In the Kingdom of Eirland, hunters fight the monsters to maintain a semblance of peace and stability over the land. Over the course, countless monsters of dreadful might have been put to rest. Incinerated from the memories of those innocent and weak.
The End Forest in particular was known to house a number of such monsters. The South-East of the Continent lay the Wyvern Sky Mountain range, where lesser brethren of dragons made their nest.
I have heard of some of the great knights, like Sir Brandon, also known as the Black Knight, who claimed to have felled such winged monstrosities known as Wyverns. Such feats were lauded with laurels and recognition. Their tales sung by the bards across the lands of the Continent.
In comparison, I have never heard of the existence of dragons. Most speculated that their race was a destructive element that had been driven to extinction by hunters of ancient times. Neither have I heard of anyone claiming to have felled such creatures.
But now I would become one. A Dragon Slayer.
The thought didn't invoke any feelings of excitement as it had before. Maybe the benevolence of this monster had birthed feelings of sympathy within me. After all, it wasn't lost on me that the dragon was being held captive against its will.
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. The dragon watched me with anticipation, a hopeful light being reflected in its reptilian pupils.
"How would I kill you?" I asked, spreading my arms to emphasize my lack of weaponry.
"That's a mystery easily solved," the dragon replied. I adopted a confused look, but the dragon didn't clarify. Instead it brought forth one of its claws and pointed at the ground.
I watched in fascination as liquid silver took shape before me, morphing into the shape of a sword. Once finished, it clattered to the ground, and I had a good look at it.
The sword was completely silver in color, as if a single block of metal had been given shape in the form of a weapon. It lacked any embellishments and even a cross-guard. This was by far the simplest sword I had ever seen in my life.
I enclosed my grip around the handle, finding it hefty but not utterly so. I proceeded to give it some practice swings.
"It doesn't look sharp," I said with some doubt.
"Sharpness is but one aspect of a weapon, human." The dragon answered.
"But an integral one, right?" I countered.
It let out a gruff laugh and said, "Not even remotely."
Encountering this monster made me question whether the beasts above were really as deranged as they seemed. The dragon before me seemed to be a fount of wisdom.
"Get on with it, human," the dragon said. It then proceeded to lay down on the ground, serpentine neck extended. "Stab me here." It pointed at its neck.
A conflicting feeling took hold of my non-human heart. "Is it really necessary? Can you not reconsider?"
"I am already dead; what you are doing is freeing me from this curse."
That didn't help at all. Instead it only complicated emotions and brought heaviness to my heart. I walked forward with grim determination, resolved to deliver on my promise.
"Before you kill me, human." The dragon spoke, bringing my walk to a halt. "I have a message for someone. Tell her that I regret my mistakes."
"Tell who?" I questioned.
"You'll know when the time comes. Now finish your task."
I resumed my march and arrived before the dragon. A somber atmosphere had fallen over the scene, but I didn't let it deter my motions. I took a stance, sword held in a draw posture, tip pointing at the scales. And then I stopped.
"Wait," I said with a frown. "You didn't tell me how to get out of here?"
The dragon breathed a rough sigh and looked at me. "Finish your damn task, human. Once I'm dead, the path will be made clear to you."
Seeing as these might be the last words of a dying dragon, I refrained from poking doubt. Instead I held my ground and with a mighty cry, stabbed forth.
The sword pierced its neck like a hot knife through butter, without even the slightest hindrance.
I stumbled back, a forlorn look washing over my features. A glaring brightness erupted from the sword, and the dragon lit like a celestial star. Then, like the embers from the campfire, flakes of light erupted from the massive monstrosity, surging upward and into the pillars of light.
I couldn't accurately describe the feelings in my heart, but a contrite look clouded my features.
I might've passed a few moments in silence, but then the System decided to interrupt my peace.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
You have slain a Level 205 Dragon.
You have defeated an enemy 197 levels higher than you.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNPRECEDENTED]
You have achieved the impossible by defeating an overwhelming foe.
????? has taken an interest in you.
????? has judged you.
????? is calculating.
????? has found you worthy.
[NEW ORIGIN UNLOCKED: Celestial Archive???]
[SYSTEM PROMPT: Would you like to accept this Origin? This action is irreversible.
Y/N
Level 205?! Holy shit, this is insane!
That was the first thing that caught my attention. I was a measly level 8 Scout, while this had been a Level 208 dragon. The difference was insane.
And I had killed it.
'?????' caught my attention. Confusion overtook me. What the heck is '?????'?
Wow, talk about confusion growing by the second. I couldn't understand why it would take interest in me. Actually, maybe I could. Killing a dragon with such a massive level gap might be the reason.
However, the subsequent notifications had me at a loss. While it finding me worthy sounded flattering, I didn't know what it found me worthy for.
Then I looked at the next notification, and suddenly I couldn't stop my heart from beating as fast as it was.
There was a reason why a person's origin was taken seriously anywhere on the continent. The rarity of the Origin referred to their potential. For example, a common tier origin like mine would never pass level 25.
It was one of the reasons why people like me either quit early or died a premature death. It was the reason why I ended up here in the first place.
However, there were ways to enhance the rarity of an Origin. They were just awfully expensive, difficult to obtain, and, most of all, came with liabilities.
But here I was being offered a new Origin.
While the question marks invoked a modicum of concern from me, I buried the worry under the feelings of a life-changing opportunity.
I made my choice.
[Congratulations!]
You have successfully embraced the Origin: Celestial Archive.
[Notice: Attribute Reset Imminent]
All attributes have been reset.
All Talents have been erased.
[Origin Awakened]
You have earned the talent: Summon (Rank E).
Summon Slot: [0/1]
What?!
Before I could even process what was taking place, a wave of dizziness assaulted me. I felt the strength flee my body, leaving me utterly exhausted.
Knowledge of new ability bloomed within my mind, and I knew instantly what the talent Summon did. Or rather, I knew what my entire origin was geared toward.
Summoning.
Of course, I only felt remorse over the loss of my previous talents, especially Sprint. I had spent three years working to acquire that talent, and now it was gone.
Even my attributes had been reset uniformly, and it was only the increase from my new heart that kept the weariness at bay.
Just as I was about to call forth my Hunter Profile, a prickling sensation of pain stabbed in my head. I groaned and dropped to the ground, holding my head in agony.
[ERROR DETECTED...]
Rewards Insufficient.
Adjusting...
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE]
Talent Summon raised to Rank D.
You have been gifted the ability to summon a single SSS-Rank creature.
You have unlocked a new talent: Talent Copy.
[Talent Acquired: Talent Copy]
You can replicate a single talent from your summoned creature permanently.
[Rewards will automatically be applied to your first summoning.]
Another line of notifications streamed past my vision, and discomfort receded from my body.
It seemed that the system had judged me worthy of receiving further benefits. I would never refuse anything free, but I did feel confused. Particularly regarding the ability to summon a single SSS-Rank creature.
My knowledge regarding hunters didn't go past A-Ranks. While I knew top-tier hunters like Sir Brandon were ranked S, I had little knowledge of what that entailed. However, there was no doubt in me that the dragon had been in that very category.
And now I was given the chance to summon a single SSS-Rank creature. That was monumental.
I recalled the knowledge the talent Summon had bestowed on me. At Rank-E, it would allow me to summon one creature permanently, but only one. Once a creature was summoned, a bond was formed, and I could not summon another unless the rank of the ability was somehow raised.
At Rank-D, this limit was increased to 2 creatures.
And with that gift, one of them was guaranteed to be an SSS-Rank monster.
The only way to verify the claims of System was to test it out myself.
--
Join my