The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Chapter 37

2.

Back at home, Seonghyeon stared at the text message, contemplating.

A get-together with classmates this weekend, huh.

He wasn’t planning on continuing his studies at the university.

Now that he was making money through gaming, he needed to focus entirely on Eternal World.

Especially since he’d signed a contract.

With money involved, professionalism was expected.

And for Seonghyeon, there were clear goals to pursue: fulfilling Helena’s aspirations and tracing the footsteps of Hero Hindel.

There were no obligations forcing him to do so—it was purely what he wanted.

The game itself was enjoyable, and for some reason, it felt deeply intertwined with his life.

Turning these goals into milestones seemed like the right path forward.

Shaking his head, Seonghyeon realized he was overthinking it.

He’d been pondering the meet-up, after all.

“Alright, I’ll go,” he decided.

Not attending school didn’t mean relationships had to end.

These were friends he’d been close with while attending, and friendships were a separate matter.

Replying that he would attend, Seonghyeon added to himself:

I should also catch up with my high school friends sometime.

Being the first to finish his military service, he hadn’t heard from them yet.

Maybe they’ll reach out during their leave.

Pushing the thought aside, Seonghyeon returned home, showered, and sat down at his computer.

Earlier, during lunch, his sister mentioned how the Rapid Rookie video was causing a stir.

Though it didn’t feel real to him, he decided to check it out.

Opening the Eternal World community, Seonghyeon’s brows furrowed as he scrolled through the posts.

[Wow, is this the best rookie ever?]

『I thought it was a demon lord descending or something.
Also, what’s up with that undead AI? He doesn’t even seem to give detailed commands?』

[Upvotes: 193 | Downvotes: 3]

Comments:

“For real, it’s like a demon lord showed up.”

“Seriously though, what’s up with the undead AI? They look so advanced.”

“Those undead are on another level.”

“Doesn’t this happen if the grade is super high?”

“Who was the best necromancer before this?”

“The Immortal King!”

“Wasn’t the Immortal King legendary-grade?”

“Yeah, but even his undead weren’t this smart.”

“So… higher than legendary?”

“??? It’s above that.”

Even casual posts like this one were receiving close to 200 upvotes, leaving Seonghyeon bewildered.

Is it really that impressive?

He’d already seen the video and knew it was well-made.

But was it worth this level of excitement?

To Seonghyeon, all of this felt natural—it wasn’t extraordinary to him.

Another post highlighted the Rapid Guild’s newfound rising star, sparking even more discussion.

“Haha, wasn’t Rapid Guild’s focus just live broadcasts? This changes everything!”

“I wanted to dismiss it as beginner hype, but I drooled watching that video.”

“Shouldn’t the guild make more videos like this?”

“For sure. It’s incredible even to me.”

“Finally, Rapid Guild’s got a big hit on their hands.”

“Yuna never liked doing broadcasts, so there were barely any videos aside from live streams. Too bad.”

Seonghyeon struggled to understand the hype but acknowledged one thing:

I guess I’m pretty good at this.

He hadn’t thought about it before, but seeing the community’s response made it undeniable.

While he wasn’t sure if he could meet such high expectations, he decided to leave that to the guild.

They knew what they were doing.

After all, they were holding meetings about him even now.

Yoo Mina and Yujin-noona will handle it.

Trusting his sister and her colleague to deal with the professional aspects, Seonghyeon launched Eternal World.

“I need to focus on leveling up.”

At level 30, there was still a long way to go.

3.

[Welcome to another world, the eternal world—Eternal World.]

[May fortune favor you, Player 『Seonghyeon』.]

The familiar welcome message greeted him as he logged in.

As his surroundings materialized, Seonghyeon glanced around in confusion.

Something feels off.

The location was familiar—it was where he’d logged out last time.

But something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t the usual atmosphere of Sekan Village.

Looking up at the sky, he noted the clear weather.

“Hmm.”

The streets, too, appeared normal.

Yet, there was an unmistakable sense of unease, as if something foreign was enveloping the village.

This wasn’t an instinctual feeling.

It was something he recognized through Helena’s memories.

“Dark magic?”

He realized immediately.

This was the lingering presence of dark magic.

Why had it suddenly appeared in Sekan Village, where he hadn’t sensed it before?

Could something have happened?

Or was it an event?

Seonghyeon considered what he’d done in the village: capturing the beast Barfur and defeating malicious users in Adum Cave.

Both actions could have had consequences.

“Maybe it’s because of Barfur?”

As he wandered through the village, another strange feeling made him look up.

A crow perched on a nearby roof caught his attention.

At first glance, it was an ordinary crow.

But Seonghyeon’s keen eyes weren’t deceived.

It wasn’t real.

He sensed the dark energy emanating from it

“A crow created by dark magic, huh?”

Muttering to himself, Seonghyeon prepared to summon the netherworld and drew Hero Hindel’s sword.

Something was approaching—he could feel it.

As he readied himself, the crow’s beak split wide, unnaturally so, and an arm burst forth from its mouth.

Cawww—!

The crow let out a tortured cry, as if vomiting the arm in agony.

The crow’s beak stretched unnaturally wide, and eventually, a man emerged from its maw.

Clad in a black robe and wearing a mask resembling a crow, the man exuded an overwhelming aura of dark magic.

The air grew heavy—no, this wasn’t an illusion. The oppressive atmosphere weighed down on everything, as if intending to crush all beneath it.

To his left, space itself tore apart, and a doll-like figure emerged.

It was a pale, porcelain-like doll, held tightly by a woman with lifeless, abyss-like eyes. Her disheveled hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her cold, expressionless face was haunting.

To his right, a single piece of flesh wriggled into existence, bubbling grotesquely before swelling and forming the figure of a man.

This man, stitched together like a patchwork corpse, radiated an unnatural aura. His ghastly appearance seemed more monstrous than human.

With the three figures assembled, the density of dark magic thickened further, making it almost impossible to breathe.

An ordinary person would have suffocated in this air, crushed under its weight.

Yet despite the suffocating presence, Seonghyeon released the tension in his grip, lowering his sword.

There was only one reason.

“I don’t sense any hostility.”

Thanks to the memories and experiences of various ghosts—especially Helena—Seonghyeon had developed the ability to discern intent.

The trio’s display of dark magic wasn’t meant as a threat; it was merely their natural state, unrestrained and unrefined.

Their sheer power was undeniable. Among the individuals Helena had encountered, these three were undoubtedly exceptional.

Whether fighting or fleeing, neither would have mattered against opponents of this caliber.

Seonghyeon’s calm demeanor as he assessed them caused the masked man to speak.

“Overpalace humbly bows before the rightful successor.”

“…”

“Uhihihihi! The true master has appeared!”

Boom—!

The crow-masked man knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply.

The doll-wielding woman curtsied gracefully, lowering her head as well.

The stitched man? He slammed his head into the ground.

Does that count as bowing?

Regardless, all three expressed their allegiance as they withdrew their oppressive dark magic, restoring the air to its usual state.

Their display left Seonghyeon dumbfounded.

Successor? True master?

He’d suspected as much when they mentioned Overpalace, but still…

“So the organization Helena’s followers founded… was Overpalace?”

He’d assumed her followers operated in secret, yet they were openly active—and as Overpalace, no less.

Even in just two days of playing Eternal World, Seonghyeon had learned about Overpalace through Helena’s memories and his own research.

The organization was revered as the tower and sanctuary of all dark mages, the strongest faction in the game.

Unlike other mage towers divided by disciplines, Overpalace united all dark mages, boasting overwhelming power.

Its leader, the Black Star, was even recognized as one of the nine great heroes.

Thanks to Overpalace, dark mages were not persecuted in Eternal World.

And now, this formidable organization had come looking for him.

“We’ve come to deliver this to the rightful successor.”

The crow-masked man produced a letter from his robes.

The envelope was a luxurious black, sealed with an ornate emblem.

Even at a glance, it was clear the letter was no ordinary message.

Seonghyeon blinked at the envelope before looking back at the man.

The latter continued speaking.

“This letter is from the Black Star, the caretaker of Overpalace.”

“The Black Star sent three of you just to deliver a letter?”

“Please refrain from addressing us with honorifics. We are unworthy of such respect.”

The doll-like woman nodded silently, while the stitched man mumbled something unintelligible with his head still buried in the ground.

Seonghyeon sighed and nodded.

“Fine. But the three of you came here just to deliver this?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Seonghyeon frowned.

Sending three individuals of their caliber to deliver a single letter seemed excessive.

Just how important is this letter?

As the masked man bowed slightly, urging him to open it, Seonghyeon hesitated briefly before breaking the seal.

The letter was written in an elegant, old-fashioned script.

『To our dear successor,

Overpalace was established as a palace to serve the Overlord.

Now that the rightful successor has appeared, it is time to prepare to present the palace.

Though we are eager to serve you immediately, there are sacred arrangements left by our god, Helena, the previous Overlord.

Enclosed with this letter is a compass. It will guide you to these arrangements as you gain the appropriate strength.

Please, accept and retrieve these sacred arrangements.

This humble servant, the Black Star, presents this to you with utmost respect.』

Seonghyeon stared at the letter, his expression unreadable.

The tone was far too reverential.

According to the letter, he wasn’t yet the “rightful” successor until he gathered all of Helena’s arrangements.

Yet, their reverence was unwavering.

Pulling out the compass mentioned in the letter, Seonghyeon studied it curiously.

[You have obtained the job-specific item, 『Overlord’s Compass』.]

[『Overlord’s Compass』 is not yet active.]

[No job-specific quest has been generated.]

[The first activation requirement: Level 50 or higher.]

“So it generates job-specific quests.”

It seemed the compass would guide him to Helena’s arrangements, which even her memories couldn’t locate.

Closing the letter, Seonghyeon noticed there was more written at the bottom.

『Additionally, it seems the descendant of a Hero resides in this village.

While a mere hero cannot possibly overshadow the successor, I thought you might be curious and decided to share this information.』**

The descendant of a Hero?

In other words, an NPC with the Hero class was in Sekan Village.

The class Seonghyeon had initially sought for himself was held by someone here.

His curiosity piqued.

As he considered this, the crow-masked man stepped forward and presented something else.

“It pains us greatly that we can only offer such a meager token to aid the successor’s growth.”

Even the doll-wielding woman’s toy seemed to shed bloody tears, which she wiped away gently.

The stitched man let out an anguished roar as if lamenting their inadequacy.

Seonghyeon felt both grateful and slightly overwhelmed by their fervor.

Finally, the crow-masked man handed him a book.

[You have received a Legendary-grade skill book, 『Skill Book – Add More』 from the envoy of Overpalace, Carse.]

“???”

This wasn’t just a token.

It was far beyond what Seonghyeon had expected.