The Second Dragon Legacy

Flash!

A golden chest materialized before his eyes. Kim Jehyun's gaze sparkled at the sight.

'Elrun's Treasure Chest!'

It was a treasure chest that yielded artifacts or magic tools. And behind it was a +4 modifier. That meant the chances of getting a higher-grade magic tool or artifact were significantly boosted.

"Open chest."

There was no reason to hesitate. Kim Jehyun immediately opened it.

The golden chest scattered an even richer golden glow as it unsealed.

Flash!

The golden light filled the room where Kim Jehyun was staying before vanishing. And what appeared before him was...

"......? Light orbs?"

Kim Jehyun opened his mouth in confusion.

Indeed. What had appeared were orbs of light in various colors.

"What are these?"

As if answering his question, the system's voice rang out.

'World Tree?'

Kim Jehyun was puzzled but knew what he had to do. He needed to choose one of the floating orbs of light.

"Each one holds a different attribute."

Upon closer inspection, the orbs contained a variety of attributes: fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, poison, steel, light, darkness, and more.

Kim Jehyun pondered for a moment before making his decision.

'What I'll choose is.'

He reached out his hand.

And touched a sphere radiating brilliant red light.

Whoosh!

Hot energy surged through his fingertips.

"Oh!"

An exclamation burst from Kim Jehyun's lips. It was a full-on legendary artifact.

Reviewing the options carefully, they applied universally to fire attribute spirit users or mages. The boosts were no joke. He had a gut feeling that just equipping this bracelet would let him overpower a steel golem on his own.

—Oh ho, a Yggdrasil bracelet. You've got yourself something good.

Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Alkasha, with her discerning eye, acknowledged it as impressive. Clearly, this wasn't something you stumbled upon every day.

Kim Jehyun immediately slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist.

Shaaah.

A pleasant sensation spread through his body. He realized he'd taken another step forward, specifically in fire attribute energy.

"But does the spirit power consumption reduction apply to me too?"

He was a special case—converting mana into spirit power to summon spirits. He wondered if the option would work for him.

"Summon Kasa."

To test it, he summoned Kasa right away.

Whoosh.

Golden flames gathered in the air, forming the shape of an eagle.

"Oh."

Kim Jehyun was surprised by Kasa in two ways. First, the mana cost to summon her had decreased. Astonishingly, the spirit power consumption option from the World Tree Bracelet (Fire) applied to him as well.

And second.

"She's bigger."

Kasa's body had grown slightly larger. That was the spirit size +10% at work.

'Does this apply even at her full size?'

Kim Jehyun recalled. The Kasa by Ifrit's side had been two or three times larger than this. Due to his current limitations, she could only manifest a fraction of her power. He wondered if, once he could summon her fully, her maximum size would increase further.

'A 10% size increase isn't just physical.'

He could feel it from the slightly larger Kasa before him. Bigger size meant proportionally greater power.

—It seems like an option that amplifies the spirit's inherent power itself.

Kim Jehyun nodded at Alkasha's words. This World Tree Bracelet held a mysterious power that intensified spirit strength.

'Just looking at the hidden options...'

Three pieces boosted spirit attack power, and four unlocked the unique skill Amplification.

'It's clearly focused on enhancing spirit power.'

That thought made Kim Jehyun shudder. If he amplified spirit power first, then used spirit magic...

The potential output was unimaginable.

—Indeed. This could be fun. Spirit magic is a field you're pioneering, so research it thoroughly. You might achieve results beyond imagination.

Kim Jehyun nodded. Alkasha had never shown this much curiosity about anything but pure magic before. She must see the vast potential in spirit magic too.

"Alright. No time to slack. I'll rest a bit, then head straight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the second floor for the next legacy."

—Isn't Kim Jehyun the top pick among the next-gen rookies to lead the Magic Tower?

Opinions on Kim Jehyun had flipped overnight. Even those who'd dismissed it as impossible were captivated by his performance. Countless users poured out praise.

—Is spirit magic actually possible?

A few griped about him not being a pure mage, but they were the minority. Kim Jehyun's status in the Magic Tower skyrocketed. His massive contribution to the Nature Clan quest got reexamined, sending his reputation and value through the roof. Rumors swirled that major factions were prepping huge offers to recruit him.

But not everyone was thrilled with his exploits.

Bam!

Red-haired boy Kim Hyeongjin slammed his desk. Seeing the community flooded with Kim Jehyun posts made his blood boil—he couldn't hold back.

And worse.

'These bugs judging me?'

He'd even become a point of comparison. And they said he fell short of Kim Jehyun.

"Grit. Can't take this anymore."

For Kim Hyeongjin, holding back this long was a miracle. But he'd decided: before Kim Jehyun grew further, he'd cut him down personally.

He'd hesitated direct involvement to avoid splashback. But hearing himself compared? Unbearable. The scratch on his pride felt like it would drive him mad if not addressed now.

"Fine. I'll confirm how great you've become with my own hands."

Kim Hyeongjin glared with venomous eyes, consumed by envy and jealousy.

"Hoo. Made it."

The outskirts of the second floor. Kim Jehyun appeared there.

As soon as dawn broke, he'd handled all the administrative procedures for the second-floor Ascension Tower and headed up immediately.

But getting there had been a hassle.

—Grr. I learned today that humans can be leeches.

Alkasha spoke in a voice shivering with irritation. Rightfully so—Kim Jehyun had felt the same.

It happened right after reaching the second floor.

"Mage Kim Jehyun! I'm Kim Jongbeom from ST News! You cleared the Ascension Tower exam at historic levels—what's your take?"

"Dug News here! You summoned a new spirit—rumors say it's from Nature Clan. Any relation?"

"Heard you're transferring to Nature Clan—is it true?"

"What? Nature Clan? That's ridiculous—how's that a real question?"

"Hey, you're a reporter too? OneToday interview. Why so frothy?"

"Still, historic supernova jumping factions? Fair question. That guy's even a reporter...?"

"What? You done talking? Which paper? Looks like a low-circle scrub."

Chaos. Total mess five minutes ago. Reporters shoving questions at Kim Jehyun, then fighting among themselves. Someone clipped it as "Historic Supernova Makes Reporters Fight Themselves—Pure Class."

In that pandemonium, Kim Jehyun's head hurt worse than during magic lessons.

'Ugh... So that's why Jupiter Faction was so considerate back then.'

Now he understood the depth of their courtesy. Finally shaking off the leech-like reporters, he escaped the madhouse utterly drained.

Still, he couldn't delay the second dragon legacy. Following his senses, he arrived where it slumbered. Another remote outskirts spot, devoid of people.

"Doesn't look like anything's here."

Unlike the first floor, this wasn't familiar terrain. Just an empty lot. The Magic Tower wall ahead marked the edge of the outskirts.

"Somewhere around here..."

As Kim Jehyun scanned and poked around the lot.

Shiver.

A chill ran down his spine. Goosebumps prickled his arms.

—Below your feet!

At Alkasha's shout, Kim Jehyun hurriedly looked down. There, he saw dragon eyes staring back.

"Th-this."

As he stammered in shock, the dragon eyes on the lot floor flashed.

Flash!

At the same time.

The ground beneath him cracked open.

"Gah!"

With Kim Jehyun's short scream, the split earth swallowed him whole.