Rich turns genius into mediocrity #4

 

It’s a morning where flies are buzzing and the smell of blood is in the air.

“Ugh-”

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

It seemed like many animals in the forest had a great party last night.

The corpses of the robbers were seen.

No, what appeared to be a charred mass of flesh and bones that had been a robbery a few hours ago.

It didn’t seem like it would take much time for humans to be reduced to mere scattered pieces of meat.

I moved to the pond and washed my face.

It felt good to feel the cold water running down my skin.

Blood washed away spreads out on the transparent surface of the water, allowing one to see all the way to the bottom.

“Phew.”

Killed three people.

I did well and I don’t feel guilty.

But…

I think I was mentally prepared enough, but it was still a bit shocking.

‘I need to get used to it.’

I have no regrets.

Otherwise, I would have been the one who got hurt.

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

However, for now⋯

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

“The water is clear.”

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

If only I had just one cigarette right now.

I soaked my feet in the pond and spent some time there, trying to soothe my regret.

“Okay, now. Come to your senses.”

Finally, I splashed cold water on my face one more time and stood up.

I forced my reluctant steps and returned to the gruesome scene.

Anyway, I have to farm.

“You have acquired 2,410 gold.”

“I acquired a dagger.”

I picked up some bloody gold coins and grabbed a dagger that looked useful among the equipment they had.

If you think of it as a reward for subduing three robbers, it doesn’t seem like much or little.

In the first place, there probably aren’t many travelers wandering around in this forest, so these guys probably don’t make much money as robbers.

One of them had a key in his pocket.

‘Is this the key to their hideout?’

I went back to the cabin I had seen the day before.

The door to the cabin is still chained shut.

dripping.

Even though I knew it didn’t mean anything, I knocked and went in.

The musty, dusty smell and sour stench that stings my nose makes me frown.

It’s a total mess inside.

A bowl with leftover food stuck to it.

A broken bottle of liquor rolling around.

As expected from a cabin where three ugly men lived, it was full of trash.

‘There’s nothing to see.’

I was about to leave because I figured there wouldn’t be much to gain by looking into it.

A bulging figure covered with a blanket came into view in one corner.

I have a bad feeling about this.

I stood in front of it, hesitated for a moment, then pushed the blanket away.

“Ah⋯.”

A sigh escaped me without me knowing.

It was a woman.

Tied up with ropes, unable to move.

There was no confirmation of life or death.

Because there was no need to do it.

“⋯.”

I closed my eyes with a complicated feeling.

I wasn’t surprised. I expected that to happen.

If I hadn’t been able to defeat the robbers, this might have been my future.

“You little shits.”

I felt a heavy, foreign feeling, like a stone was lodged deep in my chest.

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

I looked around. There were clothes and a small bag strewn about nearby.

‘This must be this woman’s burden.’

The colors were bright and cute, not like they belonged to thieves.

I opened the bag and found an empty lunch box.

And one letter.

“Can I read it?”

I asked the woman.

Of course, no answer comes back.

[ —To my brother.

By the time my brother reads this letter, I will be in the carriage and heading home.

You might say, “Why did you bother writing a letter when you could have just said it when we met in person?” But that’s the human heart. What you’re too embarrassed to say in person, you can say in a letter.

You don’t quite understand? That’s why my brother still doesn’t have a girlfriend.

⋯

⋯

⋯

Please take care of yourself. Returning home healthy is the greatest gift you can give to our family.

Oh, I packed only your favorite foods in your lunchbox. Enjoy your meal and stay strong.

Yuria, who always supports her brother.]

This woman appears to have been the younger sister of a soldier serving in the Garden colony.

Unfortunately, the letter and lunchbox never reached my brother.

‘Is this a random quest?’

In addition to the main quest, there are numerous quests in “Nines Star” that are newly created for each game.

—Please find Yuria’s older brother in the Garden settlement and deliver the letter.

In this case, the content of the quest would be roughly like this.

Will there be a reward? It’s a simple quest considering the difficulty level alone…

I stopped thinking about that.

It was so disappointing. The sight of me tapping away at quests and rewards, facing tragedy.

I carefully placed the letter in the subspace inside Golden Horn’s cloak.

“Hey, Yuria.”

Try talking to him without hesitation, as if you were talking to a friend.

“I don’t know if that’s any consolation, but those thieves, you know? They’ve been through everything. And it was very painful.”

He wiped away Yuria’s eyes, which she couldn’t see even after death, with his palm.

A small golden sun-shaped necklace was visible around her neck.

You were a follower of Justia.

Justia, the goddess of justice, never forgives evil.

Judging by the results alone, it seems that the punishment that Justia gave to the robbers of the Inmyeonsusim might be me or Estelle.

But…

“It’s funny. Justia even hates the followers of the evil god.”

Lich Frostwind is one of the most loyal servants of the Goddess of Death.

Yes, the followers of El, known as one of the three great evil gods in the world.

It’s nonsense if you think about it in terms of God’s will.

I don’t know.

That’s okay, I just do it because I want to.

“Survival is my top priority, but after that, I’ll just do whatever I want. I don’t know, fuck. So what?”

Of course I don’t have a dick anymore…

That’s what they say.

I grabbed a small shovel and left the cabin.

Pfft, pfft.

I dug the ground behind the cabin until the sun went down.

After digging a hole just big enough for one person, salt sweat dried on my forehead and I had no strength in my arms.

It’s so hard I feel like vomiting.

But, it was something my heart told me to do.

Is this enough? I lean against the shovel handle and gauge its size.

“I’m sorry, Yuria. I’m so tired I can’t dig any further. I’m just not getting enough exercise.”

Yuria was laid in the pit.

“I’m just resting here until I find my brother in the Garden settlement.”

I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

**

“The goddess of death, El, praises your merciful actions.”

**

We walked for a long time through the forest and across the wilderness.

A long wooden fence can be seen along the village boundary.

Garden Western Frontier.

It is one of the six starting points you can choose from when starting “Nine Stars”.

It was fortunate that Richie’s mansion was near the Garden settlement.

‘It would have been difficult if we had started with a northern barbarian colony.’

Michael, whom I raised with great care, started there.

It’s been a long time since I’ve finished all the quests in the northern region, including the hidden pieces.

Phew…

The wind blew. Gray hair fluttered.

An endless horizon and rocky plateau. In the distance, a forest bursting with monsters.

And the weather is always gloomy.

It was a new experience to actually encounter the Garden colony I had seen in the game.

After standing there for a while and taking in the atmosphere, I started walking.

‘I think it would be best not to stand out too much from here on out.’

The hood attached to the back of the Golden Horn’s cloak was pulled down deeply over his head.

It’s better to avoid unnecessary attention. Some people might approach you with malicious intent, like thieves.

As I approached the village entrance, I saw a group of people moving busily.

“Ugh, ugh… I’m dying from exhaustion.”

There are also people staggering while carrying logs on their shoulders.

“Oh dear—this pickaxe is so useless. I’ve been wasting my time all this time. Is anyone listening to me?”

Some people dig the ground with an old pickaxe.

Among them, a man with his shirt off and sweating profusely looked back at me.

“Ah! Is this your first time at Garden?”

He has a very loud voice and exaggerated speech like an actor in a play.

The man smiled brightly, stroking his sweaty mustache.

“Nice to meet you. I am Knight Ivan!”

Although his body was covered in dust and sweat from working outside all day, his brightly smiling face gave off a good impression.

“Hello. My name is Estelle.”

“Estelle! Welcome! Welcome!”

I chuckled under my hood.

I know this guy.

Although he doesn’t have much of an impact on the story, he is one of the named NPCs in “Nine Stars.”

“Do you happen to know how to get into the Garden? If you want, I can tell you.”

“Um, well… then tell me.”

“Aha! Then listen carefully. Unfortunately, it appears you can’t just enter this settlement. To obtain an entry pass, you must complete twelve settlement tasks.”

Ivan continued his explanation kindly.

What are the twelve tasks of the Garden, what tips are helpful for each task, etc.

Ivan himself is said to have cleared up to the eighth task.

“I’m doing well. I expect to have it all finished within a month or so.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Haha! Don’t flatter me too much. You can do it too. If I finish first, I’ll help you with your task too.”

“You don’t have to do that… Anyway, thank you.”

“Why to this extent? It’s a knight’s duty to help those in need.”

Ivan smiled brightly.

‘It’s just like a game.’

In “Nine Stars”, trusting others blindly is foolish.

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

I went to the guard post that Ivan had told me about.

Inside the guard post, two guards were sitting across from each other at a table, absorbed in a game of cards.

A guard put down his card with an annoyed look on his face and turned to me.

“What business do you have?”

“I came here because I wanted to enter the garden.”

“The frontier isn’t a place just for the vagrants who want to enter. If you’re truly desperate—”

The guard snapped at him in a curt tone.

As Ivan said, he had to complete twelve tasks to get his pass.

Here, it wouldn’t be wrong to faithfully perform the chores as ordered by the guards.

But…

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

I sneakily slipped 300 gold to the guard.

“You’ve all worked hard, so this will help you quench your thirst.”

“Oh, um… You don’t have to do this.”

“You’re somewhat sensible.”

The guards laughed awkwardly and quickly put the gold coins away before anyone could see.

“Okay, your pass. Be careful not to lose it.”

“huh.”

After taking my pass, I went inside the door.

I glanced back and saw Ivan, with a bright face and beads of sweat, mingling with the people outside the fence.

Knight Ivan.

His nickname is ‘Ivan the Fool.’

A trustworthy and good NPC, but not of much help to the player.

It was the same just now.

Because things like the guard’s tasks are just malicious designs by the production team to fool beginners.

‘I want to help Ivan, but…’

But even if I told him how, nothing would change. Ivan would never accept the “unscrupulous” option of bribing.

He’s just a character born with such a pitiful fate.

As I was about to enter the village, my eyes met with Ivan’s.

Ivan strokes his mustache and gives a thumbs up.

‘Cheer up.’

To show my support, I also gave him a thumbs up.