The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 232

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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 232
232
5.
Sysvalt was unlike other places—it had no lord.
Yet an administrator undoubtedly existed.
An administrator dispatched by the Riescan Kingdom, the true master of Sysvalt.
That administrator was Terrian Mitria.
Naturally, being a nobleman and a high-ranking official from the Royal Palace’s financial ministry,
he could discern that the current situation was quite precarious.
“Of all times… for such an unseemly incident to occur during my tenure as administrator.”
His expression bore the weight of considerable concern.
The retainers clustered around him wore equally troubled faces.
Why did this have to happen now, of all times?
Assigning the task to other knights would inevitably tarnish his own reputation.
After all, the administrator’s failure to maintain proper order was undeniable.
He had wanted to handle it discreetly, without word spreading,
but no suitable method came to mind.
Well, one had occurred to him.
Only…
‘I sent word in advance, but have yet to hear back…’
A knight of foreign origin who had recently begun to make a name for himself—Iron Lump, as they called him.
Though foreign-born, he was an exceptional individual who had received a formal knighthood, and was said to possess considerable skill, having even eliminated Ragna Ecrion, who had been scheming to infiltrate Sysvalt.
For that reason, he had mentioned to Leon Banzar, captain of the Equinox Knights, his desire to meet him once.
But given that the foreigner’s whereabouts were unknown, he had yet to see him.
Could he even summon him now to handle the incident that occurred this very dawn?
The prospects seemed dim.
Just as Terrian was heaving a regretful sigh,
one of his retainers entered from outside.
He spoke to Terrian.
“Administrator! The Equinox Knights’ captain, Leon Banzar, has sent a letter!”
“Oh?! Leon Banzar, you say?”
“Yes! The Equinox Knights’ captain, Leon Banzar, has sent word asking if he may visit in one hour. Moreover, he states he will bring along the foreigner you were seeking.”
“Excellent!”
Terrian spoke with evident delight, as though the world itself were lending him aid.
“Send word that he may visit immediately.”
Who would have thought this meeting would come to pass?
Precisely at the moment this incident occurred.
Under normal circumstances, he might have harbored suspicion,
‘A knight would never employ such magic.’
And besides, the culprit had already been narrowed down to a certain extent.
I knew full well that Yoo Sung-hyun wasn’t the culprit.
Then where could it be?
‘I should meet with that Foreigner and propose a request.’
No matter how skilled a Foreigner might be.
They were notorious for being a greedy lot, weren’t they?
Terrian Mitria smiled, confident that the reward he offered would be more than sufficient.
6.
He’d been told he would need to wait quite some time after sending the letter.
So Yoo Sung-hyun spent his days at the Training Grounds, sparring with other knights and steadily improving his swordsmanship skill proficiency.
In the meantime.
Leon came to find me again, speaking as though something seemed odd.
“Hmm, they’re approving it faster than I expected.”
At Leon’s words, Yoo Sung-hyun brushed it off without much concern.
He’d mentioned having curiosity before, after all.
I wondered if that might be the reason.
Simply thinking it that way, I tried to prepare and leave with Leon.
Leon shook his head.
“He asked for you to come alone. I tried to refuse and accompany you, but he firmly rejected it. Since you’re a Foreigner, it seems he’s being somewhat cautious.”
“Hmm, that’s certainly possible.”
At Leon’s words, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded in agreement that it could be so.
Well, it could be.
But Leon seemed quite uneasy about it.
Speaking to Yoo Sung-hyun, he said.
“If anything happens, channel mana into that communication device. I’ll immediately lead the Knights Order there.”
“…What?”
I wondered if that was treason.
But his gaze was so serious that Yoo Sung-hyun casually accepted the communication device, placed it in his inventory, and nodded.
It would likely never be needed.
Still, I was grateful for his concern.
Since Yoo Sung-hyun accepted it that way.
Leon seemed somewhat reassured, nodding as he spoke.
“Well then, have a safe trip. Still, he seems to be a man of propriety—he sent a carriage along with his reply.”
“Oh? That’s better than I expected.”
I had wondered if I’d need to go there myself.
It seemed like it would be much more convenient than I thought.
It didn’t seem like I’d need to be cautious at all, the way Leon described it.
I hadn’t dealt with many nobles before.
But if someone went to such lengths with courtesy.
I could sense that he wasn’t someone worth being wary of.
He had shown the utmost respect.
Yoo Sung-hyun had the same thought.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes, go well.”
Leon said this while showing the communication device, his expression laden with meaning.
Though such a thing would never happen.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded awkwardly with a forced smile.
With that, he approached the front of the Knight Barracks building.
A carriage awaited him, standing ready.
Seeing it, Yoo Sung-hyun thought they had certainly made thorough preparations.
From the sight of a man dressed as a butler who doubled as a coachman, and soldiers stationed around him as an honor guard.
He felt distinctly well-treated.
“Are you Sir Yoo Sung-hyun?”
“Yes, I am Yoo Sung-hyun.”
“Thank you for accepting the invitation. I shall serve you. I am Alfredo, the butler. I will ensure your journey is most comfortable.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
“Then please, board.”
As Yoo Sung-hyun expressed his gratitude.
The butler Alfredo guided him into the carriage.
Hospitality that seemed almost excessive.
Yet it was certainly comfortable.
Moreover, the carriage’s ride quality was better than expected.
Better even than his used compact car, the Matiz, which he’d bought a few days ago…
‘…Do carriages normally have such good ride quality? Hmm.’
He found himself comparing it to his own vehicle.
Well, it was a carriage in a game world where magic existed.
He supposed it could be like this.
After all, it was just a game.
Even as such thoughts about other vehicles began to creep into Yoo Sung-hyun’s mind.
He quietly observed the cityscape passing by the carriage window.
It wasn’t long before they arrived.
The horses whinnied and came to a halt, and the carriage quieted to a stop as well.
Butler Alfredo opened the door and guided Yoo Sung-hyun out.
Should one call it the Lord’s Castle of Sysvalt?
Or perhaps an administrative district?
In any case, the entire structure left an impression of being quite expansive and well-maintained.
‘It’s certainly different from other lords’ castles.’
Unlike other lords’ castles that exuded a somewhat extravagant and luxurious atmosphere.
This administrative castle, though neat and refined, did not emanate any sense of extravagance or luxury.
Rather, one could sense an intentional avoidance of such things.
Thus guided to the reception hall.
Even the interior of the reception room didn’t feel particularly ornate.
It was a space that naturally evoked a sense of simplicity—furnished only to the degree that wouldn’t embarrass visiting nobles.
And within that space.
“Ah! So you are Yoo Sung-hyun!”
A middle-aged man of considerable years greeted me warmly with those words.
At the same time.
“I am Terrian Mitria, the administrator managing Sysvalt here! They call you the Iron Lump, don’t they?”
At those words, I felt a fresh wave of embarrassment.
Though the reputation wasn’t entirely unfavorable.
I nodded my head.
Rather than feigning false modesty, displaying such qualities as a knight would likely earn me more favor.
And indeed.
As I acknowledged his words.
Terrian spoke with evident delight.
“You eliminated Ragna Ecrion, I hear! Truly dependable! Come now, be seated. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to hear your story.”
I nodded at Terrian’s words as he offered me a seat, settling onto the sofa.
The moment I sat, servants from outside promptly brought tea.
It wasn’t necessary.
But since it was offered, I accepted a cup.
And Terrian, in a manner unbefitting a nobleman, asked me with what seemed like barely contained eagerness.
“Do you perhaps have some skill in pursuit as well?”
His tone had grown more formal than before.
I sensed something lay beneath his demeanor.
If things unfolded this way.
I might gain both the reward and additional benefits.
Catching the scent of a substantial Quest, I nodded and answered.
“Yes, as you know, being a foreigner, I’ve been able to acquire diverse skills.”
It was the truth, after all.
So I spoke plainly.
Terrian’s expression brightened noticeably as he set down his teacup and grasped both my hands.
“Ah! Could you perhaps help me?!”
“What seems to be the matter?”
At my question, sorrow flickered across his face.
Terrian’s expression darkened rapidly.
At the same time.
“Indeed, I cannot make a request without explaining. I never imagined such a situation would arise during my tenure as administrator.”
Though his words carried a typical bureaucratic tone that gave me slight pause.
I thought that the ways of the world were likely the same everywhere, so I listened quietly.
As I listened attentively.
Terrian continued, elaborating further.
“Just this dawn, our Sysbalt Archives was broken into by a thief.”
“What???”
Even Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but be shocked.
A thief at the Archives.
The security was tight and it must have been quite difficult, so whoever pulled it off had to be quite skilled.
But more than that—of all places, it had to be the Archives I was planning to visit.
Along with those words, a message flashed before me.
[Hidden Quest, ‘Sysbalt’s Custodian’ is cleared.]
[You receive a reward.]
[You obtain considerable experience.]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 186.]
[Hidden Quest, ‘The Archive Thief’ is generated.]
‘The Archive Thief’
→Capture the thief who invaded the Sysbalt Archives.
I should have been pleased with a simple quest and a level increase.
But Yoo Sung-hyun’s expression turned serious.
A thief had broken in.
Could it be…?
Yoo Sung-hyun asked just to be sure.
“If it was a thief, what items were stolen?”
“Hmm… Nothing major—just a record scroll and a notebook were lost—but regardless, something was definitely stolen. We need to recover it somehow.”
“Could you tell me what that record scroll was?”
I asked back, just in case.
Terrian Mitria, who had been searching his memory, suddenly exclaimed as if he remembered.
“It was quite old… Ah! Yes, it was a mission record from the Zircan Knights. It’s a record over a hundred years old with nothing particularly meaningful, but it is strange that it was stolen.”
“The… Zircan Knights.”
“After that mission, all the knights who handled it retired—it was a rather unusual mission, but the record itself had nothing special about it.”
At Terrian’s words, Yoo Sung-hyun scratched his cheek with a somewhat uncomfortable expression.
The coincidence was too much.
‘Of all things…’
The last knight order connected to Hindel and Yeon.
A mission record from the Zircan Knights was stolen.
This was something I had to find, quest or not.
Thinking this, Yoo Sung-hyun recalled one of his skills for the first time in a while.
Scent of Death.
It was time to use a pursuit skill after so long.
Moreover, if I could just find clues or anything distinctive, tracking would be a piece of cake.
But then.
-I saw it clear as day!!!
A ghost appeared near Yoo Sung-hyun.
Oh, and there’s even CCTV footage?
Lucky.
Let me absorb the ghost’s memories of what it witnessed.
[‘Unknown Power’ has demonstrated abilities beyond your current stats.]
[Dexterity +2 permanently increased.]
And just as Yoo Sung-hyun wondered who this person could be and was about to activate a skill.
I could see the thief’s appearance with perfect clarity.
Long hair and an androgynous face—impossible to tell if the figure was male or female.
And seeing that, Yoo Sung-hyun thought to himself.
‘Plinky?’
Why is he showing up here?

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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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