Chapter 77

77th Episode – Descendant of Pluto #4

“Kyaah!”

Hippolyte’s face slammed into the floor as she let out a terminal scream of agony.

No, it’s strange to say that Hippolyte of all people would let out such a feral scream, but it’s really happening.

Moreover, the fact that Luna had executed a suplex on Hippolyte—when I first thought I might’ve imagined it, it was in fact painfully real.

Not just me, but it seemed that the passersby and adventurers surrounding the scene couldn’t believe this situation either.

“Goodness, what in the world is happening here?”

“Even if it’s a bare-knuckles fight, how could Hippolyte not even get a single hit in?”

Amidst the astonished whispers of the crowd, Luna elegantly disentangled herself from the bridge position of the suplex and stood tall before everyone, lifting both arms high into the air and shouting:

“d*mn! I’ve defeated a Silver Tier…!”

The sight of her celebration was akin to a young warrior finally toppling a long-reigning champ in a championship bout—it stirred something within my chest.

Luna, you’ve grown. Still, I wonder, is it even possible that she grew this much?

“Krgh… this, this is just… absurd…”

At that moment, Hippolyte, bl**d streaming from her nose, lips, and various openings in her face, struggled to rise. It was apparent she couldn’t accept the reality that she had been defeated by Luna.

Gripped by visible shock, her usually steely brown eyes darted around anxiously, making her look pitiable.

“Please! Can we fight again? I beg for a rematch…!”

“No.”

“Kk- KKKYYYAAAAAAH!”

Luna’s firm rejection left Hippolyte gnawing on her lower lip in frustration.

Unable to suppress her anger, she then let out a shrill shriek at the surrounding crowd, which had dared to murmur among themselves:

“Are you done gawking? Get on with your business, already!”

Though Hippolyte may have lost to a pink Chikorita, she was still a formidable warrior with the ability to blast a ‘Destructive Beam’ from her mouth without hesitation.

Her aggressive aura scattered the crowd like frightened rats from a stray stone.

I almost wet myself like a Nymph of the underground, too. Thank goodness for my sturdy bladder, strengthened by Luna’s potion, I suppose.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah, I also have business to attend to.”

That left just me, Luna, and Hippolyte standing at the scene.

“Hey, since you find bare-knuckles a bit tough, let’s settle it with an arm wrestling match!”

Hippolyte, in classic loser fashion, refused to accept her loss. I’d likely do the same if I were her.

“Arm wrestling…?”

Luna perked up at the mention of arm wrestling but quickly shouted with her sharp teeth on display:

“No!”

“Krgh… If you win again, I’ll give you my belt!”

“My belt?”

“Yes, it’s not just an ordinary belt. It’s—”

“I don’t need it! Wow! I beat Hippolyte! I must boast about it!”

“d*mn it!”

Luna was clearly overshadowing Hippolyte in this confrontation and even in the banter that followed.

Luna wasn’t the bottom of the food chain, after all—who knew? Perhaps there’s an attribute or a rock-paper-scissors dynamic I’m unaware of.

But really, does such a dynamic even matter when you’re talking about someone who can launch pebbles like bullets?

“I beat Hippolyte! d*mn!”

Luna didn’t care whether Hippolyte requested a rematch or not. Triumphantly, she pranced around proclaiming her victory to anyone who would listen. Honestly, if I had beaten Hippolyte, I’d be parading it around similarly.

It’s as if a low-tier miner from Breasil’s ore ranks had just pulled off an impressive solo k*ll against the legendary pro Faker during a crucial match. Incredible, how did she do it?

“Arrgh… So, how can I get you to give me a rematch? I’ll lick your feet if I must!”

Now, Hippolyte knelt before Luna, bowed her head, and was willing to degrade herself with no regard for her pride—all because no one was around to witness this embarrassing moment.

Indeed, unlike Minerva Guild that values honor in combat, Hippolyte, a warrior of Mars the God of War, cares for nothing but victory and defeat. Only these two concepts matter to her.

The sting of being a loser must truly dent her pride.

“Why are you licking my feet? I like it less now.”

“Then, then what?”

Hippolyte lowered her head, as if to actually lick Luna’s foot, then raised herself again. Luna responded with a thoughtful “Hmm…” before concluding,

“Hmm, if I win again, you will promote my potions for me.”

“Potions? Potions?…”

After a brief hesitation, it seemed Hippolyte accepted.

“Alright! If this will allow me to regain my honor from defeat!”

With the promise of vengeance, Hippolyte was now willing to lick the soles of Luna’s feet—her dignity already crushed beyond recognition.

“Then let’s settle it with one round of arm wrestling!”

“Understood. Samaritan, will you bear witness for us? Please.”

Thus, atop the flat podium of the demolished Guild hall ceiling, what unfolded resembled a game where a king’s pride was about to be stripped by their slave.

Facing off against each other, they tightly gripped one another’s right hands, their expressions so serious that they made my back sweat.

“Alright, the first person whose hand hits the ground loses. Let’s begin…”

With a shout, their hands gripped tightly to the point of making my skin crawl. Hippolyte’s muscular arms visibly stiffened.

“Go!”

As the signal left my lips, the strength contest between the two women began. Honestly, I wondered if this should even count as a game.

“Kyaargh!”

What I was witnessing was an unbelievable scene—Hippolyte and Luna locked in pure arm-wrestling dominance!

“Tooo…!”

Incredibly, Luna seemed to be gaining the upper hand against Hippolyte! She was genuinely overpowering Hippolyte!

What in the world is happening?

Has Luna become incredibly strong?

No, that doesn’t seem likely. While Luna has definitely undergone rapid growth, it still wouldn’t be enough to defeat Hippolyte.

Considering that Luna’s level is around 11, whereas according to Hippolyte, hers surpasses 40.

Looking at the current situation, it seemed less like Luna had become extraordinarily powerful and more like Hippolyte had grown significantly weaker. But why? It’s not even nighttime or moonlit.

“I’m beating you!”

At that moment, Luna started to flip Hippolyte’s hand with a powerful cry.

“Haargh!”

With Luna’s fierce momentum, Hippolyte’s hand tilted toward the floor. In response, Hippolyte grew visibly flustered and clacked her tongue in frustration.

And then something unexpected happened.

Swoosh—Klang!

Hippolyte’s left hand suddenly emerged from beneath the platform and entered the game, shoving back Luna’s attack! Isn’t this cheating?

“Wait, Lady Hippolyte, no matter what your obsession with victory or defeat, isn’t this going a bit too far?”

“Rules? Rules state only that our palms must reach the ground! Winning is all that matters!”

“Then, so will I!”

In response, Luna used her other hand to force Hippolyte’s wrist firmly into the ground.

“Gaah!”

“Wow! I beat Hippolyte again!”

Even with such unsavory tactics, Hippolyte’s complete defeat was undeniable. Luna gleefully hopped around like a rabbit in celebration.

“I won!”

Of course, I too rejoiced. They say even a worm turns when stepped on—Luna turned out to be a scorpion, with lethal stinging capabilities!

“Wow, Luna, how did you do it?”

“I don’t know!”

“Grgh…”

Conversely, Hippolyte began trembling violently from the overwhelming sense of another defeat, despite using every dirty trick in the book. Her naturally red skin grew even redder, making it look like steam might rise from her head.

I’ve heard that some people cry when their anger reaches its peak. It seemed Hippolyte belonged to that category, as tears now brimmed in her eyes.

At the sight of her crying, a chill ran down my spine, and the smile disappeared from my face.

“Too happy! Now Hippolyte will also promote my potions for me!”

However, unlike my shared jubilation, Luna seemed oblivious to Hippolyte’s tears, fully reveling in her victory.

The world of competition is indeed ruthless. But seeing that warrior, now flushed red and verging on explosion, I felt compelled to poke Luna in the ribs.

“Hey, hey, that’s… enough.”

I feared continuing to mock her would escalate into something unfixable. However, Luna, unconcerned with such consequences, jumped around joyfully, taunting Hippolyte.

“You’re crying? I made Hippolyte cry! Hiooot!”

Adding strange cheers to her jeering, Luna finally crossed a line, as Hippolyte, trembling and clenching her fists fiercely, could no longer endure it.

With goosebumps prickling my neck, I knew something bad was brewing.

When I looked at Hippolyte uneasily, she said in a voice dripping with suppressed emotions,

“I’ll use magic and erase this ever happening!”

Magic? Did Hippolyte know how to use magic? Regardless, declaring something incomprehensible, Hippolyte clenched her fists again and spoke once more.

“Memory Erasure Magic!”

Whoosh!

Her iron-hard fists swung powerfully.

Luna let out a short shriek, “Kyaa!” and ducked her head in a surprisingly agile move.

However, the unintended consequence was that Hippolyte’s mighty punch connected directly to my chest, as I stood behind Luna.

“Guack…”

Struck by the unexpected punch, I couldn’t breathe—it was so painful that I ended up falling forward.

*

When I opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings; an unknown ceiling, walls, and bed, and strange blankets.

Had I arrived in the Underworld? But considering the bandages and medicines tightly wrapped around me, it seemed like my life had been prolonged against the odds.

I really thought I had met my end.

What was it? Memory Erasure Magic? It was indeed a terrifying physical form of magic.

…

f*ck.

Where am I? A clinic? No, it seemed more like a… warehouse.

The cramped room resembled Luna’s hut, cluttered with various armors and weapons. There were also heavy exercise machines resembling barbells.

Upon closer inspection, the place looked like a storage room for a gym or training facility. But where exactly is this place?

“Is anyone here?”

I shouted to check where I was, but I detected no signs of life.

When I tried to sit up, I realized I was practically n*ked, swathed only in bandages.

Who undressed me? And what about my clothes and my money pouch?

Good grief! Could I have lost my prized pouch, which contained about 50 silvers?

A wave of cold dread washed over me as I started rummaging through the drawers in the room despite my body’s resistance to movement.

Sliding, Thud.

But there was no trace of my belongings. All I found was what appeared to be a black lingerie set belonging to someone else.

Is this a bra?

Its size was enough to cover my entire face.

Sniff.

Curiously, I sniffed it once. It carried the clean scent of freshly washed fabric, but a strange alluring fragrance lingered, which made my lower body stir slightly.

This scent filled the entire warehouse-like room. For some inexplicable reason, the atmosphere felt restless.

Where have I encountered this smell before?

While I was trying to recall this elusive memory, a sound like a door opening broke my thoughts.

“Have you regained consciousness?”

“Hip, Hippolyte Lady.”

“I was worried you might never wake up…”

Hippolyte’s furrowed brows unfolded as she spoke. Her sharp gaze, however, zeroed in on my lower half.

Because my lower half was proudly asserting itself, breaking through the bandages, standing majestically.

Apparently uncomfortable with this sight, Hippolyte quickly averted her eyes and muttered softly,

“…After coming to, the first thing you do is go through my underwear… You seem to be in good health.”

“That… seems to be the case.”

[Author’s Message]

Kadeom! Wal2Wal2! DDamyamddream! PotatoServer! And ExtraNulungi for the King Coupons, and many others who gave manuscript coupons—thank you!

To the 24 people who left recommendations and comments on this Episode 77, I will randomly draw 24 names and give each of them 24 coupons the next day!

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