The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 115

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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 115
115
2.
Dune Wild Trail.
Across this expanse where the horizon stretched endlessly like a vast wasteland or desolate plain, there were scarcely any structures worth calling buildings.
The open vista offered a refreshing sensation.
Yet there was something desolate about it.
However, scattered throughout were small rest stops created by caravans gathered together.
Small villages formed by nomads drifting from place to place.
When gazing down from the sky above, the already tiny villages and caravans appeared as mere dots, only to blur and vanish in an instant.
A fierce wind pressure bearing down from ahead.
Whoooooosh——!
“We would have been in serious trouble without the barrier.”
Yoo Sung-hyun, mounted atop Anemor, exhaled a sigh of relief as he observed the lightning barrier Anemor had created.
Without this barrier, I would surely have been knocked down by the tremendous wind pressure.
Anemor’s speed was truly beyond imagination.
Even Kalisha, who possessed the power of thunder following behind, appeared distant in the distance.
In other words, despite traversing at such incredible speed.
The fact that we had yet to arrive meant the Dune Wild Trail was that vast.
Before coming here, I had appointed Anemor as a commander of the Death Legion, which allowed for slightly faster flight.
[You have appointed 『Lightning Anemor』 as a commander of the Death Legion.]
[It grows considerably stronger and leads the Death Legion.]
Though the message was brief.
This alone had resulted in substantial enhancement.
Now Anemor had risen to a level comparable to Baltar and Fiora.
There was no need to worry about aerial combat.
However.
Despite flying at such tremendous speed, we still hadn’t arrived.
At this point, even Yoo Sung-hyun tilted his head in slight bewilderment.
-My lord, it appears we shall arrive shortly.
“Mm.”
-Indeed, thanks to the Third Commander, our speed is remarkable.
I could not voice doubt against Leonik’s resolute words.
He spoke with such certainty.
If nothing appears, there’s no harm in asking later, is there?
As I pondered this internally.
Rather, it was another who raised the question.
“I sense the surrounding area, yet I detect nothing resembling the Knights’ Hall you mentioned. Could there be some error?”
Nocturnium suddenly stepped forward.
As the spirit of the Dark Castle who could command all the land in the vicinity, his doubt carried weight.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded in agreement, as did Fiora beside him.
Nocturnium’s abilities were proven, after all.
Leonik’s words, by contrast, relied solely on memory.
It was obvious which would command more credibility.
Yet Leonik stepped forward with unwavering conviction.
-Indeed. The Knights’ Hall is a place that even I, Nocturnium, a spirit of this domain, cannot detect no matter how thoroughly I search.
“…Such places do exist, but it’s difficult to believe one could exist in this desolate wasteland.”
-It is unfortunate that you cannot believe. Yet it is a formidable place that repelled countless invasions even before my body lost its strength. Please, trust me in this.
“Hmm….”
-Huh? Is it truly that strong a place?
-Haha, indeed it is. When my power was intact, I launched thorough invasions, yet it repelled them all—a place of considerable might. Though I suspect none who guarded it remain alive now, its functions surely continue to operate normally.
At Leonik’s confident words, Nocturnium took a step back.
Fiora asked with evident curiosity, and Leonik answered readily.
Yoo Sung-hyun, his interest piqued by what he heard, stroked his chin and pressed further.
“A place where one can increase proficiency in knights’ skills, then….”
-Yes, precisely so. Moreover, it is said that by proving oneself through trials in that place, one can obtain wondrous things.
“I see.”
This was likely a hidden piece obtainable through completing a mission.
Even if not, the endeavor itself would hold significance.
Though the term “knights’ skills” remained somewhat vague.
“By ‘knights’ skills,’ do you mean close-combat techniques?”
-Yes. Swordsmanship, spearmanship, shield mastery—all skills wielded by knights.
If fortune favors us, couldn’t we significantly raise Helena’s formidable swordsmanship here before departing?
With such anticipation, Yoo Sung-hyun gazed across the vast horizon in thought.
‘What skills might I acquire if I raise my swordsmanship level?’
Could I eventually wield secret techniques like Hindel does?
A thin smile blossomed at the corners of Yoo Sung-hyun’s lips, his expectations kindled.
It was somewhat regrettable that all those who once guarded it had perished.
Yet there would surely be many ghosts.
Much could be learned.
Anemor, bearing Yoo Sung-hyun, accelerated further, while Kalisha, following behind, pursued desperately as though resigned to her fate.
3.
A Stone Chamber shrouded in darkness alone.
In that place where sound itself seemed captured by the darkness, where no living thing appeared to exist in such profound silence, there moved one who defied all of it—moving without uttering a single sound.
A being like a phantom, revealing neither sound nor form, ceaselessly wielding a sword.
Yet from every aspect of him, not a trace of spiritual energy emanated.
One could discern that he was not the dead, but a living being still.
In that place where countless knights once dwelt.
That solitary figure, left behind in desolation, ceased his endless sword practice and suddenly stood still.
With abundant white hair and a long, pallid white beard hanging down, his appearance resembled that of an immortal sage.
Yet his brilliantly luminous azure eyes and pointed ears betrayed his inhuman nature.
He sensed someone had entered this sacred place from afar and halted his sword mid-swing.
And then.
“…A visitor, after so long….”
His voice was utterly devoid of inflection.
No emotion resonated within those words.
Yet the words that followed carried an unmistakable melancholy.
“…But you will never reach this place.”
How long had he dwelt here?
There was no way to know.
But one thing was certain.
He harbored not even the faintest hope for this newcomer.
Even though they might be his sole hope for liberation.
“Time will flow once more.”
I could not fathom how many ages had passed since the last visitor.
Yet I believed it so.
This one who had entered would not free me.
Thus the Elder Elf closed his eyes once more and resumed his sword dance.
Without expectation or hope, I unfurled the swordsmanship that stretched into eternity.
For across those countless ages, only the blade had been my companion.
Dancing an endless sword form.
I severed my interest in the distant visitor.
Where there is no hope, there can be no disappointment.
4.
Dune Wild Trail was a region that evoked poignant beauty through its subtle landscapes.
A desolate expanse that conjured visions of post-apocalyptic ruin.
Yoo Sung-hyun had not been here long.
Yet he understood its nature well enough.
At what could be called the terminus of Dune Wild Trail.
Where the Wasteland ended, far more vegetation bloomed than one would expect.
Truly, a place that marked the boundary of the Wasteland.
Gazing upon the vista now spread before Yoo Sung-hyun’s eyes, the Dune Wild Trail he had traversed moments before seemed to vanish from memory.
And standing before it.
Yoo Sung-hyun, Nocturnium, and Fiora could not suppress their wonder.
-It is as I remember it.
“Wow.”
“Truly… remarkable. I never imagined there existed a place even my detection could not reach….”
-Wha—!? Ah, how beautiful it is!
In the vast expanse of the Wasteland, where only an endless horizon had seemed to stretch, upon stepping into the precise location.
That mirage-like horizon vanished, and in its place rose towering spires of stone as if summoned from myth itself, gleaming with a soft golden radiance.
Much time had passed, evidenced by the cracks etched between the stone walls and the moss blooming within them.
I couldn’t say exactly how long.
Yet a majesty that even such vast epochs could not steal away overflowed from the Knights’ Hall.
The sprawling grassland surrounding it and the verdant grass swaying gently in the breeze stood in stark contrast to the Dune Wild Trail, where finding a single blade of grass was nearly impossible.
As if fierce battles had raged here, collapsed pillars, shattered stairs, and partially destroyed buildings lay scattered haphazardly throughout.
“This is…”
As Yoo Sung-hyun spoke, system messages materialized as if to confirm his words.
As if to prove him right, system text appeared before me.
[You have discovered the entrance to the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』.]
[You have made the first discovery of a Hidden Field!]
[You have acquired the title, 『Wanderer』.]
[**Warning**]
[Multiple systems cannot be used within the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』.]
[After exiting the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』, you cannot re-enter.]
[Will you enter the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』?]
The warning message was quite ominous.
Multiple systems—what could that mean?
The first things that came to mind were the messenger and various convenient functions?
Not that it particularly mattered.
Though it would be inconvenient without them.
‘Hmm.’
Yoo Sung-hyun deliberated for a moment.
He decided it would be best to contact them beforehand, just in case.
I could always reach out after exiting anyway.
But I still had more gameplay to do.
It seemed better to mention it beforehand.
If they contacted me first, it would be troublesome.
I’d give them a rough heads-up and tell them I was entering the Knights’ Hall.
In that instant, a message from Rapid flashed past.
[Rapid – ??? What are you talking about???]
‘Hm? Was there more to say?’
I’d already given them a heads-up.
I could explain everything after exiting.
Yoo Sung-hyun brushed it aside and examined the newly appeared messages.
[Entering the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』.]
[You have made the first discovery of a Hidden Field!]
[First discovery rewards are being granted.]
[The basic effects of the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』, are increased by 50%.]
[The trial rewards of the Hidden Field, 『Knights’ Hall』, are increased by 50%.]
[First discovery rewards will persist until the dungeon is cleared for the first time.]
[Hidden Field, ‘Knights’ Hall’: All skill proficiency excluding magic increases by 2x.]
[Hidden Field, ‘Knights’ Hall’: You are granted eligibility to participate in the trial.]
[Hidden Field, ‘Knights’ Hall’: Should you fail the trial, you will be immediately expelled from the field and may never enter again.]
[Hidden Field, ‘Knights’ Hall’: Even if you fail the trial, all skill proficiency you have acquired will be retained.]
[Hidden Field, ‘Knights’ Hall’: You cannot access or use the Messenger, skill window, stats, or skill level-up messages.]
Quite lengthy messages.
Reading through them, they were instructions regarding the initial reward and the basic mechanics of the Knights’ Hall.
Yoo Sung-hyun carefully reviewed the messages, then dismissed them and surveyed his surroundings.
This place was brimming with atmosphere, bearing the marks of countless ages.
And within it, I could see the spirits of countless knights.
-Huh!? A visitor after so long!
-Hehehehe! And one possessed of tremendous power at that!
-A body capable of training! How enviable!
-Hahaha! We shall assist you while you remain here!
-Yes! Learn some of my swordsmanship!!!
-Hold on!!! I should be first!!!
-No, I should be!!!
They suddenly rushed toward me, eager to impart their swordsmanship.
It seemed they were delighted by this rare visitor.
After all, who else could have perceived them?
Yoo Sung-hyun tilted his head, observing the spirits rushing toward him.
They were indeed humanoid spirits.
Ghosts bearing appearances remarkably similar to humans.
Yet they were unmistakably different.
Pointed ears and exceptional beauty displayed by each one.
Even those who appeared elderly possessed striking handsomeness and beauty.
A certain race that Yoo Sung-hyun knew came to mind.
“Elves?”
A race that had always appeared throughout the long history of fantasy.
The emergence of elves.
Only, they were spirits.

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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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