According to the note, every Demon King leaves some inheritance for their heir, but Luwaka, you damn fool, squandered it all!
Shami realized he was the poorest of all the Demon Kings in history, and he had the urge to dig Luwaka up and whip his corpse.
After a while, he took out six jet-black rings from the Demon King Ring and used his sensing ability to inspect them for information.
[Name: ???]
[Type: ???]
[Quality: ???]
All question marks. Absolutely nothing.
He could only put the rings back into the Spatial Ring and turn to the last item.
[Name: Demons Atlas]
[Type: Tool]
[Quality: Supreme]
[Function: Used to summon or create demons recorded within the atlas.]
Shami slowly opened the Demons Atlas, which categorized demons into three varieties.
Common demons.
Rare demons.
Legendary demons.
Under each variety, demons were categorized by "species."
Common demons had the most categories. Things like goblins, slimes, and tree spirits, monsters commonly found in JRPGs, belonged to common demons.
Next were rare demons.
Legendary demons were the fewest.
The atlas had detailed introductions and methods for creating each demon, including where to collect materials, their living habits, attack power, and special traits.
Ninety percent of the demon icons in the atlas were gray framed, indicating that these demons had all been wiped out by heroes and were extinct.
With this atlas in hand, Shami could collect materials to recreate these demons and bring them back to life. Each time he created a demon, he would gain some experience, and once he leveled up, he could unlock more advanced and varied demon species from the atlas. For now, given Shami's level, he could only view the atlas of common demons and create common ones.
Having gaming experience, Shami wasn't surprised by this. Essentially, it was a side quest book. Completing tasks would earn him experience.
[Atlas Guide: Revive each common demon species. The Demon King can gain experience points and unlock new demon records.]
[Note: The strength of each Demon King in history comprises three aspects: one is the powerful Demon King and the Demon King Castle he commands; two is the Demon Envoys under the Demon King's command; three is the vast army of demons.
[Demon Envoys are the strongest warriors under the Demon King, linked to the Demon King through a Curse Seal, acting as the Demon King's right-hand men, each capable of opposing a hero alone.
[To avoid being defeated by heroes, as the Demon King, you must have a sufficient number of demons under your command to act as opponents for adventurer parties and mercenary groups, hindering their exploration endeavors.]
New Entry: [Atlas Task: Revive Demon Species]
New Entry: [Task Reward: The Demon King who completes the task will gain experience points and unlock new demon records.]
The Demons Atlas quickly issued a task.
Becoming the Demon King Heir was already a done deal, with no way to change it.
So Shami could only wholeheartedly embrace this identity, and he quickly adapted to the shift in identity.
Although becoming a Demon King was unexpected, his love for exotic maidens was real.
On a deeper level, even if he saved enough money to marry an exotic maiden, the path was still fraught with challenges.
Firstly, the identity gap; he hadn't seen any villagers marry an exotic maiden in the village — it was always marriages with neighboring villages.
Secondly, if he did marry an exotic maiden, as a villager, even if a max-level one, would he truly have the strength to resist when his wife was coveted?
He was a pure love warrior, couldn't stand minotaurs!
The identity of Demon King was different in value. Want to mess with the minotaur? Get lost!
Back to the main topic, at the current stage, apart from the Demon King identity, Shami still had a layer of identity as a Newbie Village villager. By utilizing this identity well, he could develop peacefully in Newbie Village for a while, using the Demons Atlas to increase his level and strength.
Shami opened the Demons Atlas and found the first species of common demon.
[Name: Slime (Gray Frame)]
[Species: Demon]
[Traits: Widely present small demon on the continent, commonly found outside Newbie Village. Entirely gelatinous, can change shape, split, or merge, low attack power. Low intelligence. A must-fight demon for newbie heroes. Can yield low experience points.]
[Note: Already wiped out by heroes.]
[Atlas Task: Collect raw materials, revive slime, experience points +150]
This experience would be enough for him to level up once.
Shami had a general early plan in mind, dividing his actions into five-month units.
In the first five months, he needed to increase his level to 15, revive at least five common demons, and recruit his first Demon Envoy. Meanwhile, keep up physical training, no indulgence, and learn from Luwaka's mistakes.
In the second five months, he needed to reach level 30, further revive five more common demons, and start the initial construction of the Demon King Castle.
...
And so on. By the end of the five-year term, he should have become a nearly max-level Demon King, making it harmless if his identity got exposed by then.
Shami took a closer look at the slime information, but as someone kept knocking on the door, he put the Demons Atlas back into the ring.
He tidied himself up before opening the door.
Sunlight poured into his small house; a short-statured, oddly-featured villager, with features that seemed mismatched yet vaguely human-like, had messy hair and clothes that emitted an indescribable smell. They greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Shami, you home?"
"Yeah."
"Why's the door closed during the day? Busy with some... self-care?"
"Tending to your dad's grave."
The visitor was Theo, a villager from the same village, whose abstract features and typically abrasive and sleazy demeanor made him unpopular with villagers.
But Shami didn't dislike Theo, partly because when he first crossed into this world, Theo had taken considerable care of him.
"What do you want?"
After the amiable greeting, Shami asked Theo why he was there.
"Here, take this. Cucumbers."
Theo handed Shami a basket containing several cucumbers, which, for some reason, felt off to Shami.
Why, why did they seem sticky?
"Yesterday, I helped the widow at the edge of the village move some things. Today she picked some cucumbers from her garden as a thank you. I took half, and the rest are for you."
"You mean that 300-pound widow who accidentally sat on her husband and killed him?"
"Yes, that's her." Theo nodded. "I always thought she was just a fat pig, but turns out she's quite kind. She specifically mentioned that these are pure cucumbers. If I wanted more, I could visit her tonight. Shami, don't cucumbers all taste the same?"
"I don't want them, you keep them for yourself."
Shami nudged the basket back to Theo's feet with his foot, wary of touching them.
"No worries. I already ate a few raw earlier, they're quite sweet. Don't want any? Just a bit of an odd smell on the surface."
"Theo, maybe you should visit the village doctor when you have time," Shami said with a complex gaze, offering as much advice as he could.
"That old thing? Forget it. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Seeing Shami wasn't interested in the cucumbers, Theo took the basket back.
"Oh. By the way, it's our turn to watch the sheep in the village later."
"Got it. I'll be there."
"I'll head home first, then come for you later."
Shami watched Theo's back as he picked up another cucumber to eat.
Forget it, better not to remind him.