The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 207

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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 207
207
It was a phenomenon without clear explanation.
Yet Kalina paid it no mind.
Rather, as if it were the most natural thing, she showed no particular reaction and simply donned the grotesquely twisted doll mask she always removed whenever Yoo Sung-hyun was present.
An extraordinary aura enveloped her.
Dark blue energy rippled and surged.
It resembled the appearance she had first revealed to Yoo Sung-hyun.
Yet with a far denser concentration, the shadows around her trembled visibly.
As she deepened her vigilance, Kalina spoke into the void.
“My limbs and extensions. Strengthen your guard further so that none may set foot within this castle.”
Kalina commanded, her voice cutting through the air.
Dark blue energy flowed from the emptiness, and the undead stationed outside the castle began to prowl more ferociously around its perimeter.
It was only natural to make the guard more stringent.
“The Lord must face no inconvenience whatsoever while conducting business in the basement.”
At her words, brimming with unwavering loyalty.
The shadows around her trembled finely in response.
[We shall obey.]
Because she wore the grotesquely twisted doll mask.
I could not discern Kalina’s expression.
Yet judging by how she departed from before the basement entrance without hesitation, she did not seem greatly displeased.
As Kalina moved through the castle emanating dark blue energy, the Dark Mages I had seen earlier appeared once more around her.
They then bowed their heads behind Kalina and followed in her wake.
Kalina accepted this as though it were only natural and spoke.
“Should the Lord emerge, summon me at once.”
“Yes, we shall obey. Branch Commander.”
“Furthermore, keep careful watch for any who approach this vicinity.”
“Yes, we shall obey. Branch Commander Kalina.”
“We shall stake the very existence of our Overpalace upon this.”
At Kalina’s words, spoken with fierce intensity, all the Dark Mages cried out in reverence.
“”For our Lord! We shall obey!””
As if responding to that resonant cry that echoed throughout the castle.
Kalina nodded once.
Then melted away from that place, vanishing.
And the place where she reappeared was the very pinnacle of the castle’s depths—the apex of the Spire, the highest point within the fortress.
There Kalina appeared, standing at a vantage where all of Hexia lay beneath her gaze, looking down upon everything with vigilant intensity as she murmured.
“…So that meddlesome hero has stirred again? I know not his intentions, but should he come here, he would do well to prepare himself.”
Unlike when she stood before Yoo Sung-hyun, the Kalina who murmured thus.
Openly revealed her ferocious aura, enveloping the castle and its surroundings.
With the resolve that she would spare none should any suspicious figure appear.
3.
In darkness so complete it swallowed everything—not merely what lay a step ahead, but all existence itself, light unable to pierce its veil.
Yet within that abyss, something gleamed with vivid, unwavering brilliance.
Pupils sliced vertically with predatory sharpness, as if staring into the darkness itself, surrounded by golden irises.
And circling those golden eyes drifted a faint crimson glow.
Massive?
No.
Not massive at all.
Yet neither did it possess the dimensions of any ordinary creature.
If I had to guess, it was roughly the size of a human form—perhaps that scale exactly.
From that height, two pairs of pupils hovered, piercing through darkness that even light could not penetrate, and they murmured.
“Helena?”
“Have you come to find us?”
“Why did it take so long?”
“Didn’t you want to see us?”
“We wanted to see you.”
“Do you hate us?”
“We believed you would return.”
“Why are you only now coming to find us?”
“Now let’s play together.”
“No, we won’t play.”
“You’re not Helena.”
“But you are Helena.”
“Will you play with us?”
“But you’re not Helena, are you?”
A conversation that seemed disconnected yet somehow flowed together.
Had anyone heard it, they would have been seized by creeping dread.
But there was no one here to listen.
The two pairs of pupils chattered on like this.
Then, from the void, they bared white teeth and spoke.
“If you’re not Helena, we cannot play with you.”
“We will wait.”
“No, we have been abandoned.”
“Yes, Helena will come find us.”
“So we have no need for anyone else who enters here.”
“We will not play.”
The white teeth curved in a grin, laughter brimming from that void.
Their pupils and teeth vanished from the emptiness.
To hunt down and drive out the intruder—the one who was not Helena.
It did not take long before they emerged once more.
“Hehe, found you.”
“Now you’re it.”
4.
Wrapped in darkness so complete that nothing ahead could be seen.
Yet for reasons I couldn’t explain, I wandered through this place with a strange sense of familiarity.
Though the obscured surroundings should have filled me with dread.
They did not.
I moved forward with confident strides, pressing ahead undeterred.
In the darkness that dizzied the senses—where even the sound of footsteps refused to echo.
Yet as I traversed this void, I felt certain, each step deliberate and assured.
This was no place I remembered visiting.
And yet that vague familiarity persisted, growing stronger with each passing moment.
Déjà vu, perhaps?
I felt as though I had walked here before, though when remained a mystery.
And then I understood.
‘These are not my memories.’
The memories of someone from long, long ago.
I couldn’t read them clearly, yet their essence transmitted itself unmistakably.
Helena’s ancient memories.
This was indeed where Helena had once dwelled.
That sensation was unmistakable.
In ages past, this place had been above ground, not below.
It felt like a gentle hillside then.
But now it was utterly transformed.
Beyond mere desolation, an ominous darkness coiled around everything, and a blindness deeper than sight itself descended upon me.
‘And the cause of this….’
It had to be the Quest I’d received.
A Quest whose rewards remained unknown.
Yet merely knowing it was connected to Helena ignited my curiosity aflame.
A drawing from childhood, now brought to life.
And what form it would take was as obvious as fire.
I surveyed my surroundings with that thought.
‘Hmm.’
The déjà vu that had lingered moments before vanished, and my instincts—honed sharp and keen by absorbing the experiences of countless spirits—spoke clearly.
Evade immediately.
I kicked off the ground on pure instinct, launching myself away from my position.
A piercing sound shrieked through the air.
Clang—!
The sharp metallic screech of something raking across the floor.
Had I remained there, I would have taken grievous damage.
And the moment that sound rang out.
Thunk! Thunk-thunk! Thunk-thunk-thunk!
Sounds erupted from the walls surrounding me.
Light bloomed from the ceiling and walls.
The lights that burst forth like torches illuminated the space, and only then could Yoo Sung-hyun see clearly where he was.
A vast chamber that stretched from the end of a long corridor.
A space shaped like a hemisphere.
The ceiling arched like a dome, and across its curved surface sprawled numerous childlike drawings.
Walls painted in crayon strokes, as if by a young child sketching the sky.
The floor too bore patches of sparse, unfinished color, as if a child had painted it.
It was decorated like a playground.
Yet only the drawings on the walls existed.
A vast, empty space devoid of any actual furniture.
‘Hmm.’
Just moments ago, this place had felt familiar, as if I’d seen it before.
But after the lights ignited, that sense of familiarity vanished completely.
It felt as though it had been created just now.
Or perhaps concealed beneath something else?
That sensation permeated everything.
As I felt this strange impression, I noticed shadow-like creatures emerging on both my sides.
Two beings, each precisely human-sized.
Standing upright on two legs, with pale yellow eyes and vertically slit pupils, baring sharp claws in a threatening display—Narisha.
The other creature stood on two legs, its crimson pupils gleaming as drool dripped from its mouth, revealing sharp fangs—Berto.
Two grotesquely distorted beings, as if sketched by a child’s hand.
The moment I spotted them.
[You have encountered the Hidden Raid Boss, 『Narisha and Berto』.]
[The Hidden Raid will commence shortly.]
!!!WARNING!!!
You have no party members!!!
This is dangerous!!!
The familiar message surfaced in my mind.
Yet I gripped my sword with a sense of calm.
Normally, I would have summoned my other servants to fight alongside me.
But this time, I wanted to face them alone.
My servants are strong, certainly.
But haven’t I grown stronger as well during this time?
Wanting to test that, I quietly drew my blade.
Shing.
As I unsheathed my sword.
As if it were a bell signaling the start, Narisha moved first.
Thud! Whoosh!
Narisha’s soft paw pads pushed hard against the ground.
Yet the recoil force was tremendous, nothing like what her cute appearance suggested.
Her speed as she cut through the air was far from ordinary.
‘Fast.’
Yoo Sung-hyun naturally expected as much and raised his sword to block her path.
Then, with a delay, Narisha’s long claws descended upon that very spot.
Screeeech——!!!
Sparks erupted as sharp metal scraped against metal.
Neither of them had used skills—only their sword and claws clashed.
Yet the recoil force felt through their hands alone told the tale.
‘Not to be underestimated.’
Much like what Yoo Sung-hyun felt.
A deep furrow formed between Narisha’s brows.
She, too, sensed that Yoo Sung-hyun was formidable.
Yet as Narisha withdrew her claws, she twisted her supple body in mid-air and sent a spinning kick toward Yoo Sung-hyun.
It happened in an instant.
The moment Narisha began to retract her claws, Yoo Sung-hyun sensed it and slipped away.
Then, an instant too late, sharp fangs descended upon where he had stood.
Crunch——!!!
Having dodged, Yoo Sung-hyun watched as Berto’s fangs snapped at empty air, then turned his gaze toward where Yoo Sung-hyun had retreated.
In that split second, confusion flickered in his eyes—he couldn’t comprehend how the dodge had been executed.
But the two didn’t dwell on such questions for long.
As Yoo Sung-hyun fell back, Berto’s jaws closed on nothing, and he quickly withdrew from that position, spinning to face Yoo Sung-hyun anew.
Then he pushed off the ground again, charging forward at speed.
A straightforward rush, monotonous in its simplicity.
But the speed alone—far exceeding Narisha’s—prompted Yoo Sung-hyun to activate a skill first.
A colossal blade of darkness erupted from the shadows, hurtling toward Berto.
As if sensing it, he too activated a skill, his two legs gleaming brilliantly as he kicked the air once more.
Boom!
Berto’s speed surged even faster.
Yet no matter how much faster he became, he couldn’t escape his own shadow.
The blade of darkness that erupted from within his shadow pierced him clean through.
Thud!
Without so much as a cry, Berto tumbled across the ground.
From directly behind Berto, a shadow leaped forth.
It was Narisha.
She had exploited the blind spot created by Berto’s body to attack.
As Berto rolled across the floor right before Yoo Sung-hyun, Narisha burst forth, wreathing herself in darkness for acceleration—her speed was incomparable to Berto’s.
Yoo Sung-hyun flicked his finger toward Narisha as she hurtled toward him at devastating speed.
Narisha, who had rushed right up to Yoo Sung-hyun’s face, found the abyss unfurling beneath her feet—dragging her ankle down into its depths.
As the abyss’s grip loosened, her movements froze.
Yoo Sung-hyun’s blade moved.

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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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