The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 207

The shadows in the vicinity quivered and responded in unison—

[As you command.]

Because of her twisted doll mask, it was impossible to see her expression.

But she didn’t seem bothered.

With her dark-blue aura pulsing, she walked away from the underground chamber entrance, showing no signs of dissatisfaction.

As she moved through the fortress, the black mages Seong had seen earlier began reappearing around her.

Lowering their heads, they silently followed her.

Kalina accepted this without question, speaking once more.

“If the Lord emerges, summon me immediately.”

“Yes, Kalina Branch Leader.”

“Also, observe the surrounding area. If anyone dares approach, report it at once.”

“Yes, Kalina Branch Leader.”

“We will protect Overpalace’s very existence.”

Her words were as sharp as a blade—practically a snarl.

The black mages bowed deeply, their voices resounding throughout the fortress.

“For our Lord! As you command!”

Their voices boomed through the fortress halls, almost vibrating the very walls.

As if reacting to their cries, Kalina gave a single nod.

Then—

She melted away into the darkness.

She reappeared atop the highest tower of the fortress—a place where all of Hexia could be seen below.

With a piercing gaze, she surveyed the land, her posture tense and watchful.

She murmured to herself.

“That foolish hero has begun moving again, hasn’t he? I don’t know if he’ll come here, but if he does... he better be prepared.”

Unlike when she spoke to Seong, Kalina’s aura had completely changed.

Now, she radiated menace, her dark energy spilling outward, wrapping around the fortress like a living, breathing shadow.

Her intent was clear—

If any intruder appeared, they would not leave alive.

3.

Not even a sliver of light could penetrate the all-consuming darkness.

Yet, within this absolute blackness, something glowed ominously.

A pair of vertically slit pupils, glowing like molten gold.

Surrounding them, faint red irises flickered in and out of existence.

Were they massive?

No.

Not quite huge—but far from normal.

Their size suggested something human-like, yet entirely inhuman.

Four glowing pupils floated eerily in the abyss, staring into the void as if they could see beyond the darkness itself.

Then, they spoke.

“Helena?”

“Did you come to find us?”

“Why did you take so long?”

“Didn’t you miss us?”

“We missed you.”

“Do you hate us?”

“We believed you would return.”

“Why only now?”

“Let’s play together.”

“No. We won’t play.”

“You’re not Helena.”

“But you are Helena.”

“Shall we play?”

“But... you’re not Helena.”

Their words were disjointed, as if the speakers were talking over each other.

Yet at the same time, their conversation seemed to flow together unnaturally.

If anyone else had been listening, they would have felt their skin crawl.

But in this endless darkness, there was no one to hear them.

The glowing pupils chattered among themselves.

Then—

A grin appeared in the air.

A wide, toothy grin, glowing with unnaturally ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) white teeth.

“If you’re not Helena, then you can’t play with us.”

“We’ll wait.”

“No. We were abandoned.”

“No, Helena will come back for us.”

“So, we don’t need anyone else here.”

“We won’t play.”

The wide grin curled higher, stretching into an unnatural, crescent-shaped smile.

And then—

The glowing eyes and teeth vanished into the void.

They had disappeared.

But only for a moment.

Because soon—

A whisper echoed from the darkness.

“Hehe... found you.”

“Now you’re ‘it.’”

4.

Wrapped in darkness so thick that not even a sliver of light could penetrate, Seong continued walking forward.

Though he couldn’t see a thing, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with his surroundings.

This place should have been terrifying.

Yet, he wasn’t afraid.

His steps remained confident, unshaken, as he moved deeper into the abyss.

In the silent void, even the sound of his own footsteps failed to echo.

But despite the unnatural stillness, Seong felt certain of where he was heading.

This wasn’t a place he remembered.

Yet, it felt faintly familiar.

A sense of déjà vu washed over him.

As if he had been here before.

And then, it finally clicked.

"These aren’t my memories."

What he was experiencing were memories from long ago.

Memories that weren’t his own, but that still lingered in this place.

They were Helena’s old memories.

The moment he realized it, everything made sense.

This had been her domain once.

Before it became an underground chamber, this place was once above ground.

A hill, perhaps—a sanctuary, or maybe even a playground.

But now, it was nothing like before.

The once gentle terrain was now consumed by darkness.

A thick, ominous gloom blanketed everything, so dense it swallowed even the faintest light.

"And the cause of this..."

It had to be the quest he just received.

A quest with no known rewards, only tied to Helena’s past.

And yet, that alone was enough to make his curiosity surge.

A drawing from her childhood had come to life.

And it was painfully obvious what shape it had taken.

Seong’s eyes darted around the pitch-black space.

"Hmm."

The familiarity from earlier had vanished.

His instincts, sharpened by the memories of ghosts, suddenly screamed—

MOVE.

Seong instantly kicked off the ground, darting to the side.

At that moment—

CLANG!

A metallic screech tore through the air as something slashed at the ground where he had just been.

Had he stayed there for even a fraction of a second longer, he would have taken a direct hit.

And as the sound rippled through the darkness—

THUD!

THUMP!

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

The walls groaned.

From above and around him, torches burst to life.

A sudden glow illuminated the area, revealing where he stood.

At the end of a long hallway, a massive chamber opened up.

A dome-shaped space—

The walls were covered in crude, childlike drawings.

Like a child’s artwork, the sky was scribbled with crayons, painted in bright, uneven strokes.

The floor, too, was painted in patches of color, as if left unfinished.

It looked like a playground.

Yet, despite its colorful appearance, the room itself was completely barren.

There were no actual toys, no furniture—nothing.

"Hmmm."

That eerie sense of déjà vu had disappeared the moment the lights turned on.

Now, it felt like this space had only just been created.

As if something had forcefully overwritten reality.

Seong’s gaze flickered to the two figures now standing before him.

Two shadowy entities, roughly the size of humans.

One stood upright, walking on two legs, its yellow, vertical-slit pupils locked onto him.

Its clawed hands gleamed, raised in a predatory stance.

This was Narisha.

The other figure stood just as tall, with red irises glowing in the dim light.

Its mouth dripped with saliva, exposing rows of sharp fangs.

This was Berto.

Both figures looked like distorted nightmares, as if a child had drawn them, only for their forms to twist and contort into something monstrous.

As soon as Seong registered their presence—

[You have encountered the **Hidden Raid Boss, 『Narisha and Berto』.]

[The Hidden Raid will begin shortly.]

!!! WARNING !!!

You do not have a party.

This battle is extremely dangerous!

The familiar system notification appeared before him.

But instead of feeling tense, Seong simply gripped his sword with ease.

Under normal circumstances, he would have summoned his minions for battle.

But this time, for some reason—

He wanted to fight alone.

His minions were strong.

But so was he.

And now, he wanted to test himself.

Silently, he drew his sword.

SHHHRK.

The instant he unsheathed his blade, Narisha lunged forward.

WHOOSH! SWISH!

Its padded feet struck the ground—soft and soundless.

But the force behind its movement was anything but gentle.

Narisha’s speed was no joke.

"Fast."

Seong calmly raised his sword, bracing for impact.

At the same time—

Narisha’s razor-sharp claws slashed downward.

SCRRRRKKKK!

Sparks flew as metal clashed against claws.

Neither had used skills yet—this was pure reflex and strength.

Even without magic, the impact sent a shockwave through their arms.

"Not bad."

Narisha’s forehead creased slightly.

It had underestimated Seong.

But it didn’t retreat.

Instead—

Using its flexible body, it twisted midair and aimed a kick at Seong.

It happened so fast—

But Seong had already moved, stepping out of range.

And the moment he dodged—

CHOMP!

A massive set of fangs snapped shut, missing him by mere inches.

Had he been any slower, Berto would have taken a bite out of him.

As Berto’s jaws clamped down on empty space, its red pupils narrowed.

It didn’t understand how Seong had evaded so effortlessly.

But it didn’t dwell on it.

Berto immediately pivoted, preparing to charge again.

Its movement was simple—a straight-line assault.

Yet, its speed was far greater than Narisha’s.

Recognizing this, Seong activated a skill first.

From his own shadow, a massive dark blade erupted—aimed directly at Berto.

But—

Berto reacted instantly, using its own skill to propel itself forward with a burst of speed.

BOOM!

It dashed forward like an explosion, moving even faster.

But speed alone couldn’t escape one’s own shadow.

The dark blade pierced through Berto—

SCHLUNK!

Without even a scream, Berto was slammed to the ground.

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And the moment Berto crashed, Narisha used it as cover—

Launching forward with blinding speed.

Seong’s eyes narrowed.

"Smart."

But the moment Narisha got too close—

Seong snapped his fingers.

And from the ground beneath Narisha’s feet, a black abyss yawned open.

The claws of the void reached out—gripping Narisha’s ankles, stopping it dead in its tracks.

Narisha struggled, but it was too late.

And Seong’s blade was already moving.