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Samaritan of Black Rock Mountain
123 – Samaritan of Black Rock Mountain #4
A giant statue of Pluto with his head cut off.
The black body began to crack from the impact of colliding with Paranoy, and coins poured out from its chest area.
Rrrrrrr-.
The sight was as if blood was pouring out of a hole in the heart.
But what was falling was not blood, but gold coins, so we just watched the scene without even saying anything.
“Oh, shh.”
Only a short exclamation came out from the mouth that had barely opened. And Luna, who was standing next to him and watching this, also opened her mouth wide in surprise.
“Hassan, those are gold coins. Gold coins are pouring down…!”
“Fuck, we’re rich!”
I was so happy that I could fly just by having one gold coin. Who would have thought that in this hot and humid place, I could find a waterfall of gold coins!
We rushed to the pile of gold coins and were busy counting them.
“Fuck! Let me count how many there are!”
Dalgrak, Dalgak.
One, two. Three.
Sipa, every time you count a coin, you get 500 chickens.
“Hassan-nim, this is definitely Pluto-nim answering my prayers!!”
“Shipha, is that so? Is the coffee feeling better?”
“It’s okay. How many more swords are there?”
When we were all crouching on the floor like that, counting the coins one by one.
“Brother.”
Malko, who had been looking at the sight with a strangely calm expression, suddenly said, “Hmm-.” and took on a rather serious tone.
How could a street musician not be happy when he sees a pile of gold coins? I couldn’t help but stop and ask, feeling a strange sensation.
“Hey, it’s gold. Even if you divide it by the number of people, it’ll still be a lot of money. What’s the problem?”
“Brother, this doesn’t seem like an ordinary gold coin. I thought it was my body’s illusion. But this is as expected…”
Moon.
Malko picked up a gold coin that fell on the floor.
Soon the guy turned to me and showed me one side of the coin.
The face of a man wearing a crown was engraved in relief, exactly the same as the one I had previously received as a deposit.
But strangely enough, isn’t there an X-shaped scar carved into his face, as if he had been cut twice with a knife?
“What is that?”
“Hassan, there’s an X here too!”
“It’s here too. No, no, it’s all here… .”
Not only the ones picked up by Malko, but all the gold coins, about 30 in total, had the mark of an X deeply and strongly engraved on them.
While we are wondering what on earth this means, Malko adds a few more words.
“Brother, the laws of the kingdom forbid the desecration of minted coins. How much less to plunge a sword into the face of Jupiter, the king of the gods? This is an act that would not normally occur.”
Now that I think about it, I remember Luna being very surprised at me carving teeth marks into the gold coin.
From my perspective as a Korean, it would be as rude as carving a sword mark into the face of King Sejong or Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
Of course, since Jupiter on the gold coin is worshipped as an object of worship, the act of damaging his face would be an even greater sin of blasphemy.
“… Then, what’s the problem?”
“This money doesn’t seem to be usable on the surface. This is a sign. A sign of those who live underground, never seeing the sky or being struck by lightning.”
Ugh.
After looking around, Malco continued speaking to us in a quiet and solemn voice.
“It’s a sign of thieves. This gold coin is the currency of the Thieves’ Guild. If you use this kind of money carelessly, you’ll become an easy target…!”
“Sval, so you’re saying that you can’t use the gold coins even though they’re in front of you?”
When I heard that I would not be able to use the money that I had right in front of me, which would allow me to quit my adventurer job and play for a few years, my excitement cooled down as if my heart that had been rising so high had fallen to the soles of my feet.
“Kozeng-ah, isn’t there at least one gold coin that’s in good condition?”
Luna, too, licked her lips as she rummaged through the stack of coins again, hoping to find one that didn’t have a mark on it.
Zagrak, jalchak.
But all 30 gold coins have that hideous X-mark engraved on them. What a shame, the winning lottery ticket is right in front of you, but you can’t go exchange it.
I’m honestly so fucking angry.
“But if you take it to a place like a bank, won’t they exchange it for a new one?”
I, who could not let go of my foolishness, once remembered that Korean banks exchange damaged currency. Even though this is an uncivilized world, wouldn’t banks here also do similar work?
Crackle crackle.
Malko shook his head at him.
“We can change it. But the ears of thieves are everywhere. The moment this coin is spread in the market, we will eventually be caught. We will be stabbed in the night!”
Getting stabbed in the middle of the night? I pictured myself being attacked in my sleep and dying without being able to fight back.
Pushuk.
geometry!
… No matter what, I don’t want to die like that, you punk.
Since it has come to this, I have no choice but to ask.
“No, what on earth is the Thieves Guild that makes you do that?”
As I walked around the slums, I had heard stories about the thieves’ guild from the gossiping residents several times.
But I didn’t really care because I thought it had nothing to do with me. Now that I think about it, I feel like I need to know what the hell those guys are.
“It’s the thieves’ guild.”
In response to my question, Malko let out a small sigh and said, “Whew-.” Then he started to play the string instrument he was carrying on his waist.
“Thieves are thieves, literally. And the thieves of Sodomora steal and take away many things in many ways. From candy in a child’s mouth to the life of an old widow.”
“Dude, why are you taking the candy out of my mouth? You guys are such bad kids.”
“That’s right. But no one can catch them. They hide in unbelievable places. And they’re so strong that it’s hard to catch them. Even if you wipe them out, they come back to life.”
A city where thieves who don’t even pay taxes run rampant. Sval, this is truly a world where nothing is ever properly restored.
The name Thieves’ Guild brought to mind a dark room filled with a bunch of thieves.
From what Malco says, it sounds more like an urban mafia or Mexican drug cartel than a gang of thieves.
You’re talking about the kids who are fed by the black market and the underworld.
This gold coin is like a secret currency that they use.
“Damn, if I use it carelessly, I’ll be in real trouble.”
It’s not a pretty picture of a bunch of masked men barging into Luna’s cabin and wielding swords.
Since the destruction of currency is prohibited, it won’t be easy to find a blacksmith who can melt down this gold coin. There’s also the risk of it getting caught by thieves.
“Then what should I do? Should I just bury it here again and leave?”
I couldn’t help but click my tongue at the thought of having to bury my precious gold coins back on the floor. Then Malko, who was playing the instrument again, made a diriring sound.
“There is no need for that. Brother, this money cannot be used on the ground. Since it is the money of thieves, it can be used freely in the darkness where thieves run rampant.”
“Damn, you should’ve said that first. Let’s put it in our pockets before anyone sees!”
“Stealing from thieves! We feel worse than thieves, Hassan!”
“Then should I just leave it here?”
“no!”
We pocketed the Thieves Guild’s 30 gold coins like that.
The four of us divided the 30 gold coins into 7 pieces each, and the remaining 2 were divided between me, the party leader, and Para Noi, who had found the gold coins by striking their foreheads on the statue.
“Hey, Geumhwa-.”
Paranoy seemed very touched that he had eight gold coins as his share, even though they were not clean money and could not be used in the market.
Still, the charm of the gold coin itself is enough to excite people.
“As expected, it was a good decision to follow Hassan… I will work hard to be more helpful in the future.”
And then, in the end, tears start to flow from those big eyes. But who could laugh at that?
Shit, it’s only natural to cry tears of joy when you suddenly get a ton of money.
But isn’t this money that Paranoy earned by hitting his head on rather than money that he earned thanks to me?
I felt bad because it felt like I was cheating, but I didn’t want to ruin that little moment, so I just didn’t say anything.
“But, Kojang-ah. What can you do with this underground? You can’t buy land that’s been officially documented.”
Luna asked, carefully putting her share of seven gold coins into her pocket. Malko flicked a coin and caught it in his palm.
“You’ll find out if you go to the black market. Of course, you won’t be able to buy things like land, but you can do more with it than you think. They say the Hydra’s stomach is wide.”
“Hydra? There’s a Hydra in the underground market!?”
It was Luna who was screaming.
I was quite surprised, since I knew a little about the monster called Hydra. Shit, they sell that kind of stuff for money.
But a different story comes out of Malko’s mouth.
“Hydra is the name of a thieves’ guild. A monster from the age of the gods that doesn’t die even if its head is cut off. Thieves who don’t disappear even if their leaders are captured. Doesn’t it sound like a very fitting name?”
* * *
After collecting all the gold coins from the temple, we headed out with relatively light steps. Just a moment ago, I didn’t like the muggy environment from the bubbling black lake.
Maybe it’s because my pockets are full, but I feel so good and accomplished that even this shitty environment looks so beautiful.
“The world is so beautiful. Then let’s finish quickly and go back to the city!”
I couldn’t help but grin at the thought of spending gold on the black market.
Isn’t that the happiest thought in the world?
I’m talking about the idea of spending money.
I’ve never been to a black market, but I think eight gold coins would be a lot of money, and you could do unimaginable things with them.
Anyway, I felt light in my steps as I thought about finishing quickly and going back. As I approached the slope of the black lake, I looked at the bubbling surface.
“Now is the time to be critical, brother. After we draw the water from the well, the guardian of this well may attack us.”
Malko gave me advice in a rather serious voice.
“Guardian? What do we have here?”
“Yes. There is a cruel creature of Vulcan. Anyway, you will know when you see it for yourself.”
I don’t know what Malko was talking about, but Luna and I used the buckets we had prepared in advance to fill the jar with black water.
Cheodeok, cheodeok.
The black spring water was thicker and more viscous than I thought, and felt more like asphalt than spring water. It felt quite heavy, and I wondered at that moment if I could carry it down the mountain.
Shh …
In the sky that was filled with dark clouds, a loud noise like arrows flying began to be heard.
Flutter, flutter-.
Soon, a huge shadow covered our group’s heads with the sound of powerful flapping wings. When we raised our heads, we saw a huge bird.
What the hell is that? Can you even call that a bird?
He is as big as a well-fed and well-raised hunting dog, and his claws and beak are covered with plates of iron more beautiful than my breastplate.
A Sarani wearing armor. Is she a hotshot? The iron plates she’s wearing look better than mine.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The thing starts to dive straight towards me. It’s a Subaru missile, it’s fucking scary!
“Hatsan! What’s flying here!”
“Hey, Sipa, what’s that!?”
“Didn’t I tell you! I’m the guardian of this lake! I have to sing to drive them away! The cruel heart of steel hates singing! Hmm, hmm, ah.”
Diriring-.
Malko cleared his throat as he plucked the strings of his guitar. Whatever the ruthless steel heart was, it seemed like he could drive away that monster by singing.
I finally understood why each group had to have a minstrel. It wasn’t a quota system for minstrels, but rather they had something to do!
Diring, diring.
“Um, um. Ah.”
However, the Malko guy just kept his neck open, not caring about the bird that was descending very quickly.
“Hey, whatever it is, call me quickly! If you keep doing this, we’ll bump into each other!”
“Wait a minute! I can’t think of what to call you all of a sudden!”
Anyone can be speechless when faced with a sudden situation. However, professionals are different. A professional is someone who can do their job at any time and in any situation.
But Malco wasn’t a pro!
“Fuck, just light anything-.”
WHACK! BAM!
Soon, the bird missile hit the ground with great force.
With a strong impact, hard rocks flew in all directions and hit my body like shotgun pellets.
“Eww!”
I managed to avoid having my body pierced by the bastard’s steel beak, but the shards of rocks really hurt like hell. The rocks that splattered on my stomach and chest were so strong that tears welled up in my eyes.
“Ugh, hey, is everyone okay!?”
“I think it’s okay!”
“I, I’m not hurt either…!”
Luna and Paranoy answer my question as they get up from their fallen bodies.
“Hey, don’t talk nonsense! Answer me!”
But there is no answer from that guy Malko.
As the thick dust and smoke began to clear, Malko was lying on the floor convulsing, blood gushing from his nose.
“Geuaaa….”
I think he probably got hit in the face by a flying rock and fell down.
“Hey, shit, you said I had to sing!”
Thud thud.
Just then, there was a loud noise of rocks rolling down from a large hole dug in front of me.
Soon, a huge iron object moves with a clank, clank sound, and an iron-clad bird of prey with intense yellow eyes appears before us.
Slurp.
The creature’s wings were covered with sharp metallic feathers that seemed to be made of either iron or copper.
I’m worried that just getting cut by those wings will cause serious damage to my torso.
Now that I look at it, it looks like not only its beak and claws, but its entire body is covered in armor.
Clang, clang.
This was clearly not normal. Can this really be called a new thing?
Kkaaaaaaah!
The steel monster spread its wings wide and roared.
[Work Review]
Doz-nim!!! Osusut-nim!!! BookBul-nim!!! Inriyeonchan-nim!!! Ajirangi6-nim!!! Ajirangi6-nim!!! Lgb-nim!!! AbsoluteShinHwang-nim!!! Kadeom-nim!!! yayayeah-nim!!! YupungNakHwa-nim!!! PotatoServer-nim!!! Palangmi-nim!!! Thank you for the sponsorship coupon..!!!!
Especially, Mr. Yoo Pung Nak Hwa gave me a coupon for the king’s sponsorship…!!! My pockets are…heavy..!!!!
There are also many people who sent me coupons for manuscript fees…!! Since nicknames don’t appear in the system for coupons for manuscript fees, I can’t thank you all individually by calling your names…ㅠㅠ…
I always appreciate recommendations and comments…!!!!
