Back in the wastelands.
Alister's gaze flickered briefly to the system notification, then back to Kaida. He paused for a moment, processing her words, before nodding.
"You're right. A good raid team needs balance, and that includes a skilled healer."
Kaida smiled, a look of exhaustion and satisfaction on her face. "Glad you understand. Now, let's get inside before something else decides to come after us."
As they approached the erected fortress, the others were already settling in, securing their gear and finding places to rest. The structure, although it was hastily made, it was a nice form of protection from the harsh environment of the wastelands.
Ren stood near the entrance, giving final instructions to the group. "Remember, stay alert. We may have cleared this area, but the wastelands are unpredictable. I'll take the first watch."
Hiroshi nodded, settling down against one of the walls. "I'll take the second. Wake me when it's time."
Razogrin leaned his massive hammer against the wall and stretched out, clearly ready for some rest.
"I'll cover the third shift. Just make sure the motion sensor alarms are in place before you knock out, Ren."
Ren gave a short nod. "Will do." He turned to Alister and Kaida as they approached. "You two get some rest. You've earned it."
Alister glanced at Kaida, who seemed relieved by the offer. "Thanks, Ren. We'll take you up on that."
Kaida found a spot near the center of the room, where the ground was a bit softer. She sat down, resting her sword beside her. Alister sat down nearby, still deep in thought.
'I completely forgot about the daily quest. What am I going to do about it?'
Alister thought as he gazed at the system's timer counting down.
[Notice to the player: 04:26:26 left for daily quest completion.]
'I can't step out to complete it because then I would be seen killing monsters on my own out in the wastelands through the cam in the suit.'
'Even if I didn't have the cam on me, there's still a chance Ren wouldn't allow me to step out at this time, and if I left through a rift without telling them, it could slow down the team if they start looking for me.'
Alister lifted his right hand to his face, watching it tremble slightly.
'I'm still exhausted, so I don't think I'll be able to complete the quest even if I had the chance to.'
Alister was completely exhausted. He still hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since the nightmares started plaguing him, and all the activities of yesterday were making things worse.
He dropped his hand back to the floor, letting out a sigh as he called out in his thoughts, 'Dragonforge, what do the question marks in the penalty of the daily quest mean?'
[Notice! The question marks in the penalty section mean the punishment for failing the daily quest could fluctuate depending on the magnitude of the quest and the conditions under which it was failed.]
Alister's thoughts raced as he considered the penalty for failing the daily quest. 'If that's the case then maybe the punishment won't be as bad as I think it will be... hopefully it isn't.'
With a sigh, he quietly commanded the system, "Display my status window."
In an instant, the system complied, projecting a translucent screen before him.
[Player: Alister Hazenworth
Level: 25 [XP: 3160/3600]
Class: tOverlordt Summoner (Awakened Talent) (SSS)
HP: 357/1050 - [34/100%
MP: 190/1639 (Nearly depleted)
](Physically exhausted)
- +Summoning Powert: 100
Mana Regeneration: 15 MP/minute
Available Stat Points: 0
Draconic Rage Lvl2 (A-rank)
Blood Manipulation Lvl2 (D+ -rank)
Blood Healing Lvl2 (D+ -rank)
Camouflage Lvl1 (C-rank)
Draconic Hunger Lvl2 (A-rank)
Drake, Cinder Von Abkis-Void (A-rank)
SandStorm Dragoon, Terra Von Archi-Void (B-rank)
Lighting Dragon Knight, Darven Von Valor-Void (A+ Rank)
The Word of an Overlord.
Overlord's sharpest fang.
Where Are They Now? (1/30).
The claws of an Overlord (50%)
Alister's eyes scanned over the various statistics, skills, and attributes listed.
Before he could fully process the information, a loud snore interrupted his focus. Alister glanced to the side and noticed Razogrin sprawled out nearby, his massive chest rising and
falling with each thunderous snore.
Alister let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly.
'He's so loud.'* he thought, a mild touch of annoyance crossing his mind.
Shifting his attention back to his status window, Alister took a closer look. His gaze fixed on
his experience points and the recent levels he had gained.
'Cinder really came through earlier.' he thought, noting the substantial increase in his level.
'All those monsters she took down really helped me out.'
'Glad captain Ren allows me to raid the monsters on my own.'
Alister's exhaustion momentarily faded as he realized just how much stronger he had become. Yet, the weight of his current situation still pressed down on him, and his eyes flicked back to
Alister's eyes lingered on the timer for a moment longer before he quietly commanded, 'Open
The system responded instantly, displaying the array of items he'd accumulated throughout
his raid of the other sector eariler. His gaze quickly fell upon an item he'd nearly forgotten
about in the chaos of the previous day.
It had caught his attention when he first acquired it, but with everything happening so
quickly, he didn't take the time to fully inspect it.
Curious, Alister selected the item and opened its description.
Description: A ring forged from the core of the 7th Dragon Overlord, Aloria. Known for her
immense focus and unmatched ability to remove unnecessary thoughts from her mind, Aloria wielded this skill to dominate in both battle and strategy.
Effect: The player can designate a specific thought or memory to temporarily forget. The chosen thought will remain inaccessible until the ring is unequipped.
Alister blinked in shock, his mind still processing what all this meant. A ring that could erase a memory from his mind, rendering it unknown until he chose to remove the ring. The concept seemed almost too powerful, too convenient.
'Could this really help me?'
He wondered silently. The memory of the shadowy figure had been plaguing him ever since it surfaced-haunting his thoughts, invading his dreams. It wasn't just the figure itself that disturbed him; it was the feeling that something crucial was slipping through his fingers, something he couldn't quite understand no matter how hard he tried.
He glanced around, his eyes sweeping around. The others were slowly drifting off to sleep, their bodies finally giving in to exhaustion.
Kaida had already settled in, her breathing was now steady. Razogrin, despite his earlier snoring, seemed to have quieted down somewhat, though the occasional rumble still came
Goro was resting with his back against a wall, his massive arms crossed over his chest. Ren, remaining vigilant, stood by the entrance, his body softly illuminated by rays of the moonlight that seemed to pierce through the gray clouds of the wastelands.
Seeing that the group was secure for the moment, Alister pulled out the Ring of Focus from