The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

"Sigh, I was hoping... I thought Seonghyun had finally gotten a girlfriend... but I was wrong." His mother was so openly disappointed that Seonghyun was rather taken aback. Was she that disappointed? Seonghyun was puzzled, and his father, Yoo Gwangjin, said, "Hmm, if you're so openly disappointed, Seonghyun will feel pressured. It's not like Seonghyun is unpopular, so don't worry unnecessarily." "Heeum, still..." "Hoo." It was a relief that his father, Yoo Gwangjin, covered for him. Lee Nakyeong would get very excited whenever the topic of girls came up in Seonghyun's stories about his friends. She was apparently upset that he had never brought a girlfriend home. Anyway, Seonghyun didn't forget to give his sister a sidelong glance. She always brought up unnecessary things. On the other hand, Yoo Mina was unapologetic. She gave a bashful smile with an expression that said, "What did I do~?" 'My sister is really...' He was about to say something but stopped. Especially since everyone was together. As Seonghyun tried to eat quietly, he felt the gazes of his still very interested mother and his father. He felt so pressured that he was about to get indigestion. Seonghyun raised his head, wondering why they were like that, and saw his mother, Lee Nakyeong, poke Yoo Gwangjin in the side. "So... are you going to leave late tomorrow?" "Ah... No. I think I'll be leaving around lunchtime. It's a lunch appointment, soo." As he replied, he checked his schedule just in case, and it was correct. He had planned it in advance. "I have a quest tomorrow, so I'll finish that, then go on a raid, and then go to my appointment." "Ah...?" "......?" "A... raid?" "Yes. Why... are you all like that?" Everyone had a dumbfounded expression at his words about going on a raid before the appointment. Seonghyun, on the other hand, looked at his family and asked back. Even his sister, who played games, was like that, so it was even more surprising. Seemingly unable to understand, his mother asked first, "Usu...ally, if it's a lunch appointment... don't you usually prepare early in the morning...?" "Men usually have a short preparation time." "Huh?" ‘Even so, one doesn't usually go out right after playing games, now does he?’ ‘Is that normal for his age group?’ Now even his mother, Lee Nakyeong, was confused. On the other hand, his father, Yoo Gwangjin, who was also a man, scratched his head at Seonghyun's answer. ‘Usually, they don't do that, do they?’ He thought so, but didn't bother to ask. He wasn't very familiar with Eternal World. Yoo Mina, who knew Eternal World best, asked with a dumbfounded expression, "Didn't you raid today?" "I did?" "You also did the Fortress of the Past this morning, right?" "That's right?" "But tomorrow... you're... going to raid... again?" "Yeah." "......" Blink, blink. At his sister's question, he looked at her as if asking if that was strange. Yoo Mina looked at Seonghyun, speechless, and shook her head. "This guy is completely insane." She had suggested it herself, but this seemed a bit too much. Usually, when Yoo Mina spoke so harshly, Lee Nakyeong would step in and say something, but she didn't this time. It was silent proof that she agreed with Yoo Mina's words. Seonghyun, seeing his family like that, tilted his head as if wondering what was wrong. 'Since I have time anyway, it doesn't matter if I go, does it?' He was wondering about that. Everyone thought to themselves, looking at Seonghyun. 'He really has no intention of dating yet. Our Seonghyun...' 'I wonder if he'll be able to get married.' 'Sigh, live in reality, not just in games.' The last thought also applied to Yoo Mina herself, but... Seonghyun's situation seemed more serious. Still, they were good-natured family members who swallowed their words in the end. 1. Jung Jihye, the team leader of the User Management Team. She held her throbbing head, looking at a screen with an expression that she didn't even know where to start. It was a screen she could see because she had decided to cooperate with the NPC Management Department. It was none other than the screen of Over Palace. "Haaaaa." The NPCs of Over Palace, with all sorts of restrictions placed on them. Among them, their leader, who had the most powerful restrictions. Black Star. Usually, other organizations would only have severe restrictions on their leaders, but Over Palace was different. From high-ranking officers to mid-ranking ones, every key member of Over Palace was bound by strict limitations. In other words, even mid-ranking officers in Over Palace were superior to the leaders of most other organizations. And now, they were planning to partially lift those restrictions. ‘Is this really the right move?’ Wonsong had suggested it, and Jaekyung had laughed, cursed, and told them to do it immediately. But was this really the right choice? As long as they reimposed the restrictions afterward, it shouldn’t cause any major issues. Right now, their priority was stopping the Hero Luke, from getting close to Seonghyun and trying to eliminate him. But stopping Luke wasn’t easy. He hadn’t fully matured yet, so imposing restrictions on him directly was tricky. That’s why the idea of using Over Palace was brilliant. Yet, because it was Over Palace, they hesitated. Still, Jaekyung had already taken full responsibility for the decision. At this point, Jihye figured she might as well just go ahead with the adjustments. Of course, she didn’t touch the restrictions on the Black Star or the highest-ranking officers. Messing with them would cause a catastrophe on a continental scale. Instead, she focused on the mid-ranking officers. There was no need to provide them with information about Luke—Over Palace already knew everything. All she needed to do was lift a few specific limitations. She made sure to adjust the restrictions carefully, ensuring that killing Luke was not an option. After a complicated series of adjustments, she temporarily loosened the constraints. Then, looking slightly uneasy, Jihye switched to another screen. ‘Hero Luke…’ This entire situation had spiraled out of control because they feared Luke would try to harm Seonghyun. But surely… surely Luke wouldn’t be friendly toward him, right? Shaking off the thought, Jihye leaned back into her chair, sinking into it. ‘Let’s hope nothing goes wrong.’ But there was one thing Jihye didn’t know. No—there was something that only one person in this world could know. If Seonghyun had been able to see Luke’s screen just then, he would have noticed something eerie. Standing right behind Luke—translucent, flickering like a broken digital image—was a ghost.

The ghost of Hero Hindel.

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Early in the morning, Seonghyun stepped out of the bathroom. A thick cloud of steam followed him as the door swung open. Whoosh. Fresh from a refreshing morning shower, he dried his hair. Normally, he’d apply some lotion and decide what to wear next. But today, instead of that routine, he walked straight to his gaming capsule. He was about to log in immediately. Just before doing so, he decided to check his phone in case anything needed his attention. A ton of messages had piled up overnight. [Lee Soojung – Don’t be late tomorrow, everyone.] [Lee Cheolmin – Got it.] [Jung Harin – Haha, of course.] [Song Jaemin – Hey, wait… is it true that Seonghyun’s coming too?] [Seo Yujin – Soojung said he was. He’s still in our chat, after all.] [Lee Cheolmin – Whoa, how long has it been since we last saw him? I heard he just got discharged from the military.] [Jung Harin – Yeah, seriously, haha.] [Lee Soojung – Anyway, don’t be late tomorrow! Remember, we’re meeting at Sangsu Station by 1 PM sharp!] ... ... (Messages omitted.) There were plenty more messages piled up after that. It didn’t feel right to leave them on read without replying. [Yoo Seonghyun – I’ll be there on time.] After sending the message, Seonghyun felt satisfied and headed straight for the capsule. He had already set an alarm. If he left exactly on time, everything would work out perfectly. With that settled, he logged into the capsule. As the familiar floating sensation washed over him, a well-known message appeared before his eyes. [Welcome to Eternal World, another world, an eternal world.] [May good fortune be with you, Player 『Seonghyun』.] Seonghyun materialized in the exact location where he had last logged out—right in front of the inn. As he stepped inside, the warm-hearted innkeeper immediately greeted him. “Oh! Welcome! You must be the guy Philip was talking about, right?” “Yes, yes. I heard he left a key with you….” “Ah, here it is. I already collected the storage fee from that rascal Philip, so don’t worry—just take it.” “Oh! Thank you. I’ll definitely be back. The potato stew here is so good, I think I’ll be coming often.” “Puhaha! Damn right, our potato stew is top-notch. Come by anytime!” After wrapping up his chat with the friendly innkeeper, Seonghyun stepped outside, key in hand. There was also a note from Philip. 『I have no doubt in the Heir’s abilities. However, beware—the guardian standing watch is so formidable that even the greedy Kahku gave up. One more thing: this key isn’t for the cave entrance. It’s for the door.』 A clue. But to Seonghyun, it didn’t mean much. He already knew all of this—thanks to Kahku’s memories. The quest had been more about obtaining the key than uncovering new information. Seonghyun summoned Anemor and mounted it. In an instant, he soared over 100 meters into the sky. Now surrounded by a familiar sense of weightlessness, he pulled out Kahku’s Treasure Map. [By completing the Hidden Quest, the location of 『Treasure Map of Treasure Goblin Kahku』 has been revealed.] A new red marker appeared on his map. That had to be the treasure’s location. "It’s farther than I thought." He had expected it to be near Serodin. But that wasn’t the case. Even with Anemor’s flight speed, it would take about an hour to get there. If he had to walk, it would probably take half a day. ‘Good thing I got Karisha not too long ago.’ Without hesitation, Seonghyun set off toward the red marker. Whoooosh——! The scenery rushed past at a breathtaking speed, with powerful winds pressing hard against Seonghyun. Yet, he remained unfazed, effortlessly gripping Anemoe’s feather as he soared through the sky. His hair whipped in the fierce wind, but rather than discomfort, he found it invigorating. One might expect an hour-long flight to be dull. But Seonghyun, fully captivated by the thrill of flying, enjoyed every moment until he arrived at his destination. “Phew, so this is the place.” The key wasn't for a cave entrance—it was for a door. Now, that statement made perfect sense. The red-marked spot on the map led not to a cave but to a smooth, sheer cliff face. There was no visible entrance. But Seonghyun already knew exactly where it was. Approaching the cliffside, he reached out to a spot midway up. As his fingers touched the rock, the surface wavered like a mirage—an illusion spell. "Seriously, where did Kahku even get something like this?" Seonghyun, armed with Kahku’s memories, knew precisely how it had been created. Of course, Kahku hadn’t built this place himself. But he had hidden the entrance once it was revealed. To ensure that no one else would ever find it. As Seonghyun prepared to step through the illusion, Anemor let out a small, distressed sound—the entrance was too narrow for it to fit. "Yeah, I figured." There was no choice but to go in alone. If anything happened, he could always summon Anemor again, and in any case, his own combat abilities were more than enough. Step. Step. Step. His footsteps echoed eerily throughout the cave. Not that it bothered him in the slightest. He walked for a while before finally spotting the iron door from his memories. Unlike the entrance, this was part of the original ruins, not something Kahku had added. Even the key had been crafted after analyzing the structure of the ruins. The door was massive—easily over three meters tall, with each panel nearly a meter wide. "Hmm." Without the key, he wouldn’t have been able to enter. He could sense the traces of magic woven into the door itself. Without hesitation, Seonghyun inserted the key and turned it. With the sound of worn-out hinges creaking, the iron door slowly swung open. Creeeak—! Rumble... The ground trembled beneath his feet as vibrations surged through the earth. As the heavy iron doors fully opened and Seonghyun stepped inside... A dazzling sight unfolded before him. The entire ruin was covered in crystal, shimmering brilliantly and nearly blinding him. He instinctively squinted, trying to shield his eyes from the overwhelming brightness, but it was no use. Every surface, every wall—everything was made of crystal, and the sheer radiance made his eyes sting. Fortunately, the initial burst of light gradually dimmed, settling into a softer, ethereal glow. Now illuminated by the gentle glimmer of crystal, the ruins exuded a dreamlike atmosphere, reminiscent of a palace straight out of a fairy tale. "Wow." A place like this actually existed.

He was glad he had started recording. A sight this stunning deserved to be shared. As Seonghyun wandered deeper, admiring the breathtaking surroundings... From between two crystal pillars, something peeked out—a face, withdrawing quickly, only to cautiously peek out again. Then again. And again. A ghost. “…What are you doing?” “A-Ack!? Y-You can see me!?” The ghost, visibly flustered, gasped in shock, its face turning red. [Translator - Prøks] [Proofreader - Prøks]