The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 92

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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 92
92
I muttered something absurd that had been trendy once upon a time.
It was just a passing thought, really.
At this point, it seemed fine to say such things.
Yoo Sung-hyun fell into contemplation as he examined the item.
『Skill Promotion Orb』
→《Special》
→A specially crafted item with no known method of creation within the Eternal World at present.
→Possesses six total uses, and each use can elevate a skill’s rank up to Unique grade.
→From Unique grade, three uses can be consumed to promote a skill to Legendary grade.
→Applicable to all skills.
*Disappears upon exhausting all uses.
Since the item description explicitly states it’s a specially crafted piece,
there’s no doubt I won’t be able to obtain another in the future.
I need to think carefully.
Just as I’d considered, I could elevate both Rare-grade skills and the Epic-grade Explosive Poison to Unique.
But wouldn’t it be more advantageous to convert my existing Unique skills into two Legendary ones instead?
I pondered for a moment, then shook my head.
‘Elevating all these skills to Unique is better than lacking two Legendary skills right now.’
Promoting from Unique to Legendary requires three uses.
Meanwhile, Rare to Epic costs one use, and Epic to Unique also costs one use.
In such cases, promoting to Unique is far more efficient.
I suspected the developers had intentionally designed it this way.
They probably anticipated players would fixate on Legendary and limited the Epic-to-Unique promotion to two uses.
‘Surely the developers couldn’t be that careless.’
I casually entertained a thought that would have brought tears to the developers’ eyes, especially Lee Won-sang’s.
Besides, this is my most powerful finishing move available right now.
Strengthening it—
what’s there to hesitate about?
As for the remaining uses, I only have two Epic-grade skills left.
The decision was already made.
With my deliberation complete,
I naturally acted swiftly.
I elevated Corpse Burst and Cadaver Poison from Rare to Unique, and Explosive Poison and Shadow Transfer from Epic to Unique as well.
[You have elevated 『Corpse Burst』 by 2 ranks using the 『Skill Promotion Orb』.]
[The Rare-grade skill 『Corpse Burst』 has been promoted to the Unique-grade skill 『Deathly Explosion』.]
[You have elevated 『Cadaver Poison』 by 2 ranks using the 『Skill Promotion Orb』.]
[The Rare-grade skill 『Cadaver Poison』 has been promoted to the Unique-grade skill 『Resentment Toxin of the Dead』.]
[You have elevated 『Explosive Poison』 by 1 rank using the 『Skill Promotion Orb』.]
[The Epic-grade skill, ‘Exploding Poison’, has been promoted to the Unique-grade skill, ‘Virulent Toxin Burst’.]
[You have used a ‘Skill Promotion Orb’ to promote ‘Shadow Transfer’ by one tier.]
[The Epic-grade skill, ‘Shadow Transfer’, has been promoted to the Unique-grade skill, ‘Shadow in Darkness’.]
‘Wow, watching them all rank up at once is quite a spectacle.’
With this, my Epic-grade skills decreased from 2 to 0, and my Rare-grade skills from 6 to 4.
But my Unique-grade skills, which had only been 3, had now swelled to a remarkable 7.
Now it was time to see the effects.
Even the composed Yoo Sung-hyun opened his skills menu with an expression of anticipation.
First, corpse explosion—no, Undead Burst.
『Undead Burst』
→《Unique》
→[Lv Max][Complete Form]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
→Exclusive skill for the Dark Mage class.
→Infuse mana into a corpse or spirit to detonate dark magic, unleashing devastating damage in all directions.
→The explosion damage is far more effective against living creatures.
“Oh?!”
What had originally applied only to corpses now included spirits, and the explosion damage had gained an additional effect of being more potent against living beings.
Moreover, it had previously been a growth-type skill.
Now it had become a complete-form skill.
I’d need to test its actual power.
Next came the evolution from Corpse Poison to Resentful Toxin of the Dead.
『Resentful Toxin of the Dead』
→《Unique》
→[Lv Max][Complete Form]
[Persistent Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Poison Duration: 1 minute]
→Exclusive skill for Dark Magic practitioners.
→Infuse mana to inject resentful poison into a corpse or spirit.
→The resentful poison spreads gradually, poisoning enemies.
→Resentful Toxin of the Dead is a virulent poison that cannot be easily cured, nor is purification simple.
“Excellent.”
Likewise, a complete-form skill.
And it had become applicable to spirits as well.
It had evolved from poison to virulent toxin.
This too would require direct testing to gauge its true power.
But I could distinctly feel that both skills had grown stronger.
With spirits now included, the versatility had expanded considerably.
Then the final link in the chain.
Evolving from the exploding poison, now it’s time for Virulent Poison Burst.
『Virulent Poison Burst』
→《Unique》
→[Lv 1][Growth Type]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown 3 minutes]
→Exclusive skill for Dark Mage class jobs.
→Detonates poison to further amplify its toxicity, dealing both virulent poison damage and explosion damage simultaneously while spreading the virulent poison.
→The spread virulent poison can trigger another explosion.
“It detonates twice?”
It’s already astounding that it deals both virulent poison damage and explosion damage together.
Now I can trigger the spread virulent poison to explode again.
I’ll need to test the actual damage output, of course.
I couldn’t easily visualize how all three would work together when combined.
And next, Yoo Sung-hyun’s most exceptional utility skill.
The skill evolved from Shadow Transfer into Shadow in Darkness.
I wonder how it performs.
『Shadow in Darkness』
→《Unique》
→[Lv Max][Complete Form]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown 1 minute]
→Exclusive skill for Dark Mage class jobs.
→Envelops the body in darkness and transfers to a nearby shadow.
→Transfer is possible up to three times total, and grants 1 second of invincibility after each transfer. (All three applications included.)
→Cooldown applies after using the third transfer.
‘Three times?’
Previously, I could only transfer once.
Now it’s changed to three times.
But all three transfers grant 1 second of invincibility.
Well, it is Unique grade.
I suppose that makes sense.
But no matter how I think about it, this is incredibly powerful.
With this, the resurrection effect will never need to activate.
If used properly, I could withstand 3 seconds, or perhaps even longer.
All the skills have been promoted to satisfactory levels.
They might even surpass the two Legendary skills.
‘I want to test them out right away.’
My body itched with the desire to use them immediately.
I naturally rose from the Inn bed.
Should I head out and test it?
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as Yoo Sung-hyun was about to leave with that thought in mind.
Someone knocked on the door at that very moment.
“Yoo Sung-hyun? Are you awake?”
A familiar voice.
It was Hindel.
Upon hearing Hindel’s voice, Yoo Sung-hyun immediately opened the door.
“Ah, you were already awake.”
“Yes. I had just woken up.”
“Shall we depart right away then?”
Unless one was a fool, there was no way not to understand where he meant.
The castle where the Helena of the past resided.
The Dark Castle.
There.
“Very well.”
Yoo Sung-hyun answered with a bright smile.
This was a perfectly timed opportunity.
An excellent chance to test my newly evolved skills.
1.
Since it was visible even from Selmas.
The path to the Dark Castle was not particularly long.
However, reaching it was far from easy.
The oppressive aura and dense dark magic that intensified as they approached the Dark Castle hindered Hindel and the party’s advance.
Their pace was not particularly swift.
Except for Yoo Sung-hyun.
“…You truly are remarkable.”
“I know.”
“I thought that with such dense dark magic, it would affect you as well, Yoo Sung-hyun, but it seems that’s not the case at all.”
“…Impressive.”
Everyone acknowledged me as they looked at Yoo Sung-hyun.
Yet I simply smiled faintly.
Rather.
[Exposed to high-purity dark magic.]
[Dark magic with affinity for 『Overlord』.]
[All stats temporarily increased by +5%.]
A phenomenon similar to what happened with Fiora occurred, and my body felt light.
I felt a bit sorry for being the only one comfortable.
But what could I do.
There was nothing Yoo Sung-hyun could do about it.
All he could do was ignore it.
Anyway.
Hindel repeatedly apologized to Yoo Sung-hyun.
“I’m… truly sorry about yesterday’s incident.”
“Not at all. These things happen during sparring matches.”
“Thanks to your advice afterward, I learned a great deal.”
“…?”
Yesterday he thanked me for the enlightenment I supposedly gave him.
Today he says he learned so much.
From Yoo Sung-hyun’s perspective, this was like being hit with a stick while sleeping—utterly nonsensical.
He didn’t understand the reason.
But since he was told he’d been helpful.
He simply lowered his head and accepted it.
As if it were nothing special.
“…Indeed, you impart such profound wisdom yet appear so humble about it. I don’t know where to put myself.”
“Hmm, no.”
Yoo Sung-hyun spoke awkwardly.
Hindel stopped there, but his gaze toward Yoo Sung-hyun remained filled with reverence.
Truly a burdensome person.
Was Hindel the type to be grateful even for trivial things?
Some time passed like that.
Hindel sensed something with his energy perception and cried out urgently.
“Something approaches!”
At those words, Yoo Sung-hyun, along with Flang, Adeline, and Lyaden, prepared for battle.
What appeared next were undead shrouded in black darkness, emanating faint cyan energy.
They were undead of a form familiar to Yoo Sung-hyun.
However.
‘They look like ones made with Add More.’
What gleamed in their eyes showed no intelligence or rational thought whatsoever.
They seemed capable of nothing but mindlessly charging forward.
But that was only natural, wasn’t it?
Everyone was preparing for combat.
Yoo Sung-hyun quickly located the corpses around this area.
The kind of corpses he could use skills on, or spirits.
But he didn’t need to make any particular effort to search.
Perhaps because they were near the Dark Castle?
There were an enormous number of them at a glance.
‘Quite a lot, huh?’
Yoo Sung-hyun simultaneously activated the Death Legion skill along with what was now called Corpse Poison Aura, formerly Corpse Poison.
The Death Legion, engulfed in deep violet light, rises from the ground.
The number of Death Legion that burst through the earth was not particularly large.
Compared to the enemy forces, it was less than one-twentieth their numbers.
However, as that force surged forward to plunge into the enemy ranks,
Hindel cried out, sensing the ominous intent.
“Full defensive barrier!!!”
Simultaneously, Hindel himself unfurled a sweeping defensive barrier wrapped in the Milky Way—a technique that could only be called absurdly overpowered.
Adeline’s defensive barrier reinforcing his utmost effort, combined with Flang’s potions hurled in rapid succession, rendered those barriers far more formidable.
Seeing it still insufficient, Flang wove his own magic to form an additional defensive barrier, and immediately after, Lyaden swiftly summoned spirits to construct a colossal earthen wall from soil and wood.
Moments after they moved with such urgency,
Yoo Sung-hyun snapped his fingers with casual ease, simultaneously triggering two skills through his shadow self.
Corpse Burst and Venom Burst.
The instant the two explosions collided,
countless skulls woven from restless spirits flashed past as if grinning.
After all the heroes felt a chill run through them,
Kwaaaaaaaa———!
Kwagaaaaaaaa———!
Kugugugugugugu———!
Hwaaaaaaaaaa———!
A shockwave swept across the world, engulfing the entire vicinity.
First, the earthen wall Lyaden had created crumbled to dust.
Then, as another shockwave reverberated, the very earth trembled.
Simultaneously, Flang’s defensive barrier shattered.
With both defensive walls obliterated,
only then could they perceive the true form of the explosion.
All the earth overturned, the heavens and earth collapsing as if the world itself was being remade.
Yet that was not the end.
Following that, an unbearable heat descended upon them.
Adeline’s defensive barrier melted away in that inferno.
The final barrier wreathed in the Milky Way also slowly melted under the heat,
but it endured to the very end, allowing them to survive.
Once the heat dissipated, they could finally witness the aftermath of the explosion.
“…This is….”
“Insane….”
“…I’m at a loss for words.”
“…It’s horrifying.”
The shockwave from the explosion pulverized everything in the vicinity, and the heat that followed melted all the finely fractured sand particles, causing the surrounding earth to gleam.
The melted earth rippled like lava in places.
Though not in great quantity,
at the epicenter of the explosion, the earth had certainly succumbed to the heat, with several spots transformed into molten lava.
I could still feel the heat vividly, even now after the explosion had subsided.
But what was far more unsettling than that was something else entirely.
“Oh.”
It was Yoo Sung-hyun, letting out an exclamation of fascination as he observed the spectacle with evident intrigue.
His demeanor suggested he was testing something.
The hero’s party all felt their skin crawl at the sight.
It became clear that he had held back during his battle with Hindel.
What if he had unleashed this full power without restraint in that fight?
Gulp.
Hindel and everyone in the party swallowed hard.
If Yoo Sung-hyun had shown no mercy.
Hindel would not be here now.
Realizing this, Yoo Sung-hyun felt more reassuring than anyone else could be.
Indeed, the world was vast and strong warriors were plentiful.
Bringing Yoo Sung-hyun into their ranks to head toward the Dark Castle had been a masterstroke.
While everyone was thinking this way.
Only Yoo Sung-hyun was satisfied with his own thoughts.
‘The range and power itself are on a different level.’
He nodded contentedly, observing the remnants left by the tremendous bombardment.
With this power, it was certainly better than obtaining two Legendary Skills.
After all, it was a combo—naturally it would be stronger than most Legendary Skills.
Though if two Legendary Skills were linked as a combo, that would be different.
As Yoo Sung-hyun pondered how to use his remaining skills—Doomsday Clock and the title Worst Omen—
Hindel turned his face, painted with shock, toward the Dark Castle.
It wasn’t just Hindel who felt it.
Yoo Sung-hyun sensed it too—a being of a different caliber, wrapped in tremendous dark magic, was approaching.
[The purity of dark magic has intensified further.]
[This dark magic is affinity-aligned with the 『Overlord』.]
[All stats temporarily increase by +10%.]
The concentration of dark magic was denser than when he had encountered Fiora.
Comparing it to the dark magic emanating from the existing Dark Castle, he could tell that a being of similar caliber to Fiora was approaching.
And from that direction, an entity of unknown identity revealed itself.
A being Yoo Sung-hyun had already seen once before.
An existence veiled in darkness—whether male or female, old or young, impossible to discern.
The very one who had sent Yoo Sung-hyun to this past.
“How dare you come this far. I cannot forgive this.”
The entity appeared before Yoo Sung-hyun and Hindel’s party.
A ferocious aura flowed forth, dark magic pressing down on all sides, poised to crush everything.
Boom——!
A mighty enemy’s presence bearing down upon them all.
Hindel’s companions all collapsed as though buried beneath colossal boulders.
“Ugh!”
“Kyaaah!”
“Gack!”
Even Hindel felt a pressure so immense that one knee buckled beneath him.
“Tch… I never imagined it would be this strong…”
Yet amidst such circumstances, Yoo Sung-hyun stood there with unshakeable composure, enduring it all.
Yoo Sung-hyun too should have struggled against such overwhelming hostility.
But his dark magic granted him sufficient resistance to withstand it.
‘This is… absurd? They expect me to overcome this?’
I had constructed this world according to my own level, or so I believed.
Yet even so, it remained formidable beyond measure.
If I summoned all my creatures and unleashed my full power?
Perhaps victory might be possible.
But it is impossible.
I should wait and see.
The Quest’s direction remains unknowable.
“There is one who endures…”
The entity observed Yoo Sung-hyun with momentary surprise, but just as it prepared to escalate its output—
“Hello?”
Amidst that crushing pressure,
a red-haired woman devoid of any tension appeared abruptly, smiling brightly.
Without the slightest warning.
As though she had always been there, perfectly natural to the moment.
The red-haired woman who materialized in that space.
Yoo Sung-hyun found himself speaking without thinking.
“…Helena?”
The Demon King Helena had arrived.

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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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