Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Star of Sodomora Hassan

When I regained consciousness, all I could see was pitch-black darkness. What is this? I was just with Luna on the bed.

Looking around, there was no sign of the bed, inn room, or Luna’s warm skin. All that remained was cold and dark emptiness.

Fortunately, a round object in the sky was faintly glowing, allowing me to vaguely make out my body and the surrounding scenery.

Splash.

There I was, n*ked in the darkness. Some kind of shallow water was lapping at my ankles.

Is this a dream? If it is, my mind feels unusually clear.

Just then, as I was perplexed by this unexpected situation, something emerged in front of me from the darkness. It was something indescribable.

Or rather, should I even call it a “form”? It was crooked yet straight, soft yet hard, and utterly bizarre as it wriggled around like a monstrous creature. It was more bewildering than frightening.

Little night.

Little moon.

Little Nox.

You’ve made contact.

Worship.

Praise.

Your fate.

It said these words simultaneously through what appeared to be more than ten mouths. Soon, their chaotic voices merged into one coherent sentence.

“Worship me, small one. Bow down before me, and I shall give you all of this.”

What the hell? Worship what? What will you give me?

Before me, a small pedestal-like structure emerged from the dark water surface accompanied by bubbling sounds. On it, there were three fruits: a pomegranate, an apple, and a bunch of grapes.

I picked up the most normal-looking apple under the oppressive voice.

Swish.

The cool touch of the apple, resembling one freshly taken from the fridge, was felt alongside the sound of a bell ringing.

“Dew of the Deep Night.”

“The Primordial Night, Nox, who is often called the Mother of All Things alongside the Earth Mother Gaia. Even the Sky King Jupiter fears her. This apple has been secretly tended by her alone using her own special methods. Of course, no one has ever tasted it, so the flavor cannot be guaranteed.”

“Consumption can strengthen the Grace of the Night Veil by expending Karma.”

“Will you expend 1 Strength to upgrade the Night Veil to the Night Cloak?”

“Caution: There’s a 20% chance of developing night blindness.”

Expending karma to strengthen one’s favor? This was unfamiliar text.

Usually, it would be something like using work points to do something. But this one directly cut into my stats for an upgrade. It was surprising and unnerving due to the warning.

Caution? Risk?

Eat it.

Accept it.

Little one.

In front of me, the grotesque creature encouraged me to eat the apple. However, I was in no state of confusion to swallow it blindly.

Carefully placing the apple back on the pedestal, I picked up the pomegranate that was ripe to the point of bursting next to it. It was surprisingly warm to the touch.

Ding.

“Dew from a Sunny Delphi Pomegranate.”

“The priestesses of Delphi’s grand shrine cultivate their pomegranates with great care in the garden. But this one is so ripe that it has split. While pomegranates are generally known to be good for women, the Delphi pomegranate, on the contrary, works well for men.”

“Consumption can strengthen the Grace of the Awkward Dexterity by expending Karma.”

“Will you expend 1 Constitution to upgrade the Awkward Dexterity to the Warm Hands?”

“Caution: There’s a 90% chance of hair root weakening.”

sh*t! Root weakening? This one, I must definitely avoid. In a world where science has advanced, baldness is still practically incurable.

If someone could completely eradicate baldness, I bet they could slap every line of Nobel Prize winners and get away with it.

Anyhow, putting the pomegranate down like something dirty, I picked up the bunch of grapes next to it. The purple grapes were plump and full.

Ding.

“Diana’s Secret Grapes.”

“In the city of Artene, renowned for its fine grape harvests each year, the most delicious bunches are traditionally offered to the city’s ruler, Goddess Minerva. However, the Moon Goddess Diana tried to steal and secretly devour these grapes.”

“Consumption can strengthen the Grace of the Awkward Dexterity by expending Karma.”

“Will you expend 1 Dexterity to upgrade the Awkward Dexterity to the Nimble Hands?”

“Caution: There’s an 80% chance of developing hand tremors.”

Overall, it seemed like an opportunity to enhance the favor I currently possess. But I couldn’t easily choose one. Some more detailed explanations would be helpful.

“Is this it?”

…

Until just now, this existence was making a racket about worshipping and stuff. Now, all its many mouths are closed.

I didn’t expect anything, anyway.

By reasoning through the text, I guessed the “Warm Hands” would literally warm my hands, and “Nimble Hands” would make them faster and more agile. But as for the Night Cloak that appeared when I touched the apple? It’s unclear, but this had the lowest risk of manifestation.

Sigh… Do I have to choose one?

As I glanced at the grotesque figure in front of me, the sight was truly horrifying. The longer I stared, the more unsettling it became to be around this monstrous thing.

I suspect that I won’t be able to leave here unless I choose one of these.

I picked up the apple in front of me. I didn’t know what this “Night Cloak” was, but its risk probability was the lowest, so out of caution, I went with this one.

Nox’s Apple.

Eat it.

The power of the Protogenoi.

Under the rambling of the creature, I took a bite of the apple.

Crunch.

Surprisingly fresh and firm, the fruity texture exploded in my mouth, shaking my mind. It was delicious, and I stuffed it into my mouth and swallowed it all at once.

Come again.

Little one.

*

When I opened my eyes, I saw the tightly stacked wooden ceiling and ochre-colored walls.

I was in the gap room of the inn I was staying at, “Nymph’s Wings.” The window was wide open, through which sunlight and the chirping of birds streamed in.

When did it turn to morning? That was such a strange dream. What did it mean to dream about eating apples?

My father often gave dream interpretations to visitors and read their fortunes, but I never took it seriously—I always thought it was nonsense.

Hence, I don’t know the interpretation. sh*t, it was just a random dream.

Based on what I learned in my general knowledge class, dreams are just subconscious expressions. Maybe my subconscious was just showing my hidden desire to eat fruit.

Still, I muttered under my breath.

“Long live chaos…”

As I did, a ringing sound followed, and words appeared before my eyes.

“Name: Hassan Lv. 9 -> 8

Strength: 4 -> 3

Dexterity: 2

Constitution: 3

Work: 37

Grace: Blessing of Chaos, Awkward Dexterity, Night Cloak”

sh*t, it wasn’t a dream after all.

My Strength stat decreased by 1, and correspondingly, my level dropped by 1. And the new “Night Cloak” item was now listed.

“Night Cloak”

“Reduces the likelihood of being detected while performing secretive actions in low-light or dark conditions.”

Wow.

Not only the description of the grace appeared, but I even thought about checking if other graces had descriptions too. However, nothing else appeared.

So, just as I was about to get up, I noticed that the space beside me was empty. Had Luna gone somewhere?

The big double bed felt unusually lonely. Where did Luna go? Did she go to eat breakfast? Why didn’t she wake me up?

Just as I was pondering all these things…

Clunk.

The door of the room where I was staying opened, and a familiar pink-haired girl named Luna appeared.

“Ha… Hassan, you’re awake…”

Luna looked at me with an embarrassingly bashful tone, her usually pale face quickly turning red as if it was about to explode.

Of course, I felt similarly embarrassed. Recalling what had happened yesterday, my whole body felt heated, and my passion renewed itself. How do lovers manage these awkward mornings?

In an attempt to change the awkward and embarrassing situation, I decided to strike up a conversation.

“Where did you go? I thought you were gone.”

“Hu… Hassan, you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t bring myself to wake you… I just went out to get some fresh air. Actually, I feel incredibly light. Though, of course, it’s a bit sore between my legs… but…”

Luna stopped speaking again at her last bit. Maybe she was reminded of what happened last night?

“Ah, anyway, here you go.”

Luna finally composed herself and handed me a wooden cup.

Opening it curiously, it contained a golden, glittering liquid. Was it barley tea? No, it was shinier and had a sweet smell.

“What is this?”

“This? Honey water. I collected some from the Basikil beehive. You looked so tired, Hassan…”

Of course, it was honey water. Since I was thirsty and it was awkward to sit silently, I gulped it down in one go. The sweetness was overwhelming, shaking my mind more than I’d imagined.

The intense sweetness made my mouth tingle, almost melting away the sleepiness and fatigue that was still lingering in my body.

“Tastes good.”

It actually did taste good. Rarely does this world have treats that are as sweet as this. When was the last time I savored something so sweet?

In any case, this much-needed sugar boost invigorated my body.

“Tastes good.”

“That’s… good. Anyways, the sun is already high. It’s lunchtime.”

Is it already lunchtime? How long have I been asleep? Maybe it’s due to accumulated fatigue from the expedition and being on night watch.

In any case, Luna and I went down to the first floor of the inn to have a quick breakfast-c*m-lunch.

It was a simple dish of sausages and corn porridge, not particularly memorable, but the awkward silence with Luna was what bothered me most.

Should we talk about what happened yesterday?

Just as I glanced at Luna, I noticed how sensuous it looked when she blew on her hot soup, her lips forming a perfect circle.

Were her soft, shiny lips the ones I kissed last night?

When she bit into the thick sausage, I couldn’t help but feel stirrings of arousal.

I now understood why many men put so much effort into finding girlfriends or lovers.

The world felt different. Do all the couples in this inn feel the same way?

Still, what am I to Luna? Are we just a couple? Or am I her boyfriend?

I don’t know.

Still, I wanted to do it again. From what Luna said, it seemed like yesterday was just a one-time favor for me. But didn’t she mention that breaking chastity vows could be life-threatening?

As I was anxiously pondering all this,

“…Hassan, what are you going to do today?”

“Today? What should I do…”

Should I just tell her I’ll give her a massage again? sh*t, my mind is filled with nothing but these thoughts, and I can’t concentrate on anything else.

They say that there are people who might not have tried it, but there aren’t many who tried it just once. Now I finally understand why.

Sigh.

Taking a deep breath and calming my thoughts, I responded.

“I need to go to the guild to collect my money.”

“I need to go to the guild too. Let’s go together!”

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It feels so worth it to write 4 consecutive chapters while holding my breath!

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