I Was Mistaken as a Genius Mage in a Game-Chapter 66

Wasteland.

During a war, it refers to the frontline between the trenches of our side and the enemy's.

In the world I came from, the concept of trench warfare was developed relatively recently, probably around the time of World War I?

But in this era, where dragons cover the sky and demons crawl out from the ground, that concept, unfortunately, seems to have been established much earlier than in the previous world.

A world where military tactics have advanced far more than human rights or labor laws.

The Middle Ages were already miserable enough, but this fantasy world is particularly a miserable place.

“Three mutants about 2 meters ahead!”

“What are the mages doing, shoot already!”

“Wait, there’s a shadow that looks like an orc! It might be our side, so hold fire...”

“Clearly an illusion! It's got two heads, shoot magic now!”

Yeah.

It’s really fucking miserable.

The screams of the soldiers, almost like shrieks, filled the battlefield. The soldiers reported to their officers about their situations and the ever-changing battlefield conditions, and the officers, after hearing the reports, yelled orders to the soldiers at the top of their lungs.

“We need honey, we need honey! Or at least sugar...”

Sometimes I hear nonsense, but most of the soldiers quietly stomped through the muddy waters, silently fulfilling their duties.

“Demons appearing on the frontline!”

“Shit, get down!”

Whoosh!

A damp and hot wind brushed past my cheek. A red sphere, flying from the fog, fell right in front of the trench where the soldiers were hiding.

The red sphere, upon hitting the ground, exploded with a massive blast, creating a large hole in the earth. Poisonous muddy water sprayed everywhere, and the fog thickened even more. Fortunately, the soldiers who were hidden in the trench were mostly unharmed.

While modern trench warfare developed with the appearance of firearms, medieval fantasy trench warfare seemed to have developed rapidly due to mages who could summon fire and lightning at will, and skilled archers who could hit targets even from over 1,000 meters away.

“...Damn.”

The trench had been dug, and mages exchanged blinding spells with each other. Snipers poured arrows at the enemy soldiers who emerged from the trench.

Where’s the so-called medieval war in this?

Where did the honorable knights in armor go? Only the vulgar and horrific “reality” remained here.

“....”

Alter and Rex seemed almost immune to this battlefield. Even though they saw the horrific scene of trench warfare from a distance, they just gripped their weapons with grim faces without saying anything.

Lir seemed slightly hesitant. It was probably her first real war, so this was a natural reaction.

“...It seems like you’re not scared, Bin?”

Lir said, watching me silently walk toward the frontline, following the officer’s guidance.

“I’m scared.”

Some might think ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) I’ve been through war before, but this is my first time stepping into such a brutal place. People are getting injured at random, and screams echo everywhere. How could I not be scared?

“For a boy seeing the battlefield for the first time, you’re pretty calm, General.”

Rex seemed to think my reaction wasn’t normal either, and he agreed with Lir's comment.

“If you consider my background, it’s not that strange.”

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

I was from a life of a street urchin.

I was born with the [Calm] passive skill, which is a cheat. I naturally feel fear or discomfort, but I won’t be paralyzed by it and fail to do what needs to be done.

“...Well, you did say you went into high-level dungeons where artifacts appeared when you were young. I guess it makes sense.”

Lir nodded as though she understood, interpreting my words in her own way.

...Well, think what you want. I don’t have the energy to correct her.

“The mission General Bell conveyed is one.”

We stepped into the deep, long trench from the rear to the frontline, and the officer, who had been leading us at the front, finally shouted loudly. Without raising his voice, his words would have been drowned out by magic and screams.

“You need to leave a strong impression on the demons! ‘There is Bin here, and Bin is a very dangerous being,’ make sure that they deeply engrave this fact into their minds!”

“How exactly should we do that?”

Bang!

A loud explosion filled the air, and a thin mud rained down from above. Lir pulled her hat low and stuck closely behind me, while Rex carefully squeezed his large frame into the deep trench.

“Pardon?!”

The officer, as if my voice was drowned out by the artillery fire, shouted back at me.

“Exactly! What should we do?!”

I shouted back loudly. I couldn’t say many words with my thin, fragile voice, so I had to pronounce each word clearly.

“Uhm... the message I received said ‘summon a spirit,’ that’s what they said!”

The officer hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a loud voice. It seemed like he had no idea what was meant by “summon a spirit.”

...Summon a spirit?

“Anyway, I was told you’d understand if I said that...!”

“....”

Bell’s plan was a highly effective strategy.

If a young mage who had just missed a couple of months were to show that they could control a spirit at will, how would the demons react?

From the demons’ perspective, they would be filled with such rage that they would undoubtedly decide that killing me was the only solution.

Since they had decided to use me as bait, it made the most sense to exaggerate my worth in this way.

“...Pardon?!”

But there was one problem...

“Summon a spirit!”

“...Pardon? I can’t hear you well?”

I didn’t want to summon that damn thing.

I didn’t want to see its face. I didn’t want to hear its voice.

That damn thing is just unlikeable. No, the spirit is unlikeable.

“Spirit!”

At that moment, Lir, who had been right behind me, shouted into my ear, replacing the officer.

“...”

“General! He’s asking you to summon a spirit!”

Rex also bellowed in his deep orc voice, repeating the same thing. His loud voice was so much larger than the bomb sounds, it was impossible to ignore.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

“...”

Ah, I really don’t want to...

“...Ah, okay! A spirit.”

I awkwardly smiled and responded as though I had just figured out what it meant.

“Do you know what that means?”

“...Well, it’s just as it sounds.”

“What? What did you say?”

“You’ll see.”

I replied to the questioning officer, and walked deeper into the trench.

As we got closer to the frontline, the screams grew clearer and the smell of blood became stronger.

Every now and then, I could see soldiers leaning against the walls of the trench, resting, their bodies covered in mud and wounds.

“...This is where you’ll grab their attention!”

We stopped a little further from the frontline, where magic was flying around.

“Be careful! If you get hit by a blind spell and get even a scratch, General Bell will kill me!”

“You’re worried about me, or yourself, I can’t tell...”

“What?!”

“No, nothing! Please, move out of the way!”

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes quietly, and focused all the feeling into my right hand.

Small black powder particles began to push through the skin of my hand, gathering together.

The particles clumped together into dots and then slowly wove into thin threads, eventually forming a long staff in my hand.

‘Ah, it’s been a while. Has it been two days? I was thinking of starting a conversation since you haven’t called me lately.’

As soon as I gripped the staff, a familiar, annoying voice filled my head.

‘So, you need something? Or are you just lonely? Want to talk about relationships? I love those. How’s Lir? Not going well? Don’t be too disappointed. Elves prefer to meet other elves. Because of the lifespan difference, they think it’s sad, but—anyway, if you want to meet a new woman... how about a dwarf? They’re cute and sassy, with a lively personality. They’re also very affectionate, and watching them waddle around...’

What the hell is this guy talking about?

I sighed and furrowed my brows, looking at the staff in my hand.

“...Please shut up. It’s giving me a headache.”

‘I’ve been so bored these past two days without anyone to talk to. Isn’t it a simple request to just chat?’

“...Seriously, why is everything you do unlikeable? Don’t you see the situation?!”

In response to my scolding, a warm bolt of lightning shot out from the staff. The lightning filled the trench, then gathered above.

The lightning then formed into the shape of a deer. The massive horns stretched outward like beautiful tree branches, and its hooves were shaped in elegant curves, as if sculpted by an artist.

“Unlikeable?”

The damned deer asked, emitting a bright white light.

“...”

I didn’t bother answering.

You’re the unlikeable one, aren’t you?

“...Huh.”

Lir sighed quietly behind me. She had once revered the spirit like a god, but now that she realized what it truly was, she seemed uncomfortable.

“Ooh...”

In contrast, Alter let out a deep exclamation upon seeing the form of the spirit. For someone who had lived his life as an electric mage, the spirit always appeared mysterious and beautiful to him.

“Hah.”

The orc warriors and trench soldiers, who were ignorant of magic, didn’t even seem to understand what they were looking at. They just stared blankly at the beautiful and gigantic deer.

“The task is simple. Grab attention. Make sure it’s visible from at least 2,000 meters away.”

“An interesting strategy. Volunteering to be a target in a battlefield? I guess all the manuals for mortals’ military strategies have burned away?”

The spirit laughed mockingly, as it began to gather electricity between its massive horns.

To the spirit, the flow of the war or the purpose of the mission didn’t matter. As long as it looked fun, that was all that mattered.

“...Wait, lightning is so cliché.”

Just before the mass of white light gathered between the deer’s horns exploded, the spirit dispersed the gathered electricity into the air with a cryptic statement.

It seemed to be thinking of something amusing, but I felt nothing but anxiety from that laugh...

“Uh.”

Huh?

Huh?

“...Bin?”

I felt my white hair stand on end as if struck by lightning. Sparks flew from my robe, and my body slowly began to rise into the sky like metal drawn to a huge magnet.

Though everyone, including Lir, warned me not to lean out of the trench, it wasn’t voluntary. My body was rising by itself, slowly but surely.

I also wanted to come down. Pull me back, you idiots. Why are you just standing there?

“Isn’t it funny? A mortal riding atop a spirit!”

“...What?”

What the hell is this guy thinking again?

“If we fly up like this, I wonder how much magic will be shot at us. Huh?”

“I don’t care, you lunatic.”

Shut up and get me down.

“I’ll make sure to grab some attention. You know, live up to the name of ‘Spirit’s Master’!”

This guy must have had some issue with the nickname the dwarves gave me.

Couldn’t he have told me that beforehand? Then I would’ve clarified things with the dwarves...!

The spirit then pulled me close to its body before jumping high into the sky. Lir, Alter, and even Rex, with his huge frame, quickly shrank to the size of peas.

The altitude rose so quickly that I felt like my consciousness was about to leave my body.

...Just dropping a big bolt of lightning would be enough.