As the sky shifted from orange to pale yellow in the early days of winter, the world trembled with the foreboding of a great calamity. The Sage had prophesied the revival of the Demon King.

The Demon King was a catastrophe that appeared in this world every few years or decades. The harbinger of its arrival was the sudden, widespread emergence of monsters across the land. By the time nations had been ravaged and exhausted by these creatures, the Demon King would appear from nowhere, laying waste to everything in its path—monsters and all. Mountains crumbled, rivers changed course. After reducing nearby towns to ruins, the Demon King would vanish once more.

The direct destruction caused by the Demon King itself was limited to one or two nations at most, but the devastation was immense—enough to have wiped out entire countries in the past.

Now, massive outbreaks of monsters had already been confirmed in numerous regions.

The capital of Salichil, Acid, located perilously close to the site of the prophesied Demon King’s revival, was in utter chaos. Many fled to distant lands, seeking refuge with relatives—though no one knew how far they’d need to go to escape the Demon King’s terror.

Yet, the Demon King’s return also presented an opportunity. The surge in monsters meant profit, and the feat of slaying the Demon King would crown an adventurer with the title of “Hero.”

As citizens fled, adventurers—betting their lives for fortune—poured into Acid in droves. The Adventurer’s Guild was in complete disarray, overwhelmed by the influx of new registrations.

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“Guild Master, Dada of the birdfolk—an A-rank adventurer—has arrived.”

“Ah, send them in.”

Guided by the fairy Poln, Dada stepped into the Guild Master’s office.

“Master, what troublesome task do you have for me this time?”

“Nothing too serious. Just need you to head down to the 60th floor of that dungeon over there.”

Oh, here we go again. Another troublesome request.

Dada sighed and slumped into a round stool, reaching for a cup of tea.

Salichil was a prosperous nation where many races—kobolds, lizardmen, birdfolk, and more—lived together. Tools suited to each race’s needs were widely available, a testament to the country’s wealth.

Though the differences in appearance between races were vast, all walked on two legs, possessed dexterous hands, and could speak with expressive faces. Tens of thousands of years ago, they had scorned each other as “monsters” or “beasts,” but now, they recognized one another as fellow beings, coexisting peacefully within a single nation.

Even in this room, accommodations were made: high stools without backrests were provided so that the tiny, 30-centimeter-tall birdfolk and fairies could converse comfortably with other races who stood over a meter tall.

The teacup in Dada’s hand looked almost like a child’s toy compared to the one used by the lizardman Guild Master.

“You listening, Dada?”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Master. I’m sure you’re about to drop some ridiculous request on me.”

“Nah, not really. Just need you to go into that dungeon, tame the ogre on the 60th floor, and bring it back.”

“……You mean… the boss one?”

“That’s the one.”

“Got it… Wait, you actually think I’d say YES to that?!”

Dada, known for being relatively mild-mannered among the rough-and-tumble adventurers, snapped and hurled their teacup.

Had the window been open, it might have fluttered away like a leaf.

“That’s impossible! Didn’t I just report on that ogre recently? Taming it? No way!”

“What choice do we have? The Sage prophesied it. That ogre is the key to sealing away the Demon King.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t even know which is scarier—the Demon King or that ogre!”

“Now, now, I’m not asking you to tame the Demon King.”

“Of course not! But still—how the hell am I supposed to tame it?!”

Even as an A-rank adventurer, Dada was still just a regular mercenary at heart. Grumbling under their breath, they had no choice but to follow the Guild Master’s plan.