The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

4.

The pool-villa pension they’d booked in Sokcho was laid out as a cluster of multiple villas gathered together.

The buildings looked newly built and stylish, and each villa had its own front-yard swimming pool—overall, a very high-quality place to stay.

On top of that, a short drive away there was a beach, so the location was excellent, and they offered various services, making it look all the better.

The only question was whether they could rent out such a nice place in its entirety.

Of course, that had already been handled.

It was summer, peak season, but they’d arranged things in advance and been told that with a little extra on top they could rent everything, so there was no problem.

Anyway, the villa they’d arrived at looked very nice, and Seong and the others were all smiling.

“I thought the photos were Photoshopped to look better, but it’s exactly like them.”

“For real. It’s pretty....”

“Wow, how did you even find a place like this?”

“It’s not famous yet, so I think that’s why we could rent it out? They said it hasn’t been long since it was built.”

“Aha.”

At An Yoo-jin’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Well, otherwise there’s no way they could’ve reserved it this easily.

Even in peak season, if it wasn’t packed, that would make this possible.

While they were briefly admiring the place, Seong and Lee Geon-dong spoke up.

“Should we unload first?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

They wanted to check how far the beach was, too, but everyone agreed that unpacking came first.

They had reserved two villas total—side by side—and they were originally meant to be booked together as a suite set.

So they parked in front and the men and women went into separate buildings.

Then—

“Wow. This is insane.”

“It’s way too big for just the two of us.”

There were at least three rooms, each with a bed.

And although it was a duplex, it had floor-to-ceiling windows, so the vibe was very bright.

It did feel a bit hotter because of the huge windows in summer, but once the A/C was on, that was quickly covered.

With the penthouse-like feel, Seong and Geon-dong each took a room and unpacked.

The upscale image of the villa had them both chuckling in surprise.

“This place really is nice.”

Once Geon-dong finished unpacking, he came out, muttering that as he looked around.

Seong finished unpacking too, came out to look around, and nodded. ℴℴ𝘮

It definitely felt like some high-end penthouse—they admired it and stepped out into the yard.

Outside, by the pool, there were sunbeds like benches, and even a grill for doing barbecue—perfect.

It felt like something you’d see in an American drama or movie—pretty impressive.

“Wow, the view from each level looking down is great.”

“The scenery’s no joke.”

It looked like the place had been built by cutting into the mountain, so the view was excellent, and at a glance you could even see the sea—a full view, very satisfying.

While Seong and Geon-dong were outside looking around, the women finished unpacking next door and came out, saying,

“Should we go check out the beach first?”

At that, Geon-dong and Seong turned their heads; Yoo-jin was speaking from the yard that connected right over.

Seeing Yoo-jin like that, Geon-dong grinned and nodded.

“Sounds good.”

“We’ll head right over.”

“Okay! We’ll come out too!”

With that, Yoo-jin went back in.

Seong glanced at the grinning Geon-dong and smirked.

They looked like a well-matched pair, he thought, and he headed from the yard toward the entry.

The women had all come out.

Since this was the guild’s summer vacation, they assumed they’d be playing at the beach, so they needed to check how far it was.

They were about to say “let’s go to the beach,” when suddenly—

“After the beach, should we hit a big supermarket?”

They’d left in a hurry, so they hadn’t done any grocery shopping.

He remembered they needed to shop, too.

When Yoo-jin said that,

“Wouldn’t the market be fine?”

“Oh? I like the idea of the market.”

“I think the market would be better.”

“The market’s good.”

Everyone said to go to the market instead of a big supermarket.

That seemed better, so Yoo-jin nodded.

When Yoo-jin moved to drive,

Geon-dong stepped up and said,

“You drove up to here, so I’ll take the wheel.”

“Mm, should you?”

They’d set the insurance so anyone could drive and still be covered, so it didn’t matter.

Since Geon-dong was being considerate, Yoo-jin smiled, pleased.

Then Yu Mina glanced around and said,

“Then I guess I’ll have to sit in the third row—I can’t wedge myself between couples~”

At that, Yoo-jin and Yoo-bin whipped their heads around and glared at Mina, but Mina didn’t care and added,

“Life’s rough when you’re solo~”

“Ugh.”

“Honestly.”

Yoo-bin just made a weird noise because there wasn’t much she could say, and Yoo-jin sighed and shook her head.

Seong watched the scene with a grin, and Geon-dong looked a little embarrassed.

Anyway—as Mina said, she moved from the passenger seat to the third row, and the passenger seat became Yoo-jin’s.

How long did they drive?

After about twenty minutes, they reached the beach.

“Hmm, it’s not as close as I thought.”

“Still, if it’s twenty minutes?”

“If we don’t hit lights, it feels like late teens—like under twenty.”

“Yeah, sounds right.”

When they arrived at the nearby beach and everyone got out, the blazing sun and rolling waves spread before them, and seeing the sea must’ve lifted their moods—everyone was smiling.

It felt like it had been a long time since they’d come to the ocean.

Mina said,

“Since we’re out here, want to get sashimi and head back?”

“Mm, already?”

“It’s almost three. If we’re going to splash around in the pool and then eat dinner later, it’s better to eat now, isn’t it?”

They all nodded, thinking Mina had a point.

There’s that saying about eating before grocery shopping, too.

Everyone nodded at Mina’s suggestion, and instead of the places right by the beach, they searched for something a bit farther away.

“You never go to the sashimi places right by the beach.”

“Right.”

“You might get ripped off.”

“Oh? How about this place?”

“Oh? Your foodie radar hits different.”

Looking at the sashimi place Geon-dong found as they chatted, the rating was quite good, and more than anything, the photos in the reviews looked mouthwatering one by one.

When Seong gave a thumbs-up,

Geon-dong smiled, pleased.

“Then let’s go.”

With that, Geon-dong drove them to the restaurant. The side dishes and dishes themselves were excellent, and they praised his foodie radar for a good while.

After that, they went to the market to buy things for a barbecue dinner.

They grabbed simple snacks to munch on, and of course picked up a bunch of alcohol, which couldn’t be left out.

They bought a reasonable amount of seafood to grill with the meat, too, which ended up being quite a lot, but since Mina and Seong could put away an incredible amount, no one was worried.

And if they had leftovers, they could eat them for breakfast or take them home.

With no big worries, they headed back to the lodging.

5.

By the time they finished sashimi and a quick meal, did the shopping, and got back to the villa, the sun was already beginning to sink.

Seeing the sun tangling with the afterglow, you could say it put you in a sentimental mood for some reason.

Yoo-bin felt that way, too.

You’d think she’d be tired after eating and riding around in the car, but she must’ve had a lot of fun—she looked satisfied.

As she did, she glanced toward where Seong was.

She could see Seong, looking out the car window.

Fwoooh.

Was it a face that made you tremble just looking at it?

He was so handsome that Yoo-bin clutched her fluttering chest and pretended to look away for no reason.

It wasn’t just because he was handsome that ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) she liked Seong.

It was everything—his skill, the many sides he’d shown—and then on top of that, that face.

What can you do.

Think about it—if some top-tier heartthrob also played games perfectly, who wouldn’t fall for that?

It was a combination that drove not only women but men crazy, too.

For Yoo-bin, who didn’t have much resistance to men, it was fatal.

Honestly, even for Yoo-bin—but if Yoo-jin, Mina’s friend, hadn’t known Seong since he was young, even she might not have had it easy.

Anyway, with that secretly fluttery feeling about coming on this trip together, Yoo-bin returned to the villa.

It had only taken twenty minutes on the way over, so even with a stop by the market, it really didn’t take long to get back.

“We’re home!”

“It’s a villa.”

“Same difference. We’re going to swim, right?”

When Seong nitpicked Mina’s wording, Mina shot back the question.

At that, Seong nodded.

“I brought a swimsuit.”

“Great, then let’s all change into swimsuits and meet at the pool!”

Since these were suite-grade villas, the two units shared a pool, and it was really big—no problem for playing around.

When Mina said that, everyone headed back to their places, and Yoo-bin went in and looked where her swimsuit was among the bags she’d unpacked.

Then—

“You’re going to wear the one we picked, right?”

“Uh? R-really wear it?”

“Why? You don’t like it?”

When Mina said that, Yoo-bin wavered at actually putting it on, and watching her, Yoo-jin tilted her head.

Then, when Yoo-bin, hands trembling, pulled out the swimsuit—

“Pfft!!!”

Yoo-jin couldn’t help but spit out the water she was drinking.

At the rather provocative swimsuit, even as she sputtered water, she looked at Yoo-bin with eyes full of envy.

At her unni’s gaze, Yoo-bin’s eyes trembled, and Yoo-jin said,

“Hey, that’s the kind you can wear because you’ve got the body for it!!! Have me try it on!”

“I’d look like a kid.”

“Yeah—wait, what did you just say?”

“Pfft. Nothing—anyway, let’s change and see.”

Bickering like that, Yoo-jin and Mina went into their rooms.

With trembling eyes, Yoo-bin stared at her swimsuit, then made up her mind and changed.

It was indeed a pretty provocative swimsuit, and once she put it on, it felt even bolder.

Still—

’Compared to in the game...’

In the game, thanks to the effect of the Primordial Barbarian, the more skin you showed, the stronger you got, so it was extremely revealing; thinking of that, this was just a swimsuit, so wouldn’t it be fine?

With that thought, she looked in the mirror.

Just as Yoo-jin said, her figure and height were long and slender, so it looked quite good.

Only—

’It makes me look too heavy because of my chest...’

Even thinking that, Yoo-bin decided to step out anyway. When she did, the sisters hadn’t come out yet—still changing, it seemed.

Feeling a little shy, she peeked out into the yard to see if anyone was there.

Sure enough, Seong was outside.

Seeing Seong’s muscular body—something you couldn’t tell when he was dressed—

“Gasp!?”

“Hm?”

Startled, Yoo-bin swallowed hard, and at the sound, Seong turned his head and looked at her.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Seeing Seong smiling so brightly, Yoo-bin felt her vision go swimmy.

That face and that body—she didn’t know where to put her eyes and was flustered, and Seong, looking at her, said,

“Come to think of it, we didn’t bring the gear, so I’ll go grab it.”

“Y-yes.”

Saying that to Yoo-bin and turning around, Seong was thinking much the same thing.

’I... have no idea where to put my eyes.’

He looked calm, but when it’s someone you like and a swimming pool, the impact is something else.