The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 196

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 196
196
Watching the female user the four-person party members around him called Embris.
Yoo Sung-hyun looked at her as if he genuinely had no idea.
He’d truly never seen her before.
But she said it wasn’t a pickup line?
Wasn’t that usually what people said when they were trying to pick someone up?
Otherwise, why would she ask if they’d met somewhere before?
Yoo Sung-hyun tilted his head in confusion.
Helena beside him giggled and spoke with a playful glint in her eyes and voice.
“Ooh~ you’re quite popular~”
“Ah, really!! No, no!!! I just… thought I’d seen you somewhere before…”
When even Helena joined in with such teasing remarks.
The woman called Embris waved her hands in denial, then returned to her spot with a face flushed as if fully ripe.
A trivial commotion had occurred.
The users inside giggled one by one.
It was amusing enough, after all.
The more they laughed, the redder the face of the user called Embris became.
And in that moment, Yoo Sung-hyun was able to realize something.
‘Did she notice I’m the Demon Lord?’
No, if that were the case, she would have asked if I was the Demon Lord.
That didn’t seem to be it.
Then what was it?
Yoo Sung-hyun thought for a moment.
Suddenly, upon hearing the nickname, it came to him.
‘Second place?’
Wasn’t the leader of the party that came in second overall in this large-scale event also named Embris?
Curious, I ran a search.
It came up immediately.
Indeed, the second-place party’s name was also Embris.
Since Eternal World was a game where duplicate nicknames were possible.
It could have been a duplicate nickname.
‘But I think it’s the same person.’
At least, that’s what it seemed like to Yoo Sung-hyun.
Though not much was overtly apparent.
For some reason, looking at the atmosphere and the composition of that four-person party.
They certainly seemed like a skilled party.
It wasn’t just Yoo Sung-hyun who felt this way.
Helena spoke to Yoo Sung-hyun.
“Those guys are pretty decent.”
“Yes, it seems that way.”
-Huh?
Helena and Yoo Sung-hyun spoke in unison.
Fiora tilted her head as if questioning whether that was truly the case.
Well, by Fiora’s standards, she herself was weak right now.
So that reaction made sense.
What about the other parties’ levels?
There were no particularly outstanding parties.
We had accepted a quest from the Moore Merchant Guild, which was the finest merchant organization in the city.
So they must be fairly skilled.
But beyond that, there were no parties that caught Yoo Sung-hyun and Helena’s attention.
In any case, we waited a bit longer.
When two more five-person parties arrived, bringing the total to thirty members.
“Oh, finally they’re coming.”
“Are we finally going to see the owner of the Moore Merchant Guild?”
“It’s really hard to catch a glimpse of their face.”
Several users chattered among themselves.
Someone walked out onto a stage-like platform at the front of the room where they had gathered.
An NPC who appeared with several NPC escorts.
A young man in neat, refined attire—not flashy or antique-looking, yet somehow radiating an unmistakable aura of authority.
A man who seemed too young to be the owner of such a merchant guild.
Appearing to be only in his early twenties.
Yet he possessed a charisma that commanded the entire room at once.
When several users’ eyes met his, they unconsciously swallowed hard.
From the users’ perspective, he was merely an NPC in a game.
Yet an aura emanated from him that could not be treated carelessly.
Yoo Sung-hyun also let out a brief internal exclamation upon seeing such a man.
‘In my memories, he appeared as a child still in need of protection….’
Perhaps that’s why parents always see their children as needing protection?
I hadn’t imagined he would possess such capability.
So I couldn’t help but be even more astonished.
But the surprise wasn’t over yet.
This man, who operated a major merchant guild—almost a nobleman—one of the few in an entire city, even in the Fifth Region, bowed his head directly to those gathered here.
“I humbly ask of you, foreign adventurers. Please find my father, who has gone missing in the Pentamier Forest Labyrinth.”
He bowed his head personally to request aid for his family.
With such humility.
At that dignified figure.
Several parties found themselves wiping their noses without meaning to.
Their nasal bridges tingling.
Yoo Sung-hyun felt a similar emotion.
That made sense—I possessed Victor Moore’s memories, after all.
I felt a touch of nostalgia mixed with something akin to pride.
My son, whom I’d always seen as a child, had grown so much.
Such emotions stirred within me.
Yet I could distinguish them clearly.
The moment the gathered parties heard his story, text materialized in the air.
A message hung suspended before us.
[Unique Linked Quest, 『Disappearance of the Former Master of the Moore Merchant Guild』 has been created.]
『Disappearance of the Former Master of the Moore Merchant Guild』
(Summary)
→The former master of the Moore Merchant Guild and father of the current master Zerod Moore has vanished in the Forest Dungeon.
Find traces of him and bring them back.
The first Quest had been generated.
The objective was simple: locate and retrieve traces of him.
“I would be most grateful for your assistance.”
At Zerod’s words, the party members gathered here quickly rose and rushed out.
Some, moved by Zerod’s sincerity, hurried away vowing to find the traces with haste.
Yet others stepped forward, declaring they would find them faster than anyone.
But I remained in place, unmoving.
Why?
[You possess the Quest Item, 『Victor Moore’s Identification Badge』.]
[Unique Linked Quest, 『Disappearance of the Former Master of the Moore Merchant Guild』 is cleared.]
[You have cleared it first.]
[Bonus rewards are granted.]
[You obtain vast experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 152.]
“I understand the person who remained here has already found traces of my father.”
I had stayed behind because the merchant who guided me here had hinted at this possibility.
I never imagined I would clear the first Quest so immediately.
I nodded at Zerod’s words.
I stepped forward and handed Victor Moore’s identification badge to him.
Zerod accepted the badge with a bitter expression and spoke quietly.
“…My father always carried his identification badge with him, no matter the circumstances. He used to say that with one’s own badge, one could borrow even gold worth a fortune.”
I nodded at his words, which carried memories shared with Victor Moore.
A phrase he repeated like a habit—that one’s own credit was the most fearsome card of all.
Because of this, Zerod spoke to me as if making a resolve.
“My father may have already suffered a terrible fate.”
Cold words.
Yet within them burned emotions fierce as a thousand flames.
Yoo Sung-hyun remained still, sensing the shift in atmosphere.
“I apologize to those gathered here, but we must select only the most capable. We intend to accept only two additional parties who arrive promptly.”
This appeared to be quite a substantial Quest.
One could infer as much simply from the number of parties assembled initially.
A Quest composed of three parties.
That was Yoo Sung-hyun’s assessment.
Zerod Moore spoke with barely restrained fury, his voice seething.
“Vengeance cannot be achieved with mediocre talent, after all.”
“I see.”
“My apologies, but could you wait until the other parties arrive?”
“Of course.”
Upon Yoo Sung-hyun’s agreement, Zerod Moore bowed gratefully.
He then presented a substantial sum of gold as generous compensation.
[You have acquired 10,000 Gold as a reward.]
‘Impressive.’
Truly a Unique Quest.
I obtained 10,000 Gold from the initial reward alone.
To gain such a fortune—approximately 100 million won—from a single Quest.
This was befitting of a major merchant guild.
If they offered 100 million to wait, then I would wait.
Yoo Sung-hyun acknowledged this understanding.
“Then I shall return once the other parties arrive.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Thank you for your generous understanding. Then.”
Zerod Moore suppressed his fury and returned to his duties.
Yoo Sung-hyun, watching Zerod depart, returned to his seat.
Then.
“Hmm, vengeance is hardly pleasant. But there are vengeances that must be pursued.”
“That’s true.”
Fiora chimed in, “Right, and one must know how to forgive as well.”
Helena and Yoo Sung-hyun’s words prompted Fiora’s contribution.
In any case.
“I wonder who that woman who approached our Yoo Sung-hyun and the other party will be?”
At that playful remark, Yoo Sung-hyun chuckled and replied.
“Well, who knows.”
“Whoever comes won’t measure up to Yoo Sung-hyun, though.”
Chattering away, they waited patiently.
That four-person party would surely arrive.
The curiosity was about which other party would come.
2.
Users moving swiftly toward the Pentamier Forest Labyrinth.
Yet among them, one party stood out with overwhelming speed.
While others were only just arriving at the plaza of Pentamier.
This party had already reached the entrance of the Forest Dungeon.
It was Embris’s party.
Embris, who had unexpectedly become the woman who’d made the wager, was swallowing her frustration alone and pressing forward faster than anyone else.
Her companions exchanged cautious glances at their leader’s demeanor.
Had they teased her too much?
There was a sense that perhaps they had.
But when else would they get the chance to tease her like this?
“But seriously, why did you do that, Embris?”
“…What?”
Embris answered curtly to her companion Chako’s question.
She was visibly on guard, worried they might tease her again.
But Chako, seeing Embris like this, spoke up.
“I’m not Menma, so I wouldn’t tease you. I’m just curious—normally you’d just let it pass, but it’s strange that you actually said something.”
“Right, Embris usually just thinks ‘oh, that guy’s handsome~!’ and moves on, but actually talking to him was pretty unusual.”
“That user was pretty good-looking, though.”
At Menma and Usagi’s words, Embris shot them a sharp glare.
But as Chako calmed her down.
“I felt like I’d seen him somewhere before.”
“Hmm, when?”
“I’m not sure exactly… but it really felt like I’d seen him.”
If Embris said so, then she really must have seen him before.
It was peculiar that she couldn’t remember.
Embris was usually good at remembering things.
In any case, as they continued this conversation.
Menma spoke while running.
“He looked pretty skilled too, didn’t he?”
“But why hasn’t he shown up?”
“Even if he’s slower than us, he should still be faster than other parties, so shouldn’t we see him by now?”
As everyone expressed their confusion.
Embris spoke without quite knowing why.
“That user’s party didn’t move from the start. Maybe they’re starting slower than us?”
“What? They’re taking it easy while we’re here?”
“So they really are living up to their looks?”
“This is getting to my pride.”
At Embris’s words, everyone laughed as if their pride had been wounded.
Then, wanting to show them what they were made of, they moved even faster.
Four figures melting into the labyrinth like shadows.
It was not something that could be accomplished through sheer speed alone.
A technique that could only be displayed when one’s stats were fully utilized.
Under such circumstances, they swiftly combed through the Labyrinth and managed to discover something.
Wheel marks as if something had crashed into the Labyrinth’s wall.
However, the traces were so faint that one might have simply passed by without noticing had they not been paying close attention.
On a whim, I touched the vegetation that formed the Labyrinth’s wall where the marks appeared.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
After confirming things to that extent.
A system message materialized in the air.
[You have obtained a clue.]
[Return to the Moore Merchant Guild and report.]
A clue obtained in less than thirty minutes.
Because of this, they hurried back to the city.
They were certain they had to be in first place.
Thus, returning to the Moore Merchant Guild and arriving at the place where they had first gathered.
“Oh, second place has arrived.”
“Helena, please stop.”
There was Helena, taunting them about being second place, and Yoo Sung-hyun, trying to restrain her.
“”….””

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————