The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 86

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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 86
Episode 86
2.
Before the Canyon of Despair came into being, the Selmas of the past was quite a peaceful village.
It was far too incongruous to think of it as a village where a Demon Lord lived nearby.
The villagers all seemed happy as they strolled through the streets, and the thoroughfares were so filled with peace that everyone appeared free from worry or concern.
The Hero Party could see that Helena was not an evil being.
Yet they were bewildered that a nearby village could exude such an atmosphere.
It was more peaceful than any village they had ever visited.
It was only natural to be astonished.
“This is quite a pleasant sight.”
“Exactly, right? Even in the Royal Capital, people this happy are rare. It’s truly remarkable.”
“…She is known to the world as a Demon Lord, but I believe she is a transcendent being who appears more virtuous than anyone else. Should we really be fighting her?”
“…A difficult dilemma.”
“Hmm.”
As the Hero Party all spoke in similar terms,
Yoo Sung-hyun’s curiosity only deepened.
Why had a Hero Party with such thoughts felt compelled to pursue Helena’s death so relentlessly?
What could the reason be?
While pondering such matters,
Flang pointed to one side with his finger as if he had witnessed something absurd.
Where he pointed, there should have been the Canyon of Despair.
Yet where the Canyon of Despair should have been,
“…Wow.”
An enormous mountain stood in its place.
A tremendously massive mountain. But upon closer inspection, I realized it was not a mountain at all.
There stood a colossal black fortress that could be mistaken for a mountain.
A castle so immense that even from the village, one had to tilt their head quite far back to see its peak.
The overwhelming scale alone emanated an oppressive presence.
Yet what was even more astonishing was,
“…Is it even possible to create a barrier of such magnitude?”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“Wow.”
No one could answer Flang’s words.
They could only close their mouths and marvel.
Unlike the other party members,
Yoo Sung-hyun could only be astonished in a different sense upon seeing that fortress.
She had transplanted an entire castle of that magnitude into another dimension?
Shouldn’t I try to stop him from going, even now?
Such thoughts occupied Yoo Sung-hyun’s mind.
Hindel gazed upward at the fortress and spoke in hushed tones.
“So that is the Dark Castle.”
“…Phew, it looks nearly impossible to even approach…?”
“…The Divine will surely bestow blessings upon us.”
“…Difficult.”
Save for Hindel, their resolve seemed somewhat diminished.
Well, anyone would feel the same after witnessing such grandeur firsthand.
Yoo Sung-hyun certainly did.
In fact, he felt it more acutely than the others.
He knew what would become of the Dark Castle ahead, and how vast a chasm would form in its wake.
Yet there was no backing out now, was there?
Hindel observed them all and spoke quietly.
“Since the hour grows quite late, let us first secure rooms at the Inn in the Village. It would be wise to rest today and recover from our journey.”
“I agree~ Rest is essential! You can all trust the words of this sage!”
“I too concur. We may all be more exhausted than we realize after traveling this far.”
“Agreed.”
“I am in favor as well.”
Even Yoo Sung-hyun voted in agreement.
It was not the finest Inn in the Village, but they settled into a reasonably comfortable establishment.
The sun had only just begun to set, so they made no preparations for the night.
It was precisely the hour for dinner.
Each member ordered their meal in the Inn’s dining hall and ate.
Proper nutrition was essential to true rest.
Yet Yoo Sung-hyun felt somewhat unsatisfied.
‘Hmm, is this truly how the day ends?’
He had attended his lunch appointment, but logging off like this felt wasteful.
Coming to the past only to end the first day this way was genuinely regrettable.
Perhaps he should explore the surroundings instead?
Or perhaps gather information?
As Yoo Sung-hyun pondered these options.
Hindel noticed and regarded him with a look of mild concern.
“Is there perhaps something uncomfortable troubling you?”
His expression must have been quite poor for Hindel to inquire.
Yoo Sung-hyun nodded reassuringly at Hindel’s thoughtfulness.
For he was truly fine.
So Yoo Sung-hyun spoke honestly.
There was no need to conceal it, after all.
“I was merely feeling regretful that my body hasn’t fully loosened up yet.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Well, since Yoo Sung-hyun joined us later, you still have plenty of stamina left.”
“I can certainly relate to that.”
“Relatable.”
As the group nodded in agreement, Yoo Sung-hyun thought this was his chance and prepared to speak.
He would suggest taking a look around the area.
He was curious about what the monsters of the past would be like.
An opportunity to monopolize the monsters roaming the field in a place without players.
How excellent that would be.
Though I couldn’t say how generous the rewards would be.
In any case, Yoo Sung-hyun was about to head out for a brief hunt with that thought in mind.
Just as he was about to ask for permission.
That’s when Hindel made a different proposal.
“Then, would you perhaps be interested in a sparring match with me?”
“Pardon?”
A sparring match with the Hero?
Hunting monsters of the past versus sparring with the Hero of the past.
Which held more value was obvious without saying.
Though I wasn’t particularly aggressive by nature.
How could I possibly resist this?
A sparring match with a Hero calibrated to my own level.
This would be an excellent benchmark for Yoo Sung-hyun as well.
There was absolutely no reason to decline.
‘This is a perfect opportunity to gauge my own level.’
Until now, Yoo Sung-hyun had only vaguely sensed his own strength.
I understood that people were captivated by my videos and that I had enough recognition that even my friends asked for autographs.
I had broken through the Fortress of the Past, which had never been breached even once.
But that victory came from deploying summons first.
I was curious how far my pure personal abilities alone could carry me.
Wasn’t this the time to utilize what I had gained—the memories and experiences of numerous ghosts?
Aside from commanding summons, I didn’t have many offensive magic skills, and I had felt keenly during my encounter with the gatekeeper before entering this place how significant the absence of swordsmanship skills was.
Still, I wanted to verify my individual capabilities.
‘A perfect opportunity to go all out in a safe situation.’
How many times had Yoo Sung-hyun ever fought at full strength?
Only once—the battle with Crescentra.
Even then, it wasn’t Yoo Sung-hyun alone, but my summons fought alongside me.
Fighting at full strength was an experience that became blood and flesh in its own right.
Wasn’t it too wasteful to miss that experience?
It was also a good opportunity to understand the true depth of Hindel’s power.
Having calculated everything, Yoo Sung-hyun nodded and accepted the proposal.
“Very well. We don’t know what might happen ahead, so confirming each other’s capabilities beforehand is only natural.”
“Ah…! Thank you for accepting. I’ll learn a great deal from this.”
“Ufufu, a sparring match between the two of them… how exciting.”
“…I shall assist with all my strength to ensure neither of you sustains serious injury.”
“…I look forward to it.”
Everyone’s excitement was palpable at the news of the sparring match.
Even Lyaden, who typically spoke only in two-word responses, revealed her anticipation through noticeably longer remarks.
With the group’s enthusiasm, they finished their meal and rose from their seats.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot—the party moved with the urgency to begin the match immediately.
They had initially planned to do it at the edge of the village, but having some inkling of the two’s true strength.
I advised against it.
There was a risk the village could suffer collateral damage.
We found a spacious clearing several kilometers from the village and relocated there.
The ground was quite expansive and the terrain remarkably solid.
Hindel surveyed the terrain, taking in its features, while Yoo Sung-hyun also examined his surroundings.
Then Yoo Sung-hyun looked at the ground beneath his feet for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.
‘I can fight at full strength here.’
Observing the ground, countless system messages materialized before him, and he nodded contentedly.
Once Yoo Sung-hyun appeared ready.
Hindel looked at him and asked just to be sure.
“Are you prepared?”
“Yes, of course.”
Confirming his readiness.
Hindel spoke to Flang.
“Then, Flang?”
“Yep, yep~”
Flang was to give the signal to begin the match.
Both of them took their combat stances.
The tension stretched taut, and as it reached its peak.
Flang activated an alchemical device of his own creation.
He channeled mana into something resembling a trumpet.
A small explosion echoed across the area.
Boom!
At that signal, Hindel moved first.
He immediately drew his sword and set his feet in motion with lightning speed.
Moving so rapidly his legs blurred, he kicked off the ground.
Clear footprints of Hindel’s passage remained etched into the earth.
Hindel’s speed was overwhelmingly fast.
Yoo Sung-hyun could barely track it with his eyes.
Yet if one could follow it visually, some level of response was possible.
Yoo Sung-hyun drew the sword of the apprentice hero Hindel, which he had already examined.
He had worried whether Hindel, being a figure from the past, would recognize the blade, but when he asked upon arriving here, Hindel merely praised it as a fine sword without showing any sign of recognition.
Yoo Sung-hyun unsheathed his own sword.
The other three watching were startled.
“You’re drawing a blade against Lord Hindel!?”
“…It seems you possess considerable skill with the sword as well.”
“…A powerful one.”
All three were surprised, though they harbored no great concern.
They would not have judged that someone of Yoo Sung-hyun’s caliber would draw a blade without reason.
Hindel shared the same assessment.
Hindel first infused his blade with sword energy.
A bluish aura wrapped around the sword.
A light bloomed forth like radiance itself, and the memory of someone wielding a crystal greatsword surfaced in Yoo Sung-hyun’s mind, drawing a faint smile to his lips.
Hindel swung his radiance-wreathed blade toward the smiling Yoo Sung-hyun.
A faint tremor echoed from the blade as it cleaved the air with such precision that the slash produced barely any sound at all.
Shing———!
Light flashed as the blade strike unfolded, but Yoo Sung-hyun extended his sword-bearing hand to meet it while simultaneously concealing his other hand behind his back as though shielding it, and swung his blade.
In that instant, the radiance that had unmistakably wreathed Hindel’s blade vanished as though it were a lie, transferring instead to Yoo Sung-hyun’s sword and unfolding toward Hindel.
Roooaaarrr———!
The light enveloping the blade spread forth like a raging tide, engulfing Hindel.
Within that fierce torrent of luminescence, Hindel swung his blade repeatedly, cleaving through the waves, and barely managed to dissipate all of them.
A teal-hued spear came hurtling through.
There was no time to evade.
He had to deflect it with his blade.
Hindel made that instantaneous judgment and swung his sword to knock away the teal-hued spear.
The sharp teal spear passed through his blade like a phantom, piercing into Hindel’s chest.
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike』 activates!]
[Dark damage is applied.]
[『Hero Hindel』 partially resists.]
[『Hero Hindel』 is unable to fully perceive all sight and senses for 2 seconds.]
This was the same dark damage that even Crescentra required 3 seconds to resist.
Was this what made heroes different?
Yoo Sung-hyun, as though delighted, rushed toward Hindel whose senses were severed and swung his blade.
He unfolded elegant swordplay infused with the memories of a knight obtained from the Crystal Palace.
To maximize power, he first deployed footwork to add rotational force, layering it upon itself, and unleashed a strike far more powerful than usual—one that would begin from Hindel’s upper right and cut diagonally downward.
Yet as Yoo Sung-hyun’s blade swung forth.
A bluish aura bloomed from Hindel’s sword.
A thin defensive barrier unfurled like a shield, blocking Yoo Sung-hyun’s attack.
Clang clang clang clang——!
To think you could stop this.
Are you truly the Hero?

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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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