The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 306

The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 306

The strategy the boy had devised was none other than a ghost operation.
The plan was to terrify the bandits using ghosts—or rather, make them believe they were seeing ghosts—so they'd panic and flee.
Normally, bandits wouldn’t run off just because of ghosts. But this worked because the boy was exceptionally clever.
First, he crafted wind flutes that fluttered in the breeze and made them sound like eerie ghostly whispers. He installed them all around to distort the wind’s sound. Then, he placed reflective, glossy materials nearby to cast ominous moonlit reflections.
Everything beyond that was handled by Seong.
But since the boy had hired him, Seong took care of everything that was beyond a child’s capabilities.
‘Well, this is my specialty anyway.’
He used the Lord of the Dead to blot out all light, instructed Serpina to summon a blood-red moon, and summoned the Lord of Fear from the Abyss to project terrifying illusions.
It was the Lord of Fear from the Abyss who made the horse fall ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) from the sky, heightening the terror.
It was a perfect strategy that matched Seong well—easy for someone like him, though it might’ve been significantly harder for other players.
‘Getting bandits like those to tremble in fear isn’t easy.’
Still, it helped that one of them was especially timid, making the plan that much more effective.
That one guy would probably serve as a trigger even if another player attempted this quest later.
Looking at their successful operation, Seong smiled warmly at the boy.
“That was a brilliant plan.”
“Fufu, I am the smartest in the village, you know?”
“Is that so?”
Though it sounded like childish boasting, he really was sharp.
Seong chuckled and nodded.
But then a thought crossed his mind.
What did this have to do with the Lord of the Dead? He tilted his head slightly in confusion.
Then, belatedly, the boy turned to Seong and said:
“You did a great job too, hyung. Oh—come to think of it, I never told you my name.”
“Hm?”
“My name is Will Baghdad. If you ever stop by our village again, come to my house. The village inn isn’t that great.”
“Is that so? Thanks.”
As Seong responded, he looked at the boy—no, Will.
So this kid... was Will, the future Lord of the Dead.
As that thought clicked into place, Seong nodded silently.
Young Will waved his hand wide—
and just like that, Seong vanished from the scene.
So the scenario was ending, and he was about to return from the book. Or so he thought.
But Seong didn’t exit the book.
‘Huh?’
His body had become semi-transparent, suspended in midair.
Seong tilted his head, puzzled.
This looked more like an event cutscene. Was something else about to happen?
As he stood still, waiting, he saw young Will heading back toward his village.
They wouldn’t show him just a normal return home, would they?
As he wondered what was next—a figure emerged from the forest, cloaked in black robes, and blocked Will’s path.
The person looked suspicious from a mile away, and startled, Seong tried to intervene.
But being semi-transparent, he couldn’t do anything.
And then—
“Uh, um? Wh-Who are you?”
Even bold, brazen Will trembled before the robed figure that had suddenly appeared.
Fear—not knowing if harm was about to come.
But the moment the robed person pulled back their hood—
A cascade of thick, luxurious crimson hair tumbled out.
Seong’s eyes went wide. And Will’s did too.
Maybe it was that red hair—but Will’s cheeks flushed pink.
Then the woman with the captivating red hair looked at young Will and spoke.
“What a cute little guy. And smart, too. Wanna become my apprentice?”
“W-Wha???”
“Fufu, if you’re interested, there’s a cabin near the village. Come by. I’ll be staying there for a while.”
And with that, the woman vanished.
Her appearance and words were both highly suspicious. But strangely—Will swallowed hard, as if mesmerized.
Will had recognized that Seong was a good person just by looking at him.
Maybe he sensed the same about the red-haired woman. Will clenched his fists with determination and nodded.
Watching it all unfold, Seong stared. That woman with the red hair—gone now without a trace.
And Seong shook his head in disbelief.
There’s an old saying:
If something strange happens in world history, blame England.
And in Eternal World, if something historical is going on—
—Helena?
—Ahem... well, maybe.
It was almost always her.
Helena let out a dry cough as if to brush it off.
Seong smirked.
Was it Helena again this time?
As Seong considered that, Will returned home.
He got scolded by his worried parents for being out late—but shrugged it off and soon drifted to sleep under the moonlight.
Then, the next morning.
Will, unlike usual, didn’t go about his daily chores. Instead, he headed straight for the forest.
Not toward the place where they’d seen the bandits—but toward a location he'd discovered while playing with the other kids.
The cabin.
When Will arrived, he was greeted by none other than the red-haired Helena.
“Welcome.”
“Um, when you said apprentice... what kind of apprentice did you mean?”
Still as bold as ever, Will asked.
Helena gave a soft smile—then summoned dark mana in front of him, conjuring a wraith.
“What do you think about real ghost-handling power, not just tricks like scaring off bandits?”
“Wh-Wha!? D-Dark magic!?”
Startled, Will recoiled.
Understandably so. Back in this era, dark mages were heavily ostracized.
But Will quickly composed himself. Trusting his instincts, he asked:
“D-Dark mages... they’re not bad people?”
Helena gave a gentle smile at the strange question.
Then asked in return:
“Are all villagers good people?”
“Ah...”
Bright kid that he was, Will understood her point immediately.
Just because someone’s a dark mage doesn’t make them evil. And just because someone’s a villager doesn’t make them good.
Will, realizing this, nodded as if making a vow.
Power to control ghosts—If he had that, maybe he could truly protect the village without harm.
He’d already chased off bandits with trickery. Seeing a real wraith now, he was mesmerized.
It was a means to protect others without hurting anyone. And Helena had come to teach him that.
“To handle the dead, I have to tell you about demons.”
“Demons?”
“Yeah. The roots of this technique come from them. But not anymore. I created a way far better than theirs.”
It sounded a little arrogant. But Will gazed at her with shining eyes.
The meeting of a great dark mage and a village boy. And the book ended there.
Will Baghdad, the Lord of the Dead, as a child...
He was even sharper and bolder than expected.
Seong had somewhat suspected it. When dealing with the bandits, it was the kind of thing the Lord of the Dead might do.
And they did share a few similarities.
But still—
‘I didn’t expect Helena to show up this early.’
—Ahem. I mean, well, it happens.
‘It’s not like you did anything wrong.’
—Still, it’s kinda embarrassing popping up out of nowhere like that...
Well, it was already known that Will had learned from Helena. So it wasn’t exactly surprising.
Just unexpected to see it come up now.
Where would the story go from here?
With that lingering curiosity, Seong emerged from the book.
He looked around—but no hint popped up.
‘Too bad...’
It seemed the next part of the story was in the Legendary-grade section.
Already curious about what would come next, Seong stretched lightly, planning to browse other stories.
That was when the only other player in the Unique-grade library, Babaros, slowly approached.
“Hm?”
Seong noticed Babaros approaching and wondered if he needed something.
Sure enough, Babaros swallowed nervously and asked:
“Um... would it be okay if I asked you for a favor?”
Seong tilted his head.
A favor?
But then he noticed the book in Babaros’s hand—and understood.
Was there a book he couldn’t complete alone?
That made sense.
So Seong responded:
“What kind of favor?”
“Ah!”
Just the fact that Seong was willing to listen brightened Babaros’s face.
Feeling hopeful, he said:
“You met Will Baghdad, right!?”
“Huh? Oh. Yeah, I did.”
“And you saw the ending, too?”
“Yup.”
“T-That’s actually a continuation! Um, I’m sure you noticed—there’s a follow-up story...”
“...?”
Seong tilted his head.
He had been the one searching for the clever village boy, and it seemed obvious there would be a related quest.
Was Babaros unaware of that?
Regardless, he started explaining in detail.
“The sequel is over in the Legendary Library... but I can’t clear it on my own. I-I was wondering if you could help me? I’m really curious about Will’s story...”
Maybe he hadn’t considered all of that earlier, being focused on his own goals.
Seong smirked a little.
And just as he was about to respond—Babaros quickly added:
“I-I’ll pay you!”
“...?”
He was even offering compensation?
“I-I have a book-related class! I can craft skills! I’ll make you any skill you want—up to Legendary grade!”
“...Excuse me?”
What kind of absurdly powerful class was that?
Surprised, Seong swallowed hard, but after a brief pause, nodded.
There were countless skills out there, sure—but if you could custom-make one?
What could be better?
And at Legendary grade, no less.
It would be ridiculous to turn it down.
“Alright. I’m in.”
“Aw yeah!”
Seeing Babaros cheer with joy, Seong let out a quiet chuckle.
To offer a Legendary skill just to read a book together...this guy really loved his books.
Either way, to reach the Legendary-grade,
‘I’ll need to read two more.’
Two more Unique-grade books.
As Seong started looking for another story to read—
“Ah! I’ll recommend some for you. What kind are you looking for?”
“Oh, something fun and efficient for EXP gain, if you’ve got it.”
“You’ve got great taste!”
Beaming, Babaros excitedly began suggesting books.

Chapter 306