The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 65

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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 65
Episode 65
The moment misunderstanding took root.
“Ah, well, I was just saying it’s a shame we won’t be able to raid together with Yoo Sung-hyun next time.”
Hwawol quickly stepped forward.
At her words, Yoo Sung-hyun’s expression shifted to one of confusion—why had he been startled?
Longfeng followed up immediately.
“W-well, a voice suddenly came from behind, so i-it’s understandable to be surprised.”
He answered with quick thinking.
Yoo Sung-hyun seemed to accept this, nodding his head.
Indeed, it would be natural to be startled if a voice suddenly came from behind.
Thinking about it that way, I felt oddly apologetic.
I hadn’t meant to startle him.
“Ah, I apologize.”
Yoo Sung-hyun immediately offered an apology.
Though they felt a twinge of conscience for some reason.
“Oh no, I’m sorry for shouting too.”
“Not at all. And we can raid together next time if the opportunity arises.”
“Ah.”
“Oh.”
“Really~?”
“Wow.”
At Yoo Sung-hyun’s words, they all exclaimed in admiration.
Yoo Sung-hyun, growing slightly embarrassed, nodded and agreed.
Then he quickly changed the subject.
“Well then, is there any other schedule after this?”
“Oh no, we’re done with our schedule for now.”
“In that case, I’ll head out first. I need to go test out the rewards I obtained this time.”
I’d need to swap out my skill books with the Tome of Despair as well.
I was eager to go verify everything right away.
As Yoo Sung-hyun prepared to leave.
They all bid him farewell with expressions of regret and gratitude.
“Ah! S-see you next time!”
“O-oh, you w-worked hard today!”
“Mmm~ I wonder if we’ll see each other next time~? I hope we do~”
“S-see you next time.”
And so Yoo Sung-hyun departed.
The remaining Luna Team stood bewildered, watching Yoo Sung-hyun leave the Raid Field, lost in thought.
Until now, we had hunted through individual activities.
But that couldn’t continue anymore.
“First, let’s discuss our strategy going forward. I’ll report to the Guild Master and be back.”
“Understood. If we’re to be a backup team, hunting alone won’t let us keep pace with him.”
“Mmm~ that sounds good~”
“Alright, let’s give it our all. Damn it.”
Each of us steeling our resolve.
Luna first contacted Rapid to make her report.
I wondered if she’d be ignored again.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
[Luna – I’ll report on Yoo Sung-hyun’s raid results.]
[Rapid – Already!?]
2.
The office of the Rapid Guild’s Guild Master.
There, Rapid sat somewhat anxiously, twirling a pen in her hands while lost in thought.
I’d tried to ignore it deliberately.
But given the gravity of the matter, I couldn’t help but worry, and work simply wouldn’t hold my attention.
Could Yoo Sung-hyun truly defeat the raid boss alone?
No, I believe he can.
Perfectly capable on his own.
If he cleared the Fortress of the Past, he’s more than capable.
Even against Anemor, the Wind Sentinel who supposedly has no equal in the level 60s.
After all, it’s merely a raid boss.
Meanwhile, the Fortress of the Past was the first dungeon cleared since its opening.
Naturally, I believed Yoo Sung-hyun would succeed.
‘…Perhaps after some adaptation, he might succeed within two or three attempts?’
But I hadn’t expected him to succeed on his first try.
While caught up in such thoughts and unable to focus on work.
The message window flashed with a notification.
Several messages arrived, but one name stood out distinctly.
Luna.
[Luna – I’ll report on Yoo Sung-hyun’s raid results.]
[Rapid – Already!? Isn’t he just entering now???]
The results are already in?
So the first attempt was a failure after all?
If he’d waited in the queue and entered, barely any time would have passed.
It had only been roughly an hour since we gathered.
So it wasn’t a clear?
However, a message shattered Rapid’s expectations.
[Luna – He cleared it solo in 9 minutes and 57 seconds. And he even took Anemor’s corpse with him. I think he must have a skill that can turn raid bosses into undead, even if not immediately.]
‘What… what did she just say?’
Upon receiving the report message, Rapid found herself unable to form a coherent thought.
Did I receive the message correctly?
My thoughts grew complicated.
Should I just send an acknowledgment?
Wait, 9 minutes and 57 seconds?
Hadn’t other parties been holding out for less than 10 minutes on average?
Luna Team’s record was lasting a maximum of 15 minutes, wasn’t it?
And that was only until the end of phase one?
Complex thoughts bloomed one after another in my mind.
My chain of reasoning was interrupted by Luna’s follow-up message.
[Luna – So our team is planning to focus all our efforts on hunting as a backup team for Yoo Sung-hyun. We’ve already discussed it with all the team members. I think the hunting ratio will increase significantly compared to raid participation. We need to do this to barely keep up with Yoo Sung-hyun’s leveling pace. So, I was wondering if there are any additional members we could recruit?]
A request to fill vacant positions.
It was a request I received frequently from various teams.
However, this was the first time Luna Team had made such a request.
They needed to do this to keep up with Yoo Sung-hyun’s leveling.
More than anything, a backup team.
I fell into deep thought upon reading that message.
‘It’s true that Yoo-na struggles to grow because she’s solo.’
We had discussed this before.
Solo play made leveling difficult.
Since this game was designed for party hunting to be more efficient, it wasn’t easy.
Even among other solo rankers, they had backup teams to some degree, whereas Yoo-na had climbed to 9th place entirely alone.
And she had nearly closed the gap with 8th place, who had a backup team.
But now, creating a backup team for Yoo Sung-hyun?
‘It’s necessary.’
No matter how much Yoo Sung-hyun was called a one-man legion, no matter that he was a Necromancer—the pinnacle of that class.
There were limits to going solo.
The game was designed that way.
Up to level 200, Yoo Sung-hyun could manage alone.
The efficiency wouldn’t be terrible either.
But beyond that, it wouldn’t be easy.
Yoo-na was exactly like that.
For raids or dungeons, the legion could be maintained until clear, but what came after was the problem.
If mana ran out, a Necromancer became useless.
No matter how superior Yoo Sung-hyun was at moving his body, his limits were merely higher than other Necromancers—but the Necromancer’s limits were definite.
Considering that, moving as a team was inevitably more efficient than solo.
With a backup team prepared for that?
‘It’s definitely good.’
Luna Team had made a truly excellent decision.
And hadn’t some decent talent recently joined?
Well, talent that Yoo Sung-hyun had personally selected.
[Rapid—We’ve recently recruited a new rookie, and personnel from the Fortress of the Past have joined us who are comparable to Luna’s team. I’ll arrange their assignments accordingly. The backup team concept is quite excellent, and I’ll present it to other executives through a meeting.]
[Luna—Thank you. Please contact me when the new member arrives.]
After ending the call with Luna, Rapid recalled the newly joined rookie, Joseon First Blade Kim Che-gun.
Her eccentric nature happened to suit Luna Team quite well.
An exposure warrior, a reverse archer, a failure rogue, a binding mage to follow….
‘A Joseon samurai?’
By nationality, she was German.
But since she called herself Joseon.
The nickname Joseon Samurai seemed fitting.
Why a samurai?
‘I never imagined her job would actually be samurai.’
Joseon First Blade as a nickname, samurai, and German—what a terrible mixture.
Though it was a dreadful hybrid.
Well, she had the skills.
So it didn’t matter.
With that decided, Rapid contacted Yoo Sung-hyun to remove him from Luna Team and place him solely in the raid squad.
Simultaneously, she informed him of the basic details.
Though the contract wasn’t fully drafted yet, she also sent word that the preliminary conditions were being improved.
Yoo Sung-hyun responded with great enthusiasm.
[Yoo Sung-hyun—Oh! Thanks, noona. I was planning to explore a hidden raid anyway. I’ll send you the Anemor footage tomorrow along with it.]
“???”
What was that supposed to mean?
A hidden raid?
He’d just finished a raid and already found a new hidden raid?
Had he discovered it beforehand?
Nothing but incomprehensible words.
Rapid felt a moment of dizziness and closed her eyes tightly.
It seemed her luck had finally run out.
‘Another all-nighter tonight.’
The guild was growing tremendously thanks to Yoo Sung-hyun.
But it made her feel a little melancholy.
What could she do about it?
‘I have to do it.’
3.
The moment Yoo Sung-hyun parted ways with Luna Team, he immediately moved to a secluded location.
As he emerged from the Raid Field alone.
Some people might have found it strange, but using shadow transfer, he concealed himself and moved in one swift motion, causing no major commotion.
Even if there had been, he wouldn’t have known.
Once relocated to the secluded place.
Yoo Sung-hyun immediately drew out the Grimoire of Despair.
I intended to swap out the skill book right away.
‘I wonder what kind of skill will appear.’
With a hint of anticipation, I picked up the Tome of Despair and the Skill Book—Spirit of the Storm Summoning simultaneously.
A message appeared before my eyes stating that I could use the Tome of Despair.
[You are a valid target for using the Tome of Despair.]
[Will you use it?]
[Yes / No]
*Note: Using the Tome of Despair will completely destroy the target skill book.
*Are you absolutely certain you wish to use it?
The same tedious warning message as always.
I paid it no mind and used it immediately.
[Using the Tome of Despair.]
The moment I used the Tome of Despair, it opened with a whooshing sound, its pages fluttering rapidly.
Though there was no wind in this place,
the pages turned at incredible speed, countless sheets flashing past in a blur.
Whoooosh—!
Then it finally came to a stop on a single page.
That page tore free and rose upward into the air.
The torn page burst into flames and scattered as ash through the void.
The scattered ash seemed to vanish somewhere,
then gathered in one place and fell gently onto the Spirit of the Storm Summoning skill book I was holding, covering its cover completely like freshly fallen snow.
The book began to glow, and ash spread from the cover as if burning, the cover starting to transform entirely.
Whoooosh—!
Crackle, crack!
With the sound of flames consuming kindling,
all the ash that had accumulated blew away and vanished, though no wind had blown.
And the book remaining there was no longer the Spirit of the Storm Summoning skill book I had been holding, but a completely new skill book.
The Tome of Despair closed.
Then messages appeared.
[Using the Tome of Despair, the Unique-grade skill book ‘Skill Book—Spirit of the Storm Summoning’ has been transformed into a dark magic series skill book.]
[The Unique-grade skill book ‘Skill Book—Spirit of the Storm Summoning’ has been converted to ‘Skill Book—Skill Theft’.]
‘Skill Theft?’
Intrigued by the unusual skill name, I found myself using the skill book without thinking.
I had switched it out specifically to use it anyway,
so there was absolutely no reason to hesitate.
I quickly skipped past the pointless confirmation message and activated it.
I was able to acquire the skill.
[Using the Unique-grade skill book ‘Skill Book—Skill Theft’!]
[Acquiring the Unique-grade skill ‘Skill Theft’!]
I immediately opened the skill description to examine it.
『Skill Theft』
→《Unique》
→[Lv Max][Complete Form]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown 1 minute]
→Dark Magic class exclusive skill.
→Cancels the opponent’s intended skill and steals it to use directly.
→However, only skills of Skill Theft rank or lower can be stolen.
“Oh!?”
A dispel-type skill that cancels the opponent’s magic or skills.
But it didn’t end there—after canceling the skill, it even came with the ability to steal it and use it myself.
‘This is incredibly good.’
It’s a useful skill in PVP as well.
But hadn’t I already witnessed how powerful the monsters’ skills were while facing the raid boss, the Wind Watcher Anemor?
A skill that could cancel such abilities and use them directly.
It was a skill with extraordinary performance.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded with considerable satisfaction.
He immediately headed toward a nearby field to test it.
Not where the Giant Killer Bee was, but the opposite side.
According to the terrain information Luna Team had provided, it should be here.
How far into the Forest had I ventured?
Avian-type monsters living there began to appear.
Ash Crow—a raven-shaped monster that scattered ash in all directions.
It was one of the more troublesome monsters, igniting anything it touched with its ash spray.
Compared to the Giant Killer Bee, this creature was slower in flight, so I hadn’t considered it during the Anemor battle.
But now things were different.
I shook my head, thinking of using Skill Theft first.
‘Getting the ash-scattering skill isn’t really what I want.’
To see the effect more clearly, I should test it against their boss.
Then what should I do here?
I had a skill I wanted to try out anyway.
I’d obtained quite a lot of new skills and items.
“Caaaaaaa!”
“Caaaaaack——!”
“Caaaaaack! Caack!”
Ash Crows rushing at me frantically.
They whirled about, scattering ash everywhere.
A storm of ash, nearly as violent as a passing grade technique, descended upon me.
Or rather, tried to.
But a translucent wind barrier materialized, protecting me from all sides.
Whoooosh——!
The defensive barrier wreathed in ash held firm, but I emerged unscathed.
‘Interesting.’
What I’d just used was the Shield of Wind.
Quite effective, actually.
Next, I summoned Bone Arrow, my most straightforward skill, and fired it at one of the creatures.
The moment it connected, a powerful gust of wind erupted, violently hurling the Ash Crows backward.
But that was all.
[The effect of 『One Strike』 activates!]
Negligible damage—not even a critical hit registered.
The Ash Crows, pushed back a considerable distance, exchanged bewildered glances with one another.
I wore a similar expression.
“Hmm.”
The knockback effect was substantial, but there didn’t seem to be any damage amplification to speak of.
Disappointing, perhaps, but knockback alone was already a potent effect.
“Then shall I sweep through them?”
Four skills remained that I hadn’t tested yet.
I smiled, hoping the Ash Crows would last until I’d confirmed them all.
The Ash Crows trembled in unison.
They realized something had gone terribly wrong.

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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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