3

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 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!"

The Supreme Dragon Becomes a Freeloader

"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.