Second Dragon Legacy (2)
“Kuh.”
A short groan escaped Kim Jehyun’s lips. The ground suddenly gave way beneath his feet, and he plummeted downward. It felt like plunging through an endless abyss of darkness.
Thud.
Passing through the abyss, Kim Jehyun landed deep underground and executed a perfect roll to steady himself. His physical abilities had already surpassed those of a low-tier superhuman, so maintaining balance was no issue.
The impact... it’s not that bad?
Upon landing, Kim Jehyun was surprised. Despite falling from what seemed like a great height, the shock to his body was far less than expected.
He looked up. The ceiling of the bluish cave came into view. There were no signs of it collapsing anywhere.
This wasn’t just the ground caving in.
Kim Jehyun realized he had been transported here by some magical force.
Testing your qualifications for the Second Dragon Legacy.
At that moment, a notification window appeared before Kim Jehyun’s eyes. He realized this was the second location for claiming Arkanios’s legacy.
Just as I thought.
He calmly surveyed his surroundings. It was a vast cavern lit by swirling blue light. At both ends of the cave stood rows of statues carved in the likeness of dragons.
Those give off a seriously bad vibe.
He sensed something emanating from the dragon statues.
And then.
Grind.
The statues all turned their heads in unison to stare at Kim Jehyun.
“Holy shit.”
The curse slipped out involuntarily. It wasn’t just the eerie way the statues fixed their gaze on him.
It was the mana waves radiating from them. They were anything but negligible.
Whirr.
The eyes of the largest statue in the center glowed brightly.
“……!”
Meeting those eyes, Kim Jehyun felt the blood in his veins turn ice-cold. Goosebumps raced up his spine and spread across his entire body. His fingertips trembled.
A visceral terror surged from the depths of his soul. It felt like his mind was on the verge of shattering.
Clarity of Mind (S) resists Dragon Fear.
Partial resistance success.
Mana Core resists Dragon Fear.
Partial resistance success.
The notification sounds rang in his ears. Kim Jehyun realized the crushing despair weighing on him was Dragon Fear emanating from the statue. He also grasped the nature of this trial.
Endure this Dragon Fear. That was the test.
Urgh.
Kim Jehyun gritted his teeth. Thanks to Clarity of Mind and his Mana Core, he caught a brief respite. But the Dragon Fear eroding his mind was far from over.
A powerful instinct warned him that failure to endure would shatter his psyche.
Dragon Fear wasn’t just about breaking an opponent’s will. It was one of the dragon’s supreme powers, capable of slaying foes outright.
His breathing grew ragged, making it harder to draw air.
I need to steady my breathing.
Even in crisis, Kim Jehyun responded calmly. Instinct told him breath control was the key to breaking through.
Despite the mind-shattering pain hindering focus, he drew on ingrained memory to steadily perform the breathing technique of Hatchling’s Basic Mana Art.
…….
…….
How much time passed?
His breathing gradually stabilized. The excruciating agony began to fade.
He immersed himself deeper into the rhythm. Then, at some point—
A sharp clarity pierced one side of his mind.
Unyielding Will! Mental strength greatly increases.
Successfully endured Dragon Fear.
Passed the trial for the Second Legacy.
The messages echoed in his ears as Kim Jehyun’s consciousness flickered.
* * *
Whoosh.
The roar of fierce winds whipping about jolted him awake.
Where...?
Kim Jehyun tried to rise, but his body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.
Huh?
His eyes widened as he pushed himself up. A violet wave—no, a massive violet sphere.
But it was far smaller than in Arkanios’s memories. Back then, it had blotted out the vast sky. Now, it was the size of a modest mountain peak.
The violet sphere was battling something.
For the first time, Kim Jehyun witnessed the sphere fighting directly.
Splurt.
Countless tentacles erupted from the sphere, lancing toward the enormous creature it fought—a red dragon.
—Burst.
Splat!
The violet tentacles exploded mid-air. Before the dragon words of the red dragon, the sphere’s onslaught was futile.
Kerisha.
Kim Jehyun recalled that this red dragon was Kerisha, Arkanios’s mate.
He didn’t know the full context, but Kerisha was locked in combat with the violet sphere—and overwhelmingly dominating.
—Return.
Shwoop.
The tentacles surging toward Kerisha defied the sphere’s will and turned back on it instead.
—Burst, burn, and be crushed.
Vrrr.
A barrage of dragon words. Kerisha, an upper-tier worm dragon, wielded them with devastating power.
The violet sphere ruptured, ignited, and crumpled under immense pressure from above.
Up to this point, it was a clear victory for Kerisha.
But—
Danger!
Kim Jehyun cried out. Fragments from the earlier exploded tentacles gathered at Kerisha’s feet in mid-air, weaving into a net—and lunged at her.
—Petty tricks...
Stop...
Kuh.
Kerisha staggered mid-incantation for some reason.
And then—
Shrrrip!
The fully unfurled violet net engulfed her.
“Gasp.”
That was where the memory of Kerisha ended.
Kim Jehyun bolted upright and looked around. An empty clearing. It was the outskirts of the second floor, where he’d arrived to claim the dragon legacy.
“This is...”
—Awakened?
Kim Jehyun looked up at Alkasha’s voice. Seeing the ancient tome floating serenely in the air brought everything flooding back clearly.
“Arkanios’s memory, huh.”
Kerisha. Arkanios’s dragon mate. Swallowed by a fragment of the violet sphere in her final moments.
What happened to her after? Questions piled up.
But Kim Jehyun had no answers now.
Then, a notification snapped him from his reverie.
Successfully inherited the Second Dragon Legacy: Dragon Fear.
Authority Dragon Fear created.
“This is...!”
Kim Jehyun’s face lit with shock. He had acquired the very Dragon Fear he’d just endured firsthand.
He knew its terror all too well.
Arkanios massacred enemies with Fear alone.
Fragments of memory surfaced. Countless foes charging Arkanios, only to be crushed by sheer presence. Weaker minds collapsed and perished from exposure alone.
It’ll be a huge help in battle.
Exposed opponents suffered massive stat drops. With Dragon Fear, subduing enemies would be far easier.
And that wasn’t all for claiming the second legacy.
Fwoosh.
Golden light erupted from Kim Jehyun’s entire body like an explosion. Every cell screamed in ecstatic joy.
The surging gold permeated him, remaking his flesh.
Crunch.
Agonizing pain gripped his body, stabbing into his brain.
“Grrgh.”
Kim Jehyun groaned, enduring it.
How much time passed? The pain subsided, vitality surging through him.
All his physical stats rose by 10 each. Overwhelmed by the overflowing power, Kim Jehyun blinked. With enhanced physical stats, his mana flow felt even more stable.
—Finally, the foundation is set.
Alkasha spoke to Kim Jehyun as he examined his body.
“What?”
Kim Jehyun reflexively asked for clarification, and Alkasha continued.
—The legacies inherited so far were merely to prepare your foundation before embracing true draconic power.
Alkasha explained that these were preparatory steps for acquiring the dragon’s true might: scales, blood, horns, bones, heart, and so on.
“So... from the next legacy onward...”
—Indeed. The subsequent legacies will grant genuine draconic powers, one by one.
A fierce glint ignited in Kim Jehyun’s eyes. Memories of possessing Arkanios’s body. Now, he could truly inherit that transcendent draconic form.
The recent +10 stat boosts were the groundwork for accepting the dragon’s flesh.
“Whew. Can’t stay still like this, huh?”
The corner of Kim Jehyun’s mouth curved up. Mentally exhausted, but hearing about the third legacy made him itch unbearably.
“Alright. Let’s prep for the next stage right away.”
* * *
—Why come here?
After securing lodging on the second floor, Kim Jehyun headed straight for the central area. Alkasha wondered at his sudden shift from training zeal.
“To register for this.”
Kim Jehyun checked one of the Magic Tower’s annual events on his phone.
Challenge League.
A tournament where Magic Tower mages competed against each other.
“Think of it as an annual one-on-one tournament.”
Targeted at 4th Circle mages and above, it ran in circle-based brackets, with winners challenging the previous year’s champions.
—But aren’t you still 2nd Circle?
“That’s why I’m entering this one.”
Kim Jehyun highlighted the league below it.
Prospect League.
A tournament for 3rd Circle mages and below, structured like Challenge League but split into team and individual brackets instead of circle divisions.
“Team league is only for 1st and 2nd Circles.”
Teams consisted of one 1st Circle and one 2nd Circle mage.
—So, aiming for team league?
“Nah, no need to bother.”
Winning team league offered nothing worthwhile. Kim Jehyun targeted the individual league.
“Individual league is for 3rd Circles.”
—Then you can’t join, right?
“Wrong. It’s known as a 3rd Circle event since they usually dominate, but rules allow all below 3rd Circle.”
3rd Circles couldn’t enter team league, so individual was their only option. 1st and 2nd Circles had no reason to skip team for individual—facing 3rd Circles there.
Convention made it a 3rd Circle league, but rules permitted even 2nd Circle Kim Jehyun.
“With my current power, 3rd Circles are no match. And the real reason to join... the individual league prize. I need that.”
Kim Jehyun’s eyes gleamed. A way to accelerate his growth—the individual league winner’s reward.
Knowing the future was invaluable, guiding wise choices at key junctions.
—Oho. Skipping training to rush here. You had a plan.
“Of course.”
Kim Jehyun grinned at Alkasha’s words.
* * *
Rumors of Kim Jehyun entering Prospect League’s individual bracket swept the Magic Tower again.
3rd Circles viewed his challenge with displeasure, predicting he’d fail prelims.
His supporters cautiously hoped he’d at least pass prelims.
Overall, sentiment was that this bold move would backfire badly.
“He signed up for individual league?”
Kim Hyeongjin, preparing to crush Kim Jehyun, glared at the unexpected news.
“......So it seems.”
Drumming the armrest, Kim Hyeongjin smirked. He’d won last year’s individual league.
Prospect individual winners got a special privilege: Nominate a standout participant for an exhibition match.
“I’ll pick him.”
Once entered, Kim Jehyun could be dragged onto his stage.
He’d planned a quiet disposal. Public execution wasn’t bad either.
“Magic accidents happen unexpectedly, after all.”
And if—unlikely—Kim Jehyun won? Even better. Last year’s champ faced new challengers.
If he claimed the title and challenged—
“That day will be your public execution.”
Kim Hyeongjin grinned maliciously.