The Demon King Is Bored

I opened my mouth to speak, and her crimson eyes immediately locked onto me.

"Go on, kid. Why exactly did you summon me into this cramped little dimension?"

Her fingernail hovered dangerously close to my carotid artery, brushing against it with every breath I took.

"If your reason doesn't satisfy me, I'll rip your throat out first and think about it later."

A cold sweat trickled down my spine. Should I just beg for my life with an honest please spare me? Or would I need you sound better? My mind had gone completely blank. The tension was a hundred times worse than dealing with those nightmare complainants back at the district office. At least back then I only had to endure verbal abuse. Right now I was about to be physically devoured.

With trembling eyes, I stole a glance at the chat window floating in the air.

Toy. The word lodged itself in my brain. Yeah. There was no way I could win with raw power. In that case, my only weapon was the fact that I was an otherworlder.

I swallowed hard, forced my eyes wide open, and looked straight at her.

"Aren't you bored?"

"What?" Her eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Killing me would only take one finger, right? But if you let me live, I can show you entertainment unlike anything you've ever seen before."

"Entertainment?" She let out a small snort. It was closer to mockery than laughter. "You? A pathetic scrap of mana? I've grown sick of human antics after watching them for hundreds of years."

"Yes, I'm sure you have. But unlike them, the truth is I'm not from this world."

Her hand froze mid-gesture.

"An otherworlder?"

"That's right. I can show you knowledge you don't know, stories you've never heard, and..." I quickly glanced at the Gallery tab in my status window. "...and things so outrageous that even you couldn't possibly predict them."

A brief silence fell. She stared at me intently, as if weighing the very soul inside my body. One second felt like an entire year. My heartbeat was so loud I thought my eardrums might burst.

Finally, the corner of her mouth curved into a seductive arc.

"Hah. You've got some nerve. I like that."

She withdrew her hand and folded her arms.

"Fine. To be honest, I've been smelling something strange on you since earlier. It's different from the damp, earthy stench of this world... a stiff, dry scent."

She took one step closer.

"I'll form a contract with you. You know the conditions, right?"

"The price is..."

"My name is Lucy." She cut me off and spoke her name clearly.

"Lucy... ma'am?"

"That's right. From now on, it's the name of the master you'll be serving."

She grabbed my chin again, this time a little rougher than before.

"Normally a contract with a Demon King uses your soul as collateral, but your soul is so tiny and cute that it wouldn't even be worth it. I'll take something else instead."

"S-something else?"

"Everything you have."

Lucy shoved her face right up to mine.

"Every sensation you see, hear, and feel will be shared with me. When you feel fear, I'll savor its taste. When you fall into despair, I'll enjoy every second of it. And if you still manage to bore me..."

Her crimson lips brushed against my ear.

"Then I'll chew you up until not even your bones remain."

There was never any real choice. I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.

"I accept!"

The moment the words left my mouth, a sharp pain tore through the back of my neck. Lucy had sunk her teeth into me.

"Ugh...!"

A burning heat flooded into my body. As my blood was drained, her demonic energy surged back through my veins in reverse. My entire body alternated between feeling like it was on fire and freezing solid in an instant.

In the middle of that mind-numbing pain, Lucy finally pulled her mouth away and released me. I collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. When I touched the back of my neck, the wound had already healed, but a geometric red tattoo-like pattern had been engraved there.

"Well, the contract is done."

Lucy elegantly licked the blood from the corner of her mouth and turned her gaze toward the cave entrance.

"Shall we start with some cleaning?"

She snapped her fingers with an annoyed flick.

Snap!

A crisp sound echoed through the cave. The next moment, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

Crunch! Splatter!

The wolf-type demonic beasts lying on the ground swelled up like balloons before exploding into a bloody mist. They didn't even have time to scream. Dozens of demonic beasts vanished without a trace in a single gesture. The cave walls were instantly painted crimson, as if someone had splashed them with red paint.

"...Wow."

I stared with my mouth hanging open. Was this the power of a Demon King? I'd summoned a monster like this at level one?

Lucy frowned as she looked at the floor that had become a pool of blood.

"How filthy. Kid, you clean it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up."

"...Excuse me?"

"Isn't it obvious that the servant cleans up after the master makes a mess? You don't seriously expect the Demon King herself to mop the floor, do you?"

She poked at the floating status window with her finger and giggled. Thanks to the contract, it seemed she could see it now too.

"And your nickname is 'GeniusNewbie,' right? That's quite the grandiose name. Why don't you use that so-called genius brain of yours to entertain me?"

I let out a deep sigh. I'd survived by contracting with a Demon King, but I'd somehow ended up as her personal clown... no, her personal servant. On top of that, those crazy gallery users weren't even jealous. They were calling it a "reward" and treating me like some kind of pervert.

"Um... Lucy."

"What?"

"Could you possibly teach me some black magic? My level is only one, so..."

Since I'd become a Black Mage, I figured I should at least learn some spells if I wanted to survive this nightmare. But Lucy didn't even pretend to listen.

"No. Too much hassle."

"...What?"

"Why should I? You need to grow on your own. I won't help you unless you're on the verge of death in a crisis. Oh, but I'll definitely watch. While munching on popcorn."

She actually gathered red energy in the air, shaped it into popcorn, and tossed it into her mouth.

"This is pretty good. Anyway, good luck, GeniusNewbie."

I let out another deep sigh. Kim Daon, district office civil servant. Even after coming to another world, my life as a powerless underling hadn't changed at all. The only difference was that the person abusing their power had gone from nightmare complainants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to a whimsical Demon King. The difficulty had been upgraded straight to Hell mode.

That was when a gallery notification popped up.

Tributes? What the hell are tributes?

I hurriedly typed a reply.

Chocolate. There was no way chocolate existed in this world. But I remembered seeing the convenience store lunchbox I'd brought with me still sitting in my inventory when I was looking for the summoning ticket earlier. Maybe there were chocolate bars in there?

Desperate, I opened my inventory. Thankfully, the two chocolate bars I'd bought during a "buy one get one free" sale were still tucked away in the corner.

"Um, Lucy."

"What now? I said I'd kill you if you keep bothering me."

With trembling hands, I pulled out the chocolate bar and held it out to her. The silver foil wrapper sparkled in the dim light of the cave.

"This is... a snack from my homeland. I offer it as tribute."

Lucy narrowed her eyes and stared down at the chocolate bar.

"What is this black lump? Is it poisoned?"

"No, it's extremely sweet."

She picked it up with a suspicious look. Her sharp nails tore through the wrapper, and a rich chocolate aroma filled the air. She sniffed it carefully, then took a cautious bite.

Chew. Chew.

Both I and every user watching through the status window held our breath as we waited for her reaction.

A moment later, Lucy's eyes flew wide open.

"......!"

Her crimson pupils began to sparkle.

"What is this? It's so sweet... sticky... and delicious!"

She shoved the rest of the chocolate bar into her mouth in one go, grabbed me by the collar, and demanded,

"Got any more? Give me more! Right now!"