"..."
Mission?
What was that?
Luo Yan seriously pondered for a while, truly not remembering having such a setting.
However, seeing how the player before him was so absorbed in his role, he might as well play along with the idea.
It also saved him the trouble of explaining.
Clearing his throat, he faced the skeleton soldier bursting with expectation, and Luo Yan took on a stern voice, almost snarling out his words.
"Very well... since you have realized your mission, it saves me the unnecessary explanation."
Following the usual RPG game routine, the next step was to hand out a quest.
emmm...
What to assign this fellow to do?
Luo Yan cast a glance around and his eyes finally landed on the entrance to the Underground Maze.
"That is the former Demon King's maze, and wandering within are the traitors from Hell. Go down and take a look, and if you find anything, come back and report to me. If someone attacks you, do not hold back, hit them hard in return!"
Traitors from Hell?!
This is triggering a main quest!
"As you command, Lord Demon King!"
Yiye Zhiqu's eyes lit up, and he responded eagerly before scampering off toward the entrance of the maze.
Some players noticed his actions and curiously followed him. Others set their sights on Luo Yan, their eyes shining as they beheld the man who was radiating a boss's aura.
So this is the newbie guide NPC, huh?
You should have said so earlier!
They had wasted their precious starting time, doing nothing for so long!
After sending away a particularly enthusiastic player, Luo Yan was about to check on the condition of the Demon King Territory's core and look for new quests, only to discover a big swarm of skeleton soldiers imitating the previous one and crowding around him.
Before he could speak, the noisy clatter of Gabeng surrounded him.
"Mission! Beep beep! Skip! Hurry it up!"
"Respected Demon King, I am your most, most, most intelligent servant! Please also bestow upon me a mission, let me help to relieve your worries!"
"Lord Demon King, look at me too! I'm your most ferocious minion! Leave that female warrior to me, I'll train her properly!"
"Lord Demon King, don't believe him! This guy is a total scam!"
"I am your long-lost brother!"
"Enchanting Demon!! I want an Enchanting Demon!!"
Luo Yan: "..."
What is this mess?
Seeing the crowd growing more and more agitated, Luo Yan took a deep breath and roared loudly.
"Quiet! Everyone quiet down!"
At the same time he called out, he decisively activated the power of his authority, instantly freezing the fussy little skeletons in place.
They stood there, each and every one like a machine that had its power cut, frozen in the same posture they held the second before.
Although the calamity system had not granted Luo Yan the "freeze" function, the players were, after all, controlling the skeleton soldiers he had summoned with the core of the Demon King Territory.
As a Demon King with his soul bound to the core, his authority in this domain was absolute.
No one could question it!
The mines finally fell silent.
Facing a host of impatient minions, Luo Yan continued in a booming voice.
"As you can see, I am the Demon King of this place, and also your lord."
"The land beneath your feet, stretching all the way to the entrance of the mine, is our Demon King Ridge... It would actually be a bit larger, but the previous Demon King was a unanimously acknowledged fool. That guy messed up everything and left behind a huge mess, which is why we now have to start from scratch."
"Our midterm goal is to establish a permanent base within the belly of the human world, and our long-term goal is to spread the faith of Hell from our base to the surface world!"
"For now, we... we must first pick up our weapons and fight! We must take back this mine and maze that belong to us from those filthy rats!"
As Luo Yan was speaking, he had noticed several pairs of scarlet eyes in the distance staring at him with predatory intent.
Actually, when he had first stepped into the area, Luo Yan had noted... the mine known as the North Peak had become the territory of the rat people.
Perhaps they were minions of the former Demon King, or perhaps they had spread over from other places... Whichever it was didn't matter.
Since they had drawn weapons against their own Demon King, they must be ready to die.
As he finished his opening address, Luo Yan released the skeletons from the hold on their movements, pointing at the rats lurking in the shadows.
"Go—"
"Smash their heads with your pickaxes! Seize their weapons!"
"Whomever finds them, keeps them!"
He had been a bit worried that these players would ignore him and leave him awkwardly hanging.
But now, he saw he had been too conservative.
This group of high-spirited players were even more obedient than he had imagined. The moment they regained their ability to move, they grabbed their pickaxes and rushed toward the rat people who were sneaking around in the shadows, ready to strike.
"Aaaargh!"
"Mission! Mission!"
"Don't you dare fight me for it! Leave it to me!"
"Long live the Demon King!!!"
"..."
Mission?
More than one player was shouting this, and Luo Yan couldn't help but find it strange.
Could these players, like himself, receive missions from the calamity system?
It was reasonable for players to get tasks from NPCs, but he wanted to understand just what the mechanism for these mission releases was.
And—
He was not ready to provide rewards for these players, and it would be a joke if they expected him to pay up.
While Luo Yan was contemplating this, dozens of skeleton soldiers had already charged triumphantly at the fifteen or so enslaved rats.