The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 35

First, after the battle ended, he put all the undead back into the Netherworld.

They were chanting something about loyalty and obedience as they went in, but

He ignored them and put them away.

Next, the rewards?

There were so many rewards that he didn't know what to check first.

He couldn't even grasp it.

Seonghyun was wearing such a satisfied smile.

Jinwoo approached Seonghyun.

"A-Amazing. B-Brother Seonghyun, you were a rookie of the Rapid Guild!?!"

As Jinwoo looked at Seonghyun with wide eyes, full of admiration,

Seonghyun tilted his head.

How did he know?

Suddenly, Seonghyun remembered the video he had sent.

"Ah."

"I saw the video! Wow! Your swordsmanship was amazing in the video, and you're really amazing in person too! I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen the undead!!"

"Hmm?"

That's strange.

Did he ever use a sword directly in that video?

He didn't think so.

As Seonghyun noticed the oddity,

Jinwoo smiled sheepishly.

He seemed suspicious, but there was no hostility.

Should he question him?

As Seonghyun thought so,

"Ah! I have something to do, so I'll be going first! Ah! This is the clear reward! Take it! I didn't do anything, so I feel bad taking it!!"

Saying so, he handed over the clear gold and a book-shaped item.

A book-shaped item dropped in this dungeon?

This was even more suspicious.

As Seonghyun looked at him with suspicion,

Jinwoo disappeared with an "Ahaha" laugh.

What was that all about?

'Judging from what he said, he seemed to know about the Rapid Guild even though he hadn't seen the video.'

The video clearly didn't show Seonghyun using a sword.

He hid the fact that he was good with a sword, let alone remembering it.

But how did he know about the Rapid Guild?

Doubts arose, but

He first looked at the gold and item that Jinwoo had given him.

'50 gold?'

The clear reward was definitely 20 gold.

But he gave him an extra 30 gold.

Since he received a kind of 'carry' and got experience points.

That was understandable.

But no matter how much he looked at the other book-shaped item, he couldn't understand it.

He knew various items dropped in dungeons, but

Did things like this drop too?

『Skill Book - Corpse Explosion』

→《Rare》

→Consumable

→Can only be used by Black Mage class jobs.

→A skill book containing the Corpse Explosion skill.

→Upon use, you can learn the Corpse Explosion skill.

'Hmm. I know skill books are really rare.'

Especially Rare rank skill books, he knew they cost at least several million won.

But to readily give away such a skill book?

It was suspicious, but he felt it was closer to goodwill than malice or hostility.

There was no point in dwelling on it further, as he wouldn't find out anything more here.

If he approached with good intentions, wouldn't they meet again someday?

Thinking so, Seonghyun used the skill book immediately.

[Using the Rare rank skill book, 『Skill Book - Corpse Explosion』!]

[Acquired the Rare rank skill, 『Corpse Explosion』!]

'Oh?'

He hadn't expected to learn Corpse Explosion, the flower of Necromancer skills, so soon.

Seonghyun looked at the skill with quite satisfied eyes.

『Corpse Explosion』

→《Rare》

→[Lv 1][Growth Type]

[Instant Effect][Active]

[Cooldown 3 minutes]

→Black Mage class exclusive skill.

→Injects mana into a corpse to make it explode, dealing powerful damage in all directions.

→Range and damage vary depending on the condition of the corpse.

It was definitely good.

He didn't know the intentions of the person who gave it to him, but

He knew it wasn't ill-intentioned.

Should he take a look at the other rewards?

There were so many that he didn't know where to start, so he first looked at the item he got from clearing the dungeon.

『Hobgoblin Warrior, Adum's Greatsword』

→《Rare+》

→The greatsword used by the Hobgoblin Warrior, Adum.

→The perfect size for a human to use.

→Slightly increases the power of Warrior class skills.

→Slightly increases the effect of Warrior class buff skills.

'Hmm.'

It wasn't great.

While the Rare+ rank wasn't low, it still left much to be desired.

It was awkward for Seonghyun to use, and

He didn't even feel like using it in the first place.

Thinking he should sell it,

He turned his attention to the next reward.

Next was one item from each of the villainous trio.

『Bow of Correction』

→《Rare》

→A bow that slightly corrects Dexterity.

→Using this bow increases accuracy.

→Accuracy increased by 10%.

『Nimble Beginner Pyromancer's Robe』

→《Rare》

→A robe favored by apprentice pyromancers.

→Slightly reduces casting time of fire magic skills.

→Slightly increases the power of fire magic skills.

『Ring of Speed』

→《Rare+》

→A ring containing a mystical defensive magic that takes effect simply by wearing it.

→Movement speed increased by +10%.

→Once a day, it increases the wearer's movement and attack speed by 10% for 10 seconds.

'Oh.'

One bow, one robe, and lastly, one ring.

He didn't need the bow and robe.

He could probably sell those two as well.

But the Ring of Speed was different.

It was a pretty good ring, on par with the Ring of Protection.

It even had a good effect that could be used for quite a long time.

Seonghyun immediately equipped the ring and put the rest in his inventory.

'Is this the last one?'

The class-specific skill that appeared after reaching level 30.

Its name was Monarch's Silence.

The name of the skill alone raised his expectations, and Seonghyun immediately checked the skill's effect.

『Monarch's Silence』

→《Legendary》

→[Lv 1][Growth Type]

[Continuous Effect][Active]

[Cooldown 10 minutes]

[Duration 5 seconds]

I shall mock the living, who will struggle in the swamp of death, slowly succumbing to a curse that cannot be spoken.

→Overlord exclusive skill.

→Silences the enemy, preventing them from making any sound.

→The cursed enemy is afflicted with silence, temporarily sealing their mana.

'Oh!!'

It was a silence-type curse skill.

Or should he say a mana seal debuff?

A skill that could give him a significant advantage over his enemies.

Although the duration was quite short, it was enough to cancel an enemy's skill if used right before they cast it.

5 seconds was enough.

Even if the opponent had high Spirit and resisted, it could seal their skills for at least 2 seconds.

'This is really good.'

Why were all the Overlord skills so good?

He recalled Helena's memories to get a sense of how to use it.

He felt confident that he could use it effectively.

He had to go out quickly because he had a promise with his sister, but

'There's enough time to test this.'

With that thought, Seonghyun smiled and headed out of the dungeon.

Two newly acquired skills and one usable item.

He had to go test them all.

The memory of Jinwoo was already fading from Seonghyun's mind.

5.

A user logged out.

But instead of immediately exiting the capsule, the user turned on Eternal World again.

The character selection screen showed the character named Jinwoo and another character standing side by side.

The user chose the other character.

A magnificent fortress atop a cliff came into view, a flag bearing the symbol of the Wind Spirit fluttering vigorously.

The grand fortress on the cliff was a natural stronghold.

Anyone who saw it would say this:

It was the fortress of the Rapid Guild.

Jinwoo, or rather, Kim Jinwoo, appeared at the impregnable fortress, the base of the Rapid Guild, with a playful smile and a slightly weary shake of his head.

He looked as if he couldn't quite believe it.

A woman saw Kim Jinwoo's expression.

She appeared to be a powerful mage user, judging by her long robe and various items.

She looked at Kim Jinwoo questioningly.

He opened his mouth.

"Wow, that rookie has really good instincts."

"...Good instincts?"

"Yes. He got suspicious as soon as I made a little mistake. There were no problems while I was acting all smiles and friendly."

"Hmm, that's your fault, but noticing it right away definitely means he has good instincts. What about his skills?"

At the woman's words, Kim Jinwoo's playful smile disappeared.

With a serious expression, Kim Jinwoo said in a slightly dumbfounded tone,

"He's top-tier."

"...That good?"

The woman knew well that Kim Jinwoo's evaluations were quite harsh.

But for him to describe someone as top-tier?

Just how skilled was this person?

Unlike Kim Jinwoo, who ran off to check with his alt account, the woman had seen the video.

The overwhelming presence of the undead army was certainly impressive.

The proactive movements that no other undead had shown.

But wasn't it a bit vague to call this skill?

It might be different if it was seen as the performance of his class.

But to say his skills were top-tier?

That expression came from Kim Jinwoo, who was stingy with praise.

"He was so good with the sword that I couldn't believe he was a Black Mage. The undead acted as if they had their own will, and they were praising the rookie."

"Hmm."

"Anyway, this is an absolute secret from Sister Yuna."

"I know. I don't want to get scolded either."

"Whew, then I'll go hunting. I have to work hard if I don't want to get caught by the rising rookie."

As Kim Jinwoo said so and set out to hunt with a serious expression, the woman pondered deeply.

If the rookie was that good...

'It wouldn't be a problem to add him to that team.'

HR Manager Luciel of the Rapid Guild muttered with a slightly impressed look.

[TL/N: The role designation isn’t final and is subjected to change as I get more context]

"Both siblings with such talent. It's unbelievable."

The older sister was a top-ranking player, one of the single-digit highest-ranked players in the world, and the younger brother had a ridiculously high-rank class, and his skills were even recognized by Kim Jinwoo.

It felt like the world was unfair, but what could she do?

Luciel was also in such a position in the eyes of others.

Anyway, the team Seonghyun would join was decided.

'I'll have to assign him to Lunane's team.'

The most promising rookie team in the current Rapid Guild.

That's where she planned to place Seonghyun.

Then, to convince the Guild Master, she had to tell her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

'If I go to Yuna...'

She didn't know what would happen since it was her younger brother's matter.

6.

Although the second village practically forced party play,

That didn't mean there were no hunting fields at all.

Among them, Seonghyun chose a cemetery where Skeleton Mages often appeared.

The best monsters to utilize silence-type curse skills were naturally shamans or mages.

Cemetery fields existed in every village.

Especially from the second village onwards, various types of skeletons appeared.

From Skeleton Mages to Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Archers, and so on.

A place where various types appeared.

There, Seonghyun immediately found a group of skeletons with a Skeleton Mage.

Three Skeleton Warriors, one Skeleton Archer, and one Skeleton Mage.

'Good.'

They made the group this big so that people would party up to fight them, but

Even though there were many, it didn't matter to Seonghyun.

He could have summoned undead from the Netherworld, but even without that, he could handle them alone.

First, Seonghyun clenched a teal spear in the air towards the potentially troublesome Skeleton Archer and immediately threw it.

At the same time, he created and shot a bone arrow.

Whoosh!

Swoosh!

[Critical Hit!]

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

[Critical Hit!]

[Experience points acquired!]

The teal spear and bone arrow, swiftly cutting through the air, immediately struck the archer's head.

Its body crumbled as if it had died instantly.

This was proof that Seonghyun's level and attack power had increased considerably.

But Seonghyun, unfazed, grabbed a sword in each hand.

The Apprentice Hero Hindel's Sword in his right hand.

And the Tiger's Fang in his left.

As soon as he grasped the swords, Seonghyun used the effect of the Ring of Speed.

Snap!

Seonghyun's figure shot forward, even faster than usual.

He cut through the air like an arrow and swung his sword as he approached the Skeleton Warriors.

The skeletons with shields quickly tried to block with their shields, but

Seonghyun, with his teal eyes, swiftly thrust his sword at the Skeleton Warrior.

Although blunt attacks were more effective against skeletons than piercing or slashing, it wasn't that they were completely ineffective.

Seonghyun's sword, drawing a faint blue trajectory, accurately pierced the Skeleton Warrior's wrist.

Thud!

[Critical Hit!]

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

The concentrated thrust was extremely precise, creating a long crack in the Skeleton Warrior's wrist.

And following that crack, the Tiger's Fang also pierced the wrist.

Crack!

[Critical Hit!]

This time, it completely destroyed the wrist, and the shield the skeleton was holding fell to the ground.

With the Skeleton Warrior losing its shield, the other two Skeleton Warriors rushed towards Seonghyun, but it was too late.

Seonghyun struck the Skeleton Warrior's head with the flat of his sword, not the blade.

Bang!

[Critical Hit!]

[Experience points acquired!]

A tremendous destructive power resonated as the skeleton's body crumbled.

Seonghyun was inwardly impressed by the instant destruction.

He had just used the Ring of Speed's effect to increase all his speeds, allowing him to attack faster and increase his power.

The effect was tremendous.

By increasing his speed and applying the principle of 'heaviness' in swordsmanship, he delivered a fast and heavy blow.

This allowed him to crush the head in one go.

At the same time, Seonghyun smiled as he saw the Skeleton Mage chanting a spell towards him.

Finally, a chance to test the skill had come.

Seonghyun pointed his index finger at the Skeleton Mage, brought it to his mouth, and used the skill.

"...Clatter?"

The Skeleton Mage looked at Seonghyun and didn't understand.

Trying to finish the spell without paying attention,

It felt a chilling and eerie aura from its back.

Even though the Skeleton Mage was also undead, it involuntarily turned its head slowly at the aura that was even colder and eerier than itself.

Did something appear behind it?

Thinking so, it looked back.

A figure was standing there.

A shadow?

No, the figure made of darkness had empty sockets where its eyes should be, looking like an abyss.

Endless darkness formed the eyes of the figure made of darkness, and at that moment, the figure pointed its index finger at the Skeleton Mage like Seonghyun and raised its hand to its lips.

- Shh.

At that moment, the darkness surged, holding a teal needle, and approached the Skeleton Mage.

The Skeleton Mage couldn't move its legs as if it had received an irresistible command.

It could only watch the approaching long arm of darkness and the needle, unable to budge.

Soon, the approaching arm of darkness and the long teal needle sewed the Skeleton Mage's mouth shut.

The figure smiled contentedly as if satisfied and disappeared from the spot.

Kekekekekeke!

With a creepy laugh.

"...!!"

The Skeleton Mage felt its mana scattering and becoming immobile, and tried to shout something, but

It couldn't make any sound.

It was literally silence itself.

Seonghyun used a skill on the two corpses next to the fear-stricken Skeleton Mage, the Skeleton Warrior and the Skeleton Archer.

The corpses of the dead Skeleton Warrior and Skeleton Archer began to glow red.

The white bones heated up red, swelling like a volcano about to erupt.

Kaboom!

[Critical Hit!] × 3

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

[Experience points acquired!] × 3

With a tremendous explosion that shook the ground, the two corpses exploded, creating billowing black clouds.

A satisfying sight.

Both Corpse Explosion and Monarch's Silence were quite satisfying.

The effects were exactly as he had imagined.

Perfect skills.

It was like Seonghyun had been given another weapon.

[You have a message from outside.]

- Seonghyun!! We have to go soon!!

His sister's voice.

Ah, had it already been that long?

Seonghyun thought so, and since he was satisfied with the test, he decided to leave.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]