Chapter 51: Hassan - Sodomora's Rising Star (2)

༺ Hassan - Sodomora's Rising Star (2) ༻

Luna was keeping a meter's distance from me at all times. Whenever I tried to close the distance between us, she would faintly tremble, and promptly distance herself again.

Predictably so, Luna seemed to have been mindful of the happenings of the previous day, even though she spoke nothing regarding that matter.

My eyes were repeatedly drawn toward Luna.

I felt akin to a soft bubble rising in my heart every time I got a look at her profile paired with the absolutely comical view of her pink twin tails dancing with the wind. I felt as though my heart was floating in the air, as light and as unbridled as a father.

"The weather is nice, isn't it?"

I glanced around, hearing Luna's words, and observing the state of the weather.

There were a few clouds here and there but the sun was radiantly shining in the sky— unobstructed and unfettered.

A cool breeze was blowing under the gentle warmth of the mellow sunshine. It was the very definition of the typical spring weather. The perfect time to go for a walk and have a picnic. Should I take some time and invite Luna to a walk in the park?

"The shoes you gave me are really comfortable, Hassan!"

Ah, now that I think about it, Luna was currently wearing the sandals I had gifted her. The size specified for the footwear had been the result of complete guesswork on my part. I'm glad that my guess wasn't off the mark, seeing that they perfectly fitted her small soles.

"Somehow, it feels as if you're holding my soles, for some reason. It's rather ticklish." Luna kept smiling, laughing with every step she took. It was a smile not dissimilar to one who was trying their best to hold back their urges to laugh after being tickled.

"I'm glad that you liked them."

"Ha-Hassan..."

"Huh, yeah?"

"What happened yesterday, it... It's a secret between us, okay? Even the gods don't know about it..."

"Ah, oh, yeah."

And thus our conversation ended once again.

Due to the silence, all I could do was look around at my surroundings while thinking about this and that, as we roamed the streets. Before I could even notice, we had reached the masterfully-crafted magnificent building of the Mars Guild.

"Ah, Mr. Hassan, Miss Luna. Welcome. I've been eagerly waiting for you guys."

Daphne, the receptionist, was welcoming us with just the slightest bit more warmth tinged in her voice than usual, her hands and eyes diligently kept moving through multiple books and documents, always keeping track of her work.

"I heard Mr. Hassan did quite well during this expedition. I'm very proud of you as a receptionist. Here are 15 silvers— your pay for this commission.

15 Silvers? That's more than the promised 10 Silvers as the reward of the expedition. I felt so agitated, elated, and restless by this unexpected windfall that I felt like I couldn't sit still.

The bag, that she handed me, was quite heavy since it contained 15 Silvers in total. Just holding it and shaking it a little, hearing that delightful jingling sound of money, was enough to make me feel full.

One, two... Alright, there were no mistakes, there were exactly 15 Silvers.

"This is more than I expected. Wasn't the reward 10 Silvers only?"

"You can always give the additional 5 Silvers back if you don't like it."

"Ah, no. I was just wondering why the sudden increase in the reward."

"It's because we ended up having to reward fewer people. Anyway, with this, we're now done with the settlement. And finally, Luna has officially been promoted to the bronze tier after her contributions during this expedition and previous quests."

Luna trembled in amazement at Daphne's words.

"R-Really?"

"I'm gonna measure your Karma first though. You have no problem with that right? Tap your finger here, please."

Daphne pointed out the fountain pen from the last time in Luna's direction, urging her to use it. It wasn't just a simple fountain pen but a genuine epic-grade relic called the needle of appraisal or something along those lines.

Drawing blood through the tip, its abilities were put into display as it used said blood as ink to write one's karma— stats as I like to call them.

"I-I don't want to go through this again...."

"Don't be such a crybaby."

Hesitantly, Luna proceeded to press the pointy end of the fountain pen on her thumb. Soon after that, red drops of blood were drawn out through the sharp end, wetting the tip.

Daphne then took out the fountain pen and soon frantically started writing, as the pen moved on its own rhythm, on a small yet oddly wide piece of paper similar to the one I had seen before during the time my karma was assessed by this very pen.

[Stats] Name: Luna Knox Dotty

Level: 8

Strength: 2

Agility: 5

Stamina: 1

"Wow, you've developed so much, Miss Luna! What the hell?! The last time I checked you only had 1 point on each attribute and your level was only 3. What happened?! How did you get so strong?"

Daphne, after being done jotting down the information, couldn't believe what she was seeing with her own eyes. She could only blink her eyes in obvious disbelief, shell-shocked by this outcome.

Luna was in as much disbelief as her, she opened her mouth wide and repeatedly tapped my arms in excitement.

"L-Look at that, Hassan! I've improved so much! I'm strong now, right? Right??!"

Unlike Luna and Daphne, who were clamoring in surprise and excitement, I just responded with a cursory "Oh, I see." and didn't show further reactions. Well, I was already aware of the overall improvements in her stats when I checked her pulse the last time around, so it didn't come as a surprise to me this time around as it did for the two excited girls.

What surprised me, in fact, was the confirmation that such meager growth was actually very difficult to achieve.

If even Daphne who was used to seeing a lot of different people while doing her job was surprised then it was only a testament to how hard it was.

"Hmmm-."

Daphne only stared at the paper for a time. She then let out a low and long "Hmmm..." before speaking again.

"Well, it would be a lie to say I'm not interested in your means but that's probably a secret, right?"

"My means? I-I don't know. What did I do? What I did? It was just the same as usual."

Luna, who had been silent, clearly in deep thought, suddenly blushed as if coming to a realization of some sort.

"I-I don't know."

"I see. Anyway, you'll get your bronze certification plaque soon. I wish you the best in the future. And Mr. Hassan..."

"Y-Yesh."

Instinctively, I became nervous after hearing her call out my name.

Perhaps, because I was still affected by our first meeting, my palms were sweaty, and felt my face tingling each time I faced this woman.

"Go over there, Mr. Hassan."

Point—

Her well-trimmed index fingernail was pointing to what looked like a fairly large door. Was it perhaps a special type of room attached to the Guild building?

"What should I do there?"

"Just go. You'll see when you enter. Alright, next one!"

**********

Since Luna had some work to do in the afternoon, we went on our separate ways, with me going into the area by opening the large door Daphne pointed to. Immediately, what could only be described as a large vacant space appeared in front of me.

The ground was pretty flat with sand placed all over it, I could also spot all kinds of training equipment along with stacks of hay and dummies all over the place. An exercise yard? Or rather training grounds, perhaps? Something like that, I guess.

I could also see both women and men holding weapons such as swords, bows, and spears, attacking the dummies.

Pak— Kwak— Kwajik—

The gruesome sight of them viciously hitting the defenseless dummies was so terrible that I couldn't help but want to turn my head right away. That was a joke, of course!

"Hassan of Samaria. You came just in time. I've been waiting for you."

I turned my head in the direction of the voice suddenly addressing me from behind. Soon, I saw the sight of Hippolyte with her long brown and her matching chocolate skin.

Could anything fit the idea of a wild horse-like woman dressed in armor better than this?

That aside, god-damn, I couldn't even notice her closing in on me like that. I felt no presence from her. Had she been an assassin aiming for my life, I would have died without a single clue.

"M-Miss Hippolyte!"

Strangely, just having Hippolyte come near me was enough to make my legs feel weaker and my heart tighten. I was, in many ways, very vulnerable to this type of strong woman. From what I can sense, my body seems to have become permanently affected by this debuff.

"... You were waiting for me?"

"Yes, it has been decided that you will be promoted to the bronze rank, Hassan. This fast pace of promotion is pretty much unheard of throughout the history of Sodmora's Guilds. Well, it's not like something like this never happened but this is still pretty big. The higher-ups of our guild would like to confer a title to you."

"A-A title?"

I had heard of titles or whatever they are called before, they were akin to nicknames that were only provided to famous and reputable adventurers.

Among the silver-tier adventurers that followed Elfriede, one of them had a title. It was something like Ittoryu Nalbil. 1Ittoryu here means One Sword. Probably a One Piece reference too.

Anyway, titles were only given to those with great skills or those who somehow distinguished themselves in the adventuring field. And I couldn't see how I was fulfilling either.

"Do you have any specific title in mind? Like what do you want to be called?"

"I-I'll go with Hassan of the Samtoryu..."

"Well, no use asking you now since it has been decided already."

Then why did you still ask, dammit? I really wanted to argue, but thinking of how Hippolyte could easily launch an intangible sword slash flying across great distances I just coyly bowed my head.

"Frankly speaking, this title bullshit is just for appearances' sake, we're not like those bitches from the Minerva Guild. Your name, Hassan of Samaria should be enough as is."

"S-So what's my title?"

"As I said already, Hassan of Samaria. It was proposed by Lord Destroyer since it was based on your hometown and could represent it to the world, nicknames are pretty popular these days."

Hassan of Samaria, wasn't that what I've been called for a while already? And fuck, I'm not from Samaria.

It was now officially impossible to get the Samaritan label off my skin.

That aside, I felt goosebumps at the mere mention that this title was suggested by Lord Destroyer.

"Can't I refuse?"

"You can do whatever you want. Just keep in mind that that's still what you will be called inside the Guild even if you don't acknowledge it. Just like how I was nicknamed 'Hippolyte the Empress'."

"Oh, Empress."

Empress? Really? Well, it wasn't like it didn't fit her all. It actually did somehow, but it still sounded very funny to me. Now that I think about it, wasn't there a speed skating Olympics champion with that nickname too? 2Lee Sang-Hwa

"It suits you."

This woman was a real powerhouse of this Guild. She was even an incredible adventurer and simultaneously a magnanimous person that forgave me for groping her chest. There's no harm in flattering her a little, right? It was about time that I made use of the boot-licking skills that I picked up while working under that witch, Elfriede.

"Empress Hippolyte. Sounds very awe-inspiring. It has a great aura to it too. Like you'd be able to cut down and decimate anything and anyone with a sword in hand.

"Well, I don't really like this nickname, but having an official nickname does have its few perks. My popularity increased a lot and even more, people want to fight me when they see me on the streets."

"Wait, is it really good to have more people want to fight you?"

"Yes, of course. Karma grows the more battles of life and death you have. A Samaritan as cruel as you should know it best, right? The sight of you scaring away that horde of crocodiles still makes me shudder every now and then."

"I-Is that so?"

"Anyways, the Guild expects a lot from you and the other rising stars. So, I sincerely advise you— struggle hard, harder than you have ever before, only that way will you be able to maintain this position of yours among your peers."

"My peers? I actually have peers?"

"You'll find out more about it when you meet them, it will be sooner than you expect. That being said, Hassan, bronze-tier adventurer, I approve of your use of these training grounds, so come here to swing your sword, often."

It seems that I was allowed to use the training grounds, having been promoted to the bronze tier now. However, I didn't feel very excited about this...privilege.

Could sweating myself to death under the scorching hot sun improve my sword skills? Well, probably, but I was a complete beginner without an ounce of knowledge about swordsmanship.

Just when I was smacking my lips lost in thought, Hippolyte spoke.

"Speaking of that, I wanna see your skills since you're already here. Swing your sword with the intent to kill the dummy there."

"D-Do I really have to?"

"Come on..."

ゴゴゴゴ 3JoJo reference, obviously.

Hippolyte's body was emanating some kind of intense pressure.

Holy shit, is she gonna start ORAing out of nowhere now? Scared at that prospect, I was left with no choice but to unsheathe my sword, I had no choice but to slash as hard as I could at the dummy despite my trembling hands.

I held a sword in each and blankly stared at the dummy.

"Think of the person you hate the most."

The dummy's face briefly overlapped with Marco's face, before it soon changed into Elfriede's face, with her oh-so-hateful silver hair and red eyes.

Even now that I had finally become free, the things that happened during my time with that crazy witch were enough to make me seethe in anger. Even now, I sometimes woke up panicked and terror-stricken.

"Y-You fucking bitch!" "

Swoosh—

I struck the dummy made with wood and straw two times, deep cuts were left on it after I slashed my swords in a cross shape.

"Hmm... Very strong emotions, very strong indeed. You must be thinking of your parents' enemies, right?" "

"Well, something like that, I guess."

I felt exhausted and out of breath after using all my strength at once. Soon, Hippolyte stated her evaluation of me with cold and hard facts, not caring at all about my panting state.

"That was about it. Nothing but emotions. The level of your swordsmanship felt even lower than that of a beginner. As if I'm looking at a kid that has been holding a sword for less than a year. Well, not like it's the case right now."

Hippolyte quickly denied her own words, however, that remark had actually hit the bullseye.

But damn, I didn't expect her to directly guess I was a beginner after seeing a single move of mine. Her eyes were much more discerning compared to that wannabe shaman.

"Tell me, Samaritan. Why did you call yourself the Three Swords Swordsman when you're just using two swords."

"W-Well... the last one is a hidden blade"

"I see. I think I can roughly guess your situation now. Just bring it on, nothing is going to be more accurate than this."

Hippolyte fell silent after humming to herself for a while, she then suddenly faced me and clapped her hands. She didn't make her intentions very clear with her choice of words but she seemed to be asking for a spar with me.

"Y-You're not going to use your sword?"

"Yes. My arms are more than enough to deal with you. Besides, a trained warrior's fists are no different from a weapon, after all. This is fair."

Lightly clenching her fists, she lifted them high in the air. Her fists were shaped like slanted rabbit ears. Even though I had no knowledge in this field, I felt that her posture was similar to the typical Muay Thai posture.

Anyway, it was a fight between someone bare-handed and someone wielding a sword.

It reminded me of one of those old martial arts movies where they used 3 Dan Kendo. I remember hearing once that sword-wielders were, by default, three Dans higher than bare-handed people.

Did it mean that the person holding a sword was in a more advantageous position?

But I couldn't see myself winning against her at all even if she only used her fists. Damn, can't she just randomly shoot some wind slashes?

I, for some reason, had a deep feeling that this woman could kill me with just a snap of her fingers.

"Are we really doing this?"

"No need to be scared. I won't kill you."

Hippolyte then tied a string to her waist.

"If you are able to take away this belt, I'll grant any wish you might have. Isn't this supposed to be the greatest motivation for a man? Right?"

Holy shit, you'll really grant me any wish? No man, in both worlds I've lived in, wouldn't be excited by this offer. And it just so happened to be that I was a fucking man too.

I'll ask her to massage my shoulders. There are a lot of places I want her to rub. Although It didn't feel bad to massage others, what I liked the most was receiving one myself.

"Alright, let's do it. You better keep your word."

"Alright. I swear it on the River Styx."

Hearing her answer so arrogantly, I began wondering if this was a spar or perhaps a duel.

Despite, my initial excitement, I still couldn't figure out a way to attack her and we ended up just doing a staring contest for a while. simply staring at each other for a while. Soon enough, people ended up gathering around us and making a fuss.

"What? What's happening over here?"

"It's Hippolyte, looks like she's fighting someone."

"For which bastard should I prepare a coffin again? Let me see his face."

"Black-haired Samaritan? A Samaritan in the Mars Guild... It should be that guy, right?"

"It's probably him. I've been hearing his name a lot in the past few days."

Thus, the crowd surrounding us formed a makeshift arena. Damn, I really had no choice but to fight Hippolyte now, didn't I?

"Good, then I'll be going first."

Kick—

The sound of feet kicking the ground with tremendous force resounded and Hippolyte disappeared from her spot. I wasn't exaggerating, I really couldn't find her anymore.

What is this? Damnit, is it magic?

As I let panic take over me for a while, I suddenly felt a chill on my jaws, so I hastily looked down.

Before I could even understand what was happening, I saw the sight of Hippolyte, slightly crouching under me as she swiftly raised her right fist and delivered a sucker punch right in my abdomen.

"Guh, guaaaak-!"

Body Blow, Clean Hit4Fighting game terminology. They were written in hangul but are pronounced like in English.. The crowd watching this scene also went "Ugh-" or "This must have hurt", seeing me cry out in agony and pain.

Of course, I had no idea what was happening, I wasn't registering anything that was happening around me at all, and my mind was completely blank. Soon, I was bombarded with a combination of hits on my chest and abdominal areas.

Bang— Pak— Pak—

It hurt so much, as though my body was being repeatedly smashed with a stone. Soon, I fell onto the ground after stumbling back and forth for a while.

Elfriede's punches were already pretty strong, and after getting repeatedly beaten by her, I got conceited, gaining confidence in my resilience and endurance. Expectedly so, the punches delivered by a witch couldn't hold a candle to that of a warrioress.

All air escaped my lungs and I felt it hard to breathe again, frantically coughing as a result. Some sand even found its way into my mouth but I felt so weak that I couldn't even muster enough energy to spit it out.

Damn, the passionate events of yesterday made me have the illusion that this was actually heaven, but I was once again reminded that the cruel world I was thrust into was without a single shred of doubt the worst corner of hell.

"I-Isn't he gonna die at this rate? Somebody stop her!" "

"How do you want me to stop Hippolyte, you bastard? Why don't you stop her yourself?"

"Wow, not even the Samaritan can face Hippolyte." "

"That's a given really... matter of course. Hippolyte has already reached Achilles' realm, she's just been refusing the Gold-rank promotion."

I could hear the lengthy and noisy clamor of the crowd spread all around me.

Inhale— Exhale—

For a while, all noises went silent and my panted breaths were the only thing registering in my mind. But soon, even those noises died down and the world was suddenly drenched in silence.

Biiiiiiiii—

In that mute world, I could see those people pointing fingers at me. I could see their teeth, pealed out due to their crooked smiles, shining under the rays of the sun, forming mocking smiles.

These bastards were making fun of me, weren't they?

How dare these irresponsible motherfuckers, watching from a distance, laugh at me?

UNACCEPTABLE!!!

"G, uaagh..."

"What? I thought I had hit him enough to make him pass out. I can't believe he can still stand up after that. How resilient! Did you reflexively move so as to avoid any hit on your vital areas?"

"Whoo..."

"It's certainly not a skill that you can get after being beaten once or twice. You must have led quite a rough life in the wild. You have no way to win this, but, do you still want to continue?"

The female warrior raised her fists again and returned to her initial posture.

"Do you really want to take this belt away?"

As expected, despite saying she forgave me, Hippolyte was still resentful about the matter of me groping her. Well, it would have been weird if she simply forgave the man who saw her nude, no matter how unintended that was.

Just as I was going to answer her, I noticed that I couldn't open my mouth at all.

『Looks like you're in a tough situation. Want some help?』

A strange voice whispered in my ears.

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