The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Chapter 35

After the battle, I first sent all the undead back to the netherworld.

They uttered cries of loyalty and obedience as they returned, but I ignored them and sealed them away.

Now, it was time for the rewards.

There were so many that I didn’t even know where to start.

Seonghyeon wore a satisfied smile as he contemplated the abundance.

Just then, Jinu approached Seonghyeon excitedly.

“W-Wow, Seonghyeon-hyung, you’re a rookie from the Rapid Guild?!?”

Jinu’s wide-eyed amazement caught Seonghyeon off guard.

Seonghyeon tilted his head. How does he know that?

The memory of the video he had sent out popped into his mind.

“Ah.”

“I watched your video! Wow! Your swordsmanship was incredible even there, but seeing it in person—it’s amazing! If it weren’t for the undead, I might not have realized it!”

“Hmm?”

That was odd.

Didn’t the video deliberately avoid showing me wielding a sword?

At least, that’s what I remembered.

As suspicion crossed Seonghyeon’s mind, Jinu gave a sheepish smile.

He seemed suspicious, but there was no sense of hostility or malice.

Should I press him?

Just as Seonghyeon considered it, Jinu spoke up.

“Oh! I have something I need to do, so I’ll be heading off first! Here’s the clear reward! I didn’t do anything to earn it, so it feels wrong to just take it for myself!”

With those words, Jinu handed over the clear gold and a book-like item.

A book as a dungeon reward? That’s unusual.

Seonghyeon looked at him with suspicion, but Jinu just laughed nervously and disappeared.

What on earth was that about?

Judging by what he said, it’s as if he knows I’m from the Rapid Guild without even watching the video.

The video didn’t show me wielding a sword.

I had deliberately kept my swordsmanship hidden.

Then how did he know about the Rapid Guild?

As curiosity brewed, Seonghyeon decided to examine the gold and item Jinu had handed over first.

50 gold?

The clear reward was clearly listed as 20 gold.

Yet, Jinu had added 30 more on top.

Since I’d received a sort of power-leveling assistance from him, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

But the book-shaped item was much harder to understand.

While dungeons did drop a variety of items, this was unexpected.

『Skill Book – Corpse Explosion』
→《Rare》
→Consumable
→Usable only by dark mage-class professions.
→Contains the skill Corpse Explosion.
→Using it grants the Corpse Explosion skill.

Hmm. I’ve heard that skill books are extremely rare.

Especially rare-grade skill books, which are worth at least several million won.

And yet, Jinu had handed one over so casually?

While it was suspicious, I sensed goodwill rather than malice.

There was no point in obsessing over something I couldn’t solve now.

If it was an act of goodwill, we’d meet again someday.

With that thought, Seonghyeon promptly used the skill book.

[You have used the rare-grade skill book 『Skill Book – Corpse Explosion』!]
[You have acquired the rare-grade skill 『Corpse Explosion』!]

Oh.

To think I’d learn Corpse Explosion, often called the signature skill of necromancers, so soon.

Seonghyeon gazed at the skill with satisfaction.

『Corpse Explosion』
→《Rare》
→[Lv 1] [Growth-type]
[Instant Cast] [Active]
[Cooldown: 3 minutes]
→Dark mage-class exclusive skill.
→Infuse a corpse with mana to make it explode, dealing massive damage in all directions.
→The range and damage depend on the state of the corpse.

It was undoubtedly a powerful skill.

Though I didn’t know Jinu’s motives, it wasn’t given with ill intent.

Now, what other rewards awaited?

With too many to sort through, Seonghyeon decided to check the items obtained from clearing the dungeon first.

『Hobgoblin Warrior Adum’s Greatsword』
→《Rare+》
→The greatsword wielded by the hobgoblin warrior Adum.
→Perfectly sized for human use.
→Slightly increases the power of warrior-class skills.
→Slightly enhances the effects of warrior-class buff skills.

Hmm.

It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.

Despite being Rare+, it wasn’t particularly appealing.

It wasn’t something I would use, nor did I feel any urge to.

I’ll just sell it, Seonghyeon thought, turning his attention to the next reward.

The next items were from the three villains.

『Bow of Correction』
→《Rare》
→A bow that slightly compensates for the user’s dexterity.
→Using this bow increases accuracy.
→Accuracy +10%.

『Robe of the Quick Novice Pyromancer』
→《Rare》
→A robe favored by apprentice pyromancers.
→Slightly reduces casting time for fire magic skills.
→Slightly increases the power of fire magic skills.

『Ring of Speed』
→《Rare+》
→A mysterious ring imbued with defensive magic that activates upon wearing.
→Movement speed +10%.
→Once a day, increases all of the wearer’s speeds by 10% for 10 seconds.

Oh.

A bow, a robe, and a ring.

I had no use for the bow or robe, so they’d be sold as well.

But the Ring of Speed was different.

Comparable to a defensive ring, it was an excellent item.

With effects that could be useful for a long time, I immediately put it on and stored the rest in my inventory.

Now for the last reward.

Having reached level 30, I’d gained a class-specific skill: Command of Silence.

Just from the name, I felt a thrill of anticipation as I checked its effects.

『Command of Silence』
→《Legendary》
→[Lv 1] [Growth-type]
[Continuous Effect] [Active]
[Cooldown: 10 minutes]
[Duration: 5 seconds]
May the living drown in the mire of death, cursed to silence.

→Overlord-exclusive skill.
→Imposes silence on enemies, rendering them unable to make any sound.
→Cursed enemies fall into a state of silence, temporarily sealing their mana.

Oh!!

A silence-type curse skill!

More precisely, a debuff that sealed mana.

It could grant a significant advantage in battle.

Though the duration was short, using it right before an enemy cast a skill could cancel their action.

Five seconds was enough.

Even if the enemy resisted with high mental strength, it would still seal their skill for at least two seconds.

This is incredible.

Overlord skills were all remarkably powerful.

Recalling Helena’s memories, I already had a grasp of how to use it effectively.

I couldn’t wait to test it.

While I had a promise to meet my sister, I still had enough time to experiment.

With a smile, Seonghyeon left the dungeon.

Scene 5

A user logged out of the game.

But instead of exiting the capsule, they immediately reopened Eternal World.

The character selection screen appeared, displaying two characters: Jinu and another unknown figure.

The user selected the second character.

Suddenly, a grand fortress atop a cliff came into view, with flags bearing the emblem of the Wind Spirit billowing in the wind.

The fortress was an impregnable natural stronghold.

Anyone who saw it would recognize it immediately.

It was the stronghold of the Rapid Guild, an unbreachable bastion.

Jinu—no, Kim Jinu—appeared there, his mischievous smile fading into an exasperated shake of his head.

It was as if he was acknowledging a challenge he couldn’t handle.

Watching him, a woman in a long robe adorned with various magical items, clearly a high-level mage, tilted her head as if to ask what was wrong.

Kim Jinu spoke.

“Wow, that rookie’s instincts are sharp.”

“…Sharp instincts?”

“Yeah. The moment I slipped up, he grew suspicious. I’ve been playing dumb and acting goofy this whole time, and it worked—until now.”

“Hmm, that was your mistake, but figuring it out so quickly does mean he’s sharp. How about his skills?”

At the woman’s question, Kim Jinu’s mischievous smile turned serious.

With a solemn expression, he responded, almost in disbelief.

“He’s on another level.”

“…Really?”

The woman knew Kim Jinu well.

His evaluations were notoriously harsh.

For him to describe someone as “on another level”?

She couldn’t imagine just how skilled this newcomer must be.

Unlike Kim Jinu, who had tested the newcomer firsthand by logging in with an alternate character, the woman had seen the video.

The sheer dominance of the undead army was impressive, with each undead displaying extraordinary movement and precision.

But calling that skill?

It could be chalked up to the power of the profession itself.

Yet, for someone as critical as Kim Jinu to describe his abilities as “on another level”…

“How skilled is he with a sword that I didn’t even realize he was a dark mage? Even the undead acted like they had minds of their own, praising the rookie as if he were some deity.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, let’s keep this from Yuna-noona, okay?”

“Got it. I don’t want to get scolded either.”

“Phew, then I’d better get back to hunting. If I don’t keep grinding, this new rookie might surpass me.”

Kim Jinu said with a serious expression as he left to hunt, leaving the woman deep in thought.

If the rookie is that good…

“He’d have no problem joining that team.”

Lucille, the personnel officer of the Rapid Guild, muttered to herself with a touch of amazement.

“Two siblings with this much talent—it’s almost unfair.”

The older sister was a world-class ranker, consistently in the single-digit top-tier rankings.

The younger brother had a profession so rare its rank couldn’t even be quantified, with skills that even Kim Jinu acknowledged.

The world truly wasn’t fair.

But Lucille herself was someone others would call privileged, so she could hardly complain.

In any case, Seonghyeon’s placement was decided.

“I’ll assign him to Luna’s team.”

The Rapid Guild’s most promising rookie team would be a perfect fit for Seonghyeon.

Of course, she’d have to convince the guild master of this decision.

“If Yuna finds out…”

Since it involved her brother, who knew how things might turn out?

Scene 6

The second village practically forced party hunts, but that didn’t mean hunting fields were nonexistent.

Seonghyeon chose one of those fields—a graveyard where skeleton mages occasionally appeared.

The perfect monsters to test silence-type curse skills on were, of course, shamans or mages.

Every village had a graveyard field.

From the second village onward, the variety of skeletons increased significantly.

Skeleton mages, warriors, and archers—there was no shortage of options.

Spotting a group of skeletons, including a skeleton mage, Seonghyeon smiled.

The group consisted of three skeleton warriors, one skeleton archer, and one skeleton mage.

Perfect.

These groups were designed to encourage party play, given their numbers.

But the numbers didn’t matter to Seonghyeon.

He could summon undead from the netherworld, but there was no need. He could handle them on his own.

He began by focusing on the most annoying opponent—the skeleton archer.

Gripping a turquoise spear conjured from thin air, Seonghyeon hurled it at the archer while simultaneously firing a bone arrow.

[Critical Hit!]

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 has been triggered!]
[Critical Hit!]
[You have gained experience points!]

The turquoise spear and bone arrow struck the skeleton archer’s head simultaneously.

Its body shattered instantly, proof of Seonghyeon’s increased level and attack power.

Without pause, Seonghyeon drew two swords.

In his right hand was Hero Hindel’s Sword, and in his left, Tiger’s Fang.

As soon as he gripped the blades, Seonghyeon activated the effect of the Ring of Speed.

[Speed Ring Effect Activated!]

Moving faster than usual, Seonghyeon closed the gap to the skeleton warriors in an instant.

The warriors raised their shields to block, but Seonghyeon’s glowing turquoise eyes locked onto them.

He thrust his sword straight at the first warrior’s wrist.

Skeletons were vulnerable to blunt damage rather than piercing or slashing, but that didn’t mean they were immune.

Seonghyeon’s precise strike left a long crack in the skeleton’s wrist.

Following up, Tiger’s Fang struck the same spot, shattering the wrist entirely and sending the shield clattering to the ground.

The remaining two skeleton warriors rushed in, but it was too late.

Seonghyeon slammed the flat of his sword into one warrior’s skull.

[Critical Hit!]
[You have gained experience points!]

The skull shattered with a resounding crack, leaving the skeleton crumbling to the ground.

Seonghyeon marveled at the power boost granted by the Ring of Speed.

By combining enhanced speed with heavy strikes, he had achieved devastating results.

Turning his attention to the skeleton mage, Seonghyeon grinned.

Finally, an opportunity to test his new skill.

Raising a finger to his lips, Seonghyeon activated Command of Silence.

The skeleton mage paused mid-incantation, unable to comprehend what Seonghyeon was doing.

A dark, chilling aura emanated from Seonghyeon, filling the mage with dread.

Even as an undead creature, the mage felt an unnatural, overwhelming presence behind it.

Turning slowly, the mage saw a shadowy figure crafted from pure darkness.

Its hollow, abyss-like eyes met the skeleton mage’s gaze as it mimicked Seonghyeon’s gesture, raising a finger to its lips.

-Shhh-

The dark figure extended a shadowy arm, holding a glowing turquoise needle, and approached the mage.

Rooted in place, unable to move or resist, the mage watched helplessly as the needle sewed its mouth shut.

A chilling, satisfied smile spread across the shadow’s face before it disappeared.

[The target is silenced.]

The skeleton mage’s mana scattered, its casting sealed.

Frozen in fear, the mage could do nothing as Seonghyeon targeted the corpses of the fallen skeleton warrior and archer.

[Activating 『Corpse Explosion』.]

The two corpses glowed red-hot, their bones swelling like volcanoes ready to erupt.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion shook the ground, engulfing the remaining enemies in a cloud of black smoke.

[Critical Hit!] ×3
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 has been triggered!]
[You have gained experience points!] ×3

Seonghyeon admired the scene.

Both Corpse Explosion and Command of Silence performed exactly as expected.

With these new skills, he felt armed with even greater tools of destruction.

[You have received an external message.]

-Seonghyeon! It’s time to head out!-

It was his sister’s voice.

Ah, has it already been that long?

Satisfied with his testing, Seonghyeon decided it was time to leave.