The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 396
2.
Saturday, prime time.
The day after Seong returned from his one-night, two-day scouting trip.
And from that golden Saturday morning, a stream was already live.
It was none other than Michael’s party.
“Hello everyone! You all know, right? Today’s the day Yuseong returns!”
At Michael’s cheerful line, the viewers filled the chat with greetings.
– Miiicha~
– Hihi
– lololol finally Yuseong’s coming on!?
– I thought my neck would fall off waiting for Yuseong ㅠㅠㅠ
– Kyaa, Yuseong ㅠㅠㅠ
Of course, at the news that Seong would appear, chat naturally went wild.
But some were reacting to the talk of Yuseong’s true identity.
– So is Yuseong really the Demon King???
– There’s so much circumstantial evidence???
– If the Demon King is single-ranker level and looks like that too, I don’t think I can go on living.
– He’s brought something infuriating again.
– Tell us the truth!!!
– Is he really the Demon King!?
As questions piled up asking whether he was Rapid’s Demon King, Michael looked at the chat with a confused face, clearly prepared for this.
Then—he asked the viewers back.
“...Come on, people. Why would a famous powerhouse like that join our party...?”
From a confused expression, he shifted to sounding almost pitiful.
The viewers burst out laughing, though the logic wasn’t wrong.
– lololol okay, fair
– When you think about it, why would the Demon King join Michael’s party???
– lololol wait, true?
– Then why did the Demon King’s backup team’s two-day break line up with the two days of no stream?
– lol maybe it just coincidentally lined up
– Now that I think of it, if backup teams are boosting him, why would he come here? Makes no sense
– lololol makes sense
Everyone could only laugh.
With born-clown Michael’s delivery, they couldn’t help but fall for it.
Yuseong walked up to the camera with a faint smile and asked,
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Today we’ve gotta catch up to Cheongwi’s party!”
Michael pointed at himself as he said it.
The target today was floor 76.
Cheongwi’s party was currently on 77, so if they succeeded, they’d catch up.
At Yuseong and Michael’s words, the viewers let it slide without more suspicion.
– Oh, then today you finally pass Cheongwi’s party?
– I’m looking forward to it!
– But floor 76 won’t be easy.
– True, the difficulty spikes every five floors, so this could be rough.
– Hard to think you’ll clear on day one.
– With Yuseong here, who knows.
– Yeah, I’m excited.
Before long, the “he’s the Demon King” rumor faded, and everyone was caught up in Michael’s smooth hosting.
On top of that, viewers had doubled—over fifty thousand.
Naturally, many had come to confirm whether Yuseong was Seong.
Even after Michael brushed it off and some viewers left, others stayed, impressed by his hosting, and the stream held steady at thirty to forty thousand.
Since you row while the tide’s in, Michael resolved to do even better, and the synergy showed.
Even while hunting, he kept talking nonstop to entertain, and when Seong burst out laughing, that handsome face drew in even more viewers.
Of course—
“Come on! Yuseong just smiles and the viewers react, but I have to do every damn clown act to keep you here? Isn’t that unfair?”
Michael voiced his complaint.
It didn’t land. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
– Then Michael, just get handsome too ;;
– lololol the face is different, of course
– Are you seriously asking? lol
– lololol
– It’s unfair, but nothing to be done
– Just looking at his face makes me smile haha
Hurt by chat’s reactions, Michael threw himself even harder into pushing floor 76—but in the end, they failed that day.
Granted, Seong didn’t take the lead aggressively, but the difficulty was high.
There was a time limit, it was a labyrinth type, and the walls couldn’t be broken, so it naturally took time.
If Seong had revealed he had a map, they might’ve wrapped it quickly.
Without that, they had to map as they went.
It could only take a long time.
By the time Michael’s party finally cleared 76 on day three and entered 77, Cheongwi’s party had climbed to 78, and the Demon King’s backup team had reached 69.
3.
Seong woke from a slightly uncomfortable bed and looked around.
By now, Kim Geon-dong’s house felt familiar.
It was Tuesday.
Construction had started the previous Monday and was supposed to take one week, meaning he should’ve been able to go home by now.
But, unfortunately, he’d gotten a message apologizing that the construction would take one more week.
Geon-dong said it was fine, and neither Seong’s parents nor his sister Yu Mina minded much, so it wasn’t a big problem.
For Seong too, it was only a little inconvenient; he didn’t have any major complaints.
“Phew.”
After waking up, Seong followed his «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» usual routine: a morning run, then a quick shower.
He and Geon-dong had gotten a gym membership together, so they went there in the evenings after playing.
That morning, after preparing here and there, Seong loosened up his body lightly.
The time to get serious was drawing close.
Michael’s party had just entered floor 77, Cheongwi’s party had reached 78—
Soon it would be time for Luna’s backup parties to charge upward.
He figured things would kick off later this week.
As Seong was eating breakfast, Geon-dong woke up.
“Yaaawn, sleep well?”
“Yeah. Want breakfast?”
When Seong showed him the meal he’d made, Geon-dong swallowed hard and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s eat.”
Breakfast was simple: soybean paste stew, fried eggs, and assorted side dishes.
Common in Korea, but rare for someone living alone, so Geon-dong eagerly scooped rice and took a bite.
“Ahhh, this is just what I needed.”
“??? You didn’t drink yesterday.”
“It’s just an expression.”
“Well, enjoy.”
Seeing Geon-dong eat happily, Seong felt proud as he ate too.
After finishing one bowl, Seong went for another. Watching him, Geon-dong asked,
“So it’s about time, right?”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you for the linked live.”
“I’ve kept the stream going after your broadcasts anyway, so no problem. But looks like Cheongwi’s party will get caught up to soon.”
“Probably this week we’ll hit the same floor.”
“Oh? Nice. Okay.”
Geon-dong kept eating, while Seong, finishing first, stood up.
“Then I’ll go in first.”
“Yeah, go on. Good luck today.”
“Not much to luck out on.”
“True, that’s fair. Hahaha.”
Seong’s line made Geon-dong laugh.
It was true—since Seong had held back his strength to slow the pace with Michael’s party, there wasn’t much to “fight for.”
With that, Seong entered the capsule.
Left alone eating, Geon-dong muttered,
“Since it’s starting soon, I’d better get ready too.”
Running a linked live didn’t need much setup, but it was still effectively a Rapid Guild event, and there were considerations for viewership.
This time there wouldn’t even be live tickets, so he had to plan other ways to generate revenue.
In any case, it wouldn’t take too long.
4.
Three more days passed. By Friday, the rankings had shifted dramatically.
The famous Mugan rankings of Belhadan had changed.
[ Mugan Ranking ]
[ 1st place (tied) – Cheongwi Party : Floor 79 ]
[ 1st place (tied) – Michael Party : Floor 79 ]
[ 1st place (tied) – Demon King Backup Team 1 : Floor 79 ]
[ 1st place (tied) – Demon King Backup Team 2 : Floor 79 ]
[ 1st place (tied) – Demon King Backup Team 3 : Floor 79 ]
[ 2nd place – Mansik Party : Floor 76 ]
There were now five parties tied for first place.
And it had taken the Demon King’s backup teams barely two weeks to climb from the first floor—people couldn’t stop talking about it.
[Title – Is the Demon King really aiming for the deepest part of Mugan???]
[Author – AlwaysDying]
『They suddenly shot up and tied for 1st—crazy.
This has to be the Demon King declaring he’ll take the deepest floor.
Wow, are they really not going to stream this live???
Rapid Guild’s channel hasn’t said anything.』
[RunAwaySolo : lol I’m actually excited. After the territory war, Rapid Guild hasn’t had anything really fun—it’s been boring.]
└[AlwaysDying (author) : For real lol I’m kind of hyped]
[NoCooltime : Michael’s party brought in that strong wizard Yuseong and kept up with Cheongwi, but... the Demon King’s party is basically a natural disaster.]
└[AlwaysDying (author) : But I heard rumors that Yuseong is the Demon King.]
└[NoCooltime : Yeah that rumor was going around, but Michael said “why would the Demon King join our party” lol I bought that right away]
└[AlwaysDying (author) : lolol that makes sense]
People were buzzing that Rapid’s Demon King was about to pull another fun stunt.
It had been two weeks with no updates, after all.
For fans of the Demon King who were starved of content, this was the best kind of news.
The story spread across Korean communities and even overseas—everyone wondering when Seong would show up again.
Since the backup teams had just tied for first yesterday—
Many thought today would be the day.
Friday wasn’t as prime as Saturday, but it was still a golden time slot.
So everyone was watching Rapid Guild’s channel with anticipation.
And sure enough, an announcement appeared.
[Rapid Guild]
『Hello, this is the master of Rapid Guild.
I’m posting to announce the live stream you’ve all been waiting for: a broadcast of Rapid’s Demon King, Seong.
The stream will begin today at 6 p.m. Korean time. Please tune in.
This live will be free to watch without tickets.』
Short and simple.
People waited breathlessly for 6 p.m.
When the time came, they flooded into the Rapid Guild channel.
No tickets were needed.
But when they entered—question marks filled the chat.
– ???????
– ????????
– Why is Michael on screen????
Because Michael was there, smiling brightly, greeting the viewers.
