Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Resurrection

Chapter 5

The First Living Creature I Encountered Was The Supreme Dragon

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 e 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 e 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 fcomotten . 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 e 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 **?

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 one 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 **!? You have to be **ting me! What kind of unbalanced as ** 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 **ing 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 e 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 **ed, 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 posure . 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 ing .

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 thismuch 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 **ed .

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 ** are you doing, Yuki? Stop being all delusional and ** . 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 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 wid 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 posure . 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 **ing 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 of fourteen years old . She was a good bit shorter than me . If I had little sister, I would imagine her to be 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, dragonic 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 had 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 pensate 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 .