Joining the Dragon Ruins Expedition

Lim Dojun first consumed the potion Jo Difel had prepared.

The crimson liquid slid down his throat with surprising smoothness, and its effects hit him almost instantly.

His body's condition began stabilizing at a rapid pace.

He thought once again that sponsoring Jo Difel had been an excellent decision.

After that, Lim Dojun opened the wooden box.

Inside lay two old, worn rings.

These were the rewards Olivia had prepared for this information-gathering mission.

Though in the end it hadn't been information gathering so much as completely dismantling the Baran House...

The moment he saw them, his heart began to race.

When he had first received them, he had forced himself to close the box again to stabilize his body. Absorbing them back then might have extended his time bedridden even further. But now, there was nothing holding him back.

As Lim Dojun gazed at the rings, both of them crumbled into dust and rose as smoke, flowing into his body.

A surge of soul-deep satisfaction washed over him, and Lim Dojun found himself smiling without realizing it.

Still, there was one small disappointment.

The increase in my body ratio is too small.

Of course, raising only the body ratio without balancing it would cause instability, which was why he also needed Dragon Heart fragments. But at this pace, he wondered when he would ever reach 100 percent.

I need to push the auto-hunting to work even harder.

It was time to bring more mages into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Jun School.

Quite some time passed after that.

The kingdom's pursuit forces had managed to capture some of the Baran House's elite troops, but they had yet to apprehend Marquis Baran or the direct bloodline members.

Yet even as the outside world grew increasingly chaotic, Lim Dojun's daily life remained peaceful.

After raising his Dragon's Body ratio, he had mastered both the secret art and the domain domination spell.

Knock knock.

"Sir Mage. You have a visitor."

The voice came from outside the hospital room.

Lim Dojun was slightly surprised.

The conditions for entering his room were strict. The visitor had to be either an acquaintance from the Magic Tower or someone bringing something related to ancient ruins—especially dragon ruins.

He had set these rules because too many people wanted to see him. By now, all his acquaintances had already visited.

That meant this visitor had to be bringing something related to the latter condition...

"Send them in."

The door opened to reveal a beautiful female mercenary with striking red bobbed hair.

"Greetings. It is an honor to meet the renowned Elder Jun of the Blue Magic Tower. I am Amber, leader of the mercenary company known as Milberg's Compass."

Milberg's Compass.

Lim Dojun had heard of them before.

"Aren't you the company that specializes in ruin exploration and treasure hunting?"

"It is an honor that you know of our humble company."

They were hardly humble.

Most established mercenary companies had their own specialties, and Milberg's Compass was among the top names when it came to ruin exploration. Even Go Wonjin and Lee Sehan from Earth knew of them.

He had heard about the company while talking with them about Astelgard. Since returnees in the early stages could only really take on ruin exploration jobs, it was impossible not to know Milberg's Compass.

"It's nice to meet the leader of such a famous company."

"The honor is all mine, Elder Jun."

Through their brief introductory exchange, Amber quickly assessed Lim Dojun's personality.

He's polite, unlike most genius elders. So the rumors were true?

She had scoffed when she first heard them. The information she had paid a high price for seemed ridiculous. It had obviously been a fake rumor spread by the Blue Magic Tower.

But meeting him in person, he seemed like a genuinely decent person. After meeting countless individuals over the years, Amber trusted her own judgment of character.

"So, what brings you to see me?"

"I was deeply impressed by your achievement in exposing the true nature of the vile Baran House. I also heard you were named the first contributor to the cause."

"That's correct."

"Because of your accomplishment, I would like to request one of the treasures that belonged to the Baran House. I will pay a sufficient price."

One of the treasures Amber had longed for had been in the Baran House's possession. She had always coveted it but thought there was no chance of obtaining it. Now that the family had fallen, their mansion seized and assets confiscated, the situation had changed.

"Let's hear your offer first."

Lim Dojun asked with interest.

Since Milberg's Compass focused on ancient ruin exploration, perhaps they possessed a Dragon Heart fragment?

"How about this? It is an ancient artifact."

Amber produced something resembling a circlet worn on the forehead.

A mysterious aura clearly emanated from the circlet.

"It is called the Third Eye. As the name suggests, it opens a third eye."

"What are its effects?"

"It allows you to see the otherwise invisible flows of mana, even if only faintly. As an elder, I'm sure you understand what that means."

Whether knights or mages, they all shared the common trait of handling mana. However, none of them could see mana directly. They sensed and used it through feeling, like a blind person touching an elephant's trunk.

That was why talent was so important for mana users. This circlet allowed them to see mana more intuitively, even if only a little. For mana users, it was essentially a heavenly treasure.

"......"

Lim Dojun immediately understood what it was.

Isn't this an inferior version of the Dragon's Eye?

A significantly inferior version, at that.

Once the Dragon's Eye was opened, the flow of mana and the very structure of magic formulas became completely transparent. He had no need for such a circlet.

As interest quickly faded from Lim Dojun's eyes, Amber grew flustered.

He doesn't like it? Why?

One might think an ancient ruin exploration company would possess numerous ancient treasures, but that wasn't entirely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠true. The majority of ancient ruins contained nothing but junk. Cases where they obtained proper rewards were extremely rare, and the Third Eye circlet was among the highest-grade items they had ever acquired.

It was an object that provided tremendous help to knights, mages, and spirit users alike.

"Hmm. I'm not particularly interested in that. Do you have any treasures related to dragons?"

"Dragons... hmm..."

Amber furrowed her brow.

Most dragon-related ruins contained research materials left behind by ancient people who had worshipped dragons. Without the same obsession with dragons that Lim Dojun possessed, they were worthless junk with no practical use.

"I have visited many dragon-related ruins, but I haven't achieved the kind of results you might be hoping for. Are you looking for a Dragon Heart?"

"Something similar."

That was indeed one of Lim Dojun's goals.

Amber nodded as if she had expected as much. The fact that a Dragon Heart was an incredible treasure wasn't exactly a secret.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't obtained anything like that. The next ruin we're heading to is a fairly significant dragon-related site, but to be honest, the chances of finding a Dragon Heart there are extremely low."

If Dragon Hearts were something you could just dig up from the ground, every Magic Tower would already possess one.

"Wait. You're departing for a major ruin soon?"

"Yes. Its scale is expected to be the largest among all the dragon-related ruins our company has explored..."

"Then I'll go with you. That is my condition."

"...Pardon?"

For a moment, Amber couldn't comprehend what she was hearing.

Not just asking for a share of the findings, but wanting to come along in person?

She had heard that mages who chose unusual fields of study sometimes did such things, but most mages hated expeditions. That was why it was extremely rare to have a mage accompany them on ruin explorations.

"Is that difficult to arrange?"

"Not at all. We would be more than happy to have you join us, Elder."

Though she couldn't fully understand it, Amber decided it was an acceptable proposal.

Exploration parties were best kept small and elite, so the standard was usually four people per team.

The members of Milberg's Compass were currently scattered across the continent, exploring various ruins.

The members who would be moving with Amber today were Pavel and Kane.

Pavel, a large warrior carrying a massive shield on his back, looked at Amber with a disgruntled expression.

"Sigh... Boss. Having to escort a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mage on an expedition? Isn't that even more troublesome than dealing with nobles?"

"It won't be like that. Nobles just flap their mouths without doing anything, but this person is an elder of the Blue Magic Tower."

"I doubt such a great elder would actually cast magic to help us..."

He could already picture the future: complaining about walking, only giving orders with a pointed finger from behind.

Amber shook her head.

"From what I saw, he doesn't seem like that kind of person."

"Well... if you say so, Boss, I'll trust your judgment."

Pavel shrugged.

The meeting place Lim Dojun had chosen was a field a short distance outside the city gates of Eisenhafen.

The members of Milberg's Compass had arrived early with a carriage and were waiting for him.

Before long, Lim Dojun flew in from the distance and landed.

"Oh. Am I late?"

"Not at all, Elder. You're actually earlier than the appointed time."

Amber replied. Pavel and Kane, standing beside her, didn't say anything, but they were quite surprised internally.

A high-ranking mage who actually keeps his appointments with mercenaries on time?

...Maybe the boss was right and he really is a decent person?

The thought crossed their minds.

"Are we taking the carriage?"

Lim Dojun tilted his head as he looked at the vehicle.

"It's not much, but we prepared this carriage for you, Elder. We'll travel through the plains as much as possible, but once we reach the mountains where the ruin is located, we'll have to get off and climb together."

Amber spoke apologetically.

It was indeed a rather modest carriage for an elder to ride in. However, one could hardly take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a luxurious eight-horse carriage to explore ruins. Even if Lim Dojun got angry about the shabby carriage and the fact that they would eventually have to walk, Amber was prepared to accept it.

She had considered all of this before accepting his company on the expedition.

"Ah... I think I misunderstood. Well, riding in a carriage isn't bad. But instead of horses, why don't we have something else pull it?"

"Pardon?"

Whistle—!

Lim Dojun blew a sharp whistle.

The three mercenaries wondered what he was doing. A moment later...

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of massive footsteps that shook the ground echoed from afar.

A giant drake appeared.

The mercenaries panicked and reached for their weapons, but Lim Dojun stepped forward first.

The drake immediately stopped, lowered its body flat against the ground, and began wagging its tail vigorously.

"Let's have this fellow pull the carriage instead of horses. If he pulls it, we should be able to take the carriage even into the mountains."

"......"

"......?"

"???"