"Wow."

    The rewards for just the sub-quest had been remarkable, but completing the main quest left Seong awestruck.

    "No wonder players are obsessed with main quests."

    Even setting aside the Dark Castle itself, the two rewards were astounding: both items were Almighty-grade, one of them an exclusive Overlord item.

    Seong glanced at Noctrynnium, who stood silently nearby, as if waiting for him to examine the rewards.

    "Guess I’ll start with the skill," Seong thought.

    The skill had to be another dark-aligned ability, further solidifying his build.

    『Fallen Thorn of Midnight』

    → 《Almighty》

    → [Lv Max][Complete]

    [Instant Effect][Active Skill]

    [Cooldown: 30 minutes]

    "The thorn that falls within midnight’s shadow will bloom into a black flower."

    Exclusive skill for Overlord class.Envelops the battlefield in darkness, transforming the terrain into a field of shadows.Midnight thorns rain down upon the battlefield, nourishing the shadowy terrain and sprouting into beautiful black flowers.The flowers bloom briefly before erupting, engulfing the surroundings in darkness.

    "Whoa."

    The skill wasn’t necessarily designed to complement his current build, but it was a powerful area-of-effect attack nonetheless.

    Seong’s mind raced. The "eruption" effect mentioned in the description likely referred to a secondary explosion, which added to its destructive potential.

    Satisfied with the skill, Seong closed the menu and moved on to the next reward: the exclusive item he had received.

    『Overlord’s Codex』

    → 《Almighty》

    *"A codex passed down from ancient times, its origins unknown even to the first Overlord, Helena, who created the Overlord class.

    Although Helena was largely self-taught, she admitted that without this codex, her growth wouldn’t have been so rapid."*

    Exclusive item for Overlord class.Grants the ability to learn one desired dark magic skill upon acquisition.Allows the user to learn additional dark magic skills every 10 levels.Passively increases the power of dark magic skills by 20% while in inventory.

    *Skill grades available: Unique or lower.

    *Legendary-grade skills become available at level 100 increments.

    "...What?"

    Seong’s eyes widened. The codex’s abilities far exceeded his expectations.

    Even compared to The Codex of Despair, this was on an entirely different level.

    As he stared at the item in awe, a system message popped up:

    [You have acquired 『Overlord’s Codex』. You may now select a desired dark magic skill to learn.]

    [Do you wish to proceed?]

    [Yes / No]

    Seong let out a quiet laugh of disbelief.

    "This is insane. Can I really build my entire dark skillset with this?"

    [You may select a dark magic skill tailored to your current build.]

    [Searching for compatible skills...]

    [Matching skills found. Displaying list.]

    『Maw of Darkness』

    『Frost of Shadows』

    『Wriggling Darkness』

    『Black Sun’s Domain』

    ...

    A long list of compatible skills appeared, leaving Seong speechless.

    "This is broken. Seriously."

    He couldn’t believe such an item existed, allowing him to perfectly customize his build. The skills weren’t excessively powerful individually, but they were all synergistic with his current abilities.

    Among the options, one skill caught his eye:

    [You have acquired the Unique-grade skill 『Wriggling Darkness』 through 『Overlord’s Codex』.]

    『Wriggling Darkness』

    → 《Unique》

    → [Lv Max][Complete]

    [Instant Effect][Active Skill]

    [Cooldown: 3 minutes]

    Exclusive skill for dark magic professions.Ensures all dark attribute attacks hit their target.If evaded, the wriggling darkness will pursue the target until it lands.

    The skill’s guaranteed hit effect was invaluable, especially since most of Seong’s current abilities required precise aiming.

    "Perfect choice."

    As Seong smiled in satisfaction, Noctrynnium spoke up.

    "Lord, I must inform you of something. While I would like to explain the wandering ones further, a messenger from Overpalace has arrived near the Netherworld portal you created. They appear to be waiting for you."

    "Hmm?"

    The Overpalace messengers? The same ones he had encountered before? Why were they here now?

    Noticing Seong’s confusion, Noctrynnium elaborated.

    "The successors of the Hero and the Sage also seem to be nearby. Two messengers are blocking their path, while one awaits you."

    The Hero’s successor and the Sage’s successor—Plinky, most likely.

    "So the messengers are blocking the Hero’s successor? Because of the Hero?"

    Seong frowned. While Plinky seemed eccentric and harmless, it was better to remain cautious.

    "Even though I’m strong, there are still enemies far above my level."

    The Hero’s successor, Luke, was one such example. Though not yet fully matured, his level was in the 250s—a gap Seong couldn’t overcome.

    Despite the uncertainty, one thing was clear:

    "Noctrynnium is incredibly useful. Just having him scout the area like this is a huge advantage."

    With that, Seong decided to meet the Overpalace messengers.

    Seong sighed inwardly. Why did Overpalace always insist on giving him gifts? While he wasn’t about to refuse, it was starting to feel burdensome.

    He reached out and accepted the item.

    [You have received the Almighty-grade item 『Primordial Demon’s Crest Ring』 from Kars Grimcrow, envoy of Overpalace.]

    "...What?"

    Seong stared at the ring, the weight of its significance sinking in. This was a serious gift, far beyond what he had expected.

    3.

    Main quests were the pinnacle of in-game content for any player’s class. The rewards were often so significant that they became every player’s dream.

    Why?

    Because completing a main quest not only elevated a player’s class rank but often showered them with high-grade skills and items.

    The E-World User Management Team generally tolerated such events, viewing them as opportunities for players to grow significantly. After all, these quests were designed to be generous.

    "What rewards has Seong received so far?"

    Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang asked, his tone a mix of awe and concern.

    Junior staff member Oh Jin-hyuk pulled up the records.

    "Let’s see... Two Unique-grade skills, three Legendary-grade skills, one Almighty-grade skill, and two Almighty-grade items."

    Eight high-grade rewards, six of which were skills and two Almighty items.

    Even more concerning was the synergy created by the skill enhancement orbs. Originally designed to upgrade two Unique-grade skills, they had ended up boosting several of Seong’s skills to Unique-grade.

    The unintended consequences made Lee Won-sang grimace.

    "This... this is going to cost me a formal report, isn’t it?"

    The mistake was a result of rushing to implement the enhancement orbs. If he had been more cautious, this situation might have been avoided.

    [Immortal, can you calculate the power level of Seong’s current explosive build?]

    Immortal quickly responded.

    [The combined power of Seong’s skills 『Corpse Explosion』, 『Poisonous Lion’s Wrath』, and 『Toxic Detonation』 is estimated to be between Legendary and Almighty-grade.]

    "...Oh, no."

    The enhancement orbs had pushed an already powerful build into an entirely new league.

    While Lee Won-sang brooded over his mistake, Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong approached him.

    "Assistant Manager Lee?"

    "Yes, ma’am."

    Expecting a reprimand, Lee straightened nervously. However, Ji Hye-jeong’s expression wasn’t as severe as he anticipated.

    "Your proposal for the enhancement orbs has received positive feedback. Senior Manager Lee Jae-kyung was particularly impressed."

    She handed him a stack of reports, detailing how the orbs had strategically boosted Seong’s abilities while maintaining balance within the game.

    Lee’s face lit up.

    "Thank you so much, Team Leader!"

    Ji Hye-jeong smiled faintly before turning serious again.

    "However, have you reviewed the impact of Seong’s acquisition of the Dark Castle?"

    "...No, ma’am."

    Ji sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

    "It triggered a major in-game event. The oversight caused unnecessary chaos."

    Lee’s relief evaporated as Ji handed him another document.

    [Request for Support: Event Management Team]

    Lee’s shoulders slumped. The earlier praise came at a cost—it was his responsibility now.

    Ji left, while Oh Jin-hyuk approached Lee with a sympathetic look.

    "Isn’t the Event Management Team brutal? Hang in there, sir."

    Lee forced a laugh.

    "Don’t worry. You’re coming with me, Oh Jin-hyuk."

    "Wha... WHAT?!"

    For once, Lee had the satisfaction of seeing someone else squirm. Of course, they were both heading straight into the fire together.