Irregular Dungeon

A tremendous boom echoed through the training room, shaking the floor.

The shock-absorbing magic circle revealed itself with a low hum, asserting its presence.

"Hoo."

Kim Jehyun wiped sweat from his brow as he admired the power of the spell he'd just unleashed.

"Dragon Horn…… It only gets more impressive the more I see it."

—Did this body not tell thee? From the third legacy onward, thou wouldst gain true draconic power.

"Yeah, now I get what that really means."

Jehyun recalled the scene from moments ago. After manifesting the Dragon Horn, he'd unleashed countless spells into the empty air. During that process, the mana inside the training room resonated with the Dragon Horn. As the external mana mingled with his own, Jehyun felt an ecstatic trance. A thrilling shiver raced up his spine, shaking his entire body—a sensation so addictive it bordered on intoxication.

And the results were equally spectacular.

"No one would believe this was the work of a 3rd Circle mage."

The training room lay in ruins, scattered like it had been bombed. Yet even while producing such devastation, he'd never run short on mana. That was because he'd cast his spells through resonance with the external mana.

'And if I can start manifesting spells through imagery……'

It would grant him even greater destructive power—far beyond what he could achieve now. Unfortunately, the Dragon Horn's authority was still too weak for that. Once it grew further and he could wield spells via mental imagery, he'd unleash magic far more potent relative to his mana reserves.

—By then, the boundaries of circles will gradually fade away.

Jehyun nodded. He could feel himself becoming more draconic with each passing moment.

"Whew, but the mental drain is insane."

He'd only trained for about twenty minutes, yet overwhelming fatigue crashed over him. His head throbbed besides. Clear signs of mental exhaustion.

—That's thy homework to overcome. To wield the Dragon Horn fully, thou must strive ceaselessly. And this is merely a single growing horn. If thou gainest more in the future, the mental toll will multiply.

"What…… Double or more from here?"

Jehyun clicked his tongue. Indeed. To handle great power, one needed equal preparation. Ordinary folk might shake their heads, but Jehyun's resolve only burned brighter.

—Dost thou feel motivated even after hearing that?

"Of course. The more I push, the stronger my magic gets, right?"

—Hah…… What manner of creature ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠art thou……

Alkasha let out a low sigh of admiration at Jehyun's determination. Honestly, at first—even after contracting—he'd worried Jehyun might lag behind mentally as he acquired the dragon legacies.

—'Twas all unfounded. This body acknowledges it. Thy willpower is truly undeniable.

Alkasha chuckled as if genuinely impressed.

"This is……"

Jehyun's eyes sparkled. A mission. One loaded with an EXP buff until level 30!

After hitting level 20, he'd noticed training gains slowing, wondering if growth had plateaued. This was like rain in a drought.

"Awesome…… Alkasha! Thanks! Only you would bless me like this."

—Wh-what is this…… This body never bestowed such a blessing!

Alkasha's flustered aura was vivid.

"Haha. Doesn't matter—I've got the mission now. Remember how that felt. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'll ask for more next time."

—No, this body never did such a thing, nor intended to! Cancel it! This body will grant one by its own will instead!

Alkasha spun around Jehyun in bewilderment, but the mission remained.

"Always full of surprises, huh."

Jehyun grinned at the bouncing Alkasha.

"Whoa, Kim Jehyun hit 3rd Circle?"

"What? Didn't he just reach 2nd Circle a month ago?"

"So what the hell? 3rd Circle in less than a month? Is that even possible?"

"Insane……."

On the day Jehyun got his 3rd Circle measured, rumors spread like wildfire through the Magic Tower.

Jehyun's news—winning the promising league's individual bracket and shaking the tower—struck again soon after. Shock and awe rippled through.

Not just that. He'd shattered the Tower Master's record on the 3rd floor Ascension Tower exam, silencing those calling his talent a bubble.

They had eyes too. They realized Jehyun's brilliance wasn't fleeting.

"He's locked for the divine prospects list, no doubt."

"More than that—he'll be top dog among them."

"Is this the Magic Tower's chance to shed its 'declining sun' stigma?"

Genius mages had appeared before, but none matched the Tower Master's. That was the tower's sole blemish. Now, one with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠potential to fill it had emerged.

Some still said wait for the 4th Circle wall, but Jehyun's pace rendered such talk obsolete.

"4th Circle will take time, though?"

"Even Kim Jehyun can't smash that wall right away."

"True. Even the Tower Master, who rose meteorically, paused at 4th Circle."

"Yeah. Jehyun defies norms, but…… Nah, no way he hits 4th immediately."

As eyes fixed on Jehyun's potential……

"Hoo."

Jehyun exhaled after the fight, gazing down at the dying Gast Lord.

Gasts were undead kin to ghouls. Top D-rank, but no issue for Jehyun soloing the dungeon.

The real problem?

"Ugh, the stench is brutal."

Like rotten sewage? Worse. Nose-melting foulness.

"That's why it stayed unclaimed……."

Jehyun muttered, holding his breath. D-rank dungeons were scarce, hard to monopolize solo. Most ran them with clans or superhumans, slowing his growth.

Hence, this avoided hellhole.

"Stinks like hell…… but EXP comes fast."

Despite the gut-wrenching odor, the alert made him smile.

He'd barely cleared a few dungeons and already leveled. Pre-buff, it'd take ages. Perfect growth.

"Sweet."

And not just levels.

"Dragon Horn grew too."

Slight, but definite. The mission accelerated it, as promised.

"Sucks it ends at 30."

Jehyun smacked his lips wistfully. Endless buff? Dreamy.

"What the…… mail explosion."

Back at his dorm, Jehyun nearly fainted checking his inbox. No longer empty like pre-regression.

Faction invites galore. Then anonymous ones:

He thought he'd adjusted to attention, but this floored him.

"How'd they even get my email?"

No clue on the leak.

"Lucky it's not my number."

Imagining nonstop calls paled his face. Horrifying.

"Yeah, email leak's better. Phone would've been nightmare."

He shook his head.

"Most are junk anyway…… Huh?"

Closing unread, one title caught his eye.

"Irregular Dungeon?"

Jehyun opened it. Irregulars spawned mutants. Perfect—he wanted to observe them since learning of the purple orbs' link.

"D-rank…… Ignis Faction? They're leading?"

Usually Superhuman Association handled them. Odd.

'Ignis Faction has the pull, though.'

Made sense.

"Not bad."

He accepted. Dungeon clears, mutant checks, and points for 4th floor Ascension Tower. No reason to refuse.

Thus, Jehyun joined the Irregular Dungeon investigation team.

And investigation day dawned.

"Hello. I'm Yang Jaejin of the Ignis Faction, leading this investigation. Thank you all for joining."

A neat, slick-haired middle-aged man. 4th Circle Ignis Faction mage Yang Jaejin.

Jehyun's eyes widened.

"……Huh?"

Because something he shouldn't see…… was visible to him.