The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 142

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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 142
142
Yoo Sung-hyun thrust forward a clue stained with blood as though it were evidence itself.
The other NPCs laughed at the revelation, then turned to Lint and shouted loudly.
“What? Lint, you got caught?”
“Puhaha!! You bastard.”
“To get caught like this!!! What a pathetic fool.”
“I didn’t think I’d done anything.”
“Listen here, stranger, you should’ve mentioned something like that beforehand.”
“Well, thinking about how that bastard Lint would’ve run if you’d warned him first, this way is probably better.”
“That’s true enough.”
The seasoned veterans in the tavern who fancied themselves clever simply accepted it and sipped their drinks again.
As though whether Lint was captured or not made no difference to them.
After all, they’d never been a team to begin with.
There was no loyalty to uphold.
But perhaps Lint’s anger flared at their callous response.
He struggled to the bitter end.
“Damn it! What did I!!! It’s possible I just happened to be carrying the same thing!!!”
Even as Lint’s face contorted in pain, he snarled and shouted desperately, as though demanding not to be falsely accused.
But unfortunately, his opponent was Yoo Sung-hyun.
“I’m the one who heard Melicia’s final words.”
“W-what did you say…?”
Lint’s eyes trembled violently.
That was the decisive evidence.
The Lint who had been shouting triumphantly until moments ago was nowhere to be found.
His strength drained away, and he collapsed where he stood.
Yoo Sung-hyun watched this, then released the hand he’d been holding back and looked at the man.
Well, it had to be certain anyway.
But then.
“What the hell?! Melicia!?”
“Lint!!! You son of a bitch!!! You were the one who killed Melicia!?”
“Damn it! I should’ve recognized it from when Melicia dumped you!!! Let’s kill him right now!!!”
“My god! Ever since Melicia died, there’s been no one selling potions here and we’ve all been dying, and it was you!?”
The atmosphere had become ominous.
Yoo Sung-hyun had intended to hand him over to the city guards appropriately.
But handing him over here might not be a bad idea either.
It was only because a capable-looking Yoo Sung-hyun was present that I refrained from stepping forward recklessly.
It felt as though Lint would be beaten to death by everyone in this place if the momentum continued.
Yoo Sung-hyun shrugged as though accepting this, then asked Lint.
“So, will you come quietly?”
“…Damn it.”
As Lint Spenser rose with the air of someone without a choice, a message materialized before my eyes.
A notification appeared in Yoo Sung-hyun’s vision.
[You have cleared the Rare Linked Quest, 『Alley of Blood』.]
[You acquire a substantial amount of experience as a Quest reward.]
[Level Up!]
[You have achieved Level 123!]
[As a Rare Linked Quest reward, you obtain a Rare-grade item, 『Random Box』.]
‘Oh.’
The experience was certainly generous.
I was satisfied as I took Lint Spenser with me.
After leaving the Tavern and walking through the street, I entered a quieter area once more.
Suddenly, as if I had almost forgotten, I looked at Lint and asked.
“So where’s the thing you took from Melicia?”
“…You must have really been close with Melicia. I can’t believe you know about that too….”
Lint murmured as if he had finally resigned himself.
Melicia’s ghost had told him to take it as well.
So he spoke up.
Of course, I already knew the identity of that item well.
‘A fragment of the Dragon Lord’s heart.’
In alchemy, it was an exceptionally superior material.
It was also an essential ingredient for crafting all manner of powerful items.
I wouldn’t have much use for it.
But it was still better to obtain what could be obtained.
With that thought, I asked.
“…I already sold it.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
It was unfortunate, but there was nothing to be done.
Even if I had obtained it, I wouldn’t have known where to use it.
I’d just move on.
I decided to hand Lint over to the guards and head to the Labyrinth to visit Melicia’s laboratory.
“I was blinded by the fragment of the Dragon Lord’s heart… Damn it.”
What good is regret now?
I looked at Lint with contempt as he regretted his foolish choice.
But then.
[You acquire the keyword 『Fragment of the Dragon Lord’s Heart』.]
[You have discovered a clue to enhance 『Young Helena’s Staff』.]
[If you obtain 『Fragment of the Dragon Lord’s Heart』, you may also enhance 『Young Helena’s Staff』.]
“Where did you sell it?”
Now the story was different.
0.
Lee Won-sang watched as Yoo Sung-hyun cleared the Quest through an unconventional method.
How was that even possible?
Did he seek out Lint Spenser?
That could be it.
But how could he find him instantly in that river?
What on earth is going on?
On top of that, some inexplicable power was displayed again.
Lee Won-sang stared at the screen as if witnessing something even ghosts would weep over.
Though it wasn’t something that could be seen directly.
“…What exactly is this?”
At this point, it was genuinely baffling.
How could anyone consume Hidden Pieces like they were eating meals?
The Lint Spenser Arrest Quest was a Rare Quest without Hidden Pieces.
I’ll accept that much.
But the problem was Melicia’s item that Lint Spenser had obtained—the Heart Fragment of the Demon Dragon.
It was a powerful crafting material for other Dark Mages as well.
But for Yoo Sung-hyun, the situation was different.
“If he has that….”
“Would Helena’s staff become Legendary?”
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
Oh Jin-hyuk’s question prompted Lee Won-sang to nod in response.
It would become an enhancement item that could evolve into Legendary.
Since it was a fragment.
There was a possibility of obtaining it elsewhere too.
But if that happened now, it would be troublesome.
“Sigh, how does that user have such incredible luck?”
The number of users currently under Lee Won-sang’s management alone was in the double digits.
If the User Management Team was overseeing them, it meant they were considerably exceptional users.
Yet among those users, Yoo Sung-hyun stood out distinctly.
First of all, that inexplicable power.
That alone was the mystery.
Lee Won-sang clutched his head as if it were throbbing.
But Oh Jin-hyuk seemed to recall something and asked Lee Won-sang a question.
“Senior, but where is that right now?”
“The Heart Fragment of the Demon Dragon?”
“Yes, we don’t know who he handed it to, do we? Should I look into it?”
“Yeah, look into it.”
Lee Won-sang spoke.
Oh Jin-hyuk immediately began investigating.
And let me track down the item.
“Huh? This went to the Auction House?”
“The Auction House??? If it’s the Auction House….”
“From Pentagrid City onward, auctions are held once a week in each city, right? NPCs can participate too?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“If it went there….”
“We won’t be able to get it easily.”
The Auction House system is available from Level 1 onward.
Naturally, it’s a trading system between users.
However, auctions where NPCs could participate only became possible from this city onward.
Auctions where influential figures of the city participate.
It wasn’t a place just any user could enter.
Lee Won-sang could feel somewhat relieved.
Users weren’t absolutely barred from entering, so there was reason to be anxious.
But he didn’t worry.
Of course, if it were Yoo Sung-hyun, he’d have more than enough to get in.
He even has a knight’s title.
However.
“It’s an auction where noble NPCs participate—how could we possibly outbid them with money?”
“Haha, that’s true.”
“This time, we really won’t be able to get it.”
Oh Jin-hyuk, just to be sure, checked the gold that Yoo Sung-hyun currently possessed.
And seeing it, he felt relieved as well.
Of course, gold could be distributed through the Rapid Guild, and it could also be obtained through personal funds.
However.
“The fact that the auction is tonight is truly a stroke of divine providence.”
There’s no way to accumulate more than noble NPCs in just one day.
It’s certain.
“This time, we can finally feel at ease.”
Lee Won-sang said so.
Oh Jin-hyuk also felt relieved.
Then, suddenly, Oh Jin-hyuk asked.
“Senior, but….”
“Don’t say anything worrying.”
“Ah, yes!”
At Lee Won-sang’s words, Oh Jin-hyuk closed his mouth.
And with that, Oh Jin-hyuk swallowed the question he’d just thought of.
‘Ever since that inexplicable power, I keep picking up hidden pieces like this—isn’t it related? I was about to ask….’
It was a sharp observation from Oh Jin-hyuk after a long time.
But since he was told not to, he kept it to himself.
Before long, Oh Jin-hyuk had forgotten all about it.
In any case, there was no way Yoo Sung-hyun could obtain it at the auction, no matter what methods he employed.
“Besides, that city has a noble NPC who goes absolutely crazy for dark magic.”
1.
Yoo Sung-hyun asked the fellow.
Lint Spenser responded with a repugnant smile.
“Heh heh! You think I’d just spill that out!?”
Yoo Sung-hyun scratched his head awkwardly at those words.
What should I do?
The Quest is already complete anyway.
It doesn’t matter what I do with Lint Spenser.
But I wish he’d just tell me willingly.
As I entertained that thought.
Melicia, the ghost who had been following along, spoke to me.
-If we just kill him, he’ll become a ghost anyway, so we can absorb his memories then!?
“…That’s a bit much.”
It would certainly be the most certain and effective method.
But it doesn’t sit right with me.
Though he is a game NPC, so it shouldn’t matter.
He’s even a murderer.
Killing him wouldn’t make me an infamous user.
Still, it felt morally wrong somehow.
As I pondered this dilemma.
-N-No, what if we call Nocturnium? W-Would that work?
“Nocturnium?”
-T-The earth knows all things, you said.
“Nocturnium does?”
Blink.
Fiora nodded slowly at my question.
Indeed, whenever information gathering was needed, Nocturnium had always been reliable.
Should I summon it for a moment?
I made up my mind.
Perhaps sensing something ominous.
“W-What? W-Why are you suddenly talking to yourself….”
Lint muttered nervously, but I paid him no attention.
Fiora, who had cognitive obstruction active.
And Melicia, being a ghost, were naturally invisible to him.
From Lint’s perspective, I must have looked like I was talking to myself.
In any case, I opened the Underworld and summoned Nocturnium.
There was no more reliable method than this right now.
As Yoo Sung-hyun summoned Nocturnium.
“Thank you for calling upon me, Lord.”
Nocturnium knelt on one knee before Yoo Sung-hyun and spoke.
And Yoo Sung-hyun asked him a question.
“I heard that this bastard sold a fragment of the Dragon Lord’s heart. Do you think you could find out where he sold it?”
At Yoo Sung-hyun’s words, Nocturnium smiled with satisfaction as if he had done something quite well and spoke very simply.
“A most trivial matter, Lord. Please wait but a moment.”
“Wait, wait? What are you—! Ugh, ahhhhh!”
With those words, Nocturnium.
Dragged Lint Spenser to some unknown place and vanished.
One might say he disappeared into the very fabric of space itself.
Or more precisely, he sank downward through the earth with a thunderous rumble, disappearing below.
The ground heaved and undulated like a mole burrowing through soil.
“Gaahhh! Cough, cough! Wheeeeze!”
Lint Spenser burst back up, gasping for breath.
Dust, sand, and earth spilled from his nose and mouth.
Then Nocturnium’s hand appeared again, seizing Lint Spenser’s head and dragging him back down into the ground.
So this was what it meant—that the earth knows all things?
I felt a chill run through me in that moment.
I’d heard of water torture before, but never earth torture.
As I observed Lint Spenser’s anguished state, an unsettling feeling crept over me.
Lint Spenser emerged from the ground, unconscious and limp.
Nocturnium rose from the earth with evident satisfaction, bowed respectfully to me, and spoke.
“The Auction House, Lord.”
“The Auction House?”
“Yes, he sold the item cheaply and submitted it for today’s auction, Lord.”
“I see.”
The Auction House, then.

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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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