Ring, ring, ring.
Demon King Lucia turned on the large monitor sitting on her desk.
With a deep breath, she opened a community forum window.
If she couldn’t face the opponent head-on, she would break them down piece by piece.
It was an unethical course of action, but what choice did she have?
So many of her fellow demons were relying on this business venture.
In this era of peace, demons—despite their superior combat skills and mastery of battle magic—lagged far behind humans when it came to cultural industries. This had left many of them in abject poverty.
While this disparity had always existed, the rapid progress of human culture only widened the gap, making it harder for demon culture to garner any attention.
When Demon King Lucia took the throne, she initiated a national project to ensure the survival of her people: the game industry, spearheaded by MaWangSoft.
The idea faced significant opposition at first, but under her direct leadership, MaWangSoft produced games of exceptional quality by the standards of the time.
Through the reputation of MaWangSoft, which carried the weight of the Demon King’s name, they released masterpieces one after another, showcasing the craftsmanship demons were known for.
The company had once swept the gaming market, achieving massive success.
But now, MaWangSoft stood on the brink of collapse.
If MaWangSoft fell, it would deal a devastating blow to the demon economy.
This was no time to be picky about means.
Even if her hands had to get dirty.
“For the well-being of our race...”
Lucia clenched her fists. She could endure any disgrace if it meant securing her people’s future.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Eek!”
Startled by the sudden noise, Lucia hurriedly turned off the monitor.
“Your Majesty, here’s today’s report!”
It was her secretary.
Oh no, it’s already that time?
She’d been so engrossed in lurking on the forums that she’d lost track of time.
“Ah, come in.”
At her response, the secretary gently opened the door and entered.
“Hmm? Your Majesty, is something wrong?”
“Wrong? No, nothing at all.”
“...Is that so?”
The secretary tilted her head in confusion but quickly moved on, pulling out a stack of documents.
“Anyway, let’s begin today’s report.”
“Yes, please do.”
The secretary began to read through the company’s current status.
Declining concurrent user numbers, revenue, monthly active users, and other metrics—all of it was grim.
‘There really is no other way.’
The more she listened, the more Lucia’s resolve hardened.
This was an opponent too powerful to handle through conventional methods.
She would have to resort to underhanded, petty tactics.
“This concludes today’s report on the company’s status.”
“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
“Your Majesty?”
“What is it?”
Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at ƒrēewebnovel.com Only.
“Please don’t blame yourself too much.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your Majesty, we demons used to struggle just to survive. We were often mocked and dismissed as beggars by other races. Thanks to you, we can live happily now.”
“Suddenly painting me in such a flattering light is embarrassing, you know.”
“I mean it! So, please don’t overburden yourself. We can endure anything for you, Your Majesty! So, please... please...”
“Please what?”
“We’re all here for you, Your Majesty...!”
“For me?”
“I don’t know! Just stay strong!”
The secretary, flustered after her emotional outburst, bolted from the room with a red face.
“...Leaving without properly saying goodbye to your boss?”
Lucia chuckled as she watched the secretary’s retreating figure.
It was moments like these that reflected the horizontal, family-like atmosphere she had fostered within her company.
“We can endure anything, huh...”
She knew.
She had been leading her people for a long time.
She knew how much they adored her and wanted to work for her.
“That’s why I can’t let them.”
To involve such kind, diligent individuals in petty sabotage was unthinkable.
“I’ll dirty my own hands. That’s enough.”
Left alone in her office, Lucia sat back in her chair and reopened the community forum on her monitor.
Sabotage, huh.
What would be the most effective method?
The actual company behind [Akashic Archive] was completely shrouded in mystery.
Where it was located, how big it was—nothing was known.
Directly targeting the company was impossible.
Lucia recalled a past incident that had tarnished MaWangSoft’s reputation.
A meme that called MaWangSoft users “Demon Dumbasses” had spread widely, ruining the public perception of their player base. This had led to a drop in user numbers and revenue.
‘What if I drag down the image of [Akashic Archive] players?’
Thanks to her years of lurking on forums as a hobby, Lucia was confident she could pull it off.
Clack, clack, clack.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she began crafting her post.
Title: Two players.
Versia sat in a massive magitech carriage.
“Two tickets,” she said.
The driver, puzzled, asked, “Miss, you’re alone. Why two tickets?”
“Hehe...”
Versia rubbed her belly and giggled.
The driver, conflicted, reluctantly punched in two tickets.
(Illustration of young Versia in her academy uniform.)
“It’s done!”
Similar posts had once fueled the culture of mocking MaWangSoft users.
If this worked, it would damage the image of [Akashic Archive] players as well.
“Let’s see...”
Lucia used a script to artificially inflate the post’s likes, pushing it onto the trending page.
Soon, the views skyrocketed, and comments started flooding in.
Excited, Lucia clicked to view the responses.
- Demon Dumbasses at it again, LOL.
- Oh.
- Is this implying she’s pregnant?
- Nice touch!
- What a masterpiece!
- Of course the true heroine isn’t Versia, but the elegant Lina.
- Stop slandering my beloved Versia, you jerk!
- Favorite character? Tell me now, urgent.
“...Huh?”
But the comments didn’t go the way she’d expected.
- The next day, Versia got into the carriage again.
“Just one ticket,” she sobbed.
- This guy is seriously insane?!
- WTF.
- Abortion? Belly punch?
- Demon Dumbasses, LOL.
“Uh...”
The depths of this community’s depravity were far beyond her experience.
Her attempt at sabotage alone wasn’t enough to harm [Akashic Archive].
“D-different approach!”
Frustrated, Lucia wracked her brain for another method.
‘How can I drag down the image of [Akashic Archive] players?’
“...Reduce the characters’ appeal?”
The power of [Akashic Archive] lay in its characters. That could work.
Lucia began writing slanderous posts, but they were quickly lost in the community’s chaotic battles over character allegiances.
The users were so passionate, they tore down characters they didn’t own and defended their favorites viciously, wearing anonymity like armor.
Among the writers of such posts, there might even be individuals like the Empire’s Crown Prince or the Demon God themselves. The sheer intensity of the posts surpassed anything Lucia could imagine.
“...Is there really no way?”
Lucia let out a heavy sigh and stood.
“There’s no choice but to degrade the players directly.”
***
A completely disorganized, dirty room.
Crumbs from snacks and half-eaten food were scattered everywhere.
Piles of R-18 doujinshi littered the background, making the room outright repulsive to look at.
“...Maybe I went a little overboard.”
Her room was usually far from spotless, but she had deliberately made it even filthier.
It was all part of her plan to drag down the perceived level of [Akashic Archive] players by posting a staged photo.
“Ugh... It’s been so long. The uniform doesn’t fit right anymore.”
She pulled out an old academy uniform that had been shoved into a corner of her wardrobe for decades and adjusted it to resemble Versia’s outfit.
“This brings back memories...”
She was momentarily lost in nostalgia but quickly shook her head to focus on her mission.
Lucia took a photo of herself in the messy room, carefully obscuring her face, and posted it to the community.
- Tried cosplaying as Versia. Give me feedback.
This time, she didn’t even need to inflate the post’s visibility artificially. It immediately drew a crowd.
- Oh.
- Show us your chest.
- This reminds me of my younger days...
- Pretty.
“...Hehe. They think I’m pretty.”
So, I’m not past my prime yet, huh.
For sixty years, she had dedicated herself to the revival of her people. Having spent her entire academy life studying without dating, then working tirelessly as the Demon King after graduation, she hadn’t heard a compliment like this in ages.
Even with her face hidden, being called pretty brought an uncontrollable smile to her face.
- What’s up with the fake chest?
- Versia isn’t that busty.
- This feels off.
“It’s not fake!”
Lucia jumped to her feet, unable to hold back her indignation.
But why is no one commenting on the state of the room?
You’re supposed to call out how gross it is! The whole point is to drag down the user base’s image!
Ding!
Her inbox flooded with private messages.
- Can we meet sometime...
- Did you get surgery on your chest?
- You remind me of a woman I met in my youth...
“Not this!”
Instead of achieving her intended goal, she only attracted strange messages.
Of course, it was nice to feel admired and appreciated, but there were more pressing matters at hand right now!
At that moment, a message caught her eye.
- This is the CEO of [DreamStory], the developers of [Akashic Archive]. I’d like to meet with you to discuss something...
“[Akashic Archive]...?”
The very company responsible for her recent antics. The game that had single-handedly disrupted the entire gaming industry.
A game-changer in every sense of the word.
And now, its CEO had sent her a message.
“Even verified...”
Lucia checked the attached developer credentials using her admin tools and confirmed the sender was indeed legitimate.
“The CEO of [Akashic Archive] sent me a message...”
She hadn’t expected this at all.
To think her petty attempts at sabotage had caught the attention of her enemy.
...But what if I use this to my advantage?
This could be a golden opportunity to approach an otherwise elusive opponent.
“Tomorrow, at the Reira Academy...”
Lucia muttered absentmindedly, her mind already racing as she finalized the meeting arrangements.