NoveLight ™
Belle, who had been staring at me with a serious expression, took a step back and summoned a staff from thin air.
With a single wave of her hand, the entire world shifted.
The sky and ground blurred together, and in an instant, the landscape disappeared, leaving only a vast, empty white space.
Just as I began to panic, Belle’s voice rang out.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am one of the seven Archmages on the Arcana continent, Belliar.”
As soon as she finished, the landscape reverted to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
Belle smiled at me, but chills ran down my spine.
How much stronger is an Archmage compared to an ordinary mage? I wondered, staring at her in disbelief.
Then, she got straight to the point and made her offer.
“I want you to become my disciple.”
At that moment, a blue window popped up before me.
[A Hidden Class Quest has been generated.]
The Archmage of Light, Belliar, has proposed that you become her 101st disciple. If you accept, you will be able to change your class to the hidden class, Light Mage.
Do you accept?
YES / NO
“No, thank you.”
[The Hidden Class Quest has been rejected.]
“...Excuse me?”
“I've always dreamed of being a summoner, so I’m not interested in becoming a mage.”
As I tried to pass by her to return to the village, Belle grabbed my clothes!
“Why did you reject me!? Do you realize that becoming an Archmage’s disciple is rarer than plucking a star from the sky?”
“W-wait, Belle! Please don’t pull on me!”
We struggled for a while until Charles finally stepped in to mediate, and I managed to escape.
“Let’s calm down and talk this out,” Charles said.
“I just offered her the chance to become the disciple of an Archmage, and she rejected it! Do you know how many people on this continent would kill for that chance!?”
Belle sighed deeply after complaining for a long time.
“Fine. I won’t force you if you don’t want to. But Yuna, you are in grave danger. You’ve become a target of a dragon.”
With that, she waved her staff again, and a symbol appeared above my head.
“This is the mark left by the dragon.”
Ah, this must be the mark of Ernia.
“That’s Ernia’s mark,” I muttered.
Belle dropped her staff in shock and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me violently.
“W-what did you just say!? Say that again!”
“E-Ernia’s mark! Stop shaking me, I’m getting dizzy!”
Once again, Charles had to step in to help me.
Belle mumbled to herself, her eyes suddenly flashing with determination.
“Hmph, I didn’t want to go this far, but I have no choice.”
[A Forced Quest has been accepted.]
Prove your qualifications as a summoner to Archmage Belliar.
Clear Condition: Obtain a summon within one week and prove it to Archmage Belliar.
Success Reward: Belliar’s treasure.
Failure Condition: Forced change to the class Light Mage.
“It’s not a bad deal, is it? And if by some impossible chance you succeed, I’ll give you my treasured Light Crystal.”
Immediately, a window showing the item’s information appeared.
[Light Crystal]
Awakens dormant power.
After seeing the item’s details, it was time to ask the real question.
“Why are you so adamant about making me your disciple?”
“Because there is a pact between Archmages and dragons.”
Long ago, the Archmages gathered after one of them lost a precious disciple due to the tyranny of dragons.
The seven Archmages of the continent combined their power to hunt dragons.
Dragons, being extremely individualistic, never helped each other, even when their kin were being hunted by humans.
One by one, they were hunted, and as the damage became unbearable, the leader of the dragon tribe stepped in.
That was when the first pact between humans and dragons was made.
The pact ensured that the Archmage and their disciples would be safe from dragon harm. In return, the Archmages and their disciples would not harm dragons.
If I became the disciple of an Archmage, Ernia wouldn’t be able to touch me.
It was the only way to protect myself.
“Besides, I know all too well about Ernia—no, the Dragon Queen Ernia.”
According to an old tale, she fought a war against the Red Dragons, only to be betrayed by her own kind, the Black Dragons, and sealed away.
And it was I who broke that seal.
Well, I guess that’s my fault…
But there’s one problem.
This is a bet I cannot lose.
“Give up and become my disciple. It’s impossible for you to get a summon within a week.”
Belle tried to persuade me by saying time was of the essence, but I pulled out the incubator from my inventory and showed it to her.
“...”
Belle froze, her mouth agape.
She stood there in shock for a long time before she cautiously opened her mouth.
“W-what if we pretend this never happened? I-I’ll give you something even better! And it’s not like I actually meant to give you that! Do you know how hard it was for me to acquire that treasure!?”
But the system had other ideas.
[Quest Complete!]
Reward is being distributed.
“No, noooo!”
The contracts made by mages are bound by their word. Once a contract is made, it must be upheld, even unto death.
And now, the Light Crystal was in my possession.
I expected to receive it after three days, but the system turned out to be more flexible than I thought.
I handed Belle the crystal with a look of pity, but it was no use.
“It’s already too late. The crystal has recognized you as its owner, so I can’t use it anymore.”
She stared at me with hollow eyes before sighing and suggesting we rest and talk more tomorrow. She then left.
Was that treasure really so precious…?
Yawning, I decided I’d think more about it after getting some sleep.
A place reeking of blood.
The lifeless corpses of dragons—beings who were once feared as calamities by humans—were strewn about.
The last living dragon, bleeding profusely, begged for mercy from a figure in human form.
“E-Ernia! You know we were tricked too! It was that conniving Red Dragon who—”
“Shh.”
Ernia whispered softly, the kind of whisper that promised death if another word was uttered.
The dragon trembled, cold sweat dripping as it stared at her, hoping for mercy.
“I don’t care about the betrayal.”
“Then… is it because of the child!? B-but that wasn’t—”
That was the last sentence the dragon would ever speak.
With a dull thud, its body collapsed to the ground.
“The child isn’t dead.”
I had just met her.
Though she had lost her memory and become human due to the curse, how could a mother not recognize her own child?
That special feeling only my child could give me.
I knew it was her the moment I saw her.
How much had she suffered among humans, having lost her identity?
I’m sorry for being such an unworthy mother, my dear child.
When everything is settled, I’ll come for you. We’ll live together.
Forever.
Ernia wiped the blood from her hands as she walked.
But first, there was something that had to be dealt with.
To live peacefully with my child, I must eliminate the one who sealed me away.
Now, it’s time to rid the world of the Red Dragon.
[You made significant contributions in eliminating the Black Dragons.]
Reputation +100,000 points earned.
[You made significant contributions in eliminating the Red Dragons.]
Reputation +100,000 points earned.
The moment I logged in the next morning, I was bombarded with messages.
Eliminated? What’s this about Black and Red Dragons!?
I had no idea what was going on, but the messages kindly explained how I could use the accumulated reputation points.
“Use reputation points.”
A blue window appeared before me.
[Reputation Shop]
I already had a staff and accessories, so should I get consumables?
[Consumables]
I didn’t know what most of these were.
Should I check Miscellaneous instead?
[Miscellaneous]
Even I, who didn’t know much about games, knew what a random draw was.
It gives you a random item, right?
Should I try it… just once?
[You purchased a Random Draw.]
Congratulations! You received a Rock!
[Rock]
It hurts if thrown.
“Seriously? A rock for ten thousand points!?”
This is such a scam.
Even if the reputation points were earned easily…
Maybe I’ll try just one more time...
[You purchased a Random Draw.]
Congratulations! You received a Rice Cake!
[Rice Cake]
Soft and chewy. Delicious.
[You purchased a Random Draw.]
Congratulations! You received a Shark Plushie!
[Shark Plushie]
It’s comfortable to hug while sleeping.
[You purchased a Random Draw.]
Congratulations! You received Nitrogen!
[Nitrogen]
The snacks in the bag are a bonus.
I had collected so much junk that my inventory was overflowing.
And now, I had one last chance.
I spent the remaining points on one final draw.
A radiant golden box, adorned with intricate designs, appeared in front of me.
With trembling hands, I opened the box and found a jewel inside.
[Dragon Pearl]
A treasure stolen just before an Imoogi could ascend after 1,000 years of training in cold water. Upon consumption, grants powerful abilities.