A few minutes later, a global server announcement appeared.
Just like when the Hidden Job: Skeleton Knight was revealed, the announcement caused another dramatic surge in viewers on Parallel’s official channel.
🔴 (Live) Wicker Town Season 2 - Parallel’s Dungeon Broadcast, Day 8 👪 33,328 viewers
A flood of messages poured in as returning viewers rushed back to chat, their words scrolling too fast to read. The influx was so intense that I had to turn on followers-only mode, which I usually left off.
— We humbly greet the Demon King.
— Is this person a professional at hunting rare jobs?
— That armor looks sick, LOL.
— It’s flashy but also sleek.
— Wearing the full set makes Magia look twice the size of normal players.
— Looks ridiculously strong, probably gonna wreck everyone.
— 0.02% drop rate... What kind of insane luck is this?
— This server is seriously handing all the rare stuff to Parallel LOL.
:: An anonymous donor has sent 10,000 Clouds! ::
:: But isn’t this kinda funny? The person who was handing out settlement funds to new players... turns out to be the Demon King? LOL ::
— This is literally the “Demon King was actually the good guy” trope, LMAO.
— <I Quit the Hero's Party and Became the Demon King>
— Classic "Hero gets pissed off and switches sides" moment, lol.
— Ohhh, that’s what’s happening.
— When’s the first battle?!
The number of viewers was 10,000 higher than when the Skeleton Knight reveal happened.
Maybe it was because the player base had expanded—starting from 20 users to over 80 newcomers. And since I had handed out a total of 1.6 million WK in settlement funds, a lot of these new residents probably remembered my name.
If this had happened to any of the other members, it would’ve been a huge boost for them.
Damn, what a waste.
But remember this:
Lapits Potion is truly the best.
Lapits Potion is truly the best.
Regardless of the hype, my only real mission was to improve Lapits Bread’s image.
With half a day before my duties as Demon King officially began, I unequipped the Demon King armor and went straight to find Dora, the Alchemist.
[Heehee. So, you wanna turn all of these into Serena Potions?]
"Yes. Every single one."
[But wow... Where did you even get this many? 12,000 breads...? That’s a bit terrifying.]
Ever since Lapits Bread could be converted into potions, it had gained significant value.
Now, newcomers could earn money just by receiving donations, crafting potions, and selling them—allowing them to quickly integrate into the player economy.
— LMAO
— 1,500 Serena Potions, LOL.
— Enough to last the entire season.
— Couldn’t you sell those for hundreds of WK?
But I wasn’t going to sell them.
To the Demon King, Lapits Potions were a dear and trusted friend.
I needed to drink them all in front of everyone.
Just as I was about to leave with my 1,500 completed potions, Dora suddenly stopped me.
She handed me a dimensional box filled with special gifts.
[This one is a 2-second invincibility potion. This one is a 2-second stealth potion. And this one is a 10-second berserk potion. Since you're the Demon King, I figured you'd need them.]
I technically wasn’t supposed to receive help as the Demon King, but Dora had been leveling up her Alchemist class by crafting these potions, unlocking higher-tier recipes.
Still, when she said "some", she actually meant 100 of each.
Considering each potion sold for thousands of WK, the total value was close to one million WK.
“...Isn’t this a bit much? You’re going to get kicked out of town for helping the Demon King.”
[Heehee. So what? If that happens, I’ll just join the Demon King’s army.]
I tried to refuse, but Dora was too persuasive.
Truly, the power of a mature, onee-san-type VTuber was on another level.
She had a way of gently leading people along with her soft-spoken voice—no wonder her fans completely lost their minds whenever she dropped the "cute mode" and turned serious.
Anyway, with my arms full of potions, I returned to the Demon King's Castle and began preparing the dungeon layout.
I was given admin-level editing privileges for the dungeon's internal design.
I could build mazes, redesign the walls, and even insert short cinematic cutscenes.
Once I was done, the server admins would run a final check before approving the dungeon.
With four hours left until the daily server reset, I had enough time to finish everything.
I already had a plan.
But one thing worried me...
🔴 (Live) Wicker Town Season 2 - Parallel’s Dungeon Broadcast, Day 8 👪 31,044 viewers
I wanted the dungeon to be a surprise, but with so many people watching, they’d see everything as I built it.
If I just shrunk my gameplay screen, I’d get flamed for "hiding content" and trying to milk hype.
Considering how Parallel almost lost public favor due to over-aggressive marketing before, I couldn’t risk it.
Was there a way to distract viewers?
“How about we all watch the trial first and then work on the dungeon afterward?”
— Oh hell yeah.
— Good idea, let’s go.
— Demon King trial-watching session, LOL.
As everyone focused on the courtroom, I silently shut off my screen.
Why?
Because I wasn’t going to the trial.
I’d watch the broadcast while secretly finishing the dungeon.
And while the trial was live, I’d make sure to build a hidden surprise room just for fun.
***
[I will now deliver the verdict.]
[The defendant, Movgun, as the dungeon owner, is required to face duels from those seeking to claim the dungeon’s rights. However, he has continuously avoided these duels by using his mount, ‘Phoenix.’ The reported instances alone amount to a total of ten times.
Therefore, the court sentences the defendant, Movgun, to a fine of 2.5 million WK, which is equivalent to ten times the dungeon entry fee for one hundred visits. Additionally, he is ordered to surrender his mount, ‘Phoenix,’ for two days due to its misuse in fleeing.
Furthermore, the ownership of the four dungeons under Movgun’s name is hereby fully revoked.
This concludes the trial.]
Bang, bang, bang.
The sound of the wooden gavel, wielded by Crkemang, one of the starting members and today’s presiding judge, echoed through the courtroom.
Movgun immediately shouted in frustration.
[I won’t accept this!! I refuse to accept this! This is a conspiracy—an elaborate scheme by those who want to bring me down! You just couldn’t stand the fact that I was making money, huh?! Let me goooo!!]
[Alright, alright, Mr. Movgun, this way please. Until you pay the fine, you’ll have to remain in holding.]
[Kuhhhhaaaaagh.]
— LOOOOOOL
— Movgun’s entire year of streaming has been pure chaos lol
— When he first quit pro gaming, he was kinda mid, but now he’s insane lol
The trial wrapped up in about an hour.
During that time, I managed to set up the surprise event perfectly.
I had been nervously adjusting the video timing and trigger settings, all while keeping an eye on when the trial would end. Fortunately, I finished the setup just in time, right before the final verdict.
— Alright, back to dungeon building!
— What kind of monsters can you summon?
— Let’s take a look.
The viewers who had been watching the trial were now getting impatient, urging me to start construction.
Of course, I was already on it. The key elements had been in place for a while.
“I was just about to restart. Let me adjust the screen first.”
Players infiltrating the Demon King’s Castle had to break through four layers.
The first floor, connected directly to the entrance, was the Monster Legion Defense Line—a horde of small mobs, so no additional monster hires were needed there.
Beyond that was the Great Maze on the second floor, filled with countless traps and complex pathways.
And finally, the third and fourth floors—the areas where I could manually place monsters.
The fourth floor housed the Grand Hall, right below my throne room, where I had just finished setting up the surprise event. I wasn’t touching that for now.
The real focus was the third floor—a sequential battle zone with four large connected chambers.
“There’s an option to sort monsters by price. Let’s see....”
Each room allowed a maximum of 10 cost points worth of monsters.
Powerful monsters were expensive, eating up more cost points. If I chose a high-cost one, I could only place a single unit in the room.
Think of it like that famous card game, Stone Duel.
— Wait, you can summon a Void Dragon?! LMAO
— WTF LOL
— Yeah, but it’s crazy expensive.
— It’s 500,000 WK, but screw it, let’s do it.
— Can’t you just place four 10-cost monsters?
— Problem is, we’re broke lol.
As much as I wanted to place the strongest monsters, the viewers were right—I didn’t have the funds.
After five days of grinding and selling enhancement stones yesterday, I had earned a total of 3 million WK after deducting transaction fees.
Out of that:
Considering that the cheapest 10-cost monster started at 300,000 WK, summoning one wasn’t even an option.
“Looks like I’ll have to go farming again....”
— NOOOOOOOOOO
— KAAAAAH
— Not more farming!
— PLEASE STOP ROBBING US
— You’re grinding AGAIN?! After all that?!
Honestly, I had planned to borrow money.
But judging from the chat, it seemed like everyone had some kind of deep-seated trauma when it came to my farming sessions.
“Since the complaints are overwhelming, I’ll try borrowing first. I’ll check with the boss.”
— Phew.
— Sigh of relief.
— Thank god.
When I deactivated my Demon King armor, I was automatically transported outside the dungeon.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
To my surprise, someone unexpected was waiting at the entrance.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
A familiar username—one I encountered regularly but usually ignored.
Movgun.
We only ever exchanged money and went our separate ways.
More accurately, I had actively avoided him.
He had just been convicted in today’s trial, yet somehow, he had already paid his fine and gotten out of holding.
While everyone else was busy preparing for tomorrow’s dungeon raid, Movgun—now a server-certified criminal—apparently had nothing better to do.
[Gia. Are you graduating from dungeon life?]
“It turned out that way. I became the Demon King.”
[You’ve gone beyond being a Skeleton Gia... Now you’re Demon King Gia.... For today, at least, I envy you.]
I did feel a little bad for him.
But at the same time, it was hilarious.
I was about to head to town when, yet again, Movgun stepped right into my path.
[Wait. Just a moment. I have a proposal for you.]
And with that, he made a completely unexpected request.
[Make me an officer in the Demon King’s Army. I will use my Scarlet Flame Blade to destroy all those who seek to harm you, my lord.]
“...Did I hear that right?”
[Please, my lord. I swear my absolute loyalty to you.]
When someone is truly desperate, no matter how hard they try to hide it, it shows.
Movgun, who always acted superior around my boss, was now groveling like a lowly servant.
As someone who had long wanted to mess with Movgun, I wasn’t about to pass up this golden opportunity.
“Is that even possible? Wouldn’t Wicker need to approve it?”
[I already got permission. See this ‘Economic Offender’ title? Since I’m a convicted criminal, I’m eligible to join the Demon King’s Army. If I register, I’ll even be placed in one of the third-floor rooms as a defender.]
After losing his dungeon and getting his mount confiscated, Movgun was left with nothing.
But he hadn’t reached 1.8 million YouTube subscribers just by being an ex-pro gamer.
He had already figured out a way to reinvent himself—by becoming a notorious villain in the server’s Demon King Army.
Just to test, I tried registering him.
To my amusement, it worked.
Apparently, anyone with a criminal record from server trials could be assigned to the third-floor defense rooms.
The freedom in Wicker’s system never ceased to amaze me.
But simply accepting him wasn’t enough.
I needed money.
And if this guy had been raking in cash, why not charge him an entry fee?
“Alright. Pay the membership fee. We’re a private organization.”
— LOOOOOOL
— NO WAY LMAO
— Charging a fee for a Demon King officer position?!
— The man just needs money lol
Movgun accepted immediately.
[I’ll pay whatever you want. 1 million? 2 million?]
“Wait... you actually made that much money?”
[Gia, you gave me about 150,000 WK per day. That alone was 750,000. On top of that, dungeon entry fees were 25,000 WK per person, and nearly 300 people used it.]
This guy had been making 825,000 WK just by owning a dungeon?!
I clicked my tongue.
“You deserved that trial. You should’ve shared the wealth like Ronze.”
[But money is good! How can I not love money?!]
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
With a smirk, I registered him.
[Here you go.]
“Here’s your welcome gift.”
I handed him two items I had pulled from the gacha earlier.
Movgun immediately dropped to the ground, prostrating himself.
[I LIVE TO SERVE, MY LORD!!!!]
“Shut up.”
[Apologies, my lord!!]
— Damn, Gia’s a mastermind.
— Oh yeah, I forgot she had those items lol.
— LMAO, he just got scammed into a perfect trade.
“Since we’re fighting together, we should split the earnings too.”
No matter how much I disliked Movgun, I couldn't stoop to the same level as him—the guy who just got convicted for violating anti-monopoly laws.
“Whenever I take down a party member, I collect their entry fee, which is 100,000 WK. If you take someone down, I’ll give you that fee in full.”
[Wait. If you’re just handing money out like that, what’s left for you? You’re always distributing wealth like some kind of disaster relief fund....]
“And look where that got me—I became the Demon King.”
[...Wait, was that how it worked? Maybe I should’ve shared my wealth too.]
“Wow, that realization sure came early.”
[Sniff sniff.]
Players could enter the Demon King’s Castle in parties of up to sixteen.
The number of party members I defeated multiplied by 100,000 WK (the entry fee) determined how much I earned.
Each party had 30 minutes to clear the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) dungeon, and the defenders (us) had 30 minutes to reset after each wave.
Assuming an average party size of eight and a 12-hour server uptime, if I defended successfully against twelve parties, I could make up to 9.6 million WK in a day.
So, splitting earnings based on Movgun’s performance wasn’t a problem—if anything, it served as a performance-based salary, which would keep him motivated.
[Loyalty! From today onward, any attack on the Demon King shall be considered an attack on me personally!]
“Uh... That’s not really necessary—.”
[KHAHAHAHA!!]
Whether it was because he liked my proposal, or just because he wanted to milk the content, Movgun went completely wild from that moment on.
Not only did he start roleplaying as a Demon King’s Army officer with horribly exaggerated acting, but he also began taunting the entire server in chat.
[Server-Wide Chat]
🔴 [Demon King’s Army Officer] Movgun: I shall punish all who put me in jail!
🔴 [Demon King’s Army Officer] Movgun: I shall cleanse you all in the Demon King’s name!
🔴 [Delinquent] Lupko: What’s wrong with this guy?
🔴 [Delinquent] Lupko: Did he get dementia or something?
And whether it was because of Movgun’s rampage, or something else entirely...
The Next Day.
📡 (🔴Live) Wicker Town Season 2 - Parallel Control Room, Day 9 👪 51,435 Viewers
The stream title showed that it was Day 9 of the Control Room, and my screen was split into six panels.
But the viewer count was insane.
It was as if every single active player in Wicker Town had gathered to watch.
I was completely stunned, staring blankly at the 50,000+ viewers the stream had reached within just fifteen minutes.
And then—
BZZT!
My phone buzzed.
It was the boss.
📩 [Boss]: Gia!!
📩 [Boss]: Adjust the screen layout immediately!
📩 [Boss]: This is urgent.