POV: Rian
Tap. Tap. Tap.
My hand swiped through the air, pulling up a transparent screen only I could see. The system looked… less like an RPG menu, more like a Windows 11 UI.
The homescreen even had the same wallpaper from my old PC—my dream car: a Koenigsegg Jesko.
Cool? Absolutely.
Nostalgic? Painfully so.
The taskbar still showed all my apps—browser, game folder, even a shortcut for Steam.
Too bad… no internet. So yeah, no login.
But hey… maybe I could still run Plants vs. Monsters.
Alright. Enough nostalgia.
I clicked Start, opened Settings, scrolled to the Account tab… and that's when it hit me.
My character status was literally fused into this system.
Level. HP bar. Stamina indicator. EXP tracker.
It was like someone mashed together a Soulslike RPG and a desktop PC.
"…Guess wish number one and two already got granted, though in the weirdest way possible," I muttered, rubbing my chin.
Behind me, Stranova—the giant dragon curled up like an armored housecat—half-opened his eyes.
"What do you mean?" he rumbled.
I pointed at the building at the mountain's base—a modern convenience store with air-conditioning, dropped straight into a fantasy world.
"My first wish back then… was to own a minimart. Looks like it worked."
Stranova nodded slowly, still clearly confused about what the hell a minimart was.
"And the second?"
I pulled up my status screen, trying to show him.
"Here, take a look. Can you see it?"
I flailed around, swiping the air like I was playing VR charades. Stranova narrowed his eyes, then—
"Wait, Rian. You need to form a contract with me first," he said suddenly, tone serious.
I froze mid-gesture.
"Contract?"
He sighed like a parent explaining how to use a microwave.
"Yes, a contract. If you want others to see your status window, you need one. At least a visibility contract. Even a friendship contract would do. It should be under your status options… rookie."
I grinned. "Alright, alright… so how do I do that?"
"…You really don't know?"
"Hey, cut me some slack. First time in a fantasy world here."
My voice stayed casual.
Stranova rolled his eyes. "Haah…"
"Anyway," he pressed on, "what was your second wish exactly?"
I kept fiddling with the screen while answering softly.
"…Changing how my status screen looks."
"Hah?!"
The dragon almost exploded.
"That's it?! Such a petty wish!"
I shot to my feet, pointing right at him.
"Hey! Workplace comfort matters, alright?!"
Stranova snorted, curling back up.
"Workplace comfort, he says… while making it harder for himself."
He yawned. "I'm going back to sleep. Don't bother me… for the next three centuries."
Somehow, the closer we got, the sharper his sarcasm became.
Well, not surprising. His title was the Dragon of Ruin.
"…Whatever."
I went back to the screen, scowling slightly, and clicked on a folder labeled:
Third Wish: Pending…
"…Looks like my third wish is on the way," I whispered.
Stranova bolted upright, eyes wide. "Wait. A THIRD wish?!"
I nodded calmly. "Yep. The goddess was nice enough to give me three. So I asked for three things that matter."
"And… what's the third one?" Stranova asked warily.
I looked him dead in the eye.
"My first employee."
Silence.
Stranova's jaw dropped. His whole massive body stiffened.
"YOU—DON'T TELL ME—YOU MEANT ME!?"
I stayed calm. "I said 'on the way,' not 'already here.' Listen, use those giant dragon ears properly."
He jabbed a claw at his chest.
"I am NOT a cashier! I am NOT a stock boy! I am… the DRAGON OF DESTRUCTION!"
I nodded sagely. "Yeah, yeah. Dragon of Destruction. And that shrill voice of yours is pretty destructive on my ears too."
"RAAAAGHHH!!"
He roared. I snickered.
One small step closer to my dream.
Minimart? Check.
Status system? Check.
Employee? In progress.
One by one, the puzzle pieces were falling into place.