The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 252

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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 252
252
3.
[The 『Erosion Poison Spring』 has been destroyed.]
[The poison of 『Apophis, God of Black Serpents』 weakens.]
[Yoo Sung-hyun at level 200 acquires merit points.]
The message that the Erosion Poison Spring had been destroyed.
Simultaneously, upon seeing the system message that Yoo Sung-hyun’s merit points had increased, the reactions of the users gathered at the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers—where the most players had congregated—varied wildly.
The users who had been fighting earnestly at the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers for the sake of competition
“What?!”
“No, already…?!”
“What are those who went that way saying?!”
“They couldn’t even get close?!”
“Sigh.”
They exhaled something akin to a lament of admiration.
“Damn it.”
“Did they fail?!”
“Can we contact the attack team?!”
“What do we do now?”
Those hostile to Yoo Sung-hyun were despairing as they realized their plan had come to naught.
Attacking Yoo Sung-hyun now was an act utterly devoid of justification or noble cause.
It was a situation bound to invite criticism.
They had planned to succeed by any means and raise their standing.
Yet even that had failed.
There was no choice but to alter the plan.
They could only raise merit points through the overwhelming numbers of the alliance.
However.
“Can we even break through that…?”
At someone’s words, everyone lifted their gaze toward the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers as if exhausted.
A colossal dungeon.
Or rather, a space vast enough to be called a field.
And at what could be called the far end of that space, the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers revealed itself without filter.
Its bearing was like that of a noble king, as if to say: come if you dare.
They wanted to rush toward that towering spine at any moment.
Yet not a single user had reached it thus far.
The reason was simple.
Countless bone dust particles erupting from the spine.
And as those bone dust particles gradually coalesced,
they became different monsters and surged onto the battlefield.
The users, upon witnessing the bone monsters pouring toward them, swallowed hard.
An overwhelming number of monsters, reminiscent of a tower defense game.
A defense-type dungeon that those who had experienced the Fortress of the Past would recognize.
Yet some grew pale at the sheer, crushing volume before them.
More monsters than they had ever hunted poured in like a tidal wave.
How could anyone not lose their nerve?
Though the difficulty varied by location, or so they’d heard.
But they’d already seen the message—the Demon King had cleared one section.
Everyone’s spirits couldn’t help but sink.
Especially the Half-Demon King Alliance.
They needed to claim victory here at the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers and absorb the merit points.
But that seemed far from assured now.
Yet in the midst of this despair, one team—
or rather, one guild alone—burned with determination.
“Let’s go!”
“Haaah, show them our true strength!!!”
“Don’t slack or the guild master will have words for us!!!”
“For Yoo-na and Sung-hyun, charge forward!!!”
None other than the Rapid Guild.
Among the top-ranked guilds, they were known for lean, elite numbers.
But from level 200 and above, their roster matched other major guilds in size.
So their forces were considerable.
Not every individual was a superstar player.
But these were users with solid reputations for strength at their level.
Which is why the other guilds here watched them with considerable wariness.
And when they saw that news—
“C-charge, everyone!!!”
“D-don’t fall back!!!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”
“Kill them all!!!”
Watching the Rapid Guild, the other guilds summoned their remaining strength and cut down monsters.
At least the saving grace was the sheer number of monsters.
The quantity was the problem, but individually they weren’t particularly strong.
Still, a moment’s carelessness could mean being surrounded and slaughtered.
But as long as each team stayed disciplined and coordinated, there was no major danger.
Crunch! Crunch!
Crack!
“Phew.”
“Thank goodness their patterns are simple too.”
“If this many had complex patterns, we’d already be wiped out.”
The Rapid Guild team spoke like this, clicking their tongues with relief.
The defense was nearly mindless labor, which made it somewhat taxing, yet the Rapid Guild team had still pushed farther ahead than any other.
The problem was.
“At this rate, we could end up surrounded.”
For now, monsters poured forth in endless waves, drawing the attention of the guilds behind them, allowing the Rapid Guild to slip past unnoticed.
But if the distance widened much further, that advantage would likely fail.
Isolated and encircled by these monsters alone.
We could hold out, but not for long.
So the Rapid Guild team deliberately slowed their pace.
A stark contrast to the fervent shouts from mere moments before.
“Draw aggro with noise and create distance when the other guilds get close enough.”
Rooney, the leader of the Rapid Guild team, spoke low enough for only his members to hear, and they all nodded in agreement.
Though his frame was massive as a mountain, Rooney’s mind worked with remarkable sharpness.
None of them questioned his judgment.
They would hold this position, and if the other guilds seemed to be catching up, they would accelerate again.
Barring unforeseen variables, this method was the most effective way to destroy the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers.
Yet as time passed and the monster count swelled, Rooney’s lips tightened slightly.
‘Without the other guilds, we’re guaranteed to retire. But if they’re too slow and this drags on, that’s also a guaranteed retirement?’
It was a situation one might call being trapped from all sides.
Still, they pressed forward.
Then, in that moment.
—SCREEEEEEEE———!!!
A roar that shook the entire vicinity.
A raptor’s cry, though far too ominous and desolate to be called merely that.
Unmistakably a bird’s shriek, yet one that carried such an ill omen that most players present felt their bodies stiffen.
Could the Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers have summoned a boss-class monster?
If so, their chances of victory would be virtually nonexistent.
The moment such thoughts crossed their minds.
A colossal black bird descended from the sky, scattering ominous dark waves of energy.
And from atop that black bird, several shadows fell.
The players could only gape in shock at the sight.
Though they witnessed it in person for the first time, they had seen these figures many times in footage.
The first two shadows to descend were a demon with blood-red skin wielding a greatsword, and another figure emanating an ominous navy-blue aura—the Skull Knight, wielding a darkness that resembled black bone.
As the two appeared and swung their blades, their eyes blazing with navy-blue and blood-red light.
CRAAAAAASH———!!!
KUCRAAAAAASH———!!!
A sharp, colossal, and intense navy-blue sword strike carved a long gash across the ground.
The blood-red sword strike, while not as sharp, unleashed a ferocious aura that tore through everything it touched, leaving massive scars upon the earth.
The monsters caught in that path vanished in an instant, as if deleted from existence.
The two shadows landed heavily upon the scarred ground.
KWAAAANG—!
Kuuuuung—!
The sharp-edged Skull Knight pierced through the ground, carving an elongated hole before emerging from it, while the massive crimson demon created a colossal crater and strode out of it with confidence.
As the two took their stance, a gigantic bird descended from the sky, scattering black waves and sweeping aside the surrounding monsters, while an elegant witch perched upon it, gracefully dispersing wind and moonlight to eliminate the creatures around her—both surveying their surroundings with an enchanting presence.
All four were none other than the renowned members of Sung-hyun’s Retinue.
Leonik and Baltar, Kalisha and Serpina.
The moment those four appeared.
The atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Then Serpina looked toward Rooney and asked.
“Hmm, are you perhaps affiliated with the same master as our Lord?”
Serpina, with her goddess-like appearance.
At the sight of her, Rooney momentarily lost his composure, staring at her with a vacant expression.
Soon he regained himself and answered.
“…Yes? Ah, yes, yes, that’s correct.”
It was utterly unlike Rooney’s usual composed demeanor.
Yet not a single teammate found it ridiculous or amusing.
Whether man or woman, anyone questioned by Serpina in such a manner would have no choice but to be flustered like Rooney.
As Rooney swallowed hard, captivated by her breathtaking beauty.
Serpina spoke quietly.
“You’ve worked hard. We shall assist you.”
-Kuhahahaha!!! Finally I can burn things to my heart’s content!
-Uahahaha!!! So many corpses to offer to our master!
-Kaaaaaeeeeee———!!!
At Serpina’s words, all four cried out with delight and hurled themselves into the battlefield.
Leonik, Baltar, and Kalisha shot forward like arrows.
Serpina, who had been conversing with Rooney, spoke.
“Then I wish you good fortune.”
With the faintest smile, Serpina vanished, leaving Rooney utterly mesmerized.
Of course, his teammates were no different.
Though there was one slight difference.
“She… she smiled at me.”
“Damn, I’m envious.”
>”Sigh… I should have been team leader…”
They now coveted the team leader position they had never wanted before.
All because Serpina had smiled at them ever so slightly.
Thus the battlefield’s situation transformed in an instant.
The Half-Demon King Alliance and the other guilds, their morale shattered by the mere arrival of Sung-hyun’s Retinue, grew pale with despair.
4.
Central Castle of Hexia.
Several figures had gathered, but at their center stood a woman wearing a grotesquely twisted doll mask, her gaze lifted toward the sky.
There, suspended in the heavens, was none other than the distorted form of a serpent.
The Temple of Apophis, god of the black serpents.
I knew that my new Lord was struggling there.
I was not ignorant of that legend.
Kalina, the woman wearing a grotesquely twisted puppet mask, harbored no worry.
Since I had aided Sung-hyun’s leveling until the Apophis battle.
I was the one in Hexia who understood Sung-hyun’s power better than anyone else.
I held no particular concern.
However.
“…Will the Branch Director’s Lord be alright?”
“Will the Lord be able to reach the Corrupted Heart….”
“To claim all the fruits, one must arrive there first and directly….”
“Sigh, this old heart trembles far too much.”
A barrage of questions poured toward Kalina.
The executives of the Overpalace Hexia Branch were deeply worried.
Though they believed in Sung-hyun without doubt.
Logically, with Sung-hyun at level 200 and enemies at level 249 abundant in that place, something could go wrong.
Worry was only natural.
Thus, I did not rebuke those executives.
Rather.
“Have faith without doubt.”
I spoke to enlighten them.
The executives, hearing my words, asked no further questions.
As I did, I gazed upon the emblem of the Apophis Temple, the god of black serpents carved in the sky above, and thought to myself.
‘If he seizes that this time, he will surely advance further.’
May he claim his power in full.
If the new Lord’s power is unleashed, he will take one step closer to becoming a true Overload.
I closed my eyes in such prayer.
And as I offered such prayers.
Several messages appeared before Sung-hyun’s eyes.
[『Spine of Ten Thousand Soldiers』 has been destroyed.]
[『The Black Serpent God, Apophis』’s body weakens.]
[『Sung-hyun』 at level 200 acquires the highest contribution.]
[『Stomach of Corrosion』 has been destroyed.]
[『The Black Serpent God, Apophis』’s predation weakens.]
[『Sung-hyun』 at level 200 acquires the highest contribution.]
[The path to 『Corrupted Heart』 opens.]
Messages as expected.
Just as I was about to advance.
An unexpected message appeared.
“Huh?”
With those words, the broadcast came to an end.
-??????????????
-??????What?
-Cut off 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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