The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 7

0.

The E-World User Management Team was responsible for users even in the beginner village. However, such instances were rare.

It had already been a year since the game's release.

Countless geniuses had already passed through, so they didn't have enough time to manage them all.

However, Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang was focused on a user in the beginner village, instead of the other rankers he was in charge of.

['Unknown power' has allowed you to exhibit abilities beyond your current stats.]

[New stat 《Dexterity》 has been generated.]

[Agility +3, Dexterity +2 permanently increased.]

"This is driving me crazy."

It had happened again.

The synchronization rate and other stats suddenly shot up, and then he gained permanent stat points.

Was this even possible?

Other users had to repeat training movements or perform special actions for hours to gain a single stat point, but he was gaining stats through an unknown power?

It was an incomprehensible phenomenon.

Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang couldn't understand it at all.

But today was a tannery holiday.

His superior, the team leader, was out on business, and there was no one suitable to report to.

All he could do for now was observe further.

He also shook his head in despair as he watched the hidden pieces that user 『Seonghyun』 was acquiring.

He had swept up the rewards at the butcher shop as well.

At this rate, it seemed like a truly absurd monster would be born.

There was nothing he could do about it.

'Immortal says it's not a bug, and it's already been defined as an element that cannot be regulated.'

Although Eternal World wasn't very old, there had never been any instances of unfair play.

According to the analysis of Immortal, the best artificial intelligence, this case was the same.

It wasn't like the game company would be in trouble just because one user became stronger, but growth of this magnitude could lead to other complaints, so they had to be cautious.

If only he hadn't made it known to others.

But there shouldn't be anything more to gain now, right?

While Assistant Manager Lee was thinking this, his subordinate, Officer Oh Jin-hyeok, asked,

"Huh? Sir, isn't that the place where you go to get to that...place?"

"Huh? What?"

"Well...wasn't there a hidden dungeon in Hindel Village? It seems like he's going there."

"What? There was such a thing in Hindel Village???"

"Yes, here..."

Officer Oh Jin-hyeok showed him the data on Hindel Village, and it was indeed written there.

Hindel Village's hidden dungeon, 'Hunter's Forest'.

Not only was it usually difficult to find, but the conditions for entry were also strict.

"So, the conditions are... the steel sword and the Excellent Butcher title?"

"Yes. So..."

"That's exactly that user, isn't it?"

"...Yes."

"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"

Assistant Manager Lee laughed and nodded.

To think he was actually going there.

Was this even possible?

Come to think of it, many strategy sites mentioned a place called the "Mist Forest" in Hindel Village.

Most users who arrived at Hindel Village would go to that forest.

They couldn't find the hidden dungeon because they didn't meet the conditions, but this time, Seonghyun, who happened to meet the conditions, was heading there.

Seonghyun wasn't the first to fulfill those conditions in Hindel Village.

However, most users who met those conditions were focused on quickly leaving the beginner village in the early stages of the game.

It was plausible that it was only being discovered now.

But why did it have to be user 『Seonghyun』?

"At this point, it must be the ghosts telling him, right?"

"Oh? Really?!"

"Of course not!!!"

"Euagh!"

"Ugh! If he gets that too... he'll get that item too, won't he? Haaa, no. That's right, it doesn't matter if he just gets that. Yes... that's right."

Watching Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang denying reality as he mumbled to himself, Officer Oh Jin-hyeok thought to himself,

'Usually, when you say that, they end up getting even more, don't they?'

He didn't say it out loud, though.

Officer Oh Jin-hyeok was tactful, after all.

1.

As he walked along the path the elderly ghost had told him about, the fog grew thicker.

No wonder no one had found this place.

Seonghyun had tried searching with the search function within Eternal World, and although some people had reached this foggy area, they said they ended up going in circles for some reason.

A place where you would wander around like in a maze.

This was that place.

Among users, this area was known as the Mist Forest, but what did the elderly ghost call it?

'He said there was a barrier, right?'

He said it was possible to break through this barrier with the help of a mage from Hindel Village, but meeting the mage wasn't easy.

He also said that those who met certain conditions could enter.

And that was Seonghyun.

To think you had to possess the steel sword and the Excellent Butcher title to enter.

He said it was a barrier created to prevent inexperienced adventurers from entering, allowing only hunters to pass?

Even Seonghyun thought the conditions weren't easy.

If it weren't for the ghosts, he wouldn't have obtained the steel sword or the Excellent Butcher title.

As he continued through the fog for a while, letters appeared before his fogged vision.

[You have met all the conditions.]

[Entering the field-type hidden dungeon, 『Hunter's Forest』.]

[You have discovered the hidden dungeon for the first time!]

[You have acquired the title, 『Explorer』.]

[First discovery reward given.]

[Butchering success rate in the field-type hidden dungeon, 『Hunter's Forest』 increased by 50%.]

[Quality of butchered goods in the field-type hidden dungeon, 『Hunter's Forest』 increased by 50%.]

[First discovery reward lasts until the first clear of the dungeon.]

Seonghyun slowly examined the numerous messages.

"Oh."

To think they were giving him this much reward just for discovering a hidden dungeon.

He hadn't even cleared it yet, and the rewards were quite generous.

And even a title on top of that?

Seonghyun immediately opened the title window.

『Explorer』

→《Rare》

→A title given to users who discover a hidden dungeon for the first time.

→Increases drop rate in hidden dungeons by 20%.

It was a bit underwhelming.

He had heard that the Hunter's Forest only had beast-type monsters that needed to be butchered, and they didn't drop anything, so it was a useless title for now.

Even if that wasn't the case, how often did one discover hidden dungeons? It was an underwhelming effect that only applied in hidden dungeons.

If it weren't for the first discovery reward, he would have been a bit disappointed.

He decided to be grateful for the increase in titles.

And who knew?

'Something might drop from the boss.'

Thinking optimistically, Seonghyun entered the dungeon.

As he stepped into the field-type hidden dungeon, 『Hunter's Forest』, the thick fog disappeared as if it were a dream, revealing a mystical forest.

The brilliant sunlight streamed through the gaps between the enormous, tall trees, illuminating the forest floor.

The light seemed to shatter and scatter, blending with the self-luminous moss, and fireflies flitting around the moss created a mystical atmosphere.

"Wow."

Even Seonghyun, who always expressed his admiration in a calm and composed manner, couldn't help himself this time.

He let out a breath of admiration and looked around.

The lush green forest was dreamlike and mystical.

It was a sight that showcased the grandeur of nature.

As Seonghyun was marveling at the scenery, he sensed movement in the distance.

He turned his head and saw a deer with green fur.

"Oh."

Snort!

It snorted like a horse and pawed the ground with its hooves, preparing to charge.

Looking at the deer with its menacing long antlers and green fur, Seonghyun quietly drew the sword from his waist.

Swish-

The sword was drawn with a soft sound.

'A green deer.'

Seeing the name floating above the deer's head, Seonghyun adjusted his grip on the sword.

The strongest monster found in the beginner hunting ground was a deer.

After rabbits came deer, but it was said that no beginner hunted deer unless it was for a quest.

But this green deer seemed to be stronger than those deer.

It seemed interesting.

As Seonghyun thought this, the green deer charged.

Snort! The charging speed of the green deer, accompanied by a snort, was by no means slow.

It charged quickly with its head lowered, attempting to gore Seonghyun with its antlers using its momentum.

However, its opponent was Seonghyun.

As he watched the charging green deer, the memories of the hunter Apic surfaced.

With the hunter's experiences and memories permeating him, he waited until right before the green deer reached him and lightly dodged to the side.

Unlike rabbits, they couldn't change direction easily.

Whoosh!

The green deer's eyes followed Seonghyun as it passed by, and it saw Seonghyun, who had dodged to the side, raising his sword.

That was the end of the green deer's memory.

A swift sword strike, difficult to even see, flowed from top to bottom.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A silver trajectory cut through the air, slicing through the green deer's neck without resistance.

The green deer's neck crumpled, and it collapsed in the direction it was running.

[Critical Hit!]

[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]

Thud! Clank!

The heavy body fell with a loud thud, scraping against the ground.

The green deer's carcass rolled across the ground.

Once again, a single strike.

The sword, swung with his stats pushed to the limit, coupled with a critical hit and the effect of the One Strike! title, was too much for even the green deer to withstand.

He had become even faster than when he was catching rabbits, all thanks to the hunter Apic's spirit.

His agility had increased by 3 points since then.

'I think dexterity also has some effect.'

Not only had his agility increased, making him faster, but the newly acquired dexterity helped him maintain his balance despite the increased speed.

He could slightly feel that his swordsmanship had become more refined.

'Good.'

The thrill he felt from hunting the green deer was incomparable to that of hunting rabbits.

This was incredibly fun.

With a pounding heart, Seonghyun first put the green deer's carcass into his inventory.

There was a reason why he didn't butcher it immediately.

As long as he butchered the monsters before reaching the boss, he could enjoy the first discovery reward effect.

He was going to gather them until then.

He couldn't let go of this thrill for the sake of butchering.

The memories and experiences of the hunter Apic were excellent, and so were the memories and experiences of the former instructor.

But he still had a long way to go before he could fully adapt to them.

'Let's try to adapt further.'

He hadn't completely made them his own yet.

So he moved forward.

He ventured deeper and found another green deer.

The green deer was still eager to charge, and Seonghyun succeeded in hunting it again, utilizing Apic's experience and the former instructor's memories.

[Critical Hit!]

[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]

Another one-hit kill.

As the overwhelming hunt continued for a while, the number of green deer increased.

Even with three green deer, the result was the same.

No, it became even more enjoyable.

They didn't charge simultaneously but with a time difference, making it difficult to simply dodge to the side, but he was able to learn how to move gracefully with footwork.

When the first green deer charged, he dodged slightly to the side and swung his sword.

Similarly, watching the next green deer charge, he lowered his stance and then jumped back up, slashing upwards diagonally to cut the green deer's neck.

For the last charging deer, he jumped up, gliding through the air like an acrobat, and swung his sword downwards towards the green deer's neck from above.

[Critical Hit!]

[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]

[Critical Hit!]

[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]

[Critical Hit!]

[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]

[You have defeated over 30 beast-type monsters of the same level or higher in one strike.]

[You have acquired the title, 『Hunter』.]

Having achieved the feat of hunting three deer at once, Seonghyun muttered with a slight smile on his face,

"It worked."

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]