The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 220

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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 220
220
He didn’t look unhappy, exactly.
Silvanor’s expression held a hint of joy, yet something melancholic seemed to coexist within it.
But his gratitude toward Yoo Sung-hyun was undeniably genuine.
Because of that sincerity, when Silvanor dropped to one knee and bowed his head, Yoo Sung-hyun wondered if he’d merely imagined something and let it pass.
He could sense the general feeling well enough.
Normally, he would have tried to uncover the truth by reading Silvanor’s memories.
But there were blocked sections he couldn’t access.
So Yoo Sung-hyun asked Silvanor directly.
“Do you know any knights in Sysvalt? Or perhaps Yeon?”
“The period when I was active is too distant, I’m afraid it would be impossible.”
“Hmm. I suppose that’s the case.”
Yoo Sung-hyun found himself somewhat troubled by Silvanor’s loyal response.
However.
“If you wish to join a Knights Order, there is an examination route available.”
“An examination?”
“Yes. It is rare for any Knights Order to have all positions filled. Casualties occur during missions, and retirements happen regularly, so one might exploit such openings. Moreover, since you already possess a knight’s title, it should be considerably easier.”
“Indeed…”
“Of course, you must prove your abilities, but for you, my lord, that should be far too simple.”
There was a hint of flattery in his words.
But it wasn’t entirely false.
Yoo Sung-hyun was confident in his swordsmanship as well.
So should I just go right away?
That’s what Yoo Sung-hyun thought.
“A letter of recommendation would be ideal, but obtaining one is not easy.”
“A letter of recommendation?”
“Yes. Sysvalt is what one might call the City of Knights, where many knights gather. Therefore, with a recommendation letter from a knight residing there, you could take the examination to join a Knights Order more smoothly. I am not well-informed of recent developments, but I don’t believe much has changed.”
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded at Silvanor’s words.
Either way, taking the examination would be the same.
He decided he would go there first without hesitation, and if there was no examination, he would aim to obtain a recommendation letter instead.
Who knows what might happen.
‘There might be something useful.’
With that thought, Yoo Sung-hyun left his other servants behind and set out for Sysvalt, bringing only Fiora, Helena, and Silvanor with him.
0.
In the City of Knights, Sysvalt, there were several renowned Knights Orders.
The Equinox Knights was one of them.
Among the many Knights Orders in Sysvalt, it ranked among the top three in terms of strength.
However, due to an unexpected accident last year, the order’s commander had changed, bringing with it various concerns.
The commander of the deeply traditional Equinox Knights had changed overnight.
Concerns inevitably arose about losing tradition.
The users showed little interest in the matter.
However, among the NPCs, it was one of the most sensitive topics of conversation.
But what was this?
“Hahahaha! Have you heard? The new commander of the Equinox Knights is said to be quite exceptional?”
“Oh yes! I heard too! In the recent mock battle against the Valkyrie Guard, they achieved a great victory!”
“Against the Valkyrie Guard? Isn’t the Valkyrie Guard one of the top three knight orders in Sysvalt?”
“Exactly!! Even those who were going on about tradition now acknowledge it!”
“Oh! What was the new commander’s name again?”
“Ragna Ecrion.”
“Yes, that was it!”
The NPCs laughed and chattered as the story spread.
Soon, the tale was circulating widely among the users as well.
But where there is light, there is always shadow.
As rumors of his skill spread,
so too did unfavorable stories about his temperament.
“That knight commander Ragna Ecrion goes a bit too far.”
“What do you mean?”
“You could call it chivalry, but he treats his own knights rather harshly, or so I hear.”
“Come now, isn’t a knight order supposed to be tough?”
“It’s beyond that level. Casualties have doubled compared to when the previous commander was in charge.”
“Just doubled?”
A doubling of casualties was certainly a striking figure,
so even his supporters couldn’t help but hesitate.
It was true that he treated them harshly to that extent.
While stubbornness and pursuit of perfection in temperament weren’t necessarily bad,
an increase in casualties was certainly a drawback worth noting.
Yet because a strong knight order was the very ideal of the citizens,
Ragna Ecrion’s reputation only grew higher with each passing day.
Stories were even circulating that the Equinox Knights was now the foremost among the three top knight orders.
As such stories spread, Ragna Ecrion spent increasingly more days training alone in the Training Grounds.
And in those solitary moments at the Training Grounds, he would draw forth his violet blade and smile coldly while muttering to himself.
“It won’t be long now.”
As he gazed upon his violet blade along with such words,
he felt a momentary illusion of it writhing, and Ragna Ecrion murmured as he beheld the blade.
“Wait just a little longer. The time for your soul to awaken draws near.”
And there was a man watching this Ragna Ecrion from beyond the monitor.
The man watching with an expression of considerable trouble was Lee Jae-kyung, the team leader of NPC Management Team 2.
Lee Jae-kyung scratched his head as he gazed at the gauge that had appeared alongside Ragna Ecrion.
[Progress: 78%]
There’s really not much time left now.
One of the massive storylines—not an event—was already prepared by the event team, and the story team had already finished their work on it.
Lee Jae-kyung scratched his head in distress.
“Ugh, seriously.”
Users do enjoy it when a massive storyline unfolds.
In fact, it was practically treated as an event.
However, since it’s a massive storyline that engulfs entire regions,
there are always users who suffer damage.
And not a small number of them.
That was precisely what Lee Jae-kyung was concerned about.
If the massive storyline progresses,
then all users residing in Sysvalt will suffer damage.
“It’s what happens when Ragna Ecrion becomes a Dark Knight….”
It would be nice if we could prevent it beforehand.
It’s truly unfortunate, but it’s nearly impossible.
To stop it, one would need to join the Knights Order and block Ragna Ecrion in advance.
But the party never joins the Knights Order, and especially the Equinox Knights—they’re among the top three knight orders in Sysvalt.
There’s no way just anyone can enter.
Even if they passed, the entire party wouldn’t make it through, and at best only one would.
And even then, they’d surely enter as a squire, not as a knight.
A squire stopping Ragna Ecrion?
That’s absurd.
To use a military analogy, it’s like a trainee having a meeting with a Division Commander, and then actually punching them in the face, tearing off their insignia, and challenging them to a fair fight.
After that, the Division Commander equipped with self-propelled guns would have to fight a bare-handed trainee.
Where would you even find a user capable of that?
Then, suddenly.
‘Wait… isn’t there one?’
One of the users he’d received a report on recently.
Lee Jae-kyung quickly searched,
and sure enough, there was one.
‘Hmm, it’s the user Yoo Sung-hyun.’
If it’s Yoo Sung-hyun, it might actually be possible.
He has a knight’s title and possesses the skill to match.
Though I wondered if Ragna Ecrion would deal with Yoo Sung-hyun alone.
Besides, there was no way Yoo Sung-hyun would come to Sysvalt.
Why would he come here when he could reap benefits in Hexia?
That’s what I used to think.
“Huh? What did you say?”
[Well… I did tell you that user Yoo Sung-hyun is heading to Sysvalt right now?]
Lee Jae-kyung blinked in an instant, holding the receiver blankly.
On a hunch, I called Lee Won-sang to ask if this was real.
Is this actually true?
Yoo Sung-hyun’s user in Sysvaltro?
Why?
Such thoughts crossed my mind, but I snapped back to reality in an instant.
[Chief?]
Lee Won-sang asked back, his voice tinged with confusion.
Lee Jae-kyung didn’t answer and simply hung up with a hearty laugh.
Lee Won-sang was left bewildered, wondering what that was all about.
Lee Jae-kyung, chuckling to himself, gazed at Yoo Sung-hyun’s image through the screen share Lee Won-sang had sent him, his smile deepening with satisfaction.
‘Maybe I can actually stop this.’
If a project that was already fully prepared were to vanish, it could spell disaster.
But rather, the other staff members would undoubtedly welcome it with open arms.
After thinking this through, Lee Jae-kyung bit his lip and silently prayed that Yoo Sung-hyun’s user would clash with Ragna Ecrion.
Of course, the probability was low.
But who knows what might happen?
‘He’s caused chaos everywhere he’s gone, so maybe it could happen this time too.’
Harboring vague hope, Lee Jae-kyung gazed intently at Yoo Sung-hyun and prayed.
1.
The City of Knights, Sysvalt, attracted a surprisingly diverse array of professions.
Knights were naturally common, and various close-range classes were equally varied.
What was unexpected was the considerable number of mage-class professions.
Whether mages, spiritists, or Dark Mages, ranged dealers needed reliable frontline fighters like knights.
Naturally, mage-class users were bound to be numerous.
In the city of Sysvalt, where various professions and races gathered, several Knight Class users harbored dreams of knighthood and challenged the Knights Order.
Because of this, they kept their ears open to catch even the smallest rumors.
Just as they were doing so on this ordinary day.
A commotion erupted at the Sysvalt Gate.
“A High Elf!?”
“High Elves aren’t a class users can choose!?”
“Does he have a user seal!?”
“No, he doesn’t? And no NPC mark either!?”
“Is he a special NPC!?”
An abrupt commotion.
People began to swarm forward at the mention of a High Elf.
Regular Elf races could be chosen by users.
But High Elves were one of the races users could never choose.
Rumor had it that there were quests to become certain higher races.
Yet no user had ever become a High Elf until now.
At the mention of a High Elf, people couldn’t help but gather.
It was rare, and I wondered if they might be a special NPC capable of offering higher-tier quests.
Word of this had barely spread when
countless people rushed over, and amid the commotion,
at the epicenter of the rumor,
there stood four people surrounded by the crowd.
All four wore robes,
but the distinctive ears of High Elves couldn’t be hidden, and they were exposed.
In the moment when masses of people surged forward,
pop!
poof!
The four figures in deeply pulled robes vanished in an instant,
and those who missed the movement cried out.
“They, they disappeared!?”
“What, what is this!?”
“One of them was a player!”
“What about the other three?”
“I, I don’t know!? Could they be special NPCs?”
“Ooh!? Everyone spread out and search!!!”
The excited players scattered in all directions.
The player with the hood of the robe pulled deep over their face wore quite a troubled expression.
‘I never expected this….’
Who would have thought that the appearance of a High Elf would cause such a commotion?
Of course, the one at the center of it all was Yoo Sung-hyun.

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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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