Chapter 7: The Lich Makes a Genius into an Ordinary Person #4

Chapter 7: The Lich Makes a Genius into an Ordinary Person #4

It’s morning, with flies buzzing and the smell of blood lingering.

“Ugh-“

As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt like vomiting.

It seems like the forest’s many animals had a grand feast last night.

I saw the corpses of the bandit bastards.

No, what I saw were reddish lumps of flesh and bones that had been bandits just a few hours ago.

It seems it didn’t take long for humans to transform into scattered chunks of meat.

I moved to the pond and washed my face.

The feeling of the cold water flowing down my skin felt good.

The blood-stained water spread across the transparent surface of the pond, which was clear enough to see the bottom.

“Phew.”

I killed people. Three of them.

I did well, and I feel no guilt.

But…

Even though I thought I was mentally prepared, the shock is still there.

‘I need to get used to it.’

I have no regrets.

Because if I didn’t, I would have been the one killed.

My survival is the top priority. I will kill anyone who threatens my life without hesitation.

However, for now…

I felt like I needed a moment to catch my breath.

“The water is clear.”

I sat there for a long time, staring blankly at the pond.

If only I had just one cigarette right now, it would have been perfect.

To soothe my disappointment, I dipped my feet in the pond and spent some time like that.

“That’s enough. Let’s get a grip.”

I splashed cold water on my face one last time and stood up.

Dragging my reluctant feet, I returned to the gruesome scene.

After all, I need to farm.

「Acquired 2,410 Gold.」

「Acquired Dagger.」

I gathered the blood-stained coins and picked up a dagger that looked usable among their equipment.

It doesn’t seem like a lot or a little for the reward of defeating three bandits.

Besides, not many travelers wander in a forest like this, so these guys would be considered low-earning bandits.

One of them had a key in his pocket.

‘Is it the key to their hideout?’

I returned to the cabin I saw the day before.

The cabin door, still secured with a chain.

Knock, knock.

Knowing it was meaningless, I knocked first before entering.

The musty smell of dust and a sour stench that stung my nostrils made me frown.

The inside was a complete mess.

Dishes with leftover food scraps stuck to them.

Broken liquor bottles rolling around.

It was nothing but trash, as expected of a cabin inhabited by three repulsive men.

‘Nothing to see here.’

I assumed there wouldn’t be much to find if I searched, so as I was about to leave.

A bulging shape covered with a blanket in one corner caught my eye.

I had a bad feeling.

I stood in front of it, hesitated for a moment, and then removed the blanket.

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped my lips without my realizing.

It was a woman.

Bound by ropes, unable to move.

I didn’t check if she was alive or dead.

There was no need to.

“…”

I closed my eyes with a heavy heart.

I wasn’t surprised. I had expected something like this might happen.

If I hadn’t managed to defeat the bandits, perhaps this would have been my future.

“Bastards.”

I felt a heavy, foreign object like a stone in the depths of my chest.

I didn’t know whether to be angry or sad, so I just clenched my fists tightly.

I looked around. Nearby were scattered clothes and a small bag.

‘This must be the woman’s belongings.’

They were too brightly colored and cute to be the belongings of the bandit bastards.

When I opened the bag, there was an empty lunchbox.

And a letter.

“May I read it?”

I asked the woman.

Of course, there was no answer.

[ -To my brother.

By the time you read this letter, I will be on a carriage heading home.

You might say, ‘Why write a letter when you could have just told me when we met?’ But that’s how people’s hearts are. Some things are easier to say in a letter than face-to-face.

You don’t understand? That’s why you haven’t had a girlfriend until now.

⋯

⋯

⋯

Please take care of yourself. Coming home safe and sound is the greatest gift you can give our family.

Oh, and I packed only your favorite foods in the lunchbox. Eat well and stay strong.

Yuria, who always supports you. ]

This woman seemed to be the sister of a soldier working at the Garden Frontier.

Unfortunately, the letter and lunchbox never reached her brother.

‘Is this a random quest?’

In ‘Nine Stars,’ besides the main quest, there are numerous quests generated anew for each game.

-Find Yuria’s brother in the Garden Frontier and deliver the letter.

In this case, the quest content would likely be something like this.

Will there be a reward? Considering the difficulty, it’s a simple quest…

I stopped thinking about it.

I found my own behavior distasteful. Calculating rewards while facing such tragedy.

I carefully placed the letter into the subspace of the Golden Horn’s cloak.

“Hey, Yuria.”

I spoke to her casually, as if talking to a friend.

“Well, I don’t know if this will be of any comfort, but those bandits… they’re all dead. And in a very painful way.”

I gently closed Yuria’s eyes, which remained open even in death, with my palm.

I saw a small golden sun-shaped necklace hanging around her neck.

She was a follower of Justia.

Justia, the goddess of justice, never forgives absolute evil.

Judging by the outcome, perhaps I, Estel, might be Justia’s punishment for the heartless bandits.

However…

‘How ironic. Justia also despises followers of evil gods.’

Lich Frostwind is one of the most loyal servants of the goddess of death.

Yes, she’s a follower of El, known as one of the three evil gods.

If I think about it in terms of divine will, it doesn’t make sense.

But I don’t know.

Forget all that, I’m just doing what I want.

‘Survival is the top priority, but after that, I’ll just do whatever I damn well please. I don’t care, fuck it. What’s the big deal.’

Of course, I don’t have a penis anymore…

That’s just how I mean it.

I picked up a small shovel and left the cabin.

Thump, thump.

I dug the ground behind the cabin until sunset.

When I finished digging a hole just big enough for one person, my forehead was covered in dried sweat, and my arms were completely drained of strength.

It was nauseatingly difficult.

But it was something my heart compelled me to do.

Is this enough? I leaned on the shovel handle and estimated the size.

“Yuria, I’m sorry. I can’t dig any further, I’m too out of shape.”

I laid Yuria in the hole.

“Please rest here until you find your brother in the Garden Frontier.”

I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

**

「El, the Goddess of Death, praises your benevolent actions.」

**

I walked for a long time, crossing the wilderness after passing through the forest.

I can see the long wooden palisade along the village border.

Garden Western Frontier.

It’s one of the six starting points available when you begin ‘Nine Stars’.

It was fortunate that the Lich’s mansion was near the Garden Frontier.

‘It would have been troublesome if I had started in the Northern Barbarian Colony.’

Michael, whom I had painstakingly raised, started there.

I had already looted all the quests and even the hidden pieces in the northern region.

Hooouuu…

The wind blew. My gray hair fluttered.

An endless horizon and rocky plateaus. In the distance, a forest from which monsters emerge.

And always gloomy weather.

It was a novel experience to see the Garden Frontier in reality, as I had only seen it in the game.

After standing there for a moment to soak in the atmosphere, I moved my feet.

‘From here on, it’s best not to stand out too much.’

I pulled the hood attached to the back of Golden Horn’s cloak deep over my head.

It’s better to avoid unnecessary attention. There might be people with ill intentions approaching, like those bandits.

As I approached the village entrance, a group of people were bustling about.

“Hoo, huff… I’m dying of exhaustion.”

There was a man staggering with a log on his shoulder.

“Aish- this pickaxe is really not working. I’ve been swinging it for nothing. Is anyone listening to me?”

There was also a person digging the ground with an old pickaxe.

One man, who was shirtless and sweating profusely, looked back at me.

“Ah! Are you new to Garden!”

His voice, exaggerated like an actor’s, was very loud.

The man, stroking his sweat-soaked mustache, smiled brightly.

“Welcome! I’m Knight Ivan!”

His body was covered in dust and sweat, as if he had worked outside all day, but his bright smile gave a good impression.

“Hello. I’m Estel.”

“Estel! Welcome! We welcome you!”

I chuckled under my hood.

I know this guy.

Although he doesn’t play a significant role in the story, he’s one of the named NPCs in ‘Nine Stars’.

“Are you perhaps wondering how to enter Garden? I can tell you if you want.”

“Hmm, well… then tell me.”

“Aha! Then listen carefully. Unfortunately, it seems this frontier cannot be entered just like that. To get an entry permit, you must complete the twelve tasks of the frontier.”

Ivan kindly continued his explanation.

What the twelve tasks of Garden are, and tips to help with each task, etc.

Ivan himself has cleared up to the eighth task.

“I’m making good progress. I expect to finish in about a month.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Haha! You don’t have to praise me so much. You can do it too. If I finish first, I’ll help you with your tasks.”

“There’s no need for that… but thank you anyway.”

“It’s nothing. It’s a knight’s duty to help those in difficult situations.”

Ivan smiled brightly.

‘Just like the game.’

In ‘Nine Stars,’ blindly trusting others is foolish.

However, Ivan was one of the few NPCs who could be genuinely trusted.

I went to the guard post Ivan mentioned.

Inside the guard post, two guards sat at a table, engrossed in a card game.

One guard, looking annoyed, put down his cards and turned to me.

“What business do you have?”

“I came because I want to enter Garden.”

“The frontier isn’t a place where just any passerby can enter. If you’re truly desperate-“

The guard retorted in a gruff tone.

As Ivan said, they would give me an entry permit after I completed the twelve tasks.

It wouldn’t be a wrong approach to diligently perform the menial tasks the guards assigned here.

However…

‘It would take at least a month to finish everything.’

I subtly slipped 300 gold to the guard.

“You guys work hard, have this to wet your throats.”

“Uh, hmm… You didn’t have to do that.”

“You’re at least somewhat reasonable.”

The guards chuckled awkwardly and quickly pocketed the gold before anyone could see.

“Here, your entry permit. Be careful not to lose it.”

“Yeah.”

I took the entry permit and entered the gate.

Glancing back, I saw Ivan, his face bright and beaded with sweat, among the crowd outside the palisade.

Knight Ivan.

His epithet: ‘Foolish Ivan’.

He’s a trustworthy, good-hearted NPC, but he doesn’t offer much help to players.

Like just now.

The guards’ tasks were merely a malicious design by the developers to trick beginners.

‘I want to help Ivan, but…’

However, even if I told him the method, nothing would change. Ivan would never accept the ‘dishonest’ option of bribing them.

He’s just a character destined for such a pitiful fate.

As I was about to enter the village, Ivan and I made eye contact.

Ivan stroked his mustache and gave a thumbs-up.

‘Keep it up.’

With a supportive heart, I returned the gesture.