The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 40

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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 40
Episode 40
2.
The users of Oren Village could hardly contain their excitement.
Large-scale events in the Second Town were far from common.
And this was a massive event at that!
There was no way not to be thrilled.
You could receive Quests simply by heading to the Village Central Plaza.
The plaza, already crowded with users on ordinary days, was now packed so densely that there was barely room to stand.
“Ah! Stop pushing!!”
“Please wait your turn!!”
“I’m participating in the event too!”
Crowds of people seeking to receive Quests to participate in the event.
“Wow, so many gathered here! Absolutely packed….”
“Looking for Group 62!”
“Hey, what’s your group number?”
“I’m in Group 39.”
Crowds of people who had already received their Quests, now seeking to meet their teammates.
“Heh heh, so many outsiders gathering like this.”
“The village is sure to prosper!”
“It’s all thanks to the village chief’s generosity, heh heh heh.”
NPCs delighted at the sight of the gathered users, calculating the profits that would flow in.
From a tall Manor overlooking the central plaza crowded with people stood a middle-aged man with sinister eyes.
At first glance, his expression seemed benevolent, but when his narrow, small eyes widened, the malice clinging beneath them became apparent.
The middle-aged man stroked his goat-like beard as he gazed upon the scene.
It was a habit that frequently emerged when he harbored ulterior motives.
“Kekeke, they gather so well.”
The middle-aged man looking down upon the users from atop the Manor with a sinister smile was none other than Zail, the village chief of Oren Village.
Naturally, he was an NPC.
Some users treated the NPCs of Eternal World like those in other games.
But Zail was incomparable to such ordinary NPCs.
He thought for himself and moved with autonomy.
Genius Park Won hadn’t adopted the title of “a new world and an eternal world” without reason.
Zail too, thanks to such superior artificial intelligence, was truly like a real person.
For the sake of greed, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice others.
He didn’t shy away from trampling upon others, and outwardly, he concealed such deeds.
Had the users known of him, they would have truly marveled at how human-like he was.
Yet, because he concealed his dark intentions so thoroughly?
Not a single user had yet discovered his ugly nature.
Even among the villagers themselves, only a handful knew of his sinister heart.
‘If I gather these foreigners like this, I’ll be able to obtain the treasure hidden in that cursed Rocks’ Tomb.’
According to what Zail had discovered, Rocks’ Tomb was structured as one massive labyrinth.
A perilously dangerous place teeming with treacherous traps and monsters alike.
It was no easy feat for Zail, a mere village chief, to venture there alone.
No matter how intimately he knew the labyrinth’s passages.
But if these foreigners swarmed in like a pack of hounds?
There would come a moment when the labyrinth emptied.
Zail intended to seize that opportunity and claim the hidden treasure for himself.
Harboring such sinister thoughts, Zail surveyed the gathered users.
‘These foreigners are nothing but hunting dogs to find my treasure.’
Then, suddenly, Zail noticed something.
A user whose eyes gleamed with a teal-blue light for just an instant.
“Hmm?”
A user staring intently as if aware of Zail’s presence in this place.
The moment Zail’s gaze met that user’s eyes.
An inexplicable chill ran through his body.
Black hair and dark eyes, yet.
Just moments ago, they had gleamed with that eerie teal-blue radiance.
Trembling, Zail retreated backward.
The user’s figure vanished into the crowd.
“What… what was that?”
Had his weakened spirit caused him to see illusions?
Or perhaps.
‘Someone who came coveting my treasure?’
The moment such a thought surfaced in Zail’s mind.
He shook his head, deliberately dismissing it.
That couldn’t be.
He was the first to discover the map leading to Rocks’ Tomb.
This was an undeniable fact.
In other words, only Zail knew where Rocks’ hidden treasure was concealed.
‘There’s no way anyone else could know.’
Zail reassured himself with these thoughts, calming his nerves.
3.
The user whose eyes had gleamed teal-blue when their gaze briefly met Zail’s.
Who else could it be but Sung-hyun?
After locking eyes with Zail, Sung-hyun had withdrawn from the area.
His impression of Zail, observed from a distance, was straightforward.
‘He really looks greedy.’
If one were to describe a typical con artist’s appearance.
This man certainly fit the bill—avarice written all over his face.
It was exactly as the ghosts had said.
The saying that a tiger doesn’t beget a dog seemed to be wrong.
The former village chief was supposedly so virtuous and wise.
It’s strange that his son turned out differently.
I wasn’t particularly curious about Zail’s scheming.
I already knew what it was, after all.
More importantly, the Quest came first.
‘Either way, I’ve accepted the Quest.’
『Rocks’ Tomb』
→《Rare》
→It is said that Zail, the village chief of Oren Village, has been quite troubled by recent events.
The cause is none other than Rocks’ Tomb, which was recently discovered in Oren Village.
Rocks was a mage who was active in Oren Village long ago, and despite his exceptional skills, he was a mage who harbored an evil heart.
Because of the tomb of the evil mage Rocks, Zail, the chief of Oren Village, has been deeply anxious.
Please help Oren Village and make Rocks’ Tomb safe.
Perhaps you will discover something of great value in Rocks’ Tomb.
→Level limit: 50 or below, users who have not undergone a second class advancement.
→Reward: 10 Gold + items obtained from Rocks’ Tomb.
→This Quest requires participants to move in pairs.
Warning!
*Your current group number is 99.
*If you do not enter Rocks’ Tomb with your partner, you will be expelled.
*However, you will not be expelled if your partner dies.
A Quest written quite in detail.
The rank is even Rare.
Moreover, items obtained from Rocks’ Tomb are recognized as legitimate rewards.
No wonder users are going crazy over this.
But for me, who knew the truth behind this incident,
it was nothing but a shallow trick.
‘How transparent they made it.’
If I hadn’t heard it from the ghosts, I wouldn’t have known either.
On top of that, I even learned where Rocks had hidden his treasures.
This time, my goal was to obtain Rocks’ secret treasure before Zail.
The only problem was that I had to move with my partner.
Rocks’ Tomb, like other dungeons, had a party system in place.
At least it was a pair system, which was fortunate.
It was better than having to find a party member and enter directly.
‘Where should I look?’
Quite a few users had already departed.
There weren’t as many people left in the plaza as I expected.
Even so, the crowd remained bustling.
While scanning to see if anyone among them was searching for Team 99,
I spotted a peculiar person.
A user wearing a large straw hat, with hair like a long horse’s tail, a twig dangling from their mouth, laughing with “hehehehe.”
They wore martial robes resembling traditional Korean garments, a long sword thrust into their belt, one hand resting casually on the sword’s hilt.
The unmistakable appearance of a “nameless warrior.”
At a glance, one might mistake them for an NPC.
Yet judging by the icon above their head symbolizing a user,
they were definitely a player.
‘Ah, they’re roleplaying a concept.’
I thought as much and tried to move past them.
“Hehehehe, I am Joseon First Blade. Any who would form a team with me, step forward at once.”
“Mm.”
I should avoid this.
This person clearly isn’t in their right mind.
I tried to slip away and search for my own teammates instead.
“Hehehehe. Members of Team 99, come forth at once.”
I froze.
I turned back with a look of disbelief to face the self-proclaimed Joseon First Blade.
As if noticing my reaction, they laughed “hehehehe” and our eyes met.
With an intrigued exclamation, the self-proclaimed Joseon First Blade strode toward me.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I didn’t want to associate with someone like this, aside from my sister.
Actually, I didn’t really want to associate with her either.
But she’s family.
So I resigned myself to my fate.
The self-proclaimed First Blade of Joseon approached and looked down at me.
And I noticed something quite unexpected.
‘A woman?’
I hadn’t noticed from a distance, but up close it was unmistakable.
This person was a woman.
She’d simply deepened her voice to sound masculine and dressed to appear male.
Since gender couldn’t be customized, she was cross-dressing.
The moment I realized this, I understood something crucial.
‘This person is genuine.’
It wasn’t about skill or anything like that—she was truly committed to being Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun.
This was genuine madness.
Realizing this, I closed my mouth helplessly and looked at her.
We were on the same team anyway.
There was no escaping this.
“Are you also in Group 99?”
“Ah, so you were indeed my groupmate. Hmm-hm-hm-hm, fear not, my friend. Now that you stand alongside Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun, you have nothing to worry about.”
“….”
A nickname of Kim Che-gun?
Was this an actual historical figure?
I seemed to recall that person being known as Joseon First Blade in various creative works.
To think someone would use such a legendary name as their nickname and call themselves Joseon First Blade.
‘I wonder if I can film this.’
I deliberated on it briefly, but it didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.
Hadn’t the Rapid Guild also asked me to film with a specific concept in mind?
If anything, being with someone like this might teach me a thing or two.
Probably.
After a moment’s thought, I asked Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun a question.
“Would it be alright if I filmed you as part of a guild request?”
“Ho-oh!? So you’re affiliated with Rapid! I suspected your skills were no ordinary matter! Ah, I grant permission for the recording. It’s not being used for anything nefarious, so I have no objections.”
With Kim Che-gun’s approval,
a message appeared before my eyes.
[User ‘Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun’ has consented to being filmed.]
Upon seeing it, my mind reeled at the absurdity of the nickname.
It wasn’t just Kim Che-gun—the entire nickname was Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun.
How could someone’s nickname be Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun?
Who in their right mind would even imagine such a thing?
‘This person is insane.’
I offered a brief internal commendation,
then asked as if to suggest we get moving.
“Shall we head out then?”
“Hmm-hm-hm-hm, of course.”
That strange manner of speech was certainly odd, but still.
‘Judging by their gait, they seem quite skilled.’
Recalling memories of Former Instructor Ghost Apik, hunter Apik, and the mercenary band, it was clear.
Their gait bore the marks of martial training.
Their skill seemed quite considerable.
‘Is that fortunate?’
A slight question bloomed in my mind,
but I pushed it aside and headed toward the location marked as Rocks’ Tomb.
Of course, I formed a party.
[You have formed a party with ‘Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun’.]
[The party window activates according to settings, excluding occupation.]
『Sung-hyun – Lv.34 – (????)』
『Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun – Lv.36 – (????)』
Like Sung-hyun, Kim Che-gun was also concealing her class.
‘What is it?’
4.
The path leading to Rocks’ Tomb was far from smooth.
The distance was considerable, and the road itself was treacherous.
“Kyak! Kyahak!”
“Keruk! Kerruk!”
Annoying goblins had appeared.
Yet Sung-hyun and Kim Che-gun walked forward with ease, as though taking a leisurely stroll without a care in the world.
When goblins appeared, they simply sliced them down and continued onward.
In the process, Sung-hyun witnessed Kim Che-gun’s skill firsthand.
From a crouched stance, she pushed off the ground with her toes, generating an explosive burst of speed in an instant, then glided across the earth with that momentum as she drew her blade.
A thin line appeared across the goblin’s neck.
Soon after, its head tumbled away.
Thud, roll roll.
[Your party member hunted and gained experience.]
“Kerruk!?”
The other goblins yelped in surprise and scrambled to flee, but Sung-hyun casually cut off their escape route and swung his blade.
Sung-hyun wielded the blade of the apprentice hero Hindel, cleaving through a goblin’s torso in a single strike.
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike』 activates!]
[You gained experience.]
Both of them had eliminated two goblins with a single blow each.
Yet neither was even winded or breathing heavily—they had room to spare.
This level of combat was barely a warm-up for them.
‘She’s even more exceptional than I thought.’
There was no trace of skill usage in the movements she’d just displayed.
She moved using only her raw stats.
Compared to Manhu, whom I’d partied with before, her skill was overwhelmingly superior—she was clearly a formidable warrior.
Sung-hyun didn’t know it, but Manhu was also quite skilled.
Kim Che-gun was simply dominantly superior in comparison.
Kim Che-gun was equally impressed.
‘To cleave through with such movement in a single strike.’
She too was a master who could fully utilize her stats.
She hadn’t earned the title Joseon First Blade for nothing.
She had claimed it because she had absolute confidence in her abilities.
Yet judging by Sung-hyun’s skill, he was certainly not beneath her.
There was just one thing that bothered her.
“I know it’s presumptuous, but I’m curious about something. Would it be alright if I asked?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Might you not be a Swordmaster?”
The question was asking whether my class wasn’t in the Swordmaster lineage.
It was a rather impertinent question.
Prying into my profession while I was keeping it hidden.
But Sung-hyun answered as though it was no trouble at all.
“No, I’m not a Swordmaster.”
“…!!”
Rather, at that response, Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun’s eyes widened in genuine astonishment.
She then bowed her head slightly in gratitude, tilting her large straw hat forward a touch.
“Thank you for answering.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
At Sung-hyun’s reply, Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun could only marvel inwardly.
‘So they truly aren’t a Swordmaster.’
Even though they wielded their stats far more effectively than she did, their overall stats seemed significantly lower than hers, so she’d asked on a whim—yet they genuinely weren’t a Swordmaster.
The world was indeed vast, and masters were plentiful.
She had believed few could match her when it came to the blade.
Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun gazed at Sung-hyun with renewed determination, resolved to work harder.
‘Why are they looking at me like that?’
Of course, Sung-hyun felt uneasy observing Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun’s expression.
With that minor commotion settled, we pressed onward.
Soon we arrived at the massive cave entrance teeming with players.
『Event Dungeon – Rocks’ Tomb』
*Warning: Upon entry, all participants will begin at different locations.

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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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