The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Chapter 28

Rapid blinked as he stared at the capture screen in front of him.

Was this real?

At first, he had merely screamed in surprise and shot up from his seat.

But something felt off.

[Status Window]

『Seonghyeon』
『Lv 15』
『Job』
→『Overlord』
『Title』
→『Sovereign (Legendary)』… and 16 others.
『Stats』
→《Strength: 15 (13+2)》《Agility: 17 (15+2)》
《Stamina: 12 (10+2)》《Intelligence: 23 (20+3)》
《Wisdom: 23 (20+3)》《Mental Power: 23 (20+3)》
《Dexterity: 7 (6+1)》
『Additional Stat Points』
→《70》

How could these be the stats of someone at level 15?

It had to make sense to be believable.

But no matter how many times Rapid blinked, the capture screen didn’t change, and an incredulous laugh slipped out.

Most of all, it was the effect inscribed on the “Overlord” job title.

The ominous aura of darkness writhed, radiating a dazzling turquoise glow across the letters.

Although the image was static and didn’t show movement, the dynamic visuals implied the effect was animated.

A unique effect exclusive to the job?

It could only mean one thing.

‘An Almighty-grade job?’

And the Sovereign title to boot.

A Sovereign-class Almighty-grade job would place it among the very best of the Almighty tier.

More capture screens followed.

Completion of the Elite Dark Mage Training Center.

While the list of titles wasn’t fully displayed, the Sovereign title alone proved its worth.

There was no room for doubt.

“This brother and sister duo are insane, seriously.”

The words weren’t meant as an insult.

His voice carried admiration and reverence.

He genuinely thought so.

Yoo Mina was already considered among the top-tier talents, and now her younger brother Seonghyeon was proving to be the same.

‘We absolutely have to recruit him.’

No wonder Mina had made such specific demands.

This was non-negotiable.

Were the conditions excessive?

Not at all.

‘They’re actually too lenient.’

He even added options to sweeten the deal—a bonus salary and allowances tied to achievements.

This was a package anyone would find hard to refuse.

Satisfied, Rapid nodded to himself.

‘That should do it.’

He had thought Seonghyeon was just trying to get in on his sister’s connections.

But the reality was the opposite.

Mina being his sister only made it easier to recruit him.

Thank goodness.

What if Seonghyeon had joined another guild?

The mere thought gave him chills.

The delicate balance between the top guilds could have tipped, and Rapid Guild might have lost its third-place ranking.

‘Seonghyeon has this kind of talent???’

Unlike his sister Mina, who was always brash and proactive, all Rapid remembered was a quiet, reserved kid.

From what Mina had said, his athleticism was only average.

He had heard Seonghyeon was good at academics but had no other notable talents.

Who would have thought he’d excel so much at gaming?

An Almighty-grade job wasn’t something one could acquire just by being lucky.

Rapid—or rather, Ahn Yujin—adjusted her glasses and smiled.

At this rate…

‘We might have a new single-rank challenger in the guild.’

Building a new team around Seonghyeon wouldn’t be a bad idea.

It might be premature for now, but with a bit more growth, teams could easily form around him.

Planning for that day would be prudent.

Though it added to her workload…

This was an opportunity to further expand the guild’s reach.

‘We might even aim for the top.’

5.

Last night, after hearing from his sister Mina, Seonghyeon looked up Rapid Guild.

The search results were overwhelming, and naturally, Seonghyeon was stunned.

“Huh?”

It really was the third-ranked guild overall.

And his sister Mina? Ranked ninth in the game.

The player base alone was 2 billion.

Out of all those players, she was in the top ten?

Was his sister always this amazing?

He found it hard to believe.

But he couldn’t deny it.

Mina had personally shown him her ranking on the Eternal World app.

“Wow…”

“How about it? Feeling your sister’s greatness now?”

“Were you also an Almighty grade, noona?”

“Of course!” Mina puffed up with pride.

“Jeez.”

Part of him wanted to think gaming must be easy.

But that was clearly not the case.

The fact that the siblings both had Almighty-grade jobs felt absurd.

For Seonghyeon, it was because he had used a cheat code.

For Mina, it was a remarkable achievement born of her own efforts.

‘Now that I think about it, noona was always exceptional in athletics.’

She had even competed as a national representative in kendo.

She excelled at every sport she tried.

Mina, once dubbed an athletic prodigy, now seemed even more credible.

In some ways, her Eternal World job was a perfect match for her.

‘Using physical skills in-game makes sense.’

On the other hand, it was baffling how well Seonghyeon had done.

He had no exceptional athletic abilities or knack for physical activities.

It was only thanks to the ghost’s memories and experiences that he had gotten this far.

Plus, the guild leader of the third-ranked guild being Ahn Yujin?

“Yujin noona is your best friend, right?”

“Yup, Yujin.”

“Wow…”

“Impressive, huh? My friend is amazing.”

“Yeah. Staying friends with you all this time is amazing, too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

Ignoring her protest, Seonghyeon went back to looking at his sister’s Eternal World records.

He had already sent his character information to Mina.

The contract would probably arrive soon.

He just had to wait a little longer.

Watching him, Mina grinned smugly.

“Anyway, you finally understand how great Yujin and I are, don’t you?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Ahem, ahem. It’s a bit embarrassing to be recognized so quickly.”

“Anyway, it’s amazing that you two built up the guild like that.”

“Well, Yujin’s always been sharp, even when we were kids.”

At Mina’s words, Seonghyeon nodded.

He hadn’t seen much of Yujin personally, but he had heard plenty about her from his sister.

He’d thought of her as someone with a keen, no-nonsense personality.

But he hadn’t imagined she was capable of running a massive, corporation-like guild.

Though Mina mentioned Yujin had some help, it was clear that she was directly involved in the most critical aspects.

And as for the combat side of things, Mina was solely responsible.

Success was almost guaranteed.

Still, there was one thing that concerned Seonghyeon.

‘Won’t being part of a guild feel a bit restrictive?’

He already understood the necessity of guilds.

Raids and countless other benefits came with them.

But on the flip side, he’d heard that being in a guild could also mean a loss of freedom.

Once you bore a guild’s emblem, you had to accept some constraints on your freedom.

Had Mina read the unease on his face?

She jumped in to explain.

“Our guild follows a laissez-faire approach.”

“Laissez-faire?”

“Yup. Aside from raids, we don’t interfere at all. We mostly form teams specifically for raids, and that’s about it.”

Teams just for raids? Then how did hunting or other activities work?

“Sometimes we party up with other guilds for hunts, or we form temporary parties with random players. And sometimes we hunt exclusively within our guild. I usually go solo, though.”

“Wait, you’re allowed to do that?”

“Of course.”

“But isn’t there a risk of traitors?”

Seonghyeon’s question was valid.

The idea of partying with members of other guilds meant there was a chance guild information could leak.

But Mina’s response was nonchalant.

“Hmm, at first, that seemed possible. But no one’s ever done it.”

“…How does that even make sense?”

“Well, it’s because we don’t just hand out important information to anyone. Only trusted individuals become team leaders, and only they gain access to certain information. Besides, most of our team leaders aren’t just trusted—they have a strong sense of belonging to the guild.”

“Oh.”

Thinking about Yujin’s personality, Seonghyeon figured she must’ve put measures in place to prevent problems like that.

With that concern addressed, there was nothing to worry about.

The guild only gathered during raids to fight together.

It fit the image Seonghyeon had found online about Rapid Guild.

The fastest guild in Eternal World.

That title didn’t come without reason.

‘Clearing every new or uncompleted raid faster than anyone else earned them that nickname.’

The guild wasn’t large in terms of member count, but each member was highly skilled, focusing on quality over quantity.

A guild dedicated purely to raids.

A guild designed to clear raids faster than anyone else.

That was Rapid.

Their strategy was clear-cut: focus on one goal and achieve it thoroughly.

That approach had brought them to third place in the overall guild rankings.

‘To think I’ll be part of such a guild.’

As Seonghyeon reveled in the thought, his smartphone buzzed.

“Oh! Is that it?!”

“Probably.”

A new message popped up from someone not in his contacts.

Seeing the name “Rapid,” it was clearly Ahn Yujin.

When he opened the message, it was an email in the form of a contract, detailing all the terms and conditions.

His eyes skimmed the relevant sections.

[Rapid Guild – Contract Terms (Excerpt)]

“Terms will be subject to mutual agreement for adjustments. The initial signing bonus and first-year salary are set at 2 billion won and 500 million won, respectively. Subsequent achievements will result in salary increases and additional performance bonuses. Furthermore, the guild will organize a team with the signee as the leader. The guild will also allocate 10% of revenue from raid viewing tickets to the signee, with provisions for increases based on future performance achievements.”

The contract was packed with overwhelming terms, but Seonghyeon couldn’t look away from the conditions.

A 2 billion won signing bonus and 500 million won annual salary?

And that wasn’t all.

Salary and performance bonuses would increase with achievements?

On top of that, he’d earn a share of revenue from raid viewing tickets?

Raid viewing tickets—a primary income source for guilds like Rapid.

The guild broadcasted raids through its official channels, charging viewers a fee to watch.

This fee was the “viewing ticket.”

For top guilds, viewership numbers started in the millions.

Rapid Guild, with its raid-focused reputation, naturally had viewer counts ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions.

If a single ticket cost 1,000 won, a single raid broadcast could generate tens of billions in revenue.

And 10% of that?

At minimum, that was in the hundreds of millions.

“That’s insane.”

The contract terms were nothing short of astonishing.

Seonghyeon sat there in a daze, and Mina, slightly nervous, hesitantly asked.

“Well? The terms are good, right? Just like I said?”

Mina was sure Yujin had followed her advice. If anything, Yujin might’ve gone above and beyond.

Both Yujin and Mina were anxious about the idea of Seonghyeon joining another guild. His potential was too valuable.

Even just knowing he could see ghosts and acquire their memories and experiences was enough to make his future look promising.

But now he’d gone beyond that.

A single-rank player?

With time, Seonghyeon could easily achieve it.

Initially, Mina had been confident, but as she waited for his response, she grew uneasy.

“Huh? What is?”

“The terms. Are you satisfied?”

“Oh, I already signed and sent it back.”

“???”

Why was he so fast?

Not that speed was a bad thing.

At his reply, Mina finally smiled and nodded.

That reminded her—there was something she wanted to ask him.

“So, what’s your next destination?”

“My next village? Hmm, I haven’t decided yet.”

Seonghyeon considered heading toward Kahkuku’s Vault.

But he could also explore other villages before completing the second one.

It didn’t matter as long as he found good hidden pieces.

As he pondered, Mina gave him a mischievous grin.

“How about Sekan Village?”

“Sekan? Never heard of it.”

It wasn’t where Kahkuku’s Vault was located.

Seonghyeon tilted his head, puzzled, and Mina nodded.

“It’s not exactly famous. It’s a pretty dull place.”

“Then why recommend it?”

“Hehe, someone from our guild once got close to a hidden piece there but failed. After that, the hidden piece disappeared. But maybe you can get it?”

“A lost hidden piece, huh?”

“Doesn’t it sound intriguing?”

Mina’s words piqued Seonghyeon’s interest, and he nodded.

“So, what kind of hidden piece is it?”

“There’s a hidden dungeon the former village chief knew about, but his illness worsened before he could reveal its location. They say if you cured him, he’d have told you the location. But since the attempt failed, no one knows where it is anymore. Think you can find it?”

“Sounds doable.”

“Oh, and the hidden dungeon supposedly contains the monster Hero Hindel sealed for the first time.”

Now there was even more reason to check it out.