Chapter Three: The Day of Summoning, The Moment of Fate

When one thinks of a demon lord’s dungeon, what comes to mind first? Vast and labyrinthine corridors, treacherous and deadly traps, and—most importantly—powerful and terrifying monsters. Indeed, that is the crux of it. Every demon lord commands legions of monsters loyal to them. Even those vying for the title of demon lord are no exception. My eldest brother, Klein, leads the Black Knights, the most elite force in the entire demon realm. My second sister, Liricia, commands regiments of dark elves and succubi—fearsome assassins who kill in the shadows, leaving no trace. As for my fourth sister, Vivian, she commands the terrifying Black Dragon Army, whose thunderous roars send even the most unruly fiends scurrying for cover, trembling in fear. Even my fifth sister, Nabelius, though relatively gentle in temperament, possesses enough power to crush any underground faction with ease.

This is the orthodox path for every demon lord’s successor—once they begin constructing their own dungeon, they command their armies to sweep through the surrounding territories like a storm, subjugating all intelligent races. The survivors either become slaves or guards.

To put it bluntly, it’s reminiscent of the Age of Exploration—old empires would set forth with invincible fleets to discover new continents. Even when faced with native tribes yelling and charging, a few cannon blasts were enough to scatter them. Whether to seize slaves or establish colonies depended entirely on their whim.

But I, Jen, have nothing—starting from scratch. It’s no wonder: in demon society, power is paramount, and without demonstrating sufficient strength, how could I expect followers to pledge their loyalty?

Fortunately, I understood this well and never sought help. Had I done so, I would likely have ended up as a mere puppet, stripped of all actual authority.

Unable to seek external assistance, I pinned my hopes on the summoning crystal within the dungeon. In fact, at the very beginning, I did have a chance to construct a summoning crystal. But at that time, I was still in the demon realm and couldn’t even begin to build my dungeon. In the end, I abandoned the summoning crystal and instead called upon Enoia.

As it turned out, that was a remarkably wise decision.

Still, the summoning crystal had to be built. Expanding my influence required more guards. It would be impossible to rely on myself and those goblins mining away to protect the dungeon. The dim-witted half-orcs and claw fiends were beneath my notice. So, after completing the system’s daily tasks and regaining the right to construct a summoning crystal, I immediately and unhesitatingly chose to begin.

And now, the day of destiny had arrived.

“Master, the summoning crystal has been completed…”

Bix, after meticulously inspecting the summoning crystal once more, finally stood up and spoke to me, timidly. She was no longer the filthy gnome slave she once was. The grimy robes had been replaced by a black-and-white maid’s outfit, with white stockings and dainty fawn-skin boots, giving her a true air of a maid.

On Earth, I would probably be arrested for employing child labor—though in truth, this girl, who appeared no older than ten, was nearly eighty years old.

“Good.”

Upon hearing Bix’s report, I waved my hand, and she lowered her head, a hint of joy on her face as she obediently stepped aside.

On the surface, this gnome seemed unchanged, but I knew that after accepting my demonic imprint, Bix had transformed.

Unlike mage contracts or mental domination, the demon imprint does not forcibly brainwash its recipient into an idiot who knows nothing but their master. Instead, it is more insidious, cunning, and far harder to break.

It does not compel loyalty and obedience, but rather subtly influences the recipient’s innermost thoughts, whispering that the master before them is to be served. Complete the task given, and one will feel happiness and fulfillment.

And once the recipient completes a task, they experience intense joy and satisfaction, driving them to work ever harder for their master. As this cycle continues, the recipient becomes willingly and irreversibly devoted, requiring no brainwashing to become the demon lord’s most loyal subordinate and servant.

Apart from this, their personality, knowledge, and memories remain unchanged.

Like Bix—she still remembers her homeland, her parents, her friends, and her feelings for them remain intact. Yet, she no longer thinks of returning home; under the influence of the imprint, serving her master is now her highest priority.

Compared to that, thoughts of returning home are nearly negligible.

Thus, in all historical records, there is not a single case of someone who has fallen to the demon imprint ever truly turning their life around.

For those who have accepted the demon imprint, any attempt to awaken them is futile. They are neither mentally controlled nor brainwashed, but have willingly, of their own accord, submitted to their master. What could anyone possibly do in such a situation?

Yet, the demon imprint is not without its flaws. It can only be implanted if the recipient is willing, or if the power disparity is so great that resistance is impossible; otherwise, it will be nullified. If the demon imprint were truly so powerful, the demon race would have long since emerged from the darkness below to unify the continent.

But for me, Jen, the demon imprint has other uses…

Enough digression—back to the matter at hand.

Gazing at the summoning crystal before me, I sighed softly. Then I raised my head, glancing at the system’s display—oil, steel, aluminum… ahem, stone, silver, and gems—then frowned slightly.

“The day of summoning, the gamble of fate. Will it be non-demon or demon? No, will it be non-rare or rare demon—it all depends now.”

Though the words sounded woeful, a strange smile curled my lips. For I had already mastered the summoning mechanism of this dungeon system.

Though it wasn’t to the point where I could predict every outcome exactly, I could easily adjust resources to greatly increase the odds of obtaining the rare units I desired—a result achieved from thousands of tests and painstaking data modeling.

What I hadn’t expected was that my absurdly high rare summon rates would attract the attention of the game company, who then banned me under the flimsy pretext of using an automated script. This wasn’t an MMORPG—there was no need to control a character’s movement, and yet even an automatic mouse clicker warranted a ban?

No matter. Before being struck by lightning and sent to this world, I’d already set the main server’s rare summon rate to one hundred percent. Ha! I’d love to see the faces of the game company when they realize every player, paid or not, is summoning rare units as if there’s no cost at all… Wait!

Suddenly, I paused, struck by a realization.

I had been struck by lightning and transported here after modifying the system… Could it mean that this system is also altered? In other words, could I summon rare units with one hundred percent certainty?

The thought filled me with excitement, even for someone like me. Though rare units vary widely, with some being all looks and no substance, they are still rare units! No matter which comes forth, it’s better than any ordinary unit. And with my own system, there’s no risk of the game company reverting the changes!

If only I’d known, I would have set every stat to 99,999 back then…

Now I regret only adjusting the rare rate to spite them. Had I known, I would have modified all the stats, and then nothing would stand in my way… Well, there’s no point in complaining now.

Calming myself, I decided to test it. I reached out into the void, and soon a system prompt appeared.

[Summoning crystal activated. Please insert summoning materials.]

Even with a guaranteed rare summon, the choice of race still depended on the materials. Only by matching the proportions could I summon the desired race. I wanted to call forth bone dragons or vampires—powerful units—but unfortunately, I lacked the resources and had not built a treasury or graveyard, so even with a one hundred percent rare rate, it was impossible.

Moreover, given my current circumstances, I couldn’t afford just any rare unit. Rare units are powerful, but their resource consumption is equally high. My dungeon was destitute—even food was scarce. Feeding myself was barely manageable; a few gluttons more and we’d all starve.

So the best option was a unit with low appetite, minimal cost, and strong combat ability… That settled it!

With a plan in mind, I adjusted the resources accordingly.

[Ore (15), Quicksilver (10), Gem (15), Crystal (9)]

[Summoning resources confirmed. Proceed with summoning?]

Summon!

The summoning crystal began to tremble.

Three upright, prismatic crystals emitted waves of soft magical light, pulsing as if with some mysterious energy. Soon, in the center of the triangular arrangement, a black, fathomless rift slowly opened. A chilling wind swept forth, howling through the confined space. The air grew cold and damp, and layers of white frost appeared upon the floor…

The whispers of the dead echoed in my ears, and finally, a smile spread across my face.

It seemed I had gambled correctly.