The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 78

At Jung Harin's words, the atmosphere instantly quieted down.

It was almost as if their lively chatter from just moments before had never happened.

However, everyone's expressions remained excited.

Eternal World was the hottest topic right now.

It would be strange if he didn't play Eternal World.

But somehow, if it was Seonghyun...

"Wouldn't he... not play?"

"Didn't he hardly play any games before he went to the army?"

"That's right, he even refused when I asked him to go to a PC cafe to play games."

"Maybe he just doesn't like you, Cheolmin?"

"Ah?! That's a secret! Jaemin, why are you telling Cheolmin~"

"That's too much. Seriously..."

"Anyway, I'm curious."

Would Seonghyun play Eternal World?

The game came out just when Seonghyun went to the army.

They thought he might have started playing after his discharge.

Everyone here played Eternal World.

In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that they were more of an Eternal World club than a web novel reading club now.

Not that there was any club that wasn't like that.

But this one was a bit extreme.

They were all so immersed that they even gathered to hunt in parties.

"Should we ask him?"

"Good idea! Then you ask him."

"Me, me? Can't we do rock-paper-scissors?"

"Hey, can't you even ask that?"

"Then Lee Cheolmin, you ask him."

"......It's not easy."

"He's saying 'It's not easy.'"

They were chattering noisily when Lee Soojung said expectantly.

"It would be great if Seonghyun played too. If he hasn't been playing for long, he could play with us."

"We haven't been playing for long either, and we have Harin, right?"

"That's right."

"Harin is a pro."

They all acknowledged Jung Harin.

Everyone else had Normal or, at best, Rare rank classes, but she had an Epic rank class.

They couldn't help but acknowledge her skill.

Even though they had all started playing only a month ago and had just finished their second job advancements, reaching level 50.

It was quite fast for just one month.

This was also thanks to Jung Harin's skill.

As they were talking about Jung Harin's skill, Lee Cheolmin brought up a topic that had been trending yesterday.

"Hey, did you guys see that the top rank in the Fortress of the Past changed yesterday?"

"Ah, I saw that! Wait, wasn't the top rank's nickname Seonghyun?"

"Yeah, yeah. I saw that too."

"Really???"

Seo Yujin asked, as if she hadn't heard yet, and Song Jaemin nodded.

The topic had shifted slightly, causing Jung Harin's usually acknowledged expression to slightly distort.

However, that was a common occurrence.

More importantly, was the Seonghyun in the game the Seonghyun they knew?

Belatedly, Seo Yujin checked her phone.

Indeed, she could see that the only clear record, sitting at rank 1, belonged to a user named Seonghyun.

"Wow!!! It's real!!?"

"Have you been living under a rock? It's really Seonghyun!"

"But... are we sure it's the Seonghyun we know?"

"Probably not, right? Seonghyun was supposed to be discharged this week, wasn't he?"

"Hmph, then it's probably not him."

When Jung Harin spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.

Logically, how could someone who was discharged this week have already reached level 50?

Even if he started playing before his discharge, he would have been in the military.

No matter how many vacations he took, he couldn't have just started and already be doing the Fortress of the Past.

It must be a different person with the same name.

As they all talked and dismissed it, Seo Yujin awkwardly smiled, as if a little disappointed.

"Should... should we still ask him?"

"Pfft, you can't even ask if he plays Eternal World, how are you going to ask if that Seonghyun is him?"

"That's true. But Cheolmin would definitely do it. Besides, he said he'd ask!"

"Hey!! When did I say that!!!"

They were chattering like any other twenty-two-year-olds.

Jung Harin looked at her friends with a slightly bored and nonchalant expression.

Her skills were decent, and she had quite a bit of luck.

She planned to pursue a career in gaming, thanks to her Epic rank class.

In this era, large guilds were treated like major corporations.

She had talent in this area, so it was definitely a good path for her.

The benefits were great, and it was much better than a regular job.

She hadn't joined a guild yet, but she could probably get into any decent one, right?

'They say it's harder to get into a big guild than a major company these days.'

Hanging out with her friends was fun, but it was time to think about the future.

If...

'Hmph, if Seonghyun played too, he could at least keep me company.'

She had that thought for a moment.

Jung Harin also had feelings for Seonghyun.

It was possible that Seonghyun would be good at the game.

But she didn't consider that possibility.

She had never met anyone who was better at Eternal World than her.

She had become a frog in a well.

As they chattered amongst themselves and she was lost in thought, the door opened, and a young man who seemed to have rushed in stood there.

He had fairly short hair, probably just discharged from the military.

But he had a refined face, a small face, and was quite handsome—Seonghyun.

"Seonghyun! Over here!"

"Oh? Everyone's here? Looks like I'm a bit late."

Looking at the time, it was a little earlier than they agreed.

But everyone was already here.

Seonghyun looked slightly apologetic, and Seo Yujin, Lee Soojung, and Song Jaemin quickly waved their hands and shook their heads.

"No, no! We all came early."

"Y-yeah, you're not late!"

"We all just happened to gather early."

When the three of them said that, Seonghyun nodded, asking if that was the case.

Since they were the only customers in the cafe, Seonghyun didn't immediately sit down.

He had to order.

"I'll go order a drink."

Watching Seonghyun's back as he went to the counter, everyone became quite quiet.

It was completely different from the lively atmosphere just a moment ago.

They were wondering what to say.

They also wondered if Seonghyun would like that kind of thing.

Even Jung Harin, who had been brimming with confidence, was at a loss for words.

Everyone was too shy to say anything.

When Seonghyun came back with his drink, he was a bit puzzled to see everyone so quiet.

"……?"

It seemed a bit noisy a moment ago.

Or was it not?

It was a bit too lively to be just his imagination.

Did his arrival interrupt their conversation?

If so, he felt a bit sorry.

So, Seonghyun started the conversation.

"What were you guys talking about?"

While everyone was wondering what to say, Lee Cheolmin cleared his throat, opened his eyes wide, and said.

"We were talking about... Eternal World!"

"Oh? Eternal World?"

Seeing Seonghyun's reaction, everyone's faces lit up noticeably.

He knew about it after all!

They couldn't bring themselves to ask if he was playing it, but just knowing he knew was great.

Lee Cheolmin! Well done!

Everyone looked at Lee Cheolmin with that kind of gaze, and Seonghyun nodded, saying.

"Everyone's playing it these days, huh? You guys too?"

It was a natural question.

Everyone nodded at Seonghyun's question.

The entire club was playing it.

"Yeah, we're going around in a party together."

"We sometimes bicker, but Harin is a pro, so we follow her lead!"

"That's right. Harin has an Epic rank class!"

"Maybe she can even join a large guild???"

"Hmm, well, I don't know about that."

As they burst into conversation, the topic naturally shifted to Jung Harin.

She was the pride of their party, after all.

Perhaps because of her friends' compliments, Jung Harin spoke modestly but maintained a proud demeanor.

It was as if she was asking Seonghyun,

"What do you think?"

However, his reaction was lukewarm.

"Oh, really?"

His response made everyone pause.

Why?

Wasn't it a big deal?

Or was it...

'Does Seonghyun not know much about it?'

'Has he not played Eternal World?'

'That could be it.'

'What should we do?'

'Does he really not know?'

Did they bring it up for no reason when he didn't know about Eternal World?

Knowing Seonghyun's personality, he probably wouldn't feel left out, but still...

As everyone was flustered, Seonghyun said casually,

"I haven't been playing for long, so... an Epic rank is high, right?"

"Ah! You haven't been playing for long!?"

"Th-then it's understandable that you don't know much!"

"It's higher than Rare, and Rare isn't even comparable."

"That's right, that's right."

"Hmm."

That was a relief.

He was playing after all.

At their words, Seonghyun nodded and looked at Jung Harin.

Of course,

'Epic is high, indeed.'

Seonghyun had been surrounded by Epic ranks from the beginning, and in the Rapid Guild, Epic was the minimum requirement.

His standards had become quite high.

Even for Seonghyun, Epic was a decent rank, so he thought it was good for her.

Then,

'Even Corpse Explosion is Rare.'

He assumed that Epic must be quite high.

Thinking that, he moved on.

"Then what level are you guys?"

"Ah, us? We've been playing for about a month? A month and a half? But our average level is 50."

"That's right, we even finished our second class advancements."

"And that's thanks to Harin, who helped us hunt faster. It's usually hard to level up this quickly."

"We were told that we're quite fast."

"It's not common."

When even Jung Harin joined in, Seonghyun's face was filled with question marks, as if he was truly puzzled.

That was fast?

He seemed genuinely unable to understand.

'Wasn't this a game where leveling up is fast?'

It had only been four days since Seonghyun started playing.

And his level was 75.

Even that was after dropping two levels to transcend Barpur.

Of course, Seonghyun was abnormal, or rather, a monster, and this party was also quite impressive.

Even if ordinary people played together in a party for two months, they would barely reach level 40.

So, they could be considered fast.

Compared to Seonghyun, they were slower than snails, but still.

"……?"

"Huh?"

Everyone was bewildered by Seonghyun's reaction.

Why was he acting like that?

He seemed puzzled, so they wanted to ask him, but they hesitated.

At that moment, our hero Lee Cheolmin stepped up again.

"What about you, Seonghyun?"

"Me? Ah, my level?"

"Yeah, and are you playing with anyone else?"

At this point, everyone was looking at Lee Cheolmin with a bit of admiration.

He was talking to Seonghyun so casually!

But Song Jaemin, sitting next to Lee Cheolmin, could see it.

Lee Cheolmin was wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.

Anyway, at Lee Cheolmin's question, Seonghyun nodded.

Was he playing with someone else?

Everyone's expressions became a bit downcast, thinking it would be difficult to play together, but then they couldn't believe what they heard next.

"Yeah, I joined a guild. It's called Rapid Guild, have you heard of it?"

"……?"

"……???"

"……Huh?"

"Wh-what?"

"……What???"

Jung Harin was especially shocked.

Rapid Guild?

Was he talking about the Rapid Guild they knew?

No, that couldn't be, right?

He said he hadn't been playing for long.

Rank 3 in the guild rankings, and...

Rapid Guild?

The one with the solo ranker, Yuna?

No way, right?

With a dubious expression, Lee Cheolmin asked, trembling,

"Th-that... Yuna-nim's... rank... 3rd..."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Gah!?!?"

"No way!?!?"

"R-really!?"

"W-wait a minute?! R-Rapid Guild!? For real!?"

At that point, even Jung Harin, who had maintained her aloof attitude, couldn't help but crumble.

And belatedly, a wave of embarrassment washed over her.

Had she just bragged about being good at Eternal World to a Rapid Guild member?

There was a limit to showing off.

As Jung Harin's face turned bright red, everyone gulped and looked at Seonghyun.

Was this for real?

Then, a topic that had come up earlier suddenly crossed everyone's minds.

The top ranker in the Fortress of the Past was nicknamed Seonghyun.

Could it be?

Nah, that couldn't be it.

With that thought, Song Jaemin also asked in a trembling voice,

"Th-then... the top rank in the Fortress of the Past... is that you, Seonghyun?"

"Ah? Hmm, I was told not to say anything about that, but I think a video will be uploaded today."

"Wow..."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Seonghyun nodded in agreement.

Everyone gulped with dumbfounded expressions.

Then, Lee Cheolmin's phone alarm went off.

Since they were all in a daze, they reacted sensitively to the sound and turned their heads.

Lee Cheolmin showed his phone to everyone with trembling hands.

And on the screen,

[Rapid's Demon King, Fortress of the Past]

A new video about the Fortress of the Past had been uploaded to the Rapid Guild channel.

And glancing at the video, they could see that it was indeed a video of him clearing it.

Jung Harin abruptly stood up and approached Seonghyun.

Was she going to say something out of hurt pride?

Everyone was so out of it that they couldn't even think of stopping her and just watched blankly.

Then, Jung Harin bowed her head, took something out, and said,

"C-could I get your autograph?"

It was an autograph request, something they hadn't expected.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]