God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 196: Episode _You Can Come Whenever You Want, But You Can Only Leave When I Say So (4)

Chapter 196: Episode 196_You Can Come Whenever You Want, But You Can Only Leave When I Say So (4)

7.

The players were not safe from the black magic mages’ grasp either.

—Dude, wtf. Was walking around the castle and some guy was giving out free buff potions. I drank one, went hunting, and died. LOLOLOLOL.

—Some cultist-looking weirdos came up to me in the hunting grounds and kept telling me to believe in something. I told them to get lost and they hit me with some weird curse. Died.

—I was just chilling in a small village and died for no reason.

They didn’t discriminate between players and NPCs. To a black magic mage, you were either one of them or you weren’t. Having emerged with the resolve to risk their lives against the Emperor, they acted without hesitation. Most frightening of all, these were not the bumbling fools of fiction.

—Wait, aren’t black magic mages supposed to wear black robes and walk around advertising who they are?

—The one I saw—not sure if he was actually a black magic mage—looked totally normal.

—Same here. If he hadn’t started talking like a cultist, he just looked like some random guy you’d see on the street.

They disguised themselves perfectly, blending in. This was the biggest reason the black magic mages could carry out large-scale massacres so easily. Two hundred years of survival. For those who had survived even the iron-blooded Emperor without being detected, the art of remaining unseen was something they could be proud of. If even the players felt this way, what chance did the NPCs have, who had failed to catch them for centuries?

Starting with the Imperial Palace, the entire continent was on high alert, investigating incidents that were clearly the work of black magic mages. They scoured every territory and hunting ground, but no black magic mages were easily found. Naturally, a sliver of doubt began to grow.

—Are we sure this is the black magic mages?

—Couldn’t it just be a coincidence?

—The timing is a little too convenient for that.

Even players who knew about the appearance of the demonic energy-imbued gates connecting to the Demon Realm were starting to have their doubts. It made sense for black magic mages to appear as part of the story, but since none were being caught, it was puzzling. Were they just shadowboxing an enemy that wasn’t there?

Of course, none of this really mattered to the players. Whether it was true or not, it wasn’t their problem. What mattered to them was growth and rewards.

[You have accepted the quest Root Out the black magic mages.]

The enraged NPCs began issuing quests to the adventurers, and the players, hungry for rewards, started discussing how to find anyone who looked like a black magic mage. They strategized through the community forums and in-game chat. It wasn’t easy, but they found it fun. The appearance of the black magic mages signified a crisis for the continent, but it wasn’t like it affected them in real life or destroyed their actual homes. It was just a game. And in a game, the more tense and spectacular the events, the more exciting it became.

And that wasn’t all.

—This could be a good way to level up.

—Heard the black magic mages are pretty high-level.

—They’re just mages who don’t know anything but magic. Should be an easy kill.

—The quest gives EXP and money for every black magic mage you kill.

It was a golden opportunity to escape the tedious grind of repetitive hunting and level up. As word spread, the players eagerly joined the effort to save the continent. With the demonic energy-imbued gates and the emergence of the black magic mages, the main story of the once-tranquil Fantastic World had truly begun, once again becoming a hot topic in the real world.

*

“A game that becomes more charming the more you peel back its layers. No, it’s reality. Fantastic World,” an article read. “It scoffs at the shortcomings of modern games that focus only on early-game content, showing endless growth with a solid story. The best game in history, with an unpredictable and exciting late-game story. What will be the continent’s fate?”

“And it’s the best game for making money,” Simin added.

“You make good money, sure. I wish I could make some, too,” Kang Yeseul grumbled beside him.

Amidst the storm raging across the continent, only Han Simin remained calm. Even in a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for him to immediately set out to hunt black magic mages, he showed no reaction. Instead, he was helping the Specialists hunt while planning the casino for his new territory.

“Aren’t we going to hunt black magic mages?” Yeseul asked.

“We’ll kill them if we see them. But how are we supposed to catch guys who’ve been hiding their whole lives?”

“I feel like you could do it. If you caught one and found their base, wouldn’t that be a huge score? You could become a hero of the continent.”

“If it were that easy, the Emperor would have caught them already,” Simin replied. There was one reason for his confidence.

“Takes trash to know trash, I guess,” Jeong Hyeonsu remarked.

“Hey, why am I the trash here?” Simin shot back.

“I didn’t say it was you.”

Hyeonsu was right. Simin understood the minds of villains better than anyone. No, he didn’t even need to call them villains. When it came to the mindset of the cunning, Simin was an expert.

“Even players, who come back to life after they die, forget it’s a game and start cursing out people’s parents when their lives are on the line. They’ll cling on for dear life even if their limbs are cut off. You think guys with only one life to live are going to be that reckless?”

’If you’re born a man, you should try to conquer the continent at least once!’ Even Simin, an outsider, had thoughts like that at level one. What about the black magic mages? This was a destiny passed down for hundreds of years from their predecessors. They wouldn’t throw their lives away just because they were suddenly causing a ruckus after centuries of hiding. Even if they were forced to act, they would do everything possible to stay alive and witness the continent fall into darkness. Sacrifice was meaningless; once you were in a grave, all you could see was dirt.

That’s why he wasn’t getting involved.

“If we just wait, everyone else will figure out a way to catch them. Until then, we should just focus on leveling up.”

Time waits for no one. It was a grim saying, but it meant that time flows on, no matter what you do. The die was cast, the third act of the main quest was underway, and even if the players couldn’t keep up, the cold-hearted Betago AI wouldn’t wait for them. This was a world of its own. Not even a god could stop time and freeze everyone’s thoughts. So, they had to go with the flow, without regretting the time that passed.

“But what if black magic mages come to the Rich Territory?” Yeseul asked with a mischievous look.

Simin fell silent.

Just as Simin was admiring his own cool-headed wisdom, her question struck him. His expression hardened. In his mind, a vivid image unfolded: the theme park, rapidly completed over a long period using Korean construction techniques, was finally starting to turn a profit and gain recognition. Then, the black magic mages appear. A plague spreads. Buildings corrode. The theme park withers away, leaving nothing but the +15 walls, which looked like they could survive a nuclear blast.

The thought soured his mood. The cool and collected Han Simin from moments ago vanished as if he had only existed in a dream.

“Then I’ll have to kill them.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t catch them?”

“No, I’ll catch them. I’ll chase anyone who messes with my money to the ends of the earth and kill them.”

For the first time in a while, a fire sparked in Simin’s eyes. Still, he didn’t return to his castle. Even as he vowed revenge, he trusted his aide—the man who had brilliantly defended the castle even in his absence.

*

8.

A week passed, and the true identities of the black magic mages remained a mystery. It was a testament to how well they could conceal themselves. Yet, the evidence of their work, which both the Emperor and the continent acknowledged, was everywhere: arson, murder, curses, plagues, and large-scale monster attacks. The last one was a rare occurrence, usually confined to the frontiers, but it was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the people.

The greatest source of terror was the fact that they couldn’t be caught. Despite significant incidents happening all over the continent, no culprits were apprehended, even with the Emperor furiously demanding their capture. Countless reports about the black magic mages’ appearances came in, but they were all useless. They looked too ordinary. Besides, changing one’s appearance was a skill not exclusive to black magic mages. They needed a distinct feature to track, like the presence of dark magic. But to detect that, they needed to create a special situation, and it was unlikely that black magic mages hiding among ordinary people would be foolish enough to reveal their power.

As a result, the damage was mostly concentrated on the mass slaughter of civilians. For the players, however, things were a little different.

—Ah, f*ck. Ran into another black magic mage while hunting.

—Damn, why are these mages so strong?

—He looked so frail, like one hit would kill him, so we ganged up on him. We all died. LOL.

They would reveal themselves to lone adventurers at any time and attack first. Players, who had to level up to enjoy any of the content, whether it was the black magic mages or the demonic energy-imbued gates, were caught completely off guard. They couldn’t bring NPCs with them for protection; the NPCs wouldn’t agree, and the black magic mages were smart enough not to attack groups accompanied by powerful-looking NPCs.

Thanks to this, players unintentionally became the ones who encountered black magic mages most frequently, much to their dismay.

This led to a new phase in the community, all because of a single video posted by a user.

*

The video depicted an ordinary scene: a typical hunting ground you could find anywhere, with monsters roaming through nature. The player hunting was alone. Despite being low-level, he was well-equipped and had enough potions to go solo. He seemed to be a latecomer who knew that with enough gear and money, he could quickly climb to the mid-to-high ranks, as he efficiently dispatched monsters.

Up to this point, it was a fairly standard video, not something you’d see every day, but not hard to find either. But what happened next made it go viral.

A dark shadow crept up on him.

“Huh?!”

By the time the player noticed, the figure in the black robe was already upon him. The viewers knew exactly who it was. A black magic mage! By now, they were a familiar sight to most players. The figure immediately raised both hands—a common pattern when dealing with easy targets, attacking with black magic without a word.

But this player was different. Before the black magic mage could even begin chanting his spell, the player dropped his weapon and prostrated himself on the ground.

“Please, accept me as your disciple! Master!”

The black magic mage was taken aback.

The unexpected action made the black magic mage pause.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve dreamed of becoming a black magic mage and bringing chaos to the continent!”

The black magic mage remained silent.

“I’m a good killer! I’m cunning, and I have a lot of money. Please, just let me be a villain for once in my life.”

The words made the viewers chuckle in disbelief. The result was even more absurd. The video ended there, but the player later posted a screenshot of his character information: his class had been changed to black magic mage. Or, to be precise, black magic mage apprentice.

[Is there a rule that says you have to be on the good side in a game? I’ve always liked villains, so I’m happy I finally get the chance. I don’t think there’s any need to hide it, and I think Fantastic World will be more fun with more villains. That’s why I’m posting this.]

The video and the post ignited another fire in Fantastic World. Intrigued players began to venture into the hunting grounds of their own accord.

*