<..Hassan and the Nine-Headed Thief..>
151 – Hassan and the Hoop-headed Thief #2
I imagine myself destroying the lock in front of me.
But I’m not the main character in some spy action movie, so I don’t think that image comes to mind.
Even if I were to use all my strength, would it be possible to break such a sturdily constructed lock?
I had a moment of doubt, but now I need to focus on my own possibilities rather than negative thoughts. Surely imagination can become reality.
Therefore, I have to think about unleashing a big ultimate attack.
“Just do it!”
Crunch, crunch!
The club I’m holding tightly in my hand begins to make a disturbing noise, as if screaming, and I bring the club up with all my might and bring it down like a bolt of lightning striking the ground.
“Re-quiem!”
Phew-!
bang!
My club fell straight down like a loaded guillotine, striking the lock of the iron bars without missing a beat and making a loud noise.
It was a sound closer to an explosion than the sound of metal colliding with a blunt object, so my ears were ringing.
“Ugh!”
“Whoa!”
A few people in the crowd crouched and screamed, perhaps startled by the loud noise. But I had no time to pay attention to my surroundings.
Tingle tingle.
My hands started to feel numb, as if I had been struck by lightning.
I think I may have torn a wrist ligament.
You put too much force into it.
“after-.”
I let out a sigh to calm my pounding heart.
Crunch, thud..
In front of me, the lock ring and the thick body separate and fall to the floor in pieces. I have finally broken the lock.
Rather than the fact that my hands hurt, I felt a strange sense of elation at having destroyed that sturdy-looking device with my own strength.
But perhaps they were intimidated by the loud noise and the screams that sounded like mine. People’s faces were frozen in tension and fear.
The only person who would come to mind in this situation is a candy-licking paranoiac.
“Ah-!!! That’s!!!”
Paranoia opened his mouth and eyes wide and shouted as if he had seen something truly amazing.
“….That, that is!!! The second of Hassan’s 24 fatal strikes!!! The big, strong Samaritan club!!!”
Now I can be sure. Paranoia is very sick. This is the victim of life that is exploited as material every day.
“…Hassan-nim! You used such a dangerous technique in such a crowded place…!!! If you hadn’t been careful, everyone here could have died…!!!”
That little nymph might as well be broken.
But the problem was that the atmosphere that had been locked in a chaotic manner began to stir as Paranoy spoke.
“What, what kind of death note is this?”
“… I heard it was an incredibly dangerous technique? And the sound was incredibly loud….”
“I thought my heart was going to burst…!”
My heart started pounding at the people’s reactions. What am I doing here?
Just then someone speaks. It was a woman with a long piece of cloth wrapped around her head like a semaphore.
“I’ve heard. The Samaritans have big, strong clubs… Once a man or woman has tasted it, they never come back….”
To that the wrinkled man on the other end replies.
“… Hide your daughters and sons from the Samaritans. I’ve heard that too. So that’s what it meant. They’ll be destroyed!”
“me too ..”
“me-.”
The room was noisy with each person talking about something. They were all looking at me and whispering! It seemed like it wasn’t just Paranoy that was broken.
“By the way, if there’s a Samaritan named Hassan, isn’t he the guy who’s been making a lot of noise on the ground these days?”
“Wow… I’ve only heard songs and rumors. This is my first time seeing it in person. It really does have a big, strong club.”
“It is said that this club was specially raised by Lady Dosi and even named and treated with great care.”
It’s clear that he’s talking about a club, but for some reason, the juice in my lower body keeps twitching.
Where and how did it go wrong?
Anyway, there was something about being in the middle of this noisy crowd that my soft emotions couldn’t bear. So I opened my mouth to quickly resolve this situation.
“Okay, so now that the lock is off, it’s okay?”
“…I never thought there would be someone who could really break a titanium lock with brute force.”
The masked man, an interviewer for the Thieves’ Guild, mutters as he looks at the shattered titanium lock.
Crunch, crunch.
He fiddled with it as if trying to put a broken lock back together, and then just threw it on the floor.
“It’s completely shattered. I hate to admit it, but in the face of great power, neither skill nor wisdom are necessary. You pass. I’ll give you the wildling. But please give me one silver coin as an entry fee.”
“oh.”
I paid the man one of the silver coins I had exchanged, and got a legitimate chance to obtain the wildling that was the prize.
“Hassan, how did you break something so sturdy?”
Luna asks, handing me the wildling she is holding in her arms.
But Luna hesitates, as if she is more sorry about having to hand over the liquid monster she is holding to me than about me breaking the lock.
-Gyuing.
Luna wanted to use this strange creature to create a potion.
Anyway, there are no extra totems to raise stats right now.
So I decided to just give the goods I got to Luna.
“Take that, it’s my gift.”
“..Really? Each one of these costs 2 gold!”
“Yeah, really.”
“Wow! Shhh!!”
Luna was really jumping for joy. It made me happy to see Luna happy. I felt it before, but now I know why lovers give each other gifts.
“Then, I’ll make it into a potion and give it to Hassan first! Hehe, Wildling Potion.”
When you see someone happy, you want to give them anything. Malko, who was looking at the scene from under his red, wavy hair, opened his mouth.
“A Samaritan and a big, strong club. That would make a great song. It’s the kind of material that rich, old ladies would enjoy. It’s a good opportunity to move the stage to the affluent area of Back Street….”
“Shut up, kid.”
After I tucked the club into my waistband, I touched my wrist, which was still tingling. I had really injured my ligaments.
Things like carpal tunnel syndrome are nothing new, as they are common conditions for massage therapists who use their hands a lot.
For modern people who use keyboards and mice, it is a chronic disease.
“It seems the bowl can’t keep up with the power.”
Just then, a masked man spoke from behind me.
Swish.
He held out a small glass bottle with a cork stopper towards me. Inside the glass bottle, smooth and transparent like a potion bottle, was a single rolled-up scroll of stones.
“What is this?”
“I thought you were Hassan of Samaria. You passed the interview. If you go to the place written there, you will meet the officers who are waiting for you.”
Oh, by the way, this was an interview for the Thieves Guild.
Damn, I passed the interview for the Thieves’ Guild, which was supposed to be destroyed and eliminated.
Still, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to delve deeper into the identities of these guys. So, I popped the cork out and unfolded the parchment scroll inside.
Clang.
“What is this?”
* * *
As we emerged from the underground waterway, the sky had already become dark. Our arms were heavy with our ample luggage, having been busy shopping with the money we had earned for free.
Since everyone spent money impulsively, they ended up spending all the gold coins they had saved.
Still, I think I spent my money meaningfully. I was able to buy and equip a pair of gauntlets made of titanium plate, which is only available at the underground store, for 4 gold.
Subal, 4 gold worth of armor.
Crunch.
It’s a fairly sturdy sheet metal, so aside from the fact that it’s heavy, it should protect my wrists and fingers well. Right now, my greatest asset is my fingers.
Also, in the case of gauntlets with iron plates or shoes with iron plates on the soles, they can be weapons in themselves.
Ankle bracers, bracers, gauntlets and armor.
I now felt like a real adventurer, except that the gear was heavy and quite cumbersome to wear.
Just by looking at his appearance, you wouldn’t think he’s a rookie, but rather a veteran who’s handled many requests for the past 2 to 5 years.
Now all that’s left is shoulder armor and a helmet. Then it wouldn’t be a dream to become the real Steel Warrior Hassan.
“Well, shall we have a drink today too? It looks like there’s still some time left before it gets dark.”
Malko asks from the basement, looking at the blue moons shining in the sky. It seems really nice to have a glass of iced liquor to cool down your body, which is tired and excited from shopping.
“I want to make a potion with this right away! I bought mandrake root, oyster mushrooms, and elm berries, so it’s going to be really great.”
-Gyuing.
Luna was waving her two hands full of stuff and wanted to hurry back to the cabin. Her appearance reminded me of one of my friends who enjoyed making plastic models.
He also couldn’t wait to get home and assemble the plastic models he bought.
Perhaps Luna’s leap-making is no different from assembling a plastic model, in that she is a maniac who is obsessed with one thing.
“Paranoy! You come too! You have to help!”
“Do I have to do this too…?”
“Okay, go to sleep today! If you have the nymph extract, hehe, definitely, hehe.. hehe -.”
Luna couldn’t continue talking because she was laughing. It seems like there’s something fun to imagine. So, in the end, it was just Malko and I who ended up drinking.
“Sometimes, guys need to spend some time together, Hassan!” said Luna, who had kept me from coming to the cabin for a while.
This is usually the case when Luna makes secret ingredients that she doesn’t even show me. At this point, I’m starting to wonder what it is.
But, it wasn’t a bad thing because I was given time to just drink and relax without worrying about anything.
So Luna and Paranoy went to the cabin, and Malco and I were left to look for a tavern.
I can’t help but feel reluctant to go to the Nymph Wing Inn, where I usually go, because I think I might meet Elfriede’s companions there.
So at that moment, I was looking for somewhere else.
Malco said in a very sinister voice.
“The girls went first, so we’ll have to go to a bar where only men can go.”
“Is it like a basement tavern?”
“It’s good that you understand quickly. If you do some happiness powder there, you’ll feel really good.”
A powder that makes you happy?
Those words made me feel like a cold sweat was running down my back.
“Is there really such a thing?”
“Kuhaha, it seems that my brother still doesn’t know much about the entertainment of this continent. Just trust me and follow me today.”
Malko, this kid’s back suddenly looks really big and he starts to look great, like he’s some kind of senior in life.
This kid, without even knowing it, has climbed several steps in life that even I couldn’t climb.
If you look closely, he always looked like he was on drugs and out of his mind. He was actually on drugs. If this is a twist, then it’s a twist in its own way.
“What a great thing that is.”
“It’s the best around. Once you get a taste, you can’t stop.”
So we wound our way through the alleys of the slums and arrived at a strange underground entrance blocked by huge, bulky figures.
“Not just anyone can come here.”
The sticks blocking us. They are about the same size as me, so they feel quite intimidating. Of course, they frowned as if they were very nervous when they saw me standing behind them.
“If you’re going to go in and cause trouble, I won’t let you pass.”
“Drunken Samaritans are notorious for causing trouble. If possible, go back.”
Shit, you got cut off at the entrance for being a savage. Every time I get treated like those savage kids who only have black hair, I feel a little resentful. You Samaritan bastards.
Then Malko took out a few coins from his pocket.
“That guy over there, he’s having his first time today. Let him in.”
The corners of the mouths of the guards who accepted it loosened.
“What? Is this your first time?”
“Hehe, I’m really jealous of that. I had a first time too. I just can’t feel that taste now.”
Swish.
With those words, the men opened the entrance.
“Go. Just don’t cause any trouble.”
For some reason, I feel a strange sense of solidarity, as if we are all men, regardless of race or age. What the hell.
Anyway, with a trembling heart, I walked down the stairs toward the basement.
The feeling that I’m going to do something very bad, the hesitation that I should turn back now, and the great curiosity weigh each other and tilt back and forth.
Clap, clap-clap.
What I started to hear then were the sounds of instruments playing, applause, and people laughing boisterously.
Contrary to what I had expected to see, a gloomy, underground club-like place appeared. What appeared before me was a surprisingly bright and ordinary-looking bar.
The only difference was that women dressed in thin cloth with their faces covered by veils were dancing to the sound of clapping and musical instruments.
She has an impressive appearance with her passionate red hair, flowing cloth clothes that cover only her important parts, and her slender belly with fairly dark skin.
She danced nonstop, her bare feet waving back and forth. Coins continued to fall under her feet.
Sandman dancer (姬) Guda. In this case, does that mean she’s a sand girl?
“Isn’t it wonderful? Brother Kalidur loved this place. Now, let’s go sit over there. That’s the best place to see the dancing girls.”
Certainly, it wasn’t a tavern where you would bring a woman with a delicate side like Luna or Paranoy. In fact, most of the customers were men.
I went to where Malko led me and sat down on a chair. I hadn’t even tasted a drop of alcohol, but I felt very dazed, as if I was drunk.
A rather pungent smell tickled my nose, either the smell of spices or the smell of happy powder.
“Sir, please take our order here.”
Malco spoke to the turbaned Sandman master who was approaching him.
“Dorgo, take your order. Today is Mujirak. Something good has arrived.”
“Hey, this shit, Dorgo!”
“Oh, savage.”
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