Dragon Bone Weapon
"Then I'll be off."
Kim Jehyun turned away from the elves and dwarves who had come to see him off.
Levitation.
Using the aerial levitation spell to lift himself into the sky, he then cast Fly and shot toward the Magic Tower.
Whoosh.
Jehyun glided through the air at an incredible speed. It wasn't as fast as teleportation, but at this velocity, distance constraints practically vanished.
In truth, flying with magic like this—as Jehyun was demonstrating—was far from easy. One needed spells to negate air resistance, constant adjustments to speed and trajectory, and above all, it consumed an enormous amount of mana to maintain such velocity.
All of this had only become possible after Jehyun reached Mana Core Stage 7.
"Huh, what's that?"
"What is it? A flying monster?"
People near the Magic Tower spotted Jehyun streaking through the sky, trailing clouds in his wake. At first, they mistook his tremendous speed for a flying monster.
But when he came to an abrupt halt above the tower and dove toward the ground, they screamed.
"Aaaah! What the hell, it's coming down!"
"I-it's landing right here! Run!"
A minor commotion erupted among the crowd below. But rendering their panic laughable, Jehyun rapidly slowed his descent, landing as softly as a feather touching the earth.
"……!"
A few who recognized his face froze in shock.
"I-it's Kim Jehyun!"
"Oh yeah! No wonder he looked familiar!"
"Whoa, so Kim Jehyun was the one flying like a bird just now? As expected of a high-rank mage!"
"Damn, he looks even better in person. His face is glowing, seriously glowing."
Those who recognized him showered Jehyun with sudden attention and cheers. Mages dominated near the tower entrance, but plenty of civilians were around too—and most knew who he was.
Thanks to the recent Superhuman Soul incident, Jehyun's name had spread widely among the public.
"Thank you."
Jehyun waved to the cheering, friendly crowd as he headed toward the entrance. Alkasha clicked its tongue at the sight.
―Tsk tsk, a mere toddler taking his first steps, already drunk on fame…
'You only know one side of it and not the other. Image management like this is insurance for whatever might come.'
―What? What nonsense about managing your image?
Jehyun calmly explained to the worldly-naive Alkasha.
'Reaching Stage 7 puts me on par with most faction leaders in the Magic Tower. Sure, some will be friendly, but others will try to check me for sure.'
―Hmm. And how does that relate to you basking in popularity?
'Didn't you notice during the Black Snake Clan fight? The massive image gap made public opinion lean my way. That let things with the Superhuman Soul go how I wanted. With no special faction backing me, building a friendly public image could help big time later.'
―Hah, how complicated. Why not just crush them all with raw power? If things get messy in the tower, why not move your base to that lair you're building?'
'I'll relocate eventually, but I haven't fully inherited the dragon legacies yet. And crushing with force alone… maybe at Stage 8, but not yet.'
―Hmm. If that's your thinking, fine…. Humans are so convoluted. Always overthinking everything. Tch tch.
Jehyun chuckled at Alkasha's words. He'd piled on the reasons, but truthfully, he just wanted to soak in the cheers. This was the image he'd dreamed of in his past life.
His steps into the Magic Tower felt lighter than ever today.
* * *
He had acquired the sixth legacy through the Dragon Bone Weapon necklace on the sixth floor. Since the medium was the necklace, he'd tried enhancing its power outside the tower, but it hadn't worked. Even inside, nothing until he reached the sixth floor—near Phoenix Hall, where he'd gotten it—triggered the message.
'At least I don't have to go inside Phoenix Hall.'
Meeting Jeong Yeongha, who ran it, felt a bit daunting. She was extremely friendly toward him, but he had a hunch she'd latch on and not let go for a while. With time being gold, Jehyun decided to postpone greetings.
You can strengthen the power of the sixth legacy. Would you like to do so now?
Accepting the prompt, Jehyun felt his consciousness sucked into one spot, and the place where he'd gained the sixth legacy materialized before him.
Shiiiine.
A majestic scene unfolded: a dark sky brimming with countless stars. Just like before, it felt like standing on the moon, gazing at the cosmos.
But this time, the spot with the massive dragon bones now held countless tombstones.
'Those are…. Dragon Bone Weapon tombstones.'
They matched the ones he'd seen during the Dragon Bone Weapon battles.
Jehyun had a hunch about this legacy power enhancement trial.
The trial to strengthen the power of the sixth legacy has begun.
With the message, Jehyun's guess proved correct.
Grrr.
The frontmost tombstone shuddered. Its engraved pattern looked familiar.
'That orc from before.'
It matched the Swordmaster Orc he'd fought for the sixth legacy.
Flash!
Light burst from the tombstone, and the Orc Dragon Bone Weapon rose.
It looked identical to before, but calmer, more composed. Sensing the difference, Jehyun maxed his mana and prepared for battle.
Shing.
The moment the Orc Dragon Bone Weapon gripped its sword-like bone, combat began.
Swoosh!
It closed the distance to Jehyun at blinding speed—faster than last time. Back then, at this pace, Jehyun would've lost for sure.
'That wasn't even its full power!'
Realization hit as sword aura formed on the blade, swinging down like a bell toll.
But Jehyun wasn't the old Jehyun. Having broken through to Stage 7, he reacted instantly to the lightning-fast strike.
Craaaang!
Sword aura clashed with Jehyun's Magic Shield, mana resonance echoing everywhere.
Roar!
Golden flames erupted from Jehyun's other hand. Stage 7 ancient magic: Mega Fireball.
It launched point-blank at the Dragon Bone Weapon.
Fwoosh!
The weapon slashed it in half, but the fragments reformed, engulfing its body.
Roar!
Golden flames wrapped it tight. Yet it didn't fall.
It shook its free hand, dispelling the fire. Protective aura had minimized damage.
Jehyun let out a dry laugh. 'No joke.'
Flames that could melt mithril, yet only faint scorch marks?
Bracing for a tough fight, Jehyun conjured golden flames in both hands again. If once failed, twice; if twice, thrice—keep attacking till it dropped.
His eyes gleamed, another massive fireball hurtling forth.
* * *
Roar.
The once-smooth ground was now pocked, scorched, and ruined. Lingering golden flames flickered everywhere.
Grrr.
Before Jehyun stood a half-destroyed Dragon Bone Weapon struggling to rise—its legs melted away.
Victory was decided.
"Whew."
Jehyun exhaled deeply. A real challenge. Its sword aura outpowered peer knights, speed matched its destructive force, and its durability was insane. A classic physical powerhouse warrior type.
Its final berserk mode, ignoring defense to rampage, had nearly gotten him.
Thud.
As Jehyun caught his breath, the Orc Dragon Bone Weapon collapsed.
'Over?'
A satisfying fight. But the trial wasn't done.
The second trial begins. Prepare for combat.
Light exploded from the next tombstone: an Orc Dragon Bone Weapon wielding a staff.
"Heh…. An Orc shaman this time."
Jehyun gave a wry smile at the smirking shaman.
* * *
Flash.
His vision cleared, consciousness returning.
"Haa."
Jehyun gasped raggedly, showing the ordeal.
―How'd it go? Did you enhance the power?
Jehyun nodded lightly. "Yeah, got the legacy. Nearly died for real."
He shook his head. No exaggeration.
The second Orc shaman was trickier. Its alien shamanism disrupted his mental world with debuffs, summoning bizarre creatures to tie up his limbs.
Only fully unleashing dragon powers let him barely win.
And the final one….
'A human swordsman's Dragon Bone Weapon.'
Smaller than the Orc's, it wielded a slender bone sword, standing listlessly before him.
It seemed easy at first, but nearly cost him dearly. At least twice as strong—probably more.
It moved its bone lazily, barely trying.
'That wasn't full power.'
Yet he'd almost lost. Its casual swing pressured him immensely, forcing defense. As he considered Dragon Word, it grew lazier, standing still to block.
Unable to pierce, he collapsed the ground beneath it for a ridiculous win.
'Even that worked because it didn't resist….'
Jehyun shook his head at its power. They seemed to appear in strength order, but the third felt like a glitch—overpowered.
―Hoo, really? Glad you passed anyway.
"Yeah. Failing? Ugh, don't wanna think about it."
Jehyun shuddered. Alkasha chuckled.
―So, what grade power did you get?
"Well…."
Jehyun showed it reluctantly.
Dragon Bone Weapon Creation (A)
Create Dragon Bone Weapons using dragon bones.
A-grade power. Sparse description: just "create Dragon Bone Weapons using dragon bones."
Not the powerhouses like the Orc or human ones—basic models. Jehyun felt shortchanged.
―Ahem. Never thought you'd get A-grade. A is rare enough, but after all those S+? Feels off.
Alkasha circled him sternly.
―But be grateful for A-grade. Lower would've just amplified dragon bone power, not created weapons. Even basic ones are a win….
Discovered a fragment of the Hidden Piece from the heir. Hidden Piece activates.
"Huh?"
―What?
Sudden system message. Both startled.