The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 197

‘How did they get here before us?’

Embris wasn’t as bothered by Helena’s ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) teasing as she was by the shocking realization that Seong’s party had arrived first.

It was a similar kind of shock to when the Demon King had wiped out her bloodline faster than she could react.

They had definitely stayed behind in the room longer than her party.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out how.

But the fact remained—they were faster.

‘They must be incredibly skilled.’

Even if this was a misunderstanding, there was no denying their prowess.

Her teammates had similar thoughts.

If they had been the same race, perhaps this wouldn’t have been as surprising.

‘We’re vampires, and they’re still faster than us?’

‘That’s honestly impressive.’

‘Right? If only Menma hadn’t slacked off—’

‘Oh, so now it’s my fault!?’

Each of them had become a vampire through Embris.

Of course, it wasn’t as if humans were inherently weak.

The starting races—humans, elves, dwarves—all had similar base stats, with only minor differences in specialties.

However, vampires were a hidden race.

They were superior to the base races in almost every way.

So it was shocking to see a human party outpace them.

Especially since Embris herself had an Almighty-tier class.

Meanwhile, Seong was also somewhat surprised.

‘Are they normally that fast?’

Even if he hadn’t arrived early, he still would have beaten them.

That said, Embris’ party was very fast.

No doubt about it—they really were the second-place party.

Encounters with new powerful players were always interesting.

However...

‘This quest isn’t a competition.’

As soon as the thought of rivalry crossed his mind, he dismissed it.

Embris’ party, on the other hand...

‘We can’t lose the next one.’

‘Next time, we win.’

‘This isn’t even a competitive quest...’

‘Doesn’t matter. We win.’

They were determined to surpass Seong’s party, one way or another.

Perhaps sensing their competitive energy, Helena smirked and whispered to Seong and Fiora.

“They think they can beat us.”

-...H-huh? T-they do?

“...It’s not even a competition quest. You must be imagining things, Helena.”

Seong dismissed the idea outright.

Helena merely shrugged and glanced at Embris’ team.

They were clearly fired up.

And yet, Seong refused to acknowledge it.

Honestly, he was so dense about things like this.

Helena chuckled to herself.

Not that it mattered. Even if Seong didn’t try, he’d win anyway.

So she didn’t dwell on it.

Since Seong and Helena weren’t making a big deal out of it, Fiora also decided to let it go.

Both parties quietly waited inside the room.

After some time, the third party arrived.

“Just like the merchant said.”

“Phew... looks like we were the last ones.”

“Good. We made it.”

The seven-member party from earlier had returned.

With Seong’s and Embris’ groups included, there were now fourteen people in the room.

They had expected Jerod to appear immediately, but it took a little longer than anticipated.

By the time he arrived, he immediately bowed his head in apology.

“Apologies for the delay. We were cross-referencing the clues you brought us with the evidence we had on hand, which took some time.”

His apology was direct and sincere.

Everyone accepted it without issue.

Besides, Jerod was not just the NPC quest giver—he was the owner of Moore Trading Company.

No one was going to complain.

Once that was settled, Jerod addressed the room.

“From now on, these three parties will serve as the core teams handling this matter for our trading company.”

A call for cooperation?

Hearing this, the players began sizing each other up.

The seven-member party had already been wary of both Embris’ and Seong’s teams.

But now that Jerod was talking about working together rather than competing, they looked somewhat relieved.

Had this been another competitive quest, they would’ve been the first to be eliminated.

The subtle tension in the room eased slightly.

Jerod continued.

“Based on the evidence, we have determined that this was a scheme by Khan Trading Company to undermine us. It is highly likely that my father was caught up in their machinations. And... there is a strong possibility that my father is no longer with us.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

The seven-member party let out quiet sighs of pity.

Meanwhile, Seong’s and Embris’ teams narrowed their eyes.

They already had a feeling where this was going.

As expected, Jerod’s next words came with a dangerous intensity.

“Now that we know what they’ve done, we will not sit idly by.”

His voice was heated.

Yet his tone was ice cold.

That contrast made it clear—his fury was barely contained.

Everyone in the room could feel it.

And so, they listened intently.

Jerod continued.

“We have evidence that a sorcerer has been stationed nearby to summon monsters that do not naturally appear in the Forest Labyrinth. This was not an isolated incident—other trading companies have also suffered losses. That is why I am assigning you a new task: to capture that sorcerer alive.”

As he spoke, a new quest notification appeared before them.

[A Unique Quest has been generated: "Capture the Summoner."]

Objective: Secure the summoner responsible for conjuring unnatural monsters in the Forest Labyrinth.

Jerod’s voice remained calm, but his words carried an unmistakable chill.

“If it were up to me, I would make sure that summoner paid the price... But all things must be done in order. Please, capture them alive.”

It was a polite request.

Yet, perhaps because of that very politeness, it sounded all the more menacing.

He was barely holding back his rage.

“Teams may either proceed separately or cooperate as needed. We will provide communication crystals for easier coordination. Our only objective is to secure the summoner. Please do your best.”

Jerod bowed once again as he handed out the communication crystals before leaving to return to his duties.

The room was now left with only the three parties.

One of the seven-member team’s players broke the silence.

“Man... he is pissed. Like, really pissed.”

Thankfully, no one said something stupid like, Wow, NPCs are really advanced these days!

Among all the players gathered here, few were foolish enough to disrupt the mood with irrelevant comments.

The room remained tense yet focused as the three-party leaders exchanged glances, signaling their intent to discuss strategy.

Embris and Seong stepped forward to join the conversation.

With all three party leaders together, the seven-member party’s leader spoke first.

“I’m Joonu. As you can see, I lead the seven-member party.”

He introduced himself first, offering a brief but polite greeting.

Seong was about to return the courtesy when—

“Oh, don’t worry about your in-game name. If you’re uncomfortable sharing it, you don’t have to.”

Joonu cut in before Seong could speak, as if sensing his hesitation.

Though it wasn’t really an issue, Seong simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Embris also nodded in agreement.

Seeing their reactions, Joonu took the lead in steering the conversation.

Being the oldest among them, it felt natural for him to do so.

‘Experience shows, I suppose.’

Then, he got straight to the point.

“What do you think is the best approach?”

Joonu posed the question first.

Seong was the first to answer.

“It seems more efficient to split up rather than stick together.”

“Hmm, that does make sense. And you?”

“I think so too.”

Joonu and Embris both agreed with Seong.

It was much more effective to divide and search than to waste time trying to coordinate an unfamiliar group.

This wasn’t a combat mission—it was more of an investigation.

Since all three were in agreement, they decided to split up and hunt down the summoner separately.

They would regroup here once they had their target.

With that, the parties dispersed.

Joonu’s Party

Joonu turned to his teammates, exhaling in relief.

“Damn... that was intense.”

One of his teammates smirked.

“Up close, what do you think? Is he really the Demon King?”

At the unexpected question, Joonu wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and nodded.

“I think he is. He’s the real deal.”

“Whoa... so we really just met the Demon King?”

“Hasn’t his real face never been revealed?”

“Yeah, I thought he’d look ordinary or something, but he’s ridiculously good-looking!?”

“Well, character customization can only go up to 10%, but a good base matters more.”

They continued chatting, still processing what had just happened.

Joonu’s deduction was largely based on the red-haired woman who was chatting away next to Seong.

One of the newly revealed Demon King’s vassals was rumored to have red hair.

That was enough of a clue.

Plus, Seong’s reluctance to state his in-game name only cemented Joonu’s theory.

The evidence was circumstantial...

But it all fit.

“We’re splitting up to find the summoner.”

“This time, let’s not lose.”

“For real! We have to win this one.”

“...It’s not a competition. But yeah, I don’t want to keep losing either.”

“Then let’s delay heading out a little so we definitely beat them this time.”

“Yeah, that sounds fair.”

Their resolve was unanimous:

They were going to beat Seong this time.

“Haha! Did I ever say this was a competition?”

-W-we will win, my Lord!-

“I keep telling you—it’s not a competition.”

But no matter how much he denied it, they continued treating it that way.

With their strategy settled, the first party to leave the room was Joonu’s group.

“We’ll head out first.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

“Let’s all do our best.”

After exchanging brief words of encouragement, Joonu’s party left.

Embris’ party didn’t move immediately.

Seeing that, Seong decided to go ahead.

But as he stepped forward, he noticed something—

Embris’ party was watching him closely.

Their gazes felt... oddly fixated.

It was a bit unsettling.

But he shrugged it off and stepped outside.

‘This quest isn’t related to Vitor’s memories. No free rides this time.’

‘I need to start my investigation.’

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He wandered the streets, searching for clues.

Then—

A presence.

Something unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar.

‘No way...?’

Without hesitation, he moved quickly, slipping unnoticed into an alleyway.

His instincts told him something was wrong.

When he turned the corner, he saw them.

Figures clad in black robes.

As expected.

They immediately greeted him.

“All hail the rightful successor of Overpalace.”

“We humbly greet the true heir of Overpalace!!!”

“Hmm.”

‘Of course. It’s Overpalace again.’

But this was different from the last time he dealt with Belmor’s branch manager.

This group...

“We apologize for delaying our introduction. We did not wish to interfere with your work, my lord. I am Penelope, the branch manager of Overpalace’s Pentamere division.”

Penelope was far more perceptive than Belmor had been.

This one knew her place.

She would likely withdraw if he told her to leave.

After exchanging brief greetings, Seong was about to dismiss her and continue his quest when—

“We approached so suddenly because we believe you are searching for something.”

“...Searching for something?”

As soon as Seong left, Embris’ party rushed outside and began their investigation.

They were confident—if nothing else, this type of information-gathering mission was where they excelled.

Since Khan Trading Company was the suspected culprit, they headed there first.

It was a bold move.

Normally, such a direct approach would be risky—there was always the chance of being caught.

But Embris’ party was different.

They were vampires.

They had a unique skill: Mesmerize.

Using it, they could manipulate NPCs, clouding their memories during interrogations.

This quest was practically made for them.

They were certain they would win this time.

Just as they were about to begin their information-gathering—

Their communication crystal activated.

[We have captured the summoner.]

“...???”

The voice was none other than Seong’s.