The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 22

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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 22
Episode 22
0.
The Guild system in Eternal World offered remarkably diverse benefits.
Guild headquarters, exclusive guild shops, exclusive guild skills—the list went on.
Though some players preferred soloing and wandered alone, the game’s structure inherently favored those who leveraged Guilds.
Solo players certainly received their own perks, but they inevitably paled in comparison to what the massive Guilds enjoyed.
Naturally, even those who’d initially favored soloing gradually joined Guilds, while those managing them worked tirelessly to expand their organizations.
It wasn’t merely about the benefits.
In modern society, games were excellent entertainment, but wasn’t there something far more important?
Money, of course.
The massive Guilds earned as much as legitimate corporations.
Even excluding broadcast ticket revenue from top-ranked Guilds, the pure wealth generated within the game itself was staggering.
Eternal World wasn’t called another world for nothing.
Guilds weren’t foolish enough to employ professional scouts on salary without reason.
A single exceptional rookie could generate enough revenue to hire an entire team of such scouts.
In a capitalist society, what could possibly matter more than money?
Money was everything.
Lee Sung-young was one such professional scout.
‘I haven’t seen any promising rookies lately.’
To be precise, there were plenty of competent-looking prospects, but the truly exceptional ones remained elusive.
Lee Sung-young clicked his tongue in frustration.
While his discerning eye played a role, the real culprit was the Guild he belonged to.
Guild Ranking 12th: Sick Brothers.
A literal translation would suggest “sick brothers” or “ill brothers”—
A ridiculous name, perhaps, but the rankings told a different story entirely.
They were among the elite, top-tier Guilds in the rankings.
Founded by American men steeped in machismo, the Guild pursued an uncompromising meritocracy.
The Guild Master and his officers didn’t hesitate to spout absurdities like “If a woman has the skills, she’s macho too!”
That said it all.
‘Only we employees suffer for it.’
In pursuit of meritocracy, management hired indiscriminately—anyone with the skills qualified.
Personality, race, gender—none of it mattered. Only ability counted.
As a result, Sick Brothers’ scouts were constantly ground through the system.
Lee Sung-young was no exception.
‘Ugh.’
If I didn’t produce results this month, things would become quite difficult.
My track record would keep me from being fired, at least.
But I couldn’t escape the Guild Master’s nagging.
And that was something I genuinely wanted to avoid.
I had no desire to sit through an hour-long lecture on Macho.
So I desperately scraped together information from every available source.
‘Information has come in….’
Large Guilds like the Sick Brothers had scouts and informants from other Guilds sending tips in hopes of earning a few coins.
I decided to dig through my mailbox, and there it was—a fresh email that had arrived just minutes ago.
And it was from that guy who usually provided me with information in exchange for payment.
I didn’t particularly like his methods, but when it came to information, he was reliable.
What information could it be this time?
Lee Sung-young opened the email with a hint of anticipation.
[Strange undead appearing in Perseville. Haven’t made contact yet. Multiple witnesses.]
“…?”
That’s all there is?
Perseville and strange undead.
But he must have sensed something to send this, right?
Lee Sung-young’s attention focused on one detail: multiple witnesses.
‘I should browse the internet a bit.’
With multiple witnesses, there were bound to be people spreading this online.
I’d search the Eternal World community and various websites.
Posts about Perseville did come up.
[Undead in Perseville Cemetery—only me who saw it?]
[New Elite emerged in Perseville!]
‘New Elite? What’s this?’
A user had broken through the Special Academy in Perseville?
On the same day the strange undead appeared?
There was something here.
Lee Sung-young, catching the scent, examined the contents of the posts.
Screenshots couldn’t be taken without the other person’s consent, so naturally there were none.
The post contents themselves weren’t particularly revealing.
But the comments held some significance.
[Perseville Elder: Undead? What’s so special about undead? The highest we can create in Perseville is low-grade, right? Oh, if we broke the highest-grade, we could make low-grade undead too?]
└[Black Long Hair: Yeah, at least highest-grade, but from how they’re talking, it doesn’t seem like that?]
└[Dirt Spoon is Dirt: I saw it too and it was different from normal undead!!! I thought I was looking at a boss monster???]
[Beziron: I will definitely find you. For real.]
└[Chicken Wing Wing (Author): ????Me?]
‘So the strange undead is real.’
The post didn’t attract much attention with its title, but the comments were quite numerous.
There were even more witnesses than expected.
Some strange guy named Beziron had left a comment that seemed to carry a grudge, but that wasn’t my concern.
There were other eyewitness accounts as well.
The tip was likely true.
So what’s the deal with the Special Academy?
[MelancholyMelon: Wait, a Special Academy free pass? That’s insanely lucky.]
[CashShop4Life: Right? I heard there are hidden pieces or something, like special recommendation letters for the Special Academy.]
└[HypeBeast: For real? If that exists, isn’t that cheating? You could just get into the Special Academy if you’re lucky?]
└[Hongdae Warehouse: lol, like that would be common?]
[30 years of waiting in line: I was also standing in line to take the advanced exam and took it;;; The guards were embarrassed and allowed Daewoo to come. It seems like the hidden piece is correct ㅇㅅㅇ.]
‘The gap between the two isn’t that significant?’
Lee Sung-young already knew the skills taught at the Elite Dark Mage Academy.
But he couldn’t create undead like those testimonies described.
That just meant the skills weren’t even Rare grade.
And judging by the content about the Special Academy free pass,
this was a high-tier class advancement.
There were occasional cases like this.
Cases where someone advanced to a higher tier and then received a Special Academy recommendation letter.
Working as a scout for Sick Brothers, which shined at rank 12 in the Guild rankings, naturally gave me access to such information.
Which meant one thing.
‘At minimum, it’s an Epic-tier advancement.’
Epic-tier advancement was the minimum grade required to receive a Special Academy recommendation letter.
Lee Sung-young’s eyes gleamed at that fact.
This might just be
‘a great opportunity to boost my performance.’
Lee Sung-young had just logged in on his scout-exclusive alt character.
The destination was obvious.
Perseville.
If they’d only recently entered the Special Academy, they’d still be in class.
Assuming they were talented, they’d be there for at least thirty minutes.
There was still time.
‘I need to hurry before the others catch the scent.’
1.
“Hehehehe! Safe travels! Someone like you will definitely become a great Dark Mage!!”
An elderly Urden was shouting loudly and waving his hand excitedly.
How did someone his age have so much energy?
Sung-hyun felt embarrassed but still bowed politely before leaving.
After learning all the skills, I received essential supplies with instructions to take them with me.
Now that I’d received the certificate of completion from the Job Training Academy,
I could truly say I’d escaped the beginner phase.
Naturally, Yeon didn’t come to greet me.
The last time I learned the basic undead creation skill, she was trembling and crying her eyes out.
There was no way she’d come out.
I’d set Yeon aside since she wasn’t a concern.
I completed a lesson that should have taken several days in less than thirty minutes.
The class itself was embarrassing and somewhat burdensome, but I’d obtained five Rare-grade skills, so it was worth it.
Well, actually, Lesser Undead Creation was absorbed into Legion of the Dead, so that makes four?
In any case, it was quite meaningful.
‘Let me take a look.’
Through Helena’s memories, I already knew precisely what each skill was, but viewing them through the system felt different.
I opened four skills at once.
『Bone Arrow』
→《Rare》
→[Lv 1][Growth-type]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 10 seconds]
→Dark Mage exclusive skill.
→Creates arrows of bone and fires them at enemies.
『Curse of Pain Sensation』
→《Rare》
→[Lv 1][Growth-type]
[Persistent Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 1 minute]
[Duration: 10 seconds]
→Dark Mage exclusive skill.
→Inflicts a curse of pain sensation, causing suffering.
→The pain deals no direct damage, but the sensation of agony is vivid.
→However, it cannot be used on targets incapable of feeling pain.
『Blood Veil』
→《Rare》
→[Lv 1][Growth-type]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds]
→Dark Mage exclusive skill.
→Unfurls a veil of blood to block attacks and curses.
→Can block attacks proportional to the mana consumed.
『Toxin: Sensory Paralysis』
→《Rare》
→[Lv 1][Growth-type]
[Persistent Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Duration: 1 minute]
→Dark Mage exclusive skill.
→Injects toxin to paralyze pain sensation, preventing concentration from breaking due to external stimuli.
Even Lee Sung-young, who possessed Almighty-grade and Legendary-grade skills, let out a brief exclamation of admiration.
Thanks to Helena, I’d obtained Almighty-grade and Legendary-grade skills, but upgrading all the foundational Dark Mage skills that formed the cornerstone of my abilities to Rare-grade felt particularly meaningful.
For now, they seemed insignificant compared to the undead that multiplied Unique-grade skills.
But this would gradually, steadily grow larger.
‘This is excellent.’
-They’re all fine spells. Yaaaawn.
Even Helena acknowledged that much.
I watched Helena as she stretched into another languid yawn.
She didn’t show it outwardly, but she looked quite exhausted.
Had she overexerted herself?
‘Are you tired?’
-Mmm, yeah, a bit tired.
‘Rest a little longer.’
There was so much I wanted to ask.
What exactly was the end of Overlord that Helena had so desperately yearned for?
Since I’d witnessed Helena’s memories from when she met Hindel in her childhood.
I also wanted to ask if she knew anything about Hindel’s footsteps.
And how she came to live in my body, and how she knew my abilities, and so on.
But now that Helena was bound to me.
I could ask anytime, couldn’t I?
Had my warm heart reached her?
Helena smiled gracefully and nodded.
-Thanks. I probably won’t be able to come out for a while. I’ve used a lot of power.
‘Alright, get some rest.’
After our exchange, Helena disappeared back into my body.
I’d have to ask when the opportunity arose.
For now, it was time to experiment with the newly acquired skills.
Other skills would work fine against any monsters, but to test the Curse of Agony, I needed to avoid the undead.
Undead had no sense of pain by design.
Fortunately, Perseville had an abundance of hunting grounds.
It was simply a matter of choosing any of them.
‘Where should I go?’
Which of these should I choose?
First, I recalled the battles up until now.
The Common Cemetery I’d visited right after arriving in Perseville.
‘There were quite a few people there, weren’t there?’
Wherever I went, I’d received considerable attention.
In reality, I’d never really been noticed before.
But in the game, it was different.
Part of it was that I hadn’t adapted yet, but more than anything, it made me rather self-conscious.
It’s nice to receive praise and admiration, but that doesn’t mean everything is beneficial.
Just look at Yeon from the academy this time—doesn’t that prove it?
When attention concentrates on someone, jealousy breeds, and naturally, enemies multiply.
Rather than deal with that, it’s better to find a place with fewer people.
I recalled one location I’d learned about in Perseville beforehand.
‘Was it Perseville Plains?’
I remembered it being called something like that.
As I parted ways, I pulled out the map I’d received from the academy.
Looking at the detailed map of Perseville, I found exactly what I was thinking of.
Perseville Plains.
Being such a vast area, it hosted a diverse array of monsters.
Because of that, the player distribution spread so widely that encounters with other users were rare.
The perfect place for me right now.
‘Let’s head there immediately.’
In a place like this, I could use my skills freely and rampage without worrying about anyone’s gaze.
I’d never really cared about others’ eyes anyway, but still—it was a fact that I could afford to be less cautious.
Once I decided, I moved quickly.
My steps felt light.
It didn’t take long to reach Perseville’s widest and most distant hunting ground.
Whoooosh!
Grass grown to ankle height rippled across the plains like waves in the wind.
Between the gusts, the fragrant scent of vegetation mingled with the air, and birds flew overhead, chirping their songs.
Chirp—. Chirp-chirp—!
Was this what some European plain looked like?
The expansive view and the crystalline sky above were painted with orange twilight, as dusk gradually descended upon the land.
An impressive sight.
Hard to believe it was a game.
Mesmerized by the beautiful scenery, I came to my senses and checked my body.
Having warmed up and verified everything on the way here, there wasn’t much more to examine.
My speed was fine, and my movements felt natural without any awkwardness.
‘At this rate, I don’t need to allocate additional stat points yet.’
【Status Window】
『Lee Sung-young』
『Lv 10』
『Occupation』
→『Overlord』
“Sunghyun”
『Lv 10』
“Occupation”
→『Overlord』
『Title』
→『Sovereign (Legendary)』… and 13 others.
『Stats』
→《Strength: 15(13+2)》《Agility: 17(15+2)》
《Stamina: 12(10+2)》《Intelligence: 23(20+3)》
《Wisdom: 23(20+3)》《Mental Fortitude: 23(20+3)》
《Dexterity: 7(6+1)》
『Bonus Stats』
→《45》
I’d reached level 10 and left them untouched, so I had accumulated a whopping 45 bonus stat points.
It was manageable for now.
My stats were already above average for level 10.
I felt no pressing need to allocate them.
Neither in raw stats nor in abilities did I sense any deficiency.
Not like this.
Whoosh!
Something small cut through the wind and hurtled toward me amid the rushing air.
The instant I sensed it, I recognized a golden opportunity and activated a skill.
As mana flowed out, dark crimson blood scattered through the empty air, spreading wide and transforming into a cloth-like barrier.
Swooooosh!
The broad, evenly-woven curtain of blood easily intercepted whatever was flying at me.
Though it appeared gossamer-thin, the blood barrier proved impenetrable and even bounced back the incoming projectile.
Thunk.
“Kek!?”
“Kekk!?”
“Kek kek!”
Three small green creatures shrieked in shock as their ambush failed.
A monster common in fantasy games, novels, and manga.
Goblins.
Their green skin and grotesquely sprouting green fur merged into a sickly verdant hue.
At first glance, they were nearly indistinguishable from the grass around them.
Crude, armed with weapons, yet they stood no taller than a five-year-old child.
They hardly seemed threatening.
‘Disgusting little things.’
With that thought, I watched the three startled goblins and launched my counterattack.
For a moment, I considered activating Death’s Aura, but I shook my head.
There’s a common saying, isn’t there?
Why use an ox-slaying blade to kill a chicken?
The vengeful spirits of the dead?
That too, I dismissed.
Bone arrows would suffice in this place.
Whoosh!
The moment I seized the goblins’ startled hesitation and conjured a veil of blood, bone arrows materialized from the void.
The bone arrows flew toward the goblins, gleaming with pristine white radiance and unyielding solidity.
“Kek!?!”
“Kek!?”
“Kek?!!”
The arrow aimed at the last one struck true, piercing directly between its brows.
Thud!
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike』 activates!]
[Experience acquired.]
The creature breathed its last in a single blow.
“Interesting.”
This is more useful than I expected.
So what should I test next?
A faint smile crossed my face as I contemplated the next skill to experiment with.
The goblins trembled at that smile, sensing something ominous.
It seemed they had chosen their opponent poorly.

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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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