The Pope's Interest
The Extreme Martial Cult members tracking the drake's traces numbered exactly two.
Gromin and Piren.
Gromin had pushed taming magic to its absolute limits, while Piren was a close-combat martial artist.
The pairing seemed strange at first glance, but the two men believed they were the best in the business when it came to capturing Blue Magic Tower mages alive.
"Gromin."
"Right. Let's begin immediately."
Gromin slammed his staff into the ground. At the same moment, a wave inaudible to human ears rippled outward. It carried magic meant to subjugate monsters, though naturally it was impossible to control a drake with such a spell.
He had tamed many monsters throughout Monster Land, but dragon species were simply beyond reach. Still, creating enough confusion to keep the drake out of the fight for a short while was feasible.
That would be more than enough.
"The rest is mine."
Piren stepped forward as he slipped on his gauntlets. A crimson gem was embedded on the back of each, its interior roiling like living flame—an unusual treasure known as an Amplification Stone. Lim Dojun recognized it at once.
Whoa… that thing’s expensive.
After exchanging his public merit points for elixirs last time, he had researched valuable materials. The Amplification Stone was among them, a key ingredient in both elixirs and alchemy. It could easily raise ambient temperatures, making it a prized treasure that flame mages and martial artists hunted with burning eyes.
Watching the pair, Lim Dojun fell into serious thought.
Can’t I raise my luck potential any higher?
First Dreck-i had dragged back that frost fox pelt, and now members of the Extreme Martial Cult had shown up. It was hard to claim the ten points of luck hadn’t influenced any of these events. He felt genuine regret.
If only it were possible, he would have kept stacking it—fifteen points, twenty points—but ten was apparently the limit. What rotten luck.
"You recognize the Amplification Stone?"
Piren grinned. When he clenched his fist, the gem flashed once and the surrounding air began to grow noticeably warmer.
In this environment, a Blue Magic Tower mage would be at a severe disadvantage. Cold-attribute magic weakened while flame magic grew stronger. One could step outside the stone’s area of influence to cast spells, but Piren had no intention of allowing it. He would pursue his target to the ends of hell if necessary.
"Blue Magic Tower mage. Before you waste your strength, let me ask you something. The Pope wishes to see you. Come quietly and I won’t harm you."
"……?"
At those words, Lim Dojun froze in momentary confusion.
The Pope of the Extreme Martial Cult? Me?
Hold on. Something was very wrong here.
He had wanted to become famous, but not this famous.
…Come to think of it, my achievement points suddenly jumped by three last time.
He had simply assumed he had grown more well-known. But when he considered how difficult it was to raise achievement points, it meant some major figure had taken an interest in him.
"No answer, huh? Well, whatever. A few hits should loosen your tongue."
Seeing Lim Dojun remain silent in his confusion, Piren shrugged. Truthfully, he had never expected to settle things with conversation. No Blue Magic Tower mage would surrender so easily.
-BOOM!
With a sound like a cannon blast, Piren kicked off the ground and charged. His plan was simple: knock the mage out with a single strike. Even if defensive magic appeared, he would simply shatter it along with everything else.
-WHOOSH!
A massive wall of fire suddenly erupted in front of him. Piren flinched backward. The flames twisted into the shape of a serpent and sank its fangs into his arm.
"Ugh?!"
He shook it off and retreated, but his left arm was already badly burned.
"A Blue Magic Tower mage using flame magic of this caliber…?"
The stunned mutter came from Gromin in the rear. As a taming specialist, he knew mages well. Casting such a spell without an incantation required either extraordinary talent or affiliation with a major tower specializing in that attribute. A mere first-year Blue Magic Tower mage should not have been capable of it.
Not bad.
On the other hand, Lim Dojun felt a small surge of satisfaction at the magic he had just released. Originally he could only cast without incantations using cold attributes, but ever since acquiring Dragon Soul Magic, every element had become available to him. His proficiency with the newly learned intermediate spells had risen as well, and his mana reserves felt truly abundant.
Even though his Dragon Heart was only one-third complete, the amount of mana he sensed seemed endless.
"I hope you last a while."
Lim Dojun smiled faintly and opened his palm. Thanks to the Amplification Stone heating the air, the power of flame magic was amplified. Wolves, bats, sparrows, and snakes—creatures formed of fire sprang from his hand and charged forward.
While low-grade magic was limited to simple shapes like arrows or spears, intermediate magic allowed for transformation. The wolf lunged then morphed into a whip to bind its target. The bat dove and exploded. Under the relentless barrage of silent, mana-rich spells, the Extreme Martial Cult members realized they had made a terrible mistake—but it was already far too late.
All they could do was endure, serving as living training dummies for Lim Dojun until they finally collapsed.
The Extreme Martial Cult contained many organizations. Outstanding regular members were assigned to units such as the Combat Division or Magic Division. Among them existed the Divine Martial Unit—those who worshipped the Pope as a living god.
Their loyalty to the Pope surpassed every other faction. Naturally, their skills were exceptional as well. The unit members aspired to become as strong as the Pope, and he in turn occasionally bestowed personal teachings upon them.
Thus, to repay that grace, the Divine Martial Unit roamed the continent in search of anything that might prove useful to their leader.
"Haa."
A woman with short jet-black hair and striking features even without makeup. Lee Chaerin, a member of the Divine Martial Unit, let out a long sigh.
She had only just returned, yet here she was being sent out again.
I thought I’d finally get some rest. This is seriously annoying.
She kept the complaint strictly internal. If anyone overheard, it would cause major trouble. Unlike the other unit members, she felt zero loyalty toward the Pope.
That was only natural—she was a returnee from Earth. Should she die in this world, she would return there. She had joined the Divine Martial Unit simply because proximity to the Pope offered the greatest chance of growing stronger. Becoming as powerful as possible before returning to Earth was her only goal, and this was the optimal place to achieve it.
Still, moments like this were genuinely difficult. She wanted nothing more than to hole up in the headquarters tucked away in Monster Land and focus on training. Yet the Pope kept dragging people into his errands.
She couldn’t ignore his orders. A Divine Martial Unit member disregarding the Pope contradicted the organization’s very identity, and personally, Lee Chaerin still needed his guidance.
I need to get stronger quickly so I can leave this tiresome world and go back to Earth.
Fourteen years had already passed since she arrived here. She had survived through endless hardship and joined the Extreme Martial Cult to obtain power. Adapting among those simpletons who worshipped nothing but strength had not been easy, but she had managed.
Yet every so often the thought arose: Isn’t this enough? Shouldn’t I return to Earth soon? It usually struck when homesickness for Earth grew overwhelming in the early dawn, or when she suddenly wondered what on earth she was doing with her life.
She missed Earth’s food, toilets, convenience stores, entertainment, and clean environment most of all. Honestly, if the Pope could provide those things, her current fake loyalty might turn into genuine fanaticism complete with flowing tears—just like the other unit members.
Whenever such thoughts surfaced, she simply renewed her determination: once she grew strong enough, she would die quickly and return home.
"Rin. You’re heading to the continent as well?"
A colleague from the Divine Martial Unit approached as she finished her preparations.
Rin nodded while adjusting her bag. "Yeah. I’ll bring back that Blue Magic Tower mage."
"I heard you only just returned. It must be rough. Still, be careful not to clash directly with the Blue Magic Tower. A military conflict with them isn’t what the Pope desires."
"Obviously. I’ll slip in quietly and kidnap him."
What the Pope wanted was simply a meeting with the mage who had tamed a dragon species. Even if it was the Blue Magic Tower, capturing a single mage shouldn’t be too difficult. Lee Chaerin planned to finish the job quickly and return at once.
After subduing the Extreme Martial Cult members, Lim Dojun learned a terrifying truth from them: the Pope of the Extreme Martial Cult had taken a personal interest in him.
I never imagined this little guy would cause such trouble…
Lim Dojun glanced at the drake. He had thought it was a decent pet, yet it had somehow drawn the attention of an unexpected heavyweight.
Even so, he didn’t worry too much. After obtaining Dragon Soul Magic, Lim Dojun had grown overwhelmingly powerful. Unless the Pope came in person, there was no need to fear in advance.
Afterward, he began training while wearing the gauntlets and making full use of the Amplification Stone. The stone’s ability to heat the surrounding air wasn’t beneficial only to flame specialists. Raising the temperature also meant driving out cold energy, making it surprisingly useful for training purposes.
Although he had learned Dragon Soul Magic, his greatest confidence still lay in cold-attribute spells, so the stone proved to be a tremendous help.
While Lim Dojun trained and his Blue Magic Tower colleagues explored the dungeon, a considerable amount of time passed.
We’ll be taking our leave now.
Once the dungeon exploration was largely complete and it became clear there were no treasures for the mercenaries, they departed first. The only true treasure in the dungeon had been the Dragon Heart; everything else consisted of records that held no value for them. Still, the mercenaries were grateful enough simply to have survived.
After that, the Blue Magic Tower mages remained in the dungeon for nearly three full months, surviving on the food the mercenaries had left behind, their own substantial supplies, and the occasional game that Dreck-i hunted for them.
"Whew. We’ve copied almost all the records. We can head back now."
Only after Casian expressed satisfaction with the results did the group finally return to the magic tower branch. Lim Dojun left the remaining cleanup to Casian and Jo Difel and went straight to find Delcrein.
Now that I’ve perfectly mastered intermediate magic, it’s time to learn advanced spells.
Thanks to Dragon Soul Magic, he had become overwhelmingly strong and had therefore earned the right to study at the next level.
-Knock knock.
He visited the branch leader’s office, but received no response even after knocking. He tried several more times, yet the room remained silent. When he cautiously opened the door, he found Delcrein completely absorbed in something at his desk.
"…Master?"
"Ah. Jun. When did you get back?"
Only then did Delcrein snap out of his concentration and notice his disciple.
"I arrived just a moment ago."
"It’s been quite some time. Did the ruins go well?"
"Yes. The seniors should be submitting their merit reports downstairs right now. By the way, Master, is something troubling you?"
Delcrein’s expression was more serious than Lim Dojun had ever seen, so he asked.
"Hmm… I suppose you may as well know. Elder Keshtain passed away recently. One Elder seat has opened, and they’re accepting recommendations. I’ve been debating whether I should put my name forward."
There were many requirements to become an Elder of the Blue Magic Tower, but the most important was skill. Delcrein had been deeply contemplating and examining whether his current ability was truly worthy of challenging for the position.
"Are there any specific conditions for becoming an Elder? For example, needing to have served the Blue Magic Tower for a certain number of years?"
Lim Dojun’s eyes sparkled with unusual intensity as he asked.
"Nothing of that sort. Even an ordinary mage can become an Elder with two recommendation letters from branch-leader level or higher. However, one must possess the appropriate skill. The evaluation standards for determining Elder qualification are extremely strict."
"In that case… I would like to try for it myself."
"……???"