Alister groaned softly as he stirred, blinking his eyes open to find himself lying flat on the cold, overgrown field of the abandoned stadium.
He slowly pushed himself up, his muscles aching from the aftermath of the intense awakening process. His head throbbed slightly, and his vision was still a bit hazy.
He sat up, running a hand through his messy hair.
'An... Abyss void... Mar'Garet.'
"Ugh... How long was I out?" he muttered to himself. His heart was still pulsing with the residual energy of the awakening, but the intense pain had faded.
"My Lord!" Terra's voice broke through his foggy thoughts as she approached him. "You did it."
Draven also bowed his head. "Congratulations, my lord." he said.
Alister gave them both a faint smile, still catching his breath. "Thanks, Terra, Draven."
But as he looked toward Cinder, her crimson eyes were filled with worry, her massive claws fidgeting slightly. She stepped forward, her enormous body looming over him.
"Are you truly alright, my lord?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "You were out for longer than last time... I thought something had gone wrong."
Alister chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I'm fine, Cinder. Really."
Cinder hesitated for a moment, her gaze softening as she let out a low sigh. "If you say so, my lord," she murmured, though the trace of worry in her eyes remained.
Alister gave her a gentle smile before slowly shifting onto his knees, wincing slightly from the lingering soreness in his muscles.
As he straightened up, his eyes drifted toward the horizon. A soft glow was beginning to spread across the sky, signaling the approach of dawn.
The night dark sky was slowly being painted with hues of gold and violet.
'Looks like it's almost morning...' Alister thought. He felt a need of urgency sting in his chest, realizing how much time had passed.
"I need to wrap things up before Ren starts to get concerned."
He exhaled, rising to his feet and brushing the dirt off his tech suit. His legs were still shaky, but he steadied himself.
The system's voice suddenly echoed through Alister's mind.
[Second awakening complete!]
[All Skills leveled up to Level 3.]
[Draconic Rage Gate 2: Dragon Body (Unlocked!)]
[Draconic Hunger Gate 1: Devouring (Unlocked) - (Can also be used on dragon horde as group devouring.)]
Alister blinked as the notifications scrolled across his vision, a smile spreading to the corner of his lips. The fact he had gotten stronger made him feel a bit proud, but there was still something else on his mind that had him confused.
"Draconic Hunger..." he murmured to himself, rolling the words around in his mind.
He vaguely remembered skimming through the description a while ago. It mentioned something about getting stronger through eating, but that was it, nothing else in the details, he hasn't been able to activate it but he felt it was silently responsible for his glutinous increase in appetite.
He furrowed his brow, recalling the vague phrasing. Sure, dragons were known for their ravenous appetites, but this ability felt like it held more weight, something far deeper than just satiating hunger.
Just then another system window with the skill's updated information popped up.
[Draconic Hunger: A strong body needs the most resources to be built, although training and overcoming adversity polishes one's skill, what they eat will ensure the continuous growth and make more room for further empowerment.
Endless growth: Devouring anything will result in the player obtaining 'Devouring value' when max devouring value has been reached, all stats will be increased by 8%
You are what you eat: depending on what the player and his dragons eat, skills or titles can be obtained. Expanding their range of abilities and opening possible evolution paths.]
'So this is practically a skill that will allow me and my dragon to get stronger as long as we eat?'
'Dragonforge... my dragons won't get chubby... will they?'
[Fear not player, the body construction of a dragon ensures they are always in peak shape, there is no such thing as excess nutrition only more chances to get stronger.]
'Meaning when I summon lesser dragons of lower grades, apart from killing monsters to allow them level up, they can also eat the defeated monsters.'
'Meaning they can get stronger even faster.'
Alister then smiled as he said, "Seems I will be making use of this soon. Guess I didn't lie to Ren about wanting to go feed my dragons."
Alister then stood still for a moment, the wind stirring his hair as he mentally sifted through his thoughts.
Terra's golden eyes watched him closely, her sharp gaze catching a sudden smile on his face. "Something exciting, my lord?" she asked, stepping closer, her massive blue eyes filled with
Alister took a deep breath, steadying himself as he turned to Terra, Darven, and Cinder.
"I'm about to summon lesser dragons. Be ready to welcome our kin."
The three of them exchanged glances, their expressions slightly excited. All together, they
bowed deeply before him.
"We understand, my lord," they said.
Alister took one final glance at his dragons before raising his hand.
His yellow eyes began to glow brightly as they seemed to focus.
"...open the Mind Space. I'm summoning now."
[Opening Mind Space...]
Reality around Alister blurred and began to dissolve like mist evaporating under the sun.
His surroundings faded into nothingness, and once again, he found himself standing in the vast, cosmic space that was his inner world.
In the distance, the familiar massive stone doors loomed, their edges faintly glowing.
Alister gazed at the doors, feeling a touch of excitement from what he was about to do.
"Dragonforge," Alister spoke, his voice echoing in the void. "Do I need to hold a conduit to perform the summoning?"
[No,] the system replied. [The player only need to designate the number of conduits for the dragons you wish to summon.]
Alister paused, thinking for a moment. Then, he finally spoke up.
"Use up all the summoning conduits."
"I want four hundred wyverns."
The ancient stone doors before him began to tremble, dust and debris falling away as they
A blinding golden light spilled out from the narrow crack, its radiance intensifying as the
The sheer intensity of the glow would've forced most people to shield their eyes, but Alister simply stood there, staring into the depths calmly.
The sound of energy grew louder, vibrating through the very fabric of the Mind Space. Alister could feel the weight of hundreds of presences, dormant but approaching.
As the doors fully opened, the golden glow receded slightly, revealing the massive forms
Deep within the shimmering light, Alister saw the shapes of the wyverns-winged, draconic creatures, their scales glittering like gemstones. They slowly flew towards him, their eyes
blazing with their mana.
Alister couldn't help but smile. "Four hundred,"
The system's voice rang in his mind.
[Summoning complete. Your wyverns await your orders.]
[New quest! (Daily) Out on a hunt: Take your dragon horde on a hunt and eliminate 1000