The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 198

A statement so unbelievable that it left Embris utterly speechless.

Her teammates, who had been moments away from using Mesmerize on a Khan Trading Company merchant, also froze in place.

Was this even real?

Embris tilted her head, struggling to make sense of the situation.

How long had it been since they set out?

"How much time has passed?"

“...About fifteen minutes since we left?”

“...And he already caught the summoner?”

Even if they had left a little later, the delay wasn’t even a full minute.

Which meant Seong had found and captured the summoner in under sixteen minutes.

In a city this large?

It was completely illogical.

Even if he had a high-tier investigation skill or a detection ability, it shouldn't have been possible.

"He’s got to be bullshitting, right?"

“...T-there’s no way.”

Even if they wanted to believe it, the speed was absurd.

[...Already?]

[Yeah, things just sort of worked out that way.]

Joonu’s voice came through the communication crystal, followed by Seong’s response.

Seong himself sounded baffled.

As if even he couldn’t believe how easily things had played out.

Just how lucky could one guy be?

[...We’re heading back too.]

Embris let out a defeated sigh and looked at her team.

“...Let’s go back.”

Her voice was noticeably lacking in energy.

And her teammates, sensing her mood, also turned back, dejected.

How exactly had he captured the summoner?

Curiosity gnawed at them.

But the more pressing thought was—they had lost again.

Feeling utterly defeated, they made their way back to the Moore Trading Company.

There, they saw that Seong and Joonu’s parties had already arrived.

And in the middle of the room—

"P-please spare me!"

A trembling NPC in a mage’s robe, hands bound, cowered in fear.

So this was the summoner?

The one who had accepted Khan Trading Company’s request and summoned monsters in the labyrinth?

...Could this be a mistake?

As Embris held onto the slim hope that they had the wrong person, Jerod suddenly burst into the room.

His face, always composed and dignified, twisted in shock as his eyes landed on the captured man.

“T-this is him! H-how... how did you catch him so quickly?”

Even Jerod, always the refined nobleman, was at a loss for words as he turned to Seong in astonishment.

The fact that Jerod was this shocked only confirmed it—this was the real culprit.

As the dumbfounded noble stared at him, Seong awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“Uh... well... it just sort of happened that way.”

"Hah... incredible. Truly incredible."

Even Jerod, the head of one of the five greatest trading companies, was openly impressed.

Joonu’s party members all nodded, their expressions conveying yeah, this is expected from him.

Seong, on the other hand, still looked completely bewildered by his own luck.

Embris’ team?

They were simply in disbelief.

They weren’t the type to feel outclassed by just anyone.

Yet somehow, they weren’t even close.

Not only had they lost—they had been obliterated.

‘...What the hell is he?’

Had Embris stopped to really think about it at this moment—

Had she calmed down, like Joonu’s party had—

She might have pieced it together.

She might have realized the truth about Seong’s identity.

But the sting of consecutive losses wounded her pride.

Her vision narrowed.

Her teammates were no different.

They acknowledged that Seong was ridiculously strong.

But the gap was too vast.

It lit a fire inside them.

‘Fine. Combat will be ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) different.’

Maybe Seong was good at tracking.

Maybe he had an insane information network.

But what about battle?

Surely, they would have the edge there.

Holding onto that belief, Embris and her team steeled themselves.

At that moment, Jerod returned, having finished questioning the summoner.

There was only one quest left.

“The interrogation is complete. Thanks to the information we extracted, we now have the opportunity to launch a counterattack on Khan Trading Company. My people will handle that, however... the monsters that were summoned cannot be recalled. Which means, our final request is—”

Jerod paused, then continued.

It was exactly what everyone had been waiting for.

A raid boss hunt.

The final quest was to eliminate the hidden raid boss that had been summoned in the labyrinth.

The players immediately perked up.

This was what they had been waiting for.

Embris’ party was no exception.

‘This time, we’ll win!!!’

‘We’ll get first place in the contribution rankings!’

‘Our party will claim victory!!!’

‘Even if this isn’t a competition, we’re winning!’

Determination burned in their eyes.

4.

After receiving the final quest from Jerod, all three parties set off together toward the labyrinth.

Seong, meanwhile, was going over the quest details.

The objective was straightforward.

→ Hidden Raid Boss: “The Flesh-Eating Flower of the Labyrinth, Laflesin.” Eliminate it.

Who would have thought that this would lead to a hidden raid boss?

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But that wasn’t the real issue here.

‘Hmm.’

If this were a hidden raid boss fight, it would normally be perfect for a live broadcast.

However, this time, he wasn’t alone.

Naturally, that meant he had to give up on streaming.

Even during the last large-scale event, he had considered live-streaming, but he ultimately decided against it—concerned that things might unfold in a way that was too peculiar.

And now, once again, he wouldn’t be able to stream.

‘That’s a shame.’

But what could he do?

Asking everyone for permission to solo the boss would have been awkward.

And besides, the hidden raid boss rewards were at stake.

Even if the others were willing to let him take the fight alone, he felt like that would be selfish—so much so that he didn’t even want to ask.

So, without sparing another thought for streaming, Seong simply focused on the raid.

Then, suddenly—

‘Wait... this is my first time fighting a hidden raid boss with a group. No... isn’t this my first time fighting a raid boss with anyone at all?’

Thinking back, that was true.

Even when he first fought Anemore, it had been a party raid only in name—he had soloed it.

And ever since then, he had done every raid alone.

This was his first real experience with cooperation.

That made him feel a bit nervous.

However—

He had the memories and experiences of many ghosts who had fought alongside others before.

If he could apply that knowledge, he’d be fine.

And when it came to firepower, he was confident.

After settling his thoughts, Seong glanced sideways at Embris’ party, who were now watching him with an almost uncomfortably intense gaze.

By now, he fully understood that Embris’ party had developed a burning competitive spirit toward him.

Even he could pick up on that much.

However—

“Hmm. Why are they so hellbent on competing? This is supposed to be a cooperative mission.”

That part didn’t make sense to him.

The whole “wounded pride” thing? The idea that they felt the need to prove themselves?

He just didn’t get it.

At his comment, Helena burst into laughter, laughing so hard she almost doubled over.

“Ahaha! Seong, you’re hilarious when you say things like that!”

As if debating how to explain, Helena smirked and asked,

“So, are you planning to go easy on them?”

“...Huh?”

Seong frowned, confused by her question.

Helena laughed again.

She really liked this about him.

To which Seong replied,

“That’s a separate issue. They wouldn’t want that either, would they?”

“Exactly.”

He might not understand why they were so fired up, but—

That didn’t mean he was going to hold back.

He didn’t see this as a competition.

But half-assing things wasn’t in his nature.

He wasn’t going to “take it easy” just because of their obsession with competing.

Before long, they reached the labyrinth.

As per the summoner’s setup, their group—disguised as merchants—stepped into a specific section of the labyrinth.

Suddenly—

Massive roots burst forth before them.

They were definitely slow enough that they could have dodged or blocked them.

However—

No one even attempted to resist.

Why?

Because—

As soon as the roots appeared, they forcefully dragged everyone into an enclosed space.

In the blink of an eye, the surroundings shifted—transforming into a vast, garden-like clearing.

Then—

A massive flower bloomed.

Razor-sharp teeth gleamed within its petals.

[You have encountered the Hidden Raid Boss, "Laflesin, the Flesh-Eating Flower of the Labyrinth."]

[The Hidden Raid is about to begin.]

!!! WARNING !!!

This is a far more powerful boss than a standard raid boss!

Proceed with caution!!!

This was a scripted event—an introduction to the raid boss.

Joonu’s party—clearly inexperienced with these kinds of sequences—stood frozen, clearly shocked by the unfolding cutscene.

By contrast, Embris’ party was completely composed.

Despite the unexpected cinematic, their expressions alone made it clear—they were ready.

Seong, on the other hand, was mildly surprised—

Not because of the event itself, but because of the notification message.

‘So, this is what it looks like when you enter with the recommended number of players.’

Every other time he had fought a hidden raid boss, he had been alone.

All he ever saw were warnings about how he should flee or how the battle was too dangerous.

But this time?

It was simply a cautionary message.

‘Huh. That’s kind of interesting.’

Not that it mattered.

The only thing that mattered was killing the boss.

As soon as the cutscene ended—

Each party snapped into action.

The first to move?

Seong.

As soon as he regained control of his body, he immediately activated his skills.

Helena and Fiora, for now, remained on standby.

The next fastest was—unsurprisingly—Embris.

The moment she regained movement, she exploded forward, launching herself at Laflesin.

Her teammates followed suit.

The slowest to react?

Joonu’s party.

Even after regaining movement, they hesitated—debating which skills to use.

And that split-second hesitation cost them.

Because—

Seong’s skill activated first.

A burst damage skill.

‘Already?’

Even though she herself had moved quickly, Embris internally marveled as Seong’s skill activated before hers.

And then—

She saw something disturbingly familiar.

A black abyss opened beneath Laflesin’s massive stem.

From its depths, countless shadowy hands burst forth—grasping and entangling the monstrous plant.

[You have sealed Laflesin's movements for 3 seconds with "Hands of the Abyss."]

[The Hidden Raid Boss, "Laflesin, the Flesh-Eating Flower of the Labyrinth," is attempting to resist.]

[This skill cannot be resisted.]

“KIIIIEEEEEEEK!!!”

Laflesin shrieked in agony, completely immobilized.

Seong immediately launched his next attacks.

At the same time, Embris—startled by the familiarity of his skill—quickly unleashed her own ability.

A torrent of blood erupted from her body, forming into a crescent blade sharper than anything.

She launched it at Laflesin.

At the same moment, Seong fired off his Black Mana Bullet and Blades of Shadowed Darkness.

Laflesin’s shadow twisted, stretching like taffy—

And before Embris’ attack could even connect—

Seong’s dark bullet pierced straight through the plant’s core.

FWOOOOOOSH—!!!

BOOOOM—!!!

CRAAAAASH—!!!

The Blades of Shadowed Darkness shredded Laflesin’s stem, while the Black Mana Bullet obliterated its leaves.

Two skills.

Unimaginable power.

Laflesin thrashed, attempting to counterattack—

But it couldn’t move.

Seong’s Hands of the Abyss still held it in place.

Embris’ blood blade finally struck—slicing deeply into Laflesin’s stem.

SLASH—!!

“KIIIIEEEEEK!!!”

But compared to Seong’s attacks—

Her damage was significantly lower.

And yet—

Rather than feeling frustrated, Embris’ eyes widened in shock as she finally realized the truth.

Her voice trembled.

“D-Demon King...?”

Why...

Why was the Demon King here?!

Was that why everything had seemed so familiar?!

At the same moment—

Seong saw a system message pop up.

["Blood Lord" has discovered "Apostle of the Bloodline."]

“...Huh?”

What the hell was this?