Dragon Eye (3)

"Here it is."

Kim Jehyun emerged from the fork in the path and headed straight for the boss room. It didn't take long before he arrived at the entrance.

The boss room was a spacious cavernous chamber. Since it was a maze-type dungeon built on a basic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cave terrain, this was exactly what he'd expected.

"Those things..."

In the center of the chamber, more than a dozen primitive goblins had gathered. They were at least twice the size of the primitive goblins he'd encountered while clearing the dungeon.

Among them, the largest one sat on what resembled a jade throne.

"They're pretty big."

As Kim Jehyun focused on the goblins ahead, a holographic window popped up before his eyes.

'Goblin warriors and a goblin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shaman.'

That was when Kim Jehyun grasped the goblins' information.

"Kyaaak, kyaaaak!"

The primitive goblin shaman and warriors spotted him and let out shrieks.

Thud, thud, thud!

The goblin warriors charged straight at him. Their movements were incredibly agile—nothing like regular goblins. Even as they closed the distance in an instant, Jehyun remained calm.

Swoosh.

He extended his hand forward and cast a spell.

'Grease.'

The dozen or so charging goblin warriors stumbled. Their feet tangled, and they began toppling over one another.

Soon, a chilling energy gathered above the flailing warriors' heads.

"Kya, kyaaak."

The fallen warriors spotted it and froze. Massive lightning orbs filled their vision—that was the last sight they beheld.

Bzzzzt!

"Kyaaaak!"

The primitive goblin warriors' screams filled the chamber. But they didn't last long. Accompanied by the smell of charred meat, the warriors breathed their last.

"Lightning magic is the best for clustered enemies."

Jehyun had lately been favoring Lightning Bolt and was appreciating the appeal of lightning magic. Hadn't he just one-shotted E-grade monsters far below his level? Its destructive power was among the highest attributes.

"It'd be great if I could get lightning affinity too. Alkasha, can you receive mana blessings multiple times?"

―Hmm. Theoretically possible... but this body has never seen such a case, so it knows not for certain.

"Oh ho. So theoretically, it's possible?"

Jehyun's eyes gleamed. He wasn't sure if it would work, but if there was a chance, he'd explore ways later. For some reason, his intuition told him it just might.

"Alright then... next."

Time to deal with the boss.

That was when Jehyun lifted his head to look at the primitive goblin shaman.

"Huh?"

A bewildered sound escaped his lips.

There should have been the shaman on the throne ahead, but...

"What the—"

The dim cave scenery vanished, replaced suddenly by the view outside the tower.

"Alkasha."

Jehyun called, but no response came. He realized not only had the terrain changed, but Alkasha—always by his side—was gone too.

Then.

"Kim Jehyun."

He turned at the voice calling his name. There stood the figure who had once tormented him viciously: fiery red hair, a cold expression that wouldn't bleed even if stabbed. Kim Hyeongjin.

"You..."

Seeing Kim Hyeongjin, Jehyun realized his situation. This wasn't reality.

An illusion. He'd fallen victim to the boss primitive goblin shaman's spell.

Jehyun chuckled.

Illusion or hallucination spells were notoriously tricky to escape once fully ensnared.

'I didn't sense the casting at all.'

Impressive. As a dungeon boss, the E+ grade had a hidden trick up its sleeve.

'But you picked the wrong opponent.'

Jehyun's eyes began to glow amber. Just as gold light was about to flash from them—

"Right. Before that."

Jehyun turned to Kim Hyeongjin, who smirked coldly. He couldn't just stand there.

This situation—he'd never forget it. The day Kim Hyeongjin had seared his face with fire, leaving a lifelong hideous scar. A nightmarish day.

The goblin's spell had dredged up one of his painful memories, manifesting it as an illusion.

"I told you—act right in my eyes..."

Jehyun lunged at Hyeongjin, who was sneering at him. Hyeongjin's eyes widened in surprise—an expression so lifelike it was hard to distinguish from reality.

Whoosh.

Golden flames gathered in Jehyun's hand. And then—

Kaboom!

"Gaaah!"

A scream burst from Hyeongjin's mouth. Jehyun had grabbed his face with a flaming hand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and slammed him into the ground.

Seeing Hyeongjin writhe in agony eased a long-held grudge in Jehyun's chest.

"We'll meet for real soon enough."

With those words, Jehyun's eyes fully turned golden.

With the rising alert, cracks spiderwebbed through the air like shattered glass. Soon, the fractured space exploded into pieces.

Clang!

As the illusion collapsed, it revealed the primitive goblin shaman wearing a panicked expression.

"Kya, kyaaak."

The orb at the end of the staff in its hand flickered before going dark—signaling the illusion array's complete destruction.

"Thanks for the fun."

Jehyun spoke to the goblin shaman as he scanned the room with his pupils. He understood now why he hadn't noticed the illusion array: it had been pre-installed in the boss room itself, likely activating the moment he entered.

"Kyaaaak!"

The primitive goblin shaman rose from the throne. The ornaments on its body jangled wildly.

"Kyaak!"

Aiming its staff at Jehyun, it shrieked, summoning orbs of flame.

Swoosh.

The fire orbs flew toward him, but Jehyun dodged effortlessly. His physical stats, all at 6 after reaching level 8, were more than enough to evade projectiles from that range.

Having evaded, Jehyun counterattacked without delay.

'Fire Bolt.'

Whoosh.

Golden flames materialized in the air instantly. Infused with golden mana, the Fire Bolt far surpassed a standard 1st Circle spell's power.

"Kyaaaak."

The shaman hastily conjured a defensive array, but it wasn't enough to block the bolts. The golden flames shattered the defense and engulfed the shaman's body.

Roar.

"Kya, kyaaak."

The primitive goblin shaman thrashed in agony. For some reason, it glared at Jehyun with eyes full of resentment even as it died.

"Kyaak! Kyaaak! Kyaak!"

It kept shrieking something. Cursing him, perhaps?

―Quite the noisy one.

'Yeah, tell me about it.'

Then, Jehyun's and the shaman's eyes met.

"Kya, kyak."

The creature, moments ago raging in death throes, suddenly paled and trembled. An expression of disbelief spread across its face.

"Kya, kyak."

In its dying moments, the primitive goblin suddenly adopted a reverent attitude. Then it transmitted its final will into Jehyun's mind and perished.

"What? It just called me a great one?"

Jehyun looked at Alkasha in surprise.

―Hoh. It seems it recognized the dragon's dignity in your eyes at the last moment.

Jehyun felt a strange mix of emotions at the explanation. That final gaze, viewing him as an absolute being—it was the first time the dragon's majesty, lording over all races, truly touched his skin.

The alert informed him of the successful clear. A return portal appeared, but Jehyun put off leaving.

Twinkle.

A red glow flickered from the dead shaman's bosom. Jehyun picked it up—it was a ring-shaped artifact.

"An artifact, huh?"

―Indeed. Dungeons accessed via tickets can yield magic tools or artifacts.

"Oh ho."

Jehyun let out an impressed sound. Normally, artifacts or magic tools were crafted from monster gear or mana stones. This dragon-authorized dungeon was clearly something special.

He examined the ring immediately with Dragon Eye. Rare grade, no less. And it boosted fire attributes—perfect for Jehyun, whose main attribute was fire.

"Ooh, nice drop."

An unexpected gain brought a smile to his lips.

―Returning now?

"Nah, hold on."

Jehyun scanned the empty chamber. Something smelled promising.

'Goblins usually mean... treasure chests.'

Goblin habits: they loved hoarding treasure. Even regular goblin dungeons sometimes had chests. For primitive goblins? Even more likely.

He searched every corner, but found nothing.

"Nothing else in here."

―Hmm. That throne looks suspicious.

"Right? That's why I saved it for last."

Jehyun approached the shaman's throne.

"Knew it!"

Jehyun grinned. The illusion cloaking the throne's base vanished, revealing a hidden crevice. Opening it unveiled a large chest.

"Jackpot."

Seeing the alert, Jehyun grinned. This dungeon was so sweet it might give him cavities.

* * *

The Magic Tower housed numerous factions. They were akin to guilds or clans within the tower, united under faction names to advance their interests and growth.

Thus, they vied fiercely to recruit promising newcomers.

Kim Jehyun was no exception.

"Whoa, how many emails did they send?"

Back in his quarters, after washing up and resting, Jehyun checked his inbox—piled high with messages.

"How'd they even get my email?"

He chuckled wryly at the stack. Curious how they'd obtained it.

He set aside the faction recruitment emails for now. He had no intention of joining one. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With Alkasha, any support a faction could offer was already surpassed by its powers.

"Priority now is hitting stage 2."

Jehyun viewed his status window.

"Level 9."

Fortunately, he'd gained the level he'd aimed for in this dungeon. One more, and he'd hit level 10—entry to stage 2.

"Pure training is fine, but..."

Jehyun murmured at his status. His intuition said there was a faster way than just grinding.

He pulled something from his inventory: the Blazing Stone. His eyes lit up at the hot stone radiating heat from his hand.

Perhaps it could not only strengthen his golden mana but also boost his level.