Chapter 1

"People fear the darkness, fear the unknown, and fear death. And the Demon King is precisely the embodiment of their fears. As a ruler of darkness and the master of the Demon Temple, the Demon King must make everyone understand how to fear and respect him, and find a perfect balance between violent coercion and sweet temptation—just like when you force a human to gnaw on a piece of bread and then smile and tell them it contains half a cockroach.

The 333rd Demon King, Cypress."

The flickering candlelight swayed, illuminating the dim study. By the faint light, a young man could be seen huddled in a chair at the desk, flipping through a thick book by candlelight. He looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Due to a lack of sunlight, his handsome face appeared pale and gaunt, and his pitch-black mage robe trailed on the ground. From his appearance, he seemed no different from an ordinary person, but the faint horns peeking out from his hair and his bright red eyes revealed his true identity.

He was a demon.

"Hmm………"

After a moment, Zane closed the book, took off his glasses, and rubbed his slightly sore eyes. Unlike writing magic books, the historical records of the demons were truly unbearable, filled with dry, monotonous diaries that seemed like something a mischievous child might fabricate to complete their holiday homework.

In a way, the web novels Zane used to read on Earth were a thousand times more interesting than this.

"Perhaps when I become the Demon King, the first thing I should do is find a reliable scribe."

Muttering to himself, Zane stood up and stretched.

The small study looked clean but somewhat dilapidated. It was no wonder, considering it was in a cave less than twenty square meters in size. What else could you expect in a dark, damp cave filled with monsters and death?

But for Zane, this was his only home.

"Speaking of which, time really flies………"

As he sighed, Zane couldn't help but recall the scene when he first arrived in this world.

He had once been a famous hacker in the online world on Earth, capable of breaching any firewall that wasn't physically isolated. But even Zane never imagined he would have a day of reckoning.

He had merely written a script for a game he often played to save time, only to have his account banned. Feeling aggrieved, Zane naturally hacked into the official server to clear his name. While he was happily modifying the server, he didn't notice the thunderstorm warning……… The result……… Well, it turns out that using electrical appliances during a thunderstorm is not without reason.

Not only did Zane's computer get fried, but he himself didn't escape the disaster. When Zane regained consciousness, he had become a newly hatched demon, and one of the Demon King's heirs.

After spending over a decade in that chaotic, demonic place, Zane finally got used to life in the demon world. But then his adoptive father summoned him and, under the guise of a Demon King succession ceremony, threw him into this godforsaken place.

It was no wonder, considering among his five siblings, Zane was the least capable. His eldest brother, Klein, was the strongest contender for the Demon King. His second sister, Lilithia, was so feared in the demon world that her name could stop children from crying. Even his two younger sisters were terrifying figures in the demon world.

Only Zane, the third…… cough, third brother…… cough…… third younger brother, was relatively unknown in the demon world. Apart from spending his days buried in the library, he did nothing significant. His strength was as weak as a patrol guard, and compared to his siblings, who commanded powerful armies, Zane's influence was pitifully small.

Including himself, he only had two people.

It was no wonder he was thrown into this godforsaken place. Otherwise, he might have become fertilizer in the dark depths of the earth, and a long-lasting laughingstock among the demons.

The Demon King succession ceremony was actually very simple. In essence, the five heirs each chose a region, built their "Dark Castle," expanded their influence, and the one who emerged victorious among the five would become the next Demon King.

Simple and direct, without the繁琐的礼节、选举、拉拢和暗箱操作，更不需要上电视阐述自己的政见，拳头最大就是老大，魔界可以说是把这句话发挥到了极致，甚至上升到了真理的水准。

"But………I am finally free."

Looking at the void before him, Zane pushed up his glasses, a glint of determination flashing in his red eyes. At that moment, rows of data appeared before him.

【Underground City Construction System】

【Lord: Zane】

【Level: 1】

【Development Progress: 355/1200】

【Resources: Ore (50) Mercury (20) Gems (15) Crystals (70) Money (1520)】

【Subordinates: 6】

【Buildings: Heart of the Underground City (You can feel your heart pounding intensely, a proof of your life and a countdown to your death, everything depends on how you choose to live) —— Max HP +100】

【Buildings: Study (Here lie the secrets of history, the laws of the world, and the explosive Playboy magazine, it's up to you to grasp their mysteries) —— Magic Power +3, Magic Recovery +10】

【Buildings: Bedroom (When lying on a soft bed to rest, don't forget that it's not just for sleeping, but also for the secrets of procreation) —— HP Recovery +10, Stamina Max +10】

【Buildings: Lair (Even slaves need rights; only by giving them a life with social security will they serve their master more diligently) —— Loyalty +1】

【Magic Research (LV1): No Research Target】

【Building Plans (LV1): No Building Plans】

"Finally, I've made it………"

Looking at the floating interface, Zane sighed with deep emotion.

Indeed, after crossing over, Zane had mysteriously obtained this system. He wasn't unfamiliar with it, as it was the setting of the online game he used to play. For some reason, it had merged with his soul and crossed over with him.

However, despite having this system, it was initially useless to Zane. He discovered that his system was completely sealed until the entire underground city was fully developed. Therefore, no matter how much knowledge he acquired, he couldn't convert it into power. Even if he perfected the incantations of magic, he still couldn't cast powerful spells.

Moreover, while his siblings were advancing rapidly, as if stuffed with cheat codes, Zane could only spend his time in the library with his undeveloped Level 1 underground city system. This was why Zane's strength was always laughably weak, to the point where even the demons couldn't stand it.

It was simple: a character who has been Level 1 since birth, with no increase in HP or MP, would be useless even with a hundred legendary spells.

But now, after enduring so much, being thrown into this godforsaken place, Zane finally began to develop his underground city and gain the power he should have.

Admittedly, this newly initiated underground city was very weak. Apart from Zane, the nominal lord of the underground city, there was only his loyal deputy and five goblins he had summoned after arriving. Such an underground city could probably be easily wiped out by any random adventuring party.

Fortunately, this place was a desolate, unclaimed area, and Zane's underground city was hundreds of meters underground. No bored adventuring teams would come to visit. However, for Zane, this place was not without danger.

"Boom!!"

At that moment, a dull sound came from a distance, followed by the ground trembling and dust falling from the ceiling. Almost simultaneously, there was a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lord."

The study door slowly opened, and a small, slender figure entered the room like a ghost. It was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, with soft golden hair and delicate, elegant features that always wore a gentle, breeze-like smile. She wore a black, luxurious dress, looking like a noble lady. However, her bright red eyes, triangular ears, and pale skin revealed her non-ordinary identity.

"What is it now?"

Looking at his deputy, Zane closed the book in front of him and asked.

"The southern passage has been dug through again by those goblins. This time, about a third of the underground city has been damaged. What should we do?"

"………………………"

It seems a competent architect is indeed the most crucial part of an underground city.

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