Chapter 1

1

Mr. Hassan, the Slave of Another World

001 – <The Slave Hassan of Another World>

Son, health is the most important thing for a person. Everything else will follow as long as you are healthy.

That was the statement my father, Mr. Daesu, would always tell me whenever he had the chance.

My father, Daesu, grew up very poor during his childhood and reportedly never had a full meal, suffering from various ailments throughout his youth.

He would say that when he had only one meal every few days, the sky would appear yellow. Just thinking about it still aches my heart.

Having suffered the hunger of his youth, my father eventually established a health center to fulfill his desire to eat healthily and abundantly.

Health Center Mountain and Sea.

It was a name derived from the names of me and my father, or so I’ve heard.

As a result of consuming various juices and extracts of all kinds daily for years, my father became extraordinarily healthy.

He even appeared on television as a muscular uncle, setting records for performances, but that isn’t the main point.

The real problem was that it wasn’t only him consuming all those bizarre foods; he also insisted on feeding them to me, his son.

“Just close your eyes and try it. It tastes just like shrimp. The number of legs is similar too. Eating it alive is more effective.”

“No, it’s moving, aah-!”

This is, what was it, anyway, boiled and extracted broth. Just pinch your nose and swallow it down. Don’t taste it. Absolutely don’t taste it. Never.

Guh-ack-.

Son, this is the stew made with the essence of the rocks of our mountain behind the house-.

Guaaaack-! Guaaaack-!!

Looks like it was so delicious you couldn’t even speak, huh? No one else gets this, but I give it to you because you’re my son.

Thanks to my overzealous father, I experienced and tasted a plethora of foods. I doubt any of my peers have had the variety of ingredients I’ve tried.

Whenever I tell my story, acquaintances usually ask me what things tasted like.

Honestly, I didn’t want to describe their names or tastes because just reviving those memories makes it feel like I might throw up everything I’ve just eaten.

Without even thinking about it, the scent of all sorts of things being prepared and cooked at the health center was always hovering at the tip of my nose, making it extremely uncomfortable.

Fucking smell-.

Looking back now, I truly despised that distinctive scent of the health center.

It was a sticky smell that stuck to my body, forming an invisible barrier around me.

If I had the ability to see smells, there would have been a foggy green cloud swirling around me.

During my sensitive teenage years, I would use up a whole bottle of Febreze deodorant every week due to that smell.

Of course, it was just my overreaction, and now that I’m older, it all feels like distant memories.

Anyway, due to my overbearing father and his strange foods, I grew up fairly strong compared to others my age, becoming a healthy young man with no ailments.

“Thank you, Father.”

I bowed in the direction I thought my father might be in.

Had I grown up as a frail and sickly kid, I would have been rolling around on the ground with that white skeleton in this underground maze.

The Underground Maze.

Yes, it’s the underground maze.

There might be some who wonder why I, living in the modern society of 21st century South Korea, am wandering through an underground maze.

In fact, I’m so curious about it that I’d like to ask someone why.

Of course, squeezing my brain, I did have an inkling of the reason.

That day was the start of my university vacation, and I was heading to my hometown from Seoul.

It was sweltering heat. The humidity had risen to horrific levels after a bit of rain the day before, making it all sticky and terrible.

Feeling the unpleasantness of my back and armpits soaked in sweat, I moved towards the taxi stand to catch a ride.

I hoped the taxi would have a powerful air conditioner.

“Excuse me, excu—.”

Just as I was about to grab the taxi door, someone called out to me from behind. Reflexively, I turned my head.

There stood a tall beauty, roughly my height, wearing a sky-blue off-shoulder dress.

Wow-.

She had a refreshing and immaculate appearance. Rather than being pretty or sexy, she emanated a sense of beauty that fit her perfectly.

Is she a foreigner?

With her blonde hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes, while her ears were a little long and pointed, I assumed it was just the typical foreign look. But anyway, that wasn’t the most important thing right now.

A woman, who could be considered the most beautiful I had ever met, was stopping me!

Naturally, any man would be flustered in such a situation.

“Who? Me?”

“Yes, you. Could you spare just a little of your time? Just a moment.”

The Korean coming from this foreign woman’s lips flowed smoothly into my ears with more clarity than that of most locals.

I wondered if she might be asking for directions, leading to a slight panic due to my fear of speaking English. Thankfully, that didn’t appear to be the case.

“Time?”

Since my only plan for the day was to return home and unpack, I wasn’t in a rush. Thus, I felt a slight curiosity about what this foreign woman wanted to say.

“It won’t take long. First, could you take a look at this?”

The woman pulled out a flat device from the shoulder bag she had slung to her side.

It was the latest tablet, advertised on TV and the internet. She quickly maneuvered it a few times with her slender fingers before showing me a video.

Whoosh, whoosh-.

Dear brothers and sisters, would you believe there exists a directional key that leads to becoming the one in this chaotic world? At our New Sky Proof Tent Temple, there is a bright side to life-.

The video quality felt like it had been hastily finished within a day, like a group project. However, what was more horrifying than the quality itself was the content.

The primordial chaos lord is the light of the new sky-!

sh*t.

From the moment she pulled the tablet out of her bag, the feeling had been foul. No, I should have realized it the moment the woman on the street approached me.

This is a cult.

It’s a common occurrence for cults and sects to use young and pretty women to lure men into conversions.

Targeting naive-looking men, they exploit their innocence to lure them down the wrong path. It’s a despicable method, and surprisingly effective.

“What do you think?”

After the video ended, the woman asked me. I concealed my disappointment and confusion and replied as politely as I could.

“I don’t believe in this sort of thing. Good luck.”

This is 21st century South Korea, a place with religious freedom. Even with suspicious sects and cults, I had to maintain a level of civility.

However, it seemed my reaction was too polite.

“Let’s go to a café and talk. The karma you possess, no, your ancestor’s merits, are so unique and peculiar. I have something to discuss regarding a ceremony and estimations—”

The woman suddenly grabbed my arm and started to pull me somewhere, rambling on.

In a situation where a beautiful foreign woman was showing such overt interest in me,

I had no idea if I’d ever have such an experience again in my life, even living for dozens more years. But of all things, for it to be a cult, that’s unacceptable.

“Let’s head over there. Preferably to a café with fewer people—”

What’s the hurry to drag me somewhere?

Fewer people?

Fear started to creep in.

What if I get dragged into a secluded area and wake up after being knocked out, locked up in a cult’s prayer center?

Or worse, sold to a deep-sea fishing boat.

Thinking like that made me feel I had to shake the woman off.

“Uh, I’m busy. We have ceremonies four times a year at home! Please let go of this!”

Grrk-.

But perhaps due to the foreign woman’s physique, her grip on my wrist was firmer than I expected.

I stood at 179 cm and had a decent amount of muscle since I returned from the military; I didn’t envision myself being dragged around. How in the world could a woman be this strong?

“Hey, let go of this.”

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“What is it?”

I raised my voice, and I could feel the eyes of the surrounding people turn towards us. Only then did the woman shift her blue eyes, and she released my wrist.

“Then, please read this.”

Still, looking a little disappointed, she placed a small booklet in my hand.

“Believe in the Chaos Lord and make sure to be saved. We don’t know when the time of the new sky’s epoch will come, so we must be prepared. Especially students.”

With that, this bizarre situation came to an end.

I turned my gaze from the retreating woman and looked at the booklet I held.

As a means to calm my shocked heart, I blinked. What I saw was a shoddy design on the cover with large characters written in a traditional font.

『To you, dear brother or sister reading this. Please take a moment to heed our message. You too can enter the world of salvation. Let us all shout for Chaos until we are ready for the time of upheaval. – New Sky Proof Tent Temple.』

New Sky Proof Tent Temple?

“What is this?”

The idea of a new world or new order in the sky is very common among cults and sects.

So I had no intention of reading any more of the text behind it.

I simply crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash. It was truly a strange happening—thinking this as I got into the taxi.

…But looking back now, I should have taken a proper look at what was written in that booklet.

“Chaos, long live!”

Words lined up before me as I chanted that foolish incantation.

『Name: Hassan Lv. 7

Strength: 2

Agility: 2

Stamina: 3

Tasks: 137

Status: Cursed by Dosai》

“Hehe, sh*t.”

It seems I’m really in deep trouble.

It took me about two years to accept that fact.

Two years.

730 days.

The time it takes for a newborn baby to take its first steps and learn to say simple words.

The time it takes for a clueless and awkward recruit to put on their unit cap and step out the door.

That means the period of two years is enough to change one person who has fallen into an unfamiliar place.

“Hey, Hassan, what are you chuckling about by yourself? Are you crazy? What’s with the long life?”

Bang-.

Someone hit me hard on the back of my head, pulling me out of my thoughts. What I saw was a dim section of an underground ruin.

Of course, no sunlight was entering—

Only the sound of dripping water echoed damply in the area.

Grrr….

From the end of the corridor, a deep, inexplicable breathing could be heard, sending chills down my spine.

“Hey, you b*stard. Are you ignoring me again? What’s with the spaced-out expression? Get your head straight. If you keep this up, your pay for today will be docked.”

“Uh, yes, I understand. I’ll be careful.”

I rubbed the sore back of my head and lowered it apologetically.

The expression of the woman, illuminated by the torchlight, looked so distorted it resembled a sinister monster, but of course, I didn’t say that out loud.

“Pay attention. If you let your guard down in the dungeon, it’s over.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful, Ms. Elpride.”

“Right, then we’ll set up camp here for the night. Hurry up and make the campsite. And once it’s done, please massage my shoulders and legs. I’m exhausted from walking.”

“…Yes, of course.”

I subtly glanced at Elpride.

Dressed in tight leather clothes like any other adventurer, with silver hair tied back in a ponytail and red gem-like eyes. She was a striking woman with long eyelashes and cat-like upturned eyes—Elpride.

She seemed quite tired and irritable, so I had no choice but to cautiously set up tents and a campfire, hoping not to make her angrier.

Clatter, clatter-.

I hurriedly moved my hands and set up tents for four people, shedding the heavy load that had been on my back all day.

However, none of the other four party members helped me. Even though they were making their own places to sleep.

That was to be expected, as I was nothing more than a pack mule and a general labor slave for that fairy or whatever she is.

A slave.

Yes, a slave.

A human deprived of personal freedom and will, forced into inhumane labor 24 hours a day.

In this world where concepts of human rights and minimum wage do not even exist.

Like an orphan abandoned in this strange barbaric world, I had rolled through every bottom of the ladder for roughly two years, only to ultimately fall into slavery.

“d*mn slow. At this rate, the sun will rise outside. Should I whip you to snap you back to reality? And the tent is sagging!”

“I’ll fix it!”

sh*t, what a terrible villain who gives pointless advice and doesn’t help at all, often resorting to hitting me as well. Because of this, my body was always covered in small wounds and bruises.

“Faster! Hurry up! Lazy Samaritan brat. You can only work properly if you’re whipped! Huh? This is why black-haired bastards—”

Crack-crack.

“Ugh, ack! Oh, sh*t!”

Still—.

Still, today’s whipping was less painful.

Of course, it’s not like Elpride softened her strikes out of compassion; it was just how I felt.

Being whipped and hearing insults were bearable today. The reason was none other than what was in my pocket.

Clink-.

I could feel the weight of a pouch of coins hidden deep inside my leather shirt, and I desperately tried to keep my mouth from curling up into a smile.

If I could safely escape this underground ruin and receive even a little bit of pay,

I would finally have gathered the thirty silver coins I had planned.

30 silver.

The money I’d saved from food and wages over about a year and a half of my slave life.

With this money, I could do a lot.

I could eat more than a hundred bowls of rice soup, the ingredients of which I didn’t even know.

Moreover, it was enough to buy a healthy and strong black-haired barbarian slave.

Perhaps some astute individuals may have guessed this by now.

I planned to use this money to legally purchase my freedom. Buying my freedom and becoming an adventurer like those bastards!

If I were to rise in rank as an adventurer, I would be granted a status even as a foreigner, and this inhumane life would come to an end!

“Your hands have stopped! Are you thinking useless thoughts again?”

“Whipping. Difficult.”

“sh*t, looks like you haven’t been whipped enough yet!”

“Gekekek-!”

Crack-crack.

I’ll endure just for today.

Just for today.

Once I escape this underground ruin tomorrow, everything will change.

Imagining ripping up my slave contract in front of that prickly and rude Elpride, I diligently laid out her sleeping bag inside the tent.

[Author’s Note] Hello, to all those who have been waiting, and to the new readers who have met me, it’s nice to meet you all. Let’s start once more!!!!

For a bit of leisure time, I aim for a lighthearted and not serious story!!

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