The First Version Update!

The deep, dark mine.

Two Skeleton Soldiers carrying pickaxes stood before a ridiculously handsome statue, stroking their jawbones as they critiqued it.

"Has this statue... changed?"

The Boar-Headed Knight vaguely remembered that when he had been online last night, the statue had not seemed to look like this.

The Minotaur Warrior beside him shook his head.

"I never paid attention to this thing... Come to think of it, what was this statue for?"

"No idea. Whatever, it's ugly as hell! Smash it!" The Boar-Headed Knight absolutely refused to admit that he was jealous.

However, just as he raised his pickaxe and was about to mess with it, a green light struck him in the forehead, ejecting his soul straight out of the skeleton's body.

"Fuck?!"

Staring blankly at the skeleton collapsed on the ground, the Boar-Headed Knight, now floating in the air as a soul, cried out in alarm.

"How did I turn into a corpse?!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn, who had just logged in as well, walked over and studied him for a moment before looking at the statue ahead.

"My guess... is that you touched something you shouldn't have."

Though curious about what was strange about the statue, with the cautionary example right beside him, he did not dare take even one step closer.

The Boar-Headed Knight was so anxious he was practically about to cry.

"Fuck, there wasn't even a warning sign on it... Wait, how am I supposed to get back into my body?!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn said, "Open your interface and take a look. See if there's anything abnormal in your status bar?"

Every player could choose whether to hide or display their interface.

Through the interface, they could check their attribute panel, current status, health bar, quest log, and more.

Sure enough.

Brother Boar quickly found something unusual in his status bar. A line of small text was displayed at the upper right of the demon icon.

Lord Demon Lord's Punishment: 59 minutes 21 seconds.

"Fuck... Soul separation for an hour?! And I have to stay online?!"

"If it's an in-game skill, then there's nothing to be done." One Leaf Knows Autumn shook his head and walked away from him. "We should put up a sign here later... Since you already stepped on the mine, just spectate for now."

"Fuck!"

In soul form, players could not move too far away from the core of the Demon Lord Territory and could only wander around nearby.

Seeing Brother Boar looking so pitiful, the bunch of jokers all burst into heartless laughter.

But thanks to that, all the players came to a shared understanding—

The Demon Lord's statue seemed untouchable.

Watching the players from not far away, especially the guy named One Leaf Knows Autumn, Leon suddenly spoke to the empty air beside him.

"You You, is that guy your alt?"

Although there was no mirror here, Leon had discovered not long ago that being unable to see each other did not interfere with their communication.

You You answered with a mixture of laughter and tears.

"What are you talking about, Lord Demon Lord? How could that possibly be?"

"Fine, I just thought he seemed a little too smart... Never mind."

Anyone who attacked the core of the Demon Lord Territory would be forcibly kicked out of their character for one hour.

A second offense would count as deliberate troublemaking, starting at twenty-four hours.

Leon had originally planned to find a sign later and put it up nearby, reminding everyone not to attack the respawn point. He had not expected a clumsy little troublemaker to show up so quickly.

It seemed a warning sign alone would not be enough. He should hide this aggro-drawing statue as soon as possible.

This was human territory, after all. Who knew when adventurers might show up?

Staring at that handsome, upright figure, Leon examined it carefully for a long while before finally sighing.

"You You... you've really put me in a difficult spot."

Perhaps feeling a little guilty herself, You You offered a quiet, awkward consolation.

"It's okay, Lord Demon Lord! Look... isn't the statue pretty handsome?"

"It's not about whether it's handsome or not... I'm in deep trouble."

Leon shook his head and stared silently at the ceiling of the mine.

First of all, he would not be able to piggyback off the Demon God's faith.

Every human knew that the Demon God was called Bayeri, and they knew what He looked like.

As for Leon...

What the hell was that supposed to be?

Then there was Hell's attitude, which was also what Leon was most concerned about right now.

Perhaps, just as You You had said, the Demon God could not sense a territory this far away. But once things here stabilized, Hell would inevitably send someone over to take a look.

If they discovered that he had replaced the Demon God statue with one of himself without permission...

He did not even dare imagine what would happen.

"I need to find a craftsman in Thunder City who knows how to make statues."

Come to think of it, could he really find a craftsman willing to make a Demon God statue in a free city that worshipped Saint Siss?

Maybe he should just capture one instead...

"Lord Demon Lord, we don't need to worry about that for now, do we? Even if people from Hell want to come over, it'll take them some time, right?" Worried that Leon had forgotten the important matter, You You softly urged him, "Why don't we hurry up and get to work?"

"Got it."

Knowing what she was hinting at, Leon stood in the mine tunnel and glanced around. Quite a few skeletons were still standing dumbly against the walls without moving, clearly offline.

As one-in-ten-thousand closed beta players, these guys were actually being this lazy.

That would not do!

"You You, go post an official update on the Official Website first... Let the players know about Hell Money."

Leon suddenly remembered something else and continued.

"Right, not just the currency system. There's also Contribution Points... Players can earn Contribution Points by completing missions. Contribution Points can be used for 'Soul Ascension' and 'class advancement.'"

Faith Points were not something only he could use. They could also be used on the Soul Mirror Images controlled by the players.

At present, all the players' Soul Levels were Ordinary Person, with a level cap of only three, equivalent to ordinary people without Extraordinary Power. Only after ascending to Black Iron would their level cap unlock to Level 10. Bronze-level was Level 30, Steel-level was Level 50... and so on.

Ascending an Ordinary Person Soul Level to Black Iron only cost 100 Faith Points, which was not much compared to the cost of ascending from Bronze-level to Steel-level.

If these players could create enough value for him, he would not mind upgrading their gaming experience a little—letting them play as High-level Demons, for example.

Of course.

He was also severely lacking in Faith Points, so for now, he would set the exchange rate between Contribution Points and Faith Points at 10:1.

Whoever was the first to gather 1,000 Contribution Points would become the first big shot to break through the Level 3 cap! Go on, compete yourselves to death!

Leon, who could not lose no matter what, curled his lips into a faintly sinister smile.

He realized he was becoming more and more like a Demon Lord.

Seeing that the esteemed Lord Demon Lord had finally started doing proper work, You You also perked up and replied energetically.

"Received!"

At the same time, a pinned post appeared on the official forum for "Calamity Online."

a.0.1 Version Update Notice: New Currency System! Dear players, in order to improve everyone's gaming experience, this non-maintenance update specially introduces the "Hell Money" and "Contribution Points" systems! As the sole currency circulating within the Great Cemetery, Hell Money can be used to purchase equipment and items from NPC shops or the system store! However, since the store system is still under development, it will only go online after some time. Please be patient! In addition, the Contribution Points system deserves special mention. Players can earn Contribution Points by completing Lord Demon Lord's missions. Accumulating Contribution Points can raise your Soul Level, unlock higher Level caps, and allow you to reincarnate into other, even cooler species in the future! Only higher Soul Levels can control higher-level monsters and even demons.

Including, but not limited to, the Succubus everyone has been looking forward to~

Leon took a moment to glance at the Official Website.

He had originally been worried that You You would not understand what he meant, but unexpectedly, she was quite capable. She had even painted a rosy picture for him at the end.

Without any surprise, the beasts squatting on the forum, chatting idly instead of working, instantly erupted.

"Holy shit?!"

"Does the development team ever sleep?!"

"We only suggested it yesterday, and it got updated as soon as dawn broke!!"

"Got it! As long as we save enough Contribution Points, we can get rid of these bone racks, right!!"

"Brothers, see you later! Your brother here is going to grind progress!"

"Bro! Once you become a Succubus, let me borrow you for a bit..."

"Get lost! What can a sorry-looking bastard like you do besides get me covered in bone ash?"

"Damn it! Dog Devs, don't just keep updating—give out more accounts already!!! (Losing it)"

"Fuck it! This lousy job isn't worth working! I gave my boss a day off!!!"

"..."

The poor little chives had already been hooked into bass.

In just one minute, a hundred Skeleton Soldiers logged back in all at once! Before Leon could say anything, frenzied clattering surrounded him.

"Lord Demon Lord! Who are we chopping up today?"

"Invade! I want to invade the surface hard!!!"

"I feel ridiculously awesome right now! I can take on ten Chosen Ones!!!"

"..."

Faced with the deafening chaos of the demon horde, Leon raised his voice and said in a solemn, majestic tone.

"Quiet! Listen to me!"

The players, caught up in their excitement, naturally had no intention of obeying so readily—but he had never expected them to.

Using the power of his authority to freeze everyone in place, he continued in a calm tone.

"The Demon Lord Territory needs development, not just combat... You can contribute your strengths to the Great Cemetery in any way you excel at!"

"As for the quests, I've already updated them in your quest list. You can check them through the quest tab in the interface..."

After saying that, Leon lifted the authority restricting the players' movements. He stood where he was with his hands behind his back, signaling that the cutscene was over.

Noisy chatter once again filled the entire mine, but unlike before, it was now chaotic yet orderly.

One Leaf Knows Autumn quickly opened the quest tab and saw a long list of pop-up windows displayed there.

Daily Quest 1: Clear Spider Nest! Description: Reclaiming the fallen labyrinth is urgent!

Reward: For every Cave Spider killed and its corpse brought back, exchange it for 1,000 Hell Money and 10 Contribution Points!

Daily Quest 2: Eliminate the Ratfolk Rebels! Description: The ratfolk have betrayed Hell! They are hiding in every corner of North Peak Mine! These cowardly vermin do not deserve to live! Kill them all! Reward: One ratfolk tail can be exchanged for 100 Hell Money! (Turn in 20 tails in one day to receive 50 Contribution Points!)

Daily Quest 3: Mining! Description: The iron ore and coal mines of North Peak Mine are key to rebuilding the Demon Lord Army!

Reward: One jin of coal or iron ore can be exchanged for 1 Hell Money! (Turn in 1,000 jin of coal in one day to receive 50 Contribution Points!)

Quest 4: Capture adventurers...

Quest 5: Explore unknown landmarks...

Quest 6: Complete equipment crafting orders...

Quest 7: Gather Cave Spider eggs...

There were many kinds of quests, broadly divided into combat quests and life quests.

Compared to yesterday, today's quests not only had more specific requirements, but also listed their corresponding rewards.

One Leaf Knows Autumn glanced around.

To his surprise, after this major update, the players around him were clearly much more motivated than before.

It seemed that even in a sandbox game, players still needed a little motivation.

"So that's how it is... Soul Level determines the level cap. I was wondering what this thing was for."

Peerless Hero muttered to himself while stroking his jawbone and looking at his status panel. Not far away, Xiao Wan Can't Get Enough let out a sorrowful sigh.

"I... I'll just mine coal. Rats and spiders are too difficult for me. Call me when there are some more normal monsters."

Knowledge Explosion said with a cheeky grin.

"Mining coal is great! One jin of coal gets you one Hell Money. I'm gonna mine this whole vein dry!"

Old Man at the Village Entrance couldn't help rolling his eyes when he heard that, then mocked him in a serious tone.

"Keep bragging... With a pickaxe like that, three thousand jin a day would already be your limit."

Knowledge Explosion: "Not necessarily. You don't get tired in games! Three thousand jin in eight hours means nine thousand jin in twenty-four!"

Can't Afford to Play: "Holy shit? Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

"..."

Leon, who had been eavesdropping on the players' conversation, was stunned as well.

Good grief.

They could mine that much in a day?! Had he set the mining rewards too high...?

Unlike the players chattering away in discussion, One Leaf Knows Autumn merely stood quietly before the quest panel and thought, continuing as always to play the role of a solitary Skeleton Soldier.

At that moment, a Skeleton Soldier carrying a one-handed shield and a short spear walked up to him and said, "Wanna team up?"

One Leaf Knows Autumn looked at him. It was an ID he didn't recognize, and he didn't remember talking to him on the Official Website either, so he asked curiously, "I could... but why me?"

"Do you even need to ask? You just look more reliable," the voice replied helplessly. The skeleton then extended his hand. "Hu Wan."

Players could see one another's IDs.

Still, out of courtesy, One Leaf Knows Autumn shook his hand and introduced himself as well.

"One Leaf Knows Autumn."

Hu Wan grinned.

"Pleasure working with you!"

The players in Quality Plaza gradually dispersed, leaving only Boar-Headed Knight, a lone ghost, wailing pitifully in front of the Demon Lord Statue.

"Fuck! Wait for me! I want to go down into the mine too! I'll be unfrozen in forty minutes!"

Watching those departing figures, Leon—who had thoroughly enjoyed the show—wore a pleased smile.

Wonderful.

His little players were all so proactive, saving him quite a bit of trouble.

Maybe he could even slack off and take a vacation in the human world.

Watching the Demon Lord command the skeletons, Chris, Am, Greyhound, and the others huddled in the Stone Prison, trembling.

The skeletons' actions were becoming more and more incomprehensible to them.

Seeing that the prisoners had awakened, Leon opened his suitcase, took out some rations, and tossed them over. After they finished eating, he raised the ring in his hand again and, amid their pleas for mercy, drained each of them half dry.

Faith Points +13

Tsk.

Too little! Looking at the adventurers with utterly broken expressions, Leon felt like he was becoming less and less human.

"Oh right, You You. Add a party function in the next update."

You You said, "Sure thing, Master! Should I arrange it now?"

"No need to rush."

Facing the invisible You You, Leon continued unhurriedly.

"If we update too quickly, the players will think updates are easy for us. You can't get fat in one bite. We have to wait for them to raise problems, then solve them..."

You You suddenly understood and sighed in heartfelt admiration.

"As expected of Lord Demon Lord. You're... truly unfathomable."

Leon smiled faintly, accepting the sincere worship.

Unfortunately...

No matter how much his divine spark admired him, it couldn't contribute Faith Power. You couldn't fly by stepping on your own foot.

"Keep it low-key."

"Just basic stuff."