Meeting the Supreme Magic Tome Alkasha

Kim Jehyun's eyes widened as he stared at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic tome floating in midair.

"What... are you?"

—Can't you tell by looking? This body is a magic tome.

The magic tome replied in a sullen tone, laced with clear dissatisfaction.

But that wasn't what mattered to Jehyun right now.

"Does this situation... have something to do with you?"

More important than the tome's prickly attitude was grasping the current reality. His body had reverted to childhood, and all the mana he'd painstakingly accumulated over the years was gone. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on first.

—This situation? You mean returning to the past?

"The past... So I really went back in time?"

Jehyun's eyes grew even larger. The hypothesis he'd barely dared to consider was turning out to be true—it hit him like a physical blow. It was far too vivid to dismiss as a dream. Even stuck at 2nd Circle for twenty-six years, he'd been a mage long enough to distinguish illusion from reality.

—Hmmm. Seems you've got a handle on it.

The tome's voice softened a fraction as it regarded him.

—Indeed. You returned to the past thanks to the provisional contract you formed with this body.

"...Provisional contract?"

Jehyun eyed the tome dubiously. He'd never seen or even heard of anything like it before. A provisional contract? With this?

Sensing his gaze, the tome let out a low chuckle.

—Don't you remember? You awakened this body from its slumber in the Magic Tower's library.

"The Magic Tower's library...?"

Jehyun racked his brains at the tome's words. Suddenly, a memory surfaced. An old, tattered book he'd found in the 1st Circle section. Even the librarian had never seen it before—said it must have been overlooked during the seasonal cleanup and told him to just take it.

"No way..."

—That's right. That book was this body.

"But back then, it was falling apart, practically crumbling to dust."

There was a world of difference between that shabby volume and the radiant tome before him now. And it hadn't even been a magic book—just some trivial fairy tale about dragons.

—This body was still sealed at the time.

After exchanging a few more words with the tome, Jehyun finally pieced together the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rough outline of events. The ancient magic tome had been sealed away in the Magic Tower, awaiting a suitable contractor. It only revealed its true form to one worthy, which was why no one knew of it.

'And I was that contractor.'

He still had no idea what criteria made him suitable. He wasn't some prodigy mage—he'd been a perennial failure, stuck at 2nd Circle for twenty-six years.

—Forget your past self. Through this body, you will learn true magic. From that day forward, you shall experience a new world.

"...You're saying I should learn magic from you?"

—Precisely. The details will become clear once you become my official contractor.

"Official contractor?"

—As I said, this is merely a 'provisional contract' state. Pass the required trials, and we shall form a true bond.

"Don't tell me those conditions involve... magic?"

—Is that even a question? To formally contract with this body, the supreme magic tome, of course it involves magic.

Jehyun furrowed his brow. Frankly, anything magic-related filled him with doubt. His ambition to reach the top hadn't faded, but innate magical talent wasn't something willpower alone could overcome.

'Still...'

Ambition flickered in Jehyun's eyes.

"What are these conditions?"

The tome before him might just be the fateful opportunity he'd been waiting for. He wanted to seize it. He desperately hoped it was something he could achieve.

—A fine question. But first, introductions are in order, no?

"Oh."

Only then did Jehyun realize he didn't even know the tome's name.

—Very well. This body is the quintessence of magic, inheritor of a great one's legacy—the supreme magic tome Alkasha.

Alkasha. That was the name of the tome hovering before him. The moment it etched itself into Jehyun's mind, a surge of multicolored light pulsed more intensely from Alkasha.

—Learn magic through this body, and you shall ascend to heights unmatched by any in this world. Remember: the spells you will master are the heritage of a great one.

Alkasha's declarative words stirred something deep in Jehyun's soul.

"That... great one. Who is it?"

Alkasha's response carried a smug air, despite its lack of a face.

—The protector of the mid-realms and master of magic, the supreme dragon of the dragon clan—Lord Arkanios.

* * *

Dragons. Legendary beings from ancient tales, passed down through oral tradition. Even the elves and dwarves spoke of their power in terms so grandiose they bordered on fiction.

The Dragon Eye, piercing all creation. The Dragon Scale and bones harder than any material. Dragon Blood, pure mana incarnate. The Dragon Horn, amplifying mana to unleash oceanic might from a mere handful. And at the core, the Dragon Heart, vessel of infinite mana.

Legends held that the dragons' near-divine bodies wielded super-advanced magic rivaling the gods themselves. Especially the Dragon Word magic, exclusive to dragons—a force that made even the heavenly celestials and demonic lords of the abyss tremble in fear.

"A magic tome left by those legendary dragons? Wait—dragons were even real?"

Jehyun couldn't wrap his head around it. No wonder: dragons had never appeared in recorded history, only in folklore. Humanity dismissed them as fantasy from other races' fairy tales.

—The dragon clan fell into deep slumber long ago for reasons unknown. Even in their active days, their numbers were few, so encounters were exceedingly rare.

"Whoa..."

Jehyun's heart pounded. If this tome truly granted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dragon magic—even if not to a dragon's full extent—he might surpass the so-called pinnacles of the human realm.

—Your ambitions are disappointingly small. Dreaming merely of being the strongest among humans? Think bigger. Master this body's magical essence fully, and you could rival dragons themselves.

"As strong as a dragon...?"

—Yes. Though it depends on your effort, of course.

Gulp.

Jehyun swallowed hard. The mere thought sent a thrilling shiver racing up his spine, electrifying his entire body.

—And... though it's Lord Arkanios's mere conjecture, if a human body fully inherits my power, you might even shatter the final barrier no dragon ever crossed...

Alkasha murmured so softly Jehyun couldn't hear, watching him tremble with excitement.

"So, what do I do now? Where do I start?"

Jehyun asked, reining in his fervor.

That was the moment.

"This is..."

A translucent window floated before Jehyun's eyes, laying out his path forward.

"Skin Breathing?"

—Indeed. To inherit dragon power, you must train differently from humans. The first step is mana respiration through the skin.

"...Is that even possible?"

Jehyun's skepticism was natural. Humans breathed through lungs, inhaling and exhaling via nose and mouth. Standard mana breathing drew in ambient mana the same way. Skin breathing? Unless he had gills, that was impossible.

—Cast aside the common sense you know. Did you think claiming dragon power would be easy? The trials ahead will shatter your preconceptions—if you pass this first one.

"Ugh. But if I fail and the contract breaks, what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happens?"

—Exactly what it says: termination. Your regression was only possible through our provisional contract. Break it, and the regression reverses. You'll snap back to the moment before you regressed.

"Then..."

—Yes. Sharp as ever. To be precise, you regressed the instant you died. So you'd return to that final breath.

Jehyun fell silent at Alkasha's words. His second chance wasn't ironclad.

Alkasha continued, noting his hardened expression.

—Even dragon magic struggles with time regression. It's beyond gods' easy reach. We achieved it through the dragons' contingency within me—and your death.

Alkasha's cover fluttered as it spoke.

—Thus, termination reclaims that contingency. But fear not. Succeed, form the official contract, and all is secure.

"So if I officially contract, no reverting?"

—Correct. Upon success, all my legacies become yours irrevocably. The twisted timeline realigns perfectly—irrevocable, even by gods.

"Hmm..."

Jehyun nodded. He had to nail the first mission.

—Focus on clearing it, then. Ordinary skin breathing takes at least a year to grasp—if at all.

"What? A year?"

Jehyun gaped. Succeed in a year-long task in three months? He'd braced for tough, but this was insane.

No time for complaints. He snapped his head up, glaring at Alkasha.

"Damn it. How do I do this skin breathing thing?"

—Now that's the fire I like. First, find a high-mana density spot. Then...

And so began Jehyun's first steps in skin breathing.

Truth be told, Alkasha had pegged his success odds below 1%.

But that assessment shattered exactly one month later.

—...Is this for real?

A cry of astonishment escaped Alkasha as it beheld Jehyun, who had cleared the mission at an absurd speed.