The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 174

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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 174
174
How did you find me?
More than that, I couldn’t even comprehend how you were still alive.
The presence of the Overlord I sensed from afar was certainly faint.
And yet I came here myself upon feeling it.
After so long without sensing an Overlord’s aura, I thought I might demonstrate the gap in our power to someone with whom I still shared a connection, and perhaps offer something in return.
But what is this?
What was Helena saying?
I had tried to escape, but was caught again.
Surely not.
‘Is it real?’
At that thought, I shook my head inwardly.
The King—or rather, Nyao—could not comprehend what he saw in Helena.
She was not the Helena of the past.
That could only mean she was unable to use even a portion of her original power due to the aftereffects of being reborn.
Yet she knew I was here and found me?
I had confirmed that while the Overlord’s power was certainly present, it was faint, so I did not come.
There was no way those two could have discovered me.
It made no sense.
Then suddenly, I noticed a familiar skeleton standing beside Helena.
So that’s how it was.
“Ah. So you are Nyao, I presume.”
“…”
At those words, Nyao glared at Yoo Sung-hyun, who was approaching from behind Helena.
A new Overlord.
In other words, Helena’s successor and heir.
That must be the skill he used.
Which means.
“…Is it the Scent of Death?”
“Yes, I used it just in case you might be an assassin….”
Yoo Sung-hyun’s expression became awkward, as if he found the situation uncomfortable.
And understandably so.
According to Helena, Nyao was the master of Ninyaru.
In other words, the King—and he had just used a skill against the King without warning.
Yoo Sung-hyun found himself thinking it was fortunate nonetheless.
『Scent of Death』
→《Legendary》
→[Lv Max][Complete Form]
[Passive Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 1 hour]
That fragrance, invisible yet omnipresent everywhere, is the final invitation bestowing silence and eternity upon the mortal.
→Exclusive skill for Overload.
→Summons a skeleton that can pursue the desired target.
→The skeleton pursues the target relentlessly until death, by any means necessary.
→The target pursued by the skeleton experiences repeated hallucinations as long as the skeleton remains attached.
→The skeleton persists until the target is on the brink of death.
‘Thank goodness Scent of Death isn’t an offensive skill.’
Scent of Death is a hybrid skill combining pursuit and debuff.
It caused repeated hallucinations, but…
[『Scent of Death』 attempts to create a hallucination for 『One Beyond Measure』.]
[Ineffective.]
[Contextually, this is not treated as a preemptive attack.]
One Beyond Measure.
That meant a level difference of at least 200 between myself and Sung-hyun.
I couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if I’d recklessly used an offensive skill.
Fortunately, the system ruled that contextually this wasn’t treated as a preemptive attack.
Looking at it this way, the system really is quite fair.
Sung-hyun exhaled a sigh of relief and glanced at Nyao.
Nyao trembled upon seeing Helena, then abruptly turned away and clamped his mouth shut before speaking.
“N-Nyao is not, well…”
Even modulating his voice, he insisted as emphatically as possible that he wasn’t.
At this point, one might have expected him to give up.
But feigning ignorance while denying it suggested he hadn’t surrendered yet.
Well, he’d apparently become a king now.
That was understandable enough.
He knew all too well what would happen if Helena recognized him.
So he seemed to be playing as ignorant as possible.
Sung-hyun watched and glanced at Helena, wondering if it would work.
He looked, but Helena clearly wasn’t buying any of it.
Regardless, Helena’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
She spoke with a playful expression.
“Nyao, here kitty kitty.”
Whoosh!
The moment Helena uttered those words and extended her hand.
Nyao, without thinking, immediately brought his chin down to rest against her palm.
“There’s a good kitty, yes you are.”
“Ah, oh no!”
Even after centuries had passed, the memories carved into his body remained unchanged—Nyao’s expression upon discovering himself rubbing his chin against her hand was.
Starkly different from the solemnity and majesty he had possessed before.
Nyao’s glistening eyes brimmed with tears, emotion welling up unbidden.
Yoo Sung-hyun deliberately averted his gaze skyward, pretending not to notice.
The other retainers did the same.
Only Fiora, whose perceptiveness lagged somewhat, tilted her head in confusion.
In that moment, sensing an approaching presence, Helena’s and Nyao’s eyes sharpened with alertness.
An enemy?
Not quite.
Whoosh!
Helena moved faster than she ever had since birth, and Nyao matched her speed, both adopting dignified expressions and postures.
Yoo Sung-hyun caught on as well, quickly lowering his head slightly, and he felt the approaching presence hesitate upon seeing them.
Then came a voice.
“Your Majesty!?!?”
“Ahem.”
The approaching presence was none other than Felix, commander of the Black Knight Order.
Having just finished an interrogation, he had been searching for Yoo Sung-hyun when he arrived at this location.
The moment he spotted Nyao—no, The King—he was startled and swiftly dropped to one knee, bowing his head in a gesture of loyalty.
Why had The King suddenly appeared here?
Such questions never crossed his mind.
Even if this were The King’s first outing in decades.
He simply demonstrated his loyalty in the presence of his sovereign.
“Your Majesty, I am honored to receive your presence.”
“Ahem, ahem, ahem!”
The King appeared somewhat displeased, his demeanor distinctly different from usual.
But Felix was far too flustered to notice such details.
The King, Nyao, observed Felix and cleared his throat, nodding.
“Well done. I came here personally because this is my… acquaintance’s… student, a foreigner!”
“Ah! Ah, yes!!!”
Felix finally seemed to understand, letting out an exclamation of realization.
“So Your Majesty knew of this person! I thought they were remarkable, but they were a student trained by Your Majesty’s acquaintance!”
Indeed, if a student trained directly by The King’s acquaintance, even a foreigner would possess such formidable strength.
He had found it strange.
For no matter how strong a foreigner might be, there were limits to what made sense.
Felix nodded repeatedly, as though he had just grasped some profound truth.
In any case, The King, Nyao, asked Felix a question.
“Tell me, were there any results?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!!”
Felix answered The King’s inquiry with a resounding voice, and Nyao nodded, appearing satisfied with that response.
Seeing this, Helena’s expression seemed to say “our Nyao has grown up,” and Nyao, feeling somewhat embarrassed, clasped his hands behind his back and turned away as if indifferent.
Realizing that the Black Knight Order was present and that Felix had come to report the interrogation results to Yoo Sung-hyun, Nyao observed him with narrowed eyes.
The power and appearance he sensed were faint, yet…
It’s definitely an Overlord’s aura.
And.
‘Stronger than I expected. That’s why he managed to catch the spy.’
I grasped the situation with sharp clarity.
Of course, if we’re speaking purely of raw strength, he’s not in the same league as me.
I could crush Yoo Sung-hyun like an insect right now.
But he’s far stronger than the typical standard.
Among those of equal rank, it would be exceedingly rare for anyone to defeat Yoo Sung-hyun.
In fact, it might be safe to say it’s impossible.
That’s precisely why he captured the spy so effortlessly.
Nyao stroked his beard thoughtfully, his expression grave as he considered this.
‘Then I can entrust this matter to him.’
It was troublesome anyway.
This worked out well.
He’d successfully extracted information from the spy.
Nyao turned to Felix once more with another question.
“You’ve learned everything about the corridors and schemes they used, yes?”
“Yes, we’ve completed our investigation of the corridors. However, regarding their future plans, it appears the spy himself was unaware of them.”
“Hmm, I see. Cunning bastards. We won’t be able to extract any more information.”
It seemed Sibren had deliberately kept the subsequent plans secret in case of capture.
Despite the endless exchange of words, Yoo Sung-hyun remained silent and composed.
That was the right choice.
‘Hmm. This is troublesome.’
After all, we’d captured the spy but failed to learn their future plans.
It was bound to be troublesome.
Since spies had already infiltrated the city.
I sensed that difficult developments might unfold ahead.
As I was thinking this, something suddenly occurred to me.
Perhaps.
“Um, Your—… ah.”
I usually adjusted my form of address based on the other person’s station.
But the moment I recalled Nyao being pampered by Helena’s hand, I hesitated.
Was Nyao feeling the same way?
“Eh, what? Ahem, yes, stranger, speak.”
His response seemed somewhat awkward.
As we both exchanged words in mutual discomfort.
Helena was grinning with evident satisfaction.
She seemed to find this situation quite amusing.
At that moment, I spoke to Nyao.
“Perhaps there might be a way to uncover their future plans after all.”
“Hmm?”
“W-what!? Lord Sung-hyun, is that truly the case!?”
Felix exclaimed in astonishment, momentarily forgetting even about the King’s safety.
The King and Nyao tilted their heads, clearly quite startled as well.
Sung-hyun explained the method that had occurred to him, point by point.
Upon hearing this, Felix’s complexion grew haggard with shock, and the King’s reaction was much the same.
Could such a thing truly be possible?
Even with Helena’s power from the past, that method seemed difficult to achieve.
Watching Nyao harbor such doubts, Helena smiled warmly and spoke.
“If it’s our master Sung-hyun, it’s more than possible.”
At those words, Nyao felt reassured.
Helena possessed a playful nature and frequently indulged in pranks.
Yet she was not the sort to deceive in matters of such gravity.
Thus, Nyao trusted her words and nodded in agreement.
“Then we shall proceed with that operation.”
“Y-yes, sire. But that method is far too dangerous.”
“Without it, we would have no choice but to wait passively for the enemy. Do you have another sound strategy to propose?”
At the King’s question, Felix shook his head, indicating he did not.
He understood Sung-hyun’s remarkable capabilities.
Yet doubt filled him—could this truly succeed?
But if the King spoke thus….
“I shall obey Your Majesty’s command.”
To follow the King’s judgment.
No other course presented itself.
With Sung-hyun’s method thus adopted.
Sung-hyun spoke with measured care.
“There is a chance of failure, but the success rate is quite high. Please wait a moment longer.”
With that, Sung-hyun headed toward the Interrogation Room.
To prepare for the new operation.
And before Sung-hyun’s eyes, text materialized.
[You have demonstrated resourcefulness and wit through improvisation.]
[The Hidden Chain Quest, ‘Shield of Ninyaru, Black Knight Order’ has been altered.]
[The Hidden Chain Quest, ‘Basilica and Ninyaru’ has been generated.]
[The master of Ninyaru – Hidden City of the Labyrinth Merchants regards you with intrigue.]
3.
In a space distant from the outer reaches of Ninyaru – Hidden City of the Labyrinth Merchants.
Upon the vast expanse that the inhabitants of this place called the Labyrinth Gap, several figures waited for something.
Two of them sat quietly before a campfire, each pulling their hoods deep over their heads.
Yet even with their hoods drawn low, certain features remained visible.
One possessed arms like membranous wings, while the other had eight gleaming eyes and a writhing back, suggesting the presence of multiple limbs.
They were all residents of the Basilica.
More specifically, they belonged to the intelligence and assassination division.
“When is Sibren coming out?”
“He should be returning soon. Just wait.”
“Hmm, even so, it’s taking longer than expected.”
At the words of the Bat-like Creature, whose arms resembled membranous wings,
the spider-like creature nodded in agreement.
Both of them here were Sibren’s comrades.
They had received the same mission and come this far,
but lacking the skill that Sibren possessed, they remained here waiting.
Yet Sibren, who normally arrived even earlier than the scheduled return time, had yet to appear, which troubled them.
Could something have happened to him?
As such thoughts crossed their minds,
faint footsteps echoed.
Someone appeared.
“Were you waiting?”
“Sibren, you took your time.”
“Indeed. Surely nothing happened to you?”
….
Sibren said nothing, merely fixing his gaze upon the bat-like creature.
At that emotionless stare, devoid of any feeling whatsoever, the bat-like creature could only acknowledge the truth.
“It’s really you, Sibren.”
“Then we’re certain. Let’s return to the Basilica.”
Without need for further confirmation, both rose from their positions.
Sibren nodded and stepped forward to lead the way.
From his lips, a faint teal-blue aura drifted forth.
The bat and the spider.
The two could not see that teal-blue aura because Sibren stood ahead of them.
“Let’s go quickly, back to the Basilica.”

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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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