Chapter 4: The Lich Makes a Genius into an Ordinary Person #1

Chapter 4: The Lich Makes a Genius into an Ordinary Person #1

Field Boss Golden Horn.

The leader of all deer, and one of the Golden Series monsters that roam the continent randomly.

Golden Horn usually appears in forests or grasslands, so its spawn location can be roughly predicted, but it’s fundamentally a random spawn.

It’s a creature that happily roams all over the continent by itself.

So, it makes no sense that I’m encountering this deer here.

How many forests are there on the continent? How can it possibly run into me right here?

-Prrr…

Golden Horn’s eyes gleamed.

Its eyes, like black marbles, were fixed precisely on me.

Most beast monsters that appear in forests are non-aggressive, but this guy, being a field boss, is different. It attacks without fail.

“You want to fight, huh?”

-Prrr, prrr.

The creature took a step towards me.

“You’re crazy. What, do you think you can take me on because I’m in this state?”

Of course, Golden Horn wouldn’t care about me possessing the Lich’s body.

But if it underestimated me, it’s thinking very wrong.

Grip.

I adjusted my grip on the branch.

“Do you know what? Back in the day, I filmed myself catching all the Golden Series monsters with just a branch and rolling. I uploaded it.”

It got over a hundred thousand views.

However, people’s comments weren’t very positive.

Some said they couldn’t follow it even after watching, or that it was a cleverly manipulated video.

“Come on.”

Can it understand what I’m saying?

Golden Horn stomped its hoof on the ground.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, it charged straight at me.

“Predictable, like an animal. You deer.”

Even though its danger level is high, that’s only because I’m so weak right now.

Basically, Golden Horn itself is an early to mid-game field boss.

If you know its attack patterns, you can deal with it easily.

In a situation like this, the correct response is to roll to the right without panicking.

Crack!

Golden Horn narrowly missed me and knocked down the trees behind me like matchsticks.

If it had hit me, I would have been goners in one hit.

But I won’t let it hit me.

“What’s the point of doing that a hundred times?”

I stood up with a relaxed smile.

It’s a bit unexpected that the first monster I’m fighting after possessing this body is a field boss, but this should be fine too.

The rewards are decent.

But…

“What the hell… What’s wrong with my arm?”

My arm, bent at an odd angle and dangling, caught my eye.

Is that white stick protruding from my skin my arm bone?

What the hell?

“I dodged it.”

Even though I dodged, when I threw myself to the side, it hurt more than I expected.

In the game, you can roll around recklessly in all directions without any risk.

Is this what it’s like in reality?

Estel’s weak body had its arm bone shattered by a single roll.

-Prrr.

Golden Horn, whose attack was in vain, showed a hint of annoyance in its snort.

It shook its head, flicking off the leaves tangled in its horns.

“Hey, hey, hold on. My arm’s-“

However, the cowardly Golden Horn, lacking any sportsmanship, charged again.

I threw myself to the side again to dodge, but this time…

“Ah, damn it-“

I sprained my ankle.

Every time I roll, parts of my body get broken.

Well, realistically, this is what happens when someone who has never trained their body moves violently.

This is not good.

I’m going to die because of that realism.

“Surrender.”

Golden Horn ran all the way up the hill and, using its momentum, made a wide turn and headed towards me.

“I want to surrender. Tell me your desired negotiation terms. I’ll do anything-“

Its pair of spear-like horns drew closer.

“Shit-“

My body wouldn’t move.

I resigned myself and quietly closed my eyes.

Perhaps this is what it feels like to be hit by an 8-ton truck.

***

When I opened my eyes again, the sun had already set, and it was completely dark all around.

How many hours have passed?

When I revived in the mansion, I couldn’t tell the passage of time, but now I have a rough idea.

The revival time is about eight hours. I don’t have a watch, so I’m not sure.

“Ugh…”

This feels different from when I died in the mansion.

It’s like the unpleasant feeling of all my bones breaking and then rejoining.

In any case, I learned a lesson.

For now, my physique cannot keep up with my experience.

I shouldn’t be too overconfident and shouldn’t act rashly.

‘Fortunately, the reliquary is intact.’

I praise myself for anticipating the worst-case scenario and throwing the reliquary (tissue box) into the nearby bushes beforehand.

As long as the reliquary is safe, this one death is just a minor incident.

⋯

Huh?

I frowned and sniffed the air.

Why does the smell still linger?

This foul beastly odor…

A moment later, my brain registered the anomaly, and a chill ran down my spine.

-Prrr.

Red eyes flickered in the darkness.

Shit. Is this for real?

Why are you waiting?

“This isn’t right, is it? You killed me once, that should be enough-“

Thwip-

No more words came out of my mouth.

Its horns pierced my back and protruded.

Did my diaphragm get a hole? I wanted to say something, but all that came out was a sound like air escaping a balloon.

***

It’s blinding.

I can hear the chirping of birds.

Eight hours have passed again, and this time it’s morning?

‘I didn’t expect it to wait near my corpse.’

How did it know I would revive?

Did it sense something strange?

Or is it the stubbornness and obsession unique to beasts?

Whatever it is…

‘I shouldn’t get up right away.’

I kept my cheek pressed against the dirt floor, lying flat.

I can feel it.

It must still be lurking around me.

It’s best not to move carelessly until it moves away.

After enduring ants crawling on my forehead for a long time.

Thump, thump.

-Prrr.

As expected. My intuition was not wrong.

‘This crazy deer.’

Did it really guard me all night?

My head was spinning.

Why is it doing this to me?

What kind of deep grudge could it possibly hold?

I heard the sound of Golden Horn approaching.

‘I have to hold my breath-‘

Hup.

I held my breath, pretending to be dead with all my might, more than ever before.

Its hot breath brushed against the back of my neck.

-Prrr, prrr.

The dirty deer nudged my head with its wet nose and sniffed.

‘I’m dead. I’m dead. Please, just go away.’

After a while, its breath receded.

Did I manage to fool it?

But I couldn’t hear the sound of Golden Horn’s hooves moving elsewhere.

For some reason, it seemed to be standing idly next to me.

‘What is it?’

I desperately wanted to lift my head and see what was happening. I was going crazy with curiosity.

Unconsciously, my eyelashes twitched slightly.

At that moment…

Crack-!

With a sickening tearing sound, like a watermelon being crushed, my vision turned red.

***

「Trait: Immortality has been activated.」

「As a side effect of Immortality, some of your stats will be permanently lost.」

「However, as your stats have already dropped to the minimum, they will not decrease further.」

I was defeated by Golden Horn three times in a row.

I can’t fight and win.

Pretending to be dead doesn’t work either.

It’s a truly predicament, but…

“…But what can I do? It’s me you’re up against.”

I spat out the blood in my mouth and stood up.

Naturally, Golden Horn was nearby.

It’s not surprising anymore.

The creature, casually grazing within my line of sight, looked up when it saw me.

Those soulless eyes.

Eyes that reveal nothing of its thoughts.

“If you want it so badly, I’ll show you the difference between a beast and a human starting now. Are you ready?”

-Prrr.

As if to answer, the creature made a cracking sound and rotated its neck.

I faced the creature.

And then…

I turned my back and ran with all my might.

Thud, thud.

Immediately after, the sound of its hooves chased me menacingly from behind.

Can I escape like this?

Of course, it’s impossible.

No matter how fast a human is, they can’t outrun a deer.

Even Usain Bolt in my place would be caught. Let alone Estel with her poor stamina.

“Hah, hah- Shit-.”

I was out of breath.

I must have moved about 20 meters from my original position.

This isn’t bad. It’s better than expected.

I shouldn’t be too greedy. I quickly threw the reliquary onto the nearby grass.

And as I turned around, a pair of horns charging at me came into view.

As planned.

⋯

⋯

⋯

Time passed.

Revival, escape, and death repeated.

What I did was simple.

When I revived, I grabbed the reliquary and ran away diligently.

Golden Horn would notice and eventually kill me.

But in the meantime, I could move a short distance.

The most important thing was to be careful not to let the reliquary be destroyed.

Fortunately, Golden Horn didn’t realize that the reason the Lich kept reviving was due to the reliquary.

After all, no matter how strong it was, its brain was still that of a beast.

It had no reason to obsess over a shabby tissue box when I, a living being, was right there.

“Phew-“

Holding the reliquary and accepting death, I moved forward, albeit slowly but surely. It’s almost like playing American football.

Although I wasn’t dying, repeating this kind of action was mentally exhausting.

But it’s time to end this.

“Is this it.”

After all the hardship, I finally reached my destination.

“Did you really think I was just running away without thinking?”

-Prrr.

Golden Horn bared its gums and twitched its lips.

Are you mocking me, you beast?

It’s understandable.

You must have had fun killing me dozens of times while I couldn’t fight back.

But you know what?

“From now on, it’s my turn, you deer.”