Chapter 66

Chapter 66

The Quack Massage Therapist Hassan

In the middle of pressing on my back, Hippolyte spoke up.

“You’ve met my father, haven’t you?”

“My lord, you’re referring to Lady Hippolyte’s father?”

“Yes, the God of Struggle, Lord Mars. Some might not believe it, but I truly am the Daughter of God. A Demigod, you see.”

Calling herself the Daughter of God. But I already knew plenty of people who claimed to be Sons of God or some kind of divine figure.

Like the false prophets from the world I used to live in. They always declared themselves to be the reincarnation of the Savior or the Creator of the world.

It was obvious nonsense, yet surprisingly, some people believed it. That’s why false religions never seem to disappear from the world.

d*mn false prophets. Isn’t this why I ended up in this strange world? No, wait, maybe they were right and thus not so false after all? I don’t know, dammit.

Anyway, as I was lost in my thoughts…

“Do you not believe I am the Daughter of God?”

“N-No, I didn’t say that.”

“I can tell your muscles are tensing up. I can sense if you’re lying or not.”

What? She can tell if I’m lying just from my muscles? That sounds more ridiculous than claiming to be the Daughter of God.

“To be honest, it is difficult to believe…”

“That’s understandable. I haven’t seen my father much either. In fact, I was an orphan. I used to rummage through trash bins for leftover food and did hard, dirty work in the back alleys just to survive. Had I not sworn purity to Lady Diana, I might have been ruined by vicious men.”

Hippolyte was an orphan? This was the first time I heard such a story, and it surprised me. I always thought she was a natural-born warrior, raised to be a killing machine from a young age.

“At that time, Sodomora was much more perilous than it is now. Things have improved since Adventurer Guilds were established and security improved. But back then, it was truly an abyss of evil. Try to imagine surviving as a girl in those conditions.”

“I don’t really wish to think about that.”

“Alright, whatever, it’s your choice. Thinking is free.”

Guh…her pressure on my shoulder increased to the point where I wanted to scream in pain.

“Gah!”

“Anyway, one day, when I was so hungry that I thought I’d have to eat mud off the ground, I met him in a back alley. A fierce aura, burning eyes. It was then I realized this person wasn’t human. And that I wasn’t an orphan either. That this man was my father.”

Because she was pressing down painfully, I had no choice but to pretend to be interested and respond.

“So, you sensed it instinctively?”

“Yes, you could call it an instinct ingrained in my bl**d. That day, I became aware of my destiny as a Demigod. I could feel all my senses and nerves becoming much more acute.”

“Acute nerves, you mean?”

“Yes. At first, it was very confusing because I could hear people’s voices even from far away. I thought I had gone mad. Later, I found out it’s common for those who gain divine insight. They call it ‘Divine Awareness Syndrome’ or something.”

All this talk about Demigods and divine insight had my mind in knots. It felt like one of those world secrets that people in this world whisper about, like discussions about Mana and Karma. What’s this so-called ‘Divine Awareness Syndrome’? Such a funny syndrome, doesn’t it sound like Spider-Sense?

Anyway, Hippolyte seemed to be in a better mood because I was listening. The crushing grip on my shoulder began to loosen.

“I’ve become an Adventurer in order to meet my father again. If I can reach the end of the Pluto Labyrinth and acquire the Nectar of Eternal Life, I’ll become not just a Demigod, but a Great God, ascending to Hypos, where I’ll finally meet my father.”

“Ah, that’s Lady Hippolyte’s goal. I just thought you liked to fight.”

“I want to fight my father.”

What a grotesque statement. Still, I had heard about the Nectar of Eternal Life, which was said to be some kind of elixir of immortality that many adventurers sought to escape the fear of d*ath at the end of the Pluto Labyrinth.

Even Elpride pursued this as an Adventurer. However, it seemed ironic to me that to avoid d*ath, one had to venture into a place as hellish as Pluto’s Labyrinth.

Hippolyte continued.

“I smelled something similar to my father from you. The scent of bl**d and struggle. At first, I thought he might have taken human form for amusement. Or perhaps you were my half-brother.”

Me as a god in human form? Or a half-brother? Was she misunderstanding something all by herself?

“There’s absolutely no chance of that. I am Hassan of Samaria.”

“True, watching you roll in the mud today confirmed it. You’re neither my father nor my brother. But I can sense you’ve drawn the attention of the gods. It seems they have some sort of expectation of you.”

Swish.

Hippolyte rose from where she sat on me and pulled me up to sit on the ground. She then turned her back to me, revealing her own back.

“Now it’s my turn. Try massaging my back like I did yours.”

“Eh? Are you asking me to massage your back, Lady Hippolyte?”

“You don’t have to be so tense. Just do what I did earlier. Even a beginner can manage to rub someone’s shoulders.”

With that, Hippolyte brushed her tousled brown hair forward, exposing her bare back. Her back was narrow but well-muscled, looking very healthy. It had a perfect, straight formation without the slightest curve, leaving me in awe. She might truly be semi-divine.

After swallowing hard, I slowly extended my hands toward her shoulders. From her recent exercises, her shoulders were warm, carrying a light sheen of sweat, feeling slightly smooth to the touch.

I pressed the Jian Zheng acupoint near her trapezius muscle. It felt much more tense than expected.

Guh, Guh.

“Is this intensity good?”

“Hm, yes, that’s fine. Something anyone could do, though.”

Does she not realize I’ve been enthusiastically massaging others? Not to boast, but even Elpride, who is so picky and sensitive, once acknowledged my massage skills. I suddenly wondered how this sturdy warrior might react. This was my chance to get revenge for all the times I’d been thrown around and tangled in joints locks.

“Then, I shall repay your massage with my humble skills.”

“Don’t get too overzealous. The body isn’t something you can stimulate with just brute force.”

“Understood.”

With that, I silently continued to massage Hippolyte’s trapezius muscle. After about ten or fifteen seconds, I could feel the tense body relaxing.

“How does that feel?”

“Hmm… Surprisingly good. You may not be skilled in swordsmanship or combat, but it seems you have a hidden talent for massage.”

“Thank you.”

Brrr.

As Hippolyte shivered slightly, like a chill had passed through her, I used this moment to let my fingers move down her shoulders and towards her back.

I hadn’t noticed in the dim moonlight because of her naturally rosy complexion, but upon closer inspection, there was a red spot near the straight line of her vertebral column, similar to the acupoint I had treated for Nymph Echo’s herniated disc earlier that evening. Together with the San Yin Jiao point near the ankle, this acupoint was beneficial for women’s health issues.

Remembering that Hippolyte had a condition of severe menstrual pain, I thought I might help her with this, pressing my thumb firmly into the acupoint.

“…”

Though she didn’t speak, Hippolyte’s body trembled as if she were cold.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“…It’s fine. I was just startled when your hands touched my back. It reminded me of my father in a way, making me feel nostalgic.”

“In that case, let me press this spot.”

Pressing both acupuncture points on either side of her waist, I exerted a little more force.

Her back and erector spinae muscles were highly developed, so I thought applying some pressure would be more effective. Her physique was incredibly elastic; the slightest release of my strength felt like it would push back and reject my fingers.

Parru, Parrarr…

Every time I pressed firmly, Hippolyte’s body trembled. It was unclear whether she was in pain or pleasure. Surprisingly, no sounds came from her lips.

Do people experience the effects of massage differently?

I decided to stop teasing her and focus on completing the task to increase my status values.

“…”

So quiet, the only thing audible was Hippolyte’s very faint murmur. Her voice was so delicate it reminded me of a caterpillar munching on leaves, yet in that instant, a surge of motivation bubbled up.

I ran my palms over her shoulders and back, using my thumb to swirl around the muscles.

Her sweat made her skin already slick and shiny under the moonlight, making it enjoyable. Her body seemed to grow warmer, and it was amusing how high her temperature was. She clearly had a very active metabolism; perhaps she was a fire-type personality.

“Grr…heh…ksh…”

Now, Hippolyte was letting out small cries. She seemed to be fighting hard to suppress her sounds. If I had to guess, she was probably biting her lower lip.

“Are you feeling better with my massage?”

“S…skills? To be honest, they’re terrible… I can’t feel anything.”

What? How could I receive such a harsh critique? I’ve always been confident in my massage skills, and it frustrates me.

“In that case, I will try pressing harder.”

“More, more pressure…Ooooww…”

Gah!

I applied what I thought was a bit too much force with my thumb.

Just as Hippolyte’s lower back, where the red spot was, disappeared, I saw words float before my eyes.

『You have cured Hippolyte HavenSinger’s severe menstrual pain.』

『Task Points + 10』

『Current Task Points + 117』

“Guh…uhh…aah…ha…huh…”

She eventually lost her balance and collapsed onto the ground, face down. She convulsed like an insect that had eaten some medication, which was amusing to watch.

“Ugh…uh…”

At this point, I thought about letting her rest. But upon recalling all those different sorts of training that she forced me to undergo — rolling around in the mud and other things — anger rose within me.

This was a rare opportunity for payback! When else would I get to get revenge on a Silver Tier Adventurer?

So, I straddled her around the hips, and with my palms, I gently swept up her muscular back. The sweat made her back softer and smoother, effortlessly gliding against my hands despite the lack of any lotion.

It wasn’t even necessary to press specific acupoints; simply stimulating her skin through friction was beneficial for health.

Swoosh, swoosh…

“Hnnng…!”

Surprisingly smooth and soft, this massage was feeling great for myself too. I realized that while Luna’s slim figure was nice, this toned physique was also very pleasant to touch.

“Guh… s-stop it! Why do you keep…uhh….”

She tried to resist by moving her body, but already pinned down, there was nothing she could do.

In a mounted position, even if Hippolyte was good at ground techniques, there was no brute strength left in her to push my heavy body off and stand up.

So, I let my palms gently caress from her back down to her shoulders and side.

“Hh… You…how dare you…!”

“It’s just a massage.”

“This… this is not a massage by any means—”

As Hippolyte was about to say something, my hand, which had been sliding down her back, accidentally jabbed deep into her ribcage and armpit.

“Ah… ah!?”

Hippolyte’s body tensed up like a mouse caught in a trap. Consequently, I, sitting on her, lost my balance and fell backward.

In no time, Hippolyte stood up and gave me a cold glare.

“That was the worst massage ever. You can’t even do this simple thing properly, Hassan? You truly have no talent…”

And with a huff, she stormed off, clearly furious.

It seems my behavior ruined the atmosphere and offended the Silver Tier Adventurer. I brushed off my b*tt, feeling somewhat awkward. What should I do now?

Sshw~

Something sharp suddenly flew past my cheek and plunged into the ground. Wait, what was that in the middle of the night? Was that bl**d trickling down my cheek?

Thinking about what had just grazed my cheek, I leaned down to look.

Suddenly,

Gruh…

Something pressed against my neck and slammed me down with full force. Lying face down, I couldn’t move, almost as if a noose was around my neck.

“Guh…!”

It wasn’t a noose but something heavy like an anchor pressing down. It felt like my neck bones were about to snap. What the hell was going on?

After realizing it was someone’s foot pressing into my neck, it didn’t take long to figure out who was behind this.

“You’ve been acting too cocky lately. It’s not just me who feels this way, right?”

[Postscript]

I didn’t realize it because I’ve only been releasing chapters for about 20 days, but I was pretty shocked when I learned that the volume of the story has reached what would be the third book.

I guess it’s a problem since I only gained two new fans this entire time. I’ll try my best to keep working and grind out some more sticky fans. Womp womp…

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