The Game of the Greatest Black Mage
Chapter 148

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Chapter 148

1.

For large guilds, it was incredibly difficult for the guild master to manage everything alone.

For that reason, if the guild master was a gamer, they would often hire a professional manager or even sell the guild to a large corporation, continuing on as a salaried guild master.

However, the Rapid Guild did not do that.

While they had brought in a few managers for consulting and to help with various guild affairs, the guild's most important matters were all handled by the guild master, Rapid.

She had achieved good grades in business administration, and although the guild was comparable to a large corporation, it was much easier to run than an actual one.

She had judged it to be perfectly manageable.

Until recently, that is.

‘Ah… should I hire more professional managers?’

Ahn Yoojin thought seriously as she lay on her bed.

She had tried to hire the minimum number necessary, but there was far too much work for them to handle alone.

Was it because of Seonghyun?

Well, it wasn't not because of him, but the bigger reason was Yoo Mina.

Lately, she had been running around causing all sorts of trouble for some new project of hers.

It had made Ahn Yoojin so busy that she couldn't even begin to think about the work Seonghyun generated.

‘Haaaaah.’

Seriously, that brother-sister pair!

The thought burst out in a moment of frustration, but on the other hand, it was thanks to the siblings that the guild had been able to grow this much.

Especially Yoo Mina.

Without her, the Rapid Guild of today would not exist.

That’s why she did it without a word of complaint.

However.

‘If things continue like this, I might actually die from overworking.’

Her physical stamina was at its limit.

She somehow squeezed in time for exercise to manage her health, but it wasn't enough.

She was just too physically busy.

Since Ahn Yoojin was involved in so many of the Rapid Guild's affairs, it was unavoidable.

‘Should I let some things go?’

Of course, a part of it was due to her own perfectionist tendencies, so she couldn't really blame anyone else.

But from her perspective, it still felt a bit unfair.

‘I mean, if someone could do it even reasonably well—not necessarily as perfectly as me—I would entrust it to them…!’

The other management and operational tasks were fine. Entrusting those to anyone else didn't suit her disposition anyway.

At the very least, if the video editing workload could be reduced, she felt things would be manageable.

But there was no one suitable for the job.

The ones who were good enough were either already affiliated with other large guilds or were so arrogant she wanted nothing to do with them.

Then, Ahn Yoojin suddenly recalled what Seonghyun had mentioned that morning.

He had said he had an editor to recommend.

And not just anyone.

‘Hmm. He said it was a friend, right?’

If he was a friend of Seonghyun's, his character would be decent.

There was the saying, "birds of a feather flock together," after all.

Having known Seonghyun since they were young, Ahn Yoojin felt that she could trust his friend to a certain extent.

However, the important thing was skill.

How well he could do the job was what mattered.

‘I just hope he has talent.’

These days, editing was mostly left to AI, so a certain level of quality was always guaranteed.

However, the creative sense—knowing which parts of the video to highlight and which to cut—was extremely important.

These were the parts that even an AI couldn't easily bring to life.

The ability to elevate that was what could be called a talent for editing.

Did Seonghyun’s friend really have that?

As Ahn Yoojin was pondering this, her phone buzzed—Bzzzz—and she picked it up.

‘Is it more work…….’

It was exhausting, but what could she do?

She had to do it.

How many people's livelihoods depended on the Rapid Guild?

If she put things off just because she was tired, their livelihoods would be put on hold too.

She couldn't let that happen.

Still.

‘I can at least do it while lying down.’

She could handle most of it on her phone.

As Ahn Yoojin lay there and checked to see what email had arrived, she saw that it was from Seonghyun.

‘Oh?’

‘What’s this? It can't be the edited video, we just talked this morning.’

With that thought, she opened the email.

He had forwarded the email from his friend, just as it was.

‘He already edited it?’

‘Well, it’s possible if he works fast…….’

Since it was AI-assisted editing anyway, the timeframe wasn't impossible if one was quick.

He had told her in the morning, and it was now night.

It was a perfectly plausible amount of time.

If you were only considering speed, that is.

He was, at the very least, much faster than Ahn Yoojin.

Now, if the quality was good, then everything would be perfect.

‘Let’s take a look, shall we?’

Whether he was fast or not, what mattered was the quality.

The moment Ahn Yoojin played the video.

‘Insane.’

It showed Seonghyun’s familiars fighting a giant centipede.

And the video was crafted to introduce the familiars one by one, just as Seonghyun had intended.

The edited video was incredible.

It was immersive, and it was edited to draw attention to each of the familiars' skills.

When they performed a combo, that part was emphasized to show it clearly.

‘He’s good.’

It wasn't perfect yet, but the quality was substantial.

‘This is good enough to pass.’

Thinking this, Ahn Yoojin found herself drawn into the video without even realizing it.

The editing was one thing, but…

‘Insane…….’

The way Seonghyun’s familiars fought was just too incredible.

Her eyes were naturally drawn to the screen.

The clean editing that highlighted all the key points also played a big part.

But anyway.

‘Why are they so strong?’

Even considering they were Almighty rank, that was a bit excessive.

Yoo Mina had also obtained an Almighty-rank class around that level, but even compared to her back then, they didn't fall short.

Of course, that was based on the familiars alone.

In that case, what would happen if you added Seonghyun himself into the mix?

‘I’m actually speechless.’

Kyou and Yoo Mina are also in the almighty rank, but perhaps…

‘It feels like Seonghyun alone is more than enough to handle three or four Almighty ranks…….’

Feeling an indescribable emotion, Ahn Yoojin laughed in resignation.

In any case, she had confirmed that Seonghyun was incredible, and his friend had also received a passing grade.

‘I should suggest we set up a meeting.’

If he was Seonghyun’s friend, it would be better to meet in person for the contract rather than just sending an electronic one, right?

With that thought, Ahn Yoojin sent a text to Seonghyun, saying that since tomorrow was Monday, she would adjust to whatever time worked for his friend.

She thought over her various schedules and sighed.

Her work for the day was finally done.

‘I can probably get five hours of sleep.’

She decided she had to get some shut-eye.

2.

“Hooooo!”

Stretching widely, Seonghyun sat up in bed.

Perhaps because he had slept well for the first time in a while, he felt much more refreshed than usual.

He did some light stretches to loosen up his body and took a shower first.

After that, he came out and had a pleasant breakfast with his family.

When he returned to his room and checked his phone.

“Oh?”

A glint appeared in Seonghyun’s eyes as he read the text from Ahn Yoojin.

He checked it right away.

‘Looks like the quality was good. That’s a relief.’

He smiled softly, glad that his friend had passed.

Then, he tilted his head slightly at the next part of the message.

“A meeting, huh.”

He wondered if he had to go too.

‘That’s probably not it.’

Ahn Yoojin didn't have a timid personality, and she was good at separating her professional and private life. It would be fine.

He didn't know what Lee Geondong was like, but was that his problem?

‘He’ll have to handle it himself.’

He had already spoon-fed him this much; he had done enough.

Seeing the message, Seonghyun replied to Ahn Yoojin with an "okay" and sent her Lee Geondong’s number.

They would probably meet up on their own now.

Just in case Lee Geondong was surprised, he gave him a heads-up. He told him he would likely have a meeting with the Rapid Guild’s master and sign a contract, and congratulated him.

After leaving that message for Geondong, Seonghyun got into his capsule.

Today was the day he would go to the labyrinth he had been looking forward to—specifically, to Melisia's laboratory.

As Seonghyun hurriedly entered the capsule, replies soon came flooding in.

[Lee Geondong-Khhhh! Thanks! I passed because of you! I'll treat you to something! See you at the meeting then.]

Starting with that reply.

[Lee Geondong-Hey, but the Guild Master contacted me, what's up? Is it just me and the Guild Master meeting?]

[Lee Geondong-???? Is this for real? No, seriously, you want me to go alone?]

[Lee Geondong-Well, I guess that's how it is. OK OK, I'll treat you after the meeting!]

[Lee Geondong-??? Hey, the Guild Master is a woman? No, so I have to meet with a

woman, just the two of us???? Hey, I can't talk to girls???]

[Lee Geondong-Hey ;-; ;-; ;-; please ;-; ;-; ;-; I'm an 'Introvert' plssss ;-; ;-; ;-; please save me ;-; ;-; ;-;.]

The phone vibrated several times with messages from Lee Geondong, but unfortunately, Seonghyun, who had already entered the capsule, could not see them.

3.

Leaving behind Lee Geondong, who couldn't talk to women, Seonghyun logged into Eternal World.

[Welcome to the Eternal World, another world, an eternal world.]

[May fortune be with player 『Seonghyun』.]

He skipped past the familiar messages and lightly stretched his body.

It was time to test out Monarch Helena's Staff.

He loosened up his body.

With the improved effects, it had become incredible.

Come to think of it.

‘I haven't checked my status window, have I?’

He had planned to look at his stats after evolving Monarch Helena's Staff, but he had forgotten.

Well then.

【Status Window】

『Seonghyun』

『Lv 123』

『Class』

→『Overlord』

『Titles』

→『Monarch (Legendary)』... and 40 others.

『Stats』

→《Strength: 236(180+55)》《Agility: 261(200+61)》

《Stamina: 261(200+61)》《Intelligence: 304(276+28)》

《Wisdom: 304(276+28)》《Spirit: 133(120+13)》

《Dexterity: 7(6+1)》

『Additional Stats』

→《0》

‘Huh.’

The percentage-based increase was substantial.

Originally, Strength had been the highest of his physical stats, but now, Agility and Stamina had increased far more.

‘I should invest in Strength for a while.’

It seemed that putting about 20 points into Strength would balance things out.

On top of that, the Intelligence and Wisdom he had gained from absorbing the memories of Melisia and Serphina were considerable.

Seonghyun looked on with satisfaction at stats that were far superior to those of other players.

‘They might be a little lower than people who have gone all-in.’

His stats might be slightly lower than or similar to a mage of the same level who had poured everything into Intelligence and Wisdom, but in terms of total stats, he was an unbelievable monster.

Likewise, his Strength, Agility, and Stamina were on par with or superior to a warrior of the same level.

‘For the time being, I should focus on getting Intelligence and Wisdom-related items.’

Come to think of it, wasn't there a similar item in Melisia's laboratory?

Now that he had identified his weak points, he hoped to obtain it.

He immediately headed for the labyrinth.

Normally, Seonghyun would have been lost just trying to figure out how to enter the labyrinth, but he had looked it up beforehand.

The labyrinth in Pentagrid was located underground, and he had read that there was an entrance near the lord's castle.

As Seonghyun approached the area around the lord's castle, he saw users gathered there.

Of course, since it was still morning, there weren't that many, but it was still bustling.

“Phew, should we try to get to Section 3 today?”

“Sounds good.”

“We need to fill up the map's energy too.”

“Ah, when can I get my 3rd class advancement...”

Most of them were in teams, so there weren't as many people looking for parties as in previous areas.

The majority either had fixed teams or had already formed one before gathering here.

That wasn't to say there was no one urgently looking for a party.

“We have one spot open, looking for one person urgently!”

“Any Rogues? We'll give you a special spot!!!”

“Rogue-types welcome!!!”

He saw them desperately searching for Rogue-types, a class that had been ignored up until the previous regions.

‘Right, they said Rogue-types are in the spotlight now because of all the traps in the labyrinth.’

Well, it had nothing to do with Seonghyun.

In an alley where no one was paying attention, Seonghyun quietly opened a gate to the Netherworld and summoned Fiora, Leonik, and Nocturnium, to make it look like they were a team.

-Th-Thank you f-for calling me. Y-Yesterday was really delicious!

-Your servant's sword has manifested in the mortal world!!!

“Thank you for summoning me, Lord. I will do my best.”

Seonghyun nodded at them as they each said their piece.

Now that the team was assembled.

“Well then, shall we get going?”

a

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