After taking care of breakfast, I connected to the virtual interface, but I didn’t enter the game right away. Instead, I spent a little while browsing the forums.
It wasn’t until I came across a few posts discussing a newly discovered Dark Bat grinding spot near Soma Town that I finally got a rough idea of what was going on.
The fact that people were discussing it meant that, at the very least, I wouldn’t have to worry about spending all that effort designing monsters only for nobody to come and level up (read: suffer) against them.
Still, I didn’t know the specifics yet.
So as soon as I logged in, I planned to head straight for the control room. But first, a system notification appeared, telling me I’d completed a quest.
System: Quest [Dark Bats’ Feast of Revelry (I)] completed.
At least twelve hours had passed since I’d accepted the quest, and now it was the next day. Around 7,000 bats had been produced, so I’d completed it with plenty to spare.
A flash of light swept over me. The experience from the quest reward took me from Level 0 to Level 2—graduating from a Level-Five Combat Scrub to a Level-Six Combat Scrub. So the Demon King gig did have its perks. This leveling speed was miles ahead of a normal player’s.
System: Quest [Dark Bats’ Feast of Revelry (II)] triggered.
Quest: Dark Bats’ Feast of Revelry (II)
Quest Description: The fear of the Dark Bats continues to spread. This is the second unforgettable lesson the Demon King has taught the Light Faction.
Quest Requirements: Dark Bats produced (7,840/60,000); total damage dealt by Dark Bats (214,648/1,000,000)
Quest Rewards: 150 energy, 8,000 experience, 4,000 units of Dark Element, Random Monster Nest Blueprint (Level 0–5) ×3
It looked like a quest I wouldn’t be finishing anytime soon, so I set it aside for now and headed to the control room.
Hill seemed to have been expecting me and was already waiting there with some black tea prepared. If it weren’t for the pink hair and demon horns, I’d have thought I was some young lady vacationing at the Demon King’s Castle.
“Hill, how are things going?”
“Your Majesty, so far the results have been excellent. You’ll need to review the details for yourself.”
Just as Hill had said, the results really were excellent.
In just half a day, I’d gained around 50 energy. Some of it had come from the cycle, and the rest—well, there was no doubt my designs had put those players through a lot.
With the quest reward and what I’d had left over, I now had around 120 energy.
Since this was a farming game, there was no point letting these “funds” go to waste. I had to spend them where they’d do the most good. It was just like investing: sometimes, waiting too long could cost you more than a little.
So I didn’t hesitate much. I spent 10 energy to raise the Dark Bat nest’s capacity limit by 2,000, then used 30 energy and 600 Dark Element to produce 600 additional Dark Bats and send them to the Forest Ruins. That was the first step in expanding the ruins’ grinding spot.
The images transmitted from the Heart of Herentis showed just how popular the Forest Ruins grinding spot had become. It was dangerous, but the generous experience and the speed at which players could clear monsters still drew plenty of people in.
On top of that, all the grinding spots for players below Level 5 near Soma Town were packed. Except for monsters that were especially troublesome to handle at this stage, those eager to level up probably wouldn’t pass up a single spot.
That was why I’d chosen to set up a Dark Bat gathering ground near Soma Town. I’d spent some time there early in my previous life as a player, so I knew the place well.
That made expanding the Dark Bat gathering ground especially important. A larger territory meant more monsters, and more players leveling up there. Both were essential to the two ways I could gain energy: the cycle and the damage dealt.
Capacity alone wasn’t enough. I also needed a fast enough respawn rate to keep it going.
But just as I was about to spend 20 energy to increase the number of sprites produced, I suddenly noticed something strange.
“Huh, Hill, why are there five fewer sprites?” I frowned at the number displayed on the Eternal Tree.
Sprite upkeep wasn’t cheap, after all. With my current resources, every expense was worth worrying about—especially when it was money down the drain.
Hill studied the map displayed on the Heart of Herentis. “Your Majesty, there’s a group of Skeleton Warriors near the Dark Element gathering site where you assigned the sprites. Those three sprites were probably captured by them.”
“They dared to capture the Demon King’s subordinates?” I blinked.
“Low-level monsters aren’t very intelligent. They may not know Your Majesty exists.” Hill glanced at me and kindly added, “Besides, you’re a Demon King in name only right now.”
“...Even so, the Demon King’s dignity must not be defiled. I’d like to see just how strong those skeletons are.” It sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but I was actually thinking about more than that.
I’d just taken a rough look at the map. Dark Element gathering sites were common around Herentis, but most of the ones near the Demon King’s Castle were clustered around that group of Skeleton Warriors.
In other words, if I didn’t deal with this problem first, my sprites would keep getting captured during future gathering trips. I also wanted to find out what the Dark Faction’s monster groups were really like.
Hill thought for a moment. “In that case, please be careful, Your Majesty. Under normal circumstances, low-level skeletons wouldn’t act against their instincts. That means one of them must have developed a degree of intelligence.”
“Or there may be some other highly intelligent creature among them.”
“Don’t worry, Hill. They can’t be that smart. Besides, don’t you know how amazing I am~?” I said with complete confidence.
Hill didn’t say anything. She simply lifted her gaze a little, glanced at my conspicuously pink hair, and nodded.
Hey, don’t make it that obvious!
