The figure sprinting toward the castle finally came into full view.
A young man...maybe eighteen...dressed in shiny armor two sizes too big, dragging a sword behind him like it weighed more than his life choices.
He skidded to a stop at the gates, puffing out his chest with supreme confidence.
"I FOUND YOU, DEMON QUEEN!"
I blinked.
"Already?" I whispered. "I haven't even done anything evil yet!"
The Demon General stepped protectively in front of me, his aura flaring like volcanic smoke.
"You dare raise your voice before Her Majesty?" he growled.
The hero scoffed.
"Step aside, minion! I am Sir Darion the Brilliant, rising star of the Kingdom! Slayer of… uh..."
He glanced around desperately.
"…small monsters. Very small ones."
The villagers who had just surrendered peeked from behind bushes.
"Is that Darion the Chicken Runner?"
"The guy who screams when he sees spiders?"
"Oh gods, we're doomed."
I covered my face.
Darion pointed his oversized sword at me dramatically.
"Demon Queen!"
He stomped forward, nearly tripping.
"I, the great hero, have come to SMITE YOU!"
[Warning: Incoming low-tier hero attack detected.]
[Suggested Action: Laugh.]
"No!"
The General snarled. "Shall I eliminate him, my Queen?"
"No killing!" I yelped.
Darion smirked triumphantly.
"HAH! The Demon Queen FEARS ME!"
I choked on my own breath.
FEARS?!
I wasn't scared...
I was just trying not to cause international incidents!
Darion swung his sword up with exaggerated flair...
And almost dislocated his shoulder.
"Prepare yourself, vile creature!
I will end your reign with my ultimate attack..."
He inhaled deeply.
"SUNLIGHT STRIKE!!"
He swung.
Wind whooshed.
A leaf fell off a nearby branch.
Nothing else happened.
The Demons stared.
I stared.
The System chimed politely:
[Attack Power: 2]
[Damage: 0]
Darion blinked in confusion.
"W-Wait… maybe you dodged…? LET ME TRY AGAIN."
He swung harder this time...
SLAM.
His sword flew out of his hand, spinning into the sky like a helicopter blade.
Everyone watched it go.
The General sighed.
The demons sighed.
Even the chickens sighed.
Darion puffed his chest out again.
"Ha! That was a tactical feint! I meant to throw it!"
[Lie Detected]
[Confidence: -10]
He pointed at me with shaking determination.
"Face me with HONOR, Demon Queen!"
I lifted a hand weakly.
"Look, can you please just go home? I really don't want to..."
[New Quest: Demonstrate Heroic Dominance]
[Objective: Defeat the hero without killing him.]
[Reward: +2 Reputation with Demons]
"WHAT QUEST IS THAT?!"
The General nodded approvingly.
"Yes, My Queen. Crush him mercilessly."
"I DON'T WANT TO CRUSH ANYONE!"
Darion charged.
It was slow.
It was clumsy.
It was the saddest charge in the history of heroism.
I panicked and waved my hand in pure reflex.
A tiny spark of Holy Aura flicked off my fingertips...
BOOM.
A shockwave of golden light blasted outward.
Darion flew backward like a ragdoll launched from a catapult.
He tumbled.
He rolled.
He screamed.
He hit a tree, bounced, slid face-first across the dirt, and came to a stop with his legs sticking up like an overturned beetle.
Dead silence.
Then...
"AAAAAA I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO ATTACK YOU!"
He scrambled upright and bowed repeatedly, face pale.
"FORGIVE ME, MERCIFUL QUEEN! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD DO THAT!"
I stared at my glowing fingertips.
"…I didn't know either."
[Quest Complete!]
[Reputation with Humans +5]
[Reputation with Demons +10]
[New Passive: Intimidating Presence (Unintentional)]
[Bonus Reputation Granted: +8]
[Reason: Overwhelming Display of Power]
[Sub-Reasons: Audience Awe + Critical Blast + Flawless Non-lethal Victory]
[Note: Demons greatly respect effortless domination.]
The General kneeled beside me, fist to chest.
"A flawless victory, My Queen."
"That was NOT a victory! I flicked a panic-light and he died sideways!"
"He survived," the General said calmly.
"That is enough."
Darion scrambled to retrieve his sword (which fell from the sky and stabbed the ground beside him like a warning from heaven).
He bowed again.
"THANK YOU FOR SPARING MY LIFE, OH RADIANT QUEEN!"
"I wasn't trying to spare anything! I was trying to NOT DO ANYTHING!"
He looked at me with trembling awe.
"So merciful… so powerful…
Truly you are the Queen of Dawn…"
"STOP CALLING ME..."
But he had already fled.
Sprinting so fast the villagers had to jump out of his way.
Dust cloud trailing behind him.
The Demon General watched him disappear.
"A weakling," he muttered. "Yet even he recognized your supremacy."
"I DIDN'T WANT TO BE SUPREME!"
But the System chimed happily:
[You have defeated your first hero!]
[Unlocking new feature: Hero Reputation Scoreboard]
"NO. NO SCOREBOARDS."
[Tracking all heroes who fear you.]
"I SAID STOP...!"
The Demon General kneeled again.
"My Queen… shall I prepare for the arrival of stronger heroes?"
"STRONGER?! NO...!"
[Alert: Multiple heroes have sensed your power.]
[Hero Count Approaching: 3]
I froze.
The General grinned, eyes gleaming like a predator.
"It seems," he said proudly,
"your legend has begun."
I sank to my knees.
"THIS IS NOT A LEGEND!
THIS IS A MISTAKE!"
And the System, traitor that it was, chimed:
[New Quest: Survive the next three hero encounters.]
[Estimated Difficulty: High]
I covered my face.
Why did I even wake up today?