The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 211

Before anything else, Seong decided to explore the village’s surroundings.

It was fairly spacious, but not as large as a typical village. In fact, it was even smaller than the beginner village he had started in.

A small village was nothing unusual.

However, what was strange was—

"There aren’t any ghosts here at all."

No matter how small a village was, there should at least be one or two ghosts lingering.

Especially in a village this old—there should have been at least a few.

Yet, there wasn’t a single one in sight. That was odd.

Had the presence of living people started from the time Helena arrived?

Did that mean they were a long-lived race?

Considering how they grew their houses and tools out of trees, one might mistake them for elves.

But they didn’t possess any defining features of elves.

No pointed ears, nor particularly handsome or elegant features hidden behind their wooden masks.

Another peculiarity stood out.

"There aren’t any elderly here either?"

And no children.

Among the villagers, there wasn’t a single elderly person or child.

Now that he thought about it, the entire village felt bizarre.

Like the beginning of a horror story.

However, Seong didn’t immediately grow suspicious.

Instead—

"Would they tell me if I asked?"

That was his only concern.

It would be convenient if they answered, but there was always the chance they wouldn’t.

As Seong pondered over this—

A burly man clad in an old wooden mask and simple garments suddenly spoke.

“Haha! You’ve got the face of someone brimming with curiosity! Ask away!”

His easygoing demeanor didn’t seem deceitful.

Then, in that case—

“I get the feeling you’re not human,” Seong casually remarked.

The man burst into laughter beneath his worn wooden mask.

“Hahahaha! You’ve got sharp eyes! You can think of us as a type of Spirit Tree!”

“Spirit?”

[You have acquired the keyword: 『Spirit Tree』.]

Seong studied the man curiously.

A Spirit Tree?

Was he a spirit? Or a tree?

This was his first time seeing a spirit up close.

He had witnessed some spirits being summoned during the large-scale war at Dune Wild Trail, but an NPC spirit was a first.

Noticing Seong’s fascination, the man elaborated.

“Hahahaha! To be precise, we’re similar to spirits, but not exactly spirits. You could say we’re a subspecies. We are both trees and spirits at the same time. It’s easier to just call us Spirit Trees. As you can see, we look human enough!”

“I see.”

It truly was intriguing.

As Seong asked more questions, the man answered each one earnestly. frёewebnoѵēl.com

He learned that this man was essentially the village chief.

That Helena had once visited this place—over 3,000 years ago.

And, most importantly—

“The tall and lanky man, and the faces on the trees? Ahh! Those must be the ones our Lord spoke of—servants of the darkness, and their prey.”

“Servants of the darkness?”

[You have acquired the keyword: 『Servants of the Darkness』.]

Seong repeated the phrase, and the village chief nodded.

“Mmm, to be exact, they serve the master of the forest covered in darkness. You’d best be wary of that spider and those fruits.”

For the first time since they began talking, the village chief’s ever-present smile disappeared.

If he was warning Seong with such a serious expression, then it had to be truly dangerous.

As Seong gave a slow nod, the village chief added—

“The moment you leave this village, they’ll surely come after you.”

“I see.”

“But, just like our Lord before you, you must have come here for a reason.”

Helena had come here 3,000 years ago to search for Narisha and Berto.

As for Seong, he had only come because of the quest.

“Just like our Lord did before, you must be here to absorb the darkness, right?”

Seong tilted his head in confusion.

"Wait. That’s the first time I’m hearing that."

Absorb the darkness?

What was he talking about?

As Seong listened intently, the village chief continued.

“Our Lord came here to absorb the darkness. She left this place far stronger than when she arrived! Hahahaha!!! And after she left, the darkness—the master of this forest—once again grew stronger. Now you’ve come to absorb it once more!”

That hadn’t been Seong’s intention at all.

Yet somehow, he had just learned what seemed to be the final objective of this quest.

Absorbing the darkness.

And the master of this forest.

Upon hearing that, Seong immediately thought of the darkness that had coveted Helena’s power and manipulated Narisha and Berto.

And now, its servants were lurking just outside this forest.

“...I suppose you could say that.”

Seong nodded, playing along.

The village chief grinned warmly.

“Our village will always welcome you. Rest here whenever you need to recover!”

“Thank you.”

Perhaps sensing that Seong was about to leave, the village chief spoke as if bidding him farewell.

Then, as Seong expressed his gratitude and stood up—

Should he go and meet the spider, the so-called servant of darkness?

Just as he was about to leave, the village chief called out.

“If you return after absorbing the darkness, I shall bestow a reward upon you! The darkness has been growing stronger, and I’ve been troubled over what to do.”

“Oh.”

[You can receive an additional reward from 『The Village Chief of Namubuk』 upon completing the final chapter of the Story Quest.]

This was quite generous.

Seong smiled as he expressed his thanks.

The village chief beamed, as if pleased with his decision, then suddenly pulled out a wooden drum that Seong hadn’t noticed before and raised it high.

“Let us welcome another benefactor to our village!!!”

“Huzzah! May a ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) new benefactor arise!!!”

“Hahahaha!!!”

DOOOONG! DOOOOONG—! DOOOOONG———!!!

As the village chief began to drum, the other Spirit Trees gathered, clapping their hands in excitement.

At the sound of their resounding drumbeats—

[You have heard the grand drumbeat of the 『Spirit Trees』.]

[All stats increased by 5% for one hour.]

A massive buff.

As Seong grinned at the unexpected boon, the Spirit Trees waved him off warmly, signaling him to go safely.

Alright then.

It was time to meet the tall and lanky man.

2.

As the deep drumbeats of Namubuk Village echoed through the air—

Something lurking in the darkness far away let out a sickening crunch as it bit into something.

A spider, grotesquely adorned with human heads, grimaced as it chewed on the skull of a person hanging from a tree.

"That wretched drum of Namubuk Village... I’d love to rip it apart."

But more than anyone, the spider knew that it could not.

That hated ruler—

The drum Helena had gifted the village prevented darkness from invading.

As a servant of the darkness, the spider could not approach the area.

It couldn't even get near the entrance of the Forest Shrouded in Darkness.

All because of that wretched drumbeat.

If not for that—

It could have tormented any intruders from the very first step.

The Spirit Trees, those detestable beings, were just out of reach.

"I will tear them apart. But first—"

The spider’s lips curled into a twisted grin as it watched Seong leave Namubuk Village.

He hadn't even taken time to rest and was walking into hell of his own accord.

How utterly foolish.

Though it had lost its power long ago—just like its master, who was still regathering strength thanks to that loathsome Helena—

Three thousand years had passed.

It had recovered enough.

And above all, it could sense something utterly detestable coming from that intruder.

"That one... possesses the same power as her. If I offer him to my master, they shall become stronger than ever."

With a sneer, the spider stretched its limbs, preparing to pounce from the darkness.

This was its domain.

Human heads still hung from the trees, ready to be used.

That intruder would be torn apart in the most gruesome way.

With full confidence, it began to move.

But then—

The spider froze.

"...What is this?"

It had planned to ambush Seong, to strike before he could react.

But for some reason—

Its body refused to move.

Instinct.

A primal instinct warned it.

"Do not attack now."

The spider couldn't understand, tilting its head in confusion as it looked toward Seong.

And at that moment—

"!!!"

Seong’s eyes met its own.

Even from this distance.

Had its position been discovered?

No, that was impossible.

A mere human could never pinpoint its exact location.

It had to be a coincidence.

That was what the spider wanted to believe.

Yet just in case, it instinctively tried to retreat.

But then—

It saw Seong’s lips move.

"Found you."

A chill ran down the spider’s spine.

Above its head, a turquoise portal suddenly materialized.

From within, a voice muttered incomprehensible words as an ancient, withered demon emerged.

-Mutter, mutter.

At the same time, a slash extended outward.

The spider’s instincts screamed at it.

It leapt back immediately.

A second later—

The dense trees in its surroundings were sliced apart in an instant, opening up the space.

And before it could even process what had happened—

Seong was already standing nearby, a faint smirk on his lips.

"So, you can come here after all."

The spider gulped.

What was happening?

It didn’t know.

But one thing was certain.

The ambush had failed.

And escaping from that took priority.

However—

Shrrrrrk.

Shrrrrrk.

More and more turquoise portals appeared.

From within them emerged Noctrynium, Leonic, Valtar, Serpina, and Fiora.

The loyal subordinates had arrived.

The spider's many pupils trembled violently.

Could it escape from this?

3.

How much time had passed?

Compared to Narisha and Berto, this one had taken slightly longer.

But still—

-Hmph. That was underwhelming.

-I agree.

-Mutter, mutter.

-Ha! Weakling.

"Agreed."

Seong’s subordinates all voiced their dissatisfaction.

As expected, the spider had already entered its second phase of battle—

Yet it had been effortlessly crushed by them.

"Grrraahhh!"

The spider let out a pathetic groan.

All of its legs had been severed.

The human heads dangling from the trees had all been used up.

Its battle strategy—controlling spirits through severed heads and unleashing venomous threads—had amounted to nothing.

Especially since—

Whenever it summoned spirits to attack—

Seong merely activated Death’s Aura, immediately claiming them as his own.

For the spider, it was maddening.

Utterly infuriating.

Seong, on the other hand, seemed unbothered as he looked toward his subordinates.

"You all did well."

At those words—

-Oh no, my Lord. This thing was barely worth our time.

-Fulfilling our Lord’s orders is our sole purpose.

-Mutter, mutter.

-Noctrynium also says this was trivial.

-Y-Yeah, it was nothing at all.

"It was easier than expected."

Despite their words, they all seemed oddly pleased with Seong’s praise.

For beings of darkness, they could be surprisingly adorable at times.

Anyway.

Seong approached the fallen spider.

"So, are you going to tell me who your master is? Servant of Darkness?"

"Hah! You think I’ll speak? My absolute loyalty shall never waver, even in death!"

With that, the spider bit down on its own body, taking its own life before Seong could react.

However.

Even as its body collapsed.

A ghostly form—its soul—rose above the corpse.

Seong gazed at it silently.

And then.

The spider’s ghost grinned slyly and spoke.

"Ahh! Are you talking about the Dark Lord? I'll tell you everything!"