The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 80

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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 80
Episode 80
Light flashed brilliantly.
A shimmering teal radiance.
So breathtakingly beautiful that the two Black Orcs reached out their hands as if entranced by the luminescence.
Their hands vanished.
“Squeeee?”
“Squee?”
Both hands had disappeared without a trace.
Had that light done it?
Before the two Black Orcs could even comprehend what was happening.
The light touched both their necks.
Ssshhhhk——!
Thud, thud-thud.
A single cutting sound echoed.
Yet two heads fell severed.
So swift was the strike that they didn’t even register being slashed, dying with bewildered expressions on their faces.
“Wow.”
Demon Beast Barfur, the harbinger of death.
Incomparably stronger than before.
When I lacked a physical form, I couldn’t adapt to the Spirit’s body, or so I’d been told.
It was true.
Yoo Sung-hyun let out a brief exclamation of admiration.
Barphor knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectfully.
-Thank you for summoning me! Shall I cleanse this entire place for you?
His quaint manner of speech remained unchanged, which was amusing.
His outward appearance had become tremendously imposing.
Yoo Sung-hyun was about to nod in response to Barphor when.
Finding it quite entertaining, I opened the Underworld once more and summoned Baltar and Fiora as well.
Both of them, like Barphor, immediately assumed postures of submission upon summoning, bowing their heads as they spoke.
-We have answered the Lord’s call.
-I, I also answered your call, L-Lord.
Baltar with his confident and authoritative tone, and Fiora with her timid demeanor.
With all three now present.
Yoo Sung-hyun was about to speak when something suddenly occurred to me.
“Oh right! What about the Shapeshifter?”
The Shapeshifter’s offspring that I had stored in the Underworld before the battle with Crescentra, just in case.
If it got injured, that would be catastrophic.
I asked if perhaps it had awakened.
Fiora carefully presented the Shapeshifter’s offspring, holding it reverently in both hands as she offered it to Yoo Sung-hyun.
-H-here I am.
“Ah, you’re safe.”
I felt a twinge of guilt for sending her to the Underworld and then forgetting about her.
Just to be sure, I poked her gently.
Her body merely rippled in response.
Not even a twitch.
She still hadn’t awakened?
[The Shapeshifter remains unable to awaken due to an unknown cause.]
An unknown cause, huh.
What could it be?
‘Well, let’s focus on the dungeon first.’
There was no way to know right now anyway.
Yoo Sung-hyun placed the Shapeshifter back into the front pocket of his robe.
At that moment, Fiora’s eyes grew slightly distant, but I assumed it was because she sensed a kindred spirit and let it pass.
The reason I summoned these three was simple.
I wanted to test the power of Barphor, reborn as a Death Beast.
Currently, my two undisputed strongest summons were Fiora and Baltar.
I needed to see how Barphor compared to these two.
In terms of raw physical ability alone, Barphor was no inferior to Baltar.
But the software was different.
I was curious to see how it would actually play out.
“I called you three because I want to clear this dungeon and see which of you catches the most monsters. You three are the strongest summons I have.”
Everyone immediately understood my intention and accepted it gladly.
I had worried they might feel upset.
Fortunately, they didn’t.
They seemed to view this as a good opportunity instead.
All three of their expressions were bright.
-Hoo! Hierarchy is always important, my lord. I shall follow your will.
-Krrroooowww!!! If my master desires it, simply give the command! We need only obey!
-Y-yes! I-I’ll do my best!
Once all three agreed.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded as if to say, go on then.
Taking that as a signal, all three burst forward simultaneously.
In terms of pure speed, Fiora, being a spirit form, was the fastest, followed by Baltar, and then Barphor—whose physical body surpassed even Baltar in raw power, yet who seemed unable to fully utilize it.
It appeared the difference in skill and technique couldn’t be ignored either.
I wondered how the competition would unfold.
‘This might turn out to be an interesting match.’
That’s what I thought.
Since the Labyrinth was vast, I figured I’d have no problem flying around in it either.
With that, I gathered my blood swords together and stood atop them.
Everyone would act with integrity, of course.
But I had to watch the broadcast anyway.
I followed them at such tremendous speed.
Riding over a hundred blood swords.
Whoooosh!
Slicing through the wind as I gave chase.
Leading the charge was none other than Fiora.
Fiora rushed forward with explosive speed, her arm transforming into an impossibly slender, elongated blade that she swung in a single, devastating arc.
Five Black Orcs couldn’t even react to Fiora’s gleaming limb before their necks were offered up.
Schwick——!
Thud! Thud-thud!
But not all the Black Orcs perished.
Two of the five had their necks cleanly severed, spraying blood, but the other three barely escaped with glancing wounds to their arms and shoulders.
She’d aimed for a clean kill but fell just short.
As Fiora reshaped her arm to attack again.
Baltar appeared from nowhere, his eyes blazing as he charged forward, wielding a crimson greatsword.
Shhwaaaack——!
Beyond mere slashing, jagged teeth of blood-red sword energy erupted, shredding the Black Orcs apart.
He claimed two as well.
The last remaining one saw both of them charge without hesitation.
In that instant, light flashed, and Barphor appeared, gripping the Black Orc’s head in a single hand.
The speed was so overwhelming that even the slash was difficult to perceive.
Fiora had two, Baltar had two, and Barphor had one, yet Fiora and Baltar exchanged uneasy glances at Barphor.
‘…J-just now was f-fast, wasn’t it.’
‘Hmm, he certainly hasn’t transcended the limits of a Demon Beast.’
They marveled at my greatness nonetheless.
Despite being a Demon Beast, Barphor possessed combat power far inferior to those two.
Yet he compensated for it with a superior physique.
It was impossible to predict how the battle would unfold.
I, watching from above, felt the same uncertainty.
‘I can’t tell which way this will go.’
I thought Baltar might have the advantage.
But that wasn’t the case.
Was it because he’d transcended death?
Barphor’s physique was far superior to Baltar’s.
The Black Orcs were never the real threat.
They were merely numbers in a contest of who could defeat more.
So all three moved with equal speed.
Fiora was the first to move.
In terms of reaction speed alone, Fiora reigned supreme.
Baltar followed after him.
But Spirit Barfur, who had started late, caught up to both of them.
-I shall go first.
-Huh!?
-Heh.
Fiora let out a surprised, vacant sound, while Baltar expressed pure admiration.
At first, he couldn’t adapt to it.
Now that he’d adjusted somewhat, he began to realize his body’s capabilities and move accordingly.
Had Baltar also realized he couldn’t fall behind?
-Feast of Blood.
As I activated the skill, I absorbed the Black Orc’s blood from all around, and a reddish aura bloomed across my entire body.
Whoooosh!
Baltar’s body, which had begun vibrating as it touched the surroundings, became even more formidable than before.
A technique I couldn’t use during the Crescentra battle.
As my level rose rapidly, I became able to use it.
So I used it freely.
Then, becoming even faster than the spirit form’s swift speed, I reached a pace nearly matching Barphor’s.
As the two of us surged ahead, Fiora also seemed to think she couldn’t fall behind.
She exerted herself further and increased her speed.
She drew upon the spirit’s power to heighten her speed, but.
By the narrowest margin, she was slightly slower than the two of them.
No matter how she dealt with the Black Orcs.
While speed was one thing, precision inevitably suffered somewhat.
To keep pace with their speed, she had to sacrifice something.
Watching this unfold, I couldn’t help but wear a slightly regretful expression.
‘Indeed, Fiora is falling a bit behind.’
In terms of numbers alone, the difference wasn’t that great.
About three creatures, roughly?
Yet despite having a comfortable lead at first, she’d been caught up, and the gap was widening bit by bit.
By the time we’d cleared the entire dungeon, the gap had grown to five creatures.
Baltar had one more than Barphor, and Fiora had five fewer than Baltar.
In other words, she was short by four compared to Barphor.
Even though Barphor had undergone transcendent death and his body had been reconstructed, his pride should have been wounded.
-Y-you’re truly amazing!
“…???”
Fiora, expressing pure admiration and delight.
Yet she wasn’t praising Barphor—she was praising me.
It was good that there was no inferiority or jealousy.
But she was offering praise?
And to me, no less?
Yoo Sung-hyun looked a bit bewildered.
What was going on?
-Lord, if it weren’t for you, Barphor wouldn’t have become this strong! You’re amazing!
-You speak truly. That Barphor has certainly transcended the species of Demon Beast and obtained a tremendous body. Though his manner of speech is somewhat grating.
-Whoooosh! I am merely grateful, my lord! *Ahem ahem*!
Baltar had pointed it out, so Barphor was making an effort to speak more carefully.
Yet the rustic charm still couldn’t be hidden.
I’d noticed recently that Barphor’s speech seemed to be improving somewhat.
It appeared Baltar had been teaching him.
In any case.
The competition was decided.
Baltar was first as expected, followed by Barphor, and finally…
‘But why isn’t Fiora a valid target for transcendence?’
That part was a bit strange.
Were there specific conditions?
If so, Anemor had been able to transcend.
Barphor had a physical body, so I counted that as a similar case.
But Anemor wasn’t like that either.
‘A spirit?’
It seemed to mean that Kalisha’s body was insufficient to contain Anemor.
Given that it was possible even though I’d only recently created the undead.
Anemor and Kalisha shared the same body, but Anemor was using it more effectively.
So then, why wasn’t Fiora showing up?
Fiora used Spirit Barfur’s body even better than Barphor did.
Yet the message never appeared.
‘Could it be a matter of whether one can use a body to its limits?’
I couldn’t make sense of it.
Did the system not fully understand this mechanism either?
As I pondered this, I noticed Baltar nudging Fiora somewhat.
He poked her in the ribs.
“???”
What was he doing?
I looked at the two of them, curious.
Fiora jumped in surprise and stammered.
-Uh, um…
-Go ahead and tell him, Fiora.
-That’s right. You must speak or… you won’t understand. Ahem.
Sensing something odd in their exchange, I tilted my head.
Fiora gathered her courage and stepped forward.
Fiora gathered a bit of courage and stepped forward.
It seemed there was something she wanted to say.
Yoo Sung-hyun looked at Fiora reassuringly.
Fiora flinched and trembled, then bowed her head deeply.
Why was she dragging this out so much?
“It’s alright, go ahead and tell me, Fiora.”
-W-well, um, m-my body… is being u-used… by someone else???
“…???”
What are you talking about, Fiora?
Unable to comprehend her words at all, Yoo Sung-hyun’s face filled with countless question marks.
Fiora trembled and pointed at the Shapeshifter in the front pocket of Yoo Sung-hyun’s robe, then spoke again.
-I-it’s this one.
“Huh? W-wait, surely not?”
-I humbly beg your pardon, Lord, but regarding the Shapeshifter—that is, when you might grant Fiora her body back—I confess that not only Fiora but I myself am most curious, and I dare ask despite my rudeness.
-Y-yes, that’s right.
“??????”
Bewildered by their words, Yoo Sung-hyun pulled out the Shapeshifter’s offspring.
This is Fiora’s body?
Now that I think about it.
Her body was resurrected in the form of the last Phoenix, wasn’t it?
But Fiora’s spirit had been wandering nearby.
Recalling this, Yoo Sung-hyun thought of a similar case from the past.
‘It’s like Mr. Choi’s situation!?’
There was a time when his father was hospitalized after an injury.
Back then, Mr. Choi’s spirit, who lay unconscious in the intensive care unit, would wander throughout the hospital.
At first, he had been puzzled by it.
People in states close to death often experienced such out-of-body experiences.
Could Fiora really be in such a state?
So the Shapeshifter hadn’t awakened yet!
“Oh! I’m sorry, Fiora! I thought this was your offspring.”
-Huh!?
-C-cough, cough, L-Lord, even so, to call Fiora’s offspring when she hasn’t even been married yet…
-Y-yes, that’s right. Th-that Fiora senior…
“Ah, I’m sorry. Ahem, anyway, so this is Fiora’s body, right?”
Embarrassed by the topic, Yoo Sung-hyun quickly changed the subject.
Everyone nodded in agreement as if they understood.
Now that the secret was revealed, Yoo Sung-hyun shook his head and used his power.
Now that I knew, I just had to switch them right away.
With Yoo Sung-hyun’s power, he extracted Fiora’s spirit from the Spirit Barfur’s body and immediately had it settle into the Shapeshifter’s flesh.
Then.
Uuuuuuuung!
A mysterious and ethereal light—deep blue-green in hue—erupted from the Shapeshifter’s body.
And as if the creature’s flesh were shattering, fine cracks spread across it in the radiance.
Like something breaking free from an egg.
Soon the light shattered, and what rested in my palm began to grow larger and larger.
Then it slipped from my grasp, and there emerged a small, fairy-like child with a form of slime-like substance—shy and hesitant—yet shaped unmistakably in human form.
-H-hehe, th-thank you.
As Fiora awakened, a slip of paper tumbled from her form.
“What is this…?”
I picked up the note.
The text bloomed before my eyes, making the world spin.
[The Shapeshifter has awakened.]
[You have fully awakened the pet of 『Overlord』.]
[You discover a slip of paper that the young Shapeshifter was carrying.]
[Conditions are being verified.]
[Fortress of the Past Clear (Completed)]
[『Overlord』 Second Class Advancement (Completed)]
[『Overlord』 Pet Unlock (Completed)]
[All conditions have been met.]
[You can now read the note.]
[『Overlord』 Main Quest begins.]
[Event scene plays.]
“Huh? A Main Quest?”
There was a Main Quest?
Before I could even process my shock.
The situation began to change dramatically.
All the scenery around me melted away and vanished.
Like a cutscene flowing past.
And the landscape that appeared was a place I recognized.
‘Helena’s Garden?’
It was after the Black Star had appeared before and severed the space.
Dark clouds and traces of spatial severance were visible all around.
Similarly, Fiora’s body had already turned to ash and disappeared.
Yet I could sense someone approaching through it all.
Click, click.

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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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