Chapter 106

Episode 106: The Nymph Cultist and Pluto’s Underground Maze (4)

”P-please… spare me…”

Barns whimpered in a voice so faint it seemed he might stop breathing any second. The sight of him—once a confident veteran adventurer—now reduced to such a pitiful state made my own excitement cool slightly.

”P-please… save me…”

”No way, you little sh*t!”

But that didn’t mean I forgave him. So I drove my fist into his jaw again, knocking him out cold.

Now, he was a quiet man—no more trash-talking, no more begging for his life. The peace that settled over me as his incessant yapping finally stopped was almost divine.

Barns, you’ve really turned into a good boy now.

It suddenly hit me—everyone becomes a little nicer after getting punched in the face.

Maybe a thick fist or a club is the best moral teacher for the unlearned masses of this world.

Anyway, once I confirmed Barns was completely unconscious, slumped on the ground, I stood up and called out to the spectators.

”Did I win?”

”Yes. An indisputable victory,” Hippolyte replied. ”And as per protocol, Barns Rodellheim is hereby expelled from the guild and sentenced to imprisonment in the prison city! Guards!”

Clank, clatter.

At her call, armored guild guards appeared. They flipped Barns’ limp body over and dragged him away.

Losing a duel meant not just getting kicked out of the guild but also being thrown in prison. Even now, the rule sounded insane. d*mn, good thing I won.

But strangely, I didn’t feel particularly happy or excited about my victory.

Instead, my mind settled into an eerie calm, sharpening my senses until I could hear every whisper, every breath around me.

”Barns just got… beaten like some back-alley brat.”

”Wasn’t that guy supposed to be a big deal?”

”Gotta be careful bringing up parents in front of a Samaritan.”

”sh*t, aren’t there supposed to be swarms of guys like him in the Black Wilderness beyond the continent? Fucking terrifying. Thank the gods the Samaritans keep them in check.”

The audience muttered among themselves, voices hushed as if afraid I might hear. But in my heightened state, every sound—even the gulps and shaky exhales—reached me with painful clarity.

It was like someone had cranked the world’s volume to max.

”Samaritan—”

”The Mars Guild’s got talent—”

”That foreigner’s monstrous strength—”

The voices grew louder, pounding in my skull until a sharp headache set in.

”sh*t! Hassan, I made money! I bet 50 coppers on you! Turned it into 2 silvers!”

Luna’s voice, bright and clear from outside the arena, cut through the noise. And just like that, the bizarre volume amplification ended.

”Luna, you bet on me?”

”If I’d had more, I would’ve gone all in! Still, a fourfold return!”

”Heh. Good enough.”

—

After the duel ended in my one-sided victory…

Back in Luna’s tiny cabin, the second-floor private space was filled with my groans.

”Ugh… ughhh… Are you sure this actually works?”

”Yes! This herb is great for bruises. I bought it with the 2 silvers I won.”

”Hah… thanks. Ow… d*mn…”

Luna pressed a hand-shaped leaf onto the dark bruise on my chest and gently rubbed it. Normally, it would’ve tickled, but right now, even her soft touch just hurt.

The adrenaline had worn off, and the pain I’d ignored now surged like compounded interest, gnawing at my body.

Barns, was it? d*mn, the b*stard had fists sharp enough to back up his duel challenge.

If I hadn’t been pumped to the brim with rage, I might’ve lost to those precise strikes.

How the hell did I even win? Could I do it again? Not that it mattered—he was locked up now.

As I mused over the fight, Luna spoke up.

”There, your chest is done! Anywhere else hurt?”

”My… my side…”

”Your side? Hmm… I’m out of the healing leaves.”

She frowned, then brightened.

”Spit should work, right?”

True to her survival in this savage world, Luna came up with the most unhinged solution—bending down to lick my bruised side.

Lick. Lick.

”Pfft—hahaha!”

The ticklish sensation made me burst out laughing.

”How is it? Better?”

”Kinda…? There’s another spot that hurts. Think you could… spit there too?”

”Where?”

She lifted her head, staring at me blankly. Something about her expression made mischief stir in me.

”M-my lips… kinda hurt too…”

”Hah! Looks like you haven’t been hit enough yet! I-I’ve got preparations for tomorrow’s expedition!”

With that, she smacked my back and stood up. Probably busy getting ready for the mission tomorrow.

I’d secured an important role in it too, but right now, the aftermath of the duel made me want to do nothing but lie here.

Winning was good, but…

Why do I feel like I still lost something?

Clank. Thud.

A heavy metallic sound rang out. Turning my head, I saw Luna picking up an old breastplate from the floor.

”What’re you doing?”

”The armor I took from that Barns guy. Doesn’t fit me.”

”Well, it’s made for men.”

Of course, the looted armor didn’t fit me either. I’d sell it later and buy a proper breastplate.

Even secondhand, with the included iron gauntlets, I could probably get 30 silvers for it. Not a bad haul for one fight.

Wait.

30 silvers for a single brawl? That’s a d*mn good payout.

For a moment, I seriously considered targeting weak-looking adventurers for duels and looting them.

…

Noticing Luna had gone quiet, I sat up and turned to see her curled up in a corner, scribbling something intently.

”What’re you up to?”

”We’re entering the labyrinth tomorrow. I’m applying protective sigils with this dye.”

Curious, I leaned in. Luna was carefully painting her toenails with a light pink dye from a small glass vial.

Ah, a pedicure. The soft pink suited her hair.

But calling it a “protective sigil” felt like a stretch.

Still, I kept that thought to myself. Just watching her tiny toes turn pink made the pain fade a little.

”Why’re you staring at my feet? Want me to do yours?”

”Nah.”

I silently watched her decorate her nails.

Swish. Swish.

Maybe embarrassed by my gaze or unable to stand the silence, Luna spoke up.

”Hey, Hassan… I never thought you’d have a second name.”

”My second name?”

”Zigress. Why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t know you had a family name…”

She pouted, clearly upset I’d kept it from her. But this time, I had a defense.

”I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t know either. It just got slapped on me out of nowhere.”

That whole ”descendant of Jupiter” spiel was news to me too. Felt more like mockery than anything.

”If even you didn’t know, maybe the guild assigned it?”

”The guild gives out family names?”

”The Mars and Minerva guilds handle temple duties too. Like how Hippolyte’s both an adventurer and a priestess. Temple priests sometimes bestow names like divine revelations.”

I recalled Hippolyte in her red robe during the duel. In armor, she looked like a warrior, but in that robe, she really did seem like a priestess.

”Huh. Makes sense.”

”Having a family name is a good thing! It means an incomplete human like us is one step closer to the gods residing in Mount Hypos. It elevates your status!”

Elevates my status? Like… improving my meat quality? I didn’t get it. This wasn’t in the encyclopedia.

What did family names have to do with getting closer to gods?

Honestly, I didn’t care about status or family names. But Luna, now on a roll, kept chattering.

”Most gods have two names. One that we mortals can call them by, and another—their true, divine name.”

She looked like a drenched sparrow, chirping away. Amused, I played along.

”What’s a ‘true divine name’?”

”Well, their real names aren’t something we mortals should utter carelessly. So they grant us a first name to use freely in the mortal realm.”

I still didn’t quite get it, so I rephrased.

”Like… Mars isn’t his real name? He’s got another one?”

”Exactly! Having two names—a given name and a family name—is proof that a mortal is drawing closer to the gods. That’s why nobles and famous adventurers all have second names!”

”Ah, got it.”

So family names were for high-born folks or adventurers who’d earned them.

Luna had Noxdotty. Hippolyte rarely mentioned hers, but it was probably Heavensinger. Elpride had Desmund, though she didn’t bring it up much.

And me?

I was just Hassan.

Until now.

Now I had this weird second name tacked on.

It felt… strange. Like I’d gained another father against my will. ”My father count is even now!?”

”But why ‘Zigress’? Sounds weird. I don’t like it.”

”It’s only used for prayers or religious stuff, so you won’t hear it often anyway.”

If it was just for ceremonies, like a baptismal name, then I’d rarely have to say it myself.

Besides, Hassan wasn’t even my real name to begin with.

My real name is Hasan.

Just Hasan, with the family name Ha.

I wondered how it’d morphed into Hassan here—then remembered the face of the first friend-like person I’d met in this world.

A brutish-looking guy, surprisingly dumb for a reputed barbarian.

Hassan had been his nickname for me. What would he say if he saw me with a fancy family name now?

”d*mn, you savage b*stard, moving up in the world!”

”Hassan, what’re you thinking about?”

Luna’s voice snapped me out of it. She was staring at me.

”Finished my nails. Look good?”

Her fingertips shimmered a soft cherry-blossom pink. The sight extinguished the dark smoke swirling in my mind.

”Heh. Can’t resist.”

I pulled her into a hug, flopping onto the bed and nuzzling my face into her soft chest.

”W-what!?”

Squish. Squish.

Her warmth had a way of melting away all worries. The first truly soft thing I’d found in this world.

Now I understood why men in love acted like fools.

Burying my face in this softness made every thought dissolve like ink in water.

I wanted to kiss her, but instead, I pressed my ear to her chest and listened.

Thump. Thump.

A steady, healthy heartbeat. Proof of life beneath that softness.

”Pfft—that tickles! Hassan, what’re you doing?”

”Listening to you.”

”To me…?”

”So I’ll recognize you by sound alone, no matter where you are.”

”O-oh…”

She fell silent, staring at the ceiling.

Thump. Thump.

As I focused on her heartbeat, another thought struck me—maybe I should memorize the feel of her too.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could recognize her just by touch? I’m a genius. Let’s test it.

Hehe.

”Hassan… do you think we’ll do okay in Pluto’s labyrinth tomorrow? I’m a little worried.”

”Huh? Worried about what?”

”Well… it’s just five of us—you, me, the convert Paranoi, the dwarf Didier, and the crystallizer Belmina. Feels kinda…”

”Wait, what?”

…Five?

—

[Author’s Note]

By the way… Luna’s surprisingly knowledgeable. For fun, here’s their intelligence stats:

– Malco: 2 mcr

– Old Man Platan (The Scholar): 3 mcr

– Luna: 1.5 mcr

– Hassan: 1 mcr

(mcr = “Miture,” this world’s average intelligence metric.)

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