mage update before making a move.¡±


    While the developers hinted at yers being able to change race in future patches, there were no details about whether one could reset stats. If some stats would inevitably be squandered, he would rather them be squandered on something marginally more useful.


    ¡­


    Cmity Online¡¯s forum burst into life following the announcement of update version a.0.3.


    Explodingknowledge: ¡°Holy cow! A skill book costs 50,000 hell coins?! (Angry)¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°I only earned 5000 hell coins from digging a day of coal. QAQ¡±


    Minowarrior: ¡°What the fish?! How did you dig 2500 kilograms of coal?!¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Do we have a real miner here?!¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Stop talking about it. Lucky skeletons don¡¯t need food, or else I would have already starved to death. T.T¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Uhh, the mission rewards do go up after you level up a little¡­ And you shouldn¡¯t just focus on coal mining. Farm some monsters too. The coal mining areas are already filled to the brim.¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°What else can I do other than mining coal? QAQ¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°How about raising mushroom? (Laughs)¡±


    Peerlesshero: ¡°Or make chairs and tables, that kind of stuff? (Laughs)¡±


    Littleredshroom: ¡°That¡¯s too tough! The developers should focus more on the lifestyle gamers¡¯ gaming experience. T.T¡±


    Soreloser: Let¡¯s get back on topic. We¡¯re here to oppose the a03 patch. I mean, what the cow? Doesn¡¯t this patch just benefit that one little scoundrel?!¡±


    Orcknight: ¡°Right?! LV0 yers like me can¡¯t experience it! (Frenzied)¡±


    Pureheartedjenny: ¡°Speaking of which, where¡¯s Autumnleaf?¡±


    Lambskewers: ¡°That dog thing must be having fun in game. His time is much too precious to squander on us!¡±


    Bingtanghulu: ¡°@Autumnleafe out! Time to update your guide!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    It was after working hours.


    In one of the hulking office buildings, a well-dressed, middle-aged man who gave off an air ofpetence sat in his chair, looking at forum posts on his desktop as he guffawed.


    ¡°Look at these barking things! That¡¯s why I don¡¯t bother with them.¡±


    ¡®These ingrates have the cheek to curse and swear when they are benefiting from someone else¡¯s guides. Just wait till the day they can¡¯t find good guides anymore, and everything is reced with the rambling of marketing ounts! Let¡¯s see them continue mouthing off then!


    ¡®Tsk tsk, they are no different from goblins.¡¯


    This man who wasughing like an antagonist was none other than the boss of Dragon Odyssey, as well as Autumnleaf¡¯s previous party member¡ªDragonmyriad!


    He frequented the forum despite having never posted anything on it.


    A woman dressed in a formal ck suit stood next to his office table. A full-rimmed sses sat atop her nosebridge, and she had a beauty spot below the corner of her right eye. She would have been a ravishing beauty if she put down her bundled hair and removed her sharp sses.


    Her dressup and disposition would have misled most people into thinking she was a secretary at first nce.


    But that was couldn¡¯t have been the case. For one, which secretary would dare to talk back to their boss?


    ¡°¡­It might be hard for you to understand because many things have changed since your era, but they are just fooling around. They don¡¯t bear malice.¡±


    Dragonmyriad eyed her, but he didn¡¯t retort to her jab. He merely replied with augh, ¡°Is it? That may be true. Looks like I¡¯m getting old.¡±


    The woman nodded with a serious expression. ¡°You are not getting any younger. The old master hopes that you can learn from your cousins and start doing work instead of gaming everyday.¡±


    Dragonmyriad pondered upon that question before slowly nodding. ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll give a heads up to my uncle and bring a few inte giants together to co-invest in a streaming tform.¡±


    The woman stared at him speechlessly. ¡°¡­Maybe you should continue gaming instead.¡±


    She had no doubt about his abiltiy to pull it off, but it was their family was not a nouveau riche. They still had a reputation to uphold.


    Just then, the office door opened.


    Ad who looked to be 25 years old walked in. His strut exuded confidence, which felt strikingly simr to Dragonmyriad¡¯s disposition.


    The woman nced at him and berated, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you to knock?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember next time! Hehe!¡± thed replied with a smile, not daring to offend her.


    He turned at the boss sitting behind the desk and grimly reported, ¡°Big brother, I can¡¯t find anything about them. That game distributor is too mysterious. It¡¯s almost as if their servers are in another world!¡±


    Dragonmyriad took a sip of tea before replying, ¡°Stop hiring people off the. You might get scammed again.¡±


    The only problem with thed was that he was too slipshod. He often pulled off maneuvers that bbergasted others.


    Thed vehemently shook his head and firmly replied, ¡°The information is reliable! I used our people this time! Furthermore, that person noticed a problem¡ªthat website can¡¯t be blocked¡­ Even my uncle suspects there¡¯s a spy.¡±


    Dragonmyriad raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡­


    In the same city, the average Brother Jingyan was also browsing through Cmity Online¡¯s main site.


    Unlike the rowdyizens, he wasn¡¯t bothered with the update, and he didn¡¯t care which yer was leading ahead of the others.


    ¡®24 more hours before I enter the game!¡¯


    He only wanted time to pass faster.


    As well as for the second-hand VR sses he bought to arrive faster.


    ¡­


    In the demon king domain¡¯sbyrinth, a gush of sword qi sliced a squealing crypt spider into two as if an invisible halberd.


    As those on the forum had guessed, Autumnleaf was too busy enjoying his newfound prowess to update his guide. After some practice, he finally mastered the technique to unleash his skill.


    ¡°It¡¯s the 31st¡­ At this rate, you should reach Iron-tier by tomorrow.¡±


    Their farming speed increased by more than twofold with the help of skills.


    In the past, they had to be careful with their positioning and kite the monster out, but now, Twilight only needed to tank the first attack for Autumnleaf to charge up his skill and unleash <strong>Execution</strong>.


    ¡°Thanks, brother,¡± Twilight said.


    Autumnleaf replied with a grin, ¡°No need to be so courteous. I should be thanking you for letting me reach Iron-tier first. We¡¯re almost done farming the spiders at thebyrinth entrance. Should we venture deeper in?¡±


    ¡°Mmhm.¡± Twilight nodded as he lifted his shield and sword. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking too.¡±


    There should be more monsters in thebyrinth aside from the crypt spiders.


    Oblivious to them, a ck-shelled, flower spider was eyeing them from the shadows with its scarlet eyes.


    ¡°A necromancer¡¯s servants¡­ This is not your normal adventurer.¡±


    Its name was Arakdor, one of kinse¡¯s warrior. It was apanied by a few ferocious ¡®hunters¡¯, whose eyes gleamed with savagery.


    ¡°Are these it? I smell something peculiar¡­ They are¡­ fragrant?¡± A hulking hunter crawled up to Arakdor¡¯s side and snickered. ¡°Lord Arakdor¡­ leave these small fry to me.¡±


    Arakdor pondered before nodding its huge head. ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±


    On the one hand, the hunter could probe the enemy¡¯s strength.


    On the other hand, two mere skeleton soldiers, mobs ranked even lower than mere ratmen, shouldn¡¯t pose a problem to it.


    Upon receiving its approval, the excited hunter began scurrying ahead.


    ¡°Rest assured, boss. I¡¯ll be right back!¡±


    ¡ª


    Trantion Note:


    In most games, whenever a character makes a move, there is a dy before and after the move.


    For instance, when Chun-Li throws a punch in Street Fighter, there will be a punching animation before the punchnds (foreswing), and there will be a dy as she retracts her fist before you can throw another attack (backswing).


    This dy is a huge weakness, as enemies can attack you while you are stuck in the dy.


    In games that allow a higher degree of control, it can be possible to minimize/mask the foreswing and backswing to reduce the time you are exposed to your enemy.


    ¡ª


    This novel can be a bit confusing to those who don¡¯t have prior gaming knowledge ~~


    Please feel free to ask about any confusing bits in thements below, and I¡¯ll try my best to answer.

 Chapter 34: New Map! The Underground Sewer and Slime!

    ¡®elerate.¡¯


    ¡®Climb up the walls.¡¯


    Araklulu nimbly leaped across the obstacles in its way like a hunter in the shadows. Its eyes remained firmly locked on its targets while scurrying across the wall.


    ¡®Fire¡­ Attack!¡¯


    Araklulu¡¯s sure-kill hunting skills were on point today, as always!


    Its agile front legs were about to knock the fragrant skeletons down to the ground, but the feedback against its leg was exceptionally hard, different from what it had expected.


    One of the skeletons had turned around and raised its shield to block its attack.


    <em>Duang!</em>


    Araklulu was taken aback. It tried to use the force to leap backward, but it was already toote. The skeletons made cackling noises as if shouting¡­¡°I caught it!¡± Twilight shouted.


    He had long noticed the spider lurking behind them.


    Right after he said those words, Autumnleaf, who had been charging all this while, brought his sword down on the monster in front of him.


    ¡°<em>Execute</em>!¡±


    His sword qi sliced through the crypt spider¡¯s skull, spraying red and yellow fluids all over the ground.


    The lethal attack instantly zeroed the crypt spider¡¯s HP. Its legs curled up, and it copsed to the ground.


    Just like that, Araklulu¡¯s past valiant feats became fodder for an unknown skeleton¡¯s legend.


    Everything had happened so abruptly that the other hunters of the Weaving Shadow Nest froze on the spot. Arakdor was so startled that he nearly fell from thebyrinth¡¯s walls.


    ¡®Is that¡­ the adventurers¡¯ skills?!¡¯


    He had encountered it once back when the previous demon king was still alive, and he had nearly died to that skill then.


    ¡°Damn it¡ªAraklulu!¡±


    ¡°Boss! I¡¯ll avenge Araklulu!¡±


    ¡°Hold it!¡± Arakdor raised his leg to stop his agitated subordinates. He looked into their grieving eyes and growled, ¡°Something¡­ is amiss with those skeletons. They are using the adventurer skills.¡±


    A crypt spider whose overgrown fur was nearly covering its eyes replied in agitation, ¡°Isn¡¯t that even more reason to kill them before it¡¯s toote?!¡±


    ¡°You fool! Those are skeleton soldiers, a necromancer¡¯s servants! As long as the necromancer wills it, he can summon as many of them as he wants. There is nock of bones in the human world! Even pig bones cow bones goat bones dog bones can summon them! Are you telling me to trade your lives for a bunch of rotting bones?!¡±


    It was even possible to conjure bones out of nothing, just that skeleton soldiers summoned in such a manner needed a constant influx of mana to maintain.


    The hunters fell silent after hearing Arakdor¡¯s words.


    Indeed, there was no point in killing a couple of summons. The anger must have gotten to their heads. They were the sentient monsters nurtured by the Weaving Shadow Nest!


    The enemy would dieughing if they learned that his lowly summons had taken down the pirs of the great Weaving Shadow Nest!


    ¡°But¡­ are we to let this go?¡± the crypt spider with overgrown fur growled indignantly.


    ¡°Let this go? Of course not!¡± Arakdor watched as the two skeletons disappeared at the bend in the path with narrowed scarlet eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll make them and the necromancer behind them pay the price for this¡­ but not now. Come with me. We need to investigate our destroyed sentry post. Don¡¯t forget the mission Lord kinse entrusted to us.¡±


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Autumnleaf and Twilight advanced deeper into thebyrinth in search of a better farming spot.


    This game had no minimap, so they could only leave markings along the way and go offline every now in a while to jot down the pathways on paper.


    Fortunately, thebyrinth was easier to navigate than the mining shaft; most paths were straight, and the bends were at right angles. Only a few smaller paths were a little twisted.


    Twilight: ¡°Now that I think about it, that earlier spider was stronger than the others.¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°It¡¯s probably an elite mob.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°No wonder it gave more experience¡­ Are there no other mobs here other than spiders?¡±


    ¡®Or are the other monsters not added in yet because the game is still in closed beta?¡¯


    Autumnleaf surveyed his surroundings and, after a moment of contemtion, replied, ¡°Maybe¡­ an ¡®incident¡¯ happened here.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Incident?¡±


    Autumnleaf nodded before carrying on, ¡°This game doesn¡¯t have many storyline events, but if you pay close heed, there are still many clues in the details.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°For instance?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°Hmm, do you remember the mage carrying a crystal ball we saw in the opening cutscene?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Of course. That person is the Demon King, right?¡±


    Autumnleaf nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, but he wasn¡¯t the demon king then. He seemed to be studying at an academy andter attended what appeared to be a graduation ceremony with many high demons.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Your point being?¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°That academy could be a school in the demon realm that nurtures demon kings. The previous demon king stationed here might have died or was dispatched elsewhere, so our boss was sent here as Necropolis¡¯ new demon king.¡±


    Twilight widened his eyes in astonishment.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this¡­ too far-fetched?! And what does this have to do with there being only crypt spiders in thebyrinth?¡¯


    ¡°So¡­ what about it?¡±


    ¡°Work your imagination.¡± Autumnleaf looked at the spider webs hanging on thebyrinth walls. ¡°The previous demon king died, but thebyrinth monsters remain. A gap appears in the order. So, the birds upy the snake''sir. The snakes chase off the spiders. The spiders evict the rats¡­


    ¡°A new order is formed. Powerful monsters rise to fill the vacuum. Some races flourish due to having strong individuals. Others due to their incredible reproduction rate or incredible adaptive prowess.


    ¡°The ratmen we encountered in the mining shaft were chased out by the crypt spiders, and they were immediately eradicated when we tossed them back into thebyrinth¡­ Herees the million-dor question¡ªwhat does this all mean?¡±


    Twilight was immersed in the story when the sudden question threw him off the loop. He thought about it before replying, ¡°This means that the ratmen are weaker than the crypt spiders?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Autumnleaf shook his head with a smile before offering a sinct answer, ¡°Organization.¡±


    ¡°Organization?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Autumnleaf nodded. ¡°That is the upper hand a civilization has against the wild. The crypt spiders¡¯ ability to efficiently eradicate the ratmen and take their ce despite thetter having grouped up points to the crypt spiders having formed a tight organization.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Twilight stared at Autumnleaf in disbelief.


    As much as Autumnleaf¡¯s analysis made perfect sense, his instincts were screaming that a game shouldn¡¯t have such meticulous details¡­


    ¡®It has to be a coincidence!¡¯


    As much as he wanted to say that, he couldn¡¯t find a better reason to convince himself. It was also at the same time that he noticed a massive issue.


    ¡®If Brother Autumnleaf¡¯s conjecture holds true, doesn¡¯t that mean we are doing something incredibly risky right now?!¡¯


    ¡°Hold on. That means that if we continue advancing, we might bump into a spider simr to that humongous rat?!¡±


    Looking at the guarded Twilight, Autumnleaf replied with augh, ¡°There¡¯s no need to panic. I picked the road with the least spider web, so something else should await us at the end.¡±


    The formation of factions in thebyrinth meant the monsters were no longer sharing living spaces. There were now demarcations of territory. Thebyrinth area closest to them had been upied by the crypt spiders, so no other monsters would appear there.


    But the crypt spiders were nowhere strong enough to upy the entirebyrinth.


    In other words, they should encounter other monsters as long as they went a bit deeper.


    While they were chatting, the scenery suddenly opened up. They were still inside thebyrinth, but there was a conspicuous change in the atmosphere and the background.


    If they were previously in a spiders¡¯ir, they were now in a human city¡¯s underground sewer. The walls were affixed with rusted pipes, and rotten wooden crates and everyday trash were casually scattered around.


    It was a good thing skeletons had no noses, or else they would have smelled an ungodly stench.


    ¡°I was right,¡± Autumnleaf murmured as he assessed the surroundings. ¡°We should be out of the crypt spiders¡¯ territory now.¡±


    Spiders should be fond of damp ces, yet the crypt spiders rather scurry into the mining shafts than upy this ce. It made him wonder which monster had taken this territory.


    ¡®Is it snakes? Lizards? Centipedes? Or a fantasy creature¡ª¡¯


    It didn¡¯t take long before Autumnleaf discovered something else. In the room at the far end, he spotted a green, slimy bundle crawling across the ground.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°A slime?!¡±


    The two skeletons¡¯ soulfires flickered in shock.


    At the same time, the green, slimy entity also noticed them. Unlike the crypt spiders, the slimes disyed immense interest in the skeletons and started squirming toward them.


    ¡°Looks like we stumbled upon the slimes¡¯ territory.¡± Twilight fearfully took a step back.


    Rather than rats and spiders, he felt much more biologically averse to these booger-like entities.


    Autumnleaf, on the other hand, stood his ground and studied the pasty monsters in fascination.


    ¡°Interesting¡­ It has a slow movement speed. We don¡¯t know how it attacks yet, but it is intriguing why the crypt spiders fear them.¡±


    As he spoke, he drew his de and started charging his ki. When the slime came within attacking range, he shed his de with lightning speed.


    ¡°<strong>Execution</strong>!¡±


    The sword ki sliced through the slime, and thetter exploded into goo like a popped balloon.


    ¡°The experience is a third of the crypt spiders. It¡¯s only slightly higher than the ratmen.¡±


    Something of this level shouldn¡¯t spur the crypt spiders¡¯ fear. It baffled him why the crypt spiders hadn¡¯t chosen to upy this area.


    ¡®Is it because slimes are not in their diet? Or¡­ is this ce upied by more than just slimes? Are there more dangerous beings dwelling here who are either symbiotic to or are the masters of the slimes?¡¯


    Twilight was baffled too.


    ¡°These mobs seem much weaker than the crypt spiders¡­ This should have been the beginners¡¯ farming spot, right?¡±


    Even lifestyle yers should face no difficulty defeating these monsters.


    Autumnleaf nodded. ¡°Perhaps¡­ Let¡¯s jot this ce down first.¡±


    ¡®Let¡¯s call this ce Underground Sewer. Monsters: Slime. Rmended levels: LV0~5.¡¯


    Since the developers didn¡¯t bother naming locations, he could only do it on their behalf.


    Autumnleaf was nning to leave before the slimes surrounded them when Twilight suddenly noticed an anomaly with the slime¡¯s carcass.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Twilight suppressed his aversion and plunged his hand into the green goo puddle. From there, he picked up a rice-sized crystal.


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± Autumnleaf took the crystal and observed it.


    He was initially confused too when he suddenly recalled seeing a certain forum post from aizen whose username had a dampening effect on his appetite. That person should still be muted at the moment.


    ¡°I see¡­ This is a magic crystal?¡±


    Twilight was surprised to hear that. ¡°Magic crystal? What¡¯s it for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but I have a bad feeling about it.¡± Autumnleaf frowned. ¡°We might have missed a lot of things while farming¡­¡±

 Chapter 35: The Poor Lifestyle Players Under the Developer’s Tyranny

    Autumnleaf was right¡ªthey had overlooked many good stuff.


    But this wasn¡¯t a problem for the esteemed Demon King. Roan had not overlooked a thing at all.


    ¡®Those lifestyle yersined about having no work, right? Fine, I shall give you work.¡¯


    ¡­


    Arge group of ck skeletons obediently stood in a neat line at the entrance of thebyrinth, before the hall covered in spider webs.


    They were ck because they hade from the coal mine. There were a couple who weren¡¯t too ck¡ªthose were the ones who mined metal ores instead.


    On this note, Roan had much toin about the quality of bones buried in this mining shaft.


    Maybe it was because the skeletons had been left lying around for too long, but some yers would suddenly crumble while mining, leaving half of their bodies scattered on the ground.


    Roan couldn¡¯t bear to take the contribution points of those who were unlucky to die in such a manner, so he made a special exception and allowed them topensate for it using their hell coins instead.As for why he didn¡¯t just exempt them from the death penalty, it was because some frontline yersined that it was unfair unless they were exempted from the death penalty too. Roan had no choice but to find a middle ground.


    ¡®It¡¯s only hell coins anyway. It doesn¡¯t affect me. Whatever floats their boat.¡¯


    ¡°Is everyone here?¡±


    Arriving with the airs of a boss, Roan did a head count and realized that more yers than expected had joined the team. Among them were not just yers in the ¡®mining department¡¯ but also those from the ¡®war department¡¯.


    He nodded in satisfaction.


    Before the yers could reply with a resounding ¡®Here!¡¯, he delved straight to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°Good. Dissection is a profound field in the underworld. The tough living conditions there demand most resources to be obtained from monster carcasses. The most important resource that can be obtained from them is magic crystals.¡±


    From minor things like the magic crystal chalks used for drawing formations and the bulb in magicmps to major things like the operating units in war beasts and the demon king domain¡¯s core, magic crystals were needed everywhere.


    And the most mysterious thing of all is that magic crystals only formed with a monster was dead. Roan suspected that this was yet anotherw set by a god in the First Epoch.


    But that was not important now.


    The important thing was that he was going to teach the yers how to harvest magic crystals from the crypt spiders¡¯ carcasses.


    He whipped out a wooden board and started drawing on it.


    ¡°¡­Harvesting magic crystals is a profound skill. Skilled artisans can remove a magic crystal within three cuts while preserving the monster¡¯s body to the greatest extent, not damaging other valuable materials.¡±


    Roan¡¯s artwork was so abstract that it was hardlyprehensible, whether it was the yers obediently listening to his lecture or the worried Youyou.


    In the end, the nosey Youyou couldn¡¯t take it anymore and said, ¡°Um, esteemed Demon King, you can demonstrate it via a recording crystal, and I will upload the tutorial. The way you are teaching it now is iprehensible to even me¡­¡±


    Roan was still lecturing animatedly a second ago when his expression suddenly stiffened up. He even forgot what he was going to say next.


    None of the yers could see Youyou, so he was left standing awkwardly there.


    ¡°¡­Fine, I get it. Shut up. I¡¯m just getting started. Stop getting so jumpity over everything!¡±


    Roan angrily shoved aside the wooden board, took out a crystal, and walked up to a crypt spider carcass.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s the end of our theory lesson. Now, I¡¯ll demonstrate the dissection process.¡±


    He took out his wand and cast ¡®Levitate¡¯ to flip the crypt spide carcass over. He also cast ¡®Levitate¡¯ on the recording crystal to keep it floating beside him. Then, he took out a silver knife and started cutting open the back of the spider¡¯s head. ??


    There was a thumb-sized, ink-green crystal hidden in the back of the spider¡¯s neck.


    He first loosened the crystal with a gentle slice before prying it out and disying it to the yers.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s that simple.¡±


    Fearing that the yers couldn¡¯t see it, he even lit up the campfire with his wand.


    The yers apuded in amazement when they saw the Demon King¡¯s dexterous skills.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it works!¡±


    ¡°As expected of the Demon King!¡±


    Choosing to ignore the voices shouting ¡°Skip¡± and ¡°Fastforward¡±, the corners of Roan¡¯s lips crept up in glee.


    ¡®You¡¯re looking at the man who scored full marks in all theory lessons.¡¯


    ¡°Good. Now that you have learned the way, it¡¯s time to get to work. Remember, you are to remove the magic crystals while preserving the carcasses to the greatest extent. There are many valuable parts to crypt spiders, be it their nds, teeth, silk, or keratin¡­


    ¡°Forget it, there¡¯s no point saying so much to you all. You just have to do as I say.¡±


    Before the yers could try walking with their hands, Roan released their frozen legs with a wave of his hand.


    The yers scattered like a bunch of joyful ducks. They dashed toward the closest avable crypt spider carcass and tried slicing it with the daggers they had stolen from the ratmen. Each of these monster ¡®tumors¡¯ was worth a single rat tail!


    And they would receive additional contribution points if they gathered a hundred of them!


    This was an incredibly lucrative mission!


    Looking at the busy yers, Roan nodded in approval.


    The low intelligence of summoned creatures had always been a headache to summoning-type sses. Bant was a good example of that.


    He could use his psyche to micro-control Bant, but that was troublesome, and it would impede his spellcasting too.


    ¡®Unlike my cute little yers. They are better AI than AI. My good ol¡¯ Machine God brethren has truly left me something good.¡¯


    ¡°Demon King, why are you collecting these magic crystals?¡± Youyou asked out of curiosity.


    Roan replied with a smile, ¡°Oh, there are plenty of uses for them. The most direct one is to sell them for money.¡±


    Adult crypt spiders dropped farrger magic crystals than skeleton soldiers, and it went without saying that those were worth much more.


    From interrogating Chris, he learned that a crypt spider¡¯s magic crystal could be sold for 100 copper coins at the Adventurer Guild, and a higher-quality one could fetch 120 copper coins.


    It might not be much, but it couldpensate Necropolis¡¯ red finances. He was nning to partially pay his dedicated vendor in magic crystals for the next batch of goods.


    The exchange rate for Ors Empire¡¯s copper coin to silver coin was 100:1.


    Rumors had it that the exchange rate was 25:1 two epochs ago.


    The official reason behind the change was intion, but ¡®intermediary charges¡¯ was a huge factor too. The emperor mixed copper into the minted silver coins, so the nobles factored it in the exchange rate.


    Over time, it became as it was.


    It was said that the northern academy cities had enough of the empire¡¯s secret rebates, so they chose to rece silver coins with magic crystals as their everyday currency. Those regions were filled with mages and mage towers anyway.


    In contrast, the underworld, which had only one currency¡ªkyrat¡ªfaced no such issue.


    Whenever there was intion in the underworld, the prices of all items would go up together. Conversely, the prices of all items would remain stagnant together. Unlike in the Ors Empire, there wouldn¡¯t be a case of bread prices going up while wine prices remained stagnant.


    This phenomenon wasmonly joked about by the humans dwelling in the underworld, though Roan didn¡¯t get the humor in it.


    Youyou quietly asked, ¡°¡­But you are the Demon King. Is human money that useful?¡±


    Roan nodded matter-of-factly. ¡°Of course it is. I can¡¯t buy goods with kyrats in the human world, right?¡±


    ¡®Construction is incredibly expensive, you know! Building teleportation formations and monster-summoning altars can easily cost as much as a world heritage site! And spreading faith is a money-burning activity too. Clergymen and preachers have to be paid too!¡¯


    His domain might have only skeletons at the moment, but it would not remain the case forever. He had ambitions as a demon king too!


    While Roan was dreaming up a bright future for Necropolis, he suddenly noticed a skeleton standing still. Its username was weirdly pitiful too¡ªHungryhungry. it sounded like the yer had a huge appetite and rarely got to fill their stomach.


    Looking at the stiffened skeleton, Roan heaved a sigh and said, ¡°You¡­ can clear the spider webs instead.¡±


    He was nning to modify thebyrinth entrance anyway, so some cleaning up was required.


    ¡®Even if she can¡¯t stand spider carcass, surely she can at least clear some spider webs, right?¡¯


    ¡°Understood, Demon King!¡± Hungryhungry breathed a sigh of relief before joyfully running over to clear the webs.


    ¡®Is this a PUA tactic too? Both are things she hates, but because one isparatively less detestable than the other, she ends up happily doing it.¡¯ <em>(T/N: PUA is short for pickup artist)</em>


    Roan suddenly felt guilt.


    ¡®Good, this means I am doing a good job.¡¯


    ¡­


    Roan spent some time watching the yers and found them faring better than he had expected. So, he returned to the demon king domain, dove into his workshop, and began concocting more potions.


    ¡®The underworld¡¯s ¡®beast potion¡¯ should be worth more than magic crystals. I have so much material; it would be a waste not to concoct some. Maybe I should video it down so that interested yers can give it a try too.¡¯


    Shortly after Roan left thebyrinth, the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s Arakdor and his hunters arrived at thebyrinth¡¯s entrance hall.


    This was part of the territory their empress had expanded to. The adventurers call this ce ¡®Northpeak Shaft¡¯s entrance¡¯, though Arakdor had hardly seen any adventurer entering via here.


    As soon as they stepped into the area, they witnessed a sight that would haunt them forever.


    Mountains of carcasses!


    Clumps of blood stuck to the ground like a dried-up stream!


    But what shocked it more was the army of dagger-wielding skeleton soldiers dissecting theirrades¡¯ carcasses like the adventurers outside!


    ¡°These bastards¡­¡±


    Some of the hunters were infuriated. Were it not for their discipline, they would have charged forth and ground those sacks of bones into powder!


    But there were also some hunters whose eyes shook with inconceble fear.


    Skeleton soldiers were lower than the ratmen on the hierarchy; no one except for slimes would bother with them. Yet, these brainless piles of bones were disying intelligence on par with the humans!


    This made them fear not just these skeletons but also the necromancer who summoned them.


    Just how powerful was that necromancer?!


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    Having understood the severity of the situation, the horrified Arakdor immediately issued the order to retreat.


    The group hurriedly scurried out of this godforsaken ce, not daring to stop in the least until they were finally back at the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s heart, kinse¡¯sir!


    On a dense and sturdy spider web, the humongous kinse was picking its fangs as she reminisced the vors of the male crypt spiders from earlier.


    Bearing the risk of being devoured by its queen too, Arakdor prostrated his trembling body and reported, ¡°Your Majesty, I have scouted the sentry post per your instruction!¡±


    kinsezily eyed her subordinate. ¡°Speak. What¡¯s going on there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a necromancer!¡±


    kinse immediately straightened her body, her face reflecting fear. ¡°Necromancer?! How could there be a necromancer here?!¡±


    The main human factions wouldn¡¯t raise those filthy things, and those filthy things had no reason to intrude on thebyrinth either.


    There was only one possibility¡ªthe necromancer was from the underworld, and the chances were that he was the new demon king dispatched here to take control of thebyrinth!


    ¡°That necromancer is exceedingly powerful. The skeletons he summoned are intelligent, and they wield Bronze-tier or even Steel-tier transcendent powers. One of my hunters, Araklulu, died in their hands!¡± Arakdor reported his findings with fearful eyes.


    ¡°He must be it¡­ He is the sessor sent by the underworld to rece Lej Dracul as the new demon king!¡±

 Chapter 36: Players Are a Bunch of Trouble

    ¡®The Demon King!!!¡¯


    A wave of panic struck the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s queen, causing her to nearly vomit the half-digested male spiders in her tummy.


    ¡°Demon king?! The new demon king?! That¡¯s impossible! No, I mean¡­ Of all ces, why here?! Curses!¡±


    kinse was anxious and angry. She stomped its feet in unease, her massive body generating ripples through her white nest. It was as if herir had turned into a giant trampoline.


    Arakdor was appalled as well.


    He used to be a part of the Demon King Lej Dracul¡¯s ten thousand men army. A mere nce from that furiataur was enough to make all of them prostrate on the ground, trembling in fear.


    He didn¡¯t want to return to those days.


    But more than that, he didn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of a demon king¡­


    ¡°Your Majesty¡­ it looks like the underworld hasn¡¯t forsaken thisbyrinth. We have to quickly make a choice!¡±¡°Make a choice?¡± kinse suddenly stopped bouncing about.


    Her scarlet eyes slowly inched down to fall upon the insolent subject who dared to utter nonsense.


    ¡°Are you telling me to surrender now? Never! I have had enough of the demon king¡¯s rule! My children shall only be fodder to me. The Weaving Shadow Nest will never be subservient to anyone! To hell with the underworld! To hell with the Demon God!¡±


    kinse¡¯s emotions crescendoed as she roared in anger. By the time she finished herst sentence, her massive body was already trembling uncontrobly.


    Unlike the ratmen, who had never worshiped the Demon God, the crypt spiders carried faith in the Demon God.


    Of course, that was different from submitting to the underworld.


    Those entitled high demons had long turned their backs on the Demon God; They no longer cared about returning to the surface, yet they had no hesitation in sending the Demon God¡¯s children to the surface to die.


    ¡®I have never turned my back on the Demon God; the ones who did wrong are those who twist His Majesty Demon God¡¯s will!¡¯


    As for kinse¡¯s earlier curse, she had just blurted it out of agitation. It was normal for her to suffer from mood swings as she had just gotten pregnant.


    ¡®I believe His Majesty Demon God can feel my deep loyalty!¡¯


    Looking at the frenzied queen, Arakdor shivered even more intensely. He pressed his head firmly against the ground as if boring a hole through it.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean!¡±


    ¡°What else do you mean?! Exin yourself well, or I¡¯ll devour you right now!¡± kinse roared.


    Even Arakdor¡¯s thickest chitin went limp upon hearing those words. He was on the verge of flipping over belly up.


    But he was not the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s smartest general for no reason. He frantically racked his brain and soon came up with a n.


    ¡°We¡­ We can pretend to submit to him!¡±


    ¡°Pretend to submit to him?¡± kinse stared at Arakdor with narrowed eyes. ¡°That sounds interesting. Carry on.¡±


    Arakdor couldn¡¯t stop shivering or whimpering due to the bloodline suppressioning from kinse, but he forced himself to remainposed and continued with a deep voice, ¡°The demon king must have his reasons for setting his base here. He might have thought that our Weaving Shadow Nest poses the least threatpared to the other powers in thebyrinth¡­ Ah, it¡¯s not my intention to make light of Your Majesty.¡±


    kinse waved her front limbs and said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Continue.¡±


    Arakdor breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Since we aren¡¯t the biggest threat to the newly arrived demon king, he has no reason to deal with us first¡­ unless we provoke him first. Given the current fight for power in thebyrinth, the demon king requires our support more than ever.


    ¡°If we approach and submit to him at this juncture, even if he knows that we harbor an ulterior motive, he¡¯ll likely overlook it. This will buy us invaluable time, and we will have more options on our hands. If we y our cards well, we can even me the chaos in thebyrinth¡¯s first floor on our nemesis, the lizards in the underground sewer!¡±


    Seeing that its queen was moved, Arakdor slowly raised his head and spoke even more firmly, ¡°By the time the newly arrived demon king and Lej Dracul¡¯s old subjects push a stake through each other¡¯s hearts, we should have already built up enough strength. That will be our chance to turn the tables around and wash away our humiliation!¡±


    ¡­


    In the hall beneath the demon king domain, the deceased crypt spiders were ced neatly against the wall, and the thumb-sized magic crystals were piled up into a small mound.


    The yers initially struggled to find the magic crystals. Sometimes, they would even get sprayed with spider juice. It was a good thing that the yers were unable to smell, or else the stench would have driven away most of them.


    But this situation didn¡¯tst too long.


    Over time, they grasped the trick, and their efficiency improved from three minutes per spider to three spiders in a minute. The fastest one could even clear a spider every three seconds.


    Unfortunately, they were running out of crypt spider carcasses.


    Otherwise, if these yers were given more time, they might just start developing an assembly line for dissecting spiders.


    In the corner of the hall, a skeleton soldier stood before a crypt spider carcass as it stroked its lower jaw in contemtion. A whileter, it murmured, ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Upon spotting Tablecloth squatting by the corner, the bored Dogshit walked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, bro? Are you growing mushrooms here too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Tablebench shook his head. ¡°I just noticed something interesting.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Share it with me.¡±


    Dogshit¡¯s eyes glowed. He thought Tablebench had found a bug he could exploit.


    ¡°This magic crystal thing seems to be mainly situated near nerve cells.¡±


    The air fell silent.


    Dogshit thought that Tablebench hadn¡¯t finished his sentence, so he waited. It took a while before he realized that was all. Confusion was written all over his face.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Is there a problem with that?¡±


    Tablebench rubbed his nose as he replied in excitement, ¡°There¡¯s no problem with it¡­ Don¡¯t you find it fascinating?¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t get it at all! Isn¡¯t this just the game¡¯s setting? What¡¯s so fascinating about this?!¡¯


    But Tablebench didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡°Only deceased beings will crystallize, and the points of crystallization are all near the neural system. I have dissected the ratmen and even the ratman boss¡¯ carcass, and it holds for them too! That¡¯s the case for yers as well¡­ You can find magic crystal from yer corpses, and it¡¯s situated in the back of the neck too.¡±


    ¡®So, what does all these mean?¡¯


    Dogshit wanted to drop that question, but he held his tongue to not pop the other party¡¯s bubble. In the end, he heaved a sigh and said, ¡°You¡¯ll get along well with Autumnleaf.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so.¡± The entric Tablebench wasn¡¯t concerned about getting along with others. ¡°If only I can get my hands on a fresh human corpse¡­¡±


    Dogshit: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Hungryhungry dragged her exhausted body back to the demon king domain after cleaning up the spider webs.


    This game was immersive, but it could get tiring after ying for long hours. Sometimes, it even felt like going to work.


    Even so, she was satisfied.


    This was the weight of a full-immersion, virtual reality game. Just the thought of the bright future that awaited her once this game was public dispelled all her exhaustion. The difficulties she had been through suddenly didn¡¯t feel so bad anymore.


    ¡®Hold on¡­ Did I get PUA-ed?¡¯


    Hungryhungry was thinking about finding a private location to go offline when she noticed everyone had their eyes on her. It was not just yers but the imprisoned NPCs too. They were looking at her as if she was a monster.


    While Hungryhungry was wondering what had happened, the nearby skeletons began teasing her.


    ¡°This fellow¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you wearing clothes when the rest of us are still nude?¡±


    Hungryhungry was taken aback. She looked down and saw her ribcage and pelvic bone wrapped inyers of spider web as if she was a spindle craft gone wrong.


    It suddenly urred to her that the spider threads hade out from either the spider¡¯s mouth or bottom, and her face turned ck.


    Though her face had been ck all this while.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    In a fit of rage, she picked up a stone and threw it out.


    Itnded empty.


    The gleeful skeletons slipped away so quickly that she had no chance of chasing them. She could only sit down sorrowfully by the wall.


    Just then, two kind-looking skeletons walked over and squatted down beside her, one to her left and one to her right.


    ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    The skeleton on the right shed her a gentle smile. He had a poetic ID¡ªSinkingwhale.


    Hungryhungry was moved.


    ¡®There are still kind yers in this world!¡¯


    But it was too much for an introvert like her to trouble others even in a game, so she politely waved her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get rid of it myselfter.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so polite, dear,¡± The skeleton on the left wrapped her arm around her shoulder andughed vibrantly. ¡°Our boss is finding ways to earn money. You seem to be by yourself, so we decided to start from you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi! How can I do my business when you¡¯re divulging everything?!¡± Sinkingwhale red at her before turning back to the confused Hungryhungry. He coughed softly before stering back on his gentlemanly smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. My friend has a screw loose, so she asionally says things without going through her brain¡­ Do forgive her this once on the ount that she¡¯s a corpse, all right?¡±


    ¡°You son of a dog! Are you saying there¡¯s something wrong with my head? You are a corpse yourself too!¡± the skeleton on the left voiced her vehement opposition.


    It was also then the dazed Hungryhungry saw her username¡ªFallingshark.


    ¡°Pft¡­¡±


    ¡®What kind of name is this?!¡¯


    Seeing their customer burst intoughter, the two skeletons halted their fighting and put on their professional smiles.


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°Ahem¡­ Allow me to introduce ourselves. We are currently operating a skeleton cleaning shop.¡±


    Fallingshark: ¡°You can think of us as entrepreneurs!¡±


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°Indeed. You see¡ª¡±


    Fallingshark: ¡°The Demon King¡¯s rewards are too meager. What equipment can you buy with that little money we earn from missions? And those tryhards are even more ridiculous. Iron-tier in two days?! Is he still human?! I bet he¡¯s a skeleton in real life too!¡±


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°In summary¡ª¡±


    Fallingshark: ¡°We decided to strike out on our own! It happens that you grinders are too obsessed with working that you have no time to bother with hygiene, so we thought we could open a bathhouse!¡±


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°Mmhm. There is no water here, but scrubbing is still no problem! Have you heard about the waterless bathhouse in the north?¡±


    ¡°I-is there such a ce¡­¡±


    The meek Hungryhungry wanted to say that she lived in the north, but she was interrupted by the forceful duo before she could finish her sentence.


    ¡°Hear me out first!¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°O-okay¡­?¡±


    ¡®Who is the customer here?!¡¯


    Fallingshark: ¡°Do you know what became of our n? It was a failure. Those fellows are too coarse! They don¡¯t care how they smell at all, iming that they can¡¯t smell themselves and it would be a win if they could stink the enemy to death! Those stingy rascals! Shouldn¡¯t they at least show some consideration for the Demon King?!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Sinkingwhale nodded with a smile as he rubbed Fallingshark¡¯s head. ¡°Would you be interested to give it a try? Just entrust everything to us; you don¡¯t have to care about anything else¡­ It only costs 1000 hell coins.¡±


    ¡®1000 hell coins? That is around¡­ 500 kilograms of coal?!¡¯


    Hungryhungry was still thinking about supporting their little business when the math clicked in her mind, and she balled up her shoulders reflexively to pull away from these two ck-hearted skeletons.


    ¡°Is it yet another failure?¡± Fallingshark sighed, not forcing her case any further.


    ¡°I told you¡­ Who would ept such an offer?¡± Sinkingwhale was also disappointed, but he still tried to console his friend. ¡°Entrepreneurship is a path filled with hurdles. It is all part and parcel on the road to sess.¡±


    Hungryhungry was envious of their friendship, but at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but retort to the little y they were putting up, ¡°Have you considered doing stand upedy? I think that will be more profitable than a dry bathhouse.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Fallingshark, who was still depressed a second ago, suddenly lurched up to Hungryhungry, grabbed her hands, and asked, ¡°The ticket! How much would you be willing to pay for the ticket?!¡±


    It felt like the soulfire zing in her eye sockets had turned into hell coins.


    ¡°Um¡­ 10 hell coins?¡±


    ¡°So little!¡± Fallingshark pounded her empty left chest, acting as if she had suffered a heavy blow.


    Sinkingwhale thought hard about the idea, his eyes gleaming with astuteness. ¡°Stand upedy, huh? But I think a bathhouse for beauties would be much easier to market.¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°I don¡¯t think skeletons¡­ need baths.¡±


    Fallingwhale: ¡°Even if we do it live?¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Huh¡­ Huh?! Are we talking about the same thing?¡±


    It felt like their conversations had gone tangent at some point.


    Fortunately, Sinkingwhale quickly realized the problem in his business venture and gave up on the idea. He heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Forget it¡­ This path doesn¡¯t look feasible. I¡¯ll have to wait till I reincarnate into a slime before trying again.¡±


    Hungryhungry exhaled in relief. She was curious to know why Sinkingwhale thought it would work out once he became a slime, but her instincts told her it was best not to probe.


    It was a good thing this game didn¡¯t allow yers to reincarnate as slimes yet, so these two couldn¡¯t lead the game astray yet.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, it¡¯s my first time having such a long conversation with someone else in the game. I feel my exhaustion is going away¡­¡¯


    Fallingshark: ¡°I¡¯m curious to know why you are wrapped in spider webs. Were you kidnapped by a boss?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a mission from the Demon King¡­¡± Hungryhungry embarrassedly told them what happened earlier.


    She was so afraid of spiders that the Demon King tasked her to clean up the ce instead. Before she knew it, she was already wrapped in spider webs,


    ¡°How pitiful!¡± Sinkingwhale looked at Hungryhungry in sympathy. He inspected her web-covered body before eventually sighing helplessly. I doubt we can pull it out. Do you want to try burning it with fire, or maybe respawning will work?¡±


    Hungryhungry sighed too. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Fallingshark consoled the depressed Hungryhungry with a grin, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so down. The web looks not bad, just like a wedding gown.¡±


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°You mean the ripped kinds?¡±


    ¡°Hoho, you get it too?¡± Fallingshark jabbed Sinkingwhale with her elbow. ¡°Send me some of your stash to enjoy too!¡±


    ¡°I can do that¡­ but now that you mentioned it, I have an idea that I¡¯d like to try out.¡± Sinkingwhale stroked his lower jaw in contemtion as he studied Hungryhungry from head to toe. His eyes were slowly getting heated up. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make clothes out of this?¡±


    ¡®Clothes?¡¯


    Hungryhungry¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡®That sounds like a good idea¡­ Why didn¡¯t I think about that!¡¯


    She had difficulties moving in real life, so she often spent her time doing handicrafts such as knitting sweatshirts, scarves, and doing embroidery.


    ¡°But do skeletons need clothes?¡± Fallingshark frowned. ¡°Those barbarians don¡¯t care about their image. Why don¡¯t we do stand-upedy¡ª¡±


    ¡°You fool!¡± Sinkingwhale smacked her head. ¡°Think further than just clothes! What about backpacks? Surely someone here would need a backpack, especially those try-hards, right? They can spend more time in the field and bring back more items to sell in each trip!


    ¡°Defensive gears are a no-brainer, and bandages too! It will be a bummer if your bone suddenly snaps while exploring thebyrinth, right? With our bandages, they would be up and going in no time! Can you imagine how explosively popr those goods would be?!¡±


    ¡°Oh gosh oh gosh!¡± Fallingshark trembled in excitement. Her soulfire once again transformed into hell coins. ¡°You are a freaking genius! We can use the ratman¡¯s leather as material too!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Sinkingshark smirked in glee. He turned to Hungryhungry and offered his right hand. ¡°You are the one who sparked this inspiration¡­ So, what do you think? Do you want to join us?¡±


    The answer was obvious. Hungryhungry¡¯s eyes were glowing so much that there was no way she would turn them down.


    She wanted to try to find meaning in her existence, even if it was in a game.


    Most important of all, she was sick and tired of mining coal.


    At the rate she was going, this exciting, refreshing MMORPG would be nothing more than a coal mining simtor to her.


    She put her hand on Sinkingwhale¡¯s hand, and Fallingshark excitedly added hers on top too.


    ¡°Wonderful! This marks the founding of Necropolis¡¯ first textile factory!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to business¡± Sinkingwhale ced his hand on Fallingshark¡¯s shoulder and pushed her toward the Demon King¡¯s workshop. ¡°If we are going to do this, let¡¯s do it good. Let¡¯s begin making preparations.¡±


    Many materials were needed to weave cloth, including wood for constructing spindles.


    Northpeak Shaft¡¯s entrance was blocked by a wind wall, preventing yers from leaving the area.


    However, the NPCs in the game were so intelligent that Sinkingwhale thought they couldmunicate with them and convince them to let them out. Not to mention that the NPC store was already selling wrenches and hammers.


    It would be baffling if they couldn¡¯t gather materials to craft with!

 Chapter 37: Production and Exploration

    ¡°You want to go out to chop trees?¡±


    In his workshop, Roan stopped what he was doing and cast a surprised nce at the skeletons before him.


    Faced with the Demon King¡¯s questioning gaze, Sinkingwhale respectfully lowered his head and exined, ¡°Yes, esteemed Demon King. Your servantsck equipment. More than weapons, they need backpacks, bandages, and many other things too. These equipment will greatly raise your servants¡¯ efficiency in exploring thebyrinth.¡±


    Sinkingwhale did a brief pause here before adding, ¡°As your most loyal servant, I would like to share your burden.¡±


    Roan nodded. His eyes fell on Hungryhungry, who had spider webs wrapped around her like a cocoon.


    ¡®I see. Were they inspired from this fellow?¡¯


    Necropolis¡¯ market demand had beenckluster as skeletons were fueled solely by faith; they didn¡¯t require food or water to survive. This made it hard to kickstart industries.


    Starting from textile might be a good idea, assuming someone knew how to make them.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but do you know how to weave cloth? That¡¯s a highly demanding skill that¡¯s not any easier than fighting monsters,¡± Roan asked.¡°There will be a way out. I have researched blueprints of early days spinning jenny, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be too difficult to recreate them. Please give us your support. We won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± Sinkingwhale replied with a smile.


    ¡®Right, yers can go online. Even if they don¡¯t know how to make it, they can just search up some Tiktik or Yutube craftsmen and copy them step by step. And it¡¯s not like their failure will cost me anything.¡¯


    ¡°I permit it.¡±


    Roan didn¡¯t want to expose Necropolis¡¯ existence yet out of safety concern, but they couldn¡¯t keep holing themselves up in the mining shafts either.


    ¡®Fine, I shall send soldiers out today!¡¯


    ¡°There is a forest further north of Northpeak Shaft. The monsters there aren¡¯t interested in skeletons. You can harvest wood from there. Do not head southward, and avoid humans as far as possible. If you can¡¯t avoid a battle, capture your opponents if possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Fallingshark excitedly sped her fist and replied on behalf of Sinkingwhale.


    There was a pause before Roan continued, ¡°We will require wood to reinforce the newer sections of the mining shaft too. Since you have brought up this matter, let¡¯s resolve this together as well. I¡¯ll send out a quest to hire woodcutterster. Keep a look out for Necropolis¡¯ skeletons who are skilled at woodwork; they might be able to help you with what you need.¡±


    Right as he finished those words, Youyou sent out two quests, ¡®Wood Gathering¡¯ and ¡®Woodworker Recruitment¡¯.


    Not many yers had axes. Those who took on this mission could collect an ax and receive permission to venture out of the mining shaft.


    This mission also advised yers to stay in demarcated areas. Those who died outside of the demarcated area would receive an additional death penalty, and they would have to find a way to pick up their axes after reviving.


    ¡°Ahhh! We¡¯re indebted to you!¡±


    Both Fallingshark and Sinkingwhale¡¯s eyes gleamed in excitement.


    ¡®We can indirectly trigger quests through the Demon King in such a manner?! That¡¯s an incredible discovery!¡¯


    The three skeletons thanked the Demon King before exuberantly rushing out to find the cat ear NPC to collect axes and saws for woodcutting.


    Shortly after, a yer registered for the ¡®Woodworker Recruitment¡¯ quest.


    ¡°This matter should be settled¡­ The yers are quite innovative to think about using crypt spider webs to make backpacks and bandages,¡± Roanmented in delight as he watched the three skeletons rush through the mining shaft via his mirror. ?


    ¡®My pawns are moving on their own ord and growing in ways I had never thought of. Good.¡¯


    ¡°Demon King, has no one in the underworld ever thought of weaving with crypt spider webs?¡± Youyou was perplexed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the underworld for a reason. Do you know how hot that ce is?¡± Roan replied.


    ¡°But¡­ the ce you reside in seems still fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the Demon Capital is protected. The environment outside the Demon Capital isn¡¯t as kind.¡±


    Crypt spider web was highly flexible, resilient, and water proof; other threads couldn¡¯t hold a candle against it on those aspects. However, its extreme stickiness and sticity made them a huge headache to deal with when trying to use them as a material.


    Such properties made it hard to collect and process crypt spider webs.


    The yers¡¯ idea was not bad, but they were underestimating the difficulty of this undertaking.


    Fortunately, these didn¡¯t pose a problem to Roan.


    It was not without a reason he was the top scorer for theoretical exams in the Demon King Academy. He could easily such minor issues in a heartbeat.


    In truth, a long time ago, someone in the underworld had already researched weaving crypt spider webs into textile. They even developed a potion recipe that removed crypt spider webs¡¯ excessive sticity and stickiness while preserving their resilience.


    The only problem was that even though crypt spider webs were water resistant, they were mmable. That made them useless in the underworld, a ce that only rained not water but fire sparks.


    On top of that, the underworld and the surface had been at war all along. Highly-valued items were sometimes smuggled from one side to the other, but there was norge-scale trade.


    So, this research ended up going to waste.


    Roan had stumbled upon this research in the Demon King Academy¡¯s library. He still remembered the key ingredients of the potion recipe¡ªthough he couldn¡¯t remember their exact proportions anymore¡ªand most of them could be harvested from crypt spiders.


    He should be able toplete the recipe with a bit of trial and error. All he had to do afterward was to drip a bit of the potion on the spider webs after they were harvested.


    Roan was revved up. He took out his potion-making crucible and beaker and began warming up his shoulders.


    ¡°Very well, I shall lend them a helping hand this time.¡±


    ¡­


    Two skeleton soldiers were exploring the underground sewer.


    They had killed so many slimes along the way that they were running out of ces to store the harvested magic crystals.


    Along the way, they stumbled upon an adventurer¡¯s corpse enveloped by several slimes. The slimes had digested the corpse¡¯s clothes, leaving behind only the harder-to-digest leather boots, belt, and fanny pack.


    Autumnleaf made quick work of the slimes before collecting the leather belt and fanny pack.


    Inside the fanny pack were some private possessions and copper coins. He returned the private possessions to its owner before stuffing the magic crystals he had collected with Twilight into it, at longst freeing thetter¡¯s hands.


    Out of curiosity, Autumnleaf squatted next to the corpse to examine its condition.


    This corpse had been mostly broken down by the slime, making it impossible to make out its original appearance, Autumnleaf could still make some deductions from the undigested bones.


    ¡°That bone was severed.¡± Autumnleaf traced the fracture in the corpse¡¯s ribcage with rising excitement. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be the slimes¡¯ doing!¡±


    ¡®My deduction is right! There are other monsters in the underground sewer!¡¯


    ¡°It looks like it was caused by a w¡­¡± Twilight also examined the fracture. ¡°What do you think it is?¡±


    ¡°Life forms with ws that dwell in underground sewers¡­ I can only think of lizards, though it could be a fantasy creature too.¡±


    ¡®And this monster should be stronger than the crypt spiders.¡¯


    The thought of that didn¡¯t induce fear in Autumnleaf. On the contrary, he couldn¡¯t wait to meet the new mob!


    ¡®I wonder how much experience points they give.¡¯


    He continued probing the adventurer¡¯s corpse with his right hand, slowly moving upward before eventually stopping at the back of thetter¡¯s neck.


    ¡°This is¡­ a magic crystal?!¡± Twilight eximed with widened eyes when he saw Autumnleaf pulling out a crystal from the corpse.


    ¡®Do humans drop magic crystals too?!¡¯


    ¡°Mmhm, it should be a magic crystal.¡± Autumnleaf fell into deep thought looking at the ink-green magic crystal.


    He suddenly recalled a part of Cmity Online¡¯s lore that he had read on its official site. It was talking about how death and reincarnation were no longer equal for all entities after the demise of the Netherworld God.


    ¡®Where do humans in this game go after they die? Or do they transform skeletons like us¡­¡¯


    Goosebumps covered his body as he marveled at the meticulousness of the setting.


    ¡®Just how much more information have I failed to decipher from the lore?¡¯


    In the shadows, a pair of amber eyes were staring at the two skeletons as its forked tongue flickered with incredible finesse.


    ¡®A necromancer¡¯s servants here?¡¯


    It spent some time weighing in options, but the crawling life form decided against making a move. Instead, it turned around and slowly retreated further into the shadows.


    Its job was to hunt adventurers, and these bone sacks were not part his diet.


    A storm was brewing in thebyrinth, so they had to maintain the highest level of vignce toward everything¡­ even if their earth dragon n had a huge lead in the race to bing the rulers of thebyrinth¡¯s first floor.


    ¡®The appearance of these undeads are likely tied to the ratmen stampede not long ago. Someone who has the power to induce panic in a rat tribe that has a god elect¡­ We should tread carefully here.¡¯

 Chapter 38: The World Outside the Mountain Cavern

    While Autumnleaf and Twilight were exploring the underground sewer, three humming skeletons had already arrived at Northpeak Shaft¡¯s entrance with axes in their hands.


    Arriving before the wind wall that had previously stopped countless yers¡¯ paths, Fallingshark suddenly raised her hand to stop Sinkingwhale and Hungryhungry. Then, she passed her axe to Sinkingwhale.


    Thetter two watched in confusion as Fallingshark rubbed her hands before leaping outside the cavern, passing through the wind wall without a hitch.


    ¡°It worked! Hahahaha! I am the first yer in this brand new world!¡±


    It was autumn, and the ground was exceptionally cold. The sun had just risen, and the steep mountainous road was covered in dewdrops.


    Skeleton feet, unfortunately, weren¡¯t known for their anti-slip property.


    Falingshark slipped and tumbled downhill with a frightened scream. The only silver lining was that she bumped into a giant boulder, or else she might have rolled all the way down to the foot of the mountain.


    ¡°You lunatic¡­¡±


    Sinkingwhale sighed. He walked over and pulled up Fallingshark, whose head was stuck in between her bum, before knocking hard on her head.Fallingshark clutched her nearly cracked skull as she whimpered with a voice so pitiful that it sounded like she would burst into tears. ¡°Can¡¯t you treat a woman more kindly? I¡¯m already so pitiful!¡±


    Knowing she was being dramatic, Sinkingwhale didn¡¯t mince his words. ¡°A woman? I don¡¯t consider a skeleton like you woman.¡±


    ¡°You scamp! Are you looking for a fight?!¡±


    While the two of them were strangling each other, Hungryhungry stood atop the hill, mesmerized by the scenery.


    A brilliant skyglow could be spotted at the horizon like a rising spark of me. The undting mountain range stretched as far as the key could go, dyed in the color of autumn red trees.


    ¡®How beautiful.¡¯


    Maybe it was because she had been in the mining shaft for so long that the stark contrast took her breath away. She felt an urge to stay here forever. At least she could freely prance around here and go wherever she wanted to go.


    ¡°I never expected the world outside the cavern to be so huge!¡±


    Looking at the enchanted Hungryhungry, Sinkingwhale and Fallingshark exchanged looks before releasing their hold on each other¡¯s necks with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much! How could the dog¡ª<em>Cough!</em>¡ªI mean, god developers to hide such good stuff from us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they have already developed the map outside too.¡± Sinkingwhale walked over to Hungryhungry¡¯s side to immerse himself in the same scenery she was seeing. ¡°I thought the world outside would be made out of stock images¡­ I have underestimated the developers.¡±


    ¡®At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they have coded out the human cities too. The Demon King warned us not to head south, right? Guess south is the right way to go then!¡¯


    Hungryhungry: ¡°I didn¡¯t notice it in the mining shaft¡­ It¡¯s already morning.¡±


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Fallingshark: ¡°What a glorious morning sun.¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°What I mean is that it¡¯s morning in real life too. We have been online for almost 24 hours now, right? Do you usually game for such long hours?¡± ?


    Fallingshark: ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s too much to game continuously for 24 hours without rest. We would still asionally go offline and move around, be it to have our meals or something.¡±


    Hungryhungry struggled toprehend why there was a hint of glee in Fallingshark¡¯s voice when she said those words.


    Sinkingwhale added with a smile, ¡°Indeed. Shark ordered two portions of takeout today.¡±


    Fallingshark¡¯s body stiffened up. ¡°<em>Cough! </em>It¡¯s perfectly normal for a growing girl like me to have a bigger appetite! And it¡¯s not like I had those two portions in one sitting!¡±


    Sinkingwhale: ¡°Oh? But you¡¯re already twenty. I don¡¯t think you have much hope.¡±


    Fallingshark: ¡°Die!!!¡±


    Looking at the bickering duo, Hungryhungry couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you know each other in real life?¡±


    The duo exchanged looks and answered, ¡°We have known each other for many years now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so nice¡­¡± Hungryhungry looked at them in envy. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder how it was like to have a friend to talk to in real life.


    ¡°All right! Let¡¯s stop chatting and get to work.¡± Sinkingwhale picked up the two axes he had set down on the floor and tossed one of them to Fallingshark.


    Hungryhungry: ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t you need to go offline for a while to rest? You can do some exercise to recover or something¡­¡±


    As Fallingshark rested her axe on her shoulder, she confusedly looked at Hungryhungry and asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Sinkingwhale also looked at Hungryhungry with confused eyes. ¡°Yeah, what are you talking about? We belong to this world. We just need to asionally provide some nutrients to the avatar we have on earth.¡±


    Hungryhungry: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, two skeletons continued to forge ahead in thebyrinth¡¯s underground sewer.


    Autumnleaf was currently at LV5, and he was only a step away from leveling up. His stats were 4/6/3/1/1, with his strongest stat being strength, followed by constitution. His stats were almost on par with an Ors Empire¡¯s old farmer.


    This was considered a remarkable feat for an undead.


    Autumnleaf and Twilight were in the midst of returning when they encountered a lizardman.


    The lizardman had ink-green scales and carried a short bow on its back. It was prowling in the darkness, waiting for a chance to make its move.


    The two of them tried to confront it, but the lizardman fled as soon as it realized it had been spotted. They tried to chase the lizardman, but they quickly lost sight of it. Instead, they found themselves in a bizarre ce.


    ¡°It got away.¡± Autumnleaf looked at the vanishing silhouette regretfully.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Twilight asked as he surveyed their surroundings.


    They were in a pce. The ground was paved with gstones, and the ceiling was held up by towering stone pirs. There was a dark stairway with extinguished braziers hanging along its sides, and it led up to a door.


    The door was surrounded by a fence, and the fence had burnt out torches embedded in it as if an abandoned sentry post.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Autumnleaf was also surveying the surroundings, and he found this ce familiar.


    It took a while before it struck him that this ce was identical to thebyrinth entrance once the spider webs were removed!


    ¡°I see¡­ This might be anotherbyrinth entrance,¡± Autumnleaf said as the green soulfire in his eye sockets flickered.


    ¡°Another entrance?!¡±


    Twilight quickly traced Autumnleaf¡¯s line of sight and looked toward the stairway leading upward.


    ¡®There is a resemnce!¡¯


    Autumnleaf continued murmuring in contemtion, ¡°There should be adventurers in this world judging from the previously released promotional video¡­ To date, the only adventurers we have met are those inside the cages. This suggests thebyrinth entrance we upy is only one of many others, and it might just be the most remote one of all.¡±


    Autumnleaf stared so hard at the tightly-shut door at the end of the doorway that it looked as if he could already see what was on the other side.


    ¡®That must be the human world!¡¯


    ¡°Should we take a look?¡±


    Autumnleaf nced at Twilight, and thetter looked back at him with determined eyes.


    How could closed beta yers like them miss an opportunity to experience in-game content ahead of others?


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s take a look!¡±


    The two of them went up the stairs, climbed past the fence, and was just about to open the door when it opened on its own ord.


    A middle-aged man dressed in armor walked in while yawning. A mace rested on his left waist and a flintlock on his right waist. On top of that, he carried a shield worth 50,000 hell coins in his left hand.


    He had likelye from a tavern, judging from the beer froth sticking to his thick beard. He murmured iprehensible words under his breath.


    Both sides were stunned when they saw each other.


    Before Autumnleaf could say something, the middle-aged man turned pale as if he had seen a ghost. He hurriedly smashed his shield on one of the skeletons before turning tail to flee.


    ¡°Undead! There are undeads! Sound the bell!¡± he shrieked as he ran, swiftly disappearing into the darkness.


    Autumnleaf and Twilight were startled.


    Twilight: ¡°What is he shouting?!¡±


    Autumnleaf: ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. Maybe something about seeing ghosts?¡±


    While they were chatting, a bell chimed behind the door, and flurried footsteps sounded.


    Autumnleaf instinctively realized this wasn¡¯t a good sign, so he quickly picked up the shield on the ground and ran down the stairway.


    ¡°Run!¡±

 Chapter 40: The Demon King’s Decision

    The hall drenched in fresh blood was filled with skeletons soaked in fresh blood too.


    It was such an intimidating sight that envoys from the Drake n and the Weaving Shadow Nest held their breaths.


    Skeletons were nothing rare in this world, and their strength was not worth a mention.


    Most of them had iplete souls and underdeveloped intelligence. Even Copper-tier and Steel-tier skeletons struggled to draw out their true fighting potential in battle. It wasmon for them to be destroyed by adventurers with lower soul tiers.


    But the undead here were different.


    Arakdor could sense they were different from their stone-headed, useless counterparts.


    ¡®Not only are they using the skills of adventurers, but they are also dissecting monster carcasses like them! It¡¯s almost like they are alive! The Drake n must have noticed that something is off too, which is why they sent envoys over¡­¡¯


    Arakdor discreetly eyed one of the lizardmen in vignce.


    Having sensed his nce, that lizardman looked back at Arakdor with cold eyes as if thetter was nothing more than a worm. He didn¡¯t see Arakdor as a threat at all.That frustrated Arakdor, but given the bloodline suppression, he could do nothing but tolerate this grievance for the time being.


    Arakdor¡¯s decision to avoid a confrontation only deepened that lizardman¡¯s disdain, and he smugly raised his tail.


    A leader¡¯s attitude is bound to influence their subordinate.


    Seeing how arrogant their leader was, the other lizardmen also raised their heads and made provocative gestures at the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s envoys.


    Arakdor and his hunters were infuriated, but they dared not speak up against it. They could only hiss in warning.


    To the lizardmen, it just sounded like the crypt spiders were begging for mercy.


    Roan watched this rivalry between the two factions unfold in his demon king domain via Youyou¡¯s ability.


    It was not an easy feat for a human to grasp the subtle expressions of monsters, but the eighteen years Roan had spent in the Demon Capital had familiarized him with the habits and nature of those living in the underworld.


    The lizardmen¡¯s smug attitude showed that they thought nothing about the crypt spiders.


    Be it on earth or in the otherworld, lizards were the nemesis of insects. To make things worse, the lizardmen here were capable of wielding human tools as weapons.


    Roan recalled what he had learned in the Demon King Academy and quickly devised a n.


    ¡®I¡¯ll exploit the danger faced by the spiders to rally them to my side, then borrow the humans¡¯ strength to suppress the lizardmen tribe. With that, I¡¯ll be able to make a huge stride forward in conquering thebyrinth¡¯s first floor.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s about time for me to make an appearance¡­ <strong>Stone Skin!¡±</strong>


    Roan stowed away the mirror, took out his wand, and started stacking twelve buffs on himself.


    ¡°<strong>Fleetfoot</strong>!


    ¡°<strong>Magic Amplification</strong>!


    ¡°<strong>Gale Barrier</strong>!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Roan proceeded to siphon away Chris¡¯ vitality before leaping into the pit connected to thebyrinth¡¯s first floor.


    Usually, he wouldn¡¯t have recklessly jumped from a height of fifteen meters, but now that he wasyered with buffs, he wouldn¡¯t mind jumping from an even greater height. ??


    The moment hended, <strong>Gale Barrier</strong> blew the surrounding dust ten meters away.


    All eyes fell on him.


    The crypt spiders and lizardmen revealed frightened looks, whereas the yers couldn¡¯t have been more thrilled.


    ¡®The Demon King is finally here!¡¯


    The cutscene had loaded for so long that many thought their game had hung.


    ¡°I hear someone wants to meet me.¡±


    Mana rippled from Roan¡¯s ck cloak. Standing amidst white bones, he looked like the ruler of the cemetery.


    The lizardmen couldn¡¯t see through his depth, but his overflowing mana ryed that he would be a fearsome adversary.


    ¡°This humble one is Oktor! I¡¯m the champion of the Drake n and Lord Sanu¡¯s envoy!¡± the leader of the lizardmen spoke with a deep voice reminiscent of an ancient bell.


    He fell on one knee, lowered his head, and ced his right hand on his left chest. That was the proper etiquette for servants to greet their master.


    Roan gazed down at the lizardman champion with frosty eyes before chuckling softly. ¡°Drake n? Lord? I must be hearing things. A four-legged snake dares use such terminologies in my presence. I see Dracul has failed to teach you humility.¡±


    Lizardmen had two sore spots.


    One was to be called lizardmen without discrimination for their breed, and the other was to be called four-legged snakes.


    Also, Roan kindly instructed Youyou to add subtitles for the yers so that they could keep up with the conversation. None of them were versed in the native human tongue.


    Unsurprisingly, the lizardmen were infuriated to hear Roan¡¯s insult.


    A lizardman with a bare top angrily retrieved a short bow from his back and nocked an arrow. But before he could fire the arrow, a scaly head flew off his neck and rolled to the corner of the hall.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Orktor was horrified.


    He quickly turned to the side and saw a zombie wielding a greatsword. The zombie looked back at him with such impassive eyes that he could have been looking at a carcass instead.


    Orktor¡¯s scales stood up. He anxiously leaped backward to create some distance between him and the zombie while reaching for the dagger on his waist.


    ¡®When did this fellow get so close?!¡¯


    Orktor tightly gripped his dagger. His amber eyes flickered between the unmoving zombie and the necromancer as his heart pounded hard like a drum beat.


    This abrupt show of might terrified the monsters present. Their eyes narrowed in shock, fury, or fear¡­


    Even Arakdor was startled as well.


    Even though he was more than happy to see those lizards suffering a setback, he hadn¡¯t expected the Demon King to ignore their envoy status and outright execute one of them.


    Meanwhile, the eyes of the frozen yers gleamed in excitement.


    ¡®Is this Cmity Online¡¯s power ceiling? The pressure exuded by the Demon King is incredible!¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s a good look on his face,¡± Roan nced at the decapitated lizard head and casually remarked. He sounded like a tyrant. ¡°He passes as a corridor ornament.¡±


    The lizardmen were so agitated that they were on the verge of rampaging, but Orktor stopped them in a fluster. His subservience ironically resembled the crypt spiders he looked down on.


    ¡°Wait¡ª!¡± Eyeing the Demon King¡¯s wand, he once again fell on one knee and spoke with a quivering voice, ¡°Esteemed Demon King, please allow me to finish my words! We havee in seek of peace!¡±


    He finally put down all airs and outright acknowledged Roan as the demon king.


    But Roan didn¡¯t think the lizardmen would submit to him that easily. He gazed down at Orktor and asked with a light-hearted tone, ¡°You¡¯re seeking peace?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, milord!¡± Orktor squeezed out an amicable smile. He mustered his courage to raise his head and say, ¡°The threat posed by the surface is greater than ever. Now is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves. We should stand united against the humans! Lord Sa¡ªI mean, our n leader hopes to establish a permanent peace treaty with Your Majesty!¡±


    The so-called peace treaty was just an attempt to probe Roan.


    No true fief lord would sign that farce with their subordinate. In the underworld, contracts were nothing if one didn¡¯t have the power to enforce them.


    epting the peace treaty was an admission of weakness.


    This would give the Drake n plenty of room to maneuver around, be it eliminating this threat once and for all or using the demon king as a proxy to conquer thebyrinth¡¯s lower floors.


    And if the demon king refused the peace treaty, it would suggest that he had to strength to dominate them. Be it a feint or not, they would have to tread carefully around him.


    This was their n leader¡¯s scheme.


    They had to first get a gauge of the demon king¡¯s strength before deciding their next move.


    Arakdor was also patiently waiting for the demon king¡¯s answer.


    ¡®The Demon King might not have realized it yet, but the lizard kneeling before him has no intention of submitting to him¡­ and that is the will of the entire Drake n.¡¯


    He was curious to know what the demon king would choose, and that would determine his and the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s loyalty.


    While the cunning monsters were waiting for a response with bated breaths, Roan chuckled.


    ¡®Do you think I can¡¯t see through your thoughts? What do you think I have been learning in the Demon King Academy?¡¯


    ¡°¡­This is the most hrious thing I have heard all day long¡ªa four-legged snake talking terms with me.¡±


    Ignoring the furious yet fearful Orktor, Roan turned to the crouching crypt spiders and asked with a scarily soft voice, ¡°What about you? Are the eight-legged creatures here to talk terms with me too?¡±


    He was employing Professor Enos¡¯ hand-taught <strong>Intimidation</strong>. He had reached a high level of mastery in it, where he could release and retract it at will.


    Arakdor¡¯s body stiffened before those cold eyes, and he couldn¡¯t help but whimper.


    ¡®There¡¯s no mistake¡ªthis demon king is the real deal! He is far stronger than Her Majesty kinse!¡±


    ¡°We, the Weaving Shadow Nest, pledge our loyalty to the Demon King! Thebyrinth belongs to the underworld, to His Majesty Demon God, as well as the Demon King! We have been awaiting your arrival, esteemed Demon King!¡±


    He spilled out all the bootlicking words he could think of on the spot.


    ¡®A true hero knows how to read the tides¡­ I¡¯ll surrender on Her Majesty¡¯s behalf! She did agree to my n of feigning surrender anyway¡­¡¯


    ¡°Coward!¡± Orktor cursed as he shot back to his feet.


    ¡®The probing failed. This is the worst-case scenario!¡¯


    The demon king had shown no interest in negotiating with them. He shrugged off their peace offer with insults and refused to even hear their proposal.


    Clearly, the demon king¡¯s strength surpassed their wildest imagination, so much so that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to y mind games with them. Rather than their loyalty, he would rather make an example out of them so that others would fall in line.


    ¡°Prepare for battle!!!¡±


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 41: The Weaving Shadow Nest Is Your Most Loyal Servant!

    Things went down the way Orktor anticipated.


    There was only one thing he had misjudged¡ªfrom the very start, the demon king had never intended to negotiate with them. That was why he provoked them time and time again so that they would lose their rationality.


    It was toote by the time Orktor realized that, and it didn¡¯t help his reaction was slower than his enemy too.


    ¡°<strong>Frost st!</strong>¡±


    A cold blue light surged across the dark hall and urately struck the center of the lizardman envoys¡¯ formation.


    Roan had started channeling this spell from the moment Arakdor pledged loyalty to him on behalf of the Weaving Shadow Nest. Ice element spells weren¡¯t his field of specialty, but they were the most effective weapon against the fire-resistant, pierce-resistant lizardmen.


    Their fear of coldness was one of the reasons they were called four-legged snakes.


    Five lizardmen failed to dodge in time and were struck squarely by the cold blue light.


    Explosions of frost followed, causing coldness to seep into the surroundings. The five lizardmen were turned into ice sculptures before they could let out a squeak.Not only so, but the crypt spiders who were previously in the same situation as the lizardmen took this chance to add insult to injury.


    <em>Pshh!</em>


    Several streams of white turbid fluid flew at the lizardmen. They weren¡¯t exactly useless, but the humiliation factor outweighed the damage dealt.


    The Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s number one general, Arakdor, even shamelessly shouted as if to unt its minuscule contribution, ¡°Demon King, hurry up and take them down! We will stall them for you!¡±


    Roan couldn¡¯t be bothered with that fellow. His attention was on the giant lizard who had escaped his initial attack.


    ¡®This fellow¡¯s level might just be slightly below mine!¡¯


    Orktor¡¯s eyes reddened at the sight of his frozen nsmen. He regretted not having seen through the demon king¡¯s ploy earlier, which resulted in them being caught off guard by this sudden assault.


    Escape was out of the question. The Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s cowards had already dashed off to block the exits.


    Knowing he was cornered, Orktor drew his scimitar and charged at Roan with a roar.


    ¡°<strong>Champion Blood</strong>!¡±


    As if someone had pumped methanol into him, Orktor¡¯s frozen blood began flowing at an elerated pace, dispelling the coldness. His body began emanating a faint golden glow under the Dragon God¡¯s blessing.


    This was the power of ¡®ki¡¯!


    ¡®I guess these lizards aren¡¯t just cosying as dragons; they have received the dragons¡¯ inheritance too. That fellow¡¯s instantaneous burst power might now be on par with Gold-tier. However, he¡¯s too naive if he thinks that is enough to bring me down.¡¯ R


    Roan had maxed out his buffs before the negotiation.


    ¡°Go to hell! <strong>Execution!</strong>¡±


    Orktor swung his charged-up scimitar at the unmoving demon king, unleashing an incredible force that sent thetter flying like a cannonball into the stone pir. The stone pir copsed amidst puffs of dust.


    Orktor smiled in glee.


    ¡®That¡¯s all the demon king amounts to.¡¯


    His delight onlysted two seconds.


    ¡®He dodged? How is that possible?!¡¯


    His amber eyes swiftly darted across the room as he attempted to find the demon king concealed in the dust. What he saw instead were cackling skeleton soldiers rushing at him.


    ¡°Brothers, kill him!¡±


    ¡°Experience points! Experience points!¡±


    Orktor sneered in disdain.


    ¡®A paltry trick!¡¯


    He was just about to slice down the skeletons before him when he suddenly felt a pair of venomous eyes on him. Goosebumps crawled all over his body, as he felt strength swiftly receding from his body.


    ¡®This¡ªSoul Siphon?!¡¯


    Orktor hurriedly leaped backward to distance himself from the spellcaster, but as he rose into the air, he suddenly felt a premonition of imminent death.


    ¡®The zombie!¡¯


    Orktor was horrified. He instinctively realized the zombie was waiting behind him.


    He anxiously attempted to twist his body around, but it was impossible to pull it off when he was already in mid-air. He could only watch helplessly as he flew toward Bant, who was waiting with his greatsword.


    ¡°Oompf¡­¡±


    Bant, who had been gathering his ki in his weapon, raised his head and swung his greatsword like a professional baseball hitter!


    <em>Psh!</em>


    The already chipped greatsword couldn¡¯t withstand the force and shattered, but its broken de plunged into Orktor¡¯s back.


    Warm blood sttered, further deepening the color of the already bloody hall.


    Orktor didn¡¯t even have time to utter his dying words. His body crashed into Bant and rolled a tumbled a couple of times across the floor before he breathed hisst.


    ¡°I knew you would jump backward,¡± Roan smirked.


    Soul Siphon could swiftly take down Copper-tier opponents, but it would take more time to incapacitate Steel-tier opponents. That being said, it was a perfect bait to goad the enemy into making a reckless move and revealing an opening.


    It was in preparation for this attack that he didn¡¯t call Bant over to protect him.


    Behind the majestic stone pir, Roan stowed away a mirror fragment with a smile. His partnership with Youyou was getting increasingly smooth. He merely needed to cast a gaze, and thetter would appear where he needed it to.


    As for the yers¡­ they still needed more time.


    Bant instinctively pounced on Orktor¡¯s carcass to feast on it, but Roan flicked his wand and tightened his leash on Bant. Then, he chanted an incantation and released a green light that squarely struck Orktor¡¯s profusely bleeding chest.


    ¡°Awaken, my servant.¡±


    Orktor¡¯s blood stopped spurting, and he slowly rose from the ground as an undead. With his ws, he grasped the shattered de lodged in his chest, pulled it out, and dropped it on the ground.


    Unlike Bant, he exuded potent killing intent¡ªor maybe grudge was more apt¡ªand it felt like he could go berserk at any moment.


    Yet, Roan¡¯s eyes lit up in delight.


    ¡°¡­Its soul is at Gold-tier?¡±


    It was a jackpot!


    Undead beings couldn¡¯t train like the living, but necromancers had devised many ways to enhance their awakened puppets. In gist, the power ceiling of an undead was determined by its soul tier and the necromancer¡¯s strength.


    Bant, for instance, would be capped at Copper-tier unless Roan raised his soul tier.


    Orktor, on the other hand, could disy prowess on par with a Steel-tier with slight enhancements.


    ¡®But why would a Gold-tier soul appear on thebyrinth¡¯s first floor? It looks like many things have happened here during Lej Dracul¡¯s reign, unbeknownst to the underworld¡­¡¯


    While Roan was reanimating the Drake n¡¯s champion, Arakdor and the other envoys from the Weaving Shadow Nestid respectfully before him.


    Any doubt they had harbored in the Demon King¡¯s strength had disappeared. Arakdor had nothing but loyalty left for the Demon King.


    The yers wanted to hack up the spiders too, but their bodies froze in ce as soon as the thought surfaced in their minds.


    ¡°Argh, isn¡¯t this a boss fight? Why can¡¯t I move again?!¡±


    ¡°Skip! Fastforward! I want to go on a killing spree! I want a river of blood!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sacrifice these spiders to the gods!¡±


    Roan nearly burst intoughter upon hearing the yers¡¯ grumbling. ¡°Enough. You will have your chance in the future, but now is not the time.¡±


    The skeletons cackled in response.


    ¡°Ooooooh!¡±


    ¡°The Demon King is looking at me! He¡¯s looking at me!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is the NPC responding to us?¡±


    Roan: ¡°¡­¡±


    It was not as if he had never yed games before, but he was struggling toprehend how these people were wired.


    ¡°Is it because times have changed?¡¯


    Roan leisurely made his way up to the five ice sculptures, lift his wand, and lightly tapped them. The ice sculptures shattered together with the lizardmen inside.


    ¡°Youyou, get some yers to deliver these remains to the lizardmen once the cutscene ends. War has already begun.¡±


    This deration revved up the deceptively gentle but actually chaotic Youyou. ¡°Yes, Demon King!¡±


    Once he was done dealing with the lizardmen, Roan turned to Arakdor and slowly addressed him in the underworld¡¯s tongue, ¡°Ie to thisnd bearing His Majesty Demon God¡¯s edict to clean up Lej Dracul¡¯s mess. Let¡¯s talk about your loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Please order us as you deem fit, esteemed Demon King! There might be misunderstandings between us in the past, but our loyalty is unquestionable!¡± Arakdor earnestly replied.


    Roan didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and ordered in an authoritative voice, ¡°Give me a thousand adult ¡®Excavators¡¯ and ¡®Weavers¡¯ to expand my domain and craft equipment. Add in another thousand ¡®Hunter¡¯ eggs on top of that to serve my army. Ry my demands to your leader. If he provides me with what I want, I¡¯ll permit the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s existence in mybyrinth.


    ¡°Also, my servants hunger for blood. They will indiscriminately attack all living beings in certain sections of thebyrinth. I¡¯ll order them to avoid your nest, but I advise you to offer them tribute outside your nest, such as the crypt spiders from other tribes.¡±


    It was the obligation of allbyrinth monsters to rally under the Demon King, but Arakdor still shuddered after hearing Roan¡¯s greedy demands.


    ¡°Yes, Demon King¡­¡± Arakdor meekly replied.


    Under the Demon King¡¯s watchful eyes, he hurriedly departed with his subordinates.


    After seeing the Weaving Shadow Nest¡¯s envoys off, Roan issued more orders to Youyou, ¡°Youyou, mark those envoys with green names. Don¡¯t let the yers cause them any trouble. Also, begin making preparations for update a.0.4. yers will get to choose between ¡®insect¡¯ and ¡®skeleton¡¯ when they first ess the game.¡±


    Two conditions had to be fulfilled in order to ce a soul into a body¡ªthe body had to be a soul container and hadn¡¯t been upied by a fully-developed soul yet.


    Mature crypt spiders and the adventurers he had imprisoned in stone cells couldn¡¯t serve as soul containers. There were souls upying those bodies, and those bodies had already fully adapted to the souls in them.


    Stuffing a foreign soul into those bodies was analogous to pumping Type A blood into a body filled with Type B blood. There were methods to pull it off such as employing a Soul Devouring Ritual, but those came with significant side effects.


    The most reasonable option was to ce the soul of yers who wanted to be crypt spiders in spider eggs, then hasten the incubation of the eggs using faith.


    In the future, this process could be automated through the use of an altar.


    It was not umon for underworld acolytes to ¡®summon¡¯ adult crypt spiders from spider eggs using altars, and that was how thebyrinth¡¯s crypt spider poption got so big in the first ce.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Youyou replied with a cheeky grin.


    Following that, Roan checked his character page and saw that he had experience points equivalent to a hundred crypt spiders.


    On top of that, he noticed that his daily faith revenue had finally outgrown his daily faith expenditure!


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