I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

Ding!

[Captain: Ujirasu Shousa has fallen!]

【Adventurer Squad: Bloodstained Glory】

Overall rating: C+

[Short review: A serious adventurer team, but unfortunately they couldn't even clear the third floor, so they didn't provide much fear.]

Fear level +150

"Sigh... How boring." The Demon King Arthas stared listlessly at the image on the crystal ball.

The so-called "genius hero who appeared at the beginning of this year" was lying by the lava pool on the third floor, his body charred black, with half a dungeon lava cake still in his mouth.

Since the Great Demon King was killed by a human hero three hundred years ago, the two sides signed the "Monster Dungeon Unilateral Invasion Treaty," and the world has become what it is today.

Monsters can only live in dungeons, and adventurers keep conquering dungeons for fame and fortune.

[Dungeon Notification: Operations Officer Count Dracula requests a monthly operations meeting]

Arthas waved his hand, and the surrounding scene instantly switched from a Gothic horror style to a modern conference room.

At the long table, the skeleton accountant was tapping on a calculator with his knuckles, the succubus HR was organizing attendance sheets, and the werewolf security captain was complaining about the large number of monsters that had been smuggled in recently.

That's right, a very stereotypical employee assignment, simply because the Demon Lord Arthas D. Illidan comes from Earth.

He transmigrated and became the Demon King.

For the past hundred years.

He thought he could beat heroes and gods with his fists and kicks, but he ended up being trapped in this dungeon by the "Monster Dungeon Unilateral Infringement Treaty".

Life was no different from when I was a corporate slave on Earth, except that my subordinates turned into all sorts of monsters.

"Your Excellency Arthas Dick Illidan," Dracula adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, "the operating report for last month is ready."

"Get straight to the point."

"OK."

"The number of visitors to the Brave Ones event has reached a record high, with ticket revenue increasing by 15%, but maintenance costs have risen by 22%." Dracula flipped through the report and continued, "Especially the lava pool on the third floor. I heard that hot spring challenges are popular among humans now, leading to a surge in visitors. The Lava Wyvern, as the BOSS, has repeatedly asked for a raise."

"We'll talk about a raise later," Arthas said, rubbing his temples. "Is there anything else?"

"Also, we received a complaint from the mimics on the fourth floor. Now, heroes use crystals to check the authenticity of the mimics before opening them, which has prevented them from eating anyone for several days. The HR department has suggested transferring them to the customer service department and replacing the monsters on the fourth floor."

"approve."

"In addition, the necromancer on the second floor reported that cremation is now popular among humans, and there are not enough corpses, which has led to an increase in research and development costs. He requested additional funding."

"..."

[Dungeon Alert: An adventurer party has entered the ninth floor. Party name: Secret Exploration; Leader: Jin Tie Li Kesi; Occupation: Voice Actor; Followers: 87; Threat Level: C.]

"We'll talk about the budget later," Arthas rubbed his temples again, then asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Everything else is operating normally." Dracula put away his gold-rimmed glasses and said seriously, "Your Excellency Arthas Dick Illidan, please allow me to remind you that if we increase the Lava Wyverns' pay and also increase the necromancer's budget, the dungeon's finances will run into a deficit starting next month."

The meeting room fell silent upon hearing this.

Arthas stared at the glaring red numbers on the financial statements, his mind racing with countless workplace solutions for Earth.

Layoffs? No way, that would attract the Monster Guild...

Organizing an event? That's too much...

Starting to sell tickets? That seems a bit far-fetched...

"Let's adjourn the meeting. Let me think about it."

Arthas waved his hand, and everyone filed out. He sat alone in the conference room, just as he was about to close his eyes—

The conference room door was slammed open, and a figure engulfed in flames stormed in.

"Demon Lord!" the lava pterosaur yelled, "Are you going to approve my pay raise request or not?!"

Didn't Dracula tell you?

"How long is the delay? An hour? A day? Or a year? I've already been waiting for five minutes!"

"Five minutes?"

"Five minutes is plenty of time!"

Arthas remained silent, never having a moment's rest. He had been cooped up in the dungeon for a century, delegating many tasks to a few officers, his only thought being to escape.

The lava pterosaur spewed out scorching air from its nostrils, and the magma beneath its scales alternated between light and dark with each breath, like an active volcano about to erupt.

Arthas took a deep breath, his mind flashing through countless workplace rhetoric techniques—empathy, empty promises, and the PUA package of shifting focus—he was an expert in them all.

"Little Dragon, how many years have you been with me?"

The lava pterosaur paused, its saliva dripping onto the floor with a sizzling sound: "Seventy-seventy years ago?"

"Seventy-odd years," Arthas nodded. "In these seventy years, have I mistreated you?"

"No, not at all..."

"When you first arrived, you were just an egg. I hatched you, watched you grow, made you the boss, and then you gave birth to a whole litter of dragon whelps." Arthas's voice grew even deeper. "Wasn't I good to you?"

The Lava Pterosaur's imposing aura noticeably weakened, and the lava on its scales dimmed slightly: "Pretty, pretty good."

"So you're going to talk to me about a raise now?"

"But..." the lava pterosaur wriggled its tail in frustration and complained, "But there are so many adventurers now! Before, there were less than ten a month, now there are more than ten a day! I have to soak in lava for eight hours every day! Sometimes I even die a few times..."

Upon hearing this, Arthas fell silent.

"And what's more!" the Lava Wyvern said, getting more and more agitated. "The Frost Dragons on the fifth floor have an easier job than me, so why do they get paid five hundred more magic crystals than me?!"

Another one.

Cross-departmental comparisons are a perennial problem in the workplace.

"The situation is different with the Frost Dragons," Arthas tried to explain. "The pay is based on strength... well, I mean on rarity. The competition for fire-type dragons is fierce..."

"Then I can switch roles too!" the lava wyvern interrupted Arthas. "How about I switch to the fifth level? I can spew lava in the freezing cold!"

"..."

For a hundred years, Arthas still couldn't get used to the way these monsters thought; they acted on a whim, and he felt his blood pressure soaring.

"Alright, we'll talk about the job transfer later. You go back to work first; some adventurers are heading to the third level..."

"I won't do it!!" Lava Wyvern plopped down on the ground, shaking the entire conference room three times.

"If you don't give me a raise, I'm going on strike today!"

Arthas narrowed his eyes. In his hundred years as a demon lord, he had learned one thing—

Never let your subordinates control you.

"Fine." Arthas stood up, looking expressionlessly at the lava wyvern. "Your strike is approved."

"From now on, you are suspended. Your salary will be suspended, but your position will be retained. When you come to your senses, write me a proper letter of self-criticism, and then you can return to work."

"I'm not going on strike, I just want a raise..."

"We'll talk about a raise after you go back to work."

The lava pterosaur was dumbfounded.

It opened its mouth as if to say something, but looking into Arthas's cold eyes, it ultimately said nothing and slunk out of the conference room.

Alsace slumped back into his chair and stretched.

Phew, finally something's solved.

next second.

[Dungeon Warning: Lava Wyvern efficiency reduced by 80%, may trigger events: resignation/slacking off/inciting other monsters to strike]

"..."

It seems the problem hasn't been solved yet; it's just been postponed.

This is definitely a landmine...

Arthas looked at the system message and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

really.

three days later.

The Lava Wyvern led its entire family away from the dungeon.

Before leaving, he sprayed lava all over the entrance to the third floor and left a message: "The BOSS here has resigned. Low wages, lots of work, even dogs wouldn't eat the devil's pancakes."

Several hellhounds surrounded them, growling.