Blazing Elixir and the Dragon Horn

Flames surged from deep within Kim Jehyun's body.

Hot.

It was a scorching heat he hadn't felt in ages.

The elixir he had consumed didn't just boost his mana—it amplified the latent fire energy within him.

Gradually, his entire body began to glow with a golden light.

Whoosh.

The clothes he wore ignited and crumbled to ash. Burned by mana flames, not even cinders remained.

Golden fire now enveloped his completely naked form. He looked just like Surtr, the fire giant from myth, wreathed in flames.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed in Jehyun's ears.

His mind soared as impurities were expelled from his body. He felt like he was shedding his old flesh entirely.

His mana growth had slowed lately, aside from level-ups. Now, it exploded upward.

The elixir, crafted from Kinder's horn, surpassed even his expectations.

The dormant fire energy in his body went berserk.

Fwoosh.

'Kasa' emerged on her own.

As if blessing her contractor's growth, she slowly circled Jehyun.

After some time passed.

Pfsh!

A massive blaze erupted from Jehyun's body. Yet it didn't scorch a single item in the room—unlike when it had devoured his clothes earlier.

Proof that the flames now obeyed his will.

"Whew."

Jehyun steadied his breath and opened his eyes. His pupils burned with intensified golden power.

"This is insane."

Jehyun grinned excitedly at Alkasha.

―It seems your body held more fire energy than anticipated. Perhaps it's thanks to your provisional contract with Ifrit.

As if agreeing, Kasa flapped her wings and approached Jehyun.

"Kasa? When did you come out? Oh, you've grown too?"

Kasa nodded at his words.

Once pigeon-sized, she now rivaled a wild eagle in stature. Not yet her true form, but tremendous progress.

Fwoosh.

Kasa nuzzled against Jehyun's bare chest in celebration. It felt soft, not hot.

"How much did my mana go up?"

To check his gains, Jehyun summoned his status window.

"Whoa, up by five points."

No wonder mana overflowed from every inch of him.

Plus, two full levels gained. Level 20 was now in sight.

'Faster than I planned.'

He'd expected one or two levels from the tournament win and elixir. With dungeon grinding slowing, he'd banked on the elixir.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this was phenomenal.

And...

'This isn't the end.'

Jehyun pulled a treasure chest radiating white light from his subspace.

His reward for defeating Kim Hyeongjin. It promised vast EXP.

―The amount of EXP depends on your concentration.

Jehyun nodded. The +5 enhancement should yield even more.

"Alright, let's do this..."

―Wait!

"...?"

Jehyun glanced at Alkasha quizzically.

―Put some clothes on first. You look ridiculous like that.

"Ah..."

Jehyun groaned, looking down at his bare body.

Fwaaah!

White light swirled around Jehyun's body.

Groooow.

His mana core expanded with the announcement. Vast mana surged through him, widening and strengthening his Mana Road.

His mind exalted; every cell thrummed with excitement. An electrifying sensation.

A realm he'd never reached pre-regression. And with dragon powers, even this stage transcended norms.

He savored the cloud-walking euphoria.

"Whew."

Jehyun exhaled deeply.

"This is getting scary."

―Scary how?

"My growth speed. Is it okay to get this strong so fast?"

Jehyun shivered dramatically, joking.

His pace was terrifying. Even with dragon inheritance, it shattered common sense.

Stage 2 took longer than this jump to Stage 3.

―Indeed, faster than I projected. And maxing EXP from Palkadot's chest? Impressive.

Using the chest trapped the mind in a virtual space, yielding EXP proportional to performance.

Jehyun had maximized it. Even a +5 chest jumping two levels—past a major threshold—was unreal.

Partly due to unlocking sealed insights, but still.

Jehyun smirked at the praise.

"Anyway, fast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠growth is good. Alright, time to prep for the next floor."

From the third floor's legacy onward, true dragon power awaited. The thought thrilled him.

He even felt grateful to Kim Hyeongjin for the chest hastening his ascent.

Then he paused. Thinking of Hyeongjin resurfaced an unresolved question.

"By the way, Alkasha. That energy Kim Hyeongjin used at the end... it matched something from Arkanios's memories."

―Hmm, elaborate.

"It felt familiar. Tracing back, it was definitely that purple orb from Arkanios's memories."

Jehyun spoke with conviction, then frowned in confusion.

"But how? How does he have that power?"

Did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he absorb it? Where from? Questions cascaded.

"And he tried using it publicly."

Traces should linger. Yet Hyeongjin acted confidently, unconcerned.

Rumors already swirled about mana-amplifying drugs from his Mana Road remnants.

No mention of that sinister purple energy.

"Ignis Faction's investigating internally, but..."

He doubted they'd uncover truth. Protecting their fallen honor outweighed justice.

'Word is, the Ignis Faction Leader's raging at me.'

Hyeongjin's uncle. Blood ties explained it. Fiery temper, too—likely furious at his nephew's ruin, lashing out.

―Sounds troublesome. Factions hold sway in the Tower...

"Nah, he'll play smart. No idiot would vent openly now."

Jehyun's logic held. Their match was official. Turning Hyeongjin vegetable seemed excessive, but he crossed lines first.

Opinions leaned toward drug side-effects over his mental magic.

"They figure only something like the Wasteland of Terror could idiotize via mind magic."

Ignorant of Dragon Fear, they assumed thus.

"Anyway, that purple orb's suspicious. You really know nothing, Alkasha?"

―...Nothing I can say yet. If desperate, grab the third legacy quick. It might unlock clue memories.

"Hmm... Got it."

Jehyun nodded. Legacies held answers.

Time flew by.

While awaiting the third-floor Ascension Tower exam, he mastered his Stage 3 power.

He even retested in the Circle Measurement Room.

Results flipped expectations again. Absurd speed bred "cheating" whispers.

Jehyun's name echoed through the Tower—no one hadn't heard.

The third-floor exam drew massive attention.

[Extract pure mana, shape into a disc, maintain as long as possible.]

Mana control test. Child's play for Jehyun, nearing mana mastery.

Others struggled past ten minutes; he held till end.

No one in history sustained it a full hour—requiring endless supply too.

He shattered the Tower Master's fabled 40-minute record.

―Impossible!

Observers' reactions at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the scene.

Of course. Unprecedented.

Thus, Jehyun ascended to the third floor, shattering records anew.

"Whoa, he's like a magnet."

Crowds swarmed him—worse than before. Media desperate for quotes, factions sending love calls.

Jehyun shook his head, escaping the mob.

―For you, the real third-floor exam was handling them.

"Ugh... yeah."

Drained mentally, he secured lodging.

"Can't delay the legacy, though."

Jehyun bolted up, heading where the legacy pulsed.

Third-floor outskirts. Dense woods and thickets—a natural forest.

The legacy slumbered here.

Hummm.

"This is it."

Jehyun eyed a small, tower-like marble structure resembling a massive animal horn.

―Brace yourself. True dragon legacy means real agony.

"Whew. Now I'm tense."

Deep breath. He placed his hand on it.

Intense mana engulfed him. The dragon trial began.

"Mm."

A soft groan escaped.

Alkasha murmured low.

―Endure. Worse than any pain before. Fail, and...

She trailed off. Death was possible. The burden immense.

"Umm..."

―...?

Alkasha sensed oddity. That wasn't pain.

What's wrong? Failing inheritance? Growth too fast?

Theories swirled—then.

Flash!

Light burst from Jehyun.

―What?! How? So fast... Did you fail?

Alkasha demanded urgently.

Then.

Fwaaah!

The light converged on his forehead.

Pop.

A small mana horn sprouted.

"Mm... Think I got the third legacy?"

―......

Jehyun's serene expression left Alkasha speechless.