Darkness.
Then… warmth.
When Rian opened his eyes, sunlight streamed through soft clouds. A gentle breeze brushed his messy hair. Before him stretched endless grasslands. In the distance, lush forests swayed, a crystal lake shimmered, and a mountain towered like the world’s guardian.
It was… too peaceful.
Way too calm for someone who had just died from an explosion, got stabbed by his own students, and turned a convenience store into his personal graveyard.
His gaze swept the scenery until it locked onto one thing—
At the foot of the mountain stood a medium-sized modern building. From afar, a sign could just be read: “RE : STORE.”
The font was identical to the minimart where he’d last drawn his final breath.
Rian froze. Then slowly, the corner of his lips curled upward.
“…So my wish really got granted,” he muttered.
His eyes sparkled—not from the sun, but from a tiny hope he thought long dead.
“Indomie… I can eat Indomie whenever I want, even in another world!” he whispered, face glowing with near holy devotion.
But before he could bask in the miracle, a massive shadow crossed the sky.
Heavy, steady wingbeats rolled like ocean waves. Rian tilted his head back.
A massive dragon descended—scales black and silver, wings carved with patterns like ancient stone. Its eyes glowed turquoise, aura cold but not hostile.
It landed gracefully before him, shaking the earth gently.
Then… it spoke.
“Welcome, half-demon human. I’ve been waiting.”
Rian looked up, expression flat.
“…Didn’t order a dragon tour guide, but… hi, I guess?”
The dragon exhaled lightly and folded its wings.
“My name is Stranova Graindor. Direct descendant of the dragon of ruin that nearly destroyed this world seven centuries ago.”
“Nice to meet you, Stora… Grombol… Graindut?”
“Graindor.”
“Yeah, that. Anyway, you got something else?”
The dragon twitched, visibly holding back.
“I was sent by the Goddess of Judgment to greet you. She said… you will be the ‘mentor’ of the heroes summoned from another world.”
Rian sighed. “Yeah, the goddess did ask me to do some teacher internship here…”
“Not just a teacher,” Stranova corrected. “You are the only adult from Earth with combat experience and true knowledge of demons. You were chosen.”
Rian didn’t answer right away. He looked around again.
Grasslands. Forests. That convenience store…
It was new, yet it didn’t feel foreign. Almost like… he’d been here before.
“…So what exactly is this place?” he finally asked.
Stranova’s maw curved into something resembling a smile.
“You are standing on the top floor of a dungeon.”
Rian blinked.
“Dungeon? Like… the kind adventurers raid for loot and XP?”
“Yes. Only this floor is different. You are now in… the dungeon’s administrative office.”
“EHHH?”
Rian glanced around automatically.
No front desk. No printer. No bored lady at customer service.
“…Admin office, huh?” he repeated, half amused. “So… who’s the administrator then?”
Stranova raised a single sharp claw… and pointed at himself.
“Me. Who else?”
Rian stared at him for five full seconds.
“…This dungeon’s run by a dragon?”
“More accurately, I am one of the guardians who maintain its balance. Beneath us are ninety-nine floors. Each with portals to other worlds, spawning countless monsters and demons as training grounds for adventurers and heroes. …Hey. Are you even listening?”
Rian sighed, eyes drifting toward the serene sky.
“Yeah, yeah. I already agreed to be a teacher here… but still…”
Stranova frowned at his tone. The man looked way too chill. Way too casual for someone supposedly chosen as mentor of heroes.
“…What’s wrong, human? Are you regretting your decision?”
Rian shook his head.
“No. Just… I know I should go to my students and start teaching. But what about my minimart customers? Am I supposed to deliver orders myself? And do the locals here even get what I’m selling? Like, what if someone suddenly asks me for—idk—a curvy slave girl or some random nonsense? …bla bla bla…”
The dragon blinked. Stunned by the sudden flood of words.
“…You… talk a lot.”
“Hah? What, you expected me to shut up? Look, I knew I’d be a teacher, but I didn’t know I’d get teleported right into this. Maybe the goddess is trolling me or something…”
Stranova chuckled. “Heh… bold joke. But before you say anything else that might insult the goddess, open your status screen. It might solve your minimart issue.”
Following the dragon’s advice, Rian opened his status window.
His eyes widened.
It wasn’t a normal status window. It was… literally his old PC desktop screen.
While Rian was still busy freaking out over that, somewhere else—
A group of high school students was summoned into the same world. They were immediately drowned in a long lecture about why heroes were summoned, pressured to submit… and secretly, those deemed “useless” were already being cast aside.
End of Chapter 4