Life was… fine.
Not good. Not bad. Just fine in that bland, lukewarm way that makes you wonder if the universe has you on autopilot.
Another Monday evening. I was dragging my legs up three flights of stairs to the cramped apartment I shared with my roommate, carrying a laptop bag that felt heavier than it had any right to.
Work had been a slog—ten hours of spreadsheets, answering emails no one actually read, and pretending to look busy whenever the boss passed by. The kind of corporate grind that sucked the soul out of you one keystroke at a time.
By the time I shoved the apartment door open, all I wanted was a cold drink, bad takeout, and maybe a couple of hours zoning out in front of my phone before collapsing into bed.
Instead, I was greeted by my roommate, Kyle, already half out the door.
"Yo, Ren!" he said, tossing his keys into the air and catching them like he thought he was in a movie. "You're home just in time. Delivery's coming later—can you grab it for me? I've gotta run."
I blinked, still processing his words. "…What kind of delivery?"
"Dunno. Just a package. Small one. Shouldn't be a big deal. You know how it is."
Which was Kyle-speak for: "I ordered something stupid again and don't want to explain it to the delivery guy."
I sighed and dropped my bag onto the couch. "Fine, sure. Just don't let it be another box of 'limited edition' anime figurines. The last time, the mailman gave me a look like I was the degenerate."
Kyle grinned like a man with zero shame. "What can I say? Culture." He slipped his shoes on and waved. "Don't wait up!"
The door slammed behind him, leaving me in the silence of our half-clean, half-messy apartment.
I flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.
"Another thrilling night," I muttered. "Work, couch, cheap noodles. Repeat until death. Living the dream."
The fan above me creaked lazily, spinning as if even it was tired. I grabbed my phone, scrolled through social media, saw a dozen people posting about vacations, parties, engagements. Meanwhile, my biggest achievement this week was not crying in the bathroom at work.
I chuckled dryly. "If this was a light novel, this is the part where Truck-kun shows up. Bam. Isekai. New life. Cute girls. Magic. Way better than—"
The knock at the door cut me off.
"…Huh. That was fast."
I pushed myself up, shuffled to the door, and opened it.
The delivery guy didn't say much—just handed me a small cardboard box with a scrawled black mark across the top. No brand logo. No shipping label. Just a strange circle with wings, drawn in thick ink.
"…Kyle, what the hell did you order this time?" I muttered, setting it on the kitchen counter.
The box was lighter than I expected. Curiosity got the better of me. I knew I shouldn't—Kyle hated when I opened his stuff—but come on. He once ordered a taser "for self-defense" and shocked himself with it in the living room. The man wasn't exactly trustworthy.
I tore the tape and flipped the flaps open.
Inside was… a rock.
I frowned. Not just any rock, though. It was smooth, polished, and black as midnight. Almost like obsidian, but faintly pulsing. I leaned closer. Was it… glowing?
"What the hell kind of loot box is this…?"
I reached in and picked it up. It was warm against my skin. My fingers tingled, and for a second, I thought I felt it beat, like a heart.
And then everything changed.
A blue screen blinked into existence in the air in front of me. Floating text. Like an RPG HUD.
> [Welcome, New Registrant]
Initializing system…
Identity confirmed: Subject – Ren Ito.
Preparing dimensional transfer…
I froze. My brain couldn't catch up. "Wait. No. This… no way. This is some kind of prank. Kyle, did you—?"
But the apartment melted. The walls stretched, dissolved. The floor vanished beneath me. My stomach dropped as if I'd been tossed out of a plane.
> [Loading… Divine Realm]
The words burned into my vision.
I screamed. Or maybe I thought I did. The sound never came out. The world had already gone dark.
---
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't on my couch. I wasn't in my apartment. I wasn't even on Earth.
I was… held.
Arms wrapped around me—warm, soft, enveloping. My head rested against something impossibly plush. My body felt weightless, sinking into velvet heat.
I looked up.
She was staring down at me.
Long, silken hair cascaded like black rivers around her shoulders. A crown rested on her temples, polished obsidian. Her skin was flawless, pale with a faint glow that seemed almost unreal. And her eyes—crimson, burning, seductive—locked onto mine with amusement.
She smiled, lips full and painted like temptation itself.
And her breasts… oh man. They were enormous, barely restrained by a gown of shadowy silk that clung to her curves like a lover. My head rested against them, and I realized I was cradled in her lap like a child. Or a pet.
Her voice slid into my ears like honey. "Awake already? How precious."
I jerked, trying to move, but her arms tightened. Effortless. I wasn't going anywhere.
"W-what—where am I? Who are you? This is… this is a dream. It has to be a dream."
She giggled, and the sound was both musical and terrifying. One long nail traced my jaw, teasing down my neck. My skin shivered under her touch.
"No dream, little hero. You've been chosen. The system marked you. And now you're here… with me."
"M-marked…? System? What are you talking about? I was just—I was at home—I have work tomorrow—"
Her crimson gaze softened, but her smile sharpened. "Poor thing. So stressed. So lost. Living a life without purpose." She leaned down, her lips brushing my ear. "Now you have one."
Words ignited in my vision again:
> [Mission Registered: Prevent the Rise of the Dark Monarch]
I swallowed hard. "Dark...what now? What is this, some kind of game?"
The goddess's smile widened. "No game. Fate. And you… are my chosen pawn."
Her nails slid down my chest, slow, deliberate. My heart raced. My body reacted in ways I couldn't control.
"You will descend into the mortal plane," she whispered, her breath hot. "An extraordinary World. A land where women rule, and men… serve."
I went rigid. "…Serve?"
Her laugh rolled through me like velvet chains. "Kneel. Obey. Submit. You'll learn soon enough."
My throat went dry. Every nerve screamed this was real—but my brain kept clinging to denial. "This is… no. No way. I'm dreaming. I'm hallucinating. This—this isn't—"
Her lips pressed against my forehead, silencing me. The warmth spread, searing and intoxicating.
"Dreams don't bind," she whispered. "Dreams don't make your heart pound like this."
Light flared around us. Her arms tightened one last time.
"Go, little hero," she purred. "Let's see how long you last… under their heel."
The divine realm shattered.
And I fell—into a new sky, a new land, and a nightmare I wasn't ready for.
---