The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 37

2.

Back at home, Seonghyun pondered for a moment while looking at the text message.

A gathering with his colleagues this weekend.

'I won't be attending university anymore, but...'

Now that he was making money through gaming,

He needed to focus on Eternal World.

He had even signed a contract.

It was natural to feel a sense of responsibility.

He was a professional now that he was getting paid.

'And I have goals too.'

He had to fulfill Helena's wish and find traces of Hero Hindel.

There was no obligation or duty to do so, but Seonghyun wanted to.

It was fun, and for some reason, it felt inseparable from him in this game.

Wouldn't it be great to use that as a milestone?

Seonghyun shook his head.

He seemed to be getting lost in thought.

He was thinking about the gathering, but...

'Anyway, I should say I'll go.'

Just because he wasn't attending university anymore didn't mean he wouldn't have any friends left.

Besides, they were people he was quite close with during university.

Even if he quit, his friendships were separate.

Seonghyun replied that he would go.

'I should also meet up with my high school friends.'

Seonghyun was the first to be discharged from the military.

He hadn't been in touch with them yet, but...

'They'll probably contact me when they're on leave.'

Thinking he would see them later, Seonghyun returned home, took a shower, and sat in front of his computer.

While they were eating, his sister had told him that the Rapid rookie video had become a hot topic.

He couldn't quite grasp it, but...

'I should watch it.'

Seonghyun entered the Eternal World community to check the reactions,

And tilted his head.

[Wow, isn't this rookie the best ever?]

『I thought the Demon King had descended or something lol.

And what's with the level of AI?

It doesn't seem like he's giving detailed commands??』

[Likes: 193][Dislikes: 3]

[Comments]

- Seriously, I thought it was the Demon King or something.

- But really, what's with the undead AI? It seems special.

- The level of the undead is different;;;

- Couldn't it be like that if the rank is super high?

- Who was the highest-ranked Necromancer so far?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

└ Immortal King!

└ Was Immortal King Legendary rank?

└ Yeah, but Immortal King's undead aren't this smart lol.

└ Then higher than that?

└ ???: Higher.

Even a simple post, no different from a diary entry, was getting nearly 200 likes.

Seonghyun couldn't understand it.

'Hmm, is that all?'

He knew the video was well-made because he had seen it himself.

He had already watched it before coming here.

It was a realistic and high-quality video.

But was it worth this much enthusiasm?

It was natural for Seonghyun to feel that way.

Not only was he just two days into Eternal World,

But what everyone was watching in the video was just an everyday occurrence for him.

In another community post, people were making a fuss about a rising star appearing in the Rapid Guild.

- Wow lol. Wasn't the Rapid Guild all about live streaming? This will change things lol.

- I wanted to tell them to stop overreacting after seeing the beginner video, but even I was drooling while watching it.

- Shouldn't the Rapid Guild create a video about this on a large scale?

- Yeah, even I think so.

- Even the Rapid Guild is getting an outstanding video creator.

- Yuna hasn't uploaded a single video except for live streams because she hates filming ㅠㅠㅠ.

It was a phenomenon that Seonghyun found hard to understand, but

He did recognize it.

'I guess I'm good.'

He couldn't deny it anymore, but

He didn't know he was at a level where he could receive this much attention.

It felt a bit real now.

He didn't know how to live up to the expectations, so

He decided to leave it to the guild.

He could just do as he was told.

The Rapid Guild was said to be having a meeting about him, so

He could just wait for that.

'My sister and Yoojin will take care of it.'

He didn't know much about such business matters.

It was best to leave it to the two who knew well.

Thinking so, Seonghyun logged into Eternal World.

'I should level up quickly.'

He was only level 30.

He still had a long way to go.

3.

[Welcome to Eternal World, another world, an eternal world.]

[May good fortune be with you, Player 『Seonghyun』.]

As he logged in, feeling the familiar welcome message and sense of floating,

Seonghyun looked around in wonder.

'Hmm, something's strange.'

The place was familiar.

It was where he had last logged out.

But something was strange.

A sense of incongruity.

It was different from the feeling he usually got in Sekan Village.

He looked up at the sky.

'Hmm.'

The weather was clear.

There was nothing that would give him a sense of incongruity.

The village streets were also the same, nothing strange.

But he could clearly feel it.

Something foreign had enveloped this village.

It wasn't an instinctual feeling.

This sensation, he felt it from Helena's memories.

'Black Magic?'

He knew for sure.

This was Black Magic.

More precisely, he could feel the remnants of Black Magic.

But the remnants of Black Magic, which he had never felt in Sekan Village before, suddenly appeared?

Had something happened?

Or was it...

'An event?'

What Seonghyun had done since coming to Sekan Village...

There were quite a few things, but mainly capturing the demonic beast Barpur and catching the malicious users in Adum's Cave.

Those were things that could have an impact.

'Is it because of the demonic beast Barpur?'

Seonghyun thought so as he walked down the street.

Then, with another strange sense of incongruity, he suddenly looked up.

In Seonghyun's line of sight, there was a crow perched on a roof.

An ordinary crow.

But it couldn't fool Seonghyun's eyes.

It wasn't a real crow.

He could feel the dark energy of Black Magic emanating from that crow.

He wasn't sure, but could it be a crow created with Black Magic?

"This is no ordinary crow."

After muttering those words, Seonghyun prepared to summon the Netherworld and draw the Apprentice Hero Hindel's Sword.

He felt something approaching.

As Seonghyun prepared himself,

The crow's beak opened wide, and a human arm popped out from within.

Caw

The crow let out a pained cry as if vomiting.

Its beak opened wider, and soon, a person emerged from the crow's mouth.

A bizarre man wearing a black robe and a crow mask.

But the aura of Black Magic emanating from him was truly overwhelming.

For a moment, he even had the illusion that the air had become several times heavier.

No, it wasn't an illusion.

With an oppressive presence that seemed to crush everything, space tore open to the left of the man, and a doll popped out.

A beautiful doll with pale skin appeared, held by a woman with eyes like a bottomless abyss.

The woman was eerie, with eyes like bottomless pits, devoid of focus or light, her long hair cascading down as she clutched the doll preciously.

And to the man's right, a piece of flesh popped out, bubbling and multiplying as it grew, eventually taking the shape of a human.

A man who looked like a corpse.

Covered in stitches all over his body, he had a human form, yet he felt inhuman, making him incredibly grotesque.

As the three appeared, the concentration of Black Magic pressing down on the surroundings intensified, making it difficult to even breathe.

The air became so heavy that an ordinary person would have suffocated to death if they were here.

In a situation where a fight could break out at any moment, Seonghyun relaxed his grip on his sword and released his battle stance.

For one reason.

'I don't sense any hostility.'

An ability he naturally acquired through gaining the memories and experiences of various Wraiths.

It became easier to grasp the intentions of others.

Especially thanks to Helena's memories.

Above all, he realized that they weren't using Black Magic simply to intimidate, but rather, it was their natural state, unrestrained.

They were formidable opponents.

Even among those in Helena's memories, they would be considered quite skilled.

Against such opponents, escaping or fighting was meaningless.

As Seonghyun calmly observed them,

"Over Palace bows to the rightful successor."

"..."

"Uhihihihi! The true master has appeared!!"

Thud!

The crow-masked man knelt respectfully on one knee and bowed his head, and the doll woman also curtsied with the doll, holding up her dress slightly, and bowed her head.

And the corpse man...

He slammed his head into the ground.

Should that be considered bowing as well?

Anyway, as they expressed their loyalty and withdrew the Black Magic they had been using, greeting Seonghyun,

He couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

He couldn't misunderstand being called a successor or the true master.

He had his suspicions when they said Over Palace had come, but...

'Was Over Palace the organization created by Helena's followers?'

He thought the group that followed Helena would be a secret organization, but

They were openly active.

And that place was Over Palace?

Even Seonghyun, who was only on his second day in Eternal World, had heard of Over Palace.

He looked into it after becoming an Overlord and gaining Helena's memories and experiences.

Over Palace, the mage tower and sanctuary of all Black Mages.

And...

'Wasn't it the strongest organization currently existing in Eternal World?'

Unlike other mage towers that specialized in different fields, this was where all Black Mages gathered.

They boasted overwhelming military power compared to any other organization.

The leader of Over Palace, Black Star, was also known as the first among the Nine Heroes.

So, who would dare to oppress Black Mages?

Thanks to Over Palace, a society where Black Mages were not ostracized was created in Eternal World.

Why had such a powerful organization come to find him?

"We have come to find the successor and deliver this."

The crow-masked man said so and pulled out a letter from his bosom.

A letter sealed in a luxurious black envelope.

Seonghyun blinked and looked at them as he received the envelope, which looked extraordinary at first glance.

The crow-masked man continued,

"This is a letter that Black Star, who oversees our Over Palace, asked us to deliver."

"Did the three of you come all the way here just to deliver this?"

"Please refrain from using honorifics with lowly ones like us. There is no need to address us with such respect."

"..."

"Wooouu!"

The silent doll woman nodded, and although he couldn't understand what the corpse man, whose head was buried in the ground, was saying, it was probably a sign of agreement.

Seonghyun nodded in understanding.

"Alright. But the three of you came here just to deliver this?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"...?"

‘They dispatched this much manpower just to deliver a letter?’

Was it that important of a letter?

As Seonghyun looked at the letter in a daze,

The crow-masked man lowered his head as if urging him to open it right away.

It was a bit awkward to just leave it like this, so

Seonghyun immediately opened the letter.

It was written in an elegant script.

『To our dear successor,

Our Over Palace is a place built to be dedicated to the Overlord.

Now that the rightful successor has appeared,

It is time to prepare to offer the palace.

Although we are eager to offer it to you immediately, there are still things we have yet to obtain for the successor.

There are sacred arrangements bestowed by the previous Overlord and our god, Helena.

The compass enclosed in this letter will guide you to these arrangements as you gain the appropriate power.

Please do not mind and collect the arrangements.

This humble Black Star conveys this to the successor.』

"...?"

Wasn't this too excessive?

The letter implied that he wasn't the rightful successor until he collected all of Helena's remaining arrangements, yet they were so devoted.

Seonghyun, feeling bewildered, held the compass that he couldn't understand how it fit in the envelope.

[You have acquired the class-specific item, 『Overlord's Compass』.]

[The 『Overlord's Compass』 is not yet responding.]

[Class-specific quest not generated.]

[The first condition for use is level 50 or higher.]

'Hmm.'

So it generates class-specific quests.

He was wondering how he would find the arrangements that even Helena's memories couldn't locate.

It was this kind of system.

As Seonghyun was about to fold the letter,

He saw that it wasn't over yet.

What's this? Is there more?

『As an aside, the Hero's successor is said to be a resident of this village, unlike the successor.

I dare not say that a mere Hero could compare to the successor, but I have conveyed this information in case it might be of interest to you.』

This was quite unexpected information.

The new Hero successor was a resident of this village.

In other words,

'There's an NPC with the Hero class here.'

A Hero.

An NPC with the very class that Seonghyun had originally intended to acquire.

His curiosity was piqued.

Just what kind of person were they?

As Seonghyun grew curious,

The crow-masked man, seeing Seonghyun's reaction, took out something else.

And with a seemingly frustrated tone, he said,

"I lament that I can only offer this meager gift, despite my desire to provide much more for the successor's growth."

"..."

"Wooouuung!"

Tears of blood even flowed from the doll held by the doll woman next to the crow-masked man, and she wiped the doll's tears.

The corpse man also roared as if wailing.

He was already grateful for the compass, and they were giving him more.

Yet, they apologized for only being able to give him this much.

He was thankful just to receive anything.

As Seonghyun looked at them with a perplexed expression,

The crow-masked man, trembling as if in genuine regret, handed him a book.

'A skill book?'

A skill book was a valuable gift indeed.

He was overjoyed when he received the Corpse Explosion skill just a while ago.

This was more than enough.

[Received Legendary rank skill book, 『Skill Book - Add More』 from Over Palace envoy Karls.]

"???"

No, this seemed to be beyond enough.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]