– STORY –

One day, I woke up only find out that I’d become a Demon Lord,
an individual responsible for protecting a dungeon. The world
I’d been spirited away to was one filled with violence. Gigantic
monsters wandered through it and competed with each other
each and every day for the right to survive. I had no choice but
to strengthen my dungeon’s defenses in hopes of living another
day—or at least that was what I’d thought. For some odd reason,
I instead ended up spending my days in relaxation and bliss.

This is Yuki’s story, my story. It tells the tale of how I spent my

days after settling down in a dungeon with a self indulgent,
“supreme” dragon girl and a young vampire.
【 】
“Hmmm…”

I twisted and turned the mirror I had on hand, dexterously manipulating it in order to
check myself out. I slowly examined every last nook and cranny, with my expression
remaining serious throughout the process.

For the most part, I looked no different from usual. My hair was black, and my facial
features were all exactly as I remembered them. To be honest, I was just another guy.
I wasn’t especially handsome nor particularly ugly. My eyes carried a bit of a sharp
glint, but they were honestly the only part of my face that didn’t scream average. My
height and build both fell within the norm as well.

The reason I was scrutinizing myself wasn’t because I was some sort of narcissist. I
wasn’t particularly interested in taking in the appeal of my own body. I was merely
checking myself over because it was absolutely necessary.

I gave the mirror yet another twist and started to gaze at my back: the most abnormal
part of me. For some odd reason, I’d grown wings. The pitch black protrusions
sprouted out of the area around my shoulder blade. They looked like the kind of thing
you’d expect to see on a dragon, or maybe even a bat. I couldn’t tell which.

Having wings was weird. I’d never had them before, so they almost didn’t feel like a
part of my body despite clearly being attached to me. It was a bit difficult for me to
control them due to my unfamiliarity with them, but focusing on them allowed me to
flap them, thereby confirming that they weren’t just some sort of decoration.

The second and only other weird part of my body was my right eye. My eyes were both
originally black. Keyword: were. My right iris, however, had gone through some sort of
change. It had somehow dyed itself a brilliant shade of crimson.

It seemed that the change in colour was linked to one of the skills innate to my race.
Specifically, it was one of the so called “magic eyes,” the cringy things Japanese kids in
middle school loved going on and on about. I myself had gone through a similar phase
in the past, so seeing the piercing red eyeball had caused a series of embarrassing
memories to resurface. I immediately started feeling ashamed of myself.

Though my body had changed, my clothes hadn’t. I was still wearing jeans and a t-
shirt. The overly casual apparel starkly contrasted my less than normal body parts. My
appearance was all over the place; I felt like a shitty, low budget cosplayer.

Wait a second. I’m wearing a t-shirt over my wings? Oh god damn it, it’s probably torn,
isn’t it?

I couldn’t quite get the angle I needed to see the supposedly torn part of my shirt, but
I remained absolutely certain that it’d suffered damage nonetheless.

“You know what? Screw this. I’m going to bed.”

The act of examining my body had caused me far more mental fatigue than I was
comfortable with, so I decided to just stop thinking about it. I used a bunch of dungeon
points, or DP for short, and purchased a futon, a japanese style bed.

I appeared to be in some sort of throne room, but I decided to just flat out ignore it for
the time being. I laid the futon out on the floor, tucked myself in, and closed my eyes.

General Information
Name: Yuki
Race: Archdemon
Class: Demon Lord
Level: 1
HP: 2100/2100
MP: 6700/6700
Strength: 651
Stamina: 685
Agility: 550
Magic: 897
Dexterity: 1250
Luck: 70
Skill Points: 5
Unique Skills
Magic Eye
Translation

Skills
Item Box
Analyze Lv. 1

Titles
Demon Lord from Another World

DP: 900
So what exactly happened?

The answer to that question was surprisingly simple: I reincarnated.

My death was a boring one. It wasn’t accompanied by any extenuating circumstances.

I wasn’t involved in any sort of major incident, nor was I intentionally killed for any
particular reason. I simply died in just another everyday accident. And then I was
reborn.

I never met any sort of God. I wasn’t informed that I’d been killed. But I was certain
that I’d died. The sensation was still vividly ingrained in my mind. I could still recall
the feeling of the truck crushing my bones and mutilating my body beyond repair. I
could still feel the blood and pain simultaneously seep from my body as my
consciousness slowly sank into the abyss.

A shiver ran up my spine as I recalled it. It was far too explicit a memory for it to be
fake. I really had died. Taking a deep breath, I calmed my nerves and stopped myself
from trembling. I chased the unpleasant memories out of my mind and set them aside.
No good was going to come out of dwelling on the past.

When I came to, I found myself in what could only be described as a throne room, one
filled with expensive looking chandeliers, walls, and pillars. There weren’t any
windows, and it honestly seemed quite small for what it was. Behind me sat a single
throne. It wasn’t overly decorated or particularly gaudy in any which way. Rather, it
gave off a sense of majesty. A large blue carpet ran from one end of the room to the
other. I followed it with my eyes as I observed the room in its entirety. There were very
few ornaments placed within. The only expensive looking thing was the door that lay
at the end of the hall.

All in all, the room gave off a sort of sinister feel. It looked like the kind of area that
would likely be accompanied by a demon lord or some other sort of final boss, with
the only difference being that it seemed a bit small.
My mind was blown. I couldn’t help but blankly stare as I slowly took in my
surroundings. It took a good while for me to finally recover and realize that I needed
to get a better grasp of my current situation.

I stood up. And as I did, my line of sight changed.

“The heck is that?”

I immediately spotted a rainbow coloured gem as I got to my feet. It was situated right
behind the throne, and seemed to be be radiating a colourful light. The gem was
circular, and seemed to be just a bit smaller than a basketball.

For some odd reason, I decided to reach out and touch it. I had no idea why I made the
decision, but I did.

“What theaaaaaaaaaarrggh!?”

A head splitting pain assaulted my mind the moment my fingers touched the orb. It
was like my brain was being tampered with against my will. Unpleasant, unnatural
sensations coursed through my body as I fell on my hands and knees. Tears began to
spill from the corners of my eyes.

All I felt was pain. It hurt so bad I couldn’t see straight; the world had started rocking
back and forth, tilting left and right. I felt nauseous, I almost wanted to vomit.

The hellish headache persisted at full strength for several seconds before slowly
beginning to abate. It came and went in waves, fluctuating in intensity every few
moments.

“I… see…”

I managed to squeeze out a few words between rapid, shallow breaths. I felt as if I’d
suddenly been injected with knowledge, as if a dictionary had implanted itself inside
my brain.

And that was exactly what had happened.

“Menu.”

I recited one of the words the dungeon itself had taught me. A translucent, glass-like
pane appeared in midair, materializing itself right in front of me. The knowledge I’d
suddenly gained informed me that the menu I summoned was adaptable. Its
appearance would change based on its beholder; it would morph in such a way that it
always appeared as intuitive as possible. I used to be an avid consumer of video games,
and for that reason, the dungeon seemed to have judged the that its menu should
appear like that of a game’s.

If I was a goblin, it probably would have manifested as something along the lines of a
stone slate instead, given how primitive they were.

I still felt a bit dizzy, so I placed a hand against my forehead to prevent the world from
staggering as I looked down at the menu options. It seemed to have four buttons:
Status, DP Catalogue, Dungeon, and Gacha. [1]

The last of the four immediately grabbed my attention. Rolling a gacha and trying my
luck sounded tempting, really tempting. That said, I understood it wasn’t a good idea
for me to try it without first obtaining a more robust understanding of my current
situation.

For the time being, I decided to start off by checking out my stats. I manipulated the
menu by tapping it, as I would a smartphone or other touch device.

“Wait… I’m an archdemon?”

Well, so much for being human…

General Information
Name: Yuki
Race: Archdemon
Class: Demon Lord
Level: 1
HP: 2100/2100
MP: 6700/6700
Strength: 651
Stamina: 685
Agility: 550
Magic: 897
Dexterity: 1250
Luck: 70
Skill Points: 5
Unique Skills
Magic Eye
Translation
Skills
Item Box
Analyze Lv. 1
Titles
Demon Lord from Another World
DP: 1000

I blinked a few times in surprise as I continued looking over my status page. I’d
apparently not only lost my humanity, but also became a Demon Lord. Confusion
coursed through my mind, but only for a moment. The w*kipedia-like database
implanted in my head promptly answered all my concerns and informed me that a
Demon Lord was in fact not an evil ruler that propagated a doctrine of violence and
conquest, but rather just a term used to describe an individual in charge of a dungeon.
For all intents and purposes, demon lord and dungeon master were synonymous.
My name was Yuki. It was basically the exact same as the name I used to have prior to
my death, save for the fact that it was written in katakana as opposed to kanji. [1] The
loss of the kanji that denoted my first name made it feel even more girly than it already
had. [2] That said, my first name was faring better than my last name, which’d flat out
been deleted.

I didn’t really have anything to compare my stats to, so I couldn’t really gauge how
good they were. But in any case, my luck looked ridiculously low, which did make
sense given the accidental nature of my death. What I couldn’t make sense of was my
dexterity. I didn’t ever do anything that required me to develop precision or finesse. I
was never into the arts.

After I was done checking out my stats, I moved on and started examining my skills. I
swiped my finger across each item in turn in order to get a better grasp of my own
abilities.

Of the four I had, three were pretty intuitive given their names. Analyze allowed me to
inspect something and determine its stats. Leveling it up would increase the level of
detail displayed. Item Box allowed me to store items in a dimensional rift whose size
was relative to my max MP. Translation allowed me to remain both conversational and
literate even though I’d been whisked away to another world. My last and least
intuitive skill, magic eye, was innate to my race. Apparently, it allowed me to see
magical power. I couldn’t actually tell whether or not it was of any use. As far as I was
concerned, magic was still pretty much a foreign concept.

Each skill had a level associated with it, ranging from one to ten. Skill points could be
used to bolster skill levels, with higher leveled skills requiring more points.

The second last part of my status page was a section containing titles. At the moment,
I had just one, Demon Lord from Another World. It’s description read as follows: A title
granted to an individual originating from outside this world. Those that bear this title
will automatically obtain the translation skill.

“I guess that doubles down and confirms that this really is another world…” I muttered.

I was done looking through my stat page, so I dismissed it and tapped the DP Catalogue
button. The menu switched to another screen, one displaying a list of items. Each was
accompanied by a number, their cost in DP. The list contained all the typical things
you’d expect to see in a fantasy-based JRPG: swords, shields, staves, armour, and the
whole shebang. But that wasn’t all. It also contained a wide variety of non-fantastical
items. I could choose to purchase cups, toothbrushes, food, and all my other everyday
necessities as well. There were even consoles and games, but their prices were
exorbitant and way beyond what I could afford.

The DP Catalogue, as a whole, seemed really convenient. It looked like my purchases

would get delivered to me the moment I made the exchange.

Browsing the catalogue kind of reminds me of online shopping. The whole system feels
kinda out of place given the fantasy-esque setting, but hey, it’s convenient, so I’m not
complaining.

All in all, it seemed like there were two different types of items. There were the items
from this world, which, in general, tended to be less expensive, and the items from my
world, which were precisely the opposite. It was almost as if the latter group of items
were only present and purchasable because I knew they existed. They seemed too
inconsistent and out of place to be there for any other reason.

The third function I checked was the gacha function. It seemed that I could choose
between four different gachas, with their prices being: 100 DP, 1000 DP, 10000DP, and
100000 DP respectively. There didn’t seem to be a list of prizes anywhere. I’d have to
go in blind if I wanted to try my luck.

The final menu button, the “Dungeon” button, took me to a page that had a ton of
options pertaining to the dungeon’s core functions. It allowed me to add to the number
of floors, increase the size of the dungeon’s domain, summon monsters, and much
more. There was far too much information for me to take it all in at once, so I decided
to refrain from checking out the details for the time being.

It seemed that the dungeon itself was a living thing, a species of organism often born
in places with a high concentration of magical particles. Like many other organisms,
dungeons were born weak and frail. They were incredible easy to destroy early on in
their infancy.

Humans were particularly well known for their dungeon-crushing antics. Their
attacks were heavily driven by greed. Or at least what I assumed to be greed. The
dungeon’s core, the rainbow-like orb that served as its heart, looked like it could fetch
a pretty penny on the market.
Unfortunately, humans weren’t the only creatures that attacked dungeons. Monsters,
members of this world’s wildlife, did as well. Dungeon cores were rich in mana, and
thus, the monsters’ instincts drove them to hunt them.

In other words, dungeons had enemies on all sides.

Everyone and everything was hostile.

And it was for that reason that dungeons summoned demon lords, guardians that
could protect them from the harsh environments in which they were born. Dungeons
concentrated their magical energies in their demon lords and allowed them to become
much more powerful than ever before. In exchange, the demon lords protected the
dungeons and bolstered their chances of survival.

It was a picture perfect example of a symbiotic relationship.

Most dungeons obtained their demon lords by drawing in nearby monsters and
rebirthing them. My dungeon, however, had been born in an area with an abnormally
high concentration of magical particles. It was much more powerful than its peers. It
invested nearly all of its energy into summoning a being more suited to the role: me.
It’d selected me even though I’d already died in another world and become nothing
more than just a soul.

Wait, that means the dungeon thinks that I’m much more suited to being a demon lord
than all the other candidates it came across? The hell!? Makes me think I’m evil
incarnate or something. Feels bad man.

My race had been altered because the dungeon believed that I would be able to do my
job better as an archdemon. The change had only been made possible by my soul’s
affinities. I was apparently just innately suited to being an archdemon.

Uh… Alright, let’s chalk that up to the fact that I used to play an archdemon in that one
MMO I really liked.

Okay, yeah no. That’s total bullshit and I know it.

I sighed. I didn’t quite feel like contemplating my own moral alignment, so I let my
mind wander. The first thing it latched back onto was my stats. To reiterate, I had no
idea how powerful I was relative to everything else. The world I’d been reincarnated
in was filled with violence. It lacked the peace that my old world had basically bathed
in. Monsters roamed the land, fighting and killing for the sake of self preservation.
Wars and other armed conflicts were the norm. Surviving was going to be tough if I
was too weak.

After another moment’s worth of contemplation, I turned my gaze towards the dungeon
core.

It and I had become two parts of a whole. It played a heavy hand in maintaining the
vessel that functioned as my body. If it were to be destroyed, then I was sure to follow.
And because I’d become both the owner and manager of most of its resources, it too
would weaken, dwindle away, and die if I were to lose my life.

Neither the dungeon nor I could survive without the other.

It’d become my second heart, and I’d become its second body.

Though I did resent it for summoning me into a world completely filled with barbaric
brutality, I was still plenty grateful that it’d given me a second shot at life.

I decided that I would live it out however I wanted, enjoying my days as they passed,
that I wouldn’t waste the opportunity I’d been granted.

And that, for my own sake, I would protect the dungeon’s core.

It’d given me another chance. Defending it was well worth my time.

I let a bit of a smile show up on my face as I used a bit of DP to purchase a mirror. I

needed to check myself over so I could evaluate precisely what becoming an
archdemon had entailed.

Katakana is the Japanese alphabet normally used for when you’re just trying to
[1]

sound out a word. It is seen most commonly when Japanese people try to use foreign
words in text. Kanji is Chinese hanzi characters used in a Japanese context. While it’s
possible to guess some of their pronounciations based off precedent, it’s much, much
more difficult if not often impossible.
[2] Yuki is typically a girl’s name. The old spelling of his name was likely something that

had manly kanji in it. Note that Yuki is different from Yuuki, which is typically a boy’s
name.
The night came and went. It was morning. I’d woken up to a fresh new day with my
head clear of all the confusion that’d come with my reincarnation. I promptly made
my bed and activated Item Box. A sizable rift in space appeared right in front of me. It
looked kind of like a bottomless void, but I paid it little heed and shoved my futon
inside regardless.

Retrieving stuff from my item box was surprisingly simple. The skill came with a list
that looked like something along the lines of a video game’s inventory system. It
displayed all the items I had inside of it; it didn’t look like forgetting about the contents
of my own inventory was going to be much of an issue. All I needed to do to retrieve a
particular item was focus on it while reaching into the spatial distortion spawned by
the skill. It was incredibly convenient.

With tidying up after myself out of the way, I decided to move on to figuring out
breakfast; the module in the top right corner of the dungeon’s UI indicated it was
probably time for me to eat. Like the item box’s display, the time and date module
looked it belonged to some sort of video game—which made sense given that the
dungeon had modeled my personalized UI off of some sort of game menu.

I opened the dungeon’s DP catalogue and began browsing for something I could turn
into a quick bite. There were many options to choose from, almost too many. It took
me a while to make up my mind, but I ended up settling on a slice of bread and some
cooked bacon, which cost 15 and 30 DP respectively. I casually plopped myself down
on top of the throne, the only chair in the room, as I started to eat.

Though I’d found myself a seat, I was by no means relaxed. In fact, I was feeling
somewhat anxious. I needed to earn more DP. I’d only started with a thousand. My
resources were sure to run dry if I just sat around, and I wasn’t exactly what I would
call keen on starving to death.

There were a total of four different ways to get DP.

The first was to wait. The dungeon naturally generated DP as time passed. It seemed
that the precise amount of DP gained depended on the dungeon’s size. My dungeon,
which was apparently just the throne room for the time being, could only generate a
single point once every three hours. The amount I passively gained was so negligible
that I decided to rule out the passive gain as inconsequential until further notice.

The second method was also somewhat passive. The dungeon would generate DP
while invaders were inside of it. Of course, another, more straight forward alternative
was just to flat out kill the intruders. Any return resulting from either of these two
methods depended on the intruder in question. More powerful enemies provided
more DP.

The final method was allowing the dungeon to absorb corpses and food items. The
method generated varying amounts of DP; it seemed the exact quantity depended on
what the dungeon was fed.

This is silly. The dungeon kind of needs invaders to show up even though it doesn’t want
them. It had to summon me in case they showed up, so they can’t bust up the core. But if
they don’t show up, I’ll eventually run out of DP and die from starvation. Actually, on
second thought, it isn’t really that silly. The dungeon’s an organism, a living thing. It
needs to hunt and eat to survive. You know, survival of the fittest and all that.

I needed to get the dungeon up and running soon, but I wasn’t able to do it
immediately. I needed to investigate the surrounding area so I could get a better grasp
of the terrain. But more importantly, I first had to learn more about myself. I needed
to figure out what it meant to be a demon lord.

The dungeon’s knowledge base had plenty of information. Biased information. It

basically demonized all the potential invaders. I could see where it was coming from.
Everything that attacked it was literally trying to kill it. But that said, it’s opinions
weren’t very helpful.

“Alright, I guess I should probably move out.”

I shook my hands and brushed any remaining breadcrumbs off my body as I stood up
and looked towards the room’s sole door. To be honest, I was a bit afraid of what I’d
find on the other side, but there was no point in just sitting around and idling. I needed
to open the door and examine my surroundings.

After psyching myself up and taking a few deep breaths, I made my way over to the
door and slowly pushed it open.

I was immediately greeted by a facefull of cool air. I was in a rock-filled environment,

a sort of cave. Massive crystalline stalactites hung from its ceiling. They were so large
that they made my eyes go wide. I couldn’t even begin to fathom how long it took them
to form. All I knew was that they just had to be absolutely ancient.

Beside one of the especially large stalactites was a crack in the roof, likely due to the
influence of the crystal structure’s weight. A few rays of sunlight seeped through it.
They bounced off the cave’s many translucent rocks and illuminated it with a dim,
calming light.

One part of the cave was depressed; it was much lower than everything around it.
Clear, clean water had gathered and filled the indented section. The water was so pure
that I could see right through to the bottom.

The only thing that looked out of place was the door I’d come out of. It looked like
something that’d suddenly appeared, whereas everything else had clearly formed over
time through natural means.

Admittedly, I was totally blown away by the beautiful scenery laid out before me. But
the cave was only just the beginning. There was still much more to come.

After confirming that there weren’t any other living things in my immediate vicinity, I
started moving towards the cave’s exit, or rather, it’s entrance. My body was naturally
drawn towards the bright, blinding luminescence that poured through it. My footsteps,
though light, came back to me as heavy thuds. Every single step I took echoed through
the cave.

My view of the surroundings opened up as I arrived at the cave’s mouth.

The first thing I saw was the sky. It shone a beautiful blue and extended as far as the
eye could see. Below it was a luscious green forest. Its trees gently rustled as the wind
blew by. A large river passed right through the forest’s center, glimmering in the
sunlight as it brought life to the flora around it.

A majestic mountain range lay off in the distance. Its peaks rose into the clouds and
towered over their surroundings. I could barely make it out through all the high
standing mountains, but the horizon was the most beautiful I’d ever seen. Two
brilliant shades of blue merged where the sea met the sky.
Large, floating islands were strewn across the great blue sky. One even featured a
massive waterfall that hammered the earth below with a seemingly infinite source of
fluid. The resulting mist converged the light that was shining onto it to form a stunning
iridescent rainbow.

The world that unfolded before my eyes was baffling, magnificent.

No.

It was more.

It was so gorgeous I found myself at a loss. I had no way to possibly put its beauty into
words.

Tears began welling up in the corners of my eyes. Realizing that I might one day use
my wings to soar through the painting before me had kicked my emotions into
overdrive. I was so moved I wanted to prostrate myself before the dungeon core and
revere it for robbing me of my humanity.

Speaking of, my wings were currently hidden out of sight. They’d gotten in the way
when I tried to sleep, so I spent a good bit of time trying to figure out the best way to
shrink or fold them. In the end, they somehow disappeared all on their own. It turned
out that I could actually extend and retract them at will so long as I focused on them
hard enough. Apparently, it was because they were constructed of magical energy. I
was more used to being a human than I was an archdemon, so I’d kept them hidden
away ever since.

It took me a while, but I eventually stopped staring blankly at the scenery and came to
my senses. I needed to get back on task. Given that, I once again began surveying my
surroundings. The first thing I checked was my altitude. It looked like I was halfway
up a mountain. That was the only reason I could see as much as I could. The second
thing I did was check whether or not there were any human settlements nearby. The
answer to that was no. It seemed I was rather far from civilization.

Turning around, I found myself face to face with two things: the cave’s entrance and a
giant, steep cliff. I wanted to get higher up the mountain, but I didn’t particularly feel
like climbing straight up, so I began wandering around in search of a path that would
lead me to my destination.
I started looking around and examining my surroundings after finally locating an
uphill trail. I looked at the trees, the grass, the flowers, and basically everything else I
happened to come across. And each time I looked at something new, I activated
Analyze to learn more about it. The skill taught me all sorts of different things. For
example. I came to know that sherlmie grass was a potent herb containing a lot of
mana, and that I should never eat amanita explodias because they were sure to
detonate upon consumption.

Long story short, Analyze was convenient, extraordinarily so. Apparently, the ability
was something that’d come with my discoloured eye. At first, I was actually quite
discontent with my newfound heterochromia. I thought of it as nothing but a reminder
of the fact that I too was once a nerdy middle schooler with a penchant for roleplay.
But now, my opinion had taken a full 180 degree turn. I no longer saw the eye as a
stigma, but rather, a blessing. Learning more about this world’s flora would’ve been
much more difficult without it.

The skill taught me about many interesting plants the likes of which I’d never before
seen. But more importantly, it allowed me to discover fruits and vegetables fit for
consumption. I no longer had to depend on the dungeon and my dwindling reserves
of DP for sustenance. And that, in and of itself, was a huge load off my mind.

My original objective, surveying the area surrounding the dungeon and getting a grasp
of the terrain, had long been forgotten. Of course, it wasn’t because I was careless and
got swept up in my excitement, but rather because I simply didn’t need to bother with
it. My menu had acquired a map function the moment I took my first step out the
dungeon’s door. This new function allowed me to generate geographical information
about everything I laid eyes on.

All I had to do was look at an area to get an accurate, detailed map of it. Even just
emerging from the cave containing my dungeon and admiring the scenery around it
had already allowed the dungeon’s menu to learn an incredible amount about my
surroundings. The only problem with the map was that it didn’t display enemies, but
that weakness was one that I could easily circumvent. There was an option to add an
enemy detection feature at the cost of a good bit of DP. Unfortunately, I didn’t have
enough DP on hand quite yet, but the feature seemed useful, so I made note of it and
decided I’d get it some time down the line.

After spending a good bit of time taking in my surroundings and wandering about, I
decided to head back to the dungeon. I hadn’t gone too far, but I was still worried that
something would happen, both to the dungeon, and to myself.

With that thought in mind, I turned around—only to catch a glimpse of silver.

At first, I’d just thought that it was probably a large bird or something. I’d heard it
flapping its wings, but the sound seemed to have come from far away, so I more or less
ended up ignoring it.

But then it drew closer. I turned my head towards it yet again because I realized how
quickly it was approaching. Next thing I knew, the creature was right above me,
flapping its wings to lower its speed as it landed. I tried to get a better look at it, but I
couldn’t. The force of the wind that came with its descent forced me to close my eyes
and cover my face.

I didn’t get a chance to gaze upon the creature until the wind finally died down. When
it did, I nervously opened my eyes, only to find that the thing that’d landed next to me
wasn’t actually a bird. It was something much more majestic and intimidating.

A dragon.

Its body was covered in head to toe with beautiful silver scales. It was massive, but it
carried with it an air of elegance nonetheless.

Name: Leficios
Race: Ancient Dragon
Class: Supreme Dragon
Level: 987
Titles: Supreme Dragon

Uh…
Shit.

W-What the actual fuck?

I’d long been prepared to run into and confront some sort of monster. I was more than
ready for it. I knew I had to fight, that I had to prove that I was fit to survive if I didn’t
want to die. In fact, I was even kind of excited by the prospect of slaying a monster.

But I was not prepared to take on a dragon, let alone the one that stood before me. The
silver beast was clearly no ordinary, run of the mill flying lizard. Its title, race, and class
all screamed that it was at least a superior specimen.

What the fuck!? You have to be shitting me! What kind of unbalanced as fuck encounter
is this supposed to be!? Not even the worst games brick wall you this god damn hard!
Like, dude! That thing’s level 987. It looks like it’s almost fucking capped, god damn it!

The dragon’s level was so much higher than my own that I couldn’t even see its stats.

Wait, wait, calm down Yuki. Granny always said that “nothing good’ll ever come out of
panicking!” [1] Not that I was actually ever a Granny’s boy, but whatever. Right, anyway,
maybe this is just one of those worlds where the levels are super inflated or something.
987 might not even be that high. Like, I’m still level 1, and I’m probably still fucked, but
like, I might actually have a chance.

I decided to run a more detailed check on the dragon’s stats after momentarily
regaining a bit of composure. I started by checking its class, but for some odd reason,
I couldn’t get the details to show up, so I moved on and checked its title, as the two
shared a name.

Supreme Dragon: A title granted to the most powerful dragon in the world, the dragon
that reigns above all others. This title drastically boosts the stats of those who possess it.
It also provides the “Supreme Ruler’s Intimidation” skill and the unique Supreme Dragon
class.

…Fuck.

I felt the urge to smash my palm into my face.

I dunno what I expected. I should’ve seen that coming.

The dragon standing before me was undoubtedly strong. It clearly sat at the top of not
only this region’s, but the entire world’s food chain. Thinking back, I should’ve realized
that something was off. I was totally new to foraging, but despite that, I was able to
find food all over the place. And yet, I didn’t run into a single monster. It made no sense
for monsters to avoid an area with this much food.

Unless they feared a predator.

It immediately became clear to me that all nearby monsters avoided this area because
they knew that it was the Supreme Dragon’s territory. They understood that it was
impossible for them to stand up to it, and that they’d be subject to a one-sided
slaughter should they foolishly attempt to challenge it.

I, however, had no idea. I didn’t know that I was wandering into the dragon’s den, nor
that there’d even been a dragon in the area in the first place.

And now, I was totally fucked.

The dragon looked towards me and opened its mouth as I stared it, speechless and
totally paralyzed in fear.

“A superior demon? At a place like this? How curious,” said the dragon, as it narrowed
its eyes.

Wait. It spoke? IT SPOKE!? THE DRAGON FUCKING SPOKE!?

I felt my jaw drop as my brain slowly worked to process the event that had just
transpired. I felt the urge to screech out of sheer confusion, but I stopped myself before
I did.

I knew that I would at least have to seem calm if I didn’t want the dragon to realize
that it terrified me. If it caught on, then I’d lose all initiative. I narrowly managed to
stop my jaw from dropping all the way as I took a deep breath. Then, I steeled myself
and made sure I didn’t stumble over my words as I responded in as relaxed a tone as
I could manage.

“I uh… don’t know much about the superior part, but yeah. I am apparently some sort
of demon.”

I mean, I’m pretty sure an archdemon’s a demon. Wouldn’t really make sense for it not
to be.

Like many other fantasty-esque scenarios, the world I’d been summoned to was home
to many similar but different intelligent races. Humans aside, it had demihumans,
beastkin, and of course, demons like me. To be frank, I was really looking forward to
meeting the races. I wanted to meet beastkin so I could pet them and play with their
animal-like parts. I also wanted to meet a demi-human. More specifically, I wanted to
nibble on an elf girl’s ears and make her blush.

Wait, what the fuck are you doing, Yuki? Stop being all delusional and shit. This situation’s
desperate as all hell, but practicing escapism really isn’t going to make anything any
better.

“What a peculiar manner of phrasing, but no matter. I suppose I should ask the reason
for which you are here, demon,” said the dragon, warily.

I couldn’t help but notice that the dragon’s voice was pleasant to the ear. Though she
and I were different species, I could tell that she was female.

“Exploring, I guess,” I said with a shrug.

“…In a place like this? What bizzare tendencies you have.”

The dragon blinked several times in an expression of wonder.

It doesn’t look like she’s going to attack me right away. Whew. Wait, does this mean that
demons aren’t evil incarnate, and that people don’t attack them on sight? I assumed that
would be how it was since that’s normally how it was in all the games I used to play.

The dungeon’s database had very little information on anything to do with inter-
species relationships. It did distinguish between different monsters and races, but it
failed to describe them in sufficient detail. All it really did was declare them all fiends
out to destroy the dungeon. None of the descriptions contained any real lore or useful
information.

Thus, I temporarily filled in the gaps in my knowledge by making assumptions based

on the information I’d acquired back in Japan. That is, I assumed that demons were
evil and considered hostile by basically everything else.

At this rate, she might even actually just let me walk away.
“But again, it matters not. You have invaded my territory, so I will destroy you.”

‘Twas not meant to be, that it was not.

I couldn’t help but make a mental quip in an outdated, samurai-like manner of speech
as the dragon sentenced me to death. While I would’ve loved to continue with a chain
of retorts, I was cut short, disallowed by the sheer amount of bloodlust that filled the
air the moment after she finished speaking. It was so pronounced that even I could
pick up on it.

Cold sweat began running down my brow.

I was screwed.

My only two choices were to figure something out or die, and I had no idea what to do.
My mind was blanking, but I somehow managed to reel it in and force it into overdrive
before the dragon attacked me. I had every single part of my brain, which normally did
nothing but lazily think about video games, focus every last resource it had on solving
the crisis at hand.

Alright, Yuki, focus. What can this new body of yours do? Let’s see… Well, its senses are
way better… Wait! That’s it!

“Hold on! I can make not killing me worth your time!”

I pushed both palms in front of me in an attempt to get the dragon to stop.

“Can you really?” The dragon immediately froze and narrowed its eyes.

“I can, but you gotta hear me out.” I paused to take a breath. “Let’s strike a deal.”

“A deal, you say?”

“Yeah, and a pretty good one. You like eating sweet foods, right?”

“I-I know nothing of the matter you speak. It is not as if I just returned from raiding a
beehive for lunch!”

The dragon’s response was so dramatic that it almost made me laugh. She was clearly
a terrible liar.
Wait, why’s she trying to bluff it off anyway? It’s not like there’s anything wrong with
liking sweets, is there?

“I mean, deny it all you want, but I can practically smell the honey you just ate wafting
off of you, so…”

“A-Again, I know not of what you speak.”

“In fact, you remind me of this yellow bear I used to know. The guy was known for
wearing a red shirt and always just reeking of honey.” [2]

“I-I’ve never heard of a bear with such interesting preferences.”

“Well, he does exist, somewhere out there. Anyway, about that deal we were going to
strike. You see, I’ve got the perfect thing for anyone that loves sweets as much as you
do. Feast your eyes on this!”

I pulled a chocolate bar out of my item box and held it up to the dragon. It was
something I’d coincidentally decided to buy right before I headed out. I’d heard that
chocolate was good for hikes and other long-lasting physical activities due to how
filling it was. A single bite was enough to stave off hunger for a good hour or so.

“W-What manner of food is that?” The dragon’s eyes were wide with surprise, but at
the same time, they also seemed to shine with a sort of excitement. “It carries a
wonderful scent.”

She seemed a bit hesitant because she recognize the sweet treat as something edible,
so I tried giving her another push.

“It’s called chocolate. Just try it, I’m sure you’ll love it.”

I tore the chocolate bar from its wrapper and chucked at the dragon. She skillfully
caught it in her mouth and immediately began biting into it.

“What a splendid flavour,” she said, impressed. “It is sweet, but mellow. I knew not that
this kind of flavour existed.”

A shiver ran up the dragon’s spine as she slowly savoured the chocolate bar’s taste.

Her expression was easy to read. She was clearly impressed, shocked to the point of
losing all her composure. At first, she was dignified, but now, she almost seemed to
give off the same sort of impression as an excited child. The massive shift in her
personality was overwhelming. I almost wanted to break into laughter and relax. But
that said, I wasn’t about to let my guard down. I wasn’t safe yet. I was still facing
something many, many times stronger than me, a creature that could literally kill me
with the lightest of scratches. I’d shown her my product and impressed her, but
negotiations were still ongoing. I’d yet to seal the deal.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only person in this world capable of making chocolate. I mean,
you’ve never heard of the stuff before, right?”

I wasn’t one hundred percent sure my statement was correct, but I was at least fairly
confident in its authenticity. Though I highly doubted that I was the only reincarnator,
I did think that I was likely the only reincarnator that also happened to be a demon
lord. In other words, no one else would be able to produce the exact same sort of
chocolate that I’d just fed the dragon.

“T-that is correct,” the dragon nodded.

“So if I die, then chocolate’ll die with me. You’ll never be able to eat it ever again. But
if you let me live, I’ll treat you to the stuff whenever you want.”

Feeding the dragon was probably going to drain the hell out of my DP, but it was still
a better choice than letting her bite my head off. Besides, most of the creatures that
lived in the area seemed to fear her, so having her stop by from time to time would
probably serve to keep unwanted pests away.

“I only have two conditions. The first is not to kill me, and the second is to allow me to
live in that cave over there,” I said, as I pointed towards the entrance of my dungeon.

“Hmmm…”

The dragon furrowed its brows. It seemed like it was on the fence.

“There’s not really too much to think about, is there? If you don’t kill me, then I get to
live, and you get to eat chocolate. It’s a win-win situation.”

The dragon turned her face towards me. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but
then suddenly cut herself off by closing it. She repeated this motion several times
before finally making up her mind.
“…Very well. I accept,” she nodded. “I will allow you to live in exchange for chocolate.”

Booyah! I fucking did it! I can’t believe I pulled it off!

I felt the urge to strike a victory pose, but stopped myself short. The deal was struck,
but its exact terms had yet to be finalized.

“The only thing is that I doubt I can actually feed you enough to fully satisfy you. I
mean, I’d love to, but you’re a bit too big for that.”

“You make a fair point. Fret not, I’ve the perfect solution.”

The dragon’s body began radiating a dazzling light the moment she finished speaking.
For a second, I thought I should probably close my eyes, but in the end, I never did. I
didn’t need to; the light faded as rapidly as it appeared.

Like the light, the dragon was gone. In her place stood a girl that looked to be about
thirteen or fourteen years old. She was a good bit shorter than me. If I had a little sister,
I would imagine her to be the same height as the dragon’s current form. Her hair was
platinum, her face was charming, and her body so beautifully crafted that I’d almost
thought it a piece of art. I simply couldn’t believe it to be natural.

Every part of her looked human, save for the horns extruding from her head and the
long, draconic tail extending from her waist.
“Why the stare?” she asked. “The look on your face is as silly as that of a goblin’s.”

“I-I’m just surprised, is all. I didn’t know you could do that.”

“I’ve lived a long life. Taking on a human form is mere childsplay,” she said, arrogantly.

“What is more important to note is that this form requires less food to satisfy.”

I analyzed the dragon girl and confirmed that her race hadn’t changed. She was still
an ancient dragon.

“The time to fulfill our contract is nigh, demon! Provide me with what you promised!”

She flung her arms around like a spoiled child as she made her demand. The dignified
impression she’d given me when we first met was nowhere to be seen.

“A-Alright, but at least put this on first.”

I took off my shirt and threw it at her.

“Nn? What are these? Your underclothes?” She narrowed her eyes in confusion.

“Well uh, I can’t really look at you the way you are now, so…”

The dragon girl was buck naked, which, admittedly, did make sense. Dragons didn’t
need clothes, after all. Fortunately, she wasn’t the curvy type. I was sure that a certain
part of me would’ve reacted had her appearance just been a slight bit more mature.

“I see, then I suppose it cannot be helped.”

The dragon smiled and purposefully struck an alluring pose as she replied. She clearly
knew exactly what I was getting at.

“It is exactly as you say. My body is far too charming, and it simply would not not do
for you to lose to your temptations and attack me. Very well, I shall dress myself. Do
ensure that you compensate me for my efforts though. I believe the brown substance
you fed me earlier would suffice.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it already! I’ll feed you, so hurry up and get dressed goddammit!”
[1] Mai otome reference.

[2] Winnie the Pooh reference.

“I see.” The dragon girl nodded in understanding as she entered the throne room. “So
you are a demon lord, and a newborn at that.”

The clear curiosity in her voice was only emphasized by the way her eyes darted
around the throne room and examined every last meagerly decorated nook and
cranny. She was wearing my t-shirt, but that was it. Likewise, I was also half naked. If
this were Japan, we both would’ve been arrested on the spot for public indecency.

To be honest, I hadn’t planned on bringing her all the way back to the dungeon. I didn’t
exactly think it wise for me to reveal that I was a demon lord. I still had no idea as to
how all the other races perceived me and my kind; I was worried that she would go
back on her word and opt to destroy me on the spot the moment she discovered my
identity. Since the catalogue only functioned within the dungeon’s confines, my
original plan was to head back home and return to her after retrieving a chocolate bar.
But the dragon, being impatient as she was, refused to wait and pestered me until I
agreed to let her tag along. My only choice in the matter had been to yield to her whims
and bend to her will.

Fortunately, my concerns were needless. I’d just been overthinking things. Her opinion
of me seemed to have remained constant even though I was a demon lord. She hadn’t
suddenly declared that she was obligated to kill me, nor did she proclaim that I was a
threat to the races. Instead, she’d just acknowledged that i was the dungeon’s master
and moved on.

I would’ve loved to continue thinking and making conclusions, but first, I had to get
her some clothes. I wanted my shirt back, and I obviously couldn’t just take it and leave
her in the nude. I had to replace it with something.

Wait, does the DP catalogue even have clothes for little girls?

Much to my surprise, the answer to that question was a firm yes. In fact, there was an
entire selection.

God damn, is this thing convenient. I have to be extra careful with it. I’ll probably end up
abusing it and eating through all my funds if I’m not.

In fact, I’d already started doing exactly that. I only had about five hundred dungeon
points remaining. Half the DP I started with had gone flying out the window.

That, however, didn’t stop me from getting her a full set of clothes. I purchased her a
simple one piece dress, a pair of matching sandals, and a full set of underwear. I
casually tossed the three items, which had cost me 80, 60, and 30 DP respectively,
towards Leficios as I asked her a question.

“You could tell?” I’d already assumed that the dragon girl would eventually figure out
that I was a demon lord, but I’d expected it to at least take her a little more than just a
glance.

“Thank you. I had forgotten how susceptible my human form was to the cold,” she said
as she caught the clothes I bought her. She began changing immediately. It didn’t look
like she was feeling even the slightest bit embarrassed, but I spun around and avoided
looking at her regardless. “As for your question, the answer is yes. This room is filled
with a type of magical energy unique to dungeons. You are its sole resident, and it
clearly consists of only a single room. A minor bit of elementary logic is all it took to
determine that you were a newborn demon lord.”

She paused for a moment, rendering the room completely silent save for the rustling
of her clothes.

Wait, did she just say that there’s like a dungeon-specific type of magical energy? That
means there’s probably other types of magical energy too, right? I think one of my stats
is called magic, so does that mean I can cast it? I really need to look into that. I’ve always
wanted to give slinging a spell a try.

“I see, so the cause of your advent lies with the dungeon. You merely happened to
spawn at this location. That is much more understandable. I now comprehend the
reason for which you were wandering about my territory.”

“Er, wait, hold up. I think you just made a logical jump I totally missed. You’re making
it sound like demons just appear out of thin air or something.”
“They do,” she said.

“Uhh… what?”

“It is true that most demons have parents. Some, however, come into being through
spontaneous generation,” said the dragon girl. She was done changing, so she tossed
my shirt over my shoulder as she spoke. “Demons appear in places with highly
concentrated magic particles. Specifically, they are created when the particles gather
around a sort of core.”

“A core?”

“Most cores are made of magic stones, crystalized magic particles. I know not of your
circumstances, but I presume your core was born of the power that the dungeon
expended to summon you. The magic particles here are especially dense, so it is quite
plausible a conclusion.”

Dude, demons are weird. I mean, I know it happened to me and everything, but I’m pretty
sure normal living things aren’t just supposed to appear out of nowhere.

“That aside, I must admit that I am impressed by your dungeon’s elegance,” said the
dragon girl. I turned around after putting on my shirt, only to find that she was
basically feeling up the dungeon. She was running her small hands along everything
within her reach.

“Why are you impressed? Isn’t this just how dungeons are?”

“Not at all. None of the dungeons I destroyed in my spare time are even qualified to be
compared with your own. They were but mere caves, decorated with the occasional
lackluster accessory. I recall only one that differed. It lay under the control of an
arrogant fool that knew not his own limits. His dungeon was a castle, one decorated
with many a gaudy, tasteless ornament.”

Heh, so even the Supreme Dragon finds this dungeon impressive? Damn, dungeon bro,
you’re some pretty hot real estate, huh? Wait, did she just say that she destroyed dungeons
in her spare time? Holy shit. I would’ve been long dead if not for her love of sweets.

The truth of the matter was that I was wrong. The dragon informed me that she hadn’t
actually planned on killing me. Though she could’ve finished me off with ease, she
didn’t want to bother. Her goal was just to scare me enough to send me running and
convince me never to intrude on her territory again. She only would’ve killed me if I
allowed my pride to get the better of me. In other words, she only would’ve ended me
if I refused to back down. That was the reason she talked to me instead of instantly
flattening me from above. Apparently, she had sat there contemplating the deal I
proposed to her not because she was debating whether or not she wanted to kill me,
but rather, because the cave I was living in lay within her territory. She hadn’t been too
willing to relinquish it.

I was really lucky she came to the decision she did. The dungeon core was more or less
my second heart. Separating me from the cave was no different from strapping a
ticking time bomb to my chest.

“So whatever ended up happening to the demon with the fancy castle?”

“He declared himself the world’s most powerful being and challenged me, so I reduced
him to cinders, castle and all.”

Yeah, I figured. What kind of idiot decides to challenge the strongest dragon in the world?
That’s just asking for death. Why’d he think he’d win anyway? Shit, I’m actually super
curious. [1]

Apparently, my curiosity was both obvious and immediately apparent. Seeing the look
on my face had led the dragon to heave a sigh before speaking in an exasperated tone.

“Demons like you are few and far between. Most members of your race believe combat
prowess to be the means to all ends. Demons are known for not only fighting amongst
themselves, but also challenging mighty warriors from the other races. Typical demon
behaviour is both bothersome and obnoxious.”

I’mma guess that probably means most of the other races really do hate demons after
all. God dammit.

“So, what you’re saying is that all demons are more or less muscle-brains?”

“Muscle-brains? I’ve not heard the term.”

“Muscle-brains are basically idiots that think with their biceps. Most of them have just
got more muscles where their brains should be.”

“I see. The expression is curious, but fitting,” said Leficios with a nod. “But yes, that is
correct. Demons have been muscle-brains for the past thousand years.”

“The past thousand years…? Wait, you’ve lived for over a thousand years!?”

“I have. And that is in part the reason the humans refer to me as a being of legend.”
The dragon girl puffed up her tiny chest with pride.

A whole thousand years? God damn, that’s so long I can’t even wrap my head around it.
Wait, why’s she so childish if she’s lived for a whole thousand years? She’s got one hell of
a sweet tooth for someone that’s lived that long.

“Oh yeah, so here’s the thing you wanted, Dragon.”

“Finally! I’ve been waiting!” The dragon immediately grabbed ahold of the chocolate
bar I handed her with both her hands, unwrapped it, and took a small bite off the top.
“Mmmmnnn! How exquisite! I love the mildness of its flavour!”

That “Mmmmnnn!” though.

“And I would prefer for you not to refer to me as ‘Dragon,’” she grumbled. “My name is
Leficios, and I would like you to use it.”

“Leficios? Eh, that’s kinda long. I’ll just call you Lefi instead. Oh and that reminds me,
I’m Yuki.”

“L-Lefi!?”

“What?”

“M-Mind me not. It is just that I have never been referred to in such a manner.”

“Oh uh… I see.”

Lefi was an ancient dragon. She had lived over a thousand years. Still, I didn’t find it
surprising that no one else had ever called her “Lefi.” She was the legendary Supreme
Dragon; she wasn’t the type of person you’d normally address so casually. But as far
as I was concerned, she honestly just seemed kind of like the daughter of a relative or
something, specifically one that’d started pining for adulthood. To me, Lefi seemed like
the type of girl that went out of her way to try to act older than she really was.
The dignified aura that she gave off at first was nowhere to be found. It had long since
up and vanished.

“Again, mind it not,” said Lefi, casually. “More importantly, I would like to inform you
that I’ve come to a decision: I will be living here from now on.”

“Uh… what?”

“I am glad I discovered this place. I have grown sick of my roost. It was not the most
comfortable place to live, nor the most convenient. I have been looking for a new place
to rest my wings, and I believe your dungeon fits the bill.”

“U-Uhhh… this seems really sudden…”

“Can I not stay?”

The dragon girl began to pout.

“I-I mean, isn’t moving supposed to be something you spend more time thinking about?”

“Can I really not stay…?”

Lefi approached me and put on a puppy dog face as she turned her gaze up towards
me. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes.

“F-Fine,” I stuttered.

“Splendid.” Lefi backed off and began to grin the moment she got me to agree. “I am
glad to see that our wills are aligned.” She then started happily nibbling on her
chocolate bar again, as if the whole event had never happened. I knew that she’d
totally just baited me in and played me for a fool, so I ended up twisting my expression
into a bit of a wry smile.

To be honest, allowing her to stay was well worth it. Though she looked like nothing
more than a young girl, she was in fact an apex predator, and not just a local one either.
She was one of this world’s most powerful hunters. Her very presence was enough to
make the dungeon as safe as could be.

Yup. I totally made the most logical decision. I definitely didn’t end up agreeing just
because I thought she was cute. Nope, not at all.
And so, the Supreme Dragon ended up becoming one of my dungeon’s residents.
Specifically, she became a good-for-nothing freeloader.
The first thing I did the next morning was to take a more in-depth look at my
dungeon’s features. As a demon lord, my purpose was to manage the dungeon and
ensure that it was safe from invaders. Despite that, I had refrained from inspecting the
defense mechanisms. I understood that procrastinating wasn’t something I could do
forever, so I made up my mind, got off my ass, and began acting on the responsibility
that I put off for so long.

Unlike Lefi, I wasn’t a freeloader. I had to pull my own weight. Speaking of Lefi, the
Supreme Dragon turned out to be the type of girl that left me wanting to voice a
thousand retorts. She had pestered me for a futon the moment she saw mine and
persistently nagged until I gave in to her demands. Much to my surprise, she fell asleep
the moment she plopped her body onto the soft mattress and had yet to awaken. The
fact that she was still passed out served to evidence that she’d taken one hell of a liking
to her new bed.

My first real act as dungeon master was to increase the amount of area the dungeon
covered. The dungeon’s expansion function required me to denote a specific space, so
I began by selecting the cave right outside my dungeon. A strange energy pulsed
through the cave the moment I hit the confirm button.

“Woah! So that’s what Lefi meant by the dungeon’s magic.”

The cave hadn’t gone through any sort of visual change; it still looked exactly as it had
just a few seconds prior. But the same couldn’t be said for its ambience. All the cool,
relaxing air had suddenly vanished. In its place was a sense of warmth and coziness.
Though the change felt rather drastic, I knew that I wouldn’t have noticed it had I not
been standing in the cave as it happened.

I quickly opened my map and gave it a look. Through it, I confirmed that the cave really
had become a part of the dungeon. The fact that my territory had expanded caused a
shot of excitement to rush through my system. I immediately felt the urge to continue
growing the dungeon by increasing both its size and the number of floors it contained.
But as I was lacking in DP, I found myself unable. As such, I temporarily shelved the
idea and made a mental note to revisit it at a later date.

Speaking of DP, I had gained an incredible amount of it. I ended the night with a value
somewhere under the 500 mark, but I now had over 2000. The source of my income
was obviously none other than the dragon lazing around in the throne room. As she
wasn’t one of my subordinates, the dungeon treated her as an intruder, and therefore,
a source of DP.

At first, I’d thought that her presence would result in a net DP loss. I was worried that
she would continue eating chocolate nonstop and slowly drain me of all my resources,
but I’d failed to consider the amount of DP that she would generate. I now understood
that I benefited greatly from having her around. The effective tenancy agreement we
established was just as sweet for me as it was for her. Keeping her in the dungeon
meant dealing with her and entertaining her, but the sheer amount of DP she
generated was more than enough to convince me to do it all with a smile.

“Anyway, enough thinking. I should probably summon something,” I muttered. To be

honest, I didn’t need to summon anything. The Supreme Dragon’s presence rendered
my dungeon effectively immortal. I was sure that nothing would be able to threaten it
so long as she remained. Still, I felt that, as a dungeon master, I was at least obligated
to summon something. I needed to play around with the system and figure it out, so I
opened up the monster catalogue and scrolled until I found the cheapest thing on the
list. It was sorted by price, so all I needed to do was navigate to the list’s bottom and
give the very last entry a quick tap.

Particles of light suddenly began gathering in front of me as the monster I selected

was given physical form. The light faded just as quickly as it appeared and revealed a
creature with a sort of translucent body. It was tinted blue from head to toe, or so to
speak, as it didn’t actually have either. Its entire body was comprised of a single, round
blob a bit smaller than the average shih tzu or dachshund.

“Wow, you’re much cuter than I thought you’d be.”

I gave the monster, the slime, a bit of a poke. Its stretchy, elastic body shook as I
prodded it before snapping back into position as I retracted my finger. It seemed to
recognize me as its summoner, as it responded to my action by playfully latching onto
my hand. The slime was adorable. It was so cute I couldn’t help but think of it as
something along the lines of a domesticated pet.
“You know what? I’m going to give you a name.” I paused for a moment to think before
continuing. “Alright. You’ll be Shii.”

General Information
Name: Shii
Class: None
Race: Slime
Level: 1
HP: 11/11
MP: 2/2
Strength: 15
Stamina: 37
Agility: 26
Magic: 11
Dexterity: 52
Luck: 110
Skill Points: 0
Skills
Predation I
Regeneration I
Titles
Kin to the Demon Lord

The slime was weak, but I didn’t mind. It was more than cute enough to make up for
its lack of strength. I immediately began thinking about keeping the slime alive, so I
quickly checked the encyclopedia implanted in my brain. In reading the dungeon
monster entry, I realized that my summons didn’t actually need food. They sustained
themselves by consuming the dungeon’s mana. The discovery I made was a highly
convenient one. It not only indicated that Shii was an awesome pet that I literally didn’t
even have to take care of, but also allowed me to understand that I wouldn’t have to
inconvenience myself with preparing meals for all the monsters I summoned
regardless of how many I ended up with.

Hold up, does Shii’s stat page say what I think it does…?

I felt the urge to groan as I realized that Shii’s luck stat was higher than mine.
Wait, wait. Don’t jump to conclusions, Yuki. You might not actually be that unlucky. It
could just be that your luck stat looks really low because of how high all your other stats
are. Yeah, like, Shii could just be super lucky or something. Yeah, that has to be it…
Totally… Yeah…

I attempted to convince myself that there was nothing wrong with my luck stat, but I
failed. I ended up falling to my hands and knees and moaning in despair. The slime
approached me and rubbed itself against my legs. Its movements were slow and
soothing.

“Are you trying to cheer me up?” I asked as I blinked in surprise.

The slime leapt up and down over and over as if to say yes.

Holy crap. Shii’s cute as hell. I swear it’s even more adorable than all the other pets I’ve
ever had combined. Yeah, you know what? Luck doesn’t matter. It ain’t worth shit. I
managed to get myself a pet this god damn cute even without super high luck. Bad luck
doesn’t exist unless you believe in it. Besides, it’s not like bad luck is really that awful a
thing to have either. If you’re normally unlucky, lucky moments will seem all the more
special due to how rare and infrequent they are. Lucky people are clearly less lucky
because they don’t get the same rush from actually striking gold. Yeah, I understand now.
The lucky are unlucky, and the unlucky are lucky. Thanks Shii! I’ve finally awakened to a
universal truth, and it’s all thanks to you!

I rambled on and on in my head and managed to use a sort of questionable, convoluted

sort of logic to assert that there was nothing wrong with me.

Alright, that’s enough messing around with the dungeon for now. Screw work! It’s time
for Shii and I to deepen our friendship!

And so, I spent the rest of the morning playing with Shii—Or at least that was what I
intended. The map shot open in the middle of our play session. An enemy had entered
the dungeon.

A low growl suddenly came from the cave’s entrance, so I quickly spun my head
around to face it.

There, I saw a sort of wolf. It had three demonic looking heads, each decorated with a
bizarre, ferocious face. For a canine, its body was massive. It looked even larger than
the average golden retriever.
General Information
Name: None
Race: Cerberus
Class: None
Level: 32

A wave of nervousness washed over me as I analyzed the enemy, only to realize that I
couldn’t see its stats. Its level was too high. To make matters worse, the cerberus was
the first monster to have ever intruded upon my territory. I didn’t know how strong it
was, nor how I was supposed to deal with it.

Likewise, Shii also seemed kind of scared, but the slime stepped forwards regardless.
Though Shii lacked a head, or any other appendage for that matter, I could still kind of
tell that it was glaring at the dog in an attempt to intimidate it.

Damn. Shii’s got guts. Wait, is it just me, or does this kinda feel like a P*kemon battle?

“Alright Shii, you got this!”

The slime gave its body a bit of a shake. Though I didn’t speak slime, I could tell that it
was trying to say something along the lines of “leave it to me!”

Seeing my pet’s reliable reaction caused me to shake off my nervousness and get a
hold of myself. I realized then and there that my foe was irrelevant. It didn’t matter
how strong my enemies were. Their power levels changed nothing. As a demon lord,
my task was to annihilate any and all invaders, regardless of how weak or strong they
happened to be. And fortunately, I was equipped with all the tools I needed to do
exactly that.

I had never been the type of trainer that bred or EV trained my Pokem*n. Nor had I
ever bothered grinding just because I was worried about an upcoming gym battle. I’d
always just pushed on with nothing but my own strategic mind. And never once had I
failed I saw no reason for my current scenario not to follow the same trend. It was
time for me to begin my tale as that underdog that rose above all that stood in his way.

Come at me dog! I’ll show you the difference between a wild Pok*mon and one under a
real trainer’s control!
“Alright Shii, show ‘em what you got! Let’s start things off with a Quick Attack!”

Naturally, the slime wasn’t able to pull of a real Quick Attack, but it obeyed my orders
and attempted to tackle its foe nonetheless. Unlike a real Po*emon, the cerberus didn’t
just sit around and wait for its turn. It instead swatted my slime away as if it were
nothing but a mere nuisance. A single wave of its front paw was all it took to send Shii
flying into the side of the cave. The slime lost its form as it came in contact with the
rocky surface, splattering its insides all over the wall.

“The hell do you think you’re doing to my pet, you fucking mangy mutt!?”

Thinking back, I should’ve known that there was no way Shii could have possibly
beaten the cerberus. Slimes were literally the weakest monsters the dungeon could
summon. There was simply no way for one to beat something that was not only
innately more powerful than it, but also a good 30 levels higher. Though it was in part
due to my own stupidity, I ended up getting angry at the wolf-like monster regardless.
I immediately ran up to it in a fit of rage and shoved the sole of my right foot into its
torso. The attack I launched was poorly formed; it was a typical yakuza-style front
kick.

The three headed dog didn’t even so much as try to dodge the attack. It simply stood
there and tanked it—only to burst into a thousand different lumps of flesh.

“Uh… what…?”

All that was left of the “dog” was an indistinguishable piece of meat. Its entire upper
body was missing. My surroundings had been dyed a deep shape of crimson and
decorated with all sorts of guts and entrails. And of course, the exact same could be
said for my body. I was covered from head to toe in red. I was so confused by the
outcome that I stopped what I was doing and just stared.

The heck? Was that it? Seriously?

After a brief pause, I directed my gaze back towards the “dog.” There was no doubt
that it was dead. It wasn’t moving any more. In fact, it wasn’t even twitching.

Unlike when I encountered Lefi, my newly improved senses hadn’t screamed at me

this time. My body hadn’t warned me about any sort of impending doom. That said, I’d
still assumed that the Cerberus was stronger than me. It was a whole 31 levels higher,
so there was reason for me to believe that its stats would totally trump my own.
But clearly, I was wrong.

Hmm… Did it maybe not react to my kick because it just couldn’t keep up with how
quickly I was moving? And does this mean that my stats are actually pretty high? Wait,
I just beat up a pretty high level monster. I should probably double check my status card
to see if anything’s changed.

General Information
Name: Yuki
Race: Archdemon
Class: Demon Lord
Level: 12
HP: 2320/2320
MP: 6900/6900
Strength: 672
Stamina: 701
Agility: 574
Magic: 915
Dexterity: 1273
Luck: 70
Skill points: 17
Unique skills
Magic Eye
Translation
Skills
Item Box
Analyze I
Martial Arts I
Titles
Demon Lord from Another World
DP: 2250

Defeating the cerberus had earned me a good chunk of experience. My level had
increased by eleven, and most of my stats had gone up a good bit. The only one that
had remained static was luck, but I didn’t care. I was already over it.

I mean, again, I still don’t really have anything to compare myself to, but I guess my stats
are actually pretty decent.

Though I discovered that I wasn’t actually as weak as initially anticipated, I wasn’t

about to let myself get cocky. I knew that there were all sorts of abnormally strong
freaks out there. Hell, I lived with one. Naturally, there weren’t Lefi-tier creatures just
lying around all over the place, but I was still going to play it safe. I didn’t want to end
up like the video game villains that shouted “impossible” upon losing to the
protagonists because they assumed that their high stats would allow them to triumph.
Nor did I want to end up like the foolish demon that had challenged Lefi, only to lose
his pride and life in one fell swoop. No way in hell was I about to let myself be stupid
enough to wastefully discard my second life.

Wait! Why am I sitting around thinking about random bullshit!? This isn’t the time for
that!

“Shii, you okay!?”

I closed my status window in a hurry and ran up to the slime-stained wall. Fortunately,
the cerberus’ attack hadn’t been enough to drain all of Shii’s health. The slime was still
alive. In fact, it had already started regenerating.

“Whew…” I heaved a sigh of relief. “Sorry, I pushed you way too hard. I should’ve known
that the cerberus would be too much for you to handle.”

The slime responded to my words by giving itself a shake. It was almost as if it was
saying “Don’t worry, I’m okay.”

Almost.

Again, I didn’t speak slime, so I couldn’t actually tell.

Alright, from now on, I’m going to need to remember that Shii’s a pet. Pets and P*kemon
are different. Pets aren’t meant for battles. They’re just there for you to cuddle and love.
Ugh… this is all my fault.

I frowned as I realized that I had to be more rational. I’d lost control not once, but
twice. A fatal mistake. I’d end up having the rug pulled out from under my feet if I
didn’t learn to keep my cool.

Maybe I should make “stay cool” my motto or something.

I nodded and acknowledged the idea as I plopped myself down beside Shii. Only after
the slime finished regenerating did I finally return to the throne room.
“Hmmm…” I propped my face up with one of the arms I had resting on my knees as I
frowned. I was seated upon the throne, which I’d slowly become accustomed to.

“What is the matter?” Lefi asked. “You appear awfully focused for a man staring off into
the void.”

The dragon girl stopped poking Shii to give me a dubious stare. She’d been
complimenting the slime just a minute prior; she mentioned that she found it
surprisingly adorable. Despite living for over a thousand years, today was the first
she’d ever interacted with a slime.

“It’s nothing spe—Wait, did you just say the void?”

Can she not see the menu?

“Indeed. It appears as if you are flying off into the distance in a manner akin to that of
a fool. The only conclusion I can possibly draw is that you are gazing upon your status,
as I do recall you mentioning that you had the analyze skill,” said Lefi. She nodded as
she spoke, as if coming to some sort of understanding.

“You make it sound like you have it too.”

“I do. It is quite the convenient skill. Leveling it has allowed me to fully comprehend
everything I had ever needed regardless of the circumstance. I’m sure it would serve
you the same. It is unfortunate that there have only ever been a mere handful of
individuals that have come to understand its value. Very few have ever fully leveled
the skill.”

“Wait, did you not know I was a demon lord until after you entered the dungeon?
Wouldn’t analyze have let you figure that out earlier?”

“You are correct,” said Lefi with a nod. “But that is only because I chose not to activate
the skill. I assumed you to be just another weak and worthless demon that thoughtlessly
invaded my territory. I would have realized that you were more than that when you
offered to strike a deal, but I was unable. My thoughts had all been swept away by the
sweet scent and flavour of the chocolate you presented me. I had not the chance to
give a second thought to your identity.”

“I see.”

“Speaking of chocolate, I would like some.”

“You’re going to get cavities if you eat that much chocolate.”

“What are you saying? I am an ancient dragon. Abnormal status conditions do not
affect me,” said Lefi, as if she were stating the most obvious thing in the world.

Wait, so cavities are treated like status effects?

I opened the catalogue, purchased a bag of sweets, and chucked in Lefi’s general direction.

“Hmmm? What are these?” Lefi raised one of her brows in confusion.

“Cookies.”

“How interesting.” The Supreme Dragon opened the bag and popped one of the sweet
treats into her mouth. “Mmmrrpphh! How delectable!”

That “Mmmrrphh” though.

“Relocating was a splendid choice. The food here is delicious and the bedding is
comfortable. I knew not that living in a human form was this convenient and
comfortable.”

Seeing the childish, happy expression that appeared on Lefi’s face as she munched
through the cookies I presented her caused a wry smile to show on my own.

Whew. I’m glad she likes the cookies. A full bag of cookies is cheaper than a bar of
chocolate and contains a whole bunch more stuff. It’s much more cost efficient.

“So I take it you are contemplating your stats?”

“Yeah. I was just thinking that I kinda want to learn how to use magic. Magic’s my
highest stat, so I’d imagine I’d probably be able to cast stuff if I figured out how.”

One of the biggest factors that contributed to my desire to cast magic was the
gruesome scene that followed the Cerberus’ death. Though my physical stats seemed
somewhat decent, I couldn’t see myself making use of them. I had spent my past life
living in peace; I wasn’t exactly all that keen on blood or gore. More importantly,
though I had somehow managed to defeat the three headed wolf, I highly doubted that
I would continue to succeed. Monsters far more powerful than the Cerberus were
bound to exist, and I highly doubted I would be able to win against them with my
physical prowess alone. Likewise, I was fairly certain I would find myself defeated if I
attempted to engage a member of the races in physical combat—there was no way a
random civilian would find themselves in the midst of a dungeon. The only ones that
would challenge me were experienced warriors with much greater mastery over the
martial arts than I.

I had to get stronger. Some claimed that there was no need for a demon lord, or any
other sort of ruler, to train and become more powerful. They vouched that training
was akin to throwing away one’s pride. But as far as I was concerned, every member
of the aforementioned group was an idiot that had sealed his downfall in stone. And it
was for that reason that I intentionally chose not to rely on the Supreme Dragon. I
understood that growing dependent on her would one day come back to bite me in
the ass.

Given this world’s harsh nature, there was no reason not to grow more powerful. My
magic stat was my highest, and the world I’d been reincarnated in was one filled with
magical energy, so I saw no reason not to learn the art of magecraft.

That was, of course, but one school of thought. It was equally valid for me to focus my
energies on summoning powerful monsters capable of crushing my foes with ease.
But I didn’t. To be honest, there wasn’t any real logic governing my choice. The only
reason I’d chosen magic over the monster-based route was because I wanted to use it.
That was all.

The only problem was that I lacked the technical know-how. I had absolutely no idea
how I was supposed to even begin to cast a spell. I tried firing off a kameham*ha[1] and
even tried to stop time by screaming “the w*rld[2],” but neither approach yielded any
results—not that I was expecting them to. Both attempts had just been for kicks. But
all jokes aside, the kick I performed netted me the martial arts skill, so I figured that
doing something along the lines of casting a spell would net me a skill centered around
magic.

The problem is that I don’t even know what magical energy really is.

At first, I thought that I would be able to just feel the mana inside of me in the same
manner that I’d somehow managed to feel the dungeon’s mana, but I couldn’t quite
get it to work. I tried concentrating and even meditating, but all my attempts had
ended in failure. A part of me suspected that I’d only proven unsuccessful because
Lefi’s joyful, entertained cries had distracted me and prevented me from truly
focusing, but that didn’t quite seem to be it. I believed that it was more likely that I just
didn’t have the right kind of approach.

“That is true. Your magic stat does appear to be above average,” said Lefi. “Oh? Your
level increased? I assume you defeated a monster or two while I was asleep?”

“Yeah. Oh right, that reminds me. I’ve been meaning to ask you for future reference,
but how are my stats?”

“Of course, monsters have different specializations, so it is difficult to provide you a

meaningful comparison. I can, however, affirm that all of your individual stats are at
least average when compared to the monsters that have made the surrounding area
into their territory. Naturally, there are still many far more powerful than you. For
example, your stats fail to reach even a single percent of my own.”

Less than 1%!? Holy shit, dude, that’s insane!

Lefi tossed the last cookie into her mouth as I contemplated the sheer extent of her
strength. Her expression made it clear that her thoughts failed to align with my own.
All she cared about was that there were no longer any cookies for her to snack on; she
was wearing a clear expression of disappointment.

“Of course, I mind not teaching you the magical arts.” She shot a few glances at me as
her face lit up with expectation. “But only if you are willing to pay the pri—”

I cut her off by chucking a second bag of cookies straight at her. I didn’t bother saying
a word. I could tell from the look in her eyes alone that the bag of sweets I offered her
was more than enough to cover my tuition.

“I see that you understand my terms. Very well, I shall make you this century’s most
powerful mage!”
Times like this, I really have to appreciate just how easily she’s swayed by her stomach.

[1]The Kamehameha from Dragon Ball. If you don’t know this, I would be surprised.
(Joker)

[2] The World Stand from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Might not know this one. Very weird

anime. (Joker)

[2.5] How can you not know Jojo!? (ST)

“If you wish to cast magic, then you must first learn to feel the flow of mana,” said Lefi.
She swept the cookie crumbs off her dress and disposed of the plastic bag by handing
to Shii, who happily consumed it without any complaint. The encyclopedia in my head
claimed that the dungeon’s monsters didn’t actually need sustenance, but that didn’t
mean they couldn’t eat. Clearly, the slime thought of the plastic bag as a sort of
delicious treat. I had been worried about the effect of modern trash on the local
ecosystem, but Shii’s willingness to consume it put an immediate end to my concerns.

“Hold out both your hands.” Lefi stuck out her hands while instructing me to do the same.

“Uhh… alright.” I didn’t really know what she was trying to do, but I shrugged off my
doubts and did as she said.

“Woaaaah! The hell’s going on!?”

A sort of powerful energy began flowing through me the moment she grasped my
hands. It continued to flow from her right hand and through my body before cycling
back into her through her left.

Its identity was evident.

The strange power I felt coursing through my veins was magical energy, mana.

The intense stream of power flowing through our bodies was clearly of a different
nature than the mana that filled the dungeon. It felt like it was raging about within me,
like it would crush me if I let my guard down, even for just a moment.

Lefi kept the magical torrent at full blast for a few minutes, then slowly began reducing
the amount she cycled through me bit by bit before finally cutting it off altogether. I
collapsed the moment she did. My breath was ragged and my heart totally out of
control. Barely any time had passed, but I felt as exhausted as I would had I run a
marathon at full sprint.

“It appears that you are fortunate. The process went well.” Lefi flashed me an amused
smile as she spoke.

“For… tun… ate…?” I was so out of breath that it took me three breaths to speak a single
word.

“The process I just completed was to forcibly incite your magical energy to action by
invigorating it with my own.” She shrugged as she spoke in an indifferent tone. “The
process would have failed had you been unable to endure my essence, and your head
would have burst in a violent explosion of blood and gore.”

“T-The heck did you just do to me!? That’s hella terrifying!”

Lefi responded to my outburst with yet another nonchalant shrug. “Fret not. I only
chose to conduct the act because I had judged that you were powerful enough a demon
to endure my essence, and I was proven correct.”

“But—”

“That is enough. Save your complaints. Begin to cycle your magical energies throughout
your body before you forget the sensation. I would wager that it has become a rather
simple task.”
I wasn’t exactly satisfied with the reason she’d put my life at risk without so much as
even telling me, but I shelved the thought for the time being and did as she said. That
is, I stood up, closed my eyes, and began to focus.

Lefi was right. I could feel it. I could feel my mana. Most of it was centered in the area
around my solar plexus. Though I hadn’t been able to feel even the slightest bit before
Lefi had acted, I was now able to actively pick up on it.

I began to move it around by emulating what Lefi had used hers to do just a few moments
earlier.

I had a bit of difficulty getting my mana to start moving. It was kind of like stirring a
viscous liquid with a spoon. It resisted quite heavily at first, but it started smoothing
out and speeding up as I continued to push on it. The glob of magical energy soon
began to spread and circulate throughout my body. It didn’t take too long for it to feel
as if it reached every single last capillary. And since I wasn’t dealing with any sort of
external energy this time around, moving my mana didn’t disorient me or make me
feel sick. It was kind of like how some people had the tendency to get carsick if they
weren’t at the wheel. Everything felt fine since I was the one in control. I hadn’t ever
driven a car myself so I couldn’t confirm that this and that were exactly the same, but
it was at least something along that vein.

“Splendid. You have succeeded in bringing your mana to an active state. It is precisely
that state that serves as the basis of all magic.” I could hear Lefi. I knew that she was
talking to me, and I understood what she was saying, but I couldn’t respond. I was too
focused on moving my magical energy through my body to actually squeeze out any
sort of reply. “It has come time for us to move on to the next step. First, you must
envision what I describe to you, and then you must recite the chant I speak.”

Lefi paused to wait for me to reply, so I squeezed out a bit of a nod.

“Imagine a wide open field, a grassy plain.” Her words caused the area surrounding
the dungeon to appear in my head. “Focus on but a single one of the flowers therein.
Pick it, stem and all, and place it within your palm.”

The scale of the image in my mind suddenly shrank; I imagined myself plucking one
of the flowers right by my feet.

“Are you done?” She awaited another nod before continuing. “Good. Hold out your
hand and repeat after me: ‘Create Bloom.'”

“Create Bloom.”

A portion of the magical energy circulating throughout my body suddenly focused

itself in my left hand as I repeated Lefi’s words. I waited for the outwards flow of mana
to stop before finally opening my eyes.

“Woah, that’s a pretty flowe—wait, what the hell!?” I tossed the flower aside as I
complained. Though I’d chucked it without a care, it ended up gently making its way
to the ground.

“What?” Lefi cocked her head. “Are you dissatisfied?”

“Yes and no. Using magic for the first time was pretty awesome and all that, but like…
why a flower? Couldn’t we have done something, you know, a little more impressive?”
I couldn’t help but point out the fact that creating flowers wasn’t exactly what I had in
mind when I thought of magic.

“That is merely because the spell was only meant to serve as your introduction to
magic. We shall immediately move on to grander things. I would like you to cast
another spell, and this time, envision a flame. You need not chant. All you need is to
imagine yourself forming a flame with your mana. The clearer the image, the better.”

“Alright…” I directed my mind back towards my magical energies and urged them to
move. As it was my second time, my mana felt less weighty and more susceptible to
manipulation.

Honing myself in on the concept of fire, I envisioned a lighter, specifically one of the
Z*ppo types I had back home. The image came to me with surprising ease. Both the
metallic object and the flickering, bright flame it produced were crystal clear.

The flint within the lighter could create a spark, which in turn would ignite the oil it
released to create a steady flame.

“Rgghhh…”

A small groan escaped my lips as I focused my mana and guided it through my arm.
The slightest bit of my magical energy drained from the tip of my index finger and
blossomed into a flame.
“Woah…” I couldn’t help but gasp in wonder. Holy shit. That’s fuckin’ awesome.

My skills were the very definition of shabby, but, I paid it no mind. I was too
preoccupied by the fact that my finger was emitting fire to care. Casting one’s first
spell was an epic act that would drive any man to a state of excitement. And though
they might have seemed it, my actions were not even the slightest bit childish. Creating
a flame at one’s fingertip was too great a fascination to be bound by the concepts of
age and maturity.

“Very good. I see that there is reason they say demons make for splendid mages after
all.”

“Oh, that’s a thing?” I gave Lefi an idle reply as I turned the flame on and off over and over.

A couple sparks would fly through the air every single time the flame ignited, likely
because the image I had in mind was that of a Zipp* lighter. I wasn’t all that
enthusiastic about the excessive realism, but I didn’t mind it too much because the
sparks were aesthetically appealing in their own right.

“Indeed. Most would be unable to manipulate their mana to such an extent the moment
after their magical circuits are forcibly wrenched open. That is a trait that you can
thank your race for.”

Huh. Neat. I picked up magecraft much more easily than I really had the right to. Even
I was expecting it to take a lot more effort and time.

“It is because demons are creatures originally born of magical particles,” explained
Lefi. “It only makes sense for your body to have been constructed such that you have
a strong affinity for the manipulation of mana.”

Her explanation made total sense. There couldn’t have been any other reason for
someone like me to be able to pick up on magic so easily given that my old world had
been completely devoid of it.

Though I was interested in Lefi’s justifications, my attention was still too heavily
focused on the flame floating right above my fingertip for me to provide much of a
response.

I wonder if I can adjust its strength…

According to the dragon girl, the most important thing was the image I had in my mind,
so I promptly began imagining a flamethrower. I played a lot of FPS games prior to
reincarnating and most of them had flamethrowers. They tended to be rather finicky
and only really worked under certain scenarios, but I liked and used them quite often
nonetheless. I wanted to make my fire magic work in much the same way, so I closed
my eyes and carved out a mental image of the heat-based weapon.

“W-Woah! The heck!?” Violent roaring flames began spouting from the tip of my finger
the moment I pictured them in my head. I immediately reacted and pulled my finger
away from my face, but I wasn’t quick enough to stop myself from getting blasted by a
sudden heat wave. The flames flew so close to my face that I was sure they singed my
bangs.

Shii, who’d been idling around nearby, began bouncing around in panic. Its body
language was clearly saying “What the heck!?”

“W-What are you doing!? Stop pouring magical energy into the flame immediately!”
Even Lefi was startled.

“H-How the hell am I supposed to do that!?”

“Cut off the flow of your mana! Do not allow it to cycle any further!”

The dragon breath began dying down as I suddenly began cycling my magical energy
in the opposite direction to force it to a stop. It sputtered a few times like an engine
that’d run out of gas, before finally coming to a stop a second or two after my mana
finally stagnated.

Lefi, who’d backed off upon seeing the flame, heaved a sigh of relief as she returned to
my side.

“That… was quite the shocking experience,” she remarked.

“I-I know, right? Holy shit, my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to burst
out my chest.”

“You must remember to take care in adjusting the output of your magical creations. As
one that is naturally gifted with the magical arts, you will find that it is easy for you to
accidentally produce an effect much grander than what you anticipated. You will only
bring harm to yourself if you carelessly infuse your spells with as much magical energy
as you can muster.”

“Y-Yeah, my bad.” I took her lesson to heart; I’d only just almost charred my own face
black, after all.

Yeah uh… I think I’mma hold back on casting any more fire magic for now. I probably
shouldn’t play around with it until I at least kinda know my shit.

“I digress, as I believe I have taught you all you need to know for the time being. To
reiterate, magic is, in essence, the power of your imagination. It is none other than
your very own imagination that serves as the basis for casting spells, and thus, it is
also your imagination that allows you to create your very own magical techniques.
Many humans and demons misunderstand the nature of magic. They believe it to be
centered around the aria, the chant. And they are incorrect.” Lefi paused for a moment
to take a breath. “Both a spell’s chant and name exist only to reinforce one’s image of
it. They are but auxiliaries, unnecessary extras. You are a demon, a creature with the
innate talent for magic. You need not ever chant lest you plan to cast a powerful spell
that requires an absurd quantity of mana to activate. And even then, it may prove
unnecessary. Never forget, the secret to magic is to have a vivid imagination. And that
is all.”

“A vivid imagination…? Alright, got it. My imagination’s the whole reason I almost
burned my face off, so I’ll make sure I’m careful.”

“That would be for the best.” It seemed that Lefi was pretty much done with her
lecture, so I asked her one of the questions that’d been on my mind throughout.

“So uh… do you think I can do anything other than just making flowers and lighting fires?”

“Though I now understand that you have an affinity for both earth magic and fire
magic, I cannot say as to whether or not you will be able to use any of the other
elements. You’ve little choice but to test them out for yourself.”

“What other elements are there?”

“The four basic elements are earth, fire, water, and wind. These four classifications are,
unfortunately, incomplete. They do not encompass all that there is to magic, and they
are only described in the manner they are such that they are easy to comprehend.
There are, of course, other elements as well. Some have been known to manipulate
facets such as time, light, and darkness. There are many more out there, and that is
why I cannot provide you a true answer. You must experiment to determine your
capabilities.”

I tried out several other elements under Lefi’s supervision and concluded that I was
proficient in both water and wind. I proved my affinity for the former by creating
water at just the right temperature for a hot bath, and the latter by generating a warm
breeze with just enough power to dry stuff out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any
other elements to work. I assumed that meant I simply didn’t have the affinity for
them, but Lefi told me I was mistaken. It was possible that I had simply yet to awaken
to them.

I wasn’t able to do much with wind magic other than just change up the intensity. I
could function as a pretty decent hair dryer, but that was pretty much it. It was more
like I had an affinity for hair dryer magic than I did true wind magic. Water, on other
hand, proved much more promising.

“Could you perhaps manipulate your spells such that they are less bizarre…?”

“I can’t really help it. This is just how it all ends up coming out. I really can’t imagine
any of this working any other way.”

Trying out a bunch of random stuff allowed me to learn that magic was indeed about
one’s imagination, but you couldn’t just picture anything and have it work. You had to
have a really strong image of what you were trying to do or it would just end up as a
flop.

I found it easiest to actually get stuff to work when I used magic to make things I was
used to and could easily picture. That was why all my spells ended up creating things
I was exposed to in my everyday life.

My imagination was rather lackluster, and my memory apparently wasn’t that great
either, as I couldn’t get my wind magic to do anything gamey. It was a shame, but
neither my wind nor earth magics proved too useful. Fortunately, water was different.
I could actually get it to kind of do what I wanted it to, likely because my affinity with
it was just that much higher. I had a pretty good starting point, so I doubled down on
water magic and began practicing it.

A minor bit of training ended up being enough for me to get good enough at it to create
a dragon made out of water. To be specific, it was a dragon made out of warm cozy
bathwater, but still, it was a dragon nonetheless.

“What are you doing now?” Lefi narrowed her gaze as she watched me grab the
bathing set I just purchased with DP. I filled the wooden bucket with warm water
before moving my fingers up above my head. I cast another spell and turned my finger
into what was effectively a showerhead.

“Nothing special. I just thought it might be nice to wash my hair.” I wet my hair and
began shampooing myself as I replied.

Shii began absorbing the soapy water as I rinsed it off my head. The slime was gulping
it down, bubbles and all, as if it were enjoying a sort of snack. I was glad that my
newfound pet was making everything so convenient for me, but I was starting to
worry for its health. Though I knew very little about slime biology, I somehow doubted
that downing shampoo would be good for the tiny blue critter.

I mean, Shii looked pretty happy eating garbage and whatnot, so I guess it’ll probably
be fine… Probably.

I wasn’t too sure everything would go well, but I decided to use magic to blowdry my
hair after finishing a first pass with a towel.

Awwww yeeeah. That feels hella good. The fact that I didn’t actually get to bathe yesterday
was bothering me, so this is great.

“…”

“What?”

“I would like for you to do that to my hair as well. Would you mind?”

“Well, I guess I might as well. You teaching me magic is pretty much the only reason I can
pull this off, after all.”

“My intention was not for you to learn magic so that you would be able to bathe
yourself…”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Enough sass. Get your head over here.”

Lefi was clearly exasperated, but she complied, so I ending giving her hair a thorough
wash.
“So? What do you have to say for yourself?”

I sat on the throne with one of my arms propped against the side of my face. The tall
armrests made the position feel natural so long as I leant forward. Perched atop my
lap was a relaxed looking Shii. The translucent blue creature wasn’t doing anything in
particular. It was just sitting around and enjoying my company.

“I-I am innocent, I swear I had no other choice! M-My circumstances were dire, and I
did only what was absolutely necessary!”

The Supreme Dragon, Leficios, was positioned before me as would a pleading subject.
She was sitting on her ankles and knees with her back straight as a rod. The air was
tense, the mood reflected in the dragon’s indignant, panic-stained voice—one that
could only ever be exhibited in a party attempting to deny their guilt.

“And what, exactly, are these dire circumstances of which you speak?” I felt the urge to
roll my eyes, but I played along and encouraged the dragon to defend herself.

Unsurprisingly, my query was only met with silence. Lefi didn’t even breathe, let alone
speak to justify herself. The only action she took was to stubbornly refuse to meet my
gaze.

“I swear…”

The dragon girl twitched as I breathed a heavy sigh, much in the same manner as
would a child anticipating punishment. All semblance of the dignity that she’d borne
when I’d first laid eyes on her had vanished. It was gone with the wind, nowhere to be
seen.

“Say something already goddammit.” Again, I sighed. “Look, I’ll be fair. I’ll let you off if
there really were extenuating circumstances.” Not that I believed her, of course, but I
didn’t tell her that. I wanted to encourage her to speak, and informing her of my
suspicions clearly wasn’t going to help.
“Well…” Lefi began to speak, only to once again shut her mouth and avert her gaze.

“Go on.”

“I-I was unable to stop myself! It was all far too delectable!” What came out after a
moment of silence could only be described as an indignant scream.

Yeah, I figured that was probably what happened.

“Look…” I heaved yet another sigh. “You really need to learn to be a bit more patient.
And I really shouldn’t be lecturing you about this. Haven’t you already lived over a
thousand years? What’s waiting just one day compared to all that?”

“I really could not help myself!”

“Couldn’t help myself, my ass! God damn, good for nothing, spoilt excuse of a dragon!”

“What!? How dare you! I will have you know that I am not ‘good for nothing’ by any
means!”

“Bulllllshit! You don’t even have the slightest shred of patience! How the hell can you
not!? Look at how old you are god dammit! Actually, you know what, you’re right!
You’re not a good for nothing, you’re even worse than a good for nothing! Supreme
Dragon? Ha! More like Supreme Sponger!”

“Now you are just saying whatever comes to mind!” Again, Lefi shouted in indignance.
“And you have only justified my Supreme Dragon title even further! It is none other
than I that stands at the apex of predation! It is therefore only natural that I live
however I please!”

Oh great, now she’s gotten all defiant on me.

“Give it up. There is no changing my nature, for I am the Supreme Dragon, a living
calamity of which legends are sung! Engrave it into your heart, for this is the natural
order of the world, the way it was all meant to be!”

“Keep that up, and I’ll never feed you ever again.”

“I apologize for my misdemeanors. Please forgive me.”

The dragon paled. Her attitude took a second 180 degree shift as she bowed as deeply
as she could while apologizing as profusely as she could.

So how, exactly, did we arrive at such a situation? Long story short, it all started the
morning of the day the incident took place.

“Alrighty. I’m going to be heading out for a bit, so take care of the dungeon for me while
I’m out, ‘kay?” I spoke to both Lefi and Shii as I got ready to leave.

“Fine…”

“I’ve left a bunch of food sitting around. You can have some if you get hungry, but try
not to eat too much.”

“Very well…”

Shii leapt up and down a few times, as if to acknowledge and accept the request. Lefi,
however, did nothing but voice one disinterested reply after another as she played
with a simple electronic toy. Though I’d gotten it for myself, the Tam*gotchi [1] was a
bit too dated for my tastes. I was too spoiled by modern video games to truly enjoy it.
Unlike me, Lefi had gotten totally hooked, in part because she’d never seen anything
like it in all her years.

The T*magotchi was the cheapest gaming device in the dungeon’s catalogue. Its price
point was in fact the only reason I’d purchased it, as I really wasn’t all that interested
in it. I didn’t actually understand why it was so much cheaper than basically every
other electronic, but if I had to guess, I would say it was likely because it was of a
smaller size. Unfortunately, the catalogue wasn’t exactly consistent. Its prices were all
over the place. And although I’d called it cheap, the Tamag*tchi was still a full order of
magnitude more expensive than almost every other non-electronic.

According to Lefi, the world I now lived in wasn’t nearly as technologically advanced
as the one I’d come from, hence why she found the digital device so novel and
charming. Honestly, I was relieved to hear that technology had yet to develop as far as
it had in my old world. If anything, I would’ve been seriously disappointed if it was.

Lefi had been hella surprised when I first showed her the Tamagotch*. She was so
shocked that her eyes ended up almost bulging out of their sockets as she questioned
the extent of a demon lord’s abilities. Thinking back, I probably should’ve told her that
I was likely the only demon lord capable of such a feat.

Speaking of Lefi, she’d totally made friends with Shii. They got along really well even
though the two were different species and on complete opposite ends of the power
scale. Thinking about it, it did make sense. Though not a human, Lefi was a girl, and
like most other girls, she had the tendency to like cute things. And as Shii was the
cutest pet there was, it only made sense for the dragon to find herself enamoured by
the slime and its adorable antics. She liked it so much, in fact, that I’d even caught her
telling it that she would make it the most powerful member of its species that ever
existed.

Shii, on the other hand, had actually started off scared of Lefi. The poor slime had
began cowering and shivering in fear the moment it first laid eyes, for lack of a better
term, on the dragon. Only after seeing me interact with her did Shii realize that Lefi
wasn’t a threat, and so, it soon began playing with her and snuggling up to her.

Like Shii, I also more or less thought of Lefi as non-threatening. It was no longer
possible for me to see the fourteen-odd year old girl lying around in the hallway as a
thousand year old dragon, and her obsession with the Tam*gotchi really wasn’t
helping. As far as my impressions were concerned, Lefi was as young as she looked.
And that was all there was to it.

I shrugged and forced a bit of a smile as I turned around and headed out the throne
room.

So why, you ask, would I bother heading outside? The answer to that question was
surprisingly simple. It was because I needed to secure additional funding. Or rather,
additional DP. Most demon lords got all their DP from intruders. They would slay the
intruders that entered their dungeon and recycle their corpses for points.

I, however, basically never got any. The only intruder I’d ever had was the one stupid
three headed dog that’d attacked not too long after I first summoned Shii. Of course,
the lack of invaders wasn’t without reason. My dungeon lay in Lefi’s, the Supreme
Dragon’s, territory. None of the local wildlife dared approach it, let alone intrude. That
exact piece of logic applied even more strongly to monsters than it did to regular
creatures, as monsters were highly sensitive to creatures that were far stronger than
them. They knew that Lefi was here, so they stayed the hell away from the area.
Likewise, the races also refused to come anywhere near. Lefi’s territory was
considered a dangerous, uncharted region that none dared to invade.

I was pretty bothered. How was I supposed to accrue DP if nothing would even so
much as come near the dungeon? That was when it hit me. I realized that I didn’t have
to wait for intruders to come to me if I, or more specifically the dungeon, went to them.
In other words, all I had to do was make the dungeon large enough to encompass them.
Fortunately, looking around was enough to fill up the dungeon’s map, and the Supreme
Dragon’s presence had generated plenty of DP, so I had everything I needed to put the
plan into action.

Normally, DP was used to strengthen the dungeon. Demon lords would invest heavily
in adding floors, arming traps, and bolstering their forces. I, however, had the ultimate
guardian keeping my dungeon core safe. The sorry excuse for a dragon rolling around
atop the carpet was more efficient and effective than S*COM [2] could ever be. Hiring
additional guards was honestly just a waste of DP, seeing as how I already more or less
felt sorry for any potential intruders.

That said, I wasn’t planning on totally neglecting the dungeon. I wasn’t comfortable
with the fact that the throne room was connected straight to the exterior. I wanted to
add a floor or two somewhere in the middle. That said, I wasn’t going to do it
immediately. I was planning on focusing on my economy first and foremost.

One of the dungeon’s most interesting aspects was that its floors were highly
customizable. I could tweak as many settings as I wanted. I could make floors as small
or large as I wanted and I could even make the night sky show up in the day and vice
versa. [3]

The moment I realized its potential was the moment I decided that I was going to make
a floor with a huge ass castle in it once I saved up enough DP. Specifically, I wanted to
craft the type of overbearing, ominous castle typical of the final boss of a JRPG.

The first thing that came to mind was a certain castle straight out of a certain
obscenely difficult game by the name of Dark Whatchamacallit: An*r Londo. [4] I didn’t
actually need a castle that ridiculously massive, but I still kind of wanted one
nonetheless.

Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine. The first thing any potential invader
would see after braving the cave would be a massive, looming black structure standing
in the middle of a land shrouded in eternal nightfall.

The moon, which should’ve been hidden from view given the indoor nature of the
environment, would illuminate the centerpiece and provide it a dark, dreadful
shadow.

The scene I pictured was eerie, but also solemn and majestic.

It was perfect.

Even just imagining it lit my soul aflame with passion. I just had to have it. As a true
man amongst men, I couldn’t resist the castle’s fantastical allure.

Er, right. I should probably get back to work.

I shrugged off my delusions and refocused on the task at hand. I’d planned to spend
the day just observing things, so I activated my Stealth and Detect Enemy skills while
also popping open the map as I started sneaking around.

Speaking of skills, there were two ways to obtain them. The first was to perform an
action that aligned with the skill. For example, punching and kicking would provide
the martial arts skill. Although effective, the first method was rather tedious and
limited to only that of which one was already, to a certain extent, capable of. The
second way, using a skill scroll, was much more convenient. It was possible to obtain
a skill by mentally duplicating the glyphs carved inside of a skill scroll while also
channeling one’s magic through it. It was a super user friendly tool that basically
anyone could use. The only downside was that you couldn’t ever use the same skill
scroll twice, but that didn’t really take away from its utility. It was still an easy way for
one to learn a new skill.

I’d only learned about skill scrolls because I happened to see them while browsing the
dungeon’s catalogue. Needless to say, I instantly bought the ones I felt would be most
useful right away. While it might’ve been possible for me to learn Stealth on my own,
I highly doubted that I would be able to do so efficiently and effectively, hence the
purchase. Detect Enemy, on the other hand, was something I highly doubted I would
ever be able to pick up on by myself.

My stat page had changed. It now looked as follows.

General Information
Name: Yuki
Species: Archdemon
Class: Demon Lord
Level: 16
HP: 2350/2350
MP: 6960/6960
Strength: 681
Stamina: 710
Agility: 586
Magic: 960
Dexterity: 1290
Luck: 70
Skill Points: 0
Unique Skills
Magic Eye
Translation
Skills
Item Box
Analyze VI
Martial Arts III
Primordial Magic II
Stealth III
Detect Enemy III
Titles
Demon Lord from Another World
DP: 10220

My level had risen, but not because I’d slain another monster. All the experience I’d
accrued had come from working out. Getting lots of exercise was also why my martial
arts skill had leveled up. The analyze skill, on the other hand, had only leveled because
I’d pumped all my skill points in it. It was an extremely useful skill, after all.

Though I’d just gotten them recently, neither Stealth nor Detect Enemy were at level
one. I’d used them whenever I had spare time, so they’d progressed quite a fair bit.

Stealth had absolutely no effect on Lefi. She could still see me regardless of how hard
I tried to hide. The same, however, couldn’t be said for our little slime friend. Shii
would occasionally lose track of me when I popped the skill. It would promptly start
looking around and trying to find me, only to start happily bouncing around once it
finally did. The way it reacted to our impromptu games of hide and seek was super
cute.

Both skills ate away at my mana while they were active. I couldn’t keep them running
forever, but I could at least maintain them for a few hours back to back. According to
Lefi, that, in and of itself, was totally absurd. There was simply no way any normal
demon could do the same, meaning that my ridiculous mana pool instead stemmed
from the fact that I was a demon lord.

“Uh… Okay, I should probably not go over there.”

I broke out of my thoughts and stopped moving as I caught a glimpse of a monster that
looked kind of like a mix between a tiger and a rhino. As it was in the midst of
consuming freshly killed prey, the creature was distracted, but it was sure to attack
me if I got any closer. It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle the creature, but rather, that I
found it too bothersome, so I decided to back off and choose another route.

As evidenced by the fact that there was a monster, I’d strayed quite far from the dungeon.
I’d gone so far, in fact, that there were actually both animals and monsters wandering
about.

I was finally outside Lefi’s domain.

This looks like a pretty good spot. Alright, let’s add it to the dungeon!

I manipulated the menu and tapped the map a few times before I finally felt the
dungeon’s magic flood my surroundings.

“Okay, that’s that.” I nodded, satisfied. The expansion had eaten away all my DP, but it
was well worth it given that it was sure to bolster my daily income.

Well, I’m already here, so I guess I might as well explore a bit more and flesh out the map
so I don’t need to venture as far next time.
I returned home quite a while after the sun had set. My stomach was completely
empty, so I entered the kitchen, which I’d just bought for a flat 2000 DP just the
previous day, and opened the fridge—only to find that it was empty. It was completely
devoid of all semblance of sustenance even though I’d just stocked it with a whole
week’s worth of food last night.

It was cheaper to buy an assorted platter of meat than it was to purchase a specific
cut, so I’d gone ahead and done that because there weren’t supposed to be any
disadvantages.

Turned out, I was wrong.

The food couldn’t have just disappeared on its own, so I immediately raised my voice
and shouted to get the attention of the only possible culprit.

“LEFIIIIIIIII!!”

And that was how it had all begun.

God damn glutton. I silently complained as I stared at the now prostrated dragon girl.

There had been far more food in the fridge than it should’ve been possible for her to
eat. Or at least that would’ve been the case had she not been a dragon. Her true form
was much larger than her human form, so she likely had the ability to consume many
times her current weight with ease.

Man, I mean, I know she eats a lot, but god damn. I’ve never even tried serving her
anything close to this much before. Wait, does that mean she’s never actually had a
chance to eat her fill? Was she always holding back for my sake? Wait, wait, nonononono.
Get ahold of yourself Yuki, don’t let her fool you. It doesn’t really matter what she
normally does. This whole binge eating incident’s way too out of hand.

I couldn’t exactly let her off for emptying out the entire fridge the very day I’d warned
her about it just because I felt apologetic. It was true that she was the source of all my
DP. Without her, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to supply all that food in the
first place, but that didn’t mean she was entitled to it. The deal was that she would be
allowed to stay in exchange for a bed and three daily meals. It was a fair trade, even if
she didn’t get to eat ‘till she was stuffed.

“Well…” I grumbled. “I guess I just won’t have dinner tonight then.”

There wasn’t really any other choice. It was too late for me to go foraging, I was flat
broke because I’d just spent all my DP on expanding the dungeon. Man, I really
should’ve stored a bit of food in my item box. Leaving it all in the fridge was a terrible
idea. Never would’ve done it if I knew this was going to happen. On the bright side, I
should have enough DP to eat once I wake up.

“W-Wait, I understand, so you need not react with such despondence.” Lefi stuttered
as she responded to my idle remark. Her voice was filled with guilt. “You require the
bizarre currency that you call ‘poynts,’ correct?” [5]

“Pretty much.”

“W-Worry not, I shall return in a mere thirty minutes!”

“…Wait, what?”

My response fell on deaf ears; Lefi had already charged out of the throne room before
I’d raised my voice.

As promised, Lefi returned after exactly thirty minutes. Next to her was a ridiculously
tall pile of corpses belonging to monsters and animals alike.

“This is way too god damn many, you idiot!”

“Whargh!?” The dragon girl made a weird sound as I smacked her upside the head.
“Nrgh… That is the first time that anyone has done that to me in the span of the past
several hundred years.”

She flashed me a reproachful glare.

“Colour me honoured then, I guess.” I shrugged.

“I care not about your honour. Answer me this, why did you hit me? Is it not better for
you to have more ‘poynts’? I made sure to herd the creatures to the dungeon before
butchering them to maximize your gain!”

Did she just say herd? I’m pretty sure you don’t just treat monsters like you do cattle or
sheep.

“Well, yeah, but there’s a limit to everything, and you just broke the hell out of it. Look,
you stupid dragon, look at all that blood! There’s literally a fucking pool of it, I could
go swimming in that! I’m pretty sure that’s going to leave a huge, permanent, red stain.
Plus, I don’t even know what to do with all these god damn corpses!” And then it hit
me. “Oh, wait, actually, I do. I can just convert them all to DP.”

That’s exactly what I did to that one stupid dog, after all.

“Does that not mean that I did nothing wrong!?” shouted the dragon, indignantly.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Then why did you hit me!?”

“Well, to be honest, because I was kinda going with the flow. I kinda had this whole
angry boss vibe going, y’see.”

“What kind of ridiculous excuse is that!? Were you not just criticizing my lack of
responsibility? The claim holds little weight if you do not hold yourself to it!”

Lefi glared at me in a mix of anger and shock.

“Yeah, yeah, my bad. Here, I’ll give your head a pat to make it all better.” I started stroking
her hair as I recited a common phrase from my childhood. “Pain, pain, go away.”

“Yay! I’m so… Unhappy.” Lefi rolled her eyes as she smacked my hand away. “I refuse
to play along with your idiocy.”

Yeah, I figured.

With all that said and done, I manipulated the dungeon’s menu and turned the stack
of corpses into a stack of DP. The whole artificially constructed mountain began to sink
into the floor as it slowly melted away. Even the bloodstains disappeared, leaving
naught but the bare rock and dirt.

“What a peculiar sight that was.”

“I know, right?’ I raised a hand to my chin. “Anyway, that’s more than enough for dinner,
so I guess we can call it even. But, look. I know that your real body is kinda big, and
that you might not really be able to eat ‘til you’re satisfied, but could you please like,
you know, try your best to hold back a bit? There’s a limit to how much food I can
make, and I can tell you right now that it’s not going to be enough for me to fully satisfy
you.”

“Grrrh.” Lefi groaned. “Fine. But if I do desire food, then I merely need to supply you with
‘poynts,’ correct?”

“Yeah, but uh, let’s be real here. You probably shouldn’t overhunt either.”

Please no eradicating all nearby life. I literally just expanded the dungeon so I could farm
it for DP…

“V-Very well. I will endeavour not to repeat the incident.”

“Please and thanks. Anyway, I’mma go eat. You want some sweets or something while
I’m at it?”

“That I do! I would like a portion of cookies!”

And so, Lefi and I returned to the dungeon, conversing along the way.

Tamagotchi. These are digital pets that, iirc, doubled as pedometers. And I don’t
[1]

mean meters that measure how much of a lolicon you are. We’re talkin’ how much you
walk ‘n shit.

[2]SECOM. This is a Japanese security company that’s grown large enough to start
spilling overseas.

[3]This is one of those obscure references that’s really hard to get unless you’re a
certain type of person, but the MC is basically describing a level editor.
[4] Anor Londo from Dark Souls.

Lefi is saying poynts rather than points because she doesn’t know what they are. In
[5]

Japanese, she was using Hiragana instead of Katakana.

She panted heavily as she desperately pushed herself forward. She was completely out
of breath. Her legs felt as heavy as lead and refused to do as she told them. Pain
assaulted her as the surrounding plants scraped against her skin each time she forced
her way past them.

Still, the sorrow and fear that filled her heart drove her to continue. She was so focused
on escaping that she was able to put everything else behind her.

Her destination was wherever her legs would take her. She had no idea where she was
supposed to go or how she was supposed to get there. All she knew was that she
couldn’t let herself get caught, that she had to flee the encroaching despair at her back.

“Shit!” The rugged-looking man that was chasing her stopped right at the forest’s edge.
He clicked his tongue and swore, but dared not venture inside. “This ain’t good. The
stupid brat’s gone an’ scrambled ‘er ass into the Wicked Forest!”

“The fuck is wrong witchu, man!? Why’d you go and drive ‘er in there!?” An equally
rugged-looking but slightly shorter man, the first’s partner, raised his arms in an
expression of frustration. “Bitch, we gun’ get our asses beat ta high heaven if we let the
goods git away!”

“Bruh, we ain’t recoverin’ dat shit. You think I’mma ‘bout to hit up the Wicked Forest?
Aw hell no. I’mma gun’ get my ass fucked twice as hard if I do. Hell naw bruh, I ain’t
down. I ain’t givin’ that damned ancient dragon anymore booty. Heard that bitch ass
been more active lately for some god forsaken reason. Shit!”

“Tsk.” The shorter man clicked his tongue as he grumbled. “Bitch ass brat, makin’
trouble for us ‘n shit.”

Though the child in question had heard the men, she wasn’t able to make out what
they were saying. All her focus was directed towards her escape.
“Hah! Rarghh! Aaaahhh!”

A series of splatters rang throughout the forest as I tore through a group of monsters.
I shouted each time I swung my blade—a decision I wholeheartedly regretted. The
third and final creature erupted into a fountain of blood as its head was torn from its
body. As it was angled towards me, the geyser covered my face in crimson and filled
my open mouth with a rancid, irony fluid.

“Oh god! Gross! It got in my mouth!”

I spat a few times to get the blood out of my mouth before swinging the blade a few
times to clean off the bits of flesh and gore it was slathered in. Though I’d only
intended to behead it, the thing that sat in front of me was mutilated beyond
recognition. I couldn’t even tell its genus anymore, let alone its species.

Frankly put, my stats were ridiculous. My specs were so disproportionately scaled that
they blew my enemies’ minds. Literally. Though I was using a sword, almost every
monster I hit exploded from the force of my strikes. My attacks crushed my enemies
and transformed them into disfigured corpses.

Ugh… Why the hell does this have to be so gruesome? I can practically feel my sanity stat
take a hit every time I kill something.

My idle complaints were, well, idle complaints. I knew exactly why I wasn’t getting the
clean cuts I so desired. It was a combination of several factors. The first was my skill
with the sword, or rather, my lack thereof. I’d never truly done any swordplay. High
school was the last time I’d touched anything that even remotely resembled a bladed
weapon, as my high school’s gym class featured kendo from time to time. The sword I
was using wasn’t really helping either. I was using one of the cheapest weapons in the
dungeon’s catalogue. Not much could be said for its craftsmanship or efficacy.

Playing around with the weapon had gotten me the Sword Arts skill. I could feel that
it was indeed helping, but that was it. It was still just level one, so its effects were
basically negligible. More importantly, I was a total amateur. I had no idea what I was
doing. My ability to use a sword was so pathetic that not even the skill’s meager
padding did much for me at all. In fact, Lefi had called me out and asked me if I was
playing some sort of game when I tried swinging it around for practice’s sake. Worst
of all, her comment wasn’t one made out of malicious intent. She was genuinely
curious. The whole situation was so pathetic that it made me want to curl up into a
ball and cry.

Through combat, I finally learned the value of my innate skill, Magic Eye. I hadn’t truly
understood what it meant to be able to see the flow of someone else’s magical energy
until I was subject to a magical attack. Only then did I realize that the skill allowed me
to discern when monsters were getting ready to cast their spells. It told me how their
magical energy was flowing, where it gathered, and even the locations they were
targeting before their magical bombardments fully materialized.

I’d actually used the skill to dodge a powerful spell just a few moments earlier. I was
able to quickly move out of the way of an earth based spell that caused spikes to erupt
from right under the target’s feet, impaling and instantly killing them. I was sure I
would’ve died without Magic Eye’s assistance. I couldn’t have possibly seen it coming
otherwise.

The combination of my innate skill’s efficacy and my dislike for gore led me to all but
decide that I was going to become the type of demon lord that specialized in
magecraft. My eyes provided me the ability to sling long ranged spells at my opponent
while dodging theirs with ease. The advantage I had in such a scenario was just flat
out unfair.

Yeah, I really don’t like actually hitting things with my sword. The sensation of the blade
striking flesh is unpleasant, and all the blood gets my clothes wet. Close quarters combat
is way too gruesome and unsanitary for my tastes. It’s just… blech.

Speaking of magic, I’d recently become totally inept at fire magic. Creating a lighter-
like flame had been easy for me when I first started, but I could no longer produce
anything more potent than a flickering, weak flame, the size of what you’d see on the
end of a matchstick. Apparently, my last experience had led me to think fire magic to
be something dangerous. My brain had started unconsciously suppressing it so I
wouldn’t hurt myself, and there wasn’t really much I could do about it.

I was a bit miffed that I’d effectively thrown one of my more potent affinities down the
drain, but I didn’t mind it too much. I didn’t need it. I still had a strong affinity for both
earth and water, and I was getting significantly better at both. I was already able to
control the temperature of the water I created. All in all, my magic was still a bit on the
weaker side. It wasn’t of much use in combat quite yet, but that was fine. I would only
get better with time.

“Alrighty. Looks like this section of the map’s fully fleshed out.” I continued playing
around with the menu as I started to move.

Like many others before it, I’d spent most of the day exploring and examining the
dungeon’s surroundings so I could further expand my territory. I wasn’t actively
hunting monsters. I only fought those that I happened to come across along the way.
All my expansions had led down from the dungeon’s entrance; I was slowly taking
control of all sections of the mountain that lay beneath my cave. My current income
had already become a whole three Lefis worth of DP each day.

That said, I was almost always flat broke. I blew all my DP on dungeon expansions
every single time I had enough. I was really excited to see how my territory would end
up once I was finally done taking everything nearby over.

“Wait, what’s that?”

I felt like I saw something out of the corner of my eye, so I directed my gaze away from
the open map and checked my peripherals. Turning to the left, I immediately saw the
thing that’d grabbed my attention. At first, I couldn’t make out what it was. All I could
tell was that it was some sort of creature, and that it’d collapsed in a bush.

A sticky red liquid garnished its body. It was clearly heavily injured. In fact, it was
covered in so much blood that, at first, I’d assumed it to be some sort of corpse. As I
had already made the surrounding area a part of my dungeon, I glanced to the right
and checked the map, only to find that it was marked as an intruder—that it was still
alive.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I approached it while keeping up my guard. Only
after closing in did I realize that the thing was a young girl. She was covered from head
to toe in blood and collapsed face first in the dirt.

I immediately ran over and gave her a quick checkup. She had a pulse, but she was
unconscious. The deep claw shaped wound on her back seemed to indicate that she’d
been attacked by a monster. The gash was deep, it didn’t look like she was going to live
for anything more than just a few minutes.

Fortunately for her, I happened to have a potion on hand. I opened up my item box and
grabbed it. The life-saving fluid was contained in a small bottle; there wasn’t too much
of it. Uhh… I think I can just pour it on her, right?

The bottle hadn’t come with instructions, but Lefi had briefed me on its use a bit
earlier, so I knew what to do. I popped off its lid and carefully started to dribble its
contents over her wounds. I took excruciating care not to miss a drop. Despite being a
deep laceration, her injury began to close at a rapid pace the moment the liquid so
much as touched her. She regenerated so quickly I almost felt it disturbing.

“Nrghh…” The girl began to stir after I used about half the bottle. The cuts were flat
out gone and her skin had been restored to a soft, glossy state, as one would expect
from a child. Her breathing, which had started off shallow and ragged, had returned
to normal.

Whew… Looks like she’s out of danger. I heaved a sigh of relief after confirming that the
girl had made it, finally letting out the breath I’d held since I began her treatment. The
process of healing her was so exhausting and nerve wracking that cold sweat had
formed on my brow, so I promptly wiped it off with an unsteady hand.

As demonstrated by the little girl, the high class potion I’d just used was extremely
effective. It allowed the person it was used on to regenerate limbs much in the same
manner as P*ccolo. It could repair a giant gaping hole in one’s stomach without much
difficulty even though such a wound would otherwise be fatal.

Holy shit. You could probably use this thing to just rush things down without a care for
how much damage you take. You could even turn a soldier into what is effectively a
zombie if you just keep using these things… That’s kinda terrifying.

Lefi was the only reason I actually had the potion on hand. She told me that it was
better for me to hold onto one just in case, as, although my stats were high, I wasn’t
exactly the strongest thing around. Her warning was a fair one, so I’d heeded it even
though the potion was a bit expensive. Never thought I’d be using it like this though. I
guess Lefi really does give good advice from time to time. I should probably treat her to
chocolate or something when I get home.

Still, that girl’s in awful shape. Her clothes are torn and ripped, and her pretty blonde
hair’s all disheveled. She’s got a lot of injuries, and most of them don’t look recent.

A single glance was enough to tell me that the young blonde I’d just treated had
experienced her fair share of misery.
“Either way, I guess I should probably take her home. It’s not like I can just leave her
here, after all.”
“I knew not that you were a pedophile, Yuki.” Lefi insulted me the moment she saw the
little girl in my arms.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s enough out of you. I don’t have the time to play along with your silly
accusations right now.”

I placed the still unconscious blonde on top of my Japanese-styled bed, which I

conveniently hadn’t bothered putting away. It, like most of the other furniture, was
crammed into one of the throne room’s corners. The corner in question had become a
bastardized hybrid of a bed and living room. Stuff was strewn around haphazardly,
and the layout was about as far from organised as could possibly be. It was effectively
a bachelor’s pad. Needless to say, the throne room’s aesthetic had been ruined. All its
majesty had long been consigned to the void.

But to be fair, that’s kinda just what ends up happening when you live somewhere. It’s
not like you can keep everything perfectly clean all the time, right?

“Oh?” Lefi raised a brow as she got a second look at the young blonde. “She is a vampire?”

“Apparently.” I shrugged as I took a quick peek at the girl’s stats.

General Information
Name: Illuna
Race: Vampire
Class: None
Level: 3
HP: 17/25
MP: 120/120
Strength: 40
Stamina: 50
Agility: 46
Magic: 72
Dexterity: 68
Luck: 412
Unique Skills
Vampirism
Skills
Cooking II
Sewing I

Her name is… Illuna. I guess you’d probably pronounce that il-loo-na. I guess I’ll have to
ask her when she wakes up to make sure. Her stats are kinda low, but she is a kid, so I
guess it makes sense. All her skills are related to chores. I guess she must’ve helped out a
lot around the house. She looks what, seven, eight? She must’ve been a really sweet child
seeing as how she started helping out that early.

“How rare. I’ve not seen a vampire in quite some time.” Lefi’s tone carried a bit more
interest than usual.

“What do you mean?”

Aren’t vampires supposed to be fairly common in high fantasy?

“Both succubi and vampires are renowned for their beauty. It is this precise trait that
has led to their downfall. Like all other demonkin, the two tribes have fought against
human rule, and so, the humans have spent several decades hunting both tribes to
near extinction. Those that survive are collared and sold as slaves. She is likely a victim
that successfully escaped her captors following one such hunt.” Lefi stopped for a
moment to indifferently shrug before continuing. “It is a fate that would likely befall
the children of the forest had they not joined the humans in a pact of nonaggression.”

“That’s stupid…” I frowned. The only thing I felt apart from displeasure was a bit of
confusion, as I didn’t know what the dragon meant by “children of the forest.”
However, my uncertainty only lasted for a moment. The encyclopedia built into my
brain quickly filled me in and informed me that they were basically elves, so my
confusion faded and was replaced by a second wave of irritation.

The worst part of it all was that, as a former human myself, I understood them. Their
motives clicked with me and I honestly couldn’t even find myself surprised. Enslaving
those that differed from themselves was such a human thing to do that I didn’t know
what to say or how to react. It was like that back in the world I came from too. Slaves
have existed throughout almost all of history. Hell, slavery still existed when I died. Tons
of people like claiming otherwise, but we never did manage to totally eliminate it. All we
ever accomplished was changing our terminology. Some people don’t give two fucks
about human rights, especially with all that holy war bullshit going on in the middle
east. They call people infidels and treat them like total trash for no real reason. It’s
fucking stupid.

I’m not surprised that this world’s no different, especially since everyone and their
mother’s been at war for god knows how long. To them, it may as well be common sense.
But you know what? Fuck common sense. In fact, fuck everything they believe in. I don’t
care what the humans think. I’m not going to play along.

Despite having mostly human sensibilities, I highly doubted I would be able to get
along with this world’s human beings. Their culture was just too ridiculous and
barbaric for me to want to deal with them.

“Okay, I should probably stop…” I took a deep breath and calmed myself down as I
continued taking care of the young vampire. I concentrated on treating her and
directed all my attention to carefully sprinkling the rest of the potion on her remaining
wounds.

“Nrrghh.” My efforts paid off. The girl soon began to stir. The groan she made was quiet
and barely audible, but I could already tell from it alone that her voice was lovely.

“Oh, you’re finally awake.” I spoke to her as she slowly got up off the bed, her body
swaying unsteadily. “Good timing, I just finished treating you. Does it still hurt
anywhere?”

The girl was half asleep and didn’t seem to have heard me properly. She started
looking around with her hazy, unfocused eyes, only to start panicking the moment she
realized that her environment was unfamiliar. Her anxiety peaked when she finally got
a good look at me. In fact, she couldn’t help but let out a bit of a yelp as her entire body
recoiled in fear.

“Calm down. I’m not going to eat you or anything. Just relax. Chill.” I wasn’t surprised
by her reaction. It was only natural to be spooked if you found a stranger by your
bedside the moment you regained consciousness, especially as a child.
That said, I’d totally forgotten to account for it. I was expecting her to talk to me and
was at a loss because she didn’t quite seem willing.

Hmm… what the hell am I supposed to do now?

I knew for a fact that I wasn’t going to be able to come up with anything that could
calm the girl down. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. Shii, who’d been napping nearby, woke
up because of all the commotion. The strange but cute creature got off the pillow that
served as its bed and climbed atop my shoulder. It had no eyes and couldn’t speak, but
I could somehow tell that the slime was gazing at Illuna and asking me who she was
in its usual, cutesy manner.

“Wow, it’s so cute!”

Illuna was surprised by the monster’s sudden appearance, but fortunately, it seemed
she was more curious than she was intimidated, as she soon began looking back and
forth between it and me. It was clear that she wanted to play with the small, blue blob,
but was worried that I would lash out at her if she did.

“You want to try petting it?”

I gave the slime a bit of a nudge and got it to jump off my shoulder and inch towards
the girl. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Illuna timidly stuck out a finger
and gave the creature a poke. Its body bent inwards as her finger touched it and sprang
back into position with an elastic jolt the moment she pulled away.

The gentleness with which she performed the gesture allowed Shii to understand that
the vampire really wasn’t hostile. The slime happily bounced closer to her and nuzzled
itself against her leg.

“That tickles!” Illuna giggled as she began to pat Shii over and over. The unease on her
face was gone, replaced by a happy smile. Like Lefi and I, she’d fallen victim to the
slime’s charms.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks Shii. I owe you one.

“Hey there. I’m Yuki. The slime you’re playing with is Shii, and the lazy excuse for a
person sitting behind me is Leficios. What’s your name?”

“I beg your pardon!?” Lefi cried indignantly. “I have done nothing to deserve being
referred to as a ‘lazy excuse for a person!’”

Yeah, right. I completely disregarded the “Supreme Dragon,” and kept my attention
directed towards the vampire. Though I knew her name, I asked it anyway because it
probably would’ve been weird for me to refer to her with it even though she’d yet to
introduce herself.

“I’m Illuna!” The girl replied with an adorable, beaming smile.

Called it. Il-loo-na was right.

“So, Illuna, mind telling me why you’re all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Uhm… ‘Cause I was being chased by some really scary humans.”

“That sucks.” Looks like Lefi’s guess was dead on. “How about I take you home? Do you
know roughly where it is?”

“I don’t have a home anymore.” The little girl started sniffling and tearing up as she
shook her head from side to side. “Mom and dad died. All our neighbors died too.”

“I-It’ll be okay! Don’t worry, everything’ll be fine!” I immediately tried to soothe the
girl and calm her down. Holy shit. Talk about stepping on a landmine.

“How intriguing.” Lefi laughed. “Not even the Supreme Dragon’s presence is enough to
panic you, but the tears of a maiden have you at their beck and call.”

“Oh shut up already, Lefi.”

I rolled my eyes at the dragon girl and the obvious look of amusement that decorated
her face before turning back to the vampire, smiling, and patting her over the head.

“Don’t you worry, Illuna. There aren’t any scary humans around these parts, and you’re
more than free to stay for as long as you like. Especially if you have nowhere else to go.”

The idiot standing behind me is way scarier than any human could ever be. I doubt they’d
ever approach us. Hell, this dungeon’s probably one of this world’s safest havens.

“Really?” Illuna turned her eyes up towards me. Her gaze was still teary and her
expression wary. Her unease was as clear as day.
“Really. Good girls like you are welcome anytime.”

As the person that brought her here. Abandoning her would just be flat out irresponsible.
Hell, ditching her in the middle of a forest filled with monsters would be inhuman,
demonic even. Er, wait I guess I technically am a demon now, but whatever. There’s no
reason for me not to allow her to stay. Our living expenses will go up a bit, sure, but it’s
just one little girl. Adding her to the equation really doesn’t change much in the long run.

“But the humans said that I was a bad girl.” Illuna cast her gaze downward. “They told
me that’s why mom, dad, and everyone else had to die. Because we were all bad.”

“They told you that!?”

Illuna didn’t say another word. She instead responded with an uneasy nod, one fueled
by the worry that I wouldn’t allow her to stay.

Are you fucking kidding me? They said that to a little girl!? I swear to god. I’m going to
strangle the living shit out of those motherfuckers the moment I get my hands on them.
Rage began flaring up within me, but I quickly quelled it. Illuna was still sitting right
in front of me, and I didn’t want to scare her.

“That’s just silly.” I forced a smile. “They were probably just making fun of you because
they were jealous. I mean, look how cute you are.”

“Really?”

“Really.” I nodded. “Listen, Illuna. You’re not a bad girl, and you’re definitely not better
off dead, so make sure you don’t just wander off and die on me, alright?”

“Okay!” Illuna was beaming. “Thanks so much Yuki! You’re so nice! You’re like the big
brother I never had!”

Your “big brother,” is happy to see you so happy, Illuna. The little girl’s smile was so
bright that it was infectious. I could feel my lips curving upwards even though I’d been
about to throw a fit of rage just a moment earlier.

It was then that her stomach began to rumble, and loudly at that. Her body had finally
relaxed enough to realize that it was starving.

“We should probably get you fed. What’s your favourite thing to eat? I’m not exactly
all that great at cooking, but I can at least kind of make most things.”

“Uhmm… Hmm… Well…” Illuna fidgeted a few times before nervously raising her eyes
“C-Can I please have some of your blood?”

The heck!? Don’t tell me she’s some sort of psychopath! Er, wait. Right, she’s a vampire. I
guess wanting blood’s probably normal as far as her dietary concerns go.

“Uhhhhh, alright. But are you sure you want mine in particular?”

“Yup!” Her answer was swift and decisive.

“A-Alright. Go for it, I guess.”

I can’t help but feel that this whole bloodsucking thing is a bit of a weird request, but at
the same time, her being so adamant about wanting mine makes me feel kinda happy.
Wait, what the fuck, Yuki? Getting your blood sucked is not something that should make
you happy. Shit, is there something wrong with me? Aw crap. Don’t tell me that I’ve got
some sort of weird fetish I didn’t know about ‘till now…

“Are you certain you truly wish to grant her permission?” Lefi, who’d stayed a silent
observer so far, decided to suddenly cut in and join the conversation.

“I mean, it’s not like it’ll kill me or anything, right?”

I remember there being myths about vampires turning people into both vampires and
ghouls, but honestly, I don’t really care. It’s not like I’m still human. What harm could
another racial shift or two possibly do?

“I cannot say you are incorrect, but…” It seemed like Lefi knew something I didn’t, but
she shrugged it off and didn’t bother explaining. “I digress. It matters not. Do as you
please.”

That seems awfully suspicious, but it’s not like I can back out. Illuna’s already looking
right at me with her eyes full of expectation. Not wanting to let the young blonde down,
I leaned in her direction and offered her my neck.

She responded by smiling as she climbed atop my knees and bit down on my throat.
Her teeth pierced through my flesh and dug into my veins, but strangely enough, it
didn’t hurt. In fact, it tickled.
Do her canines secrete something that numbs? Like maybe an anesthetic? Either way,
this whole losing blood to a vampire thing doesn’t really feel that much different from
getting my blood drawn out through a syringe.

Though I didn’t feel any major discomfort, there was in fact a serious problem. The
young girl clung onto me and hugged me tight as she sucked my blood. The way she
desperately grabbed ahold of me made me feel a sense of affection and attachment.

I could feel her warmth and smell her charming scent. That, by itself, would’ve been
fine, but her breath had started going ragged. Her hot sighs tickled my ears and
stimulated me in a way that made my thoughts go down the gutter. Frankly, it was
captivating, almost to the point where I wanted to call it seductive.

In other words, it felt like I was doing something immoral, something that any
reasonable man would refuse and label lewd.

Shit. Holy shit this feels so wrong, but so… right. Wait, no, nononono. God damn it Yuki,
get ahold of yourself. Calm down man, it’s okay! You’re not a pedophile. Your will is strong
and unshakeable. You like your women a bit older and more mature. You’re normal.
You’re normal, and you’re definitely not going to end up developing a bizarre fetish for
underaged girls. Come on Yuki, you got this. You’re totally normal. Yup. Normal.

“So it is true.” Lefi narrowed her eyes and looked at me as she would a piece of
trash.“You really are a pedophile…”

“I swear to god I’m not!”

God damn it. I knew for a fact that I didn’t sound very convincing. Hell, the claim was
so lacking in persuasive power that I wasn’t even able to convince myself.

“Hey Lefi.”

“What is it?”

“Could you do me a quick favour and give Illuna a bath?”

I was feeling really tired. My body was fine, but my brain was total mush, and I couldn’t
even so much as find the energy to get up, so I asked Lefi to help me handle a newfound
chore.

Illuna wasn’t actually able to drink all that much blood at once. The rate at which she
sucked blood was higher than the rate at which she drank it, so much of it ended up
leaking out the side of her mouth and spilling all over her clothes—if you could call
them that. As far as I was concerned, the thing she was wearing was nothing more
than a rag. It was torn all over because of her little forest escapade, and the back was
in especially bad shape. The claw marks made it so most of her skin was exposed.
Moreover, she had obviously sweat buckets when she desperately fled from her
pursuers. Both the girl and her “clothes” were about as far from clean as could possibly
be.

We had a pretty decent bathroom, and there wasn’t much of a reason not to have Illuna
make use of it. It was the type you’d often seen in small apartments in that it served
dual purpose as a toilet and a place to bathe as opposed to just one or the other. [1]

It was a recent addition and the first renovation I’d performed since creating a kitchen.
Both the kitchen and bathroom were considered dungeon facilities. I’d bought them
through the menu, and I could customize them through that exact same interface.
There were lots of options. I could make the tub as big as a pool or even source the
water from a hot spring. I was really keen on the latter of the two options and planned
to save up DP to get it sometime in the foreseeable future.

“I am not one to work for free, Yuki.” Lefi grinned and folded her arms as she gazed at
me.

Oh, god damn it. I’m way too tired for this shit.

“Fine. Two bags of cookies.”

“You are grossly underestimating the value of my time. I require a minimum of three
bags.”

“And you’re forgetting that everything I have the dungeon make has a cost stuck to it.
I may have a monopoly on the sweets market around here, but that doesn’t mean I’ve
got a bottomless supply. It’d probably be in your best interest not to be too greedy.”

The truth of the matter was that I had more than enough DP to get her three bags, but
I didn’t want to let her have her way. Spoiling the damned lazy dragon rotten was the
last thing I wanted to do.

“How regrettable.” Lefi hung her head. Her voice was filled with genuine sadness. “It
is unfortunate, but it appears that there is nothing more I can say to alter our
circumstances. Very well, two bags it is.”

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“Look. Stop pouting. I’ll make it up to you by getting some cake ready for when you
guys are done.”

“‘Keik’, you say? I’ve yet to hear of such a sweet. Wonderful, I cannot wait to learn its
taste!” Lefi’s mood took a sudden turn for the better. “Come, girl. I shall instruct you
on the so called ‘Bahthrum’ and its features. While it is a foreign concept, it is one that
you shall never regret experiencing. The bath here is one of the most comfortable this
world has to offer!”

“Got it, Leffers!”

“Pffft!” I sprayed the water I was drinking all over the floor in front of me as I heard
the vampire call the dragon by what could only be interpreted as a bizarre pet name.

“L-Leffers!?” Lefi’s eyes went wide. “Youngling, do not refer to me in such a bizarre
manner! You must respect your elders and address them appropriately. Refer to me
by my name, Leficios!”

“Mmm… that’s kinda long, and it seems really distant.” The little girl frowned. “Can I
just call you Lefi? I don’t know why, but it feels kinda like you’re my big sis or
something, so I wanna give you a nickname!”

“…” The dragon paused for a moment to regain her senses. The girl’s words had totally
blown her mind out of the water. “Very well. I shall allow it.”

Heh. Looks like the girl’s already won Lefi over.

And with that, Lefi headed to the bathroom, the little girl in tow.

[1] Unlike the bathrooms in North America, many Japanese bathrooms are just for bathing.
【 】
A full night’s rest was more than enough to allow Illuna to fully recover from the verge
of death. In fact, she was so healthy that I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. At first,
she’d almost looked like the child of some random hobo. She wore rags and was
covered in so much blood, dirt, and filth that I didn’t realize that she was actually quite
the looker. I now knew that the child had shiny blonde hair, big, brown round eyes,
and a face pretty enough to put celebrities to shame. The height she stood at only
added to her charm. She was just tall enough for me to feel the urge to pat her on the
head whenever I saw her. Give her a few years, and I’m pretty sure every guy that sees
her is gonna end up all over her.

Lefi had told me that vampires and succubi were beautiful, but Illuna seemed more
than just that. There was no way that she wasn’t well above average even taking her
race into consideration. I’m pretty sure the kidnappers that raided her village thought
the same, seeing as how they killed literally everyone else.

Naturally, I’d replaced her rags with actual clothes. She was wearing a one piece dress
that looked near identical to Lefi’s, with the biggest difference being that it was a good
bit smaller. Their hair colours were different, and Lefi had both horns and a tail, but I
couldn’t help but think that the two looked like a pair of sisters, especially when they
stood next to each other. The biggest factor that played into it was that they were both
undeniably beautiful.

“Woah! What’s that!?” The vampire ran around the dungeon, curiously examining and
asking about everything she saw.

“What? Oh, that? That’s the pop up pirate game.”

“The pop up pirate game? What’s that?”

“It’d be easier for you just to try it. You see those toy swords lying around where you
found it?”

“Yeah?”
“Try sticking them through one of the holes in the barrel.”

“Okay!”

Illuna followed my instructions and impaled poor Blackbeard with several plastic
blades. Nothing happened at first, but she kept trying until the toy finally reacted. The
plastic contraption made a bit of a clacking sound as the pirate was ejected from his
barrel.

“Woah!” Illuna grabbed Blackbeard and ran over to me. She held her prize up and
spoke with a big smile, to which I responded in kind. “Did you see that, Yuki? The guy
in the barrel went flying!”

Dungeon life wasn’t exactly what I could call thrilling. Not much happened, and I didn’t
really need to do any real work. My passive income was more than enough for the
dungeon’s residents to live off of. I needed something to stave off both Lefi’s boredom
and my own, so I’d bought a bunch of random, cheap stuff to keep us entertained.

That said, the dragon girl refused to play the pop up pirate game. Our good friend Mr.
Blackbeard had smacked her dead in the face the first time she got him to pop, so she’d
avoided both him and his game ever since.

After a few moments of watching over the young vampire with a smile, I sat myself
down atop the throne and relaxed. By now, I was so used to the fancy chair that I no
longer found it awkward to sit in. In fact, it was extremely comfortable. I popped open
the menu and quickly checked over a few key stats.

Hmm… it looks like I’m actually earning quite a bit now. I kind of want to keep growing
the dungeon’s territory, but at this point, I don’t really need all that extra passive income.
It’s not like I’m going to need it unless I decide to save up for something super expensive.
Which means… I can finally “have a little fun.”

I’d always been interested in RNGesus’ bounty, but I’d refrained out of the concern
that I was just going to be wasting DP. but I mean, it’s not like it’s really a waste.
Honestly, all I’m doing is checking out my options. The gacha doesn’t say what it has, so
giving it a few spins and finding out is clearly the most obvious and natural thing to do.
I’m totally not actually giving in to temptation. Nope.

After a bit of self justification, I tapped the gachapon tab and reviewed my options.
The menu layout was simple. There were only four buttons. Each had a numeric value
on it, designating its price. Let’s see… 100, 1k, 10k, 100k. The more expensive ones
probably have better rates and prizes, but the 10k and 100k ones are a bit too rich for
my blood. The one that costs 100 has probably only got junk in it, grand prize aside, so I
guess I’ll stick with the 1k gacha for now.

With that decided and out of the way, I tapped the button. Particles of glowing white
light began gathering in front of me and gradually taking form, much as it had when I
summoned Shii.

“Is that… a pistol?” Huh. Neat.” The thing that formed in my hand was basically a scaled
up derringer with a cylinder. Though I called it a pistol at first, I soon realized that it
was more of an oddly shaped revolver. Pistols didn’t have cylinders, after all.

Fancy engravings ran along both the gun’s barrel and its grip. Whoever engraved this
thing has got some pretty good taste.

After looking it over, I analyzed the weapon in order to see what it could do.

Magical Handgun: A ranged weapon that uses magical energy as ammunition. Its
magazine can hold up to seven bullets.

“Wow. Not bad at all.” Admittedly, I found the weapon awesome. It was the type of gun
that would’ve made me throw my wallet at the screen and mash the whale button if I
saw it in a game with microtransactions. There was no doubting it. I’d won a pretty
damn good prize. I was certain that it was one of the gacha’s rare drops.

I wanted to test it right away, but I stopped myself short and instead continued to roll.
There’s no point in testing it right now. I’m going to get more cool shit if I keep rolling,
so I might as well wait and mess around with all of it at once later. Plus, it looks like I’m
a good luck streak, so I should probably keep rolling before it goes away.

Oh god, why? Why didn’t I just stop after the stupid gun?
A few minutes later, I found myself lamenting my choices. I’d rolled the gacha a tonne,
and found myself staring down a pile of trash. My rolls had produced the following

Pan Lid x 3
Dish Scrubber x 2
Soap Bar x 2
Wooden Cup x 1
Some Sort of Cloth x 1
Bottle of Salt x 2
Wooden Spoon x 1
Spool of Hemp x 1
Stuffed Animal x 1
Tupperware Container x 1
Finger Puppet x 1
Plastic Bag x 1
Keyholder x 1
Pencil x 1
Some Sort of Cord x 1

Each and every single member of the veritable heap of garbage sitting in front of the
throne was worth less than 100 DP.

I can’t believe I just fell for Gambler’s Fallacy. Hook, Line, and Sinker at that… God damn
it. I kept telling myself that my bad luck streak was going to end, and that I was going
to hit the jackpot sooner or later. Evidently, I was wrong. Ugh… I forgot that my luck is
even worse than Shii’s. And Shii is a god damn slime. A slime! The weakest monster there
is!

I swear, this stupid thing’s rigged to hell and back. It must’ve only spat out that gun
because it was my first roll and it wanted to bait me into rolling more. Shit. Stupid
“random” number generator led me by the nose. And like, why’s the most common thing
gotta be a fucking pan lid!? What the hell am I going to do with 3 god damned lids!? It
didn’t even get any pans! Like, come on! Why couldn’t the most common item at least be
some sort of consumable I could actually get some value out of? Why’s it gotta be
something this god damn useless?

I sighed as I lifelessly leaned back into the throne. Just seeing the trash pile made me
feel dumb and unmotivated. The action caught Illuna’s attention and prompted her to
ask me a question.
“What’s that weird blue thing?” She pointed straight towards the screen I’d been
manipulating just a few moments prior.

“Oh, this? This is the dungeon’s menu. I use it to c—wait.” I cut myself off. “You can see
this?”

My response had been reflexive, so I hadn’t thought much about her question until
after I’d started responding.

“Yup! It’s weird, glowing, and kinda transparent!” The vampire said with a smile.

Wait, what the hell? Wasn’t I supposed to be the only person that could actually see the
menu? Not even Lefi could last time I checked, so why can Illuna?

“I wanna try doing what you’re doing. It looks really fun!”

“Uhhhh… Sure. But just once, okay?” Can’t have her falling for Gambler’s Fallacy. Not
that I have the DP for it.

“Yay! Thanks Yuki!” The vampire skipped over to the throne, climbed up my knees,
and sat herself down in my lap. “Uhmm… So how do I make stuff come out?”

“You see this button?”

“The second one from the top?”

“Yeah. Poke it with your finger.”

“Okay!” Illuna happily tapped the floating screen.

Light flooded the throne room. There were far more glowing particles than there’d
been on any other occasion. In fact, there was enough to dye the entire throne room
in blinding light.

“Holy crap.” My eyes felt like they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

So many of the light particles had gathered that they didn’t even immediately take a
solid shape. I could make out that whatever the gacha was spitting out had four legs
and a tail, but that was it.

Once the light finally vanished, it left behind a living thing, a creature whose massive
frame towered a full head above my own. It was covered from head to toe in a layer of
white fur that shone with all the lustre of a fresh coat of snow. Jagged claws extended
from all four of its feet, each sharp enough to slice even a boulder in two. Its gaze,
which was focused on us, was one that seemed to convey intelligence. I could tell that
the creature, the wolf, could think. That it was no mere beast. My overall impression
was that the canine gave off an aura of dignity and grace.

The only word to describe Illuna’s pull was one that embodied luck itself: jackpot. I
was so shocked to see the prize that my jaw dropped and froze in place.

General Information
Name: None
Species: Fenrir
Class: Lord of Wolves
Level: 1
HP: 1810/1810
MP: 5452/5452
Strength: 607
Stamina: 685
Agility: 784
Magic: 872
Dexterity: 890
Luck: 140
Unique Skills
Extreme Speed [1]
Everchanging Chains
Transformation
Skills
Claw Combat Arts II
Ice Magic IV
Lightning Magic IV
Crisis Detection IV
Titles
Kin to the Demon Lord
Uhh… is it just me, or is that thing a fenrir? Like, you know, the God-Eating wolf from
Norse Mythology? The only conclusion I could draw was that, in this world, fenrir
wasn’t just a myth.

Wait, what the heck? This thing’s stats are super high. Holy crap. It’d probably outclass
me if we were the same level. In fact, it’s already more agile than me. It’s got all sorts of
skills, and its class is ridiculous too. Like holy hell. It’s already Lord of the Wolves even
though it was literally just born?

“Wow! It’s a really big wolf!” Illuna squealed, got off my knees, and ran towards the
wolf.

“Wait! Hold up!” I immediately ran after the little girl and attempted to stop her. Ohhh
crap. It’s totally going to eat her.

Fortunately, I was wrong. The giant wolf seemed to recognize us as its masters. It
didn’t mind Illuna attaching herself to its leg. In fact, it even leaned forward and
lowered its gaze to demonstrate that it was tame.

“Wow, it’s so soft!”

“You sure are brave, Illuna. What would you’ve done if it attacked you?”

“It doesn’t smell like a bad wolf, so it’s okay!”

Uh… what? Is that just a vampire thing? It doesn’t look like she’s got any skills that tell
her whether something is dangerous, but she seems really confident, so…

Shii, who wasn’t doing anything in particular, approached the fenrir. The slime stood
in front of the wolf and bounced around, as if giving it a lecture. Though it wasn’t
actually saying anything, I felt as if it was telling the newcomer that it would show him
the ropes. The overall impression I got was that Shii was effectively acting no different
from a kid puffing up its chest and bragging.

Despite being way stronger, the Fenrir didn’t mind that a mere slime was treating it
like it was higher up the social ladder. In fact, it almost seemed like the wolf was
intently listening to everything the slime had to say. If you could call it that.

Wow. That’s uh, one helluva mature attitude. Damn, Fenrir-bro. You a real man.
“What an outrageous creature to summon,” Lefi grumbled as she dragged herself over.
She’d been asleep, indulging in laziness, but all the commotion had eventually forced
her out of bed.

“Yeah, I figured. It sure does look decently strong, huh?”

“Your description is inadequate. It does not even begin to capture the creature’s
potential. The fenrir you have summoned is young, a mere pup. It has not yet realised
its full strength,” said Lefi, matter of factly. “It will be like me once it matures, a creature
of which legends are sung. I have fought just one in the past, and it was so difficult to
defeat that I wished not to ever encounter another.” [1]

“Holy shit.” It’s that strong? I can’t believe that even Lefi acknowledges it. Wait, did she
just say this one’s still a puppy? Even though it’s already bigger than I am? I was a bit
concerned about the wolf’s final size. Hopefully it’ll at least be small enough to
comfortably fit inside the throne room.

“I must admit, I am quite impressed with both Shii and the girl. Neither is flinching in
the face of such a creature. I would not be surprised to find both maturing into
individuals of great influence and power.”

I know, right?
[1]This whole thing is a low key Pokemon reference. Paraphrasing here, but Arcanine
is a canine known as the “Legendary Pokemon.” Its signature move (before other
Pokemon stole it) was Extreme Speed.
“Oh yeah, Lefi.” I began to speak to the dragon girl as I watched Illuna and Shii ride Rir
around the throne room.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Can you see this?” I pointed at the screen I had pulled up in front of me.

“If you are referring to your status, then the answer is no. I cannot.”

“Nah, I’m talking about the dungeon’s menu. You see, it’s this thing that…” I gave her a
quick overview of the dungeon’s features.

“I see. So it is the dungeon that provides you the ability to synthesize the mysterious
objects you so often spawn.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” I nodded as I leaned back into the throne. “So you see, thing is,
Iunno why, but Illuna can see it too.”

“And I presume that you wish for me to explain why that is the case?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“While I lack a grasp of the precise reason, I can describe a difference between the girl
and I, a difference that may bear a relation to the knowledge you seek.”

“Sure, explain away.”

“The difference is that she has engaged you in matrimony, whereas I have not.”

“Uhh… What?” My voice distorted out of sheer confusion.

I immediately turned to face the dragon girl so I could check over her expression, but
her face didn’t betray even the slightest hint of amusement. She was dead serious. Bro.
What? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

“Blood is one of the body’s most crucial elements.” She took the baffled look on my
face as a prompt to continue speaking. “Taking the blood of another into one’s own
body—engaging in an exchange of bodily fluids—is none other than an act of
intercourse.”

“You serious…?”

“Indeed. Most that belong to the vampire race consider the sucking of blood to be
equivalent to union between partners, tying the knot, as they say. Of course, there exist
members of their species with a lesser degree of integrity. These individuals will take
blood from those with which they are not particularly intimate with, but they are far
outside the norm. Many judge them as men and women without integrity, individuals
that have lost their moral compass. Most members of the species only suck blood from
those that they hold strong affection for.”

Bro. What? Like. What? I don’t even. Is this real life? Or is it just fantasy? [E1]

“B-But isn’t blood just supposed to be food? L-Like, vampires need that shit, right? And
it’s not like they could all be married at all points in time. What the hell do single
vampires eat?”

“You are correct. Vampires do indeed require blood for sustenance. That, however, is
all they require. They require not the blood of any particular species. Even the blood
of an animal will suffice, and that is precisely what unwed vampires consume.” Lefi
paused for a moment. “I suspect that the girl was not yet taught the precise
significance of sucking the blood of another. That, however, is not to say that her
instincts have not provided her a rough idea of the act’s nature. Rejoice. She is young,
but the affection she holds for you is true. Her desire for your bodily fluids stems from
the depths of her heart.”

Uhh… I was so blown away by what I’d just learned that it took me a moment to
process everything. “Wait… If you knew all this, then why didn’t you tell me earlier!?
Why’d you just sit around and let it happen!?”

“It was for your sake. I know that you bear a lust for children and that you have always
longed to join one as young as her in matrimony.”

“What the fuck!?”

“I very vividly recall feeling your gaze resting upon my flesh when I first took this form.
Your desires were and still remain self-evident and clear as day.”

“T-That’s just a misunderstanding! I was not staring!” I screamed indignantly. Where

the hell did all this come from!? It’s not true, I swear, officer!

Wait a second! I quickly pulled up the dungeon’s menu as I came to a sudden

realization. Specifically, I opened up a detailed display that contained information
regarding everything in the dungeon and reported the amount of DP it generated a
day. I scrolled right past Lefi and the ridiculous amount of income she provided and
checked up on our resident vampire. I knew it! She’s no longer generating any DP.

Even the children of lesser monsters like goblins provided me a net daily income of 3
dungeon points. But Illuna, like Shii, was giving a flat zero. In other words, the dungeon
thought of her as not an intruder, but a friendly unit that posed no more of a threat to
it than its very own monsters.

“Ugh… What the hell…?” I groaned. “Why did that have to be the one time you actually
tried not to be selfish? I swear to god…”

“Whatever is that supposed to mean!?” Lefi cried resentfully. “I would not have
remained silent if I knew not that it was for your sake. I made a choice in your best
interests, yet you have done little but complain!”

“And I’m telling you that you should’ve just minded your own goddamn business! In
fact, you know what? No more sweets for you, not for a whole three days!”

“What absolute tyranny! I firmly protest the motion! You cannot do this to me without
good reason!”

I ignored Lefi, who’d started to noisily complain, heaved a heavy sigh, and began to
think. Illuna had yet to ask me for any more blood. In fact, she apparently didn’t need
any for a whole week. Normal food was enough to satisfy her in the meantime. Alright.
You know what? Let’s just do the thing. Yeah. I’mma just put this off and call it future
Yuki’s problem. I mean, I’m happy she likes me so much, but she’s just a kid. This whole
thing is probably puppy love at best. There’s no doubt I’m going to have to end up raising
her. She’ll probably never shut up about how much she hates me and how gross I am the
moment she hits puberty. Wait. Imagining that is just making me sad. God damn it. Why
am I doing this to myself?
I coughed and faked clearing my throat before continuing my mental monologue,
albeit in a bit less confident a tone. I-I mean, there’s no way to know how she’ll feel for
sure without waiting for her to grow up, so I’mma just put this whole fiasco off until she
does by feigning ignorance. I mean, why would anyone expect me of all people to know
anything about vampire culture. Mhmm. Yup.

Again, I heaved a sigh. I might put some more real thought into all this if she still likes
me when she’s older. But not now.

I decided to check out my new toy, or rather, my new weapon, after I finished brooding
on the whole Illuna situation. Magically enhanced weapon in hand, I headed out of the
throne room and ventured through the cave that enclosed it.

I was once again greeted by the magnificent forest, a sight that left my heart pounding
every single time I saw it. Today, however, was a bit different. My heart had already
started throbbing by the time I left the cave. I was so excited to finally fire the magical
handgun that the scenery felt bland in comparison. I died before ever getting to touch
one of these babies back in my old world, so I’d always assumed that I’d never have the
chance to wield one. Wait, does this even count as a real gun? I’m not really sure how it
holds up in terms of technicalities, but I guess it probably counts since it’s got gun in its
name.

I poured my mana, which I’d only recently gotten better at controlling, into the
weapon. I made sure to go slow and kept an eye on my status screen as I did. I wasn’t
too used to the feel yet, so I had to use the UI to figure out exactly how much mana I
was using.

After draining exactly ten mana, I stopped channeling and pointed the gun at a sturdy
looking rock situated in front of me. I reproduced the stance I often saw people take
in movies and pulled the trigger.

The gun bounced backwards with the slightest bit of recoil as its firing mechanism
activated. Its projectile, a small glob of mana, cut through the air. A low ring resounded
a moment later as the projectile smashed itself against the rock.

I ran up to the large stone and traced my finger across the evident bullet mark. The
projectile had been powerful enough to chip a piece off the large stone. Wait, this stuff
gets stronger if I put more mana into it, right?

I began to concentrate even more magical energy into my gun. Heh. Time for some science.

I ended up running five different experiments. First, I put another ten mana into the
gun and confirmed that it was consistent and produced a similar result. I then tried
four other denominations, specifically one hundred, five hundred, a thousand, and five
thousand.

The bullet that ate a hundred mana was powerful enough to not only chip the rock,
but create a small hole. The bullet with five times that amount, however, was able to
drill through to the other side. The bullet containing a thousand mana produced a
much larger projectile than all the other bullets. It managed to eat into the rock and
blow a good chunk of it away. The final projectile, in which I invested five thousand
MP, produced a massive laser that not only completely incinerated the rock, but also
flattened thirty odd meters of the terrain that lay behind it.

All in all, the gun was powerful enough to render me silent. It was an even better
weapon than I’d initially anticipated. I ended up kinda unhappy because I kept getting
shit rolls, but honestly, I don’t even mind anymore. Like, seriously. Worth.

A part of me is tempted to charge all my mana into a single bullet, but uh, I’m pretty sure
that’s just a recipe for disaster. I don’t even think the weapon’s designed to take that
much mana. The barrel was shaking mad hard with just 5k. Not that I’ll ever need all 5k.
In fact, I highly doubt I’ll ever even need a thousand. God damn.

My magical handgun could hold seven bullets at once, and each could contain a
different amount of mana. I could totally fire something with just 10 mana to lure
someone into thinking the weapon’s a total dud, then hit them with a 1k bullet and pull
the rug from under their feet. That said, I’m pretty sure that I’d probably be able to
achieve the exact same result if I brute forced it with like 3k mana right off the bat.

Another interesting aspect of the gun was that any mana stored inside the gun would
stay inside the gun. Gazing at it with my magic eye allowed me to confirm that it didn’t
leak energy, and that I could theoretically keep it loaded as long as I wanted. But uh,
that’s probably a bad idea. I’m honestly kinda scared I might unintentionally discharge
the damn thing and blow a hole in my leg. Or worse. So uhhh, yeah no. I’mma keep it
empty ‘til I need it.

I placed the gun in my item box as I shuddered at the thought of accidentally shooting
myself. A large creature slowly lumbered out of the dungeon and approached me right
as I finished.

“Oh, hey. Looks like Illuna finally let you go. You did good work. Must’ve been exhausting.”

The dungeon’s second monster, the Fenrir, which, by the way, happened to be male,
plopped himself down beside me. A single glance was enough to tell that it was tired.
Yeah, I would be too. Bro just had to play with both Illuna and Shii with Lefi throwing a
tantrum as background noise.

Unsurprisingly, hearing that she was banned from consuming sweets had caused the
dragon girl to fall into the depths of despair. She’d been reduced to a ball of noise that
did naught but whine and complain.

The white wolf whimpered and bowed its head after taking a seat. But, rather than
complaining, it felt more like it was saying something along the lines of “all in a day’s
work, sir.”

That interaction alone was enough to give me a grasp of the wolf’s personality. I
understood that it was the type of guy that was prepared for anything and everything
that life would throw at him. Damn. This dude’s got balls.

Of course, the wolf didn’t literally speak to me. I just somehow managed to grasp its
intent, the same way I could somehow kind of understand Shii. It seemed that that
was just how things worked. It was evident that the dungeon had some sort of
mechanism that allowed us to establish a sort of mutual understanding. Unfortunately,
it was imperfect. I could only roughly understand him, but it was good enough. The
same system seemed to apply between monsters. I’d happened to see Shii
communicating with him in a similar manner just a bit earlier.

Of course, we didn’t leave our newfound canine companion unnamed. Illuna had
christened the wolf Fluffrir. Apparently, she’d chosen it because he was fluffy and a
fenrir. His status page naturally reflected this new name of his. The blank had been
replaced and updated. A part of me felt kind of bad for Fluffrir. Illuna had only given
him such a weird name because I’d told her his species. Yeah uh… Fluffrir doesn’t really
sound right. I guess I’ll just cut it short and call him Rir.
“Oh yeah. You mind showing me your unique skills?”

Rir had a total of seven skills, three of which were unique. I more or less knew exactly
what his regular did, but I was just dying to see his uniques.

The wolf complied. He got up and started to activate his abilities one by one. They
were all fairly interesting. Extreme Speed allowed him to momentarily raise his speed
to the point where I could no longer see him. Everchanging Chains allowed him to
materialize and freely manipulate a series of chains. The chains could both become
thicker and more durable if he chose to invest more mana. Finally, Transformation
allowed him to alter his size. He could get both bigger and smaller, with his smallest
form being the size of a regular wolf. Oh nice. I guess I won’t have to worry about him
actually fitting in places.

“Shit. That’s awesome dude.” I was impressed. The most eye catching skill was the one
that involved chains. It had a ridiculous amount of utility. It was possible for the wolf
to shield himself, create footholds in midair, and even tie up his foes. It was the type of
skill whose power was only really limited by creativity. I want that. Too bad it’s unique.
It’d probably cost a metric ton of DP to get, assuming it’s even in the shop.

Hearing my praise caused the wolf to happily perk up. I couldn’t really tell from his
expression, but his tail was very clearly wagging back and forth.

“…”

Seeing him like that led me to develop an urge, one I immediately followed up on by
opening the dungeon’s menu. I instantly bought a familiar looking item, raised it, and
called out to Rir.

“Hey Rir! You see this? Fetch!”

I threw the disk shaped toy, the frisbee, and urged the wolf to chase it down. Rir
seemed a bit hesitant about the whole idea at first, but he eventually lost to his
instincts. He dashed after it, caught it in midair, and brought it right back.

“Good boy! Alright, round two!”

I grabbed the frisbee again, mustered up all the might invested in me as demon lord,
and chucked it as hard as I could. Rir once again chased it down and returned. But this
time, he was too excited to come to a stop.
“Wahaha! Wait! Hold up! Slow down! Blraaghgh!”

He playfully tackled me to the ground.

“You’ve done it now!” I smirked as I reached up towards the oversized dog and started
to play with it.

“Whew. God damn. Dem Fenrir things doe…” I lay on the floor, panting heavily as I said
something that not even I really understood. My mind was too frazzled to actually
process coherent thoughts.

You know. I’ve always been more of a cat person, but playing with Rir’s made me think
that dogs are cute too. Not that he’s actually a dog, but you know, whatever.

Speaking of, the young wolf was laying down right next to me. He was on all fours, with
his stomach on the ground and his head hung low. He seemed to be distressed by the
fact that he’d given in to his instincts. A clear aura of self loathing emanated from his
body. Hmm… I guess letting his instincts control him must’ve hurt his pride a bit. As far
as I’m concerned though, it’s a good thing. Who cares, so long as you have fun, right?

More importantly though, this whole experience had really reaffirmed that Illuna’s one
hell of a girl. Like holy crap. The amount of luck you’d need to actually roll this damn
thing. Fenrirs were powerful beasts. The fastest way to find them in the dungeon’s
catalogue was to sort by price and start scrolling down from the top of the list.

And not to mention that Rir’s even got powerful unique skills. I mean, he’s not too strong
right now, but one day, he might end up growing as powerful as the fenrir Lefi fought.
Dude’s got hella potential.

“Oh yeah, Rir, you know how the dungeon’s mana systems work, right?”

The wolf raised his head and nodded.

“Alright then, listen up. Everything above where we are right now is Lefi’s domain. But
most of the stuff under it is the dungeon’s territory. My territory. I’d like you to live
down there and hunt monsters and stuff.”
Unlike Shii, Rir wasn’t just a pet. He was a monster strong enough to defend himself.
Some of his stats were even higher than mine, so I couldn’t just let him laze around. I
decided to have him work and help me earn DP. Heh. I’ll work you hard, boy. Git stronk
so I can just sit back, relax, and just enjoy life.

“But uh, hunting stuff aside, you can pretty much just do whatever you want. I’ll come
visit you from time to time so we can play, hang out, and kill stuff together. Oh, and
don’t forget to stop by every once in a while, ‘kay? Illuna’ll probably cry if you don’t.”

You’re one of us, Rir. I know we just summoned you, but this right here? This is your home.
You’ll always be welcome here.

Understanding my intent, the wolf lowered its head in a deep bow.

[E1] I’d say Beelzebub has a devil set aside for you in hell, lolicon. >_> (Bohemian
Rhapsody lyrics in case no one knows) ← This is an editor’s note.
“Holy shit! I found it! I can’t believe I finally found it!” I shouted like a madman as I
stood up from my throne. The abruptness of the action led both Illuna, who’d been
playing nearby, and Shii, who’d been sitting on my lap, to each give me a look. The
former was gazing upon me curiously, as if wondering what’d suddenly gotten me so
riled up. The latter, however, seemed to regard my action with resentment. My sudden
shift had displaced the slime from its perch and knocked it onto the ground.

I would’ve apologized, but I was too preoccupied to notice the slime’s displeasure. All
my attention had been directed towards the thing I’d just found.

“Hahaha… Mwahahahahah…! Mwaaahahahahahaha!” I laughed three times, with each

lasting longer and sounding more sinister than the last. Only after I finished did I
finally shout a slightly distorted version of a quote from a famous manga. “I reject my
humanity, J*jo, and the inability to fly that comes with it!”

With that said, I left the throne room, cackling like a deranged psychopath as I went
on my way.

Of course, I hadn’t actually lost my mind. I was still perfectly sane and in control. The
reason I’d suddenly burst into a fit of joyous laughter was because I’d finally found one
of the things I’d been looking for since I first became a demon lord.

I spotted it because I decided to look for Everchanging Chains, the overly convenient
skill that Rir had shown me the other day. I suspected that the skill was in the
catalogue, so I went through the unique skill section and looked for it, only to do a
double take as a certain other skill caught my eye. A skill that would allow me to lift
my feet off the ground and ascend to the heavens.

Flight.

At first, I’d actually thought that the skill just didn’t exist. It wasn’t in the list of regular
skills, and I hadn’t expected it to be a unique skill. Moreover, Lefi had told me that, to
her, flying was just something natural. It wasn’t a skill. It was just something that she
had always been able to do. From that, I’d come to the conclusion that flight wasn’t a
skill.

But my guess was off the mark. And never before had I been happier to be wrong.

I tapped the purchase button the moment I saw the skill. It was an impulse buy. I didn’t
care that it cost more than ten times what regular skills cost. The fact that it ate two
thirds of the DP I had on hand was just flat out irrelevant.

Because I was a man, a man with fantasies that burned with all the passion of a fiery
star, a man that knew in his heart that chasing his dreams was the one true way to live
his life. I had to follow in the footsteps of the king of the pirates and leave the nest to
set sail in pursuit of my ambitions. As any real man would.

That was why I had made the transaction without hesitation. Lefi’ll probably chew me
out for this if she ever finds out since I always try to discourage her from wasting DP, but
I doubt she will. It’s not like there’s any way for her to know how much anything costs.

None of the excitement pumping through my veins waned as I materialized the wings
I normally kept hidden away. I still can’t tell if these are supposed to be bat wings or
dragon wings, but whatever. Doesn’t matter.

In my past life, the thought of having jet black wings would’ve made me flash a wry
smile at best. But now, they were more than just an edgy joke. They were a reality. My
reality. From my back extended a pair of appendages so dark in colour that they almost
seemed reminiscent of a bottomless void.

Though I had wings, they hadn’t been of any use. At worst, they were in the way. And
at best, they were decorative. They may as well have been part of some sort of weird
cosplay. But all that was going to change. For they had finally gained purpose.

My wings were going to graduate from uselessness and become powerful vehicles
capable of ferrying me into the sky and taking me wherever I pleased. Finally. It’s
finally time to liberate myself from the confines of the ground and experience nature
from a whole new angle. It’s time to soar, to gain freedom and everything that lies
beyond.

“Alright! Let’s go! Beyond the great blue!” As I shouted, I tensed my wings and urged
them to flap.
…

……

………

Uhm… What the actual fuck…?

Nothing happened. Nothing changed, no matter how long I waited. My wings refused
to respond to my will. Rather, they failed to fulfill my wishes. They were flapping just
the slight bit back and forth, but that was it. They weren’t actually producing lift.
Alright, you know what? I’ll just… give it another shot.

“Alright… Let’s go! Beyond the great blue!” I took a deep breath and repeated myself
with yet another energetic shout. But again, nothing happened. The sky continued to
remain far outside my grasp.

“W-What the fuck!?” My jaw dropped in disbelief. I didn’t understand what was going
on. I mean, the skill’s working. I know that much for sure. It’s a bit hard to explain, but I
can feel it. It’s kind of like how I can tell that my arms are moving when I swing them
around, or how I just know when I’ve closed my eyes, even in total darkness.

But, even though the skill was active, I couldn’t lift off.

“What the fuck!? Why isn’t it working!?” I tried jumping around and flapping my wings
in a manner reminiscent of an immature chick trying to leave the nest. I repeated the
actions until I found myself out of breath and exhausted, but never once did I ever
truly leave the ground.

Was I just… not meant to fly? I grimaced as my internal monologue made a turn for the
worse. It might just be one of those things. Like how you can’t make a dog cook even if
you somehow get it to learn the skill. I might just not have what it takes.

All the excitement I had built up drained from my body as my mood plunged all the
way down to rock bottom; a single negative thought was all it took to take me from a
record high to a record low.

I turned my eyes up to the sky above and observed it in all its splendor. Looking at it
like this almost makes it seem… cruel. It’s right there. Right before my eyes. But I just
can’t reach it, no matter how hard I try. God damn it. I guess this whole flight thing really
was just a pipe dream after all.

All remaining hope drained from my system. It was as if some cruel mastermind had
pulled a curtain of despair right over my eyes, and I’d remained none the wiser until
the very last moment. Reality weighed down on my shoulders and caused me to
collapse. I fell onto my hands and knees and hung my head in resignation.

I had failed not only myself, but also my passion. My dream had hit a dead end, a brick
wall, an invisible ceiling. And there was nothing I could do about it.

God damn it, Yuki! What the hell are you doing!? Get ahold of yourself, you dumbass! It’s
too early to cast aside your dreams. Right as I was about to give in, words of
encouragement bubbled up from somewhere deep inside of me. That’s right. I can’t
give up just yet. Brick wall? Invisible ceiling? Fuck, bring it on. I don’t care what needs to
be done. I will fly.

After taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I began to reevaluate my options. Let’s
see… Flight’s a unique skill, so it hasn’t got any levels in it. But that doesn’t mean that
knowing the skill is really all I need to do to understand and master it. It’ll probably start
working if I just git gud, so I guess I’ll go pick the brain of someone who knows how flight
works. Good thing I’ve got just the right person in mind, huh?

“And that is why you have come to beg for my grace?” The dragon girl narrowed her
eyes as she watched me prostrate myself before her.

“That’s exactly it.” I said. “Please, Your Scaliness, lend me your knowledge. Teach me
your almighty ways. You’re my last hope.”

“This subservient act of yours is revolting, Yuki,” replied Lefi, her face twisted into a
frown. “Have you already forgotten the injustice you subjected me to? You robbed me
of the sweets I adored and forced upon me the miserable, sugarless taste of despair
for three days and three nights. Do you truly believe that a mere shift in attitude would
suffice to right your wrongdoings? Preposterous! What ridiculous conceit!”

“Alright, alright. I get that you’re unhappy,” I said, reverting to my usual tone. “Look,
I’ll make it up to you. How about I lick your feet?”
“Lick my feet!?” Lefi shrunk back in disgust. “You would go that far?”

Ey mang, I wants ta fly. Ain’t nothin’ finna stop me. I dismissed Lefi’s question by
speaking to myself in a funny dialect.

There was nothing wrong with desperately wanting to fly. It wasn’t an uncommon
desire. In fact, it’d been a common one that had crept up throughout my old world’s
history. People had always wanted to fly. And machines, airplanes, had indeed been a
realization of that exact dream. But alas, the metal contraptions had failed to truly
fulfill it. What mankind truly wished for was to soar through the skies with none other
than their very own flesh and blood—an act that, in this world, was actually possible.
I didn’t care what I needed to do. I was going to fly. I wasn’t about to pass up the
opportunity to fulfill one of my species’ oldest desires.

“Desperate or not, Yuki, you must know that all things in this realm come at a price.”
The dragon girl brought her thumb and index finger together to form a circle. In Japan,
such a gesture would clearly have referred to cold, hard cash. Japanese coins, modern
and ancient alike, often featured circular forms with hollowed out centers. But of
course, Lefi knew nothing of Japan and its culture. And although she’d hinted at an
exchange of currency, she didn’t desire wealth. What she wanted was a fried pastry
with a hole punched out its center. A donut. Seriously? Is that really all she wants?

The request she made was incredibly easy to fulfill, so I decided to take it a step further
and grab her something a bit fancier. I searched through the dungeon’s catalogue until
I found a pack that came with a nice, white, paper box.

“How fragrant!” Lefi exclaimed. She slowly lifted the paper box’s lid as carefully as she
would that of a treasure chest. “How incredible! There are three whole servings!? I
cannot believe it! Each is a different flavour from the last, and all three bear a powerful
aesthetic charm. Their appearances truly serve to function as a testament to their
quality.”

Her eyes had shot wide open; the look she gave me was one of joyous disbelief.

There was no denying that the donuts I handed the dragon girl were more expensive
than usual, but that was only because I normally cheaped out and got her the least
costly type there was. At most, they would have cost me about six hundred yen back
in Japan. Yet, she was treating them like they were made of solid gold. It was evident
that her common sense as one of this world’s residents had led her to believe that
sugar was extremely expensive. It was a reasonable conclusion. That was how it used
to be back in my old world too. Sugar had started off as a luxury, something that only
the well off could afford.

In other words, Lefi believed that the donuts I spawned her had come at an incredible
cost. It was for that reason that she was regarding me as she would a generous saint.
This is making me feel a bit guilty… It’s almost like I scammed her or something.

“Here, you know what, take this too.” I presented her another sweet as a bit of an added
bonus. Mostly to curb my own guilt.

“Unbelievable!” cried Lefi. “Is that perhaps the fabled Kast-Ellah!?”

Again, her eyes opened wide. Huh. She thinks castella is the stuff of legends? Oh. Must
be because I only ever bought it once. I never bothered getting it a second time because
I thought she cared more about quantity than quality. Yeah uhhh… whoops. Didn’t
realize she liked them that much.

“I am amazed, Yuki. I am amazed to see the man that does naught but grumble and
complain prepare such a magnificent feast.” Lefi placed a hand on her chest and
nodded. “Very well. I see now the extent of your ardor. I will forgive you and forget the
incident in which you refused to quell my hunger and transform you into one that
rules over the sky. Of course, I shall remain its Supreme Overlord, but you too will
become one of its masters. I shall make you none other than the Skylord.”

“Skylord? Sounds good to me.” I nodded, handed her the castella, and sealed the deal.
Huh. She seems pretty attached to that Supreme Overlord title.

“Wait! That’s no fair!” Illuna, who had watched our conversation unfold, pitter pattered
over as she raised her voice in objection. “I wanna eat sweets too!”

“Listen well, Illuna. I shall impart upon you an important life lesson,” said Lefi. She
twisted her lips into a cocky, shit-eating grin as she directed her gaze at the young
vampire. “It is only natural for me to be the sole consumer of the sweets that I was
granted. They were goods I gained in an equal exchange. I offered my labour, the
transfer of my knowledge, and received them in return. If you too wish for sweets,
then you must do the very same. Those that do not work have no right to eat.”

That’s real rich coming from someone that does nothing but eat and sleep all day…
Hearing her led me to immediately think of a retort, but I refrained from voicing it in
the interest of preserving her mood. She might go back on her word if I piss her off too
much.

“Fine!” said Illuna as she turned to me. “Can you give me work, Yuki? I really want sweets
too!”

“Hmmm, alright. Help me make dinner tonight, and I’ll pass you a plate of dessert.
How’s that sound?”

At first, all our food had come from trading in DP, but I soon started growing sick of
ordering stuff off the dungeon’s catalogue. The fact that it was ready by the time I hit
the button made me feel like I was eating fast food every single day. That was why I’d
purchased the kitchen. Having the facility allowed us to make our food. And by us, I
meant me.

Lefi wasn’t exactly the type to cook. She was far too lazy and I somehow doubted that
she even knew how. Illuna, on the other hand, had helped out in the kitchen at home,
so she at least kind of knew what she was doing. That said, she was still young, so I
didn’t want her to handle anything major. Most of her tasks ended up being something
along the lines of peeling the leaves off a stalk of lettuce. Thus, by process of
elimination, cooking duty ended up falling onto my shoulders.

I wasn’t all that great at cooking. I couldn’t make anything too special, but repeating
the task had caused it to grow on me. The task was surprisingly entertaining. Or at the
very least, much more fun than I gave it credit for.

“Okay! I’ll do my best!” said Illuna.

“I admit…” said Lefi. “Dessert does indeed have quite the ring to it.”

“I mean, the same rules that apply to her apply to you,” I said. “You can have dessert
too, so long as you help out in the kitchen.”

“…” Lefi’s face twisted into a frown as she took a moment to think the idea over. “It is
fine. I will refrain.”

Her response caused a wry smile to show up on my face. Looks like her sweet tooth
only comes second to her laziness.
Lefi and I left Illuna in charge of the house as the two of us ventured outdoors.

“Ugh…” The first thing the dragon girl did as she stepped into Mother Nature’s realm
was groan and narrow her eyes. “It has been many a day since I last saw the light of
the sun.”

“That is kind of what tends to happen when you shut yourself indoors all day,” I said
with a shrug. Despite being the “Supreme Dragon,” Lefi was incredibly lazy. She had
never left the dungeon except for when she felt like stretching her limbs or going on a
hunt. And, while the latter at least sounded respectable, it was by no means something
she could brag about. Every single hunt she went on was fueled by gluttony and
gluttony alone. She would always strongarm me into buying her higher end sweets
once she was done by stating that she had helped me earn enough DP to justify them.

In other words, she was on the verge of falling into depravity and joining the legions
of NEETs who did nothing but mooch and laze their days away. Wait. Just how the hell
is she not actually morbidly obese? All she ever does is eat, sleep, and play around in ways
that don’t require moving in any which way. The stuff she eats is sugary as hell and super
high calorie too. If I was her, I’d probably be bloated enough to be considered a land
whale and a half by now. Well, she is a dragon after all, so it makes sense that she’d be
able to eat like one. Must be nice to be able to eat all you want while still keeping thin…

I couldn’t help but frown as I was once again forced to realize that she truly did reign
supreme. And in more ways than one, at that.

“Oh yeah, didn’t you have a nest or something? You sure it’s okay for you not to check
up on it every once in a while?”

“I’ve no longer a need for it. It was a territory I procured solely for the quality of its
honey. However, as I have now acquired a means of consuming sweet foods of an even
higher quality, I no longer consider it a thing of value. I mind not bestowing it upon
you such that you can claim it as your own.”
Seriously? THAT was why you lived there? God damn it Lefi, why did I ever expect
anything else from you? God. Now I feel stupid for trying to be all considerate. I even
went out of my way not to extend the dungeon up the mountain.

I gave Lefi a bit of a miffed frown, but soon ended up just shrugging my shoulders and
heaving a sigh. Yeah, no point getting mad. She’s always been like this. I don’t think I’ve
ever really thought of her as anything more than just one big disappointment. The final
expression I ended up wearing before materializing my wings was a wry smile.

“I… am impressed” Lefi gulped. “Your wings are quite the splendid sight to behold.”
She started fidgeting as she repeatedly glanced at and away from my wings. The hell’s
up with her?

“Yeah, they kinda get in the way, so I normally just keep them tucked awargh!?” I
jumped in response to a sudden bit of stimulus. “W-What the hell!? Stop touching
them! That tickles!”

The dragon girl reached towards my wings yet again even though I’d just backed away
from her, so I ended up having to twist my body to avoid her hands. Wait, I can feel
stuff through them? Aren’t they just made up of mana? Hmmm… I guess materializing
them must give them some sort of physical substance.

I had to escape Lefi’s hands several times before she finally gave up.

“They are quite magnificent,” she muttered despondently. “Hiding them is wasteful.
You would do best to leave them out for the world to behold.”

Magnificent? Seriously? Dragons sure do have weird tastes. Personally, I would’ve

preferred something more birdlike. You know, with feathers and stuff. This whole half
bat half dragon thing is a bit too bony as far as I’m concerned.

“I think yours are a lot prettier than mine, Lefi.” I said, casually. “And could you please
stop reaching towards them already? Holy shit.”

When I first met Lefi, I had been totally overwhelmed by her ridiculous stat page. But,
despite that, I still had a very vivid recollection of exactly how she had looked, wings
and all. Her form was both dignified and noble. She was a perfect fit for her title and
the very embodiment of the the term “legendary dragon.”

There was no doubt in my mind that I would have been equally impressed had she
shown up in her current form. Even while humanoid, Lefi radiated an aura of mystery,
awe, and power. But our first meeting, of course, had already long become a thing of
the past. I was no longer able to associate her human form with any sort of majesty
whatsoever. To me, she’d long since become nothing more than a selfish roommate.

“I-Indeed they are,” stuttered the dragon girl. “A-And I would like to point out that your
c-coquetry is misplaced. N-nothing will come of your advances, Yuki.”

Lefi stammered, blushed, and fidgeted about. It was clear that she wasn’t used to
praise. But coquetry? Really? She sees that as me flirting with her?

I frowned. Yeah uh, this is pretty bad. She really needs to stop acting so embarrassed. I
know that she’s completely rotten on the inside, but I still can’t help but not know what
to say because of how much impact it has when combined with her pretty face.

“T-To give an example, your usual form is akin to that of a sugarless donut,” said Lefi.
She was still stuttering out of nervousness. “But now, you bear all the charm of a cake
covered from top to bottom with delicious frosting. Of course, it is clear as day that my
own wings reign supreme, but that means not that yours are lackluster. They are more
attractive than what most dragons bear, to say the least.”

“Really? Well uh… Thanks, I guess…” I was a bit confused by her choice of example, but
it at least seemed like a compliment. Might as well just nod along with a smile or
something.

“You have every right to take pride in your appearance, Yuki. My praise is an honour,
one that only a select few have ever experienced.”

Lefi faked clearing her throat before continuing in a much more nonchalant, relaxed
manner. “But I digress. I recall that you have the Magic Eye skill, correct?”

“Yup.”

“Good. Then watch me. Open your eyes and behold!”

“Roger that ma’am.”

Lefi projected a pair of silver wings from her back. They almost looked like the complete
opposite of my own. My wings absorbed light. Hers, on the other hand, reflected it.
“Is that the same pair you have in your dragon form?”

“It is not. This pair is but a set of false appendages crafted through the use of magic.
Its function, however, is near identical.”

Gazing at it with my Magic Eye allowed me to confirm that her wings really were
constructed of mana as opposed to being something physical that had sprouted from
her back. Actually, now that I think about it, it should’ve been pretty obvious from the
start seeing as how they’re kinda not the same size. Derp.

“Have you nothing to say, Yuki?” Lefi spoke in a tone that seemed to indicate that she
was asking for praise.

“Uhm… Err… Uhhhhhh… They’re beautiful. They shine in a way reminiscent of a moon
on a cloudless night.”

“How out of character,” said Lefi, with a smirk. “I do believe that it would have been
better for you to keep your comments for yourself.”

Why you little… You were literally asking for it, god damn it. Seeing the peeved look on
my face caused Lefi to break into a smirk. Yeap. She totally did that on purpose. Blech. I
got got.

“Now let us get on with our business,” she said after a light giggle. “Behold.”

A dense wave of magical energy began surging through her body. It looks like she’s…
pouring mana into her wings?

The dragon flapped the silvery appendages and ascended into the air with a single,
fluid motion. So elegant was the action that it rendered me unable to speak. I was
completely blown out of the water by her grace and majesty.

“Wow…” Only after a brief moment of silence did I finally recover enough to leak a
mandatory, shocked gasp. I can’t believe I never realized. I’d always just assumed that
my wings had enough mana to function since they were made up of the stuff to begin
with. Holy shit.

“If you understand, then there is nothing restricting you any longer, young fledgling.
Repeat the steps that I have demonstrated.”
I nodded and followed her instructions. I pumped a concentrated volume of magical
energy into my wings and began to beat them with vigour. Prior to Lefi’s instruction,
they had only ever moved the slightest bit. But now, they had truly become a part of
my body. Manipulating them felt as natural as moving my arms and legs. It was almost
like they had always been a part of me.

Experiencing the sensation of having functional wings caused me to realize that what
I had tried to do earlier in the day was no different from pedalling a bike whose chain
was stuck in place, an endeavour bound to fail from the onset.

“It is time, Yuki. Take to the skies. Leap into the air with but a single motion!

Again, I followed her instructions by flapping my wings with more vigour than ever
before. My whole body was assaulted by a sense of weightlessness, and a load of wind
pressure to my face.

And then, a moment later, I found myself soaring through the sky.

“Woooooohoooooo!” I cheered. Or at least I did until I realized that my speed had

failed to drop. “Wait! Why can’t I stop!?”

The scenery beneath me continued to visibly shrink. The ground was getting further
and further away by the moment. I’m going to be honest here. This is fucking terrifying.

“Dampen the flow of your mana. You are using too much,” said Lefi. Her voice was
coming from right beside me. She had accelerated, caught up, and matched my speed.

Following her advice, I reduced the amount of magical energy I had concentrated in
my wings. I had practiced controlling my magical energies for quite some time, and I
had grown accustomed to it, so it only took me a moment to stabilize myself, albeit
with my body bent into a bit of a weird pose.

“Woah…”

Only after slowing down did I finally get the chance to take in and enjoy the scenery
beneath me. The sights I saw were impressive. It felt like I was right next to the sun,
like I was in the clouds. My new perspective on the world made the very same scene
look completely different. My newfound altitude provided me a much better grasp of
nature’s splendor.
My whole body began to quiver with emotion. I had always thought that getting a birds
eye view of my surroundings would be awesome. And that was exactly what it had
turned out to be. In fact, the scene that lay before me was even more beautiful than
the one I had imagined.

“Amazing, is it not?” asked Lefi. Her face was decorated with a boastful smile. Yeah, I
can see exactly where she’s coming from. I mean, who wouldn’t want to brag about a
sight like this?

We spent a few moments in silence. The dragon girl allowed me to admire the scenery
for a bit before speaking up while flashing me a provocative grin. “Now follow me,
Yuki. I shall illustrate for you the core concepts of flight and unravel its mysteries. My
sole condition is that you must be able to keep up with my speed.”

“Them be fightin’ words,” I replied. “Listen here, Lefi. I can fly. I’ve finally conquered
the sky. I’ve become one of this world’s most powerful beings, and there’s no longer
anything that can stop me. Not even you!”

“Hah,” Lefi scoffed. “That is absurd. You are still but a fledgling. I shall show you what
it means to truly be one of this world’s mightiest.” Lefi hit the gas the moment she
finished speaking and flew off without so much as even waiting for a reply.

“Wait, hold up!” Likewise, I once again filled my wings with mana and gave chase.

And so, the two of us ventured through the sky and enjoyed ourselves a midair stroll,
albeit one that had a bit of speed to it.
The definition of an adventurer, as I learned it, was a vague one. It denoted the
profession as one consisting of individuals that discovered, sought, and confronted the
unknown. Adventurers accepted all sorts of requests, fulfilled them, and then returned
to their clients for rewards agreed upon at the onset. In some cases, the rewards were
plentiful and generous. Many adventurers had, throughout history, amassed immense
fame and wealth through their actions. Some even went on to become nobles and were
granted pieces of land over which they could lord. Thus, adventuring was a career
often sought by those that dreamt big.

On its own, the term adventurers actually referred to a large and varied group of
people. There were all sorts of different requests for individuals with different skill
sets. But even so, adventurers still fell into three main buckets. The first contained
those that earned their livings by defeating monsters. The second focused more on
gathering resources and materials. The third and final type consisted mostly of
scholars involved with the excavation and examination of ancient ruins.

Regardless of specialization, there was just one thing that remained true of all
adventurers. Every last member of the profession was, at least to some extent, well
versed in the art of combat. Our villages, towns, and cities were safe. But that was it.
Venturing outside a human settlement was never any different from putting a noose
around your neck and stepping atop a stool. Monsters and other non-humans could
be found around any corner. And most were hostile.

Earning a living in such an environment was something that could only be made
possible through a combination of strength and courage. Only the strong could take
down their enemies and protect themselves. And only the brave could continue to
struggle without yielding, even when while looking death right in the eye. Adventurers
that lacked the two aforementioned properties had only two possible fates awaiting
them. The first was to die, to be weeded out by tasks and monsters that they were
unable to handle. And the second was to stagnate, to be forever stuck at the same rank
without any hope of advancement.
But that much was common knowledge. It was just what it meant to be an adventurer.

Of course, specialization was by no means the only manner in which adventurers were
sorted. With it being as important as it was, adventurers were obviously grouped
based off of their combat prowess. There were seven different ranks. In ascending
order of strength, they were bronze, iron, silver, gold, mithril, adamantite, and
orichalcum.

We, my two companions and I, were considered mithril. We could only ever possibly
ascend another two ranks, so it was safe to say that we were quite strong. Individuals
belonging to both the ranks that stood above our own were monstrous in nature.
Adamantite tier adventurers were well known as one man armies, whereas
orichalcum tier adventurers were pretty much on the tier of strategic armaments.
There were as many adventurers out in the world as there were fish in the sea, but
even then, there were rarely any more than a few dozen people amongst the top two
ranks.

Alfyro, the city we were based in, was located in our country’s fringes. There were a
lot of monsters in the area, and therefore lots of experienced adventurers. But in spite
of that, it wasn’t home to any of our orichalcum class coworkers. Most were under the
country’s employ and hidden away except for in times of need. There were a few
adamantite adventurers around, but they were currently out of town on a job. And it
was precisely for that reason that the Adventurers’ Guild, the organisation responsible
for gathering adventurers under their banner, had ended up looking for a party of
mithril ranked adventurers to handle a certain task. My party was free at the time. We
had just gotten back from another job not too long ago, so we happened to be lazing
around the town resting and recuperating. Thus, it was only natural for the
aforementioned task, investigating the Wicked Forest, to fall right into our hands.

The Wicked Forest was home to the strongest monsters in the area surrounding
Alfyro. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the number of monsters the Wicked Forest
contained was through the roof. Its population density was ridiculously high despite
the environment being far too harsh for human life. It was said that any who entered
and attempted to explore the uncharted territory would never return, that thirty
minutes was the longest any normal person could ever survive within it. Stepping into
the Wicked Forest was no different from entering a dog eat dog world. Might was right
within its bounds, and the only laws that applied were those enforced by nature itself.

No adventurer ranked gold or lower was allowed to even enter the region, and even
orichalcum class adventurers were strictly banned from the forest’s inner sanctum.
Anyone that broke any rules related to the Wicked Forest would suffer harsh penalties,
regardless of who they were.

And it was all because of a single monster: the overwhelmingly powerful creature that
lorded over the mountain at the centre of the forest’s deepest depths.

Biological superiority was a trait long associated with dragonkind. Dragons had
always been and would forever remain the world’s most powerful race. The greatest
of them all, the entity that reigned above all other members of its race, was a creature
that appeared in historical texts and legends alike, a living calamity. And thus, it was
denoted The Supreme Dragon.

Calamity class monsters were, in general, capable of ravaging an entire country all on
their own. But the Supreme Dragon was different. To it, crushing one measly country
was barely an achievement. For it had, in the past, destroyed several at once. Every
group sent to subjugate it was completely obliterated. Every attempt on its life was
thwarted. And everything that opposed it was met with brutal retaliation. The
legendary dragon was so much of a threat that it had forced several countries
previously at each other’s throats to form an alliance, one created solely to bring it
down. The combined army that was sent to defeat it numbered a whole three hundred
thousand strong. Historical records from the era testified that there were even many
adamantite and orichalcum adventurers among their ranks. Even so, the army was
defeated. Of the three hundred thousand men that left their homes in a quest for glory
and justice, no more than a thousand returned. All the others had literally been
reduced to ash in a single night.

And that was only one of the tales of which the bards would sing. Many, many more
had been handed down. They testified that the beast could warp the terrain with but
a breath, that the magic it casted matched even the most powerful magus’ trump card,
and it would fling them all over with ease. Every single story concerning the dragon
sounded more like the tale of a natural disaster than it did a living thing. Fortunately,
the creature had little interest in anything but itself. It didn’t care for us humans so
long as we left it alone. And so, the allied forces announced a decree. They stated that
the Supreme Dragon was to be left to its own devices regardless of the circumstance.
A decree still enforced to this very day. There had been over a hundred years since the
Supreme Dragon last saw any human interaction, so there was little knowledge
regarding its intentions. No one knew if it had changed its mind during the many years
it had shut itself in the Wicked Forest’s depths.
Or at least that was how it had been.

It all started rather recently. The almighty legendary beast that rarely left its nest had
been witnessed moving about on more than just a single occasion. Following that
came reports of strange occurrences within the Wicked Forest. Territorial disputes
had started to occur much more often than ever before, and the many monsters that
had been displaced as a result had scattered into the surrounding areas.

At first, the guild wrote the occurrence off as a result of the Supreme Dragon’s actions.
They thought that the greater frequency with which it moved about had scared the
nearby monsters into fleeing further from its domain. But they soon realized that their
assumption was off. Supreme Dragon sighting reports failed to always coincide with
reports centered around changes in monster activity. It was deemed that the two
events weren’t necessarily correlated. The guild instead began to suspect that both the
Supreme Dragon’s actions and the monsters’ actions were instead the cause of a third
party. Something was making the monsters flee. And that same something was causing
change in the Supreme Dragon’s behaviour.

Of course, the monsters that left the forest were the less fit, the ones that found
themselves unable to maintain their hunting grounds and territories. But even so, they
were only weak by the Wicked Forest’s standards. They were still much more powerful
than any of the monsters that lived in the areas surrounding it. So much so, in fact, that
they immediately ascended to the top of the food chain in any environment they
conquered.

Fortunately, monsters had the tendency to prefer areas with more magical particles in
the atmosphere. These areas were the exact opposite of the areas humans preferred,
and thus, very few casualties came as a direct result of the monsters’ movements. Still,
the situation was one in which the guild could not simply sit around and twiddle its
thumbs. There was a need for an investigation.

Risk was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the request’s details. It was a
mission that would put the lives of both me and my party members in danger, one that
I had honestly wanted to refuse. But I chose not to. The guild’s system was set up in
such a way that refusing a direct request from it meant sacrificing one’s reputation.
And more importantly, I felt that the issue was one that simply could not be left
uninvestigated. It was one that could potentially spiral out of control if left unchecked,
and we were the only group that was even potentially up to the task.
With that in my mind, my two party members and I soon found ourselves within the
Wicked Forest…

“What the fuck!? This is bullshit!” screamed Reyus, the party’s scout.

“Shut up and run, you idiot!” I yelled back. “Save your breath if you don’t want to die!”

“I can’t believe it!” added Lurolle, the party’s mage. “The rumours really were true after
all!”

Both Reyus and Lurolle were running as hard as they possibly could. I was following
right behind them, and right behind me was a horned tiger. We could hear entire trees
splinter as easily as would small branches as the beast plowed through one after
another to catch its prey, us, as soon as it possibly could.

Monsters were, in general, grouped into seven different tiers: non-threats, hazards,
menaces, destroyers, disasters, catastrophes, and calamities. Horned tigers fell into
the middle tier, the destroyer tier. It was weak enough for a single adamantite
adventurer to somehow handle on his own, but mithril class adventurers like us
needed a lot more effort to subdue the beast. On average, it took an entire party just
to scrape by with a narrow victory.

It was strong enough to merit folklore had it taken up residence anywhere outside the
Wicked Forest. But with the uncharted region being as ridiculously abnormal as it was,
the tiger wasn’t anything special. That said, its presence still did indicate that
something was amiss.

As mithril ranked adventurers, we had been on expeditions to the Wicked Forest on

many an occasion. And never before on any of those journeys did we ever run into
such a beast only a few hours in. It was far too close to the forest’s edge, meaning that
it had been pushed out of its natural habitat. Further evidence of such a claim could
be garnered just by giving the creature a second glance. The feline was thin,
abnormally thin. It had very clearly failed to eat for several days, and the way it
regarded us made it obvious that it was desperate and impatient. It understood that
it would die from starvation if it allowed us to escape its grasp.

“How’s your MP looking?” I asked the mage as I maneuvered past a tree.

“Sorry Griffa, it isn’t looking good. I’ve still only got less than a tenth!” she replied.

As was mentioned, a party of mithril adventurers would normally come out on top if
forced to fight a beast on the level of a horned tiger. The reason that we were running
from it regardless was because of the precise issue that I had just mentioned: Lurolle’s
MP.

Our mage was out of mana.

The horned tiger wasn’t the only destroyer tier monster that we had encountered thus
far. In fact, we had been fighting monsters equal to it almost nonstop. We were all
exhausted, but our mage had it the worst. She was completely out of mana and we had
already used up all our options. Knowing that the situation might turn sour, we had
brought more supplies than we would have for one of our usual expeditions. But not
even that had been enough for us to engage the Wicked Forest’s denizens without rest.
My mind was plagued with regret. I knew now that I should have chosen to sacrifice
my reputation. The request we were given had turned out far beyond the scope of our
abilities.

“Grrhhh…”

“Woah!” I smashed my foot into the ground and brought my body to a complete stop.
The feline at our backs used some sort of skill and suddenly gained a burst of speed,
one it used to circle around us and block off our intended route of escape. “Damn it. It
looks like we’re going to have to fight.”

I drew my sword and grimaced as I resolved myself for death. But at that exact
moment, the situation changed. I heard a pair of sounds. The first was a sort of
whistling accompanied by a sudden rush of wind. The second, which followed a
moment after the first, was also one I easily recognized. A raw, bloody splat.

The horned tiger that had cornered us only a moment earlier was lying on the ground,
dead. And above it, where it had been only moments prior, towered an even more
powerful monster. The aura it exuded was so overwhelming that just seeing it had
caused me to completely stiffen up.

The creature, the giant wolf, had fur so beautiful I found myself charmed. But
accompanying its glamour were four legs, each thick as a log and constructed purely
of muscle. It was tall too. The creature stood at about the same height as a single story
house, roof and all. Its jaw, which was large enough to swallow any of us whole,
contained sharpened fangs massive enough to induce fear.

Laying eyes on the creature had caused my heart to begin beating like crazy. I was an
experienced adventurer. I had spent much time in the business, honing my senses. And
now, every single one of those senses was telling me that I was no match for the
creature. My fight or flight instinct activated and urged me to flee. But I couldn’t.

I was frozen solid, unable to so much as budge.

It felt like death itself would lower its scythe and tear my head from my shoulders the
moment I so much as blinked. The little bit of willpower that I managed to scrounge
up allowed me to turn my eyes towards the two companions at my side. Like me, they
too were frozen stiff. They could do nothing but watch as the overwhelmingly
powerful creature standing before them did as it pleased.

Fortunately, it cared not for us. Its glance had momentarily fallen upon our forms, but
it soon turned its head away in disinterest. It instead grabbed the tiger it had just killed
with its mouth and left.

All the strength drained from Lurolle’s body; she collapsed onto her butt the moment
the creature vanished from her sights. It was malpractice. We were still in the middle
of the wicked forest. Monsters could appear from anywhere at any time. But though I
wished to scold her, I was none the better. My knees were weak and my palms were
sweaty. I was sure that I would begin to tremble the moment I stopped trying not to.

“W-We’re alive…” Lurolle muttered under her breath as she stared off into the distance.
Her voice was filled with a hint of relief, one that made it seem as if she was still trying
to process the situation that had just unfolded.

“Yeah…” agreed Reyus. “That wolf’s gotta at least be disaster class or somethin’.”

“…That’s not even the worst part,” I said.

“Whaddya mean?”

“The wolf. It was collared. It was wearing a choker with engravings around its neck,
the same type you’d give to a pet dog.”

“What!?” Reyus’ eyes bulged out of their sockets. “You mean to say that thing’s acting
under someone’s orders!?”

I knew exactly how he felt. Seeing the collar had led me to suspect that my eyes had
gone bad. Disaster tier monsters were incredibly powerful. It would normally take an
entire army just to exterminate a single one. Taming them wasn’t supposed to be
possible. I knew for a fact that no human was capable of such a feat. And I doubted that
demihumans or beastkin had the means to do so either. Hell, not even the demons,
mankind’s most detested foes, could pull off anything that ridiculous.

“There’s probably something absolutely absurd living in this forest,” I said.

I had come to a conclusion. Something was terrifying all of the Wicked Forest’s beasts.
That same something had even tamed a disaster tier monster. Even now, it was lurking
within the forest’s depths. And there was no guarantee that it wasn’t watching us at
this very moment.

“We need to get out of here,” I said as a shiver ran down my spine. “As it is now, this
place is way beyond us.”

“Agreed,” said Reyus. “We could be immortal and still not have enough lives for this
shit.”

“Yeah, let’s just leave. I really don’t want to be here,” said Lurolle.

With a unanimous decision made, we retraced our steps at full speed, almost as if to
flee the something that lay within the forest’s depths.
If I had the ability to make only a single comment about flight, then it would be that
the sensations experienced during it felt nothing short of amazing. Taking to the sky
made me feel as if I had become one with the wind, like I had been liberated from my
limits and granted the ability to swim through the great sea of clouds above. And while
I knew that it was more likely than not a result of my mind playing tricks on me, I even
felt as if the sun had started shining upon me with an even greater degree of radiance,
as if it had accepted me and chosen to share with me more of its warmth. It was almost
as if its rays had me in a gentle embrace.

Both wyverns and massive birds had become a part of the natural scenery around me.
And strangely, I related to them. They were just like me, creatures that could soar the
skies and experience its glory. I felt an affinity for them. They were my kind, my people.

Alas, my sentiments were unreciprocated. All sorts of aerial monsters attacked me

regardless of the fact that I had become one of their brethren.

“Hmmm…” I frowned as I wiped the blood of a freshly killed wyvern off my face. “I’m
getting pretty good at this whole flying thing, but I’m still nowhere near good enough.”

Aerial movement no longer felt as foreign to me as it had when I first started out—I
was finally used to it. But there was still a long way for me to go. Seeing Lefi fly had
imprinted in my mind the reason she prided herself as the Supreme Overlord of the
Sky, and why I was still nothing more than another fledgling.

Her arrogance was well deserved. I very vividly recalled the way Lefi looked when she
first descended upon me in her dragon form. The act of landing had been a display of
might, one that was only emphasized by the overwhelming aura radiating off of her
body. There was nothing I could do but endure as she subjected me to her majesty.
Likewise, her human form was also impossible to ignore, albeit for a different reason.
Lefi’s entire flight sequence, as a humanoid, was a thing of beauty. The way the light
sparkled as it reflected off her wings and the way in which she gracefully navigated
through the sky was so breathtaking that it almost gave me the impression that the
sky had been constructed solely to function as a stage to express her magnificence,
that the world was a production and she was its star. So otherworldly and stunning
was her descent that I could have sworn I was gazing upon an angel.

“Oh, there he is!” My thoughts wandered from the dragon girl as I spotted the wolf I
had been looking for throughout my airborne expedition. “Hey, Rir!”

Shouting in Fluffrir’s direction immediately grabbed his attention. He turned towards

me, sat down, and nodded as I landed right beside him. His expression was a calm one.
I never would have realized that he was excited had his tail not been wagging back and
forth. That’s adorable.

“Who’s a good boy? You are! Wait, is it just me, or have you grown a bit? I guess that
must mean you’re eating well. Good for you!” A few lines reminiscent of a mother
whose son was living away from home left my mouth as I started stroking the puppy’s
fur.

It was entirely possible for Rir to sustain himself through the absorption of the
dungeon’s mana, as with all dungeon monsters. He didn’t need to eat. That, however,
didn’t mean that he couldn’t eat. He was able to consume the same things as every
other member of his species. If he so wished, he could even remain outside the
dungeon’s territory and live purely off the meat of whatever poor creatures he
happened to come across.

However, staying away from the dungeon and not consuming its mana was bad for
him. All dungeon monsters would gradually lose their strength if they avoided the
dungeon for too long.

Rir’s orders were to kill monsters, with his primary focus being those that were within
my territory. Having the dungeon consume corpses was second only to having things
die in the dungeon as far as DP income went, but I told Rir that he didn’t have to bother
dragging his kills back within the dungeon’s territory, and that he could eat whatever
he wanted. It felt like it was a tad bit inefficient as far as min-maxing my DP income
went, but I didn’t really mind it all that much. I wasn’t so cruel a master that I would
order the poor woofers to live off of just the dungeon’s mana. I knew that such an
experience would be nothing short of awful, as like all creatures, the wolf was sure to
get sick of eating the same thing day in and day out. Not even someone that really likes
curry can eat curry three times a day every day without going mad. Not unless they’ve
got some sort of eating disorder. Or their taste buds just don’t work the way they should.
But even then, they’d probably get sick of the texture and crave something else.
Of course, the reason I told him that it was specifically okay to eat his kills wasn’t
because I was too lazy to make him anything better, but rather just because monster
meat happened to be tasty as all hell.

Curiosity, being the beast it was, had gotten ahold of me and whispered into my ear
over and over, and over again until I finally gave into the urge to try it. So, knife in hand,
I went through the painstaking process of butchering one of my kills before finally
roasting it above an open flame.

The result? It was so good that it immediately made me think of super high class
marbled beef. It was one of the most delicious, if not the most delicious, things I had
ever eaten despite the fact that I likely botched up the blood draining process on
account of knowing jack shit.

Lefi later informed me that monster flesh being more delicious than the flesh of non-
monsters was a part of this world’s common sense. Monsters were creatures whose
bodies contained magical energy, and that same magical energy would continue to
saturate their flesh even after death, enhancing its flavour.

Learning that bit of knowledge had led to a change in the state of my inventory. I
started shoving countless corpses into the magical item box, one after another, in
hopes of being able to consume them at my leisure. I had so many, in fact, pulling them
all out would have created a stack large enough to be called a mountain. It was still
inferior to the stack Lefi had made just the other day, however. Man, am I glad time
doesn’t tick inside my inventory. I can store as much shit as I want without ever having
to worry about it going bad.

“I’m not really all that familiar with the area we’re headed to, so you’re probably going
to have to show me around. That okay, boy?”

Rir woofed to affirm before turning his side to me and crouching.

“What, you want me to ride you or something?”

While I couldn’t speak wolf, the happy bark I got as a response told me all I needed to
know. “Alright boy, I’ll be glad to take up that offer of yours.”

Following Rir’s prompts, I got onto his back and straddled it to secure myself. He only
got up once he was sure I was firmly on his back.
“Mmkay. I’m ready. LegggooooooOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!? HOOOOOLY
SHIT!”

I was assaulted by an incredible amount of wind pressure as Rir burst into a sprint.
He was so quick that I had to grab ahold of his fur and squeeze down even harder with
my legs if I didn’t want to risk falling off.

“This is fucking awesome! You’re the man, Rir!” I cheered and enjoyed the ride as Rir
carried me deeper into the forest.

Today was supposed to be a bit of a recreation day for Rir and I. I felt as if I hadn’t hung
out with the wolf nearly as much as I should have, so I decided to spend the better part
of the day playing with him.

Of course, playing didn’t necessitate hunting. Or at least it wouldn’t have had I not
wasted most of my DP on Flight. My figurative wallet, which had been fat as a whale,
was now as thin as a tightrope and I wanted to see it refilled. Hunting just so happened
to be an activity that satisfied both the “hang out with Rir” and the “make bank” goals
I had in mind. Its dual purpose led it to be my top choice.

The forest consisted of four major areas, which could each be conveniently attributed
a cardinal direction based on its location relative to the cave that the throne room was
in. North of the cave was what used to be Lefi’s domain. It was more or less devoid of
monsters. Their fear of her had caused basically everything notable to vacate the area.

Opposite her former home lay the area in which I focused my dungeon’s expansions.
Unlike the northern region, the southern one contained many monsters. That said,
they were extremely weak, and even I found myself exterminating them en masse with
ease, despite knowing little to nothing about martial arts.

The eastern region was the most average of the bunch. The monsters that showed up
there weren’t particularly weak, but they weren’t particularly strong either. A few
tougher ones did show up every now and again, but it wasn’t anything too far off the
deep end. The eastern region was the best match for me given my current skills. If I
were to train with the intention of growing stronger, then the eastern region would be
the best possible choice.

Finally, there was the west. Unlike the other three regions, the western region was
rather dangerous. Most of the monsters were too powerful for me to handle in my
current state. It was so strikingly obvious that I could tell with just a glance. Even its
weaker monsters were a good bit stronger than the ones in the eastern region. I only
ever ventured west with Lefi in tow. It wasn’t safe otherwise.

Though with that said, the regions were only loosely defined. Their definitions weren’t
strict by any means, and both the east and west contained monsters that could totally
obliterate me without a second thought. Fortunately, I had to go fairly far in either
direction in order to run into anything that powerful.

Lefi had warned me not to venture too far since I was still weak, and I did take her
warning to heart, but it had also inspired in me a spark of curiosity. Half of me was
extremely curious and wanted to go check it out, but the other half bitched and
screamed about how awful and terrifying an idea it was.

Most of my DP had naturally come from monsters that lay to the dungeon’s south.
Keyword: had. It seemed that Rir and I had accidentally hunted a few too many
monsters and kinda sorta maybe damaged the whole region’s ecosystem. Just a bit.

As a result, all the monsters that lived in the area immediately south of the dungeon
had migrated further south in an attempt to escape our hunting grounds. They, in turn,
displaced the monsters that used to live within their new territory, and so on, and so
forth. In other words, many of the monsters that lived in my domain ended up moving
outside of it, thereby reducing the amount of DP I passively gained on a daily basis.

Venturing further south myself was of course an option, but I decided against it. I felt
as if it made more sense to pull out of the south and hunt elsewhere until the southern
ecosystem fixed itself, hence why Rir and I were headed east instead. I might as well
use this as an opportunity to start expanding the dungeon eastwards while we’re at it.

“Horned tiger spotted.” A little bit of exploring and a few corpses later, Rir and I
chanced upon a creature that basically looked like a tiger with a unicorn’s horn
protruding from its forehead. The oversized cat promptly started to growl as it caught
wind of Rir’s presence.

My wolf, however, was the only thing it had detected. The soon to be dead kitty had
yet to spot me, in part because I was no longer on the Fenrir’s back.
Horned tigers appeared ferocious and deadly, but they were far from it. They were
slow and their attacks contained next to no power. I wasn’t even the slightest bit afraid
of them. In fact, I saw them as less of a threat than the massive bunnies that roamed
the forest. Giftig rabbits and horned tigers were quite similar in the respect that they
were roughly the same size and equally durable. However, unlike horned tigers, giftig
rabbits were actually threatening. They were extremely quick on their feet. Their core
strategy consisted of darting about until their foe lost sight of them before closing in
and delivering a fatal blow with fangs coated in a deadly poison. Calling that shit deadly
might even be an understatement.

I had once witnessed a giftig rabbit bite something ten times its size. Frankly, it was
quite the terrifying sight to behold. The limb it bit had changed colours in less than
ten seconds, and the whole creature had died in less than thirty. Yeah, at this point, I’d
say I’m pretty confident in my assumption that specialized fighters are much more
difficult to deal with than generalists. Anyway, enough about rabbits for now. Focus,
Yuki. Focus. This next bombing run won’t be any fun if you let yourself get distracted.

Discarding my rabbit-related thoughts, I lifted my sword and dove. I let gravity take
control as I plummeted straight towards the horned tiger in my sights. The moment I
passed the orange ass son of a bitch by, I swung my blade and smashed its skull. R. I. P.
Kitty cat.

There was a violent bloodsplosion of brain and flesh as the tiger, which remained
unaware of me to the very end, fell over and died. Again, I had successfully executed
the strategy that Rir and I had devised just a bit earlier. Not that it actually deserves to
be called a strategy, but whatever.

All the “strategy” consisted of was having Rir bait out a target while I used Stealth to
rise into the air and then suddenly descend and blow its head to bits. The wolf would
ensure that everything went well by using Everchanging Chains to bind the target in
place in the case that it noticed me prior to the completion of my descent.

Though I was now happily going along with gravity’s whims, diving headfirst into the
ground was in fact not a part of the original plan. I was supposed to be slowly gliding
down and sneaking up on my foes instead of showing them how it felt to be involved
in a car accident, but experiencing Rir’s racecar-like speed had made me thirst for it.
My mind, thrown off by adrenaline, had somehow managed to come up with the
brilliant idea of diving into the ground and not slowing down until the moment before
I landed.
While I was by no means as skilled a flier as Lefi, I felt as if I would still be able to pull
it off, which somehow led to the conclusion that I should man up and give it a try. And
so, I ended up descending as would a payload from a high flying bomber.

Naturally, my attempt at slowing down and landing totally failed. In fact, I wasn’t even
able to alter my speed before I hit the ground. Rir panicked a bit upon the “technique’s”
inception. The mix of shock and worry on his face at the time was quite the sight to
behold. To be honest, I almost shat myself back then too. Totes thought I was gonna die.

Fortunately, my body was that of a demon lord’s. It was so resilient that the fall didn’t
so much as drain a single point of my hp. I got off completely scot-free. And the
moment I came to that realization was also the moment I completely chucked the
concept of hitting the brakes out the window. I let gravity take control and became a
single bullet, a tool constructed purely to inflict damage and cause destruction.

The “technique” was an embodiment of brute force, one made possible through my
body’s specs and my body’s specs alone. That, however, wasn’t why I continued to
reproduce it. I didn’t really care for showing off.

All I wanted to do was have fun.

I had always been the type to love amusement parks, specifically the rides designed to
make you scream. Actually, now that I think about it, I could totally turn this into an
attraction and spin a fuckton of profit. I’d probably need to find it something to give it
critical acclaim for that, though. I wonder what that ad would sound like? “Spread your
wings: a fun, family friendly free fall! Try it now and get your review featured in our
limited edition pamphlet!” Heh.

“Oh god damn it… Not another one.” As I was patting the blood, dust, and gore off me
with one hand, I looked at the other and realized that my sword was missing its blade.
The sharpened part of the weapon had snapped right off its grip. Yeah, this is a
problem. I really need to do something about my whole weapon situation.

I contemplated my options while adding the area I was in to the dungeon’s territory.
I’ve still got that gun, but it takes a while to reload. I mean, it works for a good trump
card, but I still need some sort of main weapon.

As much as I wanted to use them, swords were no good. They just didn’t cut it. I’m not
sure if it’s me or them, but for some odd reason, swords and I just can’t work well
together. They don’t really feel all that natural and I’ve already destroyed quite a few
more than I’m willing to admit.

While I couldn’t deny that my lack of knowledge and skill had played into it, I felt as if
swords were far too fragile for me. I couldn’t draw out all my power unless I made use
of a sturdier weapon. They also weren’t as easy to handle as I had expected. But I
dunno what else I’m supposed to be using… Actually, you know what? Fuck it.

I purchased a literal bar of iron from the catalogue and holstered it over my shoulder.
I mean. It’s at least kinda weapon shaped, so it should work. Besides, it’s not like I was
actually using the sword to cut stuff anyway, so why not, right? A metal rod is more of a
blunt weapon than a sword is, so it might even be more effective, the way I’m using it.

And so, Rir and I went around looking for more prey. The poor wolf’s expression
distorted each time I ended a creature’s life. It was clear that he was starting to pity
our foes, or at least their butchered remains.
“Oh shit!” I shouted out of reflex as I swerved my face to the side to dodge a wad of
acid. “Hooooly crap, that almost got me!”

The yellowish green liquid flew right past my face and hit a nearby tree. The
unfortunate plant was killed by the attack in an instant. Half its trunk was immediately
turned to goop. The other half was unable to support its own weight, so it snapped
and collapsed. Oh god. That could’ve been my face.

Rir and I were in the midst of a desperate escape. Behind us followed a veritable army
group of ants. Massive, gigantic, oversized ants. Every single specimen was at least the
size of the average dog.

And when I said an army, I meant an army. There were so many of the carapace-clad,
six legged freaks that the thought of counting them didn’t even cross my mind. It was
a fool’s errand, one that I really didn’t want to bother wasting my time with. The wave
of insectoid bodies almost seemed to swallow the scene behind us as they gave chase.
Some were on the ground, others were in the air, but either way, they almost seemed
to pollute the environment with their sheer numbers. It was a disgusting sight to
behold. There were so many creepy crawlies that I started to get goosebumps.

It hadn’t started this way. At first, there had only been a few. They were rather weak,
so I thought them easy prey. But a second, slightly larger group showed up almost right
as we defeated the first. And then a third, and so on and so forth. I hadn’t thought much
of it at the time.

My naivety had gotten the better of me.

Every time I killed one, several others came to take its place. That, in and of itself,
wasn’t a problem. I expected to be able to slaughter them all eventually. But the
eventuality I expected never happened. Their numbers never diminished no matter
how long we fought. Before long, Rir and I found ourselves overwhelmed with a force
far outside our expectations, so we fled.

Only to encounter another problem.

Rir was fast. He was more of a sprinter than he was an endurance runner, but he was
still a fenrir. His speed was undoubtable. If he were to race against most other
monsters, he would likely reach the goal before they even left the start zone. But,
despite his outstanding speed, Rir was unable to escape the ants.

They were still right on his tail.

“Hey uh, you sure I shouldn’t get off!?” I was well aware that I was slowing the large
wolf down, but he responded with a growl as if to tell me that my concern was
unnecessary. He and I both knew that he was faster than me. And since the ants had
fliers among them, I was sure to be swarmed, torn to bits, and devoured if I didn’t
remain on the wolf’s back. The thought made me shudder. Oh god. Why the hell did I
have to go and imagine that? Ugh…

“A-Alright.” I shook my head a bit to ward off the scene created by my imagination
before spinning around while still on Rir’s back. Evidently, the young fenrir was
prepared to carry me for as long as he was capable even if it meant his death. As his
master, I’m not about to just idly sit by and let him be the only one to act like a man.
“Then I guess I might as well give it everything I got.”

I was now facing the incoming army, but that, in and of itself, didn’t actually free up
too many options. My gun was out of ammo, and the iron rod I had in my hand was
well… an ordinary iron rod. Unlike Sun Wukong’s Ruyi Jingu Bang, it couldn’t suddenly
extend and allow me to strike the enemy’s army in just a single fell swoop. Though I
wish it did. That’d make this easy.

Let’s see… Yeah, uh, looks like I’m pretty much all out of options. Welp. Magic time, I
guess. I had yet to use magic in a real battle, but I was fairly confident that there
wouldn’t be any undesired surprises. Granny’s always told me that everything would
work out as long as I believe in myself. Not that I’ve got a granny. Topkek.

After making my decision, I immediately kneaded my mana and cast the spell that I
had spent the better part of the last few days practicing. Three massive oriental
dragons materialized around me. Their long serpentine forms were constructed of
water. Specifically hot water around the same temperature you’d have it at when filling
a bathtub, but that part’s not important.

Their clear, distinct forms served to evidence that my imagination was becoming more
vivid. Wait, doesn’t that just mean that I’m getting more delusional? Fuck. Feelsbadman.

“Take this, you assholes!” I shrugged off my laments and had all three dragons assault
the incoming army. They shot through the air like bolts of lightning and swallowed
many an ant whole.

Although it didn’t look it, the deadly spell I casted was rather simple in nature. The
dragons would swallow their targets and then coil up. The high speed currents
running inside of them would swirl about to prevent the targets from escaping while
also functioning like pressure cutters. I even mixed a bit of sand into the water to give
it extra grit, and therefore power. Those that the pressure based blades failed to slice
to bits would be held within the powerful currents until they drowned.

If I had to be completely honest, there was no logic behind the spell’s shape. It simply
looked the way it did because I liked the aesthetic. You know what? I need to show this
spell to Lefi. She told me to do exactly that if I came up with anything so she could judge
it, and I’m pretty sure she’ll give me full points given the way it looks. I mean, it’s both
artsy and badass as fuck. What could possibly go wrong?

The dragons did their job and shredded a large number of ants as I sat on Rir’s back,
lost in thought. Seeing that, I crossed my arms and began to haughtily laugh.

“Mwahahahaha! Take that, insects! Fall! Fall b-before…” My eyes went wide as the ants
that hadn’t been caught in the spell began a counterattack by blasting corrosive acid
in my direction. “Fuck! Oh god, I’m sorry! I’M SORRY!!”

Unable to contain myself, I began to scream and apologize vehemently, but to no avail.
The discoloured, formic-acid like attacks kept coming right at us.

“You know what? Fuck you! You assholes are just ants! Ants! You ain’t got shit!”

I continued creating water dragons and firing them at the incoming swarm. Although
my position seemed favourable, it wasn’t by any means. My spells were working
exactly as intended, but I was most likely going to run out of mana before I managed
to eliminate them all. There were just too many of them.

Magic was supposed to be more versatile and adaptable, but I had failed to practice
anything but the one spell that I had been using nonstop. I didn’t have the means or
experience to cope with the situation. Shit. I would’ve spent more time expanding my
repertoire if I knew this was going to happen. God damn it, what do I do? Do I have
anything to slow them down? Wait! Yes, I do!

I reached into my inventory and grabbed a monster corpse, which I promptly chucked
right at the mob. I repeated the action several times even though I felt it a waste of
good food. At first, the ants avoided the projectiles, but stopped upon identifying them.
They instead started to swarm the previous meat and gorge themselves with it. Uhhh…
That was a bit more effective than I was expecting it to be. Really didn’t think they’d stop
entirely.

“T-totally calculated,” I stuttered. “Let’s go, Rir. We need to get ourselves the fuck outta
here.”

Having seen through my bluff, the large white wolf put on the canine equivalent to a
wry smile before evacuating the area.

“Whew…” Only after losing sight of the ants did I finally breathe a sigh of relief. “Holy
shit, that was exhausting. Why don’t we call it a day.”

“Woof.”

“Yeah, you too. You did real good out there, boy.”

“Ruff?”

“You know what, yeah? I would appreciate if you brought me all the way back to the
cave. You know what? You might as well stay the night while you’re at it.” I paused for
a moment to stretch the stiffness out of my shoulders. “Man, those ants. I swear, there
were enough of the goddamned things to traumatize a guy for life.”

“Woof?”

“Good point. There probably was an anthill nearby.”

I put a hand to my chin as I recalled the anthills that I’d seen on TV back in Japan. They
were easily the same height as the average person even though the ants that inhabited
them were tiny. Which means those giant ass ants we were dealing with just now
probably live in a literal mountain or something. Actually, thinking along those lines,
finding it and making the area a part of the dungeon would probably net me mad bank.
But uhhhhh… yeah no. I don’t think I’ll ever be going there again.

While I didn’t particularly hate bugs, the sheer number of them had left my skin
riddled with goosebumps. I was so terrified of the giant ass ants in particular that I
almost wanted to start ranting on and on about how the world would be a much better
place if all insects suddenly ceased to exist. Man, thinking back on it, you know who
gets chased by giant fucking bugs all the time? Indi*na Jones. After experiencing it myself,
man, I respect the hell outta the guy. He’s gotta have balls of steel to stay sane after all
that shit.

“I’m really going to have to work on expanding my arsenal though…” I continued to

think as Rir gently carried me home. I need more weaponry. I’ve been managing with
basically just my stats so far, but as all those annoying ass bugs have proven, I’m still a
few steps away from having all my bases covered. Really going to need something to deal
with massive swarms of enemies if I don’t want to die. Magic is nice and all, so I’ll be
working on that, but I should probably look into other stuff too. Yeah, you know what?
I’ll make sure I sink a good bit of time into finding something I can work with in the short
term.

I ended up showing Lefi the water dragon spell I had developed a few days later.

“…Yuki, I’ve a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Is there a particular reason for which you have forged the spell in a dragon’s image?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Your preferences are…” Lefi took a moment to find the right word to describe how
she was feeling. “Quite bizarre.”

Yeah… Can’t really say she’s wrong there.

Hunting with Rir had led me to a pretty significant realization. While I was a Demon
Lord, and had all the strength to back my title, I didn’t have any sort of tool that let me
demonstrate said strength to its fullest extent; I still lacked a weapon. I’ve been using
a sword so far, mostly just ‘cause that’s what people who get taken to other worlds tend
to do in novels and stuff, but they don’t actually work for me. Hmm… I guess I’ll just look
through the catalogue and see if I can find anything decent.

I sat atop the throne with my legs crossed and my chin propped up by my left arm, as
I usually did while racking my brain. Most of the items listed in it were swords.
Probably because they’re so orthodox. I’d only ever bought cheap blades for myself thus
far. It was possible that I wouldn’t have so much trouble with them if I bought
something a bit more expensive, but there was no guarantee that even a higher quality
product would suit my needs. Naturally, purchasing and trying each and every single
one was out of the question. That would basically just be a huge waste of resources.

Spears, bows, katanas, and many other weapons were in the catalogue, but none quite
seemed to fit my needs for the exact same reason I couldn’t use a sword. They didn’t
appear durable enough to withstand the full brunt of my power. Traditional weapons
aside, there were even full blown embodiments of badassery, like steel threads for
example, but I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t be able to use them either. I’ve got some
pretty good dex, which implies I should be hella good with my hands, but apparently dex
doesn’t actually apply to weapon usage…

My good friend the iron bar had actually worked out surprisingly well. It was easy to
use. There wasn’t really any finesse or technique involved in handling the effective
stick; all I had to do to hurt something with it was to give my target a good old smack.
I guess I should probably get a blunt weapon then. Something that relies mostly on brute
force. Oh, I guess I could do a club. That actually sounds pretty good.

…Wait a second. What kind of demon lord uses a club? That’s lame as hell. Let’s not. I
shifted my posture a bit as I approached the problem from a different direction. I want
to use something more… iconic. I need a weapon that makes me feel more like a final
boss in a JRPG. Whatever I use needs to be badass as fuck. Wait. What do final bosses use
anyways? Swords? Nah, not really. Hell, most of them aren’t even human shaped. Wait!
That’s it! I could just find myself a skill that lets me transform into some giant ass
monster! Yeah! That could be fun. I’ve always wanted to roar at people. Wait wait wait.
God damn it, Yuki. Stop that. Get ahold of yourself. You need to take this more seriously.

After a bit more brooding, I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to be able to
use anything that relied heavily on technical skill. I needed a weapon that delivered
fatal blows. Its strikes needed to be heavy enough to smash my targets to bits. In
M*nster Hunter terms, I’d probably want something more like a greatsword or hammer
than twinblades or anything one handed.

Wait. That’s an idea. I could just use a greatsword! I began browsing the catalogue with
vigour immediately after coming to the conclusion. Greatswords were technically still
swords, so my Sword Art skill wouldn’t go to waste. They were also heavier than iron
bars and therefore could put out a larger amount of force.

Most important, however, was the fact that they were badass as fuck. Training is a huge
pain. Cool weapons can really help me walk the extra mile since they make it easier for
me to motivate myself to keep trying. Yup. Totally legit reason. I definitely don’t just want
a cool weapon because I’m immature. Nope. Not at all.

There were several listed in the catalogue with some being much more expensive than
the others. Unfortunately, I had just splurged on Flight. I didn’t have all that much DP
on hand, so I picked the most expensive one I could afford.

I grabbed the weapon by the handle and started examining it in more detail the
moment it materialized.

“So you finally discarded those toys of yours and sought a more potent weapon?” asked
Lefi. Her tone was triumphant, but not because of anything I had done. The dragon
had just beat our resident vampire at Othello, and was in high spirits as a result. She’s
probably only that happy ‘cause she’s never managed to beat me. Heh.

“Don’t you worry. One day, my swordplay will be good enough to take a scale or two
off of you, even in your dragon form.”

“A bold claim.” A fearless grin appeared on Lefi’s face. “I pride my scales in their
durability, for they are harder than even divine steel. I do look forward to the day you
become capable of damaging them.”

The fact that she seemed to think my claim a total bluff had me a bit miffed, but I shook
it off and went back to looking at the two handed blade. This thing sure is light…

I didn’t need to swing the blade to know that it lacked the weight I desired. It was
obviously significantly heavier than the literal iron bar I had resorted to using, but it
still wasn’t enough. I need something that actually feels heavy in my hands. Something
with so much weight that it can smash right through a boulder.

Despite never having been able to even so much as do a handstand in my past life, I
was now able to swing my own body weight around with ease. How do I put this… the
blade’s too thin. I was expecting something as fat as the stuff you find in Monster H*nter,
something with a blade as thick and wide as my waist. This thing is more like a claymore
or zweihander than a Monst*r Hunter style greatsword. It’d probably snap right in half
if I smashed it against a boulder. Though, that’s kinda fair since it probably wasn’t made
with smashing boulders in mind.

Wait! That’s it! I get it now. This thing wasn’t made with demon lords in mind. It was
made for a human. Greatswords were large, heavy weapons. And as a result, they were
hard, very hard to use. Hence, with human ingenuity being what it was, blacksmiths
and other artisans had worked to develop them to be as light as possible such that
they could be even the slightest bit less unwieldy.

In other words, the blade I was holding in my hand had been refined such that it was
exactly the opposite of what I was looking for.

There were several higher quality weapons sitting around in the shop, but even the
cheapest amongst them were two to three orders of magnitude more expensive than
the blade I had in hand. I couldn’t afford them, and naturally, looking for something
cheaper wasn’t going to help either. Actually, wait. I could’ve sworn that I saw just the
right skill for this type of situation just the other day.

I scrolled through the catalogue and eventually found the skill I was looking for. Its
name was Weapon Transmutation. And according to its description, it was capable of
turning materials into weapons. All I needed to do was run my mana through the
materials while envisioning the form I wanted the final product to have. The quality
of weapon it created was based on the clarity of my mental image of it, the amount of
mana I put into it, and the quality of the raw materials used.

Apparently, leveling the skill allowed it to produce higher quality weapons without
the need for as many materials or an excessive amount of magical energy. Heh. If there
ain’t any weapons that fit me, then I’ll just make one myself. All I need to do is become
the sole Demon Lord capable of anything and everything, The Demon Lord of Creativity.
All I need to do is become the sole Demon Lord capable of anything and everything, The
Demon Lord of creativity. Aw hell yeah, that sounds badass as fuck. I’ll open up a brand
new path for all Demon Lords to come. I shall show them that it would only be right for
them to follow in my footsteps!

The most important tool in fulfilling my newfound ambition would be none other than
Weapon Transmutation. Fortunately, I had everything I needed to make good use of
the ability. Iron wasn’t all that difficult for me to obtain. All I needed to do to get my
hands on it was literally buy it off the catalogue. Likewise, I was also able to easily
fulfill the other requirement, the ability to form concrete images within my mind.
Practicing magic had led me to become much more skilled in the art of delusion. Even
Lefi’s given me the thumbs up and told me that my ability to cast spells is at least above
average. I’m confident I’ll be able to churn out something decent.

Truth be told, weapon transmutation was not the only skill that had caught my eye.
Enchant had done the same. The skill’s effects did exactly the same thing it described.
It allowed me to imbue a weapon with magic-based techniques. Magic-based
techniques were similar to magic, but of a different vein. Their effects were driven by
logic as opposed to the power of one’s imagination. As a result, scholars and other
academics cared more for magic-based techniques than they did magic itself. According
to Lefi, anyway.

To be more specific, Enchant was capable of enhancing items with magical effects by
engraving them with magic circuits. I was capable of engraving both the circuits
provided by the spell as well as any that I happened to know. The former of the two
categories would be expanded upon each time the skill gained a level. At level one, it
only came with a pair of seemingly worthless skills: Lesser Spell Range Boost and
Lesser MP Cost Reduction. Yeahhh, I should probably take some time to learn myself a
few magic circuits.

The number of circuits an item could hold and the effectiveness of each was dependant
on three factors: the size of the item, the shape of the item, and most importantly, the
quality of the item. Of course, quality denoted the literal quality. Better made items
were far more suited for enchantment than poorly made ones. However, the individual
qualities associated with the base materials also played a role. For example, an item
made of mithril would be far more suitable for magical enhancements than an
otherwise identical one made of iron. Unlike Iron, Mithril was a substance that
naturally overflowed with magical energy. Thus, it would result in greater
compatibility with magical enhancements. Any magical enhancements engraved into
it would also be more powerful than those engraved into the identical iron weapon.

Huh. Those two level one enchantments don’t really amount to much, but they honestly
don’t look all that shabby. That little bit of extra oomph they give might make a
difference in a fight. And I was kind of planning to learn more magic anyway. Might as
well, right?

Contemplating the two circuits the skill came with sparked a thought: I wanted to
enhance my weapons. I wanted to enchant each to have more devastating effects than
the last. I wanted to ultimately end up with some sort of endgame weapon with all
sorts of different special effects plastered onto it. Just like in RPGs. That thought in
mind, I immediately hit the purchase button and learned both Enchant and Weapon
Transmutation, after which I immediately glanced at my stat page.

General Information
Name: Yuki
Race: Archdemon
Class: Demon Lord
Level: 32
HP: 2511/2511
MP: 7180/7180
Strength: 713
Stamina: 744
Agility: 652
Magic: 992
Dexterity: 1310
Luck: 72
Skill Points: 3
Unique Skills
Magic Eye
Translation
Flight
Skills
Item Box
Analyze VIII
Martial Arts IV
Primordial Magic IV
Stealth V
Enemy Detection IV
Sword Arts I
Weapon Transmutation I
Enchant I
Titles
Demon Lord from Another World
Supreme Dragon’s Owner
DP: 32041

Woo! Looks like I succeeded in learning both.

My level had gone up quite a bit since I last looked. And all my stats, luck included, had
risen accordingly. Oh thank god. I’m so glad my luck actually does rise every once in a
while. Man, I was worried it was going to be stuck at 70 forever.

The reason I only had three skill points remaining was because I had thrown
everything I had into Analyze. I’d long since decided to invest in the skill until it was
max, given how useful it was. My ultimate goal was to have it show me Lefi’s stats. It’s
already level eight, but I still can’t see shit. God damn. Why d-WAIT A SECOND! What’s
with that weird ass title!?

I slid my finger over the title in question and gave it a quick tap in order to check over
its details.

Supreme Dragon’s Owner: A title granted to the individual fearless enough to tame the
dragon that reigns supreme over all else.

I blinked a few times as I stared the description down. So uh… The hell did I do to
deserve this? Hmm… I mean I guess I did basically feed her until she got used to me, which
is what people do to tame wild animals. So I mean, it isn’t really wrong, but… She’d
totally kill me if she found out I was basically treating her like a pet. I could totally see
her throwing a fit and stamping her feet in anger.

Speaking of titles, Lefi had totally seen the title indicating that I had come from
another world, but she didn’t pay it much heed. I even tried pointing it out to her by
telling her that I hadn’t started off as one of this world’s denizens, but again, she hadn’t
really reacted. She had basically just brushed me off with a disinterested grunt. It
didn’t really seem like she cared.

While it wasn’t possible for me to declare that I didn’t have any regrets about leaving
Japan behind me, I really didn’t care all that much either. My death back there was a
fact. It, like everything else that had ever happened to me, was already all in the past.
Living life as a Demon Lord was fun, after all, and enjoying the moment was what
mattered. I had long ago decided that whatever world I was in would be the world I
belonged to. And that was that. That resolution alone would never change. And that’s
why… it’s okay for me to put my past, my old life, behind me. Anyway, moving on. It’s time
to use me some skills! Woo!

First thing’s first, I decided to go for a trial run in order to get a better feel for the way
the skill worked. I used a bit of DP and bought myself a fist sized iron ingot. Kinda a
bit late to be asking since I’ve already gone ahead and bought the damn thing, but what
the hell’s this doing in the catalogue anyway? Damned thing has got more variety than
a variety store.

“I see that you are doing something strange again, Yuki,” said Lefi, as she wandered over.

“Are you going to show us a new magic trick?” added Illuna. The younger of the two
girls had just lost to Lefi in Othello, so she had puffed up her cheeks at the dragon in a
childish expression of indignance, but that had all changed the moment she noticed
that I was about to do something. She, like her Othello partner, had curiously started
walking towards me.

“Uhhh… kinda, but not really,” I said. “And Lefi, how about you don’t try to make it
sound like I do weird shit all the time?”

Like, come on! All I ever do is test whether or not certain things are actually possible.

“Anyway, you guys are free to look all you want, but honestly, it probably ain’t gonna
be that fun to watch.”

Seeing the two monster girls’ expressions brought a wry smile to my face. The vampire
girl’s eyes were brimming with curiosity. She couldn’t wait to see what I had in store.
Likewise, the dragon girl was equally invested in my actions. She tried to feign
disinterest by calling me weird, but she was definitely every bit as curious as Illuna.

My first product was going to be a dagger. The image I had in my head was that of an
army knife. Specifically, the type that typically had everything from handle to blade
made entirely of stainless steel. Its form was easy for me to imagine. All I had to do
was recall the days I used to play first person shooters. The knife I had in mind was
exactly the one I always used for close quarters combat.

Magical energy flowed into the ingot as I sharpened my image of the weapon. Only
after said energy evened out did I finally activate the skill. The raw material began to
morph. It moved in an eerie, disturbing fashion, almost like a creature with a mind of
its own, as it took on the form of the dagger I had in mind. Eugh… that’s gross.

“Hmmm… Not bad.” I nodded as I looked over the completed product. It looked exactly
as I had imagined it. The blade, which was nice, thick, and meaty, sat at the comfortable
length of twelve centimetres. Every bit of it was made purely of iron. The only problem
I had with it was that the grip was a bit edgy. I should probably wrap some sort of rope
or something around it later.

Opening the item box, I pulled out a random piece of monster meat and sliced at it in
order to test the knife’s edge. The motion was smooth; the knife slid right through my
test target without any noteworthy resistance. Wow, this blade seems pretty tough. I
didn’t cast or forge it, so I was thinking it might be kinda brittle. But guess not. How’s
that work?

I suspected that the answer to my question was that the magical energy somehow
operated alongside the molecules within the iron in order to manipulate it, but of
course, that was just a random conjecture. Anyway, enough of that. Let’s analyze this
thing and check it out.

Demon Lord’s Dagger: A dagger crafted by a Demon Lord by the name of Yuki. It
doesn’t have a name. Quality: B-
Analyze shows quality now? That’s neat. Pouring so many points into it has really paid
off. For some reason that not even I was able to explain, I somehow knew that an item
with a quality rating of B- was fairly decent, and that it was worth roughly a thousand
yen more than the average knife. Though, I guess that doesn’t really make much sense,
does it? Yeah, iunno. Not even I can make much sense out of what that means, and I’m
the one that’s somehow sensing it.

My first attempt at creating a weapon had proven successful. According to Weapon

Transmutation, it had to do with my dexterity stat. The higher the caster’s dexterity,
the higher the quality of the good produced. Heh, nice to see that overinflated dex stat
I’ve got is finally proving itself useful. I swear the damned thing’s just been sitting there
doing nothing up until now.

A confident smirk showed itself on my face as I turned towards the (imaginary) demon
lords learning from my example. Now listen up, maggots! If you girls want to become
real men, real Demon Lords of Creativity, then you’ve gotta invest heavily in dex! That’s
a firm rule, boys! No questions or rebuttals.

“How interesting,” said Lefi, as she focused her gaze on the newly crafted knife. “I see
that you have casted one of the blacksmithing magics used by the mountain people to
create a weapon. I admit, it does appear rather well made.”

“Wow Yuki!” added Illuna. “You can do anything! You can make all sorts of cool stuff,
and you can even cook! You’re so cool! You’re just like a mom!”

Uhh… I mean, I know that’s a compliment, but I’m really not sure how I’m supposed to feel
right about now.

“Heh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. That was just a test run. This time, I’ll go all out and
make something even better.”

I opened the catalogue again and bought a second iron ingot, one that weighed about
ten kilograms. I wanted to work with mithril instead, but I couldn’t afford it. ‘Kay. I’ve
got the gist of this whole Weapon Transmutation thing. Time to make myself a real weapon.

The plan was for my second weapon to be a larger, double edged version of the first.
Wait a second. The effectiveness of any magical circuits created through Enchant depend
on the shape of the weapon, right? I guess that means I should probably make it all flowy
and streamlined and stuff, since I’m going to be casting a lot of water magic. What if… I
made it look like a drop of water? Yeah, that could be cool.

And so, I followed my heart and created the exact item I had just described.

“…” I was rendered speechless by the “greatsword” that lay in my hands. Though iron
had been the only thing used in its creation, the resulting weapon was tinted with a
dim shade of blue. I looked at its handle and traced my eyes along it to find the “blade,”
which looked… exactly like a drop of water. A fat, stubby drop of water.

“Wow! It looks just like Shii!”

Illuna was spot on. The blade bore a striking resemblance to our resident slime.

“…And what would that be?” asked Lefi, in a totally serious tone of voice.

“A uh… weapon. Yeah, a weapon.”

“Intriguing. Could you explain to me the method by which you intend to use it?”

“Uhhh… well… first, you grab it by the grip. And then you see the part that has all those
like… watery markings on it? Yeah, you use that to just smash stuff. Yeah.”

“I see,” nodded the dragon girl. “I do admit, it appears quite powerful.”

Wat? How? I. Really? What?

I felt the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Thank god I didn’t use any mithril on this.
Would’ve been heartbreaking to waste so much DP on what ended up as an oversized
piece of junk. Oh man, it would’ve taken forever to recoup the cost.

“A-Anyway, whatever. Moving on.”

I once again began scrolling through the catalogue and reached for the button to
purchase a hefty chunk of iron, but stopped myself right before I did. Wait! I still had
that one thing!

Instead of buying another ingot, I instead opened up my inventory and grabbed one
of the black pointy things I had lying around inside of it. A single glance was all that
was needed to immediately identify the object as a horn. Specifically, it was one I’d
looted off a monster that was basically just a rhinoceros beetle the size of a car. The
beetle had torn up massive trees with said horn with ease. And upon killing it, I’d
obviously ripped it off the monster’s corpse because it had seemed like a handy thing
to have around.

Observing the horn again reminded me that it was of a decent size and had a fair
amount of weight to it. It was obviously far harder than wood given its ability to tear
right through the trunks of trees. Which means it’s pretty much the perfect material for
a greatsword!

I had been using iron because I assumed it was the standard material used in weapons,
but according to the part of my brain that knew a lot more about Monster H*nter than
was otherwise necessary, there was no problem with making use of the horn. Alright
Yuki, enough of that. Focus. No more random bullshit, no more whims. Just focus. All you
need to do is make something simple. Sharp. Decently heavy. That’s it. Don’t bother
overcomplicating the blade’s shape either. All you need is for it to have a grip and be
double edged.

Two thirds of my remaining magical energy flowed into the horn as I sharpened the
mental image of the weapon I wished to produce. The mana cost was only as high as
it was because the horn was a far better material than the iron ingots I’d been using
to date.

And so, after most of my mana had been drained, I finally activated the skill. I
happened to see Lefi approach me with a huge grin plastered all over her face the
moment I did. She moved right beside me and whispered into my ear. “F. L. O. W. E. R.”

Wait what? Flower?

“HOLD UP! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!?”

The skill had activated and crafted a weapon based on the image I had in mind. From
the sword’s grip extended a blade, or rather, a stalk. A stalk with a flower blossoming
atop it.

Analyzing it produced the follow menu page.

Demon Lord’s Greatsword: A beautiful weapon crafted by a Demon Lord by the name
of Yuki. A flower blossoms from its tip. Quality: A-
My thoughts had been interrupted at the last second; Lefi had made me suddenly think
of a flower near the very end of the transmutation process. And as a result, the sword
had morphed to take on the form of well… a flower. Oh come the fuck on! Why the hell
did it have to have this retardedly good quality rating too!

“W-what the hell, Lefi!?” I stammered.

Weapon Transmutation didn’t allow me to ever retransmute anything that had already
gone through the transmutation process. The skill could never be used on the same
target twice, and my mana had already stopped flowing through the item. The process
was done. There was no turning back.

The horn I had used in the process was the only I had. It was of course possible for me
to hunt another beetle, but I had no doubt that the process would be time consuming
as all hell. I’d yet to see any others of its kind.

In other words, I was going to have to live with the fact that the flower-blade I had in
hand had become my most powerful weapon.

“What a beautiful flower,” said Lefi between stifled laughs. “It is both beautiful and a
functional weapon. How impressive!”

“You do know I only had one of those, right?”

“I fail to see the problem. You simply have to use the sword you have in hand,” said the
dragon girl. A bit of a giggle escaped her lips each time she started a new sentence. “I
am sure it will allow you to slay many a monster.”

The dragon girl was unable to hold her laughter any longer. She fell onto the floor and
started rolling around with her arms wrapped around her sides. Her laughter was so
loud that it resounded throughout the entire throne room.

“God damned childish little shit… At first I just thought you looked childish, but you
totally act like a god damned brat…” I grumbled. “The first spell you taught me was
some weird flower shit too. Makes it pretty obvious that something’s up with you and
flowers. Hah! What a fair maiden you are, oh great Supreme Dragon. To think that you
would like both flowers and sweets!”

“I-I fail to find fault in my preferences!” cried Lefi, indignantly. “And they are of little
importance to begin with! They matter not!”
“I mean, I really don’t care what you’re into. You do you. Only complaint I’ve got is that
they really don’t suit your image. Iunno about you, but when people say the world’s
strongest dragon, I really don’t think up some snot nosed brat.”

“You dare! That is a claim I cannot forgive!” roared the dragon girl. “Very well! I shall
illustrate to you what it means to pick a fight with none other than the Supreme
Dragon!”

“Supreme Dragon, my ass!” I shouted back. “You keep going on and on about that fancy
title of yours, but you ain’t got shit! All you do is laze around like a potato! Supreme
Dragon? More like Subjugated Dragon if you ask me!”

“I cannot believe you! You dare insult my title again!?” Lefi stamped her feet against
the ground as she reddened with rage. “Prepare yourself, Yuki! For I shall show you
the reason for which the term Hell was defined!”

The vampire girl observing our argument heaved a heavy sigh before turning towards
her pet slime and speaking in a barely audible tone. “Ugh, they’re doing it again. Come
on, Shii. Let’s go play somewhere else.”

Although the flower-blade pissed me off, it had great stats, so I ended up doing exactly
as Lefi said and used it as my main weapon for quite some time. God damn it… I need
more materials…
I have never found it a simple task to succinctly describe the man known as Yuki. The
most appropriate approximation is to label him bizarre, for I find him both peculiar and
incomprehensible.

“How come Yuki’s okay even though he just fell out of the sky?” Evidently, the child
situated by my side felt the same. She too was questioning the sanity of his actions.

“An excellent question, young one…” I paused for a moment to consider the most
optimal way to answer her question. It would be best for me not to disrupt the girl’s
understanding of normalcy. “The cause is a magical pendant he retains on his person.
It negates the impact of the fall.”

I momentarily directed my gaze towards the child, the dungeon’s newest resident,
only to immediately turn it upon the Demon Lord once more.

Bearing witness to his wild antics once again reminded me of the tales that he had
told. I was impressed. His plots were so well spun that they lead my heart to pound
with excitement in a manner unbefitting my age. I felt like a child before the unheard
tales that he presented us, one after another.

His stories were not the only new experiences he presented. The items he produced
and the knowledge he demonstrated fell into the realm of the unknown on many an
occasion. I was only a hair’s breadth away from thinking him wise. I was stopped,
however, by his complete and utter lack of common sense. He would often know not
what even I found obvious. His wealth of knowledge appears discontinuous,
incongruent, and mismatched.

And that was precisely the reason for which I thought him mysterious. At first, I
suspected that the fault lay with his origin. He was only recently born into this world
as a Demon Lord. However, I soon came to understand that there was fault in my
suspicions. His status as the master of a dungeon could not possibly have reflected his
oddities. He acts in a manner distinct from any other Demon Lord I had ever encountered.

There was no simple way for me to put the concept into words. However, I was able to
conclude that the differences lay with his aura. Yuki bears a presence that brings with
it great comfort, and it is for that reason that he holds the ability to draw other
individuals to his side.

I was certain that the young girl by my side had felt the same, that she was drawn
towards him because she intuitively understood that he held the ability to calm the
hearts of those in his vicinity. I daresay that his ability to render those around him at
ease is akin to a magic spell.

While I had not any definite answer, I suspected that the key lay with his personality.
Yuki is unrestrained. He does not hide his emotions, and he speaks with a frankness that
is almost innocent in its expression. It is odd. He both does and does not give the
impression that he is capable of managing his affairs and taking charge of his own well
being. Truly, I fail to understand him. But alas, even this sort of elaborate description
fails to capture the entire essence of the man known as Yuki. I can only conclude that he
differs from any other.

I had spent many of the past centuries enduring a wave of boredom. There had been
nothing for me to do. The same could not be said for the preceding era. The world had
been filled with conflict and unrest. Many senseless imbeciles had attempted to
challenge my might. I found that engaging them in combat served as the perfect way
to kill time, and so, I fought. I fought, fought, and continued to fight until one day, I
found myself dubbed the Supreme Dragon. And that was when the embers of conflict
burned their last. All those that confronted me were filled with naught but fear of my
title. The challengers began to wither away. Even my fellow dragons prostrated before
me despite being born into this world as its most powerful race.

I became an avatar of terror.

Yuki was different. At first, he too had been overwhelmed by the difference in our
strengths. However, he soon lowered his guard and began acting in a manner I could
only describe as brazen. It did not take long for him to begin refuting my will. I was
shocked. He was the first with which I had ever engaged a verbal quarrel. And to this
day, I know not whether he knows no fear or if he has simply overcome it.

Yuki was the first to see me not as the Supreme Dragon, but as an individual. As
Leficios. I cannot deny that I find it both fresh and pleasant.

He was the first and only to have ever provided me comfort with his mere presence. I
know not when my time with him will end… but I very much wish to continue immersing
myself in the comfort he brings me. At least for just a little longer.
Characters Affiliated With the Dungeon

Yuki
Class: Demon Lord
Race: Archdemon
Notable Traits: Dungeon Master, Protagonist.
Description: Yuki was once a human, but strangely enough, he does not mind the fact
that he has traded his humanity for his status as a Demon Lord. He is, for the most
part, able to take care of himself. He has wings composed of magical energy, but he
keeps them retracted during his everyday life because he finds that they tend to get in
the way. Yuki tends to be rather shameless, but is still embarrassed by the fact that his
magic eye skill had turned one of his eyes a deep crimson nonetheless.

Leficios
Nickname: Lefi
Class: Supreme Dragon
Race: Ancient Dragon
Notable Traits: Platinum hair.
Description: Lefi is very knowledgeable, but it doesn’t show too often due to her
childish, selfish nature. She has recently discovered that remaining in her human form
is rather comfortable, and thus, she has seldom reverted to her dragon form. She loves
sweets. She had once kept her preferences hidden because she felt that her tastes
failed to reflect her image. However, Yuki’s discovery of it had led her to decide that
there was no point in attempting to keep her love of sweets hidden. She now asks him
for them every single day. The humans see her as a thing of legend.

Illuna
Race: Vampire (Demon)
Notable Traits: Blonde, little Girl, innocent.
Description: Illuna, like Shii, brings solace to the dungeon’s residents. Her favourite
food is Yuki’s blood. While the idea seems rather psychotic, it is in fact normal
behaviour for members of her race. She is actually quite intelligent. While she was
unable to beat Lefi in Othello at first, she soon became better at the game than any of
the dungeon’s other residents. However, she doesn’t want anyone else to find out
about her abilities, so she often loses on purpose. Yuki has noticed the signs and now
spends his days living in fear that Illuna will eventually grow up into a cunning,
manipulative woman. Neither Yuki nor Lefi have caught on to the fact that she has a
few hidden titles and skills.

Dungeon Affiliated Monsters

Shii
Race: Slime
Notable Traits: Cute pet.
Description: Shii is the first monster that Yuki ever summoned. Yuki has yet to realize
it, but the slime has actually gained quite a number of levels over time. It loves to sleep
and spends much of its time napping. Its favorite spot is on top of one of the cushions.
Napping aside, the slime spends its days playing with Yuki, Illuna, and even Lefi on
occasion.

Fluffrir
Nickname: Rir
Race: Fenrir
Notable Traits: Pessimistic.
Description: Fluffir is, by all means, a legendary creature that deserves to proudly
stand shoulder to shoulder with Lefi. However, all the dungeon’s other residents treat
him like the resident newbie. Hence, he is often stuck playing with Illuna and Shii. He
finds most of his meals by hunting monsters within the dungeon’s territory.

Extras

Reyus, Lurolle, and Griffa: Adventurers based in a human city. They are the first
extras to have names and exist to pave the way for many other extras to come. They
might show up again, if they’re lucky.
Three of my five senses were subjected to a heavy assault. My ears had to endure the
sound of a viscous liquid flow down the throat of a fair maiden while her warmth was
conveyed to me through her skin on mine. As she was still just a child, her body
temperature was higher than the standard thirty six and a half degrees; her touch was
so hot I felt it would light me aflame. Most powerful of all however, was the assault on
my sense of smell. The sweet scent coming off her body tempted me to take deep
breaths and inhale as much of it as I could.

Only after what felt like an eternity did Illuna finally detach herself from my neck,
sighing in satisfaction as she did. “Thanks Yuki! That was really tasty!”

The vampire happily smiled as she wiped the corners of her mouth. And only then did
I return to my senses. The way my blood had dribbled down the sides of her cheeks
had been so bewitching that I couldn’t help but but stare ‘till it was gone. The contrast
between her joy and the almost gruesome scene made her seem like something along
the lines of a tiny, adorable manifestation of the devil himself. I could almost picture
an even smaller version of her sitting on my shoulder and whispering immoral
temptations straight into my mind.

“A-anytime.” I replied to the girl’s expression of gratitude by averting my gaze. The

tone in which I spoke was dry and husky, a result of severe mental exhaustion. God
damn it. I kind of hate how we have to do this whole bloodsucking thing. I mean, don’t
get me wrong. I don’t particularly mind giving Illuna my blood, but this whole damned
thing feels like a test of my mental fortitude. Keeping myself in check until she’s done
ain’t no walk in the park. Shit’s as hard as stopping myself from getting pulled through
Hell’s gates.

Man, Illuna’s scary. I’d never been one of the “gentlemen” that advocated the classic
Japanese phrase “yes lolita, no touch,” but even I was finding it ridiculously hard to
resist her charms.

“I love your blood! It’s really tasty and drinking it makes me all happy.” Illuna
elaborated as I shivered in my metaphorical boots. Her tone was cheerful, and for
some odd reason, reminded me of an elder sibling praising a dish cooked by one of
their little brothers or sisters.

“Does the blood’s source really change its taste that much?”

“Mhm! Totally!” The young vampire crouched herself into a ball before standing up
and stretching her legs and arms as far as they could go in order to emphasize the idea.
That’s adorable. “Your blood has a really nice, mild flavour. It goes down really
smoothly too! It’s so good I think it has me hooked! And best of all, having you inside
me makes me really warm and happy!”

“I-I see. I guess I’ll be taking that as a compliment.” I forced a smile and nodded.
Ooookay there, time out little lady. You better not be saying that in public. I’d probably
get taken straight to court if anyone else heard you.

“Okay! Now that I’m done, I’m going to go play outside!”

“Alright, have fun. Don’t go too far. And make sure you come back before it gets dark,
okay?”

“Kaaay!”

The little girl gave an energetic reply before leaving the throne room.

But despite telling me that she would, Illuna never returned.

Not even after the sun had long made its way beyond the horizon.

“Have you found her, Rir!?” I dashed up to the wolf and began to question him the
moment he entered the room. It looked like he was intending on making a report, but
shelved it in order to answer my question; he apologetically shook his head from left
to right.

Fuck! I cursed and ground my teeth against one another as my mind flew into a state
of panic. Where did I go wrong? Should I have been more strict? Was letting her do
whatever she wanted why this all happened!? Shit!

Shii, clearly worried, nestled itself against me in an attempt to help abate my anxiety.
“Yeah, you’re right, Shii. It’ll all be okay.” I began taking deeper breaths. Alright Yuki,
calm down. No point getting your panties in a knot. Panicking isn’t going to help anyone.

“Right. Sorry. What were you trying to tell me earlier, Rir?” I spoke again after fully
calming myself down.

Following Illuna’s scent had led Rir to discover that she had not upped and left on her
own accord. A group of human scents had suddenly appeared alongside hers and
extended all the way out the forest. In other words, our resident vampire had been
kidnapped. Rir had hurried back to ask my opinion immediately upon discovering that
the trail that lay outside the forest’s boundaries had relatively fresh marks on it, ones
that could only have been left behind by some sort of wagon or carriage.

It was a good call. There was no knowing exactly how far the kidnappers had gotten. I
had no doubt that even Rir would struggle to retrieve her if they’d already made it to
some sort of large scale settlement. He was a Fenrir, a powerful legendary creature,
but even he had his limits, especially seeing as how he was apparently still fairly
young.

Although I absolutely detested the fact that Illuna had been kidnapped, I did have to
admit that it was at least better than the alternative. It would’ve long been too late if
she’d been attacked by some sort of monster. The fact that it was just a kidnapping
meant we still had a chance to save her. But who would do such a thing?

A moment of thought was more than enough to lead me to a conclusion. She’d been
pretty deep in the forest. We were fairly close to the forest’s inner sanctum, and
because I often checked my map, I knew that Illuna preferred to remain near the
throne room. She would occasionally wander into the forest, but even then, she’d
never ventured too far. Her captors had to have come to her, not the other way around.

The humans thought of both Lefi’s territory and the forest around it as uncharted
territory. They knew that entering it was dangerous and that it was in their best
interest to stay away. There was no reason for anyone to venture this deep without
reason. The kidnappers had to have known that Illuna was here. She was clearly their
target. In other words, the only possible answer to my question was that they were
slave traders. They were the people that Illuna had escaped right before she became
one of the dungeon’s residents.

Identifying the men responsible for her disappearance immediately rendered their
motives clear as day. They were only willing to go as far as to wander into a forest filled
with dangerous monsters because of the young vampire’s beauty. It was obvious to
them that she would sell for more than just a pretty penny. Hell, they might even have
already a buyer lined up and ready. And that… would be bad. Real bad. If they’ve already
got someone waiting, then there’s a good chance she’ll have slipped out of my grasp come
morning.

“Lefi, are there any human settlements nearby?”

“There is one to the southeast. A mere two hours by flight, if my memory serves me
correctly.”

Two hours? That’s it? Oh, wait. Going by flight means you don’t really have to avoid stuff,
so that’s gotta be based on the straight line distance. Makes sense, if I think about it that
way.

“…”

I had intended on continuing my train of thought, but was interrupted by the sudden
surge of a dark, murky emotion. Fuck. You. Fuck all of you! How dare you touch Illuna!?
I’m going to fuck you bastards up so badly that you’ll beg me to kill you!

Seething hatred dyed everything before me a shade of red as I reached into my

inventory and produced from it a crude looking greatsword, the flower-blade’s
successor. Its shape wasn’t anything special, but the blade possessed both the power
and weight I desired. It was more than enough to smash a human or two to bits. Its
name was the Violet Carving Knife. I managed to embed it with the magical circuit I’d
learned from boosting the Enchant skill’s level by one: Inflict Lesser Poison. The spell
could be activated by pouring mana through the blade, at which point it would gain
the ability to inject venom into anything it cut.

Though the skill described its secretion as a “lesser poison,” it was by no means truly
weak. Its inferiority came from its efficiency. That is, the poison secreted was only
weak relative to the amount of magic invested in it. And said amount was a variable.
I’d already confirmed that it was possible for me to use my ridiculous mana pool to
load it with a near excessive amount of magic. In testing, the poison had become so
powerful that it caused the area around the cut to immediately turn a shade of purple.
I was quite dying with anticipation. I couldn’t wait to see the strength of a weapon
enchanted with a poisoning spell with a higher efficiency rating.
“Alright, let’s go Rir. Show me where Illuna’s scent leads. As for you, Shii, I’mma have
to ask you to stay home.”

The slime jiggled about in protest.

“I know how you feel, but that’s just how it has to be. Sorry,” I said. “But don’t worry.
I’ll make sure she gets home in one piece.”

I turned towards the dragon girl after issuing orders to my monsters.

“Lefi, could you do me a favour and come with us?”

“I see not why you would assume otherwise. I too consider that youngling a member
of my household, my brood.” The dragon crossed her arms and made closed her eyes
in a manner that relaid a state of rage. “I too seek to deliver retribution to her
assailants. However, I must ask for you to wait.”

“Wait? What for?”

“That, you shall soon discover.” A fearless grin appeared on Lefi’s face as she turned to
face the cave’s entrance. “What impeccable timing. They have now arrived. I have
gathered all that lay in our vicinity.”

“All what?”

“After me.”

“???”

I couldn’t make heads or tails of what Lefi was getting at, but did as instructed and
followed her to the cave’s entrance regardless. Tracing her gaze, I noticed several…
dots along the horizon. I couldn’t tell what they were at first. But once they drew close
enough, I recognized them. Dragons. Lefi had called for dragons.

They were so numerous that their massive, bulky frames had ended up blotting out
the sky. Not a single member of the brood was a wyvern or any other sort of draconic
subspecies. They were all true dragons. Their stats matched those of the forest’s most
powerful creatures, the ones that reigned over the land to the west.

“Who are they?”

“I supposed it is most accurate to label them my… subordinates. I had suspected that
their assistance may prove useful in uncovering Illuna’s whereabouts. However, it
appears that our goals have undergone a minor shift.” A cocky grin appeared on the
silver-haired girl’s face. “Humans are creatures often too stupid to identify those that
are more powerful than them. I am certain that it would do us no harm to arrive at
their gates with an entourage, for it will reinforce the power we hold over them.”

So that’s what she was doing this whole time. I had thought that Lefi was just sitting by
and quietly idling the time away, but it turned out that she too had involved herself in
our search.

“God damn, Lefi.” A smirk appeared on my face. “You sure are one helluva woman.”

“And you have only realized that now?” She smirked back. “It is about time.”

I couldn’t deny her words. They were true. Lefi always had been one real good catch.

“Now, Yuki, let us be off, for we must pick up the girl that has functioned as a younger
sibling to us?”

“Yeah, let’s. I’ll be counting on you, partner.”

The dragon girl’s only reply was a fearless laugh as she once again turned towards the
dragons.

Sit tight, Illuna.

We’ll be right there. I promise.

“Mmmnnnn…?” Illuna groaned as she awoke to a foreign sensation. The warm and soft
fluffiness of her Japanese-styled bed was nowhere to be found. She was lying on top
of something hard, stiff and cold. And it was precisely the surface’s lack of comfort that
wrenched her from her dreams.

A bit of a frown crossed her face as she sat up. Her vision was still blurry, so she rubbed
her eyes before looking around. The first thing she saw was a series of evenly spaced,
iron bars. Situated right above her head was yet another flat chunk of metal; the cage
she was in was so short that it didn’t even allow her to stand.

The stark disparity between the sight before her and the one she had expected jolted
the young vampire awake. A sense of malaise urged her to look down at her own neck,
where she found the exact item she’d expected: a collar. The metal ring around her
neck was just as obtuse as the broad chain that affixed it to the bottom of the cage.
Magical energy emanated from Illuna’s collar. She could tell that it was enchanted with
a spell meant to prevent her escape.

Bright as she was, the vampire discerned her circumstances with ease. She had been
captured and locked away. She immediately began to search through her memories in
order to identify when it had happened.

A gasp escaped her lips as she recalled it.

It had happened while she was playing outdoors. A pair of men had jumped out of the
foliage and doused her in some sort of strange liquid. And then, everything had gone
black.

Illuna’s eyes restlessly darted around her surroundings. The room was dim. It was
hard to see too much about her surroundings, but she was at least able to make out
that she wasn’t alone. The room was filled with cages no different from her own. She
spotted within them a girl with animal ears, a girl with sheep-like horns, and many
others. The list went on, but each and every single person on it was female. There were
no men. Only women.
Gender aside, the women had little in common. There were many different species, all
with their own quirks and traits. The only thing they truly shared was that their eyes
were filled with despair. They were so deprived of hope that even Illuna, a young child,
could make out their suffering.

Despite her initial confusion, Illuna was able to decipher the situation she now found
herself in. But of course, that, in and of itself, meant not that she had a solution. And
she wasn’t given much time to think.

A pair of footsteps echoed through the room, gradually growing louder as their owners
approached. Soon, she saw them.

“Shit, we was hella lucky there. I thoughts we was gonna die.”

“Talk about it man. I was just thinkin’ that we were about to end up in some ditch with
monsters eating us ‘live. Fuckin’ scary.”

The men strode straight across the room and headed for her cage, their footsteps
reverberating on the stone floor below all along the way. They were captors. And more.
They were a part of the group that had attacked her village and slaughtered her kin.

“Well, would ya look at that? Little bitch ain’t sleepin’ no more!” One of the men
grinned sadistically as he looked her in the eye. “Fuck’s sake, you little brat. You know
how much fuckin’ shit you put us through? Fuck you!”

The man drove his fist through the cage and right into Illuna’s face. There was so much
force behind the attack that it knocked her away and made her smash the back of her
head into the cage’s bars. So intense was the pain that it caused tears to seep from
Illuna’s eyes.

“Man, fuck. I know how you is feelin’ right now, but you gotta make sure you don’t
damage the merch. The boss’ll beat the shit out of us if you hurt her so bad that her
value drops. Shiet. Y’already know that she’s gun end up fuckin’ that one child-loving
noble we gunna be sellin’ her to, so calm yo ass down,” said the second man.

“Tsk.” The first man clicked his tongue and frowned. “Fine.”

That said, he didn’t withdraw his hands. In fact, he reached into the cage and grabbed
Illuna by the hair, forcing her to face him. He looked her right in the eyes and spoke in
a tone dripping with malice. “Now listen here, y’little shit. You’re doomed. You’re about
to end up as a whore that gets bedded by an old man that loves fuckin’ the shit outta
kids. He’s gunna play with you erry single day. It’ll be so bad you’ll wish you was dead.
Ain’t that just gun’ be great?”

The smile on the man’s face was so revulsive that Illuna couldn’t stand to look at it.
Her body rejected it on a physiological level. The combination of his mug, which was
uglier than a brain damaged pig’s, and his words made the young girl want to cry for
reasons other than just the pain assailing the back of her head.

But she held it in.

Because she knew.

Because she knew that Yuki would come for her.

Her impression of the man was that he was nice and warm. Though she was scared of
him at first, she now regarded him with her eyes full of affection. Thinking of him was
all she needed to do to bear with her suffering.

She had been alone the last time she suffered at the humans’ hands. The destruction
of her village and the death of her family had left her with no one to lean on. But that
was no longer true. She had her kind adopted brother. So long as she persevered, he
would come. And Lefi would too. Illuna’s impression of the dragon was that, while she
was lazy, she was someone that could be relied on. She could always be relied on when
push came to shove.

Both her adopted brother and her adopted sister were incredibly powerful. They
could defeat the monsters that the villagers had always told her to steer clear of with
ease.

“Tsk.” Again, the man that attacked her clicked his tongue. He swivelled around, as if
bored by her lack of a response, and spoke to his companion as he left the room. “Fuck
this. Let’s go.”

Illuna’s supervisors were gone. With her captors at bay, the child was finally able to
rub her eyes, get ahold of herself, and put her mind to work.
She knew that she couldn’t just sit around and wait for her rescuers. Experience taught
her that wailing in sorrow was not the way to salvation. Help wasn’t something that
just fell into one’s lap. If she wanted to live, then she had to act.

But she didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know where to run. Escape was off her
list of options.

So what could she do?

The answer the little girl arrived at was that she could stall for time. She could hide to
ensure that she would be able to wait until her family arrived.

“Spirits of the earth, please lend me your power.” She spoke in an energetic tone, as if
to drive off the sense of helplessness assaulting her mind.

A dim, brown light almost seemed to appear out of thin air in response to her words.
Its shine was so dull that it was almost unnoticeable in the dark, but there nonetheless.
The interaction that had just occurred was one only made possible by one of the
vampire’s titles: Divine Protection of the Spirit Lord.

It granted her Yggdrasil’s blessing, which allowed her to cast Spirit Magic and detect
those with ill will. One of the title’s additional effects was to mask both its existence,
and that of the spell it granted. And it was effective. Neither Yuki nor Lefi had caught
on.

Yggdrasil’s protection was what allowed Illuna to escape her pursuers the first time.
And it was also what had kept the Wicked Forest’s monsters from killing her.
“Spirit of the earth, please unlock both my collar and cage,” said the girl.

The spirit almost seem to nod before moving towards Illuna’s collar. And then, it
vanished. It had almost looked like the collar had sucked it in. Before long came a
metallic click; Illuna’s fetters had become undone.

Of course, as Illuna had already escaped once, the slavers had chosen to lock her down
with a magically enhanced tool to ensure that she would be unable to pull the wool
over their heads a second time. But their methods were wrong. Spirits were creatures
that ate, acted as mediums for, and even embodied magical energy.

And as enchanted items needed magical energy to operate, breaking one was a task
that any spirit would find simple. All they had to do was consume all the item’s magical
energy, draining it dry and rendering it invalid.

After completing its first task, the light darted through the air and entered the cage’s
keyhole to complete its second task. Again, there was a metal click, and Illuna was set
free. Double checking to make sure that both the collar came off and the door opened,
Illuna thanked the earth spirit and dismissed it. In its place, she called for the spirit of
darkness.

There were six different types of spirits, fire, water, earth, wind, light, and darkness.
Each specialized in a different type of magic and had different properties they could
easily manipulate. The earth spirit, for example, could manipulate soil, minerals,
metals, and everything else of a similar vein. Likewise, the darkness spirit worked
with the shadows and could leverage and bend them to its will.

Illuna looked around before activating the spirit’s power. She wanted to save all the
others. But she knew that it was a poor choice. Releasing them would surely cause a
commotion, so she didn’t. Instead, she swore not to abandon them. She pledged that
she would release them as soon as her beloved brother came to her rescue.

“Thank you, spirit of darkness.”

And so, with the spirit’s power, Illuna faded into the shadows. No other slave, nor slave
driver, was aware of her disappearance. Her magic had left them all none the wiser.
“Ugh…” Alfyro’s governor groaned as he awoke to the sound of someone banging on
his door. “What’s with all this noise?”

“Governor Raylow! Are you awake?! We have a dire situation on our hands!” A familiar
voice called to Raylow from beyond his door. It belonged to one of his subordinates, a
magistrate under his employ.

“What is it this time? Are we under attack? Is it a group of monsters?” The feudal lord
pressed a hand against his face as he slowly sat up.

“That’s exactly it! A flock of one hundred has been spotted flying towards us. They
seem to be coming from the Wicked Forest!”

The magistrate’s words caused Raylow’s eyes to shoot open; all his drowsiness was
instantly blown away.

“Tsk.” The governor clicked his tongue in annoyance. “So it is finally happening. You
said that the monsters were airborne? Are they wyverns?”

“No, sir.” The magistrate hesitated and took a deep breath before continuing his report.
“The men have used the Crystal of Observation to confirm our assailants’ identities.
They were Full Dragons.”

“What!?” Raylow was so shocked by the revelation that his jaw dropped as far as it
would go.

The term Full Dragon referred to a member of the Dragon Race that had reached
adulthood. In other words, it was a general descriptor for the world’s most powerful
creatures. Each Full Dragon was so powerful that it would need a whole party of
adamantite ranked adventurers, literal one man armies, to take it down. And there
were a whole hundred approaching the city.

It was literally the worst possible scenario Raylow could fathom, one that would lead
to the destruction of not just his city, but his entire country should he fail to resolve it.

“Rouse the guards and all the adventurers we have standing by. Have them gather and
prepare for combat immediately. Inform the public of the emergency and have the
citizens evacuate immediately!”

The magistrate dashed out of the governor’s room and began executing his instructions
as quickly as he could. It didn’t take long for the whole manor to follow suit.

Like the rest of his staff members, the governor got straight to work. He got off his bed,
put on a simple, baggy garment, and headed straight to his office.

Raylow had known that something was bound to happen. He had received reports
telling him of the abnormalities within the Wicked Forest. And so, he had increased
the number of combatants under his employ. But, even with his forces bolstered, he
doubted they would prove to be of any use at all against a hundred dragons.

But still, he hoped. He hoped that they would at least be able to hold until he evacuated
his people.

He knew very well that this night would likely be his last. And yet, he hurried to his
office. To take command. And to play the role of the tragic hero if need be.

The draconic brood soared through the moonlit sky. Contrary to my expectations,
their ranks were orderly. Their coordination was so perfect that I was tempted to think
they were all working under a single consciousness, that they were all parts of the
same whole.

The dragons followed Lefi’s orders to the letter. I was impressed at how tight a grasp
she had on them, even if it happened to be because they were disproportionately
terrified of her. While each and every creature present was powerful in its own right,
they were nothing before the strongest member of their species. The disparity
between her and them was so high that she could end any of them in an instant. And
for that reason, none dared to defy her. The thought likely didn’t even cross their
minds. That was just the sort of world this was. Strength was everything; it made little
sense for the weak to disobey the obscenely powerful.
Below us was Rir. The wolf’s speed was ungodly. He had no trouble keeping up with
the dragons despite having to traverse the terrain.

“There it is!” I shouted as I spotted the human settlement, the city, off in the distance.
It was still quite a ways away. I would never have been able to see it from so far had
my eyes been as they were while I was still human.

Encompassing the city was a solid, outer wall. A bulwark. The settlement itself was
quite large. It was way bigger than the tiny town I’d expected to see. And though it was
the middle of the night, it was still bustling with activity. Much of the city was lit, and
people seemed to be moving through its streets in a hurry. Outside its walls stood a
division of fully armed guards. We were still a fair distance away, but they’d already
seen us coming. They probably have some sort of item that lets them see or detect us.

Either way, I found myself face to face with a city in another world. Man, I really
would’ve liked to visit this place in some other capacity. Like, you know, without an army
of dragons in tow.

“Yuki.” Lefi, who’d been at the front of the formation, dropped out of it in order to align
herself beside me. She was still in her humanoid form, albeit the variation in which
she had wings.

“Yeah?”

“I have little choice but to admit that it would not be wise for me to unleash my power
upon this settlement. Illuna would likely perish should I raze it to the ground. You will
need to retrieve the little lady yourself.”

“Got it. But you better make sure you keep the dragons under control while I’m down
there, ‘kay?”

“Those were precisely my intentions all along.”

We passed over the city’s walls as Lefi answered, so, after nodding to her, I promptly
folded my wings and descended upon the city, dodging any arrows and spells
haphazardly fired in my direction as I did.

There was a loud thud accompanied by a cloud of dust as I landed. The force of the
impact coursed through my entire body, but I didn’t mind it. Rir soon followed. He
cleared the city’s walls with ease and dashed along the rooftops until finally arriving
at my side.

“Can you smell her, Rir!?”

The wolf growled in affirmation as he turned his head to face away from the wall that
we’d just breached.

“Perfect. Lead the way!” I wrapped my arm around his neck and hopped onto his back
in a single, fluid motion. After ensuring that I was secure, the wolf burst into a full on
sprint. Armed men, the city’s guards, passed us by as we moved, but we paid them no
mind.

Their goal was to investigate the spot in which I’d landed.

And ours was to save Illuna.

That was all.

There was no point to eliminating or contesting them.

It only took Rir a few minutes worth of bounding across rooftops to trace Illuna’s scent
to its source.

The two of us found ourselves in front of an estate that was significantly larger than
those around it. It was clear that whoever owned it had more than their fair share of
influence.

We’re finally here. I closed my eyes in an attempt to suppress my rage. This… is where
those child trafficking shitlords run their operations.

But I couldn’t.

A feral scream escaped my lips as I leapt off Rir’s back. I drew my greatsword in midair
and smashed it into the building’s entrance. The flimsy front door was blown away by
the force of the attack, completely destroyed.

“The fuck!?”
“Shit! What the hell was that, and who the hell are you!?”

Two of the crude looking men shouted in surprise at my sudden entrance, but I
ignored them and looked around. The venue I had entered looked to be the interior of
some sort of store. Man, whoever did the interior design around here has got a serious
case of having shit taste.

The walls, furnishings, and decorations all looked like utter crap. But worst of all was
the stupid, gaudy chandelier situated right beside the grand staircase leading to the
second floor. It was the kind of thing you’d only ever see in a building owned by a
member of the nouveau riche.

Apparently, I had caught the men in the middle of their escape—or at least their
preparations for it. They were obviously ruffians. If their appearances weren’t enough
to give that away, then their actions were. They were dragging around a series of
chains, each connected to a young maiden with an uncomfortable looking metallic
collar around her neck.

And although Illuna wasn’t amongst them, the scene was one that pissed me off to no
end. It was so infuriating, in fact, that it prompted me to gnash my teeth together in
frustration. First, you kidnap Illuna. And now, you show me this. Fuck you. Fuck all of
you. Just how much do you fucking dick sucking shitwads plan to piss me off?

“Do it! Now!” One of the men, a supposed leader, gave his lackies a vague order. And
though I didn’t know the way their business operated, I understood just as well as
anyone else that he’d told them to attack because he’d judged me a threat to the
operation.

A few of the underlings violently pushed the enslaved girls into another room while
the rest drew their weapons and attacked me all at once. Well, I suppose there isn’t
much harm in ending a lowlife or two.

The closest man raised his mace above his head and leapt straight at me. He was a
good bit ahead of his companions, and sure to be credited for the kill if his attack
landed. Keyword: if. I retaliated before he could so much as lower his arms. I casually
lifted my greatsword with one arm and gave it a nonchalant sweep.

I felt both the sensation of tearing through meat and the sensation of rending bone as
I severed the pitiful piece of flesh that connected his skull to his shoulders.
His blood splattered all over everything nearby. And of course, I was no exception. A
bit of red ended up dirtying my cheek as the man’s head rolled onto the floor.

Although the men continued to angrily scream at me, seeing one of their allies
immediately fall caused them to falter. They only remained intimidated for an instant,
but that was more than enough to create the opening I needed. I dashed straight into
their ranks while swinging my weapon with all the strength I could muster.

A fair number of the slave traders managed to raise their weapons in time to catch my
blade. But it didn’t matter. Both those that guarded and those that didn’t ended up
falling prey to the attack, with the only difference being that the former of the two
groups ended up getting smashed against the room’s walls, while the latter had their
torsos separated from their legs.

The greatsword’s ability to perform the exact feat that I had just demonstrated was the
reason I had chosen it over its alternatives. My monstrous brute strength allowed me
to dominate my foes regardless of whether or not I had mastered the corresponding
techniques.

“Die!”

One of the men, the only one near me that had reacted by stepping out of my range,
dashed at me and attempted to split me in two. His timing was good. But I wasn’t alone.
The Fenrir I had entrusted my back to dashed up to the man and batted him in the
chest with one of his front paws. So fast was the wolf that he disallowed the man a
chance to react.

Unable to withstand the attack, the lowlife’s chest caved. His ribs stabbed through the
organs in his chest and instantly ended his life.

“Fuck!” The man that looked to be in charge cursed. “This asshole’s a tamer! Get the
thing! Now!”

A group of grunts responded to the orders by quickly running into the building and
returning with what looked like a crystal. They activated the magically enhanced item
and caused it to begin emitting light.

Rir seemed to suffer from a sudden moment of disorientation. His legs wobbled
unsteadily, but he brushed it off and steadied himself immediately afterwards. The
wolf’s expression, however, belayed that he was still feeling a sense of discomfort.
“You okay?” I asked.

The monster nodded in affirmation, but I highly doubted that he was telling the truth.
I could tell that he wasn’t back to his best.

I turned my eyes upon the item and analyzed it.

Crystal of Obstruction: This magically enhanced tool disorients monsters by disrupting

the flow of magical energy within their bodies, thereby dulling their movements. The
range of this effect is proportional to the strength of the monster it is affecting. Quality:
B+

Oh. So that’s why these weak ass retards were able to make it so deep inside the forest.
Learning of what happened to Illuna had left me with many doubts and unanswered
questions. I knew that the humans considered the forest uncharted territory. Entering
it was no different from gambling one’s life away. Yet, there’d been a pair brave enough
to chase Illuna all the way into its depths.

There was no way a single young girl was worth that much to the likes of a slaver. That
was why I’d assumed that the humans were ridiculously powerful, which had never
seemed quite right. And it turned out that my suspicions were correct. The humans
weren’t powerful. They’d only made it as far as they had because of the tools they
wielded. Which means I’ll have no problem butchering the rest.

My emotions must’ve shown on my face, as the man in charge only grew more irritated
as he gazed upon me. He didn’t bother hiding his annoyance as he continued spitting
out his orders.

“Ignore the fucking smirk on that asshole’s face! He’s just bluffin’! We all know tamers
ain’t worth shit when their monsters are down, and we got way more men than he can
handle! Surround him and take ‘im out!”

What fucking retards. Did they not just see me tear through a whole bunch of them by
myself? Or are their brains just so dysfunctional that they’ve still yet to process it?

“I’ll be fine, Rir. Sit tight and let me handle this.” Rir tried to step in front of me even
though he clearly wasn’t doing too well, so I spoke to him before turning to the slavers
and casting a spell.
“What!?” The boss screamed in shock as he witnessed the magical assault. The precise
attack I chose was the usual, the one that created dragons out of jets of water.

“Go.”

The psuedodragons almost seemed to let loose joyful roars as they arced through the
air, opened their maws, and swallowed the ruffians whole. Though they tried to
struggle, the humans were incapable of escaping. There was nothing they could do but
drown as the high speed currents shredded them to bits of blood and flesh.

By the time the dragons were gone, so were they.

The grunt-filled room had been reduced to a veritable hellscape. Corpses were lying
around in piles, and entrails were splattered all over. Everything from the floor to the
ceiling to all the furniture that lay about was dyed a deep shade of crimson.

And I felt nothing. Looking at the wanton destruction I had caused didn’t fill me with
guilt. The fact that I had killed not just one, but a whole group of human beings felt
like exactly that: just a fact. I couldn’t bring myself to care for the moral ramifications
of my actions. It was precisely this lack of a reaction that led me to understand that I
truly had lost my humanity.

“Well…” I sighed as I smashed the enchanted crystal with my greatsword. “That’s

convenient, I guess.”

It seemed I wouldn’t have to worry about hesitating while handing these lowlives their
one way tickets to hell.

“Hey Rir, where’s Illuna?”

The wolf growled apologetically. The smell of blood was too strong for him to discern
her exact location. Oh well. That’s fine too, I guess. All that means is I gotta go around
killing everyone I run into until they spill the beans. I’m sure I’ll run into someone that
knows where she is eventually.
One of the first things I did as I strayed into a room that looked like a gaudy office was
analyze the corpses I created on my way in.

General Information Magic: 27

Name: Haieh Dexterity: 105
Race: Human Luck: 171
Class: Swindler Skills
Level: 12 Axe Arts I
HP: 0/290 Titles
MP: 0/72 Rapist
Strength: 160 Murderer
Stamina: 140
Agility: 81 General Information
Magic: 26 Name: Kedanke
Dexterity: 73 Race: Human
Luck: 91 Class: Accountant
Skills Level: 7
Swindle I HP: 0/181
Titles MP: 0/82
Kidnapper Strength: 115
Murderer Stamina: 102
Agility: 126
General Information Magic: 31
Name: Suddan Dexterity: 211
Race: Human Luck: 117
Class: Axer Skills
Level: 15 Arithmetic II
HP: 0/331 Speed Reading I
MP: 0/81 Titles
Strength: 213 Rapist
Stamina: 202 Fugitive
Agility: 98
The only conclusion I could possibly draw from my analysis was that humans were
weak. Every single one of the men I had just slain was a veritable piece of human trash.
They lived their lives as members of the underworld and actively engaged in the
application of force. Yet, they remained completely useless in combat. Their stats were
almost all in the one to two hundred range, which was a far cry from the six
hundredish of everything that I had started with. Hell, their MP and magic stats are
even worse than Illuna’s. And she’s literally a child. Like, holy shit. Now I see why the
dungeon decided to just go ahead and make me a demon. Humans ain’t worth jack.

“So? You seen her?” I spoke in a malevolent tone as I kicked aside the corpses in my
way and walked towards the only man I had left alive. The chair was already occupied
by the morbidly obese, sorry excuse for a human being, so I sat down on the desk in
front of him instead. I had already described Illuna’s appearance to the man, but he
didn’t quite seem as cooperative as I had hoped.

“You won’t get away with this, you little shit! Don’t you know who I am!?”

“Sorry Porky, but as far as I can tell, you don’t look any different from the next pig.
You’re all just livestock. If you want someone to be able to tell you apart, then you
better call in a god damned farmer.”

I casually retrieved a dagger off one of the nearby corpses and used it to nail the pig’s
arm to his chair as I insulted him.

“D-Do you really think you can get away with this!?” the pig stuttered. “The nobles
aren’t going to keep their mouths sharrtjahgjkshdgkh!?”

“Stop that,” I glared at the pig as I drilled my foot into his face. “Stop spitting
everywhere. It’s gross, and it’s making me really want to kill you.”

I was unable to immediately slit the man’s throat because I had to ask him for Illuna’s
whereabouts. I scoured the manor, but I was never able to find her, regardless of how
many scumbags I cut down. I had used a skill to search for any enemies remaining in
the area. The results it produced were what led me to the office.

Likewise, Rir was also doing his best to find the little vampire. He too was wandering
the manor, his nose as his guide.
“I guess all that fat you’ve got is stopping my words from getting through to you. I’m
not repeating myself again, so listen carefully, Porky.” I raised my blade and pressed it
against the oversized pig’s neck. Oh wait, this is the perfect chance to do the thing.

I had yet to test out my weapon’s ability to intoxify my foes. They’d all been far too
weak for me to bother. But now, I had the perfect thing to test it on, and I saw no reason
to discard the opportunity. A series of geometric patterns appeared on the blade as
the magical circuits reacted to the mana I channeled through the weapon. The toxic
liquid the blade secreted slowly dripped down its edge. Everything it touched would
sizzle in the same way as something that had been exposed to sulfuric acid. Seeing the
effect caused the man to twitch, almost like he’d been zapped by a sudden jolt of
electricity.

“And if you can’t answer me, then I’m probably gonna get real sad. Sad enough to
accidentally let my blade slip.” I purposefully made my hand tremble a bit to burn the
threat into his mind. “Now, dig into those memories of yours, Porky. I’m looking for a
7-8 year old vampire. She’s got blonde hair and is about as tall as you’d expect anyone
her age to be.”

“I-I don’t know!!” Porky answered me right away, but the answer he so desperately
shouted wasn’t the one I’d wanted to hear.

“The fuck you just say…?”

“I-I’m not lying! I really don’t know! No one knows! She just upped and vanished!”

“What…?”

The pig realized that he grabbed my attention, so he immediately began babbling as

fast as he possibly could. The words left his mouth so quickly that I almost found his
actions entertaining. Long story short, Illuna had somehow managed to escape, all on
her own. They knew that she was tenacious enough to escape into the Wicked Forest’s
depths, so they’d given her a special set of magically enhanced shackles and even
assigned a pair of guards to keep watch. In spite of all their efforts, Illuna had still
managed to escape.

She had already been sold, and delivering her was all they needed to complete the
transaction. They began frantically searching the area for the girl’s whereabouts the
moment she disappeared, only to be interrupted by the incoming draconic horde; we
had cut their search short.

And that was all the information they had. The only way I could learn anything else
was by questioning the pair that was in charge of keeping an eye on her. But it was too
late. Their heads were amongst the pile I’d created when I first barged into the office.
Welp. There goes that lead. Guess this means I might’ve been a bit too trigger happy.

Thinking about it led me to recall that Illuna had been on the run when I first found
her. Smart as she was, the young vampire had judged that there was no point in
remaining in her cage, so she broke out and escaped.

I had no idea exactly how she managed it all, but I didn’t particularly care. All that
mattered was the fact that she was okay.

“I’m back, boss! And I’ve brought reinforcements!”

Oh great. More scum. I rolled my eyes as I looked towards the man that had just entered
the room.

“Excellent work!” Porky cackled triumphantly before pointing at me with a huge grin
on his face. “You’re a moron! Did you really think that I was scared of you. I was just
buying time so… my rein… forcements… could…”

He’d started off with an absurdly cocky tone, but soon began trailing off, eyes wide,
for the man wasn’t the only thing to arrive. Rir had too. In fact, the wolf had casually
knocked the newly arrived man aside by swatting him the same way he would have a
mosquito. The man was unable to react to the sudden development; his head ended
up smashing into the wall, spilling its contents all over.

“Looks like she’s not here,” I said to the wolf.

“I-It’s not over yet! M-my reinforcements will—” Porky started prattling again, but I
was sick of it.

“Your reinforcements? You mean the guys with their entrails splattered all over the
hallway?” I directed Porky’s eyes towards the hallway. It seemed to be filled with a
bunch of fresh corpses—ones I didn’t remember creating. Evidently, Rir had happened
to squish a scumbag or two on his way over.

“Damn it!” Porky grabbed a sword off a nearby corpse and swung it at me. Only now
had he finally realized that waiting on his men was fruitless. “Take this, you bastard!”

“Oh come on, you seriously think that’s gonna hit? You need some serious exercise,
Porky.” I avoided the attack with ease before retaliating by giving the pigman’s
shoulder a light nick.

The amount of damage the cut inflicted was tiny, but Porky Pig began writhing in pain
and screeching in agony, for the blade’s poison had entered his system through the
wound. The colour of his flesh changed as the toxins slowly began invading his body,
eating him from the inside out. Sweating profusely, Porky extended an arm towards
me in an attempt to beg for salvation.

“Wow, Porky. You don’t look so good. It looks like I should probably excuse myself and
let you get some much needed rest.” I gave the pig a casual sidelong glance as I excused
myself and left the room.

Upon exiting the manor, Rir and I found ourselves surrounded. A group of humans had
been waiting for me just outside the entrance, where they stood in a semi-circular
formation. Every last man had their weapons drawn and pointed straight at us. Wow.
Talk about being vigilant. All they’re up against is a dog and its owner.

Only then did I finally understand why we hadn’t encountered any of the city’s guards
inside the manor. Unlike the ruffians, the guards were trained. They knew not to
recklessly charge in without first uncovering their foes’ identity. Their equipment was
in good order, their movements were agile, and their decisions were rational. It was
clear that they were true warriors, men who earned their keep through the practice
of war. Ugh… What a pain in the ass.

Though I could’ve dealt with the men, I decided not to. I flat out ignored them as I took
a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs. “ILLUUUUUUNAAAAAAAA!!”

“Yuki! You came!”

I had raised my voice because I had expected the young vampire to take refuge a bit
further away. But, much to my surprise, she’d actually been nearby. Turning towards
its source, I found myself face to face with an empty alleyway, in which she suddenly
appeared. The effect looked like one based in magic; she’d basically popped out of a
random building’s shadow.

She pitter pattered towards me and leapt into my arms, so I gave her a tight squeeze
and gently pat her over the head. “There you are! Good job getting out on your own!
I’m really proud of you.”

“Mhm! I did my very very best!” She buried her face into my chest as her eyes began
to water. But then, as if suddenly recalling something, she jerked her face back
upwards. Her expression was one of pain. It looked like she was about to burst into
tears. “I’m not the only one they caught. There are lots of others. Please, please help
them!”

“…” I looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Got it. I’ll make sure I do something
about it, so how about you and Rir go on ahead?”

“Okay! Thanks so much! Me and Rir will wait ‘till you’re done!” Illuna smiled cheerfully
as she nodded.

“No problem,” I said, before turning to the wolf. “Take Illuna and get out of town. I’ll be
there soon.”

Rir looked a bit worried for my safety, but he ended up acknowledging his orders with
a nod. He placed Illuna on his back and kicked off the ground.

“The wolf’s making an escape!” One of the guards pointed towards Rir and shouted.

“That’s fine! Just ignore it!” shouted the commander. His subordinates once again
demonstrated how well trained they were by following his orders to the letter. They
immediately redirected their attention and turned their weapons back towards me.

But I wasn’t impressed. I didn’t have the liberty to be impressed.

“Accursed humans…” My mind was so clouded with crimson that I forgot my own
former identity and loosed a feral roar…”I’ll kill you! I’ll kill every single last one of
you!”

My magical energy mirrored my rage and overflowed from my body. It blew out all the
windows in my vicinity. The air seemed to tremble in the same way it would if it had
potent electrical currents coursing through it. As my mana leaked into my surroundings,
the armed men began to collapse, one after another. They simply toppled over,
unconscious.

The pure anger within me had stemmed all from a single source.

Illuna.

Someone had hit her. Someone had left a visible bruise on her face. And that someone
had been human.

I saw no reason to allow a race that would brazenly beat young children to be allowed
to continue existing without consequence or fear.

I grinded my teeth against each other and gripped my greatsword with such force that
its handle began warping out of shape.
“Calm yourself, Yuki.” Something wrapped itself around my back right as my anger
reached its peak. Its warmth comforted me and abated my rage, melting it away like
snow in springtime.

“Lefi…” I spoke the name of the girl that had embraced me. She was standing on her
tiptoes so she could rest her chin on my shoulders and whisper straight into my ears.
Her ever familiar scent was, for reasons I failed to understand, soothing.

“Calm yourself,” she repeated. “You have already achieved your goal. You have
retrieved Illuna and rewarded those that have hurt her with their well deserved
retribution. You’ve not any more business here. It is time to return.”

“…”

“More importantly, I am rather famished. The work I have done today was significant.
I take that you will provide me a meal befitting my efforts?” She spoke cheerfully as
she flashed me a grin.

“Yeah, I guess it’s only fair.” I too couldn’t help but smile as I responded to her, albeit
wryly. “I’ll go all out and feed you the best sweet I’ve got.”

“The best you have, you say!? That does sound rather appealing.” she said. “I trust that
it will live up to my expectations?”

“Heh.” I smirked. “Don’t be silly. It’ll be so good it’ll totally blow your taste buds away
and desensitize you to sweetness for days.”

“D-Days? Perhaps I may do best to proceed its consumption with caution…”

The way Lefi had spoken to me was no different from usual, so I too had reciprocated
in kind. And before long, I found myself restored to my usual state of mind.

I had finally managed to calm down.

“I-I apologize for interrupting, but… are you a demon?” The sole conscious human
approached us and timidly addressed us. Unlike the others, he had only fallen to his
knees.

“What do you want, old man?”

“I-I am Raylow Lurubia, this city’s governor. Am I correct in assuming that you’ve only
visited our humble town because you wished to pick up a relative?”

“Pretty much. Some asshole kidnapped my little sister, so we came to pick her up.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry,” stuttered the man. “I would like to extend you an invitation to my
manor as an apology.”

The hell? I’m pretty sure he knows that I’m a demon, and that demons and humans don’t
exactly get along. Why the hell would he invite us over? Only after a moment’s
contemplating did I realize that man was nervously shooting glances in Lefi’s
direction. Wait, is he analyzing her?

Double checking the man’s stats confirmed that, surely enough, he had the Analyze
skill. In other words, he knew that Lefi was the Supreme Dragon. Well, turns out that
Lefi wasn’t bullshitting about being a thing of legends after all. Yeah, I can kinda see how
you’d start acting all subservient and shit with a literal legendary beast around.

“What say you, Yuki?” The dragon girl turned towards me. “I’ve not a preference towards
either possibility.”

“I’ll accept,” I said. “There’s still one more unfinished item we’ve gotta check off before
we leave.”

I had yet to fulfill Illuna’s request.

“I cannot apologize enough for everything that’s happened.” The governor spoke as he
showed us to his reception room and sat down across from us.

The sofas we were situated on, like the rest of the governor’s mansion, appeared to be
more modest than gaudy. Of course, that wasn’t to say that the governor was a poor
interior decorator. In fact, I very much preferred his manor to the overly flashy, poorly
decorated base that I had just finished raiding. It just feels more refined this way.

“I’m sure that the trouble we’ve caused you has frustrated you to no end. And for that,
I must apologize. Please, find it in your hearts to forgive us,” he continued. His voice
was laced with exhaustion.

His subordinates had kept popping up and pointing their weapons at us throughout
our trip to his manor. The old man had no choice but to spend a few moments ordering
them to stand down each and every single time. The sheer number of repetitions had
been so great that I had begun to empathize with him. Like, god damn. Sure sucks to be
him right now. And the worst part is that I can’t say I don’t know how it feels. Eugh…

“Human, Raylow, I take it you are aware of my identity?” Lefi took the initiative in
replying to the man as she cast her gaze upon him. The lazy tone of voice she normally
spoke with was nowhere to be seen. Her words were so cold that they almost seemed
to be coated with a layer of ice.

“O-Of course,” stuttered the governor. He tried his best to cover up his nervousness,
but he was unable. It leaked through nonetheless. “I am fully aware of your identity
and the majesty it entails.”

“Then I suppose you know of the pact I share with your ancestors? I see not why
knowledge of it would be kept from one who governs over others.”

“A pact? What?” I raised an eyebrow as Lefi mentioned a term I hadn’t expected to hear.

“Only now have I recalled that I’ve yet to inform you of it,” said Lefi. “There was once
an age filled with strife, an entire era in which every last fool sought strength and glory.
I was challenged by many a warrior. Their vain attempts were but obnoxious; I
appreciated them not. Annoyed as I was, I sought to eliminate the problem at its
source. I began to attack the human nations from which they stemmed. My efforts
were met with panic. The human kings of the past appealed against their destruction
and offered a pact of non-interference. That is the pact of which I speak.”

I… see… So you basically put so much pressure on them that they had no choice but to
get things done through diplomacies that worked to your benefit? Yeah, makes sense to
me.

“The young maiden this incident revolves around is one I see as my kin. I was informed
that your kind would meddle in my affairs no longer. And yet, you kidnapped one of
my brood. The pact that you desired was broken by one of your own. I trust that you
understand that your sins require compensation.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry, but there was no way we could have possibly known, let alone
prevented it! The individuals responsible were outlaws!”

“I care not for your circumstances. The fact remains that our agreement has been
violated.”

“I suppose so…” The individual before the governor looked like a mere girl in her early
teens. And yet, he was pale with terror. His expression had frozen up and he was
literally sweating buckets. Man, watching this shit go down is almost making me feel
bad for him.

“And though I have voiced a need for compensation, I must admit that there is little
that I desire. However, the same cannot be said for my companion. I trust that you will
answer his demands to the best of your ability.” Lefi flashed me a sidelong glance as
she spoke.

Wait. Was that whole threat just a facade? ‘Cause it looks to me like she was just doing
it to make my life a helluva lot easier.

“You sure seem a lot more competent than usual today,” I said. “You doing okay?”

“Much to my displeasure, you have continued to label me as one who is useless and
lazy despite my majesty. I am merely demonstrating to you that I am deserving of my
title,” she said. “And Yuki, I suggest that you forget not the situation given that you have
yet to complete your final goal.”

“Oh yeah… Right…”

The Supreme Dragon turned back towards the governor, who was completely and
utterly dumbfounded by our silly exchange, and coughed to clear her throat before
continuing. “It is he that shall inform you of his demands.”

“Uhhh… yeah, sure.” Lefi had totally put me on the spot, so I took a moment to adjust
and took a deep breath before speaking to the governor.

“First thing’s first, stay out of our business if you don’t want to die.” I said threateningly.
“You can think of me the same way you do Lefi. Don’t mess with me. I don’t care what
excuses you have. If anything like this ever happens again, I’ll tear your fucking throat
out.”

“I-I understand,” said the governor. “I will do my best to ensure that we never trespass
on the Wicked Forest again.”

The Wicked Forest? I’mma go ahead and guess that’s what they call the forest we live in.
Never knew it had such a sinister sounding name.

“The second thing I want to say has to do with slavery. I saw a bunch of girls in the
mansion I attacked. Hand them over. And send all the rest of this city’s slaves over
while you’re at it.” I glanced at Lefi as I spoke. It was a signal. I was telling her to get
the dragons up above to act if the governor wasn’t keen on the idea. This whole
scenario is making me feel like a sly old fox. I’m basically just mooching off Lefi’s
influence and stringing the poor governor along. Maybe I should start adding fox puns
to everything I say.

“Is that all you desire?” asked the governor.

Wait. What? The fuck? Why’s he so cooperative? Isn’t this supposed to be where he starts
getting all pissy and reluctant?

“You realize that I’m demanding every last individual within this city’s bounds, right?”

“I am aware. I will have them arranged for you as soon as possible,” replied the
governor. “Will you require transportation? I can prepare several carriages for you
should you need them.”
“Uhh…” I turned towards the dragon in the room. “Hey Lefi, you think the dragons could
carry them?”

“It will be a simple task so long as the number of individuals in question does not
surpass three hundred.”

“We’re good on the carriages,” I said, turning back towards the governor. I highly doubt
there’ll be over three hundred. At least, I hope not. That’d be a whole shitload of trouble.

“I understand. I will have them brought to you immediately. I would appreciate it if

you would wait here while I get everything in order.” The governor left the room
immediately after hearing my request and began shouting for one of his subordinates.
“Alto!”

And thus ended my assault on the city. It was my first time raiding a town in another
world, but the note it had ended on had turned out to be fairly anticlimactic.

“And there they go…” I, Raylow Lurubia, sank into my chair and heaved a sigh of relief
as I watched the draconic brood fly off into the distance. If I ever had to sum up the
night’s experience in just a single word, I would label it terrifying.

I had suspected that the Supreme Dragon may be involved the moment I heard that
we were dealing with not one, but a whole group of dragons. Lo and behold, my
hypothesis had hit the mark. The legendary dragon’s appearance had thrown me off.
Never in my wildest dreams had I ever suspected that she would bear the form of a
beautiful maiden. But I knew that she was genuine. Her power was far too immense
to belong to any other.

In the past, I had been a mere wanderer. I would never have become a governor had it
not been for the many times I distinguished myself in battle. Alfyro was far from the
capital. It was even fair to say that it was a part of the borderlands. But even so, I never
would have risen to power had my accomplishments not been exceptional. My
prowess in battle had always been predicated on my capacity to discern the power
level of any I was pitted against. It was an ability I had naturally picked up while
wandering the land.

I could tell at a glance that I was no match for the Supreme Dragon. She was so much
more powerful than me that I was unable to discern anything beyond her identity. The
fear that her gaze had left in me was greater than any I had ever experienced on the
battlefield. I likely would have passed out had I lost focus, even for a moment.

And yet, terrifying as she was, she hadn’t come alone. He had joined her.

His jet black hair was so ominous that it almost appeared to embody darkness itself.
One of his eyes shared the same terrifying colour, while the other looked to be dyed in
blood. Of all his features, his eyes had been the most memorable. They contained a
sharp glint, one that had vividly burned itself into my memories. And although he was
not as fearsome as the Supreme Dragon herself, he too had struck fear in my heart.

“He seemed to be a demon lord… He and his dungeon were likely recently born in the
Wicked Forest.”

Recalling the man caused me to shiver in my boots. A part of it stemmed from the
attitude with which he treated the Supreme Dragon. That alone was a cause for terror,
but there was far more to it than just that. The wolf he had in his service was a Fenrir,
another creature of which legends were sung. He would have been able to raze the
city, even without the Supreme Dragon’s help. There was no doubt that he would have
obliterated my men and I had he attacked us. But fortunately, both he and the dragon
were reasonable. It was possible for me to fight them not with blades, but with words.
I was glad that it had come down to a negotiation.

“Accursed pig…” I swore as I recalled the face of the man that had caused this incident
to occur. “You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble.”

The sole benefit that the raid had provided was ridding my city of the pig and his gang.
They had been wiped out, completely and utterly eliminated. In life, the pig had been
a massive, three hundred pound thorn in my side. He gathered slaves through bandit-
like methodologies and sold them for prices that could only be labeled obscene. His
hands were stained with all sorts of illegal activity. His organisation had practically
been a criminal syndicate.

And yet, I had been unable to purge him. There was no use in exposing his crimes. He
had too many deep rooted connections with the nobility. Many a dirty noble would
have done everything in their power to protect him to prevent their deals with him
from coming to light. I had no choice but to sit by and watch as he committed one
atrocity after another.
Destruction of the pig aside, there was no harm done. I was almost tempted to dub the
demon lord’s actions more beneficial than harmful. But I knew that was far from true.

The problem lay not with the past, but rather, the future.

A storm was brewing. The Supreme Dragon’s power is not nearly as feared as it once
was. Greed drove many a man to believe that invading the Wicked Forest and claiming
its abundant resources was wise. And there was no doubt that those who support this
movement would use the incident that had just occurred as an opportunity to dispatch
the nation’s forces and “seek retribution.”

And in my heart, I knew that the action was no different from leaping into one’s own
grave. They were sure to act if provoked.

I had to prevent any and all invasions of their territory no matter what the cost,
especially since the Supreme Dragon was no longer the only threat. A demon lord had
risen.
“Sooooo… what now?” I looked over the girls we had retrieved from the city as I stood
by the dungeon’s entrance. I had been a bit worried that it would be subject to an
attack while we were away, so I had blocked the entrance with a large boulder. But as
we were back, said boulder had instead been returned to my inventory.

All of the twenty odd slaves were huddled together, trembling with fear as they rested
their eyes on me. They hadn’t been told anything; none of them knew why they’d
suddenly been brought into the Wicked Forest’s depths. Of course, Illuna wasn’t
amongst them. Her day had been a long one, and the whole kidnapping ordeal had left
her thoroughly exhausted, so I shipped her off to bed the moment she got home.
Likewise, Shii was also fast asleep. The slime had been so excited by the vampire’s
return that it had leapt about until it passed out. In other words, the dungeon’s two
noncombatants had set off together on a journey in the land of dreams.

“I presume you failed to consider the consequences of your actions?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” I answered. “I kinda sorta totally forgot.”

“…I am not surprised,” muttered Lefi. “While you appear as if you think deeply about
your actions, I know that, in truth, you merely choose whichever happens to be on
your mind at that moment.”

You understand me well, Lefi. The sides of my lips curved upwards ever so slightly.

“Oh yeah!” I turned back towards the crowd as I suddenly came up with an idea. “I
know you guys all got captured and enslaved and whatnot. But you did have homes
before that happened, right?”

Though, for the most part, they still seemed to be trembling in fear, excitement began
spreading through their ranks. They began whispering to each other and discussing
the implications of my words. One of the group’s members eventually ended up
timidly stepping forward on their behalf. She had horns like a sheep and carried
herself in a manner I could only describe as cool and composed.
“W-we do, oh venerable demon lord. Most of us were kidnapped whilst working away
from our hometowns. But even those that weren’t have places they can return to,” she
said with a tremble. The sheep girl was much calmer than all the other girls present,
but nervous nonetheless.

“Woah. Colour me impressed. How’d you figure out what I am?”

“The properties carried by your mana are what allowed me to discern it.”

Huh. So mana really does work like that. I figured as much, but still, sure is nice to have
someone confirm it.

“Alright, all of you having homes makes this whole situation much easier to deal with,”
I said.

“Hey Lefi, can you have the dragons take them back to their families?”

“A simple task.”

The Supreme Dragon looked to the sky and made a gesture with her index finger. Her
underlings, who had been flying way up high, descended to a much lower height and
lined themselves up next to one another without a moment’s delay. The obedience sure
is convenient and all that, but just what the hell did she do to them? Like, seriously… Look
at how disciplined they are…

“A single glance at your expression is enough to convey to me that of which you wish
to ask,” said Lefi as she turned towards me. “The answer is rather simple, Yuki. I merely
engraved my supremacy into the very depths of their beings. Even their bones
understand that it is none other than I who they must obey.”

Hot dayum. Daz cray cray.

“A-Anyways,” I cleared my throat and continued to speak to the slaves. “Just tell these
dragons where your homes are, and they’ll have you dropped off in a jiffy. They’re
pretty smart, so they should get you there without any issues so long as you give ‘em
directions.”

Most of the girls had obviously been dead on the inside. Their eyes were like empty
voids, and peering into them called for naught but the abyss. However, hearing my
words had caused hope to fill them once more. They grew more vibrant and excited
as they realized that they would once again be allowed to return to the homes that
they thought they would never see again.

It seemed that the reason the only slaves that remained were young women was not
because the traders had chosen to slay or ignore all the males. Rather, it was because
the country the city we raided was affiliated with was currently in the midst of a war.
Demons and demihumans were known to be stronger than humans, so all the
enslaved men had been dragged off to the battlefield, regardless of age. Likewise, the
older women had been provided the exact same treatment.

That was one of the two reasons that there were only about twenty of them in spite of
the city’s size. The other had to do with legality. The country had outlawed all
transactions involving slaves. Both purchasing them and selling them was prohibited;
all slaves on the market were the products of illegal activity. And thus, slave traders
were few in number. The only organisations that dabbled in the exchange were those
that were a part of the criminal underworld to begin with, like the one that I had
crushed during my stay.

Our good friend the governor had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to handle
the slaves himself, so he had eagerly jumped on the opportunity we presented him
and pushed them onto us instead. Thinking about it that way makes me feel a whole
mixed bag of emotions… but oh well, whatever. I’ll just consider the whole scenario a part
of Illuna’s request. She almost never asks for anything, so I should probably give it my
all.

“A-Are you truly willing to send us home?” the sheep girl asked, wide eyed.

“Yeah, I don’t particularly mind. One of ours got kidnapped too, so I might as well help
out everyone that happens to be in the same boat as her,” I said. “Oh and make sure
you speak up if you don’t have anywhere to go. We can figure something out. I was the
one who brought you guys all the way out here, so I’m obviously not going to be doing
something as ridiculous as kicking you out and ditching you in the middle of the forest
just ‘cause you don’t got anywhere to go.”

We could afford to take care of a few of them. Might be in a bit of trouble if too many of
them stay behind though.

The girls began chatting amongst themselves again, this time, a bit more noisily. A
minute or two later, they came to an abrupt stop. They arranged themselves in as
orderly a manner as they could before initiating a deep, simultaneous bow and speaking
in sync.

“We’re all different. We’re different races, and we come from different backgrounds.
But we shared the same circumstances. That’s why we all want to offer you our
gratitude. Thank you. Thank you for all the compassion you’ve shown us.”

“Okay, that’s another group gone. Looks like you two are the only ones left.” I turned
towards the last two girls after watching another batch of dragons fly off.

“I was raised with the belief that I should always pay back any debts I accrue in full,”
said the first of the two. “I would be glad to be in your service, but only if you don’t
mind, of course.”

She was the cool and collected sheep girl that had stepped out of the crowd to speak
up for her peers. Sheep-like horns aside, the first thing I noticed about her was the
dazzling white hair she had. It extended all the way down to her waist. Following it led
me to realize that she had excellent proportions. All the parts of her body that needed
to bulge did exactly that; all her curves were exactly where they needed to be. Her
body’s lines were only further emphasized by the rags she wore. They were far too
small for her, and they basically showcased a certain part of her body. I had no idea
where to look. Fortunately, she herself wasn’t making much of a big deal of it and
instead continued to carry herself with an air of nonchalance. How do I put this… she
just seems… more mature than me. She’s got that older sister type vibe to her, if you know
what I mean.

“Uhm… Is that a Fenrir over there…?” The other girl was a beastkin. She had ears and
a tail, both of which resembled that of a dog. Her hair was short, curly, and had about
the same colour as a chestnut. Unlike the sheep girl, she didn’t appear nearly as
seductive. I know this is hella rude to say, but she, Lefi, and Illuna have pretty much all
got the exact same proportions.

Still, she was ridiculously pretty. Both of them were. A single glance at either of the
girls was enough for me to understand why they had been targeted.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I-I knew it!” She yelled ecstatically. “Can I please stay!? I’ll do whatever y’want! Please!?”

“U-Uhh… sure… I guess…” I blinked a few times, taken aback by her sudden vigour. “Is
this because of Rir?”

I pat the wolf’s fluff to indicate to her that I was talking about him.

“To us warwolves, Fenrirs are basically gods! Man, I’m so happy! Leavin’ the village
was worth it! Everyone told me it was a bad idea, but now I get to tell them that I got
the chance t’serve a Fenrir!”

“Uh huh… Good for you…” I did my best to nod along as I recoiled from the wolf girl.
Welp. Looks like we’ve got another strong personality on our hands.

“You hear that, Rir?” I gave the wolf another pat. “She says you’re basically a god.”

Rir replied by whining and smiling as wryly as a wolf could. Yeahhhhh, I getchu bro. I’d
also be pretty freaked out if some random chick started worshipping me.

“Okay… oh wait, right, introductions. I’m Yuki, that’s Lefi, and this is Fluffrir,” I said as
I pointed to each of us in turn. “We’ve got a few more, but they’re already fast asleep
so I’ll introduce you guys tomorrow. What were your names again?”

“My name is Leila,” said the sheep girl. “Please issue me whatever orders you see fit.”

Leila bowed as she spoke. No more bowing please. I’m starting to catch more than just
a few glimpses of something I really shouldn’t be staring at.

“I’m Lyuuinne Gyroll, a warwolf. I’d be real glad if you called me Lyuu for short,” said
the dog girl. She seemed to be the kind of chick you’d leave in charge of looking after
a boys’ softball team. She kinda reminds me of H*mura from P*wer Pr*s. Not because of
how she looks or anything. It’s more like just the way she carries herself and whatnot.

“Anyway,” I said. “I’m sure you’re both tired, so we can leave figuring out all the more
complicated stuff for later. For now, you might as well just make yourselves at home,”
I said, as I turned towards the dungeon’s entrance.

“Uhm, My Lord…” The sheep girl hesitated for a moment before voicing her thoughts.
“This is just a cave, isn’t it?”
“I know what you’re trying to say, but don’t worry. I’m not about to make you sleep on
top of a rock or anything. You’ll see. Just follow me.”

I gave the two a quick sidelong glance as I entered the cave. They seemed a bit scared,
but timidly followed me nonetheless. And so, with that confirmed, I turned my eyes to
Lefi, who had taken up the rear. The look on her face and the air about her both made
it obvious that she was proud of herself and her accomplishments.

“Sooo… uh… Lefi…”

“Yes? What is it?” She looked right at me as she answered.

“…” I awkwardly paused for a bit before I continued. “Thanks for today. I couldn’t have
pulled it off without you.”

For a moment, she had let her emotions show. She stared at me in blank surprise,
completely taken aback by the sudden expression of gratitude. But soon, she twisted
it into a shiteating grin.

“Are you perhaps referring to the moment in which I embraced you and calmed your
nerves as I would an infant?”

“…C-Can we pretend that never happened? Like, seriously. Please?” I groaned in

displeasure. She’d started to tease me right where it hurt.

Seeing my reaction caused her to break into a hearty laugh. It lasted a good bit, but
ultimately came to an abrupt halt.

“Yuki, I…” She shifted to a completely different tone. One that was much more sincere.
“I have spent many a year in solitude. I have been by my lonesome for as long as my
memories serve. The world itself had grown dull and bland. Boredom was my sole
emotion. And I had accepted it as the norm.”

“…”

I wasn’t able to bring myself to answer her. The words she spoke reflected the
loneliness brought about by her overwhelming power. They described the memories
that she had made during the time she had spent as the Supreme Dragon.

“That, however, no longer holds true. My days began to change soon after a certain
fateful encounter. On that day, I met an individual who dyed my world in iridescence.
He filled it with all sorts of colours and shades, the likes of which I had never imagined.
So fresh and pleasant were the experiences he brought that I could not help but hold
them dear to my heart.” She looked right at me as she spoke. “And that is the reason
for which I would like to request, Yuki, that you continue to bring colour to my world.”

She began to laugh as she finished speaking, almost as if to brush the confession off as
a joke.

But I knew.

And that was why the short and simple reply I offered her was accompanied by a heavy
nod.

“Always.”
“What the heck, Yuki!?” Illuna crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in a cute
display of anger and dissatisfaction. “Why are they here!?”

“W-Well, they said they wanted to stay. I was kind of the one that brought them all the
way out here, so it’s not like I can turn them down, you know?” I, on the other hand,
was stuck sitting on my own knees. The pose I took was a traditional Japanese pose of
self reflection, the so called seiza. Of course, I hadn’t taken it of my own will. Rather, it
was exactly the opposite. Illuna knew the purpose of the pose given the number of
times that I had forced our resident dragon into it, and thus, she had demanded for me
to take it as I justified the decisions I made in her absence.

“I’m very happy you came to save me,” she pouted. “But I don’t remember telling you
that it was okay for you to take mistresses!”

“Uhm, s-sorry…? I guess?”

Wait… why’s she mad at me again? Both new hires remained silent as they gazed upon
the scene. It was evident from the looks in their eyes and the expressions on their faces
that the interaction between the young vampire and I had warmed their hearts. Come
on! Can’t one of you at least try to explain the situation to her!? God damn it!

“Geez!” she complained. “I never knew you were such a cheater! Lefi’s okay, but…
That’s it!”

“Now you hol’up real quick lil’ miss Illuna, ‘cause me thinks you be havin’ some serious
misunderstandings,” I said, with a funny accent.

“No I’m not! Lefi taught me all about maids and what they’re for! They exist to make
men cheat!” The little girl pointed to the dungeon’s newest residents, two newly
appointed maids, in turn as she spoke. That was the title we had ended up giving them
after taking their responsibilities into consideration.
“So, Professor Lefi, mind explaining why you’re corrupting this young child’s mind?”

“What? I have done no such thing. I merely described to her the extent of a maid’s
duties,” claimed the Supreme Dragon.

…And now I see the problem. Lefi actually thinks sex is part of the job description.

“Not at all,” I denied. “That’s all just prejudice on your part. Sure, that kinda stuff does
happen from time to time, but you really shouldn’t be lumping maids in with sex
workers.”

“I-It’s okay Master!” Lyuuin, the dog girl, began to nervously swing her hips from left
to right as her face flushed a shade of crimson. “I-I don’t think I’ll be any good at it
‘cause my body’s a bit lackin’ as far as proportions go, but I’ll gladly offer myself to you
so long as y’keep lettin’ me serve Lord Fluffrir!”

“What the actual fuck!? I could swear that I literally just said I didn’t intend on making
you do stuff like that!”

The other maid, Leila, watched over the entire event with an entertained smile.

“Oh boy…” I couldn’t help but heave a heavy sigh as I once again attempted to solve the
misunderstanding that the dog eared maid had only deepened.

It had taken a while, but I eventually managed to calm Illuna down and teach her that
maids and concubines were not the same thing. And so, with that out of the way, I
finally began briefing our two newest residents about their new home and the duties
they would attend. It was imperative that they understood what it meant to be
employed by the dungeon as a corporation.

“Anyway, to reiterate, I’d like you guys to be the dungeon’s maids. I’ve been stuck doing
all the chores so far, and it’s sucked, so I’m hoping you guys will be able to ease my
load a bit.” I began by elaborating on the corporate structure (1 demon lord, 1 supreme
dragon, 1 little girl, and 2 pets) before moving onto duties (killing monsters, growing
the dungeon, lazing around, and playing house with the resident little girl).

That said, the first and second duties had already fallen onto the backburner. There
wasn’t much of a point in actively hunting for monsters unless I really wanted
something off the catalogue. Likewise, the dungeon’s territory didn’t require all that
much management either. It was growing at a fairly steady rate over time due to all
my passive income.

Moreover, I had lately acquired a much greater means of killing time in the form of
board games. Lefi and Illuna had only recently memorized most games’ rules, so we’d
been spending a good bit of time playing through them. Alright newbies, you better
learn those rules ASAP. ‘Cause you know, the more the merrier and all that.

As they’d officially become the dungeon’s residents, neither of the two girls were
wearing the same rags they’d come in with any longer. I’d given them a set of maid
uniforms, and not the kind you’d find in the part of Tokyo where people who loved the
two dimensional roamed the streets. Rather than short and skimpy as possible, their
uniforms were prim and proper. They were classy, formal, and of course, items I had
procured through the dungeon’s catalogue. God damn, catalogue bro, you are one
helluva sinful man. Being able to make stuff like this definitely marks you a degenerate
beyond redemption.

“I think that covers everything.”

“I believe you may have missed something,” said Leila, as she tilted her head in confusion.
“You didn’t mention anything about our nightly duties. What will we have to d—”

“Nothing.” I cut her off before she was able to finish. Please stop. We kinda have young
children present here, you know? And besides, I’m a man. And like any other man, I’m
going to find it really hard to resist my urges if you keep tempting me. Especially with
that super hot bod of yours. Like hot damn. Dem tits. Dat ass.

“Anyways.” I faked a cough. “You guys are pretty much bound to run into all sorts of
things you’ve never seen before lying around here and there. Please ask around if you
don’t know how something works. Your room will be the one you used last night. And,
that should be about it. Any questions?”

The room I mentioned was one I added the night before. Illuna, Lefi, and I had always
just slept in the throne room with our beds lined up right next to each other’s. I
suspected that it would feel a bit cramped if we added the maids to the mix, so I
decided to make them a room. Of course, I extended the same offer to the other girls,
but neither had really wanted one, so I hadn’t bothered. At least for the time being.
I had been planning to do some heavy renovations soon anyway, so I decided that I
might as well put off making their rooms until I started with those. Plus, I’ve kinda been
wanting a room myself. There are many reasons a young man might want his own room,
not all of which need to be said.

“What’s this, Master?” The wolf girl curiously picked up a nearby object.

“A thin black thing will come out if you press the clicky part at the top. You can use that
to write.”

“Wow! This magic item of yours sure does seem handy!”

Ah, yes. The mighty magically enchanted item from Earth we call a mechanical pencil.

“And what would this be, My Lord?” Like Lyuuin, Leila also regarded a nearby prop
with her gaze full of curiosity.

“That’s just a toy. It’s one Lefi likes a lot, so I’m sure she’ll be willing to teach you all about
it once she’s up.”

I glanced at the Supreme Dragon, only to once again confirm that she was passed out
in bed. She had been awake earlier in the morning, but went right back to sleep the
moment she finished her meal. Well… I mean I guess she did work a lot harder than
usual last night, so I guess I may as well turn a blind eye to that excessive laziness of hers.
For now.

“Oh yeah,” I turned to Leila, the sheep horned girl, as I suddenly thought up a question
I thought she might be able to answer. “Just what are demon lords to demons anyway?”

“Humans have referred to our leaders as demon lords, but that isn’t quite right. We
demons consider demon lords as creatures that lord over and have had their bodies
forged anew by labyrinths.”

Labyrinths? I guess that must be what she calls dungeons.

“What do you mean by ‘forged anew?’”

“Becoming a demon lord is like being reborn, in a sense. The best way to explain this
would be to use an example,” she explained. “If a goblin were to become a labyrinth’s
ruler, then it would come to possess abilities outside the realm of what the goblin race
is capable of. Thus, the demon lord can no longer be classified as a goblin. It would be
much more correct to label it a whole new race, one created with a goblin as its base.”

Oh, I get it. So I guess that makes me a demon lord with its powers funneled into the body
of an archdemon. I’m pretty sure it’d be fair to say that the demon lord part of me is
where most of my abilities come from.

“You sure are well informed, Leila. I might be asking you more stuff like this in the
future,” I said. I don’t actually know all that much about this world. My impressions
pretty much all stem from my own preconceived biases, so I doubt they’ll prove very
accurate.

“N-Not at all,” replied Leila. “I-I’m glad I was able to help.”

“Hmm…?” For some odd reason, she seemed kind of flustered, or maybe even
panicked. “Anyway, let’s do our best to get along. Make sure you let me know if you
need anything.”

And so, two new employees were added to the dungeon’s corporate roster.
Today, I’ll finally start renovating the dungeon. I thought to myself as I looked around
the throne room. The only invader that’s gotten anywhere close to the throne room is
that one three headed dog I killed the day I summoned Shii, but I’ve been putting it off
for far too long. It’s about time I stop procrastinating and get to work.

My goal was to modify the dungeon such that it actually looked, well, like a dungeon.
That said, I had no intention of crafting, for any potential invaders, an experience what
would be seen in a typical JRPG. That is, I wasn’t going to just make a cave with a whole
bunch of floors. Rather, the image I had in mind was much more akin to that of a final
boss’ castle. I wanted to make something grand, something magnificent, something
like the ever majestic An*r Londo. Though, Anor L*ndo may be a bit too disproportionately
large. I mean, I’m a man. I gotta dream big, but maybe not quite that big.

With my thoughts in order, I decided to open up my stat page and check the amount
of DP I had on hand.

General Information
Name: Yuki
Race: Archdemon
Class: Demon Lord
Level: 35
HP: 2540/2540
MP: 7211/7211
Strength: 716
Vitality: 747
Agility: 658
Magic: 998
Dexterity: 1313
Luck: 72
Skill Points: 6
Unique Skills
Magic Eye
Translation
Flight
Skills
Item Box
Analyze VIII
Martial Arts IV
Primordial Magic IV
Stealth V
Detect Enemies IV
Sword Arts I
Weapon Transmutation III
Enchant II
Titles
Demon Lord from Another World
Supreme Dragon’s Owner
One Who Judges
DP: 152400

And in doing so, I discovered that I had gained yet another strange title.

One Who Judges: One who detests sin and delivers judgement upon the guilty. All stats
are increased by 50% whilst engaging a sinner. Sinners are denoted as those whose
titles convict them of crime.

I raised a hand to my chin as I read its description. Well, it at least seems useful, so no
harm in getting it, I guess. Wait. How exactly did I get this title anyway?

“Hey Lefi, how exactly do people get titles?” I turned to the dragon, only to find that
she was still in the middle of an interesting but bizzare one man act. That is, she was
playing old maid against none other than herself.

Her current predicament was one inspired by her own actions. She had bragged about
how good she was at the game and challenged Lyuuin to a one on one showdown, only
to end up under a metaphorical bus the moment she taught the other girl the game’s
rules. Lefi had been completely and utterly destroyed, over and over again. Thus, she
decided that she lacked experience and enrolled herself in a bootcamp in which she
was both instructor and student. Lefi please. Old maid doesn’t support single player.

“Titles, you ask?” She looked up from the cards in her hand and turned her eyes on me
as she answered my question. “I’ve no choice but to admit that even I lack knowledge
of their workings. I know only that they are inclined to appear following major events
and that they label those that have strayed from the righteous path. Some claim that
they are managed by a god, a watcher that observes our actions and provides us titles
to match. The label stems from a lack of information, for the watcher is labeled a god
for the sole reason that it is not a creature that we sentient beings can perceive. Still,
it remains fact that our actions lead to a sort of recognition.”

Well, that answer was a whole lot more profound than what I was expecting.

“Wait, so does that mean there aren’t actually any real gods?”

“At the very least, I have yet to bear witness to any being reflective of the deities described
in religious texts.”

Lefi’s answer left me a bit surprised. The world I had been reincarnated in was
different from my own. It was a whole other world, or as we Japanese would like to
call it, an isekai. And as far as the isekai genre of literature was concerned, gods were
a norm. Thus, I had always just assumed that they existed. But not even Lefi had met
one. From that, I came to the conclusion that this world’s gods were no different from
that of my previous world’s: they were beings that were impossible to perceive,
assuming they even existed to begin with.

“Speaking of titles,” I said. “Is Supreme Dragon the only one you’ve got?”

“I bear countless others. But I have chosen to keep them hidden away,” replied Lefi. “I
have refrained from hiding only the Supreme Dragon title, for it conveys my identity
to all who dare to examine me. I’ve the ability to obscure all information pertaining to
me, in fact. I could very well conceal everything from my name to all of my titles with
utmost ease.”

Oh, I get it. She’s using her most fearsome title to scare away all the riff raff so everyone
leaves her alone. That’s a pretty good life lesson right there.

The fact that Lefi had the ability to hide her stats didn’t really catch me off guard. There
were skills that allowed one to peek at another’s stats; it only made sense for the
opposite to exist as well. I was quite interested in the skill and made a mental note to
look through the catalogue for it later on. That reminds me… Illuna probably has a
hidden skill or title or two, doesn’t she? I mean, she managed to escape all by herself, so
it only makes sense. I probably shouldn’t be asking her about it though. The fact that she
hasn’t told me of her own accord means it’s probably one of her most closely guarded
secrets. Forcing it out of her would be in bad taste.

“Why is it that you appear so disappointed?” asked Lefi.

“I kinda had this whole goal of being able to see all your stats, but it turns out that you
can just shut me out whenever you feel like it,” I grumbled. I had never been able to
see any more than what she wanted me to see.

The dragon girl broke into a hearty laugh. “Then I suppose you have no choice but to
grow more powerful. It is likely that you will be able to discern them should your level
reach my own.”

“Yeah… no.” I rolled my eyes. “That’d probably take a couple hundred years. I’ll be long
dead by the time I even reach your feet.”

“What?” The dragon eyed me, confused. “You need not concern yourself with the
length of your lifespan. I believe not that it will be a factor.”

“Uh……… what?” I stared at her, completely bamboozled. The words that she had
nonchalantly spoken had caused my mind to grind to a halt.

“I cannot be certain in declaring that your life shall continue in perpetuity. Still, I’ve no
doubt that it will span at least several thousand years, Yuki, for you are a demon that
has spawned not through birth, but rather spontaneous generation. Do you recall
what I have told you about magical particles?”

“Uh… yeah… I remember,” I said, as I dug through my memories. Let’s see… I think she
said that I was basically a bunch of magical particles gathered around a core made up
of the dungeon’s power.

“Demons whose bodies are composed of magical particles are long lived, to say the
least. The act of breathing alone suffices as a method to restore the particles of which
your body is composed and thereby all it requires to function. You will not perish if
you remain unslain. [E1] You’ve the ability to regenerate, for even severed limbs shall
reform themselves should you allow enough time to pass. The passage of time shall
not be your end so long as magical particles continue to exist. In fact, I believe you’ve
not even the need for sustenance.”

Huh… now that she mentions it, I don’t think I’ve actually ever really felt hungry post
reincarnation.

A further moment’s worth of contemplating led me to realize that Shii and Rir, the
dungeon’s monsters, were made the same way, which meant that they too had no need
to fear the hand of time. Damn, that’s a shocker.

It appears that my body is immune to age and all that accompanies it, that it does. I was
so surprised that I ended up thinking to myself with a speech quirk befitting a samurai.

“Wait, what about you then? I mean, you’ve already lived for a thousand years, so does
that mean you’re the same way?”

“Like yours, my kind is long lived. And as I have grown more powerful than any other,
my body has acclimated itself to magic particles. I believe that, unless I am slain, I too
shall continue to exist for as long as there are magic particles.”

“That’s good… I doubt I’ll be bored no matter how long a life I’ve got ahead of me so
long as I’ve got you by my side.” I turned to the dragon girl as I spoke. “Huh? What’s
the matter? Why’d you suddenly turn all red?”

“I-It is nothing!” squealed Lefi before changing the topic. “I suppose you only asked
me about titles because you had acquired anothe—WHAT!? WHY IS IT THAT YOU ARE
LABELED THE SUPREME DRAGON’S OWNER!?”

The lazy dragon cut herself off with a series of screeches the moment she checked my
stats.

“Oh, you never noticed that one?”

“Y-you dare treat me as you would some sort of pet!?”

Yeah, that’s about the exact reaction I thought I’d get.

“Oh come on,” I said with a teasing smirk. “Don’t let it get to you. It’s just a title given
to you by some random thing that we can’t actually see. All that means is that it’s the
objective truth.”

“Nrrrghhhh…” Lefi groaned angrily.

“So now that you know your place in the world, I’d say it’s about time you act a bit
more pet-like. How about you try fawning all over me or sucking up to me for food?”

“Krhhghhhh!” Another frustrated groan escaped the dragon girl’s throat. “Do not get
cocky! Yuki, I challenge you to a duel! Let us engage in a bout under fair terms!”

“Mwahahahaha!” I cackled. “Bring it on! If I win, you’ll have to get on all fours, walk
around like a dog, and lick my feet!”

“T-That is quite the… interest you have, Yuki,” said Lefi, as she reeled away.

“Why the hell did you suddenly calm down and start thinking rationally!? What
happened to getting all fired up!?”

[E1]: So basically, if he’s not killed he won’t die. Because, after all, people die if they’re
killed.
Lefi, who’d assumed that she could beat me in a battle of wits, furiously stomped off
as I childishly demolished her in a game of trump. Her destination was obvious—she
was headed straight to bed so she could lie around and sulk. That in turn left me with
the time and space I needed to return to my goal: renovating the dungeon.

To start, I left the throne room and entered the cave. I then turned around such that I
was facing the door leading back inside as I slid a finger through the air and fiddled
around with the menu.

It was time to add another floor. More specifically, I wanted a nice, flat prairie; a piece
of land filled with naught but grass. And though creating a massive plain in the middle
of a cave didn’t seem possible by any stretch of the imagination, it was. The dungeon’s
mysterious powers rendered it a simple task so long as I had a sufficient amount of
DP.

Of course, I had no intention of just dumping a random prairie in the middle of the
dungeon and calling it a day. The plan was just to start with a prairie and work my way
up to something much more grand. All I had to do was manipulate the floor through
the plethora of options and customizations the dungeon’s system offered.

With that in mind, I expended a non-negligible amount of DP and brought the grassy
field to life.

“Wow…” I blinked a few times as I looked through the door. “It actually worked.”

Before me was the exact item offered by the dungeon’s catalogue, a flat grassland that
extended as far as the eye could see. Gazing at it immediately led me to recall what I
had seen of the Japanese Alps. The two scenes contrasted each other to such a degree
that they may as well have been polar opposites.

One of the most mysterious parts of the alteration was that the door remained
unchanged. It looked exactly as it had a few seconds ago despite now leading to a whole
other place.
Stepping through the door, I was greeted by green and blue. The lush vegetation that
filled the field almost seemed to glimmer as it was illuminated by the sunlight. I was
still technically inside of a cave. Yet, all I saw when I directed my gaze upwards was a
clear blue sky—a sight as impossible as the gentle breeze that embraced me and sent
the grass aflutter.

The sole disturbance, the sole part of the scene that wasn’t sky or grass was a single,
unnatural looking door, all by itself off in the distance. The door that led to the throne
room. This is kinda a little late seeing as how I’ve already done a bunch of shit with it,
but god damn, the dungeon sure can do a lot of shit. How does it all work anyway?

I was unable to find an answer to my question, so I redirected my attention elsewhere

and began wandering towards the inconspicuous door. After reaching it, I gave its
knob a twist and stepped inside to confirm that the throne room was indeed on the
other side.

I noticed Illuna and the two maids flash me curious looks out of the corner of my eye,
but I didn’t pay them much heed as I stepped back outside and circled behind the door
to confirm that there really was nothing on the other side. My expression of disbelief
was so primitive that I almost felt like a monkey in the midst of being introduced to
the concept of a mirror. Just how far does this prairie go, anyway? It almost looks like
an entire world of its own.

Driven by curiosity, I spent a bit of time investigating. I walked around and flew about
until I finally came to understand the size of my new domain. With the gate to the
throne room as the centerpoint, it was about five kilometers in any given direction,
save for up. It was only about a thousand meters high. The boundaries were delimited
by a set of invisible walls, much like the blocking volumes that appeared in video
games. I had actually hit my head on the invisible ceiling while flying around. It hadn’t
hurt, but it had left me quite startled.

All in all, I had to say that it was well worth the pretty penny it cost me. The area was
larger than I’d anticipated, and I could expand it at will with the press of a button
should I ever feel that it was starting to get a bit too cramped. Oh yeah, speaking of the
menu…

I began manipulating the dungeon’s UI. Specifically, I began sifting through the menu
that allowed me to customize my newly added floor. It’s a bit bland as is, so I’ll add a
river to make it less boring. Might as well throw in a few mountains off in the distance
while I’m at it. Oh, there’s gotta be a bridge if there’s a river. And I also kinda want me
some cherry blossoms, so I’ll throw in a tree. I do like me some cherry blossoms. Hmmm…
looking at all this makes me want to throw in a nice, Japanese style building. Oh, what if
I put one of those traditional inns? Y’know, a good old Japanese ryokan. I’m making a
ryokan, then it goes without saying that I’m going to need a hot spring. Should probably
make it a nice, luxurious open air bath while I’m at it. Oh, and can’t forget the garden.
And the pond. And the koi that go in the pond. I remember seeing them somewhere in the
menu for monsters. I’m pretty sure they don’t belong there, but whatever. Anyway, next,
I’ll need to add…

And so, I ended up with a nice, riverside inn. The interior was expressive of traditional,
old fashioned, Japanese tastes. It gave off an aura of refinement, and even just entering
the space was enough to fill me with a sense of nostalgia. Ascending to the veranda
allowed me to gaze at the beautiful cherry tree I’d set up and the pond beside it.

It was a calming sight, one that put my heart at ease. Looking beyond the ryokan’s
boundaries was a large grassy plain that extended effectively as far as the eye could
see. And far off in the distance lay a range of rugged looking mountains.

“Yeah, not too shabby, if I do say so myself.”

After finally calming down, I found myself standing in front of a high class inn that
featured a hot spring. The scene around it was so beautifully constructed that I was
certain it would make a fine piece of art.

The atmosphere around the inn was warm and friendly, the complete opposite of the
solemn castle that I had originally set out to make. That said, I wasn’t complaining. I
hadn’t planned on building the castle immediately after acquiring the plains. Besides,
this whole pleasant atmosphere? Yeah, that was totally all planned. Yup. I totally didn’t
accidentally get ahead of myself and randomly start adding shit without thinking
because I let myself get carried away. None of that DP was wasted at all. None. At. All. I
mean, just look at this thing. It’s gorgeous. It’s clearly just an extension of my wonderful,
artsy mind. It’s all but natural given that I am the Demon Lord of Creativity. Mhm. Yup.
All planned. This is totally just another important step one needs to take to become a
true demon lord. Mwahahahaha!

…
Okay yeah no. Not even I know what I’m blabbering on about anymore.

“Lunch is ready, Master!” Lyuuin stuck her head through the door as she tried to get
my attention. “Wait a second! Where the heck am I!? What happened to the cave, and
where’d this house come from!?”

I had already known that I was going to get called for food eventually, so I’d built the
inn right next to the door leading to the throne room. To that end, it was the first thing
Lyuuin, who was half panicking, saw.

A part of me had suspected that adding a floor would make travelling between the
cave and the throne room much more painful than it needed to be, but it turned out
that wasn’t the case at all. The door was much like the one in H*wl’s Moving Castle. I
could change its destination as I opened it. In fact, anyone that was affiliated with the
dungeon was capable of using that exact feature, which meant Illuna could do the
same. Unfortunately, Lefi, Lyuuin, and Leila were all still treated as intruders, so they
would have to bear with the inconvenience. Oh well. It kinda can’t be helped.

“Oh, hey Lyuu. Gimme a second, I’ll be right over.”

I was quite happy to have the maids in my service. I’d always been responsible for
making our meals, but now that Leila was around, I no longer had to bother. She was
one hell of a cook; she had somehow managed to learn how to make food from earth
in the blink of an eye. Seeing her in action reminded me that girls were just that much
better at cooking than guys. They were more naturally inclined to be good at it.

While Leila was nothing short of excellent, the same couldn’t be said for Lyuu. Well…
she’s trying, so good enough, I guess…

“Huh? Wait, you’re not gonna explain how all this happened!?” Lyuu walked up to me
as she continued to look around the prairie in wonder.

“Uhhh… Let’s just say that it’s because demon lords have got mysterious powers.”

“Sorry Master, but I ain’t followin’.”

Yeah, figured.

“To be honest, I don’t really understand it all that well myself. The only thing I can really
tell you is that it’s possible because it is,” I said with a shrug. “Anyway, you get used to
living here yet?”

I hit Lyuu with the classic 1-2: giving her a vague response and voicing a question of my
own.

“Hmmmm…” She paused for a moment. “Well, to be honest, the fact that I’m here kinda
makes me feel real weird. I thought that my life was totally over when I got turned into
a slave, but now I’ve got myself a job again, and I’m workin’ like nothin’s happened.”

“Yeah, I getcha,” I laughed. “Life’s full of all sorts of surprises.”

Case in point, yours truly. I literally came from another world. I’d say that’s about as big
a surprise as surprises get.

“But I’m happy I’m here,” said Lyuu. “The food’s good, my bed’s real comfy, and there’s
all sorts of interestin’ stuff all around me. Best of all is that this place is Lord Fluffrir’s
home! Oh yeah, that reminds me, Master, d’ya happen to know when Lord Fluffrir’s
makin’ his next visit?”

“Uhhh… dunno. Guy’s as elusive as a phantom. He comes and goes as he pleases,” I

replied in monotone.

“Why’re you sounding all deadpan all of a sudden?”

Unlike me, Lyuu didn’t realize that Rir found dealing with her to be a rather difficult
task. He just wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act given that she’d set him up on a
pedestal. In fact, he’s practically been avoiding this place like the plague. I doubt he’ll be
showing up any time soon unless I ask him to.

“Cease your prattling and come to the table at once! Our meal will cool should you take
any lo—” Lefi momentarily froze as she emerged from the throne room. “A prairie?
How bizarre. I see that you are up to yet another one of your strange antics, Yuki.”

“Whaddya mean strange antics!? That’s rude. I was clearly crafting something that’ll
make this dungeon grow even further.”

“It matters not what you intended,” she shrugged. “In either case, it would be best if
you returned unless you wish for us to devour your portions.”

“Fiiiine…”
Lyuu and I offered a synchronized, lethargic reply before slowly following Lefi back
into the throne room.
【 】
“Whew…”

I couldn’t help but let out a relaxed sigh as my body sank into the bathtub. I’d recently
finished making myself a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn equipped with a hot
spring.

The bathtub that the hot spring fed into was made of high quality Japanese cypress. It
was quite wide, and could fit at least two people regardless of how they stretched
themselves. It was an open air bath without a roof, so you’d be able to see the moon
and stars shine down from above so long as you just looked up. The only artificial
source of light was a dim lamp, so the dazzling, starry sky was mirrored atop the
water’s surface.

At first, I wanted to make it so the inn would be accompanied by an eternal night, but
soon realized that it would not only be disorienting, but also lead to potential
inconvenience. That was why I ended up giving the dungeon floor a proper day-night
cycle that mirrored whatever was outside.

“This sure feels nice, doesn’t it?”

I spoke to Shii, who happened to be floating about in the water. For some odd reason,
Shii seemed really fond of bathing; the slime had the tendency to hop in the bath and
join me whenever I decided to use it. At first, I expected it to swell up as soon as it
entered, but nothing like that ever happened. Instead, bathing caused Shii to gain a
sort of sheen and lustre. It was almost like it would cycle all the dirty fluids outside its
body and take in cleaner ones after getting in the water.

“Are you done yet?” Illuna slid open the bathroom’s sliding door, and smiled happily
as she entered.

“Oh, hey Illuna. I thought you said you weren’t going to get in ’till a bit later?”

“Hehe. Sorry.”
The young vampire giggled and broke into an innocent smile as she apologized.

“Can you please wash my hair?” she asked.

“Sure. Grab a seat and I’ll be right on it.”

“Yay!”

She cheered as she sat herself down on a chair near the shower. I followed suit and
pulled up a second chair, settling myself down behind her as I grabbed the shower
head.

“Ehehe.” Illuna giggled happily as I began to wash her.

“Sounds like someone’s in a good mood.”

“Mhm!” The vampire nodded happily. “It’s because we’re spending time together again!”

Now that she mentions it, I’ve been too busy to pamper her lately. I should probably take
her out to play in the fields sometime soon. Oh, I know! We could have a picnic. I guess
we’d have to invite everyone else, but that could make for a whole day’s worth of
entertainment.

The bathroom door opened as I started excitedly fleshing out my picnic plans.

“What a surprise. I expected not for you to be in the bath, Illuna.”

“Hi Lefi!”

“Oh, it’s just you, Lefi… Wait! Why the hell are you here!?”

“I believe it is I that should be doing the questioning. Why is it that you are staring at
me as would a fool?”

“B-Because I don’t know why you’re joining us in the bath.”

“Can I not?” Lefi frowned.

“W-well, I mean you can… It’s just…”

I didn’t mind Illuna joining me because she was still just a kid. Lefi, however, made for
a much more questionable bath buddy. Her body was on the verge of maturity, just at
the point where I wasn’t sure whether or not I was supposed to think of her as a kid.

“Oh, I know!” Illuna said. “You must’ve wanted to be together with Yuki too! Right, Lefi?”

“W-What a preposterous suggestion! I-I merely wished for him to wash my hair. His
proficiency in the task is the sole driving force that has led to the current scenario.”
Lefi’s cheeks reddened as she denied Illuna’s assumption.

“I-I see… A-Alright, why don’t you go ahead and get in the tub so I can get Lefi cleaned
up, Illuna?”

“Kaaay!”

Illuna, who I’d just finished washing, happily assented and entered the tub. She was
soon replaced by Lefi, who naturally moved over and took the younger girl’s seat.

I couldn’t help but let my eyes be drawn to the creamy white skin that peeked out from
between the strands of her glossy silver hair. I followed the contours of her body and
traced her womanly figure all the way from the nape of her neck, through to her cute,
rounded shoulders, and eventually all the way down to the slender curves that made
up her back. Oh god damn it, what am I doing!? Alright, alright. Empty mind, pure heart.
Empty mind, pure heart.

I took a quiet but deep breath to calm myself down, all while hoping that Lefi wouldn’t
notice my fast-beating heart. Only after I regained my composure did I finally start to
wet her hair.

She would occasionally leak hot, captivating sighs as I washed her. Hearing them
forced my heart to hit the gas and accelerate once more. E-Empty mind, pure heart!
Empty mind pure heart! Calm down already, heart! Why the hell are you beating so
quickly? This is Lefi we’re talking about here, you know? She’s just a lazy dragon that
never does anything but eat sweets!

“A-alright Lefi, I’m done.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I finished rinsing the bubbles out of her hair.

As soon as I was done, the ancient dragon relaxed herself and let her body lean back
against my own. She was warm. Feeling the gentle sensation of her skin on mine
caused my heart to once again kick itself into overdrive.

“W-What’re you do—”

“I found that wonderfully relaxing, Yuki, but it appears my sentiment is not shared.
Your breath is rather ragged. Did you truly find my naked body that charming?”

She broke out into a mischievous grin as looked up at me from below.

She totally knew!?

“S-Sure does sound all high and mighty coming from someone whose body looks just
like a kid’s. There’s no way a child like you you’d ever turn me on.”

“A child!? How dare you!” Lefi shouted in a burst of angry confusion. “Your claim is
unconvincing given that its source is an individual that has only just finished panting
all over my body!”

“I-I was only panting because my nose was stuffed! It had nothing to do with you!”

“What manner of awful excuse is that supposed to be!?”

“Geez! Come on! You guys are going to catch colds if you don’t get in soon.”

“…”

“…”

Neither Lefi or I could come up with any sort of reply, so we both quietly ended up
getting in after getting reprimanded.

“Ahhh… How splendid. I knew not that hot springs were this relaxing,” Lefi smiled.

“Yup! It feels super good, right Shii?”

Shii flopped around underwater as if to agree.

“Glad you guys are enjoying it.”

And so, the four of us leisurely relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Quite a bit of time
passed by without any of us saying anything, but I didn’t find it the slightest bit
awkward. In fact, I enjoyed the silence quite a bit.

I know I’m not old enough to have kids just yet, but I think I’m starting to understand
how it feels to be a father.

“I admit that this makes for some good scenery, but remind me. For what reason did
you suddenly decided to create this environment?”\ Lefi was the first to break the
silence. Her curious gaze was set on the grassy plains that lay beyond the hotspring’s
confines.

“Well, I was kind of thinking about making myself a castle.”

“I fail to follow.”

“You know, a castle? A giant ass fortress? I decided to make this plain so I could get
some space ready for it.”

“I… am not quite sold on your obsession with castles,” said Lefi. ”But very well. Let us
work under the assumption that this is indeed all for the sake of a castle. What manner
of thought prompted you to decide that the most natural building to construct next to
a castle was an inn featuring a hot spring?”

“Dunno. I’d already finished building it by the time I even considered asking myself
that.”

“T-That… would certainly explain it.” Lefi seemed to acknowledge and accept my
reasoning, or rather, my lack thereof, despite clearly being confused.

A bit more time passed in silence, only to be interrupted by something suddenly

beginning to shake.

“Illuna? You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah… Just sleepy.”

All the warmth and comfort had caused the little girl to start drifting off.

“Try staying awake just a bit longer, ‘kay? Let’s get you to bed.”
“Mmkay…”

I took Illuna’s hand to steady her and stop her from shaking.

“Could you help Illuna get dressed, Lefi?”

“Very well.”

“Thanks. And as for you Shii, you can prob—Woah!”

I looked inside the water only to find that the slime had stretched and lost its usual
shape. It was so large and stretched so thin that it looked like it was on the verge of
dissolving.

“Are you alright?”

Shii shook itself up and down, indicating that it was perfectly fine. I somehow managed
to understand that it was planning to soak a little bit longer, and could get out by itself
once it was done.

“If you say so.”

I smiled wryly as I got out of the bath with Lefi and Illuna in tow. A ray of moonlight
illuminated the area around us as the three of us made our way back over to the
changeroom.
“Man, that was tirin’. Lefi sure doesn’t like taking it easy on me, does she? Like, geez.
Why’s she always gotta take everythin’ so seriously…?”

Lyuu, the maid, heaved a sigh as she collapsed onto her bed. She was tired. In fact, she
was so tired that she’d even forgotten to take off her uniform before attempting to
sleep.

Yet, her exhaustion seemed to rapidly fade the moment she planted her face in the
silky mattress beneath her. It was so soft and fluffy that it almost seemed to whisk her
complaints away as it enveloped her in its gentle embrace. The beds in her newfound
Master’s domain were simply divine. All the other beds she’d ever used were but
shoddy wooden boards in comparison. Sleeping on them always left her joints aching
in pain each and every single morning.

“Geez. You ought to be more careful. Your uniform is going to end up plastered with
wrinkles if you keep that up.”

“Right… Good point.”

The bed was so alluring that she couldn’t actually bring herself to get off of it and take
off her clothes until after the other maid, Leila, reminded her. And even then, her
actions carried with them a heavy air of reluctance.

There was very little beneath her uniform, so her body was laid bare the moment she
took it off. She was on the more slender side, but that wasn’t to she say looked like a
man or a child. Her figure was undoubtedly feminine; she had curves in all the right
places.

Lyuu and Leila were on good terms with one another even though they belonged to
different races. That, in part, was due to their heritages. Demons, beastkin, and
demihumans got along with one another. But with that said, the disparate species’
willingness to cooperate with one another was unnatural, born of an external
influence. The races lived in different environments and had different cultural
customs. The only reason they were so willing to accept one another was because
humans discriminated against all of them equally. They treated them all like trash.
Human nations were bigger and tended to be more powerful, so the races really had
no choice but to get along, else risk being toppled by the humans mid-conflict.

The elves were the only race the humans couldn’t carelessly antagonize. As denizens
of the forest, they were capable of making use of the “Forest’s Secrets,” which the
humans knew could cause them incredible harm. To that end, elves and humans
intentionally avoided getting in each others’ ways; both parties practiced
noninterference. All the other races were forced to face the humans’ desire for
conquest. That is, the humans and the other three non-elven races had been locked in
a series of skirmishes and wars for hundreds upon hundreds of years.

At first, it had been a stalemate. But in recent years, the tides of war had started to turn.

In the humans’ favour.

Individually speaking, humans were weak. One on one, humans were less fearsome in
combat than all the other races, but they possessed a deadly trait that none of the
other races could overcome: numbers. They overwhelmed the other races not through
the quality of their warriors, but rather through sheer quantity. All the other races
almost always found themselves outnumbered ten to one on the battlefield.

And that was why the demons, beastkin, and demihumans treated each other with
kindness. They realized that they needed to cooperate in order to cope with the looming
human threat.

“Oh yeah, I guess I’m a bit late in askin’, but why’d you decide to stay behind anyway?”

“I could have sworn that I already gave my reason. I believe I said I was here because
I wanted to pay off my deb—”

“Yeah right.”

Lyuu, who was in the middle of putting on the cute nightgown gifted to her by her
master, cut Leila off while rolling her eyes.

“I know that’s what you’ve been sayin’, but I’m not askin’ fer that. I wanna know how
you really feel. I’m pretty sure you’ve got another reason hidden away somewhere,
seein’ as how you’re a horned sheep demon, y’know?”
Beastkin and demons were both races that contained a slew of different subraces
within. Each subrace was further divided into clans. Both beastkin and demons had
the tendency to append their clan names to their own names in order to differentiate
between different groups within the same species.

Of course, Lyuu herself was no exception to the rules. The Gyroll in her name was
actually her clan’s name.

She knew that Leila was a demon, and thus should’ve had a second name to give. But
in spite of that, she had named herself as Leila and nothing more. As far as Lyuu was
concerned, her lack of a clan name was a dead giveaway to the fact that she was a
horned sheep demon. There was a single horned sheep clan, so they had no need for
an additional identifier.

Horned sheep demons were notorious for two very well known reasons. The first was
that they were all female, and the second was that the entire clan was made up of
overly curious academics, or scholars, as others would call them. These scholars were
ridiculously inquisitive. They would find something to obsess over and get so into
their research that they’d forgo both rest and nutrition just to learn the slightest bit
more.

They were so famous amongst the demons that knowledge of their eccentricities had
not only spread to the beastkin, but also integrated itself into their common sense.

Despite that, the maids’ benefactor seemed not to know.

“Well, I was not lying, at the very least. I effectively gave up on life the moment I
became a slave. Our Lord saved me from living the rest of my days as a miserable,
broken tool, and I am truly grateful he did,” said Leila, her lips curved into a slight
smile. “But more importantly, do you not just find him interesting? Most Demon Lords
are violent good for nothings that lack even the ability to process logical thought. Our
Lord, on the other hand, is clearly an intellectual capable of reasoning. Do you not find
this the perfect opportunity to discover the unknown? To learn more about labyrinths
and maybe even the Demon Lord race as a whole? Would it not be a waste to throw
away this wonderful chance? This outstanding opportunity?”

“U-Uh… Sure…”

Lyuu couldn’t help but awkwardly nod along. She’d always thought of Leila as calm,
composed, and seemingly carefree, so she couldn’t help but be taken aback by the
other maid’s sudden, passionate outburst. Simply looking at her as she was now was
enough to open the warwolf’s eyes to the fact that Leila truly was a member of the
horned sheep clan.

“So have ya figured anythin’ out yet?”

“Not quite. I have only uncovered three facts thus far. The first is that our Lord
possesses an ability too mysterious for me to define quite yet. Secondly, he is quite the
interesting person to observe due to the nature of his eccentricities. Finally, he adores
both Lefi and Illuna, and would stop at nothing to ensure their safety.”

“You know what…? I think you’re right. Our master is kinda weird, isn’t he?”

If Lyuu was to try to sum up her master in a single word, she would undoubtedly choose
the word “mysterious.”

Her master would always produce tools the likes of which she’d never heard of, let
alone seen, and manipulate them with the skill of a seasoned craftsman. He was
capable of casting the most devastatingly powerful spells like it was naught but
childsplay. And yet, he somehow lacked common sense. Many of the things he did not
know were basic facts that even the youngest child could recite.

Still, he radiated warmth. His very presence put her heart at ease—even though she
barely knew him.

And that was precisely why she thought the most accurate way to describe him was to
label him a mystery-filled anomaly.

Lyuu had to admit that she would have loved to work for him even if he hadn’t been
so warm and soothing. She didn’t get yelled at here. And though she was technically a
maid, she didn’t feel nearly as restricted as a maid ought to be. The warwolf was more
or less allowed to do whatever she pleased. She was often forced to play with people,
but she always ended up enjoying it in the end, so she didn’t particularly mind. Her
only complaint, if she really had to name one, was that a certain immature individual
wouldn’t stop forcing her into rematches because said individual happened to hate
losing.

Plus, that sole demerit was effectively rendered irrelevant in the face of the delicious
meals she found herself having on a day to day basis, the comfortable hot spring she
could enter at her leisure, and the unworldly bed that awaited her each and every
night. Lyuu honestly thought her work environment to be the best there was. She
couldn’t even begin to imagine anything trumping it, especially since there was a
Fenrir around. The warwolf was a bit sad that she hadn’t seen it too often as of late,
but again, all the other benefits made it so she didn’t particularly mind.

She was certain that her friends back home would’ve ended up grinding their teeth in
envy should she tell them about her circumstances.

“I don’t think Master’d really mind, y’know? You might as well come out and tell him.”

“I do not disagree. However, I wish to observe both our Lord and his labyrinth in their
most natural states. I believe it would be much less difficult for me to conduct
unbiased observations without his consent than the alternative.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Lyuu nodded. “He might get all conscious about it and act
a bit different ’round you if he knows you’re observin’ him.”

“Okay, that is enough about me. Why don’t we talk about you instead?” asked Leila. “I
remember hearing something about the Gyroll clan, which happens to lead the
warwolf subspecies as a whole. The poor chief’s daughter ran away from home rather
recently. I don’t suppose that you wo—”

“Uwaaaahhh!?”

Lyuu started frantically flailing her arms around out of sheer panic as she cut the other
girl off in an attempt to stop her from saying any more.

“H-How did you know!? W-wait, I mean, uhm…”

But she failed spectacularly and ended up confirming the other maid’s suspicions of
her own accord.

“Don’t worry, I am not the type to talk. Though, I cannot guarantee that I will not make
a minor mistake or two if you happen to tell anyone else my secret.”

“I-I promise I won’t tell anyone, so make sure you don’t say nuthin’ ’bout me either,
‘kay!?”

Though Leila was perfectly satisfied, having achieved her goal, she couldn’t help but
question her fellow maid’s motives.

“You seem rather keen on keeping your identity a secret, but… why? Are there any
demerits to letting our Lord know?”

“I-I mean… ain’t it just, you know, embarrassin’? I mean, I ain’t exactly what people
imagine when you think of ‘a chief’s daughter.'”

Leila gave a wry smile as she watched Lyuu fidget about in an attempt to hide her
embarrassment.

“What are you talking about, Lyuu? You’re plenty cute.”

“R-Really? I-I dunno, I don’t really think I am…”

“Yeah, now why don’t we get to bed? I know we’re not required to wake up early, but I
think we should still do our best to get out of bed before our Lord.”

Leila reached toward the lamp by her bedside and turned it off.

“Ugh… I feel like you just totally had me played, but ‘kay. Night, Leila.”

“Good night, Lyuu.”

“Yay! It’s picnic time! We’re gonna have a picnic!”

Illuna spoke in a sing-songy tone as she happily skipped through the grassy field
beneath her. She swung her arms about as she did, dragging both Lefi’s hand and my
own all over the place.

The young vampire was beaming. Though, that wasn’t really saying much, seeing as
how she was more or less always beaming. Her cheerful smile had long become one
of her defining features. Today, however, she somehow managed to make said smile
seem even more gleeful than usual. Seeing her like that reminded me of a certain
school idol and the catchphrase she’d always pair with a smile. What was it again?
Nico Nico Nii? [1]

“I know you are excited, Illuna, but it would be best for you to stop fidgeting. You are
sure to tucker yourself out lest you cease,” said Lefi.

“But we’re going on a picnic! How can I not be excited? Doesn’t it just sound like so
much fun!?”

“I know not what a picnic is. I recall little besides that I was suddenly awoken for it.”

Lefi squeezed her words out between a few tired-sounding yawns. Being as lazy as she
was, she normally would have preferred to sleep in.

“Uhmmm, well, a picnic is… Uhmm… it’s like when you…”

Illuna tilted her head to one side as she attempted to recall my explanation.

“I forgot,” she said with an innocent smile. “What was it again?”

“Picnics are when you go outside with a bunch of people, eat stuff, and play around
until you drop, all under a beautiful blue sky,” I explained. Man, I know I’m rarely ever
swamped with work, but it still does feel nice to just cut loose and just totally relax. I
mean, I did put in a slight bit more effort lately, so this break is totally well deserved.

“A beautiful blue sky…?” Lefi rolled her eyes. “This backdrop is but a blatant forgery, is
it not?”

“Oh shut up Lefi,” I groaned. “Look, you’re right, but lay off. It doesn’t really matter if
the sky’s real or not. It’s all about the mood.”

“Uhm, Master, I love playing around as much as the next gal, but there ain’t really
anything to do here. All I see is an empty field of grass. Though, I guess it does kinda
look like a good place to take a nap,” said Lyuu.

She was standing behind us so I couldn’t actually see her, but I was certain that she’d
been looking in an attempt to find whatever was supposed to entertain us for the rest
of the outing.

Speaking of which, our group was structured as follows: Lefi and I were taking up the
lead, with Illuna between us, holding both our hands. Leila was right behind the three
of us, quietly following along as she maintained her ever-composed expression and
held onto the basket that contained our lunches.

Behind Leila was Shii, sitting atop an unamused looking Rir. I hadn’t seen Rir around
too often lately and today served to prove exactly why that was the case. Lyuu was
following him around and attempting to pamper him. She clearly thought she was
doing him a service, but the fenrir couldn’t seem to think of her actions as anything
but annoying.

“N nap? That does sound like a rather pleasant proposition,” Lefi yawned yet again as
she scanned the field for a place to sleep.

“No napping,” I said. “Look, I know you’re probably thinking that there isn’t anything
to do, but there is. Just trust me. I’ve made some pretty sweet plans for us. Speaking of
which, that’s the spot I was looking for right over there.”

I pointed towards a small hill. Like the rest of the field, it was covered with grass. Its
only defining feature was the creek that lay beside it. I created the hill just several days
prior, specifically so that we could use it for today’s events. It felt as if I was no longer
using the plains for the purpose I had originally intended them for, but I didn’t
particularly mind.
Upon reaching our destination, I pulled a picnic blanket out from my item box and
placed it on top of a patch of grass a bit away from the bottom of the hill.

“Is this where you plan for us to eat?” asked Leila.

“Later, yeah. I’m just setting it up right now so we have a place to sit. Feel free to set
everything down here too. It should be far enough out of the way not to get plowed
over.”

I reached into my item box and pulled out a wooden sled as I spoke. It was one of the
larger models and could clearly fit two adults without discomfort. The sled’s bottom
was flat and had a bit of a glossy sheen to it, perhaps because it was laminated. It
looked like it would have no problems going down the hill despite it being grassy.

“What’s that thing for?” asked our resident vampire.

“It’s a fun toy. Follow me, I’ll show you how to use it.”

I led Illuna atop the hill and sat her down in the sled. Rather than immediately getting
on it myself, I stood behind it and positioned myself to push it.

“Are you ready?”

“Yup!”

“Then let’s go!”

I kicked off the ground and began pushing the sled downhill to give it an initial burst
of speed then hopped in. The weight of my body suddenly falling onto the wooden
vehicle gave it something along the lines of a second wind, accelerating it even further.

“Wow! We’re going so fast!”

Riding the sled gave me a bit of a rush, a thrill similar yet different from the one I got
from flying. Flying was more demanding, but at the same time, it provided more
control. Sledding was the opposite. All I had to do was lean back and let gravity do
most of the work for me.

We rushed down the hill then slowly decelerated until we finally stopped right around
where Lefi, Rir and the maids were gathered.
“You were right! That really was super fun!”

“Told you so. You see, this is clearly why I’m the master of all things fun. If you’re ever
bored, then come to me and I’ll fix everything right up.”

“Mhm! You’re totally awesome!”

Though I was acting smug, I knew that I didn’t deserve any sort of title. All I was doing
was borrowing existing ideas.

“Wow, Master. I hafta say, that looks really fun,” said Lyuu, her eyes sparkling.

“So you are using the hill itself as a toy? While the idea is fundamentally quite simple,
it appears interesting nonetheless,” added Leila.

“You guys want to give it a shot?”

“You betcha!”

“I would love to, but is it really okay for me to join you in your leisures, my Lord?”

“Of course.”

And so, I went back up the hill with the two maids. Lyuu was really excited, so she
ended up taking the front seat. Leila sat in the back while I stood behind them in order
to give the sled the push it needed to get going.

“Uhhh… wow Leila. Your boobs sure are big…” muttered Lyuu, under her breath.

“Come again?” said Leila.

“You know what, it’s nuthin’. Just do me a good one and pretend ya didn’t hear it, ‘kay?
I’d rather not start feelin’ even more sorry for myself.”

“Hm?”

The energy and excitement seemed to drain from Lyuu’s body as she came into contact
with Leila’s bountiful bosom. Her face warped a bit, as if to show that she was dealing
with all sorts of conflicting emotions. I almost started to feel sorry for her, but instead
ended up stifling a laugh as I recalled a certain character stating proclaiming being flat
chested was a status symbol. [2]

“Hey Master, why’s it look like you’re tryin’ ta stop yourself from gigglin’ or somethin’?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now let’s go,” I said, as I began pushing the
sled.

“Hey wait, answer my question first! Wa-wait, I said waitttttt!”

I ignored her and began pushing the sled with all the power my body could muster.
And as I was a Demon Lord, it went without saying that they ended up gaining quite a
good bit of speed. That is, they went so fast I’d almost thought that the sled had rocket-
powered boosters attached to it.

“Hoooooly crap, that was way faster than I thought it’d be… Y-You’re really strong,
Master… We accelerated so quickly that my thighs ended up jerkin’ up and stuff…”
Lyuu paused a bit after each sentence in order to take a deep breath.

“That was incredible. I presume that I should not have expected anything less from a
Demon Lord, though,” said Leila.

She was calm now, but even the ever-composed Leila had ended up leaking a shout of
surprise when the sled first picked up speed. I was a bit curious about her
expectations, but ended up shelving the thought for the time being. I instead glanced
at the one person that had yet to experience sledding down Demon Lord Hill.

“Well Lefi, you’re next.”

“I-I would not mind yielding my turn to another.”

“Oh come on, don’t say that. Just try it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

Lefi seemed a bit reluctant to join in on the fun, so I bent down, stuck my head between
her legs, grabbed them, and lifted her as I stood back up. In other words, I began giving
her an over-the-shoulder piggyback ride.

“W-What are you doing!?”

“Being inclusive. I’d totally feel bad for you if you were the only person left out of the
fun.”
I tightened my grip on her legs to ensure that she wouldn’t be able to escape and forced
her up the hill with sled in tow.

“I-I understand! I shall ride that damned sled of yours, so cease this immediately! Put
me down!” The dragon began shouting in panic. “Stop this! Stop it now! Wait! Wait!?
What manner of insanity is this!? Yuki!? Heed my words and cease this immediately!
Yuki!!”

“Don’t worry, Lefi. I know that a Supreme Dragon like you couldn’t enjoy a regular sled
ride, so I made sure to get something special ready for you. Hold on tight. You might
fall off if you don’t.”

I positioned the sled such that it was facing down the hill and got on with her still
attached to my shoulders.

“Y-you have got to be kidding meeeeeee!?”

I wasn’t able to dash to give myself a boost this time around, so I instead used wind
magic, which I conveniently just happened to learn how to use just a few days ago.

“Mwahahaha!”

I laughed in a manner befitting a Demon Lord as an explosive amount of force suddenly

smashed into the sled, accelerating it to its highest speed to date.

“What was that!? I’m certain we were lifted off the ground!”

“God damn! That was awesome! I can see another bump right over there. What do you
say to round 2?”

“I would very much like to sit out. Wait. Yuki? I’m beggiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

The wind had been completely knocked out of Lefi’s lungs by the time we hit the
bottom of the hill. She almost looked like she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

“D-Damn you…” she complained. “You went far too fast, and intentionally, at that!”

“Don’t you normally go way faster when you’re flying anyway?”

“Flying and sledding are not in any which way the same experience!”
I wasn’t going to openly admit it, but I understood exactly where she was coming from.
In my previous life, I had a friend explain a similar concept to me. He was perfectly
fine with bungee jumping. In fact, he loved it. However, he couldn’t stand drop towers
or any other rides that effectively involved freefalling. That is, he only enjoyed falling
when he felt that he was in control. Lefi seemed to be the same, she couldn’t tolerate
high speeds unless they were brought about by her own actions.

“I clearly had the wrong idea here. I should have been worrying about your fears
instead of worrying about you feeling left out, huh? Who would’ve thought that the
supposed oh so mighty supreme dragon wouldn’t even be able handle a children’s
game?”

“Ugh…”

Lefi groaned in response to my teasing. She stayed limp and lifeless for a few moments
after, but then underwent a sudden change. I was expecting her to just sigh and get
over it. But I was wrong.

A fearless grin had made itself onto her face.

“Reflecting upon it has led to to a realization, Yuki. I now believe that in truth, I did
enjoy the experience. In fact, I enjoyed to such an extent that I would very much like
to repeat it. What say you to joining me on another ride?”

The way her eyes shone signaled that it was time for me to back off.

“I uh… just went. It wouldn’t be fair for me to go twice in a row, so I think I’ll let someone
else take my place.”

But I wasn’t allowed to escape.

“Do not say that. I am certain that it is an experience you will enjoy.”

She paraphrased the words I’d said to her a few minutes earlier and threw them right
back to me as she got off my shoulders and wrapped both her arms around me from
behind. Her grip was tight; she was using far too much of her strength for me to escape.

“Damn it Lefi, you’re embarrassing me. Could you save the cuddles for when we’re in
private?”
“Embarrassed? Have we not already bathed together? What more is there to be
embarrassed about?”

Lefi materialized her wings and brought both the sled and I back atop the hill.

“You know what? Fine, bring it on. I love thrill rides, and the hill’s not even that tall. I’ll
end up enjoying the hell out of this regardless of how fast you make me go.”

“And what, precisely made you think that you would be using the hill? I will instead be
preparing a special track, one designed entirely for your sake.”

“Wait, what!?”

“You provided me special treatment. It is only fair that I reciprocate it, is it not?”

The ground began to rumble as the supreme dragon drew a horizontal line through
the air with one of her arms.

“The heck is that!?”

A massive glacial structure containing twists, turns, loops, and vertical plunges
emerged from the earth. It was a veritable roller coaster track, one that even came
equipped with guardrails that prevented any potential riders from falling off.

“Are you really going to sled through all that, Yuki? Wow! You’re so cool!”

“Whew… I gots to say, that looks like way too much for lil’ old me to handle.”

“What an intricate spell. I almost cannot believe it took her only a second to craft such
a massive track.”

The peanut gallery began commenting as if this whole ordeal was none of their business.

“That thing’s way out of scale no matter how you look at it! How the hell’s a sled even
supposed to make it all the way through!?”

“Worry not. You have always seen to my needs and provided me with the care I
required. And now that it has come time for me to reciprocate it, you can trust that I
will do the same. I will be accelerating you through the use of wind magic. Needless to
say, your speed will far surpass the speed you had brought me to only moments prior.”
“That sounds like an awful idea though!?”

“Now go! And forget not your resolve, for you will require a force of will akin to that
of a man confronting his demise!”

“That’s not something I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”

Lefi pettily began accelerating me with magic before I could even finish voicing my
complaints.

“Hahahaha!” She cackled. “Know my wrath! Suffer the weight of my resentment!”

“God damn iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!”

“Nnnrrggghh…” Lefi’s expression twisted in annoyance.

Her thrill ride, which I dubbed the Supreme Dragon Coaster, had failed to serve its
intended purpose. At first, I had thought it to be something way beyond what I, or
anybody, could handle, but I’d always been the type to love thrills. My wails of anguish
transformed into shouts of glee shortly after the “ride” started.

“You mad, Lefi? You that mad that I wasn’t scared?” I boasted.

“Nrggh… Very well, I admit that the bounds of your courage surpassed my expectations.”

Her words were bitter and clearly full of resentment. Seeing the triumphant look on
my face caused her to clench her teeth and grind them in an expression of indignance
and frustration.

“Heh. That little joyride was nothing by my standards. You’ll need to do much more if
you want to scare me.”

“You may claim whatever you so please, but know that the first sound you made upon
experiencing it was a cry of terror,” grumbled Lefi.

“Can we eat soon? My tummy’s rumbling…”

“Oh, right. Sorry Illuna, we got a little sidetracked. Well, Lefi? What do you say we call
this silly argument off for now so we can have lunch?”

“Very well.”

“Alright then, let’s get everything set up. Leila?”

“Immediately, my Lord.”

Leila flipped the lid off the basket she was carrying and placed its contents atop the
picnic sheet. Once she was done, I said grace, the Japanese way, and began to dig in.
Likewise, the girls did the same. All but one of them repeated my “itadakimasu,” with
perfect pronunciation. Lyuu, the only exception, stumbled over the words a bit. She
still seemed a bit unaccustomed to the foreign phrase.

Saying grace had started off as just habit only I had at first, but Illuna and Lefi had
adopted it and turned it into a part of our culture back when it was still just the three
of us. And as such, the maids had seen no reason not to pick up on it as well.

“Wow, there’s so much karaage! My favourite!” [1]

Illuna’s eyes immediately began to sparkle as soon as she saw what we were going to
have for lunch. We had a whole slew of different picnic foods prepared, but her hungry
gaze remained glued on the one she enjoyed the most.

“Yup. We made plenty, so feel free to eat as much as you’d like.”

Karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, as some called it, naturally required us to find, well,
chicken. I wasn’t really sure how we were supposed to get chicken, so I ended up using
rockbird meat instead.

Rockbirds were an interesting sort of monster that one could find not too far from the
dungeon. Their bodies were covered in feathers as tough as stone, as one could infer
from their names. That, however, wasn’t their only namesake. Rockbirds were also
known to sing whenever they entered combat. Specifically, they’d start screaming in a
way that strongly reminded me of death metal and other similar genres of music.
Rockbird meat was delicious. It was soft. Flavorful juices would come leaking out of it
with each and every bite. The best part was that its taste wasn’t too strong. It didn’t
override the seasonings we enhanced it with.

“Man, this meat is good. I guess going out of my way to hunt monsters just for today’s
sake really was worth it after all.”

“This is monster meat? What kind?” asked Lyuu.

“Rockbird.”

“Ohh, rockbird. So that’s why these taste so good, huh?” Lyuu paused for a few moments
to process what she heard before suddenly breaking into a shout. “Wait, did you just
say rockbird!? The destroyer tier ones? Ain’t those super high class ingredients!?”
“Destroyer tier? What’s that?”

“Wait, ya don’t know the tiers? Er, I guess ya don’t since you was askin’, huh?”

The warwolf stopped to take a bite before continuing.

“R-Right, so monsters are ranked into tiers based on how threatenin’ they are. Destroyers
are supposed able to cause as many casualties as a war, all on their own,” she stated a
matter-of-factly.

“How many tiers are there?”

“Countin’ all of them, there are seven: non-threats, hazards, menaces, destroyers,
disasters, catastrophes, and calamities. And that’s in ascendin’ order of how much
damage they can cause.”

At first, I assumed that a destroyer would cause tens of thousands of casualties, as they
apparently required entire armies to subjugate, but I was apparently off by a whole
two orders of magnitude. The armies in this world weren’t as large scaled as the ones
back in my old world; subjugating a destroyer typically led to the sacrifice of one to
two hundred troops.

“Huh. I never realized rockbirds were that threatening. It only takes me a single swing
of my greatsword to take one out, so I’d always thought of them as easy, delicious prey.”

“Er… well, that’s just ‘cause you defy common sense, Master. But you know what, that
ain’t somethin’ I’ll mind so long as I get to keep eatin’ delicious meals,” said Lyuu. Her
expression indicated that she wasn’t sure whether or not she should be feeling
shocked or impressed.

“Oh Lyuu,” Leila giggled. “Rockbirds are amongst the weakest of the monsters our Lord
captured for the sake of today’s picnic.”

Leila looked towards the sandwiches and rice balls laid out at the centre of the picnic
mat as she spoke.

The more composed of the two maids had assisted me in making today’s lunch. In fact,
she helped me with everything besides procuring the ingredients, so she knew exactly
what was in each and every single item we were serving. I was all hyped up for the
picnic, so I’d gone all out and hunted down some monster meat as opposed to just
lazily purchasing all the ingredients with dungeon points.

“Y’know what, Leila? I’m not even gonna ask. All that matters to lil’ old me is that it’s
delicious. I’mma even say that deliciousness is righteousness. The end justifies the
means, as long as it’s delicious.”

“‘Tis not a bad mentality to have,” nodded Lefi. “But this meal of ours is still lacking in
flavour, I say. It falls the slightest bit short of my standard. I believe a few finishing
touches are in order.”

“Yes, Lefi, I know. There will be dessert, and lots of it.”

“Yay! I can’t wait!” shouted Illuna.

“You sure know how to please a gal, Master. Your sweets are so good they always make
me wanna stuff my face.”

“Excellent.”

Illuna, Lyuu, and Lefi all cheered in their own respective ways as they realized that
they’d get to finish the meal off with sweets. Leila remained silent, but only because
she’d already known ahead of time.

“The world is vast,” said Lefi. “That, however, means not that you could enjoy sweet foods
of such caliber at any other location. Rejoice, Lyuu, and be grateful that you are here.”

“Wait, why the hell are you getting all cocky? It’s not like you’re the one making them.”

“Listen well, Yuki. It matters not the identity of the individual that crafted these
sweets. My ability to evaluate the quality of a sweet food is predicated upon
unparalleled experience. And thus, the weight of my word is unrivaled. I know better
than any other what it means for a sweet to be delicious. The value of my
acknowledgement far surpasses any justification wrought by their origin.”

“Mhmmm, yeah. I’m sooooo happy the ‘allmighty’ supreme dragon acknowledges the
sweets I produce.” I rolled my eyes.

“Excellent. Know that feeling well and ingrain it into your heart. For that is precisely
the emotion you should bear should your gaze fall upon me.”
Apparently not catching my sarcasm, Lefi smiled triumphantly.
“Oh… Right, Master. I’ve been meanin’ to ask. Why d’you keep callin’ Lefi the Supreme
Dragon?”

“I could’ve sworn I told you that she was the real deal.”

“No uh… this is my first time hearin’ it, Master. Wait, wait, are you really bein’ serious!?”

“Yeah. That right there is the strongest ancient dragon, the supreme dragon. I guess
you don’t believe me though, huh?”

“W-Well, I mean, y’know… that ain’t the type of thing that I can just kinda nod along
to. The Supreme Dragon’s somethin’ straight out of a legend, ain’t it? I just can’t really
see Lefi bein’ it, since, you know, she’s really small and never cares about anything but
sugary snacks. And she always starts throwing a fit whenever anyone beats ‘er at
somethin’ too.”

Lyuu had a point, and a pretty damned good one at that. If I didn’t know Lefi was the
supreme dragon, I would likely assume that she was some sort of squirrel or
chipmunk given the frequency with which she stuffed her cheeks with as much food
as they could possibly hold.

“What was that, Lyuu? I would very much like for you to repeat your words.”

“I-it ain’t nothin’! T-The only reason I didn’t think you were the supreme dragon was
‘cause I didn’t think the supreme dragon’d be such a beaut!”

“Oh? Tell me, how exactly did you think a Supreme Dragon would look?” said Lefi,
menacingly.

“Er, I, um… uh…”

Lyuu’s face rapidly paled as she stuttered over and over.

“Stop that. You’re terrifying her, you idiot.”

Lefi was going overboard, so I scolded her and gave her head a light chop.

“Ow…! For what reason are you hitting me? It is not as if I was at fault. Lyuu was—”

“Stop trying to shift the blame. Think about your habits and how you present yourself.
You really don’t have the right to complain.”

“…”

Lefi glared at me reproachfully, but I didn’t really care. I stared right back and refused
to yield.

“T-Thanks Master, I owe you one. Wait, Leila, you’ve been awfully calm this whole time.
Didja already know or somethin’?”

“I did. It is a well known fact that the Wicked Forest’s depths are the Supreme Dragon’s
territory. I recall that she had many a dragon under her command when we first met
her. If anything, I am more surprised that you were unaware of her identity.”

“T-There’s no way I coulda noticed it back then! Things were just happenin’ way too
fast. And then Fluffrir showed up, so I like, you know, kinda stopped paying attention
to everythin’ else…”

Speaking of Rir, he and Shii were both currently resting in the shade of a nearby tree.
I could tell that Shii had already drifted off to sleep, but the same couldn’t be said for
the fenrir. His eyes were closed, but his ears had very obviously twitched when Lyuu
mentioned his name. It seemed that he was only pretending to be asleep so that we
could enjoy ourselves without having to accommodate for him.

Wow, he’s really considerate.

“You guys are talking too much! Let’s all finish eating so we can get back to having fun!
I really wanna play badminton again!”

“Good idea, Illuna. Badminton sounds pretty good right about now.”

“Yay! Then let’s play together!”

Illuna broke out into an adorable smile.

“By the way, Master. Is Illuna anythin’ like Lefi, or?”

“Nah. She’s just a normal little girl.”

“That… makes her kinda amazin’ in her own way, dontcha think? It ain’t everyday that
you have both the Supreme Dragon and a Demon Lord pamperin’ the same gal. Y’know,
it almost feels to me like she’s got even more influence than the two of you seein’ as
how her words could prob’ly sway your choices real easy.”

Lyuu was right; I totally agreed.

If I had to organise the dungeon’s hierarchy as any sensible Japanese man would, then
I’d likely create a system featuring an Elite Four. Illuna would undoubtedly be the most
important, and therefore the most powerful. She’d be followed by Lefi, Rir, and then
finally myself in that order.[2]

The tropes dictated that I, as the weakest and least influential of the Elite Four, would
be forced to take on the task of dealing with intruders. More specifically, my role would
be engage the intruders in combat, lose, and then tell them not to get cocky just
because they defeated me, and that three greater challenges awaited them.

Okay uh, no. What if I subverted the trope a bit?

The tropes also dictated that the weakest member of the Elite Four would die
immediately after relaying the aforementioned information to the enemy, and I wasn’t
particularly keen on losing my life. I would much rather emerge victorious and state
that the challenger in question wasn’t qualified to face any of the others.

Yeah, that sounds way better. Wait, if I’m in charge of driving away people, then I guess
I would probably deserve a fancy title to go along with my role, huh? What if I called
myself the dungeon’s shield? Actually, yeah, that sounds pretty good. Heh. I could totally
be like, “I am Yuki, the fearsome Demon Lord that rules this dungeon and serves as its
aegis!”

“Huh? What was that for all of a sudden?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Oh crap, I totally said that out loud.

And so, the outing continued. We made noise, played games, and fooled around until
Illuna ran out of energy and started drifting off to dreamland.
 A Japanese fried chicken whose flavour is meatier than the fried chicken I’ve had in
[1]

the states. Well made karaage is juicy. Note that it doesn’t actually necessarily have to
be chicken, or even bird. It just *typically* is.

[2]The Elite Four, also known as the Four Heavenly Kings, is an overused Japanese
trope seen in all sorts of media. The Elite Four is often ranked, with the 1st seat being
the strongest, and the 4th seat being the weakest. The Elite Four almost always
belongs to an enemy organisation, and the player or main character is required to
tackle them one by one, from weakest to strongest, though this is not necessarily
always the case. Their origin lies in buddhist mythology; each of the Elite Four is
supposed to be a protector of one of the cardinal directions.

Popular examples include: The Pokemon League. Toriko and the buddies he grew up
with. The negacommanders in Sailor Moon. The four douchebags in Kill La Kill. Etc,
etc.
The Kingdom of Allysia was famous. Despite being located in the continent’s
northwestern corner, it was considered a central hub in which merchants and scholars
gathered from all over the realm. The kingdom’s prosperity was brought about by its
abundant human resources. It possessed more people than any of the surrounding
nations, and as such, was able to better assign individuals to roles befitting their
talents. The country’s economy was more developed than any of those in its vicinity,
and, of course, its people saw the benefits.

And that was only the tip of the iceberg. The Allysians were indeed proud of their
robust economy, but they were even more proud of the state of their technology. The
magically enhanced items and tools produced in Allysia were often a full generation
ahead of what could be found elsewhere. It went without saying that their
advancements were not limited to devices for the masses. Their military tools had also
been subject to innovation.

The might of the Allysians was no secret. Allysian flags and soldiers could be found
amongst those leading charges against demi-human forces more often than not.

The man that sat at this mighty nation’s forefront, its current monarch, was King Reiyd
Glorrio Allysia. King Reiyd had yet to achieve anything revolutionary. He wasn’t known
for his prowess in combat; Reiyd was not the type of king that could break though an
enemy army and fell a general with his own two hands.

However, he was regarded as a splendid ruler nonetheless. His policies brought the
country stability, and as such, his people considered him reliable.

“I implore you to reconsider, your majesty! We must take action! The time has come!”

Said king was currently entertaining a visitor in the throne room. The younger man
attempting to persuade him was none other than his son, Riutt Glorrio Allysia.

Reiyd believed that his son had developed into a fine young man. The prince loved his
country and always worked hard to serve it. Alas, Riutt was still young. He failed to
understand that his passion could sometimes be misdirected—

“My son, I understand your concerns, but I will not allow you to act.”

—And that this was precisely one of those times.

“So you want me to sit by, twiddle my thumbs, and watch!? Our country was just
subject to an invasion!” raged Riutt. He was practically shouting at the top of his lungs.

The king knew the cause of his son’s anger. The messenger that had arrived just a few
days prior had informed them both that Alfyro, a city near one of the country’s
borders, had been temporarily occupied by an army of monsters.

“The assault, or invasion, as you call it, was insignificant. The situation has already
resolved itself. The only individuals harmed were criminals. I see no reason for us to
deploy our soldiers,” said the king. Unlike his son, he was able to remain calm as he
made his verdict.

It wasn’t as if the king hadn’t considered retaliation. Rather, he was refusing his son
precisely because he had already considered it. In the king’s eyes, picking a fight with
the invaders wasn’t worth it given their point of origin. But much to the king’s dismay,
his son did not share his judgement.

“The amount of harm caused is irrelevant. What matters is that our country’s borders
were breached by a foreign force!”

Listening to his father’s conclusion had only caused Riutt to become even more
passionate.

Riutt firmly believed that retaliating and assaulting the enemy with a counter-invasion
was the best choice to make. He was concerned that the monsters would return and
attack the city once more if they did not immediately demonstrate the extent of their
power.

Another reason the prince wished to launch an assault was that he was simply angry.
One of the towns in his beloved country had been damaged by mindless monsters,
mere animals without the ability to reason.

But in truth, both of those reasons were mere pretenses, excuses.

The truth of the matter was that the prince wanted to expand his country’s borders.
The monsters that invaded Alfyro had come from the Wicked Forest. All of the
countries bordering the Wicked Forest had classified it as too dangerous to conquer.

In other words, it was untouched, prime real estate, yet to be claimed—a literal mountain
of treasure.

And Prince Riutt desperately desired it. Annexing the Wicked Forest would, without a
doubt, strengthen his nation. But his father, the king, was too afraid of the Supreme
Dragon to conquer it. In Ruitt’s eyes, his father’s fear was unfounded. The Supreme
Dragon was supposed to have settled down in the Wicked Forest’s depths hundreds
of years ago. The prince knew the legends, but he doubted that the dragon had
remained. At the very least, it had not been sighted in recent times.

He knew that the monsters that made the forest their home were powerful, but so
were the enchanted items and weapons at his disposal. He knew that his forces could
deal with them, that they had a good shot at making the Wicked Forest their own.

In other words, the Prince believed that the only thing preventing Allysia from
annexing the Wicked Forest was his father’s cowardice.

“You are only saying that because you have failed to grasp the Wicked Forest’s nature,”
said the king, with a sigh.

“I know it, and I know it well. It is but another uncharted region teeming with dangerous
monsters.”

“You would not wish to challenge it if you truly understood it.”

The father frowned as he gazed upon his stupid, stubborn excuse of a son, his eyes
filled with disappointment.

An expression that Riutt simply could not tolerate.

“I do not care what you say, Riutt. I will not permit you to send our forces to the forest.
That is a royal decree.”

“…Fine.” Ruitt clenched his teeth. “I will refrain from it for the time being.”

The prince turned around and violently burst out of the throne room in a fit of rage
before lumbering down the royal palace’s elaborate hallway.

He didn’t even bother trying to hide his displeasure. It was clear that anyone that
approached him as he was now was prone to incurring his wrath. Despite that,
another man soon scurried to his side.

“What now, Your Highness? His Majesty’s royal decree makes it quite difficult for us to
play our hand.”

“His Majesty knows nothing of our plans, and he will continue to know nothing of our
plans,” said Riutt, bitterly.

“So proceed as planned?”

“Yes. Rally the troops.”

“By your will.”

The man left the prince’s side in order to attend to his duties.

With no one to accompany him, and no destination in mind, the prince stopped
walking and turned towards one of the castle’s many ornate decorations.

Though he was staring the decoration down, it failed to be reflected in his eyes, as his
gaze was filled with naught but the light of a passionate, uncontrollable ambition.

The clattering of footsteps and clanging of metal echoed throughout the Wicked Forest
as a group of armoured, disciplined men trudged their way through it.

They were moving in formation, but the group as a whole still seemed a bit awkward
and unnatural. In a sense, one could say that it was only to be expected. Though all the
individuals present had gathered under the prince’s banner, they weren’t truly a
unified division. They were merely cooperating with one another in order to get the
job done.

Most of the troops were soldiers employed by Allysian nobles. They were all
technically a part of the same, overarching organisation, but they’d never actually met
each other prior to embarking on the expedition. They all served different masters;
each group worked at a slightly different pace. Naturally, they were only here to
further their employers’ interests. The nobles had sent them to the prince’s aid in
hopes that he would provide them with a piece of the territory he had set out to claim.

“Ugh. I hate this. Why the hell are we all the way out here?” groaned one of the soldiers.

“Chin up man. I know how you feel. This place is dangerous as all hell, but they be
payin’ us real good for the job, don’t they? Besides, we’ve got a good number of
experienced veteran fighters with us, alongside the newest gear, so it ain’t all bad.“

“Yeah, we made a killin’.”

The two men that replied to the soldier’s complaints were mercenaries. Like everyone
else present, they were also selected for the job by someone that wanted to get on the
prince’s good side. Mercenaries would typically act like bandits in times of peace, so
many of the actual soldiers detested the men, but they did at least acknowledge their
strength.

“Besides, heard some demon or demi or something kidnapped a bunch of demi girls.
If things go well, we could get a taste of those girls ourselves.”

“Hehehe, demis? I like me the sound of that. Guess I better work hard.”

“You won’t last if you start getting all excited now, you limpdick.”

“Heh, no worries there, bro. My boy down there can stay hard longer than a rockbird.”

The men continued to engage in the vilest of conversations as they moved—an act
only made possible because they had yet to learn that they were marching straight
into the gates of hell.
【 】
It was night time. Illuna was asleep and the maids had already returned to their room.
Lefi and I were bored. We didn’t really have anything better to do, so we had started
playing board games.

That was when it happened.

“What the!?”

I reacted with a jolt as my menu system suddenly activated and pulled up a map of the
dungeon.

“Whatever is the matter, Yuki?”

“It looks like there are some uninvited guests headed our way.”

“Intruders?”

“Yeah,” I frowned.

There were two scenarios in which my map would open on its own accord. The first
was when something hostile got too close to the dungeon core. The second was when
the dungeon’s territories were invaded by anything that generated more than a certain
number of Dungeon Points. The amount of Dungeon Points something was worth was
directly proportional to how powerful that something was, so in essence, both cases
served to indicate that the dungeon was in danger.

One of the warning system’s most interesting features was that it was flexible. It could
trigger based off both individual enemies and groups of enemies. That is, it could still
activate even if we were invaded by a large party comprised of weaker entities so long
as the sum of all their individual Dungeon Point values exceeded a certain threshold.

And this time, that was precisely the case. My territory had been invaded by a swarm
of weaklings.
The only reason I was capable of discerning that the individual invaders were weak
was because my map had recently undergone an upgrade. It was now capable of
showing me detailed information about each invader, with one of these details being
the trespassers’ races. This time, they were all human. There looked to be about four
to five hundred of them in total.

“Have you any knowledge of their identities?” asked Lefi.

“Well, they’re all wearing similar equipment, so they probably belong to an army.”

“Oh?”

“Remember how we attacked some human town in order to get Illuna back? I’m pretty
sure the country that town’s affiliated with dispatched their troops because they
weren’t happy with what we did.”

“So the fools failed to learn their lesson?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Shall I destroy them?”

A cold, dark smile made its way across Lefi’s face. The humans knew that she ruled
the Wicked Forest’s deepest parts. Their invasion demonstrated that they no longer
respected her authority. And that, she would not stand for.

Lefi was capable of resolving the situation with ease. In fact, letting her lose would
have been the most efficient way of dealing with our “guests.” But still, I shook my
head and rejected the offer.

“Nah,” I smiled. “I’d rather not have to rely on you if possible. This is my dungeon,
defending it and everyone that lives in it is my responsibility. Besides, this is the
perfect opportunity for me to try something I’ve been meaning to test.”

I had already known that this was going to happen.

The city’s governor was willing to comply with our demands. It was clear that he
understood our power and didn’t want to challenge us. There was, however, no
guarantee that his country would feel the same. As far as they were concerned, we
were in the wrong. We had crossed their borders, threatened their citizens, and even
occupied one of their towns.

I was certain that some hot-headed higher up would ignore all the governor’s
warnings and send troops at us for the sake of retaliation. There was no way that
mentioning the Supreme Dragon would be enough to pacify all the idiotic patriots at
the country’s helm.

They were sure to challenge her; they were doomed to repeat their predecessors’
mistakes.

But in essence, that was precisely what it meant to be human.

My knowledge of my old world’s history was enough to inform me that, for humans,
forgetting the past was normal. Humanity had always continued to make the same
mistakes over and over. The lessons our ancestors left us would always fade with time
and be left forgotten in the annals of history.

It was precisely that bit of knowledge that led me to expect this invasion. And since I
expected it, I was ready for it.

I’d been expanding the amount of territory covered by the dungeon at almost every
given opportunity. I had already integrated a fair part of the forest into my domain. My
plan was to have the invaders assist me in testing out two of the dungeon features that
I wished to further explore.

The first of these features was setting traps through the dungeon’s interface. I had
already used the function to prepare everything ahead of time, so I knew how it
worked. However, I had no clue how effective the traps were. I needed to see them in
action. The second feature was altering the lay of the land that I had acquired through
the expansion of my domain.

I took a deep breath and stopped thinking about the dungeon as I took turns glancing
at Lefi, who was staring straight at me, and Illuna, who was still asleep.

My second life was… an enjoyable one. I spent most of my time effectively doing
whatever I wanted. I could waste days just messing around without having to face the
consequences.

I never ended up finding myself wanting to be human again. I never once yearned to
be a part of human society. Nor had I ever wished that I was still back in Japan.
And it was all thanks to them.

Lefi and Illuna were why my days had always been so filled with joy. I was certain that
I would have longed for my homeland had they not been there for me.

That was why I had no mercy to show for those that threatened them, for those that
threatened to take away the happy days I spent with them by my side.

If the soldiers were our enemies, I would destroy them. No questions asked.

“But, I guess I’ll at least issue them a warning first.”

I was prepared to do whatever it took to protect my dungeon and its inhabitants. But
I too had once been human. I couldn’t help but feel a slight tinge of lingering
compassion for the intruders that I had once shared a race with. So I decided that I
would at least offer them an opportunity to leave.

“Hey Lefi…?”

I got up and materialized my wings as I began to speak.

“What is it, Yuki?”

She spoke in her usual, casual tone—

“I’m going to step out for a bit. Could you do me a favour watch over the dungeon for
me while I’m away?”

“Very well,” she nodded. “I… will await your return.”

—Or at least she tried.

“Be quick about it. The next turn is yours, and I fear my impatience may drive me to
make your move for you should you not return at once.”

Her voice wavered and conveyed to me the subtle emotions behind the words she’d
chosen not to say.

Thank you, Lefi.

“I swear, you better not.”

I smiled wryly and did my best to stop my emotions from surfacing as I left the throne
room and readied myself to confront the intruders.
It was the middle of the night. The army’s camp was almost dead silent. Most of the
soldiers had retreated to one of the many tents laid out atop the forest’s floor and gone
to sleep. But of course, not all of them had the liberty to retire for the night
immediately. Some were tasked with the duty of staying awake and ensuring that the
army would not be caught off guard by an emergency. About half of these soldiers were
up and about, wandering the campgrounds, while the other half cuddled around a
campfire and waited the night away.

Checking the map, I realized that there weren’t any monsters in the camp’s immediate
vicinity. There were several sitting off in the distance, observing it from afar, but they
dared not approach. The humans were likely using some sort of magical device to
deter them. I had no doubts that the technology for it existed. The slave trader we’d
taken Illuna back from had used something similar on Rir.

Though I knew the camp was guarded, I made no attempt at sneaking around. I simply
waltzed right through it without a care in the world. Stealth, one of my higher level
skills, allowed me to turn invisible, so there was no need for me to be cautious.
Unfortunately, the skill’s invisibility wasn’t perfect. It’s effectiveness varied drastically
based on how powerful I was compared to whatever was trying to perceive me. The
guards, however, were pitifully weak. They couldn’t hold a candle to me, so none of
them noticed anything out of the ordinary even when I walked right past them.

I found myself in front of the largest, fanciest tent after a minute or two of wandering
around.

Looks like this is probably the commander’s tent.

I gave it a quick once over in order to confirm I had the right place before nonchalantly
stepping inside.

“Who’s there…!?”

The man within got up from his bed and grabbed the sword he left by his bedside the
moment I entered his tent. His voice was gruff and he spoke in a low, cautioned tone.

“Oh? It appears that you are able to perceive me.”

The man standing before me was strong. His level was far higher than that of any other
soldiers present. But still, he was only human. His stats were inferior to those of the
monsters that populated the forest. I was certain that rockbirds and other similar
monsters would be able to crush him with ease.

His skill list contained many entries that bolstered his ability to organise his troops
and take command. He was evidently skilled in logistics, and likely the army’s
commander.

I was going to need to reveal myself if I wanted to talk to him, so I undid my invisibility.
I made sure to do it gradually so that he wouldn’t overreact and attack me out of sheer
anxiety.

“What th—”

“Be silent unless you wish for me to immediately deprive you of your life.”

I loosed a wave of bloodlust-drenched magical energy in order to intimidate the man,

a technique I learned back when I had assaulted the slave trader. All I had to do to
activate it was focus on wanting to kill while gathering my magic before releasing the
built up energy into my surroundings.

Almost all of this world’s creatures had the ability to sense magic, so the method I’d
come up with was extremely effective when it came to expressing my intent to kill.
Like Stealth, channeling my raw bloodlust would affect my enemies more or less based
on our relative power levels. Individuals stronger than me would shrug it off without
a care in the world, but individuals equal to or weaker than me would be subject to
intense pressure. It would often make them panic and perhaps even falter when
attempting to launch an attack. Creatures that were too much weaker than me would
instantly faint upon exposure.

The man’s reaction to my bloodlust evidenced that he was much stronger than your
average Joe; he had managed to remain conscious. However, that wasn’t to say he
hadn’t felt its effects. He’d immediately broken out into a cold sweat. But that wasn’t
all. The sheer extent of the fear he experienced had caused him to obey my order and
instantly shut his mouth.
“Are you the pathetic whelp in charge of this army?”

I spoke to him in a condescending tone. I’d determined that it was necessary for me to
speak in a way that befitted my Demon Lord title else risk having the enemy make
light of me.

“N-No, I’m not.” He stumbled over his words. It sounded like he’d only barely managed
to bring himself to speak.

Wait, what?

“And that is the truth?”

“I swear it.”

The soldier was clearly still on guard, but I didn’t think he was lying. He just didn’t to
have the composure required to do so.

The fuck!? Seriously? Is he really not the guy in charge here? Oh god, this is
embarrassing… I just totally walked in on him and confidently assumed that he was the
guy running the place. Ugh… I feel like a fucking moron. What kind of retard assumes
the strongest fighter is also always the one in charge? That’d be an awful way to manage
things. God. I’m so fucking retarded I should just find myself a hole so I can curl up in it
and die.

I felt an overwhelming urge to hide myself in a corner somewhere, but somehow

managed to fight it off.

Okay, Yuki, that’s enough of that. Pull yourself together. You have business to attend to.

Thinking things through a bit more, I realized that I wasn’t entirely wrong. His tent and
skill indicated that he had influence. There was simply no way he wasn’t among the
brass.

“Oh? But are you not the strongest member of this ‘army?’”

“…They put someone else in charge.” The man grimaced as he spoke.

He clearly wasn’t happy. If I were to guess, I’d assume that the individual commanding
the group was likely some noble that had the position presented to them on a silver
platter, despite not deserving it. That said, I didn’t care enough to pry.

“If that is the case, then relay my message to your superior, word for word.”

“…Alright.”

Though hesitant, the man nodded. He was an excellent soldier. Though he didn’t have
the Analysis skill, he could still discern that he was much weaker than me, so he
remained obedient as opposed to trying something stupid. Moreover, he was
constantly looking around and analyzing his surroundings in hopes of finding
something that would assist in him in turning the tides in his favour as he engaged me
in conversation.

“Then listen well. You have already entered my territory. If you dare advance further,
then I will slay each and every single one of you without mercy or exception. I care not
for your purposes. If you wish to live, then turn tail and leave this place at once.”

The man’s eyes stopped skittering around the room and focused on me. It seemed like
he wanted to ask me something, but was unsure if it would incur my wrath.

“You may speak.”

He swallowed his saliva before raising his voice.

“I would like to ask you just one question.”

“I shall allow it.”

“Why would someone as strong as you bother issuing us a warning? Why not just wipe
us all out?”

I grinned as would a psychotic villain before answering him.

“Have you not the sense to discern the obvious? It is because eliminating your excuse
for an army would be a nuisance.”

“A… nuisance…?”

“I care little for you and your people. I have no interest in your affairs. I have merely
decided that I will allow you to leave should you abide by my decree, and that I will
crush you if you oppose it. I suppose you have grasped this much, at the very least?”

The man nodded, so I continued.

“Then, I ask you this. Would you not find it a nuisance to crush each and every single
ant that strays into your domain? It is easy to bring about their end, but requires a far
greater time investment than it otherwise deserves. That is how I feel about you.
Stamping out your lives is no difficult task, but I do not wish to waste my time.”

“A-Are you saying that humans are no different from ants!?”

“Precisely. The differences between your species are so miniscule that I find myself
unconsciously placing you in the same category.”

Despite my claims, I didn’t actually think that humans and ants were the same. Ants
were much more terrifying. The Wicked Forest’s ants were the toughest enemies I’ve
faced to date. They had scared me shitless with their tenacity. I still felt traumatized
by them even now.

“That is all I have to say. I shall provide you a short period of grace. Leave and continue
to live, or stay and perish. The choice is yours.”

I activated Stealth once again as I left the tent. It was a simple process on my end, but
to him, it’d almost appeared as if I’d vanished into the night itself.
“…Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t go as well as I hoped.”

I quietly grumbled as I used the dungeon’s UI to watch the man I had just threatened.
He had heeded my warning and done exactly as I asked. That is, he dashed straight out
of his tent the moment I left and immediately sought an audience with the army’s
commander. He attempted to explain the situation and persuade his boss that they
were in great peril, but the commander didn’t believe him.

The man I spoke to was the only one that saw me, so everyone else assumed that he
had either had a nightmare or simply lost his mind. Despite being belittled by those
around him, he didn’t falter or doubt his own judgement. He promptly roused his unit
and led it out of the forest.

A wise choice.

Unlike his colleagues, he had made the choice to both live and save the lives of his men.

“Uhhmmm…”

“Yes, Lefi?”

“Answer me this, Yuki. Why have you already returned, and why do you appear so
unfazed…?”

The Supreme Dragon’s voice was filled with a sort of hesitant confusion.

“Well, all I did was issue a threat, so…”

“Tell me that before you leave next time…”

Lefi began to blush as she pouted in displeasure.

“I not only roused your spirits as I saw you off, but also convinced myself that I would
need to refrain from sleeping until you returned. I feel like a fool, and it is all your
fault.”

I couldn’t help but think that her reaction was cute.

“Yeah, my bad. Here, how about I make it up to you by showing you something you’ll
probably find interesting.”

I fiddled around with the dungeon’s UI as I spoke and changed my map’s display
settings so that she could see it. The dungeon still treated Lefi like an invader. But in
spite of that, I’d gained the ability to show her the dungeon’s UI at will. To be honest,
I still didn’t understand exactly how the dungeon gauged whether or not it was okay
for someone to see its display, but if I had to guess, then I’d say it probably had
something to do with trust.

I used the map to open up a seperate window and directed her attention towards it.

“So these are the intruders?”

“Yeah, they’re the idiots that thought invading our territory was a bright idea.”
Reflected in the display was a real time image of the campground I’d just returned
from. The man I’d spoken to was gone, and all those under his command had left with
him, but for the most part, it’d been exactly as it was when I’d first arrived. It was still
littered with sleepy looking soldiers tottering about as they waited for their night
shifts to end.

The reason we were able to view the campsite from the throne room was because I
had scattered evil eyes, nifty little monsters I could spawn through the dungeon’s
systems, all around the area prior to returning. Evil eyes looked like baseball sized
eyes that’d sprouted wings. Though they were technically monsters, they weren’t
meant for combat; their only ability was to forward what they saw back to the
dungeon’s display. In other words, they were more or less just wireless cameras.

As they were inorganic and basically a type of golem, they didn’t need any sustenance.
They could function so long as the dungeon supplied them with its magical energy,
which meant that they would cease to work if they were taken out of the dungeon’s
territory. But as far as I was concerned, that weakness of theirs was irrelevant. I wasn’t
planning to leave the dungeon, so there wasn’t much of a point in me having eyes
outside my own territory.

I had to admit that I did, at some point, feel that I wanted to tour the world. But actually
doing so simply wasn’t a viable choice, as I would have to leave the dungeon core,
which was more or less my heart, behind.

I had already cautioned the army against remaining in my domain, and my message
had without a doubt, been relayed to their leader. In other words, all those that were
still present had chosen to oppose me even though I’d kindly gone out of my way to
tell them that I wanted them to leave. Their goal might not have been to attack us, but
I didn’t care. There were, by all means, unauthorized trespassers. And armed ones at
that. I was clearly right to attack them.

Woo, free lab rats! Er, I mean, time for legitimate self defense!

“Huh? What the hell? When’d it suddenly get all bright out?”

One of the guards on night duty raised a hand to his brow as if he was trying to block
the sun out of his eyes as he voiced a confused mutter.
“Ha!” The guard beside him chuckled. “Looks like the lack of rest has started gettin’ to
ya. It’s still somewhere around midni—”

The soldier never got to finish his sentence. He’d been silenced by a third guard, who’d
impaled him straight through the heart from behind.

“W-We’re under attack! They have us surrounded!”

The man who’s sword was now stained in crimson screamed at the top of his lungs as
he ripped his blade out from his ally’s corpse. He then turned around and began
swinging his sword at the air in a panic. He continued to strike and dodge, as if he were
really engaged in combat.

And he wasn’t the only one.

He and many of the other guards on night duty had completely failed to realize that
they were no longer perceiving the same sounds and sights as their allies.

They’d all completely lost their minds.

Noise began permeating its way through the camp as an increasing number of guards
began succumbing to madness.

Those resting in their tents soon began to stir. They got up and lit their torches as they
attempted to identify the source of the commotion.

“What the fuck is going on here!?

The army’s commander emerged from his quarters and shouted in confusion. A single
glance at him was enough to tell that he had obtained his position through the use of
political means. He was morbidly obese and lacked the air carried by those
experienced in military affairs.

“I’m not sure sire! It appears that all the men are saying different thi—”

The man collapsed before he could finish his report. His head, which’d been severed
cleanly from his neck, fell from his corpse and rolled to the commander’s feet.

“W-What the!?”
“ENENENENENEMMIIIIMIMIIIIIIIIEEEEEESSS!”

Behind the now headless soldier stood what appeared to be another allied soldier. His
mouth was hanging half open, with drool leaking out the sides. His blade was covered
with human blood and fat.

He was clearly deranged.

“O-Oi! Stop! Don’t get any closer!” The commander attempted to issue the man an
order, but he continued to advance as opposed to heeding it. ”Stop him! S-Someone
stop that man at once!”

Fortunately for the commander, not all the soldiers had gone totally mad. Several
individuals that still had their wits about them seized the man that had lost his ability
to reason and pinned him to the ground.

“Just what the hell is going on here!?”

Again, the commander shouted in confusion as he looked about the campsite.

Or rather, the degenerated mess it had become.

“Oh…? So you made use of the tree of delusion?”

Lefi made an idle comment as she observed the campsite remotely. The tone of her
voice indicated that the results of my work had served to pique her interest.

“Yeah. I’m surprised you know about them.”

“Of course I do.”

I was genuinely impressed that Lefi had recognized the cause of the soldier’s madness
just by seeing the state they’d ended up in.

She’d immediately caught onto the fact that I’d used the rauschgift balm, also known
as the tree of delusion. Rauschgift balms had the ability to cause creatures that
remained in their vicinity to go mad.
They did this by releasing their magical energies. Nearby entities would automatically
absorb this energy and lose their minds once too much of it accumulated within their
bodies. The exact delusions shown differed greatly between individuals. Monsters
were highly sensitive to magical energies, so they would immediately realize that they
shouldn’t stay near the trees. Humans, however, lacked the senses to make such a
judgement.

That was why I’d chosen to use the dungeon’s systems to spawn them throughout my
territory. They weren’t native to the area, but the dungeon had made it so that they
could thrive regardless. As they’d been created by the dungeon, they were also
completely under its control, which meant I could turn their magic-emitting functions
on and off at any time, from anywhere.

This time around, I’d activated the trees from the throne room after confirming that
the army’s commander had chosen not to heed my warning.

Both Lefi and I were immune to the rauschgift balms’ effects. The two of us simply had
too much magical energy. Any external magics we took in would end up getting mixed
in with our much denser mana and be rendered ineffective. I’d always thought that it
would be the opposite. My body was made up of the magical particles that magic was
based off of, so I’d always assumed that I would be incredibly susceptible to having my
magical energies disrupted, but I was wrong.

I’d once even nervously tried standing by the magical trees while holding onto a high
grade potion just in case, only to find that it had absolutely no effect on me whatsoever.
My mana was just that dense.

“It does not appear that you will be able to exterminate them with only the trees’
effects,” said Lefi.

“Well duh. I’ve still got more in store for them. Come on, shouldn’t you already know
how much of a genius I am?”

“I do hope that you aware that those who label themselves geniuses are more often
than not the exact opposite.”

“Alright, fine. Let’s put this way.” I grinned mischievously. “I’m at least smart enough
to kick your ass every single time we play any board game. You’ve literally never beat
me.”
“T-That is only because we were playing games in which you happened to be more
skilled! And more importantly, we failed to complete the last game we played. The
outcome has yet to be decided, and I know it that I will emerge victorious. Listen well,
Yuki, the status quo shall soon change! I will crush you in a battle of wits! Let us play
immediately and settle the score!”

Lefi promptly challenged me out of sheer indignance, her face bright red once more.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Just let me finish this up first, okay?”

I dropped the palm of my hand on her head and lightly stroked her hair as I smiled
and activated the next trap I had in store.
“Follow me! The magical energy’s thinner over here!”

It took awhile, but the humans eventually realized that a strange magic was in the air.
One of their members, a man that looked to be a mage, had identified it as the source
of the madness afflicting the army’s members, and had started leading his allies away
from it. For a human, his ability to sense magical energy was outstanding.

A slight bit of order had finally been restored because he had brought a large group of
soldiers to an area where the delusion-inducing spell was less potent. His commands
were the reason the complete and utter chaos had finally started to abate. A brief
whistling noise rang through the man’s ears as he turned to face the men he had
rallied, but he paid it no mind. The sound had only lasted for a fraction of a second, so
he had unconsciously assumed it to be unimportant.

“S-Sir, y-you…”

The footsoldier right in front of him, however, did not. He was clearly panicking, but
he still managed to stammer out a few words and get the mage’s attention.

“What?”

The mage shifted his body slightly to look the man who’d addressed him, only to find
him frozen in shock with his finger pointed straight at the mage’s center of mass. Since
the other man seemed unable to speak, the mage decided to follow his line of sight; he
looked straight down at his own body.

“H-Huh?”

The sight he was greeted with was an unfamiliar one.

His gut was gone. Everything between his stomach and his solar plexus had instead
been replaced by a large, circular hole. The moment the man noticed his missing
organs was the moment the light faded from his eyes. He died on the spot, unable to
even feel pain.

Only after he collapsed did his allies finally realize that his killer had been standing
right behind him the whole time.

It swayed left and right in an almost unnatural fashion as it searched for more prey.

“Is that… a branch of ivy?”

One of the men narrowed his eyes in confusion as he gazed upon the odd, moving
plant. Its branches, dyed red with blood, still had the mage’s entrails hanging off of
them. After another moment of swaying, the ivy plant lashed out once again, aiming a
branch at the skull of a nearby soldier that was stuck staring in mute amazement.

A dull wet sound resounded through the forest as the bloody whip of a branch shredded
his skull and splattered its insides all over the undergrowth.

Only then did the other soldiers finally react. They promptly turned around and made
a beeline back to the campsite.

“S-Shit! This place ain’t no good, there’s monsters here! We gotta find another way!”

“Fuck! Fuck!! Aren’t we supposed to have something that keeps them away!? Why isn’t
it fucking working!?”

“W-Which way are we supposed to go!? How the hell are we supposed to get out of
here!?”

“Oi! Stop panicking! Pull yourself together, you idiot!”

With their leader gone, the soldiers found themselves reduced to a mere disorderly
mob.

Some tried to take leadership and rally their allies. Others pushed their fellow soldiers
aside in an attempt to flee and save themselves. A third group panicked, fell into
madness, and began screaming nonsensically while attacking anything and everything
that fell within their reach.

“W-why the hell is there a swamp here!? Shit!”

A man shrieked as he accidentally fell straight into a bottomless marsh that had
seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Unable to escape, he slowly sank beneath the
surface and drowned in its muddy waters.

“S-Someone help! Oh god, oh god it hurts! I don’t want to die!”

Another man found himself in the mouth of a large, carnivorous plant. Its stomach
fluids were slowly but surely digesting his body, bones and all.

“Ngraaaaaaaaghhhhhh!”

A third soldier was being assaulted by a large cloud of poison. It rapidly ate away at
his flesh as would a strong acid.

One by one, the soldiers died gruesome, miserable deaths.

There was nowhere for them to run. Pain, suffering, and death awaited them at each
and every single corner. The scene painted before their eyes was a veritable hellscape.

“Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit! Don’t come any closer! Stay away!”

The commander, who was supposed to be responsible for maintaining order and
making decisions, was gasping and screaming in delirium. He was in no state to take
charge. And without his instructions, the army simply had no choice but to slowly fall
apart.

As time passed, the number of death throes and despair-filled screams began to
dwindle, slowly returning the forest’s depths to their usual silent state.

And not because the soldiers had escaped.

But rather, because they had been forcibly silenced.

“That went better than expected.”

I put on a bit of a forced smile as I watched the scene play out on the dungeon’s display.
Eliminating my enemies had been easy. They had walked straight into my traps and
ended themselves, one after another. It’d almost felt like I was playing tower defense.
The only difference was that my enemies had no fixed destination in mind. They
instead simply wandered about until they died.

Since the slaughter took place in a forest, most of my traps had been based on plants
and other things that could be found in nature. I’d avoided the typical bowguns and
spike traps because they were much too easy to discover in a forested environment.

The best place for traps like those were caves. But that said, I didn’t place anything
potentially harmful in the cave that led into the throne room. Though I was fairly
certain they wouldn’t malfunction, I didn’t want to risk hurting Illuna and the maids.

I also didn’t want my front door to be slathered in gore. The scenes that had just played
out on my dungeon’s display were so explicit that I half expected a viewer discretion
warning to periodically pop up and remind me that I was watching something children
should never be allowed to see. I was grateful that the invasion had happened while
Illuna was asleep. I definitely didn’t want to let her see the nausea-inducing projection
before me.

Personally, I wasn’t a fan of gore. I didn’t like watching it, and I wasn’t too keen on the
idea of imagining it either. But because I’d just watched a massacre unfold, the sight of
people getting digested by plants had been thoroughly embedded into my
consciousness. I couldn’t unsee it. The imagery was so striking and vivid that I almost
didn’t want to use the traps I’d just tested even though I’d gone through the trouble of
verifying their practicality.

“That was all it took to reduce them to mere corpses? How weak. I expected more,”
said Lefi, nonchalantly. Unlike me, she hadn’t seemed to mind the gore in the slightest.
Being the Supreme Dragon, she was likely totally accustomed to it. Either way, I had to
admit, I respected her mental fortitude.

“Well, the leader was more or less incompetent. And as I’m sure you saw, the army
lacked cohesion. Their equipment was similar, but it wasn’t identical. I’m pretty sure
they were just a ragtag bunch of smaller units banded together or something.”

My strategy hadn’t been anything special. It was just another application of the battle-
tested method known as “divide and conquer.” All I did was confuse the enemy and
destroy their troops while they were split off into smaller, less organised groups.

To be honest, I hadn’t thought that the massacre would go nearly as well as it did. The
error in my calculations stemmed from the enemies lack of cohesion. Their
disharmony had allowed me to create more confusion than anticipated, which in turn
allowed me to trim down their forces with a greater degree of ease.

Man, the effects of incompetence sure can be terrifying, huh? I wouldn’t have been able
to finish the army off this easily had the person in charge actually used his brain. But
man, that aside, dungeons sure are terrifying.

Though my enemies had been incompetent, there were still about 400 of them, even
after the one guy I’d threatened had taken his troops and left. And despite that, I’d
eliminated the entire army with ease. Today’s experience had allowed me to
understand just how much havoc a dungeon could wreak. And as a Demon Lord,
learning that bit of knowledge had bolstered my confidence. Nothing else could’ve
have possibly made me feel any more comfortable or empowered.

In fact, I was so satisfied with the dungeon’s abilities that I’d felt the urge to give it a
high five.

“I must admit, I am quite impressed with your trap placement. It appears as if they
have been set up exactly where they belong,” said Lefi. She finally took her eyes off the
screen and directed them back towards me.

“Well, that’d just be because I knew that the humans were most likely going to be
coming from the town we attacked. I placed a large number of traps in the area
between it and us ahead of time and then added more after I confirmed that my
suspicions had been correct.”

“Quite a logical choice, that is.” Lefi nodded. “Splendid. A new door has opened for me
in the way of tactics.”

I wasn’t really sure what she was going on about, so I just nodded along and let her
keep talking.

“I shall try implementing the strategy myself. Now, Yuki, it is time to do as you promised.
Let us continue where we left off and bring a conclusion to our clash of wits.”

“Wait, you want to do it now!?”

“Of course, it would not do for us to delay it any further.”

“You do know that the sun’s about to rise in just a few hours, right?”

“Well… I have admittedly taken one too many afternoon naps lately. I am still wide
awake, and I doubt I will soon begin to drowse.”

God damn lazy ass “Supreme Dragon…”

And so, Lefi and I decided to play a couple more games before going to sleep. Naturally,
I ended up winning them all with ease.
A strange tingling sensation assaulted Gamdia Roston and awoke him from his slumber.

“…?”

He sat up and opened his eyes, only to be assaulted by a sense of malaise before he
could so much as bring his vision into focus. The atmosphere inside his tent was off. Every
last hair on his body stood on end as his eyes anxiously explored his surroundings.

Something was wrong; it almost felt to him like he wasn’t alone.

“Who’s there…!?”

Trusting his instincts, he grabbed the sword by his bedside as he voiced a question
directed to the intruder.

“Oh? It appears that you are able to perceive me.”

It suddenly showed itself. A creature with an outline not too different from that of a
human almost seemed to phase into existence before his very eyes. Its form revealed
itself little by little, as if slowly seeping out of the darkness.

It, or rather he, had pitch black hair, an eerie crimson eye, and dragon-like wings
sprouting from his back. Gamdia was shocked, but his mind remained unfrozen. It
informed him that the man that stood before him was most likely a demon, and that
he perfectly matched the description of the man that had led the assault on Alfyro.

“What th—”

“Be silent unless you wish for me to immediately deprive you of your life.”

The air that filled the tent almost seemed to become laden with weight the moment
the demon opened his mouth. An incredible pressure assaulted Gamdia’s body. It was
so heavy that he had to muster up every last fibre of willpower he had just to stay
conscious. The dense magical energy radiating off the demon’s body slowly ate away
at his spirit, but he continued to resist it. He knew for a fact that his brain would shut
down the moment he lost focus.

The veteran soldier broke out into a cold sweat; thick beads of perspiration dripped
from his brow down to his face one after another.

After confirming that Gamdia had been silenced, the demon finally began to speak.

After issuing his warning, the demon turned around and vanished into the night. The
way his figure disappeared had almost made it seem as if he’d donned a cloak of
shadow.

Gamdia began to hyperventilate the moment the other man left. His body scrambled
for deep, rapid breaths over and over again. He’d felt as if he’d held his breath through
almost the entirety of the encounter. Or rather, it’d felt more like his body had simply
forgotten how to breathe while in the demon’s presence.

That was just how much terror the other man had inspired in him.

The soldier knew that the demon was far too powerful for him to handle. In fact, he
was convinced that he could have eliminated the entire army with ease, even if every
last soldier attacked him at once.

Continuing the expedition simply wasn’t worth it. Officially, the army had been
deployed to the Wicked Forest in order to eliminate both the monsters that had
attacked Alfyro and the demon that commanded them. But that was only a coverup.
Their real goal was to survey the land and the many natural resources that came with
it. The higher ups wanted a detailed preliminary investigation so they could move
forward with their plans to claim the forest and settle it. All in order to expand the
country’s borders. The subjugation was a mere pretense to silence those against the
idea.

Personally, Gamdia had thought the whole mission to be a bad joke from the moment
he’d received it.

The Wicked Forest was not to be trifled with. The monsters that lived within it were
incredibly powerful. Of course, the expedition army had countermeasures. They’d
been deployed with a powerful magical device that drove off any monsters in its
vicinity. While many other soldiers were more than happy to rely on the technology
and trust in their nation’s scientists, Gamdia was not. He knew that the whole
expedition army was prone to being annihilated the moment the device failed to serve
its function.

Losing the army was only the least of his concerns. The Wicked Forest was known to
be the Supreme Dragon’s territory. He had no doubts that the entire nation would be
destroyed in the most literal sense of the word if they angered it.

Despite the many risks, his nation’s higher ups had pushed the plan forward and
forced him and his subordinates to go along with their recklessness.

Knowing that he hadn’t the choice to refuse, Gamdia applied for a leadership role. He
determined that his best course of action would be to take command of the army so
that he could minimize the amount of damage dealt to his country’s forces.

But the higher ups once again did not allow him to have his way. They instead
delegated the position to an incompetent, foolish noble whose pockets ran much
deeper than his mind.

Though his city had been the one subject to the attack, Alfyro’s governor had been
strongly opposed to the expedition. He vehemently refused to assist in any which way.
And, having met the same demon as him, Gamdia now understood why.

“I need to go talk to the stupid noble in charge and convince him to turn the army around.”

Gamdia spoke to himself in an attempt to calm himself down and return his breathing
to normal.

He knew that suggesting a retreat would call his character to question. He would
surely be branded a coward and removed from his position—but he didn’t care. He’d
been against the expedition from the very start, and wished not for his countrymen to
die for meaningless, political bullshit.

He also knew that the noble was in it for the profit. The fool was unlikely to turn the
army around regardless of what was said to him. And so, Gamdia resolved to at least
take his own subordinates away and lead them to safety.
With that in mind, the soldier got dressed and readied himself to seek an audience
with his “superior.”