༺ Hassan and the Underground Market (3) ༻
Squeak— Squeak—
The sturdy metal plate immediately folded in half as I exerted force on it with my arms and grips. I folded it once more and then crumpled it completely.
Thud—
Then, I simply tossed it in front of the man wearing the black bandana.
“Here, it’s enough, right? Now, return the money.”
“No way, this… This is… titanium. And you managed to bend it just like that—?”
The owner of the underground general store looked at me with eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief. He alternated his stare between my face and the crumpled piece of metal a few times. That remaining eye of his clearly showed the surprise and shock he felt from my display of strength.
To be honest, I was just as surprised as he was.
I had been eager to test my overflowing strength on something, but I never expected to be able to bend a metal plate like it was nothing.
Holy fuck! 12 points in strength was seriously no joke.
Well, during her prime, Elfriede could have also done something like this quite easily. Once, she even bent thick iron bars with her bare hands.
Wait, didn’t that mean that I was capable of showcasing the same feats of strength as Elfriede was capable of?
Just thinking about it was enough for a sudden bout of confidence to surge within me.
“Now, quickly return the money, you bastard. Otherwise, I might have to skin you for real. ”
I extended my hand toward the head of the bandana-wearing man sitting on the chair. While gripping his temples with my fingers, I exerted pressure, causing him to writhe and scream in agony.
“Aaaagh!”
I lifted the body of the man, who was sitting down on the chair, straight up while grabbing onto his head alone. Seeing that scene, Paranoy let out an abrupt and high-pitched shout from behind.
“T-That’s the fourth technique out of Mr. Hassan’s 18 deadly techniques! The Gritty Death’s Grasp!”
I was not sure what this Gritty Death’s Grasp she spoke of was, but the technique I was currently using did have a name.
The Iron Claw.
While it might not be among the most dangerous offensive moves in terms of wrestling techniques, showmanship was still an important aspect.
Presss—
When combined with strong grip strength and precise pressure techniques applied on the temples, this technique could be quite devastating and potentially cause fatal injuries.
“The Gritty Death’s Grasp?! Gyaaaaik, m-my head is going to explode! I feel like I’m going to die for real!”
The man writhed in agony.
It might seem overly dramatic for him to be in such excruciating pain from just having his head being held in a claw grip, but for some reason, I felt like I could easily crush his skull with my grip alone.
“Keuiiikkkk, o-okay, I got it! You want me to refund you, right? I’ll give it to you! Just let me go!”
“You should have done that from the start.”
Thud—
Having said that, I released the strength in my grip. As a result, the bandana-wearing man, like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsed to the ground.
“Heh, I-I thought my damn skull was going to crack… I really thought I was going to die…”
The man’s remaining brown eye had become bloodshot.
He soon grabbed his head with his arms while glancing at us from the corner of his eye with a wary light. Then he rummaged around the shop’s corners and swiftly threw a small package toward us.
“That’s, that’s my pouch…!”
Seeing the package, Paranoy exclaimed brightly and eagerly caught it in mid-air.
Cling— Clang—
Then the nymph of ditch water examined the contents of the pouch with excitement.
“Heh, all seven pieces are here… Mr. Hassan, this is very touching…!”
And with disproportionately large eyes, she acted as if she was about to cry. Seven pieces of gold were a substantial amount of money, enough to bring tears to someone’s eyes, so it wasn’t surprising to see her act like that.
“Don’t go around saying that I refunded you. Then everyone will come running, and it’ll become a hassle.”
Watching that scene, the bandana-wearing man grumbled and spat on the ground.
Seeing that he wasn’t intimidated by just a punch or two, it was evident that he was indeed a merchant worthy of surviving in this lawless underground.
“Huh, damn it. I never knew someone’s hand could be so strong. They say Samaritans are as strong as bears. Looks like that rumor is true.”
Paranoy, the proselyte nymph, immediately responded to his grumble.
“M-Mr. Hassan is a Samaritan who has come back from hell—! He is stronger than a mere bear…!”
Even though I was the one who wielded such strength, somehow, it seemed like she was prouder about it than me.
She was really like a fox riding on a tiger’s back. No, in this case, she was more like a squirrel riding on a fox’s back. But being highly praised by someone didn’t feel all that bad.
I would have to do the same with
“Hassan of Samaria. Hassan… I’ve heard that name before. Are you an adventurer from the recently tumultuous Mars Guild on the surface?”
The man asked while stroking his head and frowning.
To his inquiry, Marco promptly replied.
“Yes, that’s right. He is the protagonist of the folk song, Good Samaritan and the barbarian who caught a lion that’s been trending in the western slums lately. And I’m Marco, the one who wrote the lyrics and composed those songs.”
“Oh, that damn funny song. I’ve heard it too. The bards sometimes sing that song even in these underground streets.”
“What? How dare they sing it without even paying me, the great Marco. They have no respect for art!”
Marco clenched his fist as though he was truly enraged by that knowledge.
It was the first time I saw this guy get so angry. He might be a weirdo, but maybe he did have some pride as an artist as well.
But his current no-clothes, only underwear state ruined any sense of tension and intimidation he might have been exuding.
“Oh, well…”
The bandana-wearing man glanced over my, Marco, Luna, and Paranoy’s faces and stroked his beard while chuckling to himself.
“Wow, I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but that was quite the impressive power you got there, Samaritan. It seems like you’re indeed capable of catching a lion with your bare hands after all. By the way, speaking of that, could you perhaps straighten out this crumpled steel plate for me?”
“You want me to straighten this out?”
“It seems like you have something to ask me as well. Well, go ahead and tell me.”
The bandana-wearing man swiftly handed me the crumpled piece of metal. Even though I had crumpled it quite easily before, I wondered if I would be able to straighten it out again.
“For Mr. Hassan, this is a piece of cake…! Just wait for your death quietly, you swindler!”
“Hassan, are you okay?”
Different reactions followed with the man’s suggestion. Paranoy looked triumphant, while Luna looked at me with a hint of concern brimming in her eyes.
Luna even tried to grasp the crumpled steel plate and exerted some force on
“Eheheek—”
But it didn’t budge in the least.
“Hassan, how did you even bend this?”
“I honestly have no idea.”
Well, it was not a big deal anyway. I took the crumpled piece of steel in my hands with a casual “Why not” attitude.
Then, I applied some force.
Squeak— Squeak—
The crumpled piece of metal plate made a whole bunch of convincing noises before slowly starting to straighten back to its previous condition.
“Brother, how about you stop for now, okay? This Marco, me, seems to be losing his mind. How could a human even wield such strength…!”
Marco started trembling at the dreadful sight. So, I placed the fully straightened steel plate back on the ground.
Honestly, I was feeling a bit exhausted.
How should I explain this? It felt like I was lacking the endurance to back up my overwhelming strength.
I could exert a strong, momentary burst of power, but I didn’t have the endurance to maintain it.
Damn it, did I focus too much on pure strength?
While I was reflecting on my excessive focus on specific abilities, the bandana man grabbed the squeaking steel plate and chuckled with satisfaction.
“Hehehe, it’s perfect proof of a famous Samaritan coming and going through this underground city. People will surely flock to see this. By any chance, can you give me your autograph too?”
“Get lost, you bastard.”
“Well, I guess, even without something like your autograph, this is proof enough already. Unless you’re a Spartan warrior or a Samaritan, who would think of straightening a steel plate like this?”
The man placed the once-crumpled steel plate back in its original position while saying so.
However, it didn’t seem to be fitting snugly on the wall, as it once did, so he tried to find the right posture to place it but eventually settled for placing it on top of a stand.
“All right, that’s enough. So, what do you want to ask me? Normally, I would charge for the information, but, since you’re a well-known figure, I can offer a special one-time service.”
Ssk—
In response to his words, I pointed at the insignia drawn on the once-crumpled steel plate.
“I’m interested in that.”
“The titanium iron plate? It’s made by underground blacksmiths using a special metal called titanium. It’s incredibly strong, even more durable than regular iron.”
“No, not that. I’m talking about the symbol drawn on the plate.”
“Ah, the Hydra, huh? There’s not much to explain about it to be honest. It’s the symbol of the great thief, the leader who rules over the underground. He is more like the nobility of this underground city.”
Upon hearing the man’s words, Luna questioned.
“Nobility? What does that mean?”
“Exactly as it sounds; it refers to the nobility that governs the underground world. Hydra is a large organization, but it’s also used to refer to an individual. The King of Thieves, Hydra himself.”
The man seemed to be gathering his thoughts as he stroked his chin. Then, he quickly scanned the surroundings with his remaining eye.
Then, in a voice that only those in his close proximity could hear, he continued.
“But nowadays, the Thieves’ Guild isn’t what it used to be. In the past, it had a bit more… what should I say? Romanticist vibe, you know? Now it’s just a group of outlaws.”
If it was a guild formed by thieves, wouldn’t it have been an outlaw group from the get-go? I couldn’t understand what he meant by this romanticist vibe he spoke of.
I thought I had adapted to many aspects of this world, but I guess I was wrong. Damn it. A romantic thief, really? Were they going to steal something and leave a letter and a rose behind?
As I got lost in confusion regarding this absurd scenario, Marco voiced his question.
“I heard that the leader of the Thieves’ Guild has changed hands recently, and there has been a change in their policies. Is that true?”
“Yes, that’s true. The Thieves’ Guild is currently ruled by the eighth-generation Hydra. He’s a truly ruthless and monstrous bastard. My information, as a subordinate, is only limited to this much. Samaritan brother, I recommend you don’t don’t get involved too deeply in this matter either.”
* * * *
“Hassan, that man turned out to be a kinder person than I expected him to be.”
Lick— Lick—
Luna laughed as she licked the red candy in her hand. The bandana-wearing man had given each of us a hardened red candy as a parting gift.
“No, let’s save it and eat it later when we return to the cabin.”
Luna carefully placed the stick candy in the pouch hanging off her waist. She also didn’t forget to wrap it in a clean cloth to prevent it from getting dirty.
Since sweets was considered a luxurious food in this world, we were very lucky to get them for free.
If he was as kind as Luna said, he must be a genuinely kind person. But a genuinely kind person wouldn’t scam people for fake goods in the first place.
However, the direct victim of the scam, Paranoy, seemed to have completely forgotten the matter of her being scammed as she happily licked away the candy in her hands.
“Thanks to Mr. Hassan, I got a candy for free…! It’s delicious…!”
“I got clothes, too, although they’re a bit small in size.”
Marco walked unsteadily in his snugly-fitting clothes. It was quite a bit strange to see a guy walking around only wearing underwear, so it was fortunate that Marco also received some spare leather clothes from the bandana-wearing guy.
Anyway, we had quite a fruitful harvest from our small exchange.
We got candy and learned a bit about the Thieves’ Guild.
It was now ruled by the eighth-generation Hydra.
It seemed like they had a succession system similar to mafia bosses.
If one leader was captured, another one emerged, and when that one was captured, too, another took their place. That was why this organization never disappeared throughout history.
In that case, to eliminate the whole organization called the Thieves’ Guild, we would have to wipe them out entirely from their very roots.
As a high-level adventurer, Hippolyte would be capable of doing something of that manner, but it would definitely be a dangerous task to tackle this matter with just me, Luna, Paranoy, and Marco.
Our current party didn’t necessarily need to take such a risky decision.
Besides, by tomorrow, Hippolyte would probably take care of everything anyways.
Hippolyte.
She turned out to be softer than I expected her to be.
I wanted to affectionately call her Sis, to be honest.
Lost in the flow of my thoughts, as we were simply walking through the underground market, I noticed a gathering of people and a murmuring commotion in one corner of the streets.
“Look, Hassan! People are gathered over there!”
Luna had always been sensitive to events like stone-throwing festivals or similar barbaric events, so it seemed like she couldn’t help but react to the gathering of the crowds.
“It seemed like they have a stone-throwing festival even in this underground city! Let’s go and see it together!”
“Ahem, ahem. Leave me out of this, I’m good as is, Sister.”
Marco responded strongly at the mention of the stone-throwing festival. He had been tied to a tree and forced to participate in that festival before, so it must have triggered some trauma. Damn, I should’ve hit him a bit more back then.
Since we had decided to spend the day resting and spending our illegal money, we eventually squeezed our way in between the gathering crowd.
And then…
… Through the tightly packed crowd, I saw a thick iron grate.
And people were fiddling with safety pins-like tools, trying to pick the lock on the grate.
Inside the grate, a considerable amount of coins were stacked up, and atop the ceiling of the grate, a burly man wearing a mask was busily shouting here and there.
“You are too slow, you idiots. Too slow. The guards probably have been dispatched at this point. Inept fools like you won’t be able to get accepted into the Thieves’ Guild.”
“Keuuuuk! G-Give us a little more time!”
“You damn fools. Try saying that to the house owner too. Tell them that if you just had a little more time, you would’ve grabbed all the goods and left!”
I couldn’t understand what was going on here. A masked man was holding a whip while standing above some iron bars. Was this some kind of new perverted show?
However, the sexual preference of people in this world was peculiar, so someone might get excited by watching men picking locks on the grate and another man scolding them with a whip in hand.
Fortunately, Marco spoke up at that moment to clear up my doubts.
“Ah, it’s the adhesion interview for the Thieves’ Guild. I’ve heard that it sometimes takes place in the underground market. But this is the first time I’ve seen it happening with my own eyes.”
“This is an interview?”
