The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 382

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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 382
382
Belhadam had long been famous for its peculiar cityscape.
The Ninth Region’s notorious reputation meant it was now mostly inhabited by semi-rankers, so the player population wasn’t particularly dense, but it remained quite a popular area in the East Asia Server nonetheless.
The very act of descending into that pit called Mugan to hunt stirred up a sense of adventure and exploration in people.
Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but be amazed as he surveyed his surroundings, taking in the breathtaking scenery.
The city, shaped like a donut, was nothing short of extraordinary no matter how many times one gazed upon it.
Could one call it a city that only existed in games?
Looking down at that bottomless pit resembling an abyss, Yoo Sung-hyun thought there was no place more fitting to be called the Abyss than this.
‘But they said the actual Abyss isn’t this place.’
When Yoo Sung-hyun asked beforehand just to be sure, he was told the Abyss was far deeper than this hole.
And after hearing from Helena the reason this hole came to exist, he became convinced the Abyss must be even deeper still.
In any case, Yoo Sung-hyun was now looking into how to enter that pit named Mugan.
He wore a black robe and attempted to enter alone without summoning Helena or his other servants.
Several players and NPCs stood in line before the entrance to Mugan, and Yoo Sung-hyun joined the queue behind them.
But then.
‘Everyone else has companions.’
Yoo Sung-hyun was the only one standing alone.
He was contemplating whether he should summon his servants right now.
The line wasn’t very long, and soon it was his turn.
“Hmm, listen here, stranger—surely you’re not going in alone?”
“….”
Uncertain what to say, he nodded his head.
If they said it wasn’t allowed, he could just come back next time after summoning his servants to enter with him.
He hadn’t summoned them initially because he wanted to explore the entrance alone first, but that seemed to have been a misjudgment.
Yoo Sung-hyun remained silent with that thought.
The soldier guarding the entrance pondered for a moment, then.
“You look skilled enough, but I’d recommend a party. You can’t go in alone.”
“Pardon?”
Yoo Sung-hyun considered summoning his servants but hesitated at the guard NPC’s goodwill.
“They’re all skilled people, so I’m sure you’d be satisfied. What do you say?”
“Hmm, are they also foreigners?”
“That’s right.”
At the guard NPC’s words, Yoo Sung-hyun scratched his cheek.
Now that he thought about it, it had been quite a while since he’d partied with someone else, so the idea of forming a party this time didn’t seem unreasonable.
Though they probably wouldn’t match the level of skill he was accustomed to, according to the guard NPC.
Still, they should have some decent ability.
Besides, there was something he wanted to verify.
‘I want to see how strong players at this level bracket are.’
Yoo Sung-hyun was still in the 270s level range.
I wanted to experience just how strong the level range right before this 300 level area was.
As Yoo Sung-hyun nodded in agreement.
The guard NPC smiled, saying I had chosen well.
“Good thinking. Mugan over there tends to attract monsters the more people enter alone, so we’re restricting solo entries from our city.”
“I see.”
“Then wait a moment and I’ll guide you. Stay here for now.”
“Yes, thank you.”
4.
Many parties were active in Belhadam, but few were renowned.
The Michael Party was one of them.
Once a second-string party under the Eclipse Order, they had quit due to the way they were treated by Yoo Sung-hyun before and the severe discrimination and poor treatment of second-string members, forming their own party with those who shared their grievances—their skills were exceptional.
Among the parties active in Belhadam, they could be said to be the most skilled.
Yet even the Michael Party faced a considerable crisis.
Their mage, who had been part of the original four-person party, had suddenly fallen ill and quit the game.
Naturally, even though the Eternal World was lucrative, one couldn’t force someone to continue when they fell ill.
Party leader Michael, lacking such a harsh disposition, naturally told his ailing comrade to rest and even visited him to offer encouragement for a full recovery.
But regardless, the mage’s absence left a significant void that couldn’t be ignored.
“Sigh.”
“Leader, can’t we find someone somehow?”
“That’s right, brother. We asked the guards to tip us off if they see a skilled mage, so we should hear back soon.”
The party members tried to console Michael as he sighed, but they were already searching for new mages and only mediocre candidates kept appearing, which was troubling.
They’d even tried recruiting through broadcasts, but only strange characters and unskilled people showed up.
So Michael, the party leader, sat with his eyes tightly shut in near despair.
“Of all times, we were almost done clearing Mugan when this gap appeared… We’re still maintaining subscribers, but…”
“Who knows when we’ll start declining.”
“…It’s been quite a while since we uploaded videos.”
The reason they couldn’t upload videos was that their main content was Mugan strategy, but with only three members, hunting wasn’t progressing smoothly in their current area.
A mage was almost essential, making the Deep Area strategy impossible.
So they were taking a break from uploading.
But if they uploaded different content instead, people would complain they weren’t doing the strategy, and some might even form the opinion that the Michael Party’s abilities had declined, so they held back.
Of course, there were circumstances.
If they revealed the mage’s illness, public opinion might shift.
But they didn’t want to exploit their sick comrade to that extent.
On the broadcast, they’d ended it somewhat warmly by saying they’d return later due to personal circumstances, so they needed to find a new mage quickly—but finding a comrade at this level range wasn’t easy.
They’d even considered mercenary NPCs.
But too many didn’t follow orders, and their skills were poor.
If they happened to be skilled, they were even less obedient, which was the problem.
So Michael was letting out sighs in their party’s headquarters.
Then at that moment.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
At the sound of a knock, Rowell, the archer among the party members, opened the door out of curiosity.
Recognizing the guard NPC he had requested before, Rowell greeted him warmly.
“Oh! Hans!”
“Haha, nice to see you, Rowell.”
A guard with a rather common name.
The guard NPC smiled brightly and greeted Rowell.
When Rowell tilted his head, wondering what the matter was.
Hans, the guard NPC, got straight to the point.
“I found the skilled-looking foreign mage you’ve been searching for and brought them here.”
“What!?”
Rowell gasped in astonishment at the news.
Noar, a party member who had been listening intently from the doorway, stepped behind Rowell, while Michael, the party leader, merely turned his body slightly from where he sat at the table.
Hans then revealed a player standing behind him, and the player greeted them in return.
“Greetings. I came on your recommendation.”
Seeing the mage-like player in a black robe with a rather handsome face, both of them spoke with unbridled excitement.
“Oh!? Welcome!!!”
“P-Please come in!!!”
Given the circumstances, Rowell and Noar, both eager, welcomed the player in the black robe enthusiastically. Hans, watching this, smiled contentedly and nodded. Then he extended his index and middle fingers to his forehead, winked as he pulled them away, and went off to attend to his duties.
Rowell called out to Hans as he left, expressing his gratitude.
“Hans! Thank you so much!!!”
Hans, cool as ever, didn’t even turn around at Rowell’s words—he simply raised his hand and waved it dismissively.
In any case, now that a new mage player had been brought in, Michael didn’t show it outwardly, but internally he was quite excited.
For Michael, party members’ skill level was certainly important, but right now they needed all the help they could get.
Moreover, since they had reached the Ninth Region, most people here were reasonably competent, so he held high expectations.
“Welcome. I’m Michael, the party leader.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Yoo Sung.”
The player in the black robe—or rather, Yoo Sung-hyun—gave a false nickname this time as well, though he didn’t particularly mind.
What did a nickname matter now when a new person had arrived?
Calming themselves, they asked Yoo Sung-hyun.
“If I may ask, you came hoping to collaborate with our party to enter Mugan, correct?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Phew, thank goodness. The truth is, we…”
Yoo Sung-hyun, who had initially worried this might turn into an interview-like atmosphere.
Was pleasantly surprised when they spoke frankly instead. Michael proceeded to explain his party’s situation roughly.
From how their original mage had quit due to personal circumstances—though it didn’t end badly—to how they desperately needed a mage because they were challenging the Deep Area.
As Michael laid out their circumstances in detail, Yoo Sung-hyun simply listened.
Since Yoo Sung-hyun actually enjoyed hearing others’ stories more than expected, he remained silent.
Michael, apparently having held this in for some time, spoke at length, and when Yoo Sung-hyun had heard everything, he scratched his cheek.
“So in summary, you’re asking if I’m willing to challenge the Deep Area?”
“Yes, most people here want to quickly reach ranker status, so they usually run up to level 300 and focus on efficient hunting rather than venturing into the Deep Area. That’s why I asked.”
Yoo Sung-hyun smiled, seeming to appreciate the question.
After all, his current goal was the Deep Area as well, wasn’t it?
So I thought this might actually be a good party.
Of course, I wouldn’t be able to fight the Abyss Lord, the Destruction Lord, and the Despair Lord alongside them.
But wouldn’t it be excellent if we could clear the path to the Deep Area together?
Besides, this time I was planning to challenge it as an exploration anyway.
With that thought, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded to them.
“Actually, I was hoping to reach the Deep Area myself, but I was worried about not having a party. I think it would be great if we could work together at least until we reach the Deep Area.”
“Oh!”
“Yes!”
“Perfect!”
Hearing this, Michael’s expression brightened completely, and watching Rowell and Noar cheer and jump around excitedly made me realize just how difficult things had been for them.
Still, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded, thinking it was good when a party got along well.
When Yoo Sung-hyun stood up to prepare to enter immediately after.
Michael noticed it too and stood up with a grin, shouting.
“Then should we test our coordination right now!?”
“It’s been a while since Mugan!”
“We haven’t confirmed that Yoo Sung has officially joined for the broadcast yet, so should we practice our coordination a bit first and then discuss it?”
“I’m fine with starting the broadcast right away.”
“Oh!?”
Since Yoo Sung-hyun was already familiar with broadcasting, he said so.
All three members of the Michael Party’s eyes lit up.
It had been a long time since they would do a live stream.

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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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