The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 294

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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 294
294
3.
“Sigh.”
Normally, after spending a long time gaming inside the Capsule, my body would feel sluggish and stiff when I emerged.
This time was different.
For some reason, my head was throbbing more than anything else.
It was rare for my head to hurt more than my body.
I’d never experienced a headache like this without excessively absorbing a soul’s memories.
I had to use my mind this much while gaming.
Still, it wasn’t uncomfortable or exhausting.
‘This is more fun than I expected.’
All the same, I’d gained something from wracking my brain like this.
I’d clearly identified which Demon was hiding in the Magic Tower.
I’d obtained other evidence as well, but the conversation with the Guard Knight Commander proved most useful.
In any case, it seemed the conclusion would come tomorrow.
‘I need to slip away before the Sword Saint arrives.’
If he does come, the system will block him in various ways, I suppose.
But a direct confrontation is another matter entirely.
Isn’t he one of the transcendents even the Single Ranker cannot handle?
It’s best to avoid meeting him as much as possible.
Yoo Sung-hyun thought that this long Quest would likely end by tomorrow.
When that happens.
The natives would be able to reclaim their original homeland.
And.
‘The weapons imbued with demonic energy were quite powerful—I wonder how strong the Demon himself, the true form, actually is?’
When I protected the Slum District where the natives lived, I couldn’t reveal my demonic energy.
So I hadn’t felt it then.
But considering the characteristics imbued in the demonic energy, he’s probably even stronger.
The Demon seems to be laying some kind of trap.
Still, I was confident.
‘Whatever comes.’
So I waited with great anticipation.
“What are you doing?”
At the sight of my older sister Yoo Mi-na coming to my room to ask, I tilted my head in confusion.
We’d see each other anyway during dinner—why had she come?
Whatever business she had could wait until dinner, couldn’t it?
With that thought, I looked at my sister, curious.
Yoo Mi-na swallowed hard, her expression quite serious.
“You remember that Mom’s birthday is Thursday, right?”
“…Huh!?”
Watching Yoo Sung-hyun’s reaction, Yoo Mi-na exhaled with a knowing sigh.
She simply nodded her head, as if she understood perfectly well.
“When you’re playing Eternal World, time just flies by.”
“Has it really gotten that bad?”
Looking at the calendar, it checked out.
It had already been fifty-five days since Yoo Sung-hyun started the game.
It was understandable to lose track of time.
“Let’s go shopping for a gift together tomorrow if you have time.”
“…With you, noona?”
“What, why not!”
He’d considered going alone.
But since his older sister Yoo Mi-na had good taste.
Yoo Sung-hyun had no choice but to accept.
“Sigh, but I’m pretty busy tomorrow. If we’re going to the department store, shouldn’t we go during the day? How about the day after tomorrow?”
Today was Monday.
If they went on Wednesday, they could still buy it before the birthday.
When Yoo Sung-hyun suggested this, thinking it would work out.
Yoo Mi-na seemed to be checking her schedule on her phone for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“Okay, let’s go on Wednesday then.”
“Alright, got it.”
“Since it’s a surprise, don’t forget to keep it a secret.”
He thought she was being a bit much about it.
But a surprise did seem like it could be fun.
So he agreed.
Then Yoo Mi-na said something.
“You haven’t been talking about dating lately. So I was wondering what was going on, and it turns out it’s your birthday.”
“Ah.”
He’d wondered if she was subtly hinting at something.
So that was it?
Is that why people say you should raise a daughter?
Yoo Sung-hyun scratched his cheek awkwardly and let it go.
He’d finish tomorrow’s tasks as quickly as possible and go to the department store on Wednesday.
He wasn’t particularly thrilled about going out with his older sister.
But what could he do about it?
Thinking this way, he went to eat.
4.
The next day.
The day Yoo Sung-hyun and Edian had arranged to meet again had arrived.
Meanwhile, in the Capital of Rieschan Kingdom, the Sword Saint—who was handling the busiest of affairs—furrowed his brow deeply.
Ever since sustaining a wound to my soul, an unsettling sensation persisted.
My combat strength had been reduced by a staggering twenty percent.
I should have treated my body with the utmost care.
Yet there was far too much work to be done.
I could not afford to rest.
In the midst of this turmoil.
‘This is irritating.’
Ever since I’d declared I would visit tomorrow.
Not a word had come from those cursed Demons.
This silence bred anxiety—what if something had gone wrong?—and I found myself unable to concentrate on my duties.
‘I must supply as many Mana Stones as possible.’
The minimum force necessary to stand against Overpalace.
Yet because the Demon I’d infiltrated into the Caliber Magic Tower—the very heart of this operation—had sent no word, I rose from my seat, seized by the fear that everything might unravel.
Transcendence granted a certain intuition.
And right now, that intuition screamed of ominous portents.
‘…I must accelerate the schedule.’
With that thought, I spoke to my subordinate waiting outside.
“We depart for Heptarion.”
“…Understood.”
There were still many pending matters.
Yet my subordinate could not bring himself to mention this to me.
I already knew, having decided to speak regardless.
Any objection would only contradict my will.
So I ordered the preparations to begin.
And I muttered with a somewhat irritable expression.
‘There are no signs of Overpalace moving.’
Thus far, Overpalace had shown no indication of action.
I should have found solace in this.
Yet why did I not?
Yoo Sung-hyun came to mind.
It was rare, certainly.
But such cases had occurred before.
So I rose from my seat, my busy frame now set in motion for departure.
“Sword Saint, all preparations for departure are complete.”
Pressed by my urgency, the work was finished faster than expected, and I rose from my seat.
I needed to see this with my own eyes to put my mind at ease.
5.
Before the Sword Saint made his decision to move.
Yoo Sung, the newly recruited knight—or rather, Yoo Sung-hyun—had arrived at the Magic Tower as always, and there stood Edian before it.
I wondered if they might be waiting from the entrance.
But I didn’t pay it much mind.
“So you were waiting here.”
“Yes, you came. Let’s go.”
At the curt, clipped tone, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded without concern, and Edian, watching him, nodded with considerable satisfaction.
Edian looked thoroughly like a sorcerer.
He climbed back into the Forest with Yoo Sung-hyun.
Each time monsters appeared, Yoo Sung-hyun’s Galaxy Sword Dance unleashed its power, illuminating the surroundings and sweeping through the creatures, and Edian seemed satisfied every time he witnessed it.
Any sign of weakness favored us.
As we climbed, Yoo Sung-hyun also thought to himself while observing Edian.
‘So there’s more than one Demon.’
I could tell from what the natives had said.
Especially from the memories I’d absorbed from the spirits of my ancestors.
At first, I hadn’t paid much attention.
But carefully reviewing the memories, I could see it.
There were three Demons in total.
And all of them were male forms.
Serena was equally suspicious.
But the fact that all the Demons were male forms dispelled my suspicion of her.
And when I asked the Ghost wandering the Magic Tower again.
When I first headed to the Slum District, only one sorcerer had left the Magic Tower at night.
Finally.
‘What the Guard Knight Commander told me was decisive.’
Edian said that when he brought Guard Knights, he didn’t hesitate to use verbal abuse and violence, but he hadn’t done so to me.
Well, it’s not as if he would have hidden his eccentric nature from the start just because I was new.
In other words, he had ulterior motives.
And that was precisely.
“Hmm, let’s go a bit higher.”
As Edian gestured that way, he guided us through the Forest.
“Yes.”
Yoo Sung-hyun answered quickly.
Edian was guiding us through the Forest in a suspiciously deliberate manner.
And I already knew the reason.
‘So he’s trying to lure me into a trap after all.’
Demons could store their hearts separately, and according to Helena’s additional explanation.
-He’s guiding us to where the real heart is? Along with the other three.
They become stronger when near where their heart is located.
Thinking back to what happened when I first headed to the Slum District, it seemed he planned to ambush me with the other Demons near where the heart was.
I understood that much, but why didn’t I use a countermeasure?
Wasn’t it simple enough?
Demons cannot be killed unless their hearts are destroyed.
Yet when they’re personally guiding me to that very heart, what reason could I possibly have to refuse?
I simply need to consume what’s being served to me.
While Yoo Sung-hyun was thinking such thoughts.
Edian inwardly scoffed, considering Yoo Sung-hyun foolish.
‘He doesn’t even realize he’s thrusting his head into the lion’s jaws.’
He acknowledged that they faced a Swordsman with superior matchups against them.
However, if three Demons were releasing their demonic energy from where their hearts lay, there would be no significant problem.
While one-on-one might be challenging, three-on-one was an entirely different matter.
Unless the fool had allies.
But no allies were visible.
And even if they existed, they could never enter their Domain.
To enter this place from outside, their permission was absolutely necessary.
Moreover, since barriers were already in place beforehand, there was no need to use blocking power.
If they deployed demonic energy that weakened only the Swordsman’s strength, it would be absurdly easy.
As Edian continued guiding Yoo Sung-hyun with a smug expression.
Yoo Sung-hyun could feel it belatedly.
Splash.
A strange sensation, as though passing through a thin membrane of water in empty space, and the surrounding landscape suddenly transformed.
It was still a Forest.
Yet unlike the Forest from mere moments before, this place was considerably desolate.
The trees were withered, painted in ashen gray, and Yoo Sung-hyun frowned as he observed his surroundings.
And there, shadowy figures began to emerge.
“Kehehehe, you’ve fallen into the trap.”
“Keheheh, welcome to the heart of our Domain.”
….
Yoo Sung-hyun remained silent.
Edian then used short-range teleportation to move behind them, revealing his true form.
A form like a shadow.
When Yoo Sung-hyun turned to look at him.
Edian chuckled as if asking whether he was surprised.
“How arrogant, Knight!!! No matter how strong you are, you cannot possibly stand against the three of us!!!”
“Uuuaaahhh!!!”
“Hrraahhh!!!”
The Demons cried out thus, unleashing their demonic energy profusely.
Simultaneously, they chanted their demonic skills.
“『Domain』!”
“『Curse of the Blade』!”
“『Weakening』!”
[Due to the 『Domain』 skill, negative energy fills the designated area. Beings without demonic energy cannot naturally recover mana and stamina.]
[Due to the ‘Curse of the Sword’ skill, all sword-related skills within that domain have their power reduced by half.]
[Due to the ‘Weakening’ skill, all ability stats of the ‘Yoo Sung-hyun’ user within that domain fall to half or below.]
[Negative effects from magic are applied.]
[‘Overload’ partially resists.]
[Negative effects are applied at only half strength.]
Watching all those effects stack, Yoo Sung-hyun’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
The Demons cackled at the sight.
“You should know you cannot survive in this place!”
“Kekeke! You alone can do nothing!”
“Now that you bear the Curse of the Sword, there is nothing you can accomplish!!!”
At the Demons’ words,
Yoo Sung-hyun chuckled as if amused.
“Severance wasn’t applied. How thoughtful of you.”
The Demons sensed something was wrong.
In that instant, a teal portal opened behind Yoo Sung-hyun, and his Minions burst forth.
And after so long, he uttered those words.
“Alone, you say?”
“…???”
“Wh-what is this?!”
“He, he wasn’t a Swordsman after all!?”

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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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