328 - Head Hunting 3

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: Posted in discord

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People are fickle, always seeing the grass as greener on the other side.

This was likely due to my gaming preferences. Personally, I found it more impressive to defeat enemies with skillful techniques rather than brute strength. In short, it was a romantic ideal I held.

Despite my strong body that could deflect swords and spears even without armor, I sometimes felt the sorrow of being a tank whose only attack was smashing things with a hammer when I had to chase down monsters hiding in villages like rats.

I couldn’t exactly request to demolish an entire village just because dealing with small monsters was stressful…!

“What? He blocked that?”

“Miss, I think there’s a misunderstanding. Although Reynold looks rough, he doesn’t mean any harm. How about lowering your sword?”

Thinking these thoughts, I glanced at Han Se-ah’s stream, then started watching the spectacle unfolding before me.

A sudden duel between 5★ ‘Frost Blade’ Katie Wellesley and 5★ ‘Radiant’ McDonagh Martin. Katie was an agile swordsman, while the gentle-looking McDonagh relied on the strength and stamina from his large frame rather than agility.

In martial arts terms, it was a battle between swift and heavy swords. Since they couldn’t actually draw their swords and fight inside the guild branch, Katie’s pale hands and McDonagh’s gauntlets clashed noisily in the lobby.

But he blocked all of that?

“Maybe she’s not really angry… Should we stop them?”

“Doesn’t seem like she’s angry. More like she’s starting to enjoy it. They seem to be treating it like a sparring match, so I think we can leave them be.”

Grace glanced at me, but I wasn’t going to miss this great content for her stream.

As Katie’s light blue aura surged, McDonagh hurriedly drew his sword and rushed in front of Reynold. However, seeing Katie emit only cold without drawing her sword, he quickly discarded his sword and began using his gauntlets to block her freezing punches.

Although McDonagh was a natural 5★, Katie had diligently leveled up from 4★ ‘Sword Princess’ to 5★ ‘Frost Blade.’

Like a cat playfully swatting a toy, Katie, now more curious than annoyed, enthusiastically pummeled McDonagh, who managed to dissipate the cold with his sword and fend off her blows with hand-to-hand combat.

Standing firmly in front of the cowering Reynold.

“Wow, he blocked that too?”

“Please, let’s, ugh, talk, oof, this out, ugh.”

The fact that he discarded his sword the moment he saw Katie was unarmed showed good character. His skills were also impressive, as he didn’t back down despite Katie mixing jabs and kicks, hitting him with joyful ferocity.

Whether a knight or an adventurer taking on a tank role, the most important trait was not to retreat when allies were behind you.

Although the weapon wielded wasn’t a deadly weapon but the delicate white hands of a slender lady, considering they were filled with mana, it was more dangerous than a weapon.

If those punches were aimed at a goblin, it would likely obliterate half its body, reducing it to a mere ‘gob.’

“Katie, stop. You’re going to break his armor.”

“Oh, right.”

Thanks to her, McDonagh’s gauntlets and shin guards were in tatters. Despite his fitting the rank of a 5★ with his martial skills, his equipment seemed like mass-produced goods hastily made by a blacksmith.

His once neat hair was now disheveled, covered in frost, his gauntlets dented, and his shin guards had fine cracks that were visible only upon close inspection.

"Looking at it now, I kind of feel bad. It feels like I’ve beaten up an easy newbie. Not that I did the beating, but still…."

-It's fine, getting hit by her is a reward

-Level really matters, huh. Both are 5★, but what is this?

-Look at the frost forming on his head, elemental aura is scary

-Damn, some people haven't even seen 5★, stuck at 2★, struggling on the lower floors, while others have guild connections and meet 5★ guys next door

[This chat has been deleted by the mod]

-So, are you going to sell this 5★ to the Magic Tower?

"What do you mean, sell to the Magic Tower! ...Maybe send him to the knights? Or to Sister Ellis."

Seeing her happily skipping over to Irene, it seemed she had just relieved her stress from dealing with the harpies.

"Are you okay? Any injuries? And you, don't judge people by their faces. Whether you’re a mercenary or an adventurer, if you trust only your eyes, you might die before you can even earn a living."

"Ah, yes, understood…."

Reynold, who had been dazed by the sudden high-level adventurer sparring, looked at McDonagh with teary eyes full of admiration.

Meanwhile, McDonagh, shaking off the frost from his head, stumbled toward me.

Maybe he was coming to complain after receiving Katie's barrage of freezing punches. But instead, McDonagh suddenly grabbed both my hands.

However, his words were different from what I expected.

"Are you by any chance, Sir Roland, the owner of the holy sword?"

And it was a somewhat familiar phrase.

---

Raei Translations

---

In a world without cell phones or the internet, where contacting other regions meant relying on messengers or merchants to send letters, rumors spreading almost always involved bards.

These bards were similar to wandering entertainers, like a mix between genuine journalists and tabloid hacks. Some, with their handsome or beautiful appearances and sweet voices, became famous singers in certain regions. Others, however, were storytellers who made up tales to captivate and entertain the public.

Just like there are diligent journalists and those who write articles with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

“I've always kept you in my heart!”

"Haha... I see."

Thus, situations like this arose.

Words I never said were spread as if the owner of the holy sword had magnificently beheaded the vanguard of the demon army.

My main weapons were a shield and hammer, so how could I have beheaded anyone? Maybe I could smash their necks with my shield or rip them off with my bare hands, but I had no skill for beheading with blunt objects.

The idea of calling forth the holy sword was so embarrassing that just the thought of it made my cheeks burn and my head heat up. I had almost looked around to see if Han Se-ah's camera was recording.

But this simple young man in front of me completely believed the exaggerated tales of the bards. Of course, the parts about always taking the lead, never retreating, discovering hidden spaces in the tower, and hunting giant boss monsters were all true.

"You are truly deserving of the title ‘Sir’! Hearing how you defeated the orcs in the northwestern wilderness and saved the village made my heart race as a man!"

Each of my exploits had become adorned with these exaggerated bard stories, causing me a headache.

Our party members found this scene amusing, watching me and McDonagh with grins on their faces. Despite being a 5★ tank with a height of at least 180 cm, and a build as large as mine, McDonagh had been easily beaten by Katie without being able to put up a fight. Yet, his clear face showed no signs of resentment.

Should I call this a bull-like disposition? Anyway, I had no interest in grappling with men, so I glanced pleadingly at Ellis, who was peeking down from the second floor.

“Come on now, don’t cause too much commotion in the guild. If you have nothing more to say, can I take him? I need to talk to him.”

“Oh, yes! Understood!”

Realizing something, Ellis quietly came down and led me to her office, freeing me from the burden of prying eyes. I felt a surge of gratitude for her.

-As expected, Roland seems weak to mental attacks

-If fans approach like that, even celebrities would feel burdened, lol

-Now I get why there so many kissing misunderstandings in shows, they really get in your face

-I told you not to stream today, but here she is showing off another 5★ and begging for donations

-So, what are you going to do with that 5★ tank?

“Oh, calling me a donation beggar? You guys would still drool over watching pretty girls laughing and chatting together. With looks like these, isn’t it basically a collab with female streamers?”

[Tooth Fairy Lost 300k at the Dentist donated 300,000 won!]

But you take all the donation money without sharing, you greedy girl.

Han Se-ah started bantering with her viewers, while McDonagh Martin, as if waiting, sat at the table next to our group, closing his eyes in contemplation.

He seemed to be reflecting on his experience of getting beaten by Katie, trying to find a breakthrough to improve.

After making sure everything was settled, I followed Ellis to the office on the second floor, where I recognized a few familiar faces. These were the employees I saw when I brought macarons.

“So, what do you think?”

“He’s overflowing with talent. Honestly, if I had met him on the first floor, I wouldn’t have believed he was this good. With the right equipment, he could skip fighting horned rabbits and go straight to battling orcs.”

Ellis’s lips curled up into a wide smile as she faced away from the staff.

Judging by her expression, one might mistake her for a criminal from an assassin’s guild rather than the receptionist of the Adventurer’s Guild.

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