147th
Hassan and the Underground Market
147 ? Hassan and the Underground Market #1
I can’t forget the hardships I endured during the first month after coming to this world.
Swish.
A sudden feeling as if you’ve fallen through a manhole cover.
When I came to, all I saw around me was a dark and unfamiliar underground hallway.
Now I know it was one of Pluto’s labyrinths, but at the time I thought it was just a 21st century sewer.
I fell into a manhole cover that was left open for construction. What a piece of bad luck. That was the kind of feeling I had.
Of course, I knew right away that it wasn’t true when I saw the huge spiders and skeletons moving around.
Anyway, at that time, there was no choice but to run away.
After running around here and there, he was captured by the human hunters of Deathros who were exploring the labyrinth and made a slave in the arena.
Hehehe, what is this? It’s Samaritan. We caught another Samaritan! What luck!
Deathros Arena.
It was a truly horrible place.
A hell on earth where they are given one meal a day and are forced to fight all kinds of beasts and monsters every day.
The time I spent there was only about a month.
That month remained one of the most horrific and darkest periods of my life.
So, I ended up setting fire to the stadium, taking advantage of various incidents. I set the fire and ran away. However, in this world, setting fire to someone else’s property is a serious crime, so I was eventually caught.
Verdict. Sentenced to death by hanging or slavery.
He was thrown into a punishment where he had to choose one of the terrible punishments.
He said that even though he had two choices, he would still die. At least in their eyes, I was a savage who was so vicious that he set fire to the place where I lived.
And the only people who would enslave such savages are perverts who enjoy torturing and tormenting them.
As expected, there is no one who can be your master. If so, then according to the laws of the kingdom, you shall be put to death!
And while he was being dragged to the gallows, he met Elfriede.
You set fire to the place you live in? That’s funny.
Now that I think about it, I wonder if the guy must have been displaying some kind of empathy towards me and myself, who set fire to the World Tree and escaped.
Of course, it could just be my imagination. If it was, then I wouldn’t have been whipped like that. Or maybe I just needed a sandbag that was strong enough not to fall over when I hit it.
Because everyone has a hidden desire to whip others.
Anyway, this is the most brief explanation of my past.
“So, Hassan is the criminal who set the fire?”
Luna’s eyebrows furrow as she sits at the table where the duel ended and listens to my story. There must have been parts that she didn’t understand because the explanation was so succinct.
“Yes. But I think my criminal record has disappeared. I participated in the crackdown on cults.”
Malko, sitting next to him, also adds a word.
“Elf. She’s quite a beauty. To live as a slave under such a beauty. I envy you, brother. Do you ever live together and do strange things-.”
“Ma, Malko, be quiet!”
“Koooosh!”
Because Luna raised her fist and hit Malko hard in the stomach. Malko couldn’t say anything anymore and fell down on the table.
Paranoia said a few words without paying any attention to the appearance.
“You set the earth on fire, you are indeed Hassan! You were trying to create a hell of destruction! You are amazing!!”
Why does this guy seem to be getting looser every time I see him? It seems like he was at his most normal when he was working with the Stomps as an apprentice cultist or something.
Could it be that I couldn’t maintain my sanity in a world full of nymph-hating? Thinking about it made me feel a little sorry. Mental illness is a big problem here as well as on Earth.
No, that’s not important right now.
There were many parts that were intentionally hidden, but it still gave me a rough idea of the past. I felt relieved, but also embarrassed and ashamed.
What will Luna think about my story?
So I looked at Luna’s complexion and she was blushing and mumbling as if she had a lot to say but couldn’t say it.
Then the lips open slightly.
“Hassan, you lied to me.”
“… No, but I didn’t lie. I just didn’t say anything in the first place. You didn’t even ask me.”
“That’s not it, you told me you’ve never had a girlfriend.”
“That’s right. Because it really didn’t exist. It’s not a lie.”
“But you knew such a pretty elf? That’s too much!”
Luna eventually got angry, as if she didn’t know what to do about the fact that Elfriede and I had such a deep relationship.
To be honest, I was very taken aback because I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.
“She’s not my girlfriend. We didn’t do anything together.”
“…okay?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Huh… .”
Luna closed her mouth as if reluctantly agreeing with what I said. Looking at her face, I could tell that she was still crying, and that her doubts had not yet been completely resolved.
Luna is more possessive and jealous than I thought. What would happen if Luna found out about my affair with Hippolyte?
On the one hand, I was very curious and scared at the same time. But surprisingly, if I bought him some meat, it seemed like it would be resolved quickly.
I don’t know.
When I was lost in my complicated thoughts, Malko, who had been lying face down on the table, raised his head again as if he had recovered.
“Anyway, you’re going to have a showdown with those strong adventurers and the thieves’ guild. Hehehe, you’re in good shape, brother. Aren’t you completely considered a silver tier now?”
“Is that so?”
Of course, it felt like riding in the backseat of a bus driven by Hippolyte. But it was also like coming to a point where we were competing for the same goal as the Silver Tier adventurer team.
Subal, I wonder how Hassan, who used to roll around the arena, got so big.
No matter what, I too am growing steadily.
It was so much fun to see Elfriede flustered after being hit by my punch and sent flying. She probably never thought I would reach level 19.
Perhaps this crackdown on the Thieves’ Guild will be a good opportunity to tease Elfriede and the mean girls surrounding her?
Thinking like that makes me feel motivated.
If things worked out well, I would be able to make a huge contribution, and I was sure that I would receive a corresponding reward.
Perhaps the Golden Beard Dwarf Count of Sodomora will say, “Tell me what you wish for.” If he does, I will say, “Let me open a health center.”
Then, if you receive 10 guests per day and deal with only one negative status, your task value will be 100.
If that happens, you can level up one level per day, and in about a month, you’ll be at level 40? I think you said that the hero level starts at level 40. Then, reaching the gold tier isn’t really a dream.
Oh, shit.
Motivation is heightened.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt like doing something on my own. I can’t afford to miss out on something this big.
* * *
In the center of Sodomora, there are guild buildings, temples, and government offices. I don’t know much about city planning, so I can’t explain it in detail.
If you were to ask what is in the city center, all the facilities that would come up would be readily available.
And in the center of such an important city, underground, are there sewage treatment facilities that were installed a long time ago?
As a large city comparable to the capital, Sodomora’s sewage treatment facility is said to have been built and installed with considerable effort.
“But for over a decade now, that area of the underground waterway has been occupied by thieves.”
From what Malco said, I thought I knew why Sodomora had become such a dirty and filthy city. It was because the thieves who didn’t even pay taxes were taking over public facilities and causing trouble for everyone.
So I asked.
“No, then we should drive out the thieves or something. Didn’t anyone do anything about it?”
“hmm-.”
Malko snorts softly at my words.
The guy glanced down the central street of the city, then spoke quietly so that only those of us nearby could hear.
“It was no use. Rumor has it that there is a member of the Thieves’ Guild in the council of the highest ranks of Sodomora.”
Are you saying that the central government and thieves are in collusion?
Swish.
Malco points his finger at the buildings in the central city and the walls surrounding them. Just as I was wondering what kind of nonsense this kid was going to say next,
“Look at those walls. Don’t you think they’re unusually low compared to other cities?”
Malco’s question made me think again about the size of the walls. The walls of Sodomora were quite low.
At best, it only reaches up to my chest, so it’s a total waste in terms of security other than demarcating the area.
“Why is that?”
“They changed the law to make it easier for thieves. In Sodomora, no wall, except the city walls, can be higher than a man’s height.”
“What, is there such a thing as a law?”
I thought about the Sicilian mafia, who were deeply involved in politics. I remember the old movie The Godfather, which I enjoyed watching.
Indeed, it is not easy to identify an organization that has spread its network in many directions as a huge tumor in itself.
So, instead of taking charge of it yourself, you’re going to bring in an outsider who has nothing to do with the Thieves’ Guild to handle it.
Of course, if you look at it that way, I am also an outsider.
I am a 21st century modern savage from the Black Wilderness Samaria, or rather the Sval Earth.
“They’re all gone, you thieves.”
With such a curious mind, I entered the thieves’ street located beneath the central city. The name of the underground area of the central city is called ‘Mercury’s Street’.
This underground street is named after Mercury because the god of all the vile and shameless people, including thieves, merchants, bards, and charlatans, is Mercury.
So I was a little nervous about how messy the basement would be.
The large entrance in one corner of the city center was so large and well-made that it almost resembled a staircase leading down to an underground station.
As you continue down the path, you will see the underground interiors that are so bright and dazzling that you would never guess that they are underground.
A high ceiling supported by sturdy pillars.
A lot of people walking around underneath it.
With shining stones and lights installed here and there.
Rather than feeling like you’re looking at a street in an underground shopping mall where business is booming, it feels like you’re looking at a place where a thieves’ guild is in full swing.
When you see people buying and selling things and musicians singing everywhere, it seems like the term underground shopping mall is right.
“Hassan, look at that! Wow, they’re selling wildlings! And not just any wildlings! They’re huge! And they’re blue! Whoa!”
Luna tapped my arm and kept pointing at something with her finger.
I looked around to see what all the fuss was about. I saw a bluish mucus the size of a soccer ball wriggling in a strange tank.
Kyuing.
Kyuing.
It doesn’t resemble any beast I know. If I had to compare it to a monster, I would call it a slime.
Luna once had a hard time finding wildlings among tree roots. It looks like those are the ones.
Fully grown blue wildling? One underground gold coin 2 gold.
Shit, they’re so fucking expensive. Are they laying golden eggs? Why are they so expensive?
I was wondering what kind of beast it was that was worth 2 gold each. Luna ran over and spoke to the short old man.
“Welcome.”
The shopkeeper appears to be a halfling, just like the philosopher Platan I saw a long time ago.
“Hey, Wildling-!”
“Oh, you’re a customer who knows how to look at things. It’s rare to see guys like this.”
“Give me the wildling!”
“How many?”
“Give me everything you have here! Three of them!”
“Hehehe, you really are a know-it-all. You can’t find something like this anywhere else even if you search the entire basement.”
Luna wasted 6 out of her 7 gold coins on buying a strange liquid monster.
Even if it was free money, it’s strange to flex that much money at once.
They say that people who win the lottery tend to quickly squander their money. I felt like I was witnessing that with my own eyes.
I feel like my head is spinning because my sense of money is so strange. To exaggerate a little, it feels like my brain is being assaulted by luxury.
Am I seeing Luna happily catching a cockroach for 20 coppers each?
But Luna raised both hands high and shouted brightly, with the liquid monster stuck all over her body.
“I caught a wildling! This must be heaven! Am I dreaming?”
I didn’t catch it, I bought it.
Anyway, I have no choice but to ask Luna about this situation.
“Why are you paying so much for them? Each one costs 2 gold.”
“It’s delicious! It’s good for your health! You only get to see something this bright blue and this size once every few years.”
And then Luna starts slurping down the liquid monster that is writhing on her chest.
Gyu, gyuing… .
The two-gold liquid monster made a sad sound as it disappeared into Luna’s mouth and into her tiny stomach.
My eyes suddenly became dizzy. They ate a single gold coin alive. What kind of cruel and barbaric act was this…
“Would you like to try some Hassan? It’s really good if it suits your constitution! I didn’t want to give it to you because it’s precious. I’m giving it to you so that you can become healthier.”
Luna even offered me a wildling. I took it absentmindedly.
What should I say about the feeling it had on my palm? It felt like holding a water balloon filled with water. It felt like it would be cool to hold and sleep in during the summer.
Kyuing.
Maybe it’s because of the mood, but it feels like he’s rubbing his body against my palm and following me well. He’s cuter than I thought.
But it took a tremendous amount of courage to catch and eat it alive. I’ve eaten all sorts of strange foods, but this was a first for me.
“Eat it quickly!”
But at Luna’s urging, I put my mouth on the guy’s soft, moist body and slurped it down just like Luna had done.
The taste was, strangely enough, like grape jelly, so it was edible. Was it pudding?
What was even more amazing was that letters appeared before my eyes.
Deering-.
“I drank the milk of the Queen of Heaven.”
『Task + 100.』
『Current task value + 179.』
What the heck is this?
Is this true?
I turned my eyes away from the letters and looked at the liquid monsters clinging to Luna’s body.
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