The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 15

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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 15
Episode 15
A message: “Clue Obtained.”
It was a famous trigger among Eternal World players.
A milestone leading to Hidden Pieces.
All the Hidden Pieces I had obtained before came through the memories of ghosts or with their assistance.
To obtain a Hidden Piece through the regular method like this…
I had been playing the game from the start, but I felt the genuine thrill of gaming anew.
My heart raced slightly as I gazed at Village Chief Pahm with barely concealed excitement.
Village Chief Pahm let out a soft, knowing chuckle.
“You’ll learn more about Gerik when you go to Perseville.”
It was his way of saying it was time to depart.
I bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Thank you. I’ll be on my way then.”
Though my words were measured, there was an unmistakable warmth beneath them.
Village Chief Pahm watched my departing figure and murmured to himself.
“Heh heh, the world has changed, they say, but this is the village of heroes. Forgive me, as the village chief, for being unable to offer my wholehearted congratulations on your birth. But others will be different. They will gladly accept you and rejoice. I eagerly await that day.”
“Pardon?”
I turned back to ask, but—
I was engulfed in light and vanished.
2.
Clatter—clatter—
My eyes opened to the uncomfortable sensation of swaying side to side.
Along with brilliant light, the surrounding landscape rushed past at considerable speed.
The sky stretched clear and blue, with meadows and fields sprawling all around.
The earthy scent hung thick in the air, mingling with the fresh fragrance of grass.
As the scenery streamed past and faded behind me, I realized I was in the cargo bed of a carriage.
A carriage carrying not just one, but several players in its cargo bed.
Behind the carriage rattling along the dirt road, even the uncomfortable clatter of the cargo bed became an aesthetic experience, drawing exclamations of wonder.
“Woooow—!”
“Amaaaazing!”
“We just opened the door at the village chief’s house and immediately a carriage? The production value is insane!”
“….”
Though I said nothing, I harbored similar thoughts as I gazed up at the sky.
The production was quite impressive.
The moment I opened the door, light enveloped me, and when I came to my senses, I was on a carriage.
It was certainly an evocative touch.
It seemed the other players were like me—users who had arrived from different villages.
I was the only one from Hindel Village.
The excited expressions of players leaving the Beginner Village.
Watching that vibrant energy, I felt my own spirits lift as well.
‘I can level up, explore different places…’
I thought to myself, anticipation building.
Other users were having similar conversations.
“Hey! What class are you going to advance to?”
“Hehe! Obviously a Mage! The party’s jewel! A Mage with that firepower is the best!”
“You’re only saying that because you can’t fight!”
“Ah, anyway! What about you?”
“Obviously a Warrior! Isn’t that the job for a real man?”
Watching them chat away with satisfied smiles, I couldn’t help but think my own advancement had been remarkably quick.
I was likely the first user to advance from Beginner Village.
My title proved it.
So unlike those people, I didn’t need to rush through Quests just to advance.
And I didn’t need to spend gold either.
The money required for advancement was a whopping 10 gold.
That’s roughly 100,000 won in Korean currency, but beginners can earn 10 gold through various Quests.
In fact, catching rabbits in Beginner Village and earning 10 gold is so easy that guides recommend it as the way to accumulate funds.
‘I saved money.’
By skipping those tedious Quests, I’d saved gold as well.
But I had something else to do instead.
‘Gerik the gravedigger.’
He’d naturally be in the cemetery, right?
I didn’t know what he’d ask me to do, but I was quite excited about it.
This was the first hidden piece I was actively seeking out myself.
It would be nice if things went smoothly, but there’s a certain charm to discovering it this way too.
While I was lost in these thoughts, a user suddenly shouted.
“It’s Perseville!!!”
“Yeah! It really is!!”
A fairly large wooden palisade began to appear in the distance.
A town with considerably more scale than Beginner Village.
That was Perseville—the first town we’d encounter after leaving the tutorial.
0.
The center of town, bustling like a marketplace.
As if everyone already knew it would always be crowded, no one paid attention and simply went about their way.
Around the fountain where people gathered, various sounds filled the air.
It wasn’t merchants hawking their wares.
Or rather, it was similar in a way.
“Goblin extermination! Looking for party members!”
“Cemetery undead extermination! Looking for party members!!! I’m level 7 and focused on agility, haven’t advanced yet!!!”
“Brothers!!! Future Warriors!!! Amin is looking for a party!!! If there’s a spot open, please take me on!!!”
“Looking for a party!!! Level 9, about to advance a class!!! You’ll find it useful!!!”
“Ah! Need a foreigner to hunt orcs!!! Urgent!!!”
“Delicious apples! Sweet, sweet apples! Only 1 silver!!!”
When first arriving at Perseville from Beginner Village, the central plaza was always like this—yet few newcomers managed to keep their wits about them in such chaos.
The disorienting spectacle made their eyes spin, and their spirits inevitably deflated.
But I navigated the scene with composure and slipped out of the central plaza.
I knew the town center would be like this, but it was worse than expected.
Users searching for party members were scattered everywhere, and between them I could see NPCs recruiting users as well.
Even NPCs conducting business amid the chaos.
A mad carnival of collaboration—I escaped the frenzy of the central plaza.
At last, I could breathe.
‘Phew.’
Though I’d moved with composure, my energy had still been drained.
Still, I’d push forward and search.
Gerik the gravedigger.
Just hearing the name, it was clear he’d be near the Common Cemetery.
The Common Cemetery was a goldmine for me.
With such anticipation, I headed toward the Common Cemetery.
‘Come to think of it, they said undead monsters appear in the Common Cemetery, right?’
In large towns like this, the cemetery’s scale was considerable.
And for that reason, undead occasionally swarmed out, or so I’d heard.
That’s why receiving quests from gravediggers to clear undead from the cemetery had become routine.
Just now in the central plaza, I’d heard users being recruited to clear undead.
It was a hunting ground that many sought out.
Find Gerik the gravedigger in the vast Common Cemetery.
‘Doesn’t seem difficult.’
Even if it was large, I could just ask the other gravediggers and be done with it.
I felt no concern.
Rather, I seemed eager to see what would unfold once I found him.
Most cemeteries are located on the outskirts of towns.
Perseville was no exception.
A large town wouldn’t keep a cemetery within its boundaries.
At the entrance of the massive Common Cemetery, two guards stood watch, and several NPCs were visible nearby.
‘Oh.’
Those must be the gravediggers.
As I entered the cemetery directly, the guards didn’t stop me.
They seemed to be guarding against undead escaping, not blocking user or NPC entry.
I entered the Common Cemetery without issue and approached the NPCs chatting while holding shovels and various tools.
Who else would be holding shovels and tools in a cemetery but gravediggers?
I strode forward and asked.
“Are you gravediggers, by any chance?”
“Huh? A stranger, eh?”
“Hehe, what brings someone like you to visit the likes of us?”
“Ah! Have you come seeking a favor?”
I observed the NPCs, their questions suggesting they were ready to offer Quests.
Unfortunately, none of them bore the name Gerik.
“Ah, I was hoping to ask you something, if I may.”
“Well, if it’s something we know, we can certainly tell you.”
“Ahem, what is it you’re so curious about?”
I felt somewhat relieved by their unexpectedly favorable response.
Had they been closed-off, it would have been far more difficult—fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
With this level of cooperation, asking where the gravedigger Gerik was shouldn’t pose any real problem.
Having assessed the situation, I posed my question.
“Do you happen to know of a gravedigger named Gerik?”
“…Huh?”
“…Ahem.”
“Old Gerik?”
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
It didn’t feel like I’d touched on anything particularly sensitive.
The mood hadn’t turned hostile or sour.
Rather, the NPCs scratched their cheeks as if at a loss.
What could be the matter?
Perhaps he’d left somewhere.
If that were the case, I could simply track him down—no real problem there.
“Well, Old Gerik has passed away.”
“He went last year.”
“He was a model for many gravediggers.”
“Huh?”
Dead?
Gerik the gravedigger?
I stared at the NPCs with a blank expression.
A message materialized as if pronouncing a death sentence.
[The gravedigger Gerik is currently deceased.]
[The thread continues.]
The thread continues.
Since he was dead, it meant the hidden piece was unrelated to him.
Gerik the gravedigger was the clue, yet his death bore no connection to the hidden piece?
Already, confusion set in.
My vision suddenly darkened as I struggled to determine where to begin searching.
‘This is troublesome.’
I recalled multiple memories and experiences simultaneously, piecing together the situation.
In circumstances like this, the hunter Apik’s memories proved invaluable.
“By any chance, would you know where Gerik lived before he passed?”
“Gerik’s room?”
“It’s been a year since he died.”
“Oh! We’ve just left that room abandoned, haven’t we?! Since there’s no new gravedigger, we’ve just kept it as is.”
“Oh yes! That’s right! That’s right!”
As I listened to the NPCs speak.
[You have obtained a clue regarding the room where gravedigger Gerik used to stay.]
As expected.
A message appeared.
The hunter Apik’s memories were useful in moments like these too.
I was about to express my gratitude and bid farewell when I caught one of the NPCs’ remarks.
“By the way, there’s another outsider looking for Gerik.”
“Indeed there is~”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, there was one more besides you. It was a few days ago….”
“Was it about five days ago?”
Could I have fallen behind?
No.
There were still hidden pieces remaining.
If someone had already taken it, such clues wouldn’t have surfaced.
But I could say that person was far ahead.
Since it had been five days.
‘I need to hurry more.’
If I let the lead slip away before my eyes, nothing would be more regrettable.
As I moved to quicken my pace.
A voice called out from behind.
-Looking for me?
An elderly man, disheveled and covered in dirt, holding a shovel, appeared before me with his lower half rendered translucent and blurred like broken pixels—a ghost.
The Old Gravedigger Ghost.
‘Found him.’
It seemed I had indeed found Gerik.
1.
What must be the state of mind when going to the office despite having taken time off?
What more is there to say?
It could only be described as desolate and miserable.
I could tell just by looking at Team Lead Ji Hye-jung’s eyes and complexion.
“Gasp! Team Lead Ji?! Y-you took time off… Gasp!”
“Gasp? Team Lead Ji?! H-how?”
“Aaagh!”
“Kyaaah!”
The other team members screamed as if they’d seen a ghost.
Their team leader had returned—the one who’d said she was taking time off and wouldn’t be back.
In a way, she did resemble a ghost.
She was stalking through the hallway with an expression that could kill.
No one dared to greet her.
Because she clearly wasn’t doing well.
When Ji Hye-jung, the team leader, finally arrived at the User Management Team.
The atmosphere in the Management Team froze instantly.
Everyone exchanged glances as if wondering who’d called her in.
Unable to even swallow, they stared ahead, and I noticed only two people whose faces had gone pale.
‘Ah, it’s those two.’
‘What do we do.’
‘The team leader’s furious.’
‘Don’t make eye contact. We’ll be stuck working overtime.’
They exchanged knowing glances and pretended not to notice, while only Lee Won-sang and Oh Jin-hyuk stood to greet Ji Hye-jung.
Ji Hye-jung, who always came to work in neat formal attire, was dressed more casually than ever.
Her style—casual shorts with a shirt and short-sleeved t-shirt layered over them—looked quite good.
The only thing she hadn’t managed to remove was the teddy bear headband, which revealed she’d come straight here from an amusement park.
“So, give me a status report.”
“Y-yes! We’ve organized everything here!”
Lee Won-sang quickly handed over the tablet containing the files he’d prepared earlier.
Work the moment she arrives.
He thought it was impressive, but realizing it was because of him, Lee Won-sang felt a deep sense of despair.
As Ji Hye-jung quietly read through the files, her expression gradually hardened.
It would have been the same for Lee Won-sang.
“This unknown power—you’re certain it’s not cheating, right?”
“Yes, yes! We’ve already confirmed it through Immortal.”
“…And they obtained a hidden piece without any warning?”
“…Yes.”
“Moreover, a class advancement in the Beginner Village, and an Almighty-grade one at that.”
“…”
Lee Won-sang’s words gradually dwindled.
There was nothing he could do, but these were truly remarkable achievements to report.
He was gauging her reaction.
But Ji Hye-jung’s expression actually relaxed slightly.
More precisely, it shifted from a frown to an expressionless state.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Since it’s confirmed not to be cheating, it means none of our staff leaked information for this.”
“Ah, yes. Immortal’s calculations already account for that.”
“Sigh. So what is that user doing now? I see that they obtained a clue about the gravedigger Gerik from the mayor of Hindel Village…”
“Ah! There’s no need to worry about that!”
Oh Jin-hyuk cut off Ji Hye-jung’s words and responded.
Since Ji Hye-jung wasn’t the type to make a fuss about being interrupted, she gestured for Oh Jin-hyuk to continue.
When their eyes met, Oh Jin-hyuk trembled for a moment, but he spoke calmly.
“That hidden piece has already been discovered by someone else first. If you look here…”
“Oh!?”
“Hmm.”
When Oh Jin-hyuk displayed the screen he had prepared in advance, they could see a user who was nearly at the hidden piece.
Level 30.
Certainly a high level for someone still in the first village.
But this was a user who had discovered the hidden piece and decided to remain there.
“Username Beziron, level 30, a user who has advanced to the Dark Mage class. Looking at their skill tree, it seems they’ve oriented themselves toward the Necromancer path.”
“Hmm, so regarding Gerik’s hidden piece?”
“It seems to be the case.”
Level 30 Dark Mage user.
I admit that Sung-hyun is impressive.
That’s why Ji Hye-jung even came in after forfeiting her vacation days.
But it would be difficult for a level 1 user who had just left Beginner Village to catch up with a level 30 user who had already rushed to the final stages to obtain the hidden piece.
Even with an Almighty grade, there was an order to obtaining hidden pieces.
No matter what, it would be difficult.
Let’s reassure ourselves with that.
[User ‘Sung-hyun’ has permanently increased their stats through an ‘Unknown Power’.]
A warning message from Immortal appeared on the screen.
It should be impossible, so why does unease suddenly creep in?

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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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