The official appointment letter would arrive the next day.
After the graduation ceremony, Royan returned to his dormitory and happened to see a messenger bat land on the windowsill, its wings flapping rapidly against the glass.
He kicked off his shoes, walked over, and opened the window. He unhooked the copper tube tied to the bat's leg and pulled out the letter inside.
As expected, it was from Cleric Jeffrey.
Along with words of care and greetings, the letter ended with a string of bank account numbers and passwords.
"…You are a thoughtful child. I trust that your decision to become a Demon Lord was made after careful consideration, and I am proud of your choice."
"Regarding living expenses, your father whom you've never met left you some money. Now that you are an adult and have graduated, I believe it is time to hand it over to you, so you can decide how to use it yourself."
Cleric Jeffrey
Royan read the letter to the end, feeling grateful as he accepted the bank information.
He didn't know how much money there was, but it would be enough to get through the month.
Starting next month, he would finally be earning a salary.
Though, he wondered skeptically if a Demon Lord's territory really had anywhere to spend money.
With a grateful heart, he wrote a reply and slipped it into the copper tube tied to the bat's leg.
Finally done with all the errands, he collapsed onto the edge of his bed, preparing to study the "Catastrophe System" left behind by a previous traveler.
[System Status]
ID: Royan
Race: Human
Soul Rank: Bronze (Level Cap: 30)
Level: 30
Experience: 300,000 / 300,000
HP: 800 / 800
MP: 2600 / 2600
Constitution: 8
Strength: 8
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 25
Spirit: 26
Faith Points: 133
First, the attributes panel.
The system didn't provide exact formulas, but each attribute had a clear description:
Constitution affects health, recovery, and physical resistance.
Strength affects carrying capacity and melee damage.
Agility affects speed and dexterity.
Intelligence affects memory, spatial reasoning, spellcasting efficiency, and spell power.
Spirit affects mana.
In Lint Isaac's time, an average imperial youth soldier had stats of 5/5/5/5/5. Now, it was unknown.
Experience quantified growth.
Soul Rank determined the level cap. Most people could not see their Soul Rank; it belonged to a divine dimension.
The Catastrophe System not only displayed Soul Rank but quantified "power" as levels.
Black Iron: Level 10 cap
Bronze: Level 30 cap
Steel: Level 50 cap
Silver: Level 70 cap, and so on
Higher levels required more experience, with more attribute points per level.
Race determined initial stats and talents. Humans started with 3–5 in each attribute and had the "Balanced Development" talent, which increased the lowest attribute's growth by 50%.
For Royan, the lowest stats were Constitution and Strength, so training those yielded bonus experience points.
Attributes increased naturally with leveling, not by manual allocation. For example, if he trained Spirit against succubi at level 19, by level 20 the growth would primarily be in Spirit, not randomly in Strength or Constitution.
This realism also made the "Balanced Development" talent somewhat weak. Most mages didn't need high Constitution or Strength, and with level caps, points spent on these attributes were wasted.
"…According to the 'God of Machinery,' does training Strength as a mage backfire?" Royan pondered.
Although he hadn't focused on physical training, some points were naturally allocated to Strength and Constitution due to his eighteen years surviving in Hell.
Looking at his nearly full experience bar, he finally understood why he was stuck at Bronze.
Unfortunately, his Soul Rank was Bronze.
Without increasing the level cap, he would never surpass the final limit… Lint Isaac had faced similar problems.
Faith Points were key to increasing Soul Rank safely.
That morning, his Faith Points had been 0. After a morning of activity, they had risen to 133.
This number alone didn't reveal much it might be from another world's players or admirers within the academy.
To upgrade from Bronze to Steel required 10,000 Faith Points, so this increase was just a start.
After reviewing his attributes, Royan checked the task list.
Currently, he had only one unlocked task:
"Record a promotional PV and upload…"
He held the crystal used to record the PV. How exactly was he supposed to upload it?
The system hadn't provided a computer in this world.
Royan studied the crystal for a long while. No upload button appeared.
Then he noticed the faint traces of the magic circle on the floor.
"Could it be this?"
The recording crystal was worth 2,000 Kyra his entire monthly allowance.
He had used it for class recordings before. Replacing it now would hurt, but for long-term development, he carefully drew the magic circle again and placed the crystal in the center.
As expected, when he channeled energy into the circle, a green glow enveloped the crystal.
This time, he remained conscious and wasn't drained of mana.
Even better, the crystal remained intact, as good as new.
"Still intact? Great!"
At the same time, a calm voice echoed in his mind:
"Task 'Record Promotional PV' completed! Voting post automatically opened. Please await review…"
Voting post?
Royan quickly meditated, entering the forum of Catastrophe Online.
Sure enough, the video he had just uploaded appeared 360° panoramic footage of the underground world and its towering, eerie castles.
Little demons flitted overhead, fearsome monsters and fire demons roamed, and the environment looked grand and terrifying.
"This… is my school?!" Royan was stunned; after three years here, it was barely recognizable.
"…These filters are incredible."
The comment section exploded:
Starry Night: "Whoa!"
Dual Rider: "Is this real gameplay?!"
Pig-Head Knight: "No way! This PV must be outsourced animation!"
Bear Boss: "Even animation looks amazing!"
Minotaur Warrior: "Succubi! I want a succubus! Ahhh!!!"
Candied Fruit: "Also… this mage holding the crystal is kinda handsome."
Roast Lamb: "+10086"
Hungry Xiao Wan: "Because he's the only human-looking one?"
Excited Player: "Is this a developer test account or an NPC?"
Curious Onlooker: "Strongly request a DEMO version!"
Village Elder: "Whoa! Did the village really release a succubus?!"
Comments refreshed every second. Royan froze, wanting to reply but couldn't.
The voting page showed: 10 points maximum, 0 minimum. Over 500 people had participated, averaging 9.8.
"Unbelievable!"
His casual recording became a massive hit. While most commenters focused on succubi, others wanted one as a pet or to become one.
Voting soon exceeded 1,000, and the average score locked at 9.9.
[Task Completed!]
[Rating: S]
[Reward: 100 Beta Test Accounts]
At the same time, the forum announced:
"Catastrophe Online: Open Beta Reservations!"
"Thanks to all players' support, 100 test accounts and a DEMO download link are available! Any VR device can register for a beta test!"
"One account per person. Test qualifications are random. Violations may revoke access. Clicking 'Reserve' constitutes agreement."
The timing was perfect.
While the forum buzzed about the PV, the developers released the DEMO.
Royan watched reservations climb, feeling excitement mixed with anxiety. His Demon Lord territory was far from the capital without a portal, the journey would take months.
Only 100 beta accounts existed, making the risk manageable.
Soon, all test accounts were distributed. Those who lost complained, those who won showed off. Some theorized the beta was fake, using bots but these were the minority.
Most were thrilled by the PV.
Royan explored the forum and saw 99 players already logged in.
Wait already playing?
Confused, he read the posts:
Hungry Xiao Wan: "What's happening???"
Bear Boss: "No character creation screen?"
Pig-Head Knight: "I can't move!"
Minotaur Warrior: "Bug?"
Village Elder: "Patience! The perspective is fixed but there's a hidden mechanic!"
Roast Lamb: "???"
Candied Fruit: "#@$%! Just tell us!"
Autumn Leaf: "The players inhabit the crystal! The mage is next to them! Anyone who watched the PV could guess!"
Royan was shocked. They had entered his recording crystal!
Posts continued updating:
Autumn Leaf: "The game uses an experimental tech like remote hypnosis. You think you see it, but your brain generates it in real-time. It's like lucid dreaming."
Others argued, tried VR, and confirmed: immersive, realistic, and capable of 360° motion.
Even Royan was astonished: the system had put Earth players into his crystal.
He guessed the stored consciousnesses were "soul images" weak, immobile entities confined to vessels.
Unlike the ghostly Ms. Susan, these images could grow.
"…If I used skeletons instead of the crystal, could players gain free bodies?"
At that moment, new text appeared on the stone in his mind:
[Task: Prepare bodies for players to freely inhabit (0/100)]
[Reward: 10,000 Faith Points]
This perfectly aligned with his goal to upgrade from Bronze to Steel clearly tailored for him.
"Summoning a few skeleton soldiers shouldn't be too hard."
For safety, he decided to wait until he reached the Demon Lord territory.
After meditation, Royan picked up the crystal. The once-clear orb had turned cloudy, as if filled with mist. The program inside had been rewritten, losing its original function.
He could hear whispers:
"He's looking at me!"
"Closer! Closer!"
"So realistic!"
"I can even see the NPC's nose hair!"
"Let me out!"
"Male NPC, leave! I want a succubus from the PV!"
Even without free bodies, players used the crystal as a chatroom.
"Those 2,000 Kyra really hurt," he thought, packing it away in his luggage.
He could log players out through the consciousness sea, but there was no need.
Royan changed into regular clothes, slipped Cleric Jeffrey's letter into his pocket, and noted that his living funds were nearly gone.
It was time to get some money from the Demon God's bank.