Chapter 27: Gugune White Sundae (3)

Goo Donghyun had a dream from his childhood for the first time in a long while.

“Mom… Dad… I miss you.”

When he was young…

He lost his parents to a monster that burst out from an Irregular Portal.

“Donghyun, come here.”

Pat, pat.

His biological older sister.

Goo Seohyun.

Whenever he missed their parents and cried…

She would always comfort him in her warm embrace.

“Noona…”

The only family he had left in the world.

The two of them leaned on each other to survive, even in dire circumstances.

“Let’s take care of and protect kids like us when we grow up.”

As they moved from one temporary care facility to another, the siblings made a vow.

That when they became adults, they would protect and care for children who were in the same situation they had been in.

“I’m going to become a Superhuman! I’ll definitely become one and protect kids like us! And I’ll protect you too, Noona!”

“Oh my, how brave. My little Donghyun, you’re already so reliable.”

A flower of warm promise that bloomed in the midst of hardship.

But…

The heavens were merciless.

Before the flower could even bloom fully, it withered.

“N-Noonaaaaa!!!”

Misfortune struck again.

They were once again caught up in an Irregular Portal incident.

His sister suffered a grave injury and became bedridden.

Donghyun stayed by her side, waiting for her to recover.

But in the end, she never did.

“Donghyun… I’m sorry. But I’ll always be with you… I love you. Truly.”

The look in her eyes as she took her last breath, gazing at him—

He could never forget it for the rest of his life.

That day, Goo Donghyun made a vow.

That if he ever gained power, he would become a protector for children in situations like his, so they would never have to suffer.

And that he would make sure no one else would become a victim of Irregular Portals like he had.

“Hi. I’m Park Seojoon. What’s your name?”

“…I’m Goo Donghyun.”

He eventually settled at Love Orphanage after bouncing around various care centers.

There, he met Park Seojoon, a boy his age.

They were inseparable from then on.

Though not related by blood, they formed a bond stronger than brothers.

Thanks to Seojoon filling the void left by his sister, Donghyun didn’t collapse under the weight of his grief.

“Donghyun, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“I want to become a Superhuman. No matter what.”

“Haha, that sounds just like you.”

One day, Donghyun shared his dream with Seojoon .

He worked endlessly to fulfill the promise he’d made to his sister, and eventually achieved part of that dream.

Not only that, he even opened a sundae shop in Sillim-dong, starting a charity to help children.

Sundae had been his sister Goo Seohyun’s favorite food.

It finally felt like the promise he’d made was starting to take shape.

Crash!

But then his mana circuits were damaged, and the dream he had so desperately clung to shattered.

“Ah…”

A despair so deep and endless began to seep in, slowly consuming him.

The world was covered in darkness, and black water, like storm clouds, poured from above, wrapping around his entire body.

Gurgle!!

The black water began to rise from his feet, to his legs, then his torso, and finally engulfed his head.

A suffocating sense of despair, like being dragged into a dark, bottomless abyss, pressed down on his heart.

A heavy emptiness, as if even the last faint light had disappeared, settled deep within his chest.

“At this rate…”

Just as he was about to give up on everything—

“Hey, Goo Donghyun. Are you just going to give up like that?”

“…!”

A familiar voice pierced his ears.

Donghyun looked around, trying to regain his senses.

The owner of that voice—

His lifelong companion, like family itself: Park Seojoon.

“Take my hand.”

As he turned his head toward the voice, a beam of light split through the darkness and approached him.

Surrounded by a radiant halo, Seojoon stood there.

His hand reached out toward the trembling Donghyun.

“…Seojoon…”

As if entranced, Donghyun reached out and grasped Seojoon’s hand—

KWAHHHHH!!

All the darkness that had consumed him receded, and brilliant light flooded his vision.

The darkness vanished in the face of that light, and the warmth pierced deep into the core of Donghyun’s soul.

“Haaah!”

BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!

The moment he sprang up, as if bouncing with his upper body—

A loud mechanical sound pierced his ears.

“You’re awake?”

“Nurse Seo, quickly bring Dr. Kim!”

Clatter clatter.

The nurses who had been gathered around him suddenly began to move busily.

Ah.

Goo Donghyun, staring blankly at the scene, realized one thing.

‘My body… feels light, like it’s about to fly away.‘

Instinctively, he tried to channel mana.

Normally, the mana that wouldn’t budge, accompanied by intense pain—

Moved smoothly.

More smoothly than ever before.

It flowed like the slime extract he had eaten right before falling asleep.

“Ah…”

Tears streamed down.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

He broke down in tears like a child.

Archmage Emperor—he was a ray of light descending into despair.

***

“Chu-chu!”

“Po-ohhh!”

The joyful voices of ChuChu and PoPo.

The two lay sprawled out on the floor, holding their bellies, wearing drowsy expressions.

In front of them were the scattered remains of cherry tomatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, and baked potatoes.

“Did you all enjoy the meal?”

“Chu-chu!”

“Po-po!”

Even while lying down, they responded instantly.

That meant the meal had been that satisfying.

Now I want to try some other things.

The list of crops that could be grown inside the dungeon.

Shine muscat grapes, kiwis, cabbage, green onions, carrots, and so on.

Surprisingly, many of the crops found in markets could be cultivated as dungeon crops.

I need to gather all the seeds and seedlings as soon as possible.

‘I should contact Bangbaedong Gourmet‘

Why not just get them through SuperNet?

Because it was easy to find A-rank or lower seeds on SuperNet.

But starting from S-rank seeds, you had to put in the legwork yourself.

That’s how rare they were.

If you’re going to eat, might as well eat the best.

Alright.

Let’s send the message now.

Tick!

Private message sent.

No immediate reply.

Seems like they’ve been busy lately—wonder if something’s up?

Well, I’ll check the reply later.

Now then, how about I head over to the Arcane Chamber?

Boom.

Passing through the second passage, I entered the Arcane Chamber. The grand waves of mana filled the space, welcoming me.

The first place I headed was the section with Tier-1 magic tomes.

Let’s start by mastering Tier-1 magic.

Fire Bolt, Ice Needle, Light Spark, Magic Missile, Healing Touch…

I studied them diligently while nibbling on the petals of a Lunadria beside me.

Time flew as I immersed myself in learning the Tier-1 spells.

“Phew.”

By the time my back started to feel stiff, I got up from my seat.

It felt like I had mastered dozens of spells already.

And yet, there’s still a mountain of magic left to learn.

“There really is a lot.”

I’ll go through the rest one by one whenever I have the time.

Alright, should I try using the <Magic Training Room> this time?

A crystal orb floating in the center.

When I placed my hand on it, the functions of the Arcane Chamber surfaced in my mind.

I selected the option to use the <Magic Training Room>.

「Activating Magic Training Room.」

Flash!

A bright light exploded in front of my eyes.

My vision twisted, and the scene of the training room unfolded before me.

A high, expansive ceiling.

A large magic circle was inscribed at the center.

Wooooong!

I could see the mana of the space revolving around the magic circle.

It looked like the circle stabilized the mana of the room and supported its flow.

I stepped closer.

As soon as I stood on the magic circle—

Instructions on how to use the <Magic Training Room> imprinted themselves into my mind.

“Mana flow control, illusion summoning, mana amplification.”

Those were the three primary functions.

Based on that, I could engage in <Basic Magic Practice>, <Illusion Combat>, <Mana Control Practice>, <Magic Experimentation>, and <Will-Mana Integration Training>.

Among them, what caught my eye the most was—

<Will-Mana Integration Training>.

“A foundational training for using Words of Power?!”

A dragon’s greatest strength.

While there are high-tier spells and breath attacks, above all else, it’s the power of <Dragon Speech> that’s said to elevate dragons to the rank of absolute beings.

And the <Will-Mana Integration Training> allowed me to learn fragments of those very <Dragon Speech>.

“Ha.”

I couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration.

“Nice. I’m definitely doing this training every time I come here.”

But for now—

I’ll start with basic magic practice.

I focused my intent on performing the <Basic Magic Practice>.

『You have not yet acquired a suitable <Mana Cultivation Technique>. Would you like to proceed anyway?』

Huh?

A suitable mana cultivation technique?

‘……?’

The one I’m currently learning is the <[S] Rachel-Style Basic Mana Cultivation Technique>.

Even if it’s a basic technique, it’s ranked S.

But it’s saying it’s not suitable?

『To acquire a suitable <Mana Cultivation Technique>, we recommend starting with <Mana Control Practice>.』

Wha—!?

Well, this was unexpected.

Still, it’s impressive in a way.

Even an S-rank technique isn’t considered suitable?

It really is a dragon-style magic training room.

What kind of mana cultivation method is required for this, then?

“I’ll find out once I try it.”

I immediately switched to the <Mana Control Practice> option.

Then—

A translucent window appeared before me.

1. [SSS] Draconic Basic Mana Cultivation Technique – Available
2. [EX] Archdragon Original Mana Cultivation Technique – Unavailable (Requires “Dragon God’s Physique”)

‘……!’

My eyes widened.

SSS rank? EX rank?

The difference between S and SSS rank techniques is like heaven and earth.

Even if it’s labeled “basic,” an SSS-ranked mana cultivation method is never something easily obtained.

No matter how wealthy you are, if you don’t have the fate for it, you’ll never learn something like that.

“But I can learn it right now.”

And that’s not even the end.

EX rank.

A technique surpassing SSS.

To think I have the chance to learn an EX-rank mana cultivation technique!

Who in the world has ever learned an EX-ranked skill—especially a mana cultivation technique?

No, most people probably haven’t even seen one before.

“Krrrghhh”

Long live the Dragon’s Lair!

“Of course, to reach EX-rank, I’ll need to achieve the Dragon God’s Body.”

But it’s not like I won’t achieve it, right?

I had the rare Elixir.

With the elixirs enhanced by Popo’s energy?

The Dragon God’s Body? Ha! I’ll get there in no time.

Confidence surged within me.

“Let’s start with the basics.”

Calming my pounding heart, I steeled my resolve to master <[SSS] Draconic Basic Mana Cultivation Method>.

And then—

Flash!

Swoooooosh!!!

The universe unfolded before my eyes.

***

Meanwhile…

While Seojoon was fully immersed in learning mana cultivation in the <Arcane Chamber>…

Silence filled the inside of the lair.

Whooooong!!

Dania was still absorbing the magical energy within the egg.

“…Arkeron. Temporary energy circuit…”

Arkeron, too, was weakly murmuring as he self-repaired his energy circuits.

“Popo…”

Popo was sound asleep in a corner with Chuchu by his side.

At that moment—

A certain plant in the lair began its transformation.

Flaaash!

A previously closed flower bud bloomed, revealing its vibrant petals.

The petals shimmered with a mysterious blend of violet and blue.

Their tips were dusted with faint golden speckles, radiating an air of mystique.

It was as though the colors themselves were drawing in ambient mana.

A stunning, magical sight.

Grrrhh…

Just then, a deep, echoing voice rang from the flower, resonating through the cave.

And then—

Plop! Plop, plop!

Something astonishing happened.

The flower lifted its own roots and stepped onto the ground.

Grrrhh…

A root shaped like a human.

Yes, this creature was a Mandragora.

Once fully grown, a Mandragora blooms and gains the ability to walk the land using its own roots.

A self-moving plant—an unimaginable concept for most flora, but perfectly natural for the Mandragora.

So immense was the power within a fully matured Mandragora, it could accomplish such a miraculous feat.

Under normal circumstances, it would’ve taken a long time to reach full maturity.

But thanks to the powerful life energy and fertility of this land, it had grown in just one day.

A grand and miraculous event!

Grrrhh…

The Mandragora began to move slowly.

It sought escape from this place.

In the middle of the floor was a small tunnel—an exit.

Through that passage, it would escape and reclaim its freedom!

Just as it took its first step with great resolve—

Thud.

A shadow blocked its path.

“Chuchu!”

The golden-furred being that had (supposedly) kidnapped it.

That being wagged its index finger side to side.

As if to say, “Where do you think you’re going?”