The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage

Chapter 5

3.

Eternal World lived up to its reputation as “another reality,” delivering exceptional realism.

The game boasted lifelike NPCs with highly advanced AI, monsters that seemed to have genuine intelligence, and even a requirement to butcher beast-type monsters for loot.

This added layer of realism, though sometimes inconvenient, was widely appreciated.

The beginner hunting grounds outside Hin del Village reflected this philosophy. It was a place teeming with rabbits, serving as both prey and teachers for novice players learning the ropes of hunting and butchering.

The hunting grounds were alive with activity as players chased after the speedy creatures.

“Dang it! They’re way too fast!”
“And they’re so small! It’s impossible to hit them!”
“Ow! My shin!”
“S-Sorry!”

Rabbits, with their quick movements and low hitboxes, presented a significant challenge.

New players found it difficult to match the animals’ speed and sudden direction changes. Swinging their weapons recklessly, many hit the ground instead, damaging their blades.

It wasn’t just frustrating—it was costly.

“I’m switching to mage! Forget this nonsense!”
“Same! If I’m a mage, I don’t need to butcher anything!”
“…You’ll still need it, though.”
“Ugh.”

Despite their complaints, players had no choice but to learn butchering. The skill was essential for earning money early in the game—unless they were wealthy enough to bypass it altogether.

Amidst the chaotic hunting ground, Seonghyeon finally arrived.

“Wow.”

He was surprised by the sheer number of players present. He had heard Hin del Village was popular, but this exceeded his expectations.

He also noticed that most of the players seemed to be struggling.

Was it really that difficult?

‘Is it really that bad?’

Before acquiring the ghost’s memories, he might have thought so. But now, he wasn’t worried.

He felt a quiet confidence.

‘I can do this.’

Drawing the Steel Sword from his inventory, Seonghyeon gave it a few test swings. Unlike in the tutorial, it didn’t emit any flashy effects, as the hidden piece had already been unlocked.

The sword moved lightly, effortlessly following his will.

Satisfied, he prepared to start hunting.

Nearby, a group of players noticed him and chuckled.

“Hey, look! Another newbie just showed up.”
“Haha, look at his face! He’s probably thinking, ‘How hard could this be?’”
“Ah, the smell of a fresh newbie. Remember when we were like that?”

The players, who hadn’t managed to catch a single rabbit themselves, mocked Seonghyeon from a distance.

“Do you think he’ll even land a hit?”
“No way. He’s all style, no substance.”
“Yeah, let’s see how long he lasts.”

Unaware of their jeers, Seonghyeon adjusted his grip on the sword and scanned the area.

The rabbits were small, fast, and unpredictable, darting in all directions. Most players needed to hit them three to four times to take one down.

The mocking players watched closely, eager to see Seonghyeon fail.

Seonghyeon sprinted forward, kicking off the ground lightly.

The rabbit he targeted bolted, zigzagging to evade him.

“Haha! There it is!”
“See? I told you he’d freeze up!”
“Yeah, there’s no way—”

Their laughter was cut short.

Seonghyeon’s sword, guided by his 14 Strength and 13 Agility, moved with blinding speed.

The rabbit tried to change direction, but the blade sliced cleanly through its neck in one precise motion.

Swish!

The rabbit’s lifeless body tumbled to the ground.

“…Holy crap.”
“W-What… just happened?”
“Did he just kill it… in one hit?”
“How is that even possible?”

The players were stunned. Seonghyeon, on the other hand, remained composed, calmly inspecting the rabbit’s corpse before placing it in his inventory.

He then scanned the area for his next target.

“…He’s a natural.”
“…I’m so jealous.”
“…Let’s just focus on our own hunting.”

While the other players wallowed in self-pity, Seonghyeon allowed a faint smile to creep onto his lips.

‘This is fun.’

The movements he was making now would have been impossible before. Thanks to the ghost’s memories and experiences, he could handle the rabbits with ease.

Though he sensed that more advanced maneuvers would be challenging, hunting rabbits was no longer an issue.

He continued moving through the hunting grounds, striking down rabbit after rabbit.

Messages only visible to him began to appear:

[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of ‘One Strike!’ is activated!]

The combination of his titles—Instructor’s Commendation and One Strike!—allowed him to dispatch the rabbits effortlessly.

‘Let’s catch a few more.’

Though the task felt easy, Seonghyeon knew the real challenge lay ahead.

The quest required him to deliver properly butchered meat and pelts. No matter how many rabbits he caught, the rewards would be meaningless if his butchering was sloppy.

His plan was simple: catch around 20 rabbits, then practice butchering until he acquired the skill.

The butcher’s quest increased the odds of learning the skill, so it was worth the effort.

When he had finally reached his target of 20 rabbits, Seonghyeon sat down in a quiet spot to begin butchering.

‘Now, let’s see how this goes.’

As he prepared to start, a thought struck him.

‘What if there’s a ghost who’s good at butchering?’

Like the ghost of the former instructor, perhaps there was a ghost skilled in hunting or butchering nearby.

Though he didn’t see one at first, he decided to take a moment to look around.

‘I think I sense something…’

Focusing, he thought he detected something faint but wasn’t sure. He was about to give up when a voice reached his ears.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s not how you butcher properly.”

The grumbling tone carried an air of dissatisfaction.

‘Found it!’

Seonghyeon dashed toward the source of the voice and found a ghost.

It wore a hood and cloak made of tiger skin, carried a longbow on its back, and had multiple knives strapped to its belt.

“A bandit?”

“Huh?! No, I’m a hunter! Wait, can you see me?!”

The ghost, startled, stared wide-eyed at Seonghyeon.

“Yes. Could you teach me how to butcher properly?”

“Hahaha! Of course! You’re in luck—I, the great hunter Apik, will teach you everything!”

“Thank you.”

The ghost, true to form, was eager to help.

“No, thank you! It’s been ages since I could teach anyone. So, have you caught anything yet?”

“Yes, quite a few.”

“Great! Let’s see them!”

Seonghyeon retrieved 20 rabbit carcasses from his inventory, their necks cleanly severed.

Apik examined them, his eyes widening in surprise.

“These cuts… It’s as if a master swordsman did this.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, never mind! Well done! These are perfect for butchering. Now, listen carefully.”

As Apik began his lesson, Seonghyeon felt the familiar sensation of memories and experiences flooding into him.

The ghost’s decades of expertise in hunting and butchering became his own.

With newfound confidence, Seonghyeon drew his butchering knife and began working on a rabbit.

His movements were precise, cleanly separating the meat and hide without any waste.

“Hahaha! That’s it! You’re a natural!”

At that moment, more messages appeared:

[‘Unknown Power’ allows you to exceed your current abilities.]
[New stat: Dexterity created.]
[Agility +3, Dexterity +2 permanently increased.]
[First butchering attempt successful!]
[Skill acquired: ‘Butchering.’]
[Title acquired: ‘Skilled Butcher.’]

‘Skilled Butcher’
→ Rare
→ Granted to users who successfully butcher an animal on their first attempt.
→ +15% quality improvement for butchered items.

‘Butchering’
→ Normal
→ Level 1 (Growth Potential)
→ [Active Effect] [Passive Effect]
→ Allows precise, lossless butchering of animals.

Reading the messages, Seonghyeon smiled.

‘This is going to make earning money so much easier.’