The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 355

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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 355
355
Just as I was about to descend.
A stone tablet suddenly emerged from the ground.
It seemed there were conditions to descend here as well.
Unlike dungeons that had always been nothing but continuous combat, this one—with its masks exuding an air of secrecy and mystery—drew a satisfied smile from Yoo Sung-hyun.
These kinds of mechanics were part of what made games enjoyable, after all.
As Yoo Sung-hyun examined the stone tablet with keen interest.
The tablet bore cryptic inscriptions.
[Here lies the theater of the faceless lord.
All masks dance for the lord, and the stage vanishes once the curtain falls.
Upon the stage where the curtain rises, none stand.]
“Hmm.”
Written in metaphor as it was, Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t decipher it immediately upon reading.
But Baren, upon seeing it, narrowed his eyes sharply and murmured at once.
“Hmm, it seems we need to collect as many masks as possible, doesn’t it?”
“Ah!”
With Baren’s hint, Yoo Sung-hyun grasped it immediately.
He wasn’t foolish enough to remain ignorant even with a clue provided.
Here lies the theater of the faceless lord.
In other words, it referred to the lord of masks, and the theater meant the entire process of those who entered this Tomb undergoing its trials.
And all masks dance for the lord, and the stage vanishes once the curtain falls.
That is to say, once all the theater concludes, the Tomb disappears, and finally, that none stand upon the stage where the curtain rises meant.
“It means no one has yet worn a mask.”
“Yes, so according to this map, Floor 4 seems to represent the stage, and it appears the stage only opens when a mask is worn, doesn’t it?”
“That seems to be the case.”
As Yoo Sung-hyun and Baren deduced rapidly, those around them had no choice but to nod in agreement.
-Wow, they figured that out immediately???
-The Demon King is unexpectedly good at riddles…?
-If you can’t figure this out, something’s wrong lolololol
-It’s actually pretty easy lolololol
-Yeah, seems like a reasonable difficulty.
Since it wasn’t particularly difficult, there wasn’t an atmosphere of amazement, but because they progressed quickly, everyone felt satisfied.
Next, Yoo Sung-hyun counted the masks collected so far.
The masks I had obtained were five: the Jester Mask, the Swamp Mask, the Replica Mask, the Blood Mask, and finally the Mirror Mask.
And the masks Baren had obtained were one Deer Mask, and two masks from other Exploration Teams—the Wolf Mask and the Stone Mask—bringing the total to eight.
However.
“Hmm, we’re still short on numbers.”
“With thirteen people total right now….”
Five were still missing.
I suspect we’ll need masks equal to our numbers to descend to Floor 4.
“Let’s explore the other areas first. The ones on Level 2 are likely members of our Exploration Team, so we can leave them be. We don’t know how to ascend anyway, and since it’s a place filled with users, we probably don’t need to worry too much about it.”
Just then, Baren, who appeared to be the captain of the Exploration Team, spoke directly, saying they didn’t need to concern themselves with the members above.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded in agreement, seeming relieved.
Then, suddenly.
Looking toward those farthest away from our group, Yoo Sung-hyun asked Belladrina through telepathy.
-How are things over there?
-They are fighting reasonably well at present. It appears to be only a matter of time before they eliminate the masks.
Since I’ve already planted a spy among them, I know their situation better than anyone.
So it’s almost time to eliminate the masks?
While Yoo Sung-hyun was deliberating for a moment.
Belladrina bowed her head.
-It seems we could handle it now if we act immediately.
-Hmm, but then the Familiar would be exposed, and if we’re careless, everything could be revealed?
-…Yes, Your Majesty. That is correct. If we seize the right moment, we could perhaps eliminate them discreetly, but the Deputy Captain’s strength is more formidable than anticipated.
-Then let’s leave the Familiar alone until I arrive in person.
-As you command.
Belladrina bowed at Yoo Sung-hyun’s words, and he shook his head slightly as if resigned, then looked at Baren.
It seemed we should head toward the Intelligence Unit next.
“Baren?”
“Yes?”
“I think it would be best to check on the other team.”
Yoo Sung-hyun was about to add his reasoning.
But Baren murmured as if he already understood the reason.
“Hmm, that team might trigger a mechanism that closes the passage if they descend first, so it’s wise to head there immediately.”
Baren had deduced it instantly as well, and Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Is this why conversations with intelligent people are so effortless?
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded, obtained everyone’s agreement, and began moving the room toward where the other team was located.
‘I’ll meet you soon.’
Haldrin, Deputy Captain of the Intelligence Knight Order.
Yoo Sung-hyun smiled, anticipating just how formidable he would be.
6.
Haldrin, Deputy Captain of the Intelligence Knight Order, was frowning deeply.
“Why won’t this room move downward?”
Though Haldrin had worn away most of his emotions, irritation was beginning to surface.
The room that had moved smoothly until now refused to descend.
When responding to the system that he would take the test at the center, he could move downward, but now that no longer worked, leaving him with nothing but frustration.
Scanning the surroundings coldly, the personnel here had been separated into those specialized in combat and assassination rather than information handling, making it extraordinarily difficult to identify clues methodically.
Haldrin faced the same problem.
Why else would they have entered only after the Exploration Team discovered this place?
This was precisely why Haldrin found himself grinding his teeth.
“Hmm, it seems there’s some condition we need to meet. Has everyone found it?”
“We haven’t found anything yet.”
“There’s nothing particularly notable here either.”
The combat itself had gone well, but these kinds of mechanics were typically the domain of those who specialized in puzzle-solving.
Of all the rotten luck, those two had to be separated at precisely the wrong moment.
“…Should we regroup?”
But how?
How could they regroup if they didn’t even know where the others were?
No map had appeared either.
Haldrin couldn’t help but grow increasingly anxious.
‘Could we be trapped?’
Wondering if that might be the case, he glanced at the empty air again, and the world’s will dutifully displayed the system message once more.
If they chose to give up and leave here, they’d likely be able to exit, so they weren’t truly trapped.
“Sigh.”
As he continued exhaling heavily in frustration,
Haldrin found himself watching Gruger, who was busily searching the surroundings.
Though Gruger moved about quite frantically, for some reason Haldrin tilted his head as he observed him.
‘His movement pattern appears random, but he keeps circling around one particular area.’
There was something peculiar about his movements.
While he was moving irregularly, there was one spot that overlapped repeatedly within that irregularity.
It was odd, certainly, but Haldrin said nothing about it.
It could have been mere coincidence.
Sure enough, as Gruger continued searching and moved about again, this time he deliberately avoided that spot.
Then he overlapped it again.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
Haldrin decided to think nothing more of it and waited for his subordinates to find clues.
Even if he searched himself, it likely wouldn’t make much difference.
But thinking about how much punishment awaited him after this was all over filled his vision with darkness.
‘Sigh.’
He had lost five key intelligence operatives from the Intelligence Knight Order.
It was understandable to be concerned.
They weren’t incapable of combat, after all.
‘Anyone who reaches Underground Level 3 here dies without exception.’
Haldrin had fought while conserving his strength just in case, but even accounting for that, their opponent had been quite formidable.
Since it seemed reasonable to assume they had been defeated, he was troubled by this dilemma when
suddenly the ground began to rumble.
Thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum.
As the entire room suddenly resonated, Haldrin rose to his feet and looked at his other subordinates.
None of them appeared to have done anything in particular.
Each of them wore bewildered expressions, wondering why the others were reacting so strangely.
But amid all this.
‘Gruger?’
The expression that flashed across Gruger’s face for a moment was peculiar.
However, since it was merely a fleeting expression, Haldrin didn’t pay it much attention and was about to examine the room that had suddenly begun to shake when—
The door abruptly swung open, and someone began to walk out from within.
Heavy footsteps accompanied by a variety of different footsteps following behind them.
Given their number, the Intelligence Knight Order, led by Haldrin, immediately assumed a combat formation, and Haldrin himself was preparing for battle.
Then, upon seeing the figure that appeared in the doorway, Haldrin’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow.
‘The Overlord?’
Why had the Overlord suddenly appeared here?
Questions bloomed, but in that instant, Haldrin’s mind raced with calculation.
‘I can make up for the loss of five intelligence operatives!’
If I could kill the Overlord here and diminish his power—
It would be a reward worthy of the name.
As Haldrin formed a subtle smile and prepared for combat—
The Overlord had already greeted them as if he knew who they were.
“Greetings, members of the Intelligence Knight Order.”
“…?”
How did he know?
None of them fell for such a crude attempt at provocation, yet they couldn’t help but be startled.
Though their expressions didn’t betray it, they all understood their cover had been blown.
With their identities already exposed, they couldn’t simply remain idle.
Starting with Haldrin, they moved with swift precision.
Like shadows, they vanished in an instant.
And when they reappeared, it was beneath Yoo Sung-hyun’s shadow.
More assassins than knights.
But Yoo Sung-hyun had already transformed his body into darkness, blocking every sharply honed blade before striking back with tremendous force, his darkness lashing out like a whip.
Kwaaaang——!!!
The Intelligence Knight Order members were struck by the devastating darkness, but they all managed to defend precisely before the full impact landed, dispersing the shock as much as possible.
Still, feeling the sharp sting in his wrists, Haldrin regarded Yoo Sung-hyun.
Indeed, a formidable opponent.
The ones behind were nothing special, but if they joined forces, he realized they could reach a point where victory would be impossible.
‘Is there no choice?’
Thinking it might be time to use that, he reached for his pouch when—
Something swung at him from behind. Haldrin moved in alarm to evade the attack, but he couldn’t prevent the bag at his side—the one containing his trump card—from being snatched away.
And in that moment, seeing the figure that appeared behind him, Haldrin muttered with an expression of incomprehension.
“Gruger?”
“Do I still look like Gruger to you?”
As Gruger, having spoken thus, transformed into the exact appearance of the beautiful woman who had been behind Yoo Sung-hyun, Haldrin broke into a cold sweat as he looked at Yoo Sung-hyun.
“Just how long have you been planning this….”
“For a while now. I planted it before we even moved.”
Yoo Sung-hyun answered readily and continued speaking.
“Shall we try again?”
With those words, I drew upon my power, and crimson droplets of blood bloomed around me as darkness began to envelop them.
As the blood-red droplets rose in succession, Haldrin’s eyes deepened, and he had no choice but to grit his teeth.
“…Fight with everything you have.”
“Yes.”
With that answer, my crimson blood droplets and the four Intelligence Knights clashed.

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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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