The Black Curtain (2)
A little while ago. When Kim Jehyun acquired the third dragon legacy.
His consciousness had shifted to a space prepared for receiving the legacy.
The being he encountered there was now a familiar presence.
Three pairs of wings. Six horns. A colossal body larger than a mountain. It was none other than the supreme dragon, Arkanios.
“……!”
Kim Jehyun stared at Arkanios in astonishment. This was the first time he'd seen the dragon's physical form up close.
Arkanios's eyes turned toward him. His flesh trembled. Just being gazed down upon by that presence was suffocating, the overwhelming pressure from their vast difference in stature choking the air from his lungs.
'Hoo.'
Composed and without undue panic, Kim Jehyun circulated the Hatchling's Basic Mana Art. He began breathing evenly. The trembling in his body ceased, and some of the crushing pressure eased from his frame.
Chin up. Kim Jehyun lifted his head to meet Arkanios's gaze.
The dragon's Dragon Eye. Staring into those amber-glowing orbs felt like being pulled into the edge of an abyss.
Clarity of Mind (S) resists Dragon Eye.
Resistance failed.
Mana Core resists Dragon Eye.
Resistance failed.
'Kuh.'
For the first time, all of Kim Jehyun's mental defenses shattered. The shock of facing such an unprecedented foe flooded him like a tidal wave. No, he didn't even have time to feel flustered. His mind was growing hazy.
His knees buckled involuntarily. A numbing terror settled over him.
'Death itself... doesn't scare me. I've already died once.'
What he truly feared was having finally found the path to the pinnacle of magic, only to fall short of seeing its end.
'I won't give up.'
Kim Jehyun's will stood firm. Golden light began to frost his eyes.
Dragon Eye resonates with golden mana. Dragon Eye's authority is temporarily greatly enhanced.
Dragon Eye resists Dragon Eye.
Partial resistance success.
Straightening. His bent knees extended once more. Kim Jehyun snapped his eyes wide open, locking gazes with Arkanios's Dragon Eye.
Incredible will. Passed an insurmountable trial.
Some of the sealed soul fragment is unlocked.
The moment the notification rang out, an explosive burst of light erupted from Kim Jehyun's body.
Whoosh!
Amid the blinding radiance, his vision blurred white.
* * *
“Mm.”
He felt a familiar yet nostalgic comfort. It was like he'd finally gotten a truly restful sleep after ages.
'Where... is this?'
He'd definitely been facing Arkanios moments ago. Propping himself up, Kim Jehyun looked around.
An empty cavernous space. It was vast enough to house a castle, but that didn't surprise him. Somehow, it felt familiar.
'Arkanios's lair.'
His hunch was right. This was Arkanios's lair.
'How the hell did I get here?'
As puzzlement filled him, a presence stirred behind his back.
“It's been a while.”
A voice that danced exquisitely between feminine and androgynous tones. Beautiful yet strangely familiar, its echo lingered in his ears.
Calmly, Kim Jehyun turned toward the source.
There stood a peerless beauty of a man with dazzling golden hair, smiling at him.
“Arkanios...!”
It was the human form of Arkanios he'd glimpsed in the dragon's memories. Kim Jehyun's pupils dilated. He gazed at Arkanios with eyes full of complex emotions.
“Sit first. You must have much to say.”
With a gesture from Arkanios, a table and chairs materialized in the empty space.
The authority of Creation—a realm beyond even 10th Circle demigods. The domain of dragon magic, also called 11th Circle, fused with the power of Dragon Words. A miracle.
Kim Jehyun sat, clutching his pounding chest at the sight, his ambition surging to one day reach that height himself.
“Hahaha.”
“……?”
Arkanios burst into laughter at the ambition in Kim Jehyun's eyes, looking genuinely delighted.
“As expected.”
Kim Jehyun stared, bewildered by the sudden mirth. Arkanios continued with an enigmatic smile.
“Allow a proper introduction. I am Arkanios·G, patriarch of the Gold Clan. Ah, but this isn't my true body—merely a thought-form lingering in this space.”
“……Pleased to meet you. I'm Kim Jehyun.”
After a brief exchange, Kim Jehyun met Arkanios's eyes again. Countless questions swirled in his mind. Sensing it, Arkanios spoke first.
“Regrettably, time is short. And you lack the qualification to hear the truths behind your many doubts just yet.”
“…….”
“However, since you overcame a trial no mortal should, I've arranged this brief audience.”
“That means……”
“Indeed. For a human to withstand the Dragon Eye is nearly impossible.”
Kim Jehyun tilted his head, confused. Hadn't enduring the Dragon Eye been the test?
As if reading his mind, Arkanios smiled faintly and elaborated.
“The test was how long you could endure it. Only then do you inherit the third legacy.”
“So... the duration of endurance determines the extent of the legacy inherited?”
“Quick on the uptake! Correct. From the third legacy onward, you receive parts of a dragon's body one by one. The Dragon Eye gauged if your stature could bear it.”
“I see.”
Now it made sense. He'd perfectly passed Arkanios's unspoken test.
“Well then, a trial passed deserves a reward.”
With those words, Arkanios transmitted a fragment of his memories.
* * *
'No way.'
Kim Jehyun's face grew grave. A purple orb. It was the destructive force eroding Arkanios's dimension.
—@!^#%!#$… Hm. You lack the qualification for that name yet. Call it Overmind for simplicity. This power wanders the universe, devouring planets. It's now headed for your dimension as well.
Kim Jehyun's head spun. His own world was being eroded too. The cataclysm on Earth, the dungeons and portals—it all clicked.
'Mutants. So those were fragments of this power.'
Before his regression, he'd heard rumors of mutants surging in numbers. He'd never imagined a link to this purple orb.
'Then how did Kim Hyeongjin possess that energy?'
Arkanios knew nothing of that either. But one thing was clear: it was immensely dangerous.
“Have your thoughts settled?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I understand the situation better now.”
Kim Jehyun nodded. He could even guess why Arkanios left dragon powers in this dimension.
“Much to discuss, but let's leave it for next time. Time is truly scant now. Inheriting the legacy will take what little remains. One warning: it will be excruciatingly painful.”
“Alkasha already mentioned that.”
“Good. You're prepared then. We'll proceed with the inheritance. The legacy for you this time is the Dragon Horn.”
Arkanios extended his hand. A mystical energy gathered, shooting straight toward Kim Jehyun's chest.
“Ugh.”
Eyes squeezed shut, bracing for agony, Kim Jehyun peeked after a moment passed painlessly. He glanced at his chest.
A radiant golden wave emanated from it, spreading through his body. The light climbed upward, pooling at his forehead.
And then.
Fwaaah!
With a dazzling flash, a small horn—like a miniature of Arkanios's—sprouted.
“Mm.”
An unfamiliar sensation made Kim Jehyun shudder. The Dragon Horn. An organ mediating dragon power manifestation. It heightened affinity with external mana, amplified magic power, and even allowed spellcasting through mere imagery.
It was the foundation for Dragon Words, one of a dragon's mightiest authorities.
Successfully inherited the third legacy: Dragon Horn.
The notification echoed as his consciousness soared upward. In the final moment, he caught Arkanios's surprised expression.
—Huh, so easily…… Could it be…… Perhaps……
Arkanios's fading voice accompanied the flicker of Kim Jehyun's awareness.
* * *
—Not painful at all? Not even a bit?
“Yeah. Just felt ticklish, then done.”
—Unbelievable……
Alkasha's cover trembled. Could a human acquire a dragon legacy this easily? By all its knowledge, no. It should have risked his life.
Alkasha eyed him dubiously.
—You…… Are you really…… human?
“What're you saying? Do I look like a dragon? Wait, maybe half-dragon now?”
—That's not what this body means! How did you claim the third legacy so effortlessly…… Hah. Unbelievable.
Amid Alkasha's shock, Kim Jehyun just shrugged.
“Who knows. Guess I'm built for it.”
—……Fine. Regardless, congratulations on successfully claiming the legacy.
Setting aside its doubts, Alkasha offered sincere felicitations.
“Thanks.”
Kim Jehyun chuckled, then checked his new legacy's power. Focusing his mind, mana gathered at his forehead, shaping into a horn.
Dragon Horn manifested.
The air around him shifted. 'As expected... this sensation.'
He'd felt it before, but now confirmed. Resonating with ambient mana. As if all surrounding mana bent to his will.
Hummm.
Mana poured from his body, syncing with the external flow. A 3rd Circle spell, Wind Burst, formed in his hand—with far less mana than usual.
And its power felt greater than his maximum output. He unleashed it forward.
Fwoosh!
The air shoved backward as explosive wind mana blasted ahead.
Boom!
Wind Burst slammed the floor ahead, cratering it. Earth erupted skyward, scattering in the air. He sensed every bit through mana.
“Shield.”
A shield blocked the falling debris—larger and sturdier than ever. The Dragon Horn amplified all magic. It felt at least twice as strong.
“Whoa... incredible.”
No exaggeration. Though at Mana Core Stage 3, he felt he could beat a 4th Circle mage. The gap between circles seemed bridgeable.
—Nothing to marvel at. You've only gained a tiny horn sprout.
Alkasha explained: It was nascent, far from mature. Just one, manifested via mana imprint on his spirit, not physical. When a true horn formed later, its power would grow vastly.
“Whew. Big trouble, Alkasha.”
As the explanation ended, Kim Jehyun exhaled excitedly.
—What? Pain hitting late?
“Nah. Just thrilled thinking how much stronger I'll get.”
—……Hah, what are you?
* * *
“An irregularity has occurred.”
A man in a top emblazoned with Ignis's flame emblem bowed his head.
“What is it?”
The responder was another man in identical attire: Yang Jaejin. Both were Ignis Faction mages.
“An irregular appeared in the dungeon during experiments.”
“Hm... Again? In what grade dungeon?”
“D-grade. Low-rank, so we planned to cover it up, but... the Ignis Faction learned of the irregular dungeon. They're forming an investigation team.”
“No way... They suspect ties to dimensional energy?”
“Yes. Seems they're considering that possibility.”
“Hah... Even rotten, it's still bonito.”
Kim Manseok let out an impressed sigh at Yang Jaejin's words. Ignis Faction leader Kim Kangjin: hot-tempered, but magically gifted. He'd underestimated him.
That caliber explained his leadership.
“They're selecting an investigation leader. Shall I volunteer?”
“Can you handle it quietly?”
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
“Good. Recruit a few promising 3rd Circle or below too. Scout one to fill Kim Hyeongjin's spot. Oh, and Kim Jehyun—bring him in.”
“Sound him out for recruitment?”
“Exactly. You get it.”
Yang Jaejin grinned at the praise, exuding confidence.
'Low circles, but sharp. That's why he handles my errands.'
Yang Jaejin was merely 4th Circle. His quick wits and instincts earned that role.
“I'll handle it and report back.”
Yang Jaejin bowed to Kim Manseok and left, pondering.
'Kim Jehyun... The talent they're calling next Tower Master.'
Stroking his chin, he recalled the rumors. Securing such a recruit would smooth their grand scheme immensely.
'But he won't refuse the investigation request, right?'