Lord Demon Lord's Summons!

The Lord Demon Lord's Summon! A gloomy and dark cave, with flickering and dim kerosene lamp light.

A pitted stone table was covered with strange utensils, and an evil mage was muttering in a low voice.

"Five grams of ox-gall, five grams of wind-fixing grass root, one Cave Spider eye, one tooth... Add to a mortar and grind into powder, then transfer to a crucible and bake until purple smoke appears."

The moment the cyan smoke turned purple, Leon calmly took 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 continue heating, and stir clockwise with a stirring rod, simmering until thick."

Just as he finished speaking, the liquid in the crucible had turned into a viscous paste.

Extract.

Encapsulate.

Watching Leon's smooth movements, You You asked curiously.

"What is this?"

Inserting the test tube with the cork into the test tube rack, Leon replied concisely.

"Antidote, mainly used to counteract the Paralysis Toxin of the Cave Spider."

In fact, it's not just the toxins of Cave Spiders, but also some snake venoms that can be counteracted.

You You, who was floating beside him, looked at him in confusion.

"Can't magic detoxify?"

Leon said patiently.

"Magic is not omnipotent. I've only heard of magic for poisoning, not magic for detoxification."

Of course.

Nothing is absolute.

For example, although magic can only dispel curses and not detoxify, it can counteract the negative effects of toxins by "Increasing Toxin Resistance," "Enhancing Antibody Activity," or "Increasing Life Recovery Speed."

This is like even a deadly poison; as long as the recipient's health is greater than the dose of the toxin, they can still withstand it.

In addition, some microbial infections and plagues can also be dealt with by Holy Light.

Although the followers of Saint Siss claim this is evidence of a miracle, it is actually just the Holy Light killing the microorganisms.

"But... if you're paralyzed, how can you drink the potion?"

"The toxin doesn't take effect that quickly. Besides, I still have summons."

There were still some medicinal residues left in the extractor, which were left over from making the Cave Spider gland extract.

Leon did not waste these materials, but transferred them to the crucible and continued heating.

Watching the movements of his hands, the studious You You continued to ask.

"What about this? What about this?"

"Female Spider Pheromones, which can be applied to skeletons... mainly used to pull monsters."

"No, as expected of Lord Demon Lord! Truly insidious and cunning!"

In the blink of an eye, another potion was made. Leon gently shook it evenly, then placed it aside on the test tube rack.

"Don't force yourself to use idioms if you're not good at them."

As a theoretical class genius at Demon Lord Academy, potionology could be said to be his best subject besides formation studies.

After all, only this subject had no threshold; as long as you memorized the recipe, all that was left was practice makes perfect.

Combining his experience from organic chemistry classes in his previous life, as well as the influence and edification of modern civilization, Leon not only thoroughly understood the content in the books, but also made his own innovations to the dosage of the recipes.

After all, what Demon Lord Academy taught were potions suitable for demons to drink, which were like veterinary medicine for humans.

Although they weren't without therapeutic effects, they were definitely lacking in various aspects.

Repeating the previous steps more than a dozen times, until the test tubes were about to be filled, Leon continued to configure the next set of potions.

Not only antidotes and pheromones, but he also had to prepare "Escape Potions" to dissolve spider silk, "Vitality Potions" to remove petrification, and most importantly, "Red Potions" to treat external injuries and "Blue Potions" to replenish mana.

Finally, after completing all the preparations, Leon stuffed the test tubes filled with potions into a specially made vest and wore it under his robe.

Although this meant a significant increase in weight, it also increased his firepower more than twofold! Now, not to mention the Silver-level Ige, he even dared to challenge Mia, who was only one step away from the Gold-rank! Standing in front of the mirror and tidying up his appearance, Leon ordered You You.

"You You, help me pick five players above level 3 with IDs that aren't too embarrassing, and send them a main quest to wait for me at the entrance of the Maze."

"Received! Your Majesty Demon Lord!"

The white mist transformed in front of the mirror gave a playful salute, and the corresponding quest pop-up appeared in front of the players who were grinding monsters at the same time.

On the other side, One Leaf Knows Autumn and Hu Wan, two "Gold Medal Skeleton Soldiers," were grinding monsters on the first floor of the Maze, which had a skylight, and unexpectedly found themselves in a bitter battle.

"Tricky... this guy won't chase after us."

After failing to lure the monster for the Nth time, Hu Wan, holding a short sword, stared intently at the large spider not far away, with a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

One Leaf Knows Autumn, who was holding a Spear and lying in ambush behind a stone pillar, was the same, rubbing his chin and falling into thought.

In the past, after Cave Spiders discovered intruders stepping into their webs, they would immediately enter a state of alert, then attack within three seconds, and would chase them out of the "territory" covered by their webs! But now, they were acting as if they were on strike, not even bothering to look at the Skeleton Soldiers who invaded their territory, even if they were causing great damage to the webs, they pretended not to see it.

Only when they ventured to approach within twenty steps would these Cave Spiders alertly retract their eight legs.

But even so, they would not rashly attack unless they continued to approach within fifteen or even ten steps, or approached the spider eggs and cubs.

Could it be that my leveling up too fast caused the official to secretly change the aggro mechanism?

No—

One Leaf Knows Autumn carefully observed the Cave Spider nest in front of him and finally discovered a clue.

"I see..."

"What's wrong?" Hu Wan quickly cast an inquiring look at him.

"Look at those webs," One Leaf Knows Autumn pointed forward with the Spear in his hand, "Don't you notice anything more?"

"Anything more? Are you talking about... those 'cocoons'?"

Hu Wan also noticed at this time that some grayish-white cocoons were hanging in the dense part of the web.

Unlike the spider eggs the size of basketballs, these cocoons were a good half a person tall.

Because their shape really resembled spider eggs, it would be easy to overlook them without careful observation.

"If I'm not mistaken, that should be yesterday's Ratfolk."

Hu Wan looked at him in astonishment.

"You mean, these Cave Spiders aren't just full, but also have lost their desire to hunt because they've hoarded a lot of food?"

Was such a thing possible? As a professional player, he was more inclined to understand it as the backend staff seeing that they were leveling up too fast and thus increasing the difficulty, while reducing the leveling difficulty for other players.

After all, since the Cave Spiders' movements had become sluggish, the benefits of a regular frontal assault by a four or five-person team would be relatively higher.

Explaining it from a biological theory perspective, this was the first time he'd heard of it in a game.

"That's exactly what I mean."

Staring at the lazy spider and those white, plump fruits, a hint of excitement flashed in One Leaf Knows Autumn's solemn eyes.

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

Not just the relationship between predator and prey, the game developers had also set up the hunting habits and lifestyles of different creatures on this basis! This made him feel an unprecedented excitement.

What he saw wasn't just the meticulous settings, but also the developers' full sincerity!

Interesting.

Just too interesting!

He couldn't help but start to look forward to what the other monsters in the Maze would be like, and whether they would be like these "beginner monsters" hiding at the entrance of the newbie village.

Just then, a line of pop-up windows appeared in front of him.

[Quest: Your Majesty Demon Lord's Summons!]

[Description: Your Majesty Demon Lord plans to enter the Maze to hunt, and is now recruiting 5 LV3 followers. Do you accept the invitation?]

[Reward: Depends on participation in the team battle.]

[Note: Death penalty is waived during the quest.]

"I received a summons quest here, what about you?" Hu Wan looked up at One Leaf Knows Autumn.

"I received it too." One Leaf Knows Autumn nodded, clicking the accept button. "Let's take it, there's no loss anyway."

The quest requirement was LV3 or above, and probably only a handful of players on the entire server had reached that level.

Clearly, this quest was issued to them.

"That's what I thought too. There's no harm in actively cooperating with the developers during this Closed Beta... Let's wait for them for a while."

The quest's gathering point was near their current location at the first floor entrance, and there were still more than ten minutes before the quest started.

Hu Wan also clicked the accept button, hanging the short sword in the leather holster at his waist.

Just then, he suddenly remembered something, turning his gaze to One Leaf Knows Autumn and asking.

"By the way, how long until you level up to LV4? I remember you were only a little bit away, right?"

One Leaf Knows Autumn nodded.

"Still need more than three thousand experience points."

"How come there's still over 3000?" Hu Wan looked at him in surprise, wondering, "I remember you were almost leveling up last night, weren't you?"

Since One Leaf Knows Autumn was responsible for delivering the final blow to the monsters, the experience points gained were slightly more.

Hu Wan had leveled up to LV3 this morning.

He thought that after grinding monsters for a whole morning, even if the progress was slow, this guy should have reached LV4, but he didn't expect him to still be hovering at LV3 like himself.

"Last night I was still short 5000... Now, killing a Cave Spider only gives me a little more than half the experience points I got at LV1."

"I see... I thought the decrease in experience gain was because I didn't play much of a role today, but I didn't expect you to have decreased too." Hu Wan grinned and said with a smile, "It seems that if you want to become stronger, you still have to challenge higher-level monsters."

One Leaf Knows Autumn touched the bridge of his nose and turned his gaze to the spider web on the side.

"Do what you can... With our current strength, Cave Spiders are already the most efficient choice."

Calamity Online has only been officially launched for a day and two nights, and most players have just leveled up to LV1, with some Buddhist players even still stuck at LV0.

In comparison, their speed is already very fast.

It looks like they're climbing slowly, but it's purely because this game is too grindy.

Just as the two were chatting, the other three high-level players who had received the quest also arrived at the scene one after another.

It's almost impossible to level up so quickly by soloing in this game, so these three should also be team players.

Judging from their equipment, their classes are archer, sword and shield warrior, and two-handed axe warrior... The division of labor is quite clear.

Although it's somewhat difficult for a Skeleton Soldier to wield a two-handed axe with its strength, that guy should have equipped this weapon after leveling up to LV3.

Not only that, but he, like himself, should have had all the skill points from leveling up automatically allocated to strength.

Staring at the two-handed axe warrior walking from a distance, Hu Wan said with slight surprise.

"I didn't expect that two-handed axe to be picked up by him."

One Leaf Knows Autumn looked at him and asked.

"Do you know him?"

Hu Wan shook his head.

"I don't know him... But I recognize that axe. It seemed to have dropped next to the prison at the time, placed together with the greatsword in the hands of the NPC. Someone tried to pick it up, but didn't succeed, and then I didn't see it again."

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

As for now, that brother should have already registered the ownership of this "initial divine equipment".

Being able to add strength to 5 before anyone else, in a sense, this guy is also a talent.

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

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

At the same time, a line of ID appeared above his head—

[Long Xing Wan Li]

What an imposing name!

But I haven't seen it on the forums...

Could it be that the big shots all like to make a fortune in silence? One Leaf Knows Autumn then looked at the two behind him, who were also from the same series.

Sword and Shield Warrior [Long Xing Qian Li], Archer [Long Xing Bai Li].

Hu Wan couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

"How come it's getting shorter and shorter..."

One Leaf Knows Autumn glanced at him, hinting that he shouldn't cause trouble, and stepped forward to shake hands with that Wanli bro.

"Pleased to meet you!"

"Haha! You're too kind! I'm the one who's pleased to meet you!" Long Xing Wan Li laughed heartily, saying in a straightforward manner, "If it weren't for your guide, I wouldn't have gotten this axe so quickly!"

Speaking of this, the hearty Skeleton Soldier changed the subject and skillfully extended an olive branch.

"To be honest, the three of us are actually from the same guild, and we've only recently prepared to move over here. We were also very lucky to get Closed Beta qualifications. Brother, you seem to be one of us, I wonder if you're interested in exploring together?"

One Leaf Knows Autumn smiled gently and said calmly.

"I welcome teaming up and making friends! But as for joining an organization, please forgive me for declining politely. I'm used to being free and easy, and I've joined some guilds before, but in the end, I found that soloing is more suitable for me."

Although he was rejected, Long Xing Wan Li was not too disappointed, just laughed heartily and said.

"Is that so? Hahaha, that's a pity! With your talent, you could earn at least 5 figures a month in our guild, and if this game supports live streaming in the future, 6 figures wouldn't be a dream."

One Leaf Knows Autumn shook his head.

"It's not about the money."

"I understand what you mean," Wanli bro, who had released his hand, patted him on the arm and said with a smile, "If you change your mind, please be sure to consider our Long Xing Tian Xia!"

One Leaf Knows Autumn cupped his fist in his other hand and said with a polite smile.

"Definitely!"

Long Xing Wan Li nodded and looked at Hu Wan, who was standing next to him. Before he could speak, the latter raised his hand.

"I don't need to."

Long Xing Wan Li grinned.

"I know you don't need to, Hu Wan, right? This ID is familiar, I know you."

Hu Wan: "...?"

Which game?

Long Xing Wan Li didn't explain, just looked at the two behind him and introduced the Qianli bro and Baili bro as well.

To be precise, it was Qianli sis.

The Sword and Shield Warrior was actually a female player, and judging from her appearance, she had already reached LV3, which was also beyond One Leaf Knows Autumn's expectations.

This game is different from Honor of Kings.

Since most monsters are ugly to the depths of their souls, being a tank still requires a certain level of psychological fortitude.

"Have you guys been farming monsters here the whole time?" Long Xing Qian Li looked around and then asked One Leaf Knows Autumn.

One Leaf Knows Autumn nodded and said with a smile.

"That's right, until last night, the monster farming efficiency here was relatively high."

Long Xing Qian Li immediately pressed.

"It's different today?"

"Yes," One Leaf Knows Autumn didn't hide anything, looking at the spiderwebs around and explaining his discovery, "After yesterday's monster siege, the spiders here have hoarded a large amount of food, and their chasing range has shrunk a lot, making kiting much more difficult... Of course, this might be an opportunity for you."

"These Cave Spiders not only have their aggressiveness weakened, but their mobility has also been greatly reduced. As long as the main tank can withstand two attacks, the main DPS teammate can successfully take its flank. I should have mentioned in the strategy guide that its weakness is in the abdomen... so your captain should consider replacing the two-handed axe with a Spear or a one-handed sword."

"Understood! But why two attacks?" Although she knew it wasn't good to pry, Long Xing Qian Li still eagerly asked.

One Leaf Knows Autumn wasn't as sensitive as she was, and said with a smile.

"Because these spiders are used to poking their prey with their forelimbs first, and then biting with their mouthparts. I guess this might be because their faces are relatively large, their long-range vision is strong, and their close-range vision is poor, so they need to use their forelimbs to determine the specific location of the prey... You can imagine the feeling of looking at the tip of your nose. It has more eyes than you, so it should be blinder than you."

"I see... so its attack method is a two-hit combo, right? I'll remember that!"

Long Xing Qian Li carefully wrote down every word he said, looking as attentive as if she were in class.

Is this what it's like to be a paid player? One Leaf Knows Autumn couldn't help but sigh in his heart, It's a good thing I no longer have to worry about making a living and can focus on enjoying the game itself.

However, seeing him impart his knowledge so generously, the Hu Wan brother next to him was filled with jealousy.

"Hey, are you guys just going to keep asking for information like that?"

"Hahahaha, sorry," Long Xing Wan Li laughed heartily, pulling Long Xing Qian Li to the side, "It was indeed presumptuous of our guild's brother, I apologize to you on her behalf! Or I can compensate you with money, Hell Money isn't very convenient, how about RMB? Give me a phone number—"

"Don't be like that, it's not a big secret, and I'll write it on the forum later anyway."

One Leaf Knows Autumn waved his hand with a wry smile, politely declining his offer, and then helplessly looked at Hu Wan.

"Buddy, can we not cause trouble?"

Hu Wan subtly shifted his gaze away.

"I'm just afraid you're getting taken advantage of... Forget it, it's your discovery anyway, so it doesn't matter if you don't care."

He said this purely out of professional habit.

After all, in his worldview, this kind of high-value information, especially information from the pioneering stage, had to be exchanged for money.

With the commercial prospects of Calamity Online, selling it for 100,000 yuan wouldn't be too much.

"Alright! If you don't want money, then I'll take it as a favor, I'll remember this favor! If you need any help in the future, just let me know."

Long Xing Wan Li said with a smile.

Feeling somewhat uneasy about owing him a favor for no reason, Long Xing Qian Li, who was standing next to him, wanted to say something, but was stopped by the Skeleton Archer's eye signals.

Although he hadn't said a word from beginning to end, Bai Li, as the guild leader's number one follower, could see very clearly that this was just the guild leader using a feigned retreat.

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

It was clear that the boss really admired this guy.

Of course.

This person really did have some skills.

While everyone was joking around, the Great Cemetery's BOSS finally arrived on the scene.

He wore a simple robe and held a short, willow-like magic wand in his hand.

Although he lacked fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, no one could ignore his presence.

Evil.

Elegant.

On that sinister face, handsomeness seemed to be the least noteworthy of his qualities.

One Leaf Knows Autumn couldn't help but marvel at how well the NPC was designed to give off the feeling of a BOSS.

No need for lengthy exposition.

As soon as he opened his mouth, a cutscene began.

"Very good, you're all here."

Leon glanced at the players with an air of importance.

It wasn't that he liked to show off, but he knew that these players liked this kind of thing.

He just needed to play the part of a ruthless Demon Lord who didn't waste words, maintaining the Demon Lord's proper image.

As for the plot and such...

They would figure it out for themselves.

His gaze swept past the five Skeleton Soldiers, and he turned his attention to the Cave Spiders that had taken over the nest, gently waving the magic wand in his hand.

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