Back to the present…
Will sat quietly on the couch in his room, his back resting against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him.
It was nighttime, and several days had gone by since his awakening. The pain had faded, but the memory of it still lingered in his body like a dull ache that refused to disappear completely.
Still, the generous rewards of awakening made him satisfied. Over the past few days, he had tried to practice controlling stellar fire and also the sun element.
The Sun element was mysterious, but with his pitifully small mana reserve, he was only able to manipulate small sprites—nothing much.
Meanwhile, the stellar fire did not require mana, but the moment he summoned them, intense heat was radiated, almost burning his wooden house and the humble shop, since his control over them was pitifully weak.
So he had then decided to take the practice into the forest.
Outside, the weather had turned ugly.
Rumble.
Thunder rolled across the sky, deep and heavy, shaking the air. Moments later, rain began to pour, striking the rooftops and streets below with relentless force.
Rumble.
Another thunderclap followed, louder than the last.
The couch Will sat on still bore dark red stains. He hadn't bothered cleaning it properly. Anyone who walked in would think it belonged to a murder scene, but Will didn't care. Blood no longer disturbed him.
In his hands was a thick notebook. Every page was filled with rough handwriting. It contained a summary of the novel's events, rewritten from memory, timelines adjusted, names circled, and key incidents marked with symbols only he understood.
He closed the book slowly.
"Today is the day, isn't it?" he said calmly.
[Yes. According to the timeline, today marks the beginning of Maximus Sinclair's villain arc.]
RUMBLE.
The thunder echoed again, almost as if responding to the system's words.
Will stood up and placed the book on the table. "Anyway," he said, stretching his arms slightly, "what should I purchase for this month's free coupon, dear system?"
[Tsk. You're really shameless. Always grabbing world-ending treasures for free. That aside, now that you've awakened, new shop categories have been unlocked.]
Will's interest was immediately piqued. "Oh? What are they? Show me."
[The newly unlocked categories include techniques, spells, talents, physiques, bloodlines, and additional awakened-only artifacts that consume mana, as well as some system services similar to the inventory and divine mail. You can now track your bond's location, diagnose a target's health, and enhance the effects of system abilities by paying more SP and much more.]
Will nodded slowly as he processed the information. "Those are tempting," he admitted, "but I'll wait. I want all four bound individuals to awaken first. After that, I'll cover whatever's missing with the shop."
[You're right.]
[Still, you should start thinking about grinding some goddamn SP and actually buying things. It's called a shop for a reason. .....A .....SHOP!! don't depend on free purchase only.]
Will raised an eyebrow. "Calm down, dear system, you're the one who said there wouldn't be quests until the main story began. Why are you getting worked up now?"
[Because from now on, you're going to get quests at crucial moments.]
The system laughed loudly in his head.
[Ahem. What I mean is, from now on, try not to decline quests.]
[Here is your first quest.]
------------------
#QUEST 1
Task: You cannot deny help to anyone who enters through the main gate of your house.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Depends on the amount of help provided
---------------------------
"Oh!! That seems like a simple quest, I think old lady Su will ask me to pick some buckets for her, accept the quest."
[ding. #QUEST 1 has been accepted]
William nodded and exhaled slowly, looking forward to the rewards, though he knew they wouldn't be much for small chores.
Then
**CLINK**
The faint sound of the shop's main door opening reached his ears, making him frown.
Will froze.
"At this hour?" he muttered.
Rain was still pouring outside, thunder crashing one after another. No sane person would be out right now, let alone wandering into a closed shop.
He moved toward the stairs and headed downstairs.
The shop was dark. Only faint flashes of lightning illuminated the interior through the windows. Near the entrance, he saw a figure standing unsteadily, breathing heavily.
Will's hand went to the switch.
The magic bulb flickered once, then lit up the room.
His eyes widened.
Lia, the lover of Maximus, stood at the entrance.
Her clothes were torn and soaked through. Blood covered her arms and stained her dress. Her hair clung to her face, wet and matted. She struggled to remain upright, gasping for air as if her lungs refused to cooperate.
Will's mind went blank.
She was supposed to be dead an hour ago, and that would mark Maximus's villain arc, but here she was somehow in front of his door.
"A deviation happened in the story," he muttered under his breath.
Lia lifted her head slightly; her eyes were unfocused as if she could only see a blurry silhouette of someone. "H… help…me!! they are going to kill me!!" she cried in a whisper, and then her legs gave out, and she collapsed forward, but Will caught her before she hit the floor.
He sighed quietly but became alarmed immediately. He knew things wouldn't end so simply.
Without wasting time, he lifted her and carried her upstairs to his room. He laid her carefully on the couch, ignoring the blood already staining it further.
He retrieved a low-tier healing potion from his inventory and poured it into her mouth, making sure she swallowed.
"No one's reimbursing me for this," he muttered.
Minutes passed.
Her breathing slowly steadied. The bleeding lessened, though her injuries were still severe. She remained unconscious, but no longer looked like she would die any second.
Will leaned back and studied her face.
Maximus Sinclair's lover. The girl whose death triggered his fall.
And now, she was alive. Did Maximus know of this? Should William help the villain??
He turned his gaze toward the rain-soaked window.
"So this is how it starts," he said quietly.
Suddenly, as if realizing something grim, he straightened up and spoke toward the empty room.
"It seems it's time I have to face people in a battle."
His eyes hardened.
"Screw everything," he continued. "Show me a good sword that I can wield at my level."