Chapter 2: Hassan, Slave in Another World (2)

I was anxiously observing Elfriede.

She was examining her sleeping bag laid out in the tent.

"Hmm. Good. The sleeping bag is laid out nicely. You're finally coming back to your senses, aren't you? Are you not doing better after a little whipping session? Good Job."

"Ah...Thank you."

Apparently, she is satisfied with my work.

This vicious elf is usually very strict about her lodgings.

It wasn't uncommon for her to reject my arrangements multiple times, having me lay them out over and over again. Fortunately, it worked out rather well on the first try today.

She peacefully lay down for a rest.

Lazy Bitch.

"Why do I feel like you're thinking something rude about me?"

"Th-there's no way I'd think something like that."

-Gaze

Elfriede's faint red eyes were fixated on me as I felt a chill down my spine. This woman's instinct is sharper than I thought. I can't even curse her inwardly from now on.

I put on an innocent expression and tried putting on a dumb facade. I still had to prepare the tents and sleeping bags for the other party members.

It was around the time I had finished preparing the camp.

"Hassan, come and massage my shoulders."

In the large clearance of the 'Underground Labyrinth'. Just as I lit the bonfire, Elfriede, who was busy doing her own thing, sternly called out to me.

I clapped off the dust gathered in my palms and walked to Elfriede's tent and stood behind her, while she was sitting on a cot.

"Give me a strong massage. My shoulders ache from all the heavy load I had to carry. Even whipping you is tedious now."

Heavy load you had to carry? Bitch, I was carrying all of you punks' stuff.

I wanted to scream my heart out right now, but I still decided to put up with it.

Elfriede, a ❰Silver Ranked Adventurer❱, is a monster that surpassed me in terms of combat power and overall physical strength. If my level is 2, her level is around 30s.

The only foreseeable result of me fighting her is complete and utter defeat.

And because this bitch has me on a leash, I can't rebel either.

I had no choice but to massage her shoulders.

"Yes, like that. Ah, that's the spot. You're mostly useless, but you at least know how to give a good massage. Are all Samaritans like you?"

'Samaritan' is the term that is used to refer to black-haired barbarians. They are ostracized as savages and lunatics running through the wilderness while screaming their lungs out.

How would I know what they are like?

"Well, I don't know about others. I just learned what I could from my father."

I remembered my father was running a health center and an orthopedic clinic at the same time.

The clinic was filled with anatomical models and acupressure treatment tables. My father made sure to teach me all this boring stuff so that I could take over the clinic.

I found it rather boring, but that experience still ended up being useful to me.

Elfriede tended to calm down after getting a massage.

"Yes. That's perfect. Hmm-"

Elfriede trembled, looking satisfied.

-push

I could clearly feel the clamps in her shoulders through my palms. Why are her shoulders so stiff despite her not carrying anything?

I lowered my gaze slightly until I had a sight of her front body.

-Glance

Two voluptuous hills that couldn't be hidden by the characteristic tight leather outfit of adventurers.

After all, she is indeed a wood elf. Those who are blessed with prosperity and beauty by the Forest God.

No wonder her shoulders were so stiff from carrying such prominent lumps of flesh.

"Alright, you're done with my shoulders. Switch to my legs."

"Understood."

-Rustle

With my prompt reply, Elfriede took off her shoes and exposed her bare legs to me.

I knelt in front of her and applied acupressure on her thin calves, ankles, and her white bare feet with my palm and fingers.

It felt so cold that it was hard to imagine they were wrapped in long boots for a whole day.

It was a little sweaty, but I knew better not to voice my complaints if I didn't want to lose my life.

"Heuhg-Ha-"

Elfriede twisted her body as if in agony at each press of my finger on the soft flesh above her heel.

Sigh.

I shivered at the realization of my failure to control my strength. I was prepared for an eventual beating, but Elfriede did nothing and started yelling at me instead.

"Your hands have stopped! The strength was just right, so continue."

"Yes, yes."

-press, press, press

I pressed my palms very hard on her feet as if to squeeze them out.

I felt a little more relaxed with every moan that came out of this elf's mouth.

Her uterus isn't in good condition. Her kidneys aren't in good shape either. Yes, be more ill, you bitch.

"Well done, Hassan. That's it, keep up the strength."

"Understood."

"I'm so envious."

"I really wish I could touch her legs."

"I want her to step on me with that foot."

As I was partaking in this humiliating massage, I heard a few men whispering amongst each other. It was the other three adventurers that were part of Elfriede's party.

They were like her guard dogs. They were obsessed with this elf's beauty and treated her like their queen. Apparently, they seemed to be jealous of me, who had the 'Honor' of touching her legs.

I might have shared such sentiment if I wasn't a slave.

As far as her appearance was concerned, Elfriede was indeed a woman with immense beauty. She was sought after by a lot of men multiple times a day. Too bad she had such an unpleasant personality.

To be able to massage the body of such a woman, of course, my lower body would normally be raging.

But my lower body didn't even budge.

There was no blood running in there at all.

The reason for that was this slave imprint, ❰Medusa's Curse❱ I was inflicted with.

Because of this vicious curse, my lower body wouldn't even budge on any occasion.

Many people who were afraid of having burly men as their slaves would just cut off their manhood. However, since many men couldn't endure such ruthless incision, this effective, albeit expensive method came into existence.

The words of the slave trader who captured me and later sold me to Elfriede were replayed in my ears.

The ❰Medusa's Curse❱ that he has cast on me resulted in my pride and dignity being on Elfriede's leash, forcing me to obey her every command.

Only my master, Elfriede, could lift this curse.

"Your hands have stopped again! Don't slack off!"

-lash

"Ugh-"

****

Fuck, it's an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Oi, wake up. Are you still slacking off?"

When I opened my eyes, I saw Elfriede looking down on me with an icy gaze. So, I hurriedly got up.

"I'm awake. I'm awake."

I couldn't sleep well the previous night, and after briefly closing my eyes, by the time I opened them, it was already dawn.

"Hurry up and pack away the tents and the sleeping bags. This journey is getting needlessly longer. If I'm late because of you, you'll get another taste of my whip."

"I'll do it promptly."

As I was shoving the adventurer's tents and sleeping bags into my backpack, I grew even more aware of what I had become in this world.

A slave.

My identity as a slave was instinctively making me behave like one.

After enduring beatings and torment every day, the pride of a young man would eventually shatter.

I've seen my fair share of men who just like me were sold as slaves and eventually became dysfunctional. Retards, drooling and grinning at the crumbs left on the floor.

If I don't get my act together, I'll be joining their ranks soon.

Even if I stay cautious, this prolonged lifestyle as a slave might still cause unrepairable damage to my psyche.

It would be too late to do anything at that time.

After packing all the luggage and lifting the heavy backpack on my shoulders, I saw Elfriede talking to her party members.

"I have to get out of these ruins today, so we'll be hurrying up. According to the investigation, there should be an altar in front of us. Let's take the relic and get out of here."

Altars and relics were out of my interest. I definitely agree on the 'getting out of here today' part though.

Even if I receive the least possible amount of pay today, I'll still be able to collect 30 silver coins.

I'll still be able to free myself.

We began to forge ahead, clearing the cobwebs on our way forward.

-Hiss, Hiss

As I was moving through the deep hallway of the underground labyrinth, I could see a giant spider, as big as a human body, running towards the party while screeching.

It was a monster called 'Giant Aracrab'.

-Clattering

I felt chills down my spine as I looked at the eight hairy legs lit by the dim light of the torch.

Shit, I hate spiders.

Because of what my father subjected me to in my childhood, I had many reasons to call spiders traumatic.

I already hated spiders that were smaller than my hand, but these things are as big as a human body.

Really, it's freaking terrifying. Its fangs were as thick as my arm. Getting bit by them would only result in death.

"Ifrit."

Elfriede, who still had a calm expression, chanted a spell. The body of the 'Giant Aracrab' was immediately burned to crisps after getting hit by a fireball.

Fire magic.

I still haven't gotten used to this despite living in this world for two years.

Magic is overpowered!

"What are you doing? Hurry up and dismantle it."

Elfriede authoritatively instructed me, who was spacing out while staring at the burnt spider. Soon I regained my senses, took out my dagger, and started hacking at its arms.

-Slash

I skillfully dismantled the shell from the charred body. It was my job to dismantle the corpses of the monsters we killed.

-Clank

It seems like the legs and shell of the Aracrab could be used as materials for fairly expensive armor. Everything else was useless.

-Crinkling

Even if its usefulness was limited, I couldn't help but salivate at the sight of the ripe white flesh.

Dammit, it's so frustrating to be hungry at the sight of this giant spider.

I couldn't help it as I was never given a chance to relish a proper meal as a slave. Even the 30 silver coins were collected by saving the inn and meal expenses.

To my starving self, the white plump flesh of this monster looked really delicious and was reminiscent of shrimp or crab.

It was named Aracrab, so it might really taste like a crab.

I heard that many adventurers were used to eating the flesh of monsters. It won't hurt if I take a nibble-.

"What the hell are you doing? Hurry up."

"Oh, yes. I'm done."

I regained my senses and diligently finished the dismantling.

My backpack, which was already quite heavy, now had a massive shell on top of it. It felt no different from marching with army equipment on your back.

"We're almost there. Look for Pluto's crest."

Elfriede was walking down the dark hallway, carefully inspecting the hard stone wall with her palms. Her hand finally revealed a six-petaled crest resembling a hexagonal star amidst the falling dust.

"It's a crest that resembles a daffodil."

"We've come to the right place, Elfriede. It's just as you said."

"Reaching this point without a map, as expected of a silver-ranked adventurer."

The sight of the three bootlickers sucking up to Elfriede made me crease my eyebrows.

Morons.

As we curb our sexual desires and examine such a spectacle, we are posed with philosophical questions-

'What is man?'

'Why do we even have an urge to procreate?'

"Hmm."

Elfriede also had a displeased look on her face, only nonchalantly listening to their flattery. She then continued to examine the stone wall with her palm.

"Don't stand still. Keep looking around. There must be a door leading to a secret passage somewhere around here. That's how Pluto's ruins are usually structured."

At those words, they began to examine the stonewall closely, moving their hands in haste as if trying to impress her.

I too half-heartedly started sweeping through the wall with my bare hands. I felt something click under my hand and one of the stones sunk deeper into the wall.

-Rumble

The walls of the ruins began shaking violently, and the structure was noticeably changing. Soon enough, an opening leading to a long corridor appeared.

Elfriede was looking at me, her eyes full of praise.

"How did you do it, Hassan? Good job, I'll give you some extra money this time. Get yourself a nice meal after we return."

"Ah, thank you."

One scary thing about Elfriede is that she always made a clear distinction between rewards and punishments. She was a natural at dealing with slaves.

Her compliments made me feel great even if I hated it. Is this what slavery feels like?

"Tsk, you bastard slave."

The envious gazes the bootlickers sent to me were just as painful and cumbersome.

There is nothing more terrifying than the jealousy and tyranny of bootlickers.

Anyway, we started walking through the secret passage of this Underground Labyrinth. The ❰Silver-Grade Quest❱ that lasted for two days was finally coming to an end.

-Stomp, Stomp.

I was quietly walking behind the adventurers, torch in hand, still thinking about my eventual freedom.

Elfriede offered to pay me extra because I was the one to find the secret entrance. She must have been quite pleased.

Now, I even have some surplus money after freeing myself.

I still have to put money aside for the equipment if I want to become an adventurer.

While I was cheerfully thinking about the extra money.

"It's a relic. There's really a relic here."

"It's true, Elfriede. It's at least an Epic-grade one."

Elfriede and her goons stopped walking, so I followed suit.

There was a huge pedestal in front of us and a rod was plunged into it.

I don't know what it is, but looking at Elfriede and the others' expressions, it surely must be important and expensive.

"All right, Hassan. Go there and retrieve it."

"Wait, what?"

****

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