The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 209

Like delicate threads.

“Hmm?”

Frowning slightly, Seong continued watching the fight.

The battle raged on for over ten minutes—

Until Berto finally collapsed, his stamina completely drained.

And that was when Seong noticed it—

The black threads had vanished just before Berto fell.

Had he imagined them?

As Seong pondered the possibility—

Berto, lying on the ground, let out a ragged breath and spoke.

“...Beware... the darkness...”

With those last words, he went still.

His eyes, once filled with hostility, now appeared... at peace.

Seong tilted his head, puzzled.

“Beware the darkness?”

But hadn’t the journal instructed him /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ to enter the darkness?

The cat had urged him toward it.

The dog had agreed.

And now, at the very end, he was being told to beware it?

There was definitely a deeper connection here.

As Seong pieced the puzzle together—

A series of system messages appeared before him.

[Hidden Raid Boss 『Narisha & Berto』 has been defeated.]

[This was a special Hidden Raid Boss exclusive to 『Overlord』.]

[Special rewards will be granted instead.]

[『Overlord』 Story Quest: 『The Vanished Cat and Dog』 has been completed.]

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[You have obtained rewards.]

[You have gained a tremendous amount of EXP!]

[Level Up!] × 5

[You have reached Level 165.]

[『Narisha & Berto』 have returned to 『Helena’s Journal!』.]

[As a reward for their defeat, 『Memory of the Journal 1』 can now be replayed.]

[Replaying 『Memory of the Journal 1』 will unlock the next quest.]

[You have obtained a Legendary-grade material item: 『Essence of Darkness』.]

Nothing particularly groundbreaking among the rewards.

Aside from the massive amount of experience, the two noteworthy items were:

Essence of Darkness – A special item.Memory of the Journal 1 – An event scene that could be replayed."Oh-ho."

So this was how it all connected.

The system wasn’t just handing out Helena’s journal for no reason.

It was part of a larger narrative.

Where would this story quest lead?

Helena was obviously at the center of it all, but—

“What does Helena think?”

Out of curiosity, Seong asked his revenants.

“H-Helena says... you can call her if you want...!”

“Kuhaha, she says she’s ready now.”

“Aye, I heard the same.”

“I, too, have received that message.”

It seemed Helena had finally made up her mind.

Previously, she had told him not to summon her for a while—acting like a moody teenage girl.

Now, however, she was ready.

Of course, it made sense.

This journal was from a time long before she became Overlord.

It wasn’t something to feel embarrassed about forever.

Still, Seong shook his head.

“No need to ask.”

Not just out of consideration for Helena.

While a small part of him wanted to respect her privacy—

That wasn’t the main reason.

Seong simply wasn’t someone who enjoyed spoilers.

He preferred to experience things naturally, rather than have everything laid out for him in advance.

Had this been a normal quest, he might have used his ghosts’ memories to gain an advantage—

But this was a story quest.

It might even lead to the main questline.

So, he decided not to ask Helena directly.

Instead, he focused on another thought.

"This doesn’t seem to be related to gaining a new revenant, does it?"

Some of his revenants had mentioned "those who grieve."

But Helena’s journal was ancient—

Written long before she became Overlord.

None of his revenants had shown any familiarity with Berto and Narisha during the fight.

So, this wasn’t a revenant-related quest.

Then—

"The fact that Overpalace gave me this..."

It had to be something even greater than a new revenant.

The way the system had carefully avoided interference while handing him this journal—

It meant this was something monumental.

Could it be—

A quest leading to an Almighty-tier reward?

A story quest of that magnitude.

Seong’s gaze fell upon the journal in his hands.

His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Let’s play it."

If there was even the slightest clue hidden inside—

It was worth watching the memory.

As soon as he activated Memory of the Journal 1,

The world around him melted away.

The scenery shifted, as though snow dissolving under sunlight.

And then—

A young Helena appeared.

Sitting at a table, drawing pictures in her journal.

But this memory wasn’t hers.

It belonged to—

Narisha and Berto.

“The cat’s name is Narisha! The dog’s name is Berto!”

The first scene played—

Helena, happily naming them.

At the time, they had been nothing more than drawings in her journal.

But the moment Helena gave them names—

They came to life.

The moment they moved, Helena giggled with excitement.

She spent the entire day playing with them, running across meadows, hills, and flower fields.

Evening arrived.

Helena, waving goodbye, promised—

“Let’s play again tomorrow!”

It was such an innocent, heartwarming sight.

Seong watched, intrigued.

"So just by naming them, they became real?"

That alone spoke volumes about Helena’s power.

Simply naming a picture had given it life.

It should’ve been impossible.

But then again—

This was a game.

Helena had become a Transcendent.

Even in her childhood, it was clear that she had been extraordinary.

As she left, Narisha and Berto waved endlessly, watching her disappear into the distance.

Now alone, the two remained together—

As the sun slowly set, darkness blanketed the sky.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“We’ll play with Helena again.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll be the seekers.”

“Yeah. Yeah!”

Excitedly, Narisha and Berto spoke to one another.

They eagerly awaited Helena’s return.

Even in the darkness, they could still play—

But Helena had to go home.

So they waited.

They wished for the morning to come faster.

But the morning... never arrived.

Instead—

【I shall claim you.】

A sinister voice echoed through the darkness.

Thick shadows enveloped Narisha and Berto.

“N-no!”

“G-get away!”

They struggled, but it was futile.

The darkness swallowed them whole.

All that remained—

Was a torn scrap of paper.

『If you enter the darkness, you’ll find us!』

It seemed like a note left by Narisha.

When the sun finally rose, Helena arrived and found the paper.

She tilted her head, puzzled—

Her gaze drifting toward the deep forest, where the shadows were thickest.

“Narisha?”

And with that—

The memory ended.

As the event scene concluded, Seong's surroundings shifted back to normal.

Then, a message appeared.

[You have acquired the keyword: 『Darkness』.]

[You have obtained a clue related to 『Darkness』.]

Seong fell into deep thought.

‘Hmm...’

So the one who had urged him to enter the darkness...

Had not been Narisha.

And now, he had gained a keyword and a clue regarding it.

Which meant—

‘Something is controlling the darkness.’

The black threads he had seen behind Berto—

And Berto’s final warning about the darkness—

It all lined up.

Someone, or something, had targeted Helena even in her childhood.

‘They must have been after her extraordinary power.’

There were still too few clues.

But one thing was clear—

Helena’s ability was far too valuable.

She had given life to drawings with nothing but a name.

If someone sinister knew of her potential—

Would they not try to take it?

But considering that Helena had survived—

‘They must have failed.’

Since the quest continued, however—

There were either traces left behind, or perhaps—

Helena had struggled against them in her past.

Seong turned his attention to the quest reward item.

『Essence of Darkness』

《Legendary》Material Item.Quest Item.A condensed crystal of darkness, formed from an unknown entity’s presence.It radiates a deep, ominous power.A Legendary-grade material item.

And a quest item at the same time.

Seong decided to hold onto it for now.

And then—

The journal in his hands suddenly began to glow.

A new page appeared.

The torn drawings of Narisha and Berto were restored—

And beyond them, new pages unfolded.

Seong could now read the next entry.

『It’s too dark! I keep calling, “Where are you? Where are you?” but I can’t see anything!』

『Did I get lost in the dark forest?』

『This is hide-and-seek, but it’s too hard!』

『Kitty! Doggy!』

『Ugh, where are you?!』

『It’s so dark I can’t see, but a man over there told me—』

“The dog and cat went that way.”

『A tall and skinny man! I said, “Thank you!” and he jumped up and waved his hands!』

『It’s dark! It’s dark!』

『Even the face hanging on the tree said hi!』

『The forest is full of strange things!』

『Kitty! Doggy! Wait for me, I’ll find you for sure!』

“...What the hell.”

Seong stared at the journal, his mind reeling.

What kind of nightmare was this?

A tall, skinny man?

A face hanging from a tree?

It felt like something straight out of a horror story.

But one thing was certain—

This was leading him to the Darkened Forest.

As Seong finished reading, he lifted his gaze—

And saw a new exit where there had previously been only one.

Another message appeared.

[『Overlord』 Story Quest: 『The Forest Shrouded in Darkness』 has been unlocked.]

→ Proceed to the Forest Shrouded in Darkness.

That must be the next location.

Originally, this playground had been the small hill where Helena used to play with Narisha and Berto.

From what he had seen in the memory—

That direction led to the forest.

‘Should I go now?’

Who exactly were the tall, skinny man and the face on the tree?

With a hint of curiosity, Seong stepped toward the entrance.

0.

The forest was vast—

Its trees so tall they blocked out the sky.

Yet, the darkness wasn’t just due to the foliage.

It was... unnatural.

Like the shadows themselves were alive.

The Forest Shrouded in Darkness.

And within—

Hanging from the branches, there were countless strange fruit-like objects.

Something was watching over them.

A thin, wiry figure scuttled between the trees.

It reached out, extending a needle-like appendage, plucking one of the fruits—

And brought it to its mouth.

Upon closer inspection—

Those weren’t fruits at all.

They were human heads.

With a sickening crunch, the creature bit into one—

Its grotesque smile widening.

Sensing an intruder entering its domain—

It began to move.

And as if speaking to someone unseen, it whispered—

“My Lord... a trespasser has arrived.”

At that moment, the shadows trembled.

And then—

They vanished.