She glanced at her hand, watching as it shook. “It could happen any day now. I could just di
“Miyu, remember my promise?”
Alister interrupted, walking up to her side and sitting down.
He took her trembling hand in his, his expression softening. “The one I made a couple weeks ago?”
“That I’d find a cure and make sure you see the outside world again?”
Miyu’s eyes filled with tears, but she nodded. “But… with the way things are going, how are you sure-”
“I asked a question. You should give me an answer first before saying anything else.” Alister said, interrupting her.
Miyu began to tear up. “Ok, I remember. But how are you planning to find a cure?”
Alister smiled, his hand gently squeezing hers.
“That’s for me to worry about and for you to wait for my return.”
Miyu wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling softly.
“Here you go again, acting like you’re some kind of superhero.”
Alister chuckled softly, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
“Hardly. I’m no hero, but I am your older brother, and I have a promise I intend to keep. So rest easy and don’t you dare talk about dying again.”
Miyu nodded, her tears flowing freely now. “Okay… brother. I’ll wait for you.”
‘She finally called me brother.’ Alister. Smiled.
There was a moment of quiet between them, the only sound was the soft sounds of medical equipment in the background. Alister gently pulled Miyu into a hug, his arms embracing her frail body.
Suddenly, the system’s voice echoed in Alister’s thoughts as the yellow window materialized. [New Quest! The Word of an Overlord:
The word of an overlord is worth its weight in gold, for more often than not, their promises shape or destroy destinies!
As the overlord of all dragons, you have made a promise!
You will find a cure!
Quest Completion Requirement: Craft the Omnipotent Elixir and give it to your sister (0/1).
Reward: a piece of Overlord’s broken Crown. (?? – Rank).]
Alister’s eyes widened as he gazed at the system window, his grip on Miyu tightening momentarily in surprise.
‘Omnipotent Elixir?’
‘Broken crown?’
He wondered, his mind racing with thoughts of what this quest could mean.
The cityscape outside the hospital windows had slowly changed into a scene of twinkling lights as Alister finally stepped out of the automatic doors.
The harsh midday sun had given way to a gentle, star-dusted twilight. The weight of the day – the doctor’s words, the credit card, the worry for Miyu – made his shoulders feel heavy, yet there was hope. He had a plan, a desperate one, but a plan nonetheless.
‘I’ll get all the resources to craft this Omnipotent Elixir the system talked about.’
‘But for now I should get home and call it a day.’
He hailed a sky-taxi, got in and the vehicle zoomed off. The ride to his apartment was a blur of neon advertisements and fleeting glimpses of the city’s underbelly.
As he stepped out onto the familiar grimy street where his tiny studio apartment resided, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Climbing the stairs and walking up to his room, he reached into his pocket, and retrieved a room card.
“This must be the first time I’ve actually used this thing,”
He said, the words barely audible over the evening traffic.
Sliding the card into the reader beside the door, a satisfying click could be heard as it slid open. He pushed open the creaky door, stepping into the cramped studio apartment.
The space was just like he remembered it small at best – a single bed, a kitchenette with a sputtering sink, and a window offering a view of the city’s skyline.
He dropped the small bag of groceries he’d managed to buy near the table, letting out a small yawn as he did.
A yellow glow suddenly materialized in the corner of his vision. The System notification.
[04:55:26 left for quest completion.]
Alister grimaced. He’d nearly forgotten about the daily quest. He still had that cryptic ‘Train your body’ quest hanging over him, completely untouched.
“I suppose I’ll find out what that’s all about,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
A rumble from his stomach cut through his thoughts.
“On second thought,”
“First things first. Food, then the System.”
He shuffled over to the kitchenette, the meager supplies in his bag.
With a sigh, he took off most of his gear and began to go through the groceries.
The meager ingredients in the bag didn’t offer much but Alister managed to put together a nice meal nonetheless. He heated a dented pot on the hot plate, his stomach growling
impatiently as he did.
He tossed in some pre-packaged noodles, a handful of dehydrated vegetables, and a questionable meat substitute that vaguely resembled something once alive.
After a couple of minutes it was ready, it might not have won any awards, but it was hot, filling, and most importantly, it tasted good.
He wolfed down his meal perching on the edge of the bed, the flickering light from the window casting long shadows across the room. With a satisfied sigh, he pushed the empty bowl away, his gaze falling on the yellow glow emanating from the corner of his vision.
“Alright, System,”
He muttered, wiping his greasy fingers on a towel.
“Let’s see what this whole ‘Train your body’ quest is all about.”
He mentally willed the System window forward, the interface appearing before his vision. The quest log displayed the following details:
[Train your weak body (Daily)]
[Details: Dragons are not feared only because of how powerful they are, they are more terrifying because they seem to always grow stronger over time, no matter how strong they were previously. As an overlord of all dragons, such is your fate as well.]
[And what better way to train than combat?]
“Combat?”
The next instant, a yellow rift appeared before him. Alister leaped backwards at first, thinking
it was a dungeon, but the system quickly notified him.
[The player need not worry, that is just the training grounds.]
[The player should step through and begin the daily quest.]
Taking a deep breath, Alister steeled himself and stepped through the rift. The world around
him shifted in an instant. He found himself in a vast, open ruined city under a clear, starry night sky. The air was dusty, and the ground beneath him felt solid and real, almost too real
for a mere training simulation.
‘This air… it smells, oddly familiar.’
[Welcome to the training grounds, player. Begin your combat training by surviving until the
time runs out.]
[Good luck!] freeωebnovēl.c૦m
“Surviving? I thought you said it was combat training?” Alister asked, clearly confused.
Then Alister heard a loud roar in the distance, a large four legged creature was approaching, it’s blue eyes glowing in the night.