The Dragon's Heart and the Dragon's Will

The paper listed the mission as Support for Transporting Traces of Ancient Mages' Dragon-Related Research.

“What’s this?”

When Lim Dojun pointed at the paper with the mission details, Delcrein answered right away.

“A ruin was discovered in the mountains beside Bellangs. It appears to have belonged to ancient mages, and their primary area of study was dragon magic.”

“Just hearing about it sounds incredible. Is it really all right for me to take on a mission like this?”

It was a perfectly reasonable question.

While Delcrein had mistaken him for a genius, even a genius had only been part of the tower for a single day. Without any proven achievements, they could hardly assign him anything important.

“Incredible? It’s basically just hauling junk that’s only good for kindling.”

Delcrein clicked his tongue.

Ancient magic might sound impressive at first glance, but most of it was garbage. Whether magic or swordsmanship, systems become more organized and advanced as time passes. That was only natural. The accumulated efforts of countless geniuses and ordinary talents are passed down, inherited, refined, and developed further by later generations.

Most ancient magic was already incorporated into the current system, and even the ones that resembled modern spells were usually far inferior. Some ancient “magic” was nothing more than primitives grunting “ooga-ooga” while trying to scam people, dressed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up in fancy packaging.

“That’s why most ancient magic expeditions cost a fortune in exploration fees and produce virtually no results.”

“Then why explore them at all?”

“Because every once in a while, something impossible shows up.”

Most were duds, but very rarely, the jackpot hit. It could be a magic system established by an ancient genius mage, or a field of study or discovery that modern people couldn’t even imagine. Some of those findings were powerful enough to shake the entire magic academic world.

That was why every magic tower could never fully abandon their interest in ancient magic research.

“So this time as well…”

“The odds are high that this one’s a dud. Researching dragons? Ridiculous. They probably just ran into a drake in the forest, mistook it for a dragon, and made a huge fuss about it.”

Delcrein didn’t put much faith in ancient magic. He had been burned far too many times.

“Still, missions connected to ancient magic offer high contribution points. Since you’re my disciple, once you accumulate a decent amount, I can immediately provide you with magic and mana control techniques suited to your level. Not a bad deal.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Imagine picking up a genius like you while just walking down the street!”

Delcrein grinned from ear to ear, still delighted whenever he remembered that moment.

“However, this mission might be a bit physically demanding. The ruins are deep in the mountains, so you’ll have to climb all the way up.”

Mages generally preferred missions they could handle comfortably inside the city. Having to head outside and even go mountain climbing? No matter how many contribution points it offered, most mages avoided it. Only those truly desperate for points would consider taking it.

“If it seems too difficult, feel free to pick something else. Library cleaning is tedious but not particularly exhausting, and subjugation missions are dangerous, but you can just stay safely behind the mercenaries.”

“No. I’ll take this one.”

Despite Delcrein’s warning, Lim Dojun chose the dragon-related mission.

Everything since the moment he arrived in this world—learning magic, all of it—was connected to dragons. Was it really a coincidence that a dragon-related mission had caught his eye?

It might be thanks to raising my luck potential.

Whatever the reason, his instincts told him he couldn’t just let this one pass.

The mountain where the ruins had been discovered was very close to the city of Bellangs.

It was the exact same mountain where he had first fallen into this world.

Step. Step.

Lim Dojun found the sensation of walking on the mountain incredibly pleasant. After spending several years confined to a wheelchair, the feeling of stepping on dirt, tree roots, and stones was almost euphoric.

“Wizard, sir. You walk really well.”

The mercenary walking beside him spoke with open admiration.

This mission involved working alongside mercenaries hired by the tower. The ruins were located halfway up the mountain, and the mercenaries’ job was to carry the materials down to the tower. The mages were there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to supervise, making sure none of the materials were lost or secretly pocketed during transport.

“I’ve never seen a mage with stamina like yours. You don’t even look tired.”

As the man said, Lim Dojun wasn’t sweating at all. It was likely due to his exceptionally high physical potential stat. Still, he answered humbly.

“It’s nothing. Perfectly normal.”

“Haha… If that’s normal, then what we’re seeing behind us is normal.”

The mercenary jerked his chin toward the rear. A brown-haired young man in a robe was using his magic staff like an actual walking cane, gripping it with both hands.

“Huff… huff… I’m going to die… It’s too hot… I’m so thirsty… I might actually die at this rate…”

Jo Difel, a second-year student at the Blue Magic Tower, looked like he was losing his mind from his trembling legs and the rivers of sweat pouring down his face.

“If I wasn’t desperate for contribution points, I would never have looked at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a mission like this…”

He urgently needed certain research materials, but the required contribution points were quite high. Since he couldn’t afford to waste time, he had chosen a mission that could be completed quickly and offered substantial points. That decision had led him here.

Mountain climbing, of all things!

“I’m dying… What if I collapse from heat exhaustion?”

There were spells that could assist with stamina and movement, of course. But they were too advanced for Jo Difel, and they weren’t part of his main field of study. In the beginning, students dabbled in everything to discover their aptitude, but eventually everyone focused on their chosen specialty.

I should have learned some body reinforcement magic…!

But regrets always came too late.

At that moment, Lim Dojun approached and offered him a water bottle.

“Senior. Please drink some water.”

During his military days, he had packed supplies more times than he could count. Before any mission, he always prepared emergency survival gear to put his mind at ease. Naturally, he had brought both water and emergency rations.

“Oh… Thank you!”

Jo Difel accepted the bottle with both hands as if he had met his savior, then drank greedily. He finished it in moments.

“S-sorry. I should have left some for you…”

“It’s fine. I’m not that thirsty anyway.”

“!”

Jo Difel was deeply moved by the consideration this nameless junior showed. The climb was hellishly difficult for anyone, yet he still had the warmth to think of others.

“You really are a good junior. What’s your name?”

“I’m Lim Dojun. Please call me Jun if you’d like.”

“All right, Jun. I’m Jo Difel.”

“Nice to meet you, senior.”

“But I’ve never heard of a junior like you before.”

Jo Difel tilted his head. A junior with such excellent character should have been the talk of the tower. Why hadn’t he heard anything?

“I only recently joined.”

“Ah, so you’re a first-year newbie. Well, even if you’d been here longer, I’m usually locked away in the lab, so I probably wouldn’t have seen you anyway.”

Jo Difel stared intently at Lim Dojun’s face, as if committing it to memory.

“Good! I’ve memorized your face and name! When we get back, I’ll take good care of you!”

“Haha… Just hearing that is enough.”

Lim Dojun smiled gently.

He hadn’t helped Jo Difel merely to build connections.

After finishing the surprisingly easy climb and reaching the ruins halfway up the mountain, he spoke again.

“Senior, please rest here. I’ll take full responsibility for supervising the material transport.”

“Are you sure that’s all right?”

“Of course. What are juniors for if not to make things easier for their seniors?”

“!”

Jo Difel was speechless. This was the first time he had encountered such a junior. Relationships between seniors and juniors at the magic tower were rarely close; sometimes they were even rivals.

“Thank you… truly! Then I’ll leave it in your hands!”

In truth, Jo Difel had been on the verge of collapse by the time they reached the midpoint of the mountain. Lim Dojun’s offer was an absolute blessing.

Perfect.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Lim Dojun’s eyes sparkled.

He wanted to examine the ancient research related to dragons. Once the materials were transported, they would be sent straight to the Blue Magic Tower headquarters, where he would have no access. Only mages with sufficient rank or experience could touch them. That was why he had cleared Jo Difel out of the way—so he could inspect everything during the transport process.

“Ugh, should I put it here, Wizard?”

The mercenaries brought out the materials from inside the ruins and stacked them in front of Lim Dojun. Officially, they were supposed to check the condition of each item before moving it. In reality, most mercenaries hated this extra step. It would have been simpler to just load everything onto the carts directly.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“No problem. It’s our job.”

However, because Lim Dojun’s request was polite—unlike the typical mage who simply barked orders—they didn’t complain. A courteous request like this was something they were happy to fulfill.

“We’ll bring the next batch, then. Take care, Wizard.”

“You’re the ones doing the hard work.”

“Haha! We’ll do our best!”

The mercenaries hurried off, and Lim Dojun began examining the materials. The pages were covered in writing that looked like a bizarre fusion of earthworms and hieroglyphics.

Tsk. Is everything in ancient language?

It was an obsolete tongue no longer in use. The headquarters would handle the deciphering later. He had hoped there might be at least a few readable documents, but everything was written in ancient script on incredibly old paper and parchment.

If it’s all like this, there won’t be any results… Huh?!

Just as he was thinking it would be impossible to find any clues, Lim Dojun’s eyes widened.

The ancient language that should have been completely unreadable suddenly became clear. At first glance it still looked like ancient text, but when he focused, the meaning revealed itself. Just like the system messages that appeared in his mind, a translation floated above the original text.

Is this also an effect tied to the system, like status windows or skills?

He could only guess, but the reason didn’t matter. The important thing was that he could now read the ancient language. Lim Dojun quickly flipped through the documents.

Lim Dojun read on as if possessed. With every page he turned, knowledge hammered directly into his brain. The pieces fused together, giving birth to new understanding.