Dragon Lair (2)

Linked Mission: Appoint Sharze as your first guardian. The 'Obtain the Second Elf Sacred Relic' mission will activate.

'This is...!'

Jehyun's eyes sparkled. The second Elf sacred relic. He'd heard that collecting all three great Elf relics would allow him to create the mythic-grade artifact, the World Tree's Essence.

This meant a path to obtaining that second relic had just opened up.

'I was already considering making Sharze a guardian anyway.'

It was like getting the pheasant and the egg both. This was practically a freebie mission.

―Hah. It opens just like that? Discovering the path to an Elf sacred relic should be no easy feat... Your luck truly leaves this body in awe once again today.

Alkasha let out an exclamation upon seeing the linked mission Jehyun had received. It seemed the world's fortunes were all flowing to Jehyun. At this point, Alkasha had come to accept this level of luck as par for the course.

'Nice. Not bad at all.'

Jehyun grinned. The vibe felt good. He decided to open the box right then, riding this positive momentum. Good energy seemed poised to keep rolling in.

'Opening both at once.'

Jehyun pulled out Ellun's Treasure Chest+10 and Jindoji's Treasure Chest+10 from his inventory and opened them simultaneously.

Whoosh!

Golden light mingled with white, bursting forth in a brilliant glow. The chests cracked open at the same time.

'Oh ho.'

Jehyun's eyes lit up as he examined the contents. He immediately checked the item details with Dragon Eye.

One was Unique grade, the other Legendary. His eyes went first to the Legendary one.

'Sealed Chamber, huh.'

The name alone felt ominous. The recommended level was a whopping Stage 8. It might be too reckless to enter just yet. But Jehyun's instincts were tingling—that unique sensation he always got when something good was coming.

He had a hunch he'd score something incredible there.

'Alright. I'll use this the moment I hit Stage 8.'

Jehyun stowed the entry ticket in his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inventory, resolving to do so. Then he turned to the remaining reinforcement stone pack.

He understood it was for reinforcing equipment and artifacts. Without delay, he opened the pack to claim the stones.

'So I can reinforce my gear with these?'

Jehyun drew his wand, Dark's Wand Infused with the Master's Soul. It was a Stage 6 Legendary weapon, forged with the dwarves' aid.

―Planning to reinforce that, are you? Then allow this body to explain the pros and cons.

When reinforcing with stones beyond +5 to +6 or higher, it outputs power equivalent to the next grade up. In other words, from +6 onward, the output itself changes entirely. Jehyun's Stage 6 Legendary wand at +6 would match a Stage 7 Legendary's power.

―But beware. Up to +4, success is near-guaranteed, but from +5, destruction risk appears. Especially +6 and beyond—the failure rate skyrockets.

'Got it.'

Jehyun nodded. The stones amplified the item's power, so the risk matched. He decided to reinforce the wand right away.

Haidel, Sharze, and the other elves trailing him watched in fascination.

"Whoa!"

The elves gasped in surprise. They seemed more excited than Jehyun himself.

Jehyun chuckled and kept using the stones.

In an instant, the wand reached +4. It felt like an entirely different weapon now.

'Whoa, this is insane!'

Jehyun admired the +4 wand, letting out a gasp. If it had been this strong when he first met Kang Sihoo, he wouldn't have been pushed back so easily.

―The power of reinforcement is truly remarkable. You should be able to buy them from the Dragon God's shop later.

'Oh ho, really?'

There were other ways to get stones besides Ellun's chest. Jehyun's eyes gleamed.

―Will you stop at this level of reinforcement? A wise choice. +5 carries the risk of destruction.

Jehyun grinned at Alkasha's words.

'Nah? I'm going all the way to +6.'

―What? Be cautious! +5 is already a coin flip, and +6 is even worse. No matter your luck, this is too reckless...

Before Alkasha could finish, Jehyun used another stone.

'The vibe's perfect right now!'

Whoosh!

The wand glowed gold as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the stone took effect.

'One more!'

―W-Wait!

Jehyun's bold declaration mixed with Alkasha's frantic plea as the wand glowed gold once more.

Whoosh.

Vast mana surged from the wand. The embedded magic stone had evolved to the next tier, triggering the effect.

―This madman! It worked in one go?

Alkasha yelped in shock. The elves' eyes sparkled as they gasped.

"Whoa, what is this, Jehyun-nim?"

Sharze, now completely at ease with him, asked with her jewel-like eyes shining brightly.

"First time seeing something like this? It's reinforcement using a stone."

Jehyun explained, and Sharze nodded eagerly. She looked so cute that he gave her head a pat.

―This insane luck works on reinforcement too...?

Alkasha muttered in a dazed tone.

Jehyun chuckled.

'See? I told you the vibe was right.'

Leaving the stunned Alkasha behind, Jehyun examined Dark's Wand Infused with the Master's Soul+6.

Monstrous stats. Attack power had nearly tripled, mana and mental from +20 to +100. Bonuses like attack, cast speed, and mental cost had doubled in scope. An enormous leap.

Jehyun figured this gear would handle his Stage 7 mana far better.

―Hah, your luck is truly... This body is speechless.

Jehyun grinned at Alkasha's awed voice.

* * *

They arrived at the massive cliff near the Elf ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Forest. The lair would be built inside it.

But he couldn't build it right away. Jehyun realized he needed to carve out space inside the cliff first.

"Guess I need to call the dwarves."

Albad and Alvis, father and son. He'd borrow their clan's hands. Once the lair was complete here, he'd bring the dwarves into his domain anyway—this worked out perfectly.

Jehyun headed straight to the dwarves and brought them back.

"Heh heh... Never thought I'd set foot in elf territory in my lifetime."

Albad laughed heartily. It was understandable. Elves and dwarves were like cats and mice—bitter enemies.

Elves protected and cherished nature. Dwarves destroyed and processed it. The two races were inherently incompatible.

"From now on, no fighting. Get along."

"As you command."

"We obey."

Albad and Haidel bowed in response. But tension still hung thick between them. Jehyun's orders prevented outright hostility, but the awkwardness was palpable.

'What is this... I feel like the guy reconciling feuding kids.'

Jehyun chuckled at the sudden thought. Anyway, true harmony would take time.

"Let's start by preparing the lair's foundation."

Thus began the elves' and dwarves' collaboration. Their synergy was incredible.

The dwarves, with their innate divine strength, bored into the cliff at phenomenal speed, aided by elven magic and spirits that boosted their efficiency. Especially the earth spirits and dwarves—their combo defied description.

'I knew dwarves were skilled craftsmen by reputation, but even simple tunneling is this impressive...'

'Heh heh. I'd heard elven spirit arts were masterful, but this is truly mystical.'

The two races admired each other, syncing up. Without Jehyun, they'd never have had this chance to learn even a little about one another.

'They pull it off great when told to.'

Jehyun smiled, pleased, as he watched them work together.

'Good... While construction's underway, I'll claim a dragon authority and take the 7th floor Ascension Tower exam.'

The 7th-grade Ascension Tower exam had a long interval unlike others. With time to spare, he'd prioritize dragon authorities first.

He'd originally planned the 7th legacy before facing Kang Sihoo, but failed.

He'd been quite flustered at first sight of that message. He'd assumed the seventh legacy was his for the taking and would help greatly against Kang Sihoo.

―Likely the seventh legacy ties to the second horn.

Alkasha's explanation helped Jehyun understand. The seventh was probably acquiring the second Dragon Horn, requiring the first to grow sufficiently.

'Horn proficiency's over 30% now, so a bit more growth and then.'

Conclusion: postpone the seventh legacy, claim other dragon authorities first. Piercing Gaze (S) proficiency had stabilized anyway—it was time for another.

―Which authority will you pursue first?

Jehyun pondered Alkasha's question before speaking.

"Next up... Dragon Bone Weapon. That's the one."

The devastatingly powerful Dragon Bone authority. Jehyun chose it next.