The Lich Makes the Genius a Mediocre

I had frequented the mansion like it was my own home while grinding as a Lich. Naturally, I had memorized the geography of the surrounding forest in the process. It wasn't exactly useful knowledge, but you never know what life will throw at you. That geography I’d memorized without much thought had now become the deciding factor in this battle.

“What are you waiting for, you deer-bastard? You’re supposed to kill me again.”

I flicked my finger at Golden Horn in provocation. The beast’s black eyes, filled with a malevolent glint, stared right through me.

—Huuuh...

A sudden, ominous premonition washed over me. ‘Don’t tell me this bastard finally figured it out at the last second?’

No. That’s impossible. No matter how much of a field boss it is, it’s just a beast. How could a creature like you understand human schemes and the cunning hidden beneath them?

“Come on, you bastard. Scared? Did you chicken out?”

I raised my middle finger, feigning nonchalance. Golden Horn’s gaze shifted instantly. Does even a deer-bastard find a human’s middle finger offensive?

The beast lowered its stance and began to kick the ground repeatedly with one hoof.

‘Yes, that’s it.’

Thud, thud. Kicking up a cloud of dust, Golden Horn charged. Welcome. I spread my arms wide to greet it. This would add one more death to my tally. But.

“This time, it’s the same for you.”

Crunch—

With an impact like being hit by a truck, my body was launched into the air. I caught a glimpse of the beast’s horns buried in my stomach, tearing through my insides in a gruesome mess. I winced at the sight, which was even more horrific than I’d imagined.

‘Ugh, damn it... I won’t be able to eat sundae anymore.’

But Golden Horn must realize it now, too. That something is different from before. It must be wondering. Why am I flying through the sky? The answer is simple. Because where I was standing was right in front of a sheer cliff.

“Deer-bastard. You die, too.”

Golden Horn flailed its legs desperately in mid-air. Don’t feel cheated by being tricked. The impact of a fall is fair to everyone. To humans, and to beasts alike.

I came to my senses.

“Hiiik—!”

The moment I opened my eyes, I was startled to see Golden Horn’s head staring straight at me from right in front of my nose. It was like a lover who had spent a lovely night together, watching me from the bedside with honey-dripping eyes, thinking, ‘Did you sleep well? Good morning.’ I thought my heart was going to stop.

After calming my racing heart, I looked again and realized the beast was definitely dead. Its eyes were rolled back, white, and its tongue lolled out from blood-stained lips.

“Scaring me like that.”

I gave it a hard kick as a way to vent my frustration. Since I’d managed to take down a difficult enemy after many twists and turns, it was time to reap the harvest. First, I gathered the Magic Stones that had spilled from its corpse. As I picked up one stone that looked like a translucent black crystal, the stones scattered all around gathered together into a single mass.

‘Jackpot.’

A character just starting the game can only get at most one Magic Stone from an early-game monster. Two at most. And that’s only if you kill a monster; ordinary animals like wild rabbits or squirrels don’t even drop them.

‘I need to get to the village quickly.’

Strengthening my stats in the village with the gathered stones is the top priority. I don’t want to experience the humiliation of being killed dozens of times by a deer-bastard like this ever again.

However, I was already satisfied, thinking the stones alone were a sufficient reward. But then...

“Oh.”

I saw a large, firefly-like blue flame flickering over Golden Horn’s corpse. Is this for real? This actually dropped? It was a Spirit, which only drops when hunting boss-level monsters. My heart, which had finally calmed down, began to pound again.

It was the moment of a rare drop that would make any gamer feel ecstatic. ‘If it gives me a Spirit, I’d be willing to die dozens of times.’

You good-natured deer. You grateful bastard. I stroked the head of Golden Horn, whose tongue was still lolling out.

A Spirit gives the acquirer one of three random rewards. The first is a permanent increase in stats. The second is the strengthening of an existing skill or the acquisition of a Spirit Skill. The third is a Spirit Item.

‘Whatever comes out, it’s a guaranteed win.’

I savored the anticipation like a child saving the best side dish for last, hesitating for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a moment. Which of the three would be best?

Strictly speaking, the answer was already decided. If I thought about it carefully, a stat increase is reliably good, but it conflicts with the Undying trait. Undying causes you to lose stats when you resurrect upon death. It would be ideal if I could run to the ending without dying even once from now on, but there’s no guarantee I can do that. That means I could eventually lose the stats I gained from the Spirit.

Skills aren’t bad either. The skill given by Golden Horn’s spirit is Horn Stab. It’s a skill that creates a magical horn above your head to charge. The attack power is decent, and it’s reliable. However, Horn Stab is a skill useful for warrior characters, so... it feels a bit ambiguous. It’s hard to decide on a warrior-focused growth path based solely on this one skill.

‘Getting an item would be best. Golden Horn’s spirit items are quite useful.’

I licked my lips and placed my palm on the spirit. I wanted one of the three. A 33.3% chance. The probability of a spirit dropping when catching a boss-level monster was at most 5%, but I had already broken through that low probability. Compared to that, 33% was plenty worth a shot.

What would come out? Indeed...

Shoooo—

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

A soft, cream-colored cloak appeared before my eyes. ‘That’s it.’ I clapped instinctively. This is it. Today is my day. It was worth risking a fierce battle. With this, I don’t need to worry about a cloak until the mid-game. If there’s nothing better, its performance is good enough to use until the late game.

I put on the cloak immediately. It felt excessively large for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my small frame. But that wasn’t a problem.

‘Size adjustment magic is imbued. It will be resized to fit the user’s physique.’

The appearance of a child wrapped in a blanket changed to a suitable size that fit my body automatically. And the other option is quite useful, too.

It can’t store many items in earnest like a Bag of Holding or a Ring of Holding. Still, it will be helpful enough for me right now. Above all, I have an item that I must cherish more than anything else.

‘Let’s put this in first.’

I stored Estelle’s Phylactery in the Secret Pocket. Now, a tragic event like the Phylactery (tissue box) getting wet from a sudden downpour and meeting its demise won’t happen.

‘What should I put in the other one?’

After thinking for a moment, I cupped my palms and caught Golden Horn’s blood.

‘Stored Golden Horn’s blood in the Secret Pocket.’

The blood, turned into an item, automatically clumped into a ball and was sucked into the cloak. Insurance for an emergency. It’s a tool for escaping a crisis that can only be used in this forest. I hope I don’t have to use ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this until I get to the village.

Because I fell from the cliff, I was inadvertently taking a shortcut. If I had taken the normal path, I would have had to go around for a long time. ‘It’s not a method I’ll use often, though.’

The mansion gradually faded into the distance, and I reached the outskirts of the forest. Leaving the deep forest behind, I felt relieved that I had obtained the cloak. Until now, I had only been wearing rags that were hard to even call clothes. I won’t describe exactly where it was torn or how much of my skin was visible, but roughly speaking, it was just barely enough to avoid a charge of public indecency. A barbarian might be fine, but it wasn’t an outfit a young girl like Estelle should be wearing. I was lucky to be able to cover my body with the cloak.

Still, that only put out the immediate fire. There was still a lot more I needed.

‘When I get to the village, I’ll have to get clothes first. Especially underwear. Top and bottom... it’s too breezy.’

Thinking about it gives me a headache. Does women’s underwear even exist in the world of Nine Stars? I think it did. And I needed shoes, too. The reason my feet hurt so much was likely because I had been walking around barefoot the whole time.

As I was walking while lost in such thoughts,

“Who’s there?”

I heard a voice calling me to a halt. It was the first human I’d met since entering the world of Nine Stars.

“...”

I hesitated for a moment. Should I answer, or not? In my experience, sometimes other humans are more dangerous than beasts. It was like that in reality, too. It goes without saying in Nine Stars. However, there didn’t seem to be any other options right now. Even if I wanted to keep my distance, if the opponent harbored malice, it would be hard for Estelle’s legs to run away.

“What is it? It’s a girl.”

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

Three men in light attire. I watched the men approach, feeling a shred of anxiety.

“Oh my. Are you lost?”

One man said with a gentle smile. ...It’s too early to decide how to respond. However, keeping my mouth shut like this isn’t a good move either. Even if I’m on guard, I shouldn’t let it show. I quietly nodded.

“The way to the village is that way.”

The man bent his knees to match my eye level and smiled broadly. “I can’t leave you to go alone. Let us help you. How about it, guys?”

“Can’t be helped.”

Are they intending to take me directly to the village? How kind of them. “There are many dangerous animals wandering around in this forest. You shouldn’t enter carelessly unless you’re a hunter like us.”

I followed the men without saying a word. I knew the way to the village well enough myself, though.

“What’s your name?”

“...Yuria.”

I gave a fake name for now.

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

“I guess all the ladies named Yuria are beauties.”

The men laughed, sharing a joke only they understood. I silently observed the men’s appearance. Did they say they were hunters? Interesting. Hunters who don’t carry any hunting tools. No bows, no traps, no sacks to carry their prey. A single dagger at their waist was all the armament the men had. What kind of animals were you hunting in this forest?

Old bloodstains on their sleeves. Whose blood is it? A raccoon dog, a squirrel? Or...

“We’re almost there.”

Strangely, one man was walking right next to me, while two others were walking in a formation that blocked my front and back. As if to prevent me from running away. I gave a secret, bitter smile.

If I had fallen into the world of Nine Stars, it was a situation I could naturally expect. I see. After the beasts, it’s time to deal with humans. But you know what? There’s one thing you guys are mistaken about right now. Is it really me who’s being hunted, or is it you?