Chapter 55: Hassan - Sodomora's Rising Star (6)

༺ Hassan - Sodomora's Rising Star (6) ༻

Luna told me that she would be busy with various paperwork and cleaning up the warehouse, or cabin as she liked to call it.

"I have a lot of things to buy, and I think I'll be busy today. So, see you tomorrow, Hassan!"

"Okay."

After separating from Luna in front of that inn, I decided to head back to the guild building.

There was nothing much to do for me there. But, for some reason, I suddenly became obsessed with the idea to become stronger.

So, as Hippolyte advised me before, I tried to swing my sword at the scarecrow a few times, However, not soon after I started I sensed something or someone from behind.

Whoosh—

"Is that you, Miss Hippolyte?"

"Oh, you realized it was me without even looking."

The only person who would pop up behind me like that was this damn Hippolyte. So, I didn't really need to guess to get it right.

Anyway, I ignored the approaching Hippolyte and continued to swing my sword at the scarecrow. It was perfect for moving your body roughly if you just wanted to vent and relieve your anger then it couldn't get any better.

Then, Hippolyte suddenly spoke.

"You've been working hard since this morning. It's good to have the ambition to improve oneself. I can feel a purpose in the way you're wielding your sword today. You must have been so upset that you lost to me, right?"

Her words reminded me of the duel I had the day before. I wasn't really sure if someone could even call it a duel. She unilaterally beat me, it was complete dominance.

But I didn't feel begrudged that I had lost to her. It was a fight that was impossible to win in the first place.

In order to feel that something was unfair, I personally thought that you had to lose by a narrow margin, or both the participants had to be of equal skill. However, I didn't feel like explaining it to her as it felt like a chore.

"You can say that."

"Hassan of Samaria, I thought you were a true scumbag. It turns out you're still much better than your peers. All right, at least I'll correct your posture for now."

Grab—

After saying that, she just went on and grabbed my arms, clinging to my body all of a sudden. Damn, did she have no sense of restraint at all?

Of course, my back was only met with the texture of her hard armor, so there was nothing to be excited about, but my personal space being invaded like this always made my heart pound for no reason.

"At a slightly slanted angle, if you slash it down like this, from the collarbone to the side... "

She held my hand as she explained to me the correct trajectories of slashing the sword. But, if I had to be honest, I couldn't concentrate at all.

The reason was none other than Hippolyte herself. How should I say this, well, from her I could smell the scent of perfumed oil mixed with the faintest whiffs of sweat perhaps. Anyways, whatever it may be, the fact of the matter was sent that smell was enough to make blood uncontrollably rush toward a man's lower region.

As if it was a wild beast, I was scared that I would be devoured by this raging sense of lust and horniness that I was feeling right now.

"All right, you're pretty talented. Of course, there's still much to improve. Visit this place often in the future. If I have the time, at the very least, I'll correct your posture."

After correcting my posture, Hippolyte walked away since she had some duties to attend to. As I was facing her back, looking at her drifting further away, I couldn't help but ask.

"Well, Miss Hippolyte. What should I do to become a hero?"

I have come to this world for about two years already. And in that time, I've heard people talking about heroes quite a few times.

But I didn't think it was related to me at that time, so I wasn't interested. Of course, I didn't believe that it was related to me even now if I had to be honest. Actually, why did I use the "hero" word instead of "hero"? It sounds a little bit silly.1The first Hero was in Hangul, while the second was spelled as pronounced in English.

"Hero?"

Hippolyte only slightly turned her shoulders and head to look at me. Her expression seemed to be saying "What is this punk trying to say?" or something along those lines.

"Are you asking me how to become a hero class?"

"That's right. Do I have to get a license to get recognized as a hero?"

"Yes, there's a way to get that license."

Holy shit! There really was a license for becoming a hero. I was just asking for the heck of it, but I never imagined that there would be an actual license for something like that.

"Where can I get it?"

"If you follow the path of Mars, you'll naturally reach it."

After saying that, Hippolyte pointed her finger toward her bosom. Because of that, I immediately thought about her bulging chest and the huge bosom that was surely contained within that bulge.

What is this? Are you bragging about your big breasts? Of course, they are big enough to brag about alright. After having touched it myself, I know just how big they are. I couldn't hold it all in one hand, after all.

"What's wrong with that distasteful expression of yours? It's disgusting. What kind of dastardly things are you imagining? I'm talking about the identification tag, damn it!"

Ah...

Only then could I focus and see the shining silver identification tag hanging on Hippolyte's chest.

That was similar to the dog tag that you would get in the army. The difference being that this was for adventurers, not military men. like the adventurer's tag. Every time you raised in rank, the material of the identification tag changed from iron, bronze, silver, and gold, in that order.

"People usually term anyone who has the gold identification tag as a hero. It can be compared with Kairos, the great teacher who hung a gold necklace on his disciples."

I don't know who this great teacher was exactly. Anyway, what I understood from this was that the gold-tier adventurers were called heroes. If not, then maybe the adventurers who were able to enter the realm of heroes were probably eligible to become promoted to the gold tier.

Anyways, that gold identification tag could be called a license or verification of sorts. Damn it, just when I thought that I was able to clear up one of my troubles, another one popped up.

From Elfriede, who could use magic without the use of spells, to Hippolyte, who could shoot sword slashes like it was nothing. There was even that Lord Destroyer who could wield a gigantic hammer and swing it around like a toy. You're telling me that all of these ridiculously strong people were only silver-tier adventurers?

Just what kind of monsters could reach this realm of gold rank that even these ridiculous bunch weren't able to achieve?

"Becoming a gold-tier adventurer isn't going to be easy. There are many things to consider, starting from your reputation in the surrounding area to you also needing to win sufficient popularity among the citizens."

"What? You also need to care about your popularity and image?"

"Despite being skillful, there are many people who cannot reach the gold tier because they are cruel and violent and people don't acknowledge them. Sometimes there are adventurers who don't get accepted because they are arrogant and conceited as well. For example, Altair from the Minerva guild."

Hmm... You also need acknowledgment from other people, huh? That was probably the most difficult condition that I needed to fulfill. I'm Hassan of Samaria, after all. More often than not, I would get despised and teased rather than acknowledged for my deeds.

"But having an aspiration is a good thing. Hassan, if you're an adventurer, always aim for a higher place. And... About last time..."

"Y-Yes?"

"No, it's nothing."

* * * * * * *

I walked around the park after having a small lunch. I got myself a two-copper burrito from the streets as my lunch for today. As expected, hitting a scarecrow did not suit my aptitude.

And even if I simply practiced 100 days in. At this rate, it might take weeks, months, or even years for my strength to rise by even one level.

"Long live Chaos!"

Ding—

[Stats] Name: Hassan

Level: 8

Strength: 2

Agility: 2

Stamina: 3

Task: 57

Blessing: Blessing of Chaos > Imperfect Dexterity > Night's Cloak >

I creased my forehead as I looked at the letters and numbers hovering in front of me.

Didn't I already have a mysterious ability that would make people wonder in awe if they were to learn about it? I'm sure that I will be able to grow twice as fast if I were to use it efficiently.

However, in this world, using something like this was considered an illegal medical practice that was heinous enough to be beaten to death. Is there any way to wriggle around this?

"Look, who has come? Isn't this the new Baraboroy that I haven't seen for a while?"

After wandering in the park, I arrived at the library of Sodomora. Of course, although it was called a library, it was more like a cramped secondhand bookstore.

However, the knowledge that was piled up here would be able to enrich my mind.

"So, Baraboroy, what do you want to find out in this place? Rather than coming here, it will be faster for you to search for it in the wilderness outside the gate."

A skinny grey-haired librarian spoke to me in a sarcastic tone after seeing me enter the store.

Of course, I knew this was his way of joking around, but his sense of humor was rather dry. This was what happened when you buried your nose in books for too long.

Rattle—

On the man's neck, there was a blue name tag. After glancing at the name written on it, I asked kindly in my own way.

"Well, Mr. Erimantos, I'm here to borrow some books. Do you have an encyclopedia?"

"Encyclopedia? I have. What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm thinking of reading it."

"What a surprise!"

Damn it, could you use a book for any other purpose than reading it? I suddenly felt like opening the librarian's head and looking into his thoughts.

"A Samarian, who wants to brush up his knowledge? This really feels like a novel experience to me. But we have to maintain the procedure now, don't we? Show me your identification tag."

Therefore, I showed Erimantos, the library keeper, my identification tag that was jingling around my neck.

This was a bronze tag I had just received from the guild, and every time I showed it around, I couldn't help but feel very proud about it. I was now a bonafide bronze-tier adventurer!

"Hassan of Samaria, I have checked it already. But I must say, you really got an ugly necklace there."

Erimantos narrowed his forehead when he saw the fist-sized necklace hanging around my neck. I wasn't sure if an educated person like him could sense some mysterious power from my necklace.

"I can't believe you really put something like that on your neck. Don't you feel anything? I can feel something unusual coming from it."

"I don't feel anything. Anyway, please give me the book quickly."

"Hmm, is it a Samarian special mental protection? Anyway, please wait."

Erimantos disappeared among various old bookshelves. When he came back, he was holding a large and heavy-looking book in his hand.

"Here you are. You will have to pay for it if it is lost or damaged."

"There, I'll sit at that desk and read."

"Okay then."

Receiving the thick and heavy book from the librarian, I went and sat at a table in the corner of the library. The title on the cover of the old book was—

『How to Act Like a Continental for Dummies』

Damn, this is the exact same book I read last time.

I flipped the thick book cover and started reading from things I remembered to the part I was curious about.

『Knox, the goddess of the night? An existence of the beginning. As one of the Protogenoi, she's in charge of the dark night. It is said that as a pre-Titan existence, her power is unfathomable.

She lives in Pluto's underground palace, at the deepest part of Tartarus, where even the gods are reluctant to enter.

That alone will tell you how big her prowesses are. However, since she rarely comes out of her place, there's nothing much to be known about her』

Luna's mother seemed to be a very mighty goddess.

Damn it, then why the hell was her daughter, Luna, a Chikorita? Was she not her real daughter or what?

No, maybe Knox is a powerful Chikorita then? A Gigantamax Chikorita? Shit, that alone was already quite scary.

Schliff— Schliff— Schliff—

I kept flipping the page and stopped at a page with familiar words written on it.

Uh... uh...

I found it. It was in the very back of the book.

『Asclepius? A healer who is said to have lived decades ago. According to the literature, it is said that he lived in the Acheron region, and he was active near Babylia or Kalkata.

He was a very talented healer. He could point out someone's condition just by looking at the other person's eyes.

However, his outstanding skills became a source of trouble and eventually caused anger among the gods. Asclepius eventually revived the dead with his medicinal prowess and went against the will of Pluto, the ruler of the underworld.

For this reason, he was struck by lightning by Jupiter, who was in charge of the laws of the gods. He was trapped in the deepest level of Tartarus and suffered eternal torment and anguish.

However, it is said that Asclepius was released from the underworld at the pleas of Apollo, the god of light, who is his father. Then he was raised to a high status in Olympus and was revered as the god of medicine.

From this event, the relationship between Pluto and Jupiter seems to have been significantly shifted and twisted, and the sudden appearance of underworld remains in various places seems to be Pluto's protest.

In addition, many changes have occurred on earth, with new laws on medical practices being designated so as not to repeat Asclepius' mistakes.』

So Asclepius is the god of medicine.

Damn, I couldn't believe there was someone who could judge someone's condition just by looking at their eyes.

I thought it was already extraordinary to see letters when I touched someone's wrist, but I couldn't even imagine being able to know one's ailments by only looking at them. It was already not within the realm of medicine.

However, I finally slightly understood why people of this world were so wary and guilty about illegal medical practices.

"If you don't understand anything, just ask, Barbaroy. I'm free at the moment, so I can answer some simple questions. I hate ignorant people, but I don't hate the ones who want to learn."

The librarian hinted at me, who was searching through the book and trying to cram all those pieces of information inside my head.

That was right, there were very few customers at the moment, and the information in the book felt boring. Nothing made the time go by so quickly as talking to someone else.

I didn't miss the opportunity and opened my mouth to ask because, coincidentally, I also had some questions.

"Well, I have a question about medicine."

"Medicine?"

Erimantos, the librarian, looked really surprised after hearing my query.

His face was like a person who asked a kindergarten student to ask him a question and in return was asked what the mathematical brain teaser, poincaré conjecture was. Then soon, his eyes began to glitter in interest.

"Medicine, for now, is an unlucky study. Well, since you're curious about medicine, just ask what you want to know."

"To be exact, I'm more curious about its distinctions than about medicine itself. What are the categories of illegal and non-medical activities?"

"Are you asking about the Asclepius Act? Well, it's not written in detail in that book. So, about the Asclepius Act...."

After murmuring to himself for a while, Erimantos took out a thick book from a corner. Something about the code of laws was written on the cover, but I couldn't get the full name.

Erimantos opened the book, rummaged through several pages, and started to read a part out loud.

"Here it is. It defines violations as illegal medical practices. First, receiving patients on the street without authorization from temples and treatment centers. Second, a case where a healing magic user who has not reported to the temple demonstrates magic on the patient's body without permission. Third..."

"Uh, I'm sorry, but how many are listed there?"

"Around 155."

Shit, that was a lot of rules. Would I even be able to memorize all those things in my head? Asking a few relevant questions seems better.

"Well, I have a question. Let's say, I'm massaging Mr. Erimantos' palms."

"It won't be happening. I don't have a hobby of holding a man's hand."

"I'm just giving you an example. So, if you massage someone's palms or back to heal their stiff shoulders, can this be considered an illegal medical practice?"

"It's a pity that you don't know such basic things even though you're a savage from the wilderness. If a massage is considered a medical practice, you will have to arrest all the men who knead a woman's chest. Can you regard just a kneading as a medical practice, huh?"

The medical science and medical techniques of the wilderness seemed to be really inferior or so was Erimantos muttering to himself. Maybe he just lost interest in me, so he cut off the conversation.

Anyway, to sum up, does it mean that there was no risk of getting stoned to death? What? Damn it, I have been scared for no reason at all.

Still, it would be a big problem to attract people on the street and ask them if they wanted a massage or open a massage shop like a mat seller. You'll attract more attention than you needed and something troublesome will surely pop up.

For the time being, I should only massage the reliable people that I am acquainted with and steadily obtain task points.

Having roughly solved all the questions that I was bothered by, I returned the book and got up to get out of the library. Shouldn't Luna be almost done with her business by now?

"See you next time, Barbaroy."

"See you again too.

I was on my way to the street after such a brief greeting.

"Tall body, black hair. Everything checks out."

"Are you Hassan of Samaria?"

When I turned my head to the sound of someone calling me from behind, I saw city guards armed with armor, shields, swords, etc. coming toward me.

What is this? Why are these people looking for me? Damn it, I didn't know what was happening, but my legs were shaking violently, and I felt like my whole body was drained of blood at that moment.

"...What's the matter?"

"You don't have to be wary of us. We're not trying to take you away. Rather, we're here to ask for your help. Do you happen to know a woman named Luna?"

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