The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Chapter 29

0.

At the far eastern edge of the Persville Plains.

The serene forest whispered under the gentle breeze, its scent saturating the air, creating a tranquil and idyllic scene.

The chirping of birds filled the surroundings, while the persistent hum of crickets emphasized the natural stillness of the woods.

Far in the distance, a towering cliff bathed in sunlight shimmered brilliantly, completing the picturesque view.

This peaceful and calm eastern forest of Persville Plains…

Was suddenly consumed by chaos as black smoke rose high, followed by an enormous inferno that devoured the area.

The once-gentle breeze fanned the relentless flames, replacing the forest’s fragrance with the acrid stench of burning wood.

The ferocious fire silenced the crickets and birds, consuming everything in its path.

Crackle. Crackle.

Fwooosh!

Amid the inferno, a goblin with green fur, skin, and a stubby build stood with its crimson eyes fixed on the blaze.

Then came their guttural commands.

-Kerrk! Kekek! (Kill them all!)

-Kehhk, Kahhhrk! (Burn it all to the ground!)

-Kehuuk, Kahrhhk! (Purify everything for our master!)

Wielding shadows and exuding a teal glow, the undead cut down the desperate goblins with ruthless precision.

Amidst the chaos, a figure emerged from the flames.

The shadow-cloaked undead, who tore through the inferno, knelt in reverence before the figure as if worshipping a deity.

-Kikikik! Kerrrrkhu! (Ahh! Our great master!)

-Kerrrk, Pahhrhu! (Our magnificent lord!)

-Kehhak, Kehhrhuk! (We bow before you!)

Seonghyeon, the master of these undead, scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Was this for real?

‘Are they seriously worshipping me…?’

Even from an objective perspective, it seemed like some dark cult had swept through the goblin village.

And why did they start a fire in the first place? Seonghyeon couldn’t make sense of it.

Sure, it made the hunt more efficient, but they could have easily wiped out the goblins without burning everything down.

He decided not to dwell on it—thinking about it too much would only give him a headache.

At least the primary goal was achieved.

His level.

[You have gained experience points!]

[Level up!]

[You have reached level 20.]

‘Finally.’

He was now eligible to move to the next village.

But leveling up wasn’t the only thing he’d been waiting for.

In Eternal World, players gain new skills every 10 levels.

At level 10, players usually transition into a new class, so they don’t immediately gain a skill.

The first opportunity for a new skill comes at level 20.

Seonghyeon, excited and curious, wondered what skill he would receive.

As he waited with anticipation, the long-awaited message appeared.

[Upon reaching level 20, a new skill for the job 『Overlord』 is unlocked.]

[You have acquired the Almighty-grade skill, 『Underworld』.]

“Oh?!”

Seonghyeon was genuinely surprised.

He had expected a Legendary-grade skill, but not an Almighty-grade one.

The first reason for his astonishment was the skill’s rarity.

The second was its name.

‘Underworld?’

The name alone reminded him of Vegron’s vaunted level 30 skill, Mortuary, which stored undead.

Curious about its effects, Seonghyeon immediately opened the skill window for Underworld.

『Underworld 』
→《Almighty》
→[Lv 1][Growth-Type]
[Passive Effect][Complex]

“Praise the Lord of Death, the ruler of the deceased and the vengeful spirits, who await in this place. Those who honor their lord will find eternal bliss here.”

Exclusive skill for the Overlord class.

Allows storage of the Legion of the Dead in the Underworld, fully restoring their health and preserving them.

Summoning or returning undead from the Underworld consumes no mana.

Undead corrupted by the Aura of Death can also be stored in the Underworld.

Undead stored in the Underworld grow very slowly.

‘…What?’

The skill’s effects were beyond impressive—they were absurd.

The fact that summoning and storing undead didn’t consume mana was already incredible.

But the last effect was even more outrageous.

“Undead stored in the Underworld grow very slowly.”

Storage skills like Mortuary typically only served to hold undead.

They were especially useful in areas without corpses to raise as undead.

But this skill allowed the stored undead to grow stronger just by being stored?

Posting about this online would likely lead to a flurry of accusations to not ruin the balance.

“Hah.”

Even Seonghyeon was at a loss for words.

Looking at his undead soldiers, who continuously drained his mana, Seonghyeon decided to test the skill immediately.

The goblin undead soldiers numbered 15.

He envisioned sending them all into the Underworld.

-Kehrhk! (We will see you again, our lord!)

-Kehhkkehrhk! (We pledge ourselves only to you!)

-Kehhrrhk! (For our great master!)

Teal portals materialized behind the goblin undead soldiers as they uttered their praises, and they were sucked inside.

Seemingly accustomed to the process, they entered the portals without resistance, disappearing in an instant.

[There are currently 15 undead soldiers stored in the Underworld.]

A helpful message appeared, and Seonghyeon couldn’t help but feel impressed.

The skill was undeniably effective.

Even in the absence of corpses, he could now summon his Legion of the Dead.

His forces had grown stronger.

As the undead possessed both physical forms and souls, they were inherently more powerful than standard undead.

‘This is a huge relief.’

To think he’d gain this skill at level 20.

It made sense for an Overlord, whose main strength lay in the Legion of the Dead, to acquire it early.

With his level increased and a new skill in hand…

‘And I filmed everything too…’

He had recorded the entire event.

From the undead annihilating the goblin village to Seonghyeon overseeing the scene.

The reason for the recording?

Simple. It was a request from Rapid’s guild master, Ahn Yujin.

While he had complied…

‘Can I even use this footage?’

To Seonghyeon, the video felt excessively brutal and malicious.

If Helena hadn’t been asleep, she would have scolded him, asking if he wanted to be called the Demon King again.

Though he hesitated momentarily, the thought of re-recording everything felt like too much of a hassle.

‘Let’s just send it as it is.’

Seonghyeon compiled the footage he had captured and sent it to Rapid via the guild messaging app.

If they didn’t like it, they’d let him know to redo it.

[Seonghyeon – Video Attachment]

[Seonghyeon – Let me know if you need me to redo it.]

[Rapid – Whoa… Thanks, Seonghyeon. I think this will be enough…]

The ellipsis at the end of Rapid’s message seemed ominous.

Seonghyeon felt a twinge of curiosity but decided not to ask.

‘I think I already know what they’re thinking.’

Now that he’d reached level 20, it was time to move on.

‘Sekan Village, right?’

The morning of the second day since the game began, Seonghyeon set off for the second village.

It was an astonishing pace.

1.

The traditions of major guilds were steadfast.

Whenever they recruited a rookie, there was one thing they always did:

Uploading a solo video of the rookie.

While the primary purpose was promotional, the video served several other functions.

It acted as a declaration of intent to competitors, showing off the impressive talent they had secured.

It also highlighted the guild’s recruiting prowess, enhancing their reputation.

In short, these videos were a mix of pride, marketing, and dominance.

Rapid Guild, aware of these benefits, had adhered to this tradition for years.

But this time, Rapid hesitated.

‘Do we really have to upload this?’

Normally, there wouldn’t even be a debate—it would be uploaded without question.

But after watching Seonghyeon’s video, Rapid couldn’t help but pause.

The footage showed goblin undead mercilessly annihilating their own kind.

The undead operated with unnerving precision, executing tactical maneuvers and coordinated attacks like a finely tuned machine.

The sight was chilling.

Since when did undead possess such intelligence?

Ordinary undead typically required detailed commands and could barely shuffle around clumsily.

But Seonghyeon’s undead were on another level entirely.

They moved and acted as if they had minds of their own, executing strategies without needing orders.

Wielding enhanced bodies that surpassed their former selves, they mercilessly crushed their own kind.

They even used fire to create diversions, ambushing goblins as they fled in desperation.

Watching this, Rapid couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

It felt like a scene from a horror movie or a fantasy story about a demon lord destroying the world.

‘This isn’t a declaration of war against rival guilds—it’s one against humanity itself!’

The final scene was particularly striking.

Amidst the raging inferno, Seonghyeon emerged with a bored expression, flanked by undead bowing in reverence.

The atmosphere was overwhelming, to say the least.

‘Do we really upload this?’

After much deliberation, Rapid let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

‘There’s no choice.’

Tradition was tradition, and leaving such an extraordinary rookie video to gather dust would be wasteful.

Sure, it might look like a declaration of war against humanity, but so what?

Rapid Guild had always been known for being outsiders anyway.

Making enemies of everyone wasn’t entirely out of character.

Besides, Mina’s ranking was likely to climb soon.

‘Alright, let’s upload it.’

There wasn’t much editing needed—the raw footage was already stellar.

After making a few minor tweaks, Rapid finalized the video and uploaded it.

Fully aware of the storm it was bound to create, Rapid braced themselves.

‘Guess I’ll be really busy for the next few days.’

But Rapid had weathered countless storms before.

One rookie video wasn’t going to bring the guild down.

‘By tomorrow, this will blow up.’

Typically, it took about a day for significant reactions to surface, even for outstanding videos.

However, Rapid’s predictions were shattered an hour later when a guild member burst into the room in a panic.

“Guild Master!! The guild channel’s traffic is exploding!!”

“What?”

Already?

2.

The Fastest Guild, Rapid.

As the third-ranked guild in Eternal World, Rapid’s channel was massive.

Their MeTube channel boasted 20 million subscribers.

While this placed them 45th among guild channels in terms of subscribers, it was understandable.

Rapid focused more on live streams than uploaded videos, making subscriber growth slower.

But this was more than compensated by their incredible ticket power.

Live tickets—fees viewers paid to watch live streams—were a core part of Rapid’s dominance.

High ticket revenue reflected a guild’s prestige, and Rapid ranked second across all guilds in this regard.

Their unparalleled speed in conquering raids and their sheer strength made them a force to be reckoned with.

This was why they were nicknamed the Fastest Guild.

Today, Rapid uploaded a rare video—a solo rookie showcase.

It was both an introduction and a promotional tool for their new member.

Among Rapid’s devoted fans was Hong Jeongmin, who noticed the upload and felt a twinge of disappointment.

‘Ah, too bad.’

He would’ve preferred a video featuring another guild member.

Still, his curiosity was piqued.

‘Rapid doesn’t recruit rookies often. Must be someone really strong.’

Rapid’s reputation for rejecting rookies was legendary.

There were even rumors of them turning down unique-grade rookies if their skills didn’t meet expectations.

Every member of Rapid was a top-tier player.

‘This one must be impressive too.’

Jeongmin clicked on the video with a mix of disappointment and anticipation.

At first, the familiar field caught his attention.

“Huh? Isn’t that Persville?”

The location was unmistakable—Persville, the starting area for most players.

A rookie still active there couldn’t be much more than a beginner.

Disappointment welled up again.

But as the video played, Jeongmin’s thoughts took a sharp turn.

Darkness enveloped the screen, and undead wreathed in shadows and teal light appeared.

‘Are those really undead?’

These weren’t the clumsy creatures Jeongmin was used to.

What followed was a brutal massacre.

The undead torched the goblin village, systematically destroying it with precision and malice.

And at the center of it all was a man cloaked in darkness, his piercing teal eyes glowing against the flames.

Even with his face blurred, Jeongmin knew—this was their master.

The video concluded with the man emerging from the flames, his undead kneeling before him in worship.

“Holy… this is insane.”

Jeongmin couldn’t contain his amazement.

He immediately tried to leave a comment but was met with a warning about high traffic.

Nodding in understanding, he switched to another platform to write a post.

Of course, it was a glowing review of Rapid Guild’s new rookie.

“Hey losers, have you seen the new Rapid rookie video yet?”