Chapter 432

432 Gathering of the Strong #1

Perhaps it was just my mistake.

However, it was quite the peculiar sight that the lantern presented to me, too peculiar to dismiss as a mere mistake.

My Supreme Puppetry Technique, the Heaven Horse Four Wheels Eyes, isn’t weak enough to see illusions.

Therefore, I slowly extended my hand, picked up the lantern that had fallen to the floor, and wiped off the dust from its surface.

At this action, Luna, apparently curious, asked me a question.

“Hassan, what’s that? What is it?”

“Look at this. I initially thought it was just an ordinary lantern, but isn’t it somewhat strange?”

I closely examined the lantern made of iron and glass. It seemed skillfully crafted, far more than just a simple object meant to illuminate the inside of a tunnel.

However, the real thing I wanted to show wasn’t its appearance.

“Paranoi, can you give me a match?”

“Understood!”

Bwoaeh-.

I received a matchstick from Paranoi’s mouth and struck it against the wall.

The small flame from the match. When I carefully placed it inside the lantern to light it up, it immediately blazed into a large flame.

However, only for a while.

Chiik-.

The lantern went out again.

Still, it seemed everyone had sensed something from the brief moment it was lit, and they were now holding their tongues.

As I was about to strike the match again, Elpride, who had been observing, reached out her hand toward me.

“What, do you suddenly want to hold hands?”

I grabbed her hand, but then—

“No, I don’t want your hand but the lantern, you idiot…!”

Unlike Luna, who liked me holding her hand, Elpride didn’t seem to appreciate it much.

Eventually, I handed the lantern over to Elpride.

After examining it closely, Elpride opened one side of the lantern and inserted her hand inside.

Tak-.

When she flicked her finger, a flame erupted through her white glove, illuminating the lantern with a light far brighter than that lit by the match.

Wooohwoooong-.

It was a beacon-like light, rather than that of a mere lantern.

This light was so bright it seemed like it could pierce through a wall, and even when Elpride moved, the direction of the light did not change.

As if the needle of a compass always points to a certain direction, the lantern light steadfastly pointed to a specific location.

Seeing this, Elpride spoke.

“This is a magical apparatus. It’s powered by mana. That’s why you couldn’t light it with a match flame. Moreover, if it points in one direction, it’s almost like—.”

Elpride’s ambiguous pause was followed by Hippolyte.

“It seems to indicate something. There’s no way it would point to a single direction otherwise. Perhaps—.”

Even Hippolyte hesitated to continue her sentence. Her furrowed brow suggested deep thought.

After pondering for about ten seconds, Hippolyte finally spoke.

“I’ve heard that the secret warehouses of Pluto’s priests contain keys, maps, or some equivalent objects that point to the five rivers of the Underworld. My guess is, this might be something along those lines.”

“Hippolyte, are you saying this is a marker pointing to the entrance of the Underworld?”

“There’s nothing else it could be. Among all the relics here, this one could be the most important.”

“Why would something like this be hanging on the ceiling, looking like an old lantern?”

To Luna’s question, all of us glanced up at the ceiling. Elpride, who was still holding the lantern, added a remark.

“It could be hidden intentionally. If people are distracted by the items on the shelves, the chance of overlooking a lantern hung above is high.”

Indeed, Elpride’s statement was insightful.

Just as she said, we were captivated by the relics around us and paid no attention to the lantern hanging from the ceiling.

To hide a tree, hide it in a forest.

To hide a treasure, place it among treasures.

Thanks to a bear, we managed to discover this lantern.

With gratitude, I decided to use that bear to its fullest potential.

Its meat could be eaten, and its bones or fur could be used as raw material for clothes or tools, which would come in handy for the small nymph community.

*

The next day.

“Hassan, all the treasures from the warehouse have been successfully transported!”

With Paranoi’s report, I could finally relax. Due to the limited carrying capacity of each party member, we had to leave a substantial number of relics in the warehouse, but at the crack of dawn, I instructed Paranoi to retrieve everything.

“Was there any trouble?”

“There was this pitiful person trying to steal a gold coin, but we dealt with it.”

“Good job.”

“First, we’ve placed everything in the large warehouse of the Central Bank of Sodomora! And when Hassan’s shrine expands to have a museum someday, we can move the items there!”

According to the Central Bank, there were approximately 180 relics I had brought. Excluding the unusable items related to the Pluto cult, about 100 remained. These relics ranged from common general artifacts to rare saga-tier artifacts, and their combined value was reportedly more than a thousand gold. Since this was a rough estimate, I figured a detailed calculation would value them at around 2,000 gold.

2,000 gold. That kind of money would be enough to build a mansion of my own and even form a knight squad of mercenaries.

Indeed, this amount would be more than sufficient to fund such ventures.

For the foreseeable future, I wouldn’t have to worry about money.

As I sat in the Central Shrine of my temple pondering how to use this money and the relics efficiently, Hippolyte approached me.

“Planning how to spend your money?”

“How did you know?”

“You were smiling a very happy smile.”

“I see.”

Hippolyte’s intuition was impressive. She had immediately understood that I was contemplating financial matters.

“So, have you thought about what you will do with that enormous sum?”

“Um, I’m considering building a mansion…”

“Mansion, hmm.”

Hippolyte’s reaction was lukewarm. Was she not fond of my suggestion?

Thus, I decided to ask her for her opinion.

“Miss Hippolyte, what do you think should be done with such a large collection of relics? Any good ideas?”

“I do.”

“Really?”

“Building a very large mansion.”

Ah, I see.

Hippolyte seemed dissatisfied with the size of the mansion I had in mind.

Indeed, she was suggesting building an incredibly large mansion. Truly, fitting advice from a Gold Tier adventurer.

Since I had never thought of such an idea on my own, I was glad I had asked her.

Could this be the ultimate ability, ‘Collective Intelligence,’ of the new god of wisdom, Hassan?

Only, Hippolyte let out a soft laugh, as if to clarify that her suggestion had been a joke.

“Don’t take it too seriously. It was just a joke. I have a better plan for using the funds and relics.”

“What is it?”

“Hassan, with the lantern we acquired yesterday, we’re not just standing at the threshold of a journey to the Underworld; we’ve stepped into it. But, as you well know, it’s no easy task.”

“Indeed.”

I nodded in agreement.

This expedition will undoubtedly be unprecedented in Gaia Continent. The challenge lies in assembling a team worthy of such an unprecedented expedition.

We can’t storm in with a mercenary army or the kingdom’s knight squadron.

Pluto’s Labyrinth adjusts its difficulty according to the number of people entering. The more expedition members there are, the higher the difficulty rises, making the journey truly hellish.

This is why many kingdoms and nobles have failed to conquer or eradicate the labyrinth.

The Labyrinth doesn’t yield to the weight of numbers.

Thus, the expedition must involve a small, elite team. Each member needs to be as strong as a legendary hero.

While I was pondering this, Hippolyte spoke.

“Once upon a time, the Mars Guild carefully calculated the dungeon’s difficulty and the optimal number of people needed for its complete conquest.”

“What does that mean?”

“They calculated how many and how strong people would have to be to fully clear Pluto’s Labyrinth.”

As Hippolyte explained, I began to imagine the minds of scholars who calculated labor and time.

That’s when it became clear there was a reason behind her words.

“So, what were the results of the calculations?”

“The average Karma total of 45 for a 5-person party. And two such teams, ten Glorias in total, would be enough to clear the labyrinth.”

“Wait, is that result achievable?”

Ten Glorias. This was downright impossible. But Hippolyte wasn’t fazed by my skepticism and added more.

“This was the standard when considering non-standard strong warriors like Gloria. If we base it on Gold Tier heroes like me, it would require about twenty. Having these twenty Gold Tier heroes would significantly increase our chances of clearing the labyrinth.”

“Oh.”

I pictured heroes wearing golden necklaces in my mind.

With twenty heroes like Hippolyte, they could clear the labyrinth. Of course. Every time they swung their swords, twenty beams of energy would emerge.

However, honestly speaking, even this felt like an unrealistic idea.

“How do you plan to hire twenty Gold Tier heroes? Wasn’t it said that there are barely ten Gold Tier adventurers per kingdom?”

“That’s true. However, many wandering drifters reject the golden necklace like I once did and continue to live solitary lives. There are also the heroes who disappeared after the Argo expedition. Including them, it shouldn’t be hard to gather the required number.”

“That means…”

“Still, they won’t easily show themselves to the world. Many are in seclusion, and some have tragically completed their lives like true heroes. But they are warriors, and their thirst for martial glory has not yet quenched.”

“Hmm.”

“They’ll come if tempted with intriguing tales as bait. Of course, it will cost a lot, but haven’t we just acquired a hefty amount of money?”

“Are you asking me to hire them?”

“Yes. Hassan, if the two thousand gold you’ve just acquired isn’t enough to pique their interest, I don’t know what is.”

Hippolyte mentioned that if I agree, messenger pigeons could be sent out immediately to summon Gold Tier adventurers.

This made me pause for a moment.

Two thousand gold.

How much is that in Korean terms? Let’s say one gold is ten million won… ten gold is one hundred million won. One hundred gold is one billion. Wow, it’s nearly two hundred billion won.

200 billion won.

20,000,000,000.

Wow, so many zeros.

An amount that could easily pass as corporate capital.

And with this substantial funding, Hippolyte’s joke about building a truly enormous mansion could become a reality. We could hire butlers, maids, gardeners, and even walkers to take care of the nymphs.

But using this much money for forming an expedition team… Of course, I knew which choice was right.

“Miss Hippolyte, please send out the messenger pigeons then. Send the fastest ones.”

“Good. I knew you’d say that.”

Flap-flap.

Thus, pigeons with small notes tied to their ankles forcefully took off into the sky, heading towards various cities and the world at large.

In a few days, we’d either receive replies or adventurers themselves would arrive.

In any case, once the birds were dispatched, they couldn’t be called back. It was as good as rolling the dice.

The formation of the expedition to the Underworld… Who would we be journeying with?

A few strong individuals came to my mind.

“Paranoi, I’m stepping out of the shrine for a bit.”

“Understood, sir!”

So, first, I headed to the Shrine of the Goddess Venus located at the center of the city. If I remember correctly, the guy was doing various odd jobs here.

There, I found a bald man tending to the garden.

“Hey, Kalidur.”

“Ah, greetings, the brother from the East. What brings you here?”

“I’m forming a party, and I’ll need a lot of strong individuals. It’s extremely dangerous, though.”

“…”

Kalidur’s ash-gray eyes narrowed slightly, most likely out of curiosity about what I might say after such a long absence. We both know time is precious.

I decided not to beat around the bush and got straight to the point with him.

“I’m assembling an expedition to clear the Underworld. I’ll gather all the strong people I know. I’d like you to be part of the team.”

“Indeed, the Underworld. You mean assembling warriors headed for the realm of Helheim in the Gaia Continent. Understood. Very well, I owe you a debt.”

“Oh, Seriously?”

I was rather surprised that the persuasion went so smoothly.

Kalidur is a born human hunter, a masterful warrior who once single-handedly took down an Elven pursuit team. If he joins the expedition, he will undoubtedly become our spear of certainty against d*ath.

“By the way, when are we departing?”

“That’s not decided yet.”

“Ah, by the way, I’ve heard that the High Priestess of the Goddess Venus has a message for you.”

“The High Priestess of Venus?”

I recalled the High Priestess of Venus, the one who always wore bells around her neck. They said she was so beautiful that her sight would turn anyone into stone, possessing formidable charm.

Why does she want to meet me and what does the High Priestess of Venus have to say?

I then remembered that I had completed a quest at her temple but never received my reward.

So, I proceeded to the office of the High Priestess, a room adorned with luxurious marble decoration.

As I sat down on the couch, the sound of bells could be heard—Dang-Dang-Dang—before a woman with a mask covering her face appeared.

“Young god, it’s a pleasure to meet you. To have the most famous man in the city, no, the continent, sitting before me is truly an honor.”

“Nice to meet you too. Every time I came to claim my reward, you were nowhere to be found. I thought you were avoiding me on purpose.”

“Not at all, hehehe.”

“So, can I finally receive my payment?”

“Yes, you can. And since you’re about to embark on an expedition to the Underworld, I have a story that might help you.”

“…”

I hesitated for a moment. The fact that I was about to go on an expedition to the Underworld was meant to be known only by those involved. Could Paranoi have spread the word around?

“I heard it from your Archdeacon, Paranoi.”

Wow, that’s really what happened.

“So, what’s the helpful story?”

“Not so much a story as a person, I’d say. It’s obvious that warriors who can turn the tide of the battle need to unite for the conquest of the Underworld.”

Creeek.

At that moment, the door opened.

Creeeeeak, Creeeeak.

Simultaneously, the loud clinking sound of boots and armor jingling with metal resonated.

“Zeigress, in exchange for your services, we shall lend you our top warrior for some time. Coincidentally, a sinner of the Goddess Venus is also heading to the Underworld for their final mission.”

[Author’s Note]

By Mi-Chuli… Today’s commentary… As always, it has little to do with the story, so feel free to skip ahead.

On a side note, as the plot unfolds, there are many regrets and scenes I wish to write, giving me much to ponder.

Thinking back, there were smoother ways to proceed with some parts—many parts where I feel regretful, such as why Hassan can’t get his rhythm in bread making… Perhaps it was about father’s teachings, wasn’t it? Anyway…

If I write another work in the future, I hope the learnings from this one can be smoothly applied.

With that in mind, I’ve cast a practical voodoo spell on all the readers who taught me so much.!!!

Gathering of the Strong