The Summons of Lord Demon Lord!

The cave was gloomy and dark, lit by the dim, hazy glow of kerosene lamps.

Strange vessels covered the pockmarked stone table as the evil mage muttered quietly to himself.

"Five grams of bezoar, five grams of galegrass root, one Cave Spider eye, one tooth... Grind them into powder in a mortar, then transfer it into a crucible and roast it until purple smoke rises."

The instant the green smoke turned purple, Leon calmly picked up a bottle of pre-purified solution and skillfully poured it into the crucible.

"...Add 200 milliliters of Cave Spider gland extract, maintain the temperature and keep heating it, stirring clockwise with a glass rod. Simmer until it thickens."

The moment he finished speaking, the liquid in the crucible had already turned into a thick paste.

Extract the liquid.

Seal it.

Watching Leon complete the process in one smooth motion, You You asked curiously.

"What is that?"

Leon inserted the corked test tube into the rack and answered concisely.

"An antidote. It's mainly used to counter Cave Spider Paralysis Toxin."

In fact, it could counter more than just Cave Spider venom. It worked against some snake venoms too.

Floating beside him, You You looked at him in confusion.

"Can't magic cure poison?"

Leon patiently explained.

"Magic isn't omnipotent. I've heard of magic that poisons people, but never magic that detoxifies them."

Of course.

Nothing was absolute.

For example, although magic could remove curses but not poison, it could offset poison's negative effects through "Increase Toxin Resistance," "Enhance Antibody Activity," or "Increase Life Recovery Speed."

It was like a lethal poison. As long as the victim's health was greater than the poison's damage, they could still survive it.

There were also infections and plagues caused by microorganisms, which could be dealt with using Holy Light.

Although Saint Siss's followers claimed this was proof of miracles, Holy Light merely killed the microorganisms.

"But... if you're paralyzed, how are you supposed to drink medicine?"

"Poisons don't take effect that quickly. Besides, don't I have summons?"

There was still some medicinal residue left in the extractor. It was what remained after making the Cave Spider gland extract.

Rather than wasting it, Leon transferred the residue into the crucible and continued heating it.

Watching his hands move, the inquisitive You You continued asking.

"What about this? What about this?"

"Female Spider Pheromones. You can smear it on skeletons... It's mainly for pulling monsters."

"A-As expected of Lord Demon Lord! How insidious and cunning!"

In the blink of an eye, Leon finished another bottle of potion. He gently shook it until it was evenly mixed, then set it beside the test tube rack.

"If you don't know how to use idioms, don't force it."

As the top student in the theoretical courses at Demon Lord Academy, potion-making was one of his strongest subjects aside from formation studies.

After all, this subject had no real barrier to entry. As long as one memorized the recipes, it was simply a matter of practice making perfect.

Drawing on his experience from organic chemistry classes in his previous life, as well as the influence of modern civilization, Leon had not only thoroughly mastered the material in the textbooks but also made his own innovations to the dosages.

After all, Demon Lord Academy taught potions suitable for demons to drink. To humans, they were basically Beast Drug.

It wasn't as if they had no effect, but they definitely fell short in various ways.

He repeated the earlier process more than a dozen times. Only when the test tubes were nearly filled did Leon begin preparing the next batch of potions.

Besides antidotes and pheromones, he needed to prepare Escape Potion to dissolve spider silk, Vitality Potion to remove petrification, and more. Most importantly, he needed Red Potion for treating external injuries and Blue Potion for restoring mana.

After finally finishing all his preparations, Leon tucked the potion-filled test tubes one by one into a specially made vest and wore it beneath his robe.

Although this increased his burden considerably, it also more than doubled his firepower! Forget Silver-level Ige—even Mia, who was just one step away from Gold-rank, was someone he dared to challenge now! After tidying his appearance in front of the mirror, Leon gave You You an order.

"You You, pick five players above Lv3 with IDs that aren't too cringe. Send them a main quest and have them wait for me at the maze entrance."

"Received! Lord Demon Lord!"

The white mist manifested before the mirror gave a playful salute. At the same time, quest windows appeared before the players who were grinding monsters.

Elsewhere, One Leaf Knows Autumn and Hu Wan, the two "gold-medal Skeleton Soldiers," were farming monsters on the first floor of the maze beneath the open skylight. Unexpectedly, they had fallen into a tough battle.

"This is tricky... That thing won't chase us out."

For the Nth time, their attempt to lure a monster had failed. Hu Wan gripped his short sword and stared intently at the giant spider in the distance, his gaze solemn.

One Leaf Knows Autumn was the same. Hidden behind a stone pillar with a spear in hand, he rubbed his index finger against his jaw as he sank into thought.

Previously, whenever Cave Spiders discovered intruders stepping into their webs, they would immediately go on alert, attack within three seconds, and chase them beyond the "territory" covered by their webs! But now, they seemed to be on strike. They could not even be bothered to glance at Skeleton Soldiers invading their territory, acting as if they saw nothing even when the skeletons wrecked their webs.

Only when they risked approaching within twenty paces would the Cave Spiders warily draw in their eight legs.

Even then, however, they would not rashly attack unless the intruders came within fifteen or even ten paces, or approached their eggs and young.

Had they leveled too quickly and caused the developers to secretly alter the aggro mechanics?

No—

One Leaf Knows Autumn carefully observed the Cave Spider nest before him and finally noticed something unusual.

"So that's it..."

"What is it?" Hu Wan swiftly cast him an inquiring look.

"Look at those webs." One Leaf Knows Autumn pointed forward with his spear. "Don't you notice something extra?"

"Something extra? You mean... those 'cocoons'?"

Hu Wan noticed them too. In the dense webs hung grayish-white cocoon shells.

Unlike the basketball-sized spider eggs, these cocoons were half a person tall.

Because their shape resembled spider eggs so closely, they would be easy to overlook without careful observation.

"If I'm not mistaken, those should be yesterday's ratmen."

Hu Wan stared at him in astonishment.

"You mean these Cave Spiders aren't just full, but have also lost their desire to hunt because they've stockpiled so much food?"

Was that even possible? As a professional player, he was more inclined to believe that the developers had noticed them leveling too quickly and increased their difficulty while lowering the difficulty for other players.

After all, with Cave Spiders moving more sluggishly, conventional frontal tactics involving teams of four or five would become comparatively more profitable.

This was the first time he had heard a game explained through biological theory.

"That's exactly what I mean."

Watching the lazy spider and the white fruits hanging around it, a glimmer of excitement surfaced in One Leaf Knows Autumn's solemn gaze.

"This game... is even more realistic than I imagined."

It was not merely the relationship between predators and prey. The developers had also established the hunting habits and living behaviors of different creatures on that foundation! He felt unprecedented excitement.

What he saw was not merely meticulous game design, but the developers' wholehearted sincerity!

Interesting.

This was simply too interesting!

He could not help beginning to anticipate what the other monsters in the maze would be like, whether they would be the same as these "beginner monsters" hiding outside Novice Village.

Just then, a quest window appeared before him.

Quest: The Summons of Your Majesty Demon Lord!

Description: Your Majesty Demon Lord intends to enter the maze to hunt and is recruiting five LV3 followers. Accept the invitation?

Reward: Determined by contribution to the party battle.

Note: Death penalties are waived during the quest.

"I got a summons quest here. What about you?" Hu Wan looked up at One Leaf Knows Autumn.

"I got one too." One Leaf Knows Autumn nodded and selected the accept button. "Take it. There's no downside."

The quest required players to be above LV3. At present, the number of players across the entire server who had reached that level could probably be counted on one hand.

Clearly, this quest had been sent to them.

"That's what I thought too. In a closed beta like this, actively cooperating with the developers is never a bad thing... Let's wait for them."

The gathering point was the first-floor entrance near them, and there were still more than ten minutes before the quest began.

Hu Wan selected the accept button as well, then hung his short sword in the leather sheath at his waist.

Just then, he remembered something. He turned his gaze to One Leaf Knows Autumn and asked.

"By the way, how long until you reach LV4? I remember you were only a little short."

One Leaf Knows Autumn nodded.

"I still need over three thousand Experience Points."

"Why do you still need more than 3,000?" Hu Wan looked at him in surprise. "I remember you were almost ready to level up last night."

Since One Leaf Knows Autumn was responsible for landing the killing blow on monsters, he received slightly more Experience Points.

Hu Wan had reached LV3 that morning.

He had thought that after farming monsters all morning, this guy should have reached LV4 even if his progress was slow. Yet he was still lingering at LV3 just like him.

"I was still short by 5,000 last night... Now, killing one Cave Spider only gives me a little more than half the Experience Points it did at LV1."

"I see... I thought my Experience Points had dropped because I didn't contribute much today. I didn't expect yours to have dropped too." Hu Wan grinned. "Looks like if we want to grow stronger, we really do have to challenge higher-level monsters."

One Leaf Knows Autumn rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned his gaze toward the web beside them.

"Know your limits... With our current strength, Cave Spiders are already the most efficient option."

Calamity Online had only truly been open for one day and two nights. Most players had only just reached LV1, while some casual players were still at LV0.

Compared to them, their progress was already very fast.

It only seemed slow because this game was such a grind.

As the two chatted, the other three skilled players who had received the quest arrived one after another.

It was nearly impossible to level this quickly by soloing in this game. Unless something unexpected had happened, those three should also have been party players.

Judging from their equipment, their classes were archer, sword-and-shield warrior, and two-handed axe warrior... Their division of roles was quite clear.

Although it was somewhat difficult for a Skeleton Soldier to wield a Two-Handed Axe with its strength, that guy had probably equipped the weapon after reaching LV3.

More than that, like himself, he had likely invested all his level-up skill points into strength.

Staring at the two-handed axe warrior approaching from afar, Hu Wan said in slight surprise.

"I didn't expect him to pick up that Two-Handed Axe."

One Leaf Knows Autumn looked at him.

"You know him?"

Hu Wan shook his head.

"No... But I recognize that axe. It seemed to have been dropped beside the prison, together with the greatsword held by the NPC. Someone tried to pick it up, but failed. After that, I never saw it again."

When the game had first opened, equipment belonged to whoever picked it up.

By now, that fellow had probably registered ownership of that "starting Divine Equipment."

Being able to raise his strength to 5 before everyone else, that guy was talented in his own way.

Seeing that the two in front had already arrived, the two-handed axe warrior walking at the front greeted them with a smile.

"You must be One Leaf Knows Autumn, right? I've heard so much about you!"

At the same time, an ID appeared above his head—

Long Xing Wan Li

What an imposing name!

But One Leaf Knows Autumn had never seen it on the forums...

Or did the real experts all prefer to quietly make their fortunes?

One Leaf Knows Autumn then looked at the two behind him. Their names followed the same theme.

The sword-and-shield warrior was Long Xing Qian Li, while the archer was Long Xing Bai Li.

Hu Wan could not help muttering under his breath.

"Why are they getting shorter and shorter..."

One Leaf Knows Autumn shot him a glance, signaling him not to pick a fight. Then he stepped forward and shook hands with Brother Wan Li.

"A pleasure to meet you!"

"Haha! You're too polite! The pleasure is mine!" Long Xing Wan Li laughed heartily and said casually, "If it weren't for your guide, I wouldn't have gotten this axe so quickly!"

At that point, the cheerful Skeleton Soldier abruptly changed the subject and skillfully extended an olive branch.

"To be honest, the three of us are in the same guild. We only recently decided to move over here, and we were lucky enough to get Closed Beta Qualification. You seem like one of us, brother. Are you interested in exploring new territory together?"

One Leaf Knows Autumn smiled faintly and replied calmly.

"Parties are welcome, and making friends is welcome! But as for joining an organization, please forgive me for declining. I'm used to being free and undisciplined. I've joined some guilds before, but in the end, I found solo play suited me better."

Though rejected, Long Xing Wan Li did not seem too disappointed. He simply laughed heartily.

"Is that so? Hahaha, what a shame! With your talent, you could earn at least five figures a month with us. If this game supports streaming in the future, six figures wouldn't be a dream."

One Leaf Knows Autumn shook his head.

"It's not about the money."

"I get you." Brother Wan Li released his hand, patted his arm, and smiled. "If you ever change your mind, make sure you consider Long Xing Tian Xia!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn clasped his fists and smiled politely.

"Certainly!"

Long Xing Wan Li nodded, then looked at Hu Wan standing beside him. Before he could speak, Hu Wan raised a hand.

"No need to ask me."

Long Xing Wan Li grinned.

"I know you don't need to be asked. Hu Wan, right? That ID looks familiar. I know you."

Hu Wan: "...?"

Which game was he talking about?

Long Xing Wan Li did not explain. He merely looked toward the other two behind him and introduced Brother Qian Li and Brother Bai Li as well.

More accurately, Sister Qian Li.

That sword-and-shield warrior was actually a female player, and she had apparently reached LV3 already. This was beyond One Leaf Knows Autumn's expectations.

This game was different from Honor of Kings.

Since most monsters were ugly to the depths of their souls, being a tank required a certain degree of mental fortitude.

"Have you been grinding monsters here the whole time?" Thousand Miles looked around, then turned to One Leaf Knows Autumn.

One Leaf Knows Autumn nodded with a smile.

"That's right. Until last night, the grinding efficiency here was pretty high."

Thousand Miles immediately pressed on.

"Is today different?"

"Yeah." One Leaf Knows Autumn did not hide anything. Looking at the spiderwebs around them, he explained his discovery. "After yesterday's monster siege, the spiders here stocked up on a huge amount of food. Their pursuit range has shrunk a lot, making them much harder to kite... Of course, that might actually be an opportunity for you."

"These Cave Spiders haven't just become less aggressive; their mobility has also dropped significantly. As long as you, the main tank, can withstand two attacks, your main DPS teammate can take its flank without trouble. I think I mentioned it in the strategy guide—their weak point is the abdomen... So your captain should probably consider replacing that Two-Handed Axe with a spear or a one-handed sword."

"Got it! But why two attacks?" Although she knew it was not appropriate to pry, Thousand Miles still asked eagerly.

One Leaf Knows Autumn was not nearly as sensitive about it as she was, and he replied with a smile.

"Because these spiders usually poke their prey with their forelimbs first, then bite with their mouthparts. My guess is that their faces are relatively large, so their long-range vision is stronger while their close-range vision is worse. They need their forelimbs to confirm exactly where their prey is... Imagine trying to look at the tip of your own nose. They have more eyes than you, so they should be even blinder."

"So that's how it is... So its attack pattern is a two-hit combo, right? I'll remember that!"

Thousand Miles carefully memorized every word he said, listening as attentively as if she were in class.

Is this what a salaried player was like? One Leaf Knows Autumn could not help but sigh inwardly. Fortunately, he no longer had to struggle to make a living and could focus on enjoying the game itself.

However, seeing how he was sharing everything he knew, Brother Hu Wan beside him became jealous.

"Hey, is that how you people fish for intel?"

"Hahahaha, sorry," Long Xing Wan Li laughed heartily, pulling Thousand Miles aside. "Our guildmate was indeed being presumptuous. Let me apologize on her behalf! Or I can compensate you—Hell Money isn't very convenient, so how about RMB? Give me a phone number—"

"Don't be like that. It's not some earth-shattering secret, and I'll be posting it on the forums later anyway."

One Leaf Knows Autumn waved his hand with a helpless smile, politely declining the offer. Then he glanced at Hu Wan in resignation.

"Brother, can we not start trouble?"

Hu Wan subtly looked away.

"I was just worried you'd get taken advantage of... Forget it. You found the clue anyway. If you don't mind, then you don't mind."

He had said it purely out of professional habit.

After all, in his worldview, high-value information like this—especially information from the early exploration phase—was something people had to pay for.

Given the commercial prospects of Calamity Online, even selling it for a hundred thousand yuan would not be asking too much.

"Alright! If you won't take money, then I'll count it as a favor. I'll remember this favor! If you ever need help with anything, just let me know."

Long Xing Wan Li said with a smile.

Having inexplicably made him owe someone a favor, Thousand Miles felt a little embarrassed. She wanted to say something, but the Skeleton Archer beside her stopped her with a meaningful look.

Although he had not said a single word from beginning to end, Hundred Miles, the guild leader's number-one lackey, had seen it clearly. This was merely the guild leader taking a step back to advance.

If one wanted to quickly close the distance with someone, owing them a favor was far more effective than doing them one.

It was obvious that the boss truly admired this guy.

Of course.

This guy really did have some skills.

While everyone was joking around, the boss of the Great Cemetery finally arrived on the scene.

He wore a plain robe and held a short, willow-branch-like Magic Wand in his hand.

Though he had no splendid clothes or expensive jewels to adorn him, no one could ignore his presence.

Evil.

Elegant.

On that wickedly imposing face, being handsome seemed like the most insignificant of his virtues.

One Leaf Knows Autumn had to admit that the NPC design really did feel like a boss.

No lengthy buildup was needed.

The moment he opened his mouth, it was like a cinematic cutscene.

"Very good. You're all here."

Leon swept his eyes over the players with great flair.

It was not that he liked showing off. He simply knew that these players ate this sort of thing up.

All he needed to do was play the part of a ruthless, tight-lipped Demon King and maintain the Demon King's proper aura.

As for the plot and all that.

They would come up with it themselves.

His gaze passed over the five Skeleton Soldiers before settling on the Cave Spiders that had taken over the magpie's nest. He lightly waved the Magic Wand in his hand.

"It's time for these traitors to pay for their shortsightedness and stupidity."