Chapter One: Enter the Demon Lord
Chapter One: Enter the Demon Lord
Midnight of Beginning
—Dive into the Game—
The year is 2XXX on the Empire calendar.
The nation known as the Empire, which now held most of the world under its control, commenced a heinous game. In order to solidify its oppression of the nations it had conquered, and to stomp out any chance of revolutions, the Empire grandiosely hosted a cruel show. The show, which could only be described as pure madness, was a fight to the death comprised of randomly selected players from each nation under the Empire’s control, with only one survivor. The Empire broadcasted this game around the world, hosting an official death pool. Who would survive until the end? Who would be killed last? Who would be killed first? The cruel, yet vibrantly real, show had transcended film and other forms of fiction. It captured the hearts of the citizens of the Empire (God’s People).
The game, broadcast throughout the world, depicted countless dramas and tragedies. The viewers witnessed humanity at its bare-bones: participants killing strangers just to survive. The game was given many names: The Human Race, The Game of Life, Fable of the Onion... The exorbitant amount of wagers poured into the game by the world’s bored 1% eventually turned into vital income for the Empire. The citizens of the world awaited the selection process in fear, and God’s People were entertained in a stupor of madness. The Infinity Game. The lone survivor of each game was awarded with immeasurable wealth... And the privilege to join the ranks of God’s People. All other contestants, however, were awarded with death. Without exception.
† † †
Japan, 2016 CE...
“I remember this event...”
Now, a man was participating in the same terrifying Game. Only without a trace of cowardice or fear on his face. His name was Akira Ono... A perfectly average, working Joe. Akira knew this place like the back of his hand: he was the very man who ran the game. There was nothing to fear when he knew every inch of the arena. Moreover, it was all within a computer screen. None of it would affect reality.
“This hobby lasted longer than I thought,” he said to himself in a faint whisper. This video game had started in 2001, around the dawn of the internet renaissance. The current year was 2016. The passage of fifteen years had qualified this game as an antique. And today, the curtains were about to close on it. Typing away at the keyboard or flourishing his mouse from time to time, Akira flipped through various screens. He didn’t seem to have a particular purpose for doing this except to try and commit everything in sight to memory.
(...It’s almost midnight.)
Normally, that was when the Game would commence. But Akira was the only one in the arena right now. At midnight, the servers would expire, obliterating the arena. He had chosen a solitary farewell, rather than a festive one.
(Fifteen years was way too long...)
A game that outlasted some children’s K-12 education was outlandish. In fact, the kids who were in middle school at the game’s launch were now proud members of the workforce. Some were now married. Some were now parents. Some have moved overseas. Each of them had lost free time as they gained responsibilities... In a sense, they had lived healthy lives.
Akira was no exception, either. He used to lose himself in modifying the game as he pleased, and would stay up through the night to run it. Through the years, Akira moved up the ladder, until the majority of his life was taken up by his work.
“Where to go next...?”
He logged in as the character that could be considered the final boss of the game, and strolled through various maps until his time was nearly up. A residential area, a remote temple, a deep and dark pond, and more... Each and every location held a special meaning for him.
23:58:20
“Thanks for everything, Kunai.”
Akira spoke to his character on the screen. If anyone was watching, they might have been a little creeped out. On his screen, there was a man with hair long enough to touch his shoulders. Although way into his forties, the man was built and toned to the max. Sharp, to no end. A high-ranking officer of the Empire, and the man behind the infamous Game itself... According to his backstory, anyway. His name was Hakuto Kunai, The Demon Lord of the Empire — the man responsible for spilling the blood and reaping the tragedy of 4,143,792 participants of the Game. Even at the brink of doomsday, his eyes gleamed of cruelty above his same old icy smile. Akira felt a slight shiver looking at Kunai.
“I never would have guessed... I’d be spending the last moments with you.”
Akira said, as if to deflect Kunai’s piercing stare. Still, Kunai’s expression remained unchanged. Which was no surprise. He was merely an NPC, who would never come to life unless someone was pulling his strings. Despite that fact, Akira continued in a fluster, as if he was trying to escape something.
“What? You’re sulking? Just so you know, it doesn’t matter one bit that you’re the final boss, or that you’re the Demon Lord. Real life always wins. If you’re not done playing, it’s all on you... I’m going to bed. I’ve got an early morning.”
23:59:50
“See you, Kunai. And, goodnight... XXXXXXXXX”
00:00:00
Hiroshi closed his eyes with a thousand thoughts whirling behind them. When he opened them again... he saw the Great Forest in front of him.
A world forsaken by God, where angels despair.
Don’t be surprised.
And listen.
Listen carefully, and you should hear it.
The midnight bell’s toll always sings of new beginnings.
The Great Forest
(What the...?)
Akira Ono fell speechless gazing upon the expansive, overgrown forest in front of him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at such a sight. Sure, his hobby of fifteen years was coming to an end, and he had been drinking a little, but not enough to hallucinate being thrown into the Great Forest. More importantly, he had to go to work the next day.
“The Great Forest is really... well, green.”
Recently, he had been circling his office, home, and XX. The brilliant, verdant forest almost stung his eyes. He would have been grateful to be reminded of the majesty of nature in the midst of his day-to-day life, but he had tomorrow to worry about. If he were to sleep through the night in front of the PC monitor again, he would undoubtedly be sore and miserable the next day.
“Such a vivid dream, though. It almost seems real...”
Closing his eyes, he could feel the rays of sunshine and hear the dragonflies and cicadas flying around him. Looking in the distance, he could even spot a glimmering lake. Akira cracked a grin, remembering that he had somewhere heard the phrase “dreams are reflections of desires.” Perhaps his subconscious mind was craving a leisurely walk in the woods, away from all of the stress.
As he took a step forward in the direction of the lake, a drop of cold sweat trickled down his back.
“What are on my feet...?”
A pair of expensive leather shoes without so much as a crease. Above them, black slacks ran up his legs, complimented by a black suit. He was even wearing a long, black coat that draped down to his ankles despite the oppressive heat of summer. If a bystander were to take a guess, they probably would have thought Akira was some kind of mafia don.
(It can’t be...)
For some time now, his heart had been pounding nervously. When he sprinted toward the lake, he crossed the forest in a flash. Fast as a bullet train. The incredible speed made Akira only more nervous. As soon as he looked down at the water to see himself... his fear was confirmed.
“Why are you...!”
Through the reflection in the lake, the familiar final boss was looking back at Akira. The Demon Lord of the Empire, who sentenced countless players to their despair. The very character Akira had created within the game. Akira saw a smile on the face in the reflection, as if he found it amusing.
“What the hell...!? How am I... this old man!?”
Akira himself wasn’t too much younger than the inferred age of the face he saw, but he was counting on at least another decade or two until he saw this much age in his reflection. Moreover, his other senses were not helping in convincing Akira that this was all a dream. Everything was too real. What crossed his mind was that he had been transported to another world, just like the popular anime nowadays.
The only other theory he could muster up was that he was already dead from a heart attack or something, and he was in the afterlife. Even that theory, however, didn’t quite explain why he looked like the Demon Lord.
“H-Hold on... Calm down. It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
Akira frantically smacked his cheeks and head to no avail. Every time he breathed, he could feel his very lungs expand, just as they did in real life... to his disappointment. Finally beginning to realize the predicament he was in, Akira screamed internally:
(Nooo! I didn’t even get a chance to wipe my hard drive!)
Not a very noble reaction, to say the least, but painfully sincere. If push came to shove, he could accept being sent to another world. But he had never expected to be sent dressed like a member of the yakuza. If he had been at least young and good-looking, or filthy rich, there would have been a silver lining. Akira’s face was shaded with a little too much of distinguished senectitude for his taste.
(First I need more information... What’s around here...?)
He tried walking around for a while, but it didn’t seem like he was waking up anytime soon. On the contrary, his body seemed to settle with every step. By this point, Akira almost felt natural in this body. From time to time, the breath of the forest shook him, as if to prove that the world around him was as real as his own.
(What is this world...? What is this forest...? Give me a hint. Something.)
He rummaged through his pockets, but nothing helpful emerged. There were only numerous knives (the Demon Lord’s weapon of choice) laced inside the long coat, along with the cigarettes he always used.
Akira had finally decided the embarrassment was worth it, and to shout the word. Mashive, who used to be one of the players, had spoken of this word. A magic word that was critical information in case one was transported to another world. After a deep breath, Akira shouted this word towards the sky...!
“S-Status!”
...Silence filled the forest, followed by the cry of a single crow. Akira waited a while after shouting this alone in the forest, but nothing happened.
“Come on!”
He was hoping for some sort of screen or numbers, but nothing. In fact, the leaves rustling in the wind seemed like they were laughing at him. Catching a second wind, Akira decided to shout a different magic word. He figured that because he was the Demon Lord, because he was Akira Ono, there was another word better suited for him.
“Administrator.”
(Bingo!)
Akira couldn’t help but shake his fists in the air. A black panel and keyboard had appeared mid-air, showing a screen prompting a password.
“Yes, yes! Who’s a good boy...? Enter... password... Huh?”
Mumbling like a dog trainer, Akira cheerfully typed in the password. The instant it was accepted, however, numerous command screens popped up, all blacked out, preventing him from reading any of it. In front of it, the screen read ‘Not all conditions are fulfilled.’ His knees faltered, and Akira slumped against the large tree next to him.
“Conditions my ass... What could you possibly want...?”
Without a thought, he had taken out a cigarette and lit it. He proceeded to blow out the familiar smoke, but the comforting sensation further shoved the truth into Akira’s face. In what dream could he taste a cigarette so clearly? He smoked through a couple more, but he couldn’t wrap his head around this situation. In fact, he was even starting to get a headache.
“What am I supposed to do...? Maybe I should have read more light novels while I had the chance...”
Unable to collect his thoughts, Akira was getting agitated. The loud footsteps he had been hearing for a while had been putting him on edge to begin with. The footsteps were coming from the deep end of the forest.
(Hold on... There has to be someone making those footsteps.)
The rushed footsteps, as if they were fleeing from something, continued to approach Akira until the culprit finally emerged.
(A kid...? A filthy one, at that.)
He almost spoke to the child, before wondering if the child would understand Japanese. Perhaps from tripping and falling somewhere along the way, the child’s face and clothes were covered in dirt. So much so, that Akira couldn’t even make out if the child was a boy or a girl. The child had blond hair and red eyes. Akira doubted that they could converse in Japanese, but his best shot was to start asking this kid some questions.
(Right. Kunai was always all showboat-y and sarcastic.)
For the time being, as he didn’t know what was going on, Akira figured it would be best to act like Kunai. Recalling Kunai’s character from the depths of his memory, he tried speaking to the child.
“Well, uh, let’s see. Can you understand me?”
“Run!”
“Huh?”
Behind the child, there was a monster with wings formed of bare bones. In a dingy grey, the creature resembled a typical Gargoyle from fantasy worlds. The sinister silhouette dazed Akira, and he couldn’t help but laugh, again. Now, it was undeniable that he had found his way into an unreal world.
(Wait... Maybe I’m just crazy.)
There was no way that a creature like this could exist anywhere in Japan, or on Earth, for that matter. ‘You’re not real!’ Akira wanted to shout.
“How to put this... Is that not-so-adorable monster your pet? You should really train it better, you know.”
“Run! Quick! It’s a devil!”
Akira groaned internally.
(Devil... A devil, huh?)
He had no clue if he should laugh, run, or maybe beg for his life. What sick joke was he a part of?
“...Puny human, offer your flesh to me.”
“Yikes!”
Akira jumped, dropping his cigarette. The sight of this monster with beet-red eyes coming at him like how a predator would approach prey was a horror-show, to say the least. Terrifying, actually. All Akira wanted to do was run away screaming.
As he lunged to run for his life, the monster swung its large arm, slamming its talons into Akira’s face with powerful force. A dull pain throbbed in Akira’s forehead, and his eyesight flashed red and white.
“Agh...!”
In the midst of confusion and pain, he could feel flaming rage roar out of his gut.
“...What do you think you’re doing?”
A low growl came out of his mouth in a completely different tone than his usual voice. The moment he spotted the confused monster, his right hand reached inside his coat with blinding speed.
——Automatic Retaliation!
(Woah, I can’t control my body...!)
In disregard of Akira’s intentions, his body moved on its own. In a flawless motion, as fast as lightning, a knife was thrown!
Retaliation Initiated!
“Revenge” — Success! Increased Retaliation Damage!
“One-Shot Kill” — Success! Critical Rate increased by 30%!
Critical Hit!
Lethal Damage — Greole, King of Devils was destroyed!
—Skill Level over 5000!
“Break Through” “Expert Chain Attacks” — Fail! The target is already defeated!
—Combat Skills activated!
“Overlord” — Fail! The target is already defeated!
“Mind’s Eye” — Fail! The target is already defeated!
—Survival Skills activated!
“Meditate” — Success! Kunai regained some health.
The ‘Combat Results’ flooded Akira’s brain, making him dizzy.
(This is just like the game!)
He looked up, and the monster was blown to bits, perhaps from the impact of the knife. Akira couldn’t help but wonder who the real monster was. Neither Akira nor the child spoke another word, as painful silence fell on the forest.
Gulping down a lump of saliva, Akira timidly spoke.
“A-Ah, um, well... It’s... self-defense. That’s what that was. That was not my fault.”
The child’s gaze felt like daggers to Akira. Those innocent eyes were filled with evident terror and fear. The polar opposite of how a child would look at a hero.
“M-Master Demon Lord... Please don’t eat me! I-I won’t taste good at all!”
“What the hell!? What kind of monster do you think I am!?”
And so, a Demon Lord fell into a strange world full of the unknown. At this point, no one knew how he, an ordinary man from Japan trapped inside a Demon Lord’s body, would survive this cruel fantasy world...
Hakuto Kunai
Race: Human — Age: 45
Weapon Sodom’s Fire
A knife that can be used as a close-combat or projectile weapon. Infinite uses. Bonus Effect: Chance to Burn the target.
Armor Assault Queller
Negates any attack from those under Level 30. Infinite Durability. Has no effect on magic, which didn’t exist in the game.
Item The Laws of the Empire (Book)
An item given to those who defeat Kunai. It actually has no effect in the game. Rather, this item would have an effect in the real world.
Item Mild Heaven
The best-selling cigarettes in the Empire. There are many other brands on the market, like Hi-Nite or Spellcaster.
Level: 1 — HP: 40000/40000 — Stamina: 600/600 — Attack: 70 (+50) — Defense: 80 (+20) Dexterity: 60 — Magic: 0 — Magic Defense: 0
Equipped Skills: First: Charge Second: Eye Gouge Third: Supersonic
Combat Skills: Mad Rush, Break Through, Fake Out, Intimidate, Lock-On, One-Shot Kill, Instinct, Ruler, Avenger, Strategist, Mind’s Eye, Overlord, Obliterate, Equal to None, Limit Breaker, Second to None
Survival Skills: Recover, Fighting Spirit, Duality, One Step Ahead, Meditate, Medicine
Duel Skills: Tyrant, etc.
Special Abilities: Administrator, etc.
Akira Ono, a Japanese man, merely borrowing the appearance and abilities of the game’s final boss. While still categorized as a civilian, he has serious potential when he can commit to it. Acquired through years of running the game and surviving the Japanese workforce, he can fake it until he makes it through any situation. The final boss of the game is no joke, and his stats, especially his HP, are astronomical. He may appear invincible at first glance, but his lack of any protection against magic (which didn’t exist in the game) makes him precariously unbalanced. Deep down, his original mind still lurks. Insurmountably cold and cruel, he rules atop 4,143,792 corpses. A bona-fide Demon Lord.
Greole, King of Devils
Race: Top-tier Devil
Level: 34 — HP: 45/666 — Stamina: 200/200 — Attack: 66 — Defense: 66 — Dexterity: 66 — Magic: 66 — Magic Defense: 66
Spells: Death Winds, Inferno, Dark Hyper Beam, etc.
Skills: Enslave High Devils Control and Boost, etc.
A great devil sealed away by the Wise Angel, long ago. It can even enslave High Devils, truly making Greole the king among them. Its HP had been drastically reduced from being sealed away, but who could possibly damage the King of Devils through its impervious Defense? If given the chance to devour souls upon souls and flesh upon flesh to regain its power, Greole would have surely brought hell upon earth.
Demon Lord and Evil
The forest that hadn’t seen many human souls in ages, was inhabited by not one, but two humans this day. One was a sketchy-looking man with long hair, and the other was a child.
“M-My name... is Kunai. I’m not scary, you know. Nothing to do with the Demon Lord, much less. I just have a few questions for you. Is that all right?”
Akira... Well, the Demon Lord, said, as he pushed his long locks behind his head.
The Demon Lord contemplated for a while what to introduce himself as, and settled on Kunai. He tried to maintain a mature tone in front of the child, but the paint was already cracking, showing his true colors.
“Y-Yes, sir...”
The Demon Lord maintained the best smile he could as to not spook the child, but the little one in front of him held his eyes wide open, quaking with fear. But who could blame the child? A top-tier devil was blown to bits a foot away from them. With the understanding of where that monster stood in terms of power level, anyone would react the same way. Someone who could swat and kill a top-tier devil as if it was a buzzing gnat could be none other than the Demon Lord himself.
“I suppose I should ask you for your name, first. If you don’t mind, of course.”
“I-I’m Aku.”
This response triggered the Demon Lord to do a spit-take before coughing into a tizzy. The Demon Lord and Aku, the Japanese word for ‘evil’... Was this some sort of sign?
“W-What a wonderful name. Have you heard of the country of Japan? Or, like, New York?”
“N-No, I’m sorry... I have never heard of them...”
After mumbling ‘thought so,’ the Demon Lord lit a cigarette. From the looks of it, there was no way that Aku’s clothes were made from modern technology. It seemed to be made of cheap fabric, with a small blue design or two. Fashionable would not have been how the Demon Lord would describe it. The child’s hair was cut-short, except for their bangs, which hid the left half of the child’s face.
The Demon Lord almost directly asked the child if they were a boy or a girl, before being an adult and thinking better of it. Since the child seemed harmless, the Demon Lord decided to ask some of the countless questions he had. ‘What is this world called?’ ‘What is this forest?’ ‘What was that Demon earlier?’ Aku’s answers were all mumbled, and didn’t provide any real insight. It looked like Aku didn’t really have much knowledge, per se. While Aku seemed to understand how one was expected to act in this world, the child didn’t seem to have any existential knowledge on this world. Aku seemed like Average Villager #1, and had the looks to match. There wasn’t much for intellectual discourse between an average villager and an average working Joe.
“I still have some questions for you, but... There’s a lake over there. Why don’t you clean up a bit first?”
“M-May I!?”
“Hm...? I-I don’t see any problem to it. Take the time to dry off, too.”
“Th-Thank you!”
† † †
(Ugh... What to do...?)
Watching Aku trot away to the lake, the Demon Lord let out a sigh. Who he had hoped to be a precious source of information was an ordinary villager, which left him with too few questions answered. The only new pieces of information he gained were about the country he was in and Aku’s village.
(Holylight, was it? Sure doesn’t sound like a country on Earth...)
Apparently, the nation worshipped the Wise Angel, who, according to legend, had sealed away that devil from earlier. On top of that, the Demon Lord was bombarded with all sorts of laughable stories about things and sayings from groups like the three Holy Maidens who serve the Wise Angel, the Holy Knights’ Order, and the Holy Church.
There was no denying the fantasy in this world. It’s not like Akira was a high-schooler with infinite possibilities ahead of him. What was the point of summoning an almost middle-aged grown man? Then, a scary thought crossed his mind. What if he wasn’t the one who was summoned, after all?
(What if this body was the one that was summoned...?)
After the rapid-fire series of unthinkable events this man has gone through, who could blame the Demon Lord for detaching himself a little bit from the rules of the real world? One of the ex-players of the game, Virgil the Kentucky Fried Butcher had always jeered ‘Everyone and their mother is getting sent off to different worlds.’ A character in a game, a giant statue of Buddha, a samurai lord... Anything could be summoned across worlds, nowadays. With this kind of mentality, it made sense to the Demon Lord that his vessel was the one that was summoned.
The Demon Lord had no idea what purpose there could behind the summoning, but if whoever it was was actually after Hakuto Kunai, he figured that there could be a million uses for him. By coincidence, he had been logged in as the character...
(Which means I was roped into this for no reason!)
This conclusion boiled his blood. All because of this stupid final boss, he was thrown into a world he knew nothing about. The Demon Lord wanted to convince himself of this.
(I have to find a way home... Fast.)
Fortunately, for once, Akira Ono had already lost his parents and was a bachelor, leaving no one behind that would worry about his whereabouts. His work, though, was another story. What would his boss say if he pulled a ‘no-call, no-show’ at his age?
(Now, should I head for some town? Or look for clues in the forest?)
He took a good look around, but only eerie silence filled the forest. Under normal conditions, this was not the sort of place he would enjoy sticking around in.
(Jeesh, Aku’s taking a while... It’s been a while, right?)
† † †
(Thank goodness I’m alive...!)
Aku could not be happier to be bathing in so much crystal-clear water, able to wash and launder as long as they liked. Not even the villager elder could afford this luxury. Water was a precious commodity around these parts, and Aku’s village could barely provide enough drinking and cooking water for everyone. Any more water, of course, had a price tag on it, and only a select few could afford to rinse their bodies with it. The only time the villagers, including Aku, could bathe or launder was during the rain. It had to be a rainstorm, too, not just a sprinkle. Since this land had been ruled by a devil in the past, the soil had been dried out, and most of the old wells were poisoned. Obtaining even the bare minimum water supply was a difficult task on its own.
Moreover, Aku was ‘tainted.’ There was no way this child was going to pass up on such an opportunity.
(But really, who is that man...?)
Aku pondered, bathing in the lake up to the neck, naked. He had blown that top-tier devil to bits with a single blow. Could he really be the Demon Lord, told of in legends in the Holy City? Judging by his all-black attire, Aku doubted that he was an angel. Finding him alone in this forest was strange to begin with. The forest held a hallowed shrine, and coming here was taboo.
They had been told that there was a beautiful lake in the forest, but the devil’s presence, on top of its mythological status, prevented anyone from actually paying a visit.
(Could it be... he just wants to clean me up before eating me...?)
A shiver ran down the child’s spine. Aku felt the urge to run for it, but the child had already washed and hung their clothes on the tree. Flee now, and there may not be a chance to recover those clothes. Considering that there could be more devils around, that was suicide.
“Hey, you done yet? Hurry it up, I want to check out the Aku-stics in there.”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll be right out!”
“Nah, I’ve just been holding on to that one. Take your time cleaning up.”
Despite the Demon Lord telling Aku not to rush, the child shuddered at the thought of keeping the Master Demon Lord waiting.
(He might have some reason for keeping me alive now, but one wrong move to upset him and I’m done for.)
As the child peered over to see if the Master Demon Lord was upset, Aku saw him mumbling to himself as he moved both of his hands in a flurry. Was he performing some kind of curse ritual?
“Yes! I can use admin features!”
(Adminfi Churrs...? Could it be the name of an ancient false god?)
The more Aku thought about it, the name sounded more and more sinister. After watching what ensued, however, the child would become convinced of this theory.
A pitch-black hole opened in the space in front of the Demon Lord, into which he shoved his right hand in without hesitation. Just imagining what could possibly emerge from the void made Aku want to cry. A dark scythe? Some equipment of darkness? Aku even imagined a pair of silverware the Demon Lord would use to eat the child up.
“There we go... Here. Soap and a towel. Use these.”
“Huh...? This isn’t bubbles, is it!?”
“B-Bubbles? Anyway, I’ll take a look around the area, just to be safe.”
With that, the Demon Lord walked away from the lake. Even as he went, he mumbled things like ‘My Skill Points are plummeting though...’ which Aku didn’t really understand.
(Wait, I almost forgot about the bubbles!)
This was something Aku had dreamt about using, even just once. But, the child wondered, how could the Demon Lord produce such an item of luxury reserved for nobles?
† † †
“I didn’t expect that to come in so handy...”
The Demon Lord muttered to himself as he opened the admin screen. Earlier, part of his administrator privileges were unlocked for some reason. It looked like he was able to take advantage of them by using SP, a system of the game. In the game, SP increases or decreases from combat, Retaliation, or use of items. Players could spend SP to learn powerful skills, shore up defenses, or even weaken opponents by robbing them of their SP. In this world too, the Demon Lord seemed to acquire SP after combat as expected. He had obtained some after the last encounter.
“But 5 points for that crap item...?”
Craft Novice item ---- 5SP
Craft Intermediate item ---- 10SP
Craft Advanced item ----20SP
Craft Master item ---- 30SP
Craft Super Rare item ---- 50SP
The Demon Lord got carried away from the excitement of unlocking an admin feature, but the items he crafted were just so unimpressive. The bar of soap was a garbage throwing weapon, and even the towel was a piece of body armor, but their modifiers were +1 each. Pathetic. Carrying these around towards the latter half of the Game meant that death was imminent.
“Thirty or so SP left... I wonder if the other categories would unlock if I save up enough? Or are there other conditions to meet?”
Closing his eyes, he contemplated this for a while. While the Demon Lord couldn’t grasp how powerful his previous opponent was, the amount of SP he obtained indicated that the devil was a pretty high-level enemy. On the other hand, it was so weak. The amount of the reward didn’t reflect how easy the creature was to take down. This was what the Demon Lord was bothered about.
“It doesn’t look like everything’s as it was in the game...”
In the game, the level difference between a player and their enemy would drastically affect the amount of SP the player could earn. In other words, defeating an enemy with a much higher level would earn the player loads of SP, while the inverse would leave the player with a meager amount of SP.
“Oh, I get it... That thing must have been one of those silver slime types.”
The Demon Lord imagined a particular monster from one of the most prolific JRPGs out there. Weak, but quick to escape, this monster offered an exorbitant EXP for defeating it. He considered that, if there were more of those creatures around here, he’d better hunt them to extinction. At this time, Aku came to him from the lake.
“M-Master Demon Lord! Thank you for waiting!”
“I’ve told you, I’m not the Demon... Oh, whatever. Anyway, do a lot of those weaklings pop up around here?”
“N-No way! If there was more of that monster out there, our nation would be doomed!”
“Huh...? That thing was really that dangerous?”
Aku nodded profusely in confirmation. The Demon Lord was becoming less sure of his assessment, but he knew that he wanted to prioritize earning SP above all else in order to unlock as many admin features as he could.
If possible, he wanted to earn plenty of SP before leaving the forest. At this rate, who knows what would happen to them as soon as they left? Moreover, the Demon Lord thought there was a possibility that, if he unlocked all of the admin features with SP, he might discover a way home.
“Aku, do you know his lair, or nest, or something? I want to check it out.”
“According to legend, the King of Devils... was sealed away in the Shrine of Wishes in this forest.”
“Wishes, huh...? Would you mind showing me the way?”
“I-I’m sorry, I would love to, but my foot isn’t exactly in... tip-top shape.”
Looking down, the Demon Lord noticed a large scar on Aku’s right ankle. A painful one to look at, as it seemed like a large cut or tear had healed over without much medical attention.
(Am I putting too much guesswork into this? It could be an illness unique to this world.)
Unfortunately, the Demon Lord was no doctor. One of the Demon Lord’s advisors back in the game had the (perhaps unfair) power to heal any illness or injury, but alas, there was nothing he could do now.
“Fine... I’ll carry you. Get on my back.”
“I-I wouldn’t dare bring my filth upon you!”
“Sorry, but we’re short on time. I won’t ask you again. Just do it.”
“...”
The Demon Lord crouched to the ground, turning his back to Aku, but the child remained motionless. What’s worse, Aku’s expression was filled with pain, tearing up.
(Jeez... Does this kid hate me that much? My skin isn’t that thick!)
The young child’s tears flustered the Demon Lord.
“I-I’ve always been unwanted in my village. I always tried to collect the trash or empty people’s waste to help as much as I could...”
“...So waste management, right? That’s an important job.”
“Everyone always said I smelled bad... That I was dirty... So they finally decided that I would be the sacrifice for the devil...”
Aku chuckled, still tearful. The Demon Lord didn’t know much about this village, but this wasn’t right, as far as he could tell. This child was forced to do the dirty work of village, just to end up as a human sacrifice?
“Everyone in the village says... that I taint whoever I touch, so...”
It seemed like little more than grade school bullying to the Demon Lord. He was truly speechless. Grabbing Aku by the neck without a word, he forced the child onto his back.
“W-Wait! If you touch me...!”
“You think you can ‘taint’ someone that easily? Doesn’t matter how dirty you get, just take a bath. Good as new.”
“...!”
“But where is that Shrine...”
The Demon Lord stopped short, as the child’s muffled crying began.
(Woah, the kid’s crying for real! Wait. Don’t I just look like a kidnapper, now!?)
If someone would have walked up to them now, they might infer that the Demon Lord was kidnapping a crying child. This would have surely led to an arrest if there were a police-like entity in this world. Although, being arrested for kidnapping on the first day after being sent to a fantasy world would have made for a unique plot twist.
“Are you okay... Touching me...!?”
The Demon Lord contemplated how to answer this for a moment. From what he had heard so far, he assumed that everyone around Aku had always called the child filthy and tainted. In the modern day, this psychological abuse would have lead the child straight to a life of depression, or, worst case scenario, even suicide.
“Aku, you called me the Demon Lord, didn’t you...? Do you think the Demon Lord is so fragile as to be tainted by someone like you?”
He couldn’t help but blush before his tongue could dry. That came out cornier than he had hoped. If anyone who knew him would have heard, he would not have lived it down for at least a decade.
“No... I don’t think so...!”
Aku relaxed, and seemed to put more weight on the Demon Lord’s back. Of course, the Demon Lord’s ridiculous body could have carried a semi truck with his pinky. A child’s body, to him, was as light as a feather.
“Thank you... Master Demon Lord...”
Aku’s soft body was held close to his back. The Demon Lord could smell the pleasant scent of soap from behind him.
“...Aren’t you holding on a little too tight, there?”
“I-I don’t think so!”
Aku
Race: Human — Age: 13
Item Soap (made in the Empire)
Even though bars of soap in this world are made with primitive methods and ingredients, nobles, aristocrats, and prostitutes pay big money for them, making them scarce in the open market. Soap created by the nation with supremely advanced technology, the Empire, is sublimely crafted down to every bubble. There’s really no comparison.
Item Bath Towel (made in the Empire)
The Empire was obsessed with implementing artisanal details to every product imaginable. Even a simple bath towel was embedded with all sorts of technological enhancements. This towel has a softness that begs the question: “Hey, did you get a new fabric softener?” along with unparalleled absorbance.
Armor Plain Clothes
Its Defense stat is nonexistent. However, this was relatively well-made attire in the village, making Aku a little more presentable to the King of Devils. Some of the less fortunate members of the village could only afford hemp clothes.
Level: 1 — HP: 10/10 — Stamina: 20/20 — Attack: 1 — Defense: 1 — Dexterity: 1 — Magic: 1 — Magic Defense: 1
Aku’s hair is only long in the front, enough to cover the entire left half of the face. This wasn’t done out of fashion, but because Aku’s left eye is green due to heterochromia, a trait that definitely exacerbated the bullying. Aku’s parents both died of illness when Aku was young, solidifying the ostracization of the child in the village.
The Shrine of Wishes
A long-haired man was carrying a young child on his back. That description could fit for an ordinary father and child, but this man was not ordinary in the slightest. His hair was black, which was a rare trait in this world, not to mention that it was as long as a woman’s. To boot, he was clad entirely in black. Some would only think of a devil or Death upon seeing him.
“The Shrine of Wishes, was it? So, what? Do you throw some money in there and pray or something?”
“I don’t know much about it either, but I’ve been told that the Wise Angel used the strength of the shrine to seal away the King of Devils.”
Hearing this, the Demon Lord mumbled ‘That’s some voodoo.’ He was expecting the shrine to be something similar to Shinto shrines, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Phrases like ‘the Wise Angel’ and ‘Devils’ didn’t mean much to him, either.
Akira Ono, the man trapped in the Demon Lord’s body, had no particular interest in religion, almost to the point of atheism. If Hakuto Kunai were asked what God meant to him... he would answer ‘I am God.’ Neither character seemed at all suited for surviving a fantasy world. If an inquisition or the like were to take place, they would be the first to be thrown into the pyre.
“I’m starting to doubt there’s anything there worth looking for...”
“O-Of course there is! Legend has it, the shrine grants the wishes of those who visit.”
Aku said, tightening their arms around the Demon Lord’s neck. The Demon Lord was walking with incredible speed. He assumed the child was holding on tighter to keep from falling off, but there seemed to be another reason.
“I-I’ve never, um, been so close to someone.”
Aku said, burrowing into the Demon Lord’s back. Upon hearing this, the Demon Lord raised a brow.
(I still have no clue if this kid is a boy or a girl...)
“I-If you go to the shrine, Master Demon Lord, I think it will grant you powers to conquer the world or something!”
“Nope! No, thank you!”
His façade of maturity was beginning to crumble with every line of conversation with Aku, but now, they had finally arrived at their destination. In an even more remote corner of the forest that was already sparse of humans, in a large, rocky hill, there was a gaping cave.
(Dude, this smell...)
Noticing the stench as he approached the cave, the Demon Lord scrunched his nose.
“Aku, wait here. It might be dangerous in there.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The source of the stench soon became apparent. A pile of human corpses were strewn about in the cave. Some looked torn apart with giant claws, some were torn to bits, and others were burnt to a crisp. Combined with copious amounts of blood drained from them and the feces spilling out of their guts, the stench was stinging.
(What is this, a black magic ritual?)
The Demon Lord jeered, but he was also surprised at how calm he was in the midst of so many bodies and such a stench. The normal reaction would have been to panic, surely. In contrast, the Demon Lord remained unmoved facing the tragedy in front of him. In fact, he even felt a sense of familiarity, somehow.
(Where have I seen... a sickening sight like this before?)
His attempt for recollection was met with a heavy fog on his mind. There was no reason he should have come across such a sight during his ordinary life. He brushed it off.
(Maybe I saw something online.)
Nowadays, a quick search online can pull up endless imagery of dead bodies. One could even browse painful scars of war with the press of a button.
(Whatever. The bigger problem here is that thing over there...)
A stone statue stood among the corpses as if to gaze down upon them, carrying a vile air around it. The Demon Lord would not have been surprised if this statue had moved on its own to kill these people. The name ‘Shrine of Wishes’ was so far off from this sight.
When the Demon Lord took another step forward, the eyes of the statue glowed red. Instinctively, the Demon Lord reached for a knife, but the statue remained motionless. In fact, it seemed to be observing the cave’s latest intruder. Impossibly, the statue opened its mouth, and murmured:
“I see... You really are the Demon Lord.”
“...Huh?”
“I have granted many a wish, but I fear this will be my last.”
“H-Hold on a minute... How much do you know? I’m getting a feeling that you’re the one who summoned me here.”
The statue remained silent for a while before speaking again. Its response was incredibly significant for the Demon Lord, but it didn’t seem to carry the same weight for the statue.
“Not I... These humans, here. ‘Summon the Demon Lord,’ they said.”
“These guys...? Did they summon that monster out there, too?”
“That one resurrected itself with ease... Because of that creature, my powers are nearly depleted.”
“Depleted... Then, send me back to my world before it’s all gone.”
The statue’s answer was simple.
“I can’t.”
The Demon Lord clawed at his head at the terribly conclusive tone.
“Why not? You want money? An offering or something? Don’t tell me to offer you human flesh like these guys here.”
“Those were killed by Greole, King of Devils. I can not grant a wish that contradicts a wish.”
The summoning of the Demon Lord was wished and granted... The statue seemed to refuse any wish that would negate another, like sending Akira back to his own world. In a way, it was honorable.
“Still, I expect you to be my last visitor... I grant you this.”
A menacing ring materialized out of the statue, and flew onto the Demon Lord’s finger. A perfect fit. Seeing the heinous design, he tried desperately to yank it off, but to no avail.
“What the hell!? Walking around with this thing on my finger would be torture!”
“I hope that your wish... May be granted...”
“You stupid, false god... Hold on a second!”
“Even I was pure in the beginning... Ages of evil wishes changed what I am.”
Those were the last words of the statue before it crumbled. Turning into sand, it spilled off of its pedestal. The Demon Lord couldn’t do anything but watch. He sighed.
“What am I supposed to do with this ring?”
Looking at the ring on his right middle finger, the Demon Lord sulked. It seemed impossible to take off, no matter how much his powers grew, and no matter what tricks he tried. Everything about it seemed like a cursed item, right down to its design.
“Administrator... Analyze Item.”
The analysis would make the Demon Lord sulk even further. If it was an item with a curse on it, he was planning to take it off with a curse-breaker.
“How is this treated like a normal item...? And it took SP to analyze, too...”
The woes of the Demon Lord continued. This was turning into the Shrine of Sighs.
Once he exited the cave, Aku asked ‘How was it?’ with a smile on their face, but the Demon Lord remained stern-faced.
“Did you wish to conquer the world? Ooh, or maybe for a paradise of women and liquor?”
Hearing this, the Demon Lord wrapped his arm around Aku’s neck in a headlock. Then, he started throwing some light punches at the child’s head, mimicking a certain character from a certain fighting game.
“Yoga! Yoga!”
“Ow! Ow! Please stop, Master Demon Lord!”
† † †
(What to do... Maybe I should find a town or something and gather more information?)
Flipping his long hair back, the Demon Lord contemplated. There was just too much that he didn’t know and didn’t understand. Unless he remedied his lack of knowledge about this world, the Demon Lord feared, he might fall into some pitfalls that would be otherwise avoidable. It was time to leave the remote forest.
(Especially since I couldn’t find anything off of those bodies...)
Just remembering that bit made him queasy. The game was filled with bodies, but naturally, seeing them for real was a completely different experience. The Demon Lord figured that, if that King of Devils was the culprit, it was for the best that he eliminated the creature. If left alive, that monster might have left mountains of corpses in his wake just by existing.
“Aku, are there any big cities around here?”
“Yes... But could we stop by my village first? It’s not much, but I do have some things there.”
“Hm? You want to come with me?”
“C-Could I...? Um, since I was made a sacrifice, I can’t really... go back and live there... Um...”
The Demon Lord nearly banged his head at Aku’s plea, but it didn’t seem like such a bad idea on second thought. He knew nothing about this world, after all. Having a resident of it by his side could come in handy. Besides, from what he could discern so far, sending Aku back home would only cause the child harm. Traveling together would be a win-win.
“Sure. Let’s stop by your village first. Is it close?”
“Oh, thank you! You would get there in no time, Master Demon Lord!”
Once again, the Demon Lord carried the child on his back.
The Demon Lord was mumbling things like ‘What am I, a kangaroo?’ but Aku wore a smile, and seemed rather happy.
(While we’re at it, I should get some questions out of the way...)
Along the way, the Demon Lord tried asking all sorts of questions. They both spoke Japanese, and he confirmed that Aku could read the Japanese text, numbers, and alphabet letters on his notebook. He couldn’t tell if there was some sort of translation filter, or if the inhabitants of this world spoke Japanese to begin with.
“Well, if we can communicate, that’s fine with me. I’m too old to start learning a second language. Let alone a language of another world.”
“...? Your writing was so neat, sir, it was easy to read.”
True, the writing in the notebook was meticulous. In accordance with his backstory as a high-ranking government official, Kunai’s writing resembled that of a master calligrapher.
“But human sacrifice, huh...? That’s pretty medieval. Is that a common practice around these parts?”
“The King of Devils was resurrected a few years ago, and started wreaking havoc all around the area... They decided that each village would take turns offering a human sacrifice.”
“I don’t get it... You said these villages were part of a nation, right? Wouldn’t the national government do something about it? I bet they could have hunted it down.”
“We’re very far from the Holy City...”
In other words, these villages seemed to be in the countryside, far enough away where people in the big city didn’t care much about them. The Demon Lord recalled news stories from Japan that took place in remote islands or villages in the secluded countryside that were dying off from lack of offspring.
“Um, where did you... come from, Master Demon Lord?”
For a moment, he wasn’t sure how to answer this. ‘Japan’ surely wouldn’t suffice, and ‘the Empire’ would make even less sense. The Empire only existed in the world of a video game created by Akira Ono, and wasn’t real, after all.
“W-Well... Let’s just say I’ve come a long way.”
The Demon Lord deflected the question and quickened his step.
He was sure that no one would believe him if he told the truth. Best case scenario, they would call him a madman.
“Oh, Master Demon Lord. There’s my village. Over that fence.”
“That one, huh...?”
The Demon Lord was a little nervous of the fact that he was getting used to being addressed as such, but what he saw beyond the fence was even more nerve-wracking. Not quite a ghost town, but more of a decrepit village that would be well-suited as the setting for a horror story.
The Demon Lord’s Ring
Even though it was still light out, there was no hustle nor bustle in this village. The Demon Lord thought it resembled a closed-off village deep within a mountain range in Japan.
“I’m expecting them to tell me that they can’t trust outsiders or something.”
“W-Well... Most people in my village don’t like visitors.”
(Really...? I was just judging by the cover.)
The Demon Lord was hoping that the villagers might even spare him some food or change, but that seemed out of the picture now.
“My house is this way. It may be unpleasant, but please forgive me... I won’t take long.”
Aku climbed off of the Demon Lord’s back, and started walking with a limp in their right leg. Watching the child limp away, the Demon Lord began to feel sorry. Perhaps Aku never had access to proper medical care.
As he followed Aku, he observed the village, still on guard. Not that he expected any different, but he couldn’t find any traces of modern technology.
(Housing built of bare wood and compacted mud... Some straw roofs, even.)
No sight of air conditioning units or satellite dishes, which were, of course, ubiquitous in Japan. This was just another confirmation of how distant this world was from the one he was familiar with. As he looked around every corner, he began to notice some villagers in the distance, here and there. The instant the Demon Lord spotted a villager looking at him, he reflexively hid. In the game, no good ever came from being spotted by other characters. It was kind of an occupational hazard, at this point.
“Change Fighting Stance... Stealth Stance.”
With this command, the Demon Lord’s appearance blurred, as if to melt into the background. In the game, this stance would dramatically reduce the chance of being spotted by enemies. In exchange, the stance also reduced the character’s Attack and Defense stats considerably.
Seeing that he was concealed, the Demon Lord sighed in relief. He was a little nervous inside, but judging by the reaction of the people around him, it seemed like no one could see him anymore. It was getting scary how similar everything was to the game. The Demon Lord wondered if this world... manifested every aspect of the game. He decided that he should put this theory to the test.
“Oh... Master Demon Lord?”
Aku’s reaction further confirmed his invisibility. Seizing this perfect opportunity, the Demon Lord moved on to his next experiment, using something he didn’t really get the chance to in-game... The Communication system. This feature was designed for players to send each other messages, but had not been seeing much use recently. Naturally, smartphones had not been invented when the game was launched, and this mode of communication was much appreciated. In the past few years, however, it had completely become a relic of the past.
Communication: Aku. ...Can you hear me?
...Wha? I can hear Master Demon Lord’s horrifying voice in my head!
That’s a little harsh. Don’t worry about me. I’m still following you closely.
Y-Yes, sir!
After making sure that the Communication system was working, the Demon Lord cracked a grin. He nodded in appreciation of the importance of exploration. If he had stayed in the forest alone, he would not have discovered any of this.
(My nerves are thicker than I thought, though... I would have guessed that I would be in a panic attack by now.)
A peculiar thought, that maybe even his mind was being taken over by Kunai, entered the Demon Lord’s head.
(Don’t. Don’t... What kind of psycho-horror plotline is that?)
Although it was his own imagination who suggested it, the Demon Lord was chilled to the bone at this notion.
“What are you doing here, you piece of garbage!?”
Turning to where the insult came from, the Demon Lord spotted a few villagers pointing and shouting at Aku. There was no doubt about it, those were Aku’s bullies. On second thought, perhaps everyone in the village was.
“Don’t tell me you ran away... you piece of garbage!”
“What are you thinking!? What if that devil attacks the village!?”
“You don’t get the concept of sacrifice, do you!?”
The Demon Lord couldn’t help but face-palm at these accusations. Did they hear themselves shouting at a young child like this? That being said, there were some reservations for the Demon Lord, who knew nothing about the culture (or whatever) of this world, to interject. As far as he knew, it might have been commonplace in this world to offer human sacrifices to devils. Even on modern-day Earth, plenty of customs and traditions of one country may seem outlandish to people outside of it.
(Still, though...)
Still, it didn’t feel right for him to watch grown adults bear down on a child like that. When he was considering the option of carrying Aku away while still in the Stealth stance, a blood-chilling voice echoed inside of him.
If you don’t like them... Purge them.
His spine froze at the voice, and the chilling air it brought with it. The Demon Lord immediately knew who was speaking to him. To make things worse, an unbearable pain emanated from his right middle finger. Clasping his hands, the Demon Lord curled onto the ground. The pain was too great for him to keep standing.
Exterminate those who are unworthy... It is my right.
The Demon Lord yelled back, internally.
(Shut the hell up...! That’s only in the game!)
‘Purge’ or ‘exterminate’ real-life people? That was unthinkable to the Demon Lord.
How strange. That very right, that Game, that system, that nation of madness, all of it... was created by you.
The Demon Lord was speechless.
You... are the root of evil. If I am the monster who purged four million, then you, who will bring upon doom to all of this world...
Squeezing the ring hard enough to break it, the Demon Lord hushed the voice out. It was just a hallucination, the Demon Lord concluded, and tightly shut his eyes while telling himself that he was just tired. That’s all it was. So many things had happened, one after another.
Aku, ignore those men. Just bring your things.
The Demon Lord called out to Aku, but there was no response. He opened his eyes to see Aku on their back on the ground. Waving their hands to and fro, the villagers seemed to be throwing more disgusting insults at the child. The Demon Lord had seen enough, and deactivated his Stealth stance. At that moment, the villagers were sent into a frenzy. No one could really blame them since the Demon Lord suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but their panicked state was quite comical to watch.
“Aku, go get your things. Hurry.”
“Y-Yes... sir.”
Watching Aku limp away, the Demon Lord leisurely lit his cigarette. All the while, more and more villagers were clamoring about him. Under different circumstances, he would have asked some questions, but the Demon Lord didn’t feel like conversing with the likes of them.
“Ar-Are you a devil...? A minion of the King...?”
“Please don’t attack the village! We offered a sacrifice!”
“It’s not fair! Even devils must abide by their contract!”
Exhaling smoke, the Demon Lord contemplated what the villagers had said. Contract? Interesting. He sincerely doubted that any devil planned to keep their word, though. His better guess was that the devil offered contracts to lock these people down.
“Th-Thank you for waiting, Master Demon Lord!”
“D-Demon Lord!?”
“D-D-D-D-Demon Lord!”
(Great. Add fuel to the fire, kid...!)
Hearing this, the village frenzy only grew. Of course, the Demon Lord had no intention of clearing his name to them. These were people that called a young child a ‘piece of garbage,’ sent them off to be sacrificed, and bullied the poor child all the way. The Demon Lord contemplated if they were even worth the effort. The answer was a hard no.
“I-I’ll contact the lord!”
The man, who must have been the one that tripped Aku to the ground, ran away. On his face, he wore a disgusting grin. A thought seemed to cross his mind, as he stopped by his house and emerged with some kind of bag. In preparation for an expected reward, it seemed like. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but frown. As if in reaction to his emotions, the ring emanated a dangerous glow. This time, the Demon Lord didn’t think he could stop it. His right hand reached inside his coat and threw a knife at the man’s house without much care. The knife accurately struck the wall of the house and erupted black flames. The wooden house was immediately engulfed in fire... and then in black smoke.
“M-My house... Not my house!”
“...Ha ha ha ha! Watching fire burn never gets old. It soothes the soul!”
The Demon Lord was astounded by the words that came out of his mouth. Hurriedly, he threw Aku on his back and fled the scene. Allowing the ring to take control, he felt, might lead to a disaster.
(Now I just look like an arsonist!)
Dripping with cold sweat, the Demon Lord ran as fast as he could. He flew through various scenes, as if he were fast-forwarding through them.
“M-Master Demon Lord... Wh-What have you done!?”
“J-Just for the record, that was to keep them warm. An act of kindness, even. Yes. That’s what that was!”
His feet were moving too fast to stop now. And so was his mouth, spewing out perpetual nonsense.
“B-But... It felt... Good. Just a little bit!”
Aku said, and smiled. This might have been the first smile the Demon Lord had seen on the child.
“Of-Of course! Kindness touches the heart!”
This line was so ridiculous that even the Demon Lord himself could not keep a straight face. Now both of them were laughing their faces off. The sun had sunk, and the curtain of night was about to descend upon them. With his tireless body, the Demon Lord felt like he never had to stop running.
“Master Demon Lord, how far are we going!?”
Aku shouted through the gusts of wind that felt like they were blowing through them. Up until this point, a shadow had been looming on the child’s face, on and off. Now, Aku brimmed with an age-appropriate glow. The Demon Lord couldn’t help but forget his age and shout back.
“To the city... To the Holy City!”
And so, Master Demon Lord (with a little arson now on his track record), began his journey with cheerful Aku at his side. The pair would go on to cause a number of incidents that would send the nation of Holylight into utter chaos... But the story hasn’t gotten to that part quite yet.
You Unlocked Some Information!!
Stats
When looking at stats like Attack and Defense, 1 indicates the stats of an average human, at any age. 2 would mean that those stats are double that of an average human. 3 is triple, and 4 or 5? Well... the closest comparison in real-life would be a world-class athlete or an Olympian. There is a huge difference between 1 and 2 in this world, and raising one’s stats by 1 is a monumental task. Perhaps talent is a prerequisite to achieving that task.
Stamina
Expended through various activities, including magic. The bottom line is that, until a person runs out of Stamina, they can use their full strength. A super-elite warrior’s Stamina would exceed 50. That translates to over 2 hours of full-force combat. Kunai’s Stamina is 600. Due to his role in the Game, he was designed to have more than enough Stamina to exert his full strength 24/7. A truly untamable monster... the Demon Lord.