The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 353
Demon King.
Most people, upon hearing that name, thought the same thing.
He’s probably good, but that reputation has to be exaggerated.
Even in livestreams, he often showed impressive skills—but on video, things could easily look more dramatic than they were. And even if he had accomplished a lot, people naturally assumed there was a difference between screen and reality.
Baren had been one of those people.
Didn’t Baren take a full 30 minutes to beat that weak-looking Deer Mask at full power?
Wait, you’re telling me the Demon King did it in under 30 seconds?
Nah nah nah, not just him—his whole party took 30 minutes lol
LMAO what even is this difference???
Viewers drawn in by the hype around Seong were fed that revelation by long-time watchers, causing an even bigger stir.
Well, they had shown up to see the Demon King.
Baren hadn’t paid much attention to it at first.
But he couldn’t help but gape in shock at just how overwhelmingly powerful Seong really was.
The difference in level is... this much?
“Un... believable.”
Wasn’t Seong supposed to be a fellow player in the same level bracket?
But based on what he’d just seen, Seong far outclassed Baren.
To be honest, Baren felt like he was looking at a ranker who had to be at least level 300.
That alone showed just how shocked Baren was.
And at the same time, Baren realized something else.
Just how much Seong had been holding back on them.
“Baren, if he’s the Demon King, maybe he could’ve just killed us the moment he saw us?”
“Yeah, feels like one wave of his hand and we’d have been done for...”
“I—I think so too...”
“...Sh-should we look for a gimmick or something?”
The investigation team members cautiously offered their suggestions to Baren.
And Baren could only nod.
He prided himself on his own combat ability, but after seeing that, showing off just felt pathetic.
Seong, meanwhile, watched Baren and the others try to puzzle out the gimmick and considered whether he should lend a hand.
This is starting to feel too much like I’m making them do all the work...
Just as he was thinking that, Veladrina spoke up as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
— It is an honor for them to be of service to Your Majesty. Please do not be troubled.
“...Hmph.”
This wasn’t a world with actual status hierarchies, so what was this nonsense?
Still, Seong didn’t dismiss her outright—Veladrina was just too loyal.
But apparently, it wasn’t just her who felt that way.
“Hmhm, I feel the same,” Serpina chimed in.
— S-So do I, my Lord, Fiora added.
A shocking confession—both Serpina and Fiora shared the same sentiment.
As Seong stood there, dumbfounded by their words...
Helena stepped in with a gentle smile.
“You should try to understand their loyalty. Veladrina was a little dramatic, sure, but she wasn’t wrong.”
“Huh?”
He turned to Helena, confused by her strange comment.
Helena looked right at him and explained.
“Think about it. They’re outsiders like you, right? The fact that you’re helping with the battle already makes them feel grateful.”
“Oh.”
“They wanted to explore this place too, and now you’re not just helping with that—you’re also saving their comrades. Even just tagging along like this, they’d be thankful.”
“That makes sense.”
Seong nodded, finally understanding what Helena meant.
Helena gave a soft smile at his expression and said, “So let’s just wait patiently.”
Seong agreed and nodded again.
And so, Seong and his vassals calmly waited while the investigation team searched.
Baren moved quickly, searching for gimmicks—and before long, he found one.
“I found it! There’s a groove here!”
He’d finally discovered a slot to insert the Mask of Multiplication.
They were all hoping that, just like before, triggering this gimmick would connect them with another team.
But the moment they slotted the mask in...
A strange system message appeared.
[Condition met. Map activated.]
Dwoong—!
Along with the chime, a new map appeared—this one was three-dimensional.
It wasn’t a normal map—it looked like a 4×4 cube. And on the lower third floor, right in the center, a red dot glowed.
Its meaning was obvious even at a glance.
“That red dot must be us.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
Seong and Baren discussed it as the team leaders.
Viewers were also fascinated by the spectacle, flooding the chat.
Whoa, this gimmick’s solid.
First time I’ve seen a tomb map in 3D.
Oh this is getting good.
Has the Demon King ever done a dungeon with a gimmick like this before?
Bringing the investigation team was a god-tier move lol
fr tho lol
Up until now, Seong had always shown more physical prowess than intellectual strategy.
So the viewers hadn’t expected him to be good at puzzles or deduction.
But then—
Seong noticed something strange and studied the map more closely.
Besides the red dot, he saw faint areas of light in other spots on the map.
“These might be indicators for other teams.”
“Huh? Oh! You’re right!”
The areas Seong pointed out were dim spots between the glowing cubes—three in total, excluding the one they were in.
They likely represented two other investigation teams and the Infiltration Knights.
Two were on the third floor like Seong’s group, but one was on the second floor.
Seong paused and asked, “This map is great and all, but until now we’ve only ever gone down. How are we supposed to reach those places?”
“Ssssk, yeah. That’s the problem.”
It didn’t really matter whether the other dots were allies or enemies—they could find out once they got there.
Now they could rescue more teammates—but the question was how to move sideways.
Then, Seong noticed something on one side of a cube on the # Nоvеlight # map—what looked like a door symbol. Baren noticed it too and pointed at the same spot.
“There’s something like a door here.”
“Yeah, but the doors all point in the same direction. Doesn’t seem like you can go just anywhere.”
“Hmm... Must have some symbolic meaning.”
“Yeah, probably.”
As Seong and Baren discussed things seriously...
Viewers started reacting with surprise.
Wait, this guy... he’s good-looking, good at the game, AND smart??
Please... please, 3—
(This viewer has been blocked.)
This is just unfair, man.
ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Of course, Seong couldn’t see the chat, and Baren didn’t care much for it anyway.
Then Seong, looking up from the door symbol, glanced at the wall where the masked dolls had appeared earlier.
Unlike the other walls, this one had no masks embedded in it.
“Huh? Maybe that door symbol indicates where the dolls show up?”
“Ah! So if someone chooses to take another test while standing in the center, they go down, and everyone else gets moved in whatever direction the door points?”
“Hm. Makes sense.”
Seong and Baren quickly connected the dots.
Of course, they could be wrong, but they’d seemingly uncovered all the clues available for now.
Seong had even sent other investigators to look for anything else after the map appeared—but they all shook their heads.
With no more hints, they had no choice but to move forward.
Seong stood by the left wall—where the nearest dot was—and recalled the system prompt.
[Do you wish to challenge the next trial?]
[Yes / No]
[If you exit now, you may leave with the rewards you've collected thus far.]
He chose [Yes] while standing to the left of the door.
Until now, the room had only moved downward. But this time, it began to shift sideways—to the left.
And the moment it did, everyone cheered.
“Whoa! It worked!”
“Haha, so even the Demon King is good at puzzles!”
“Baren, you did great too.”
— It is only natural that His Majesty succeeded. Fools, the lot of you.
“Hmph! Our Lord’s just built different.”
— The Lord is very smart!
“Hahaha! Our Seong is seriously amazing!”
Seong stood silently while his vassals lost their minds with excitement.
And viewers, watching this unfold, reacted too.
ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
What job do I need to get for beautiful women to praise me like that?
First requirement: be hot.
Ahㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Guess we’re screwed~
As they tried to comfort one another in the chat, Seong and the others waited to see what kind of room they’d be entering next.
And then, as the room finished moving, something strange came into view.
A mask—marked with drops of blood, as if painted with it.
Seong immediately suspected it might be the Mask of Blood.
Just then, a system message appeared in front of him.
[This mask is derived from a skill within your Sovereign-class abilities.]
The moment he read that, Seong turned toward the new mask.
Out stepped a doll, walking boldly, dripping in crimson blood that floated in midair—just like Seong’s skill.
He could feel it already.
Could it be... the power of the Masked Lord is—
As that idea formed in his mind, Helena nodded.
“Yeah, Seong, what you’re thinking is right.”
“...You can create masks from other Sovereigns’ powers?”
“Yep. Not just Sovereigns—any power can be condensed into a mask, and whoever wears it can use that power. That’s what the Masked Lord’s ability is.”
To be able to turn powers into masks and use them...
Hearing that, Seong couldn’t help but smile.
The potential was immense.
If he could duplicate the power of Blood Lord into a mask and give it to one of his regular death soldiers, not even a vassal...
He’d have a whole Blood Lord’s Legion of the Dead.
Of course, it would likely take rare resources and cost a lot—but even so.
It was a tactical and strategic game-changer.
My powers have grown to the point where it’s hard to use them all alone.
This was something he had to obtain.
As Seong smiled to himself with renewed determination—
The Mask of Blood oozed arrogance, scattering droplets of blood into the air.
But Seong only snapped his fingers in response.
Tak!
In an instant, the scattered blood reversed course, like a flood in retreat, and surged back toward the doll. Dozens of crimson shards pierced through its body like drills.
The doll collapsed, leaving only the mask behind.
Such was the price for using a cheap imitation of blood power in front of the true Blood Lord.
But that wasn’t the important part right now.
I have to get the Masked Lord’s power—no matter what.
