Chapter 147

147th Episode

Hotshan and the Mayor of the Underworld

147 – Hotshan and the Mayor of the Underground #1

There’s no way I could forget the hardships I endured during my first month in this other world.

Swoosh.

Suddenly, it felt as if I had slipped through the gap of a manhole cover.

When I came to, all I could see around me were dark, unfamiliar underground corridors.

Now, I know that it was one of Pluto’s labyrinths, but back then, I thought it was just a 21st-century sewer.

I must have fallen in because of some construction work. “What rotten luck,” I thought.

Of course, I immediately realized something was off when I saw humongous living spiders and skeletons.

Anyway, back then, all I could do was run.

As I fled here and there, I was captured by human hunters exploring the labyrinth in Desros and was enslaved in the arena.

“Ho ho ho, what do we have here? Another Samaritan? Aren’t you lucky catching another one of them! What tremendous fortune!”

Desros Arena.

It truly was a terrible place.

They fed us once a day and forced us to fight all manner of monsters and beasts, making it a hell on earth.

I only endured it for about a month.

But that month remains one of the most horrific and darkest periods of my life so far.

Eventually, I seized an opportunity amidst various incidents, set the arena on fire, and escaped. However, as setting someone else’s property on fire is a serious crime in this world too, I was eventually caught.

Verdict: Condemned to hanging or slavery.

I was thrown into a situation where I had to choose one of these dreadful punishments.

There were two options, but the result was the same – d*ath. At least in their eyes, I was a savage barbarian capable of setting the place where I lived on fire.

And the only people who would take such a savage as a slave would be perverted individuals who enjoy torturing and tormenting others.

“It seems no one wants to take you as their master, huh? Very well, then, by the law of the Kingdom, you are sentenced to d*ath!”

And just as I was being dragged to the gallows, I met Elpride.

“You set fire to the place where you lived? How interesting.”

Looking back now, I wonder if she saw some sort of affinity between herself, who had set fire to the World Tree and fled, and me.

Of course, that’s probably just my wild imagination. If she really felt that way, she wouldn’t have whipped me so mercilessly. Maybe she just needed a sturdy sandbag that wouldn’t fall over no matter how hard she hit it.

I guess everyone has this latent desire to whip another person at some point.

Anyway, this is an extremely concise summary of my past.

“So, Hotshan was the criminal who set the place on fire?”

As Luna sat at the table and listened to my story, she frowned. The explanation was so brief that there were parts she couldn’t fully understand.

“Yeah, but any criminal record I had is gone now. After all, I participated in the extermination of cultists.”

Beside me, Malco interjected.

“An elf. They say she was quite the beauty. What must it have been like, living as a slave under such a beauty? I envy you, brother. Did anything… risqué happen during your time together?”

“Malco, you need to shut up!”

“Ugh!”

Luna raised her fist and slammed it hard into Malco’s stomach. The blow left him unable to speak further as he slumped onto the table.

Paranoi added her two cents, completely ignoring the scene.

“To set fire upon the earth… Truly, it befits you, Hotshan-sama! You were attempting to create an infernal abyss, weren’t you? How splendid!”

Somehow, this girl seems to be spiraling further out of control every time I see her. She seemed most normal when she was with the Stormps during her apprentice days as a cultist.

Is it because the world, filled with prejudice against nymphs, makes it impossible for her to maintain her sanity? Thinking about it this way makes me feel a bit sorry for her. Mental illnesses are a significant problem whether it’s on Earth or here.

No, that’s not important right now.

Although I intentionally left out some parts, I still gave a general account of my past. It feels both refreshing and embarrassing, almost shameful.

What does Luna think about my story?

As I checked her expression, Luna seemed quite at a loss for words. Her face turned red, and she fidgeted nervously.

Then, her lips finally parted.

“Hotshan, you lied to me.”

“…No, it’s not that I lied. I just never mentioned it. You never even asked.”

“That’s not the point. You said you’ve never had a girlfriend before, didn’t you?”

“That’s true. I really haven’t, so I didn’t lie.”

“But you knew such a pretty elf! That’s unfair!”

Luna ended up getting mad, seemingly unsure of how to deal with the fact that Hotshan and Elpride might have had a deep relationship.

Honestly, I didn’t expect such a reaction and was equally flustered.

“She wasn’t my girlfriend. We didn’t do anything.”

“…Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

Luna closed her mouth, seemingly reluctantly accepting my explanation. She still looked sulky, indicating her doubts hadn’t completely vanished.

Luna has a surprisingly strong sense of possessiveness and jealousy. I wonder what would happen if she found out I’d done something with Hippolyte?

On one hand, it’s quite terrifying, but I’m also curious. But then again, she might just forgive me if I buy her some nice barbecue.

I don’t know.

As I was lost in these complicated thoughts, Malco, who had been lying face-down on the table, finally lifted his head as if he’d recovered.

“Anyway, to duel with such powerful adventurers and face down the Thieves Guild—ha ha! Brother, you’ve certainly come a long way. They’re treating you like a Silver Tier adventurer now, aren’t they?”

“Is that so?”

Even though it feels more like riding shotgun in a bus driven by Hippolyte, I guess I’m now competing with Silver Tier adventurer teams for the same goals.

d*mn, the Hotshan who used to crawl around the arena has grown up so much.

No matter how I put it, I’ve been steadily improving all this time.

I had so much fun watching Elfride flinch when I punched her and flew away. She must have never expected my level to reach 19.

Perhaps this Thieves Guild extermination will be a great opportunity to payback Elfride and the nasty girls surrounding her.

Just thinking about it gets me fired up.

If this mission goes well, I’ll earn an enormous amount of contribution points and, no doubt, a substantial reward.

Maybe the bearded dwarf baron of Sodomora will say, “Tell me your wish.”

If that happens, I’ll say, “Let me run a health center.”

Then, by treating just ten customers a day and resolving one negative status condition at a time, I’ll gain 100 completion points.

If that’s the case, I could level up every day and hit level 40 in a month? They say the Hero stage starts at level 40, so reaching Gold Tier wouldn’t be a dream.

Oh, sh*t.

I’m getting pumped.

It’s been a while since I truly wanted to accomplish something on my own. I can’t afford to let such a big opportunity slip.

*

In the center of Sodomora, there are numerous guild buildings, temples, and official offices. I don’t know much about urban planning, so I can’t explain it in detail.

If someone asks, “What’s in the center of the city?” All the basic necessary facilities are there.

And beneath this important central area of the city? There are reportedly facilities installed long ago for sewage management.

The sewage treatment facilities of Sodomora, a city that rivals the capital in size, are reportedly well-developed and constructed with a lot of effort.

“But for the last decade or so, that underground waterway has been occupied by those thievery bastards.”

From what Malco said, I understood why Sodomora has become a dirty and untidy city. Tax-dodging thieves have taken over public facilities and have been causing trouble for everyone.

So, I asked.

“Then, shouldn’t someone drive those thieves out? Why hasn’t anyone dealt with it?”

“Hmm…”

Malco hummed thoughtfully in response.

He scanned the central city street briefly and then, lowering his voice so only our group could hear, whispered:

“Well, there’s no use. Some say there’s a member of the Thieves Guild sitting in the upper councils of Sodomora’s municipal government.”

Is it true that the central government and thieves have conspired together?

Malco pointed at the buildings and surrounding walls of the central city with his finger, and I waited for him to say something ridiculous again.

“Look at those walls. Don’t you think they’re unusually low compared to other cities?”

Malco’s question made me realize something new about the wall heights. The walls of Sodomora were indeed quite low; they barely reached the chest, making the security aspect almost worthless.

“Why is that?”

“They’ve lowered them to make things easier for the thieves. In Sodomora, according to the law, no walls, other than the city walls, are allowed to be taller than a person.”

“Seriously? What the hell kind of law is that?”

The comparison came to me: political factions like the Sicilian Mafia of old, from the movie “The Godfather.” As seen in many movies, organizations with far-reaching influence are like massive tumors and removing them isn’t easy.

That’s why they’re bringing in outsiders like me with no ties to the Thieves Guild to deal with them. Of course, by that logic, I’m also an outsider, coming from Black Wilderness Samaritan, or rather, from Earth.

“Alright, I’ll clean up this mess of yours, you thieving bastards.”

With high spirits, I entered the thieves’ quarter located beneath the central city. The underground district of the central city is called “Mercury’s Street.”

It’s called that because the thieves, merchants, and tricksters all worship the god Mercury, so his name has been attached to this underground area.

I was slightly tensed, imagining how filthy the underground might be, but the entrance carved in a corner of the downtown area was enormous and well-built, similar to the stairs leading down to an underground station.

Walking down, what I saw was incredibly bright and dazzling, not at all like a typical underground space.

The ceiling was high and supported by sturdy pillars.

Below it, there were crowds of people bustling about.

And the shining stones installed everywhere served as lighting.

Rather than the lair of a thieves’ guild, it felt more like the bustling underground shopping arcade of a thriving business.

The people buying and selling goods, the musicians playing songs—it all seemed fitting for an underground arcade.

“Hotshan, look over there! Wow, they’re selling wildlings! It’s not just regular wildlings! It’s enormous! And they’re blue! Ugh!”

Luna poked me on the arm, frantically pointing.

After wondering what she was fussing about, I turned to look and saw a strange tank-like object containing a volleyball-sized, bluish slime-like substance pulsing.

Gleeeeee.

Glee.

This was unlike any animal I’d seen before. If I had to compare it to a monster, “slime” might be the best description.

I remembered that Luna had once gone through quite the struggle digging up roots to find wildlings, and these were apparently what she was talking about.

“Fully grown blue wildlings: two silver coins (underground currency) each.”

sh*t, that’s really expensive. Do they lay golden eggs or something? Why are they priced so high?

Anyway, I wondered while watching Luna run up to a short old man and talk to him.

“Step right up!”

The shopkeeper seemed to be an old human, just like the philosopher Platan I once met.

“Hmph, wildlings!”

“Oh, you’re a knowledgeable customer. These little fellows aren’t easy to come by.”

“Give me some wildlings!”

“How many?”

“All of what you have! Three!”

“Ah ah, you’re a sharp one. Items like these, you won’t find them anywhere except here if you search the entire underground.”

Luna wasted 6 of her 7 silver coins on these bizarre liquid monstrosities, even though she had acquired the money for free.

No matter how you look at it, spending such a large sum at once is the classic behavior of lottery winners blowing through their cash.

Her financial sense seems so scrambled that my head is spinning. If I exaggerate a bit, it feels like my brain is getting beaten up by her extravagance.

Is this really the same Luna who would get excited over catching a wheel beetle for 20 copper coins?

Still, there was Luna, her whole body covered in sticky slime, raising her arms high and shouting,

“I caught wildlings! Is this place heaven? Am I dreaming?”

She didn’t catch them; she bought them.

Regardless, I had to ask Luna about this outrageous situation.

“Why did you spend so much money on those? Two coins per piece is expensive.”

“They’re delicious! Great for health! You rarely see ones this bright blue with this size—once in a decade or something.”

And then Luna started drinking the moving slime stuck to her chest raw.

Gle, gleee.

For two coins, that liquid monster emitted some pathetic noise as it was swallowed into Luna’s small stomach.

I felt dizzy at the scene. Drinking raw creatures worth one coin each—what kind of cruel savagery is this?

“Would you like one, Hotshan? It’s really good if it suits your constitution! It’s a rare item, so I wouldn’t normally share, but I want you to get healthier.”

And Luna even held one in front of me. Without much thought, I accepted it.

The sensation in my palm was indescribable—it felt like holding a water-filled balloon. It reminded me of something refreshing to sleep with in the summer.

Gleee.

By some fancy notion, it felt like it was rubbing against my palm, as if adhering well to my care. Surprisingly cute.

But swallowing it raw would require an immense amount of courage. Even though I have tried various exotic foods, this was still a first.

“Hurry up and eat it!”

At Luna’s urging, I followed her example, and with the soft, moist body of the critter, I took a big sip.

The taste was surprisingly similar to a grape-flavored jelly and quite palatable. Is this pudding?

The more surprising thing was that words started floating in front of my eyes.

Ding!

“You have consumed the milk of the Heavenly Queen.”

“Quest + 100.”

“Current quest value + 179.”

What the hell is this?

Is this real?

I looked away from the floating words to the liquid monsters sticking to Luna’s body.

[Afterword]

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