The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 294
3.
“Whew...”
Usually, after spending a long time inside the capsule, you’d come out sore or stiff.
But this time felt different.
His head was throbbing more than his body.
It wasn’t common for the pain to be in his head rather than his body.
He hadn’t even absorbed too much of the soul’s memory—yet this was the first time his head hurt like this.
Who knew a game would require this much thinking.
Still, it wasn’t uncomfortable or exhausting.
‘This is more fun than I expected.’
All the strategizing had paid off.
He had definitively identified which one of the demons had infiltrated the Tower.
There were other clues, but the conversation with the escort knight commander had been the most useful.
Either way, things would be resolved tomorrow.
‘I need to take care of it before the Sword Saint arrives.’
If he did come, the system would likely provide some protection—
—but face-to-face confrontation? That was a different story.
Wasn’t the Sword Saint one of the transcendent beings that even Single Rankers couldn’t handle?
It was best to avoid him entirely.
Seong figured this long and twisted quest would finally end tomorrow.
And when it did—
the natives would get their home back.
And then...
‘If weapons infused with demonic energy were that strong, what must the demons themselves be like?’
Back when he was protecting the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ slums, he couldn’t expose demonic energy.
So he hadn’t sensed it clearly then—
—but thinking about how it enhanced weapons, the demons must be even stronger.
It was clear they were setting a trap.
Still, Seong was confident.
‘Whatever comes next...’
He looked forward to it.
“What are you doing?”
It was his sister, Yu Mina, standing in his room asking.
Seong tilted his head.
They were going to eat dinner together anyway—so why come now?
Even if there was something she needed, she could’ve just said it over dinner.
As he wondered about that, Yu Mina swallowed nervously and said with a serious face,
“You remember Mom’s birthday is on Thursday, right?”
“...Ah!?”
Yu Mina sighed, like she expected that reaction.
Then she nodded as if she understood.
“It’s easy to lose track of time in Eternal World.”
“It’s already that time?”
He checked the dates—she was right.
It had already been 55 days since he started playing.
No wonder his sense of time was off.
“If you're free tomorrow, let’s go buy her a gift.”
“...With you?”
“What? Why not?”
He considered going separately—
—but Mina had good taste.
So Seong gave in.
“Sss... I’m pretty busy tomorrow. If it’s the department store, we’d have to go during the day. How about the day after?”
It was Monday now.
If they went Wednesday, they’d still have time before the birthday.
He figured it would be fine.
Yu Mina checked her schedule on her phone and nodded.
“Okay. Let’s go Wednesday, then.”
“Phew... got it.”
“And don’t forget, it’s a surprise.”
She was making a big deal out of it—
—but a surprise might actually be fun.
So he agreed.
Then Yu Mina said,
“People were talking about relationships lately. I figured something was up—and turns out it was Mom’s birthday.”
“Ah.”
So that’s why she was acting strange...
Was she trying to give him a hint all along?
Maybe this is why people say you should raise daughters.
Seong scratched his cheek, resigned.
All right—he’d try to wrap things up tomorrow, then go to the department store with her on Wednesday.
He wasn’t thrilled about going out with his sister—
—but whatever.
He headed off to eat.
4.
The next day.
The day Seong and Edian were supposed to meet again had arrived.
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Kingdom of Rieskan—
the Sword Saint was busy handling countless tasks, his brow furrowed in frustration.
Ever since the scar was left on his soul, he felt... off.
He’d lost 20% of his original strength.
He should’ve been taking it easy.
But there was just too much to do.
He hadn’t been able to rest properly.
And amidst it all—
‘Something doesn’t feel right.’
Ever since he’d said he would visit tomorrow,
he hadn’t heard a word from those damned demons.
That only made him more anxious.
What if something had gone wrong?
He couldn’t focus on work at all.
‘We have to supply as many demon weapons as possible.’
They were the bare minimum needed to fight against Overpalace.
But now there was no word from the demon placed at the Caliber Tower—the central point of it all.
The Sword Saint stood up.
Becoming a transcendent being meant developing a certain sixth sense.
And that sense was now screaming: something bad was coming.
‘...I’ll have to move up the schedule.’
With that thought, he gave orders to his subordinate.
“We’re heading to Heptarion.”
“...Understood.”
There were still many pending duties—
—but the subordinate couldn’t argue.
If the Sword Saint had decided, that was final.
Saying anything would go against his will.
So preparations began.
The Sword Saint muttered irritably,
‘Overpalace hasn’t made any moves yet...’
They hadn’t shown signs of activity.
He should’ve felt relieved—
but for some reason,
his thoughts drifted to Seong.
Rare though it was—
it had happened.
With that memory, the Sword Saint rose and prepared for departure.
“Sir, everything’s ready.”
The preparations were faster than expected.
The Sword Saint stood.
He needed to see it for himself.
5.
Before the Sword Saint made his move—
Seong—still a newly hired knight at the Caliber Tower—arrived on duty as usual.
And right outside, Edian was waiting.
Seong briefly wondered why someone would wait at the entrance—
—but didn’t think much of it.
“You were waiting here?”
“Yes. You’ve come. Let’s go.”
The tone was stiff and formal, but Seong didn’t find it strange.
He nodded.
Edian looked pleased, nodding back as they headed out into the forest.
Looking every bit the part of a proper mage, Edian climbed alongside Seong.
Whenever monsters appeared, Seong’s Galaxy Sword Dance lit up the surroundings and wiped them out.
Edian seemed more satisfied every time.
After all, the more energy Seong used, the more advantage they would have.
While they moved, Seong watched him and thought—
‘So there’s more than one demon.’
He’d confirmed it thanks to what the natives told him—
—especially the memories absorbed from the ancestors’ souls.
He hadn’t thought much of it at first,
but upon reviewing them in detail, it became clear.
There were three demons in total.
And all of them were male.
That ruled out Serena—
she was suspicious, but not a demon.
He double-checked with ghosts in the Tower.
Back when he first left for the slums,
only one mage had left the Tower at night.
Finally—
‘The knight commander’s comment sealed it.’
Edian was known for insulting and even assaulting his escorts.
But with Seong, he didn’t.
There’s no way he’d hide his foul temper just because Seong was new.
Which meant he had a motive.
And now—
“Let’s go a bit further.”
Edian gestured.
“Yes.”
Seong answered promptly.
Edian was leading him suspiciously deep into the forest.
And Seong already knew why.
‘Trying to lure me into a trap, huh.’
Demons could store their hearts separately.
Helena had added—
—“Looks like he’s leading you to where their real hearts are. With the other two.”
That’s where their power was strongest.
When Seong had first gone to the slums,
he’d been attacked near such a place.
They were planning the same thing now—
an ambush near their hearts.
But why hadn’t he made a move earlier?
Simple.
You couldn’t kill a demon unless you destroyed its heart.
And now they were personally taking him to it.
Why turn that down?
He’d just take what they were offering.
As Seong thought that—
Edian was quietly laughing inside.
‘He doesn’t even realize he’s sticking his head into a lion’s jaws.’
He admitted Seong was a dangerous swordsman.
But if all three demons gathered where their hearts were stored—
no problem.
1-on-1 might be tough—
—but 3-on-1? Different story.
He had no allies.
Even if he did, they wouldn’t be able to enter their territory.
Entry required the demons’ permission.
Plus, the barrier was already set—
—they didn’t even need to activate the sealing power.
They’d filled the area with demonic energy to weaken the swordsman’s power.
It would be easy.
Edian led Seong further in, smiling smugly.
Then—
a strange sensation.
Like passing through a thin sheet of water.
The scenery changed.
Still a forest—
—but dried-up trees and an ashen landscape gave it a desolate feel.
Seong frowned.
And then—
shadows began to emerge.
“Kuhuhuhu, you walked right into it.”
“Welcome to the heart of our domain.”
“......”
Seong remained silent.
Edian used short-range teleportation, reappearing behind the other two—
—and revealed his true form: a shadow-like demon.
Seeing Seong stare at them—
Edian sneered.
“You’re arrogant, knight!!! No matter how strong you are, you’re no match for the three of us!!!”
“Uwaaahahaha!!!”
“HRAAAH!!!”
They shouted as their demonic energy surged—
then activated their skills.
“『Domain』!”
“『Curse of the Blade』!”
“『Weakening』!”
[⚠️ 『Domain』 skill activated: This area is now saturated with negative energy. Any being without demonic energy cannot naturally regenerate Mana or Health.]
[⚠️ 『Curse of the Blade』 activated: All sword-related skills are reduced to 50% effectiveness within this area.]
[⚠️ 『Weakening』 activated: Player 『Seong』’s overall stats are reduced by more than half.]
[⚠️ Negative effects from demonic energy are in effect.]
[⚠️ 『Overload』 partially resists.]
[⚠️ Negative effects are only half-applied.]
Seeing all the debuffs, Seong’s eyes widened.
The demons laughed.
“You won’t leave here alive!”
“Kuhuhu! You’re powerless on your own!”
“With the curse on your sword, you can do nothing!!!”
At their taunts—
Seong muttered with amusement,
“No disruption skill, huh. How thoughtful of you.”
The demons sensed something was wrong.
And then—
a turquoise portal opened behind Seong—
and his servants poured out.
For the first time in a while, he said it aloud—
“You think I’m alone?”
“...???”
“W-what is this?!”
“H-he wasn’t a swordsman?!”
Chapter 294
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