The ocean below us was calm.
Moonlight stretched over the ocean, broken only by the occasional ripple as the wind rushed past my ears.
X-97 flew ahead without a word, gaze fixed forward.
Nom-Nom, meanwhile, was humming.
Not a song. Just... noise. A tune she’d made up on the spot that she would not stop humming as she kicked her feet back and forth against my sides, while sitting on my back like I was some kind of flying horse.
I shook my head and went back to the Shop tab.
Specifically-
Sell.
Two items were already selected.
Southern Vigil - Pantheon Flagship
Sell Price:35,000 Credits
Luke’s Ship - Pantheon Strike Vessel
Sell Price:15,000 Credits
Total:50,000 Credits
Would you like to sell them?
Yes | No
[That much? Dayum.]
I hesitated for half a heartbeat before mentally tapping Yes.
—Ding!
{Trade confirmed. 50,000 Credits deposited.}
[Really wish I could’ve kept them...]
I could practically see it.
Southern Vigil in the vast, endless seas. Salt in the air. A crew of absolute idiots singing sea shanties in perfect unison while I steer the ship with an eye patch and a dumb grin.
Captain Nico. Terror of the Seven Seas.
Now, that’s the dream.
Too bad, though.
Given how advanced those ships were, there was absolutely no way Pantheon hadn’t stuffed them full of trackers, failsafes, and probably at least three self-destruct clauses just to spite thieves like me.
So selling them to the System was the cleanest option.
Also... I had a promise to keep.
[System. Show me the healing potion that can restore Nom’s wing.]
-Ding!
Grade 1 Healing Potion.
Second-highest-tier restorative elixir. Crafted from...(click to expand)
Price:3,50,00,00,000 Credits
[...You shitting me, bruh?]
-Ding!
{No. And I doubt you fully comprehend what a Greater Dragon truly is.
It is the third highest Tier of draconic existence.}
"Yeah, yeah... okay," I muttered under my breath. "Is there any other way?"
—Ding!
{Two options exist.
She must transcend further and become a True Dragon.
She must continue raising her Tiers.
Both paths require an extreme amount of effort and resources.
Dragons are resistant to change by nature. Ascension is slow and costly.}
[Well... at least there is a way.]
My gaze flicked back slightly.
Nom-Nom was still humming, lost in her own world.
[And besides... she eats anything and gets stronger. That’s gotta count for something.]
—Ding!
{Indeed. However, caution is advised. She is a Greater Dragon.
Should the Curse of Wendigo flare, the resulting fallout would be... apocalyptic at best.}
[Right...Wendigo, huh... The other part of her.]
I hadn’t really thought about it.
Truth was, I hadn’t thought about a lot of things yet.
But given this was literally my first day in a new world, and taking into account all the ’halla-baloo’ that’s happened so far...
I figured I was allowed to miss a memo or three.
So with a thought, I pulled up Nom-Nom’s status.
[Protocol: Chronos]
Name: Nom-Nom
Race: Chimera - Greater Dragon × Wendigo
Circuits: 8
Affinity: Devour, Dragonfire
Tier: 5 - Perfected Stage
MP: 1548 → 1579
MP Regen: 50/sec
Physical Stats:Unquantifiable
Magic:
Draconic Fire Manifestation
Skills:
Dragon Breath
Devour Matrix
Note:
Familiar’s growth is driven purely by consumption and combat.
Host receives 25% EXP from Familiar kills.
[System... What exactly is a Wendigo?]
—Ding!
{It is a Divine Curse.
Designation: Curse of the Wendigo.
Trigger condition: Cannibalization of one’s own kind.}
My stomach twisted.
But the System didn’t stop.
{Subjects afflicted by the curse lose themselves and are eternally trapped in a cycle of insatiable hunger. The more they eat, the hungrier and stronger they get. And it keeps on escalating.}
I swallowed while the winds howled past my ears.
[Nom... She ate... one of her own?]
-Ding!
{Correction: Nom-Nom is a Chimera. She is an artificially engineered being.
Note* Based on her design and growth parameters, it is statistically likely she was engineered for complete extinction.}
[Extinction of what?]
-Ding!
{Debateable.
However, given Pantheon’s historical behavior...
It is probable she was designed to combat the aftermath of my previous Host’s actions.}
[Right...] I sighed inwardly. [I almost forgot. Your previous Host was Arlen Hale. Founder of Pantheon.]
—Ding!
{Advisory: Pantheon probably knows you are the Destined Hero.
Reasoning: Lady Sera gave you the authority to use Boomstick in front of the Pantheon operative, Luke. You also displayed the use of Inventory before other Pantheon operatives.
Host, after my previous Host’s sin, I predict the global response will be to perceive you as a threat greater than the forces he unleashed.
And the fact that Pantheon has resorted to creating Chimeras as destructive as Nom-Nom, things must be dire.}
That... wasn’t comforting. And the system still wasn’t done.
{Pantheon possesses complete knowledge of the Cronos Protocol.
Arlen Hale had followers. Many of them possessed extended lifespans.
Some are almost certainly alive today and are heading the Pantheon.
You will become their highest priority.}
"...That’s just unfair at this point," I muttered aloud, the words tearing away into the wind.
Great onboarding experience, I’m having so far.
"So..." I said quietly, half to myself. "How do we handle this?"
-Ding!
{The mark of the Destined Hero is the Affinity of Time.
As long as you do not utilize temporal magic before anyone, no entity, excluding Lady Sera - the Goddess of Heroes, will be able to discern your true identity.
Advisory: Avoid using temporal magic before people.}
That’s when I remembered, and with just a though a panel shimmered before my vision.
Quest Completed!
Reward Acquired:
Temporal Step — Aevum Trace (Rare Skill)
Allows the user to traverse the outer flow of time and reappear within a 10-meter radius.
Creates a visible temporal ripple.
Cost: 60 MP
So the System was basically telling me:
Congrats. Also, don’t ever use this in public.
[Meaning...] I thought slowly, [I can’t touch this before anyone unless I’m ready to burn bridges.]
Then again, my MP cap was fifty-five.
So even if I wanted to, I literally couldn’t use it yet.
The thought had barely settled before another chime pulled me out of it.
-Ding!
{Advisory: You must complete the First Trial of the Heroes: The Journey.
Objective: Reach Cardella, the City of Heroes.}
I blinked.
[That... sounds easy enough. But why? And for the record, I never signed up to be a hero.]
—Ding!
{The City of Heroes is the seat of the Goddess.
Upon arrival, you will be coronated as the Destined Hero.
This will legitimize your existence.
And grant you divine and international recognition.
Even Pantheon will hesitate to move against you openly once this occurs.
But be advised: Fate itself will fight you every step of the way.
And should you forego the First Trail or your duty, Destiny itself will force your hand.}
And before I could even properly frown, System continued.
{As for your second question...
You never questioned why you possessed a system.
Drunk on the idea of your happy little adventure, you accepted strength without question. You-}
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I cut in aloud, rubbing my face. "But still, you really should come with a disclaimer, you know that?"
-Ding!
{Noted.
Well then, Host, knowing what you know... What will you do?}
For a second, I just closed my eyes, letting the thoughts settle, and as they did, all that remained was that single pulsing desire that I’ve carried in my heart for so long.
And a chuckle I couldn’t contain escaped me as I said –
"I’m gonna have fun."
I had barely taken another breath when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed X-97 drifting closer.
She leveled out beside me mid-air and gave me a sideways glance.
"...Do you often talk to yourself?" she asked.
I felt heat creep up my neck.
"Yeah, very often," I admitted with a slight blush.
I mean, what the hell else could I have done?
The gaze with which she looked at me was incomprehensible at best.
"Master," Nom-Nom said brightly, her voice cutting through the awkward silence, "I see land up ahead."
"Oh, thank god," I exhaled. "Finally."
We’d been flying for over three hours straight. With my speed being about 100 kmph, we had easily crossed a distance of 300 KM.
And for one more good measure, I’d even deliberately veered us east halfway through just to throw off anyone desperate enough to chase us through the night.
And after a day that included all that it did.
Yeah, I was running on fumes.
"So..." I said as the dark shape of land slowly grew clearer ahead, "Let’s land, rest up, and continue our little escape in the morning."
X-97’s response was immediate.
"No," she said flatly. "We should put as much distance between them and us as possible. They’ll be pursuing us relentlessly."
Even Nom-Nom nodded behind me.
I sighed.
"Okay," I said, lifting one hand and extending three fingers. "I have three reasons."
They both looked at me.
"Reason one," I started, pointing sideways at X-97.
"Your wings are literally made of fire. They glow like a beacon in the dark that anyone can see from as far away as their eyes can. We’re basically advertising our location. We’ll continue in the morning, keeping our altitude as low as possible."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t interrupt.
"Reason two," I continued, curling one finger down, "Those ships I stole from Pantheon? I know they have trackers... and I’m pretty sure they’re banking on them to be able to find us once they have assembled a sizable force."
"Too bad," I shrugged, "...I’ve long... absorbed them... let’s say. Which means their best tracking method just went poof. And we’ve got time before they figure that out."
Both of them were quiet now.
"And reason three," I said, holding up my last finger, voice dropping just a little, "I’m neither a Dragon nor a Phoenix..."
I glanced back at Nom-Nom, then at X-97.
"I’m just human, and I am dead tired."
For a moment, there was nothing but the wind and the distant crash of waves below until -
"...Okay," Nom-Nom said softly.
X-97 studied me for another second, then looked ahead toward the approaching land, before -
"...Very well," she said.
[Progress...]