Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Lich's Vengeance
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Caw!
A crow sliced through the night sky, already darkened to an inky black, letting out an ominous cry as it circled above a withered old tree.
Its eyes gleamed darkly—red as if filled entirely with blood, without a trace of white.
“I knew…you’d come back……”
Squeezing the vocal cords—would it produce a sound like this, crushed like pulp?
A chillingly low, raspy voice flowed out from between the dead branches, scattering into the darkness before soon erupting into a guttural chuckle.
Then, as if the night itself parted, the moon emerged from the thick clouds, slowly casting its glow onto the old tree. Without a whisper of wind, the tree shuddered.
The twisted trunk, which had seemed long dead, slowly parted its upper branches like a body opening wide, splitting apart. Into that gap, the crow descended languidly.
“Enter… I must witness your memories……”
The top of the old tree gaped wide open, funneling the moonlight straight down unfiltered. In the center sat a lone black basin etched with a magic circle.
From the dark, murky water, a single white bony hand rose stealthily. The crow, now inside the hollow, perched cautiously atop it.
Kikigik!
As it delved into the crow’s memories, uncontrollable fury surged from the lesser lich beneath the black water, its nails scraping against the basin’s walls.
How infuriating! How resentful!
Over seventy years of preparation—ruined by a mere child’s swing of a sword!
It had readied a gem to replace its heart, even a vessel to possess, just like that great one…
The grievous wound at the end had forced it to hastily transform into a lich using only its own mana, resulting in countless side effects that confined it to this polluted mana spring.
“I will never forgive you……”
Its vast dark mana and knowledge endured unchanged. The lich had withered but not crumbled, still harboring dreams of vengeance.
And so, it had dispatched familiars to the village that had sheltered the child, watching for years.
For the day that rat pup would return.
It had planned to seize the fool who came back to the barren, empty land—to wring it dry from flesh to soul and devour it whole.
“Impressive……”
In the crow’s eyes, the rat pup had grown remarkably.
Striking looks, sword training evident in a well-balanced frame… and the faint aroma of mana.
Body possession was now impossible, but at that level, better to slay it in despair and claim it as kin—rather than squeezing out its blood and incinerating its soul for dark mana absorption.
The accompanying beastkin as well—yes, that talent seemed promising.
“But… that human child, brimming with arrogant energy… utterly useless. Better to crush it into dark mana.”
Kyaaak!
The crow wailed long and shrill, as if echoing his words.
The lich read the memories to their end, murmuring lowly from the depths of the polluted mana spring.
“Southeast… yes, from the mining city……”
Then they would take the western highway to the next village.
Ambush undead there in advance, and slaughtering them all would be child’s play.
“In the end… your body will serve me well……”
The lich dispatched the crow toward the western highway. It would scatter dark mana to rouse and gather the undead, lay traps, then return.
From where they rested, a gloomy, turbid metallic clang reverberated inside the old tree.
* * *
“Let’s head back to the mining city.”
Poking the campfire embers with twigs to coax brighter flames, Luna tilted her head curiously. Cain stared, wondering why.
“We’re not taking the western highway to the next village?”
“Why bother?”
I shot back at Cain, gazing down at the now roaring fire with a satisfied smile.
The robe warded off the chill, but nothing beat a campfire for camping.
I pulled jerky, bread, cheese, and more from my subspace, grilling them over the flames while shrugging.
“What’s the point of going to the next village anyway?”
“Um… to build… experience? And……”
Luna tore into a piece of grilled jerky, her lips slightly charred as she glanced at Cain mid-sentence.
“Gather intel……”
The Evil God cult. Ah, Cain still didn’t know they were a cult.
Mysterious killers offering sacrifices—tracking them for info on his sister’s traces while growing stronger.
That was Cain’s goal right now.
“But do we really need to waste road time for that? Traveling hunts are for combat experience anyway.”
Round-trip school commutes took three hours; work, two.
Living that daily grind made wasting travel time feel criminal.
I handed Luna a steaming grilled cheese and started another.
“Why not warp straight to a monster hotspot and dump the saved time there? Like……”
“Monster borderlands.”
“Or the labyrinth city.”
Cain and I traded suggestions. I passed him some cheese too, grinning.
“Adventurer registration smooths out ID checks.”
Blowing on the cheese—now shriveled to a light brown crisp—I continued.
“Then borderlands or labyrinth for experience grinding. Higher ranks mean better intel quality.”
Too lazy to keep blowing, I slowly waved the twig-speared cheese, eyeing them both.
“Borderlands along the mountains? Endless surprise scenarios.”
Monsters didn’t RSVP.
You’d bolt awake from sleep or hit freak accidents.
Sparks cooperation with other parties, tactical ambushes or pursuits across wild terrains.
“Downside’s the army gig—orders galore.”
“Freedom… takes a hit too……”
I nodded, then pivoted to the labyrinth city.
“Labyrinth city, on the flip……”
“Pros: structured hunts or delves.”
“Cons: tight security inside… plus full planning means… way too comfy……”
…Stealing my thunder?
Truth was, I didn’t mind either. Both were must-visits.
If pressed, labyrinth first edged it out—fixed hidden loot versus borderlands’ random drops.
“So, you two pick.”
But Cain should decide, not me.
I went for the nutty, grilled cheese—scalding hot, lips grazed and recoiled. Waved it in the air again.
“Hm. Labyrinth city sounds best.”
“Me too…… Gotta stack basics first… then borderlands……”
“Back to mining city it is—warp gate, mage tower pit stop.”
Restock the bitters pronto for peace of mind.
Gamers gonna game—potions maxed at 99, chug, refill, repeat.
“Then… labyrinth city… adventurer signup… dungeon dive……?”
Luna muttered about the stuffiness. I eyed her, nibbling cooled cheese and chewing.
“Might… secretly comfy?”
Game Luna geeked over it—rabbit hole nostalgia from kid days.
A few salty bites in, belly full, drowsiness hit……
Caw!
A crow cried nearby. Head up—sky deepened to late night, skin-deep.
“Sleep time.”
Wilderness all ours, I unpacked an auction artifact: instant tent setup. Grinned.
Money magic. Golden calf vibes? Salaryman curse.
Flicked fingers—artifact hummed. Massive round tent billowed up around me. Red-eyed crow swooped, perched on the peak.
Big sucker.
Hand-pegging that? Nah.
Overkill for one-nighter handmade, but artifact? Snap.
Blissful sleeping bag, subspace blanket from home draped over.
Cozy AF—gotta flat-back it proper.
“Good night……”
“Night, Luna.”
Cain, crash too.
Magic fireproofing kept flames chill. Fire central, us spaced out—soon, adorable snores.
Luna’s sleep-snore: dorong-dorong.
Cain? Asleep or comatose? Crackling logs drowned any breath.
‘Sleep won’t come.’
Body melted blissfully, mind razor-sharp. Stared blankly, twisted toward Cain’s spot, trait window up.
[Cain Rayners—The Advancer]
Key Traits: [Unyielding (SS)] [Genius (S)] [Appearance (A+)] [Physique (S+)]
Hidden Traits: [Tenacity (A+)] [Versatility (C+)]
‘Protagonist gonna protagonist.’
Brushstroke perfect: sky, wind, time—all orbiting Cain. Oath-spilled vow in that frozen instant.
Traits flicked open unbidden; title shift registered.
Uncanny vibe.
Effort birthing new fate-path—unlike rote endings, fresh finale loomed.
‘Me? Equal biz partner? Ha—cross to Earth first, punk.’
Grin crept; finger-smushed it down. Foolish whimsy.
Chill—road’s long.
Effort validated? Dialed hype, slow-reread traits.
Rushed title-check earlier.
‘Appearance, physique upgrades imminent. Unluck scrubbed. Versatility fresh.’
Mind blown anew.
Human? For real?
Sub-year trait jumps……
Starved-fugitive husk bulked muscle—steep curve, sure. But traits? Lifetime one-two upgrades max, sometimes.
Talents stacked deep, lump-sum Versatility popped.
C-grade joke? Nah. Cain caps higher.
Growth spurt now—few years? Wild.
Innocent Saga late-game? Inflation apocalypse.
Pebbles vs. bosses—comments begged.
‘That damn realism.’
Pebble rants in reviews haunted.
Lame drip then……
Shuddered hard, eyes clamped shut.