Chapter 59

59th Episode

Beware of the Deer

059 ? Beware of the Deer #1

“Foolish child. Can’t you see what this is? It’s a coin.”

I knew what a coin was upon seeing it. Come on, it’d be strange not to know.

However, given that Nox was offering it, I anticipated it might be a coin imbued with some special power or a rare artifact.

Of course, my expectations were shattered when Nox’s next words followed.

“This is just a coin. Sometimes also called 1 Copper. I’ve heard that mortals stake their lives on these small, round things. I assume the likes of you are no different?”

“Uh, well… yes.”

“This is the only earthly item I possess. I’ve somewhat cherished it until now, but I shall give it to you.”

It spun around, then with a thud, Nox moved her hand and sent the coin rolling toward me. It spun around me and eventually stopped right by my head where I lay prostrate.

Slowly, I lifted my head to look, and it truly was just a single 1 Copper coin.

An ancient hero’s face was engraved in relief on the coin. Its size was similar to a 500-won coin. In fact, its value was worth about the same as a few 500-won coins.

Nevertheless, it was fortunate to simply be alive in a situation like this. With that thought, I swallowed a sigh of relief and picked up the coin.

Then, a sound like “Ding!” rang out, and some text appeared.

“Achievement ‘Mom, Please Give Me 1 Copper.’ Accomplished: Acquired the rare relic ‘Coin Lost in the Night.'”

“Mission Value + 100”

“Current Mission Value: + 167”

Ah, upon completing the achievement, the mission value increased by 100. Achieving achievements and gaining missions—it really felt like a game system, didn’t it?

I don’t really understand this world’s talk about Karma and Mana, but something like this feels easily understandable to me, almost instinctively grasping it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re a dull but polite child. Nonetheless, the time I am allowed has nearly run out. If I stay any longer, I might be detected by Hypos’ fools, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“Please take care going back!”

“Hmph, and child… I raise every single apple with care and affection as if it were a child. It’s my job to ensure that no insects or birds interfere. Let alone my daughter Luna, who is almost an extension of myself…”

Nox was about to say more, but her voice trailed off weakly, like a drained radio.

Perhaps there’s a limit or set time during which Nox can appear in this world. Interrupting her words mid-sentence, whether parent or child, is the same, it seems.

Anyway, after Nox stopped speaking and a few minutes passed, I couldn’t lift my head from where I lay on the floor for quite some time.

As the overwhelming presence disappeared, the surreal, almost dreamlike moments of the past few minutes finally began to sink into my mind.

What? Did I really talk back and defy a goddess? It’s practically impossible without having your liver or heart placed outside your body. Has my brain truly been invaded by Zhuji?

The feeling of relief and tension from having come back from the brink of d*ath left my body drained of strength.

As more time passed, I managed to rise, digging through my overcoat, which I had used as a blanket.

Gentle snores sounded.

Luna, who seemingly noticed none of the commotion just moments ago, was sleeping peacefully. She trusted me completely, sleeping soundly without a trace of discomfort.

“Phew, somehow I survived. Long live chaos.”

‘Name: Hassan Lv. 8

Strength: 3

Agility: 2

Health: 3

Mission: 67 167

Blessings: Blessing of Chaos, Clumsy Hands, Cloak of Night’

The tightness in my face from the tension gradually eased. With the mission value reaching 167, this was definitely a very good sign for me.

Was that item Nox gave me a rare artifact? Perhaps even an object held by a deity, even if it’s just a single coin, is of great significance.

Still, I’ll store the 1 Copper coin given by Nox carefully in a different pocket, just in case.

In any case, surpassing a mission value of 100 is a significant milestone for me. There’s truly a lot I can achieve with mission values.

What I’ve been most curious and concerned about lately is this necklace I took from the necromancer before.

This epic artifact, the Black Star of Kalan, requires a mission value of 100 to enhance.

As I fiddle with the necklace, words appeared again.

‘Do you wish to consume 100 mission values to upgrade the Black Star to Pluto’s Eye?’

‘Yes / No’

Without hesitation, I moved my hand and pressed ‘Yes.’ A beeping sound followed as a long loading bar appeared in front of my eyes.

Soon after, strong hammering sounds could be heard.

Clang! Clang!

‘Upgrading… 39 %’

Clang! Clang!

‘Upgrading… 67 %’

It felt like I was playing some high-stakes game. As I slightly tensed up, wondering if there was any chance the upgrade might fail, a small sound like fireworks went off in my ears.

‘The equipment upgrade was successful.’

‘The epic artifact Black Star has been successfully upgraded to the epic artifact Pluto’s Eye.’

I don’t know exactly what it is, but the upgrade appears to have been successful. As I wonder what will happen next, more words appeared.

‘Pluto’s Eye’

‘Kore reportedly didn’t like the dreary Underworld. Pluto gifted her a necklace resembling his own eyes in shape to cheer her up. However, since Kore didn’t like the color, she threw it into the river of the Underworld.’

‘Protects the wearer from mental pollution magic and blessings.’

‘Consuming +100 mission values, you can upgrade Pluto’s Eye to Pluto’s Eye +1’

‘Upgrade probability + 80%’

What the hell, there is really an upgrade probability.

*

“Hotshot, wake up, it’s morning.”

“I-I’m awake, Ms. Elpride!”

“It’s Luna.”

“Oh, it’s Luna.”

I finally woke up from my dream and could breathe a small sigh of relief.

I had a vivid dream where I was being overworked and beaten with whips by Elpride. It was so realistic that I didn’t even consider it a dream.

I suppose the many events from last night left me mentally exhausted and gave me nightmares.

“So, who is Elpride? I’ve heard you mention her before.”

Luna blinks at me. I had no intention of telling her about my life as a slave or anything about Elpride. Besides, I’ll likely never see her again.

“She’s some nasty person. You don’t need to worry about her.”

“Was she a woman?”

Grunt.

A small wrinkle appeared in the space between Luna’s eyebrows.

The wrinkle was so subtle that it was barely noticeable unless you looked closely, but given how usually sunny Luna’s expression is, the difference was quite striking.

A chill ran down my spine, and I instantly felt fully awake.

“Well, it’s complicated… Anyway, let’s get ready!”

I tried steering the conversation away, but Luna’s suspicious gaze lingered for a moment before she cheerfully chimed in,

“By the way, have you seen this? You made it, right?”

Luna pointed at a sculpture of Nox. Unlike the grotesque image shown last night, this one had changed dramatically in appearance, depicting a tall woman dressed in a flowing gown, sitting cross-legged on a dais, draped in a mysterious robe.

It exuded a mysterious aura with highly detailed folds and curves, truly worthy of being called a divinity.

“You really did a great job! It looks exactly like Nox! It even seems to hold a cool magical aura.”

“Does it?”

d*mn, but I didn’t carve it. What’s going on with this spontaneous change?

Perhaps Nox did it herself. Maybe she couldn’t bear the grotesque representation of her image?

In any case, Luna and I left the barn early in the morning and had a simple meal at a nearby inn. As always, it consisted of dry bread without butter, milk, and watery porridge, so it wasn’t delicious.

“Delicious! Right?”

Luna was unusually cheerful. Poor thing, her taste buds must be completely destroyed. You could probably boil rocks for her, and she’d think they tasted great.

Of course, in a world where bland food is abundant, this may very well be a highly blessed talent.

After finishing our meal, Luna and I headed towards the South Gate of Sodomora in the morning. The South Gate is filled with stores and markets, and is lively even from early in the morning.

Though the merchants and auctions might have been tempting, we had a specific goal today, so there was no time for distractions.

Lap, lap.

I recalled the name of the scoundrel I needed to chase today. His name was Rane. Once a Bronze Tier adventurer of the Mars Guild.

He was previously a capable hunter, but at some point, he embarked on a path of financial fraud and was expelled from the guild.

He was entirely unrelated to me until yesterday, but today, I’m all set to track him down and teach him a lesson.

“Hotshot, look at this! It’s a squirrel!”

Luna, however, was distracted by all the trifles at the market, despite being extremely angry at the guard station just yesterday.

Maybe because I had treated her anger, she seems to have completely forgotten about it. That’s quite impossible if the anger hadn’t dissipated entirely.

“The squirrel is cute, isn’t it?”

Indeed, Luna, cradling the squirrel in her hand and eyeing it fondly, looked cute herself.

“Cute, huh? And quite tasty too.”

d*mn, she was talking about eating the squirrel. While lacking in protein in this world, I was still a bit shocked.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Luna gently placed the trembling squirrel back in its cage and stepped forward. Regardless, we needed to find Rane, who supposedly often appeared in this area of the South Gate.

But how to catch someone so cunning that he managed to swindle 100 Silvers, equivalent to 1 Gold?

“Hey, Luna!”

“Yes?”

“How did you even meet that swindler? Where did you meet him?”

“I was just walking around the market when he approached me.”

“Hmm.”

Looking for suckers for scams and striking up conversations with them — that’s the type, is it? True, Luna does look like someone who might easily fall for a scam.

So, essentially, no useful information at all. With so little insight, it’s almost impossible to find a clue even if we search the vast South Gate market.

“Let’s split up and look for him. Let’s meet back at the fountain later.”

“Okay!”

Thus, Luna and I decided to go separate ways in search of the swindler. Even with a composite sketch, it might not be meaningful since he’s clever enough to fool the guards.

But I can identify a person just by touching their wrist, so I can find his identity assuming ‘Rane’ is his real name.

No, no. It’s better to lure the guy into coming to me. Scammers are always on the lookout for potential victims.

I recalled an old story as I picked up a random rock from the roadside. I then started grinding it against the hard pavement in a crowded park.

Swish, swish, swish — scratch, scratch.

The sound of the rock being ground drew curious onlookers.

Given my already imposing size and looks, combined with this strange activity, it was only natural to gather attention.

Though slightly uncomfortable with the stares due to my somewhat shy nature, I firmly believed this method would draw out the scammer.

“What are you doing?”

At that moment, someone asked. In response, I casually replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“I’m grinding this rock to make a needle.”

“What? Make a needle by grinding a rock? That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard this year. Alright, I’ll watch how you do that.”

The man burst into laughter, finding the entire situation absurd, and resumed walking. Still, I continued grinding the rock with relentless determination.

This piqued the interest of a few who approached and questioned me.

“Crazy.”

“Hmm, the barbarian’s odd behavior I guess.”

“Or, wait, isn’t this the Samaritan who caught the lion the other day?”

But as I remained unresponsive, silently sticking to my task, they eventually lost interest, tsked, and left. Many glanced at me with the look one might give to an easy target.

Of course, there were also those who watched me with curiosity.

“There’s obviously some deeper meaning behind this. Fascinating.”

“Perhaps a philosophical metaphor encouraging perseverance in achieving one’s goals.”

“Or maybe, it’s to illustrate that some goals are impossible no matter the effort.”

Among various reactions, I never ceased my rock-grinding. Patience is key in fishing; I believed a swindler would not miss an opportunity like this.

Grind, grind, grind…

How much time passed, I don’t know.

“Hotshot, I found him! Over there in that square! And why are you grinding that rock on the ground?”

“Ah, why indeed!”

I tossed the ridiculous rock aside without a second glance. Hell, I had been doing pointless work all this while!

[Author’s Note]

Mr. Kadeom! Mr. Unhyul! Thank you so much for sending those support coupons! And also, I’m incredibly grateful for those anonymous submission coupons. Your support truly means a lot to me. 😭

Before you leave, could you give a thumb or a comment? Pretty please! Ururr Kangkang!

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