The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 219

1.

“Cough... Cough...”

Luke, the Hero, woke up midair, coughing up blood uncontrollably.

For a moment, he couldn't grasp what had happened to him. Then, as he noticed the three knights supporting his flight, the memories came rushing back.

Whoooosh!

Luke and the three knights soared rapidly through the sky.

At that moment, he recalled Seong's last words to him.

"Beware of the Kingdom of Rieskan."

Why had Seong left him with such a cryptic warning?

The Kingdom of Rieskan was the very nation that had nurtured and protected him since he was chosen as a Hero.

Ever since he had been selected as a Hero, Luke had lived under Rieskan’s guidance.

They had raised him, trained him. Supported his journey.

Of course, in recent times, he had abandoned his training to dig into the past of Hero Hindel.

He had felt uneasy about it all. And now...

"Beware of the Kingdom of Rieskan..."

Perhaps... Seong was right.

After all, these knights had appeared so suddenly after remaining silent for so long.

As doubts began to take root in Luke’s mind, one of the three knights, seemingly the leader, spoke.

"The Sword Saint was very worried about you."

“......”

Luke couldn’t hide his confusion.

The Sword Saint?

If that were the case, why had he been left to wander aimlessly?

Had the Sword Saint truly been concerned?

His so-called mentor, the man known as the Sword ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Saint, wasn’t a Hero himself, but had earned his title for his ability to "reach the stars with his sword."

Luke had always found him difficult to read.

Hadn't he always been indifferent toward me?

When Luke had first met the Sword Saint after being chosen as a Hero, the words the man had spoken to him still rang clear in his ears.

"You have no talent."

One of the few people who would dare to say such a thing to a Hero.

But instead of breaking him, those words had only made Luke work harder.

Even if he lacked talent, he was still a Hero.

He had vowed, over and over, that he would surpass his limitations through sheer effort.

But after that day, the Sword Saint had never once made time for him personally.

Only when summoned by the King of Rieskan did he show up, fulfilling his duty out of obligation before disappearing again.

And now that same Sword Saint was "worried" about him?

What a joke.

However, Seong’s words lingered in Luke’s mind.

"Beware of the Kingdom of Rieskan."

Seong had known a lot about Hindel.

He had even anticipated Luke's visit and shut him down before he could say anything.

That meant Seong knew far more than Luke did.

If Seong had said such a thing, then there had to be something lurking beneath the surface of the Kingdom of Rieskan.

Beware them?

Of course, Luke would heed Seong’s warning.

But more than that—

He would use them.

If they were trying to manipulate him, then why shouldn’t he turn the tables?

If he played his cards right, he might just get the answers he was looking for.

The truth about Hindel’s death.

No—more precisely, the truth about the entanglement between Hindel and Helena.

If he could uncover those unresolved mysteries...

As Luke was lost in thought, one of the knights spoke again.

"The Sword Saint wishes to meet you after the Heroic Assembly. Until then, please remain patient."

The knight’s tone was polite.

But Luke could hear the underlying condescension.

"I’ll have to watch them carefully."

He would take his time, observe, and learn.

And with that, feeling an odd sense of gratitude toward Seong for opening his eyes, Luke allowed himself to be escorted toward the capital of the knights.

2.

[Eternal World welcomes you.]

Seong stepped out of the capsule, now completely accustomed to the game’s logout sequence.

Right on time.

His stomach rumbled slightly as he glanced around.

Might as well grab something to eat before heading back.

Seong had skipped plenty of meals for the sake of gaming, but it wasn’t exactly a healthy habit.

When an opportunity like this came up, it was better to take advantage of it.

As he walked, he suddenly recalled the tonkatsu he had eaten at the department store last time. That thought made him instinctively head toward a nearby tonkatsu restaurant.

Last time, he had Japanese-style tonkatsu.

This time, he found himself in a Western-style tonkatsu place.

A small soup was served as an appetizer, alongside a plate of fresh green peppers as a side dish.

Green peppers?

He found it odd at first.

But as he dug into the tonkatsu, he realized the subtle spiciness actually helped cut through the richness.

Not bad.

As he ate, Seong mulled over his next steps before heading to Sisvaldt.

Had he left anything unfinished?

He quickly remembered.

The loot he had acquired recently.

He had obtained something good.

The Body of the Spirit Tree.

It was the perfect crafting material for Silvanor, the elf knight.

This would make for an incredible body.

Learning homunculus alchemy had truly been a stroke of genius.

He had also obtained Hindel’s soul.

If he could craft a body for Hindel as well, it would be perfect.

As he ate, Seong also began thinking about his next move in the city.

"But how am I supposed to enter the Order of Knights?"

Sisvalt was known as the city of knights.

But for a player to actually become a knight?

That was practically unheard of.

It was content meant for players past level 200, and even then, only a select few ever obtained a knighthood.

However—

Seong had already been granted the title of knight.

That meant his path was already smoother than most. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Still—

It wouldn't be that simple to join the Order outright.

The timing had to be right.

And even with his knighthood, there would be other requirements to fulfill.

Silvanor’s new body would come in handy here.

"He'd know a lot about knights. And maybe, just maybe, he has some old connections."

It had been a long time, so there was no guarantee.

But who was to say there weren’t other elf knights around?

If Seong could prepare Silvanor’s body in advance, it would be perfect.

He chuckled to himself as he finished his meal.

"Even if he doesn’t have connections, just having a knight as an ally will make things easier."

Leonic was technically a knight too.

But being a skeleton, he wasn’t exactly ideal for public appearances.

And besides, Leonic’s infamous reputation made things unpredictable.

It was better to prepare Silvanor’s body as soon as possible and move forward from there.

With that thought in mind, Seong finished his meal and headed home.

The sooner he could complete Silvanor’s new body, the better.

3.

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

[May fortune be with you, Player ‘Seong’.]

Seong swiftly dismissed the familiar welcome message and immediately headed toward the nearby hunting grounds.

Acquiring Silvanor’s body required this process.

Fortunately, thanks to the experience he had gained from the Dark Lord quest, his level was nearly full.

This shouldn't take too long.

After diving into hunting for a while, he finally managed to gain a level.

[Level Up!]

[You have reached Level 171.]

The moment he saw the notification, Seong pulled out the Alchemist’s Cauldron.

Before adding the materials, he summoned Helena, Fiora, Serpina, and Valtar.

However, instead of Valtar, Leonic appeared in his place, flashing an unnervingly cheerful grin.

How the hell can a skeleton smile like that?

Yet, somehow, he was definitely grinning.

Regardless—

“Ahem! My lord! Valtar is currently receiving direct training from Noya, so I have come in his place.”

Leonic looked positively thrilled.

So that’s why.

Seong nodded in acknowledgment.

Helena and Fiora, now curious, peered into the cauldron.

"L-Lord, is this...?"

“Wait, are you making another body?” Helena asked, stepping closer.

For some reason, Hero Hindel’s necklace seemed to twitch slightly, but Seong ignored it and nodded.

“Yeah. I’m making a body for Silvanor.”

“Aha! That makes sense. He’ll be a great help.”

“Agreed. This should work well,” Serpina added with approval.

Even with Melissa’s memories stored in his mind, Seong found no issues with the process.

Everything was going smoothly.

Although he hadn’t obtained any high-ranking undead this time, he had secured a body made from the Spirit Tree.

There were no issues whatsoever.

Seong then tossed all the materials he had gathered into the cauldron and began the synthesis process.

As soon as he started, his summoned subordinates took defensive positions, ensuring nothing would interrupt him.

This allowed Seong to fully focus.

"Add this here... Stir it properly..."

Since the materials were high-grade, the process was taking longer than expected.

But that was fine.

Time was on his side.

As Seong continued stirring the cauldron, Fiora whispered to Leonic from her post.

"D-Do you think Silvanor will like this?"

"...I imagine he will not."

"R-Right...?"

Few people enjoyed existing in a pure soul state.

Silvanor was no exception.

However, there was one thing Silvanor feared even more.

With a body, he would no longer have an excuse to avoid Drakanos' training.

Still, Fiora found something odd.

"Then... why didn’t you tell our Lord?"

If Silvanor truly didn’t want this, they could have delayed it.

Seong wasn’t the type to ignore his subordinates' wishes.

Yet, Leonic had said nothing.

Even though he knew Silvanor wouldn’t like it.

Fiora was puzzled.

At her question, Leonic gazed up at the sky and muttered.

"...If we add one more, I get more rest."

"Ah."

Fiora finally understood.

Currently, there were only two knight-type subordinates—Valtar and Leonic.

That meant they had to take turns training under Drakanos.

If they added one more?

It would become a three-man rotation.

That meant more rest time.

Leonic had just sold out Silvanor for more breaks.

As they waited, Seong’s transmutation finally came to a conclusion.

The moment it ended, countless notifications flooded his vision.

[Great Success!!!]

[Melissa’s Homunculus Transmutation has achieved a breakthrough!!!]

[The quality of the homunculus body has reached an unprecedented level!]

[The homunculus body can now be customized.]

[The base form leans toward the Elven race.]

[Customization options for an Elf are available.]

[Please design the avatar as you wish.]

[The following feature can be used: Transcendent Death.]

『Homunculus - Entity Name: Silvanor』

[Your level has decreased by 1. Your level is now 170.]

[The 5 bonus stat points you had gained have been nullified.]

[Through Transcendent Death, 『Homunculus - Entity Name: Silvanor』 has been reborn.]

[『Homunculus - Entity Name: Silvanor』 has evolved into 『Knight of the World Tree, Silvanor.』]

As the form of the World Tree emerged, a magnificent body took shape.

A divine light swirled around the process.

And from within that newly crafted vessel, Silvanor stepped forward.

Since his soul had already been infused into the body, it formed completely without issue.

However—

For some reason, Seong found Silvanor’s expression unsettling.

"...I am deeply grateful, my lord."

But his tone and expression looked strangely... miserable.

Seong tilted his head.

Why did he look so depressed?