"Alright, big boys. What are your specialities?"
The lesser djinn answered first, spewing threatening flames with every movement.
"Scorching, burning, sowing death and flames."
Despite the high temperature in the demon's den, an icy shiver ran down his spine.
'Are no demons normal?'
An inner scream rocked his mind as he rapidly shifted his eyes to the satyr.
"I'm fast and attuned to nature. I can be a great scout or divert powerful enemies' attention."
The satyr's answer helped him calm down.
'A scout who can traverse the forest!'
The satyr's addition to his rank would prove incredibly valuable to scouting the surroundings and detecting nearby threats and resource nodes.
"Nice! Welcome to the territory. We have good meat, so enjoy the evening. Tomorrow, we'll find and raid a goblin camp."
He nodded, his lips curling into a satisfied smile as he guided them to the campfire.
Then, lips twisted as he whistled a game song, he walked to his demon lord's shaky hut.
As implied by the name, he only saw a rough wooden construct, tilting to the right and threatening to fall at the slightest shock.
'It should be called the beggar lord's hut.'
With an inner sneer, he walked inside, noticing the bare interior.
'At least I have a bed.'
A soft light drew his attention to the side, making him see another piece of furniture.
His eyes enlarged at the intricate obsidian altar, breaking the poor place's monotonous arrangement. A halo of green flames danced around the glinting badge he had dropped earlier to set up his territory.
Intrigued and awe sparkling in his eyes, he outstretched his palm to touch it.
DING
Demon lord's shaky hut LV1
HP: 300
Materials required to level up: ten units of stone, twenty units of wood, and a population of five citizens.
He tucked his fingers around his chin, his mind racing at the discovery.
'I need to build a marketplace. Wood won't be a problem, but stones in a forest?'
He shook his head, his eyes blazing with determination for tomorrow's expedition.
Before the sky turned totally dark, he took some time to check the other buildings, noticing they each had a particular item that would describe the advancement's requirements. For the Gate, he found a pulsing demonic core hiding under a square trap, for example.
Unfortunately, they both required him to level his lord's hut first.
Then, he caught another problem. Where would his subjects sleep without housing?
In a hurry, he dashed to the gathered demons under the darkening sky, only to see them sound asleep on the ground, uncaring about the conditions.
'I guess their lives were tough enough not to care about small matters. Still, I want to be a lord who treats his subjects right.'
A grin split his lips as he remembered the management games he used to play while he hopped on his bed.
'Need to max their satisfaction!'
Hope for a bright future, and concern about the dangers clashed in his heart as his eyelids dropped. A moment later, he fell asleep smiling brightly.
Ding
[Talent's daily use available. Use: Yes/No]
"Huh? What's happening?"
A begrudging mumble echoed in the room as the rising sun cast an orange hue on the vibrant forest.
His hand came to rub his eyes as the sound of early nature filled the air.
Then, he noticed the notification window, a spark of excitement awakening him.
"Yes!"
Unlike yesterday's pressure for survival, he scanned the wheel's items thoroughly this time, heart drumming against his chest as a realisation struck him.
"I know these items! They were mine!"
If a flicker of doubt subsisted, it vanished after he glared at a pair of low-level boots he had crafted and named after himself for fun.
'Even the random teleportation talisman came from a mobile game I used to play!'
Didn't it mean he could recover his endgame gear from the myriad of mmorpgs he played?
The thought alone sent a shiver of raw excitement through his body. Yet, a shadow danced in his bright eyes.
'I'll have to find a way to upgrade it. There is no way I'll get my broken items back if my talent remains at the F rank.'
Meanwhile, the wheel slowed, stopping on an ominous book wafting dark energies.
'No way! I can even get items from gatcha games?!'
Fists clenched, he bolted out of the hut with determined steps and charged the Gate.
[Proceed with daily summoning?]
After approving, he watched as two figures emerged from the terrifying vortex of green flames.
"Greetings, my lord. I'm Asna."
"Greetings, my lord. I'm Puck."
"Welcome to my territory! Meet Shihan and tell her what you're proficient in for now."
The two subjects nodded and left towards the sleeping demons.
Simultaneously, he summoned the dark book, feeling its old cover with his fingers and smelling the dust permeating its yellowed pages.
[Demon summoning book: allows you to summon a random demon from tier one to four at the Gate. Rates: Tier 1: 80%, tier 2: 15%, tier3: 4%, tier4: 1%]
"I'll summon a tier-four one!"
His roar echoed in the territory, reaching its translucent barriers as he pitched the book into the vortex before it could dissipate.
The flames roared back, churning and twirling. Their colors shifted from green to orange, scalding red and deep violet for a minute.
Sweat dripped from his forehead as he waited. The intrigued citizens behind observed with attention, too curious to do anything else.
Then, a slender leg finally appeared, its supple skin glinting under the rising sun's light. Following it, black and red leather clothes ruffled by the intense wind caught his attention before green hair fluttered.
He gazed at the woman's alluring green eyes and the dark horns crowning her skull in awe, struck by her beauty.
"I'm Luna."
Echoing her melodious voice, a system notification appeared before his enlarging eyes.
[Congratulations on summoning the tier-one epic demon from medieval mythology: The Succubus Queen.]
"Epic?!"
In the blink of an eye, he focused on her to make her stats pop up.
Name: Luna
Race: Succubus Queen
Affinity: demonic energy
Job: /
Class: Sorceress
Loyalty: 50
LVL: 1
Exp: 0/20
HP: 120/120
Vitality: 12
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Demonic essence: 20
He gawked at her stats, feeling the pressure of demonic race and rank weigh and shock him. After all, compared to his, her stats shot through the roof!
'We'll raze the goblin camp to the ground in a flash with her!'
Despite his excitement, he caught the disdainful glance she threw him.
"How can such a pitiful creature summon me?"
"Hahaha. Don't focus on small matters too much. But if doubts riddle your heart, let's bet."
"Oh? What kind of bet do you have in mind, imp?"
"I'll make you enjoy your stay and give you an influential position. If you don't like my management or how I build the territory, I'll give you enough resources to build your own place."
Noticing her narrowing eyes, he shoved the nail deeper with a confidant smirk.
"Don't tell me you're scared of an imp when the only thing you'll lose is a month!"
He knew he would be a fool to plead or try to negotiate with a demon empty-handed. No. Instead, he had to appeal to their confrontational nature, forcing a deal even if she seemed unwilling.
"Very well. I'll leave with all your possessions in a month because, trust me, I'll deem you unworthy."
Her eyes flashed discontentment as a notification rang in his ears.
[Luna's loyalty decreased by five points.]