First Summon

Alister's breath caught in his throat as he read the system notification.

[Notice! Conditions have been met, the player can now summon their first dragon.]

[Would the player like to proceed with their first summoning?]

'Summon a dragon?'

'I can summon without buying the necessary equipment?'

[Affirmative, the system will carry out the summoning.]

[All of the player's summoning power and mana will be instantly consumed in this process, so the player may feel nauseous afterward.]

Alister's mind raced, his pulse quickening. The idea of summoning such a creature filled him with both excitement and a touch of fear.

'Yes, system, proceed with the summoning.'

[Now opening mind space.]

In an instant, the world around him vanished. He felt a rush of air and suddenly found himself floating in a cosmic blue space, vast and endless, as if he had stepped into the very fabric of the universe itself. Stars twinkled in the distance, and nebulous clouds of energy swirled around him.

'Where am I?'

Alister wondered. The serene beauty of the space was almost calming, despite the anticipation coursing through him.

Ahead of him stood a massive double stone gate, its surface covered with beautiful carvings of dragon skulls.

'What is this place?'

Alister wondered as he looked around in confusion, having been in a hospital room just moments ago.

[Summoning will now begin.]

As if in response, the eyes of the dragon skulls began to glow a bright yellow, casting a light across the stone surface. The ground beneath the entire space seemed to quiver, and the colossal gates creaked open.

A blinding beam of light erupted from the gap, forcing Alister to shield his eyes with his arm. As the light dimmed slightly, he peered through the opening, straining to see what lay beyond.

From the heart of the light, a massive figure began to take shape. It was a colossal dragon, its silhouette growing more defined with each passing moment. The sheer size of the creature was shocking, its presence commanding and overwhelming.

As the dragon stepped forward, Alister could make out its polished black scales. Massive wings unfurled behind it, and its black horns curved, while its crimson eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to pierce through his very soul.

'It's massive... a little too massive.'

His own size could hardly be compared to the dragon; it was as if he stood before a massive two-story building.

'Are you the successor?'

A voice echoed within Alister's mind, interrupting his thoughts, and Alister instinctively knew it was the dragon speaking to him.

The sheer force of the dragon's presence was almost suffocating, its aura sending a chill down Alister's spine.

As he lifted his head to gaze at the creature, the dragon's eyes locked onto his, almost as if it was silently challenging him.

'The aura it gives off is very similar to the one I gave off when I was back in the dungeon. Now that I'm on the receiving end of it, I can see why the goblins couldn't help but flee.'

He swallowed hard, feeling his body tremble slightly under the oppressive aura. Suddenly, the system's voice broke through his thoughts, congratulating him.

[Congratulations! You have successfully summoned the Black Crimson Drake, Cinder Von Abkis-Void (A-rank).]

'A Drake? A-rank?'

Alister's eyes widened in surprise, lost in thought as Cinder's voice echoed in his mind once more, sharper this time.

"I asked if you are the successor. If you do not identify yourself, I shall incinerate you where you stand."

She narrowed her gaze, the intensity of her stare sending a chill down Alister's spine. The dragon's words were not a mere threat; they were a promise of what would happen if he failed to respond.

'But what exactly am I supposed to say? What does it mean by "successor"?'

The system's interface appeared before his eyes.

[Mini-quest: Tame your First Summon!:

Details: Drakes are creatures of immense pride and will never yield to a being they see as inferior.

Cinder Von Abkis is even more so, as an Overlord. As the successor of ####, you must prove you are superior and use your sheer power to make her yield.]

'Successor? Of whom? And why is the system blurring out parts of the text?'

'Did the system refer to it as... her? This massive Drake is female? Male monsters are usually bigger than the females, so how enormous would a male drake be?'

Alister was lost in thought, almost completely ignoring the Drake before him.

'How dare you keep me waiting in silence!'

Cinder opened her dragon maw, revealing massive, razor-sharp teeth. More terrifyingly, flames began to gather in her mouth.

Alister's eyes widened in shock as he saw this, snapping back to reality. His thoughts raced.

'She really plans to go through with this! What am I supposed to do? She's at least a hundred times my size, so fighting back would be pointless. I don't even have a combat-oriented talent in the first place.'

Suddenly, something clicked in Alister's mind.

'Wait, my talent... showing my power...'

A sudden smile spread across Alister's face. His voice echoed in Cinder's thoughts as he spoke.

In that instant, Alister's mana surged outward with a force far more oppressive than Cinder's aura.

"Is that how you act toward your master? It seems you are in need of some discipline."

"Lesson one: In the presence of your master, you bow your head!"

The sheer intensity of his power forced her head down, the flames in her maw fading into smoke as she closed her mouth. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground.

'What sort of sorcery is this? What are you doing?'

Cinder's thoughts were filled with confusion and shock.

Alister slowly walked up to her head, now firmly pinned to the ground, and said, "Nothing much, just making sure you understand how you should present yourself in my presence."

In that moment, their eyes locked again. This time, it was Cinder looking up. What she saw in the depths of Alister's yellow eyes terrified her, yet at the same time, she felt a strange sense of relief.

'Cinder pays her respects to the successor.'

Her voice echoed in Alister's thoughts once more, an oath of her servitude and a silent sign of the respect she now had for this being she deemed her master.