The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 210

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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 210
210
1.
When wandering through a dark forest, the senses sharpen until even the faintest sound becomes deafening, and one confronts a paralyzing dread—the sensation that something might burst forth from every direction.
When that terror reaches its zenith, a person hears the very pulse of their own heartbeat echoing from the depths of their being, and even conjures the illusion of sounds that were never there at all.
Yet the Dark Forest was different.
This did not happen to Yoo Sung-hyun.
It was not merely because Yoo Sung-hyun possessed an unflappable and composed temperament.
The darkness had indeed sharpened his senses.
But no sound reached his ears.
‘That’s strange.’
This place was undoubtedly a forest.
A forest where densely packed trees obscured the sky and darkness lurked all around.
Even if it was underground.
By any measure, this was a forest.
Yet the various ambient sounds that should naturally exist in a forest were absent.
“….”
So I stopped walking and examined my surroundings carefully.
I closed my eyes entirely and attempted to sense what lay around me.
But I felt no presence of living creatures—not the faintest chirp of insects, not the whisper of wind through leaves, not even the breath of life itself.
In a forest that should have been a treasury of life.
Not a single sound of any living creature could be heard.
When I opened my eyes again, intrigued by this phenomenon.
I gazed down the straight forest path and allowed myself a faint smile.
This had become genuinely interesting.
‘A forest with no life at all.’
The Dark Forest.
And the Tall Thin Man and Face Man.
I had some rough suspicions about what was happening.
But I should press forward and see for myself.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been terrifying.
But I had been acquainted with spirits since childhood.
So I was essentially immune to this kind of atmosphere of dread.
The eerie, almost childlike horror that appeared in Helena’s diary had been somewhat unsettling.
But in a dark place like this, I felt no fear whatsoever.
After walking through the forest path for some time.
A message materialized before my eyes.
[You have entered the Hidden Field, 『Dark Forest』.]
[You have discovered the Hidden Field for the first time!]
[First discovery rewards have been granted.]
[Hidden Field, vision in the 『Dark Forest』 increases by 50%.]
[Hidden Field, rewards from the 『Dark Forest』 increase by 50%.]
[First discovery rewards persist until the dungeon is cleared for the first time.]
[Hidden Field, the 『Dark Forest』 is a place constructed like a Labyrinth.]
[It is an extraordinarily vast field.]
[Please escape safely.]
The message stating this was a Hidden Field.
I had suspected as much to some degree.
But it truly was a Hidden Field.
And upon reading the final message, which differed somewhat from other Hidden Fields, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded.
Escape safely.
It seemed the mission here was to escape this Forest.
‘Something that targeted Helena when she was young must have dragged her to this place.’
And Helena had seen the Tall Thin Man and the Face Man.
It was written that way in her diary.
Then should I try to escape this place safely?
Since it was said to be a vast field.
Yoo Sung-hyun thought this and loosened his body lightly.
His body was already adequately warmed up from the earlier combat.
After some light stretching, even my mind felt sharp and alert.
‘Let me see how wide this place is.’
The forest path still existed.
Upon seeing it, Yoo Sung-hyun kicked off the ground rapidly.
A very deep footprint was carved into the ground where he stood, the earth sinking deeply as dirt sprayed upward behind him.
Kwaaaaaah——!!!
The ground trembled from the powerful thrust, and Yoo Sung-hyun shot forward like an arrow along the forest path.
As he ran, the surrounding scenery and fierce wind rushed backward rapidly.
It continued swiftly.
Yet nothing remarkable appeared.
‘Is it still ahead?’
Even after running at a tremendous speed for some time.
Still nothing remarkable came into view.
And yet the end of this forest path was not visible either.
It truly seemed to be constructed like a Labyrinth.
The path became increasingly winding and complex.
Dense trees surrounded him like walls.
Though it didn’t feel as genuinely labyrinthine as the Labyrinth in the fifth dungeon region.
Yoo Sung-hyun, moving swiftly along the path, felt somewhat frustrated.
Each time he turned a corner and kicked off the densely growing trees.
The recoil felt from his feet was no ordinary force.
‘I can’t break through that.’
Regardless of the rebound force.
Even with a powerful strike, not a single scratch appeared.
At this level, it had to be a path blocked by the system.
So Yoo Sung-hyun didn’t even consider trying to break through those trees.
All I could do was follow the path and push through whether traps or a boss appeared.
With that resolve, I ran forward.
In the Forest where no sound had been heard until now.
Sound began to reach my ears.
The sound didn’t suddenly appear.
‘It’s getting closer?’
It felt like sound I could hear because the distance was decreasing.
The moment Yoo Sung-hyun heard the sound, I prepared for combat.
Gripping my sword and readying an immediate attack, I kicked off the ground harder and surged forward.
Thoom—! Thoom——!!!
Each time Yoo Sung-hyun’s feet struck the ground.
As if ignoring air resistance and gravity, I accelerated further with each stride, shooting toward the source of the sound at tremendous speed.
Before long.
A faint light appeared from where the sound was coming.
Yoo Sung-hyun moved with greater certainty and agility.
The moment I saw it, I charged forward ready to attack.
Soon I passed through the Forest and emerged into a clearing within it.
The instant I stepped into that place, I thought.
The boss chamber?
Where was the boss?
With that thought, I looked around.
“???”
Boom, boom!
Woong! Doong! Doooong!
A magnificent drum beat and blazing flames at the center.
And people circling around it wearing garments, masks, and hats made of wood and grass.
“Hryaaah!”
“Horayat!”
“Hreehap!”
They circled the fire while letting out strange battle cries.
It could have appeared to be some kind of ritual.
“Ahahaha! Eat and drink!”
“Today is a festival!”
“The day our noble lord has arrived!”
“The day our lord has come!!!”
They were merrily raising food and drinks, chattering away with unbridled enthusiasm.
Those dancing around the center were equally spirited, moving to an unheard rhythm.
Watching this, Yoo Sung-hyun felt his grip on his sword weaken involuntarily.
Wasn’t the mission to safely pass through the Forest?
And weren’t the Tall Thin Man and Face Man the ones obstructing that goal?
That’s certainly what I thought.
A village dancing and playing around a fire?
What in the world was this place?
“Huh?! Hey!!! Someone’s arrived!?”
“What!?”
“Really!? No way!”
“We have a guest in our Village!!!”
“Hahahaha! This is quite the blessing, a real blessing!!!”
“How many years has it been since the Lord visited?”
“At least three thousand years!”
Was this real?
Yoo Sung-hyun stared blankly at them as he listened to their words.
Could they possibly be monsters?
No, that couldn’t be.
The markers floating above their heads were definitely NPC markers.
So they couldn’t be monsters.
They certainly didn’t fit the description of Face Man either.
Nor did they seem to be the Tall Thin Man.
There weren’t only men—there were women too.
It was a genuine Village where both men and women coexisted.
As Yoo Sung-hyun stood there awkwardly, bewildered by the sight.
A system message appeared for him.
[You have arrived at Wooden Drum Village, a hidden field within the Dark Forest.]
[Wooden Drum Village is a safe zone.]
[Logout is available in this area.]
“…?”
Given that it was marked as a safe zone.
It seemed the Village was indeed real.
As Yoo Sung-hyun stood there in confusion.
The villagers cried out upon seeing him.
“Welcome, welcome!!!”
“Hahahaha!!! Another guest on the day the Lord arrives!!!”
“This too is a blessing!!!”
“Hahahaha!!! Let us feast and celebrate!!!”
“Today is a festival!”
The people cheered even more enthusiastically.
Watching them, Yoo Sung-hyun allowed himself to be pulled along by several villagers, his expression bewildered.
There, the landscape of the Village unfolded before him.
Wooden structures filled every corner—homes crafted from wood, with everything in this place seemingly fashioned from timber.
Yet these wooden creations were not carved from logs.
‘The trees themselves have taken the shape of homes?’
The wood had grown naturally into the form of dwellings.
The same held true for furniture and tools.
They appeared to have grown into their functional forms as they matured.
Even a grand statue standing at the far end of the Village was fashioned entirely from wood.
An enormous tree had grown to form the shape of a statue.
Yet something about it felt strangely familiar.
A statue depicting a figure who appeared quite young.
A young girl standing with her hands planted confidently on her hips, her head held high, her expression radiating pride.
Yoo Sung-hyun had seen the subject of this statue before.
“Helena?”
He had wondered if it might be Helena, given that a lord was said to be visiting.
But it truly was Helena.
What in the world was happening?
As Yoo Sung-hyun stared at the statue in confusion.
A diary suddenly opened before his eyes.
『The Dark Forest is so much fun!
Boom boom here!
Boom boom there!
I don’t even get lost!
No Face Men or Tall Thin Man around!
Wooden Drum Village goes boom boom!
Boom boom with joy!
All of us together boom boom!
Wooden Drum Village is the best!!!
But if I leave here, I might see those Uncles again!』
A new page materialized suddenly.
What was this entry about?
She had entered the Dark Forest and encountered the Uncles.
Following the sound of the drum.
She had arrived at the Village—was that the gist of it?
And the final entry suggested.
‘If I leave here, I might see them again?’
Yoo Sung-hyun had not seen this before arriving.
Was this truly a trap after all?
Are they trying to lull me into a false sense of security by calling it a safe zone, only to trap me?
As I was pondering something felt off.
[Overload Story Quest, ‘Dark Forest’ has been cleared.]
[Overload Story Quest, ‘Wooden Drum Village’ has been created.]
『Wooden Drum Village』
→A lively and entertaining village.
→You can rest comfortably here.
→However, there are still people whose identities remain unknown. Ask the villagers about them.
The newly updated Quest.
Yoo Sung-hyun scratched his cheek as he read it.
Rest comfortably, it says.
So there’s no trap after all.
It seems to be a village for gathering information.
From what I hear, it’s an ancient village and they seem to remember when Helena visited.
I should be able to learn something about Helena here.
Anyway.
‘Helena must be over three thousand years old.’
I seemed to have uncovered one of Helena’s secrets.
Well, I’ll have to ask her about this again.
With that thought, Yoo Sung-hyun accepted the invitation and took a seat.
A figure wearing the oldest-looking wooden robes and mask approached him.
A large, muscular man with an imposing build.
As he approached Yoo Sung-hyun, he spoke.
“Welcome to Wooden Drum Village!”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Gahahaha!!! What perfect timing—we’re celebrating the day our lord visited, and you’ve arrived just right!”
“The lord you mention… is that the same person as the statue standing over there?”
“Gahahaha!!! You’re well-informed! That’s exactly right!!! The great and adorable lord! Today commemorates the day Helena visited us!!!”
To be called a great lord at such a young age.
Though considering the power Helena had displayed, it wasn’t surprising.
Should I ask about various things then?

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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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