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Hassan, a local from the swamp
035 ? Swamp Local Hassan #2
“Oh, Mr. Hassan. I heard the story. You killed a big lion with your bare hands?”
Daphne, with her funny green hair, greeted us. What’s more, the first thing she said when she saw us was, “Have you killed the lion?”
It was the same when I was talking to that group of girls earlier, but rumors in this world travel very quickly.
It must be because there are musicians playing in taverns and on the streets, and because they ride around here and there like snacks for pedestrians.
“I, that wasn’t actually a lion, it was a huge cat… I didn’t kill it, I just captured it and took it away. I didn’t do it alone.”
“I see. But that alone is a great thing. Anyway, Hassan-san’s fame is spreading everywhere.”
“What is majesty?”
“The Mars Guild has high expectations for a newcomer since Hippolyte! I feel great because I think I’ve finally taken a beating on the arrogant receptionist bitches at the Minerva Guild!”
“Oh, I see.”
“So let’s just say he killed a lion. Should we exaggerate a bit and say an elephant? Or a drake?”
“Isn’t that a bit too much of a joke…?”
“That’s enough to get the Minerva Guild brats to stop me. Those brats go one step further.”
The conflict between the Minerva Guild and the Mars Guild seems to be reminiscent of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Could we see this as a rivalry where they brag and show off what they have to each other and can’t stand to put the other down?
While I was brooding over the politics and society of this world, Daphne flicked the abacus in front of her.
“But the commission fee of 2 silver seems to be too cheap. This is not going to make a profit. I should warn Nemea, the alchemist of the West Gate slums.”
“Is this a warning?”
“Well, for now, we’ll just ban you from using the guild’s commissioned site for a few days or a few months. If the prices continue to be excessively high and do not match the market price, we’ll have to consider permanent re-appointment.”
That’s something. The two silver commission I received was on the cheaper side. I never thought of it. I just thought it was good to earn more money than when I was a slave.
Looking back now, it seems like I had a really hard time.
Of course, what happened after that was actually an incident that I had to pay for-. I’ll just bury that in my heart for the rest of my life.
“Anyway, I have high hopes for Mr. Hassan. The blessed Samaritan. It’s going to be quite a lively picture. If Mr. Hassan raises his reputation, our guild will become famous as well. As Mr. Hassan’s receptionist, I will also get promoted…”
Daphne laughs, “Hehehe,” as if she’s reached a happy fantasy. Anyone can become happy like this when their own interests are at stake.
“Anyway, I have a custom commission for Mr. Hassan and Miss Luna. The commission fee is a whopping 10 silver! And when you successfully complete this commission… .”
Knock, tak, tak.
Daphne, who had been continuously flicking the abacus, looked at Luna’s face and said.
“Luna, you will be promoted to Bronze Tier with your fees and contributions included!”
“Me, me, bronze!?”
Luna screamed in disbelief.
I couldn’t believe it either. Luna was bronze? The same rank as the Amazons who were wearing armor and holding swords earlier?
Of course, Luna’s growth expectations will be high. Luna is the daughter of some strange being called Nox or something. In our terms, she is the daughter of a true god. But isn’t Bronze still a bit too much?
“B, I thought it would take some time to get the bronze dog tag….”
“This is something that came up during an internal meeting. Luna is the only one who can supply the Tiger Wasp Brewery to the guild. If you reach the Bronze Tier, the guild will lend you some, so it would be a good idea to set up a brewery.”
“I’m in a workshop? Really!? That’s ridiculous!”
“That’s not nonsense. According to the Mercury Bank investigation, there is a considerable amount of land and real estate registered under Lady Luna’s name in the Ideopa Archipelago. That’s enough credit… But why are you starving and adventuring? You’re a strange person.”
“Oh my goodness, Hassan! I’m Bronze Tier! I can set up a workshop!”
Luna grabbed my arm and shook it back and forth. From the moment the topic of real estate and such came up, my head was spinning, so I too was out of my mind.
I thought he was a beggar like me, but he turns out he’s a rich guy? Something like that. Suddenly Luna starts to look different.
“Hassan, did you hear that too?”
“Yes, yes, I heard.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
Luna frowned slightly at me using formal language. Soon, the receptionist, Daphne, continued her explanation.
“Of course, that’s only if you successfully complete this quest. Given the amount of money involved, it’ll be a fairly tricky and difficult quest. The swamps of Kallan. The main content will be dealing with the native spirits living there and exterminating the Pluto cult.”
Processing, slaughter-.
Finally, a plausible adventurer’s request was given to me.
When I looked over Elfriede’s shoulder and saw the adventurers’ real situation, I thought that doing something related to life was something that was mainly given to those in the Bronze Tier, that is, those who had a good head on their shoulders.
I feel like I have a relatively fast sense. Should I think of myself as a highly anticipated rookie or something like that?
“Excuse me, Daphne. May I ask what the Pluto Society is?”
“Ah-. There are just some bad kids. The god of the underworld… uh.”
Daphne shut her mouth as if she had said something she shouldn’t have said. She soon gave a cough and continued speaking.
“They are pagans who unofficially worship Pluto, the god of wealth. No matter how many times you kill them and hang them on the gallows, these filthy and unholy corpses will continue to appear. So, it is only natural to control them and reduce their numbers, right?”
“okay.”
“Since you’ve formed a party with Luna, you should learn a simple religious worldview from her. Although it’s not the faith of the Twelve Lords, the Nox faith that Luna believes in also falls within the category of orthodoxy.”
*
Luna and I left the guild. The mission departure is said to be tomorrow. Did you say that it will be a fairly large-scale expedition to the swamp with the other party members, excluding Luna and me?
The amount of the bonus is 10 silver, isn’t that quite large?
The amount of money that would have taken half a year of starvation during slavery to save up comes from completing just one request?
Is this true?
My sense of money has become strange.
Somehow, it felt like I was forming an expedition to raid a boss monster, and my heart started pounding a little without thinking.
Of course, if a boss monster really appears or something, I have to run away, damn it. Not just me, everyone else will run away.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Oh, yep-.”
“Why are you suddenly using formal language? It’s weird.”
“No, no, no. Nothing.”
“So, these twelve gods reside on the high Mount Hypos. There are also three gods with great power. The most famous one is Jupiter, the god of the sky. Then there is Neptune, the lord of the sea, and the last is Pluto, the god of wealth and treasure.”
As we walked outside the guild, Luna told me about various things. She talked about the gods of this world and the myths. To me, it just sounded like a fantasy story.
However, as I listened to the story, there was something that concerned me.
“Pluto is the god of the underworld, right? The god of the underworld.”
Contextually, it would be perfect for the god of the underworld to take that place.
The sky, the sea, and the earth are the most basic attributes or hierarchies in any myth or story. I think the contents of the comic books I read as a child are starting to come to mind.
“Shh, you, you shouldn’t call me that. That’s taboo.”
However, Luna looked around and gave me a warning as if she was a Korean who secretly shouted for independence among the Japanese police.
“Pluto is the god of wealth. Only the religious sects worship him as the god of the underworld. You should never call him that.”
“okay?”
I was curious about the reason, but when I thought about it, it was none of my business, so I just let it be. In fact, that wasn’t what I was really curious about.
I gave Luna half of the silver I had earned in search of the giant cat, and finally asked her what had been on my mind.
“Hey, Luna.”
“Why? Do you have any questions? Give me one silver instead? Hassan, the barrel is too big!”
“Anyway, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I overheard you talking, and I heard that there’s a lot of land named after you.”
“Oh, that? I don’t know the details. The village elders manage it. It’s like a sanctuary that can’t be sold in the first place, so it’s not worth any money.”
I don’t know what you mean by a sanctuary that can’t be sold. In Korean terms, it’s like a green belt where development is prohibited. But the fact that they own the land itself was really dazzling to me.
Owning land or buildings was something that was very far from me, even when I lived on the other side of Earth, not to mention this world.
Oh my, it wasn’t a bright pink, it was a gorgeous pink. A Chikorita with gold rims. This isn’t a Chikorita anymore. What should I say? What is it? My poor brain just can’t figure it out!
“But if you were on that island, you wouldn’t have had to starve. Is there a reason to come all the way to this faraway place and suffer?”
“I told you. The Ideope Islands are cursed. I want to somehow remove that curse. If I become a high-ranking adventurer, I might be able to obtain some kind of relic that can remove the curse.”
“Hmm, that might be true.”
“Hasan, you too have left your homeland. The Samaritan Desert is very far from here. How did Hassan end up here?”
“That’s right.”
Me too, damn it, I wish someone would tell me why.
In the Republic of Korea, which is located further away than the Samaritan Desert or something, why is Hassan, who was clearly living an ordinary life, here?
Anyway, as we continued chatting about useless things, it was already lunchtime, so we went into a nearby restaurant.
After filling our bellies with a bowl of soup costing 5 coppers and a cup of barley tea costing 3 coppers, we headed outside and saw people gathered in the square, chatting noisily.
“Okay, I’m selling rocks. I’m selling hard rocks that are easy to throw. I’m selling rocks that I got myself.”
“We sell them cheaper than the next door neighbors. One stone costs one copper. The bigger ones cost five coppers.”
What the heck, are you selling rocks for?
“Hassan, look at that! Look at that Jjangdol Festival!”
Luna jumped up like a high school girl who discovered an idol concert on the street. I just furrowed my brows, not knowing what the hell a Jjangdol festival is.
So I casually asked the turbaned sandman kid who was selling rocks by arranging them on his stand.
“What kind of festival is this?”
“Friend of the foreign land, this is not a festival, this is an execution. Those who break the laws of the gods are stoned to death according to their duty. Would you like to buy a stone?”
An execution ceremony?
As I look around at those terrible words, I see a man tied to a cross and held high among the people.
His face was swollen from being beaten, and his body was covered in wounds to the point where his clothes were torn off. He looked like he had been whipped more than twenty times. I’ve been beaten so many times that I’m an expert in that area.
“Now, now, listen carefully. This man here, Penny, has broken the law of the gods. That law is that he has repeatedly performed healing acts without the permission of the temple!”
“That kid fed me mold!”
“To me too!”
A prisoner spitting out blood from his mouth after being accused by someone.
“Oh, it’s not mold, it’s medicine. It’s an antibiotic that kills the cause of invisible diseases…”
“Shut up, you idiot! The mold you fed me made my hair fall out and made me bald!”
“That, that’s originally your family history….”
“Anyway, it’s your fault! Let’s throw stones!”
and!
People were throwing stones here and there. What happened next was such a barbaric and horrible scene that I can’t even describe it.
“Chicken skewers, 5 cooper.”
“Three cups of refreshing barley wine.”
Next to it, there are stalls and restaurants selling all sorts of things, and everyone is busy enjoying themselves as if it were some kind of festival.
What a fucking world. How can someone hit someone in the face with a dead ball and still smile so brightly?
“Want some Hassan chicken skewers? I’ll buy you one! I even got paid!”
“Well, of course it’s good.” Indeed, the rich man’s spending habits are different.
As we were nibbling on a few pieces of grilled chicken on a stick, the man who appeared to be the master of ceremonies continued speaking.
“Okay, next! Next is the street musician Malko! This kid has already swindled here and there, totaling over 20 silver! Should I sell him into debt slavery for the country or stone him to death? You decide!”
“Let’s throw stones!”
“Tongue, brothers! Save me! I, I said I would pay you back when I became famous! The signature I gave you will one day be sold for a lot of money!”
… … .
… .
“Let’s throw stones!”
and!
No, why the hell is that kid tied up over there? Anyway, it was nice meeting you, kid. How much harm have I suffered because of you?
“Merchant, please give me a stone. A big one.”
“The Samaritan gentleman has quickly adapted to the laws of the continent. Here he is. There is nothing more fun than throwing stones. But be careful. If you become addicted to the taste of stones, you will end up selling your wife for the price of stones.”
I was able to get a fist-sized rock instead of the missing copper, so I clenched my fist to throw it.
“Tongue, aren’t you brothers! Man, this is truly a fateful meeting! Thank you, Mercury! Brother! If I keep going like this, I’ll get stoned to death! Won’t you defend me!”
Malko must have noticed me in the crowd because he struggled so hard that the ropes that were binding him creaked and came loose.
Damn, how did you find me in all these people? Is it because of my hair? Anyway, he’s a talented guy.
“You’re defending a radio eater?”
“Who the hell is it?”
All eyes are focused on me along with Malko’s loud shout. The gazes of the crowd holding the crowbars are truly menacing.
“I have no intention of defending myself, so just throw stones.”
“Let’s throw stones!”
“and!”
“Tongue, brothers! Grrrr, sin, let he who is without sin throw the first stone at me!”
Malko’s nose was swollen even more after being hit by rocks flying here and there. Unable to endure the brutal violence, the guy ended up shaking Janggo’s hand.
“Let only he who is without sin throw the first stone at me!”
Boom, boom.
But the hand that was throwing the stone stopped abruptly at that shout. Malko, not missing the opportunity, screamed loudly.
“Brothers, I know everything! Hey, that blonde over there! Brother, last night without telling your wife-.”
“Oh my!”
“Yes, the sister next to her! Even though the sister took a vow of chastity-.”
“Joe, be quiet!”
“We are all sinners! Should a sinner condemn another sinner? My sins are something that only the gods can judge!”
The voice of the man facing death was so heartbreaking that it felt like his intestines were being torn apart.
There was so much that could be called madness or a ghost that people dropped the stones they were holding one by one and disappeared somewhere. Maybe because he was a guy who sang on the street, his voice was good.
“Hey, the hyungs are all dead.”
“You poor little clown, I’ll give you one week. Pay me back. If you don’t, I’ll castrate you and sell you into slavery.”
“He said he would pay me back.”
And so Malko was released. He limped towards Luna and me, wiping his bleeding nose.
“Hey, thanks to you, brother, I survived. Thanks to you, I was able to change the atmosphere.”
Shit, I didn’t do anything. For some reason, my conscience bothered me, so I threw the rock I was holding on the ground so the guy wouldn’t see it.
“Hey, you little punk. What if you owe me a loan and don’t pay it back? Then I’ll get stoned.”
“I don’t have money, what can I do when I’m hungry? The path of art is always followed by hunger. But it’s worse. I need to make money, but where, what? Is there no job?”
“My nose is three inches long, you punk.”
“That is a very sad story. Ha, Mercury. What should I do about this?”
The bitter back of Malko walking away like that. I felt a little sad, thinking that I would never see that guy in this city again.
It was a great surprise for me to meet Malko at the West Gate entrance the next day.
“Sisters of the Sword Maidens. Give us your luggage! I, Malko, will carry all your luggage safely! To the swamps of Kallan!”
At this point, it seems like the god of encounters and destiny, Mercury or whatever that kid is talking about, really exists. True faith is something that is shown through actions rather than words and sermons.
Anyway, that’s how my first subjugation mission began. You could say it was my real adventurer debut placement test and Luna’s promotion match.
“Hassan of Samaria-. We’re in the same group. We’ll be seeing each other often in the next few days.”
“Hey, Hippolyta…!”
[Work Review] Since it’s the first half, Hassan is rolling around very hard.
That’s why I’m worried that the sweet potatoes might be too strong.
From the writer’s perspective, there’s nothing more convenient than rolling it around ㅠㅠ.. But I don’t know what it’s like for the readers..!!
Anyway, now that the tutorial (first experience) is over, it’s time to really get started..!!
Pre-order recommendations, comments, coupons-!! I’m taking them all without holding back ㅠㅠ Please give them all to me!!
