The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 2

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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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Chapter 2
Episode 2
Even after watching the video again, I could still see the ghost, and when I searched through other videos, I found them there too.
Should I call them spirit videos?
‘How fascinating.’
Originally, whenever a ghost appeared in a video, only I could see it.
But those were ghosts from reality, and until now, I’d never once seen a ghost inside a game.
Yet in the Eternal World videos, they appeared.
Ghosts dressed in medieval garb, as if they were the spirits of NPCs within the game.
What on earth was happening?
I didn’t fully understand it, but one thing was certain.
‘They really are ghosts.’
It was merely my intuition, but nothing felt more certain than this.
Even after visiting numerous renowned shamans, only I could see the ghosts.
So my intuition had to be reliable evidence.
I paused to think it through carefully.
First, could those ghosts be seen by others as well?
Looking at the video reactions, no one mentioned the ghosts at all.
Then were they only invisible to players?
That wasn’t it either.
The NPCs didn’t seem to see them either—they simply passed right through the ghosts without reaction.
Could they simply be hidden NPCs?
That wasn’t the case either.
‘Other NPCs and players have icons or name tags floating above their heads.’
But above the heads of these ghost-like beings, nothing appeared.
Not just my intuition, but all the circumstances pointed to one conclusion: they were definitely ghosts.
Ghosts inside a game.
Could my sister’s words actually be true?
‘My sister’s got some real insight.’
Or was the game itself that insightful?
Regardless, the important thing was that ghosts existed within the game too.
‘And all ghosts are favorable toward me.’
Without exception, every ghost I’d ever encountered had been fond of me.
They always tried to help me unconditionally.
The ghosts in this game would be the same.
It was merely intuition, but what could be more reliable than that?
Which meant if the game’s ghosts helped me…
Couldn’t I obtain hidden pieces that only they knew about?
Hidden pieces that other players had never found.
Hadn’t someone said something like that?
They say the dead have no voice.
But if I could speak with those dead…
‘I could learn so much.’
I found myself smiling as my curiosity deepened.
Anticipating tomorrow’s login, I drifted to sleep late into the night.
3.
I woke after a deep sleep.
A refreshing morning I hadn’t felt in the military.
After getting up and eating the delicious breakfast my mother Lee Na-kyung had prepared, I washed up and entered my room.
‘Then…’
Should I log in?
I already knew how to enter the capsule and access the game.
My older sister Yoo Mi-na had mentioned it so many times.
I’d heard it enough to grow calluses on my ears.
A game enjoyed by 2 billion people worldwide, she’d said.
Even I, having looked into it yesterday, felt considerable anticipation.
Most of all, I was curious about what ghosts in the game would be like and whether I could truly obtain hidden pieces through them.
By the time I woke, my sister had already eaten breakfast and entered the capsule immediately.
Before I knew it, I too had entered the capsule and was logging in.
At first, I felt my consciousness being pulled somewhere, and after that floating sensation, as if suspended in midair, I could enter a pure white space.
Upon arriving in the pure white room, I slowly descended, drifting gently toward the floor.
As my feet touched the ground, text appeared before my eyes.
[Welcome to Eternal World.]
[No registered account found.]
[Would you like to create an account?]
[Yes / No]
“Wow!”
Just seeing the text floating before my eyes was truly astonishing.
How could something like this be created?
It was nothing short of miraculous.
It was far more vivid than what I’d seen in videos.
Feeling as though I’d stepped into another reality, I immediately selected ‘Yes’.
Then a full-length mirror appeared.
Was this what they called customization?
[Please configure your desired avatar.]
[You may also select your desired race and ethnicity.]
[Settings other than race are limited to a maximum of 10% deviation.]
[Please note that creating an avatar with a different gender than your own is restricted.]
[You may use voice commands or a cursor.]
My appearance and body were fine, but having just been discharged from the military, my short hair bothered me.
So I can just say it like this?
“Um, could I have longer hair?”
At my words, countless hairstyle options flooded my mind.
“There are a lot of options?”
True to my nature of remaining composed even in surprising moments, I could only express mild astonishment.
Among them, I selected a hairstyle I’d frequently worn back when my hair was long.
As I returned to my former appearance, I nodded in satisfaction.
“I’ll go with this.”
[Would you like to finish customization?]
[Yes / No]
Without hesitation, I pressed yes and moved forward.
Next came the selection of my starting region—something I’d already heard about from my sister and had researched myself.
The choice was obvious.
“Hindel Village.”
Various explanations appeared, but since I’d already heard them from my sister, I boldly skipped through them.
I could always review the settings again on the website anyway.
And for the most important part—the character name—I simply chose it without much thought.
It was just a character name, after all.
[Please enter the nickname you wish to use…]
“Sung-hyun.”
Before the message window could fully appear, I answered, and it vanished.
Then came the final message.
[Character creation is complete.]
[You have a character available to play.]
[Would you like to log in as the character ‘Sung-hyun’?]
[Yes / No]
What was there to ask?
I nodded immediately, and a new message appeared.
[Welcome to Eternal World, another realm and an eternal one.]
[May fortune smile upon you, Player ‘Sung-hyun’.]
With that message, everything faded, and I found myself in a new space.
Brilliant sunlight poured down relentlessly from above.
A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying the chirping of birds.
Chirp~ chirp-chirp!
The birds sang with a vibrancy that surpassed reality itself, their voices mingling with the soft, rustling breeze.
And riding on that wind came the scents of flowers and grass, all of them refreshingly crisp as they brushed past me.
So this truly was another reality.
It was different from what I’d seen in videos.
‘This is incredible.’
Despite my inner amazement, I gazed calmly at my surroundings.
A man with a brutish appearance was glaring at me from that spot.
I already knew his face.
Gruger, the tutorial instructor of Hindel Village.
He was known to be a meticulous and demanding instructor, befitting his menacing visage.
True to form, Gruger spoke with a gruff voice, sharp as a blade.
“Welcome, new outsider.”
“Greetings.”
“My name is Gruger. I’m the instructor who will train you.”
“I’m Sung-hyun. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hmm, you’ve got the basics down, outsider.”
Apparently, there were plenty of users who didn’t even greet him.
Some people treated NPCs with contempt, I’d heard.
I didn’t pay it much mind as I observed Gruger, and he explained to me.
“Here, you can leave once you destroy one scarecrow. Like that.”
Looking in the direction Gruger pointed, I could see other users each wielding weapons and vigorously striking scarecrows.
The way they swung their iron swords looked quite formidable.
Yet watching the scarecrows resist destruction so stubbornly, I felt a twinge of admiration.
“Now that you understand, go pick one of the iron swords over there and destroy a scarecrow.”
At Gruger’s words, a Quest window appeared.
[Mandatory Quest, ‘Tutorial’ has been created.]
『Tutorial』
→《Basics》
→Select one of the iron swords hanging in the Training Ground and destroy a scarecrow.
→Reward: 1 Silver, Certificate of Completion.
So this is how quests progress.
I was about to immediately.
“Yes, I understand….”
I answered Instructor Gruger and moved to select an iron sword.
Until I saw something—a translucent, smoke-like figure of a person in that location.
Anyone would recognize it as a ghost.
Seeing it in person made it feel all the more real.
Just like the ghosts in reality, this was undoubtedly a genuine ghost.
Which meant….
‘It would help me with my request.’
Moreover.
It wore the same clothes as Gruger.
Was it a ghost who used to be an instructor?
If so, things might become easier?
I already knew the hidden piece of this tutorial.
My older sister had told me about it, but it was already a well-known hidden piece among other users.
‘So there’s a steel sword mixed in among those weapons, right?’
A steel sword far superior in durability and attack power compared to ordinary iron swords was supposedly hidden among them.
However, all the swords looked identical, making them incredibly difficult to distinguish.
Some users possessed the keen eye to identify and select them, but for an ordinary person, picking out a steel sword from so many blades was nearly impossible, even if someone explained how to tell them apart.
Several users had examined the weapons carefully trying to find a steel sword, but from what I could see, none of them had actually selected one.
But if that ghost really was the former instructor, wouldn’t he know?
I walked toward the Armory where the swords were planted.
Gruger watched me from a distance, his expression darkening.
‘This foreigner seems to have the basics down….’
Judging by his gait and movements, he appeared far removed from any athletic background.
Occasionally, there were foreigners who stood out.
Those who had some athletic training or showed signs of martial arts experience in their walk.
But I showed none of those qualities.
Gruger abandoned any expectations the moment he saw me.
I was simply an ordinary foreigner, nothing more, nothing less.
Good manners didn’t equate to exceptional skill.
Just as Gruger was discarding his hopes for me.
I, selecting a sword, spoke to the ghost present there in a voice so quiet that no one else could hear.
“Hello?”
-Gasp! Damn! Me, can you see me?
The ghost was so startled that it flinched and even let out a curse.
But his eyes were brimming with affection.
Just like the ghosts outside.
I nodded at the ghost and spoke very quietly.
“Do you happen to know which one here is the steel sword?”
At my question, the ghost grinned widely as if it were obvious, looking at me with the expression of someone gazing at their grandchild, nodding his head repeatedly.
-Of course I know! As the instructor from two generations ago, naturally I know! It’s not that one. Come over here!
“Thank you.”
I likewise spoke quietly and followed where the ghost was guiding me.
So this works after all.
As I followed the ghost, I felt something strange.
‘What is this?’
It was slightly different from encountering ghosts in reality.
I already knew from experience that the Eternal World felt more vivid than reality.
But that applied to ghosts as well.
Seeing ghosts felt even more vivid here.
It was a sensation I’d never experienced before, but I accepted it as it was.
After all, ghosts had never caused me harm in all these years.
And I knew it instinctively.
There was no way that would change.
Before long, I could see the ghost pointing to an iron sword.
-This one right here! This is the Steel Sword!
“Mm.”
At the ghost’s words, I grasped the sword without hesitation, as if it were the obvious choice.
The moment I grabbed it, the selection was final—I couldn’t pick anything else, yet I’d chosen it instantly.
To the other users, it looked like I’d simply walked over to the weapon selection area, glanced around, and then strode over to grab what I’d picked.
The other players watching me figured I’d just grabbed the Steel Sword without giving it much thought.
But why had I walked all that way to grab it?
The moment that question bloomed in their minds, radiance erupted from the sword in my hand.
“A, a Steel Sword!?”
“You’re pulling out a hidden piece like that!?”
It was the unmistakable moment when the evidence of selecting a hidden item was laid bare.

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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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