The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 73

Seonghyun didn't bother asking why the ghost kept sticking his head in and out of the crystal pillars.

He wasn't curious.

Nor did he want to know.

The ghost seemed relieved that he didn't ask.

If he had asked, the ghost would have felt obliged to answer.

After acknowledging the ghost's presence, Seonghyun regretted it a little.

He should have just pretended not to see him.

In his 22 years, it was the first time he had ever seen a ghost act like that, and the words just tumbled out of his mouth.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, the ghost cleared his throat.

- Ahem, ahem, you have caught a glimpse of a noble personage engaging in rather peculiar behavior.

"......"

Seonghyun didn't offer a response.

His gaze was icy.

It was clear that he didn't want to engage in conversation.

- I-I'm not usually like this......

"......"

- P-Please, could you not look at me like that......?

Seeing the ghost's dejected demeanor, Seonghyun sighed inwardly.

Judging by the ghost's attire, he seemed to have been a high-ranking knight in his past life.

Despite being in ghost form, the armor he wore, and even the sword at his waist, were all extraordinary.

Why would such a person......

The more he thought about it, the more questions arose, but he really didn't want to ask.

Anyway.

"What is this place?"

- This is the Crystal Palace. It is a vestige of a glorious era long past. It was a royal court that served the king. But with the passage of time, it has become a faded relic of the past.

"Ah."

Seonghyun was about to feel a pang of sadness at the knight's mournful words.

But the image of the ghost repeatedly sticking his head between the pillars kept resurfacing in his mind, preventing him from getting immersed in the story.

He really shouldn't have acknowledged him.

Now that things had turned out this way, there was nothing he could do.

It seemed unlikely that the ghost would forget their encounter.

He might as well gain something from it, even if it was just a memory.

He didn't really want to know why the ghost had been acting like that, but considering his knightly appearance, Seonghyun thought he might be knowledgeable about swordsmanship, or perhaps even about this palace.

So, he made a decision.

As Seonghyun reached out his hand, the knight ghost closed his eyes as if he already knew what was about to happen.

And just like that, the knight ghost's memories and experiences flooded into Seonghyun's mind.

'Ugh.'

As Seonghyun absorbed the knight ghost's memories and experiences, a system notification appeared:

[Due to an 'unknown power', you have accomplished something beyond your current level.]

[Strength +5, Agility +5 permanently increased.]

The total increase in his stats was a whopping 10 points.

Considering that the demonic beast Barpur had only been 8, this was a significant boost.

'He seemed a bit dim-witted, but......'

As if refuting Seonghyun's thoughts, the knight ghost's memories flooded in, revealing that in his past life, he was a very strict and solemn knight.

Was that why?

In death, he displayed a somewhat dazed demeanor.

Even so, the fact that he was a great soul did not disappear.

Was it because of this?

'It's a shame.'

Seonghyun had been fooled by his spaced-out appearance.

But now that he knew the truth, he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

And for good reason.

- Finally, I have resolved my lingering regret. I never imagined that someone who could inherit my skills would appear. I am truly delighted to leave this behind as I depart. Thank you so much.

The knight ghost, Bendix Pale Moon, left those words behind, and his ghostly form faded away like a flame burning out.

As Bendix gradually disappeared, waving farewell, Seonghyun felt a pang of disappointment.

If he had joined Seonghyun's legion, he would have been a considerable force.

But Seonghyun had no choice but to respect his decision.

'In the end, he did pass on his swordsmanship.'

Now that his regret had been resolved, there was no reason for him to remain in this world.

It's not that one has to have an unresolved regret to remain as a ghost in this world, but in Bendix's case, like many others with regrets, once that regret was resolved, he was able to pass on peacefully.

That's why, despite his regret, Seonghyun let him go.

'Hmm.'

He swallowed the thought that perhaps Bendix had been too embarrassed to face him after his earlier behavior.

In any case, Seonghyun had obtained useful information.

His swordsmanship had not only improved but had also reached a new level of mastery.

He felt a strange sensation in his body, but he brushed it off for the moment.

That wasn't the important thing right now.

'This is really valuable information!'

Thanks to Kahku's memories, Seonghyun knew exactly who was guarding the treasure chamber here.

The Ancient Royal Guardian Golem.

It was said that due to its age, its level had dropped significantly, placing it around level 70, making it a raid boss.

Originally, that was all Seonghyun knew.

But thanks to Bendix's memories, detailed information had also come to light.

In his past life, Bendix was a knight who played a very important role in this Crystal Palace.

A position even higher than the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem that was currently guarding the treasure chamber.

He was the captain of the Royal Guard Knights.

That was why he knew so much.

He learned that the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem was an Ego Golem, and he even learned its weakness, which was only known to a select few.

He had obtained extremely valuable information.

Moreover,

'He even knows about a secret passage to the treasure chamber that the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem doesn't know about.'

Things were going even better than he had expected.

And since he had an appointment soon, this meant he could leave even earlier.

'So, the passage to the treasure chamber should be around here, right?'

3.

Associate Oh Jinhyeok was dividing up the tasks that Assistant manager Lee Wonsong had been in charge of, filling in for his suddenly busy seniors.

It was obvious, but the workload that the capable Assistant manager Lee Wonsong had been handling was considerable, and it was impossible for Associate Oh Jinhyeok to manage it all alone.

His mind was reeling, and though he was looking at the documents, the words weren't registering in his head, leaving him in a daze.

‘How did Senior manage all of this?’

It was a genuine question.

'Isn't he going to die from overwork?'

Recently, he had often seen Assistant manager Lee Wonsong rubbing his chest.

Could that be a pre-overwork symptom?!

He was worried.

No matter what anyone said, he was his mentor and a senior he respected.

'I need to be of some help!'

Since the work had been divided up since yesterday, he knew that things were piling up, so he had come to work early this morning to prepare and get some tasks done in advance.

Even if he couldn't process everything, by doing what he could, he could see the workload gradually decreasing.

Doing this also made him feel a sense of accomplishment.

With that thought in mind, Associate Oh Jinhyeok began checking on the assigned users.

This was also something he had mainly been doing with Assistant manager Lee Wonsong.

Among them, one user caught his attention.

Seonghyun.

He was the most exceptional user in recent times.

In fact, the reason his seniors were so busy right now was all because of Seonghyun.

Wondering what he would be up to today, he checked on him.

He could see Seonghyun strolling through the resplendent and beautiful Crystal Palace.

"Wowwww."

The magnificence of the noble court was palpable even through the screen.

What would it feel like to stroll through such a place, even just once?

Such thoughts blossomed in his mind.

'But where is he going?'

He knew this place well because he had checked it with Assistant manager Lee Wonsong before.

That place was none other than the ancient royal palace that could be accessed through the treasure map of the Treasure Goblin Kahku.

He had seen him clear the treasure map quest last night, but he was already here.

It was truly surprising.

However, his movements were a bit strange.

He was heading towards a different path filled with crystal pillars, not the path leading to the large lobby.

As far as Associate Oh Jinhyeok knew, that place was completely empty.

Why was he heading there?

If Assistant manager Lee Wonsong had seen this, he would have been shocked and cried out in dismay.

He knew exactly where that path led.

If Assistant manager Lee Wonsong had discovered this, he would have tried to give him more rewards and stop him somehow.

But the clueless rookie Associate Oh Jinhyeok could only blink his eyes and watch Seonghyun.

As if he were watching a broadcast.

"Oh? It looks like he found something over there? Wow?!"

He even provided commentary.

Seeing Seonghyun discover a hidden door and find a secret passage, he even clapped and cheered.

Does he even have any sense of being an employee?

He diligently handled everything besides user management.@@novelbin@@

Why was it that he lost all sense of propriety and only enjoyed himself when watching Seonghyun's videos?

As Seonghyun headed through the secret passage and finally arrived at the treasure chamber,

"Wow! He entered the treasure chamber without even catching the raid boss!? Isn't this a record?"

As Associate Oh Jinhyeok said, they even gave him a title, saying it was the first time in history.

It was truly amazing.

Pre-reward, post-raid.

This was a new concept, and Associate Oh Jinhyeok was so impressed that he wanted to learn it.

But then he suddenly tilted his head, noticing something strange.

"Huh? If this happens, what kind of rewards will he get after catching the raid boss?"

Seonghyun had already taken all the treasures in the treasure chamber.

And as far as Associate Oh Jinhyeok knew, that treasure chamber was a reward that could be obtained upon successfully defeating the raid boss.

But if he took all the treasures first, what would happen to the reward if they succeeded in the raid?

Too curious to even report to Assistant manager Lee Wonsong, Associate Oh Jinhyeok could only watch Seonghyun's screen.

Of course, he had his own thoughts.

'Even if I report it, it's better to report after seeing how things turn out, right?'

If Assistant manager Lee Wonsong had heard this, he would have been so frustrated that he would have wanted to tear his hair out.

4.

The treasure chamber was not a place where gold was piled up like mountains.

It was an armory.

There were many weapons and equipment that seemed to be of high rank.

Even at a rough estimate, there seemed to be at least five different types.

"Wowww."

Seonghyun couldn't help but be impressed by the sight that made his jaw drop.

How could he not react to something like this?

As Seonghyun was expressing his admiration, countless messages popped up.

They were all at least Epic rank, and some of the higher ones were even Unique rank items.

However, they were all exclusively for close combat classes, so there was nothing that Seonghyun could use.

There was nothing that looked better than the Giant Strength Belt.

But still, they were items.

If he put them all up for auction, wouldn't he be able to buy a few items for himself?

It was a treasure chamber that naturally made him think that.

However, that wasn't all the reward.

[You have achieved the first perfect infiltration of the treasure vault guarded by the raid boss in the history of Eternal World.]

[You have acquired the title, 『Tomb Raider』.]

Even a new title.

He wanted to check it out immediately, but he held back for the moment.

He had obtained everything in the treasure vault that could be obtained after defeating the raid boss.

It was indeed a place that Kahku would covet.

But there was still something left.

'What will happen if I defeat the raid boss without any rewards?'

Originally, raid bosses give rewards according to their theme.

Like the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem this time, with the theme of guarding the royal armory, the treasure vault was filled with only weapons and equipment items for various close combat classes.

It was the same during the Anemor battle.

Wind-type or wind-attribute rewards appeared.

But if you defeat a raid boss whose rewards have already been taken?

What will happen?

'Let's find out.'

This was a plan he had in mind since he discovered the secret passage to the treasure vault.

The treasure vault that could only be entered by defeating the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem.

In other words.

'It means that right behind here is the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem's unguarded back!'

With that thought, Seonghyun immediately opened the entrance to the treasure vault.

At that moment, he could see the massive guardian-shaped golem turning around in a bewildered manner.

- Wh-why are you coming out from there!? I-Intruder!?

Golems could be surprised like that too.

That thought was fleeting.

From the very beginning, Seonghyun used the most powerful skill he could use.

He summoned all the Giant Killer Bees summoned from the Netherworld, which scattered teal mist, and used the effect of the Wind’s Ring.

A gust of wind blew.

At that moment, the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem, which shouldn't have been pushed back by Giant Killer Bees, lost its footing and was pushed away.

Maximizing the knockback effect and pushing the Ancient Royal Guardian Golem back, as the distance widened,

The Ancient Royal Guardian Golem, which had not yet regained its posture, saw the door of the treasure vault closing.

After that, sparks flew from the Giant Killer Bees' bodies and the pale green mist, as if they were igniting.

Starting with the sparks, the combination of corpse explosion and exploding poison erupted.

Kuaaaaa———!

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]