Dragon Scales Go Viral
"Whoa... where on earth did you get your hands on potions like these?"
"Thanks to you, sis, we cleared it super easily!"
Park Chae-rin was surrounded by her guildmates, basking in a torrent of praise. She'd always drawn attention as one of the Gold Lotus's two A-rank hunters, but this time was different. A 62nd floor they'd failed to clear for weeks had fallen effortlessly thanks to a single potion she'd brought.
"Hehehe... want to know the secret?"
At Park Chae-rin's words, the raid party leaned in eagerly.
"Huh? There's really a secret?"
"No wonder. No way a regular potion's that effective."
Park Chae-rin opened her custom-ordered bag in front of the raid members—a secure case designed to safely store her scale collection. As she manipulated the bag, a case containing a single scale rose up.
"It's a Dragon Scale. They say mixing it into potions maximizes the effects."
"Whoa, me too! Let me see!"
"No touching! Look only."
These scales came from Ha-neul's body in the first place. Since dragons didn't exist, once they were gone, they were impossible to replace. Or more precisely, even if real dragons existed, you couldn't get them. A scale shed from some massive, utterly uncute dragon was not the same as one from Lee Ha-neul's plump little tail.
Hehehehe...
Imagining Ha-neul lounging sleepily, spotting a scale pop off her chubby tail, and picking it up—it was already overflowing with cuteness. Park Chae-rin overlapped the image with the sight from last time at the auction house: Ha-neul babbling adorably and picking up the scale that had fallen beside her. A sinister grin spread across her face.
Cute is justice.
She was lost in fantasies of petting Ha-neul wildly when a raid member shattered the mood.
"But do dragons even exist? I've never heard of one being found."
"Yeah? You didn't get scammed, did you?"
Those doubts were swiftly quelled by Park Chae-rin's knuckle-rap. The potion's effects were undeniably real, after all. Regular heat resistance potions barely handled the heat around floor 30—calling this fake made no sense.
As Park Chae-rin packed the bag away, another raid member spoke up.
"Whoa...! Searched the market—it's real! Crazy expensive! 18 million won...!"
"Heh?! You used an 18 million won item for a raid? That's some serious splurging."
...What 18 million won? Stunned, Park Chae-rin checked the Hunter Market herself. It was true. Recent auction records showed a black Dragon Scale sold for 18 million won.
...She hadn't been blackout drunk making a bad deal, so how did 600k jump to 18 million? Park Chae-rin doubted Ha-neul would sell them that high. From what she'd seen, Ha-neul's sense of money was anything but childish.
Yet she'd sold them at a 96.6% discount? Rarity drove the price up, huh?
Obviously, no tower mobs dropped Dragon Scales. Ha-neul's came from her own body. That created insane demand for scales with these effects, but zero supply.
She had no clue what was happening behind the scenes—no reason to visit the auction house and ask around. But one thing was clear: people hunting for Ha-neul were about to multiply.
"Mm... intermediate magic's way tougher than the basics, as expected."
With no noisy little sister around, I was tackling the intermediate magic section of the White Dragon's grimoire—the part I hadn't finished last time. Mastering it before entering the tower would make things smoother.
But intermediate spells were packed with complex terms and flows I couldn't grasp, unlike the basics.
So many pages left, and I'm stuck here already... ugh.
I'd gotten up early, but by lunchtime, I'd only absorbed 70% as skills. At this rate, tower time would be dinner.
Push through somehow...!
The thought of wasting the day spurred my brain to max cognition, cramming the rest.
[C] Intermediate Elemental Magic Lv.1 (Active Skill)
Uses the intermediate elemental magic passed down by the White Dragon.
Learned spells: Fire Pillar, Water Veil, Chain Lightning…
"Phew..."
Mission accomplished. Too many spells at once—the skill window couldn't list them all. Lost in the zone, time flew; the clock read 5 PM.
Not too late for the tower.
Finally got intermediate magic down—skipping the tower would be a crime!
Letting the day end like this? The fresh spells would itch unbearably. And it wasn't just magic. The Plant Sword from the urgent gate, the familiar from dragon growth...
Never tested in real combat...
I packed for the Black Tower. Guides said layer 4 might require overnighting inside. I'd reviewed walkthroughs yesterday, so my camping bag was ready.
Finally, a note: 'Might stay in the tower a bit—don't worry.' Yesterday's Seol-ah reaction made it essential.
Prep done. As I stepped out...
*Ding.*
My quiet phone buzzed. Kim Ha-yeon.
No idea why, but she messaged right when I headed to the tower.
...Vacation to peep Mystic difficulty? Regular hunters couldn't slack off easily—raids meant days or weeks camping inside. Bailing pissed everyone off.
Fine, whatever. She's nuts. Not a kid anyway.
No point prying; I agreed.
...I'd learn way later it was baby scent addiction drawing her.
Mythical being detected.
Difficulty auto-set to Mystic.
Goal: Defeat 30 Black Mage puppet soldiers.
Condition: Defeat the Black Mage.
Familiar entry messages—and a welcome sight: condition! Clear-time irrelevant; meet it for extra rewards. Sweet.
Black Mage? ...Kinda worrying.
Mages meant smart foes. Way trickier than brainless rushers.
But Mystic meant god-tier rewards, right? Expectations soared at the condition, but Kim Ha-yeon reacted opposite.
"Huh? Black Mage? Isn't that a floor 15 enemy?"
"Yeah? Mystic effect?"
"This early? Gonna be rough..."
She explained Black Mages wrecked solo C-rankers' first walls. Mystic lived up to hype with nightmare mob comps.
Scanning around per her explanation, I realized we'd spawned at layer 3 camp's end. Mobs at camp again, huh.
Then—a thud like someone ass-planting behind us.
"Y-you...!"
Familiar voice. The Resistance Commander who'd mocked me as "shrimp."
He trembled like a leaf at my sight, horrified.
"What brings you here this time...?"
"Oh, came to help again..."
"Mm... it'll be quiet awhile. No need."
"Commander! Enemy attack!"
"Wh-what?!"
...This guy's a flag magnet. Tower goals charged the camp—manageable numbers, solid medieval royal guard gear.
"Those... were my comrades once."
The commander gazed pityingly at the soulless puppets charging despite wounds.
"When I stood against the palace's tyranny, they were too busy saving their own skins."
"Comrades? Then what do we—"
"See the seals on their foreheads? Necromancy. They're not of this world anymore."
"Mm..."
Distracted by puppets beyond the stone walls, Kim Ha-yeon tapped my shoulder.
"Don't overthink. It's just a tower stage."
"Yeah..."
Bittersweet, I prepped to face those climbing the walls. Kim Ha-yeon stood beside, slamming her oversized staff down.
"Time to show my real skills."
"Alright, let's go."