The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Seong looked at the elderly elf ghost with a deadpan expression.

The elf ghost coughed awkwardly, as if he hadn't expected to see Seong so soon after their dramatic farewell.

“Ahem, ahem. Ahem.”

Who could have guessed, really? That he'd die and turn into a ghost.

And not just that—who could have imagined he’d still be able to converse with Seong in this state?

From the elf’s perspective, it was even more incomprehensible. Ever since Leonic had invaded the Hall of Knights, the elf had been trapped within the stone chamber, his soul essentially bound to the place. This was the only reason his spirit had persisted, even long past the expiration of his natural lifespan.

But now, with the completion of his final task, his purpose was fulfilled. It was only natural for his spirit to fade away—body and soul both.

Yet, instead of vanishing, his soul had turned into a ghost.

“How could I have known this would happen?” the elf ghost muttered. “I thought my soul would wear out and disappear completely. But apparently, that’s not the case.”

As the elf realized this unexpected turn of events, a sense of goodwill toward Seong began to blossom within him.

“Perhaps,” the elf began hesitantly, “this outcome was part of your plan all along.”

“What? Uh, I don’t think so,” Seong replied, tilting his head.

“Well, you never know. In any case, this might be of some use to you.”

With that, the elf placed a small orb glowing with a teal light into his palm.

“This contains my memories,” the elf explained.

Seong accepted the orb with a simple nod. The moment his hand closed around it, the elf’s memories flooded his mind in vivid detail, like a movie playing in fast-forward. He noticed that some parts of the memories were locked away, but even the fragments he could access left a powerful impression.

The elf had clearly been a formidable figure in life.

Seong absorbed the domineering swordsmanship that resembled the movements of a dragon, and the system immediately reacted:

[With the aid of 'Unknown Power,' you have accomplished something impossible at your current level.] [Strength +5, Agility +5, and Vitality +5 have permanently increased.]

An increase of 15 stat points in total.

As expected, this was no ordinary memory. Except for Helena, Fiora, and Leonic, the stat gain was among the highest Seong had ever seen, rivaling the level of a raid boss like Anemore.

If the elf had been turned into a monster and faced in battle...

“That would’ve been at least raid-boss level,” Seong concluded.

Turning to the ghostly elf knight, Seong commented with a faint smile, “Well, now that we’ve read each other’s memories, what do you think?”

As he spoke, Seong summoned the skeletal body of a warrior he’d retrieved from the underworld, showing it to the ghost.

Understanding Seong’s intent, the elf gave a soft chuckle. “As you know, I’ve always wanted to roam free, like a wandering knight.”

“I know,” Seong said with a nod.

“So, to you—no, to my liege—I pledge my loyalty. I, the humble yet steadfast Silvanor, swear to serve you faithfully. Please, grant me the honor of wielding my blade in your name.”

The dramatic oath made Seong cringe slightly, though he managed to keep a straight face. As a modern man, the formalities felt a bit over the top. However, knowing the weight of Silvanor’s memories, Seong decided to play along.

“Become my knight,” he said simply, nodding at the ghost.

With a wave of his hand, Seong imbued Silvanor’s spirit into the skeleton warrior’s body.

“For now, you’ll have to make do with this temporary vessel,” Seong added. “I’ll find you a better one soon. Don’t worry.”

“I trust you completely, my liege,” Silvanor replied, his voice steady and confident.

After ensuring Silvanor was safely sent back to the underworld, Seong turned his attention to the others. Leonic, brimming with enthusiasm, clapped loudly.

“How benevolent of you, my lord!” he exclaimed.

“Yes! Truly moving!” another voice chimed in.

“I must say, you’ve shown the dignity of a ruler,” added a third.

With all three showering him with praise, Seong felt his face heat up slightly. He chose to ignore it, brushing the comments aside.

“Alright, let’s focus on the rewards now,” he said, changing the subject.

Recalling the words he’d glimpsed earlier in Silvanor’s memories, Seong opened his inventory.

[You have cleared a Hidden Trial and acquired the Hidden Piece, 『???’s Longsword』.]

The item’s name was obscured by question marks.

『???’s Longsword』 → Hidden Piece. → Its owner is unknown. → Its purpose and use remain a mystery. → If you collect three items belonging to the same owner, you may uncover their secret.

A Hidden Piece that hinted at yet another mystery. If Seong could gather three of these items, he might unlock something extraordinary.

Though parts of Silvanor’s memories were still locked, Seong had deduced the true identity of the sword.

“The Longsword of the Knight King.”

He knew the location of two more items tied to it. One was here, in the Hall of Knights, and the other was in the fifth village.

While the final destination of these items remained unclear, their individual locations were firmly etched in Seong’s mind.

“Well, that’s one thing sorted,” Seong said to himself. “Now, let’s see what other rewards are in store.”

Eagerly stepping out of the spire, Seong awaited the system notifications that had been delayed.

Finally, they appeared before him.

[You have cleared the Hidden Field, "Hall of Knights"!]

[Rewards will be distributed.]

[You have also cleared the hidden trial within the Hidden Field, "Hall of Knights."]

[Existing rewards have been enhanced.]

[You have achieved a milestone in the Hidden Field.]

[Achievement rewards will be granted.]

[You have gained additional mastery experience from training in the Hidden Field, "Hall of Knights."]

[You are the first in Eternal World history to clear the "Hall of Knights"!]

[Your renown spreads throughout Eternal World.]

[As a reward for the clear, you have earned the title, "Idol of Knights."]

[As the first in history to clear the "Hall of Knights," you have been granted the rank of "Knight."]

[You will now receive a warm reception from all virtuous NPCs.]

[A massive amount of accumulated skill mastery has been granted.]

[The Legendary skill "Shadow Glide" has increased to Level 5.]

[The Legendary skill "Cry of Black Blood" has increased to Level 3.]

[The Legendary skill "Torrent of Swords" has increased to Level 3.]

[The Almighty skill "Helena's Supreme Swordsmanship" has increased to Level 2.]

[As "Helena's Supreme Swordsmanship" has leveled up, you have gained a new swordsmanship skill, "Abyss."]

[You have obtained the Hidden Piece, "???'s Map of the Tomb," by passing the hidden trial.]

[The Sacred Guardian of the "Hall of Knights" has disappeared.]

[The "Hall of Knights" can no longer be maintained, and all functionality has vanished.]

“Wow... that’s a lot,” Seong muttered as he read through the lengthy list of notifications.

Though the number of messages was overwhelming, the rewards themselves didn’t feel as abundant as the announcements made them seem. The last Hidden Piece he obtained was the same type as the Longsword of the Knight King, so there wasn’t much to investigate. Even the parts shrouded in question marks were now readable.

"I’ll save the Knight King’s Tomb Map for later,” he decided. Without the other two items to pair with it, the Hidden Piece wasn’t useful yet. Instead, it was better to focus on the rest of the rewards.

First, the titles. He inspected the two titles he’d earned—the "Wanderer" from his initial discovery of the Hidden Field and the new "Idol of Knights."

『Wanderer』

→ Rare

→ A title granted to the first player to discover a Hidden Field.

→ Increases effectiveness of actions within Hidden Fields by 10%.

『Idol of Knights』

→ Legendary+

→ A title granted to the first player in Eternal World history to clear the "Hall of Knights."

→ As the first clear, the title has been slightly upgraded from its original tier.

→ Grants universal recognition from all knights.

→ Increases the power of all knight-related skills by 25%.

→ Allows the user to teach knight-related skills to NPCs of a lower title tier.

“Oh?” Seong’s eyebrows rose slightly as he reviewed the descriptions.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

While "Wanderer" was decent, "Idol of Knights" was incredible. The 25% boost to knight-related skills was substantial, but the ability to teach those skills to NPCs was even more enticing. If he could pass these skills on to his summons, the benefits would be immense.

Next, he turned his attention to the rank he had earned: "Knight." A new window appeared before him.

『Knight』

→ Rank

→ Equivalent to a junior baron in nobility but receives higher respect due to demonstrated skill.

→ Allows the user to learn knight-type skills.

“So that’s what the earlier messages meant by receiving special treatment,” Seong mused. The rank of "Knight" apparently granted him the respect of virtuous NPCs and treated him like minor nobility. Not bad.

But the real value lay in the ability to learn knight-type skills—an enormous advantage for someone with his playstyle.

Satisfied so far, Seong shifted his focus to the leveled-up skills, starting with the Legendary ones: Shadow Glide, Cry of Black Blood, and Torrent of Swords.

『Shadow Glide』

→ Legendary

→ [Lv 5] [Growth-Type]

→ [Instant Effect] [Compound]

→ [Cooldown: 5 minutes]

→ [Duration: 20 seconds]

→ An Assassin-class exclusive skill.

→ Enhances footwork, leaving shadow-like afterimages as you move.

→ Instantly increases movement speed by 1,250% and stealth by 600% upon activation.

『Cry of Black Blood』

→ Legendary

→ [Lv 3] [Growth-Type]

→ [Instant Effect] [Active]

→ [Cooldown: 8 minutes]

→ Knight-class exclusive skill.

→ Targets a single enemy.

→ Applies "Black Blood Stacks" equal to the number of times the user has attacked the target.

→ When the "Cry of Black Blood" is triggered, the weapon emits a mournful wail that tears open wounds for 13% damage per stack.

『Torrent of Swords』

→ Legendary

→ [Lv 3] [Growth-Type]

→ [Instant Effect] [Active]

→ [Cooldown: 8 minutes]

→ Warrior-class exclusive skill.

→ Allows the user to unleash a barrage of slashes and thrusts within a short period.

→ Attacks 50 times per second for 3 seconds, dealing 13% damage per strike.

→ User cannot move while the skill is active.

The cooldowns and durations had noticeably improved, and the percentage-based effects were significantly higher. Shadow Glide, in particular, stood out for its massive speed boost.

“Impressive,” Seong muttered. “No wonder leveling up takes so much effort.”

Finally, Seong examined Helena's Supreme Swordsmanship, his Almighty-tier skill. Its improvements brought a smile to his face.

『Helena's Supreme Swordsmanship』

→ Almighty

→ [Lv 2] [Growth-Type]

→ [Passive Effect] [Compound]

→ A swordsmanship style created in a brief moment of inspiration by Helena, carrying the depth and mastery of a lifetime.

→ "Use it well, and don't waste it!"

→ Exclusive to Overlord-class users.

→ Inflicts additional dark damage on top of normal slash and pierce damage.

→ Imbues the user’s sword with dark energy naturally.

→ Increases base attack power by 400%.

→ Unlocks a total of 10 swordsmanship skills, one for each skill level.