A young man stood in the middle of a starry void, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black trousers—an outfit that screamed, "I'm either going to work or getting rejected at an interview." His dark hair was neatly combed, and his expression could be summed up in two words: pure confusion.
"Ahem!" A voice cleared its throat. "Before we continue, let's rewind and give you a proper introduction to this unfortunate soul."
Daniel was an Earthling, born and raised in the great land of Nigeria—a land of jollof rice supremacy, legendary traffic jams, and Wi-Fi that only worked when you didn't need it.
He was smart. Scary smart. He graduated with first-class honors, won a scholarship to China, and became a bookworm of the highest order. But his true expertise?
Yes, Daniel had achieved something no man before him had accomplished—being rejected by ninety-nine women. Not ninety-eight. Not one shy of a hundred. Ninety. Nine. Women.
Was it his face? No. He wasn't ugly.
Was it his attitude? Not really. He was fairly decent.
Was he cursed? Now that was a question worth asking.
Daniel called it an achievement, though. "If nobody else can do it, then it must be a world record," he once told himself.
And now, standing in the middle of a starry abyss, Daniel had a bigger issue than his rejection streak.
"Where the hell am I?!"
He spun around, expecting to see a road sign saying, "Welcome to the Afterlife. Population: Too Many." But there was nothing—only endless stars floating around like they were waiting for a Netflix intro to play.
"This ain't heaven." He scratched his head. "And it sure ain't hell. Where are the fire, the devils, and the Wi-Fi-less suffering?"
A voice, deeper than his past heartbreaks, spoke from behind him.
Daniel spun around so fast he nearly broke the laws of physics. What he saw made his soul nearly exit his body.
Standing before him was a massive, reality-defying, nightmare-inducing dragon.
Its body was a swirling mass of galaxies. Its scales shimmered with the light of dying stars. Its wings stretched across dimensions, and its eyes... its eyes were black holes—endless voids of nothingness.
"I never thought I would be lucky enough to meet someone with both the Devouring Soul and the Devouring Body," the dragon said, its voice resonating like it had existed since the dawn of time.
Daniel shut his eyes immediately and began praying.
"The Bible says... The Bible says..." His voice trembled as he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." He gulped. "I will fear no evil..."
"Enough," the dragon interrupted, clearly unimpressed.
Daniel dared to peek.
The dragon was still there.
"Mortal, I am the Devouring Dragon God," the beast declared, its voice shaking the void. "The God and Ancestor of all Dragons."
Daniel fell to his knees instantly. "I knew it! I'm in hell! And the devil's a dragon!"
"Oi! Don't compare me to that self-centered prince of hell! I'm a Dragon God! A. Dragon. God!" the Dragon God yelled, tick marks forming on his forehead.
The Dragon God sighed. "Mortal, you are not in hell."
Daniel blinked. "So this is heaven?"
The Dragon God narrowed his endless eyes. "Do I look like an angel to you?"
Daniel looked at the universe-sized dragon. "I mean... I've never met one, so who am I to judge?"
The Dragon God sighed again. "Humans are exhausting." With that, his body glowed, and in an instant, he transformed into a man. A very, very handsome man.
Daniel took one look at him and immediately felt the sting of injustice.
"You can turn into a human?!"
"And you chose to look that handsome?!"
"That's unfair, man. Some of us struggled in the genetic lottery."
The Dragon God ignored his complaint. "Daniel, listen—"
"Wait, wait, wait," Daniel interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know my name?"
"Yeah, but still! What else do you know? My email password? My internet search history?!"
The Dragon God frowned. "Mortal, I do not concern myself with your—"
"You better not. I delete my history for a reason."
The Dragon God pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now I know why summoning humans is hard."
Daniel suddenly froze, his brain catching up. "Wait, summon? You summoned me?"
The Dragon God nodded.
"Okay, so... does that mean what I think it means?"
Daniel gasped. "I'm in an isekai, aren't I?"
The Dragon God sighed. "Yes, you are."
"OH, LET'S GO!" Daniel punched the air. "I knew this day would come!"
The Dragon God blinked. "You... seem unusually excited about this."
"Of course! Do you know how many novels, anime, and manga I've read? I was born for this!"
Daniel grinned. "So, what's my power? Super strength? Magic? Maybe a system? Or... am I the chosen one?!"
The Dragon God rubbed his temples. "I haven't explained anything yet—"
"Oh, wait. Lemme guess! Am I a lost prince? A reincarnation of a hero? Or maybe—"
"Enough!" the Dragon God snapped, his divine presence shaking the stars.
Daniel coughed, clearing his throat. "Alright, alright. Go on, Mr. Dragon God."
The Dragon God composed himself. "You are indeed in another world, Daniel. But your fate has yet to be decided. I brought you here for a reason."
Daniel sat down on what should've been nothing but space. "Alright, I'm listening."
The Dragon God tilted his head. "You... just sat down?"
"Yeah, man, this is a long conversation. My knees ain't built for this."
"You are a spirit right now. You don't even have knees."
Daniel paused. "Huh... fair point."
The Dragon God massaged his temples. "Why did I summon someone ?"
Daniel smirked. "Because I'm awesome?"
The Dragon God ignored that. "I need your help to restore the Dragon Clan to its peak."
Daniel frowned. "Why can't you do that yourself?"
"Well, as for me, I am only a remnant soul that will soon disappear," the Dragon God said.
"Wait, aren't you a god? Why would you die?" Daniel looked even more confused.
The Dragon God sighed. "Mortal, remember one thing— even gods meet their end one day."