Jake had dug his own grave. His sick mother and sister had nowhere to go, and the Forbidden Mountain, located in the borderlands of Kesslovania, was the only place with medicinal herbs to treat them. But after losing his father in the war against Vlad, who had been impaled by Duke Grahad, one of the Round Table knights, he had no money to purchase the herbs, nor could he afford to treat his plague-stricken family.
He had no choice but to take them to the Forbidden Mountain, searching for magical plants for days, but he had found nothing so far. Meanwhile, his mother and sister were burning with fever, lying on torn, old clothes in a small, dilapidated house barely standing.
Despite being a fourteen-year-old boy who could one day step into his father's shoes and join the ranks of the Empire's knights, his fate took a different turn due to his uncle's betrayal and the theft of their possessions. This was the path he found himself on.
The plague was a curse from Vlad for his defeat by the Round Table knights, which had spread across the lands of Duke Sir Lancelot and Duke Sir Bedwyr, causing massive casualties in the southern regions of King Arthur's empire. Today marked the tenth day since Jake was preparing to leave his temporary home in a deserted village, abandoned due to the monster attacks from the Forbidden Mountain. He was startled by the appearance of a white skeleton without clothes, with two white horns on its head and a crown-like protrusion from its skull, which immediately caught his attention and fear.
Skeleton monsters weren't particularly dangerous, and even a fourteen-year-old like him, who had learned basic swordsmanship, could defeat it with a stick or even bare hands. But this was no ordinary skeleton. The horns, the crown design, and the aura of death surrounding it, were enough to dry the resilient weeds that had somehow managed to grow in this cursed area.
Jake was consumed by fear and gripped the broken sword, once brought back from the battlefield by the knights who fought alongside his father. It was his father's second sword; the main sword, if it had been found, was not given to him because noble knights passed on their main weapons to other knights to preserve their memory. Jake was angry about this, but he knew there was nothing he could do—those swords were made of rare and valuable materials, and to inherit his father's main sword, he would need to be eighteen and take the knight's test. He wasn't even approved by Baron Seka, a local noble, to do so.
Still, the fire of rage and hope didn't die within him. He gripped the broken silver sword tightly, ready to strike if the strange skeleton drew closer to their hut. But what happened next threw him back, causing the entire hut to shake. A massive, terrifying altar suddenly appeared, making him almost wet himself with fear. The trembling only grew as his eyes met the dark sockets of the undead's skull, and he nearly passed out from terror. Only his will to protect his family kept him standing.
Even if it meant death, he had to protect his family—entrusted to him by his father before he went to war.
The eyes, once green and beautiful, were now black and white. Even the boy's hair could not be distinguished as he shakily held the broken sword, pointing it toward Hazard.
A sigh escaped from within, something Hazard wanted to do, but now it was completely impossible. There was no air in his lungs, and, in fact, he didn't even have lungs anymore.
Hazard took his gaze off the boy and looked at the altar.
[Archlich Demon King's AltarYour primary mission is to protect your altar. If the altar is destroyed, you are no different from the other monsters, and you will lose all system benefits.]
[Archlich Demon King's AltarAvailable summons:"Common Demon Undead"Level: 1 NormalLife: 9Power: 6Agility: 4Mana (Dark): 0Stamina: -Cost: Five gold coins"Undead Demon Swordsman"Level: 2 NormalLife: 20Power: 12Agility: 7Mana (Dark): 0Stamina: -Skill: Swordsmanship FCost: Fifteen gold coins"Undead Demon Archer"Level: 3 NormalLife: 17Power: 8Agility: 12Mana (Dark): 0Stamina: -Skill: Precision FCost: Twenty gold coins]
A little strange, but understandable. The main question was how to obtain gold. At that moment, the system assisted Hazard.
[By killing any creature or converting gold from your world, you can obtain the system's gold currency.To upgrade your altar, you must sacrifice the souls of heroes, unlocking higher-level powers and increasing the Demon King's rank.]
A bit more reasonable and simpler, but killing any creature?Looking back at the young boy with the broken sword in his hand, attempting to approach him slowly, Hazard could swear that if the skeleton had a face, it would have been smiling devilishly.
Just a minute later, Jake, the fourteen-year-old, lay on the ground, blood spilling from his throat where his sword had struck. He trembled and slowly died, his spirit leaving his body. The undead took one last look at him as it entered the hut, where Jake had extended his bloodied hand, trying to stop it from entering, but his current state prevented him from doing anything.
[You have defeated a Level 1 Ordinary Human, 10 gold coins gained.]
Seeing the system message, Hazard felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Before him stood two women, one ten years old and the other about thirty-five, burning with fever. Hazard no longer had any regard for human life. Killing a fourteen-year-old child without any guilt came easily to him, as the hunger for power and self-interest led him down the path that was in line with his demonic nature.
Once again, it didn't take long before Hazard, with sharp, bony claws, stepped out of the hut and headed toward the altar.
[Creature: Twenty-seven gold coins]
The time had come to summon several undead to assist in the growth of this new Demon King.