God-Level Game Developer System: I Brought In-Game Items To Real World - Chapter 280

Chapter 280: Dark Portal That Led To Maverick Windesburg
With their training arc completed, Weiss no longer worried about Ayame and her team being badly beaten by Maverick Windesburg.

To be honest, Ayame and her team were still far from matching Maverick Windesburg’s full power, assuming he decided to go all out. However, Maverick wouldn’t use his full power—not because Ayame and her team were related to him, but due to the game’s setting.

The game setting didn’t allow Maverick to use his full power. According to the storyline, even Maverick’s “death” was staged, and none of the players could truly kill him. This was because Maverick possessed the Second Life Authority, ensuring his survival.

Although Maverick didn’t have the full set of five authorities due to the low chances of obtaining a fifth authority, Weiss confirmed that Maverick held four powerful authorities.

Weiss chose not to disclose what these authorities were to avoid game spoilers. His decision wasn’t driven by concern over the system rules but by a desire to preserve the fun for Ayame and her team. As gamers, they naturally wanted to discover these details on their own.

The information Ayame and her team had about Maverick mostly came from his journal, which they had discovered earlier, as well as insights from Illya, Maverick’s granddaughter.

Currently, Weiss, Ayame, and her team were in the Phantom Library. Maverick’s previous possession of the Timekeeper had left traces of his whereabouts there. If they had wanted to, they could have traced his steps and attacked him directly.

However, at that time, Ayame and her team were too weak. They had barely managed to defeat the Timekeeper, and taking on Maverick Windesburg, who could easily overpower the Timekeeper, was out of the question.

Observing her surroundings, Ayame muttered, “As I expected, the remnants left by Maverick are still here. If this were the real world, someone as cautious as Maverick would have already removed them, especially when we left the hotel. He would have used that time to erase his traces.”

She paused, looking at the lingering evidence. “But it seems his traces remain due to the game’s settings. It’s like in the games we play where no matter how much time passes, the traces left by the final boss remain so the player can choose to challenge them anytime.”

Bianca nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Most games we play are like this. Many players reach the final boss while underleveled due to various strategies. But since their level isn’t sufficient to challenge the final boss yet, this system allows players to grind and choose to face the final boss when they are ready.”

In the Phantom Library, Ayame and her team saw a sliver of dark energy swirling at the place where the Timekeeper had died.

Although the Timekeeper’s body had turned to ashes after self-destructing under Maverick’s control, the Phantom Library seemed to have an auto-repair mechanism and was almost brand new.

Aside from that, Kuroneko discovered several books related to dark magic placed in the Phantom Library. Those didn’t interest him much considering he already had the Duality of Black and White.

The Duality of Black and White wasn’t an ordinary grimoire and, if mastered, would lead to clues about the whereabouts of the Dark Authority.

As long as Kuroneko obtained the Dark Authority, his use of dark magic and black magic would become unmatched, and even Maverick Windesburg wouldn’t be able to defeat him at the same power level.

Since Kuroneko had the Shadow Authority and the grimoire, he was confident in his current power. As long as they completed Cozy Vacation Life, Kuroneko felt that his power in the real world would drastically increase.

At least, his current power in Cozy Vacation Life was far stronger than his power in the real world. Not only Kuroneko, but ProGamerXD and other Dislord admins were also far stronger in Cozy Vacation Life than in the real world.

After all, when they played Zombie Survival Online, they only played amongst themselves and other Dislord admins. However, they weren’t carried by Ayame since only three players could team up together and they dared not ask Ayame casually.

But since it was Ayame who invited them to play Cozy Vacation Life, how could they reject her invitation?

With Ayame, as well as her brother leading them, the training arc had improved their power and control over their authorities. And now, their power exceeded what they had in the real world.

Kuroneko, seeing the sliver of dark energy, decided to use it to their advantage. He chanted a dark magic spell from his grimoire, his voice steady and confident. “Shadow Magic: Path of Darkness.”

Tendrils of dark energy extended from the sliver, forming a shadowy path that seemed to lead deeper into the Phantom Library.

Kuroneko’s eyes glowed with dark energy as he concentrated on the spell, ensuring it would trace directly back to Maverick Windesburg.

“This should lead us to Maverick,” Kuroneko said, his voice filled with determination. “Stay close and be prepared for anything.”

Ayame and the rest of the team nodded, following the shadowy path that twisted and turned through the labyrinthine corridors of the library.

The oppressive silence was occasionally broken by the whispers and screams from the books around them, but they pressed on, undeterred.

As they moved deeper into the library, the dark energy grew thicker, and the oppressive atmosphere intensified. The path led them to a hidden door at the far end of the library, covered in arcane symbols and pulsating with dark magic.

“This must be it,” Ayame said, her voice hushed. “Maverick’s lair is behind this door.”

Bianca stepped forward, her Equality Authority at the ready. “I’ll equalize the magic around the door so we can open it safely.”

She focused her power, and the arcane symbols began to dim, their magic neutralized. With a nod from Bianca, Ayame pushed the door open, revealing a hidden chamber filled with dark artifacts and more books on forbidden magic.

In the center of the room was a swirling, dark portal, radiating a powerful, ominous energy. The portal seemed to be a gateway to another realm, one filled with darkness and malevolence.

“This must be where Maverick is hiding,” Kuroneko said, his eyes fixed on the portal. “We need to go through and face him.”

Ayame nodded, determination etched on her face. “Let’s end this.”