The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 288
6.
"Good job!!! Thanks to you, we secured enough materials!"
"You worked hard as well, Lady Serena."
"Yeah! I'll call you again next time!!!"
Seong and Serena, having been out for a long while, finally returned.
Not only had they gone to the mine, but they also stopped by a few other places to gather more materials.
As a result, Serena was thrilled to have collected so much, and Seong, who had gained more experience points and leveled up significantly through the missions, was just as happy.
[You have reached Level 229.]
During the last tournament, he had been frustrated by the lack of experience gains.
But this time, the missions provided a steady stream of experience, allowing him to level up quickly.
They had completed four missions together with Serena.
Thanks to that, his level had shot up rapidly.
According to Serena, compared to other escort knights, he had finished the tasks much faster.
She had even tipped him a little in gratitude.
It seemed that because Seong completed the missions so efficiently, Serena was able to finish her work comfortably.
Thinking that, Seong returned to Caliber Tower.
There, he found the Guard Captain welcoming him back more warmly than expected.
"You're back???"
"Yes? Ah, yes. I just returned after completing Lady Serena’s mission."
"Ohohoho."
The Guard Captain somehow looked deeply moved.
Seeing the odd reaction, Seong tilted his head in confusion.
"A-Ah, no, no. Welcome back."
"...T-Thank you?"
"Ahem. You've done well today. Go get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes. Understood."
Well, he had logged in pretty late today anyway.
Better to stop here for now.
If he pushed too hard on the first day, it might look suspicious.
Besides, both the Guard Captain and Serena seemed to have taken a good liking to him.
He wanted to investigate the tower a little more, but he hadn’t found anyone suspicious yet.
There was always tomorrow.
There was no need to rush.
With that, Seong logged out and left Caliber Tower.
Shortly after—
"...A new recruit has arrived?"
A sudden presence.
Recalling something from earlier, the Guard Captain immediately responded.
"Yes? Ah, Sir Edean, you’re here."
Edean.
Unlike Serena, he was a mage the Guard Captain found rather uncomfortable, and he quickly stood up to greet him.
A mage with neatly slicked-back hair and glasses.
He had a very clean and composed appearance.
He was nearly as famous within Caliber Tower as Serena.
Of course, no mage was known for having a calm personality.
But Edean was notorious even among them for being particularly sensitive.
"I see. So?"
"Ah, yes. A new outsider recruit has arrived."
"A mage?"
"Eh? No, a knight-class swordsman."
"Hmm."
Edean tilted his head, as if sensing something strange.
The Guard Captain swallowed nervously, wondering if he was about to pick a fight over nothing again.
But Edean didn't pursue it and simply stated his business.
"I see. I’ll need two escort knights. I have to go to Wishium to obtain corrupted fairy powder."
"Ah, understood. I’ll prepare immediately."
"Good. I'll wait."
With that, Edean stepped outside, muttering meaningfully.
"A new recruit... at a time like this..."
His voice was unsettling, but soon enough, Edean seemed to dismiss the thought and moved on without much concern.
7.
Coming out of the capsule, Seong stretched his stiff body and muttered.
"Whew. That could’ve been worse."
His fatigue from yesterday’s fight with the Sword Saint hadn't fully dissipated.
He had wanted to take it easy today.
Fortunately, the missions hadn’t been too difficult.
Finding the demons could be done slowly.
He decided to approach things more leisurely for now.
Although, if it took too long, he figured he might get bored.
Still, a bit of peace and quiet wasn’t a bad thing.
If something shady were happening, it would most likely be in the magic tower's underground areas.
‘Would an escort knight even have access to the underground?’
From what he had heard, escort knights rarely went missing.
Sometimes people shirked their duties, but even then, it wasn’t considered a disappearance.
If demons were involved, there should’ve been cases of people vanishing due to human experiments and the like.
He had hoped for such clues, but the romanticized notion faded quickly.
Were there really demons here?
Doubts started creeping in.
Still—
‘Better investigate anyway.’
Even if Heptarion wasn't a popular city, there should still be information somewhere.
With that in mind, Seong opened the community forums.
As expected, they were still buzzing about his fight with the Sword Saint.
He felt a little embarrassed, but he had gotten used to it by now and brushed it off easily.
He started searching for the information he wanted.
However—
‘Hmm.’
Even after digging around for missing persons or any suspicious leads...
[Title — This Boring City lol Worst Scenario Ever]
[Author — Lost in Dungeon]
『Seriously lol
Is there anything worth mentioning in Heptarion?
Such a boring city;;;
The scenarios are just normal stuff about knights and magic towers, nothing exciting;;
At best you can buddy up with some tower mages, but they’re all research nerds, so still boring.』
[QuestMaxer : lol sorry but it's suspiciously boring there.]
└ [Lost in Dungeon (author) : lolol I stayed there for over a month thinking there might be a hidden quest, I'm a legend;;;]
└ [Killed by Mobs : You suffered~]
└ [Party Load : lol if there was anything, someone would’ve bragged about it already.]
└ [Lost in Dungeon (author) : lolol I gave up right away.]
"Hmm."
So this was the limit of what could be found online.
There was no mention of demons.
Not even monsters tainted by demonic energy.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Seong realized—
Well, just because he searched didn’t mean something would magically appear.
He would have to investigate on his own.
Thinking that, he turned off the computer.
Just then—
"Guys~ Dinner’s ready~"
"Ah."
Seong suddenly remembered they had planned to eat together tonight.
Every Friday, they gathered for a family meal.
Tonight, his mother, Lee Na-gyeong, had prepared dinner.
As Seong headed out, his sister, Yu Mina, and his father, Yoo Gwang-jin, were also coming out.
In the midst of that—
"Hmm, how’s everything going?"
"Eh? Ah, I’m taking it easy."
His father, Yoo Gwang-jin, asked out of genuine curiosity about how his son’s work was going.
Seong answered and smiled softly.
They were truly a close-knit family.
While eating together,
his father looked pleased to hear Seong was pacing himself with work, but his mother, Lee Na-gyeong, watched Seong and Yu Mina happily eating and spoke °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° with a worried tone.
"Whew, it’s good that you’re making money and doing well~ but if you just stay home every Friday and weekend~ when are you going to meet people~"
"Cough!"
"Hack!"
The blow landed like a critical hit.
Both Seong and Yu Mina choked as if hit by a fatal strike.
Thankfully, they both quickly covered their mouths, avoiding a disaster with the food.
Seeing this, Yoo Gwang-jin looked at his wife and said,
"Ahem, let the kids handle it."
Though deep down, he was probably pleased to have his children close to home,
Lee Na-gyeong didn’t seem satisfied.
"They need to date if they’re going to get married someday~"
"They’re not even at that age yet... not really... why worry so much?"
"Still, dating is important..."
"You’re gonna make them choke."
"Ahem."
With the sudden whirlwind of comments, Seong and Yu Mina exchanged bewildered glances.
Why was this turning into a dating discussion so suddenly?
Thankfully, their father intervened, and Lee Na-gyeong finally quieted down and resumed eating.
What the hell was that?
That was the expression on Seong’s face as he looked at his sister.
Honestly, he hadn't been going out or making plans much lately.
But was it really serious enough to worry like that?
‘I’m only twenty-two, and my sister’s twenty-five...’
Were they already at the age to be nagged about dating?
On the other hand, they had been staying home gaming all day.
Maybe it was understandable.
This sudden concern was a first, though.
Seong cautiously spoke up.
"I’ll try to make some plans."
"Oh hoho, that’s good~ It’s important to see friends once in a while~"
Pleased with his response, Lee Na-gyeong smiled and glanced at Yu Mina.
Yu Mina flinched and shouted.
"I-I do meet friends!?"
"Are you talking about Yujin~?"
"...Yeah."
"Good, good~"
"..."
Though Lee Na-gyeong said it as if praising her, for some reason, it hit Yu Mina hard, and she clutched her chest as if wounded.
Really, this family was something else.
Seong thought so as he quietly continued eating.
Then, he glanced at his somewhat deflated sister and asked,
"Ah, noona, do you know anything about Heptarion?"
"Heptarion?"
At the mention of the game, Yu Mina immediately perked up.
Seeing that, Lee Na-gyeong and Yoo Gwang-jin chuckled softly.
It seemed she still preferred games over real-life worries.
"You're talking about that boring city, right?"
"Yeah, that one."
After thinking for a bit,
Yu Mina said as if recalling something.
"Ah, it’s not exactly Heptarion, but around that area, there have been a lot of weapons tainted with demonic energy found, right?"
"Demonic weapons?"
"Yeah yeah. It’s been quiet recently, but there were like five cases? And thinking about it now, after what you said, Seong, it might be related to Caliber Tower. Since that place specializes in enchantments."
"Ohh."
That made a lot of sense.
It wasn’t perfect information, but still.
'So demons are making cursed weapons.'
After all, the place he detected five instances of cursed weapons was Caliber Tower.
It made sense.
But still — would they really be conducting such experiments inside the tower?
'Maybe somewhere else...?'
8.
The capital of the Kingdom of Rieskan.
There, the Sword Saint looked down with displeasure at the fallen Hero.
Still an unqualified fool.
Frowning deeply, he stared at his disciple, who had neither formed a proper spirit nor imbued even the slightest intent into his sword.
Rather than training, the boy didn’t even seem to be trying.
Despite having talent enough to be chosen as a Hero.
"That’s enough for today."
"Ugh... Th-Thank you..."
The Hero barely managed to respond, filled with faint hostility.
The Sword Saint cursed inwardly.
Having suffered spiritual damage, the Hero could only grow more anxious and unstable.
Should he scrap his plans involving the Hero?
The thought crossed his mind.
His irritation boiled over.
‘The demons need to mass-produce cursed weapons.’
It seemed he would have to apply more pressure.
Thinking that, he considered—
‘Maybe I should go to Caliber Tower myself.’
.
!
Chapter 288
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