The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 13

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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 13
Episode 13
So this is how I can use it.
I considered summoning Legion of the Dead immediately, but shook my head.
I only had one rabbit corpse, and it didn’t feel right yet.
Legion of the Dead deserved more than just a single minion, didn’t it?
Besides.
‘The mana cost is a bit wasteful.’
I needed to test other skills too, so I couldn’t afford to drain all my mana.
Wraith of the Departed had consumed far more mana than expected, so conserving it was wise.
I should try Aura of Death first.
Aura of Death.
A powerful skill targeting all enemies within a 30-meter radius.
According to the description, it devours the souls and bodies of the dead and inflicts suffering upon the living.
Even at Level 1, shining with a Legendary rank, I wondered if I could even use it with such a broad range.
No matter what, it would draw too much attention in the Beginner Village.
However, thanks to the absence of people, I could barely use it.
‘Let’s see.’
I made up my mind to activate it.
Behind my back, the silhouette of a teal-colored heart materialized.
Simultaneously, the teal heart pulsed.
Thump!
Like blood spreading from the heart, a desolate teal aura emanated from behind my back.
The thick, teal mist-like energy evoked an otherworldly yet ominous sensation.
The rabbits nearby sensed something and lifted their heads.
When a volcano erupts and toxic gas spreads, you can see birds falling from the sky one by one.
That’s exactly what happened to the rabbits now.
Thud. Thud-thud. Thud.
Fur—crumbled.
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]
‘Oh?’
A title that applies even to damage-over-time effects.
I couldn’t determine the exact damage, but the moment the rabbits touched the teal mist-like aura, they collapsed—clearly all defeated in a single strike.
Twenty rabbit corpses lay motionless, unmarred.
All killed by the Aura of Death.
Both the range and power were considerable.
‘And it recovers too?’
While mana was being continuously consumed, I felt my health replenishing.
If my health had been depleted, it seemed the skill would restore it.
It was the same in Helena’s memories.
It was a skill truly befitting a Legendary grade.
The vengeful spirit’s attack had only killed one of my rabbits, so I didn’t feel much impact, but Death’s Aura was different.
Death’s Aura—a skill that unmistakably demonstrated the majesty of Legendary grade.
Sung-hyun cancelled the skill before his mana depleted entirely.
‘If I turn it off before the duration ends, the cooldown decreases.’
After using it for about a minute and turning it off, I confirmed the remaining cooldown was 10 minutes.
Since the maximum was 30 minutes, it seemed the cooldown applied at a rate of 10 minutes per minute of duration.
Moreover, the mana consumption was quite reasonable.
Using it for roughly a minute, combined with the vengeful spirit’s consumption from earlier, I still had about 50% mana remaining.
At this level, even with my current low level, it was quite practical to use.
I’d probably rely mainly on the vengeful spirit, though.
But then, there’s one last skill remaining, isn’t there?
Sung-hyun looked at the twenty rabbit corpses lying dead.
Like the first rabbit I’d killed, cyan-green smoke was rising from all of them.
[You can use 『Legion of Death』.]
[Will you summon 『Legion of Death』?]
Twenty of them.
It still felt a bit lacking to be called a legion, though.
But wouldn’t this still be worth seeing?
What would the highest grade Almighty rank skill be like?
With eager anticipation, I activated the skill.
Whoooosh.
The cyan-green smoke rising from the corpses seeped entirely back into them.
Simultaneously, a cyan-green heart materialized in Sung-hyun’s palm.
The cyan-green heart that appeared naturally beat violently and explosively.
Thump———!
Thump-thump———!
As the cyan-green heart pulsed, it spread its rhythm throughout the surroundings, and the corpses responded to that sound.
As if granted new life, they rose in time with the heartbeat.
The rabbits’ eyes, once red, now glowed cyan-green, and their bodies transformed into a mixture of black aura and cyan-green light.
Though they retained the form of rabbits outwardly, they looked so fundamentally different in species that Sung-hyun’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Something was wrong.
‘It’s different?’
The way the rabbits rose differed from what I’d seen in Helena’s memories.
Originally, they should have appeared like black shadows with cyan-green light only shining from their eyes.
But my Legion of Death appeared as shadows while simultaneously emitting cyan-green aura from various points across their bodies.
Was it because my level was still too low?
No.
That wasn’t the reason.
Rather, my Legion of Death was displaying far greater power than Helena’s legion.
Then what could it possibly be?
As I tilted my head in confusion, I began to notice something.
I could sense it clearly.
The difference between Helena’s legion and my own.
‘Huh?’
The spirits of the rabbits that had just died—their ghosts, in other words—were all entering into my Death Legion as if they belonged there.
As if the souls themselves were being subordinated.
Did the Death Legion have this effect?
No matter how carefully I examined it, there was no such description in the Death Legion’s effects.
Even when I searched through Helena’s experiences and memories, nothing like this had ever occurred.
Rather, there were instances where she would manipulate corpses and possess them into her Death Legion, but never had she witnessed the Death Legion itself spontaneously absorbing the souls of the newly dead.
‘Is that why it felt stronger?’
The original souls had entered my body, after all.
It was only natural that they would emit a more powerful aura.
I reached a conclusion.
Several messages appeared.
[The effect of 『Sovereign』 is activated!]
[『Death Legion』 movement speed increased by 30%!]
[『Death Legion』 attack speed increased by 20%!]
[『Death Legion』 attack power increased by +10%!]
[『Death Legion』 morale increased!]
‘Oh.’
The title’s effects were indeed certain.
Then I should test the Death Legion as well, shouldn’t I?
Fortunately, since these were only rabbit corpses, the mana consumption wasn’t particularly high.
My remaining mana was well over 40%.
There was no difficulty in maintaining it.
Necromancy—the flower of dark magic.
Thinking of raising corpses and hunting with them, I issued a command as well.
“Hmm….”
Sweep the area?
Kill them all?
As I hesitated over what to say, the rabbits all nodded in unison.
My thoughts alone were enough to convey orders?
Come to think of it, the other ghosts had always understood my thoughts without words.
As if continuing that pattern, the rabbits risen as Death Legion soldiers swept through the Beginner Hunting Ground with devastating efficiency.
They subdued and hunted the other rabbits at a speed far surpassing ordinary ones.
Their display of power was overwhelming.
I watched in admiration.
Unlike the other rabbits that couldn’t coordinate, the Death Legion soldiers shared their thoughts and devised strategies to utterly dominate the living rabbits.
Being unnoticed by other users was a bonus—swift and covert.
“Huh? There were rabbits here just a moment ago?”
“Wait? The rabbit I was about to catch is gone too?”
“Haha! What are you talking about? That can’t be… Huh? No, the rabbits are just… gone?”
There weren’t many users around, but most of them were bewildered.
The rabbits vanishing at such a rapid pace was unnatural.
No matter how hard they looked, the rabbits were nowhere to be found.
Only I could see what had happened.
‘Wow….’
Even I, who rarely expressed surprise and remained composed at all times, couldn’t help but be astonished this time.
It was truly instantaneous.
The rabbit population in the Beginner Hunting Ground had been reduced to one-third.
I knew I was exceptional, but I didn’t expect it to be this extreme.
How many had I killed in such a short span of time?
As curiosity bloomed, a message answered that question.
[You have captured over 100 rabbits in the Beginner Hunting Ground in a short period of time.]
[You have acquired the title, 『Beast Slayer of Beginner Village』.]
‘Over 100?’
To think I’d hunted over 100 in just that brief moment.
The speed was truly absurd.
It wasn’t without drawbacks.
‘My mana has been drained significantly from hunting.’
Now barely 10% remained.
But could this really be called a drawback?
My mana was high for a level 1 in Beginner Village, but it wasn’t an absolute amount.
This was more than enough to maintain and command a legion.
I’d been hunting with a sword until now.
‘There’s no need to stick to that anymore.’
I clicked my tongue in admiration repeatedly.
Now that mana was depleted, let me unleash the Legion of the Dead.
The rabbits gathered in one place and bowed their heads to me as if saluting.
And I felt a twinge of regret seeing their bodies crumble away.
Twenty corpses could all be turned into money, yet when the Legion of the Dead was dismissed, they’d vanish.
It was somewhat disappointing, but in exchange, over 100 rabbit corpses remained.
‘Processing all of them will take quite a while.’
I decided to get it done quickly and sat down.
Then I remembered something I’d forgotten.
‘I haven’t checked the title effect yet.’
I should check new acquisitions right away.
As I thought this and opened the title window.
It was quite a plausible name, actually.
『Beast Slayer of Beginner Village』
→《Epic》
→A title bestowed upon users who hunt over 100 rabbits and other beast-type monsters in the Beginner Village within a short period.
→Attack power increases by 5% when hunting beast-type monsters.
‘Oh.’
The effect was certainly excellent.
The rarity was also Epic grade, higher than Rare.
Since I’d obtained everything available in the Beginner Village now.
Should I sell off all the hides and meat and leave?
0.
The only way to exit the Beginner Village from anywhere was through the village chief.
The chief refused to let out beginners who weren’t yet qualified, at their own discretion.
The requirements weren’t particularly strict.
Those without a Training Ground completion certificate or who hadn’t learned the butchering skill were turned back and informed what they needed.
They were told to go complete whatever was missing and return.
It was a kind of strategy guide system installed by E-World, the developer.
To advance to the next area, the Training Ground certificate and butchering skill were absolutely necessary.
The reason various odd jobs had to be completed as quests before meeting the chief was to cultivate social skills with NPCs.
Since this was a game, players were warned in advance what might happen if they were rude to NPCs.
The Beginner Village had been designed as one massive tutorial.
Marlen, the NPC at this Butcher Shop, played one such role.
“H-here’s the meat…”
“Sigh.”
As Marlen let out a deep sigh, the tense user carefully asked.
“S-so how should I process it to get the meat cleanly?”
“Hmm…, at least you have the basics down, stranger. When you remove the hide from the meat, if you use too much force, this happens. So ease up on the strength and remove it from the hide with a gentle slicing motion.”
“Ah! Thank you so much!”
To users with proper manners, she wasn’t exactly kind…, but she still explained things calmly enough.
Butchering tips and how to use tools better.
Once they learned the butchering skill quickly, Marlen could rest too, after all.
Though rude users hadn’t completely disappeared.
It had some effect nonetheless.
Marlen despised such hopeless strangers, but she made an effort to treat those with courtesy and basic manners with at least some warmth.
And I recalled Sung-hyun, who had visited this morning.
‘If only all strangers were like that one…’
Just as Marlen was lost in thought.
Sung-hyun approached her and asked.
“Hello. I’d like to sell some items if that’s alright?”
“Oh! Who do we have here! Our Butcher Shop’s regular customer! Welcome in!!!”
Sung-hyun still had his ears plugged against Marlen’s booming voice, as if she’d been boiled in a train whistle.
His ears were burning, but after hearing it several times, he’d grown somewhat accustomed to it.
However, Marlen looked at Sung-hyun with a hint of puzzlement.
‘Something’s changed.’
He was still composed and calm as before.
Even the timid gesture of covering his ears remained the same.
Yet something had subtly shifted.
Was it the aura he was emanating?
Or should I call it presence?
Marlen felt it so intensely that her skin prickled.
Such overwhelming pressure.
I’d never seen a stranger in the village with this kind of aura.
‘Remarkable.’
Marlen, marveling inwardly, stared blankly at Sung-hyun.
Sung-hyun let out a slight cough.
Only then did I snap back to attention and hear what he was saying.
“Ahem, haha. Yes, yes.”
“If it’s meat from you, I’ll welcome it anytime! Hides too!!”
“That’s a relief, then…”
I reached my hand into my inventory as if to say wait a moment.
How much rabbit meat would come out?
Marlen’s eager eyes began to tremble gradually.
Meat and hides from over a hundred rabbits, and then the rare green deer’s hide and meat, and finally the massive tiger hide and meat—still threatening even in death.
Two mountains of meat and hides were created.
“….”
“Hm?”
The Butcher Shop fell silent.
This wasn’t the kind of reaction I’d expect from Marlen, who boiled like a train whistle.
Was she displeased?
Sung-hyun turned his head, wondering if something was wrong.
And I could see it.
Thud.
Marlen collapsing with only the whites of her eyes showing.
And.
‘Wait, isn’t that actually dangerous?’
Marlen’s ghost, half-protruding above her head.
“Marlen collapsed!”
“She fainted while standing!!!”
“B-breathe, Marlen!”
“Nooo! Save Marlen!!!”

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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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