Chapter 274
5.
Professional gamer.
It was a term that had existed for a long time.
But its status had changed drastically.
In the past, it was used with a slightly negative connotation, almost like calling someone a game addict.
But now, it had earned a reputation on par with what livestreamers once held.
No—maybe even better than before.
Almost comparable to that of a sports star.
If you had talent, you could earn a significant amount of money, and guilds would take care of quite a bit for you.
Above all, you made money by playing games.
There was hardly any other job that could compare.
So if someone had the talent to go pro, they were met with envy.
But naturally, once it became a job, it wasn’t so easy.
If your sleep schedule got messed up, your health could take a hit—so managing your routine became essential. Spending long hours in a capsule meant working out was also a must.
Nowadays, it was practically a given that pro gamers worked out.
Improving physical control through training also gave an advantage in Eternal World.
But Seong was a little different.
“Hm.”
He managed his routine and his day just like any other,
but his only workout was the morning run.
Even his sister, Yu Mina, went to a kendo dojo and gym regularly.
Seong, on the other hand, did none of that.
And yet... why?
‘I’ve been putting on a lot of muscle lately.’
As usual, he came back from his run and was about to shower when he saw his reflection in the mirror—his body looked completely different.
He even had abs now, which he never had before.
Seong scratched his head as he stared at how toned and sculpted his body had become.
His body looked like it had undergone a perfect cut.
And it was the kind of body that wouldn’t happen from just running.
Most likely—
‘It’s from absorbing the ghosts’ memories and experiences.’
Well, he had felt his body changing little by little as he absorbed memories and experiences.
It was probably a result of that.
Still, his body wasn’t getting worse—it was getting better.
So he didn’t worry too much about it.
If your body was improving on its own—
Why stress?
No reason to.
Thinking that, Seong finished his shower and stepped out.
As usual, breakfast was already fully prepared.
“Oh my~ Seong, you’re out~? Come eat breakfast~”
Much of Seong’s ability to keep his routine was thanks to his mother, Lee Na-gyeong.
After his morning run and shower, mealtime lined up perfectly.
He sat at the table.
Soon after, his sister Yu Mina—who had woken up late—and his father, Yoo Gwang-jin—who had already finished getting ready for work—joined him.
A warm, wholesome family meal.
It wasn’t often that a family could sit and eat together like this in the morning.
It was a rare and pleasant sight.
While eating, Seong thought:
‘I should visit the Tower first today.’
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Yu Mina randomly struck up a conversation.
“Seong, you entered the Septem Arcana tournament, right???”
Despite pretending not to care, Lee Na-gyeong and Yoo Gwang-jin both perked up.
Seong, now used to this kind of thing, simply nodded.
“Yeah, I entered this time.”
“Oooh~ Yujin said it really helped them out this time?”
“Helped?”
There hadn’t been a livestream by the Rapid Guild, though?
How could it have helped?
Wasn’t he already well-known?
He was wondering, but—
Once he heard Yu Mina’s explanation, it made sense.
“Normally in matches with broadcast rights, people refuse and switch over to guild streams, right? This time too, except for those deadweights, the Forbiddenz, most of the players did guild-only streams. But you went ahead and streamed your match publicly—so it had a huge promotional effect. They said the Rapid MeTube channel exploded in popularity because of it.”
“Ahh.”
He had unintentionally played a big promotional role.
Of course, some people had said it was a shame the others hadn’t streamed their matches.
But if it resulted in major publicity—
Then everything was fine, wasn’t it?
Seong didn’t think much of it.
Yu Mina didn’t really seem too concerned either.
As both of them let it go—
“But the prize was a demon-imbued bow, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why I entered, but it was also because of the Cerulean Tower.”
“Oh? Don’t tell me it’s quest-related?”
“Huh?”
Did she know something?
Well, she was a single-ranker.
She was usually ahead when it came to information.
As Seong looked at her with that meaning in his gaze—
Yu Mina scratched her cheek and replied.
“Hmm, it’s not like the Cerulean Tower has a bad reputation or anything, but I heard the second-generation Tower Master runs it really well. Still, they’re not too close with the other Towers, and there were rumors they dealt in dark magic... and now that you’ve got a quest there, I guess it’s true???”
As expected, she was on point.
That wasn’t common knowledge, either.
The fact that she knew it so well made Seong a little impressed with her intel.
But it didn’t seem like she knew much beyond that—
So Seong added.
“Yeah, I think it’s part of the Dark Magic Lord lineage.”
“Oooh? I thought they were just a dark ice type originally, but it was real, huh?”
“Seems like it.”
“Anyway, since you’re in it, make sure you win! Demonic energy is a pain to deal with. Heheh, but since it’s you, Seong, you’re totally gonna win.”
Getting that kind of glittery praise, Seong waved it off with a vague reply.
And just like that, the somewhat noisy breakfast came to an end.
As usual, Seong returned to his room.
He climbed into the capsule and logged into Eternal World.
[Welcome to another world, the Eternal World.]
[May fortune smile upon Player ‘Seong’.]
He skipped past the now-familiar welcome message.
And immediately ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) summoned his followers.
Of course, he summoned the three who were part of his team: Helena, Fiora, and Silvanor.
“Silvanor, reporting as ordered.”
—I-I come at the Lord’s summons.
“Seong’s here~”
Helena greeted him with a gentle smile.
With that, Seong gave a nod and cast the perception-inhibition spell on his robe and on Fiora again.
Even while wearing a black robe, the skill had now reached the point that people around him paid no attention at all.
It really was an impressive technique, Seong thought as he headed straight for the Tower.
The Lord of the Dead, and Master of the Cerulean Spire Tower.
He was on his way to meet a named NPC, classified as both a Tower Master and a Lord—someone strong.
Even Seong, as composed as he was, felt a bit of tension.
He’d never met a Lord who wasn’t hostile, aside from players.
So it was only natural to be on edge.
Still, he had received a gift, and the Lord had shown a favorable attitude.
So he assumed things wouldn't go badly and made it to the tower.
“What business do you have here?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The guard standing watch at the Tower asked.
Seong was about to respond.
But then—
“...Ah.”
The guard’s expression suddenly went blank, as if he were hypnotized, and then he slowly nodded.
And Helena explained.
“It’s a communication spell.”
“Hm.”
So that dazed expression was because he was receiving a message.
Once Seong understood the reason,
the guard immediately opened the door and said,
“The Tower Master is expecting you. Please take the portal to the top floor.”
Thanks to the guard’s surprisingly courteous guidance, Seong stepped inside the Cerulean Spire Tower.
A magical scene unfolded before him.
Though he’d clearly entered a building,
the interior was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside.
More importantly—
Whoooooosh—.
Crunch, crunch.
Snow was falling inside the tower.
Even though they were indoors—
The interior had been constructed like the outside world.
Amidst this magical display, Seong smiled, basking in the fantasy-like atmosphere.
This was his first time experiencing something like this, so he looked around curiously.
The temperature had dropped significantly too.
As Seong stood there marveling at the chill in the air, Helena explained,
“Seems like this place was built to train cold-element magic. Creating environments like this helps build proficiency faster.”
“Ah.”
He’d heard that game systems supported things like that too.
Anyway, just as instructed, he stepped onto the portal.
A message appeared: Top Floor Access Granted, and Seong was now allowed to use the portal.
Despite the tension,
he stepped in right away.
And when he reached the top floor, the atmosphere was very different from the first.
It felt like a cozy interior from medieval Europe, made of quiet wooden planks.
It had a nice atmosphere, but for the top floor of a mage tower, it looked rather humble.
By the window stood a man, looking out.
He had his back turned, so it was hard to tell who he was—
But for some reason, Seong didn’t feel like this man was a threat.
“Overlord.”
At that word, Seong flinched slightly.
But he wasn’t especially shocked or rattled.
If Seong had figured out the man’s identity, then of course this man would know his.
He was a famous figure, after all.
It would’ve been weirder if he didn’t know.
With that thought, Seong stood still and waited.
The Cerulean Tower Master turned around and revealed himself to Seong.
A strikingly handsome young man.
The Tower Master turned and spoke.
“Will Baghdad. I am, however unworthy, the master of the Cerulean Tower and the current Lord of the Dead.”
Will Baghdad introduced himself.
As he openly declared himself to be the Lord of the Dead, Seong started to speak out of curiosity.
But—
“There’s no need for introductions. I already know about your followers quite well.”
Will interrupted with a smile.
Then he sank into the sofa nearby and waved a hand at Seong as if to say, What are you waiting for? Sit.
This was his place, after all.
Once Seong took a seat,
the other three followers remained standing behind him.
And seeing this—
“You have very loyal followers. Mine are so full of nagging that it’s honestly exhausting. I envy you.”
“Hm, is that so?”
“I work with spirits, after all. Can’t be helped. In any case, I’m sure you’re curious why I summoned you. I’ll get straight to the point.”
He jumped straight into the reason.
A style Seong appreciated.
Let’s hear it, then, Seong thought, preparing to listen.
But just then, a slightly cold voice rang out from behind Seong.
“Who are you?”
A voice full of suspicion.
It was Helena.
And the moment Will heard her voice, his eyes widened.
Then Helena spoke again.
“You’re not the Will Baghdad I know.”
Will’s pupils quivered violently.
An intense reaction, as if shocked that she knew.
It was strange to see someone of that level react so emotionally—but then again, it was understandable.
The moment he heard her voice, he couldn’t help it.
And once Helena took off her robe, Will’s agitation intensified.
“H-H-Helena... Lady Helena...?”
“You know me? Strange, I don’t know you.”
Helena’s gaze sharpened,
and her aura grew more pointed.
Still, because Seong hadn’t reacted, Helena didn’t attack.
Without a command—
She had no intention of disobeying Seong.
But it was clear she was angry—furious, even—at how different he was from the one she knew.
Seong remained silent, watching.
The man claiming to be Will Baghdad stared blankly at Helena and mumbled as if finally understanding something.
“Hah... So that’s why the zealots acknowledged you as their master.”
It seemed he misunderstood something.
But Helena didn’t care.
With a rough voice, she asked again,
“So who the hell are you?”
“...I am Will Baghdad. I am indeed the Lord of the Dead.”
“You’re Will...”
Helena started to say something when—
“Though I am a replica.”