The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 93

Should Helena even be appearing here?

Seonghyun's mind instantly became complicated.

What was going on?

He recognized the being immediately. It was the one who'd sent him here, now kneeling with its head bowed before Helena.

He'd seen it in the event scene.

He was sure of it.

But for Helena to suddenly appear...

Was this even a quest that could be cleared?

'I did think Helena might intervene, but already?'

It was completely different from what he'd expected.

According to the actual history.

Hindel's party, tired of fighting Helena's death legion here, took the Dark Fortress and went to another dimension.

But for her to appear so abruptly?

What was going on?

Perhaps.

'Did I stir things up too much?'

Because he'd faced too many things at once.

Had Helena become interested and appeared?

It was possible.

Seonghyun was confused by these thoughts.

But an unexpected situation unfolded.

Suddenly, Helena spoke, looking at the being.

"Don't kill them."

"Understood. I shall carry out your command without fail."

Seemingly satisfied with the response, Helena nodded with a smile and turned her gaze.

Then, she looked at Seonghyun.

"You're much better looking in person."

Hearing Helena's voice in person, not as a soul's voice.

Felt somewhat strange.

This was Helena of the past, after all.

Not the Helena Seonghyun knew.

But the atmosphere itself was similar.

"Well then, I'll be having a little chat. You heroes~ do your best~"

Just as Helena was about to take Seonghyun and disappear.

Seonghyun urgently cast a skill.

He used the skill, Doomsday Clock, on the being and shouted.

Hindel and the party members could clearly hear his words.

"10 minutes!"

What was 10 minutes?

They didn't understand.

But Seonghyun and Helena vanished from the spot as if space itself were twisting.

Shuoooook!

And left behind were the hero's party and the being.

The only difference was.

"...He left something strange with me."

Tick, tock.

Clock hands appeared above the head of the being facing the hero's party.

Seeing that, they realized.

Something Seonghyun had done would happen in 10 minutes.

In other words.

'We have to hold out until then.'

But.

Kugugugugu—!

Small pebbles and stones around them began to float.

Looking up at the being that dominated the surroundings with its overwhelming black magic.

Hindel thought.

'Can we really hold out?'

Lately, Hindel's confidence had been quite shaken.

But he gripped his sword tightly.

And resolved himself.

'I can't show Seonghyun-nim a shameful display.'

And so, the decisive battle began.

2.

Space warped and distorted.

As he flowed through a strange tunnel.

He was transported to an unknown place.

The surroundings were distorted, and there wasn't a single object that looked normal.

They were twisted, bent, half-formed, or the other half was so old and faded that it was unusable.

A place where time and space were all mixed up.

A profoundly disorienting place.

[ᚠᛇᚱ𐤀𐤌𐤉ᛏ𐤇ᛉ𐤔ᛒ𐤄ᛝ𐤍𐤔ᚾᛊ𐤇ᚾ𐤀𐤋𐤔ᛏᛒ𐤉𐤍ᛇᛏ𐤌𐤄ᛝ𐤂ᛊ𐤎ᛉᚾ𐤔ᐤ?]

What is this?

Even the system message was incomprehensible.

What kind of place was this, anyway?

As Seonghyun looked around, bewildered.

Helena, sitting on a chair that was both warped, as though space-time itself was distorted, and looked simultaneously brand new and ancient, said with a bright smile.

"Welcome!"

"...Helena, where is this?"

"I felt it earlier, too, but you definitely know me, don't you? My future self? Or the spirit of my dead self? I think it's probably the latter... I can feel a bit of my soul in you."

"..."

At that moment, Helena's eyes glowed teal, and she smiled.

Seonghyun couldn't help but get goosebumps at that intelligent look, filled with madness.

Helena acted as if she knew he was from the future.

How did she figure it out?

Did she know that and bring him to this place?

Helena shook her head at the same time.

"No, no. You can ask me about that after we get out of here. First things first! Here! Take it!"

Saying this casually, Helena handed over a book.

As Seonghyun took it.

Helena nodded as if finally satisfied and snapped her fingers.

Snap!

Simultaneously, everything in the world returned to its proper place.

Time and space completely shifted, and the surrounding scenery finally came into view.

Should he call it a well-decorated castle interior in an antique, ancient style?

No, among such castle interiors, it looked like a study.

A place with several chairs, desks, and bookshelves.

There, Seonghyun saw a system message that appeared without him realizing it.

[You have temporarily visited a location beyond the reach of the system.]

[This, too, is classified as an 'Unknown Power'.]

[Due to the 'Unknown Power,' you have acquired the Overlord-exclusive swordsmanship skillbook, 『Helena's Super Strong Swordsmanship』.]

He'd returned to reality, but the message was still incomprehensible.

He'd obtained some kind of swordsmanship?

'……???'

The skillbook's title was already unusual.

Seonghyun looked at the skillbook's cover with a dumbfounded expression.

Helena, with a slightly embarrassed yet coquettish smile, said.

"I quickly whipped up this swordsmanship for my handsome successor, and it turned out pretty well. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more because of the world's will, though."

"??????"

"Oh my? You were waving your sword around, so I thought you liked swords. Don't you like it?"

Her expression was genuinely worried.

Seonghyun, feeling that, was momentarily flustered and shook his head.

He liked it very much.

'Except for the name.'

Helena's Super Strong Swordsmanship.

When Seonghyun shook his head.

Helena was relieved.

She'd worried he might not like it.

"That's a relief. I'm glad you like it. I made it in a hurry, so I just slapped a name on it. I thought maybe you didn't like it because of that?"

"..."

Seonghyun didn't respond, as he'd been caught red-handed.

But in any case, receiving a gift was something to be thankful for.

Seonghyun bowed his head in thanks and was about to put it in his inventory.

Helena, with a seductive look and a flushed face, cupped her chin with both hands and said.

"You can use it now! No, I'd rather you use it now~"

"Hmm, alright."

Seonghyun replied and immediately used the item without even checking it.

Naturally, he trusted Helena.

He acted boldly.

More than anything, he felt an immense sense of goodwill emanating from her.

Seonghyun could learn it with peace of mind.

He immediately used the skillbook.

[The conditions for use are met.]

[You have acquired the Overlord-exclusive Almighty-rank swordsmanship skill, 『Helena's Super Strong Swordsmanship』.]

'Almighty!?'

Even the calm Seonghyun, who had used it immediately, was shocked.

He'd thought it might be a Legendary-rank skill, like Add More's.

A skill she made herself, and in a hurry, at that.

And it was an Almighty-rank skill?

Seonghyun's jaw dropped at the unbelievable rank.

It was only natural.

It was an Almighty-rank swordsmanship skill, after all.

'And she's disappointed she gave me this?'

She gave him something like this and was disappointed she couldn't give him more.

He couldn't understand it at all.

Overpalace seemed to take after Helena.

Perhaps it was natural, since they were her followers?

Anyway.

As Seonghyun acquired the skill.

As if unable to contain himself, Seonghyun opened the skill window.

He'd acquired many titles related to swordsmanship skills.

He couldn't help but be excited.

The name was a flaw, but the rank was the rank.

Seonghyun immediately opened it.

『Helena's Super Strong Swordsmanship』

→《Almighty》

→[Lv 1][Growth]

[Passive Effect][Compound]

Helena's swordsmanship, created in a short time out of love for her successor, boasts superior performance compared to any other swordsmanship, regardless of depth or profundity.

『Wave your sword around with a yap yap!』

→Overlord exclusive skill.

→In handling a sword, when wielding a sword, inflicts dark damage in addition to slashing and piercing damage.

→Allows you to naturally imbue your sword with a dark sword aura.

→Increases basic attack power by 300% when using a sword.

→Additionally, you can unlock a total of ten swordsmanship skills, which can be acquired at each skill level.

Lv 1 : Darkness.

[Cooldown: 3 minutes]

[Duration: 1 minute]

→Manipulates darkness and imbues it into the sword.

→Enemies cut are inflicted with dark damage, slashing or piercing damage, and one of their senses is blocked.

→With each cut, one sense is blocked, and with each cut, the duration of the sense block increases.

Lv 2 : (Currently Unavailable)

A skill with no flaws, except for the name, was displayed.

He hadn't checked other swordsmanship skills.

But the description alone said it boasted superior performance compared to any other swordsmanship.

He had no choice but to believe it.

It was certified by the system, after all.

'It's like the galaxy-related swordsmanship skill Hindel used, a combination of multiple skills.'

He’d heard high-rank swordsmanship skills included various skills like techniques.

It was true.

The number of skills increased as the skill level rose.

Wasn't this just too romantic?

Helena smiled softly, seeing Seonghyun's great satisfaction.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I really like it. Thank you very much."

"Hehe, I didn't give it to you to hear that, but I feel a little embarrassed somehow. So, is my soul asleep?"

Helena's words getting to the point.

Seonghyun nodded as well.

He had absorbed the memories and experiences contained in Helena's soul, but they were too vast and the soul's stature was too immense for him to read them yet.

Seonghyun calmly recounted the events he had experienced since coming to Eternal World.

Helena listened quietly without asking any questions, and then nodded.

When he got to the reason he had come to this place.

Helena, who had been listening calmly, spoke.

"Do you know the person who sent you here?"

"Yeah, that person? Being? From earlier, right?"

"Yes, that's right. It's called Nocturnium. It seems that after my death, everyone revered me in a different way. It seems important for you, Seonghyun, to meet those children one by one in order to inherit my power and legacy."

"Hmm, I figured as much."

"You had a rough idea, then?"

Through their conversation, Seonghyun came to realize even more deeply how extraordinary Helena was.

The fact that she was aware that this place was created and was the past was chilling enough.

But she was also concerned with things like the will of the world and its gaze.

And she'd given Seonghyun a skill, taking those things into account.

'Does that mean she gave it to me secretly, behind the developers' backs?'

The way she'd bypassed the developers and administrators running the game.

Every single action was transcendental.

How could a mere NPC be this exceptional?

Was this, too, the intention of the developers?

Seonghyun couldn't possibly know.

But he could tell that Helena was no ordinary NPC.

Even Hindel, considered an Almighty-rank class as a hero, was nothing more than an ordinary person compared to Helena.

"Hmmm, I can help you a little. So, what did I say you should do next?"

Seonghyun could sense the end in that question.

But without regret, he answered calmly.

"I heard that the Dark Fortress space would be ripped out entirely and disappear."

"Hmm, that's not a difficult task. Then, shall I tell you about the others, too? Most of them are in this castle?"

Helena smiled seductively, as if amused.

Her eyes were full of goodwill, and she wanted to give him everything.

But why?

He could see a hint of mischief mixed in with her goodwill.

Seonghyun chuckled and shook his head at Helena.

"People often call that a spoiler, and I'm not particularly fond of them."

"Hehe, I knew my successor would say something like that. I really wanted to tell you, though, so that's a bit disappointing."

It wasn't a test.

If Seonghyun had asked, Helena would have gladly told him.

But since Seonghyun didn't want it, she simply nodded, acknowledging his decision.

It was disappointing, but.

To respect Seonghyun.

The meeting was short.

But the lingering impression was deep.

Both Helena and Seonghyun.

Both looked at each other, and Helena, as if the time had come, said.

"Well then, hmm, for the sake of my soul, I'll share some of my power with you. And this note, too! Hmm, it's almost been 10 minutes, so I'll send you back! And as punishment, go test out your swordsmanship on that Nocturnium fellow and give him a good beating! Then, although we won't be able to see each other again, take care and goodbye!"

With those words, Seonghyun's form vanished from the spot.

She hadn't forgotten to tell him to give the note to the future Nocturnium.

Then, Helena, looking truly regretful, looked at a screen-like mirror and sighed deeply at the scene of Nocturnium and the others engaged in fierce battle.

"It's a shame I won't be able to see him again. I guess I have to leave it to my main body, or rather, my soul? Anyway, I have no choice but to leave it to her."

Helena spoke, revealing a teal glint in her eyes and smiling bitterly.

"Even knowing it's the past, it's still disappointing."

She felt sad at the thought of not being able to see him again.

But it couldn't be helped.

She just hoped that Seonghyun would go out there and give Nocturnium, who had caused all this, a good beating.

As Seonghyun joined the hero's party and pushed back the fierce battle.

Helena slowly rose from her seat.

"Then, shall I get moving for the sake of our Seonghyun?"

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]