That’s an extreme reaction... It’s like I’m running a cult or something. The Demon Lord felt a cold chill run down his back. Although he’d anticipated it, the dramatic effect of his creation was too severe. Sensing an annoying situation, the Demon Lord quickly made his next move. “Kondo, the Area locations in the north?”
“Y-Yes, sir! I have them all on this tablet!”
The Demon Lord took the tablet displaying the plans for Tahara’s fortification of northern Holylight—his ticket out of this mess. “Kondo. Tron. Keep an eye on this place. Madam...until we meet again.” He scooped up Aku in his arm and vanished via Quick Travel, leaving a plume of black feathers behind.
The Madam and the rest of the villagers could only stare at the aftermath of his dazzling escape.
——Northern Holylight.
“Phew, that was close...”
“M-Master Demon Lord, where are we?!”
“Huh? We’re in northern Holylight. Tahara wanted things done around here.”
If nothing had changed since the meeting, Tahara wanted ten Mid-size Bases established here. Mid-size Bases were made by applying Reinforcement Materials to a Base, then Combining a Fireproof Wall to it—this mitigated damage from all elements by 20%.
The exterior of a Mid-size Base was postapocalyptic. It also had room to hold several turrets that could defend the Base with overwhelming firepower. In addition to machine gun and shotgun turrets, the Base was also defended by land mines on the interior.
To request ten of these bases, Tahara must have foreseen something big coming to northern Holylight. Now, let’s get this party started... Humming to himself, the Demon Lord called up the Admin Screen...and froze. Where’d all that SP go?! He’d spent 5,000 on all the Buckets, 5,000 more on Marina, and 800 on Shoreline Beach and Lighthouse. Realizing that 10,800 SP had vanished over such a short time, the Demon Lord began to tremble. His remaining SP was a measly 6,754...
He felt like a high roller in Vegas who’d squandered his life savings overnight. Still, if the Demon Lord didn’t follow Tahara’s plan, he was worried that he would take a huge bite out of his ass—he certainly had no foresight whatsoever. I just have to do it...! he finally decided.
“Master Demon Lord, are you going to build more things here?!” Aku asked.
“Y-Yes...” he stammered, not daring to meet Aku’s expectant gaze. He only had a handful of chips left to lay on the table. Hang on, my Skill Points... Just a while longer! The Demon Lord’s grueling battle began. 10 Bases, 30 Reinforcement Materials, 10 Fireproof Walls... I’m melting! Melting! That alone burned through 700 SP. The Demon Lord was writhing on the barren ground of the harsh north, feeling like his stock profile was plummeting. In contrast to his blasé attitude toward the physical currency of this world, the Demon Lord was very miserly about his SP in the most pathetic way.
“Master Demon Lord, are you all right?! You look like you’re in pain... Mimi! Don’t jump on him!” Aku said. Mimi had been gleefully stomping on the Demon Lord.
To make matters worse for the Demon Lord, Tahara had also requested that Training Grounds be set up next to the Bases. Does he have any idea how much SP Training Grounds cost?! He’s gonna give me gray hairs! the Demon Lord protested silently. Yet, as he had no alternative plan, he ultimately had no choice but to do as Tahara requested. Training Grounds were created by powering up a Base to Secret Base, then using an item called Questing Mantra through a Unique Evolution. Fighting in the Training Grounds granted extra EXP and Skill Levels. Players who couldn’t get enough fighting often set them up during a Game.
“Dammit!” the Demon Lord bellowed. “Mid-size Base! Training Grounds!”
Aku took a step back from the brutal fortress that materialized. “Wh-What is that...? It looks scary...”
“It’s a defensive Base. Hole up in here and you’ll survive anything,” the Demon Lord explained. He paused its defensive mechanisms and stepped inside.
Aku followed, carefully eyeing the countless turrets that followed them. “Are those for...attacking people?”
“They’re turrets to defend the Base. They can turn an intruder into Swiss cheese... Even though I feel like Swiss cheese right now...” Teetering, the Demon Lord inspected the Mid-size Base—it was a fine fortress, down to every detail and modern amenity. As long as there was enough food stocked up, this fortress could allow for a very long siege.
“That’s amazing! There’s a shower here too!” Aku said.
“Mm-hmm. It has all the basics: beds, hammocks, fridge, stove...”
The Demon Lord went on to inspect the Training Grounds, and he found it satisfactory. The Training Grounds included a Barracks, as well as armed dummies, archery ranges, and even a simple medical facility. It had everything soldiers needed to train for war.
The Demon Lord then used Quick Travel to set up these facilities all over the North, but since the Training Grounds cost 900 SP...he looked as energetic as a ghost when it was all said and done. “My SP... I worked so hard for it...” the Demon Lord muttered, collapsing into a hammock within the first Mid-size Base he had set up.
Mimi jumped onto the Demon Lord, and Aku mischievously followed, straddling him. “Wake up, Master Demon Lord! You can’t sleep on a net!”
“It’s a hammock... Whatever. I have something for you, Aku. That ice pack gave it to me.” The Demon Lord produced a Snow Crystal—a rare jewel often called nevermelt ice. It was questionable if anyone else on the continent wore a jewel like this.
“Th-This is for me...?” Aku asked.
“The squirrel made it.”
“Mimi... You made this?” Aku asked. Mimi squeaked proudly. Aku had been ready to turn down the expensive-looking jewel, but knowing that Mimi crafted it seemed to reassure her. “Thank you, Master Demon Lord! And thank you, Mimi!”
Mimi glowed as if in response to Aku’s smile. A crystalline chain wrapped around the Snow Crystal, making it into a necklace.
“Good idea. You could adjust the length and wear it around your head too,” the Demon Lord pointed out. He placed the crystal around her neck and let it glow at her neckline. A girl wearing a Snow Crystal could pass as a bona fide princess. Little did Aku know, as she innocently celebrated, that this would invite plenty of misunderstandings in the future. In that way, the Demon Lord and Aku were very similar. “Did you see the white elephant?” the Demon Lord asked, remembering.
“Yes! Tahara let me ride on its back once!”
“That’s a gift for you too,” the Demon Lord said. “You can ride it anywhere.”
“What?!”
This was more a burden than a gift, to be sure. While Aku reeled at the responsibility the elephant entailed, the Demon Lord closed his eyes as if his job was done, ready to snooze away and not work for as long as he could. Every time this man so much as tossed and turned, turmoil tore through Holylight. With the Paladin approaching the country, he had another scheme hatching.