“Yes! I can use admin features!”
(Adminfi Churrs...? Could it be the name of an ancient false god?)
The more Aku thought about it, the name sounded more and more sinister. After watching what ensued, however, the child would become convinced of this theory.
A pitch-black hole opened in the space in front of the Demon Lord, into which he shoved his right hand in without hesitation. Just imagining what could possibly emerge from the void made Aku want to cry. A dark scythe? Some equipment of darkness? Aku even imagined a pair of silverware the Demon Lord would use to eat the child up.
“There we go... Here. Soap and a towel. Use these.”
“Huh...? This isn’t bubbles, is it!?”
“B-Bubbles? Anyway, I’ll take a look around the area, just to be safe.”
With that, the Demon Lord walked away from the lake. Even as he went, he mumbled things like ‘My Skill Points are plummeting though...’ which Aku didn’t really understand.
(Wait, I almost forgot about the bubbles!)
This was something Aku had dreamt about using, even just once. But, the child wondered, how could the Demon Lord produce such an item of luxury reserved for nobles?
† † †
“I didn’t expect that to come in so handy...”
The Demon Lord muttered to himself as he opened the admin screen. Earlier, part of his administrator privileges were unlocked for some reason. It looked like he was able to take advantage of them by using SP, a system of the game. In the game, SP increases or decreases from combat, Retaliation, or use of items. Players could spend SP to learn powerful skills, shore up defenses, or even weaken opponents by robbing them of their SP. In this world too, the Demon Lord seemed to acquire SP after combat as expected. He had obtained some after the last encounter.
“But 5 points for that crap item...?”
Craft Novice item ---- 5SP
Craft Intermediate item ---- 10SP
Craft Advanced item ----20SP
Craft Master item ---- 30SP
Craft Super Rare item ---- 50SP
The Demon Lord got carried away from the excitement of unlocking an admin feature, but the items he crafted were just so unimpressive. The bar of soap was a garbage throwing weapon, and even the towel was a piece of body armor, but their modifiers were +1 each. Pathetic. Carrying these around towards the latter half of the Game meant that death was imminent.
“Thirty or so SP left... I wonder if the other categories would unlock if I save up enough? Or are there other conditions to meet?”
Closing his eyes, he contemplated this for a while. While the Demon Lord couldn’t grasp how powerful his previous opponent was, the amount of SP he obtained indicated that the devil was a pretty high-level enemy. On the other hand, it was so weak. The amount of the reward didn’t reflect how easy the creature was to take down. This was what the Demon Lord was bothered about.
“It doesn’t look like everything’s as it was in the game...”
In the game, the level difference between a player and their enemy would drastically affect the amount of SP the player could earn. In other words, defeating an enemy with a much higher level would earn the player loads of SP, while the inverse would leave the player with a meager amount of SP.
“Oh, I get it... That thing must have been one of those silver slime types.”
The Demon Lord imagined a particular monster from one of the most prolific JRPGs out there. Weak, but quick to escape, this monster offered an exorbitant EXP for defeating it. He considered that, if there were more of those creatures around here, he’d better hunt them to extinction. At this time, Aku came to him from the lake.
“M-Master Demon Lord! Thank you for waiting!”
“I’ve told you, I’m not the Demon... Oh, whatever. Anyway, do a lot of those weaklings pop up around here?”
“N-No way! If there was more of that monster out there, our nation would be doomed!”
“Huh...? That thing was really that dangerous?”
Aku nodded profusely in confirmation. The Demon Lord was becoming less sure of his assessment, but he knew that he wanted to prioritize earning SP above all else in order to unlock as many admin features as he could.
If possible, he wanted to earn plenty of SP before leaving the forest. At this rate, who knows what would happen to them as soon as they left? Moreover, the Demon Lord thought there was a possibility that, if he unlocked all of the admin features with SP, he might discover a way home.
“Aku, do you know his lair, or nest, or something? I want to check it out.”
“According to legend, the King of Devils... was sealed away in the Shrine of Wishes in this forest.”
“Wishes, huh...? Would you mind showing me the way?”
“I-I’m sorry, I would love to, but my foot isn’t exactly in... tip-top shape.”
Looking down, the Demon Lord noticed a large scar on Aku’s right ankle. A painful one to look at, as it seemed like a large cut or tear had healed over without much medical attention.
(Am I putting too much guesswork into this? It could be an illness unique to this world.)
Unfortunately, the Demon Lord was no doctor. One of the Demon Lord’s advisors back in the game had the (perhaps unfair) power to heal any illness or injury, but alas, there was nothing he could do now.
“Fine... I’ll carry you. Get on my back.”
“I-I wouldn’t dare bring my filth upon you!”
“Sorry, but we’re short on time. I won’t ask you again. Just do it.”
“...”
The Demon Lord crouched to the ground, turning his back to Aku, but the child remained motionless. What’s worse, Aku’s expression was filled with pain, tearing up.
(Jeez... Does this kid hate me that much? My skin isn’t that thick!)
The young child’s tears flustered the Demon Lord.
“I-I’ve always been unwanted in my village. I always tried to collect the trash or empty people’s waste to help as much as I could...”
“...So waste management, right? That’s an important job.”
“Everyone always said I smelled bad... That I was dirty... So they finally decided that I would be the sacrifice for the devil...”
Aku chuckled, still tearful. The Demon Lord didn’t know much about this village, but this wasn’t right, as far as he could tell. This child was forced to do the dirty work of village, just to end up as a human sacrifice?
“Everyone in the village says... that I taint whoever I touch, so...”
It seemed like little more than grade school bullying to the Demon Lord. He was truly speechless. Grabbing Aku by the neck without a word, he forced the child onto his back.
“W-Wait! If you touch me...!”
“You think you can ‘taint’ someone that easily? Doesn’t matter how dirty you get, just take a bath. Good as new.”
“...!”
“But where is that Shrine...”
The Demon Lord stopped short, as the child’s muffled crying began.
(Woah, the kid’s crying for real! Wait. Don’t I just look like a kidnapper, now!?)