The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 9

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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 9
Episode 9
Though it didn’t show on the surface, when I received the reward and seemed quite pleased, the Old Man Ghost laughed cheerfully.
Like a grandfather giving a gift to his grandson.
-Hehehehe, I’m glad you like it! See you next time!
“Yes, thank you very much.”
-What! I’m the one who should be grateful! Hehehehe!
Just as he had appeared at first, he teleported to a distant spot, then vanished and reappeared from afar.
He disappeared like a ghost from a horror film.
I immediately examined what I had obtained after seeing off the Old Man Ghost.
『Treasure Hunter』
→《Normal》
→A title bestowed upon users who discover hidden treasures.
→Increases the probability of acquiring additional rewards upon dungeon clear by 5%.
『Green Deer Leather Gloves』
→《Rare+》
→Leather gloves crafted from green deer hide, bearing a verdant hue.
→The leather is tougher and lighter than that of ordinary deer, making movement remarkably fluid.
→Attack Speed +5% increase.
『Forest Hunter Set (4/4)』
→Movement Speed 10% increase.
→Attack Speed 5% increase.
→Evasion Rate 5% increase.
‘Oh.’
The Treasure Hunter title had its ambiguous aspects, but the green deer leather gloves and the Forest Hunter Set appeared quite useful.
From the set effect alone, movement speed increased by 10% and attack speed by 5%, and finally evasion rate by 5%.
Quite excellent.
In a game like this, evasion rate and attack speed were absolutely critical.
Adding the item effects on top, movement speed reached a whopping 20%, attack speed a whopping 10%, plus Defense +8% and Penetration 10%!
Not a single option was worth discarding.
‘I’ve obtained quite a haul.’
This was all thanks to the ghosts.
Had I not heard the Old Man Ghost’s words, I wouldn’t have even known such a hidden dungeon existed, and without the hunter Apik Ghost, I couldn’t have defeated the beast-type monsters so effortlessly.
Furthermore, without the Former Instructor Ghost’s soul, I wouldn’t have wielded the sword so skillfully.
Each piece accumulated and stacked, culminating in this achievement.
‘Should I check the item options to see the increased stats?’
I needed to get a sense of how much the numbers had improved.
2.
As I headed toward the Rabbit Hunting Ground once more.
Several users recognized me.
“What? Isn’t that the user from before?”
“That user?”
“The one who obtained a hidden piece at the Training Ground.”
“What? At the Training Ground too? I saw that person get a title at the Butcher Shop as well?”
“Insane—no wonder they caught the rabbit in one go.”
“That user was absolutely ridiculous, wasn’t it?”
“Is he a rookie being groomed by a Large Guild?”
The users chattered away, but I had already heightened my concentration, so their words didn’t reach me.
What others said didn’t matter anyway.
I raised my concentration and recalled only the memories and experiences of the Former Instructor Ghost.
When I first caught the rabbit, I didn’t have the memories and experiences of the hunter Apik.
This time, I intended to maintain the same conditions.
Simply to gauge how much the option change had improved things.
When I opened my eyes again after raising my concentration, I moved.
With a sharp crack, debris scattered from the ground.
My increased speed of movement was due to the heightened agility, but even accounting for that, it was far faster than when I hunted the deer.
It wasn’t merely a 20% increase in movement speed.
Subjectively, it felt like I had gained twice that—a 40% boost.
“Insane?!”
“What kind of speed is that!?”
“Aren’t we all beginners with the same stats!?”
“How is that the same level 1!?”
“Wow!”
Many people watched my movements with admiration—some purely amazed, others shocked, still others trembling with envy.
I continued without hearing their words, gripping the tiger’s fang and extending it toward the rabbit.
Since it was about 10 centimeters shorter than the steel sword, I chose to rush forward and thrust rather than swing.
That’s what the Former Instructor Ghost’s memories instructed me to do.
As I thrust the fang into the rabbit.
Thunk!
The rabbit couldn’t even react before its neck was pierced and its head fell to the ground.
The rabbit’s head tumbled and rolled away like that.
I pivoted and rushed toward another rabbit.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
I thrust precisely at each one, and I could definitely feel the penetration was slightly easier than before.
Was this due to increased piercing power?
In an instant, five rabbit heads rolled across the ground, and five messages appeared belatedly informing me of critical hits and one-hit kills.
I dismissed all the messages and casually sheathed the short sword ‘Tiger’s Fang’.
They say that when people are too shocked, they can’t even speak?
That was exactly the state the users were in right now.
‘What did I just witness?’
‘Is… is that even possible?’
‘Insane….’
‘If there were at least some gap, I could feel envious, but this… what even is this….’
An overwhelming skill that didn’t even inspire jealousy.
While they struggled to catch a single rabbit, desperately chasing after one, someone else moved in a blur and hunted five rabbits in a single instant.
There was nothing to say.
Everyone stopped watching with their mouths shut and resumed chasing rabbits with renewed vigor.
Even if I couldn’t match Sung-hyun’s performance, I wouldn’t give up here!
With that exact resolve, everyone threw themselves back into the hunt.
“Kyaaahhh!!”
“Get moving!”
“Move it!”
“I’m going too, I’m going!!!”
Sung-hyun, who had transformed the hunting ground into a place of fervent activity in an instant, paid it no mind and remained absorbed in examining the options.
‘The effect is better than I expected.’
Movement speed increased by 20% and attack speed by 10%, they said, but it felt like more than that.
Perhaps the two were synergizing together.
Confirming this, Sung-hyun sat calmly and butchered all five rabbits.
My business here was finished.
It was time to return to the village.
There were no more quests, so it was time to leave the Beginner Village.
I should hurry to the next town and level up.
That’s what I thought, but Sung-hyun found myself murmuring with anticipation.
‘The hero Hindel.’
I should find one more ghost before leaving the Beginner Village and Hindel.
If there isn’t one, I’ll leave immediately, but if there is.
‘The memories and experiences of a hero.’
With only the memories and experiences of the Former Instructor Ghost and the hunter Apik, I had already surpassed movements befitting a beginner.
What would it be like to obtain the memories and experiences of the hero Hindel?
That was assuming a ghost existed.
Sung-hyun headed toward the village with eager anticipation.
When Sung-hyun arrived at the village, a notification sound rang from the capsule.
[A voice message has arrived from outside.]
[Sung-hyun, make sure you eat lunch.]
It was the voice of my mother, Lee Na-kyung.
Had it already become lunchtime?
I should eat first and then search.
0.
[The Eternal World awaits you.]
I exited the capsule after seeing the logout message.
I stretched my slightly stiff body to loosen it up.
After spending so much time in the game, I could definitely feel my muscles had grown tense.
It felt like I’d woken from sleep, but the fatigue didn’t dissipate—more like I’d had a rather long dream.
I realized that gaming really did require physical stamina.
‘That’s why my sister exercises too, right?’
Most people who made gaming their profession did the same.
I wondered if I should do the same.
As I stepped into the living room thinking about exercise, an appetizing aroma filled the air.
Sniffing the air, I caught the savory scent of doenjang-jjigae.
Along with fried eggs and my favorite sausage side dish.
There was also napa cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi, true to a Korean table.
Though it was a simple spread, my mouth watered at the sight of home-cooked food.
I’d eaten breakfast, but I was quite hungry as if I’d exercised, so I sat down at the table immediately.
“Oh my? What brings this on, Sung-hyun? Sitting down to eat right away?”
“Ah, I got hungry from playing the game.”
“My, Mi-na said the same thing. I thought she was just using that as an excuse.”
“Mom! I’m serious! Right, Sung-hyun?”
Yoo Mi-na let out a sharp cry when she saw Lee Na-kyung speaking with a smile to her older sister.
I simply nodded and didn’t pay much attention.
Those two had been like this for ages.
As I ignored her and waited, Lee Na-kyung spoke as if denying it.
“Hehe, Mom has to go out, so you two eat together. I have an appointment, you see.”
“Ah, yes. Please be careful on your way.”
“Ah, then you should have mentioned it earlier. We could have prepared the meal ourselves.”
“Hey! If you say things like that, it makes me sound like a bad mother!?”
“Oh my? When weren’t you?”
“Ah! Mom!”
Both Lee Na-kyung and I laughed as Yoo Mi-na let out another sharp cry from our combined attack.
Doesn’t her throat hurt from screaming like that all the time?
“Still, my son has come home after so long—I want to make sure he gets three meals a day~ I ate out on the first day, after all~”
“Still, next time if you have an appointment, we’ll prepare the meals.”
“Oh my, how reassuring you are.”
“No, but then why are you looking at me?”
“Me? What~? Anyway, I’ll be back~ Don’t fight with each other~”
Despite Yoo Mi-na’s words, Lee Na-kyung left her seat unhurriedly and hurried out of the house.
Unlike her usual leisurely and composed demeanor, she quickened her pace, so it seemed she was running a bit late.
Watching my mother leave, I felt slightly concerned and smacked my lips.
“Next time, let’s prepare the meals ourselves.”
“…Understood.”
Now truly struck, Yoo Mi-na answered with a dejected tone.
Watching her, I let out a small chuckle internally before scooping up a spoonful of still-steaming rice and eating my fill.
My sister Yoo Mi-na, apparently quite hungry herself, began eating as well.
As the siblings ate quietly together.
I swallowed what was in my mouth as if I’d suddenly remembered something, then spoke.
“Ah, you were right about that, sister.”
“About what? Ah! Right!? It’s fun, isn’t it?”
“No, not that.”
“Huh? Wasn’t it fun?”
Yoo Mi-na looked at me with slight tension, and I quickly clarified.
“No, it was incredibly fun. Really, it was amazing.”
“Phew! Thank goodness. I mean, nobody ever said Eternal World wasn’t fun! Thank goodness. But then what did I say that was right?”
Yoo Mi-na asked while taking a spoonful of doenjang-jjigae and slurping it down.
I spoke.
“I could see ghosts in the game.”
“PFFFUUUUUU!!!!”
The soybean paste stew broth sprayed out at several times the speed it had gone in, erupting everywhere in an instant.
In that moment, I instinctively recalled the memories of the hunter Apik and quickly dove under the table, managing to evade the spray.
‘Huh?’
Why was this applying in reality too?
I couldn’t react quite as immediately as I did in the game, but it certainly helped with my movements.
My sister Yoo Mi-na, witnessing this, seemed to have choked and coughed while drinking water.
“Puhaa, s-sorry. No, more importantly, what was that movement just now!?! Wow, that was really fast?”
Her voice carried the surprise of someone wondering if her younger brother had always been this fast.
After all, he’d been completely ordinary except for seeing ghosts in the game.
It made sense to be startled by such swift movement.
I stood back up, frowning as I looked at the doenjang-jjigae scattered around.
Yoo Mi-na, reading my expression, laughed with an “aha ha” and pulled out wet tissues to wipe everything up.
“S-so what does that mean? You can see ghosts in the game?”
“Well, I mean, there really are ghosts in the game. Leftover spirits from dead NPCs? Junk data? Something like that seems to remain.”
“Huh?”
“Hmm, but I don’t think that’s the important part.”
“What??? Of course seeing ghosts is important!!! They’d tell you about hidden pieces and stuff, right!?”
Being someone who knew Eternal World well, Yoo Mi-na couldn’t help but be excited.
The various hidden pieces in the game.
She knew very well how significant the difference was between having them and not having them.
If there were a ghost that knew clues about a hidden piece in a situation where there were no hints at all?
You could monopolize it.
But he was saying it wasn’t important!
She figured it must be because I still didn’t know Eternal World very well.
“I can absorb the ghost’s experience and memories.”
“What!?”
Seeing an actual ghost wasn’t what mattered.

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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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