The Sixth Legacy (3)
Taesan. The literal meaning refers to a tall and grand mountain.
At first glance, Kim Jehyun had felt that the white mountain before him was as colossal as Taesan.
'It wasn't just a mountain.'
But the white mountain looming ahead wasn't a mere mountain—it was the colossal remains of what had once been a living being.
'This is... a dragon.'
The enormous skeletal frame resembled that of a lizard. Wings that seemed to have blanketed the skies in life, with multiple pairs of bones, and a tail stretching endlessly into the distance. Even judging by physical size alone, it dwarfed what Arkanios must have been in his prime.
'A dragon this massive existed...? Ah!'
In Jehyun's memories, Arkanios had been the largest dragon by far.
As Jehyun tilted his head and muttered to himself, a certain entity flashed through his mind.
'The rainbow-hued dragon!'
It matched the build of that enigmatic dragon he'd glimpsed occasionally when acquiring legacies.
Gulp.
Sensing something ominous, Jehyun stepped closer to the gigantic dragon's remains.
The moment he was near enough to touch it, the anomaly struck.
"You've come this far—well done."
A will emanated from the dragon's bones.
"What you shall claim this time is my bone."
Unlike before, it felt as if the dragon were speaking to Jehyun face-to-face, its will vivid and alive.
"I believe you, whom I've watched thus far, can pass my trial."
With those words, a mystical light erupted from the dragon's remains.
Fwaaash!
Blinding light filled his vision, and the space where Jehyun stood transformed.
It was a vast hall, so immense its boundaries vanished into the distance. At the far end stood countless unidentified tombstones.
As Jehyun stared at those distant stones...
The trial to inherit the Sixth Legacy has begun.
The familiar system voice rang out.
With it, a pillar of light surged from the smallest tombstone among them.
Whoooosh.
As the glow subsided, a figure materialized in its place.
'What the hell?'
Jehyun tensed, channeling his power. His Dragon Horn sprouted, Dragon Scales enveloped his body. He could summon spirits too, so he called forth his spirits up to Raidoo.
Then he fixed his gaze on the approaching entity.
Clack. Clack.
It revealed itself with rattling sounds.
'...A skeleton?'
Activating Dragon Eye expanded his vision, confirming the distant figure was a skeleton composed purely of bones.
The skeleton's form was familiar to Jehyun.
'Orc.'
A D-rank low-grade monster, an orc. The skeleton bore its shape.
But it was three or four times larger than a typical orc, wielding a bone shard shaped like a sword.
'Not just any skeleton.'
His instincts screamed it. Despite the orc form, it was no pushover.
He scanned it with Dragon Eye.
'...!'
Jehyun's eyes widened at the info.
'An orc that's a Sword Master?'
He nearly blurted out how absurd that was when—
Whoosh.
The Dragon Bone Weapon in orc form blurred, vanishing and reappearing before Raidoo in an instant.
'Insane!'
Without Dragon Eye, even his dynamic vision might not have kept up.
Kwaaaang!
Raidoo blocked the swung bone-sword with Absolute Defense.
"Grraaah."
Even with the defense active, Raidoo cried out in pain from the impact.
Crimson sword aura poured from the bone-sword like molten metal.
"Heh, an orc using sword aura?"
Jehyun let out a disbelieving chuckle.
The Sword Master realm was what S-rank superhumans wielding blades encountered after breaking through their second wall—a notoriously arduous feat, achieved by few.
Yet here was an orc that had attained it. An orc, now a Dragon Bone Weapon, long dead.
'Interesting.'
Jehyun discarded his preconceptions about orcs and committed fully to the fight.
The moment he willed it, his hovering spirits surged toward the Dragon Bone Weapon.
'Fire Burst.'
Golden fireballs formed in his hands, and his magic combined with the spirits' assault rained down like lightning.
* * *
"Hoo..."
Jehyun exhaled, gazing at the crumbling Dragon Bone Weapon before him.
The battle had been fierce.
The dragon bones comprising its body boasted immense magic resistance.
'Who would've thought it'd tank my spells and the spirits' attacks barehanded.'
A protective aura had flickered over it, sure.
But he'd figured relying solely on that to endure their barrage was folly.
'And yet it did.'
Recalling the scene, Jehyun chuckled wryly.
Even after the aura shattered, his magic and the spirits' strikes struggled to pierce its inherent resistance.
'This thing's more impressive than I thought.'
His eyes gleamed.
The Dragon Bone Weapon's resistance exceeded expectations. Against a regular S-rank monster, his Mana Core Stage 6 spells—bolstered by dragon power—wouldn't be trifled with; tanking them bare would have exploded its body instantly.
'If I can acquire these Dragon Bone Weapons... this could be a stronger card than anticipated.'
Jehyun grinned.
Dragon Bone Weapons were cards he'd claim in time anyway. Their strength meant his overall power grew.
"But... why hasn't the trial ended?"
He scanned the surroundings, muttering.
Wasn't defeating the orc-shaped one the end? His gaze drifted to the tombstones ahead.
'Nah, no way... Right?'
As the thought crossed his mind—
Grrrrumble.
The tombstones vibrated in unison.
Brilliant pillars of light erupted from each.
"...!"
Jehyun's jaw dropped at the sight.
Fwaaash!
The lights intensified, revealing...
"Ha, ha..."
A legion of Dragon Bone Weapons in forms human, minotaur, wyvern, drake, ogre, and more.
* * *
Flicker.
Blinding light faded, and Jehyun reappeared before Alkasha.
"Oh, hast thou claimed the legacy successfully?"
"Phew. Yeah. Managed to get it, thankfully."
Jehyun replied to Alkasha's question, exhaustion heavy in his voice.
"Why the muted reaction? What transpired?"
"Well..."
Jehyun recounted the ordeal: battling the orc warlord Dragon Bone Weapon, then facing an endless legion of them.
"What? Thou hadst to face them all?"
Alkasha sounded genuinely shocked, as if it were his own trial.
"At first, I thought so too."
The sensation upon facing that legion...
Overwhelm. Nothing else described it.
As Jehyun desperately racked his brain for a way out, a massive light burst from the approaching horde, resonating with him.
"That feeling then..."
It was an indescribably exhilarating thrill. A sense of unity with the Dragon Bone Weapons, like gaining new limbs. Fireworks exploding in his mind, welcoming him to a new world.
"W-What? Thou resonated with them right there?"
"Yeah. Spot on."
"...Impossible."
Alkasha continued in stunned tones.
"Resonating with those Dragon Bone Weapons is impossible at hatchling level. Only after achieving holy dragon form... How...?"
Alkasha sounded baffled.
"Hah... To comprehend thy feats, this one must discard all prior knowledge."
"Was it that impressive?"
Jehyun's eyes sparkled at Alkasha's words.
"Indeed. Thou art etching an unprecedented record in dragon history. Naught else after?"
Did he meet the giant dragon's remains again?
"Well..."
Jehyun continued the tale.
After merging with the Dragon Bone Weapons, a voice announced he'd passed the sixth trial.
He reappeared before the colossal remains.
"This is one of the powers thou must claim henceforth."
The remains spoke, then dissolved into rainbow particles, absorbed into Jehyun's body.
He vividly felt his bones reconstructing, his very essence transforming.
"W-Wait—power transfer during legacy inheritance?!"
Alkasha gasped again.
He didn't know everything about legacies, so Jehyun's feats continually astonished him. This time especially.
"Hast thou checked thy Dragon Bone proficiency?"
"No, hold on."
Jehyun opened his status window and froze.
"What? Already at 25%?"
Just acquired, yet Dragon Bone proficiency sat at 25%.
"Madness. True transfer occurred. Incredible."
"Any other stat changes?"
"One sec... Oh!"
Jehyun's eyes widened at his stats.
Physical stats up 30 each, intelligence, mana, and mental strength by a whopping 50.
"Whoa, insane. Jackpot?"
No wonder his body felt light and brimming with power.
Jehyun grinned broadly, exclaiming in delight.
"Truly... Thy growth is immeasurable."
Alkasha seemed speechless at Jehyun's potential.
"Haha. Watch me surpass Arkanios."
"..."
Once, Alkasha would've scoffed that surpassing Arkanios would take millennia. But now? He couldn't deny it. Jehyun just might.
"...Congratulations regardless. Breach the next wall, and thou enterest Stage 7. From there to 8 might come swiftly. At 8, thou becomest quasi-holy dragon—lair construction and dragon magic await."
"Oh ho."
Jehyun's eyes lit at "dragon magic."
"Thy power leans on spirits beyond magic now... But master dragon magic, and it shall dominate. Thou wilt witness magic's true might."
"Oh yeah?"
Jehyun's eyes sparkled. He itched to hit Stage 8 immediately.
"Ah... Would be nice to snag another Dragon God Temple ticket."
He'd realized nothing leveled faster than the temple.
"First up, the Ascension Tower exam."
A new record and bonus rewards could yield another box. He'd decide next steps based on that.
Jehyun registered promptly. On exam day, checking the theme, he smirked.
"Perfect stage to test this new power."