The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Chapter 11

Helena?

The Demon King?

Seonghyeon stared blankly at Helena, unable to believe what he was hearing.

At first, her introduction as the Demon King, coupled with the panicked reactions of the surrounding ghosts, had frightened him a little. But soon, he felt something else—

Helena, like the other ghosts he had encountered, radiated an inexplicable warmth and fondness toward him.

Seonghyeon could sense it with his unique ability.

But then, why was the Demon King standing before the memorial statue honoring Hero Hindel?

As the thought crossed his mind, Helena seemed to notice his curiosity and spoke up.

“Ha ha, this is the place where I died, after all.”

“Oh.”

Now it made sense.

If this was the site where Hero Hindel had died, it stood to reason that the Demon King might have perished here too.

While that question was resolved, another arose—

‘Isn’t she… human?’

The title of Demon King typically conjured images of the ruler of demons or a leader of evil beings.

Yet Helena, in every way, appeared entirely human.

Was she not a demon?

If so, why was she called the Demon King?

As these questions bubbled up in his mind, Helena nodded as if familiar with his confusion.

“You must have a lot of questions. To cut to the chase—I’m human.”

“What?”

“I just happened to have an extraordinary talent for black magic. A truly exceptional talent.”

“Ah.”

Now it made sense.

Even in death, a ghost’s personality mirrored what it had been in life.

Though all the ghosts Seonghyeon had met so far showed him kindness, the more violent ones couldn’t completely hide their aggression.

Helena, on the other hand, didn’t have a trace of hostility.

She didn’t even look remotely demonic.

So, why was she called the Demon King?

Her exceptional talent for black magic alone was enough to earn her that title.

After all, in Earth’s own medieval era, people were condemned as witches for far less.

With her prodigious abilities, it wasn’t surprising that she was labeled the Demon King.

“I never performed human experiments or harmed anyone, but I guess people found me terrifying anyway. Thanks to that, I ended up meeting the Hero and fighting a bloody battle.”

Helena laughed brightly, but there was a hint of sadness in her expression.

Despite the injustice of it all, she spoke calmly, as though she had long come to terms with it.

Even after so much time, it must not have been easy.

Seonghyeon could empathize with that feeling.

He, too, had been ostracized for seeing ghosts, pointed at and shunned. His family had suffered because of it, leaving scars of sadness and bitterness.

He knew that mix of emotions all too well.

The frustration and sorrow of being misunderstood and ostracized, yet having no choice but to accept it with quiet dignity.

It was one of the reasons why Seonghyeon had cultivated such a composed and calm personality.

“There’s so much I regret. I wished my knowledge and power could have been passed on, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

“I see.”

“But then, look at this! I found someone extraordinary!”

“…?”

“You! You’re the most talented person I’ve ever seen—even more talented than I was!”

Helena’s words left Seonghyeon stunned.

More talented than the Demon King? Impossible.

He was about to protest, but Helena spoke again, faster than he could.

“Even at my peak, I couldn’t see spirits or ghosts this clearly. And to hold conversations with them? Absorb their memories and experiences? I couldn’t even imagine it!”

“Huh?”

How did she know he could absorb memories and experiences?

Was her knowledge of black magic so profound that she could recognize such things intuitively?

Seonghyeon’s heart began to race.

Could it really be possible?

He had sought to absorb Hero Hindel’s memories and experiences to become a Hero.

But now, could he instead become the Demon King’s successor?

Judging by Helena’s demeanor, it seemed so.

But was it truly possible?

As tension flickered across Seonghyeon’s face, Helena spoke with conviction.

“My memories, my experiences, my power—all of it! A successor has finally come!”

“Ah!”

“Here, take everything I have!”

With those words, Helena spread her arms wide.

Both Helena and Seonghyeon instinctively understood what was happening.

How to transfer memories and experiences—how to receive them—it all came naturally.

From Helena’s open arms, a soft cyan light began to emanate, radiating warmth.

The light enveloped Seonghyeon, wrapping around him like a tender embrace, before slowly sinking into him.

“This is…”

In that moment, Seonghyeon felt it all.

Helena’s memories. Her emotions.

The loneliness of years spent running, hiding, and quietly researching in isolation.

Seonghyeon found himself empathizing with the torrent of emotions. He, too, had faced such solitude.

But at the same time, he noticed a difference.

While he had overcome those hardships, Helena had ultimately given up.

This was most evident in her final battle against the Hero.

At first, she fought with anger, lashing out at the Hero and his companions for their persecution.

And throughout the battle, Helena maintained the upper hand, relentlessly overwhelming the Hero and his party.

But as she watched the people cheering for the Hero, she realized something.

She was a being the world did not need.

So, she gave up.

She let the Hero’s final, desperate strike pierce her heart—a strike that should never have landed.

In that moment, the Hero, Hindel, understood as well.

Helena was no Demon King.

But it was too late.

When Seonghyeon opened his eyes, a faint cyan glow surrounded him.

‘I’m different.’

He wouldn’t give up.

And he hadn’t.

Which was why—

“I’ll show you something new.”

Seonghyeon spoke softly, but Helena could no longer hear him.

Her soul had dissolved, shattered as she transferred all her memories and experiences to him.

Whether she had passed on peacefully or simply ceased to exist, Seonghyeon didn’t know.

But one thing was clear.

‘I’ve gained something even greater than the Hero.’

Not just the memories of the Demon King—Helena’s class.

[You exhibit strength beyond your stats due to an “Unknown Power.”]
[Intelligence +10, Wisdom +10, and Mental Power +10 have permanently increased.]

As his stats permanently increased, Seonghyeon realized the two aspirations Helena had held.

One was coexistence with others.

The other—

‘The pinnacle of the Overlord.’

Helena had never reached that pinnacle.

But Seonghyeon would.

Now, he had a purpose in Eternal World.

2.

Assistant Manager Lee Wonsang watched nervously as Seonghyeon stood silently before Hero Hindel’s statue.

A chill ran down his spine.

What was going on over there?

For quite some time, Seonghyeon hadn’t moved.

Was there really something there?

Unable to shake his unease, Wonsang continued to fixate on Seonghyeon, ignoring all other players around him.

Junior employee Oh Jinhyuk noticed Wonsang’s behavior and tilted his head in confusion.

Seonghyeon was an irregular player, sure, but was he really worth this level of concern?

“Senior, do you really need to watch him so closely?”

“What?”

Wonsang’s sharp tone startled Jinhyuk, who scratched his head awkwardly.

Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. But since he had—

“Um, I just mean… Yeah, that Seonghyeon guy did clear the Hunter’s Forest and find some treasure, and it was impressive how he seemed to know exactly where the hidden pieces were, but… isn’t this a bit much?”

“So what?”

“I mean, sure, he’s irregular. But why focus on a beginner so much instead of, like, single or double rankers?”

“…Hmm.”

Oh Jinhyuk couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

Sure, Seonghyeon was an irregular player. But was it really worth scrutinizing him this closely over players ranked in the single or double digits?

It wasn’t an unreasonable doubt.

With a sigh, Assistant Manager Lee Wonsang asked, “Jinhyuk, let me ask you something.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Have you ever seen someone use this ‘Unknown Power’?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Have you ever seen a single ranker gain permanent stat boosts from some strange power?”

“Not really, no.”

“And this guy?”

“Ah…”

Permanent stat increases. In Eternal World, every point of stat gain was a big deal.

Oh Jinhyuk knew that better than anyone.

“But surely it won’t keep going, right?”

“Why not?”

“Well… I mean, logically, he’s already gained a total of 10 points. Any more than that seems—”

“What if he does?”

“Uh…”

Jinhyuk found himself at a loss for words.

The truth was, no one knew what this “Unknown Power” really was—not even the developers.

As if to underscore the mystery, an alert popped up at that exact moment.

[User ‘Seonghyeon’ exhibits power exceeding their stats through an ‘Unknown Power.’]
[Intelligence +10, Wisdom +10, Mental Power +10 have permanently increased.]

“AAAHH! What the hell is that?!”

“What the—?!”

This time, the stat increase wasn’t just 10 points—it was a staggering 30.

Both Wonsang and Jinhyuk let out startled yells, prompting annoyed glances from their colleagues. But they ignored it.

A 10-point stat boost was already unheard of.

A 30-point boost?

This was unprecedented.

“This… we can’t just let this go, can we?”

“Ugh, contacting the manager on their day off… that’s not going to end well.”

“Not reporting it will be worse, don’t you think?”

Realizing Jinhyuk was right, Wonsang reluctantly prepared to contact their manager, who was on leave.

But just then, Seonghyeon began to move again in the feed.

“What now…?”

Wonsang muttered nervously, his gaze fixed on Seonghyeon, who seemed to have discovered something behind the statues of Hero Hindel and his companions.

He was heading north, further past the cemetery.

Jinhyuk, watching the same feed, tilted his head.

“Senior, is there something else up there?”

Wonsang’s uneasy muttering piqued Jinhyuk’s curiosity. Was there another hidden piece in Hindel Village?

He wracked his brain but came up with nothing.

There shouldn’t have been anything left to find—Seonghyeon had already claimed most of it.

But then Wonsang said something that made Jinhyuk’s eyes widen.

“Ah, you wouldn’t know. You’re still at the junior rank. Once you’re an assistant manager, you’ll have access to additional data. Hindel Village has a hidden piece.”

“What? Seriously?”

Information in Eternal World was classified by rank to prevent employees from exploiting their knowledge for unfair advantage.

Still, Jinhyuk hadn’t expected there to be a secret like this in the beginner village.

Seeing Jinhyuk’s shock, Wonsang nodded grimly.

“Yeah. One of the best classes in the game is hidden here.”

“What?! In the beginner village?”

“It’s the only one. Usually, classes of this caliber are hidden in high-level zones. No one’s found it yet because the conditions are so stringent.”

Wonsang trailed off, biting his lip as he watched the feed.

The conditions were so complex that no one had managed to unlock it even after a year.

Could Seonghyeon really be on the verge of discovering it?

Jinhyuk glanced at his senior, who was now staring at the screen with an eerie grin.

“Uh, senior? Are you okay?”

“Haha… yeah, I’m fine. There’s no way he can unlock it.”

“What? Why not? He seems to have found something already.”

On the screen, Seonghyeon had discovered faintly etched letters behind the statue—a cipher of some kind.

Jinhyuk, feeling a twinge of anxiety, asked, “What makes you so sure?”

“To unlock the class, he’ll need to pass a trial. And it’s absurdly difficult.”

“Ah, so there’s hope, then?”

“Hope? It’s not just hope—it’s a guarantee. He’ll fail. You need a ridiculous level of knowledge to pass. Has that guy ever set foot in a library?”

“Uh, no, not that I’ve seen.”

“Then he’s screwed. The trial involves solving intricate riddles. If he fails, the hidden piece will be sealed permanently.”

Jinhyuk breathed a sigh of relief, smiling slightly.

“Well, that’s a relief. If he had managed to unlock it, we’d be in serious trouble.”

“Hahaha, exactly. There’s no way he’ll succeed without divine intervention—or a ghost.”

“Ha! Ghosts, right? Like those exist!”

“Exactly!”

“Should we still report this to the manager?”

“…Yeah, we have to.”

“Ah.”

Jinhyuk silently wished his senior luck as he braced for the inevitable fallout.

3.

Seonghyeon continued walking north, past the cemetery to its farthest edge.

Thanks to Helena’s memories, he now knew not just her life story but also her death.

While she had given up on the world, she had followers who hadn’t.

Helena’s body had been interred alongside Hero Hindel and his companions. Her loyalists had also hidden a gem infused with her power somewhere nearby, leaving cryptic clues on the statues.

‘No wonder no one’s found it until now.’

Even knowing the cipher existed, deciphering it hadn’t been easy.

Now, standing before a massive gravestone at the edge of the cemetery, Seonghyeon pressed gently on the engraved letters.

The ground began to rumble as the earth split open, revealing a stone staircase leading downward.

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

Seonghyeon descended the steps as though he had known about them all along.

Once he reached the bottom, the entrance sealed itself, leaving the area eerily quiet.

Before him was a large stone chamber, empty save for a single pedestal.

Floating above the pedestal was a beautiful cyan gemstone, glowing faintly.

[Hidden Piece: ‘The Overlord’s Chamber’ discovered.]
[The Hidden Piece ‘The Overlord’s Chamber’ will now test you.]
[Failure to pass will result in the permanent closure of ‘The Overlord’s Chamber.’]

The warning was clear: failure meant no one could ever attempt this trial again.

Taking a deep breath, Seonghyeon prepared himself.

When he opened his eyes, countless glowing letters appeared before him.

[1. What is the correct gender of the one called the Demon King?]
[1. Male 2. Female 3. Demon 4. Neutral 5. Both]
[2. What is the correct name of the Demon King?]
[1. Helena 2. Harvella 3. Har 4. Amoste Mulid 5. Quasa]
…(Questions continue)…

Seonghyeon grinned confidently.

“Easy.”