I Became a Genius Black Mage at the Holy Academy

Yuhan loved games since he was a child.

Many people disliked games when they were young, but Yuhan had a particularly strong fondness for them.

During his school days, as soon as the classes ended, kids would rush and flock around the arcade.

In front of the most popular game machine, you would always hear these complaints:

─ Ah! Yuhan got here first again!

─ If he plays, we’ll see the whole story!

While most kids preferred playing the game itself, Yuhan was the opposite.

He loved the story so much that it aroused the complaints of other children. 

─ Hey. Didn’t I tell you to run here right after we finished?

─ Why are you blaming me? You were late too.

─ Have you finished talking?

While his friends bickered around him, Yuhan remained silent.

“…….”

Tap…… Tap……

He slowly read the story and immersed himself in the game’s world.

Twenty years had passed. Yuhan was now twenty-nine years old.

One day, a voice called out to him through his earphones.

[Yuhan.]

But there was no response.

[Yuhan. Shin Yuhan?]

This time, the voice was laced with well-hidden urgency.

“…….”

Still, there was no response.

Eventually, the voice in the earphones grew louder.

[Hey Shin Yuhan!]

Only then did Yuhan reply. He was slightly surprised.

“Uh? Oh. What’s up?”

[Can you press the skip button?]

“…… Hmm.”

Even after hearing the request, Yuhan mumbled.

Then.

Click!

He pressed a button. However, instead of the skip button desired by his friend, it was the next button.

Yuhan started reading each line again.

Eventually, his friend grew berserk.

[No way… I knew this would happen. Why did I even suggest playing this with you─!]

Some harsh abuse followed.

“Yeah. I know there’s no one else who plays games like this except me.”

Yuhan replied indifferently.

The game displayed on their monitor was a two-player co-op game.

Even though he had many gamer friends, it was hard to find someone willing to buy such a niche package game.

[Fine. I’m done.]

Eventually, his friend couldn’t take it and declared his retreat.

It’s fine to read settings to some extent.

However, if one wastes time the moment something comes up, even a short game would take days.

Despite the warning ‘Your connection with your partner has been lost!’ flashing on the monitor, Yuhan finished reading all the text.

“Hmm. The setting isn’t that solid.”

He muttered a complaint.

His friend asked as if he couldn’t believe it.

[If it’s not that solid, why’re you reading it so thoroughly?]

“That’s what makes it fun. If I just wanted the gameplay, I’d go to a casino.”

[Sigh. What’s the point of talking to you? You setting-obsessed bastard.]

{TN:- Setting-obessed or lore nerd. He’s someone obsessed with the lore of the game.}

“So are you not going to play? If not, I’ll leave too.”

In response to Yuhan, his friend sighed deeply.

He had already lost interest in the game.

[Fine. Even if I do play, I can’t do it with you. Are you going to play that other game?]

“Huh? That one?”

[What else? That god… something, dead game.]

“‘God and Devil’? Hey! It’s called a Mang-gem! It’s an ultimate masterpiece!”

[TN:- 망겜 (Mang-gem): It’s a portmanteau in Korean, combining “망하다” (manghada) meaning ‘to fail’ or ‘to be ruined’ and “게임” (game). It translates to ‘Dead Game’ in english. It plays on the common habit among game enthusiasts to both critique and praise their favorite games.]

[You called it a dead game yourself.]

“I can insult it if I want!”

[…… Anyway. Are you going to play that?]

“Yeah. I’m going to play it. I’ll finish it all today.”

[You’re insane.]

His friend muttered quietly.

‘God and Devil.’

It was an indie RPG game. Yuhan, who was a game fanatic, had been obsessively playing it for the past twelve years.

His friend had also tried it under the influence of Yuhan’s constant praise, but to no avail.

[From what I figured, only someone like you can play it, and the creator must be even crazier than you.]

Compared to the classic concept of settings like the Holy Empire and black mages, the gameplay difficulty was insanely high.

It was designed in such a way that you couldn’t see the ending unless you played precisely according to each character’s settings.

Despite the high degree of freedom, the wrong choices didn’t lead to immediate ending. Instead, the characters were somehow dragged around until they eventually died.

… And Yuhan claimed to have achieved full completion with over a hundred characters?

In the end, Yuhan’s friend couldn’t reach the ending with even a single character and gave up.

When he checked the community forums later, he found they were filled with angry posts complaining about how the game was crazy.

“Yeah. Thanks for the high praise.”

[……!!!@@#@#!!!]

Amazed by Yuhan’s cheeky response, his friend spewed out a stream of abuses before leaving the voice channel.

Yuhan turned on God and Devil, wondering why the barking dog suddenly turned silent. 

It wasn’t just that Yuhan had a perverse taste for difficult games that kept him hooked for so long.

Initially, he was deeply immersed in the story of a game that he could play as if he were reading a novel.

The flood of mass-produced games rarely satisfied Yuhan’s desires.

Then he discovered ‘God and Devil,’ which was like an oasis in the desert; a timely rain in a drought.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Yuhan’s close friends didn’t share his taste, but for him, ‘God and Devil’ was a life-changing game.

Its solid world-building would make one wonder if it was a simulation of real history, and the setting left no room for a minuscule flaw even if one tried to find it.

The freedom even allowed you to raise a neighborhood kid and turn him into a hero if they appeared as a character.

‘If you’re Korean, you should play God and Devil.’

Moreover, the mysterious game company named ‘Dooo,’ whose location was unknown, featured perfect Korean in the game. It was at a level of proficiency that would be impossible for non-koreans.

Of course, the foreign language translations were rumored to be equally impeccable.

When Yuhan searched foreign communities for information, the only praise was for the perfect translations.

If the translations had been poor, even a setting-obsessed person like Yuhan would have reached his limit.

Anyway, God and Devil was simply the best game for Yuhan.

─ Yuhan. When’re you going to go to college if you keep playing games like this?

─ I’m planning to get a job at a game company.

So even when he first encountered God and Devil in high school.

─ Sergeant Kim, can I install a game on the computer in the cyber cafe?

─ …… Do you think that’s possible?

─ I thought it was since it’s a computer! I’m sorry!

─ Does saying sorry end your military service? You idiot!

Even during his military service.

─ Oppa, is it me or that game? Decide.

─ Why are you asking that over the phone?

─ …… What’re you doing right now?

─ …… Playing a game.

─ We’re breaking up. Don’t contact me again. You son of a bitch…….

Even at the moment he broke up with his girlfriend.

─ Yuhan. If you keep playing these games, you’ll lose all your senses. The current trend isn’t these outdated games.

─ Outdated? That’s too harsh……. It’s a masterpiece.

Even after joining a game company as a developer to create a second God and Devil…….

Even though people may leave, but ‘God and Devil’ never left Yuhan’s side.

Doon─ Doo-woo-woong─ Doo-doo-doo-doong─

Listening to the majestic opening music, Yuhan shivered.

‘I cried three times in my life.’

When he was born.

When his parents passed away.

When he first heard the opening theme of ‘God and Devil.’

Yuhan had never skipped the opening scene in ‘God and Devil.’ Not even once. After the opening ended, the main screen appeared.

Illustrations of numerous playable characters were lined up.

The common feature was their slightly translucent color and the stars at the top.

This indicated that Yuhan had already completed those characters.

And the last remaining character still shone in its natural splendor.

A girl with impressive light pink wavy hair.

─ Saint candidate ‘Sion Beatrice’ ─

“Ha… This game is finally coming to an end.”

Yuhan murmured as he caressed a notebook lying on his desk.

The title on the notebook read ‘Sion.’

And next to his desk, the bookshelf was filled with hundreds of similar notebooks.

Some of them even had the same title written on dozens of them.

Those notebooks contained the information he needed to remember while playing God and Devil, and among them, Sion occupied a large amount of books.

Yuhan felt immense pride whenever he looked at those records.

But on the other hand, it also meant that the character Sion took a considerable amount of time.

Now, Sion’s story, which had troubled Yuhan for over a year, was reaching its official ending.

When he clicked on Sion’s illustration, the save point was automatically loaded.

She began as a saint candidate and eventually became a saint.

─ Final chapter, ‘Coronation’ ─

The story reached the coronation ceremony; the final gateway to become the Holy Queen.

“Ah….”

It felt like how a father would feel if his only daughter, whom he had raised dearly for decades, found true love and got married.

Yuhan couldn’t take his eyes off Sion. She was dressed in a pure white gown and held the ‘Scepter of Saint Hadenica,’ the symbol of the Holy Queen.

‘Yes Sion. You deserve to be happy.’

She came to the empire with the status of a noble in a small kingdom. She endured countless hardships at the Holy Academy to become the Holy Queen.

The end would undoubtedly be sweeter than any artificial sweetener in the world.

Meanwhile, as Yuhan watched Sion slowly walk down the red carpet of the cathedral, he felt a tinge of bitterness.

Sion was the last character in God and Devil.

Meaning, once this moment passed, Yuhan would have completed everything.

There would be nothing left to play in God and Devil.

Of course, it was possible to replay already completed characters with different concepts, but the initial excitement could never be regained.

─ As the Holy Queen, do you, Sion Beatrice, vow to dedicate your life to the empire and its subjects under the blessing of Saint Hadenica?

─ Yes.

“Hoo…!”

In the end. As he watched this scene, Yuhan couldn’t help but shed tears.

He cried for the fourth time in his life!

When he completed God and Devil!

─ Sion Beatrice completed the coronation and received the title ‘Kailinia,’ meaning ‘Overcoming.’ She will forever be remembered as ‘Kailinia XVII’ even after her life ends.

─ Saint candidate ‘Sion Beatrice’ cleared.

Thus, Yuhan’s eight-year old strategy devised for ‘God and Devil’ was a success.

─ Would you like to see the credits? ─

─ Y/N ─

“I’ll watch… I’ll watch….”

Yuhan decided to watch the credits. He somehow wanted to savor this lingering feeling as long as possible.

He usually enjoyed watching the credits after clearing a character.

Countless white letters scrolled up on a black background.

And at the very end.

─ Producer Dooo ─

─ General Director ABLE ─

“Dooo is heaven and ABLE is god…!”

Yuhan’s completion journey ended with an ambition to become a game developer like ABLE.

Or it should have ended there.

“Huh?”

But Yuhan tilted his head at an unexpected pop-up window.

─ [God and Devil] cleared. Confirmed. ─

─ Special update begins. ─

─ 0/100 ─

─ Please wait a moment. ─

Special update?

Yuhan rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had seen something wrong.

However.

─ 53/100 ─

The update progress bar continued to rise steadily.

“No way….”

─ 100/100 ─

─ Special update completed. Please check the character list on the main screen! ─

In a rush.

Yuhan followed the instructions on the pop-up widow and frantically pressed the keyboard and mouse.

An unexpected update and a new character list?

“No way… No way….”

It seemed impossible. However, Yuhan was filled with newfound mind hope.

And finally, when he reached the character list.

“Hah….”

Yuhan let out a complex sigh.

Sion Beatrice possessed a translucent color and a star now. The character he had so hardly cleared.

The character list should have ended there.

─ Roan Darc ─

A new illustration had appeared.

A silhouette with dark, ashen hair which perfectly matched his eyes, and pale skin.

Despite his handsome and flawless appearance, he was an eerily gloomy and dangerous-looking young man.

Roan Darc.

While the name Roan was new, the family name Darc was deeply etched in Yuhan’s memory.

In the otherwise perfect settings of God and Devil.

The Darc Family was the only one that left behind mere hints. No further information was available.

In most cases, a player could uncover all the information through effort, but it wasn’t possible for this family no matter what Yuhan did.

─ Originally, the Darc Family was one of the four great families of the empire, but fifteen years ago, they were attacked by mysterious black mages and were wiped out. ─

He couldn’t find any significant information beyond that.

Some ancient records remained, but even those seemed to have been deliberately erased.

“It was strange that one of the four great families was suddenly exterminated without any heirs…”

Who would have thought it was because it had been turned into a hidden character; an all-clear reward.

And above the illustration of Roan Darc, where the clear star should be, there was an ‘i’ button.

─ Congratulations on clearing everything. Players who have made it this far must have been quite curious about the ‘Darc’ Family. Enjoy playing as the survivor of the strongest noble family presumed to have been wiped out; the Darc Family. ─

It was followed by a brief greeting.

─ Roan is a character with a difficulty level incomparable to others. However, he possesses equally attractive advantages. As the heir of the wiped-out Darc Family, Roan enters the Holy Academy ‘Akerandir’ with extraordinary talent in black magic no less. ─

There was an introduction of the character Roan.

“What?”

Yuhan muttered in astonishment.

Even though the current Holy Empire wasn’t in an all-out war with black mages, the two factions were obviously not on good terms.

In fact, black mages, who had no real power, were overwhelmingly suppressed by the Holy Empire.

Even when he played as a black mage, the character had always been fraught with restrictions and frustrations.

But what now?

A black mage at the Holy Academy?

─ Can you, as Roan and a black mage, survive and uncover the secrets of the world? ─

─ From General Director ABLE’s dream. ─

“This is really…”

Yuhan mumbled.

Even though it was God and Devil, this was…

“I can’t resist!”

Of course, he had to play it, right?

Moreover, below ABLE’s message, a brief outline of Roan’s talent stats appeared.

Most were at a decent level, but one stood out prominently.

An exceptional stat.

─ Black Magic: 100 ─

“Gasp!”

Talent stats were different from ability stats.

In God and Devil, which relied more on the use of countless situations and judgment rather than mere talent stats, this was off the charts.

A talent stat of 100?

It was truly a talent crafted by both gods and devils.

‘Sion’s holy magic talent stat was about 30…’

The character Sion he had played last was hailed as a genius holy mage with just a stat of 30.

Therefore, he thought that level was the system’s limit, but if it was 100…

To put it in perspective, while others could summon skeletons, he could summon a demon lord!

Most of the other talent stats were in the low teens and quite average, but a black magic stat of 100 was more than enough to make up for everything else.

As the talent stat increased, the difference of even 1 point became exponentially larger.

However, the problem was.

“With such a talent, it’s no wonder it started at the Holy Academy…”

At first glance, it sounded like a daunting setting.

However, Yuhan grinned despite thinking about the tough future ahead.

He thought he could easily enjoy God and Devil for another year with this.

Thump! Thump!

Yuhan’s heart began to pound vigorously. He had thought it would stop beating like this ever again after clearing Sion.

Thump! Thump!

And under sheer excitement, when Yuhan clicked on Roan’s illustration.

Thud!

His heart, which had been beating furiously, suddenly came to a screeching stop.

Flop!

Yuhan collapsed face down on his desk. There was still a lingering smile on his face.

* * *

‘… What’s going on?’

Yuhan opened his eyes in a dim room.

It was not his room, which clearly had the signs of time on flooring and wallpaper.

It was a creepy place with a cold, moss-covered stone floor and an eerie bronze mirror on the wall.

‘…?’

Yuhan gazed at his reflection in the bronze mirror and titled his head.

That definitely looked like him.

But his appearance was completely different from his usual self.

Eyes that matched those dark ashen hair and fit the description ‘dull.’

A delicate yet sharp handsome face.

Despite this, he had gloomy and unapproachable vibes smudged to him like a deodorant.

Although there were differences between the illustration and reality, that appearance was definitely…

‘Roan?’

It was exactly like the hidden character, Roan Darc’s illustration.

But for some reason, those things drawn all over the floor were…

‘A magic circle?!’

It was a magic circle used in magical rituals.

Moreover, the black color and the unique features here and there.

Although he had never seen one in reality, it undeniably felt like a black magic circle.

… Yuhan might cry not three or four, but five times since he was born.

If he were to transmigrate as the hidden character in a ridiculously difficult game.

‘Crazy.’

Without realizing it, Yuhan, or rather Roan, felt his eyes grow moist.