The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 214

2.

A lot had happened, but in the end, Seong made it home safely.

"I'm home."

"Oh, you're back, Seong! Did you go to the capsule café because of the blackout?"

"Hmm, you're back."

His mother, Lee Na-gyeong, asked first, while his father, Yoo Gwang-jin, welcomed him home.

Seong shook his head in response to his mother’s question.

"I just went out since the power was out."

As he spoke, he took off his shoes and stepped inside the house.

Only then did Na-gyeong and Gwang-jin notice the shopping bag in his hands.

A luxury brand logo was printed clearly on the bag.

Their eyes widened.

Seong had never been one to indulge in extravagance or show interest in luxury brands.

That made it all the more surprising.

Even in his school days, he had never asked for branded clothes or shoes like other kids.

He simply hadn’t cared about such things.

So, both of them found this unexpected.

Well, now that he was earning money, it made sense for him to start showing interest in these things, right?

Thinking along those lines, Na-gyeong spoke.

"Oh my! Since when does Seong go shopping?"

"Hah, I was just thinking the same thing."

Seong had never been into shopping, let alone luxury brands.

It was a major change.

Seeing their reactions, Seong felt a bit awkward, but he kept his usual calm demeanor and approached them.

Without a word, he handed them the shopping bag.

Both of them blinked in confusion.

As they accepted the bag, Seong casually explained.

"I got my paycheck, so I bought gifts."

"...Oh my."

"...Well, I’ll be damned."

Both parents stared blankly at Seong, holding the unexpected gifts in their hands.

It was so sudden that they were momentarily dazed.

Then, Na-gyeong smiled warmly, while Gwang-jin awkwardly cleared his throat and rubbed his nose, pretending to be indifferent.

"Ahem. Well, I appreciate it."

"Our Seong is all grown up now..."

At first, Na-gyeong was just happy, but soon, she found herself getting a little emotional as she gazed at her son.

Seong, who had been maintaining a composed expression, couldn't handle the atmosphere anymore and quickly spoke.

"Anyway, use them well. I’m going to wash up."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he hurried to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Na-gyeong and Gwang-jin sat down on the sofa, looking at the shopping bag Seong had handed them.

They carefully pulled out the boxes and opened them.

Inside, Na-gyeong found a scarf, while Gwang-jin’s box contained a tie.

It was the first time they had ever received a gift from their son.

And not just any gift—this was something he had bought with his very first paycheck.

"When did he grow up so much..."

"Exactly."

Sharing a smile, they looked at each other, feeling warmth in their hearts.

They carefully placed the gifts in their bedroom and, just before Seong disappeared into the bathroom, they called out to him.

"This is my favorite color! How did you know?"

"I was just thinking of getting a scarf! Thanks, my son~"

"J-just use them well!"

Feeling even more embarrassed, Seong responded in a louder-than-usual voice.

It was a heartwarming evening.

As the family enjoyed this warm moment together...

Meanwhile, his sister, Yu Mina, was in a capsule café, fully immersed in a raid.

3.

The Heroic Council had yet to convene.

However, the E-World headquarters was already in turmoil due to a sudden meeting called by Park Won.

It was unusual for him to take action, let alone call a meeting.

So naturally, it caused a stir.

Since it was an official Heroic Council meeting, that alone was enough to justify it.

But inside the company, other rumors were spreading.

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"They say the Chairman called the meeting because of that user."

"Ohhh! You mean that Overlord player?"

"Yeah, yeah, the one they call the Demon King."

The rumor that Park Won had called the meeting because of Seong was spreading fast.

Officially, the meeting was for Heroic Council matters.

But the fact that Lee Won-sang, a mere assistant manager, had been included in a meeting where he normally wouldn’t even be allowed in the same room...

That made the rumor all the more believable.

And so, the speculation spread like wildfire inside the company.

Even within the User Management Team, the whispers reached every corner.

"Wow, senior, is this... H-huh!?"

As Oh Jin-hyuk was about to ask Lee Won-sang if the rumor was true...

He saw his senior’s exhausted face and swallowed his words.

Won-sang looked completely drained, barely resembling a living person.

That sight alone made Jin-hyuk immediately shut up.

Seeing his senior in such a state...

The rumor was probably true.

‘Senior finally said he was done stressing over things... how long did that last?’

Being summoned by the Chairman was no small matter.

Feeling sorry for his senior, Oh Jin-hyuk silently paid his respects and returned to work.

Just then, Lee Won-sang let out a deep sigh.

"Haaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh..."

It was a very deep sigh.

Jin-hyuk shuddered.

With a sigh like that, how could he not ask?

In the end, he couldn’t hold back and spoke.

"W-what’s wrong, senior?"

"...Take a look at this."

What now?

With that thought, Jin-hyuk looked at the monitor Won-sang pointed to.

And what he saw...

"Wait, what? No way, this...?"

"You see it?"

"T-this is huge, isn’t it?"

Won-sang nodded grimly.

"Right now, Seong has ten dark-attribute skills. And if he absorbs Dark Lord just like he’s done with everything else so far..."

"He’ll unlock the True Sovereign’s power, right?"

"Yeah."

"Holy—wait, isn’t that something only single-rankers can do? He’s not even level 200 yet, and he’s already at that level!?"

Only single-rankers could normally achieve that skill transformation.

Scratching his head in frustration, Won-sang let out another sigh.

Seong was already overwhelmingly powerful.

But if he absorbed Dark Lord, he would awaken the True Sovereign’s power.

"Ughhh. I thought this would happen at least around level 200..."

"Well, yeah, since even most single-rankers hit that milestone in the 200s. But this... this is insane."

"Luck played a part, sure, but still..."

Sighing heavily, Won-sang leaned back in his chair.

...Could this be why the Chairman had called him to the meeting?

One way or another, Seong was going to encounter Dark Lord.

That much was certain.

The problem was...

"Why the hell is the Hero coming to Hexia?"

Seeing Hero Luke heading straight for Seong, Won-sang groaned in frustration.

Nothing was going right.

All this meant was more work piling up before the meeting in a few days.

Preparing the necessary reports, Won-sang muttered to himself.

"Just hold out until the Heroic Council is over."

4.

The day after giving his parents their gifts...

Seong enjoyed a full-course breakfast, prepared especially for him. After finishing his morning run, he washed up and stepped out of the bathroom.

At that moment, an announcement from the apartment management office echoed through the building.

[This ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) is an announcement from the management office. As previously informed, an electrical maintenance will take place today from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, causing a temporary power outage... (announcement continues)]

A blackout notification.

Seong clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.

"Tsk."

Now that he thought about it, Yu Mina had mentioned she would be heading out early.

And he had almost forgotten why.

Yesterday, they estimated 10 hours until Dark Lord’s invasion, meaning the event would take place between 11 AM and noon.

Since the actual timing could shift slightly, it would be safest to be online by 10 AM.

That was cutting it close.

Going to a capsule café would be the best option.

"There’s a capsule café nearby, right?"

He vaguely recalled Yu Mina saying she would be heading there.

After a quick search on his phone, he set off toward the café.

As he walked through the neighborhood, he glimpsed a few ghosts lingering in the periphery of his vision.

But, as usual, he ignored them and entered the capsule café.

And then—

"Hmm?"

Seong tilted his head as he looked at the capsules lined up inside the café.

They looked very different from the one he had at home.

A noticeable gap in quality.

He recalled something Yu Mina had mentioned when she bought him his capsule.

"Didn’t she say it was the latest model?" fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Now that he saw these, he realized just how different they were.

Still, among the standard capsules, there was a section with higher-end models.

"Oh?"

They were older versions compared to his personal capsule but still decently high-performance.

The price was three times that of regular capsules, but money wasn’t an issue for him.

Without hesitation, he booked one and logged in.

As he connected through the premium capsule, he felt a slight difference in comfort compared to his own.

It was a bit inconvenient.

But not enough to bother him.

And soon—

[Welcome to Eternal World, the realm of another world and the eternal world.]

[May fortune be with you, Player 『Seong』.]

After passing through a few verification checks for logging in from a new location...

He returned to Namubuk Village.

It had only been about eight hours since he last logged out.

Yet—

"Ohhh!! He’s back!!!"

"Another savior has returned!!!"

"Sound the drums!!!"

The villagers cheered and beat their drums enthusiastically upon seeing him.

No matter how many times he witnessed it, he could never get used to their boundless energy.

Just yesterday, they had held a festival for Helena’s arrival.

Now, they were celebrating his return like it was another festival.

"These spirit tree people are way too lively..."

Letting them enjoy themselves with their dancing, singing, and drum performances, Seong ignored the commotion and got to work.

Opening the Gate of the Underworld, he prepared his forces.

He had already set up the area around Namubuk Village yesterday, but he still needed his subordinates to be fully ready.

As the gate opened—

His undead army emerged:

Noctrynium, Fiora, Leonic, Valtar, Anemore, Barfur, Serpina, and Drakanos.

It should have ended there.

But then—

Another figure stepped out of the gate.

"Huh?"

"Ahaha... Hey."

"Helena?"

He had expected her to sit this one out.

After all, she had said she would rest.

But here she was.

"Didn’t she say she needed time to prepare herself...? And yet, she’s already here?"

Helena chuckled awkwardly.

As Seong turned his gaze toward her, Fiora, who had been standing slightly apart, pointed at something.

"L-look! It’s a statue of Lady Helena!""Oh? Khahaha! You’re right!""It seems to depict her childhood?""Th-that’s right, it does!""Piiieee!""Mumble, mumble..."Helena stiffened as all the attention suddenly shifted to her.

Her face turned red, looking as embarrassed as a beetroot.

She immediately averted her gaze from Seong.

"She literally remembers everything, so why is she acting so embarrassed...?"

It was kind of funny, but...

Seong simply nodded as if he understood.

Still, that wasn’t important right now.

With his forces assembled, he briefed them on their upcoming battle against Dark Lord.

They all listened attentively, nodding along.

Then—

Helena suddenly spoke, as if a memory had resurfaced.

"Ahh, that ink-colored old man? Yeah, I remember him."

"Oh?"

"That guy was really a bad person."

If Helena knew about Dark Lord, that would make things a lot easier.

Seong outlined his plan, and Helena grinned in amusement.

"That sounds fun."