Methawin, a young man with jet-black hair and honey-tanned skin, sharp and handsome features, appeared in a pitch-black temple surrounded by ancient-looking pillars.
As he stood in confusion, a translucent blue screen popped up before him, accompanied by a resonating voice in his ears.
> [Welcome to the game Heros Vs Demon Kings!]
[Current player count: 10 billion!]
[Players are divided into two factions: 'Heroes' and 'Demon Kings'!]
[You have been chosen as a 'Demon King'.]
[Please remember the following important rules:]
1. Death means the end of your participation in the game.
2. As a Demon King, victory is achieved by destroying the Hero faction and global empires. You will face enemies from all directions—alone.
3. This game was created as humanity's last hope. Do your best.
4. Your role is to build your base from scratch.
5. Demon Kings receive a 5-day safety period upon entering the game.
6. After this period, heroes will be able to access the 'Map System' to locate Demon Kings within a certain range.
7. Demon Kings have access to a trade system to exchange goods with each other.
...
[Randomizing your Demon King bloodline in 10 minutes.]
Reading the messages, Methawin began to understand. He was astonished, unable to fully believe it, but undeniably excited.
"I've been transported to another world again? Not just me either… It feels like the entire world has too."
Methawin was quick to grasp the concept of world-hopping—he had done it before. He once lived in a world similar to this one, before moving to this reality. He only realized he had crossed over when he discovered that no official records of his existence existed here.
It had been three years since he arrived. At first, he thought he'd left fantasy behind—but this was a twist he didn't expect.
"Race probably determines social class in this world too, huh? Fantasy always comes with hierarchy."
Bloodlines began flashing rapidly before him, just fast enough for him to catch their names.
> [Slime Demon King ⭐]
[Goblin Demon King ⭐]
[Tarantula Demon King ⭐]
"If I end up with one of those low-tier bloodlines… What should I even do? Can I evolve somehow?"
He grew more anxious seeing all the one-star options—until he saw some two-star bloodlines.
> [Orc Demon King ⭐⭐]
[Centaur Demon King ⭐⭐]
[Dryad Demon King ⭐⭐]
[Vampire Demon King ⭐⭐⭐]
Bloodline after bloodline flashed before his eyes until, as the countdown ended, it finally stopped.
> [You have obtained the bloodline of the 'Golden-Patterned Giant' Demon King ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]
[Golden-Patterned Giant: A Demon King-type race. Upon fusion, you will reincarnate as a giant with immense strength, durability, and near-immortality.]
Seeing the result he had hoped for, Methawin closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and suppressed his joy—then opened his eyes and punched the air in triumph.
"Yes! I don't know if there's anything higher than five stars, but this is definitely not bad!"
He tapped the glowing system window, which then engulfed him in light. His body began to change rapidly, transforming into a 3-meter-tall giant with blood-red skin and faintly glowing golden patterns across his body, resembling sacred veins.
His face now bore fang-like tattoos at his mouth, and two actual tusks jutted slightly outward. He wore loose white robes, reminiscent of a forest-dwelling sage.
Curious, Methawin lifted his robes to examine his… lower body—only to find that it was proportionally massive.
"I'm still proud of this, even if it's red with golden vein-like lines all over. It's kinda cool actually—heheh."
After checking himself out, he could feel a surge of power coursing through him. He clenched his fists again, feeling like he could punch a mountain apart—even if it was probably just an illusion of newfound strength.
> [Transformation complete. Entering the game now.]
A moment later, a swirling gate of black-purple light opened in front of him and pulled him in.
Methawin emerged atop a Demon King's altar, glowing faintly in a mystical forest.
> [You have been randomly placed in the "Forest of a Hundred Beast Kings," located in the southeastern region of the Elindor continent. Deep within the forest lies the Bloodwood Region, a resource-rich, lawless zone teeming with danger and war. It spans over 10 million square kilometers.]
"Seems like a good place to start… I guess? Assuming my bloodline is top-tier."
He looked around. The area was dense with trees, but there was a clearing around the altar that would make building easier.
'Just thinking about clearing this forest gives me a headache already…'
Methawin opened the player system. A status window appeared—but before he could check it, a notification popped up.
> [You have received the 'Golden Finger' as a world-transcender.]
[Golden Finger: 'Legendary Altar of Myths' – Your altar has been transformed. You may now summon creatures from legendary mythologies such as Greek, Norse, Journey to the West, Egyptian, and more. You get one summon per day, but for the duration of the safety period, you receive 10 summons daily with a 10x luck boost!]
"Oooh~ Wow!"
He returned to examine the altar, which acted as the heart of any Demon King. Normally, one could only summon beings of similar species—e.g., goblins summoning more goblins.
If the altar remained intact, fallen demons could revive, though with a long cooldown—so it's best not to die.
He checked the altar's info:
> [Altar Level 1]
Available summons: 0/3 – Empty
Pending summons: Giant Worker ⭐ (Lv.1), Giant Warrior ⭐ (Lv.1)
These were the default summons. However, they were now erased, waiting to be replaced by new ones. Once recorded, summons couldn't be undone, though the number of summons could be increased by leveling the altar—requiring 'Hero Souls' and gold.
Thanks to the Golden Finger, new functions were added:
> [Summon]
[Dungeons]
[Shop]
'A built-in shop system too?'
Curious, Methawin checked the summon menu. He saw options for [Summon x1] and [Summon x10] and a brief explanation of the system.
'I'm counting on that 10x luck boost!'
Without hesitation, he selected [Summon x10]. The altar glowed brightly, forcing him to shield his eyes, and one by one, the results appeared.
> [Myth Fragment ×3]
[Myth Fragment ×3]
[Blueprint: Water Fermenting Barrel]
[Dungeon: Giant Chicken]
[Myth Fragment ×4]
[Gold ×50]
[Dwarf ⭐ Lv.1]
[Blueprint: Worker's Lodge]
[Ghoul Stone ⭐ Lv.1]
[Immortal Flame Phoenix ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lv.1]
"Phoenix!? Am I seeing things? That's a creature that revives from death!"
Methawin's eyes widened, hands trembling with excitement. He'd only read about the legendary Phoenix—never expected to see one this early in the game.
And it was five stars—meaning its power matched the infamous Chimera said to rule entire forests.
---
The screen sorted the results. Only usable items remained—like blueprints and the Phoenix.
> [Do you want to summon 'Immortal Flame Phoenix'?]
Methawin grinned and pressed [Yes!]
The sky cracked open with a burst of orange-gold light as flames erupted from the altar, like a second sun had risen.
Within the blaze appeared a massive bird-like creature, its eyes glowing with wisdom and magic. Its body radiated golden flames, wings spanning nearly 10 meters. When it flapped, the heat shimmered like warm sunlight.
Then the Phoenix shrank into a cat-sized bird with soft glowing feathers. It hopped toward Methawin and rubbed against his hand.
"Haha! Now that's adorable!"
He laughed, petting its silky feathers and opened its status screen excitedly.
---
[Immortal Flame Phoenix]
Level: 1
Bloodline: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Myth: Greek
Base Stats
HP: 1,100
MP: 2,700
STR: 35
CON: 110
AGI: 140
MAG: 270
Skills
Auspicious Flame (B)
Divine Light Bath (A)
Fiery Wing Flap (C)
Eternal Rebirth (S)
Talents
Solar Flame (Basic)
Sunlit Devotion [Locked]
Immortal Golden Feathers [Locked]
Phoenix Blood [Locked]
Life Devourer (Basic) [Locked]
---
Methawin grinned even wider. Just hearing the word Phoenix carried a magical prestige.
The stats were impressive—even without a reference point, a five-star mythical beast surely could wipe out armies.
Still, excitement aside, he couldn't afford to get too relaxed—even if his starting point outclassed 99.99% of Demon Kings.
To reset his focus, he opened his system menu again: [Status], [Chat], [Trade].
> Demon Kings Online: 10,000,000!
"Ten million Demon Kings!? Wait—aren't there ten billion players in total!? What is this ratio!? This isn't a Heroes vs Demon Kings game—this is a Demon Kings extermination game!"
Although Demon Kings could communicate and trade via the dimensional shop, it still sounded grim.
Meanwhile, the Heroes were born into native tribes, possessed by players and blessed with innate talents. They had structure, armies, and the rest of humanity on their side.
Despite the continent's massive size, the threat to Demon Kings was real.
Methawin sighed. Thankfully, his spawn point was deep within the wild forest—far from the masses.
He peeked at the chat window:
> [Aaahhh! I turned into a slime!? I thought it was just bloodline—but I'm an actual slime now, nooo~]
[It's so dark here… I can't see anything—not even myself. But I feel like… I have a lot of legs… Creepy.]
[Mwahaha! I am the Lizard Demon King! Lizards are practically dragons—I will conquer the world! Who will submit to me!?]
[Everyone, stay calm. Losing your mind won't help. We've only got five days of safety.]
[It's hopeless. Ten million Demon Kings vs ten billion players? That means only one thing…]
[In real life, I'm rich! My family owns a tech empire. Supply me and I'll give you promotions when we get out!]
Each player got five free messages a day, but with ten million Demon Kings, chaos was inevitable. Some were hopeful, others desperate. Some had mental health issues. Some simply saw it as a chance for a new life.
Being a Demon King meant being weak at the start—but lucky ones like Methawin still existed. Some started as skeletons or ghosts who didn't need food—but Methawin was glad he wasn't one of them.
He closed the chat and checked his status next.
---
[Name: Methawin]
Level: 1
Race: Golden-Patterned Giant (Demon King) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Base Stats
HP: 2,250
MP: 600
STR: 375
CON: 225
AGI: 90
MAG: 60
Special Buff: Demon King's Authority
Skills: None
Talents:
Giant's Body [Locked]
Devil King's Voice [Locked]
Golden Sigils [Locked]
Heart of the Titan [Locked]
Beginner's Magic [Locked]
Evolution Points: 10
---
He looked strong. Methawin now understood that unlocking talents used Evolution Points. Once all were unlocked, he could evolve to the next level and gain new, stronger abilities.
Evolution Points could be gained by sacrificing Hero Souls. Currently, each talent required 10 points.
Satisfied, Methawin activated his first talent: [Giant's Body].