The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 92

He muttered a ridiculous old meme to himself.

It was just a passing joke in his mind—

But at this point, it didn’t feel too out of place.

Seonghyun stared at the item, briefly lost in thought.

『Skill Advancement Orb』

→《Special》

→A specially crafted item that currently cannot be crafted within Eternal World by any in-game method.

→Has a total of six uses. Each use can upgrade a skill up to the Unique rank.

→If used on a Unique-rank skill, it consumes three uses to upgrade it to Legendary rank.

→Can be applied to any skill.

The item disappears after all uses are consumed.

From the item description alone, it was clearly a specially manufactured item.

That meant there’d likely be no way to obtain another one in the future.

He needed to think carefully.

As he had just thought—he could upgrade two Rare-rank skills and his Epic-rank Exploding Poison to Unique.

But wouldn’t it be a better deal to turn two existing Unique-rank skills into Legendary instead?

He considered it briefly, then shook his head.

‘Rather than having two Legendary skills right now, it’s better to raise all of those skills to Unique.’

Upgrading from Unique to Legendary costs three uses.

Meanwhile, going from Rare to Epic takes one use, and Epic to Unique takes another one.

In this case, raising multiple skills to Unique was clearly more efficient.

Seonghyun figured the developers probably intended it this way.

They must have anticipated that people would dump all the uses into chasing Legendary upgrades.

So they restricted Epic-to-Unique upgrades to just one use per rank.

‘There’s no way the devs didn’t think this through.’

A thought that would’ve made Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong burst into tears if he ever heard it—

But Seonghyun said it with a straight face.

Besides, this was the strongest finisher he could currently use.

And he was upgrading that.

What was there to hesitate about?

With only two Epic-rank skills remaining, the path forward was already clear.

Now that his decision was made.

Of course, he moved quickly.

He upgraded Corpse Explosion and Corpse Poison, both Rare-rank, to Unique. Then Exploding Poison and Shadow Transference, the Epic-rank skills, were also raised to Unique.

[You have upgraded the skill 『Corpse Explosion』 by 2 ranks using the 『Skill Advancement Orb』.]

[Rare-rank skill 『Corpse Explosion』 has been upgraded to Unique-rank skill 『Deadburst』.]

[You have upgraded the skill 『Corpse Poison』 by 2 ranks using the 『Skill Advancement Orb』.]

[Rare-rank skill 『Corpse Poison 』 has been upgraded to Unique-rank skill 『Vengeful Toxin of the Dead』.]

[You have upgraded the skill 『Exploding Poison』 by 1 rank using the 『Skill Advancement Orb』.]

[Epic-rank skill 『Exploding Poison』 has been upgraded to Unique-rank skill 『Venomous Detonation』.]

[You have upgraded the skill 『Shadow Transference』 by 1 rank using the 『Skill Advancement Orb』.]

[Epic-rank skill 『Shadow Transference』 has been upgraded to Unique-rank skill 『Shadow Within Darkness』.]

‘Whoa, seeing them all level up at once—it’s a sight to behold.’

With that, his number of Epic-rank skills dropped from two to zero, and his Rare-rank skills were now down from six to four.

The number of Unique-rank skills, previously only three, had increased to a whopping seven.

Now it was time to see the effects.

Even the usually calm Seonghyun opened the skill window with a look of slight anticipation.

First, Corpse Explosion—no, Deadburst.

『Deadburst』

→《Unique》

→[Lv Max][Complete]

[Instant Effect][Active]

[Cooldown: 3 minutes]

→Black Mage class exclusive skill.

→Infuses mana into a corpse or a wraith, causing the black mana to explode, spreading powerful damage in all directions.

→The explosion damage is more effective against living creatures.

"Oh?!"

Originally, it only applied to corpses, but now it included wraiths, and the explosion damage was more effective against living beings.

Moreover, it had been a growth-type skill before.

Now it was a complete skill.

He would have to test its power, of course.

Next was Corpse Poison, now Vengeful Toxin of the Dead.

『Vengeful Toxin of the Dead』

→《Unique》

→[Lv Max][Complete]

[Persistent Effect][Active]

[Cooldown: 3 minutes]

[Poison Duration: 1 minute]

→Black Mage class exclusive skill.

→Infuses a corpse or wraith with vengeful poison using mana.

→The vengeful poison spreads slowly, poisoning enemies.

→Vengeful Toxin of the Dead is a potent poison that is not easily antidoted, and even purification is difficult.

"Oho."

Similarly, it was complete.

And it could also be applied to wraiths.

It had been upgraded from poison to potent poison.

He'd have to test its power as well, of course.

But it was clear that both skills had been significantly enhanced.

The fact that it applied to wraiths as well had broadened its versatility.

Then, the final part of the combo.

Exploding Poison, now evolved to Venomous Detonation.

『Venomous Detonation』

→《Unique》

→[Lv 1][Growth]

[Instant Effect][Active]

[Cooldown: 3 minutes]

→Black Mage class exclusive skill.

→Explodes poison, further amplifying its toxicity, and inflicts both potent poison damage and explosive damage, spreading the potent poison.

→The spread potent poison can be detonated a second time.

"It explodes twice?"

The spread potent poison could be detonated again.

The damage would have to be tested, of course.

But he couldn't easily picture how the three would work together.

And next, Seonghyun's best utility skill.

The skill that had evolved from Shadow Transference to Shadow Within Darkness.

What would it be like?

『Shadow Within Darkness』

→《Unique》

→[Lv Max][Complete]

[Instant Effect][Active]

[Cooldown: 1 minute]

→Black Mage class exclusive skill.

→Cloaks the body in darkness and transfers to a nearby shadow.

→Transfer can be used up to three times, and after each transfer, the user enters an invulnerable state for 1 second (applies to all three transfers).

→Cooldown applies after using the third transfer.

'Up to three times?'

Previously, he could only transfer once.

Now it was up to three times.

But each of those three times granted 1 second of invulnerability.

Since it was a Unique-rank skill.

He supposed it made sense.

But even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was incredibly good.

With this, his revival effect probably wouldn't even be triggered.

If used well, he could survive for 3 seconds, maybe even longer.

All the skills had been upgraded to satisfactory levels.

Maybe even better than two Legendary skills.

'I can't wait to try them out.'

His body itched to use them right away.

He naturally got out of the inn bed.

Should he go out and test them?

Knock, knock, knock.

Just as Seonghyun was thinking of leaving.

Someone conveniently knocked on the door.

"Seonghyun-nim? Are you awake?"

A familiar voice.

It was Hindel.

Hearing Hindel's voice, Seonghyun immediately opened the door.

"Ah, you're awake."

"Yes. I just woke up."

"Then shall we depart immediately?"

Unless he was a fool, there was no way he wouldn't know where they were going.

The castle where Helena of the past resided.

The Dark Fortress.

To that place.

"Sounds good."

Seonghyun replied with a smile.

It was a perfect opportunity.

A very good opportunity to test his newly evolved skills.

1.

As it was visible even from Sermath.

The road to the Dark Fortress wasn't very long.

However, reaching it was not easy.

As they approached the Dark Fortress, the oppressive feeling and dense black magic hindered the advance of Hindel and the others.

Their speed was not particularly fast.

Except for Seonghyun.

"...You are truly remarkable."

"Indeed."

"I-I thought that with this much black magic, even a Black Mage like Seonghyun-nim would be affected, but it seems I was wrong."

"...Amazing."

Everyone acknowledged Seonghyun's resilience.

But Seonghyun himself just smiled slightly.

On the contrary.

[You are exposed to high-purity black magic.]

[This black magic is compatible with 『Overlord』.]

[All stats temporarily increase by +5%.]

A similar phenomenon to what happened with Fiora was occurring, and his body felt light.

He felt a little guilty for being the only one comfortable.

But what could he do?

There was nothing Seonghyun could do to help.

He had no choice but to ignore it.

By the way.

Hindel repeatedly apologized to Seonghyun.

"And... once again, I apologize for yesterday."

"It's nothing. Such things can happen during a spar."

"Thanks to your advice afterward, I learned a great deal."

"...?"

Yesterday, he'd thanked him for some enlightenment.

And today, he said he'd learned a great deal again.

From Seonghyun's perspective, this was like being woken up in the middle of the night by a thunderclap.

He didn't understand what was going on.

But since Hindel said he'd been helped.

He simply bowed his head and accepted it.

As if it were no big deal.

"...Even after giving such profound insights, you act as if it's nothing. I'm truly humbled."

"Hmm, it's nothing."

Seonghyun said, feeling embarrassed.

Hindel stopped there, but he still looked at Seonghyun with respectful eyes.

He was a truly burdensome person.

Was Hindel the type of person who was grateful for even the smallest things?

How long had they been walking?

Something was caught in Hindel's senses, and he shouted urgently.

"Something's coming!"

At his words, Seonghyun, along with Flan, Adeline, and Lyaden, prepared for battle.

What appeared next were undead shrouded in black darkness and carrying a faint teal aura.

They were undead with a familiar appearance to Seonghyun.

However.

'They look like they were made by Add More.'

There was no intelligence or rationality discernible in the glow of their eyes.

They were just mindlessly charging.

But that was to be expected, wasn't it?

While everyone was preparing for battle.

Seonghyun quickly scanned the area for corpses.

Corpses, or wraiths, that he could use his skills on.

But he didn't need to put in much effort to find them.

Perhaps because they were near the Dark Fortress?

Even a quick glance revealed an enormous number.

'Quite a lot, huh?'

Seonghyun first used Death Legion and, simultaneously, Corpse Poison—no, now it was Vengeful Toxin of the Dead.

The Death Legion, shrouded in a deep purple aura, rose from the ground.

The number of Death Legion that emerged from the ground wasn't very large.

Less than one-twentieth the number of enemies.

But as they swiftly leaped forward, heading towards the enemies.

Sensing something ominous, Hindel shouted.

"Full power, defensive barrier!!!"

Simultaneously, Hindel also spread a wide defensive barrier, reminiscent of a galaxy, which could be considered an incredibly powerful defensive skill.

Adeline's defensive barrier wrapped around his best effort, and Flan's potions, thrown in rapid succession, further fortified those barriers.

As if that wasn't enough, Flan cast his own magic to form a defensive barrier, and behind him, Lyaden swiftly used spirits to create a massive earthen wall out of earth and wood.

Immediately after they had moved so quickly.

Seonghyun, with an air of nonchalance, snapped his fingers, activating two skills simultaneously through his Dark Self.

Deadburst and Venomous Detonation.

As the two detonations met, for a fleeting moment.

A skull formed from countless intertwined vengeful wraiths, seemingly grinning, flashed through the area.

Just as the hero's party felt a chill.

Kwaaaaaaaa—!

Kwagaaaaaaa—!

Kugugugugugu—!

Hwaaaaaaaa—!

A shockwave, as if to sweep away the world, engulfed the surroundings.

The earthen wall Lyaden had created first crumbled.

And with another echoing shockwave, the earth trembled violently.

Simultaneously, Flan's magic barrier shattered.

As the two defensive barriers collapsed.

Only then could they see the form of the explosion.

The entire ground was overturned, and everything crumbled as if heaven and earth were being split apart.

But that wasn't the end.

An unbearable heat followed, engulfing them.

Adeline's defensive barrier melted under the heat.

The last remaining barrier, containing the galaxy, also slowly melted under the heat.

But it held on until the end, allowing them to survive.

Only when the heat subsided could they finally see the aftermath of the explosion.

"...This is..."

"Insane..."

"...I'm utterly speechless."

"...Terrifying."

The shockwave from the explosion had pulverized everything in the vicinity, and the subsequent heat had melted the finely fragmented sand, making the surrounding ground glisten.

The surrounding ground was slightly undulating, like lava, from the melting.

It wasn't a large amount.

But in the epicenter of the explosion, the ground had clearly failed to withstand the heat, and in some places, it had turned into lava.

The heat was still palpable even after the explosion had ended.

But even more terrifying than that.

"Oho."

Was Seonghyun, who observed the scene with great interest and let out a sound of admiration.

It was as if he were testing something.

At that sight, the hero's party all got goosebumps.

It was clear that he had been holding back during his fight with Hindel.

If he had used this power unfiltered during his battle with Hindel...?

Gulp.

Hindel and all the other party members swallowed hard.

If Seonghyun had shown no mercy.

Hindel would not be here now.

Realizing this, Seonghyun felt more reliable than anyone else.

The world was indeed vast, and there were many powerful people.

Bringing Seonghyun along to go to the Dark Fortress had been a stroke of genius.

While everyone was thinking this.

Only Seonghyun was thinking with satisfaction.

'The range of the effect, and the power itself, are on a completely different level.'

He nodded in satisfaction, looking at the remnants of the enormous bombardment.

This power was definitely better than obtaining two Legendary skills.

Well, it was a combo, so it's only natural that it's stronger than most Legendary skills.

It would be a different story if two Legendary skills formed a combo, though.

As Seonghyun was thinking about how to use his remaining skill, Doomsday Clock, and the title, The Ultimate Calamity.

Hindel looked towards the Dark Fortress, his face filled with horror.

It wasn't just Hindel; Seonghyun felt it too.

A being of a different caliber, cloaked in immense black magic, was approaching.

[The high-purity black magic has become even more concentrated.]

[This black magic is compatible with 『Overlord』.]

[All stats temporarily increase by +10%.]

The concentration of black magic was even denser than when he had met Fiora.

Compared to the black magic emanating from the Dark Fortress, he could tell that a being of a similar class to Fiora was coming.

And from that place, a being of unknown identity appeared.

A being already seen by Seonghyun once before.

A being shrouded in a veil of darkness, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female, old or young.

The one responsible for sending Seonghyun to this past.

"How dare you come this far. I will not forgive you."

The being appeared in front of Seonghyun and Hindel's party.

A ferocious aura that crushed everything with black magic and threatened to shatter all emanated.

Kuuuuung—!

An overwhelming hostility that pressed down on everyone present.

Hindel's party members all collapsed, as if buried under a giant boulder.

"Kuhk!"

"Kyaaaak!"

"Kuh!"

Under that hostility, this time even Hindel felt a pressure that forced one knee to bend.

"Kuhk, to think...it would be this much..."

But even in that situation, Seonghyun stood firm, enduring it calmly.

Seonghyun should have found the hostility difficult to bear, too.

But, thanks to it being black magic, he had strong resistance and could withstand it.

'It's... insane? I'm supposed to defeat this?'

He was told that the world was constructed based on his level.

Even so, it was quite overwhelming.

If he summoned all his summons and went all out?

Maybe he could win.

But it was impossible.

For now, he'd wait and see.

He couldn't know which direction the quest would take.

"There is one who endures..."

The being was briefly surprised to see Seonghyun, but was about to increase its output again when—

"Hello?"

Amidst the immense pressure.

A red-haired woman, showing no sign of tension whatsoever, suddenly appeared, smiling.

Without any warning.

As if she had been there naturally all along.

The red-haired woman appeared in that place.

Seonghyun, seeing her, spoke without realizing it.

"...Helena?"

It was the appearance of the Demon King Helena.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]