Rich turns genius into mediocrity #2

 

I used to go in and out of the mansion as if it were my own home while working as a Rich Nogada.

Of course, in the process, I also naturally memorized the geography of the surrounding forest.

Actually, it wasn’t that useful knowledge.

But as we live, no one knows what will happen in the future.

The geography that I memorized without much thought has now become the deciding factor in the outcome.

“Why aren’t you coming, you little deer? I’ll have to kill you again.”

I wiggled my finger at the golden horn provocatively.

The black eyes of the man with the glare on his face stare at me.

—Blue⋯.

For a moment, I had an ominous feeling.

‘Surely this kid won’t notice at the last minute, right?’

No, that can’t be.

No matter how much of a field boss it is, it is still just a beast.

How could a beast like you know the schemes of humans and the cunning that lies beneath them?

“Come on, kid. Are you scared? Are you scared?”

He raised his middle finger and pretended as if nothing had happened.

The golden horn’s gaze changes in an instant.

Do even deer cubs find the touch of human fingers as unpleasant?

The creature lowered its posture and began to repeatedly kick the ground with one hoof.

‘Yeah, that’s right.’

Thump thump.

The golden horns come running, raising dust.

Come on in.

I greeted him with my arms wide open.

This will add another death to the list.

but.

“This time it’s the same for you too.”

Kwajik—

With a shock like being hit by a truck, my body was lifted into the air.

I glance over and see the bastard’s horn lodged in my stomach, wreaking havoc on it.

I squinted at the visuals, which were more horrifying than I could have imagined.

‘Oh shit… I can’t eat sundae anymore.’

But even Golden Horn must have noticed by now.

Something is different from before.

You must be curious.

Why is he flying in the sky?

The answer is simple.

Because where I was standing was in front of a steep cliff.

“Hey, deer cub. You should die too.”

Golden Horn struggled desperately in the air.

Don’t feel wronged and say you were deceived.

Because the impact of a fall is equal for everyone.

For both humans and beasts.

***

“Characteristic: Resurrected with the effect of immortality.”

“As a result of immortality, some of your abilities will be permanently lost.”

“However, since it has already reached the minimum, the ability value will not decrease any further.”

I came to my senses.

“Eek-!”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I was startled to see the head of a golden horn staring straight at me right in front of my nose.

As if lovers had a good night together.

It’s like he’s watching you with sweet eyes from the bedside, saying, “Did you sleep well? Good morning.”

I thought my heart was going to drop.

After calming my startled heart and looking again, I saw that the guy was definitely dead.

His eyes were rolled back and white, and his tongue was sticking out from his blood-stained mouth.

“It’s surprising.”

I kicked him hard once to vent my anger.

After many twists and turns, we have defeated the enemy, so it is time to reap the harvest.

First, I took the magic stone from the bastard’s corpse.

As I picked up a magic stone that looked like a translucent black crystal, the magic stones that had fallen everywhere gathered together and formed a single mass.

“You have acquired 450 magic stones.”

‘What a win-win.’

A character who just started the game can only obtain one magic stone from each monster he kills at the beginning. Two at most.

Even if you catch a monster, you will only get a magic stone. Ordinary animals like rabbits or squirrels do not give you a magic stone.

‘I have to get to the village quickly.’

My top priority is to strengthen my abilities in the village with the magic stones I’ve collected.

Because I never want to experience the humiliation of being killed dozens of times by a bastard like this again.

But, I was satisfied that the magic stone alone was enough compensation.

“uh.”

A large, firefly-like blue flame flickered over the corpse of the golden horn.

Is this true?

This is what comes out.

This is a “soul” that only drops when hunting boss-level monsters.

My heart, which had been quiet, began to beat again little by little.

A moment of joy that any gamer would find.

‘If you give me a soul, I’ll die dozens of times.’

Deer, this good kid. Thank you kid.

I stroked the head of the golden horned creature that was sticking out its tongue.

“Spirit” randomly gives one of three rewards to the person who acquires it.

First is the permanent enhancement of abilities.

Second, strengthening existing skills or acquiring “Spirit Skills”.

The third is the “Spirit Item”.

‘No matter what comes out, it’s definitely a win-win.’

I paused for a moment, savoring the anticipation, like a child who has saved a delicious side dish for last.

Which of the three is best?

Strictly speaking, the answer is set.

If you think about it carefully, the ability increase is good, but it conflicts with the “immortality” characteristic.

“Immortal” loses abilities when it dies instead of being resurrected.

It would be ideal if I could run to the end without dying even once, but there’s no guarantee that I can do that.

This means that the abilities gained through “Soul” may be lost at some point.

The skills aren’t bad either.

The skill given by the spirit of the golden horn is “Horn Stab”.

This skill creates a magical horn on top of the head and charges forward. It has decent attack power and is quite effective.

However, “Antlers” is a useful skill for warrior characters⋯

It feels a bit ambiguous. It’s hard to decide on a warrior training direction based on just this one skill.

“It would be best if an item came out. The Golden Horn Spirit item is quite useful.”

I licked my lips with my tongue and placed my palm on the spirit.

You want one of three. 33.3% chance.

When you kill a boss monster, the chance of a soul dropping is only 5% at best, but I’ve already surpassed this low chance.

Compared to that, 33% is definitely worth a try.

What will come out? I wonder⋯

Shuwaa—

With a dazzling light, the spirit began to transform into a new form.

“You have acquired the spirit of the golden horn.”

“The Golden Horn’s spirit is converted into a spirit item.”

“Golden Horn Cloak

—Armor items

—Durability 25/25

-Increases physical defense when equipped

– Increases cold resistance and fire resistance when equipped

—A fur cloak imbued with the power of the sacred spirit, the Golden Horn. Light and durable.

—Additional options: “Secret Pocket” “Size Adjustment”

A soft, cream-colored cloak appeared before my eyes.

‘yes.’

Applause broke out spontaneously.

This is it.

Today is the day. The fierce battle was worth it.

With this one, you don’t have to worry about a cloak until the middle of the game. If you don’t have a good one, it’s a performance that you can use until the latter half.

I put on my cloak right away.

I feel like it’s too big for my small body.

But that’s not really a problem.

“It is enchanted with size adjustment magic. It will resize to fit the user’s body shape.”

It changed from the appearance of a child covered in a blanket to an appropriate size that fit his body.

And the other options are pretty useful too.

Secret Pocket

—You can store other items in the subspace of equipment with this option.

—Until the equipment is destroyed, the items inside will be preserved in their original properties.

—The “Golden Horn Cloak” can store two items.

I can’t really store a lot of items like in a “Storage Bag” or a “Storage Ring.” Still, it’ll be useful enough for me right now.

Above all, I have an item that I must cherish above all else.

‘Let’s put this in first.’

“I kept Estelle’s reliquary in a secret pouch.”

Now, there will be no more unfortunate incidents like getting caught in a sudden downpour and having your reliquary (tissue box) get wet and you screaming to death.

‘What should I put in the other one?’

After thinking for a moment, I cupped my palms and received the blood of the golden horn.

“I kept the blood of the golden horn in a secret pouch.”

The blood that had been itemized naturally pooled into a ball and was sucked into the cloak.

Insurance in case of an emergency.

This is an escape tool that can only be used in this forest.

I hope I don’t have to use this until I get to town.

***

Because I fell off the cliff, I ended up taking an unintentional shortcut.

If I had taken the normal route, I would have had to take a long detour.

‘It’s not something I’ll use often, though.’

Slowly the mansion receded into the distance, approaching the outskirts of the forest.

As I leave the deep forest, I’m glad I got the cloak.

Until now, I was only wearing rags that were hard to even call clothes.

I won’t bother to describe where and how it’s torn and how much flesh is visible,

To put it roughly, it was just barely enough to avoid being charged with public indecency.

Unless you’re a Barbarian, it’s not the kind of outfit a girl like Estelle would wear.

I was lucky to be able to cover myself with a cloak.

Still, this only addresses the urgent complaints. Much more is still needed.

“When I get to town, I’ll have to buy some clothes first. Especially underwear. From top to bottom… It’s so cool.”

Thinking about it gives me a headache.

Do women’s underwear exist in the world of “Nine Stars”?

I think so.

And I needed shoes. The unbearable pain in my feet was largely due to walking around barefoot.

As I was walking with that thought in mind.

“Who’s there?”

I heard a voice calling me.

This is the first human I’ve met since entering the world of “Nine Stars.”

“⋯.”

I thought about it for a moment.

Should I answer or not?

In my experience, sometimes humans are more dangerous than beasts.

It was the same in reality.

Needless to say, “Nine Stars”

But now there seemed to be no other choice.

Even if you want to keep your distance, if the other person harbors malicious intent, it is difficult to run away with Estelle’s legs.

“What? It’s a girl.”

“It’s dangerous to wander alone in the forest.”

Three men in light clothing.

I watched the men approach with a hint of anxiety.

“Oh, dear. Are you lost?”

A man said with a kind smile.

⋯It’s still too early to decide how to respond.

However, keeping your mouth shut like this is not a good idea.

Even if I’m on guard, I shouldn’t show it.

I just nodded quietly.

“The road to the village is over there.”

The man bent down to my eye level and smiled broadly.

“I feel uneasy about sending him off alone. Let’s help. What do you think, everyone?”

“There’s nothing I can do.”

Are you planning on taking me directly to the village?

You are so kind.

“They say there are many dangerous animals roaming this forest. Unless you’re a hunter like us, you shouldn’t enter without permission.”

I followed the men without saying much.

I know the way to the village very well.

“What is your name?”

“…It’s Yuria.”

First, I gave a pseudonym.

“Huh, Yuria? That’s interesting. I met a woman with the same name a while ago.”

“I guess all girls named Yuria are beautiful.”

The men laughed as they talked among themselves.

I observed the men’s behavior in silence.

You said you were a hunter, right?

Interesting.

A hunter who doesn’t carry any hunting tools.

No bow, no trap, no bag to hold the game.

A single dagger slung at the waist is all the men have on hand.

What kind of animals were you hunting in this forest?

Old bloodstains stained the sleeves of his clothes.

Whose blood is it? Raccoon, squirrel? Or…

“Just a little further.”

Oddly enough, one of them is walking right next to me, and two are walking in front and behind me, blocking each other.

As if something was stopping me from running away.

I smiled bitterly in secret.

If you were to fall into the world of “Nine Stars”, this would be expected.

I see.

After the beasts, is it time to deal with humans?

But isn’t that right? There’s one thing you’re mistaken about right now.

So, who will be hunted, me or you?