The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 206

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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 206
206
Leaving behind the amazement of users and NPCs alike.
As I entered the castle, I couldn’t help but marvel at its interior.
‘Wow.’
After all, I had visited Pentarid Castle, one of the actual Fifth Cities, so I had some basis for comparison.
But I had to admit—Pentarid Castle paled in comparison to this place.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it merely a grand manor. This castle’s majesty and grandeur were truly extraordinary.
As I stood there marveling at it all.
Footsteps echoed through the vast lobby.
Click, click.
It sounded like the footsteps of a single person.
Yet the presence I felt was not one, but many.
I was momentarily startled and turned my head.
As the footsteps drew closer through the expansive lobby.
I could see a woman and those following in her wake.
The woman at the forefront had dark blue hair that gleamed with a soft luster, adorned with numerous silver ornaments that clung to her head, creating an elegant and beautiful appearance as if gazing upon the Milky Way itself.
Yet despite such hair and the pale skin visible here and there.
The grotesquely distorted doll mask she wore gave off an inexplicably eerie feeling.
At the appearance of such an extraordinary figure, I swallowed hard.
‘Even more formidable than Belmore Branch Manager or Penelope Branch Manager…’
An extraordinary presence that seemed several levels above them.
This aura of overwhelming power just from her appearance alone.
It was similar to that of Kals, the raven man.
‘Though still beneath Kals.’
This woman, who could be called the master of such a city.
Still seemed inferior to Kals, the lion of Overpalace.
In fact, she seemed to fall short even compared to the two accompanying her.
Normally, since this was a game.
It wouldn’t have been easy to analyze the auras of two beings like this.
But with the memories and experiences of ghosts, I could gauge this much.
In any case, this woman was undoubtedly an exceptional master.
Perhaps—no, certainly, this woman was the master of the undead circling around the castle.
Not a guess or assumption, but certain.
The aura she displayed was similar to the aura of controlling undead that I had felt outside.
As I gazed upon the woman thus.
She immediately removed the grotesquely distorted doll mask.
Revealing beautiful features and a youthful appearance, I was momentarily taken aback.
But at the sight of this woman suddenly prostrating herself with such a face, even I couldn’t help but flinch.
“We behold the true successor of Overpalace and our Lord!”
“We pay our respects to our Lord!!!”
I never expected to hear such a declaration in such an elegant and crystalline voice.
Even for someone as composed as Yoo Sung-hyun, this was hardly easy to bear.
The fact that she would bow so abruptly like that caught me off guard.
Following suit, the countless Dark Mages behind her immediately prostrated themselves before Yoo Sung-hyun as well.
Faced with such an overwhelming situation, Yoo Sung-hyun swallowed hard.
The woman continued speaking from her bowed position.
“My name is Kalina de Noxshale. Though I am unworthy, I serve as the Branch Manager of the Hexia Branch of Overpellis. During your stay here, I shall devote myself to assisting you, our successor.”
Though there was sincerity in her voice, Yoo Sung-hyun was momentarily taken aback.
How many people related to Overpellis had I encountered thus far?
By now, I had grown quite accustomed to such situations and responded naturally.
“Understood. Rise.”
I kept my words to a minimum.
Sure enough, the branch manager woman who introduced herself as Kalina sprang to her feet immediately.
Seeing Kalina, who appeared quite young, standing before me like this.
She seemed close to my own age, which made the situation feel even more awkward.
I chose to ignore that discomfort.
In any case.
There was a reason I had come here, after all.
Just as I was about to get down to business.
“Would it be acceptable if I showed you around this castle, where you will be residing?”
“…?”
Residing here?
Setting aside whether that was even possible, I had no desire to do so.
As such thoughts crossed my mind.
Kalina spoke up.
“This place was created by renovating the residence where the previous Lord lived, and we allow no one to intrude. Considering what lies ahead, I believe it would be best for you to stay here for the time being. If you find it inconvenient, visiting occasionally would be perfectly acceptable as well!”
At Kalina’s explanation, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded slowly.
If that were the case, it did seem necessary to stay for a while.
I could continue class-exclusive quests and storylines from this place as well.
Since I hadn’t considered that until now.
Yoo Sung-hyun responded as if he understood.
Kalina continued with her introduction.
“Then I shall guide you.”
At those words, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded.
The others, who appeared to be Dark Mages, bowed respectfully and then all vanished with remarkable speed.
They disappeared so quickly that rather than finding it strange, Yoo Sung-hyun simply followed along with Kalina’s guidance.
Since the castle was quite vast, the tour was rather lengthy, but there wasn’t actually that much I needed to know.
There were roughly three main areas I needed to familiarize myself with.
First, the dining hall and the bedroom where Yoo Sung-hyun would be living.
The basement—the last place where Helena had lived.
In particular, the door to the basement was firmly sealed shut.
Apparently, it remained locked unless there was business to attend to.
‘Hmm. This isn’t going to be easy.’
Since it was connected to Helena,
I was intrigued, certainly.
But the thick darkness seeping through the cracks of that firmly closed door was unsettlingly eerie.
Even as fellow Overlords, Helena’s tenure as an Overlord had been extraordinarily long.
I couldn’t know what lay within that basement.
When I thought of Helena, it didn’t seem likely there would be anything dangerous.
But given how much time had passed,
one could never be certain.
‘Helena might have become corrupted without intending to.’
The thought that the Overpallace Branch hadn’t been built above it without reason
made me sense that this wouldn’t be simple.
As Yoo Sung-hyun grew somewhat tense with these thoughts,
Kalina de Noxshale approached him and withdrew something precious she had been safeguarding from her bosom.
Then, looking at Yoo Sung-hyun, she handed over that treasured object.
“Black Star discovered this here—it’s an item related to the previous Lord.”
With those words, I accepted the object she offered.
Taking it in hand, I regarded it with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Should I call it a book?
Or a notebook?
More precisely, it seemed closer to a sketchbook.
And the moment I saw the writing inscribed in that sketchbook,
text materialized before my eyes.
[You have obtained the Overlord-exclusive Quest Item, 『Helena’s Diary』.]
[Upon reading the Overlord-exclusive Quest Item, 『Helena’s Diary』, a class-exclusive Quest will be generated.]
The system message appeared,
but I focused instead on the physical diary itself.
『Helena’s Diary』—written in the childlike handwriting of a young girl.
And beneath where “diary” was written,
『Do Not Let Anyone Read This!』
was inscribed in quite adorable lettering.
Seeing this, I scratched my head and recalled Helena’s words.
She had said she wouldn’t be able to come out for a while.
Was it because of this?
She must have known exactly what it was.
Helena’s diary, no less.
With something like this, I could understand why she couldn’t leave.
‘Looking at the handwriting, could this be from her childhood?’
If Helena’s age was at least a thousand years or more.
I couldn’t help but think this was practically an artifact.
However.
“Hmm.”
Should I actually open it and read it?
That thought was unavoidable.
If I’d simply thought of it as a job Quest in the game, I wouldn’t have hesitated.
But now I was traveling with Helena.
That’s why I felt conflicted.
Reading someone’s diary when they were right there felt a bit….
That was the issue.
‘Well, if she didn’t want me to read it, she would’ve said so.’
Seeing how she was embarrassed and locked herself away in the Underworld.
Based on Helena’s personality.
It was fair to say she’d essentially given her permission.
The structure was that a Quest would generate upon reading.
So I couldn’t avoid reading it anyway.
As I opened the diary.
[Opening the Overlord-exclusive Quest item, 『Helena’s Diary』!]
A system message appeared.
Like an event scene, my body went rigid and immobile.
Before me, unable to move.
The diary’s words emerged like a fairy tale, and a voice echoed from somewhere like a small narration.
It was a child’s voice, yet somehow familiar—tinged with happiness and playfulness.
And the diary entry read by such a young girl.
『Today I drew a cat and a dog!』
『The cat went “meow!” and the dog went “woof!” They were running around everywhere! I said “let’s play together!” and the cat and dog said “hehe! Want to play hide-and-seek?” and jumped out of the picture!』
『Oh no, where are they? Where are they?』
『”If you come into the darkness, you can find us!” the cat said! The dog laughed too! I’m good at hide-and-seek!』
『Cat, dog, wait! I’ll definitely find you! I’m good at this, right?!』
The diary read in a child’s voice was certainly the kind of thing a young child would write.
But somehow.
‘This is scary?’
The part about jumping out of the picture and the line about being able to find them if you entered the darkness felt unsettling.
And when I actually heard the young girl’s voice along with laughter—haha, hehe—the atmosphere became genuinely quite frightening.
As I pondered what this diary entry meant.
I could see a page from the picture diary.
It was clearly drawn by a young child, yet somehow it evoked a terrifying atmosphere.
And in the center of that page was a young girl with red hair drawn there.
‘Torn?’
I could see that on both sides of the red-haired girl, where there should have been something, the edges were torn.
Could this be what they meant by coming out of the painting?
As I observed and pieced it together, the notification I’d been waiting for appeared.
A message materialized before me.
[Overlord Story Quest, 『The Missing Cat and Dog』 has been created.]
『The Missing Cat and Dog』
→Find the missing cat and dog.
In summary, that was the quest.
As I looked at it, I noticed the basement door that had been firmly shut earlier was somehow now open.
When did this open?
If such a large basement door had opened, I surely would have noticed.
Kalina de Noxshale tilted her head with curiosity as she observed it as well.
“When do you think it opened?”
“…I’m not sure.”
I wanted to say that if the master of this castle didn’t know, what was I supposed to do.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say it in this atmosphere.
In that place where darkness lay desolately, from somewhere.
Woof.
Meow.
I could hear what sounded like the cries of a dog and a cat.
Should I really go down there?
It felt as though the genre of Eternal World had suddenly shifted.
Certainly a terrifying atmosphere.
However, I had spent my entire life seeing Ghost, so.
I paid it little mind and moved toward the basement door.
Watching me enter like that.
Kalina de Noxshale spoke.
“Please be careful on your way.”
As she said that and I set foot into the basement.
The basement door shut firmly in an instant, as if it had never been open.

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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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