How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord: Volume 1

by Yukiya Murasaki

  Large boulders dotted the landscape of the plains in front of him. If he hid behind those, then he should be able to avoid fighting any monsters.

  Because he was still keeping up his Demon Lord persona, however, hiding would make him seem lame.

  Checking his surroundings, Takuma was relieved to confirm that there were no monsters in sight. He was just glad that he wouldn’t need to have the girls protect him.

  In the Starfall Tower area, monsters were usually around the low 60’s.

  For Takuma’s character in the game—Diablo—they would not even pose a challenge. As he was now, however, he wasn’t sure if he could take them.

  That was what he was on his way to confirm for himself.

  As usual, Shera and Rem were back to arguing over who had summoned Diablo.

  Takuma turned around to look back at them.

  “I believe you two are mistaken about something.”

  “...What are you talking about? Well, it is true that this useless Elf is mistaken if she thinks she’s the one who summoned you.”

  “I’m not mistaken, thank you very much! I’m the one who summoned Diablo, okay!?”

  “...You are being foolish. This was your first summoning, wasn’t it?”

  “It was, but I’m a genius! Everyone back home told me so!”

  “...I have already made contracts with seven Summons. Even among the other Summoners back in town, this is a top-class amount... Put simply, I am an outstanding Summoner, while you are not. Diablo is an outstanding Summon, and therefore, the obvious conclusion one can come to is that I am the one who summoned him. Do you understand now?”

  “What? Huh? So, um...what!?”

  “...Elves should just stick with shooting arrows, you dumb Elf.”

  “Don’t lump me together with the other Elves! And right back at you, kitty girl! Pantherians should just go sharpen their claws on a scratching post or something!”

  “...It’s because I am special.”

  Rem turned up her lips and looked the other way.

  Takuma wanted to sigh.

  —Dang, the more girls talk, the more they get off track. Or is this just how these two are?

  However, a Demon Lord who started sighing because he did not know how to handle a couple of girls was the exact opposite of looking strong. Instead, he let out a scornful chuckle.

  “Hmph... It seems that you two are against listening to me speak.”

  They froze in place.

  He felt bad about scaring them like this, but this was for the best if he wanted to get information out of them.

  Besides, he had no idea how to talk to girls outside of his Demon Lord act, so this was just how it had to be.

  —Man, what the hell do I do now?

  Looks like he would have to keep on pushing through as the Demon Lord.

  “Listen well, for I want to be clear on this... I am no Summon!”

  The two looked at each other.

  Shera opened her mouth to speak.

  “B-But you were summoned because of the summoning ritual, right?”

  “I am a being who transcends conventional wisdom. Being compared to the likes of those one-trick beasts is nothing short of an aggravation.”

  “...So what you are trying to say is, you don’t fit into the category of a Summon? ...Are you saying you have more than two abilities?”

  Summons in Cross Reverie came with a certain set of parameters, and only one special ability.

  This could be anything from poison, paralysis, recovery, letting their Summoner ride on them, or even firing lasers to mow down multiple enemies at once. However, outside of their basic attack, Summons were only supposed to be able to perform one other action. What Rem had said must mean it was the same for this world too.

  He was a bit relieved to hear that.

  With a sneer, Takuma twisted his face into an expression fitting of a Demon Lord.

  “Yes, that’s right. As proof, I do indeed possess abilities outside of Magic Reflection.”

  Elemental magic.

  He wouldn’t be going to much of anywhere if he couldn’t use this.

  Of course, his equipment had other effects as well.

  As Takuma stood at the edge of a puddle on the ground, his appearance was reflected on its surface.

  The black outfit he was wearing, the Ebony Abyss, had the ability to reduce the power of physical attacks, as well as provide a hefty stat boost just for having it on.

  The cape that covered his back was called the “Curtain of Dark Clouds.” In addition to protecting its wearer from negative status effects, it also had an effect that would leave the wearer with 1 HP from any attack that would normally reduce it to zero. He wore it so he could say things like “the Demon Lord will never die!” but so far, no one had been able to get his HP down to zero. If he was attacked again while at 1 HP, though, he really would die.

  In order to give him more of a Demon Lord-esque appearance, he wore an item called the “Distorted Crown” on his head. Not only did it change how he looked, but it also had an automatic HP regeneration effect as well.

  For his weapon, he carried a stave named 《Tenma’s Staff》. Not only did it boost his INT (Intelligence) stat, but it also shortened chant times for spells.

  He also carried an item pouch on his waist.

  Hidden under his cape, it held things such as potions to restore MP, as well as healing potions, since the Demon Lord’s Ring would reflect recovery magic.

  He also carried with him a special rare item he planned on giving to anyone who could defeat the Demon Lord to commemorate their accomplishment.

  He wanted to take them out to check, but to “take out” something in-game also meant “to use.” Since this world seemed based in reality, he doubted that would happen... But he wanted to avoid the risk of wasting any items before he could finish confirming his own power.

  The Demon Lord’s Ring sat on the middle finger of his left hand.

  This was the only thing that he had been able to confirm its effect. In-game, and in this world as well, it was Diablo’s ace-in-the-hole.

  Takuma also got his first glimpse of Diablo’s face since coming to this world.

  —Damn, I look good!

  A face vastly different from the real-world Takuma was reflected in the water.

  The light from his black eyes gave off a sharp gleam, and bluish-black tattoo-like marks covered his cheeks and forehead. Because of the effects of the Distorted Crown, he could also see two horns growing out of his head.

  There was a mocking smile plastered on his face.

  He was savagely handsome: his skin tanned and his body toned and muscular.

  This was not 《Sakamoto Takuma》.

  He was 《Diablo》, his appearance exactly the same as it was in-game.

  —What are my abilities?

  His particular fighting style was to circle the enemy while unleashing elemental magic, reflecting all of his opponent’s spells and annihilating them in the process. Could he do the same thing here?

  Rem and Shera brought their faces together and started talking amongst themselves.

  “...He isn’t a Summon? It is true that I have never heard of a Summon with more than two abilities before...”

  “But Diablo is supposed to be a Summon, right?”

  “...Why do you have such a hard time picking up on these things?”

  “Huh? Picking up on what now?”

  “......Diablo just said himself that being treated as a Summon was unpleasant for him.”

  “But he was summoned from another world, right? Isn’t that what a Summon is?”

  “...I give up. Putting that aside, I wonder what other abilities he could have besides Magic Reflection?”

  Rem had a pensive look on her face.

  Shera clapped her hands together, as if she had a brilliant idea.

  “Why don’t we just have him show us!”

  “...It is true that, as his Summoner, it is necessary for me to
have a grasp of his abilities.”

  Rem turned her piercing gaze toward Takuma.

  Eyes sparkling, Shera also turned toward him.

  “Hey, Diablo! Show us those abilities of yours!”

  “...Yes. If you really do hold multiple abilities, then I definitely would like to see them.”

  The reason he had come outside was for just that: to test his own abilities.

  —I’m sure I can use magic, I have to be able to! Probably... I’m kinda screwed if I can’t.

  He could not bring himself to say that it might be impossible.

  Takuma sneered.

  “Ku-ku-ku... Very well! I will show you the true power of Diablo!”

  †

  Taking a quick glance at his surroundings, Takuma found a reasonably large-sized boulder. It was roughly 3 meters tall, and probably about 5 meters across.

  The surface of the rock looked as if it had been polished until it was completely smooth; it was unthinkable that this could have been formed naturally.

  In the game, this was an indestructible object that would not break, no matter how much magic you hit it with.

  This was the boulder he would try using his elemental magic on.

  However, he was nervous.

  He didn’t want to be seen as a weirdo who just randomly threw around his offense spells, which is why he said that all that stuff about “showing them his true power.” But that might have been going overboard.

  Now they were expecting him to do something amazing.

  “N-Now then... I cannot get too serious, as it would vaporize this world. I will only use a sliver of my power. Perhaps a thousandth... No, one ten-thousandth of my full power... I believe this amount will be enough to show you two.”

  “Who cares! C’mon!”

  “...Please show me your power.”

  Well, no getting out of this one anymore.

  As the two girls looked on with great interest, Takuma began to concentrate.

  To use magic in the MMORPG Cross Reverie, you had to line up your cursor with your target and press the shortcut you assigned it to on your keyboard.

  While auto-targeting was an option, Takuma would often use tactics such as leading his shots, so he liked to manually control the cursor from a third-person over-the-shoulder viewpoint.

  —Look at the rock as if you’re lining up the cursor with it.

  He imagined another Takuma, looking at him from above.

  His other self was controlling his Sorcerer persona, and would make him use his magic.

  He decided on something that he frequently used in-game.

  An Elemental spell that would ignite and cause fire damage in a small area—《Explosion》.

  This was a mid-tier spell an Elemental Sorcerer could learn by allocating skill points to the appropriate categories once they reached level 50.

  Though it did not have a lot of power, the AoE of the spell was substantial, making it easy to use. Even as he kept leveling up, it was something he would use often.

  The Diablo in that game was level 150, and an ultimate Sorcerer.

  —There’s no way this won’t work!

  Takuma pointed the tip of Tenma’s Staff at the boulder.

  —But... can I even use magic?

  “!?”

  The sudden doubt that crossed his mind caused him to stop moving.

  Rem tilted her head.

  “...Is something wrong?”

  “What are you doing? Weren’t you going to show us your power?”

  His heart started pounding at their words.

  If things kept going like this, it would be bad... It would be really bad...

  “D-Do not rush me.”

  “...Since I am your Summoner, I should know exactly what your powers are. Please hurry up and show me.”

  “Wait, I’m his Summoner!”

  Rem did not react to Shera’s obstinate retort.

  If he did not succeed, he would lose his place here.

  He was starting to sweat.

  —Gotta remember the description they wrote for this magic!

  He needed more details to get a solid image in his head of how to make the spell work.

  There must have been something written in the explanation.

  Yeah, it was something along the lines of, “Gather hydrogen from the surrounding air and ignite it with magic.”

  He didn’t know if this made sense scientifically, but he tried imagining it anyways.

  He could do it.

  —Even if the me back in the real world can’t!

  If it was the Demon Lord Diablo, the man who had laid waste to countless other players, he would surely be able to do it.

  A black light began to emerge from the tip of Tenma’s Staff.

  Takuma etched the image of the magic succeeding in his mind— No, he was not Takuma now. In this world, he was the Demon Lord, Diablo!

  He murmured:

  “‘Explosion!’”

  An actual explosion!

  The enormous boulder burst apart from the inside, fragments of rock shooting out like shrapnel and spraying the surrounding area.

  Rem and Shera let out a scream and took cover behind Diablo’s back in a panic.

  Though they may have just been shards of rock, if they hit you at that speed you would not get away unscathed.

  Diablo had not been able to avoid them.

  He stayed still out of habit, since usually graphical effects in the game (like an exploding rock) did not cause damage. It might have been dicey if he actually took damage from the sharp rocks... However—

  The damage-reducing effects of the Ebony Abyss had activated. Right before the flying chunk of rock hit Diablo, it lost its momentum. No problems there.

  He had actually used magic!

  A great sense of joy bubbled up inside him at the thought of his success. He wanted to jump up and down he was so happy. However, he could never do something so childish. He was a Demon Lord, after all.

  “Hmph... So that’s how it is.”

  He tried saying it in a way that made it seem as if his original power was much greater.

  But it was then that a terrible thought came to him.

  —What if this actually isn’t all that impressive to people in this world?

  Diablo turned to look at the two girls hiding behind him.

  Shera and Rem had huddled together and were whispering to each other.

  “What...just happened?”

  “...It looked...like magic. Elemental magic, to be exact... But that can’t be...”

  They looked like they were surprised. The problem was, he did not know if they were surprised because he was strong, or because he was so weak. He wished that they would have given him some more feedback out loud.

  In this area of the game, the monsters should be around level 60 or so. This would have been suitable for players who had made it this far.

  If that was the case, then perhaps “Explosion,” being a spell you learn at level 50, might have seemed a bit weak.

  “I will show you a different magic.”

  He pointed his staff at a boulder even larger than the one before.

  —The important thing here is to imagine the description of the spell.

  He had a feeling that remembering the details surrounding the spell would end up being more effective.

  If he tried throwing in some of the things he had learned in school for manipulating the elements, he could come up with a more specific image in his head. He was sure that he would be able to cast an even more powerful spell.

  For the next one, he thought it would be good to try something outside of fire elemental spells.

  Monsters in Cross Reverie were assigned certain elements.

  It would be dangerous if he could not use at least two types of magic.

  —Next I’ll try going with the level 80 magic, 《Freezia》.

  It was a spell that would completely freeze the area you targeted.

  Its description
read, “Use magic to force the molecules in the area to put on the brakes, freezing them.”

  Pointing his staff, he imagined the heat being drained from the area he chose as his target.

  —It worked.

  “‘Freezia!’”

  A formation of ice in the shape of a blooming lotus burst into existence, though this was just an illusion caused by the spell. The ice flower remained in the center of the area he had targeted for a short while, until it eventually turned into light and dissolved into pieces. It was a spell that was beautiful to watch unfold.

  The boulder was frozen in an instant.

  But that was not all—

  The vegetation around the boulder was also frozen solid, with even the clouds of dirt in the air turning white.

  The freezing effect in the area around the rock had transformed it into a frozen tundra.

  The chill was enough to reach the three of them, even though they were outside the area of effect.

  Diablo turned around to look at the two girls behind him.

  They were looking up at him, stunned expressions on their faces.

  He wasn’t sure how to take this reaction.

  He started to feel uneasy.

  —They’re not being all quiet because of how totally weak that was... right?

  Shera barely managed to whisper something.

  “...-azing.”

  “Hm?”

  “Amazing... That was amazing! What was that!? It looked like elemental magic, but can you even do that with elemental magic!?”

  Rem’s lips were trembling.

  “...Top-class... No, I don’t think you can even put a label on this ability... Even the top-class Summons 《Ifrit》 and 《Leviathan》 do not have this kind of overwhelming power...”

  “Diablo’s body was all like, *whooosh*, and got all shiny! Even the flow of magic he put out was amazing! It was amazing!!”

  “...Diablo... As long as you are here, I am sure you will be able to save even me... No, that aside, you have my great admiration. I would be grateful if you would choose me as your Summoner.”

  “I already told you, I’m his Summoner! Jeez! Besides, I need him! There’s no, no, NO way that I’m letting you have him!”