The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage
Chapter 244

The chat exploded in chaos.

Seong felt just as awkward.

There was no particular reason he hadn't mentioned it before, but there was also no need to bring it up.

It wasn’t like he was hiding it, but revealing it in a live broadcast was bound to cause problems. As the realization set in, Seong hesitated slightly.

At first, the viewers thought it was a joke, but as they observed his reaction, they began to realize the truth.

This was definitely real.

After all, if someone kept asking if he was dating his sister, even Seong wouldn’t be able to endure it.

Just then, a message popped up for him.

[Rapid - It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just keep going with the stream!]

[Seong - Thank you.]

Luckily, someone from the guild was monitoring the stream and responded right away.

Since it didn’t seem like a big issue, Rapid handled it smoothly.

Seeing that made Seong relax a little, his expression easing up.

Since the atmosphere wasn’t too bad, Seong let out a small breath of relief.

Maybe it was just because he wasn’t used to streaming.

These kinds of small slip-ups were bound to happen.

‘I need to be more careful.’

Live broadcasts had moments like this.

From now on, he’d be more cautious.

As Seong made up his mind, he was about to resume engaging with the chat when—

He noticed someone entering the waiting room.

Well, it was about time for others to start showing up.

And he wasn’t the only one who saw it.

Since the system announcement displayed the ranking update, everyone could see the name.

The unfamiliar username belonged to a man who silently scanned the waiting room before locking eyes with Seong.

Seong stared at the man called Reaper, lost in thought.

Dressed in black assassin attire.

Clearly unusual.

And since he arrived even faster than the Double Rankers, there was no doubt about his skills.

Seong had expected the Luna Team, the backup team, to arrive first.

Narrowing his eyes, he examined the man.

And the man, having spotted Seong, immediately started walking toward him.

‘Is he looking for a fight?’

Since Seong wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge, he subtly prepared himself. Just as Reaper was about to approach him—

The chat flooded with excitement.

A sudden influx of players entered the waiting room.

Twelve in total.

And leading them was none other than Luna.

However, her outfit was anything but ordinary.

A barbarian warrior’s attire, revealing far more skin than it covered.

Without realizing it, Seong averted his gaze.

The chat exploded once more.

And perhaps noticing the attention, Luna’s face flushed as she hurriedly tried to explain.

“T-This is just my battle outfit! D-Don’t misunderstand!”

“...?”

“Luna, saying that only makes it worse.”

“Ah, ah!”

Her words only made things even more suspicious.

Regardless, the priority right now was stopping the person approaching Seong.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust his skills.

That was simply the ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) backup team’s role.

So, they all subtly positioned themselves to guard Seong, eyeing the stranger warily.

“...It’s been a while.”

“Hnnng~ You really put us through hell, you know~”

“...Yeah, you really worked us to the bone.”

It had been a while since Seong last saw the Luna Team.

Longfeng, looking a little sheepish.

Elzahar, still as relaxed as ever.

And Hwa-Wol, just as awkward.

All greeting him.

“It’s been a while.”

Seong greeted them back with a smile.

Not wanting to be left out, Embris’ Party chimed in.

“Ah! Don’t forget about us! We haven’t even repaid our debt to you yet.”

“That’s right, thanks to you, we got stronger.”

“Honestly, it was kinda rough, though.”

“But hey, at least we got into Rapid Guild!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

From Embris herself to Usagi, Menma, and Chako, they all enthusiastically approached Seong.

Since he had met them before, Seong greeted them with a small nod.

And then—

“Ahem! Seong, it seems you've grown even stronger since we last met. Ahem! Let’s have some tea together next time.”

It was none other than Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman, Kim Che-geon.

However.

“Ah, maybe next time.”

Seong politely declined the invitation.

But Kim Che-geon, unfazed, simply nodded happily.

And watching him—

“Haha! This isn’t gonna be easy!”

“Phew, we still have a long way to go.”

Curoasawa Ren and Mayrin also joined the lively reunion.

Seong exchanged greetings with everyone.

And then, finally, he turned to look at the last person.

Not all the backup team members were familiar faces.

‘Who is he?’

“...So this is the Demon King.”

Both Seong and Kyou were meeting for the first time.

Since Seong had only fought Fiora, he had never seen Kyou before.

Likewise, Kyou had never actually seen Seong in person.

The two of them awkwardly stared at each other, feeling a bit unfamiliar.

They both found the encounter interesting, but neither voiced their thoughts.

After a brief moment of hesitation, they gave each other a small nod in greeting.

And with that, the formalities were out of the way.

At that moment, everyone turned to face the man standing before Seong, their eyes filled with caution.

A man who had appeared out of nowhere.

Someone with absolutely no prior reputation.

Naturally, they were on high alert.

This wasn't just some random player.

He had entered even faster than the Double Rankers—an exceptional feat.

Which was why the entire backup team remained on edge.

Individually, this man could be stronger than any of them.

“......”

Yet, the man showed no change in expression.

As if he didn't care about being outnumbered.

Or perhaps he had another purpose.

At the forefront, Embris and Luna, both having reached the Almighty tier as melee specialists, stood like a solid wall.

Behind them, the recently Legendary-ranked Kim Che-geon, Longfeng, Hwa-Wol, Mayrin, and Kurosawa Ren took position.

Further in the back, Embris’ party, along with Elzahar—who provided support—and another Almighty-tier player, Kyou, were stationed.

Ready to back Seong up at a moment’s notice.

An attack squad befitting the name.

As she observed the stand-off, Luna thought to herself.

‘Where the hell did this guy come from?’

She always kept track of all the major streamers at similar levels.

Yet she had never heard of a player this skilled at around level 200.

A strong player under the alias Reaper.

Sure, Embris had also been a hidden powerhouse.

It was possible someone else like that had emerged.

But watching the way this man intentionally approached Seong...

It felt suspicious.

That was why she had moved to protect him.

To be honest, it was frustrating.

The backup team hadn’t simply arrived here by chance.

They had each defeated Black Death individually before entering.

And yet, while all of them had arrived at roughly the same time...

This guy had come in much faster.

Which meant he had the potential to become a Single Ranker.

The entire backup team consisted of top-tier Double Rankers.

So their pride naturally took a hit.

‘...Sigh.’

She knew there were plenty of hidden experts out there.

But they sure had a habit of popping up at the most unexpected times.

Maybe it was because Seong kept showcasing overwhelming strength?

It felt like he was constantly drawing in these types.

Just like with Kyou and Embris.

Hopefully, this one would also turn out to be an ally.

But it was too early to tell.

So she had to remain cautious.

‘What’s his goal?’

Just as Luna thought that—

The man vanished.

Teleportation?

No, he had simply moved at an absurd speed.

Luna barely managed to track his movement as she shifted her gaze.

At the same time, Embris spread her energy across the area, activating a detection skill.

But his movement was too fast.

Hard to follow.

Kyou and the others tried to intercept him.

But he slipped past every single one of them.

Approaching Seong.

And in response, the entire backup team unleashed their skills.

The moment he moved, Elzahar—known as the Binding Mage—cast Frozen Prison, forming an ice cage.

But by the time it materialized, the man was already gone.

Whoosh!

Kim Che-geon reacted quickly, drawing his sword and launching a precise strike.

But the man leapt into the air, flipping nimbly, avoiding the attack.

Then, as Hwa-Wol and Longfeng rushed in from the front—

And Mayrin and Kurosawa Ren flanked him from behind—

The man’s body sank into the ground.

No, not the ground.

He turned into a shadow, merging into a puddle of darkness.

And then—

He spiked upward like a dagger.

Kyou's eyes flashed as he fired a bolt of lightning.

The attack covered a wide area, making it nearly impossible to dodge.

As the thunderclap echoed, everyone instinctively moved away.

However.

The man, still in shadow form, shifted back into his human shape.

Clasping his hands together.

And then—

He vanished again.

Not as a shadow this time.

He disappeared completely.

And at that moment, a system message appeared before Seong’s eyes.

[Due to the effects of the Almighty-tier item, 『Primordial Demon Crest Ring』, teleportation to this location has been delayed.]

So he had been using teleportation all along.

Realizing this, Seong turned his head.

By then, the backup team was already lunging forward.

Or at least, they tried to.

Before they could fully react—

The teleportation delay ended.

And the man—Reaper—stood directly in front of Seong.

Seong immediately prepared himself.

But just as he was about to react—

The man, no—Reaper—reached into his coat.

A situation where an attack was almost certain.

Seong instinctively began to cast magic.

Yet, something about it felt... off.

So he hesitated.

And then—

What Reaper pulled out was neither a weapon nor a skill activation crystal.

Instead—

A blank sheet of paper.

And a pencil.

‘...What the hell?’

“......?”

“......???”

“Huh?”

Everyone, including Seong, made dumbfounded noises.

Reaper scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.

Then, with a sheepish smile, he spoke.

“P-P-Please... I-I'm a fan! C-C-Could I get your autograph?”

Seong's face went blank.

Everyone around them fell silent.

And then—

As if just remembering something, Reaper suddenly said,

“Oh! Right! I also have something to give you.”

He sent a trade request.

And a system message appeared.

[User 『Reaper』 wishes to trade the Hero Hindel set items 『Galaxy’s Emblem』 and 『Oath of the Stars』.]

[Do you accept?]

[Yes / No]

‘...What the hell is this?’

And then—

“P-Please! You can have it! Just—just give me your autograph!”

Seong stared at him.

‘Is this a prank?’