149th
Hassan and the Underground Market
149 ? Hassan and the Underground Market #3
Crumple, crumple.
I put a lot of strength into my arms and hands and the flat, sturdy sheet metal folded in half. I folded it once more and then completely crushed it.
Bam.
Then he tosses it in front of the man in the black bandana.
“Okay, that’s enough. Give me back my money.”
“No, this is… This is titanium. How can you bend it like that…?”
The owner of the underground store looked at my face and the round lump of iron alternately with eyes that seemed to be in absolute disbelief. I could clearly see surprise and amazement in his one remaining eye.
Of course, I was surprised too.
It was just a moment when I was itching to test my overflowing power somewhere. I never thought that I would actually be able to bend this steel plate itself.
Sval, my strength score of 12 is no joke.
Well, if Elfriede was in good condition, she would have been able to do this. Elfriede could even bend thick iron bars with her hands.
No, doesn’t that mean that what Elfriede was able to do with her strength is also something that I can do now?
When I think like that, my confidence suddenly starts to overflow.
“Now, give me back my money, kid. If you don’t, I’ll really have to skin you.”
I reached out my hand towards the head of the bandana-clad man sitting on the chair. I grabbed his temples with my fingers and squeezed them hard, causing him to struggle violently and scream.
“Ghhhhh!”
I lifted the body of the man who was sitting down, including his head. Paranoy shouted from behind him.
“That, that’s the fourth of Hassan’s 18 death skills! Gritty Death’s Grasp…!”
I don’t know what the Grasp of Merciless Death is, but this technique I’m casting actually has a name.
Iron Claw.
It is an attack technique that is not considered very dangerous among wrestling techniques that require showmanship.
Kukugugugu.
With a strong grip and precise acupressure techniques to stimulate the temples, it is possible to inflict a truly fatal blow.
“Oh my god, the grip of death!? Kkeueeek! What the heck, my head’s going to explode! I think I’m going to die!”
A man struggling and in great pain.
It may seem like such exaggerated suffering over a mere head-butting.
For some reason, it seemed like it might be possible to crack this man’s skull with force right now.
“Okay! Okay, I get it! Just give it to me! I’m giving it to you! Let go of this!”
“You should have done that a long time ago.”
Bam.
I slightly released the strength I was holding in my hand. Then, the bandana-clad man with the one-eyed look fell to the floor like a marionette with its strings untied.
“Ugh, shit, shit, I really thought my head was going to break… I thought I was going to die… .”
The man’s one remaining brown eye was bloodshot.
The guy quickly grabs his head and glances at us. He starts rummaging around the corners of the store and throws a small package out.
“That’s my pocket…!”
Paranoia, who saw it and shouted brightly, caught it in the air.
Okay, that’s fine.
And then the nymph of the ditch water carefully examines the contents inside.
“Oh, all seven are included… Hassan, I am truly touched…!”
Then, with eyes that were too big for her small body, she acted as if she was going to cry. It wasn’t strange, since seven gold coins was a lot of money to make a person cry.
“Don’t tell anyone that you gave them a refund. Then all the dogs and cows will come and make things difficult.”
Looking at that sight, the man in the bandana grumbled and spat on the floor.
Seeing that he wasn’t discouraged by one or two hits, I could tell that he was indeed a merchant living in this lawless underground world.
“I don’t know how strong that guy’s hands are. They say Samaritans are as strong as bears. I guess it’s true.”
The one who answered those grumbling words was the converted nymph Paranoi.
“Ha, Hassan is a Samaritan who came back from hell…! He is stronger than a bear…!”
I’m the one who put in the effort, but somehow it seems like I’m the one who’s bragging more.
A guy like a fox riding a tiger. No, in this case, a squirrel riding a fox. But it didn’t feel so bad to be praised by someone.
I should learn it well later and use it against Hippolyte.
“Hassan of Samaria, Hassan. I’ve heard that name before. Are you by any chance an adventurer from the Mars Guild that’s making a lot of noise on the surface?”
A man frowned and asked, stroking his hair.
Malko answers that.
“Yes, the Good Samaritan tune and the Lion-Slaying Barbarian poem that are popular in the slums of Seomun these days are the main characters. And I am the one who wrote the lyrics and music for them.”
“Oh, that damn funny song. I’ve heard it too. Sometimes there are musicians singing that song in these underground streets.”
“What? How dare you call this guy Malko without paying him. How rude!”
Malko clenched his fists as if he was really angry.
This is the first time I’ve seen this guy this angry. He’s a weird guy, but he’s an artist, so maybe he has some pride?
But it doesn’t look good because it’s windy with panties on.
“Hey-.”
The man in the bandana glanced at me, Malco, Luna, and Paranoy’s faces, then stroked his beard and smiled.
“Wow, I thought the rumors were exaggerated. That’s an amazing strength. It looks like he can kill a lion with his bare hands. By the way, can you please straighten out this crumpled steel plate?”
“You want me to spread this out again?”
“I see, you seem to have something to ask me. Then I’ll tell you that too.”
The man in the bandana slings a dented piece of metal at me. I crushed it in my head. I wonder if I can put that thing back on.
“This is a piece of cake for Hassan! Wipe your throat quietly and wait, you swindler!”
“Hassan, are you okay?”
Everyone reacted differently to the man’s proposal. From Paranoy, who was looking at me with a proud expression, to Luna, who was looking at me with eyes filled with a hint of worry.
Luna tried to use her strength to hold onto the crumpled steel plate.
“Huh-.”
But it doesn’t budge.
“Hassan, how did you bend this?”
“I don’t know either.”
I accept the crumpled steel plate with the feeling that it’s nothing special and I’ll just unfold it again.
And it gives strength.
Ugh-!
Gugit, gugigit.
Then the crouching iron plate began to slowly unfold with a rather plausible sound.
“Brother, how about we stop? This idiot won’t be able to keep his wits about him. What kind of strength is that…!”
Malkoda began to tremble at the sight of that horrible sight. So I quickly placed the now fully unfolded sheet of steel back on the floor.
Actually, I’m a bit tired now.
What should I say, I feel like I lack stamina.
It seems like I can exert strong force momentarily, but I don’t feel the tenacity in my body to maintain it.
Subal, did you focus too much on brute force?
When I was slightly reflecting on how I had been too obsessed with one ability, the man in the bandana smiled contentedly while holding onto the crumpled steel plate.
“Hehehe, this is a perfect sign to show that a famous Samaritan has been in town. Customers will flock to see this. Could you please sign it for me?”
“Get out, kid.”
“Well, it’s enough even without a signature. Who else but a Spartan warrior or a Samaritan would think of crumpling a steel plate like this?”
The man put the crumpled sheet of steel back in its proper place.
However, because it was not in a shape that was easy to hang on the wall, it seems that they tried to find a suitable position here and there before eventually deciding to put it on a stand.
“Okay, that’s it. So, what did you want to ask me? Normally, I would charge you for the information, but since you’re a celebrity, I’ll let you know once as a special service.”
Swish.
At those words, I pointed to the crumpled steel plate with my finger.
“I’m kind of interested in that.”
“Titanium plate? That’s made by underground blacksmiths using a special metal called titanium. It’s more than twice as strong as ordinary iron.”
“No, not that one. I mean the sign drawn over there.”
“Oh, you mean Hydra? Hydra, there’s no need to explain. It’s the great thief who rules this underground. It’s like the noble of the underground.”
Luna asked back at the man’s words.
“Underground nobles? What is that?”
“It’s literally a noble who rules the underworld. Hydra is a large organization. But, it actually refers to one person. Hydra, the King of Thieves.”
A man who seemed to be organizing his thoughts while stroking his beard looked around with his only eye.
Then he adds a few more words in a small voice that only those of us nearby can hear.
“But the Thieves Guild these days isn’t what it used to be. In the past, there was more, how should I put it? a sense of romance. Now, it’s just a group of outlaws.”
If a guild was made up of thieves, wasn’t it a lawless group from the start? I couldn’t understand what it meant to say that there was romance.
I thought I had adapted to many things since coming into this world, but I was wrong. Damn. A romantic thief. Do you leave letters and roses behind after stealing things?
While I was lost in thought like that, Malko asked me.
“I heard that the Thieves Guild changed its policy because of a change in its leader. Is that true?”
“Yes, that’s right. The one currently ruling the Thieves’ Guild is the 8th generation Hydra. He is a very ruthless monster. I, a low-level official, only know this much. You, Samaritan, don’t get too deeply involved.”
* * *
“Hassan, you’re a kinder person than I thought.”
Blink, blink.
Luna smiled as she licked the red candy in her hand. The man in the bandana had given each of us a red hardened candy as a farewell gift.
“No, we should go back to the cabin later and eat frugally.”
Luna neatly puts the lollipops into the pouch on her waist. She doesn’t forget to wrap them in a clean cloth to prevent dirty things from sticking to them.
Since sweets are a rather luxurious luxury in this world, it was quite fortunate to receive them for free.
If Luna is kind, then she is a kind person. If she was kind in the first place, she wouldn’t have taken money with fake goods.
However, the person involved, Paranoy, licked the candy and enjoyed it as if he had completely forgotten that he had been scammed.
“Thanks to Mr. Hassan, I got some free candy…! It’s delicious…!”
“I got some clothes too. They’re a little small though.”
Malko, who was walking around unsteadily in tight clothes. It was a bit odd to see a guy wearing only underwear, but I was glad that he even received a spare leather outfit.
Anyway, there was quite a harvest.
Because I got some candy and learned a bit about the Thieves Guild.
Hydra, the king of thieves, is now in his 8th generation.
It seems like they’re inheriting the business like some mafia boss.
When the boss is caught, another boss appears, and when the boss is caught, another boss takes over, so it feels like it won’t go away?
So does that mean that the only way to get rid of the Thieves Guild is to wipe out all of its members?
I guess Hippolyte, the high-ranking adventurer, would do something about it. But it seemed like a very dangerous thing for Nana Luna, Paranoy, and Malco to dig into right away.
There’s no need to take the dangerous path to party now.
Anyway, I think Hippolyte will take care of everything tomorrow.
Hippolyte.
It was softer than I thought.
I want to call you sister.
As I was just walking through the underground market, following the flow of consciousness, I saw a crowd of people gathered in a corner and making a fuss.
“Hassan, look over there! There are people gathered!”
Luna had always been sensitive to events like the Jjangdol Festival. It seemed like she couldn’t stand to be surrounded by people without reacting.
“Look at the Jjangdol Festival going on underground too! Let’s all go see it together!”
“Ahem, ahem. I’m done, sister.”
Malko reacts strongly to the mention of the Jjangdol Festival. He must be reliving the trauma from being tied to a tree and becoming a festival participant. Damn, I should have beaten him more then.
Since we had decided that today would be a day to just relax and spend some money anyway, we ended up squeezing in between the crowds.
Okay then.
Thick iron bars visible between the crowd of people gathered in a circle.
And you can see people struggling with things like clothes pins to pick the locks on the iron bars.
Inside the iron bars, there was a considerable amount of coins piled up, and on the ceiling, a large man with his face covered by a mask was riding, busy shouting here and there.
“Slow down, kids. Slow down. It’s been a while since the guards showed up. I can’t let incompetent kids like you into the Thieves’ Guild.”
“Ugh-! Joe, just give me a little more time!”
“Hey, you little punk. Tell that to the landlord. Just give him a little time and he’ll just pack his stuff and leave!”
I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on. A whip-wielding man with iron bars and a mask. Was this some kind of new pervert show?
Since people in this world have unique sexual tastes, it is possible that some people get aroused by seeing men breaking iron bars and men harassing them.
Then Malko said.
“Oh, it’s an interview for joining the Thieves’ Guild. I’ve heard that they sometimes hold meetings in the underground market, but this is the first time I’ve seen one like this.”
“This is an interview?”
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