I returned to the Dimensional Tavern.
[You have surpassed your own limits.]
[You have gained enlightenment and experienced a new realm of power.]
[There is an imbalance between your physical body, Mana, and mental state.]
[Your body is growing to match your new realm.]
[A physical imbalance may occur if you fail to gather sufficient Mana.]
[Understanding of Magic has increased significantly.]
[Understanding of Martial Arts has increased significantly.]
[You have learned Nature Magic (???).]
[Nature Magic has been sealed by an external force.]
I dismissed the messages, as I was already aware of the contents.
” … Is it over already?”
Rose looked at me with a bewildered expression. I could practically read her thoughts.
She likely assumed that returning earlier than expected meant I had either failed the Ancient Dragon’s trial or failed to learn Nature Magic.
“Yes. They told me to come back later.”
” … Later?”
“They said I need a sufficient vessel and body to move on to the next stage.”
Rose’s jaw dropped. She stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“You actually learned it?”
“Is it that surprising?”
“It’s because not just anyone can do it! Many candidates have gone to them, but those who actually mastered Nature Magic can be counted on one hand!”
Chuckles.
I couldn’t help but laugh at Rose’s vivid reaction.
“I need a usage ticket to visit them again, so I’ll be back after I hunt down a High Apostle.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“Yes. If I need help, I’ll come find you.”
I said my goodbyes to Rose and left the Dimensional Tavern. Upon returning to the Dragon Lair, an intense hunger gnawed at my stomach.
This was a problem I had encountered once before — a phenomenon where energy is rapidly consumed due to an imbalance between the body, Mana, and one’s realm of power.
The solution was simple.
I left the Dragon Lair and headed toward Balak’s restaurant, which was now quite grand.
“Give me some food. A lot of it.”
“What’s this? Is it the same thing as last time?”
“Exactly.”
“Wait just a moment.”
Balak stepped into the kitchen and began cooking immediately.
Through the open kitchen, I could see a Witch, a Goblin, and an Elf.
They were disciples Balak was personally training because of their talent for cooking. Together, they prepared the food and brought it out.
“Start with the soup to whet your appetite.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
I took a spoonful of the basic stew, which had a beef and tomato base. Balak’s cooking skills were beyond question.
‘My hunger is subsiding a little, at least.’
Once I finished the soup, the steak was served.
“This steak is made from a cow that can only be caught once a year.”
Originally, the cattle had been left to graze haphazardly in the vast pasture, but once the vampires took over, the quality of the beef improved drastically.
It was the result of the vampires’ expertise in raising cattle to provide high-quality blood.
I took a bite of the steak, which contained the very essence of that flavorful beef.
“Wow … “
The taste was indescribable.
It was simply delicious.
It was an exquisite flavor that forced me to heap on the praise. Perhaps because it tasted so good, it was also incredibly effective at satiating my hunger.
“This is the best.”
“Right? I’ll set aside a portion for you, so just let me know if you need more.”
After that, a course of various beef dishes followed. The final dish was bibimbap made with fresh vegetables grown by Fryra. Mixing it with the red chili paste Balak had made himself made it incredibly delicious.
‘I should go on a food tour later.’
It seemed like a good idea to take Balak with me, have him taste various things, and then ask him to recreate them.
“That was a great meal.”
“Have some dessert before you go.”
As I cleansed my palate with ice cream, I began to outline my future plans.
‘First, I have to build the vessel.’
‘The easiest way is to grow the Dragon Heart.’
‘The Dragon God’s Body is designed to adapt according to the size of the Heart.’
Following the Ancient Dragon’s advice, I planned to focus on growing the Dragon Heart for a while. The method was simple: use all the Duel Tickets I had and continue clearing the Labyrinth to collect Dragon Heart Fragments. That would allow me to resolve the imbalance to some extent.
‘The issue is the Guardians.’
The person who could reach the target fastest was Ropenheim. I decided to gather promotion materials as soon as my body stabilized and focus on nurturing Ropenheim to SSS Rank first.
“First … “
Should I clear out all the Duel Tickets?
[Welcome to the Arena.]
White text appeared in the pitch-black space.
[The Arena is content where the Successors of the Dragon Lord compete against one another.]
[In the Arena, the number of Sacred Relics you possess is equivalent to your life. If you lose all your Sacred Relics, all your abilities will be revoked, and you will be stripped of your status as a Successor.]
It was a message I hadn’t seen in a long time. Since I didn’t need the details, I skipped through them quickly.
[There are three methods of dueling.]
[The first method is a direct confrontation between Successors. Guardians cannot be summoned … ]
[The second method is a direct confrontation between Guardians. The Successor of the Lord cannot exert any influence … ]
[The third is an All-Out War. This is a method where you fight using everything at your disposal.]
These duel formats were designed to reflect battles against Intermediate or High Apostles.
[An Intermediate-tier opponent has been matched.]
[Moving to the Arena.]
The message I had been waiting for appeared, and a bright light flashed.
An arena resembling a colosseum appeared, and my opponent manifested before me.
He looked like an ordinary human, but he had a small horn on his forehead.
He wore a blue suit, a choice that showed off his sense of fashion.
Since I couldn’t see information about other Successors anyway, I didn’t bother using the Golden Dragon Eye.
“Are you that guy everyone’s been talking about lately?”
I looked at the swaggering opponent and asked a question of my own. “I guess I’m a bit famous?”
“A human Successor who trampled the gatekeepers of the Low-tier Arena and rose to the Intermediate-tier.”
“That sounds like me.”
“I thought you were dead since you hadn’t shown your face in a while. I’m glad you’re still alive.”
He didn’t sound like a comrade saying those words. His tone was thick with greed. Looking at the message that appeared, I understood why he was speaking that way.
[The opponent has selected the wager conditions.]
[The opponent has wagered 10 Dragon Heart Fragments.]
This meant that if I lost, I would have to hand over ten Dragon Heart Fragments to him.
[Please select the combat format.]
Since the opponent had set the wager, the choice of combat format fell to me. I looked at the message and chose All-Out War.
[The combat format is All-Out War.]
[The duel begins!]
The sound of a bell signaling the start echoed through the air.
“All-Out War? Hmph. You must be overconfident just because you hunted some obsolete dragons … “
I snapped my fingers as I watched the Successor, who was literally drooling as he looked at me like a piece of prey.
Fwoosh!
An ordinary flame ignited at my fingertip. It looked mundane on the outside, but it contained the essence of Nature Magic.
Even though Nature Magic was currently sealed by the Ancient Dragon, the realizations I had gained while becoming one with nature were still embedded in my magic.
That alone made the power of my spells several times stronger.
‘It’s usable enough, I suppose.’
For someone like me who had experienced true Nature Magic, it felt slightly lacking. I flicked the flame at my opponent.
Fwoosh!
A trail of fire formed as the spark targeted the enemy. The opponent snorted as if it were amusing and began chanting a spell.
“How cute. Is this some kind of trick? Dancing Wave Strike!”
Water formed behind him and turned into a massive wave that crashed toward me. The flame collided with the wave.
Sssss!
Normally, the fire should have been extinguished, but instead, the flame swallowed the wave.
In an instant, the wave evaporated and vanished.
Without stopping, it reached the man in the blue suit. The moment the spark touched his clothes, the flames erupted.
Roar!
“Ice Shield!”
The opponent frantically deployed defensive magic. The flames melted the Ice Shield as if it weren’t even there and proceeded to incinerate the man.
“Aaaaaagh!”
Intense flames consumed the Successor.
[You have won the duel.]
[You have acquired 10 Dragon Heart Fragments held by Luwyn.]
[You may take one Sacred Relic held by Luwyn.]
Several Sacred Relics appeared before me. What I needed right now were things related to Divine Power and Demonic Power. Fortunately, there was a suitable item.
[You have selected a Sacred Relic.]
[Sacred Relic: Cross of the Forsaken Saint]
— This is the cross carried by a Saint who was abandoned by her church but saved the world through her noble sacrifice.
— Increases understanding of Divinity.
— The holder of this relic becomes capable of wielding Divine Power.
I registered the newly acquired Sacred Relic to the Golden Magic Tower.
[Registering Sacred Relic: Cross of the Forsaken Saint.]
[An individual capable of awakening Holy Magic will appear among those belonging to the Golden Magic Tower. The efficiency of Holy Magic for Holy Mages will increase.]
I still had many tickets left. I planned to keep going without rest until I entered the High-tier Arena.
[Using a Duel Ticket.]
[Matching a duel opponent.]
As the SS-Class Red Dungeon was being raided in Korea, the Golden Magic Tower was busier than ever.
— The appearance of new potions sold only at the Golden Magic Tower?
— S-rank Hunters who participated in the SS-Class Red Dungeon give glowing reviews!
Hunters from all over the world flocked to the Potion Shop to buy the new potions. Even though they weren’t for sale yet, the area around the Golden Magic Tower was crowded with Hunters hoping to buy what wasn’t available.
“Ah … you don’t have them? Then should we just get some enchantments while we’re here?”
“Let’s do that.”
The gathered Hunters naturally shifted their attention to enchantments.
The mages of the Golden Magic Tower were being worked to the bone to meet the overwhelming demand.
On top of that, there were additional instructions from the Dokkaebi.
He told them to go on missions and provide assistance wherever help was needed.
Consequently, they were dispatched globally to clear dungeons that showed signs of a Dungeon Break.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
“Tower Master! I heard a branch of the Golden Magic Tower was established in Japan?”
“What?”
With the opening of the Japan branch, Yoo Seolha was put in charge of managing that location as well.
She had to organize the tower, which was in a state of chaos because an administrator hadn’t been appointed yet, and train new mages.
Since she also had to handle the research tasks assigned to her in the midst of all that, she had no time for her own magical research or personal growth.
” … Phew, should I just quit?”
She didn’t mind being busy or working hard, but it was disheartening that she had no time to study magic. She still had a long way to go.
[You have discovered a Hidden Piece.]
[An achievement reward for discovering a Hidden Piece is granted.]
[Dungeon raid rewards for the discoverer’s nation will increase.]
[Trial success rewards for the discoverer’s nation will increase.]
Watching the Labyrinth clear messages that had been appearing constantly over the past few days, she pouted.
“Some of us don’t even have time to go to the Labyrinth … “
As Yoo Seolha grumbled quietly and resumed her work, the Dokkaebi appeared.
“You’re quite busy, aren’t you?”
“When did you get here?”
“Right around the time you were grumbling about not having time for the Labyrinth.”
” … Oh.”
“Here, a gift.”
He shook a purple potion and placed it on her desk. It was a recovery potion that relieved all fatigue.
“How much harder are you planning to work me … ?”
“You want to get stronger, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Hand over all your duties to the Deputy Tower Master by today. I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow morning.”