The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 10
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 10
Episode 10
I could absorb the memories and experiences of ghosts.
My first thought was whether this was dangerous.
There were movies where people lost their sense of self if they weren’t careful.
Seeing my sister’s expression clouded with worry, I told her not to be concerned.
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
“B-but what if…”
“No, they’re perfectly and completely distinct. Actually, if I’m not thinking about them, they don’t come to mind, and they only activate when I decide to use them. It’s more like acquiring a talent itself?”
“Like a skill?”
“Hmm, I only have the butchering skill so I’m not entirely sure, but it’s similar.”
“Oh, I see.”
Then that’s how it is.
My sister had always been that way since childhood.
The memories and experiences of ghosts.
It was far more incredible than I’d imagined.
“Sung-hyun, do you know what synchronization rate is?”
“Synchronization rate?”
“Yes, ultimately the control that moves a character is determined by synchronization rate—how much you perceive the virtual reality.”
“Oh, so the more you feel it like your real body, the better you move?”
“Exactly!”
She was absolutely right.
Synchronization rate is a metric of how much you accept that virtual reality.
The higher it is, the more you become like the inhabitants of that world.
A high synchronization rate doesn’t necessarily mean you use your body well, but it gives you an advantage.
But what would happen if I obtained the memories and experiences of ghosts, who are inhabitants of that world?
The answer was simple.
“I think the ghost’s memories and experiences will affect my synchronization rate.”
“Ah, so it’s not just about acquiring talent?”
“Right, there’s the concept of absorbing talent, but I think my synchronization rate could increase too.”
“Oh.”
Hearing my sister’s explanation, it certainly made sense.
She sounded like an expert, which made her seem different somehow.
Yoo Mi-na, as if reading the light in my eyes, puffed up with pride, her shoulders rising as if ascending to heaven.
Watching my sister proudly display her knowledge to her younger brother, I shook my head as if to say there was nothing I could do about it.
Anyway, there was something else I wanted to ask.
“So sister, what do you think about the hero’s memories and experiences?”
“…What?”
Yoo Mi-na reacted as if she’d forgotten, and at my words, her eyes widened like lanterns as her mouth fell open.
And at Sunghyun’s words, her eyes grew as wide as lanterns and her mouth fell open in astonishment.
An expression that screamed, “Why didn’t I think of that!?”
Impressed by my unexpected insight, my older sister Yoo Mi-na spoke with a trembling voice.
“I-if it’s the Hero’s memories and experiences… wouldn’t it be possible to change jobs into a Hero?”
“Huh?”
I’d just heard something completely unexpected.
A job change into a Hero was possible?
“You know about the grades in Eternal World, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
From Normal to Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and finally Almighty, which represented omnipotence.
I’d seen them mentioned in the strategy guides I’d read last night.
Grades were fundamental to Eternal World.
Items, skills, titles, and jobs—everything had a grade.
Since everything in Eternal World carried a grade, there was no way to avoid knowing about it.
It was impossible not to know.
So what grade would a Hero have?
Yoo Mi-na answered my unspoken question.
“The Hero is known to be at least Legendary grade.”
“At least?”
If it were fixed, it would be fixed—but “at least”?
“No one has obtained a Hero job yet, so it might even be Almighty grade.”
“Wow.”
“Which means you could obtain it right now.”
Hearing my sister speak with such gravity, the reality of it finally sank in.
An opportunity to obtain such an incredible job.
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it.
At minimum, Legendary grade.
Possibly even Almighty grade.
How could I possibly contain myself after hearing that?
I needed to finish eating and get back in quickly.
As my impatience grew, my chopsticks and spoon moved faster.
Watching me eat so hastily, Yoo Mi-na let out a helpless chuckle.
“Eat a little slower.”
“I need to get back in and search for it.”
After I finished chewing and swallowing what was in my mouth before speaking, she thought I was crude.
Though to be fair, everyone gets absorbed like this in the early stages.
Yoo Mi-na had been absorbed the entire time too.
I understood.
Still, rushing in blindly to search like this.
I had a long way to go.
“Where are you going to search? Are you planning to tear apart the entire village?”
“Oh.”
“Head north from the village and you’ll find the Hero Hindel Memorial. Take a look around there. It’s where Hero Hindel and his companions are buried.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Sung-hyun quickly finished his meal and stood to clear his bowl.
“Just leave it. I’ll take care of it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you brat—you act like I’m some terrible older sister. Now that I’m being nice, you find it strange?”
“No, I’m just grateful! I’ll head out then!”
“Go ahead~”
Yoo Mi-na watched with a satisfied smile as Sung-hyun rushed toward his room.
As the one who’d bought him the capsule, I felt a quiet sense of pride.
He’d been lukewarm about it at first.
I’d made the right call buying it for him.
The capsule hissed open and immediately closed—he must have logged in right away.
Remembering my own early days, I finished my meal and tidied up as well.
I discarded what needed discarding and washed the dishes.
Since I’d committed to doing it, I’d do it properly.
After finishing the cleanup, I entered my own room and opened the capsule.
The login felt completely natural now.
A massive fortress loomed before me, its banner emblazoned with a singular crest fluttering in the wind.
Flap, flap—the banner snapped loudly in the breeze, and beneath it sprawled a fortress of unparalleled natural advantage.
The moment I appeared before that grand Fortress, the atmosphere shifted.
“Huh!?”
“Tch.”
“Huh!?”
The armored soldiers around me—their armor bearing the same crest as the banner—fell silent the instant they saw me, or rather, saw Yuna.
Just moments before, the courtyard had been filled with chatter.
In stark contrast to the warmth I’d shown Sung-hyun at home, my expression turned cold and impassive as I passed through them, heading toward the Fortress’s grandest gate.
I arrived there immediately.
“Lady Yuna, welcome.”
“The Guild Master is currently in.”
“Open it.”
With just those words, the two users guarding the massive gate bowed their heads.
The enormous gate swung open at once.
The chamber within was neither lavish nor austere.
To a discerning eye, every object within would reveal itself as something extraordinary.
The gate opened briefly as I stepped inside, then closed immediately behind me.
Among those remarkable furnishings, a woman of elegant and refined beauty sat at a massive wooden desk, writing something with deliberate strokes. I waited.
Soon, her pen stilled.
“Guild Master, we need to talk.”
“…Yoo Mi-na, is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, well. What could our guild’s pride and single-rank ranker Yoo Mi-na possibly want to discuss?”
Pure curiosity—not mockery—colored that voice, and I answered.
“There’s a user I’d like to recommend soon.”
“Oh? Do tell us more.”
In Eternal World, the fastest guild.
A stir was brewing within Rapid, ranked third among all guilds.
The strongest force of Rapid Guild, shining at ninth place in the overall rankings—Yoo Mi-na’s first user recommendation.
1.
I opened my eyes in Beginner Village, at Hindel.
It was the same place where I had logged off last time.
[Welcome to Eternal World, another realm and an eternal one.]
Seeing the opening message as I logged in felt strangely different.
Even though I’d just been here moments ago, it felt quite changed.
Perhaps it was because I hadn’t experienced it this way before.
Now, everything felt more thrilling than it had then.
‘She said she’d be to the north, right?’
A compass-like directional indicator was already visible in my field of vision.
I decided to head north immediately and bolted toward it.
With a whoosh, I dashed forward so swiftly that everyone who saw me startled.
“My goodness? How can anyone move that fast?”
“W-wait, level one can’t have leveled up, so they must be level one, but can level one even run like that?”
“M-maybe they got a title?”
“The equipment looked a bit different though….”
“Can you even obtain something like that in Beginner Village?”
The users chattered among themselves at the sight of my speed, but I paid their fading voices no mind.
Heading north meant I might encounter the hero’s ghost—there was no room for anyone else in my thoughts right now.
I sprinted northward, constantly suppressing the smile creeping across my face.
I had planned to search the entire village.
But there was a place where Hero Hindel was buried.
‘Ghosts prefer to linger near their own graves.’
If there were no corpse or tomb, they wandered freely, but if there was one, it was different.
You could say they enjoyed watching over those who honored them.
Hadn’t the Former Instructor Ghost remained at the Training Ground where he’d spent his entire life?
It felt almost like being bound to a place by lingering attachment.
In any case, the hero would likely be near the tomb.
Especially at Hero Hindel Memorial?
If Hero Hindel’s spirit existed, it had to be here.
In other words.
‘If she’s not here, then Hero Hindel’s spirit doesn’t exist in this village.’
I thought calmly, hoping that wouldn’t be the case.
At minimum, a Legendary class job—the Hero.
Even if it wasn’t, absorbing the Hero’s memories and experiences would grant me the Hero’s talents as well.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful that would be.
With my heart swelling with anticipation, I rushed toward what appeared to be a vast communal cemetery.
And in the center of that cemetery stood an enormous statue.
A statue of Hero Hindel—the same one I’d seen in Hunter’s Forest.
Though it was different from the one I’d seen before.
That one had depicted only Hero Hindel, but this one was carved with all of the Hero’s companions.
In the center stood Hero Hindel—not particularly large in stature, but with eyes that gleamed brilliantly—surrounded by a Saint, a Sage, a Knight, and an Elf Archer.
Gazing upon that majestic and grand statue, I stood speechless, my mouth agape in wonder.
“Wow.”
Just as in Hunter’s Forest, this statue emanated a power I couldn’t quite place.
Was it because it was a statue of Hero Hindel?
Or did the statue have some special treatment applied to it?
I couldn’t say for certain, but this statue that drew forth such admiration deserved to be called a masterpiece.
Looking at the statue, I found myself offering a silent prayer without realizing it.
Some might mock it as merely a game, but somehow, I felt compelled to do so.
As I bowed my head in silent prayer,
a message appeared.
[In honor of Hero Hindel and his companions.]
They even included an Easter egg like this.
There was good reason this game was called a masterpiece.
‘That’s incredible, really.’
I forgot all about searching for Hero Hindel’s spirit and continued marveling.
Though that was about to change.
Now I should probably start looking around.
Sure enough, there were quite a few ghosts scattered about.
‘I need to find one among these, don’t I?’
Since most ghosts looked similar, should I search for someone resembling the statue?
Perhaps she’d be near the statue itself?
As I looked around with these thoughts, I noticed something peculiar.
Saaaaaah.
A single spirit emanating an otherworldly aura.
A faint cyan glow, one might say.
This ghost was clearly of a different caliber than the other souls.
Long crimson hair hung neatly down her back, and even from behind, I could sense she possessed an extraordinary beauty.
Unlike the smoke-like translucent ghosts surrounding her, this spirit had a tangible presence that drew my gaze.
The figure of this woman gazing up at Hero Hindel’s statue seemed both forlorn and melancholic.
Who on earth could this be?
As Sung-hyun pondered this, she turned her head.
The spirit of a woman, radiating a pale cyan aura and eyes gleaming with dark brilliance, opened her mouth.
-Hello? Nice to meet you!
“Hello. I’m Sung-hyun.”
Without thinking, Sung-hyun responded to her cheerful greeting.
An overwhelming presence that dominated the surroundings.
And at the sight of her, the spirits nearby trembled violently and cried out.
-The Demon King! The Demon King is moving!
-The Demon King! She’s awake!!!
-Ahhhhh! Everyone run!!!
-How many centuries has it been since she moved!?
-Run! If you get caught, it’s over!!!
The ghosts chattered noisily and flew about, and Sung-hyun swallowed hard as she sensed their panic.
Even Sung-hyun, always composed and unflappable, appeared tense as she gazed at her, while the woman looked displeased at the spirits fluttering around her.
-Idiots. I’m not catching anyone.
Then she turned her head back to Sung-hyun.
-I’m Helena, and I was called the Demon King just as they said.
I had encountered not a hero, but the Demon King herself.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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