An oil lamp flickered in a dingy cavern.
Before a stone table filled to the brim with bizarre containers, an evil mage murmured, “Five grams of cattle gallstones, five grams of gastrodia elata, one crypt spider eye, one crypt spider fang... Toss the ingredients into the mortar and crush them into powder. Transfer the powder into the crucible and put it under low heat until the smoke turns purple.”
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’?”
“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.”