Reborn as the Kingdom’s Cheat-Level Janitor

1: From Overworked to Overpowered

In my previous life, I was your average salaryman, grinding away at an unremarkable desk job that barely paid the bills. My crowning achievement? A streak of perfect attendance… until it killed me. Literally. I was so exhausted that I fell asleep standing at a train station and tumbled right onto the tracks. Not the hero's death I imagined, but hey, fate had other plans.

When I opened my eyes, a goddess with a clipboard—yes, a clipboard—greeted me.

"Welcome to the afterlife, mort… uh, wait. Sorry, wrong line." She shuffled her papers. "Congratulations! You've been chosen for reincarnation in the magical world of Zephyros!"

"Reincarnation?" I blinked. "Why me?"

She flipped through her clipboard. "It says here you've got maxed-out patience, insane multi-tasking skills, and an uncanny ability to clean up other people's messes. Zephyros needs someone like you."

"To be a hero?" I asked, feeling a spark of hope.

"No, to be a janitor," she said with a bright smile.

"A… janitor?"

"Don't look so down! It's not just any janitor. You'll get a cheat ability! Here, spin the wheel." She pointed to a glowing roulette wheel that had options like "Fire Magic," "Super Strength," and "Time Control."

With a sigh, I gave it a spin. The wheel slowed, ticked past "Infinite Riches" and "Ultimate Swordsmanship," and landed on… "Cleaning Proficiency."

"Congratulations!" the goddess cheered. "You've unlocked the Supreme Cleaning Skill! You'll be unstoppable against dirt, grime, and even curses! Your mop is your weapon, and your cleaning magic is unparalleled!"

I stared at her, dumbfounded. "You're joking."

"Nope!" She snapped her fingers, and I was sucked into a glowing portal.

When I woke up, I was in the middle of a medieval castle, wearing a janitor's uniform. A mop, gleaming like a sacred artifact, was in my hand. Before I could process my situation, a guard barged in.

"The Demon King's minions have invaded the throne room!" he yelled. "We need all hands on deck!"

I ran to the throne room, where chaos reigned. Demonic creatures were wreaking havoc, and the kingdom's elite knights were struggling to hold them off. In the corner, a princess with shimmering silver hair was trying to fend off a slime monster.

Without thinking, I charged forward. "Out of the way!" I shouted, brandishing my mop.

The knights gawked at me as I swung the mop in an arc. A wave of soapy water shot out, dissolving the slime monster instantly.

"What kind of magic is that?!" one knight exclaimed.

"Supreme Cleaning Skill," I said with a shrug. I twirled the mop like a staff, unleashing a torrent of sparkling bubbles that engulfed the demon minions. They disintegrated into nothingness, leaving the throne room spotless.

The princess approached me, eyes wide. "You've saved us! What is your name, hero?"

"Uh… Takashi. Just Takashi. And I'm not a hero. I'm the janitor."

Word of my "exploits" spread like wildfire. Nobles wanted me to clean their cursed mansions, adventurers begged me to join their parties, and merchants offered fortunes for a single wipe with my mop. I even discovered that my cleaning skill extended to purging corruption from magical artifacts and nullifying poisons.

One day, the goddess appeared in a dream. "See? I told you this world needed you!"

"You couldn't have just made me a warrior?" I grumbled.

"Where's the fun in that?" She winked. "Now get back out there and scrub some evil!"

The next morning, I was summoned to the royal court. The princess, now formally introduced as Princess Lysandra, had a request.

"Sir Takashi," she said, her voice regal but nervous, "I need you to clean the Forbidden Chamber of Eternal Grime."

"The what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a cursed room in the palace that no one has entered for centuries. The grime there is said to consume anyone who tries to clean it. But with your… abilities, I believe you're the only one who can handle it."

"Grime that eats people?" I repeated. "Yeah, sure, why not. Just another day in the life of the Supreme Janitor."

The Forbidden Chamber lived up to its name. The moment I opened the door, I was hit with a wave of malevolent energy. The walls were coated in a thick, pulsating sludge that seemed… alive.

"Well, here goes nothing," I muttered, gripping my mop. Channeling my cleaning magic, I launched a wave of purifying bubbles. The sludge hissed and recoiled, but it wasn't going down without a fight.

"Oh, you want to play dirty?" I said, smirking. "Let's see how you like… Ultra Mop Cyclone!"

With a dramatic spin, I unleashed a vortex of sparkling water and soap, scouring every inch of the room. The sludge shrieked—yes, shrieked—before dissolving into harmless puddles. In its place, the room revealed intricate murals and treasures that had been hidden for centuries.

Princess Lysandra entered cautiously. "You did it… You really did it!"

"Told you. Just another day on the job," I said, giving my mop a twirl.

Just as I was starting to enjoy my newfound fame, a messenger arrived from the front lines. The Demon King had issued a challenge—to me, specifically.

"The Demon King wants… me?" I asked, baffled.

"He's heard about your cleaning magic," the messenger explained. "Apparently, he's furious that you've been 'purifying' his minions and wants to face you personally."

I sighed. "Great. I'm not even a hero, and I've already got a nemesis."

The royal court buzzed with anxiety, but Princess Lysandra stood firm. "Sir Takashi, you've done so much for this kingdom. If anyone can defeat the Demon King, it's you."

"Fine," I said, picking up my mop. "But if I'm doing this, I'm charging overtime."

Chapter 6: Mopping Up the Demon King's Lair

When I arrived at the Demon King's lair, it was exactly what you'd expect: a foreboding castle shrouded in darkness, with ominous clouds swirling overhead. But instead of fear, all I felt was irritation.

"Could this place be any more stereotypical?" I muttered, stepping through the creaky gates.

The inside was worse—dirt everywhere, cobwebs in the corners, and an unholy stench that could knock out a dragon. It was like the Demon King had never heard of basic hygiene.

Before I could complain further, the Demon King himself appeared, perched dramatically on a throne made of skulls. His crimson armor gleamed menacingly, and his eyes glowed like embers.

"So, you're the one they call the Supreme Janitor," he sneered, his voice echoing through the chamber. "How dare you meddle in my affairs!"

"Supreme Janitor, huh?" I said, twirling my mop. "I like the sound of that. So, what's your deal? Can't stand a little cleaning?"

"My minions!" he roared, ignoring my question. "Destroy him!"

A horde of grotesque demons rushed toward me. They were slimy, spiky, and overall disgusting—but nothing I couldn't handle. I dipped my mop into a bucket of enchanted soap water and unleashed my secret weapon.

"Bubble Barrage!" I shouted, sending a wave of glowing bubbles hurtling at the demons. They popped on contact, dissolving the creatures into harmless puddles. Within seconds, the room was spotless.

The Demon King stared, dumbfounded. "What… What kind of sorcery is this?!"

"No sorcery," I replied, smirking. "Just really good cleaning skills."

Chapter 7: A Dirty Negotiation

After watching his minions get vaporized by soap, the Demon King tried a different approach. He stepped down from his throne, his menacing aura dimming slightly.

"Wait," he said, raising a hand. "Perhaps we can come to an arrangement."

"An arrangement?" I raised an eyebrow. "Like what? A discount on evil schemes?"

"I'll call off my attacks on the kingdom," he said, his tone surprisingly serious, "if you agree to clean my castle."

I blinked. "You want me to be your janitor?"

"Look around!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the filth-covered walls. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find good help in the Demon Realm? No one wants to work for me!"

"Gee, I wonder why," I said dryly.

"I'm serious!" he insisted. "I'll even pay you! Gold, jewels, whatever you want! Just… please, clean this place. It's embarrassing."

Chapter 8: The Janitor Becomes the Mediator

After some deliberation—and a hefty advance payment—I agreed to a trial run as the Demon King's janitor. Surprisingly, cleaning his castle turned out to be more challenging than fighting his minions. The grime in some rooms was so ancient it had developed sentience.

"You're lucky I have cheat-level skills," I grumbled, scrubbing a particularly stubborn patch of cursed mold.

Over time, I began to notice something strange. The more I cleaned, the less menacing the Demon King seemed. Without the layers of filth, his castle looked more like a slightly gothic palace, and his "evil" aura started to fade.

One day, as I was polishing the throne room, the Demon King approached me. "You know," he said, "I only became a 'Demon King' because I was tired of being ignored. Nobody respected me as a minor demon, so I thought, 'Why not go big?'"

"Sounds like a classic case of overcompensation," I said, not looking up from my work.

He sighed. "Maybe. But now, seeing my castle clean for the first time in centuries… I think I'd rather be known as the Demon King of Cleanliness."

"Catchy," I said, giving the throne one last wipe. "But you might want to workshop the name."

Chapter 9: Peace Through Cleaning

Word spread quickly about the Demon King's transformation. Neighboring kingdoms were skeptical at first, but when he invited them over for a tour of his immaculate castle, they couldn't deny the change. Negotiations for peace began, with me acting as the mediator—and occasional janitor.

"Who knew a mop could change the world?" Princess Lysandra said one day, watching me scrub the palace floors.

"It's not the mop," I replied, smiling. "It's the person wielding it."

With my Supreme Cleaning Skill, I had turned the tide of war, brokered peace, and gained a reputation as the most powerful janitor in all of Zephyros. And honestly? I wouldn't have it any other way.