Chapter 123
Chapter 123
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Samaritan of the Black Rock Mountain
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The massive statue of Pluto, its head cleanly severed.
Its black body, cracked from the impact of the collision with Paranoya, began spilling coins from the chest area.
Clink, clink, clink.
It looked just like blood pouring from a hole in its heart.
But instead of blood, golden coins rained down, leaving us speechless as we stared in awe.
"Whoa, shit."
All that escaped our lips were short gasps of amazement. Luna, standing beside me and watching, was so shocked her mouth hung open wide.
"Hassan, those are gold coins. Gold coins are pouring out...!"
"Fuck, we're rich!"
We'd been thrilled just to snag one gold coin, but who could've imagined stumbling upon a waterfall of them in this sweltering, humid hellhole?
We rushed to the pile of gold coins, frantically counting them.
"Damn! Let's count how many there are!"
Clink, clack.
One, two, three.
Fuck, every coin I count feels like 500 more chickens added to the pile.
"Hassan-nim, this has to be Lord Pluto answering our prayers!!"
"Fuck, you think so? How's your nose?"
"It's fine, sir. But how many do you think there are?"
We were all crouched on the floor, tallying the coins one by one, when...
"Brother."
Malco, peering at the scene with an oddly calm expression, cleared his throat with a serious "Ahem."
A street beggar bard not jumping for joy at a heap of gold coins? Something felt off, so I stopped counting and asked.
"Hey, it's gold coins. Even split among us, it's a shit-ton of money. What's the problem?"
"Brother, these don't seem like ordinary gold coins. I thought it might be my imagination at first, but no... this is..."
Clack.
Malco picked up one of the coins from the floor.
He turned it to show me one side.
It was embossed with the face of a man wearing a laurel wreath—just like the advance payment I'd received before.
But eerily, that face was scarred with an X, like someone had slashed it twice with a knife.
"What's that?"
"Hassan, there's an X here too!"
"Here as well, sir. No, all of them..."
Not just the one Malco held—every single one of the roughly 30 gold coins bore that deep, bold X mark.
As we puzzled over what it meant, Malco added more.
"Brother, the kingdom's laws forbid defacing minted coins. Let alone carving up the face of Jupiter, king of the gods. It's unthinkable under normal circumstances."
Come to think of it, I remembered Luna freaking out when I bit into a gold coin and left tooth marks.
To my Korean sensibilities, it'd be like slashing the faces of King Sejong or Admiral Yi Sun-sin—supremely disrespectful.
Of course, since the Jupiter on the coin was an object of worship, defacing it would pile on even greater blasphemy.
"...So, what's the issue?"
"This money can't be used on the surface. It's a mark. A mark for those who live underground without ever looking to the heavens or fearing lightning."
Swoosh.
Malco glanced around before speaking to us in a quiet, solemn tone.
"It's the thieves' mark. These are coins from the Thieves' Guild. Use them carelessly, and you'll become a target in no time...!"
"Fuck, so we can't even spend them with all this gold right here?"
Hearing we couldn't use an amount that could let us quit adventuring and lounge for years—it was like my heart plummeted from my chest to my feet, killing the excitement.
"Nose-boy, isn't there at least one clean gold coin in there?"
Luna, looking just as disappointed, rummaged through the pile again, smacking her lips in hopes of finding an unmarked one.
Clink, clack.
But all 30 gold coins bore that cursed X scar. Fuck, like winning the lottery and not being able to cash it in.
I was seriously pissed.
"Still, couldn't we take them to a bank or something and exchange them for new ones?"
Clinging to hope, I recalled how Korean banks exchanged damaged bills. Sure, this was a primitive world, but maybe their banks did the same?
Shake, shake.
Malco shook his head.
"We could exchange them, sure. But the thieves have ears everywhere, even among the rats. The moment these hit the market, we'd be found out. We'd get stabbed in our sleep!"
Stabbed in our sleep. I pictured myself attacked in bed, unable to fight back, dying helplessly.
Pssh.
Fuck that!
...No way I'd go out like that, shit.
Guess I had to ask.
"Wait, what's this Thieves' Guild anyway?"
I'd overheard slum dwellers whispering about it a few times while wandering the poor districts.
It hadn't seemed relevant to me then, so I ignored it. But now, I needed to know what these bastards were.
"The Thieves' Guild."
Malco sighed softly at my question, then plucked the string of his lute strapped to his waist—twang.
"Thieves are thieves, plain and simple. And Sodomora's thieves steal all sorts of things in all sorts of ways. From candy in a child's mouth to an old widow's life."
"Fuck, why steal candy from a kid's mouth? Those bastards are pure evil."
"Exactly. But no one can catch them. They're hidden in more places than you can imagine, and strong enough to slip away easily. Wipe them out, and they spring back up."
A city overrun by tax-dodging thieves. Fuck, this world really is fucked up.
I'd imagined the Thieves' Guild as a dingy room full of petty crooks.
But from Malco's words, it sounded more like the city mafia or a Mexican drug cartel.
The kind that feeds on the black market and underworld.
And these gold coins were their secret currency.
"Fuck, using them carelessly could get us in deep shit."
Black-masked thugs bursting into Luna's shack and slashing us? Not a pretty picture.
With defacing currency banned, melting them down at a smithy wouldn't be easy either—and it'd risk word getting back to the thieves.
"So what do we do? Bury them back here?"
The thought of reburying this treasure made me click my tongue. Malco twanged his lute again.
"No need for that. Brother, this money just can't be used on the surface. As thieves' coin, it's perfect for the shadows where thieves roam."
"Fuck, you should've led with that. Pocket 'em quick before anyone sees!"
"Stealing from thieves! We feel even worse than them now, Hassan!"
"Want to leave 'em here then?"
"No!"
And so we pocketed the Thieves' Guild's 30 gold coins.
Split evenly among four, that's seven each, with the extras going to me as party leader and to Paranoya, who'd headbutted the statue to reveal them—one each.
"G-gold coins..."
Paranoya seemed deeply moved to have eight for himself. Sure, they weren't clean money and useless in public markets.
But gold's allure was enough to get anyone excited.
"Truly, I did right following you, Hassan-nim... I'll work even harder to be useful from now on."
Tears even welled up in those big eyes. But who could mock that?
Fuck, suddenly coming into a fortune like this—tears of joy are natural.
Though honestly, it was Paranoya's headbutt that earned it, not my merit.
Felt a bit like scamming him, but I didn't want to ruin his sweet moment, so I said nothing.
"But, nose-boy. What can we even buy underground with these? Can't get legit land deeds or anything."
Luna asked while stashing her seven coins, and Malco flicked one into the air, catching it in his palm.
"You'll see at the black market. Can't buy land, of course, but you can do more than you'd think. They say Hydra's belly is vast."
"Hydra? There's a Hydra in the underground market!?"
Luna yelped.
I knew a bit about the monster Hydra too, so I was shocked. Fuck, they're selling that shit for gold?
But Malco had a different tale.
"Hydra's the Thieves' Guild's name. A mythical beast that won't die even if you cut off its heads. Thieves that vanish only when their leaders are caught. Fits perfectly, doesn't it?"
* * *
With the gold coins safely stashed from the temple, we stepped outside with lighter steps. Just moments ago, the bubbling black lake and steamy air had grated on me.
But now, pockets full, I felt euphoric, accomplished—this shithole even looked beautiful.
"The world... fuck, it's gorgeous. Let's wrap this up and head back to the city!"
The thought of spending the gold at the black market had my lips curling into a grin I couldn't suppress.
Is there any happier thought than spending money?
Never been to a black market, but eight gold coins is a fortune—bound to buy unimaginable shit.
Eager to finish and go, we approached the black lake's slope and peered at the bubbling surface.
"This is the important part, brother. Once we draw the water, the lake's guardian might attack."
Malco warned me in a grave tone.
"Guardian? What's here?"
"It's here. Vulcan's merciless creation. You'll see soon enough."
I had no clue what Malco meant, but Luna and I used our prepared barrels to fill the jar with the black water.
Squelch, squelch.
The black spring water was thicker and stickier than expected—like asphalt more than water. So heavy, I wondered if we'd make it down the mountain. Right then—
Shreeeek!
A sound like arrows streaking across the overcast sky rang out loudly.
Flap, flap.
Wings beat powerfully, and a massive shadow blanketed us. Looking up, I saw a gigantic bird.
Fuck, what the hell is that? Can you even call it a bird?
As big as a well-fed hunting dog, with talons and beak clad in ornate iron plates finer than my breastplate.
A bird in armor? Some hotshot? Its plates looked better than mine.
Shreeeek!
It dove straight at me. Fuck, a bird missile—terrifying!
"Hassan! Something's flying at us!"
"What the fuck is that!?"
"I told you! The lake's guardian! Sing it away! The heart of ruthless steel hates song! Hm, hm, ah."
Twang.
Malco strummed his lute and cleared his throat. No idea about any steel heart, but song would drive off the monster, apparently.
Now I got why every party needed a bard. Fuck, not just quota-filling—they actually had a job!
Twang, twang.
"Hm, hm. Ah."
But Malco just warmed up his throat, ignoring the fast-approaching bird.
"Hey, sing anything—just hurry! It's gonna hit!"
"W-wait! Singing on the spot... I can't think of a song!"
Anyone can freeze in a pinch. But pros perform anytime, anywhere—that's what makes them pros.
Malco wasn't a pro!
"Fuck, just sing anyth—"
Shreeeek! Boom!
The bird missile slammed into the ground.
The impact sent hard stones flying like shotgun pellets, pummeling my body.
"Arghhh!"
I dodged its steel beak piercing me, but the stone shards hurt like hell. Ones hitting my gut and chest brought tears to my eyes.
"Ugh, hey, everyone okay!?"
"Seems fine!"
"I-I'm not hurt either, sir...!"
Luna and Paranoya got up from their falls and answered.
"Hey, fuck, Malco! Answer me!"
No response from Malco.
As the dark dust and smoke cleared, there he was—nose bleeding profusely, convulsing on the ground.
"Grgh..."
Probably smashed in the face by a flying stone.
"Fuck, you said to sing!"
Rumble.
Stones rolled loudly from the huge crater in front of me.
Clank, clank—a massive iron thing moved, and a fierce yellow-eyed iron-plated raptor emerged.
Shing.
Its wings bristled with sharp metal feathers—iron or bronze, I couldn't tell.
One flap could slice my torso deep, I feared.
Now I saw: not just beak and talons—its whole body was clad in iron armor.
Whirr, clunk.
This was no normal bird. Could you even call it one?
Kreeeeeah!
The steel monstrosity spread its wings wide and roared.