How to Live as a Genius Scholar in another World

Chapter 21 – Ruin Guard Request (8)

—–CROW—– 

“Anything I need to know for the handover?”

“Ah, well, we just found out…”

Francesca explained something to the dwarf. She was probably talking about Nefertiti. I watched their conversation while warming myself by the campfire.

Both were of the dwarf order, dwarf family, dwarf genus, but Francesca was taller.  A half-dwarf being taller, was the dwarf DNA recessive? Their stats were amazing.

The theory of evolution was bullshit.  You were wrong, Darwin.  Here, gods created humans with a snap of their fingers. You and Mendel should stick to counting peas.

“Hmm. A goblin horde, and a Mithril-class adventurer from Sekhmet…”

The dwarf frowned after hearing the explanation. But it was no longer our concern. They would take care of themselves if they felt they were in danger.

“It seems the handover is complete. Let’s go, everyone.”

“Ugh.”

Leaving the groaning dwarf and his party behind, we set off.

As we approached the area marked by the whiplashes, Francesca and I naturally quickened our pace.  I didn’t know if Nefertiti was still in the forest, but I didn’t want to run into her again.

“What the… Did she do this with a whip?”

Est and Paragon, seeing the remaining traces, realized our reactions weren’t overblown.  Humans were creatures who learned through seeing and experiencing.

Thus, the party’s movement speed shifted into double time.

“Kyak!! (Food!!)”

“Kyakshyak!! (Follow!)”

Because we prioritized speed, unlike on our way there, we encountered goblins.

I didn’t expect there to be any goblins left.  Had Nefertiti finished hunting and returned?  That thought crossed my mind, but creatures you hoped wouldn’t be there often appeared when you least expected them.

So, filled with righteous indignation, I set out to teach these brats a lesson.

“Fucking get lost, please!!!!”

“Gyak!!”

I wielded my power ferociously, like Ungnyeo, pregnant with Hwanung’s child.

A mother bear was one of the fiercest predators in the wild.  A time when even a falling leaf seemed like a weapon that could harm her cub.  Compared to a bear at this time, even the hysteria of menstruating women was nothing more than Douner next to Dooly.

Therefore, when I, transformed into Vectorman Bear, focused all my attention on the battle, the results were tremendous.

Slash!

Every single one of my attacks landed without missing.  They were all critical hits.  With enough damage to kill the monsters and enough tankiness to withstand their attacks, my movements became much bolder.

Whoosh!

Thwack!

“Gyak!!”

I decapitated the goblin on the left and reversed the trajectory of my sword to cut down another one.  I noticed a goblin behind the headless one, waiting for an opening to attack, but I ignored it.

To step into the range of a deadly attack, one needed to find the perfect opening. And expecting that goblin to grasp such an opportunity was too much to ask.

“Thunder God Style: Thousand Slashes!”

Whizz!!

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The greatest advantage of increased strength was the sheer increase in power.  An overwhelming difference in strength!  Even my jabs would feel stronger than hooks to my opponents, so even quick, technique-focused attacks had enough killing power.

“Gyah! (It hurts!!) Gyah! (It hurts!!)”

I had swung my sword four times. A downward slash, an upward slash, and one slash to each side.  It was a basic move that even a one-year-old brat in kindergarten could perform with a twig.

I replicated it with the power of a beast.  A massacre unfolded on the forest floor, like a documentary about a grizzly bear’s (green) sword dance.  The sound of splattering blood applauded my swordsmanship.

Splatter! Splatter!

Ooze.

Within minutes, all ten goblins were slaughtered and became fertilizer for the forest.  It was a joyous occasion that the green brats who harmed people were now contributing to nature.

“Wow… He’s a total beast when he’s serious.”

Est, who hadn’t participated in the battle, said.  The short spear she had held for the fight returned dejectedly to her back, without piercing a single goblin.

“Yes.  Honestly, I surprised myself.”

Unlike the first time I used Beast Regression, when I fought calmly, it was no joke. If this was a joke, then shaving someone’s head with clippers while they were sleeping would also be a joke.

Such power with my clumsy swordsmanship!

The most impressive part was how I felt during the battle. It was as if I had glimpsed how far stronger experts fought.

Perhaps because my standards had been raised after seeing that powerhouse Nefertiti, I had a sense of how adventurers with Beast Regression-level power fought and thought.

Powerful warriors didn’t think they would be hit by attacks.

They were confident that they could break through the enemy’s attacks and counterattacks and slice their throats.

It sounded obvious, but it wasn’t.

The reason I could briefly glimpse that level of combat was because goblins were among the weakest monsters, and I was certain I wouldn’t be affected by their attacks.

If it had been an opponent who threatened my life, could I have remained as calm as I was now?  Probably not.

—It’s important to maintain this confidence even against opponents of equal or greater strength.

I felt that was the biggest difference between a true warrior and a strong weakling.

“That was an excellent battle. You’ll quickly rise above the Iron class if you get more monster extermination requests.”

Paragon said after offering a farewell prayer for the green brat smoothie.

“Are you hurt anywhere? I’ll heal you.”

“No, I’m fine.”

I had sliced them in half before they could hit me, so there was no way I could be injured.

By the way, I never got healed by this damn monk. There was no longer any need to fight monsters and get injured. The walls of Sargardis were already visible from the edge of the forest.

Step, step.

I started on the way back home with my companions.

The sun had long since set in the west.  The horizon of the blue sky was glowing red, as if it had been scorched by a torch.  It made me crave meat.

I looked up at the sky, thinking about my bank balance.  A hazy moon hung in the sky. The moon in this world was incredibly large and thus visible even at dusk.

It was a half-moon, plump like pork belly.

***

“Four Iron-class adventurers. Confirmed. You may pass.”

We returned to Sargardis after the usual ID check by the guard, which always triggered my trauma.

The street in front of the city walls, bathed in the evening glow.

We discussed our next steps before parting ways at the intersection leading to the inn where I stayed and the Audhumla Adventurers Guild.

“What about the goblin fangs?”

Est asked. I thought she was asking if we should split the profits, but Francesca’s reply was a bit different from what I expected.

“Let’s sell them to the guild.  The price difference isn’t that big.”

“They might not buy them since we only have this much.”

“What do you mean? Don’t they buy them if we have more than ten?”

“Priest dude, don’t go around saying such naive things. Even if you bring a bag full, they’ll act like you should gather more and come back later.”

I didn’t understand what she was talking about.  I decided to keep quiet.

It seemed like they weren’t buying small quantities.  This world wasn’t like an RPG where they would buy anything, even a flower plucked from a golem, exclaiming, “Oh my! What is this?!”

It seemed guilds only dealt with bulk purchases of cheap items like goblin fangs.

It was like being scolded for only attaching ten eyes to dolls when you were working a doll eye-attaching job.

“Should we sell them to the Mages Guild? We’ll only get a pittance.”

“That’s a vicious business practice.  Taking advantage of people who want to quickly sell things that the guild won’t buy.”

“It seems there’s no other way.”

“I don’t mind doing that.”

After discussing, we decided to quickly sell the goblin fangs.  Like selling avatar items to hoarders in a game, we decided to sell them to the Mages Guild.

“Then—who’s going to take them to the Alchemy Guild and sell them?”

No one answered.  I knew why.  It was a chore to do it yourself, and there was a risk of someone running off with the money if you entrusted it to someone else.

The small amount also increased the risk of someone running off with the money.

—Clink.

The fangs didn’t even fill a small pouch.

The goblin fangs we had harvested were only from the ones we caught in the cave. In the forest, we were too busy running away from Nefertiti like stray dogs chased by a Mad Max dog catcher truck to collect anything.

I wondered if we would even get 1 cooper each if we split it.

1 cooper.  It was a small enough amount that even if someone took it and ran, you would hesitate to stab them in the stomach.

“…Leave it to me. I’m a priest officially affiliated with the Church of the Goddess of Abundance, so you don’t have to worry about me running away. You can come to the church later to collect your share.”

“Sounds good. Should we leave it to this guy?”

“That monk? If we go to the church to get the money, he’ll probably lecture us about the Goddess of Abundance for over an hour.”

“How did you know?”

Because that’s what 21st-century Korean Christians did. Compared to the Korean ladies offering free drink samples, the proselytizing in this world was as bland as lukewarm water. They weren’t ready yet.

“Tsk.  We’ll never reach a conclusion like this.  Let’s decide with this.”

Est said, taking out a 1-cooper coin. She flipped it and caught it on the back of her hand.

“We’ll choose heads or tails, and keep going until only one person is left.”

It was a common betting method in this world without rock-paper-scissors. I often used this to decide who paid for drinks with Dana after I started receiving my salary.

“Let’s do that.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

“Sure.”

“Good that no one has any objections. Then I’ll bet on heads.  The side with the picture is tails.”

Est said, and we each chose heads or tails. Only Francesca chose tails.

“Then I’ll flip it.”

Spin—

Slap!

Est flipped the coin and caught it. I happened to see which side landed face-up on her hand.  As everyone watched, Est revealed the coin on her hand.

Just as I had seen, it was heads. Est grinned.

“Yay~ Party leader wins~! I’ll come to collect the money later. I know roughly how much it’ll be, so don’t try to pocket it!”

“Ugh…”

Francesca, who had lost the all-or-nothing gamble, made a face and checked her pouch.

After dealing with the loot, we headed to the Audhumla Guild.

“Francesca’s party of four. Here’s your reward.”

Clink—

The receptionist divided the coins into four piles of 10 coopers each and placed them on the counter. In this world without disposable bags, payments were always made like this.

“Um, there’s something I need to report.”

Francesca explained the unexpected events that occurred during the ruin guard request. The increase in goblins and the encounter with Nefertiti.

She only relayed the facts and eyewitness accounts, omitting my speculations.  It was best to avoid any future complications.

“An increase in goblins?! Oh my! You must have had a hard time!”

The male receptionist made a fuss and then gave us an additional 4 coopers.  Being an adventurer was definitely not a job for humans.

Only 11 coopers for two days of that hell?  This world was truly uncivilized.  Where were my human rights?  Did I leave them at Carmine University?

No, wait.  I was enslaved there and had my thesis stolen.  It seemed my human rights didn’t exist anywhere in this world.

Anyway, we each took our reward and put it in our wallets. It was time to part ways.

“Alright, that’s it! I’m leaving. Let’s work together again if another request comes up.”

Est said and left. It was a clean break, like leaving a part-time job after your shift.

“If you’re injured, come to the Church of the Goddess of Abundance.  We’ll heal you at a reasonable price.”

Paragon made the otherworldly sign of the cross before leaving.  He wasn’t offering a discount; he was just saying their healing fees were the cheapest.

“Mr. Nord, you worked really hard today. Even more than in the sewers last time.”

Francesca, who remained until the end, said.

“Honestly, considering your performance, you seemed more like the party leader than I did.  I’m truly grateful.”

“Being the party leader doesn’t mean you have to do more work.  It’s just something the higher-ups decide and assign.”

I stopped Francesca from bowing.  Whether you were Bronze or Iron, everyone was basically the same.  I doubted the receptionists had a deep discussion to decide the party leader.

—Let’s just make this guy the leader.  More importantly, what are we having for dinner?

It was probably something like that.

“Hehe. Anyway, thank you.”

Francesca said with a smile.

It struck me again that she was a dwarf who smiled a lot. She had been hesitant and cautious at first. It seemed we had become quite close while working together.

“I’m staying at the Mutarat’s Children inn on 3rd Street.  I’ll buy you a drink if you come by.”

“I’d love a drink. It’s been a while since I had one.”

It had indeed been a while, over a week. During my master’s degree days, I drank at least once a week. It felt like it restored my mental health.

“Mutarat’s Children, right? I’ll visit sometime soon.”

“Yes! If I’m not there, just tell the innkeeper!”

Francesca seemed sincere in her invitation.  Honestly, I thought it was just a greeting, like saying “Let’s have dinner sometime.”  Didn’t this world have such greetings?  I don’t think I heard any at Carmine University.

Anyway, we exchanged pleasantries and parted ways.

The biggest gain from this request was the primal magic “Beast Regression,” but I also received benefits for promotion. I hoped I could reach Bronze class within this year.

“But I still have a long way to go.”

Come to think of it, even a master’s degree was only at the entry level.  I should work on my thesis when I get back to the inn.

Writing was something you had to do as soon as it came to mind; otherwise, it would be put off indefinitely.

—–CROW—–