Chapter 166

166th

Clumsy Cultist

166? Clumsy Cultist #2

Sahruk, sahruk.

I felt something brushing against my face.

When I opened my eyes, Luna was waving her hair at me and tickling my face.

Swaying, swaying-.

Luna often uses her hair like a brush to tickle me awake. I wonder if this is a type of Ideope’s sorcery or voodoo?

If I had to name it in Luna’s style, it would be voodoo of waking someone gently in the bright morning?

“It’s morning, Hassan.”

Being able to start the day by looking at Luna’s face is truly a joyful thing. On the other hand, I was horrified to think that morning had already come when I had only closed my eyes for a moment.

I feel as if I haven’t slept at all. I guess I’ll just have to spend the day catching up on sleep. How luxurious it is to be able to sleep as I please.

I said to Luna,

“I can’t get up. Help me up.”

“Okay!”

As I grumbled, still sleepy, Luna grabbed my arm and pulled me up with all her strength.

“Luna, you’ve really gotten quite strong.”

“I think I’ve grown taller too! I must still be in my growth spurt!”

Luna stood in front of me, checking her height. It seems that her crown used to come only to my chest, but it looks like she’s grown a bit since then.

It’s not that I’ve shrunk; Luna really has gotten taller. Do people in this world continue to grow taller even after becoming adults?

While I was thinking about this, I roughly tidied up the bedding on the first floor. Suddenly, I felt strangely suspicious of the unusually quiet atmosphere in the cabin.

“Luna, has Paranoi left?”

“She said she was going to the Shrine to pray. She must be busy making seven potions this week. I hope she comes back soon.”

Luna’s response was rather normal, making everything that happened yesterday morning feel like a dream. It seems Paranoi has kept her promise to keep things secret.

“What are you going to do today, Hassan?”

Luna asked, while drinking some low-quality goat milk and munching on the bread and dried meat stored at home.

“Well, nothing really planned.”

“I’m going to the southern Deer Forest with Hippolyte this morning. We’re going to catch some enormous mushrooms and hornets. I might as well try to catch a queen bee too…”

“You’re going to the Deer Forest with Hippolyte?”

The name Deer Forest reminded me of the moment I first met the Gold Tier adventurer Actaeon. It was also where Luna had been swindled and caused a ruckus before.

To think I’d have business there again. Moreover, it was surprising that Luna and Hippolyte were going together.

“I need to make them work for at least three silver.”

It seems Hippolyte decided to compensate Luna with three silver’s worth of labor. It might also be an attempt to form a connection with the women I don’t know.

Since I had nothing particular to do, I thought about going to the Deer Forest, but Luna stopped me saying, “The Virgin Order girls are going too. There are materials you can only get if it’s just girls…!”

The Deer Forest is said to be a sanctuary ruled by Diana, the goddess of the moon and purity, a place where men may never set foot.

“It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“I don’t think so! Don’t worry!”

After all, there’s Hippolyte, and the Virgin Order too. Unless a volcano suddenly erupted or something, I wouldn’t expect anything dangerous to happen.

So, after a brief breakfast together, Luna and I parted ways at the cabin entrance.

Luna went south to meet Hippolyte.

As for me…

What do I do?

I had left the house, but I was unsure of what to do next. Should I go back to the cabin and sleep some more?

What were the tasks I needed to complete again?

I decided to prioritize the tasks I had to handle. First and foremost, the most important thing.

Receive the compensation at the Venus Shrine. I was told I could meet the saint next week, so that’s not something I could do right now. I’ll put that on hold.

So, what else is there?

Then it dawned on me that I wanted to test out the peculiar magic I’ve newly acquired: necromancy.

I can use magic.

Despite being a type of sorcery that is looked down upon and feared in this world, there was something exhilarating in being able to utilize this strange ability as a modern person.

I couldn’t help but feel excited to try it out and harness my power.

It was actually quite entertaining too.

Thus, I packed a few piles of bones from Luna’s cabin into my bag and headed for the western exit.

*

“The Goblin Suppression Force is departing for the Chichels Plain. There are two seats available in the carriage. Female adventurers preferred.”

“We have mercenaries equipped with linden brass shields. They can handle anything.”

“Honorable ladies, don’t forget to bring some emergency ointments before you depart in the carriage.”

High walls of Sodomora. Among the four entrances to it, the west gate is the loudest and most bustling.

It serves as a gathering spot for adventurers to start their guild requests. The voices of merchants starting their businesses to target these adventurers also add to the noise.

Not just adventurers and merchants, but also bards, con artists, bizarre cultists, and all kinds of other weirdos gather wherever people congregate, making it truly chaotic.

If I had to compare it to something, it would be like the market street in front of a train station.

After surveying the crowd, I bought a dark red robe from a shabby stall.

It seemed to be made for the small-sized people of this other world, so it was a bit short. It couldn’t cover below my knees, but it looked usable for at least a day.

It was also the cheapest at 50 copper.

I budgeted around 1 silver, so with the leftover money, I bought one more peculiar wooden mask for 50 copper.

It was a wooden mask with sharp, goblin-like teeth engraved on it, which reminded me of Luna’s charm, making me want to pick it up.

“You have quite the discerning eye. It’s a unique shape, isn’t it? They say it came from Ideope. There’s going to be a mask festival in Sodomora soon—.”

The merchant babbled on. The only thing I recognized in my ears was the word Ideope, as that was the term I was familiar with. A product from Ideope certainly made me think of Luna.

Swhiff, swhiff.

Wearing the dark robe and the mask made me feel somewhat at ease.

I was going to test my necromancy, so I didn’t want anyone to catch sight of that scene unnecessarily.

Like it or not, in this bizarre world, my build and style stand out.

“d*mn, what is that….”

“I thought a cultist had appeared.”

However, a man slightly taller than the average person, wearing a mask and robe, could be quite a peculiar sight, drawing even more attention.

So, to avoid the eyes of others, I quickly moved my legs and stepped outside the west gate.

I was heading towards the forest where I had first taken on the shrine-cleaning request with Elder Platan, Malco, and Luna.

In that place, I could test my abilities without anyone’s watchful eyes.

It was a place I had been before, so I knew the path well, and since there weren’t many people, it was perfect for doing something bad. It would take about half a day to walk there.

So I walked.

With every step, the rattling of bones in my bag echoed loudly.

It felt like I was advertising that I was practicing necromancy, which sent a slight chill down my spine.

Fortunately, as I got farther away from the large walls of Sodomora, the presence of people around also decreased, so there was nothing to worry about.

I pushed through trees and grass and eventually entered the forest. However, I didn’t feel safe yet, so I ventured deeper and deeper inside.

The outer forest of Sodomora. The abandoned shrine of the sun god.

Once I finally reached that place and confirmed that no one was around, I dumped the contents of my backpack onto the ground.

Crackling-.

The bones, dried meat, and skin water bottles spilled out all over the floor.

I hadn’t even done anything yet, but all the bl**d drained from my body like a chill ran down my spine.

“Rise.”

Clank, clank.

At my command, the tightly packed bones began to fit together in various ways. Although I had seen this scene already four times, I still couldn’t get used to it.

Creak.

Creak.

Eventually, three small Bone Goblins were completed.

Was everything I had packed in my bag goblin bones? No, there must have been a mix of other things. I didn’t understand why they all took on this uniform model.

“Dissolve.”

So I repeated the process of dissolving and raising these bone piles. Each time, the same model of Bone Goblins resurrected.

Perhaps, due to my skill level in necromancy, I can only revive such small creatures for now.

“Ha-.”

I sighed under the mask. Perhaps it was because I was doing something bad, but my hands and feet felt tingly and it was hard to breathe, as if my chest was being squeezed.

No, upon reflection, it didn’t seem to be just an issue of emotions.

Using necromancy seems to require quite a bit of mental strength and stamina.

It felt like I was oxygen-deprived in my head, like someone who had just sprinted a few laps around a track. Is this what mages commonly refer to as a mana deficit?

As various pieces of knowledge I hadn’t known began to arise, it felt like there was an abundance of soft blankets in my heart, swirling around.

It’s fun.

It reminded me of when I secretly played with a lighter I took from my father’s drawer as a child.

A child holding a lighter inevitably looks for something to burn using the flame.

I too looked around to see what I could do with the three Bone Goblins I would raise.

Then, I finally noticed the scene before my eyes.

Sshhh.

The wind blowing through the robe and mask cooled down my sweat-soaked body, and I felt very refreshed.

But still, my brows were furrowed tightly.

d*mn, it’s extremely filthy.

This dilapidated and abandoned shrine was so messy that it belied the fact that we had cleaned it thoroughly last time.

From fallen leaves to animal droppings, cobwebs, and stones rolling on the ground, it looked like a horrid place.

It seemed no one had visited this place since we cleaned it last time.

“Hey, you guys, clean this place up first.”

Clank, clank.

At my words, the three Bone Goblins began to move busily. How could they move so well without muscles or flesh?

They promptly cleared away the leaves, animal droppings, and disgusting cobwebs, stuffing them into the holes in the ground.

Seeing them grasp my intentions well, they seem to be smarter than I expected. Is it because they’re moving as I think?

Even dirty jobs that a human would reject don’t bother these unpaid slaves. I thought maybe I could start a cleaning service with these guys, and it would be a hit.

Thinking of them as subordinates that obey me, those eerie bones began to look somewhat familiar.

After all, my father’s clinic was full of all sorts of bone models as reference material, so I was accustomed to seeing bones.

d*mn, this is incredibly fun.

Since the experimental phase of my new ability seemed to be wrapping up, I was just about ready to dissolve them.

Creak, creak.

Along with the rustling of the surrounding greenery, a few small figures with red eyes emerged, blinking.

They were small devils, clad in ragged cloth and leaves over a green, sickly hide, known as goblins.

d*mn, six goblins.

Having been ruthlessly beaten by goblins in this very spot before, memories of pain resurfaced, making every ache in my body feel fresh again. Those damned brats.

Of course, I’m not the same as I was back then. I have a ridiculously powerful club and incredibly tough titanium gauntlets now.

Gaahhh!!!

Tatata-tat!

One of the goblins seemed to have found me, letting out an odd scream and charging at me. I might not speak the language of monsters, but I could understand enough to know it considered me an enemy.

Though it was smaller than half my size, the stick it held looked quite hard, and it would probably hurt if it hit me. Monsters. Terrifying beings.

“Get lost, you b*stard.”

I kicked the goblin’s body with all my might. A kick to the gut with my toes.

My intent was to stop its movement, but it flew away like a soccer ball volleyed by a goalkeeper, disappearing into the shrubbery.

Heeek-!

Last time I couldn’t even handle one goblin at a time, could I?

My strength has truly increased dramatically. I can feel the difference strongly.

“You little shits. You really beat me up last time.”

Feeling confident, I grabbed one goblin’s head in each hand and lifted them.

Gieek!! Gieek!

They clawed at my hands and bit me, trying to escape the pain. But the more they struggled, the more injuries they inflicted on themselves.

The effect of the gauntlets, worth 4 gold each, is indeed remarkable.

The difference in equipment and power compared to that time is like night and day.

I am now the top predator in this abandoned shrine site. The incredibly powerful lord of hell, Hassan.

“You’re still not ready.”

Crack.

As I exerted strength in my grip, the goblins hung limp with a horrible sound.

Now there were the three remaining.

Those three began to back away as if scared of the horrific slaughter before them.

Gekek…! You bastards!

“What the hell? Go catch it. Tear it apart!”

Clank, clank.

At my command, the three Bone Goblins that had been waiting dashed out. What might the combat potential of my necromancy be? Three goblins versus three goblins made of bones.

This is a perfect opportunity for an experiment.

Of course, since they’re bones, they might be lacking in strength compared to real goblins, so they might not be a match for them.

So I thought if I could catch just one, it would be a significant harvest.

However—

Gieek!

Gek!

Kweeek!!

The artificial monsters created by my clumsy necromancy sharpened their finger bones like spears and pierced the bellies of their prey.

Then they began tearing them apart from left to right, creating a curtain-like rip.

Swoosh—.

Even though they are creations of my own doing, it was terrifying. What kind of merciless creatures are these?

Their power exceeded my expectations.

I felt like what I had been playing with wasn’t a lighter but a flamethrower. As far as I knew, flamethrowers are certainly not toys.

“All of you, for now—.”

And just then, when I was about to command them to dissolve—

Ding-.

『Calculating the battle of the minions.』

[Work Review]

I feel like I need to bake some rice cakes…

With Hassan’s abilities right now, it seems a bit difficult to get the rice to make the rice cakes…

At this rate, it won’t be rice cakes but simply burnt rice… ㅠㅠ…

I’ll try harder… ㅠㅠ…..