The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 303
2.
There were more players in the libraries of Seftia than Seong had expected.
Most of them, however, were gathered at the Rare-tier Library.
The Epic-tier books were notoriously difficult, so the majority focused on clearing Rare-tier books instead.
Rare tier was also the most efficient for leveling, making it the most populated.
Of course, there were exceptions—
Rare-tier books that felt as hard as, or even harder than, some Epic-tier ones.
These were often horror-themed.
And those gave a ton of experience.
So early on, many players attempted them.
But that never lasted long.
“Ugh, I just can’t handle horror themes.”
“Difficulty aside, it’s genuinely chilling and terrifying.”
“It came to me in my dreams, man...”
Since this was a virtual reality game, the horror felt too real.
It was like actually experiencing a horror movie first-hand. Even horror movie fanatics found themselves backing away.
Eventually, most players steered clear of such scenarios.
More importantly, the penalty for dying inside the book was a real death penalty. So, attempting them wasn't something you did lightly.
Sure, there were always a few daring souls—but most of them failed rather than cleared it.
So when a certain book appeared in the Rare-tier library, more than a few players gasped.
“What the hell?! Someone... someone actually went in there?”
“They’re «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» crazy! Who the hell would attempt that?”
“Just hearing the summary scared the hell out of me...”
“Did they not read the player warnings about that one?”
The book had floated upward—active, signaling someone had entered. This meant no one else could go in until the previous user finished or failed.
It was also how people knew who was challenging what, and sometimes lines would even form for popular books.
But this one?
This one had everyone freaking out.
The title read:
[The Me in the Mirror Beyond the Window]
From the title alone, it oozed malevolence.
Players began to chatter nervously.
“Isn’t that one of the Forbidden Books?”
“Yeah. Probably the most infamous Rare-tier Forbidden Book.”
“Right, every player who attempted it died.”
“Has anyone ever cleared it?”
“There are rumors, but the ones who supposedly cleared it swore off horror themes forever.”
“And someone just went in?”
Everyone was left shaking their heads in disbelief.
Books that result in a retirement (death) get sealed and returned to the shelf.
So, naturally, they assumed that would happen again here.
Some poor clueless player must’ve wandered in without knowing.
As people resumed what they were doing, another player suddenly shouted,
“W-wait?! No way—look at that!!”
Others turned, confused at first—then startled.
“What the hell?!”
“Did... did they just clear that?!”
The infamous The Me in the Mirror Beyond the Window was glowing and trembling, rising into the air.
No one could believe it.
They had only heard stories, rumors—never witnessed someone actually finish it.
Everyone stared, waiting.
From within the floating book, a player in a black robe stepped out.
The glowing book floated gently into his hand.
Thump.
“Hm.”
The player looked unfazed, flipping the book shut and casually placing it back on the shelf.
No trembling hands, no sign of trauma—just calm and composed.
Some had heard that clearing that book messed with your mind.
But this guy? Totally fine.
People swallowed nervously. It was like watching a horror myth materialize in real life.
One player couldn’t hold back their curiosity and cautiously approached the black-robed user.
“Uh, excuse me...?”
“Yes?”
“You... you just cleared The Me in the Mirror Beyond the Window, right?”
They had to ask, just in case.
The player nodded casually.
“Yes. I cleared it. You planning to try it too?”
“W-what?! N-no! I-I was just curious if you really did...”
“Ah, I see. Well then, enjoy your time.”
With that, the black-robed player walked off as if it were nothing.
People stood there, stunned.
He really did clear it—and looked completely normal.
“W-wait... maybe the rumors were just exaggerated?”
“Y-yeah, maybe it’s not so bad?”
“I... I might try it too.”
“Same here.”
“Let’s party up.”
Several players lifted the book again, emboldened.
But it didn’t take long. Within minutes, the book closed and quietly returned to its shelf—
signaling a total wipeout.
Those watching from the sidelines shook their heads.
The pinnacle of Forbidden Books. Even with a group, it hadn’t lasted long.
Yet—
“That guy... actually cleared it like it was nothing?”
They gulped, unable to comprehend.
Just how skilled was he? Was horror really something you could beat with just skill?
How massive must his guts be...?
As the whispers spread, the black-robed user stepped out of the library and muttered,
“Horror-themed stuff’s not all that fun.”
It was, of course—Seong.
Since he was virtually immune to fear, he'd given the horror book a shot. Sure, it was more difficult than others, but not enough to faze him. He hadn’t found it scary—or even particularly entertaining.
A book that terrified the masses—but to Seong, the true Lord of Fear—it didn’t even register.
Still, the experience gain was great.
Thanks to the horror theme’s bonus, he’d gained three full levels. If he had gone with a regular Rare-tier book, he probably would’ve gained just one.
That was some solid luck.
Next up was the Epic-tier Library.
‘I’ll check the Forbidden Book list at the entrance again.’
As Seong considered this—
Helena spoke up from the underworld.
–Seong... you really are something else.
–What?
–Nothing. I mean, the efficiency is great, sure.
–Right?
She shook her head, unsure what to even say anymore.
Thus began the legend of a new figure whispered through Seftia:
The Forbidden Book Hunter.
3.
Lee Won-sang was still busy, eyes scanning multiple monitors, multitasking as usual.
Ever since he handed over the Galaxy Sword Dance to Seong, things had been relatively calm—but the small stuff just kept piling up.
The Single Ranking Board had changed.
And another user—someone he’d been keeping an eye on—was suddenly thriving like a fish in water.
Lee didn’t oversee the ranking board, so he brushed that off.
But the other one?
That was under his jurisdiction. He scratched his head, clearly conflicted.
“Ssshh... What do I even do with this guy.”
The source of Lee’s frustration?
Barbaros.
The same user who had once crossed paths with Seong in the fifth city—Pentagrid, at Overpalace’s local branch.
Lee had seen it coming.
The problem was Barbaros’ class.
Originally, just another dark mage.
But now?
Lord of Knowledge.
A monarch class that boosted stats with each new piece of knowledge acquired.
Back when he’d met Seong, Barbaros hadn’t gained this class yet. But after completing the difficult requirements in the sixth city, he had.
Since then, he’d been devouring books and skyrocketing in power.
And the growth was faster than expected.
“Things are getting wild...”
His Intelligence and Wisdom stats were already pushing 700 each.
Still not quite on Seong’s level—but objectively, that was still insane.
Fortunately—
‘He’s only interested in reading.’
Barbaros wasn’t running around breaking the game like Seong. He simply read books, and when he was done, hunted a bit and moved on to the next zone to read again.
Which, in itself, was still a headache. But Lee couldn’t do anything about it.
After all, Park Won was the one who designed the class. All Lee could do was monitor it for glitches or patch any that came up.
‘And so far, there haven’t been any.’
So nothing needed fixing.
If Seong didn’t exist, Barbaros would’ve given Lee a migraine. But after dealing with the calamity that was Seong, Barbaros felt almost... adorable by comparison.
Then—
“Uh, sir? They just ran into each other.”
“...Hmm.”
Seong and Barbaros had met again.
Hopefully nothing crazy comes out of this.
4.
On his fourth day in Seftia, Seong saw the following message pop up as he leveled up:
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 237.]
[You’ve read enough Epic-tier books.]
[You now meet the conditions for Unique-tier Library access.]
[You may now enter the Unique-tier Library.]
‘This is fun.’
He was leveling up quickly.
And most of the stories had been entertaining too.
Because each book had its own theme, it was easy to pick the ones that looked interesting. The last few days had felt like actual gaming fun again.
No wonder he reached the Unique tier in just a few days.
Now that Epic was done—he could’ve taken a break.
But—
‘I still have time.’
He had a bit of playtime left before logging out.
It wasn’t much—kind of awkwardly in-between.
‘Maybe I’ll go check out the Unique-tier Library.’
He figured he could use the time to scout out books and make a list for tomorrow.
When he arrived, the Unique-tier Library was noticeably smaller than the previous ones.
Naturally—as tiers increased, the number of books decreased.
‘Huh. No Forbidden Book list anymore.’
That meant very few users had even made it this far.
Inside, the difference was stark.
No players in sight.
Even in the Epic tier, you’d still bump into the occasional person.
Here, it was utterly silent.
Of course.
Epic books had some nasty difficulty spikes—so few made it through.
As Seong began browsing—
A message popped up.
[Traces of the Lord of the Dead remain here.]
The system message gave him no visible cues—but the meaning was obvious.
‘A hint.’
It meant that somewhere here, the Chronicle of the Lord of the Dead could be found.
Just as Seong began wondering if he’d have to scour the whole place—
[Unique-tier story “The Cleverness of a Village Boy” has been marked.]
They even gave him the name of the book.
It would be hard not to find it.
Then again—
‘Even with the name, it won’t be easy to search this place.’
Just as he began looking—a player quietly stepped out from one of the aisles.
He hadn’t noticed anyone else inside.
Looking at the player, Seong and the stranger made eye contact.
Both recognized the other.
“...Oh?”
“Hm?”
It was a reunion:
Barbaros and Seong, meeting once again.
.
!
Chapter 303
Comments