Heroes Are Coming!

Ragnar Vhagar's grand declaration of world domination echoed through the newly formed stone halls of his dungeon.

His tiny army of goblins and kobolds stared back at him, their beady eyes filled with a primal, instinctual loyalty that was still deeply unsettling.

Gary the kobold, having recovered from his latest tumble, barked once in agreement before getting distracted by a particularly interesting crack in the floor.

"Right. World domination," Ragnar muttered to himself, the adrenaline from the dungeon's creation starting to fade.

He collapsed onto his new throne. It was made of cold, black obsidian, and was about as comfortable as sitting on a pile of sharp rocks. He missed his peeling gaming chair.

A wave of nausea and fear washed over him. His hands trembled. He was just a guy who liked video games and pizza.

His greatest conflict in life had been arguing with his internet provider. How was he supposed to do this?

He pulled out his phone, the last link to his old life. He scrolled through the familiar, useless apps.

Social media, a banking app, a food delivery service. They were all meaningless now. Out of sheer, desperate habit, he tapped the web browser icon.

He expected an error message, a "No Connection" screen.

Instead, the news loaded.

The headlines were a chaotic storm of panic and confusion.

"THE AEGIS MANDATE: GLOBAL GOVERNMENTS URGE CAUTION!"

"FIRST HEROES EMERGE IN TOKYO, SLAY GOBLIN HORDE!"

"THE CATACLYSM: MONSTERS APPEARING IN MAJOR CITIES! IS THIS THE END?"

Ragnar scrolled, his eyes wide. He saw blurry phone camera footage of a man in a glowing suit of armor fighting creatures that looked disturbingly like his own goblins in the middle of a city street.

He read panicked forum posts from people who were now designated as the 'Neutral' faction, hiding in their homes as the world outside turned into a warzone.

The Law faction, the Heroes, were organizing. They were forming parties, clearing out low-level monster threats, and posting their victories online like they were influencers showing off a new haul.

His dungeon wasn't just a target. It was content.

The fear in his gut didn't go away, but it was joined by something else: cold, hard information. He wasn't blind anymore. He had a window to his enemy.

"Okay, Ragnar. Less panicking, more planning," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

He stood up from the uncomfortable throne and looked at his army of idiots. He needed to know what he was working with.

He opened the Demon King System app. His Creation Points were slowly refilling. He now had 15 CP.

Looking at the Creation menu, he saw the "Basic Dungeon Pack" had unlocked a few new, cheaper options.

[Create Monster: Slime (Cost: 1 CP)]

[Create Monster: Rat (Cost: 1 CP)]

[Create Monster: Bat (Cost: 2 CP)]

They were bottom-of-the-barrel monsters, but they were cheap. He spent 4 CP, and in a pop of dark energy, a small, jiggly blue slime, a fat gray rat, and a leathery-winged bat appeared on the floor.

They looked just as confused as everyone else.

"Alright. Let's see what you're made of,"

Ragnar announced. He herded his original minions and the new recruits into the room designated as the 'Mess Hall'.

It was a large, empty stone room perfect for a makeshift arena.

First, he pitted a goblin against the newly created rat.

The goblin, a scrawny creature named Pip by Ragnar's internal monologue, let out a fierce shriek.

BOOM!

The air cracked with a tiny sonic boom as Pip threw a punch. The wind shrieked as his small, green fist, moving with impossible speed, connected with the rat.

A visible shockwave, no bigger than a dinner plate, exploded from the point of impact.

The rat was launched across the room, hitting the far wall with a wet smack. It didn't get up.

Ragnar made a note on his phone.

Goblins: surprisingly effective against vermin. Good pest control.

Next up was a kobold against one of his wolves.

This was a real fight. The kobold, armed with a crude club, faced off against the snarling wolf. The two beasts crashed into each other.

BOOM!

The ground trembled slightly as they collided. The wolf's claws tore through the air, shrieking as they raked against the kobold's tough hide. The kobold swung its club.

CRACK!

The impact sent a shockwave blasting outwards, forcing both creatures back a step. The wolf howled in pain, its leg clearly broken. The kobold barked in victory.

Ragnar typed another note. Kobolds are the best bang for your buck. Tough, strong, and they can use weapons. Main infantry unit.

He tested the others. The bats were fast but weak, good for harassing. The slimes were… well, they were slimes.

A wolf ate one in a single bite. They were pure cannon fodder, a living speed bump.

After an hour of these brutal, miniature gladiator matches, Ragnar had a clear understanding of his forces. He knew their strengths, their weaknesses, and their cost. It was cold, grim work, but it was necessary.

Finally, he checked his Alchemy skill. He had poured a fortune of his starting points into it by accident. He tapped the tab, and a long list of incredible items appeared.

[D-Rank Black Iron Sword: Requires 10x Iron Ingot, 5x Monster Core (Low)]

[C-Rank Silver Spear: Requires 15x Silver Ingot, 3x Wolf Pelt, 1x Monster Core (Mid)]

[B-Rank Flame Tongue Dagger: Requires 1x Mithril Ingot, 1x Fire Gem, 1x Demon Blood]

The list went on and on. He could, in theory, create legendary weapons.

But next to every material was a bright red [0]. He had nothing. He was a master chef with an empty pantry.

"I'm the most powerful fantasy blacksmith in the world," he sighed, "and I don't even have a rusty nail to work with."

A slow, wicked grin began to form on his face. The fear was still there, a cold knot in his stomach.

But now, it had a direction. His path was clear. He couldn't make weapons without materials.

The heroes outside had weapons. They had armor. When they died in his dungeon, they would drop them.

He wasn't just farming them for experience points. He was farming them for scrap metal.

"Alright, you useless and slightly-less-useless bags of teeth and slime!" he yelled, his voice full of a new, chilling purpose.

"Training is over. Get ready. We're about to have guests. And we need to be prepared to take everything they have. Including their lives."