Chapter 166: Stupid, Clumsy Cultist (2)

Srrkk— Srrrkkk—

Suddenly, I felt something caressing my face.

As I opened my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of Luna holding her hair, shaking it to tickle my face.

Flutter— Flutter—

Luna often woke me up like this, using her hair like a brush. Was this also some kind of magic from Ideope or some other voodoo technique?

If we were to name it - in typical Luna-style - would it be the Voodoo of A Bright Morning Call?

"It's morning, Hassan."

It was truly a delightful moment to be able to start the morning by looking at Luna's face. On the other hand, it was dreadful to think that morning had come already when it felt like I had closed my eyes for just a moment.

I didn't feel like I slept at all. I should take a day off today just to catch up on sleep. Being able to sleep as long as you wish was such a luxurious thing.

So, I told Luna,

"I can't get up. Help me get my body up."

"Sure!"

As I mumbled about my lingering sleepiness, Luna grabbed my arm and pulled with all her strength to help me sit up.

"Luna, you've really gotten quite strong."

"Yeah, it seems like I also grew a bit taller. I think I'm still in my growing phase!" "

Luna measured her height by holding her body in front of me. I thought the top of her head used to be only around the pit of my stomach before. Now, it looked like it had risen slightly.

I hadn't gotten smaller, so it must be that Luna had indeed grown taller. Did people in this world continue to grow taller even after becoming adults?

With such thoughts in mind, I roughly tidied up the bedding on the first floor. While doing so, I suddenly felt a sense of unease in the strangely quiet atmosphere of the cabin.

"Luna, where is Paranoy?"

"She said she's going to the Temple of Hearth to offer prayers. We will be busy making seven jars of stamina elixir this week, so I hope she returns soon."

Luna's reaction seemed quite ordinary, making me feel like everything that happened earlier in the dawn was just a dream. It seemed that Paranoy kept the secret well, just as she promised.

"What are you going to do today, Hassan?"

While eating bread, dried meat, and cheap goat's milk we had at home, Luna suddenly asked me the question.

"Well, I have nothing specific planned."

"I'm planning to go to the southern deer forest with Hippolyte. I'll catch some huge mushrooms and tiger wasps there. Maybe I'll even catch a queen bee and split the hive."

"You're going to the deer forest with Hippolyte?"

The name "deer forest" reminded me of when I first met the gold-tier adventurer, Actaeon, in that place. It was also the place where Luna got scammed and eventually went wild from losing all of her money.

To think she would be going there again, and what was more surprising was the fact that Luna and Hippolyte were going together.

"She should at least earn 3 silvers for me."

Perhaps Hippolyte decided to work for Luna to pay for the 3 silvers she owed her. But it could also be an attempt to build a relationship between the women.

Since I had nothing else to do, I considered joining her in the deer forest, but Luna opposed it, saying,

"The girls from the Sword Maiden group will also be coming. There are materials we can only obtain when women go together!"

The deer forest was the realm of Diana, the goddess of the moon and chastity, and it was a place where men were strictly forbidden from setting foot.

"It's not something dangerous, right?"

"Of course not! Don't worry!"

Well, after all, Hippolyte and the girls from the Sword Maiden group would also be going. I supposed nothing too dangerous would happen unless a volcano suddenly erupted or something.

So, after having a brief breakfast together, Luna and I parted ways at the cabin entrance before heading in different directions.

Luna went to the southern area to meet Hippolyte.

As for me...

What should I do?

Now that I'd left the cabin, I didn't know what to do. Should I just go back in and sleep some more?

Was there anything I had to do today?

I decided to prioritize what I had to do. First of all, the most important thing would be...

Collecting the reward money from the Temple of Venus. Since I was told I could only meet the Holy Maiden next week, there was nothing I could do about it but put it on hold.

What else was there?

Then, all of a sudden, I remembered the eerie magic I had obtained— necromancy. I thought it would be a good time to test it out.

I still couldn't believe that I could use magic. Me!

Although it was a magic that was both scorned and feared in this world, using this eerie ability with the sensibilities of a modern person, I couldn't help but feel an inexplicable overwhelming sensation within myself.

I wanted to keep trying it, and I wanted to use this power and make it my own.

It was actually quite fun.

So, I picked up a few piles of bones from Luna's cabin and headed towards the western gate.

#

"Goblin subjugation squad departing for Czyczel Plains. We have two spots available on the carriage. Female adventurers preferred."

"I'm a mercenary equipped with an elm bronze shield. I will do any task."

"Ladies and gentlemen, before you depart on the carriage, how about bringing along a few emergency ointments—"

Sodomora's high city walls. Among the four entrances, the west gate was the noisiest and in extension, busiest.

It was used as a gathering place for adventurers to start guild requests. Also, the voices of traders who started their businesses targeting those people were also quite loud, adding to the bustle of this place.

Not only adventurers and merchants but also minstrels, swindlers, strange heathen pagans, and eccentric individuals crowded the place, making it utterly chaotic.

If I were to make a comparison, maybe it would be similar to the market street in front of a station.

After quickly scanning the crowd, I purchased a dark red robe from a shabby-looking stall.

The robe seemed to be made with the smaller physique of the people in this world in mind as it couldn't cover below my knees. However, it still looked like it could last a day.

It was also the cheapest, only 50 coppers.

I had budgeted about 1 silver for this purchase, so I bought another peculiar wooden mask with the remaining money.

The mask had pointed teeth carved in the shape of a goblin, which reminded me of Luna's amulet mask, so I got it.

"You seem to have a keener eye than it seems. It's a unique shape, isn't it? They say it came from Ideope. There will be a Sodomora Mask Festival soon—"

The merchant chattered away. The only thing I caught in my ear was the strangely familiar word "Ideope". It was a product by Ideope that made me suddenly think of Luna.

Swoosh— Swoosh—

After wearing the dark robe and the mask, I felt somewhat relieved.

Since I was going to test my necromancy skill, I didn't want to be seen doing such things by someone else.

Like it or not, my physique and style stand out in this strange world, so I didn't want to draw more unnecessary attention.

"Fuck, what, what the hell is this...?"

"I almost thought some kind of cultist shows up again."

Being a man, wearing a mask and robe, and also having the trait of being a taller than practically everyone else... I indeed looked quite eerie and attracted even more attention than before.

So, to avoid the gazes of others, I quickly moved my legs and promptly stepped outside the western gate.

I was heading to the forest, where I met Plato, the old man, Marco, and Luna for the very first time. Together with them, I received my first shrine cleaning request that started my adventuring career.

If it was that place, then I could test my abilities away from everyone's prying gaze.

It was a place I'd been to once before, so I roughly knew the way there. Plus, there weren't many people who went to that place, making it perfect for some mischievous deeds. The place was about half a day's walk away when going by foot.

So, I walked.

With every step, the bones inside the bag hanging on my back rattled, creating a loud noise.

It felt like I was advertising that I could use necromancy, which made me slightly uneasy.

Fortunately, as the massive city walls of Sodomora's slowly receded, any semblance of presence that I could initially feel had diminished. Thus, I no longer needed to be cautious.

Crack—

After walking for a while, I finally entered the forest, parting through trees and grass. Still not feeling completely relieved, I ventured deeper and deeper inside.

The outskirts of Sodomora's forest. The abandoned shrine of the sun god.

Finally, only after I arrived there and confirmed that no one was around did I empty my backpack onto the ground.

Rustle— Rustle—

Piles of bones, dry rations, leather, and water flasks were scattered on the ground due to my unloading.

I hadn't done anything yet, but the sight of it all made my whole body shiver, a chill creeping down my spine.

"Arise."

Clatter— Clunk—

The bones piled up in response to my command and began to rearrange themselves rapidly. I'd seen this spectacle several times already but still couldn't get used to it.

Crack—

Creak—

Finally, three tiny skeleton goblins came into being.

Were all the things I put in the bag just goblin bones? No, they must have been mixed with various other things. I didn't understand why they all turned into these uniform models resembling goblins though.

"Disassemble."

So, I tried to disassemble and reassemble these piles of bones repeatedly. Each time, the skeleton goblins revived into the same shape.

Perhaps, with my current skill in necromancy, I could only resurrect these small creatures.

"Phew—"

I let out a sigh beneath the mask. Maybe because I was doing something terrible, my hands and feet were starting to tingle, making me feel numb. Even breathing was starting to feel difficult, as if my chest was congested.

No, now that I thought about it, these changes shouldn't be just because of my current problematic emotional state.

Using necromancy seemed to require quite a bit of mental and physical strength.

It felt like running several laps around a field at full power, resulting in the brain lacking the necessary oxygen supply. Was this what mages commonly refer to as mana depletion?

With various new knowledge arising within me, it felt like my heart was filled with a fluffy quilt.

It was fun.

It was like when I was a child, sneaking a lighter from my father's drawer and playing around with it.

And a child holding a lighter would inevitably be curious about using the flame to burn something.

Likewise, I looked around, wondering what I could do with the three skeleton goblins I had just summoned.

And with that survey, I was able to take in the scenery of this place.

Sssss—

The breeze blew underneath my robe and the mask, cooling my sweaty body. It made me feel really refreshed.

Frown—

Still, my forehead furrowed deeply.

Fuck, this place really was super dirty and messy.

This old and abandoned shrine was incredibly filthy— somehow in a far worse state than when we cleaned it last time.

From scattered fallen leaves to animal droppings, spider webs, and rocks rolling on the floor it looked like an extremely unpleasant place.

Perhaps, no one had visited this place since we cleaned it.

"Hey, first of all, you guys should start cleaning this place."

Clatter— Clunk—

At my command, the three skeleton goblins quickly began to move. I had next to no clue how creatures with no muscles or flesh could move so well.

They promptly cleared away the fallen leaves, the disgusting animal droppings, and the creepy spiders and their webs, shoving everything that previously had bothered me into the holes that were sporadically scattered on the forest ground.

Seeing how well they grasped my intention, they seemed smarter than I thought. Could it be because they move according to my thoughts?

They were like unpaid slaves who didn't mind cleaning up all the dirty things humans would avoid. If I started a cleaning company with them, wouldn't it be a big hit?

After thinking of them as obedient subordinates, these eerie skeleton creatures no longer seemed strange. Instead, they felt quite familiar.

Initially, my father's medical office was filled with various bone models as reference materials, so I was somewhat used to seeing bones.

Damn, this was so fucking fun.

Now that the experiments with this new ability I awakened were roughly done, I considered disassembling these little creatures.

Kissit— Kissisit—

Kaesaet— Kaesaet—

With rustling sounds from the surrounding bushes, tiny creatures with blinking red eyes suddenly appeared from within.

Those were small demons known as goblins, draped in tattered cloth and leaves woven into their green, raggedy hides.

Damn, there were six goblins.

I remembered the time when I was brutally beaten by goblins in this very place, and the pain seemed to resurface all over my body at that reminiscence. These fucking bastards!

Of course, the 'me' from back then and the 'me' now were completely different. Currently, I was even wielding an insanely powerful club and a rock-hard titanium gauntlet.

— Gee-yah-yah-yaaah!!!

Step— Step—

One of the goblins noticed me and immediately rushed toward me, emitting a strange scream. I didn't understand the language of demonic monsters, but I could tell that the creature saw me as an enemy from the sheer hostility they exuded.

The goblin's physique was smaller than even half my size, but the club it held looked pretty sturdy. It would probably hurt if I was hit by that. Demonic monsters, they were really terrifying beings.

"Get lost, you little bastard."

I kicked the goblin's body with all my might, delivering a toe-striking kick to its gut.

I just intended to stop its movements, but the goblin flew away like a football kicked by a goalkeeper, disappearing into the bushes.

— Hee-heeeek!

Wasn't it cumbersome for me to deal with even a single goblin before?

My strength had really become extraordinary. I could feel it clearly from this scene.

"These little bastards. If I was the same as the me from last time I was here, they would have beaten the shit out of me."

With confidence surging inside me, I grabbed the head of the goblins attacking me, one in each hand and lifted them up.

— Gee-ik!! Ge-geak!!

Kissit— Kissisit—

The goblins desperately tried to escape from the pain, scratching my hands and biting with their teeth. But all their efforts only resulted in injuries to their mouths and hands.

The effect of the gauntlets, costing 4 golds each, was truly remarkable.

The equipment and strength differences between then and now were like heaven and earth.

In this abandoned shrine, I was now the apex predator. I was the super-powerful Hassan, the Overlord of Hell.

"You guys aren't ready for this yet."

Crunch—

The goblins let out a horrifying sound as I tightened my grip.

Now, only three of them remained.

They began to step back as if terrified by the dreadful massacre unfolding before them.

— Bhastard...! Y-you bhastard!

"What the fuck? Go and catch them. Show no mercy!"

Crack— Crack—

At my command, the three skeleton goblins dashed forward. This would be a test of how well I could utilize my necromancy in a fight. Three living goblins versus three bone-made goblins.

The numbers match perfectly, and I couldn't ask for a better experimental opportunity.

Of course, the bone-made goblins had no flesh or muscles, so their power might be lacking. There was a high chance that they would not be a match for the real goblins.

So, when I strated believing that it would be significant harvest if they were even able to defeat one of those little bastards...

— Ge-geak!

— Geguk!

— Kkeu-i-geik!!

The artificial monsters created by my clumsy necromancy thrust their own arm bones like sharp spears, piercing the bellies of their prey.

Then, they tore those prey apart from left to right, as though they were mere curtains.

Chyaackkkhh—

The skeletal monsters that slaughtered the goblins let out terrifying roars, and bluish light gleamed out of their eye sockets.

— Graaaah!!!

Even though I was the one who summoned them, they still felt absolutely terrifying to me. How could such merciless bastards exist in this world?

Their power was way beyond my expectations.

It felt like I took out a lighter to play with, but it turned out to be a flamethrower. As far as I know, flamethrowers were never meant to be toys.

"All of you, for now—"

So, when I was about to command them to disassemble...

Ding—

『Settling the Minions' Battle.』