The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 8

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 8
Episode 8
I couldn’t believe I’d managed to take down three of them simultaneously.
Satisfied, I opened the final title I’d obtained.
『Hunter』
→《Rare》
→A title granted to users who defeat 30 beast-type monsters with a single strike.
→Movement speed increases by 10% when hunting beast-type monsters.
→Speed increases by 5% when pursuing something.
“Excellent!”
This title wasn’t just useful for hunting.
So butchering beast-type monsters counts as hunting too.
And on top of that, there’s even a speed increase when pursuing something.
A satisfying title indeed.
After confirming the effects, I closed the title window and looked ahead.
Two massive trees blocked the path forward, and beyond them loomed the silhouette of something enormous.
It seemed I’d reached just before the boss.
I felt a slight regret at having to break my momentum, but there was no helping it.
If I cleared the dungeon, the first-clear bonus would disappear.
‘I should butcher first.’
With the title’s effect and my excellent butchering set, I completed the butchering smoothly.
The speed was incomparable to when I’d used only a normal-grade butchering knife.
Dismantling several green deer took only a matter of minutes.
‘I caught quite a lot.’
The number of green deer came to roughly ten.
It wasn’t as many as I’d expected, but combined with the twenty rabbits I’d caught earlier, the title had appeared.
Anyway, all that remained was that boss visible in the distance, right?
I looked at the creature presumed to be the boss, standing far away.
It possessed a massive body, adorned with golden fur and black stripes.
Even without seeing it clearly, I could tell from the markings alone what it was.
‘The boss might be difficult to take down in one strike…’
I scratched my cheek uncertainly as I gazed at the sleeping tiger.
I never questioned whether I could do it.
I simply pushed forward.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
I rapidly kicked off the ground with both legs and burst forward.
As I entered the vast clearing that appeared to be the boss’s chamber, a message appeared.
[The boss of the field-type hidden dungeon, 『Hunter’s Forest』, the tiger awakens.]
So it was indeed a tiger.
However, unlike the green deer, there was no other descriptor.
A tiger alone was more than sufficient to serve as a boss in this Beginner Village.
And what a size it possessed.
It was far larger than the tigers I’d seen at the zoo, as if it had undergone some monstrous bulk enhancement.
It appeared to be easily twice my own frame.
‘This won’t be easy after all.’
I lacked the strength to cleave through such thickness in a single strike.
It wasn’t merely my own judgment—the memories of the Former Instructor Ghost and the experience of the hunter Apik both confirmed it.
But there was no need to sever it in one blow.
“RRRRROOOOAAARRRRR!”
The deafening roar erupted, and in that instant, I felt my rapidly moving legs falter.
[You have been exposed to the Boss Tiger’s ‘Fear’.]
[Your movement speed is reduced.]
This skill existed too?
I’d heard that the infrasound generated by a tiger’s roar could stiffen the human body.
But to implement it in such a way…
I’d always thought only dragons used such abilities in fantasy films and novels, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
A reduction in movement speed didn’t mean I couldn’t move at all.
As the roar rippled outward and I momentarily staggered, I quickly escaped the area.
And an instant later, the tiger’s massive front paws came crashing down where I’d been standing.
BOOM!
Watching the dust billow upward, I swung my sword rapidly and cleaved through the cloud of earth.
As my vision cleared, the tiger charged again, and just as I had with the deer, I attempted to slip aside with a slight twist of my body.
But the tiger’s eyes gleamed—it had anticipated this.
The moment it saw me dodge to the side, it spread both front paws to ensnare me, but I recognized the move and abandoned my attack, lowering my stance further to slide through using the momentum of my evasion.
WHOOOOSH!
The tiger’s reactions were better than I’d expected.
Though the message indicated my movement speed had decreased, I felt I wasn’t slowing down much at all.
‘It’s thanks to the Hunter title.’
The movement speed increase against beast-type monsters seemed to be offsetting the Fear effect.
Fortunate indeed.
Had it not been for that, I would certainly have been hit by that last attack and unable to react.
A single blow from something that size would surely spell disaster.
I had to be extremely careful not to take any hits.
“Grrrrr…”
The tiger watched me slip away again and again, growling low with clear displeasure as it glared.
Its gaze was not that of hunted prey.
It was the gaze of a predator on the hunt.
Seeing that look, I recalled the memories of the hunter Apik.
How he had taken down a tiger.
And those vivid memories and experiences surfaced in my consciousness.
I wait calmly for my opening.
If I attack rashly, I’ll only end up as prey.
So I strike at precisely the right moment.
As I attack, the memories of the Former Instructor Ghost flow into me.
When facing a charging beast larger than myself, I leverage the opponent’s own strength.
The moment those two sets of memories and experiences flood through me, my eyes ignite with a pale cyan light—the same ethereal hue as a wraith’s gaze.
As that pale cyan luminescence flares, the tiger flinches slightly, as if recoiling.
Whether wounded in pride, the beast roars.
“KROOOOAAAAAAAGH!”
A powerful roar reverberates through the air.
But my body no longer freezes.
I have experience and memory now.
Confidently and calmly, I watch for my chance.
The tiger charges toward me.
Its raw speed is overwhelming.
But drawing on my reflexes and accumulated experience, I evade each of its attacks step by step, maintaining distance.
“KRRRGH KRRRGH KRRRGH!”
It roars again, spreading its front paws wide as it lunges at me.
My eyes blaze with pale cyan light as I cry out.
‘Now!’
Rather than dodging to the side, I surge forward to meet the charging tiger head-on.
To any observer, it would appear as nothing but a death wish.
Yet my eyes gleam brighter than ever.
As I reach the tiger’s path, I slide across the ground, dropping my stance low, and thrust my blade upward.
My strength alone won’t suffice?
Then I’ll use the opponent’s strength instead.
My sword alone would struggle to reach the tiger’s heart.
Its hide was too thick, its muscles like stone.
But if I combine the tiger’s full charging force with my own momentum, the result changes entirely.
The unwavering steel blade aims true at the beast’s vital core, and with precision and agility, I drive it home with devastating speed.
Shhhhwoop!
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike』 activates!]
“GAAAAAAHHHHH!”
With the critical message, a sound like wind escaping fills the air, and I release my grip on the blade.
Sliding low, I slip beneath the tiger’s body.
The charging tiger falls to the ground, the steel sword piercing deeper into its body as it lands.
With its heart struck true, the tiger’s body goes limp—yet I remain vigilant.
In Apik’s memories, many beasts played dead like this, saving one final strike for their killer.
I wait a moment longer.
Thump.
The moment the creature’s claws retracted and its hand fell away, a message materialized before me.
[You have cleared the field-type hidden dungeon, 『Hunter’s Forest』!]
[The first discovery bonus remains active until you butcher the boss tiger completely!]
[You have defeated a beast-type monster boss in a single strike!]
[You achieve an Achievement in the dungeon.]
[You obtain an Achievement reward.]
[The dungeon reward is enhanced!]
[You obtain items: 『Tiger’s Fang』, 『Tiger’s Paw』, 『Green Deer’s Breastplate』.]
‘What?!’
Wasn’t butchering the tiger supposed to be the end of it?
Even if the Achievement reward enhanced the dungeon rewards, I never expected items to drop like this.
It seemed butchering rewards and dungeon clear rewards were different things.
My eyes gleamed as I set aside the tiger’s butchering and examined the items.
New items to obtain.
What kind of items would they be?
『Green Deer’s Breastplate』
→《Rare》
→A breastplate crafted from the antlers and hide of a green deer.
→The hide is tougher than ordinary deer, and the horns are harder, making it far more durable than standard leather armor.
→Defense +8% increased
『Tiger’s Paw』
→《Rare+》
→Boots that resemble a tiger’s claws.
→Whether they’re actually made from a tiger’s paw is debatable, but they’re equally swift and resilient.
→Movement Speed +10% increased.
『Tiger’s Fang』
→《Epic》
→A pointed short sword resembling a tiger’s fang.
→Far superior in durability and quality compared to ordinary iron or steel swords.
→Possesses piercing power that seems capable of penetrating anything.
→Piercing Power +10% increased.
‘An Epic item?’
I’d heard hidden dungeons were goldmines, but not to this extent.
But this wasn’t the end.
As I equipped all the items.
[You are equipping the Forest Hunter Set.]
[The set option is revealed.]
『Forest Hunter Set (3/4)』
→Movement Speed 10% increased.
→Attack speed increased by 5%.
Even just an Epic item, one tier above Rare, would be more than satisfactory.
And they’re even giving set options on top of that!
It was a bit disappointing that I only had three out of four total set pieces, but there was nothing I could do about the missing one.
This was more than enough.
After satisfying myself with the rewards, I tried to butcher the tiger when I noticed something massive like a boulder where the tiger had been.
What is this?
Looking up, I realized it wasn’t just a boulder.
The leaves had parted only in this spot, allowing sunlight to shine brilliantly down, and there stood a statue of Hindel the hero—someone I’d only ever seen in videos.
Bathed in sunlight and gazing upward toward the sky, Hindel’s statue emanated a sanctity and radiance that defied description.
“Wow.”
I found myself thinking anew that this truly was the hero’s village.
A statue of Hindel.
The hero who defeated the Demon King.
Though it might be a clichéd tale, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the majesty of this statue.
Captivated by the magnificent figure that looked like a hero from a fairy tale, I gazed up at the statue.
Then a sudden thought occurred to me.
‘They said both the Demon King and the hero died here, right?’
Which meant….
‘Could the hero’s spirit exist as well?’
Spirits didn’t wander around simply because they had regrets or grudges.
From what I’d asked before, they naturally wandered this world regardless of attachments or lingering desires.
Among them were spirits with attachments to this world and spirits with unresolved grudges, but not all spirits required both to exist.
‘It’s possible the hero’s spirit could be around.’
I’d have to ask my sister about this later.
With that thought, I butchered the tiger’s hide and meat, stored them in my inventory, and left the area.
Since I’d cleared the dungeon, I had something to receive from the Old Man Ghost.
As I exited the dungeon and headed back toward the village.
At the entrance to the Mist Forest, I spotted a spirit hesitating uncertainly.
A rather familiar spirit.
One in the form of an old man….
“Huh?”
-Oho! You’ve arrived! Truly magnificent! You handled it quickly!!!
He recognized me right away, it seemed.
I nodded in agreement.
-Ah! Then I shall show you where our family heirloom is buried!
The Old Man Ghost said so and guided me.
-Right here! This is it! Dig here and you’ll find it!
“Hmm.”
Following him into the Mist Forest was somewhat difficult, but once I arrived, I used my old butchering knife—now obsolete thanks to my excellent new butchering set—to dig into the ground.
Since it wasn’t a proper digging tool, I struggled a bit before uncovering a wooden box buried in the earth.
Why would anyone store a family heirloom like this?
I thought as much, but I didn’t let it show.
-Hehehehe! Open it at once!
“Yes, I’m grateful to receive it.”
Since he called it a family heirloom, it should be quite a valuable item, right?
At the old man’s urging, I opened the wooden box.
Inside lay leather gloves in the same verdant shade as the green leather armor I was already wearing.
Huh, this?
[You have discovered a hidden item!]
[You obtain the title ‘Scout’.]
[You obtain the hidden item ‘Green Deer Leather Gloves’.]
[The Forest Hunter Set effect is applied at maximum potency.]
‘Oh.’
So it was here all along.
I would have regretted it if it weren’t.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————