The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 73

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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 73
Episode 73
I didn’t bother asking why Ghost kept repeating the motion of inserting and withdrawing his head between the crystal pillars.
I wasn’t particularly curious about it either.
I didn’t want to know.
I was actually relieved that Ghost didn’t ask either.
If he had asked, I would have had to answer.
After pretending not to notice, Yoo Sung-hyun felt a bit of regret.
I should have just ignored it and acted like I didn’t see anything.
In my twenty-two years of knowing Ghost, this was the first time I’d ever seen such behavior, and the words just tumbled out of my mouth.
Clearly embarrassed, Ghost let out a dry cough.
-Ahem, ahem, I performed something rather peculiar in front of such an esteemed personage.
“….”
I didn’t offer any particular response.
But my gaze had turned glacial.
It was a look that clearly conveyed my unwillingness to engage in further conversation.
-I, I assure you, I am not normally such a person….
“….”
-P, please, I beg you not to look at me with such eyes….
Watching Ghost’s dejected form, I let out a small sigh.
Judging by Ghost’s attire, he appeared to have been quite a high-ranking knight.
Though he was a ghost, the armor he wore and the sword hanging at his waist—
Each item was extraordinary in its own right.
So why would such a person….
The more I thought about it, the more such thoughts arose.
But I truly didn’t want to ask.
In any case.
“What kind of place is this?”
-This is what we call the Crystal Palace. It is a fragment of that glorious and magnificent age long past. It was once a royal court that served the king. But so much time has passed that it has now become a faded relic of the old days.
“I see.”
At the knight’s sorrowful words, I was about to feel melancholy.
But the image of what the knight ghost had been doing earlier kept surfacing, preventing me from fully immersing myself in the moment.
I really shouldn’t have pretended to notice.
But now that it’s come to this, there’s nothing I can do about it.
It seems unlikely that I’ll be able to forget it anyway.
The only way to gain something from this is to extract a memory and benefit from it.
Though I didn’t want to know why he had done it, his appearance as a knight suggested it might be useful for swordsmanship, and I thought he might well know this palace intimately, so I made my decision.
As I reached out my hand, Yoo Sung-hyun extended it.
The knight ghost closed his eyes gently, as if he had already anticipated this.
And so the memories and experiences of the knight ghost flooded into my grasp.
‘Hmm.’
As I accepted the memories and experiences of the Knight Ghost.
[You have accomplished the impossible at your current level through an ‘Unknown Power’.]
[Strength +5, Agility +5 permanently increased.]
My total stats had risen by a staggering ten points.
Considering that Demon Beast Barfur had been eight, this was quite a substantial increase.
‘He seemed rather dim-witted, but….’
As if refuting Yoo Sung-hyun’s thoughts.
The Knight Ghost’s memories flooded in like a tidal wave, revealing that in life he had been an exceptionally strict and solemn knight.
Was that why he had been that way in life?
In death, he had indeed displayed somewhat foolish behavior.
Yet even so, the fact that he was a great soul did not disappear.
Was that why?
‘How regrettable.’
I had been deceived by his dim-witted appearance.
Now that I knew otherwise, I could only feel regret.
And for good reason.
-At last, my resentment has been resolved. I never thought there would be one to inherit my techniques. To depart having left them behind like this—truly, I am overjoyed. My deepest gratitude to you.
The Knight Ghost, Bendix Failmoon, left those words behind as his spectral form burned away like ascending to enlightenment.
Watching Bendix fade away while offering his farewell, Yoo Sung-hyun felt a lingering sense of loss.
Had he joined my legion, he would have become a formidable asset.
Yet I could only respect his choice.
‘After all, I inherited his swordsmanship.’
Since his resentment had been resolved.
There was no reason for him to remain any longer.
It wasn’t necessary to harbor resentment to remain as a ghost in this world.
But in cases like Bendix’s, where resentment kept them tethered to this realm, they would ascend to enlightenment once that resentment was released.
So even with my regret, I simply let him depart.
‘Hmm.’
I swallowed the thought that perhaps he had ascended out of embarrassment.
In any case, I had obtained useful information.
My swordsmanship had not merely improved—it had reached a new realm entirely.
I felt as though my body was responding to something.
But I set that aside for now.
It wasn’t what mattered most.
‘This is truly incredible.’
From Kah-hoo-koo’s memories, I knew well what manner of creature guarded the Treasure Vault here.
The Ancient Royal Guardian Golem.
Having existed for so long, its level had diminished considerably—a raid boss of approximately level seventy.
Originally, I would have known nothing beyond this point.
However, Bendix’s memories also brought detailed information flowing in.
During his lifetime, Bendix was a knight who performed a very important role in this Crystal Palace.
A position even higher than the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem that remained to guard the Treasure Vault.
He was the commander of the Royal Guard Knights.
Because of that, I could learn tremendous amounts of information.
The fact that the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem was an ego golem, and weaknesses that only a select few knew about.
I obtained very useful information.
Even more so.
‘A secret passage leading to the Treasure Vault that the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem doesn’t even know about.’
Things were progressing better than expected.
And I had a promise to keep as well.
I could depart even sooner.
‘So the passage leading to the Treasure Vault should be around here?’
3.
Oh Jin-hyuk, as a staff member, was sharing the duties that Lee Won-sang had originally been handling, covering for his suddenly busier seniors.
Though predictable, the workload that the capable Lee Won-sang had been managing was substantial, so Oh Jin-hyuk alone couldn’t handle it all.
His head was spinning, and though his eyes were taking in various documents, he stared blankly at the characters that weren’t registering in his mind.
How did my senior manage all of this?
It was truly a mystery.
‘Is he going to work himself to death?’
Recently, he’d seen Lee Won-sang tapping his chest area multiple times.
Could that be a sign of overwork?!
He was worried.
No matter what anyone said, Lee Won-sang was his mentor and a senior he deeply respected.
‘I need to be of help in any way I can!’
Since work had been piling up since yesterday, he knew tasks were accumulating.
He came in early in the morning and was preparing to get ahead on the work.
Even if he couldn’t process everything, doing what he could manage.
He could see the workload gradually decreasing.
Doing this actually felt quite fulfilling.
Oh Jin-hyuk checked on his assigned users with these thoughts.
He primarily monitored the users he’d been watching together with Lee Won-sang.
Among them, the user that caught his attention most.
He checked on Yoo Sung-hyun first.
Wasn’t he the most exceptional user in recent times?
In fact, the reason his seniors had become so busy was entirely because of Yoo Sung-hyun.
Curious about what he’d be doing today, he checked and saw.
He was wandering through the radiant and beautiful Crystal Palace.
“Wow.”
A noble court whose brilliance could be felt even through the screen.
What would it feel like to stroll through a place like that even once?
It was a moment when such yearnings bloomed one after another.
‘But where is he heading?’
Since it was a location I’d verified with Lee Won-sang before, I knew it well.
That place was none other than an ancient royal palace that could be entered through the treasure map of Kah-hoo-koo, the treasure goblin.
I saw him clear the treasure map Quest yesterday evening, but to think he’s already entering.
Truly astonishing.
However, his movements seemed slightly odd.
At first glance, he wasn’t heading toward the path leading to the grand lobby, but instead toward a different passage filled with crystal pillars.
A location that appeared completely empty to Oh Jin-hyuk.
Why was he heading there?
If Lee Won-sang had seen this, he would have gasped and cried out in alarm.
Because he knew exactly where that passage led.
At the very least, had Lee Won-sang discovered this, he would have offered additional compensation and stopped him by any means necessary.
But the inexperienced Oh Jin-hyuk simply blinked, blinked again, and continued watching Yoo Sung-hyun.
As if watching a broadcast.
“Oh? Looks like he found something there? Wow!?!”
He even reacted enthusiastically.
Upon seeing Yoo Sung-hyun discover what appeared to be a hidden door and uncover a secret passage, he clapped and cheered.
Did he have any awareness of being an employee?
He handled everything else besides user management quite competently.
Why did he lose all sense of reason and simply enjoy himself whenever watching Yoo Sung-hyun’s footage?
As Yoo Sung-hyun headed into the secret passage and finally arrived at the Treasure Vault.
“Wow! He entered the Treasure Vault without even defeating the raid boss!? Isn’t this a record?”
Just as Oh Jin-hyuk said, the system awarded a title for this being unprecedented.
It was truly extraordinary.
Treasure before raid.
Encountering this novel concept, Oh Jin-hyuk marveled at it before suddenly tilting his head in confusion.
“Wait? Then what reward does he get after defeating the raid boss?”
Yoo Sung-hyun had already completely looted all the treasures in the Treasure Vault.
And from Oh Jin-hyuk’s perspective, that Treasure Vault was the reward obtainable upon successfully completing the raid.
But if he looted it first, what would the reward be when he succeeded at the raid?
So curious was Oh Jin-hyuk that he forgot to report to Lee Won-sang and could only continue watching Yoo Sung-hyun’s screen.
Of course, he had his own reasoning.
‘I should report after seeing how this unfolds, right?’
Had Lee Won-sang heard this thought, his composure would have shattered, and he’d have felt the urge to tear his hair out alongside it.
4.
It was not a treasure vault with gold piled like mountains.
This was the Armory.
There were quite a number of weapons and equipment that appeared to be of high grade.
At a rough glance, there were easily at least five different items.
“Wow.”
Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of my jaw dropping.
How could anyone not react to something like this?
As Yoo Sung-hyun continued to marvel,
countless messages materialized before me.
They were all at minimum Epic grade, with some even reaching Unique grade.
However, every single one was exclusive to close-combat classes, so there was nothing Yoo Sung-hyun could actually use.
There was nothing that looked better than the Belt of Giant Strength either.
Still, they were items nonetheless.
If I auctioned them all off, couldn’t I afford to buy a few of my own items?
It was truly a treasure vault that sparked such thoughts.
But the rewards didn’t end there.
[You have successfully infiltrated the Treasure Vault guarded by a Raid Boss for the first time in Eternal World history.]
[You have obtained the title ‘Tomb Raider’.]
A new title as well.
I wanted to check it immediately, but I held back for now.
After defeating the Raid Boss, I had obtained everything the Treasure Vault had to offer.
It was certainly a place worthy of Kah-hoo-koo’s desire.
But there was still something remaining, wasn’t there?
‘What happens if I defeat a Raid Boss after its rewards have been stripped?’
Raid Bosses typically grant rewards tailored to their theme.
Just like this Ancient Royal Guardian Golem, which guards the royal Armory—the Treasure Vault was filled exclusively with weapons and equipment for various close-combat classes.
It was the same during the Anemor battle.
Wind-type or wind-attribute rewards had appeared.
But what if I defeated a Raid Boss after its rewards had already been looted?
What would happen then?
‘Let me find out.’
This was a plan I’d been considering since I discovered the secret passage that led into the Treasure Vault.
The Treasure Vault could only be entered after dealing with the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem.
In other words,
‘The back of the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem is right behind this entrance!’
Yoo Sung-hyun immediately opened the Treasure Vault entrance.
At that moment, I could see the massive guardian-form Golem spinning around in bewilderment.
-Wh-what!? How are you coming out from there!? I-intruder!?
So even a Golem could be surprised like that.
Such observations were fleeting.
From the start, Yoo Sung-hyun unleashed the most powerful skill I could muster.
I summoned all the Giant Killer Bees that scattered green mist from the spirits I’d summoned from the Underworld, then activated the effect of the Wind Ring.
In an instant, wind erupted.
In that instant, the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem—a construct that should never have yielded to mere Giant Killer Bees—lost its footing and was driven backward.
Maximizing the knockback effect, I thrust the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem away, and as the distance between us widened.
Before the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem could recover its stance, it watched helplessly as the Treasure Vault’s doors sealed shut.
Afterward, brilliant sparks erupted from the bodies of the Giant Killer Bees and the verdant mist, igniting like flickering flames.
Beginning with the cascade of sparks, a devastating collaboration of corpse explosions and detonating venom erupted forth.
Kwaaaaaaa————!

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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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