Reborn as the 68th Demon Lord

A Demon Lord's strength is not just personal martial prowess; it is a complex ecosystem of resource management, strategic summoning, and dungeon architecture.

Dungeon Points (DP): The essential energy currency that fuels all demonic activities. It is the lifeblood of a Lord's power.

Acquisition:

Daily Stipend: A fixed amount automatically generated by the Dungeon Core, directly tied to the Lord's rank. A low-ranked Lord might only receive enough DP to maintain their current state, while a high-ranked Lord receives a massive surplus, allowing for constant expansion.

Threat Neutralization: Killing invading adventurers, rival monsters, or native beasts within the dungeon converts their life essence into DP. This is the primary method for active growth.

Resource Harvesting: Certain rare materials within a dungeon can be sacrificed to the Core for a burst of DP.

Dungeon Evolution & Biomes: DP is spent on the Dungeon Core to increase its Level. Each new level achieved allows the Lord to add a new floor to their dungeon. The biome of this new floor is randomly generated, creating a unique and unpredictable ecosystem. One Lord might have floors resembling a Fungal Forest, a Geothermal Cavern, and a Subterranean Ocean, each producing different monsters and resources. The higher a dungeon's level, the more floors it has, the more complex its terrain, and the more Hit Points its Core possesses.

The Summoning Ritual: This is a Demon Lord's most crucial and high-stakes expenditure of DP. It is not a simple menu of options.

The Ritual: The Lord initiates a summoning ritual at the Core for a significant, fixed cost of DP.

The Choice: Once the ritual is active, the Lord is presented with a binary choice:

Summon Familiar: Pour all the ritual's energy into a single being. This creates one powerful, semi-sentient monster. Its species, traits, and potential are completely random, though often loosely tied to the Lord's innate nature. It could be a legendary beast... or a powerful but utterly useless creature for the Lord's current needs. This is the ultimate gamble.

Summon Mob: Diffuse the ritual's energy to create a group of 5-10 weaker monsters. Their type is also random, but they provide immediate, reliable manpower for defense, patrols, and labor. This is the safer, more conservative option.

Unconditional Loyalty: All summoned creatures, from the mightiest Familiar to the lowliest mob creature, are born with an unbreakable, instinctual loyalty to the Demon Lord who summoned them. They are an extension of the Lord's will.