The sun had begun to dip below the tree line. Shadows stretched long across the clearing where Saiki Kusuo lay on the roof of his small, freshly built wooden cabin, hands behind his head, legs crossed, eyes half-closed.
The wind was gentle. The birds were quiet. The forest, though full of monsters, stayed far away from him.
All in all, it was peaceful.
But Saiki wasn't at peace.
"I've seen the entire world now," he thought. "And peace doesn't seem like it'll be easy here."
He stared at the sky, his expression as neutral as ever.
"Demon Lords. True Dragons. Superpowered humans. Shadowy factions. Way too many people who like fighting for fun."
He sighed.
"And I just want to eat coffee jelly."
He closed his eyes, sinking deeper into thought. Hours passed. He didn't need sleep. He just needed… a plan.
Then—a spark of realization.
"…Wait. I can literally read minds."
He blinked.
"And alter memories. And reality. And teleport wherever I want."
A moment of silence passed. Then, very dryly:
"I forgot how broken I am."
Saiki sat up slowly, adjusting his green-tinted glasses.
"Let's start small. There's a dragon sealed nearby. Big, strong, lonely. That's useful. He's been here for centuries, probably knows a lot about this world."
"I'll just read his mind, learn what I can, maybe erase a few memories if he becomes annoying."
He hovered slightly into the air and closed his eyes again, locking on to the sealed dragon's exact location—deep underground.
"His name is… Veldora."
He focused.
And just like that—he entered the Storm Dragon's mind.
It was like tuning into a strange, chaotic anime channel. Saiki's consciousness found itself surrounded by a swirl of thunderclouds and roaring laughter echoing through the sealed void.
"Gwahahaha! One day, I, Veldora, the Storm dragon, shall be free and reclaim my title as the most awesome dragon in the world!"
"Take that, stupid Hero! Sealing me? Ridiculous!"
Saiki raised an eyebrow as the thoughts continued to spill forward like an overactive comic book.
He kept listening.
"Hmph, I don't need my sisters' approval! Velgrynd always scolds me. Velzard too. They think they're smarter just because I accidentally blew up that one town! It was ONE TIME."
"Besides, I didn't even mean to sneeze! My storm breath isn't that hard to control… they're just too uptight."
"Still… I miss them. I hope they're doing okay."
"…I miss people. It's been so long since anyone talked to me."
Saiki paused.
The endless bragging and tsundere-ranting slowly melted into loneliness. He saw flashes of Veldora's memories—the sealing, the centuries of silence, the self-conversations, the way he kept his mind occupied by making up imaginary friends and pretending he had fanclubs.
"...This guy is… tragic."
But also undeniably childish.
"And loud."
"But… he's pure. Doesn't seem evil. Just lonely, impulsive, and constantly punished by his sisters."
Saiki exhaled.
"Well, that settles it," he said aloud, floating down from the rooftop. "Let's go pay him a visit."
He raised a finger—and in an instant, he vanished.
No magicule fluctuation.
No sound.
Not even a breeze.
Just… gone.
The cave was cold. Silent. A stillness that came only from being untouched for centuries. Carved stone walls were laced with ancient magic scripts, glowing faintly in blue. Deep within sat the legendary Veldora, coiled like a mountain, his eyes half-closed in eternal boredom.
"Sigh… I wish something interesting would happen for once…" he muttered.
Then—
POP.
A figure appeared out of nowhere, right in front of him.
A quiet boy. Pink hair. Green-tinted glasses. Hands in his pockets. Emotionless face.
Veldora's jaw dropped.
"W-WHA—?!"
He jumped—a 200-foot ancient dragon flinching like a startled puppy.
"W-W-WHO ARE YOU!? How did you get in here!? Who sent you!? What kind of magic is this?! ARE YOU A GOD?!"
He lowered his head dramatically and bared his fangs.
"Have you come to end my suffering?! Very well! But know that Veldora shall not go down without—!"
Saiki raised a finger to his lips.
"Shhh."
Veldora blinked.
"...Huh?"
"I read your mind," Saiki said simply.
"YOU WHAT?!"
"All of it. The imaginary fanclub, the Hero fight, the town you sneezed on, your sisters yelling at you... everything."
Veldora's face turned… oddly red.
"T-T-That's… an invasion of privacy!!"
Saiki stared blankly.
"I also know you talk to rocks for fun."
"T-THOSE WERE INTENSE STRATEGY MEETINGS!!"
"...With a pebble named 'Commander Pebbly.'"
Veldora roared in embarrassment.
"GRAAAH!!"
He stomped the cave floor, sending shockwaves through the seal—but Saiki didn't move. Not even an inch.
The dragon stopped.
"...You're not scared of me, are you?"
"Should I be?"
"W-Well, no, but still! I'm a True Dragon! The mighty Storm Dragon! FEAR ME!"
"You're more like a puppy with a god complex."
Veldora growled.
Then paused.
"...Okay, that one kinda hurt."
Saiki walked forward calmly, until he stood right in front of Veldora's enormous snout.
"I'm new to this world. You've been here longer. Tell me what I need to know. I might erase your memory after."
"WHAT?!"
"Or not. Depends how useful you are."
Veldora squinted.
"Who even are you?"
"...Saiki Kusuo."
"What are you?"
Saiki blinked.
"...Tired."
BOOM.
Another gust of wind tore through the sealed cave as Veldora Tempest flapped his wings dramatically—for no reason at all.
Saiki Kusuo remained where he stood, his expression blank, his hands still in his pockets.
"I've been here less than five minutes and I already regret this."
"Alright, Saiki! I've decided!" Veldora boomed, standing tall, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Since you have discovered my incredible knowledge and majestic soul, I shall honor you by sharing the wisdom of this world!"
"I didn't ask."
"Bwahaha! Don't be shy! It's only natural that one such as I—the Great Veldora—bestows you with enlightenment!"
Saiki stared up at him.
"You're just bored, aren't you?"
"...A little."
"So! You see, this world, the Cardinal World, is a complex place! Magicules—magical energy particles—are the building blocks of almost everything here. You breathe them, live in them, absorb them! Even your skills and strength are tied to magicules."
Saiki blinked slowly.
"I don't use magicules."
"Yes! That's why you're creepy!!" Veldora shouted cheerfully.
"...Yare yare."
"Anyhow! Beings here come in all shapes and classes. You've got monsters, demi-humans, spirits, humans, and other strange hybrids. Then there's the true monsters—like me!—dragons, Demon Lords, and beyond!"
"Beyond?" Saiki asked, half-interested.
"Well, there are Rumors! Of gods, world-travelers, even creators like Veldanava the Supreme One—but they're kind of like that friend-of-a-friend legend people talk about after too many drinks."
"So urban myth gods. Got it."
"Most people, however," Veldora continued, pacing in circles like a professor dragon, "are categorized by Skills. Like magic spells, combat arts, enchantments! There are different types: Extra Skills, Unique Skills, and if you're lucky or overpowered enough—Ultimate Skills."
Saiki tilted his head slightly.
"That sounds like a shonen power system."
"Exactly! It's got layers! There are also Racial Evolutions—goblins become hobgoblins, lizards evolve, slimes turn into demi-humans, that kind of thing."
"Wait, slimes evolve?" Saiki asked, mildly raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Slimes can become absurdly powerful here. Like, if one got lucky, devoured enough beings, and got named by a powerful entity? BOOM! Super slime overlord."
"...This world is already a headache."
Saiki sat cross-legged in the air, floating in front of Veldora's snout.
"So everyone runs on skills and magic. You get stronger by leveling up, eating people, or being named?"
"That's the simplified version, yes!"
"And there are no rules against monsters suddenly becoming stronger than humans?"
"Nope! Survival of the fittest!"
"Sounds lawless."
"It is!"
"Yare yare daze."
Saiki started to piece it all together in his head.
"So the more magicules you have, the stronger you become. People worship skills like divine gifts. Evolution is constant, and power defines influence."
"...Which means if I want to live peacefully, I need to make it very clear I'm not worth messing with."
He glanced at Veldora again.
"Or… I could use this guy as a distraction. Let the world focus on him instead."
Veldora suddenly shivered.
"W-Why do I feel like you're thinking evil thoughts?"
"I'm thinking productive thoughts."
"It's the same thing in anime!"
Then Saiki noticed something else.
Despite all the bragging, roaring, and role-playing…
"You're… lonely, aren't you?"
Veldora blinked.
He didn't roar this time. Or scoff. He just looked to the side.
"Well… yeah. I mean. I've been sealed here for centuries. Talking to myself. Playing tic-tac-toe against the wall. Creating mental copies of myself to argue with. I had a fake court drama going on yesterday…"
"Yare yare…"
"Hey! You'd lose your mind too if you were stuck with only your thoughts for 300 years!"
"I've basically been doing that since birth," Saiki said.
"...I feel sorry for you."
"Same."
As Veldora ranted about his many made-up arguments with fictional goblins and mental sibling debates with Velgrynd and Velzard, Saiki drifted further into thought.
"He's strong. Sealed, but mentally stable—barely. Probably has more information about this world than anyone else."
"I could use him to learn the culture, the factions, and maybe even steer him toward protecting this area."
"And if he becomes a problem… well, I could always rewrite his memory and make him think he's a frog."
Saiki smirked slightly. Just slightly.
"You smiled just now! I SAW IT!" Veldora roared in triumph. "Was it a smirk?! ARE WE BONDING?!"
Saiki snapped his fingers—and a spoon floated from his jacket pocket into his hand. He then pulled out a fresh cup of coffee jelly from literally nowhere.
"No. I'm stress-eating."
Slurp.