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When the green smoke finally turned purple, Roan calmly grabbed a bottle of fluid he had previously refined and smoothly poured it in.

“…Add 200 milliliters of crypt spider gland concentrate. Slowly raise the temperature while stirring the mixture in a clockwise motion until the mixture becomes viscous.”

As he spoke, the mixture in the crucible had already turned as viscous as a paste.

He poured the paste into a test tube before sealing it off with a wooden stopper.

Youyou, who had witnessed the procedure, couldn’t help but ask, “What is that?”

Roan placed the test tube on a test tube rack as he replied, “It’s an antidote against the crypt spider’s paralytic venom.”

It could neutralize some snake venoms too.

Youyou looked at Roan with confused eyes. “Can’t you detoxify venoms with magic?”

“Magic is not omnipotent. There are poisoning spells, but I have never heard of detoxifying spells,” Roan patiently replied.

That being said, there were spells that could produce effects similar to detoxification.

For instance, there were spells to boost poison immunity, heighten antibodies activity, and raise metabolism rate. These could help one withstand a poison’s negative effects, thus surviving the ordeal.

Viruses and plagues caused by microorganisms could also be neutralized by the holy light.

Saint Sisto’s believers touted it as a miracle, but the truth was that the holy light had merely killed those microorganisms.

“But… how can you drink the antidote when you’re paralyzed?”

“The venom doesn’t set in that quickly. Besides, I have summons too,” Roan replied as he scraped off the scums in the extractor.

These were the remains from refining the crypt spider gland concentrate. Instead of throwing them away, he tossed them into the crucible and continued raising the heat.

The diligent Youyou continued asking, “What about this?”

“It’s a female spider’s estrogen. It can be applied on a skeleton to draw aggro.”

“A-as expected of the Demon King! You are truly despicable!”

It didn’t take long for Roan to finish concocting another potion bottle. He gently swirled it around before placing it on the test tube rack.

“It’s called being resourceful, not despicable.”

As the Demon King Academy’s top theory student, he had never failed to ace alchemy before. This was the only subject that didn’t have a minimum mana requirement. Once he memorized the recipes, all there was left to do was to get used to the procedures. ṝ�

Thanks to the solid foundation he had built from his previous life’s chemistry classes, not only was he able to master everything on his alchemy textbook, but he was even able to grasp the underlying principles behind the recipes and alter their potency and dosages as required.

Most of the Demon King Academy’s potion recipes were for demons. It would be like a human drinking an animal’s medicine if Roan consumed them.

It was not that it would be ineffective, but it would be nonoptimal.

Roan repeated the previous procedures ten more times, until the test tube rack was almost full, before he moved on to the next potion.

Aside from antidotes and monster bait, he also needed to prepare melting agents for the spider webs, vitality potions to lift petrification, and most important of all, red potions for external injury and blue potions to replenish his mana.

After he was done concocting, Roan stuffed his potion-filled test tube rack into his specially-crafted waistcoat, which he hid beneath his robe. This significantly increased his weight load, but it greatly raised his firepower too.

In his current state, he would dare challenge even Mia, who was just a step away from reaching Gold-tier.

Roan tidied himself up before the mirror as he issued an order, “Youyou, pick out five LV3 or above players whose usernames aren’t that embarrassing and issue them a main storyline quest. Have them wait for me at the labyrinth entrance.”

“Understood, Demon King!”

The white fog in the mirror cheekily bowed.

Five players, who were in the midst of their farming, suddenly received the corresponding notification.

Autumnleaf and Twilight, the two ace skeleton soldiers, were farming on the labyrinth’s first floor, and they were unexpectedly caught in a difficult battle.

“This is a bummer… That fellow refuses to chase us too far out.”

The dagger-wielding Twilight stared unblinkingly at the massive spider after failing yet again to lure it out.

The spear-wielding Autumnleaf, who was lying in ambush behind a stone pillar, was at a loss too. He stroked his lower jaw as he considered their next move.

So far, the crypt spiders they had encountered would tense up upon discovering intruders on their territory. They would launch an attack within three seconds and chase the intruders till they were finally out of their territory.

But now, the crypt spiders looked as if they had abandoned their responsibilities.

They refused to spare attention to the players, feigning ignorance even when the latter were wreaking havoc on their webs. They would only twitch in wariness when the players came within twenty steps of them.

Even so, the crypt spiders still refrained from making a reckless move.

They would only attack when the players were within ten steps of them, or when the players approached their eggs and spiderlings.

‘Did the developers change the aggro system because we were leveling too quickly? No, that doesn’t seem likely…’

Autumnleaf examined the crypt spider’s lair, and something suddenly dawned on him.

“I see…”

“What is it?” Twilight glanced over.

“Look at the spider webs.” Autumnleaf pointed with his spear. “Do you see something peculiar?”

“Something peculiar? Are you talking about those ‘cocoons’?”

Twilight also noticed the gray-white cocoons hanging from the densest portions of the web. These cocoons resembled the spider eggs, just that the cocoons were half the height of a human whereas the spider eggs were basketball-sized.

“Those should be the ratmen from yesterday,” Autumnleaf said.

Twilight stared at him in astonishment. “Are you saying the crypt spiders have lost their interest in hunting because they have filled their stomachs and stockpiled a huge amount of rations?”

‘Is such a thing possible?’

As a pro gamer, he was more inclined to think that the developers had raised the difficulty level so that other players could catch up. With the crypt spiders moving slower than ever, it was now more efficient to confront them in a party of four to five.

This was the first time he heard anyone deciphering a game’s events from a biology standpoint.

“Yes, that’s what I mean.” Autumnleaf stared at the torpid spiders surrounded by white cocoons with an excited glint in his eyes. “This game is more realistic than I thought.”

On top of capturing the hierarchy among monsters, this game also factored in the hunting and lifestyle habits of different monsters. Never had he played a game as thorough as this!

These detailed settings were glimpses into the developers’ overflowing passion for the game!

‘Interesting. Truly interesting!’

He looked forward to seeing the other monsters in the labyrinth. He wondered if they would be any different from the monsters lurking in this ‘beginner village’.

Just then, a notification popped up in front of him.

【Quest: His Majesty Demon King’s Summon!

Description: His Majesty Demon King intends to go hunting in the labyrinth and is recruiting five LV3 aides. Will you accept the request?

Reward: Decided by the players’ individual contribution

Additional Note: Players participating in this quest are spared from the death penalty】

“I received an expedition quest. What about you?” Twilight asked.

“I got it too.” Autumnleaf nodded as he accepted the quest. “Let’s accept it. I don’t see any downsides to it.”

The quest prerequisite was for the player to have reached LV3, but there were no more than a handful of players in the server who had reached that level.

The quest was clearly intended for them.

“My thoughts exactly. It will be good to proactively cooperate with the developers in a closed beta like this. Let’s head there first and wait for the others,” Twilight replied.

The quest’s assembly point was set at the labyrinth entrance, not far away from their current location. There were ten minutes to go before the quest’s commencement.

Twilight placed his dagger back into the leather sheath he wore around his waist before accepting the quest too. Just then, a thought popped up in his mind. He turned to Autumnleaf and asked, “How long will it take before you reach LV4? You should be close now, right?”

Autumnleaf nodded. “I’m still 3000 experience points short.”

“3000? That’s farther than I thought.” Twilight looked at him in astonishment. “Weren’t you already close to leveling up last night.”

Autumnleaf was leveling faster than Twilight as he had been the one landing the fatal blow on the monsters, thus earning more experience points.

In contrast, Twilight had only reached LV3 this morning.

He thought that Autumnleaf should be close to LV4 after grinding the morning away, but who could have thought that he was still loitering in LV3 like him?

“I was 5000 experience points short last night… Farming crypt spiders gives half as many experience points compared to back when we were at LV1.”

“I see… I thought my farming speed went down because I was contributing less to the kill, but it’s the same for you too.” Twilight chuckled softly. “We will have to challenge stronger monsters if we want to grow faster.”

Autumnleaf rubbed his nose as he eyed the spider webs around them. “Let’s work within our means for now. Given our strength, crypt spiders are already the most efficient mobs for us to grind on.”

It had only been two days since 《Calamity Online》 went into closed beta. Most players had barely reached LV1, and several less ambitious ones were still stagnant at LV0.

By that measure, Autumnleaf and Twilight were already advancing through the game quickly. The only reason they were still weak was because this game was too much of a grindfest.

While they were chatting, three other skilled players, who received the quest too, arrived at the labyrinth entrance.

In this game, it was much more efficient to farm in a party than to go solo. The chances were that these three were partied up too.

One of them carried a bow. One wielded a sword and a shield. The last one lugged two axes… There was a clear distribution of roles in their party.

Skeleton soldiers, with their limited strength, would have struggled to simultaneously swing two axes. That fellow most likely equipped after reaching LV3 and gaining another point in strength.

Twilight stared at the two axes and remarked in surprise, “So he was the one who took those axes!”

Autumnleaf glanced at Twilight and asked, “You know him?”

Twilight shook his head. “I don’t know him, but I recognize those axes. They were previously dropped beside the prison cells, placed beside another NPC’s greatsword. Someone tried to loot them but failed. At some point, the axes suddenly disappeared.”

When the server first opened, all equipment belonged to whoever was holding them.

But with the release of the latest patch, it should be safe to assume the two-handed axeman had already registered this ‘beginner elite weapon’ under his possession.

The two-handed axeman had to be fairly skilled to raise his strength to 5 ahead of other players.

Meanwhile, those three noticed them too.

The two-handed axeman stepped forward with a smile and greeted them, “You are Autumnleaf? I have heard a lot about you!”

As he spoke, his username appeared above his head—Dragonmyriad.

‘What a domineering name! Though I don’t think I have seen him on the forum… Are pro players fond of lying low and staying under the radar?’

Autumnleaf glanced at the other two players behind Dragonmyriad and noted that they had matching names. The swordsman was Dragonthousand, and the archer was Dragonhundred.

Twilight couldn’t help retorting under his breath, “Why are they getting smaller and smaller…”

Autumnleaf glanced at Twilight, a signal reminding the latter not to stir trouble, before he stepped forward to shake Dragonmyriad’s hands.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you.”

“Hahaha! You’re too polite! The pleasure is very much ours!” Dragonmyriad laughed heartily. “I couldn’t have obtained these axes so quickly if not for your guide!”

Dragonmyriad suddenly changed his tone and smoothly extended an invitation, “I shan’t beat around the bush. We three are from a gaming guild. We were lucky to have received the closed beta invitation, and we see huge potential in this game too, so we’re planning to focus here. I reckon we are the same type of people. Will you be interested in unraveling this game with us?”

Autumnleaf replied with a warm smile, “I am more than happy to accept party and friend requests, but pardon me for turning down your guild invitation. I am too used to freedom. I have tried joining guilds too, but I think going solo fits me better.”

Dragonmyriad didn’t look too disappointed despite the rejection. He laughed it off and said, “Is that so? What a pity! Someone of your caliber can fetch at least a five-digits monthly salary from us. If this game supports live streaming, six-digits is not out of the question too.”

Autumnleaf shook his head. “It’s not about the money.”

“I get it.” Dragonmyriad released Autumnleaf’s hand and patted his shoulder. “If you ever change your mind, please consider our guild, Dragon Odyssey!”

“Definitely!” Autumnleaf clasped his fist.

Dragonmyriad nodded.

He turned his gaze to Twilight, but before he could utter a word, Twilight waved his hand and said, “I’ll pass too.”

Draognmyriad laughed. “I know. Twilight, hm? That’s a familiar username. I know you.”

Twilight: “…?”

‘So which game did he recognize me from?’

But Dragonmyriad didn’t elaborate any further. Instead, he went on to introduce his comrades, Dragonthousand and Dragonhundred, to them.

Much to Autumnleaf’s surprise, Dragonthousand, the swordsman, was a female player, and she had reached LV3 too.

Unlike other games, 《Calamity Online》’s monsters were so abysmally hideous that it would take a certain level of mental resilience to play as a tank here.

“You have been farming here?” Dragonthousand scanned the surroundings before asking.

Autumnleaf nodded. “Yep. Until last night, it was more efficient to grind here.”

“Did something change today?” Dragonthousand asked in confusion.

“Mmhm.” Autumnleaf eyed the surrounding spider webs as he shared his conjecture. “Yesterday’s monster siege allowed the spiders here to stockpile a huge amount of rations. Since then, their chasing distance became much shorter, making it harder to kite them… though this could be an opportunity for you. (T/N: Kiting refers to luring enemies across a long distance.)

“Now that the crypt spiders are less aggressive and mobile, as long as your main tank can withstand two strikes, your control should be able to take their flank. I mentioned in my guide that their weakness is their abdomen, so it would be best for your party leader to switch your axes for a spear or a one-handed sword.” (T/N: Tanks are frontline players who protect their teammates from taking damage. Controls are players who tie down the enemy through concentrated attacks or other means.)

“Got it! But why two attacks?”

Dragonthousand knew it was a breach of etiquette among pro players to ask such detailed questions, but she still voiced her doubt aloud.

Fortunately, Autumnleaf wasn’t sensitive about such things, and he replied with a smile, “Crypt spiders have a habit of first grabbing their prey with their front legs before biting them. My guess is that they had poor depth perception in front, so they have to first ascertain their prey’s location before striking.”

“I see… So crypt spiders usually launch two consecutive attacks. Understood!” Dragonthousand earnestly remembered every word he spoke like an attentive student.

‘So this is a pro player.’

Autumnleaf was glad he wasn’t bothered by monetary concerns, so he could just enjoy the game without thinking too much.

His unreserved sharing of intelligence, however, piqued Twilight’s jealousy.

“Oi, isn’t it rude of you to gather information like that?”

Dragonmyriad calmly pulled Dragonthousand back. “I’ll apologize on behalf of my guild member. She accidentally got too far in a bout of excitement. Allow me to compensate you. I’m afraid it is inconvenient for us to pay you in hell coins right now, so how does RMB sound? If you leave me your phone number—”

“No no, there’s no need for that. This isn’t any huge secret anyway, and I’ll be sharing it on the forum very soon too.” Autumnleaf rejected Dragonmyriad’s offer with a wave of his hand.

He then turned to Twilight and sighed. “Bro, let’s not stir anything, all right?”

Twilight averted his eyes. “That’s because you’re making a loss here… Forget it, you were the one who discovered the clue, so it’s your freedom to share it.”

He had only interjected out of habit.

As a pro player, he was accustomed to trading such high-value intelligence for money, especially in the earlier stages of the game when information was scarce.

For a game with as much commercial value as 《Calamity Online》, the information Autumnleaf had just shared was easily worth 100,000RMB.

“If you won’t accept my money, I’ll take it as a favor instead. Feel free to reach out to me if there’s anything I can help you with,” Dragonmyriad declared.

Dragonthousand felt guilt-ridden for dragging Dragonmyriad down. She wanted to say something, but the archer, Dragonhundred, held her back with a subtle glance.

As Dragonmyriad’s aide, Dragonhundred knew this was their guild leader’s way of getting close to Autumnleaf. Rather than to get Autumnleaf to owe them a favor, it was easier to get close to him by owing him a favor instead.

‘Looks like our boss has a high opinion of him. Well, I have to admit he has substance too.’

While they were busy socializing, Necropolis’ boss finally graced them with his presence.

The Demon King wore a simple robe and held a short wand that resembled a willow branch. Even though he was not dressed in finery, no one could ignore his presence, which naturally exuded malevolence and grace.

In contrast, his good looks seemed to be his least noteworthy feature.

Autumnleaf had to concede that this NPC was truly well-designed. The latter naturally commanded the airs of a boss character.

There was no long-winded introduction.

“Good, you’re here.” Roan arrogantly eyed the players.

He was not into such role play, but what could he do when the players dug into that?

On the bright side, he just had to properly play his role as an overpowered demon king, and these wildly imaginative players would probably fill in the blanks in the storyline.

His gaze passed by the five skeleton soldiers and eventually fell on the crypt spiders. With a light wave of his wand, he sneered, “It’s time to teach those short-sighted traitors a lesson for their foolishness.”