2.

After returning home, Seong stared at his phone for a moment, contemplating.

This weekend, his classmates were gathering.

‘I’m not really attending school anymore, though.’

Since he started making money through gaming, his focus had shifted entirely to Eternal World.

Having signed a contract, he felt a sense of responsibility.

After all, receiving money meant he had to act professionally.

‘There are also goals to achieve.’

He wanted to fulfill Helena’s wishes and follow in the footsteps of Hero Hindel.

Though there was no duty or obligation, Seong wanted to do it.

It was fun, and for some reason, he felt a deep connection to this game.

If he followed that path as a guiding light, wouldn’t it be great?

Seong shook his head, realizing he had drifted into unnecessary thoughts.

He had been thinking about the gathering, but now…

‘I should go anyway.’

Just because he wasn’t attending school didn’t mean he was isolated. Besides, he was close with his classmates, even though he wasn’t in school anymore.

And the friendships didn’t end with graduation.

Seong sent his reply, confirming he would go.

‘And I should meet up with the guys from high school too.’

Seong had been the first to finish his military service, and though they hadn’t contacted him yet, he expected that they would when they had the chance.

‘They’ll probably reach out if they have a break.’

After that, he returned home and took a shower before sitting down at his computer.

Earlier, while eating, his sister had told him about the viral Rapid Rookie video.

Though he didn’t really feel like it was real yet.

‘I should check it out.’

Seong logged into the Eternal World community to check the reactions.

He tilted his head.

[Wow, isn't this the best rookie ever?]

“I was like, what the heck? I thought a Demon King had descended.

And what’s up with that AI level? It doesn’t even seem like they’re giving commands directly??”

[Upvotes: 193][Downvotes: 3]

[Comments]

• For real, what’s up with the Demon King talk?

• But seriously, that undead AI—what is it? It looks special, though.

• The undead here are on a whole different level...

• Maybe their rank is just that high?

• Who was the highest-ranked necromancer before?

└ Immortal King!

└ Was the Immortal King Legendary rank?

└ Yeah, but Immortal King’s undead weren’t this smart ㅎㄷㄷ.

└ So something even higher than that?

└ ???: Yes, much higher.

Even a post that seemed like a diary received close to 200 upvotes, which left Seong perplexed.

‘Hmm, is it really that impressive?’

He could tell the video was well made; he had seen it before arriving.

It was realistic and had a solid production quality.

But was it really so amazing to the point of causing this much excitement?

For Seong, it made sense that it seemed incredible.

After all, his own experience in Eternal World was still so new—just two days.

The things that were blowing everyone’s mind were just everyday occurrences for him.

Another post in the community was all about the rising star in the Rapid Guild.

• Haha, wasn’t the Rapid Guild just a one-trick pony? Looks like that’s about to change!

• I wanted to keep calm after seeing the rookie video, but I ended up drooling too.

• Don’t the Rapid Guild guys need to make more of these kinds of videos?

• Yeah, I think it’s a good idea.

• Seems like a prodigious talent is emerging in Rapid Guild.

• Yuna doesn’t like broadcasting, so she hasn’t posted any videos except during live streams ㅠㅠㅠ.

Though Seong couldn’t really understand the hype, he acknowledged it.

‘So I’m really good, huh?’

He had known this deep down, but now, with so much attention, it was hard to ignore the reality.

He didn’t know if he was meeting expectations, but the fact that he was attracting this much attention did make him feel something.

While he didn’t have a clear idea about his expectations, he figured he could leave such things to the guild.

He just had to follow instructions.

It just so happened that the Rapid Guild was holding a meeting about Seong, so he would wait for that.

‘Mina and Yujin will probably take care of it.’

He wasn’t too knowledgeable about business matters, so he would leave it to the two of them, who were more experienced.

With that thought, Seong logged into Eternal World.

‘I should level up quickly.’

He was still only level 30.

There was a long way to go.

3.

[Welcome to the Eternal World, another world, the world of eternity.]
[May good fortune be with you, Player 『Seonghyun』.]

As Seong logged in, familiar welcome messages and the sensation of weightlessness filled him.

Seong looked around, feeling puzzled.

"Hmm, something’s odd."

The place was familiar.

It was the last place he had logged out from.

However, something felt wrong.

It wasn’t the same feeling he had experienced in Sekhan Village.

He looked up at the sky.

"Hmm."

The weather was clear and bright.

There was nothing about the sky that could cause discomfort.

The streets of the village were also the same—nothing seemed out of place.

But there was definitely something different.

An unfamiliar aura surrounded the village.

It wasn’t some instinctive sensation.

It was a feeling, one that Seong had experienced from Helena’s memories.

‘Dark magic?’

He knew for sure now.

It was dark magic.

More specifically, the lingering presence of dark magic.

But why was he suddenly feeling the lingering traces of dark magic in Sekhan Village? Something had to have happened.

Or perhaps…

‘An event?’

Seong thought back to what he had done in Sekhan Village.

There was a lot, but the most significant events were catching the monster Barfur and dealing with the toxic player in Adum Cave.

Those were influential acts, no doubt.

‘Could it be because of Barfur?’

Seong thought this as he wandered the streets.

His eyes were drawn upward again, as he felt a strange unease.

Perched atop a rooftop was a crow.

It was just an ordinary crow.

But Seong’s eyes didn’t lie.

This wasn’t just a normal crow.

The dark aura of dark magic emanated from the bird.

Though he wasn’t completely sure, he wondered if this crow had been created by dark magic.

“This isn’t a normal crow.”

Seong muttered, immediately preparing to summon the underworld and drawing the sword of the trainee hero Hindel.

He felt something was approaching.

As Seong prepared for battle, the crow’s beak cracked wide open, and a human arm shot out from within.

Caw—.

The crow cried out in distress, its beak widening further, and soon, a person tumbled out from inside.

A strange man wearing a black robe and a crow-like mask.

But the dark magical aura emanating from him was overwhelming.

For a moment, Seong felt as though the air around him had thickened several times.

No, it wasn’t an illusion.

The pressure of everything seemed to be weighing down on him, and to the left of the man, the air itself seemed to rip apart, and a doll appeared from the void.

A beautiful doll with pale skin, and holding it, a woman appeared—her eyes hollow and without light, giving off an aura of emptiness. She held the doll tightly in her arms, her long hair cascading down as she stood, her expression completely void of emotion.

And on the right of the crow-masked man, flesh bubbled up, growing larger and eventually forming into the shape of a man.

A man who resembled a corpse.

His body was covered in stitched-up marks, but there was something off about him, as if he were not truly human. The sight was grotesque.

As the three figures appeared, the concentration of dark magic became even more oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Had an ordinary person been there, the air would have been thick enough to suffocate them.

It was a situation that could turn into a battle at any moment, but Seong relaxed his grip on his sword and lowered his stance.

There was one reason for this.

‘I don’t sense any hostility.’

Thanks to the memories and experiences of many ghosts, Seong had gained the ability to easily discern the intentions of others.

Especially thanks to Helena’s memories.

What’s more, he realized that they hadn’t summoned the dark magic to threaten him—it was simply a natural state, one that hadn’t been contained.

They were an immense force.

In Helena’s memories, they were people of great skill.

If they were on that level, running or fighting would be meaningless.

Seong calmly observed them.

"Overpalace bows to the rightful successor."

"......"

"Hehehehe! The true master has arrived!!"

Boom—!

The man wearing the crow mask knelt down respectfully and bowed his head, while the doll-woman gently lifted her dress and nodded in greeting.

The corpse-like man buried his head in the ground.

Was that considered bowing as well?

At any rate, after showing their loyalty and retracting the dark magic they had used when they arrived, they greeted Seong.

Seong couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

They were talking about a successor and a true master, but he couldn’t have known about that.

He’d heard that Overpalace had arrived, but still…

‘Overpalace was the organization created by Helena’s followers?’

He had assumed that any group following Helena would remain a secret organization, but they were clearly operating in the open.

And the organization was Overpalace.

Seong, now on the second day of his Eternal World experience, was already familiar with Overpalace.

After obtaining Helena’s memories and experiences, he had learned about it.

The tower of all dark mages, the holy place of Overpalace.

And...

‘They say Overpalace is the strongest faction in Eternal World?’

Unlike other magical towers, which were divided by specialty, Overpalace was where all dark mages gathered.

It boasted an overwhelming force unmatched by any other faction.

The leader of Overpalace, the Black Star (黑星), was also known as the highest among the Nine Heroes.

Who could even dare to suppress dark magic?

Thanks to Overpalace, Eternal World had a society where dark mages were not ostracized.

So why had such a powerful faction come to him?

"We’ve come to bring this to the successor."

The man with the crow mask said, pulling a letter from his robes.

The letter was sealed with an elegant black envelope.

Seong blinked as he looked at them, sensing that the envelope was no ordinary one.

The man with the crow mask continued.

"This letter is from Black Star, the one who manages Overpalace. He asked that we deliver it to you."

"Did you come all this way just to deliver this letter?"

"Please, we are not worthy of such high words. There is no need to address us in such a manner."

"......"

"Uuuaaaargh!"

The doll-woman nodded solemnly, while the corpse-like man growled in agreement, though Seong didn’t quite understand what he was saying.

Seong nodded, indicating his understanding.

"Alright. But you all came just to deliver this?"

"Yes, indeed."

"......?"

Seong was confused. They had sent three people just to deliver a letter?

Was the letter that important?

He stared at the letter, still bewildered.

The man with the crow mask lowered his head, urging Seong to open it.

It seemed like something he should do, so Seong opened the letter immediately.

Inside, the contents were written in an old-fashioned script:

To the dear successor,

We, Overpalace, are preparing to build a palace to offer to the Overlord.

Now that the rightful successor has appeared, it is time to prepare the palace.

However, there are still things that must be obtained before it can be offered.

The holy arrangements made by our god, the former Overlord Helena, remain to be completed.

The compass enclosed in this letter is meant to guide you as you gain the appropriate power. Please do not be troubled, and continue the arrangements.

This humble Black Star presents this letter to you.

"...?"

Wasn’t this a bit too respectful?

The letter spoke of Helena’s arrangements still needing to be completed, and that until they were, the rightful successor had not yet fully emerged, but they still showed this level of respect.

Seong, still dazed, couldn’t understand why he was holding the compass that had been inside the envelope.

[You have obtained the class-exclusive item, 『Overlord’s Compass』.]
[The 『Overlord’s Compass』 has not yet activated.]
[A class-exclusive quest has not been generated.]
[The first usage condition is level 50 or higher.]

"Hmm."

It seemed that the compass was meant to trigger a class-exclusive quest.

He had wondered how to find Helena’s remaining arrangements, and now he understood—it was part of the system.

As Seong was about to fold the letter, he noticed something else.

Was there more?

Additionally, the descendant of the hero is a resident of this village.

Though no hero would dare stand in the way of the successor, I thought you might be interested, so I am passing this on to you.

This was unexpected.

A new hero descendant was a resident here.

In other words…

‘There’s an NPC with the Hero class.’

A hero.

The class Seong had originally wanted.

His curiosity soared.

Who could it be?

As Seong anticipated, the man with the crow mask, seeing Seong’s reaction, pulled something else out.

He spoke bitterly.

"I want to give you much more to aid your growth, but alas, all I can offer is this small thing."

"......"

"Uuuaaargh!"

Even the doll-woman, holding the doll, wiped away tears that had formed in the doll’s eyes. The corpse-like man howled in a strange way, as if in mourning.

Seong was grateful for what he had received—the compass alone was enough.

Yet, they were sorry they could only offer this.

It was hard for Seong to comprehend.

The man with the crow mask trembled as if deeply regretful, handing Seong a book.

‘A skill book?’

A skill book was certainly a valuable gift.

He had been thrilled when he obtained the “Corpse Explosion” skill not too long ago.

This would be more than enough.

[You have received a Legendary-tier skill book, 『Skill Book - Add More』, from the Lion of Overpalace, Kalus.]

"???"

This was more than enough—it surpassed his expectations.