The Fourth Dragon's Legacy
Tak.
Kim Jehyun set foot on the fourth floor. The atmosphere from the first three floors of the Magic Tower differed markedly from the fourth onward.
'More luxurious, I suppose.'
It felt like stepping from a bustling market into a high-end department store. The fourth floor exuded that exact vibe.
"Oh. Isn't that Kim Jehyun over there?"
"Where? Oh, yeah, it is. Wow, he looks even better in person."
"I wanna ask him how the hell he got so strong so fast."
"As if. You think he'd tell you?"
"Yeah, fair point."
As Kim Jehyun entered the fourth floor, he felt countless gazes following him. Admiration, envy—every kind imaginable.
The looks directed at him had flipped 180 degrees from before his regression. No need to go back that far; even on the second and third floors, they'd been filled with doubt, suspicion, and disdain.
Now, most eyes acknowledged his talent and prowess.
―You've gotten used to these stares now, haven't you.
'Humans are creatures of adaptation, after all.'
Kim Jehyun shrugged at Alkasha's question and kept walking. Gazes that once would've burdened him now felt perfectly natural.
―Why don't you go say hi? Plenty of them look like they want to talk to you.
At Alkasha's words, Kim Jehyun glanced back at those watching him. She was right. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity, brimming with questions.
'No time for that. Gotta claim the legacy first.'
He shook his head inwardly. Greetings? He was too busy for that. He could afford casual chats once he was even stronger.
Then, a memory surfaced unbidden.
'I used to stare at the Tower Master's disciples the same way.'
The Tower Master's five disciples. Before regression, he'd seen them from afar when they visited the second floor. Not just the crowd around him— he'd gazed at them with longing and envy too.
Back then, he'd wondered if he'd ever reach that level.
Now, he'd surpassed them, achieved more than the Tower Master's own disciples.
A profound sense of the times' change washed over him.
'Can't wait to inherit all the dragon legacies.'
Once he claimed them all, he wouldn't just rival the Tower Master—he'd become the Tower itself. No, something beyond even that.
Heart racing with anticipation, Kim Jehyun headed toward the legacy's pull.
* * *
"This must be it."
Kim Jehyun looked up ahead. As before, the legacy slumbered in the outskirts.
A gravel-strewn area. At its center loomed a boulder three times his height.
Instinct told him: the legacy lay within.
―As I've said many times, steel yourself. Last time was easy, but...
―No guarantee this one will be.
Kim Jehyun nodded at Alkasha's warning.
"Don't worry. I'm always prepared."
With that, he approached the boulder.
Thud.
The air grew heavy as he neared. Immense pressure bore down.
'Hrm.'
A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He reached out and touched the rock.
Brilliant light erupted.
Flash!
His vision flipped upside down, the world inverting.
* * *
"Where...?"
Kim Jehyun murmured at the sight before him. A space about 100 pyeong. Ceiling, floor, walls—all three sides cloaked in blue light.
"What am I supposed to do here?"
Rightfully puzzled; nothing existed but him.
Tap, tap.
He rapped the wall. Was there empty space beyond? The sound revealed nothing.
As he circled, checking every wall—
The trial for the fourth legacy will begin shortly.
As expected—a trial space. But the nature of the test eluded him.
"Wonder what kind of trial."
He checked his condition: near perfect. Gazing into the void, prepared—
Zing.
Blue light gathered at the center, forming a doll.
Kim Jehyun startled.
"You..."
The first trial begins. Pass all 10 gates to earn the right to inherit the legacy.
As he spoke, the system announced the start.
"...Jinhojang."
The doll—identical to Jinhojang—grinned wickedly.
* * *
"Hoo."
Kim Jehyun exhaled, eyeing the fallen 'Jinhojang doll.' Its lower half gone, the torso writhed on the floor.
"K-kiiek."
It screeched like a beast, malice flaring toward him.
"Hate seeing that ugly mug again. Who the hell designed this trial?"
He conjured Fire Wave in his hand, incinerating the remains.
Roar!
Engulfed in flames, it melted away. No blood despite the damage—not a living being.
'Made of mana.'
'If the real Jinhojang had unleashed his full power, would he have been like this?'
A mere 2nd Circle. Yet even among peers, the combat prowess gap was vast. This version wielded its abilities with ruthless efficiency—1.5 times stronger than the Jinhojang he remembered.
'I get the point of this trial now.'
You have passed the first gate. Strength +1.
"Stats as a reward?"
He felt his strength surge, stunned. An unexpected boon.
'One per gate? Jackpot.'
The second trial will begin shortly.
Blue light gathered again, forming another doll.
"You..."
Kim Jehyun chuckled in disbelief. He'd half-expected it after Jinhojang, but seeing it still amused him.
"Long time no see. Kim Hyeongjin."
He grinned. The second trial's foe: Kim Hyeongjin.
* * *
Atop the Magic Tower's highest spire sat a figure murmuring softly.
"Truly awe-inspiring."
Tower Master Choi Hanseom replayed the fourth-floor Ascension Tower exam footage, genuinely impressed.
Kim Jehyun wielded power beyond circles.
One who transcended boundaries. History knew few such beings.
And Choi Hanseom was among them.
Thus, he knew intimately what it meant—and how to achieve it.
"Those horns..."
He eyed the horns on Jehyun's head.
"Possession-type?"
Among transcendent beings, some borrowed power from higher entities, surpassing human limits.
That explained Jehyun's absurd talent and potential.
"Possession, huh... Interesting."
Choi Hanseom smirked. Horned and magic-proficient? Goblin kin? Unicorn? Whatever, it didn't matter.
Jehyun's strength would pierce the shadows over the Tower—and the world.
"Makes sense he'd pass on my discipleship with power like that."
Why settle for a master's seat with godlike might?
"Still, he'd have made a fine disciple."
Choi Hanseom sighed wistfully. Jehyun's talent tempted him sorely.
And if possession, he could've guided its full bloom.
"Might need to offer the seal early."
The seal was bait—to bind Jehyun to the Tower.
The Tower was his life's purpose. He'd yield seals aplenty if Jehyun aided its revival.
"Time to give him a task soon."
He rose. Recent scandals revealed hidden foes' outlines.
He was swamped; Jehyun's aid was vital.
* * *
Roar!
Golden flames surged, filling the space.
Kieee!
A non-human scream pierced the blaze. A polluted mid-tier wood spirit.
'This strong?'
Kim Jehyun panted, reeling.
He'd figured Kim Hyeongjin meant manageable trials.
Subsequent foes—monsters, men, Frog King, Yang Jaejin—were stronger than memory, but not beyond him.
They hadn't gained new power; they'd maximized theirs—over 100% efficiency.
That alone amplified them vastly.
'If Kim Manseok had appeared... I'd have lost.'
Lucky break.
But the final foe—the polluted wood spirit—pushed him hard.
Endless leaves, roots, branches exploiting gaps. Acid sprays when grounded.
Relentless assaults; he barely defended.
Legendary gear's boosted offense let key strikes fell it.
You have passed the final gate. Congratulations. You have earned the right to inherit the fourth legacy.
Fourth Legacy. Dragon Scale inheritance begins.
'...Scales?'
His eyes widened as an itchy sensation prickled his skin. Something emerged across his body.
Krunch!
Golden scales sprouted everywhere.
Seeing them, his lips curled into a grin.
'This... is exactly what I needed most right now.'
The ultimate shield, harder than adamantite.
Dragon Scale.
Its inheritance had begun.