The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

3.

Clink!

The sound of glasses lightly colliding echoed as the liquid inside rippled slightly.

Seong took a glance at his glass before downing it in one go, turning his gaze toward the friend sitting across from him.

Lee Geon-dong, his close friend since middle school, mirrored Seong’s action, finishing his drink in a single gulp.

“Ahhh, that’s good.”

“Yeah, it feels great. It’s been a while,” Seong agreed with a contented smile.

Geon-dong looked at Seong with a bemused expression.

“That’s what I’m saying. So you should come out more often.”

Seong smirked and replied, “Call me, and I’ll come.”

“You’ve got a point. Anyway, thanks for celebrating my discharge!”

“Of course, I’ll cover the bill.”

“Oh?! Then can I order the pork neck? It’s seriously amazing.”

“Go for it, eat as much as you want.”

It was a celebration of his friend’s discharge from the military—covering the bill was the least he could do.

With that thought, Seong added more orders and raised his glass again with Geon-dong.

They chatted about various topics, but naturally, the conversation steered toward the hottest topic of the moment.

When guys gather, it’s almost inevitable that gaming comes up.

It was no different for Seong and Geon-dong.

Although Seong wasn’t particularly known for his gaming skills, this time was an exception.

“Man, I had no idea you were that Seong. You’re incredible. Then again, your sister was a national kendo champion, right? She even competed in the world championships?”

“Yeah, she did.”

“Huh. I mean, you didn’t seem particularly athletic back in the day...”

Geon-dong’s comment made Seong chuckle as he reminisced about their school days.

Back then, he’d been practically devoid of athletic ability, a bookworm more than anything else.

It was surprising, even to him, that he had shown such talent in Eternal World.

Still...

“Anyway, congratulations! Seriously!”

Geon-dong’s congratulations were sincere, and Seong felt a peculiar sense of gratitude, responding with a toast.

“Cheers. I’m jealous—you’re living the dream now, aren’t you?”

“Well, kind of.”

“I’ve been playing a bit too, but I haven’t even joined a guild yet. I guess I just don’t have the talent for it.”

Seong tilted his head slightly at the unexpected comment.

He’d known his friend played, but he hadn’t realized he was serious about it.

Feeling a bit guilty, Seong gave Geon-dong an apologetic look.

Geon-dong laughed, noticing his friend’s expression.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that, you jerk! Don’t pity me!”

“Well... sorry.”

“Ah, don’t be. I tried taking it seriously in the beginning, but I dropped it after a while. These days, I just play casually.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Geon-dong raised his glass.

“Oh, by the way, I’m planning to get into video editing.”

“Editing?”

Seong’s curiosity was piqued. Wasn’t Geon-dong a business major?

Video editing seemed like an odd choice.

Seong’s puzzled reaction made Geon-dong grin knowingly.

“Yeah, I didn’t tell you guys, but I dabbled in streaming Eternal World before.”

“What? Seriously?”

It was news to Seong, and his genuine interest made Geon-dong sip his drink, a little embarrassed.

“Well, yeah. You know how video content is a big part of Eternal World? I wasn’t selling live tickets or anything, but I tried uploading videos to make some money. Before the military, at least.”

“Wow, I had no idea.”

Even Seong, who rarely reacted strongly to anything, was visibly surprised, which only made it more obvious.

Acknowledging this, Geon-dong continued, looking sheepish.

“Thing is, my views started going up, but I hit a wall. Without much charisma, I had to rely more on editing to make it interesting. Turns out, I’ve got a knack for editing. When I worked on other streamers’ videos, their views skyrocketed.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Guess I’ve got some talent there.”

It seemed clear that video editing was indeed his forte.

Seong, taking this in, decided to bring up an idea.

“Then... could you edit some of my videos?”

“What? Hell yeah, I’d love to!”

“Our guild doesn’t have any strict contracts about content. As long as the videos are ready, I can send them over. If you edit them, I’ll just submit them to the guild.”

“Dude, thanks so much. This will help me build a portfolio too. Seriously, thank you!”

“Don’t mention it.”

Geon-dong seemed genuinely touched, his gratitude spilling out.

It felt a bit over the top for Seong, who just waved it off and held out his glass.

“Let’s make it work.”

Grinning, Geon-dong clinked his glass against Seong’s, and the two friends spent the rest of the evening chatting and reminiscing.

They talked about school days, games, and everything in between, drinking well into the night.

4.

You know that moment when you wake up and wonder why the smell of alcohol still lingers?

That was Seong’s morning.

“Ugh.”

He sighed deeply, and even his breath seemed to carry the faint scent of alcohol.

At least there was no hangover, so it wasn’t too bad.

His stomach felt fine too, so he got up without much trouble.

”I should just shower and get on with my day.”

As he stepped out to head to the bathroom, his mother, Lee Na-gyeong, greeted him with a smile.

“Oh, you’re up, honey?”

“Yeah, I’m up. You’re up early too.”

“A housewife always wakes up early, you know. And when my son drinks the night before, of course I have to!”

“Cough.”

Her playful jab made Seong clear his throat awkwardly.

Then the aroma of soup wafted through the air, catching his attention.

“Wait, is that bean sprout soup?”

“I added pollock too, so it should be nice and refreshing!”

“Wow.”

“Go wash up. It’s not ready yet.”

“Okay!”

After a night of drinking, waking up to bean sprout and pollock soup was nothing short of luxury.

After a refreshing shower, Seong sat down for a hearty breakfast.

His sister, Yu Mina, shot him the occasional glare, but since he hadn’t done anything wrong, he paid her no mind.

With his stomach full and his mind refreshed, Seong headed straight back to his capsule.

It might seem like the behavior of a game addict, but to Seong, this was his job.

[Welcome back to Eternal World, a realm of endless possibilities and adventure.]

[Player ‘Seong,’ may fortune favor your journey.]

As Seong logged into the game, he surveyed his surroundings.

The barren landscape of Dune Wild Trail remained unchanged.

He still hadn’t leveled up enough to leave this desolate area, which was no surprise.

But he was close now—so close.

”Level 118, huh?”

Just two levels left.

He figured another sweep through a labyrinth-like area would push him over the edge, but finding such a place wasn’t easy.

For now, exploration was the way to go.

With that in mind, Seong immediately opened the Gate of the Netherworld to summon his subordinates.

For combat, he called upon Fiora and Leonic.

For mobility, Anemore.

And for scouting, Noctrynnium.

With this group, exploration wouldn’t be a problem.

“My lord!!! You summoned me!!!”

“Th-Thank you, my l-lord.”

“We are ever at your service.”

“Piieeekkkk!”

The four subordinates bowed and expressed their gratitude to Seong.

Their greetings had become a daily morning ritual.

Mounting Anemore, Seong instructed the others to climb aboard as well.

Thanks to Anemore’s massive size, there was plenty of room for everyone.

With everyone settled, they took to the skies, flying at a pace that allowed for thorough exploration.

Noctrynnium scanned the surroundings with focus, while Leonic and Fiora remained on high alert.

Anemore flew gracefully, ensuring they wouldn’t miss any potential discoveries.

From his perch atop Anemore, Seong looked down at the wasteland below, his mind wandering.

”It’d be nice to find a hidden field like the Knights’ Hall. Monster farming’s fine, but something like that would be better...”

A selfish thought, perhaps, but who wouldn’t hope for something that exciting?

It wasn’t a genuine expectation—more of a casual daydream.

If only Noctrynnium could detect hidden fields or dungeons...

Unfortunately, as a spirit bound to the Dark Castle, Noctrynnium’s abilities didn’t extend to uncovering hidden areas.

Still, its ability to locate clusters of monsters was impressive, even if it left Seong wishing for more.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Noctrynnium tilted its head curiously.

“My lord, there is a human nearby.”

“A human?”

An NPC? Why?

Seong shot a questioning look at Noctrynnium.

“They are traveling alone, my lord. And... they do not carry the aura of an outsider like you.”

“Not an outsider?”

A human NPC wandering alone?

It was unusual, to say the least.

Something about this situation felt off—almost suspicious.

Could this be the start of a quest?

With nothing else pressing to do, Seong’s interest was piqued.

“Let’s head over there.”

He didn’t know who this NPC was, but anyone traveling solo through the treacherous Dune Wild Trail had to be worth investigating.

Anemore nodded in understanding, flying swiftly toward the location Noctrynnium had indicated.

They arrived quickly, thanks to Anemore’s speed.

Sure enough, a humanoid figure was wandering through the desolate terrain.

”Oh?”

A glance at the marker above their head confirmed it—they were indeed an NPC, not a player.

The scent of a quest was unmistakable.

Smiling faintly, Seong guided Anemore to land a short distance away.

He dismissed Anemore to the Netherworld and activated Fiora’s stealth abilities to conceal himself and the other subordinates.

Moving quietly, Seong approached the NPC, careful not to startle them.

The NPC noticed him almost immediately and greeted him warmly.

“Oh! Are you by chance a traveler from another world?”

“Uh... yes, I am.”

“Oh, how wonderful to meet you!”

Seong felt an odd sense of unease.

The NPC’s excitement was suspicious, not because it was overly friendly, but because they showed no caution toward him.

In a place like Dune Wild Trail, where strangers should be wary of each other, their lack of suspicion was bizarre.

Still, Seong decided to play along, observing carefully.

The NPC introduced themselves with a bow.

“Ah, where are my manners? I am Irmi Ups.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Seong.”

“Oh, Seong! You exude such nobility! Are you perhaps a noble?”

“...Excuse me?”

Was this because of his knightly title?

The effects of the title did include receiving favorable treatment and hospitality, after all.

His suspicion lessened slightly as he considered the possibility.

“Well, I’m not a noble—just a knight.”

“Oh, but a knight is as good as a noble, is it not? How extraordinary!”

“Haha, not at all.”

“Such humility! How remarkable.”

The NPC’s flattery was relentless.

Finally, Irmi made a request.

“If you have some time, could you visit our village?”

“Our village?”

The mention of a village piqued Seong’s curiosity, and he asked for clarification.

“Our village is in dire straits due to monsters. We’ve been searching for travelers and outsiders who could help us.”

As soon as Irmi spoke, a system notification popped up in front of Seong’s eyes.

[NPC Irmi Ups is in distress.]

[They have a request for you.]

[Do you accept?]

[Yes / No]

[Accepting will generate a quest.]

A quest?

Something about this felt strange.

”Do quests normally pop up this easily?”

It seemed odd, but Seong wasn’t exactly an expert in standard questlines.

After a moment of hesitation, he shrugged off his doubts.

Even if it turned out to be a trap, it might still be interesting.

A trap laid by an NPC? That could be a rare event.

Without further thought, Seong accepted.

“Of course. It’s a world where we help each other, after all.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Sir Seong!”

Irmi expressed their gratitude enthusiastically as a quest window appeared.

[Quest: ‘A Village in Distress’ has been created.]

‘A Village in Distress’

→ Hidden-Linked Quest

→ Irmi Ups, an NPC wandering the dangerous Dune Wild Trail alone, seeks help to save their village from monsters.

Though Irmi appears genuine, their solitary presence in such a perilous place is suspicious. You decide to accompany them to their village to investigate further.

Restrictions: Available only to solo players in Dune Wild Trail.

Reward: Continuation of the questline.

Even the quest window seemed unusual.

Amused, Seong shook hands with Irmi and agreed to follow them to the village.

”This is getting interesting.”

Seong hadn’t done many quests before, but this one stood out as particularly unique.

Whatever Irmi was hiding, Seong was determined to uncover it.