The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 78

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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 78
Episode 78
At Jung Ha-rin’s words, the room fell silent in an instant.
The chatter that had filled it moments before seemed like a distant memory.
Yet everyone’s expressions remained animated and eager.
After all, Eternal World was the hottest topic right now.
It would have been strange if anyone wasn’t playing it.
But Yoo Sung-hyun was different, somehow.
“He probably… wouldn’t play?”
“Even before he enlisted, he didn’t seem to play games much.”
“Right, when I asked him to go to the PC bang to play games, he turned me down.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t like you, Lee Chul-min?”
“Oh?! That’s supposed to be a secret. Song Jae-min, why are you telling him~”
“This is too much. Seriously…”
“Anyway, I’m curious.”
Would Yoo Sung-hyun play Eternal World?
The game had launched right around the time he enlisted.
I’d wondered if he might have started playing after his discharge.
Everyone gathered here was already playing Eternal World.
At this point, it would be fair to say the Web Novel Reading Club had become the Eternal World Club.
Though what club doesn’t evolve like that?
But this one was particularly extreme.
They were all so absorbed that they hunted together in parties whenever they gathered.
“Should we just ask him?”
“Sounds good. Then you ask him.”
“M-me? C-couldn’t we decide with rock-paper-scissors?”
“What, you can’t even ask him that?”
“Then Lee Chul-min, you ask him.”
“…It’s not easy.”
“‘It’s not easy,’ he says.”
As they chattered away playfully.
Lee Su-jung spoke with anticipation in her voice.
“I hope Yoo Sung-hyun plays too. If he just started, he could party with us right away.”
“We haven’t been playing long either, but we have Ha-rin on our side, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Ha-rin really is skilled.”
Everyone acknowledged it as they looked at Jung Ha-rin.
Most of them had Normal or at best Rare-grade jobs.
But she possessed an Epic-grade job.
There was no denying it.
Though we had only just begun our second advancement and were barely in our fifties level-wise.
For having started merely a month ago, our progress was quite remarkable.
Much of this was thanks to Jung Ha-rin’s exceptional skill.
As the conversation turned to Jung Ha-rin’s abilities.
Lee Chul-min suddenly recalled yesterday’s trending issue and brought it up.
“Hey, did you see the Fortress of the Past’s top rank change yesterday?”
“Oh! I saw it. Wait, wasn’t the top rank username Yoo Sung-hyun?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I saw it too.”
“Really???”
Seo Yu-jin asked, having not heard yet, and Song Jae-min nodded in confirmation.
The conversation had shifted slightly, and Jung Ha-rin’s expression, which had been receiving recognition, twisted a bit.
But it was just everyday chatter.
What really mattered was whether this Yoo Sung-hyun was the same one they knew.
Seo Yu-jin checked her phone belatedly.
Indeed, the sole clear record at the top rank bore the username Yoo Sung-hyun.
“Wow!!! It’s really him!!?”
“Have we been deceived this whole time? It’s really Yoo Sung-hyun?”
“But… could it really be the Yoo Sung-hyun we know…?”
“Probably not? Wasn’t Yoo Sung-hyun’s discharge supposed to be this week?”
“Hmph, then it can’t be him.”
Jung Ha-rin spoke last.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It made no sense that someone discharged this week would already be near level fifty.
Even if he had started before discharge, he was in the military.
No matter how much leave he took, he couldn’t have just started and already reached the Fortress of the Past.
It must be someone with the same name.
They all moved past it with that conclusion.
Seo Yu-jin laughed awkwardly, as if a bit disappointed.
“Should we… ask him anyway?”
“Pfft, we can barely ask if he plays Eternal World, and you want to ask if this is really you? How could we manage that?”
“That’s true. But if it’s Lee Chul-min, he could pull it off. Plus, he’s the one who brought it up~”
“Hey!! When did I!!!”
They were chattering away like typical twenty-two-year-olds.
Jung Ha-rin watched her friends with a somewhat bored, indifferent expression.
Her skills were quite decent, and her luck was fairly good.
Having obtained an Epic-grade class, she was considering pursuing this path.
In this day and age, even Large Guilds were treated like major corporations.
For her, with talent in this field, going this route was definitely the right choice.
The treatment was excellent, far better than regular employment.
Though she hadn’t joined a guild yet.
Couldn’t I get into most guilds?
‘They say it’s harder to join than getting into a major corporation these days.’
Hanging out with friends had been fun, sure.
But wasn’t it time to think about the future?
Still.
‘Hmm, if Yoo Sung-hyun did it, he might actually fit in well.’
I had that thought for a moment.
Jung Ha-rin harbored a certain fondness for Yoo Sung-hyun, after all.
He could probably excel at it too.
But I didn’t think that far ahead.
I’d never met anyone around me who was better at Eternal World than I was.
I’d become a frog in a well.
Everyone was chattering away while I sat lost in my own thoughts.
The cafe door opened, and a young man who seemed to have rushed in stood there.
His hair was quite short, as if he’d just been discharged from the military.
Yet with his delicate features, small face, and remarkably handsome appearance—it was Yoo Sung-hyun.
“Yoo Sung-hyun! Over here!”
“Huh? Everyone’s gathered here? Looks like I’m late.”
Looking at the time, it was actually a bit earlier than scheduled.
Yet everyone was already here.
Yoo Sung-hyun’s expression turned apologetic.
Seo Yu-jin, Lee Su-jung, and Song Jae-min quickly waved their hands and shook their heads.
“No, no! We all just came early.”
“W-well, that’s right. You’re not late!”
“We all just happened to gather early somehow.”
The three of them said so.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded as if that made sense.
Since they were the only customers in the cafe, Yoo Sung-hyun didn’t sit down immediately.
He needed to order something.
“I’ll go order a drink and be right back.”
Watching Yoo Sung-hyun’s back as he headed to the counter, everyone became quite quiet.
A far cry from the lively atmosphere just moments before.
I wasn’t even sure what to say.
I wondered if Yoo Sung-hyun would even like that sort of thing.
Even Jung Ha-rin, who had been radiating confidence until now, was the same.
Everyone sat there, shy and unable to speak.
When Yoo Sung-hyun returned with his drink ordered.
He seemed a bit puzzled seeing everyone had gone quiet.
“…?”
It seemed like it had been a bit noisy just a moment ago.
Or was it not?
It was too noisy to be just my imagination.
Did the conversation get interrupted because I suddenly jumped in?
If so, I felt a bit sorry.
That’s why Yoo Sung-hyun brought up the topic first.
“What were you all talking about?”
Everyone was deliberating on what to say.
Lee Chul-min cleared his throat and widened his eyes as he spoke.
“W-we were talking about Eternal World!”
“Oh? Eternal World?”
When Yoo Sung-hyun reacted.
Everyone’s faces visibly brightened.
So he does know about it!
Though we couldn’t ask if he was actually playing it.
But even this much was impressive.
Lee Chul-min, well done!
Everyone looked at Lee Chul-min with such eyes.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded and spoke.
“Really, everyone’s doing it these days. Are you all playing too?”
A natural question, if anything.
Everyone nodded at Yoo Sung-hyun’s question.
The entire club was already playing it, after all.
“Yeah, we’re going around as a party together.”
“We bicker sometimes, but Jung Ha-rin is so skilled that we follow her lead!”
“That’s right. Jung Ha-rin has an Epic-rank class, no less!”
“Maybe she could even join a Large Guild???”
“Hmm, well, I’m not sure about that.”
As the conversation flowed out like a dam bursting.
Talk of Jung Ha-rin was inevitable.
She was the pride of this party.
Was it because of the children’s praise?
Jung Ha-rin spoke modestly while displaying an aloof demeanor.
As if asking Yoo Sung-hyun what he thought.
However.
“I see.”
His response was lukewarm.
At that reaction, everyone faltered.
Why?
Isn’t that impressive?
Or is it?
‘Does Yoo Sung-hyun not know?’
‘Has he never played Eternal World?’
‘That could be the case.’
‘What do we do?’
‘He really doesn’t know?’
I brought up the topic without realizing he didn’t know about Eternal World.
Given Yoo Sung-hyun’s personality, I didn’t think he’d feel left out.
But still, it felt awkward.
Everyone was floundering about uncertainly.
Yoo Sung-hyun spoke lightly.
“I haven’t been playing for that long either. Epic rank is considered high, right?”
“Ah! You haven’t been playing for long!?”
“W-well, then it makes sense you wouldn’t know much!”
“It’s higher than Rare—Rare items don’t even compare.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“Mm-hmm.”
At least that was a relief.
So he does play after all.
At their words, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded and glanced toward Jung Ha-rin.
Of course.
‘Epic is high, that’s true.’
Yoo Sung-hyun had been blessed with Epic-ranked items from the start.
And in the Rapid Guild, Epic was the bare minimum standard.
So my standards had naturally risen.
Epic was decent enough by my criteria.
I thought it was good.
Then again.
‘Corpse Explosion is Rare, after all.’
Epic must be quite high then.
I moved on with that thought.
“So what level are you all?”
“Ah, us? We’ve only been playing for about a month? A month and a half? But our average level is 50.”
“Yeah, we’ve all completed our second class advancement.”
“And we leveled up fast thanks to Ha-rin’s help with hunting. It’s not usually this quick, you know?”
“We said we’re quite fast for the pace.”
“It’s not common.”
Even Jung Ha-rin chimed in.
This time, Yoo Sung-hyun’s face filled with genuine confusion and question marks.
That’s fast?
His expression showed he truly couldn’t comprehend it.
‘Isn’t this supposed to be a game with fast leveling?’
Yoo Sung-hyun had only been playing for four days starting today.
And Yoo Sung-hyun’s level was 75.
Even that was two levels lower because he had transcended Barphor.
Of course, Yoo Sung-hyun was abnormal—no, monstrous.
But this party’s standard was quite impressive.
Most people playing together in a party for two straight months would be lucky to reach level 40.
So they could be called fast.
Though if Yoo Sung-hyun was the standard, they were slower than a snail.
“…?”
“Huh?”
Everyone looked at Yoo Sung-hyun’s reaction in bewilderment.
What was with him all of a sudden?
He seemed to be pondering something.
They were about to ask.
But they hesitated and said nothing.
Then Lee Chul-min stepped forward again.
“Yoo Sung-hyun, what about you?”
“Me? Ah, my level?”
“Yeah, and do you have anyone else you’re playing with?”
At this point, everyone began to regard Lee Chul-min with slight admiration.
He was speaking to Yoo Sung-hyun so casually!
But Song Jae-min, sitting next to Lee Chul-min, could see it.
Lee Chul-min wiping his sweat-dampened hands on his pants.
In any case, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded at Lee Chul-min’s words.
Someone he was playing with?
Their expressions became somewhat downcast, as that would make it difficult to play together.
But they couldn’t process what came next.
“Yeah, I’m in a guild. Have you heard of the Rapid Guild?”
“…?”
“…???”
“…huh?”
“W-where?”
“…what???”
Jung Ha-rin’s shock was especially severe.
The Rapid Guild?
Could he possibly be talking about the Rapid Guild they knew?
No, that couldn’t be right.
He said he hadn’t been playing for long.
The guild ranked third in the rankings.
The Rapid Guild, which is also the guild of the single-rank Yoo-na?
That can’t be right.
Lee Chul-min asked with a skeptical expression, trembling.
“Y-Yoo-na… is… ranked… 3rd…”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Wh-what!?!?”
“Insane!?!?”
“Y-you’re serious!?”
“W-wait a second!? The R-Rapid Guild!? For real!?”
At that point, even Jung Ha-rin, who had maintained her aloof demeanor, couldn’t help but crumble.
And belated embarrassment came flooding in like a tidal wave.
Had she really just been bragging about her Eternal World skills to a member of the Rapid Guild?
It was like showing off wrinkles in front of a chrysalis.
Jung Ha-rin’s face flushed crimson.
Everyone swallowed hard and looked at Yoo Sung-hyun.
Was this right?
Then, suddenly, a conversation from earlier flashed through everyone’s minds.
The nickname of the 1st ranker in the Fortress of the Past was Yoo Sung-hyun.
Could it be?
No, that couldn’t be it.
With that thought, Song Jae-min also asked with a trembling voice.
“S-so then… the Fortress of the Past… 1st place… is… you, Yoo Sung-hyun?”
“Huh? Um, I think I was told not to talk about that, but the video should be going up today anyway.”
“Wow…”
He hadn’t said it outright.
But the way Yoo Sung-hyun said it was an acknowledgment in itself.
Everyone’s eyes went blank as they swallowed hard.
And then an alarm sounded from Lee Chul-min’s phone.
Since everyone was in a daze, they all reacted sensitively to the sound and turned their heads.
Lee Chul-min held up his phone to the others with trembling hands.
And on that screen was:
[Rapid’s Demon King, Fortress of the Past]
A new video from the Rapid Guild had indeed been uploaded—the Fortress of the Past video.
And glancing at the video,
they confirmed it was a real clear.
Jung Ha-rin suddenly stood up and approached Yoo Sung-hyun.
Was her pride hurt? Was she about to say something?
Everyone was so dazed they couldn’t even think to stop her, just watching blankly.
Then Jung Ha-rin lowered her head and pulled something out.
“C-could you possibly give me an autograph?”
It was a signature request I never expected.

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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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