Kenji's mouth felt like he'd been gargling sand. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but where exactly could he go? This was a dragon the size of a building. If Tiamat wanted him dead, he'd be dead before he took three steps.
But she hadn't killed him yet. That had to count for something.
"Look," Kenji said, trying to keep his voice steady, "I really don't want any trouble. I'm just trying to figure out where I am and how to get somewhere that isn't... here."
A sound rumbled from Tiamat's throat—low, resonant, almost like purring. "Interesting. Most humans would be begging for mercy by now, yet you speak as if this is merely an inconvenience."
"Well, I mean, getting eaten by a dragon would definitely ruin my day," Kenji muttered 'more like, my life'
That massive head tilted slightly, those ice-blue eyes studying him with what might have been amusement. "Very well, human. You have provided me with enough entertainment, which is more than most trespassers manage. Follow me."
She began moving through the forest with surprising grace for something her size. The dead trees seemed to part before her, branches bending away as if they recognized her authority. Kenji hurried to keep up, his school shoes crunching on the brittle leaves.
As they walked, Kenji's mind raced. This was definitely the DxD world—he recognized the setup from the light novels. He was supposed to wake up in a bed in a room of some unpopular student and then start with his heroic journey! But this was totally out of what he imagined when he realized that he was in the world of DxD.
The system screen flickered at the edge of his vision, completely invisible to Tiamat. He could see his stats: Grade 4 cursed energy, 100 NP available. Not much, but it was something. And unlike the devils and angels of this world, cursed energy was completely foreign to their magical systems. That could be an advantage if he played it right.
He just had to survive long enough to figure out how.
The forest began to thin as they climbed a rocky slope. Dead trees gave way to bare stone, and soon Kenji found himself standing before what could only be described as a lair. Massive cave openings carved into the mountainside, with worn paths between them that suggested centuries of use.
Bones littered the area. Not human bones, thankfully, but definitely from large creatures. Dragons, maybe? Or whatever passed for wildlife in this nightmare forest. Dried leaves and debris covered every surface, and the smell of sulfur hung heavy in the air.
Tiamat stopped at the entrance to the largest cave and turned to face him.
"This is where I reside," she announced with the casual authority of someone stating an obvious fact. "And from this moment forward, human, you will serve me for the remainder of your life."
The words hit Kenji like a physical blow. Serve her? For the rest of his life? This wasn't how isekai stories were supposed to go! He was supposed to get powers, meet girls, build a harem, become stupidly overpowered, and save the world. Not become some dragon's personal janitor!
"I..." he started, then stopped. What could he say? 'Sorry, but I have protagonist things to do'? This was Tiamat, one of the Dragon Kings. Even in the novels, she was portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful. Fighting her would be suicide.
His mind scrambled for options. Maybe if he played along for now, he could find an opportunity to escape later. Yeah, that was it. Bide his time, learn about this world, figure out his system, then make his move when she wasn't expecting it.
"Y-yes," he said, nodding nervously. "I understand."
"Excellent." Tiamat's massive form settled slightly, like a cat getting comfortable. "Your first task is to clean this area. As you can see, it has become rather... cluttered."
Kenji looked around at the sprawling mess of bones, leaves, and debris scattered across what had to be several acres of rocky terrain. Most of it was directly under Tiamat's huge body.
"Um," he said carefully, "how exactly am I supposed to clean around you when you're, you know..." He gestured helplessly at her massive form.
Tiamat let out what might have been an annoyed grunt. The air around her began to shimmer, and suddenly she was shrinking. No, not shrinking—transforming. Her scales dissolved into light, her massive form condensing and reshaping until...
Holy shit.
Where the dragon had been standing, there was now a woman. And not just any woman. She was absolutely gorgeous—straight, pale blue hair that fell to her waist, dark blue eyes that held depths like winter oceans, and features that belonged in a museum as a perfect example of classical beauty. Her entire body had a subtle blue tint that somehow made her even more striking.
She was also completely naked.
Kenji's brain short-circuited. This was not something the light novels had prepared him for. Sure, he'd read about Tiamat's human form, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. His face went nuclear-red as he tried to process what he was seeing while simultaneously trying very hard not to look.
Tiamat placed one hand on her hip and stared at him with undisguised amusement.
"Are you quite finished gawking?" she asked, her voice still carrying that royal authority despite coming from a much smaller throat. "There is work to be done."
"I—yeah—sorry—I wasn't—" Kenji stammered, his eyes darting everywhere except directly at her.
"The bones need to be sorted and stacked properly. The debris cleared. The paths swept clean." She gestured dismissively at the mess around them. "I expect this area to be presentable by the time I wake from my nap."
She turned and walked toward the cave entrance, moving with the unconscious grace of someone who'd never doubted her own superiority. At the entrance, she paused and looked back over her shoulder.
"I suggest you work quickly. I become rather irritable when kept waiting."
Then she disappeared into the darkness of the cave, leaving Kenji alone with the biggest cleaning job of his life and a head full of very confusing thoughts.
He stood there for a moment, trying to process everything that had just happened. Then reality set in.
He was stuck here. Probably forever. Serving a Dragon King who expected him to clean up centuries of accumulated mess. This was his life now.
"Well," he muttered to himself, rolling up his sleeves, "at least I dodged getting incinerated. That's... something."
He looked around at the scattered bones and debris, then at the system screen that had reappeared.
Maybe there was a quest for this? Some kind of reward for completing menial tasks?
『 QUEST SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE 』
Combat experience required for quest generation
NP can only be earned through defeating enemies
Of course. Even the system was useless for housework.
Out of curiosity, he navigated to the shop menu. Maybe he could at least see what kind of techniques were available with his measly 100 NP.
『 CURSED TECHNIQUE SHOP 』
Available Techniques:
◆ Basic Cursed Energy Reinforcement - 80 NP
Effect: Enhance physical capabilities by 25% for 5 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Note: Foundation technique for all physical enhancement abilities
◆ Divergent Fist - 150 NP
Effect: Creates a secondary impact with cursed energy after initial physical strike
Mastery Level: Basic (Can develop into more advanced applications)
Note: Requires basic understanding of cursed energy flow
◆ Simple Domain - 200 NP
Effect: Creates a small protective barrier (2-meter radius) that deflects weak attacks
Duration: 30 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Note: Foundational domain technique, expandable with training
Current NP: 100
Required for Grade 3: 1000 NP
Great. He could afford exactly one technique, and even then only the cheapest one. The other two looked way more useful, but they were out of his price range.
Kenji closed the shop menu with a frustrated swipe. Even if he bought the basic reinforcement technique, he'd only have 20 NP left, and he still needed 900 more just to reach Grade 3. At this rate, he'd be Tiamat's servant for decades before he could afford anything decent.
He sighed deeply and picked up the nearest bone—something that looked like it had come from a creature the size of a small bus. "This is not how protagonists are supposed to start their adventures," he grumbled.
But what choice did he have?
---
Three hours later, Kenji was questioning every life decision that had led him to this moment.
His uniform was soaked with sweat, his hands were sore from handling rough bones and debris, and he was pretty sure he'd pulled at least six different muscles he didn't know he had. The area looked marginally better—the bones were stacked in reasonably neat piles, most of the loose debris had been cleared, and he'd managed to sweep the main paths using a makeshift broom made from dead branches.
He collapsed against a boulder, gasping for breath and wondering if this was what actual hell felt like.
The sound of footsteps on stone made him look up. Tiamat emerged from the cave, still in her human form but now wearing a simple blue dress that somehow managed to look elegant despite its obvious practicality. She surveyed his work with critical eyes, walking slowly around the cleared areas.
"Acceptable," she said finally. "Not exemplary, but adequate for a first attempt."
Kenji wanted to point out that he was a seventeen-year-old high school student, not a professional cave-cleaner, but decided that sass probably wasn't the best survival strategy right now.
"Come," Tiamat commanded, gesturing for him to follow.
Kenji tried to stand and immediately regretted it. His legs felt like overcooked noodles. He grabbed a fallen branch to use as a walking stick and hobbled after her.
"Could I possibly... get some rest?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, I've been working for—"
"Not yet," Tiamat interrupted, settling down on a flat stone that served as an impromptu seat. "I require sustenance first."
Kenji blinked. "Sustenance? You mean... food?"
He looked around at the barren landscape, then back at Tiamat. "I don't exactly have anything to offer. No convenience stores out here, unfortunately."
A slow, distinctly mischievous smile spread across Tiamat's face. "Oh, but you do, my dear servant. You will hunt for me."
Before Kenji could process what she meant, something heavy landed in the dirt at his feet. A sword in a leather sheath, the blade longer than his arm and probably weighing more than his backpack.
He barely managed to catch it, nearly toppling over from the unexpected weight.
"Bring me something to feed before I wake up," Tiamat said pleasantly, settling back against the stone. How much this woman sleeps is beyond me "Bring me something suitable, or..." She trailed off meaningfully.
"Or what?" Kenji asked, though he was pretty sure he didn't want to know.
"Or I might decide that you would make an acceptable meal instead."
Kenji stared at her. Then at the sword. Then at the vast, dead forest stretching away in all directions.
"You want me to hunt. With a sword. In a forest full of supernatural predators. When I've never hunted anything more dangerous than a mosquito in my entire life."
"Precisely."
This was insane. This was beyond insane. This was the kind of death trap that even the most sadistic game developers would consider too unfair.
But what choice did he have?
Kenji hefted the sword, using it as a walking stick since his legs still felt like jelly. "Any particular preferences? Size? Species? Level of difficulty?"
"Something not of your stature" Tiamat said, closing her eyes as if she was already settling in for another nap "Now get to it, human. Before I change my mind"
Kenji turned toward the forest, sword in hand, exhaustion in every muscle, and absolutely no idea what he was doing.
"Worst. Isekai. Ever," he muttered under his breath as he limped toward the treeline.
Behind him, he could have sworn he heard Tiamat chuckling.
This was supposed to be his grand adventure in another world. Instead, he was about to become the first protagonist in history to die of manual labor and incompetent hunting in the same day.
At least if he got eaten by whatever was lurking in those dead trees, he wouldn't have to explain to anyone how spectacularly he'd failed at being a main character.
Small consolation, but it was something.