The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 286

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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 286
286
2.
The Capsule hissed open as Yoo Sung-hyun exhaled deeply, as if expelling something vile from within.
“Phew…”
He was ordinarily quite exhausted, but today the weariness clung to him with unusual intensity.
There was no helping it, really.
After a battle of such magnitude, only something inhuman could emerge unscathed.
Beyond that, when I released the Sword Saint’s soul, I felt a depletion eerily reminiscent of when I’d absorbed Ghost’s memories and experiences to their absolute limit.
Had I absorbed even the slightest fragment of the soul’s memories or experiences today, I might not have been able to expel it—such was my concern.
Yet as I emerged, I recalled the conversation I’d had alongside the recommendation letter, and Yoo Sung-hyun shook his head with evident exasperation.
‘They actually issued a genuine bounty.’
Since Septem Arcana bordered the Riescan Kingdom, word reached Cerul Spire not long after.
Learning that the Sword Saint had genuinely issued a bounty, Yoo Sung-hyun could only shake his head in disgust.
I understood the necessity of division, certainly.
But to go to such lengths—truly, it was beyond expectation.
His Featherwing Knight Order companions deserved every bit of the epithet “petty.”
Such pettiness knew no bounds.
Shaking his head, Yoo Sung-hyun stepped outside.
There awaited a woman whose eyes gleamed with profound emotion as she gazed upon him with unmistakable affection.
Need I say who?
Naturally, it was his sister, Yoo Mi-na.
“Y-o-u. S-u-n-g. H-y-u-n. Y-o-u. C-a-m-e?”
“…Why are you being so creepy about it?”
Watching his sister Yoo Mi-na call out to him in such an unsettling manner, Yoo Sung-hyun recoiled considerably.
His sister Yoo Mi-na, observing his reaction, spoke with unbridled enthusiasm.
“This is absolutely insane, Sung-hyun!!! Our Sung-hyun really did it!!!”
Despite his evident fatigue, he deftly sidestepped his sister as she rushed toward him.
What on earth was she going on about?
Then it struck him.
“Did I win?”
“Yes! But how did you beat him? That Gamus was absolutely insane???”
As Yoo Sung-hyun continued evading, Yoo Mi-na finally relented, speaking her piece.
Even as Yoo Sung-hyun demurred, he couldn’t help but smile with quiet pride.
Defeating even a fragment of the Sword Saint was genuinely extraordinary.
This was indeed something worthy of pride.
So he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction.
Even winning against just a part of the Sword Saint is truly a remarkable feat.
Well, it was something worth bragging about, after all.
Let’s feel a little proud of ourselves.
His older sister nodded with evident pride as she regarded Yoo Sung-hyun.
“That was genuinely top-tier combat. Even Single Rankers would struggle to display that level of potential, honestly. It looked difficult even for me.”
“Really? That intense?”
“Of course! So what’s the deal with that Gamus character anyway? He was no joke. I’ve never even heard of a Named NPC before.”
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded at his older sister Yoo Mi-na’s reaction, as if it made perfect sense.
There was no reason it wouldn’t.
“Hmm.”
He considered whether he should reveal the truth, but there was no real reason to keep it hidden.
So Yoo Sung-hyun told her directly.
“Actually, it was the Sword Saint’s will possessing him, or so I heard.”
“…What??? The S-Sword Saint?!”
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded at her reaction.
He then explained the circumstances surrounding the demonic energy and the demons.
And then.
“Gasp!?? There was such a backstory!?? I had no idea!??”
“Really?”
“I knew the Riescan Kingdom had a foul stench about it, but I didn’t realize it was entangled like that… Tsk. I should tell the guild to keep our distance from the Riescan Kingdom.”
“Does our guild have connections to the Riescan Kingdom?”
“Nothing major, but there are minor ties. Some guild members even take Quests related to them.”
Yoo Sung-hyun looked at Yoo Mi-na with some surprise at this revelation.
Since he knew most things.
He’d assumed he’d know about this too.
But apparently, she’d been completely unaware.
Well, if that were the case, the Riescan Kingdom’s image would have been worse.
But she didn’t seem to harbor such sentiments.
So Yoo Sung-hyun simply accepted it and moved on.
In any case, after hearing this information, Yoo Mi-na’s expression grew serious.
She thanked him for sharing the information, then went into her room and began calling An Yoo-jin.
Judging by how long the call lasted, it seemed to be quite an important matter.
Thinking she’d fill him in once things were sorted out, Yoo Sung-hyun went out and prepared a simple dinner.
Tomorrow would likely bring another lengthy Quest waiting for him.
He needed to rest well today.
After dinner, Yoo Sung-hyun did some light research on Heptarion to aid his digestion, then fell asleep.
It had been an exhausting day in many ways.
3.
The City Gate of Heptarion was unusually crowded that day.
It wasn’t that more people were visiting Heptarion than usual.
The city had never been particularly popular to begin with.
Rather.
“Wait, the checkpoint inspection was fine yesterday—why’s it so strict now?”
“I’m not sure? Did something happen?”
“From what I hear, it’s not just Heptarion—it’s like this throughout the entire Riescan Kingdom region???”
“I’ve also heard there are knights who’ve deserted.”
For reasons unknown, the checkpoint inspections had become considerably stricter.
Because the inspections took so long, the queue inevitably grew quite lengthy.
Both users and NPCs alike harbored complaints.
Yet no one possessed the audacity to voice their grievances to a knight of the Riescan Kingdom.
Amid this, several users approached a player clad in a pristine white robe.
“Are you a mage as well?”
“….”
I didn’t offer a direct answer, but tilted my head as if questioning why they asked.
Then.
“It seems they conduct more rigorous inspections on mages.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Huh?”
I showed the user who had spoken from behind the sword hanging at my waist.
The user nodded upon seeing it.
“Ah, you’re a Swordsman then. But Swordsmen also get held up a bit.”
“…?”
Didn’t they say mages faced stricter inspections?
Wondering what they meant by Swordsmen also getting held up, I turned around to look.
The user who had spoken explained.
“It seems they’re also catching deserting knights, so Swordsmen have to demonstrate their sword skills to pass through. I’d suggest requesting a travel permit so you don’t have to deal with this hassle every time you return from hunting. I forgot mine.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“No problem. Enjoy yourself.”
I nodded at the kind user’s explanation and waited for my inspection.
And soon, it was my turn.
Just as that user had explained, the knights approached with an imposing demeanor.
“Are you a foreigner?”
“Where are you coming from?”
“I’m coming from Lumencia.”
At those words, they regarded me with a hint of suspicion.
I could have flinched at the stern atmosphere.
But I waited quietly in my pristine white robe.
Observing my composure, the knights stared a moment longer.
Then they asked the next question.
“Hmm, what’s your class?”
“Swordsman.”
“A Swordsman?”
At the words of another knight expressing doubt.
The user in the pristine white robe drew the sword hanging at their waist.
The knights seemed to find that insufficient.
They exchanged glances with a slight nod.
Then they stepped back, clearing space.
And spoke to the user in the white robe.
“A knight has fled and we’re conducting an inspection. Show us your swordsmanship.”
“It would be wise not to refuse.”
The knights’ coercive attitude was enough to provoke anger.
Yet the user in the white robe, seemingly unbothered, unsheathed the sword from its scabbard.
Shing.
A crystalline ring of metal resonated through the air.
The knights unconsciously swallowed hard.
Though they sensed something peculiar in the moment.
They made no move to stop it.
As the user in the white robe swung the blade.
The sword traced elegant arcs, occupying the space around them with fluid motion.
Soft and unrestricted.
The swordplay expanded broadly, filling everything nearby, appearing almost like an explosion.
Intense yet gentle, swift yet subtle.
Then.
The explosion gradually imbuing the blade condensed into an ethereal luminescence.
The light multiplied one by one, manifesting like stars in the heavens, flowing through the surroundings.
In that torrent resembling a cascade of falling stars.
The stars soon returned to the scabbard.
As the knights regained their senses.
The blade—not stars—entered its sheath, and that cosmic vision, dreamlike as it was, vanished without trace.
“Wow….”
“That’s a swordsmanship skill!?”
“Who is that user!?”
“Can a swordsmanship skill be that beautiful?”
The users standing in line made a fuss.
But the knights, far from restraining them, found themselves equally entranced, swallowing repeatedly as they gazed upon the user in the white robe.
Had they ever witnessed swordsmanship so beautiful and formidable?
With such thoughts, the knights unconsciously stood dazed, recalling that swordplay.
A pure knight’s yearning—the hope that perhaps they might embody even a fragment of it.
Yet a voice shattered that dream.
“Is that sufficient?”
It was the voice of the user in the white robe.
Even as they regretted the swordplay passing like a fleeting whisper.
The knights hastily regained their composure and nodded.
“You may pass.”
“Ah, then perhaps you have a travel permit….”
“Here it is. But even with a permit, we might conduct another inspection just to be safe. Ahem, ahem.”
His voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
The user in the pristine white robe showed little reaction, simply nodding in understanding.
“Ah…! I understand.”
The other users, watching the knight,
“Seems like he wants to see something again?”
“Hehe, I’d like to see it again too, so imagine how the knight feels?”
“It really was impressive though.”
“Right? He must be high-ranked, right?”
Though the users chided themselves for being so blatant,
they murmured in understanding.
In any case, the embarrassed knights cleared their throats and shouted.
“You may enter. Next!”
With the inspection complete, the user in the pristine white robe entered Heptarion and removed the robe while glancing around.
Though I had removed it during the inspection when they checked my face,
my appearance was slightly different now.
The user in the pristine white robe, whose appearance had been completely altered by Fiora’s Cognitive Obstruction and Polymorph skill, was none other than Yoo Sung-hyun.
‘Phew, I got through thanks to the Galaxy Sword Dance.’
Helena’s exceptionally powerful swordsmanship could have been detected, so I used the Galaxy Sword Dance instead.
Thanks to that, I was able to pass through smoothly.
Realizing just how thoroughly they were searching, I scratched my head.
‘Once this is over, I shouldn’t visit the Riescan Kingdom for a while.’
As I was thinking this,
Helena spoke from the Underworld, as if it were no big deal.
-It should be fine though? That Sword Saint seemed like a coward.
-A coward?
-Yeah, the fact that he couldn’t come himself is naturally because of the World’s Will, but it seemed like he brought minimal power. And that seemed to be because he was afraid of the World’s Will. If he were a transcendent of that caliber, he would have had more capacity to bring.
-Hmm.
Could that really be the case?
As I was thinking this,
Helena added,
-Plus, his soul took damage, right? From you squeezing it?
-Huh?
-You squeezed it to absorb memories and experiences, right? Normally, when someone in a soul state treats you favorably, there wouldn’t be damage from that, but since he tried to block it, the damage was quite severe, wasn’t it?
-Ah, is that so?
-Yeah, so the Sword Saint won’t come again like last time. You don’t need to worry.
Hearing Helena’s words, I felt somewhat reassured.
I thanked her with a bow.
-Thank you.
Then shall we head off to find employment now?
At the Caliber Magic Tower.

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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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