The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 223

A thunderous roar of cheers erupted as the knights stared at Seong in awe and disbelief.

Half of them had dismissed him as just another foreigner.

The other half hadn't necessarily looked down on him but had been skeptical of his abilities.

Yet now, all their doubts had been shattered.

And more than that—

This wasn’t even his full power.

Some knights, still reeling from the previous clash, turned to each other.

"D-Did you see that?!"

"I—I lost track of his movements!"

"I saw him shoot forward like an arrow... but after that, I could only catch him gripping his sword in a reverse grip..."

They were trying to piece together what had happened.

The knights of Sisvald were trained specifically to survive in this region.

Their levels were on par with high-ranking players.

And even ordinary users without Unique-tier classes couldn’t compare to them.

Yet despite that—

None of the younger knights here had been able to follow Seong’s movements.

Atop the platform, three knight commanders watched, their expressions grim.

One of them spoke.

"I suppose this means we already know who will be the champion."

"Seems that way," another replied.

The first to comment was Eisel Richtwert, the commander of the Solaris Knights.

The second was Adrian Roswell, the leader of the Valkyrion Guard.

Even they couldn’t deny it.

Seong wasn’t just strong—

He was on a completely different level from the other young knights.

"At this level, he could be deployed immediately as a full-fledged knight."

"Without a doubt."

Even Ragna Eckrion, who had been watching Seong with an oddly predatory gaze, nodded in agreement.

"I’m curious to see which order he’ll choose."

"......Hmph."

"......Tch."

Hearing Ragna’s smug confidence, both Eisel Richtwert and Adrian Roswell frowned.

But they /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ couldn’t argue.

Right now, the Equinox Knights were the strongest knight order.

Both commanders looked uneasy—

While Ragna, on the other hand, licked his lips like a predator eyeing its prey.

'He’d make the perfect offering.'

Like the other two commanders, Ragna wanted Seong in his order.

But for a very different reason.

At the same time, he thought—

'With that level of swordsmanship, he poses no threat to me.'

It never even crossed his mind that Seong might be hiding his true strength.

After all, he had already displayed an overwhelming level of power for his current level range.

And the thought of him being a Black Mage?

It didn’t even occur to him.

4.

After the knight exam ended, there was a brief break while the scores were tallied.

Not that it really mattered.

There was one clear standout.

No, not just a standout—

The only participant to achieve the highest scores in every category.

Seong.

Many had mocked and dismissed him for being a foreigner.

But now?

Not a single person dared to do so.

How could they?

He had clearly proven himself as the strongest among all the young knights here.

Denying that would be sheer stupidity.

And fortunately, there weren’t too many idiots among these knights.

Some of them approached him eagerly.

"Sir Seong, may I ask how you usually train?"

"You’re an outsider, yet you’re so strong! Is there a secret to it?"

"P-Please, would you honor me with a sparring match?"

"I take back everything I said about foreigners."

They flocked to him, bombarding him with questions, hoping for even a small tip.

But Seong paid them little mind.

He was used to this level of attention.

And besides, his training methods weren’t something he could just explain.

So he simply responded with a polite smile.

"I’ve just trained diligently over the years. That’s all."

At the same time—

He noticed something else.

'Hah. And there are still those who are jealous.'

Some knights wanted to learn from him, but others were clearly seething with envy.

But Seong understood that, too.

There was nothing he could do about how people felt.

He couldn’t control their emotions.

After enduring some time in the crowd, an announcement came—

The scores had been finalized.

And as expected—

The top rank went to Seong.

When his name was called, the three knight commanders stood before him.

Among them, the most senior was Eisel Richtwert of the Solaris Knights.

He stepped forward and addressed Seong.

"As the top-ranking knight, you have the privilege of choosing which of the three orders to join. Which will it be?"

A predictable question.

But Seong already knew his answer.

His goal was set.

Without hesitation, he responded.

"The Equinox Knights."

At his answer, Ragna Eckrion smirked in triumph.

Meanwhile, the other two commanders sighed.

"Our order welcomes you, Seong."

Ragna’s voice dripped with satisfaction.

Eisel Richtwert and Adrian Roswell, on the other hand, looked deeply disappointed.

They had hoped he would choose their orders, but...

That was no longer an option.

Seong had considered learning more about the other orders, but—

His quest dictated this path.

Not that it would have mattered.

Even without the quest, he never intended to stay with any knight order for long.

And with that—

The induction ceremony ended.

One by one, the knights called their chosen orders.

Seong joined the line of Equinox Knights recruits.

Among the ten knights accepted, a surprising five had chosen the Equinox Knights.

And the most interesting part?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

‘Most of these guys don’t like me.’

Seong quickly noted that the majority of the new recruits in the Equinox Knights were aggressive, hot-headed, and filled with inferiority complexes.

With the Equinox Knights growing in power, it seemed to have attracted a rougher crowd—

Those who admired brutality over honor.

And all of this was a result of Ragna Eckrion’s leadership.

Seong could already feel the raw, violent energy in the air.

Even the knight assigned to escort them to the barracks exuded that same aura.

He didn’t feel like a knight—

More like a mercenary or a bandit.

On top of that, there was a distinct sense of bloodlust emanating from him.

The escorting knight glanced over the recruits and scoffed.

"Newbies, follow me."

His tone was harsh.

Yet, despite his rough demeanor, he didn’t cause trouble for them.

Perhaps because it was an official order from the commander.

Without much hassle, he led them to the Equinox Knights’ headquarters.

And when they arrived—

Seong took in the sight before him.

The training yard was brutal.

Knights sparred with real weapons, their blades clashing violently.

Some were already injured, bleeding from deep cuts.

This wasn’t training—

It was war preparation.

‘Hmm.’

Seong believed in real combat training, but this...

This was extreme.

Blood spattered across the yard.

The scent of sweat and iron filled the air.

The other new recruits stiffened in fear.

They hadn’t expected this level of brutality.

Meanwhile, their escort knight let out a boisterous laugh.

"Ha! You’re all frozen just from seeing a little blood? You’ll be cut down in no time!"

His mocking tone made the new recruits pale.

But Seong ignored him.

Instead, he asked—

"Where do I receive my mission?"

"...Huh?"

The knight looked at him, momentarily stunned.

Then, a smirk tugged at his lips.

He hadn’t expected this response.

Most recruits would be shaking in their boots.

But Seong?

He was calm.

And this knight... had seen his exam.

After a moment, he let out a small chuckle.

"Hah. So the first-place recruit thinks he's different, huh?"

The other recruits trembled in frustration.

Even here, Seong stood out.

They felt humiliated, but none dared to speak out.

Seong, meanwhile, simply held his gaze.

The knight grinned.

"Fine. You—come with me. The rest of you, get to the training yard and start warming up."

"Yes, sir." freeweɓnøvel.com

"...Understood."

"...Y-Yes, sir."

The other recruits hung their heads in frustration and reluctantly obeyed.

Meanwhile, Seong followed the knight.

As he did, he thought to himself—

‘Aren’t they going to haze me?’

It was typical for a group like this to put the new recruit through some sort of initiation.

Especially in a knight order this rough.

And yet—

Nothing.

If anything, the knight seemed genuinely willing to show him around.

"Alright. This is where you receive missions."

The knight gestured toward a building inside the barracks.

Seong followed him inside.

The room was set up like an adventurer’s guild—

Wanted posters and requests lined the walls.

A counter desk stood at the center, with a clerk waiting behind it.

‘Hoh. I like this system.’

Seong found himself satisfied.

It was surprisingly free-form.

This was perfect.

Leon had told him—

“The best way to stand out in a knight order is through missions.”

And Seong took that literally.

Without hesitation, he stepped toward the mission board.

But before he could choose, the knight blocked his way.

Seong paused.

‘I guess I can’t just take any mission yet?’

The knight grinned.

"The first mission has to be chosen by your senior."

"Ah. Understood."

Seong didn’t mind.

It made sense for them to assess new recruits before letting them pick missions freely.

He looked at the knight expectantly.

The knight smirked and scanned the board.

Then, he picked out one request and brought it to the counter.

"Give this one to him."

The clerk glanced at the request and hesitated.

"...This mission?"

"Yeah."

With a reluctant nod, the clerk used magic to assign the quest.

And as soon as it was registered, a system notification appeared before Seong—

[Hidden Chain Quest: 『Equinox Knights Entry Trial』 Completed.]

[New Hidden Chain Quest: 『First Mission of the Equinox Knights』 Generated.]

[Mission: 『Eliminate the Blade Wolf, Lugalnias』 Has Been Issued.]

『First Mission of the Equinox Knights』

→ Complete the mission: 『Eliminate the Blade Wolf, Lugalnias』.

‘Oh?’

So this was how it worked.

Seong glanced over the quest details and smiled.

He even felt grateful—

This was a decent mission for a first assignment.

Without hesitation, he responded—

"Thank you. I'll be off, then."

"Hah. Don't mention it."

With that, Seong left to complete his mission.

Meanwhile, the clerk turned to the knight, looking concerned.

"...Isn’t this mission too difficult for a new recruit?"

The Blade Wolf, Lugalnias was a creature that normally required five senior knights to subdue.

Yet they were sending one rookie alone?

It was clearly unreasonable.

But the knight simply grinned.

"Breaking in new recruits with tough missions is tradition. Besides, he's an outsider—he won’t even die. It's fine."

The clerk frowned but said nothing.

This wasn’t uncommon in the Equinox Knights.

But just a short while later—

The door swung open again.

Seong stepped back inside.

And he spoke calmly.

"Mission complete."

The knight blinked.

Then—

"...What?"