Chapter 99

Chapter 99

The Second Moon

099 – The Second Moon #1

Hiooong.

A peculiar sound spread from the spider’s tiny mouth.

How should I describe it? It was like the sound of air escaping from inside a balloon, or similar to the cry of a small beast calling for its mother.

In any case, it was clear that for a spider, the sound was strange and somewhat amusing.

Was Luna equally bewildered by this unexpected cry?

“Keng Keng, did that sound just come from you? Do it again!”

Grrr-!

As Luna shook the spider held in her palm from side to side, the creature jumped away as if annoyed and descended to the first floor.

It must have returned to its home, the jar.

I had underestimated this grotesque-looking spider, only to find out it was a surprisingly clever little thing. And now, here I was being helped by an existence I never would have expected! I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity!

“See, there really was nothing.”

“But, that’s strange….”

Still, Luna seemed to harbor lingering doubts as she twitched her nose suspiciously.

That’s right. Luna’s special skill of scent detection was still operational.

Swish.

After uncovering the blanket draped over me, Luna leaned in, sniffing around my neck and sides.

“Hmm….”

And Luna paused, as though in deep thought.

“Why, why?”

“There’s so much smell everywhere, I can’t tell. We need to air this place out.”

With that, she threw open the window of the second floor.

A cool breeze immediately blew in from outside, calming my face, which had grown red from confusion and excitement. Although it felt good momentarily, it was too early to relax.

“Really, nothing happened. Didn’t you see Keng Keng cry?”

“T, that’s true, but….”

“Luna, there’s not a single trustworthy guy in this Sodomora, but trust between you and me is essential. We’re a party, after all.”

“Right, t, that’s true! I guess I was a bit too sensitive. Sorry, Hassan.”

Were my carefully chosen words moving Luna’s heart? She surprisingly apologized to me quite quickly. At that moment, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, even if only internally.

Ts’, I’m not made for lying. Feeling as if my bl**d was drying up, confessing a lie to Luna felt like a near-d*ath experience.

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding, Hassan. H, have I become unpleasant to you…?”

Luna apologized again, genuinely regretful for having wronged me, the innocent party.

She glanced at me, lying there, appearing at a loss for what to do, which somehow looked both pitiful and endearing.

I felt inexplicable guilt arise within me.

“No, why, it’s not that.”

I wanted to say something cool and comforting to reassure Luna, who looked so uneasy, but nothing came to mind.

Deciding to shift the topic for the still somewhat hesitant Luna, I said,

“So, where did you go? It took a while, didn’t it?”

“A! Hassan, I brought you something good! Just wait a moment!”

Kudangtangtang.

Luna rushed downstairs noisily and soon reappeared on the second floor holding something plump that twitched in her hand, resembling the fingers of an overweight person.

“Wh, what is that?”

“What this is, it’s a centi—.”

“No, I’d better not hear. But why…?”

Wiggle, wiggle.

It was grotesque, truly.

I had vague memories of eating a few larvae while raiding a hornet’s nest with father, and the imagined texture of the bursting flavor already left a bitter taste in my mouth, making me feel terrible.

“They’re great for intense muscle pain!”

“Is that so….”

“And, they’re also really good for men. Anyway, Hassan, I dug hard in the park to catch these for you. Get well soon!”

You went through the trouble of digging in the park to bring these to me?

Looking at Luna, it was evident she’d endured quite a bit of hardship—her clothes were covered in dirt, and her skin was sunburned bright red.

Ts’, while she was out struggling under the scorching sun, I had been busy playing with a woman’s foot. This is entirely because of that fool.

“A-.”

So I opened my mouth wide.

“Why, why are you opening your mouth?”

“You brought this for me, right? Put it in. A-.”

“B, but….”

“Hurry up. You have to recover so we can go for a walk and eat together.”

“B, but….”

Luna hesitated, staring at the organism in her hand. Why is she hesitating now? Of course, I only wanted to repay Luna’s sincere efforts.

And this was also a form of punishment for myself.

“Come on, hurry. My jaw’s starting to hurt.”

“Um… Alright.”

Ultimately, Luna inserted an indeterminate number of chubby creatures into my mouth. I closed my jaws with determination, as if prepared to d*e, and chewed it down.

I’d eaten these kinds of larvae before, back when I used to wander the mountains following my father or during the time I was a slave to Elpride. Most of the time, they weren’t very tasty, but they were high in protein, so they were good for the body.

However, at that moment, I felt a strong fizzing sensation as something burst. What is this? Is there some kind of soda-flavored bug?

I thought this would be extremely disgusting, but surprisingly, it was quite edible.

“A, are you, okay, Hassan?”

Glug.

When I had fully swallowed the contents, Luna was carefully looking at me with concerned eyes.

“Why, is there something wrong?”

“I, well, since these guys have strong venom, you’re supposed to neutralize it first before eating. But you would’ve felt that immediately in your mouth.”

“V, venom?”

The mention of venom made my bl**d run cold. Ts’, so that’s why it fizzed in my mouth.

Despite Luna looking incredibly alarmed, I felt no noticeable changes in my body.

“I’m fine.”

“From the last time I got stung by hornets, your condition improved quickly too. Looks like Hassan has a constitution that’s resistant to poison! Then I can use all the venomous creatures to make potions for you! You’ll recover in no time! Let’s wait and see!”

Luna seemed very excited about her discovery and was about to head downstairs. This might mean I’d have to endure more organic juices!!

“Ho, my body feels lively!”

I shouted in panic and quickly sat up. At this, Luna halted her descent and turned around, her eyes widening like saucers.

“Hassan! How did you stand up?”

“Wow, Luna. My body is moving!”

“My goodness, it looks like my potions worked!”

“That seems to be the case!”

Now that my body is healed, Luna won’t need to bother making potions or catching bugs for me anymore! I really am clever.

“Looks like Hassan has a constitution that absorbs potions well! I’ll make you one every morning!”

*

Hippolyte, who had promised to bring the wallet, never showed up, no matter how much time passed. Hence, it was evening by the time the sun set.

“Looks like she ran away to avoid giving us 3 Silvers.”

Luna, who had been waiting for Hippolyte, cursed the silver-tier warrior under her breath as if she were truly upset.

And I, in response, merely said, “It seems that way,” providing simple empathy. It seems quite important to empathize with women, right?

Hmm, would giving too much empathy make them like me even more?

“Hippolyte is a bad woman. How can she shatter someone else’s belongings and then run away? She’s totally trash.”

“Aren’t you exaggerating, Hassan? There might be some reason. She’s a skilled adventurer, so she might’ve had something urgent come up.”

What!? I hadn’t expected that kind of response.

“Is, is that so? You have a much broader mind than I thought, Luna.”

“Well, anyway, I’ve finished! Hassan, here, take this! Moai!”

While waiting for Hippolyte, Luna had been carving wood and now handed me a small wooden figurine.

Its shape was extremely crude, allowing one to vaguely discern a human form, but it was much more endearing compared to the horror totem I had seen from Somnia the other day.

To me, this piece of wood, which looked like a clumsy artifact, played a crucial role.

Ding-.

‘Consume task statistics—’

The familiar notification appeared, stating that I could use 100 task points to increase a specific stat. My current task points had already exceeded 400.

It seemed Luna had also accumulated fair amounts of karma or whatever from the battle with Somnia, meaning she could create a couple more totems.

If I convert all of these into stat increases, my level would at least increase by 4.

From my current level 12, I’d reach level 16.

Ts’, just the other day, I was struggling at single-digit levels, but now, having broken into double digits since becoming an adventurer, I am looking forward to reaching level 20!

Even though higher stats won’t solve everything, I still felt immense joy in seeing these level-ups, recognizing steady growth in myself.

I feel like putting in the effort now.

‘You have a 40% chance of receiving additional stats.’

I pressed the strength stat, trusting my luck.

Ding-.

A sound indicated an increase of 1 in Strength.

Ts’, that’s a miss.

So with the next totem, I pressed Strength again. Ding-. Another honest increase of 1.

“d*mn, sh*t!”

What are the odds of failing the 40% chance twice in a row? It’s a complex calculation that my head can’t process, but it’s incredibly improbable, isn’t it?

Still seething with frustration, I muttered something, making Luna, who was quietly carving wood nearby, jump in surprise.

“Why, why? Do you not like the moai?”

“No, it’s not that. Um, a, Luna, choose one from 1, 2, or 3.”

“Oh, not that again? Hassan, sometimes you say really strange things.”

“Well, there’s a reason for it….”

“Reason?”

“Um…, never mind.”

Even though Luna was close to me, I didn’t want to tell her about the peculiar ability I possessed.

In the first place, I don’t enjoy blabbing about my own affairs to others, and I want to avoid unnecessary controversies and misunderstandings.

“Anyway, just choose.”

“I’ll go with 3!”

3? If it’s 3, that would mean stamina, right?

Following Luna’s choice, I pressed Stamina.

Ding-.

Thus, another number only rose by 1 with a single sound effect.

“d*mn, sh*t….”

“Why, why again….”

An anxious Luna looked at me, trembling. I guess the frustration from my failed loot box choice leaked through and scared her.

“Luna, choose one more time for the last stat!”

“Then, I’ll go with 3 again….”

Pressing Stamina again?

I wasn’t very inclined to do it.

It’s the last one, so this time, should I follow my choice? But then again, considering Luna has triggered a jackpot before, shouldn’t I follow her choice of Stamina?

Ultimately, listening to Luna’s word one more time, I pressed Stamina again.

Ding-.

Ding-.

Two sound effects rang out this time, and Stamina increased by two!

“Glory to chaos.”

I muttered a ridiculous incantation while suppressing my excitement.

‘Name: Hassan Lv. 12 17

Strength: 5 7

Agility: 4

Stamina: 3 6

Task: 22

Divine Favor: Blessing of Chaos, Shining Hand, Cloak of Night’

“d*mn, sh*t!”

“Why, why!?”

My overall stats have reached 17! Despite multiple misses, I am incredibly happy!

With that joy, I grabbed Luna from behind and spun her around, just like old times. Her waist is so slender, no matter how many times I see it.

Whoo, whooo.

“Luna, you truly are the Goddess of Fortune!”

“I’m a goddess!? Hassan, it’s disrespectful to say such things!”

While treating Luna’s body like an amusement park ride for a long time,

“Stop! I’m dizzy! Ugh!”

Luna groaned in discomfort, sounding quite sick. Was she hurt when I accidentally squeezed her waist in a bad spot?

Just as I was worried, Luna stretched her curled back and sat up, resuming a normal expression.

“Hmm, it’s nothing. Just, the moon period seems to be approaching. Come to think of it, it’s time. Ugh….”

“Moon period?”

What’s the moon period?

Recalling that women go through a week-long sensitive and painful phase every month, I realized Luna referred to menstruation as the “moon period.”

In any case, women’s moon periods are a significant issue.

During that time, my younger sister suffered intensely for a whole week, writhing in pain. Like a bear disturbed from its winter hibernation, she was irritable, and I was the one who bore the brunt of that.

sh*t, thinking about those days makes my teeth chatter.

Whoever becomes my younger sister’s boyfriend, needs to treat her d*mn well or they won’t get any returns.

And not just my sister from the old world; the elf Elfride, who used to whip me, also grew much more cruel during her moon phase, making life unbearable.

I wondered if Luna’s hidden destructive personality would surface, but Luna’s moon period revealed an entirely unexpected trait.

[Author’s Notes]

Atarac!!! Marucookies!!! Kadeom!!! Bohwang!!! DayMare33!!! KimDingCheol!!! Virgil!!! Hepsyelle!!! Thank you all for the support coupons!! And also to those who sent in story coupons—thank you very much!!!

To those who left comments and recommendations, I cast a spell for your return to Friday evening!!

Hioooong!!!

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