The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 89

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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 89
89
3.
Hindel’s Seasonal Technique: Galactic Collapse.
Even his three companions had never witnessed him using this technique before.
Hindel himself had said it was far too dangerous.
He had never used it once during all their time together.
However, he had warned them about it.
If he ever used this technique, they were to flee immediately without getting caught in it.
Having heard Hindel’s explanation, they understood perfectly what this phenomenon meant.
They couldn’t comprehend why he would use such a dangerous technique in a sparring match.
But seeing themselves about to be caught in it, the three companions were seized by panic.
“C-crazy!? H-Hindel has lost his mind!?”
“E-even if it were Yoo Sung-hyun, we would all die if caught in that!!! W-we have to run! Right now!”
“…We need to escape quickly and prepare defenses!”
The panic lasted only a moment.
Flang, Adeline, and Lyaden all rushed about in confusion and urgency.
Even after retreating a considerable distance, they remained uneasy. The sage Flang and the holy maiden Adeline erected multiple layers of protective barriers.
Yet that proved insufficient, so they enlisted the elf archer Lyaden’s spirit magic to surround the area with trees and earthen walls.
Were they trying to kill Yoo Sung-hyun?
Seeing Hindel act so unlike himself, all three trembled.
As they braced for impact—
A terribly intense heat accompanied a powerful shockwave that shattered most of the defensive barriers they had constructed.
Only because they had retreated far enough did they survive; witnessing the surrounding area reduced entirely to ash, all three of their faces drained of color.
But was Galactic Collapse supposed to have such an effect?
Something seemed off.
“It looks like destruction caused by… heat? Is this really Galactic Collapse?”
“…It is certainly strange, but I find it difficult to believe there exists another skill with such destructive power. What do you think?”
“…It’s not Hindel’s skill.”
“Eh? Then what skill is this…?”
“C-could it be!?”
At Lyaden’s words—she being the most knowledgeable about combat among the three—both of them widened their eyes in shock.
Lyaden herself trembled, her eyes quivering intensely.
Sensing something amiss, the three immediately rushed toward the epicenter of the explosion.
There they found Yoo Sung-hyun standing unharmed, looking troubled, and Hindel collapsed, completely drained of all his strength.
The three couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
Yoo Sung-hyun, seeing them approach, brightened and spoke as if relieved.
“Since I lack healing skills, I must ask for your assistance.”
At Yoo Sung-hyun’s words, the three unconsciously surveyed their surroundings.
An explosion that had devastated the area for hundreds of meters in every direction.
Yet the sight of Yoo Sung-hyun appearing unscathed after unleashing such devastation created a jarring dissonance that couldn’t be ignored.
But that confusion was short-lived.
Hindel, collapsed on the ground, coughed as if in agony.
“Cough—”
Crimson blood spilled from his lips.
Clearly a severe wound—Yoo Sung-hyun scratched his cheek with an expression of difficulty, and the moment the other three saw this, they began moving in panic.
“Hindel!”
“L-let me cast healing magic!”
“Hurry!”
“W-we need to get back to the village first!”
Everyone agreed with Flang’s words.
And Adeline, who could be called the most expert in the current situation, cried out.
“I’ll cast healing magic as we go. You’ll need to carry both me and Hindel!”
“I’ll… carry Hindel.”
“I’ll carry Adeline! Yoo Sung-hyun, come with us!”
Everyone scrambled to pick people up and start running.
Yoo Sung-hyun, deeming this unnecessary, flattened the remaining blood swords and used them as a stretcher, causing all of them to levitate.
“This should be faster.”
Adeline nodded at Yoo Sung-hyun’s words.
And they were able to return to the village of Selmas at high speed.
Without stopping anywhere else, Yoo Sung-hyun immediately brought everyone back to the Inn in haste.
Adeline urgently used healing magic and holy arts to restore their vitality.
But the injuries Hindel had sustained were severe, and his condition appeared quite critical.
One might say he had the expression of someone possessed by a demon.
Certainly, they had restored everything they could.
The external wounds were healed perfectly, and Adeline directly shared her holy power to restore some of his vitality.
Yet Hindel’s expression was like that of someone trapped in a nightmare—cold sweat dripping down his face as he writhed slightly.
Just how badly had he been afflicted?
Watching Hindel, such thoughts came naturally.
‘Is he going to develop a phobia of Dark Mages at this rate?’
I knew this was a recreation of a past scenario.
I also knew that because of that, I didn’t need to worry about butterfly effects.
Yet I couldn’t help but worry seeing Hindel like this.
It looked quite severe.
But what was even more frightening was—
‘Why do they all look like this was inevitable, even though the Hero is in such a state?’
The Hero’s companions—from Flang to Adeline, and even Lyaden.
They all looked at Hindel with sympathy.
But their eyes held no reproach toward Yoo Sung-hyun.
Rather, their expressions seemed to ask why Hindel had pushed himself to such an extent.
Hindel was locked in a desperate struggle against the nightmare, but before long, he managed to regain consciousness.
“Ugh… wh-where am I…?”
He seemed bewildered about his surroundings, as if he hadn’t even realized he’d collapsed.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he stared blankly into the void.
Now that awareness was returning, his expression grew somewhat hollow.
A faint smile leaked from Hindel’s lips.
But it was not a smile of amusement—it was bitterly self-deprecating.
‘Was it too much?’
Watching Hindel just wake up, Yoo Sung-hyun felt genuinely sorry.
Toward the end, he had shown a completely broken state.
Should he have held back a bit then?
But Hindel had been the one to use the powerful skill first.
If he’d made a mistake, it could have been Yoo Sung-hyun who suffered instead.
Perhaps the thought of whether he should have held back was itself arrogance.
It couldn’t be helped.
The rest of the party had witnessed the entire duel.
Wouldn’t self-defense be justified?
Whose responsibility was it, anyway?
As Yoo Sung-hyun pondered this, Hindel rose from the ground on unsteady legs and dropped to one knee before him, bowing his head.
“Wh-what?”
“I sincerely apologize to you, Yoo Sung-hyun. I’m truly sorry.”
“Wh-what???”
Yoo Sung-hyun was taken aback by Hindel’s gesture, but the other three party members nodded as if it were only natural.
Only Yoo Sung-hyun was flustered.
Hindel had indeed done wrong.
But it was so sudden.
“I displayed such shameful conduct. Truth be told, I became gripped by fear midway through, and my impatience got the better of me.”
“Ah…”
It was an apology for the state Hindel had shown from the middle of the duel onward.
And furthermore—
“Because of that, I’m deeply sorry I couldn’t show you my true strength.”
“No, that’s understandable. Isn’t it natural? The stronger someone is, the less experience they have with such situations, so something like that could happen, right?”
“…Pardon?”
It was just something Yoo Sung-hyun had said off the top of his head.
Throughout his life, he’d noticed that people who appeared outwardly strong often became consumed by fear when they became a Ghost, more so than others.
He’d spoken based on that recollection.
But hearing those words, Hindel seemed to grasp something, and his eyes regained their previous clarity and brilliance.
The fearful state he’d displayed from the middle of the duel onward vanished completely.
“…Thank you for imparting such wisdom even to one who displayed such shameful conduct. I’m truly grateful. Your magnanimity is truly vast and profound.”
“…Thank you for bestowing enlightenment even upon me, who has acted so shamefully. Your generosity and depth of heart are truly boundless.”
“…Ah… yes.”
“Wow, Yoo Sung-hyun really is amazing. Most people couldn’t do that.”
“That’s absolutely true. Even I would have struggled. To be honest, what Hindel showed was indeed shameful. It’s only right that Hindel apologizes sincerely.”
“…Magnanimous.”
With everyone praising him like that, Yoo Sung-hyun couldn’t help but feel his face flush with embarrassment.
He hadn’t done anything particularly remarkable.
“…Well then, Hindel should rest too, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Ah yes, you’ve worked hard—go rest quickly.”
“Thanks~ For not killing Hindel.”
“That’s right. Go inside and get some proper rest. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“…Sleep well.”
Everyone bid him farewell with their own words, and Yoo Sung-hyun had no choice but to leave with a bewildered expression.
As he departed, tilting his head as if questioning whether this was all correct.
Everyone remaining in the room was glaring at Hindel.
This time, it had been reckless and disrespectful, after all.
It was the first time they’d seen him lose his composure so completely during their time together.
“So Hindel? Why did you do that?”
“I’m curious too.”
“…So am I.”
All three were asking why, but.
They were really asking how terrified he must have been.
Hindel listened to their words and smiled self-deprecatingly before bowing his head deeply.
He was ashamed.
“I even used Galaxy Collapse—truly unworthy of being called a Hero. It’s embarrassing.”
“…But you were cornered that badly?”
“…I believe so as well.”
“…So do I.”
“Yes, it was an irresistible force. No, it was the first time in my life I’ve felt such a threat of death. In that moment, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I was truly dying.”
“…It… was that bad?”
At Flang’s words, Hindel nodded without hesitation.
And spoke calmly.
“Death is not something that can be overcome. One must simply accept it. I believe Yoo Sung-hyun showed me such power in this match to teach me that.”
If Yoo Sung-hyun had heard that, he would have politely asked what that was supposed to mean.
Unfortunately, Yoo Sung-hyun was not in this room.
Only those who held him in high regard remained.
“Kyahahaha!!! As expected of Yoo Sung-hyun!”
“…I think he’s truly remarkable.”
“…A true hero.”
“I agree. A true hero would be someone like him, not someone like me who merely bears the title of Hero.”
4.
Without even realizing it, Yoo Sung-hyun had become a hero.
But how could he have known?
He returned to his room at the Inn and sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh.
The cheap medieval bed, stuffed with straw beneath its cloth, creaked under his weight.
It had a certain rustic charm, but Yoo Sung-hyun had no leisure to concern himself with such things now.
‘Thank goodness.’
He was grateful that Hindel had let it slide so easily.
Had things gone even slightly wrong, he might have been sent back to the beginning according to the Quest parameters.
The battle itself had contained several precarious moments.
When Yoo Sung-hyun aimed at Hindel and unleashed his grappling and shaking attack, it landed with perfect precision.
There were definitely moments where it connected even better than intended.
Thanks to that, he had managed to win.
In any case, victory was his.
‘Should I check the spoils?’
He had obtained three things in total.
Two titles and one Unique-grade random skill book.
Since it was a random skill book that guaranteed at least Unique grade,
he decided to save that for last.
First, let me check the titles.
Yoo Sung-hyun opened the first title he had obtained: “Recognized by the Hero.”
『Recognized by the Hero』
→《Unique》
→A title bestowed upon users recognized by the Hero.
→Attack Power +5% when attacking.
→Attack Speed +10% when using swordsmanship skills.
‘Interesting.’
This was a swordsmanship-type title obtainable through using swordsmanship skills.
While there was an option that simply increased attack power, without swordsmanship skills at present, it felt somewhat disappointing.
He would need to learn a separate swordsmanship skill eventually.
Still, the title’s effects were quite solid.
Now for the next one.
‘Most Vicious, then?’
The title sounded ominous from its very name.
But that made him all the more curious.
What kind of title could it be?
『Most Vicious』
→《Legendary+》
→A title bestowed upon the first user in Eternal World history to defeat the Hero.
→As the first to achieve this, it has been slightly elevated above the standard grade.
→When damage is dealt to Holy or Weak attributes, reduce that damage by 33% and return the reduced amount as damage.
→You can use ‘Salvation’s Destruction’ once per day.
→The effect of Salvation’s Destruction reverses all beneficial effects on the opponent, including recovery and buffs, turning them into harmful ones.
‘What in the world is this….’
I had expectations, certainly.
But something far more incredible had emerged than I’d imagined.

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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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