"Wait, didn't your Demon King run away? Why is a Demon King coming into the city? Have you finally decided to perish together with humanity?"
The old dwarf's jaw nearly hit the floor. In all his years of doing business with the dungeon, this was the first time he had seen a Demon King in the flesh. A personal visit from the King surely meant something extraordinary was about to happen.
Curious gazes shot out from the surrounding shops. Lorne pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on, and pushed the dwarf back into the shop.
"Let's talk inside."
Facing a Demon King, Firehammer didn't dare resist. If he said "no," he and his shop might be blasted to the moon.
He grunted as he slammed the shop doors shut and slid two heavy bolts across to prevent anyone from intruding.
The House of Hammer used to specialize in adventuring gear, but times had changed. Ever since "Heroes" became a sunset industry, business had dried up.
However, dwarves were notoriously shrewd and never stayed tied to a single sinking ship; they had quickly found a "new track." Now, House of Hammer focused on high-end handmade furniture, while also moonlighting as a hardware and repair shop.
Walking into the shop, the first thing Lorne saw was a glittering gold bed. The posts and headboard were wrapped in gold; the design style could only be described as gaudy and tacky. Lorne immediately looked away, feeling as though staring at it too long might cause something strange to grow in his eyes.
"Firehammer, this is the new Demon King of our Gloom Catacombs, the Honorable Lord Lorne," Serina said, tilting her head up proudly.
"And the old one?" Firehammer asked instinctively.
"Hmph, who knows. He's probably dead," Serina said crossly. "Regardless, Lord Lorne is the master of our dungeon now. His grand plan requires your assistance—it is your honor!"
The dwarf wasn't particularly interested in "monster honor." But he didn't want to offend the Demon King, so he played along: "I wonder what brings the Lord Demon King here? Are you here to redeem the items you pawned? To be honest, your pawned goods are hard to sell and take up a lot of space. If you're willing to take them back, I won't overcharge you—just the original price plus ten percent. Take this golden bed, for instance; you can have it for 110 gold coins."
Lorne stared at the tacky gold bed in disbelief. "That thing came from our dungeon?!"
"Indeed! It was a custom piece of bedding ordered by the previous Demon King! Tailor-made to his exact tastes, crafted with the ingenuity of the Hill Dwarves, handmade through 108 unique processes..."
Lorne interrupted him. "Enough. You keep that thing. I am definitely not redeeming it."
Firehammer was persistent. "Then would you like to see this battle-axe? It's a rare legendary weapon, forged from meteor iron and quenched 108 times..."
The axe he mentioned hung on the shop wall—the last remaining relic of the "Heroic Age" in the store. The axe was nearly as tall as Lorne, glowing with an eerie blue light. The hilt was intricately carved with a lifelike, roaring wolf's head.
Silas leaned in close to Lorne. "That was originally Wolf's weapon. The previous Demon King promoted him to Captain of the Guard and gave it to him personally. Later, when the dungeon was desperate for money, he sold it."
Wolf? The werewolf back at the catacombs?
Lorne had heard from Silas and the others when he first arrived that Wolf was fiercely loyal to the previous King and refused to submit to the new one. He avoided Lorne constantly, to the point that Lorne had barely seen him.
Fine. Lorne wasn't a "furry" enthusiast anyway. Out of sight, out of mind.
But seeing that axe today gave Lorne a new idea.
"I see," he said thoughtfully.
Firehammer beamed. "Shall I wrap it up for you?"
"I don't want the axe. I'm here for obsidian."
The dwarf's face fell instantly.
Obsidian was the cheapest mana-ore available, worth next to nothing. He thought he was about to land a massive deal, but it turned out the Gloom Catacombs was still as penniless as ever.
Lorne pulled out the prototype Magic Tablet and handed it to the dwarf. "I need you to cut obsidian into this shape. The dimensions must be exactly the same. Can you do it?"
"Are you insulting me?" Firehammer squinted at Lorne.
"If I were only buying two or three, I wouldn't say that. But the amount of obsidian I need is no small figure. I'm afraid that with high volume, your quality control won't be up to par."
Firehammer didn't quite understand "quality control," but he caught the drift: this new Demon King was doubting dwarven craftsmanship!
"Ha! Cutting obsidian is child's play! How many do you want? Fifty? A hundred? No matter the number, I can cut them all perfectly!"
Lorne estimated the population of Norelia and the surrounding towns. "Let's start with five thousand."
Firehammer: "?!"
Five thousand? Is the new Demon King planning to pelt humans to death with rocks?!
If he had to cut that many alone, his cutting machine would start smoking before he finished! Did he have to call in his whole family to work overtime?!
"Wait, the monsters in the Gloom Catacombs haven't had their pre-job training yet. Making five thousand Magic Games at once might be too taxing..." Lorne rubbed his chin. "Give me fifty first, delivered within a week. I'll use them as demo units in the shop. The rest can be delivered in batches."
"Can you even pay?!" the dwarf asked, dumbfounded.
Lorne signaled the two succubi. Serina stepped forward gracefully, snapped her fingers, and a pen appeared in her hand. "Would you like a check, or cash?"
Ten minutes later, Lorne left House of Hammer with the succubi. Firehammer stood at the door, waving a handkerchief enthusiastically, his voice hoarse with excitement: "Thank you for your business! Come again soon!"
"Lord Lorne, where to next?" Serina asked.
"Back to the Gloom Catacombs," Lorne said. "I need you to summon every monster to the Audience Hall."
The two siblings exchanged a glance. The Audience Hall was where the Demon King's throne and the Dungeon Core were located. In the past, it only opened when a Hero reached the final floor—at which point it became a duel arena. Of course, no Hero had ever defeated a Demon King.
Since the previous King ran away, the grand doors had remained shut.
Now, Lorne wanted to open them again?
Could it be...
Serina trembled with excitement. Is Lord Lorne really going to restore the glory of the dungeon and conquer the world?
"Hurry up! The Lord Demon King is calling an All-Staff Meeting!"
"Uh, what's a staff meeting?"
"No idea! But I heard it's about conquering the world!"
The monsters of the Gloom Catacombs chattered as they flooded into the Audience Hall.
It had been over a hundred years since most of them had been here. Back then, a Hero and his companions had fought their way to the deepest level, only to be rightfully defeated by the Demon King. Since then, the hall had been silent.
The glorious dungeon had slowly faded, forgotten on the edge of the world.
Until now.
A few fluffy wolf pups clutched at Wolf the werewolf's cloak, entering the hall timidly. Born after the Heroic Age, they were seeing this place for the first time, looking around in awe. Intricately carved pillars supported the black marble dome with impossible balance. Points of silver light floated overhead, like a starry sky built deep underground. Menacing gargoyles clung to the pillars, pale flames flickering in their empty sockets, waiting for the moment to turn into living flesh and drink the blood of enemies.
"Lord Wolf, what's that?" a pup asked, pointing a small paw at a giant ruby suspended beneath the starry dome.
These pups were all Wolf's nephews and nieces; as the leader of the werewolf clan, he was obligated to protect them.
"That is the Dungeon Core. It's the treasure that provides mana to all monsters," Wolf said, affectionately scratching the pups' heads.
When he looked at the other monsters, his expression quickly returned to coldness.
The pup was confused. "But didn't you say the Core's mana had dried up? Why is it glowing?"
The more mana the Core had, the brighter it shone. During the dungeon's peak, the entire hall was stained blood-red by its light. But after the previous King left, it had grown dim, looking like a dusty piece of red glass.
Wolf looked up and was shocked to see a thin, bright red light pulsing within the dull gem—like a vein of blood flowing through a withered heart, injecting it with a precious source of life.
The other monsters noticed the change too, and excited whispers filled the hall.
"Has a Hero come to the dungeon?"
"Impossible! I would know if a Hero arrived!"
"I heard this is the new King's doing! He invented a new gadget that can inject mana into the Core!"
"Oh! Summoning a new King was the right decision after all!"
The pups' eyes were filled with adoration, sparkling like stars. They jumped around Wolf.
"The new King is amazing! Lord Wolf, I'm so jealous—you get to be his Captain of the Guard!"
"I want to be Captain of the Guard too and serve the Lord Demon King!"
"The Captain spot is mine! Don't fight me for it!"
Watching the rowdy pups, Wolf's mouth twitched.
If it weren't for the fact that every monster was required to attend this "Staff Meeting," he wouldn't have come!
He didn't know what tricks that silver-haired brat had played to actually inject some mana into the Core. Hmph, just buying people's hearts! That might work for a while, but you can't supply the Core long-term like that!
"Silence! The Lord Demon King has arrived!"
The buzzing whispers vanished instantly. Every monster held its breath, looking toward the end of the hall.
The Demon King's throne used to be there, but the previous King had dismantled it and taken it with him, leaving only bare floor.
Behind that space was a pitch-black door leading to the King's chambers.
Serina and Silas flapped their wings, descending from above to stand at either side of the door.
The gates crafted from white bone swung open. Soft footsteps echoed from the shadows.
The silver-haired, red-eyed Demon King stepped slowly into the hall. The red light from the Core fell perfectly upon him, making him look as if he were draped in night and twilight.
The monsters prepared to bow according to ancient etiquette, but the King held up a hand.
"Stand up. We don't do that feudal hierarchy stuff here."
The King's commanding voice swept across the hall, vibrating in the ears of every monster.
"I may be the Demon King, but our individual personalities are equal. There is only a difference in job functions, not a gap in status. Our company... no, our dungeon, is like a big family. Everyone is family to one another..."
The monsters looked at each other. This new King seemed quite approachable; they all breathed a sigh of relief. In all the generations of Demon Kings, this was the first time someone had called them "family."
Up to this point, everyone could understand him. But then, his words began to take a turn for the profound and mysterious.
"My dear family, the Gloom Catacombs is facing a life-and-death crisis. Our beloved dungeon has reached a development bottleneck. The previous business model no longer meets market expectations. We must venture into the Blue Ocean of the sinking market, using our existing resources as a point of leverage to empower and upgrade our products, interconnecting the industrial ecosystem to create a business closed-loop..."
A pup tugged at Wolf's sleeve. "Lord Wolf, do you understand what the King is saying?"
Wolf's eyes were blank.
He knew what a "bottleneck" was, but what was a "Blue Ocean"? What was a "sinking market"? What leverage? Empowering what? Their industry had an ecosystem?!
Who was he? Where was he? What was he supposed to do? What did he just hear?
The King scanned the bewildered crowd and sighed softly.
"Fine, I'll say it once more in a language you can understand."
Lorne struck a pose of pained determination.
"This dungeon is going under! So, we must change our operating model and incorporate. Each of you is a founding member of this company! We are going to start making something this world has never seen before—Magic Games!"