Dragon Scale (2)
―I wonder if he's doing alright.
In front of a massive boulder, Alkasha muttered to itself.
It couldn't accompany Kim Jehyun when acquiring the dragon's legacies. The same went for obtaining authorities like this time.
―The more I see, the more mysterious he is.
To Alkasha, Jehyun was like an unknown entity. Clearly human, yet he demonstrated compatibility that transcended common sense, inheriting the dragon's power.
So when Jehyun said he could strengthen the dragon's authority faster than expected, it wasn't all that surprising.
―But no matter how I think about it, this one won't be easy.
Alkasha muttered in a tone laced with slight concern.
And it had good reason. Dragon authorities. Dragons were born with the strongest bodies on earth. As time passed, those bodies transcended mortal limits. Accordingly, dragons gained various authorities one by one.
These authorities differed for each dragon. Typically, two per specific body part.
But acquiring them wasn't as simple as it sounded.
―Even dragons usually obtain them only after long years of enduring their own flesh.
Thus, even if a human like Jehyun got a chance to strengthen a dragon's authority, Alkasha didn't think he'd succeed easily.
―This will take quite some time.
Alkasha figured, based on its own common sense and experience.
BOOOOM!
A tremendous ultra-high-temperature energy beam scattering golden light swept through the spot where Oh Kyungjun had stood.
Sizzle.
Where the golden ray passed, the ground melted with a hissing sound. It carried that much insane heat.
"Ugh."
Jehyun staggered on his legs. It had been a while since his Mana Core felt empty, making his body heavy like a waterlogged sponge.
He shook his head vigorously against the crushing fatigue, then looked ahead.
'Oh Kyungjun?'
The bastard hadn't dodged Jehyun's attack. He'd watched with his own eyes as it got engulfed in the golden beam.
Yet no trace of Oh Kyungjun was anywhere.
'No way….'
Jehyun realized a beat late. Oh Kyungjun's duplicate had vanished without a trace.
Congratulations. You have acquired the first authority of Dragon Scale, Dragon's Wrath (SS).
'…!'
Seeing the system messages, Jehyun wore an expression confirming his suspicions.
He'd sensed he'd gained a new power, and as expected, it was a new authority.
'So this power is….'
When Jehyun focused on Dragon's Wrath, related knowledge naturally surfaced in his mind.
This power converted accumulated damage on the Dragon Scale during battle into an ultra-high-temperature beam called Dragon's Wrath and fired it.
And its destructive power surpassed any attack Jehyun could currently unleash. It even rivaled what he'd see after crossing the second wall.
'It's this strong now….'
If he surpassed the second wall at stage 7, he couldn't imagine its power. Perhaps it could rival Dragon's Breath, one of the strongest authorities, before even acquiring it.
'The downside is the massive mana consumption.'
Jehyun now possessed enormous mana reserves. Especially after the fifth legacy, Dragon Blood, his already overflowing mana felt like it had exploded.
But right now, even that felt insufficient.
Of course, his insane mana regeneration filled it quickly, but right after using Dragon's Wrath, it felt like his core had been wrung dry.
'Now I get why dragons have near-infinite mana.'
Each dragon authority was powerful enough to shatter common sense, but demanded commensurate mana in return.
Thus, dragons prized their Dragon Hearts, infinite mana repositories, above all.
'With a Dragon Heart… I could use these authorities endlessly?'
Just imagining it thrilled him. If the first authority of Dragon Scale was this strong, combining it with others—Dragon Words, Dragon's Breath, and more—his limits were unimaginable.
'When I briefly possessed Arkanios's body last time, I couldn't even handle a fraction of its power.'
During the first legacy, he'd possessed Arkanios's body for qualification. He'd thought he'd wielded great magic masterfully then.
Now it seemed laughable. He hadn't used any dragon authorities.
Jehyun once again realized why dragons were called supreme beings.
Shaaah.
A human silhouette formed before the boulder, soon becoming Jehyun.
Alkasha reacted.
―Huh, back already?
Alkasha seemed baffled. It had expected this to take long.
Yet Jehyun returned in less than half a day.
―No way… you succeeded in acquiring the authority in this short time?
"Yeah. I successfully obtained the Dragon Scale authority."
―……!
At Jehyun's words, Alkasha froze midair. If it had a face, its jaw would have dropped.
―Th-that can't be.
Alkasha stammered in shock. It had truly expected this to take time.
This fast? Impossible.
―Even Arkanios-sama couldn't have acquired it this quickly!
Alkasha cried out in astonishment.
"Why so excited? Isn't it good if I get stronger faster?"
―W-well, yes, but… there's a thing called degree….
Jehyun chuckled at Alkasha's reaction. It seemed acquiring dragon authorities was truly difficult.
He just shrugged at the flustered Alkasha. He must be exceptionally suited for inheriting dragon legacies.
―It's not just that! It's dragon-level itself.
This time too. Normally, without innate talent and mana control, even sensing it would be hard.
Acquiring an authority wasn't just gaining it—it included training to wield it with proper sense and control.
―It usually requires reaching stage 7, beyond the second wall….
In the end, Alkasha gave up understanding Jehyun. Incomprehensible. That word fit perfectly.
―Anyway, congratulations on safely obtaining the authority. Well done. So, what did you get?
Alkasha was curious about the authority. They varied wildly per dragon.
Given the speed, it assumed a low-grade one.
"Dragon's Wrath. That's what I got."
―Wh-what?
Alkasha froze again. Silent for three seconds, it then spoke even more agitatedly.
―I-insane! You really got Dragon's Wrath?
"Yeah. Your shock tells me it's a good one, huh?"
Jehyun grinned. Even without Alkasha saying, he'd known. The destructive coefficient versus mana used was tremendous.
―Is that even a question?! Dragon's Wrath is SS-grade. Only primordial dragons with all authorities had SSS+. SS is practically the highest you can get!
"So, basically, I got the best possible?"
Jehyun smiled satisfactorily at Alkasha's words.
―Heh, you… blessed with both talent and luck, it seems.
Alkasha concluded Jehyun had top-tier talent and luck this time.
―Don't get arrogant, though. Bad luck might hit for the second authority or other legacies.
"Of course."
Jehyun nodded. No complacency here.
But.
'Still… feels like the next one won't be bad either.'
That was his hunch.
Back at his lodging, Jehyun finally got some deep rest.
Mental and physical fatigue had built up unnoticed. A few days' break melted it away.
Lie down, eat when hungry, sleep when tired. Simple instinct-driven routine, yet happier than ever.
"This is what they mean by small joys, huh. Heh."
Jehyun chuckled like an old man, smiling.
―Rest is part of training. Rest well to grow harder.
It's been ages, so relax fully.
"I know. But can't just lounge forever. Today only, then full throttle tomorrow."
Jehyun resolved to dive back in earnestly. First, hole up in the training room to fully assimilate his power.
'Defense feels way up too.'
Beyond Dragon's Wrath, Dragon Scale's defense had risen sharply.
Test in the training room. If true, challenge higher dungeons.
'Same-level dungeons give too little EXP now. Leveling slowed.'
5th floor Ascension Tower—golem or not, tons of monsters cleared. Real battles too. Yet only one level up.
Needed far more EXP now.
Obviously. 5th to 6th Circle took geniuses years. Jehyun's pace was abnormal.
Thanks to dragon providence, of course.
'Need more EXP? Go where it's plentiful.'
With strengthened authority, A-grade dungeons easy, even A+. Timely Dragon's Wrath might handle S+ slowly.
"That alone… should level faster than thought."
―Right. At your pace, stage 6 sooner than expected. Plus, you got Dragon God Temple tickets. Use them for even faster growth.
"Yeah. So what's this Dragon God Temple?"
Jehyun asked curiously.
―First, know you're insanely lucky.
Alkasha flew to Jehyun's nose, paused, then spoke.
―Listen well. The Dragon God Temple is…….