The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 68

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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 68
Episode 68
A phrase that suddenly came to mind.
From what I could infer, this NPC—easily mistaken for a ghost—seemed to be someone of importance.
‘A clue to a Hidden Quest?’
It hadn’t led to a Hidden Quest yet.
But could I obtain a Hidden Quest by fulfilling their request?
I was already working on a Quest at the moment.
It could prove somewhat inconvenient.
But the twenty webbed feet from the Riverside Trolls were a Quest I could take my time with anyway.
Attempting to secure a newly obtainable Hidden Quest wouldn’t be a bad idea.
As Yoo Sung-hyun made this judgment.
“Of course I’ll give you a reward! Let me see… You appear to be a Dark Mage, so I’ll give you a Dark Mage skill book!”
The NPC offered a reward with a cheerful tone.
But Yoo Sung-hyun wasn’t fooled by such pleasantries and narrowed his eyes at the oddity.
“…?”
My current appearance was unmistakably that of a swordsman.
I carried a longsword and a dagger as a secondary weapon at my waist.
The staff that the girl Helena had worn had been replaced with a Giant’s Strength Belt.
So there was no way I could be mistaken for a mage.
And yet, not just any mage—
They had seen through that I was a Dark Mage at a glance?
This was no ordinary NPC.
I considered letting it pass.
But curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn’t help but ask.
“How did you know I’m a Dark Mage?”
“Ah? I can see… because of that?”
“…???”
“Oh! I have a special skill that lets me see the mana someone possesses! With such an immense amount of mana, you’re naturally a mage, and such powerful, domineering mana can only be dark magic. So of course I thought you were a Dark Mage!”
“I see.”
Yoo Sung-hyun let out a short exclamation of admiration.
I had no idea such a skill existed.
I never would have dreamed it.
Could it be a common skill, perhaps?
If so, all this disguise would be pointless.
“Ah, but I’m probably the only one with this skill. You don’t need to worry.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hehe, anyway! If you help me, I’ll give you a Dark Mage skill book!”
The reward seemed quite generous.
The grade would matter, of course.
In any case, skill books themselves are expensive to begin with.
There’s no harm in accepting one.
“Very well. I’ll help you.”
From the moment they mentioned it was a clue to a Hidden Quest, I had already decided to assist.
Yoo Sung-hyun answered readily.
The other person smiled brightly and removed the hood they had been wearing.
Long, voluminous hair cascaded down.
Was this a woman?
No, wait.
I nearly panicked.
But looking more carefully, it wasn’t.
Though still young with an androgynous appearance.
This was definitely a boy.
Unaware of Yoo Sung-hyun’s confusion, the boy spoke with a bright smile.
“I’m Plinky. Nice to meet you!”
“Ah, I’m Yoo Sung-hyun.”
“Hehe, so the reason I asked for help is actually that I need the blood of a Riverside Troll that only inhabits this area! I need quite a lot—is that okay with you?”
[Hidden Quest conditions satisfied.]
[Hidden Quest, 『The Peculiar Boy』 has been generated.]
『The Peculiar Boy』
→《Hidden-Rare》
→Linked Quest.
→You encountered a boy named ‘Plinky’ who was dozing in the Grassland.
The boy has asked you for help, and he is quite grateful that you readily agreed.
Help the boy and obtain the blood of a ‘Riverside Troll’.
→Restriction : Users who have encountered the peculiar boy, ‘Plinky’.
→Reward : Dark Mage exclusive skill book, increased trust with the peculiar boy, ‘Plinky’.
→Failure : Decreased trust with the peculiar boy, ‘Plinky’.
*The grade of rewards varies depending on Quest performance.
I hadn’t explicitly agreed.
Yet the Quest window appeared.
It seemed to have been generated based on the assumption that I wouldn’t refuse after coming this far.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded while looking at the Quest window.
“As it happens, I was also heading out to hunt Riverside Trolls. This works out perfectly.”
“Oh!? That’s perfect!!!”
Plinky, quite pleased, grinned widely.
Watching Plinky like that, Yoo Sung-hyun looked at the Quest window again.
The grade varies depending on performance.
In other words, if I do well, I could obtain a skill book of Rare grade or higher.
Yoo Sung-hyun felt satisfied with this unexpected gain.
However, the sun was already setting.
I needed to hurry a bit.
‘It’s not like I can’t play games late into the night.’
But I had plans tomorrow.
If I went to bed even a little earlier, I’d be able to log in before my appointment.
And there’s also this Plinky to consider.
‘He’s still young, after all.’
If it gets too late, wouldn’t his parents or guardian worry?
He’s an NPC, after all.
Thinking about that, it would be better to finish this quickly.
Originally, I had planned to take my time and enjoy the scenery more.
But since time seems to be running short.
I had no choice but to use another method.
I made up my mind.
Whoooosh.
A teal-blue portal opened in the empty air.
And out came two massive gray ravens.
Anemor and Kalisha.
Since both were quite enormous creatures.
Plinky might have been startled, but instead his eyes gleamed as he stared at them.
“Wow!”
Was it because he was still a boy?
At a glance, he appeared to be in his mid-teens.
It was certainly an age when he’d be fascinated by such things.
Honestly, I thought they were quite impressive too.
Anyway, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
With mobility, I’d be able to search much faster.
“Come on, let’s ride.”
“Really!?”
“Yes, they won’t bite.”
Following my reassurance, Kalisha gently spread her wings to make it easier to mount.
Plinky’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the wing-steps, and he climbed up.
He was able to climb onto quite a spacious back.
Though the back wasn’t perfectly flat, it was quite wide with several feathers protruding, making it easy to grip.
Once Plinky mounted Kalisha’s back.
I climbed onto Anemor’s back as well, and the two of them spread their massive wings and began to rise slowly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whooooosh!
Feeling the fierce wind pressing down from above, Plinky suddenly gripped Kalisha’s feathers tightly.
Was the wind too strong?
Plinky tensed up, worried he might be blown away if he wasn’t careful.
The fierce wind still whipped around me, and the oppressive pressure continued to bear down.
Yet that sensation soon faded away.
As the pressure vanished, what I felt could only be described as weightlessness.
My body lifted into the air, and a subtle thrill tingled through my lower abdomen—then a gentle voice reached my ears from beside me.
“Look up now.”
It was Yoo Sung-hyun’s voice.
I lifted my head as he said.
A breathtaking sunset painted the distant horizon, vast grasslands stretched endlessly, and the great Trin River gleamed crimson, reflecting the dying light of day—all visible in a single sweeping glance.
A landscape where everything entered the eye at once.
My vision filled completely with it all.
“Wow…”
It was a beautiful and magnificent vista that stole my breath.
Yoo Sung-hyun seemed to share the sentiment, gazing intently at the scene.
He summoned the Ash Crow servants near him and issued a command.
“Find the Riverside Trolls.”
-Caaaawk——!
-Caawk——!
In an instant, the Ash Crow burst forth from the Underworld and dispersed against the backdrop of the sunset.
That too was a magnificent sight.
How much time had passed?
Soon the Ash Crow’s thoughts transmitted to Anemor and Kalisha.
The distance was not as far as expected.
We covered it in a single burst of speed.
The landscape that had stretched before us from high above rushed past in a blur.
I felt a slight pang of regret.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
I didn’t whine or complain.
I’d felt it from the first moment I saw him.
I was quite mature for my age.
‘Though I do have childish moments now and then.’
Even as Yoo Sung-hyun flew at high speed, he could see the target location clearly.
Where the Ash Crow had gathered, massive monsters loomed.
Should I call them mermaids?
Or perhaps aquatic humanoids?
In any case, giants covered in fish scales, webbed hands, and fins filled the area.
There were quite a few of them, and it seemed the Ash Crow had herded them together.
Yoo Sung-hyun’s eyes gleamed as he gazed upon them, and he activated a skill.
After all, he had recently acquired just the right ability.
Kwagagagagagagaga!
A fierce crimson tempest erupted, sweeping away all the aquatic giants—the Riverside Trolls—caught in its path, scattering them into the blood-red maelstrom.
[Critical Hit!]×23
[The effect of 『Single Strike』 activates!]×23
Perhaps it was because these creatures possessed such tenacious regeneration and vitality?
They hadn’t been completely annihilated even in the blood storm.
But that was fine.
I already had Ash Crow spreading verdant mist and scattering ashen powder across the battlefield.
“Uuuaaahhh!”
“Uuughhhh!”
“Keeehhng!”
The ash from Ash Crow slowed their regeneration, and the poison seized that opening to corrode their bodies.
The Riverside Trolls, their flesh melting away from the potent corrosive venom.
In a single moment, half their bodies dissolved and they collapsed.
Thud! Boom! Splash!
One by one, they fell.
Yoo Sung-hyun received quite a number of experience messages.
[You obtain experience!]×23
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 65.]
‘Excellent.’
My level had risen at just the right moment.
A satisfying hunt.
However.
‘Hmm, I wonder if I can extract the blood?’
A sudden worry crossed my mind.
I hadn’t used any explosions to preserve the blood and webbed feet for harvesting.
The Riverside Trolls were quite mangled.
Though I had deactivated the poison effect, they were still in tatters.
I looked at Plinky with a troubled expression.
Instead, her eyes sparkled as she looked at me and spoke.
“Wow! W-was that the poison just now?! It looks like you finished them with that and the Undead’s unique effect, and that blood storm at the beginning was, that was incredible!!!”
“Huh? Ah, th-thank you.”
I had worried we wouldn’t be able to harvest anything.
Yet she was only marveling at the display.
I felt a bit embarrassed.
Plinky stood there with her mouth agape, watching the scene unfold.
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.
“Can we still extract blood from them in this condition?”
I asked, just to be sure.
Fortunately, Plinky nodded and answered.
“Yes! Since Riverside Trolls are still trolls, their blood hasn’t completely dried out from this level of damage. There should be more than enough to extract!!! But to think you faced so many trolls of this caliber all at once…!!!”
She trembled with genuine delight, her whole body shaking with joy.
At least it seemed acceptable.
Yoo Sung-hyun felt somewhat relieved.
“Then I’ll extract the blood! Is there anything you need, Yoo Sung-hyun? I can butcher it too!!!”
“I’ll handle the butchering.”
“Aw! You caught it all for me, so if I don’t butcher it too, people will think badly of me!”
“Hmm.”
Handing everything over to the young-looking Plinky seemed like it would reflect poorly on him instead.
But since he’d already said he would do it himself.
Yoo Sung-hyun didn’t refuse a second time.
“Then I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”
“Hehe, an excellent choice! Now let me show you my skills!”
Plinky descended from Kalisha with a flourish, landing on the ground before pulling something from her spatial pouch.
Tools that looked far superior to the butchering set Yoo Sung-hyun carried.
Had he made a mistake volunteering?
And watching the butchering technique unfold.
It was no ordinary skill.
Movements like those of a master craftsman with decades of butchering experience.
Even searching through the memories of the hunter Apik, there were few with such prowess.
What exactly was this kid doing?
As the question bloomed in his mind.
Plinky had already nearly finished the butchering and was extracting the blood.
Already done.
Yoo Sung-hyun let out a brief exclamation of admiration.
Not long after, Plinky had extracted all the blood and wiped her forehead as if brushing away sweat that hadn’t even formed.
“Phew! All finished!!! I’ll give you all the other byproducts except the blood!!!”
With that, Plinky handed over the fins, bones, meat, webbed feet, and everything else from the Riverside troll.
Despite the considerable amount, she showed no greed.
Instead, Plinky looked at Yoo Sung-hyun with a bright smile and pulled a book from her spatial pouch, handing it to him.
“This is the commission fee!!!”
[Hidden Quest, 『The Peculiar Boy』 reward obtained.]
[Plinky is extremely satisfied!!!]
[Reward significantly enhanced from the original.]
[Acquired Unique-grade Skill Book, 『Skill Book—Self in Darkness』.]
A Unique-grade skill book as a reward?
The moment Yoo Sung-hyun received it, he thought seriously.
‘What exactly is this kid?’

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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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