Call Me Demon Lord

Call Me Demon Lord

Old Man at the Village Entrance: "...In my opinion, the development team is planning something big! The black screen is just setting the stage for a surprise later!"

Heaven Defying Dragon Emperor: "How do you know they're not just setting us up for a huge dump?"

Old Man at the Village Entrance: "..."

Tanghulu: "Surprise my ass! I want to log in!"

Roasted Mutton Skewer: "Where's the character creation screen?! Get it out here already!"

Excited Netizen: "Exactly! Hurry the fuck up!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn: "Everyone, calm down. The game is clearly still in development, so there's only so much content we can experience! Compared with taking down the demo outright, I think this transition of covering the Crystal Ball with clothes is already pretty clever!"

Dragon Slayer: "Holy shit, what the hell? You guys actually got to play?"

Knowledge Explosion: "No way, right?"

Unruly Life: "I don't care! If you don't send me a helmet, you're definitely shills!!! (Going crazy)"

One Leaf Knows Autumn: "Helmet? You don't need a helmet. Any pair of VR Glasses will do... (sweat)"

Boar-Headed Knight: "Holy shit, Brothers, we can log in now! Get on!!!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn: "?!"

Xiao Wan Can't Get Enough: "If you're lying to me again, I'll slaughter every last one of you! (Furious)"

On the Official Website for "Calamity Online."

Ever since a certain NPC had covered the Crystal Ball, the forum had been noisy for an entire day, yet the development team had not made a single peep.

Zhao JinYan had been observing in secret.

At present, the posts on the forum could basically be divided into two types. One group believed that the development team had truly created a groundbreaking RPG online game, while the other simply did not believe that the developers' promises or that so-called promotional PV were real.

Wasn't AI technology all the rage recently?

He had heard that generating videos was no longer particularly difficult, either.

To be honest, Zhao JinYan leaned more toward the latter.

After all, a fully immersive virtual reality online game sounded far too exaggerated no matter how he looked at it. And if such technology really existed, would anyone use it to make a game first? There should be more profitable options, right? Yet what surprised Zhao JinYan was that, after the closed beta qualifications and demo program had been distributed yesterday, some people on the forum seemed to have actually played it. Though it had only been for a few hours, they spoke as if it were real, even coming up with some hypnosis theory.

Those people couldn't all be AI too, could they? Come to think of it, that was what surprised him the most.

A game that had only been promoted for a few days had somehow cultivated a group of diehard fans with nothing more than an ambiguous PV?

"...Could this game really be that incredible?"

Unable to make up his mind, Zhao JinYan muttered quietly. After hesitating for a while, he finally picked up his phone and bought the cheapest secondhand VR device he could find online.

A completely realistic virtual reality online game...

He had already spent a fortune supporting it.

The development team behind "Calamity Online" had better not disappoint him!...

Thunder City's busiest districts were all concentrated in the southeastern corner near the harbor, so the farther north one went, the more visibly desolate the city became.

Especially beyond the city gates, the homes crammed against the walls were as ramshackle as cattle sheds, squeezing wrinkled little alleys out of the vast stretch of land.

Because warfare was frequent, the houses beside the city walls were always being torn down and rebuilt, rebuilt and torn down... As a result, both the people and livestock living here led remarkably rough lives.

Following behind Ms. Chris, Leon soon met up with several of her teammates.

Just as he had expected, these four fierce-looking brothers were the same men he had seen at the tavern earlier.

However, here they still pretended it was their first time meeting, warmly greeting Leon and even making lewd jokes about him and Chris.

The bald man among them was called Am. He was a berserker skilled with a Two-Handed Axe and possessed Bronze-level strength.

The other three were Lexon, Bond, and Greyhound: one was a Black Iron-level two-handed swordsman, while the other two were scouts without Extraordinary Power.

This was the top fighting force for exploring the labyrinth?

Ige was more intimidating than these guys...

Having spent three years at Demon Lord Academy, where Silver-level fighters were everywhere, Leon was somewhat disappointed by them.

"Where's the labyrinth entrance? When do we start?"

Leon put on an eager expression, as though he could not wait to plunge headfirst into the labyrinth.

His high-spirited appearance made Chris giggle. She teased him, saying, "Don't be in such a hurry. The labyrinth has many entrances, and if you rush in carelessly, you'll only get lost. The secret passage we found has to be entered through the northernmost entrance, and we'll need to take a carriage there later... By the way, don't you need to get a room at an inn and put down your luggage? Big sis can go with you."

This guy was rather to her taste. It would be a pity not to have a taste before snapping him.

Besides, carrying luggage back and forth was troublesome. He could leave it at the inn beforehand, then come back to retrieve it with a key once they were done.

However, as it happened, someone else also hated trouble and could not be bothered to make another trip.

Pretending not to understand her hint, Leon gave what seemed to be a shy smile and said, "No need. I have some materials in my case. If anyone gets hurt, I can make medicine."

Chris looked at him in surprise.

"Can you make potions too?"

"Of course!" Leon nodded with a smile. "I know plenty of recipes, including healing potions and strength potions."

"That's incredible, kid. I never expected you had a talent like that." Bald Am laughed heartily, patting him on the shoulder and throwing an arm around him. "I'm starting to like you!"

"You flatter me."

Leon smiled sheepishly, while the thumb hidden within his fist casually brushed against the ring.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with... I mean, let's hurry up and find the Demon Lord's treasury so we can come back and sleep."

The scout called Greyhound yawned and impatiently cut off their small talk, jumping onto the roadside carriage first.

"To North Peak Mine."

Upon hearing the destination, the coachman looked somewhat nervous.

"At this hour?"

A dim yellow glow had already risen on the distant horizon. At most, it would be dark in another two hours.

Though this was the heartland of the human world, it was still far from deserving the word safe.

To the southwest lay the Lizardmen's territory, while undead wandered through the mountains to the north.

And that was not all.

When night fell and all was quiet, the most dangerous things were not the undead, but people with guilty consciences.

"Enough chatter. Get moving."

Greyhound tossed several silver coins beside the coachman's seat and urged him impatiently.

Seeing those silver coins, the coachman gritted his teeth and ultimately accepted the job.

The group boarded the carriage, and after more than thirty minutes of jolting travel, they finally arrived at the northernmost entrance to the maze.

This had once been a mine, supposedly an industry owned by the renowned Andes Family. Several fairly high-quality iron ore and coal veins lay buried underground.

Yet during one blasting operation, the miners had accidentally dug the shaft straight into the maze.

From then on, the entire mountain became the territory of undead and monsters.

Since it was close to the edge of the maze, places like this usually held nothing valuable. Unless they had a special reason, adventurers simply had no interest in exploring here.

The coachman refused to go up the mountain no matter what, so the group had no choice but to get off at the foot of the mountain.

Fortunately, the mine was not far from here—only around a ten-minute walk.

On the sunlit side not far from the mine, Leon spotted a dilapidated inn.

The inn had a rather distinctive appearance, but its battered, hole-ridden state made it obvious that it had been abandoned for years.

"Come to think of it, I've always been curious... If the local lord finds the Demon Lord such a headache, why doesn't he just seal off the maze entrances?"

"Hahaha, do you think the Demon Lord underground is an idiot? Well, he really isn't very smart, but digging new tunnels is much easier for them than blocking off the roads is for us." Am laughed and patted him on the shoulder, acting as though they had known each other forever.

"That's right. I heard there's something like a core inside the maze that can easily alter the underground terrain. And the Demon Lord's servants are all hell races—they're incredibly good at digging holes. I even heard that they built a city called Demon Capital in the deepest part of the earth."

Ms. Chris narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke in a casual tone as she gazed toward the mine.

"But thanks to Thunder City's sewers, no matter how much the maze spreads, it can't reach the main urban district. At most, it can dig into the area where we caught the carriage earlier... the area outside the city walls."

The drainage system built during the Isaac Dynasty apparently remained in operation even today, and had unexpectedly become an impregnable barrier protecting the city from the forces of hell.

Leon guessed that his transmigrator predecessor had most likely used something like reinforced concrete.

In any case, he now understood the basic situation.

The Old Demon Lord's maze mainly occupied the northern part of Thunder City, stretching south to the city walls and north to North Peak Mine.

Considering that those turncoats had already betrayed him, he might need to move his base farther north, expanding toward Crushed Rock Peak in the Ten Thousand Ren Mountain Range, then connecting it to the Old Demon Lord Territory's maze once the time was right.

But then again, why had these guides he picked up for free not made their move yet?

He had been waiting for quite a while.

Watching Ms. Chris toy with two daggers as she swayed toward the mine, a strange look appeared in Leon's eyes.

Could these people really be here to search for the Demon Lord's treasure?

No way...

Ms. Chris, who possessed Extraordinary Power, took the lead, with the two scouts following close behind.

Leon followed behind Am and Lexon, holding up a torch as he entered the gloomy mine.

Perhaps because he had lived underground for so long, the instant he stepped into the mine, he felt as though he had returned home.

It felt far too familiar.

He felt as though the entire world had brightened, as if every pore on his body had grown eyes.

Ms. Chris and the others vigilantly watched their surroundings, while he only needed to keep an eye on the humans beside him.

The group proceeded deeper into the mine for a while, and soon a rustling sound came from the distance.

Ratmen! And Slave Rats!

Leon had already guessed the identity of the newcomers.

However, Chris, who was walking at the front, frowned and pondered for a long while before finally reaching an ambiguous conclusion.

"Something's here... either undead or rats! Get ready to fight!"

The moment her words fell, the ratmen lurking in the darkness rushed out with shrill squeaks.

Their red-bean-like eyes gleamed with terrifying savagery, and they looked as though they had been starving for ages.

"Hahaha! Perfect!"

Am, his muscles bulging, bared his teeth in a vicious grin. He tossed away his torch, drew the two battle axes hanging at his waist, and charged forward with heavy steps. Swinging his blades in broad, powerful arcs, he cut down more than a dozen ratmen wielding swords, spears, clubs, and staves in an instant.

Lexon, gripping a greatsword, was not about to fall behind. He took a deep breath, gathered strength in his legs, and then charged at the shrieking ratman soldiers like a cannonball, leading with a greatsword half his height.

Though he possessed only Black Iron strength, the terrifying blade in his hands was no weaker than Am's Two-Handed Axe. With only a few thrusts, pulls, and sweeping strikes, he shredded a swath of enemies like a gale scattering fallen leaves.

The cramped mine tunnel was completely blocked by two axes and a sword, so the two scouts and thieves who had been providing support from the side simply withdrew.

Chris smugly glanced at "Quinn," who stood in the back. Just as she was about to boast a little, she saw that he remained utterly unmoved.

She vaguely sensed that something was wrong, yet she could not put her finger on what exactly it was.

Just then, the battle ahead had already ended. Lexon planted his greatsword against the ground, caught his breath, and said, "Done. No time to waste... let's keep moving."

"Oh, good work."

Greyhound patted him on the shoulder and casually walked ahead, but Lexon frowned.

Why did he feel more tired than usual?

Had his strength declined?

He shook his head, tossing that faint, unnatural unease aside.

Probably just an illusion.

Maybe he just was not in great condition today.

Fortunately, it was not just him. Those little rats were in poor shape as well. After leaving behind several dozen corpses, they shrieked and fled.

Most ratmen were like that: they swarmed forward, then scattered in a panic. As cannon fodder, they were even less troublesome than goblins.

After a fierce battle, the group finally arrived at the northern entrance of Thunder City's underground labyrinth—the deepest part of the mine—after breaking through four or five waves of ratman attackers.

From the moment they entered this final stretch of mine tunnel, Leon felt an eerie presence gradually spreading through the surroundings.

Bleached bones and corpses that had not yet fully decayed could be seen everywhere in the corners of the gloomy mine passage.

Leon was all too familiar with that aura, and a delighted smile involuntarily appeared on his handsome face.

He had thought it would already be good enough if these people could lead him to the labyrinth entrance.

He had not expected them to not only bring him to his destination, but also lead him to such a wonderful place.

"Not bad."

He had been worried about being unfamiliar with the area and unable to find any graves to dig. Who would have thought there were ready-made ones right beneath his feet?

Leon chuckled softly, reached into his robes, and took out the core of the Demon Lord Territory.

It was a dark green square-pyramidal crystal.

Judging by its appearance alone, it was no different from an ordinary Faith Crystal, aside from being a little greener. Yet the magical formulas integrated within this green crystal were the culmination of a thousand years of wisdom and effort from Hell's magical academia.

Only this object could carve out a territory belonging to Hell upon land shrouded in Holy Light!

Most humans on the surface only knew that the core of a Demon Lord Territory was a demon god statue. They did not know what it looked like before it unfolded.

At that moment, Chris and the others noticed nothing unusual about Leon's expression. Instead, they all breathed a sigh of relief at having "completed the mission."

"This should be far enough, right? This isn't Saint Siss's territory anymore... are we really going into the labyrinth?"

Greyhound was the first to break the silence.

Leon could tell that this gloomy-faced man had disliked him for a long time. For some reason, however, he had held himself back from making a move.

"Um... Quinn... uh..." Chris suddenly turned around and looked at that handsome face, but for a moment, she could not remember his name.

"Optimus Prime."

"Optimus Prime? Haha... little brother, your name is really hard to pronounce." Chris smiled awkwardly.

Was that really his name? She could not remember.

But it did not matter. A dead man's name was not important anyway.

"It's not that bad."

Leon wanted to say that he had names that were even harder to pronounce. Three syllables was already going easy on them.

Chris took a deep breath, and a meaningful curve suddenly rose at the corner of her lips.

"Have you heard? They say... that after death, those without faith become homeless undead."

Leon said, "I think I've heard that. Why?"

In fact, it was no different on the surface. Hell was the same.

Aside from clergy who served demon gods, most humans, demonkin, and low-level demons lost most of their memories after death and became undead.

This was not entirely the result of necromancers casting spells. Ever since the fall of the underworld in the Second Era, it had been the fate of most living beings in this world.

To put it simply, the public restroom had been smashed up, and several bandits called gods had carried the toilets inside home.

Since none of them specialized in running restrooms, toilets suddenly became a scarce resource. Some people got to sit while they shat, while others could only shit their pants.

Those who became undead belonged to the latter.

There were witches like Madam Susan, who had died unjustly, miserable people too poor to be buried in a church, and unlucky fools who died in hell or mazes beyond the reach of holy light.

As for nobles, perhaps they had special channels?

He did not know what things were like on the surface, but hell was indeed like this. High-level demons generally could not die, and even if they accidentally did, they could reincarnate as high-level demons in their next life.

Leon suddenly understood what these people were after and nearly failed to hold back his laughter.

So they had been worried that he might actually be some down-on-his-luck noble whose soul would go straight to Saint Siss to complain after death. That was why they planned to kill him and dump him in a maze.

Did Saint Siss really have that much free time?

He actually dealt with this sort of thing?

Or did the Adventurers' Guild have a mechanism similar to a "Red Name"?

"Later... I found out they were simply poor and couldn't afford holy water, haha." Chris rambled to herself before suddenly laughing aloud.

"So, being broke is really scary."

"Indeed." Leon nodded and said seriously, "I understand that deeply... the feeling of not having a single coin in your pocket."

"Really? It doesn't look like it to me. That ring of yours is clearly worth a fortune, and your complexion... I'm guessing you're an Os Empire noble?"

Chris giggled and said sweetly.

"But dear Qin... uh, little brother, you probably don't need to worry. You're different from people like us. You should be able to reincarnate into a good family. Just be more careful in your next life... Ah, right, I almost forgot this is a maze. There might not be a next time."

"I see... You weren't after the Demon King's treasure. You were after me?" A strange smile appeared on Leon's face. "What a pity. I had originally planned to appoint you as grand generals defending the realm, considering you helped me return to my throne."

"Chris, you talk too much. Let's hurry up and send this little brother on his way."

Lexon curled his lip and spun his greatsword in a flourish. Yet somehow, his hand slipped, and the sword flew straight out, grazing past Greyhound beside him.

Nearly becoming a soul beneath the sword, Greyhound broke out in a cold sweat and shot Lexon a furious glare.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Lexon was stunned as well.

Even if he was feeling a little weak today, it should not have been enough to make him unable to hold onto his sword, right?!

"I don't kno—"

Before he could finish, his body suddenly grew heavy. He collapsed to the ground as though he had been hollowed out.

Everyone was instantly startled.

Bond was the first to react.

Without having said a word from beginning to end, he drew a Flintlock Gun and held it in his hand, pulling the trigger at Leon without hesitation.

Bang—!

Tiny pellets sprayed out like raindrops! Yet Leon, who had taken the shot, looked completely unharmed and merely smiled at him.

"Stone Skin Armor!"

A chilling sensation crawled over Chris's entire body. At last, she understood what that ominous feeling had been.

She screamed.

"This guy is definitely not Black Iron! Attack!"

"Ah—!"

Am had already charged forward with two axes raised, their howling blades sweeping toward Leon like a raging storm!

Yet unsurprisingly, he followed the greatswordsman's example, crashing heavily to the ground and being drained completely by Professor Lilith's ring.

Ever since entering the cave, Leon had been secretly stabbing them in the back bit by bit. He simply had not drained them all at once.

"Too late."

Having finished chanting the prayer, he released his right hand. The green cubic pyramid crystal fell with a clink onto the Magic Array he had drawn with his heel.

Creak—

A dark gray statue rose from the ground. Along with it rose the crooked skeletons lying in the corners of the mine.

They gripped mining picks, and a faint, icy chill shone from their hollow eyes.

Perhaps having realized something, Bond, who had remained fairly calm until then, suddenly screamed. He threw away the Flintlock Gun that he had not finished loading and turned to run.

However, before he had even taken two steps, the Skeleton Soldiers surrounding him hacked him into minced meat with their mining picks.

Greyhound tried to resist as well, but the moment he raised his dagger, his muscles went limp and he collapsed. He could only watch helplessly as the skeletons surrounded him, so terrified that he pissed and shit himself.

"What did you do?!" Am was still struggling, trying to get back on his feet.

He was Silver Scimitar's only Bronze, yet at this moment, he was being completely suppressed by this mage who claimed to be Black Iron, unable to fight back at all.

Realizing that the person before them was far stronger than any of them, Chris's eyes widened in terror, her pale face filled with despair.

"Y-you're a necromancer?!"

Standing in the center of the five-pointed star glowing with an eerie green light, Leon watched his Faith Points slowly rise with satisfaction.

Faith Points +1

Faith Points +2

The taste of fear—

It was truly wonderful.

Although the growth rate could not compare to Demon Lord Academy's graduation ceremony, an increase of several dozen points was still better than nothing.

Right.

It was better to share joy with everyone than enjoy it alone.

"A necromancer?"

He took a cloudy crystal ball from his robe and held it in his palm, quietly admiring the despair etched onto those faces while harvesting another wave of Faith Points.

"Call me the Demon Lord."

My schedule's a mess again. I'll upload this first—please help catch any typos.