Lazy Lich

Bleugh! What's that in his mouth? It tasted like dirt!

Rino, a court magician previously, woke up disoriented. Did the mana bomb he set off not work? Why was he still alive? Did he not kill a single fucker in that world? How could it be?!

As he slowly climbed to the top of what he thought was the collapsed roof of the magic tower he used to work in, Rino gasped for air.

Huh? Strange. He could have sworn gasping was usually accompanied by a sound effect.

Now that he was out of the rubble, Rino looked around. The place was very dark. What time was it? He could only see a few shadows but not make out what they were. Scratching his chin, a habit he developed from early on, Rino tried to recall what happened.

Creak! That sound startled him. Why did scratching have a sound effect? What was going on?

As the clouds parted way for the full moon above him, Rino finally understood why the sound effects didn't match his memory.

In his full naked glory, Rino looked at his new bony structure in quite a literal way. He was thin before but never thin enough to see the insides of his pelvic bone. Honestly, this would have caused quite the scandal at the palace if he was still a court magician. Thankfully, he was just another undead in a mass grave that was left forgotten for a long time, judging by the weeds overgrowing on everything.

Hold on! There was a slight problem. Although it didn't amount much to anyone else, Rino was quite flustered. Was he currently a female or a male skeleton?

[Neither.] Replied a voice from inside his head. [You are a lich.]

Not very startled by the voice in his hollow skull, Rino tapped it twice to check that it wasn't some stray spider monster who made it their home.

[We are the Gods who watched over the world you destroyed. Rino, from henceforth, you are a lich brought back to life under our powers to redeem your sins.]

If he was still alive, Rino would have laughed at it. Unfortunately, all he could do was make chattering sounds with his rotting teeth. You needed lungs to laugh, and Rino stopped almost at once when he heard his bones rattling. It was starting to annoy him.

"Why should I?" Rino thought back as hard as he could, hoping he could mentally project his thoughts into a voice. "I don't want to redeem my sins. Just throw me to hell or something."

The Gods ignored him. It was unusual to see a person who didn't fear Gods. It was more unusual to see someone who preferred to boil in hell than jump at the chance for redemption. Unfortunately, this nut case was the best candidate the Gods could find from Rino's destroyed world. They needed someone adept at magic and free labour to repopulate this seedling world.

[You don't have a choice.] The Gods told him. [Build us a kingdom, and we will let you rest in peace.]

Rino looked around. A kingdom? With what army? Even if he dug up dirt and made bricks, it would take him thousands of years to build one! What kind of slavery contract was this? Rino didn't agree to its conditions. Rest in peace? As if these Gods were going to let that happen. There was no peace if the kingdom couldn't be built. That was what he understood. As for the kingdom? It can't be built. Wasn't this just bullying?!

However, he was a very experienced court magician. Politics was his middle name.

"Sure. However, I can't do it immediately."

The Gods paused. [Why not?]

Rino looked at the hole he just dug himself out of and started digging a wider spot so he could sit inside comfortably.

"No resources. No blueprint. No money. No manpower. No pay."

Irritated by his arrogant attitude, as Rino started to search for something he could use as a blanket, the Gods discussed it among themselves. How did such a lazy person become a court magician? Why would such a talented but lazy individual work to build a mana bomb to destroy the world? No matter how much they reviewed his memories, they still couldn't understand.

An hour passed, two hours passed. Rino was content. Who would have thought that being dead would give him the one thing he wanted most when he was alive? How ironic! He was starting to get accustomed to the sedentary life, listening to insects while watching the moon hide behind clouds from his comfy dirt bed, when the voice rang out in his head again, disrupting his silence.

[I understand. To assist you in building the kingdom, we will provide you with a blessing that allows you to view a daily quest system that will guide you step by step a day by a day until you build the kingdom.]

Rino rolled his non-existent eyes. Did he have a say in it? It wasn't as if he had to do it immediately. What a rare opportunity to slack and-

===

Daily Quest #1

Objective: Relocate 5km to the east and 20km to the south.

Tutorial here.

===

Whatever Rino was about to say died at once. These Gods were really desperate, or they were simply slave drivers who hated him. Would it kill them to wait one night?!

[Your daily quest starts today, and it ends at midnight. The time is currently four in the morning. Please finish it before midnight.]

Angry at the Gods for starting his assignment so quickly, Rino grumbles. East? South? He didn't even know where he was! Did the sun even rise from the east in this world?!

[The sun always rises from the east. Get moving.]

Rino wanted to scream. How was he supposed to know? It was only four in the morning. Moving in any direction without confirmation of the right direction was going to waste more time. That's right, the Gods simply said to complete the quest by midnight. It wasn't as if he had to do it now. He could still nap for a few more hours.

He was worked like a dog every day in his past life. There was not a single moment of peace back then, and every day, Rino slogged. It didn't matter if he had to meet people, cure them, fix things or participate in high-levelled strategy meetings. Rino had no breaks. Everyone else envied him for his talents and high status as well as riches, but nobody knew his suffering.

He couldn't sleep at night from all the thoughts in his head, could not even take his shower alone for more than fifteen minutes, had to solve never-ending strings of problems and had money he couldn't spend. Why give him money when he couldn't have a vacation?! It was stupid! Hence, he blew the world up. It was too stupid to exist. Rino had enough.

[There is an arrow in the Daily Quest System and a tutorial function to assist you on your quest.]

Rino pretended not to hear. He saw that.

[You need to complete the daily quest by midnight.] God said again, emphasising its importance and this time, Rino shifted himself to a more comfortable position. The moonlight was a little too bright. Better pour some dirt to cover his eyes.

"I know," he thought back. "I'll do it later."

Although he didn't exactly ask for a new life, Rino wasn't going to waste the chance he was given. This time, he was going to live a proper idle life. Not even humans, birds, or gods couldn't stop him from idling, but they are welcome to try.