Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Beware the Deer
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"Foolish child. Can't you tell by looking? It's a coin."
I knew it was a coin the moment I saw it. Damn, it'd be weirder if I didn't recognize it.
But since it was something Nox was handing over, I figured it had to be a coin imbued with some special power or a rare artifact.
Of course, that expectation shattered with Nox's next words.
"This is just a plain old coin. They call it 1 copper. I hear mortals stake their lives on these little round things. You'd do the same, wouldn't you?"
"W-Well, yeah..."
"This is the only item from the mortal world that I possess. I held it dear and paid it some mind, but I'll give it to you."
With a flick and a spin, clink.
Nox rolled the coin toward me with her hand. It circled around me before coming to a precise stop right by my head as I lay prostrated.
I lifted my head just a bit to look.
It was genuinely just a single 1-copper coin.
A 1-copper coin embossed with the face of some great hero from ages past. About the size of a 500-won coin. And its actual value was pretty much the same as a few of those.
Either way, I was just grateful to be alive. Swallowing a sigh of relief, I picked up the coin.
Ding-
Letters appeared.
『Achievement 'Mom, Please Just Give Me 1 Copper' unlocked: You've obtained the rare relic, Coin Lost in the Night.』
『Karma Value +100』
『Current Karma Value: +167』
Oh, an achievement, and my Karma Value shot up by 100. Unlocking achievements for karma—like a game system, right?
I had no clue about all this karma and mana talk floating around this world, but stuff like this clicked perfectly in my modern mind.
"Thank you."
"You're dim-witted but polite. In any case, our time is nearly up. I must withdraw before those fools from Hypnos notice."
"Take care!"
"Yes, and child. I nurture even a single apple with devotion and care, like raising a baby. It's my duty to keep away pests and birds. How much more so for Luna, who is like a part of my very self..."
I thought she'd say more, but Nox's voice trailed off weakly, like a radio with dead batteries.
Maybe there were restrictions on how long she could manifest here, or a time limit. Cutting off mid-sentence—mother and daughter were the same in that way.
Anyway, Nox fell silent, and a few minutes passed, but I stayed prostrated on the floor for a few more, unable to lift my head.
The oppressive presence had vanished, and the surreal time I'd just experienced—like walking on clouds—began sinking in as reality rushed back.
Damn, I'd talked back to a goddess and defied her. Impossible unless your guts and heart were on the outside. Had my brain finally gone to mush too?
Relief from surviving death's door mixed with tension left my body limp.
A few more minutes passed before I could finally sit up and crawl under my raincoat being used as a blanket.
Snore, snore.
Luna slept soundly, oblivious to everything that had happened. She trusted me completely—no sign of discomfort at all.
"Whew, somehow I survived. Chaos Eternal."
『Name: Hassan Lv. 8
Strength: 3
Agility: 2
Vitality: 3
Karma: 167
Blessings: Blessing of Chaos | Amateur Handiwork | Cloak of Night』
My tense lips curved into a grin. Karma Value at 167—great news for me.
Did she say it was a rare relic? Even a simple 1 copper from a goddess carried immense meaning.
Just in case, I stashed Nox's 1 copper in a separate pocket.
Anyway, crossing 100 Karma Value was a huge milestone. Opened up so many possibilities.
What I was most curious about right now was this necklace I'd snatched from that necromancer recently.
The epic relic Kalan's Black Star could be enhanced by sacrificing 100 Karma Value.
Fiddling with the necklace, letters appeared again.
『Consume 100 Karma Value to enhance Black Star to Pluto's Pupil?』
『Yes. / No.』
Without hesitation, I tapped 'Yes.' A beep sounded, and a long loading bar appeared before me.
Soon, the clang of a mighty hammer rang out.
Clang-. Clang-.
『Enhancing ? 39%』
Clang-. Clang-.
『Enhancing ? 67%』
Felt like a gacha game. No way it could fail, right? I tensed up a bit, then a small firecracker pop rang in my ear.
『Equipment enhancement successful.』
『Epic relic Black Star successfully enhanced to epic relic Pluto's Pupil.』
No idea what that meant, but success! Wondering what would happen next, more text appeared.
『Pluto's Pupil』
『Kore disliked the gloomy underworld. To cheer her up, Pluto gifted her a necklace just like his own pupil, but she tossed it into the underworld river because she hated the color.』
『Protects wearer from mental corruption magic and blessings.』
『Consume 100 Karma Value to enhance Pluto's Pupil to Pluto's Pupil +1.』
『Enhancement success rate +80%』
Damn, it even has enhancement probabilities.
* * *
"Hassan, wake up. It's morning."
"I-I'm awake, Lady Elfriede...!"
"It's me, Luna."
"Oh, Luna."
I woke from the dream and finally sighed in relief.
I'd been dreaming of being worked to death by Elfriede and whipped— so vivid I didn't even realize it was a dream.
Probably because last night drained me, leading to nightmares.
"More importantly, who's Elfriede? You mentioned her before."
Luna blinked. I had no desire to spill my slave days or Elfriede stories to her. No point—we'd never meet again anyway.
"A bad person. Don't worry about it."
"Is she a woman?"
Wrinkle.
A tiny furrow formed between Luna's brows.
Barely noticeable unless you looked close, but on her usually bright face, it stood out starkly.
A chill crept down my spine, snapping me fully awake.
"Uh, how do I explain? It's complicated. Anyway, let's get ready!"
Changing the subject. Luna eyed me suspiciously for a bit before brightening up.
"More importantly, check this out! You made it, right, Hassan?"
Luna pointed to a small statue of Nox. It differed a lot from the grotesque one I'd seen last night—much more refined.
It depicted a woman in a long, flowing dress, hooded robe pulled low, sitting cross-legged on a pedestal.
Mystical aura, with intricate folds in the clothes and curves—truly fitting for a statue.
"You did amazing! It looks just like Nox in person! Even feels like it carries a chill magic."
"Yeah?"
But damn, I didn't sculpt that. Why'd it change on its own?
Maybe Nox fixed it. Couldn't stand the mangled version of herself?
Anyway, early morning, we left the barn and grabbed a simple meal at a nearby inn. Dry bread without jam, milk, watery porridge—honestly tasteless.
"Delicious! Right?"
Luna was unusually cheerful. Her taste buds must be wrecked. She'd probably call boiled rocks tasty.
In this bland-food world, though, that could be a blessing.
After breakfast, mid-morning, Luna and I headed for Sodomora's south gate. Bustling with markets and shops, noisy from dawn.
Tempted by street vendors and auctions, but we had a goal—no detours.
Rapu, Rapu.
I recalled the name of the con artist I was hunting today. Rapu, former Bronze-tier adventurer from Mars Guild.
A promising hunter once, but turned to scams one day, got expelled—went rogue.
No relation to me yesterday, but today I was pumped to track him down and wreck him.
"Hassan, look! A squirrel!"
But Luna, the actual victim, was distracted by market trinkets. Wasn't she furious at the guard station yesterday?
Unless treating her anger cured it completely—otherwise, impossible.
"Squirrel's cute."
But yeah, Luna with sparkling eyes holding the squirrel? Adorable.
"It is cute."
"Right? Tastes even better."
Damn, they eat squirrels. Makes sense in a protein-scarce world. Still shocking.
"Back in you go."
Luna returned the trembling squirrel to its cage and kept walking. Anyway, we needed to find Rapu, who frequented this south gate area.
But how to lure out a cunning bastard with 100 silver—1 gold—in damages?
"Hey, Luna."
"Yeah?"
"How'd you meet that con man? Where?"
"Just wandering the market, he approached me."
"Hmm."
The type who spots suckers and chats them up. Luna did look easy to scam.
No useful info. Searching the whole south gate market might yield nothing.
"Let's split up and search. Meet back at that fountain over there later."
"Okay!"
So Luna and I parted to hunt the con man. We had a composite sketch, but a guy sly enough to dodge guards? Appearance alone might not cut it.
But I could touch wrists and read names. Assuming Rapu was his real name, I'd ID him.
Nah, better—make him come to me. Cons always scout marks.
I recalled an old story from way back, grabbed a stone from the roadside, sat in a crowded park, and started grinding it on the hard pavement.
Scrape, shh-scrape, scrape-. Rattle-.
Eyes gathered as the stone grated.
My eye-catching build and weird act naturally drew stares.
Tough for my somewhat timid self, but I trusted it'd bait him.
"What're you doing?"
Someone asked. I replied casually, like it was obvious.
"Grinding this stone into a needle."
"What? Stone into a needle? Craziest thing I've heard this year. Give it a shot."
He laughed like I'd seen a real nutcase and walked off. Still, I kept grinding silently.
Some approached, intrigued.
"Crazy bastard."
"Savage eccentricity."
"Isn't that the Samaritan who caught the lion?"
But when I ignored them and kept at it, they lost interest, clucking tongues and leaving. All looked at me like a sucker.
Some eyed me with curiosity.
"Looks meaningful. Interesting."
"Maybe a philosophical metaphor: don't stop effort till you succeed."
"Or, no matter how hard you try, some things are impossible."
Amid reactions, I never stopped grinding. Patience till the fish bites—fishing 101. No con would miss this mark.
Rattle, rattle-.
How much time passed?
"Hassan, found him! In that square over there! Why're you grinding a rock on the ground?"
"Yeah!"
I chucked the damn stone without a glance. Damn, wasted effort!