The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 44

0.

After leaving Rox's Tomb and parting ways with Kim Chegeon, the first thing Seonghyun did was, naturally, to check his rewards.

Wouldn't checking the rewards be the priority after obtaining them?

He had earned a lot this time, so...

It would be exciting to see what he got.

He hadn't obtained any noteworthy drop items within the dungeon, except maybe the Imp's tail.

The first reward Seonghyun checked was a title he had obtained after a long time.

It wasn't exactly a new title since it was an evolution of an existing one, but still.

『Treasure Explorer』

→《Epic》

→A title given to users who discover hidden doors in Hidden Dungeons at once.

→Increases drop rate by 20% in Hidden Dungeons.

→Increases hidden door detection rate by 20% in all dungeons.

'Hmm.'

The title had evolved from Rare to Epic, and a hidden door detection rate option had been added.

Also, while discovering Hidden Dungeons wasn't very common,

The newly added option increased the hidden door detection rate in all dungeons.

It was a very useful option.

Especially since Seonghyun had been making good use of dungeons lately.

So, should he check the next reward?

No, there was something he had to do before that.

[You acquire the Rare rank skill, 『Corpse Poison』!]

[You acquire the Epic rank skill, 『Exploding Poison』!]

He used the two skill books without delay and acquired the two skills.

『Corpse Poison』

→《Rare》

→[Lv 1][Growth Type]

[Continuous Effect][Active]

[Cooldown 3 minutes]

[Poison Duration 30 seconds]

→Black Mage exclusive skill.

→Injects poison into a corpse with mana.

→The poison slowly spreads and poisons enemies.

『Exploding Poison』

→《Epic》

→[Lv 1][Growth Type]

[Instant Effect][Active]

[Cooldown 3 minutes]

→Black Mage exclusive skill.

→Detonates the poison, dealing poison damage and explosion damage, and spreading the poison.

"Wow."

Seonghyun's jaw dropped at the skills.

Even Corpse Poison alone had a considerably useful effect.

It could be used as long as there was a corpse.

On top of that, the effect of Exploding Poison was practically cheating.

Epic rank was a high rank.

But for it to be this good and still only Epic rank...

'There will be synergy with various poisons, right?'

If he only used Corpse Poison, poison would spread from the corpse.

The speed would undoubtedly be slow.

But what if he used Exploding Poison?

The poison on the corpse would explode rapidly, spreading quickly to the surroundings and inflicting both poison and explosion damage simultaneously.

And if he used Corpse Explosion on an enemy already poisoned...

It was a combination skill.

Corpse Explosion, Corpse Poison, Exploding Poison.

'I can create a combo no matter how I use them.'

After acquiring the skills,

Seonghyun envisioned various combinations in his mind, then...

He took out the final reward.

The item that could be called Rox's final masterpiece!

『Black Magic Refinement Stone』

→《Epic》

→A crystal created by refining Black Magic to its limits.

→Can increase the rank of items related to Black Magic.

→However, it cannot exceed Epic rank.

"Increase rank?"

To think it could increase the rank of an item...

Seonghyun's eyes widened, and he gulped.

Although it had the drawback of not being able to exceed Epic rank, it was still amazing.

Didn't he happen to have an item that could be used for this?

An item that was meaningful to Seonghyun.

'I wonder if this can be enhanced?'

With that thought, Seonghyun took out a staff he hadn't used in a long time.

It was the staff he had received from the village head of Hindel.

『Staff of the Forgotten One』

→《Rare+》

→A staff whose user has been forgotten over time.

→Although the owner remains unknown after all these years, the faint power lingering within suggests that the previous owner was a formidable black mage.

→Slightly increases mana regeneration after using black magic skills.

→Slightly increases the power of black magic skills.

Could this be enhanced?

With that expectation, as Seonghyun tried to use the Black Magic Refinement Stone,

A system message appeared.

[This item can be enhanced with the 『Black Magic Refinement Stone』.]

[For some reason, the Staff of the Forgotten One is trembling.]

[There may be additional effects.]

[Would you like to use the 『Black Magic Refinement Stone』 on the 『Staff of the Forgotten One』?]

[Yes / No]

'Oh?'

What did this mean?

There might be additional effects?

Indeed, the Staff of the Forgotten One was presumed to be Helena's staff.

In other words, could he draw out the hidden power within it using the Black Magic Refinement Stone?

Seonghyun, filled with anticipation, used it immediately.

He had no intention of using it on anything else anyway.

As he used the Black Magic Refinement Stone,

A black mist-like energy seeped out from the stone, and the Staff of the Forgotten One began to absorb it completely.

Unlike at first, when it simply started absorbing,

The staff gradually devoured the energy voraciously.

The Black Magic Refinement Stone quickly lost its light, and soon cracks began to appear, shattering into dust in Seonghyun's hand.

Then, a strong teal light emanated from the Staff of the Forgotten One, and a system message appeared before Seonghyun.

[Congratulations! The Rare+ rank item, 『Staff of the Forgotten One』, has awakened the energy dwelling within it due to the 『Black Magic Refinement Stone』!]

[It has undergone evolution, surpassing the original effect of the 『Black Magic Refinement Stone』.]

[The Rare+ rank item, 『Staff of the Forgotten One』, has evolved into the Epic+ rank item, 『Apprentice Monarch's Staff』.]

"Huh."

He let out a sigh.

It was supposed to be impossible to go beyond Epic, yet...

It had evolved to Epic+ rank.

And the name was Apprentice Monarch's Staff.

As expected, it was Helena's staff.

Seonghyun quickly checked the item without hesitation.

『Apprentice Monarch's Staff』

→《Epic+》(Growth Type)

→Although an incredibly long time has passed, the energy remains intact, indicating that it is the staff of a great Sovereign.

→However, it is impossible to deduce which Sovereign used this staff, as the owner remains unknown due to the passage of time.

→Increases mana recovery rate by 5%.

→Increases the power of Black Magic skills by 5%.

→The item grows when special conditions are met.

'Growth type item?'

It was a concept he had never heard of before.

Did growth mean it would evolve to Unique rank if special conditions were met?

He wasn't sure, but he assumed so.

Seonghyun blinked as he looked at the staff.

'Wow.'

He had truly obtained something incredible.

Judging from the effects alone, it was somewhat lacking for an Epic+ item, but...

A growth type item.

He had originally planned to log out after checking the rewards, but...

How could he resist?

New skill combinations and even a new item.

Seonghyun stored all his swords, leaving only the staff, which he tucked into his belt. Eager to test it out immediately, he quickened his pace.

Like Sekan Village, this place was also the second village.

Since party hunting was mandatory in this village, Seonghyun headed straight for the village square.

He could have gone to the cemetery, but he didn't.

His purpose was to test the power of the staff and the Corpse Poison, Corpse Explosion, and Exploding Poison skills.

The cemetery, filled only with undead, wasn't a very good hunting ground.

'I need to find a party.'

Before meeting Kim Chegeon, he had been hesitant to find party members.

Manhu, for example, had tried to backstab him.

But that was like being too afraid of maggots to make soybean paste.

His experience with Wooz and Karlak had also played a part in making him think it wasn't a big deal.

'Most of them were weak anyway.'

If Wooz, Karlak, or Manhu heard that, they would be furious, but...

They were indeed weaker than Seonghyun.

He knew it vaguely, but...

Seonghyun still often wondered if he was really that strong.

He wasn't originally that knowledgeable about games, and it had only been two days since he started playing.

It was only natural for him to have difficulty with self-assessment.

When he looked at Kim Chegeon and others, he vaguely felt that he was strong, but...

He hadn't fully grasped it yet.

As Seonghyun stepped out into the central plaza,

Perhaps due to the aftermath of the event, there were more users than he expected, despite the late hour.

'Oh.'

He let out a small exclamation inwardly and looked around.

There were still many people looking for party members.

Most of them seemed to be older, mainly in their 30s and 40s.

Occasionally, there were also people who appeared to be in their late 20s.

"Looking for party members to go to the Red Goblin Village!!"

"Looking for users to go to the Sky Raccoon Den!! We have three members already!!"

"Looking for a user to go to the Big Ant Nest, a 2-player party dungeon! I'm a Thief!! I know the geography and the dungeon well!! Please!!"

They seemed to be users who played the game after work.

Seonghyun looked around at some of them.

His purpose was to find someone to go to a dungeon with to test out his skills.

As he was looking around,

One user particularly caught his eye.

A user that others seemed to be avoiding.

The Thief user who was looking for a 2-player party, claiming to be knowledgeable about geography and the dungeon.

'Thieves are at a disadvantage early on, right?'

He had heard that it was a somewhat ambiguous position.

A class that could do various things like disarm traps, ambush, use daggers, move quickly, and navigate.

However, Rangers were much better at disarming traps and navigating.

Even in terms of speed, Swordsmen and Warriors focused on speed could be faster.

It was said that there was no more disadvantageous position in the early stages.

Although it was a class that thrived after the second job change when they learned stealth...

Was it difficult before that?

That seemed to be why everyone was avoiding him.

It was a class that was ambiguous in terms of dealing damage and other aspects as well.

'Well, I can make up for what he lacks.'

With that thought, Seonghyun approached the Thief user and asked,

"Would you be interested in partying up?"

"Huh? M-me?"

"???"

He approached him because he seemed desperate, but...

The Thief user was questioning why he would party with him.

Should he find someone else to party with?

That thought briefly crossed his mind, but Seonghyun simply answered,

"Ah, this is my first time in this village, and you said you know the geography well."

"Huh? Ah! Ah! Uh-huh! Of course! This will be my tenth time clearing Big Ant Nest! Let's party up then!"

"Ah, okay."

The Thief user, Nanjiro, looked at Seonghyun with a happy expression and smiled contentedly.

If it was his first time in Oren, the second village, shouldn't he, as a senior player, guide him well?

He seemed to be a user who had just started playing.

'Again, a veteran like me has to guide him, mwahahaha!'

Excitedly, Nanjiro resolved to teach Seonghyun this and that.

Unlike Nanjiro, who was happily pleased,

Seonghyun looked at him with a bit of suspicion.

Was he another villain?

The Thief user was beaming.

Anyone would find it suspicious.

And the dungeon was a 2-player dungeon, no less.

It seemed like the perfect environment for a villain to strike, but Seonghyun wasn't too concerned.

If he attacked, Seonghyun would just have to deal with him.

As they formed a party,

『Seonghyun - Lv.37 - (????)』

『Nanjiro - Lv.35 - (Thief)』

"???????"

Nanjiro's face was full of question marks.

Didn't he say it was his first time in the second village?

Why was his level higher than his own?

As Nanjiro blinked his eyes and looked at Seonghyun with that thought,

Seonghyun looked back at him as if asking what was wrong.

"Huh? Is there something wrong?"

"Uh... Y-You? You said it was your first time in the second village..."

"Ah, I was in another second village, and it hasn't been long since I came to Oren Village."

"Ah..."

Seonghyun tilted his head in confusion as Nanjiro's face flushed red with embarrassment and his posture became more respectful.

Why was he acting like this?

"Ah..., I thought you were a beginner who just arrived in the second village..."

"Ah! That's understandable."

"Yes, yes! T-then let's go! I'll guide you!"

Nanjiro politely guided Seonghyun while thinking,

'I shouldn't have jumped in, how embarrassing...'

Still, he glanced at Seonghyun and...

He could see that Seonghyun was wearing quite expensive items.

'He must be a student from a wealthy family.'

That's what it looked like at first glance.

The type of person who spends money on games first.

Usually, such people lacked skills.

Nanjiro judged that Seonghyun was also that type of person.

It was trendy to play Mage classes because they lacked confidence in their skills.

'Now then...'

'I need to take the lead and properly organize the battle formation.'

Although his level was lower,

He had to change the perception of Thieves with his outstanding Thief control!

With that noble cause in mind, Nanjiro guided Seonghyun and arrived at the Big Ant Nest.

As the name suggested, it was a huge cave entrance, large enough for five people to enter.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

It indicated that the ants inside were also large.

Then came Nanjiro's explanation.

"Since this is your first time here, let me explain. The Big Ants here move in groups, but since the minimum number of party members is two, they are easy monsters."

"Oh."

"Their defense is quite strong, but they have a clear weakness. If you aim for their necks, you can defeat them quickly. Haha! I'll stand in the front line and block them all for you!"

Listening to Nanjiro's explanation and looking at the Big Ant Nest, Seonghyun thought it would be a good place to experiment.

They had strong defense but were numerous.

It was the perfect condition to test out explosion-type skills.

Still, he had to give a heads-up.

Seonghyun looked at Nanjiro and cautiously spoke,

"Um, if they come out first, would it be okay if I use my skills first?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, I got a new skill, and it's an explosion type, so I'm worried you might get caught in it."

"Ah! Yes, yes, of course. It's good to use explosions first."

Nanjiro nodded, looking a bit amused.

Every user wanted to test out new skills, but look at how confident he was about explosions.

Explosion skills at this level weren't incredibly powerful; they were skills that could be expected to deal wide-range damage.

Seeing Seonghyun, who seemed unaware of this,

He must be a clueless young master.

He was almost certain now.

'What if he's disappointed?'

Nanjiro was a little worried.

He had been through that himself.

Although Seonghyun's level was higher than his, he was confident that he knew more about this game.

It was true.

Seonghyun was a player with only two days of experience.

As they entered the dungeon,

Nanjiro should have taken the lead, but he didn't, as Seonghyun requested it.

Not long after the two entered the dungeon,

As befitting the name Big Ant Nest, Big Ants swarmed towards them.

There were as many as six of them.

Slightly surprised by the large number of ants swarming in, Nanjiro shouted to Seonghyun,

"Their necks are their weak points!"

Nodding at his words, Seonghyun raised his staff and summoned a bone arrow.

He didn't even have time to be surprised by the lower mana consumption than usual.

The moment it was summoned, the bone arrow shot out, piercing the neck of the Big Ant in the center of the group.

Thud!

[Critical Hit!]

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

The Big Ant that was hit staggered, seemingly bewildered.

The damage was greater than expected.

"Oh!?"

Nanjiro was visibly surprised, as if he hadn't expected Seonghyun to hit the target on the first try.

However, Seonghyun, ignoring him, cleared the message window that was blocking his view and cast another spell.

Bone Arrow was on cooldown, and the skill Seonghyun had created was Wraith of the Dead.

As he cast the spell while holding the staff, a teal light gathered in the air, forming the shape of a spear.

As Seonghyun pointed the staff,

The teal spear flew towards the target like lightning, and the Big Ant, unable to even muster the will to dodge, had its neck pierced through.

[Critical Hit!]

[You gain experience.]

'Huh? It's already dead?'

Nanjiro felt something was strange as he saw the Big Ant collapse after just two hits.

Even though they were weak, it wasn't an ant that would go down in just two hits.

He looked at Seonghyun with a puzzled expression.

Seonghyun also seemed quite pleased.

'The damage is higher than usual.'

It consumed less mana, and the damage was considerably stronger than before.

Although it was a subtle difference,

The effect of the evolved Apprentice Monarch's Staff was evident.

Seonghyun started using his skills.

As soon as the ant in the center of the group collapsed, he raised his staff and used Corpse Poison.

Fizzle.

A green gas rose from the corpse.

It spread slowly but surely.

Recognizing the poison, the Big Ants, which had been charging, scattered from the center of the group.

As the gas touched the Big Ant's body,

Sizzle!

And the parts that came into contact with the poison had their hard exoskeletons melted away.

"Kieeee!"

"Kiiiiiik!"

A strong acidic poison that melted their bodies on contact!

The Big Ants writhed in pain, trying to escape from the horrible poison that melted their bodies, spreading from the point of contact with the deep green gas.

However, small lights began to ignite in the green gas, and...

Seonghyun cast another skill towards them.

The Big Ants writhed in pain, trying to escape from the horrible poison that melted their bodies, spreading from the point of contact with the deep green gas.

However, small lights began to ignite in the green gas, and...

Boom!

An explosion erupted from the green gas.

As the huge explosion engulfed all the Big Ants,

They were engulfed in flames from the explosion, and the green gas, instead of scattering, spread in all directions.

Green gas and explosions enveloped the Big Ants.

But that wasn't the end.

From the two Big Ant corpses created by the explosion, flashing lights ignited once more, and...

Another explosion erupted from the center.

Kaboom!!

Rumble.

The entire cave shook as if trembling,

Showing how powerful the explosion had been.

The explosion spread to the surroundings, creating a thick black cloud, and as the wind blew, the black cloud scattered into the air as if it had never been there.

Where the black cloud had disappeared, only the ground, devastated by the explosion, remained.

"???"

Nanjiro blinked his eyes after witnessing the scene and looked at Seonghyun.

Then, with an even more respectful posture than before, he said,

"Please spare me."

"Huh???"

It seemed he had been greatly misunderstood.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]